Thursday, January 27, 2011 - the "did you miss me" edition?

Hello there - have not posted in a little bit - I hope that somehow you were able to lead productive lives in the meantime......

1. The "So-Called Right of Return" - On January 18, Halifax Herald columnist Paul Schneidereit published a column entitled "Jerusalem: the Israel-Palestinian conflict's Gordian knot" (I cannot seem to find a "live link" to refer you to).

In any event, Dr. Zayid, a local and shall we say, "ardent" pro-Palestinian advocate, took exception when in his column, Mr. Schneidereit referred to the "so-called right of return". Dr. Zayid wrote the following letter to the Herald:
"Fundamental right

Paul Schneidereit, in his Jan. 18 column, makes a derisive comment about the right of return of the Palestinian refugees, calling it "the so-called right of return." The right of return of the Palestinian refugees to their homes is a fundamental right enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UNGA Resolution 194, which was passed on Dec. 11, 1948.

It "resolves that the refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbours should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date." This resolution has been reaffirmed, during the last 62 years, more than 100 times. Yet, sadly, this practicable date has not been allowed to be implemented, due to Israel’s predetermined policy of ethnic cleansing and dispossession.

It should be pointed out that Israel’s admission to the UN, as per UNGA Resolution 273 of May 11, 1949, was conditional on the basis of the implementation of this very resolution.

Ismail Zayid, Halifax"
I have submitted the following reply, though as yet it has not been published:
"To the Editor:

A careful analysis by an objective reader of the relevant United Nations Resolutions, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Geneva Conventions, and the like will make it clear that there is no legally binding “fundamental right of return”.

Palestinian advocates often refer to the U.N. General Assembly's 1948 Resolution 194(III), which called for permitting refugees to return to their "homes," as legal support for an alleged "right of return" to Israel. Contrary to this, however, Resolution 194(III), like all other UNGA Resolutions, is nonbinding and not part of international law. Moreover, it was specifically rejected not only by Israel but also by all Arab states, which voted against it because in their eyes, it did not create a right of return and because generally the Resolution was insufficiently anti-Israel.

Further, it is disingenuous for Palestinian advocates to assert the existence of a fundamental right of return while never mentioning that it would necessarily also apply to the hundreds of thousands of Jews who, in the wake of the creation of the State of Israel, were forced to leave the Arab countries where they had lived for centuries, leaving behind billions of dollars in assets.

The resolution of the claims of all true refugees – Arab and Jewish – must be comprised in a political solution to the entire Arab-Israeli conflict."
2. A Truly Amazing Story - A week or so ago, our community had the pleasure of hosting Judie Oron. Judy's CV is chock full of achievements, but I would suggest that her greatest achievement was the decision by her and her sons to adopt two Ethiopian Jewish teenage girls - one of whom Judie had to actually physically rescue by traveling to Ethiopia during the height of a civil war and "purchase" from slavery.

I cannot really do justice to Judie's story, and would refer you to her website - http://www.judieoron.com/ - and suggest that you buy the book (no, I do not get a commission!).

But before I leave the topic, I would point out 2 things that Judy noted in her remarks. First, the world press likes to portray the Mossad, the IDF and other Israeli security forces as ruthless warriors and assassins. While I will not deal with that issue here, I will note that Judy told us that these same security forces were deeply involved in the rescue of thousands of Ethiopian Jews - at great risk to their personal safety. Second, this is the first time in history that a first-world nation removed an indigenous population from their homeland, not to exploit them - but to rescue them.


3. Seismic Activity #1 - Throughout the Arab world, the natives are restless. Starting with the "Jasmine Revolution" in Tunisia, which caused Tunisian ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to flee to Saudi Arabia, the political unrest has spread to Egypt and Yemen. I imagine that there are a lot of very anxious rulers in the area these days. If regime changes result, the big question is what leadership will replace them and what will their policies be - Analysis: A warning to Arab dictators and ‘We’re living on a volcano,’ experts warn?

I am concerned of course, with the impact on relations with Israel - especially as it relates to Egypt and Jordan, which whom Israel has peace treaties. Here are links to a variety of stories on these potentially enormous developments:
As an aside, something that will stated frequently in the coming days is about the role of social media like Twitter and Facebook in these "uprisings" - here is a very interesting article to the contrary by Malcolm Gladwell, author of such books as "Blink", "Outliers" and "The Tipping Point" - Twitter, Facebook, and social activism: newyorker.com - I thought that the article was extremely interesting and well worth the read.


4. Seismic Activity #2 - Things are also very volatile in Lebanon, where Hezbollah stands armed to the teeth - courtesy of such peace loving nations as Syria and Iran - with thousands of missiles aimed at every part of Israel they can target. As reported in my previous postings, the Lebanese government has been toppled (of course it's Israel's fault - Nasrallah: US and Israel caused Lebanese gov't collapse) over the issue of the international probe into the assassination of late Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri - ‘Khamenei ordered Hariri killing, Hizbullah takeover'

The new Prime Minister selected by Hezbollah says he is committed to ties with the US - New Lebanon PM Mikati says he's committed to US ties - but I am very concerned about any person that Hezbollah deems suitable for the post - New Lebanon PM Mikati says he's committed to US ties. This is a development that bears close scrutiny.



5. The SS St. Louis - in 2009, the Atlantic Jewish Council partnered with The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic to create a very moving and educational exhibit recounting the tragic tale of the SS St. Louis - the so-called "Voyage of the Damned". Here is a link to the exhibit.

Last week, at Pier 21, Canada's Immigration Museum - world-famous architect Daniel Libeskind unveiled his historical monument "Wheels of Conscience". The monument is part of a project by the Canadian Jewish Congress to educate Canadians about the St. Louis incident and its impact on Canada's society and immigration history - here is an excellent column on the subject by Professor Irving Abella - Confronting our dark past - The Globe and Mail


What is especially amazing to me is that Mr. Libeskind, a child of Polish survivors of the Shoah, immigrated to Canada through Pier 21, and then returns all these years later, having achieved such phenomenal success, to unveil this important monument at that same spot where he entered Canada.


6. International Holocaust Day - Today, January 27, is International Holocaust Remembrance Day - as distinct from Yom HaShoah, this is a day mandated by the United Nations and selected to coincide with the Russian liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau on January 27, 1945 - here are some relevant and related links:

7. The Palestinian Papers - Another major news story this past week or so was the release of a massive dump of documents relative to the Palestinian-Israeli peace "process". The upshot of the documents, released by al-Jazeera, is of course to show how reasonable the Palestinians have been, the major concessions they have made, the intransigence of the Israelis, and that ultimately, the failure of that process is at Israel's feet.

Here are a variety of links from a variety of perspectives:
8. I Had To Read This Twice - to believe that it was real - UN chief condemns rights expert's 9/11 comments - UN Watch - it's about time someone exposed Richard Falk for what he is - a dangerous and biased phony.







12. Iran #1 - The Mullahs and their stooges must love all the instability in the region because it focuses attention elsewhere. But we can't divert our attention from this very serious issue:

15. Open Mouth, Reinsert Feet - Wow.......


16. Jonathan Pollard - For whatever reason, this is an issue I have never explored in depth. Maybe now that it's in the news again, I will take the time to do so - Pollard didn’t harm US, says former US deputy A-G


17. Photography - a hobby I would love to cultivate - all I can say is that it's a good thing there is digital photography these days - I usually need to take 10 shots to get one I like. In any event, here are a couple of links about Soviet photographers and the history they witnessed - Eastern Exposure and Behind the Lens.

18. NFL - Here is a tremendous play by 338 pound defensive tackle BJ Raji from the Packers' victory over the Bears in the NFC Championship. That's right - a 338 pound defensive tackle - not a 200 pound defensive back. And Raji obviously knows how to celebrate. Go Pack!

Posted by at 4 comments:

Saturday, January 15, 2011 motzei Shabbat - Money For Nothing edition

1. Are You Kidding Me? If you, as me, thought that the Huck Finn episode in the US was bad, you will likely be, as me, appalled by this. The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council, which governs private broadcasters in Canada, has determined that the 1985 (yes, 1985!!) Dire Straits song "Money for Nothing" is offensive and unsuitable for airplay without editing since the lyrics use the word "faggot" three times - it came to this conclusion after a complaint from a listener in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Let me repeat part of that again - after a complaint from "a listener" - that's right - one listener. So one person complains, and that is enough for this type of absolutely ridiculous determination and ruling. They have got to be kidding - but sadly, I know they aren't. In my opinion, a stupid and dangerous precedent that does not help the issue of discrimination against gays one iota - so, in other words, a typical politically correct decision - no one is offended (except maybe people who believe in free speech), but the underlying issue is not addressed nor solved.


Time to grow up and get a thicker skin. You don't like the song - switch the station, turn off the radio, or don't buy the album (showing my age by saying that).

To that end, each year, there are numerous Gay Pride parades in Canada. I do not know the extent to which they are financed by public funds, but I do know that they certainly occur in public. I am not the biggest fan of what I think is, shall I say, the extreme flamboyance often exhibited in the parades - but I don't file a complaint - I just don't attend the parades nor watch the press coverage. Problem (of me being offended) solved as far as I am concerned.


3. Waste of Time - Tehran: Jews Massacred Iranians on Purim - don't get me wrong, the points raised in the letter to UNESCO are excellent - but expecting that agency to do anything is a waste of time, in my opinion. Let me correct that - I should have said, "expecting that agency to do anything to aid Jews or Israel is a waste of time.






7. In Memoriam - an example of the tragic history of antisemitism - This Week in History: The Jews of Basel are burnt - just in case anyone thinks that the problems of the Jewish people started with the Nazis.


8. Speaking Of That Era - the war was over but the killing went on - Nazi Death Marches: Book Details German Citizens' Role in End of War Killings - SPIEGEL ONLINE





11. Controversy - Anti-Islamist group draws fierce protests. I do not know enough about the English Defence League to judge them, but if the media description of it is correct, I would have certainly concerns about hitching my wagon to theirs. But at the same time (and to solidify the point I made in my last posting about selective outrage), I wonder how the usual groups can complain about this but never say a word about overt antisemitism when it occurs:
"The English Defence League is a far-right extremist organization," reads an open letter signed by two dozen activist groups, among them Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, Queers Against Israeli Apartheid and the Canadian Arab Federation."
In any event, the President and the CEO of The Canadian Jewish Congress published a joint op-ed in the Toronto Sun, that as you can see from the link, was critical of the event and in particular, of the liaison between the Jewish Defence League of Canada and the EDL. I know that in response, Meir Weinstein, the National Director of the Jewish Defence League of Canada issued an open letter to the CJC, but I cannot seem to find a link to it so that you can read it and make your own judgements.

12. The Dangers Of Texting - not just when you are driving....

Posted by at 5 comments:

Thursday, January 13, 2011

1. Tucson Tragedy - I was heartsick when I heard about the tragic shooting spree in Tucson, Arizona this past week - especially of the murder of Christina Green, the youngest victim of this terrible shooting spree. It is indeed doubly sad that a person born on 9/11 - yes, the 9/11 - dies such a violent death at such a young age. I am also deeply saddened by the murders of the other victims, and hope that the wounded - it is strange to speak of Representative Giffords as "wounded" - it seems like such an inadequate way to describe someone who has been shot through their head - make a full and fast recovery.

Representative Giffords apparently owes her life to her intern who administered basic first aid until paramedics arrived - Daniel Hernandez, intern, stays by Gabrielle Giffords' side. Read this story for a true example of heroism.



One "angle" on the stories that followed the shooting is that Representative Giffords is Jewish, though the ADL has stated that it does not believe that her religion played a role in the attack. The Department of Homeland Security is apparently not as sure. In any event, as tributes rolled in for her, the story of her re-discovery of her Jewish identity and her support for Israel came to the fore - Miracle Giffords- 2002 Trip to Israel: Land for Peace a Farce - A7 Exclusive Features - Israel News - Israel National News.

I have not really followed the nasty war of words that followed, but if you are interested here are some links:

2. Further Controversy - as if the war of words between the political right and left following the Giffords attack wasn't bad enough, a further controversy erupted when Sarah Palin referred to verbal attacks on her as a "blood libel" - The Fact Checker: Sarah Palin's 'blood libel' statement on the Tucson shootings:
Sarah Palin: "If you don't like their ideas, you're free to propose better ideas. But, especially within hours of a tragedy unfolding, journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible."
I had the completely unintentional but personally bizarre experience of listening, or should I say hearing, Whoopi Goldberg explain the concept of a blood libel while my wife watched "The View" this morning - in fairness, I did not think she did a bad job - though I disagree with her on almost everything.

Without delving too deep into the issue, I will agree with what Abraham Foxman of the ADL said in this link - Dershowitz, others defend Palin’s use of ‘blood libel’ The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment:
"While the term ‘blood-libel’ has become part of the English parlance to refer to someone being falsely accused, we wish that Palin had used another phrase, instead of one so fraught with pain in Jewish history..."

3. Instability In Lebanon - Hezbollah has withdrawn its support for the current Lebanese government, the issue being the pending report into the assassination of Rafik Hariri, the former Lebanese Prime Minister. There are several points of view about this - my current thinking, if you are interested, is that political instability in Lebanon, particularly over this type of an issue - is not a good thing for Israel.


7. I'm Not A Mental Health Professional - but this type of thing must indicate some type of disorder - Iran downgrades tomb of Esther and Mordechai JTA - Jewish & Israel News. See also - Iranian government stirs up antisemitism with invented massacre Meir Javedanfar - guardian.co.uk.


Just imagine if the shoe was on the other foot.....and the world says nothing.

And where are all the critics of Israel on this one (or all the examples like it) - especially the ones who so vehemently proclaim their Jewishness while criticizing Israel, or - my personal favorite - that they are of "Jewish heritage"? Is this type of thing acceptable to Independent Jewish Voices, to Canadians, Jews and Arabs for a Just Peace in the Middle East, Queers Against Israel Apartheid, and other such groups? Your silence is absolutely deafening - and your credibility is zero as a result.

Iran, Syria, the PA, Hezbollah, Hamas and a host of others routinely engage in the vilest antisemitism imaginable - denying Jewish history, denying Israel's right to exist and threatening Israel, Israelis and Jews with physical destruction. They are also doing the same to Christians. And all these "advocacy groups" can seem to do is sit there and make no absolutely comment - except possibly to blame Israel.

I wonder how the vast majority, if not all, of the people in these "advocacy groups" would react if a rape victim were blamed instead of the rapist, or if a homosexual were targeted because of their sexual preference - actually, I am pretty sure I know - with outrage and horror. So these people know how to take a stand and separate victim from assailant - it's just that when it comes to Israel and Jews, they just cannot seem say the words or take the stand - and that, in my books, is antisemitism through and through - back to my Natan Sharansky primer.

9. Time - as in "grime", "slime" and "crime" - or as in "expletive deleted". No one can forget Time's famous slur against Menachem Begin, nor its continual anti-Israel bias. According to Alana Goodman, Time has now reached a new "high" in "low "(don't worry - I am sure it will keep digging) - Commentary » Blog Archive » Time Magazine Takes Its Israel Hatred to a New Level.



11. Defending Israel, Part II - How can you defend Israel? Part II Blogs

12. Great Advertisement - and not just because of the girl in the bikini:

Posted by at No comments:

Sunday, January 9, 2011

1. Striking Back - After publishing 2 awful letters last week, the Halifax paper did publish 2 strong responses in yesterday's edition - check out the last 2 letters at this link. The letters were were well-written and factual, rather than inflammatory and based upon, shall we say, a rather questionable version of the "facts". Well done to the letter writers!


2. I'm Very Glad to Know This - Hamas leader says Nazi genocide of Jews was a "lie" - Jihad Watch - perhaps this racist, genocidal Hamas moron could tell us what happened to millions of members of the Jewish population of Europe between say, 1939 and 1945.

(here's a clue...)

For example, I have some relatives from Lithuania that have never communicated with our family ever since the Einsatzgruppen rolled through town in 1941 - maybe they took away all of the Jews' writing paper - after all, there was no email in those days, and maybe our relatives lost my grandmother's address in Canada. Or perhaps it was just a coincidence.

(here's another....)

(and yet another.....)

And a word to the "peace-lovers" who support Hamas and Hezbollah, together with their enablers in Iran and Syria. No matter what you have convinced yourself about the rights of the Arabs who live in Gaza and the Arabs who live in the so-called West Bank and the way Israel supposedly abuses them, remember that support for Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria and Iran (among others) is support for holocaust-denying regimes that want to destroy Israel in such a way that the Shoah will look like a garden party - if you can live with that, fine - but I would respectfully suggest in that case you are either an antisemite, willfully blind, a complete moron, or the precise definition of a hypocrite - you pick.

And if you think that not being Jewish will spare you the ravages of radical Islam - here is one example - better think again - here is another - What’s behind the wave of attacks on Christians? - thestar.com - and another - Exposing the hypocrites, and another - Belmont Club » The Outsider - I think you get the point by now.

You might want to consider the relevance of the famous words of John Donne, the 16th century poet
"No man is an island, entire of itself every man is a piece of the continent,
a part of the main if a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were,
as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were
any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind
and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls
it tolls for thee."
Alternatively, you could also learn from Pastor Martin Niemoller, the 20th century German cleric:
“First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists, but I was neither, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me"
Don't say you weren't warned.

3. In The Same Vein - Speaking of which, is there any clearer example of hypocrisy and stupidity than Queers Against Israel Apartheid - well, maybe the feminists who support radical Islam - but you get my point.

I absolutely could care not less about your sexual preference. That's your business. But should QAIA be protesting this:


and this:


or this?


Just wondering.

Oh - and if you think that your collaborationist and "useful idiot" stance from the safe sanctimonious existence you live in North America or Western Europe will bring you any favors - let's try this idea as a bet (especially if you are Jewish as well).

A. Move to Gaza, the PA, Syria, Saudi Arabia or Iran; and

B. In the exact same way you do here, openly and proudly exhibit all aspects of the freedom of sexual preference that you enjoy in Canada, the US, the UK, France and so on - and, oh yeah, in Israel too. You know, on top of your normal equal civil rights, the annual flamboyant parades, the freedom of speech regarding issues that matter to you, freedom of assembly at gay gathering places and events, etc., publish books and magazines regarding gay issues, and generally make sure that everyone knows that a business is gay-owned, etc.

C. If you are physically able to do so, let me know how it goes. If the disruption to your lifestyle by the authorities exceeds 5% (I think that this is being very generous on my part - I was inclined to say .000001%), then you have to immediately renounce all your protests against Israel apartheid and add your voices instead to those in support of Israel. If you experience less than a 5% impact to an openly gay lifestyle, then I will apologize for criticizing you for criticizing Israel.

By the way, I would not try Iran first - it's been said by their President that there are no gays in Iran, so you might have trouble establishing yourself.


"And so, a great gulf exists between a rather large Jewish public, who believes that loyalty to the state and failure to sympathize with its enemies are significant components in granting rights to its citizens, and an academic, media and cultural elite that is horrified by any such conditioning, viewing it as clear proof of Jewish racism. Some go as far as comparing us to certain states in Europe in the 1930s and 1940s.


At this time it wouldn’t hurt to also update Albert Einstein’s dictum that “two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity,” by adding the hypocrisy and self-righteousness of many of our authors, artists, journalists and lecturers to the list."
5. Gaza Baloney - here are two good articles - Barbara Kay: Gaza’s self-perpetuating misery Full Comment National Post and Michael S. Bernstam: Five letters that spell Middle Eastern misery | Full Comment | National Post - correct me if I am wrong, but what other group of "refugees" in the world has their own UN agency? Shouldn't 60 years have been enough for these people to have been able to get on their feet - especially with the obscene amounts of petro-dollars at the disposal of their (ostensible) Arab brethren?

6. Melanie Philips Gets It - this somewhat lengthy piece gets right to the point - and we'd better wake up - Israel: Losing the Battle of Psychological Warfare | FrontPage Magazine

7. Huck Finn Controversy - I am continuing to monitor this situation since to me it is emblematic of the politically correct gone amuck world in which we live - Rex Murphy wades in here - Turning lightning into lightning bugs as does the Editorial Board of the Globe & Mail here - Huckleberry Finn: The problem of that word - The Globe and Mail.






10. Hypocrite Alert!! - Haven't heard a word about this - especially from the usual suspects - India is fencing off its border with Bangladesh. What will that mean for millions of potential climate refugees? - By Bidisha Banerjee - Slate Magazine - are Bangladeshis inferior in some manner and not worthy of your time? Or are you too busy vilifying Israel to have noticed this new fence - let alone these other ones - noted in an article from 2005.

11. Controversy - Rights Museum: Is it proper that the Holocaust gets special billing? Holy Post National Post - whether one likes it or not, in my opinion, the Shoah was the biggest crime against humanity that ever took place. That does not mean that other genocides should be ignored or minimized , but the Shoah is the extreme (and, unfortunately, largely successful) model that needs to be studied.


13. More Hypocrisy - and a great title to the article - "And the stones and trees will say, 'Oh shopper, there are BIG SAVINGS behind me!'": Protest NYC's hypocrisy in banning Walmart but allowing Ground Zero victory mosque - Jihad Watch - if you are unaware, the title refers to that pithy, peaceful little statement in the Koran -
"The Day of Judgement will not come about until Muslims fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Muslims, O Abdullah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him. Only the Gharkad tree, (a certain kind of tree) would not do that because it is one of the trees of the Jews." (related by al-Bukhari and Muslim)."




18. Time For A Smile - boy, is it ever......and Glace Bay-born, Halifax-raised and Acadia University grad Ron James always comes through!



Posted by at 1 comment:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)