Tishrei 5769
This article is translated from the Makor Rishon newspaper.
Which super idealists in Judea and Samaria would be willing to trade places with the Jews living in one of Israel's mixed Jewish/Arab cities? I'm not just talking about Akko, Nazareth, Lod or Yafo. I'm also talking about up and coming Israeli cities like Arad and Carmiel. How many idealistic settlers who have to put up with Arab violence on the roads of Judea and Samaria would be willing to be their neighbors in the same apartment building in one of the mixed cities on Israel's periphery ?
Nobody talks about the creeping Arab conquest inside the Green Line. The people who determine our national agenda live in Israel's center. They do not feel the harassment of the Bedouins in the Negev or the Arabs in Israel's Triangle and Galilee. The news editors do not have to guard their sheep at night; the MKs do not have Arabs living across the hall and the judges' daughter have no problem going out at night. For all practical purposes, the people who determine what we are allowed or forbidden to talk about live on a different planet.
It is an open secret that the Arabs have been using the time-proven method of block-busting to take over Jewish neighborhoods. The first apartment in a Jewish neighborhood in Ramle or Nahariyah will be bought by an Arab at an astronomic price - and a Jewish seller will always be found. After that, the Jews flee, selling their apartments at any price. The only Jews left are the elderly and those Jews who cannot afford to move elsewhere. And then I receive their letters; the old woman in Yafo whose front yard has become the local garbage dump for the neighborhood Arabs; the Jew whose car was blocked by an Arab in the middle of Yafo - and when he complained to a policeman, almost got himself arrested. After all, we all know that the Arabs are the masters of the Land. This and more are daily occurrences in Yafo, just three minutes from Tel Aviv - the planet where the elites determine what we are allowed to talk about and what is forbidden.
A number of months ago, the Druze in Peki'in burned the homes of the Jews living in the village and violently chased them from their homes. Did you hear much about that in Israel's media? Was an official Commission of Inquiry convened? They took a policewoman hostage. Was anybody arrested? Of course not. In response to the pogrom in Peki'in, Israel's police force sent its soccer team to play a friendly game against the Peki'in soccer team.
also brought about the largest mass murder in history. Scorn for the individual's right to amass wealth ultimately leads to scorn for the individual's very life. Even when it is unpopular - the Likud does not have a socialist worldview.
We established a state so that we could stop being different and start being normal. If only Jews can be Israelis, then we will never be normal. That is why the Israeli needs the Arab. He needs him to help him forget that he is a Jew.
It took a bit of time, but the Arabs eventually realized that they have an insurance policy worth gold. They understood that they hold the key to the Israeli dream of normalcy. They realized that because of their internal psychosis, the Israelis need them. They understand that a pogrom of the 1929 variety is still unacceptable. But other than that - just about anything goes.
In Tel Aviv, they continue to dream the normalcy dream and to accuse anybody who dares to say that there is a problem of racism and incitement. No MK, not even from the Right, dares to broach the subject. And so, quietly and undisturbed, over 60% of Israel's sovereign territory has already been transferred to Arab hands - inside the Green Line! More than half the social security funds are transferred to pad the Arab population, whose hero was caught helping the Hizbollah target Israeli cities - and was of course released to Jordan. This population pays little taxes. Who wants to risk their lives to collect taxes? They build wherever they please, pollute wherever they please, burn whatever they please and of course, they vote for the Knesset and have access to top government positions. We are busy fighting for Yesha, and refuse to recognize the more dangerous front against the fifth column inside Israel.
The reaction of Akko's Jews to the pogrom may not look very good on television, but it prevented similar riots from breaking out throughout Israel. But no need to fret. Israel's media will hurry to remind the Arabs that the future of this land belongs to them. The people in the periphery will continue to pay the price, while the people on planet Tel Aviv will continue to condemn the racists and inciters.
The fundamental solution is leadership that is not looking for normalcy. The solution is leadership that emphasizes our Jewish identity. Paradoxically, it is only when the Arabs understand that the Israelis do not need them to help them forget that they are Jews - will we be able to live here in peace with non-Jews who unequivocally accept the fact that Israel is a Jewish state.
No matter where you are,
you can be part of Manhigut Yehudit.
Join us!
Together we can channel our idealistic energy
into revolutionizing Israeli society.
What can I do?
If you are already a Likud member and you would like to check your membership status, just email us at: likud@jewishisrael.org. Be sure to include your name, Israeli ID No., and a phone number where it is easiest to reach you. Or give us a call at our "English Speakers" office: 02-996-1123 (Israel), or 516-620- 2475 (USA).
If you are not Israeli citizen, you can become a Manhigut Yehudit International Member. Joining Manhigut Yehudit International is much more than just a donation. Now you're part of the team! And you don't need to be living in Israel to join. Join the team today! Click here to learn more! Let's spread the message! If you are interested in arranging a lecture or meeting in your community with Moshe Feiglin or Shmuel Sackett, either in Israel or in the USA, please contact Dovid Shirel at shir@manhigut.org, or call: 02-996-1123 (Israel) or 516-295-3222 (USA).
Thursday, October 23, 2008
On the Temple Mount with Moshe Feiglin: By Michael Fuah
With praise to G-d, we actually managed to enter the Temple Mount complex. We waited in line for two hours, while the police allowed only 15 Jews in at each interval. Yes, it was frustrating. The police announced that in another half hour the Mount will be closed, and we were still waiting in line. At the last minute, the Manhigut Yehudit group managed to enter, with Moshe Feiglin as our intrepid guide. We gingerly ascend the Mount, trying not to show our lips moving as we quietly utter the Shir Hama'alot Psalms. We pass through the gate and stand beneath the plaza, which is dominated by the Dome of the Rock; the Foundation Stone that was part of the Holy of Holies in the Second Temple lies inside the Dome. It is hard to integrate the destruction and shame. Tears begin to well up and flow naturally down my face. A wakf guard jumps on me and shouts, "It is forbidden for you to pray here!" An Israeli policeman hurries over and tells me in no uncertain terms that I had better stop praying - or else. Moshe Feiglin intervenes and maintains that we have every right to cry on the Temple Mount. The shame burns throughout my entire body. It is forbidden for me to pray in the holiest place on earth - just because I am a Jew. If I was an Arab, for example, I could play soccer on the Mount, pick olives and even enjoy a picnic, as the Arabs do while we try not to show them just how much the sight hurts us.
The Temple Mount is an awesomely spiritual place. As I touch the giant wooden beams from the First Temple, stand at the entrance to the stairway to the Hulda Gates and imagine the Jewish pilgrims streaming forth, continue with them east till the entrance to the courtyard and even manage to hear a surreptitious Priestly Blessing, my heart brims over with excruciating pain and lofty exhilaration.
The wakf keep up a constant barrage of epithets, trying to impress upon us that they are the masters of the Mount. Moshe Feiglin takes advantage of the brief absence of the policeman and quickly prostrates himself on the holy ground. The wakf run toward him, furiously shouting. The policeman, who had evaporated when the Arabs were harassing us, comes running. Moshe, pleased that he had the opportunity to bow down on the Temple Mount quickly gets up and continues with his explanations as if nothing has happened. "Next time, please make sure that the Arabs do not disturb us," he says to the policeman. The wakf guards fall silent. They understand Moshe's language.
We silently mumble the Shema Yisrael and Aleinu L'shabeach prayers at the place closest to the Holy of Holies to which access is permissible according to Jewish law. We pray for Jonathan Pollard and Gilad Shalit and most of all - for the redemption of Israel and the building of the Holy Temple. We exit at the western gate, keeping our faces turned all the while to the Holy of Holies, singing and dancing with hope and prayer that the Temple will speedily be built.
The Temple Mount is the site of the most extreme desecration of G-d's Name. 24/7. Ascending the Mount according to Jewish law does not decrease the desecration. It may even cause it to be expressed in a more tangible manner. But the ascent to the Temple Mount expresses our unequivocal desire to rectify the humiliating situation. And the power of that desire is gaining momentum.
Sukkot on the Temple Mount: Resuscitation Commenced
There is no doubt that something very good happened this Sukkot holiday. Over one thousand Jews ascended to the Temple Mount - despite the extensive preparations necessary beforehand and the extensive wait before actually entering the Mount. It seems that the deep Jewish longing for the Temple Mount has finally come to the surface. The line of people waiting to enter the Temple Mount stretched all the way to the gate of the Old City.
The Temple Mount is the heart of the Jewish people. Until now, we have been suffering from a national cardiac infarction. On Sukkot, our national resuscitation commenced in earnest.
Getting into the Temple Mount was anything but simple. The police were very surprised and pressured by the unusually large amount of people waiting to ascend to the Mount and they did all that they could to make the visit as frustrating and unpleasant as possible. The Arab wakf also felt the change and reacted with verbal violence and open derision. Nevertheless, we were exhilarated and inspired to be on the Mount on the Sukkot holiday. From the physical and spiritual heights of the Mount, the day when the Third Temple will be rebuilt and the Nation of Israel will return to its own identity seemed almost tangible.
Shabbat Shalom,
Moshe Feiglin
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Moshe Feiglin Addressed the Likud Central Committee
Last Monday, October 6, Moshe Feiglin was given the prestigious honor of being invited to speak to the Likud Central Committee. The following are the main points of his speech, which drew a standing ovation.
Best wishes to new Central Committee Chairman [Moshe] Kachalon. It is commendable that you have dedicated the first meeting in your new role as chairman to the discussion of ideological issues.
The Economy and Education: What is the connection between the two? The connection is values. An economic system that is not based on values will ultimately collapse. The world constantly alternates between socialist & capitalist ideologies. Pure socialism is simply armed robbery in broad daylight. It inevitably leads to poverty. Historically, it has also brought about the largest mass murders. Scorn for the individual's right to amass wealth ultimately leads to scorn for the individual's very life. Even when the Likud is unpopular it must never give in and accept this socialist worldview.
On the other hand, capitalism that is not refined & moderated is just another strain of Darwinism - doomed to eventually implode. Clearly, we are not interested in that extreme.
What does the Likud have to offer? We offer a free market that sanctifies individual rights to personal property, but that refines and moderates the individual's drive for wealth through our Jewish culture.
In Switzerland, the Chief of the National Bank does not earn over 20% more than the tellers. That is not the law - it is Swiss culture that refines and moderates the capitalist system.
On the one hand, the right to amass personal wealth must be maintained (Our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were all relative billionaires). But on the other hand, we must also set an atmosphere whereby interest-free loans to the individual borrower, the annulment of debt in the Shemittah year and most importantly - a culture of community giving and mutual responsibility are instilled.
And if we are already talking about mutual responsibility, I would like to add a few more words. In the upcoming year we can expect some significant political struggles. The media will attempt to portray [Tsipi] Livni as a new, clean politician. Whoever expects the Likud to sweep to victory without a concerted effort is in for a surprise.
The Likud is connected to the most healthy, intense and ideological forces in the National Camp. It would be a grave error for us to look for support from other places. Remember what [Ezer] Weizman and [Moshe] Dayan did to [Menachem] Begin. Do you remember the slogan, "Bibi is good for the Jews"? If we want to lead Israel, we must do what is good for the Jews. The Left is completely unreliable. If we join up with all the truly nationalist forces - if we do what is good for the Jews - we will triumph and save Israel.
We Pray For the Release of Our Jewish Prisoners
During this new year we fervently pray that the Prisoners of Zion both inside and outside of Israel will shortly return home to their families. First and foremost, the betrayed Prisoner of Zion, our brother, Jonathan Pollard. Second, the soldiers for whom Israel does not even attempt to exact a price - Gilad Shalit, Zach Baumel, Tzvi Feldman, Yekutiel Katz, Ron Arad & Guy Hever. And let us say another prayer for the speedy return of our fallen heroic brother Eli Cohen in order to give him a proper Jewish burial in the Land of Israel.
And of course, all the Jewish Prisoners of Zion languishing in Israeli jails because Israel "doesn't have a vested interest" (in the words of Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter) in releasing them - although it is convinced that it does have a vested interest in the wholesale release of Arab murderers.
We pray that we will soon merit worthy, Jewish leadership that will view the Jewish vested interest as Israel's vested interest and will free all the Prisoners of Zion without delay.
The Jewish State?
The beginning of defeat is retreat (Sotah 44B).
As we have seen for many years, the state of Israel is NOT the Jewish state. The Israeli government keeps making this clear.
On Yom Kippur, Arabs rioted in Akko and the Israeli police did nothing while the Arabs looted, destroyed cars and threatened the lives of any Jew who set foot on the streets. ON OUR HOLIEST DAY! Two days ago in Judea & Samaria, Arabs (and some of their Jewish sympathizers) got permission from Israeli police to harvest a field. Instead - after the residents of a local Jewish town went out - the Arab group pillaged the small town and murdered the dog of a resident. Four of the Jewish attackers were caught, and yet they were released by the police almost immediately.
These stories just add to the long list of disgraces. Whether it’s the giving away of Eretz Yisrael or the refusal to let Jews pray on our holiest site - the Temple Mount - Israel has never had a leader who stood firm for the Land of Israel, G-d, and the Jewish People. We must stop retreating. We must start standing up for our beliefs and our principles. We need your help to install real Jewish leadership in Israel!
Best wishes to new Central Committee Chairman [Moshe] Kachalon. It is commendable that you have dedicated the first meeting in your new role as chairman to the discussion of ideological issues.
The Economy and Education: What is the connection between the two? The connection is values. An economic system that is not based on values will ultimately collapse. The world constantly alternates between socialist & capitalist ideologies. Pure socialism is simply armed robbery in broad daylight. It inevitably leads to poverty. Historically, it has also brought about the largest mass murders. Scorn for the individual's right to amass wealth ultimately leads to scorn for the individual's very life. Even when the Likud is unpopular it must never give in and accept this socialist worldview.
On the other hand, capitalism that is not refined & moderated is just another strain of Darwinism - doomed to eventually implode. Clearly, we are not interested in that extreme.
What does the Likud have to offer? We offer a free market that sanctifies individual rights to personal property, but that refines and moderates the individual's drive for wealth through our Jewish culture.
In Switzerland, the Chief of the National Bank does not earn over 20% more than the tellers. That is not the law - it is Swiss culture that refines and moderates the capitalist system.
On the one hand, the right to amass personal wealth must be maintained (Our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were all relative billionaires). But on the other hand, we must also set an atmosphere whereby interest-free loans to the individual borrower, the annulment of debt in the Shemittah year and most importantly - a culture of community giving and mutual responsibility are instilled.
And if we are already talking about mutual responsibility, I would like to add a few more words. In the upcoming year we can expect some significant political struggles. The media will attempt to portray [Tsipi] Livni as a new, clean politician. Whoever expects the Likud to sweep to victory without a concerted effort is in for a surprise.
The Likud is connected to the most healthy, intense and ideological forces in the National Camp. It would be a grave error for us to look for support from other places. Remember what [Ezer] Weizman and [Moshe] Dayan did to [Menachem] Begin. Do you remember the slogan, "Bibi is good for the Jews"? If we want to lead Israel, we must do what is good for the Jews. The Left is completely unreliable. If we join up with all the truly nationalist forces - if we do what is good for the Jews - we will triumph and save Israel.
We Pray For the Release of Our Jewish Prisoners
During this new year we fervently pray that the Prisoners of Zion both inside and outside of Israel will shortly return home to their families. First and foremost, the betrayed Prisoner of Zion, our brother, Jonathan Pollard. Second, the soldiers for whom Israel does not even attempt to exact a price - Gilad Shalit, Zach Baumel, Tzvi Feldman, Yekutiel Katz, Ron Arad & Guy Hever. And let us say another prayer for the speedy return of our fallen heroic brother Eli Cohen in order to give him a proper Jewish burial in the Land of Israel.
And of course, all the Jewish Prisoners of Zion languishing in Israeli jails because Israel "doesn't have a vested interest" (in the words of Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter) in releasing them - although it is convinced that it does have a vested interest in the wholesale release of Arab murderers.
We pray that we will soon merit worthy, Jewish leadership that will view the Jewish vested interest as Israel's vested interest and will free all the Prisoners of Zion without delay.
The Jewish State?
The beginning of defeat is retreat (Sotah 44B).
As we have seen for many years, the state of Israel is NOT the Jewish state. The Israeli government keeps making this clear.
On Yom Kippur, Arabs rioted in Akko and the Israeli police did nothing while the Arabs looted, destroyed cars and threatened the lives of any Jew who set foot on the streets. ON OUR HOLIEST DAY! Two days ago in Judea & Samaria, Arabs (and some of their Jewish sympathizers) got permission from Israeli police to harvest a field. Instead - after the residents of a local Jewish town went out - the Arab group pillaged the small town and murdered the dog of a resident. Four of the Jewish attackers were caught, and yet they were released by the police almost immediately.
These stories just add to the long list of disgraces. Whether it’s the giving away of Eretz Yisrael or the refusal to let Jews pray on our holiest site - the Temple Mount - Israel has never had a leader who stood firm for the Land of Israel, G-d, and the Jewish People. We must stop retreating. We must start standing up for our beliefs and our principles. We need your help to install real Jewish leadership in Israel!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Torah Sparks: Yom Kippur
On Yom Kippur the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies to offer incense as an emissary for every Jew. This service still exists in a spiritual sense even today. For now that we do not have the holy Temple in Jerusalem, every Jew is himself a “High Priest”; he himself “enters” “the Holy of Holies” and “offers incense.”
(Lubavitcher Rebbe)
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