This is completely off-topic, but so strange that I felt the need to comment on it.
I might take this post down later as it is really out of place in this blog.

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But what is going on between the Yigal Amir family and our Leading Leftists?

Is it simply the anticipation of the upcoming November 4th RabinFest celebrations, or is there something more happening behind the scenes?

For the past two weeks, newspapers have been reporting instigative remarks coming from the Amir family and even more inciteful responses from our leading Leftists.

Each side is publicly demanding the death of their opponents, but today our leading Leftists notched it up a step by expanding the argument and openly demanding that Freedom of Speech be taken away from everyone whom they find offensive – not just the Amirs.

I presume that could eventually even mean you (my readers) or me. (See Jameel’s blog on Shimon Peres’s new goals which were made around the same time Peres was denouncing the IDF for trying to stop Islamic Jihad in Northern Samaria).


But then what totally blew today completely out of proportion was Yigal Amir’s surprise demand for a new trial.

On what basis you may ask?

His prime objection being the discrepencies and contradictions within Rabin’s medical records, the ballistic reports, the Kepler video, (and his own actions).

Suddenly he claims he wasn’t the actual killer.

Go figure.

I personally don’t put much weight in “C”-word theories, but I sure would like to know what’s going on behind the scenes right now, and while we’re at it, how did Carmi Gillon, the man who personally failed to save the Prime Minister (and ran agent provocateur Avisahi Raviv) end up with a series of cushy government jobs like ambassador and then mayor?

U.S. policy of Regime Change for non-democratic governments and Israel’s support for it both fall apart when discussing countries such as Egypt and Jordan.

Suddenly, stable dictators (who are our “friends”) are off-limits to this policy, and yet perhaps it is these countries that need it the most – particularly Jordan, for there to be peace.

I needn’t go back far in history to demonstrate how Mandatory Palestine included Jordan.

Nor can I ignore that more than 80-85% of the Jordanian population defines themselves as Palestinian. Even their crown prince is half Palestinian.

It’s enough for the Jordanian-Hashemite (minority) dictator to be deposed or step down and a democratic election be held, to instantly create a secular Palestinian state in the Middle East.

Yet, this idea is not suggested – it is even deplored.

In a Jerusalem Post interview a few months ago, the Israeli government’s Dore Gold declared that having a stable dictatorship like the despotic Hashemite Jordan on our Eastern border as being indispensable to peace.

To quote Dore directly: “...every Israeli hopes the Hashemite Kingdom [will] stay there for ever...”!

Nevertheless, Dore will willingly accept a State of Palestine on our eastern border - as long as it is on our side of the Jordan River.

Does that make sense?

Obviously not.

Unfortunately, beyond lip service (and in Jordan's case, not even that), both the U.S. and Israeli government have not internalized President Bush’s policy of promoting democracy in the Middle East.

It's difficult to promote peace when your policies are selective and arbitrary.

The Settler extended family was wandering around Hebron this past Friday.

Unfortunately to our dismay, Maarat HaMachpela, the resting place of our ancestors was closed to Jews!!!

Quite incomprehensible, though no less inconceivable than the fact that Jews may not go up to pray at our holiest site either (and no, it’s not the Kotel).

We picked up a pair of America tourists also wandering around Hebron with no transportation and drove them back to Jerusalem before Shabbat.

We stopped off and showed them “Har Homa” on the way.

They were surprised that this was the neighborhood that had caused all the controversy. They asked us a few times if we’re sure we’re talking about the same place.

Back home Mrs. Settler raised the idea again that the settlers need to run a “birthright yesh(a)!”.
Jews need to see and understand what it is these “settlements” really are.

This couple is going back to America with a new understanding. We did nothing more than drive them through a supposedly controversial neighborhood.

No amount of media bias and Arab propaganda will ever be able to distort the reality they saw with their own eyes.

I am happily posting this link http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=91292 from an article on Arutz-7 entitled: Airlift Campaign for Clothes, Goods for Expulsion Victims Oct 14, '05 / 11 Tishrei 5766 By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu.

I've posted the entire article in my comments section (without permission of A7).

It will be wonderful if my previous post on the subject will be completely ruined.

I’ve been away these past 2 weeks, taking the opportunity to meet and speak with various U.S. Jewish community members and leaders - and to be honest I was disappointed.

For some reason, the expulsion of 10,000 Jews from their homes hasn’t rocked their lives or shifted their foundations. I would not be far off to say that it affected their lives almost indifferently. For many, it seems that Katrina, while an undeniably awful event, completely displaced something that should be much closer to their hearts.

Even the Rabbi of one shul I attended barely managed to offer, as an apparent afterthought, a mismatched metaphor for the expulsion during his sermon, while Katrina had the defining influence on his speech.

Many spoke to me about how awful it was, but with a few exceptional exceptions, I didn’t see or hear of anyone doing anything about it.

Many people were unaware of events and details of what happened beyond what was said on the news, or what is happening now and were shocked by the common knowledge events I detailed to them.

To be fair, I did speak with some who were very connected and were personally assisting tremendously.

But overall, my impression is that Orthodox Jewry in America has disengaged from life in Israel, beyond visiting for the holidays.

They are more concerned if microscopic bugs in water make it treif.

Can you imagine that! I was shocked to hear that people won’t eat in other people’s homes who don't have a water filter.

Has distancing themselves from Israel also distanced them from Halacha?

The Ramban said somewhere that practicing Halacha outside of Israel is just that – practice. Only in Israel are you actually performing and fulfilling Halacha.

Isn’t it time that American Jewry starts reconnecting to its roots in Israel, and started performing instead of playacting?