Strange

Oy,  it comes to something when the leader of the people's republic of China isn't as socialist as the leader of the British Labour party....

Unapeasable?

Greetings,

As informed readers will know Israel is a couple of days away from a general election. As in any democracy,in the heat of the election  both left and right are  making assumptions on who would be best to make Israel strong or on the left make peace with the Palestinians .

Israel has a string of domestic issues which need, in my humble opinion,to be addressed as priorities over any peace conference: as for Iran then if that country poses a threat it should be dealt with by Israel, rather than begging the US to do it for Israel.

However on the subject matter of peace, I'm pretty much relaxed over what will happen. No Israeli gov't will be able to come to any kind of comprehensive peace at the expense of security or the survival of the Jewish state. Why? Because as long as there are in effect 2 arab Palestinian states one of which is controlled by a vicious terrorist group, who  are dedicated to Israel's destruction then there can be no peace. On the west bank, Israel cannot withdraw without it becoming a new Gaza and Abbas has been nothing but intransigent. 

I recall the time when Clinton negotiated the last serious attempts at peace. Arafat got everything he could possibly have got-including control of east Jerusalem- and he walked away. Then we had the wave of terrorism which forced Israel to build a security barrier to stop this and save lives.  And this was supposed to be the moderate Arabs, not Hamas.  From that moment on I personally became utterly convinced that Arab Palestine would never come to peace with Israel, because the leadership is unappeasable  and has no care for its own people: jihad or secular terrorism is far more important. 

I really do want and pray for peace, but it simply won't happen until Hamas is gone and the Palestinian leadership is ready to negotiate in good faith.I have no idea about what this would be like,  probably a self governing west bank, which Israel has suren auren but sadly I simply don't see peace  anytime soon.

 However this doesn't  mean we should feel depressed or downbeat. May we continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem as ever:

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; May they prosper that love thee. 
Peace be within thy walls, And prosperity within thy palaces"

[Psalm chapter 122: 6-7]

Learn, study work...

Greetings all

This is the latest of those posters of the adopt a disaster, adopt a Adopt-a-Kollel! campaign in Israel (following austerity cuts) :

The Hebrew Bible does of course write extremely poetically about how the Torah and studying it, is worth more than gold or precious jewelry. However the sages also, in my view at least, also talk about finding work and doing a trade and working for a living. There is NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING which says one shouldn't work alongside Torah study and neither do I see that secular study is in any way a bad or wrong this: aren't we supposed to be the light unto the Gentiles? How can we do this stuck under a rock?. 

This is what I find so depressing about the situation in Israel: that working to provide for oneself or if married ones family is somehow illegitimate or wrong as opposed to full time study in the yeshiva or k. I cannot see why a system would be so opposed to doing so, nor can I understand the resistance to serving in the IDF. It is terrible that haredi families are suffering and in some cases starving. But this is entirely down to the dogma of the system that they've been brought up in. That has to change in order to prevent a terrible catastrophe for the Jewish people. I really do hope that after the next election in Israel, whatever government is formed is one that is committed to helping the Haredi out of this situation, which doesn't mean going back to dishing out cash like there is no tomorrow,  but does allow for a 'reformation' to this system,  which is hurting so many of the Jewish people. 

Want us to stay in the UK? Don't whinge about circumcision or Kosher slaughter

David here,

Saying to Jews we want you to stay,does mean accepting our right to circumcise males and to slaughter animals according to our religious tradition

There are a few understandable voices within our community which are afraid of staying in  Britain, under what sometimes feels to be a new tide of antisemitism, this time not from the far right, although this still exists, but via the fundamentalist version of the religion of you know who, you the one which is above and beyond all criticism (that is if you wish to remain alive).  

I utterly understand these concerns and a few other people have said to be to note the reassuring noises of Cabinet Ministers( such as Eric Pickles and Teresa May), but this is where the elite seems to get quite confused. Whilst May and co were gushing over the Jewish community and how much she'd like us to stay in the UK, which I utterly applaud by the way, elsewhere in the Jewish News were read about a Judge's opinion of male circumcision, which he not only calls 'Harmful' (without saying why, although I've not felt any ill effects of being circumcised for most of my life) and compares it to female genital mutilation,but that male circumcision is 'tolerated' because society (we could say a lot of other things, such as gay marriage are tolerated today, but as with male circumcision will it be in the future?)  wishes to tolerate it. 

So there you go. If the politicians really wanted to make Jews feel safe, then they'd make sure, by passing legislation and finally getting rid of the human rights bull crap act (in so much as it has become a byword for left of centre ideas about what and who gets human rights) , that both male circumcision was protected in law as was religious slaughter. It's bad enough being attacked by the traditional antisemitism of the far right, the religious fanatics of ISIS, as well as the new fanatics of those atheists and secularists who wish to interfere with my religious freedoms, beliefs and practises. Which is why I don't believe that a secular or atheist state would be any better for Jews than the current arrangement of an established Christianity. 

Why the difficulty with messianic Jews and not secular Jews?

Greetings all,

A reader asked me the following questions:

"In respect of  Messianic Jews it seems that  that most (all?)  Jews see them as no longer Jews, is that correct? But why do religious Jews not say the same about  Secular Jews? I have always thought that  being a Jew is passed down through havinf a Jewish mother, so if you can inherit it (unlike Christianity), how do you lose it?"

My answer:

Firstly you are correct that a Jew is Jewish if your mother is Jewish, also if you convert to Judaism you are considered to be Jewish as anyone born Jewish. We follow this because it is part of the Oral Torah which Moses received at the same time as the written Torah of the Bible. I appreciate that Christianity rejects the notion of the Oral Torah, but Jesus (being a good Jew) did not c.f. Matthew 23:1-3 ,Mark 2: 23-27& Matthew 5: 17-20. Also we see that this law was already in practice in other parts of the Bible: in Ezra the Jewish men were told to send their wives and children back to Babylon because they were considered to be non jewish, not Jewish women being told to send back their husbands and children.

Secondly. I also understand secular Jewish atheists who are observant for cultural or family reasons. That's a distinctive feature of Judaism, a nation and a community, fused into a religion which permeates every aspect of oneself and life. We are more than a group of religious believers, but a global family. And to me family and community are key aspects of Judaism. We don't turn our back on family and therefore we shouldn't turn our backs or force them out, that those who struggle with God, with beliefs, but who wish to still be in the tent, however, it is quite clear that messianic Jews don't fit into this category.

Thirdly. A Jew who believes in Jesus as his/her “Lord and Saviour" has become a Christian. Even if not a formal member of a church group that person is a Christian theologically. The halacha (B.T. Sanhedrin 44a) recognizes the biologic link to the Jewish people as inviolate, but also recognizes that as long as one remains an apostate one is not considered to be part of the Jewish community. A willing convert to Christianity, whether formally or informally, forfeits his/her legal and social rights, which express a Jew’s belonging to the Jewish people. A Jew must meet, actively or inactively (e.g. a secular Jew), the fundamental biblical stipulation: “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3, Deuteronomy 5:7). God declares: “I am the first, and I am the last, and beside Me there is no God” (Isaiah 44:6).

I've come to appreciate that one can never fully understand God, I believe a rabbi one said "if I knew him, I would be him"(Judah ha Levi) and as it is written:

"As you do not know the path of the wind, or how life enters the body being formed in the mother's womb, so you cannot understand the works of God, the maker of all things"(Ecclesiastes 11:5).

But follow God and his commandments are nonetheless the thing for a Jew to do. A concluding thought to ponder. Does God prefer the most pious person, who observes the rituals and believes with dogmatic precision, but acts in a shameful fashion or the one who just tries with all of their heart? That to me is the difference between secular Jews and messianic Jews. But for all we are to bring them ALL back to the fold and help them become observant of the Torah. It is incumbent to hear the words of Ezekiel when he lamented "Those who went astray you did not return and the lost you did not seek "(Ezekiel 34:4).

New Year reflections

Greetings all,

Today in the secular calender is New Year's Eve, which we shall be quietly celebrating because tomorrow in the Jewish calender is a fast day (great timing eh?).But whilst we are on the subject of  new year, I guess I shall leave it to the floor to discuss resolutions, predictions for the forthcoming year. I don't have any, because there's little point in giving resolutions you can't keep and who knows what's going to happen. Having said that , I do have the feedback from my previous post and I hope next year I will be able to write about some of the topics mentioned.

Happy (secular) new year folks.

Dave's back!!

Well ..... I intend to start the blog up again, after my sister and bro decided they'd branch out on their own again(which is fair enough). Anyone got any topics you'd like me to write about, please leave in the comments thread below and I shall pen a few posts.

I hadn't forgotten....

.... that tonight in 1938, one of the most infamous pogroms occurred. I wasn't sure if I wanted to discuss this,  as I often get lost for words and my emotions, especially anger and hurt, get the better of me. However, my sister has put her brief thoughts down in a way I can't on subjects such as this one, here.

Events to remember

Greetings all,

There are 2 things to reflect about today.

The first is the remembrance day, in which Britain remembers the fallen of 2 world wars and the wars Britain has fought since, especially pertinent during this year's 100th anniversary of the start of world war I.

The second-which seems like only yesterday- is the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall and the end of Socialism in eastern Germany, the eventual reunification of Germany and the end of the cold war.

I will leave readers to think about these events in the comments thread below.

If i were a rich man....

Greetings all,

 I switched on the radio and if classic song was being played! So I thought I'd share it here.

PS-

I've been absent from here for a while, in part because it is our holiday season& therefore my eye has been on other matters and partly because I'm reflecting on the direction this blog should be. I haven't gone away. I am just contemplating the future.

The future British isles?

Okay , so this  was a prank. But it's the  reality  of a yes  vote, isn't  it??

Atheism, observance and orthodoxy

All,

David here,

This is something written elsewhere, but as it is on my heart, I thought I'd reproduce it here, for my own readership to ponder. The context is about how atheist  Jews in the orthodox community continue to observe Judaism, for community and family reasons, but no longer believe in God (albeit the atheism isn't public).

 This was my response:

I don't feel I fit into the categories mentioned, but I would say I'm a Jew first and foremost, of the Sephardic tradition, who believes in God and specifically the God of the Tanakh. I do have theological issues with taking all of the bible literally, such as a talking donkey, a talking serpent, a flying and talking scroll,  a six day creation et al. I  have had personal issues from the past where I have often questioned the almighty and been somewhat estranged from him, but I do see this questioning as part of the Jewish tradition. 

 I've come to appreciate that one can never fully understand God,  I believe a rabbi one said "if I knew him, I would be him"(Judah ha Levi) and as it is written:

"As you do not know the path of the wind, or how life enters the body being formed in the mother's womb, so you cannot understand the works of God, the maker of all things"(Ecclesiastes).

I also understand atheists who are observant for cultural or family reasons. That's a distinctive feature of Judaism, a nation and a community, fused into a religion which permeates every aspect of oneself and life. We are more than a group of religious believers, but a global family. And to me family and community are key aspects of Judaism. We don't turn our back on  family and therefore we shouldn't turn our backs or force them out, that those who struggle with God, with beliefs, but who wish to still be in the tent. I think one of the US presidents, Lyndon Johnson made a quip about tents and people shouting out, rather than into the tent.

A concluding thought to ponder. Does God prefer the most pious person, who observes the rituals and believes with dogmatic precision, but acts in a shameful fashion or the one who just tries with all of their heart?

Discuss.

Mazel Tov to the royal family!

Hi all

Hannah here!

Congratulations to the duke and duchess of Cambridge, who is preggers again!

I just love the royal family.Never do get why people  want to make Britain a republic. 

Thoughts on Gaza

David here,

So there is a cease-fire agreement in place between Israel and Hamas.  For Israel a lot has been achieved, such as destroying the terrorist tunnels and hitting the terrorist cells hard. But there has been a cost on lives and money: $2.5 billion, 70 Israeli dead and 2,000 Gazans, not all terrorists have lost their lives.

Then  there is the backlash against the Jewish diaspora community, the terrible relationship between Israel and the US... and seemingly most media outside of Israel was hostile to her. Bibi's popularity has slumped, despite overwhelming support for the war in Israel, his cabinet seems quite divided.

So no one comes out a clear winner. But for the various parties involved, my personal view is that Israel stopped too early, probably due to US and European pressures. However much  this has effected the political landscape, it won't alter the fact Hamas is still there.  Sooner or later, when they've rearmed they will start to attack Israel again. The cycle will continue until Hamas is gone or Israel. And it won't be Israel disappearing.

Thoughts on Iraq

David here,

Whilst I want to get back to some discussions on Judaism on this blog, I do feel I want to put this one up for discussion and debate.

Should Britain join America in intervention in Iraq to combat IS? And is it enough to carry out air strikes, will we need to face up to the fact we will have in send in ground troops? What is the strategy and how will we walk away?

I don't have a answer to these, at least not answers I like!

My heart says yes, but my brain says no. My head tells me it would be a bloody non winnable conflict. My heart sees the genocide and murder and wants to strike at this evil with all the might the Allies have.

Difficult choices, difficult decisions. But that is why we elect Parliaments and Presidents, to make difficult decisions, not to duck them.

What do readers think?

Double standards of The West

David here,

Right, let's get the double standards o meter out here. Two of the big topics at this NATO meeting will be:the situation in the Ukraine and the situation in Iraq. I'm focusing on Ukraine in this article.

The West has been furious for Russian intervention in the east of the country and the annexation of Crimea the intervention was on the grounds that these people consider themselves Russian and don't feel well treated by the rest of Ukraine. Now these rebels have apparently committed war crimes, yet there have been zero demonstrations in London about this or about Russian intervention in the region. Ah well, it's because it's not Israel is it?

Western governments have been sanctioning Russia as a result. But why? They expect Israel to forfeit a capital and a lot of land for peace, in order to create a Palestinian state, because of some idea of Palestinian self determination.  I get this and this post isn't really about whether or not one agrees with this or not. What is important is to note the double standards.If Palestine has to be created out of Israel, so the Palestinian people can have a state, then why can't eastern Ukraine have a stay in  be reunited with Russia? Why are we allowing a vote in Scotland for independence and denying this idea for the Russians of eastern Ukraine? Why shouldn't Israel rule what the west says is Palestine, when they are saying  the non Russian western Ukraine  should rule the Russian half?

Is it just me or is this whole idea of  national self determination,just an arbitrary concept, based upon however one feels about a particular country?? To my mind if we agree that Palestine should be a country and that Scotland has a right to decide its own fate, then let the people of eastern Ukraine do the same. Get rid of the cold war attitude. We've got other wars to fight. And a war with Russia isn't one of them.

Latest musings

Esther here,

New post up here

Bizarre conspiracy theory

David here,

This is one of the most bizarre conspiracy theories via the J Post -

Israel and the United States are responsible for creating the Islamic State phenomenon, former Cuban president Fidel Castro is quoted as saying on Wednesday.The 88-year-old former ruler also attacked McCain, Israel's "most unconditional ally."Castro alleged that[Senator John]McCain, “together with [Mossad, conspired] in the creation of the Islamic State, which today controls a considerable and vital portion of Iraq and reportedly one-third of Syria as well.”

What? Has the world just got even crazier or is it just me.

posted at my place

All,

Esther here. I've put a post up to discuss the antisemitism rally held on Sunday, here

Feedback

Greetings all,

David here.

Well I'm finally back into the grove, after a long summer break, we had a fantastic time and I can't believe we are now in September and the start of the autumn months (that's fall to my American readers). Came back to 1,455 emails, which have taken a week to clear. The most annoying ones are those you get from " co workers"(guess which business partner of mine has been on one of those American management courses!)  Are those that give you a lot of useless information, that you simply don't need to know,  especially the routine maintenance of the building, by our outsourced facilities ' team',about every last detail that they are up to, sometimes one wonders when these office geniuses are going to start copying to everyone that they are just popping out to the toilet or a cigarette break. Such is the joy of office work and being one of the bosses, and of course I really do appreciate all of the staff :).

But enough about my tales of woe. I've got a few things I am going to write about on this blog, however, I always appreciate feedback. So what would the readership like me to address in forthcoming weeks? This doesn't have to be specific, it could be about a theme or subject. Of course I'm not going to turn the blog into one about knitting or anything like that, but I'm sure you all get where I am coming from here.

Well it is great to be back, any way.