Murder and hatred is still here in America too. A man walked into the offices of Seattle’s Jewish Federation and openned fire, killing one and severly injuring at least two. What a nightmere. Read the details here.
What a world.
May peace, healing and security spread throughout the world.
With thanks to Le Lezard, I have found more Lebanese blogs and linked them in a category “Lebanese Blogs”. In a comment to an earlier post, Le Lezard introduced the list by saying
there’s a wide diversity of bloggers opinions, some are a shame, some are great.
Join me in reading and learning.
May the Holy One bring peace and safety to everyone soon.
David Lisboa has an interesting blog on the war – Israel-Hezbollah Blog, writing from Haifa. He posts include numbers of katushas fallen and deep, critical analysis of the situation, reality and getting out of this mess.
Yesterday, a post titled The Accidental War concluded with these words,
What is needed now is a way for both sides to climb down. Israel must get its soldiers back, Hizbullah’s departure from the border area and an undertaking that Hizbullah will not attack again. The Lebanese army or a neutral force should then man the border. Hizbullah needs to be given a way to consent to these changes without losing face. Squaring this will take time, ingenuity and the full engagement of the United States. It will not bring peace to the Middle East but it might silence a dangerous new front. America should start its work at once.
Read, comment and discuss.
May the Holy One bring all – Jew, Muslim, Christian, Druze – to peace and safety.
[Hat tip to Israelity.]
The Jerusalem Post writes that
Lebanese children and adults wounded in the Hizbullah-Israeli crossfire in Lebanon have been invited to receive free treatment at Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer. The cost will be paid by Jewish and non-Jewish donors in Israel and abroad, hospital director-general Prof. Zev Rothstein said on Sunday.
“We are not to blame for this war. We don’t ask who is to blame,” said Rothstein. “We have an open Jewish heart. Our aim is to save lives and reduce misery. We don’t hate like the terrorists,” he added.
Free medical care to those who need it, regardless of race, religion, nationality or ethnicity. This is a high expression of Jewish values.
What is the reaction of an average Israeli to what is happnening in Israel? Take a look at a video posted on Current for an answer and for the recording of an experience you won’t soon forget. The piece is called “Dodging Katyushas” Thanks to If You Will it for the original link.
May peace, security and saftey come soon,
With prayers for all terrorized
Lisa of On the Face links to some Lebanese bloggers in her post “The Most Blogged War?”
Some of the blogs mentioned are:
Lebanese Bloggers Forum Lebanese Political Journal
Read the lengthy back and forth in Hebrew and Arabic called Hello Lebanon, Hello Isarel.
Eyal Niv writes in Haaretz about conversations he had with some Lebanese over coffee.Please suggest some more.
Hakol b’moado – everything in its time.
I’m finally feeling ready to blog a bit on this current war. I am saddned in so many ways – that Hizbollah/Iran decided to attack Israel, killing & capturing soldiers and instigating a war – that so many people are being hurt on both sides and that the effects continue to ripple outward. People are spending time in bunkers, away from their schools, jobs and projects, friends and (for many) the little things that make life enjoyable.
I’ve been reading, following and learning about this war mostly on the internet and largely through blogs. Blogs seem to be a factor for many following this war – their authors are on CNN, MSNBC, Fox and the BBC (just to name some). Haaretz has an entire article on blogging the war.
Thanks to Israellycool, An Unsealed Room, On the Face, and a new blog, Live from an Israeli Bunker.
Many have been talking about the Lebanese bloggers. I look forward to reading some of their blogs. I’m open and looking for suggestions.
Well, time to get back to work.
Oy. More soldiers killed and captured. More families in pain, worry and heartache. My prayers go to the Holy One for the soldiers killed & captured, their families and for the soldiers who are looking for them.
One excellent way to stay connected to what is happening is to read Aussie Dave’s blog, Israellycool, updated every few minutes and with many important links. Read today’s post or the entire blog.
Sent with prayers, hope and care/concern for the family of Israel.
Today I found an additional web source for translation of Tanakh, Jewish Bible. This one is a translation of Torah and N’viim (no Ketuvim [wriitngs] yet) titled The Living Torah and is trasnlated by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, published by Moznaim publishers – thanks, Wikipedia! (You can also find a link in the Jewish text links on the right.)
Happy studying!
David Brinn, editor of Israel21c, posted moving and heartfelt words about Israel’s captured & missing soldier, Cpl. Gilad Shalit. I share some of the beginning paragraphs here in hopes that you will read it, go to his site and read the rest. May the words within it reach your heart and soul.
“Parents attending last week’s 6th grade graduation ceremony at the Tali Gimmel School in Ma’aleh Adumim might have been misty-eyed at the site of their ‘babies’ moving on to junior high.
But that wasn’t the reason I had tears in my eyes. It wasn’t just the usual sentimentality of watching your children grow up. What got to me was looking out at my 12-year-old son Koby and the 70 other graduates and seeing 70 young versions of Gilad Shalit standing in front of me.
Last week’s capture of Cpl. Shalit by Hamas members and the resultant effect on Israeli society had an eerie sense of familiarity about it – perhaps because it’s a situation that’s been repeated so many times since I’ve lived here.
A soldier is apprehended by terrorists and the people undergo an immediate transformation – from an argumentative, splintered bunch of subcultures into one big, concerned family.
Everybody can identify with the Shalit family as they wait to hear word of their son’s fate, because we’ve all either been in the army, or have parents, children or neighbors serving.
There’s no distance whatsoever when you see Shalit’s photo flashed on the TV screen or in the newspapers, or that of his father stoically standing outside the family home in the Galilee. That’s our son being held, that’s us being interviewed – because it could happen to any of us.
Looking out at the sparkling group of boys and girls (children, really, with barely even a glint of teen maturity in them), I was struck by the thought that in six short years, they would be Gilad Shalit, wearing uniforms, carrying weapons, and defending their country.
Imagine the transformation they would be going through in these next six years to turn them into soldiers, I thought. Or maybe not. Perhaps Gilad Shalit, held today in captivity with his condition and fate cloudy, has a lot more in common with the 12-year-olds who were dancing and singing on the basketball court of the schoolyard than is apparent. When did he stop playing with Pokemon cards, or action figures? Maybe five years ago? Maybe less.
Even though Shalit’s capture was noted by some of the school speakers at the ceremony – temporarily creating a somber feeling – the overall atmosphere was one of celebration and joy. Despite Shalit undoubtdedly being on the mind of every parent, the prevalent but unspoken message reflected in the upbeat ceremony and student-performed entertainment was ‘our lives are going to carry on no matter what they try to do to us.’…”
[Hat tip to Allison Kaplan Sommer]