TORN! ShREDDING AS WE SPEAK

 It is indeed a hard knock life we have these days. Most everyone appears to be in a muddled world, even the Uber wealthy who stomp through the world as if they are higher, better than others. They too are finding it difficult. They too are not sure of who they are, what they are, where they belong, where they most certainly do not. Many of the population of the world in one way or another has lost self-direction, lost the capability to join or separate from others in logical, rational positive manner. It is because we do not understand the world any longer and thus, we simply do not understand ourselves.  

Too many have lost their connection to a group, a heritage, a constructive directional compass as to how to make one's way through life. Because we have lost that guide pole. or safety rope, or blinking lights pointing the proper path, we find ourselves dwarfed by the pile of worries, concerns and   uncertainties, challenged in frightening ways, and too many cling to what they should abhor, seeking desperately at times for their place in the world, their tethers to the truth of themselves - or at least what and where they should be. 

In so doing, the noisy, loudmouth attracts them for he seems to know his place and lets everyone know that.  His outer confidence attracts those who lack that surety and so he joins up and in, adopting every viewpoint and sacred cow and toxic hate espoused by that leader. If the original thought had a positive side or aspect to it, it gets lost in ugliness ever so much more powerful, liberating one from the rules, set free to shout, to threaten, to argue, to wreak havoc, and create chaos and fear.

It is especially tempting when surprisingly this act of rebellion is actually approved of by a growing number of societies, of societies around the world. Misery loves company. People feel safer in crowds for they can hide themselves within, spout garbage and avoid blame and consequence. No requirement to think, to compose a rational thought, for mob mentality takes over and independent thought is gone. 

The ever-present tendency, need, of people to look down on others, of a class or group, of any religion or nationality, anyone whom they can drown in fear and suffocation, and do it along with hordes of others plays a great role in the causation and growth of these hostile movements. At times these mobs of crazed individuals shockingly, contain members of the attacked group, convincing themselves that they are different and no one will have at them. 

How stupid, how blind, how vicious, these attempts are. In doing so they cut their ties to family, to friends, to fellow workers, and then shocked when one day the bill comes due. Then they will find that the hand they kissed has no more use for them and will exile them, back to their original classification, used and discarded and all backs will be turned to them. Their original group abandoned will turn away too, deeming them untrustworthy, even an enemy, and will extend no welcome to them. either.

These people are torn apart. They are actually fragile, no strength, no moral fiber within, their beliefs shallow. They too easily and specifically overlook the values they once had. The true values which had provided them with sustenance for life, for living, for love. No longer welcome anywhere, they wander through life alone or worse, facing a blowback of hate upon them.  Even of the worst consequence.

In our current times, building upon an ancient trope of hate, there are so many, too many, who have lost their way. Too many who have joined with the mobs of hate actually, for whatever sick reason, hate themselves. Hate their families They hate the world for their own inadequacy, and in vivid viral abandonment of decency jump deep into the waters of fetid swamps of ugliness, of immorality. 

They are empty within for they have rejected the values of their past, that which buoyed them, hence the emptiness within, the lack of a soul, the growth of a stone heart. They seek to fill up the empty space within, but it is a lost cause. That is indeed a  Sisyphean task, for there is nothing solid or strong enough, nothing to permanently facilitate the evil they now desire and represent, nor to allow proper and true values of life to enter and facilitate repair and atonement. 

In their moral turpitude and their haste to throw out all, they cause havoc and much pain. While they persist and remain in strength, it is only for an inevitable downfall and defeat, temporary in time. So we have learned from history but there was so  much that cannot be undone. The slaughter of people, the destruction of society, the loss of so much positive gains we have made. Can one come from an emptiness within an even larger emptiness and actually fill in the vacuum? 

They try but inevitably fail. Evil grows strong roots and does not so easily cede them to the uprooters.

Too often, the hate when defeated goes underground only to rise again at another time of uncertainty in an environment ripe to richly fertilize and enhance Hate, in particular JewHatred.  

The hatred of Jews encouraged, waged by those very same mobs of insanity, with bloodlust growing ever stronger, even rising to the level of murder, individuals and mass attacks. Efforts to isolate Isreal and all Jews from the world, trying with all their might to disappear us from this world.  

 But I have news for all you vile haters out there. No matter how many foolish Jews forget that we are one, in good times and bad, it is of no account. 

We have our Protector, from the beginning of the history of man until now. Some people forget their heritage, deny it, and forget that, they will reap their consequences and I can only pray that they get their due comeuppance.

Some people are torn inside, have torn and shredded their humanity, but at the end of it all, they lose and we win.

Come back, off those protest lines calling for your own deaths. The goal was not the war in Gaza, which they began with a massacre. It is not only the destruction of the state of Israel, the only Jewish nation among so many enemies. It is the desire to kill, yes, kill, all Jews, and like it or not, you share the fate of all Jewish people, good or bad. 

Come, repair your battered souls.

Why? Because we are, always,

Am Echad. One Nation.

Lev Echad. One Heart.

Now and forever. 

We lived yesterday, and continued into today and will be here, as well, as always, in the tomorrows   to come.

Am Yisroel Chai!   Lanetzach.

The nation, the people of Isreal, live forever.

DAMN IT! DAMN IT TEN TIMES OVER!

  I so wish I was wrong. I so wish that fat lady and accompanying voices of the chorus had sung loud and clear and confident, but it was not to be so. A leopard can more easily change his spots then can Hamsa and adherents discard the ugly, ragged stripes of their souls. In a mistaken effort, under pressure from everyone and his uncle and aunt all the way back to the generation of Avraham to believe in the promises of Hamas, that they actually intended to abide by an agreement made with Israel.

Lord, what fools we were. And remain.

The picture had already been clear from the very first moment when Hamas broke a ceasefire. Hamas then continued to hold on to its rather nasty bag of tricks, to lie brazenly and then lay the blame on the Israelis, those whom the world was always ready to defame, to be the recipient of blame. I wonder that we were so gullible as to believe they would actually be true to their promises, and all, the living and the dead, would be sent home.

The cost was extravagant, but what could we do? It was the moment to act, to bring our people back. And so, we took up that so unbalanced 'bargain', and even when the ugly bag of tricks was pulled   out again, shaken in our faces again, we persisted and 20 souls came home. Vi'shavu banim ligvulam - the children of Rachel, for whom she had been waiting for so long, were returning to their nation.  To their war-torn country. Home. Habayta.

And the ugly games began again, only these were not plastic or wood chips to be played with as pleased the holder. These were human, mostly young men at this point, longing for their families, their friends, their communities, their lives from which they had been kidnapped. To spend the next two years immersed in an unbelievable crazed life, never knowing what moment would be their last.

But now a slight chance but it was time. It was so past time to bring all the dead and alive into our embrace, into arms that had been empty for too many years. 

With sputters and false starts, the process began. Despite a slowed down process, wringing the last drops of agony from all concerned, and our 20 gaunt living hostages were released, free to return to their people, free to heal and rebuild, free to hug their loved ones as if they would never again have the chance to do so again. We doubters were on the receiving end of jeers, for there it was, working, even as we had predicted many snags in the path of fulfillment, of promises made. 

Unfortunately, damn it, we, the doubters, the ones who see the glass as mostly empty, if not all the way back to drought conditions, were right again. Our fears were validated as our slaughtered and abused heroes were returned in small number, nine, and then we were told that there were no more, they were 'lost' under the rubble somewhere. Too bad. Now let us get on with the next stage and never you mind our treachery. We are the snake who bit and poisoned his ride across the pond.

Treacherous, never to be trusted, but that is the reality. Deal with it!

Now we have met the wall again. Return has stopped, meant to never be resumed, never to be   continued. If Isreal does not like it, well, let them deal wtth the antagonistic world and do what they can. However, it will not be much, for we all know the futile results even before we begin.

The world, the world you say? The same world that did not speak up for Bipel, the brave Nepalese man, a peaceful student who defended himself and his coworkers. And for that was dragged across Gaza by his eventual murderers, who indeed took his life, even as he suffered the torments of Hell before he was released from the agonies he was undergoing.   Yet another of the few courageous among us.

In fact, where is the voice, the so many self-righteous strident voices, of those who screamed and tore their hair at the mere thought and accusation of cruelty to Gazans by Israeli forces? Where are they now when the treaty is invalidated almost from the very beginning and where are they now when Gazan is shooting Gazan, where Hamas is lynching those who oppose them. Where is the concern and the weeping as the remnant of Hamas, determined to remain in power, continues to brutalize and kill all and anything that stands in the way of their bloody ambitions. Living or dead- it matters not. Where are the signatories of the ceasefire agreement, which demanded that Hamas disarm itself? Seems to me there are more than enough arms remaining in Gaza and being used indiscriminately, with one intent - the betterment and the retention of power by Hamas.   

Where the Hell are they!

Not where they are supposed to be.

The world remains static in its ugliness.

All the brutal yesterdays are running into the bloody todays and foretell of even worse tomorrows.

And again - WHERE ARE WE, THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD?

What are we waiting for?

SHE IS STILL NOT SINGING! NOPE.

 No, folks, not only is her singing voice quieted, but she has lowered the volume intensely and let some members of the chorus go. Why is that? Let's think. Certainly, it was a most joyful day as well as a sad day when the twenty hostages who had remained alive under horrendous circumstances were returned. Dressed in clothing way too big for them, their sharp-edged shoulders and their lack of body definition, the skeletal outlines on their faces all bore testimony to the inhumane conditions in which they were imprisoned, tortured, starved, and killed.

Yes, killed, whether via an unplanned result of the effects of dank air, no sunlight, little if any food and water, lack of medical care, sheer bestiality of Hamas animals of two feet, mean on purpose, threat and fulfillment of those threats, and complete vacuum when it came to the IRC, not seeing, not demanding access to these poor souls. These cruel and savage kidnappers exulted, publicly, loudly, re their prowess at capturing these hostages, and yes, their oh such bravery when it came to kidnapping elderly, infants and babies, toddlers and teens, the old, the young, the sick and healthy, and the dead already, all hauled off to a living Hell. Oh, such heroes these Hamas perverts were - and remain. 

There is no sense or expression of contrition, of understanding of the horrors they inflicted, the absolute inhumanity of it, the sheer ugliness of their deeds. This blackness of soul, this existence with stone hearts, continues until this every day and will most probably continue into the future as far as one can see. Note their behavior during this day and into its continuation.

 The return of the hostages, those still in life, was delayed, day to day, hour to hour. The procedure was dragged out, and no one knew for sure what was happening. When the restlessness among Israelis became quite clear and warnings and reminders were forthcoming, only then was it announced that seven were to be released. Period. Delay of names, of viewing of their faces by their anxiously awaiting family and friends, ex hostages so eager to see for themselves the resurrection of the friends they had left behind. And then the brutal wait for the rest of the living - the 13 out of 20- remaining, awaiting their release, not sure if this is yet another bastardly, dastardly act of brutality by Hamas. The tension rose and the anger rose until finally, Hamas had to announce the return and repatriation of  the remainder, the 13. 

Finally, when on their way, these passengers could not believe that they were actually going to be freed, to be returned to the arms so eager to hold them. Hamas had a habit of cruelty, of encasing these hostages in constant uncertainty as to whether this move or that, this statement or that, was actually truthful and true release was at hand. Why should they have believed that it was finally the day of their freedom, with a masked and armed Hamas guard sitting beside them. 

In fact, it was only when the mothers and loved ones would shout into phone screens that "The war is over. You're coming home. You're coming home. We love you. The war is over." Only then was there a smile on the face and broad grins of belief. And when they were given over to special greetings forces of Israel, and when they were driven into ecstatic mobs singing, crying, laughing, I believe we shook the very axis of our rotation.

The doubt remained in place and in high gear, for 28 other families were also awaiting a return of their loved ones, even two sets of twins. After much, much delay it was finally announced that 4 bodies were to be released to the forensic investigators to identify and to their families and communities who had been mourning them for so long. At least now they had a body to bury with honor, a place upon which to lay flowers, and to water those flowers with their endless tears.

Hamas was not done with their brutal behavior, for 24 more families were also awaiting the return of their loved ones. Despite the fact that the bodies of the dead hostages were to have been returned immediately upon the return of the living, certainly within the 72 hours agreed upon, Hamas went silent. 

It took threats from Trump, other signers of the ceasefire agreement, and Israel, that it would be null and void and Isreal would be free and entitled to go ahead with their ground movements. Not a nation disagreed, other than Turkey's Erdogan, a man seeking to enlarge his footprint and name, who threatened Isreal should that scenario become reality.

Finally, it was announced that another 4 would be returned that evening, with, as yet, no names announced. Via forensics and identifications from their communities and families, they were identified and returned to them, finally, home.

Yet another 20 remained behind. That has sent families into frantic and demanding action. From their government, from all the nations of the world, to insist. demand, that humanity be respected and forthcoming, that they all engage in righting this wrong, so long, so heartbreaking, so vicious and evil. 

Evil is real. It exists. It persists among us.

So it has been in all our yesterdays.

So- it has continued into our todays.

Will we allow it to continue its horrendous existence, its persistedness,

into our tomorrows?

 The choice is up to us. 

Each and every one of us.

He who looks away. 

He who is silent.

Is he who is complicit and implicit in every manner of act and thought.

That is the truth. as bitter today as yesterday. 

Bitter as we expect it to be tomorrow.

WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY?

The fat lady and her chorus remain thunderously silent.

WHENCE HENCE?

 It is now 7:30 AM. Isreal time and I sit here before the screen, willing it to be filled with a picture of a bustling area of many, many, many vehicles waiting our people, to bring them home.  At the end of it all, 20 boys and men will be returned home to the anxiously awaiting arms and hearts of their families, their friends waiting their turn when they are a bit more acclimated to life with free air, cool air. Food in proper amounts Meticulous medical and emotional care. Unfortunately, despite intense work some of the murdered of the hostages cannot be found. Or so Hamas says. Do I believe them? Do I trust them? No, not a wit.

They claim they do not know the whereabouts of the captives. One is a young tank crew member, pulled out and toward Gaza by his hair by 2 so brave Hamas animals. Not a word since; not a contact with any captive alive to speak of it. He is joined in this state of not knowing and leaving family still bereft and torn. 

Not even a wit of closure possible as the body of a man from Nepal is missing. Or so Hamas says. Just about three weeks in the country, brave is a lion in his defense of those he worked with in Alufim but finally overcome and dragged away. His last words and face were a on a video made by Hamas. Since then, nothing, not a sight, not a message, not a note, not with any other captive who is now alive to tell us. Do we give up? Continue the search? Tha wll continue for there are several missing bodies and Israel will try to find and bring them back. 

Time has passes while I was glued to the TV screen. Hundreds of thousands in Hostage Square. Singing the songs of this war. Other areas packed, waiting for the missing of the nation. Relatives of the freed anxiously await them. The moment of first contact via phone, a mother denied her son for two years, and a son seeing his mother as she reassures him the war is over, he is coming home, how much she loves him. Breathtaking.

The entire nation is inside, glued to their screens or if outside glued to their phone screens, even as Jews worldwide do the same. What every righteous human should be doing.

What never should have happened in its origin as Hamas and entire corps of beasts jammed into the southern Isreal and slaughtered, raped and violated very precept of humanity. Given orders to burn and burn and burn, destroy, take hostages for bargaining chips. 

When will the world recognize their inhumanity, the falseness of their claims and understand the reality of a nation Hamas hates and only desire to destroy.

Going back to the TV to see the slow progress and still, the suspicion remains. Will they carry it through? Will they renege? Why so many armed Hamas around? Till all returning captives are in our arms, on our land, the uneasiness remains and eats away at us. When will the world wake up?

Finishing the last day of a holiday tomorrow and will post again Wednesday. Keep in your thoughts that today, Monday, is the same day on the Hebrew calendar when the attack of Oct7 took place.

All the yesterdays and todays of persecution, of second-class members of so many nations, the slight relief felt for a while and then the gates slam shut again.

All the tomorrows, too much to contemplate.

See you Wednesday morning.

Whence hence remains in the air.

FAT LADIES

  We all know those fat ladies, the ones who have to sing before whatever it is, is over. While there have been some such characters singing these past few days it must be noted that the chorus is weak and sometimes thready, with no one powerful voice over topping all the others providing a sense of finality and achievement of all goals.

I rejoice with Israel, all Righteous people of the world, at the thought that our hostages will be released. Now it has been postponed till tomorrow.  Once again, as 24 hours went to 72 hours, as those hours have been stretched even further and I wonder and I dread and I fear. Hopefully, tomorrow, 20 live, brutalized, tortured, weakened hostages will be able to recover in the warm arms of the nation and their families. 26 known to be dead as far as information allows, will be identified and buried with honor, their families mourning, but at least there is an element of some closure. Two are in an unknown category, fate at present unknown.

Will they be among the hostages live or dead or will they remain within the hell of Hamas as has the body of Lt. Goldin, finally to be sent home, held as a 'chess piece' by Hamas since 2014.  And within that fact we find the reason for the lack of full and complete course of joyous song and glorification of all we hold hol.

Judaism, including Israel and around the world instructs its people to contribute to the return of all held hostage, brutally, in cold calculation, separated from their people. The cost could be great, and the understanding must be clear. It is a wonderful thing to welcome home those who have been forced to remain apart. However, there is a point where our history and strategic thinking must come into play. That one must concede an inability to fulfill that command, for the cost is too great and the consequences even more deadly than before.

 At that point the choice is clear. The nation of Israel   has an unspoken yet visible stated compact with their citizens. We will not leave you behind. We will come to rescue you and that is where we come upon the crux of the matter. At what point do we say after much deliberation and heartbreak, with tears unstoppable, that the so desired rescue is simply too difficult, too costly to continue to fruition It need not necessarily be a one for one rescue or repatriation but there must be a point of sense in a mostly deformed algebra, where a call must be made. 

Where and when and how or who are the questions, the answers most difficult. Who is strong enough to bear the responsibility for the exchanging of a few Israeli captives for an inordinate, totally unbalanced exchange ratio per each redeemed captive. Each and every returned prisoner is one who has blood dripping in a non-stop stream, so many have they brutally slain. So many more do they plan to slay, from single attacks to ones of mass murder.  As many as they can.  

We will not leave you behind. We will come to rescue you. At what point does an unspoken corollary make its presence known?  At what point is our attempt to fulfill that promise negated, for the cost of rescue is too extravagant in numbers of casualties in the attempt. The promise will be kept, though in terms of vengeance, including wounds beyond count, of deadly consequence to the kidnappers and a continuation of such until hostilities cease, hostages are returned and the perpetrators of this deed are dead or dying or given over to us with a permanent lifetime sentence - and no change ever. Ever. Thus, all kidnappers would only be causing more harm to their own. 

 That is the most difficult proposition. It is an acknowledgement of a reality ugly, horrifying, heartbreaking but nevertheless must be pondered. 1200 initially slaughtered, Israelis, 250 kidnapped, brutalized, murdered in captivity, all awaiting rescue. The efforts are costly in wounded and slain, rises exponentially. Wounds to the souls of our soldiers rises as well. Is there a point of stopping? How are we to recognize that point? Who makes that decision?  Who can bear that burden and convey the decision to the nation, to the families of those deemed to remain in Hell, unless found as part of a fulfillment to avenge their souls, for revenge and destruction paybacks? Who?    

It is a blackmail which indeed blackens the souls of the demanders and those demanded of.  It's totally imbalanced numbers of exchange and demand cannot continue. Shimshon, Samson, knew what he had to do. Those who attempted rebellion and escape from death camps of the Nazis knew their chances of survival were less than nil but no, they had to try, perhaps, to free others, even as they attempted to free their own selves.

 Even as I sit and type this, I cannot agree to this, and its algebra so skewed against us, as it so awfully works as a successful strategy time and again for our enemies, so detrimental to our physical and emotional survival. The joy waiting to burst out in full choreus, for the fat ladies to sing out in strength and happiness, for our people are returning -it cannot be stoppered. Bu have all the fat ladies sung as of yet.

The answer is no. Not there. Still the same delays, time and again. Still the doubts of the same as the history of Hamas and its oversupply of lies eat away at the belief that we will actually be celebrating as a nation of joy enveloping our lost, now found, within our arms of safety and love.

Will Hamas do that which it must, or will they once again behave with cruelty and actions most assuredly not good for them, not logical, yet they almost always do so.

Will we be whole again, at least for a while, or are we to be disappointed again?  

Should we have been hard of heart and refused this exchange, agreed to a treaty whose outlook is draped in uncertainty?  History does not reassure us. Only our own trust and faith that G-d will be with us and help us complete this one act and find following acts to build a peace which will indeed allow all the fat ladies to sing out in full voice and in great celebration.

Until then -

remember our yesterdays of hard times,

the harsh todays that too often followed,

but always the tomorrows awaiting, with faith and hope.

Then we can all sing together.

WAy WAy Overslept

See you on Sunday 

THANK G-D FOR ADVERBS!

  Who. What. When. Where. Why. How.

If I ever run into a student and show them the above list of 6 words, I will be very disappointed if they do not recognize the above six question words as the six questions that an adverb answers. Those words help to anchor, define, and/or specify the detail of a statement or question, be it spoken or written. 

Without the clear information they provide, there is a paucity of clarity, leaving a huge gap as to comprehension and transmission of necessary content. Hence, it is expected to find the terms, the words so necessary, particularly in a situation demanding those answers, those bits and pieces of information, and where and when necessary, the more details the better.

And so, we come upon today's conundrum. Over- night I have received several exuberant emails from various Jewish, Israeli, and news related websites practically shouting "They are coming home. All of them.” I almost ran to wake up fellow members of my household with that joyous piece of information, knowing immediately that this meant that all the hostages, alive or dead, whatever poor condition they are in, are coming home. To the arms of their family, their friends, their loved ones, to all who have been hoping and praying for this to finally take place - after over two years, 734 days of horror. Or to be accorded proper burial rites per   the beliefs of the returned hostage.   

However, ...

Upon closer, slower perusal of the various postings, there was a very obvious - and telling - paucity of details in answer to the definition and purposes of adverbs. 

Who - Those slaughtered on October 7th or during their horrendous years of captivity, but more definition of who these redeemed from Hell are, their lives before, who awaits them with tears of joy or tears of the unredeemable loss of life, of  what could and should have been, if not for the savagery of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and all those who either implicitly or complicitly enabled this awful situation.

What - According to Turmp, and all those who read his statement and those of others reporting on this event,

 “I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first phase of our peace plan,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

“This means that all of the hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a strong, durable, and everlasting peace,” he continued."

Finally, the treaty, pact, agreement, promise that we have been waiting for, so terribly long a wait. Uh-oh went the warning bells in my head and my fingers ached for a red pen of correction/editing. What exactly was this statement, in actuality, transmitting to us? Treaty? Signed. sealed and delivered? Word of honor?  Detailed letter of agreement? Could we see it or are we to look aside from the possibility that in actuality there is nothing truly solid, concrete, real and assured to be so. Yet another blowhard situation, wherein false or wishful, imaginary thinking, akin to those presented to us as fact on that oxymoronically named self-serving site Truth Social? 

He has made this statement - “Blessed are the peacemakers!”  many, many times, always premature or, in fact, never to truly become fact and substance. Is the 'what' of it a very brief statement, an expression of a hope we all deeply desire, and soon after echoed by Netanyahu, with his own version of a longed-for actuality? “With God’s help, we will bring them all home”. 

Statements such as the above statements of both politicians, so practiced in the art of saying something actually amounting to nothing of reality or consequence, have been heard before. Too often.   Trump has, so modestly, deemed himself as the go-to "peacemaker", in situations where that peace never actualized, so desperate is he, even campaigning for it, the Nobel Peace Prize. He has contacted other leaders of the world, and the    Hostage Forum has contacted the Committee urging such a granting, despite the fact that we hear nothing concrete, etched in stone, as of yet. I, we all, so long for the return of our people and an end to these eternal wars, but the details? The adverb fulfillment? Where are they? 

These statements first put forth on that so aptly oxymoronically named Truth Social, remain as words of possible beauty and courage, whose realization will be a smooth process, smoothly, a  soft series of new realities it emerges, leaving room for further accepted and welcome positive change  release rather than with an abrupt painful bursting of all planned for, all dreams, all achievements. Frightening, noisy, yet another false moment by a man who has strong allergy to truths. I so hope that this time he will surprise me, the world will surprise itself, but ... 

The exact details necessary to fill in the void of where, when, and how are missing, glaringly so. Where will all this take place? Will it be a supposedly neutral area? Is one to be found there and it so, is certainly disguised well. Where will the people who are supervising this exchange to be found? If they can be found. The IRC has proven itself to be inefficient, and rather brutal actually in their treatment and regard to and for our hostages. There must be a place with no room for the awful displays, the staged performances meant to further delay releases of our tortured and tormented people.

How is where the details are sorely needed. How are the details to be filled in? With what information? How is all it to be actualized? Are those details and facts in writing, signed, sealed and delivered? The lopsided exchanges of swapping of innocents for those with blood on their hands cannot be left in vague terms, nor the who to be involved, for Hamas and ceasefires and exchanges have been sabotaged several times already. The word of Hamas is nothing to be trusted nor valued. So how do we ensure that so desired and smooth  exchange? We know it must be as peaceful, stressless and quick as possible, with all hostages alive and dead, returned before any permanent change takes place.

Why is it taking place now? These terms are nothing less than what has been spoken about before, bruited about on the airwaves, in the media, almost identical to what we have now. So why now? Why is Israel consenting to terms which chain their hands and feet? Why is there no wording re the exchange so that Hamas cannot stop it in midtrack? Why are we allowing for the release of those with the blood of thousands on their hands?    Why now as opposed to before when we refused  to do so with the very ones we are apparently agreeing to at present? How are we to prevent their return to bestiality? 

Finally, we have yet another why and how. Absolute security re the disarming of Hamas. Closets, cubbies, tunnels, hideaways and homes and cribs, hospitals and beds and schools - all emptied out of arms ad ammunition. During this ceasefire no chance to rearm and organize, to plant devices meant to take as many lives as cruelly as possible. They cannot be trusted, nor am I trustful of a force of Arab counties to patrol and neutralize.

How is the vetting to be done? Vetted to the day of birth! The antisemitism, the JewHatred, the Israel hate, suffusing the world these days makes this a certainty with great doubt of that force and its behavior for will there be true neutrality? How high is the risk of fighting should Israel be attacked or suffer yet another intifada, for the image of all Arab countries warring against Israel is abominable and unthinkable, yet there it is. Israel is attacked yet again, everyone standing there doing nothing as Isreal reacts. 

When they do take action, who judges its “appropriately” for if Isreal defends itself, it is almost 100% discouraged and disapproved by the nations of the world.  For Israel to defend itself seems to be an anathema.  Israel and then ... Will the world cry? Another multi-million people population are, in fact, having genocide once again perpetrated on them. The claim will be that Israel has done wrong, has ever does so in their eyes.

This whole situation is so fraught with uncertainty, so shaky are its foundations. Not necessarily so happening, nor coming to fruition with a positive finality.

 I hope I am wrong. I hope my mostly empty glass  fills up with good, clean soul restoring water and remains so. But until this happens, I cannot forget yesterdays and todays of horror and oppression, born of desire of the erasure of the entire Jewish nation and their heritage, their gifts to the world, and the tomorrows proposed to keep it that way.

 Would that it was not so. Unfortunately, it is. Who, when and where, why, and how - many questions, many details, many hopes, much distance between the wish for the imagined and the reality.

   We will have to wait and see. And pray.

THE NUMBERS GAME

  1,152 - Soldiers, reservists, security personnel, police force lost since October 7.

49% - "soldiers” during their national draft service. These are soldiers under the age of 21, as young as 18, just out of high school. Most of the soldiers killed in the initial brutal massacre of October 7 were brand new cadets of 18 and 19 and girls, also 18 and 19 who were merely observers with no arms furnished to them.

The majority of casualties were in the Gaza Strip where the major traits of these brutal assassin forces were inhumanity, cruelty, unbelievably criminal treatment of those they came upon, including rape, burning alive, maiming, starving, torturing, along with psychological abuse of unbelievable degree.

Furthermore, all medical treatment was denied. Prior illnesses were not addressed. The International Red Cross was worse than useless for they did not do their job and demand to see the Israeli hostages and any other hostages from any other countries being held in cages and dank, dark, airless tunnels with food and water scarce, and beatings and worse the order of the day.

This 'treatment' included children frightened half to death by the brutality of these men holding them prisoner. Some were as young as three, saw their parents killed before their eyes even as they were ripped away from them. One age 9 months was considered to be a major threat, for after all, his name, Kfir, meant Lion Cub and his 4-year-old brother, Ariel, was killed with him, via manual strangulation and brutal beatings. Such brave warriors of Hamas taking these fierce warriors on in a life-or-death battle. 

And please, not to forget the elderly, the women, frantically trying to save their children, the fathers and husbands holding onto door handles as they were shot through the door, those burned out, or caught in the open on a holiday early morning. 

No, there are no and never were  brave warriors, but brutes, out to count coup, to rob all they could, to steal cars and tractors, money, and lives, so many, many lives, including all that followed in the ensuing war - a war HAMAS had instigated, carried on through loss of their own terrorists.

 Their own people used as humasn shields, starved so that Hamas could feed their own fat stomachs, or sell stolen food on the black market at outrageous cost to Gazans, and wrought the destruction of their own infrastructure via usurping hospitals, schools, UN buildings, clinics and centers and used apartment buildings and private homes as hiding and fortified places, honeycombing Gaza with tunnels for pathways to slaughter..

These are the beasts, the two-legged creatures of prey, who began a war they were fated to lose, that had the gall to demand as if they were the victors. Outrageous, even as they refused all opportunities to end this ugliness. Instead, they lied through their teeth, their numerous forked tongues, and via insane fake numbers and accusations, they played upon the sympathies of the world, convinced the world they were being decimated, the victims of genocide performed by Isreal. 

Besides the fact that they most definitely were not undergoing genocide - perhaps the UN schools never provided them with dictionaries along with weapons and aid and comfort, so they were ignorant of their errors!!! Nah! Simply look at the fakes they attempted to spread out - the 'dying' baby actually sick with an illness incurable. A little boy 'killed' by Israeli troops and having a miraculous resurrection, totally healthy, two weeks later, or the same children holding out pans for food, all over Gaza, their faces made up and their clothing changed, but the same young boy or girl under it all, the same 'responders' also, all over Gaza, at unimaginable speeds. 

And of course, their own rockets which killed their own, damaged their own hospitals, and blamed all such on the Israelis, who of course were out practicing genocide.  The 'journalists' somehow 'forgetting' to print those errors. Naturally, the world, always eager to believe the worst of the Jewish nation, bought into it hook, line, and sinker. 

As early as Oct 8, famine and starvation, dehydration, were 'imminent'. Somehow, these risk periods, one day, two days, soon, now, no, back to six weeks, no, there are people with sacks of food upon their shoulders - so when? NEVER!!! 

One last comment on their losses. The HAMAS Ministry of Health was the one who gave out the numbers, but we all know that Hamas never lied, right!! Oops, for did they forget to include the numbers saved by warnings issued as early as two days prior to the event, to warn people within the buildings sheltering the chief terrorists to leave?  Dang, yet another truth forgotten again. And by the way, how could so many such tidbits be forgotten? Gee, I wonder? Do you?  

By the way, name one other army in the world, 

EVER! who did such a thing. Nope, no available, name or number as there never was any in the history of mankind.

But oh, the world loved the new trend of jumping whole hog into the new fetid swamp of JewHatred,  even more rank and toxic than ever.  Heretofore, mostly kept beneath smothering blankets deafening its noise and vicious cries of death to Jews and to destroy Israel, kept under wraps, somehow diminishing its horror, fooling some, deluding them into believing it was a nastiness of the past.  

But it was not so, for there it was and there it will always be, waiting to open up, to be revived, freed, to spew its ugliness, from minor to major, even unto murder for that is the state of the world today. Jews are being hunted, in danger wherever they walk, especially in the nations of Europe, even Asia, along with the standard hatred from the lands of Araby and Islam. Jews and their institutions are being attacked, blown up and ambushed, not even the schools safe from these murderers.   

 At least we here in Ameria thought we were safe.  Our grandparents and great-grandparents had saved us from the poison so prevalent of European antisemitism, for they had emigrated here, to America, the land welcoming all who chose to build a better world, to educate their children, to make their dreams a reality and most of all, to be safe.  But even here it was not to be so. 

The vicious attacks and murder sprees of Hamas and Islamic Jihad seemed to awaken and embolden the worst JewHatred to be found within humanity. Isolation, demeaning, demonizing, rejection and ejection from mankind, open season upon Jews, to hit, to curse, to even murder and boast of it. To be harassed in universities and on subways, walking in the street, to be ostracized and criticized by professors who have forgotten the true obligations of teachers. Where coworkers turn on you, leave nasty notes, threaten, friends who have forsaken you, ignored the years of friendship prior to this insane time.

It seems never to abate, certainly never to be smothered unto death. It remains permanently hungry to be fed. Its appetite grows exponentially, always seeking, always hunting, never ever being sated. Its newly emboldened JewHatred now encompasses not only the State of Israel of whom it demands it disappears itself, but also every Jew on the face of this planet. 

And for those Jews who think cooperation with those who only wish to do you harm, to kill you, - Yes, Kill You, as soon as you have worn out your use, down you will go too. We have learned that through awful periods in our history, so why  think it will change now. For You? Why? Do you think you are special and immune to HATE? Forget it.

In fact, not a one of you who are traitors or those who desire our demise, are special. The warning is there multiple times within the complete series of the holy Books of Judaism. Those who stand against the nation of the Children of G-d get their just dues.  Many, many times.

The Book of Danel, for one, has a clear prophecy.

Mene, mene, tekel ooh'pharseen.

You have been measured and weighed 

and found wanting. 

Accounting will take place.   

Stand with us, all who know the true rights and wrongs of us. To stand in silence is to be complicit in the horror resultant. To say one thing and then do the complete opposite is also to be complicit.

To be a person of rectitude is to acknowledge that we are one, that 

NO PEOPLE deserve Hate and Slaughter. 

No One.

Not Yesterday.

Not Today.

Not Tomorrow.

TRUE? FALSE? A BUBBLE READY TO BURST?

  Today, the Jerusalem Post is almost completely devoted to the horrendous anniversary upon us, that of October 7, 2023, known as Oct7. Leading up to this bloody day's anniversary the media, print and online, have devoted more and more time to this upcoming day; to this living nightmare, which took place in the light of day on a bright Shabbat (Sabbath) morning, doubling as a holiday morning celebrating the gift of receiving the Torah (Old Testament), a gift which renews itself and us every year, every week, every day, every hour, every second, for all eternity.

It was supposed to be a day of celebration. It was supposed to be a day of family and friends, reunions, hugs and kisses. It was supposed to be a day of prayers and song and dance even as another dance festival, Nova, took place very close by. It was a day meant for happiness, resembling another beautiful day which turned into another day of horror - 9/11. Instead of that, we received an ugliness beyond understanding, a day where   family reunions ended in death and captivity, in a maelstrom of blood and brutality, of rape and murder, of inhumanity such as we have not seen or experienced since the awful years of the Shoah, (the Holocaust). 

Jews once again burned alive, babies discarded and treated as trash, women as objects of perverted thinking and behavior. Men and women were chased after as the fox by a pack of howling hounds, intent on spilling blood, the more the better. Be it car, van, truck, bus, police car or ambulance, even sedans to be torn apart, rammed with heavy duty machinery and bumper guards of heavy metal, dumpsters or a grove of skimpy trees, a shelter packed high with bodies upon bodies, running frantically, terrified, brought down with cascades of bullets, shredded by grenades, set afire in whatever place they were, dragged from cars. It mattered not. Blood and screams of agony, of disbelief, partners dragged apart, calling to each other, pleading to be let go, to not be killed. Thrust against hot pipes of motorcycles, dragged by hair and feet, roped, chained, displayed as prizes of war, as if captives of old. 

Even as these terrified beings ran, they carried along with them the wounded, even if they were strangers. But they were not anymore, were they, for they were all Jews, being chased and slaughtered for that alone. And for those non -Jews who bravely risked their lives to rescue the dancers, some even killed for that bravery, may they be among the blessed of Zion in their eternal rest and peace. 

Sons and daughters called home, crying for mothers and fathers, people pulled dead bodies of friends and strangers over their own so as to be thought dead. Voice after voice, calling out with tear-stained faces, desperate voices announcing their love for always, their apologies for dying. A voice of a daughter, calling out to her mother on the other side of that phone conversation. "Ima, Ani lo rotzeh lehiyote po!" Mommy, I don't want to be here!" The tear clogged voice of the mother, trying to reassure her that help will be there soon, our soldiers know their duty and will rescue you.

 But the young lady knew better, did she not? Brutalized, beaten, dead, and shown on display by Hamas and those "innocent civilians" who cheered and shot their rifles and reached to touch her as if counting coup as Native Americans did during their battles. No innocent civilians here. Not a one! The innocents were those who cried out the Shema as their last agonized breath left their bodies, as their souls floated up to the arms of welcoming angels who escorted them to Hashem, who greeted them as martyrs, as those who died al kiddush Hashem.

Now we are told there is a ceasefire imminent. With all hostages, live or dead to return home. When? How many? What conditions? What about the body of Goldin, kept as hostage since 2014? Will Hamas return all of their "bargaining" chips for future needs, as they call their captives, keep them for a "rainy day" and then ' surprise' us with a "forgotten" one or one they "found" recently? Will they actually release any on time, or wait and hesitate and linger in the return and give us back only a few, then breaking the deals made as they have done time and time again?

How do we not blow up a balloon only to have it burst again, and harsher, in our faces? How do we make sure they will not stop, no longer keep faith with the rules of the ceasefire, claim Israel broke faith, as the world will happily and eagerly believe, and will begin the battles and attacks again, replete with missiles and rockets, again with aid from their allies, and then we get a warning from the USA that we had better not shoot at their allies, leaving us bare armed and buck naked  against those who wish us dead and buried, the sooner, the better!

Is there a bubble or balloon we can trust, not to indeed harmfully in great manner blow up in our faces? Are we not also the "ally" of America? Will our enemies be allowed to shoot at us because   they are more powerful and wealthy as a group? Or they have more natural resources in short supply than we have? Or will the world simply stand by, silent, or even cheer, if, we go down the drain, this time forever, there being no place of sanctuary, no place defending us as their citizens, no country  opening her doors to us, no voices to join together with us and protest against it, and be at least somewhat successful in their attempts to combat this ever returning abomination and seemingly of eternal duration, even as our nation who does defend Jews of all origins, color, ethnicities, around the world, Israel, is itself under severe siege and attack.

What will be? With the world? With the Jewish nation? With humanity as a whole?

Will we ever be able to see each other as humans, the same under the skin, having the same dreams for ourselves and our kids?

When will we be able to look back at the yesterdays behind us, the todays so much improved, and the tomorrows blessed in opportunity, peace, and progress?  

When?

WHEN?!

 

  

   

,

  

  

 

YA' GOTTA' WONDER

One must indeed. How many times have we already arrived at a point where we were coming along, and all that is left to do is some blither and blather. And then we find out that it is quite a bit more than that and inevitably, Hamas must put this stick in the machinery, and it grinds to a halt, and then on and so on and so on and so on. Then we find out that still more negotiations on implementation of the very terms of this agreement are required before oral promises are cemented into place. 

Once again cruelly treated hostages held by Hamas and their families are hung up in gray fields of uncertainty, for inevitably Hamas never runs out of sticks, or entire bundles of them, to ram through the cogwheels. The process comes to a halt. Again. Suddenly a change, again, as our 20 maybe living and 27 dead, slaughtered, while within the brutal custody of Hamas, are to be held there until death of all, it seems.

Just as inevitably, the media hypes the fact that Hamas agreed to the agreement with just a few 'minor' issues. Those are played down as worthy of no protest; thus, when the agreement collapses under its own weight, blame is gleefully heaped upon the head and shoulders of Israel, with not a few, I told you so's being heard. And here we are, still wallowing in this same muck and mire that never seems to be able to be drained. 

In the meanwhile, the Jewish community waits on tenterhooks. We want our people back. We demand our people back. We see through your subterfuges.  your rather crude attempts to stall this return once again, ever again, stating that you will definitely return the civilian captives. However, you will not return the soldiers. Really, when you have made so many statements that all of your captives up to and including the age of 54 can be considered to be of fighting age and hence are to be considered as soldiers. Hence, they are not even within 50 miles of this agreement.

Furthermore, most of the 'soldiers' remaining are the little soldier boys taken during their first week of training or at Nova, civilians, high on Nature, good feelings, and trance music. So brave of you, as you then beat them, tortured them, starved them, raped them, and so dastardly more. 

How many more do you have plans to mutilate and torture even more, so as to cut down the living and add to the dead. Then add fuel to the fire and continue to refuse repatriation of the body of Lt. Goldin, murdered by you in 2014, and, body in pieces, taken back into those damned accursed tunnels, gateways to Hell, breaking the hearts of his parents. And once again, aren't you so proud, as you wage war against civilians, babies, infants in arms, wounded, the elderly, the sick, for two years already.

 Are you? Are you not yet tired of strangling babies, tossing them into ovens, burning whole families wired together? Using your own people as human shields? Do you not see the ravages you have inflicted upon these people and upon the land you claim as your own, Gaza?  Land where the economy was buzzing along, where an industry of fruit growing and selling, even internationally was thriving? Replete with greenhouses and infrastructure? 

Where laborers were able to access good paying jobs, send their kids to school, where women were able to attend higher education and have professional careers? Where health needs at times needful of care unable to be accessed within Gaza, were taken by Israeli citizens to hospitals in Israel, free of charge. YES!! The very ones you slaughtered on October 7. 

So proud you are, shamefully so. You were able to shanghai other Jews into supporting your campaigns as murderers, and to this day, have not admitted any wrongdoing, purveyed lies round the world, bringing to the top of the scummy foul pond the tropes of viral, vicious antisemitic chants of  JewHatred gone exponentially insane. As Jews joined with the protests, curtailing their own rights to be at universities, in businesses and the media, in the arts and sciences. Countries of Europe, still reeking of the blood of Jews slaughtered in an attempt to erase them from humanity, less than a century ago, reverted to their worst points, slimed their way back to barbarism, and gloat in it once more as Jews, Israelis, are isolated, increasingly so.

One certainly must wonder why this savage beastly streak in mankind refuses to die, why mankind persists in holding tight to it, saving it for whatever and whenever they deem it a rainy day?!

Erasing, or trying to, the blood and souls of Jewish people. Again. Smearing this blood on themselves as they boast of their prowess in this activity. Not noticing, until too late, the deterioration of the world, for the lack of Jews and their mammoth contributions to the history and advancement of humanity.

Wake up, people. No more wondering at the ugliness now pervading the world. That is being soaked up with every breath you take, into every alveolus, tainting every drop of your blood, draining your humanity. 

Know this: 

We will not sit by, but will rather return 

ONE THOUSANDFOLD 

for what you wish to inflict on us.

 We would far rather have the righteous among you speak out and up and turn aside, reject, the brutal and animalistic traits still remaining within.

It is time for humanity to rise to a level of dignity. To know we are all the same, with minor insignificant differences and stop playing this ugly hate game.  

We are all the same.

Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow. 

For all the days to come.

Or none at all if we persist on this path.

DEAR LORD,

  Dear Lord,

This is a letter from the heart from one of your most insignificant worshippers. Please give me a second of your time, whatever piece of it you can spare and hear the words, feel the heartbreak, and yes, feel the pain and the worry, the love and concern, the intense fear that we are once again to undergo another test, a brutal one, replete with the horrors of both the past and the present, evermore powerful in effect and harm. 

Or is it a time of payback, a reminder of how we have fallen down on the job, forgotten to acknowledge to whom we owe it all. It is especially frightening in that we are reading the section of the Torah called Haazinu, a most powerful and frightening reminder of what happens we veer too much from the required and most deserved services of gratitude to You and immerse ourselves in a mistaken vanity of success, pride in our own accomplishments, ignoring once again, blind to the truth that we owe it all to You.

Will we ever learn? I truly do not know the answer to that. I would hope yes, but history has shown me that we do not, until Your patience is exhausted. We ignore the warning signs of a growing disappointment in us, and tell ourselves it will be better, it can never be as it was; people know better, are better. But we are fooling only ourselves and not even that if one were to be honest.

At incremental speed, the crisis has been growing apace. From growing numbers of words spoken dripping with hate, to encouragement to test the bounds of acceptability of consequences of hate speech, to initial first steps of action, from 'protests' conveyed with speech to active protests, to purposeful discrimination and isolation of Jews from society, drawing the line tighter and tighter, and the world where Jews can walk freely, with no fear of violence grows smaller and smaller. More and more we are pressured into denying who we are, losing our souls, and we are confused.

How did we get here? Again. What happened? Where was the point of no return and how did we ever miss it? Where were our leaders to pull us back on to the right paths? How did we once agin fall for the "hevel havalim" of life, valuing that which truly means nothing and ignoring, even rejecting, the truth. We looked at our hands, admired the strength in them and their power to build successful lives for us and our families. We admired our faces in the mirror, but the reflection is dimmed and darker. Somewhere along the line we lost sight of who we actually are and how we got here. 

We forgot, ignored, purposely denied hearing the commandment we received many times from our leaders of old - to study, learn and live the Torah and its precepts. To recognize the true Power of this universe and understand our insignificant piece of it. We forgot that between the Heavens and the Earth, the witnesses to the covenant G- d gifted to us, we were always to serve the Lord, our Lord, to remain faithful to Him and in so doing bring this knowledge to the people of the world, to know the true G-d. We have failed abysmally.

We have lost our way, fallen upon tempting paths whose end is ugly with violence and despair, with grievous harm to us, our families, the entire nation. Now we are shocked at the virulence, the long lasting and well powered campaign of hate, yet another determination to destroy the People of the Book, the Nation which was delivered from slavery into a land of milk and honey. We let the images of life before fade from our minds from our consciences, and fell into the religion of success, of material wealth, of surface prayers rushed through and hypocritical statements which actually   highlighted the growing emptiness within our souls.

We had turned a blind eye to the truth of the world and suddenly, our eyes are cleared to see, our ears are cleaned to hear, our minds are reopened to full comprehension of cause and effect, of history. In forgetting or ignoring the purpose of or life on earth, we reopened the door to the horrors of the past. Now our hearts are broken, riven with fear for the future. Are we once again to undergo a reenactment of the past, of violent war waged upon us? Will its unimaginable terror of an entire world standing against us, maligning us, demonizing us, with no place to go, nowhere to turn, burned alive by a hate whose most intense and innermost goal and driving desire to is to extinguish us, erase us. 

Now is where I raise my puny voice, hoping that somehow You will be able to distinguish it from the shouts and cries of a world in desperate straits. Will you hear, allow the words of those who recognize truth to penetrate to your deepest soul, to respond to the appeal for mercy? We acknowledge that we indeed went wrong, strayed afar, but have returned and more will follow.  We have come to our senses   and plead for more time, to halt progress of evil and for the return of a true faith, a full and open confession of our sins, of our offenses against you.  

If not for ourselves, then for our children and their children and all the generations to follow, to worship you and not the false gods to be found along the paths of life. For You as well, for we are the ones who will serve you in the present and in the future, even though we have moments where we stray, for we are humans. 

So You created us and so we are always in a battle with ourselves, to use the Free Will we have, to empower the instinct for Good over the instinct and temptations of Evil within us.  Allow us yet another gift of time, an extension of time to earn forgiveness, to come to a comprehension again of the Eternal Truth of You, Our Lord. To display the Truth of You to the peoples of the world. 

No more this conversation.

Q. "But we are citizens! 

A. But you are Jews."

 No more to have governmental officials hide, suppress, information of the slaughter of Jews, killed by application of an insecticide to "kill vermin". Or to hide behind flimsy excuse as to inability to rescue Jews, allow them sanctuary. To be forced to acknowledge the stain of blood on the hands, of all who perpetrated this crime against humanity, from the Cabinet of the USA, to the British, to Vichy France, the police who gleefully and cruelly rounded up Jews for death, the drivers of the trains of death, the civilians who rushed to plunder that which the Jews left behind, to take over  homes and businesses, to people able to turn  off their humanity an become mass murderers, willing torturers. Complicit and implicit, to their elbows and over their heads. 

When the deed is done. When the words of "horror", the words of shame, come after, it is too little, too late, particularly when it is obvious these words and promises and exclamations of disbelief and disavowal are as real and long-lasting as is fairy dust. Especially when the very same words, only at faster pace, with earlier intent, a speedier turn into violence and a fast-growing worldwide acceptance of such sentiments and ultimate plans, are met with vocal and unvoiced approval and encouragement and mealy-mouthed statements of horror, disavowal, and confusion as to "how such a thing happened, how it must be avoided" and then go on, same old, same old, in voice, action and intent.  

Dear Lord, hear my voice, speaking for so many, speaking for my little ones, all of them, so bright and shiny, for what future are You planning for them even as you take revenge, as threatened, as promised as has materialized, again and again? 

Mercy, not revenge on Your People. 

Yet one more chance.

Show the nations of the world that You are with us still, prorect us, and save us from ourselves.

Anger is easy, mercy and restraint are more difficult. 

Show us the way, Lord.

Lead us.

Please.

The cries of yesterday, from the graves of the murdered, of today's wounded and killed, and the fears and concerns for and of the tomorrows -

Listen Hard.

Listen with open heart.

Hear me. Hear us.

Hear Me.

THE DAY

  Actually, the day is tomorrow but begins tonight with the arrival of evening. One of the most touching and heartfelt prayers, the Kol Nidre, is sung with great emotion for it is the last-ditch effort to convince G-d, the Eternal Scribe of the Book of Life and Death to decide. What is our fate for the coming year. If itis not a good one, then what must we undertake to change that possible outcome. 

It is well known that three things are able to deter fates boding no good for individuals - repentance, prayer, and charity. To the last moment in life, these are pathways to avoid the negative as well as to ensure a year of better fate and outlook for the year to come. Does it work? No one can speak to that with proof positive and sentient conclusion, but we can surmise and that is the inspiration for The Days of Repentance, culminating in a vow to do better, to be better. 

What it is important to pay attention to is to know one can ask for forgiveness only for the violations between Man and his G-d. For those between Man and Man, only the offended can do the forgiving. If there are true repentance and the offended refuses after three times to forgive, well, then he has just assumed a burden he could have avoided.

The idea is to encourage proper and positive relationships among all mankind, from individual to individual and groups large and small, to encourage interactions of good intent and outcome, to encourage peace and quiet, progress and all that is good in this world in all its unfulfilled gifts for Mankind. 

I wish it would be possible to achieve this goal. So very much, but I doubt it, particularly as we are currently overloaded with people of Evil intent and deed, who cannot let go of the ugly traits of evil, their urges to fulfill their most wrongful fantasies perpetrated on those so designated an enemy.  

The positive parts of mankind, their innate inclinations to do good by others, have been overcome by the negative, especially so of late. This is an ugly trend repeating once again the errors of people and delays the arrival of a world devoid of the hate, the jealousy, the bigotry, the constant return to wars which solve nothing and are only of service in the ramping up to yet another war, to follow the same useless terrible path. 

Would that we could forgive ourselves, forgive the offenses against us and convince the Scribe that this time we really mean it, in all spheres. Peace would then reign.

A dream of all our yesterdays.

A hope for the fruition of that dream in our todays.

And a huge hope that one day, our tomorrows, will be that in reality. 

Forever.

I will return on Friday.

Let us culminate the year with true repentance and forgiveness and a step forward on the road to peace and brotherhood.

TAD LATE

  Yes, a bit late in posting, even its composition, but well these are the holiday times for the Jewish people and nothing gets done on time other than to arrive in synagogue on time. After all, one cannot be late for the Big Guy upstairs, looking down at His creations and wondering what the heck! 

Are these rather annoying beings worthy of His time and drain of His patience? Are they worth all that has gone into them, all the rescues of them from perilous situations and the sheer ingratitude and forgetfulness of those 'adventurous' times? G-d lowers His achy head into His work marked hands and groans. What is He to do with these stubborn ingrates? Are there not enough among them to see the good outweighing the bad and go for yet another try? Yes or no?

Those are the choices facing our Lord. Are we worthy of yet another year, another chance to better ourselves, not in wealth but in character, to be better people. To keep others in mind even as we walk through life. To be unselfish with our time and wealth. To strive for the higher standards. To be closer to what we are meant to be. Not easy, but if we do not improve, well, you draw your conclusions and pictures and face up to the truth that is and have always been right before our very eyes. 

If one needs to remind themselves, please turn to the Tanach, the Bible and all the books following and read what awaits the unworthy. Chapter 32 in D'vorim, the last book of the Old Testament and in the book of Isaiah, where the warning to pay attention and make amends is even more severe, more frightening, hair raising and spine tingling than the first version. 

I wonder if we, the people of the stiff neck and stubborn behavior will ever hear all of what needs to be remedied, what will make their lives at least a bit better. More secure in the continued attention paid to us by our G-d, and less attention to us by those who wish us only harm and ill will. Will such a time ever come to be? Will the enemies of our people ever give it up, stop making up stories and egregious harmful lies and refuse to indulge their worst side and moot their malicious urges.

For all out there, Jew and non-Jew alike, for our friends and for those who need to hear the truth, I wish all a New Year of peace and quiet, of health and prosperity, of joy and love.

Perhaps if we all jump in headfirst to the aromatic waters of the best wishes from all to all, then perhaps we will dry up the fetid swamp of hate and ugliness flooding the world.  

Would it not be wonderful if we could negate all the negativity remaining from our yesterdays?

 Live in a world of todays, free of conflict and hate?

Look forward to many tomorrows of peace and progress?

Halevai. If only. Stated with a huge sigh.

SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG HERE...

 So why do we not realize or acknowledge it, at least to some degree? Are we in purposeful ignorance or are we playing the game of see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil? In any case, that evil does come through so why we continue to play this time wasting and harmful game is beyond me. Certainly, there is nothing good to come out of this unless one considers denial of information a proper and beneficial path on which to continue.

 Perhaps even worst of all is when one assumes or pretends to believe that whatever the secret data is, it is out there up front and present. That simply presents a feeling of contempt for the intelligence of those awaiting timely knowledge disclosures or presents the denier in a most contemptible situation for either he knows and is not admitting to it and certainly not a trustworthy figure, or it is really unknown to that person and he/she appears to be an incompetent ignoramus and most definitely unfit  to serve in any responsible situation. 

The situation most violating the rights of the public to know, of people concerned to know the truth of the matter, trying to behave as if it would never have occurred to have informed oneself of that bit of knowledge and be able to convey it to those who have a need for it. Or simply wishing to be fully informed on any and everything affecting he and his. In acting as if he believed that no one would notice the omission, the denier, the one who refuses to disclose, displays a brutal and public contempt for the intelligence of the questioner. Particularly if the response is a stuttering "I don't know" or "I cannot remember" or shuffling through a whole pile of useless blank papers or perhaps repetitive lines of the Quick and lazy brown Fox jumped over the fence, or some such subterfuge.

I am sure we can all recall the attorney of Trump, one of many, eventually, who claimed ignorance or spoke with blatant forked tongue, in denying the guilt of Trump, or their ignorance of said violations, or in her case, wheeling in a cart loaded with papers - all blank - even as she waved them in the air, perhaps not knowing of their visible emptiness. This behavior continues into Trump's second term and is quite alive and unfortunately well, when a member of his administration is called before a Congressional Committee to testify or to present desired testimony and/or proof on an area of interest, there is open defiance to saying the truth, to presenting papers and documents. It is outrageous behavior, and condemning the public and its officials to ignorance, presenting them as contemptible creatures unworthy of getting answers, of hearing truths, yet it doesn't even last one whole cycle of news. Shame on the liars and shame as well on those who take this lying down, par for the course. This is egregiously wrong mannerisms and attitudes, and it is not excusable no matter who is the official and who is the POTUS.

Unfortunately, this type of behavior is seen around the world. In fact, I think one would be greatly challenged to find an honest man, a leader of character, even with intense effort. It brings to mind the Greek character, Diogenes, who held a lantern before him seeking, searching, for an honest person, diligently so and equally unsuccessful. 

When the person in charge of a country - by whatever name - President, Prime Minister, General, Colonel, lies in a consistent and obvious manner, prepared only to lay a small glaze over the information denied to the public, so dumb he thinks they are, the administration of that person will collapse in and under the weight of its own lies. It might take time. It might take years, but it does happen, and it will happen. There are many of these downfallen liars littering the face of this globe.

Yet even more baffling is that the public, the body politic, never seems to take this truth to heart. Either they fall prey to a smooth glib talker who promises the sun and the moon, promises full and open government and then proceeds to toss mud and filth over all that he promised, or they are blind to the violations of the best principles of government and actually support this person. Even as the situation of the nation and of their own personal situation deteriorates by the day. 

I think the most frightening of all is when the nation just doesn't care enough to look deep enough, open eyes and ears wide enough, to observe and to admit that there is something rotten in that state. Something very, very wrong. Hence, they did not take action for the taking of that action is unknown or unrecognized to them. Or there are those who know exactly what is happening, but they have signed on with that offender and push for his success, and to their benefit.

Finally, perhaps the saddest of all are those who see and know, whose eyes and ears see and hear the truth, whose shoulders bow under the weight of what they see before them, what awaits them in the very, very near future and for the time afterwards. At first, they might deny it for denial is so much easier, more prudent, but that denial cannot last long as more open actions canceling democracies, canceling constitutions, canceling righteous behavior, shredding the rights of people, encouraging bias and hatred in and of society, become ever more visible and harmful and denial does not fill the blanks in as well as it did before.

These people are then left to wage war against an ingrained violator of decency. They are accused of all sorts of disloyalty and of questions and actions inimical to the survival of their nation and their beloved, though very frightening, leader.

That war to wage is difficult and not very assured of finding success. Too bad.

In such a case, we have wasted the knowledge and courage of the yesterdays.

We have tainted and weakened the todays before us.

We have crushed the hope of our tomorrows.

Will we ever learn? 

TO HEAR, TO LISTEN; TO LISTEN, TO HEAR

  Every Sabbath of the year a new portion of the Hebrew Bible is read, this one entitled a command, to listen, to hear. This Bible is the history and the ethos of the Israelites, of Jews throughout the millennia, no matter where they lived, no matter how cut off they were from the world. No matter how strictly the rules regarding outside denial of the right to do so, none of it mattered, for within those words are contained the very gist, the center, the makeup of Judaism and the act of being a Jew in every which way - of terminology, of observance, of adherence - to the ancient people from whom modern day Jews have descended in a straight line, in an unbroken chain, no matter how hard the pressure was to shatter this chain, to break each and every link upon it, or of its composition. Every such effort failed. We were here. We are here. And here we will remain. No different than any other time of history. No matter how hard, bizarre and cruel the attempts to gainsay that survival.

Why was this so? Why did none of the many attempts to destroy us and in fact, some were extremely successful, never ever come to fulfill their original evil goal. Pogroms, accusations of blood libel, lynchings, burning at the stake, forced conversions, denial of rights, kidnappings of children and impressing of the sons into 25-year terms of service in the military, suppression of Jewish education and observances, expulsions, refusal of entry into havens of safety and survival. Even, in fact, times of great prosperity resulting in other forms of pressure to discard Judaic Heritage and become one of the many others, to follow their calendar and customs, to hide their identity from all, for many, many reasons. And to return in time for many other reasons, including a longing for a true belonging, a remembrance of times and traditions of childhood, forced return to their People as the haters of the world dug to "out" them, oppress them, and in fact, attempt to follow through on the evil ambitions of those who came before - and all to no avail.

And why is that? We are 2% of the population of the world, a true minority and yet we get none of the breaks accorded to minorities but do, in fact, have all the denials and the prejudice sent our way. With great vim and vigor and enthusiasm. Why is it that, despite our introduction to the world of the greatest book, our Bible, the presentation of the idea and the devotion, the belief, in one G-d, no matter the name given, the first codified code of justice, the rules of society demanding that those in need, those who are in worse condition, those who are strangers, and those who cannot necessarily understand all that society is and demands of them, those who are blind and of lesser understanding, who are deaf to words of instruction, the weakest among us and the demands upon the wealthy to give of their time and wealth to others, who introduced the fact that no god, no true G-d, would demand sacrifice of humans, of children, and in fact demanded that we treat each other better, be more caring and fair in our attitudes, and even addressed the question of war - when and why and how. In fact, it was always upon us to be of benefit to the world, to leave the world a better place for every one of us having been in the world, to devote themselves to charity and good deeds, to be successful in their efforts but always in proper manner, to be philanthropists and to make no distinction in this philanthropy as its benefits fell upon Jew and non-Jew alike.

Yet all this was ignored, and our attempts to strive to be successful in our endeavors, to contribute to the world, to research better ways, better medicines, to improve society, to entertain and educate, to be loyal citizens, even governmental advisers and diplomats of the nations in which we resided - and for all that, we received snide remarks generated by jealousy, by those envious of our success even as they refused to put in the hard work necessary, by those needing to use us as scapegoats and deflections from their own inadequacies, with accusations of being anything and everything which they opposed or resented: from communists to socialists to capitalists; to bankers and control of all industries: control of the press and all media: of subversion and disloyalty to the nations we served in their armies, in their civilian needs and their governmental needs and demands. We were portrayed as feeders upon society, as perverts and in both underground in covert manner and overt education, this was taught to the children of the world and reinforced among the adults as well.

Most irritating to the Jew haters and to the self-hating and self-denying Jews was that along with contributing to the world in general, of faithful service to the countries where we resided, there remained an internal integral part of Judaism, never denied or discarded. A longing to return to Zion, to our indigenous, G-d given and promised homeland. The land of our forefathers, to be ours, forever given to the children and descendants of Abraham, the forefather and all the forefathers and foremothers who followed, down to the least among us.

 There was no separation, no distinction, for this return to Zion, known in modern times as Zionism, is not new. Always has been front and center, prominent in our prayers and traditions. For 3000 years, be it within our homeland or in exile, we     prayed to remain or to be able to return. To be able to fill all the commandments of our Bible as dictated to us by God via the great among us, including Moses and Aaron, Joshua and David, Solomon and Hannah, the Maccabees, all the prophets who kept us on the straight and narrow, or warned us to return, lest misbehavior bring downfall upon us. Even within the poorest of Shtetls, of villages, in cities, in nations, one and all, in all eras and times of history, in all times of persecution and slaughter, even within the ghettos and the concentration camps and the harsh treatment rendered unto any remaining Jews among Arab and Muslim nations after the Declaration of the State of Israel in 1948 - Always these prayers remained the same, albeit in varying tunes. But the words, the yearning, the direction of prayer, the same. 

From Ethiopia to America, from India to England. From the Anusim, the hidden of Spain and New Mexico and Central and South America, always the remembrance, the longing to return. And they have, from Venezuela to Myanmar, from Iran and Iraq to France, from South Africa and Australia to the entire American nation. More so now than in a long time for the evil currents and winds of hate, of toxic and viral anti Semitism, of vicious JewHatred, have grown exponentially, have quickly morphed from words of hate towards words encouraging and urging of violence, to acts of violence, to murder, to overt avowal to destroy any and all Jews of the world, particularly the entity known as the State of Israel, the eternal Homeland of the original indigenous, the Israelites.

We have long known that the only eternal place of safety and defense for Jews no matter where they lived was a Homeland of their own. What better to serve that purpose than the already growing movement of return, to Jews already and for always residing there, never having ever left the land bereft of Jews over the 2,000 plus years of Exile of the majority, to those so in desperate need of haven - the modern nation, the State of Israel, Medinat Yisrael. 

For we all know, and have vowed, that never again will that land of ours be defeated again, ever. We will never be exiled again from the land of Avraham Avinu, Abraham, Our Forefather. To the last stone, to the last bit of falsehood and treachery of the nations of the world, we will listen and hear, hear and listen, and heed the words of our Bible, we will hear and listen to our history and we will defend the land, defend the people, and be true to our heritage and to the gift from G-d to us - the Land of Israel. From the oldest to the youngest, from the important to the least of us, from those who preceded us to those who will follow, from any ethnicity, color or origin after Exile - we know our eternal home, even as we continue to serve our current nation -as long as they remain true to us.

Yesterday, today and tomorrow, it matters not, as for always, for eternity, we will be here, strong in our beliefs and strong in our contributing to a better world. 

Would that the nations of the world finally realize and accept that, its reality, and then, perhaps peace will reign among us.

I so wish for that. 

I so hope for that.

Especially for the little ones we all cherish.

As do we all. 

As should we all.