Gulf Oil Rig Explosions As Divine Warnings?

September 02 2010 - 11:57:23:am by JDL

A day after the kick-off of President Obama’s Mid-East “Peace” diplomatic push, news comes that yet another oil rig has exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. Of course, this news comes mere months after the mammoth BP oil rig disaster.

What could the two incidents have in common? It just so happens that the BP disaster occurred the day after the United States made a key declaration that it would not automatically support the state of Israel on the world stage. Back to back in two consecutive events, the US has announced a negative political development in relation to Israel, and the day after an oil rig has exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. Could that really be a coincidence?

We also all know for a fact that Obama is merely repeating the insane approach of his recent White House predecessors in pushing Israel to concede to more land giveaways and the creation of a new Arab terrorist state west of the Jordan river. Are these events coincidences or repeated warnings from the Creator? Torah teaches us that there are no mere coincidences, so JDL thinks it’s the latter.

New JDL Contact Options Coming

August 16 2010 - 11:27:15:pm by JDL

Stay tuned to an update to this post for new contact options for the League. We will be phasing out as the standard email contact since it has become difficult to deal with the great volume of list mail and other non-essential messages that get directed to that address. This change will help ensure faster responses and more attention given to our leaders, members and supporters.

Anti-Zionist Jews & the “Three Oaths”

July 22 2010 - 5:59:38:am by JDL

A disturbing amount of attention has been garnered in recent years by a small minority of vehemently anti-Israel religious Jews, and as a strongly philosophically Religious Zionist organization, JDL has a major stake in this debate. As the anti-Israel religious groups have made spectacles of themselves in the media and created venues for their views online, many Jews who naturally support the Jewish state have wondered about this category of Jew and have pondered the question of how to handle this fringe element of Jewry. But not too many Jews - even seriously Torah observant Jews - know the central religious justification for why these groups exist. Moreover, many observant Jews also don’t realize that the same religious justification used by the anti-Zionist Orthodox Jews is also one used by many rabbis in Galut (the Exile) for disregarding the explicit Torah mitzvot concerning the conquest of Eretz Yisrael.

One type of argument that is often given for anti-Zionism among some religious Jews is a political one - some groups believe it is absolutely inappropriate to support the modern state of Israel given its strongly secular founding and its normally left of center political orientation that is often hostile to Torah Judaism. The brutal truth is that many of the early leaders of modern political Zionism and subsequently Medinat Yisrael (the state of Israel) were very hostile to Judaism. Early modern Zionists sought to create a completely secular state in the Land filled with Hebrew speakers devoid of Judaism. A manifestation of that aspiration is found in the Israeli term “Complete Zionist,“ which refers to the leftist ideal of a completely anti-religious Hebrew speaking citizen of the country. A related political argument is sometimes aired that expresses rejection of Israel because of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, an argument which blames the victim and excuses the aggressor. Not supporting the state of Israel on such grounds represents political objections to the country rather than religious ones. Despite the serious problems in Israel borne of secularism, JDL counts such political objections as weak, particularly given how much Jewish sovereignty over the Land has contributed to the Torah world’s goals and objectives, even in spite of the country’s secular political biases. Torah observant Jews in Israel have the freedom to openly observe Torah and teach other Jews to do so without state oppression, and the Israeli government also carries financially the country’s Ultra-Orthodox population. As for blaming Israel for the Arab-Israeli Conflict, regardless of the country’s faults and missteps, it is mostly Arab and Islamic intransigence that perpetuates the conflict; blaming the clear victim isn’t very sensible. Thus, the political arguments made by the religious anti-Zionists are certainly debatable at best, and realistically they’re not even the driving force of this debate.

In truth, the primary claim that most anti-Zionist Orthodox Jews make is a Torah claim made on the basis of an obscure, highly contested section of the Talmud (Tractate Ketubot) known as the “Three Oaths.“ The Three Oaths are usually cited by the anti-Zionists as the excuse to oppose the state of Israel, or for that matter, any Jewish sovereignty over the Land until Mashiach (the Messiah). JDL clearly rejects that claim. But only recently did we realize how widespread this problem is: Even some percentage of rabbis in Galut communities who aren’t explicitly opposed to the state of Israel also rely on the Oaths to justify staying in Galut. They don’t necessarily make that stance well-known, but obviously they enjoy the comforts of Exile and don’t seem to mind using the excuse of the Oaths to justify a continued existence outside of the Land. The strange byproduct of that choice by some rabbis is that many Orthodox Jews who are fastidious in observing aspects of the Torah even to very complex levels of minutia simply disregard the clear Torah obligations regarding conquest of our homeland. And in the rare event that anyone asks about those mitzvot, many Orthodox Jews are content to uncritically accept the opinion of their rabbis that the Oaths are binding Halacha without doing any research for themselves. To JDL, that view and that approach to Torah could not be more wrong.

It is beyond the scope of this introductory blog post to go into an exhaustive study of the Oaths, but such content is being prepared for future publication by JDL. A short-form summary of JDL’s position is that the Oaths are weak Halacha (Jewish law), disregarded or ruled no longer in force by a number of major rabbis of antiquity; at most the Oaths are no longer in force because of a conditional violation of the third oath placed upon the nations (a position held by our founder Rabbi Kahane). Until the publication of those upcoming JDL articles that will cover all of this in depth, people wishing to research the issue should consult the fairly unbiased, relatively high quality Wikipedia article on the topic. (Although it’s seldom a good idea to rely too heavily on Wikipedia, especially for information on controversial subjects, this is a relatively mature, well-worn article in its current form. It presents both sides relatively fairly, and given the prevalence of anti-Zionist religious forces online, the opinions rejecting the Oaths appear to have trustworthy sourcing - for if they were invalid they would have been erased by those favoring the Oaths.) Stay tuned to jdl.org for more coverage on this vital concern to be posted in the coming weeks.

jdl.org subdomains for external JDL sites

July 22 2010 - 4:00:22:am by JDL

We are set to roll out a new Internet branding capability for chapter sites - chapter.jdl.org style subdomain names for external JDL sites run by our leaders. Instead of distributing a blogspot address or a random, difficult to remember Facebook page address, chapter sites will soon be able to direct members and supporters to their new subdomain addresses, which will help unify our online efforts. The subdomain name addresses will also grant external sites greater prominence and authority by bearing the official jdl.org name in their URLs. If you want to take advantage of this new capability as soon as possible, please use this link to email us.

We are also going to be restructuring our contact options in order to better serve leaders, members and supporters. With JDL’s expanded presence and reach online, a continually increasing volume of mesages and requests comes in, so important changes must be made in how communication is handled by our mostly volunteer staff. Our current plans include creating new, more focused contact options and also delegating some responsibility in order to spread out the workload and also help us better manage high priority requests. On another important front, our staff is doing all that is necessary to get our store section back up, which we are confident will be functioning again very soon. A month ago we settled on creating a full, professional ecommerce environment instead of relying on less reliable third party consumer payment solutions, but properly creating a professional solution takes time. JDL thanks you for your patience and continued support while we work hard on a variety fronts in the furtherance of authentic Jewish defense and advocacy.

Howard Stern’s Producer Gary Dell’Abate Said “Chew” Me Down

July 13 2010 - 8:48:59:am by JDL

JDL often has listeners tuned to Howard Stern on Sirius XM, and we were listening to yesterday’s “The Wrap Up Show” on Howard 100 when producer Gary Dell’Abate (a.k.a. Bababooey) used a phrase that at first sounded like “Jew them down.“ We backed up our radio to the comment and listened again, finding out that Gary had actually said “chew them down”  instead, but we were not the only ones confused. The topic was debated on today’s Howard Stern Show, with Howard explaining the confusion over Gary’s comment. Many listeners had written in thinking that Gary had used the derogatory phrase about Jews, a stereotype that Jews cheat others out of fair pricing for goods and services, but it was clear from the recording that he did not use the word Jew. However, Howard pointed out that even saying “chew me down” isn’t a good choice of words because the phrase “chew me down” doesn’t make any sense except if the meaning is derived from or synonymous with “Jew me down.“ You can get “chewed out” but “chew me down” is in truth a modified form of “Jew me down,“ and that’s especially obvious when it’s used in the same context concerning a person who haggles with another to pay less than fair value for something.

On today’s installment of “The Wrap Up Show” Gary mentioned in response to a caller in a very serious tone that even “members of JDL” have verified that he said “chew me down,“ and although it wasn’t JDL HQs that wrote or called into the show on the topic, it then made sense to post this story. We don’t think Gary has any Jew-hating tendencies, but the usage of “chew me down” is very questionable and we would hope that he and others including Fox News host Brian Kilmeade will refrain from saying “chew me down” in the future because, again,  it is seen as synonymous with the slur against Jews.

In a related story JDL made Gary’s son Lucas an honorary JDL member after his declaration months ago that Judaism is the most correct religion on earth (a truism) but that (in his opinion) he could not convert because the obligations of Judaism would be too much for him to take on. Given that Gary has raised a son with that level of intellect and insight on religion and Judaism, Gary obviously harbors no hatred for Jews. Also, in a segment on today’s Howard Stern Show Howard mentioned that he received a note containing a verse from scripture that teaches that one must honor one’s mother and father, obviously a reference to the Aseret HaDibrot (the “Ten Commandments”). Howard said that he found it unbelievable that scripture would demand honor for one’s parents regardless of their conduct, but he doesn’t know that the Torah does not command unrestricted obedience. There is a limit to the amount of honor a child must show his or her parents. RAMBAM’s Mishneh Torah and the Kitzor Shulchan Aruch, compendiums of Torah law,  record that if a parent demands a child transgress the Torah, the child must disobey. There are some other limitations placed on the command as well, so it definitely is not commanding unrestricted obedience as Howard assumes.

JDL notes, however, that Howard has made some very impressive progress in recent months, in mentioning that he has been praying and has a desire to pray in a synagogue. For Howard, a very secular Jew with an agnostic orientation, who in years past has viciously mocked Judaism and some of its most sacred elements, to admit that he is praying for the welfare of another and that he is doing so in a Jewish context represents considerable growth. We hope to see that trend toward teshuvah on his part continue into the future. And hopefully other Jews on or near Howard’s spiritual level will be influenced by him in a positive direction back to G-d and His eternal Torah.

Breaking News: Mosab Yousef Deportation Trial Abandoned

June 30 2010 - 12:43:02:pm by JDL

In an unexpected and quite welcome turn of events, Mosab Yousef, the son of a Hamas founder turned Israeli spy who now resides in America, has learned today in court that federal authorities are no longer seeking his deportation. Yousef’s amazing life story was profiled by the gripping documentary Son of Hamas, and anyone aware of Yousef’s profile must have been shocked upon finding out that the federal government began deportation proceedings against Yousef in 2009.

Upon first hearing about this ridiculously unwarranted deportation attempt, JDL was very concerned that the current administration could have been seeking to deport Yousef in order to knowingly send him to his death at the hands of his brethren, whose religion and cause Yousef had very publicly forsaken by declaring to the media that he had served as an Israeli spy and also had converted from Islam to Christianity. Yousef’s security was so important to the Israeli government that it broke its own protocols by allowing a former Shin Bet agent to testify in the deportation trial on Yousef’s behalf, but thankfully that appears to no longer be necessary because of the abrupt about-face of federal authorities who were pushing for deportation.

Special recognition goes to JDL Canada for being among the first groups to speak out against the deportation attempt.

Has Bill Maher Gone Temporarily Sane?

June 16 2010 - 12:40:21:am by JDL

JDL has never been too keen on Bill Maher, the comedian/host of various American political television talk shows including Politically Incorrect and Real Time With Bill Maher. It has been said that originally Maher was a centrist, but he quickly became very left-wing; his leftist views killed Politically Incorrect when he called American troops cowards and Muslim suicide terrorists brave. Although Maher has described himself as a libertarian, his views are most often left-wing, statist and sometimes totalitarian. For instance, during the Obamacare debate when Obama was facing a potential filibuster as a result of Scott Brown’s election, Maher declared that the president was justified in simply ending the raging debate and enacting the law unilaterally, with or without Congressional approval - a blatantly unconstitutional desire on Maher’s part.

We’ve essentially written Maher off and ignored him since then, but last week we turned on HBO’s version of Politically Incorrect, Real Time With Bill Maher, and were astonished by what we saw. The episode makes us ask, has Bill Maher gone temporarily sane on the topic of the Arab-Israeli conflict?

Watch the episode and judge for yourself. While two of the three panelists were lambasting Israel for the Gaza flotilla incident and generally faulting the Jewish state on all accounts, Maher suddenly waxed outspoken in the country’s defense. Maher was so strongly supportive of Israel that he verbally shut down his guest from continuing an anti-Israel rant.

We’re not all that hopeful that this incident marks a turning point for Maher. It’s more likely that he was simply looking to stir debate, although if that accounts for his defense then it’s hard to explain why he didn’t allow the Israel bashing to continue after his interjection. Though technically Jewish from a Halachic standpoint, Maher, the offspring of a mixed marriage (big surprise), was raised in the Catholic faith of his father. Maher paints himself as an agnostic and is usually hostile to Jews, Judaism and Israel. We can pray for him to do teshuvah, and although we’re not optimistic about that prospect, JDL can say that at least once in his career Bill Maher acted like a mensch.

 

Alert: Democrats Need to Vote for Congressman Jane Harman

June 07 2010 - 12:59:49:pm by JDL

Democrats in the 36th Congressional District of California absolutely need to vote for Jane Harman in tomorrow’s primary. Harman is being challenged by a despicably anti-American and anti-Israel Progressive (far left-wing) candidate, Marcy Winograd. Winograd has accused Harman (along with other elected officials) of being a tool of Israel, and she apparently has no qualms about characterizing supporters of Israel as traitors. Winograd doesn’t realize that she’s the traitor, the one giving aid and comfort to America’s enemies both foreign and domestic. The voters of the 36th district need to tell this disgusting individual where to take her anti-American, anti-Israel, anti-Jewish views.

However, just so that JDL isn’t misunderstood, we’re not generally supportive of Democrats. We would like to see Jane Harman defeated in the general election by a Republican (assuming the Republican were a decent candidate). But people of conscience sometimes need to pick the lesser of two evils, and Harman definitely is in this case. It would be an absolute travesty if this pig Winograd were to unseat her. Winograd got around 37% of the vote when she took on Harman in 2008, and now she has picked up the support of the Howard Dean political machine. We therefore have to take this political threat very seriously. Tell everyone you know or can get a hold of to support Harman over Winograd. This is an essential action alert for the future of America and Israel!

Challenging Jew-haters on the Gaza Flotilla Incident

June 01 2010 - 2:30:35:pm by JDL

This post will feature information dispelling myths on the Gaza flotilla incident:

Who is Responsible for Death on the High Seas?

By Mark Bernadiner, PH.D.

The expedition was designed and organized based on Hamas and Hezbullah fundamental principle: old people and children ahead, criminals with weapon hiding behind them. Among old people they have Holocaust survivor, over 80 year old with definitely dead brain as he decided to demonstrate support to palestinian islamofascists who invented Holocaust 90 years ago and have been implementing it on daily basis since.

The objective to deliver medical supply to Gaza, as organizes declared, was obviously fake. They could deliver it through regular UN delivery, but they refused.  The organizes advertised than the mission is peaceful, but they knew that one ship had a group of armed bandits ready for action.  The EU Security Council knew this also.  The objective of this escapade was not humanitarian aid, but PROVOCATION against democratic state of Israel to create international uproar.  It was preplanned, predesigned, paid for by their sponsors, EU and Turkey, who now lead a campaign against Israel.

Who are those organizers: George Galloway, and Greta Berlin (possibly, somebody else). They organized a criminal international enterprise to pursue the objective of promoting their personal political image as well as put bloody cash in their pocket. These people are international gangsters personally responsible for death and must be put on trail.  EU and Turkey must be also held responsible for funding criminal entity and planning PROVOCATION against democratic country.

Mark Bernadiner, PH.D.
Texas

 

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While the hateful noations take the opportunity to bitterly condemn Israel, take a look at the supposed peace activists and their peaceful activites: throwing an Israeli soldier overboard and violently clubbing others, apparently yelling “Death to the Jews” at the same time:

JDL Sues Lancaster, CA Re: Sectarian Prayer

May 18 2010 - 5:54:00:am by JDL

JDL is taking on the city of Lancaster, California, over the issue of sectarian Christian prayers, and the story is making headlines nationwide. JDL attorney Roger Diamond, who represented JDL and our late chairman Irv Rubin in 2000’s victorious Rubin v. City of Burbank, was on Fox News Channel’s Fox and Friends this morning explaining the case. This time around our chairman Shelley Rubin and another plantiff local to the city of Lancaster are suing because the city of Lancaster has defiantly resumed offering sectarian Christian prayers in violation of the ruling in the previous Burbank case in JDL’s favor. That previous ruling was heard on appellate level in California and became binding on all muniicipalities in the state. It was also appealed to the US Supreme Court, which declined to hear the appeal.

Our position is clear. We are pro-religion and pro 1st Amendment at the same time. The ruling in Rubin v. Burbank held that, according to the 1st Amendment and legal precedent, non-sectarian prayers of a general nature were Constitutionally permissible for city councils, while sectarian prayers to specific deities were a violation of the Establishment Clause. JDL believes that sectarian religious expressions belong in homes and houses of worship, not governmental gatherings. Prayers to specific deities are by their very nature exclusionary toward those of other faiths.

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