Austrian MP Ewald Stadler~Finally A Man With BackBone !

Turkish Ambassador Tezcan

The Turkish ambassador to Austria, Kadri Ecvet Tezcan, criticized Austria's, its integration policies, and the Austrian people...“Austrians are not interested in other cultures.” The following is taken a summary by the English language Austrian Times (Ed: emphasis is mine)...

Speaking to Austrian newspaper Die Presse, Kadri Ecvet Tezcan claimed Turks in Vienna knew they were not welcome in Austria, (saying the Turks were treated like a virus). He also revealed having been told that the Austrian foreign minister does not welcome ambassadors for meetings--and revealed he would relocate the United Nations (UN) from Vienna were he leader of the international organization.

Asked why immigrants from Croatia seem to do better at school than most people from Turkey, Tezcan said: “Croats are Christians and therefore welcome in the society, while Turks aren’t. They are constantly being pushed to the corners of the society.”

Regarding the wearing of headscarves he said:

“Does wearing headscarves break the law? No. You haven’t got the right to tell anybody what to do regarding this issue. If you are allowed to bath [sic!] [swim] naked, you should be allowed to wear headscarves”

...one of Ambassador Tezcan’s statements is not only wrong, but simply dangerous: If he believes that he can speak about Austrian citizens with Turkish background as “his” fellow countrymen, he ignores Austria’s sovereignty. Or perhaps Turkey understands itself to be the protecting power for all emigrant Turks. The next step may be to make a territorial claims with regard to the residential areas of “its” people, such as the districts of Favoriten and Fünfhaus in Vienna.

BZO Parliamentarian Ewald Stadler came back with a strong response. In my personal opinion I think he was awesome! Here is the video (English Sub-titles)--We need a lot more politicians like Mr. Stadler. Instead we are burdened with weak-need, politically correct governments who are giving away our freedoms.  

Good for you Mr. Stadler!  

Remember the Attack on Pearl Harbor~07 December 1941

Pearl Harbour from Japanese Bomber Prior to Attack

On the morning of December 7, 1941 the Japanese launched the attack on Pearl Harbor (named Hawaii Operation or Operation Z by the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters, and the Battle of Pearl Harbor by Americans). The surprise (cowardly?) military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The Americans were taken completely by surprise. The first attack wave targeted  the US airfields and battleships. The second wave aimed for the other ships and shipyard facilities. The air raid lasted until 9:45 am. Eight battleships were damaged and five sunk. Three light cruisers, three destroyers and three smaller vessels were lost along with 188 aircraft. The casualty list included 2,335 servicemen and 68 civilians killed, and 1,178 wounded. Included are 1,104 men  who were aboard the Battleship USS Arizona. The day after the attack, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered his famous Infamy Speech to a Joint Session of Congress, calling for a formal declaration of war on the Empire of Japan. Congress obliged his request less than an hour later. Meanwhile, back in Europe, Nazi Germany and the Kingdom of Italy declared war on the United States on December 11th.
 
While browsing to review the details of that terrible day I could not help thinking that in a manner of speaking history repeats itself.

In particular I was reminded of the murderous terror attack causing the  huge loss of life during 9 / 11.

A quick search revealed that while there have been many attacks against the United States and the freedoms that they have fought to preserve, only  two other  events in history can compare as far as devastating loss of life. 

1) The Battle of Antietam (17 September 1862)  
During this one-day battle--begun by Robert E. Lee to take the war to the North, the losses to both sides were devastating,

The Confederates lost 2,700 soldiers, while the Union 2,108. It is considered one of the most important battles of the Civil War.

US Troops~Against All Odds

2) The Battle of the Bulge (1944-45) The Battle of the Bulge was the largest land battle of World War II. It began 16 December 1944 and ended 28 January 1945. In the space of 44 days 19,000 US soldiers were killed.

We must never forget...

Converts With Kids~Part I

One thing many converts do not think of is the impact their conversion will have on their family. In this particular case I mean your children. You make the decision to convert for varied reasons, but ultimately the decision is "for you". My points here  are based on a "Halachic Orthodox Conversion" defined on the the Israel Government website as:...a process by which a person exchanges his existing religion for Judaism and thereafter leads a lifestyle based on the written and verbal dictates of the Torah (Bible), belief in the Gd of Israel, performing the mitzvot (righteous deeds or commandments) of the Torah and full identification with the Jewish people.  

Remember, Jews do Not believe in the xtian jesus, and you must vehemently deny any connection to deity, virgin birth or resurrection. You and your children cannot have xmas trees, easter eggs, crosses or other symbols of idol worship. While you are not expected to be a Torah Scholar,  you must be committed to enter into a "new" life style that includes learning, prayer and a mitvot inspired life with Synagogue attendance, Shabbat, Kashrut and for boys kippah, tefillin and tsitzit. Youngsters may not understand (initially) why they cannot go to a birthday party of a non Jew because of kosher issues or why they can't watch TV on Shabbat.

Children from a very young age are more tuned in and observant than we give them credit for. Everything we do leaves an imprint. While a newborn may  not be affected by your change in lifestyle (remembering of course that males must be circumcised), your teen may very well be devastated by the very same things. As kids grow older your conversion will have varying degrees of impact--even if your children are married and have kids of their own. For starters let's consider the impact If Your Children are Minors...

From the Israel Government Website:

According to the laws of Jewish conversion, a minor is a boy under the age of 13 or a girl under the age of 12. Since children of that age are too young to understand the full significance of the conversion process and its implications, the religious courts accept minors “at their discretion.” This means that the courts accept responsibility for converting children to Judaism and their acceptance into the Jewish faith.

In contrast to adult conversion, the conversion of a minor is provisional. Should the minor later declare, on reaching adulthood, that he does not in fact wish to be Jewish, his conversion is null and void. On the other hand, should he continue to live as a Jew after reaching maturity, he is considered a Jew for all intents and purposes and cannot then leave Judaism.

Your new lifestyle means being part of an Orthodox Community, which includes Synagogue, Jewish Schools and of course "Kosher" shopping. If you move with young children to a Jewish community they may well "stand out in the crowd".  Boys are required to wear a kippah (head cover) and girls must learn modesty in dress and manner. (While this is still an uphill battle, in every society, your daughter will be faced with great differences)

For young boys and girls the experience of a new school is hard enough, but when you add a new lifestyle complete with dress code, food and observance the result can be traumatizing. If you make aliyah to Israel it is much easier to follow an orthodox lifestyle, but there is the added stress of learning a new language (trust me it is not easy!). As children approach puberty they will usually study in separate classes and learn appropriate, modest behaviour.  I should note here that if you want to join a Charedi community there are even more complications. For starters the dress and behaviour rules can be very strict. Teens in particular are very likely to rebel. There are many Charedi youth who fall off the derech (leave the way) and literally run away. Some look for the extreme opposite of  the modest ways they were used to (ie) sex, drugs and rock-n-roll.  For children of a convert the pressures are even greater. To read more on Charedi lifestyle and some true stories of "rebellion" I recommend spending time at the site Shearim. There is a wealth of information drawn from personal experience and interviews with rebels.
To Be Continued...

Chanukah Story Made Easy

A fun way to tell the Chanukah story. This site has similar clips to You Tube for most of the holidays. Enjoy !

"Princess" Himmler and Stille Hilfe~Aiding Mass Murderers

Gudrun Himmler & her Father

There is a group named "Stille Hilfe" (Silent Aid) that may well be the worlds only support group for mass murderers.  The official  name is Die Stille Hilfe für Kriegsgefangene und Internierte (Silent assistance for prisoners of war and interned persons) They have eased the way into society for many Nazi war criminals, including Klaus Barbie, the Gestapo Butcher of Lyon; Erich Priebke, SS murderer of Italian partisans; and Anton Malloth, brutal guard of the Theresienstadt concentration camp in the old Czechoslovakia. Although legal, they operate in a moral grey zone with only 25 to 40 members, but there are hundreds of anonymous supporters (from within Germany‘s neo-Nazi scene) and they have their very own "princess". She is Gudrun Burwitz, nee Himmler, the daughter of Heinrich Himmler, former head of the SS.

Gudrun Himmler & Father in Dachau

Gudrun Himmler Burwitz--known as Puppi (doll) to her father--is now 81 and has devoted her life to the memory of the father she worshipped and to helping those who worked for him in death camps, SS fighting units and the administration of the terror organization that he oversaw. In a picture taken at the Nazi concentration camp of Dachau outside of Munich (where close to 40,000 people were murdered)  her father and his SS servants gaze at Puppi with adoration, while a few meters away, people were beaten, starved, murdered and burned. At the time she wasn't old enough to know better, but she is now, and chooses to venerate her father and the animals who served him. When Himmler committed suicide in the Allied interrogation centre near Luneburg (May 23, 1945) Gudrun was distraught, refusing to believe it. To this day she claims that the British murdered him.

Gudrun Himmler Burwitz

She married journalist and author Wulf Dieter Burwitz, who is also active in Neo-Nazism, and lives in the Munich suburb of Furstenried in a house registered under the name of a building association, her phone is unlisted. She devotes most of her life to a secret world--that does not allow access to outsiders. Because she has the blood of Himmler in her veins Gudrun Burwitz is almost a deity among the other members of Stille Hilfe. Oliver Schroem, author of a book about Stille Hilfe, has described her as a "dazzling Nazi princess, a deity among these believers in the old times". Several years ago she made a rare appearance at a rally of neo-Nazis in Ulrichsberg, northern Austria where she was idolised by former SS veterans. Their first president, Helene Elizabeth, Princess von Isenburg, was chosen because of her good contacts among the aristocracy and conservative upper middle-class circles as well as the Catholic Church.

Gudrun Burwitz (with Stille Hilfe funds) organized a comfortable retirement for Anton Malloth, a sadistic guard at the Theresienstadt concentration camp in Czechoslovakia, who had been sentenced to death in absentia by a Czech court. She rented a comfortable room for him in a retirement home near Munich, built on land  formerly owned by Hitler’s deputy Rudolf Hess. She visited him there twice a month until his death from cancer in 2002. Martin Sandberger, leader of an elite squad of killers responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Jews, Gypsies and Communists in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia was also given tender care in an old age home in Stuttgart until his death this year.

Recipients of Stille Hilfe "Charitable Aid"

Stille Hilfe had been footing the legal bill for Samuel Kunz, 89 (recently deceased), who was accused of taking part in the murders of 433,000 Jews in Belzec extermination camp, Poland, during World War II. Now they are working behind the scenes to stop the extradition Klaas Carel Faber (88) to The Hague. He is wanted by Dutch authorities to resume a life sentence for the wartime murders of 22 Jews and resistance fighters. It is rumored that the group's last meeting included the Munich trial of John Demjanjuk, charged with assisting in the murder of 27,900 people at Sobibor extermination camp in occupied Poland as well as charitable aid for the family of war criminal Martin Sandberger following his death this year.

In one of her rare interviews, Burwitz describes herself as one of the few members in a dying orgnisation. She does not deny her involvement with Stille Hilfe, saying: "It's true I help where I can, But I refuse to discuss my work." Most frightening of all--She Has Two Children...a son, now a qualified lawyer, and a daughter--last listed as a student. 

I also found an old 2006 post with this information:

This is to inform you that "Stille Hilfe Amerika" (Silent Aid America) has recently been founded to aid any SS, Gestapo, or Order Police veterans now resident in the United States and who might be in need of legal, financial, or social assistance. The original "Stille Hilfe" was a legal organization of SS veterans founded in 1951 in West Germany. "Stille Hilfe Amerika" possesses substantial financial resources, is thoroughly National Socialist, has a very small staff (and does not solicit members), yet is not formally tied to any neo-Nazi group--thus it is able to determine its own operations. Most importantly, it is NOT a front for any ZOG group. To learn more about "Stille Hilfe Amerika," and to contact it directly if you wish, simply visit http://pluss-stille-hilfe.blogspot.com/. 88!...SS-Brigadefuhrer Walter Schellenberg. "Meine Ehre heisst Treue!" (SS Motto: "My Honor is my Loyalty!")

I should point out that SS-Brigadefuhrer Walter Schellenberg died in 1952, and when I tried the link to the blog I got a message that it did not exist and of course I found a lot of the usual troll type messages. It seems likely that "Stille Hilfe Amerika" does not exist except in the crazed fantasies of some confused psychotics.

Goodbye Sweden~Pat Condell

Another great commentary by Pat Condell--and So True!!

The Chanukah Song~Neil Diamond

You have to listen to the words on this one--very cute!

Chanukah Song~The Maccabeats

Not a bad little song--Enjoy!

Deputy Commander Ahuva Tomer Dies of Injuries

It is with great sadness that I write this--Deputy Commander Ahuva Tomer, the highest ranking woman officer in the Israel Police, died on Monday after succumbing to critical injuries sustained in the Carmel fire. She was driving to assist the bus carrying 40 Prison Service cadets that was trapped (and subsequently burned). She herself was trapped and suffered burns throughout her body. Deputy Commander Tomer was initially taken to Carmel Hospital in Haifa, where a team of 20 doctors worked to revive her--finally succeeding in restoring a pulse--"against all odds," in their words. She was then transferred to Rambam Hospital for continued treatment.

Deputy Commander Tomer was one of the best-known, highest-ranking officers in the northern region. She made history in 1997 when she was appointed Police Commander in Nahariya, and again in 2009 when she was appointed Commander of the lsraels largest  station in Haifa. Well respected by all, she had achieved what no other woman before her had. Commander Tomer did this by hard work and dedication, never using her gender to gain advantage.

The picture on the left shows the bus, with her white care (left of bus) as the flames engulf them.

This video shows Deputy Commander Tomer (2:56) in her car.before she drove into the flames in an attempt to help the trapped cadets on the bus. "Baruch dayan ha'emet"

Commander Ahuva Tomer Driving into the Blaze (0:30)

Smile of the Day !

So much of the news these days is depressing to say the least. But every once in a while somebody manages to find a way to bring a little fun into our lives! 

I have to give credit where credit is due! A Huge Thank You for my laugh of the week goes out to Bare Naked Islam for this little pic. Do read the full article by going to the site--just  click  on the link: "Obama Goes to Afghanistan. Surprise!"

Quoted from the article:  
Conflicting reports say he went there to thank the troops. (But he didn’t go on Thanksgiving. Maybe he couldn’t stomach the thought of actually serving turkey dinner to the troops as George Bush did).

While you are there browse through his excellent articles. One of the best reporting sites on the net.

A Prayer for the Soldiers of the IDF

This is a prayer that we say for our young people on the front lines defending us. I carry a copy in my wallet and pull it out every time I see helicopters flying a mission or hear of our troops being attacked and at night before saying the bedtime Shema.  

Shema Yisroel~A Legend and a Song

There are two rabbis that this legend is attributed to--Rov Yosef Kahaneman zt'l, the Ponevezhe Rov and Rabbi Eliezer Silver,  President, Union of Orthodox Rabbis USA / Canada.

It has been told countless times and it is quite possible that each of these great men used this tactic, knowing full well that the Shema would remain embedded in a Jewish child's mind long after other memories faded. The Shema is an affirmation of Judaism and a declaration of faith in one God. The obligation to recite the Shema is separate from the obligation to pray and a Jew is obligated to say Shema in the morning and at night and it is the last word to leave our lips before we die.

During World War II, countless Jewish parents gave their children to Christian neighbors, orphanages and convents in the hopes of saving them. The parents expected that they, or their relatives, would claim them if they survived the war, but when rabbis or relatives finally tracked down the children, the priests and nuns who had been their caretakers insisted that no children from Jewish homes were in their institutions. Thus, they were not only stripped of their entire families, they were also stripped of their souls. Many remain hidden to this day.

The legend tells us that after the Holocaust, Rov Yosef Kahaneman / Rabbi Eliezer Silver began searching for the Jewish children who had survived the war. (They) learned that many Jewish children had been placed in a monastery, so (they) approached the priest in charge, and asked that the Jewish children be released into their care. The priest responded, "You must have documentation". But the kind of documentation that the priest wanted was unobtainable at the end of the war. (They) then asked to see the list of names of children in the monastery and as they read the list, pointed to names that belonged to Jewish children. "I'm sorry," the priest said, "Miller is a German name, and Markovich is a Russian name, and Swersky is a Polish name. You can't prove that these are Jewish children and if you can't prove which children are Jewish, and do it very quickly, you will have to leave".

(They) finally asked and were granted permission to enter the children's quarters to see them before their bedtime. That evening the rabbis entered the dormitory holding row upon row of little beds where the children--many of whom had been in the monastery since the start of the war in 1939--were going to sleep. (They) slowly walked through the aisles of beds, calling out, "Shema Yisrael--(Hear, Israel), the Lord is our God, the Lord is One!" One by one, children burst into tears and shrieked, "Mommy!" "Maman!" "Momma!" "Mamushka!" in each of their native tongues.

The priest had succeeded in teaching them about the Trinity, the New Testament, the Christian savior and how to say Mass, but the one thing he could not do was erase the children's memories of their Jewish Mothers--now murdered--putting them to bed every night with the Shema on their lips.

Singer Yaakov Shwekey has used the legend to create this beautiful song--Enjoy

Israel Fire Under Control~Now We Need Rain!

The Fire burning near Haifa is said to be under control, thanks to  the planes and fire fighters from  countries such as Bulgaria, Greece, Jordan, Russia, Turkey, USA and even the Palestinian Authority--officials believe they have things under control.  However Seven new hot spots were reported within the space of an hour, early Sunday evening. Police and firefighters believe this is a new wave of arson--it is not over yet! The weather is cooling and rain is expected--We are all praying for a downpour!

An online article in Yeshiva World shows the amazing pictures of what is believed to be the last minutes of the bus of young guards trapped by the fire. The online news source Haaretz posted the pictures complete with story. Do go to this link for Haaretz and read the entire story.The pictures were taken by tour guide and Carmel expert Dan Oren. According to the article,  as they were taking the pictures a wall of fire covered the entire area.

While this can't be confirmed it is possible that the car shown behind the bus belongs to Haifa Police Commander Ahuva Tomer, who went in after the bus and was also trapped.  She was taken to Carmel Hospital in Haifa, where a team of 20 doctors worked to revive her, finally succeeding in restoring a pulse--"against all odds," in their words. She was transferred to Rambam Medical Center for treatment and is now fighting for her life with burns over most of her body.  Please send her your prayers!

More on the Carmel Disaster

Back Window Shot of Bus Burning by R. Sofer

This first story is taken from Shearim. Follow this link is to an Israeli newscast that followed photographer Roni Sofer back to the location where he observed the burning bus and in fact saved three of the people from the burning wreck. He is an expert photographer and wanted to get pictures of the disaster. He describes the road as they drive down is saying that very quickly there were "walls of fire".  He soon realized he must make a quick escape and turned around to drive to safety. There were two other cars and the bus full of prison guards coming and he warned them to make a run for it. The two cars turned around (Note: the driver of one of the cars--from Tiberias--is still missing). The bus, unable to turn around was already on fire and Roni saw three people--a woman and two men--running towards him asking for help. The video shows the pictures he was able to snap of them running from the bus through his rear window. They escaped to safety, but the guards and Haifa police commander, Ahuva Tomer, who was in one of the cars did not. Ahuva Tomer is now in critical condition burned over 60% of her body and fighting for her life.

Evergreen 747 Supertanker

The American 'Evergreen 747 Super Tanker is now over Carmel joining fighters from many nations in the fight to control the massive fire that is still burning.

Meanwhile the crew of an air force plane fighting the fires spotted two men in a pickup truck trying to start a fire near one of the areas where a part of the blaze had recently been put out. The air force crew contacted police on the ground with the location of the truck and minutes later police arrived on the scene and arrested the suspects. In the last days arabs around the country have been starting fires to disrupt the efforts in Carmel. Hezbollah is celebrating the lost of life and forest in Northern Israel. “The great Carmel fire has embarrassed Israel's firefighting capabilities and proved its almost complete incompetence,” crowed the Hezbollah-linked Al-Manar TV news network. The arab press is  claiming that Ithis shows Israel is weak and no longer able to defend itself because we had to ask for help--and the dancing in the streets continues.

PA Firefighters Arrive to Help Israel Fight the Fire

On the positive side, twenty-one Palestinian Firefighters have entered Israel through the Salem crossing accompanied by Administration Personnel. According to Ayash, the Palestinian people viewed the disaster with a great deal of sorrow.  He said the cooperation has nothing to do with the relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. "We came here to help without addressing the issue of Jews and Arabs," Ayash added. "We will stay in the Carmel region until the fire is put out." Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had telephoned President Mahmoud Abbas to express his thanks at "neighbours helping neighbours".

This disaster is estimated to cost 3-4 billion dollars and take decades to recover from. Israelis have already started the long task. They begin by laying their dead to rest, taking in the displaced and starting to rebuild. During this week of Chanukah we know one thing, that miracles do happen and that is proven by the biggest miracle of all--we are still here and we are still standing together.

Video~Commander Ahuva Tomer Driving into the Blaze (0:30)

Overview of the Events and Firefighting Efforts

Disaster in Israel~May Gd Have Mercy...

Please pray for the dead, the injured and their families. We need a miracle to bring an end to this disaster, the largest and deadliest since Israel's founding in 1948. Please, Pray for Israel Today!

On Thursday, December 2nd a massive forest fire in Carmel killed 42 people. More than 15,000 people have been evacuated from towns and villages as the fires continue to blaze out of control.

Most of the dead are IPS cadets,  the majority of them young Druze in their 20's. They were in a bus returning after assisting in the evacuation of 500 prisoners (mainly arab) in Damon Prison. The fire reached a great speed--covering a mile in five minutes, according to a firefighter--catching the bus in the flames with no chance of escape. 

Police officers in a separate vehicle were also trapped by the flames. Two of them are missing, and the Commander of the Haifa Police, Lt-Col. Ahuva Tomer, is in serious condition after suffering burns all over her body. Doctors at Rambam Hospital in Haifa are fighting for her life.

Deputy Minister Ayoub Kara, a resident of Usfiyeh, spoke to a news Channel and said he has received information that the fire was a terror act. The fire  was  reported to have spread from three locations simultaneously--making arson likely. 

One observer said "It was amazing--within 30 minutes almost half the forest was in flames". Israeli firefighters said it was the biggest forest fire in the country’s history, with some 7,000 acres (2,800 hectares) of natural forest already destroyed.

So far this year numerous large fires, many set by arabs, have depleted Israel's reserves of fire-fighting chemicals, and the remaining supply will be exhausted by Friday morning.

Israeli planes are on the way to France for more supplies. In addition, Seven foreign aircraft are making their way to Israel: four from Greece, two from Azerbaijan and one from Cyprus. In addition, Four aircraft are expected from France, two or three from Russia, and two from Spain.

Israel's Prime Minister Binyamin  (Bibi) Netanyahu said: "I shall declare a national day of mourning but right now we haven't got the time to mourn and get into inquiries". 

Prime Minister Netanyahu flew over the scene in a helicopter and in a briefing, told reporters "People have showed tremendous strength of spirit, divine heroism, and sacrificed themselves to save others. I want to say to the families that are discovering their own personal disasters, we support you and love you. To our Druze brothers--I know you suffered a major blow. 

"These were astonishing people who displayed great courage."

And Now--Here Is A Real Kick in the Pants:

Radio Haifa reported that Arabs have been Dancing in the Streets of Furadis, just south of Haifa, in Celebration of the Deadly Fire ! While no other country in the middle east--to this very day--will give citizenship or any basic rights to "Palestinian Arabs", Israel has--these people vote, have access to education and medical care like every Israeli--and they dance in the streets when disaster strikes the country that feeds them.

Any wonder Israel does not believe we have a partner for peace?