Monday 30 June 2014

Hashem Yerachem

Tonight the whole Jewish nation and world is in mourning and outrage, following the most terrible news that our 3 boys, missing for 18 days, have been found dead via an act of terrorist barbarism . I cannot write any more, I veer from deep upset, to deep incredible anger. I am lost for words. Gutted. The whole civilised world needs to condemn this atrocious act of terrorist barbarism and support Israel in response to this outrage. Our thoughts, prayers and love are with the families of these boys. 

I believe that Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, spoke for all British Jews, in the following :
“We are shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the tragic fate of the three Israeli teenagers, Naftali Frenkel, Gilad Shaar and Eyal Yifrach. Today, the Jewish people and many others are mourning the loss of three precious souls, who were taken in the prime of their lives.We stand as one with their families, teachers and friends. May they find strength and support in their time of grief.We pray for stability and security in the region and for the right of innocent men, women and children to live their lives in peace”.

Hashem Yerachem
Vehi She’amda, La’avotainu Velanu Shelo Echad Bilvad
Amad AleinuLechaloteinu Ela Sheb’chol Dor VaDor Omdim 
Aleinu Lechaloteinu V’HaKadosh Baruch Hu Matzilenu Miyadam
Esa Einai, El He'arim, El He'arim
Mei'ayin Yavo Ezri, Ezri Me'im Hashem 
Amen



37 comments:

  1. This gentile stands shoulder to shoulder with her elder Jewish brothers and sisters in mourning and desire for justice , may The Lord bless the children of Israel and watch over you & face shine upon you, may justice prevail and the wicked be vanquished. May God be with the families who are suffering as a result of this murder. Amen.

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  2. Bila hamavet lanetzach: “May He destroy death forever, and may the Lord God wipe away the tears from all faces.”

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  3. I have no solutions, no suggestions, no pearls of wisdom. I feel sad because no matter how the world changes, once again, poor mums and dads are never to hug their precious sons again.

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  4. RIP these innocent children.


    As for what happens now. I feel a big retaliation by Israel is on the cards. Obama the marshmallow will do nothing, as per usual. Destroy the terrorists.

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  5. Just children. So so sad. Rest in peace lads...

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  6. As a Roman Catholic Zionist supporter of Israel and the Jewish people, I would like to extend my sympathies to the families of these murdered boys. May God have mercy on the souls of the wicked people who did this crime.

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  7. Also, if I may ask, what do the Hebrew phrases mean?

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  8. Three young Jewish boys die, and again we cry...forever young..their songs forever unsung, forever young..May Hashem keep them close, avenge their blood and provide solace to their families Amen Hamas will pay dearly for this barbaric war crime. Am Yisrael Chai!

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  9. Sophie, thanks for your support, thoughts and prayers.

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  10. Yes, that is the true nature of this event , the true face of the evil that confronts us and the true tragedy of this event.

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  11. Thanks Jim. I'm collecting my thoughts as to what we do now. I believe some form of warfare is all but inevitable now.

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  12. Al, thankyou for stopping by and adding your prayers here. I think we have missed your contribution to this site. It has been too long.

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  13. Our tears are like rain, our sorrow beyond measure and our determination to be united as great as ever.

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  14. Esther,


    My rambling thoughts are (I am still in state of various emotions, so can't think straight) :


    I think that the suspects to these murders need to be brought to justice and to stand trial for their actions. I also think that there will be military action against Hamas in the Gaza and confrontation in the West Bank.


    The issue is how far will Israel go in response, especially given the rhetoric of the government Ministers. It seems that Obama is putting severe pressure on Israel to be 'restrained', so this could mean the IDF continuing airstrikes against Hamas in a limited fashion, but no ground troops in Gaza or buildup in the West Bank. I can see the need for restraint, in so much as there could be another intafada, which would be a drain for the IDF to deal with. I can also see the more restraint Israel shows, the public's anger will grow, thus removing the ability or willingness of Israel to be restrained in future outrages.


    What is also in the back of my mind is the fact that in the 1990s, when the west dealt with terrorist outrages, all that happened was a few cruise missiles being launched against Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan... with the result of the terrorists becoming more and more bold and daring with each attack, resulting in a colossal murderous terrorist outrage in 2001, which forced America's hand to settle the matter in a more direct manner.


    I fear that if Israel does nothing other than a few airstrikes, then she could be the subject of an Israeli 9/11 in which not just 3, but thousands of Israel lives are lost. In those circumstances, Israel would have to reoccupy West Bank and Gaza in full. That would require a war footing and a long bloody campaign. So, do we do this now as a pre-emptive move or wait for another atrocity. That is what I am weighing at the moment and I am sure that is in the hearts of the Israeli cabinet as they discuss the strategic and practical responses, for whilst all of us want justice, none of us want to be blamed by world opinion for starting what will be a bloody (but ultimately necessary) conflict; we are not savages and as Jews we should conduct ourselves according to Jewish as well as international law. That is why we are on the side of justice and the terrorists are not.


    I fear, though, as conflict by the democracies against the Nazis came all but inevitable in 1939, despite appeasement, so real ground troop & toe to toe fighting will at some stage be inevitable for Israel. I cannot see how much further the Israeli public's patience will continue for having an armed terror state will last, especially if there are more terror attacks.


    This could all be avoided if Hamas were to relinquish control of Gaza, renounce terrorism, allow a NATO led peacekeeping force into Gaza and the PA authority ending its coalition with Hamas and rejoining Israel for peace talks. I'd also suggest that the Hamas leadership stand trial for terrorist crimes. I cannot see this happening & if this cannot be done peacefully, the IDF (at some stage) will need to do so by force. So the odds for long term peace are not good as matters stand.

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  15. If I were given responsibility to respond, I would target Hamas leadership for assassination. I wouldn't stop until they begged for mercy, and I wouldn't be too bothered about 'collateral damage.' If they are going to fight like this, I am going to fight like this. I despise those who would say "We can kill your grandmother and you can't do anything about it because you are civilized." Let them comprehend what can or cannot be done.

    There is no criminal justice solution to this problem. You can't issue search warrants and make arrests and conduct trials. The solution must be found elsewhere. The first responsibility of a state is to protect its citizens, and if that responsibility imposes a heavy burden on the enemy, then so be it. When they are afraid to let their children sleep at night for fear of the bomb through the roof, then they will understand what they have done.

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  16. This makes my blood boil! Dam this cowards and terrorists. Enough is enough. Israel needs to strike back and strike back at once. These bastards need to know they can't get away with any further war crimes, period.

    Baruch Dayan HaEmes - May G-d Avenge Their Blood

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  17. Dave with all due respect this is waffling bull shit. We can't be 'restrained'. This is war crime against the Jewish people. The point of Israel is to make sure that NEVER AGAIN will Jews be shoved into gas chambers, harmed or persecuted.

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  18. Carl,


    Well said Dude I agree with you 100% (for a change).

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  19. Tears, tears, tears. And anger. Kick ass and get Hamas!

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  20. David,


    So what would you do? This isn't clear to me.

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  21. Hi Carl,


    I agree airstrikes aren't good enough and Hamas needs to be bought down, before this happens again. To hell with international reactions.

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  22. Sam,


    I agree. These were my ramblings thoughts, I am trying to put them down into an appropriate post.

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  23. I'm on the train, just coming back from Birmingham. I intend to post about this later.

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  24. Chief Rabbi Mirvis on BBC Radio earlier on today :

    "Ever since Naftali Frenkel, Gilad Shaar and Eyal Yifrach, three Israeli teenagers, were kidnapped 18 days ago, some remarkable things have happened.

    A tidal wave of sympathy and prayer swept across the globe. Men, women and children showed deep solidarity with the call to “bring our boys back.” Here in the UK thousands poured out their hearts, identifying with the three innocent teenagers, their families, teachers and friends.

    Soon after news emerged of the abduction, I called for an impromptu service of prayer. Just over two weeks’ ago, on a Sunday evening, within less than five hours, more than one thousand people joined together in London to recite psalms and to sing emotionally-charged supplications.

    Similar prayer rallies throughout the world, and most particularly, of course, in Israel, brought together religious and secular Jews in an extraordinary show of unity and they were joined by people of other faiths in spirit, as we hoped against hope that the boys would return home alive and well to their dear ones.

    This momentum reached its crescendo two nights’ ago, when a massive solidarity rally of tens of thousands of people was held in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square. Who could not have been deeply inspired to hear the three boys’ mothers’ eloquent, heart rendering and dignified speeches?

    Turning to the crowd, Rachel Frenkel, mother of Naftali. said, “This is an assembly of love and of unity.”

    Gilad’s mother, Bat Galim Shaer, addressed her son: “People have come together to pray for your return and when you come back you will find that our family has expanded greatly – you have brothers and sisters all over Israel and the world.”

    Iris, Eyal Yifrach’s mother, spoke to her son from the stage: “We want you back already,” she said, “We are waiting to embrace you with warmth.”

    Tragically, that will now not happen. But the warmth and glow of immense love, friendship and solidarity will continue to be with us.

    As we now try to absorb the horrific reality of the brutal murder of the boys, our challenge is to transform hatred into love and to show that only unity and harmony amongst different peoples on both sides of the conflict can take us forward in a meaningful and constructive way.

    In the midst of deep grief may G-d guide us along the route of hope, to the stability and security which will underpin the right of innocent men, women and children, to live their lives in peace."

    http://www.chiefrabbi.org/pause-thought-1jul14/

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  25. Rabbi Sacks has written the following :


    "Eyal, Gilad and Naftali were killed by people who believed in death. Too often in the past Jews were victims of people who practised hate in the name of the God of love, cruelty in the name of the God of compassion, and murder in the name of the God of life. It is shocking to the very depths of humanity that this still continues to this day.

    Never was there a more pointed contrast than, on the one hand, these young men who dedicated their lives to study and to peace, and on the other the revelation that other young men, even from Europe, have become radicalised into violence in the name of God and are now committing murder in His name. That is the difference between a culture of life and one of death, and this has become the battle of our time, not only in Israel but in Syria, in Iraq, in Nigeria and elsewhere. Whole societies are being torn to shreds by people practising violence in the name of God.

    Against this we must never forget the simple truth that those who begin by practising violence against their enemies end by committing it against their fellow believers. The verdict of history is that cultures that worship death, die, while those that sanctify life, live on. That is why Judaism survives while the great empires that sought its destruction were themselves destroyed.

    Our tears go out to the families of Eyal, Gilad and Naftali. We are with them in grief. We will neither forget the young victims nor what they lived for: the right that everyone on earth should enjoy, to live a life of faith without fear."

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  26. Hi Rachel


    Shouldn't that be 'kick ass and crush Hamas?'

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  27. Hi Carl,


    LOL; who are we to disagree with our favorite Calvinist? Oh, btw, I did read about your wife on the Cranmer blog. I trust that she will have a swift recovery (:

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  28. Yeah, poor Israelis, now going to be FORCED to kill maybe a few thousand more Palis and I'm sure many would be shedding crock tears while watching or doing the killings. Or maybe not. Coz the Palis don't feel pain like 'we' (Western-like Israelis) do.

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  29. Atheist Shrugged2 July 2014 at 13:25

    I have been unable to post on this blog since Friday. I am having to use my phone to counter the lies of this Zionist mouthpiece of a blog. Even now my posts keep disappearing. So much for the freedom of speech here!

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  30. We don't have time for this type of post on this thread, so it has been deleted.

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  31. Yes, we blocked u in advance. Behave yourself, please.

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  32. Good. Who wants to read your crappy contributions here anyway?

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