YNET: US elections: How do haredim vote? Hundreds of thousands of American Orthodox Jews expected to take to polls Tuesday to vote for next president. While analysts believe most will support Romney, radical Satmar sect releases campaign backing Obama

The US presidential election is closer than ever, with some states hinging on a handful of votes – and this time around some of these votes belong to Jewish Orthodox citizens.

In Israel, Shas and United Torah Judaism control the black kippa public, but in the United States those donning the skullcap do not necessarily go to the polls as one. In the battle between pundits and analysts there is some disagreement on whether the haredim will overwhelmingly support any one candidate – or rather split between the two.

US Jews

'Ashamed of Israel, proud to be Jewish' / Tali Farkash They are politically involved, have high voter turnout rate and are no longer purely Democratic. Dr. Yehuda Kurtzer seeks to strengthen American Jewry's connection to Israel, but clarifies that Jewish vote has nothing to do with Israeli issue Full story

Will those wearing black vote "black"? Or will the conservative element bring them to the Republicans?

Of the 650,000 Orthodox Jews living in the US (which comprise 11% of the entire Jewish population), 400,000 are haredim, concentrated mostly in the New York and New Jersey area.

Their growth rate is estimated at 4% annually, which has led to their expansion into other states, specifically swing states such as Florida and Ohio. In 2008, most haredi votes went to John McCain, much like in the 2004 race, but what will happen this time around?

'Almost all lament the tense relations with Israel' (Photo: EPA)  

Journalist Binyamin Rose, editor of the English-language haredi magazine "Mishpacha", does not foresee a change. According to him, the question of relations with Israel and the conservative agenda make the case, and most of the ultra-Orthodox – like the Orthodox themselves – will support Mitt Romney.

A small minority, especially those coming from relatively lower social-economical means, will vote for the incumbent Barack Obama, as his administration holds the promise of wider economical support.

"There are those who feel more comfortable with the Democrats, and even if they dislike Obama and his policy towards Israel – they will prefer to stick with the benefits," says the haredi analyst.

"But the majority, which is better off and does not require this financial support, will vote Romney. They are quite frightened by the president's Middle East policy, and have grown tiresome of liberalism in regards to issues such as same-sex marriages."

Anti-Zionist ultra-Orthodox for Obama

The radical wings of the haredi camp, which is based in the US, thinks otherwise: During the last few weeks, the anti Zionist Satmar sect has been leading an intense campaign on haredi radio stations and internet networks.

Their goal is to persuade voters to neutralize the pro-Israeli factor in the election, with some even specifically calling for the election of Obama, who is perceived by some as hostile towards the community.

According to them, it is incorrect to assume Romney as good for the Jews, and such an action might turn out to be the verboten "Hitgarut Ba'Umot" (a provocation of the non Jewish nations) and will thus lead to anti-Semitism.

A. W., a Satmar Hasid from Kiryas Yoel in Monroe, recounts how the Satmar organization "Natrina," which runs "True Torah Jews," launched a campaign three weeks ago aimed at Jewish and haredi audiences, calling on them to vote for President Obama.

He says the campaign is aired hourly on all major radio stations, with the intent of persuading the haredim, as well as the greater Jewish audience, not to allow Israel to enter into the election, "something that could spark anti-Semitism."

The campaign directly attacked Benjamin Netanyahu, arguing that the prime minister of Israel tried to influence the US election and that US Jews are deeply concerned by such an action.

This time, they say, the PM's gross interference has really crossed a red line and it is possible that he has actively hurt US Jews' image. Those who desire to fix the damage declare that the statements of Israeli politicians do not represent the opinions of US Jews.

Binyamin Rose does not anticipate the campaign will have a major effect. He clarifies that "only the most extreme will make such a political calculation. In Satmar there is actually a feeling of solidarity with Israel, as well as sympathy and concern for the safety of those Jews living in Israel – despite its anti-Zionist ideology.

"Those who will vote for Obama will do so for financial reasons and in spite of his Israel policy – not the opposite."

Precious votes of Florida and Ohio

At the heart of the haredi support for the Republican party, according to Rose, lies the fact that as a group they feel like "a minority of minorities," together with their natural inclination to identify with groups they feel politically comfortable with.

In this case we are talking about Evangelists, which hold hawkish pro-Israel views (in terms of national security), as well as a conservative social outlook (traditional-religious).

Summing up, Rose points out that in the states where the haredim have the largest electoral weight, such as New York, their vote is completely ineffective because of the historical and incontestable Democratic control of these states – regardless of haredi support.

Obama and Romney at the Western Wall (Photos: Ohad Zwigenberg, AP)

This seems to be the case in New Jersey as well, where there is also a high concentration of haredim. On the other hand, in Florida and Ohio, where the haredim are a minority, by virtue of that fact that these are swing states, the haredi vote might in fact be of paramount importance.

Despite all this, he recalls, neither one of the candidates has put much effort into persuading this group – maybe because both understand that the camp in its majority will vote republican.

"Romney has chosen to invest his resources in more influential places. Just this last week he spent $11 million on his Pennsylvania campaign."

Sandy throws some weight behind haredi vote

And there are of course haredim who do not vote at all – but not necessarily on principle: "In Israel everyone receives an envelope to their home, inviting them to vote and directing them to their local voting station. However, in the US, you have to register on your own, you have to be proactive.

"Naturally you need some sort of interest or incentive to do so, and as such there are some who just give up, but they cannot be characterized. It is not ideological."

Chaim Shaulson, an Israeli journalist living in Brooklyn for the last three decades, who publishes the spicy blog "In the World of Haredim," believes that the haredi community has been given a unique opportunity to influence the results of the election in New York as well, potentially granting Romney an additional 29 electorates.

"Both candidates have yet to step foot here, we barely feel the campaigns – but this might turn out to be a mistake on their part."

In his thinking, Hurricane Sandy, which according to most analysts boosted Obama's popularity in light of his perceived successful reaction and leadership to the untimely emergency, might actually come back to haunt the president, as most residents of Manhattan have yet to fully return to their normal routine, and as such will have a hard time to get to the voting stations, resulting in a low voter turnout – thus increasing Republican prospects for wining the state.

"There is no fuel, people are getting around by horse and carriage because the thousands of cabs have been rendered useless," says Shaulson. "The government says it is a matter of days, but in the meantime it has been like this for a week.

"There, in the city, the majority supports the Democrats, and if the residents will not or cannot get to voting stations, then the Republicans will attempt to exploit the situation and steal the victory – mostly through the haredi vote."

Nonetheless, the haredi blogger is skeptical that such a dramatic scenario will in fact take place, as the governor of New York, a Democrat himself, has announced that voting in the state would be extended to two days because of the storm's impact.

Hence it seems that the haredi potential influence remains larger in Florida and Ohio. "The difference in those states is very small, and I believe that even tomorrow night, after CNN's exit polls, we will not know who is going to be president."

Selfish considerations

And what is the main factor or consideration for a haredi on his way to vote? Neither Obama's stand on Israel nor Romney's conservative world view. Rather, Shaulson, is of the opinion that it is money on their minds.

"In Borough Park they had the opportunity to place a representative in the New York Senate, but they preferred to close a deal with another candidate only for this type of reason, and he won," he says.

According to him, the haredi community is never officially affiliated with one of the sides for precisely this reason.

"This is not an ideological issue, only a selfish one", he argues. "They say that the world rests on three pillars –geld (money in Yiddish) kesef (money in Hebrew) and money (paraphrasing Jewish oral law, according to which the world rests on three pillars: Torah, work and charity of the righteous).

Despite data pointing to a consistent support of the Republican party by religious Jews, Shaulson is uncertain. "Today the public believes Obama more on economical issues. On the other hand, almost everyone laments the tense relations with Israel – even Satmar."

He refuses to commit to definite conclusions and hints that nothing is final and all remains open. "You will not find a single haredi synagogue in which worshippers were told on Shabbat who to vote for."

Arab media enamored with staged video of girl confronting IDF soldiers

This video is going around Arab websites and Facebook:



It is allegedly a girl, along with others, protesting her brother being arrested in Nabi Saleh last Friday, presumably for throwing stones.

Notice how the girl as well as the adult Arabs who are videoing her have absolutely no fear that the Zionist soldiers will hurt them. She even shoves a soldier at one point without thinking that he might retaliate.

The video is supposedly about the girl's bravery, but in fact it shows IDF forbearance.

If the IDF was as evil as they are portrayed in the Arab media, then why are none of the Arabs there afraid that they will be mowed down with bullets? After all, these sorts of actions in many Arab states would indeed be met with arrests, broken bones or deadly gunfire.

Apparently, the Arabs who are under Israel's punishing "occupation" know the truth of how the IDF acts is quite different from how it is described in rallies on Western college campuses.

But there is a punchline.
As Israellycool notes, this same girl, wearing the same shirt, was seen doing pretty much the same thing a few months ago:

What an astonishing coincidence! The very same girl, after becoming a poster child for Israeli brutality, is now back and trying as hard as she can to provoke soldiers again while a half dozen people are conveniently around to videotape her screams!

It puts this video in a whole new light, doesn't it?

Who needs Juliano Mer-Khamis? The territories are one gigantic acting school!

BDSers now targeting Jewish-owned toy store

From The Star (South Africa):

Members of the Stop the JNF (Jewish National Fund) campaign gathered outside Reggies toy stores at the weekend in protest at the toy chain’s financial support of the JNF.

In a statement sent out by Cosatu on behalf of the Stop the JNF, the campaign’s members said: “We feel that it is unconscionable that while hundreds of Palestinian children are held in Israeli prisons, a toy shop that purportedly celebrates children is knowingly supporting an Israeli parastatal complicit in gross human rights violations.”

The Stop the JNF campaign members staged protests at three Reggies stores, in Joburg, Durban and Cape Town, yesterday.

The campaign’s national spokesman, Alan Horwitz, said 60 protesters showed up in Joburg, 100 people protested in Durban and 30 in Cape Town. No one was at the stores to accept the protesters’ memorandums.

The South African media helpfully publicized the protests ahead of time on behalf of "Stop the JNF." I have never seen a newspaper give publicity to protests of under a hundred people beforehand.
Apparently, the owner of the store supports the Jewish National Fund, which must be an awful crime that merits the closure of his store and the dozens of employees losing jobs.

Note that the organizers of this self-hate festival are Jewish. In fact, one of them was wearing a yarmulke, to establish his Jew bona-fides.

The protests were on Shabbat, which means it is highly unlikely that this gentleman wears a kipah anytime except when he is protesting proud Jews.

Here's another protester:

Nothing says "human rights" like a Che Guevara T-shirt!

The anti-Israel drones are clearly not interested in a few facts I threw their way on their Facebook page that throws cold water on their insistence that JNF is racist:

• The leading Palestinian Arab environmentalist works closely with the JNF on a number of initiatives.
• The JNF has given land to help Arab towns grow.
• The JNF donated 3000 trees to Arab town of Rawabi on the West Bank - but the Arabs uprooted them all!

They are mindless, anti-Israel bigots, and no amount of kipot will detract from that. If it wasn't the JNF they would be protesting something else.

If you are so inclined, you might want to order something from Reggie's. 

Islam Today: "Sandy is a soldier of Allah"

The Arabic edition of Islam Today asks: "Hurricane Sandy: Divine punishment or weather phenomenon?"

Here is a paraphrase of the arguments given in this article. 

The article curiously starts off by asserting that the US media has been all but ignoring the hurricane, and is concentrating on stories in other parts of the world. Why is the media ignoring such a story, we are asked? Why does the United States fear talking about Sandy? What are the Americans scared of?

The answer, we learn, is that American leaders are afraid to discuss the might of the storm, which cannot be explained as a natural phenomenon, because it shows that for all of the military strength of the US, it cannot defend itself against a storm. 

Muslims, however, know that "Allah is severe in punishment," so Sandy must be divine punishment for America's sins.

What sins? Well, Americans interfere with Muslims directly or indirectly, and implement plans prepared by its Jewish lobby for the destruction of the Muslim, leaving widows weeping and screaming, and devastated the economies of Arab peoples - even making them eat garbage.

Moreover, in the name of democracy and freedom the Americans abuse Mohammed and other prophets, including making films that insult the greatest of all prophets.

Thus, Allah chose to punish America, ironically, using the two essential elements of life, namely: water and air. America has a missile shield, and intercontinental missiles, and all the necessary plans for nuclear war, spending billions of dollars, and yet the power of Allah crushed and exterminating Americans using air and water!

You might ask, is this not revenge? But revenge has a good source in the Quran, so that's not a problem!

You might ask further, what about innocent women and children who are killed? Doesn't matter - Allah kills the innocent along with the guilty, as it also states in the Quran.

Summing it up, Islam Today declares that "Sandy is a soldier of Allah" doing his bidding to teach Americans to stop oppressing Muslims so much. 

Too bad these brave Muslims didn't have the guts to publish an English version. Perhaps they don't really believe that Allah would protect them with a miraculous hurricane.

Israel sends aid to Hurricane Sandy victims

From Israel News Agency:

Israel Flying Aid, the Israeli global humanitarian organization which was first to land in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake, has been distributing large supplies of gas to hospitals, food, batteries and generators to Hurricane Sandy victims.

"We have many years of disaster relief experience," said Israel Flying Aid North American Operations Manager Moti Kahana.

"Israel Flying Aid, in having Israelis on the ground here in New York and New Jersey, have made Israel the only foreign nation to provide humanitarian assistance to the US during this disaster. We are working in coordination with FEMA, local police, the American Red Cross and Jewish communities in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut."

Kahana said that most of the efforts had been donated by Israelis living in the US and this enabled gas to be distributed to hospitals in New York and New Jersey.

Joel Leyden, an Israel Flying Aid Operations Specialist who was with the IFA in Haiti, has been working with the Greater Hartford Jewish Community to distribute both food and generators on Long Island.

"We had a convoy of food and generators move out of the Greater Hartford area early yesterday morning," said Leyden.

"The food had been donated by Panera Bread and Dunkin Donuts in the Hartford, Manchester Connecticut area. This food was distributed to hurricane victims on the south shore of Long Island, the Nassau County Police, the Freeport Fire Department and the Red Cross Shelter which is set up at Nassau Community College."

Leyden said that when they spotted hundreds of people lined up at gas stations to pour gas into their containers, they would get out of their cars and feed these people as they waited. The donuts and bread created smiles and positive moods which replaced the trauma of suffering in the dark and cold, he said.

"We are so very proud to see you, to welcome you to New York," said Dr. Jason Mallin, who normally practices neurology at North Shore University Hospital but was now volunteering with the Nassau County Department of Health. "We read about Israel and the great work you did in Haiti. We have thousands here that need you. It's awesome that you are here!"

Michael Duarte, a Red Cross volunteer from California who was supervising the Long Island shelter, hugged the Israel Flying Aid team as they arrived.

"We had some bad press as a result of misunderstandings," said Duarte. People in Staten Island, New York were looking for us but due to a New York State law, we could not start operations until after three days. We are now operating at full capacity throughout New York City and this Red Cross shelter at Nassau Community College with over 900 clients. These people have lost their homes. Lost everything. We are here for them and so very pleased to receive your good help."

Duarte, who hadn't slept in three days, had coordinated a first class shelter and his staff could not have been more professional. Sleeping cots, Red Cross blankets, a cafeteria and even a play area for children had been carefully put into place. The fresh food from Israel Flying Aid was served as part of the dinner that evening.

Netanyahu: I Will Attack Iran Alone if Necessary Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu promises that by the time his next term is over, Iran will not have a nuclear weapons program.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu promised on Monday that by the time his next term as Prime Minister is over, Iran will not have a nuclear weapons program.

Speaking to Channel 2, Netanyahu said that if it is necessary, he will lead an independent Israeli attack against Iran, even without the support of the United States.

“When former Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion declared the establishment of the State of Israel, was it with the consent of the Americans? When former Prime Minister Menachem Begin bombed the Iraqi nuclear reactor, was that with the consent of the Americans?” asked Netanyahu.

“If there someone here who, as Prime Minister of Israel, cannot act on things that are fundamental to the State, to its future and to its security and depends only on approval of others, he does not deserve to lead,” said Netanyahu.

“When we didn’t have a state, when we didn’t have an army, and when someone threatened to destroy us and then actually annihilated us, we went and pleaded with others,” he said. “Today we don’t plead, we prepare.”

The interview with Netanyahu was a follow-up to an investigative report on Sunday which said that he and Defense Minister Ehud Barak ordered the military and intelligence service to prepare for a military strike on Iran in 2010.

According to the report, the two met stiff opposition from then-IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi and then-Head of Mossad Meir Dagan.

Responding to accusations by Dagan that he and Barak were trying to 'steal' a war, Netanyahu clarified that “the responsibility ultimately lies with the Prime Minister.”

Barak also responded to the report and said that contrary to the claims by Ashkenazi and Dagan, the order that was given to them did not mean that they should go to war. At the same time he clarified that, “The assumption that says that if the Chief of Staff does not recommend doing something means that you cannot decide to do it – is baseless. The Chief of Staff builds the operational capacity, he should tell us professionally if he thinks it can be done or not, and he can also even make a recommendation, but ultimately it can be carried out even against his recommendation.”

Netanyahu's predecessor, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, also gave an interviewto Channel 2 and attacked Netanyahu over his threat to attack Iran without the support of the Americans.

"What is this talk about us being the ones to decide alone about our fate and not take anyone else into account?” said Olmert. “Someone please explain to me exactly with what planes we’ll attack if we decide to attack alone contrary to the opinion of others? Will it be aircraft we created here? With which bombs we will bomb? With bombs we made? And if we find that we are missing something, who will we ask for it? Those in the face of whom we spit today? The one that we have done everything to ensure that he will not be president of the United States?”

Netanyahu's responded to Olmert's remarks and said, “What I’m hearing now is that we have to actually say, 'In this matter that threatens our future, we are giving the keys to the Americans. You decide whether to eliminate the threat that threatens our very existence.’ That’s not my approach. My approach says that if others can do it, all the better, but if there is no alternative and we are with our backs to the wall, we will do what we need to do to protect ourselves.”

Pallywood Blondie And Friends Assaulting IDF Soldiers

Yesterday, I posted about the blonde palestinian child who seemed to be trying to coax an IDF soldier into restraining her for the latest installment of Pallywood.

I’ve now located the video, and as you’ll see, some of the children assault the soldiers, with blondie even grabbing at a soldier’s gun, encouraged by the adults. Yet the soldiers show amazing restraint.

Update: The blonde girl is a fixture at Nabi Saleh protests, and I believe it is her who appears briefly at 0:50 in the below excerpt for the documentary We are Nabi Saleh.

 

The YouTube description of the film is:

The trailer of the documentary We are Nabi Saleh!

We are Nabi Saleh is still looking for Co-funding, screening places and help with translation: Arabic-English. If you wan’t to collaborate, write an email to jan.beddegenoodts@hotmail.com. We can make it real together. Bless

Pallywood indeed.

Update: Per the forum to which I linked yesterday, the blonde is the daughter of palestinian “activist” Bassem Tamimi. And she appears in some other Nabi Saleh protest videos, such as this:

Netanyahu on Iran: 'We don't beg; we prepare' Asked in a news interview whether, if re-elected, he could promise that by the end of his term Iran would not have a nuclear weapon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu answers with a resounding "Yes."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that he is not eager to go to war with Iran, but is willing and able to do so if necessary, according to an interview with the prime minister aired on Monday.

Netanyahu said, "I'm not eager for war. If the issue can be solved with international pressure, or if someone else can do it for us — great. When we didn't have a state or an army, our enemies threatened and then carried out genocide. We Jews begged help from others. Today, we don't beg; we prepare."

Asked whether, if re-elected, he could promise that by the end of that term Iran would not have a nuclear weapon, Netanyahu answered with a resounding "Yes."

Netanyahu also responded to claims that he would not dare attack Iran and would hesitate to “push the red button”: "Of course I am capable if I have to. Though I hope I don't."

The prime minister was interviewed as part of the Channel 2 news program "Uvda" ("Fact"), which was aired on Monday night. The program focused largely on a 2010 meeting between Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, then Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. (res) Gabi Ashkenazi and then Mossad Chief Meir Dagan, during which Netanyahu and Barak reportedly ordered the Israel Defense Forces and spy chiefs to prepare for a military strike in Iran. The IDF reportedly responded that it was not prepared to carry out the mission.

In the interview, Netanyahu would not discuss the meeting. "I will not refer to a specific meeting,” he said. “But even if the things presented are inaccurate, in the end the responsibility falls on the prime minister."

Barak and former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert were also interviewed for the program about the 2010 meeting. Barak said the intention of the order had been to be prepared, not necessarily to go to war.

"The supposition that you can't decide to do something if the chief of staff recommends not doing it, even if it can be done operationally, is completely unfounded. It can be carried out even if it's against his recommendation," Barak said.

In the program Olmert and Barak traded accusations on the handling of the Iran issue.

"Certain operations were backed down from, due to external factors," Olmert said. "I would have preferred that overall responsibility for these matters would be in someone other than Barak's hands, and that the appointed official above him would be someone who could slam his fist on the table and say, 'That is what we can and cannot do,' which I believe is not the case right now."

Olmert also said a military strike on Iran was something that would have to be done with consent from the U.S.

Barak responded that Olmert required "observation and guidance when dealing with national affairs," and cited the Winograd Report on Israel's conduct in the 2006 Lebanon War when Olmert was prime minister.

In his interview, Netanyahu said, "If someone opposes [an Israeli action], does that mean we have to just sit on our hands? Anyone sitting in this [prime minister's] chair, who requires approval by others to operate, is not fit to lead."

The Channel 2 report stated that as far as Ashkenazi and Dagan were concerned, the order in 2010 to prepare for an imminent attack had not been processed through the proper channels, and the two did not hesitate to offer their reservations: "This isn't something you do if you're not certain you will eventually want to carry it out," the former chief of staff told Netanyahu.

Those close to Ashkenazi said he was concerned that merely ordering the IDF to a state of P-Plus, preparation for war, even while refraining from an immediate attack, could lead to war: "It's like an accordion that makes music even if it is merely handled," he said at the time.

Dagan, according to those present at the time, was even harsher than Ashkenzai: "You [speaking to Barak and Netanyahu] are possibly making an unlawful decision to go to war. Only the cabinet is authorized to make such a decision."

Dagan later explained, "The prime minister and defense minister simply tried to steal a war."

According to Barak, who was speaking publicly for the first time about the meeting, Ashkenazi told him that it was not possible to implement P-Plus because the army did not have the proper operational capability.

It was not clear whether the IDF was indeed incapable of carrying out an attack at the time, but as far as Barak was concerned, Ashkenazi failed to prepare the option and the command could not be executed.

In private discussions, Ashkenazi has vehemently objected to the defense minister's version: "Barak isn't telling the truth. I prepared the option, the army was ready for an attack, but I said that attacking now would be a strategic mistake."

Barak and Netanyahu have since signaled that an attack on Iran was not imminent. In September, Netanyahu told the United Nations that Iran would be on the brink of nuclear weapons' capability only in the spring or summer of 2013.

Barak said last week that Iran had pulled back on its nuclear program, which has given Israel more time to contemplate its next steps.

'Palestinian' kids sent by their parents to confront IDF soldiers

Lest you think the 'Palestinians' have lost the desire to use their kids as canon fodder.... Here's a video from Friday from the town of Nabi Saleh in Samaria which shows a group of 'Palestinian' children, and in particular, one very loud-mouthed 10-year old girl, confronting a group of IDF soldiers. A 'Palestinian' website claims that the girl's brother had been arrested, but YNet only confirmed the arrest of the foreign photographer you will see around the 5:15 mark... for not having an ID with him.

Let's go to the videotape. More after the video from YNet (I am posting a longer version of the video than they posted). 

A video of the protest, which has been uploaded to Youtube and has garnered thousands of views, shows a group of children, led by a Palestinian girl of about 10, yelling and cursing the soldiers for a few long minutes in a clear attempt to provoke a response.

The crew, consisting of two IDF officers and a Border Guard officer, let her rant away – but did nothing.

At some point, the video clearly shows a young Palestinian girl pushing a little boy at one of the soldiers – who remains still. Another part of the video shows the children pushing the soldiers.

Lieutenant-Colonel Shay Ben-Yishay, commander of the Kfir Brigade's Duchifat Battalion was present at the time.

Several Palestinian and foreign photographers were present as well, shooting the incident.

At some point, a smoke grenade was fired at the protesters, but did not harm those shown in the video. On the contrary – the provocation attempts against the soldiers continued.

The troops did detain one foreign photographer after he refused to identify himself.

"Where did you take him? You're a traitor! I know you speak Arabic. Our soldiers are stronger than you! I'll smash your head," the 10-year-old girl is heard in the video screaming at the soldier in Arabic.

After spitting at him, she continued shouting: "I spit in your face. Go watch your mother instead of fighting little children. You're a traitor. You kill people to get money from dogs."

For those of you wondering why all the adult 'Palestinians' seem to have cameras, you can think the 'human rights' organizations (including Israeli organizations supported by the New Israel Fund) for giving them those.

I have been told that terrorist Ahlam Tamimi lived in Nabi Saleh when she lived on this side of the Jordan River. I am sure that 10-year old brat would love to emulate Tamimi some day.

But give them a reichlet and they'll stop behaving like that.... 

More on the video here. 

Kabbalists pray for 'Moses' Romney's victory Quorum of ultra-religious men stage secret prayer meant to topple incumbent President Obama

A quorum of kabbalists on Tuesday staged a secret prayer meant to land Mitt Romney win the White House.

The 10 ultra-religious men convened at Jerusalem's Ish Chayil yeshiva to open the Torah ark – a ritual saved for special occasions – and chant a series of invocations calling for divine intervention to "bring down" incumbent President Barack Obama.

"This kind of prayer can turn worlds upside down," said Shmuel Ben-Atar, a haredi radio presenter who took part in the service. "We ask the people of Israel to pray that Obama – who doesn't like Israel – is brought down."

According to Ben-Attar, the formula that is certain to get Romney to win the presidency includes the repeated recitation of certain Psalms, a prayer for victory said over the open Torah ark – and giving a shekel to the needy.

"People called us from America and asked us to bring about heavenly mercy," he said. "People around the world will pray tonight for Moses Mitt Romney."


Just in case Tuesday's session isn't enough, a delegation of worshippers from the yeshiva is scheduled to travel to the Western Wall at midnight, where they will continue to read Psalms.

"Tonight we will pray profusely for an American leader who will hear our plight," Ben-Attar said.

Hamas: Crocodile captured in Gaza sewer Head of waste water treatment in Beit Lahiya says reptile escaped two years ago, when it was still small, from nearby zoo

Police in the Gaza Strip on Monday captured a crocodile that roamed the sewerage system of a town in the north of the enclave, the Palestinian territory's Hamas rulers said.

"The Palestinian police were able to use a boat to catch a crocodile that was hiding in the sewerage system in the town of Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip," the Hamas interior ministry said in a statement.

  

"The crocodile, which was 1.7 meters (5.5 feet) long, was captured alive after intense and difficult attempts following complaints from residents that their lives were in danger," it added.

An official in the area said the crocodile was transferred to the Gaza Zoo.

Hero of the day in Gaza

Rajab al-Naqah, the head of waste water treatment in Beit Lahiya, said the crocodile had escaped two years ago, when it was still small, from a nearby zoo to take up residence in the facility, where it threatened people.

Witnesses said the crocodile had attacked cattle that grazed nearby.

Gaza's water sewerage system has deteriorated over the years, notably because of the Israeli blockade on the Palestinian territory and its devastating 22-day war on militant rocket fire launched in December 2008.

Israel Mocks Turkey’s ‘Show Trial’ for '18,000 Years in Jail' A Turkish court begins an in absentia trial of former IDF officers and demands jail terms of 18,000 years. Israel: A show trial.

A Turkish court on Tuesday began what Israel calls an in absentia "show trial" of former IDF Chief of Gabi Ashkenazi and three other former senior military officers over the 2010 clash with the terror-linked IHH organization.

The prosecutors are demanding multiple life sentences that would amount to 18,000 years in jail for the four officers over the clash that plunged relations between Israel and Turkey into deep crisis. Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Istanbul court waving Palestinian Authority flags and chanting "Damn Israel" as the trial opened, AFP reported

Israeli commandos boarded the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara, the largest ship in a flotilla dispatched by the IHH, ostensibly a relief agency but which has been proven to include terrorists. Their ship presumably was headed to Hamas-controlled Gaza with humanitarian aid in an effort to break the maritime embargo against the smuggling of terrorists and arms into Gaza. After the Mavi Mamara ship was led to the post in Ashdod, it was discovered there was no aid on board.

Nine IHH terror activists were killed in the clash after they brutally clubbed IDF Navy commandos who had boarded the ship virtually unarmed. Reinforcements were sent in after the IHH kidnapped, shot and knifed commandos, kidnapping three of them until their rescue.

"This is not a trial but a show trial and has nothing to do with law and justice," Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told AFP, saying the defendants had not even been informed about the nature of the charges.

"They haven't been given even a symbolic chance to have legal representation," he added. "It's a propaganda showcase. The government of Turkey, if it really wanted to do something about this issue, would engage with Israel."

The defendants in the trial are Ashkenazi, former navy chief Eliezer Marom, former military intelligence head Amos Yadlin and former air force intelligence chief Avishai Levy.

Israel ruled that those who took part in the raid did nothing wrong, and one of thelawyers for the plaintiffs said they expected the court to issue an arrest warrant for the men.

Last year, an Israeli probe ruled that the raid did not violate international law, and a United Nations report said that although the IDF used “excessive force,” the flotilla organizers acted “recklessly” and that the maritime blockade was legal.

In May, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon had said he was expecting foreign diplomatic pressure on Turkey to stop the trial, saying it could have "wide-ranging implications for NATO and US forces," which frequently board ships suspected of terror activity.

Turkey insists ties will not return to normal unless Israel offers a formal apology, compensates the victims and lifts the blockade on the impoverished Gaza Strip.

HURRICANES AND POLITICAL STORMS by Rabbi Berel Wein

The devastating hurricane that visited the eastern part of the United States last week spawned terrible loss of life, enormous property damage and some soul-searching as to the real non-weather related cause of this disaster. Judging from the emails I have received and reading the pronouncements that have appeared especially in Jewish publications, it is apparent that many people feel themselves expert enough to know God’s mind, so to speak, in this matter. Well, I must confess my inadequacy regarding this subject for I have no theory to advance as to why all of this devastation and loss of life occurred and was justified in Heaven’s eyes. I take the Torah at its word “that no living human being will see or understand me.” The absence of prophecy in Israel is sorely felt at occasions such as this. The prophets of Israel were able to identify the spiritual and human behavior causes of otherwise seemingly natural disasters. I am therefore bewildered that that there are so many who do insist that they know why this hurricane struck the area that it did and that it is Divine punishment for certain sins committed there. The seemingly natural disasters that befell the people and Land of Israel in biblical times – hailstorms, locust invasions, droughts, etc. were explained by the prophets of the time and their redemptive or punitive purposes were delineated. But we have no prophets today that can deal with and explain to us tsunamis in Bangladesh or hurricanes in Long Island. That is a very humbling experience for many because we are somehow taught and raised to be know-it –alls, especially in understanding how God runs our world. We are to believe that there are those amongst us that know everything. And here comes another event that proves us to be puny, ignorant and powerless (no unfortunate pun intended.) Therefore I feel almost resentful as to the communications being broadcast by those who explain spiritually the causes of the hurricane. These explanations may or not be correct but my question always is – how does one know that that is the correct explanation?

In the midst of the current political campaign that is consuming the Israeli media – much more than it is affecting the average Israeli voter’s equilibrium – we are again faced with a plethora of know-it-alls. The pundits daily tell us what will occur, who will and should be elected and who will not, what the future holds for us and other assorted bits of smug certainty and clucking wisdom. I ask myself the same question mentioned above – how do they know? Especially since the track record of all of the wise men and pundits, soothsayers and political experts here in Israel is very spotty at best. Since humility is hardly the trait of “experts” and the media here in Israel is blaringly loud and sensationalist in the main, always claiming objectivity while advancing its own political agenda and favorites, many of us here just ignore the whole scene until called upon to actually vote on the appointed election day. Many of us are permanently undecided voters because we feel that there is really no viable choice since who knows what will happen when one actually assumes office. Ariel Sharon’s disastrous betrayal of Gush Katif –“what one sees from here in office is not what one saw from there while campaigning” – has certainly made the Israeli voter a wary and suspicious being when it comes to political promises and policies. Again, it is prophecy and its ability to enlighten us as to the real meanings of people and events that is certainly lacking.

The major unanswered issue in my opinion that still overhangs our Jewish society is the Holocaust and the destruction of European Jewry. What was the real cause for that unspeakable tragedy? There Heaven is hidden from our understanding completely. Nevertheless, there have been reasons advanced to “explain” the event – in a spiritual and societal vein. The actual facts of the Holocaust are known and documented for all to see and study. What the Heavenly causes for allowing such an event to occur is not known. There are those who blamed it on Zionism and those who blamed it on anti-Zionism. There are those who blame it on the forces of modernism and others who claim that exactly the opposite is true. Yet the true answer may never be known to us in this world. So those who do advance explanations and the certainty of knowing Heaven’s will do so only at their own peril. Silence and acceptance, rebuilding and revitalizing, staying the course and being humble about all matters is the wisest course for believing Jews to take.

Yaakov Shwekey - Lo Yaavod | יעקב שוואקי - לא יעבוד

Rapper Shyne speaks Torah in Jerusalem

The Spielberg Jewish Film Archive - Jerusalem of Light

1913

1913 -- This incredible hour-long 1913 film was lost for decades and recently found. It was prepared for the 11th Zionist Congress which met in Vienna in August 1913.  Four months earlier, in April, a film crew left Odessa by ship to prepare a film on the Life of the Jews of Palestine that would be shown at the Congress.  The producer,  Noah Sokolovsky, spent two months filming the cities, holy sites, and agricultural communities of Eretz Yisrael.  In 1997 the original film negative was found in France. The film is narrated in Hebrew by Israeli actor and singer Yoram Gaon.  More information was posted here last year.

Meryl Streep in Holocaust

The Holocaust Archives Discovered Here's the answer to all the Holocaust deniers - a must see!

Menachem Herman SWEET HOME JERUSALEM 2013 מנחם הרמן

Shragee, Shira,Freilach

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach ztz'l - Why Are You So Happy.mov

Jerusalem: Jews Confront Arabs after Stabbing Residents of Maale Zeitim say they've had enough after renowned Rabbi Tau's son is stabbed.

Jews confronted Arabs outside the Jerusalem neighbor hood of Maaleh Zeitim on the Mount of Olives Saturday evening, 24 hours after Arabs stabbed a Jewish man there.

The stabbing victim is Avraham Tau, son of the Dean of Har Hamor Yeshiva in Jerusalem, Rabbi Zvi Tau, a venerated Torah sage in the religious Zionist sector. Avraham Tau, whose wounds were defined as "moderate," is in the Intensive Care Unit of Hadassah Ein Karem Hospital, and is reportedly in stable condition.

Two Jews who tried to block the road in the course of the protest were detained by police. Arabs fired some fireworks into the air in order to intimidate the Jews. Police detained an Arab who tried to attack a policeman.

Avraham Tau and another Jew were walking together from the Western Wall toward Maaleh Zeitim when two terrorists attacked him, stabbing him in the back. The two Jews kept on walking toward Maaleh Zeitim, where the injured man received initialtreatment.

Jerusalem activist Aryeh King said that more than 50 Jews have been attacked in the same spot outside the neighborhood in the past two years. Residents demanded that police establish a deterrent presence in the location.

Photos: Yishai Fleisher

הרב כהנא בשירת ההמנון הלאומי - התקוה