Tuesday, November 3, 2015

20 years to the murder of Yitzchak Rabin..a personal account

I was married on June 22nd, 1992. The following day, june 23rd, was my 23rd birthday. I loved the convergence of numbers, anniversaries of birth and re-birth ...that was the main reason for choosing that date, but there was also another one: June 23rd, 1992, was election day in Israel, which is traditionally a day off . We wanted people to stay up late and dance with us into the night without worrying about how they would get up in the morning…so, it seemed perfect!

The wedding was indeed a joyous affair, friends and family galore, and to top it off , the next day, we were treated to another wonderful gift: Yitzhak Rabin’ Labour Party gained the majority of the votes, enabling him to construct a coalition and become prime minister.

3 years passed. Asher and I moved to a tiny new apartment in Tel Aviv, nurtured it lovingly, and struggled to pay rent. Asher competed medical school, my career as a singer was gaining enormous momentum…and most importantly...Yitzchak Rabin was taking Israel courageously into a what promised to be an exciting, hope-filled new future. Rabin was making peace!

It started in 1987 with the Intifada, the revolt of Arabs living in Gaza and the west bank against the ongoing Israeli Occupation and its dire ramifications. The uprise included multiple forms of civil disobedience, stone and molotov bottle throwing and other aggression, and lead to hundreds of lost lives and many thousands of injuries, as the Israeli military retaliated. Rabin had initially made very firm statements against the intifada, instructing the military to “break their arms and legs..”….but then, he had a change of heart and mind. This enlightenment, this deep realization that without peace the cycle of blood would go on forever, this change of perspective that only a leader as courageous and honest as Rabin could initiate, gave birth to the Oslo Accords, which were signed  in 1993 and awarded Rabin, Peres, Clinton and Arafat with the Nobel Prize for Peace. Two States for two people, Israel alongside Palestine….who would have believed, finally it was going to happen! Nearly a 100 years of violent conflict were poised to reach their end, long overdue!

The days were  highly charged…there was enormous tension in the air. The majority of Israelis believed in the peace process wholeheartedly and could hardly contain their excitement and anticipation as it slowly came to fruition. Investments started flowing into Israel,  bus loads of tourists came to behold the miracle in the desert, world leaders visited,  praising and blessing the fledgling accords..it was a time full of wonder and replete with hope…everything was possible!

But not all of Israel’s citizens shared this enthusiasm: quite the opposite. Rabin’s political rivals on the right were seething. The messianic rabbis and their followers, the settlers and their extreme religious-nationalist leadership, and an array of others who found the idea of a Palestinian state between abhorrent and sacrilegious, went on a horrible crusade against Rabin. The incitement was appalling. Rabin was called a traitor; he was cursed, harassed and threatened. At the pinnacle of this criminal incitement against him, during a demonstration in Jerusalem , Rabin  was pictured in a Nazi SS soldier’s uniform, and the angry, violent mob yelled: Death to Rabin ! At that same demonstration, political leaders from the right stood on the terrace, in the fashion of dukes and princes of the middle  ages, and smiled approvingly as the mob erupted with hatred, like burning lava.

One of the politicians on the terrace  with a big smile spread across his face, was Binyamin Netanyahu.

Flash back to the land of hope. The city of Tel Aviv decided to organize a huge rally in support of the Oslo Accords. Shlomo Lahat, Tel Aviv’s legendary mayor, contacted me through my management, asking if I would agree to perform at the rally. I was a rising star at the time, already very popular and filling large halls. I was honored to have been approached and immediately agreed. He asked if I was willing to have my name on the billboards advertising the rally, I was quick to say: of course! Anything that will help bring the crowds and support peace!

I remember driving through Tel Aviv on the days prior to the rally, seeing those billboards, and wondering: where are all the big names that should have been there? Where are all the stars?
None were written on the announcement. (small red light should have gone off in my head, but..i was, as so many were then…in a state of euphoria…)

The night of the rally was magnificent, hundreds of thousand showed up, waving flags and banners, supporting Rabin and Peres vociferously, sending waves of good energy their way. It was a spectacular sight to see. Gil Dor, Zohar Fresco and myself   performed three songs and felt a surge of energy and excitement over come us…we were thrilled!!

We stayed after our show, listening to some other performers and to some of the speeches, and just as Rabin joined Miri Aloni to sing “song for peace”, in his raspy voice, endearingly and completely out of tune ,  we decided to leave the square and get a head start home, preceding the crowds who would spill into the surrounding streets and clog them.

We walked down the stairs, to where our car was parked.
The very same stairs, that a few moments later Rabin was to descend, on his way to a horrible death, shot three times in the back by the murderer Yigal Amir: Israel’s first political assassination and one that was to change her history forever.

I remember where I was when I found out….

I had decided to go to my grandmother’s apartment in the south of Tel Aviv, to give her a hug before I drove home. As I walked into her apartment, in the old Yemenite neighborhood near the Carmel market, I saw her staring at the TV screen, tears running down her face.
“They killed him! They murdered him ! those bastards! ” she kept repeating again and again at the top of her voice.

I was shocked, I couldn’t breathe.

Millions  mourned him, vigils were set up at the square, lighting candles, singing softly. I sang at all the memorials, barely able to extract a clear voice from a throat choked with tears. Droves of people ascended the mountains to Jerusalem, to pass by his grave and pay him last respect…numerous monuments and edifices were named after him, including the square where he was murdered, and a glorious building erected in his memory, dedicated to educating for tolerance and democracy.…

But not all mourned, not all throats choked with tears. In the shadows, there was much rejoicing, thanking of the Lord for the removal of the Satan Rabin, and self-satisfied chuckling and rubbing of hands…

Palestinian extremists, realizing their hopes of independence had been shot three times in the back by Yigal Amir and buried along with Rabin, resorted to terror and suicide bus bombings .Israel was blasted back in time to the middle ages, and the political, nationalist, messianic right, swords swinging, war songs emerging from their cracked throats, rose into power and embarked on the first and longest Jewish crusade in history…that has brought us to this day….

…20 years later.

The man on the terrace had fulfilled the Biblical prophecy: “did you murder, then inherit?”

After 20 years of intermittent rule Netanyahu, with a little help from his friends, has almost single handed, destroyed Israel, trampling our hopes for peace under the stiff boot of messianic nationalism run amok. He has transformed Yitzchak Rabin’s dream of a peaceful, prosperous, democratic Israeli society living aside an independent, free Palestine,  into a paranoid, racist, messianic, extremist, xenophobic, violent, arrogant, ignorant, ethnocentric nightmare.

He has continued using his well-honed tactic of incitement to instill fear and self-righteousness into the hearts of the masses, securing his recurrent re-elections and ensuing privileges as he preys on these most base emotions.  He has fed the monster of religious extremism to his own political gain, given Israeli citizens a personal example of conniving, tale-spinning, slippery conduct, coupled with a clear penchant for the good life at the expense of the common working man and woman’s hard earned tax money….such stark and tragic contrast to Yitzchak Rabin’s modesty and reticence.

Netanyahu, who stood on the terrace and smiled as the blood thirsty crowd roared, has become the “Big Dictator” in the Chaplin film: full of himself and paranoid at the same time, driven by a warped, dangerous vision of Israel’s future, seeped in dishonesty, contradiction and feeble leadership, committing generations, with his actions and reactions, to an eternity of  bloodshed .

Some believe Netanyahu will eventually bring peace, that he is still able to change heart and mind, as Rabin did. I once wanted to believe so...but i am no longer able to fool myself.  Netanyahu has betrayed this nation. He has put his considerable talents of oration, political savvy and purported intelligence, in service of self-glorification and religious , nationalist extremism, at the expense of every single principle upon which Israel was founded to begin with. I fail to see how this man can ever emerge from the dark pit he has thrown himself, and all of us, into. maybe i am wrong, but i believe the solution will come from somewhere, and someone, else. 

 As for me, since 1995 I have been speaking out. I have been fighting that battle that Rabin lost, that Rabin gave his life for. I too have been giving…not my life (yet..), but much of my well-being and comfort, my popularity and personal gain. I have given all of these things lovingly, for the sake of future generations, for the sake of what is left of the soul of this once-beautiful place. I do this by singing for peace, volunteering, speaking out, writing, and supporting the endless organizations that do the thankless, diligent job of building bridges every possible way, making sure their voices are heard!

 There is a ray of light that keeps stubbornly seeping into the darkness of my heart, lighting up that patch on the ground where grass insists on growing even in the shadows, where a song is born despite the numbing silence : The place of hope. That voice keeps telling me: Things will change, the pendulum will swing, focus on the good people, focus on the positive action, be patient and selfless as you build, educate, communicate, believe in the power of change. Focus on all that’s right, keep your chin up, and keep going.


20 years have passed since Yitzchak Rabin’s murder, and 23 since the day of our marriage. Asher and I  have three beautiful children now….it is for them that I write these words, for them to know and remember, for them to carry in their hearts like a beacon, long after I am gone. 

Thursday, March 19, 2015

post election thoughts


Yesterday was a black day for me, I was depressed and devastated after months of hard work and hope that this time we would finally rid ourselves of Netanyahu. And to think that his horrible racist statements in the last days were those that gave him the victory!  It killed me. 

 

Today I woke up and tried to think straight.

 

Here are my thoughts:

 

 Netanyahu has declared there will be no Palestinian state.
Without it, I don't see how we can acheive peace. If Netanyahu continues with his hard line policies , we run the risk of losing all our allies, including of course the US which the “bibi king” has already publically humiliated. There is also no doubt that the BDS (boycott Israel movment) will gain more and more momentum and supporters, and justifiably so. Abu Mazen will most likely go to Hague and to the UN, I assume he will succeed in gaining wide support for his initiatives, and this will isolate Israel more and more. As i like to say to my children, (usually regarding McDonalds), it's "shit de la shit".

Where do I see the positive side?

1.    Now it is clear where Israel's government formally stands, there is no way to masquerade anymore.

2.     Though Abu Mazen's international appeals to recognize Palestine may bother the Israeli government , they are in my opinion positive moves on his part that now stand much more of a chance of gaining wide international support, as well as support from the Israeli opposition, political and civil. 

3.    In these elections there were an enormous momentum of young people and old all working to change the government, there was a 72 % turnout at the polls, and much good energy that I believe will not be lost; it will be channeled to important grass roots work that will come to fruition when the time is right. Plus, I believe people will be less apprehensive about raising their voice in public and taking a stand, what was hardly present at all until now. i especially hope the artistic community will be more vocal and “get off the fence”. 
 
4.    There were many new and exciting coalitions created between Arab and Jewish citizens in Israel, that I believe will get stronger and stronger as we all unite against Netanyahu and his right wing policies.

 5.    Now that things are so bad, hopefully the international community will wake up and put more pressure on Israel to change its policies, this includes the Obama administration, which has been handling Israel with white gloves. I believe that attitude is harmful to Israel and to the region. America should be more assertive in making sure Israel enters into dialogue with the Palestinians and the moderates in the region immediately, with the goal of reaching an agreement in a limited time frame. Already this morning Obama said the US would recognize Palestinian claims on 1967  lines. The president also condemned Netanyahu’s shameful, cheap and racist election-day statements. Obama is a good man but has been too weak in regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Mr. President, you have two years, stop playing nice! We need you!!

 6.    Netanyahu is known to be an artist of deception. He has said many terrible and unforgivable things. But since he is so inconsistent, and such an opportunist, he may change his mind again now that he is in power and go in a positive direction . it’s not probable, but it’s not impossible. 

7.                                                              We, citizens of Israel, Jewish and Arab, who have a  different vision for our country than that of Netanyahu and his right wing allies, will have to unite and work harder and harder to save the soul of our country and the lives of our children.

8.                                                               I for one have no intention of giving up.

 

 

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

my prayer...

Shma Yisrael, Adonai eloheynu.
Adonai.
God.
Dear God,
Here i am , Achinoam, the little girl who went to Yeshiva in Riverdale and prayed fervently three times a day, who raised her voice in the song of songs, who raises her voice to this day to glorify the beauty of the human spirit and spread  "love your brother as you love yourslef",the best line you ever wrote, far and wide.
Please, God, i can't rememebr when i have felt such an urgent need to pray to you. God, elections in my beloved country are coming soon...i beg you to send wisdom and comassion to the hearts of our citizens, that they vote to RID our country of the destructive, arroganat, racist government of Benjamin Netanyahu and his cohorts.
Please, God, send them home! Send Bennet back to high tech where he can invent a new brand of cyber facism, send Lieberman to Putin, I'm sure there's a job opening for him there, send the settlers to the Negev where we could use their fervent enegy in building the desert economy and where they could volunteer to help bedouins,foreign workers and refugees, and most importantly, send Netanyahu and Sara to LA or wherever where they can live happily ever after off the millions Bibi will make as key note speaker in Sheldon Adelson's events, and stop insuting the intelligence of the entire world (oh, the speech in Congress! Got in Himmel!!) as they destroy everything that was ever good in my country.
Anything, God, but please don't let them gain power again! Our country is in such grave danger, my children's lives are in danger, our souls are in danger, the fundamental principles of Judaism we treasure are being prostituted, fear and hatred is being dripped like venom into the veins of our society, we are becoming monsters!
Please rid us of these evil men and women, who for the sake of power and fanatic mania are willing to bleed us all to death. It is they, not Iran, who pose the greatest threat to our future!
Help our citizens to elect an enlightened, responsible, compassionate and courageous leadership, dedicated to the well being of ALL our citizens, Arabs and Jews alike, dedicated to equal opportunites for ALL our children, and above all, Commited to PEACE. Leaders who have read the Israeli declaration of independence, who are wiling to stand behind the words of wisdom written there, who are willing to sacrifice personal pleasures for the greater good, leaders who are clean of hand and heart.
I beg you Lord.
 Amen.

Monday, March 2, 2015

Netanyahu's speech writer


Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am honored to be here today, representing the citizens of the state of Israel.

Be warned, this speech will surprise you.

First and foremost, I would like to thank President Obama, and the United States of America, for their undying support of the State of Israel from the moment of its conception to this day. I don’t know where we would be without your friendship.

Now I would like to speak directly to the entire Arab world, but most specifically to the Palestinians people, to our neighboring countries, to those who are already allies and those who will hopefully soon be, and to the people of Iran.

I would like, from this stage, to reach out my hand in Peace. Enough bloodshed, enough animosity. We have sacrificed ourselves and more horribly our children, their bodies, their souls, their minds, their dreams, their futures, for too many years on the altar of this senseless conflict. We are all children of Abraham and we should behave as brothers. I am here to take this first step, without looking back, without pointing fingers, without self-righteousness, without illusions. I know there is much animosity, much disagreement, there are real dangers threatening the entire region, dark forces at work striving to destroy our dreams of freedom and proseprity, of LIFE, but we must all work together to diminish these, and find common ground wherever it exists.

With you, the Palestinians, it has been too long we have been procrastinating. We would like to return, immediately, to the negotiation table, striving to implement the two state solution as I myself said in my now-famous Bar Ilan speech some years ago ; Israel and Palestine, side by side, in a symbiotic relationship, caring for each other,  sharing ideas, nurturing life, recognizing the fact that only if one side is allowed flourish can the other hope to do the same.

 

With you, members of the Arab league, neighbors near and far, we strive to reach an agreement that will include a just and fair solution for the Palestinians and security arrangements for Israel and the entire region, business relations and opened borders.  We must work together to fight extremism, to strengthen the region’s economic prospects, preserve and share our natural resources, enable every child to have access to clean water, food, shelter and above all an education with which she/he can build a life.

We can and should strengthen each other, protect each other, care for each other. It is our common interest.

Finally, to you, people of Iran , I say this: the nuclear threat has been hovering above all of our heads for too long, it is time to let go:

Let go of the megalomania, the paranoia, the lust for power and strength, the vocabulary of fear. Enough!

I propose we BOTH rid ourselves of nuclear weapons, and I include Israel in this equation. For if we work together to find common ground, with respect and an opened mind, if we agree to strive for peaceful relations, what need will ANY of us have of this horrible weapon of mass destruction? Why waste  time and money on such monstrous objects when we have so much to do with our resources, wisdom and cunning? We should be using them to supply our citizens with opportunities for livelihood and education, create sustainable energy, preserve nature, build infrastructure, promote equal rights and opportunities for all, and the list goes on and on.  

To summarize my offer:

1.    No nuclear weapons, for anybody in the middle-east.

2.    A regional agreement that will start with the Palestinians, and embrace the entire Arab world, wherever there are partners for dialogue, and I know they exist, backed and secured by the US and the international community as a whole.

I am willing to take the first, courageous step, in the name of my people, the citizens of Israel.

I believe we have no chance to survive in the region if we do not initiate a positive dynamic, one of good will and action, and I would like to lead this movement

 I have no idea if this plan, at this moment in time after all that has come to pass, will lead us to the fulfillment of our goals, but I do know, that continuing on the present  destructive track we are all on, will lead to our certain demise.

I do not know if I will be in office long, as elections are coming up. My words are not meant to serve me, but a higher ideal. I wish these words to be my legacy, continued by my successors and on into the future.

A future of life.

Thank you for your attention.

 

 

 

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

על הדרום, התגובות, הפחד והבחירות...


בתאונת הדרכים המזעזעת שהתרחשה בדרום לאחרונה, נהרגו 8 ונפצעו 29, כולן נשים ערביות שהיו בדרכן הביתה מתפילה בירושלים. כל מי שהיה נוכח במקום דיווח על מראות קשים, כמעט קשים מנשוא. הרוגים, פצועים, דם, צרחות, יבבות, הצער האנושי בהתגלמותו.  

אלא שלא רק בזירת התאונה התרחשה טרגדיה נוראית. מראה מזעזע באותה מידה נחזה ברשתות בפייסבוק: גולש צילם והפיץ עשרות תגובות של אזרחים ישראלים לאירוע הנוראי. והנה כמה ציטוטים:

"ערבים מסריחים, שימותו!" "איזה כיף, תנו לי חדשות כאלה כל יום!" "הלוואי וכל יום תהיה תאונה כזאת באוטובוס מלא ערבים".."שערבי אחד לא יישאר חי אינשאללה!" "אימהות של מחבלים!". 

הבטן מתהפכת נוכח אכזריות, אטימות ורשעות שכזאת. זוהי רק דוגמא אחת מיני רבות של גילויי גזענות נוראיים, ניאו נאציים ממש, הפוקדים את מדינתנו, התבטאויות המקבלות יותר ויותר תהודה ובעקבותיה לגיטימציה על ידי חברה חולה ואומללה, ולא פעם בגיבוי גלוי של בכירים בממשלה. אני יודעת מניסיון מר, מאחר ודברים איומים כאלה מוטחים השכם והערב גם בי אישית. 

התבקשתי לציין נושא שבעיני ראוי להיות המרכזי בבחירות הבאות עלינו...לטובה (אני מהססת לומר ״לטובה״ הגם שהטובה המיוחלת ברורה לי, החלפת המשטר הטרום פשיסטי ההרסני שמוצץ את לשד המדינה ומאיים להוסיף ולהקיז את דם בניה לשווא.) המתח בין תקווה לאימה מדיר שינה מעיני מאז הוכרזו הבחירות. לפיכך לא נדרשו לי יותר מעשר שניות בשביל לבחור את הנושא: התהליך המדיני המדשדש, הצורך הדחוף בהשגת הסדר עם שכנינו ועם כל הליגה הערבית, שיסלול את הדרך לתהליך שלום רציני רווי תקווה וכוונות טובות. תהליך שרק הוא יוכל להתחיל לעקור את נגע הגזענות הנוראי מקרבנו, ולהבריא את נשמתנו.
 

הו! אמרתי את ה"מילה"..שלום! אני נזכרת בילדותי כתלמידת ישיבה בניו יורק . האינדוקטרינציה שעברתי שם בענייני כשרות (בין היתר) היתה כה טוטאלית שבזמנו, האמנתי באמת ובתמים שאם אי פעם יקרב ללשוני בשר חזיר, השמיים יפתחו ברעם מחריש אוזניים וברק נוראי ירד עליי לכלותני. בישראל של 2015 , למילה "שלום" יש אפקט דומה ל״טריפה״ עבור חלק ניכר מהציבור. הקמפיין להקניית משמעויות אפלות, שליליות ומזלזלות למילה החשובה הזאת, שעיקרו מסע ההסתה נגד השלום, מציג את העוסקים והמאמינים בו כטיפשים הזויים במקרה הטוב, וכעוכרי ישראל ובוגדים בני מוות במקרה הרע. קמפיין זה נחל הצלחה פנומנלית שאין דומה לה. לדאבוני זוהי ההצלחה היחידה שאני יכולה לייחס לממשלתי הנוכחית שהשכילה להפוך עם נאור, מיוחד במינו, עתיר תרומות חסרות תקדים למורשת האנושית בכל תחום, לערימה מבוהלת  ובורה של פרנואידים גזענים (ושחצנים), ש"שלום" באוזניהם היא מילת גנאי. 

אם יש אם או אב בישראל שחושבים שילדם הרך איננו הבא בתור למלכודת המוות הערכית הזאת, הם טועים טעות מרה. אם יש מישהו שחושב שאפשר יהיה להמשיך לדבר על קוטג', מילקי ושאר ירקות ולזנוח את הבעיה הבוערת ביותר של מדינתנו - הסיכסוך עם שכנינו, הרי שהוא משלה את עצמו וסולל בכך את הדרך למלחמה הבאה. זהו כאמור סימפטום של עיוורון וסימום, בחסות הממשלה ובסיוע המדיה הנשלטת על ידה ועל ידי מקורביה.  

הדעה הרווחת שאני נתקלת בה היא: "ניסינו לעשות שלום, נתנו להם הכל (זה החלק שאני הכי אוהבת, שילוב של צדקנות, בורות והכללה) אין עם מי לדבר״, וכו... אני המומה בכל פעם שאני שומעת את הטיעונים הללו. ובכן, ניסינו? כן, אפשר לקרוא לזה כך, (אף שמאז רצח רבין אנחנו מנסים ובונים, מנסים ומשמיצים, מנסים ומשפילים. אכן ניסיונות מרהיבים!). נכשלנו? ועוד איך. גם שכנינו נכשלו. אז מה המסקנה?? נטפח את הפחד ואת השנאה בלבבות ילדינו ואז נשלח אותם אל מותם חדורי לאומנית משיחית ובלתי מתנצלת מבית מדרשו של נפתלי בנט , ואז נבכה על קברם?? האם זה הפתרון?? מה קרה לנו? נתקנאנו בקיצוניים שבשכנינו המוסלמים והחלטנו לייצר ״שהידים״ יהודים ?

 והאם מישהו לקח בחשבון שבעלי אינטרסים מוסרים מידע חלקי על ה"ניסינו" הזה? ומסתירים מעיני הציבור את כל היוזמות של הצד השני, ואת הייחס המזלזל והמבטל שהן זוכות לו מצידנו? האם לא עלה בדעתם של אזרחי ישראל , אשר חרדתם הגדולה ביותר היא להיתפס כ "פרייארים", שאולי עובדים עליהם? ושבכל מה שקשור לתהליך המדיני, טובתם וטובת ילדיהם איננה באג'נדה של אף אחד ממקבלי ההחלטות הנוכחיים?? 

באשר לי, הוריי חינכו אותי להמשיך לנסות גם משנכשלתי. לדבריהם כל רגע בחיים הוא הזדמנות חדשה ומקור לתקווה. המנצח, אומר אבי, איננו זה שמנצח רגעית, אלא זה שיודע לקום שוב ושוב אחרי שנפל. וכל זה לפני שהתחלנו לדבר על "ואהבת לרעך כמוך". ומי אמר שהדרך קלה? מי אמר שהפתרון פשוט? ברור שהוא איננו! אך מהי האלטרנטיבה? האידיאולוגיה הקומפקטית מבית מדרשו של הימין הלאומני המשיחי? שילוב של נכונות להקריב את ילדינו עבור ערימת רגבים, עם טיפוח גזענות, שנאה ואלימות לצד רגש עליונות ויהירות? גישה טוטאלית "עד כלות"...? מי יוכל בדעה צלולה לבחור באופציה כזאת?? 

 
השנה אני מציינת 25 שנות קריירה. מסע שלקח אותי סביב העולם. היה לי הכבוד לייצג את ישראל אין סוף פעמים, לפגוש גדולי עולם, מדינאים, אנשי רוח ואקדמיה, תרבות ואומנות. חזיתי בתופעות ובתהליכים מדהימים ומזעזעים כאחד ועשיתי תמיד כמיטבי להניף את דגל השלום כדגל המייצג את מדינתי האהובה, מדינת ישראל. 

השלום יפתח דלת לתהליכים החיוביים והחשובים ביותר שמדינתנו יכולה לקוות להם: הבראת חברתנו הנגועה בגזענות ובשנאה,  הקצאת משאבים ראויים לחינוך, משיכת השקעות מכל העולם , שגשוג תרבותי , שיווין הזדמנויות ויצירת הזדמנויות חדשות , שיוון מגדרי, והרשימה ארוכה. לא, אין הבטחות והדרך ארוכה, אך בהעידר שלום, מדינתנו תמשיך במדרון החלקלק שאודותיו כתב ליבוביץ, שממנו הזהיר אלברט איינשטיין, שעליו מדברים אפילו ידידינו הנאמנים ביותר: ישראל עלולה ליפול לתהום נוראי וחשוך של בידוד,של אלימות  וייאוש. 

רק אל תישארו אדישים.

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Gam Ani Charlie!

Thoughts for this morning. 
Nothing separates Muslim fanatics from any others. they are all brainwashed, miserable , and, as we so tragically saw once again, this time in Paris, often dangerous people. Israel and Palestine have their share of these sickos, Muslims, Jews and Christians alike, as does the USA (oh! plenty! of all shapes and sizes!), Europe is crawling with them, in fact, they are everywhere. BUT, they are STILL a minority. 

The demonstrations in Paris and everywhere filled my heart with hope, the refusal of the general population to sit back and ACCEPT this madness. I was also heartened by statements made by President Assisi in Egypt and President Rouhani of Iran!

NOW, where are the Religious Leaders?? yes YOU GUYS!!?? Were are you to UNEQUIVOCALLY CONDEMN those Religious leaders who fill these poor warped minds with filth masquerading as religion, those who rape the scriptures and holy books whose wisdom and depth were intended to improve the human condition, and turn them into instruments of hatred and killing, those who send young men and women to die selling them lies upon lies , sacrificing them on the alters of greed and fanaticism?
And where are our "fabulous" political leaders? yes, those who so effectively improve our economic conditions and bring peace and prosperity to all, etc etc, where are you?? to OUTLAW these religious leaders wherever they are?? just put them in Jail! including you Mr Rouhani! They are guilty of Incitement to murder!! 
I become infuriated when i see the "soft spot" people have for religion: oh, what a nice Jewish boy you see he's wearing a kippah? he must be nice. oh what a nice Muslim girl! you see, she covers her head? she must be good! oh, look , shes wearing a cross on her neck! she is a believer!! That is such Bogus! as if the clothes, the necklaces or the dietary practices of ANYONE are any indication of what kind of a human being they are?? In Israel we let Rabbis who have plainly proselytized Jewish supremacy, hatred and racism, roam free in the streets! not only that, we give them positions and budgets! then we ELECT them for office! that is nausiating! and needless to say, that happens in the Muslim world too, big time. And the same happened in the Christian world throughout history, in a bloody and horrible way, and is probably still happening. 
I am actually envious of the Christians. It seems their bloodiest times are behind them, after the massacres and butchering of the crusades, inquisitions etc etc, and now they have Pope Francis! oh, Pope Francis! a guy who would say: "you don't have to believe in God to be a good person! Some of the best people in the world do not believe in God, and some of the worst things are done in his name!"..OMG!!! i love this man!! so where is the parallel, someone of such power and influence who would say that, in the Muslim world? or the Jewish?? if someone can point him or her out, let me know. 


We Muslims and Jews are simply jealous of Christians. we want our OWN Dark Ages! let the streets flow with Blood, yallah!! Shariyah! Temple mount! Self righteousness and self glorification galore! 

i think we need a HUGE public, secular movement, Gandhi times 1 million, we should all get in the streets and PROTEST, like in Paris but EVERYWHERE! we want nothing to do with these religious fanatic sickos! they are not US! they do not represent our RELIGIONS, nor do they have anything to do with our MORALS, HOPES, DREAMS AND HUMANITY!

Yalla, let our voices ring!!!!