Picture Terror

AP

"The terrorist yelled, 'God is great.' I grabbed Oron's handgun and fired three bullets. As soon as I was sure he was dead I lifted the gun so as not to hurt passersby." Israel Policeman Eli Mizrahi

Picture yourself on vacation, sleeping peacefully in a hotel bed. Maybe you're having a nice dream. Perhaps your partner is snuggled up to you, making you sweat a little in the summer heat but adding even more peace to your last moments of sleep.

You wake up, get dressed, have breakfast, prepare for the day's schedule of site-seeing, shopping, whatever. You find the right bus, jam into it with locals and other tourists like you --well, they're tackier than you, but still, fellow tourists-- and hope like hell the bus has air conditioning.

Picture the noisy streets, crowded, clogged with traffic, especially in the heart of town, around the old bus depot where construction workers are building a shiny new train station. Also, you notice with a smidgen of interest, it's near the central headquarters for local broadcasting stations.

Now picture you're feeling a little annoyed, all that equipment blocking the way, making traffic a nightmare. Resigned to a long wait, you gaze out the window apathetically.

Then you notice the bulldozer. It's driving away from the construction site, moving against traffic. Cars are crashing, horns blaring. Finally, unbelievably, you realize it's heading directly at your bus.

Picture terror.

The bulldozer plows into your bus, knocking it over onto its side like a bowling pin. Like more pins, passengers and debris are flying everywhere. In the process a small Toyota is flattened, it's female driver killed instantly. Other cars have been hit. Pedestrians too.

Picture a horrifying scene of carnage, blood, broken bodies, crumpled metal, destruction. Picture an elite police terror squad as they climb onto the bulldozer and kill the terrorist driver at point blank range.

Then, picture this: ordinary citizens rushing toward the scene, giving all the aid and comfort they can as ambulance sirens wail closer. Jerusalem is now under an official state of emergency.

Picture too, that an event like this is so commonplace my niece called this morning from Jerusalem to apologize she couldn't pick up the special tee shirt for my son because the store she'd planned to visit was in the heart of the chaos. But, she assured me, she'd try another area of the city not prone to attack.

This is my family. This is where they live. This is where I am now. Safe and sound. But only because my family lives in the right place. So far.

Picture the real truth. In America and most of the Western world, terrorism is a political issue. In the Middle East it's the real deal.

It's been quiet in Israel recently with hope focused on the proposed peace talks. But as every Israeli knows, quiet is relative here. Today one crazed, fanatical criminal took peace into his own hands and shattered it. Tomorrow it could be dozens, hundreds, thousands.

I want to hear from Barack Obama and John McCain what they're going to do about protecting Israel. No more tap dancing, dammit. I want a clear picture.

Reflections on Israel's 60th

Yamit, Israel 1978, Israel's 30th Birthday

"If you liked the book, you'll love the country." Israeli Tourist Bureau

Most people who write about Israel do so passionately, unable to suppress their beliefs, ideologies, politics. That's okay. Israel has sparked supercharged emotions from its inception to the present day. How could it not?

A country formed by displaced Holocaust survivors, European, Levantine, Jewish and Arab nationals, the political agendas of Britain, France, Germany and the United States. Home to the holiest shrines of Western civilization's three major religions.

Israel, let's be frank, is--and always has been--the biggest political football in the world. That's not going to stop any time soon. But it won't stop me from going there, either. And it shouldn't stop you.

I've written about Israel from my own biased perspective as a Jew and an American, but also as one who's lived there, has family there, has had many up close and personal experiences.

On the occasion of Israel's 60th Anniversary as an independent nation, here's my sampling of what Israel means to its own citizens, to the world and to you and me.

Yamit, Israel - A Cautionary Town > Gaza - Yamit: Been There, Done That - Friends who made the desert bloom. And then had to give it all away.

Terrorism - A Daily Fact of Life - 9/11 from Israel's point of view.

Israel - Reality Check - See my mother with Israel's founder and first president.

I'm Home and I'm Fine - I unknowingly travel to the US from Israel on the first day of last year's war.

Another Wedding in Israel - And then, I go back again.

And by the way, I'll be heading there next month for a long overdue visit.

Hag Sameah ve Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel

Title Translation: Happy Birthday and Independence Day to Israel

"The security of Israel is a moral imperative for all free peoples." Henry Kissinger

Israel as a soverign nation is now 60 years old. Seems it's been around forever, doesn't it? I guess that's because most of us don't remember the world without it. Or without the constant conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbors.

That's been around forever too. And it's not likely to stop any time soon.

Read a little about worldwide celebrations of Israel's 60th Birthday. Broaden your horizons.

Take a look at some breathtaking pictures of modern Israel celebrating its Independence.

Our family has many direct connections to Israel, then and now. And we've seen, as the world has seen, that Israel's independence comes with a very high price.

Most of us don't have to pay that price, but our freedom too depends on those who do.

Yom HaShoah - Holocaust Remembrance Day

"I stand here on this cursed ground, from which the cries of our brothers will forever resound, I salute our six million brothers and sisters... I salute the ashes of our people and vow 'never again.'" Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi

You don't have to be Jewish to honor the more than 6 million innocent victims of the Holocaust, modern history's worst crime against humanity. You just have to be a human being.

For the 17th year, thousands of people, from teenagers to survivors joined the March of the Living, an annual Walk of Remembrance from Auschwitz to Birkenau on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Jews and all those connected to survivors around the world marked the horror of the Holocaust with prayer and ceremonies. Yom HaShoah is especially poignant this year in Israel, preparing to celebrate its 60th anniversary as a nation, formed largely by and for those forced from their homes and countries by the Nazis.

Hamas, on the other hand, took the opportunity to pervert Yom HaShoah by airing a documentary series claiming that the Holocaust--the genocide of European Jews--was planned as a satanic Jewish plot to get rid of the handicapped and mentally ill.

Hamas also claims the Holocaust was meant to manipulate the world media into feeling sorry for Jews. And of course, it never really happened and the Nazis had nothing to do with any of it.

What can you say to that kind of bigotry, hatred and ignorance? We'd like to ignore it, but so many Palestinians, a whole generation of young ones for sure, are being taught this horrible lie.

It's not a time to talk Middle East politics. It's a time to remember those who died at the hands of evil hatemongers. And to pray. And to promise it won't happen again.

Those who join the Walk of Remembrance take a solemn pledge. It can't be any clearer than this:

"We pledge to keep alive and honor the legacy of the multitudes of our people who perished in the Holocaust.

We pledge to fight anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism, Holocaust denial and all other forms of hatred directed towards the Jewish people and Israel.

We pledge to fight every form of discrimination manifested against any religion, nationality or ethnic group.

We pledge to actively participate in the strengthening of Jewish life in the Diaspora and Israel.

We pledge to increase our knowledge of our Jewish heritage and to pass on a love of Jewish life and learning to the next generation.

We pledge to give tzedaka, to assist in helping the Jewish needy, wherever they may live in the world.

We pledge to involve ourselves in tikkun olam, to build a better world for all members of the human family.

After the Shoah the promise of 'Never Again' was proclaimed. We pledge to create a world where 'Never Again' will become a reality for the Jewish people and, indeed, for all people.

This is our solemn pledge to the Jewish people, to those who came before us, to those of our generation, and to those who will follow in future generations."

That's our future and our children's future, those special words: Never Again.

Iraq War - 5 Years Too Long, 4 K Too Many

Mike Rosen visited the grave of his friend, Sergeant Michael Carlson, yesterday in a section of Arlington National Cemetery dedicated to US servicemen and women who have lost their lives in Iraq since 2003. That number passed the 4,000 mark Sunday. (WIN McNAMEE/GETTY IMAGES)

We have never been permitted to see the reality of those deaths. Of this horrible war.



War is draining our resources everywhere. Billions for Iraq war seen squeezing food aid.

As the stock market tanks, military suppliers get richer.

And we are haunted by the thoughts of fallen soldiers, in their own words.

I remember sitting on my bed alone in the dark watching Richard Nixon's face fill the TV screen to tell us the War in Vietnam was over. I could only hug myself, tears streaming down my face.

"Peace with honor," Nixon called it. Wrong. A disastrous war. A dishonorable peace.

All these years later, President Bush mouths the same empty platitudes: Bush Says Iraq War Deaths Not in Vain.

I say, ENOUGH!

Dry Bones for Israel's Wet Eyes

"Their lives were a testimony to the values which are shared by both Israel and the United States -- lives of religious commitment and tolerance, the spirit of independent thinking and living, and love of one's fellow human beings. Terrorists cannot live with or by those values -- and so they murder beautiful young people." Dan Kurtzer

Horror in Israel. Again. Students cut down by a maniac. More horror: unlike Virginia Tech, Columbine and other deadly school rampages here in America, this particular maniac was state-sanctioned. His murderous actions were publicly celebrated by the Palestinian government and many of its citizens.

So it's time to stop talking Clinton/Obama presidential politics and take a moment to reflect on a far deadlier conflict ... where the stakes are literally life and death.

As I've temporarily lost the use of one hand due to surgery, I've been featuring posts from friends' blogs. I've decided to shut up about my minor inconvenience. There are families in Israel who will never recover from the loss of their children.

Yaakov Kirschen, aka Israel's legendary Dry Bones gives voice to their pain and a unique look at life in Israel when terror strikes.

Understanding Israel's Neighbors

Whenever you read news stories about American Jews focusing on our government's support for Israel and wonder why it's so important, think of this most recent abomination. What if it happened to you?

Jerusalem Post Tribute to the Victims of Terror Casualties of War

Bhutto Should've Read the NYT

Aamir Qureshi/Agence France-Presse -- Getty Images

"This is Pakistan. And Pakistan is a very dangerous and violent place." Wendy Chamberlin, former US ambassador to Pakistan

So, this is another one the Bush administration didn't see coming?

U.S. Officials See Waste in Billions Sent to Pakistan - New York Times
Published: December 24, 2007
Money intended to bolster Pakistan’s military effort against Al Qaeda and the Taliban has been diverted toward weapons systems to counter India, officials said.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — After the United States has spent more than $5 billion in a largely failed effort to bolster the Pakistani military effort against Al Qaeda and the Taliban, some American officials now acknowledge that there were too few controls over the money. The strategy to improve the Pakistani military, they said, needs to be completely revamped. ...

There is at least one area of agreement. Both sides say the reimbursements have failed substantially to increase the ability of Pakistani forces to mount comprehensive counterinsurgency operations.

Read the whole article. Your hair will stand on end.

Does Pakistan's current President Pervez Musharraf also bear responsibility for Bhutto's assassination? Yes. His government didn't protect her.

Free elections in Pakistan? Not a chance. A Pakistani leader with ties to the US and no time for terrorists? Now gone. So the US is still between a rock and a hard place. Salvaging U.S. Diplomacy Amid Division

And what's the most popular article in the New York Times online today?
Skin Deep: Fountain of Youth? Go Wash Your Face

Another Wedding in Israel

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have." Frederick Keonig

There's nothing like a wedding to bring folks together.

Our family's weddings in Israel do more than that -- they bring worlds together.

My brother-and-sister-in-law are observant, religious Jews who've lived in Israel almost 25 years. The rest of the family are secular Jews here in America.

We share a common religion but practice a variety of different customs. Especially those between the sexes.

Religious women of all ages dress modestly, skirts below the knee, sleeves below the elbow, necklines high. Religious men wear predominantly black suits and white shirts. Married women cover their hair. Married couples adhere to specific rules on personal behavior.

Men and women don't touch each other--from a tap on the shoulder to a hug--except as spouses or parents/children, and even then, rarely in public. And no, not even an "air kiss" is permitted. (Though I've now created with my newest nephew-in-law, the "air hand-shake." And each visit I bring Hershey's Kisses in symbolic outreach to all my nephews.)

Few religious Jews in Israel watch television or go to movies, with the possible exception of Disney cartoons or nature shows. Teenagers might have MP3's or even iPods, but the music is either religious or extremely bland.

When young men and women reach marriageable age, dates are arranged with suitable candidates after both families have checked each other out. The daters go to restaurants, museums, zoos, the beach. They talk, share experiences, hopes, dreams, get to know each other. If they don't hit it off, they move on to another eligible suitor.

Not so different from the American mating game. Except religious daters never touch, not even to hold hands, much less kiss. Not even after they're engaged. I'm told some do--their dates are private, no chaperones--but most are spiritually committed to their deeply held belief in no premarital contact.

Hard to imagine such restraint in America. Among Jews or Christians.

That's the key: restraint. Commitment. Faith in a Higher Power and a set of laws and teachings more than 5 thousand years old. In a way of life that reveres God and family over all else. That values learning, actual and spiritual growth, respect for self and others.

There's much to admire about our family in Israel, but their respect for each other and the Jewish religion is highest on my list. There's something deeply comforting about the purity of Jewish rituals, both simple and complex.

As always, I was welcomed back to Israel with joy and love. As always I brought my love, life experience and loving guidance to the newest family bride. And as always, I came away having learned as much, if not more than I could ever teach.

Because it's not what you wear that makes you a Jew, it's what you believe. Me, I believe in God. Our family. And in Israel.

Michael Levin - Hero

Associated Press

"Michael gave both body and soul to Israel." Rabbi Alan Silverstein

It's one thing to debate the Middle East war in the abstract. It's another thing entirely to have family and friends who live there. And it's just plain bone chilling to know someone who's been killed in that war.

I've been through this cracked looking glass once already this summer. My son and I came home from a visit to our family in Israel on July 13, just coincidentally the day the war started.

Three days later we had a death in the family. Not in Israel, but in Oregon of all places. My sister's husband was killed in a plane crash there on July 16.

We're still dealing with that. We're still debating the war in the Middle East. And we're getting more concerned about our family in Israel. They aren't in immediate danger. Yet. None of them is in the army. Yet. But it looks like it's only a matter of time.

So we follow the news closely. Mostly MSNBC, CNN, the New York Times and NBC Nightly News, our evening newscast of choice. We tune in with trepidation as the war gets bloodier. And every time the phone rings, we worry.

And then a local story we weren't expecting. A Bucks County boy (as a mother I have trouble thinking of him as a man, but he certainly acted like one and deserves the title), 22 year old Michael Levin died fighting for the Israeli army.

Michael Levin was my son's age. They both graduated high school in 2002. Different schools. But friendly rivals on the soccer field. Even back then Michael Levin was a tough kid ... in the right way. Determined. Dedicated. Decisive. And he had a plan.

Our son Michael went on to college. Michael Levin chose a different path. He committed himself to a life in Israel. And gave his life for that commitment.

We didn't know Michael or his family very well. But you don't have to know a child at all to feel his mother's excruciating pain over his death. His father's heartbreak. His sisters' anguish. His family's devastating sense of loss.

Michael Levin was a mensch. A good, decent person. A fighter ... for ideals, for freedom, for his heritage. He didn't just talk about supporting Israel -- he put his money where his mouth was. He moved there and joined the army as a paratrooper. One of the toughest assignments there is.

As he would have wanted, Michael Levin died for a righteous cause -- fighting Hezbollah. Even as we grieve his loss, we honor his singular dedication to his chosen homeland -- Israel.

Agree. Disagree. It doesn't matter. A young man is dead. If you're a Jew--and even if you're not--he died for you. He was buried Thursday, where he belonged, in Israel.

There's nothing abstract about that. It's cold, hard, terrible reality. Olev Ha'Shalom, Michael Levin. Rest in peace. And thank you.

A War, Between Friends

"We have always said that in our war with the Arabs we had a secret weapon--no alternative." Golda Mier

My colleague, comrade and great friend Jesse Kornbluth (aka beliefnet.com's Swami Uptown) and I have been talking about Israel. In emails. IM's. And now, on our blogs.

We are both Jews. We are both Liberals. We are both Humanists. We are both passionately committed to Ideas.

We often debate. Discuss. Exchange thoughts and sentiments and beliefs. We don't always agree. But we do listen to each other with respect.

And sometimes--but, we hope, with humility and humor--we even argue existential concepts.

There's nothing existential about the current war in the Middle East. It's brutal and bloody. It's polarizing even the best of friends, including us. But it hasn't beaten us. Because we agree on our secret weapon -- Communication.

Jesse and I have been burning up cyberspace with our differing opinions on the Middle East conflict. I am fully--but not blindly--behind Israel. Jesse is far less sure. He is justifiably concerned about the wanton destruction wreaked on innocent civilians by Israel. I am more concerned with the unending havoc and destruction rained down on Israel's citizens by Hezbollah.

So our debate escalates, opinions and articles buzzing fast and furious through the cyber ether. In the process, I'd like to think we're each learning something valuable from the other. Perhaps you could learn something too.

Jesse has aggregated and distilled our recent exchanges here Two Jewish friends debate the new war in the Middle East (Oy, vey).

If only the countries of the Middle East were as receptive to a thoughtful exchange of ideas.

My Questions on the Israel Question

"Still on Israel's head forlorn, Every nation heaps its scorn." Emma Lazarus

I've been pounding away here and in exchanges with friends, putting forth my position on the war in the Middle East, supporting Israel. I'm passionate about it, though I'd like to think not rabidly so.

But the whole issue is so complex, the posts and emails just get longer and longer.

It occurred to me maybe I should simplify. Make a list of top questions and try to give answers, one by one, with just a little elaboration. You can give me your answers too.

Question 1: Does Israel have a right to exist as a soverign nation?
Answer: Yes.
Elaboration: If you disagree, move to Syria.

Question 2: Does the Arab world in general believe Israel has a right to exist?
Answer: No.
Elaboration: I'm not referring to ordinary, reasonable citizens, but to their governments, and/or the powerful organizations which control them: Syria, Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah ... it's a long list. All of whom have made numerous and public anti-Israel statements. And blow up Israelis on a regular basis.

Question 3: Is forcing Israel to withdraw to pre-1967 borders the solution?
Answer: No.
Elaboration: Israel--and the world--would lose Jerusalem. Not. Gonna. Happen. Israel would also become a sitting duck with no buffer zones and nowhere to grow.

Question 4: Does Israel have a right to defend itself?
Answer: Yes.
Elaboration: The US had the same right after 9/11. But we went after the wrong targets. For bogus political reasons. And we still haven't found or routed the real bad guys. Israel historically has not made those mistakes. At least not all at once.

Question 5: Is Israel currently overreacting to real and percieved threats?
Answer: Maybe.
Elaboration: The threats are real now and have been real enough in the past. Imagine how much greater the danger would become--to America and the world--if Hezbollah and Hamas were allowed to continue to grow unchecked, underwritten by Syria and Iran. Which America has been unwilling and unable to stop.

Jackpot Question: Why is the Bush government supporting Israel in this conflict?
Answer: Let the Jews do the dirty work of smacking down rogue Middle East governments we can't control and eliminating terrorists we can't find. Let them put their soldiers in harm's way and bomb the hell out of the Middle East for a change. Let them take the blame now--and especially later, if the plan fails.
Bonus Answer: Takes the war in Iraq off the front pages.

At the end of the day, while there is certainly blood on Israel's hands, far more blood drips from the hands of the Middle Eastern countries that shelter and support terrorist groups and the rabid, hateful causes--especially genocide--they espouse. They MUST be stopped. And the process will never be pretty.

Let's face it, when it comes to the Middle East, nobody's hands are clean.

Israel At War

"After al-Qaida, [Hezbollah] has been blamed for more deaths than any other terrorist organization, including suicide truck bombings that killed over 241 U.S. servicemen, most of them U.S. Marines in Beirut, the bombing of the Israeli Embassy that killed 29 and a Jewish community center, killing 95." Stephanie Sonntag, UPI

"I want someone to address the problem (of) how you get a cease-fire with a terrorist organization." John Bolton, US Ambassador to the United Nations

Americans were given a horrendous lesson in fanatical terrorism on September 11, 2001. But we don't seem to have understood the reality of the message. Maybe because it was a one-off. Maybe we're just too filled with nationalist conceit.

Maybe it's because it happened almost five years ago. Here in America we don't live with the very real threat of terror attacks every single day.

And we're such a big country, whatever horror might happen in New York or Tulsa or Kansas City has only an emotional--or briefly financial--impact on the citizens of Chicago or Seattle or Philly.

So when Hezbollah, the radical and deadly proficient advocate of Israel's destruction locates itself in Lebanon and starts ambushing soldiers and lobbing bombs at civilians, what is Israel supposed to do? Call the UN? Yeah, right.

I don't mindlessly defend Israel's every action, but I do get seriously pissed off whenever some pundit analyzes Israel from a safe American armchair and talks about Israel's "overreaction" to terrorist attacks. Israel is surrounded by loaded rockets in the hands of lunatics dedicated to its total destruction. There can be no debate on that.

Listen to Hamas and Hezbollah threats, the impotent whining from Lebanon, the ominous silence from Syria and Iran. The hands-off support from Bush administration. The toothless condemnation from Arab controlled and/or oil dependent France, Italy and Russia. Notice Spain and England haven't added their voices too loudly to the chorus ... they know firsthand the power of terrorist bombs.

Give me one example when "measured and sober approaches" have worked. A few prisoner exchanges -- tiny stop-gaps. The Camp David Peace Accords -- in the end a failure, accomplishing no lasting peace or safe borders.

I stood on the tarmac at Lod (now Ben Gurion) Airport in 1978 and watched Egypt's President Anwar Sadat come down the steps of his plane and shake Israel Prime Minister Menachem Begin's waiting hand.

The collective dream of a nation was wrapped in that handshake, hope was palpably buzzing in the air. I will never forget it. Nor will most Israelis, especially today's leaders.

But history has forgotten that handshake and the goals behind it. Iran and Syria never came to that peace table. Hamas and Hezbollah could care less.

And by the way, why is no one asking for "measured and sober approaches" from Hamas and Hezbollah or the puppet governments they control? Because everyone knows it's pointless. They will never compromise. Never.

Their fanatical dedication to nothing less than Israel's total annihilation will never cease. Two primary reasons it hasn't happened to date: 1. US support and 2. Israel's superior intelligence and military might.

But the danger to Israel also has grown exponentially as the US becomes even more overextended and under-supported in Iraq. And as Hamas and Hezbollah have gained strength and support from Syria and Iran.

So Israel's current response, I believe, is not a rampage but a carefully planned campaign to rout Hezbollah and serve notice to Hamas, Syria and Iran that, to quote our president, this shit has to stop.

Are the conditions in Gaza deplorable? No question. But who supplied Gaza's food and water and housing and refrigerators and TVs and air conditioners and cell phones in the first place? Not the Palestinian government -- Israel. And where do the citizens of Gaza earn the money to pay for those things? Israel.

And what would those Gaza citizens do if they had arms and centralized leadership? Attack Israel.

And why haven't the Palestinian leaders stepped forward with aid or military force to address Gaza's plight? Because the poor, disenfranchised people of Gaza are only important to Hamas and Hezbollah as propaganda fodder. They are, in a word, expendable. How twisted is that? And how naive to blame it all on Israel.

The hypocrisy in dealing with Israel is stunning. The Western world is engaged in a subtle and insidious form of racism when it expects Israel to behave in a civilized way largely because Israel's citizens, while mostly Jews, are also descended from white Europeans. While it has only an expectation of primitive savagery from the Semitic Arabs, whom most outsiders picture as depicted in the movie Lawrence of Arabia.

Yes, Israel is hitting civilian targets. This is war, and war is never pretty or pleasant or carefully thoughtful of civilians. Especially civilians who claim to believe in their fanatical leaders' cause and whose kafias those bastards hide behind.

So Israel is sending Hamas and Hezbollah a message: You value the lives of your people? Get out of town.

And keep in mind, Hezbollah is now bombing the hell out of Northern Israel and Haifa regardless of the huge civilian Arab population in harm's way there.

Does Israel make political and military mistakes? Of course! But one mistake it has never made is to underestimate its enemies. Something the US and other nations continue to do.

Israel - Reality Check

"In Israel, in order to be a realist you must believe in miracles." David Ben Gurion

Why do so many intelligent people have such a hard time understanding the reality of Israel's position in the Middle East? Especially its obligation to defend itself.

Yes, defend. To this day, throughout the Middle East, countless Arab organizations, religious leaders, politicians and entire government manifestos--not to mention terrorist fringe groups and fanatics--continue to call openly and vociferously for Israel's destruction.

That's not Zionist propaganda. It's reality TV.

But you still think Israel is the aggressor, the villain? That Zionists are fooling the world into thinking Israel is surrounded and desperate?

Did you watch the celebrations when Hamas won the Palestinian elections? Did you read the signs? Did they say, "A New Day" or "Hope is Here"? No. They said "Death to Israel." What, you think Zionist Israelis wrote those signs? No.

That's reality. Offered openly to the world.

Why do they hate Isreal so? Why have they chosen Israel as their scapegoat? The bottom line is, and always has been land. Much of the land sacred to the three major Western cultures and religions happens to be occupied by Israel. At the moment. And not without tremendous effort and loss of life.

Why is keeping that land so important, aside from assuring Israel's survival as a nation? If you were in Israel when Arabs controlled Jerusalem in the 60's, you'd know. Only Muslims were allowed access to the holiest city in Christendom. Not just Jews were shut out. The city was closed to all non-Arabs. Period.

When Israel controls land, it's open to all. So in addition to being a sanctuary for disenfranchised Jews around the world, Israel protects some of mankind's most sacred shrines.

We all should value Israel for that alone. And support its claim to the land. And no one should pontificate--or point fingers--unless they've been there. It's the only way to understand.

Walk the Stations of the Cross through the Old City in Jerusalem. Sit in the incredibly beautiful olive gardens at Gesthemene.

Gaze upon the huge rock from which Muslims believe Mohammed ascended to Heaven.

Pray or simply stare at the Western Wall of the 2nd Temple, Judaism's holiest of holies and not incidentally one of the oldest structures in the world.

And everywhere, touch, walk on, see and wonder at millennia-old stones imprinted with history's hands, populated by the seminal ghosts of our civilization.

I'm a Jew, my great-grandparents came to America from Palestine. My family's connection with Israel is deep and strong. That's my mother in the photo above with David Ben-Gurion, architect, founding father and first Prime Minister of the State of Israel.

I've lived and worked in Israel. I go there regularly. Members of our family live there. I know the country and its citizens. I know Arabs too. Many decent, hard working people who just want to live in peace. As do most Israelis. I've been in Israel during times of hope and despair.

Nothing gets me angrier than hearing American Gentiles and fellow Jews underestimate the importance of protecting Israel. For the world, not just for the Jews. We of all people should know better.

If only you could stand as I did in Bethlehem's Manger Square on Christmas Eve and hear voices swell in harmony, the world's languages blending as one to carol 'Silent Night.'

Or go to Nazareth and see such joy on the faces of the faithful at the Church of the Nativity. Wander through Jericho and listen for the echo of Joshua's trumpet.

You can't go to Bethlehem, Nazareth or Jericho any more. Why? They are under Palestinian control now. Many of the sacred buildings and ruins are untended, turning to dust. No one from the outside world can visit them regardless.

But Israel still controls Masada. The Dead Sea. Ein Gedde. MT Sinai. Jerusalem. The Galilee. And the world is welcome. So those shrines you could see. And try to comprehend their massive historic and cultural value.

Anyone who tries to fit Israel's role in the Middle East conflict into a neat ideological package just doesn't get that. They can't see the forest for the trees we all planted.

My friend Swami posits

My Zionist friends like to say that every Arab hates Israel and wants every Jew dead. I've never bought this line. In my --- granted --- limited experience, most people want to be left alone to muddle through life with their loved ones nearby. Nobody I know wants to kill a neighbor's child before the neighbors throw bombs into nurseries.

Oh Swami, it's far more complex than that. Yes, most people want to be left alone ... individually.

But collectively, it's a different story. A society of people worn down by conflict and poverty and displacement, then spoon-fed images of an evil scapegoat and uplifted by promises of milk and honey in return for rage will respond in kind. How could they not?

Those people don't live in a vacuum. They live in communities, they talk to each other. Tell tales. Promote urban legends. Share outrage. Pass on to each new generation a legacy of centuries-old distrust and animus.

You think Israel's so different from America's cities? We have an underclass here too, mostly African American, and they're killing each other in alarming numbers -- with no war declared.

They have a more diffused focus for their anger. It's not directed at a single religion or nation, there are a multitude of oppressors. Cops. Teachers. Parole officers. Rival gangs. The government. Anyone trying to enforce more authority on people who already feel a heavy foot on their necks.

And here they use bullets, not bombs. Throw knives, not rocks. But innocent people--especially children--are killed nonetheless.

Innocent people are always killed in deadly conflict. Including Israeli children. And yes, Arab children too. But so many of them also watch their fathers and uncles and even mothers die willingly for a self-destructive cause of hatred for Israel. And they learn to hate as soon as they learn to speak.

Israel is a small country of roughly 2 million Jews--and Christians too--surrounded by more than 40 million Arabs--Christians and Muslims--led by or harboring regimes that regularly proclaim their dedication to Israel's complete annihilation.

No matter what smoke their puppet government leaders and diplomats blow at the US and the world, virtually every country in the Middle East would like nothing better than to see Israel destroyed. Period.

They want a strong US partner removed from the Middle East. And remember the other reason why? They want the land. Such a small piece of the vast Middle East pie.

But they want a place to put the displaced Arabs of the world--the Palestinians--far away from their own countries. It's despicable. The Palestinians have a legitimate claim to the Holy Land along with the Jews. If only they were willing to share.

But it will take a miracle.

Since before Israel became a state, it has begged the Arab nations to share the land. To make more land available from the enormous areas of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia. To help Jews and Arabs live in peace side by side. I've lived in towns and settlements where this works.

But until the knife is lifted from Israel's throat, it will never happen.

And that's a hopeless reality.

More on the war tomorrow. It's time to turn my attention back to my sister.

I'm Home and I'm Fine

"To be or not to be is not a question of compromise. Either you be or you don't be." Golda Mier, former Prime Minister of Israel

I've been in Israel the past two weeks. Just got home last night. Not early, not running from anything. Just returning as previously scheduled.

We traveled to Israel for a wedding and a bar mitzvah. Both went off without a hitch. We danced, we sang, we ate and drank, made toasts and enjoyed the company of family and friends.

But in response to numerous concerned emails and phone calls, I feel compelled to state publicly that I'm fine. Our family is fine. They're not in danger. Well, not any more than usual in Israel.

Because as usual, the American and international media are having a field day with the Middle East. We left Tel Aviv Thursday morning unaware anything was happening until we arrived in Frankfort. Where we found big screen TVs with CNN screaming news of fighting in the North and over the boarder in Lebanon.

Our family lives in central Israel, away from the West Bank, away from Gaza, far away from Lebanon. I called earlier today to thank them for a wonderful visit. We chatted briefly about the news and what we call the Foreign Fear Factor.

What's the Foreign Fear Factor? It's the overreaction of those abroad and in America to any news of death and destruction anywhere in Israel.

As my husband says, it's like living in Kansas and worrying about riots in Miami.

When you're on the ground in Israel you don't focus on bombings and incursions. Unless you've chosen to live in a contested hot spot, they usually don't affect you directly. They're just a daily fact of life.

As my brother-in-law says, there are no guarantees of safety anywhere in the world today. Israel is a tiny country, under attack virtually 24/7. So of course danger is much closer to home. Nearly everybody knows some family who's lost a loved one to terror.

Tensions have been running high since Israeli soldiers were ambushed, one captured. All knew Israel would respond. Politically. Militarily.

But still, life goes on. What other choice do you have?

So it was business as usual during our visit. We went shopping for food and gifts and clothes, scoured the bookstores for new additions to a kid's series my 8-year-old niece loves. Brought home lox and bagels for a light supper on a hot night.

We checked out the local markets, visited friends, held new babies, cooked and baked and cleaned and entertained. We ran errands, went to parties, took endless pictures of all the cousins together, from the kids to the college grads to the married ones with kids of their own.

The older ones held nightly marathon games of Hearts and Pictionary, played practical jokes on each other. Some of the teenagers took a two-day school trip. The little kids went swimming at the local pool. One night each week we had pizza delivered.

In other words, lived a normal life.

During our two week visit, some took day trips. To Masada. To the Dead Sea. To Jerusalem. On one of those days Hamas insurgents fired a missile into a high school in the Israeli town of Ashkelon. A lovely coastal village on the other side of the country from the Dead Sea.

The only awareness our travelers had of the attack was the common sight of two Israeli fighter jets crossing the sky.

There was no loss of life in Ashkelon, thank God. But our Israel family was saddened because they used to vacation there every summer. And now that's a bad idea.

It's a worse idea to forego the pleasure of joining family and friends for happy occasions in response to an overblown sense of fear.

Yes, you have to be cautious when traveling in Israel. But you also have to be cautious in London, Madrid, New York, Bombay ... almost everywhere in the world.

If we all gave up and abandoned Israel, the result would be even more calamitous. What if we'd given up on New York after 9/11?

When your loved ones--or your fellow countrymen--are in trouble, you don't run away, you show up. Just like the brave firefighters who ran into the burning Twin Towers, people flowed into New York after 9/11 to offer support and help.

What guarantee of safety did they have then?

They went anyway, to get things back to normal as quickly as possible. To make sure life would go on.

In the end, the deciding factor must be hope, not fear. Our family wedding last week was bittersweet -- the bride's father killed two years ago in a Jerusalem bus bombing. The healing will take a lifetime. But a young woman managed to fall in love and get married. And we were all there to celebrate the ongoing cycle of life.

To do any less would dishonor her father's memory. And Israel's right to freedom. The bride's father was a brave and generous man who loved his family and his country. He lived and died for the promise we all must hold -- a better future for his children and for Israel.

So even though I'm home now, I'll go back. And you can go too. Really. You'll be fine.

The Promised Land

"Prayers go up and blessings come down." Yiddish Proverb

It's not time yet for my yearly visit to our family in Israel. But we're going anyway. Because we've got two "simchas" to celebrate. (A simcha is a very happy, blessed event.) Actually, come to think of it, we're celebrating 4 simchas.

This is the family, you'll remember, with 10 kids. The first three daughters are married. Daughter number 1 just had daughter number 3. Daughter number 3 just had child number 2, daughter number 1.

Try to keep up. I know, it's a challenge.

Kid number 4, also known as Son Number 1 is getting married. And kid number 8, known as Son Number 2 will become a bar mitzvah. All in the span of 2 weeks.

Yeah. Wow.

And yes, Israel's a dangerous place these days. But let's face it, when is Israel NOT a dangerous place?

So we gird our loins, pack our best duds and hop on the plane.

Our family and friends are living in harm's way halfway across the world, doing their part to populate The Promised Land for the rest of us.

The least we can do is celebrate the beauty in their lives. And make it a part of ours.

As always, reports from the Middle East to follow. After the jet lag, the baby kissing, the Sabbath and maybe even the wedding.

A blessing on your house: it should be as happy, loving and fruitful as theirs.

Terrorism In Egypt - Brotherhood in Blood

Aleksander Rabij/Reuters

"Bodies were everywhere. We carried bodies until the government came." Ahmed el Tabakh

"With the sound of the explosion we thought it was Judgment Day." Addal Ramadan

It's barbaric. Unconscionable. Grotesque. The mind literally boggles at the thought of 30 innocent men, women and children blown to pieces in Egypt today. And for what? To further a sick, deluded, despicable cause.

Terrorism has been a way of life in the Middle East for centuries. Millennia in fact. The Arab world against Israel. Palestinians against Israel. Israel against all who strive to annihilate it. Locked in a mortal struggle for primacy, supremacy, history ... land. Fanatics and statesmen alike unable to agree on anything save their unending hatred and distrust.

But today's bombings in Egypt upped the ante. Now it's truly brother against brother. And we've got to step up on this one. Because we're part of the same fight.

Before 9/11, as long as the killings and the conflict stayed safely on the other side of the world, Americans could view it ... well ... as a conflict on the other side of the world. Many fought to stop it of course, but few seemed to truly understand the terrible price paid by its victims.

Then planes exploded into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and almost (thank you, heroes of Flight 93) into the Capitol. And we joined that exclusive club of those who know terrorism empirically, first hand, up close and personal.

So when the Madrid bombings, then the London bombings killed more members of Western Civilization, America could empathize. Get angry. Demand retribution. But. Nothing of any substance was accomplished.

And when bombs exploded in Tel Aviv last week for the umpteenth time, where was America? Clucking its tongue as if this were the 70's. How quickly we forget our own pain.

And now a brutal attack in Egypt. World leaders, including the Hamas and Palestinian governments send out press statements condemning the violence. But what are they DOING about it? Nothing.

Trust me, if Egypt retaliates, they will be applauded. Yet when Israel fights back against terrorist attacks, they're excoriated throughout the Middle East and most of the world.

As a Jew--as a human being--I've been railing against the horrendous terrorism in Israel for years. Egypt was once Israel's enemy, then it's ally, now it's not so clear.

One thing is very clear. The people pulverized in those Egyptian resorts today weren't politicians or fanatics, they were tourists. We don't know what they thought about world events.

But we can surely surmise they weren't planning to give their lives--or their children's lives--to help godless infidels make a point.

And they are now joined in death with all victims of this unceasing violence.

Travel Tales 2 - I Have Bad Thoughts

"For too long we've been told about 'us' and 'them.' But there can be no 'them' in America. There's only us." Bill Clinton

I'm not proud of this story, but I fear too many of us have been there, so it's Object Lesson time. Because no matter how much you think you're a bona fide card-carrying liberal, there are times your own hidden prejudices jump up and bite you.

I flew home today from one of my regular visits to my parents in Florida. The story involves my plane trip, but first some background.

Mom and Dad, in their 80's, are still alert, aware, active, refusing to go quietly into old age. Their opinions are strong as ever. Anti-Bush, anti-war, appalled at the sorry state of education, health care, social security, terrorism, all the current hot buttons. Angry at the waste of billions on Iraq while millions go homeless and hungry in America.

In case it's not clear, they're Liberal with a capital L. I was raised on tales of Adlai Stevenson, Hubert Humphrey, Jack Kennedy. You get the point. And I grew up to work in liberal Democratic politics myself, in city, state, national campaigns and administrations.

So, back to my trip. The airport was bursting with the last of the Easter and Spring Break travelers. I'd used my frequent flier miles to reward myself with an upgrade to first class. Away from the screaming babies, the cranky kids, the Great Unwashed.

You feel the same way. Don't deny it.

The plane was packed. I settled into my comfortable seat, hoping the one next to me would remain empty. You do that too. Not such a big deal though, usually I meet interesting people when I travel. And just as the doors were about to close, a man claimed that seat.

Uh oh. Middle aged, dark, swarthy, his overall look the epitome of an FBI Watch List. He wore baggy jeans and--the piece de resistance--a shirt with a huge dragon appliqued on the back. He nodded brusquely and opened a magazine with pictures of power tools.

Here it comes.

Oh no, I thought, he's the last one on board because they must have searched him -- God, I hope they were Really thorough. And I worried that they weren't. Then I thought, what if he smells bad. A casual sniff dispelled that fear.

Still, I shrunk into my seat, making sure not to touch the armrest between us and buried myself in my book. The flight was uneventful until about a half hour before landing. The man had fallen asleep. Suddenly he began jerking, his hands turned inward, his mouth moving with no sound.

Drugs, I thought immediately. And bolted from my seat to get a flight attendant. First one, then another came to observe him. Other passengers began to notice. Murmurs of alarm moved through the cabin.

The second flight attendant sat in my seat and touched the man lightly on the arm. "Sir, sir! Are you all right?" she said quietly, "Do you need help?" One final jerk, then his eyes opened and he smiled sheepishly.

"Thank you so much," he said. "I'm okay now. I have narcolepsy. When I fall asleep it's difficult for me to wake myself up."

Well. Okay. Reassured, I sat back down and asked if there was anything I could do. "No, but thank you for getting help," he said with quiet dignity. "I'm a doctor, I know how to handle this."

I felt like an idiot.

We chatted for the remaining 20 minutes. He told me that when his disease made it impossible to practice hands-on medicine, he'd gone into public health and worked as a Deputy to Donna Shalala, President Clinton's Secretary of Health and Human Services. We swapped Beltway and Democratic Party stories ... turns out we have friends in common.

He told me he'd had a heart attack and subsequently retired. "I spend my time rehabbing an old house in the Art Museum area," he said. (The power tool magazine!) "And I mentor medical students training for careers in public health."

"It's great not to wear suits and ties any more," he added. "Now I can indulge my inner Latin with these crazy shirts my mother makes me."

Latin! And I'd been thinking Middle Eastern. Mother! Oh brother. Unknowingly he'd held up a big mirror reflecting my flaming inner racist.

Or maybe not so unknowingly. As we shook hands in Baggage Claim he said, "Profiling's a way of life now. I don't let it bother me. It protects all of us from the bad guys." Then he smiled and walked away. One of the really Good Guys.

It'll be a cold day in hell before I judge another book by its cover without first taking a cold hard read of myself.

Nuclear Meltdown - Back to the Future

On This Day

"Celebrations of anniversaries of disasters, such as nuclear power plant meltdowns or political assassinations, provide opportunities, as do holidays." Joey Skaggs

What's going on here? Are we back in the 60's and 70's? More likely, as the pundits say, history is doomed to repeat itself. If you're over 40 or know anything about those decades, you know there are more than a few eerie parallels.

Think about it. Look at those headlines. (Click the photo to enlarge.)

America's in a disastrous, unwinnable war on foreign soil. Our (Republican) president has committed grossly unethical and arguably criminal acts.

We see evil corruption of religious faith for personal gain by everyone from priests to congressmen to movie stars. Unrest among students in France. Ominous rumblings from the Middle East.

In 1966 Charles Whitman climbed a tower in Austin, TX, killed 14 people and injured dozens more. Last weekend Aaron Kyle Huff showed up at a party, opened fire, killed six people and then himself.

Yesterday it was revealed that undercover congressional investigators foiled federal regulators and managed to smuggle radioactive material into the US.

Today is the 27th anniversary of Three Mile Island, the worst nuclear accident in American history. I know. I was there.

I lived and worked through Hurricane Agnes in 1972 too. (More about that another time.)

This parallel bothers me the most: the unconscionable fact that our government has done virtually nothing in 7 months to help the still homeless victims of Katrina and Wilma.

I came up with a solution for the TMI aftermath that would work just as well today. We need to stick Michael Chertoff in a flooded trailer in Louisiana -- and not let him out until all victims have adequate housing and services. Period.

It feels like nothing has changed. And we have to do something about it. But right now, I'm about to have a meltdown myself.

Travel Tales

"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." Saint Augustine

Anyone who's noticed my sporadic postings the past two weeks knows I just got back from a trip to Israel.

I like traveling. Been doing it for years, all over the world. I'm not afraid to fly. And I look forward to those ships-passing-in-the-night meetings with people from different countries and cultures.

But going to Israel is a very long trip. I don't like 14-hour plane rides -- that's just too much time to have my respiratory system and personal space invaded by strangers. Plus, no airline flies there direct from Philly.

So I break up the trip, fly to Europe and change planes for Tel Aviv. I've tried several routes and settled on Frankfort as my stop-off destination of choice. Say what you will about the Germans--and as a Jew I've said plenty--they are incredibly efficient.

German airlines and airports are models of proficiency and cleanliness. The German people are ceaselessly polite. They speak English proudly, without the supercilious attitude of many Europeans that says they're doing you a favor because you're too provincial to learn another language.

Many Israelis speak English too, and like the Germans, do so without condescension.

Israelis don't seem as efficient as the Germans, but that's a ruse. Try getting past an Israeli security agent, who chats you up in the security line as if you're on a first date. And manages to learn more about you in five minutes than if you'd been in a long term relationship.

I don't mind. I want him to be that thorough with everyone. Because then I know once I'm on the plane, my only concern will be how to pass the time.

On my flight from Philly to Frankfort I sat next to a cultured but troubled art dealer who confessed he was having a hard time getting his widowed mother to leave Iran and move in with him and his American family in the states.

Frankfort to Tel Aviv netted me a woman so morbidly obese she needed a seatbelt extension. But as always, appearances can be deceiving. She turned out to be a member of the Iraqi parliament, en route to a third round of trade negotiations with the Israeli government.

On my return trip from Tel Aviv to Frankfort we had some excitement. There was a group of Christian pilgrims in the airport. Waiting in the security line I watched a white-haired lady in a flowered dress become increasingly irate with the polite but determined questioning of a security official.

Then she said the magic words, "What do you think we are, terrorists?" How dumb could she be? As it turns out, very. "We're from Kansas," she continued in high dudgeon, "We only came to your little kike country to walk in the footsteps of Christ Our Lord."

Everyone froze. Dead silence. And a dangerous look on the faces of the usually phlegmatic Israeli security agents.

The plane was delayed, but eventually they let her and her humiliated husband on board. And we wonder why foreigners don't like Americans.

I had an empty seat next to mine on that flight, and was glad of it.

Frankfort to Philly was a different story. A German businessman, gravely polite. He was about my age, which put him post WWII with parents squarely in the middle of it.

When I mentioned I was traveling home from Israel, he spoke frankly of his generation's guilt over their country’s actions during the war. His late father had been a member of the Nazi party, he told me, but his mother refused to discuss that or anything to do with the war. "She's very wrong," he said ruefully. "We can't change the past by ignoring it. I have told my own children all I know. I don't want them to make similar mistakes."

I told him of the Church Lady on my previous flight. He sighed. "Imagine if a German had said such a thing. You'd still be sitting on that plane."

I thought about that. And about the ignorance and bigotry behind her remarks. And about how many good, decent human beings--Righteous Gentiles like my various seat mates--there were in the world to refute the past and combat the hostility of the present.

Travel broadens more than my horizons. It also increases my hope.

Terrorism - A Daily Fact of Life

"People forget about the past too easily, and the effects terrorism has in all its forms." Gary Thompson

Americans think we know what it means to live with terrorism. We haven't got a clue.

Yes, 9/11 taught us a hard lesson about our vulnerability to sudden atrocious attack. But no matter how horrible, it was a one-off. It hasn't happened again. We go through the business of our daily lives more concerned about tax hikes than terrorism.

In the end, the most lasting reminder of 9/11 for the majority of Americans is this: it's harder to travel through airports. We have to stand in long security lines and wait while our luggage is scanned. Poor us. What an inconvenience.

We are such innocents.

Right now I'm in the Motherland of terrorism -- Israel. Here, every time you get on a bus, sit in a cafe, walk down a street, you're literally risking your life. Danger from fanatical bombers is real and imminent all the time.

You see signs everywhere, "Report Unattended Packages to Police." Army vehicles are as commonplace as taxis on the streets. It's impossible to walk around without seeing the signs of violence, whether craters in sidewalks and buildings ... or the empty sleeves and pant legs of its victims.

All Israeli citizens must join the army when they turn 18. But even that is unique. The country is so small, most soldiers go home at the end of a day fighting insurgents and terrorism. The ones who aren't killed, that is.

Forget duct tape, every home in Israel has a bomb shelter, if only one specially reinforced room. And yet Israelis too--at least on the surface--worry more about taxes than terrorism.

That kind of pressure takes its toll. Israelis have some of the highest rates of hypertension, heart attacks and ulcers in the world. Everybody smokes. Oddly, alcoholism isn't a big issue, but reckless, aggressive driving is. Divorce rates are high too. But so is hope.

I'm staying with members of our family who live in a town in the middle of the country, not near the West Bank or other hotly contested danger zones. It's also a religious enclave.

But ultimately nothing and nowhere here offers any guarantee of safety. Throughout Israel risk management is a necessary daily fact of life.

Yesterday I went shopping at the local super market. And did what all shoppers do at every store, movie theater, restaurant, health club or public building in the country. I opened my pocketbook for inspection and passed through a metal detector. Imagine doing that at your neighborhood deli or dry cleaner.

The truth is Americans are more at risk from our own leaders than from foreign fanatics. There's more dangerous, despicable behavior going on at the highest levels of American government in the name of protection from terrorism than in actual reality.

In America and most of the Western world, terrorism is a political issue. Not in the Middle East. Here it's a cold, hard daily fact of life.

It's been quiet in Israel recently. But as every Israeli knows, that can most often mean the calm before the storm. And quiet is relative here.

Rockets were lobbed into the North last week. Fortunately they missed their targets. No one was killed. But every single day, terrorists with bombs strapped to their bodies are stopped and disarmed at checkpoints around the country.

I wonder, if that were true on American soil, how much more effective would Homeland Security become?

Around the world, controversy rages over the Hamas election victory, and who's going to supply or cut off aid to attempt to control Hamas's power. But that's theoretical. A job for the politicians and diplomats. Who aren't doing their jobs very well.

Israeli elections are coming at the end of March. No matter the outcome, all hell is sure to break loose. Nothing theoretical about that. It's just another daily fact of life in the Middle East.

And if you still think we live with terrorism in America, think about this: Every time your kids get on a school bus, go to a mall or dance at a nightclub, you don't have to worry they might be blown to bits.