Chanukah Music~The Maccabeats

Here is an upbeat song for Chanukah. These young kids can sing!

Tradgedy~Deputy Commander Ahuva Tomer Dies

Reprinted from frumlife.   Deputy Commander Ahuva Tomer, the highest ranking woman officer in the Israel Police  Force, died on Monday after succumbing to critical injuries sustained in the Carmel fire. She was driving to assist the bus carrying 40 Prison Service cadets that was trapped (and subsequently burned). She herself was trapped and suffered burns throughout her body. Deputy Commander Tomer was initially taken to Carmel Hospital in Haifa, where a team of 20 doctors worked to revive her--finally succeeding in restoring a pulse--"against all odds," in their words. She was then transferred to Rambam Hospital for continued treatment.

Deputy Commander Tomer was one of the best-known, highest-ranking officers in the northern region.

She made history in 1997 when she was appointed Police Commander in Nahariya, and again in 2009 when she was appointed Commander of the lsraels largest  station in Haifa. Well respected by all, she had achieved what no other woman before her had. Commander Tomer did this by hard work and dedication, never using her gender to gain advantage.

The picture on the left shows the bus, with her white care (left of bus) as the flames engulf them.

The below video was made as Deputy Commander Tomer completed and interview. She is shown (2:56) in her car before she drove into the flames in an attempt to help the trapped cadets on the bus. "Baruch dayan ha'emet"

Commander Ahuva Tomer Driving into the Blaze (0:30)

Chanukah with Neil Diamond

Now that the fire in Haifa is under control we can get back to Chanukah! We will be posting some interesting details about the "Festival of Lights" but for now, enjoy this fun song by Neil Diamond and find out who is Jewish--you may be surprised!

Pray for Israel~The Disaster Continues

Fleeing the Bus Shot thru Back Window by R. Sofer

This information is taken from several blogs and news reports. The first story is from a blog called Shearim. This link is to an Israeli newscast that followed Israeli photographer Roni Sofer back to the location where he observed the burning bus and in fact saved three of the people from the burning wreck. He is an expert photographer and wanted to get pictures of the disaster. He describes the road as they drive down is saying that very quickly there were "walls of fire".  He soon realized he must make a quick escape and turned around to drive to safety. There were two other cars and the bus full of prison guards coming and he warned them to make a run for it. The two cars turned around (Note: the driver of one of the cars--from Tiberias--is still missing). The bus, unable to turn around was already on fire and Roni saw three people--a woman and two men--running towards him asking for help. The video shows the pictures he was able to snap of them running from the bus through his rear window. They escaped to safety, but the guards and Haifa police commander, Ahuva Tomer, who was in one of the cars did not. Ahuva Tomer is now in critical condition burned over 60% of her body and fighting for her life.

American 747 Supertanker

The American 'Evergreen 747 Super Tanker is now over Carmel joining fighters from many nations in the fight to control the massive fire that is still burning.

Meanwhile the crew of an air force plane fighting the fires spotted two men in a pickup truck trying to start a fire near one of the areas where a part of the blaze had recently been put out. The air force crew contacted police on the ground with the location of the truck and minutes later police arrived on the scene and arrested the suspects. In the last days arabs around the country have been starting fires to disrupt the efforts in Carmel. Hezbollah is celebrating the lost of life and forest in Northern Israel. “The great Carmel fire has embarrassed Israel's firefighting capabilities and proved its almost complete incompetence,” crowed the Hezbollah-linked Al-Manar TV news network. The arab press is  claiming that Ithis shows Israel is weak and no longer able to defend itself because we had to ask for help--and the dancing in the streets continues.

PA Firefighters Arriving to Help Israel

On the positive side, twenty-one Palestinian Firefighters have entered Israel through the Salem crossing accompanied by Administration Personnel. According to Ayash, the Palestinian people viewed the disaster with a great deal of sorrow.  He said the cooperation has nothing to do with the relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. "We came here to help without addressing the issue of Jews and Arabs," Ayash added. "We will stay in the Carmel region until the fire is put out." Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had telephoned President Mahmoud Abbas to express his thanks at "neighbours helping neighbours".

This disaster is estimated to cost 3-4 billion dollars and take decades to recover from. Israelis have already started the long task. They begin by laying their dead to rest, taking in the displaced and starting to rebuild. During this week of Chanukah we know one thing, that miracles do happen and that is proven by the biggest miracle of all--we are still here and we are still standing together.

Video~Commander Ahuva Tomer Driving into the Blaze (0:30)

Overview of the Events and Firefighting Efforts

URGENT ! Israel Needs Your Prayers Now !

Please pray for the dead, the injured and their families. We need a miracle to bring an end to this disaster, the largest and deadliest since Israel's founding in 1948. Whether or not you are part of a prayer chain, Please, Pray for Israel Today!

A huge forest fire in Carmel has killed about 42 people on Thursday,  December 2nd. More than 15,000 people have been evacuated from towns and villages as the fires continue to blaze out of control.

Most of the dead are IPS cadets,  the majority of them young Druze in their 20's. They were being transported  by bus after assisting in the evacuation of 500 prisoners (mainly arab) in the Damon Prison. At  some point the fire reached a great speed--covering a mile in five minutes, according to a firefighting officer--catching the bus in the flames with no chance of escape. 

Police officers in a separate vehicle were also trapped by the flames. Two of them are missing, and the Commander of the Haifa Police, Lt-Col. Ahuva Tomer, is in serious condition after suffering burns all over her body. Doctors at Rambam Hospital in Haifa are fighting for her life.

Deputy Minister Ayoub Kara, a resident of Usfiyeh, spoke to a news Channel and said he has received information that the fire was a terror act. The fire  was  reported to have spread from three locations simultaneously--making arson likely. 

One observer said "It was amazing--within 30 minutes almost half the forest was in flames".Israeli firefighters said it was the biggest forest fire in the country’s history, with some 7,000 acres (2,800 hectares) of land destroyed.

So far this year numerous large fires, many set by arabs, have depleted Israel's reserves of fire-fighting chemicals, and the remaining supply will be exhausted by Friday morning. Israeli planes are on the way to France for more supplies. In addition, Seven foreign aircraft are making their way to Israel: four from Greece, two from Azerbaijan and one from Cyprus. In addition, Four aircraft are expected from France, two or three from Russia, and two from Spain.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said: "I shall declare a national day of mourning but right now we haven't got the time to mourn and get into inquiries". 

He flew over the scene by helicopter and in a briefing, told reporters "People have showed tremendous strength of spirit, divine heroism, and sacrificed themselves to save others. I want to say to the families that are discovering their own personal disasters, we support you and love you. To our Druze brothers--I know you suffered a major blow. "These were astonishing people who displayed great courage."

And Now, Here is the Kicker:

Radio Haifa reported that Arabs have been Dancing in the Streets of Furadis, just south of Haifa, in Celebration of the Deadly Fire ! While no other country in the middle east--to this very day--will give citizenship or any basic rights to "Palestinian Arabs", Israel has--these people vote, have access to education and medical care like every Israeli--and they dance in the streets when disaster strikes the country that feeds them. Any wonder Israel does not believe we have a partner for peace?

Now, more than ever we ask you to contact everyone you know to join us in  prayer,  asking the God of all Creation to show mercy on his suffering children. Israel needs you. Thanks from all of us to all of you.

Do You Have Kids Attending UBC?

If you do here is an interesting little tidbit.  All UBC students pay a fee to support student activities. One of the groups has proposed donating $700 to a new Gaza Flotilla--an attempt to deliver aid directly to Hamas (a recognized terrorist group), bypassing Israeli inspections. The UBC student group that oversees student funds did do the responsible thing, and put a temporary stop to the Hamas donation, pending a vote by the full student council. And this is creating a fuss!

However, the pro-Hamas students have reacted with a campaign of abuse and intimidation against the student who made the responsible decision, UBC Alma Mater Society president Bijan Ahmadian. Ahmadian tweeted: “Shaken from the physical intimidation by the SPHR President at my office today. Had to call security to remove him” SPHR is the acronym for “Solidarity with Palestinian Human Rights", a UBC student group. Seems like the students at the University of British Columbia are getting a little taste of Hamas thuggery right on their own campus. Does anyone even question the fact that these people who purport to speak for “human rights” frequently engage in physical intimidation--or use student-activity money to subsidize a terrorist group on the other side of the globe?

Has anyone asked how it is that Hamas can be building yet another Mega Mall in Gaza? Or questioned why a leader of Hamas has $4.5 million to buy a piece of land to build himself a mansion? Has anyone even looked at the of luxury hotels in Gaza?  Why are Gazans near the top of the list for obesity in the world? Do you have any idea how many billions of dollars are poured into Gaza--ever ask just who is getting it all? BBC just ran a report stating 20 groups  operating in Gaza have concerns that there is no improvement since Israel eased the border six months ago...

This is part of an article from Elder of Zion--do follow the link for the whole story:
...the plan is to construct multi-story buildings and neighborhoods built as independent residential areas. A mosque will be set up at the center of each neighborhood, alongside shopping centers, schools and kindergartens. Access roads will be paved and even playgrounds for children. Hamas has allotted tens of millions of dollars to the building project. There is apparently no shortage of money. Generous donations are flowing in from Iran, Islamic associations across the Arab worlds, and governmental elements in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Western elements.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who has been mercilessly pursuing Hamas in the West Bank, is aiding Gaza with millions of dollars, boasting that 57% of the Palestinian Authority budget is directed at the Strip. Abbas pays the salaries of 70,000 government workers from the post-Hamas era, maintains the health and education systems, and even funds some of Gaza's electricity production expenses.

Yes, there surely are poor people in Gaza (just like every place in the world), and yes, there are those that are being oppressed--by the very people your kids want to fund--Hamas.

For what University Education costs, does it not seem odd that your children are being groomed to support the people who would end of the very freedoms and democracy  that Canadians now enjoy? I'm just saying...

Please Watch to the End--Oh The Horror!

Weekly Bible Study~Vayeishev (Genesis 37:1 to 40:23)

This week we study Vayeishev which is found in Genesis 37:1 to 40:23.

Jacob is now living in Hebron with his twelve sons. His favorite is 17 year old Joseph, "And Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was a son of his old age"...Jacob makes a precious multi-colored coat for Joseph. His brother are jealous and see him as a dreamer and tale teller. When Joseph tells his brothers of two dreams that foretell of his destiny to rule over them, it is too much and they  become filled with envy and hatred.

The brothers plan to kill Joseph, and tell Jacob that a wild beast had attacked him. Reuven intervened: "Do not shed blood! Cast him into this pit, which is in the desert, but do not lay a hand upon him"...He was trying to buy time so that he could later save Joseph.

The brothers take Joseph's beautiful coat from him and throw him into a pit without food or water. While they are eating they see a caravan of Ishmaelites on their way from Gilead to Egypt. Judah suggests selling Joseph into slavery so they turn him over for for twenty silver pieces. When Reuven returns he is distraught. The brothers kill a kid and cover the coat with blood then send it to Jacob. Of course Jacob cannot be consoled over the loss of his favorite.

Judah takes Tamar as a wife for Er, his firstborn. But Er was very wicked and the Lord slew, him so Judah gave his second son, Onan to marry Tamar (*This was called a Levirate marriage) Onan knew the child would not be his so he decided to "spilled his seed". This made Gd angry so he put Onan to death as well. Judah tells Tamar to remain a widow in her father's house until the youngest son grows up "Lest he too die, like his brothers".

 
Judah's wife dies and after the mourning period he  leaves for Timnah. Tamar covers her face and goes to the crossroad where she sees that the youngest, Shelah has grown and realizes that Judah has deceived her. Judah notices her and thinks she is a harlot. He promises to pay her with a kid, but she asks for a pledge until it arrives--"Your signet, your cloak, and the staff that is in your hand". Judah agrees. As a result of their liaison Tamar conceives--she leaves with the pledge before the kid is delivered. When her pregnancy becomes known Judah accuses her and sentences her to death. But Tamar shows him the "pledged items" and he admits his mistake in not giving her to his son. Tamar bears twins--when the hand of the first appears the midwife puts a crimson thread on it. Then the hand is drawn back and the other twin is born causing the midwife to declare "With what strength you have strengthened yourself!". When Judah sees this he names him Perez. Tamar's strength of character and determination produced Peretz, whose descendants would be David and his dynasty, and eventually the Mashiach.

Meanwhile the slavers sell Joseph to Potiphar, Pharaoh's chamberlain. Joseph has integrity and managerial skills and is soon appointed to run Potiphar's household. Joseph is successful and becomes knowm for his handsome features and beautiful complexion. Potiphar's wife sees his beauty and tries to seduce Joseph, but he refuses to sin against Gd. One day when they are alone in the house she grabs his coat--but he flees, leaving the coat behind. She accuses him of trying to seduce her using the coat as evidence. His master is very angry and throws him in prison, but Gd is watching over him and he is soon chosen by the warden to run the prison.

While he is in prison Joseph meets the cup  and the baker of the king of Egypt. When they have disturbing dreams and the next day when Joseph see them he notices their worried looks. They tell him of the dreams and Joseph says: "Don't interpretations belong to God? Tell [them] to me now". He interprets their dreams. Just as he predicts, within three days the baker is executed and the wine steward is re-appointed to his former position in the household. Joseph asks the wine steward to intervene on his behalf with Pharaoh, but when he goes back to his job he forgets all about Joseph.

 Next week Joseph finally gets out of prison when Pharaoh has dreams that nobody can interpret. He marries, famine hits Egypt and ten of his brothers come looking for food. Joseph recognizes them and sets them up so they have to bring their youngest brother to him...stay tuned.

It Is Thanksgiving!

There are many versions of the original Thanksgiving Feast--apologies for any errors in this account. The point is to send greetings to all or our friends (and everybody else) celebrating today!

Thanksgiving is always on the fourth Thursday in the month of November. The first Thanksgiving Dinner can be traced back to the 16th century. According to the story, about 102 pilgrims crossed the Atlantic in the year 1620 in a ship named Mayflower. They traveled for nearly two months with extreme difficulty. Most likely they were kept in the cargo space of the sailing vessel and not allowed on the deck due to terrible storms.

After 66 days the pilgrims reached Plymouth Rock on December 11th 1620. Apparently this was not their original destination, but the storms had blown them off course. That winter 46 pilgrims died due to the extreme cold. In the spring of 1621, Squanto, a native Indian taught the pilgrims to grow food for their survival. That summer there was a severe drought, so the pilgrims called for a day of fasting and prayer to please God and ask for a bountiful harvest in the coming season. As the story goes, God answered their prayers and it rained at the end of the day saving the crops of corn, beans and pumpkins that the Indians had taught them to grow.

In the autumn of 1621, they held a grand celebration to thank God and invited the Indians who had helped them. This communal dinner is popularly known as “The First  Thanksgiving Feast”. There is however, no evidence to prove if the dinner actually took place. Some historians claim that because the pilgrims were so religious that most likely it would have been a day of fasting and prayer but most people say that it really was a feast.

According to the first hand account written by the leader of the colony, the food included, ducks, geese, venison, fish, berries etc. There is no evidence to prove if the customary turkey was a part of the initial feast.

Because of the diminished supply of flour that year, they did not have any kind of bread. Pumpkin pie, a staple on every dinner table, is unlikely to have been a part of the first thanksgiving feast, but they did have boiled pumpkin.

The feast took place outside due to lack of large enough facilities and continued for three days. There was not another feast until 1623, when there was another severe drought. In the year 1676 Governor Bradford proclaimed another day of thanksgiving. In October of 1777 all of the 13 colonies joined in a communal celebration which also marked the victory over the British.

Events and changes occurred over the years. A magazine editor, Sarah Josepha Hale, who wrote the nursery rhyme Mary Had a Little Lamb, spent 40 years writing to congressmen, lobbying five presidents, and writing countless editorials in her campaign to create an official day of thanks. Finally, President Lincoln made his famous Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1863 officially making the last Thursday in November the official Day of Thanksgiving.

To all of you, and especially to the members of the Armed Forces who even today are putting their lives on the line for us, Happy Thanksgiving, and our wish that the Lord Richly Bless You All!

British Schools, Islamic Rules--Panorama Documentary

Earlier I posted the trailer to a documentary by the BBC program, Panorama.  As a rule, BBC is openly pro-Muslim and very anti-Israel, and they did manage a dig at "some Orthodox Jewish schools locked in their own world", and of course they even found "one" Evangelical Christian school that condemned the entire religion of Islam. The fact is, the Islamic schools in Britain have been overrun by fundamentalist Muslim hate preachers who are raising up a generation of haters--exactly what the Arab world has done throughout the Middle-East--generation after generation raised to hate everything and every one who is not a Muslim.  Raised  under the primitive, oppressive laws of Sharia. They even ate other Muslims, because this "education system" is paid for and controlled by the Saudis (even though they try to deny it). If Britain chooses to gloss over the fact that  the Saudis are funding "hate schools" they will seal their own doom--it may already be too late.  If these  folks are so intent on  hating  and destroying everything British they should go back to where they came from. You can judge for yourself--here is the program in two parts:

Panorama: British Schools, Islamic Rules - Part 1

Panorama: British Schools, Islamic Rules - Part 2

Teaching Sharia to Kids--in British Schools!

For more details go to Islamization Watch. A recent BBC Panorama documentary revealed that 5,000 Muslim children in England are being taught from a Saudi textbook which teaches that Jews are transformed from pigs, apes, and asks them to list the “reprehensible” qualities of Jews. Another says that Zionists want to establish world domination for Jews, one of the charges made in the anti-Semitic Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

One textbook uses a diagram to show how the hands and feet of thieves are chopped off according to Shari’a law. A second book asks readers what happens to those who don’t believe in Islam when they die. The text’s answer: “hellfire”. Notice that they always read from the Koran before carrying out "justice". You just can't make garbage like this up!

The textbooks are being used to teach the Saudi national curriculum at more than 40 weekend schools and clubs across the country are using these books to teach Muslim children aged six to 18. They are run under the umbrella of “Saudi Students Clubs and Schools in the UK and Ireland”. And Yes that would be the same  Saudi Arabia that was just elected to the UN's New Women's Rights Agency--isn't that special. So why isn't the British Government Doing Anything About it??