tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73228994213828271172024-03-14T15:48:41.282+02:00This is IsraelA blog about Israel - the real Israel you won't read about in the international media. It's about the day in, day out things people in Israel do. The media would have you believe a different Israel exists. My answer - THIS is Israel.A Soldier's Motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11370218893899121159noreply@blogger.comBlogger315125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7322899421382827117.post-64968278239914395092012-05-20T11:46:00.004+03:002013-07-29T12:03:12.017+03:00Guest Post: Jerusalem: Compass of the Diaspora Jew<br />
<div class="FreeForm" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Following is a guest blog post by Avital Chizhik </span></div>
<div class="FreeForm" style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="FreeForm" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Jerusalem: Compass of the Diaspora Jew<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="FreeForm" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="FreeForm" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #191919; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We’re
standing in a hall in downtown Manhattan, overlooking a dusky Liberty Harbor.</span></div>
<div class="FreeForm">
<br /></div>
<div class="FreeForm">
<span style="color: #191919; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The
girl standing next to me points to the river view: “Doesn’t it almost look like
Jerusalem? That terrace over there and that tree? The way the sun is setting?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="FreeForm">
<span style="color: #191919; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="FreeForm">
<span style="color: #191919; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I
gaze for a minute at the view. We stand overlooking a dark Hudson River, a boat
passing by, the Statue of Liberty in the distance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="FreeForm">
<br /></div>
<div class="FreeForm">
<span style="color: #191919; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">No,
it doesn’t look like Jerusalem in the least. Not here. This is most certainly
New York. I muster a smile, trying to think of an agreeable response until I
finally sigh and admit, “No, it doesn’t look like Jerusalem. Not at all.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="FreeForm">
<br /></div>
<div class="FreeForm">
<span style="color: #191919; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">She’s
not happy with my answer. She’s fresh off a spring break Birthright trip
and probably still seeking Jerusalem. <i>But look, the tree, and the sunset?
Why, you don’t see it? Something about those shadows.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="FreeForm">
<br /></div>
<div class="FreeForm">
<span style="color: #191919; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I’ve
learned to nod politely in these moments; I understand her. It’s like stepping
off a plane in JFK and still smelling Jerusalem, hearing a loudspeaker and
thinking for a second that it’s the call of the muezzin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="FreeForm">
<br /></div>
<div class="FreeForm">
<span style="color: #191919; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Somehow
we always know how to seek Jerusalem, wherever we are: whether it’s by
Babylon’s rivers or the Hudson. It’s some kind of inner compass which
directs us there – not just for times of prayer, but in everything, on our
living room walls and our silk paintings, in our wedding invitation
calligraphy, our whispered consolations to mourners.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="FreeForm">
<br /></div>
<div class="FreeForm">
<span style="color: #191919; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Even
in the Soviet Union. My mother tells me about her childhood in the far north of
Russia, the wait for exit visas in the ’70s. She tells me of dark winter
nights, secret copies of <i>Exodus</i>, gatherings with fellow Traitors of the
State and political activists. Jerusalem: it was the magical formula whispered
between activists. “Soon, we’ll be sipping coffee together in a Jerusalem
café,” Mark Morozov, one of the activists, said upon farewell, as my mother’s
family gathered to emigrate. <i>A Jerusalem café</i> – what does a Moscow Jew
know about a café in the Middle East?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="FreeForm">
<br /></div>
<div class="FreeForm">
<span style="color: #191919; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The
idea of Jerusalem is ingrained in the subconscious of the Diaspora Jew,
arguably a different image than the one preserved by the Israeli. A place, yes,
but also a reality, an ideal to constantly face and strive towards. It’s become
the perfect metaphor for all of Israel, and even for Jewish identity itself: a
complicated place of winding streets, hills and valleys, divided, beautiful and
tense. A fusion of east and west, ancient and modern, “always of two.” As
Yehuda Amichai notes in his poetry: it’s at once an object of fantasy and also
entirely mundane. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="FreeForm">
<br /></div>
<div class="FreeForm">
<span style="color: #191919; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">And
often, it’s the ordinary which penetrates the Diaspora Jew. It’s not just
praying by the Western Wall or wandering the Old City, but it’s also about that
bus ride you take and the kind old man who blesses you and hands you a bag of
fresh lychees. Is it naive, perhaps, that I melt a little, every time I walk by
children playing in the city’s streets? That I can spend months in that place,
and still shake my head in disbelief over the miracles that took place there?
Is it possible, to yearn for the place in which one already stands?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="FreeForm">
<br /></div>
<div class="FreeForm">
<span style="color: #191919; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Some
Israelis laugh when they watch us grow misty-eyed: “You’re impassioned with
this place, aren’t you?” They tolerate it, wonder at our shameless romanticism,
smile at our naiveté. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="FreeForm">
<br /></div>
<div class="FreeForm">
<span style="color: #191919; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">But
I’ve come to be proud of my admitted naiveté. It’s that same idealism of
standing by the Hudson and seeing Jerusalem somewhere in the distance, the same
fervor of the early pioneers and their ruthless conviction, the same
bright-eyed conversation held somewhere by the Arctic Circle and planning café
outings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="FreeForm">
<br /></div>
<div class="FreeForm">
<span style="color: #191919; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Soon,
we’ll be sipping coffee together in a Jerusalem café. That activist, who had
promised to meet my family in Jerusalem, died in a Soviet prison seven years
afterwards; my mother’s family settled in Brooklyn. But the stories of those
wintry nights, of waiting for an exit visa, remain strong – we’re still
seeking, straining to see Jerusalem from afar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="FreeForm">
<br /></div>
<div class="FreeForm">
<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">This
Jerusalem Day (<i>Yom Yerushalayim</i>), I’m reaffirming my conviction to
return, if for no other reason than to sit in that Jerusalem café, for the sake
of those who couldn’t.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="FreeForm">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Avital Chizhik</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> is a recent graduate of Stern College
for Women and the outgoing president of the <a href="http://www.yu.edu/">Yeshiva
University</a> Israel Club. She hopes to make the big move to Israel
before next Jerusalem Day. <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
A Soldier's Motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11370218893899121159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7322899421382827117.post-44469774129920942082012-04-22T11:54:00.001+03:002012-04-22T11:54:58.876+03:00Guest Blog: Israel at 64 - Innovation in Caring<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">By Sarah Herskowitz</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">As we ready ourselves
for Israel's upcoming birthday celebration and reflect on the last 64 years, we
can't help but swell with pride at our country's many accomplishments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In what seems like no
time at all, the State of Israel has become a world leader in scientific
research and technological development in fields ranging from medicine to green
technology. Over the last several decades, there has been a constant
stream of citations and awards recognizing the contributions of our country's
academics, leaders and institutions. In addition, Israel is known as an
international hub for innovation and a trailblazer in virtually every
discipline – from economics to political science to biotechnology. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">These achievements
speak to a wider Israeli penchant for diagnosing flaws within a given paradigm
or situation and developing practical, effective solutions. In short, Israel
succeeds because its population is uniquely capable of filling gaps, fixing
what's broken and righting wrongs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">However, while the
accolades achieved by Israel's elite are impressive, they are by no means the
best measurement of the country's growth. As I see it, true progress is
defined by a society's willingness to channel the same innovation and
creativity developed for its business and government sectors into the treatment
and care of its most vulnerable citizens. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In this regard,
Israel truly has a great deal to celebrate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">For the last twenty
years, I have worked for ALEH, Israel’s largest network of residential
facilities for children with severe physical and cognitive disabilities. When I
first began, our work was limited to ensuring that the children in our care
were simply kept healthy and happy. But as times went on, our projects expanded
and we began utilizing the most cutting-edge techniques and therapies
available, allowing us to move light years beyond our initial mandate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The secret formula that
helped our organization grow, and improved care for the underprivileged and
disabled across Israel over the last two decades, is yet another homegrown
formula from the 'start-up nation' – I like to call it 'innovation in
caring'. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">For example, while
the impact made by donors and volunteers is usually measured in dollars and
cents, Israeli donors and volunteers have simply refused to allow themselves to
be limited by these standards. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Instead of clocking
in and out, volunteers are consistently seeking new ways to give of themselves
and maximize each and every visit. This trend has led to numerous advances for
and a host of new services provided by non-profit organizations across the
country. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In the same vein,
donors are no longer content just writing checks, and have taken an active role
in helping their chosen organizations make the most of the resources available
and improving the services provided. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">This involvement
speaks to a deeper relationship between individual and organization than simply
giving of one's time or funds. It emphasizes the fact that our donors and
volunteers don't simply pick a charity out of a hat, but instead go through an
active process of choosing a cause with which they personally identify. This
relationship is taken a step further when these individuals bring their
professional expertise to the fore to benefit the non-profit projects.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Though the rise of a
vibrant technology sector and a flurry of Nobel prizes receive the bulk of the
headlines, Israel's development is more capably explained in the growth of our
charitable organizations and the integration of our neediest populations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">And so, here's to the
next batch of Israeli academics, leaders and entrepreneurs who will put us on
the map with their revolutionary new methods of filling the gaps, fixing what's
broken and righting the wrongs. But, most importantly, here's to the next
64 spectacular years of Israeli innovation in caring.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<br /></div>
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Sarah Herskowitz is
the director of international relations for ALEH (</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.aleh.org/"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">www.aleh.org</span></i></b></a></span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">), which celebrates its 30<sup>th</sup>
anniversary this year</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">.</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <b><i>ALEH provides over 650 children
from around Israel with high-level medical and rehabilitative care in an effort
to help them reach their greatest potentials.</i></b></span><br />A Soldier's Motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11370218893899121159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7322899421382827117.post-70535280470527450682012-01-01T07:54:00.001+02:002012-01-01T07:54:44.413+02:00Happy New Year from the IDF<object width="560" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-OUVQwDHtrs?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-OUVQwDHtrs?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>A Soldier's Motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11370218893899121159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7322899421382827117.post-72811486813680331452011-11-23T08:30:00.001+02:002011-11-23T08:30:01.046+02:00Israel - Forever Making a Difference<object width="560" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yCEDbNyT4xQ?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yCEDbNyT4xQ?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>A Soldier's Motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11370218893899121159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7322899421382827117.post-20627994849340782242011-10-21T09:42:00.001+02:002011-10-21T09:42:17.997+02:00Gilad Shalit - a Song and a Message for HimI've been waiting for the video I wanted to post. I thought it would be with a lot of pictures and few words, but I was wrong.<br />
<br />
This is sung by Arik Einstein and Guy Bocati - the pictures are there, but the words are better...Hebrew singing - English translation...<br />
<br />
<object height="335" width="450"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6a5QX1Oujaw?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6a5QX1Oujaw?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="450" height="335" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>A Soldier's Motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11370218893899121159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7322899421382827117.post-90910014900495833112011-10-15T20:42:00.002+02:002011-10-15T20:42:38.578+02:00Stop the Release of Ahlam TamimiDear friends,<br />
<br />
Please pass this heartfelt request along urgently to your contacts. It's a request to sign a petition, online here:<br />
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/remove-ahlam-tamimi-from-the-list-of-terrorists-to-be-f.html<br />
<br />
Under normal circumstances, requests to sign a petition are unlikely to lead to any significant outcomes. In this case, we are hoping to do something important. <br />
<br />
The petition asks for the removal of one specific name from the list of more than one thousand terrorists, including hundreds of convicted murderers, to be published by the government of Israel tomorrow, Sunday. That list is the basis of a transaction by which Israel will get back Gilad Shalit, held hostage by the terrorists of Hamas for more than five years. The deal involves Israel throwing open the gates of its top-security prisons and issuing wholesale pardons. My wife Frimet and I have expressed our principled objection to the deal. While others are busy trying to stop it in the courts, we are focusing our energies on one specific person, and getting her off the list.<br />
<br />
Her name is Tamimi. An article in today's New York Times [ http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/15/world/middleeast/israel-prisoner-swap-touches-old-wounds.html ] provides some background:<br />
<br />
Among those is Ahlam Tamimi, a 31-year-old woman who was a key figure in the pizzeria attack. She is often described as the driver of the car that brought the suicide bomber to the Sbarro restaurant and killed 15 people. But the Roths say her role went far beyond that, to the actual planning of the attack. In interviews from prison, Ms. Tamimi, who was a journalist, has told of having brought the suicide bomber to Jerusalem and then going on Palestinian television’s afternoon broadcast to announce the news of the attack without acknowledging her involvement. “I’m not sorry for what I did,” she told an Israeli news organization in 2006. “I will get out of prison, and I refuse to recognize Israel’s existence. Discussions will only take place after Israel recognizes that this is Islamic land.”<br />
<br />
The Roths said their anger over the prisoner exchange was focused on Ms. Tamimi, who is being sent to Jordan. She is young, fervent and charismatic, Mr. Roth said, and proud of what she did. In a documentary on Palestinian prisoners, she was asked whether she knew how many children had been killed in the attack. She did not. When told the number was eight, she smiled.<br />
There is a fuller background about the circumstances in which our daughter was murdered on the Keren Malki website: http://www.kerenmalki.org/Sbarro_Massacre.htm<br />
<br />
And there are many articles on the web tonight showing her family and supporters celebrating her impending return to freedom and to a full and active life as a heroine and inspiration. <br />
<br />
Even if you do not normally sign petitions, or pass them along to friends, we ask you to seriously consider signing this one. Once again, it's online here:<br />
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/remove-ahlam-tamimi-from-the-list-of-terrorists-to-be-f.html<br />
<br />
Time is very limited. We really only have until Sunday (16th October) to get a significant number of signatures. If we succeed, we can then put pressure on the Prime Minister's Office and the Justice Ministry and publicize this in the media.<br />
<br />
Finally, allow me to mention that Keren Malki, the not-for-profit we created in our daughter's memory in 2001, does very important work in our murdered daughter's name for the benefit of families raising a special-needs child. Your support for that work will be much appreciated. More at www.kerenmalki.org<br />
<br />
Thank you for reading this far. Together with our friends and their friends, we hope - despite the odds - to do something constructive in the face of the terrible transaction being done with the terrorists of Hamas.<br />
<br />
Arnold RothA Soldier's Motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11370218893899121159noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7322899421382827117.post-66719811739248926442011-08-05T07:47:00.001+03:002011-08-05T07:47:13.593+03:00Hungry? An interesting way to order!<object width="450" height="367"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dp-D7aHzr6Q?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dp-D7aHzr6Q?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="450" height="367" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>A Soldier's Motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11370218893899121159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7322899421382827117.post-56935047643559768782011-07-18T21:03:00.001+03:002011-07-18T21:03:51.903+03:00The Truth of the West BankPlease share! <br />
<br />
<object width="400" height="257"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XGYxLWUKwWo?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XGYxLWUKwWo?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="257" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>A Soldier's Motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11370218893899121159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7322899421382827117.post-31112304140680469142011-07-04T12:01:00.001+03:002011-07-04T12:03:08.290+03:00This is Not Israel - Syria AgainThis is an incredible video - a blogger is videotaping what is happening near where he is - you can hear gunfire. He moves the camera, almost frantically searching for the source of the gunfire. And then he finds the shooter - a soldier of the Syrian army. He focuses, just in time to see the soldier take aim at him...and kill him. This is Syria.<br />
<br />
<object width="300" height="255"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cp_ajN7Kqvc?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cp_ajN7Kqvc?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="265" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>A Soldier's Motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11370218893899121159noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7322899421382827117.post-48113940982316352292011-06-29T07:09:00.002+03:002011-06-29T07:28:05.266+03:00Why Israel MUST Stop the Flotilla<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">For once - so smart - for all to understand.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Spoken in Arabic with Hebrew and English subtitles. You can't get more clear than this message from the IDF to those on the flotilla and around the world!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><object height="257" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/p_DaMAIxRKc?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/p_DaMAIxRKc?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="257" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>A Soldier's Motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11370218893899121159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7322899421382827117.post-21153198408379395572011-06-26T14:22:00.001+03:002011-06-26T14:22:58.435+03:00This is NOT Israel - About Syria<object height="257" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/l1zFWKvJ5X8?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/l1zFWKvJ5X8?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="257" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>A Soldier's Motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11370218893899121159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7322899421382827117.post-31711549524913512632011-06-05T15:47:00.001+03:002011-06-05T15:47:27.066+03:00Don't Say You Weren't Warned<object height="349" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yyAO2BMgtLk?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yyAO2BMgtLk?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="349" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>A Soldier's Motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11370218893899121159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7322899421382827117.post-7047390443189472272011-06-01T12:50:00.000+03:002011-06-01T12:50:01.931+03:00Jerusalem Day - United, Undivided, Ours...The real transcript of the capture of the Old City, 1967<br />
<br />
The Old City - the Western Wall - is in our hands, forever<br />
<br />
<object height="349" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7l1ol69rRxo?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7l1ol69rRxo?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="349" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>A Soldier's Motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11370218893899121159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7322899421382827117.post-76325343626939603482011-05-27T10:35:00.000+03:002011-05-27T10:35:23.647+03:00Gilad...in Video...This video was taken in September, 2009 - almost a year and a half ago. It is hard to believe we are coming up on the FIFTH anniversary of his captivity...hard to believe the world has allowed this to go on for so long.<br />
<br />
This is an injustice. This is an outrage. This is not something that Israel can fix because Israel did nothing wrong. Hamas terrorists crossed into Israel, attacked and murdered Israeli soldiers and kidnapped Gilad Shalit. Israel has offered ridiculous amounts of security prisoners and still Hamas demands their murderers freed... all of a boy of 19...20...21...22...23...and soon 24 years of age. They have stolen his youth, his freedom. Don't let them steal his life.<br />
<br />
<object height="349" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rUR5HIHkYUs?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rUR5HIHkYUs?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="349" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>A Soldier's Motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11370218893899121159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7322899421382827117.post-70359796559497749802011-05-27T09:09:00.001+03:002011-05-27T09:09:56.338+03:00Israel's pre-1967 Borders - what would it really mean for IsraelPictures certainly say it better than words...<br />
<br />
<object height="349" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/k2hZ6SlSqq0?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/k2hZ6SlSqq0?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="349" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>A Soldier's Motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11370218893899121159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7322899421382827117.post-26026956841185027752011-05-27T09:02:00.000+03:002011-05-27T09:02:54.956+03:00Billboard for Gilad ShalitA campaign is starting to purchase advertising space near the United Nations. A simple but clear message - FREE GILAD SHALIT!<br />
<br />
I got this note on one of my blogs and decided to share it here as well - if you can help, please do:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">I am trying to raise money to fund a billboard in NY City near the UN building saying "Free Gilad Shalit." Please help me get the word by telling people about my effort and posting this link to my campaign (where donations can be made):<br />
<a href="http://epicstep.com/campaign/231/free-gilad-shalit/">http://epicstep.com/campaign/231/free-gilad-shalit/</a><br />
<br />
I spoke with the Shalit family's campaign manager and they are supportive of this effort. My name is Gal Sitty. Search for my billboard effort at "Free Gilad Shalit Billboard" for more info, if you want to verify this.</span>A Soldier's Motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11370218893899121159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7322899421382827117.post-73173257721314694742011-05-23T18:40:00.000+03:002011-05-23T18:40:25.270+03:00Timeline of the Mavi Marmara and FlotillaTakes 20 minutes - best 20 minutes you could spend to understand how planned this was...how they wanted violence...and we did not:<br />
<br />
<object height="349" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/z31GesVrBjc?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/z31GesVrBjc?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="349" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>A Soldier's Motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11370218893899121159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7322899421382827117.post-65597468041982003112011-04-10T08:50:00.003+03:002011-04-10T08:51:20.378+03:00Is a cemetery sacred ground?If it is, do you think it should be used as a place from which to launch rockets at civilians?<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(Video of terrorists preparing a rocket launcher and then covering it up...in the middle of a cemetery.)</span><br />
<br />
<object height="349" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BUKAQWX7M4o?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BUKAQWX7M4o?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="349"></embed></object><br />
<br />
If it isn't, I assume the world will not complain when we blow it up...A Soldier's Motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11370218893899121159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7322899421382827117.post-76991118145467123192011-04-03T10:01:00.000+03:002011-04-03T10:01:11.210+03:00A Beautiful Video of IsraelA beautiful video of our love for Israel - amazing photos - not the many colors of the berets on the soldiers - so many units, one love. Israel<br />
<br />
<object height="349" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oNziz3YuKgE?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oNziz3YuKgE?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="349"></embed></object>A Soldier's Motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11370218893899121159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7322899421382827117.post-3389532347128149332011-03-30T12:59:00.000+02:002011-03-30T12:59:53.274+02:00To the Far ReachesHave you ever been to Mt. Hermon? I've seen it from the distance but only climbed (drove) up once. It's amazingly far from most areas of Israel - far to the north, in the north of the Golan Heights and it towers above the rest of Israel.<br />
<br />
Security-wise, it is a vital element of Israel's defense. Atop Mt. Hermon, it is very cold, freezing...much of the year. An amazing organization, Yashar Lachayal (<a href="http://www.yasharlachayal.org/">www.yasharlachayal.org</a>) delivered Purim gifts (shlach manot) to the combat soldiers stationed there. They say a picture speaks a thousand words - this one does!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1NSJQZc8Bxl6eXHEcWdOdqoBoiHt5-MmA89nT9KOFXNzm3DwewoUXUA-P_28fFP9yoRqpxhstwwYkaQ7juNb1L4ZoHpVUMCS76VGs7ipCC_O6dYBUrsW7EopLQzYgs-pxhegsIsAH7k/s1600/yasharlachayl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1NSJQZc8Bxl6eXHEcWdOdqoBoiHt5-MmA89nT9KOFXNzm3DwewoUXUA-P_28fFP9yoRqpxhstwwYkaQ7juNb1L4ZoHpVUMCS76VGs7ipCC_O6dYBUrsW7EopLQzYgs-pxhegsIsAH7k/s400/yasharlachayl.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And the amazing part is that all donations - every shekel or dollar donated, goes directly to the soldiers to buy them warm clothes, treats like the ones you see above, even basketball courts to give them exercise and fun during their off hours. They focus on combat soldiers, needy soldiers (buying them ovens, refrigerators, whatever they need) and on lone soldiers (visiting them, helping them, sending them special gifts). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What these soldiers give to Israel cannot be measured. What Yashar Lachayal gives to the soldiers is a measure of comfort and thanks for their hard work. And what the soldiers give back to Yashar Lachayal and all those who donate to this worthy cause - can be seen in the smiles, the many letters thanking them for their tireless work. You can learn more about Yashar Lachayal and their amazing work on their website and you can follow them on Facebook!</div>A Soldier's Motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11370218893899121159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7322899421382827117.post-73754925778698225202011-03-27T09:00:00.000+02:002011-03-27T09:00:00.859+02:00What Can You Say to This Oneother than, "Amem" or "Please, God, please, make this the last time...<br />
<br />
<br />
<object width="425" height="349"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9rqYIGbzXtE?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9rqYIGbzXtE?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="349"></embed></object>A Soldier's Motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11370218893899121159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7322899421382827117.post-6979314142282018912011-03-23T18:49:00.000+02:002011-03-23T18:49:14.642+02:00News Flash...<b>News flash: </b><br />
<br />
Unbelievable news - did you hear?<br />
<br />
A family in Laredo, Texas was massacred in their sleep, and then a bomb hit bus #74 outside the D.C. convention center injuring dozens and killing at least one. And on the same day, dozens of rockets and missiles continued falling in Fairfax, Virginia. <br />
<br />
Do I have your attention? <br />
<br />
Is this completely insane and far fetched? <br />
<br />
Then why is it allowed to be commonplace in Israel??????<br />
<br />
(thanks to Arnie for this important reality check)A Soldier's Motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11370218893899121159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7322899421382827117.post-48720933774363806592011-03-23T09:18:00.002+02:002011-03-23T09:18:56.106+02:00Dear Palestinian CivilianI want to tell you, from the other side of the divide in which we live, that I care. I care about you, your children, your wife or your husband. I care about your parents, your grandparents. I care about your future and that of your children and grandchildren and generations to come.<br />
<br />
I care because I am a human being, a mother of beautiful sons and daughters that I love beyond measure. I care because I know that locked into the future of your family, is the future of mine. I am not stupid. I am not racist. I am not filled with hatred and a desire for revenge. I live on a hilltop that never knew a house before mine was built here. No Arab homes were destroyed to build my beautiful neighborhood; no Arabs suffered its loss. It was a barren, empty hilltop, owned by us thousands of years ago, then the Romans, then the Turks. The Jordanians got it from the British; and we liberated it back to our control in 1967, when the Jordanians refused our request to stay out of the war.<br />
<br />
We fight with our brothers, they told Israel in 1967, and they did. They fought, and lost this piece of land, where no one lived, no village, nothing. People came to live here in the mid-1970s and have been building ever since. There are almost 45,000 people who live around me here on these hilltops surrounded by light and desert.<br />
<br />
I love my house, with its large windows and the sun streaming in early in the morning. In the far distance, I can just barely see the Dead Sea; closer, so much closer, is the beginnings of the enchanting city of Jerusalem just a few kilometers away. But as much as I love my home and my city, if someone were firing rockets from a nearby house, I would run. I would grab my children and run as fast as I could. This isn't about rights; this is about life.<br />
<br />
I cherish my husband and my children above all that I have, all that I am. I would run to the very corners of this country (but no, not beyond those corners). A bit over 2 years ago, the unthinkable happened. My son was serving in the army, as all young Israeli men do, and he was ordered to the border with Gaza.<br />
<br />
Over a hundred rockets had been fired at Israel in a single month. The situation was intolerable. He was ordered to fire artillery into Gaza - at pinpoint targets where rockets were being fired at us; where mosques and hospitals were being used to shelter weapons and explosives.<br />
<br />
Now again, just two years later, as he predicted when Israel stopped the Cast Lead war, your people are again firing on our cities. This morning - Beersheva; last night Ashdod and Ashkelon. It is impossible. It is intolerable. Even Israel, even Israel cannot withstand this barrage.<br />
<br />
Yesterday, rockets were fired and our tank division immediately returned fire at the source of the incoming attack. These mortars and rockets you fire at us are incredibly portable. If we don't respond in seconds, like animals, your fighters will tunnel underground. We fired and hit the launchers, but 12 civilians were apparently also hit. And so I ask - not why you fired on us. I know the answer to that - it is the same culture that allows you to slit the throat of a 3-month old baby and stab a 3-year-old in the heart. It is the culture of the suicide bomber who carefully places himself between families hoping to maximize the dead. No, I know why you fire on us.<br />
<br />
I know why we fire back too. We are trying to stop you, to protect our babies, our families. We cannot stand the cruel murder of another Hadass. Our hearts broke and continue to break. No, even Israel cannot allow this. So, I understand why we fired back at the rocket launchers yesterday.<br />
<br />
What I cannot for the life of me understand is why your civilians are near the rocket launchers. So dear Palestinian civilians - we will do our best to avoid hitting your homes, unless you allow them to be used as rocket launchers. We will do our best to avoid hitting your mosques, unless you hide explosives there. We will do our best, but the wind and the earth, the inconsistencies of war, make it impossible that we can be accurate 100% of the time.<br />
<br />
No, I won't point out the obvious, that your goal is to target our children while our aim is to avoid yours. I won't quote Golda Meir and her now-famous comment that this endless war will end when you love your children more than you hate us. I won't speak of your incredible hatred or your culture of martyrdom and death.<br />
<br />
I will ask only one thing. It is logical. It is reality. If you live near a place being used as a rocket launcher, please run away. Please move. There is no other option. We cannot allow you to launch rockets at Beersheva. Don't you realize 185,000 people live there? Ashdod, Ashkelon. No, this is not possible. Sderot has suffered enough. So, Palestinian civilian, if you are truly innocent in this, truly a civilian who loves your family - go the very corners of your neighborhood. Move away from the rockets because they will be stopped.<br />
<br />
My oldest son took part in a war to stop the rockets two years ago. We had a partial success. You continued to fire, but at least it wasn't every day and certainly not a hundred in a month...until now. But now, once again, your people are attacking in numbers we cannot ignore and should not be expected to endure. Even one rocket is wrong and it is not right that we let you get away with even that. But yesterday and today, this morning and now. That we have to close the schools of an entire city to keep our children safe is not acceptable. At midnight in Ashkelon; at 5:30 a.m. in Beersheva. No, not acceptable.<br />
<br />
So all that leaves is an endless cycle of your attacking and our responding. We will do our best but you have a responsibility too. During the Second Lebanon War, which began after Hezbollah crossed into Israel and kidnapped two of our soldiers, our ambassador to the United Nations said something so simple and yet so profound. I offer you his words, please take them to heart.<br />
<br />
"Sometimes," Dan Gillermann said, "sometimes when you sleep with a missile, you don't wake up."<br />
<br />
I want you to wake up in the morning and see the beauty of the sun, as I do now, as it shines through the thick clouds over this mountain where I live. I want you to live because ultimately, your future is tied to mine and those of my children. But whether you live or die, whether your family is safe or not, depends as much on you and the decisions your duly-elected government makes, as it does on mine.<br />
<br />
It is the nature of a government, at least ours, to protect its people. If you want to wake up to the sun tomorrow, make sure you are not near those rocket launchers today.A Soldier's Motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11370218893899121159noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7322899421382827117.post-37428772142618090922011-03-17T11:05:00.002+02:002011-03-17T11:05:46.882+02:00I Gotta Feeling - from St. Petersburg Hillel StudentsEnjoy...<br />
<br />
<object width="560" height="349"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/p4yj4yfdZAc?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/p4yj4yfdZAc?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="349"></embed></object>A Soldier's Motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11370218893899121159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7322899421382827117.post-3151503738968603502011-03-17T07:28:00.000+02:002011-03-17T07:28:40.921+02:00A Letter to Obama from AlizaThis is a letter written by a young woman. I don't know her - and yet I do. She is 20 years old, she lives in America. She is Jewish. She shares a first name with my youngest daughter - and more, she shares a collective memory, something that binds her to us, and us to her. She lives far from the tragedies of the Fogel family. This message shows that through the distances of miles and time, this horrible terrorist attack should touch us all.<br />
<br />
<b>A Letter to President Obama from a Young American Jewish Woman</b><br />
<br />
<br />
Dear President Obama,<br />
<br />
I am writing to you about the unspeakable and horrific acts of terror that took place in the settlement of Itamar in Shomron on the West Bank of Jersualem on Friday night, March 11, 2011. Udi, 36, his wife Ruth, 35, and their children Yoav, 11, Elad, 4, and Hadas, 3 months, were all stabbed to death in their homes. I am sure you are well aware of the attacks and the terrifying details of that sadistic massacre. I am writing to ask you what America, our brave and beautiful country, plans to do about it.<br />
<br />
I am a Jewish American, born and raised in the United States. I love my country with all my heart and am a very patriotic citizen. However, I love Israel with all my heart as well, as the Jewish people are my brothers and sisters. This innocent family was murdered in their own homes, slit by the throat and in the heart, some while asleep and some while awake, witnessing their own extermination. This is the type of horror that one cannot even bear to imagine. Three children, who G-d chose to carry on their family’s legacy, survive them. The type of horror these young children now live with is also something one cannot even bear to imagine. Although bombs and chemicals are atrocious, the personal nature of this attack makes it indescribable and abominable.<br />
<br />
I have been in Israel twice in my life, on a vacation and a ten-month deferment when I studied abroad two years ago. I have seen the landscape of the country and seen the heartbeat of this illustrious and indestructible nation. I have lived in America my entire life. I have seen the greatness and strength of this country, and the unyielding power we hold in the world. It is time for America to step up and take a stand. It is time for the media to condemn these actions. It is time for the world to take note and pay attention to the fear and terror that is occurring in homes and cities far away from theirs. It is time to start publicizing heinous crimes and report the truth. When will enough be enough?<br />
<br />
To stand and watch is to align yourself with terror.<br />
<br />
To quote Martin Niemöller’s famous poem:<br />
<br />
First they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.<br />
Then they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Communist.<br />
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Trade Unionist.<br />
Then they came for me—and by then there was no one left to speak out for me.<br />
<br />
I am speaking out now in the hopes that my voice can be heard. I stand behind my people, as I hope my President does for his.<br />
<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Aliza Falick, 20A Soldier's Motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11370218893899121159noreply@blogger.com0