Want To Help? Here's an Opportunity...

This is a limited post and is here for a radio show I am doing today between 3-5pm Israel time.


This is your opportunity to help the refugees from Gush Katif who are getting married but have no proper place to make a bridal shower and more importantly, who will be needing 'basics' for their new married lives.

Tens of young men and women, refugees from Gush Katif are engaged to be married. Many of their parents are still unemployed, and their happiest day and future will be hindered becasue of this. Would you like to 'shower' them wtih gifts?
Read on...


For those in Israel:
Anyone who wants to participate in sponsoring a bridal shower in their home or in a public room of their community from outside Gush Etzion and even outside Israel, can:
a) purchase a gift on line – http://www.voices-magazine.com/gift4bride.htm
b) send a tax deductible check:



From the USA:
Central Fund of Israel (earmarked GK Brides)
Mail c/o Judy Landsberg, 1263 East 23 St., Brooklyn, NY 11210

American Friends of Yad Eliezer (earmarked GK Brides)
Mail c/o Rita Fuchs, PO Box 43159, Har Nof 95400 Israel

In Israel:

You may send a tax deductible NIS check to Yad Eliezer (earmarked GK Brides)
Mail c/o Rita Fuchs, PO Box 43159, Har Nof 95400

From the US:

Central Fund of Israel
(earmarked GK Brides)
Mail c/o
Judy Landsberg
1263 East 23 St.
Brooklyn, NY 11210

American Friends of Yad Eliezer
(earmarked GK Brides)
Mail c/o
Rita Fuchs
PO Box 43159
Har Nof 95400
Israel

In Israel:

You may send a
tax deductible
NIS check to
Yad Eliezer
(earmarked GK Brides)
Mail c/o
Rita Fuchs
PO Box 43159
Har Nof 95400


Thank G-d, so far, we've got 13 bridal showers happening simultaneously all over Gush Etzion, plus one in Chashmonaim. We are praying they will be big successes, or begin folks really thinking about the Gush Katif brides, because we've got more than 40 getting ready for June weddings, IY"H.

***
Note to anyone who is wondering who is arranging the mitzvah of showering brides from Gush Katif...



Sharon Katz is the editor of Voices Magazine (www.voices-magazine.com), now in its eleventh year. She was one of the founding mothers of Efrat's Givat HaDagan, the former head of the Committee for Rachel's Tomb, and the founder of the Efrat/Gush Etzion Raise Your Spirits Summer Stock Company. She has also co-authored Raise Your Spirits' original productions, produced its shows and she performs in them as well. Tomorrow night (Monday) will be the final performance of "RUTH & NAOMI in the Fields of Bethlehem" in the Matnas of Gush Etzion. (Tickets 993-7999 J)

Over a year ago, Sharon began another new project that B"H has brought some hope and good feelings to the people of Gush Katif: Bridal Showers for the Brides and Grooms of Gush Katif. And in two weeks, all the communities of Gush Etzion are going to be holding bridal showers for the soon-to-wed brides and grooms of Gush Katif.

Folks can go to www.voices-magazine.com/bride.htm for more information.

Run, Jew. Run!

Run, Jew. Run!

They must be laughing at us. A few pipe bomb kassam rockets fired from abandoned Jewish settlements, and the Jews go running. Help us Olmert! Help us Arcady Gaydamak! Save us from the Arab onslaught. Get us out of here! Evacuate us!

And you know what? Even though they are wrong in their thinking that the solution is to be evacuated, they are also absolutely right. Israel should be fighting back. We are more powerful then the Palestinian Authority and their terrorists, and we can clean out Gaza if we stopped worrying more about their civilians’ safety, then our own civilians. So, when the Sderot residents' own leaders refuse to respond to this onslaught of rocket fire on their community, what else can they do? - Except run for it!

The Olmert government is a travesty. They have no right to hold on to power when their citizens are being bombarded by flying bombs and they make no move to eliminate this terror entity. It is akin to a community terrorized by the mafia and the police refusing to go and bust the criminals. Olmert is in trouble. The Winograd report has basically called him a failure and unfit to lead this country. Olmert has the lowest trust of any prime minister in the history of Israel. A recent poll taken showed him having only 3% of the people’s confidence. His defense minister, Amir Peretz, himself from Sderot, seems to show a disdain for his own town, by not acting to stop the carnage.

Of course, it’s not only our leaders who are accomplices to letting Jews be attacked and chased away from their homes. Our puppet government won’t move unless America gives it’s 'ok'. Bush & Co. will NOT let Israel respond in any meaningful manner to stop the terror. Bush has plans to establish a Palestinian State (Road Map & two states living 'side by side in peace') and if Israel re-takes Gaza, this ‘vision for a New Middle East will not materialize. Bush has plans for this region, and they have to do with trade blocks and a centralized global power, as his father, George Bush Sr. has talked about during his time as president.

Of course, our leaders do not HAVE to listen to Bush, but our leaders are weak. Lacking trust in the Almighty, they feel we need to bend to the world’s demands. And so, with the carrot and the stick in front of them, they will bow to the will of the world. ...And it is easy to do so. Our leaders are corrupt (just check all the police investigations going on against a number of Kadima party members).

Our leaders are not patriots anymore; they are only beholden to themselves. If they can promote themselves, stay in power, get more power, and make more money, then they will most likely sell out to foreign powers and their interests. They may convince themselves that we need the world on our side, and that we can't go it alone. They are maybe told, "If you want us to provide defense weapons and airplane parts for you, get with our plan. If you go along with us, it's true, you will be a smaller Israel, but we will help support you. And if you DON'T play ball with us, you will never see the outside of a jail cell again..." The carrot and the stick.

And so our leaders convince themselves that we are better off giving in, not fighting the world, and ‘better that we are a down-sized Israel, than no Israel at all'. But they are wrong. It's the rationalization of the weak. It is evil.

There is little, if any, integrity left in today’s world. There is no sense of shame, there is no sense of responsibility except to one’s self.

With the Winograd report, the unnecessary deaths from the last war in Lebanon, the north of the country in ruins, and now the south of the country under attack, with 150,000 people at a demonstration (representing millions of citizens) calling for Olmert’s resignation, Olmert still refuses to leave. For shame! But Olmert will not budge, because he knows that if he leaves office, he will most likely be on his way to jail. Too many sleazy deals and investigations are catching up with him.

Olmert may just do what Ariel Sharon did when he was prime minister. - Create and implement another ‘disengagement’ to focus the public attention away from his unscrupulous business dealings. Olmert is naming HIS plan, ‘Convergence’. Olmert has called for – not cleaning out the terrorist threat, but cleaning out the Jewish communities of Judea and Samaria!

He is continuing to build a new de-facto border in Israel called ‘The Security Fence”, which essentially cuts off most of the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria from the rest of Israel and we see how small this state is becoming. Olmert will also look to give the Golan to Syria, and divide Jerusalem.

Run, Jew. Run!

What interests me, is the psyche of the Israelis who are interviewed on the radio. Gabi Gazit, a long time IBA radio talk show host was interviewing a woman from Sderot, on his last broadcast, May 16th, 2007. He was asking her what would she say to the Prime Minister if she could speak to him. I expected her to act with normal thinking, and demand the Prime Minister go into Gaza and clean it up once and for all. Instead, she said, Olmert should ‘resign’. She added that if the government could not help them in Sderot against the kassams, then ‘Get us out of here! Evacuate us!’.

Run, Jew. Run!

I asked my husband why the Israelis like the one we just heard on the radio choose the ‘run away’ mode. Why don’t we demand that the government take over Gaza and make the ENEMIES of Israel flee instead? He replied that most Jews don’t think like this woman. It’s just that this is the type of person the Israeli media choose to put on our air waves. He's right.

I remembered the brave Jewish residents that lived in Gaza for years with kassam rocket attacks, -they never asked to leave. They never wanted to flee. They also demanded (like a rational thinking person) that the government go in and retaliate. The problem is, that the main stream media in Israel makes us LOOK weak. They choose to interview the people who say, “FLEE! Take us out of here.” They don’t want to show the brave and patriotic Jews who love the land and want to fight for it, because they know it is worth fighting for. They don’t show all the Jews who state proudly that this is our land, promised to us by G-d. I know there are many Jews in Sderot that want the government to crush the enemy, but you don't hear those people on the radio here. The media makes anyone who does get a chance to come on air and state these things, out to be war mongers, 'primitive' or crazy right wingers who incite to violence.

I believe that Olmert (and politicians like him) wants us to appear weak, so he can convince the country of the need to 'converge' … As he stated in a speech back in June 9, 2005, “We are tired of fighting, we are tired of being courageous, we are tired of winning, we are tired of defeating our enemies….”

Run, Jew. Run!

Make way for the Jew who loves the land above himself. We have plenty today. And we have a whole new generation of Orange Youth who will be ‘converging’ at the ballot boxes.

Your weakness will not pull us down. Your media will not shut us up. Your bowing down to Bush and the International Community will not make us bow.

Run, Jew. Run!
See Olmert.

See Olmert run.

See Olmert run fast.

Run, Jew. Run!

"Dear Mr. Bush, Please Take Your Head Out of Your Tush!"

...or "The People Who Say They Drink Blood"
(Let's face it, I wanted to title this piece, "Mr. Bush, Do These People Really Deserve A State?", but how many of you would have stopped to read that? So I went for the shock factor and now, here you are... )

Dear Mr. Bush,
You often talk about your 'vision for a New Middle East' . You came out with a speech on June 24, 2002 with yet another peace plan, the infamous Road Map - two states living side by side, in peace. You seem to believe that all cultures are morally equal and share the same values, but you are mistaken, and so your peace plan, the Road Map, --and all other efforts you propose to press on this region will go down in history as just another futile peace plan, after:

Camp David Accords (1978), The Reagan Peace Plan (September 1, 1982), Madrid Conference of 1991, Oslo Accords (1993), Wye River Memorandum (October 23, 1998) , The Clinton Peace Plan (December 23, 2000) Mitchell Commission ( October 17, 2000 ), The Tenet Plan (June 10, 2001), Camp David 2000 Summit (2000), Taba summit (January, 2001), The Zinni Plan (March 26, 2002) , Elon Peace Plan (2002), Arab Peace Initiative (March 28, 2002), The 2002 Nusseibeh-Ayalon Principles, The People's Voice (July 27, 2002), March 2002 Saudi Peace Initiative, Geneva Accord (October 20, 2003), Sharm el-Sheikh Summit of 2005 (February 8, 2005), 2006 Franco-Italian-Spanish Middle East Peace Plan, Binational solution , Two-state solution, Saudi peace proposal, Syrian government requests for peace talks (on-going to present),
The Road map

Whew! One gets tired reading through that list.

Your peace plan, the Road Map is just another in a long line of futile and foolish notions of how to make peace with Arab and Islamic Terrorists. Your plans of forming a Palestinian (terror) State in the belly of Israel will bring a bloodbath, not peace. I think you know this as well, but are willing to push this forward anyway, because quite frankly, your 'trade blocks' and MEFTA (Middle East Free Trade Area) treaties, oil deals and the strengthening of a global government are more important to you than Jewish lives. (But that is fodder for a whole other article.)
Israel is the sacrificial lamb to appease the Arab countries whom you want to tie into your MEFTA trade block. Give the PLO a State, and maybe the Saudis will play ball, bring in some other Arab States and wallah, you will have your MEFTA trade block. Few people know, but a major part of the Gaza Disengagement plan was to further the goals of a 'free trade zone' here in Israel, under the guise of 'peace'. It also was pursued by some of our politicians and their advisors, as a great investment in gambling, casinos, and tourist traps, all in the guise of 'peace'. See this article on the Gaza peace plan. We shall leave this topic now, as I digress, and this trade-block subject can fill a whole book.

So now again, we have more peace plans, and Bush is espousing how his 'vision' will create a New Middle East. President Bush is now putting time tables or 'benchmarks' on Israel to implement 'on the ground actions', including making Israel agree to allow PA bus and truck convoys to shuttle between Gaza and (PA-controlled areas of) Judea and Samaria. Israel is expected to remove security roadblock checks in Judea and Samaria, and Israel will be forced to provide arms, ammunition and equipment to PA security forces in an 'immediate and ongoing' manner, whenever U.S. Maj.-Gen. Dayton 'requests' it. U.S. demands on the P.A. is only for them to increase deployment of security forces and begin curbing rocket fire by militants, according to media reports.

President Bush, would you agree to terms like this for your own country with an enemy that commits terror? Would you make a state for Osama Bin Laden in America if he opened up more terror attacks against you? Would you believe him if he signed a peace treaty with the USA promising not to attack, while urging his followers in Arabic to keep up their Jihad?


P.A. Bomber
From Palestinian Media Watch at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umlWYGLixPc
Click HERE to view the video.

The Palestinian Authority is run by two other terror organizations, the Hamas and the Fatah. You, Mr. Bush, are helping to fund this entity which is lawless, corrupt, and produces Mickey-Moslem-Mouse characters teaching their children to hate infidels and take over the world. The Arabs in the Palestinian Authority are the same people who danced in the streets and gave out candy when the Twin Towers were attacked and three thousand men, women and children were killed. These are the people who voted, in a free democratic election, to make the Hamas terror group the head of their new government! These are the people who cannot even keep cease-fire agreements between their own terror groups, with the Hamas and the Fatah murdering each other in the streets. These are the people who produces homicide bombers. This is a people where mothers of homicide bombers proclaim their thanks to Allah that their sons became martyrs and strapped a bomb to their chests. These are the people who take money from U.S. tax payers, the EU, and then can't find where the funds went. This is a corrupt and lawless society, and this is the people that you want to make a state for?

President Bush, do these people in the so-called Palestinian Authority REALLY deserve a state of their own? Have they shown any responsibility in running a workable society? Have they shown any responsibility in providing proper services for their own public? Have they cooperated with the world in being a law abiding society? Are they spending money on real education to get them out of the squaller they impose on their people? Have they provided public works, infrastructure and jobs? Or are they sucking on the tit of the Israeli people? And last, have they shown or taken ANY responsibility to prove to the world that if just given the chance, they would be able to support themselves, and be a productive, respected, and independent entity? The answer is a flat 'NO!' All they do is make excuses and blame Israel for their corruption and cultural misery. All they do is produce terror and indoctrinate their children to hate the West and Israel even more.

...And you want to reward this hateful, maniacal and corrupt Palestinian Authority with a state where they can arm themselves with more sophisticated weapons, and be a larger threat and base for terror?


Dear Mr. Bush, Please take your head out of your tush!


Click HERE to view the video.

Eurovision - Where's the Popcorn?

This blog entry will take a side track from the usual serious stuff.

I just wanted to make a comment on the once a year TV fest I do when I make pop corn and sit in front of the TV and watch the Eurovision Song Contest.

This is where all the countries in Europe and even some parts of the former Soviet Union, Turkey, and Israel compete for the best song. (Israel has won this contest at least three times, once, twice in a row.)

I usually like to sit and watch the glitz and fanfare, and the thousands of people in the audience with their respective flags waving. But MOSTLY, while watching the performances, I sit and laugh with my family and give them NEGATIVE points. Most of the songs are pretty awful, and some of these languages sound really funny when you are not familiar with them. Ok, I know they don't have a fair advantage because most of Europe prefers English or French, but it is funny seeing ballads, pop, punk-rocker and heavy metal songs sung in Turkish or Slavic languages.

This year the contest was held in Helsinki, Finland, because their entry from last year's contest won. I wrote about their winning song in a previous blog entry. This year, Israel was nixed from the competition. We didn't make it to their finals, and there was also a big scandal about our song being too 'political' because it's lyrics spoke about the terror and nuclear threats against Israel.

This year's winner was from Serbia. The entry was called, Molitva or in English, "Prayer". The only problem is, I couldn't figure out if the lead singer was a man or a woman. (Look at the bigger photo above, the one in the suit with the mic in the hand. You tell me.... Hard to tell, man or woman?


I at first thought it was a man, only afterwards when I found out the singer's name was Maria (Maija) did I understand this was a woman.

I just don't know... now that I know this is a woman, I think she looks like a 'manly' Rosie O'Donnell .
Don't you think?
I have to say, that I usually sit and have fun giving points to countries, but I wasn't committed this year to the yearly fanfare.

1) Israel was not in the competition, so it wasn't as interesting.

2) The singing was pretty bad this year. The songs may have been ok, but I think the singers were nervous. They held the contest in a giant stadium, and it seemed like their whole population was there.

Finland has a smaller population than Israel. From Wikipedia -- "Finland currently numbers 5,282,583 inhabitants and has an average population density of 17 inhabitants per square kilometre.[1] This makes it, after Norway and Iceland, the most sparsely populated country in Europe.


A lot of the lead singers must have been very nervous singing in front of the large audience. They were real 'pitchy - off tune'. I kept thinking what Simon Cowell would say after their song was over. And so I went to watch America Idol which was on at the same time here in Israel, as the Eurovision broadcast. American Idol has a lot better singers than the BEST of Europe's entries in Eurovsion.

I think we need Simon Cowell to produce the Eurovision Song Contest. It needs some real good critic's eyes, and it would be a lot more entertaining. I think he would beat me on giving out negative points! Hey, where's the popcorn? To watch the video of the Winning Song from Serbia, click HERE.

Oh, and for just some self-depreciation - cause this WAS funny,,,, a cartoon someone sent to Tovia, who (of course) sent it to me - to give me a 'dig'. But I think it is brilliant! It shows the 'score board' of how many times Tovia is right vs yours truly. Of course, his tally is wrong, (He only gave me two points) but in reality, I am the one who is always right on that show, (wink) but I loved the effort of this fan. Oh, and thanks Tovia!!!!

Cartoon by: David Espurvoa, and he signed his email: Goy Christian in Muskego
Thanks David!

UPDATE! (May 15, Tuesday)

A listener of ours at Israel National Radio, Dan. L from Israel, sent this 'revised' cartoon. He claims he has writer's block, and can't think of anything funnier.... so I am opening up the comments for YOUR additions. MAKE up a caption for this cartoon below... (Fill in your quote for the text-bubble). It can be either pro-Tovia or pro-Tamar.

I will send the winner for the BEST NEW caption a free music CD of Jewish and Israeli music. I will post the winner on this site, so check back in a few days.

MAKE up a caption for this cartoon!

A Sabbath of Gold / Pushing the Wrong Buttons

This is a nice two minute video to watch, especially with the Sabbath coming in, and Jerusalem Day coming up. The video is located at the AISH site. To watch the video, click HERE.

Oh, and by the way, Israel's song entry for the Eurovision got nixed.

The name of the song was, " Push the Button" and was written and performed by the Israeli band, Teapacks. The lyrics of the song had connotations of the Iranian terror threat on Israel. I wrote about this song in an earlier entry on this blog.

Actually, Israel's IBA news tells us that a technical problem happened while the band was performing their song for the Semi-finals of the Eurovision contest. According to Israel Radio, Technical difficulties occurred during Teapacks' performance. The broadcast got cut out for five seconds and was replaced by a silent red screen.

From the beginning, the Eurovision heads frowned on Israel's message in their song. Arutz 7 reported on previous trouble with this year's entry from Israel. "The lead singer of the group, Kobi Oz held a press conference following the band’s second rehearsal in Helsinki, where he accused Eurovision organizers of making their performance look like “a video game from the 80s.” The group offered as an example of the interference, an animated background that producers had replaced the band’s footage of tanks and explosions with. The new background features an image of the globe becoming blue and white, the colors of Israel’s flag – something Teapacks members speculate is meant to insinuate Jewish influence."

...And suddenly, 5 seconds of the song goes bad. hmmmm

Because part of the song was missing from this tech failure, the Israel Broadcast Authority's delegation to the contest requested that we either be allowed to perform the song again or be given additional points to make up for the lapse. The European Broadcasting Union denied our request.

How convenient! From the beginning, the Eurovision committee did not want this song to be performed in front of the hundreds of millions of viewers who watch the yearly contest from all over Europe and parts of the Middle East. "It's absolutely clear that this kind of message is not appropriate for the competition," said Kjell Ekholm, one of the organizers of the contest. - He was referring to the 'questionable lyrics' of the song 'Push the Button". They didn't like Israel singing a song about how the world wants to destroy them.

And so, Israel is erased from the competition. I wonder if this same technical glitch happened to England or Germany, what the Eurovision judges would do? I doubt they would 'Push the button' on them!

JIB JIB JIB - The Finals Are Here

Well, thanks to Hashem, and thanks to all who took time out to go and vote for this blog. We made the finals of the JIB Awards! Your vote is needed one last time for all of us bloggers out there!
By the way, check out these blogs. These are some of my favorites, and some of them are also in the finals of the JIB Awards.

Lazer Beams - Rabbi Lazer Brody gives emuna to the world.
The Muqata - A very up beat, proudly Jewish and positive blogger
Aussie Dave - Comments on the news, he's very creative and entertaining.
House of Joy -"Born again" religious fanatics living in Yesha (sic)
Kumah! - THE blog for Aliyah
Mystical Paths - The mystical side of life
End Of Days -Dov's brilliant essays on the End Times
And of course the blogs at Arutz 7 and INR.

It has been an interesting experience being in this award contest, and I have learned a lot and viewed new blogs I had never even heard of before. You should check them out as well, as each has a different flavor and perspective on Israel, Judaism, life, and current news and issues. Your final vote is now needed.
If you like the info and have enjoyed my blog, then please consider casting your vote for this blog, in these two categories.
This is the FINAL round and each vote is precious. :-)



Best NEW blog: for tamar yonah show ----> http://www.jibawards.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=200

Best RIGHTWING blog: tamar yonah show ----> http://www.jibawards.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=208

FIND THE DIFFERENCE!!

This is being passed around on the email circuit. You have to FIND THE DIFFERENCE.
On the show today, I asked people to send me a creative caption. Many were very witty! Feel free to leave your own caption/comment below this post.

Tamar, no comparison!!! Shrek is so Handsome!!!
Stella from Canada.

The jacket is different...
Roger

Ha! Shrek is better looking than Olmert! Even a better shade of green:)
Val from Virginia

One gives us lots of laughs the other worships golden calfs
Josh

One is kind and the other not so kind
Alondra, Fl

The difference - it's that shkrek is jewish and olmert is less jewish
Sofia, Sweeden

One is a Shmuck, the other is a Shrek.
Chris, Portland, Or.

kudos to Jake for these gems...

1. Shrek talks to an ass while Olmert is one.
2. One is an ogre and one is Shrek
3. One has humongous ears and a creepy grin, and the other one is Shrek
4. One is married to a princess and the other has a daughter who's into princesses
5. One has come to terms with being a green ogre while the other had eyelid surgery

Add your own captions by leaving a comment below.

Astrology - What Judaism Has to Say About It.

Today, Rav Ariel Bar Tzadok of http://www.koshertorah.com/ joined me and spoke about the Zodiac and the 12 Tribes of Israel.

I always thought that it was more or less asur (forbidden) to have an astrologic chart made for someone, but I guess that is not true, AS LONG as the person having the chart done knows that it is only, only, only an indicator of what COULD be, but is DEFINITELY not the whole truth.

If one looks at astrology like a personality test one takes from a psychologist, it can be a good tool to explore your personality. It should NOT be used to tell the future. One MUST remember that only the Kadosh Baruch Hu, The Holy One Blessed Be He, will have the last say. Remember, Astrology is a TOOL, it is not LAW set in stone.


So... perhaps when a child is about to marry, it may be an interesting aside to do, to see if the young couple have a good match in the 'personality sphere' together.

You can listen to the show at this link: www.IsraelNationalRadio.com We also cover the connection between the 12 Tribes of Israel and the 12 zodiac signs.

The Arab Rat Who Spied for Hizbullah!

This video is a news clip from Israeli TV news and follows the trail of an Arab Knesset member Azmi Bishara, and how he spied against the country he lives in and supposedly serves. He gives the Hizbullah information on where to aim their missiles at Israel. He then gets paid bakshish (bribe) money by the Hizbullah, which is laundered through a Jordanian money changer.

The Rat Bishara scurried out of Israel and refuses to come back. He knows he will be put in jail or worse...

Watch this short clip.

Click HERE (and not on the photo)

Thanks to Nurit who sent me the link, as I missed watching the news that night.

Added May 05, 2007 From boni123

"Azmi Bishara, an Arab citizen of Israel, who is also a Knesset member, provided information to Hizbullah in the recent war in Lebanon regarding Israeli targets for the missiles of Hizbullah, he ran out of Israel when he understood that the police wants to investigate him."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU4gb0Lzn-I

Lag B'Omer and Living with Terror

I went to a Lag B'Omer bonfire tonight. I will post mostly photos as they will give you a better feel than words. (Sorry about the quality, it was taken with my cell phone.)

The place we went to was Sulam Yaakov, of which I posted a piece below called: "Destroying Jewish Farms, Not Terror".

The bonfire was hosted by the Rachmani Family. They live on this farm all by themsleves. It is about a 10 -15 minute walk up hill to reach the center of the neighboring yishuv, Kochav Yaakov, therefore they need to be very dilligent in their security to protect themselves from Arab terrorists.

Going to this bonfire (as there were dozens to choose from in the area where I live) was a show of support and love for this family and a recognition that we know of the dangers they face being removed from
the more populated area.

Entering into their house

from the front door, you see a large living area with the kitchen off to the left. Only when you go inside, do you see that the house they built is a basic hollow square box. Their bedrooms are adjoining caravans (or tiny trailer homes) that they use as bedrooms. They cut doorways in the house as entry ways to the caravan- sleeping quarters.

Inside the house is Mrs. Rachmani. She showed me and some other guests who were at the bonfire where terrorists tried to break into their home a few months ago. In this photo, she is standing in the living area of her home.

She took us into a small laundry room where there is a washing machine and a back door she can exit throughto hang out the clothes to dry. It was here that the terrorists tried to break in to her home around 1:30 in the morning. (See the broken glass on the bottom of the door in the photo).

The Arab terrorists also tried to get in by wedging the metal door/shutters in the main area of the house, but that didn't work either. Her husband woke up from the noise of the break in attempt and with his gun, scared the terrorists away. The terrorists were armed as well, and Mrs. Rachmani tells me that one of them have been caught and are now in the hands of Israeli security forces.

Thank G-d they are alright, and are here to celebrate Lag B'omer with all of us.

All was very nice at the bonfire. People were milling around, talking and ina good mood. Food and drinks were put out, and chicken was grilled. One of Rachmani's children marched around handing out sticks with marshmellows on them for the other children to roast and eat.

I also went breifly to the army base in the area, as we went to bring some 'simcha' (happiness) to the soldiers, but we were kind of early, even though we were a actually half an hour late for the time they had originally called for it. But this is the middle east, and the middle east doesn't run on the same clock as the West does. Things are much more relaxed here when it comes to work and schedules.

I love Israel, and I wish all of you a very happy Lag B'Omer holiday!!!

mmmmmmmm, yummy!

Olmert Actually Did Something Good!

I am laughing my head off. I am watching and listening to the channel 10 news in Israel (thru my computer). I guess I am a real multi-tasker, but any mother I guess learns to multi-task. Anyway, I am watching the news and they are now at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv. They say there are at least 150,000 people there crowded in the square and spilling out into the neighboring streets. What made me slap my knee in laughter was the fact that they were interviewing someone saying that they were hanging signs on the plaza walls for the demonstration to oust the louse, Ehud Olmert. He was a 'left winger' and he was saying that the Settlement Movement of YESHA or YoSH as some call it now, :-( also wanted to hang their signs.

He was remarking to the news reporter that this is the first time that the LEFT AND the RIGHT wing were demonstrating TOGETHER. I had to laugh, because I turned to my husband and said that Olmert has fostered UNITY in Israel. Because of him, the Left and the Right are standing together!!!!!! LOL Love it, love it, love it. Miracles of miracles, the Moshaich must be really close in coming.

Now for some more good news, I GUESS... as there was an accident on the road right near our community, but thank G-d, no one was hurt. You have to see these photos, and I am glad that I had a camera in the car.... this is what we saw on our way to Jerusalem today... And so we pulled over to see what had happened. A car went off the road, crashing through the guard rails, spilling crushed rocks and gravel into the street, and then falling maybe 40 meters down a cliff. The good news is, though the car was crushed badly, the passanger section of the car remained fully intact, with just a shattered windshield. The occupants of the car were unhurt. UNHURT!!! From such a scary fall over a cliff. Clearly they have much to thank G-d for.

Laughing at Israeli Politics - A Good Tension Releaser

I got a few funny emails from people about the political situation in Israel. I thought you might enjoy them, and maybe even want to pass them around to your friends and give them a chuckle....

Passed on from Rivka, a co-worker at Arutz 7:

Subject: FW: How to start each day with a smile.......

1. Open a new file or folder in your computer.

2. Name it "Ehud Olmert"

3. Send it to the trash.

4. Empty the trash.

5. Your computer will ask you, "Do you really want to get rid of "Ehud Olmert?"

6. Firmly click "YES" !
7. Feel Better? So have an extra special day!

Next week, we'll do Shimon Peres. After that , Amir Peretz. Boundless joy.

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I did a radio show this week in which I read a news report that Israel was going to be naming a forest in the north of the country (which was destryed by fires from Hezbollah missiles) after Coretta Scott King. I remarked that a more appropo name for this forest in Israel would be for somone who was actually one of us, a Jew and an Israeli. I suggested that we maybe name it Roi Klein Z"L, for one of our heros of the Second Lebanon War, who in the midst of battle, saved his troops by throwing himself on a grenade in order to absorb the explosion and save his buddies. G-d bless him and may his family be comforted and healed as much as possible.

You may not understand the humor of some of the names he offers below if you are not Israeli.

Dan L. from Herzeliyah wrote:

Hi Tamar,

I would like to suggest other names for the forest instead of 'Coretta Scott King'.

How about:

The Ehud "Couldn't see the Forest for the Trees" Olmert Forest

The Amir "Couldn't see the Forest through his binoculars" Peretz Forest.

The Smokey Kabir forest.

The "Hugh" forest. (because Hugh, only Hugh can stop the Florist fires).

kol tuv, Dan

Also:

Seeking a Husband

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Also from Dan L., From Herzeliyah:

Career Day - Tongue in Cheek

The following groups made presentations at career day at the school:

The Yasamniks:

An exciting career awaits you as a Relocation and Landscaping specialist. You will relocate people from their current abode, putting them on buses, and return the land to it's original state in accord with the Kyoto protocol by bulldozing their houses.

Yasamnikim expelling Jews from Land of Israel

Photo by Miriam Tzachi

The Foreign Ministry:

Be a peace facilitator. You will have the exciting opportunity to meet disgruntled militants and transfer territory to them so they can create a state where they can be themselves and behead infidels at will.

Arafat: We 'Balestinians' (they have trouble pronouncing the letter 'p') want 'beace' with Israel.
BOOM! ****(((( ))))*****

Peace w/Terrorists(?)

Photo found on the internet