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Olmert's Speech Angers Many, Even in Kadima
"How can it be that the Prime Minister, the leader of our party, talks about a new broad diplomatic plan without even consulting with his own party members?" So say at least two Kadima members.
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Editor: Hillel Fendel
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
7 Kislev 5767
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1. Olmert's Speech Angers Many, Even in Kadima
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By Hillel Fendel
"How can it be that the Prime Minister, the leader of our party, talks about a new broad diplomatic plan without even consulting with his own party members?" So say at least two Kadima members.
| The NFC Hebrew website reports on two Kadima Knesset Members who have scathing criticism for their party leader and Prime Minister. "Because there's a ceasefire for a day and a half, we have to go and promise a Palestinian state and the release of terrorist prisoners?" rails one of them, preferring to remain anonymous.
Another Kadima MK said he categorically opposes Olmert's plan as it was articulated yesterday, noting that other MKs feel the same way.
Olmert said the Arab side must give up its demands for the 'right of return' of millions of Arabs to Israel - but this followed a list of far-reaching Israeli concessions that he offered. The Prime Minister said that in exchange for an end to terrorism, the formation of a Quartet-approved government, and the release of Gilad Shalit, the Palestinian Authority would achieve a contiguous and independent state, the release of "many" terrorists, and the "evacuation of many territories and communities that were established therein."
Arab spokesmen refused Olmert's demand to give up the 'right of return.' Hamas deputy leader Abu Marzouk, based in Damascus, said, "We reject any deal that does not recognize the right of return... The Palestinian people will never give up this sacred right. Our people have been fighting for 58 years to achieve the right of return for all those who were expelled from their homeland."
Hamas spokesman Razi Hamad that Olmert is "trying to bypass the core of the Palestinian cause, namely the right of return for the refugees."
MK Tzvi Hendel, of the National Union party, was disgusted by Olmert's offer to destroy more Jewish communities. "I have no expectations," he said, "from a man who is so devoid of morality that in the middle of a terrorism war, and amidst threats of murderous terrorism from every direction, he is not embarrassed to promise the enemy the expulsion of the residents and the establishment of a terror state."
Hendel said he expects Avigdor Lieberman (Yisrael Beiteinu) and Eli Yishai (Shas) "not to betray their voters, and to immediately quit the Olmert government."
Speaking at a memorial to David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime minister, Olmert said he believes Ben-Gurion would have supported his plan - but MK Gilad Erdan of the Likud said it is more likely that Ben-Gurion is actually turning over in his grave "at the military and diplomatic blindness shown by the Prime Minister."
MK Erdan said that Olmert "continues to ignore the warnings of the security leaders, choosing instead to deal with withdrawals and retreats instead of strengthening Israel's strength and deterrence power."
MK Yuval Shteinitz (Likud), a former Chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, condemned Olmert for offering to make an agreement with a group that has broken all agreements in the past. "The speech symbolizes the end of Israel's determination to fight terrorism," said Shteinitz, a former left-wing professor. "Olmert promises land to Hamas, which has murderously violated all the previous agreements and truces without changing its principles and charter."
On the other hand, far-left Meretz MK Chaim Oron said, "Finally, the mantra that 'we have no partner' has been replaced. The Government of Israel must act to strengthen the PA's national unity government that will arise and conduct a real dialogue towards a permanent arrangement that will bring an end to the cycle of bloodshed in our region." Internal PA negotiations for a unity government have been stuck for months.
The Labor Party welcomed Olmert's speech. Faction whip MK Yoram Marciano said, "Labor supports Olmert's diplomatic initiative and peace moves, as they were expressed [in his speech]... In response, the Palestinian Authority must stretch out its arm in peace and lay down its arms in order to create a life of hope and peace between the two nations."
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2. OU Resolves to Help Gush Katif & Differ w/ Gov´t (if Necessary)
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By Hillel Fendel
The Orthodox Union (OU) convention in Jerusalem last week passed at least two significant resolutions - including one enabling the taking of public positions contrary to those of the Israeli gov't.
| Close to 1,000 North American Jews gathered in Jerusalem last week for the OU's 108th Anniversary Biennial Convention. The delegates discussed such issues as military and religious perspectives on Israel’s security challenges; rifts within the Religious-Zionist community; the proper role for Diaspora Jewry in Israel’s decision making; the debate over enacting a constitution for Israel; and more. The convention was addressed by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Opposition Leader Binyamin Netanyahu, and others.
Learning from Errors
Among the resolutions passed was one that appeared to provide a sterling example of learning from mistakes and rectifying them.
In its convention two years ago, the OU did not take a strong stand against the Disengagement plan, to the consternation of many of its constituents in Israel and the U.S. Instead, the OU sufficed with a statement that it is "deeply aware that questions of Israeli foreign policy and domestic security are best left to the citizens of Israel and the State of Israel’s democratically elected institutions."
The OU resolved at the time only "to continue to mobilize public and communal support for a secure State of Israel, while sharing, sensitively and with due discretion, the full range of our constituents’ views on divisive issues with appropriate representatives of the Israeli and American governments."
This, despite what the OU called "the profound identification that so many in our community feel with the plight of Jews who face removal from their homes in areas that resonate in Jewish history, and where their presence was encouraged and supported by the State of Israel."
(It is of interest to note that several months later, in the summer of 2005, the OU did take a stand in demanding that Attorney General Menachem Mazuz protect citizens' right to protest against the expulsion plan.)
At last week's convention, however, the tone was very different than that of two years ago. Many speakers spoke of the "tragedy" and "fiasco" of the Disengagement plan, and of the OU's failure in not speaking out against it. As such, the following resolution was passed: "The Orthodox Union, in exceptional circumstances, may take public positions contrary to those of the Government of Israel. Such action shall be taken upon approval by the Board of Directors of the Executive Committee."
The resolution, though accompanied by intense debate, was passed by what participants called a "very healthy" margin.
One leading delegate, Rabbi Yehoshua S. Hecht, the President of the Rabbinical Council of Connecticut, told Arutz-7, "This is a radical departure from previous OU policy. One speaker even compared our silence two years ago to that of Stephen Wise before the Holocaust. But there is now a different generation - people who are media-savvy, who read Arutz-7 and know what is going on and can come to their own decisions. The rank-and-file want to see a leadership that is more independent."
"The OU has very good relationships with and access to Israeli government officials," another delegate said, "but it was felt that this must not come at the expense of our constituents in Israel."
Standing With the Expellees
Another resolution passed by the OU - this one unanimously - called for continuing aid to the evacuees from Gush Katif and northern Shomron. It is a call "not to 'stand by your brother's blood,'" one delegate said.
The resolution calls upon the OU's constituent communities to provide financial aid for a host of programs and causes designed to help the evacuees. In addition, "the OU shall continue to advocate, in the Jewish umbrella organizations in which we sit, to raise awareness regarding [the evacuees'] plight and seek necessary support for them."
Regarding the Israeli government, the OU resolved to "advocate in its meetings with Israeli government officials for the full compensation and rehabilitation of the Gaza and Northern Shomron evacuees, requesting that the [government declare this] a national mission of appropriate priority."
The OU specified that the government should "allow for appropriate flexibility in the Compensation Law to provide the necessary compensation for property, housing, farms and businesses... [and] encourage the preservation of communal ties and [provide] support to rejuvenate their once-rich communal lives, and work to addresses the alienation [felt] by the youth... and continue to provide services until they have sufficiently settled in permanent dwellings."
As a sign of the enthusiasm with which this resolution was accepted, one delegate pledged a sum of several thousand dollars towards the work that the OU is already carrying out in Nitzan. Several hundred former Gush Katif families live in temporary dwellings in Nitzan, just north of Ashkelon, rendering it the largest concentration of such families in the country.
Rafi Ibn-Denan of Jerusalem, who coordinates the OU's youth work in Nitzan, explained to Arutz-7, "We have a variety of programs in Nitzan, most of which deal with youth at risk - a problem that was barely known in Gush Katif, but has now become more prevalent among that population. There is a problem of school drop-outs and youths simply not showing up to class - what we called 'camouflaged drop-outs.' We have been operating a mo'adon [club, meeting group] for about a year already..."
" When we talk of youth at risk," Ibn-Denan said, "there are several levels of risk, and we first try to deal with those in the most immediate danger. With more resources, we can offer help to those on the next levels, etc."
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A New CD Lights from the Darkness
The wonderful people that were expelled from their homes taught us something new - in their darkest hour - they sang! The Disk includes a video of the last days and 12 songs which were sung in the Batei Knesset in Gush Katif.
Buy Now at the Arutz Sheva Mall
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3. 1,400 Terrorists for Gilad Shalit?
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By Hillel Fendel
Reports of an imminent prisoner-exchange deal are once again in the air. This time, they speak of up to 1,400 Arab terrorist prisoners going free in three stages, in return for Gilad Shalit.
| Egypt's Minister of Intelligence, Omar Suleimon, is scheduled to arrive in Israel within the next two days to finalize the details of the agreement. Egypt figures heavily in the deal: the abducted soldier Gilad Shalit is scheduled to be transferred to that country, and from there to Israel, as part of the deal.
The agreement under consideration stipulates the following three steps: An unknown number of Palestinian terrorists currently incarcerated in Israel for various crimes will be set free, immediately after which Corp. Shalit is to be transferred to Egypt. A second group of terrorists will then be freed, followed by Shalit's return to Israel. In the third stage, Israel will free a final group of terrorists.
Just yesterday, speaking at a memorial to David Ben-Gurion in Sde Boker, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert implied that terrorists would be freed only after the kidnapped soldier is returned home. "I hereby declare," he said, "that when Gilad Shalit is released and returned to his family, safe and sound, the Government of Israel will be willing to release many Palestinian prisoners – including ones who were sentenced to lengthy prison terms – in order to increase the trust between us and prove that our hand is truly extended in genuine peace."
That the agreement is reportedly close to fruition is due to a phone call between Olmert and Abu Mazen, an understanding between Abu Mazen and Hamas leader Ismail Haniye, and the fragile truce in Gaza reached this week between Hamas and Israel. However, similar agreements have reportedly been "nearly ready" several times in the past as well, yet did not materialize.
The identities of the terrorists to be freed are not yet known, nor whether Israel has agreed to the incessant PA demands to free convicted murderer Marwan Barghouti and the killers of Government Minister and former IDF General Rehavam Ze'evi.
The question of releasing hundreds of terrorists in exchange for kidnapped Israelis has long been a controversial one in Israel. IDF historian Meir Pa'il totally dismisses the theory that if Israel gives in to Hamas demands, terrorists will kidnap more Israelis. "It's important for every soldier and Israeli to know," Pa'il said, "that if he is taken captive, we'll do everything to redeem him."
Col. (ret.) Meir Indor of the Almagor Terror Victims Association retorts, "That's important, but it's also important for every soldier and every Israeli to know that he won't be the next candidate for kidnapping. The kidnappers must be dealt with forcefully."
Family members of Shalit, as well as those of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev - two soldiers who were kidnapped by Hizbullah 4.5 months ago into Lebanon - have departed for Europe to lobby for their sons' release - or at least an initial sign that they are alive. No sign of life has been received from any of the three. The families will hold a public demonstration outside the European Parliament in Brussels, together with thousands of European Jews, on Wednesday.
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4. PA Legislator on Ceasefire: ‘This Can Work’
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By Hana Levi Julian
Palestinian Authority legislator Saeb Erekat condemned a Kassam rocket attack launched at Israel by terrorists in northern Gaza on Monday.
| Erekat, a senior aide to PA Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, said it was crucial for the fragile ceasefire between Israel and the PA to be upheld, and acknowledged that not all the PA terrorists had kept their end of the deal. He asked Israelis to have patience despite the violations of the truce, which went into effect at 6:00 a.m. Sunday.
Within hours after the ceasefire began, five rockets were fired at the western Negev, most slamming into city of Sderot. Monday’s attack was also aimed at Sderot, a community which has been the target of close to 2,000 Kassam rockets over the past year.
“I admit there were Palestinian violations,” Erekat said in an interview with Channel 2 Television, [and] let me condemn them.” The former negotiator at peace talks with Israel in past years said the process of enforcing the ceasefire might be difficult, but is essential for quiet in the region.
“I know how much trust you have in us, but what other road do we have? This can work, and I believe we have to make it work,” he said.
Erekat was not the only non-Israeli concerned about the terrorist violations. Israel Radio reported that outgoing United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan also expressed concern over the threats to the shaky truce.
Arab MKs have also called upon the Gaza terrorists to respect the ceasefire, while at the same time blaming the Israeli "occupation" as the root of all evil.
Within the Jewish State, Israel Defense Forces officers are particularly concerned that the ceasefire time may be used by terrorists as a lull in which they can re-arm and increase its training activities.
Similar tactics were used by Hizbullah guerilla fighters in the six years following Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon, resulting in a five-week war this summer that left hundreds dead and thousands injured on both sides.
Two IDF reservists, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, were kidnapped by Hizbullah terrorists at the outset of the war. Their condition and whereabouts remain unknown.
Two weeks earlier, Hamas terrorists operating from Gaza kidnapped an IDF soldier in a cross-border raid on an army outpost near the Kerem Shalom border crossing. The whereabouts and condition of the officer, Gilad Shalit, are also unknown.
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5. The Jerusalem Talmud: A New Edition
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By Hana Levi Julian and Hillel Fendel
A new edition of the Jerusalem Talmud has been published with an index that meets the needs of the most rigorous researcher and allows the layman to become almost as knowledgeable.
| The new one-volume edition of the ancient sacred text includes seven new indices, including a subject index of some 27,000 entries covering topics such as labor laws, insurance, prison, abortion, kidnapping and righteous gentiles. Another index covers some 6,000 Biblical verses.
“In this way, the Jerusalem Talmud has become an open book for sages, researchers, Rabbis and ordinary laypeople, who are now able to explore in depth any subject which interests them,” said attorney Zvi Preisler, co-editor of the new edition together with Rabbi Shmuel Havlin.
The new volume's introduction explains, "The Jerusalem Talmud is the Land-of-Israel version of the six orders of the Mishnah - the distillation of all that the Land of Israel sages reflected upon and taught in the approximately 200 years after the codification of the Mishnah."
A team of Talmudic scholars examined the entire Jerusalem Talmud for seven years, Preisler said, in order to create the comprehensive indexes.
“Even in the age of the internet, in which it is possible to find every word of the Holy Scriptures through a database search, there is a great advantage to an index of this kind,” commented the editors.
The Talmud is comprised of the Oral Law, known as the Mishnah, and a collection of discussions and rabbinic interpretations of the Law, known as the Gemara. The Mishna and Gemara together complete the Talmud - of which there are two.
The Jerusalem Talmud, written in both Hebrew and Aramaic, predates by some 200 years the Babylonian Talmud, which the Sages wrote after the Jewish exile from the Land of Israel.
"As is well-known," the introduction states, "the Jerusalem Talmud was outshadowed over the course of many generations by the Babylonian Talmud, and was not even available to many of the early Sages - yet redemption has finally been achieved for the Jerusalem Talmud with the publication of a modern and precise edition of the entire work."
The new edition of the Jerusalem Talmud is published by Ketuvim Publishers of Jerusalem, which can be emailed at "ketuvim@bezeqint.net".
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6. Veteran Singer Releases Music Video
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By Benyamin Bresky
Veteran Jewish singer Avraham Fried is branching out into new territory
with a professionally produced, slick music video that is clean and yet meets industry standards still rare in Jewish music.
| Avraham Fried, who composed the medley and words for the song, also co-produced and acted in the video which is contained in his latest CD. Light touches of computer animation and special effects are also featured, such as the letters on a page of Gemara flying off into the air. The video was produced by JewishFilms.com.
"It was a lot of work, acting and editing," said Fried in an interview with “The Beat” on Israel National Radio, "but people are enjoying it and that's the bottom line." Fried commented that even children are enjoying the slow, but inspiring song, entitled Father Don't Cry.
"Kids like bouncy songs. This is a very heavy ballad, and many kids are singing it word for word. People are being touched by it, and that's the idea," said Fried.
The rest of Fried's new album, entitled Bein Kach U’Bein Kach, is a mix of fast-paced dance tunes with some other slow ballads, typical of past Fried albums, including blasts of horns and a call and response chorus with plenty of 'ai yai yais'. "I call it Chassidish," said Fried of his genre. "Tanz music at the weddings. Chassidic dance songs. Good energy."
The lyrics are a mix of self-penned words and verses from the Gemara, Psalms and other Jewish sources in Hebrew, Yiddish and English.
Fried is proud of his mixing of modern technology with a traditional sound. "I'm a very strong proponent of keeping the music with a Yiddishe tam (flavor). Even though we're looking for new ideas and trying to be hip and cool, I think once we start losing the Yiddishe tam, then we lose our focus and the reason why we're doing this."
Fried's albums are diverse, but always within a certain structure. For example, his new album incorporates Israeli-style Mizrachi sounds on some tracks, electric guitars or synthesizers on others. But rather than perform in a different style, he incorporates different sounds into his already existing structure.
Another unique sound is the energetic opening track that incorporates a klezmer clarinet performed by Israeli jazz musician Daniel Zamir. Other albums have focused on Yiddish classic and traditional Chassidic niggunim (melodies without words) and cantorial music.
Avraham Fried began his career 26 years ago as one of the first mass-marketed musicians for a Jewish audience. "The technology was different," he told The Beat. "The arrangers were different. We were like a brand new baby looking around saying, 'What's this all about?' We weren't so sophisticated or up-to-date with the latest technology or sound. I think 26 years later, even to the untrained ear, you can hear that the quality has improved tremendously. It's more slick and professional and fresh. And that's a good thing."
Fried grew up in a traditional Chassidic family in Brooklyn, New York. "I learned to sing at my parents’ Shabbos table," he said. "I was blessed with a good voice." Encouragement from the Lubavitcher Rebbe led him to take up a music career at the age of 20, "and then the offers started rolling in for concerts and recording."
Growing up, his musical influences included Ben-Zion Shenker, Yom Tov Erlich, Shlomo Carlebach and David Werdyger. He commented that at the time, albums by these singers were amongst the only Jewish recorded music available. "I want to teach my kids the songs that I grew up with," commented Fried. "I guess I'm living in the past a little bit."
Fried said he is excited about the future of Jewish music. Before the release of his album, he posted a sample of the “Father Don't Cry” video on the internet, created a blog and now sells CDs online as well. Although these things didn't exist when he began his career, he has excelled at incorporating them.
When asked about the possibility of a Jewish MTV, he commented, "Sure, why not? We'll call it Moshiach Television - MTV. I'm not sure how long it will take. We're usually light years behind. But I think this new video clip will introduce a new dimension. More singers will do it now. I think it's wonderful. If you can see and hear, why not use all of the senses?"
"The danger is," continued Fried, "if you try to get too much with the times, and try and imitate the goyishe sounds, you're putting yourself into a dangerous situation. The challenge now is to be fresh and to be creative but still not to lose the focus that this is Jewish music, and that it's meant to inspire and to give chizzuk (strength). I think the combination of the two works wonderfully -- if you keep those two things in mind."
To hear audio excerpts of this interview, click here.
Benyamin Bresky is an audio technician and music journalist living in Jerusalem. He is the host of The Beat on Israel National Radio and maintains a music journal at http://israelbeat.blogspot.com.
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7. A7Radio: Making Your Activist Dream a Reality
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A7 Radio's "Jewish Campus Radio" with Ze'ev Orenstein and Yehuda HaKohen
|  How to use XML?
Adina Kozak starts an all-women dance troop, and gets her university to teach dance as well.
Bringing Aliyah to campus and using your time to inspire Jews.
Also: Lee Kaplan fights the ISM and infiltrates pro-Arab forces on campus.
Listen Now -or- Download
For more A7 Radio visit www.IsraelNationalRadio.com.
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Wide Range of Judaica Items
In www.mirrys-artglass.com you will see a wide range of judaica ( mezzuzot ; menoras; kiddush cups; havdalla sets; choshen;) and other items made from glass and copper with a silver or gold plated finish.
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IDF commanders unhappy with ceasefire
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The OU Steps Forward
The OU adopted two groundbreaking resolutions last Saturday night in Jerusalem. One included a lengthy discussion of Judea and Samaria, and concluded by resolving, "The Orthodox Union may, in exceptional circumstances, take public positions contrary to those of the Government of Israel."
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The Honored Honoree
There were so many speakers, and each with profound thoughts, that I do not want to dwell on any one topic. The problems are immense. The question that we have to answer is: How do we handle it?
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Do You Care for the Homeless?
I am a strong believer in the value of charity. But I can't see how it is important to give money to a shule. There are homeless people and starving children, so why should I give money so people can pray? Isn't that a luxury in comparison?
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Rabbi Kook on Psalm 111: Divinity in the Details
This psalm expresses our wonder at the beauty and splendor of God's works, both in the world of nature and in the Torah. The importance of this praise of God's works is evident in a dispute that took place between Rabbi Abahu, a third-century scholar in Eretz Yisrael, and an unnamed heretic.
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