Promised land (for the birds)

Many people do not know, as I didn't until somebody gave me a clue, that very few species of birds are capable of flying long distances over the sea. Most migratory birds prefer to fly mostly over the land and thus seek the route from Africa to Europe's nesting grounds and back with as little oversea flying as possible. Israel is not only on the way, it is on the very center of the way.
It is very convenient passageway for migratory birds, home to many non-migratory ones and - due to decades of protection law enforcement and general welcoming by people and institutions alike - nothing short of the garden of Eden for the birds.

Twice a year through Israel, the country smaller than Belgium and in half consisting of desert, 500 million birds fly on their way to/ from Europe. It is their resting ground. And - in an addition to some 230 migratory species - there are approximately 270 species native to Israel which in total gives only 150 less species than one may encounter in the whole of the USA.

There are more than 10 institutions dedicated to research, help and watching birds and huge areas are under protection for their use (one of the mos famous is Hula Valley in the north).
In Eilat former garbage dump site was transferred to bird-feeding station as area's salt marshes have been transformed and no longer can support that many birds. It is ilegal in Israel to kill or even stress birds (the last giving way for many jokes about what stresses the birds, still they are very welcome guests to the country).

No wonder that each yer thousands of tourists come to Israel for the exclusive purpose of bird-watching. It is rare delight for anybody interested in birdwatching and for most of us who just like to have a glimpse  at the wonders of our world. See for yourselves :)

75th anniversary

It is 3 days to the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht (crystal night) - the night in 1938 when the biggest pogrom in pre-war Nazi Germany happened.

Synagogues were burnt, homes and small businesses invaded and ruined, people beaten and robbed, 91 Jews lost their lives (usually beaten to death). And it was all state-organized, legal (Nurnberg statutes were already introduced effectively putting Jews outside any protection of law whatsoever).

It was very black night in Europe being followed by much blacker years.

Today in Europe Antisemitism is very present. Synagogues and Jewish schools and meeting houses are under protection, guarded often 24 hours a day. There have been cases of setting fire to them in Sweden, UK, France and many other European countries. Jewish schools welcome pupils with safety gear comparable to the one on airports - at least in most places (and as the case of shooting rabbi and children in Jewish school in France shows - for a very good reason). There is movie on youtube showing Jewish school in UK under heavy protection of CCTV cameras, security personnel and with bullet-proof windows. All with the comment from English policeman that it is indeed very necessary as assaults on it are common.

It looks like after Holocaust, after 6 years of the most terrible war, after wiping off 6.000.000 of its Jewish citizens (98% of the prewar population in Europe) Europe has learned nothing.
What a shame that at the same time when most European children usually walk to the nearest school without giving it the second thought and visiting churches for religious or touristic purposes is normal-day activity Jewish community in Europe lives n fear and is - AGAIN - under attack.
At the same time when bulbs, vacuum cleaners and alike are discussed by EU bodies as sooo important issue Jewish citizens of Europe feel in few places as they did shortly before the Kristallnacht.

It is real SHAME for all Europeans, myself included and I feel it deeply - all I may do is write about it, and talk about it. It is not enough, it is very little....

Halt of construction materials being allowed into Gaza

Many of you may wonder on times about media writing about building materials not being allowed into Gaza. Why is that so? Is it true? What is wrong with building materials - certainly needed in highly populated area?
Well, it is like with a kitchen knife. There is nothing wrong with it and it is absolutely first need article that normally should be allowed for anybody, except when you are asked for it by somebody trying to murder you. If you were a prison guard and one of the inmates would ask for a kitchen knife I don't suppose you would treat him the same way you would have if you were a shopkeeper and a client would ask you for a kitchen knife, isn't it so?

Here is an answer to this riddle.

Hamas - being in power in Gaza - is the one to admit transports of goods send to Gaza via Israel (by Israel and all other parties). Palestinian terrorists from Hamas are the ones who try to infiltrate Israel to either kill or capture Israelis (during long captivity of captured soldier Gilad Schalit there have appeared disgusting posters in Gaza saying about how female soldier should be captured to keep him company).
Preparations to infiltrate Israel by terrorists include building tunnels like the one which was just discovered. Its construction included 24,000 concrete slabs delivered to Gaza by Israel and manufactured in Israel. They were supposed to help construct houses for civilians, but they were used to construct tunnel by Hamas terrorists. To kill those who gave the slabs in the first place.

Would you give a kitchen knife to your neighbor in need? Sure. Would you give a kitchen knife to somebody trying to kill you and making no secret of it? I don't think so.
Do you understand now WHY building materials are often not allowed into Gaza? It is an amazing goodwill of Israeli authorities (from my point of view of somebody not directly in danger of being killed just for who I am) that occasionally they are still delivered.

Praising the child's murder :(

Mainstream media in Europe won't write about it (as they have written about every little incident putting Israelis in bad light) so let me do it as it may interest you. On Saturday, two weeks after shooting by sniper IDF soldier in Hebron, a 9-year-old girl was shoot by Palestinian terrorist in Psagot - a town in Judea. Terrorist escaped by hole in the fence.

Shooting a child is the most tragic part of the story, but the most infuriating is putting by administrator of official Fatah's facebook page this comment:
"The sniper of Palestine was here. He saluted Hebron, and rested in El-Bireh. He left the signature of [real] men in different parts of the homeland. He saluted and left, and moved on to a different place, with a new signature, as he tells the stories of those who love the homeland."

I just remind you that it is official PA Autonomy authority, financed and supported by EU (not only but significantly) with our taxes and called  "peace talks partner"   or "non-radicals".

I will spare you my comments, they could have been vulgar...

40 years ago...

It is exactly 40 years since the breakout of Yom Kippur war.

Few days after closing by Austrian authorities refugee camp for Soviet Jews on their way to Israel (after an attack by Palestinian gunman) and after the families of Soviet diplomats were evacuated from Syria (on the 4th of October) the war started on the highest Jewish holiday. The Yom Kippur war, just like the 6-days-war, was in a sense a hot episode of cold war (Syria being supported by Soviet Union). On the same day when Soviet diplomats were evacuated Syrians gathered 1,200 tanks on a 40 mile long border with Israel (for comparison: in 1941 when Germany started attack on its former ally Soviet Union they used 1,400 tanks on 1,000 mile long front line).

Israeli army was on high alert yet, in the anticipation of the highest holiday, reservists were not mobilized, though soldiers returning for a holiday to their homes were very often called back right away (it happened for example to Icchac Rabin's son).

In synagogues soldiers were often found by those delivering mobilization papers - the event with no president before. At 2 p.m. sirens sounded and at 2.30 radio broke the silence (there is no radio or TV  broadcasting on Yom Kippur) to announce that the alarm was for real. An hour later another announcement made things clear: public communication was to start immediately, hospitals put on high alert and those in shape permitting such transfer were to be moved form hospitals home making place for military casualties. War has started.

The war was, of course, won, otherwise Israel would have ceased to exist (that was the goal of the attackers) but the price was heavy. In Sinai the whole 3rd Egyptian Army was held by fortifications manned by 436 soldiers, many of them new immigrants. Quite often the commanding officer was killed in early stages of war  and the command was executed by corporals or even privates.
One of such forts (fort "Quay") was holding for a week before (when only 20 hand-grenades and few belts  of light ammunition were left) it surrendered. Taking what was left of his men, after having washed in last drops of water, and collecting Torah scrolls, soldiers were marched to captivity. Egyptians searched for a long time for heavy machine-guns refusing to believe there were none.

Let us not forget about the events forty years ago....

And here is the link to Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood resentments :(

Sukkot

Sukkot, the festival starting 5 days after Yom Kippur and lasting for 7 days, is going on. During this time many Jews build sukkas (shelters) in their backyards, balconies, beaches or other places. It is time of thanksgiving for food, asking for good harvest, remembering time when Hebrews lived on the desert escaping Egypt to enter promised land...
One may enter such sukka freely and be accepted warmly as expected guest. It is time of cherishing friendships and making new ones.
Today is the day when tens of thousands gather at the Western Wall for priestly blessing - with chief sephardic and ashkenazi rabbis presiding over it and participating in prayers. After the ceremony pilgrims are accepted by rabbis in their sukkas at the Wall.
The last day of Sukkot is Simcha Tora (The Joy of Tora) when holy scrolls are taken around synagogue in joyful, dancing procession and even children are aloud to touch them.
HAPPY SUKKOT TO ALL WHO CELEBRATE!!!!!!!!

European Anti-Semitism

Here is an article published by Gatestone Institute about European antisemitism.
It has been written by Muslim writer, obviously caring for hi religion but also full of humanitarian ideals.

In my opinion the writer has a point. There are so many, many bloody and awful conflict around the world. To name a few think about Syria, Congo, former Angola war, Darfur and - oh - so many others!!!! Most people in Europe don't give a damn or if they do they are doing their job (sometimes good and needed) without much publicity.

There is one exception. The conflict in which Europeans en masse support aggressors picturing them as victims. The conflict not even remotely as bloody as most if not all others, yet pictured by European media as if it was the most viscous on planet. The conflict which aggressors (posed and described as victims) do not want to finish, yet it is blamed on the other  side! The conflict in which EU regardless of the crises pumps millions of euro from the taxpayers money.

Yes, you have guessed correctly! It is the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. And I absolutely agree with the author of the above linked article that it is not because Europeans care for Palestinians (they are completely indifferent e.g. to the fate of those Palestinians who have been put to refugee camps in Syria or Lebanon and to the fate of those who are decimated in Syria). The reason this particular conflict is so cherished by European media and many Europeans is because it allows for expressing freely antisemitism in word and deed.