ITEMS OF INTERNATIONAL JEWISH INTEREST
Interesting News Items From Around The World That You May Not Have Seen, But Should Definitely Read
  1) Vice President Joseph Biden’s trip to Israel this week, his first since taking office in January 2009, brought with it conflicting statements and shifting views.

Shortly after he first arrived, the Vice President heaped lavish praise on the Israelis and spoke in glowing terms about the strength and depth of the long-standing relationship between the United States and Israel.

“There is absolutely no space between the United States and Israel when it comes to Israel’s security,” said the Vice President. “The bond between our two countries has been and will remain unshakable.”

That was in the morning. Later that same day, the tenor of the Vice President’s comments stood in stark contrast to the upbeat comments he made several hours earlier.

After an announcement was made concerning the Jerusalem District Planning Committee’s decision to authorize 1,600 new units of housing in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo, the condemnation from the White House was strong and swift.

In a statement issued by the White House, the Vice President said, “I condemn the decision by the government of Israel to advance planning for new housing units in East Jerusalem.  The substance and timing of the announcement, particularly with the launching of proximity talks, is precisely the kind of step that undermines the trust we need right now….”

In addition, Vice President Biden spoke about the future of Jerusalem when he said, “The United States recognizes that Jerusalem is a deeply important issue for Israelis and Palestinians and for Jews, Muslims and Christians.  We believe that through good faith negotiations, the parties can mutually agree on an outcome that realizes the aspirations of both parties for Jerusalem and safeguards its status for people around the world.  Unilateral action taken by either party cannot prejudge the outcome of negotiations on permanent status issues.”

In response to Vice President’s comments, Shlomo Z. Mostofsky, Esq., President of the International Young Israel Movement, issued the following statement:

“We strongly ‘condemn’ Vice President Biden’s statements and respectfully urge him to rescind his incendiary remarks about Jerusalem.  The reality is that there is no such entity as ‘East Jerusalem,’ there is only Jerusalem, which is the united capital of Israel.  Only Israel can make determinations regarding Jerusalem’s future expansion and development.

How could a Vice President of the United States promote a policy restricting the right of Jews to build homes in Jerusalem?  It would be an anathema for a Vice President to support a statute that banned any American from relocating to, or from building a home in, Washington, D.C. or any American community because the neighbors objected to their presence based solely on religion, ethnicity or national origin.  Yet, the Vice President ignored our American values of equality and justice and had no compunction condemning Israel for permitting Jews to build homes in Jerusalem, their country’s capital.

The Vice President misleadingly gave the Palestinian Authority the illusion that condemnation or pressure by the United States would force any Israeli government to include Jerusalem in negotiations.  The overwhelming majority of Israelis believe Israel has no legitimate peace partner and rejects negotiations involving Jerusalem.  Instead of pandering to terrorists, the Vice President should have told the PA to amend its charter, stop preaching hatred in their schools and mosques, and immediately halt all plans for terrorist attacks.  Instead of criticizing those who wish to build and live peacefully in the State of Israel, the Vice President should have denounced those who wish to destroy it.

Vice President Biden did not condemn the Palestinian Authority’s decision to name a public square in Ramallah after Dalal al-Mughrabi, who carried out a horrific terrorist attack in 1978 that killed thirty-seven innocent Israelis, or denounce PA Prime Minister Salam Fayad’s role in the dedication ceremony.  The Vice President should have condemned the Palestinian Authority for encouraging its youth to hurl rocks from the Temple Mount at Jewish worshipers praying below at the Western Wall.

If the events of 9/11 taught us anything, it is that you cannot appease terrorists.  Jerusalem has been the eternal capital of the Jewish people for thousands of years, and since 1948, of the State of Israel.  The condemnation of Vice President Biden will not alter that fact or lead to peace in the Middle East.  If the Vice President truly wanted to encourage the peace process, he should have condemned the Palestinian Authority for its inability to be a stable and honest partner for peace, praised Israel as America’s only true friend and ally in the Middle East, and commended Israel for its brave and costly efforts on behalf of peace.

So long as the Palestinian Authority celebrates terror and sanctions violence against Jews, the United States cannot in good conscience engage in any substantive talks with them about anything.  The United States would be best served by acknowledging the Palestinian Authority’s failings and recognizing the fact that Israel is its friend, not its foe.”

There is no question that there some positive aspects of Vice President’s visit to Israel, including his comment that the United States is “determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons,” and that the U.S. is “working with many countries around the world to convince Iran to meet its international obligations to cease and desist.”

However, the rush to condemn the Israeli government for exercising its right to construct much-needed housing for its citizens, was certainly troubling, and put a damper on what otherwise could have been a landmark moment between Israel and the United States.

To read a brief, but interesting perspective about the Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo, which was at the center of the “firestorm” in Israel this week, go to click here

2) In the wake of the recent killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai, Israel has borne the brunt of international criticism for its purported role in the incident. Historian and author Andrew Roberts penned a spirited defense of Israel in an opinion piece in the Financial Times, entitled “Israel is no more rogue than America.” Roberts zeroes in on several points set forth in two articles that recently appeared in the Financial Times, and he systematically dismantles their arguments and soundly rebuts their unduly harsh critique of the Jewish State.

“All that the Dubai operation will do is remind the world that the security services of states at war – and Israel’s struggle with Hamas, Fatah and Hizbollah certainly constitutes that – occasionally employ targeted assassination as one of the weapons in their armory, and that this in no way weakens their legitimacy. As for the “separation walls” and checkpoints that one sees in Israel, the 99 per cent drop in the number of suicide bombings since their erection justifies the policy. There is simply no parallel between apartheid South Africa – where the white minority wielded power over the black majority – and the occupied territories, taken by Israel only after it was invaded by its neighbors. To make such a link is not only inaccurate, but offensive. If Arab Israelis were deprived of civil and franchise rights, that would justify such hyperbole, but of course they have the same rights as every Jewish Israeli.”

To read “Israel is no more rogue than America” in its entirety, click here 

3) Jeremy Sharon wrote an opinion piece in The Guardian, a British newspaper, in which he defended Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent decision to add Kever Rachel (Rachel’s Tomb) and Mearat Hamachpela (the Cave of the Patriarchs) to the list of heritage sites in which the Israeli government will invest funds. In “Israel’s historic roots are real,” Sharon notes the tremendous outcry that has ensued following the Prime Minister’s announcement and questions the true motivations behind the Arab world’s widespread condemnation of the move.

“Why has the seemingly innocuous announcement to upgrade these sites prompted such a caustic response? Muslims have full access to the Cave of the Patriarchs and the Islamic waqf’s role in administering it remains unchanged. Rachel’s Tomb is currently only accessible via Israel, but this has been the case since the late 1990s, owing to the high number of Palestinian attacks against the site in recent years.

Regrettably, it seems that this latest uproar, just like the unrest last autumn regarding the Temple Mount, is yet another example of the general Palestinian unwillingness to accept and acknowledge the deep-seated historical roots of the Jewish people in the region.”

“The implication is that the Cave of the Patriarchs has nothing to do with the Jewish people and the Israeli government is fabricating history for political ends. But the shrine is mentioned in the Bible and has been a focus of Jewish pilgrimage for more than 3,000 years. It is Judaism’s second holiest site and is central to Jewish national identity as the burial place of the people's three forefathers.

The riots and denunciations spawned by the heritage sites plan, as well as those over the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and numerous others, illustrate the ongoing battle being waged by the Palestinian political and religious leadership to disconnect national Jewish symbols from the state of Israel. And this tactic is just part of a wider strategy to delegitimize the very notion of a nation state for the Jewish people, a campaign that is being orchestrated both by Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza as well as by their sympathizers in the west.”

To read “Israel’s historic roots are real” in its entirety, click here

4) An interesting article appeared this week courtesy of Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies concerning the United States’ view of Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Israel has expressed deep concern about Iran and its nuclear proliferation for some time now, but thus far the U.S. has done nothing more than issue condemnations in this regard now and again. The writer suggests that the United States has indeed seen the handwriting on the wall on this issue and should act accordingly to quash the Iranian threat.

“For the sake of argument, let us assume that the US administration has already arrived at the tacit conclusion that Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons is inevitable, in spite of all US and international efforts to prevent this. What would the repercussions be if this conclusion became known? How would the administration behave if its conclusions became known to the public? How would it work to minimize the ensuing damages from this revelation, both internally and internationally?”

“For its part, if the US has come to see a nuclear Iran as inevitable, it would need to act prudently on several fronts to avoid any significant increase of tensions with Iran. It would need to present a facade that it has not come to terms with a nuclear Iran; thereafter, it would need to assure its allies both in the Gulf area and outside that it will not permit Iran to use its newly found power for furthering its ambitions. It would also need to deter Israel from military actions against Iran’s nuclear installations, since this could open a hornet’s nest. Overall, these can be condensed into one expression: playing for time. This, if the above hypothesis holds true, constitutes a meeting of interests of both the US and Iran. It still would not solve anything, but postpone the crisis of exposure – when the new stance of the US administration is publicly acknowledged, or even generally perceived as such – which is a sort of an achievement by itself.”

To read this article in its entirety, click here

5) Rabbi Pesach Lerner, the Executive Vice President of the National Council of Young Israel, has long been an outspoken critic of the harsh and unjust prison sentence that was levied against Jonathan Pollard, and he has worked tirelessly to advocate for a commutation of Pollard’s sentence in order to achieve a sense of justice in what has become a terribly unjust situation.

Rabbi Lerner, who has visited Jonathan Pollard in prison and written extensively about the case, wrote an opinion piece this week that appeared on Yeshiva World News. To read Rabbi Lerner’s article, click here

6) Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, the Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, was honored this week at an event hosted by the Friends of the IDF and delivered a proud and impassioned address, which served as somewhat of a synopsis of the current state of the IDF.

“Distinguished guests; Friends of the IDF, I stand before you today, not only as the Chief of the IDF’s General Staff, but as a warrior who has lost many friends in the battlefield, and who has personally felt the agony of war. I stand before you today as an Israeli citizen, determined in the belief that my country, the nation-state of the Jewish people, has a right to freedom and security. But also, I stand before you as the commander of our nation’s guarding force. I’m full of pride in our army, and the remarkable way in which our soldiers fulfill their missions.

Throughout the past year, our soldiers have demonstrated their devotion and courage in varied circumstances. Courageously, our navy soldiers took over the Francop, an arms smuggling ship, which was making its way from the heart of the radical axis in Tehran, to terrorist organizations in Syria and Lebanon.

But at the same time, we react to other challenges. The very same soldiers that act against terror are those who established the first field hospital in Haiti.

Proudly, we witnessed the men and women of the IDF, saving the lives of so many who wouldn’t have survived otherwise.

But our soldiers do much more; men and women from throughout the military, who come from so many religions and different backgrounds, embody the ethical code of the IDF, on a daily basis. They demonstrate respect for human dignity and value human life, regardless of the enemy’s cruelty.

Our soldiers join ranks in the pursuit of the national objectives of Israeli society - developing the Negev, contributing to the community, expanding the Jewish and Zionist heritage and shaping the national identity.

As the commander of our soldiers, I tell you upon this stage: We will win over those who seek our destruction. We will win thanks to our soldiers’ courage and because of their moral compass.

To read Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi’s remarks in their entirety, click here

7) The restoration and construction of the Hurva Synagogue in the Old City of Jerusalem is close to completion, with the dedication of the synagogue scheduled for next week. The Company for the Reconstruction and Development of the Jewish Quarter has completed one of the artistic aspects of the project - restoration of the synagogue’s wall paintings. To view video footage of the new synagogue courtesy of Arutz Sheva and to read an in-depth account of the details associated with this wonderful and exciting project, click here 
 
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YOUNG ISRAEL NEWS


1) Pesach Campaign ’10 for Families of Gush Katif Communities is now underway! The National Council of Young Israel, the Council of Young Israel Rabbis in Israel, and Yad Ezra Relief Organization of Israel, with the help of Eugen and Jean Gluck of Forest Hills, New York, and many others, synagogues and individuals, provided food for the holidays of Sukkot, Pesach and Shavuot to almost 1000 families of the former communities of Gush Katif and Northern Shomron.

For more information about Pesach Campaign ’10 for Families of Gush Katif Communities and to see how you can help, click here

2) Viewpoint Magazine has inaugurated a new opinion column and invites readers’ submissions. This exciting new feature, “Point of View,” is a column devoted to commentary and opinion of our readers. We are eager to hear from readers who would like to share their thoughts with the greater Young Israel community and we will consider all submissions for publication.

Please submit your article of approximately 800 words to: ViewpointEditor@YoungIsrael.org2) Registration for the famed Young Israel’s Achva programs is in full swing. The Achva summer tours feature fantastic sites and attractions throughout the United States, Israel, and Europe, spectacular views, exciting cities, great friends and a warm, caring staff. All tours are strictly kosher, Shomer Shabbat, and designed for observant teenagers with an Orthodox day school background.

To get more information about the various Achva programs, click here

3) This week’s Divrei Torah Bulletin, featuring Rabbi Jonathan Muskat of the Young Israel of Oceanside, NY (www.yioceanside.org)can be read by clicking here

4) To view previous issues of the National Council of Young Israel’s Weekly E-Update, click here

5) As always, please visit our website at www.youngisrael.org for current news from the National Council of Young Israel and Young Israel branches around the country, Divrei Torah, Political Action Alerts, and zmanim for any city.

7) We do need your help so that we can continue our work on behalf of the Jewish community. The National Council of Young Israel is at the forefront of education, activism, and support for greater Eretz Yisrael, greater Jerusalem, Yehuda, and Shomron. Please join us in our endeavors in support of the State of Israel. To donate to these efforts click here

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Shabbat Shalom 

Shlomo Z. Mostofsky, National President
Rabbi Pesach Lerner, Executive Vice President