From Israel to New York - Jews, Christians Protest Hamas Led Palestine UN Vote

From Israel to New York - Jews, Christians Protest Hamas Led Palestine UN Vote

New York --- September 20, 2011 .... Thousands of Jewish and Christian protesters are taking to the streets in Jerusalem and in New York to protest a UN vote on the creation of a Hamas led Palestine.

Just south of the UN, Rabbi Avi Weiss and 50 other demonstrators protested the PA's request to the UN for unilateral statehood. The protest was sponsored by AMCHA - Coalition for Jewish Concerns.

Six people were arrested and charged by NYPD with disorderly conduct and impeding traffic. In addition to Glenn Richter and Rabbi Avi Weiss from AMCHA, Helen Friedman (the Executive Director of AFSI Americans for a Safe Israel) and Cheryl Jacobs Lewin, (Chicago Chairperson of AFSI Americans for a Safe Israel) were arrested in order to demonstrate that they are not prepared to quietly allow the world to pressure Israel into suicidal concessions.

Rabbi Weiss told the Israel News Agency: "It cannot be that we acquiesce to uprooting Jews in order to allow for an Islamic terrorist state at our border. The events of the past several months illustrate that Israel stands alone as the only country in the region committed to guaranteeing human rights, protecting religious rights of all, human rights for women, children and valuing human life like no other country in the Middle East. We cannot allow the United Nations to be used as a forum to demonize Israel while turning a blind eye to the brutality running amuck in the region."

“Israel should not be forced to accept a two-state solution when that new state refuses to disassociate from Hamas and Iran, who make no pretense of their intention of destroying the Jewish State and no intention of accepting peace with Israel as a Jewish state. It is inconceivable that Jews be forced to leave their homes again with absolutely no realistic hope for peace. It is not hope, it is insanity.”

On Wednesday, September 21 from noon to 2 p.m. there will be a pro Israel protest outside the UN against Durban 3. Organizers suggest getting there at 11 a.m. due to large crowd anticipation. This rally will be sponsored by Eagles' Wings - Christian supporters of Israel with Israel speakers Knesset members Danny Danon, Ofir Akunis, Rinat Wilf (and others) at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, 47th St. and First Ave. in New York.

On Thursday, September 22 from noon to 2 p.m., StandWithUs (Amcha and Israel Action Committee are partnering) against Durban 3 at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, 47th Street and First Avenue in New York.

The Palestinian Authority PA will be requesting that the United Nations General Assembly and perhaps the Security Council to endorse a Palestinian state. Palestinians will march en masse inside and around Israel. And in New York, Israel's supporters will stand proud and strong as they say a resounding "no!" to a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state, and protest the UN's unceasing drive to demonize and delegitimize Israel.

Rabbi Avi Weiss, national president of Amcha-Coalition for Jewish Concerns, stated: "Those who choose will step into the street as a moral act of conscience to block traffic to the UN. We will show the world that the UN's anti-Israel 'business as usual' cannot continue. When the police order those in the street to step aside, those who choose to remain on First Avenue will be subjected to peaceful arrest. We urge all who are concerned about the security of our bothers and sisters in Israel to join us."

Weiss added: "In every generation there have been those who have risen up to overcome us. We and people of goodwill will prevail. We are here to tell the UN that if in fact they support a unilateral declaration of independence for the Palestinians which leads to anti-Israel violence, the UN will have inspired that violence, and blood will be dripping from their hands."

The September 20th action is coordinated by Amcha-Coalition for Jewish Concerns, with other groups to be listed. For information, call Amcha-CJC at 718-796-4730 or e-mail actforisrael@aol.com.

PA President Mahmoud Abbas stated that the Palestinian Authority would not recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

A UN vote for Palestinian statehood would be an egregious insult to the pursuit of peace and to the universal values of human rights. Washington should adopt the strongest position possible. The US administration should cut off the annual $470 million in U.S. aid to the Palestinians if they pursue a statehood vote. Congress should pass a bill proposed by Chairman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) of the House Foreign Affairs Committee to reduce US funding of the UN if the General Assembly gives Palestine an enhanced status.

The issue is not a vote at the UN. The issue is that of an all out PR campaign of incitement and violence coordinated by Iran, Syria, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah which will transcend into a regional war in the Middle East.

The Israel Defense Forces are preparing for mass riots as the Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command prepares bomb shelters for it's citizens.

Mark Regev, spokesman for the Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, criticized the Palestinian effort last Friday, calling it a violation of the Oslo Accords, the 1993 agreement between Israel and the PLO.

"The Palestinians made a commitment to Israel and the world, to resolve all outstanding issues through negotiations. The Palestinians are violating their signed commitments."

Regev also threatened the PA, saying that if they proceed with their UN action either with the General Assembly or the Security Council, "Israel will reserve the right to respond in kind". Several Israel lawmakers have suggested responding by annulling the accords or by annexing all or part of the entire West Bank. The West Bank, which never belonged to any entity known as Palestine, belonged to Jordan before the 1967 war.

While many protest a UN vote for a Palestine that has openly stated that it would not allow Jews inside their country, a state of Apartheid, Americans are also out in the streets protesting the arrival of Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The New York based advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran, is protesting outside the Warwick Hotel in Manhattan where Ahmadinejad is staying.

"Ahmadinejad is the leader of a criminal regime allied with al-Qaeda and other terrorists, and guilty of atrocious human rights violations," the group said in a statement. "Would the Warwick be willing to accommodate Osama bin Laden's successor Ayman al-Zawahiri were he to visit Manhattan?"

What will it take for Rabbis in the US, Europe and Canada to connect these dots. To transcend online petitions on the Internet and warn the Jewish communities of Europe and North America of a very real and very lethal war that Israel now faces. That the situation in Israel has never been more grave. That every Jewish child in North America and Europe will feel the fallout as anti-semitism reaches new highs.

A Facebook group, Vote NO to a Hamas led UN Palestine Terror State, has been established.

Ovadiah - Chapter 1

1. The vision of Obadiah; So said the Lord God concerning Edom; We have heard tidings from the Lord, and a messenger has been sent among the nations, “Arise and let us rise up against them in war!”
2. Behold I have made you small among the nations; you are very despised.
3. The wickedness of your heart enticed you, who dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high, who says to himself, “Who will bring me down to the earth?”
4. If you go up high like an eagle, and if you place your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down, says the Lord.
5. Did thieves come upon you, did plunderers of the night? How were you silent? Will they not steal till they have enough? If vintagers came upon you, would they not leave over some gleaning grapes?
6. How Esau was searched out, how his hidden things were revealed!
7. Until the border all your allies escorted you; your friends enticed you, yea prevailed against you; your food they lay as a wound under you; there is no discernment in them.
8. Shall I not in that day-says the Lord-destroy wise men from Edom and discernment from the mountain of Esau?
9. And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O dwellers of the southland, in order that every man be cut off from the mountain of Esau by slaughter.
10. Because of the violence of your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever.
11. On that day you stood from afar, on the day strangers captured his possessions, and foreigners came into his cities, and on Jerusalem they cast lots; you, too, are like one of them.
12. And you should not have looked on the day of your brother on the day of his being delivered, and you should not have rejoiced about the children of Judah on the day of their destruction, and you should not have spoken proudly on the day of distress.
13. You should not have come into the gate of My people on the day of their misfortune; you too should not have looked at their affliction on the day of their misfortune, and you should not have stretched out [your hand] upon their possessions on the day of their misfortune.
14. And you should not have stood by the gap to cut off their fugitives, neither should you have delivered their survivors on the day of distress.
15. For the day of the Lord over all the nations is close; as you have done shall be done to you; your recompense shall be returned upon your head.
16. For, as you drank on My Holy Mount, shall all the nations drink constantly, and they shall drink and be stunned, and they shall be as though they were not.
17. And on Mount Zion there shall be a remnant, and it shall be holy, and the house of Jacob shall inherit those who inherited them.
18. And the house of Jacob shall be fire and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau shall become stubble, and they shall ignite them and consume them, and the house of Esau shall have no survivors, for the Lord has spoken.
19. And [the inhabitants of] the southland shall inherit the mountain of Esau, and [the inhabitants of] the plain, the Philistines, and they shall inherit the field of Ephraim and the field of Samaria, and Benjamin [with the inhabitants of] Gilead.
20. And this exiled host of the children of Israel who are [with] the Canaanites as far as Zarephath and the exile of Jerusalem which is in Sepharad shall inherit the cities of the southland.
21. And saviors shall ascend Mt. Zion to judge the mountain of Esau, and the Lord shall have the kingdom.

Well.... I sort of have a slight advantage- I am studying to be a Rabbi.... But here are a few of the meanings of the two lines you mentioned.

Ovadiah 1 addresses what will happen to the US for their betrayal of Israel.
15 refers not to King Hussein, but to what we call the “70 Wolves” who represent the 70 nations of the world-( the result of the Tower of Bavel.) That example is also used by many of our Sages who liken the Jewish people in the Diaspora (exile) to a “solitary sheep that finds itself surrounded by 70 wolves.
” Thus, “great is the Shepherd who protects and guards His flock.”

The continued existence of the Jewish people is wholly dependent upon miraculous means —thus, the watchful eye of the “Great Shepherd.”
When the Jewish people rely upon HaShem (G-D) for protection, we are then assured of it. When we choose to rely entirely on “natural means” meaning relying upon one, or more, of the “70 wolves”( the nations), we then remove themselves from His divine protection and place ourselves at the mercy of the nations.

And this is exactly what has happened. Israel’s past few governments have been weak and corrupt. Israel is the nation that HaShem meant to be separate from all others and be lead by those who are Torah Observant. It is forbidden to give away any portion of that land- for any reason. As a result, Israel fell into a trap.

The existence of the Jewish people is not contingent on any king of flesh and blood, but wholly dependent on G-d. The ongoing existence of the Jews is said to be a “miracle clothed in the garments of nature” “great is the Shepherd” who guards us in a manner that transcends the world. And, if you were to study the history of the Jews, you will indeed find that given the amount of persecution from all of the nations over thousands of years, it is indeed miraculous that we not only survive, but thrive- regardless of our sometimes less than perfect behavior. But, HaShem knows that we will always return to Torah. It is just something that is “programed” into us.

15 speaks of HaShem coming upon the nations with great wrath and saving Israel. HaShem judges and renders punishment, as well as Blessings, by the principal of Midda Kinnegid Midda. In Hebrew, it means “Measure for Measure.”

16 is very interesting as it compares the coveting, stealing and defilement of the Temple Mount to intoxication- being drunk with lust, conquest, and greed. They covet the Shekinah’s resting place upon the earth- the holiest place on earth. Orthodox Jews will only walk upon it after immersing in a ritual mikvah, and are extremely careful where they walk - the Holy of Holies is located there. Many will not walk upon it at all. The Dome of the Rock is a defilement of HaShem, as are the actions of those who lust after it. HaShem curses them with oblivion. We also are lead to see and refer to HaShem destroying and purifying the Temple Mount for the construction of the 3rd Temple. And, at that time, those that defiled it will exist no more.

I hoped this helped.

When the Jewish people rely upon HaShem (G-D) for protection, we are then assured of it. When we choose to rely entirely on “natural means” meaning relying upon one, or more, of the “70 wolves”( the nations), we then remove themselves from His divine protection and place ourselves at the mercy of the nations.

Very true. For a while now I've been considering Ezekiel's and Jeremiah's warnings not to rely on the aid of Egypt. In the context of our current situation, that's both literally true (as we've seen with the sudden shift of Egypt from ally to adversary) and midrashicly true in Israel putting the exact same reliance on America.

And then I think of Hashem's judgments against Egypt for being a staff of reed to the house of Israel . . .

Shalom

Shalom,

You are so right. Israel was meant to be a “Nation of Priests”, to stand alone and separate from the rest of the world. We are- to be “a Light unto the Nations.” We are to live by Torah and rely on HaShem only.

“And then I think of Hashem’s judgments against Egypt for being a staff of reed to the house of Israel . . .”

I know, just imagine what HaShem judgments upon Edom will be. We are just getting a “taste” of them now.

My mind keeps turning to 2 warnings in particular:

1.) Moshe Rabbeinu’s warning us that it would be by the “work of our own hands”. And indeed it is- We have appointed/allowed evil and corrupt people to govern and lead Israel- the Erev Rav and the Amalek.

2.) The Rabbis teach us that when Paras ( Persia-Iran) got involved, that is a major sign telling us that it is coming, and very soon.

The Midrash: (Yalkut Shimoni, Yishayahu 60):

In the year when the king, Moshiach will be revealed [what will happen in the year Moshiach will be revealed], all the kings of the nations of the world are provoking each other [threats of war will be heard all over the world].

The king of Paras [the president of Iran] is provoking the Arab king [threatening the king of Saudi Arabia with war] The Arab King will turn to Edom for advice on the Iranian threats].

The king of Paras will then go and destroy the world.

And all the remaining nations of the world (in Zecharia 13, 2/3 of the world will be destroyed), will shout from terror, fall upon their faces in fear, and suffer pains as strong as labor pains. The entire world will be gripped with absoute horror and massive death.

And the Jewish people will shout from fear (they will be afraid that Iran will attack Israel) and say, “To where do we turn? To where do we run?”And He will say unto them (Hashem), my children, do not be afraid; all that I have done here, I have done only for you [everything Hashem will do is for the Jews, to destroy the reign of the wicked Edom, to eradicate evil from the world and allow the Moshiach, our righteous king to take over the kingdom]. Why do you fear? The time for your Redemption has arrived!”

Just daven, my brother, and daven hard..........

Thank you so much for sharing that Midrash, my friend. I was not aware of it previously, but it confirms something that I saw while comparing Daniel 11-12 and Ezekiel 38-39: That the war of Gog and Magog will not only be targeted at Israel (though she is of course the ultimate target), but also will be a move of the Persians against the Arabs (Sheba and Dedan) which parallels in many ways the wars between the Kings of the North and Kings of the South in Daniel 11.

If you have more midrashim regarding this subject to share, I would love to read them. I'm afraid that my own collection is somewhat lacking due to finances. I've got Neusner's translation of the Talmud and am collecting the Schottenstein edition as I work through the Daf Yomi cycle, but I don't yet have the Midrash Rabbah (everyone wants to sell me the whole set at once instead of letting me buy a volume at a time) and I've only had a few opportunities to read from my rabbi's personal library.

I know our rabbis identified Rome as Edom; are you identifying America with Edom as well?

Believe me, I am davening for Israel, but I have no fear for Israel as a whole. Hashem will punish us, but He will not let Israel be driven from the Land again. It is the individuals within Israel that I pray will be spared.

Shalom

Shalom. And you're welcome. I am very glad to share. This subject has me thoroughly immersed, and always intriqued. The Persians want rule over all of Islam. That is why the Saudis and others are so worried. But true to the nature of the Yishmaelim, they will fight against each other. It is written that HaShem will cause confusion and maddness among them, and cause each other to die. I know what you mean about the books. They are indeed a small fortune. ArtScroll often runs sales and specials on many good works. You might want to see what they are offering. I have picked up some very good buys from them: http://www.artscroll.com/index.html?gclid=CJmx15PcsasCFULf4AodfXkvjg "I know our rabbis identified Rome as Edom; are you identifying America with Edom as well?" Absolutely. Consider that the US population is primarily European, which we know are the descendants of Essav, and thus, part of Edom by culture and lineage. But here is what most do not realize, and it's a biggie : Rome, Maryland, was the original name of a community within Prince George's County, Maryland. It eventually became Washington, District of Columbia. Rome was the original community name of Capitol Hill. When we consider that the many on-going influences of ancient Rome's culture that nested deeply within Europe, became part of the fabric of the US, and thus, ALL of her major cities; we then come to understand the prophecy in the Zohar, which we now know was the 9-11 prophecy: Zohar III Balak 212b: The 9-11 Prophecy:   "I will show you, but not for now, for these things will only come to be at that time, some after time and some in the days of Moshiach. "A star has gone forth from Yaakov..." (Numbers 24:17). This teaches us that in the future, The Holy One, Blessed is He, will build Jerusalem and one star will spark within 70 pillars of fire and 70 sparks will receive light from it in the middle of the sky. The other 70 stars will be swallowed within it. It will give off light and blaze for 70 days.   At the end of the sixth day it will become visible at the beginning of the 25th day of the sixth month. It will be gathered in at the end of 70 complete days and be visible in the city of Rome, and on that day, 3 great towers will fall, a great hall will fall, and the power of that city will die." Here is the   translation: "These towers are located in a city, in a predominantly xtian country. The collapse of the tall towers will be accompanied by a thunder-like sound and tremendeous fire. The fall will be so massive and it will darken the entire area before noon, and daytime will be transformed into night and nothing will be visible. The loss of life will be enormous and people from all walks of life will perish. People will believe that they will never survive the imminent disasters." "Believe me, I am davening for Israel, but I have no fear for Israel as a whole. Hashem will punish us, but He will not let Israel be driven from the Land again. It is the individuals within Israel that I pray will be spared." I agree with you. I have members from both sides of my family there. Many are in the IDF, and I am very concerned for them and all of our people. But when I get upset, I remember this: Israel will continue, and thrive, long after all others are in the dust. HaShem has never broken HIS word and promise to the Jewish people- not once. Nor has HE ever stopped creating miracles to save us. He still does to this very day. HaShem told us that his Sacred Covenant with us was FOREVER. Never to be rescinded-even when we misbehave. The Jewish people are HIS Chosen ones. We accepted the yoke of Torah. Na'aseh Venishma - We will do and we will listen. HaShem gave the Jewish people a sacred "job": Tikkun Olam, and that sets us apart from all others. Our survival and thriving existence, against incredible odds, is proof of all of this, in itself. It is good to remember this when things happen. Shalom

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