America and Russia: Motivation for the Return of Jews to Palestine

Nadene Goldfoot
                  After 2,000 years of exile, what drove us Jews to Palestine?                              

American Revolution

Why America?  Why did this country induce a return of Jews after 2,000 years to return to their origins, the land of Canaan now called Palestine?  Let me explain.

Before 1776, America's birthday, all nations were ruled by kings and queens.  
                                                       

That was the point of the little band of Pilgrims who rode the ship, Mayflower in 1620, over uncharted seas to land by accident in North America's soon to become Massachusetts.  They had come from England via Holland escaping England's politics that were against their religion.  From this brave and intelligent band, we see the spread of Democracy a century later.

Jews benefited greatly, having been the scapegoat of the world since the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE and even before by the Roman rulers.  Nowhere in the world were Jews ever given the same rights as other people.  In the United States they were given equal rights and that spread to most countries of Western and Central Europe as well.  When something great happens, it's hard to contain.  
                                                     

                                               
But in Russia....Oh no.  Being so far north, they were slow to catch on to modernity.  Czars hated the ideals of democracy.  The Jews had their largest population stuck in Russia!  They were treated with "dreadful cruelty."
                                                       

Nicholas I, Czar of Russia, who reigned from 1825 to 1855, had Jewish boys between 8 and 12 taken from their homes and put in the Russian army for 30 years or more if they could live through such an experience.  They were stationed far from their own homes and often starved and beaten. treated as low-life.  Those who survived were often forced to convert to Christianity.  Mothers would wound their own sons if they had the stomach for it to keep their sons at home.  They were getting desperate.  
                                                            

In 1855, Alexander II came to the throne and with him, progress.  He gave more freedom to all Russian people.  He even helped the Jews by ending the drafting of Jewish children.  He allowed Jews into public high schools and universities.
                                                          

Alas, in 1881 there were Russian revolutionaries abounding who set off a bomb under Alexander II's coach.  He was killed. 

 His son, Alexander III, took revenge.  He canceled most rights his father had granted.  Then he turned his anger on the Jews even though the killers were not Jews!  It didn't matter to him.  He passed laws forcing Jews out of their homes and schools and made it almost impossible for Jews to find work and make a living.  

If that wasn't bad enough, he then caused riots against the Jews.  His own government gave permission to the Christians to attack, loot and destroy Jewish communities!  These riots were called pogroms, from the Russian word for "devastation."                                 

Home at last by Moshe Maimon. The house's occupants return when it is safe, to find the house thoroughly looted. A rabbi is saying Kaddish for a member of the household who was killed.

                                                     
A leading Czarist official stated their program for Jews thusly:

1.  Drive a third out.
2. Convert a third to Christianity.
3. Starve a third.  

Few converted as we are a stiff-necked people as the bible states and that's why we were chosen..a people who would stick to the program that we were given by Moses.  The whole scene that our people went through in getting out of Egypt would cause even people of today to follow what Moses taught. It was earth shattering including earthquakes.  Surely our people must have experienced something like PTSD to have undergone 40 such years that they underwent--including that special manna that could have been spiked with some ultra strong  vitamins.  
                                                            

The Russian experience caused millions to flee Russia.  More than 2.25 million Jews, every 5 Jews in the world, got out between 1881 and 1924 when the door closed on those seeking asylum in the USA.  1881 saw the first Aliyah to Palestine, a group of Jews followed by 4 more Aliyote.  

Jews were from Eastern Europe who chose the USA.  The USA  changed from a distant outpost of Judaism to a major center, like Babylonia did.  During World War I there were more Jewish soldiers in the USA army than there had been Jews in the whole country during the Civil War!   Some Eastern European Jews opted for Western Europe or  or even South Africa as had happened to our family.  One brother chose to go to the USA while others went to South Africa.  There were still others whose only goal was to live in Eretz Yisrael (the land of Israel).  
                                                      

We always had Jews that hadn't left and had managed to remain in Eretz Yisrael no matter who was ruling.  They were there to pray and to study the Torah and other writings such as the Talmud.  By doing this, they felt they were speeding up the coming of the Messiah.  These were holy religious Jewish people.  They lived in what we would call poverty as they had a meager existence in which Jewish children in the USA would save their pennies and donate to them.  This was our main group for charity purposes.  
                                                         

Draining the swamps

The new Jewish immigrants were made of tougher cloth and had a different vision.  they wanted to farm the soil of the Holy Land and make it once again a land of milk and honey. Most of Europe had not allowed any Jews to own land or to become farmers, and anti- Semitism charged that Jews were unable to do real labor.  Young Jewish pioneers were called the Halutzim, and they were determined to prove that Jews could work as well as anyone!  After all, didn't we build storage cities in Egypt for the Pharoahs?  

In 1882 the first Aliyah had arrived from Russia.  The book, THE SETTLERS-by Meyer Levin, tells about this experience beautifully. They were made up of  handful of young adults, about a dozen men and one woman, who came from a Russian-Jewish organization called BILU.  The name was taken from the initials of words spoken by the prophet Isaiah,  Bet Yaakov l'chu v'naylcha.
                             (House of Jacob, come let us go up.) 
                                                      

These young halutzim were our real heroes.  They came from comfortable homes and had good educations, but they gave up all of this in order to rebuild the Jewish Homeland.  They had their ideals, but that was all, no money or knowledge about how to farm in rocks and swamps they found in Eretz Yisrael; nor how to fight mosquitoes.   Some stayed, some dropped out and sought out towns, others returned to Russia or America, but they had started something that did not end.  It was the impetus for the return back to our origins.  
                                                       

1907 HaShomer (the Watchmen) , our men who guarded their settlements
and kept everyone safe
The Haganah finally replaced them.  

To make Israel what it is today took much courage.  We mustn't forget what our forefathers had gone through, nor our present people for what they endure to keep our Israel safe from harm and to keep our religion alive and meaningful.  
                                                       

Today even women must join IDF and help to guard the
state.  Our new HaShomers.  

Resource:
A Young Person's History of Israel 2nd edition, by David Bamberger 1985, 1994
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pogroms_in_the_Russian_Empire
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

Has Egypt Had Human Rights?

Nadene Goldfoot
The 1992 report from the USA State Department for Human rights said Egypt did not grant basic human rights to their citizens.  When my friend Marilyn from our Ulpan in Haifa visited the country as a tourist in 1980, she found it an unorganized country, unable to even have decent telephone service.  All the time the world governments have been shining a spotlight on Egypt's neighbor, Israel, while it should have given attention to Egypt in looking for violations.  But then, who cares if Egypt does anything wrong.  It's not newsworthy.

People in Egypt have not had any way to change the government.  Detention without due process is widespread and arbitrary.  Christians and women are discriminated against and Jews would be too, only there are few left.  Books and art pieces may be confiscated or banned by the various ministries.

Torture is said to be illegal, but evidence is that it is still practiced by the police and security officers.  Those doing the torturing are never punished.  They have used whipping and solitary confinement, restricting food, water and medical treatments.  Rape and sexual abuse happens to men and women.  They don't discriminate here.

In 1948 75,000 Jews lived in Egypt.  Between June and November 1948 there were bombs set off in the Jewish quarter killing more than 70 and wounding nearly 200.  In 1956 Egypt used the Sinai campaign as a pretext for expelling almost 25,000 Egyptian Jews and stealing their property.  About 1,000 Jews were then sent to prisons and detention camps.  November 23, 1956 was the signing of a proclamation declaring that "all Jews are Zionists and enemies of the state," and promised they would soon be expelled.  They could only take one suitcase and a small amount of worthless Egyptian money and forced to sign declarations "donating" their property to the government.

 Members of Jewish families were taken hostage to insure that those leaving would not say anything bad about the government.  War broke out in 1967 and Egyptians treated the remaining Jews like Nazis did, who also lived in Egypt.  In fact, the head of the Polish Gestapo, Nazi Leopold Gleim, once sentenced to death, was actually controlling the Egyptian secret police.  By 1979, the little remaining Jewish community established official contact with Israel.  By 1991, less than 200 Jews remained. I taught with a young Egyptian girl in 1980 in Safed who told me that only a few older people had remained there.  She was also teaching English.

Today the word is out that Egypt has lost control of the Sinai.  The Deputy chief of Egypt's largest party, the Muslim Brotherhood, has said that they will not recognize Israel's right to exist, the treaty is non-binding, and  will be put to a referendum.  A peace treaty had been signed between Egypt and Israel March 26, 1979 by Sadat and Begin, but on 2011 with the Arab Spring that brought a very cold atmosphere, the army had taken over Egypt and said the peace was not sacred.

Voting was going to take place but the court just dissolved Egypt's new parliament.  Everything was found to be wrong.  Back to the drawing board once more with the army again in power.    The Muslim Brotherhood is highly against democracy and is the main stumbling block for Egypt's democratic government.  Egypt's population of 79,089,650 as of 2011 is going to have to wait and Morsi, Brotherhood contender, cannot pull out of the race right now even though their parliament is dissolved and a Mubarak official gets to seek presidency.


Resource: http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?ID=273755&R=R1
Myths and Facts:  A concise record of the Arab-Israeli conflict by Mitchell Bard and Joel HImelfarb
http://news.yahoo.com/bedouin-tribesmen-police-clash-egypts-sinai-one-dead-205632882.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt%E2%80%93Israel_Peace_Treaty
http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/14/world/meast/egypt-ruling/index.html
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/story/2012-06-12/egypt-elections-president-runoff/55554884/1
Oregonian Newspaper, 6/15, 2012, page A14:Egypt's move to democracy dealt huge setback by court, by David D. Kirkpatrick, NY Times News service

Israel on the Democratic Forefront

Nadene Goldfoot
Everyone's clamoring for Democracy in the Middle East.  There has been one Democratic country there since 1948 and it probably has been driving the Arab rulers crazy knowing that a democracy was so close by and instituted by Jews. 
Israel practices freedom of religion even though it was created as a Jewish state.  It recognizes 15 religions including Islam, the Ba-hais, Druze, Chaldaic and other Christian groups and more.  They administer their own internal affairs and Israel protects all the holy sites.

In Muslim countries Christians are being persecuted but between 1948 to 1998, Christians grew from 34,000 to 130,000 in Israel. 

In Israel citizens have freedom of assembly, speech, press and dissent.  Only hate speech and incitement to violence are illegal.  There are 9 Hebrew daily newspapers; several daily papers in Russian, Arabic, French and English.  The Jerusalem Post was the one I read in English when in Israel from 1980-85.  There are many radio and TV stations and easy access to the foreign press. 

All minorities have the same civil rights as the majority.  Israel is a pluralistic society.  It's a product of the ingathering from all the corners of the earth.  80% of Israelis are Jews of different ethnicities and races.  Many emigrated from the Middle East, Ethiopia, India, Russia, the USA and Europe.  Having been a part of this, I was so impressed to have friends from various parts of Britain, Australia, Canada, South Africa and the USA.  All those people speaking English in so many accents made us realize that we were really a part of the prophesized ingathering to Israel.  It had come to pass. 

Palestinians in Judea, Samaria and at one time, Gaza, are not Israeli citizens.  Even so, they can petition Israel's highest courts.  The Court judges by the merits of a case and frequently decides in favor of the Palestinians.  For example, In June of 2004 they petitioned that the security fence by rerouted around Beit Sourik and around Alfei Menashe in 2005.  In April 2002, during very fierce fighting , the high court was receiving and ruling on petitions almost daily, and that made the New York times on May 5, 2003. 

Palestinians are in the Knesset and have 5 political parties.  Some people have said that Israel has too much democracy because it is a multiparty, not a 2 party system.  There are many parties, far more than the USA has including a Communist, religious, Arab and secular parties.  Israelis vote for the party instead of an individual and each party has its own list of Knesset candidates.  Depending on the % they receive of the popular vote determines how many seats it wins.  For example, if a party wins 5 seats, the first 5 candidates on its list become Members of the Knesset or an MK.   A party needs only 2% of the vote to win a seat.  It turns out to be a boisterous and often confusing political system as at one time they had 19 different parties running.  The governing group has to form coalitions to function, so even the smallest parties get a voice. 

Reference: Israel 101 from StandWithUs, special Edition, partners Christians United For Israel (CUFI)

What Palestinians Think Today

Nadene Goldfoot
Mohammed Daraghmeh and Dan Perry wrote from Ramallah about what Palestinians are thinking about today, seeing all the Arab states revolting and wanting more freedom and democracy.  Right next door to them they have seen Egypt in an uprising and Syria with deadly riots wanting freedom.

They complain about Israel's control over Palestinians' lives without realizing that it stems from the volatile attacks of their Hamas rulers against Israel, causing Israel to have to take protective steps for their own citizens.  It comes from their Fatah Authority wanting all or nothing and leaving the peace table.  A law student in Gaza, Saed Issac, 22 yr old said they have to have national unity first, elect new leaders, and work to achieve an end of the occupation.  Israel pulled out of Gaza 5 years ago, and they're under Hamas rule, but they still blame Israel for their ills. 

In the meantime, Palestinians are going under the table trying to gain statehood without talking peace with Israel.  They have approached the eager UN countries in which 120 out of 192 joined their bandwagon to recognize a Palestine.  Even though in 1967 all the Arab countries attacked Israel and Israel managed to win, the countries are dismissing that huge fact and just want to reward Palestinians anyway. 

Besides the barrage of missiles and mortars that are raining in on Israel, they have used Facebook as a social tool to get names for support called "Let's End the Occupation."  If they ever thought of "Let's end the belligerency against Israel and make nice" --but then I'm dreaming.  Right now the only idea of a peaceful presentation is talk of a peaceful march, shades of Gandi. 

According to Mohammed's article, officials are thinking that militants could take over the effort and become violent.  Another threat to Israel is that the Palestinian Authority could disband and saddle Israel with responsibility for civil and security affairs in Judea and Samaria..  That's sort of what happened to Israel by defending themselves and winning in 1967.  If they hadn't done that, they would have lost the country they had prayed for for 2,000 years and all their citizens of 5 million would have been slaughtered. 

Evidently there have been protests in Gaza but Hamas supported them as well as dispersed them with violence.  It sounds rather bi-polar to me.  As it turns out, the young generation is not happy with Hamas.  I wonder when these young unhappy people will decide that it's time to live in peace instead of war.  How Israel lives is actually what all the other Arabs actually want to copy, of course without the dodging of missile and mortars of their neighbor.  A democracy has been sitting in their midst and they have seen a free people, even their own Arab countrymen living freely in Israel.  But then they voted in Hamas. 

You know, Israel wants freedom too, freedom from threats coming from Palestinian leaders that would put an end to Israel.  Our people have suffered so much in the past 2,000 years to the point of almost being decimated betweeen a Crusade, an  Inquisition and the Holocaust.  From our midsts came some pretty fantastic people, yet we seem to be the scapegoat of the world. We have a lot to offer and just want to live in peace.   It's time the Palestinians thought about making peace with Israel. 
3/27/11 Gaza Youth want to join with Fatah only want their own movement and are against Fatah trying to make peace with Israel yet don't want Hamas.  It looks like the youth want everything but on their own terms.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110326/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_palestinians_arab_spring/print
3/27/11 http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110328/wl_time/08599206166100

Time Magazine's Israel Article Knocking Only Democratic State in Middle East

Nadene Goldfoot

The January 18th article "Israel's Rightward Lurch Scares Some Conservatives," has bias, distortions and shows a complete lack of understanding both Israel and the Middle East.

It made ridiculous accustions and neglected to include very important facts which I will repeat.

1. Oaths of allegiance are expected in most democratic countries. Immigrants have had to give them upon wanting citizenship in the United States. That means 3 of my 4 grandparents had to swear this oath.

2. Citizenship can be taken away for various reasons like undermining "national interests. The democratic countries of Italy, Germany, France and Great Britain do this.

3. In the United States a bill was proposed last year to add that if you join a foreign terrorist organization or engage in or support hostilities against the USA or its allies you would lose your American nationality.

4. America has a Foreign Agent Registration Act called FARA which requires that any organisation that lobbies in the US that receives money from foreign individuals, or foreign governments must register as a foreign agent with the Department of Justice and permit the Attorney General to inspect all of its activities.

5. Democratic countries do not accept foreign government intervention in its domestic affairs by funding domestic groups engaged in criticism of a particular policy or be allowwed to attack the very foundations of the state. They would probably say to mind your own business or to butt off.

6. Debate goes on in Israel's government including the Likud party over the best way to deal with the problem of foreign government funding of local NGO's which are non governmental organizations that have social aims with political aspects. Russia has 40,000 of them while India has 3.3 million. What if the French goverment was funding a British NGO that was designed to eliminate the monarchy? What if Iran was funding American NGO's that were to force the withdrawal of US forces from the Middle East? Can't the countries make decisions for themselves without this meddling from another country? What rights do they have to control a country's decisions?

Israel is made up of people who feel they hold a valid opinion and their opinions are heard in this country. David Ben Gurion used to tell the joke where he's talking to President Truman who tells him that he's president of 300 million people. David Ben Gurion answers that this is nice, but he is Prime Minister of 3 million presidents. Besides such outstanding people as Moses and Einstein, we also have people that are imperfect who do not have the highest values or don't wear halos. Therefore, Netanyahu announced at the opening of a Bible Quiz show that he condemned people with racist feelings against Arabs who did not want to rent apartments to Arabs, which happened in Safed, I believe. America had this same problem of racial inequality with Blacks. He contrasted this with the fact that in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria-area controlled by the Palestinian Authority) they have a law that if a person sells land to Jews they are condemned to death. In the Middle East Christians are persecuted by Muslims, and under their law gays are hanged in a public square and women are stoned for adultery.

In Israel women, gays and minorities' rights are protected. Even the 20% Arab population in Israel enjoy freedom of speech and religion and protection in courts and the rule of law.

Israel has been under a microscope by the foreign press ready to pounce on every decision made in this tiny country who only hope to say something detrimental as that is what sells their articles. If they bothered to look they would see that Israel upholds its democdratic values while it is threatened more than any country on earth today. It has to defend itself against a war of agression for Muslim neighbors, terror campaigns and to hear heads of state promising to annihilate it. It isn't Israel banning minarets and headscarves like the Swiss and French.

In Israel the reporters are able to write their terrible accusatory coverage about Israel without fear of being killed for it. It's not like the Palestinian Authority "Abbas" threatening an Italian TV station (RAI) because they broadcast the film of a Palestinian mob lynching 2 Israeli soldiers causing the Italian station to apologize for showing it. Shame on the Italian station! Apologizing for showing the truth, yet. In America, CNN did something like that in 2003. They didn't show their coverage about Sadaam's regime because that would mean that their people couldn't work safely in Baghdad. Makes you wonder about what we see on television and how it's controlled, doesn't it? And now I see that even Time Magazine isn't giving us a fair or honest story, either. They have gone over to the other side, writing a biased and unbalanced article about Israel.

I watched an American History TV program about a secret government society who meet in a grove. The narrator commented that if we walked in on them, we wouldn't understand what we were seeing and would take it as something else again. They have a giant 40 foot owl on their dias and quite a ceremony. Are the reporters like that in Israel not understanding many things they might see without asking about them first? Or do they only ask the Palestinian Authority, I wonder?

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-governmental_organization

Letter by Ron Dermer, Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Time magazine's managing director, Mr. Stengel. 1/18/2011

Stop Blaming Israel

by Nadene Goldfoot

Some people are blaming the ills of the United States on Israel. They think the whole economic problem we are facing is because we have been backing Israel.

They forget that back when Richard Nixon was president, he said that the United States stands by its friends and that Israel is one of its friends. Even Gerald Ford reaffirmed his commitment to the security and future of Israel because of basic morality as well as enlightened self-interest. He felt the United State’s role in supporting Israel honored our own heritage.

Back then Jimmy Carter said he had a warm and unique relationship of friendship with Israel that was morally right. He stated that it was compatible with our deepest religious convictions and was right in terms of America’s own strategic interests. He said we were committed to Israel’s security, prosperity and future as a land that had so much to offer the world.

Israel has never had to have any American soldiers on their soil in the struggle to fight against terrorism. Instead every able-bodied Israeli has been involved in their own protection. What Israel has had to ask for has been money for weapons. In return Israel has been paying back loans and supplying the USA with everything they can that has been helpful. Not only medical knowlege and advancements but ways of protection against terrorism in airports and other places has been shared with the USA that Israel has been doing.

Ronald Reagan, the Republican, states that Israel was a strategic asset to the United States, something he kept saying even before he was elected. "Only by full appreciation of the critical role the State of Israel plays in our strategic calculus can we build the foundation for thwarting Moscow’s designs on territories and resources vital to our security and our national well-being." He continued: "Since the rebirth oof the State of Israel, there has been an ironclad bond between that democracy and this one. "

George Bush, another Republican stated, "The friendship, the alliance between the United States and Israel is strong and solid, built upon a foundation of shared democratic values, of shared history and heritage, that sustains the life of our two countries. The emotional bond of our people transcends politics. Our strategic cooperation is a source of mutual security. And the United States’ commitment to the security of Israel remains unshakeable. We may differ over some policies from time to time, individual policies, but never over the principle.

Since the Jewish population in the United States is less than six million, it doesn’t explain the depth of the friendship that exists between the two countries. Fewer than 3% of the population could hardly have such a dramatic influence on American foreign policy. The U.S.-Israel alliance is rooted in shared values.

When Soviet Premier Aleksei Kosygin asked Lyndon Johnson why the United States supports Israel when their are 80 million Arabs and only three million Israelis, the President replied simply: "Because it is right."

Have our people forgotten that? Are they that quick to put the blame on Israel? It’s sad to find that this is happening.

Israel is the only other democratic state in the Middle East. It has been an advantage for the USA to have Israel there.

Now there are people who have given up feeling that Israel is a helpmate and would rather blame all our ills on having backed Israel in different ways, like verbally and monetarily. They see no reason that they should exist. The fact that Israel was sanctified by the United Nations in 1948 means nothing to them. They feel that whoever has the might has the right to exist as long as they don’t have to shell out any money to help.

Are we becoming isolationists in that we are having nothing to do with the world? There’s the old adage, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If we don’t help others, do we expect to be helped? Should China call for full payment right now from us?

Let’s say that there’s nothing in it financially for the United States to back Israel in its right to exist. Renig on our 60 year old friendship. Stop helping Israel out financially. The result will most likely be that Israel will be attacked by the Muslim nations again and they will win. Six Million people will either be slaughtered wholesale or driven out and find themselves homeless again. There will again be no country that will take them in. This happened just before and at the end of WWII. The only country that really allowed Jews to enter was the United States, and at that under certain conditions-that of promised jobs and sponsors that took responsibility for them such as my great uncle and father did. It seems that there have always been quotas on Jews, even to get into medical school or even colleges. Funny thing is that we’ve had way more capable of entering these places and have just had to abide by quotas, keeping very capable and brilliant students out.

What will happen to the USA? They’ve been attacked once on 9/11, but I daresay that will not be the end. The Muslim terrorists will be more brazen and will continue, trying to finish what they had started about 1,000 years ago. They attacked Europe then and there was no Israel then to blame. . It can happen again. One thing that could happen again is anti-semitism in the United States as well as the rest of the world. We’ve all seen and read about this before. When people are down others seem to relish kicking them down even further. It’s been happening in France already.

I was 14 years old when Israel became a state. Now I’m 75 years old and Israel is still struggling to survive and has to dodge missiles. I’m tired of it and I’m not even living in Israel now. Think of how tired Israelis are. It seems that it might just take the Messiah’s presence to stop the attacks so that we can have peace. It is right and just to support a state who have struggled so hard to survive. They could have wiped out a lot more of their enemy if they were just concerned to win no matter how, as some Americans advocate how life should be lived. Israelis have been trying to survive rightously. It wouldn’t hurt to at least pray that they will survive. Right now they're being threatened with atomic warfare by Iran. Would these same people just put their arms out to this enemy and side with them?

I say that the United States has made its own errors that have caused an uproar with the Muslims and has helped to bring about terrorism. Backing Israel may not have helped, but it's not the only reason. Stop blaming only Israel. Israel has been our one good friend. We've been one country that has been paying back loans received from the United States. Besides money, we've shared much more for America's benefit. We're sort of like the Space Program. It was an expensive program and is reaping a lot of technical benefits for doing it. The USA is also reaping benefits from being friends with Israel. What other countries can say that?

The United States was created because Europe lacked a morality that our Pilgrims chose to follow. England had quite a ways to go to give people the freedoms they craved. The United States has been successful because of our differences from the rest of the countries. Our morals have created a strength in the fiber of our people just like the strength and determination found in Israelis. Hopefully, both nations will continue as they are morally good. This must continue.

Judaism in the World-Less than 1% of World Population

by Nadene Goldfoot

Israel is the only Jewish country in the Middle East and is fighting for its life, being threatened by Iran's president. It holds as of the 2006 population records 40.6% of the Jews in the world and barely has more Jews than the United States, which has 40.3%. The third country with the most Jews is France with only 3.8% of the Jewish world population, so you can see that most of us are either in Israel or the USA, with teeny pockets of Jews here and there.

Israel is also the only democracy in the Middle East, which is why the USA should be supportive. It's harder to be a democracy amongst Muslims who are gaining in their religious beliefs and seem to revert back to their 7th or 8th century beginnings than being a democracy amongst the freer European nations. Iran is a good example. This means that not only are the Muslims negating friendship to Israel because of their religion but also for their political beliefs. You know the old adage; don't talk about religion or politics with friends. This leaves very little to talk about with their neighbors.

This gives us something to think about, though. Israel holds half of our brothers. It's important for us to remember that they are our brothers and what happens to them can happen to us. That's one reason I'm continuing to work on fighting against lies that I come across about Israel that seem to permeate in the world. When I see things in the newspapers or hear on TV, as I just have this past week, I fight against it with all my knowledge and capabilities. People are not accusing us of poisoning the wells, anymore, but can think of the darndest things to say about us that simply are not true. I hope that everyone will start collecting facts and be ready to verbally defend Israel when you hear false accusations. We cannot remain silent and sluff it off.


 Remember what happened in the holocaust. There was too much silence and not enough said in defense. We are lucky to be living in such a free society, but we can't forget our responsibility for others. This is a part of our Judaism; looking out for our brothers, too.

Israel Not the Country the Left Paint It As

This came to me as an email and points out such good things for people to consider. If not anti-semitism, why is it that Israel is picked on so much and brings out such venom in some people. After reading hateful comments in the Oregonian about Israel, I wonder. Now the Pope is visiting Israel today and is putting pressure on creating a Palestine, regardless of the fact that they cannot bring themselves into recognizing Israel. Palestinians are following the decisions of Hamas, a terrorist group.

Nadene Goldfoot

Israel Still Looks Good, Warts and All - Greg Sheridan (The Australian)

The Israel I know, which I have visited for weeks at a time, which I experience through its literature and media and the Israeli citizens I have met, bears no relation to the Israel I see in most of the Western media. That Israel of the Western mind (and indeed of the Arab mind) is a hateful place: right-wing, militaristic, authoritarian, racist, ultra-religious, neo-colonial, narrow-minded, undemocratic, indifferent to world opinion, indifferent especially to Palestinian suffering.

Yet the Israel I know is mostly secular, raucously, almost wildly democratic, has a vibrant left wing, having founded in the kibbutz movement one of the only successful experiments in socialism in human history. It is multi-ethnic, there is a great stress on human solidarity, there is due process. And I've never heard an Israeli speak casually about the value of Palestinian life.

The Israel I know is a Western democracy, often under siege. I see a society striving for the good, certainly not beyond criticism, but overall behaving as well as any comparably sized Western society would or could in all the circumstances.

Nobody declares Saudi Arabia an illegitimate state because it has no democracy or human rights, and its doctrinaire Wahhabi Sunni establishment rules over a marginalized Shia minority. Nobody declares Turkey an illegitimate state because it has a disgruntled Kurdish minority, some of whom certainly aspire to statehood. Even North Korea, the most extreme Stalinist gulag on earth, is constantly reassured that the West accepts not only the legitimacy of its state, but does not even seek regime change. Only the legitimacy of Israel is routinely questioned: a special standard for the Jewish state.

Since 1977 Israel has given up territory equivalent to three times its size in exchange for peace with various neighbors. This was land acquired in defensive wars that made a contribution to Israeli security. Israel may be guilty of many things but a refusal to compromise is not one of them.

Radical Islam Take-Over of USA

Nadene Goldfoot

Probably because of the Nazi writing of the "Protocols of Zion," Jews are very hesitant to come out with "The Emperor Has No Clothes," but this is what is happening. Islam is trying to take over America. They have realized that they can't win over America with their military prowess, so they're using brain-washing techniques instead.

Many young men in prisons have converted to Islam and are accepting the radical viewpoints. The video below tells of a Muslim doctor in the states that started to research how radical Islam started taking over his beloved country after 9/11, and has tried to reach out to other Muslims but has been vilified by his own people. Now he is an outcast and has been called a "dog." The mob mentality is ruling a people who have never learned to think or reason for themselves.

There are 1.3 billion Muslims in the world and it is growing. One out of four, 1/4 of the Muslims in the states think that suicide is okay to achieve their goal. This political Islam only offers its people hatred, not love. The Holy Land Foundation, CAIR, and a Muslim leader, Mr. Alumondin, support terror groups in the United States.

People should realize that there is no freedom of religion in Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia. Other religions are against the law. This is a war between the freedom of democracy and barbarism. We are battling for Western civilization. Will we stand up for our freedom that we dearly love and that has made us a model country? That is the question. Events in Europe and England show that the Muslim law of Sharia is getting closer and closer. I just watched a video showing a mob of Muslims chasing English police down the street while shouting, "Allah Akhbar!"

Right now our own United States expects Israel, the only democratic state in the Middle East, to accept whatever Hamas wants to do, which is to destroy Israel. At least that is what it seems to me with our leaders blaming Israel for responding finally after 8 years of shelling from Hamas. Then Israel is blamed because the count of dead is greater on the Palestinian side than on the Israeli side. The USA must realize that we are not trying to get killed, while killing is considered a victory for Hamas ! One cannot discuss peace with a group whose goal is to destroy you. If Israel is destroyed, America will be next.

It's very difficult to imagine a take-over of a religion for me. This has been thrown at Jews so often by the Nazis and other similar groups. It's odd because Judaism is the smallest group in the world, and the Muslims are about to take over the size of Christianity, growing amazingly fast considering all their restrictions and connection with death. Yet, what we stand for is in a completely different direction than Islam. They are our opposite. We are for life, peace and democracy. We ask three times at least, "Are you sure you want to become Jewish?" of anyone who seeks to convert to our religion, while the Muslims have historically converted by the sword and hope to have the world converted to Islam, even by force.

The following was sent to me by a Christian friend. The 30 minutes of watching will be an education. It's a wake-up call.

Reference: http://blip.tv/play/AdmXMI6nSg
P.S. A film review that I just found in my this month's Hadassah magazine on page 47 is about "The Monster Among Us". It's about a radical Islamist and right-wing gangs demonstrating and the bruised victims of these attacks. Allen Mondell and Cynthia Salzman Mondell present this film about headstones in England that have been smashed, mullahs telling people to kill Jews in Belgium and the Netherlands and France. Melanie Phillips, British journalist says it's open season on Jews. Others say they fear another Holocaust.
Resource: Hadassah Magazine, February p. 37, and http://www.mediaprojecdts.org/. --Zelda Shluker. Media Projects, Inc. has been making
documentary films and educational videos for 35 years. Founded by filmmakers Allen Mondell and Cynthia Salzman Mondell, Media Projects specializes in films that explore social issues and community
concerns.
Our films have won numerous national
awards and have been selected for prestigious screenings in the United States and abroad. Some have received specialized theatrical distribution and have aired on PBS and national cable networks.