M E N O R A H

Obama's Pesach message: No God, No Jerusalem, No Israel

Obama's concept of the 'lessons from the Exodus from Egypt' is so obtuse, it must be answered lest silence be interpreted as acquiescence.

The lesson of the Exodus from Egypt is that God came and redeemed His people from bondage because, as the Rabbis tell us, "they did not change their names [to Egyptian names] and they did not change their language [to Egyptian]." Instead, the Jews maintained their unique identity throughout the 210 years of bondage in Egypt, and as a reward God gave them two mitzvoth (commandments) to perform (circumcision and the sacrifice of the Paschal lamb). Our reward for performing those mitzvoth was that God redeemed the Jews from Egypt. More

$12 Billion to PA Where Did it Go?

(IsraelNN.com) A Palestinian Authority woman who addressed the United Nation's Seminar on Assistance to the Palestinian People on March 25 noted that years of foreign aid appears to have done little good for the PA economy. Dr. Ghania Malhis, chairwoman of the board of trustees at the Economic Policy Research Institute in Ramallah, noted that billions of dollars spent over the past decade have not even restored the PA economy to its 1999 performance.

And yet, Malhis said, it has been difficult to note any positive impact of these enormous sums on the PA economy. The GDP is 13 percent lower than it was in 1999, and GDP per capita is down by 30 percent, she said. More

Israel ad campaign calls for Third Temple

Hundreds of public buses traveling the streets of Jerusalem this Passover are bearing an advertisement calling for the immediate construction of the Third Temple top the contested Temple Mount.

Paid for by Our Land of Israel (also known as SOS-Israel), the ad depicts a rebuilt Jewish temple on the Temple Mount in place of the two mosques that now dominate the compound. Below the image are the words, "May the Temple be built swiftly in our days," taken from the daily Jewish prayer book.

SOS-Israel officials said they hope the campaign reminds many Israelis that rebuilding the temple has been the desire of the Jewish people for millennia, and that it is time for Israel to move forward in fulfilling that desire irrespective of international sensitivities.

When the Jews are in danger, we are commanded to stop everything else in order to save even one life

Like other groups, the Jews have always been in danger, have had to flee many Egypts, all the places of sorrow and danger, the many “narrow straits.” Unlike many other groups, the Jews have actually done so, we’ve gotten out—at least a remnant always has. Down the centuries, Jews keep “getting out.”

Sometimes, the Jews have had Jewish redeemers; sometimes our redeemers have been non-Jews. In our Pesach story, Moses, certainly born a Jew, was adopted and reared in Pharaoh’s palace, by Pharaoh’s courageous daughter. She reared him as an Egyptian prince, which partly explains why he was so easily able to enter Pharaoh’s inner sanctum, over and over again. No one dared stop him. More

Israel fears Obama heading for imposed Mideast settlement

Senior Israeli sources say that as a result of the U.S. administration's policies, the Palestinians will toughen their stance and seriously undermine the peace process' chances of success.

Moreover, sources in Jerusalem say that the new American positions undermine the principle of credibility that has guided U.S. foreign policy since the end of World War II. Ignoring specific promises made to its Israeli ally would make other American allies lose trust in its commitments to them.

Israeli officials warn that if the United States shirks its past commitments, the willingness of the Israeli public to put its trust in future American guarantees will be undermined - as will the superpower's regional and international standing. More

Arab League Summit Focused on Jerusalem, "Resistance"

(IsraelNN.com) The Arab League concluded its 22nd summit in Libya on Sunday without any changes from its longstanding policies: no to recognizing Israel under any conditions, yes to armed resistance (aka terror) against Israel, no condemnation of genocide in Darfur, yes to Arab Jerusalem, and more. A follow-up meeting will be held in October.

The League called on United States President Barack Obama to continue criticizing the building of homes for Jews in Judea, Samaria, and eastern and northern Jerusalem. Israel must not be allowed to “Judaize” the city, Arab ministers said. More

As if Obama needed any encouragement to criticize Israel.

Two female suicide bombers kill 37 in Moscow bombings

Two female suicide bombers hit the two central Moscow underground rail stations in coordinated attacks during the early Monday rush hour of March 29, killing at least 37 people, injuring many more. The first exploded in the second car of the train at the Lubyanka station near the Kremlin and the Federal Security Services headquarters, killing 25 people on the train and the platform.

Thirty minutes later, the second blast killed 12 at the Kultury Park station near the famous Gorky Park. The bombers are said to have triggered blasts of 2-3 kilos strapped to their bodies. North Caucasian al Qaeda affiliate, powerful among Islamist rebels, is believed responsible. More

PRESIDENT OBAMA FINALLY GENERATES BI-PARTISANSHIP

327 members of the U.S. House of Representatives -- three quarters of that body -- have signed a letter expressing concern about "the highly publicized tensions" in US-Israeli relations. The letter leaves unsaid that President Obama has contributed mightily to both the tensions and their publicity, but that fact is almost too obvious to require recitation. The letter was addressed to Secretary of State Clinton, another major contributor to the problems it cites. More

'Obama resigned to nuclear Iran'

Former UN envoy Bolton says Washington pressuring Israel not to strike nuke facilities.

“I very much worry the Obama administration is willing to accept a nuclear Iran, that's why there's this extraordinary pressure on Israel not to attack in Iran,” Bolton told Army Radio.

The former envoy claimed that this pressure was the focus of last week's meetings in Washington between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyhau and US officials, including President Barack Obama. More

A lone woman evangelist has been positioning herself in front of the White House gates almost daily for more than two years

"Right now is the most dangerous time in the history of America and the world," she said, citing the prevalence of what she describes as rampant financial manipulation, abortion, the rising culture of euthanasia, a lack of support for the Jews as God's "chosen people," a failure to embrace America's Christian heritage and legislation that defies the principles on which the U.S. was founded. Not to mention questions over whether the president even is eligible to occupy the Oval Office. More