A Day We Will Not Forget
For those who are in a position to do any damage control with friends and neighbors, this is still the most compelling video showing what the naval commandos who boarded the lead ship had to contend with. Keep in mind that Israel was expecting the kind of reaction it encountered on five out of the six ships boarded – anger, light resistance, but no violence. Those on the lead ship were prepared for more, and essentially ambushed the IDF men, who were armed with paintball guns to use on the crowd.
I hope those who are impressed with “world opinion” will notice how false and corrupt that opinion normally is, in general and especially with regard to Jews and Israel.
facts are irrelevant, perception is.
we need be cognizant that israel is gradually being moved in the direction of [being declared] a pariah apartheid state. other than chasdei hashem, i can not understand why europe has not yet gone to total blockade of israel –no trade, landing rights etc.
the USA, with a large Christian population, would take longer to fall in line. but obama is just the president , who al pi his true beliefs, should be putting the screws on israel.
what would we do if travel and charity to israel were to be made illegal, if landing rights disallowed etc? in light of nevuot of am levaddad yishkon, it’s only a matter of time until the US would join the world….
I have come to realize that knowing the actual facts about all that surrounds the existence of the Modern Jewish State of Israel, is useful only for my own sake, for my own cultural enrichment, because as a Jew I have no excuse for being ignorant about my own Jewish heritage. Sadly, however, knowing such facts is completely irrelevant to the literally billions of people around the world whose every breath is antisemitic. The only fact that would make such antisemites happy with us Jews, would be if all of us would be dead.
This is why I wish that Israel would stop bending over backward for this same antisemitic world, as if any gesture of compassion or tolerance on our part has any positive impact on our enemies. It does not. It only encourages them to find more excuses to justify hating and murdering our people. Even the horrors of nazi Germany did not quench their insatiable thirst for Jewish blood.
“Even the horrors of nazi Germany did not quench their insatiable thirst for Jewish blood.”
If anything, it whets their appetite for more Jewish blood.
Hashem Yiracheim. Israel had a legal right to board the ship and the soldiers had a legal right to return fire. That doesn’t seem to factor into the international hatred of the Jewish State. Erdogan’s words are not those of an ally ,but of an enemy. If Obama perceives Israel as a liability, we are in big trouble. The Monday morning quarterbacks can say that the Israeli soldiers were not prepared for what they encountered, why weren’t they? They allowed their weapons to be grabbed and used against them, wasn’t there a better way to overpower the 500 people on this boat? Israeli soldiers are just kids, they don’t want to be ocupiers or harass people and cause resentment. The situation is going from bad to worse and Israel’s leadership doesn’t seem up to the task.
The British lost the battle for world public opinion when they intercepted Jews trying to get into Palestine. The more brutal they were, the more untenable their hold on Palestine became. In this case, Hamas won a battle without firing a shot.
In most other countries, somebody would resign and take the blame. Not in Israel.
I came across an article on foxnews’ website: Obama Abandons Israel to UN Feeding Frenzy by Anne Bayevsky
There is comment above, sermonizing about assuming responsibility. Maybe we should look closer home and see who voted for Obama within the Jewish community. Will these people do cheshbon hanefesh and assume some responsibility? Didn’t they throw Israel to the sharks two years ago in exchange for a chance of gains in the stock market because ‘Obama is good for the stock market’?
Neither Turkey nor Russia nor France nor Britain would allow a ship of protesters to cross into its territory, nor into territory it had declared impassable,so we see what type of hypocrites we are dealing with
The “world opinion”, like much of the media today – TV and written- is based on emotion and not relevant facts. Both the United States and Israel are seen by most of Europe and UK as being aggressors. Certainly Bush was not their choice candidate but Obama who has bent over back wards trying to please “everyone” is leaving these critics with doubts as well. They cannot have it both ways. Either a nation defends its people or, if not, it will leave its citizens at the mercy of those who will tyrannize it.
I suspected all along that this transfer of goods was first and foremost a political ploy by Israel’s ememies. Israel was put in a no win situation. If they allowed the ships to pass, the next time or the time there after, who knows how much material would be there for evil purposes. It would be a new route of transfer. Now, as we can see, if Israel tried to board the ship, they would be considered a bully. Yet, it appears that those who attacked first were not Israeli. Hamas could have avoided the confrontation by allowing the cargo to be offloaded and taken in by truck – that was, of course, not their purpose or goal. In the end, the people living under their rule suffer physically, emotionally and spiritually.
I recall from long ago an essay – maamar by Rav Elchonon Wasserman ridiculing the Yiddish newspapers of his day for their bombastic criticism of Nazi Germany. Basiclyk, my recollection is that excedpt for making the writers feel good , it won’t stop the Nazis and won’t change anything. We have to figure out what is really going on here. Hopefully, the noisemakers in the anti-Israel community will vent their spleens and then life will go back to normal. Unfortunately, Turkey is moving rapidly away from its previous pro-Israel, pro-USA stance and seeking leadership if the Moslem world, a return to the Turkish Empire or at least to a Turkish sphere of influence in the region. Militant Islam is the problem.
The second problem is that Israel is viewed a big Goliath against litle David and has lost the sympathy of the many people who root for the underdog.
This is ceertainly a time for belief in Hashem to help get out of the depression of knowing that everyone is against us. Without religion, how long can Israelis not become depressed. So, while it is good to vent against the evildoers, I am more concerned about what we do next to get back to some semblance of self confidence that Medinat Yisrael is a viable and long term homeland for Jews today and in the future. That is the real issue and let’s not put it under the carpet.
“how long can Israelis not become depressed”
Israelis will b’ezras Hashem handle this one as they did many other ones, for better or worse. What they do find it reprehensible and depressing is the conduct of the European and American Jews, observant and not observant, who publicly demonstrate against and / or publicly criticize Israel in time of war directed against Israel, when there are Yiden in Israeli hospitals with fractured skulls and bones, stabs, gun and shrapnel wounds, and when hundreds of thousands of Israelis are, as we speak, under the threat of rockets that can go off at any moment. Some of them state publicly that Israel embarrasses them, and that they are ashamed of being Jewish. What Israelis find it depressing and reprehensible is that 78% of the American Jewry voted for Obama, whose his sympathies for anything Muslim and his animus for Israel were well documented. What I find it amazing is that the most right wing of the Jewish Orthodoxy stands with regards to Israel on the same side of the political spectrum with the world’s extreme left, with the Haaretz crowd, and those sworn to annihilate Jewish life in Eretz Israel. Does the European and American Jewry know or care that Eretz Israel contains today the largest yishuv, that there are more than 2000 yeshivos in Eretz Israel where more than 135,000 yeshiva bachurim and kollel yungeleit learn? Do they know or care that there hasn’t been so much Torah in Eretz Israel for the past 2000 years? Can things be better? Absolutely, but not by kibitzing from afar with useless advice.
Rabbi Oberstein, let me inform you that Prime Minister Netanyahu, with all his shortcomings [and he has quite a few (but still fewer than you or I)], is still the best man for the job that Israel currently has to offer. Do you really think this Rebbe from Williamsburg, or that Rebbe from Kirias Yoel, or whatever Rebbe from 45th Street, or his rival from 48th Street, or YOU would do a better job?
L. Oberstein, google “Turkey Real Clear Politics”. There’s an article that explains the Turkish interests, and why they are so far away from Israel or the US.
Remember the Armenians. These Turks were innovators in genocide.
The most reprehensible American reaction was the rally in Manhattan of a thousand chassidim against Israeli policy on the day that soldiers were been lynched and injured. Sort of the event you expect to see on the week of Parshas Shalach – the miraglim are out it again.
Why was the world outraged at Israel? It was not the images of Jews being savagely clubbed that caused the outrage. For 2000 years, such images have been as generic and predictable as the sun rising at the east. The outrage was caused by the finale of the incident: Jews fighting back the savages and even killing them. Europe and the Muslim world found that too hard to stomach and caused them severe indigestion. Hillary, sleazy Hillary predictably joined the choir of our enemies demanding that we be goldstoned again.
Statement made by a regular non-Jewish American: “if the Palistinians put down their arms, there would be no more war, if Israel puts down it’s arms, there will be no more Israel.”
“how long can Israelis not become depressed”
My husband’s first cousin, in Israel long enough to be called an oleh vatik, insists that the sunny weather here makes all the difference.
Dovid, that quote about putting down weapons, was originally made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It really does sum things up well.
Dovid,you are more than entitled to vent your frustration and use me as a symbol of what you don’t like. I am old enough to take it.
I do not work for the Obama administration and have no desire to defend any of their policies. However, there is a fundamental error in many people’s logic. The President of the United States is sworn to defend the American constitution and he must serve America’s national interests. Smart Jews use their persuasive powers and their massive financial contributions to convince politicians that it is in America’s interests to support the State of Israel. If ,at any time, the American people feel that Israel is a drain on their interests, as many European countries feel, we will no longer bask in the serenity of a Congress that always votes for aid and support to Israel. The best policy is to deal realistically with the ruling authorities and not demonize them. The only thing gained by hating Obama is drivng him away from us, we are not as powerful as some think.
As far as Israeli politicians, when you find one that is truly good, let me know. Israel is run like some American states and not the most advanced ones. The political system is rife with corruption and self serving politicians more intersted in keeping their limosines than in serving the people. Israel’s political system has not produced any great leaders in a long time.
In short, don’t be rediculous, your reshaim are just politicians and your tzadikim are the same. Don’t put so much trust in any man, only in Hashem.
I re-submitted it w/o embedded links.
“are you sorry you voted for him? I said what has that got to do with the Flotilla?” to be found in the Ais Tzarah Hi L’Yaakov thread, June 2nd, 2010, 9:01pm:
It has a lot to do with the flotilla in at least two ways:
(1) Here is a quote from: “The president’s [Obama’s] appeasement policies helped to create the incident. Israel took the bait, but the trap was set in Washington. Weakness always begets aggression, and, like clockwork, Obama’s repeated signals that he is weakening America’s commitment to Israel are emboldening the Jewish state’s enemies. From Syria to Iran to Lebanon, from Hezbollah to Hamas and the PLO, the wolves smell blood and are trying to gauge whether they can get close enough for the kill.”
(2) Obama is trying to destroy the America that we know. Arutz7 posted a video (link available) showing a Jewish teenager demonstrating with an Israeli flag next to a demonstration of Islamic sympathizers. You can see how the LA police shielded the boy from the mob and were unequivocally ready to go into action if the mob would have attempted to harm him. This is the greatness of America. To come to the defense of the little, weak, and vulnerable against the local or international mob. May America be blessed for this and other comparable acts of righteousness. This is the America that Obama wants to destroy. Anywhere in Europe and the Muslim world the boy would have been lynched, with crowds cheering on the side, the press taping the crime, and the police writing the report. Obama you voted for is trying to destroy America that we have known and counted on.
“are you sorry you voted for him? I said what has that got to do with the Flotilla?” to be found in the Ais Tzarah Hi L’Yaakov thread, June 2nd, 2010, 9:01pm
L. Oberstein, Congressman Peter King blames flotilla fiasco on President Obama. He does think that the flotilla has to do with Obama. And I do think that your vote also has to do with the flotilla fiasco. Obama is trying to portrait Israel as America’s liability. America is waking up to the fact that Obama is America’s liability.