Words

Just a quick thought: 

I once read somewhere that the difference between propaganda and advocacy, is that propaganda works. 

The police in the UK are talking about using "Baton rounds" against violent student protesters. Sounds like a good idea, right?

The Israeli military and police use "Rubber bullets" in violent disorder that threatens its security. Sounds like a bad idea, right? 

Except that these are exactly the same riot-dispersal methods, just called different things. 

But see what a difference words make? 

Flying the flag for Gilad

It's just one moment, that solitary second at a Jewish wedding when all those rejoicing are reminded that all is not well. The groom raises his foot and smashes the glass that's on the floor in front of him. It marks that no Jewish celebration is full of complete joy. At some weddings, a song that tells of the everlasting Jewish dream and hope for a rebuilt Jerusalem and reunited Jewish people is sung either just before the glass is smashed or whilst this is done. Some people I've spoken to have told me that at that moment, as they tinge their joy with sadness, they think of relatives or friends who couldn't join physically in the festivities, but whose spirits are there to celebrate. 

No joy in Judaism is totally free from sadness. And so too, days of joy in Israel are touched by memories of those who helped make dreams a reality and are not around to witness it themselves. The day of celebration of Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel's Independence Day, is always preceded the previous day by Yom Hazikaron, Remembrance Day for all those who fought for and died over many years, including in terror attacks, for that very independence. 

The impending joy of Gilad Shalit's release is more than just touched by sadness - it is engulfed in it. Hundreds of what the Western press calls prisoners, but who should be more accurately described either as terrorists at the very least, or mass murderers at their worst, are about to be released from Israeli prisons. Some will head back to their own homes, some will be exiled, but all will be free. Hundreds of murderers in exchange for one Israeli soldier. It's an awful price to pay. It's a price that no other government would even consider, but one that the Israeli government, after indescribable tormented debate, has no choice but to pay.

It has no choice because of an age old solemn promise that Israel will always look after its soldiers, and the army is sworn never to leave an injured soldier in the field. These are promises that keep morale high in the IDF and in society at large, and if threatened, have the potential to change the very fabric of Israeli society. 

It is a choice enforced by the fact that the Jewish State holds precious the lives of its citizens in a way that no terrorist organisation ever has, does, or will, whether those lives be those of their enemies or even their own people. 

It is a choice that everyone prays will never have to be made again. 

Hundreds of mourning Israeli families, whether or not they were pre-warned, having looked at the list of those being released, are once again grieving for their lost sons, daughters, parents, friends. Israeli society and the Jewish world at large is torn apart. When is the price just too high? When is saving a single life, a life that the ancient Jewish sages tell us is worth an entire world, just not worth it? When should the Israeli government just say no? 

Tomorrow, if the rumours are to be believed and if all goes to plan, Gilad will celebrate his independence. His family will welcome him home, his friends will celebrate, his brothers-in-arms will breathe a sigh of relief. Israeli flags will fly, mine included. But there's something inside that tells me that out of respect to those who are hurting, the flags should only be flown at half-mast. 

Afterthought

The police stood by and did very little. 

Not by choice, I'm sure, but due to orders from much higher powers, higher even than Scotland Yard, probably within the halls of Westminster Palace. Well, as they were in recess when chaos hit the streets, probably from the shores of various holiday destinations. Rumour has it that if the police had been given permission to deal with the disturbances harshly, as they should have done, then these disturbances would have been declared "riots" officially, leaving the government with a hefty bill and insurance companies breathing a sigh of relief. 

Still, the police stood by and did very little. 

At least the British government can look smugly towards the Middle East and continue to accuse Israel of using disproportionate force again. I mean, any force, when compared to standing idly by must be disproportionate. 

Never mind the fact that countless businesses have been destroyed or damaged, lives have been lost, police officers (and dogs) injured, some seriously, and dozens of families have been left homeless, and with nothing but the shirts on their backs. 

The government can claim that order was restored with minimal intervention and, should the need arise at any time in the future, self-righteously lecture Israel on how to deal with "disturbances". 

Given the choice between disproportionate force and no force at all, one phrase comes to mind: 

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil, is that good men do nothing (Edmund Burke)

On the London riots

I've had an article about the riots in London published on Arutz7's website. Click here for the article in Hebrew.

I'm more accustomed to writing things in English, and translating them into Hebrew, but this time, it's the other way round:

_____________________________________

The riots that broke out here in London caught a city unawares. The police force, partially due to experiences from the not-so-distant past (particularly the G-20 demonstrations), was somewhat restrained and loath to deal heavy-handedly with the mobs and potentially prevent some of the events. Many, however, were unsurprised by the ugly scenes of rioting and looting. 

As an Israeli living in London (for now, at least) and working as a paramedic, I often get to meet the weaker, less fortunate parts of society. Not only immigrants who have failed to acclimatise and integrate, but also those whose families have been English since the year dot. Some of them are third, even fourth generation of unemployed, whose every need is catered for by the state. Housing and regular income from unemployment and other benefits prevent many from wanting to find work on a minimal wage, that will not only never suffice, but would also cancel many of the state benefits that they receive. They would be left in a position where they had to work for a living, rather than staying at home and receiving the same level of funding whilst doing nothing at all. 

A trend has developed here of "If I want it, I'll have it," despite the fact that in many cases whatever "it" is, isn't in any way deserved. In the meantime, they have become used to thinking along the lines of "What's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine too," a characteristic described as evil in Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers - a Mishna - ancient Hebrew scripture approximately 2,000 years old). This characteristic is, at least in part, what's responsible for the sights we have seen over the past few days in London and have been broadcast across the world. 

In the meantime, over the past few days, at least in parts of the city, there has been a feeling of being under curfew, of no-go areas, of almost being at war. Shops, banks, restaurants, even the city's famous pubs have all been forced to close their doors in the middle of the afternoon. Business owners have fled their shops in the hope that they will return to find them unharmed, a hope that has been dashed all too often. London is a big city with over eight million people, and despite the fact that the riots didn't spread city-wide but were only in certain specific areas, there was still a feeling of an entire city under siege. 

The Jewish community in London is in a constant state of awareness, more so recently. Even under normal circumstances, every synagogue, every Jewish school and community centre must have its own security personnel posted outside, something unique to the community. The Community Security Trust (CST) works together with the police to assist and advise in communal security needs, and luckily there have been no incidents in the recent riots that specifically targeted any Jewish premises. This, despite the fact that the starting point of the riots in Tottenham, was less than a kilometre away from Stamford Hill, an area heavily populated by mainly ultra-Orthodox Jews. 

As an Israeli, one of the strangest things about the riots was the reversal of what had become a norm over the past years, even decades. Instead of calling home to Israel after, God forbid, a terrorist attack, or checking that a member of the family had returned safely from their reserve duty army service, phone calls were made and messages sent from Israel to London. Families concerned for the safety of their relatives and friends who suddenly found themselves in an all too familiar war-zone, but in an unfamiliar land. 

After almost a week, now that the tempers are starting to calm down, the physical and economic cost can start to be assessed. The Jewish community can return to its normal state of alert and awareness, whilst many others will start to worry that this Western, developed country, where they had until now felt so safe, may be closer to the Wild West than they ever dared to imagine. 

Israel through Music

Showing anti-Israel hypocrisy through song, Yedida Freilich does a very good job of promoting Israel's right not only to exist, but to defend itself against her enemies.



If you have the talent, you could do the same. Join the Israel Online Ambassadors and show off your talent at the same time as supporting Israel (and potentially winning a cash prize too!).

Life Savers

This is a subject that is, if you'll pardon the pun, close to my heart. It's yet another potentially life-saving device invented, somewhat unfortunately for the Arab Boycott and BDS supporters, by an Israeli. 

I presume that in their quest for Truth, Justice and the Palestinian way, they would under no circumstances allow such a device to be used either on themselves or any member of their family or friends. 

I mean, the fact that Israeli inventors and scientists have for many years now been inventing technology and improving on skills that have improved and saved many lives worldwide is merely a typo in the script of Israel-haters everywhere. 

In the meantime, for example, an Israeli charity called "Save a Child's Heart" is doing exactly that. Saving children's hearts. Children from all over the world are cared for in an Israeli hospital by Israeli doctors. 40% of the children who underwent cardiac surgeries are from Africa; 49% are from the Palestinian Authority, Jordan, Iraq and Morocco; 4% are from Eastern Europe and the Americas and 7% are from Asia. 

To quote a friend of mine, or at least paraphrase him - for a country hell-bent on Genocide, Israel seems to be doing a pretty bad job, particularly if they're hell-bent on saving all these children.

Gilad - a citizen of the world?

You're the Prime Minister of Israel.

You have two choices.

1) You negotiate with terrorists, possibly releasing several hundred of their incarcerated, perhaps murderous "brothers". By so doing you release one, just one, captured Israeli soldier.

2) You don't negotiate, and this soldier, who's been held in solitary confinement for five years remains there even longer. 

Either way, you're breaking one of the most solemn promises held for generations by successive governments - either that of not negotiating with terrorists, or that of never leaving a soldier behind. 

I'm glad I'm not the Prime Minister of Israel.

As we approach the fifth anniversary of Gilad Shalit's capture by Hamas, one blogger has started a new initiative, campaigning for the Mayor of London to confer an honorary citizenship on Gilad, as several other cities worldwide have done. It may not bring about his immediate release, but it will raise awareness of Gilad's plight and highlight once again the evil that is Hamas. 

H/T OyVaGoy

Boycott

This video made the rounds some time ago, but as the voices calling for boycotts of Israeli goods increase, maybe it's time for a short, sharp, if slightly tongue-in-cheek, reminder.

The tone may be a little light-hearted, but the issues raised are deadly serious.

So, dear boycott sympathiser, can you really afford to be as politically correct as you claim to be?

Probably not. 

But you'll pretend to, anyway...  

Occupied Territories?

A short video showing how the world's understanding of Judea and Samaria, or the so-called "West Bank" is flawed, not only historically, but legally too. Jerusalem is part of this disputed territory.

The video is in Hebrew, but there are English subtitles in the top left of the screen.

Well, that's another theory, or several, blown out of the water. It's not just a simple question of illegal occupation after all, is it now? 

It's forty four years since east and west Jerusalem were reunited. 

Forty four years of new Jewish history to add to the 3,000 years leading up to them. 

Forty four years in which each and every religious group has been allowed access to its holy sites and the freedom to worship. 

Forty four years of growth and expansion. 

Forty four years into the the realisation of two millennia of hope and prayer. 

Yom Yerushalayim Sameach. Happy Jerusalem reunification day. 

Work Accident

Few phrases in news related to Israel upset me as much as the title of this post. 

A "work accident" gives the impression that someone going about their daily, legal, legitimate business has been injured or killed in a regrettable incident. 

In this brief report in "Haaretz", along with many others in various news outlets in the past, it refers to terrorists, in this case three members of Hamas, being killed by their own explosives. They were, undoubtedly, preparing them for use against the Israeli population. 

This sort of activity may be "work" for Hamas, but to call such incidents "Work Accidents" lends them an air of legitimacy. 

Perhaps "Reverse Engineering" or "Boomerang Terrorism" would be more appropriate? 

Obama's Lines

So, Obama thinks Israel should pull back to the 1967 borders?

a) They aren't borders - the Green Line is the 1949 armistice line.

b) Maybe he should watch this video.

Catastrophe

It's been a very busy few days, consisting of Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha'atzmaut (Remembrance Day, immediately followed by Israel Independence Day), and I wrote about neither. 

Then, over this past Shabbat, I met members of a delegation of Israeli political high-fliers, about whom I was going to post, and will do soon. 

Today, I attended what seemed to be the very highly successful "We Believe in Israel" conference. I've taken so many notes, and wasn't sure where to start. I've got several days' worth of material to write about. 

And then, as I finally sat down to see, hear and read about today's news, once again I'm left writing about turmoil in Israel. 

In the morning rush-hour in Tel Aviv, an Israeli-Arab truck driver seems to have purposely driven into several other cars and ended up crashing into a primary school. A 27-year-old man was killed, and over a dozen injured. 

Around Israel's borders, in particular on the Golan border with Syria, and at the Erez border crossing into Gaza, large numbers of people started violent protests. The BBC has reported that twelve people have been  killed. They've managed to miss the fact that ten of them were killed by the Lebanese army. Their headline, as usual, speaks initially of Israeli aggression, and only mentions the Palestinians' initiating actions as a secondary detail.

All this, in the name of marking the "Nakba", the Arab description of Israel's independence - Catastrophe. 

The real catastrophe is that this can all have been avoided, and could certainly come to an end. All it will take is some very brave decision-makers, and the acceptance of one simple fact: Israel is there, always will be there, and will always remain, an independent, democratic, Jewish state.