J Street Not Surprising Me:Okay With Not Recognizing Israel As a Jewish State

Nadene Goldfoot                                          

  Main financial supporter of J Street, George Soros, born 1930-84 years old

Some of us in Portland had been questioning the goals of J Street, which has butted into the goals of AIPAC, who had been the only group acting as advocates of Israel. We feel that Israel has the right of deciding what is best for them.  Though AIPAC members are made up of Jews and Gentiles, we are not living in Israel, so cannot tell them what to do anymore than people in England can tell the USA how to run their affairs.

 I found out that J Street was backed financially by a very leftist billionaire, George Soros.  "The initial support of J Street came from multi-billionaire George Soros, who for a brief time was associated with the organization. Soros pulled out before the initial launch, so as not to negatively affect the group.   In September 2010 it was revealed that despite the organization's denials, Soros secretly funded the group." 

I note that Wikipedia left out the fact that Soros is Jewish and that he's a Holocaust survivor from Hungary.  They did go on to tell how he broke England's bank, though.  "He is known as "The Man Who Broke the Bank of England" because of his short sale of US$10 billion worth of pounds, giving him a profit of $1 billion during the 1992 Black Wednesday UK currency crisis."  To me he is known as the man who started and funded J Street.  It seems he wants to pull the strings as to how Israel acts or doesn't act and he and his cohorts think they know better than people who live there.  

 We even had a  public debate between J Street and AIPAC here in Portland, and they seemed off key in my opinion, just more wary, taking a slightly different approach in how to appeal to people. They tried to impress us on how they really backed Israel.  Ha!  Telling Kerry and Obama that Israel shouldn't expect to be recognized as being Jewish is NOT backing our one and only Jewish state in this world!

"According to Caroline Glick, deputy managing editor of The Jerusalem Post, J Street is anything but pro-Israel: "Through their actions, J Street and its allies have made clear that their institutional interests are served by weakening Israel. Their mission is to harm Israel's standing in Washington and weaken the influence of the mainstream American Jewish community that supports Israel."

Obama is supporting J Street, or rather J Street is made up of Obama supporters.  It's hard to tell which is which.  

 Now J Street has hit below the belt in what they are advocating and are taking an extreme opposite view that Israel and I take.  Let it be remembered that only Israelis are citizens of that country.  Being Jewish in the USA or anywhere else does not give you the right to dictate how Israel is to live.  It's Israelis' lives that are on the line by living there.  It's they that knows exactly what is going on; far more than any American depending on their city newspapers for information.  Israel is also a democratic country by itself.  So the gloves are off and I'm sharing some information from Steven Plaut through friend  Ziegelman. 

What gives me the right to say such things?  I lived in Israel from 1980 to the very end of 1985 and became a citizen of Israel, so I have dual citizenship.  I've never voted since leaving, but did when I lived there, though I do now have that right.  I know what was going on there every minute of those 5 years and know that very little of it ever reached Portland, Oregon's Oregonian newspaper, as I had my mother living there.  Then, I didn't share half of what I was experiencing because I didn't want to worry her.  Since then I've learned that journalism reporting is still very politically-driven.  So are groups.

"1.  The headlines are shrieking that two major American Jewish organizations are denouncing Moshe "Bogie" Yaalon for his criticism of American policy and demanding that he apologize.   Haaretz and leftist Ynet are giddy in delight.  But just who are these two "American Jewish organizations."

The first is the National Jewish Democratic Council, which is simply the name of the pro-Obama group of Jews who are active in the Democrat Party.   It is run by Rabbi Jack Moline, a buddy of Rahm Emanuel and initiator of the group (Pseudo-) "Rabbis for Obama.".

The second is the so-called "Israel Policy Forum," a leftist organization today loosely associated with the left wing of the Israeli Labor Party.  It evidently is largely funded by Charles Bronfman these days.  Among the prominent leftists on its board are "Rabbi" Eric Yoffie, Steven M. Cohen, and in the past "Rabbi" Arthur Waskow, the drug-touting Israel-hating Marxist "theologian," was on its staff.   A nice expose of both "Jewish" groups is here:  http://www.jewishpress.com/news/israeli-media-2-us-jewish-groups-attack-yaalons-comments-true/2014/03/23/

It is a badge of honor for Bogie that these folks are attacking him.

  

2.  If there are any out there still not sure about what "J Street" is, then wonder no more.  The "J" in "J Street" clearly stands for Jihad:

  

J Street Endorses Palestinian Refusal to Recognize Israel as Jewish State

BY: Washington Free Beacon Staff
March 21, 2014 11:47 am
In a development that is not sending shockwaves through the pro-Israel community, the “pro-Israel, pro-peace” advocacy group J Street has declared its support for the Palestinian refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. 

In a statement posted on the group’s website, executive director Jeremy Ben-Ami says that to “keep moving forward, both [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas] now need to give a little.”

Netanyahu, he says, must drop his insistence that Abbas recognize Israel as a Jewish State because “it is simply unrealistic and unreasonable to expect any Palestinian leader to consent” to such a demand.

Ben-Ami never goes on to say what Abbas “needs to give.”

J Street’s advocacy for the Palestinian refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state follows a nearly unbroken period of advocacy for Palestinian and Iranian interests since the group’s founding in 2008. J Street took the Hamas position on Israel during Operation Cast Lead later that year, accusing the IDF of war crimes and promoting the discredited Goldstone Report. It lobbied for the Iranian regime’s position against Iran sanctions. It defended the terrorists who attacked IDF soldiers on the 2010 Gaza flotilla. J Street also took the Palestinian and Arab League position on a UN Security Council resolution on Israeli settlements in 2011." 

 J Street says they have 180,000 members.  There are 6 million Jews in the USA.  

What hurts is that Jews are less than 1% of the world population.  We are a very individualistic thinking population, made up of a lot of leaders,  not  followers.  When we have AIPAC, who backs Israel, why divide up and have an opposing group like J Street that harms Israel?  It harms very much when it goes against what Israel says and does, and that's what's happening.  It's the USA that have been Israel's one supporter in this world, and here J Street is causing this country to GO AGAINST ISRAEL.    This is the biggest SHUNDA that Jewish people can do to their brothers and sisters.  

Remember our history of when King Solomon died, Israel divided up into Israel and Judah, and being in two corners, were overcome by the Assyrians and then the Babylonians which led to being taken by the Romans.  Dividing and not studying the issues can lead to the fall of little Israel today.  

We cling to the hope that G-d is watching out for Israel, because it's for sure that J Street is not helping.  It's been enough that so many have been against Israel and now we have Jews as well against her.  For shame !

Resource:  http://freebeacon.com/j-street-endorses-palestinian-refusal-to-recognize-israel-as-jewish-state/

 http://jstreet.org/

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

http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/joseph-puder/biden-obama-and-the-shift-to-j-street/

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

http://www.aipac.org/
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/j-street-and-the-israeli-lobby/
http://forward.com/articles/153025/aipac-not-just-for-jews-anymore/?p=all

Netanyahu's Fantastic Offer to Arabs Will Be Squashed and Why

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                      

   
The New York Times reporters, Mark Landler and Jodi Rudoren reported on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to the American Israel Public Affairs committee.( AIPAC) yesterday.

Netanyahu  gave a pitch for peace with the Palestinians by saying that it would enable Israel to tighten ties with its Arab neighbors and "catapult the region forward" on issues like health, energy and education.  "We could better the lives of hundred of millions,"  he said.  "We all have so much to gain from peace."

We know that Netanyahu and Israel want peace with their neighbors.  They've wanted it before Israel became a state in 1948.  They worked and planned to create Israel but at the same time to have peace with their neighbors.

 He said that after his big meeting with Obama, where they discussed some very tough issues for Israel in this peace process.  Evidently he's trying to convince the Arabs what they would gain instead of the perpetual war, blood and guts and their stand to never ever accept Israel as a Jewish state. However, the Palestinian Arabs  follow the Muslim Brotherhood Creed on this which is to never have peace with Israel.
                                                                             

Netanyahu is also locking horns with Obama,  Kerry and the Arabs over Jews living in Judea and Samaria, which is land originally set aside as being part of the Jewish Homeland by the League of Nations in the 1920's.  The big world powers call them "Jewish settlements," and probably call Tel Aviv a settlement as well.  1967  was when Israel won back Judea and Samaria and east Jerusalem after being attacked by all the surrounding Arabs and then some more beyond the perimeter.  It has been 47 years, and Jews that moved there are still being hit with the "settlement" word.  They settled  long ago already in 1968, after the war was won with the latest established in 1984 except for one which was established in 1998-16 years ago.  In all, there are 321,179 Jews living in Judea-Samaria. Israel had stopped building for one whole year and the Palestinians didn't come around.  It was a waste of time.
                                                                             

  Netanyahu praised Kerry as the man who never sleeps.  Kerry had warned Israel that they could be ostracized if they failed to make peace with the Palestinians but as far as we know has said absolutely nothing like that to the Arabs.  Kerry didn't make himself popular with that comment with Israel.  Besides that issue, he has shown that he sides with the Palestinians by making all sorts of incredible demands on Israel and nothing for the Arabs.

Obama wants the Palestinians and Israelis to sign a framework accord which Kerry is drafting and expects it to be signed by the end of April.  This is  evidently written out in general terms only about Israel's security and the borders of a future Palestinian state which is already a done deal in the UN as far as accepting a Palestine as an observer state.  It is to allow the 8 month old negotiations that have been going on with Kerry to be extended.  An unofficial statement from an official said that the agreement would have enough in it that was good for Israel.  That is the official's opinion, not Netanyahu's.  Like we say, "Is it good for the Jews"?  The answer for the past 8 months has been, "NO."  

Obama is now taking over in the talks from Kerry.  He's meeting on March 17th, St. Patrick's Day, with Abbas to urge him to sign.

Netanyahu told Obama that they were pressing up against very tough issues for Israel.

Netanyahu also brought up the growing boycott movement that hits on Israel.  He said that "this links it to the darkest chapters of anti-Semitism in history. "   The Arabs and their siders took his comment as showing how well the boycott is working.  He's just disgusted by being singled out when so many other nations are doing so many destructive things in this world, such as Assad in Syria or the Ayatollah in Iran and the nuclear bombs they are creating.  Being singled out for something others find an excuse to fault Israel for is anti-Semitism, pure and simple.

 We've had over 2,000 years of it and can spot it easily.  Israel has every legal right in the world to allow people to move into Judea and Samaria, but being Jews-are being given a bad time about it.  Legal, shmegal, the powers to be don't give a hoot evidently about legalities.  Jews, who believe in Judaism which has been faulted by other religions as being too full of laws that people don't need to follow, has international law on their side about living on the land, and THAT is now the worst evil of the century.  How about that for logic today?    So the Arabs are using boycotting as another form of their rockets, mortars and missiles that Hamas uses almost every day against the civilians of southern Israel, a teeny land of only 8,000 sq. miles.  Hit southern Israel and the wind from it hits the rest of Israel. So does the pain and anguish making its citizens more determined than ever not to be driven out of their country.  .
                                                                       

                                     Hezbolla terrorists fighting in Syria

Sorry, Syrians.  Abbas can kill as many of his 22,505,000 Syrian citizens as he wants.  ISRAEL is continuing to live and love and worship G-d in their own land and that's what's arousing the world to pounce on Israel instead of Assad.  What's good and what's bad today has taken a new direction.  What Netanyahu has  pitched to the Arabs is too logical.  That's not what their Palestinian charters  of the PA or Hamas or the Muslim Brotherhood stand for.  It's not what they want at all!  When someone convinces them to change their goals, then you can talk about peace.  The war ain't over till the fat lady sings and the fat lady ain't sung yet.

Resource:  http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/05/world/middleeast/netanyahu-promotes-efforts-toward-a-peace-deal.html?_r=0
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/wbsettle.html
http://www.algemeiner.com/2014/03/05/report-state-department-sources-say-obama-sabotaged-peace-Update: 3/5/14 talks-with-goldberg-interview-conducted-behind-kerrys-back/  Read this one!  

The Colbert Report's Guest, Michael Oren, Israeli Ambassador to USA

                                                                       
Nadene Goldfoot
You know it's going to be funny.  The Colbert Report is comedy using political topics.  Michael Oren did just fine.  He had come down from Washington DC to New York City to be on this show.

Michael Oren, historian, scholar, Ivy League professor and now Israel's outstanding Ambassador to the United States, visited The Colbert Report last night, fresh from addressing the AIPAC (The American Israel Public Affairs Committee) Policy Conference on Sunday morning.  You can see the video (4:43) here:

http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=305504

If your time (25 min.) permits, you can view (then-)Professor/author Oren's highly engaging 2007 speech to the AIPAC Conference reviewing the deep historic and ideological ties between America and Israel dating back to the 1700s here:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByY_rD0JfRQ

"Oren was born Michael Scott Bornstein in upstate New York, the son of Marilyn (née Goldstein), a marriage and family therapist, and Lester Milton Bornstein, a hospital director."  He has served in the IDF as a paratrooper.

Ambassador Oren has long been one of the most impressive educators and advocates working to support Israel and the US-Israel relationship in many capacities.  He held up very well with Stephen Colbert and his satirical humor.

Reference:  kmk
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Colbert_Report
http://www.colbertnation.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Oren#cite_note-NJJN2009-2

Lee Smith, Speaker at Portland AIPAC Meeting

Nadene Goldfoot
Our Portland AIPAC meeting hosted Lee Smith, author of  "The Strong Horse:   Power, Politics, and the Clash of Arab Civilizations."

 He spoke to us about the current position of Iran and Israel last night.  The thought is that since North Korea just had a successful 3rd nuclear test only last Tuesday on the 12th and that observers were there from Iran could mean that Iran has the means  to build a weapon as well.  North Korea could be testing for both countries.  They've been working together for the past 10 years. Secretary Kim Ki Nam told the people gathered at Pyongyang Square that their  country's third test  was a self-defensive measure against U.S. hostility.  China and South Korea are also very upset with this test.  

So much going on depends on the background and situation of the surrounding countries, such as Egypt.  The clash of the Arab civilization plays a most important part in all of the current events of the Middle East.  For instance, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are competitors.  So are Iran and Iraq who have had a long war.  In fact, some of the Shi'ite  places of religious tombs are in Iraq.  Iran has been backing Syria.  Terrorist groups are vying for power.   The Sunni and Shi'ite aspects of Islam also must be taken in consideration.  Russia will take the opposite side that the USA is on.  

We in Portland have been upset over Qatar's influence in education in the USA.  Their secondary goal seems to be influencing our young people to their way of thinking toward Jews and Israel, as well as other political attitudes.  This was voiced last night.  It seems to be an aspect that others have overlooked.  We've had evidence of this in our Lincoln High School where the Jewish students were completely shaken up over a group of Palestinian singers who were sponsored by Qatar who sang raps about how terrible the Jews were in Israel. Qatar is funding an Arabic class that does not share with other educators about what they are teaching, and we adults do not read Arabic to keep in contact with materials used.  Hebrew is not considered to be taught in this older well-known high school who sits in the center of an older Jewish community.   We feel the threat from both outside and inside as well.  It's something that Hillary Clinton and our administration have been amiss to see, too.

Just to better understand the involvement of Jews, Israel and Iran, who were the ancient Persians, I have created a timeline.  at http://israel-nadene.blogspot.com/2013/02/does-iran-have-bomb-jews-and-usas.html.
Again, you cannot understand present conditions without knowing about the past.  It's quite an eye-opener.

Our outgoing president, Ken Kwartler, will not end his service with AIPAC but will keep on informing us of all eventualites along with our new president.  He's an excellent representative of what AIPAC does to help the USA and Israel to have good relations and understandings.  My book, The Strong Horse, book will arrive in a few days and I hope to be further enlightened after the preview last night.

Resource: Speaker Lee Smith
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/asia/korean_peninsula/AJ201302150021  from Japan
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/13/world/asia/north-korea-nuclear-test.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0


  

English founder of J Street Shows Colors of Being Anti-Israel

I love real debates.  I've been a high school debate judge.  I'm glad I didn't see the one held in London between one of the founders of J-Street and  son of London's Lord Michael Levy, Daniel Levy, and William Sieghart, a British philanthropist and champion of Hamas, the  terrorists from Gaza against Caroline Glick, one of my favorite writers and historians and her debating partner, Danny Dayan, the outgoing head of the Yesha Council.

The resolution they debated read:  "Israel is destroying itself with its settlement policy.  If settlement expansion continues, Israel will have no future."

What we have here is J Street, the competition against AIPAC which has taken a much harsher stand against two very pro-Israelis who are also both Jewish.

Carolyn found out that no matter what she and her partner said, they were met with avid booing and yelling by the audience.  "She was prepared to conduct a civilized debate based on facts and reasoned argumentation."  Instead, she was met a mob made up of the well-dressed elite but defiinitely with an anti-Israel bias.  She came up with facts to back her position and this English mob was instantly raging against both Caroline and Danny.

Caroline is never going back again.  She said that the countries are mildly anti-Semitic today but hold Israel to a higher moral standard than its neighbors.  By bringing up Israel in a public meeting such as this debate was, the whole atmosphere changed.  The English don't dare attack others as it isn't politically correct, but atttack Israel without any qualms.  They show  their traditional snobbish British anti-Semitism easily when Israel is mentioned today.

Resource: http://frontpagemag.com/2013/caroline-glick/bye-bye-london/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=0fbfe9f89d-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Sieghart

Obama Administration on Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood Goals

Nadene Goldfoot

"America’s fundamental inability to take religion and ideology seriously persists."  

Senator John Kerry, likely the next Secretary of State, stated confidently after meeting Morsi in Cairo in June, 2012 that the Egyptian president was “committed to protecting fundamental freedoms” and “said he understood the importance of Egypt’s post-revolutionary relationships with America and Israel.”

"The Obama administration has shown even more willingness than its predecessors to look the other way in the face of Brotherhood abuses of power—and of women and religious minorities—in pursuit of an “authentic” Egyptian democracy.  It has not taken the Brotherhood’s credo to heart: “Allah is our objective; the Quran is our law; the Prophet is our leader; jihad is our way; and death for the sake of Allah is the highest of our aspirations.”   No wonder Obama selected Kerry as the possible Secretary of State.  

The Muslim Brotherhood was created in 1928 in Egypt and banned several times starting in 1948.  it supported the Egyptian Revolution in 1952 and tried to assassinate President Nasser.  By electing Morsi, it is now in power.  President Anwar Sadat, Israel's peace partner, was assassinated on October 7, 1981.   "The attackers would eventually come to be identified as Islamist nationalists associated with the Muslim Brotherhood under the name of Islamic Jihad.  Mubarak took over and carried out all previous peace programs.

"As a result of Sadat's assassination, the Muslim Brotherhood remained banned and the Camp David Accords were saved, along with Egypt's power elite. Vice President Mubarak, now President, completed Sadat's term and went on to lead Egypt for the next thirty years. Furthermore, had the Muslim Brotherhood assumed power back in 1981, it would have repudiated the Camp David Accords at once." Morsi won the so called election and put a very ill Mubarak in prison.

We all thought when Kerry  was running for President that he was pro-Israel.  Time tells a confusingly different story.
"At the Democratic Convention in 2012 Kerry ignored the decision of his party leadership to remove Jerusalem from their platform and instead opened his podium speech by attacking Romney for his “neo-con advisors” and then proceeded to quote Benjamin Netanyahu out of context."

We all know what Kerry meant when he said “neo-cons” – it is code speak for pro-Zionists. Kerry’s words show that he will be hostile to the very existence  of Israeli towns in the suburbs of Jerusalem. Democrats consider these “settlements” to be part of the “Occupied West Bank” and he will label them as such.  Such thinking is like a double-edged sword.  What does he not approve of;  Jerusalem suburbs or Zionists?  Obviously he hasn't checked with international lawyers such as Professor Eugene Kontorovich about Jerusalem.

President Obama does not seem to approve of Israel, especially with his tussle with Netanyahu over 1969 lines that was watched on TV,  and his choices reflect this  with Kerry and Hagel.  If Israel finds itself in a vise, we can look to our own Jewish population of which 69%  voted in this President.  Though Jews are only about 2% of the USA population, they are leaders.  J Street takes an opposing view compared with AIPAC as the  “pro-peace, pro-Israel” J Street lobby group and said Hagel “would be an outstanding choice” to head the Pentagon."  "(AIPAC), the most influential pro-Israel lobby group, has so far kept a discreet silence, although a former longstanding spokesman, Josh Block, who now heads The Israel Project, strongly denounced Hagel for his opposition to sanctions against Iran and his refusal to sign various letters and resolutions against Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas that were favoured, if not drafted, by AIPAC.

Resource: http://www.jewishideasdaily.com/5598/features/america-and-the-muslim-brotherhood-a-romance/
http://www.jewishjournal.com/opinion/article/john_kerry_at_state_a_disaster_for_israel
http://www.ipsnews.net/2012/12/neo-cons-israel-lobby-mobilise-to-pre-empt-obama-pentagon-favourite/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/07/jewish-voter-exit-polls_n_2084008.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_Brotherhood
http://middleeast.about.com/od/egypt/a/me081006a.htm
http://jewishfactsfromportland.blogspot.com/2012/12/chuck-hagel-on-docket-for-defense.html
http://jewishfactsfromportland.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-change-obama-had-in-store-for-israel.html

Chuck Hagel on Docket for Defense Secretary Quite Troubling

Nadene Goldfoot
High on the list to fill the opening for Defense Secretary is Chuck Hagel which is causing many in the American Jewish community to feel nervous.  Both Caroline Glick and Bret Stephens have written about this.
Charles Timothy Hagel, age 66 (born October 4, 1946) in North Platte, Nebraska is a former US Republican Senator from Nebraska.  He is now a professor at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown U.  Since 2009 he has served as chairman of the Atlantic Council and co-chairman of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board.

You might think that because he is a former Republican senator that he is sympathetic towards Israel, but it doesn't seem to be the case.  He has a "Jewish problem."  He has this idea that the "Jewish Lobby" intimidates a lot of people in Washington.  Fact is, there is no "Jewish Lobby."  What there is that he must be accusing is AIPAC, which is the only group supporting Israel who bothers to educate people with accurate facts.  People involved in any "Jewish Lobby" or "Israel Lobby" includes non Jews like Christian Zionists.  Not all Jews are members of AIPAC.  To many people who are not in the "know", Zionist is a dirty word.  All it means is that they support the right of Israel's existence.

Nebraska is not a very heavily populated Jewish state.  I'm surprised to hear that there are about 6,100 Jews in the state of only 1.8 million people, so Hagal probably has not met many or knows much about Jews.  His family, stemming from Catholic Poland and Germany,  could have even raised him without hearing kind words about Jews. He is now Episcopalian, but attitudes often linger.   He might even have this in mind thinking that legislators who might be friendly with AIPAC are doing so out of fear and not out of political conviction.  He has been most emphatic in saying, "I'm a US Senator, not an Israeli Senator," as he stated to US diplomat Aaron David Miller in 2006.  He told him he supported Israel but...but his first interest isn't Israel."  One could feel that he is thinking that Jews all have dual loyalty and is questioning that.  I might add that Jews should be involved more in the current events and past history of the problems Israel is facing and be more informed than others, but this isn't always the case.  For those of us who are such students, we will be supportive of Israel.  This doesn't mean we will turn against our home country, the USA.  He shouldn't have to worry.  Israel and the USA are still allies having common beliefs and goals in life.

Hagel served in Vietnam in the army infantry and became Sergeant from 1967-68, the same period of Israel Six Day War in 1967.  He was highly decorated.  When he returned home he became a radio newscaster and talk show host in Omaha while attending college using the GI Bill.  Then he was hired as a staffer for a congressman in Nebraska for 4 years, and then -as a real lobbyist for Firestone Tire and Rubber Co.  The next job was as an organizer for Ronald Reagan.  Following positions got him into the Veteran's Administration and becoming involved with the Agent Orange issue.  He concludes that we should have never been involved in Iraq and was highly against the Bush administration for that.   "In July 2006, Hagel criticized the Bush administration on its handling of the Israel-Lebanon issue saying "The sickening slaughter on both sides must end and it must end now. President Bush must call for an immediate cease-fire. This madness must stop"  I always note that no one ever speaks out against the Palestinians for bombarding Israel since 2001 with mortars, missiles and rockets, but let Israel finally and belatedly turn about and defend themselves  after warnings after warnings, and it's all ..."stop Israel."

There are situations that give us lots of pause about Mr. Hagel.  In 2002, two years after Yasser Arafat was offered a state by PM Ehud Barak at Camp David, after 457 Israelis were killed in terrorist attacks, Hagel said that "Israel must take steps to show its commitment to peace."    Not the Palestinians?  There is no one more interested or deserving of peace than Israel.  No one is more under the microscope than this tiny state of almost 6 million Jews and 1.4 million Arabs.  No one has been more hated because of religious bias than Jews.  For 2,000 years Jews have been without their homeland living under other's laws and being scapegoats in every situation.  Hagel has the audacity to remind Israel that they should show that they want peace?  Perhaps that's because in past dealings with the Palestinians, it has always been Israel who has given in to ceding land for peace.  Not once have the Palestinians ever given into anything important to Israel.  They have refused the opportunities offered to them since 1948 to have their own state.

He did it again in 2006 in his senate speech where he said, "The US and Israel must understand that it is not in their long-term interests to allow themselves to become isolated in the Middle East and the world."  The world has never been pro-Jews, as far as I can see.  History speaks of this.  The Holocaust is a good example as well.  The Middle East is made up mostly of 48-49 Muslim majority countries whose Islam religion has become radically against Jews to the point of their head religious leaders having fatwas to kill all Jews due to their newly found political dogma.  They're all for apartheid, exclusion of Jews, which they then turn around and accuse Jews of being.  Since they dominate much of the UN, there is no sense thinking they'll be better friends than Jordan has been.   At least Mubarak of Egypt was keeping the peace, but we saw to that, didn't we,  in not supporting him even vocally?  Now the Muslim Brotherhood, with a charter to destroy Israel, is at the helm with Morsi.  So who tipped the scales in Egypt?  Not Israel.  At least the Egyptians were getting lots of tourism coming from Israel to help their economy.

Obama, who disagreed with Netanyahu on camera over the 1967 border,  seems to be intent on choosing people that are not friendly with Israel.  Hagel is one.  John Kerry, Democrat, possible next Secretary of State,  is another.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Hagel
WSJ.com Wall Street Journal, Stephens:  Chuck Hagel's Jewish Problem-"the would-be secretary of defense has some curious views" by Bret Stephens.
http://www.carolineglick.com/e/2012/12/chuck-hagel-for-defense-secret.php

Added 12/19/12 from Front Page: http://frontpagemag.com/2012/ari-lieberman/chuck-hagel-and-the-jewish-lobby/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=6008a01641-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag

One Teeny State of Israel Amid All the Muslims Like Jordan

Nadene Goldfoot
                                                    Israel's birthday was May 14, 1948.

Jordan came about from Transjordan.  Sheik Abdullah I, born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia and the middle son of Sherif Hussein bin Ali had also wanted land and so the British gave away 80% of the mandated land scheduled to be the Jewish Homeland in 1921 to him instead. It became a state in 1922.  Abdullah's brother was Faisal who commanded the Arab Northern Army.  Lawrence of Arabia favored Faisal.   In 1948 Abdullah annexed illegally during the 1948 war with the Jews  the eastern part of "The West Bank" and proclaimed the Kingdom of Jordan with himself as king.. From 1952 the country was ruled by his grandson, Hussein.  In 1967 Hussein entered the Six Day War with other Arab nations but was defeated and Israel took over the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) which had originally  belonged to the Jews as Judah and Samaria.  It had once been the capital of Israel (Shomron) in 880 BCE.  Many of their population are the Palestinians who had fought against him.

Israel, this tiny state only 8,000 sq. miles of today, just a little more than twice  the size of Rhode Island,  is surrounded by 22 huge nations  together making  640 times Israel's size.  They are all states with the majority of the population being Muslims.   It's the only democratic state there.  Almost 6 million Jews live in Israel, while 1.4 million Arabs also live there.

It is only 3 miles to 60 miles wide.  Over half of the population  live along the coastline of this  narrow strip of land.  Gaza is also along this coastline.  The Jordan River acts as a boundary for Judea-Samaria and Jordan.

Hamas and Hizballah rockets can now target all of Israel.  8,000 rockets and mortars already have been fired into Israel since 2005.  A concern is now Egypt's border as attacks have also been coming from the Sinai.

Financial aid to Israel has been coming from the USA and also AIPAC, which is the American Israel Public Affairs committee.  They have been active for over the last 50 years.  The work they do is to help make Israel more secure.  Their nudging has helped bring about a bipartisan bill in Congress of getting US-Israel collaboration in missile defense, homeland security, energy and intelligence.  We also now have a US-Israel Free Trade Agreement, a first for the USA.

 The first package procured of aid helped Israel to absorb Holocaust survivors and Jewish refugees expelled from Arab nations that happened from 1948 on.  Everyone speaks about the Palestinians who were told by their Arab leaders to leave their homes and removed themselves as a war was about to start with guarantees that the Arabs would win and it didn't happen.  At the same time, Jews in about the same numbers were forced out of Arab countries as a result of Israel becoming a state.  At least they had a place to go to.  Naturally they found homes in Israel while the Palestinians were kept in camps by their leaders as fodder for the fight against the Jews.  Those Palestinians who didn't leave are the Arab citizens of Israel.


This is where the Jews were born starting with Abraham about 4,000 years ago and where their King David established Jerusalem as his capital in Judah.  This state came about in 933 BCE after David's son, King Solomon had died.  The northern state was Israel and the southern section had become Judah.  It also took in most of the tribe of Benjamin and absorbed the tribe of Simeon which was isolated in the extreme south.  Judah did not have access to the sea so had remained a poor kingdom.  Because of this it didn't get involved with international rivalries and led a more tranquil existence.  It was in Judah that Mosaic monotheism was in a purer form.

Reference: AIPAC
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia
Middle East Past and Present by Armajani Ricks 2nd edition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_I_of_Jordan

The Change Obama Had in Store for Israel

Nadene Goldfoot
Statement from Obama in 2010:  “Israel cannot be expected to negotiate with Palestinians who do not recognize its right to exist”.          …

     … his position  recorded in the White House on March 12, 2012.    Has he just changed his mind, or what?  Yet Hillary Clinton has continued to pound on Netanyahu to negotiate, even though the PA won't come to the table and if they did, want everything settled their way before they even sit down.  And of course, they won't recognize their right to exist.

This was a statement brought to my attention this morning.  It should matter to Jews as we have to vote in November.  Israel probably wasn't the prominent issue on many Jewish voters minds four years ago, but it's time to put it on the front burner and think about it along with social security and healthcare.  I keep thinking, we in the USA will survive, no matter what, but will Israel?  After 2,000 years of being treated like chopped liver and drek, shouldn't we give Israel a higher consideration this time?  If Israel doesn't survive, the USA will be next on the chopping block.

He was one of the few senators who didn't support the Kyl-Lieberman resolution calling the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization.  He was against overthrowing Saddaam Hussein when a state senator.  He wanted to meet with Ahmajinadad without preconditions.  and his idea of Iran was that it was a tiny nation, he told a Pendleton, Oregon crowd because they spent far less on their military than the Soviet Union.  He didn't want to deal with the Likud party in Israel, which is Netanyahu's party.  

Obama had chosen Zbigniew Brzezinski as his foreign policy adviser, who had been the same for Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981. We know now that Carter was most negative with the book he has come out with about Israel.   This Professor Brzezinski of noble-birth from Warsaw, Poland  may not have given the best advice to insure Israel's well-being.

In his speech to AIPAC on March 2, 2007, he mentioned that our job was to do more than lay out another road map.  Our job was to rebuild the road to real peace and lasting security throughout the region.  Then, what did he want when he was on TV with Netanyahu?  He suggested strongly that  Israel to go back to the 1967 lines and he didn't seem to understand why Netanyahu just about plotzed at that suggestion?  Oh yes, that certainly is a change in the road;  his road is completely blocked!  Being Obama's first finances came from George Soros doesn't help, either.  Old George has financed a group that undermines AIPAC who have allowed themselves to be bedazzled by his contributions.

He was a 2 year senator with very little experience and had done virtually nothing  in foreign policy.  He had surrounded himself with friends that were not favorable towards Israel which surely must have influenced his decisions. His co-chair in 2008 for the presidential campaign was General Merrill McPeak, who lives right here in Lake Oswego, just outside of Portland.  He was a man against AIPAC, which is Israel's only American Lobby group.  He has spoken against Israel's settlement policies in the Palestinian areas of Judea and Samaria and wants Israel's withdrawal of some towns. (Israel just  moved out 50 families or about 300+ people by their Supreme Court order because it was an unauthorized community which was a difficult step for Israel to take.) He said this back in 1976, so we know where he stands on such matters.  Anyone that seems to be supportive of Israel, this man has been against.  The Oregonian  carried an article about him on March 27, 2008.

Obama surrounded himself with advisers that have been a negative influence about Israel.  David Bonior, the biggest supporter of the anti-Israel Arab lobby in congress, Robert Mally, fierce critic of Israel, Samanatha Power who called for the suspension of aid to Israel but for Palestine and using US soldiers to invade Israel and force a peace agreement with the PA., Senator Chuck Hagel who refused to ask the EU to declare Hizbullah a terrorist organization and was one of 4 senators that refused to sign a senate letter in support of Israel, and Joseph Cirincione who wanted Israel to give up its nuclear material but refused to listen that Syria has been building up its nuclear enrichment capacity.

Ha'aretz Newspaper didn't see it coming when they graded the contenders back in 2008.  They thought he was pro-Israel.  So did a high % of Jewish voters as so many voted for their usual Democratic ticket.  

Back on March 17, 2010, Obama said, "“The Iranian government has been more concerned about preventing their people from exercising their democratic and human rights than trying to solve this problem diplomatically. That’s why we’re going to go after aggressive sanctions,” the president said.."  Yet, options are still on the table as of September 2012 and the atomic energy commission just announced that the sanctions haven't slowed Iran down a bit.  Obama hasn't visited with Netanyahu to calm his fears, either, most of us have noticed.

Obama has been known to call the Arab-Israeli conflict an "open wound" or "an open sore" on his foreign policy.  This comes from Jeff Goldberg of the Atlantic Monthly who interviewed McCain and Obama.  To Jeff this showed some sort thinking  on Obama's part that the parties were equally guilty  and all it would take is to get both sides together and that all the other problems in the Middle East comes from this "open sore," rhetoric that the neighbors of Israel like to throw around, and he has bought into it.  So Ahmadinejad calls Israel a "cancer" and now we have Obama going with "open sore".

The event that maddened me was when Netanyahu and his men were at the White House in March 2010 and didn't get invited for dinner but were left on their own while Obama had dinner with his family.  To top off this snub, Obama had left Netanyahu  with a list of 13 demands.    " For over an hour, Mr Netanyahu and his aides closeted themselves in the Roosevelt Room on the first floor of the White House to map out a response to the president's demands."  Is this how Obama treats a friend?

 He kept warning us by talking about bringing change, and this change seemed to be geared towards changing Israel.  He has talked a good talk but walks unfairly with Israel.  

Update 9/6/12, http://news.yahoo.com/palestinians-criticize-democrats-jerusalem-stance-143416965.html, With Democratic convention going on, they took out Jerusalem as the capital and then put it back in .What is "said" and what will be contractual "written" as policy is to be seen.  So far, it has not been the American policy to accept Jerusalem as Israel's capital.  

Resource: http://spectator.org/archives/2012/02/22/obama-and-israel-the-silence-o
http://www.infowars.com/al-qaeda-grand-wizard-brzezinski-advises-obama-on-foreign-policy/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zbigniew_Brzezinski
http://anyonebutobama.org/index.php?page=Reason-10 EXCELLENT
Oregonian newspaper  9/3/12 page A4 Israeli settlers exit unauthorized site
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/162431-obama-and-netanyahu-note-differences-after-oval-office-meeting
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/7521220/Obama-snubbed-Netanyahu-for-dinner-with-Michelle-and-the-girls-Israelis-claim.html

  

Opinions of an Angry Jewish Grandmother: Wanting to Protect Israel

Nadene Goldfoot
I'm not a rabbi, only a teacher of secular studies, but have studied  about our religion of Judaism, and am in awe of the intelligence behind it and what it tries to do to shape our outlook on life.  It is so rational, so sensible, so fair.  It was able to reshape a wild group of people 4,000 years ago who had been slaves for 4oo years into the most tolerable of people who were even considerate of animals to the utmost levels of humanity.  That's one of the best parts, I think.  If we consider animals' feelings, do we not consider all people's?  Thanks to Moses with Ha-Shem's guidance, we've come a long way from the Early Bronze Age. 

Knowing what has been so taught for all these years, I have had the faith of our fathers to trust in the good of Israel, created on the ethics of Judaism.  How can our own people not trust that the knesset is doing their best job  and work diligently to preserve the lives of their own and their enemies.  It's gone from left to right, and now is the time for the man who is the bravest to do the best for Israel. The people have voted.  They know.  They live there; we don't.  It's their lives that are on the line.  It's their sons and daughters who are on the front lines, sometimes right along with them.  They see the future.  Why can't our Americans? 

I feel for all the people in Israel when Netanyahu has had to dismantle a town/s in Judea or Samaria.  I've known it was coming for some time.  The non-caring pressures from the world has forced the decision.  I just pray that the rest of Israel can be saved, for that is the ongoing battle.  With G-d's help, it will be the right thing for all of Israelis at this time.  I say this with sadness, as I wanted them to remain. 

To understand Israel's motives, Jews must understand their own religion and be proud of it.  I am appalled with some of our own rabbis who are not in tune with this.  That is my greatest disappointment. 

We have a  group in the USA who are supported by one of the world's richest but twisted men who work against AIPAC as a competitor.  They try to decide for Israel what to do whereas AIPAC supports the democratic decisions of Israel and bothers to understand the decisions and situation.  I feel that people who join up with this group are not educating themselves at all, but naively go along with the  popular mores  in their socio-economic class, led like a lamb to the slaughter, pretending to be so much more interested in being fair. They're being so fair that they're sacrificing their own people on the altar.   They side with the enemy who shoots at our people constantly.  If we don't speak up and care about ourselves, what are we?  I'm a lady who is terribly worried about the future of Israel when surrounded by people who don't give a hoot.  They just go on with their lives and football on TV and pretend that there are no problems in the world. 

With the grace of Ha Shem, we find people of the same mind in the Christians United For Israel or CUFI.  People of several Christian denominations have come together with the work of Pastor John Hagee to support Israel.  He has even written a book for his own flock, "In Defense of Israel."  They're combatting these ridiculous BDS movements causing people to think the worst about our only Jewish state by being non-supportive in boycotting stores with Israeli products.  There are battlefields of all sorts that Israel has to combat, and they're not all in the field.  There are even movements of Christians that are studying the Torah and finding the extraordinary meaning and teaching in it that we value.  They have a respect and awe of the Torah, which our ancestors have held for 4,000 years. 

If this life is a test to see how faithful we are to our covenant, I think we are winning, but it's a heavy test, for sure, very similar to Job's.    6,000,000 of us were either shot or burned alive and still we have a remnant  who care about our value to this planet.  At least I see the people in Israel combatting the thought to not follow the covenant we agreed to so long ago and just give up, but I think that many Jews of the USA need to shape up and learn about their history, past and present, ASAP, before it's too late. 

Resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Near_East
My experiences and thoughts

AIPAC: A Very Needed Jewish Education and Advocation Lobby

Nadene Goldfoot
America is a nation of immigrants, so it's natural that Jews have fled here for more reasons than many.  2.2% of America's population is made up of people of the Jewish religion according to 2006 figures. That means there are about 296,410,404 people in the United States and about 6,452,030 are Jewish.   New York is the home of most with 1,618,320 or 8.4% of the state.  California, 2nd highest Jewish %,  has 1,194,190 or only 3.3% of it's population.  Probably most are in Los Angeles.  Oregon has 31,850 or 0.9% Jews with Buddists numbering more while Wisconsin has 28,330 or 0.5% of  a Jewish population.  World-wide, Jews make up less than 1% of the population.  Europe has lost most all of the Jews from the Holocaust.  Israel is the home  of about 5,795,000 Jews who make up 75.4% of Israel's population.  It was established as a Jewish nation.  These two countries make up the bulk of the Jews in the whole world. 

AIPAC or American-Israel Public Affairs Committee was created on January 2, 1963 and is a registered open lobbying group advocating pro Israel policies to Congress and the Executive branch based in Washington D.C.  The Washington offices provide information to and from their agencies.  They do research to get out the agency's programs and to maintain relations with many community organization.  Law limits national Jewish agencies and it's very important to maintain information about American-Israeli relations so this is the role of AIPAC.  It is supported by contributions from its members who are American citizens and the sale of its Near East Report.  They have 6 or 7 professional AIPAC workers including editorial staff.  The Executive Committee includes a broad cross-section of Jewish activists. 

American Jews are not the only ones with a lobby organization.  Israel has its own and is its embassy, for that's what embassies do.  They educate our American public and congress and advocate policies in their interest.  For every Israeli official in Washington there are 15 or 20 from the many Arab nations (47 majority Muslim countries not counting "Palestine" at my last count), the Soviet bloc and the 3rd and 4th world blocs who are promoting opposite views.  They are never idle nor ignored.

America has many active societies of our roots before immigration.  There are British, French, Polish, Swedish and Japanese societies all over America.  Many nations in the world have special friends in America.  It is perfectly normal for Israel to have a lobby group such as AIPAC which  seeks to fullfill the goals of the American Jewish community. 

Jews do have other Jewish organizations.  All of them combined probably employ at the most 12 professional employees.  They are kept by law from doing any lobbying and they obey the law scrupiously, and this is where AIPAC steps in.  People who lobby have to be registered and professionals.  AIPAC in reality is very ordinary and modest compared to others.  It holds no cocktail parties or fancy dinner parties and they have no unlimited expense accounts.  There has never been any allegations of improper political activities from any Jewish representative in Washington. 

AIPAC gets out technical information and help that Congressmen and their assistants need.  It also keeps its member informed through the Near East Report, direct communications and once in a while through conferences or speaking engagements.  It helps us all to know when there is a need for supporting an action that is deemed important.  How to understand issues is explained by this group. 

In May of this year delegates from all 50 states went up on Capital Hill to lobby mainly for Israel's security assistance.  They were joined by friends from CUFI (Christians United for Israel) . 

Other lobby groups work for medium-sized corporations or trade associations, small international unions, health or welfare organization with larger Washington operations than the entire Jewish establishment.  Individual oil companies spend more on lobbying than all Jewish organization combined. 

Jews try very hard to work with their communities and to be an active participant themselves.  They have earned the respect of non-Jewish groups, mayors and governors as well as Congressmen and Senators.    Glenn Beck went alone to Israel and has been joined by Pastor Hagee in support. 

I'm proud to be an AIPAC member along with my friends who are concerned about Israel's welfare.  AIPAC has about 100,000 members. You don't have to be Jewish to be a member, just care about Israel.  What I appreciate most about this group is that they are not trying to tell Israel what is best for them in their eyes but back Israel's decisions and needs. After all, Israel is a true democracy and has a right to make its own decisions.   After living in Israel for 5 1/2 years from 1980 to the end of 1985, before I ever saw a computer, I appreciate this very much, for no one knows the problems better than those who live in Israel.  I found that  terrible happenings in Israel rarely made it into nation-wide American newspapers nor did their accomplishements.  Our Oregonian or Idaho Statesman as well as the Ontario Argus just weren't in the know.  It seemed to me that the only news that made American papers were something reporters could find fault with.  The only way I could communicate with my family was through my portable typewriter and snail mail, of which usually took over 2 weeks to reach my family.  The one expensive time I tried the phone ended with getting the wrong party, so I didn't try that again.  Now that I live back in Oregon, I feel good about supporting Israel through AIPAC's membership and helping this way.  Besides that, we all get together for a once a year dinner and hear the latest reports from AIPAC leadership who also attend. 

The media has tried to paint a picture of AIPAC as an all-powerful, extremely effective Jewish lobby.  Could it be that what they try to present is sane and full of common sense?  With only a few professionals at AIPAC's disposal, the active members in each state are men and women who work for a living and take their own time to get involved and to trek to Washington DC in order to back Israel's existence. 

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/usjewpop.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Israel_Public_Affairs_Committee
http://www.aipac.org/
Jewish Digest November 1975  "The Truth About the "Jewish Lobby" by Hyman Bookbinder condensed from Washington Letter page 3-6.

Picking on AIPAC

There is a conference scheduled in Washington DC on May 21-24, 2011 called Move Over AIPAC.  AIPAC is the support group that I belong to, so am distressed at seeing such an event.  It is supported by Stephen Walt, John Meirsheimer, and the Jewish voice for Peace, a very leftist organization, and Palestinian speaker Nadia Hijab. 

They are so unbiased that they had invited Helen Thomas, the elderly Lebanese-American  news reporter and favorite in Washington DC that said publicly that Jews should go back to their old homeland to speak, but she has declined, wanting the negative attention on Israel and not on herself.   It wasn't mentioned, but I imagine that J. Street is also attending.  After all, they are the ones trying to replace AIPAC. 

AIPAC has been behind Israel for the past 50 years. " As America's leading pro-Israel lobby, AIPAC works with both Democratic and Republican political leaders to enact public policy that strengthens the vital U.S.-Israel relationship. With the support of its members nationwide, AIPAC has worked with Congress and the Executive Branch on numerous critical initiatives -- from securing vital foreign aid for Israel to passing legislation aimed at stopping Iran's illicit nuclear program." It's America's pro Israel Lobby. 

With such speakers, I can only imagine that this is going to be a "Let's bury Israel"  as well as AIPAC. 

http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=217293
http://www.aipac.org/about_AIPAC/default.asp
http://www.moveoveraipac.org/

AIPAC Dinner in Portland 2010

The AIPAC yearly dinner was held last night at the MJCC. As usual the people chanting "free the Palestinians" were outside along the sidewalk as we entered the parking lot. There were lots of policemen patrolling outside to make sure we were all safe.

What was great was being able to speak to a high school student from Portland who had gone back east to an AIPAC meeting and there found out we are good people and not the sort that the chanters outside would have her believe. She learned a great deal of history about Israel.

The dinner was sold-out. We had some important speakers who brought us up to date as to the situation in Israel and in respect to our relationship with our USA. The welcome was by Sheryl Langerman. Ken Kwartler and Sharon Ungerleider were the Oregon State chair and council members who spoke. Steve "Rosy" Rosenberg was event co-chair and also spoke as well as AIPAC's national president, Lee "Rosy" Rosenberg. A special guest speaker was Joey Freeman, a student at the U of C, Berkeley who I predict will someday be the next president of AIPAC. He was such a good speaker. Yossi Klein Haleve is a senior fellow at the Shalem Center and gave a great speech.

The dinner itself was fantastic. We had a chocolake cake with razzberry sauce that was to die for. I'd sure like to have that recipe.

Alan Dershowitz's Answer to Presidential Pick

Alan Dershowitz, my favorite lawyer and author of "The Case For Israel" in which he has done an outstanding job of defending Israel's right to exist, is juggling reasons in promoting Obama as president.

He feels that we should elect a liberal president who strongly supports Israel because the worry is that "radical academics" on university campuses are trying to present Israel as the darling of the right and an anathema to the left. I feel that Noam Chomsky and Norman Finkelstein are good examples of this. It is true that Arab organizations on campuses are very forceful and outnumber Jewish students on many campuses. They are speaking out against Israel. I took a class in Middle -East History here in Portland several years ago, and the textbook we were using was written in an Arab country. I had to disagree with many parts of it.

My worry is: does Obama strongly support Israel as he says he does. One can only hope and pray. The fact that he has been associated and surrounded by academics and politicians and religious people who do not bothers me. Actions speak louder than words. When I heard that Obama spoke so eloquently at an AIPAC meeting about Jerusalem and that it must remain undivided, I had high hopes, but less than 24 hours later, after being confronted by a Palestinian, he changed his statement to having used the wrong words. Really! He mumbled that he meant that it wouldn't be divided by barbed wire!

On the other hand, it took untold beatings and breaking of bones to get McCain to say anything that his enemies wanted to hear. He, being the most stubborn man, could not be made to weaken until his life was more than ready to part from this world in the five and a half years he spent as a prisoner during Viet Nam. McCain has been a friend of Israel for many years and has supported pro-Israel votes in Congress. He is a defender of Israel to have the right to defend itself.

I've seen in this election period that words are cheap. Candidates say anything in order to get elected. I don't think the very young have learned that fact, yet. In a very short time we will learn what course will be taken on the subject of Israel. We should have learned long ago in history that appeasement never works. I see that Israel was not even a subject listed by the Oregonian this morning in showing the differences between our two candidates of McCain and Obama.

I only hope that Dershowitz is right about Obama this time in that he will continue the American support of an Israel, and not have Israel to be a part of his "Change". I hope he is not going to be as wrong as Greenspan has been about the state of our economy and say that he didn't see it coming.

Resource: The Jerusalem Post: Joel Pollak's McCain and Obama: compare records, not rhetoric
http://support.tjci.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5445&JServSessionIdr--1=0s5

Obama's Promise to AIPAC Renegged

Obama spoke to AIPAC and declared his complete, unqualified support for a Jewish Jerusalem. The Holy City, he said, "will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided."

Within hours the Palestinian leader Abbas complained and Obama renegged. He caved in and altered his decision by saying that it will be on the table. The Palestinians plan on having Jerusalem for their capital. This was first reported on the radio Thursday night, June 5th. Now it has finally come out on internet news.

Everyone knows that Jerusalem is paramount in Jewish history and in its religion. We have a saying that if we forget Jerusalem, may we lose our right hand. The United States has not helped in the past. They have their consolate in Tel Aviv, afraid to anger the Muslims.

This is the major sticky point in any peace talks with the Palestinians. Jerusalem was in major ruin when we rescued it in 1967. Arabs were using cemeteries as latrines, destroying many important places. Now that it has been in Israeli hands, all major religions enjoy their place in Jerusalem. That wasn't the case before. Jerusalem is not a major city in the Muslim religion. It's only high point is that Muhammed rose and went to heaven there. What Israel has, the Palestinians want. It's that simple.

So much for a strong speaker and promises to AIPAC.
Resource: http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0608/obama_aipac3.php3

OH BRAVE NEW WORLD OF OBAMA

Nadene Goldfoot
I have a strong feeling that Obama will win the nomination for presidency of the Democrats. He has a strong chance to actually win the presidency. This Jewish lady has reservations about what it will mean for Jews and Israel.

The country is Obama happy. Women are reported to be fainting at the mention of his name or seeing him in person. He is the youngest of the nominations without the same amount of experience, and this is working for him. All the younger citizens who never want to vote are mad about him. No one cares for how he differs from Hillary Clinton. News stories can't even talk about it for the desire to talk about other issues. The fact that he is new and fresh and wants to unite people is enough. It sounds like he is the Messiah.

Then we hear about his minister of 20 years in the church he and his family have attended. His pastor of this Chicago church, Pastor Wright, is quite an unusual pastor. He has been flailing against the United States at least since 9/11, and said that the United States invited the attacks by supporting Israel's treatment of Palestinians.

If this is what he teaches and feels, then I wonder truly where Obama's feelings about Israel are. He has to be influenced to some degree by this dynamic speaker. Obama gave a convincing speech to AIPAC, but I wonder. I wonder how much is said to gain votes and how much he really believes himself.

What is amazing is that the TV program I am now listening to is interviewing people and asking them if the information about his pastor bothers them, and they are pooh poohing it. They are so involved in promoting Obama that nothing said of a negative nature would bother them, as it is bothering the interviewer, Chris Wallace.

Even our former Mayor, Vera Katz, is voting for Obama. She doesn't even like Hillary. She said she's divisive and is drawn to Obama's unifying message. Well, his pastor certainly isn't preaching unification. He has condemned the USA and Israel.

Reference: Oregonian Newspaper, 3/15/and 3/16/08
My own personal feelings