Friday, March 21, 2003

Two Young Women QUOTE OF THE DAY "In morals, what begins in fear usually ends in wickedness; in religion, what begins in fear usually ends in fanaticism. Fear, either as a principle or a motive, is the beginning of all evil."  - -  Anna Jameson RHINO HERE: The founding fathers of the U.S. wrote, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It should be noted they didn't write, "...all Americans are created equal..." or  "...all Judeo-Christians are created equal..." or even "...all 'civilized' men are created equal..."  They meant that each person in the world, their families & friends, all have the right to "Life, Liberty & the pursuit of Happiness" no matter what. This week I received forwards from a number of different friends regarding 2 very disturbing incidents involving young women. Both stories are  tragic. Not necessarily connected, yet maybe so. The first is the story of a 21 year old French girl named Megli, a student who'd been to the screening of a film entitled "Decryptage", which shows "how the French media has twisted and lied about events in the Middle East to support terrorist Muslims and defame Israel".  Megli took part in a heated discussion afterwards where it was described, "there were many Arab anti-Semites who wouldn't let her speak". She then went out with friends. When she came home, three masked men were waiting outside her door.  They assaulted her, and with knives, carved a Jewish star into her skin. The victim, who reported this to the local police says she's in shock. Asked if she thinks it's too dangerous for a Jew to live in France, she said: "Anywhere in the world a Jew lives these days is dangerous." Indeed violent racial incidents against Jews is at a new high in France & other countries round the world. The second  story concerns 23 year old  Rachel Corrie, an American from Washington State who while working with the group, "The International Solidarity Movement" was killed by an Israeli Defense Forces bull dozer. She was standing in front of the dozer with a bull horn, trying to keep it from destroying a Palestinian house. http://www.palsolidarity.org/ http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article1248.shtml As an American Jew, who's traveled to Israel, visited Yad Vashem,  (I was there the day Saddam invaded Kuwait), I know the history, and I understand a bit about what it's like for the Israelis to live surrounded by millions of people who have sworn to "push them into the sea". I think it unlikely anyone will be pushing the Israelis into the sea anytime soon. Not while they have the world's 4th largest military including nukes.  Then again, these days, all it takes is box cutters or a back pack. Rhino believes it's vital to distinguish between people who are Jewish, & the actions of the Israeli Government & Israeli Defense Forces just as it's vital to distinguish between people who are Arab & the actions of Hamas et al. Tragically, many people don't make that distinction so the violence perpetrated by some, reverberates into violence against any or all. Wreaking havoc on people's lives, or wishing it so, because they're Jewish or because they're Arab or because you don't agree with their beliefs, is un-American, and runs contrary to the foundations of Christianity, Islam & Judaism. So what am I trying to say here? I wish it were black & white. I wish there were clear good guys & bad guys & that the good guys would win. But wishing it don't make it so.  Last night I watched a documentary on our beloved WorldLink TV... http://www.worldlinktv.com ...entitled, "Palestine Is Still The Issue" which gave a sense of what it's like to live in the impoverished Palestinian villages overseen by Israeli Tanks (& bull dozers). No American media outlet would air this program - except WorldLink. Besides Palestinians, many Israelis were interviewed, from government representatives, to a 40ish son of holocaust survivors who lost a daughter to a suicide bomber, yet advocates for an end to the military occupation as the necessary response to the suffering. The doc was incredibly enlightening, but in the end, it didn't make it any easier for me to make sense of the situation. What I do know is that violence begets violence, & that the difference between Israeli violence & Palestinian violence is the same as the difference between dog shit & cat shit. Below is a link to letters that Rachel Corrie had been writing home, describing her experiences.  And below that, THE BOTTOM LINE offers what wisdom can come from  Israeli Rabbis who live in the thick of it, trying to live a just Jewish life.  Rhino hopes, "May one day, peace be upon us all." Rachel's war The Guardian,  3/18/03 "This weekend 23-year-old American peace activist Rachel Corrie was crushed to death by a bulldozer as she tried to prevent the Israeli army destroying homes in the Gaza Strip. In a remarkable series of emails to her family, she explained why she was risking her life..." http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,916246,00.html THE BOTTOM LINE is a letter written by Rabbi Arik W. Ascherman, Executive Director of Rabbis For Human Rights based in Jerusalem.  At a time when in the U.S., most any criticism of the Israeli government is countered with accusations of anti-sematism, it's important for Americans to realize that in Israel, the dialog, even between Jews, is a heated one, but not one in which anti-sematism is used to close down the discussion.The following is an excerpt from the web site of Rabbis For Human Rights which is located at: http://www.rhr.israel.net "...The need to defend ourselves is both real and necessary. However, we in Israel must never use the lowest common denominator as a yardstick to measure our behavior or justify our actions. In order to maintain our self-respect as Jews, we must preserve our moral dignity, without which our fight for protection from terror would be diminished. We are told: "Justice, justice, you shall pursue" (Deuteronomy 16:20). Why is the word justice said twice? Because, according to our tradition, one is to pursue a just cause by just means. In defending ourselves, we must always hold on to the prophetic vision of decency and humanity. The survival of the Jewish people will be determined not only by its physical acumen, but also, by its moral steadfastness. We remain deeply committed to seeking reconciliation with our Palestinian neighbors, and believe that a just peace can and must be pursued..." http://www.rhr.israel.net/statement.shtml 7:59:58 AM    comment

THE BOTTOM LINE - NOTE FROM RABBIS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS THE BOTTOM LINE A NOTE FROM  RABBIS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (in Jerusalem) Dear Friends and Supporters, The following is a translation of a paid advertisement which we are placing in tomorrow's Ha'Aretz Newspaper, along with a picture from the funeral of 2 year old Elham el-Assar, killed yesterday in Gaza.  A reporter called me the day that Rachel Corrie was killed and I was telling him that it was hard for me to believe that the bulldozer driver ran over Rachel purposely, although I have faced some fairly crazed bulldozer drivers myself.  This Israeli reporter, who is far from being an Israel basher, told me that he didn't have a hard time believing it.  He said that most people simply have no clue what is happening in Gaza these days, and that things are "Out of control." We are also sending a letter to security officials and politicians pointing out that the tragic death of the two Israeli security guards the other day, as well as Rachel's death, are perhaps the best proof that there has been a change in policy leading to opening fire carelessly even when no soldiers or civilians are being immediately threatened.  I am reminded of the Midrash's warning that one should not be so foolish as to think that violence we direct against non Jews will not eventually be turned against us as well. We encourage you to express your concern to Israeli officials according to the list appearing below.  We have also been on the verge of sending out urgent action bulletins several times recently regarding potential home demolitions.  In each of these cases the family has received a stay, but the wave of demolitions continues and we may be calling on you to write on behalf of specific families in the near future. Finance Minister Benyaming Netanyahu has also begun to reveal the newest round of budget cuts.  We will of course be doing what we can to soften yet another blow to the poorest and weakest Israelis. May the courage of Esther and Mordechai against overwhelming odds inspire us to continue to work for a better world.   B'Vrakha, Rabbi Arik W. Ascherman Executive Director. Rabbis For Human Rights ONE DAY A YEAR WE DRINK UNTIL WE CAN NOT DISTINGUISH BETWEEN BLESSED BE MORDECHAI  AND CURSED BE HAMAN. THE REST OF THE YEAR WE MUST DISTINGUISH BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL THE REST OF THE YEAR WE MUST KNOW WHAT IS BEING DONE IN OUR NAME IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES EVERY DAY A CHILD, ELDERLY PERSON OR PREGNANT WOMAN IS BEING KILLED, AN ITCHY FINGER ON THE TRIGGER HAS LEAD TO A SHARP RISE IN INJURIES TO INNOCENT PEOPLE.  EVERY DAY HOMES ARE BEING DEMOLISHED BELONGING TO FAMILIES WHOSE ONLY CRIME IS THAT THEY TRIED TO BUILD A HOSE WHEN THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY CHANCE OF GETTING A LEGAL PERMIT EVERY DAY MORE LAND IS BEING STOLEN AT AN INCREASING PACE; NEW OUTPOSTS; UNAUTHORIZED "SECURITY ZONES".  PREPARING THE LAND FOR A NEW NEIGHBORHOOD OF GIVAT HARSINA THAT WILL REQUIRE THE DEMOLITION OF AN ENTIRE VILLAGE THESE DAYS WE ARE ALL DRINKING FROM THE CUP OF FEAR, SECURITY AND WAR HOWEVER, NOT TO THE POINT THAT WE CAN'T DISTINGUISH BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL. IN THE HEAVENLY COURT WE CAN'T SAY WE DIDN'T KNOW Make Your Voice Heard: Prime Minister Ariel Sharon: Office of the Prime Minister, Kiryat Ben-Gurion, Jerusalem, Israel; Office Phone: 972-2-566-4838;       webmaster@pmo.gov.il Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom: sar@mofa.gov.il; fax (+972-2) 5303506 "RHINO'S BLOG" is the responsibility of Gary Rhine. (rhino@kifaru.com) Feedback, and requests to be added or deleted from the list are encouraged. SEARCH BLOG ARCHIVES / SURF RHINO'S LINKS, AT: http://www.rhinosblog.info RHINO'S OTHER WEB SITES: http://www.dreamcatchers.org (INDIGENOUS ASSISTANCE & INTERCULTURAL DIALOG) http://www.kifaru.com (NATIVE AMERICAN RELATIONS VIDEO DOCUMENTARIES) Articles are reprinted under Fair Use Doctrine of international copyright law. http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html All copyrights belong to original publisher. 7:34:49 AM    comment

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