Chemical Attack in Syria Already,: Israel Prepares for Worst

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                  

It seems that terrorism is the only known skill in Syria by everyone who lives there today.  Syria practices state-sponsored terrorism.  It has aided and abetted if not initially produced  Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine General Command, The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Abu Musa Organization, and Popular Struggle Front.  The insurgents have been identified by Assad as members of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The northern border of Israel is Syria.  Twice, every citizen of Israel has been issued gas masks due to Syria's known stash of chemical weapons that they have used against their own people.  Being that Syria is in a civil war, the fear is that they will either be used again to gain the upper hand or that these weapons would fall into the hands of terrorists that would use them against Israel.

Brigadier General Itai Brun, the Israeli military intelligence head of their research and analysis, told a security conference in Tel Aviv that President Bashar Assad has already used chemical weapons many times.  He has documented facts of visual evidence from the French and British that it has happened near Damascus only last month.  "CW was used in a Syrian Army attack in Aleppo on March 19. At the time, the Syrian opposition said 31 people were killed by CW munitions."  The report included the fact that the CW was used in a reduced form so as not to create vast casualties.  I doubt if they would do that on an attack on Israel.

In my estimation, Syria has resorted to using these non-conventional weapons because the rebels-insurgents  have been provided for in ways other than weapons by the USA and NATO.  .

Also, John Kerry, US Secretary of State,  urged NATO in Brussels to make ready for this fact on the very day of Brun's conference in Israel.

Now this development will cause pressure on the USA and other Western countries to intervene.  President Obama had said before that using chemical weaponry is a "game changer".  NATO is still saying that the alliance will not intervene in the civil war.

Knowing of the possibility of Israel facing such an attack again, 4.7 million gas masks have been distributed in Israel.  4,000 of them were distributed since January.  They manage to get about 1,400 every week to the population which has grown.  Israel has 6 million Jews and about 1.7 million Arab citizens today.  Christians and others make up the total.

"In the 1980s, Syria acquired chemical warheads for aerial bombardment and for its SS-21 and Scud-B missiles."  "By the end of the decade, Libya also began to produce large quantities of mustard and nerve gas, and acquired Soviet Su-24 long-range bombers."

Then again in 1991 with Saddam Hussein leading, Iraq had threatened with  chemical weapons in the 1991 gulf War.  40 surface to surface missiles were launched at Israel and each one could have had chemicals.  Israelis were educated about defensive actions to take and had sealed rooms in their homes for refuge.

It seems that terrorism is the only known skill in Syria by everyone who lives there.  Syria practices state-sponsored terrorism.  It has aided and abetted if not initially produced  Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine General Command, The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Abu Musa Organization, and Popular Struggle Front.  The insurgents have been identified by Assad as members of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Resource:  Oregonian newspaper, 4/24/13 page A4, Urgency rises over chemical weapons
http://www.algemeiner.com/2013/01/30/demand-for-gas-masks-in-israel-rises-as-fears-of-chemical-weapons-falling-into-terrorist-hands-increase/
http://faculty.biu.ac.il/~steing/arms/chem.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism_in_Syria
http://www.worldtribune.com/2013/04/24/israeli-intel-chemical-weapons-apparently-sarin-used-by-syria-in-aleppo-attack/

Double Standards Used in Freedom of Speech Against Jews

Nadene Goldfoot
The David Horowitz Freedom Center has found out the hard way that Jews are not free to express any facts that might defend themselves on college campuses.

Every year since 2005, colleges and universities in the USA hold an Israeli Apartheid Week that is based on hatred,  misinformation and downright lies about Israel. "It in general is a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaigns as part of a growing global BDS movement"  against Israel.  It ends up harassing Jewish students in attendance as well as support for Hamas, a terrorist organization.  Physical violence against the Jewish students is usually an end result.

This year the David Horowitz Freedom Center answered this disgusting week with an Islamic Apartheid Week, giving back something similar to what they have been slinging at Israel.    Only whereas  Israeli apartheid is a lie,  the Freedom Center's attack is based on the facts found in Islam such as sexism, homophobia and religious bigotry that threatens Jews, Christians and other minorities.  To do this they attempted to put ads in 40 college newspapers.

The ad's heading was "Faces of Islamic Apartheid"   It told of gay men hung in Iran, women and girls murdered for falling in love with non-Muslims. Also, it told of a Pakistan cabinet member murdered for trying to reform Sharia Law in his country.  In total, it told about 4 women, 3 men and a little girl who were victims of the real Islamic apartheid of which 5 have been murdered.

The colleges and universities turned the ad down.  In the end, 5 colleges turned the ad down in the U of California system who also tolerate anti-Semitism on their campuses.  It's shocking to come from such a liberal environment, liberal except when it comes to Jews.  4 others turned the ad down.  For those who printed it, they were full of apologies for doing so like calling it an editorial oversight.

One thing the Freedom Center neglected to do was to bring out how many groups of people are Israelis; Europeans, Americans, Africans, Orientals, Muslims, Jews, and even a few Christians.  They neglected to bring out the fact that the Palestinians, for this is what it's all centered over, plan to make their state 100% Muslim.  No Jews will be allowed to live there.  We do have thousands of Jews living in Judea and Samaria right now, and this is going to be very sticky as there are parts of these ancient Jewish lands already legally decided to be okay for Jews to live there.  They forgot to mention that 1.4 or more million Arabs are citizens of Israel and serve in the knesset as well.  But who would ever read these facts?  Certainly not a group designed to plummet Israel with nonsensical false information in order to promote their cause.

This constant barrage of hate causes great concern to Jews in the states.  Some have even tried to do what the Muslims have done to us with ads on buses.  That hasn't gone over too well.  I hate to see us stoop to the same lengths as what has been done to us, but given the circumstances, at times it seems there is no other way to get our views across.  Trying to tell the truth and get students to listen has led to the Freedom Center's ads.

What's wrong with our higher educational system?  It's turned political instead of a place to learn.  Of course, like in the past, the Jews are suffering for it. This is the place where intelligent students should be learning to dig out facts. It's the last bastion to learn true facts.    Israel is called America's friend by our government, but higher educators are allowing people to erase facts and only follow the prevailing crowd spewing hatred.  Are they encouraging research?  Are they bringing in speakers for Israel?  Are they teaching students to politely listen to Israel's view of the Israel-Palestine situation?  No, it looks like they're as guilty as those that spew the evil accusations.  Debates are not even attracting  students  who stay away if there are any held.  No, but watch them flock to a hip hop group.

Resource: David Horowitz: info@horowitzfreedomcenter.org  April Newsletter
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_Apartheid_Week
http://frontpagemag.com/2013/charles-jacobs/israeli-apartheid-week-learn-to-crush-it/
http://unitedwithisrael.org/israel-apartheid-week/
http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/ccp/israeli-apartheid-week-stirs-up-controversy-on-campuses
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/israel-apartheid-week-campus-blood-libel
http://www.google.com/images?q=Faces+of+Islamic+Apartheid&rlz=1B3RNFA_en___US482&hl=en&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ei=Tsd2UYnpK4SbiALk1YHwCQ&ved=0CB8QsAQ
http://www.islamicapartheidweek.org/faces_ad

Israel's Ethiopian Community

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                 

'There are many colors in Israel and it's important to show it to the world" Yityish (Titi) Aynaw, 21, an Ethiopian Jew  said on stage ...when she won the Israel Beauty pageant and became Miss Israel.  Titi is a member of the Falah Mura who made aliyah to Israel at age 12 in 2004.  Her family never felt at home in Ethiopia.   Her name, Yityish in the Ethiopian language of Amharic means "a look to the future."  She has already served as an officer in the IDF and now is a manager of a fashion store.

Coming to Israel was not easy.  She had to learn Hebrew and live in a modern society, so different from her home in Ethiopia.  Now she hopes to become a successful model and would also like to be the first Ethiopian TV host, an Israeli Tyra Banks.  Martin Luther King has been a role model for her.

Ethiopian Jews  had started to arrive in Israel in Tzfat in 1981 when I lived there.  They came barefooted wrapped in white sheets. An empty apartment  was picked where clothes were donated and the new immigrants could try on clothing.  It didn't take them long at all to learn how to manage in our supermarket.

The history of Jews of Ethiopia (Abyssinia), a country in NE Africa which may also be "Cush" in the bible is said to go back to when the Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon sometime in (961-920 BCE).  It turned out to be a fruitful visit and she and her retinue returned to her homeland with some pregnancies.  The emperors of Ethiopia have claimed descent from Menelik who was the son of their Queen of Sheba and King Solomon.  They even have used the title "Lion of Judah."  These Jews are referred to as Beta Israel (House of Israel.).  Most of Ethiopia is Christian and Muslim, so these Jews have suffered some discrimination.  They were called "Falashas, (the aliens, invaders.)  The government had caused them imposed exile and starvation.  There have been stories about them that were heard in Europe from the early Middle Ages.  Authentic information came from James Bruce in 1790.  They lived in some village communities practicing handicrafts and agriculture.  Once the 1/2 million Beta Israel ruled around Lake Tana.

The people I saw coming into Safed in 1981 were dark skinned with very Caucasian features.  By 2006 Tzfat, a city of 28,094 had 1,439 Beta Israelis which was 5.1% of the city population.  The Beta Israelis were brought to many Israeli cities.  They were small boned,  tall slender and beautiful.  After first recouping in the hospital, they acclimated themselves and in no time at all put on an art show in the city.

It was "Operation Moses" of the mid 1980's that this airlift took 20,000 to Israel.  This operation could not be completed because of complications.  Later, they had Operation Solomon in 1991 which brought in 15,000 were flown to Israel.  Yityish was in the some 2-3,000 that had to remain, perhaps not out of their own choice.

Their Judaism that they practiced was based on literal obedience to Torah injunctions.  They knew nothing about post-biblical Hebrew literature.   They only knew a few words of Hebrew.  Their Torah was written in Ge'ez , Old Ethiopic.  The even still practiced sacrifices on certain occasions by their priests, something dropped by the rest of us since the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE.  They did not know about Hanukkah, Purim, etc.  This helps to date their becoming Jewish.  DNA tests have not determined any major Jewish haplogroup, such as J1.  It is thought that that they descended from Jewish converts before Christianity.

Resource: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4350667,00.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_Jews_in_Israel
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/ejhist.html
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

Turkey Continues Belligerence with Israel

Nadene Goldfoot
Turkey was angry that Israel stopped their ship, the Mavi Marmara when it was attempting to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza.  Turks attacked boarding Israelis and  were killed in the act.  Then Turkey turned around and demanded an apology from Israel, which Netanyahu finally gave with the personal nudging from Obama.  Yet Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is keeping the relationship in deep freeze.  He insists that that Turkey will not re-establish diplomatic relations until Israel lifts its blockade on Gaza.  He's asking Israel to disregard a big part of their security which would be suicide.  As Netanyahu said before, "The truth is that if Israel were to put down its arms there would be no more Israel.  If the Arabs were to put down their arms there would be no more war."   There is no hope for peace as long as the Arabs can get arms, thus-the need for the blockade.

  Netanyahu did say he would  loosen some restrictions and said they will continue to do so if there continues to be quiet from Gaza.  Turks also expect  to receive $millions in compensation for the deaths of their pirate seamen.

However, already several rockets have hit Israel since the cease fire that only lasted for a few months.  This is the reason why Israeli ships had to check out incoming ships;  for weaponry.  Weapons brought in this way would be used against Israel.  Israel isn't trying to stop Palestinians from getting candy bars; just weapons.  There have been no shortages of anything that Gazans have needed.  Big semi-trucks roll in there every day with supplies.  That's one good reason that Israel was most suspicious of people supporting the Arab cause-which would be the end of Israel-to bring in weapons for their use.  It's the only thing they could possibly be short of.  By raining rockets, missiles and mortars upon southern Israel since 2001, the Palestinians have broken the trust Israelis could have had in them as a peaceful neighbor.

To show his anger,  Erdogan will not agree to a meeting of NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue group which includes Israel and 6 Arab countries, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Mauritania, Algeria and Jordan.  Egypt is also backing out.  I'm  not surprised as this is a Muslim Brotherhood regime.

Turkey had already shown more support for Muslim causes and was caustic with Israel before this event, thus the blockade blocking.  Last May NATO had a summit conference in Chicago and Turkey rejected Israel's participation.  When Israel asked for a permanent office at NATO, Turkey said "NO."

Erdogan is going to visit the USA on May 16th.  Then he has said that after that he will go to Gaza.  He has already postponed his April  trip to Gaza at the request of Obama.  The USA is trying to broker a relationship between Israel and Turkey but so far this has not turned out well at all.

Israel was legally in the right by inspecting ships.  This has already been declared in the UN.  No other ship had any problems.  It was the defiance that came out of Turkey which caused those Turks on board to attack the Israeli naval inspectors.  There was much more to be discussed than for Netanyahu to give an apology which was not accepted.

 This all started with a Muslim Brotherhood development that affected Egypt, Turkey, Iran and others.  Observance in one's religion should not be leading to such hatred for others of different faiths.  What good is a religion if it  teaches hatred?  

Iran Hit with 7.8 Earthquake; 2nd In A Week

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                 

Many of us are most concerned about Iran having nuclear facilities.  The people of Iran should be also, since Iran is a vast earthquake zone. Hold on!  "Iran  is one of the most seismically active countries in the world, being crossed by several major fault lines that cover at least 90% of the country."

 They were just hit with their 2nd earthquake since their first on April 9th which was a 6.3 near the Bushehr nuclear power station. In that one, 37 people were killed and 850 were injured.  That makes 2 big earthquakes in one week!  Since June 22, 2002 they have had 13 earthquakes counting this past week's two.  All but 2 have been 6.0 or more.  Those 2 were a 5.3 and a 5.9, nothing to sneeze at in such an unstable area.

 This time, they were hit with a 7.8. at 10:44 GMT and  went down 51 miles in depth.   They say their nuclear sites, built by Russia, can with stand an 8.0 or better.

7.8 is a powerful earthquake.  The epicenter was the border area of SE Iran between them and Pakistan.  13 people were killed and 20 injured in Pakistan on Tuesday. A few hundred homes collapsed in Mashkeel, Pakistan.  Homes  are made of mud  in Panjgur, Pakistan.  Hundreds of homes and building in New Delhi, India and the Gulf Arab states were destroyed from it.  People got out of their building in Qatar and Dubai.   This was far from Iran's nuclear facilities, but had to have been felt and affected if the range is this far.   The distance between New Delhi, India to Iran is 758 miles or 1,219.62 kilometers.

Luckily the area is not like New York.  The land is a sparsely populated desert and mountain region.  They have not had any communications, so haven't heard about any deaths yet.  Iran has a population of 76,923,300.

Iran's nuclear facilities are centered in central Iran or the west side.  This includes Bushehr, the nuclear power plant on the Gulf coast.  They say they have good safety standards.  We have our doubts.  The IAEA say that they have been informed that there was no damage to any of the facilities.    It just happens that they sit on a fault line.  They had a 6.6 quake in 2003 that flattened Bam, a city in the SE and 25,000 were killed in that one.

I seem to remember Iran stating that they did not want Israel to ever come to their aid in such an earthquake catastrophe.  The distance to Jerusalem from Iran is about 970 miles or 1,555.92 km.  This is the first time that Iran has suffered from 2 earthquakes in one week.  Their history since  2002 is that they have had one or two per year; 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, two in 2010, 2011, 2012, and the two this week.

Resource: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/16/us-iran-quake-idUSBRE93F0E120130416
Gerard Robins: Iran Quake kills 37- near Bushehr Plant
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_earthquakes_in_Iran#cite_note-BuffaloUniversity-2

Secret Iranian Underground Nuclear Facility "QUDS" (Jerusalem) Spotted

Nadene Goldfoot
Google earth recently uncovered satellite imagery of a Quds underground nuclear facility which has crossed all of Netanyahu's red lines and then some.  It's 10 miles northwest of the facility at Fordow.  There are 3 sections.  They have a center for long distance missiles.  A high-ranking intelligence officer assigned to the regime’s Defense Ministry,  blew the whistle by providing the coordinates and the detailed information on the operation of the complex, which consists of three facilities.  Hundreds of missiles were seen surrounding this site.

Yet Iran's Atomic Energy Organization head, Fereidoon Abassi, in a press conference  flatly denies that there is any missile warhead complex that is so visible on the satellites.  They said "WND-revealed secret uranium enrichment site, dubbed “Quds,”  doesn't exist.  If that isn't what it is, why aren't they saying what it is, then?

WND exposed the story on March 20th.  The Washington Times followed up the story the very next day. Now I've just gotten wind about it from a friend.

"Iran's regime’s scientists are enriching uranium to weapons grade. They already have enough plutonium for several bombs and are in the last stage of putting together a nuclear warhead. This first section of this facility  is called “Quds” after Jerusalem, as they believe Israel will soon be destroyed and Jerusalem restored to Muslim rule." I suppose they must be thinking of when the Ottoman Empire ruled all of the Middle East.  Perhaps Iran wants to take  Jordan, Syria and the rest of the Middle East countries as well and make it the "Persian Empire."  Now they are in the last stages of putting together a nuclear warhead.  I doubt if they are ahead of North Korea's progress, though. However,  their 3rd facility is a very large " site that houses over 380 missile depots and launching pads.

That certainly tells us what Iran's intentions are and how far along they have come.  They are now telling everyone that the only site they have is at "Fordow in the vicinity of the cities of Qom to Natanz,

Iran's Defense Ministry was very defensive about it so their Golpannews source explained that it was just a military site.  "By calling Quds a military site it is therefore not accessible for inspection by the IAEA."  Calling it "QUDS' is a dead giveaway.  We can read between the lines as well as read a google earth map

America is so concerned that they are going to have Congress hold a hearing about it.  It certainly appears that all the talks that have been going on have bought Iran time to work on their dirty deed.

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2013/04/iran-nuclear-weapons-site-what-nuclear-weapons-site/#EheOd8rDIvIdPgIH.99
Resource: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKduG03WL58
Victor Sharpe alert

Al-Qaida Cell in Istanbul Arrested: US Consolate, Church, Synagogue Saved

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                   

Ankara, Turkey

Al-Qaeda was planning to blow up the US Consulate, a church and a synagogue in Istanbul, Turkey but were thwarted by the security forces.  11 were arrested in a raid.  On April 2nd they had received explosives and had building plans stashed in several cities.  This is the former Osama bin Laden's terrorist group.  They believe in  "global Jihad and a strict interpretation of sharia law.

Taken were 5 rifles, 5 guns USB flash disks, CDS and a remote controlled explosive mechanism.  They were loaded for bear.

A previous attack was planned for and carried out on February 1st on the US embassy in Ankara by another terrorist group, the DHKP-C (a radical Marxist and anti-US armed group, The Revolutionary People's Liberation Front).  This was a suicide bombing which killed the Turkish security guard and injured another  The bomber was "Ecevit Shanli, a member of DHKP-C."  This is "considered a high-security post, and there are Turkish police present at all times."  Only the door received damage.   Germany and France's embassies are in the same area.

Istanbul, formerly Constantinople, is one of the largest cities in the world with a population of 13.9 million.  That's double Israel's population.  It was the capital of the Ottoman Empire and previous empires as well.  It lies between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea over 2,063 square miles of land that extends into Asia's continent. Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the 2nd largest city.  It's population is 4,338,620. It lies 280 miles SE of Istanbul.  

Resource: http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/turkeys_reislamization/
http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/world/story/turkey-police-foils-al-qaeda-plot-against-us-embassy-report-20130412
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istanbul
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57567067/u.s-embassy-in-ankara-turkey-hit-by-suicide-blast-1-dead-u.s-officials-say/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Qaeda

Attitude Toward Jews in the Turkish World

Nadene Goldfoot
Turkey's Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan had been trying to curry favors with the Muslim Brotherhood by bashing Israel, but he has found that this has not gone over with the Western world. It's not a winning idea in Turkey, either.    It was Turkey who first recognized Israel as a state on April 15, 1948, so to have Turkey turn against Israel has been a sad outcome of the Arab Spring.   The flotilla disaster caused a break in a long-standing friendship between the two countries.  This was where the Turkish sponsored ship Marmara sided with the Palestinians and tried to break Israel's blockade of Gaza.

There have been Turkish citizens that are rebelling against the radical element of Islam and that are speaking up for Jews.  Sinem Tezyapar, a TV producer and host  in Turkey is a brave young lady who understands the Koran and its supplemental literature and has a beautiful understanding of it.  " She is an Executive Producer at a Turkish TV station.  She is also a political and religious commentator, columnist and peace activist.

Sinem is in a complete 180 degree opposition to people like Sheik Yusuf al- Qaradawi of Egypt, now Qatar.  He is a theologian who only speaks of terror for Jews.  Sinem's article, "New Muslim vision For Temple Mount" tells about allowing Jews and Christians at the site in Jerusalem since there are other mosques where this is allowed.

Adnan Oktar is also speaking out against such fatwas saying that Muslims are obligated to kill Jews, which Qaradawi insists upon in his speeches over Al Jazeera TV. Adnan is a nightly talk show host, which Sinem is also.  He's also making it clear that there is no source in the Koran that calls for murder of the Jews as well as no justification for it.

It's as if someone has opened a window and let in fresh air to read about these two people who know their religion and can do without any radicalism that others seem to find.  I'm glad Sinem isn't alone in her views. I wish both these people well.  May they live till 120 years.   There's hope for the world after all.  Now if only Iran will come around in their attitude before it's too late, things will really look up.  North Korea is ready (?) and has threatened  USA bases with a nuclear tipped missile and their cohorts, Iran are right behind them in readiness to attack Israel and the USA, as well.

Resource: http://www.templeinstitute.org/archive/13-03-13.htm
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Controls/SendFriend.ashx?print=1&type=0&item=151792
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/obama-pays-respects-israel-holocaust-victims-yitzhak-rabin-article-1.1295889
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recep_Tayyip_Erdo%C4%9Fan
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4360226,00.html
http://archive.adl.org/NR/exeres/788C5421-70E3-4E4D-BFF4-9BE14E4A2E58,DB7611A2-02CD-43AF-8147-649E26813571,frameless.htm on Qaradawi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_flotilla_raid
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Author.aspx/1080
http://attorneysdefendingisrael.blogspot.com/2013/03/sinem-tezyapar-muslim-working-for-peace.html
http://jewishfactsfromportland.blogspot.com/2013/04/kerry-pushing-turkey-and-israel-towards.html

Surprise Unclassified Paper Reveals Ability of North Korean Missiles

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                 

Word was just announced on CNN that a US intelligence report concluded that North Korea does have advanced nuclear know-how where it can arm a ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead.  This is a new revelation about this threatening and unpredictable communist regime.

Since North Korea and Iran have been very close since 2002 at least in their endeavor to create nuclear arms, this means that Iran must be almost or nearly just as close. Iran has visited North Korean and has been at the sites.   "Iran has been hiding nuclear work and sites since about the same time, although it was one of the treaty’s original signatories. Like Iran, North Korea was soon suspected of hiding things after that initial show of clean hands. It stiffed inspectors and made lame excuses for doing so. And, like Iran, North Korea built plants that generated fissile material that was useful for making bombs, but unnecessary for producing civilian nuclear power."  Iran just had an 6.1 earthquake with the epicenter in Kaki, 60 miles from Bushehr, where the nuclear plant built by Russia lies.  37 died and hundreds were injured, but they say the nuclear plant is okay.  They are proceeding with advancing their nuclear capabilities.

Today's  revelation came about when Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado read out loud what he thought was an unclassified parragraph from a secret Defense Intelligence Agency report that was given to some members of Congress.  It took him by surprise as he hadn't seen the report before and couldn't answer any questions about it.

The Pentagon press secretary, George Little remarked that it would be wrong to suggest that the North Koreas have fully tested, developed or demonstrated the kinds of nuclear capabilities referenced.  The USA has been closely monitoring their nuclear program and asks them to honor their international obligations.  This report is said to have come out in March.

This morning's Oregonian reported that North Korea hasn't tested many of its short-range Scud and medium-range Rodong missiles.  Also, they haven't flight-tested the longer-range Musudan with a range of 2,175 miles, either.  If the tests were successful it would show they could hit South Korea, all of Japan and US military bases on Guam.

South Korea's Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se told a hearing yesterday that such a test would violate UN resolutions banning the country from testing ballistic missiles.

The US and South Korean troops are on a high level of vigilance.  Monday is the birthday of North Korea's founder, Kim II Sung.  They often stage military provocations around such dates.  Japan is also on guard for a missile launch and have missile interceptors around Tokyo for a precaution.  The US military has 2 Navy missile-defense ships closer to the Korean Peninsula monitoring any missile launchings and to intercept any if they threaten us.

Kim has threatened to attack the USA, so we're not sure just how long a range their missiles might have.

You have to admire the residents of Pyongyang.  They are showing no panic.  People are busy planting trees and dancing in the plazas before the holiday.

General Martin Dempsey said that N. Korea has conducted 2 nuclear tests and several successful ballistic missile launches.  We have to assume the worst case by increasing our missile defense capabilities in the Pacific.

Obama said from the Oval Office that he preferred to see the tensions resolved through diplomatic means, but will take all necessary steps to protect the American people.  Today North Korea let out more war rhetoric and claimed it has powerful striking means on standby.  They obviously are trying to scare and pressure South Korea and the US into changing their policies.

Kim, the grandson of North Korea's founder, Kim II Sung, who took control after his father, Kim Jong II died in 2011, is trying to show the US, the world and his people that he is firmly in control in North Korea while trying to force the international community into concesssions in future negotiations.  Kerry is headed for East Asia where he will talk with officials in Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo about North Korea.

Resource: http://news.yahoo.com/pentagon-nkorea-could-launch-nuclear-missile-183109878--politics.html
Oregonian Newspaper 4/11/13 page A9, News Update, Korean tensions
CNN news on TV
http://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-north-korea-nuclear-warheads-20130411,0,2231502.story
http://hotair.com/archives/2013/04/11/heads-up-pentagon-report-suggests-north-korea-might-already-have-nuclear-missiles/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/10/iran-earthquake-death-toll-rises
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/03/14/iran-north-koreas-axis-of-evil-revived-by-new-nuclear-ties/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/11/north-korea-missile-test-powerful-striking-means-preparing-medium-range_n_3060318.html

Wiki Leaks Tell About 1975 and How Kissinger Felt About Israel

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                  

The United States has not really understood Israel's position being it is so tiny with so many neighbors who cannot bring themselves to accept her.  The situation is so different from the huge USA and its lack of worry with such nice neighbors as Canada and Mexico.  WikiLeaks tells us that Kissinger sided with the Arabs in thinking it was Israel that was holding up the peace process in 1975 from a cable .

In looking at history, one has to consider how many times Israel has had to go to war.  There was war the minute Israel was declared a state on May 14, 1948, but it had actually started on 29 November 1947 when the Arabs responded with violence to the UN resolution on Palestine, and lasted until signing of the Armistice Agreements in 1949.  That was The War of Independence.  Then on October 29th till  November 5, 1956 Israel was embroiled in The Sinai War.   The Six-Day War lasted from the 5th to 11th of June 1967.   The War of Attrition lasted from 1968 until the cease-fire  on 7th and 8th August 1970.  Even between wars were clashes along the frontier lines.  Arab terrorist organizations called fidayun and their supported Arab governments made constant forays into Israel to terrorize and sabotage.

On October 6, 1973, Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, when all Jews were in their synagogues, and out of the blue-Egypt and Syria attacked Israel.  On Israel's borders were so many enemies that they were equivalent to the total forces of NATO in Europe.  On the Golan Heights, 180 Israeli tanks faced 1,400 Syrian tanks.  Along the Suez Canal, 500 Israeli IDF were attacked by 80,000 Egyptians.  Israel was able to repulse the invaders and carry the war deep into Syria and Egypt..  The Arabs were supplied by sea and air from the Soviet Union.  At least 9 Arab states including 4 non-Middle Eastern nations actively aided the Egyptian-Syrian war effort.  Saudi Arabia and Kuwait served as the financial underwriters and also committed men to the battle.  The Saudis had 3,000 troops that went to Syria.  Libya violated Paris's ban on transferring French-made weapons and transferred Mirage fighters to Egypt.

Qaddafi gave Cairo over $1 billion in aid to rearm Egypt and pay the Soviets for weapons from 1971-1973.  Algeria sent 3 aircraft squadrons of fighters and bombers, an armored brigade and 150 tanks.  1,000-2,000 Tunisian soldiers were along the Nile Delta.  Sudan had 3,500 troops in southern Egypt.  Morocco sent 3 brigades to the front lines including 2,500 men from Syria.  Lebanese radar units were used by Syrian air defense forces. They also let Palestinian terrorists shell Israeli civilian towns from Lebanon.  Palestinians fought on the Southern Front with the Egyptians and Kuwaitis.  The Arabs lost 19,000 soldiers while Israel lost 2,688 in this battle.

Kissinger had the chutzpa to say in a cable from the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia on January 9, 1975 that they were analyzing the Israeli-Arab conflict and sympathized with the Arab position.  Israel was pictured as being panicky and suffering from a Samson complex.  I wonder if Kissinger remembers just who was helping Samson and why?  If he faced these odds, how would he have felt?  Well, with steely determination,   by themselves except for Ha Shem (G-d)  but  without any USA soldiers, Israel has managed to win all these gigantic attacks with its tiny force to the shame of the Arab armies of the Middle East.  When you know  that you are fighting for the survival of a very deserving group of people, you fight hard.  Like Golda Meier said, "We Jews have a secret weapon in our struggle with the Arabs; we have no place to go.   And I can add that even if we did have a place to go, they'd want baptism certificates like in WWII, or only allow a few in because of Jewish quotas.    Israel lost 10,068 soldiers during all the battles up to 1973.  The population of Israel started off with 650,000 in 1948.  The census of 1972 showed 3,164,000.  This little band of soldiers had to turn into the ancient Israeli warriors but fast and their leaders had to be like Joshua.

The Americans could not understand why Israel didn't consider the alternative of a peaceful accommodation with the Arabs. By this time  the USA sensed a pessimistic attitude from the Israelis towards peace.  Israel thought that they couldn't be expected to relinquish anymore land it had conquered in 1967 without Arab guarantees of security.  The USA's position immediately was that the Arabs would never give any guarantees and that war is inevitable.  The report uncovered blamed Israel for not making peace and disappointment with the Arab offer in Algiers for going too far in making concessions to Israel.  

All the USA figured was that Egypt and Syria strongly were yearning for peace and wanted to work on reconstruction of their countries and that Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin wasn't helping the Arab leaders who wanted only peace.  What the USA was blind about was that yes, they wanted a piece of the pie, all right;  all of Israel, considering that Israel was only a slim slice of what the original National Jewish Homeland was promised to be.  I say promised because it was accepted and voted on in the League of Nations.  Then Britain had the brilliant idea to give away 80%  of the property to an Emir who became king of TransJordan.

The USA actually considered a demilitarized Palestinian state would be so humiliating or detracting from their sovereignty.  That said, we then look at Jimmy Carter and his completely irresponsible insufferable collection of false information,  "Palestine Peace, Not Apartheid" which has done innumerable harm to Israel's chances in the world.  That   goes along with John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt who wrote a book slamming Israel and even slamming the UN report that said Israel was in the right to keep the flotilla from bringing in arms.  They slammed the UN report as they sided with Turkey!

Here we are with John Kerry using his wiles to have Netanyahu innocently apologize to Turkey which has turned into such a ballagon of unacceptable expectations from Turkey.    The world seems to have a hard time being on Israel's side.

What I see is the continual anti-Semitic attitudes that have permeated US history since its inception.  It's just a big disappointment to see it  possibly stronger in our top government positions than in the general community.   Even more disappointing to me is that Kissinger is Jewish and lacks understanding of Israel's position.  It is inexcusable.   I expect everyone, Jewish and non-Jewish, to have a thorough background about Israel and how this came about.  Israelis must depend on their own gut feelings to preserve their lives and the life of their nation.

Resource:  http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/casualties.html
http://www.ruthfullyyours.com/2011/09/18/professors-walt-and-smearsheimer-slam-israel-defend-turkey/
Facts About Israel 1973 from Division of Information, Ministry for foreign affairs, Jerusalem
Myths and Facts, a concise record of the Arab-Israeli conflict by Dr. Mitchell G. Bard and Joel Himelfarb
The Post: Wikileaks:  US blamed Israel for holding back peace in 1975 by Ariel Ben Solomon

Kerry's Reviving 2002 Peace Plan-Deplorable

Nadene Goldfoot
 Back to the 1967 lines is all Kerry can come up with .  The long dormant plan of 2002 would be slightly modified by Kerry.  How has not been explained.   This is a plan which Saudi  Arabia introduced and the 22-member Arab League had endorsed.  It goes against everything that spells out security for Israel.  Israel never went for the plan and the Palestinians want nothing changed in it which most likely spells doom for Israel.  According to the Oregonian newspaper, the" basic parameters seem to be gaining traction as a framework for future talks between the Israelis and Palestinians."   This makes my heart sink as I think of watching and listening to Netanyahu explain to Obama just why going back to the 67 lines is unthinkable for Israel today.

 How can Kerry have the audacity to come up with this?  This includes providing Israel with recognition throughout the Arab world  This should be a given. It also asks for the pullout from territory taken in 1967.   If the Arabs can't accept Israel's creation through the UN as a legal state with rights, then they do not plan to follow any of the rules and regulations.  Obviously the explanation that Netanyahu gave on public TV went in and out of the Democratic party's ears without any understanding at all.

Let's look at what was going on in 1967.  The Arabs objectives were solidified after the war at the Khartoum Summit Conference in August 1967.  Arab leaders laid down 4 principles:
1. No peace with Israel
2. No negotiations with Israel
3. No recognition of Israel
4. Insistence on the rights of Palestinian people in their "own country." (which is fallacious).  There never was a country of Palestine.

Their main goal has been directed towards bringing about the withdrawal of Israel to the pre-1967 lines by every means other than negotiations with Israel.  What the Arab States have used since 1967 have not brought them any closer to their objective of forcing upon Israel a decision which is not acceptable to it until today with Kerry approaching with this impossible 11 year old plot that the Arabs like.  This would say, "It's okay to attack Israel as we will lose nothing by it as the world stands behind us."

As former Major-General, then President Chaim Herzog wrote, "Israel's belief that the war had come to an end and that peace would now reign along the borders was soon dispelled.".  It only took 3 weeks after the conclusion of hostilities, the first major incident happened on the Suez Canal.

 The Great Powers have pressured Israel but Israel insists that this should be solved directly between the 2 sides and that an imposed settlement is no solution of it.  #3 Recognition does not guarantee erasing numbers 1,2,and 4, either.  Israel wants and expects  "a just and lasting peace in which everyone can live in security.  Using 242  written on 22 November 1967 calls for the withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the conflict.  So where's the protection for Israel if this comes about?  According to their word, they aim to destroy Israel.  The Arab Governments and their supporters interpret the resolution as requiring a complete Israeli withdrawal.  UN Mediator, Ambassador Jarring, submitted a proposal that Israel should withdraw to "the former international boundary between Egypt and the British Mandated territories of Palestine.  His mission came to a halt in February 1971 with this proposal.

In 1968, Israel's population was 2,841,100, so was a little less in 1967. Iraqi  President Abdur Rahman Aref stated:  "The existence of Israel is an error which must be rectified.  This is our opportunity to wipe out the ignominy which has been with us since 1948.  Our goal is clear:  to wipe Israel off the map."  June 4th was the day Israel faced down Iraq, Egypt, Jordan and Syria.   It faced in 1967 the Arab forces 250,000 troops (nearly half in Sinai), more than 2,000 tanks and 700 aircraft which formed a ring around Israel.  Jordan's Hussein was told that if he stayed out of the fight he would not be attacked unless he initiated hostilities, but he ordered the shelling of West Jerusalem.  Syrian and Iraqi troops attacked Israel's northern frontier.  In a week,  Israel was in a position to march on Cairo, Damascus and Amman.  A cease-fire was invoked on June 10th.

The United States could do nothing.  They couldn't stop Nasser or the other Arab states.  The war began on June 5th and the State Department announced:  "Our position is neutral in thought, word and deed."  To top it off, Johnson imposed an arms embargo on France, who was Israel's arms supplier.  At the same time, the Soviets were supplying massive amounts of arms to the Arabs.  The armies of Kuwait, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Iraq were adding their troops and arms to the Egyptian-Syrian-Jordanian fronts.  When the war ended in 6 days, President Johnson said, "Certainly, troops must be withdrawn; but there must also be recognized rights of national life, progress in solving the refugee problem, freedom of innocent maritime passage, limitation of the arms race and respect for political independence and territorial integrity.  Who supplies the most weapons to Egypt today when it is under the government of the Muslim Brotherhood?  The USA.

Kerry is going along with 242 pretty much which requires Israel's total, unconditional withdrawal from the "occupied" territories", of which Israel isn't occupying Gaza or Judea and Samaria, unless withdrawal means to force Israelis to leave their cities and homes in Judea and Samaria.  I ask Kerry then, why is it that Israel  doesn't ask Arabs to leave Israel?  Why can't Jews stay in Judea and Samaria if they so wish?  What's fair for the goose is fair also for the gander.  Yet Arafat, in accepting 242 and 338, inserted his clarification of his 3 principals;
1. A Palestinian State
2. Self-determination
3. The right of return.

The Likud position at that time, with Benjamin Begin as speaker, said that by giving up the Sinai, they did withdraw from 91% of the territories and thereby fulfilled its obligation under 242.  The question asks if Israel has to give up territory it still holds and Begin thought a compromise was possible.  The position that Israel must withdraw from all the territories is inconsistent with resolution 242.  Since then, Israel withdrew from Gaza in the name of peace all its Israeli occupants much to the shock and awe of Israel since it has become a shooting center upon southern Israel.  Yet all the people who are pushing Israel to withdraw to the 67 lines did nothing about the attacks; no outcry, no complaining in the UN, no meetings or punishments.  The attacks  have been the heaviest since 2005 till today.

Resource:  Oregonian Newspaper page A5, News update:  Mideast peace efforts, by AP.
Myths and Facts, a concise record of the Arab-Israeli conflict by Mitchell G. Bard and Joel Himelfarb page 52-70 Six Day War
Facts About Israel, Division of Information, Ministry for foreign affairs, Jerusalem,  page 46-49

Kerry Pushing Turkey and Israel Towards Peace

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                     

Yesterday Secretary of State John Kerry told Turkey's leaders that it was vital for peace that they and Israel get their diplomatic relationship "back on track."  Kerry thinks that Turkey could be "an important contributor" to peace, but Yuval Steinitz, Israel's minister of international relations, thinks this is a "poor idea."

"On Feb. 28 Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan, speaking at an international conference in Vienna said that Zionism was a “crime against humanity” like fascism, which triggered reaction in Israel and among the Israeli lobby in the U.S. and Europe. The same day U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said during a joint press conference with his Turkish host,  Ahmet Davutoglu,   that the U.S. and Turkey do not share the same views on Israel.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogans of Turkey did visit Israel in 2005 and was a peace negotiator.  Events leading up to the present have not been good for these two countries.  The 2001 formed Turkish government, AKP (Justice and Development Party)  has moved towards the Muslim Brotherhood ideals more than originally, meaning that they have become more aggressive towards Israel.  In fact, many countries of the Middle East have become more Muslim and less secular.    Turkey  remains  pro-West, siding with Saudi Arabia, USA and Qatar on the Syrian problem by siding with the rebels against the Syrian government.  Religiously, compared to the rest of the Muslim world, they are called moderates.

In 1949 Turkey was the first country to recognize Israel.  Our relationship fell during the 2008-2009 Gaza War.  By May 31, 2010 a Turkish group  decided to be a part of a flotilla  of 663 people from 37 nations of pro-Palestinian activists sponsored by the "Free Gaza Movement" to bring supplies to Gaza. Six ships made up the flotilla. Five of the ships allowed boarding and were just passive resisters.  Israel had already put out word that they would board all ships to check and make sure that weapons and ammunition was not being brought to Gaza. The ships were told to go to the port of Ashdod for inspection, but this was ignored by the Marmara.   The Mavi Marmara with Turkish activists on board had the goal to break the Israel-Egyptian blockade of the Gaza Strip.  Israel had to board from a helicopter as it was such a large ship but just used speedboats for smaller ones.    Israel had 13 naval commandos board the Marmara and met with violent resistance from 40 activists armed with iron bars and knives.  10 of the Israelis were wounded, one seriously, while 9 activists were killed.  Eight of them were Turkish nationals and one was a Turkish- American.  Others were wounded.

"The Israeli military later said the soldiers were not expecting trouble and had paintball guns as their primary weapons while handguns were only for an emergency. Two activists grabbed the handguns away from soldiers and shot two of them, the military said at the time. Both activists were then shot and killed."

"A United Nations report, after analysis of both Turkey and Israeli national investigations, concluded that the Israeli blockade was legal, but that Israel army used excessive force in this incident by firing stun and smoke grenades from the Israeli army's speed boats and helicopters before boarding into flotilla and conducted live fire rounds from the helicopters before or after boarding, though the flotilla was still in international waters.   The report also mentioned "serious questions about the conduct, true nature and objectives of the flotilla organizers, particularly IHH.-Turkey's Marmara."

Erdogan took the side of the pro-Palestinian activists on the Marmara and called this "state terrorism" and would lead to irreparable consequences in bilateral relations.  By September 2, 2011, Turkey's diplomatic ties with Israel were downgraded and they suspended military co-operation after the UN report was released.  Israel's comment was that "Israel hopes to find a way to overcome the dispute and will continue to work towards this goal.  Turkey demanded an Israeli apology and compensation over this.  Israel refused to give one.  Turkey was the partner in this flotilla as the organizers were the Turkish Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief. (İHH)  It is known that much of their money goes to Palestinian terrorists.  One avenue of that is the Union of Good.

Along came Kerry right after becoming Secretary of State and the Obama March visit in Israel.  Israel apologized.  An apology from Turkey has not been heard or suggested.

Israeli and Palestinian officials were hostile Sunday to the idea of a Turkish role in peace talks.  US and Turkish officials had differences of opinion about how to proceed.  Turkey is demanding that Israel lift its embargo on Gaza.  Erdogan plans to visit Gaza soon.  Turkey is suing the Israeli military on top of everything.

When all Israelis moved out of Gaza in 2005 for peace between Israel and Hamas Palestinians, southern Israel was shelled by thousands of mortars, rockets and missiles.  This actually affected over a million of Israel's population.  A cease fire came about at the end of 2012, but has since been broken just recently.  Israel is not occupying Gaza, but has the right to keep out weaponry as it is used on its citizens.  Hamas has a charter that says their goal is to destroy Israel.

Besides the apology, "Israel has promised to compensate the bereaved or hurt and agreed to ease a six-year blockade on Gaza.   Erdogan said these gestures met his conditions for normalizing relations with its erstwhile ally. However,  Turkey holds onto lawsuits against the soldiers.  They are filed against 4 of Israel's most senior retired commanders and if they go through would get life sentences.  Israel wants these dropped.  "Israel has called this a politically motivated "show trial."  One of the wounded on the Marmara, Cogas, commented " "Unless these soldiers are punished and the blockade is lifted, we won't accept compensation."

In my opinion, if the Marmara hadn't sided with Palestinian terrorists who shell Israeli civilians  constantly and broke the law with their flotilla, they wouldn't have had any dead or wounded.  When you play with fire, you get hurt.  This has not been the way to react to Israel's pain and suffering if they were allies.  It was not Israel's goal to kill or harm anyone, but when they were physically attacked, they had to react to defend their own lives.  Now all these demands are for one purpose only; to show that they have power in the Middle East and can bend Israel to their will.  Everyone is vying to be the most powerful; Egypt, Syria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Turkey.  This would be a coup for Turkey, a country with 73,722,988, who are 99% Sunni Muslims to hold over Israel's 7.4 million of which  6 million are Jews.

Resource: http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/organizations/justice-and-development-party-turkey
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel%E2%80%93Turkey_relations
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Mavi_Marmara
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_flotilla_raid
http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/israel-apologizes-to-turkey-over-2010-flotilla-deaths-1.1207061
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/turkish-gaza-flotilla-victims-to-go-to-court-despite-israeli-apology-1.514357
http://tribune.com.pk/story/196723/turkey-back-in-the-muslim-world/
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/israeli-apology-the-background-story.aspx?pageID=449&nID=43493&NewsCatID=409
Oregonian newspaper 4/8/13, page A4, Kerry travels to woo Turkey, Israel by Roy Gutman and hannah Allam, McClatchy Newspapers 

Part III Six Million Jews Died in Holocaust

Nadene Goldfoot                                                               

                                                                                            Hitler
"The earliest use of the phrase “Final Solution to the Jewish Problem” was actually used in an 1899 memo to Russian Tzar Nicholas about Zionism.  The Nazis decided on their final solution supposedly in 1942.

"The Nazis established ghettos in occupied Poland. Polish and western European Jews were deported to these ghettos. During the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, mobile killing squads (Einsatzgruppen) began killing entire Jewish communities. The methods used, mainly shooting or gas vans, were soon regarded as inefficient and as a psychological burden on the killers." The Warsaw Ghetto from July 22 to September 12, 1942, killed 300,000 Jews.

 Camps built by the Third  Reich,  mostly between 1939 and 1942, were intended to hold large groups of prisoners without trial or judicial process, including Jews, gypsies, Slavs,  prisoners of war and many others such as Jehovah's Witnesses, seen as undesirable by the occupation administration.

From April 1940 to the end of the war Jews were put in camps that were either classified as Labor, Extermination or Concentration camps all over the world in Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Czech Republic,  Channel Islands, Croatia, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland,  and Ukraine.  This is only a partial list.  Jewish Virtual Library writes: "It is estimated that the Nazis established 15,000 camps in the occupied countries."

The most well known extermination camp was Auschwitz-Berkenau in Poland which operated from April 1940 to January 1945.  Also in Poland were Majdanek and Treblenka and Warsaw, all well known extermination camps with the ovens.    1.2 million Jewish children died in the Holocaust.   "Anne Frank and her sister died at Bergen-Belsen in March 1945, one month before the camp was liberated in April 1945."

Croatia had the Jasenovac Concentration Camp that was really an extermination camp for Jews, Serbs and Gypsies from 1941 to 1944.  They killed all 100,000 prisoners.

Germany itself had many Labor camps and a few concentration camps.  It is possible that this is why the citizens did not know what was happening to the Jews, but so many died even in the so called Labor camps. For instance, Bernburg in Germany, listed as a collection point from April 1942 to April 1945 had 100,000 deaths.

"Many Jews were subject to gruesome medical experiments. For example, doctors would bombard the testicles of men and the ovaries of women with X-rays to see the impact of different doses on sterility. Nazi doctors would break bones repeatedly to see how many times it could be done before a bone could not heal. They hit people’s heads with hammers to see what their skulls could withstand. Experiments were conducted to determine the effects of atmospheric pressure on the body. Prisoners were injected with different drugs and diseases, and limbs were amputated and muscles cut for transplantation experiments. I don't think any survived these ordeals.   Today reference to or use of the Nazi research is considered unethical."

"Even after the Allies arrived, many concentration camp prisoners were beyond help. In Bergen-Belsen, for example, 13,000 prisoners died after liberation. Nearly 2,500 of the 33,000 survivors of Dachau died within six weeks of liberation.^" 

"Historians  censured American Jewish leaders for not speaking out on behalf of their brethren during the Holocaust."  Roosevelt has been accused of abandoning Europe's Jews during WWII.  It has been mentioned many times that the Roosevelt Administration refused to bomb Auschwitz. "due to the Allies’ indifference to the fate of the Jews rather than the practical impossibility of the operation., said author David Wyman. "  Bauer, a historian, now feels that " essentially, only the ultimate defeat of Nazi Germany could end the annihilation of the millions."  However, what he could have done was to change the quotas and let in more Jews into the country. The requirements were so hard to get into the United States then, and did not change.

In June 1939 Roosevelt " refused political asylum to more than 900 passengers aboard the German ocean liner St. Louis. The passengers, nearly all of them Jewish refugees, had the lights of Miami in sight when the United States government refused them permission to disembark. Roosevelt did not respond to pleas for help. The ship returned to Europe, and the Holocaust claimed more than a third of those who returned to the Continent. Evidently he had made plans as early as 1938 to help the Jews through resettlement but not to enter the USA, but this fell apart by 1940.  It was an idea but wasn't developed. At the time the USA was also quite anti-Semitic.
                     

        BOOKS TO READ

   The War Against the Jews by Lucy Dawidowicz. * 

While Six Million Died by Arthur D. Morse

Abandonment of the Jews by David Wyman  

Resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nazi_concentration_camps
http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/the-makings-of-history/maybe-roosevelt-couldn-t-have-saved-the-jews-from-the-nazis-after-all.premium-1.473978
http://www.historynet.com/fdr-st-louis.htm
http://facts.randomhistory.com/world-war-ii-facts.html
http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007704
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005188

Part II The Holocaust-How It Got Started With Kristallnacht

Nadene Goldfoot                                                               

                                      Jewish Stores in Berlin
The American Wall Street Crash of 1929 affected Europeans as well.  It had a devastating effect on the German economy which was very dependent on loans from American banks.  The loans were called in and German businesses and banks folded, so unemployment suddenly spun out of control. Political  parties in Germany from 1918 to 1924 were in political and economic turmoil. It was said that it took a wheelbarrow full of marks to buy a loaf of bread.   As the value of the German mark fell, savings of the middle class disappeared and unemployment had soared.  The far right parties opposed the Weimar Republic, hated democracy and socialism, resented the Versailles peace settlement that took away German territory, probably stolen in the first place by them, regarded modern culture as degenerate, which it was becoming, and believed that the Jews were behind all these ill, which they weren't.  

State sponsored boycotting of Jewish businesses was allowed by Hitler on 1st and 2nd of April 1933.  If the Jews didn't fight in WWI from 1914 to 1918, they were fired from  civil service.  Many other laws pushed Jews from other areas of government employment, such as doctors working for state health plans.  Jews were "systematically purged from cultural institutions" after they were taken over by the Nazi Party.  Everyone was of the mind that this wouldn't last long.  July 1934 was when Hitler started a bloody purge of the SA( storm troopers).  August 20, 1935 was the enactment of the Nuremberg Laws against Jews.  The list is long.  One thing was that they couldn't marry a Jews or have intercourse with one.  If you had 3 or 4 Jewish grandparents you were also Jewish, even if you were a practicing Catholic!  One reason Jews had converted to Christianity was to evade restrictive laws on Jews that were in existence, but now even that didn't help.

12,700 Jewish children attended Jewish schools from 1933-1934.  58,000 were in non-Jewish ones.  Suddenly Jews in Jewish schools rose to 18,500 and then 20,000 from 1935-36.  By 1936-37 there were over 23,600 in the Jewish schools.  Most of their teachers were Jewish as well, some having been teachers in the city schools that were fired.  They all tried to act normal, so the paradox was that Jewish cultural life flourished.  

In September 1935 Hitler announced in Nuremberg that Jews would lose their civil rights and would be 2nd class citizens.  For 2 years there was calm.  In  1936 Jews could still sit in cafes on the boulevards of Berlin and drink coffee while reading Jewish newspapers.  Few Jews felt the need to emigrate though in 1933 there were 37,000 who left Germany in a panic, but only 23,000 left the next year.    In 1935, 10,000 returned thinking it was all over.  Emigrating to Palestine were 7,600 in 1933 and 9,800 in 1935 but for the next 2 years only 8,500.  Then the emigration was held down due to restrictions imposed by the British who controlled Palestine.  The Jews were kept out while they let Arabs in without any documentation.  

The start of 1938 found Hitler feeling stronger and meaner.  Austria was merged with Germany by occupying the country with his army.  Austria was home to about 185,000 Jews.  170,000 lived in Vienna, the capital.  Jews made up a little more than 3% of Austria's population but about 10% of Vienna.  They lived in 8 districts and in some were the majority.  62% were Viennese lawyers, about 62% were in finance and commerce, and almost half of the city's doctors were Jewish.  Jews were outstanding in trade, from corner shops to department stores here.  They made an easy target for anti-Semites and the socially disaffected.  Austria, where Hitler was born, was even more anti-Semitic than Germany.  Vienna had been ruled by Dr. Karl Lueger from 1897 to 1911, one of the most anti-Semitic politicians.  

They came into the fold with  hatred for the Jews.  Soon after Austria's annexation, Jews were assaulted in the streets and ritually humiliated.  Anti-Jewish laws had been passed over a period of 5 years in Germany were enforced quickly.  Jewish businesses were shut down and sold off.  Apartments were seized and occupants evicted.  By August 1938, Adolf Eichmann, the SS lieutenant-colonel, was to organize the rapid emigration of Jews.  In 18 months he had 150,000 Jews stripped of their rights, property and money on their way to other countries who refused them.  .  

Switzerland was afraid of Jewish immigration to their country in the autumn of 1938 so wanted passports marked with a J stamp, and Jews had to add Israel and Sarah to their names on all personal documents so that Nazi officials and immigration officers in other countries could identify a Jew easily.  

In October the Germans moved against Jews of Polish nationality or origin.  They were rounded up and expelled to Poland, who didn't want them so refused to admit them.  They were left to die in the frontier zone.  This made the son of such people, Herschel Grynszpan, who lived in Paris, so mad that he got a revolver and went into the German Embassy on November 7th and shot the first man he met, Ernst vom Rath, who died 2 days later. 

 Now  Josef Goebbels had the reason to start a pogrom against the Jews.  During November 9th all over Germany and Austria were thugs beating up Jews and Jewish men were arrested.  The SA and SS men set fire to 1,000 synagogues, smashed 7,500 Jewish owned businesses, invaded and ransacked Jewish homes and assaulted and killed over 90 Jewish men.  30,000 Jewish men were herded by the police into concentration camps until ransomed out by their frightened families.  Ursula Rosenfeld's father was taken to Buchenwald concentration camp where he was beaten to death.  Jack Hellman's father got out of the camp alive, somehow.  This was Kristallnacht.  The main streets were littered with broken glass of Jewish shops. 

The Jewish community then had to pay a huge fine for vom Rath's death and had to compensate all damage. Following this were many laws taking away any way to make a living.  They couldn't get out of the country.  Countries were so anti-Semitic and wouldn't let them in. as pro-German fascist movements ruled in them.  In Evian, France in July 1938 a conference was held about this refugee problem which was a failure.  President Roosevelt had called for it.  The 32 countries that had delegates there wouldn't accept any Jews except a very tiny number.  This was the background to take children from Germany and Austria to England. 

 Roosevelt recalled the US ambassador in Berlin.  Neville Chamberlain,  who was always wrong on visualizing what the Germans would do,  told his sister that he was "horrified by the German behavior to the Jews."  By the 25th of November, Viscount Samuel asked through the BBC Home Service for foster homes and received 500 offers.  Any home that was clean and the family looked respectable was treasured and acceptable.  By the end of August 1939, the organization, RCM, ran out of money and couldn't take in any more children.  WWII  broke out a few days later.  Hundreds of children waiting on trains were trapped.  Homes in England were bombed and the government then made plans to evacuate children and pregnant women to "safe" areas.  So the children of the Kindertransport were caught in this great migration to the countryside as well.  

Continuing with Into the Arms of Strangers by Mark Jonathan Harris and Deborah Oppenheimer

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/nurlaws.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuremberg_Laws

Part I: Remembering Germany in the Holocaust and the British Kindertransport

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                  

                                                           Berlin in 1930's  
April 8th is designated as Yom Ha-Sho'ah or Holocaust Day, a time set aside to remember what had happened to us in WWII.  It will be most likely commemorated on the 7th which is a Sunday.

 In January 1933 Hitler and his National Socialist German Workers Party came to power in Germany.  Little did people know that this meant the near end of the Jews who lived in the world, for he set about to exterminate all.

Jews had lived in the German lands since Roman times when Jerusalem fell to the Romans in 70 CE.  By the 19th century German Jewry finally gained full civic-equality in a united Germany in 1870.  Though there were strong feelings of anti-Jewish prejudice, the political anti-Semitic groups met with failure.  A major part of the German people valued their Jewish citizens and most at least tolerated them.  WWI started in August 1914 and German Jews enlisted to serve the country they loved.  They lost the war, and this outcome changed Germany.

At this time there were 600,000 Jews living in Germany which was 1% of their population.  1/3 lived in the capital, Berlin,  making up 4% of the population there.  70% lived in large cities with 100,000+ population.  The rest lived in small towns and villages.  My uncle was born in Westerburg, Hildsheim Niedersachsen, then lived in Boppard.  Nearly 1 out of 5 Jews lived in small towns by 1933.

3/4 of the Jews had jobs in trade, commerce, the financial sector and the professions.  My uncle's parents were sausage-makers and did things like walk a cow to market, something he at age 18 was arrested for.  Jews were 3 times better off than the general population in having a salary coming in.  Jewish firms were outstanding in the department store business and owned 25% of smaller retail outlets and 30% clothing stores.  Non-Jews got the impression that Jews were "everywhere."  In Berlin Jews were the face of commerce, medicine and law but in reality were only 11% of all doctors and 16% of all lawyers in Germany.   In actuality, today Jews make up only 0.02% of the entire world population since the Holocaust slaughtered 6 million of them.

Rural areas had their above average Jews as well.  Jews handled 1/4 of all wholesale agricultural trade and in some districts cattle dealing and grain marketing was largely in Jewish hands.  These Jews were usually better off than the farmers and artisans around them and they often imported modern things and ideas into the countryside.  Several great publishing houses were Jewish-owned.  Jews were above the normal % among writers and journalists, in the theater and in the film industry.  (These areas found Jews in them because for so long Jews have not been allowed to own land, and their talents developed in these fields.) Jews were found to be in the middle class and rather conservative, but in politics they supported the liberal and democratic center parties or the moderate socialist party.

A big section of the German Jewish population was poor.  The depression hit the Jewish community as well. In 1932 over 31.5% of Jewish employees in Berlin were out of work.  1/4 of the Jews were on charity. Of these, most were recent immigrants from Poland and Russia that came between 1880 and the 1920's.  In 1933 these immigrants made up 1/5th of all German Jews.  They were small merchants, itinerant traders, shopkeepers, tailors, artisans and industrial workers.  Most were religiously orthodox.  Most of  the long established  Jews of Germany had belonged to the Jewish Reform movement or the Liberal movements.  German Jews had become less and less religiously observant as they had become integrated into German society.

By the postwar years, 25% of Jewish men and 16% of the Jewish women were marrying outside their faith.  That they had become acculturated and assimilated made the Jews shocked with disbelief by the strength of the anti-Semitism that came along with  Hitler.  We all know the story that 6 million Jews were rounded up and forced into ovens.  People my age grew up with nothing in the newspapers but the progress of American troops fighting in Europe.  Few of us heard about how Britain saved more than 10,000 Jewish children, most being Jewish.  .

Norbert Wolheim and Nicholas Winton were heroic rescuers of children from the Holocaust.  They brought out children from Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia.   Only 25 years old, Wolheim  began organizing the Kindertransport in Berlin.  He acted as an escort on several occasions and returned each time to Germany to continue his work, putting himself in harm's way.  He ended up in Auschwitz with his wife and 3 year old son, and he alone survived.  29 year old Winton was a London stockbroker who visited Prague in December 1938.  He was " horrified at what he saw in the refugee camps, so struggled to bring 664 Czech children to England by flouting British government rules and bureaucratic red tape."  After the war most of the children found out that their parents had been   murdered in the concentration camps.

Lory Cahn nee Lory Gruenberger was born in Breslau when it was still part of Germany.  At age 14 she was slated to leave for England on the Kindertransport but at the last moment her father couldn't bring himself to part with her and at the end of 1941 she and her parents were deported to Theresienstadt where she was confined for 1/12 years before being separated from her parents.  Then she was sent to Auschwitz.  For the rest of the war she was transferred from one concentration camp to another until she was liberated at Bergen-Belsen weighing 58 lbs.  She married and and moved to  the USA.

After living in Germany what seemed to be forever, Germany turned on the Jews.  German Jews could not get out easily.  It took tons of money at a time when marks were worthless and other countries would not take them in because they were Jewish.  Even the USA had a quota with the demand that they be backed up by someone who took the responsibility of their financial situation.  "Most foreign countries, including the United States, Canada, Britain, and France, were unwilling to admit very large numbers of refugees."South American countries only took people with baptism papers.  And so, even in "Palestine," a ship was turned back that was full of Jews by the British!  At a time when we needed a country of our own, we couldn't get into the one designated by the League of Nations to be our Jewish Homeland.  G-d forbid it might upset the Arabs!

It seems to me that the Nazis killed off many of the employers of their country, making their economic situation even worse.  "The Nazis identified Jews as a race and defined this race as "inferior." They also spewed hate-mongering propaganda that unfairly blamed Jews for Germany's economic depression and the country's defeat in World War I (1914-1918)."

What surprises me is that Jews have returned to live in Germany.   However, after this horrific experience, Germany is dead set against its recurrence.  They teach about the holocaust in their schools.  Nazi worship is against the law.  Anything to do with Nazis is illegal today.  Even so, Neo- Nazis are on the rise in Germany.

Resource: Book and Film: Into the Arms of Strangers, stories of the Kindertransport by Mark Jonathan Harris and Deborah Oppenheimer
http://www.amazon.com/Into-Arms-Strangers-Stories-Kindertransport/dp/B00005MEPJ/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1365104774&sr=1-2&keywords=Into+the+Arms+of+Strangers starring Judi Dench, Alexander Gordon, Lory Cahn and Kurt Fuchel
http://www.myjewishlearning.com/history/Modern_History/1914-1948/The_Holocaust/Early_Stages_of_Prosecution.shtml
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=134617
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17514394
http://jewishfactsfromportland.blogspot.com/2012/02/are-jews-trying-to-take-over-world.html
http://jewishfactsfromportland.blogspot.com/2007/10/antisemitism-abounds.html

Israeli Activist Leibler and New York's Israel Policy Forum Give Advice to Netanyahu About Peace Talks

Nadene Goldfoot
Pressure is on Prime Minister Netanyahu once again.  The following are some of 100 prominent Leftist Jewish Leaders that are urging Israel to again make painful territorial sacrifices to attain peace.  Nothing is said by these pro-Peace Israel Policy Forum members who live in the USA about the Palestinians making any concessions;  such as their desire to wipe out Israel or to recognize her.  Just to give up land seems to be their only known path to peace which Israel has done time and again .  Gaza is an excellent example of giving up land for peace and getting hit with rockets, mortars and missiles within a few meters away.  Israel has said that they won't make that mistake again.  They gave up the Sinai  to Egypt for peace and that lasted a little while, but look at what a mess Egypt is in now, with a regime bent on wiping out Israel.  The Muslim Brotherhood wants to do just that.  Only American money is keeping them at bay momentarily.

  "The well-known philanthropists  of IPF are New York based, such as Charles Bronfman, Danny Abraham, Lester Crown and Stanley Gold; former U.S. Undersecretary of Defense Dov Zakheim; former U.S. Congressman Mel Levine; former AIPAC executive director Tom Dine; Holocaust scholar Deborah Lipstadt; President of United Reform Judaism Rabbi Rick Jacobs and his predecessor Rabbi Eric Yoffie; Atlanta Hawks owner Bruce Levenson; Warner Eisenberg co-founder of Bed, Bath and Beyond; Peter Joseph, Chairman of IPF; former UJA Chairman Marvin Lender; Richard Pearlstone, former chairman of the Jewish Agency and Marcia Riklis, Campaign Chair of the UJA Federation of New York, bright American Jews."

This rather presumptuous group  that started in 1993 was quite active during the Oslo Accords on the 90's and then waned.  They see themselves as a centrist and pragmatic think tank and advocacy group.  I would love to see these 16 austere leaders travel to Israel for 10 days to really see the situation first hand right now.    No doubt they all have visited Israel for vacations, but there is so much to check out in this little area that depends on security matters.  Included with this tour should be some audio-visual-lectures covering the history of our homeland.  Even rabbis could benefit from all the legalities uncovered by our international lawyers  that most people are unaware of.  

Perhaps this has come about  because Abbas has consented to giving Kerry 8 to 12 weeks to restart the peace process.  Abbas is suspending the UN recognition of Palestine for this.   If they do not come to an agreement to start the process, the UN recognition will resume, so he really loses nothing by granting this time.    Though Obama returned to Washington, Kerry remained behind for this work.  

Or is it because the ICC rejected the Palestinian bid to investigate "Israel War Crimes during Cast Lead's Gaza Operation.   Israel's Cast Lead started December 27, 2008 after being shelled for 3 years.  Hamas Palestinian terrorists don't see it as a crime to shell defenseless civilians  with thousands of mortars, rockets and missiles, but it's a crime to them to finally call "uncle" and defend yourself.  I don't see Israel ever being that patient again as they have reacted quickly to the latest 3 rockets that were shot in southern Israel from Gaza in the last few days.  

Isi Leibler calls the IPF "Jews against Zion."  He said they promote  their idea that Israel should make "unilateral concessions to the Palestinians."  Members of the IPF responded that Mr. Leibler's attack was "offensive and deplorable"  Isi, born in 1934 in Belgium and luckily had parents who moved to Australia, made aliyah  to Israel in 1999.  Since settling in Jerusalem,, Leibler has emerged as one of the leading global English language commentators on Israel and Jewish affairs. He is a prolific writer, publishing weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post,  the Hebrew daily Israel Hayom, and on his blog Candidly Speaking from Jerusalem.   "Leibler has been accused of de-legitimizing liberal Jewish supporters of Israel.  Leibler responded that "I stand by my view that those whose primary goal is to delegitimize and demonize the Jewish state should be marginalized from the mainstream Jewish community. That is not fascism. It is common sense."

When I lived in Israel from 1980 to the end of 1985, I was amazed as I checked with my mother in Eastern Oregon and learned that she never received the news about us in Israel that was going on.  I came to the conclusion that Oregonians knew nothing, so tried to convey matters in my letters, and in those days there were no computers and email, just snail mail by the postman.  In fact a letter took about 3 weeks to get to its destination.  In fact, she lived in Ontario, on the border with Idaho and didn't even know what was happening in Portland, let alone Israel.  So I wonder just how much these august persons keep up with the current events of Israel.  It's almost an all day process for me!

What I'm pointing out is that it is stressful to read that New Yorkers are telling Israelis what to do.  Are they Israeli citizens?  Do they vote?  I saw life through very clear glasses when I lived in Israel, not rose-colored ones, and took out citizenship.   There's a difference in knowing a bomb landed in the back yard 2 weeks ago in Israel and walking around a suburb in Portland, and heavens knows what New York is like.  What's that old saying, "walk in my shoes to know the whole story?   By writing 3 blogs myself about Israel, I'm living, breathing and loving Israel every minute and learning more and more of our history as I do this.  There's no end to the learning, it seems.  So I really wonder how these wonderful but busy people find the time to learn and understand.  There's more to it all than hear snatches in a meeting.  I do hope they're doing lots of reading.

Resource:  http://www.haaretz.com/  http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/100-american-jewish-leaders-urge-netanyahu-to-show-readiness-to-make-painful-territor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Policy_Forum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isi_Leibler
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/Gazaincursion.html
Letters From Israel by Nadene Goldfoot, found on amazon.com