Frequently the Torah calls upon us to choose life over death, “^ I call heaven and earth today to witness against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live . . .” (Deut. 30:19).

The themes of life and death are especially poignant illustrations of the Jewish New Year, as we reflect upon our mortality and the moral choices we have made in the course of the past year. Every thought, every word, and every deed has binary consequences. Each act can, as Maimonides explains, redeem the world, or bring about its ruination.

One might wonder: Why would anyone want to choose death over life? Why would anyone prefer cursedness over blessedness? Blessedness and cursedness are not abstractions; they are the products of a lifestyle that people consciously or unconsciously choose.

According to Fromm, two fundamentally orientations compete for the soul of the individual and the world: biophilia and necrophilia. Biophilia denotes the love of life, while necrophilia denotes the love of death.  The love of life is what we experience when observing the beauties of nature; in terms of human behavior, biophilia stresses the importance of treating life with sanctity and dignity.  According to this perspective, life is of infinite value. Love leads to a greater valuation of the people we meet in our lives; whether it is a spouse, a family member who is ailing, or even the stranger who cries out for our generosity and kindness. Fromm felt that human beings must learn to transcend their animalistic evolution by engendering life and resist the impulse to destroy it.

Contrary to popular perceptions, the necrophiliac is not someone who delights in ravishing corpses. Fromm regards necrophilia as a hostility and death force that finds its delight in the devaluation of life; to the necrophiliac, people are objects—a utilitarian means toward a utilitarian end. In a modern society, the worship of technology (especially with respect to the military), the absence of love, and the emergence of the bureaucratic State contribute toward necrophilia as a life-orientation.

Fromm argues that the necrophile’s passion aims to transform that which is alive into something dead, to tear down for the pleasure of seeing an object’s destruction, in obliterating sentient and living structures. Such a person believes that the only way to solve a problem or conflict is through force and violence. Constructive approaches stressing sympathy and co-operative effort.

How does one develop an attitude of biophilia? This all depends upon our upbringing. Living in a life-furthering environment (family and society), develops the biophilous passions of love, tenderness, justice, and the desire to grow things and to further life. Should this impulse be frustrated, resulting in the frustration of our fundamental existential needs, we are likely to develop the character-rooted passions of hate, greed, jealousy, envy, cruelty, narcissism, and destructiveness.

Actions mold character.

When observing the struggles between Palestinians and Israelis, it is not hard to see that the forces of biophilia vs necrophilia exist within each society itself. Radical elements within both communities view violence as a means of achieving their goals—finding delight in the victimization of the Other.

Gaza, for example, poses a very serious problem. Given their propensity toward the worst kinds of violence, Israel is forced to block ships carrying military weapons intended for her destruction. The community of Sedroth endured thousands of missiles shot at their homes and city before Israel finally responded. And despite the criticism the Israeli military received from the Western media, Israel acted with remarkable restraint given the fact that Hamas hid behind human shields.
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Hello everybody! I have been busy trying to get my new office ready here in Chula Vista, but I had to post this very important article by Caroline Glick, who happens to also be one of my favorite writers on Middle Eastern affairs.

The connection between Obama and his administration with Hamas is very disturbing. Frankly–it is downright amazing in light of the 9/11 attack on our country, yet Obama continues to court the very terrorists organizations that carried out this devastating attack upon our country.

Enabling evil is a serious and moral crime. Churchill said it best, “Appeasement is throwing someone else to the crocodiles in the hopes of being eaten last.” Our spineless presidential adminstration embodies this sick pathological attitude Churchill warned the future generations about.

Recently, we discovered that about 50% of the American Jewish community supports Obama–a far cry from the 80% who supported him during the last election. Now, let’s see if we can cut his support to 5% of  the Jewish community. Unfortunately, many Jews love the Democratic Party more than they do the State of Israel. While it is true, Israel’s flirtation with Haredi Jewish leaders certainly does not engender warm and fuzzy feelings toward Israel, nevertheless, I believe this moment of history is a very special one. Our ancestors prayed for our eventual return to our homeland, are we going to trade our spiritual home for a pot of political-flavored lentils? 

Remember: Supporting Hamas is like supporting the KKK.

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How Hamas rises in the West

By Caroline B. Glick

It is not surprising that Obama is siding with Hamas. Here’s why

http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Since the navy’s May 31 takeover of the Turkish-Hamas flotilla, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his advisers have deliberated around the clock about how to contend with the US-led international stampede against Israel. But their ultimate decision to form an investigatory committee led by a retired Supreme Court justice and overseen by foreign observers indicates that they failed to recognize the nature of the international campaign facing us today.Led by US President Barack Obama, the West has cast its lot with Hamas. It is not surprising that Obama is siding with Hamas. His close associates are leading members of the pro-Hamas Free Gaza outfit. Obama’s friends, former Weather Underground terrorists Bernadine Dohrn and William Ayres participated in a Free Gaza trip to Egypt in January. Their aim was to force the Egyptians to allow them into Gaza with 1,300 fellow Hamas supporters. Their mission was led by Code Pink leader and Obama fund-raiser Jodie Evans. Another leading member of Free Gaza is James Abourezk, a former US senator from South Dakota.

All of these people have open lines of communication not only to the Obama White House, but to Obama himself.

Obama has made his sympathy for the Muslim Brotherhood clear several times since entering office. The Muslim Brotherhood’s progeny include Hamas, al-Qaida and the Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Last June, Obama infuriated the Egyptian government when he insisted on inviting leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood to attend his speech at Al Azhar University in Cairo. His administration’s decision to deport Hamas deserter and Israeli counterterror operative Mosab Hassan Yousef to the Palestinian Authority where he will be killed is the latest sign of its support for radical Islam.

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The following article is almost identical to a talk I gave earlier this week. I would only add that Turkey’s denial of the Darfur genocide should come as no surprise–especially when considering the indisputable fact that Turkey murdered over two million Arameans during WWI. Denial is not just a river in Egypt. Put in different terms, the French Jewish philosopher writes that the human face is remarkable in one respect–nobody can really see one’s face without the help of a mirror. However, the Other person can see more of your face than you will ever directly see. This analogy fits the political problem as well. It takes a great deal of courage and objectivity for people inside a conflict to see the point of view of one’s neighbor. Israel’s concern for stability in its country is perfectly legitimate. Turkey is the instigator here, and let us hope and pray that the Turkish people act and remove this Hellian leader out of office.

Now, let’s see if we can get the other 50 % of the Jewish community to get rid of him and his leftist buddies.

After some thought, the idea occurred to me that the Flotilla is yet another type of smoke-screen intended to deflect the world’s attention from Iran and their race to build a nuclear bomb. As with baseball or tennis, it pays to keep our eye on the ball.

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Photo by: ASSOCIATED PRESS

Remember the sci-fi thriller, Independence Day? In one scene, President Thomas Whitmore appeals to the captured alien, and offers to share the planet in peace. He asks the alien, “What do you want us to do?” The Captured Alien says: “Die!!” Whitmore says, “Blast them!”

This episode reminds me a lot of the current crisis with Hamas, who is winning the PR war against Israel. No matter what Israel offers the Palestinians, nothing short of national suicide or genocide will satisfy the radical Muslim blood-lust. Steeped in a millennial hatred of the Jew, Europe supports Hamas because they hate seeing the Jew as vibrant and more virulent than they are. I realize these words probably will sting the sensibilities of leftists–Christian and Jewish–but that’s too bad.

Europeans have proven time and time again why the Holocaust occurred on their continent. In my opinion, the political left of Europe is bereft of a moral backbone, not to mention, a conscience. Obama’s lack of support speaks volumes. If reelected, you can be sure that Obama will be leading the chorus against Israel. A recent report says that 80% of American Jews voted for Obama. Now, he has only 50%. Frankly, he should have only 5%. Are we that foolish?  Obama is Jimmy Carter redux.

Can we do better? YES WE CAN!

RMLS

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Charles Krauthammer on the president’s Israeli response
Thursday, June 03, 2010

HH: I’m joined now by Charles Krauthammer, who is a Washington Post columnist as well as a Fox News All-Star. Charles, earlier today, Jimmy Carter said that these tragic deaths are a terrible reminder that the failed policy of besieging Gaza mainly hurts civilians. He went on to say there is no way to realize the goal of a two-state solution as long as the people of Gaza remain isolated and deprived of their basic human rights. He certainly isn’t standing with Israel, is he?

CK: Yeah, and he also knows no history. I mean, his animus towards Israel overrides even logic in his case. The fact is that long before the blockade, long before any of this, Gaza, run by Hamas, is committed to the destruction of Israel. It has never accepted a two-state solution, so it is totally fatuous to say that in the absence of a blockade, or there was some change in Israeli policy, Hamas would ever agree to a two-state solution. It has repeated its opposition to Israel’s existence, and its determination to fight to the end to its destruction at every opportunity for thirty years. So what Carter says is the usual nonsense coming from him on the Middle East, and it’s worse than nonsense. It’s highly, highly prejudiced nonsense.

HH: Less than an hour ago, CNN released tape of Larry King asking President Obama about the Carter statement. Let me play you that tape, Charles, from CNN.

LK: Former President Carter has condemned the Israeli raid against those ships in the flotilla trying to break the blockade of Gaza.

BHO: Right.

LK: Where do stand on that? A former American president has condemned it.

BHO: Well, the United States with the other members of the UN Security Council said very clearly that we condemned all the acts that led up to this violence. It was a tragic situation. You’ve got loss of life that was unnecessary. And so we are calling for an effective investigation of everything that happened, and I think the Israelis are going to agree to that, an investigation of international standards, because they recognize that this can’t be good for Israel’s long term security.

LK: Premature, then, to condemn Israel?

BHO: Well, I think that we need to know what all the facts are, but it’s not premature to say to the Israelis, and to say to the Palestinians, and to say to all the parties in the region, that the status quo is unsustainable. We have been trying to do this piecemeal for decades now. And it just doesn’t work. You’ve got to have a situation in which the Palestinians have real opportunity, and Israel’s neighbors recognize Israel’s legitimate security concerns, and are committed to peace. Continue Reading

Q. I am doing my PhD. in the field of Jewish Studies. In this connection I am interested in the history of Jews in Masonic lodges. According to my knowledge, there is at least in the higher degrees of the Scottish Rite quite a lot of Christian symbolism, I wonder, if there is any halachic ruling concerning the membership of Jews in Masonic lodges. Could you help me here?

A. Good question. Until now, I never really researched the significance of Freemasonry, but I must confess that my father was a Mason and so were many of his Jewish friends. Even more remarkable is the existence of an Orthodox Synagogue in Winchester named Rosh Pina, whose membership consists of Jewish masons. Masonic lodges tended to help support the local businesses, and this was probably one of the main reasons these fraternities were so popular.  The name Rosh Pina is based on the biblical verse, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (Psalms 118:22).

Despite the popularity of this international fraternity, there is no official or formal definition regarding what is a Freemason. Much of its history is shrouded in legend and ambiguity. Many of its members trace back its symbolism to the original builders of the Egyptian pyramids or for that matter, Solomon’s Temple. According to Masonic legend, King Hiram I of the Phoenician city of Tyre (980-947 B.C.E.) the master-builder of Solomon’s Temple, was murdered because he would not reveal the secrets of his Masonic group. Needless to say, there is no historicity supporting this folk story, but it does reveal something about the medieval groups that kept their own traditions secretive. According to historians, the Freemasonry lodge did not begin in ancient Judea, or in Egypt, but in England sometime in the 14^th century! [1]

At any rate, Masonic traditions are pretty benign. The working tools of the Masons became a system of symbols for personal morality and initiation.

Most folks know the Masons are a charitable organization which has secret rites and symbols. In religious terms, their behavior and traditions strikes one as an American civil religion. The fraternity believes in rendering homage to the Creator, which they regard as the duty of each of its members. Although Freemasonry only began as an institution in the seventeenth century, it has generated a mythology, or legendary history, according to which its followers claims dates back to  the biblical reign of Solomon and the building of the Temple.

Many of this country’s founding fathers were Masons. In this country and in Europe,  Freemasonry was linked to various programs of political and religious reform, programs that emphasized freedom of thought, worship, association, and the press and contributed considerably to the French and American revolutions.

Some Masonic lodges found it hard to give up their old prejudices with respect to the Jews. In Germany and Austria, Masonic lodges barred Jews from belonging. There is also another dark history to masonry. In the 19^th century, American Freemasons, along with others of like mind, created the Know‑Nothing party in the 1850s, the Ku Klux Klan after the Civil War and again from 1915 onward, and the American Protective Association in the latter 1880s and early 1890s. All were even more anti‑Catholic than they were antiblack or xenophobic, in addition to being anti-Semitic. In defense of the Masonic movement, these splinter groups did not reflect the values of the Masonic philosophy.

At any rate, Jews found the Masonic lodges to be open in a time when discrimination was rampant in Western society. The Masonic constitution held that any good or honest person, regardless of his denomination or persuasion, was admitted. The constitution obliged the member only to hold “to that religion in which all men agree, leaving their particular opinions to themselves,” a declaration of religious tolerance based on the current Deist trend, which postulated a Supreme Being who could be conceived of by any rational being. It remains a mystery whether Jews may have influenced the wording of the Masonic constitution, but its liberal doctrines made it easy for Jews to belong.  A Jewish lodge, the Lodge of Israel, was established in London in 1793, and the Knights of Aphesis to this day, is a Jewish lodge in the Masonic movement. Indeed, I am told that there are many Jewish Masonic lodges all around the world. One gets the impression that the religious ideation of the lodge will vary from community to community.

Concerning Masonic lodges in the land of Israel had as many as 64 lodges with over 3500 active members consisting of  Jews, Muslims, Christians, and Druze. The activities of the Grand Lodge and its several lodges include: a mutual insurance fund; the Masonic old age home at Nahariyyah; Masonic temples all over the country; and a museum and library (Encyclopedia Judaica) . Israeli Masonic Lodges show the kind of healing power Freemasonry can produce in a society that is religiously divided.

With respect to the rest of your questions, I would like to briefly examine some of the Masonic  teachings and rituals.

Curiously, many of its rituals and symbolism draw its roots from the Kabbalah.  In the Kabbalah, the interest in a knowledge of sounds, written letters, and words was intensified. Each sign was given a magical value that had a religious meaning and a numerical relationship. For example, the Hebrew letter alef became the symbol of mankind and the abstract principle of material objects.

Most importantly, Freemasonry taught that  they are building a spiritual temple in heaven. Each member regardless of his religion must fashion himself into a perfect living stone to fit into the spiritual temple of God. Indeed, this idea bears considerable similarity to the Tikkun Olam “Repairing the world” which the Kabbalists stress, is every human being’s duty. This concept is referred to as the “Common Gavel.” The common gavel serves as a metaphor for the breaking off the rough and superfluous parts of the stone, so as to be fit for the Supreme Architect’s use.  Accepted Masons, are taught to make use of it for the more noble and glorious purpose of divesting their hearts and consciences of all the vices and superfluities of life: thereby fitting the Mason’s  minds as living stones for that spiritual building. The Mason thus, makes himself fit for heaven by bettering himself through eliminating unwanted qualities. This spiritual lesson holds true for any Mason, regardless of his god or religious persuasion. The Kabbalists also refer to this same process as “etcafiyah” – bending the material impulses to the service of the Divine.

Another one of the building instruments Masons use involves a trowel, which they use to spread cement. Here too, the symbolism represents spreading  the cement of brotherly love and affection; that cement which unites people into one sacred band or society of friends and brothers, among whom no contention should exist, so that all people may work and exist in perfect harmony. Continue Reading

I came across an interesting article in the news about a topic that deserves discussion. Evidently, the famous (or perhaps “infamous”) artist Lars Vilks, whose artwork depicts the Prophet Mohammad on the body of a dog, was attacked while giving a talk about the importance of artistic freedom. He’s not the only artist who has come to literal blows over the issue of artistic freedom. Vilks was attacked immediately after he showed a film by an Iranian artist named, Sooreh Hera, who depicts the Prophet as entering a gay bar. Most of us probably recall the riots that left scores of people dead when the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten posted the dozen pictures that lampooned Mohammad.

The issue of artistic freedom runs into a wall of religious opposition over the issue of blasphemy. In fact, the word “blasphemy” has a remarkable history. The English word derives originally from the Greek βλάσφημος, “abusive,” “reproachful speech” blasphemous, slanderous, insulting. Indeed, in the Torah itself, blasphemy carries a death penalty for anyone who blasphemes God’s Holy Name  (cf. Lev. 24:10-16).

Rabbinic tradition specifies this only pertains to someone who pronounces God’s sacred Name itself [1], which may explain why God’s Name has not been pronounced by rabbinite communities since the 2nd century or so. Karaite Jews, on the other hand, still pronounce the Name YHWH just like their ancestors did in ancient biblical times. Numerous biblical references also attest to individuals who have reviled God’s Name [2].

While Jews have traditionally been champions and advocates of free speech, the issue of blasphemy reveals the difficulties and asymmetrical accommodation that exists between the secular and religious cultures. In Israel today, many conflicts between the Haredim and the secular occur because of the former’s “disrespect,” and “contempt” toward traditional religious values.

Christians are also aware of this problem. Back in 1987 a photographer named Andres Serrano took a picture of a plastic crucifix that was submerged in the artist’s urine, which he referred to as “Piss Christ.”

Truth can be pretty strange at times.  Apparently, Serranos is a professed and practicing Catholic! From his point of view, his artistic work characterizes an Augustinian point of Catholic resistance against Protestant Gnosticism. Still and all, I remember the firestorm of debate heard around the country.

Perhaps adding more fuel to the fire, Serranos won a special award by the  Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art’s “Awards in the Visual Arts” competition. This event was underwritten by the National Endowment for the Arts, a United States Government agency. Should government be involved in acts that arguably treat religious icons or figures with contempt? Many congressman made a campaign to punish the NEA, calling it as an abuse of taxpayer dollars.

As a Jew, I wonder what would the Jewish reaction have been if the artist decided to use a Torah Scroll instead of crucifix? What would the government have said had the artist depicted a “Piss Mohammed” image instead?

Now, get a load of this: In the United States, many states still have blasphemy laws on the books, but the Supreme Court’s expansive interpretation of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution makes it likely that any blasphemy prosecution would now be regarded as an impermissible establishment of religion.

While such acts of revulsion offend a faith community’s spiritual values, there may be a far greater danger to religion if government decides to squelch all questionable anti-religious expressions, or decides to arbitrate  what kinds of “blasphemous” expressions against the great religions of the world are tolerable and which ones are not. As you can see, this is a slippery slope that free governments ought to avoid. Government has no right to micromanage politically or religiously incorrect expressions in my opinion.

In 2005, shortly after the incident of the Koran getting flushed down the toilet, Michigan Senator John Conyers (D) proposed a law that:

(1) condemns bigotry, acts of violence, and intolerance against any religious group, including our friends, neighbors, and citizens of the Islamic faith;

(2) declares that the civil rights and civil liberties of all individuals, including those of the Islamic faith, should be protected;

(3) recognizes that the Quran, the holy book of Islam, as any other holy book of any religion, should be treated with dignity and respect; and: Continue Reading

Here is a disturbing article rabbis everywhere ought to be addressing to their communities. The Obama Middle East policy has been a failure, and things do not look good.

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Iran, Hezbollah, and the Bomb

BY William Harris

May 7, 2010 12:00 AM

When Iran gets the bomb, the nuclear club will have a crucial new feature. Without an Iranian bomb and barring regime change in Pakistan, we know that no nuclear power will transfer a device to a private army of the religious elect like Hezbollah in Lebanon. With an Iranian bomb, such assurance instantly ends. This is a looming, tangible state of affairs–in contrast to the hype about loose nuclear materials at the April 2010 Washington nuclear security summit.

Proponents of containing a nuclear Iran in and around the Obama administration conceive of deterring Iran in standard realist style. The Islamic Republic of Iran, however, has become a hybrid of the government of God and ruthless militarized mafias. It is well practiced in long-range subversion, intimidation, and weapons smuggling. It may be confidently expected to shred so-called containment, especially when equipped with a nuclear aura and facing the quivering potentates of Arabia.

In any case, Iran has a strategic extension across the Middle East to the Mediterranean that puts it beyond containment. On February 25, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah met in Damascus to celebrate their alignment and its achievements. The Syrian-Iranian partnership has enabled the Syrian ruling clique to go from strength to strength in dealing with the West and the Arabs. Syria only looks forward to more gains from the partnership as Iran moves toward the bomb. At the tripartite summit, Assad mocked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s call for Syria to steer away from Iran.

What of Hezbollah? Thanks to Western promoted demoralization of the West’s own friends in Lebanon, Hezbollah has advanced from commanding a large part of Lebanon to effectively commanding the Lebanese state. This is the fruit of the West’s courting of Bashar al-Assad, and pressing “consensus” with absolutists on the Lebanese. As a result, Lebanon is more than ever the business end of Iran’s Middle Eastern operations.

Hezbollah is integral to the ruling clerical and military establishment in Iran. It has pledged itself to supreme guide Ali Khamenei, and from the perspective of Iran’s leaders it is a wing of their apparatus. The party’s formidable armory, fortified territory, and intelligence capability give it credibility as a base for Iranian strategic weaponry bordering Israel, in the heart of the Arab world, and half way to Europe. Continue Reading

From the Pastor’s Desk by Fr. Mike Schaab

“5/9/2010”

Posted on May 5th, ’10

Just a reminder, this coming Thursday is not a Holy Day of Obligation.  The celebration of the Feast of the Ascension in our Diocese has been transferred to next Sunday, May 16.  Speaking of the Diocese of Peoria, if you haven’t made your Annual Diocesan Appeal pledge, please do so this week.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the interfaith dialog last Thursday between Protestants, Catholics, Muslims and Jews.   Rabbi Michael Samuel, Imam Saad Baig, Rev. Ron Quay and I have been meeting for a little over a year and now are friends as well as colleagues in ministry.  It was a pleasure to be able to share a part of our dialog with others last Thursday.  Rabbi Samuel will be leaving the Quad Cities this summer for a new position in San Diego.  It’s a wonderful opportunity for him but a real loss for our dialog group.

But one doesn’t have to go to San Diego to find great weather.  The weather here has been beautiful recently.  It’s been one of the finest springs I can recall.  Most of my farmer friends have also been enjoying a great planting season.  I recall a short Latin phrase, “Spes messis in semine,” which means “The hope of the harvest is in the seed.”  The great beauty of springtime and the planting season is that it is a time of hope.  Just as very small seeds hold great hopes for the future, so also some of the smallest things we say and do may bring great hope to others.

I’m amazed at what I read in the paper, hear on the radio and see on TV that is supposed to be “political commentary.”  The viciousness, personal attacks and character assassination that passes itself off as dialog is like a cancer in our mass media.  I cannot help but come away from these experiences depressed and feeling hopeless.   Then I recall, “spes messis in semine,” and I become more convinced than ever that hope has to begin with quiet little things, not shouting matches or vitriolic denunciations.

For me a real dialog involves people searching for those little things that might unite them, or at least move them along to be closer to one another.  That’s why this past year of interfaith dialog has been so important for me.  The Rabbi, the Imam and the Protestant minister have renewed my faith in the power of dialog.  Some might say our yearlong conversation has accomplished very little compared to the huge problems are world is facing.  However, I would point out that our small dialog has produced hope, which is something that wars, political intrigue, assassinations, regime changes and international boycotts often fail to achieve.

I believe in “Spes messis in semine.” Little words and acts, said and done in a spirit of dialog, are seeds of hope that in time will bring about a great harvest.  Last Thursday evening Farrell Hall was full of hope.  May we continue to dialog as we wait in hope for a future of reconciliation, peace and justice.

Mike Schaab, Pastor

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Rabbinic Reflections

Well, tonight we had our last symposium together at St. Pius. The theme of tonight’s program was Our Father Abraham: Transforming Hostility to Hospitality. Both the participants and the crowd really did a wonderful job in trying to affirm what is holy and good about our faith traditions. The question and answer period was especially excellent. The program was a huge success; we had over 350 people attending; they had to bring in extra chairs because it exceeded the room capacity size. I want to thank  Father Michael Schaab, Imam Saad Baig, Rev. Ron Quay and Barbara Rodell for making this program such a huge success. I pray that God will continue to bless their efforts as each faith community works toward the common good of our society. I will treasure the gifts for years to come. Continue Reading

I wanted to share the following article with you.  Pilar Rahola is a Spanish politician, journalist and activist and member of the far left. Her articles are published in Spain and throughout some of the most important newspapers in Latin America . Here she addresses pro-Palestinian demonstrations:

Why don’t we see demonstrations against Islamic dictatorships in London , Paris , and Barcelona ?

Or demonstrations against the Burmese dictatorship?

Why aren’t there demonstrations against the enslavement of millions of women who live without any legal protection?

Why aren’t there demonstrations against the use of children as human bombs where there is conflict with Islam?

Why has there been no leadership in support of the victims of Islamic dictatorship in Sudan ?

Why is there never any outrage against the acts of terrorism committed against Israel ?

Why is there no outcry by the European left against Islamic fanaticism?

Why don’t they defend Israel ’s right to exist?

Why confuse support of the Palestinian cause with the defense of Palestinian terrorism?

And finally, the million dollar question: Why is the left in Europe and around the world obsessed with the two most solid democracies, the United States and Israel, and not with the worst dictatorships on the planet? The two most solid democracies, who have suffered the bloodiest attacks of terrorism and the left doesn’t care.

And then, to the concept of freedom. In every pro Palestinian European forum I hear the left yelling with fervor: “We want freedom for the people!”

Not true. They are never concerned with freedom for the people of Syria or Yemen or Iran or Sudan , or other such nations. And they are never preoccupied when Hamas destroys freedom for the Palestinians. They are only concerned with using the concept of Palestinian freedom as a weapon against Israeli freedom. The resulting consequence of these ideological pathologies is the manipulation of the press.

The international press does major damage when reporting on the question of the Israeli-Palestinian issue. On this topic they don’t inform, they propagandize.

When reporting about Israel , the majority of journalists forget the reporter code of ethics. And so, any Israeli act of self-defense becomes a massacre, and any confrontation, genocide. So many stupid things have been written about Israel , that there aren’t any accusations left to level against her.

At the same time, this press never discusses Syrian and Iranian interference in propagating violence against Israel ; the indoctrination of children and the corruption of the Palestinians. And when reporting about victims, every Palestinian casualty is reported as tragedy and every Israeli victim is camouflaged, hidden or reported about with disdain.

And let me add on the topic of the Spanish left. Many are the examples that illustrate the anti-Americanism and anti-Israeli sentiments that define the Spanish left. For example, one of the leftist parties in Spain has just expelled one of its members for creating a pro-Israel website. I quote from the expulsion document: “Our friends are the people of Iran , Libya and Venezuela , oppressed by imperialism, and not a Nazi state like Israel .”
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