Baruch HaShem. Today we are celebrating Israeli Independence Day despite the fact that there are many that feel that the State of Israel should not exist. In the sixty years that the State of Israel has existed it has experienced many miracles and the country has prospered inmany ways. It is hard to imagine that there are those that cannot see a divine hand in the creation of the nation. Looking at the battles that were fought when the Israelis were out numbered not only in the amount of soldiers but in the weapons available. However, the last sixty years has also brought about much heartache and loss of lives. There are few families in Israel that has not been affected by the loss of war and terrorism.

The recent actions of the Israeli Government has caused even many Israelis to question the right of the nation's existence. The actions of the 2005 disengagement from the Gaza Strip where 10,000 Jews were uprooted from their homes and communities by order of the Israeli government was seen by many as being the last straw. It also hurt the relationship of the Israelis with the United States government which was pushing the disengagement.

As Americans we need to show our support of the State of Israel. We can do this in several ways; by buying Israeli made products, becoming penpals with Israelis, and of course by coming to the Land of Israel on a tour and showing and telling the people yourself of your love and support.

 

Starting tonight we enter into Yom HaShoah, which serves as a day of remembrance for those that died in the Holocaust. For those who have never experienced Yom HaShoah in Israel, it is hard to conceptualize. Imagine a country where at 10:00 a.m., air-raid sirens are sounded for two minutes. When the sirens sound, all over the country, people stop what they are doing and stand at attention. Cars pull off the highway and people get out, standing at attention and observing a time of silence. The whole country comes to a standstill as people pay silent tribute to the Holocaust victims. I remember the first time I witnessed this in Israel. It was stunning to witness an entire country displaying such a strong sense of honor and patriotism.

In my travels today I find many people cringe away from discussing the Holocaust, finding its horrors too disturbing. There are even some who try to deny it even happened! Recently, I was asked why “the Jews” can’t just “let it go?” To this I reply that we must never allow what happened to fade into oblivion because if we forget … we will relive it. We must understand that it did happen and why so it will never be repeated. You must understand that the Holocaust survivors are beginning to die out. It is now up to our generation to make sure that what happened to them is not forgotten. We must understand that the last Holocaust targeted mainly the Jewish people, but, today we have an enemy who is threatening a “new Holocaust”, and the new “targets” will be not only Jewish, but you as well.

When I am in Israel I always take time to stop at the grave at Oscar Schindler and put my stone on his grave as my way of saying thank you and letting the people know that I have not forgotten what he did.

When I first read the article on Arutz Sheva I was irratated. For those who are not familiar let me explain. The British Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) took issue with an ad that the Israeli Ministry of Tourism had made in their latest advertisments for tourism in israel. One of the things that the British took issue with is the fact that Israel placed Qumran on their list of places to visit. The phrase that went with the picture of Qumran in the background was "It takes six hours to cross Israel. Imagine what you can experience in seven days." The British told Israel to change it. Without protest or investigation, Israel did so.

While Qumran is situated near Kibbutz Kalya, located on the northwest corner of the Dead Sea, it is an area which was liberated by Israel in the Six Day War in 1967. However, it is not controlled by the Palestinian Authority in any way.

Why then does Britian which also realizes this continues to give Israel a hard time about it? Why did they then claim that it misleads readers "into thinking that Qumran Caves are located within the Green Line, while they are actually located in the Palestinian territories."

It seems like Britian along with several other countries have nothing better to do than to tell Israel what to do instead of looking at the decline of their country and their takeover by Islam.