UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) just cancelled an upcoming Jewish exhibit at the last minute, after caving under the intense pressure from the Arab League. The exhibit–co sponsored by the Los Angeles based Simon Wiesenthal Center and UNESCO–on the theme of the land of Israel 3500-year connection to the Jewish people, was set to open in Paris on January 20th. This rather unusual “last minute” cancellation raises several concerns about UNESCO cannot be ignored.
I find it most peculiar for UNESCO to co-labor with the Simon Wiesenthal Center on such an exhibit to the point of having the whole thing set-up and invitations sent-out, and then make an about face just days before the opening. I find it peculiar not because UNESCO should go with such an exhibit but exactly for the opposite reason. In light of the stance UNESCO has taken on the Middle East in the last couple of years, they should have never even considered getting involved in such a project.
It was in October 2011 that UNESCO surprised the world by including the Palestinian authority to its roaster of member nations. This of course was all done in the name of cultural diversity and tolerance, to also prove to the world that the image of the Palestinian Authority and some Palestinians are grossly exaggerated. This was why the Palestinian Youth magazine know as Zayzafouna featured an article in which a ten-year-old Palestinian girl said that Hitler told her in a dream: “I killed them [the Jews] so you would all know that they are a nation who spreads destruction all over the world.” The magazine, we were told, promoted democracy and tolerance. Why is it then, that a young girl could write about Hitler being her role model?
Then in 2012, UNESCO declared that the Jewish site of Rachel’s tomb was also a Christian AND Muslim site and that to say otherwise would be a hindrance to the peace process. Palestinians decided that the site was holy to them and was part of their heritage, even though Islam was only founded 1500 years ago. The site goes back way further than 1500 years and is mentioned in Genesis 35:19 as the place where the Jewish matriarch was buried. It has zero Palestinian connection!
To add insult to injury, UNESCO decided in 2013 that Israel and the United States–while retaining their membership–will lose their voting power because they had both stopped paying their dues after the 2011 inclusion of Palestine. I guess they [UNESCO] got a bit upset when the US contribution equal to 22% of their total budget stopped. I commend the United States and Israel for taking a stand in an age of cowardice and hypocrisy.
Maybe this move has something to do with the fact that UNESCO has chosen 2014 to be the “International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People”. General Assembly President John Ashe declared that: “Now is the time for vision, compromise and deepening of respect. Let us make this year – 2014 – the decisive year for achieving peace between Israel and Palestine,….I implore all those who have a stake in this outcome – Governments, international organizations, and people everywhere – to do their part.” What is next, “Terrorist Appreciation Day”?
Really Mr. Ashe, how honest is such a statement when the last move by UNESCO appeared to be such a biased decision? What seems to be the problem with such an exhibit as this new one entitled “People, Book, Land – The 3,500 Year Relationship of the Jewish People and the Land of Israel”?
UNESCO has a clear agenda hinging around the promotion and acceptance of Palestine as a bona fide state with voting power at the United Nations and frankly, they are almost there. By inviting Palestine to be recognized at the UNESCO level, they opened a door–maybe not the front door, but a door nonetheless–to an inclusion of Palestine at the United Nations. It is only a matter of time now. It is no longer if but only when!
I think that UNESCO cancelled the exhibit for two main reasons: Fear of the Arab League and fear of the truth.
There is a common denominator between many government agencies and organizations around the world. They seem to all flex to the demands of Islam without ever questioning the motives, along with allowing statements and actions that promote hatred, xenophobia and even killings. These moves are mostly motivated by fear, a fear that is the result of intimidation. That fear continues to lead us to submission to an ideology that belongs to the dawn of the middle Ages.
But consider also the fear of the truth. What could possibly be brought to the public in an exhibit on the Jewish people, the land of Israel and the Bible? This exhibit was organized by the Simon Wiesenthal Center and UNESCO, under the leadership of Hebrew University professor and anti-Semitism expert Robert Wistrich. Mr. Wistrich is a first class scholar with a superb reputation. One of his many works: ” A Lethal Obsession: Anti-Semitism from Antiquity to the Global Jihad” demonstrates the quality of his research and the unbiased approach to the age-old issue of Anti-Semitism. He has no axe to grind and simply wants to make the truth available to more people.
I believe that the very truth about Israel being a piece of land granted to the Jewish people by God Himself through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob scares UNESCO. They do not want to face the truth about the Jewish people’s legitimacy, history and archeology in Eretz Yisrael. If they were to face the truth, they would then have to make a decision to support Palestine based on a series of lies. But hey, they wouldn’t be the first ones to move from ignorance to hypocrisy to cowardice and even malice in regards to Israel’s right to exist.
I don’t think that UNESCO is even using double standards when it comes to Israel. They have chosen to side with the enemies of Israel in the name of peace. What peace?
Prime minister Netanyahu was spot on about UNESCO’s decision when he said: “The one-sided approach toward Israel does not advance peace – it pushes peace further away. It strengthens the refusal of the PA to make actual progress in the negotiations.”
UNESCO’s latest move is an outrage that has nothing to do with education, science or culture and everything to do with politics and political correctness. Last time I checked, God never wanted us to be politically correct but simply biblically correct. He even gave us a manual for it!
Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.
Psalm 119:105
NEW ANTISEMITISM 2013: A YEAR IN REVIEW!
To most of us, it is hard to believe that it was exactly a year ago that according to the Mayans, the world was coming to an end. While the world is still turning, it is not difficult to admit that we –as a global interconnected community–are in deep trouble. We continue on the slippery slope of postmodernism, tolerance and multiculturalism one foot in the grave, one foot over the cliff and our head deep in the sand (how’s that for a most uncomfortable and very dangerous posture?)
The temperature of our sick world can be measured from many different perspectives, depending of one’s area of interest or expertise. The proverbial frog of Western civilization in the slowly boiling pot of tolerance and universalism continues to sustain more heat. Enough heat could very soon be generated to cripple the frog inside the pot, to a point of no return.
I am definitely not talking about Global Warming but would like to give us all a Global Warning in the area of the New Anti-Semitism. While I never encourage dwelling on negative or tragic issues, it is necessary to remember and learn from the past to help shape the future, so allow me to review some of the key events of 2013. You can also read the full article for each month by clicking on each title throughout this post.
JANUARY:Stop Insulting Our Intelligence!
On January 27, the day that is recognized as “International Holocaust Remembrance Day”, based on when Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated in 1945, many of us were shocked at a cartoon published by Famous British Sunday Times cartoonist Gerald Scarfe, depicting Benyamin Netanyahu building the security fence with bricks interspersed with Palestinian bodies and using Palestinian blood as mortar.
Of course, the fact that the cartoon was published on “International Holocaust Remembrance Day” was a pure coincidence or maybe a busy newsroom oversight, right? Well, I wish I could say that it is true but I am afraid that the day was purposely picked to hurt the Jewish people even more. The link between the cartoon’s accusations and medieval blood libels further used by Nazi Germany shouldn’t be missed.
But before I am accused of going on an anti-liberal-right-winged-bigoted witch-hunt, let me make a statement about Mr. MacFarlane. While I clearly believe that this was inappropriate, I cannot confirm that he is anti-Semitic. Yet, this was reminiscent of some caustic writings by Martin Luther about the Jews. We know from history how Luther’s writings were used to decimate my people, as the Nazis were proud to simply be “finishing up what Luther started”. Tread carefully Mr. MacFarlane, if you do not wish to be responsible for somebody “finishing up what you started”.
The 2013 Israeli Presidential Conference on the theme of “Facing Tomorrow 2013: The Human Factor in Shaping Tomorrow” should have included British theoretical physicist, cosmologist and author Stephen Hawking as one of the keynote speakers. Globally recognized as a genius, Hawking has also become the poster child for science over the last few decades. But in a move that has garnered him both some applause and some criticism, he chose to boycott the 2013 Israeli conference following the advice of Palestinian academics. This will undoubtedly help to vindicate the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) in their fight against “Apartheid Israel”. On the English version of the Middle East media site El Arabiya, while some claimed that his health was what made him change his mind, Hawking’s statement was made crystal clear:
OCTOBER: The Many Faces of Anti-Israelism are Just a Mask for Anti-Semitism!
On October 21, 2013, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) published a new report titled: The Top Ten anti-Israel Groups in the US, in which it identified the most virulent of antisemitic organizations in America. While I do not always endorse the ADL’s methods and/or tone in their reporting, or even some of their conclusions, I do find their research always very useful. The list includes:
UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) was born in 1946 out of a need for furthering world peace and security. As indicated in its name, the main goals of UNESCO are achieved through educational, scientific and cultural awareness. Their current motto is building peace in the hearts of men and women.
The Two Roads to our Destruction: Appeasement and Enablement!
It has now become pretty obvious to the civilized world that the “Arab Spring” has not accomplished the somewhat Utopian emancipation expected by the Muslim world. Shortly after the people’s revolts in various countries such as Lybia, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Tunisia and others, we found out that the Muslim Brotherhood, Al- Qaeda or subsidiaries of either had taken over.
Just days after Lybian dictator Colonel Gaddafi was killed, the Al-Qaeda flag was flying high in Lybia. Egypt ousted Mubarak to quickly find itself under the Qur’anic grip of Mohammed Morsi. Even though Morsi was recently deposed and the Muslim Brotherhood banned from all operations, it is very likely that underground operations from Islamists will only increase in intensity and frequency. The Syrian civil war is no exception. Assad desperate attempt at retaining or regaining power has seen the loss of so many innocent lives. Yet we see another dictator fighting rebels who are nothing but Al-Qaeda operatives. Islam continues to advance and erode the very foundation of Western civilization.
Islam was last officially defeated in Europe 150 years ago at the Battle of Vienna that took place on September 11, 1863. It is the date that most serious historians agree upon as the start of the decline of the Ottoman Empire. But if one knows anything about Islam, it is clear that their only viable outcome is Islamic world domination under a global caliphate. For that goal to be attained, the West, Christianity and the Jews must be eradicated, end of story! The Qur’an is clear about Islam’s superiority over “all other religions” (Suras 61:9, 48:28, 9:3) as we can read from this translation (approved by Saudi Arabia):
61:9 He it is Who has sent His Messenger (Muhammad) with guidance and the religion of truth (Islamic monotheism) to make it victorious over all (other) religions even though the Mushrikûn (polytheists, pagans, idolaters, and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah and His Messenger Muhammad) hate (it). (Hilali and Khan, The Noble Qur’an, Riyadh: Darussalam, 1996).
So how much involvement should the West have in the Middle East blood bath towards hegemony? How thin do the United States want to spread themselves militarily before we become a totally indefensible country, or are we already there? How do we go about stopping this ideology of destruction from taking deeper root in the Western soil of democracy and tolerance? Two things have to stop in order for Islamism to fail:
• APPEASEMENT: For one thing, we cannot afford to continue appeasing countries like Iran. Diplomacy didn’t work with Hitler. Well, at least not for the Allies and certainly not for the Jewish people. Diplomacy WILL NOT work with Iran. Benjamin Netanyahu couldn’t have been clearer in his recent address to UN when he said:
36 “If this fixed order departs From before Me,” declares the Lord, “Then the offspring of Israel also will cease From being a nation before Me forever.”
37 Thus says the Lord, “If the heavens above can be measured And the foundations of the earth searched out below, Then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel For all that they have done,” declares the Lord.
The Muslim Brotherhood Gets a Facelift!
Corporate identity is a very important component in the survival and thriving of any organization. Advertising agencies have charged millions to create, refine and update the images of big corporations. Following many design drafts, executive meetings and focus groups, a new logo emerges and rebrands a corporation allowing it to better relate to its target audience. It is truly a great synthesis of art and science, and as a marketing strategy, it almost always results in a better exposure and a broader reach!
Occasionally, the culture grabs hold of a new image and for various reasons not always immediately clear to the public, the symbol quickly becomes popular. Within weeks and sometimes days, we see the image on posters, the Internet, T-shirts, cards, bracelets, banners, etc.
In light of all that, I noticed that the Muslim Brotherhood recently decided to rebrand itself. Clearly, they did not go on rooftops to trumpet their rebranding, yet they managed to peek the interest of many. Early adopters of the new symbol are now being joined by thousands worldwide. This “cool’ and “hip” new hand signal known as R4BIA (say: RABIA but replace the first A with the digit 4) is spreading like wildfire.
It is some sort of a salute with four fingers extended out and with the thumb folded back inside the palm. It is believed that it originated with the pro-Morsi protesters in support of deposed Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi. But it might have also originated from Turkey. Rabia means four or fourth in Arabic.
According to Ms. Dawn Perlmutter who is considered a leading expert in the areas of religious terrorism and ritualistic crimes,
” The design of the symbol has been endowed with characteristics of the sacred in Islam: the color yellow used in the background signifies the golden Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and the hand depicted in the color black denotes the black cloth that covers the Kaaba.
… Although the R4BIA symbol may have originally signified solidarity with massacred protesters, the meaning and the imagery has rapidly been radicalized to embody the primary concepts of Islamist propaganda: honor, heroism and martyrdom in the goal of establishing an Islamic caliphate. Images of the R4BIA symbol now include the fingers being depicted as rifles, the hand holding the black flag of jihad and writing on the hand calling for an Islamic Caliphate.” (as quoted by Middle East Forum).
So the R4BIA logo, which by the way is rapidly becoming a movement, is a far cry from a “hip” symbol declaring unity in protest towards freedom. As a matter of fact, if one is to visit their website, it will not take long to discover a hidden–or not so hidden agenda. It even has a song attached to it. It is important to understand that the lyrics of the song were penned by Egyptian professor and activist Sayyid Qutb, a key leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in prison from 1954 to 1966. He also published the virulently antisemitic work Our Struggle Against the Jews in 1950. To many Muslims, Qutb is the epitome of Islamic martyrdom.
If we look at the list under “What is R4BIA”?, buried in a sea of social justice clichés and tag lines are some statements that carry no ambiguity whatsoever. Here are some out of the 39 statements:
• R4BIA is the return of Muslims to world stage
• R4BIA is Egypt, Syria, Palestine and the whole geography of Islam
• R4BIA is the place of people who show the death is a revival
• R4BIA is justice for everyone against rotten Western values
• R4BIA is a pure martyrdom
• R4BIA is the end of Zionists
We ought to exercise caution when we choose to display certain symbols, colors and/or garments. After all, we might not be “what we wear”, but we are at the very least “what we declare”. In the case of R4BIA, and under a thin veneer of social justice, we declare our solidarity with the Muslim Brotherhood and their agenda. It is our responsibility to let others know about this devious rebranding of a very dangerous organization committed to the destruction of Western values and of Israel.
The Cowardice of Israel’s Enemies!
The summer of 1942 was not a good time to be a Jew in Europe, especially one without any papers. This was the case of Maurice Weinzveig, my maternal Grandfather who had been living in the small suburban town of Saint-Mandé on Paris’ East side with his wife Berthe and only daughter Evelyn (my mother). Little did he know that the road to escape the Russian Pogroms would lead to the Holocaust for him and many European Jews.
As he was hiding in the coal cellar under their apartment, his wife and daughter received an unexpected visit from two Gestapo officers looking for Maurice who had apparently been denounced by a neighbor. Berthe’s first answer was of course to deny any knowledge of her husband’s whereabouts, claiming that he had left the house and the area days ago. The two officers warned Bethe that they would return the following morning expecting Maurice to be ready to go with them or they would take her and her daughter instead.
After the Gestapo’s departure, Berthe signaled her husband to come upstairs and shared what had just taken place. Maurice’s initial reaction was indeed to leave immediately and seek a better hiding place. But he was soon made aware of the two officers’ ploy to get him. He was caught between a rock and a hard place. Should he escape and put Evelyn and Berthe at risk or should he surrender and secure their safety?
Maurice was the victim of the Gestapo officers’ cowardice who knew very well that the best way to hurt someone who could possibly sustain pain otherwise, is to hurt the one(s) they care about. Because he loved his family, he had no choice and so the next morning he was ready when they returned and left with them. That was the last time that my mother saw her father. Maurice perished in the horrors of Auschwitz.
Cowardice is often linked to hatred, it is devious and can be very devastating. It resulted in the death of my grandfather and many others and continues on its destructive path as we see it being used by Israel’s enemies on the eve of a strike against Syria by the United States and possibly some of its allies.
Israel has the right to defend itself as all sovereign nations do. Israel doesn’t seem interested in striking Syria unless in an act of retaliation. But it doesn’t matter because regardless of what Israel decides to do or not do, they are caught in the cross hairs. So for the time being, the pressure is on and Israelis are on high alert as they stand in line to receive gas masks from their government. As Israelis are minding their own business and bracing themselves for the worst, Israel’s enemies can’t find anything better than to threaten her destruction if Syria is attacked by the US. This is the epitome of cowardice! Countries are lining up to express their disdain.
• Algerian TV host Yahya Abu Zakariya said on Lebanese TV: “If Syria is attacked, we will annihilate the Zionist entity”.
• Iran said that:” “No military attack will be waged against Syria,Yet if such an incident takes place, which is impossible, the Zionist regime will be the first victim of a military attack on Syria.“
• Syrian army officials told Iranian news agency Fars on Tuesday that: “If Damascus is attacked, Tel Aviv will become a target and a full-scale war against Syria will essentially justify an attack against Israel,” then they added that “If Syria is attacked, Israel will also be set on fire and such an attack will, in turn, engage Syria’s neighbors.”
• Lebanon is sharply divided on the issue of a strike on Syria and while not threatening Israel openly, we must not forget that they are a country hosting the terrorist organization known as Hezbollah (not exactly a friend of the Jewish state).
• Egypt, currently led by an interim and fragile military government, has her hands full with their own revolution. They stated that they do not support a strike on Syria yet they do agree for punitive actions against the perpetrators of the recent internal chemical warfare. The state of affairs in the Sinai region renders the Egypt-Israel border very volatile as well, while Egypt fights Hamas in the region. And the list could go on and on and on!
So, at best, many of the countries surrounding Israel do not support a strike on Syria, but I still wonder what side they would take if push comes to shove. We have seen over the years that Islamic ideology turns out to be a common denominator that can easily create a situation where two or three arch-enemies end-up holding hands against a common enemy of them all, and it is clear that it is Israel that they hate in common.
At worst, several Middle East countries have vowed to strike back at Israel if and when the US, Great Britain and/or any other nations decide on a preemptive strike against Bashar al Assad and his government.
While I wouldn’t put it past them to even activate some sleeper cells in the respective countries that joined to strike Syria, I find it very cowardly that they would retaliate on Israel no matter what. Of course, a lot of this might just be idle threats and empty talk to intimidate the West. Let’s face it, the enemies of the Jewish state have a lot more to lose than to win from a full blown attack on Israel, so all of this might only be antisemitic rhetoric. Yet many of the countries of the Middle East are unpredictable at best and very unstable at worst, so who really knows?
So the threat is out on the table as we are again reminded that the best way to hurt someone who could possibly sustain pain otherwise, is to hurt the one(s) they care about. I have no doubt that Israel can defend herself and I have even less doubt that God is on her side. Her enemies are always looking for new reasons to destroy her and when the Syrian conflict will no longer be on the forefront of the news, the perpetual scapegoat of humanity will assuredly face another existential crisis.
On the other hand, if Israel retaliates and attacks any country of the Middle East for the wrongdoings of another one, it is not cowardice but it is as a result of these countries conspiring to destroy Israel. Their subtle and secret “covenantal” relationships renders them all guilty by association, and that is very different than hurting Israel simply because Western allies hit Syria. In the case of Israel, striking back would be a strategic necessity for survival.
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