Israel Provides Swine Flu Vaccine to Pal. Hajj Pilgrims

This just in from the Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria: (Anyone taking bets on whether you'll see this in the NY Times tomorrow..?)

Transfer of Swine Flu Vaccine via Israel to the Palestinian Authority

This evening the Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria facilitated the entry of 20,000 doses of swine flu vaccine to the Palestinian Authority. This effort, which brought the vaccines to Ramallah via the Qalandiya crossing, comes a few days before Palestinians set out to the Hajj to Mecca early week and was necessary since vaccination against swine flu is a condition for entrance into Mecca, Islam's holiest city. The Civil Administration places great value on cooperation and coordination with the Palestinian Authority in the fields of health and religious expression.

Yahrzeits

Today is the traditionally observed yahrzeit of Rachel, one of the matriarchs of the Jewish people. Thousands flocked to her tomb just south of Jerusalem near Bethlehem last night and today to pay their respects and pray for the release of captured Israeli sodlier Gilad Shalit.

“For generations Rachel has prayed for her children to return home safely, and we hope that this year our prayers will be answered and Gilad will return home to his family,” said Rabbi Yosef Schwinger, Director of Israel’s Holy Sites Authority.

Most Israeli media outlets barely mentioned the yahrzeit of Rachel, preferring to focus hours of discussion and debate on the 14th anniversary of the murder of Yitzhak Rabin that is also marked today.

Here's Kever Rachel on a quiet day...

SDS is still Alive...not well, but alive

Hat tip to Solomonia for spotting a planning session of SDS--the campus radicals who were around back in my days in college. Today they're a group of anti-Zionist Jews who are plotting to disrupt the upcoming Dore Gold/ Judge Goldstone debate at Brandeis.

From: "Jonathan M. Sussman" jsus[snip]
To: sds sds@lists.brandeis.edu
Subject: Goldstone Forum Action Planning - Wed. @ 10!
Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:32:19 -0400 (EDT)

Hey!

As many of you know, Brandeis will be hosting a forum next Thursday, 11/5, to discuss the Goldstone Report, a report from the United Nations which determined that Israel used excessive force in its occupation of Gaza. Believe it or not, this was poorly received within the Zionist community.

Thus Brandeis is hosting a forum between the report's author, international jurist Richard Goldstone, and former Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Dore Gold. Full details here: http://brandeis.edu/now/2009/october/goldstonegold.html.

Many of us are concerned that this forum is inherently slanted, as it contrasts 'nuetral' international opinion with a wildly pro-Zionist message, excluding voices from the Palestinian community. In light of this, activists across campus will be meeting this Wednesday, 10/28 @ 10 PM in the Village C Lounge to discuss a possible response. Possibilities include inviting Palestinian speakers to come participate, seeding the audience with people who can disrupt the Zionist narrative, protest, and direct action.

Please come and help us coordinate a response!

Fuck the occupation,
Jon

You know what to do, people...

Israel Matzav: Live webcast of Goldstone - Gold debate

Israel Matzav: Live webcast of Goldstone - Gold debate

Conferences & Politicians...

Yesterday my colleague Lenny Ben David posted a must-read piece on Pajamas Media asking some tough questions of the J Street leadership.

Other concerned members of the pro-Israel community have raised enough eyebrows over the groups agenda and backers that a number of smart US politicians have backed out of attending the upcoming J Street conference in Washington.(see below for the list and what you can do...)

Meanwhile, here in Jerusalem, a very different conference, the Presidential Conference, got underway last night at Binyanei Hauma, where a star-studded audience sat through lengthy speeches by a heavily made-up Shimon Peres, the conference convenor;and PM Netanyahu, whose main points were how to reduce dependence on oil and urging Abu Mazen to lead "his people" to peace. (Not sure how many Pals. would define themselves as Abu Mazen's people these days...)

Binyanei Hauma was transformed by a savvy interior decorator who placed comfortable and attractive loveseats and chairs in cozy groupings to encourage the networking that's the prime reason for anyone to go to these conferences. Attractive young Israeli students served as polite waiters passing around nibblies and drinks, and all was well until the crowd of around 6,000 had to pass through the draconian security before entering the hall for the main event.

One obese American woman was heard loudly complaining that the elevators were out of bounds due to security concerns and she was forced to waddle up some 50 stairs to the auditorium.

A disturbing event took place during Idan Raichel's performance. A young man sitting toward the rear of the hall, suddenly gasped and clasped his head. The house lights went up and we saw the unfortunate man being led out bleeding profusely. Not sure whether something fell on him, but when I walked out some 10 minutes later, the Magen David Adom crew was only then running up the stairs to treat him. Hard to believe that with Peres, Netanyahu, Tony Blair and a host of other presidents, ambassadors etc in the audience that there wouldn't have been an on-site crew ready to spring into action.

In any event, back to J Street---Lori Lowenthal Marcus, founder of Z Street has penned the following letter> If you're a US citizen, please read and act:

Please send a fax or make a phone call (or, last choice, send an email) to your elected official if on the list below. The members of congress on this list are endorsing the J Street conference by lending their good name to an organization which claims to be "pro-peace and pro-Israel," but is nothing of the kind.

Here is my letter. Please produce your own version - it can be as few as 3 - 5 lines long.
*******
Sen/Rep. ______,

The relatively new organization J Street, is currently using what it boasts is your endorsement to promote itself as a mainstream vehicle for positive change in the Middle East. But the policies being promoted by J Street are not, as it claims, “pro-peace and, pro-Israel.” In fact, the J Street conference with which your name is linked features a speaker who blamed Israel for 9/11, and a “poet” who equates the US with the Nazi regime.

Here are details of the conference J Street claims you support.

Muslim Public Affairs Council leader Salam al-Marayati will deliver a lecture at the J Street conference being held October 25 - 28th. Al-Marayati publicly claimed that Israelattacked the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, and he has also publicly praised Hezbollah, a group on the official U.S. terrorist list. Is this a “pro-peace” or “pro-Israel” organization?

The J Street conference will also feature Josh Healey, whose “poetry” equates the US with Hitler and his Final Solution plans. He says “Guantanamo is Aushwitz,” and he also compared what happened to Anne Frank to the tragedy of Matthew Shepard. Anne Frank died because of official Nazi government policy; Shepard died at the hands of malevolent individuals who were prosecuted by the US government.
J Street seeks effectively endless “negotiations” over Iran’s development of nuclear weapons, and refuses to identify a time when that tactic should be replaced with, as USSecretary of State Hillary Clinton has called for, “crippling sanctions.” Iran poses a direct and immediate threat to Israel and only later, but most assuredly, one to the US.

J Street also wants Jews banned from living in certain parts of Jerusalem, a policy that would be in flagrant violation of the Civil Rights laws if imposed in the United States.

Over the past week nearly a dozen US elected officials*, when provided with the information above, have removed their names from the list of those endorsing J Street and its October conference.

Your good name is your most important asset; don’t let that be damaged by an association with J Street’s wrong-headed policies.

Sincerely............



* Last week the following members of congress withdrew their names from the host committee for the J Street Conference Gala:


The Honorable Chuck Schumer (NY)
The Honorable Thad Cochran (MS)
The Honorable Kirsten Gillibrand (NY)
The Honorable Blanche Lincoln (AR)
The Honorable Leonard Boswell (IA-03)
The Honorable Michael Castle (DE-AL)
The Honorable Michael McCaul (TX-10)
The Honorable Mike Ross (AR-04)
The Honorable John Salazar ((CO-03)


First phone #, then fax #, then email (very limited, only those within official's jurisdiction can send an email.)


United States Senate


The Honorable Daniel Akaka (HI)

http://akaka.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=contact.home

The Honorable Sherrod Brown (OH)
202-224-2315

202-228-6321

http://brown.senate.gov/contact/



The Honorable Roland Burris (IL)

202-224-2854 202-228-3333 http://burris.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm

The Honorable Maria Cantwell (WA)

202-224-3441 202-228-0514 http://cantwell.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm

The Honorable Tom Carper (DE)

202-224-2441 202-228-2190 http://carper.senate.gov/contact/

The Honorable Bob Casey (PA)

202-224-6324 202-228-0604 http://casey.senate.gov/contact/

The Honorable Chris Dodd (CT)

202-224-2823 202-224-1083 http://dodd.senate.gov/index.php?q=node/3128&cat=Opinion

The Honorable Byron Dorgan (ND)
202-224-2551

202-224-1193

http://dorgan.senate.gov/contact/contact_form.cfm



The Honorable Russ Feingold (WI)
202-224-5323

202-224-2725

http://feingold.senate.gov/contact_opinion.html

The Honorable Dianne Feinstein (CA)

202-224-3841 202-228-3954

http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactUs.EmailMe

The Honorable Kay Hagan (NC)

202-224-6342 202-228-2563

http://hagan.senate.gov/?p=contact

The Honorable Tim Johnson (SD)
202-224-5842

202-228-5765

http://johnson.senate.gov/contact/

The Honorable John Kerry (MA)

202-224-2742 202-224-8525

http://kerry.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm

The Honorable Herb Kohl (WI)
202-224-5653

202-224-9787

http://kohl.senate.gov/contact.cfm



The Honorable Mary Landrieu (LA)
202-224-5824

202-224-9735

http://landrieu.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm



The Honorable Patrick Leahy (VT)

202-224-4242 202-224-3479 senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov



The Honorable Mark Pryor (AR)
202-224-2353

202-228-0908

http://pryor.senate.gov/contact/


The Honorable Jeanne Shaheen (NH)
202-224-2841

202-228-3194

http://shaheen.senate.gov/contact/



The Honorable Jon Tester (MT)
202-224-2644

202-224-8594

http://tester.senate.gov/Contact/index.cfm



The Honorable Mark Udall (CO)

202-224-5941 202-224-6471 http://markudall.senate.gov/?p=contact

The Honorable Tom Udall (NM)
202-224-6621

202-228-3261

http://tomudall.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm

The Honorable Jim Webb (VA)

202-224-4024 202-228-6363 http://webb.senate.gov/contact/

The Honorable Sheldon Whitehouse (RI)
202-224-2921

202-228-6362

http://whitehouse.senate.gov/contact/



United States House of Representatives
The Honorable Neil Abercrombie (HI-01)

202-225-2726

202-225-4580

http://www.house.gov/abercrombie/contact.shtml



The Honorable Jason Altmire (PA-04)

202-225-2565 202-226-2274 https://forms.house.gov/altmire/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm



The Honorable Michael Arcuri (NY-24)
202-225-3665

202-225-1891

http://forms.house.gov/arcuri/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm



The Honorable Brian Baird (WA-03)

202-225-3536 202-225-3478

https://forms.house.gov/baird/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm



The Honorable Tammy Baldwin (WI-02)
202-225-2906

202-225-6942

http://tammybaldwin.house.gov/get_address.html



The Honorable Brian Bilbray (CA-50)

202-225-0508 202-225-2558 http://www.house.gov/bilbray/contact.shtml



The Honorable Earl Blumenauer (OR-03)

202-225-4811 202-225-8941

http://blumenauer.house.gov/index.php?option=com_email_form&Itemid=206



The Honorable John Boccieri (OH16)https://forms.house.gov/boccieri/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm

The Honorable Charles Boustany (LA-07)
202-225-2031

202-225-5724

http://boustany.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=4§iontree=4

The Honorable Bruce Braley (IA-01)
202-225-2911 202-225-6666 https://forms.house.gov/braley/webforms/issue_subscribe.html

The Honorable Corrine Brown (FL-03)
202-225-0123 /202-225-2256 http://www.house.gov/corrinebrown/IMA/issue.shtml

The Honorable Lois Capps (CA-23)
202-225-3601 202-225-5632 http://capps.house.gov/send-an-email.shtml

The Honorable Michael Capuano (MA-08)
202-225-5111 202-225-9322 http://www.house.gov/capuano/contact/email.shtml

The Honorable Russ Carnahan (MO-03)
202-225-2671

202-225-7452

https://forms.house.gov/carnahan/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm
The Honorable Chris Carney (PA-10)
202-225-3731

202-225-9594

http://carney.house.gov/contact.shtml

The Honorable Andre Carson (IN-07)
202-225-4011

202-225-5633

http://forms.house.gov/carson/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm
The Honorable Yvette Clarke (NY-11)
202-225-6231 202-226-0112 http://clarke.house.gov/contact/contact-us-form.shtml

The Honorable James Clyburn (SC-06)
202-225-3315

202-225-2313

https://forms.house.gov/clyburn/zipauth.shtml

The Honorable Howard Coble (NC-06)
202-225-3065 202-225-8611 howard.coble@mail.house.gov

The Honorable Gerry Connolly (VA-11)
202-225-1492 202-225-3071 http://gerryconnolly.house.gov/?sectionid=50§iontree=350

The Honorable John Conyers (MI-14)http://conyers.house.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.OnlineContactForm

The Honorable Jim Cooper (TN-05)
202-225-4311

202-226-1035

http://www.cooper.house.gov/index.php?
option=com_content&task=view&id=117


The Honorable Elijah Cummings (MD-07)
202-225-4741

202-225-3178

https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

The Honorable Danny Davis (IL-07)
202-225-5006

202-225-5641

https://forms.house.gov/davis/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm
The Honorable Susan Davis (CA-53)
202-225-2040 202-225-2948 http://www.house.gov/susandavis/contact.shtml

The Honorable Peter DeFazio (OR-04)
202-225-6416

202-225-0032

http://www.house.gov/formdefazio/contact.html

The Honorable Dianna DeGette (CO-01)
202-225-4431 202-225-5657 http://www.house.gov/formdegette/dcs_zip_auth_v2.shtml

The Honorable William Delahunt (MA-10)
202-225-3111 202-225-5658 william.delahunt@mail.house.gov

The Honorable Rosa DeLauro (CT-03)
202-225-3661 202-225-4890 http://delauro.house.gov/contact_form_email.cfm

The Honorable Lloyd Doggett (TX-25)
202-225-4865 202-225-3073 http://forms.house.gov/doggett/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm

The Honorable Mike Doyle (PA-14)
202-225-2135

202-225-3084

http://doyle.house.gov/email_mike.shtml

The Honorable Steve Driehaus (OH-01)https://forms.house.gov/driehaus/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm
The Honorable Anna Eshoo (CA-14)


Representative Anna G. Eshoo (D – 14)

202-225-8104

202-225-8890

https://forms.house.gov/eshoo/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm
The Honorable Eni Faleomavaega (American Samoa-AL)
202-225-8577 202-225-8757 faleomavaega@mail.house.gov

The Honorable Sam Farr (CA-17)
202-225-2861 202-225-6791
http://www.farr.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=202

The Honorable Bob Filner (CA-51)
202-225-8045 202-225-9073 https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

The Honorable Bill Foster (IL-14)
202-225-2976 202-225-0697 http://foster.house.gov/Contact/

The Honorable Barney Frank (MA-04)
202-225-5931 202-225-0182 https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

The Honorable Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-08)
202-225-2542 202-225-0378 http://giffords.house.gov/contact/email-me.shtml

The Honorable Charlie Gonzalez (TX-20)
202-225-3236 202-225-1915
http://www.gonzalez.house.gov/index.phpoption=com_content&task=view&id=170

The Honorable Raul Grijalva (AZ-07)
202-225-2435 202-225-1541 http://grijalva.house.gov/?sectionid=49§iontree=249

The Honorable Luis Gutierrez (IL-04)
202-225-8203 202-225-7810
http://luisgutierrez.house.gov/singlepage.aspx?newsid=1262

The Honorable John Hall (NY-19)
202-225-5441

202-225-3289

http://johnhall.house.gov/emailjohn.asp

The Honorable Jane Harman (CA-36)
202-225-8220 202-226-7290 http://www.house.gov/harman/contact/email.shtml

The Honorable Jim Himes (CT-04)
202-225-5541 202-225-9629 http://himes.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=54

The Honorable Maurice Hinchey (NY-22)
202-225-6335

202-226-0774

http://www.house.gov/hinchey/zipauth.shtml

The Honorable Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15)
202-225-2531 202-225-5688 https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

The Honorable Mazie K. Hirono (HI-02)
202-225-4906 202-225-4987




http://hirono.house.gov/ContactMe/Email.htm

The Honorable Rush Holt (NJ-12)
202-225-5801 202-225-6025 http://holt.house.gov/contact.shtml

The Honorable Mike Honda (CA-15)
202-225-2631 202-225-2699 http://www.honda.house.gov/contactmike.shtml

The Honorable Jay Inslee (WA-01)
202-225-6311

202-226-1606

http://www.house.gov/inslee/contact/email.html
The Honorable Jesse Jackson, Jr. (IL-02) [no email available]

The Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18)
202-225-3816 202-225-3317 http://www.jacksonlee.house.gov/contact.shtml

The Honorable Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30)
202-225-8885 202-226-1477
http://ebjohnson.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=3§iontree=3

The Honorable Hank Johnson (GA-04)
202-225-1605

202-226-0691

http://hankjohnson.house.gov/contact_hank_write.shtml

The Honorable Steve Kagen (WI-08)
202-225-5665

202-225-5729

https://forms.house.gov/kagen/webforms/contact.shtml

The Honorable Marcy Kaptur (OH-09)http://www.kaptur.house.gov/index.php?
option=com_content&task=view&id=152

The Honorable Carolyn Kilpatrick (MI-13)
202-225-2261

202-225-5730

https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

The Honorable Mary-Jo Kilroy (OH-15)http://kilroy.house.gov/contact/email.shtml

The Honorable Ron Kind (WI-03)
202-225-5506

202-225-5739

http://www.kind.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=18§iontree=18

The Honorable John Larson (CT-01)
202-225-2265

202-225-1031

http://forms.house.gov/larson/contact.html

The Honorable Barbara Lee (CA-09)Representative Barbara Lee (D – 09)
202-225-2661 202-225-9817 http://lee.house.gov/?sectionid=128§iontree=18128

The Honorable David Loebsack (IA-02)
202-225-6576

202-226-0757

http://loebsack.house.gov/contactform/

The Honorable Ben Ray Lujan (NM-03)
202-225-6190

202-226-1528

https://forms.house.gov/lujan/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm
The Honorable Stephen Lynch (MA-09)
202-225-8273 202-225-3984 https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

The Honorable Carolyn Maloney (NY-14)
202-225-7944 202-225-4709
http://maloney.house.gov/index.php?option=com_email_form&Itemid=73

The Honorable Betsy Markey (CO-04)
202-225-4676 202-225-5870 http://betsymarkey.house.gov/Contact/

The Honorable Ed Markey (MA-07)
202-225-2836 202-226-0092
http://markey.house.gov/index.php?option=com_email_form&Itemid=124

The Honorable Eric Massa (NY-29)
202-225-3161 202-226-6599 http://massa.house.gov/?sectionid=7§iontree=47

The Honorable Betty McCollum (MN-04)
202-225-6631

202-225-1968

http://forms.house.gov/mccollum/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm
The Honorable Jim McDermott (WA-07)
202-225-3106

202-225-6197

http://www.house.gov/mcdermott/contact.shtml

The Honorable James McGovern (MA-03)
202-225-6101

202-225-5759

http://forms.house.gov/mcgovern/contact.shtml

The Honorable Gregory Meeks (NY-06)
202-225-3461 202-226-4169 http://www.house.gov/meeks/contactform_zipcheck.shtml

The Honorable Brad Miller (NC-13)
202-225-3032
202-225-0181
http://bradmiller.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=17§iontree=917

The Honorable George Miller (CA-07)
202-225-2095 202-225-5609 http://georgemiller.house.gov/contactus/2007/08/post_1.html

The Honorable Harry Mitchell (AZ-05)
202-225-2190
202-225-3263
https://forms.house.gov/mitchell/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm

The Honorable Dennis Moore (KS-03)
202-225-2865

202-225-2807

http://www.moore.house.gov/contact/index.shtml

The Honorable Gwen Moore (WI-04)
202-225-4572

202-225-8135

http://www.house.gov/gwenmoore/issue_form.shtml

The Honorable James Moran (VA-08)
202-225-4376

202-225-0017

http://moran.house.gov/zipauth.shtml

The Honorable Chris Murphy (CT-05)
202-225-4476 202-225-5933 http://www.house.gov/formchrismurphy/ic_zip_auth.htm

The Honorable Scott Murphy (NY-20)
202-225-5614 202-225-1168 http://scottmurphy.house.gov/Contact/ContactForm.htm

The Honorable Richard Neal (MA-02)
202-225-5601 202-225-8112 https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

The Honorable Glenn Nye (VA-02)
202-225-4215 202-225-4218 http://nye.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=74§iontree=474

The Honorable John Olver (MA-01)
202-225-5335 202-226-1224 http://www.house.gov/olver/contactme.html

The Honorable Solomon Ortiz (TX-27)
202-225-7742 202-226-1134 http://www.house.gov/formortiz/issue.htm

The Honorable Frank Pallone (NJ-06)
202-225-4671 202-225-9665 http://www.house.gov/pallone/contact.shtm

The Honorable Bill Pascrell (NJ-08)
202-225-5751 202-225-5782 http://pascrell.house.gov/contact/

The Honorable Ed Pastor (AZ-04)
202-225-4065 202-225-1655 https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

The Honorable Donald Payne (NJ-10)
202-225-3436 202-225-4160 http://www.house.gov/payne/IMA/email.shtml

The Honorable Ed Perlmutter (CO-07)
202-225-2645 202-225-5278 http://perlmutter.house.gov/IMA/issue_subscribe.htm

The Honorable Tom Perriello (VA-05)
202-225-4711

202-225-5681

http://perriello.house.gov/?sectionid=90

The Honorable Chellie Pingree (ME-01)
202-225-6116

202-225-5590

https://forms.house.gov/pingree/contact-form.shtml

The Honorable Jared Polis (CO-02)
202-225-2161 202-226-7840 http://polis.house.gov/Contact/ContactForm.htm

The Honorable David Price (NC-04)
202-225-1784 202-225-2014 http://price.house.gov/contact/contact_form.shtml

The Honorable Nick Rahall (WV-03)
202-225-3452

202-225-9061

http://www.rahall.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=9§iontree=9

The Honorable Charlie Rangel (NY-15)
202-225-4365 202-225-0816 https://forms.house.gov/rangel/forms/contact.shtml

The Honorable Ciro Rodriguez (TX-23)
202-225-4511 202-225-2237 http://www.rodriguez.house.gov/index.php?
option=com_content&
task=view&id=70&Itemid=46


The Honorable Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-3)
202-225-1766 202-226-0350 http://roybal-allard.house.gov/Contact/


The Honorable Bobby Rush (IL-01)
202-225-4372 202-226-0333 http://www.house.gov/rush/zipauth.shtml



The Honorable Loretta Sanchez (CA-47)
202-225-2965 202-225-5859 http://www.lorettasanchez.house.gov/forms/contact.html

The Honorable Jan Schakowsky (IL-09)
202-225-2111 202-226-6890 http://www.house.gov/schakowsky/email.shtml

The Honorable Adam Schiff (CA-29)
202-225-4176
202-225-5828
http://schiff.house.gov/HoR/CA29/Contact+Information/Contact+Form.htm

The Honorable Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01)

202-225-5456

202-225-5822

http://forms.house.gov/shea-porter/webform/issue_subscribe.htm

The Honorable Louise Slaughter (NY-28)
202-225-3615 202-225-7822
http://www.louise.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&
task=view&id=506&Itemid=153

The Honorable Jackie Speier (CA-12)
202-225-3531 202-226-4183
http://speier.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=54§iontree=54

The Honorable John Tanner (TN-08)
202-225-4714

202-225-1765

https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

The Honorable John Tierney (MA-06)
202-225-8020 202-225-5915 https://forms.house.gov/tierney/webform/issue_subscribe.htm

The Honorable Mike Thompson (CA-01)
202-225-3311 202-225-4335 http://mikethompson.house.gov/contact/email.shtml

The Honorable Paul Tonko (NY-21)
202-225-5076 202-225-5077 https://forms.house.gov/tonko/contact-form.shtml

The Honorable Nikki Tsongas (MA-05)
202-225-3411 202-226-0771
http://tsongas.house.gov/?sectionid=11§iontree=311

The Honorable Diane Watson (CA-33)
202-225-7084 202-225-2422 http://www.house.gov/watson/zipauth.shtml

The Honorable Henry Waxman (CA-30)
202-225-3976 202-225-4099 http://waxman.house.gov/Contact/

The Honorable Lynn Woolsey (CA-06)
202-225-5161 202-225-5163
http://woolsey.house.gov/contactemailform.asp

The Honorable David Wu (OR-01)
202-225-0855 202-225-9497 http://www.house.gov/wu/email.shtml

The Honorable John Yarmuth (KY-03)

202-225-5401

202-225-5776

http://yarmuth.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=68§iontree=62968

Looking for a date??

Maskiot's Date Palm fields

The last time I saw Ayelet and Rachel was at Shirat Hayam in Gush Katif in January 2001. They were then 22 year-old single women who had decided to help found a new community next to the sea in the Gaza Strip in reaction to the horrific bus bomb attack in nearby Kfar Darom that claimed the lives of their friends Miriam Amitai and Gabi Biton.

Today I encountered the two women again, still committed to their Zionist ideals of settling the land of Israel, despite having been ultimately turfed out of their Gush Katif community along with 9,000 others in August 2005. Now they are both married with kids and live in adjoining temporary housing in the brand new community of Maskiot in the hills overlooking the Jordan Valley.


Ayelet Chazut and daughter

When I walked into the office of the new yishuv, I recognized Rachel, but couldn't quite place her. It was only after Ayelet had served us lunch and images of the first buildings in Shirat Hayam flashed across the wall in the home she shares with her husband Yossi Chazut and their kids that it suddenly dawned on me that it was in those seaside buildings that I had met Ayelet and Rachel.

In fact,I wrote about Ayelet and Rachel in my first book Jerusalem Diaries: In Tense Times and a picture of the two young women together appears on P. 148.

Yossi and Ayelet and Rachel and her husband are part of a nucleus of nine young families who have chosen to take on the task of rebuilding in Maskiot for the families of Shirat Hayam who have been living in temporary housing for more than 4 years. Check out their website at www.maskiot.co.il to learn about the potential for this new community, which was given government approval just a few short months ago.

Maskiot

The passion burns in Yossi's eyes and fuels his fast-paced Hebrew explanations of how they will fulfill their desire to do something meaningful for the country after the bitter experiences of the Gaza disengagement. " This place has everything," Yossi says as he gazes over the hills that roll gracefully down to the Jordan Valley. "It's important from a security point of view--you can see Jordan from here. The area desperately needs repopulating. We're involved in agriculture already and we'll build a place that will forge good relations with the mostly secular yishuvim in the area and be an example of secular-religious cooperation," he enthuses.

Bedouin shepherd on state land near Maskiot


As he drives his visitors around the area on an ATV that kicks up an enormous amount of dust, Yossi points out the few Bedouin encampments scattered around on state land--"90 percent of the time they keep to themselves,"--but he is most excited to take us to the olive grove that bears a sign saying it was a donation of the Christian Friends of Israeli Communities group.



In addition to the thriving olive trees, we see saplings of hundreds of Argan trees that will yield oil that sells for high prices on the European market. About 40 minutes south of Maskiot, just to the east of Niran, Yossi takes us through the security barrier that separates Israel from the Jordan river bed. This is as far east as you can go in the Jordan Valley. Apart from a large army bunker with a secure underground level, there is nothing but date palms as far as the eye can see. This is Maskiot's main agricultural project. The succulent Medjool dates will be sent to markets all over Europe in a few years.

As we swat away the persistent flies, Yossi describes the process of planting and irrigating the massive area and relates how it all had to be cleared of minefields before their economic initiative could get underway. Now, as the palms are growing, the entire project is watched over by just two men whom we encounter as they show up for work.

Back at the construction area in Maskiot, we see the foundations being laid for some 20 buildings that should be completed within a few months. Plans call for 100 homes and all kinds of educational and business facilities.

There's no doubt that Maskiot bears absolutely no physical resemblance to Shirat Hayam where I had met Ayelet and Rachel nine years ago. No sparkling Mediterranean Sea in sight; no sand dunes and no supportive network of twenty like-minded communities nearby.


Still, the challenge of fulfilling the mitzva of settling the land speaks to the spirit of the former Gush Katif residents. It's taken a while, but the new version of the extraordinary communities of Gush Katif is beginning to take shape.

My Right Word: The Pals. Probably Could Be A Better Situation...

My Right Word: The Pals. Probably Could Be A Better Situation...


Whoever wrote this had the same experiences I did last week in Ramallah and Shechem (Nablus) I just haven't had the chance to write them up properly yet! Scroll down a few posts to see some initial impressions and pics...

Discrimination?

Seen at Neot Kedumim, the biblical landscape reserve near Modiin.

This is the only sign in the whole reserve that has Russian translation...














This is what all the other signs look like.

Rising from the Dust of Expulsion

Moshe and Rachel Saperstein






I remember when I first heard about the dream community that would rise out of the dust and ashes of Neve Dekalim, the largest of the 22 Jewish communities destroyed by the Gaza "disengagement" of 2005.

It was in the cramped room occupied by Rachel and Moshe Saperstein on the 6th floor of the Jerusalem Gold Hotel. Along with hundreds of their former neighbors, the Sapersteins spent 10 months attempting to take the first steps in recreating a semblance of a normal life after they were forcibly removed from their home and the meaningful lives they had built in the Gush.

Rachel would sit on her bed in the hotel and tell anyone who would listen about the new community that would be in a place where their presence would make a difference; where ecological concerns would be paramount and all kinds of educational institutions would be developed to help preserve the values and lifestyle that marked Neve Dekalim. There would even be a hotel and spa, she assured me. By the time they finally left the Jerusalem hotel in June 2006 to go to their "temporary" pre-fab homes in Nitzan near Ashkelon, Rachel and her friends had already pinpointed the Lachish area as the place where they would put down their new roots.

Yesterday, the first step of that dream became a reality as hundreds of people joined the former Gush Katif pioneers in the laying of the cornerstone for the new community of Bnei Dekalim in the beautiful eastern Lachish area.

As the electrifying blasts of an over-sized shofar were sounded by Arik Davidov standing atop a Caterpillar earth-mover, the crowd hushed to take in the views over the rolling landscape that extend to the Hebron hills in one direction and down to Gush Katif and the Mediterranean the other way.

In the presence of a couple of Knesset members(Nissim Slomiansky and Tzipi Hotovely)a slew of rabbis and various members of the local regional councils, Minister Ariel Attias, Minister of Building and Construction told the crowd that the Gaza disengagement was a "mistake" and noted that his ministry had invested 170 million NIS in Bnei Dekalim.

Representatives of the neighboring local councils enthusiastically welcomed the development of the new yishuv and its potential to boost the local population of this sparsely populated area within the Green Line.

But it was left to Rachel Saperstein to relate in English a brief history of Lachish. Rachel explains that Lachish is generally regarded as the second most important city in the southern kingdom of Judah. It enters the biblical narrative in the battle accounts of Joshua, Sennacherib and Nebuchadnezzar.In fact, on the winding, scenic two-lane road that leads from the main Beersheva-Kiryat Gat highway to Bnei Dekalim, we pass the archeological site of Tel Lachish that is now surrounded by acres and acres of lush grapevines that belong to the small communities long the road.

Lachish was known as the defense center and fortress that monitored entrance into the Judean Hill Country from the west and southwest. Dating from between 598-589/88 B.C., the Lachish Letters, describing the Babylonian conquest of Judah, illustrate the kind of Hebrew used at the time of Jeremiah.

According to Walking in Their Sandals, "when Nebuchadnezzar established the Babylonian domination of Judah in 588-587 B.C., the southern outpost city of Lachish was one of the last remaining Judean cities to be taken (Jer 34:6,7). The Jews had arranged for relay communication between Lachish and Jerusalem by means of smoke signals at Azekah, fifteen miles from Jerusalem, and Lachish, thirty-five miles distant. Letter 4 of the Lachish Letters reads: "We were watching for the smoke signals of Lachish…because we do not see Azekah." This indicated that Azekah had already fallen to Nebuchadnezzar. Soon after this, Lachish would capitulate."

Rachel Saperstein closed her remarks by noting:

The Kings of Israel built glorious cities here and Bar Kochba the revolutionary found refuge here..
We, the expelled people of Gush Katif will build in this grand tradition.
What an honor. Come and join us!

There are already 60 families who will pioneer the new community. Eventually, 500 families will make Bnei Dekalim their home and become the center of the revitalized Lachish region, fulfilling the mitzvah of settling the land.

For Rachel Saperstein and her neighbors it's no longer a dream but the dawning of a new reality.

16 Ways You Know Sukkot is Coming to Israel

Sukkah outside Burger King, Ben Yehuda Street, Jerusalem


1. The clang of metal poles and the sounds of hammering are practically constant as Jerusalem's apartment dwellers hurry to erect their sukkot and squeeze them into small balconies, odd-shaped gardens and otherwise derelict rooftops.

2. The tourists have landed! Overwhelmingly religious, English and French speaking, they jam the city's take-out places and restaurants, and may be seen in packs wandering up and down Emek Refaim and the glitzy Mamilla Mall talking to their friends at top volume on their cell phones.

3. Almost every non-profit group worth their salt has scheduled a fund-raising and/or familiarization event for the intermediate days of Sukkot, aimed at capturing the attention of the wealthy temporary Jerusalem residents.

4. Real estate agents are taking a deep breath before their busiest week of the year as they prepare to pitch their over-priced wares to eager foreign buyers. Each of the many luxury residential building projects around town has managed to put up billboards depicting the completed construction and inviting prospective buyers for a tour of an unfinished building site.

5. You can't get on a bus without being poked in the rear a dozen times with someone's stray lulav.

6. The sweet smell of etrogim in Jerusalem's Machane Yehuda is overpowering. Huge crowds descend on a lot on Jaffa Road near the market to vie for the most shapely lulav and etrog.

7. One enterprising bookstore is offering "Machzor rentals" for tourists who inadvertently left their holiday prayer books at home.

8. You've never seen such gaudy sukkah decorations in your life---unless you've been to WalMart on Xmas eve. Kiosks manned by bearded Haredim are selling gold, green and red tinsel hangings---exact replicas of Xmas decorations in the old country.

9. Huge piles of schach (palm fronds for the roof of the sukkah) cover major city squares, and citizens are invited to take as much as they need for free.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/109/262115749_fc37bb1e23_b.jpg

10. The usual throngs of traditional Jews are expected at the Western Wall for the thrice-yearly observance of the ancient ritual of Birkat Cohanim, the
--Blessing by the Priests--that takes place during the intermediate days of Sukkot.

11. Like Xmas tree lots back in the US, empty city lots all over Jerusalem are taken over to sell sukkot of every size and description. Some are marketed by large companies and feature the latest space-saving techno logy and hardiest material, while others are simpler affairs made of tubular piping and plastic walls. Every kosher restaurant in town has a sukka of some kind and each boasts bigger and better holiday specials to entice customers.

12. Since the entire week of Sukkot is a national holiday you'll have a tough time deciding which festival/event to take part in. There's the Festival of Vocal Music in Abu Ghosh; The Tamar music and arts fest at Ein Gedi; Herzliya's Biennial for Contemporary Art and the Sounds of Childhood Festival in Holon, to name just a few.

13. Touring the country is another favorite Sukkot activity and every political group is promoting trips to "See For Yourself." Hevron is a perennial favorite for the intermediate festival days as the Isaac Hall in the Cave of the Patriarchs that's normally off-limits to Jewish visitors is open for the holiday.

14. Not to be left out are those tenacious Christian friends of Israel--the International Christian Embassy of Jerusalem (ICEJ) will bring 8,000 members from 100 nations to attend their 30th annual Feast of Tabernacles celebration. The Christian contingent dressed in costume of their country of origin will also take part in another annual Sukkot event, the Jerusalem March, where tens of thousands proudly march through several routes in the capital. Organizers claim that the Christian event will pump $10 million into the local economy, taking up 15,000 hotel room nights during their stay. Not everyone is happy about the Feast, however. A few years ago Israel's Chief Rabbinate's Committee for the Prevention of the Spread of Missionary Work in the Holy Land issued a ruling forbidding Jews from participating in the Jerusalem march organized by the ICEJ. The committee wrote in its decision, endorsed by both chief rabbis that Halacha forbids Jews to participate in any of the Christian sponsored gatherings. Still, this year, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin will host a sukka reception for the delegates at ICEJ headquarters.

15. Another prominent group of tourists set to arrive are refugees from the young American frum singles scene who make an annual migration to Jerusalem from the Upper West Side for Sukkot. Discreet meetings of earnest, well-scrubbed, modestly dressed twenty-somethings take place in all the major hotel lobbies.

16. And speaking of refugees--spare a thought for those 1,700 families expelled from their homes in Gush Katif back in August 2005. More than four years on and hardly any of them are living in permanent housing. More than 1,500 former Gush Katif residents are still unemployed. Several have died at young ages and many couples have divorced due to the economic and social pressure and the uncertain future they face. Neither they nor the Israelis in and around Sderot who despite the Gaza pullout continue to live under the threat of Hamas shelling will need to be reminded of one of the essential messages of the Sukkot holiday--the flimsiness of our physical existence and our reliance on God for sustenance and shelter.

It's not "the occupation," stupid!

I spent yesterday in Shechem and Ramallah with a small group of journalists. I'm working on a few articles from the trip, but in the meantime, take a look at some of the photos (there are almost 100, so too many to post to the blog) at http://web.me.com/jbalint1/Site/Photos.html#grid

What you'll see are two cities completely controlled and patrolled by Arabs; not a Jew or IDF soldier anywhere in sight in either place. Arab police officers, armed and in full uniform are on most street corners. Building and commerce is going on at an incredible pace--we visited the 12-story Nablus Municipal Mall, complete with cinema and the Palestinian Securities Exchange office, both of which would not be out of place in California.

Despite all this, it's "the occupation" that's on everyone's lips in Shechem and Ramallah as they cite the difficulties of moving into the 21st century while somehow under Israel's thumb.

As we drove in our van with PA license plates between Shechem and Ramallah we encountered the remnants of Israel's control in Samaria--the dreaded checkpoints. Since last June, Israel has dismantled and abandoned hundreds of them, and the remaining ones are supposed to protect Israeli Jews living near their Arab neighbors from attack.

At the Tapuach checkpoint outside Shechem,the jumpy soldiers hastily called a close-down in both directions just as we approached. After about 10 minutes of uncertainty, we were summarily waved through. Later we learned that an Israeli was evacuated by helicopter to hospital after he was shot by Arab terrorists a couple of miles south of where we were, between Shvut Rachel and Kida.

While we were wandering around enjoying the sights and color of Shechem's Old City, I remembered that the terrorist responsible for the Park Hotel seder night bombing in Netanya as well as the Dolphinarium horror in Tel Aviv came from Shechem.

Nevertheless, the well-dressed officials in Ramallah and Shechem still intone the same old tired rhetoric about our desire for self-preservation somehow impeding their efforts to go about building their state.

I couldn't help recalling the slogan on the back of an Arab cab in Halhul that I saw a few months ago: "Life is Not Everything."

Approaching the Big Day...

In the days before Yom Kippur, thousands of Torah observant Israelis rush to finish the ritual of kapparot, where human sins are symbolically transferred to a fowl--generally a chicken. It's a custom that does not appear anywhere in the Talmud, but whose origin seems to come courtesy of several 9th century rabbis.

In a parking lot near Jerusalem's Machane Yehuda market, dozens of live chickens are whirled above the heads of men, women and children while a pronouncement is made declaring: "This is my substitute, my vicarious offering, my atonement: This chicken will meet its fate while I will proceed to a good, long life of peace." [See my Kapparot photos from Machane Yehuda at www.Demotix.com] The chickens are then donated to the needy or redeemed with money that goes to the poor.

Meanwhile, curious secular Israelis by the hundreds take part in pre-dawn Selichot tours, where they look in on dozens of congregations where the faithful are immersed in penitential prayers chanted to ancient melodies.

In the streets later in the day, men hurry along with towels to the nearest mikveh (ritual bath). Many have already started building their sukkot (booths) in readiness for Sukkot, the one-week festival that starts the week after Yom Kippur. Sukkot structures of all kinds have sprung up on balconies, street corners and in front of cafes. The final decorations and the schach covering will be added right after the conclusion of Yom Kippur.

The busiest kiosks on the streets are those selling shoes made from fabric or plastic--to comply with the prohibition against wearing leather on Yom Kippur.

Strains of chazanut waft out of many windows, as many radio and TV stations broadcast operatic renditions of the well-known Yom Kippur prayers in a variety of styles. Almost every radio and TV channel also features a physician prescribing pre-fast measures to stave off headaches and ensure an easy fast, and advice on the best type of food with which to break the fast.

Many of the rabbis providing commentary on Yom Kippur in the Israeli media emphasize the festive nature of the day--not only the obvious solemnity. Be happy, we're told, that God grants us this grand opportunity to get a new lease on life--the possibility of teshuva (return) shows that Judaism is optimistic and forward-looking and allows for the reformulation of both our interpersonal relationships and our relationship with God. Singing and dancing are the de rigeur ways in which many congregations here, especially those at yeshivot, end the Yom Kippur day expressing joy at the soul having been uplifted.

While polls indicate that 71 percent of Israeli Jews between 18-35 will fast (Yisrael Hayom, Sept. 22, 2009)non-observant Israelis are also getting ready for Yom Kippur. As the one day in the year when TV and radio shuts down, they're looking for entertainment. A woman in a halter top and shorts stops at my local newspaper stand to buy three books of crossword puzzles. Video stores are doing brisk business, and bicycle shops are working overtime. There are virtually no motor vehicles on the streets of Israel on Yom Kippur, so it's become a traditional time for mass outings on bikes--new and old. Kids and adults enjoy the one-time freedom of movement for two-wheeled transportation.

There's also the obligatory rehash of stories from the 1973 Yom Kippur War in the press. Every year, commentators review the intelligence failures and questionable political decisions that brought Israel to the brink.

As the siren sounds marking the start of the Day of Reckoning and reports of the Iranian threat and corruption trials of former Israeli political leaders are quieted for at least 25 hours, you may be sure that our prayers will include a plea for a better year than the one before. Beyond that, who knows?