Tishrei 4, 5777
October 6, 2016
Palestinian terror in the last 24 hours
There were attacks on Israeli security forces throughout the day at Ras al-Amud, Moai’ir, Husan, Qalandiya, and Rachel’s Tomb. Motorists were assaulted with “rocks” at Ariel, Bethany, and Khader among nearly 20 locations.
A missile fired from Gaza exploded on a busy street in Sderot beside an elementary school. No children were wounded because they had been rushed to the school’s bomb shelter as soon as the alarms sounded. The impact of the explosion shattered glass in nearby homes and knocked down bookcases and shelves. Miraculously, no one was physically wounded; however, an unspecified number of people had to be treated for shock–two were hospitalized.
The IDF retaliates and we lose a pilot
The IAF carried out several attacks on Gaza in the aftermath of the missile strike. The usual places were hit: empty buildings, sand dunes, “training fields.” A few buildings were damaged; no terrorists were killed or wounded.
Tragically, following operations over Gaza, an F 16 returning to Ramon AFB in the Negev caught fire (cause undetermined), and the plane crashed. Major Ohad Cohen (34) , the pilot, was killed, but his navigator managed to parachute to safety. At this point, it is unclear whether the pilot ejected from the plane or died while trying to land the burning aircraft.
The Obama Administration castigates Israel, again
Another day at the U.S. State Department, another day of harsh criticism and veiled threats directed against Israel. Literally, not a day goes by that someone in the Obama Administration does not attack Israel.
This time the “complaint” is that Israel is planning to build 96 new homes in the already-existing Samarian Shiloh community for the residents of Amona who are absurdly being uprooted by a Supreme Court order.
Nevertheless, the State Department spokesman declared yesterday that these 96 homes constitute a “new settlement” and will link “a series of outposts” which effectively “divide the West Bank” and make a “contiguous Palestine” impossible.
What’s more, the spokesman intimated that the Israeli government should recognize that there is a quid pro quo concerning the recently signed military aid package and the building of any “new settlements” (if Israel gets the aid, it stops building Jewish communities), and, for good measure, he stated that Israel was dishonoring the memory of Shimon Peres by building the new homes and insulting the leaders who came from around the world (read “Obama and Kerry”) to attend his funeral.
Unbelievable. Just plain unbelievable.
As far as your humble servant is concerned, Amona should not be razed, but if it is, the homes should be built, and why in the world would Israel ever agree to a contiguous, terrorist, Palestinian state? As for the memory of Shimon Peres, we noted in a blog several days ago that Peres was one of the architects of the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria back when he was Defense Minister in the 70s. And as for insulting President Obama and others, let’s not forget that he used his Peres eulogy to demean Israel and Israelis.
One more word about the military aid agreement
Well actually two more. The idea that this 10 year, 38 billion dollar military aid package is something remarkable is off base. Over the last 10 years, Israel has received some 31 billion dollars in U.S. aid, about 3.1 billion per year. During the same time, the U.S. Congress has allocated another 6 billion in aid, bringing the total aid to about 37 billion.
While Israelis are supremely thankful to the American people for their generosity and support, the idea that Obama greatly expanded aid is incorrect.
In addition, as numerous others have pointed out, the Obama military aid package calls for virtually all monies to be spent in the U.S. whereas in the past, about 25% of military aid could be contracted to Israeli defense companies. This agreement may well sound the death knell of those Israeli companies.
The U.N. has chosen a new Secretary General and the news isn’t good
Former Portuguese PM Antonio Guterres will take the helm from Ban Ki-Moon. If you think Moon was utterly anti-Israel, expect Guterres to be worse.
Lest anyone forget, Guterres is a left-wing socialist who served as the pompously named U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees from June 2005 to December 2015. In that position, his main concern has been for the plight of the so-called 5.5 million+ “Palestinian refugees.”
TODAY’S BLOG
JUDENBURG (Part 4)
From 4 days ago:
Ordering drugs online is quite easy and simple press and all the medicines required by you are amerikabulteni.com canadian tadalafil just required to login to the authentic online drug store and purchase these over the counter medications with the help of your credit or debit card. Thousands of satisfied men who were happy with the decision to buy Kamagra Polo buy viagra on line online then be assured that you are buying a drug or medicine from online pharmacy shop. This can do some irreparable damage over time, gradually eroding at the foundation of the whole relationship – the trust amerikabulteni.com purchase cheap viagra between two people. This is used in vajikarana preparations. order cialis from canada 6.
As regular readers of israelstreet know, there were no blogs during most of September as your humble servant and my wife made our way through Europe. What you did not know was that the trip took us through 17 countries from Lisbon, Portugal to Russia via trains, buses, ferries, and ships.
In many ways, it was an exhilarating journey, but in others it was utterly depressing, especially as we encountered the desolate remains of Jewry all over the continent culminating in a visit to Auschwitz and Birkenau. For the next few days I will share with you, dear reader, some of what we encountered–often by chance.
At the end of part 3, we left you in Chambery, the home of one of the most vile, anti-Semitic frauds of the Middle Ages, namely that Jews were poisoning wells and thereby spreading the bubonic plague. Hundreds of thousands of Jews were slaughtered as a result of this fraud.
Today:
From the southern Alps, we crossed Italy, first for a few days in Milan, and then on by train to Rimini. At Rimini, we boarded a bus to our next destination, the Republic of San Marino–a microstate on top of a mountain in north central Italy. Surrounded by medieval walls, it is the fifth-smallest country in the world, and the oldest surviving sovereign state and constitutional republic.
We arrived just after a thunderstorm had pelted the area the night before, and the steep cobblestone streets were still slippery from the intense rain. Nevertheless, we gradually made our way up to the Guaita fortress at the top of Monte Titano, first passing a stern policewoman at the San Francesco Gate (who warned us not to take her picture).
And whereas as we had seen evidence of once-thriving Jewish communities in places like Lisbon, Barcelona, and Chambery, we only found mention of it in San Marino.
As it turns out, the first reference to Jews in official San Marino records was in 1369, only 20 years after the horrific events in Chambery and central Europe. Did a few Jews escape the slaughter by settling in San Marino? Perhaps, but there is no document that attests to that fact.
What we do know from the archives is that the Jews that arrived were forced to wear special badges and live according to “restrictions”, but apparently were given protection by the government.
The Jews established a ghetto in the heart of the city along the narrow Vicolo dei Forni Street (Contrada Santa Croce). We saw a commemorative plaque honoring Holocaust victims that was placed there in 2008.
I should say that the site of the plaque is supposedly placed where the medieval Jewish ghetto was since no one seems to know for sure as there are no buildings, synagogues, or even homes left of any medieval Jews in San Marino. It is as if they never were. In fact, it seems to be somewhat of a mystery as to what happened to the Jews of San Marino.
It should be noted that during World War II, some Jews made it to San Marino and sought refuge there despite the fact that San Marino was ruled by a fascist party, the FPS, that modeled itself on Mussolini’s government. Apparently a few of those Jews still live in San Marino.
One last note: as we were descending the mountain along the Via Basilica, we came to a church at the base of the street. A large placard was affixed to the door advertising that the church was hosting a program involving Christians, Jews and Muslims in the hope that a peaceful interfaith dialogue could be pursued. Representing Jews was a speaker from Israel.
How ironic we thought. Here we were in yet another place where a Jewish community had been, a Jewish community that undoubtedly did its best to live in peace with its neighbors, only to disappear.
Tomorrow, our travels bring us ever closer to Judenburg.
A student from Malawi, who had worked with an Israeli health volunteer in his country battling AIDS, came up to us as we walked down the street in the UC-Davis Picnic Day Parade and wanted to carry the Israeli flag.