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| Jonathan Pollard |
 Our blessings to the Prime Minister for (finally!) sending an official request to Obama for clemency for Pollard. Now, for the first time, the State of Israel is committed to working with all its resources to free Jonathan. We pray that these efforts will bear fruit and we will soon see Jonathan here in Israel, free and healthy. Click here to view and share the new viral effort film to get Pollard released.
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| Unfaithfulness and Punishment: The Katzav Version: By Moshe Feiglin |
 26 Tevet, 5771Jan. 2, '11 Translated from the NRG website Moshe Katzav is guilty of what nobody dared accuse him, and completely innocent of the main crimes for which he was convicted. Harassment of one sort or another may have taken place in this story. If it happened, it is reprehensible. But rape? Certainly not. It was not the media and judicial lynch that reached its crescendo last week with Katzav's conviction that convinced me that Moshe Katzav conducted himself in an ugly manner. The impression that a person like me, who made an effort not to listen to the cacophony of accusations surrounding this story since its inception, has – is that fidelity was not a top priority for Israel's eighth president. If this impression is true, it is enough reason for the man to be punished. The problem is, though, that if we use the parameters of harassment and disloyalty, we would have to demand trials for many of our leaders, past and present; prime ministers, ministers, Supreme Court justices and senior defense officials. It does not seem reasonable to me that a victim of rape would "turn the world upside down" in the words of the court, to return to work with the man who "raped" her, and would send him love letters – and all of this would not awaken a reasonable doubt with the three judges. But despite the fact that nothing could be proven and that there was much more than reasonable doubt in this case, the judges would have had to be made of steel to acquit Katzav in the public "lynch" atmosphere that this story has generated. The cultural platform for the media/judicial lynch against Katzav is based on betrayal. It is steadily gaining ground. Disloyalty to any solid reality is the name of the game: Disloyalty to G-d, Whom we have been denying for almost 200 years, disloyalty to our nation, our Land, our state, our community, our family, our spouses and even our own gender identity. To realize this vision of betrayal, the attack has to be focused on separation/borders and authority. To create the world – solid reality, life – G-d had to separate between the heavens and dry land, between earth and water. Life begins when the cell differentiates and divides. The power of life is the power to preserve these borders. And the preservation of borders requires authority. Without borders between distinct entities and the authority that preserves them in their place, the world would return to its primordial chaotic state. Feminism undermines all structure by breaking down the most basic authority in human society – the authority that builds the family unit. The result is that the woman is expected to function as a man – making women the main victims of feminism. All that is left of her femininity is her body, which quickly falls victim to the latest criminal or fashion outrages. For his part, the man has to be a bit feminine; to shave his body, pierce it and tattoo it. There is no room anywhere for love. Instead, a war is waged between the genders. New, impossible laws attempt to restore some order to the resulting chaos, to no avail. The more laws legislated to protect women, the more they suffer from harassment and violence. The "coalition" identified a fat fish with which to fulfill its vision of a world without structure or authority; a man at the top of the pyramid; the President himself. Not only is he a man, but he is of Sephardic descent, traditional, a Likud politician – the symbol of all the "primitive" authority that we are trying to undermine. While we're at it, we will strengthen the judicial branch at the expense of the legislative branch, the status of the Left against the Right that dared elect a president that was "one of their own" and the status of the media, directly attacked by Katzav. And so, a truly unholy alliance was forged against the man. Moshe Katzav had no chance – and maybe he didn't deserve it. I do not identify with the practice of some religious people who explain others' misfortunes as Divine punishment. Some people in the Orange camp like to show how whoever had a hand in the Expulsion from Gush Katif has since suffered hardships. One must admit that statistically, there is food for thought in this claim. G-d does run the world and sometimes poetic justice is quite visibly at work. Nobody, though, can really understand G-d's reasons for afflicting some and not others. Second-guessing Him on why a particular person suffers a particular hardship does not add anything to our service of G-d. In Katzav's case, though, he himself has considered this connection. After the accusations against him made headlines, he met one of the main anti-Expulsion activists. With no prompting and totally of his own initiative, Katzav said to him: "I am not guilty of what I am being accused, but I know that this is happening to me because of the way that I treated the residents of Gush Katif." The political camp that worked to get Katzav elected to the presidency expected that when Israel turned into Sodom and perpetrated the grand rape of the Gush Katif settlers –the victims would find a warm shoulder of support at the President's residence. Loyalty - remember? But President Katzav chose instead to render his services to the coalition of betrayal and destruction. "From the time that the decision was made, you must accept it," the President broadcast live to the victims on the eve of their destruction. Now, when the same coalition has dug its claws into his own body, he must demand of himself what he demanded of them - and accept his fate. When all is said and done, I wish Moshe Katzav a long life of pleasure from his lovely family. He can likely look forward to the Garden of Eden after he dies - because in this world, he has already been through Hell. |
| Big Money for "Peace"makers |
 Since the merry
days of Oslo, big money has flowed into the pockets of the
Middle-East's senior "peace"makers. Top security officials enlisted
by the Rabin government to conduct the peace talks with Arafat, may
his name be blotted out, entered into partnerships with Martin
Schlaf and Arafat in the casino in Jericho, the thriving "peace"
cement business and disturbingly more corrupt deals. The Hebrew
book, "Inside Arafat's Pocket" by Azrad Lev documents how the people
in the most senior government positions (head of PM's office, senior
advisors to the PM) literally sold Israel down the river in exchange
for the opportunity to put astronomic sums of money into their own
pockets. This phenomenon is still alive and well. The Nof Tzion building project, located east of the Jewish neighborhood Armon Hanatziv in Jerusalem, encountered financial difficulties. Suddenly, Dov Weisglass, confidante of Ariel Sharon and one of the most influential officials in the Israeli government in the last decade, appears and attempts to transfer the entire project to a "Palestinian" entrepreneur. In other words, Weisglass is trying to sell Jerusalem to the Arabs – under a rightist government. |
| Tomorrow Magazine: Spread the Word |
 Keep those talkbacks coming in and get the word about Tomorrow out to as many social networks as you can. Next week, with G-d's help, we will feature the new issue on Education. |
| Manhigut Yehudit Third Annual Israel Dinner |
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| Get the Word Out! |
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Dedicated Manhigut Yehudit member Aryeh Sonnenberg takes all of the articles in the Weekly Update and puts them into an easy to read and print Word document. This version is easy to view and print. This version also makes it easy to copy and paste articles in order to use them on your blogs, websites or emails. Manhigut Yehudit's US Director, Rob Muchnick, creates his own weekly 2-page full-color pdf newsletter, called "Rob's Shul Newsletter" (which really stands out on the table of handouts in your shul). In it are included most or all of the articles in the Weekly Update, plus additional commentary, pictures, quotes and articles by Rob - with his own down-to-earth, sharp and sometimes irreverent style.
You can help
get the Manhigut Yehudit message out to the world! Print out the
update in the version of your choice and distribute it in your
synagogue, community center, workplace or neighborhood. Be part
of the Jewish leadership revolution and help to make Israel the
Jewish state we've always dreamed of. The links to both versions
are always at the top of this update email. |
| Feedback |
We'd love to hear your feedback. Click here to send us your comments and questions. Thank you! |
| Join the Team! |
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| If you are already a Likud
member and you would like to check your membership status, just email
us at: shir@manhigut.org.
Be sure to include your name, Israeli ID No., and a phone number where
it is easiest to reach you. Or give us a call at our "English
Speakers" office: 02-996-1123 (Israel), or 516-620-2475 (USA). If you are not Israeli citizen, you can become a Manhigut Yehudit International Member. Joining Manhigut Yehudit International is much more than just a donation. Now you're part of the team! If you are interested in arranging a lecture or meeting in your community with Moshe Feiglin or Shmuel Sackett, either in Israel or in the USA, please contact Dovid Shirel at shir@manhigut.org, or call: 02-996-1123 (Israel) or 516-620-2475 (USA). |
Manhigut Yehudit The Jewish Leadership Movement Email: office@jewishisrael.org Web: www.jewishisrael.org Tel: 02-996-1123 (Israel); 516-620-2475 (USA) |
| Our Aim: To perfect the world in the Kingdom of the Almighty
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And Moses and Aaron
were brought again to Pharaoh; and he said to them: 'Go,
serve Hashem your God; who exactly is going?' (From
this week's Torah portion, Bo, Exodus 10:8)
