https://m.mixcloud.com/zevbrenner/how-to-put-neturei-karta-out-of-business-on-talkline-with-zev-brenner-with-guest-barch-cohen-esq/
Friday, June 16, 2017
How to Put Neturei Karta Out of Business with Los Angeles civil trial attorney Baruch C. Cohen Talkline with Zev Brenner Radio
https://m.mixcloud.com/zevbrenner/how-to-put-neturei-karta-out-of-business-on-talkline-with-zev-brenner-with-guest-barch-cohen-esq/
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Six Unknown Photographs from a Visit to Nazi Germany by Mufti Haj Amin al-Husseini
Six photographs documenting a visit to Germany by Mufti Haj Muhammad Amin al-Husseini. [Germany, ca. 1943].
The photographs show al-Husseini, accompanied by a number of Nazi senior officials, dressed in uniforms, and a number of government officials, dressed in civilian clothes, during a tour apparently held at a camp in Germany (possibly, a camp of The German Labour Front). A lineup held for the visitors of the camp is seen in some of the photographs.
All the photographs are marked on reverse with the stamp "Photo-Gerhards Trebbin". The photographer's mark attests that they were developed in Trebbin, Germany, and may have been shot in its environs.
These photographs, previously unknown, document an unidentified visit to Germany by al-Husseini. We were unable to identify the men in the photographs. However, according to some speculations, among the photographed are possibly the Croatian politician Mile Budak (a member of the Ustase Party who served as Croatian envoy to Germany in 1941-1943), Iraqi politician Rashid Ali al-Gaylani, Fritz Grobba (the German ambassador to Iraq, later in charge of Middle Eastern affairs at the German Foreign Ministry, known for his ties to al-Husseini and Rashid Ali al-Gaylani during al-Gaylani's revolt against the Iraqi government and in the following years) and the Austrian politician Arthur Seyss-Inquart.
Haj Muhammad Amin al-Husseini (1895?-1974) served as the Mufti of Jerusalem during the British Mandate period, in the years 1921-1937, and was known as one of the most important and influential leaders of the Palestinian Arabs and the Palestinian national movement.
Al-Husseini was born in Jerusalem to an eminent and well-established Palestinian-Arab family, many of whose members served in religious and political leadership roles. Al-Husseini studied in Jerusalem, Cairo and Istanbul, and with the outbreak of World War I was drafted to the Ottoman army. After his military service he returned to Jerusalem, where, among other things, he recruited volunteers for the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire (1916-1918).
Al-Husseini was a member of a number of Arab organizations and clubs with nationalist leanings. As part of his activities in these organizations, he was among the chief instigators of the 1920 riots, occurring in Jerusalem during the Nabi Musa festival. As a result he gained fame among the Arab public. In the aftermath of the riots, the British authorities issued an arrest warrant against al-Husseini and Aref al-Aref (a journalist who participated in the incitement leading up to the riots), and the two fled to the Transjordan. They were sentenced in absentia to ten years of imprisonment, but in the same year were pardoned by British High Commissioner Herbert Samuel (following appeals by a number of sheikhs and dignitaries from the Transjordan).
In 1921 al-Husseini was appointed Mufti of Jerusalem, and later chosen to serve as president of the Supreme Muslim Council. In these roles he acted against Jewish settlement of Palestine and in favor of Palestinian nationalism, contributing, among other things, to the 1929 Riots and the 1936-1939 Arab Revolt (al-Husseini was one of the initiators and organizers of the revolt, and the chairman of the Arab Higher Committee).
In 1937, after the British outlawed the Arab Higher Committee and dispersed the Supreme Muslim Council, al-Husseini fled to Lebanon, where he stayed for about two years before moving to Iraq. In Iraq he joined the politician Rashid Ali al-Gaylani and contributed significantly to the planning and organization of the revolt led by al-Gaylani in 1941. Following the revolt, al-Gaylani established a pro-Nazi government that demanded the expulsion of the British from Iraq, but his government did not last for long, and with the collapse of the coup, al-Husseini and al-Gaylani left Iraq. Al-Husseini first traveled to Fascist Italy (where he even met Mussolini), then to Nazi Germany. Al-Gaylani also arrived in Germany.
Haj Amin al-Husseini's ties with the Nazis, initiated before he had arrived in Germany, grew closer during his stay there: he had contacts with the German Foreign Ministry, with the upper echelons of the S.S. and the Gestapo, and even met with Adolf Hitler (their first meeting was in November 1941). One of al-Husseini's goals was to secure a joint German-Italian declaration recognizing the independence and unity of the Arab states, and the right of these states to act against the establishment of a national home for the Jews in Palestine. One of his major contributions to the German war effort as part of his activities in favor of the Axis Powers was the recruitment of fighters to the 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS in 1943. This division, called Handschar, was established by the Germans in the region of Croatia under the rule of the pro-Nazi Ustase Party (which then included Bosnia and Herzegovina). Most of the recruits were from among the Muslim population of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the recruitment was carried out with the encouragement of al-Husseini, who was sent there especially by the German authorities. In addition, al-Husseini established the "Arab Institute for the Study of the Jewish Question" in Berlin - an institute founded with German funding and constituting the Berlin parallel to the "Institute for the Study of the Jewish Problem" active in Frankfurt, whose declared objective was the expulsion of the Jews from German territory. As a result of these and other activities, al-Husseini was included at the end of World War II in the list of "war criminals" of the Yugoslav Committee Investigating the War Crimes of the Occupiers and their Collaborators.
Al-Husseini's relations with the Axis Powers have been closely studied and still arouse questions. Some see his collaboration with the Germans as motivated by the pragmatic interests of a leader who sought to acquire a strong ally in support of Arab national goals, while others associate his collaboration with his enthusiasm for German policies towards the Jews and their plan for a "Final Solution", and even with an aspiration on his part to expand the genocide to Palestine as well.
6 photographs, approx. 6.5X9.5 cm. Good condition. Some stains, tears and creases.
All the photographs are marked on reverse with the stamp "Photo-Gerhards Trebbin". The photographer's mark attests that they were developed in Trebbin, Germany, and may have been shot in its environs.
These photographs, previously unknown, document an unidentified visit to Germany by al-Husseini. We were unable to identify the men in the photographs. However, according to some speculations, among the photographed are possibly the Croatian politician Mile Budak (a member of the Ustase Party who served as Croatian envoy to Germany in 1941-1943), Iraqi politician Rashid Ali al-Gaylani, Fritz Grobba (the German ambassador to Iraq, later in charge of Middle Eastern affairs at the German Foreign Ministry, known for his ties to al-Husseini and Rashid Ali al-Gaylani during al-Gaylani's revolt against the Iraqi government and in the following years) and the Austrian politician Arthur Seyss-Inquart.
Haj Muhammad Amin al-Husseini (1895?-1974) served as the Mufti of Jerusalem during the British Mandate period, in the years 1921-1937, and was known as one of the most important and influential leaders of the Palestinian Arabs and the Palestinian national movement.
Al-Husseini was born in Jerusalem to an eminent and well-established Palestinian-Arab family, many of whose members served in religious and political leadership roles. Al-Husseini studied in Jerusalem, Cairo and Istanbul, and with the outbreak of World War I was drafted to the Ottoman army. After his military service he returned to Jerusalem, where, among other things, he recruited volunteers for the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire (1916-1918).
Al-Husseini was a member of a number of Arab organizations and clubs with nationalist leanings. As part of his activities in these organizations, he was among the chief instigators of the 1920 riots, occurring in Jerusalem during the Nabi Musa festival. As a result he gained fame among the Arab public. In the aftermath of the riots, the British authorities issued an arrest warrant against al-Husseini and Aref al-Aref (a journalist who participated in the incitement leading up to the riots), and the two fled to the Transjordan. They were sentenced in absentia to ten years of imprisonment, but in the same year were pardoned by British High Commissioner Herbert Samuel (following appeals by a number of sheikhs and dignitaries from the Transjordan).
In 1921 al-Husseini was appointed Mufti of Jerusalem, and later chosen to serve as president of the Supreme Muslim Council. In these roles he acted against Jewish settlement of Palestine and in favor of Palestinian nationalism, contributing, among other things, to the 1929 Riots and the 1936-1939 Arab Revolt (al-Husseini was one of the initiators and organizers of the revolt, and the chairman of the Arab Higher Committee).
In 1937, after the British outlawed the Arab Higher Committee and dispersed the Supreme Muslim Council, al-Husseini fled to Lebanon, where he stayed for about two years before moving to Iraq. In Iraq he joined the politician Rashid Ali al-Gaylani and contributed significantly to the planning and organization of the revolt led by al-Gaylani in 1941. Following the revolt, al-Gaylani established a pro-Nazi government that demanded the expulsion of the British from Iraq, but his government did not last for long, and with the collapse of the coup, al-Husseini and al-Gaylani left Iraq. Al-Husseini first traveled to Fascist Italy (where he even met Mussolini), then to Nazi Germany. Al-Gaylani also arrived in Germany.
Haj Amin al-Husseini's ties with the Nazis, initiated before he had arrived in Germany, grew closer during his stay there: he had contacts with the German Foreign Ministry, with the upper echelons of the S.S. and the Gestapo, and even met with Adolf Hitler (their first meeting was in November 1941). One of al-Husseini's goals was to secure a joint German-Italian declaration recognizing the independence and unity of the Arab states, and the right of these states to act against the establishment of a national home for the Jews in Palestine. One of his major contributions to the German war effort as part of his activities in favor of the Axis Powers was the recruitment of fighters to the 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS in 1943. This division, called Handschar, was established by the Germans in the region of Croatia under the rule of the pro-Nazi Ustase Party (which then included Bosnia and Herzegovina). Most of the recruits were from among the Muslim population of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the recruitment was carried out with the encouragement of al-Husseini, who was sent there especially by the German authorities. In addition, al-Husseini established the "Arab Institute for the Study of the Jewish Question" in Berlin - an institute founded with German funding and constituting the Berlin parallel to the "Institute for the Study of the Jewish Problem" active in Frankfurt, whose declared objective was the expulsion of the Jews from German territory. As a result of these and other activities, al-Husseini was included at the end of World War II in the list of "war criminals" of the Yugoslav Committee Investigating the War Crimes of the Occupiers and their Collaborators.
Al-Husseini's relations with the Axis Powers have been closely studied and still arouse questions. Some see his collaboration with the Germans as motivated by the pragmatic interests of a leader who sought to acquire a strong ally in support of Arab national goals, while others associate his collaboration with his enthusiasm for German policies towards the Jews and their plan for a "Final Solution", and even with an aspiration on his part to expand the genocide to Palestine as well.
6 photographs, approx. 6.5X9.5 cm. Good condition. Some stains, tears and creases.
Estimation: $20000 - $30000
https://www.kedem-auctions.com/content/six-unknown-photographs-visit-nazi-germany-mufti-haj-amin-al-husseini
Sunday, June 11, 2017
Risking death, Muslim lawyer stands up for Iraqi Jews' rights
Muslim Iraqi lawyer Ammar al-Hamadani is working to ensure that Iraqi Jews receive the compensation they deserve after being expelled from Iraq following Israel’s 1948 War of Independence • Hamadani seeks to make matter a global issue.
Rachel Avraham
Iraqi Jews rescued in Operation Michaelberg in 1947
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When people think of Iraq, they think of a country plagued by war, on the verge of collapsing. They think of a failed state that ethnically cleanses minorities and blows up holy sites as well as ancient archaeological treasures. Most Iraqi Jews see nothing but a bleak picture when they look at Iraq today. However, within this war-torn country, there is a Muslim voice of hope, calling out for his country to become a true democratic state and to give Iraqi Jews the justice that they deserve. He does this under the threat of death but remains determined to speak out for all of the minorities in his country, including the Jews.
Ammar al-Hamadani, a Muslim Iraqi lawyer, is working to ensure that Iraqi Jews receive the compensation they deserve in a new democratic Iraq after they were expelled from the country following Israel's 1948 War of Independence. Referring to the expulsion of Iraq's Jews and the seizure of their property as "unconstitutional and inhumane," he stated with sadness that the laws that prompted the Iraqi Jewish community into exile remain in force today "despite the political change that took place in Iraq in 2003 and the enactment of a new Iraqi constitution in 2005 in which we had some hope for change for Iraqi Jews in a democratic, federal and multicultural Iraq."
Al-Hamadani emphasized that it is unlawful to strip any Iraqi of their citizenship for any reason and it is the right of "any Iraqi who has lost his citizenship for either political, racist or sectarian reasons to request the restoration of citizenship." However, al-Hamadani noted that while the Iraqi Constitution permitted the restoration of Iraqi citizenship for those who lost it for the above reasons, Iraqi Jews were excluded: "Iraqi Jews remain deprived of justice under the new Iraq in such a crude violation of the constitution."
"What is most puzzling is the very constitution that speaks of the freedom of belief and religious practice of Muslims, Christians, Yazidis and Sabian Mandaeans does not address the Jews of Iraq as a basic religion," al-Hamadani proclaimed. He noted that in theory, the Iraqi Jewish community has the right to bring their case for restoring their rights before the Administrative Court in Iraq, which is linked to the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council -- technically independent of the executive authority and the government. However, he asserted that in reality, the Administrative Court is politicized, works to defend the actions of the Iraqi government and thus won't give them the justice that they deserve.
"Any lawyer who tries to defend the Jews of Iraq before these two government-controlled courts is being threatened with blackmail and intimidation because your opponent is the judge himself, so that the lawyer cannot take the liberty to defend his clients and therefore, issues remain floating in the court because lawyers fear to follow up," he explained.
"Based on all the above, I am hereby demanding that the case of Iraqi Jews' rights become a universal matter that is adopted by international courts and organizations," al-Hamadani stressed. "This should secure an international stance in the face of the Iraqi government, which could force it into providing justice to the honorable Iraqi Jewish sect and to restore all their rights just like all sects of the Iraqi people. Also, I would like to confirm my willingness to provide all kinds of support in defense of the rights of my Jewish brothers. And allow me to note here, I am doing all this pro-bono and out of commitment to my national duties towards my country."
In response to al-Hamadani's call for Iraqi Jews to receive the compensation that they deserve, Aryeh Shemesh, the leader of the Babylonian Jewish community in Israel, praised him: "We have to praise this person who dared to talk clearly and to tell the truth. This is a major thing. I just hope that more people will get the same idea to help us fight to get compensated."
Levana Zamir, the head of the Central Organization of Jews from Arab and Islamic countries, added: "Sometimes very important things begin with just normal people, simple people, a lawyer like him. Then another can do the same and then the others. It can lead to all of the Arab countries recognizing their mistakes. But he is not the first. In Egypt 10 years ago, Amin al-Mahdi, an Egyptian journalist, wrote a book titled 'The Other Opinion.' He said exactly the same thing. The book was translated into Hebrew.
"He said that when Egypt is a democratic country, we will have peace. He cried in his book that Nasser expelled the Jews. He said it was only Egypt's loss. Now, after al-Mahdi, we have other people saying the same thing. Maged Farag said all of this on the Egyptian TV two years ago after he came to Israel for an art exhibition. He said, look, we have normalization between the governments, so why not the people? It's time to finish all of these wars," she said.
Thursday, June 8, 2017
Hundreds of ZOA Pro-Israel Activists Lobby Congress
Hundreds of activists from 19 states across the country, from California to Chicago to Florida to New York, participated in the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA)’s Annual Advocacy Mission to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, June 6, 2017. Meeting with almost 100 Members of Congress or their legislative staffers, ZOA activists urged Congress to:
1). Support S. 474 and H.R. 1164 (Taylor Force Act), which would stop all aid to Mahmoud Abbas’s Palestinian Authority (PA) unless it ends all pensions to Jew-killing terrorists and their families, and to end all US aid to the PA unless it fulfills their Oslo commitments particularly the need to stop promoting hatred and violence against Jews in their schools, mosques, media, speeches and children camps.
2). Support S. 722 and H. 1698, which would impose new sanctions and strengthen existing financial sanctions against Iran for it’s ballistic missile program, Iran’s support for acts of international terrorism and ongoing commerce in conventional weapons.
3). Support S. 11 and H.R. 257 which amends the original 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Act to eliminate the Presidential waiver on certain funding limitation for the Department of State acquisition and maintenance of building abroad until the US Embassy in Jerusalem has officially opened; and also requires official US documents which list countries and their capital cities to identify Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
4). Support S. 107 and H.R. 373, H.R. 796 and H.R. 2232, which require certification by the State Department that anti-Israel activity is being combated at the UN; prohibits US funding of any UN agency that promotes or condones anti-Semitism, or admits as a member any organization that is involved in anti-Israel activities; prohibits US payments to the UN unless the viciously anti Israel UNSC Resolution 2334 is rescinded; requires the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to be reformed or US funding will be limited; removes US funding from the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) unless specific reforms are enacted; reconfirms US law on denying funding to any UN organization that unilaterally admits the PLO as a member, and requires the State Department to certify that the UN is addressing its anti-Semitic problems.
At the ZOA’s packed Congressional Luncheon, held prior to the congressional meetings in a magnificent room in the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington D.C., ZOA activists were joined at the luncheon by many Democratic and Republican U.S. Senators and House Members, an official from the Trump Administration, and other pro-Israel leaders who addressed the ZOA activists. A sampling of the speeches follow:
Sen. Ted Cruz: “G-d bless ZOA. I’m here to say thank you. There is no organization in America like ZOA… people here speak truth to lies, bring light to darkness.”
Addressing the ZOA Luncheon, ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, “This is an extraordinary and remarkable time for the Jewish people; Israel controls Jerusalem and most of Judea & Samaria; we have a powerful army, and a friend in the White House in President Donald Trump. He may not be perfect, but no one is, except for our spouses… The Senate voted yesterday 90 to 0 that Jerusalem is the undivided capital of Israel. Compare that to the UN condemning ‘occupation’ and saying that this is what stops peace. The New York Times Review section just carried a big article condemning Israel — by someone who works for George Soros.” Turning to the oft-repeated fiction that Jerusalem is a holy city to Islam, Klein observed, “Jerusalem is not holy to Muslims, we are the only ones stating that truth. It’s a complete falsehood. The Temple Mount is called the Temple Mount, not the Mosque Mount … the majority of people living in Jerusalem since the 1850s have been Jews,” before debunking other claims often advanced to suggest that Jerusalem has been important to Islam since the time of Muhammad. Turning to the false issue of Israel supposedly and illegally occupying Palestinian Arabs, Klein described this as an “Orwellian falsehood. ‘Occupation’ means one country seizing the sovereign land of another country. Israel was the sovereign land of the Jewish people. Romans renamed it Philistinia, a Roman name, after defeating Jews. Until the 1960s, everyone knew that the term ‘Palestinian’ meant Jew… “The Promised Land” was promised to the Jews, not to the Arabs. We are Jews because we come from Judea, just as Arabs come from Arabia. Arabs use the term ‘West Bank’ to de-Judaize Judea and sever our millennia-long connection with it. In 1922, 80% of the British Palestine Mandate was lopped off and given to Transjordan. In 1948, six Arab nations invaded Israel. The Arabs said no to partition, not the Jews. When I offer my house to someone for a specific price and he says no, he doesn’t get it… Israel begged Jordan to stay out of the war in 1967. Jordan captured and illegally occupied Judea/Samaria and eastern Jerusalem in 1948, but there was no PLO demanding to have it when it was in Arab hands. As for today, 98% of Palestinian Arabs live in areas under Palestinian Arab control control. Israel’s ongoing security presence in parts of Judea/Samaria is the primary reason there is far less terrorism in Israel. Turning to the terminology that is used to mislead people and create a propagandistic misunderstanding of the conflict, Klein observed that, “This is an Arab-Islamic war against Israel, not an Arab/Israeli conflict. Don’t use the term ‘Arab-Israeli conflict’. Don’t just say that Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority is not a partner for peace. That’s too weak. Tell the truth that they are an enemy regime. Stop using the term ‘two-state solution.’ Israel is already a state. No one is talking of creating two states, but of creating one state, a Palestinian Arab state. Call it what is is –– the Palestinian State solution. Calling this a ‘two-state solution’ diminishes Israel’s sovereignty. It implies that Israel, until a Palestinian Arab state is created, is something less than a state. Don’t use term West Bank. It was called Judea/Samaria for thousands of years until the 1960s. Calling Judea/Samaria the ‘West Bank’ de-Judaizes it. Don’t use the term ‘settlements.’ They are Jewish communities in Judea & Samaria, the biblical Jewish heartland, not foreign colonies in another country. Stop using the term ‘occupation’ because there is no occupation. Our political, religious, and legal right is much greater than the Arab’s is.” Klein concluded by singing the 1983 Bob Dylan song, ‘Neighborhood Bully,’ who understood the nature of the Arab war on Israel and wrote this song to express the absurd bias, distortion and double-standards that leads to Israel being depicted as a regional bully.
Dr. Sebastian Gorka, Deputy Assistant to President Trump and a prominent Administration spokesman, received a standing ovation when he walked into the room and was introduced by Mort Klein, who described him as, “One of the staunchest allies in support of Israel and in the fight against Islamic terrorism. His dear father was honored by the Jewish community of Budapest for all he did trying to help the Jewish community of Budapest. He was a great warrior fighting dictators.” Dr. Gorka remarked, “That was quite a welcome. Thank you. I am not just honored. I am grateful to what this room represents. I am grateful to fighters like Mort Klein. I would like to thank everyone who supported the administration and individuals in the administration against the smear campaign by those who seek to undermine the relationship between the administration and Israel.. you can expect us to act in ways that comport with the what the Vice-President said on Israel Independence Day, quoting a text given to him by the President to read to us, that we will always stand with Israel. When it comes to specifics, I’m not going to discuss those; that’s not how you make deals. Dr. Gorka also said, “I grew up in a family under the Nazi occupation of Budapest, and then under the communists. If you ever go to the house of terror museum in Budapest, the first thing you see when you enter, you see a mannequin slowly rotating, because his uniform is half communist and half Nazi arrow cross. So that people can understand the linkage between these two totalitarianisms. Left/right is irrelevant. What matters is they are both totalitarianisms –– that seek to crush everyone. Manchester, the knife Intifada, Al Qaeda, ISIS and so on are all the new totalitarianisms. It is an existential fight for our existence. How are we going to win this war? The President says we will obliterate them. We are not here to solve all the problems of the world. It is absurd to say that terrorism is the result of lack of education and poverty. That can be exploited by terrorists, but that’s not the center of gravity. The issue is the terrorists’ ideology … President Trump is not a politician. He is genuine. Behind closed doors he is the same as he is publicly. He has an innate hatred for political correctness. If you are being censored, it’s totalitarianism. The President with his Twitter account, God bless him, is pushing back. The President understands that we are in a war with totalitarianism and is in it to win it … I can tell you that Steve Bannon is grateful for ZOA’s support. Steve is the opposite of the President. He is the eighty pound brain. He is a long-term planner. The third advisor is Jared. He sees his father-in-law’s vision and works to execute it, make it a reality. And we will talk truthfully about the evil that is out there, whether it is in Manchester, London, Tel, Aviv, we will call it out. We will support those Muslims who want to defeat those like ISIS. That’s why we had King Abdullah to the White House, to let them know that we are back on his side … Just as Reagan delegitimized Communism, we must delegitimize the ideology of the jihadists. We will have won when the black flag of ISIS is reviled across the globe as much as the black and red and white flag of the Third Reich.
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D–OH) said that he could speak simply about Israel, but that he also had to speak about what bothered him, noting that “I told Prime Minister Netanyahu I know you’re happy with the new President and standing up for Israel, but there’s a lot of anti-Semitism and bigotry in the White House.” Senator Brown said, “I grew up in a Lutheran family in which my faith is important to me. I am familiar with Jewish faith’s fight for social justice. I am concerned with this President’s attitudes towards people who are different,” noting that Jews had played an outsized role in the fight for civil rights in the 1960s. (ZOA fervently disagrees with Sen. Brown’s erroneous descriptions of the Administration).
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AK), who is to be awarded the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson Award on Nov. 12 of this year at the ZOA Brandeis Award Dinner, (Ambassador David Friedman will be receiving the Dr. Bob Shillman Award and Christopher Ruddy will be receiving the Mort Zuckerman Award at the ZOA Brandeis Award Dinner on Nov. 12 2017 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in NYC) and who was the only senator to vote against the Corker-Cardin Iran compromise bill said: “Thank you for inviting Sherrod Brown as my warmup act. Today we’re celebrating the 73rd anniversary of D-Day. We’re also in the middle of the 50th anniversary of the Six-Day War in Israel where Israeli soldiers took back all of Jerusalem… We need to move our embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv … [Doing so would be] an important reminder to the Palestinian people that there are certain issues that are just not open to negotiation. The simple fact of the matter is that Jerusalem is and will be the capital of Israel. Israel should not return to the lines from over 50 years ago that are simply indefensible … Presidents come and go. The bedrock is the American people. That’s why I support the Taylor Force Act. We are not trying to remake the world. We are simply saying that you need to cease paying terrorists to kill. If this gets to a floor vote in the Senate, it will pass. The UNSC Resolution 2334 in December was the worst resolution at the UN since the ‘Zionism is racism’ resolution. We are not trying to remake the world, just get the UN to renounce anti-Semitism. I support the Iran Sanctions Act. The Iran deal was a terrible deal and Iran is violating it. Tell your Congresspersons to bring the Act to the floor and to vote for it. Congress can take a lead. ZOA’s advocacy efforts are important. You couldn’t be here during a better week.”
Representative Louie Gohmert (R–TX) said, “When I first met the former PA prime minister, Salaam Fayyad, he said we have something in common, namely, that we had both received our degrees from the University of Texas. I told him, ‘I got my degree from Texas A&M; we have nothing in common.’” Addressing the US embassy issue, Rep. Gohmert quipped, “How about a compromise? Instead of moving the embassy directly from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, first move it to King David’s first capital in Hebron. The tomb of David is in Hebron.” Regarding President Trump’s proposed travel ban from particular Middle Eastern states with high levels of terrorism and little cooperation with the West in fighting it, Rep. Gohmert observed, “We are going to have to get realistic at some point. There will be some nations that have refugees that are a danger to this country. When judges give Constitutional rights to people who are not citizens and have no standing, and are going to share US Constitutional rights with the whole world, with people who hate us, this is insane.” Turning to President Trump’s efforts to produce an Arab/Israeli peace, he said, “Israel gave away land to try to get peace, and the land was used as a staging ground to attack Israel. Netanyahu said, ‘That’s a problem isn’t it?’ Netanyahu has a chance to be one of Israel’s great leaders. All of the greatest leaders of Israel had one thing in common, they called on the nation of Israel to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” He closed by noting that, “the book of Joel states that bad things will befall nations that would try to divide Israel. The US should never be in the position of pushing to divide Israel.”
Frank Gaffney, President of the Washington, DC-based Center for Security Policy, said, “I’m honored to be here with Mort Klein who received our Keeper of the Flame Award. Noting the 50th anniversary of the Six Day War, he said, “I want to bring up two people, Bill and Mark Langfan. Bill Langfan was able to share experiences he had as a 16-year old kid about what would happen if Munich deal was done; he was on beaches of Normandy on D-Day, fought across Europe and helped liberate Buchenwald. This experience shaped his life and his kids’ life to ensure this never happens again. Mark explains why Israel matters so much and is so perilously poised, using topographical maps to explain the peril. He explains not just the importance of territory, but also the importance of the high ground of Judea/Samaria and the the Golan Heights. During those memorable six days 50 years ago, those lands were recovered by Israel, putting to an end threats Israel faced during its first couple of decades of existence. Now once again Israel is being told it must give up the high ground… But there can be no peace if the high ground between Israel and the Palestinians is in the latter’s hands. So whether it’s trying to divide Jerusalem, or make a Palestinian state in Judea/Samaria, no good will come of this, for Israelis or Palestinians. We tried this in Gaza, we tried this in Lebanon and what followed in both cases was an unmitigated disaster. Israel is on the front-line for us in the very dangerous Middle East.”
Representative Matt Gaetz (R–FL): “In my district, we have Israeli pilots training beside our Americans. We’re proud of the F-35, to be delivered soon. It will be part of the strategy to keep Israel’s qualitative military edge. I just returned from my first trip to Israel, with Cong. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. There were a few takeaways from my trip. Israel is doing a tremendous amount of work to improve the quality of life for her people and her Arab neighbors, including in agriculture, medicine, education, energy, and so on … People need to know that Israel is promoting energy, security and education for her neighbors. Nations who get these benefits need to acknowledge this. Israel invested millions of dollars to provide intensive care units for Arab neighbors, and Arabs refused to even put a small plaque saying that this was donated by the generosity of the Israeli people … You need willing partners for peace, and Abbas is no such partner. When you have Abbas naming schools after terrorists and paying terrorists, that is not a partner for peace. The UN is transferring cash to PA with no oversight, and we end up with Palestinian school textbooks that glorify terror … Abbas will never follow the requirements, the commitments under Oslo which he signed … We have to continue investing in Iron Dome and higher level of protection of Arrow 1 and 2 to prepare ourselves from the Iranian threat and Hizballah, which has 150,000 rockets pointed at Israel. Hizballah has had an infusion of cash that makes its missiles more accurate, they have improved technology. As member of House Armed Services Committee, I will fight for funding for David’s Sling system to combat this.” Rep. Gates also paused to praise the new US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, saying, “Ambassador Friedman attended the Jerusalem 50th anniversary events. His staff said no, and he said. ‘Who are you to tell me what events I can and cannot attend? … [I] have seem optimism following Trump’s visit to Israel. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I intend to do my part.”
Former Republican Presidential candidate and leader of CUFI Gary Bauer: “It’s a real pleasure to be in a room of American Jews who are at least as pro-Israel as I am. In this city, most people at the first sight of trouble, run for the tall grass, but Mort Klein runs for the front lines …When I felt bad that our embassy did not get moved, I spent some time reflecting on the last eight years. We were living in a time when a US administration was more upset about Jews building homes in Jerusalem than about Iran building nuclear bombs. December’s UN Security Council Resolution 2334 was a shameful vote, a parting present to Israel from the Obama Administration.I’m concerned with our government colluding with a foreign government. I’m talking about President Obama colluding with Iran. Obama secretly negotiated with Iran for 2 years. Then he gave them billions of dollars some in cash. We released Iranian agents. And this is a country that was directly responsible for manufacturing the IEDs that killed American soldiers in Iraq. In the new administration, defending Israel is in, ZOA and CUFI are in; J Street is out.”
Representative David Brat (R-VA): “I wrote the book, American Underog: Proof That Principles Matter, which among others things explains the three pillars of America’s greatness –– the Judeo-Christian tradition, the rule of law and free markets. I also explain in that book why the Judeo-Christian pillar is the central one on which the others depend … James Madison went to Princeton Seminary, where I went. Madison studied Hebrew. Study of Bible and Hebrew formed his world view when writing the Constitution. He understood that, if human nature has fallen, you might need something like our separation of powers. The Left right now is very scared of tyrants. But tyranny comes when all ideas are considered equal. Take godless regimes with a big centralized state, and you end up with the Soviet Union and China and Nazi Germany with millions dead. The rule of law has made the US and Israel exceptional. The rule of law emerges from Israel. from the Bible. and we have a free market, the ideas of Milton Friedman. We know all three are under attack today –– you see this in the hatred of Israel, the attacks on police in the US, the erosion of our liberties .. .What you can do for us is mention Moses and Abraham a lot more. You have to get the Judeo-Christian part first, before policy. Countries that have the three pillars I’ve described have the most human rights, women’s rights, and so on. You fight hard for the US/Israel relationship. Keep doing God’s work.”
Representative Mark Meadows (R–NC), chairman of the Freedom Caucus: “Thank you for being here and for advocating on behalf of God’s people and the Nation of Israel … One of the reasons that I’m in Congress is not just to grill members of the Department of Justice to enforce the Koby Mandell Act that ZOA introduced and got passed, not just to see if people in government are doing their jobs. When my wife and I came here, we asked ourselves, ‘What can I do for the Jewish people and the nation of Israel today?’ It’s in my heart and is my passion. If we do not take the microphone when it’s given, then those who cannot speak for themselves won’t have an advocate on their behalf … If every Jewish person in my district voted against me, I wouldn’t know it. There is only one synagogue in my district and they do not vote for me. They are very liberal. They have about 32 people. I can get a standing ovation when I say that I stand with the nation of Israel in North Carolina, but I can get booed off the stage in New York … I was in the Egyptian embassy about 4-5 years ago, when President Morsi from the Muslim Brotherhood was in power, speaking about what we can do about the Israeli-Egyptian relationship. There were six members of the Muslim Brotherhood there. I shared very firmly that unless they got their attitude right about Israel, there would be no money coming from the US. If we can’t make them see the light, we can at least make them feel the heat … When I was in Budapest, my wife and I went to see the place where thousands of Jews during the Holocaust had been marched and then shot into the river. We saw the places where the Nazis and their Hungarian collaborators would tie three Jews together, then shoot the tow on each end, so as not to waste a bullet while murdering three Jews, who all fell into the river. But that wasn’t all: before that, the Nazis would take their victims’ shoes, because they were thought to have value. My wife and I pledged while standing on the shores of the Danube: Never again would the most valuable thing about a Jewish life be their shoes. Never again.”
Mollie Hemingway, Senior Editor at Federalist, Fox News contributor: “My understanding of Israel has been greatly increased by discussions with ZOA ‘s Josh London. My understanding was nothing until I visited Israel firsthand, and saw that the so-called security wall was actually a fence. I woulds read of the Western Wall being Judaism’s holiest site, instead of just the holiest site where Jews are permitted to pray. Last week in the New York Times, there appeared three lengthy profiles of Palestinians, including a cancer victim. They were heart-wrenching stories, with no perspective, no examination of how the current situation has emerged, no mention of millions of dollars spent by Palestinians on terror tunnels and to pay terrorists. The stories railed against checkpoints, without mentioning what causes checkpoints to be placed there. I saw a Washington Post story, complete with a photograph of a Palestinian father hugging his dead child, the story being about a Palestinian infant killed by an Israeli bomb. The Washington Post said they had independently fact-checked this. In fact, this was an errant bomb from the Palestinian side that had killed the child. The BBC said that, if Israel can kill a man on a moving bike, how did this man’s child get killed? It said that Hamas rockets are like bee-stings on the Israeli bear’s behind. I hope you also understand that terrorists are manipulating and exploiting the media and using it to their advantage all the time. Mattie Friedman who used to be with AP said that the media is embedded with the anti-Israel NGOs. They come to Israel with little knowledge. ZOA, continue to take time with reporters and journalists in doing the work you do.”
Representative Claudia Tenney (R–NY): “I’m a lawyer, and my district included Binghamton, NY, an air force base. I spent 6 years in the New York State Assembly. That’s where I was introduced to Jewish issues, including issues regarding Chassidic Jews in the Catskill area … I worked in the Yugoslav consulate in the 1980s. My son attended the Jewish Community Center in Utica, NY. The JCC in Utica wanted to reach out to help the Bosnian Muslims, and bring them to Utica for safe haven. It made me realize how strong the Jewish faith is and how far Jews are willing to go to help. I learned from Chabad Rabbi Hecht in Ulster County … We support your initiatives and Israel. I’m looking forward to legislation that will assist you, so please reach out to me … Thank you for all you have done, including interfaith council which has been important for maintaining stability in our region.”
Representative Ron DeSantis (R–FL): Fifty years ago, we saw an improbable victory, in a war that could have ended Israel’s existence .. We hear all about not upsetting the peace process, delaying the embassy move. Well, if you want to improve their behavior, moving the embassy is the best thing you can do … We can’t keep paying the Palestinian Authority when they give money to terrorists. Israel is what’s right about the Middle East … We have to shake up our State Department. There is also a growing problem of anti-Semitism on college campuses and on the left … I appreciate you guys here at ZOA, because you have moral clarity about the issues that Israel is facing … We have to finally designate the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization. We have an Administration that sees things much more clearly than the previous one did, but that doesn’t mean that we’re not going to continue to agitate to move the embassy.”
Senator Ted Cruz (R–TX): “G-d bless ZOA. I’m here in the spirit of celebration and to say thank you. There is no organization in America like ZOA. There is no pro-Israel leader in America with the clarity and ferocity of Morton Klein. I’m glad that the people here speak truth to lies, bring light to darkness. What characterizes ZOA is a relentless commitment to the truth … I gave a speech celebrating Israel’s victory when her enemies sought to drive Israel into the sea. The threats are every bit as dire today, with the nuclear threat from Iran. But we have a lot to celebrate, in that Barack Obama is no longer president. We have a lot to celebrate in that John Kerry is no longer Secretary of State. We no longer have an executive branch that is relentlessly hostile to Israel. The Obama Administration undermined Israel. What a relief it is to have Nikki Haley at the UN. Isn’t it nice to have a UN ambassador who knows the difference between the IDF and Hamas? … It’s long past time to move the embassy to Jerusalem. I believe that should have happened on January 20th. Now this Administration is hopeful that a grand peace deal can be worked out. I will count myself as somewhat skeptical. I don’t know how you can make peace with those who want to murder you. Here’s what I’ve told the Administration. No one wants peace more than Israel. But if you want peace, what will further peace, is moving the embassy. The only thing the terrorists respect is strength. If the embassy is moved, Egypt, the Saudis, Jordan will make noise, but privately, they’ll breathe sighs of relief, because they will know that if the Administration has the backbone to do that, then the Administration will have the backbone to deal with Iran … Maybe Obama deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for getting the Israelis and Arabs to see eye to eye … I wish that on January 20th, the Iran deal had been ripped to shreds. But as a minimum, what I would suggest to ZOA, is that you use your collective voice, to submit the Iran deal to the Senate as a treaty, where we will vote it down. It’s amazing how following the Constitution resolves things … [UNSC Resolution 2334 is] blatantly, nakedly anti-Israel. The UN declared that much of Israel is illegal and illegitimate, the Jewish control of the Western Wall and the Jewish Quarter and the Temple Mount and the Mt of Olives Cemetery is illegal and illegitimate. When running for president, Obama circulated widely a picture of himself wearing a yarmulka, standing at the Western Wall, which he now has allowed the UN to declare illegally and illegitimately in Israel’s hands. I circulated a bill to defund the UN … 22% of the UN’s funding comes from the US. The objective of the resolution is to get the UN to reconvene and rescind the resolution. That resolution is not a one-time thing. That resolution will be the basis for lawfare and BDS. I refuse to accept that there’s nothing we can do. Some in Congress said we should just pass a resolution disapproving of the UN resolution. But if we actually want change, we have to take action. Call on the leadership in Congress to vote on the legislation. There’s a reason Obama waited until after the election. Bringing this up for a vote gives the Democrats who pretend that they don’t support the Obama administration’s assault on Israel an opportunity to show where they stand. It will give clarity, and be a victory for the Administration if it passes. We need a vote so that people can chose where they stand. We need a vote on legislation I sponsored to defund the PLO until they stop funding terrorism. Not many people know that. When Abbas came to Washington D.C., I wish that Abbas had agreed to stop writing checks to pay terrorists. We have much to celebrate with the new Administration, but there’s more to do. I thank you for your courage and dedication.”
Mort Klein thanked the entire ZOA staff for their hard work in making the ZOA’s Advocacy Mission to Washington, D.C. such a success. Mort offered special thanks to Josh London and Dan Pollak, Co-Directors of the ZOA’s Government Relations Department, who were masters of ceremonies at the luncheon event and led the discussion of issues, for all their work in helping to bring this impressive array of Members of Congress to the luncheon. Thanks were also expressed to Howard Katzoff and the entire ZOA staff for their hard work in making the Mission run so smoothly.
Read more: http://zoa.org/2017/06/10365552-hundreds-of-zoa-pro-israel-activists-lobby-congress/#ixzz4jRcsm1Ua
Wednesday, June 7, 2017
Monday, May 29, 2017
Peace in the Middle East is one big lie.
Israel has repeatedly gone way beyond the level of reasonable to give away huge parts of it’s homeland in order to take huge chances for questionable promises.
In 1981, 1991 and 2005, Israel made major concessions based on big promises from Arab leaders that have all summed up to one big nothing in return.
No quiet, no peace – just more war and more attacks.
Mortimer Zuckerman from the US News & World Report once commented that if Israel would be 10% more moral than the rest of the countries, it would be a tremendous accomplishment, and if Israel would be 25% more moral than the other nations, we would be a light unto the nations, but if Israel will be 50% more moral – then it will be dead.
Israel needs to be careful and vigilant – the costs are just too great.
Elder of Ziyon, Weeds on the Temple Mount in 1967
This photo of the Temple Mount from 1967 was published this week in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Jerusalem:
The "third-holiest site in Islam," while under Muslim control, was filled with - weeds.
No one visited. No one cared.
I had already documented the phenomenon of weeds on the Temple Mount under Ottoman rule (and made a video.)
I also have some other photos of the Temple Mount under Jordanian rule showing how few people actually visited as opposed to the thousands of Muslims that come every day now.
Mid 1950s:
1960:
The only time Muslims care about Jerusalem is when Jews (or Christians) control it.
When Muslims controlled it, there are next to no pilgrimages. The entire complex was mostly empty and decrepit.
Muslims never venerated their "third holiest site" or "first qibla". And these photos prove it.
(h/t Josh)
The "third-holiest site in Islam," while under Muslim control, was filled with - weeds.
No one visited. No one cared.
I had already documented the phenomenon of weeds on the Temple Mount under Ottoman rule (and made a video.)
I also have some other photos of the Temple Mount under Jordanian rule showing how few people actually visited as opposed to the thousands of Muslims that come every day now.
Mid 1950s:
1960:
The only time Muslims care about Jerusalem is when Jews (or Christians) control it.
When Muslims controlled it, there are next to no pilgrimages. The entire complex was mostly empty and decrepit.
Muslims never venerated their "third holiest site" or "first qibla". And these photos prove it.
(h/t Josh)
Friday, May 26, 2017
CBN's In Our Hands - Christian Broadcasting Network’s new docudrama is a reminder that Jewish heritage was liberated and a massacre was averted not merely because of Israel’s superior military tactics and training, or the bravery of the men in the IDF’s 55th Brigade. The message of the film is that what happened on June 7, 1967 (the 28th day of Hebrew month of Iyar) was a miracle, not least because it was so unexpected
Jerusalem Day 2017 – Movie “In Our Hands” Brings Liberation of Jerusalem to Life; Christian Broadcasting Network Brings Israel’s 1967 Victory to the Big Screen in 700+ Sold-Out U.S. Theaters
The newest addition to the Jewish calendar and an Israeli national holiday, Jerusalem Day is held on the 28th day of the Hebrew month of Iyar—six weeks after the Passover seder and one week before the eve of the holiday of Shavuot.
In June 1967, 28 Iyar was the third day of the Six-Day War, when Jerusalem’s Old City fell to Israeli forces.
As we discussed in prior posts, Jerusalem Day celebrates this reunification of Israel’s capital city, when the IDF essentially brought the holy city back to Jewish sovereignty. It also commemorates the two-day (June 6-7, 1967) hard-fought battle for Jerusalem, when the elite 55th Paratroopers Brigade, led by its legendary commander General Motta Gur, liberated Jewish holy places from an illegal and immoral Jordanian occupation.
Our prior posts on the battle for Jerusalem:
- Five Reasons to Celebrate Jerusalem Day
- Jerusalem Reunited 1967: Three Israeli Soldiers, One Iconic Photo
- Three Israeli Paratroopers Reenact Their Iconic 1967 Western Wall Liberation Photo
Now, in honor of the 50th anniversary of Jerusalem’s reunification, the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) has released a new film, “In Our Hands: the Battle for Jerusalem”. It celebrates Israel’s 1967 victory by closely following the soldiers who valiantly fought in the battalions of the 55th Brigade, capturing the eastern half of the Holy City.
Their heroism gave Jews across the planet and Israelis (including Christian and even Muslim Israeli citizens) access to holy sites that had been denied to them for nearly two decades.
It also made possible the restoration of the many synagogues, cemeteries, and other vestiges of Jewish life that Jordanian authorities had spent nineteen long years dynamiting, looting, ransacking, and befouling (“In Our Hands” opens powerfully with footage of this devastation of Jerusalem’s Jewish Quarter, which according to newspapers of the time had the “look of Stalingrad or Berlin in World War II.”)
Over 700 movie theaters across America played CBN’s docudrama on May 23—the eve of Jerusalem Day—at 7:00pm local time in a special one-night-only Fathom Events presentation.
Most of the cinemas were reportedly sold out.
I had the opportunity to watch it last night at a packed Regal Cinemas theater in Syracuse, NY. It was an incredibly meaningful way to usher in the celebration of Jerusalem Day with family and friends.
With its inspiring reenactments, it’s ideal to see this film on the big screen (one of my favorite scenes that a computer or TV screen can’t possibly do justice: IDF Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren holding a Torah aloft as he runs through the narrow alleyways of the Old City, making a beeline for the Temple Mount and dodging Jordanian sniper fire along the way):
Encore presentations are scheduled for select movie theaters. A listing and further information for ticket purchases can be found here.
For those who can’t make it to an encore Fathom Event, the film is set to be available on DVD, Blu-Ray and for digital download on June 5.
The release is deliberately timed for the first day of the 1967 war, when Jordan began a relentless bombardment of the civilian areas in the western half of Jerusalem (the shelling hit the President’s Residence, the Hadassah Medical Center, the parliamentary building and 900 other buildings in the Israeli-controlled part of the city—killing 15 civilians and wounding over a thousand).
CBN’s Film is a “David and Goliath Story” Come to Life
As noted in the earlier post, what happened on Jerusalem’s battlegrounds during the Six-Day War is well-documented.
There are literally hundreds of books, scholarly journal articles, feature films and documentaries, and opinion editorials that address these monumental events for the history of the Jewish people and the Jewish state.
In advance of the semi-centennial of the Holy City’s reunification this year, new materials about the reconstitution of Jewish Jerusalem have also been released. They include some never-before-seen black and white photos of worshippers at the Western Wall immediately after it was liberated.
Researchers will also now be able to mine the recently unsealed secret transcripts—935 pages worth, reflecting some 100 hours of deliberation—of the highly classified Israeli government committee that managed the country’s military affairs and basically “ran the Six-Day War.”
To this body of work, CBN’s docudrama is a noteworthy addition.
With a run-time of one hour and 41 minutes, the documentary isn’t really a comprehensive or complete re-telling of Israel’s lightening victory, as director Erin Zimmerman acknowledged in an interview last week.
Still, for those less familiar with the history, I thought that the movie did a terrific job of conveying the “emotional rollercoaster” that Israel’s government and its citizens experienced during the run-up to the war.
Particularly compelling are the reenactments of the belligerent speeches from Arab leaders in the weeks before the fighting.
As I wrote in my prior post, in the spring of 1967 the Arab media was saturated with calls to annihilate the young Jewish state. But there’s nothing quite like seeing and hearing on the big screen the unhinged clamoring for Israel’s destruction.
It’s no wonder that Jews worldwide talked about the possibility of a second Holocaust or that Israelis began stockpiling body bags, anticipating tens of thousands of both IDF and civilian deaths.
So basically “In Our Hands” underscores the resilience of the Israeli people against unbelievable odds.
As one reviewer of the film writes:
at the end of the day, the film is about more that the telling of Six Day War; it is about the survival of the Jewish people, which yet again escaped annihilation.”
“In Our Hands” Retraces the Decision to Reunify Jerusalem
Israel’s government and its military commanders debated and agonized over the decisions they faced in May and June of 1967.
They struggled to make sense of the unfolding events in Egypt and Syria, as the full scope of Arab military preparations to drive the Jews into the sea became increasingly clear.
They hesitated before directing the IDF to break the Arab choke ring by launching a preemptive air attack on Egypt’s Air Force bases in the Sinai on June 5, and made the fateful decision to cross over into the Old City only after Jordan’s King Hussein ignored one last offer for a cease fire.
Even up to the morning of June 7—it “wasn’t at all taken for granted” that Israeli forces would even go into the Old City.
[Commander Motta Gur & His Paratroopers Wait for the Order to Retake the Old City | In Our Hands | Movie Still | Credit: CBN]
CBN’s new docudrama highlights this “deep anxiety and ambivalence” of what has become known as “The Waiting.”
It does so using archival footage; first-hand testimony from surviving members of the 55th Brigade; and interviews with a number of experts (getting several cameos is MK Michael Oren, former Israeli ambassador to the United States and author of the war’s definitive study: Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East).
These offer viewers a wealth of insight into the decision making process. They show how despite Jordan’s deplorable and unlawful actions, Israel had no designs on the Jordanian-controlled portions of the city.
That is, the possibility of peace with Jordan was viewed as more important than reclaiming Jewish heritage sites in any practical or physical sense.
So it’s pretty clear after watching the first half of the film that there wouldn’t have been any war or any ‘occupation’ in the absence of Arab state belligerence.
Some Memorable Scenes from “In Our Hands: the Battle for Jerusalem”
CBN’s new film depicts how the war was waged on multiple fronts, with Israel ultimately succeeded in defeating three enemy armies, and capturing huge portions of territory.
By the time the UN Security Council declared a cease fire after some 130 hours of fighting, Israel had tripled its size. It added roughly 42,000 square miles to what Israeli diplomat Abba Eban once called the post-1948 War of Independence’s “Auschwitz borders”.
The scenes of Motta Gur coming up with battle plans and then choosing his key commanders are helpful for fleshing out key aspects of the military operation.
But the best parts of the movie by far are the exciting dramatized reenactments of what the paratroopers themselves experienced in the battle for Jerusalem.
These reenactments were filmed on location in Israel, including at Ammunition Hill, the Rockefeller Museum, the Mount of Olives, the Tower of David and more.
Filming took 17 days using Israeli crews and more than 100 actors and extras (the film stars Israeli actor Sharon Friedman who brilliantly plays General Motta Gur).
In these remarkably well-researched scenes, the film transforms into a compelling and emotional “Israeli version of Band of Brothers” (estimates vary, but by most accounts some 780 Israelis and roughly 20,000 Egyptians, Jordanians and Syrians died during the week of fighting; in the one bloody night of trench warfare at Ammunition Hill, 36 Israeli paratroopers and 71 Jordanian soldiers were killed).
Much of the documentary follows the courageous soldiers that made up the 55th Brigade. They were men from all walks of life who had trained for weeks to do a parachute jump in the Sinai only to have that mission aborted and to be ordered to turn around and “go into an urban warfare situation that they were not trained for.”
As director Erin Zimmerman remarks:
They went in blind and had to improvise at every turn. The bravery through the firestorm and blood and guts of that fight; it was amazing to me that they ended up victorious despite the odds.”
The battle reenactments in the trenches at Ammunition Hill are particularly well done.
But also moving is what happened after the fighting was over, for example when the paratroopers at Ammunition Hill bury the Jordanian soldiers who were killed in battle, erecting a makeshift tribute to their bravery:
The reenactments at the Western Wall are also touching, including the one of the colonel helping an Arab woman give birth, and the one when a soldier teaches his non-religious friend how to pray for the first time:
But if I had to pick a favorite reenactment it would be where Yoram Zamosh, the company commander of the 71st battalion, and some of his troops are hosted for dinner by a Jewish family in west Jerusalem.
While seated at the dining room table, Zamosh is given an old Israeli flag to take with him into battle. It turns out the flag belongs to the family’s matriarch, who had to flee the Old City in 1948 after the Jordanians ethnically cleansed all Jews from the territory that came under their control. She asks Zamosh to put the flag back where it rightfully belongs (this moving scene is embedded in this short video clip):
As it happened, Zamosh did get the chance to keep his promise—he and his men hung that very flag above the Western Wall on June 7. A photograph of this triumphant moment has become one of the iconic images of the 1967 war:
“In Our Hands” unexpectedly wraps up with Gordon Robertson, the CEO of the Christian Broadcasting Network, offering a 10 minute analysis of the film’s significance.
Robertson is the son of the famous Southern Baptist minister Pat Robertson, who reportedly also had a long-standing interest in creating a film about Israel’s extraordinary 1967 victory.
In his remarks, Robertson notes how the Jewish people’s return to Zion is a fulfillment of biblical prophesies—and thus is of incredible importance to Christian faithful.
But Robertson devotes most of his remarks to current events. A sharp critic of both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, he basically argues that the Palestinians aren’t currently credible peace partners.
He also shares with the audience how important it was that the film’s production coincided with the UN Security Council’s passage of Resolution 2334, which declares east Jerusalem and even the Western Wall and the Jewish Quarter to be illegally occupied territory.
According to Robertson, the shameful resolution made the crew more cognizant of how “In Our Hands” wasn’t just about making the 1967 war come to life on the big screen—it was also about dispelling the lies of the anti-Israel global movement by “proclaiming the truth about Israel’s past and present.”
Robertson ends his monologue on a positive note though.
For him, the very fact that Israel was able to enter into peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan—two countries dedicated to wiping Israel off the map back in 1967—shows that even the “impossible is possible.”
Conclusion
Yom Yerushalayim marks the day when a 2,000 year historical injustice was reversed and when the Jewish state’s certain defeat was transformed into an incredible victory.
But the Christian Broadcasting Network’s new docudrama is a reminder that Jewish heritage was liberated and a massacre was averted not merely because of Israel’s superior military tactics and training, or the bravery of the men in the IDF’s 55th Brigade. The message of the film is that what happened on June 7, 1967 (the 28th day of Hebrew month of Iyar) was a miracle, not least because it was so unexpected.
——————————-
Miriam F. Elman is an Associate Professor of Political Science and the Robert D. McClure Professor of Teaching Excellence at the Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs, Syracuse University. She is the editor of five books and the author of over 60 journal articles, book chapters, and government reports on topics related to international and national security, religion and politics, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She also frequently speaks and writes on the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) anti-Israel movement. Follow her on Twitter @MiriamElman
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