Sunday, December 28, 2008

IM MEMORIUM


Tsafrir Ronen

1955-2008

 

 

A true patriot and lover of Eretz Israel has passed on.

 

I met Tsafrir in the early 1970’s when he was in 11th grade on the kibbutz that he was born on. He was a jack-in-the-box as a kid and stayed that way as a mature adult. A true embodiment of the quintessential Israeli sabra, always acting the bold, macho image but deep down a soft man.

 

I lost touch with him when I left Israel and renewed our acquaintance when I returned as a member of his kibbutz. We were not bosom buddies at the time because of our age difference but always friendly. After graduating High school Tsafrir left to start a new kibbutz in the Jordan Valley called Gilgal and to serve in the IDF so our paths crossed infrequently until he returned in the ‘80’s with his wife, Judy. We worked together in the agriculture branch of the kibbutz for a while and our paths parted again when he left the kibbutz.

 

We used to see each other in the dining hall on Friday evenings when he visited his family but by then he was into his own political thing that was light years away from my ideology. We never got to sit and chat like we used to until I changed my ideology and Tsafrir was there like a shot to guide me along the “true path”.

 

He made a point that I learn the true meaning of Zionism and the love of Eretz Israel and drilled into me to never forget who this country belongs to. His enthusiasm for Eretz Israel was contagious and his health suffered because of it. But this enthusiasm permeated into everything he did whether it was his lovely family or planning and building his house or his tirades against the kibbutz and government.

 

Tsafrir will be missed mostly, of course, by his wife and daughters about whom he would talk at every chance with great pride and love.  I will miss him greatly because he was my teacher and mentor in the new path that I have recently chosen.

There is now no-one in my circle of friends that can argue so vehemently and with so much conviction, passion and with as much insight as Tsafrir Ronen.

 

Too early, my friend, you left the party too early.

 



Read more!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

A Little House in Hebron

By

Mike Packer


I used to be a left wing liberal. I said it before and I'm saying it again with the emphasis on "used to be".

The Labor party that I used to be proud to be a member of (unfortunately, I still am but that is another story) has at last hit rock bottom. Although I am talking in generalities here by including everyone in the Labor party in the same rotten barrel as its chairperson. I have never felt as embarrassed by the fact that I had dealings with this party as I did the other evening when the "Peace House" was evacuated on the orders of the Defense Minister.

The prime mission of the Ministry of Defense is the defense of the population and the integrity of our state borders. It has been derelict in the first count, the defense of the population. Unless you mean the Arab population that basks in the protection of the Law in all its forms. The Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, has declared war on the Jewish population that identifies with the National Camp and with its supporters. According to certain polls in Israel about 53% of the Jewish population identifies with the National Camp or other affiliated religious parties and I have a feeling that this will show in the elections in February. I sincerely hope that Ehud Barak's actions over the last few days will be the final nail in the Labor party\left wing coffin. His chances of becoming Prime Minister have just taken a nose dive and he is taking the party with him.

The House in Hebron was bought by a Jew from an Arab for $700,000 cash. The transaction was documented and signed but the Arab seller has recently reneged on the deal after his life was threatened for selling Arab land to a Jew. I can understand his concern but, hey, take the money and run, find someplace else to live. The original owner appealed to higher authorities and said that the transaction wasn't finalised. The Ministry of Defense which is in charge of security in Judea and Samaria slapped an eviction order on the Jewish residents of the house. The residents appealed for a stay of eviction until the legality of the transaction was confirmed by a local court. The High Court of justice upheld the eviction notice but left it to the discretion of the MoD whether to act or not.

The Minister decided that it was time to show the settlers just how brave he and his Police cohorts were and in a surprise raid evicted men, women and children using unnecessary force on a docile group. Barak has alienated a huge group of rabid patriots for a few popularity points with the Palestinian Authority and the American administration. These patriots are becoming the backbone of the elite units in the IDF just as the kibbutz youth of 20 years ago they are considered by many in Israel as salt of the earth. A few of these youths were reenforcing the group that was living in the house in Hebron and some were blamed by the Jerusalem Post of throwing rocks at Arabs. The JP on Thursday on page 5 printed a picture of "Beit Hashalom" with the subtitle "Settlers throw stones at Palestinians following the evacuation of the disputed house".Nadia Matar, Co-chair, Women in Green and member of the Committee for the Struggle for Bet Hashalom, wrote a letter of protest to the Editor of JP:

To the Editor of the Jerusalem Post
letters@jpost.com

One does not have to look far to see how biased your newspaper is.

Page five of your Friday edition shows a picture of Bet Hashalom with the subtitle: "Settlers throw stones at Palestinians following the evacuation of the disputed house "
As someone who lived in Bet HaShalom for the entire week, I looked at the picture, recognized some of the people, and
immediately understood what the picture really was about: Four Jewish youth are playing dodge ball in front of Bet Hashalom minutes before the expulsion forces arrived with their tear gas, stun grenades, clubs, and other equipment to brutally and forcefully expel the Jews from Bet Hashalom.
Obviously using such force against youth playing ball does not look good. So why not change reality completely and write that those youth were 'throwing stones at Arabs'.

I will do all I can to find the names of all those appearing in that picture and convince them to sue the Jerusalem Post for libel and slander.Shame on you.

Nadia Matar
Co-chair, Women in Green and member of the Committee for the Struggle for Bet Hashalom
.

Well, what can one expect from journalists.

The Ministry of Defense is in dereliction of its duty. Day after day it rains rockets in Sderot and the area surrounding the Gaza strip but the Government won't come to the residents assistance. Recently there were riots in Acre and there were more Jews arrested than Arab instigators. The Police and Ministry of Defense have found that it is easier to beat up and arrest Jews than it is Arabs because the Jews don't go on the rampage afterwards like the Arabs do.

Now this dereliction of duty has again raised its ugly head. Enough is enough. It is time to bury the Labor party once and for all and then the chairman will fade away into the infamy that he so richly deserves.
Read more!

Mumbai memories

by

Mike Packer


Well, so here we have another Islamic Jihadist attack on innocent people in a country that was established on the basis of peaceful demonstration.

Mahatma Ghandi must be turning over in his grave over the use of terrorism in Mumbai.

But thanks to the advent of multiculturalism the perpetrators are vindicated as "poor oppressed muslims". It is this multiculturalism that has bred the terrorists of the 21st Century and until the west realizes what is happening it will, undoubtedly, be too late.

The western concept of the 21st Century is still nesting in the middle 20th Century. Today's terrorist is not a lackey of some war lord in Mydumbistan but a modern, western educated, middle class MUSLIM (and I shout that out so that the UN can accuse me of illegal speech!). These terrorists are religious/ideologically motivated individuals who know exactly what they are doing and enjoy it. They target Jewish institutions and unarmed clergy and throw in a few other western victims for the media hype. The problem is they are getting better at it.

They have also become sadistic. What earthly reason is there for torturing bound prisoners in such a way that even the medical staff who did the autopsies were affected by the sight. Multiculturalists will tell us that is because of the humiliations of Al Ghraib or Gitmo, but they were humiliations causing loss of prestige not physical abuse causing loss of blood. Torturing prisoners is a crime not only in war but in peace time too. These terrorists have no rights to a fair trial but should be summarily executed for they have forfeited the right to be considered human.

The time has come for the west to remove the kid gloves, ignore left wing multiculturalists, and get down to work. Pakistan must be brought to task for the aid it is rendering to the mujahadeen and stop turning a blind eye to what is happening in their back country. What will we say when Pakistan decides to arm some terrorist organization with nuclear weapons? against whom will we retaliate? if it isn't already too late.

How long will we kowtow to all the Ahmedinejad's of the oriental world before we decide that our way of life is OURS and not theirs. Live and let live. If they are jealous of our lifestyle then they are free to join us on our terms! we do not have to worry about their lifestyles they have enough petrodollars to improve themselves without our help.

Caroline Glick's post of Dec.4 ended with the following:

"SOME COMMENTATORS dismiss the danger emanating from the global jihad by noting that its global designs are not matched by global capabilities. They argue that when the West finally decides to defeat the jihadists, they will be utterly vanquished.

Unfortunately, this view ignores two things. It ignores the fact that the jihadists are devoting all of their energies to improving and expanding their capacity to fight their war. And it ignores the fact that the multiculturalists' influence is growing steadily and has repeatedly stymied Western attempts to confront the jihadist threat head-on. Unless something changes soon, the consequences of the jihadist-multicultural alliance will be suffered by millions and millions of people."
Read more!