There is a growing controversy in Jerusalem’s Pisgat Ze’ev neighborhood where groups of Jewish men are regularly patrolling the streets to prevent Jewish women from dating and socializing with Arab men. The group called Eish L’Yahadut (Fire for Judaism) is composed of roughly 40 men who have been accused of some violent encounters as they seek to break up such socialization. They deny that they use force, but admit that sometimes confrontations have turned violent.
The suburb shares a security barrier with the Palestinian village of Anata and the scattered dwellings on the edge of Shuafat refugee camp. Many in the area find any such interaction with Arab men in the mall and public street unacceptable. One Jewish storeowner complained “Pisgat Ze’ev has turned into one gigantic whorehouse, please excuse the expression.”
One member of the Eish L’Yahadut (Fire for Judaism) named Moshe explained that “[o]ur goal is to be in contact with these girls and try to explain to them the dangers of what they’re getting themselves into. In the last 10 years, 60 girls from Pisgat Ze’ev have gone into the [West Bank Arab] villages. And most of them aren’t heard from after that.” He insisted that “[o]ur mission is not against Arabs. But it is for the protection of Jewish women, wherever they may be.”
Of course, those women probably have a notion of their own free will and just might not want to be protected by the Eish L’Yahadut — as opposed to going to a movie with a friend.
For the full story, click here.
Mr. Spindell,
What is the true meaning of Israel?
Buddha,
Thank you for the facts and rational rebuttal. I don’t know if Mike K is coming from prejudice, probably not, but he needs to at least try to get beyond a superficial understanding of the issues.
“I know terrorism is something Israel deals with on a
daily basis, I just wish they hadn’t brought it here on 9/11.”
Mike K,
This is a problem you have: you make throwaway inflammatory statements and then get annoyed when you’re called on them. Osama Bin Laden never mentioned Israel in his diatribes until well after 9/11. He did it because he was trying to build sympathy in the Muslim World. He specifically stated that 9/11 occurred because of the first Iraq War and the fact that the US then had a base in Saudi Arabia, which he considered the Muslim holy land.
The first Iraq War wasn’t about Israel, it was about protecting Kuwait and the US oil interests. Israel even had to allow Saddam to throw SCUD missiles at it, with no retaliation. You seem to allow your suppositions to inform your comments, rather than relying on actual facts.
“We were also with you in Hitler’s camps”
I’m well aware of it. You haven’t been around here long but if you had been you would know that I’ve been pro-gay since High School and that was years before Stonewall. It is true that as far as oppression via prejudice there are many more peoples who’ve suffered through the ages besides Jews. What you seem to miss though is that my remarks were not made from a perspective of belief that only Jews suffer prejudice, but from the viewpoint of a Jew regarding that oppression. They were made too not in rebuttal, but to try to broaden your the perspective of your suppositions. You seem to have missed the point, or seen it from the perspective of your own pre-judgments.
“I just think that the United states needs to stop supporting a theocracy with our money and we do. Supporting Israel with all this money is like choosing sides in the Catholic/Protestant Irish situation.”
I you go back to my original comments to you and re-read them you might see that I’m not a fan of “US support” of Israel. It would be nice if you would refer to what I’ve actually written, rather than what you’d imagine I’d write. Even in your statement above though you exhibit some lack of factual knowledge. Israel, is not and never has been a theocracy. Saudi Arabia and Iran are. Israel’s leadership until the 1970’s was socialist/secular. Do religious fundamentalists play a big role, yes they do, but then Christian fundamentalists play a big role in US politics and I don’t think the US is a theocracy yet.
“If you want to take a dangerous vacation in the “Holy Land”, fine, just don’t bring it here.”
Mike, I have no problem discussing this with you but dialogue is truly helped by two-way communication. So far all you’ve done is make statements, many unsupported by the facts, while failing to respond to my replies in the sense of what I’ve written rather than your pre-suppositions..
“I know terrorism is something Israel deals with on a daily basis, I just wish they hadn’t brought it here on 9/11. Continuing to give Israel weapons and sell weapons to both sides puts innocent Americans in danger. If you want to take a dangerous vacation in the “Holy Land”, fine, just don’t bring it here.”
I hope that’s just sloppy writing.
Ask Mike – I do have issues (some serious) with the way Israel does business. But if you are trying to imply that Israel is somehow responsible for 9/11? I’m going to call bullshit on that one, sport.
The only parties responsible for 9/11 are Saudi Arabia and the Taliban. They paid for it. They crafted “the plan”. They carried out “the mission”. End of story.
And while we are at it, on the arms selling issue, look to the manufacturers and the countries of origin for 99% of the weapons in the world and you get the U.S., the former Soviet Republics and China. Blame us for selling weapons to both sides. We made ’em. We sold ’em. Didn’t have to.
But your constant circling to re-target Israel when someone derails your statements smell of the pungent decay of racism. You don’t like terrorism? Then blame the people COMMITTING it. Like the planners, money men and providers of manpower. Instead you blame the victims of terrorism? “Your honor, that slut was asking for it. She wore high heels.”
Yeah. Right.
You want to blame Israel for something? How about focusing on their very own war crimes being committed in the Gaza Strip right now where civilians are dying for no other reason than cruelty and the simply inhuman decision that disproportionate response as a military tactic is suitable against targets embedded in a civilian zone. Plain old cruel and stupid, yes, and a crimes are being committed in their own terms proper. But it’s not terrorism.
There’s plenty of blame to go around for all nations. Every nation has a “past”. Most of them have a “present” for that matter. But if you want to blame some nation(s) for terrorism make sure it’s blame properly assigned.
Start the list with George Bush’s family and friends, the Saudi Royal Family and their private property, Saudi Arabia.
Peace One Day – one man’s effort. A documentary. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egqJctPZunw&feature=featured
I plan to go to the Holy Land, I hear it is not that dangerous, the authorities are on top of it. Have some “faith” man….
Mike I’m a gay man. we’ve faced thousands of years of discrimination and hard times too. You don’t have a monopoly on suffering. We were also with you in Hitler’s camps, a fact that the leaders of Israel would like everyone to forget about. You can view the movie “Bent” for that. We still struggle everyday without even the same civil rights as you.I just think that the United states needs to stop supporting a theocracy with our money and we do. Supporting Israel with all this money is like choosing sides in the Catholic/Protestant Irish situation. It never ends. I know terrorism is something Israel deals with on a daily basis, I just wish they hadn’t brought it here on 9/11. Continuing to give Israel weapons and sell weapons to both sides puts innocent Americans in danger. If you want to take a dangerous vacation in the “Holy Land”, fine, just don’t bring it here.
“It seems to me that it’s also so American Jews can have some sort of Holy Disney Land.”
Mike K,
The Jewish experience for the last 2,000 years has been one of continuous harassment, displacement and genocide. During the Shoah Jews escaping the Nazi’s were denied entry into many countries, including the US. In America itself up until the mid 1950’s anti-Jewish feelings ran so high that Jews were denied the right to even go to some hotels. In Miami Beach, into the 50’s for instance, Jews were not allowed to buy or rent beyond a certain area. The main architect of the Art Deco South Beach area was not allowed to live there because he was Jewish.
In England the Jews were expelled by King Edward I in 1290, when he decided he wouldn’t have to repay his Crusader debts to certain Jewish bankers and could raise more funds by taking over Jewish peoperties. In Spain, Jews who had lived there for hundreds of years peacefully were expelled in 1492, or forced to convert. In Poland and Russia Jews were forced to live in an area called the “Pale of Settlement” in 1791 by Catherine the Great and not allowed out. This is history.
Do I as a loyal American Jew believe that a change in situation could put me and my family at risk right here in the US? Yes I do because I can personally remember a time when anti-Jewish feeling was very high all over this country. My father, who was born in the US, had to fight his way through certain neighborhoods in NY, where thugs would try to pull suspected Jewish men’s pants down to find out if they were Jewish in order to beat them up.
So yes Israel is important to Jews around the world because if the sh*t hits the fan, there will be a haven for us and if necessary this time around we will fight to the death rather than being carted of to die like sheep. The Nazi’s suceeded so well not because Jews are the sheep we are stereotyped as, but
because the Nazi’s used secrecy and stealth to take many Jews by surprise. That isn’t going to happen again as long as Jews remember their history.
The Warsaw Ghetto resistance and the fighting showed in the 2009 movie Defiance (my daughter knows the granddaughter of the main character in this true story) indicates that Jews are not lambs to the slaughter. The fact is that the greatest resistance fighters to the Roman Empire were the Jews.
Now I have a history on this site as the openly Jewish guy. Those who’ve read my posts know well without need for my comment that the people mentioned in this article are not those I would support in any way. However, Jews, like other humans have their cretins too and 35 nutty people, even in a small country like Israel, does not represent a large movement. Besides this I’m no fan of Bibi Netanyahu, Likud or the Fundamentalist Jewish part of the Israeli population.
You may not like Israel, approve of its’ existence, or support its’ policies and that is your right. I have publicly expressed many things that I don’t like about the current government and political situation. However, please don’t for one minute think that American Jewish support of Israel is about having a biblical Disneyland. The support for Israel, as in what I expressed above, is not some frivolous religious exercize, to Jews it is about survival of our culture, religion and most importantly progeny.
It seems to me that it’s also so American Jews can have some sort of Holy Disney Land.
Looks like you’re wrong about the foreign aid.
Israel is top and has been for decades.
http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/politics/us-foreign-aid.htm
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3362402,00.html
http://www.parade.com/news/intelligence-report/archive/who-gets-us-foreign-aid.html
http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/crs/rl33222.pdf
Mike K,
Yes that’s true but part of the problem with political discourse today is that facts and examples get acepted and become real, even if they aren’t.
As to the thrust of your post I have written many times that the US is not in the Israel game to protect it, but to control it for the Saudi’s who want the ongoing conflict to continue. Israel is quite capable of taking care of itself, but the US keeps butting in and not really for the purported purposes of friendship.
Thanks Mike but that wasn’t really my point.
“I keep wondering why Israel is the largest receiver of our foreign aid.”
Mike K,
It isn’t and you can look it up. If I’m wrong I’ll admit it.
I keep wondering why Israel is the largest receiver of our foreign aid. Are people starving there? Also why are they uniquely incapable of solving their own problems. Why is always up to U.S. presidents to “solve the Israel problem”. Are they that incompetent? If you took a story about the middle East from 1976 and played it on the evening news would anyone notice it wasn’t a contemporary story? Is anyone else tired of this crap?
Yes, I could have. But it got your attention. And attention is what that kind of behavior needs because it requires a blind eye to flourish.
I chose that word precisely because someone would reply along that line that it’s a “forbidden” word.
No words are forbidden as long as context can be provided.
Words have power when people let them. I chose a hateful word for an analogous hateful action with purposeful forethought. I could have used the term raghead if you prefer. Or kikes. Or mick. Or dago. Or chink. Or slope. Or beaner. Other than being racially insensitive and “politically incorrect”, which slur I chose was really meaningless beyond selecting the one most likely to draw comment.
Hiding degradation behind euphemism like that used by these “fine” Israeli patrols hides an intent every bit as ugly as ALL of those words. The intent is repression.
And there’s no utility in hiding that ugliness behind pretty words. That’s as disingenuous as the double speakers trying to justify going after the interracial relationships under the guise of “moral purity”. That’s bullshit and bullshit we’ve seen play out in this country.
I chose ugly words for an an ugly action. To do otherwise would be as evasive about the brutally stupid nature of the actions of these “patrols” as the flimsy cover these patrols give themselves for an action that is prima facie racist.
Buddha I really think you could of made your point with a different choice of words.
The last time I checked, no religious tradition had cornered the market on extremist absurdities.
Religion was invented, in part, to control women’s reproductive options. Maybe even the principal part.
Wow, Israel.
All that’s missing are the hoods and long winded speeches about the dangers of the “niggers wanting your women. We ain’t got nuthin’ against them niggers unless they mess with the women folk.”
Oh, sorry, I missed that. You have the rationale/speech thing covered too. So tell me, when you round up those filthy Arabs that are contaminating your women, are you going to pick up the women too since they are all obviously whores and should be treated like chattel as well? I’m just asking.
Look, Israel. I know you have books. Lots of them. Some of them are history books. One of the best books I’ve ever read was written by Jews for training your military and intelligence services. You’re a smart culture. Or you can be.
It’d serve you well collectively to read some late 19th and early 20th Century American and South African history and stop this kind of nonsense before it gets out of control.
Dang and to think that Israel has nukes. And we complain about N. Korea and China.
I guess they are looking for the Master Race. This does make for an interesting conundrum for Israel. Does not the faith look at the female as the bearer of future Jews by birth?
So the Palestinian’s are culling the neighborhoods seeking purity? Sounds more like sound bites (media) to me the reasons and excuses. The reverse is the case for the “Justifiable Holocaust” which most are against. Can’t say all because we always have a Kellogg food group some place. Like Froot Loops or Frosted Flake heck even just a plain ole Flake.