The world stood by uninterested when, for eight years, residents of a small city near the Gaza border could not rest. During the day, their children playing outside or at school were unprotected from a constant rockets bombardment. During the night, everyone was at home, but most homes lacked safety. There was no place to hide, only to run away.
Most residents of Sderot stayed, unable to move. They simply could not afford to do so. Several factories had outlets in the area " from food production to textile manufacturing, which afforded work for the families.
For the majority of the period, the residents of the area were deserted by Israel as by the international community. Every so often politicians stopped there for a photo-op, but nothing of substance was attempted.
An entire export industry destroyed, an area once blossoming became the training ground for terrorists and a launching pad for even more rockets.
Israel could have endured longer as it did for eight years. Instead, a decision that should have been made seven or eight years earlier finally was taken: Israel will stand no more. Operation Cast Lead resulted in 14 dead in Israel and has significantly diminished the number of rockets and the smuggling operation into Gaza.
Throughout the Operation, Israel took steps to make certain civilian casualties were minimized. These efforts were a precision science, the likes of which no other country would spend its resources or waste its power achieving.
Israel's barbaric enemy knew no boundaries " from using humans as shields, to utilizing hospitals and mosques as centers of operation, headquarters of this octopus of evil. But most egregiously, the enemy aimed for civilian centers, shopping malls and hospitals, knowing all too well that the victims will not only be Jews but Bedouin and Arabs.
A new report is out, and the United Nations (against Israel and the Jewish People) is convening in its aftermath. The report carries the name of a Jew, and the world is awed, marveling at the new discoveries: seeming to prove at last Israel, clearly, is at fault for war crimes.
Lies, Lies and more Lies. Lies with a capital "L. Lies emanating from a hatred for Jews because they are Jews. Lies designed to further weaken the body-Israel. Successful lies for several reasons: First, the world turns a blind eye and wants to believe them, despite evidence to the contrary. Second, Israelis and Jews themselves help create and propagate these lies.
Leading reporters in Israel have termed the Operation, as it was being carried out, a "blood bath. Israel was silent. Leading professors in Israel, who were in range and aim of the rockets, let the world know that Israel deserves what it is getting for it is an Apartheid State. They urged the world to "BOYCOTT ISRAEL. Their colleagues and administrators kept silent. American Jewry then continued kneeling before a new Pharaoh and the choir sang "Hallelujah! Let there be Two States.
On this Day of Atonement 5770 (2009), we need look no further than ourselves to realize a major overhaul is required. Israelis, so it seems, are the root cause of their own problems. They may not instigate trouble--the reign of terror is just several miles away, but they add explosives and corrosives to the fire. Then they are astonished when a bigger explosion hits them squarely in the face.
On the morning of Atonement services, just after the sunset ushered in this holiest of days in the Hebrew calendar, I heard an interpretation of the most known prayer in Judaism, The Shema.
Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad (Hear Oh Israel, the Lord is our G-d, the Lord is One).
The recitation of The Shema is done every day of our lives. It is probably the single most unifying element in Judaism. As our last breath escapes our body and we return to our creator, the departed says The Shema as we leave our mortal life behind. When we are in grave peril, we say The Shema. When we are about to commit the most noble and heroic of acts, we enlist G-d to our side by saying The Shema.
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