B.BarNavi Exposed

December 31, 2008

Richard Silverstein's infamous anti-Israel blog, "Tikun Olam" continues, predictably, to attack the State Of Israel for defending itself during this current Gaza conflict. Lil Richard's sidekick, B.BarNavi (a Conservative "convert" to Judaism) made this observation:

Gaza Death Toll: 375 Palestinians, 4 Israelis

On December 30th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
B.BarNavi said:

“And finally, the air force undertook the heroic task of destroying the main prison, which mainly housed Fatah prisoners–who are ostensibly Israel’s ally–and accused collaborators awaiting trial.”

Will Israel finally realize the folly of its actions if Gilad Shalit ends up being killed by an Israeli bomb?

(They’ll probably blame Hamas for using him as a human shield anyway. Responsibility avoided!)


Will B.BarNavi finally realize the folly of his involvement in the far-left anti-Israel camp? Hamas has no intention of releasing Gilad Shalit. Has "Noah" correctly observed:

1-Hamas (ימח שמם) wants to hurt Israel by keeping his fate ambiguous. He is another Ron Arad. The only weapon they have is to kidnap soldiers and use them to black mail Israel.
2-Kidnapping a Jew, according to Rashi's commentary on the Torah is the actual meaning of the prohibition against stealing. This prohibition is punishable by death.
3-Sderot and the surrounding areas have been bombed by Hamas for years now. Why don't you criticize Hamas for having perpetrated these crimes against your "fellow Jews?"

It seems that you are condoning attacks against Jews. This leads one to think that you see Jews as an adversaries.

Bradley Burston: Huh?

_{Last update - 10:23 08/12/2008}

Hebron, Feiglin, and the self-hating Jews of the right

_{By Bradley Burston}

You know them. These people who blatantly, instinctively, inveterately trash Israel. These people who miss no opportunity to brand IDF soldiers as Nazis. Who accuse the Shin Bet of human rights violations and defense officials of collective punishment. People who will tell everyone, anyone who will listen - Western journalists in particular - that the government of Israel is committing war crimes.
There's no escaping them. The world over, there are activists, Jewish activists, many of them rabbis, who go out of their way to toast them, host them, butter them up, bed them down, fund them, fete them, flack for them, hang on, bask in and benefit from their every curse against the elected government of the Jewish state.
Chances are, you've had it with them. They will stop at nothing to proclaim, demonstrate and prove - to themselves, at least - that they and they alone hold the moral torch of the otherwise bourgeois, corrupted, indifferent, or ideologically banrupt Jewish people.
They are, in that sense and others, classic self-hating Jews. They are ashamed by Israeli policies and actions. Not in our name, they cry.
They support the Israeli youth who decides to refuse army service. They support the IDF soldier who refuses orders.
Many of them have left Zionism far behind, dismissing it as an obsolete philosophy that is, at present, at odds with Jewish moral values, teaching and tradition. They are post-Zionist, calling the state of Israel the enemy of the Jewish people. They expunge mention of the state of Israel from the Jewish liturgy.
They understand the resort to force, whether against soldiers or civilians, as the imperative of self-defense.
They reserve special contempt for the moderate on their side of the Israeli political spectrum. They hate the American government for standing behind and financing Israeli policy moves, which they denounce as bloodthirsty and genocidal. Many of them hate their own parents, for believing as they believe, but failing to join them on the barricades.
Beginning in the aftermath of the 1967 Six Day War, their court journalists have insisted that the Jewish state has lost its soul, and that only this gutsy, imaginative, indefatigable vanguard has kept the flame, and saved Israel from total and literal ruin.
Ladies and Gentlemen, meet the new self-hating Jew, the New Right, for whom the Torah will come forth from Judea, and the word of God, from Hebron.
In their view, we, the Jewish People, have irrevocably violated our contract with them. And now it is their turn to rip up their contract with us.
In their view, the sins we have sinned against them are beyond counting, beyond pardon. Withdrawal from Sinai, withdrawing from Jericho and Gaza, allowing the return of Arafat, arming the Palestinian Authority, withdrawing from Hebron, withdrawing from Jenin and Nablus and south Lebanon, withdrawing from Amona and Federman's Farm, disengagement, the Clinton Plan, the Bush Vision, the Obama specter.
How curious it is, therefore, that the reaction of pro-settlement militants has been so extreme, as to have had an entirely unintended unifying effect on the Israeli public. In short, nothing since the disengagement has hurt the settlement movement nearly as much as the violence in Hebron. The paskudnyak platoons have given pause even to some of the most consistent apologists for the behavior of Hilltop Youth and other extreme groupings.
Where the boys in the oversize kippot and the overlong tzitit and the quasi-metal mindset and the Shanti/Second Aliya communard lifestyle once played on the sentimentality of the center-left ["they are our children"], the adoption of the dress-code and the ethical values and the methods of Hamas have managed, at long last, to spark a backlash.
Where the girls with the regulation ulpana sleeves and the regulation ulpana skirts and psychedelic shtetl headscarves and the fire-cum-schmaltz of the Revisionist Redux rhetoric once touched the heart of the center-right, the sight of them throwing rocks at soldiers and cursing them as though sailors on shore leave, all the while uttering racist curses at Arabs, has caused once-willing supporters to renege.
This is how it ends, not with the demonstrations of the Israeli left or the boycotts of the Western far-left. What began in Hebron in 1968 is beginning to end in Hebron in 2008. It will be the kids, in the end, who will take the enterprise down - that and the global financial crisis, which will affect crucial supporters like Irwin Moskowitz and others who have long believed that if Israel is unwilling to finance expulsion of Arabs, it is the duty of good Jews in Boca Raton and Brooklyn to do so.
The Likud campaign of Moshe Feiglin, with its more careful rhetoric, but its background strains of transfer and Islam-is-inferior, and retake-the-Temple Mount, suggests the desperation in the bravado of the extreme right. It suggests that the far-right phiolosophy is so isolated that, like a virus, it can only truly grow and reproduce by infecting and thus commandeering a vastly larger host.
The kids somehow sense it too. There is desperation in their actions, the isolation and the sense that a tide may be turning against them.
In Hebron, after all, no one needs a weatherman to see which way the wind blows.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Taming Korach Response:
First of all, I'd like to point out that I show the entire article. I also do not censor responses to my site (albeit the few this early on)-unlike Silverstein's Fourth Reich , where the Self-Hate Fuhrer has to have absolute control over everything and everyone on his site.
The second order of business is-WHO THE HELL IS BRADLEY BURSTON? If anyone has any idea if this is even his real name let ASDL know ASAP! He has a clever formula-he introduces a colorful portrait of both "sides" of the argument. But, this is a guy (or girl) who doesn't have the guts to make up his mind. In spite of his occasional insights, he doesn't himself know which way to turn.

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet the new self-hating Jew,...
Huh? You wanna explain this Bradley? This is one hell of an unexplained idea. Occasionally Lil Richard has a brain fart like this. If you disagree with the settler movement, then okay (most of the world does). But, what the hell does that have to do with being a self-hater? Jewish nationalism is a response to the sniveling likes of Richard Silverstein and the other drooling hootsnik (Jews who live outside of Israel) weenies. Bradford, you sound like a hootsnik weenie who made aliyah last week. But, then again you did the week before that, and before that, ect. When does this end?
How curious it is, therefore, that the reaction of pro-settlement militants has been so extreme,
Huh??? What in G-d's Name is so friggin' curious? How much glue do you sniff when you write these articles? This is no curiosity! The dati-leumi people have been going after hilltops forever. It was old news 10 years ago, man! That is what prompts me to think you came here yesterday. Then you go on to describe the way settlers dress. Nu? So? What is your point jackass? And then you write some crap about heavy metal!? Your article has already lost it's entire point!
desperation in the bravado of the extreme right.
Oh yeah. Now the good stuff. If you are using a pseudo name, then you are talking about yourself here-just put in "confused leftist" instead of "extreme right." If that is your real name-how the hell did you end up with a name like that? Bradley Burston? Bradley, you are busting me up! Are you a Jew? Answer me!

It suggests that the far-right phiolosophy is so isolated that, like a virus, it can only truly grow and reproduce by infecting and thus commandeering a vastly larger host.
You are sniffing glue. Phiolosophy? You mean philosophy? You don't have to know how to spell these days-the computer will correct you automatically. Drugs are involved here. Bradford, on the contrary, the left is getting desperate. People "inside the green line" are getting rocketed regularly. Even your buddies at Meretz agree with me! The upcoming generation has bigger religious numbers and you and your Haskalah cronies are getting desperate to put a cork in the bottle of theocratic Jewish nationalism. Admit it.

Benjamin Weinthal: Does Jewish anti-Semitism exist?

from the Jerusalem Post

Dec. 11, 2008
BENJAMIN WEINTHAL and ALEX FEUERHERDT , THE JERUSALEM POST

Prof. Alvin H. Rosenfeld's 2007 essay "Progressive Jewish Thought and the New Anti-Semitism" triggered an international debate over a largely neglected phenomenon: anti-Zionist Jews who are waging fierce polemical and organizational campaigns against Israel's existence. Many of them employ language that fulfills the criteria of both the European Union's "working definition" of anti-Semitism and the US State Department's definition of contemporary anti-Semitism.

Although such anti-Zionist Jews are a bizarre fringe group in the US, England, Canada and Germany, they are, nonetheless, attracting growing attention from mainstream media because of their support for campaigns to boycott Israel and their comparisons of Israel with Nazi Germany and the former apartheid regime in South Africa.

In his carefully worded manifesto, Rosenfeld, director of the Institute of Jewish Culture and Arts at Indiana University and a leading Holocaust scholar, poses the pressing question: Are these "Progressive Jews" contributing to the new anti-Semitism? Perhaps the most astonishing achievement of his essay is the didactic purpose it serves for a non-Jewish audience. Charges of anti-Semitism and vulgar anti-Zionism among Jews have been written off by non-Jews as an internecine Jewish matter. However, major German and European media outlets, as well as university forums and politicians, which seem unable to resist the temptation to offer a bully pulpit to hard-core anti-Zionist Jews, could benefit from a sober reading of
Rosenfeld's essay. A vicarious need among many German journalists to vent anti-Israeli hostility through anti-Zionist Jews, who inoculate the press from the charge of Jew hatred because of their Jewish backgrounds, helps to explain the staying power of this unsavory phenomenon.

Rosenfeld's essay has been translated into German and his ideas have been discussed, attacked and praised in a number of German newspapers. The ongoing legal dispute between the German-Jewish journalist Henryk M. Broder and Evelyn Hecht-Galinski over whether Hecht-Galinski is a Jewish anti-Semite jolted the German media.The recent release of the media watchdog organization CAMERA's book, Israel's Jewish Defamers: The Media Dimension (2008), which includes a new essay by Rosenfeld, adds more insight into "the Jewish Jew-haters."

Professor Rosenfeld, is there Jewish anti-Semitism? Isn't that a contradiction in terms?

On the face of it, Jewish anti-Semitism does sound like a contradiction in terms, but unfortunately the phenomenon exists and has a long history. Some even claim to find reference to it as far back as the Bible and interpret a verse such as Isaiah 49:17 as an example: "Your destroyers and they that make you waste will come forth from among you." Isaiah was a farsighted prophet, and while I claim no direct line of continuity between ancient and medieval Jewish enemies of the Jews and the people that Henryk M. Broder has rightly been exposing as implacably anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic, some of the parallels are chilling.

Jewish intellectuals like Tony Judt, Noam Chomsky and Alfred Grosser strongly deny being anti-Semites. They claim they are simply formulating severe critiques of Israeli policy that have nothing to do with anti-Semitism. What do you think of that claim?

In and of itself, criticism of Israeli politics and actions need not be anti-Semitic. Like all countries, Israel is far from perfect and should not be exempt from criticism, even sharp criticism. But too often what passes as criticism of Israel is no more than a code term, or rhetorical cover, for what is sometimes transparently a form of verbal aggression - an impassioned denunciation or vilification of the state itself and even its right to continued existence. If one attends carefully to the language of some of the people you name, one finds that it has an edge to it - an extra note of enthusiasm, anger, bitterness: an overwrought quality - that goes well beyond what one normally thinks of as political commentary or criticism. Something perverse is going on here, something that one almost never finds when critics turn their sights on other countries, unless that country happens to be America.

The current legal dispute between Broder and Evelyn Hecht-Galinski, the daughter of Heinz Galinski [former head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany and the Berlin Jewish Community] caused widespread media attention in Germany. Hecht-Galinski equates Israeli policies with Nazi Germany and argues that a "Jewish-Israel lobby with an active network extends around the world and, thanks to America, its power has become great." Do you view Hecht-Galinski's statements as anti-Semitic? And what is her motivation for waging a campaign against Israel in the German media?

I don't know Evelyn Hecht-Galinski, so I have no idea what motivates her. What I do know is that anytime I come across someone who draws links between Israel and Nazi Germany, I become more than just a little uneasy. And when such bogus links are made by commentators within Germany, then it's time to pay special attention and ask what in the world is going on. For these analogies are not only without foundation by the facts of the real world but manifestly foul, clear expressions of bad faith or ill-will.

When such people also allege a concerted effort by a "Jewish" or "Israeli" lobby to exert control around the world, then the game is up. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad just spouted this despicable stuff, which could have been taken right out of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, before a large gathering at the United Nations. Remarkably, he received sustained applause for it. Had they been in this audience, would Hecht-Galinski, Grosser, Judt and Chomsky have joined in the hearty reception for the vicious words of the Iranian president or walked out on him?

I would be heartened to read of their disapproval, but to date have seen nothing by any of them that expresses contempt for this horrific assault. And yet to just let it pass, as if it doesn't matter, is dismaying, and a sign that the most extreme anti-Semitic rhetoric no longer registers as serious or somehow is viewed as acceptable. That's a deeply worrisome development, abetted by some of the aggressive words of anti-Zionist Jewish intellectuals.

When does criticism of Israel become anti-Semitic?

Natan Sharansky's "three Ds" test applies here: Whenever so-called criticism of Israel demonizes or delegitimizes the Jewish state or holds it to a double standard in passing judgment on it, we have crossed a line that distinguishes legitimate criticism from anti-Semitism. There are other measures as well, but Sharansky's are surely apt.

The European Union has had a working definition of Anti-Semitism since 2005. The US State Department's definition mirrors the EU definition. The American historian Jeffrey Herf commented that "the State Department definition is okay, but I would add that the most dangerous form of anti-Semitism accuses Jews of waging wars with the intent to exterminate others. This was the central Nazi accusation and key justification for mass murder. Related to it is the accusation that Jews have seized control of a nation's foreign policy and led it to war against its own national interests. The accusation that an Israel lobby was responsible for the war in Iraq is of that sort." How do you view the definitions? And is Herf's criticism justified?

The EU's working definition is helpful, as is the US State Department's which resembles it closely, but neither is exhaustive. Herf's additions focus on some current, concrete examples that are justified and help to drive home the reality of a resurgent anti-Semitism.

In your essay "Progressive Jewish Thought and the New Anti-Semitism," you write: "The extreme anti-Zionism is not driven by anything remotely like reasoned historical analysis, but rather by a complex tangle of psychological as well as political motives that subvert reason and replace it with something akin to hysteria." What political and psychological motives do you mean?

The political motives behind present-day hostility to Jews and the Jewish state spring from both right-wing and left-wing circles, but on the intellectual level, most of it is situated among people who identify with the Left. To proclaim oneself an anti-Zionist today is to seek validation as a member in good standing of so-called progressive opinion. To my mind, such gestures illustrate nothing much more than the ritualistic aspects of a weak political identity and point up the poverty of much of what passes today as "progressive" thought.

As for the emotional content or psychological motives at work here, that's complex and cannot be adequately covered in a brief interview. Sander Gilman has analyzed some of this complexity in his major study of Jewish self-hatred. Theodor Lessing's earlier study exemplifies as well as clarifies some of the mental/emotional turbulence at play.

In your essay you do not address Jewish self-hatred. Does the phenomenon exist? And if so, how do you asses it?

You are right, I don't deal with Jewish self-hatred in that essay, and not because I am skeptical about its existence. Sadly, it does exist, especially among Jews who are beset by a disturbed or deeply conflicted Jewish identity. Gilman's book is a must-read for anyone who wishes to learn more.

Let me just say this much for now: No one who knows the Jews well would mistake them for being a normal people. They are not. The Jews date back a long time - we are now in the year 5769 - and in different ways see themselves as part of a long, accomplished, but often difficult history. Threatened with total annihilation by Nazi Germany and its allies just the day before yesterday, as Jews count time, some Jews do not want to see themselves or want to be seen by others within this line of descent.

Add to these anxieties and rejections the revival of Jewish national sovereignty in the State of Israel after millennia of national political disenfranchisement, and you can begin to see how complex Jewish identity can be. It is impacted by numerous factors - family, community, country, culture, history - some of which make Jews feel uneasy or inadequate or embarrassed or vulnerable.

One way - not a healthy way - to deal with the tangle of pressures that accompany such a multifaceted identity is to deny it altogether or turn aggressively against it. When that happens, and especially when Jews internalize the external charges against them and adopt the negative stereotypes in which these charges crystallize, you get something like Jewish self-hatred. Most Jews are not afflicted by it, but some are.

According to a 2007 BBC survey, three-quarters of all Germans have a negative opinion of Israel. Surveys show that anti-Semitism is growing steadily in Europe, not least among Muslim immigrants. Against this background, how do Jewish intellectuals come to condemn Israel in such harsh form?

Especially at a time when anti-Semitism is again having a voice in segments of the European public, it's irresponsible for Jewish intellectuals to say some of the extreme things some have been saying. And it's especially objectionable when some of these same people - to name just three: Grosser, Hecht-Galinski and Reuven Moscovitz - regularly attack Israel in the name of Judaism or Jewish ethics or Jewish experience during the Shoah. These critics of Israel need their own critics. I am full of respect for Henryk Broder for taking them on and pointing out how wrongheaded and reckless they can be. More power to him!

Many of the Israel-criticizing Jews claim that Israel's policies toward Palestinians promote anti-Semitism. What is your assessment of that?

If one wants to identify the agents of today's anti-Semitism, one should look to the anti-Semites, not to Israel. How Israel can be justifiably blamed for the desecration of Jewish cemeteries within Europe, or the burning of synagogues, or assaults against individual Jews beats me.

Benjamin Weinthal is The Jerusalem Post correspondent in Germany. Alex Feuerherdt lives in Bonn and writes for the Berlin daily Der Tagesspiegel, the weekly Jewish newspaper Jüdische Allgemeine, and the weekly Jungle World.

This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1228728151848&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Jews of Yemen reportedly to be relocated in wake of deadly attack

w w w . h a a r e t z . c o m
Last update - 12:36 18/12/2008
Jews of Yemen reportedly to be relocated in wake of deadly attack
By Yoav Stern

President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen is planning to relocate Yemen's Jews from the
Amran district and the city of Raidah to the capital, Sana, where each Jewish family will receive a plot of land. The rabbi of the Jewish community, Yehi Yaish, told the independent Yemenite Internet site, News Yemen, that in a meeting with him, the president instructed his security officials to monitor implementation of the Jews' relocation.

Many of Yemen's Jews, some of whom were attacked over the last few days, are uninterested in leaving their country and immigrating to Israel.

Members of the Sana Jewish community have said during recent phone calls to that some do not want to immigrate at this time, while others are assessing their futures in light of the authorities' actions against the Muslim citizens involved in recent attacks against Yemen's Jews.

This past Monday night, two petrol bombs were thrown at the home of Saadia Yaakov. His family has since told friends in Israel that no one was hurt in the incident, which took place in the middle of the night. "We were very afraid at night, but we're all okay," said the mother of the family, while the father vigorously maintained that he does not know who carried out the act and that he has no quarrel with anyone. "I don't know why they threw the petrol bombs and I don't know who threw them," he said. "May God have compassion on us."

The community in Raidah where Moshe Nahari was murdered a few days agois one of the
last two Jewish communities remaining in Yemen. The community is estimated to number
about 270 Jews who live in their own complex in the town. Many of its inhabitants continue to work as silversmiths, a traditional Yemenite-Jewish occupation. It is considered a Jewish occupation because Islam restricts the work of Muslim silversmiths.

Raida, a desert town in the Amran district, around 70 kilometers north of the capital Sana, has a few thousand residents. It has no tourist sites and the central government's control over it is weak. Many residents there carry automatic weapons for protection, including Jews. However, according to Yemenite law, Jews are not permitted to carry the traditional Yemenite knife known as a jambiya, which every Yemenite Muslim man adorns himself with.

For over a year, some 50 Jews have been living in Sana after having been transferred from their hometown to the capital by order of the government in order to protect them from attacks by their Muslim neighbors. In Sana, the government maintains law and order and therefore the Jews there do not face any danger.

One Sana Jews said this week that he does not plan to immigrate to Israel. "They give us everything we need here," he explained. His friend in Israel told Haaretz that members of the community in Yemen think only about day-to-day life and not about their children's future. "How many generations can they hold on for? After all, it is clear that in the end they will immigrate to Israel because the Jewish community in Yemen has no future. Perhaps it will be necessary to bring only their remains to Israel," he said.

Moshe Nahari, the Jewish man killed several days ago in Raida, has still not been buried. His relatives and associates tried to pressure the authorities to allow the body to be brought to Israel for burial, but approval was not granted. Nahari previously lived in Israel, in the Oshiyot neighborhood of Rehovot, but returned to Yemen.

A Muslim resident, a former pilot who demanded that Nahari convert to Islam or leave
Yemen, was reported to have killed him. The Muslim man has been detained since the killing and is awaiting the start of his trial. If he is judged according to Muslim law, he is likely to be sentenced to death.

The Yemenite press reported that there is concern that the continued persecution of Jews by radical Yemenite Muslims will lead to the departure of all Jews from the country. The independent Internet site, Yemen News, reported that Jewish community officials warned of a new Operation Magic Carpet, much like the operation carried out shortly after the establishment of the State of Israel, to evacuate the Jews of Yemen.

Rachel Neuwirth Defeats Silverstein In Court

taken from KapoDickie - an Adventure in Jewish Self-Hatred

Richard Silverstein declared Libeler by California Court - Gets Clobbered by Rachel Neuwirth!

Breaking News:

Little Dickie just lost his diaper in the California Second Appelate Court! He and jihanik-professor Joel Beinin had been sued by the heroic Rachel Neuwirth, best known for successfully suing the gotkes off of the violent hooligan pseudo-rabbi Chaim Seidler Feller in court. She had lost the first round to Dickie and Beinin, but now the appeals court overturned that ruling and found in Neuwirth's favor. The court holds Silverstein to be a pathetic liar, smearster, and libeler!! Little Dickie will be paying valiant Rachel significant amounts in damages!

Dickie had smeared Neuwirth and others as "Kahanist swine" simply because he disagrees with their opinions. Beinin had falsely claimed that Neuwirth had threatened his life.

We have long known that Dickie's pants are on fire, but now a California court has made it official!

The ruling was the unanimous decision of judges Woods, Zelon and Jackson.

UPDATE (3/3/09) The Dickling loses his appeal in California court. Dickie appealed his earlier loss to Neuwirth in the California appeals court and got shot down. For details, go here.

We quote:

'(Signed Unpublished)The judgment in favor of Silverstein and Beinin and order
granting their special motions to strike are reversed. The matter is remanded to
the trial court with instructions to enter a new and different order granting
Silverstein's motion as to the second cause of action only, denying
Silverstein's motion as to the first cause of action and denying Beinin's motion
as to the second cause of action. As to the second cause of action only,
Silverstein is entitled to his costs and attorneys' fees pursuant to section
425.16, subdivision (c). As to the first cause of action agaisnt Silverstein and
the second cause of action against Beinin, Neuwirth is entitled to her costs on
appeal./14 pgs/WZJ.'

Max Nadel-Can an unknown Israeli save the world from ecological disaster?

Last update - 23:19 25/08/2008
Can an unknown Israeli save the world from ecological disaster?
By Georg Hoehne
Tags: renewable energy

Max Nadel has a problem. His problem is that he believes he has the solution to global warming, the fuel crisis and high energy costs. While it would be fair to assume that having such a solution was hardly a problem, for Max Nadel it is - because nobody is listening.

An unemployed Israeli ecologist, Nadel cannot afford to travel to the UN or to meet with leading scientists in the field of renewable energy. He can afford a small room in a rundown apartment building in Tel Aviv and that's about it. He has the answers in his head, but not on a document he could send to the people who are desparate for them.

Nadel's idea is called the TOTEM (total energy modulation) model, an idea he says is as simple as it is brilliant. The premise is that a machine creates energy through steam, heat produced by solar cells, and the cooling liquid used in biogas power plants. (The biogas plant uses organic waste on a small scale to create electricity, drinking water and heat. The water is purified and used to create energy.)
Advertisement
Theoretically, TOTEM could support a small community, making it independent from external power and infrastructure. (Click here for diagram)

Nadel says that this combination of renewable energy can be enriched by all the other forms that people use. This means that TOTEM could be made far more efficient when combined with wind, thermal energy and the energy of rivers and the sea.

As easy as this idea seems, nobody has ever really implemented it. Even so, says Nadel, everything is technically possible, and his system would pay for itself after a few years, especially given rising energy costs.

For Nadel, the combination of the steam machine and green power plants is a revolutionary idea which has not yet been used by anyone else. This, he says, is the key to saving the planet.

He doesn't know exactly how, but Nadel hopes that when his Web site goes live next month, someone will take the idea and run with it.

At 55 years of age, white-haired and unemployed, Nadel is pessismistic, but has an idea and a hope that he could change the world, if only somebody would listen.

Visit Nadel's Web site at: www.nesseq.com

Silverstein Balks

from:
Justin White Threatens Me
Dec 17th, 2008 by Richard Silverstein
I have a strong policy about harassment and threats.
Taming Korach: Yet, Richard, you threaten and harass those who disagree with you (not to mention censor).

it only feeds the trolls
Taming Korach: Is this from Richard’s imaginary world? Trolls? Too many mushrooms and Jethro Tull at Berkeley, Rich?

People have threatened to…recircumcize me,…
Taming Korach: I am not convinced you were circumcised, but I am not one to check!

Orthodox Jewish convert
Taming Korach: What is Orthodox? Is that another label you invented to attack the frum community?

sometimes the worst kind…named Justin White
Taming Korach: Who is the stalker, Richard? Who is the obsessed, deranged nut?

who is not Orthodox as a disgusting imposter
Taming Korach: You are disgusting, but not an impostor. You are a real misguided ego-maniac. You are no fake! I wouldn’t waste my time on a fake.

We all might as well be Arabs as far as he’s concerned (his words, not mine).
Taming Korach: Liar. I have not said this nor would I.

He created a blog whose sole purpose seemed designed to mock me…
Taming Korach: Nonsense. I have posted other articles: you just keep providing fuel for my fire. You are knee-deep in self-defamation. I see it takes more than a גר-צדק to pull you out!

and dared me to read it (which I didn’t).
Taming Korach: If you didn’t read it, then how would you think that the sole purpose was to mock you? Again-you are not telling the truth here and you have caught yourself in a logical inconsistency.

And they are a threat to me.
Taming Korach: You are a threat to yourself. Even other commentators on the page have shown that you are mistaken. Stop twisting the truth. If a man would lie about his own religion, then what else would he be capable of?

it’s perhaps from first hand experience
Taming Korach: Another cheap shot, eh? You lowly toad. We all have issues, lil Richard, but yours trump everyone else’s. When you have a way of life dedicated to attacking your own religion-you have issues.

Some individuals I respect disagree with my response to matters like this as I mentioned above.
Taming Korach: Yet another lie. You often censor those who disagree with you. That is what prompted me to create the ASDL-so that at last those of us who get attacked by wolves in sheep’s’ clothing can defend themselves publicly. You are a sicko Richard. You reveal person info about your fellow Jews with no hesitation. You go after anyone who disagrees with you. I am not sure you are capable of any real repentance.

But I think every example of pathological behavior needs to be answered firmly.
Taming Korach: Yes. Now what about yours? You are a pathological liar (read above) and a pathological self-hater.

If you don’t, you allow unbalanced bullies to think they have an advantage over you.
Taming Korach: Thanks for the street-tough lesson. Ever heard of reverse-psychology? Ever think that I want you to publish my statements against you? You are the child, boy. Every year in Israel is like 7 years in the States-dog years. NOW HEEL!

Silverstein And Yiddish

One of the things I “love” about the Jewish left is their use of Yiddish. While they are spending years of their lives dedicated to attacking Judaism and other Jews, they have to re-assert their “Jewishness” by quoting the language that their grandparents (who were most likely observant) spoke. Then they say anti-Torah things to the masses and use their use of Yiddish terms to justify their “authenticity” as experts in all things Jewish-and to justify their hateful and anti-Torah ideas. Such is the case with the post-Semite Richard Silverstein.

On his anti-Jewish blog,Richard Silverstein states:
Palin ‘Machatenes’ Arrested on Drug Charges
I had this Yiddish flash of intuition: that’s the machatenes (mother-in-law)! In Jewish tradition, the machatonim (the “in-laws”) conjure a lot of images and emotions, some of them funny–but rarely do they involve drug dealing, which made my mental flash even funnier.

Give Generously This Holiday Season: United Settlers of Pogrom, Inc.
I saw this graphic accompanying a Kung Fu Jew post on Jewschool and laughed my kishkes off.

The Anti-Self Defamation League Threatened With Leagal Action

The following letter was sent to Richard Silverstein:

From: Justin White [mailto:eathummus@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 7:50 AM
To: Richard
Subject: Mumbai
Many of you first heard of the Holtzberg family three days ago when news of
the Mumbai hostage situation emerged. I feel compelled to write this letter,
because I want the world to know who Rivky and Gabi Holtzberg were in life
and to tell you what I witnessed of their accomplishments in their brief 28
years on earth. While I am devastated by their death, I am thankful that my
life and so many others were touched by their purity, friendship and spirit.
Before I entered the Chabad house in Mumbai, I thought, “What kind of people
would leave a comfortable and secure life in a religious community to live
in the middle of Mumbai; a dirty, difficult, crowded city?” As I got to know
Rivky and Gabi over the course of this past summer, I understood that G-d
creates some truly special people willing to devote their lives to bettering
the world.
I was first welcomed by Rivky, who had a big smile on her face and her baby
Moishie in her arms. She ushered me and my fellow travelers into the Chabad
house and immediately offered us something to eat and a sofa to rest on. We
quickly became good friends. We bonded with the Holtzberg family and the
staff at Chabad, including Sandra, the heroine who saved baby Moishie’s
life.
Like his parents, Moishe is a sweet, loving, happy baby. He was so attached
to Rivky and Gabi. He got so excited to sing Shabbat Z’mirot (songs) every
Friday night with his father, and I could tell by the light on Gabi’s face
when they were singing together, that he looked forward to it too. It breaks
my heart that I can still hear Moishie’s voice calling, “Ima, Ima, Ima”, and
she will no longer be able to hold him or rock him in her arms.
On my second Shabbat at Chabad, Rivky told me there were two Israeli men
staying at the house who were just released from an Indian prison. When I
saw these men sitting at the dinner table, I was startled. One man had only
a front tooth and a raggedy pony tail, and the other looked like an Israeli
version of Rambo. I observed the way that Gabi interacted with them and how
they were welcomed at the Shabbat table the same way everyone else was, and
my fears melted away. Over the course of the night, I learned that these men
were not the only prisoners or ex-convicts the Holtzberg’s helped. Gabi
frequently brought Kosher meals to Israelis in prison, spent time with them,
listened to their life stories, and took them in after their release.
I realized that Gabi and Rivky’s job was not only to run a Chabad house and
provide warm meals and beds for weary Jewish travelers, it was much greater.
The Holtzberg’s were running a remarkable operation. They took their jobs as
shlichim (emissaries) very seriously. Their lives never stopped. There was
no such thing as “personal space” or “downtime”. The phones rang constantly,
people came in and out like a subway station, and all the while Rivky and
Gabi were calm, smiling, warm, and welcomed everyone like family.
Rivky spent each day cooking dinner with the chefs for 20-40 people, while
Gabi made sure to provide meat for everyone by going to the local markets
and schechting (koshering) them himself. They also provided travelers with
computers for internet access, so that they wouldn’t have to pay for
internet cafes. They even took care of our laundry. Having spent much time
abroad, it was clear to me that Rivky and Gabi were unusual tzadikim
(righteous people).
On my last Shabbat in India , I slept in Rivky and Gabi’s home, the 5th
floor of the Chabad house. I noticed that their apartment was dilapidated
and bare. They had only a sofa, a bookshelf, a bedroom for Moishie, and a
bedroom to sleep in. The paint peeled from the walls, and there were hardly
any decorations. Yet, the guest quarters on the two floors below were
decorated exquisitely, with American-style beds, expansive bathrooms, air
conditioning (a luxury in India ) and marble floors. We called these rooms
our “healing rooms” because life was so difficult in Mumbai during the week.
We knew that when we came to Chabad, Rivky and Gabi would take care of us
just like our parents, and their openness and kindness would rejuvenate us
for the week to come.
The juxtaposition of their home to the guest rooms was just another example
of what selfless, humble people Rivky and Gabi were. They were more
concerned about the comfort of their guests than their own.
The Holtzberg’s Shabbat table was a new experience each week. Backpackers,
businessmen, diplomats and diamond dealers gathered together to connect with
their heritage in an . We always knew we were in for a surprise where an
amazing story would be told, either by Gabi or a guest at the table. For
each meal, Gabi prepared about seven different divrei torah (words of torah)
to share. Though most of them were delivered in Hebrew (and I caught about
25%), his wisdom, knowledge and ability to inspire amazed me. Rivky and Gabi
were accepting of everyone who walked through their doors, and they had no
hidden agendas. Rivky once told me that there was one holiday where they had
no guests. It was just herself, Gabi and Moishie. I expected her to say how
relieved she was not to have guests, but she told me it was, in fact, the
only lonely holiday they ever spent in India .
I remember asking Gabi if he was afraid of potential terror threats.
Although his demeanor was so sweet and gentle, Gabi was also very
strong-minded and determined. He told me simply and sharply that if the
terrorists were to come, “be my guest, because I’m not leaving this place.”
Both he and Rivky believed that their mission in Mumbai was far greater than
any potential terror threats.
Everything Rivky and Gabi did came from their dedication, love and
commitment to the Jewish people and to G-d. I cannot portray in words how
remarkable this couple was. If there is anything practical that I can
suggest in order to elevate their souls, please try to light candles this
Friday night for Shabbat, improve relationships with family members and
friends, try to connect to others the way that Rivky and Gabi did- with
love, acceptance and open arms. There is so much to learn from them. May
their names and influence live on, and inspire us in acts of kindness and
love.
Sincerely,
Hillary
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Richard’s resonse (12-18-08)
If I hear another word from you via e mail, telephone, blog or any other source I will report the email message you sent to me threatening me with “sectioning” to the Seattle Police Department and I will also preserve evidence of every attempt at communication you have made. I will note to them that I consider your last e mail a physical threat. That I am concerned for my safety. I will note that I have demanded that you cease communicating with me via this e mail. I will provide for them every piece of personal contact information, including e mail address and telephone number, I can get so that they may contact you and apprise you of the laws of the State of Washington concerning harassment & stalking. I assure you, since I have been a victim of such threats before, that my police department takes them seriously and follows up on them with the perpetrators.
Take this seriously. This is not a joke.
Richard Silverstein
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Taming Korach’s Response To Silverstein’s Threat:
If I hear another word from you
@Richard: This is in itself a threat. It is very patronizing as well for someone who knows FAR less Torah than I do.
The Mumbai letter I sent is an actual letter sent to me by close friends. The Chabad people here are obviously mourning what went on there. It was sent in the best of intentions. You should know that:
1-I have you recorded on a blog saying that you were willing to talk to me by phone if it was done in a civilized manner. I was civilized and you weren’t.
2-The last email you sent me is a threat. You are challenging me with legal action.
3-You were the one who printed my identity, against my will and plastered it on the internet. You are the one who should be on the defensive. You turned a little tat into a major issue. You reveled in making our feud public. I am certainly no anti-Semite and that will hold up in court for sure.
4-Your blog is a public forum. It is open to the public. I have every right to post my opinions on a public forum, especially when you have callously besmirched my good name.
5-I have EVERY correspondence that I have ever made with you.
6-I have never threatened you physically-stop making up things. This is not your blog (stop twisting the truth), Richard-this is real life! If anything, the things you have said on your site have made YOU liable.
7-I am not in the US, good luck on contacting me here.
8-It is you that have been harassing me. My name can still be found as a search on your website. If you remove EVERY instance of my name appearing on your site, I’ll be satisfied, and assume that you have good intentions. Those include:
Justin White: Red-Neck ‘Baal Teshuva’
Justin White: Jew as Anti-Semite
Justin White Trots Out the Kapo Insult
9-Being a “new” and treasured member of the Jewish community, I have close friends in every strata of society-both in the USA and Israel. That includes lawyers. GOOD lawyers. VERY GOOD lawyers. RENOWN lawyers. If you read #8, that can all be avoided.
חג שמח
JW
____________________________________________________________________________________
Silverstein’s Threat
Have it your way. I’ll be reporting you to the Seattle Police Department tomorrow morning. Expect to hear from them shortly.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Taming Korach
Richard, you have another chance..edit your site. All will be forgiven.
P.S. I have already contacted my lawyer in New York.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Richard Makes Yet Another Joust:
Please do sue me. I’d so enjoy defending a lawsuit by you. I already have a terrific pro bono lawyer who’s successfully defended a lawsuit filed by another cretin like you. When you’re ready, I’ll even give you the address where to file the papers.

Silverstein Gets a Dose Of His Own Medicine

Dec 13, 2008 21:45 | Updated Dec 13, 2008 21:59

The Indian commando raid on Mumbai’s Chabad House.

Jewish Seattle author sparks fury by claiming Chabad attack not anti-Semitic

An American Jewish author sparked a furious war of words on the Internet with British and Israeli opponents of anti-Semitism when he wrote that last month’s terrorist attack on Mumbai’s Chabad House was anti-Israeli and not anti-Semitic.
“Pakistani militants have been known to select prominent foreign targets within Pakistan, as the Mumbai terrorists did [in India] last week,” Seattle-based Richard Silverstein wrote on the Guardian’s “Comment is Free” blog.
“But few, if any, Pakistani militants have been known until now specifically to target Israelis. I say, Israelis rather than Jews because the single surviving terrorist noted that they chose Chabad House to avenge the suffering of the Palestinians. Therefore, the attack was anti-Israeli, though not necessarily anti-Semitic,” he continued.
Silverstein, who has a blog called Tikun Olam and is a contributor to Haaretz, the Forward and the Los Angeles Times, said the terrorists “were seeking redress for crimes against Palestine” as well as “revenge against India over Kashmir.”
He also attacked Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and the Israeli news site Arutz Sheva.
“So Livni and Arutz Sheva need to see the attack as emblems of Muslim perfidy and anti-Semitic hate,” he wrote. “It allows them to either win an election (in Livni’s case) or to argue that Israel must battle to the death with the Palestinians and never give an inch (in Arutz Sheva’s case). That is why we must deny them the opportunity by cutting through the fog of terror and laying bare the essentials of this case.”
Silverstein’s article triggered an immediate and widespread war of words. Posting on the Guardian blog, one of the first protesters, “Lipschitz,” said: “A non-Zionist rabbi and his wife lie dead, but it’s not anti-Semitic because one of the terrorists says they wanted to avenge the suffering of Palestinians?! … You give this wannabe mass-murderer the benefit of your doubt.
“How about I go out and murder a couple of black people because I’m angry with Mugabe? Or Congo? Or Rwanda? Would that be racist? Does that help you to understand the idiocy of your moral bypass? …
“Al-Qaida declares itself to be anti-Semitic. They go out and kill Jews. If you want your local terrorist group to be allowed into the al-Qaida franchise then you have to do likewise. That’s why this group kills Jews.”
A poster named “Geary” posted sarcastic approval, “I agree with Mr. Silverspoon. It was all an entirely justified reaction to the continuing brutal Israeli occupation of Kashmir.”
Alex Stein, an Israeli writer, posted on the Guardian blog: “In the midst of the maudlin clamor for explanation, one thing is clear: The terrorists wanted to kill Jews… And in choosing their target, they also gave the lie to the idea that this was some kind of proportionate response to the oppression of the Palestinians. If that was their agenda, they could have targeted the Israeli Consulate. Instead, they attacked a Jewish communal center and in the process killed a Satmar Hasid, known for its virulent anti-Zionism.”
The case was taken up by two popular British Web sites noted for opposing anti-Semitism, “Engage” and “Harry’s Place.”
Silverstein used his own blog to fight back with an article titled “Mumbai and the Jewish Jihadis.”
“Yes, I know, jihadis are supposed to be Muslim. After all, Islam created the concept. But I’m afraid that it’s somehow rubbed off on many right-wing Jews. They need to see all of Islam arrayed against all of Judaism in a holy war in which we will all fight to the death,” he wrote.
Using a similar tone, Silverstein addressed his detractors in a post on Engage:
“Chew on this, my little Jewish holy warriors,” before linking to an article that quotes the surviving Mumbai terrorist saying they “were sent with a specific mission of targeting Israelis to avenge atrocities on Palestinians.”
Writing on Engage, Israeli analyst and Jerusalem Post blog contributor Petra Marquardt-Bigman said it was important to counter Silverstein as “in addition to trying to claim he is the one to define what’s Jewish-left-progressive, he also tries to define what coexistence between Jews and Muslims requires.”

B.BarNavi: The Adventures Continue

ASDL has been using various aliases on Richard Silverstein anti-Jewish blog. Here are the results when Richard and his sidekick, Barnacle (B.BarNavi) found out!

On December 4th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Richard Silverstein said:

@Justin White: You are one sad puppy Justin. In the comment threads here you assume the real name of a friend, B.Y. (or ‘Devil’s Advocate’ or ‘Red-Hand’ other fake handles) and write comments in his name.

Two MAJOR violations of comment rules there, Justin. So you’re banned. And since I’ve also banned you as Justin White, as soon as I discover any new fake IDs you use you’ll be banned under those as well.
________________________________________________________________________________________
ASDL:
@Richard
Everything you seem to accuse other people of, you are yourself guilty of. You are a fool Richard-add that to your list of faults!
______________________________________________________________________________________
B.BarNavi said: (to ASDL)
“Barnaby”: Instead of being out front with your opinions as yourself, you had to cower behind my own name. Do you have a reason for doing this? Oh wait - we’ll never know because you’ve been BANNINATED. Door, @ss, and way out, and all that.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
On December 9th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
ASDL said:

@B.BarNavi

“Instead of being out front with your opinions as yourself, you had to cower behind my own name.”
Barnacle-you have my email but I don’t hear from you! Who is the coward? Also, how about answering to this:
“Ger Tzedek”-not quite!
“Neo-Sephardi”-what the hell is Neo-Sephardi? If Sefardic Jews in Israel knew you were writing leftist hate in their name, they tear you limb from limb! You are confused!
“Halachically progressive”-Is this the “progressive” way to say you don’t keep Shabbat?

“ultra-messianism”
Did Rabbi Brenda NOT tell you that the messianic idea comes from Judaism? Do you all not believe that mashiach will come? Is mashiach not progressive enough for you?

“our way is the only way”
It appears that, just like your mentor, Richard, you also have the same attitude as those you accuse-not so open-minded as you proclaim to be.

“He and I are worlds apart in terms of ideology.”
I think we are worlds apart in terms of religion.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
from: Truth or Bias: Israel in the media

The U.S. media has no sympathy when it comes to Palestinian casualties of Israeli actions. Often, you hear(and rightly so) of Palestinian bus bombs killing many Israelis, but there's absolutely zero mention of innocent Palestinians dying as a result of Israeli military reaction. Any casualty is simply dismissed as "terrorist," whether this is true or not. As for Israeli incursions into Palestinian residences, there is little to no mention. If there is, the innocent victims of such operations are deemed terrorists.
Barnaby Yeh, Gaithersburg, MD, United States of America

ASDL:
This person sounds like the spokesman for the PLO! Would you believe this guy identifies with the Jewish people? Here we are with the Arabs engaged in a life and death struggle, and someone who has "converted" to Judaism is pleading the case for the Arabs! This is all the fault of the "reform" and "conservative" movements for not sifting out people like this.
______________________________________________________________________________________
In Response to "Justin White Threatens Me"

On December 19th, 2008 at 8:05 am
B.BarNavi said:

A smarter person would have used the word “committed” instead of one with such violent connotations.

ASDL: Wouldn't a smarter person have studied Torah from original sources and not from heretics? Wouldn't a smarter person know not to challenge people who know more than he does? Richard knows exactly what that word means-he is playing games just like you are! If I saw you in person you would be the same coward you are on the internet. You write things about me but never to me. What are you hiding from? Me?

Richard Silverstein Saga: The Convert Strikes Back

full text available at www.richardsilverstein.com
AJCongress Supports Accused Aipac Spy, Rosen and Proposition 8 Anti-Gay Proponent
On November 24th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Taming Korach said:
“American Jews cannot reconcile their loyalties to the U.S. and Israel”
-Richard-don’t you mean YOUR disloyalty to Israel?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
On November 24th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Richard Silverstein said:
@Taming Korach: Oh, so your view of Zionism and Jewish identity calls for you to betray your country if a U.S. government official offers you secret documents which might possibly save the lives of unknown Israelis? Is that the game you’re playing? That my loyalty to my own country means disloyalty to Israel?
Nah, I’m not playing that game. I am loyal to my country while I am also a Zionist. Israel, in my view, does not demand betrayal of my country. Anyone in Israel or here in the U.S. that sees things differently is betraying both this country and a tolerant, diverse & balanced interpretation of Zionism.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
On November 24th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Taming Korach said:
@Richard
Zionism was predicated on the idea that Jews would settle the Land of Israel. Israel’s nation anthem says “A Jewish soul still yearns.” You are hostile towards settlers and you yourself don’t live in Israel! How are you a “Zionist?”
If you could only be a Jew OR an American, which would you choose? I think those of you who identify with the left have apparently conveniently solved their identity crisis’s! Tel Aviv University was built on a Muslim village-how is that “tolerant, diverse & balanced?”
_____________________________________________________________________________________
On November 25th, 2008 at 12:27 am
Richard Silverstein said:
@Taming Korach: Are you really claiming that the 8-9 million Jews who’ve chosen to live in the Diaspora cannot be Zionists? Do you realize how counter-productive such a notion is to Zionism itself? Zionism doesn’t only need Jews to settle in Israel. It needs Jews to support Israel in the Diaspora as well.
And when I say I’m a Zionist, that doesn’t mean I’m not a Diasporist as well. In other words, Jewish identity is a balance bet. these 2 poles. I entirely reject the notion that a Jew must be one or the other but cannot be both.
Being Jewish is not an “either/or” proposition; it is an “and also” proposition.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
On November 25th, 2008 at 6:54 am
Taming Korach said:
@Richard
“Are you really claiming that the 8-9 million Jews who’ve chosen to live in the Diaspora cannot be Zionists?”
-I am claiming that they can be armchair Zionists not Zionists. Zionism is the settlement by Jews of the Land of Israel.
“Do you realize how counter-productive such a notion is to Zionism itself?”
-No. Your notion is counter-productive to Zionism.
“these 2 poles.”
-You mean bi-polar? Is that why so many Jews in the diaspora have an identity crisis?
“I entirely reject the notion that a Jew must be one or the other but cannot be both.”
-Sounds like you choose whatever truth is comfortable to you!
_____________________________________________________________________________________
On November 25th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Richard Silverstein said:
@Taming Korach: Yr definition of Zionism is simply WRONG. Any Jew can be a Zionist as long as they support the State of Israel & believe it plays a major role in Jewish life. That is the definition of Zionism. Zionism SUPPORTS the settlement of Jews in Israel, but to say that Zionism IS the settlement of Jews in the land reduces the movement to a shell of what it actually is.
Diaspora Zionists are not “armchair” Zionists. They are Zionists plain & simply & I resent you claiming that a Diaspora Zionist is less a Zionist than one who settles the land. I simply refuse to recognize or concede yr mangling of Zionism as I know it. You’re welcome to yr own definition. But it outmoded, doctrinaire, & increasingly irrelevant either to the Jewish Diaspora or Israel itself.
No, the identity crisis is actually Israel’s. Will it be a Jewish supremacist society or a democratic one honoring all citizens regardless of ethnicity & religion. That’s a massive identity crisis. Any identity crisis we have is minor in comparison.
you choose whatever truth is comfortable to you!
No, unlike you I see Judaism and Zionism as a continuum, not as a black and white unidimensional entities. Zionism has ALWAYS allowed for & even encouraged the existence of a ZIonist Diaspora. You cannot erase or dismiss this history as hard as you may try.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
On November 26th, 2008 at 2:54 am
Taming Korach said:
@Richard
"Yr definition of Zionism is simply WRONG."
-I don't agree. Anyhow, the proof is in the pudding: the Jewish population in Israel has surpassed that the USA. Assimilation is a major problem that people there are looking away from.
"reduces the movement to a shell of what it actually is."
-Zionism has become reduced to a shell BECAUSE people don't move here! Much of the controversy has to do with population blocks. There aren't enough Jews!
"I resent you claiming that a Diaspora Zionist is less a Zionist than one who settles the land."
-Well, you can be resentful but that is simply the truth! Apparently you don't know what we go through here on a daily basis.
"increasingly irrelevant either to the Jewish Diaspora"
-The Jewish Diaspora is becoming increasingly irrelevant. You can write a capital "D" now-it's becoming a "d" gradually!
"No, the identity crisis is actually Israel’s."
In the past 10 years I have seen countless Jewish kids from USA and other places who have serious issues-mostly self-esteem and lack of Jewish knowledge. Because their parents (people who are your age) refuse to address this, they continue on in the darkness.
"Will it be a Jewish supremacist society or a democratic one"
-This is an issue that all the Jews face: Hellenism. For 2,000 years Jews desired to return to their ancient homeland. In the Amidah, it says to "return our judges as they were at the beginning." This is a reference to Torah judges-NOT democracy. Those who founded the State Of Israel were not religious-neither in knowledge or practice-they were Hellenized Jews-just like most Jews in the world-including Richard. The fact that Judaism has been buried in another philosophy is an indication that what is going on is actually occupation. The Jewish mind is being occupied by a foreign philosophy. It is actually more series than an identity crisis-it's identity theft!
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On November 26th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
Richard Silverstein said:
@Taming Korach:
the Jewish population in Israel has surpassed that the USA.
The Jewish population of the U.S. is not declining, nor is it’s influence in world Jewry. And if the Jewish population of Israel is rising it is largely because of Haredi Jews who have large families. This in turn will turn Israel away from its secular-democratic roots & further distance Israel from the Diaspora.
The fact that you see the Diaspora as irrelevant to Israel indicates how far you, and Zionists like you have come from the original tenets of Zionism. It also indicates the increasing isolation of Israel fr. world Jewry & the world in general. This is a big problem for you & for Israel, though you will deny it forcefully.
Those who founded the State Of Israel were not religious-neither in knowledge or practice-they were Hellenized Jews
Now, you’re starting to sound like the settlers who use precisely this sort of terminology to attempt to smear secular Jews. I am not a Hellenized Jew. I know just as much as you about my tradition & I won’t have you or anyone like you diminish my knowledge or my connection to my tradition. You are on very thin ice in terms of violating my comment rules.
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On November 28th, 2008 at 2:51 am
Taming Korach said:
@Richard
"The Jewish population of the U.S. is not declining, nor is it’s influence in world Jewry."
-on the contrary:

Jerusalem Post: US Jewish population shrinking, aging survey
Oct. 9, 2002
By MELISSA RADLER
NEWYORK The Jewish population in the US has shrunk by more than 5 percent in the past decade and aged by four years, according to the results of the largest study of American Jewry ever conducted.  The 2000-2001 National Jewish Population Survey (NJPS), a portion of which was released yesterday by the United Jewish Communities, found a total US Jewish population of 5.2 million, compared to 5.5 million in 1990. The median age of American Jews increased over the past decade to 41 from 37, and Jewish families were found to have had an average of just 1.8 children below the replacement level of 2.1.

And if the Jewish population of Israel is rising it is largely because of Haredi Jews
-This is correct:

Jerusalem Post:  Birthrate up for Jews, down for Muslims
Judy Siegel-Itzkovich , THE JERUSALEM POST
Nov. 6, 2007
The highest rates are in haredi towns such as Modi'in Illit (Kiryat Sefer) and Betar Illit, with an average of eight children per woman, and in Beduin towns such as Tel Sheva (6.8), Rahat and Arara. The least fertile cities were Ariel (1.7), Kiryat Yam, Tirat Carmel, Kiryat Bialik and Upper Nazareth.

"you see the Diaspora as irrelevant to Israel"
-This is not the case-Jews living outside of Israel are highly relevant. I am claiming that they are making themselves irrelevant by assimilating.
"Israel fr. world Jewry & the world in general"
-Perhaps this is correct, but Jews have always been outsiders, as it says "here is a nation that dwells in isolation." Jews have been on the outside for about 4,000 years, largely because Jews cling to a different set of values than other peoples of the world.
"Now, you’re starting to sound like the settlers..."
-All Jews living in Israel are "settlers." This is a fact. The future for Jews (and non-Jews) in Israel will be determined by expansion into controversial land areas.
-I understood this to be a liberal "pluralistic" forum. I am trying to express a well-rounded view of the situation. Honesty is my only excuse.
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On November 28th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Richard Silverstein said:
@Taming Korach:  Actually, let’s lv. aside numbers & all that other stuff. I’ll make a flat out statement. Israel is becoming less & less important in the context of world Jewry. And the longer it fights the Arabs & engages in bloody mayhem the less world Jewry cares about Israel. Every time a settler goon writes “Mohammed pig” on a mosque wall another Diaspora Jew says: “I’m not going to have anything to do with Israel. A pox on both their houses.” At some pt., Israel could become entirely irrelevant or, has v’halilah, cease to exist.
I am claiming that they are making themselves irrelevant by assimilating.
No, being the outmoded Zionist that you are you believe that merely by existing in the Diaspora that Jews are assimilating. Ergo, the only place that Jews will not assimilate is Israel. The utter fallacy of this statement is that Israel does not make Jews Jews. In fact, many Israelis represent the basest forms of Jewish thought & belief.
The future for Jews (and non-Jews) in Israel will be determined by expansion into controversial land areas
Ah, I didn’t know you were a settler symp. That puts things into pretty good context for my readers. Thanks for letting us know yr true colors.
I am trying to express a well-rounded view of the situation.
Well-rounded? Hardly. Your views are quite conventional, unsurprising & backward thinking in both a Jewish & Zionist context. I wouldn’t disagree that this is a “liberal pluralistic forum.” But yr views surely are not.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
On November 29th, 2008 at 8:34 am
Taming Korach said:
@Richard
"Israel is becoming less & less important in the context of world Jewry."
-The latest and largest census of North American Jewry produced figures that were so astoundingly negative that they "lost the data." Being that Israel is the center of Torah study and that the population and wealth is increasing, I am not sure how your statement is correct or even relevant.
"Every time a settler goon writes “Mohammed pig”"
-This kind of juvenile behavior is certainly not becoming of Jews. However, the Arabs are not innocent either. Mohammad himself tried to convert Jews to Islam unsuccessfully. What about Samir Kuntar who was convicted in an Israeli court for murder of an Israeli policeman, Eliyahu Shahar, 31 year-old Danny Haran, and Haran's 4-year-old daughter, Einat Haran? He was also convicted of indirectly causing the death of two-year-old Yael Haran by suffocation, as her mother, Smadar, tried to quiet her crying while hiding from Kuntar. You present Israelis as being the only guilty party.
"Israel does not make Jews Jews"
-I agree. But what does make Jews Jews, Richard? Also, isn't America is making Jews Christians!
"many Israelis represent the basest forms of Jewish thought & belief."
-If someone wrote this on your website, you would call them an anti-Semite. This is a sweeping categorical accusation. Israel took in Jewish refugees from Europe-who tried to annihilate World Jewry-whose "though and belief" you have inculcated and now advocate (the Enlightenment). Don't forget that the USA turned away Jews from the SS St. Louis in 1939-several hundred of who were later murdered. Is that not a "base" action?
"expansion into controversial land areas"-I said this
-It has nothing to do with sympathy. It is not political. It is about crowdedness, which is something Jews there don't understand. I did fundraising for Jewish groups for 10 years. I realize most Jews there no little about the daily life here. Many of the people living in the territories are not religious! Over 200,000 are US citizens!
"yr true colors."
-My colors are blue and white. Yours?
"Your views are quite conventional..."
The same could be said about yours by reading your blog's responses.
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On November 29th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Richard Silverstein said:
@Taming Korach: Pls. read my comment rules & stay on topic. THe thread is about Steve Rosen and AJ Congress. I don’t know how you got to Samir Kuntar, but it’s WAY off topic. Stay on topic.
America is NOT making Jews Christians. America has a thriving Jewish life and culture. The fact that you’ve given up on it doesn’t mean the rest of us have to join you.
I document the baseness of Jewish belief whether those beliefs are proferred by American or Israeli Jews. Pointing out that there are Israelis whose views of Judaism are base is NOT anti-Semitic. If you think it is, that’s yr problem not mine. Perhaps I should’ve used the word “some” rather than “many.” But the fact is that there are tens of thousands of Israeli Jews (& American Jews for that matter) whose views of Judaism are twisted & perverted & nursed by hate and blood vengeance.
The Holocaust has nothing to do with this & again is a non sequitur on yr part.
Your colors are not blue and white, they are ORANGE.
My views are far fr. conventional. If they were conventional then I’d have a lot more readers adoring me like Charles Johnson and David Abitbol.
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On November 29th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Taming Korach:
@Richard
"I don’t know how you got to Samir Kuntar..."
-You discussed the issue of settlers and Islam. Is that on-topic? I am following the stream of our discussion.
"The fact that you’ve given up..."
-If Diaspora Jews will survive, it will be because:
1-They come back to observance and have more kids.
2-They come to Israel.
Either way, that is a win-win situation.
"I document the baseness of Jewish belief"
-Do you think Jewish belief is base? What about the idea of Tikun Olam? Perhaps you should elaborate on this statement.
"The Holocaust has nothing to do with this & again is a non sequitur on yr part."
-It is relevant. Israel would never perpetrate what the US government did with the SS St. Louis. Making USA the hero and bad-mouthing Israel does hold water in this case.
"they are ORANGE."
-My cellphone company is Orange. My passport says "State Of Israel."
"My views are far fr. conventional."
-The Reform and Conservative friends I had in college had sentiments that were similar to yours. They didn't expound as much as you do but the jist was the same.
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On November 29th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
Richard Silverstein said:
@Taming Korach: Just stay on topic. This is not a discussion about Samir Kuntar, the SS St. Louis or the Holocaust. I’ve written posts on all these subjects & that’s where any thoughts you have on these subjects belong.
I didn’t say ALL Jewish belief is base. I am a strongly identified Jew. Why would I even say or believe such a thing? I said the beliefs of SOME Israeli (& Diaspora) Jews are base. You know what I mean & who I’m referring to. If you choose to misinterpret my words that’s again yr own issue, not mine.
As for your colors, your ideology is ORANGE.
You don’t have a very clear idea of my views if you claim that your friends had sentiments similar to mine. Further, among Jewish blogs there are only a handful which share my outlook while there are scores if not several hundred which are truly conventional in their outlook on Jewish identity and the I-P conflict.
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Why I’m Glad I Don’t Celebrate Christmas
On November 30th, 2008 at 1:18 am
Taming Korach said:
@Richard
With regards to the stampede-right on! That is what America has come to now. This would not have happened 20 years ago. People become more and more animalistic as time goes.
“my anti-Christmas post…”
If a Christian wrote an anti-Hanukkah post, would he be an anti-Semite? Would people tolerate that? It’s understandable why a Jew would not like Christmas, but those are sharp words! If people called you an anti-Christian, would that be as defaming as being called an anti-Semite?
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On November 30th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Richard Silverstein said:
@Taming Korach:
That is what America has come to now…People become more and more animalistic as time goes.
You’re so transparent it’s ridiculous. No “animals” in Israel, eh? No Border Police who’ve forced shepherds to have sex w. their donkeys. No Border Police who shoot 10 year old Palestinian girls point blank blowing the backs of their heads off like they did to Bassam Aramin’s daughter.
Pls. there are animals everywhere. That was the point of the post. Human beings are animals with a thin veneer of civilization. It’s true here in the U.S. & certainly no less true in Israel.
If a Christian wrote an anti-Hanukkah post, would he be an anti-Semite?
Typically clueless I’m sorry to say…I write my posts about Christmas because it is America’s holiday despite the fact that not all American’s celebrate. I write it because I am a minority & they the majority. Why would a Christian need to write an anti-Hanukah post when they hardly know anything about the holiday?
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On December 1st, 2008 at 2:01 am
Taming Korach said:
@Richard
“You’re so transparent it’s ridiculous.” “Typically clueless I’m sorry to say…”
-Usually when someone jabs before they punch it’s because they don’t have a good punch-they rely on their jab.
“I am a minority & they the majority.”
-Are we guilty in Israel for having a Jewish majority in a Jewish country? Is minority status a prerequisite for having a voice in matters?
“they hardly know anything about the holiday?”
-Most Jews don’t understand Hanukkah or any Jewish holiday for that matter. With non-Jews, they tend to pay attention when you discuss the issue and Jews don’t always care!
As a side note, I think Jews obsess about Christmas. They are more concerned with it than Christians are!
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Leviev’s Financial Collapse Puts Chabad on the Ropes
@Richard
"David Bloom, my informant on all things Leviev,"
-I think this statement basically says everything. In Hebrew we say "malshanim"-Jews who inform in other Jews to non-Jews.
"And then we can really start celebrating."
-This seems a fitting final sentence to what appears to me as a very hateful article. First of all, celebrating over the financial losses if another Jews seems vile to me. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, especially other Jews. Is that "fixing the world?" I know people who would have been lost to the Jewish world if they hadn't been a part of birthright. It seems like you despise all things that are fundamentally Jewish-Judaism and any kind of Jewish nationalism. Sad.
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On December 4th, 2008 at 11:11 am
Richard Silverstein said:
Taming Korach: What, are you nuts? Leviev’s financial woes are public knowledge in Israel & around the world. If David Bloom or I report this fact we’re “informing” on a fellow Jew? Get a life.
Hateful? Yes, I hate paying his workers $2 a day for some of the hardest work imaginable in diamond mines in Angola (which Leviev does). BTW, that’s less than the international poverty wage. And I hate security forces which kill & rape those who stand in his way (again Leviev does that too). And I hate stealing land from Palestinian farmers (again Leviev). BTW, Jeremiah and Isaiah hated Jewish iniquity too. Were they vile?
I don’t despise Judaism, but I despise extremist Jewish nationalism.
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On December 9th, 2008 at 11:08 am
Taming Korach said:
@Richard
"Jeremiah and Isaiah hated Jewish iniquity too. Were they vile?"
Jeremiah and Isaiah were both persecuted by Jews who didn't follow the Torah! They weren't vile-the iniquitous Jews who went after them were! BTW-The biggest sin the Jews committed int he Torah was not conquering the Land Of Israel.
@B.BarNavi
"I hate turning Eretz Yisrael into avoda zara."
If Jews outside of Israel intermarry with non-Jews and become part of other religions, why do they accuse Jews in Israel of idolatry for living in their ancient homeland?
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Hebron Settlers Forcibly Evicted from House of Dispute
Taming Korach:
@Richard
"Where firmness and resolve were required, vacillation ruled."
I don't get it-if US Jews, or Jews anywhere else in the world were being dragged out of their houses-ones they had NO historical claim to, wouldn't Jews around the world-especially people like you-go crazy? How comes Jews in Israel have to endure this? Where were you during the 1929 massacre, Rich? That is why the Jews population there is so low-67 Jews were murdered there. You don't mention this!
"the hooligan, the hater."
I have seens LOTS of hate on this blog-not all of it from the responders.
"putting her 12 year old daughter in a situation in which SHE could be hurt."
When Arabs do this-they are applauded! You single out the religious Jew-who has been steadfastly following his religion for 4,000 years?
"That’s hardly democracy."
Israel's Declaration Of Independence states that Israel has to be Jewish AND a democracy. That seems to be a hard balancing act-serving two masters, eh? Kind of like Jews living in the exile?
"Everything about this settler movement should revolt reasonable Jews."
Do you mean assimilated, secular Jews? I think that is what "reasonable" means in this context. Religious Jews, by and large, do not feel as you do.
@B.BarNavi
"mechalelei Hashem"
Apparently you are no son of a prophet. The biggest sin the Jews committed in the Torah was not conquering the Land of Israel. Secular Jews here are those who are desecrating G-d's name, along with people like yourself.

Importing Bad Habits

Peretz Rodman, a leader of the Conservative or "Masorti" movement in Israel has recently written an op-ed article in the Jerusalem Post. Rodman writes in The Hopeless Irrelevance of the State Rabbinate:

The anti-democratic nature of his proposal is obvious, even blunt. And that is entirely intentional. As political and religious leaders of haredi Orthodoxy realize that increasing numbers of Israeli Jews are seeking religious alternatives to Orthodox Judaism, they become more and more strident in their denunciation of those alternatives. Seeing the competition grow stronger, they seek to squelch it as they always have: through the political power they wield.

Israel, despite its shortcomings has a major advantage over the Diaspora-a fast growing Jewish population with very little assimilation. Now the non-Orthodox leaders, who have failed miserably in the exile want to bring that failure here. The author speaks a lot about democracy in his article, but doesn't mention the successes of our style of observance in Israel. The leaders of the heretical movements will stop at nothing to see that the same philosophy that has uprooted the Diaspora will take hold here!

The Future Religious Battle
     As more and more Jews in the Diaspora assimilate, become Orthodox, or move to Israel, the State of Israel will be the destination of a mixture of different Jews from around the world, as it is now. However, the main source of immigration will obviously be from the U.S. As more American Jews arrive, more of their customs will arrive with them. One optimistic trend I have seen here is that many non-Orthodox immigrants to Israel from English speaking countries adopt Israel's attitude towards religious identity. People either become secular or observant. I recently went to a wedding of two Israelis, both born in Israel-both with American heritage. The bride was Orthodox and the groom secular-from a famous secular kibbutz. However, by her influence he has taken on more observance and is learning Judaism as a result.
     What people like Mr. Rodman seek to do is undermine the one aspect of Israeli culture that has worked strikingly well in comparison to the Diaspora model. Israeli Jews by-in-large marry Israeli Jews. The children of religious Jews know Hebrew fluently and know the basic laws of Judaism. It is with great apprehension and worry that I observe, in the corner of my eye, those foreign leaders of strange worship import their customs, like an unvaccinated virus. Enlightenment Judaism was meant to bring once religious Jews closer in line with pluralistic Western societies. The outcome-more Christians and more Jews who are confused about their glorious religion. We must take heed and stop this frightful phenomenon from taking root on the Land of Israel!

Malbim On The "reform" movement

Malbim on Mishley
Rabbi Meir Leibush Malbim
Feldheim Publishers
0-87306-280-9

from the introduction:
“Already in 1844, however, Malbim realized that on another battlefield he could counter those whose heady rush toward assimilation was not to be stemmed. A “synod” of Reform leaders in Braunschweig, Germany that year-which he called an assembly of “shepherds who butcher their sheep and call themselves rabbis, preachers, cantors and shochtim (ritual slaughterers) of their communities”-made him aware of the dire need for a sound contemporary commentary on the Hebrew Bible. For the Reform camp was producing interpretations of Scripture, supposedly based on the literal or “original” meaning of the Hebrew, which did not so much reform as deform everything sacred in the Jewish heritage. Reform particularly attacked the Talmud's interpretation of Scriptural texts, on which the Oral Law is largely based.”

The Reform Movement: Nothing But Trouble For The Jews

    I wrote an article called The Future Christians Of America where I described the effects of the Reform movement on Diaspora Jews.  Below is an article that details Rabbi Eliyahu's opinion on the Reform movement in Germany.

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PM blasts rabbi's Holocaust remarks

Apr. 19, 2007
Haviv Rettig Gur , THE JERUSALEM POST

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Thursday condemned as "hurtful" and "spurious" comments made by former Sephardi chief rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu that the victims of the Holocaust were made to suffer because of the sins of the Reform Movement.

In a letter to Steven M. Bauman and Rabbi Uri Regev, the chairman and president, respectively, of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, Olmert wrote: "We recently marked Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Day here in Israel, and I was disturbed that it was precisely at this painful time that certain spurious comments were made regarding the cause of the horrors inflicted on our people, and unequivocally condemn any such hurtful expressions.

"Let me be clear," Olmert wrote, "the murder of more than six million of our brothers and sisters in the Holocaust was perpetrated by the evil and immoral Nazi regime and its collaborators. The only 'sin' committed by the victims was being born Jewish.

"The Reform Movement is a vital and vibrant part of modern Judaism, and the government and people of the State of Israel admire your contribution to Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora," Olmert concluded.

Other angry responses to Eliyahu's remarks continued to be heard.

"Removing our Reform brothers and sisters from the camp does not contribute to unity, but rather sows the seeds of division and baseless hatred," Jewish Agency chairman Ze'ev Bielski wrote to former Sephardi chief rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu this week.

"Rabbi Eliyahu should remember precisely that the victims of the Holocaust came from all Jewish denominations, the secular along with the religious," suggested the Anti-Defamation League's Israel Office in a statement Thursday.

Olmert and the organizations were reacting to an interview given on pirate haredi radio station Kol Ha'emet ("The Voice of Truth"), in which Eliyahu was asked for what sin the Holocaust victims were punished. He replied that the victims were not to blame, but rather were made to suffer because of the sins of the Reform Movement.

"The Reformers started in Germany," he explained. "Those redactors of the Jewish faith began in Germany. We learn from this that it is forbidden to attempt to change Judaism."

Bielski told Eliyahu he "was shocked to hear your words relating the Holocaust to the rise of the Reform movement in Germany," and insisted that "your words could be interpreted as removing from the Nazi tyrant the responsibility, passing it on to our Jewish brothers."

The Anti-Defamation League further noted that Eliyahu's "argumentative use of the Shoah" was a "travesty of the memory of its martyrs."

Reflecting on Eliyahu's statements, Rabbi Michael Marmur, dean of the Jerusalem campus of the Reform Movement's Hebrew Union College, said he believes "the problem here is the deep perversity of claiming to know what it is that has caused the greatest cataclysm of Jewish history. It's saying, 'I, Rabbi Eliyahu, read about the Shoah, and it turns out there's an identifiable group to blame.'"

A child of Holocaust survivors, Marmur insisted that "calling [Eliyahu's statements] insulting hardly does them justice.  "What is it that allows a man like Eliyahu to give himself the right to behave in this kind of way?" he asked. "I think here there are political explanations. It's been our experience for years as Reform Jews in Israel that whenever a religious political party needed a boost, a little bit of Reform-bashing went a long way."

Eliyahu, who rarely consents to be interviewed, could not be reached for comment by press time.