HaShomer | The Watchman Blog

Anti-Semitism Rising in France, Canada

2010-03-04T12:02:00.000-08:00

by Hana Levi Julian

Anti-Semitism in France is strongly on the rise, according to the 2009 annual report released late last week by the Jewish Community Protection Service (SPCJ). The organization reported that 832 anti-Semitic incidents were recorded in France in 2009, as compared with 474 such incidents in 2008 - a 75% increase.

The statistics were gleaned from records in the organization's Aid to Victims Department, which cross-checked the figures with data published by the French Ministry of Home Affairs. Included were “statistics, comments, analyses and extracts from sentences handed out by courts in cases involving anti-Semitism,” according to the Council Representing Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF).

CRIF President Richard Prasquier attributed the increase to the French population's anger at Israel during its counter-terrorist operation in Gaza, Cast Lead, last January. There were 354 anti-Semitic incidents recorded in January 2009 alone - a “totally unacceptable transposition to France of the Israel-Palestine conflict,” Prasquier said. He added that “anti-Semitic words and deeds on a daily basis, often under the cover of anti-Zionism, have become a major and worryingly trivial fact of life.”

In 2007, the number of anti-Semitic incidents recorded by the French Interior Ministry was 386, a lower figure than had been recorded in previous years. But the trend had already begun to change long before the Operation Cast Lead was carried out; the 2008 figures were already 22 percent higher than those of the previous year.

At least part of the reason for the hatred may have been due to the corresponding rise in the country's Islamic population.

As of 2003, there were an estimated five to six million Muslims living in France, according to a report issued by the country's Interior Ministry. However, by 2007, that number had climbed to an estimated eight million, according to Odile Jacob's Intégrer l'Islam.

In 2008, there were some 490,000 Jews living in France, according to a survey by Professor Sergio Della Pergola of theJewish People Policy Planning Institute and the Harman Institute of Contemporary Jewry at Hebrew University.

Canadian Anti-Semitism Rising Too
Anti-Semitic incidents in Canada also reached record highs in 2009, according to an annual report released by the B'nai Brith Canada organization. The survey showed an 11.4 percent jump in the number of incidents over the previous year, 2008 – a figure that constituted the highest level ever reported in the 28-year history of the audit.

According to the report, 1,264 anti-Semitic incidents took place in Canada in 2009. These included 32 violent attacks, 348 cases of vandalism and 884 reports of harassment. The majority of the incidents took place in the province of Ontario.

In the greater Toronto area, incidents dropped by 11 percent, but rose elsewhere in the province by nearly 50 percent. In the French-speaking Quebec province, there was a 52.5 percent rise over the 2008 data, and in the city of Montreal, where a large Jewish population resides, there was a 58.7 percent increase in anti-Semitic incidents.

The figures are higher than those reported for 2008, but it is the distribution that has changed, rather than the numbers themselves. A total of 1,135 incidents were reported in that year.

The organization noted there has been a five-fold increase in anti-Semitic incidents in Canada over the past decade. As happened in France, the highest number of attacks occurred last January, during Israel's counter-terrorism operation in Gaza.

According to the Toronto Muslims website, Muslims living in Canada today number more than 750,000, with some 61 percent of those residing in Ontario, where the majority of the anti-Semitic incidents occurred. “Since the September 11 terrorist attacks many Muslims have begun to look to Canada as an alternative to the United States... This is especially true with international students who have come to Canada in much larger numbers since 9/11,” the site noted.

Free Speech on Trial: 15 Defense Witnesses Disallowed

2010-02-04T14:27:00.000-08:00

Free Speech on Trial: 15 Defense Witnesses Disallowed

by Hillel Fendel

The free-speech trial of anti-Islamization Fitna movie-producer Geert Wilders has taken a break – after the court rejected 15 of Wilders’ requested witnesses. Some Dutch analysts following the trial said the decision “indicates the court’s bias against Wilders, and so does not bode well for him.”

Wilders, leader of the PVV (Party for Freedom) in the Netherlands, is on trial in Amsterdam, charged on five counts of insulting Muslims, discriminating against Muslims, and incitement to hatred.

Wilders is well-known for his outspoken opposition to the Islamization of Europe in general and Holland in particular. His 2008 movie Fitna (see below) dramatically shows the aims and means of extremist Islam, and ends with a call for Europe to defeat Islamic ideology, just as it once defeated the threats of Nazism and Communism.

In the court's most recent session, on Tuesday, the judges turned down most of his requests for witnesses, agreeing to hear only three of the 18 for whom he asked. The only ones deemed "competent" and acceptable are Dutch Arabists Hans Jansen and Dr. Simon Admiraal, and Syrian-born Wafa Sultan, who is outspoken in promoting her view that Islam is "not only a religion, but is also a political ideology that preaches violence and applies its agenda by force."

Wilders responded with anger to the decision, saying “This Court is not interested in the truth and doesn’t want me to have a fair trial. I can’t have any respect for this. This Court would not be out of place in a dictatorship.”

In his opening speech at a previous session, Wilders made an impassioned plea on behalf of the freedom he feels is threatened in his country:

Of all our achievements, freedom is the most precious – and the most vulnerable. People have given their lives for it… I believe that that freedom is endangered in the Netherlands; it is no longer a given, no longer self-evident… I know that the words I use are sometimes tough, but they are never reckless… I have nothing against Muslims; I have a problem with Islam and the Islamization of our country, because Islam is at right angles to freedom... The [question at hand] is whether freedom of speech applies to everyone, even to Islam-critics, or only to one side.

“Lady Justice wears a blindfold, but she can still hear pretty well – and I hope she will hear this, loud and clear: It is not only the right, but also the duty, of free people, to speak out against any ideology that threatens freedom. Thomas Jeffferson was right: The price for freedom is eternal vigilance. I hope with all I have in me that freedom of expression in this trial will prevail.
"This trial is not only about freedom of expression, but also about truth – for if something is true, how can it be illegal?... I ask the court to honor my request to call not only expert witnesses on the issue of freedom of speech, but also experts on Islam from Israel, the U.S., the U.K., and other countries… I must be able to defend myself and prove that I have spoken the truth; please do not obstruct me from that.”

Among the requested witnesses whose rejection was not unexpected were Mohammed Bouyeri, the Koran-inspired murderer of Theo Van Gogh; a Dutch imam who had unsuccessfully tried to sue Wilders; and an Egyptian Muslim fundamentalist.

However, the other rejectees included five experts on free speech and five experts on Islam. Geert Wilders’ lawyer, Bram Moszkowicz, said that the court’s rejection of these experts means that it “overestimates itself.”

"That is quite something, that a court finds that no legal experts are needed,” he said. "When a judge overestimates himself, I start to be afraid.”

Moszkowicz said he would bring the statements of free-speech experts Theo de Roos and Henny Sackers into the case in writing, meaning that "the court will thus get a lot of paperwork because of this.”
The trial is scheduled to continue sometime between June 1 and October 31.
Wilders' Fitna movie, which was screened on Arutz-7 after other internet sites were forced to take it down after receiving Muslim threats, can be seen below.
[flash:124499]

Email subscribers: Click here to view the video

'Haredim torched messianic Jew's car'

2009-12-07T08:38:00.000-08:00

Dec 3, 2009 0:15 | Updated Dec 3, 2009 18:52

By BEN HARTMAN

Beit She'an police on Wednesday arrested two haredi residents on suspicion they torched a car belonging to a local messianic Jew late Tuesday night. The car was parked next to the city's police station when it was burned.

The two suspects' remands were extended until Sunday.

Police are probing whether the incident is linked to rising tensions over what some Jews in the area are calling missionary activities on the part of some Christians.

Beit She'an has a relatively large population of immigrants from the former Soviet Union, some of them Christians or messianic Jews.

The owner of the car, Eliav Levine, identifies with the messianic Jewish community and has lived with his family in Beit She'an for a year and a half. Originally from the former Soviet Union, Levine and his family have been subjected to repeated harassment by local Orthodox Jews, Levine's attorney said Wednesday.

In a letter sent to Israel Police Insp.-Gen. David Cohen on Wednesday, attorney Calev Myer, a senior legal adviser at the Jerusalem Institute of Justice, said that the family had been subjected to repeated verbal abuse and harassment.

Myer said in the wake of Tuesday's arson that "the apparent indifference exhibited by the police toward extremist haredi activists leaves innocent citizens exposed to grave danger, simply because of their religious affiliation."

Myer also called on Cohen to fight violence against messianic Jews "before it is too late, before this harassment takes a toll in human life."

In a press release issued Wednesday, Myer, who provides legal representation for messianic Jews in Israel, said that "haredi extremists" had turned the life of the Levine family "into a living hell just because of their religious beliefs," adding that the family "lives in fear for their lives."

Last April, Myer wrote, assailants tried to torch another automobile belonging to the Levine family when it was parked outside their house. The fire, ignited outside the bedroom of their children, aged three and five, was extinguished, but caused thousands of shekels in damage.

The family subsequently moved, but according to Myer and Levine, the harassment continued, with unknown people spreading rumors about the family to their neighbors.

The harassment included an incident around a month ago, when haredi men drove around the Levine family's neighborhood in a car with speakers on top, announcing that the neighborhood must expel "the Christian missionaries who are paying neighborhood children money in order to baptize them as Christians."

The Levine family has denied all such claims of bribing children or conducting missionary activities.

Levine told The Jerusalem Post that "there is some fear, we have no clue what could happen next."

Levine said the family has installed a security camera outside their home, partly because they feel that police have not done enough to stop the harassment.

Levine recalled several incidents of harassment, including a landlord who demanded they leave their apartment only two months into a one-year lease, after he found out they were messianic Jews.

He also said one of his children reported being taken out of class at school and questioned by Beit She'an religious authorities about the family's religious beliefs, without her parents being notified.

Levine denied that they are missionaries.

"We are not missionaries, we are Jews who believe in Jesus and pray with other Jews from Russia who also believe in Jesus," he said.

Levine said the family drives to Nazareth Illit on Shabbat, where they attend prayer services in the home of other messianic Jews.

Levine said that in spite of the harassment, the family has no intention of leaving Beit She'an.

"We want to stay here. We don't see any reason for us to leave," Levine said.

Rabbi Shalom Lipshitz, chairman of Yad L'Achim, a religious Jewish outreach group that fights missionary activities in Israel, said the group does not in any way condone violent acts.

"We don't justify any sort of violence at all and we are against it, it only makes our work that much harder," Lipshitz said, adding that the arsonist was "just a stupid man who went out and did something stupid. What did he gain from this?"

A spokesman for the Galilee Police told the Post on Wednesday that police are still checking possible motives and are not convinced that the only possibility is the arson was linked to religious tensions.

He said that local police were not aware of other violent incidents of this nature that they could link to tension between Jews and Christians in the Galilee.

The spokesperson also denied that the Levine family were messianic Jews, saying they were Christians.

Ultra-Orthodox Activist Confessed to Ortiz Bombing

2009-11-02T05:44:00.000-08:00

Ultra-Orthodox Activist Confessed to Ortiz Bombing

The Jerusalem Institute of Justice would like to congratulate the Israeli Police and the General Security Services for their successful apprehension of Yaacov "Jack" Teitel, the self-described "anti-missionary" activist, who confessed to the bombing of Ami Ortiz on April 20, 2008. Besides his violent activities against Messianic Jews, Teitel a 37 year old former US Marine turned ultra-orthodox, admitted to carrying out several other crimes, including the murder of at least two Palestinian Arabs and the bombing of Israel Prize Laureate Prof. Ze'ev Sternhall.

This religious hate crime is the direct result of the daily incitement which is spread without interference by ultra-orthodox extremists against minority groups in Israel, solely because of their faith and religious affiliation. These same extremists, who do not view Israel as a legitimate state because it is not a rabbinical theocracy, purposefully incite violence and persecute innocent citizens simply because these minorities do not fit into their warped definition of who is a Jew. Indeed, the prosecution of Jack Teitel is an important milestone for Israeli democracy.

The sad reality is that shortly before this religious hate crime in Ariel, posters were spread throughout the neighborhood inciting hatred against the Ortiz family, an act which was ignored by the local law enforcement authorities. It is impossible to overlook the fact that Jack Teitel probably received his evil motivation to murder the Ortiz family from those same posters.

We feel very privileged to have partners from around the world who stood with JIJ as we assisted the Ortiz family throughout this tragedy and prolonged investigation. Thank you for donating and helping them during Ami's recovery period via donations to the JIJ Hate Crime Prevention Fund.

We have handled hundreds of cases of discrimination and harassment of citizens because of their religious affiliation. We regret to report that posters of hatred and incitement continue to be disseminated in our streets by this marginal stream of ultra-religious activists, on a daily basis. Hence, we call on the Israeli Police to continue the good work which they have begun, by investigating and eradicating this criminal behavior. Literally, "the writing is on the wall" regarding the next religious hate crime.

Yaacov "Jack" Teitel, the self-described "anti-missionary" activist, who confessed to the bombing of Ami Ortiz

Teitel a 37 year old former US Marine turned ultra-orthodox, admitted to carrying out several other crimes

Posters were spread throughout the neighborhood inciting hatred against the Ortiz family

Will the upcoming Copenhagen climate talks usher in a one-world government?

2009-10-25T06:17:00.000-07:00

Of climate control and one-world gov't

Pete Chagnon - OneNewsNow - 10/23/2009 6:00:00 AM

Lord Christopher Monckton, the former advisor for science policy to Lady Margaret Thatcher, believes that if the U.S. signs any climate treaty coming out of the Copenhagen climate change conference in December, it could subject the United States to a global dictatorship. Monckton explains his concerns.

"[T]his treaty of Copenhagen, which is going to be negotiated by the states' parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in December, is going to...establish for the first time in human history a global government," he warns. (Please see poll at bottom of page)

Monckton contends that the word "government" appears twice in paragraph 38 of the draft, and that paragraphs 36 through 38 explain that the purpose of the treaty is to establish a world government. "Whose job," he explains, "will be to transfer wealth from the wealthy countries, such as the United States most of all, to Third World countries -- and the excuse for this transfer of wealth is so-called 'reparation.'"

Reparation for so-called "climate debt," he adds. Monckton notes that the U.N. believes the U.S. owes the world this debt because of its use of fossil fuels, which he says are mistakenly blamed for causing "manmade global warming." He adds that this world government will have the ability to make the U.S. pay. Monckton is hopeful that the U.S. will lack the willingness to ratify such a dangerous treaty.

"It must be passed by a two-thirds majority in the Senate, which is 67 out of your 100 senators," says Monckton. "Now I don't think that Obama will find it at all easy to get a two-thirds majority...but during his election campaign one of his advisors said that he [Obama] regarded the U.S. Constitution as merely a piece of paper...and he saw it as a barrier to the things that the Left around the world want to do -- and therefore they were going to find ways of circumventing it."

One way of doing that, says Monckton, is to amend the Copenhagen Treaty to the current cap-and-trade bill in the U.S. House and Senate and get it passed by a simple majority. Monckton notes that if Obama takes this route, then the treaty merely becomes domestic law and can be overturned later on.

Provided the Senate stands firm against such a move, Monckton says the U.S. will remain "unsullied" by this new "dictatorship" being established by the Copenhagen Treaty.

"We sleep-walked into a dictatorship in Europe," he laments. "Alright, it appears to be a benevolent dictatorship for now, though it's a very expensive one -- but you still don't want [America] to go there. Democracy is valuable.

"In this country [the U.S.], which is the cradle of freedom, I hope you will cling to your democracy, [that] you will all fight this sinister treaty, you will say no to it very, very firmly -- and [that] you will remain the beacon of freedom for the world."

Listen to the full interview with Lord Monckton

View recent YouTube video of Lord Christopher Monckton discussing the Copenhagen Treaty
View recent YouTube video of Al Gore talking about climate control and 'global governance'

2009-09-09T08:29:00.000-07:00

UN wants new global currency to replace dollar
09.09.2009.08:12

The dollar should be replaced with a global currency, the United Nations has said, proposing the biggest overhaul of the world's monetary system since the Second World War.

In a radical report, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has said the system of currencies and capital rules which binds the world economy is not working properly, and was largely responsible for the financial and economic crises.

It added that the present system, under which the dollar acts as the world's reserve currency , should be subject to a wholesale reconsideration.

Although a number of countries, including China and Russia, have suggested replacing the dollar as the world's reserve currency, the UNCTAD report is the first time a major multinational institution has posited such a suggestion.

In essence, the report calls for a new Bretton Woods-style system of managed international exchange rates, meaning central banks would be forced to intervene and either support or push down their currencies depending on how the rest of the world economy is behaving.

The proposals would also imply that surplus nations such as China and Germany should stimulate their economies further in order to cut their own imbalances, rather than, as in the present system, deficit nations such as the UK and US having to take the main burden of readjustment.

"Replacing the dollar with an artificial currency would solve some of the problems related to the potential of countries running large deficits and would help stability," said Detlef Kotte, one of the report's authors. "But you will also need a system of managed exchange rates. Countries should keep real exchange rates [adjusted for inflation] stable. Central banks would have to intervene and if not they would have to be told to do so by a multilateral institution such as the International Monetary Fund."

The proposals, included in UNCTAD's annual Trade and Development Report , amount to the most radical suggestions for redesigning the global monetary system.

Although many economists have pointed out that the economic crisis owed more to the malfunctioning of the post-Bretton Woods system, until now no major institution, including the G20 , has come up with an alternative.

Telegraph

Court declares Jew for Jesus 'kosher'

2009-07-03T10:32:00.000-07:00

Court declares Jew for Jesus 'kosher'
06.30.2009.17:39

A Jew for Jesus who demanded kashrut supervision from the Chief Rabbinate won a Supreme Court decision on Monday likely to spark another confrontation between the nation's highest legal arbiter and the Orthodox rabbinical establishment.

In its verdict, based on a precedent that found belly-dancing to be unrelated to kosher food, the court ruled that an Ashdod baker's belief that Jesus was the messiah did not make her baked goods unkosher.

Therefore, argued the court, the Chief Rabbinate could not demand more stringent kashrut supervision arrangements than for any other baker.

The Orthodox rabbinate reacted negatively.

"It's absurd that the Supreme Court is telling rabbis how to keep kosher," Ashdod Chief Rabbi Yosef Sheinen said in a telephone interview with The Jerusalem Post.

"What does the Supreme Court know about kashrut?" asked Sheinen. He said that according to his understanding of Halacha, an apostate Jew could not be trusted to adhere to the laws of kashrut.

"The Supreme Court is undermining the level of kosher supervision," added Sheinen, who said he had not read the entire ruling yet and therefore had not fully formulated his opinion.

In 2006, Sheinen revoked a kashrut supervision certificate issued to the Pnina Pie bakery in his city when he discovered that its owner, Pnina Conforty, was a messianic Jew.

Later, after Conforty petitioned the High Court of Justice, Sheinen and the Chief Rabbinate agreed to a compromise.

The rabbinate's governing body ruled that if Conforty wanted a kosher supervision certificate she had to meet certain conditions not normally demanded of secular Jewish eatery owners.

Conforty had to hire a worker approved by Sheinen. This worker had to be paid by Conforty via the local religious council or via an employment agency, and not directly by Conforty, to prevent extortion.

This worker would be allowed to bake and do other errands for Conforty in addition to his kashrut supervision role, but Sheinen would define the worker's duties and salary.

In addition, Conforty had to give a kashrut supervisor keys to the bakery.

The Chief Rabbinate also demanded that she promise not to engage in missionary activity on her premises.

Conforty refused to accept these conditions and the Chief Rabbinate refused to soften them.

The High Court on Monday rejected Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger's argument that Conforty's un-Jewish religious faith undermined her trustworthiness.

"The Kashrut Law states clearly that only legal deliberations directly related to what makes the food kosher are relevant, not wider concerns unrelated to food preparation," ruled the court.

The decision rested on a ruling handed down by the High Court two decades ago involving Ilana Raskin, an immigrant belly dancer from Philadelphia who enjoyed tremendous popularity in the late 1980s until Jerusalem's chief rabbis ruled that food served in wedding halls and restaurants in which Raskin appeared was not kosher.

That High Court rejected the claim made by the Chief Rabbinate at the time that any owner whose immoral sensitivities were callous to the depravities of belly dancing could not be trusted to serve kosher food.

Justice Eliezer Rivlin wrote that his court accepted the distinction made in the Raskin case between "core" kashrut issues and considerations that were not directly pertinent.

Dr. Aviad Hacohen, dean of Sha'arei Mishpat Legal College and an expert in religion-state issues, predicted that the High Court's intervention in the Chief Rabbinate's decision-making would spark a religious war.

"We are likely to see a rekindling of old animosities between the Supreme Court and the rabbinate," said Hacohen. He pointed out that Sheinen was aligned with the more haredi stream of Orthodoxy and that Ashdod was heavily populated by the Ger Hassidic sect.

"I also think it is highly problematic for the High Court to make a distinction between 'core' kashrut issues and ones which in its eyes are not relevant," Hacohen said.

Meanwhile, Conforty said she was ecstatic.

"I've been waiting for three years for this decision," said Conforty, who added that without kosher certification her business had been failing.

"Finally I won. This is my baby," she said.

Conforty said that when she opened her first bakery in Gan Yavne in 2002 she enjoyed impressive business success. But after her faith was publicized in an article in a Messianic Jewish magazine, she suffered from demonstrations outside her bakery and posters with her picture distributed throughout the city warning that she was a missionary.

As a result, Gan Yavne Chief Rabbi Meshumar Tzabari revoked her kashrut certificate. At the time she did not fight Tzabari.

In 2006 she opened another bakery in Ashdod. But soon word got around that she was a Jew for Jesus and former customers and haredi anti-missionary groups began picketing her bakery while Sheinen revoked his certificate.

"I should be allowed to praise God in any way that I want," said Conforty, who grew up in a traditional Yemenite family. "No one can force their religious beliefs on me."

Conforty said that she "came to faith" while working in Ohio for an evangelical Christian family.

"God arranged it that I arrived at a place where there were Christians who love Israel more than most Jews do. Their love and faith were so different from the religion I learned at home that was based on fear. I was never taught to serve God out of love until then. They taught me that Yeshua is the messiah."

Conforty said that her gradual embracing of faith in Jesus put her marriage in jeopardy.

"I was on the verge of divorce and I prayed to God. I said to him, 'If Yeshua is messiah then you have to bring my husband back to me and make peace between us. No more than 10 minutes passed before my husband came to me and accepted the faith."

Conforty said that she did not actively proselytize. "But if someone shows an interest, I talk openly."

jpost

Israel's State-Sanctioned Persecution Of Messianic Jews Must End

2009-06-25T14:08:00.000-07:00

	Israel's State-Sanctioned Persecution Of Messianic Jews Must End
	by Roi Ben-Yehuda, April 28, 2008 124 comments

TAGS:

Israel's beauty shines brightest in its diversity. The country possesses one of the most culturally and physically diverse societies on the planet. No matter the kind of Jew, from Yemenite to Ethiopian to Polish, from Orthodox to Reform to secular, there is a place for you under the Mediterranean sun. Yet there is at least one group of Jews who is excluded from the Zionist mosaic. They are the Messianic Jews --- a religious community that follows a Torah inspired life-style while believing in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah.

The Messianics view themselves as returning to the roots of early Christianity as a Jewish sect. According to Paul Liberman, author of The Fig Tree Blossoms, a messianic Jew is "a person who was born Jewish or converted to Judaism, who is a 'genuine believer' in Yeshua [Jesus], and who acknowledges his Jewishness." Practicing bi-spiritually, as it were, the Messianics stand outside the theological and historic spheres of normative Judaism and Christianity. Yet according to their own beliefs, they are engaged in an authentic expression of Judaism. In fact, they consider themselves "complete Jews."

Around the world the Messianic Jewish community number roughly 350,000. In Israel they stand at 15,000 and have over 120 different congregations. Not surprisingly, from their inception the Messianics have managed to rouse the ire of the ultra-Orthodox and (to a lesser extent) secular communities in Israel. That anger has frequently turned into aggressive physical and verbal confrontations precipitated by religious radicals (Jews and Arabs) who oppose the presence of what in their view are dangerous missionizing Christians (in contrast to the fact that not a single Messianic Jew has ever stood trial for illegal missionary activity --- e.g. forced conversion, or conversion of minors). Most recently, in the settlement of Ariel, a bomb planted under a Purim gift-basket left a 15 year-old boy belonging to a prominent family of Messianic Jews in critical condition.

In addition to being targets of persecution at the hand of religious radicals, the Messianics have also faced state-sanctioned discrimination. The Ministry of the Interior, with the backing of the Supreme Court, has rejected the appeals of Messianics for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return. The argument being that since Messianics believe in Jesus, they either belong to another faith, or in the case of Jewish-born Messianics, have willingly converted into another faith, and therefore have forfeited their right to make Aliyah as Jews. In addition, the government has also discriminated against Messianic Jews who have migrated to Israel by refusing to renew their passports, register their newborns, firing them from government posts, and in some cases revoking their citizenship.

While historically some Messianics have been gentile "philo-Semites" who have used the cover of Judaism as a Trojan horse to enter Israel with the purpose of turning it into a Christian nation, for the most part the Messianic community in Israel is made of upstanding citizens (most of whom were born Jewish) who go into the army (unlike most of their haredi antagonists), pay their taxes, vote, are peaceful, and lead a quite Jewish lifestyle. Their situation forces us to ask the uncomfortable question: Should people who have chosen to practice and interpret their Judaism differently from the majority (which itself was never hegemonic or monolithic), live in a (Jewish) state of fear and persecution?

It seems that the unholy alliance between state and the ultra-Orthodox establishment has created the absurd reality of inverse crypto-Judaism: Where in the medieval era Jews who had converted to Christianity kept their Judaism in secret, today many Messianics feel compelled to hide their beliefs from the rest of Israeli society. The price of disclosure may not be a visit to the Israeli equivalent of the Spanish Inquisition, yet social ostracism, harassment, bullying, and state-sanctioned discrimination is enough to keep many (though not all) living secret lives.

From its beginnings the twin purpose of Zionism has been the creation of a safe haven for Jewish people(s) and culture(s). Likewise, the Declaration of the establishment of the state of Israel promises to "open the gates of the homeland wide to every Jew," and guarantees freedom of religion to all. Yet when organs of the state and its citizens discriminate against certain Jews for their beliefs, they are betraying the very core of the ground on which they stand on.

Take for example Law of Return as it applies to Jewish-born Messianics. The notion that a Jew who accepts Jesus as the Jewish Messiah loses his/her right to make Aliyah is in complete contradiction with the purpose and logic of the law. It is bad enough to deny citizenship to a Jew who willfully converts to another religion (as the 1970 amendment to the law stipulates). It is something else all together to deny it to a Jew whose self-identity remains Jewish. Surely, antisemites do not care wither or not a Jew believes Jesus was the Messiah, or whether he/she is a Jew who converted to another faith. And from the perspective of the Law of Return, shouldn't the ubiquitous gaze of the antisemite be the deciding factor of whether or not someone is Jewish?

Of course Israel can define for itself who counts as a Jew, but it should be consistent. Yes, the Messianics stand in two worlds. But so do many Israeli Jews. If you can be a Jew and an atheist, a Jew and a Buddhist - why can't you also be you a Jew who believes that Jesus was the Jewish messiah? If we are going to accept Jews whose self-identity does not snugly fit into one mold, then we need to make room for the Messianics as well. If we are going to say that Hitler and not Halacha determines who is a Jew, then we need to make room for Jews who also believe in Jesus --- as Hitler would have done.

In the end, the existence of Messianic Jews is good for Israel. It forces us to stretch the boundaries and re-think the definition of an Israeli Jew. The sad truth is that anyone who has a bone to pick with the Orthodox/state monopoly (the list is long) does not want to make cause with the Messianics. To align with them is to commit political suicide. But make no mistake: today it is the Messianics, and tomorrow it will be you.

New Donations By Credit Card

2009-05-19T18:28:00.000-07:00

If you would like to donate and do not want to send cash or checks by mail, you can now use our new donation gateway. You will also soon be able to purchase books and other materials through our website as well. Thank you for your support!

2009-03-19T12:52:00.001-07:00

WORLD LEADERS CONSIDERING SINGLE CURRENCY

AMIDST SEVERE GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS

(Washington, D.C., March 19, 2009) -- Amidst the global economic crisis in which upwards of 45% of the world's wealth has been lost in the last 18 months, talk of radically restructuring the global economic system is growing. In recent weeks, leaders in Europe, Africa and the Middle East have proposed scrapping the current economic order and going to a single common currency.

A story in yesterday's Moscow Times is creating quite a stir in particular. At the April 2nd meeting of world leaders in London (the G20), the Kremlin is reportedly set to propose a new global common currency system to replace the U.S. dollar as the international currency of choice.

The story notes that "the Kremlin's call for a common currency is not the first in recent days. Speaking at an economic conference in Astana, Kazakhstan, last week, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev proposed a global currency called the 'acmetal' - a conflation of the words 'acme' and 'capital.' He also suggested that the Eurasian Economic Community, a loose group of five former Soviet republics including Kazakhstan and Russia, adopt a single noncash currency - the yevraz - to insulate itself from the global economic crisis…."

"Nazarbayev's proposal.garner[ed] support from at least one prominent source -- Columbia University professor Robert Mundell, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1999 for his role in creating the euro. Speaking at the same conference with Nazarbayev, he said the idea had 'great promise.' The Kremlin document also called for national banks and international financial institutions to diversify their foreign currency reserves. It said the global financial system should be restructured to prevent future crises and proposed holding an international conference after the G20 summit to adopt conventions on a new global financial structure."

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last week called for a single regional currency for 400 million Muslims in the Middle East. "The process of obtaining one single currency in the trade and exchanges among members, and in the next stages with other countries and neighbors, should be designed," the Iranian leader said March 11th.

Libyan leader Muammar Ghadafi, recently elected leader of the African Union of states, is calling for a single continental currency for all of Africa and has persuaded 200 tribal leaders to call him the "King of kings." The BBC reported in February that Ghadafi "envisages a single African military force, a single currency and a single passport for Africans to move freely around the continent."

Now comes a new story on this morning on the Reuters news wire: "U.N. PANEL SAYS WORLD SHOULD DITCH DOLLAR."

"A U.N. panel will next week recommend that the world ditch the dollar as its reserve currency in favor of a shared basket of currencies, a member of the panel said on Wednesday, adding to pressure on the dollar," the story noted. "Currency specialist Avinash Persaud, a member of the panel of experts, told a Reuters Funds Summit in Luxembourg that the proposal was to create something like the old Ecu, or European currency unit, that was a hard-traded, weighted basket. Persaud, chairman of consultants Intelligence Capital and a former currency chief at JPMorgan, said the recommendation would be one of a number delivered to the United Nations on March 25 by the U.N. Commission of Experts on International Financial Reform. 'It is a good moment to move to a shared reserve currency,' he said."

The "Euro" is the model many are looking to, in part because 20% of the world's foreign exchange reserves are already held in euros. Last year, the EU celebrated the 10 year anniversary of the creation of the "euro."

These are curious developments given that scholars of Bible prophecy have long noted that according to the Scriptures, in the "last days" the world will see the emergence of an entirely new international financial architecture, complete with a single common global currency created and mandated by the leaders of Europe. The Bible indicates that eventually no one on earth will be able to engage in commerce without "buying in" to the new cashless system. The prophecy is found in Revelation 13:16-17, which reads: "And he [the world leader that emerges from a revived Europe] causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one can buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name."

Cynics and skeptics have long dismissed such talk as the province of "religious nuts" and "prophecy buffs." But the discussion is now being advanced by major world leaders. It's too soon to say where this will all lead, but these are certainly developments worth watching.

Law of Return to Refocus on Jews

2009-02-23T08:39:00.000-08:00

1. Law of Return to Refocus on Jews
by Malkah Fleisher

Spurred by concerns over the acceptance of hundreds of thousands of non-Jews as citizens of Israel over the course of Israel's 60-year history, Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit has established a special committee to discuss amendment of Israel's Law of Return.

On July 5, 1950, Israel's Knesset enacted the Law of Return, declaring Israel to be the homeland of all Jews, both in Israel and abroad. As part of the law, rights were given to all born Jews (having a Jewish mother or maternal grandmother), those with Jewish ancestry (having a Jewish father, grandfather, or paternal grandmother), and converts (Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform, with Conservative or Reform conversions taking place outside of Israel) to obtain citizenship in Israel.

MK Sheetrit (Kadima) told the new committee at a Sunday meeting that the law has been abused by non-Jews with no connection to Judaism as a way to obtain Israeli citizenship. The minister cited statistics showing that 30 percent of Eilat residents are not Jewish according to Torah law. "If we do not discuss these issues with urgency," Sheetrit told committee members, "in a few years Israel will no longer be the state of the Jews, and I do not want that."

Headed by Professor Yaakov Ne'eman, the special committee – which will meet weekly - is comprised of top legal experts on immigration, and will propose legislation to amend the Law of Return. Ne'eman is a top Israeli tax attorney, former Minister of Finance under then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and current head of the Likud party coalition negotiation team.

One of the alternative amendments would give new immigrants resident status upon arrival in Israel. After proving ties to the Jewish people, loyalty to Israel, and a level of proficiency in Hebrew, residents could receive Israeli citizenship.

In line with the platform of Avigdor Lieberman's Israel Beiteinu (Israel Our Home) party, Sheetrit said all citizens should be required to take an oath of loyalty to Israel. He cited recent legislation in Holland which took effect after a wave of Muslim immigration threatened the cultural identity of the country.

The effort will also seek to limit the number of regional Arabs allowed into Israel through marriage to Israeli Arabs and employment as workers.

According to recent Interior Ministry data, approximately 1 million illegal immigrants currently reside in Israel. Among them are 25,000 African infiltrators (only 600 of which are refugees from Darfur), tens of thousands of Palestinian Authority Arab women married to resident Israeli Bedouins,16,000 Arab women receiving Israeli welfare stipends while residing in Judea and Samaria, and 46,000 non-Jewish Ethiopians.

The committee will consult with experts from a previous committee headed by Professor Amnon Rubenstein of the extreme leftist Meretz party.

2009-02-05T09:52:00.000-08:00

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Posted: 19 Jan 2009 02:01 AM CST

From “Martin Luther King Jr.’s special bond with Israel,” by John Lewis, San Francisco Chronicle, January 21, 2002:

Long before the plight of the Jews in the Soviet Union was on the front pages, he raised his voice. "I cannot stand idly by, even though I happen to live in the United States and even though I happen to be an American Negro and not be concerned about what happens to the Jews in Soviet Russia. For what happens to them happens to me and you, and we must be concerned."

During his lifetime King witnessed the birth of Israel and the continuing struggle to build a nation. He consistently reiterated his stand on the Israel- Arab conflict, stating " Israel's right to exist as a state in security is uncontestable." It was no accident that King emphasized "security" in his statements on the Middle East.

On March 25, 1968, less than two weeks before his tragic death, he spoke out with clarity and directness stating, “peace for Israel means security, and we must stand with all our might to protect its right to exist, its territorial integrity. I see Israel as one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy.

Israeli Soldier in Gaza Talks

2009-01-19T16:05:00.000-08:00

Israeli Soldier in Gaza Talks: We Want to Finish the Job

by Hillel Fendel

(IsraelNN.com) An IDF soldier in Gaza speaks of enemy attempts to kidnap soldiers into tunnels, the special boost that letters from back home give him and his friends, the incredible motivation displayed by his comrades-in-arms, and more.

Aryeh, a former hesder yeshiva student and a soldier in reserves who spent a week fighting terrorists deep inside northern Gaza, spoke with IsraelNationalRadio’s Yishai and Malkah Fleisher on Thursday about his personal experiences during the war.

Excerpts:

I’ve been in Gaza for a week; medics and others in my unit went in a week earlier to get the lay of the land. We’re in an armored reconnaissance unit, which means we are infantry that goes in front of the tanks, first of all to clear a path, either in open area or clearing houses in built-up areas, making sure there are no anti-tank forces against us, and secondly, we scout ahead and point out targets for the tanks…

The army was very tight with us about security – they took away our cell phones, made sure we don’t have cameras, etc.

No Atheists in Foxholes
[Asked what it is like when they actually enter Gaza:] Right before we went in, there were a lot of jokes, black humor, like, ‘I’ll leave you my boots,’ etc. And you know how they say there’s no atheist in a foxhole - it’s really true. Rabbis were giving out Tehillim [little books of Psalms], and every soldier took one, or two, or three, or four - even the guys who just two days ago were arguing with me against religion. They act as if the Tehillim are bullet-proof, and they put them all over their body, saying I don’t want to get hit here, and here, and here… Anyway, before we went in, there were jokes - but then, when we actually start going on, it gets very, very quiet, people thinking their own thoughts, like who might not be coming back, or about their families, or whatever.

When we actually went in, it was very surreal. On the Israeli side, even with all the rockets and shells falling around us, you sort of feel safe - but when you cross over, you feel like you have left the safe cover of Israel. … You hear a lot of booms, mostly from our jets and copters and tanks and things. The first kilometer or two was open area, and then, when we got to the built-up areas, it really was pretty scary. There are snipers and stuff – but there were two things that were particularly hard for me. One is that almost every single house is booby-trapped – even with families inside! Because it looks good on the news [against Israel] to have a whole family killed… the people are forced to stay there, or sometimes they stay on their own – this is insane, we can’t comprehend this... It’s scary kicking in a door and thinking that the entire house might collapse on you.

Fear of Being Snatched
But even more scary is the fact that there are tunnels everywhere in Gaza – not just the ones that people know about in southern Gaza. I don’t know how many there are, but there are tunnels between houses and headquarters and the like, not only for reinforcements but also because one of their main goals is to kidnap soldiers. That is really terrifying. You see a bush and suddenly the bush moves and a hand sticks out, trying to grab a soldier’s leg and pull him inside. It happened a lot… Or we’re in a house trying to get some sleep, and you don’t know if a floor tile will suddenly move and someone will try to grab you. So on the one hand, you try to sleep very little, but we also work very closely together, looking after each other, helping each other, and certainly not doing anything by oneself…

The Old-Man-and-the-Cane Trick
The top Hamas guys are dug-in and hiding pretty well under hospitals and schools, and they don’t even know what’s going on outside. We’ve cut their phone lines, including cell phones, and they communicate by sending children with notes to each other; we’ve caught kids carrying notes. We once saw an old man hobbling down the street with a cane, looking very bent over and wretched, and when he saw Israeli soldiers, he suddenly threw away the cane, ran over to them and tried to blow himself up on them; the soldiers were able to shoot him first.

No Concern for Life
[Asked what the feelings seem to be among the Arabs:] The mindset of the enemy is so alien to us; by us, the death of any one soldier is terrible, a national tragedy – but by them, it seems that they want as many deaths as possible. In Israel, schools even dozens of kilometers from Gaza are closed in order to minimize the risk, which is pretty small – but in Gaza, where there are bombs all over the place all the time, we’ve seen kindergartens filled with 150 or 200 children, and the kindergartens are boobytrapped! They even shoot rockets from inside mosques and these places…

We Want to Finish the Job
The soldiers’ morale is very high, and all of them definitely believe that the war is just and important. No one likes fighting; people want to be with their families. I’ve seen some 35-year-old guys almost crying about how much they miss their families – but at the same time, no one wants to leave now. Of all sectors, it’s the soldiers who do not want a ceasefire, not because we want to fight but because we know the job is not finished yet. We don’t want to have to go back again in a year or two or three. The soldiers want to stay and finish the job, they really do… I think there has to be a hard push against Hamas, even harder than we have done until now; this will take a real sacrifice, we know - but to think that we might leave and the rockets will still fall, what did we do??! Killing 900 terrorists out of 20,000 is just not enough, we have to really decimate their ranks in order that they should know that they should leave us alone…

True, Gaza is now largely in ruins, but they’ll get lots of money to rebuild, and they’ll use a lot of the money to get more weapons as well. We have to go in deeper and stronger, and make them understand that it’s just not worth it. In addition, I think we can’t leave without Gilad Shalit; it would be terrible if not.

We Feel the Hand of G-d
[Asked about how spirituality and faith in G-d plays out:] Well, I would say that everyday religion is one thing; we take things for granted, we pray every day, some people concentrate more and some concentrate less… But here – you live it, you absolutely live it. Secular soldiers are whispering prayers, everyone wants G-d to be there, and we do feel it - we have seen the hand of G-d; we have been very fortunate, you can see it and feel it... [Regarding packages of sweets that the soldiers receive from the home front:] Even though we’re often hungry, the first thing a lot of soldiers go for in the packages that is not the food, but rather the letters and words of support. You can’t imagine what it does for us to read them… I have about nine of the really special ones, and when I had a little time, I would go over to some corner and pull them out and read them… They give so much strength…

I just want to tell this really special story that happened to me: Some of the letters have phone numbers on them, so I called one of them to thank her for her letter - an 8-year-old girl named Eden. Eden told me that she was so happy I called and that she had just been in the hospital for an ear operation… But then her mother got on and she was all emotional and told me, “It’s so amazing that you called because Eden’s two older sisters received calls of thanks from soldiers, and she was feeling sad that no one called her - and now you called!”

Click here to listen to Aryeh’s entire talk.

God of Miracles

2009-01-18T17:09:00.000-08:00

Subject: God of Miracles

The article below is from a very special lady, a citizen of Israel . She wanted to share with people the wonderful testimony coming out of the conflict in Gaza while Israel takes steps to ensure our own safety. God is at work among His People in the midst of war. After all, He is a God of miracles...

While the media in the West are lambasting Israel for killing women and children, and are saturating their viewers with horrific photos of bloodied corpses, Israel as a nation is undergoing an astonishing spiritual awakening as a result of this conflict. It is a pity that the world is unable to be witness to the miracles that are occurring here daily. Even the most jaded person would be amazed at the transformation of the people in this country. After many years of feeling the underdog and fearful of the approbation of the outside world, Israel is undergoing an absolute renaissance on a personal and national level.

First and foremost, Israel as a nation has finally decided to throw aside the fear of being rejected by the nations and embrace its sovereign right to defend it's citizens from terrorist attacks. What is so astonishing, for those who know Jews and particularly Israelis, is that a whopping 92% of Jewish Israelis actually AGREE that the war is necessary and just. The adage of 2 Jews, 3 opinions and 4 political parties has vaporized in the face of the national crisis we are in. Not only is there agreement among the populace, but also the left wing and the right wing of the political spheres agree. Even more amazing is the concordance among the various religious factions: Ashkenazi, Sephardic, reform and conservative, Zionists and anti-Zionist Jews are all joining together in prayer and supplication to the Almighty for salvation, protection and victory over our enemies. There are calls to prayer everywhere, regardless of denomination or ethnic background, everyone is united in looking towards the God of Israel to keep our soldiers safe and help us win against an evil enemy who has sworn never to stop until Israel as a nation is destroyed.

The soldiers themselves seem to have a huge spiritual hunger, and are unified in not only asking for prayer but also praying themselves, wearing tzitzit (prayer tassles) into battle and carrying the book of Psalms with them. The Rabbis are calling the tzitzit "heavenly flak jackets!" Tent synagogues on the battlefield have no less than 10 sessions every morning, and it is reported that soldiers who never attended synagogue are now praying with tefillim. They have reason to cry out to God, since everyone is aware of the years of preparation of the bloodthirsty Hamas militants, their desire to kill, maim or kidnap Israeli soldiers is greater than their desire to live; they have been financed by Iran and supported by Syria and Hezbollah. Yet, we are defeating them, and there are reports daily of amazing miracles of protection and Divine direction during the battle. The following are just a few examples: A Hamas map was found, with booby-traps, landmines and sniper positions clearly spelled out. The IDF was able to counter each installation due to the information given. A large platoon of soldiers not realizing they were resting in a school that was booby-trapped, (discovered by a soldier relieving himself in the night), disarmed the bombs with no one hurt. A single soldier successfully fought off several Hamas terrorists trying to drag him into a tunnel, and all were captured. Hundreds of tunnels, hidden in homes under beds and kitchen cabinets, all full of live explosives and ammunition, yet none have exploded with IDF soldiers inside. While there have been soldiers wounded, there are miracles there as well. A young man who moved here alone from England less than 2 years ago to serve in the army was in an explosion, and thrown into the air. After being carried off the field by other soldiers and transported on a tractor to helicopter and then to hospital, the doctors were utterly stunned when they saw that a piece of shrapnel that went completely through his neck, missed the carotid artery, the jugular vein and the spinal cord by millimeters. After they removed it, he needed only stitches. Another soldier was shot through the back but the bullet missed his spinal cord and exited from the front. A young newlywed, in grave condition, inexplicably turned for the better and will recover to go home to his wife.

On the ground level, bombs continue to fall, but here again, miracle after miracle is reported even on the local news. One hears the word "nes" (miracle) over and over by the reporters and the bystanders. A bomb heading toward 4 apartment buildings goes into a sewer pipe and explodes underground, damaging nothing above ground. An elderly woman caught in an apartment completely demolished by a bomb, walks out with scratches on her ankle. The mayor of Beersheva felt he should cancel school one day, and a rocket completely destroys an empty kindergarten. The elder housing complex that was hit in Nahariya had the sleeping quarters destroyed, but everyone had just gone to breakfast, so no one injured. A man leaves his car with his young daughter, and the car is blown up moments later after they entered a bomb shelter. If they had taken a few more seconds, he and his daughter would have been burned to a crisp. He was televised saying again and again it was a miracle.

Similar stories like these were heard during the second Lebanon war, reported on Israeli radio and television, but no one in the west ever heard; only negative propaganda from the terrorists was reported, whose aim was to malign Israel and make us look like a nation of bloodthirsty killers. One has to grieve over the terrible destruction of the cities in Gaza and the horrific human tragedy going on there, but the responsibility for the suffering and death is directly on the doorstep of the Hamas leadership. These deluded people think that their god, Allah, will give them victory, and have entered into a battle with the true God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that they will never win. We are literally living in times like those of the scripture, when the Lord told Elisha all the plans of the enemy, until they began to wonder if there was a spy in their ranks.

There is hope here, not despair and unity of resolve. Even the parents of Yoni Natanel, killed by friendly fire, were quoted as saying that their son died "for the sanctification of God's name", and forgave and blessed those who accidently fired at his unit. There is such heroism and courage here, one wishes that the world could see it, but as one of our journalists said, the media have left their brains at the door of Ben Gurion Airport . They are many miles away from the actual battle, wear flak jackets and helmets for the cameras, and then take them off to have cappuccino at the local restaurant!

Fortunately, Israelis are accustomed to being misunderstood and maligned by the outside world. At this point, everyone knows we have a job to do, and we are becoming more and more aware that there is a greater Power than us is on our side. We are fulfilling our commission to be a "Light to the Nations". Israel learned from the failure of the Lebanon war, and prepared well to fight the terrorists who clearly said they wanted to destroy us. The rest of the nations have not remembered the threats of Hitler, and how the Jewish people were almost wiped out because no one wanted to believe he actually meant what he said. Contrary to those who want to hide their heads in the sands of political correctness, there is a right and a wrong side in this conflict. It is a battle between darkness and light. Fortunately, we have a God who was never wishy-washy about defending Israel against her enemies, when His People cried out to Him for help. The outside world is missing the miracle of a righteous God who hears the prayers of the humble, and defends what is His.

"If My people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My Face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
(2 Chronicles 7:14)

"The Truth About Israel" Book

2009-01-08T16:44:00.000-08:00

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HaShomer | The Watchman Blog

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Israel's State-Sanctioned Persecution Of Messianic Jews Must End

Israel's State-Sanctioned Persecution Of Messianic Jews Must End

by Roi Ben-Yehuda, April 28, 2008

New Donations By Credit Card

Law of Return to Refocus on Jews

Israeli Soldier in Gaza Talks

Israeli Soldier in Gaza Talks: We Want to Finish the Job

God of Miracles

"The Truth About Israel" Book