The Final Countdown! 10... 9... 8...

I have only 10 days left of freedom until I join the IDF on July 5th. My feelings are mainly those of excitement, mixed with sporadic nervousness, and a dab of overwhelming pride. I am elated to have the privilege to fight in the army of G-d defending his people's right to dwell in their land.

Anyways, my posts regarding the army are most likely to be more infrequent and less specific in the coming months for obvious reasons. I'll still keep you updated about how everything goes, but it goes without saying that operational confidentially outweighs having an interesting blog :)

Grilling on the Gazan Border

So today after my brief visit to the Lishkat Hagius, where I wasn't helped due to the fact that Limor was not in, I took a trip down to the Gazan border with a few administrators from Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh to make a barbecue for our four soldiers serving near Kissufim. On the way down, I got a call from the Lishkah informing me that I have to go there tomorrow anyways for a Machal interview. I guess I'll try to kill two birds with one stone and sort out the Michve Alon fiasco while I'm there anyways.

After a nice drive we arrived at the Givati base near Kissufim, and barbecued outside for a good 3 hours with the soldiers of the Rotem '09 brigade. The Yeshiva sponsored a barbecue for ~50 guys in the unit. After Mincha followed by sunset over Gaza, we relaxed with the guys from the brigade. It was a nice relief for them from the constant stress on the border, and it was satisfying for us knowing that we helped out the guys who give up years of their lives to keep the inhabitants of Israel safe. Kol Hakavod Rotem '09!

Michve Alon(e)?

So this morning my phone rings and its one of the girls in the Lishkat Hagius on the other end. I was told my draft date-finally! But I was also told that prior to my service I am required to attend a 3-week training at Michve Alon, a base near Tzfat. Michve Alon is a base that educated new immigrants before their compulsory army service and includes an intensive Ulpan. The vast majority of people who pass through there are Russian or Ethiopian immigrants fresh off the boats. I also happen to know that I scored an 8 (of 10) on the army Hebrew test, which by relative standards paces me among the average Israel high-schooler in Hebrew proficiency. Not bad at all!

So after speaking with a few friends, one who had served three months in Michve Alon I realized pretty quickly that it's most definitely not the place for me. With my hebrew proficiency the Ulpan is simply unnecesary, but what's the harm in going? Well, from a religious prespective Minyanim are hard to arrange there, and not just because you can't find 10 people who know how to Daven, but because it's difficult to find ten people there who know that they are actually Halachikly Jewish. And if I don't Daven with a Minyan because it's out out of my control, that's not the end of the world, but the lack of a Minyan isn't the worst part. My friend Michoel had swastikas drawn on his bed while he was there.

So after calling a Katzin (high officer) in Machal (the foreigner's army program) he told me that there is absolutely no reason for me to go to Michve Alon. Besides for the fact that I am fluent in Hebrew, after two years of immersion in the Israeli society, I am completely familiar with even the slightest nuances of Israeli society.

So for those who are counting, I am going to make my third trip down to Lishakt Hagius in the coming days to take care of this issue. I am not frustrated only because of my familiarity with Israeli society. Of all the mistakes (Fashlaot) that could have happened, this one isn't that bad.

America VS. Israel-Choosing a University

So my parents have been bothering me lately about my plans for life after the army. They are making the case for me to come back to the states. I want to go to college in a religious environment, and pursue a degree in mathematics. So here is your head-on comparison of Yeshiva University VS. Bar Ilan University

Yeshiva University Bar Ilan University
Location Washington Heights Givat Shmuel
Tuition $34,540 NIS 12,500 or $3,247.18
Ranking 42nd in United States 43rd in Asia
Student Body 6,513 (incl. Post-Grads) 26,800
President's Salary $834,000 Undisclosed

Well, with the difference in price, at Bar Ilan, I could fly home and visit my parents for every weekend of the academic year! Also, If I make Aliyah, my tuition in Bar Ilan is free. The choice is clear to me.

Ehud Barak Nails it!

"There are 1.5 million people living in Gaza and only one of them really needs humanitarian aid. Only one of them is locked in a tiny room and never sees the light of day, only one of them is not allowed visits and is in uncertain health - his name is Gilad Shalit, and this month four years will have passed since he was kidnapped.”

--Ehud Barak in a speech to the Knesset. I am not one to compliment left-wing MK's. but he got it right this time. Well put.

Erdogan and his Selective Memory

Maan News is quoted Turkish PM Tayyip Erdogan in his following statement: "I'll say to you in your own language. I say in Hebrew 'Lo Tirtzakh'," or, "Thou shalt not kill. I am speaking to them in their own language. The sixth commandment says 'Thou shalt not kill.' Did you not understand?"

Seems that Erdogan is forgetting Turkey's massacring of over 1 Million Armenians in the past century. The only possible fault I could find with Israel in this instance is the fact that they supplied the Turkish murderers with 170 tanks.

Americans for Peace Now VS. Friends of the IDF

Debra DeLee of Americans for Peace Now makes $249,621.00, or over 12% of the charity's budget. Yitzhak Gershon of the Friends of the IDF takes home a mere $111,649, or less than 0.3% of the Friends of the IDF budget. That's a part of the reason why Charity Navigator gave the the Americans for Peace Now the lowest one-star rating, and the Friends of the IDF the highest rating, four stars.

My goal here is only to present the facts, I'll leave you to decide where to write your check out to. Shabbat Shalom!

The Truth About the "Freedom Flotilla"

When I was ten years old, I remember walking into my parents bedroom one morning, and instead of being greeted with a hearty good morning, I was received with a gloomy nod. At the start of the second intifada, two middle aged reservist Israeli soldiers took a wrong turn and ended up in Ramallah. A mob of angry terrorists took the two young fathers, beat them to death with clubs, tied their bodies to cars, and dragged them through the city. They then took them to the second floor of a structure, dismembered their bodies, and threw each organ and limb out the second-story window individually. When they finished, they raised their bloody hands triumphantly in front of a cheering mob. I vividly remember the pictures on the front cover of the New York Times the next morning. I was ten years old at the time, but my eyes still well up when I am reminded of that atrocity.

In a short while I myself will be in the army. The only son of two wonderful parents, in a struggle where inevitably, the dove I shall send out with an olive branch, will inevitably come back in a coffin.

The lynching in Ramallah bears a stark resemblance to this week’s events. In the past few days, Israel has been suffering through a nightmare. A group of provocateurs set sail on a few ships from Turkey to Gaza. Anticipating an Israeli attempt to peacefully commandeer the vessels like on previous occasions, and after inspections for weapons, transfer the contents of the vessel to Gazans, the provocateurs opted to lynch the paintball gun toting soldiers.

The first soldier to board the ship was met with a beating administered by the attackers which clubs, bats, and metal rods. After a short but brutal beating, he was tossed 30 feet from the first deck, enduring a skull fracture. Then came the second soldiers. Shouts of “Don’t shoot, hold your fire” could be heard from his comrades still on the helicopter. He followed his commands, and in turn had a knife speared into his stomach, as he was being stabbed, a beating was administered by some more of the peace activists. A third soldier slid down the rope from the helicopter onto the top deck. Dragged down by yet another mob of peace loving humanitarian workers, he had his arm broken with a metal rod. One by one soldiers slid down the rope, and one by one they were cruelly pummeled. A soldier was thrown down a flight of stairs and kicked repeatedly while he was down. The passengers threw smoke grenades and Molotov cocktails. Meanwhile, the soldiers had not fired a single round.

And then the situation took a turn for the worse. Two pacifists disarmed two soldiers of their unused emergency pistols and began to fire. The order was then reluctantly passed down, authorizing soldiers to shoot back in self defense. But not before at least two soldiers were shot.

And the world condemned Israel…

SOS: Support our Soldiers!

There will be demonstrations supporting the IDF all over Israel starting at 6 PM today. A partial list is as follows:

Kiryat Shmona: Next to Egged Bus station
Teveriya: Lev HaGalil building
Hadia: Bat-Galim train station
Hadera: "kikar hadera" intersection
Afula: Next to Egged Bus station
Jordan Valley Highway 90: Hakibutzim intersection
Beit Shean: Binyamin Mall
Netanya: Coastal Road Netanya Interchange
Krayot: Tzabar intersection
Nahariya: Next to train station
Raanana: Tzomet Raanana, merkaz.
Bar Ilan University pedestrian bridge over highway 4.
Tel-Aviv'; Azreili Mall
Modi'in; Tzomet Shilat
Beit Shemesh: Tzomet "BIG"
Gush Etzion: Tzomet HaGush in the roundabout
Bat Yam: Next to Abarbanel Hospital
Ashdod: "Ad Halom" bridge
Ashkelon: Tzomet Ashkelon
Ariel: Next to the University
Ramat HaSharon: Kfar HaYarok intersection
Maalot: entrance to town
Jerusalem: Main entrance
Rishon LTzion: Rishon intersection
Sederot: Next to the shuk
Netivot: City Hall
Ofakim: Entrance to city
Kiryat Melachi: Kastina Interchange
Rechovot: Tzomet Bilu
Eilat: Next to shopping center.