Blog/November 2008/Nov 14th

November 7th (See this week's devar torah)
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Hi again!

Well, it's a black day for America. (I've been waiting all week to say that - if you're offended, tough). Obama's supporters pulled it off after all.

It is my fondest wish that my numerous concerns about the new president-elect of the US, Barack Hussein Obama II, be nothing more than the fevered imaginings of my paranoid mind. Unfortunately, given the facts, I fear that this presidency will be bad for America -- and disastrous for the Jews of America (and not so great for us Israelis either).

A man who surrounds himself with anti-Israel (and anti-Semitic) advisors, who associated for the past 20 years with an anti-American (and -Semitic) "church"; whose plan for revitalizing the greatest economy on earth is to steal from the rich and give to the poor, and whose election Hamas supports -- no, I'm afraid the portents are worrying. However, America has elected her next leader. Let us pray he is not as dangerous as I fear. Maybe it's not so bad, but who knows?

And what better time than this week, parashat Lech Lecha, to encourage my fellow Jews in the American diaspora to think seriously about making aliyah? If you come here, your vote will actually mean something, and you'll have a chance to live a Jewish life in the Jewish Land -- instead of praying the surrounding Gentiles continue to let you live in peace. I'm afraid the "golden era" of Jewish life in America is coming to an end.

Regarding the vote here: it's a bit overwhelming. No "two party" system for us! We've got dozens of parties, with a bewildering array of platforms. Just here in the local municipal elections in Maale Adummim we have seven "lists" (not parties, but lists) running for the city council. Three are overtly religious lists, one is the current mayor's list, one is the Russian's list... it's a bit difficult to sort them out.

But to help the people sort things out, the local paper publishes the lists' positions, as well as the details of who is on the lists. When I say "details", I mean name, address and year of birth! Now that is democracy -- can you imagine an American election where the addresses and ages of the candidates are made easily public? But here, we get full disclosure -- at least of this information. Noone from my street is running on any of the lists.

Just for your edification, the lists are (as listed in the paper):

1. "Atid" (future), led by Yisrael Betsalel (1982)
2. "Kulanu Bema`aleh" (we're all in Ma`ale), Nuriel Getz (1960)
3. "Ma`ale beiteinu" (our home is Ma`ale), Boris Grossman (1954)
4. "Kachol Lavan" (blue and white), Benny Kashriel (the current mayor) (1951)
5. "Tova Ha'arets" (the Land is good), Gidon Ariel (1963)
6. "Tsedek Hevrati" (social justice), Avraham RaHamim (1959)
7. "BeyaHad" (together), Rafael Ben Hur (1951)

Not only do we have the local elections this coming week, but since the national government has collapsed we'll have national elections in January or February (but who's running? not the current criminal I hope, but we'll find out...). And there is a new religious/right party just formed, which coalesces four existing parties into one -- and everyone in the country who is not currently a member of some other party, can vote in the primaries for the leadership of that party. So we have up to three elections in as many months to look forward to. Let us hope and pray that we elect a national leadership which can withstand the overwhelming pressure the Americans will now bring to bear to divide Jerusalem and reward those recalcitrant savages, the Fakestinians, who just this week in celebration of the election results in America, sent over 50 missiles from Gaza to the surrounding Israeli areas.

To end on a lighter note, all those of you who insist that women are cleaner than men (you know who you are!) should note that research has found that women have considerably more bacteria on their hands than men do...

Until next week,
Shabbat shalom!

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