Eretz Israel is our unforgettable historic homeland...The Jews who will it shall achieve their State...And whatever we attempt there for our own benefit will redound mightily and beneficially to the good of all mankind. (Theodor Herzl, DerJudenstaat, 1896)

We offer peace and amity to all the neighbouring states and their peoples, and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all. The State of Israel is ready to contribute its full share to the peaceful progress and development of the Middle East.
(From Proclamation of the State of Israel, 5 Iyar 5708; 14 May 1948)

With a liberal democratic political system operating under the rule of law, a flourishing market economy producing technological innovation to the benefit of the wider world, and a population as educated and cultured as anywhere in Europe or North America, Israel is a normal Western country with a right to be treated as such in the community of nations.... For the global jihad, Israel may be the first objective. But it will not be the last. (Friends of Israel Initiative)

Saturday 1 June 2013

"The Religion Of Peace": An Australian-born rabbi's warning to the West

David Bar-Hayim, the rabbi in the following video ( hat tip reader Rita, who has it on her blog) was born in Sydney and lives in Jerusalem.  I confess I'm unfamiliar with his organisation, and hold no brief for or against it, but his robust message here, following the barbaric killing of Drummer Lee Rigby (hat tip to reader Shirlee for this report about "Islamophobic" reactions to that act) seems worth heeding:


And (hat tip: Michelle H.) here is another Aussie with strong opinions: blogger Josh Holley expressing his contempt for this country's BDS Movement and the abhorrent anti-Israel stance of the Loony Left.  While Josh makes some valid points, I must point out that, historically at least, there has been a philosemitic thread running through Australia, as we read in a number of articles in the Journal of the Australian Jewish Historical Society and in the book Philosemitism: Admiration and Support in the English-Speaking World for Jews, 1840-1939.  Still, as elsewhere in the contemporary world the support for Jews on the part of many on the Left has proved inconstant, evaporating with the perception that Jews are no longer history's victims.

2 comments:

  1. Here is a bit more about the "alledged" islamophobic backlash - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/10093568/The-truth-about-the-wave-of-attacks-on-Muslims-after-Woolwich-murder.html

    I said flippantly, quite early after this murder by the two muslims, that soon the perpetrators will be claiming victimhood and never mind about the real victim. Well...with the eager co-operation of the Media and the cowardly politicians, it has started.

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    1. I noted the media stress on "anti-fascist demonstrators" and although Nick Griffin of the BNP is a strange bigoted nutjob, well deserving of contempt, the "anti-fascists" seem to be a tad selective in their choice of which kind of fascism to deplore and which to show sympathy with.

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