A response to the reasons "not" to make Aliyah

I had a comment regarding the post I did Top Ten "Reasons" Not to Make Aliyah that I wanted to comment on.
I believe that all of those reasons are legitimate reasons for not making Aliyah, and I do agree with Yaakov, that some Orit's statements were out of line a a little harsh. But all of those reasons are not permanent reasons not to make Aliyah.

My analysis:

1. Regarding Family left behind: I do agree with Orit on this, but it may only because I don't speak to most of my extended family and my immediate family will be coming a few years behind me anyway. But I do think that once someone makes Aliyah the family issue doesn't seem as much of an issue then as before you go. This is partially to do with the whole country feeling like one family to begin with, and the likelihood that you'll find family there that you didn't even know you had.

2. Regarding not being able to make a living: I again agree with Orit on this issue. It will be hard the first few years, no doubt about it. But Nefesh B' Nefesh has done a great job in help with this area. They have and incredible 95% success rate in in people placed through their job placement program, and people all over the country are looking for English speakers. Does this mean that you'll get the exact same job that you did while living in the States? Probably not, and there is a good chance that you'll have to 'reinvent' yourself after you make the move. But Israel wants everyone to succeed. The government has training programs as well as paying for three years of university, so the parnusa issue isn't as bad as it seems. I do not agree with Orit's statement that over time you can live as comfortably as if you were still in America. But why would you want to? I can't wait to not have to drive everywhere, all the time when I want something, and a smaller house means less clutter and more time that's not spent cleaning it.

If you aren't doing well on the financial side now, that is not an excuse to write off Aliyah. You're planning not to have any money next year? How about five years? Ten years? That is not an excuse, especially if you have kids in Jewish day school. Making Aliyah can save you $40,000 a year alone!

3. Regarding not being able to speak Hebrew: I have spent my entire life in Jewish schools and I barely speak or understand Hebrew. Whenever someone says something to me in Hebrew that I don't understand, my reply is "5 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 5 months." You do get Ulpan and the best place to learn Hebrew is to be around Hebrew speaking people. If you move to a largely Anglo community this will be difficult for you, (but probably not your kids) but if you are determined to speak Hebrew once you spend time practicing it, is actually more simple to speak than English.
I don't speak because I've never had a chance to seriously practice it. (Also because up until about 3 years ago I wasn't proud of being Jewish, and therefore didn't see why I should waste my time learning a language I thought I would never need. Three years later - go figure.)


4. Regarding fear for life: Obviously terrorism is a very real threat in Israel, but besides that and car accidents there is really a very small chance of losing your life. It is actually much more dangerous living in America for many obvious reasons. One being that you are at the mercy of a foreign government and all other types of street crime that goes on in the major populaces in America. Street crime is almost unheard of in Israel (albeit it does happen) and it is possible to not read the news in Israel and have never have any sense that you're in danger. It's places like CNN that give you the sense that Israel is this really dangerous place, but that simply is not true.

5. Regarding dislike of the mentality: Hello! It's still a foreign country! One of the beauties of Israel is the cultural diversity, and the mentalities that are brought by Jews from all over the world. Israel is a much more bearable place now than it was 20 years ago. This is largely due to the large amount of Western Jews who have come on Aliyah, and it's only going to get better as time goes on.
As one person I know who put it very well, "I love the Israeli mentality, they're much more efficient then Americans. In America they waste so much time by being trivial and saying 'please' and 'thank you."


6. Regarding not wanting to live under Olmert and Peretz: This is stupid. Governments change. Case in point Peretz is already gone and Olmert will soon follow. You hear people in America who hate Bush, but you don't hear about a lot of Americans who leave their country because of it.

7. Regarding doing more for Israel in the US: This is a flat out excuse not to move to Israel. I was at the Anti-Israel Rally a few weeks ago and the turnout for the pro-Israel rally was very small and majority Christians. I even made a point in my post that Jews are not turning out for the rallies. If they want to write letter to the people in the US government I believe we still have e-mail. Your congressman will receive the email whether it is sent from Miami or Rechovot.

8. Regarding spouse not wanting to make Aliyah: This is a tricky one. I agree with Orit that Aliyah should be discussed before marriage, but it is definitely a difficult subject to touch upon.
I was listening to The Aliyah Show on Israel National Radio last week and a caller brought up this issue, he wanted to go, but his wife didn't. What he was doing was taking his family for the summer. They were renting an apartment, not staying in a hotel, and he told his wife to be open minded about it for the future. Not pushing her but kind of helping her along.
Now this isn't a viable option for everyone but there are ways to open up your spouse to the idea.
This is a perfect example, we had a neighbor that made Aliyah in 2001, he a wanted to go and he brought her to Israel kicking and screaming. She said they were staying for 6 months and that was it! They didn't sell their house in America because she was sure they would be returning in half a year.
Well, they sold their house after 2 months and she wondered why they hadn't made the move years ago.

9. Regarding being a Rabbi or educator who is needed in America: I'm going to paraphrase Goel Jasper who says the massive Western Aliyah won't happen until Rabbi's start coming. I know that pulpit positions in Israel are not as esteemed as in America, this is part to do with the fact the in America, you go to the shul for your 'Jewishness,' in Israel your whole life is Jewish!
Now there are certain shul's in America where the Rabbi is given quite a few incentives for staying at that shul. Like the shul paying for his big house and nice car and other comforts. This situation is hopefully very rare, but not unheard of. If this is his situation, and he is staying in America for physicality, and that is inexcusable.
Now there are Rabbi's who simply are not able to go because they have things in America that keep them here. But as Rabbi Fass said, he should definitely make it know to his congregation that he encourages it and he should plan, even if it won't be for ten years, that he will make the move.

All in all the most important thing for Chutz Jews to do is to not have in the back of their mind that they are staying in America forever. And it is best to have a date. If not a 2 year plan then a 5 year. Or a 10 year. It is possible to do it, and thanks to great organizations like Nefesh B'Nefesh and AACI it is getting easier and easier every year.


Now here is a response to Orit's posting from a Jew who made Aliyah 35 years ago and is currently living in the Gush. She has a great response to the posting. Namely that we shouldn't for get that everything is in G-d's hands.


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To potential olim:

I sent the ‘10 excuses why not to make aliyah’ article to my friend who lives in the GUSH & made aliyah about 35 years ago. Here is her reaction. I might add, she has never left Israel in all that time & fiercely loves her country.

_________________________________________________________

I thought the article a bit harsh. The trouble with the "excuses" is that they are all true: How can you leave an aged parent when "Honor Thy..." is part of the Ten Commandment? Making a living is extremely hard and don't buy that line that with "hard work" you can go back to a lifestyle that you had in the States. You can't and never will...get used to it… it is different and less than what you had. The Israeli personality? What personality? The entire Middle East is nervous, jumpy, angry and the only place you can go to get wished "good day" is the Old City shop keepers or the Australian Embassy! The safety issue is extremely worrisome and not to be dismissed lightly. But it is the reality and you just have to live with it. When you take a bride you take her warts, her mother and the whole package because you WANT this BRIDE! There are not just 10 excuses for making aliyah, there are hundreds. And only one reason TO make aliyah is....because you BELIEVE that G-d intended us to live here whether or not the people are "giants", throw bombs, yell at you in the parking lot or take advantage of your naïveté.

Enough?

What really happened in the Middle East?

An excellent video that was made from the works of David Horowitz. The Left and the Arabs seem to have seriously distorted history in the past 40 years. My theory is like this, since the end of World War Two, the Arabs have felt that it was their mission to finish what Hitler started. After the creation of the State of Israel they had a much easier target to eliminate instead of having to track down Jews all over the world. When they were defeated in the wars of '48, '56, '67. and '73 they realized that they weren't going to defeat us by launching a full fledged war against us. Instead they decided to create the "Palestinian Problem," and try to bring about the destruction of Israel from the academic and political realms.
Unfortunately this is working.
University campuses worldwide have large demonstrations protesting the "Occupation" and the United States and United Nations are both working hard to get Israel to forfeit the land in the West Bank.
This video brings us back to reality and reminds us that we're the victims. We're the ones who have been persecuted for thousands of years, and now that we finally have state, and an army, the enemies of Israel work nonstop to make us loose out credibility.
The world doesn't like the idea of a strong Jew. My response to that is, "I don't care." I've said it before and I'll say it again, Israel is here to stay, the Jewish people are here to stay, and if you decide that you want to oppose us, you're going to end up like every single other entity that has opposed us throughout history.
Romans? Gone.
Crusaders? Gone
Hitler? Gone
You want to oppose us, you're going to wind up just being another page in the history book while the Jews live on.
Am Yisrael Chai!

A Muslim who uses the Koran to prove the Jews right to Israel

I came across this article and found it very interesting. I'll try to comment on it after Shabbos.


http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=13587

Frontpage Interview's guest today is Prof. Khaleel Mohammed, Assistant Professor at the Department of Religious Studies at San Diego State University.

FP: Prof. Mohammed welcome to Frontpage Interview.

Mohammed: You do me a great honor. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to introduce my views to your readers. As you know, I am interested in a moderate Islam, one that is inclusive and is concerned about all human rights. My mission is to help reclaim the beauty that once was practiced in Islam, a message not currently in fashion amongst more traditional or fundamentalist Muslims.

FP: You are yourself a Muslim and yet, quite unconventionally amongst Islamic clerics and scholars, you teach that the Koran says Israel belongs to the Jews. Can you educate us on this Islamic teaching?

Mohammed: The Qur'an adumbrates several principles that hover around a common theme: God does not love injustice and will assist those who are wrongly treated. And it focuses so much on this that the person most mentioned in the Qur'an is Moses -- who is presented as God's revolutionary, and who leads a people despised and tormented for no other reason than that they worshipped God, out of the land of bondage to the Promised Holy Land.

The Qur'an in Chapter 5: 20-21 states quite clearly: Moses said to his people: O my people! Remember the bounty of God upon you when He bestowed prophets upon you , and made you kings and gave you that which had not been given to anyone before you amongst the nations. O my people! Enter the Holy Land which God has written for you, and do not turn tail, otherwise you will be losers."

The Quran goes on to say why the Israelites were not allowed to enter the land for forty years...but the thrust of my analysis is where Moses says that the Holy Land is that which God has "written" for the Israelites. In both Jewish and Islamic understandings of the term "written", there is the meaning of finality, decisiveness and immutability. And so we have the Written Torah (unchangeable) and the Oral Torah (which represents change to suit times). And in the Qur'an we have "Written upon you is the fast"--to show that this is something that is decreed, and which none can change. So the simple fact is then, from a faith-based point of view: If God has "written" Israel for the people of Moses, who can change this?

The Qur'an refers to the exiles, but leaves it open for return...saying to the Jews that if they keep their promise to God, then God will keep the divine promise to them. WE may argue that the present state of Israel was not created in the most peaceful means, and that many were displaced--for me, this is not the issue. The issue is that when the Muslims entered that land in the seventh century, they were well aware of its rightful owners, and when they failed to act according to divine mandate (at least as perceived by followers of all Abrahamic faiths), they aided and abetted in a crime. And the present situation shows the fruits of that action--wherein innocent Palestinians and Israelis are being killed on a daily basis.

I also draw your attention to the fact that the medieval exegetes of Qur'an--without any exception known to me--recognized Israel as belonging to the Jews, their birthright given to them. Indeed, two of Islam's most famous exegetes explained "written" from Quran 5:21 thus:

Ibn Kathir (d. 774/1373) said: “That which God has written for you” i.e. That which God has promised to you by the words of your father Israel that it is the inheritance of those among you who believe” . Muhammad al-Shawkani (d. 1250/1834) interprets Kataba to mean “that which God has allotted and predestined for you in His primordial knowledge, deeming it as a place of residence for you” (1992, 2:41).

The idea that Israel does not belong to the Jews is a modern one, probably based on the Mideast rejection of European colonialism etc, but certainly not having anything to do with the Qur'an. The unfortunate fact is that most Muslims do NOT read the Qur’an and interpret it on the basis of its own words; rather they let imams and preachers do that for them.

FP: You say that when the Muslims entered the sacred land in the seventh century, “they aided and abetted in a crime.” Can you expand on this a bit? How honest is contemporary Islam with this fact?

Mohammed: How did the Jews lose their right to live in the Holy Land? All reliable reports show that it was by the looting and burning that followed from 70-135 C.E. When the Muslims entered the place in 638, liberating it from the Byzantines, they knew full well to whom it rightfully belonged. But we find that Muslim chroniclers state that the Muslim caliph accepting the surrender of the Byzantine Christian representative, Sophronius, on certain terms, one of them being that the Jews would not be permitted to enter the city. I personally have a hard time accepting this story, and aspects of its historicity because as modern scholarship has shown, Muslim reports about that time were recorded long after the fact and are not as reliable as once thought. And we know too that when the first Crusaders took possession of the place in 1096-1099, they slaughtered Jews and Muslims. If Umar had indeed signed such a treaty, what were Jews doing there?

By aiding and abetting in a crime, I refer to when Abdul Malik built the mosque there, and had false traditions ascribed to Muhammad wherein the Prophet is supposed to have said that a man should set out for a journey only for three mosques, the ones in Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. Now how could the prophet have said this when ALL Muslims agree that when the Qur’an states "this day I have completed for you your religion" (Q5:3), that Jerusalem was not within Muslim geography? The completion means just that...with the Arabic Qur'an for the Arab peoples, and the aspect of conquest of foreign territory NOT an injunction of Qur’anic Islam.

When the Muslims conquered Jerusalem, it should have been left open for the rightful owners to return. It is possible that Jewish beliefs of the time only allowed such return under a Messiah--but that should not have influenced Muslim action. And in contrast to the report of Sophronius above, there are also reports showing that Umar in fact opened the city to the Jews. If this be the case, then the later Muslim occupation and building a mosque on the site of the Temple was something that was not sanctioned by The Qur’an. How honest is contemporary Islam with this? Given the situation in the Middle East, politiking etc stands in the way of honesty.

FP: You lecture at universities exposing these politically incorrect facts. As a result, you have been frequently denounced by Muslim groups. Tell us about their criticism/harassment of you.

Mohammed: The criticism of my work is that I am out of line with the geo-political movement towards fundamentalism. What your readers must understand is that fundamentalism is rapidly becoming mainstream. Moderation is not. A perfect example is in Akbar AHmed's "Islam Under Siege," where he points out that the Taliban are no longer a fringe group in Pakistan; many Pakistanis are finding themselves drawn to their teachings.

Right here in the US, I present a problem to those at mosques who use social pressure to coerce others into accepting their extremism. On the personal level with my family: when my wife, after years of research, decided that she no longer felt that the head covering was mandatory, and chose to venture forth without it, many of the Muslim "sisters" she greeted refused to respond--without even checking on her interpretation. Many Muslims stand against me for no other reason than I say that Israel has a right to exist.

Overall, the criticism of me follows a strange pattern: they are upset that I should give any legitimacy to Israel, assuming that in doing so, I am denying the rights of Palestinians. My answer that I in no way deny that Palestinians have rights. But this is generally not considered by those that criticize my position: because for them, it is either all or nothing.

At a recent lecture in Santa Cruz, Muslim groups put up posters saying that I claim that the Qu'ran says bad things about Jews. In fact this was a gross misrepresentation of facts: I admit that the Qur'an has verses that are polemic, but my view is that the Qur'an in fact respects the Jews (which explains Moses being so often mentioned)...but that it is the oral traditions of Islam (the hadith) that demonizes the Jews. For many Muslims, this is a hard pill to swallow because for almost 12 centuries, they have been taught that acceptance of oral traditions are a creedal element of Islam.

Often, they try to argue with selective quotes from the Qur'an--and here they lose out, because when it comes to exegesis, I have spent years studying that. And then there is the "challenge" aspect...at Santa Cruz they said that they wanted to debate. I agreed on one condition: that such debate be in public. They did not show up. In fact, the few Muslims who were present and had the patience to listen to me, could not find how I had misinterpreted or misrepresented Islam.

In Montreal, I was accused of being racist when I said that 95% of contemporary Muslims are exposed to anti-Semitic teachings. My answer, which the Montreal Gazette refused to print, was that every Muslim had to answer a simple question. Honestly. What is the interpretation of the final two verses of the first chapter of the Quran? "Guide us to the straight path--the path of those upon whom you have bestowed your bounty, not those who have incurred your wrath, nor those who are astray."

This verse has nothing about Jews or Christians...yet, almost every person learns that those who have incurred divine wrath are the Jews, and those who are astray are Christians. What is more problematic is that the average person learns this chapter and its interpretation between the ages of 5-8. And we know that things learned at this stage of life become ingrained, almost to the point of being in one's DNA, if I may put it that way.

I felt that my answer was self-evident. Do you know what the result was? Some of my closest colleagues DENIED that they had been taught this. This was more painful to me than the rejection of some Muslim leaders--for I always ask that if we deny things publicly, at least in private we admit the truth. And when in privacy, my fellow Muslims could not bring themselves to admit that which was obvious to anyone, that was in itself testimony as to how low we have sunk.

Yet, on the issue of criticism and harassment--I must state that it is only in the form of argument, without threats of any physical nature. Whatever problem my fellow Muslims have with my views, they are aware that I am a Muslim. I do not deny my religion, and therefore we can argue. Here at San Diego State University where I teach, the local MSA attempted to have me disciplined for having accused them of anti-Semitism and homophobia. They did not pursue the issue--an astute decision for they would have looked very foolish. Their answer was that they too are Semites, (the writers of the letter were by the way not even Arabs), and that they could not be homophobic since their neighbors are gays and lesbians!

FP: If Islam is going to have a reformation, from what roots will it originate?

Mohammed: The reformation will come from Muslims based in the West, and the voices of women will be loud and pivotal in that reformation. Let us look at some names that are as yet unknown to many, but names that have done so much for changing Islamic thought...names of people who may disagree vehemently with each other, but names of people who, for all their difference have done much to purge Islam of the male chauvinism that has afflicted it for centuries: Fatima Mernissi, Azizah al Hibri, Amina Wadud Muhsin, Irshad Manji, Rifat Hasan, Asma Jahangir. Not that all reform minded people are women: there is Khalid Abou al Fadl, Abdallah al-Naim, Sa'd al din Ibrahim etc. Note that they are, with one exception, all now in the West, and that they have all had a western education.

FP: Prof. Mohammed, it was an honor to speak with you and we would like to thank you for being such a brave voice within the Islamic community, where honest dialogue, unfortunately, is often stifled. We encourage you to keep fighting for a moderate Islam that is compatible with Western democracy -- and we hope your voice will have an increasing impact.

So to finish this interview, why don’t you briefly sum up for our readers -- and for many Muslims who will hopefully read this interview – how Islam actually teaches that Israel belongs to the Jews and that Muslims are obligated, by the Qur’an itself, to accept its existence.

Mohammed: The Qur'an states at the very beginning of the second chapter "this is a book wherein there is no doubt, a guide for the God-conscious." Its contents are therefore to be seen by every Muslim as being divinely ordained, and to be followed. The verses on Israel as in 5:20-21 are not there just to be read; they are there to be followed. In Islam also, there is the elemental maxim "Calamity must be removed" (al darar yuzal). Muslms must face up to reality--in the years since Israel has been established, the focus of the region has been to seek to have it removed. And they have been unsuccessful, and there seems to be no hope for success. The pragmatic, proactive thing to do would be to come to grips with reality: Israel is there to stay, and it can exist in a state of peaceful coexistence, or in a stage of bellicosity. The Qur'an tells Muslims that God will not change their position until they change it themselves--and this is a classic example for putting that edict into effect. Only when MUSLIMS themselves accept Israel will they be following their Qur'an. Israel will negotiate from a position of guaranteed security, and while there may be tension from time to time, at least peace will be the norm.

FP: Prof. Mohammed, thank you for joining us today.

Mohammed: It was my pleasure, thank you for having me here.

You Want to Boycott Israel? Be My Guest, but be a Man About It.

The British are boycotting Israel.

Whoop Dee do.

This pretty much translates into, "We're going to hold conferences about the "occupation" and refuse to buy Israeli produced goods.

In related news, Apple has announced it's new innovative iPhone will reach stores next week.

Go Figure.

What I want to say to these people who feel all high and mighty with their bold statements against the Jewish State, is that if they really felt the way they did about the Israel and they really wanted to boycott all of it's products, they would have to give more than they are probably willing to.

Case in point, it is because of Israel that I am able to bring these words to your computer screen. Intel, since the creation of its Pentium 4, has designed, manufactured and produced all of its Pentium microprocessors in Israel.
Last summer while rockets were falling on an underground bomb shelter in Haifa, Intel announced its new chip, the Intel Core 2 Duo.
So if these people would be real men about boycotting Israel, they wouldn't use any computer with and Intel chip in it, and that includes all of Apple's Macs.

A short list of other things that Israel has had a major hand in bringing to the world:
Cell phones
Windows (the computer kind)
The current method of airport security that's used worldwide (including Britain).
Many breakthrough medical advances, such as therapies for post-traumatic stress disorder, cancer, and Parkinson's disease. Michael Fox is turning to Israel to help him with his illness.

So if these people had any sense of pride about their anti-Israelness, they'd throw away their cell phones, stop traveling by plane, stop using the computer, and refuse medical treatment.

But no, they're a bunch of wimps who only want to be anti whatever is convenient for them.

I actually really wish they grow up and start doing some of the advice listed above. This will result in Pro-Israel people taking over the world! (Sadistic laugh).

But seriously, I think it's sad how little these boycotter's really know about Israel. Most of them have been indoctrinated by their professors and other students (Mohammad is today one of the most popular names in Britain, go figure). If they really knew what Israel was about, if they really understood what Israel has done to make everyone else's life a little easier, they'd be a little more grateful.

Oh, and another thing. My car mechanic is Israeli, so I guess they'd have to stop using their cars as well.

Land . . . Land . . . And More Land! Oh and you can live a REAL Jewish life there!

I was thinking how much I hate the suburbs. I'm an outdoor kind of guy. I need trees, mountains, fields. Instead I'm surrounded by lots and lots of concrete. I love the sheer naturalness of it.
So why don't I move out of the city, you might ask. Simple. I'm a frum Jew. Probably any other religion wouldn't have problem with it. Simply drive to Church on Sunday, or make sure to have your prayer rug with you.
Let's see, for a frum Jews to live a successful Jewish life he requires a long list of things. To name a few: a Shul, a Bais Medrish, a Rabbi, Kosher food, Judaica store, and most importantly, a mikvah.
Granted in the era of online shopping, you could probably order kosher food, and anything you might need from a Judaica store (to name a few, Tzizit, Tfillin, Kippot, Lulav, Etrog, Sukkah, Matzah, Sefarim,), you might even be able to manage a long distance relationship with a Rabbi. But there are really 2 things that a Jew needs to live successfully: 1) a Mikvah to keep the Family Purity laws, which then leads to the next most important thing, 2) other Jews (there are two meanings in that). It would be almost impossible to lead a Torah lifestyle with other Torah observant Jews. There have been many cases of people from frum families who isolate themselves and then threw off the yoke of Torah. I have a case of that in my family.
Now this leads back to my original problem of wanting to find a Torah lifestyle outside of the suburbs, or worst (shudder) the city.
Lets think, what Jewish community in America can I do that in?
LA? No
Chicago? No
Baltimore? No
Miami? No
New York? (laugh) no

My solution? I'll give you three guesses.
1) Canada
2) Africa
3) Israel

It is possible to live any conceivable lifestyle in Israel. You want mountains? Got it. You want to live on a beach? Got it. Lake? Yup. Forest? You bet.
And if you get lonely you can always move back the city or suburbs, as Israel has plenty of those as well.
And here's the kicker, you can live a fully Torah lifestyle in ANYONE OF THESE ENVIRONMENTS!

Yep, for Jews Israel is definitely the way to go. You've gotta love being wished a Shabbat Shalom from every person you meet on Friday, from the Non-frum bus driver to the Arab selling pistachios in the shuk.
Come and enjoy!

I Hope Jews in America Stay Comfortable For a Long Time

I had a thought regarding American Jews. This thought stemmed from another recent experience of someone telling me how much he loves America, and how he's waiting for Mashiach before he moves to Israel, blah, blah, blah.
At this point I really don't care.
I'm going and he can come visit me, and maybe even move there when he's ready, but I'm pretty worn out from talking to these people.
OK, tangent over, now for my thought. One of the things I love about Israel is, believe it or not, Americans, or specifically English speakers. I love finding one in almost any area you go, even the areas that are not big Anglo magnets.
So I have this thought that one day, 30 years from now, that I'll be one of those Americans, living on a little Yishuv, overlooking a beautiful mountain range, and being visited by 'Statesmen.'
I'd rather the case was that the only Americans visiting Israel were Christians, and that all of the worlds Jews already lived there, but I can't have everything I want.
So anyway it's a dream I have of being able to welcome people from a foreign land, visiting to what would be to them a foreign land, and be able to bring some kind of aid to a frantic situation.
Does this make any sense?
Bottom line is I have an addiction, but not the kind that that weakens over time of disuse, the kind that gets stronger as time passes.
It's been over 15 months since I last visited Israel, and I've wanted nothing more then to get back there as soon as possible. Unfortunately circumstances beyond my control have left me drifting in this spiritual wasteland of America.
Some of the Jews around me have this similar drive. Others don't, at least not yet. But as more American Jews make Aliyah, and the more Jews are swallowed in the vast wasteland that tells you to live for yourself and live for the moment, hopefully more Jews will come to their senses and my dream of having a welcome door for the wandering Jew will no longer be relevant.

For some, It's An Irrelevent Headline, but for me. . .

Headline yesterday: KATUSHYA ROCKETS SLAM INTO KIRYAT SHMONAH

My first reaction was "here we go again."

Last summer was an extremely tense time for me. I was stuck in America and had to watch day after day as the reports continued coming in that rockets were falling in northern Israel. In places I had visited in as little as 4 months earlier.
I davened, wrote to the various organizations that were giving out names of the soldiers to learn for. And I hated myself for being in America.
An Arab news source has announced that Syria is ready to go to war with Israel.
I really don't need that, to be stuck in America while I watch bothers being killed defending the land that I love. I need to go to Israel. I'm sick and tired of sitting in America day after day listening to all of the issues that people are having that are really irrelevant.
Like one tabloid I saw in a grocery store, that had a front page question "Who has the best beach body? You Choose."

I

Don't

Care


I need to have meaning in my life. Thank G-d I still have Torah otherwise I'd be completely lost. But I still need that connection with the land. This past Shabbos my Yeshiva had an alumni Shabbaton and I'd forgotten how high I could go. Rebbeim from the yeshiva bringing a little bit of that Kedusha here to a very un-Kedushaic environment. You just can't get that level by yourself in America. I need Israel. Eretz Yisrael. The Holyland. The HOMELAND!

A broken windshield and a lesson in Bitachon

Interesting experience last night. While getting into my car last night to go to and Aliyah meeting, I was met in my car by a very unwelcome guest.

A mosquito

Deciding that I was not going to let this mosquito live I proceeded in many attempts to turn it a 'visual obstruction' on my windshield.

Needless to say the result was a much bigger obstruction, as my hand took a fruitless smack on my windshield I large spiderweb crack appeared on it.

Now I have a very large visual obstruction on my windshield.

I just sat there in shock at my windshield. I;m a college kid and my job is ending this week, how am I going to get the money to fix this.

I knew I couldn't leave it (partly because it's illegal to drive with a cracked windshield), and I had no idea how to get it replaced.

The truth is, it wasn't impossible to drive, but I have a long drive ahead of me at the end of this week, and I didn't want to take a long trip with this windshield.

So I proceded to my Aliyah meeting, with a feeling of dread and hopelessness in my stomach.

I decided to play a concert Naftali Abramson did at my yeshiva this past year. I hadn't listened to it yet and didn't know what the play list was going to be.

The first song he sang was 'Hodu LaHashem"-thank you G-d. The following song was 'Siman Tov'- a Good Sign. And the third song was 'Velyirushalayim' -To Jerusalem.

Thank G-d. This is a good sign. To Jerusalem.

This experience really helped put the situation into perspective. Here I was with a relatively minor issue. Minor as in 6 months from it will most likely not make a difference, and I was worried about my situation. G-d controls the world and maybe for that moment I felt that I did, but to put the whole thing in perspective, this whole process happened while I was going to a meeting about ISRAEL! It really helped me get that perspective, that this really was a rather irrelevant episode in my life. I'm going to get it fixed tomorrow (I will have to stretch, but I have faith that Hashem will provide) and by the time I get to wherever I'm going next week, I have a funny story to tell.

BTW the mosquito managed to escape out the window. I hope he bites an enemy of Israel.

Top Ten "Reasons" for Not Making Aliyah

This is something that circulated around our Chug Aliyah's mailing list. I thought it was great!

In response to this past week's parsha, and the 10 negative reports from the spies about why we should go into Israel. Nefesh B'Nefesh ran a champaign that anyone who made Aliyah should write up a list of 10 reasons why we should make aliyah.
This is one such list (it's really 9):



1. But I can't leave my family members!

This convenient excuse pardons your life in exile with your great sensitivity. Have you spoken with them? Maybe they'd resist at first but eventually support your decision. Who knows? Maybe they'll even follow? Unless a serious effort has been made to confront family members, blaming them remains an easy way out.

2. But I can't make a living!

Without seriously checking career options in Israel, this is an excuse. Israel is not without good jobs. I know many people in my hometown of Los Angeles who are struggling there as much as they'd be struggling in Israel. It's true they have a support system of family and friends, but Israel is equipped with an automatic support system: fellow olim who band together to help each other succeed. Furthermore, there are plenty of companies hungry to hire English-speakers.

Until you find or create your profession in Israel, work for less and
live frugally. You may not enjoy the comfortable American lifestyle
right away, but it can be achieved with hard work and determination.
If there is the will, there is a way.

3. But I don't speak Hebrew!

It's called ulpan, and it's offered free to olim. Hebrew is not difficult to learn if you do homework and practice. I recently met an oleh who made it a point to read Hebrew newspapers everyday, and he is now reading high Israeli literature.

In addition, it's easy to get by with minimal Hebrew. English is practically a second language here, and Israelis love to exercise English with olim.

4. But I'm afraid for my life!

This past year, car accidents have been the cause for more deaths than terrorist attacks, but Americans continue to ride Israel's highways. Life can't be lived in fear. There's that well-known story about the Israeli who moved to London to escape terrorist attacks only to get blown up in a London bus. We all take precautions, and while there is a constant risk of war, isn't that why we are here? To fight Israel's battles head-on. Chazak v'amatz.

5. But I don't like the mentality!

It's hard to argue with this excuse because it speaks of preference. It says: "I prefer the American mentality", i.e. the American life. Whoever makes this "excuse" really doesn't want to live in Israel, and that's legitimate -- if you only say so!

The Israeli mentality can be abrasive at times, but I've learned to love it. People aren't fake; they tell it like it is. I don't like to be called "ma'am" all the time and constantly have to wish everyone a good day. So in response to this excuse, I say: "have a good day."

6. But I don't want to live under Olmert and Peretz!

Well, neither do I, but at least I'm here to help change that. If people lived in a country based on their approval of the current leadership, than half of Americans would be leaving the US. We get bad leaders once in a while, or often, but we weather them and work to get better ones -- or become ones.

I agree that America's (relative) free-market, presidential system is superior to Israel's socialist, parliamentary, Jewish concoction. But I believe that if more Jews steeped in positive American principles moved here, we'd consist of a serious mass poised to influence the political and intellectual landscape of Israel.

7. But I can do more for Israel in the US!

And you are making plenty sacrifices as well: your six-figure salary, your three bedroom house, your Volvo, and your friends from shul.

We don't need your favors, please. Unless you are a gazillionare supporting other olim, host a successful radio show, or raise money for pro-Israel organizations, we don't need your letters to the Senator or your rallies at the UN. Change has to occur within Israel. We can't constantly beg the American administration or people to support our cause. We must influence the leadership and people on our soil.

We have a great many Christian and conservative friends who will fight our cause in the US, and that is their rightful place. Let's be their allies from the land we're fighting for!

8. But my spouse doesn't want to go!

Is that really the case or a convenient excuse? Why should your spouse be the one to decide, while your vision of Israel remains suppressed?

A word to the wise: before getting married, agree on aliyah.

9. But I'm a rabbi or Jewish educator bringing hundreds of Jews closer to Yiddishkeit!

What is the value of teaching Judaism if you side-step the one theme that permeates the entire Torah: settling the Land. Better go on shlihut (missions) from here to the galut. Or better yet, bring your great talents to the exiled minds of the rabidly secular Tel Avivians. They need lessons in Judaism far more than the average, unaffiliated American college student. American Jewry is one big revolving door: for every Jew that enters the fold, another out-marries. Jewish
continuity -- and physical and spiritual survival -- begins in Israel. Orthodox Jews who stay in the US are, in some ways, "pick and choose" Jews. They wiggle their way out of aliyah with fancy interpretations of halachot, pitting aliyah against Torah study, making a living, and
other such ideals. Rabbis and educators who claim to believe in aliyah but remain in the US are often the excuse generators par excellence, the perpetuators of the galut.

What better way to educate Jews than to lead by example?

10. Fill in the blank. Feel free to share your favorite (in talkback or by email) or come up with your own!

In the meantime, I ask aliyah dodgers to please stop offering excuses, and instead offer real reasons, even if some of them may reveal your internal clash of values or lack of integrity. It would be much more honest and praiseworthy if you submit: I like Israel in theory, not in practice; I don't want to give up my comfortable life; it's too hard and I don't want it badly enough.

Anti-Israel Rally in Washington

Some insights on today's rally in Washington D.C:

The protesters had amassed themselves right in front on the Capitol, in the large grassy field the started the "mall" towards the Washington Monument.
We started walking past them in search of the pro-Israel group and saw a large stage set up with music playing and a LOT of people.
As we approached we realized that this unfortunately was NOT our group (it was a gay pride rally). We eventually wandered over to the right group.
At first I was kind of disappointed at the turn out for the pro-Israel counter rally. There couldn't have been more then 100 people there, compared to the 300 or 400 on the Capitol lawn.
But then I thought back to the Pro-Israel rally that took place back in 2002 and there, we had close to 10,000 people! I don't think that there is any doubt as to what the majority of America thinks about Israel.

One thing that I did notice was the difference in the signs of both sides. The pro-Israel rally had very straight forward posters like this:

And the Anti-Israel people were holding posters like this:

No offense, but to an outsider the 'Free Palestine" poster doesn't really mean anything. You can say that America should cut off it's support to Israel, but you have to explain why.
Stand With Us the organization that put the Stand with Israel rally together, did a much better job at getting the message across with their posters. A male Arab with the green Hamas bandanna (diaper) on his head, a gun in on hand, and a matching baby in the other hand, I think sends a stronger message, mainly because people already are familiar with the image of Arab terrorists.

Another interesting aspect of the rally that was pointed out to me was the types of people who were leading each one. The Pro-Israel rally was led and run by Christians, and unfortunately not many Jews were there. In fact I'd have to guess that about 60-70% of them were Christians. With numbers like that the "I can do more for Israel in the US, so I can't make Aliyah" argument is bogus. These people aren't turning up the to Israel rallies, so they might as well move to Israel and let the Christians take care of it.
On the other side I would occasionally hear the announcer introduce "So-and-so is a Jew and is against the Israeli presence in Judea and Samaria (OK they said 'occupation,' but I have an issue with that word)
Here a few pictures of the poor Jews who have been brainwashed into hating the country of their forefathers:


There's one picture of the Neturei Karta. The infamous Rabbi Weiss, marching in support of killing Jews.
We actually ran into a member of this (I can't think of strong enough word to describe these masters of the Chillul Hashem, so I'm leaving it blank) group on our way back sitting in front of the Capitol learning Mesechta Beitzah. Sitting in front of the Capitol building learning Gemara, supporting the killing of Jews, what a disgrace to G-d.
This led to a very interesting conversation with this poor hopeless Yid. He just sat there, spewing his propaganda and whenever we raised an issue that he couldn't answer he would tell us that he doesn't speak English very well, only the native tongue of the Jews. Hebrew? No, Yiddish.
He then went on to tell us that Rav Kook was an apikores and that we are part of a small minority of Jews who support the "Tzionim" and Zionist Occupation.
I didn't want to be the one to tell him that he was the one in the minority. He told us that he lives in Williamsburg, and there's a good chance he rarely gets to exit the little world that he's sheltered in.

This picture on the right has an interesting story behind it. Immediately after I took it, an Arab approached me and asked if I'd taken a picture of that sign. I asked why I shouldn't have. Then he said "well take a picture of this," and proceeded to make a very rude hand gesture. There was so much more hate coming from the anti people than the pro people.

The truth is I didn't think that either rally was very effective. The pro-Israel one was very isolated and the only people there were pro-Israel to begin with. The Anti-Israel rally I felt just made noise, and caused some people to shout at each other. A group of people standing around trying to get another group of people to think the way they did.
Everyone is entitled to an opinion (and I was glad to see that the opinion was not as a whole, anti-Israel), but the point of these demonstrations is not to convince the other side to change to your way of thinking. The goal is to educate the "salvageable's," the people who are indifferent to the situation and don't have an opinion either way.
The most successful activism will take Israel's problem and say that this is the prospects problem, or he will be presented with a reason to support Israel because it's "cool." To have one side yelling at the other side will only cause these people to want nothing to do with either side.

Arab Dog vs. Israel Dog

My grandomother sent me this for a laugh, if only it was this easy.

The Israelis and Arabs finally realized that if they continued fighting, they would someday end up destroying the world.

So they sat down and decided to settle the whole dispute with a dogfight. The negotiators agreed that each country would take five years to develop the best fighting dog they could.

The dog that won the fight would earn its country the right to rule the disputed areas.

The losing side would have to lay down its arms.

The Arabs found the biggest, meanest Dobermans and Rottweilers in the world. They bred them together and then crossed their offspring with the meanest Siberian wolves.

They selected only the biggest, strongest puppy from each litter, killed all the other puppies and fed them the best food . They used steroids and trainers in their quest f or the perfect killing machine.

After the five years were up, they had a dog that needed iron prison bars on its cage. Only the trainers could handle this beast. When the day of the big fight arrived, the Israelis showed up with a strange animal.

It was a nine-foot-long Dachshund. Everyone felt sorry for the Israelis. No one else thought this weird animal stood a chance against the growling beast in the Arab camp. The bookies predicted the Arabs would win in less than a minute. The cages were opened. The Dachshund waddled toward the center of the ring.

The Arab dog leapt from his cage and charged the giant wiener-dog. As he got to within an inch of the Israeli dog, the Dachshund opened its jaws and swallowed the Arab beast in one bite. The're was nothing left but a small bit of fur from the killer
dog's tail.

The Arabs approached the Israelis, shaking their heads in disbelief. "We do not understand. Our top scientists and breeders worked for five years with the meanest, biggest Dobermans and Rottweilers. They developed a killing machine."

"Really?" the Israelis replied. "We had our top plastic surgeons working for five years to make an
alligator look like a Dachshund."

Then of course the Arabs would cry 'foul' and make Israel give them the land.

24, Hevron & Al Jezeera

I finally did it. I got hooked on FOX's show 24.
I have one word to describe the experience of watching it.

INSANE

Now, as a rule I don't watch TV, unless I feel it has some kind of intellectual or educational benefit. The only other TV show I enjoy is Star Trek, especially The Next Generation, because of all of the issues and topics that they cover, ranging from philosophy to terrorism.

24 definitely touches on terrorism (that's what the whole show is about) and when I first started watching it, I started to feel guilty, asking myself how I was growing by watching the show. I had come across a guilty pleasure without, it seemed, a real purpose.

Then I read an interesting article on Al Jezeera, regarding the holy city of Hevron.

Yishai Fleisher on his Monday show announced that the radical group Shalom Achshav (Peace Now) would be demonstrating at the Tomb of the Patriarchs protesting Israel's "occupation." Yishai was putting together a counter demonstration so there would be some kind of opposition to these non-religious Jews who don't understand our heritage. The Tomb of the Patriarchs is the first place in all of Israel that was purchased by a Jew, Avraham, and of all places to protest at, of all the places to say that's "occupied" and should be given to the Arabs, Hevron should be the last place on anyone's list.
Of course if you don't believe in the Torah, or G-d, and if you think that you are really in charge of your own destiny, then I can understand how one could want to give it up. But they sadly don't realize that giving land away is not the way to get peace. The only way to get peace is for every single Jew to put aside their differences (and this includes me) and have shalom among ourselves, because the Jewish people are at their strongest when they are one, not when they are scattered or fighting. Rav Twerski made an interesting point that in Israel there is so much friction between the religious and non-religious, but when there is a crisis, like a war, the country becomes unified and like one. This is the real reason Israel continues to win its wars. Not because of military might, or political prowess, but because the country and all the Jewish people are unified and are one.

Now what does this have to do with 24?

Al Jezeera did a piece on the Peace Now demonstration and in the article they mentioned an Arab man and his family in Hevron being shot by Israel's soldiers. According the article "the soldiers shot the man, 67, when he answered the door."

Suddenly I realized what was going on.

Jack Bauer is very good as knowing when someone is about to kill hum, and when there is a potentially dangerous situation. I realized that 24 is educational. And what really tipped me off was the next line, "An Israeli military source said the soldiers opened fire in response to "an attempt to assault one of the soldiers."
That's what happened, and this is how they continue to slander the soldiers and Israel. The image one would see would be a soldier going to an Arab's house and then opening fire on the Arab. What wouldn't be seen would be the Arab on the inside, reaching for a weapon in an attempt to attack the soldier. Once again, a case of illusion, of distorted facts, even when the event is seen by eyewitnesses, who claim that the soldier attacked first. From what they saw, they could have attacked first, but in reality, the truth was hidden behind a closed door.