Tzedek-Tzedek

There was an apparently small detail during Erdogan's histrionic efforts to distract the world from the defeat to Turkey , delivered in the UN's Palmer Report. Erdogan has slipped in an approval for a NATO radar early warning station to be located in Turkey . This early warning station, as part of a NATO missile defence system, is aimed at countering an Iranian ballistic missile threat against Europe/NATO. By approving the station, Erdogan risks evoking the ire of Iran , a nation with which Erdogan has lately invested considerable resource in creating a warm relationship. So I am puzzled why Erdogan approved the new station, particularly in the context of his belligerent campaign against Israel …. Here's my theory – what do you think? Turkey is clearly heading towards a military confrontation with Israel . Turkey can either sail in, and start shooting. Or, Turkey can try to goad Israel into firing the first shot. (Such as Israel 's pre-emptive strike in t...

I’m currently in Ankara , Turkey . I’ve been travelling here regularly for business for around a decade. Ten years ago, I was warmly treated in Turkey , both by clients and by Joe-in-the-street – who were enthusiastic about showing their respect and affection for anyone from Israel . With the series of hostile acts over the past years by Turkey’s Prime Mini ster Recep Tayyip Erdoğan against Israel, culminating in this week’s expulsion of Israel’s ambassador and many diplomatic staff, and today’s news report that Israeli travelers were systematically harassed at Istanbul airport, a once fine relationship, has been irreparably   shredded. Although it feels a bit nutty to be still coming here, with the relations between the two countries at rock bottom, I’m actually a (very small) part of a four billion dollar Israel/Turkey commerce. Interestingly enough, and counter intuitional, this binational business is stronger than ever – according to Yediot Achronot, up a dramatic 26% u...

Israel Aerospace Industries "Heron" UAV, supplied to Turkey in happier days ----- There is   reportedly  a stand-off between Israel’s Defence Minister, Ehud Barak, and Foreign Minister, Avigdor Leiberman. The topic is whether Israel should renew defence sales to Turkey . Ehud Barak is reportedly arguing in favour, as it is part of his mandate to promote Israel ’s defence industries; whereas Avigdor Leiberman is objecting, due to the continuing “strained” relations between Turkey and Israel . Israel ’s defence industries are a commercial powerhouse, accounting for over $5 Billion in annual export sales. Israel ranks fourth in the world in the defence sector export business. The defence sector directly employs over 20,000 Israelis. Turkey was a booming market for Israel ’s defence sector – with key contracts going to Israeli companies to supply Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs), Tank Upgrades and Airframe Upgrades of Turkey’s aging F4 Phantom Jets. This business was estimat...

I'm with Obama on this one. YES - let's go back to 1967 Borders!

Now re-elected to office for his third consecutive term, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has led his country consistently away from a Western orientation, to a more Eastern orientation. Erdogan's foreign policy has been marketed under the catchy slogan "zero problems with neighbors". This sounds as controversial as motherhood and apple pie. However, when one looks around at the identities of Turkey 's neighbors, the problems inherent in this policy become clearer. Iran , Syria , Iraq , Lebanon , Armenia … Under Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, Turkey has invested tremendous priority in building economic, cultural and political bonds, particularly with Iran and Syria , including fostering warmer relations with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza . This has come at the cost of Turkey 's hitherto strategic alliance with Israel – with spectacular blow-outs at Davros (the public spat between Erdogan and Israel 's 85 year old Preside...

The Social Services are striking today in order to obtain higher salaries from the Government. In general, the ‘caring’ services are much lower paying than careers in high tech, finance, business, etc. Social workers, nurses, teachers, even rabbis, are paid at salaries which frankly, are inadequate and insulting. According to reports, social workers take-home pay in Israel is typically between 4,500 to 6,500 NIS/month. Whereas a software engineer, with similar academic and career credentials, will take home 15-25,000 NIS/month. Social workers pay in Israel was fixed in an agreement which is apparently now 17 years old. It is shameful that many of the ‘impoverished’ families who are cared for by social workers, make higher salaries than their social workers! The poor leading the poor… In addition, state-employed social workers work under almost impossible working conditions, typically tasked with assisting 250 to 300 families each social worker. Many of these families are in ch...

Dennis Prager makes a complicated issue, crystal clear, in just six minutes.... 

Child abuse is underreported throughout country By  RUTH EGLASH     Percentage of sexual abuse cases reported are higher in Jerusalem; the 33,751 child abuse cases reported in 2009 “only the tip of the iceberg.” The percentage of reports of physical and sexual abuse against children in 2009 were much higher in Jerusalem than in other parts of the country, although overall, child abuse remains underreported in every region, a new study published Wednesday by the Haruv Institute shows. Based on the number of reports filed with the social welfare services in each district nationwide, the Haruv Institute researchers found that reports of sexual abuse in the Jerusalem area made up 25.5 percent of all reports of child abuse in the region, while 47.4% of the reported cases involved physical abuse. More....

It reads like science fiction – but it’s for real and right now. A most incredible, silent but, apparently, highly effective attack has been launched on Iran . Perhaps by Israel – but we’ll probably never know. Consisting of the world’s most sophisticated and devious computer virus, known as “Stuxnet”, this virus has penetrated Iran ’s industrial control centers, including those of their nuclear facilities. The delivery mechanism may have been as simple as a USB memory stick.  The virus takes advantage of characteristics of both the ubiquitous Windows’s operating system and the lesser known (to the consumer) Siemens’ industrial control computers – which enjoy international market dominance. Experts around the world are puzzling over the ingeniously malicious code, which not only hides itself from discovery, but can apparently become ever-more scheming, the more it is pursued. Commentators are assuming this is well beyond the development capabilities of a geek or two, and is ...

Much of my childhood, and pocket-money, was spent acquiring a nice coin collection of Roman and historical English coins. Nothing even remotely like this big beauty tho....

As I checked into a local flight within Turkey today, the man at the Turkish Air check-in counter saw my Israeli passport and said: "I am half Iranian, and half Turkish. "And I hate Ahmadinejad. He is crazy and dangerous. Everyone in Iran is waiting for Israel to bomb him. As for Erdogan, he is also crazy and I hate him also. I hate the Iranian Government, and the Turkish Government. They support Hamas, and Hizbollah - terrorists. Erodogan will lose the next election, because he has gone too far, and the people of Turkey are not with him. They don't like it. Ahmadinejad is planning an earthquake in Tehran, because he knows that Israel will not be able to bomb the him afterwards. I have this from reliable sources." He picked up my passport and continued... "Well done to you for using your Israeli passport here. I have given you the best seat on the aircraft." And he had indeed!  

     Dear Friends, We are all aware of the IDF Home Front excercise during this week, throughout the country. We also know, unfortunately, that our country is not preparing for some fantasy scenario, but for the possibility of imminent war. It has been publicised that the combined forces of Lebanon/Hezbollah; Gaza/Hamas; and Syria, have now amassed tens of thousands of long range missiles. Although Bet Shemesh was out of range in the 2nd Lebanon War and also (by 5 kms!) in the Operation Molten Lead in Gaza - ALL predictions have Bet Shemesh within missile range during the next conflict, Lo aleinu. There are now detailed plans for how the civilian population, which is likely to be the main target for our enemies (again), will be protected, and aid delivered. The voluntary sector, which in previous conflicts has hit-the-ground-running, in some cases faster and more effectively than the IDF Home Front, has now been 'recruited' as an integral part of the national an...

I am often required to travel to Turkey for business – and with the downward spiral in Turkey/Israel relations, I have increasingly uncomfortable wearing my kippa in the streets of Istanbul and Ankara . Locals have advised me to remove my kippa, for my own safety. I have asked my rav (Rav Chaim Soloveichik) whether I can take my kippa off, if I feel this can put me at physical risk? He confirmed that I can (even should?) – or wear a hat if this will sufficiently disguise my identity (wearing a hat itself looks “odd” in Turkey ). Arutz 7 has published an article about a recent attack (what they call a lynch) upon a bunch of kids who were walking through Ramat Bet Shemesh (Bet) on their way back from celebrations, on Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Israel’s Independence Day). The article features graphic photos of bruised and bloodied kids, and tells a harrowing story of how they were attacked by a mob of local residents with rocks, metal-buckled belts, pots, shovels and other domestically-availa...

On March 4, 2010, a US congressional panel narrowly voted that the massacres of Armenian civilians between 1915-17 by Turks were indeed "genocide"; within minutes the Turkish government issued a statement critical of "this resolution which accuses the Turkish nation of a crime it has not committed" and withdrew their Ambassador in Washington, back to Ankara for consultations. It does seem unusual that, almost a century later, the US Government is still in the throes of deciding the nature of the events which are estimated to have taken the lives of between one to one-and-a-half million Armenians, during the period of the First World War. These civilians were allegedly systematically murdered in forced marches, concentration camps, mass burning, drowning and mass executions. It is also peculiar that the current Turkish Government should care so much – as these horrific events were carried out under the Ottoman Empire; therefore the Turkish Republic, which was...

Israel has very, very few strategic friends . In the United Nations, for example, just three countries reliably vote against anti-Israel motions: Israel , United States and (believe it or not) Micronesia . Against this background, Turkey became a strategic ally to Israel in the late 1990’s, resulting in a Free Trade Agreement in 2000 (Israel now exports an annual $1.5 billion in goods and services to Turkey, and imports more than $1 billion); large Turkish Ministry of Defence contracts for Israeli products, with joint military exercises; and Turkey’s key diplomatic role in Israel/Syrian negotiations By 2008, Turkey was the single most popular foreign destination for Israeli tourists, representing 13% of all departures and generating an estimated $300 million in annual revenues. About 70% of these travelers headed for the resorts around Antalya . This idyllic relationship seemed to also weather the change in Government in Turkey , in March 2003, from the secular DSP-MHP-ANAP...

Considering the outstandingly generous and charitable nature of the Jewish People, and the espoused centrality of saving human lives ("pikuach nefesh") it is curious that when it comes to donating life-saving organs to dying patients, we Jews are apparently one of the stingiest nations on earth. In Israel , the percentage of people who hold an organ donation card is only 10 percent; in Western countries the rate is 30-40 percent. T he rate of agreement to organ donation is only 45 percent, which is 50 percent lower than the rate in most Western countries. As a result, there are about 1,000 Israelis currently on the "waiting list" for organs, and it is estimated that roughly 10% [100 people!!] of them die annually due to a lack of donations. (Wikipedia). Two landmark Organ Donation laws were passed in Israel in 2008, one defining the moment of death and the mechanism for determining this, and the other permitting limited compensation/incentive to donors wh...

The US president said the goal is clear: "two states living side by side in peace and security."  JPost 23/10/09 They say the more you repeat a lie, the more people will believe it. The political goal of "two states living side by side in peace and security", has become a mantra since the Midde East Road Map was promoted by George Bush in 2002. That Road Map was adopted by the Israeli Government under Ariel Sharon in 2003 (with certain reservations). The "Disengagement" (scorched-earth retreat) by Israel from Gush Katif was described by George Bush in April 2004: "These steps will mark real progress toward realizing the vision I set forth in June 2002 of two states living side by side in peace and security, and make a real contribution toward peace. " For the still-new President Obama to echo that mantra at the UN General Assembly today, seems uneventful and, well, sort of obvious. A bit like saying "we are united in our fight ag...

Do you recall Yiftah Mor-Yosef, the 17 year old boy in Ramle who was shot in the crossfire between gangsters, while sitting on a park bench? Or Leorard Karp, the man murdered by a bunch of kids while relaxing with his family on the Tel Aviv beach? Or Nir Katz, from Givatayim, and Liz Trubeshi, 17, from Holon who were murdered in a gun attack on their gay counseling center in Tel Aviv? Or Beatrice and Denise Rodov, the mother and daughter found cut into pieces, limb by limb, and dumped in the Alexander River (one) and in a garbage can in Ramat Gan (the other)? Or Tzipora Nahamu the Jerusalem landlady, who was stabbed to death by her tenant? One gets the feeling that common murder of Israelis by Israelis has taken over this summer where Palestinian terrorism has left off. Bellicose statements have been made in the Press and by politicians, blaming the police, poor education, the orthodox (for the gay murder), whatever, for the pervasive feeling in Israel that it is no longe...

A friend of mine told me that his mid-twenties son, is working full time on a production line in a workshop, where he earns just 1 NIS per hour. His son is one of over 600,000 Israelis who live with physical, mental, and/or emotional disabilities. Israel has comprehensive disability rights legislation (apparently modeled on the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act), the Equal Rights Law for People with Disabilities, of 1998. However, over ten years later, disabled citizens still routinely suffering the effects of discrimination – disproportionate unemployment, poverty and isolation. For example, around 80% of Israel's blind population is unemployed. The system of National Insurance Disability Allowances is often unfairly and minimalistically implemented – with no NGO's watch-dogging over them. Even when they do work, as in the case of my friend's son, the salary is direct contravention with the Equal Rights Law and with the labor legislation guarant...

"Today," Netanyahu said, "is the day Israel uprooted approximately 10,000 Israelis - men, women and children - from their homes. To our regret, Gaza has become a base for Hamas-led, Iran-sponsored terrorism. Thousands of rockets and missiles have been fired at us." (Binyamin Netanyahu, August 2009, who voted in favor of the "Disengagement" from Gaza in 2005) http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1248277950920 I did not imagine that we would leave Gaza and they would fire Qassams from there; I did not imagine that Hamas would show so strongly in the elections. (Shimon Peres, President of Israel , 5/7/2008 ) http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/981392.html Olmert has already said that his convergence plan, which called for a unilateral pullout from most of the West Bank, has been shelved, and he has described the withdrawals from Lebanon and the Gaza Strip as failures. (9/1/07) http://www.haaretz.co...