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Are ‘Russian’ Israelis an Obstacle to ‘Peace’?

Oct 13th, 2010
by Leah.
2 comments

Clinton’s remarks two weeks ago, singling out Russian immigrants to Israel as the primary obstacle to peace made me cringe. Literally. Classifying ethnic groups into policy or regime supporters and troublemakers is so reminiscent of Stalin-era “resettlement programs,” that I am starting to wonder whether there might be some truth to the Republican rhetoric of Marxist leanings within the Democratic Party

Beyond creating bad blood in the Israeli cabinet, I cannot fathom what Clinton actually planned to achieve by publicly marginalizing almost a quarter of Israeli citizens.  Did he actually think we would care enough to conveniently ship out to Birobidjan, so as not to get in his way of creating an idyllic Arab-ruled utopia in the Middle East?

Clinton is right in that Russian-born Israelis do not buy into the offerings of peaceful coexistence. As Alexander Maistrovoy explained in his perceptive analysis, years of totalitarian repressions have taught us enough to see through the empty promises of multiculturalism and brotherly love.

THE MAIN issue is not politics. It is the cult of national dignity, mistrust of universalist theories and resistance to any trespassing on their living space, both geographical and spiritual.

It is impossible to imagine a Ukrainian leader bowing to a Middle Eastern sheikh, or a Polish prime minister kissing the hand of an African despot.

Hindus will not build a mosque near the site of one of the bloodiest terrorist attacks; Serbs don’t feel guilty toward the Albanians of Kosovo who deprived them of their heritage; Russian intellectuals, actors and academics don’t wish to “understand” the Chechen insurgents, who carried out terrible acts of terrorism in their country.

Several commenters to this post claimed that Russian Israelis refuse to believe the peacenik propaganda, because they are just more educated and have better critical thinking skills than the average Israelis. I don’t think that’s the issue. American Jews are among the best educated population groups in the world, yet they have become so enamored with Obama’s multicultural liberalism that several people have reported being asked to leave their synagogues over their opposition to the administration’s policies.

This brings me right back to Clinton’s remarks. When considered in conjunction with Obama’s targeted preaching to the American Jewish community on issues of policy, does this statement reveal something about the Democrat’s modus vivendi of quietly mapping population groups into helpful and problematic?  May be it is just my long historical memory, but the slope sure feels slippery to me.


 

Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza – Gourmet Videos

Jun 16th, 2010
by Leah.
6 comments

What images does “humanitarian crisis” conjure in your mind? For me, it’s the stories of the siege of Leningrad during WWII, which some of my family members experienced first-hand.

Leningrad siege 253x300 Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza Gourmet Videos

The face of a humanitarian crisis

The Hamas and its supporters (especially in the media) would like us to believe that something of the sorts is happening in Gaza. Then, last week, the Israeli Government Press Office spoiled the show by sarcastically inviting the foreign press corps in Gaza to visit the Roots Club and get a first-hand glimpse of the humanitarian situation in the strip.

The owners of Roots have reportedly invested over US 1 million into the site, which leaves us with two options: either they are stark-stupid, throwing money to the wind or there is no shortage of clients for this posh establishment.

Lest you think this ritzy restaurant is one-of-a-kind place for the rich and famous (as Palestinians have been claiming since the publication), think again. Just in case you should ever  find yourself in Gaza with nothing to eat, here is a sampling of YouTube videos from Gaza restaurants in a variety of price ranges (use Google Translate to verify Arabic captions). Note that all videos are from 2008 and on (well into the Israeli blockade of the strip).

Lighthouse Restaurant – Gaza

Pay attention to the fountain and the manicured lawns (in view of the severe water crisis in Gaza).

Key West Restaurant – Gaza

If you’d like something simpler, this Gaza-style Kentucky Fried Chicken should suit your fancy. (I do hope the Hamas doesn’t burn them down for identifying with enemy values).

Almat’haf Museum and Restaurant

Man doesn’t live on bread alone. At Almat’haf Museum and Cultural House cultural experiences and fine dining go hand in hand. Note the planned construction of a boutique hotel, which seems to be unhampered by the alleged Israeli embargo on building materials.

Falafel – Gaza Style

Finally, no Gaza dining guide would be complete without some first-class falafel with an assortment of pickled vegetables.

Wow, that looks appetizing!

TSA Security Measures

Jan 5th, 2010
by Leah.
3 comments

When I was a kid back in Russia, my family would spend all our summer vacations in Yalta, a seaside resort on the Black Sea. One year, as we were driving to the airport for our flight back home, we were stopped by the police and diverted into the local botanical gardens. Together with several hundred other people, we spent the next several hours waiting for Brezhnev (the then Soviet president) and his entourage to drive from the airport to his seaside retreat.

The absurdity of treating everyone as a potential assassin resurfaced I my mind as I was reading about yesterday’s  security breach in Newark and the ensuing pandemonium. The sheer absurdity of rechecking thousands of people and grounding hundreds of flights, even those on the other side of the Atlantic, is a clear sign that the Transportation Security Administration lacked an advanced emergency scenario plan and was acting on the spur of the moment. At least they were considerate enough not to ground ALL air traffic in North America until the poor chap, who had wondered through the wrong door, could be found.

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The Gilad Shalit Deal as a Mirror of the Israeli Society

Dec 22nd, 2009
by Leah.
1 comment

The discourse over the anticipated deal with Hamas to free Gilad Shalit has become the center of Israel’s public agenda in recent weeks. Although I oppose the release of some one thousand terrorists, which will only serve to whet Hamas’s appetite and encourage additional kidnappings, the very fact that the Israeli government would even consider such a deal as well as the extent of public interest in the fate of a single individual, is yet another remarkable sign of our society’s unprecedented humanity and the value it places on human life.

This understanding has become especially poignant against the backdrop of my grandmother’s recollections of her life in communist Russia, which she shared with me during my recent trip to Moscow. The following clip from The Gift to Stalin, in which the Soviet authorities test the first atom bomb without evacuating or warning the local population,  is an excellent example  of the utter disregard for the fate of ordinary people on the way to realizing the grand (or not so grand) goals set by a society (hat tip to Vicky Boykis for drawing attention to the movie on her

blog).

In both our personal and public lives, G-d grants us challenges, which facilitate inquiry and clarification of our most basic character traits. Thus, Avraham was tested in situations, requiring him to show a measure of cruelty (the exile of Hagar and Yishmael from the family and later the binding of Yitzhak). Both of these tests were meant to crystallize Avraham’s underlying trait of loving kindness. So long as Avraham was unable to express cruelty, his charity was devoid of meaning.

In a similar vein, the Israeli society is called upon to define boundaries for the value of freeing its POWs, a fundamental part of its national ethos.  As we continue to argue over the pros and cons of releasing terrorists in exchange for Gilad, the discussion never strays into a debate of ideology vs. pragmatism. Both sides are guided by their understandings of the best way to uphold the value of human life. Like any value, this too needs to have identifiable boundaries.

At this hour, it is still unclear whether the deal will go through. But whatever the outcome, I feel extremely privileged to live in a society, which has these as its moral challenges.

This is just shocking…

Oct 23rd, 2009
by Leah.
No comments yet

This week Reporters Without Borders published its annual Press Freedom Index. As could be expected in the current political and media climate, Israel was ranked 93rd and 150th (inside and outside the Green Line), behind such bastions of the freedom of expression as Lebanon, Kuwait, and United Arab Emirates. Sure enough, Israel was singled out together with Iran in the group’s analysis of the index.

I am not at all upset by this new record of progressive anti-Semitism. Actually, I am quite happy. By falling off the deep end with its blatant anti-Israel rhetoric, international public opinion is administering a long-overdue course of shock therapy for Israel’s chronic insecurity complex. After decades of trying very hard to appease, of paying an arm and a leg (actually  hundreds upon hundreds of very literal arms, legs, limbs and lives of innocent terror victims) for the illusion of a new Middle East, of fantasizing about eating hummus in Damascus and doing business with the Emirates, of bringing the world the latest technical and medical innovations, of beating the world at its own game of military ethics, Israel is finally waking up to the fact that no matter how lovable it tries to appear, it will never become the world’s darling.

Believe me, the treatment is working, because Israelis are internalizing the message. They are refusing to cooperate with Goldstone’s kangaroo court, canceling all-included tour packages to the Turkish Riviera, and staying away from cultural talks with the Israel-bashing Egyptian intelligentsia. Even the ultra-liberal Israeli press is beginning to call things by their names.

Slowly but surely Israel is rediscovering Ben Gurion’s maxim of “it doesn’t matter what the Gentiles will say; what matters is what the Jews will do.”

A Letter to Goldstone

Oct 19th, 2009
by Leah.
No comments yet

Someone sent me a copy of a letter in which a personal friend of Judge Goldstone berates him for his involvement with the anti-Israel committee named after him.

I have no idea whether the cover story is true and who really penned this letter, but that in no way diminishes the poignancy of the arguments or the validity of the facts.

Judge for yourself.

To: Judge Richard Goldstone
From: Barbara Press
Subject: Hello Richard… It’s been a while…

Dear Richard

Our paths have crossed many times compelling me to correspond directly with you. I pray your indulgence that you hear me out by reading to the end of my missive. In fact I ask you to share my letter with Noleen from beginning to end and to respond with your thoughts.

It has been a while since (inspired by you as head of ORT South Africa) I, together with Rabbi Bernard at Oxford Shule, established a school to teach the Killarney-Houghton Black domestic workers how to write, read, sew, cook and drive. It has been a while since you praised my father, Hubert Press, as one of the finest business brains  you had ever encountered. It has been a while since I dined with you, Noleen, David and Marilyn Rivkin, discussing opera.

Jewish life has been crying out for a man of the stature of Adolph Cremieux, of Justice Louis Brandeis, of Sir Moses Montefiore, people of the highest integrity and purpose. For those who champion their own people are remembered forever in the annals of history. But those who are self-serving are lost in a trail of ignominy.

South African Jewry stands tall and your efforts in championing Truth and Reconciliation in South Africa were applauded and earned you a  reputation as a man of stature.

I am bewildered by the direction you have taken as part of the United Nations Human Rights Council. This rogue Council has been tainted by a membership that does not condemn Iranian tyranny, Chinese oppression, African despotism, but spends their time condemning one country unjustly, Israel.

The Goldstone Commission bears your name. One would expect the mandate of any report to be objective, so that your name could be respected and a legacy ensured. Instead your committee ignored the facts, embraced bias and rendered the report bearing your name,  illegitimate.

You tried to defend yourself in the New York Times but it was transparent and not effective. You could have resigned from the commission and retained your integrity. You knew that Israel faced 12,000 Grads and Kassams from its Iran-backed terror base of Gaza, 8,000 irreversibly traumatizing the families and children of Sderot. You knew that the U.N. never passed one resolution condemning these deadly missiles. You knew that before and during Operation Cast Lead, Israel made thousands of cell phone calls to warn civilians. You knew that Israel sent thousands of texts to warn civilians. You knew that Israel dropped hundreds of thousands of leaflets in Arabic (I managed to obtain one of these as evidence) to warn civilians. You knew that Israel aborted operations to avoid civilian deaths. You knew that Israel set up medical facilities on the edge of Gaza to treat civilians. You knew that Israel dropped supplies of food into Gaza to feed civilians.

You also knew that Hamas operatives are not “civilians”. You knew that not only were they not civilians, but that they hid behind their own civilians to fire on Israeli civilians. You knew that they misused ambulances for military purposes. You knew that mosques and schools were used for Hamas depots and launching pads. You knew that Hamas operatives kill or shoot at the legs of any Gazans refusing to target Israel.

The video footage and U-tube sequences are still available for any and all of us to witness.

You clearly knew that one of your team members had condemned Israel in a published letter, even before the conclusion of the incursion or  the beginning of your investigation. But you did not resign or distance yourself from the hypocrisy of this illegitimate report.  Instead, a tedious 500-page report of the 3 week battle was padded with pages from the tainted U.N. mockery of Israel’s security barrier (misnamed the “wall”). What a sad indictment of the charter of the United Nations.

Richard, you were indeed a respected legal giant in Johannesburg. This report did not arise from ignorance or naivete. I am trying so hard to resist the conclusion that your role and report might represent a self-serving desire to ingratiate yourself for a more senior position in the kangaroo court called the United Nations. But  if true – and one hopes that this is not the case – at what price?  Association with the infamous U.N.,  garners no respect in the USA so why would anyone seek to be head inmate at the U.N. Asylum?

I have been very direct as South Africans are want to be. But many of us South Africans have been tainted by the perfidy of the Goldstone report. This is the Jewish time of Judgment when the scales of fate are entered in the book of life and we all need to look into our souls. I am not sure how you could comfortably extricate yourself. Perhaps we could discuss this face to face.

Good Yomtov to you, Noleen and your family.

Regards,  Barbara Press Fix

Obama's peace for our time

Oct 5th, 2009
by Leah.
No comments yet
chamb obama Obama's peace for our time

Peace for our time?

On September 30, 1938, Neville Chamberlain returned to Britain after selling Czechoslovakia off to Hitler and pronounced the agreement to signify “peace for our time.” Less than a year later, Germany invaded Poland, setting off the greatest tragedy in modern history.

Fast forward to 2009. President Obama betrays Czech and Polish allies by unilaterally scrapping the Eastern European missile defence program in order to gain Russia’s nominal support for yet another round of worthless sanctions against Iran. From there, he goes on to declare a fantasy nuclear disarmament resolution at the UN, while hiding secret intelligence of Iran’s Qom facility that, if left unhampered, will be able to produce enriched uranium in less than a year .

Just to make sure Iran has ample time to continue with its nuclear program, after revealing this secret intelligence in Pittsburgh, the US together with other Security Council members, engages Iran in negotiations in Geneva without even setting an agenda.

Sure enough, Ahmadinejad doesn’t feel any pressure. “We prefer to build up friendship and understanding [with the world powers] and are prepared for long negotiations,” he said on Iranian television. “But the six countries [UN Security Council members] are free to adopt whatever policies they like. We will not be harmed, anyway.”

If Obama gets his way, he’ll have a whole year to daydream about a nuclear-free world. I just hope the rest of us won’t pay the price.

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