The Right Confuses the Purpose with the Means ' MK Dr. Michael Ben - Ari

For a long time I have had a feeling that our struggle for the expansion of construction in Judea and Samaria is a deathtrap. Concepts of "natural growth" or "natural development" turned the means into an end. On the way we have completely forgotten the purpose for which the settlements in Judea and Samaria were established in the first place..

I heard the Prime Minister, in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, explain this week to the left-wingers - who control the committee – that the communities are just three and a half percent of Judea and Samaria, and therefore should not be a problem in any future arrangement ..

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Netanyahu, who continues the way of left-wingers who want to dismember the country, responds to everyone's demands.
To the left he is says: the areas of Judea and Samaria will provide for the establishment of a Palestinian state, the majority of the area "clean" of Jewish settlements. We will not allow any extension of the settlements beyond their fences. This technique will determine enemy control of this region.

To the right-wingers, he says: you want natural growth? You will get it, inside the communities, since that is what you want, I'll give you what you ask for sparingly, a tiny drop here, and a tiny drop there.

The result: everybody gets, apparently, what they want.
The right-wing, confused between the objective and the measures, received a few more houses, but on the way they reconciled with the theft of the country. We forgot that the house in Maale Adumim is part of our return to our country regions, and was not established as a housing solution.

Once we turned the housing into the objective, and the land of Israel became the means, we will find housing solutions, but elsewhere, or on towers within the fences of the settlements.

The left, who dreamed of establishing a hostile state and abandoning areas of our homeland, got an excellent contractor named Netanyahu. Once again the left dreams and the Likud makes it happen...

Netanyahu keeps his hands spotlessly clean: he will not remove communities.  He is just choking them slowly and systematically. Losing our way makes him smile. . Let us see, he thinks to himself, how long the people will hold out being fenced in, when all around them the "vision of a Palestinian state" will be set up on 96% of the area.

The only ones who stand in his way are the hilltop youth, who do not seek more grace of "natural growth". The outpost undertaking means that this country, all inclusive, is ours. Definition of small towns mark limited territory open to liquidation; on the other hand, taking over the hilltops makes a clear statement to everyone: : we're the owners in this country, without restrictive fences or construction freezes.

16 Drops of Wine

In the Passover Haggadah there is a section where one dips their finger into their cup of wine and dabs a bit of wine onto their plate. They do this 16 times. The process begins after the words "I will do miracles in heaven and on earth." We then say the words דם ואשׁ ותימרות עשׁן, "Blood and Fire and Pillars of Smoke." Everything we recite from the Haggadah until we wash and eat deals with our exodus from Egypt (our first redemption). Everything that is, except for this one verse. "Blood and Fire and Pillars of Smoke" do not deal with the happenings in Egypt. It is a verse from the prophet Joel 3(3)and deals with events that will occur (or have occurred already) at the end of days. Sure it can be argued that Blood was prevalent in Egypt. Blood was indeed the first plague. And fire was part of the hail that contained both water and fire in a miraculous fashion. But most commentators agree that this verse, strangely included here, deals with our final redemption. But why here? Perhaps its inclusion hints that just as our first redemption was filled with plagues upon our enemies in a miraculous manner, Hashem will do the same at the time of our final redemption.
Or it can be argued that these events might have already happened and simply signal a timeline. For instance, the Holocaust surely had Blood, and Fire with Pillars of Smoke in their destructive ovens of death. When the darkness cleared, the world learned what really happened in the camps and across the villages in Europe. For just a brief moment of time the nations felt sorry for the Jews, allowing The State of Israel to be reborn. This was the start of the redemption process, for how can you have a redemption without an Israel? And then on 9/11 there was plenty of Blood, Fire and Pillars of Smoke that rose for weeks after. This signaled the beginning of the end of days. The 9/11 events resulted in the unexplained, strange response by President Bush. Despite the fact that 15 of the 19 terrorists responsible for the attack came from Saudi Arabia, no action against that nation was even thought of. After all the Bush family had a close relationship with the Saudi ruling family. So Bush went after an easy target. He decided to invade Iraq declaring that Saddam Hussein was evil and that he had weapons of mass destruction. Saddam's family had no involvement with the 9/11 attacks and either never possessed or hid the suspected weapons. Meanwhile the mastermind of the attacks Osama bin Laden was never close to being killed or captured. The world grew tired of the war in Iraq and when Bush's term was over the international approval rating for his foreign policies was less than 20%. This massive disappoval and distrust of Bush resulted in the unlikely election of an anti-Semitic Demi God named Barack Hussein Obama as America's 44th President. Bush indirectly opened the White House doors for Obama.
So many Jews have wondered and cried about the lateness of the coming of Mashiach. But not until an enemy of the Jewish People, the most powerful man in the world, an Obama, would arise and oppose the Jews, could our Mashiach reveal himself and oppose this force of evil. That time is now. It's no surprise that 80% of the Jews remained in Egypt and did not believe in redemption, and 80% of the current American Jews think Obama is doing a wonderful job as President and truly support him. The verse from Joel 3(3) referred to above is indeed a timeline. But it's more than that. It's a statement from G-d through His prophet as to who will be the focus of his wrath and the subject of His punishing miracles. Let's take a closer look at this entire section of the Haggadah. If you take the values of the first letters of each of the 4 words in דם ואשׁ ותימרות עשׁן, you get 86 which is the value of Hashem's Elokim name. This indicates that just like in Egypt, Hashem will Himself inflict the punishing blows. Then the Haggadah continues with several lines stating that "Another explanation is thus: with a mighty hand, denotes 2 plagues, and with an outstretched arm, 2 more, and with great terror, 2 more, and with instructive signs, 2 more, and with punishing miracles 2 more. These are the 10 plagues which the Holy One Blessed Be He, brought upon the Egyptians in Egypt, and they are as follows." These very words in Hebrew contain 112 letters. This indicates when this will occur, and what will occur, for the atbash of משׁיח, our redeemer, שׁלום, the peace that will follow, and כּושׁ, Cush, the land holding and protecting the Ark of the Covenant, all have an atbash of 112. In addition, as stated in a previous blog, 112 represents the time value of Daniel's famous Time, Times and a half of Time, the angel's response to his inquiry as to when all this will happen. Then the Haggadah lists the 10 plagues that were inflicted on the Egyptians. The value of the first letters of the 11 words making up the 10 plagues add up to 541 and tells us where Hashem's future actions will take place. For 541 is the value of ישׂראל, Israel. Next the Haggadah states that Rabbi Yehuda formed a mnemonic of the Hebrew initials of the 10 plagues. The first letters of the 6 Hebrew words making up this verse equals the value of 327. This tells us who will witness and understand the actions of Hashem. For 327 is the value of העברים, the Hebrews. The Jewish People will see the Hand of G-d close up. Finally, the actual mnemonic of the 10 plagues reveals who will be responsible for these plagues. This will be a person similiar to Pharaoh who witnessed the power of G-d but failed to recognize the severity of these actions. By the time he understood the truth his entire army was destroyed. The gematria of the mnemonic דצך עדשׁ בּאחב is 501, the same value as Barack Hussin Obama in Hebrew. Will he also fail to recognize and acknowlege the power of G-d and risk the safety of his armies and his people? Shemos Rabbah 8(3) states that this mnemonic was inscribed on the staff of Moses. In fact if we take the atbash of the first letters: daled from דם, and the aleph from אשׁ, and the taf from תמרות, we arrive at the same 501 value.
Several verses after the one that states, "blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke," the prophet Joel relays a message from Hashem. "It will be that anyone who calls in the Name of Hashem will escape (these plagues and dangers), for on the mountain of Zion and in Jerusalem there will be refuge." In the next chapter, Joel repeats that, "Hashem will be a shelter for His people." And right near the end of his prophecy, Joel states that "Edom will become a desolate wilderness." American Jews may not like to hear it, but WE live in Edom. America is Edom. When most people read that in the future there will be "blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke," most people imagine a nuclear explosion. That scary thought combined with the prophet's statement that Edom or America will become a desolate wilderness should be enough to give everyone, Jew or non-Jew, religous or non-religous, black or white, republican or democrat, liberal or conservative, a reason to stop and pause and reflect and think about the direction of this once great and blessed nation. It might not be obvious yet, but people are naive not to project our President's attention towards the State of Israel. The innocent lambs appear to be an easy target for the wolf. When Obama takes that first step attacking Israel with his mouth and troops, and attacks G-d in his heart, there will be blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. Indeed, there will be wonders in the heavens and on earth. And then, each Jew remaining in Edom will have the most important decision to make in their lives. Do they side with Obama and America or with Hashem and Israel? There will be no room for hesitation or a middle ground.

George Soros - J Street...

If Rabbi Meir Kahane were still alive, I would easily be an avid supporter.
If his movement were alive....
Rabbi Kahane defended Jews and advocated expelling the Arabs.

As a Jew, I have a portion in Israel whether I live there or not.
As Secular and intermarried Jews, I question J Streets interest and can only assume they are driven either by Arab Oil money or guilt.

If J Street had no answer in the ME and decided that peace at any cost is what they want, why don't they get the Arabs to capitulate?

We all know all of the arguments as well as I. What possible justification can J Street have for not taking a Pro Israel position and simply becoming being "pro peace"?

Sounds like Peace now to me.

All they want now is a 2 State solution. Sounds like the final solution...the sequel to me!

When will these Secular's stand up and defend Israel as their heritage and portion?
Or at least just get out of the way and stop embarrassing the rest of us?
Perhaps they have simply forsaken her?

B*H*

Open Letter to Defense Minister Barak: Do Not Negotiate My Release

An open letter to Defense Minister Barak: Do not negotiate my release

To the Defense Minister of the State of Israel
Mr. Ehud Barak

Re: Instructions not to conduct negotiations for my release if I am taken captive

 As an Israeli citizen, as a soldier and a reserve officer, I hereby instruct you that if, God forbid, I am ever kidnapped or taken captive by Arab terror organizations, no negotiations should be conducted to secure my release. This order is the product of a sound mind. The reasons for this instruction are as follows:




A. Twenty-five years ago, Israeli agent Jonathan Pollard took shelter from his pursuers inside the Israeli Embassy in Washington. In accordance with an order issued by the Shamir government, then-Israeli Ambassador Elyakim Rubinstein handed him directly over to US federal authorities. Since then and to this day, Jonathan has been imprisoned under disgraceful conditions. He has never had even a short vacation outside the prison walls. His health is dangerously deteriorating. Israel - for whom and in whose name Jonathan sacrificed his life, did and continues to do everything possible to ensure that Jonathan will remain in prison and die there. Despite the biting betrayal that he experienced, every time that the media raises the possibility that Jonathan will be exchanged for one arch-murderer or another, Pollard hurriedly announces his opposition to this type of swap. It is incumbent on every Israeli citizen to understand - as a free person -what our betrayed hero understands from his jail cell. We must not buy liberty for an individual in exchange for endangering the lives of the public and encouraging additional abductions.

B. After a number of visits to his prison cell I understood that in the 25 years of continued betrayal of Jonathan, Israel's government has lost the moral foundation in the name of which it sends its sons to endanger themselves and in the power of which it can also bring them home. In fact, since the betrayal of Jonathan and until this very day, Israel has not brought one captive soldier home alive.

C. The Israeli government has refrained from carrying out the simple and most obvious actions for Gilad Shalit's release. Hamas, which at first avoided admitting that it was the kidnapper, quickly understood that Israel's leaders would not endanger themselves with international arrest warrants and is no longer afraid to claim full responsibility for this act. Its thousands of detainees in Israel are getting the royal treatment and enjoy conditions no Israeli detainee can even dream of.

As a first step, Israel should have compared the arrest conditions of Hamas prisoners to those of Shalit. No visits, no information, no sunlight. All Hamas leaders should have become the targets of kidnappings and assassinations. The entire supply of money, weapons, cement, fuel and electricity from Israel to Gaza should have stopped. These basic actions, and many others which could have led to Shalit's swift release, are not being carried out because the Israeli leadership fears its own fate. The only way that Israel's leaders can please both Israeli mothers and the world is to surrender and dispatch thousands of murderers to our doorsteps.

D. Clearly, the loss of vision and leadership that engenders these wholesale releases greatly encourages our enemies. The wave of terror and kidnappings that broke out following the release of thousands of terrorists does not fit what we had known in the past by any standard. "I couldn't look the mothers in the eye," said Defense Minister Yitzchak Rabin and signed the prisoner swap with the Jibril terror organization. This exchange led directly to the first intifada. This led to a mass release of terrorists in the Oslo Accord and to the suicide bomber rage that followed on its heels. The State of Israel has sunk itself inside fences and guards, but this is nothing more than a pain killer for spreading cancer.

No fence can stop rockets. The weakness of the Israeli leadership in the face of terror organizations has been well internalized by a distant and much more dangerous circle of enemy states. Why should Iran's leader be afraid if the Hamas leaders feel safe?

E. "I see Israel as a state of all its citizens," explained the most influential Israeli of this generation, former Chief Justice Aharon Barak. Israel, fleeing from its Jewish identity, has pulled the carpet out from under the moral foundation of its very existence and right to send soldiers into battle. If not for a Jewish state, then what are we doing here? Why should we send our sons to the army and not to Australia?

The inevitable result of loss of Jewish vision is loss of our ability to conduct any sort of political program. When there is no strategic goal, there cannot be tactical policies. As a result, Israel will continue to conduct itself according to the caprices of constantly-surfacing international and local pressure and media campaigns.

F. In this situation, the responsible Israeli citizen is faced with one of two choices: One - to come to terms with the process briefly described here and to wait for the coup de grace that will terminate the historic episode called 'The State of Israel'. The other option is that, like in past wars, the simple soldiers will know how to save the state from the failures of its leaders. As such, we, the civilians and the simple soldiers order that no negotiations be held for us.

G. I am pleased to report that both combat officers and soldiers have announced that they will unhesitatingly add their names to this petition. I plan to continue to send you letters from soldiers in the same spirit.

Respectfully,

Moshe Feiglin

America is dying - redemption5768

"America is dying, what a shame for she's so young,
Though no one will admit it, it shows when our song is sung.
Our throats all lack the passion, our fathers had long ago,
Their voices were like thunder, but ours sound like falling snow.
We mumble our great anthem, and glance at our flag's brisk wave,
The words, the land of the free, precede the home of the brave.
How true it is that our land's as free as a breath of air,
Free to rob, mug, loot, and kill, protest and live on welfare.
Free to steal a sweet apple, then smile at the employee,
Tell me why I can't take it? Isn't America free?"

These are the opening lines of a poem that I wrote over 40 years ago when I was in college. I actually wrote the entire poem on the day that Robert F. Kennedy was murdered. It was turbulent times filled with war, civil unrest, distrust of government, and a desire for our voices to be heard. The Vietnam War was raging in full force. It was a war based upon a theory, the Domino Theory. We believed that if we allowed South Vietnam to be taken over by Communist North Vietnam, then the neighboring countries Thailand and Laos would then fall and also become Communist, to be followed by others. One after another they would fall, just like dominoes, and become Communist. We were worried and concerned that this would happen even though we were thousands of miles away. The theory proved to be false and the war resulted in over 55,000 deaths and hundreds of thousands of severe injuries. It also had a great mental impact on every brave soldier that was there. And when these soldiers came home they were shown very little respect, couldn't find jobs, and were looked upon as if they, somehow, were responsible for the war. Many avoided the military draft by fleeing to Canada, sitting in jail, or staying in college as long as they could. Some escaped by becoming very religious suddenly and were deferred as divinity students. But the brave men and women who saw action loved America and risked their very lives and futures for a "cause." The cause was that we must fight Communism even at the risk of giving up our lives. We must do whatever it takes to prevent it from invading and spreading in our nation.
Forty years later, despite lessons from the Vietnam War, as well as the Cold War with Russia, we have placed an unknown man in the White House with close ties to people who are Communists, or who have studied and written about the virtues of Communism and Marxism. Obama has stated on various occassions that America should have a "redistribution of wealth." That is, take from the rich and give it over to the poor. Take from those who have worked and struggled their whole lives and paid huge taxes on the income that they earned and give it over to those who can't work or can't find work or simply don't want to work and have paid little if any taxes in their years. Obama keeps insisting that that is the "moral thing to do." When I was young, the book, "Robin Hood" was banned from the New York City school system because it contained "Communist overtures." That is, it dealt with a small band of thieves who robbed the rich and gave it over to the poor.

Capitalism is the reason America has been the greatest, strongest, richest and most successful country in world history. To replace it with Socialist and Communist ideas would be the "death blow" to America. Communism is not just an "economic system." It is a way of life (and sometimes death). In theory, Communism is a socioeconomic structure and political ideology that promotes the establishment of a classless society based upon common ownership. It seems like we just described a large, modern day "commune." So what could be bad? Historically, Communism has been run by ruthless, coercive governments concerned with the preservation of their own power. In this type of environment, all economic and social activity is controlled by a totalitarian state dominated by a single tyrant or his political party. In the past, it has left behind a trail of blood of those that dared to oppose this ideology. In the United States the very fear of Communism entering our borders has caused aggressive investigations, blacklisting, and the deportation of people suspected of following these ideas. Many famous Americans were put on a blacklist in the early 1950's preventing them from finding employment. Communism creeps up on a nation very quietly as the size of government grows.

We really don't know why our President believes so much in Communism. He is indeed a man of mystery. His college records are frozen so we don't know the courses he took in school. But concern is in order when you see the people that he has surrounded himself with. How could he not be influenced by this "garbage?" These people truly hate America and Capitalism. Was this Obama's secret plan cultivated over the last years? Or is he just ignorant and incompetent? Why does he want to change the total complexion of America so fast? Because he anticipates that his popularity and support will fade and he wants to pass as many bills (filled with unbelievable, destructive laws buried within) while the Democrats have a majority voice. America (pre-Obama) was an indestructible nation. But his fingerprints are all over the very foundation of our dear nation, causing it to begin to crumble. America is indeed dying and it needs your help and support in a last ditch effort to save it. We must put pressure on our representatives in Congress. After all, in theory they are supposed to represent the peoples' wishes not their own. We must vote out of office any Democrat that does not have the guts to oppose Obama's extreme policies. Obama's weakness is that he cannot handle criticsm. He wants to hear everyone tell him what a great job he is doing. That is what he only heard growing up. If we are like passive sheep, the wolf will do whatever he wants. Soon we will wake up one morning and will not recognize America. Band together, speak out, write to your media before Obama controls all media outlets. And most important of all, pray with all your might to Hashem that He protects us from this radical President so that all the efforts of the previous 43 Presidents and 233 years of the hard work of good Americans, like you, are not in vain.

1)Israel 2) America - Status 2009

I see Israel with limited lens and an external, yet Jewish perspective...I see the following:

The suicide attacks have stopped (being successful).


Gilad shalit is still not home.

The world verbal and UN attack (Arabs) on Israel has increased.

Bibi is spinning around trying to satisfy all sides.

The religious right is busy making babies (Thank HaShem).

I only learned of the Katan Kotel this Month.

The Temple Mount is still very restricted.

That Turkey may have really just cut off a large stream of Israeli tourist revenue (like marrying a gentile...eventually you will the dirty Jew).


I see the US with limited lens and an internal, yet Jewish perspective...I see the following:

In the US even Obama supporters are starting to wonder...

The violence in this country seems to be increasing and also the tolerance for it.

The standard of living has begun to widen between the haves and have nots.

40,000 people still die every year in the US largely because of alcohol abuse on the highways.

The abuse of gas continues with no clear picture of the alternative.

The economy is stagnant because there is no movement except in the stock market... which has certainly not translated in Jobs.  No houses or cars sell and they don't need to make more.

More to follow

Avi

G-d's Country

Approximately one thousand years after the destruction of the second temple and Israel's exile from its homeland, deep in the depths of the harsh exile and one thousand years before the beginning of the return to Zion - the great Torah commentator Rashi opens his monumental commentary on the Torah with the question of the ownership of the Land of Israel. What with all the hardships and troubles facing European Jewry at the time, with the Land of Israel but a vague and distant memory, the most pressing problem demanding Rashi's attention is what we will answer the non-Jewish world when it will claim that we are robbers in our own land, usurping its ownership from the local Canaanites.

The Torah should have begun with the first commandment G-d gave to Moses, Rashi quotes his father. Why, then, does the Torah open with the story of creation? His answer may not have seemed relevant then, but it is certainly pertinent today and reads like a current events account. Rashi explains that the Torah opens with the story of creation to establish the fact that G-d created the world. "If the nations of the world say to Israel, 'You are robbers - you have conquered the lands of other nations,' Israel can answer as follows: The entire world belongs to the Holy One, Blessed Be He. He created it and gave it to whom He pleased."

During the Sunday Manhigut Yehudit Sukkot event in Jerusalem, Rabbi Yitzchak Brand gave me a paper with some of his Torah thoughts. "With all due respect to Rashi," Rabbi Brand, head of a large faction of ultra-Orthodox Jews in Manhigut Yehudit begins his presentation, "wouldn't it have been better if we had received the Land of Israel empty of previous residents? Why did the Creator of the world choose to bring us to a land that was already occupied? Why didn't He give us the Land of Israel first - just like he gave France to the French and England to the English? Why do we first have to conquer and then look for excuses?"

Rabbi Brand answers that if we would not have been forced to conquer the Land of Israel, nobody could have accused us of robbery. But then we would not have been able to answer with the irrefutable facts that Rashi points out in his commentary on this week's Torah portion, Genesis. And, after all, the reason for our presence in the Land of Israel is specifically so that we may give this answer. In other words, when the Nation of Israel - the nation that is a living testimony to the existence of the Creator of the world - drives out it enemies and settles the Land of Israel, it essentially declares that there is a higher authority in this world. He created the world and He determines the path that it will take. The only reason that we merit to live in Israel is so that we may proclaim that G-d is King of the World. This is the only way that we can justify our presence here in the eyes of the world.

When I read what Rabbi Brand had written, I remembered a short article that Manhigut member Meyer Goldmintz had sent me. The State of Israel expelled Meyer from his home in Yad Yair, destroyed it and turned the place into an Arab garbage dump. Today, Meyer lives with his family in the settlement of Haresha. In his article he asks a simple question:

How is it that we, the settlers, who have taken the utmost care not to settle lands privately owned by Arabs, who searched for strictly state-owned lands to settle and were sure to distance ourselves from even the slightest hint of robbery of Arab-owned land - are nevertheless constantly accused of robbing Arab lands, while the kibbutzim of the leftist Shomer Hatzair, almost all of which were built on lands that had belonged to Arab villages that were conquered and destroyed in 1948 - are considered bastions of "peace"?
Meyer answers that it is specifically the fact that the settlers are careful not to build on Arab land that has brought about their dismal reputation. Very simply, they (we) have betrayed our mission and cannot give the answer that Rashi gives at the beginning of the Torah.

The leftist kibbutz member, who had ostensibly disassociated himself from the Torah, did not deny the fact that he was a Jew. As a Jew, he drove out the non-Jew living in his land and settled in his place. By doing so, even though he likely did not intend to - our leftist fulfilled the essence of the reason for the return of the Jews to their Land. He showed the world that there is a Creator and that He decides when non-Jews will live in His land and when His children will live in their place. Thus, the borders of Israel in the places from which the Arabs were forcibly expelled are not questioned today. But we, the settlers, who strive to fulfill G-d's commandments - have not yet fulfilled the basic reason for settlement of the Land. On the contrary, we have avoided it. We were careful not to drive the Arabs out - the complete opposite of the sanctification of G-d's Name accomplished by the leftist kibbutzim.

True, it is the State of Israel that decides when and whom to expel - not private people. But we never protested and enthusiastically adopted this approach. Today, we are suffering the consequences of our actions.

Shabbat Shalom,

Moshe Feiglin

Successor to the Nazis

by Prof. Paul Eidelberg
(Israelnationalnews.com) On November 7, 1975, the United Nations endowed the PLO with observer status in the General Assembly. Three days later, the Assembly adopted Resolution 3379 which states that "Zionism is Racism." A profound and deadly irony underlies these resolutions.

Recall that the UN was created in 1945 as a reaction to Nazism, which had precipitated World War II and the Holocaust. However, in 1975, when the PLO was entrenched in the General Assembly, it became the successor to the Nazis. That resolution was a tacit declaration of war against Israel and the Jewish people. The UN opened its doors to the PLO and thereby legitimized a worldwide terrorist organization committed to Israel's destruction.

The PLO should be viewed as the spearhead of the UN. It was only after the PLO was given observer status that one proposed resolution after another, hitherto quashed, was passed condemning Israel and questioning its legitimacy. Since the Arabs could not defeat Israel on the battlefield, they used the PLO and its presence in the UN to defame and destroy the "Zionist entity".

Manhigut Yehudit's Founding Principles: A Reality Check

Just before Passover, 5757    (1997) twelve and a half years ago, the members of Manhigut Yehudit gathered    to formulate the ten founding principles that would be a guiding light for    our movement. At the time, Netanyahu had just begun his first term as prime    minister. Nobody had yet considered joining the Likud. Now, twelve and a    half years later, we can do a reality check and see if Manhigut Yehudit's    founding principles are indeed in harmony with Israeli reality. (Click    here for the full list of Manhigut Yehudit's Founding Principles).

1. From Existence-Based Zionism To Destiny-Based Zionism
Those people who perceive subtleties are in for a pleasant surprise. Israel    has begun to abandon its "existence" claims in favor of previously unheard-of    claims such as "The Holocaust is not the reason for the existence of the    State of Israel." In the past, practically the only place to find a sentence    like that would have been in a Manhigut Yehudit speech or publication. But    little by little, this claim is becoming a plank in Israel's policies.

The Yesha Council leaders demonstrating against the building freeze from    their protest tent in Jerusalem are still afraid to raise their heads above    human-rights claims of natural growth or the tried and true security claims.    Unfortunately, the Yesha Council is still stuck in Existence-Based Zionism.    But in his speech at the United Nations, PM Netanyahu needed to rely on    more than mere existence. From his attack against Holocaust denial he went    on to talk about the inheritance of our forefathers. True, for Netanyahu    Jewish destiny is an unknown. Furthermore, his talk of the rightful inheritance    of our forefathers becomes grotesque when in the same breath he offers the    Land of our Forefathers to a non-nation. Nonetheless, the very fact that    the prime minister resorted to a plane beyond Existential Zionism is important    progress. Manhigut Yehudit can rightfully take credit for inserting this    concept into Israel's political lexicon.

2. Jewish Orientation for the State of Israel
Suddenly, everybody is talking about a Jewish state. Suddenly, everybody    notices that our very existence as a Jewish state is not a given. Suddenly,    everybody understands that the question is not if we recognize the need    for a "Palestinian state," but rather if the "Palestinians" and the rest    of the world recognize the legitimacy of and need for the existence of a    Jewish state. After years of attempts to distance the State of Israel from    its Jewish character and after years of attempting to build a state of all    its citizens, the demand to recognize Israel as a Jewish state has become    a fundamental issue - so much so that the fact that the US president said    the magic words "Jewish state" in his speech at the UN was portrayed as    a major achievement.

Netanyahu has appointed former Chief Justice Aharon Barak to pen Israel's    formal response to the Goldstone report. But the former Chief Justice has    only recently declared that he sees Israel as a state of all its citizens.    In other words, he is not interested in a Jewish state. By virtue of that    perspective, he does not have and cannot have an answer to the report that    presents Israel's soldiers as war criminals. What can he possibly say? That    Israel acted within the framework of self-defense for robbers?

But even in this case, we can and should look at the glass that is half    full. Despite the confusion and dissonance, we are witnessing substantial    progress. Not because people necessarily realize how much Manhigut Yehudit    has influenced Israeli society. Simply because Israeli society has begun    to adopt Manhigut Yehudit's Founding Principles and they are seeping deep    into our collective psyche.

Israeli society is in the process of profound change. The only leftists    that remain are those for whom being Left is a business. The vast majority    of Israelis fasted this past Yom Kippur. The artists - the sensitive weathervanes    of societal change - have switched direction and are using their creative    talents to express their connection to Judaism. Manhigut Yehudit did not    create this revolution. But it is certainly a catalyst for this renaissance    and highlights its significance on a national level.

In the short term, it could be that this process will hamper our progress    in the political arena. Suddenly, there is no opponent from the Left because    Meretz, Kadimah and Labor are rapidly losing their significance. Netanyahu's    new mode of public relations may convince many that we have reached our    ultimate goal.

But this is true only in the short term. In the longer term, the process    that we are witnessing with wide-eyed amazement is vital for the changing    of the guard (Founding Principle #5). If, until not long ago, we thought    that the changing of the guard and the establishment of authentic Jewish    leadership for the State of Israel would necessarily be the product of a    head-on collision with the "old guard", the newly developing dialectic may    just save us from this unsavory scenario.

Two-poled Zionism (Left/Right) is slowly being replaced by Zionism informed    by one consciousness - Zionism developing from existence to destiny. This    new form of Zionism is positioned to herald a harmonious state in which    Israeli society as a whole will steadily progress toward the goal of Destiny-Based    Zionism. Clearly, this national consciousness will require leadership hewed    from Jewish foundations and committed to the historic destiny of the Nation    of Israel. In short - Jewish leadership.

This is completely in line with our fifth Founding Principle:

Changing of the Guard
The Zionist consciousness that realized the first stage of the Return to    Zion is incapable of dealing with the problems facing the State of Israel.    It has reached its end. Manhigut Yehudit has deep and genuine appreciation    for Zionism and the dedication of its pioneers. It identifies with their    positive intentions and desires to continue their positive actions. As such,    Manhigut Yehudit strives to create a deep change in the national consciousness    - a fundamental, spiritual and ethical change. A transformation to belief-based    consciousness is the only way to continue the historical process of the    Return to Zion.

May it be G-d's will!