an everlasting war?

Geraldo! 520 STATIONS IN 120 MARKETS  I did not buy the picture post cards the eleven-year-old Bedouin girl was selling; she wouldn't take the Israeli shekels I had offered although they were worth more than the dollars she wanted.

Our stalemate went unresolved. I was visiting Jordan's Petra, and the girl's refusal reminded me of a question I'd been asked on my first trip to Petra, a question I had dismissed too quickly perhaps. An adventurous American tourist who had visited the Bamiyan Buddhas just before the Taliban destroyed them [please see: Afghanistan Taliban Muslims destroying Bamiyan Buddha Statues ...Read More: http://sinhalabuddhist.com/2011/09/palliyak/ The main Buddha in the Bamiyan valley, 240 kilometers northwest of the Afghan capital, Kabul,...www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYYBlPWYb7Y], had asked me why I had traveled into Jordan after I'd told her about visiting Israel and my Jewish roots.

"Weren't you afraid?" she asked. "Since you're Jewish..."

At that time, years ago, I wasn't. However, on my second trip, 18 months ago, I'd noticed changes. Determined to revisit Petra [please see: Petra - The Official Website of The Jordan Tourism Board The giant red mountains and vast mausoleums of a departed race have nothing in common with modern civilization, and ask nothing of it except to be appreciated at ...www.visitjordan.com/ Default.aspx?tabid=63], I found that the price of the tour had doubled. However, instead of the busload-sized group of my first trip, this one lacked one person of filling an Econo van. At Petra, there seemed to be a surplus of camels and donkeys; most were resting. On my first trip, all of them and their Bedouin owners had been too busy to chat. On the second trip, our group was bombarded with discounted prices; they begged us to ride.

The only thing that stopped their solicitations was our response that we only had Israeli money. That wouldn't do. Even the children of the camel drivers had learned that lesson.

At that time, I hadn't realized what an ominous premonition that was. I do now, now that King Abdullah's rule in Jordan is being seriously threatened by Palestinians there. Reports claim that American troops are in Jordan to prevent his overthrow.

That's especially important in light of another report that missilies have been fired from Sinai into Israel. In addition to those projectiles, more than 100 Hamas rockets have been sent into Israel in the past 24 hours.

But the world seems focused on Hamas. Despite their incessant attacks, they are clamoring for a ceasefire...but only if Israel agrees to certain conditions!

Israel probably won't. Predicatably, world opinion will turn against Israel if they don't agree to halt their counter attack on Gaza, especially as the Palestinian dath toll climbs.

Many of you may demand the same of Israel. You may want the stronger Israelis to stop beating up the hapless Gazans, the underdogs, the victims.

If so, you'd be wrong.

With just one word, I can tell you why. That word is hudna. [please see: The Hudna or temporary peace: the value of Arab Truces We are not the Tribe of Quraysh ... "What is being touted as a 'cease-fire' is something called a 'hudna.' A hudna [also known as a hudibiyya or khudaibiya] is a ...www.omdurman.org/hudna.html]

If you'd been listening to the Geraldo Rivera Show at 77 WABC about noon, you would have heard that word, hudna, used on his show.

A caller to his program explained that neither Hamas nor Arafat have ever wanted peace with the Jews of Israel. Rather than peace, they sought a truce. They did that because that's what Mohammad did whenever he saw that his army could not defeat its enemy. Instead of fighting a losing battle, he sought a truce, a hudna. Usually, it lasted for no more than ten years or until the time Mohammad's army had grown strong enough to break the hudna and attack their foe. Arafat and Hamas, Israel's Muslim antagonists, have been and are doing the very same thing.

Geraldo listened, then asked astutely, "Does this that the wars will never end?" 

"Yes," the caller replied. "When Arafat told you that he regretted not accepting Clinton's peace offer, that was a ruse."

With that, the program ended.

I felt like writing a thank you note to Geraldo Rivera for his willingness to listen and understand. There was one other reason.

I was the caller.

                        B. Koplen  11/21/12

                                               

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Murder? Just don't!

Why the killing of Jews in Israel is a bad idea       In the recent election, I was shocked to read opinions expressed about Israel that frightened me. Never had I seen so many written with such vehemence. In short, they stated that the U.S. can’t afford its relationship with Israel, that we ought to stop all aid to Israel. Maintaining our relationship with Israel was too expensive.

Of course, I knew better. One site presents a cogent counter. [Israeli Intelligence | Foreign Policy Blogs For those curious about whether Israel is more of a liability than an asset to the United States, consider what we have to lose…

foreignpolicyblogs.com/2011/03/03/israeli-intelligence -]

That post offers these insights:

“…As one Ynet op-ed puts it:

“General John Keegan, a former chief of US Air Force Intelligence determined that Israel’s contribution to US intelligence was “equal to five CIAs.”Senator Daniel Inouye, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and former Chairman of the Intelligence Committee said “The intelligence received from Israel exceeds the intelligence received from all NATO countries combined.”…  [my emphasis]

…Even those Americans that could match Israelis’ ability to blend in are still few and far between and have to have a desire to become part of the intelligence community. Israelis, on the other hand, are — for the most part — required to join the military and those Israelis with Arabic skills are drafted into intelligence, immediately launching their career in this field.

In short, Israeli intelligence is unmatched. And, the utilization of Israeli intelligence could be the sole reason for maintaining a strong U.S.-Israel relationship, not to mention a slew of other reasons…”

There other reasons why it’s bad to kill Jews in Israel, reasons that don’t directly relate to the precious lives of my dear family and friends who are living there.

 Although what follows may seem to be twisted logic, it is (tragically) relevant.

When Hamas or its ilk kills Jews, they anticipate reprisal. Indeed, they want reprisal. So brutally brainwashed and committed to Allah and Mohammad are even the most brilliant among the Muslims that they see their own death, if it happens while they are killing infidels (especially Jews), as a portal to paradise.

School children are taught that. Mothers pray for their children to become martyrs. Adults forsake their families to wage suicidal jihad; it is that much more important than parenting. It serves to set the course their children might choose by example.

Streets are named after martyrs. Posters of martyrs adorn walls. Leaders hold them (even the 9:11 Twin Towers murderers) in highest esteem.

Instead, I argue that those who portray them as heroes should be regarded as accessories who provoke murderous acts.

This may be the most significant reason why it is bad to kill Jews in Israel; killing them means that there will be more martyrs to revere.

Belief in martyrdom relates to Surah 9:111. In that part of the Koran, it is explained that suicide bombers and martyrs who “…kill [infidels] and are killed” will instantly achieve paradise.

Surah 9:111 reads: Indeed, Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties [in exchange] for that they will have Paradise. They fight in the cause of Allah , so they kill and are killed. (my emphasis) [It is] a true promise [binding] upon Him in the Torah and the Gospel and the Qur'an. And who is truer to his covenant than Allah? So rejoice in your transaction which you have contracted. And it is that which is the great attainment. [Just click on surah to get linked to corresponding verses

Just click on surah to get linked to corresponding verses. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 1 1. 1 2. 1 3. 1 4. 1 5. 1 6. 1 7. 1 8. 1 9. 20. 2 1. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28 29. Al-Fatihah Al-Baqarah

apostates.weebly.com/quran.html]

Various sites discuss the meaning of 9:111. Among them, I have found Answering Muslims: Samatar Mohamed Again Condemns the Qur'an ... Not at all. Samatar's god explained things for me quite well. In Surah 9:111, Allah explained what "fight" means in the context of this Surah: www.answeringmuslims.com/2012/01/samatar-mohamed-again... to be among the best because it takes the form of a debate.

That said, there are so many reasons why it remains a bad idea to kill the Jews of Israel. It is past time for the rulers of Gaza to understand and accept that.

                                   

             B. Koplen  11/17/12

                                               

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about the war...

My Torahs          “Are we on for this morning?” asked Jimmy. He called to find out whether we were still going to tear down and haul away our sturdy succot. Since we were using Jimmy’s truck, I knew I had to wait until he was ready. “I’m just getting up,” he told me. Despite his assurance the day before that we’d start at eight, I knew Jimmy well enough to know that was wishful thinking.

“See you in an hour,” I said, as I returned to my computer to read more about Israel attacking Hamas provocateurs in Gaza. More than 100 missiles had been sent into southwestern Israel with a criminal disregard for civilian populations. I wondered whether editorialists like Nicholas Kristoff and the New York Times staff of Palestinian cheerleaders might finally get it right. Peace with or recognition of Israel has never been on Hamas’ agenda.

What they want is to imitate their warlord prophet Mohammad; Hamas wants a hudna, a truce that will allow them to stand back until they’re strong enough to attack more forcefully. I knew to expect their claims that Israel was to blame. Sadly, I also knew too many Americans would believe that lie.

That’s what I was thinking when I met Jimmy. Dismantling began in earnest; I wanted to return to the Net to ensure that Israel and my daughters in Jerusalem were safe. Forty minutes later, I did. Gone was all signs of the structure my brother and my son-in-law and I had built.

I sighed as I raced back to my store, its business downstairs and my home on the second floor. After I grabbed the mail, I returned to my Israeli sources for news. When I read that the head of the military branch of Hamas had been targeted and killed by Israel, I winced. As important as that hit was, I knew retaliations would follow. For a moment, I had to turn away.

That’s when I looked at an envelope addressed to me from Phyllis W; “personal” was scribbled on the lower left corner. A post-it note stuck to the letter inside began, “Dear Barry.” Below that was this question, “Do you know anyone who might know what’s happened to the Torah?”

“What Torah?” I wondered as I removed the sticky note from what appeared to be a very old letter composed on a very old typewriter. Shocked by what I saw, I couldn’t have imagined receiving a more auspicious document. The letter, written on a piece of bonded stationery imprinted with Aetz Chayim Synagogue by my grandfather almost sixty years ago, was addressed to Phyllis W.’s grandfather, President of the “Orthodox Jewish Congregation, South Boton [sic], Virginia.”

With an orange marker, Phyllis had highlighted my grandfather Abe’s name on the letterhead. She’d used the same marker to make an arrow that pointed at his signature on the dotted line that ended with “President.” With a pen, she had written “my grandfather” atop her grandfather’s name on the recipient’s address.

In one-sentence paragraphs, my grandfather explained the purpose of the letter.

“We, the Aetz Chayim Congregation of Danville, Va accept in our custody the Torah belonging to the Orthodox Jewish Congregation of South Boston, Va.

“We will keep this Torah in our custody until such time as it will be needed again by the Orthodox Jewish Congregation of South Boston, Va.”

Setting down the amazing letter, I examined the envelope. Phyllis’ address was in a Virginia town I didn’t recognize. Even so, I had to wonder whether that explained anything. Was she unaware of the complete demise of the South Boston congregation? It had happened long before the Danville orthodox congregation had perished and moved away. In fact, I wonder whether Phyllis knew that the historical synagogue that had been Aetz Chayim’s had been razed?

Staring at the letter again, I thought about the many small southern Jewish congregations that had disappeared. Who had noticed? Had Phyllis known her grandfather? I decided to write to a friend in D.C. whose father had been a member of Aetz Chayim.

That’s when the phone rang. I answered the call.

“Hey, Dad!”

I managed to say “Hello, sweetheart” to my younger daughter.

“Just want to let you know I’m O.K.” She’d been hiking and camping in the Negev, halfway between Jerusalem and Eilat. “We saw the Israeli war planes flying toward Gaza.”

She spoke in a voice that was calm and certain. “We’re safe,” she said. She was using her boyfriend’s cell phone. It was a good one; she sounded as if she were next door. We talked for more than twenty minutes. I tried not to let her hear in my voice that I did not want to say goodbye.

But I had to. I had to let her go the same way that the South Boston congregation had to hand over their Torah so that it could be cared for when their congregation dissolved. Perhaps like an overly concerned father, I hoped her boyfriend would care for my precious daughter the same way my grandfather had promised to care for South Boston’s Torah.

That’s what I wished for as we discussed the possibility of her staying in Israel for another year of study. “God bless and protect her,” I said to myself, “and my older children too.”

I hadn’t heard from them, my daughter and her husband in northwest Jerusalem. Word from them wouldn’t come until this morning, after I had heard from my friend in D.C.

He’d checked with others who were related to former Aetz Chayim families. There was some memory of the South Boston Torah. It had been properly cared for until the Aetz Chayim congregation disbanded. Then it was given to another “Torah True Congregation,” as promised in my grandfather’s letter. That phrase was new to my friend in D.C.

And to me. But the good news was that the Torah, wherever it is, is in good hands.

“I’ll write to Phyllis about that,” I said to my friend.

“I think I know her,” he said, recalling a chance meeting not so long ago. He’d noticed a car with a Jewish-themed bumper sticker and had started a conversation. “Is this her phone number?” he asked, as he read it to me.

“Yes,” I said, staring at her note, as if a cold case had been solved. “I’ll write about that too,” I told my friend.

This morning, I returned to my computer and the Net to do just that. Waiting for me was a note from my older daughter.

It read:

1.  We are okay.  Attacks are going on in the south, many miles away from us.

2.  We have our gas masks and a stockpile of emergency food (maybe about a month's worth and still adding to it).

3.  You know this, but I'll reiterate anyway.  Neither of us was ever in the army, so we will never be called up from reserves…

They're calling this an actual war.  It's the first war since I've lived here, but so far my life goes on as normal (though I can't say the same for people in the south)...

Immediately, I responded although I knew she was no longer at her computer. She would be back at her school studying to be an R.N. For now, I knew she was safe.

It was me who was shaking. My sweet children, my dear Israel, were in harm’s way. I could do little to protect them. Nor could I stop the world from being told that screams from the Muslim world were more like anti-Semitic curses than real news:

After launching over 100 rockets into Israel from Gaza, jihadis say "Israel has declared war"

Nov 14, 2012 12:15 pm | Robert

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood President recalls ambassador to Israel after strike kills murderous Hamas chief

Nov 14, 2012 06:40 pm | Robert

                                                B. Koplen 11/15/12

beyond our light speed orientation...

Can this be?       For years, I’ve told people about my close encounter with a flying saucer. Not once, but twice. In fact, minutes after it zipped away, it returned and I was able to get an even closer look. That was decades ago when I was with three other men at Smith Mountain Lake.

Many doubt my story; to them it’s as if I’d told them I’d seen a pair of ghosts. What I’ve finally realized is that there’s a question that must be answered about my sighting. Unfortunately, until today, I didn’t know what the question was. Or is.

This is it (I think). “What did you learn?”

That’s it. Those dubious listeners believe that I must have learned something as a result of having seen the extraterrestrial vehicle.

Until this evening, I didn’t understand what I’d learned. Nor did I realize that their belief was blocked because I hadn’t confronted that question.

Although I think I can put it into words, those words may be shocking. The reason for that is that most objects are said to move relative to the speed of light (186,000 miles per second!).

Thanks to WIKIPEDIA (see “Speed of Light”), I’m led to believe in the infallibility of that standard:

…From these equations we find that the speed of light is related to the inverse of the square root of the permittivity of free space and the permeability of free space.

A consequence of this fact is that nothing can go faster than the speed of light. Another consequence is that for objects that have weight, no matter how much energy is used to increase the speed of an object, it will get closer and closer but it will never reach the speed of light. These ideas were discovered in the early 1900s by Albert Einstein whose work completely changed our understanding of light.

Now, hold on to your seats! I’m not an Einstein, but I saw his assumption shattered as a result of the performance of the UFO’s I observed. Here’s why:

The flying objects I witnessed (twice!) defied Einstein, his theory, and gravity--- with ease. As they came and went, I noted their warp speed and their silence.

My UFO was travelling beyond the speed of light. It was travelling at the speed of time.

Of course, you’ll want to stop me and say that time is only a concept used as a measuring device. You’ll contend that time is neither a wave nor a substance made of particles. “It lacks dimension,” you might add.

Up to a point, you may be right. As long as light and its waves are the standard, time remains contented to hide behind its curtain. But my thought is that, once past that barrier that light represents, time changes.

It acquires shape and dimension.

In short, it seems that what I’ve learned is that, as long as we insist on doing battle with light and its limited speed, we won’t see time.

We won’t be able to determine its dimension(s).

As implausible as that might seem, it may be that we have sensed it as our spiritual world, a world beyond light that is only time, an eternity of it.

As always, I’m open if you have a better theory; I’d like to hear it.

I just wish you’d been there with me that night I saw the flying saucer(s)!

                                                B. Koplen 11/13/12

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