The Mayor of Jerusalem aka Batman

This is the Nir Barkat, the mayor of Jerusalem, (aka known as Batman) walking around the city near Shuafat (an Arab area).

I admit I am jealous. Toronto never has cool mayors. Can you  picture David Miller or John Tory like this? Concerned citizens would have to take away their gun before they hurt themselves with it. Admit it, Rob Ford doing this, would so not be cool. There is nothing cool about an alleged crackie with a gun walking around the city streets. Although, it might finally make a dent in the Police Budget...

It is not a Jew thing either because there is no way Mel Lastman could pull this off. I once met Mel Lastman in the Eaton Centre. He wished me a Chag Sameach, which was kind of awkward, since we were both inside a mall on a Yom Tov, but he is just too tiny.  I felt like a giant standing beside him and I have not cracked 5'4" since I gave up dancing on pointe. Besides, the sneakers, t-shirt and jeans are an incredible hard look to pull off over 50, and still look cool, rather than faded.

I swear its a Sabra thing.

H/T: Rafi

Driving While Jewish

Netanyahu’s 44 seconds of silence at UN are being widely mocked — ‘pathetic,’ ‘creepy’ –

So says the notorious hate site Mondoweis. I won’t link but you can google it.

It’s funny about 44 seconds.  Lots of things can happen in 44 seconds –inevitable hatreds can rise, life altering events can all conspire to happen in a brief 44 second pause.

It can be a pause for emphasis in a speech by the Israeli Prime Minister at chastising the UN body for its “utter silence, deafening silence” when Jewish Israelis are threatened.

Photo: Haztola

Or it can be the time it takes Palestinian gunmen to murder 2 Jewish parents in their car - in front of their children. It is only a miracle that their children ages 9, 7, 4, and 4 months survived the attack.

Baruch dayan emet.

Since Abbas gave notice he was repudiating the Oslo Accords; does this mean we can move in now?

As per Mahmoud Abbas’ characterization of Palestinians and their culture of peace and coexistence, I thought it would be instructive to detail what the last 7 months looks like living beside a people who have a culture of peace since so many ‘peaceful incidents’ never make the international papers.  

The Israeli Shabak (internal security) or as it is known by its acronym (the Shin Bet) just happens to carries a monthly summary of all attacks.

January2015

 Following is a regional distribution of attacks:  0 attack from the Gaza Strip, (2 in December); 105 attacks in the Judea and Samaria (133 in December); 18 attacks in Jerusalem (26 in December); Green Line: 1 attack. 
Jerusalem and the Judea and Samaria area: Most attacks executed in January 102 out of 123 were in the form of firebombs (December: 127 out of 159). 
 Distribution of attacks according to regions and pattern profile: 
Following is a distribution of attacks in January 2015 according to regions:
The Gaza Strip – 0 attack. 
Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem – 123 attacks: 17 IED (including pipe bombs and improvised grenade); 3 small arms shooting; 1 stabbing attacks (in Jerusalem); 102 firebombs (17 in Jerusalem).
 The Green Line – 1 attack: stabbing (in Tel Aviv).

February2015

Following is a regional distribution of attacks:  0 attack from the Gaza Strip, (as in January); 84 attacks in the Judea and Samaria (105 in January); 12 attacks in Jerusalem (18 in January).

Jerusalem and the Judea and Samaria area: Most attacks executed in February 76 out of 96 were in the form of firebombs (January: 102 out of 123). 

Following is a distribution of attacks in February 2015 according to regions:

The Gaza Strip – 0 attack.

Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem – 96 attacks: 15 IED (including pipe bombs and improvised grenade); 4 small arms shooting; 1 stabbing attacks (in Jerusalem); 76 firebombs (11 in Jerusalem).

March2015

Following is a regional distribution of attacks:  0 attack from the Gaza Strip, (as in February); 58 attacks in the Judea and Samaria (84 in February); 31 attacks in Jerusalem (12 in February).
Jerusalem and the Judea and Samaria area: Most attacks executed in February 78 out of 89 were in the form of firebombs (February: 76 out of 96). 
Following is a distribution of attacks in March 2015 according to regions:
The Gaza Strip – 0 attack.
 Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem – 89 attacks: 8 IED (including pipe bombs and improvised grenade); 2 small arms shooting; 1 stabbing attack (in Jerusalem); 78 firebombs (30 in Jerusalem).  

April 2015

An Israeli civilian was killed and another seriously injured in a vehicle attack at Jerusalem's French Hill on 15 April. Eight members of the security forces were injured in several stabbings and vehicle attacks. Four police officers were injured (two moderately and the other two slightly) in a vehicle attack near A-Tor in Jerusalem on 25 April. Three IDF soldiers and a border police officer were injured in stabbings: one IDF soldier was slightly wounded at the Trans-Samaria Checkpoint on 2 April; two soldiers were injured (one seriously and the other slightly) at Sinjil Checkpoint near Ramallah on 8 April; and a border police officer was moderately injured near the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron on 25 April.

Following is a regional distribution of attacks:  1 attack from the Gaza Strip, (0 in March); 82 attacks in the Judea and Samaria (58 in March); 38 attacks in Jerusalem (31 in March).

 Jerusalem and the Judea and Samaria area: Most attacks executed in February 108 out of 120 were in the form of firebombs (March: 78 out of 89). 

 The Gaza Strip – 1 attack: rocket launching.

 Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem – 120 attacks: 7 IED (including pipe bombs and improvised grenade); 2 run-over (in Jerusalem); 2 stabbing; 108 firebombs (36 in Jerusalem).

Throughout April 2015 one rocket was launched** from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, while in March no rockets or mortar shells were launched from Gaza Strip or Sinai towards Israel.

  

May2015

9 Israeli citizens (6 civilians and 3 members of the security forces) were injured in terrorist attacks in May. 6 of them suffered injuries in vehicle attacks, and 3 were stabbed in Judea and Jerusalem.

Vehicle attacks: one police officer was slightly injured in Hebron on 9 May; 3 civilians were injured (one moderately and 2 slightly) at Alon Shvut Junction on 14 May; and 2 police officers were slightly injured in Abu Tor, Jerusalem on 20 May.

Stabbings: one civilian was slightly injured in Mishor Adumim on 11 May, and 2 civilians were slightly injured at Jerusalem's Damascus Gate on 24 May.

Following is a regional distribution of attacks:  1 attack from the Gaza Strip, (as in April); 91 attacks in the Judea and Samaria (82 in April); 60 attacks in Jerusalem (38 in April).

Jerusalem and the Judea and Samaria area: Most attacks executed in February 129 out of 151 were in the form of firebombs (April: 108 out of 120). 

 Distribution of attacks according to regions and pattern profile:

The Gaza Strip – 1 attack: rocket launching. 

Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem – 151 attacks: 2 run-over (1 in Jerusalem); 2 stabbing (1 in Jerusalem); 2 small arms shooting; 16 IED (including pipe bombs and improvised grenade);  129 firebombs (58 in Jerusalem).

 High-trajectory launchings from Gaza Strip and Sinai

 Throughout May 2015 one rocket was launched** from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, as in April.**Clarification: The number of launchings is the number of rockets/mortar shells actually launched during one high-trajectory fire attack. For example: one attack may include a salvo of three launchings, that is, three rockets/ mortar shells, and so it will be counted as one attack and three launchings.

June 2015

Two Israeli citizens were killed in shootings in Judea and Samaria: one near Dir Abzia on 19 June, and the other near Kida on 29 June.Eight Israelis (5 civilians and 3 members of the security forces) were injured in terrorist attacks in June. 4 civilians were wounded in the abovementioned lethal shootings (one on 19 June and 3 on 29 June). Two IDF soldiers were stabbed: one was critically wounded at Jerusalem's Damascus Gate on 21 June, and another was moderately injured at Rachel's Crossing checkpoint near Bethlehem on 29 June. A civilian and a police officer were injured by firebombs: one near Shuafat refugee camp on 13 June, and the other near Hizma on 21 June.

Data regarding terror attacks in June 2015

Following is a regional distribution of attacks:  3 attack from the Gaza Strip, (1 in May); 69 attacks in the Judea and Samaria (91 in May); 51 attacks in Jerusalem (60 in May). 

Jerusalem and the Judea and Samaria area: Most attacks executed in June 98 out of 120 were in the form of firebombs (May: 129 out of 151).   

Distribution of attacks according to regions and pattern profile:

 The Gaza Strip – 3 attacks: rocket launching.

 Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem – 120 attacks: 2 stabbing (1 in Jerusalem); 4 small arms shooting; 16 IED (including pipe bombs and improvised grenade);  98 firebombs (50 in Jerusalem).

  High-trajectory launchings from Gaza Strip and Sinai

 Throughout June 2015 three rockets were launched** from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, compared to one rocket in May.

July 2015

Following is a regional distribution of attacks:  1 attack from the Gaza Strip, (3 in June); 63 attacks in the Judea and Samaria (69 in June); 42 attacks in Jerusalem (51 in June); 1 attack from Sinai. 

Jerusalem and the Judea and Samaria area: Most attacks executed in July 90 out of 105 were in the form of firebombs (June: 98 out of 120). 

 Distribution of attacks according to regions and pattern profile:

 The Gaza Strip – 1 attack: rockets launching.

 Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem – 105 attacks: 1 stabbing; 2 small arms shooting; 12 IED (including pipe bombs and improvised grenade);  90 firebombs (50 in Jerusalem).

 Sinai – 1 attack: rockets launching.

 High-trajectory launchings from Gaza Strip and Sinai 

 August 2015

5 Israeli citizens were slightly injured in stabbings. One civilian and one member of the security forces were stabbed on Route 443 on 9 and 15 August, respectively. Two members of the security forces were stabbed in Samaria on 15 and 17 August, and another officer was stabbed at Jerusalem's Lions' Gate on 26 August.

Three soldiers were injured (two seriously and one slightly) in a vehicle attack near Sinjil, Ramallah on 6 August. Another soldier was moderately injured by a pipe bomb thrown at an IDF post in Beit Jala on 19 August.

One civilian was slightly injured by gunfire at a passing vehicle near Kedumim on 30 August. Two other civilians were moderately and slightly injured by a Molotov cocktail thrown at a vehicle near Beit Hanina, north of Jerusalem, on 3 August.

 Data regarding terror attacks in August 2015

Following is a regional distribution of attacks:  3 attack from the Gaza Strip, (1 in July); 117 attacks in the Judea and Samaria (63 in July); 51 attacks in Jerusalem (42 in July).

 Jerusalem and the Judea and Samaria area: Most attacks executed in August 136 out of 168 were in the form of firebombs (July: 90 out of 105). 

Distribution of attacks according to regions and pattern profile:

 The Gaza Strip – 3 attack: rockets launching.

 Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem – 117 attacks:  5 stabbing; 1 vehicular run-over attack; 4 small arms shooting; 22 IED (including pipe bombs and improvised grenade);  136 firebombs (50 in Jerusalem).

High-trajectory launchings from Gaza Strip and Sinai

Throughout August 2015 3 rockets were launched** from the Gaza Strip towards Israel as opposed to July: 2 rockets one from the Gaza Strip and one from Sinai.

I would be remiss if I did not draw special attention to the July figures; 12 IED/Pipe Bomb attacks and 90 firebomb attacks. In the interest of ‘fairness’ there was 1 arson/ firebomb attack allegedly committed by unknown person(s) of Israelis.  Still, 90:1 is still quite a ratio of restraint.  Although, I am not sure how much peace the Israeli public can stand.

Lies, Stoners, and bombshells

The President for Life, Liar-in-Chief of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas addressed the United Nations today.  All week it was rumoured to be a ‘bombshell’ of a speech.  I was kind of holding out something like this -

"We, the Palestinian people living between the Mediterranian Sea and the Jordan River acknowledge the existence of a Jewish State and its historic right to live in peace on all of the land defined by the Palestinian Mandate. We abandon all claims to statehood, relinquish all rights of return, and join the ranks of our fellow Arabs who are already citizens of Israel and living under the full and equal protections of Israel's 1948 Declaration of Establishment.".

Instead, it went on like this and I quote just a small  part so you can get the flavour of it.

We do not respond to the Israeli occupation’s hatred and brutality with the same. Instead, we are working on spreading the culture of peace and coexistence between our people and in our region, and we are anxious to realize it and to witness the day when all of the people in our region will enjoy peace, security, stability and prosperity. This cannot be achieved with the continuation of the occupation, settlement colonization, the wall, the burning of people, places of worship and homes, the killing youth, children and infants, the burning of crops, and the arrest and detention of people without charge or trial.

So I, the Filthy Footed Jew, would just like to point out in the last week.

Rocket attacks over Ashdod.

A Christian church is set on fire in Bethlehem, and the Palestinian Authority yawns as no Jews could be blamed. 

A Japanese tourist gets stoned by Palestinians in Hebron.

A taxi carrying tourists  to the Mount of Olives comes under rock attack by 11 year old Palestinian.  Police are apparently looking for his parents.

A 40 year old Polish tourist is raped  by six 12-14 year olds Palestinians.  The ‘youths’ kept pictures of her on their phones.  Who knows where their parents were...Now those were just the tourists.Death by stoning, and kicking Jewish babies in strollers is the latest past time for Palestinian ‘youths’...

  

And then then there are more traditional Palestinian pursuits.   The little boy is absolutely terrified and is screaming ‘Abba’...it’s probably just me, but I am taking a pass on the Palestinian version of the piece-ful co-existence thingy. 

Dear Beloved Tribe

Can we just stop now? 

If you need an Rabbinical authority to end it; why not accept the authority of the Rambam and Rabbi Yosef Caro?

Not only is it very pagan-lite, but it is conduct unbecoming a Jew.

We will never have sovereignty over our holiest of holies, as long as you continue to practice this ritual.  

A Human Smuggler by night...and a grieving father by day.

 This comes from The Australian:

Ms Abbas also lost two children when the boat capsized shortly after leaving Bodrum for the Greek islands. After the tragedy, Mr Kurdi told the media he took over steering the boat after the captain panicked and jumped ship. But Ms Abbas said Mr Kurdi was the driver of the boat, and the man she paid to book her passage told her it would be safe because the driver was taking his wife and two children. “When I lost my kids, I lost my life, how can he lie to the media?” her cousin Ms Tahseen said, translating for Ms Abbas. “He said, ‘Please don’t dob me in.’ That was in the water.”

Ms Abbas said Mr Kurdi was speeding in the overcrowded boat, which did not have enough life jackets.  She said her husband told him to be careful just before the boat capsized, reportedly killing at least 12 people. Ms Abbas is now in Iraq and her family has called on the federal government to include them in the 12,000 refugees Australia has pledged to take in.

I have no idea how true this claim is, but it does seem like a rather reputable newspaper - as far as one can be selling 'news'. It would certainly solve the mystery of 'why' a grieving father returned to the allegedly 'war-torn' city he was fleeing for his and his family's life from.

It would be nice if our own newspapers would do a little digging before publicizing anything....how many of these human smugglers refugees has the NDP committed to bringing into Canada before the end of December? 10,000 was it?

10,000 to 25,000 Refugees to Canada by January 1, 2016

No one does refugee quite the Palestinians and their sense of entitlement, has now become the default position for the world refugees. No longer does security of person, shelter and a hot meal satisfy. Now they demand the right to pick and choose where they will claim refugee status.   It boggles my mind.  

This week the world's press found a poster child representing these new world refugees when a little boy met a very tragic end on a beach but he didn't die because his family had no safe harbour from the scourge of war. He did not die because affluent countries had immigration and refugee laws. He simply died because his parents had an exaggerated sense of entitlement and thought they could risk all by gaming the system in their favour by feeding the innate greed and criminality of human smugglers.

In Canada, the debate has everyone and their Grandmother invoking the rejection of Jewish refugees from WWII, and point to Canadian response to the Vietnamese Boat people as our guiding light to deal with the Syrian refugee crisis.  Oddly enough, I cannot find a time when Jewish refugees or the Vietnamese Boat people said, ‘No to France, but yes to England, No to Serbia but yes to Germany’ and so on.  Perhaps they did, I am just too ignorant.

During the 1979 Vietnamese Boat People crisis, Canada successfully settled close to 50,000 people but the Canadian government did not do it alone by any means. Canadian families and churches were at the forefront for sponsoring the Vietnamese refugees.  The economy was in far better shape at the time and we possessed a strong manufacturing base which could easily provide employment to those with little skill level, education or language issues.  But we do have to take into account the nature of the Vietnamese who settled so successfully in Canada and give them due credit. Basic English and French language skills were common among them, a large number were Christians or familiar enough with western culture which helped them integrate into the larger Canadian community.  I cannot recall any sense of entitlement from the Vietnamese boat people, and remember only the deep heartfelt gratitude for any opportunity which was extended to them.

I have been following the European refugee crisis unfold for months. I am struck by the overwhelming numbers of relatively young and able bodied men.  I am not suggesting there are no women, children or elderly, but I would expect to see women, children and the elderly represent 60% of the refugees rather than 15-20% mix. I suppose this means; ideas like protecting or fighting for one’s family, home or country are hopelessly old-fashioned and passé.

We have the opposition leaders on the campaign trail, demanding the country absorb huge numbers of Syrian refugees, Thomas Mulcair leader of the New Democratic Party insists we can settle 10,000 Syrians in Canada by the end of the year. Liberal leader Justin “Just Not Ready’ Trudeau insists we can easily assimilate 25,000 by January 1, 2016. No one has a plan but they do have tear ridden heart- felt pleas to do better than Conservative party leader, Prime Minister Harper has.  Of course, where are we going to house 10-25,000 refugees, is anyone's guess. I expect this will be the new norm. 

So let’s talk about Canada in 2015, our manufacturing base is in ruins, unemployment remains high across the country.  Our tax base is high; the purchasing power of our dollar is low. We have very little employment opportunities for those with poor education, language or employment skills. Our IT, customer service and banking class has more or less been outsourced to the third world.   We should be thinking seriously about the kind of Syrian refugees we will accept in our country, but this is the debate no one wants to discuss...because we are Canadian, and consequently,  far too polite in public to have an open and honest debate.  Instead, the Canadian public will collective stick our heads up our collective arses and cling to the irrational belief that any refugee from any culture, is not only deserving of an opportunity to come to Canada but can assimilate successfully into Canadian mainstream society because the Globe and Mail and The Toronto Star has said so.

The International Business Times ran an article showing the plight of one Syrian refugee who made it to Germany and tells his tale. (Monther (left) discusses his flight from Syria with the exiled Syrian Journalist Yahya Al Aous at the refugee registration center in Berlin.  Photo: Benjamin Hiller)

Monther recalls the moment he decided to leave Syria with perfect clarity. The Syrian shop owner, who declined to provide his full name, citing threats to his security, was driving home with his sisters from the eastern city of Deir ez-Zor -- a stronghold of the Islamic State group, commonly called ISIS -- when members of the militant group stopped his car. The militants accused his sisters of flouting the group’s strict dress code for women. Monther spoke out. “This is not how women should be treated in Islam,” he told the men. He paid for his outburst with a public beating, receiving a sentence of 50 lashes. Monther had already seen the Syrian war claim his livelihood when a bomb dropped by Syrian regime forces blasted his mobile telephone shop to rubble last fall. Six months on, his life -- and the lives of his family -- were threatened too. This has become the stark reality for many Syrians, who live in fear of the regime’s aerial attacks even as they face the onslaught of ISIS. With such odds, 4 million Syrians have fled the country since the uprisings began four years ago.
...
When Monther receives asylum status, he will be able to join his brother in Alpen, a quiet town 370 miles west of Berlin. He won’t have to worry about evening airstrikes or kidnapping by the Islamic State group -- but he won’t go to sleep without thinking of those left behind: his sisters who could not face the journey through ISIS-held areas; his wife, heavily pregnant with their third child, who thought the trip too risky.

This man knows exactly how ISIS operates, he's allegedly paid the price for speaking up about the horrendous treatment meted out to women in ISIS held territory, but he leaves his two sisters and pregnant wife (with two small children) behind while he saves himself.  But no reporter asks the obvious - like how are those women to feed themselves or scrabble out a living when they cannot even leave the house without the presence of a male relative?  Monther's narrative isn't singular, there are plenty more refugees just like him. 

But bring on the refugees, cause truly, how can this not be a win-win feeling for all Canadians?