Skip to main content

Wonderful speech by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

On January 11, 2009, there was a gathering at Trafalgar square in London.  The Chief Rabbi of England, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks gave a very moving speech.  The text can be found here.  Compare this to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's (I'm a nut job) speech on Dec 30, 2008. 

Rabbi Sacks says that everyone wants to live in Peace.  Mahmoud talks about criminals and oppressed people.  The dichotomy is striking and depressing.  It feels like the two people are talking about different worlds, and perhaps they really are.

It worries my that the US and EU governments assume that everyone is like Rabbi Sacks.  They explain away Mahmoud's talks as theatrical gestures.  When will they begin to believe that he really means what he says.

I am sorry that the people of Gaza are unable to live in peace.  I am not sure that is what they want.  After all, the party line of HAMAS is to destroy Israel.   That is not my definition of peace.

I wish all our soldiers a safe Shabbat.  May the war be over soon and may the people of Gaza find their own voice of peace.  Gaza could be a beautiful vacation spot, but only if the inhabitants focus on building their own lives and not destroying the lives of others.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A change of pace (Kidney Failure)

I have been trying to keep this blog focused on hospitality and food.  God though has other plans for his creations and I find now that I will have to expand the scope to cover new topics.  I'll try to continue blogging about my menus and our guests, but expect more posts that have little or nothing to do with food. In February of this year, My second oldest son, Asaf was diagnosed with Chronic Renal Failure. Simply put, both his kidneys are damaged and scarred from some infection or defect that happened years ago.  They will likely cease to function sometime within the next six months. The good news is that there is no immediate danger to his life.  Kidney Dialysis is a viable option and can maintain his health for up to ten or more years if necessary.  Unfortunately, the process is not easy and there are potential side effects. Given Asaf's generally excellent health and age, Kidney Dialysis is considered only a stop-gap measure and not a long term solution. The best solutio...
13 comments
Read more

Back and Hosting again

I'm back in Israel with an apartment, appliances, dishes and a plan.  I am now living in Raanana.  If you are in the area, and/or just want to come for a shabbat, let me know. This weekend, I have two of my boys and their families.  It should be a nice start to my new place.  I am very much looking forward to hosting them and to bringing out my new board games. Dinner: Wine Challot Garlic Soup w/ croutons Roast Chicken Pasta and Sauce +Meatballs Salad Rice Dessert Lunch: Challot Jumbalaya Salad Slow Roast Tomatoes Potatoes Sweet Potatoes Pargiot w/ Ras Al Hanut rub Tchina Dessert Seudat Shishit: (because it feels like we never stop eating) Salad Avacado Egg Salad Tuna Salad Pita
Post a Comment
Read more

Mid Pesach weekend and Recap

For the first time in memory, all of my children stayed awake for the whole seder.  In the past years, we usually lost one or more before the main meal.  Last year, one of my children fell asleep on the sofa and we woke him up to say "Pesach, Matza and Maror".  He then went back to bed. My parents attended the seder with us this year.  I'm not sure how many more chances we will have to celebrate pesach with them.  The travel is harder each year and my father is visibly aging.  In past years, my father was the king of the seder.  He belted out the sing-song chant that we use for the hagada and he led the discussions.  This year, he was a silent participant while I took over the singing. On chol-ha-moed, we first went off-roading with our friends the Moritz's down south, just below Hebron and within the 1949 borders.  The Jewish National fund has planted about 3 million trees in that area since 1956.  The location is just north of the ...
Post a Comment
Read more