Young couples and singles attend the Bet El Gala every December in NYC. We gave the daunting task of photographing "the young and the beautiful" to Ghila Krajzman. Pics below.
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In the Michele Bachmann video below, the Minnesota congresswoman delivers a powerful speech in support of Israel with cogent arguments and a passion that emanates from her core system of values. As I listened to the speech, I became convinced that her support and love for Israel is a deep part of her essence and will never change. A few excerpts appear below the video.
14:00 Leaving Gaza seven
years ago, which I fervently opposed… I was weeping on my bed as I saw Israel
leaving and surrendering Gaza because I knew what would happen. I knew that the
events of the last month [ed. The shelling of Israel from Gaza] would come
about. [More excerpts below]
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14:49 “Our current administration
continues to demand that Israel gives even more and calls on them to concede
even more. This is nothing more than foolishness and, in my opinion, suicidal for
the State of Israel.
15:13 “But we must
recognize there is simply no moral equivalency between a sovereign country like
Israel that follows the rule of law and a terrorist organization that uses women
and children as human shields and openly celebrates in the streets when a bus
filled with Israeli civilians is bombed in the streets of Tel Aviv.
19:27 "Eleven minutes
after Israel declared her sovereignty , then President Harry Truman did the
wisest thing, and the bravest thing he could have possibly done on behalf of
our nation. He wisely recognized the sovereign State of Israel’s existence… And
every president since Harry Truman has unequivocally submitted and affirmed that
support for Israel, as we well should... [Regarding Obama] Starting four years
ago... the President sent numerous signals that the US commitment for Israel is
anything but certain…
7:45 “Growing up for me,
G-d’s promises to the ancient Israelites, as Eugen [Gluck] said, were very near
to my heart. Which is why I took the first opportunity that I could to go to
Israel as a young woman. You see, the day after I graduated from high school, I
flew on El Al Israel Airlines to Tel Aviv and I went to work for the summer at
Kibbutz Be'eri in Beer Sheva…
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann
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Established in 1977 on a bare mountain in Israel’s Samaria region, Bet El Institutions hosts the largest and most prestigious New York dinner of any Israel organization. Bet El's leaders take the spirit of the Torah and the Land of Israel and project it in a way that is out of proportion to any other institution of its type. Here is the Bet El Institutions in brief:
IDF Brigade Commander speaking at Bet El Prep Academy
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Bet El is the largest Jewish town living on the front lines of Ramallah (1300 families!). The people are true idealists living a life of sacrifice.
The Israel Defense Forces Preparatory Academy in Bet El is comprised of Sephardic, Yemenite and Ethiopian students, many of whom come from socially and economically deprived backgrounds, with little motivation for personal development or service to society. The IDF Preparatory Academy in Bet El is a life-changing experience for these youth, deepening their ties with their Jewish roots, while preparing them physically and emotionally for army service and adult life. The Academy is a project of Bet El Institutions.
IsraelNationalNews.com - Arutz Sheva, Israel's third largest English online news site, is owned and operated by Bet El Institutions. It reaches millions! They are the pioneers of fighting Israel's battle in the media. Their national radio station, IsraelNationalRadio.com revolutionized the Israel airwaves promoting homegrown Israeli music and talent, and articulating the legitimate rights of the indigenous Jewish population to self-determination throughout its ancient homeland.
Yeshiva.org.il - Reaching hundreds of thousands in both Hebrew and English, the Bet El Yeshiva's Torah MegaSite serves as the primary site for religious-ZIonist Torah study. It's "Ask the Rabbi" section draws questions from many non-religious Israelis making their first inquiries about Judaism. A multitude of video, audio, and written shiurim are online in the spirit of religious Zionism.
Besheva Newspaper, the third largest hard copy circulation newspaper in Israel (120,000!) is owned and operated by Bet El Institutions.
HaMakom - Established by Bet El graduates, HaMakom is Israel's most class Torah outreach operation located in the heart of Tel Aviv's bohemian "Shenkin" section. Graduates are also doing outreach in Lod, Modi'in, Yafo, Bet Shemesh, Ramat HaSharon, and more.
The educational institutions of Bet El are of national acclaim. Students from around the country compete to get into the college-age Bet El Yeshiva Center and Kollel Program, the Raaya Girls High School Academy and the Bnei Tzvi Boys Yeshiva High School. Together with the IDF Preparatory Academy, the entire student body of Bet El Institutions boasts over 1100 students. They are the cream of the crop of Israeli educational institutions.
BetElTours.com, owned by the Yeshiva, offers the great off-the-beaten-track family tours of Israel.
While the people and students at Bet El carry the burden of defending Israel’s front lines,show them and the world unwavering support for the return of the Jewish People to all parts of their ancient homeland by:
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The following story is told by Rabbi Yosef Elnekaveh, former Rabbi of Neve Dekalim in Gush Katif, Gaza.
The Kabbalist sage Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu of blessed memory was known for his ability to check the validity of an etrog in seconds and precisely state its halachic [Jewish legal] strengths and weaknesses. Every year before the holiday of Sukkot, he would examine hundreds of etrogs and classify each as plain kosher or “mehudar” (great) or not worthwhile. He would rarely say the word “pasul” (disqualified) regarding an etrog, but would rather say, “take something else.”
Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu holding a yellow etrog
If Rabbi Eliyahu examined an etrog after he had already checked it once, even if a few days had passed, he would say that he already checked it and said it was such and such. There are scores of such testimonies.
Only once I heard him say regarding an etrog that it was “pasul.” It happened when a man brought him an etrog of the highest quality to examine, and the buyer proudly stated that he had paid $1000 for the etrog!
Rabbi Eliyahu looked for a split second at the etrog which appeared to be in perfect form and asked, “If this etrog is pasul, will you get your money back?” The man replied that yes, he had made the sale conditional on Rabbi Eliyahu’s examining the etrog and declaring it halachically fit for use.
Rabbi Eliyahu looked the man in the eye and asked, “Tell me, did you purchase for your wife a piece of jewelry for the holiday? That’s also a mitzvah [commandment] from the Torah. It’s the mitzvah of v’semachta bchagecha [thou shalt rejoice on the holiday]!”
The man mumbled something unclear. Rabbi Eliyahu continued, “The etrog is pasul.”
“What? How can it not be fit for use,” asked the buyer.
The rabbi turned the etrog upside down and showed him a small hole under the stem that was very difficult to detect. When Rabbi Eliyahu pushed the stem up a bit, the hole became visible. It was made by a worm which penetrated the thick skin of the etrog to the middle.
The man was shocked. Rabbi Eliyahu continued, “You don’t have to buy an etrog for $1000. It’s enough to purchase a nice one like everyone else for $25-$30. And use the remaining amount to bring joy to your wife for the holiday. Making your wife happy on the holiday is a positive commandment from the Torah.”
Do the math. Rabbi Eliyahu ordered the man to spend 39 times more on his wife, than on his etrog.
Or else face the above consquences
When the man had left, we asked the rabbi how he detected the hole under the stem in a moment’s time. He replied that according to a Hassidic saying, the word etrog is an acronym for the verse “אל תבואני רגל גאוה” [Let not the foot (or holiday) of pride overtake me] Psalms 36:12. But this etrog, said Rabbi Eliyahu, didn’t jive with the idea behind the verse.
END OF STORY. So my friends, if you also neglected to buy something substantial for your wife for the holiday, you can still rectify that today, and take her to get a nice dress or piece of jewelry. Just make sure that you spend much more on your wife than on your etrog.
Chag Sameach from Bet El!
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A leading scholar who once was solidly against a Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria now says a two-state solution is a falsehood: “Settlements are here to stay."
For decades, former Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem Meron Benvenisti was a leading scholar in Israel’s pro-Arab camp, working diligently to curtail development of Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria (AKA The West Bank). He founded
the West Bank Database Project in 1984 which documented social, economic, and
political developments in the region, and reported on growth of the Jewish
towns to Western powers which sought to halt the influx of Jews to their
ancient towns.
Meron Benvenisti, Wikipedia
In an Oct 4th 2012 interview, Benvenisti told Haaretz Newspaper that a division of the land into a two-state solution is not
practical, and that the settlements are irreversible.
The following quotes do not purport to summarize the main
points of the Haaretz interview, but rather demonstrate a growing trend amongst
Israeli opponents of the Jewish return to Judea and Samaria. They, these very same
leaders of the struggle for Palestinian Statehood, now recognize that it is too
late – the Jewish towns of Judea and Samaria cannot be uprooted.
“Today, we are talking about 350,000 settlers. If you take into account (the Jewish neighborhoods of eastern) Jerusalem, then there are 550,000 settlers,” he said. ”Therefore, everyone understands now what I said 30 years ago: it’s irreversible. Nothing will help Ehud Barak, Ehud Olmert or Tzipi Livni – it’s irreversible. You can’t get out of this mess.
“I am not offering solutions. It’s not my job. I am coming
to say that today’s dominant paradigm [of a 2-State solution] is a falsehood,
and I am fighting it. If you try and force an unjust division, you will get a
crippled, hurt and upset Palestinian State, which will turn to violence.
"Regarding this scenario, Israel’s Right is correct. Look what happened in Gaza.
The Disengagement [from Gaza in 2005] didn’t solve anything and put Hamas in
power. Therefore, division is not a solution to the problem, but rather an escalation
of the problem… At one time, it would have been possible to divide the land,
but not today.
Benvenisti added: “The time has
come for you and your friends in Tel Aviv to understand – you cannot divide the
land of Israel. It’s impossible. You can’t tell the Arabs to forget about Yafo (Jaffa)
and Akko (Acre). They won’t forget. No Palestinian will commit to signing an end to
the conflict. They won’t sign.
He called the 1949 Temporary Armistice Lines, now known as the Green Line, “the left’s great alibi [that] no longer exists. The Green Line is dead… Dividing the land is apartheid. The people in Tel Aviv don’t want to understand this, but the Land of Israel is a united, geopolitical unit. Therefore, a division of the land is impossible from geographical, physical, and mental standpoints."
The above quotes suggest that we are at a fascinating
turning point. Because while world headlines continue to highlight possible
breakthroughs in negotiations towards a two-state solution, Israel’s
intellectual elite is gradually recognizing that Palestinian Statehood is no
longer a viable option.
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