For Your Information and Reference
December 2023
December 19
Dispelling some myths on the Jews and the current State of Israel
While the indiscriminate killing in Gaza is unjustly inflating the hate against all Jews worldwide, did you know that...?
• Israel current population, excluding the occupied Palestinians territories of the West
Bank and the Gaza Strip, is 21 per cent Arab and 17 per cent Muslim.
(1)
• There are Jews who call what is happening now as “Israel’s mass murder of the civilians of Gaza” (2) and “a genocide unfolding before our eyes”. (3)
• Being a Jew is not the same as being a follower of Judaism, since many Jews are secular. And like all religions, Judaism itself is radically divided between different factions, beliefs, practices and political goals. (4)
• Among British Jews can be found every degree of progressive and conservative Zionism, anti-Zionism and indifference to Israel. Sometimes these differences are expressed with anger, more often through laughter and friendship. (5)
• Zionism does not necessarily mean supporting the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at all costs. For many, Zionism can mean “protesting the IDF for their crimes as a way to correct the injustices of the Jewish state”. (6)
• According to Israeli polling data, Benjamin Netanyahu is only trusted by 4% of Israelis. (7)
• There are Jews who call what is happening now as “Israel’s mass murder of the civilians of Gaza” (2) and “a genocide unfolding before our eyes”. (3)
• Being a Jew is not the same as being a follower of Judaism, since many Jews are secular. And like all religions, Judaism itself is radically divided between different factions, beliefs, practices and political goals. (4)
• Among British Jews can be found every degree of progressive and conservative Zionism, anti-Zionism and indifference to Israel. Sometimes these differences are expressed with anger, more often through laughter and friendship. (5)
• Zionism does not necessarily mean supporting the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at all costs. For many, Zionism can mean “protesting the IDF for their crimes as a way to correct the injustices of the Jewish state”. (6)
• According to Israeli polling data, Benjamin Netanyahu is only trusted by 4% of Israelis. (7)
Did you know that there are genocidal thoughts from both the roots of Hamas and the current leadership of Israel?
• In 1988 Hamas’s charter, they said “Israel will exist and will continue to exist
until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.” (This line was
removed when they presented a new document in 2017.) (8)
• Netanyahu has called on the Israelis to remember the Biblical story of Amalek (9), an ancient enemy of Israel whose extermination —including women and children— is narrated in the Book of Samuel.
• Netanyahu has called on the Israelis to remember the Biblical story of Amalek (9), an ancient enemy of Israel whose extermination —including women and children— is narrated in the Book of Samuel.
(1)
Ten Questions About
Gaza – Part 1 (off-guardian.org) — Off course, there is an overlap; those 21 and 17 per
cent are not to be added together.
(2)
I’m
a Jew and I’m NOT a Genocidal Racist – Why Do Israel “Supporters” Keep Telling the World
that I Am? (off-guardian.org)
(3)
“Palestine
is the genocide that we as Jewish people can halt” – By Amanda Gelender
(middleeasteye.net)
(4)
Ten Questions About
Gaza – Part 1 (off-guardian.org)
(5)
How
Labour’s claim of countering antisemitism has resulted in a purge of Jews
(jewishvoiceforlabour.org.uk)
(6)
‘Good
Jew’ vs. ‘Bad Jew’: Why pro-Palestine Protests Have a Problem – By Louis Fishman
(haaretz.com) — Accessed through
https://archive.is/NsXto
(7)
Source 1 – rt.com —
Source
2 – haaretz.com — “A poll conducted by researchers at Bar Ilan University asked Israelis
about trust in information and decision-making regarding the war in Gaza. Results show that under
4 percent trust Netanyahu; IDF Spokesman Hagari emerges as ‘most reliable’ figure.”
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It is wrong to use Zionism as a divisive word to separate “good Jews” from “bad
Jews”
Opinion from a non-fanatic Israeli citizen and historian (1)
We believe that the following testimony —especially, given his background— is valuable in preventing the flame of hatred against Jews, by exposing the abuse that is taking place as one and all defines Zionism according to their own agendas.
Before presenting his testimony, here is the background of Louis Fishman, an Israeli citizen and history teacher, told by himself:
[our highlighting]
• I support a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, be it a two-state
solution, a one-state solution, or two states with open borders. I believe we are better
together.
• My work debunks right-wing Zionist claims that deny the existence of the Palestinian people, by showing that even during the years before World War One, Palestinians started to define themselves as such.
• Over the last three decades, I have taught thousands of students the history of Palestine/Israel and the Middle East. My career in education started in the early 1990s, working in Jewish-Arab high school programs in Haifa, ...
• Most of my career now has been at Brooklyn College, where I have Palestinian, Israeli, Arab, Muslim, and Jewish students (from Syria to Russia), alongside students from Caribbean and Latino backgrounds. They all get along. In our class, they learn about the Nakba [the day on which the Palestinians commemorate the beginning of the exodus (when the State of Israel was created)] and transitional justice. They also learn about the plurality of what Zionism is and different forms of anti-Zionism. Then they learn about the plight of Mizrahi Jews [descendants of the Jewish communities of the Near East and North Africa] and how Israel has managed to maintain a hegemonic hold over Palestinians. I staunchly support freedom of speech on campus.
• My work debunks right-wing Zionist claims that deny the existence of the Palestinian people, by showing that even during the years before World War One, Palestinians started to define themselves as such.
• Over the last three decades, I have taught thousands of students the history of Palestine/Israel and the Middle East. My career in education started in the early 1990s, working in Jewish-Arab high school programs in Haifa, ...
• Most of my career now has been at Brooklyn College, where I have Palestinian, Israeli, Arab, Muslim, and Jewish students (from Syria to Russia), alongside students from Caribbean and Latino backgrounds. They all get along. In our class, they learn about the Nakba [the day on which the Palestinians commemorate the beginning of the exodus (when the State of Israel was created)] and transitional justice. They also learn about the plurality of what Zionism is and different forms of anti-Zionism. Then they learn about the plight of Mizrahi Jews [descendants of the Jewish communities of the Near East and North Africa] and how Israel has managed to maintain a hegemonic hold over Palestinians. I staunchly support freedom of speech on campus.
The following are also excerpts from his article published in haaretz.com on December 7, 2023:
[our highlighting]
Let’s face it. For Jews around the world, Zionism, or the love of the homeland, can mean
all-out support for Israel and its colonial hold over the West Bank and East Jerusalem and its
ongoing blockade of Gaza, or it can mean helping fellow impoverished Jews in need of help in poor
neighborhoods of Israel. It can mean supporting the IDF at all costs, or it can mean protesting
the IDF for their crimes as a way to correct the injustices of the Jewish state.
Zionism, in essence, is the bond Jews have with Israel, whatever that might mean. It is an identity intricately linked to religion. For many Jews worldwide, it is also a family connection. Even among those who declare themselves anti-Zionists, such as among some ultra-Orthodox Jews, there is a sense of latent Zionism, even if it is never expressed as such.
All of this might be uncomfortable for many people in the pro-Palestine camp, who try to neatly divide Jews into “good Jews”, or the righteous few, against the “bad Jews”, who are “genocide supporters”. [For them] There is no longer a middle ground, with the term Zionist being used to show an equivalence to the term “Nazi”, the culmination of all evils.
Thus, in their fervor, many within the pro-Palestine camp refuse to use the word Israel, but rather “Zionist” state; and they do not use the term “Israelis”, but rather “Zionist colonizers”, or “Zionist settlers”. For them, it did not matter that the Israelis attacked on October 7th were not settlers in the West Bank; all Israelis are fair game. ...
I am against the massive, indiscriminate killing in Gaza; I signed a petition in the early days of the war calling for a cease-fire; I believe that any solution requires first and foremost Israel’s recognition of the crimes it has committed against the Palestinian people. And, yes, I believe in transitional justice.
But I refuse to take part in the “good Jew”/“bad Jew” litmus test. I will not turn my back on history and historical facts, transforming them into trivial provocations with little to do with working for a peaceful solution for Palestinians and Israelis but much more to do with debates of identity questions in the United States and Europe. I will not performatively denounce other Jews, who are sincere about peace but rightly feel under attack by the growing antisemitism at these protests.
... in the U.S. and Europe ... many among them are targeting a Jewish minority in America and Europe that is dynamic and diverse. In place of an obsessive quest to find the “righteous Jews”, perhaps they should be thinking more about how to create a path to peace. This can only be done through dialogue – including with those maligned “Zionists” who make up the vast majority of Jews in Israel and around the world.
Zionism, in essence, is the bond Jews have with Israel, whatever that might mean. It is an identity intricately linked to religion. For many Jews worldwide, it is also a family connection. Even among those who declare themselves anti-Zionists, such as among some ultra-Orthodox Jews, there is a sense of latent Zionism, even if it is never expressed as such.
All of this might be uncomfortable for many people in the pro-Palestine camp, who try to neatly divide Jews into “good Jews”, or the righteous few, against the “bad Jews”, who are “genocide supporters”. [For them] There is no longer a middle ground, with the term Zionist being used to show an equivalence to the term “Nazi”, the culmination of all evils.
Thus, in their fervor, many within the pro-Palestine camp refuse to use the word Israel, but rather “Zionist” state; and they do not use the term “Israelis”, but rather “Zionist colonizers”, or “Zionist settlers”. For them, it did not matter that the Israelis attacked on October 7th were not settlers in the West Bank; all Israelis are fair game. ...
I am against the massive, indiscriminate killing in Gaza; I signed a petition in the early days of the war calling for a cease-fire; I believe that any solution requires first and foremost Israel’s recognition of the crimes it has committed against the Palestinian people. And, yes, I believe in transitional justice.
But I refuse to take part in the “good Jew”/“bad Jew” litmus test. I will not turn my back on history and historical facts, transforming them into trivial provocations with little to do with working for a peaceful solution for Palestinians and Israelis but much more to do with debates of identity questions in the United States and Europe. I will not performatively denounce other Jews, who are sincere about peace but rightly feel under attack by the growing antisemitism at these protests.
... in the U.S. and Europe ... many among them are targeting a Jewish minority in America and Europe that is dynamic and diverse. In place of an obsessive quest to find the “righteous Jews”, perhaps they should be thinking more about how to create a path to peace. This can only be done through dialogue – including with those maligned “Zionists” who make up the vast majority of Jews in Israel and around the world.
(1)
Opinion
– ‘Good Jew’ vs. ‘Bad Jew’: Why pro-Palestine Protests Have a Problem
(https://www.haaretz.com; By Louis Fishman; Published 7-Dec-2023; Accessed 18-Dec-2023 through
https://archive.is/NsXto)
Louis Fishman is an associate professor at Brooklyn College who divides his time between Turkey,
the U.S. and Israel, and writes about Turkish and Israeli-Palestinian affairs. His latest book is
“Jews and Palestinians in the Late Ottoman Era 1908-1914”.
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A plan to fuel hatred among, and towards, Jews, Muslims and true Christians
The World has been Warned
We remind you that, over the geopolitical agendas of one or the other, it is satan who is using Israel so that they themselves, by the abuses of their government in their military actions, incite general hatred towards the Jews.
This is not a new plan. It was already warned by miguel de Portugal in 2009: (1)
Now, the Israelites cannot do “any wrong” (after all, they claim to be the victims) and
instead of Concentration Camps, they enclose” Palestinians (after all, they are the aggressors)
in Concentration Camp-like areas: Gaza, for example. Then they practice the the tit for tat, that
is, if a “tat” is a suicide bomber or a hand made rocket that may cause very limited suffering
to the Israelis, the “tit” is a massacre in Palestinian territories. But that is acceptable to
the new International Community, just as the pre-World War II International Community showed by
its behavior that it was acceptable to persecute Jews.
It is not us who say that the Israeli government and army are abusing even beyond what the world considers “just” military actions, it is they themselves:
• A senior Israeli defense official said so in October 24th: “The region must quickly
understand that whoever harms Israel the way Hamas did, pays a disproportionate
price.” (2)
• Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said Sunday [29-Jan-2023] that one of Israel’s options in the war against Hamas could be to drop a nuclear bomb on the Gaza Strip. (3)
• Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that Israel had dropped “hundreds of tons of bombs” on Gaza and that “the emphasis is on damage and not on accuracy”. (4)
• Netanyahu has called on the Israelis to remember the Biblical story of Amalek (5), an ancient enemy of Israel whose extermination —including women and children— is narrated in the Book of Samuel.
• Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said Sunday [29-Jan-2023] that one of Israel’s options in the war against Hamas could be to drop a nuclear bomb on the Gaza Strip. (3)
• Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that Israel had dropped “hundreds of tons of bombs” on Gaza and that “the emphasis is on damage and not on accuracy”. (4)
• Netanyahu has called on the Israelis to remember the Biblical story of Amalek (5), an ancient enemy of Israel whose extermination —including women and children— is narrated in the Book of Samuel.
This is followed by a political propaganda —backed by the United States— that forces an identification between Israel (its government and its army) with absolutely all Jews, through the blackmail of accusing of “anti-Semitism” all those who do not defend a certain radical type of Zionism, as denounced by an American Jewess:
“Equating Anti-Zionism to Antisemitism – a Slap in the Face to Jews Like Me”
(6)
Resolution 888 [of USA] states, in no uncertain terms, that “denying Israel’s right to exist is a form of antisemitism”. While not a law, resolutions articulate the sentiment of Congress. A second resolution, HR 894, elaborates on HR 888 and “clearly and firmly states that anti-Zionism is antisemitism”.
This is a dangerous false equivalency that weaponizes antisemitism and further equates my ancient religion with the violent nationalist movement of Zionism. It is an assault on Palestinians and their right to self-determination, and a slap in the face to anti-Zionist Jewish Americans like myself whose commitment to liberation is rooted in our Jewish values.
Resolution 888 [of USA] states, in no uncertain terms, that “denying Israel’s right to exist is a form of antisemitism”. While not a law, resolutions articulate the sentiment of Congress. A second resolution, HR 894, elaborates on HR 888 and “clearly and firmly states that anti-Zionism is antisemitism”.
This is a dangerous false equivalency that weaponizes antisemitism and further equates my ancient religion with the violent nationalist movement of Zionism. It is an assault on Palestinians and their right to self-determination, and a slap in the face to anti-Zionist Jewish Americans like myself whose commitment to liberation is rooted in our Jewish values.
Our comment: As someone commented, Netanyahu was
probably not upset by the proposal itself, but by the fact that a member of his cabinet
confirmed that Israel has nuclear weaponry at its
disposal.
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It is not “we must not lose faith in humanity”
It is “we must not lose faith in God”
It is “we must not lose faith in God”
FROM OUR FILES: August 29th, 2009 [Martyrdom of John the Baptist]
Did you know that...?
... Mahatma Gandhi said: “You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few
drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty”?
Unfortunately he did not realize that is in God in Whom we must not lose our faith; and it is hope what we must not lose in humanity.
Allow us to elaborate...
Indeed humanity could be seen as a clean ocean wherein there may initially be a few drops of dirty water. If the multiplication of the dirt in those few drops is not checked and the main body of water is not constantly regenerated (purified), eventually we will find ourselves with an ocean of dirty water in which only a few drops of clean water may be found.
That principle is the reverse of this teaching: The kingdom of heaven is like to leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, until the whole was leavened. [Matthew 13:33]
Now, having faith in God and hope in humanity, the few drops of clean water can indeed reverse the tide and purify the entire ocean as Jesus taught above... only if the Evangelization would have been carried out as instructed by Jesus which, of course, was not done... something He knew from all Eternity... didn’t He say: But yet the Son of man, when he cometh, shall he find, think you, faith on earth? [Luke 18:8]
Which brings us to a very concrete example: While the “clean drops” from Don Juan Bosco (1) began an effective purification process in a rabid anticlerical Italy and the usually corrupt Curia, no matter how much money and power (2) has the Opus Dei amassed in its own backyard, Spain continues to slip into moral chaos in spite of the solid core of goodness possessed by its people.
But Jesus even warned us about that: Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. [Matthew 16:6]
Our Good and Loving Lord covered all the proverbial bases... it is just a shame that Christians do not know “the rules of the game” – clearly spelled out the Book that is mostly used as coffee table decoration in most Christian homes.
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En Español: Para vuestra Información y Referencia - Diciembre 2023
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