Category: Politics

Hashem Wanted to Show Me My Big Blind Spot, So He Showed Me the Big Blind Spots of Others First

29/7/2022

Over the past several months, Hashem kept showing me people who felt trapped in circumstances in which they saw no alternative or escape — yet alternatives existed, only they weren't palatable.

Furthermore, all these people could've utilized those same alternatives years ago — and while challenging & painful then, those same alternatives demand much more pain & effort now.

But they do exist and always existed.

And I saw all different examples of this, whether relationships, health, location, work, and much more.

Hashem also showed me a couple of examples of people utilizing their alternatives early on, when it was a steep hill but not yet a craggy mountain.

But mostly I saw people dealing with hills that had turned into mountains over time — mountains that really needed to be climbed in order to solve their issues and go on to their next step in life...but seemed too formidable to be a realistic option.

It was only after the most recent (and most baffling) interaction that I realized Hashem wanted to send me a very important message.

Too Hot and Too Far...Huh?

I was chatting with a woman visiting family in Eretz Yisrael.

She spoke about her desire to move to Eretz Yisrael with her husband and children.

A lot of factors lay in her favor: her Hebrew was already pretty good for someone who didn't live in Eretz Yisrael, she had a degree & copious experience with a profession in tremendous demand in Eretz Yisrael (a job she also loved & excelled in), her husband was fluent in Hebrew and also had a transferrable job.

Their kids were still young and flexible, already knew some Hebrew, and they had family here—family they liked and got along with well.

And with their strong finances, they could pick their city of choice with a very comfortable home.

I mentioned a city here known for its thriving Anglo population, plus its schools and services catered to English-speakers, plus the Anglo community always impressed me as warm, welcoming, and supportive.

"The thing is," she said, "that city is really far from our family here."

"Really?" I said, puzzled.

You see, Israel is smaller than the state of New Jersey, so nothing seems THAT far...unless you're driving from Eilat in the South to Kiryat Shemoneh in the North, or something extreme like that.

"Yeah," she said. "That city you mentioned is a NINETY-MINUTE drive to our Israeli relatives. Ninety!"

I stared at her speechless for a moment.

She leaned forward and said, "We did it. It was a looooong drive."

"Yeah, uh, wow," I said. "Um, I guess I'm just surprised to hear that because I always thought that in America, really long commutes to work and school are the norm. I guess I didn't think about a 90-minute drive to spend Shabbos somewhere as...long."

So she explained that where she lived, their commutes were pretty short. Even their shul was just down the street.

"Okay," I said pleasantly. Then, knowing she only saw her Israeli family every 5 years or so, I added in a good-humored way, "That's still better than a 15-hour flight, right? Ha, ha, ha..."

"Yeah, that's what everyone tells me," she admitted. "And it's true...but still."

I gave her an understanding nod and suggested, "There may be other suitable communities closer to your Israeli family."

She gave me a skeptical smile before continuing.

"Also, it's really HOT here," she added. "I don't know if I could handle it."

I stared at her, again lost for words.

What she said made no sense because she lived in one of the most unpleasantly hottest places in the USA.

How could Israel be considered unbearably hot to someone like her? It didn't make sense.

"Oh," I finally managed to say. "Um...I remember living where you live and I found going outdoors just unbearable...and that was in the winter."

"Oh," she said, laughing, "you're always in air-conditioning! You never really feel it."

I knew this was not true.

People in her area go to outdoor restaurants, use their backyards, go to the beach (which is still unbearably hot despite the ocean winds), and host outdoor parties.

However, she honestly perceived Israel as being "too hot" to live comfortably.

Furthermore, where she is from, people think they need to take a sweater with them when the temperature his 60F/15C.

In parts of America, Canada, and Great Britain, everyone heads to the beach at that same temperature.

Yet people come in droves from those areas to live in Eretz Yisrael.

Furthermore, I even knew a person from Norway who happily lived in hot 'n' humid Tel Aviv.

So altogether, the above reasons made no sense (especially since solutions to these issues exist).

Even given the difference between different kinds of heat (i.e., a person used to humid heat often finds dry heat difficult, and vice-versa), but Israel hosts popular cities in both kinds of heat (eg., Tel Aviv and Bnei Brak are humid; Jerusalem is dry; Beit Shemesh in in-between).

Was she lying?

No.

Other than this, she proved herself to be a refreshingly honest & straightforward person throughout our time together.

So what was going on?

Our unconscious mind often brings "fake" or minor issues to the forefront, convincing us these are our real issues & reasons...while the true issues remain tucked away underneath.

So what I think she really meant is that while she feels she should come to live in Eretz Yisrael, her Diaspora life is so comfortable and fulfilling, she doesn't want to leave it.

And I understand that. Really, it's so understandable.

FYI Note: I was not pressuring her to make aliyah. SHE brought it up, not me. Also, who knows if she's really even Jewish? So I'm talking about her ideals and her reasoning, not mine.

It would have been easier to make aliyah at the beginning of her marriage.

So here was this extremely likeable, intelligent, and positive person offering insensible reasons for not fulfilling a beneficial ideal.

In other words, she could do it. It would probably be better for them if they did. (Again, I don't know all their ins-and-outs, but it looked like it would be a good move.)

But it seemed too big. It demanded too much sacrifice. The transition period would likely be long and grueling...though worth it in the end.

And therein lay the lesson for me.

It's Significantly Harder Now, But Still Possible

Let's say a person was somewhat overweight in their younger years.

A decent gym stood nearby, as did good paths for power-walking in the abundant good weather.

Combined with a healthy diet, this person could have lost the necessary weight within a short amount of time.

But the person only made brief stabs at losing weight without ever confronting or dealing deeply with the issues behind the overeating.

At 50, she finds herself vastly more overweight with fat that's not easy to lose at her age.

Because of both age and the sheer amount of pounds necessary to shed, a weight-loss program will be much more grueling and take a long time.

However, though much easier when younger, it IS still possible to lose the copious weight and to do so at her age.

The alternative, though significantly more formidable, always existed and STILL exists.

It's still possible.

Much harder? Yes.

But still possible.

Yet Again: It's Not about Their Issues, But My Own

So I was running across all these different kinds of situation with this same theme running through them:

Alternatives & solutions to their problems existed, but because they never pushed themselves to take full advantage, those same alternatives proved much more formidable and grueling as time passed.

Over time, their steep hill turned into a craggy mountain.

The alternatives now demanded much more determination, courage, sacrifice, and a much longer and more grueling transition period.

And I knew Hashem wanted me to look in my own life for those hard alternatives that seemed closed, but are really open...just a LOT more demanding and formidable than they would've been had I utilized them years ago.

And I found some.

And I'm still wrestling with exactly how to deal with them.

But at least I got the message.

That's better than nothing.

You're My Inspiration

Initially, this post could've been written completely differently.

It could've been a superior self-righteous post (or a contemplative lecturing post) about the oh-so pathetic state of the world and how OTHER people (not moi, of course—sarc!) are SO messed up.

And how "people" are soooooo in denial and need to get in touch with THEMselves, and develop more self-awareness...blah, blah, blah. (As if I am not a "people" myself, but something more superior, ha-ha.)

I could rant about how people make excuses rather than getting down to business and doing the hard work.

And that would be missing the point.

Hashem was not showing me all this to increase my feelings of superiority or enable me to take pride in the powers of observation, or to turn it all into a lecture on the faults of others.

He wanted me to know about my own hill-turned-mountain.

Or, rather, hills-turned-mountains.

(Yep. There's more than one...gulp! Wish me luck...)

Some Cold, Hard Facts to Push against the Popular Yet False Narrative Promoted in the Mainstream Media (which unfortunately influenced the frum media too)

27/7/2022

28/7/2022: This post has been updated with added links and other minor additions.

Any frum publication (whether online or print, a professional publication or an informal blog) is daas baalei batim.

That needs to be made clear.

Yes, most of the editors and writers seem to be sincere people. (I've met quite a few of them.)

And yes, some of them earned rabbinical ordination, which indicates a certain amount of scholarship under their belt.

But they are not daas Torah.

Sometimes, they communicate daas Torah (hopefully, they do so accurately). But they themselves are NOT daas Torah.

With the best of intentions, they are daas baalei batim.

And because they are all in all, daas baalei batim, they are subject to the same bias, blind spots, and good yet misguided intentions as all of us.

In other words, their opinions should not carry the same weight as those of truly knowledgeable and great rabbanim.

Why Davka Go Pro-Ukraine? Why Not be Neutral? Or Why Not be Anti-Both?

One of the more disturbing trends among frum media (whether a professional website, newspaper, or magazine) is the anti-Russian, pro-Ukrainian stance adopted by many.

I'm not referring to our wonderful Ukrainian Jewish brethren.

I mean the average Ukrainian.

I mean Ukrainian society.

And frum media adapted that pro-stance with bewildering fervor.

It's like this:

If a frum Jew feels anti-Russia sentiment...well, okay. There's the whole history of Communist rabid religious persecution. And while Putin deals fairly with the Russian Jewish community now, he's no tzaddik.

I get the anti-Russia sentiment.

But this fervently sympathetic pro-Ukrainian stance?

It's simply mind-boggling.

There is NO basis for it.

As you'll see below, the Ukrainians aren't better off under a Ukrainian government.

It does not matter whether they are independent or not.

Neither a Russian government nor a Ukrainian government benefit the Ukrainian people.

It's all the same rubbish.

But because this Ukrainian-sympathetic stance so obviously derives from the mainstream media (which developed a sudden & cultish support for the Ukraine), it also concerns me that frum Jews allow themselves to be so strongly influence by the Leftist anti-religious anti-Torah anti-Israel mainstream media.

(Because on their own, a frum Jew never would've developed such a pro-Ukrainian POV. There is simply no logical support for such a position.)

Also, I've seen NOTHING from any Gedolei Hador supporting such a stance. The kol koreis I have seen simply call for a peaceful resolution for both sides & caring for Jewish refugees without taking sides.

(That's daas Torah. And it means something, guys.)

A Brief Look at the Views Promoted in the Media, Plus Real-Life Anecdotes

The Ukrainian history with Jews has mostly been horrifying — with some very beautiful exceptions embodied by extremely courageous & devoted righteous Ukrainian gentiles.

But I think events of decades ago (with the perpetrators are mostly dead by now) don't hold sway among people today who seem to believe the modern Ukraine is all sunshine, rainbows, and unicorns — with Russia as the only thing holding them back from being totally fabulous.

But it's simply not true.

As has been true for centuries, the Ukraine has problems innate to itself...

...which is why I find so puzzling the fervent sympathy for Ukraine & the insistence on seeing Ukrainians as so lovely.

(Yes, there are lovely Ukrainians. But we are now generalizing about their society.)

For example, one publication published the following description of the Ukraine:
"nice, normal, civilized"

WHO on earth ever describes the Ukraine that way????

When has the Ukraine EVER been nice or normal or civilized?

Note: I'd like to interrupt myself to say that if you realize what article I mean, then please know it was an excellent article other than that bizarre phrase — very educational about the modern history of the Ukraine.

Furthermore, just because a person's name appears on the byline of a piece doesn't mean they wrote every word.

Sometimes, an editor adds stuff without even informing the writer. I personally know of an instance when an editor did this, turning a concept into something the author did not even believe, yet was expressed under this author's name.

And yes, the author received an angry letter, but could not respond because the author agreed with the letter-writer, yet was not allowed to say where the blame really lay.

Also, even if the author really does believe it, it says something about the publication's stance that they allow such a view to be promoted within their publication.

So keep all that in mind...

Anyway...going back to the idea of modern-day Ukraine being "nice, normal, and civilized," (as if the Ukraine is actually Finland or Denmark in disguise!):

We've all known so many people of all stripes who went to Kiev and Uman over the past years.

And we all heard their impressions of the Ukraine.

No one ever came back remarking what a normal and civilized society it was.

In fact, we all know the Ukraine is a very corrupt country — and NOT just because of Russia.

For example, anyone who has visited the Ukraine will tell you a lot of Ukrainians working as drivers (truck drivers, taxi drivers, etc.) do so while under the influence of vodka.

Is Russia compelling Ukrainians to drive professionally while snockered?

Of course not! That has always been part of Ukrainian culture.

Furthermore, murder, terrible car accidents, and unjust arrests occur at a high rate, as we all know from both the media and anecdotes from our friends.

(You can read of my son's experience in Uman back in 2021 — including the ho-hum run-of-the-mill Ukrainian corruption — here: www.myrtlerising.com/blog/the-view-of-a-non-breslov-wife-mother-regarding-rosh-hashanah-in-uman...did Putin force that Ukrainian to be ignorant of Russian-language ATMs until the Ukrainian received 5 hryvni?)

On the other hand...yes, if you go to the mall in Kiev, you will feel like you're in any other cosmopolitan place in Europe.

But what goes on behind the scenes?

Let's look at the cold, hard objective numbers.

The Truth about the Ukraine BEFORE the War with Russia

IMPORTANT NOTE: These statistics were compiled before the present war.

Meaning, this is the NORM for the Ukraine BEFORE THIS WAR WITH RUSSIA.

(Boldface & underline my own additions.)

Ukraine is the POOREST country in Europe

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Ukraine

"...Ukraine remains the poorest country in Europe by nominal GDP per capita, which some journalists have attributed to high corruption."

There are 44 countries in Europe.
www.worldometers.info/geography/how-many-countries-in-europe/

Tellingly, even before the Russian invasion, the Ukraine was even poorer than fellow Soviet and formerly Communist-dominated countries like Belarus and Hungary, including the miserable Moldova (seriously; Moldova is one of the world's most unhappiest countries) and poorer than war-torn PTSD countries that still suffer ethnic strife and corruption, like Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia.

And the report states outright the abysmal ranking derives from high corruption.

Should ranking as the poorest country in Europe due to "high corruption" be characterized as "nice" or "normal"?

BTW: If you're rank at the bottom of a list, you are not normal. Normal means "median," not "the worst."

And "high corruption" is neither "nice" nor "civilized."

The Ukraine also lies low on the WORLD corruption index

www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2021
Note the Ukraine sinks toward the bottom of the 180 countries: rank #122.

How civilized! And nice! And normal! [sarc]

The Ukraine ranks below other countries you may have considered extremely corrupt. Meaning, the Ukraine is considered MORE CORRUPT than Gambia, Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone (always a prime pop-up as a center of human rights abuses), Kazakhstan, Surinam, and many more.

If a country is considered MORE corrupt than Sierra Leone, Egypt, Serbia, Bosnia, and the Solomon Islands (where cannibalism can still be found among some inhabitants)—how can you call it "civilized" or "normal" with a straight face?

Furthermore, there's this:
https://www.transparency.org/en/gcb/europe-and-central-asia/europe-central-asia-2016:

Over half (53 per cent) said that their government is doing badly at fighting corruption, while less than a quarter (23 per cent) say that they are doing well.

The governments of Ukraine (86 per cent), Moldova (84 per cent), Bosnia and Herzegovina (82 per cent), and Spain (80 per cent) were judged worst by their citizens.

Bribery is a far too common experience for many households in the region.

On average, one in six households paid a bribe for access to public services. Although few households paid bribes when coming into contact with public services in EU member states, rates were significantly higher further east...the Kyrgyz Republic and Ukraine (38 per cent for each)...

The Ukraine also struggled with a serious human trafficking problem BEFORE the current fiasco with Russia:
https://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/trafficking-persons

Even before Russia’s invasion, Ukraine was already facing an increase in the scale of human trafficking...The population is extremely vulnerable, an issue severely exacerbated by Russia’s invasion and the need for millions of people to leave their homes for safety in Ukraine and abroad.

As a woman and mother, the current photos of refugee shelters with masses of beds or sleeping bags together in the open made me sick.

I knew this meant wide-spread sxual abuse.

The Ukraine already faced a problem with this and with so many women and children lying out in the open and unprotected, this immediately signaled terrible abuse.

But the mass of frum political pundits did not see this for some reason.

You can blame Russia all you want, but the Ukrainian government handled things very badly.

And they handled things badly BEFORE too.

In fact, statistics labeled the Ukraine as one of the HIGHEST human traffiking countries in Europe (on par with Rumanian, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Russia):

Prior to Russia’s invasion in February 2022, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Mission in Ukraine...estimated that more than 300,000 Ukrainians had suffered from human trafficking since 1991. An estimated 46,000 Ukrainians were trafficked during 2019-2021; 29,000 abroad and 17,000 in Ukraine.

Is this amount of human trafficking "nice" or "normal"?

Is it the sign of a civilized society?

I certainly hope not!

There's also this nifty heads-up to people considering living there BEFORE the Russian invasion:
www.expatarrivals.com/europe/ukraine/pros-and-cons-moving-ukraine

Ukraine is riddled with real-estate scams that go mostly unnoticed by the government...

Unfortunately, corruption is still commonplace. Police often hassle foreigners for a "small gift." Shady businesses operate with seemingly no repercussions. Getting anything done officially takes a lot of time, patience, and the occasional "extra fee" for officials.

While the healthcare situation in Ukraine has improved radically, some remnants of an inefficient past still remain, particularly in terms of bribery — in some cases bribes may be expected in order for patients to receive proper care.

Is that normal? How on earth is such a system "civilized"?

On the contrary, that all sounds really awful and Sodom-like to me.

Why are frum Jews supporting the Ukraine????

(Support Ukrainian Jews? YES!!! But why all the support & idealization of Ukrainian SOCIETY & Ukrainian independence?)

Guess Who's Name is "Mud"?

I already addressed the cult of Zelensky-luv here:

There's also Daniel Greenfield's article breaking down & analyzing Zelensky's manipulative & self-serving rhetoric:
https://gellerreport.com/2022/03/zelenskys-holocaust-denial-should-be-a-red-line-for-jews.html/

(Also, as for Zelensky lauding the anti-Torah Commie Gold Meir, please see Rav Avigdor Miller:
torasavigdor.org/rav-avigdor-miller-on-lashon-harah-about-golda-meir/)

Since then, I've seen photos claiming to be of Zelensky holding a swastika flag of a Ukrainian neo-Nazi group and at his child's baptism in a church.

Are these photoshopped? I cannot tell.

But he for sure turned his back on his heritage and married a non-Jewish woman.

And all his Holocaust drivel? Give me break. If you care so much about Jewish continuity, why didn't you at least marry a Jewish woman, you mumar?

Personally, I still find it unforgiveable that he demanded little war-torn Israel to take on massive nuclear-armed Russia.

What an egomaniacal psychopath.

That some frum Jews swoon over this egomaniacal mumar (and possible meshumad) with a deathwish for Am Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael?

Insane.

(And I'm being nice and giving the benefit of the doubt by calling such swooning "insane." It's actually much worse and more disturbing than that. How can they possibly not see something so obvious?)

How to Stop the Madness

Please know that emailing Jewish publications does help.

They DO listen.

Again, whether a writer meant what was written or not, the PUBLICATION decided to publish THIS point of view.

They are PUSHING this narrative of the Ukraine as a nice, normal, civilized, innocent victim full of rainbow glitter and unicorns — and only that "big bad" Russia is ruining things for them.

As shown above, it's all wrong, wrong, wrong.

(BTW, I do not support Russia or the Ukraine. Both governments are corrupt.)

Even one letter makes a difference, especially when supported by proven sources.

You can write to either the publication or the author (if a personal address is given).

(I've done this. They don't respond, but they do change their wording in future articles.)

Don't lambast or insult them or use tons of exclamation points.

Just say the facts with links. (You can use the links provided in this post.)

At the very least, know for yourself the facts.

Don't take sides among these backwards corrupt messed-up nations!

Here's some interesting food for thought on that part of the world from Rav Avigdor Miller:

Stated in 1980:
https://torasavigdor.org/rav-avigdor-miller-on-russia-trumps-america/

Stated in 1981:
https://torasavigdor.org/rav-avigdor-miller-on-lessons-from-russia/

Yes, specific circumstances changed, but the principles guiding us how to view situations remain the same.

A Q&A Excerpt from Bitachon Weekly: "With all the Jews in Ukraine that are in danger, what does the Rav suggest we Yidden should be doing and thinking at this time?"

15/3/2022

Not surprisingly, I'm seeing a lot of confusion and distorted good intentions regarding this whole Russia-Ukraine fiasco.

So here is a recent Q&A with Rabbi Yehuda Mandel of Bitachon Weekly (Vayikra-Zachor-Purim 5782), which also features brief yet encouraging observations from one of the recently rescued Ukrainian rabbis & Rav Simcha Bunim Cohen:

Question:
With all the Jews in Ukraine that are in danger, what does the Rav suggest we Yidden should be doing and thinking at this time?

Answer:
First, it is important that every person should feel they are the one who can save the situation...

...The world was created for me. [a quote from Sanhedrin 37a – MR]

MAKE BELIEVE YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE IN THE WORLD.

Be alone with Hashem and watch your Tefilos come true.

I did just that, and the results are incredible. I davened to Hashem that no one should get hurt.

Then I davened that people should do Teshuva, because that’s very important; their spiritual deprivation is worse than their physical danger.

Most Yidden in Ukraine are not Shomer Shabbos or anything and are living out their lives without Torah and Mitzvos. We need to care about them and be M’karev them; at the very least we should cry for them.

I also davened that there should not arise Agunah Shaylos, since they were taking the men away from their families to join the war.

I bumped into Rav Simcha Bunim Cohen Shlita last Shabbos and asked him to tell me about his thoughts on the topic.

He said that the story of Mordechai on Purim teaches us how one man can save the entire world, and that this is how every individual should think.

I felt the same way during the Gulf War; I davened that no one should get hurt, and that’s exactly what happened.

Every person should do the same, and should have in mind their Ruchaniyus as well, because the Geula is around the corner, and when Moshiach comes it will not be so simple for all the irreligious Jews.

So that’s why they must be in our minds all the time. This is what I had in mind.

This past Shabbos I met the Rav of Ukraine himself, R’ Yaakov Bleich, who arrived in Lakewood. I asked him about the plight of the men, and he reported that they are all getting saved; with spectacular Nissim.

Then I asked him about their Yiras Shamayim, if they are doing Teshuva?

He replied that this is exactly what is happening.

Even their president, who is a Jewish M’shumad, called R’ Bleicher and declared: Without G-d, we aren’t making it!

So, I feel that my Tefilos are being heard, and every Yid should take credit for the Yeshua, too.

Each person should feel they are in charge.

You can “remote control” everything with your Tefilos, your Teshuva, and Bitachon.

During the Gulf War, Saddam Hussein was shooting scud missiles into Eretz Yisroel, and people were panicking.

At that time, every Gadol publicized that no one will be harmed, and that’s exactly what happened. The government was giving out gas masks [they were afraid of chemical warfare], and R’ Chaim Kanievsky said they should wear them on Purim [for a costume], and that’s what happened.

See how their positive words had an effect! Everyone should speak positively and watch how exactly that will happen.

Words are alive!

Part of the reason this explanation spoke to me is because Rav Itamar Schwartz repeatedly emphasized how one of the responses to covid-19 is to be alone with Hashem, to find at least 1 minute of quiet to really be with Hashem. (More than 1 minute is better, but even 1 minute contains immeasurable value.)

Hashem really wants each of us to be the unique individual He created us to be—a real avodah in a world that seeks to constantly distract us, keep us "connected" to people we may barely know (2000 Fakebook friends?), and to have us all think & act the same.

(That is a huge part of the reason why Hashem brought the covid-19 phenomenon into the world.)

And here, Rabbi Mandel emphasizes individuality and loneness, including the supreme importance of an individual's tefillot and deeds—and not just those of a tzaddik!—but of regular Jews.

Furthermore, Rabbi Mandel demonstrates real concern and caring for fellow Jews on all levels, noting how the coming of Mashiach—welcome by the sincerely frum (or sincerely TRYING to be frum!) will not be experienced in that vein by the irreligious Jews.

Also, it hadn't occurred to me to think of the agunah situations that often arise in wartime & displacement, but it is of course a serious concern and I really appreciate him bringing it to the forefront.

All in all, rather than taking sides and getting sucked into the false narratives surrounding us, it's best to take the advice presented in the above Q&A.

To receive Bitachon Weekly by email send a request to:

thenewbitachonweekly@gmail.com

(I'm not connected to this at all; just passing on the good information!)

True Jewish Heroism & Accomplishment: A False Example & a True Example

6/3/2022

Last week, I wanted to write a post about how the Prime Minister of the Ukraine revealed his true character, but felt such fury & resentment, I decided to push it off.

(In general, I try not to blog when feeling livid or depressed because it's like emotionally vomiting on the readers. Occasionally, there's a place for blogging while steeped in negative emotion. But usually, it's not such a great idea.)

Also, I decided to add a compelling positive example at the end of this post.

So here it goes...

Here are Some Facts

In & of itself, it completely lacks integrity to demand that little Israel join the Ukraine against the massive Russian bear.

Israel remains smaller than the American state of New Jersey while Russia is massive.

(The Ukraine is almost as big as the state of Texas. Why do they need our help?)

The number of soldiers and military equipment available within Israel is miniscule compared to Russia.

Furthermore, it is in Israel's best interests (politically, economically, practically, and FOR THE SAKE OF THE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF JEWS STILL LIVING IN RUSSIA) to maintain cordial relations with Russia.

Imagine the impact on Jews across Russia if little Israel openly sided with the Ukraine AND supplied them with weapons to kill & maim Russian soldiers.

Imagine how Russian society and the Russian government would treat Russian Jews if Israel did such a thing.

Imagine how Russia-sympathizers within the Ukraine would treat Ukrainian Jews.

Yet that is exactly what the Ukrainian Prime Minister keeps demanding Israel do!

Also, in case this "Jewish" Prime Minister hasn't noticed, Israeli already sits surrounded by several enemy/cold peace countries, both large & small, plus suffers fifth-column terror from within.

But hey, sure, keep demanding that Israel offers financial, military, and political support it cannot afford. Right?

Wrong. Dead wrong.

To add flames to the fire, the Ukrainian Prime Minister insists on making Holocaust comparisons — inaccurate & manipulative comparisons.

If he weren't considered Jewish, he would have already been called out on this and criticized for trivializing the Holocaust.

And to emphasize how this conflict is not Evil Russia against Saintly Ukraine: This same Ukrainian Prime Minister recently shut down oppositional TV stations and imprisoned oppositional leaders. (This is somewhat dictatorial, is it not?)

Furthermore, the Ukrainians have problems with themselves.

For example, in 2014, Ukrainians killed each other in the Maidan Uprising to the tune of 130 dead.

And the Ukraine never stopped suffering from government corruption, corruption in the educational system & justice system, an unstable financial system, neo-Nazi resurgence, and so on.

Sort of like Russia and whole lot of other countries around the world.

In other words...what's the difference?

And not even all Ukrainians are united in this current war. A sizeable number of Russia-sympathizers exist.

Just to be clear: I'm NOT pro-Russian nor pro-Ukraine nor pro-war.

In fact, I think this war is a big tragedy.

Every human being is made in God's Image and must try to live up to that image...all the more so, not kill or hurt anyone in any way.

At the same time, I see no reason why anyone in the world should take sides in this Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Taking sides can even make things worse for everyone (including the people meant to be supported).

In fact, this is not the first time Russia & the Ukraine have battled. They did so in 2016 and the world didn't make a big deal about it. So why now?

If you'd like to read an objective summary of recent Ukrainian history that has not been turned into pro-Ukrainian anti-Russian propaganda (as all information suddenly has), please see here:
www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL33460.html

Also, here's an intelligent article explaining different factions in the Ukraine:
https://hamodia.com/prime/did-anyone-ask-the-ukrainians/

Finally, I feel like the world has slipped into a parallel dimension every time I read about the Ukrainians as poor innocent victims.

For most of my life, I heard how the Ukrainians were worse than the Nazis.

And now I keep reading how they're heroic innocent victims in dire need of Jewish support.

And I'm like, Huh??? When did THAT happen?

And yes, I realize righteous gentiles exist in both Russia and the Ukraine.

And yes, I realize that Jews have thrived both as residents and tourists in the Ukraine in recent years. Sure, today's Ukrainians seem a lot nicer than those of our grandparents generation (although even then, righteous gentiles existed).

But this is not our fight. It's not our war.

And for the reasons described both in this post and previous posts, the supposedly "Jewish" Prime Minister of the Ukraine is now mud by me.

(Previous posts: www.myrtlerising.com/blog/keeping-our-heads-straight-by-getting-the-facts-straight & www.myrtlerising.com/blog/why-are-people-especially-jews-taking-sides)

His eagerness to endanger hundreds of thousands (even millions, if you count Jews living in Eretz Yisrael) of Jewish lives & well-being all for the sake of maintaining his position, power, and kavod?

That crosses every line of integrity.

He continues to display a disturbing lack of bushah, chessed, and compassion.

And we know what that means.

And I totally stand against any portrayal of him in any Jewish media as a really cool Jewish guy with really cool accomplishments of whom we can be proud.

He consistently acts according to the traits of a mumar and Erev Rav.

How on earth does that make him "accomplished" or admirable according to authentic Jewish standards?

(And frankly, I'm sick of reading about him proclaiming, "Glory to our defenders! Glory to the Ukraine! Glory to our heroes!" Actually, I only read that twice, but I got sick of it after the first time. What about "Glory to God"?)

A True Jewish Hero

But I promised to end with a positive example...

Miriam Cohen's Behind the Walls, Appendix A, page 331 describes a fortress in southern Belgium, which officially served as a government shelter for the children of parents serving on the battlefront of World War II.

It was like temporary foster care in a group home.

Surreptitiously, this facility also hid 87 Jewish children from the Nazis.

And even more secretly, this facility also hid "enemy" soldiers from the Nazis—mostly non-Jewish.

Yet one Jewish soldier (it doesn't say from what army) fled from a camp (presumably a POW camp) to hide in that fortress too.

Someone informed on the hiding soldiers to the Nazis, which sparked the arrival of German stormtroopers to search the fortress.

They found the Jewish soldier.

Assuming this was all they needed to do, the Nazis prepared to leave with the Jewish soldier.

But before they left, the housemother Sister Marie, managed to make a secret request of the Jewish soldier:

"Please do not try to run away from them again," she said, "for they will always come here to search for you, and then the lives of the Jewish children will be in danger."

This request demanded superhuman self-sacrifice from the Jewish soldier.

Foreign Jewish soldiers in Nazi POW camps were treated cruelly. And this request came during a continent-wide genocide of Jews.

It does not say whether this soldier was religious at all.

Yet one of those 87 hidden children met this same Jewish soldier after the war.

And this Jewish soldier described how he traveled under the guard of an elderly German soldier, from whom the Jewish soldier could have easily escaped.

Yet the Jewish soldier kept hearing the warning of Sister Marie in his head. Even though he knew the torment to which he was returning, he refused to endanger the 87 Jewish children hiding in the fortress.

He refused to escape.

And THIS is the authentic Jewish attitude toward our fellow Jews.

It's this behavior we should admire, emulate, and see as "accomplished" and really cool.

(And it's mind-boggling and awe-inspiring how he actually managed to restrain himself on their behalf. I do not know how much he suffered by returning to the camp.)

After all, all 87 Jewish children survived—and this Jewish soldier deserves credit for his part in their survival by endangering his own life so as not to endanger theirs.

How different is this lone unnamed Jewish soldier from the current man who attempts to endanger hundreds of thousands of Jews with his demands and the resultant acts of Jew-hatred that could be unleashed on the Jewish world (chas v'shalom) if Israel or the Jewish community would acquiesce to his callous demands.

The above shows why it's so important to live up to Torah standards and not the vacillating standards of media presentations.

Please daven for our brothers & sisters, including those named in this post:
www.myrtlerising.com/blog/please-daven-for-these-jews-running-for-their-lives

Please donate to the well-being of our brothers & sisters in danger:
Ukraine Relief Fund - Agudath Israel of America
https://agudah.org/ukraine-relief-fund/
Evacuations using hundreds of buses have already have been & continue to be carried out.

Keeping Our Heads Straight by Getting the Facts Straight

1/3/2022

Just wanted to say some words about the Prime Minister of the Ukraine & what's going on...

(As usual in our times, well-meaning people get excited about the wrong things, and getting the facts straight straightens out our hashkafot too).

First of all:

The guy lacks any meaningful connection with Judaism.

He's not interested.

Yes, he himself blames that on his Communist-influenced secular upbringing.

But free choice exists.

So many Russian Jews with his same upbringing (or even worse!) made the choice to learn more & commit more to their Jewish soul-needs.

In fact, I personally know Ukrainian Jews who became frum.

(One Ukrainian Jewish woman credited the Ukrainian summer camps run by Karliner chassidim for her decision to become frum. Did you know Karlin chassidus was active in Soviet kiruv? I did not. Like most everyone else, I thought only Chabad was doing everything there. But it's nice to know about the Karliners too. Yashar koach to them & their fantastic summer camps for Ukrainian Jewish children!)

In other words, the options existed and Zelensky never took advantage.

Which brings us to our next issue...

The guy is married to a non-Jew.

There are other rumors about the extent of his meshumadness, but I couldn't find verifiable information except about his wife not being Jewish.

Many Jews today, including frum Jews, hold an open mind regarding intermarried Jews. It's so common and so understandable (heck, I'd have married a non-Jew myself had I not turned to Torah)...so nobody wants to condemn an intermarried Jew.

And certainly, we should not be mean to people or insult them over transgressions, especially people who've no inkling of the magnitude of sin they've unwittingly committed.

Warmth, encouragement, patience, education...this is the way to deal with most Jewish transgressors (whether they're frum or not).

On the other hand, the sin of intermarriage is particularly horrible and damaging, whether the intermarried Jew perceives it or not.

And personal observation proves that an intermarried Jew RARELY divorces the non-Jewish spouse to do teshuvah.

In a tiny minority of cases, the non-Jewish spouse converts, but only the truly special ones perform a sincere conversion.

You see by their refusal to conform to even the basic halacha after the conversion, that these conversions deriving from convenience or pressure lack sincerity (including those performed by the type of Orthodox rabbi who, wittingly or unwittingly, is lax himself in holding up the non-Jewish spouse to the correct standards).

In the vast majority of cases, intermarried Jews really are lost to the Jewish people.

You don't always see that right away, but especially with the men and their non-Jewish children...it's all over.

It's one of the big tragedies of our times.

And this is exactly the case with Zelensky.

According to Rav Avigdor Miller, both his lack of shemirat Shabbat and his non-Jewish spouse prevent him from being considered our brother (according to the Gemara, which states "a brother in mitzvot").

A Jewish Prime Minister of the Ukraine is One of the Worst Possibilities for Jews

Apparently, the Chief Rabbi of Dnipier in the Ukraine expressed fear that the election of a Jewish Prime Minister would result in terrible Jew-hatred once Zelensky's popularity dropped (as often happens with politicians).

Even a perceived mistake or plan-gone-wrong could ignite the embers of Ukrainian Jew-hatred—that was my fear too ever since I heard about his election.

Furthermore, it could also ignite Jew-hatred on the Russian side.

However things play out, Jew-hatred can fan out on one side or the other (God forbid!) simply because one of the main players is a Jew.

Basically, it's a no-win situation as far as Jew-hatred goes and I'm upset Zelensky insisted on going for the position of Prime Minister in the first place.

And I find it bizarre that anyone is taking sides because Russia and the Ukraine are mostly just two sides of the same coin.

Does it really matter whether corrupt Ukrainian officials or corrupt Russian officials are running the Ukraine?

And while Ukrainians have generally been pretty cool about religious Jewish & Israeli tourism, that's no indication of how they really feel because, hey, money talks! They're making tons off of Jewish & Israeli tourism.

Jewish blood soaks the pages of both Ukrainian and Russian history.

Having a Jewish Prime Minister in this battle is probably going to turn out very, very badly (Hashem yerachem).

Can We Please Stop Pretending that Non-Jews are Jews with Regard to Soviet Immigration? When Will This Willful Ignorance Finally Stop?

While I very much daven for all the authentic Jews to come and settle safely in Eretz Yisrael, all these numbers proclaimed as representing Ukrainian Jewry are false.

A percentage are not Jewish at all. What percentage? N̶o̶t̶ ̶s̶u̶r̶e̶.

(Update: Only 25%. See here: https://hamodia.com/2022/02/14/israel-has-secret-plan-to-rescue-ukrainian-jews-in-event-of-invasion/—H/T Yaak.)

There are so many non-Jewish spouses and non-Jewish children in the Ukraine. The Jerusalem Pest once did an article on Ukrainian Jews wanting to immigrate and for some reason, the Pest interviewed the non-Jewish wife of a Jew for her thoughts. She said she very much wanted to come to Eretz Yisrael with her non-Jewish children and, oddly, she gave the impression that she deserved to—like it's her right and Israel owes her & her children or something.

And people like her will come and grant more power to Lieberman and his minions.

They will damage & fragment Israeli society even more—not because they're bad people (although some certainly are), but they will simply wish to live their secular or Christian gentile lives in this country without respect or consideration of Jewish Law.

But I'm definitely very concerned about the actual Jews in the Ukraine, especially the elderly Holocaust survivors and the children. I know the Holocaust survivors are especially terrorized by what's going on right now...and that hurts.

Erev Rav Attitude

As stated above, Zelensky's decisions prevent him from being considered & treated like a brother by his fellow Jews.

And it's hard to believe he doesn't realize the potential fallout his rule could eventually have on his fellow Jews in the Ukraine. Or in Russia, depending on how the tide turns.

I think he doesn't care about the consequences. Or maybe it's a form of overconfidence, like "That won't happen to ME!".

Another aspect that misleads Jews regarding Zelensky is his seeming pro-Israel stance, his visit to the Kotel, and his telephone call to the rabbi of Kiev to pray for them.

First of all, like a lot of other mumar Jews, he likes the SECULAR aspects of Medinat Yisrael and he likes knowing the Medinah is there for him as a glorified bug-out location.

Secondly, a classic aspect of Erev Rav is using Jewish ritual as a lucky charm.

This post explains the idea in detail:
Why the Erev Rav CAN'T Change Themselves
http://www.myrtlerising.com/blog/the-kli-yakar-parshat-masei:

But the Erev Rav, whose source derives from Egypt, didn’t go out according to the word of Hashem, but according the opinion of Moshe.

See that? From the get-go, the Erev Rav were dependent on a person.

They ignored Hashem and Hashem's Power (and also the fact that Moshe Rabbeinu could not bring them without Hashem allowing it!).

But they never really wanted to join Am Yisrael.

They were always looking back, yearning for their impure origins:

And it’s said about the Erev Rav: “And these are their journeys to their origins”--because they always had a desire and a will to return to Egypt, to their source.

Or this from the Kli Yakar on Parshat Ki Tisa (Shemot 32:1):

The Erev Rav feared that if Moshe won't come, then Hashem will command them to be driven out from the community...

Therefore, they thought up a scheme to request another leader in place of Moshe..."We did not know what he had, for surely he had the image of some star, and he was a leader and performed miracles with its power."

[The Erev Rav speaking to Aharon HaKohen]: "And you, his brother, know without a doubt what that item was. Therefore, we want that you shall make for us some image that will be an intermediary between us and between the stars..."

The Kli Yakar also quotes Sanhedrin 63a:
"They lusted after many gods."

So you can see how confused and contradictory they are while being incredibly smug & confident at the same time.

In a nutshell, they don't disregard the power of Judaism or the existence of God.

They simply do not consider it the only gig in town.

As the Kli Yakar explains, they considered Elokai Yisrael the biggest bully on the block and ran after Moshe Rabbeinu...while looking back toward Egypt the entire time.

Following the biggest bully on the block (in their eyes).

Seeking the most effective "lucky charm." (Initially, they were convinced Moshe Rabbeinu used some kind of star image to accomplish all the miracles; they could not conceive such powerful miracles from holiness and, well...GOD.)

Shifting loyalties.

No real grasp of Who is in charge.

No ability to cultivate an emunah attitude.

They relate to Judaism that way because that is how they honestly perceive even the deepest & most powerful aspects of Torah Judaism: shallow, superficial, a kinda cool yet fake "show," full of more-effective-than-usual lucky charms & superstitions...

I saw this in real-time with a BT psychopath.

I could never understand why the person became frum until I saw that:

(1) This person was not frum on the inside at all. This person did a lot of forbidden stuff with no feelings of contradiction. It's not hard to go through the motions externally when people are looking. (Or to lie to people when spotted.)

(2) Despite lots of lashon hara (and some bad experiences) to the contrary, most frum people are nicer, more readily give you the benefit of the doubt, are more generous, and more forgiving than any other group. Psychopaths can find that pretty comfortable as long as they're willing to wear a frum disguise themselves.

(3) This person believed in Judaism in a superstitious-lucky-charm manner. Tehillim, for example, was more of a lucky charm rather than a way to connect with Hashem or elevate oneself. But when it didn't "work," the person dropped it completely.

It really came to fore when this person experienced a difficulty and responded by calling all friends & acquaintances to insist they forgive this person if they ever imagined this person had wronged them.

Yes. "Imagined."

And this person attributed the difficulty to people holding grudges (for no good reason, of course), which is why this person insisted people offer their forgiveness.

Just like that.

It was so incredibly superficial and superstitious—not at all like how spiritual physics really work.

One person tried to call the psychopath's bluff by saying "What's this 'if' stuff? You KNOW you hurt people."

But the psychopath responded by explaining the yetzer hara is playing tricks and causing one to "imagine" the psychopath had ever done anything wrong.

(This came after this psychopath had knowingly caused widespread financial and emotional damage to many people over the course of several years. "Imagined," eh?)

And then the psychopath continued to pressure the person to "forgive."

I found it bizarre.

I found it bizarre until I realized the psychopath had no concept of these fundamental Jewish concepts & merely viewed Judaism as a "lucky" rabbit's foot.

It's like how squabbling frum children will say, "If you won't be my friend, then you have an aveira! All I need to do is tell you slicha three times, and then the aveira's on you! Slicha, slicha, slicha—still don't forgive me? Aveira's on you! So there!"

Obviously, each request for forgiveness must be sincere and, when necessary, accompanied by appeasement. And the 3 times should be spread out to allow the hurt person time to heal.

But the psychopath simply craved a quick end to the difficulty.

So when the rabbi said to seek out and make amends with people who may have been hurt, the psychopath/Erev Rav could not do so in a real way, but only in the way an immature, petty, ignorant child would.

So an assimilated mumar Jew calling a rabbi for prayers or visiting the Kotel does NOT automatically mean he feels any connection to Judaism or even respects Judaism.

Sure, it COULD mean that. It could be a pinteleh Yid.

But it doesn't HAVE to mean that.

And here, I really don't see any indication that it does mean anything more than that.

Final Points

To sum up:

I think there is a very disturbing situation going on between Russia and Ukraine—and I think the potential for some very bad fallout is very real.

I think we need to keep our minds clear and focus on our real values (rather than getting caught up in various narratives—including those by some frum websites and articles).

If you're Jewish, Russia is not your buddy.

If you're Jewish, the Ukraine is not your buddy.

We need to focus on helping REAL Jews.

We need to focus on our own personal unique self-improvement.

We need to daven.

To donate to help Ukrainian Jews:
Ukraine Relief Fund - Agudath Israel of America
https://agudah.org/ukraine-relief-fund/

Please say Tehillim 130, 142 and 121.
https://hamodia.com/2022/02/28/moetzes-gedolei-hatorah-releases-kol-korei-on-the-situation-in-ukraine/

Please read this article:
https://aish.com/zhidovka-a-jew-in-ukraine/

Please watch this 10-minute talk by Rabbi Daniel Travis:
Rav Moshe Sternbuch Speaks on The Russian Invasion
www.torahanytime.com/#/lectures?v=178998

Follow-Up Post:
www.myrtlerising.com/blog/why-are-people-especially-jews-taking-sides

www.myrtlerising.com/blog/true-jewish-heroism-accomplishment-a-false-example-a-true-example

www.myrtlerising.com/blog/some-cold-hard-facts-to-push-against-the-popular-yet-false-narrative-promoted-in-the-mainstream-media-which-unfortunately-influenced-the-frum-media-too

A Charedi-Secular Debate in Real Time, Plus Another Little Social Experiment

3/11/2021

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While at work, a 15-year-old secular girl approached my charedi-looking son to challenge him about the uselessness & harm of charedim on society.

Having just finished a school project on the topic, she felt very sure of her position.

May I just interject here to say how harassing this is? If you're charedi, you often encounter this behavior when you leave your home/enclave.

I've started to dread family simchos because of this. My husband even encountered this when he went to be menachem avel his cousins at their mother's shiva, after he bussed himself all the way there in extremely hot weather & missed work & kollel for it.

I personally try to be very considerate & non-judgmental toward others outside my group.

But it doesn't help much because you can never be nice enough. Even if they like you, they're angry at you for being part of a community they view as the bane of humanity. Also, they hold you responsible for the bad behavior of your community's baddies.

(They, of course, do not consider themselves responsible for any corruption & dysfunction in their own communities. Only charedim are held accountable for theirs.)

But can you imagine if I would just go up to a Reform Jew at a wedding and start challenging him on how awful & hypocritical the Reform movement is, and how their intermarriage & fake conversions have caused a spiritual genocide?

Or if a charedi person would confront a secular co-worker about how truly awful his lack of Shabbat observance was, and all the damage that causes his soul & to Am Yisrael?

What if, at a family simcha, I made snide comments to my cousins about their intermarriages and, in the case of my male cousin, his 100% non-Jewish children?

I don't do that. And I wouldn't do that.

The thing is...when charedim do engage in such behavior (or maybe they didn't, but others imagine they did—that also happened to me), the charedim get dragged across the coals, badmouthed behind their backs & on Internet forums & social media.

But for everyone else, engaging in this harassment is perfectly acceptable.

It's incited by the media, which loves to report on anything perceived negative in the charedi community. (Even some charedi media does this.) Some of it may be true, some true but greatly exaggerated & distorted, and some not true.

But even when the same dysfunction occurs in their own communities, they either refuse to address it or they address it without all the vitriol & venemous condemnation they reserve for their criticism of charedim. In other words, it's only bad when charedim do it.

To end this diatribe on a positive note, secular Jews now also approach charedim with friendliness more than they ever used to.

But back to the original topic...

My son debated with himself whether to ignore her or attack back, but then decided to use plain 'n' simple arguments in a calm manner.

The Debate Begins...

She brought up the classic army service complaint (most charedim don't serve).

He explained how many enlisted soldiers don't do anything militarily useful anyway (this is well-known in Israeli society, but it's taboo to ever mention it) because the IDF is so bloated with people considered unfit for militarily useful position (like combat or military intelligence, etc.).

Then he asked her, "How many kids are in your family?"

"Two," she said.

"How many are planning to do army service?"

"Well," she said, "I'm planning to enlist, but my brother will do sherut le'umi."

(Talk about gender switcheroo! In the dati community, for example, boys do army & girls do sherut le'umi—national service. Also, for the vast majority of females in the IDF, their "service" is useless. But look at the social brainwashing among these secular youth...)

"Okay," said my son. "In your family, one sibling does army service. In my family also, one brother did army service. So why is your family superior to mine with regard to army service? Anyway, tons of charedim do army service. Probably there's at least one from every building in my neighborhood."

So then she countered with complaints about charedim not paying taxes or contributing their fair share the economy.

"Is your home rented or bought?" he asked.

"We rent our apartment."

"Well, my parents bought ours, which means my charedi parents need to pay property taxes & other taxes that your non-charedi parents don't."

"But charedim don't work..."

My son (dressed in a white shirt, black pants, and a black kippah with his tzitziyot out) laughed. "Oh, really? I'm standing here working, and you say to my face that charedim don't work? Anyway, lots of charedim work. In most charedi couples, at least one spouse works—if not both."

Then he said, "Have you heard of Yad Sarah?" (Founded by Rabbi Uri Lupolianski in 1974, Yad Sarah provides free medical equipment & services to all sectors of Israeli society regardless of religion or ethnicity—and including tourists.)

"Sure," she said. "My grandmother's wheelchair comes from Yad Sarah."

"Really," said my son. "Well, the founder of Yad Sarah is charedi."

"I don't believe you," she said.

"Google it," he said.

She did.

Then my son mentioned the charedi-staffed Zaka & Hatzalah.

"How much do you want to bet that if you got into an accident, Hatzalah would be first on the scene?"

"My cousin got into a motorcycle accident recently," she said.

"Call him right now and ask him who showed up to treat him," said my son.

So she called her cousin & asked him, and he replied, "Oh, a couple of really sweet charedi guys showed up, treated me at the scene, then took me to the hospital."

"Was it Hatzalah?" she asked.

"Maybe," he said. "I don't remember what was written on their equipment. But they were real charedim—and real professionals."

The End

I don't remember the rest of their conversation, but it ended with her eyes teary & red as she sank into silence.

And after all her investment in researching her school project...

The truth is, she's not at fault.

She's surrounded by a certain narrative with no encouragement to access anything outside that narrative.

Also, it's appalling that a school in a "Jewish" country enables such a hate-filled project and that her teacher accepted it without challenging its bias & lack of facts.

(Probably the teacher agreed with it.)

Actually, if I was into TV (which I'm not), I would think my son should have his own reality show.

Most reality shows are faked on some level.

But he seems to be really good at the these spontaneous challenges, like the elevator challenge with Mustafa (an-informal-social-experiment-indicates-israeli-society-discriminates-against-charedim-more-than-against-arabs-and-why-that-happens.html) or getting the girl to call her cousin regarding who arrived first to the scene of his accident.

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1 Example of How Jew-Hatred Helps Keeps a Jew Jewish

2/11/2021

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On the topic of anti-Jewish bigotry being a way to keep Jews in Judaism...

I was speaking with a young man from a charedi family who no longer looks frum, but insists on keeping certain mitzvot.

And despite his lack of kippah or tzitzit, he also gets offended if anyone labels him as secular. (The truth is, he'll voluntarily don a kippah for religious ceremonies & it seems he mostly keeps Shabbat—though I don't know how much.)

Anyway, he related a conversation between him & a middle-aged secular Israeli Leftist.

The Leftist tried to convince the young man that showing the Arabs tons of good will ("good" defined as whatever Leftists think Arabs want & would want for themselves) would bring peace to the nation.

As with many Leftists, this Leftist ignored the fact that quite a few Arabs in Israel refuse to vote (not even for Arab or Leftist parties)...or, if they can or would vote, they vote for more right-wing parties.

Some Arabs even vote for the Sephardi or Ashkenazi charedi parties.

So the young man asked the Leftist if he was in favor of same-gender marriage.

"Yes!" said the Leftist.

"Do you believe your daughters have the right to dress and behave however they want? Including all sorts of hanky-panky before marriage?"

"Yes!"

"Do you believe in abortion?"

"Yes!"

"Do you believe in freedom of religion? Like, do you think people have a right to be atheists?"

"Sure!"

"Well, guess what?" said the young man. "The Arabs are against all that. Even the more secular Muslims don't go for any of that."

The Leftist looked surprised.

"They'll never support you," said the young man. "You stand against everything they believe in. They have no respect for secular liberal values. That's why Leftism is doomed in Israel. The Arabs do not want what you want. Because I hold by traditional values, I hold more in common with them and am more respected by them than you—despite my right-wing politics."

At that point, the young man said to me, "A while back, I realized all the conflict with the Arabs is all about religion. It's a religious war. And you cannot fight that war without religion."

Secularism Cannot Win a War of Religion

That was a very astute summary of the situation.

BTW, this same young man gets along well with Arab co-workers, both Christian & Muslim.

And I couldn't helping wondering if that contributes to what keeps him with at least one foot in firmly on the side of Torah.

Since the inception of Am Yisrael, persecution has always been seen as a Heavenly hint for us to cling more deeply to Torah.

Historically, the worst persecutions often follow the worst assimilation.

Most Jews either don't know or ignore the timeless attitude of our Sages toward Jew-hatred.

Most Jews either believe we all need to assimilate MORE & prove ourselves to be good little Jews ("good" as however defined by the current society or era) or many Jews believe in uncompromising physical defense.

Certainly, Jews must behave well in any society as dictated by halachah—but NOT in any way that includes assimilation.

Likewise, we Jews have the right to defend ourselves, whether verbally or physically.

But the overreliance on fighting prowess or eloquent arguments has never been the prime weapon in the battle against Jew-hatred.

Sure, history has shown Am Yisrael to be awesome warriors, orators, and writers.

But even just a glance into Tanach and millennia of Torah scholarship shows having our hearts in the right place ends up being our most powerful protection.

And maybe the example of the young man above isn't the best example because he's not actually so religious.

And his view of the conflict as a religious one is determined more by the Muslim insistence of the religious aspect rather than the Torah view of the religious aspect.

But the point stands: He insists on believing in God & refuses to completely assimilate into secular culture—and a major motivation for his stance stems from his accurate perception of the conflict as based on religious views...and not cultural or political views.

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Eating My Words after Yesterday's Post

26/10/2021

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I see I need to eat my words after yesterday's post!

(the-secret-harm-hiding-within-israeli-leftism.html)

Hey, it happens sometimes.

You might have already seen the viral video of yeshivah students dressed like Arabs & dancing with rifles at a charedi wedding to be mesame'ach chatan, but I only just discovered it:
www.jdn.co.il/video/1623851/

See? I was wrong. Jews do it too! Only they're not actually shooting.

Okay...I'm writing tongue-in-cheek.

The rifles aren't even real.

But in the video below that one, you can see a real Arab wedding taking place in the Balata refugee camp near Shechem — the type of wedding on which the costumed bachurim based their act.

(Just for knowing: Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria also have Palestinian refugee camps to host their fellow Muslim-Arab brothers & sisters.)

Seeing as AK-47s & M16s go for around $700-$800 (when legal) & black-market AK-47s get into the $1000-$2000 range in this region (although my husband claims it's actually closer to 40,000NIS/$12,500), and also seeing how these refugees clearly have so many of them, it sure makes me wonder where all the money donated to UNRWA & Tomorrow's Youth Organization is going.

In that crowded little clip, you can see at least 4 rifles. That's a few thousand dollars right there (or, if my husband is correct, a year of tuition at Harvard).

Plus the bullets don't come cheap either & the guys shooting in their buddies' ears didn't seem like they were scrimping on the ammo.

I mean, sure, electricity, schools, food, and clean water are really important.

But apparently, so is coming fully armed to a wedding.

So we see from this how, via the assistance of generous donors worldwide, the inhabitants of Balata clearly have the funds for fully automatic rifles, spiffy haircuts, and hair gel.

Maybe someday they'll also get around to sorting out all the cement & aluminum in background.

Meanwhile, I'd better make me a donation to help out those oppressed & impoverished Palestinians!

(That was a joke. Saying it's a joke sort of ruins it. But everyone knows that both humor & brain cells disappear on the Internet. Personally, I think aliens abduct them.)

(That was also a joke.)

Global prices to buy AK-47s on the black market (inquiring minds want to know!):
www.statista.com/chart/8759/the-cost-of-an-ak-47-on-the-black-market/

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The Secret Harm Hiding within Israeli Leftism

25/10/2021

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One of the aspects keeping me firmly on the right with regard to Israeli-Arab politics was the authentic views of Muslim-Arabs themselves.

For example, my son's boss Mustafa lives in what everyone calls a "kfar" (village) — which sounds quaint & primitive, but in actuality, hosts palatial homes.

When my son needed to drive his boss's car to his boss's home (a multi-story luxury villa which hosts his boss's family, his boss's parents, and his boss's brother's family — all with plenty of room & separate entrances, like an apartment building), my son parked the car in the family garage...next to one brother's Audi & another brother's Mercedes.

Many of the Muslim-Arab women in the kfar work in a local hi-tech Israeli company.

Mustafa & his wife regularly treat themselves to European vacations.

O, to be a poor & oppressed minority in Israel!

(Wait a minute...I AM a minority in Israel! Just not a NON-Jewish minority...)

To be fair, despite the kfar's progressive appearance (everyone speaks Hebrew as a fluent second language, many enjoy financial security & respectable jobs, plus many enjoy higher education — my son's boss earned a law degree — and they're not terribly religious Muslims, they get along with Jews pretty well, etc.), my son's boss is part of the main clan that runs the kfar.

And Mustafa is considered one of the respected members of that ruling clan.

This is part of the reason why my son could drive through the kfar in Mustafa's car in relative security.

It was pretty funny when, after entering the kfar, everyone my son passed honked & waved at him, thinking he was Mustafa, and then did a double-take upon seeing a Jew at the wheel.

(If you're wondering...there were some business documents necessary to update that day, which Mustafa had forgotten about. So while he was sleeping in, my son high-tailed over to the kfar to bring him the necessary documents before time ran out. As my son stepped out onto the sidewalk, he encountered Mustafa's wife rushing to work. "Oh, the door's unlocked," she cheerfully said after my son quickly explained the problem. "You can just go in and wake him up! Bye! Need to run!"

And my son was like, I'm NOT going to do that! Instead, he just kept knocking & ringing until Mustafa woke up.)

Even though many of the kfar's residents have Israeli citizenship, they refuse to serve in the IDF or vote in Israeli elections.

Officially, they oppose non-Muslim "occupation" (despite how much they're thriving in comparison to their co-religionists in the region).

Yet one day, Mustafa & a couple of guys from the kfar told my son if they would vote they would vote for...Bibi Netanyahu.

At first glance, that makes no sense.

After all, Netanyahu headed Likud, a right-of-center party.

No one thinks of the Likud as particularly concerned with Arab rights, nor does the Likud ever present themselves that way.

You'd think Muslim-Arabs would vote for an Arab party or a Leftist party.

But no.

Mustafa and his fellows felt things went well for them under Bibi's leadership.

(And they aren't the only Arabs in Israel who think this way.)

The Arab mentality ALWAYS favors strong leaders. You cannot rule effectively in the Middle East without strength.

This has always been true — including in pre-Islamic times.

Strong patriarchal leadership is not religious (although it became that too), but cultural.

And they perceive Bibi as strong.

(Plus, economics went well for them during his term.)

Who Needs More Uncivilized Violent Hotheads? Look Who's Talking...

Another complaint expressed by Mustafa & his cousins concerned controversy over the law of citizenship regarding spouses from what are known as Palestinian territories.

Due to legitimate terrorist concerns, such people could not receive Israeli citizenship upon marrying an Israeli-Arab.

Unfortunately, certain Israeli government ministers wished to change this.

They wanted to display fairness & generosity toward the Muslim-Arab population.

However, Mustafa & his cousins (along with many other Arabs) disagreed.

"What, I need some primitive guy coming from the Palestinian territories who loses his head way too easily, and can just plunge a knife in me during a disagreement?" Mustafa asked rhetorically.

It's hard to argue with that logic.

Mustafa & his cousins explained how they dislike dealing with such hot-headed uncivilized people — people with a strong propensity toward violence.

Yes, they're fellow Muslim-Arabs. But the whole Arab brotherhood thing is a farce.

Their Arab world remains divided by clans & outside of clans, divided by different ethnicities & nationalities.

I've also come across comments by Lebanese Muslim-Arabs regarding their own Palestinians, whom the native Lebanese often see as troublemakers & thieves who ruin the neighborhood.

Of course there are always differences between people of the same ethnicity or religion.

No group is completely uniform.

But the way simple-minded Leftists pander to purely theoretical Arab interests while ignoring the real Arab interests?

Nobody wins.

Say What?

Another son worked with a Muslim-Arab in an area with a lot of secular Israeli Leftists.

That son quickly developed a disgust for the customers who kissed up to the Arab employee by cooing at him & flattering him during business transactions, plus expressing fake concern by saying things like, "What can be done about the high rate of murder in the Arab sector?"

As if they care.

(Note: In addition to speaking with Arabs, it's good to speak with Israeli Leftists. Contrary to how they present themselves, many of them do not actually like Arabs. In fact, they usually dislike anyone who is not exactly like them. They crave utter uniformity. A lot of their Leftist policies — including a 2-state solution — derive from their need to feel "righteous" AND to live apart from Arabs. They would also like to live apart from any religious Jews too. When Israeli Leftists speak of "co-existence," they actually mean "and never the twain shall meet." Israeli Leftists love segregation.)

Apparently, the high rate of murder in the Arab sector (1-2 every day) has recently become a big issue in Israeli media.

(And, in contrast to their representation in mainstream media, you may be surprised to learn that national-religious Jewish settlers are NOT behind the high murder rate in the Arab sector. Neither are Buddhists. Or Baptists. Or Mormons. Or Trump. And nope — not chareidim either! Guess who the real culprits are...)

The Arab guy always replied with something agreeable like, "Yeah! The police need go in & confiscate all the weapons! That's the only way!"

In other words, Israel needs to make the Arab sector a gun-free zone.

(There will now be a pause until those of you in-the-know stop laughing your heads off.)

Then an hour later, the Arab guy turned to my son and said, "You know, the other night my neighbor started shooting off his AK-47 during a family simcha in his home and woke my toddler. I had to go over there & tell him to stop. He apologized & promised to be more considerate next time."

Needless to say, his neighbor was in the same clan or the interaction might not have gone so smoothly.

"Yeah," continued the Arab co-worker. "Every single family in my area owns an AK-47! We don't have ONE home without a fully automatic weapon!" he boasted.

And my son was like, Wait a minute. I could've sworn that just one hour ago, someone who looks exactly like you was saying the illegal weapons ownership in the Arab sector was a problem & needed to be confiscated by the police!

We also see glaring cultural differences here.

Can you imagine that, instead of breaking a plate at a vort, the kallah's father simply started blasting 5-millimeter bullets out the window?

Knock-knock. "Mazal tov! I'm very sorry to bother you, Yeruchmiel Yoisef, and I'm sure you didn't realize it, but all your leibedich shooting woke my little Mendy."

"Oy, I'm so very sorry, Duvid. Thank you for being dan l'kaf zechus. I'll be sure to take your Mendy's shluffy time into consideration at our next simcha."

"Shkoyach, Yeruchmiel Yoisef! Oif simchos!"

Whoa, Where'd All These AK-47s Come From?

Then I said to my son, "Wait a minute...where is the Arab sector getting all these AK-47s from? Israel doesn't use AK-47s."

My son looked at me sagely and said, "They smuggle them in from Jordan & Egypt, and places like that."

In other words, all the surrounding countries.

(Note: I looked it up & Israel acquired AK-47s from battles with neighboring Arab armies. And they used them. And they created the Galil in imitation. But you don't run into AK-47s in Israel. Every time I've seen a rifle or someone talks about a rifle, it's always an M-16, a Tavor, an Uzi, etc., but never an AK-47. At least, that's my experience. So it's weird that so many Arabs in Israel own AK-47s...and without permits too, needless to say. How do they do that with such strict gun control going on? Hmm...)

Anyway, it's conversations like these that cemented my political views AGAINST the Israeli Left.

(The above are just the most recent samples & not the only interactions.)

Educated & successful Muslim-Arabs who truly wish to live good lives without war & terrorism actually oppose Leftist policies, which treat the Muslim-Arab world as a monolith & tend to favor the less civilized sectors to the detriment of the normal sectors of the Arab world.

Yes, in public, Muslim-Arabs tend to voice the opinion they feel needs to be said.

Whether they say it from actual conviction, religious duty, peer pressure, fear, getting caught up in the emotion of brotherhood, or some other reason...they say publicly whatever they think they should say.

And even the ones thriving under Israeli rule secretly wish they could live under Muslim rule.

That's their religious view, shared by even the less religious Muslims.

(In case you're wondering why they want Muslim rule when it's clearly not working well for the majority of Muslims in nearly every Muslim country in the world, they'll point to Turkey as an example. They think Muslim rule in Israel would be like Turkey and not like every other Muslim country. Although...I don't think Turkey provides better opportunities than Israel. And Israel's Muslims fantasize they'd enjoy the same standard of living under Muslim rule as they enjoy now under Jewish rule.)

But in private conversation, they freely express their true feelings.

And as we see above, regardless of their true feelings & friendly behavior, there is a very real difference in mentality.

(They shoot fully automatic machine guns in the air at their simchos; we complain about the music being too loud at ours, etc. Okay, not ALL of them do that...but it's common enough.)

And in addition to the fact that Leftism is so harmful toward Jews in Eretz Yisrael, the harm it causes the Arab sector merely solidified my view of Leftism as a wholly useless & harmful — and even deadly — approach to life in Israel.

Follow-up post: eating-my-words-after-yesterdays-post.html

A Portrait of Leftism

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An Informal Social Experiment Indicates Israeli Society Discriminates against Charedim More than against Arabs – And Why That Happens.

10/10/2021

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A couple of months ago, son's Muslim-Arab boss, Mustafa, complained to my son about Jewish discrimination against Arabs in Eretz Yisrael.

No matter that all the Muslim-Arab countries in the world also host discrimination (sometimes extremely violent & lethal discrimination) against Christian-Arabs and even against their fellow Muslim-Arab brethren based on class, ethnicity, clan loyalties, religiosity, and so forth — it's only a problem when Jews do it.

(And Jews aren't even unwarrantedly violent about it when it does happen.)

And unlike the reason for discrimination among Muslim-Arabs in Muslim-Arab countries, the main reason why an Arab might experience discrimination in Eretz Yisrael is due to the very realistic fear of Jew-hatred & terrorism (even though certainly not every Muslim is a terrorist or a Jew-hater).

So my son replied, "I promise you — there is more discrimination against charedim than against Arabs."

Mustafa scoffed at the idea.

"Oh yeah?" said my son. "I'll prove it to you."

So my son took Mustafa to the elevator of a popular mall catering to a mostly secular Jewish middle-to-upper-class crowd.

There my son gave Mustafa the following instructions:

"Get on the elevator with your mask covering your mouth & not your nose. Speak into your cell phone in Arabic so it's clear you're an Arab. At the same time, pay attention to how the other passengers react. Keep riding the elevator until I get on. Make sure you're positioned to see how everyone responds when I get on."

At this point, it's important to know my son is a very clean & spiffy-looking 18-year-old with excellent personal hygiene. He dresses in a neat white shirt, black pants, and a black kippah (no suit jacket or hat).

So Mustafa rode the elevator, speaking into his phone in Arabic & wearing his mask improperly (without covering his nose), and suffered no adverse reaction from any of the passengers (who also wore their masks over only their mouths or around their chins).

Mustafa rode up & down in peace until my son finally stepped in with his mask properly positioned over both his mouth & nose.

Immediately, as if on cue, all the passengers took a step back (social distancing!) & pulled their masks up over their nose.

Mustafa & my son got off at the next floor and Mustafa said, "Okay, you win. You're right. I never would've believed it, but charedim suffer more discrimination than Arabs."

Why the Disproportionate Discrimination?

What could possibly be the reason for this more extreme discrimination against charedim?

(And I don't mean just the fear that charedim are covid-carriers. That was just one example of discrimination for illustration.)

Before covid came along, people carry a lot of fear & even hatred of charedim.

Not everyone, of course, but you listen to the REASON for their hatred & fear, you'll notice it almost exclusively comes from what they read or saw in the media.

A lot of times, their personal experience with charedim is even positive, but they still oppose charedim in general based on the media.

But why?

And why would you consider the charedi community more of a threat than the Arab community (despite all the decent Arab folk)?

After all, when was the last time any charedi did the following:

Strap explosives, including screws & nails, onto himself, then blow himself up on a bus?
Randomly stab people?
Decapitate a nursing baby? (Hadas Fogel in the Itamar terror atrocity)
Drive a car into pedestrians with the intent of murder?
Crush innocent people with a bulldozer?
Open automatic machine gun fire on restaurant patrons?
Support missile attacks on Jews?
Support other countries who wish war on Jews in Eretz Yisrael?
Pass out candies to celebrate a terror attack against Jews?
Cheer the 9/11 attack on America?

I'm not saying anyone should go around bullying random Arabs (who may be perfectly law-abiding peaceful fellows), but the fear of charedim over the fear of a group which, while comprised of perfectly decent people, also produces a larger-than-normal percentage of bloodthirsty savages — well, this dichotomy makes no sense.

As far as I can tell, this disproportionate fear-mongering comes from the media.

The media values being politically correct over facts & common sense.

The media emphasizes the need to treat Arabs with respect and not assume every Arab is a terrorist...

...while at the same time, this same media encourages intense fear & hatred of charedim, spotlighting & magnifying ANY negative act committed by any charedi.

Sometimes, a criminal act occurs in a charedi neighborhood & is reported as "charedi violence"—but cameras clearly show the perps are NOT charedi.

They may have been at one point, they may have even grown up in the charedi neighborhood, but their appearance shows they no longer identify as charedi — yet the violence is reported as "charedi violence."

This is like saying all the pre-WWII wholly assimilated maskilim & completely secular commies are ultra-Orthodox or Chassidic simply because that's how they grew up.

Actually, some historians did this with the heartless Warsaw ghetto police force.

Because some of the police grew up frum (even though long before the Warsaw ghetto, they cast off all vestiges of Torah Judaism), some historians labeled them as Orthodox Jews — simply to vilify Orthodox Jews, even though, if I remember correctly, not even one was actually a practicing Jew at that time.

One of the heads of the ghetto police was even a former Christian pastor; so go figure.

I'm not saying charedim never behave badly. I've lived in charedi communities in Eretz Yisrael since 1994, and I know the ins & outs, and even the specific issues of different groups.

(I've also lived among other groups, both Jewish & not, so I've what to compare too.)

But to incite people to fear & hate charedim more than the group that produces suicide bombers & baby beheaders?

And most severely, this fear-and-hate fest infests the secular Jewish media.

Ending on a Positive Note!

It's also important to note that Israeli society has been improving in this regard as more people meet actual charedim (rather than relying on the media to form their opinion) & also develop an interest in exploring their own religion.

Many non-charedi Jews feel kinship with charedim (along with other types of Jews), and this has been a welcome transition — which the secular Jewish media continues to fight with rabid disproportion.

For related posts:

And just because I know some people (again, misled by the secular Jewish media) will have answered "Neturei Karta!" to a couple of the bulleted questions above, please see this post in response:
whats-the-deal-with-neturei-karta.html
(It's essential to read the comments in which a knowledgeable Satmar chassid contributes to the discussion.)

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<<Previous

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A True Jewish Hero

A Jewish Prime Minister of the Ukraine is One of the Worst Possibilities for Jews

Can We Please Stop Pretending that Non-Jews are Jews with Regard to Soviet Immigration? When Will This Willful Ignorance Finally Stop?

Erev Rav Attitude

Final Points

The Debate Begins...

The End

Secularism Cannot Win a War of Religion

Who Needs More Uncivilized Violent Hotheads? Look Who's Talking...

Say What?

Whoa, Where'd All These AK-47s Come From?

Why the Disproportionate Discrimination?

Ending on a Positive Note!

Myrtle Rising

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