Showing posts with label Israel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Israel. Show all posts

Sunday, May 1, 2016

We Are Jewish, Not Jebusite.

A reminder for those who may have forgotten. Or for those who never knew. A few general ruminations to identify the self-serving hasbara snake-oil salesmen.

Blogging about "Jewish indigenous rights" is the domain of today's career social media jackass, both jewish and gentile. An expression of Irrelevant, irritating braying, which detracts from logical discussions Jews should be having, and creates false proofs for our Jewish reason for being. One who has zero knowledge of Torah or Jewish history should stick with issues he understands. One who does not, should shut his mouth and mind his own damn business. Seriously. HIS business, is not OUR business.

One example of this perversity is the chutzpadik tendency of outsiders to tell good dedicated Jews how they need to "find their true identity". These ugly people denigrate the long rich history of Ashkenazic Jewry which perpetuated some of the most vital, creative expressions of Judaism throughout our continuing exile, and enriched Judaism with a universe of Torah. To the Jewish frauds who run with this diseased way of thinking, I encourage them to study Torah and keep their naked ignorance to themselves. To the outsiders I say: find your own tortured identity (such as it is), and clean up your own dysfunctional house. Start with the withered tree out front, and ask it the critical questions.

There are real issues out there affecting Jews, both in Israel and the diaspora. In Israel, we have many physical and spiritual threats, and we don’t need those who align with missionaries and are anti-Torah to lecture us. Our own repressive government is more concerned with looking decent and appeasing anti-Semites than protecting Jews. While Arabs prey on Jews with knives, guns, stones, and explosives, our "Jewish government" continues the systematic abuse and incarceration of innocent Jews. Even an heroic soldier is punished for doing his job and destroying an Arab terrorist. These are the things that should inspire outrage. Not folk biology and pseudo-history.

In truth, the attempt to make Jews appear more exotic or native by presenting foolish arguments makes no sense to anyone with his head screwed on straight. It is a distracting ploy for hasbara shills to exploit foolish Jews. And it does nothing to help Israel. On the contrary, it merely lowers the collective Jewish I.Q. And we need every brain-cell at our disposal.

G-d gave the land of Israel to B'nai Yisrael. If you like this, or agree with this concept, good for you. Stick with it. If you don't, that's too damn bad. Go start your own indigenous country comprised of the descendants of savages who ate one another, but were displeased (hypocrites!) when the gun crushed their native forms of violence. Or go to a comic book convention and indulge in other fantasies. Or get a decent job and settle down. Find a good woman to love and live with. But mind your own damn business.

#wearenotaztecsnorincasnorcommanches

Thursday, March 31, 2016

Hasbarite Syndrome (Guest Post) by Moshe Schwartz

In this guest post for "The Judean Hammer" Blog, my friend Moshe Schwartz shares his thoughts on the phenomenon he has coined as the "Hasbarite Syndrome". Click the link: https://www.facebook.com/notes/moshe-schwartz/hasbarite-syndrome/10154181330628534 and find out more about this pernicious malady.

Make sure you don't have the symptoms, and that you don't associate or support those who do. At the end of the day, most hasbarites are not interested in Zionist sweet potatoes.

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

He Picked The Wrong Jew To Murder

Torah demands that we slay human monsters who have no regard for humanity, not subdue or neutralize them. The notion of detaining a murderer and then releasing him in a few Ramadan cycles to prey again is beyond perverse. The Jewish response to total corruption is a bullet in the head, and the most basic fundamentals of Judaism confirm this. Judaism does more than assure the right of self-defense. Halacha requires that we pre-emptively strike before an attack.

Unfortunately, Israel’s politicians and the ever-growing “hasbara machine” are always touting Israel’s willingness and commitment to endanger Jewish soldiers to protect Arab civilians. We will never have a total count of how many precious Jews were lost to this mad philosophy. The same Judaism that abhors misplaced violence, demands and celebrates the application of proper use of force against the enemy.

The Arabs continue to prey on Israel’s Achilles heel, knowing that they can get away with an extraordinary tally of murdered Jews without a proper Jewish response. And even when Israel’s thresh-hold is reached, they know that any response will be muted. After all, they understand that even armed Jews are afraid to use their guns, lest the government imprison them for over-reacting. Even when assaulted, many armed Israelis have shown a reluctance to pull their weapon. 

And in urban areas, the timing is terrible. An Arab armed with a kitchen knife will always have the element of surprise over an armed citizen or soldier. The famous experiments are tragically replicated in Israel, where highly trained security personnel are gutted by Arabs with knives, who close the distance before they can unholster their weapons and fire. And far from the reputation abroad of Israel being a “gun friendly” country, anyone who lives here knows that the laws are extremely draconian. Only the elitists and an ever shrinking populace can legally obtain guns today, and those who are given guns are given a small leash.

Fortunately, not everyone in Israel is affected by these corrupt notions of self-restraint. Consider the heroic action of Yonatan Azarihab last week, a true Jewish warrior, with a beard and kipah to boot. An Arab Amalekite stabs him in the neck and leaves him for dead. On this occasion, the terrorist chose the wrong target. This beautiful Jew reacts in a most extraordinary fashion. He pulls the knife out of his neck, against the most rudimentary basics of street survival (for fear of bleeding out). He proceeds to chase down his would-be-murderer and kills the Amalekite beast with his own weapon.

Purim approaches, and the mandatory reading of Parshat Zachor will compel us to revisit and our eternal war with our age old enemy, Amalek. It would behoove us to celebrate and internalize the actions of great Jewish gibborim (warriors) past and present who dealt with Amalek appropriately.

I only wish I could have seen the Arab’s face when his “victim” rose up and slaughtered him before sending his evil soul to face the true judgment. Clearly, this holy Jewish warrior is obviously made from something else. The kind of stuff that Samson was made of. A normal country would hire him and have him share his internal fire with young soldiers in training. A portrait of righteous zealousness and unrelenting ferocity (common sense and self-preservation be dammed) against our accursed enemies, may they all be destroyed. If more Jews had this tzaddik's DNA, the Arabs would run screaming towards the Mediterranean.

Yonatan is a new Jewish hero for our times, and his actions should inspire more opportunities for gevurah. May he live and be well. And may his mesirut nefesh be the catalysts to reawaken the fire of King David.


Tuesday, March 15, 2016

A few thoughts in response to “‘Response to “Jews are NOT indigenous’”

The Judean Hammer Commentary: From the incomparable Nathaniel Feingold.

"Avraham and his ancestors originated beyond the Euphrates River in the lands of Aram. Avraham and his earliest descendants sojourned in the land of Kena'an as strangers. Am Yisra'el received the Torah at Har Sinai and learned to observe much of it in the wilderness, all outside the land. Then Am Yisra'el conquered the land from the Kena'anim and established Torah law over the conquered lands and peoples. This is what the Torah, the Prophets, and the Sages unapologetically affirm.
The millennia of Jewish history as strangers before conquest and as rulers after, the centuries of Jewish kingdoms and Temples, the feeling of a deep connection to the land, Jews should know and be proud of these things, but none of it has anything to do with being indigenous. Jewish people, culture, language, etc. developed in Bavel no less than anywhere else, but that does not make Jews indigenous to Bavel either.
The idea that the Kena'anim were conquering Eretz Yisra'el from the descendants of Shem in the days of Avraham seems to find little support outside of Rashi's comment on Genesis 12:6, even elsewhere in his own commentary. For instance, in his commentary on Numbers 13:22, Rashi indicates that Hevron was built by Ham for Kena'an, rhetorically asking if it is possible that Ham built Hevron for Kena'an, his youngest son, before he built Tzo'an for Mitzrayim, his eldest.
More explicitly, in his commentary on Genesis 1:1 and Psalms 111:6, Rashi reminds us that HaShem, the Creator of the earth, gave the land to the Kena'anim before He took it from them and gave it to Yisra'el:
"Rabbi Yitzhak said, "It was not necessary to begin the Torah except from “This month is to you” (Exodus 12:2), which is the first commandment that Yisra'el was commanded. Now for what reason did He commence with “In the beginning?” Because of [the verse] “The strength of His works He related to His people, to give them the inheritance of the nations” (Psalms 111:6). For if the world should say to Yisra'el, “You are robbers, for you conquered by force the lands of the seven nations [of Kena'an],” they will reply, "The entire earth belongs to the Holy One, blessed be He; He created it and gave it to whomever He deemed proper When He wished, He gave it to them (the Kena'anim), and when He wished, He took it away from them and gave it to us (Yisra'el)." (Rashi on Genesis 1:1)
"When He gave them (Yisra'el) the inheritance of the nations (Kena'anim), He let them know His strength and His might. And Midrash Tanhuma (Buber, Genesis 11): He wrote for Yisra'el [about] the Creation to let them know that the earth is His and that it is in His power to settle in it anyone He wishes, and to move these out and settle others, so that the nations will not be able to say to Yisra'el, “You are thieves, for you conquered the land of the seven nations [of Kena'an].” (Rashi on Psalms 111:6).
This does not say that the nations will not say Yisra'el are thieves. They do, and will continue to say this. Just as they say it when it comes to the particular locations of the Cave of Makhpela, the tomb of Yosef, and the Temple Mount, which were purchased by Avraham, Ya'akov, and David. The point is that Yisra'el should know better than to be convinced by or get sucked into the arguments of the nations. Because it is to Yisra'el that HaShem relayed His creation of the world, and to Yisra'el that He chose to give the land with the conditions of the Torah.
That Avraham and his descendants dwelled in the land of Kena'an as strangers is explained in Rashi's commentary on 15:13: "It does not say, “[strangers] in the land of Mitzrayim,” but “[strangers in a land] that is not theirs,” and from the time Yitzhak was born (Genesis 21:34): “and Avraham sojourned, etc.” (Genesis 20:1): “And [Yitzhak] sojourned in Gerar.” (Psalms 105:23): “And Ya'akov sojourned in the land of Ham.” (Genesis 47:4): “To sojourn in the land we have come.” - [from Midrash Abchir]"
Ramban also explained that the Avot dwelled as strangers in the land in his commentary on Genesis 37:1: "The explanation for "and Ya'akov settled in the land of his father's sojournings" (Genesis 37:1) is that [Torah] is saying that the chiefs of Edom settled "in the land of their inheritance" (Genesis 36:43), the land that they took for themselves as an eternal inheritance, but Ya'akov dwelt as a stranger, as his fathers [Avraham and Yitzhak] did, in a land that was not theirs but Kena'an's. And the intention is to tell us that they [Ya'akov, Yitzhak, and Avraham] chose to sojourn in the chosen land. And it tells us that, "that your offspring shall be aliens in a land not their own" (Genesis 15:13) was fulfilled through them [Ya'akov and Yitzhak], and not Esav. For it was through Ya'akov alone that offspring was considered theirs [Avraham's and Yitzhak's]."
Contrary to the claim that Ramban explains the journey of Avraham's family to the land of Kena'an as a return to their homeland, Ramban explains in his commentary on Genesis 11:28 that Avraham and his fathers had always dwelled beyond the Euphrates River prior to Avraham:
"It is written, "Beyond the [Euphrates] River your forefathers always dwelled" (Joshua 24:2), and the word "always" (me'olam) implies that his forebears had always been there. And it is written, "I took your father Avraham from Beyond the River (me'Ever HaNahar)" (Joshua 24:3) ... Rather, the truth is that their native land was the land of Aram, in the area known as Beyond-the-River (Ever HaNahar), and that was [Avraham's] ancestral inheritence from antiquity. As Scripture says of the descendants of Shem, "Their dwelling place extended from Mesha going toward Sefar, the mountain to the east" (Genesis 10:30), the "mountain of the east" being a general name for a large area, as is written of the descendants of Shem, "in their lands by their nations" (Genesis 10:31). And it is written, "From Aram did Balak, king of Mo'av, lead me, from the mountains of the east" (Numbers 23:7). Thus you see that he (Avraham) and his fathers were from that land (Aram) from antiquity." (Ramban on Genesis 11:28)
And in his commentary on Genesis 14:18, Ramban brings up and dismisses Rashi's interpretation of Genesis 12:6 (that the Kena'anim were conquering the land from the descendants of Shem) based on the peshat of the Torah, which explicitly describes the land as belonging to the Kena'anim prior to Avraham:
"According to our Sages (TB Nedarim 32b), who say that Malki Tzedek was Shem ben-No'ah, he went from his land to Yerushalayim to serve HaShem there, and was a kohen to the Supreme God for them (the Kena'anim), because he was the venerated brother of their father (Ham), for Yerushalayim was always within the border of the Kena'ani. Rashi wrote above [regarding] "the Kena'ani was then in the land" (Genesis 12:6): "[the Kena'ani] was going and conquering the land of Yisra'el from the offspring of Shem, ancestor of Avraham, for it fell in the portion of Shem when No'ah apportioned the earth to his sons, as it says, "and Malki Tzedek, king of Shalem" (Genesis 14:18)." But this is not correct, for "the border of the Kena'ani extended from Tzidon [going toward Gerar, as far as Aza, going toward Sedom, Amora, Adma, and Tzevoyim, as far as Lasha]" (Genesis 10:19) encompassing all of the land of Yisra'el, while the border of Benei Shem was east of Mesha (Genesis 10:30), far from the land of Yisra'el. But if No'ah apportioned the lands to his sons, and gave the land of Yisra'el to Shem, it was as "one who apportions his possessions by his mouth [for distribution after his death]" (a phrase used in TB Bava Batra 126b), and Benei Kena'an would dwell in it until HaShem would endow it to the offspring [of Avraham] who loved Him, as I have mentioned [on Genesis 10:14]."
In other words, while HaShem always intended to eventually give the land to Shem's descendants, the land belonged to the Kena'anim in the days of Shem, Avraham, Yitzhak, Ya'akov, and his descendants, who went from their own lands to dwell in the land as strangers, until He brought Yisra'el out of Mitzrayim, and brought them into the land to conquer it from the Kena'anim. That Yosef refers to "the land of the Ivrim" in Genesis 40:15 does not change that he and his fathers all sojourned in the land as strangers, just as Yisra'el did in the land of Goshen, which was known to be their dwelling place in Mitzrayim.
But even if, for the sake of argument, the nations were convinced that Jews are indigenous to the land, what tangible results do those who push this argument envision? Do they expect these nations to then conclude that the descendants of pre-state and pre-modern aliyot non-Jewish communities are not indigenous, or are less indigienous than Jews? Do they expect the nations to accept the annexation of Yerushalayim and Golan? Do they expect the nations to expect continued military rule of Yehuda and Shomron?
A majority of voting nations supported the establishment of Jewish and Arab states between the Jordan and Mediterranean long before this indigenous fad, and they will continue to demand the establishment of an Arab state in Yehuda, Shomron, and Aza whether they argue that the Arabs are indigenous or not. No matter how you slice it, they demand an Arab state next to Israel, and will not be convinced otherwise by any argument. And those who demand an Arab state on Israel's ruins will not be convinced by any argument either."

Saturday, March 5, 2016

We Are Not Indigenous

Featured in "The Jewish Press"

“When G-d began to create heaven and earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

“Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, at the terebinth of Moreh. the Canaanites were then the land. The L-rd appeared to Abram and said, “I will assign this land to your offspring”. And he built an altar there to the L-rd who had appeared to him.” (Genesis 12:6-7) - JPS Hebrew-English Tanakh

When it comes to serious Jewish matters, I have zero patience for stupidity. When “hasbara” (public relation) champions celebrate nonsense to curry favor with any group of non-Jews feigning friendship, it strikes a visceral cord. The Jewish failure to act logically and behave with self-respect is an affront to Torah. We cannot defeat the Arabs if we cannot understand what it is to be Jewish, or to appreciate what our correct reason for being is based upon.

The Indigenous Rights Movement
One of the more troubling fads of late is the hasbara version of the “indigenous rights” movement, which posits that Eretz Yisrael belongs to us Jews because we are somehow indigenous to the region. (What region, you may ask? The Levant? The Fertile Crescent?) Jews did not arrive at this novel notion by themselves, since those advocating for indigenous “rights” are generally activists and leftists who hate Jews and eagerly defend Arabs as supposed victims of Jewish aggression and Zionist imperialism. To date, the majority of such groups side with the Arabs. Only recently, have we seen the phenomenon where a handful of lone individuals representing “indigenous peoples” aligned themselves with popular hasbara movements.

Contrary to the assertions of many popular online “hasbara” champions, we Jews are NOT “indigenous” to Eretz Yisrael. An honest analysis of the term (always defined by those advocating for such a concept) reveals that to the extent that a definition of “indigenous” could theoretically apply to Jews, it could surely also apply towards other groups, including Arabs.

What is indigenous? The problem with defining the term is that those who advocate for indigenous rights created the definitions. They set down the definitions as divine revelations whose tenets are infallible. They tell us what indigenous means as it relates to their personal beliefs. Many Native Americans (indeed most) who advocate for “Palestinians” will interpret it one way to include Arabs. One particular prominent pro-Israel and “indigenous rights” activist, Ryan Bellerose, a self-identified Metis from Paddle Prairie Settlement in Canada, maintains the opposite. He asserts that Jews are indigenous, while Arabs are not. In any event, in his article, “Israel Palestine: Who’s indigenous?” Ryan sets down his accepted criteria for being an indigenous people:

To begin, let us acknowledge that there is no rule that a land can have only one indigenous people; it is not a zero sum game in which one group must be considered indigenous so that therefore another is not. However, there is a very clear guideline to being an indigenous people. It is somewhat complex but can be boiled down to the checklist below, as developed by anthropologist José R. Martínez-Cobo (former special rapporteur of the Sub-commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities for the United Nations).”
Further on, Mr. Bellerose continues:
Martinez-Cobo’s research suggests that indigenous communities, peoples and nations are those which, having a historical continuity with pre-invasion and pre-colonial societies that developed on their territories, consider themselves distinct from other sectors of the societies now prevailing on those territories, or parts of them. They form at present non-dominant sectors of society and are determined to preserve, develop and transmit to future generations their ancestral territories, and their ethnic identity, as the basis of their continued existence as peoples, in accordance with their own cultural patterns, social institutions and legal system.
This historical continuity may consist of the continuation, for an extended period reaching into the present of one or more of the following factors:
·        Occupation of ancestral lands, or at least of part of them
·        Common ancestry with the original occupants of these lands
·        Culture in general, or in specific manifestations (such as religion, living under a tribal system, membership of an indigenous community, dress, means of livelihood, lifestyle, etc.)
·        Language (whether used as the only language, as mother-tongue, as the habitual means of communication at home or in the family, or as the main, preferred, habitual, general or normal language)
·        Residence in certain parts of the country, or in certain regions of the world
·        Religion that places importance on spiritual ties to the ancestral lands
·        Blood quantum – that is, the amount of blood you carry of a specific people to identify as that people. The concept was developed by colonialists in order to eventually breed out native peoples.”

Frankly, I am not interested in this general discussion since I cannot concern myself with the issues of the “indigenous peoples” of the world. Furthermore, the pseudo-academic ramblings of some leftist sociologist who writes statements for the United Nations has no bearing on my beliefs. Nor are they relevant to Jewish concerns. From a Torah perspective, the Arabs have no rights to Eretz Yisrael, nor do any non-Jews, even among the most noble and righteous of them. Mr. Bellerose is willing to grant Arabs “rights of longstanding presence.” I am not. Because the Rambam and the classical rishonim and acharonim say differently.

Fortunately, such concepts are both irrelevant and unnecessary for Jews who follow Torah. Eretz Yisrael belongs to us Jews exclusively, for one simple reason: G-d gave it to us. From a Torah perspective, the false claims of other groups who argue likewise are irrelevant, since their ideologies arose long after G-d revealed Divine truths at Mount Sinai.

Yet the indigenous rights movement as it relates to Jews is not only foolish, it is dangerous, since even the most well intended advocates harbor un-Jewish notions far removed from Torah values. They have become spokespersons for Jewish values, when their ideas are antithetical to Torah. They would like to see indigenous rights applied to other groups in Israel, not just Jews. From the Torah perspective, this is entirely incompatible with Halacha. Whether advocating for a purely secular Israel, or a pluralistic Israel allowing equal rights to all faith communities, none of these are in accordance with Halacha.

On a more troubling note, some of these indigenous rights activists have alliances and friendships with missionary groups and prominent messianic personalities. On their trips to Israel and across the U.S., they often meet and greet these individuals, and in doing so, betray that they are not people who have our best interest at heart. They are not a monolithic entity, yet it is fair to say that these activists all have their own agendas. Many sensible Jews support their campaigns, and the dangerous claim that our right to Eretz Yisrael is, at the very least, partially due to indigenous rights.

Racial Nonsense
“Indigenous rights” is a multicultural strain of thinking that ironically many normal Jews who usually reject such notions accept without question. They accept the definitions of indigenous activists, which always remain vague enough to avoid scrutiny, and are imbued with the kinds of racist, blood-based theories that would be rejected outright if suggested by any mainstream group. Anyone who cites “blood quantum” in any context, other than to provide a blood transfusion should trouble us. Such ideas certainly have no basis in Torah. Yet in this case, since a handful of activists are willing to apply this exotic term to Jews, many hasbara types enjoy the prospect of appearing native.

Historical Difficulties
“Most writers on American Indian subjects are bothered by changing intellectual trends and fashions, which dictate new mythologies. Anglo-Americans, above all, have been troubled by guilt feelings, morality, and hypocrisy, whether direct or in reverse. Any ideology tends to obscure perspectives and reality.” (Comanches: History of A People, Fehrenbach, T.R. Preface xiv)

“Every, as the lords of the conquered Mexica admitted to Cortez, it was the way of life for men to seize new lands with shield and spear. The Amerindian world of North America was rent with ancient festering hatreds. (ibid. 25)

Consider the situation with Amerindians in North America. Contrary to the tenets of politically correct history, the notion of indigenous rights as it is often applied to them is historically problematic. Never one to take unbridled political correctness sitting down, I reject the contemporary portrayal of all “native Americans” as peaceful environmentalists. Savagery was not the sole domain of “the white man,” since long before there were white men on the continent, Native Americans butchered one another. The archeological records attest to this fact; they expelled and killed one another.

As an example, one can look at the histories of the migration of Native American whose peoples originated in Asia and migrated towards North America. Given the origins of their people, the following questions are surely reasonable:

Ø  Did such people abandon their indigenous status to their original lands when they migrated? Did they retain indigenous statuses in both regions?
Ø  What is the indigenous natures of tribes who displaced and exterminated other tribes from different regions during the many brutal campaigns of warfare that tribal people’s engaged in with other Native Americans?
Ø  In the case of American Indians who earned indigenous claims through blood and warfare towards other tribes, might Europeans who came to North America not make the same claims? Those who came later simply bested those who lacked better weapons and resources. (I state simply in the interest of theoretical discussion, without opining on nuances of the morality of the overall conflict.)

Those activists who argue for Jewish indigenous rights ignore the historical record conveyed in the Torah of indigenous “First Nation” people who fell under our sword. Non-believers may question the authenticity of the biblical account, but even a bible denier cannot reject the historical record. They were here first. Most honest Native Americans see parallels with Jews who entered “Canaan” with colonizing Europeans, who “stole land” from the Indians.

From a Jewish perspective, the notion of a blood-based identity is an affront to Judaism, which accepts the genuine convert. Our connection to Torah is based upon adherence to the law rather than imagined notion of race. In a sense, the Jewish desire to argue “indigenous rights” is a reaction formation to absurd Arab assertions that they are the descendants of Canaanites.

G-d gave us the land of Israel, despite the presence of “indigenous” peoples who were there long before us. It did not matter, since The Almighty created everything. Upon entering the land, our mandate was clear. Clean the land of the “indigenous” inhabitants.

I understand that many secular Jews are uncomfortable with religious claims that contradict their worldview. I disagree with them, but I understand where they are coming from. In the absence of Torah knowledge, religious claims are meaningless. What I cannot fathom is that so many religious Jews latch on to un-Jewish theories to justify our Divine inheritance. I do not require an indigenous claim. I have the same claim that motivated the great Joshua to conquer Eretz Yisrael from the pagan Canaanites who were already residing there when we Jews first arrived.

We Jews are not Philistines, Canaanites, nor Jebusites. We were the conquerors of the former on a Divine mission. Indeed, our failure to purge Eretz Yisrael of these indigenous types is something the Torah repeatedly warned about, and is the direct cause of the land vomiting us out. Divine rights are the only arguments that have any meaning to me as a religious Jew.

A self-respecting Jew need never be ashamed to speak the truth of Tanach, which records our only true claim to Israel. Balfour Declarations and U.N. votes are of zero worth for the Torah Jew. A disconnected Jew may be ashamed of the religious claim. A genuine tragedy, since it is the only moral claim we Jews can hang our hats on. In the absence of that, we are merely one more example of colonizers who claimed a plot of land.

Indigenous Definitions

Perhaps the greatest response to Ryan Bellerose relates to the dilemma he raises at the conclusion of his article, “Israel Palestine: Who’s Indigenous?”:

“Now you might ask, why is this important? It is important to indigenous people because we cannot allow the argument that conquerors can become indigenous. If we, as other indigenous people, allow that argument to be made, then we are delegitimizing our own rights.

If conquerors can become indigenous, then the white Europeans who came to my indigenous lands in North America could now claim to be indigenous. The white Europeans who went to Australia and New Zealand could now claim to be indigenous. If we, even once, allow that argument to be made, indigenous rights are suddenly devalued and meaningless. This is somewhat peculiar, as those who are arguing for Palestinian “indigenous rights” are usually those who have little grasp of the history, and no understanding of the truth behind indigenous rights.”

Those Troublesome Canaanites
Therein is our Jewish answer. Based upon our biblical claims, we Jews cannot be indigenous, since we conquered the Canaanites. According to Bellerose’s definition, our Jewish biblical account renders us as conquerors. As such, those who believe in Torah cannot subscribe to his theories. Advocates for indigenous Jews can never answer these questions. What do we do with the Canaanites? Perhaps a better question is, what did we do, or what should we have done to the Canaanites?

The great biblical and talmudic commentator Rashi destroys the “indigenous rights argument” with his commentary on the first verse in the Book of Genesis. He cites Rabbi Yitzchak who questioned why the Torah began in this manner detailing creation rather than from the first mitzvah. This would make sense since the Torah essentially deals with Halacha. He answers that the Torah began with creation so that the nations in the future when they pointed out our conquest of the 7 Nations, the Jewish people could answer that the whole world belongs to Hashem. He can give it to whichever people He desires. At the time, he saw fit to give it to the Canaanites, and then he removed it from their control and gave it to us.

Case closed. The indigenous argument loses.


From a Torah perspective, the notion that we Jews have a claim to Eretz Yisrael based upon “indigenous rights” is absurd. We are not "indigenous" to Israel. Indigenous is a nonsense term which race obsessed multiculturalists use. Israel belongs to the Jewish nation, because G-d gave it to us. We conquered the Canaanites, and now it is ours. Our claim to Eretz Yisrael is Divine inheritance. Indigenous claims amount to pseudo-science, which in turn, would grant indigenous rights to practically every other minority group living in Israel today. In fact, this is the intention of many who advocate for such a concept.


Fellow Jews: leave the indigenous argument where it belongs. In the halls of the U.N. G-d gave us the land of Israel and that is enough.

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Saving Israel

“Mass movements do not usually rise until the prevailing order has been discredited.” – (Eric Hoffer, “The True Believer”)

“The sky is falling.” –Chicken Little

In today’s era of social media activism, “likes” and “shares” are standards of truth. Judging from Facebook and the plethora of “hasbara warriors” on social media, it would be easy to identify the BDS movement as Israel’s greatest threat. Personally, I never kvetch about the BDS movement, the U.N.’s Jew-hatred, or the anti-Israel bias of the BBC. They are all transparent anti-Semites, and I expect their reactions the way I expect the rising sun. Don’t misunderstand me. I hate them with every fiber of my being. Yet I expect nothing less from them.

I do expect that a prime minister of Israel protect his people from the genocidal Arabs in our midst. I expect this from any prime minister, even one whose positions on most issues are contrary to mine. Protecting one’s people should transcend politics and religious ideology.  I believe that Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies of self-restraint and appeasement pose a far greater security threat to Israel than the most aggressive anti-Israel boycott movement. A leader’s failure to protect his citizens is the ultimate failure in leadership.

Israel’s political institutions present a greater threat to national safety than do the Arabs, since they negate the possibility of dealing with our enemies. Given strong leadership, Israel could easily defeat the Arabs. The problem stems from the system of government and its institutions, and the kinds of individuals who pursue political power. Being neither Jewish nor authentically democratic, Israel mirrors a totalitarianism system hiding behind a democratic façade. A genuine democracy provides people with a bill of rights. In Israel, the most law-abiding citizen has no such rights. The “right to bear arms” is surely a Jewish one, since it is a mitzvah to live-yet this proves difficult in the “Jewish State.” The most liberal state in America has stronger laws protecting the use of deadly force in self-defense than the ones we contend with in Israel. In Israel, one has to prove that a jagged rock hurled at one’s head presented a lethal threat.

I made Aliyah several years ago, DESPITE the reality of governance of Israel, not because of it. I came to Israel for reasons relating to my understanding of Halacha and hashkafa as it applies to residing in Israel and my perspective on Jewish governance in our age. I knew that living in a country so devoid of Torah influence, so detached from common sense would drive me to frustration. I knew it academically and I knew that living in Israel would only exacerbate and confirm it.

As I see it, the religious obligation is to try to change the system. The precise formula for doing so remains unclear to me and many other like-minded Jews, since the opportunity is historically unprecedented. Yet the obligation remains, theoretically at least, despite the seemingly impossible odds. What we see today masquerading as Torah Judaism, both in the charedi world and the various sections of the “religious Zionist” world, are false representations of Halachic Judaism, largely self-serving and perpetuating monolithic close-minded systems. Despite the growing demographic of religious Jews, disunity negates the possibility that religious Jews will drastically affect the country’s direction in the near future. Nor would an honest religious Jew desire to see a theocratic state run by many of these groups. Such a state would be “frum” in form only.

We live in a country where apparently, Jewish lives do not matter. The government tolerates the worst atrocities of Arabs against Jews. Every week we have an updated list of Jews murdered by all types of Arabs: Arab drivers, Arab “citizens,” Arab teenagers, and Arab “police officers.” The government response is as consistent and predictable as the growing Jewish body count. With every tragedy, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responds with eloquent speeches promising a strong response to the inevitable violence. Yet, the status quo persists. The die-hard Likudniks celebrate their leader, and rejoice at another an opportunity to mock the Likud’s hypocrisy on matters of national defense.

With every week, the truth becomes more glaring. The government will not protect us. It does not matter which party is in control. Not in war, and not in “peace.” It will not protect its soldiers, and our leaders will actually endanger them to satisfy the demands of the world who hate any manifestation of Jewish strength.

The only way to change the insanity is to expose it, by eschewing the role of “hasbara warrior,” and exposing the inept government of Israel and their cadre of career politicians. Self-respecting Jews should consider the following: rather than engaging in politically correct, respectable, hasbara by extolling all things great (real and imagined) in Israel, expose the ineptitude of Israel’s leaders and Israeli society in general, which sustains a dysfunctional status quo and prevents us from doing the most normal thing of all: LIVING!

Benjamin Netanyahu purports to carry on a legacy of strong nationalism. In truth, his policies today are far closer to Mapai’s tactical and ideological self-restraint, than anything exhibited by Avraham Stern, Trumpledor, Jabotinsky, David Raziel, and a thousand other Jewish heroes. The greatness of these men, none of them carbon copies of the other, relates to the fact that all were concerned with protecting Jews from Arab and British barbarism. There were no calculations of tolerable levels of murdered Jews. They bled when Jews bled. This is the greatest stain on Netanyahu’s leadership. Arab violence is a veritable virus, and by all accounts, it is getting worse. When a Jew makes a wrong turn in Jerusalem, he makes a deadly mistake.

Perhaps the most apparent example of our dysfunctional society relates to the culture of lawlessness that pervades Israel. Israel is country without a proper police force, or for that matter, even a cultural sense of what normal police officers should look like. The police are culled from societal defectives. Worse still, most Israelis do not even comprehend the problem, so we are nowhere near an age where we will see any change. How many examples do we require of police abuse and general ineptitude, which resulted in murdered Jews, either by Arab terrorists, or by homegrown Jewish sociopaths who thrive in a bully culture, which lacks a basic bill of rights?

A government, which refuses to protect us from local terror, from rioting Arab mobs with slings and knives, will never protect us from Iran. A normal country must be (if nothing else) self-respecting. A country, which believes it, has the right to exist and does not need to point out its technological achievements to assert itself. The Soviets had brilliant men and woman who accomplished much in the arts, medicine, technology, etc., yet despite their contributions, they were evil. Our reason for being, our moral Divine right is not contingent on talented Israelis.

Enough with the BDS hysterics! Netanyahu’s policies present a greater danger to Israel than the BDS movement. The endgame for both major parties and their aspiring counterparts in the small populist parties are the same. The only difference is that the Likud lulls the populace to sleep, while the prototypical left would hand the keys to Abbas overnight. The former deadens the will to fight back, since the illusion of a better option stifles any opportunity to rebel. The status quo is a temptress.

I ask all thoughtful Jews to assess Israel’s current inability to protect itself from the rampant Arab terror. Does anyone with common sense believe that Israel is technically unable to protect itself? It is very capable. It is unwilling. Moreover, because it lacks the will to fight the Arabs, our governments are complicit in the murder of Jews.

The system is sick. The supposed ability to change the system by working within the system is a lie. If they dislike your message, they will ban you. They will detain and torture you for fictitious crimes. The Knesset is a haven of the corrupt and the sick. Israel needs a new popular movement to expose everything that is wrong with Israel. The abuse of the innocent. The right solutions will arise when people ask the right questions.

The solution can only arise from a grassroots movement of the people. There are many problems in Israel. Foremost is the Arab problem, and it derives solely from Jewish weakness. The arrogant claim of Israeli strength is a lie. Our Prime Minister’s dominant trait is weakness. The same can be said for every politician who regurgitates tired populist talking points to retain their congregants.

It is not just about security. There are many economic and judicial abuses in Israel. All of it terrible, all of it so terribly unjewish. It stifles creativity and productivity and frequently punishes the innocent, and the vulnerable. Yet we cannot even begin to address these problems in the current climate, which denies Jews the most basic right of all. The ability to breathe and live without having your throat torn open by Arabs.

Tragically, we are nowhere near the point where the growth of such a movement is likely. Death has not personally affected enough people for them to see the truth. The time is not ripe. This does not justify inaction or apathy, or excuse us from fighting in some capacity. It simply reflects the blood pressure of the nation. Too many people are happy with “Israel” and proud of their country. Their Facebook statuses and posts reflect this. I see things differently. We need to be ashamed that a modern nation with the military capacity for protecting Jewish lives refuses to do so. We should be outraged that Jewish deaths are accepted, tolerated, and ignored, by governments who have a high tolerance for murdered Jews. We need to weep for the incarceration of innocent Jews whose “democratic” government treats them the way Jews were treated in Siberia not that long ago.

Proud of the government of Israel? Not I. I am ashamed that our leaders refuse to protect Jews from our Arab enemies. The most basic responsibility of even a flawed state of Israel would be in protecting Jewish lives. Since the government denies us the basic right to live, we need to use every effort to expose and discredit the internal players who ensure future Jewish tragedies. It starts with the charlatans of Likud who control the country today, who have long ago cast away any semblance of self-respect and Jewish identity, and who repeatedly choose an ill-qualified man to lead the nation. It starts with the masses who protect and support this inept party, who get away with the very same things that it accuses Labor of doing.

As long as the charade of a “Jewish State” as currently constituted exists, we will never have a truly Jewish one. Authentic Zionism must be based upon Torah. The alternative is a society of corruption, weakness, and eroded morals. The alternative is the Divine promise for failing to do so. A person who genuinely loves Eretz Yisroel and Am Yisrael must commit himself to exposing the deadly status-quo.

We need to attack the prevailing popular myths extolling Israel’s “morality” with facts that highlight real pressing problems which need to be rectified. Despite what many hasbara types would have you believe, self-restraint when dealing with enemies is not proof of one’s morality. It is evidence to the contrary. We need not worry about “airing our dirty laundry” for the world to see. The world sees a dirty Israel for all the wrong reasons. Let them condemn us for the right ones.

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

The French Flag? You've Got To Be Kidding Me!

It's hard to endure self-loathing among Jews. It's everywhere these days. The epidemic of customized French profile pics on Facebook. "I stand with you France, even if you stand with my enemies", these lemmings declare.  Tel Aviv lighting up buildings with the colors of France. It makes sense in a way, since by and large, Tel Aviv is France. Selfish. Decadent. Bohemian. Perverse. Self-Loathing. Anti-Semitic (self-hatred earns them this label). France would tolerate cannibalism, if such a tribe existed among them. In Tel Aviv they eat themselves. When Jews are killed in Hebron, there is silence in the streets of Tel Aviv. 

What can be more undignified than a Jew changing his profile pic to the French national flag? Can there be a more degrading, pandering, gesture towards a nation of Jew haters, who align with our murderous enemies time and time again? Let all of Eurabia burn. Let them enjoy the benefits of Islamic savagery.

Would any French citizen ever contemplate the notion of changing their profile pic to represent Israel's flag? What does that say about us Jews? Not that we are decent. Don't even bother with that nonsense. The French hate us. It speaks more about the abnormal psychology of Jews than anything else.

France? The same Jew hating France where the Muslims rival the savages of their brothers in Gaza, both in desire and intent, and the "indigenous" Frenchmen condemn and boycott Israel with the hatred of their Vichy forebears. In France, the atheist anti-Semites are still pagan. They still enjoy ghoulish "Passion Plays", albeit, Islamic ones. In shopping malls!

I have no pity for France, Germany, Great Britain, or any of the European Union nations who never miss an opportunity to spread modern day blood libels and arm our enemiesEurope hated their Jews. For two thousand years they let us know it with the flame and with the sword. Now they will have an Eurabian Caliphate and Sharia law to contend with. Europe is a terminal patient waiting to die. If this is not a manifestation of Divine Retribution right before our eyes......