Historic Refusal to Shake Hands

לאחר פרעות תרפ"ט, נזדמנן המרן הראי"ה קוק זצ"ל להיפגש עם המושל האנגלי לוק, שהיה האחראי מטעם השלטון האנגלי בארץ בימי הפרעות, כממלא מקום הנציב העליון. סירב הרב ללחוץ את ידו, כי אין ידיו נקיות מדם, ואמר לו בלשוןחריפה כי עליו להסתלק מתפקידו.
"שיחת אבות", על מסכת אבות

After the riots of 1929, Rav Kook was invited to meet with the HighCommissioner Harry Luke, who was the representative of the British HighCommander at the time of the riots. Rav Kook refused to shake his hand,because his hands were not free of blood, and told him in the strongestpossible language that he should resign his post.
From "Sichat Avot", gathered commentary on Sayings of the Fathers, by Rav Kook

Thanks to Ncoom from Shilo for the tip!

Cruel Canadian Immigration Policy

The Israeli Supreme Court decided Israel has the right to refuse to permit Palestinian spouses of Israeli citizens from automaticly being able to move and live in Israel.

Justice Minister Haim Ramon of the centrist Kadima Party defended the ruling. "No place in the world is required to admit citizens from a country or authority with which it is in a state of conflict," he said. "We have to remember that this law was legislated during the Palestinian uprising, when several people who received citizenship through family unification carried out attacks."

I have news for Mr. Ramon.

Back when my wife and I returned to Canada to help an educational program there, in order to work, my non-Canadian wife had to apply for "Landed Immigrant Status". As incredulous as it seemed at the time, the Canadian authorities insisted that my wife had to live outside the country while her six month application process winded its way through the Canadian Immigration bureaucracy. No one guaranteed that she would receive the visa, despite the fact that her husband and all her children were Canadian citizens!

To read the world press you'd think Israel was such a "cruel" country! You'll never hear any Canadian Minister of Immigration publicly defending their country's policy, or justifying itself as being at war etc etc.

Ongoing War

I received the following from fellow Israeli Blogger Yaakov Ben-Yehuda:

Dear Fellow Bloggers, Journalists, & Activists,

I received the following blog recommendation from David Frankfurfer, and would like to pass it onto you:

http://www.kerenmalki.org/Ongoing_War.htm

Kern Malki's Blog of "Daily Events Under-reported, Unreported, and Simply Misunderstood" is both a memorial to their daughter Malki HY"D and an important effort to publicize what Jews and non-Jews don't know or don't want to know, but MUST know about terrorism and what's taking place in Israel on a daily basis.

I hope to link their blog to mine soon. You may want to consider doing the same.

Shabbath Shalom,

Ya'aqov Ben-Yehudah

K'far Tapu'ah, Shomron

http://ben-yehudah.blogspot.com

Technorati : israel intifada terror

The Virtuous Handshake

The following is a translation of a talk-back to an article in Maariv Online concerning the expulsion from IDF active service, of the soldier who felt incapable of shaking the Chief of Staff's hand at a cermony in the Presidential Mansion. The soldier was to receive a Presidential Award of Excellence:

"From An Old Solider : What the army doesn't seem to understand is something very simple; the same virtues that made Chananel Dayan worthy of receiving an award for excellence as a soldier are the very same virtues that made it so difficult for him to shake the Chief of Staff's hand."

Indicators of Healthy Countries

You've got to read it to believe it. A serious article in the Foreign Policy Review magazine describes what contributes to "healthy" countries, and what looks good (free elections?) but doesn't necessary mean anything. What does work?

There are few quick fixes on the path to stability. Elections might give voice to the disenfranchised, but they don’t necessarily translate into effect1ive governance. High oil or commodity prices may fill government coffers, but they don’t build strong institutions. By contrast, steps that capture few headlines—the appointment of independent judges, the development of a competent civil service, and the implementation of anti-corruption campaigns—are often the key to improving a country’s foundations.

The three things I dream about when I think of a "healthy" Israeli democracy is

1. Am independent judges (instead of a Friend brings a Friend elitest club)
2. A government civil-service there to serve the needs of the citizens (instead of being served by them)
3. Anti-corruption campaigns to eliminate the mafia-like elite that has developed a strangle hold on the politics and law enforcement of Israel