Our Memorial to Those That Fought and Died For Israel: Yom ha-Zikkaron

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                    

War Memorial in Israel 

On Monday, April 15th, Israelis will be observing  Yom ha-Zikkaron, or Memorial Day.  Like the United States, it is a day to remember all the soldiers that have fallen in protection of Israel.

Israel has had 7 major wars.  where 9,745 soldiers and security forces personnel have been killed in protecting the civilians of the tiny state just  in miscellaneous engagements and terrorist attacks ever since May 14, 1948.

1. War of Independence:  November 29, 1947-1949                    4,000 soldiers killed
2. Sinai War: October 29, 1956-November 5, 1956                        231
3. Six Day War: June 5 to June 11, 1967                                         776
4. War of Attrition: 1968-August 8, 1970                                     1,424
5. Yom Kippur War: October 6-25,1973                                     2,656
6. First Lebanon War: Sunday, June 6, 1982 -1990                         675
7. Second Lebanon War: July 12-August 14, 2006                         121

One shudders in thinking that the population of Israel in 1948 was only 650,000.  By 1956 we had 1,872,400.  In 1968 we had 2,841,100.  The 1972 census showed we had 3,164,000.  Today we have 6 million Jews and 1.6 million Arab citizens.  We lost 6 million Jews to the Holocaust and have finally regained that many in Israel.  We remember that Moses came with 600,000 to our land in the Exodus.

Israel has paid the price of being our one and only Jewish state.  From 1948 to 1997 there have been 20,093 soldiers killed in combat with 75,000 wounded. With a population of 7.6 million today, this is a high percent. There are 100,000 disabled army vets.

From 2000 to 2005 there have been 1,074 soldiers killed and 7,520 wounded by Palestinians.  By going on to 2010, the total killed jumps to 1,194.

Israel came under attack verbally and by report from Goldstone of South Africa who later rescinded what he had written.  Goldstone shamefully is one of our own, a Jewish man believing all the hateful propaganda said about Israel from people who would like to see her driven into the sea.  He hurt Israel immensely by doing this, as he was truly negligent in getting the facts and instead relied on  hearsay.    He above all people should also have realized that Israel, of all the nations, is not an apartheid state as he had  lived in one himself and should understand the meaning of the world.  The true outcome was that Israeli soldiers have put themselves in harms way in order to protect citizens when in combat.  They have been highly praised by the military allies of the USA for their caution and care.

Resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_casualties_of_war
Book: Letters From Israel by Nadene Goldfoot

Shock and Awe Over "Breaking the Silence" Group

Nadene Goldfoot
If ever there was a state of individualistic thinkers, it's Israel.  This is a more democratic state than others professing to be one.  Like Chaim Weizmann said to an American president in conversation; he was the president of 2 million presidents.

Jews have been taught to think for themselves in Yeshivas and in their homes and not be swayed by mass opinions.  Israel was created on democratic principals and is sticking to their decision.  Lately, a group of 30 former Israeli soldiers wrote about their experiences in the treatment of Palestinian children during operations and arrests in occupied territory as well as disclosing events about checkpoints which they themselves did not understand the rules they had to follow.  This was published by "Breaking the Silence."  Where this more likely would have been the topic of conversation with a guidance counselor in an AA group in the states,  it's made the press.  I have a feeling that their well developed sense of what is right and what is wrong brought about this admission.

We have our Peaceniks and parades of people in Israel marching for the left.  When lives were in jeopardy and even they were worried, the right gained momentum.  Everybody always has an opinion of their own.

One thing for sure; we don't cover up facts or gloss over them.  We are a people with ideals from the extreme left to the extreme right.  Where Egypt just erased (not an easy thing to do on stone walls) the presence of some Pharaoh who lost his following, we let it all hang out, like the escapades of King David and Bathsheba.  Even the story of how Joshua entered Eretz Yisrael is told in detail.  Our Tanakh sometimes reads more interestingly than today's soaps do with all our heros'  foibles because people are exposed with their frailties as well as their achievements.  .

Now I'm afraid that this will be fodder for Arabs and people like Goldstone to bash over Israel's heads.  Most soldiers try so hard, at the expense of their own lives even, to be more than fair with their dealings with the Palestinians.  Like American soldiers, sometimes this has not been the  case.

One thing I noticed was their disagreement at a checkpoint on the stringent Israeli rules that if someone's great grandfather had thrown rocks at Israelis, they couldn't get into the land to work.  That told me that these things are not forgotten and are on record.  I know that Israel has to take extreme care not to let anyone in who might either be a terrorist or who has terrorist connections.  I'm much older than this young soldier who in the sunlight and beautiful scenery might not feel the same way when greeted by some Palestinian needing a job in the Jordan Valley.  The fact that we've been at war with Palestinians for 64 years now makes this modern day soldier look at throwing things as not a big deal.

One thing to realize is that theseare the confessions of just 30 soldiers over the past 64 years where a state has had to have all their citizens be drafted into the army.  It's a very small % that have stories such as these.  What is important is the freedom of the press, and that freedom of speech is not suppressed.

 This would not happen in  a Palestinian state where Jews will not even be allowed to live.  It's already been planned that the future Palestine is to be Judenrein, (no Jews allowed.).  Judea and Samaria and Gaza use school books calling Jews all sorts of animals and debased creatures.  The hatred they have towards Israel has been well developed through horrible brain-washing techniques.  Yet Israel must stick to their principals of  not treating others as they wouldn't want to be treated.  The Golden Rule must be carried out, even under these outlandish circumstances.  

Audacity of Hamas

Nadene Goldfoot

On Sunday (about 12 hours ago our time) the terrorists fired rockets into Israel, probably in Sderot, killing two soldiers and one civilian. The rockets landed near a kindergarten.

Hamas's response was, "Israel is using false pretexts to increase their aggression against Gaza!"

Israel hasn't responded yet but have a few ideas of what to do on the table. One is to harm Hamas leaders and use airstrikes.

In the meantime, the USA army engineers are setting up radar to find tunnels from terrorists that are arming the terrorists.

Resource: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090201/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians_1004