RUTHFULLY YOURS

Dear Friends,

It is with a very heavy heart that I deliver the sad news of the passing of the Mayor of Ariel, Ron Nachman. Ron was a dear friend of AFSI’s and our beloved Chairman, Herbert Zweibon, z”l.

He was a featured speaker at an early AFSI Conference in New York, when Ariel was a nascent community in the Shomron, just beginning to grow. Ron always appreciated the fact that AFSI encouraged and applauded his efforts in pushing forward with every initiative to expand the community into a city, and to introduce the College of Judea and Samaria in Ariel, which has now been awarded University status.

On our most recent Chizuk (strength) mission to Israel in Nov. 2012, we visited Ariel, as we always try to do, and Avi Zimmerman arranged for the group to attend a beautiful concert at the Ariel Performing Arts Center where we met with Mayor Nachman.

At the time he looked vigorous and healthy, and we were so pleased to see him looking so well, knowing that he had been fighting his battle with cancer for many years. Below is a picture I took with him at the time.

My heart breaks with the knowledge that he is no longer with us. We pray that Ariel will have a new champion who will persevere, as Ron did, in dedicating himself to the growth of this beautiful city. It has welcomed Russian immigrants, the refugees from the former Gush Katif communities, and students from throughout the country, Arabs and Jews alike.

Ron succeeded in making Ariel a true symbol of a beautiful Israel. May it continue to thrive and be a credit to his memory.

We offer sincere condolences to the entire Nachman family, and to the Ariel family, as well as all who loved and admired Mayor Ron Nachman. May the family know no more sorrows, and may they be comforted among the mourners of Zion.

Helen Freedman,

on behalf of AFSI

http://www.bdlive.co.za/opinion/editorials/2013/01/16/editorial-the-real-tragedy-in-zimbabwe HAS there ever been an economic tragedy simultaneously so profound and so disregarded as Zimbabwe? The situation is so much more tragic because it has raised so little attention in the capitals of the world. No outraged editorials in the New York Times; just vast, international indifference. Zimbabwe’s financial collapse resulted in an inflation […]

HOW MAYOR BLOOMBERG FUNDS AL QAEDA

New York has the highest cigarette tax rate of any state, and nearly two-thirds of the state’s cigarette market is illegal, announced the think tank Tax Foundation on Thursday.

In New York City the tax rate is even higher, adding another $1.50 per pack to the state rate. It’s not uncommon for smokers to pay $12 for a pack.

Large scale cigarette smuggling networks in New York State are dominated by tight knit nationality-based networks, primarily families through blood or marriage of Lebanese, Yemeni, Jordanian and Palestinian descent.

Federal and New York State law enforcement officials estimate that nearly 60 percent of all convenience retail outlets in New York City are now Arab-owned, and with the Arab networks compartmentalized by ethnicity and family ties, the risk of infiltration by law enforcement is minimal.

In total, law enforcement officials in New York State estimate that well-organized cigarette smuggling networks generate between $200,000 – $300,000 per week. A large percentage of the money is believed to be sent back to the Middle East where it directly or indirectly finances groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas and Al Qaeda.

…maybe they can get into large sodas next.

3 Out of 5 Cigarettes Sold in State With Highest Cigarette Taxes are Smuggled

http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/ LET’S GET RIGHT TO THE POINT While the White House was busy drafting proposals to ban assault rifles, the last of the regulations imposed on Saudi travel to the United States after September 11 were being taken apart. While some government officials were busy planning how to disarm Americans, other officials were negotiating the […]

Concern in Cairo The latest news from Cairo is that ousted president Hosni Mubarak is to face trial all over again, both on charges from which he was acquitted a year ago (corruption) and on those he was convicted on (the killing of demonstrators). The retrial was ordered speedily, even strangely, by the standards of […]

NY Times’ Kristof: AIPAC and NRA Are Like Pigs Nicholas Kristof, a New York Times columnist for more than a dozen years, has made a name for himself as a defender of social justice causes such as poverty, gender injustice and, in particular, the brutal mass murders that have taken place in Sudan. Kristof is […]

http://nsroundtable.org/as-we-see-it/our-trusted-friends/

The symbolism here could have been so much more poignant had this agreement (see below) been signed on 9/11 but, alas, Homeland Security Secertary Janet Napolitano probably had her hands full this past September 11th. That was when the Benghazi debacle was unfolding.

So little time, so many debacles to deal with…

U.S-Saudi ‘Trusted Traveler’ Deal to Accelerate Airport Screening

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/01/18/261067.html
Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Mohammed bin Naif and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano signed the Trusted Traveller deal on Jan. 16, 2013. (Photo courtesy of Arab News)

Saudi Arabia and the United States have signed a “Trusted Traveler” agreement to facilitate and accelerate the trusted passenger screening on the principle of reciprocity in both Saudi and U.S. airports.

The Saudi state agency reported that Minister of Interior Prince Mohammed bin Naif and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano “signed an agreement on arrangements relating to the implementation of a program of the ‘Trusted Traveler’ between the two countries.”

According to the agreement U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s trusted traveler program, Global Entry, will be implemented. Global Entry streamlines the screening process at airports for trusted travelers, allowing customs authorities to focus on those travelers they know less about, in order to more effectively identify potential threats and keep our borders and country secure.

“I am proud of the bond between the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and today’s meeting marks another major step forward in our partnership,” said Secretary Napolitano. “By enhancing collaboration with the Government of Saudi Arabia, we reaffirm our commitment to more effectively secure our two countries against evolving threats while facilitating legitimate trade and travel.”

Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Naif and Secretary Napolitano also released a joint statement affirming ongoing cooperation on cybercrime, maritime security and infrastructure protection, and cooperation on cyber security, which is critical to both nations’ economic competitiveness and national security.

http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Article.aspx?id=299980

If integrity is a necessary quality for reputable journalism, Jeffrey Goldberg’s recent column is a disgrace to his profession – and an insult to Israelis’ intelligence.

The [E1] construction project is of great significance for Israel’s interests. I would like to see the entire neighborhood, encompassing thousands of housing units, completed in order to ensure contiguity between Jerusalem and Ma’aleh Adumim. – the late Gideon Ezra, public security minister in Ehud Olmert’s government, March 14, 2006

It is unthinkable that we would talk about Ma’aleh Adumim as part of the State of Israel and leave it as an island or isolated enclave. It is absolutely clear that there will be built-up continuity between Jerusalem and Ma’aleh Adumim – Ehud Olmert, then acting prime minister, in a pre-election interview, March 10, 2006

And these are the main changes, not all of them, which we envision and want in the permanent solution: … First and foremost, united Jerusalem, which will include both Ma’aleh Adumim and Givat Ze’ev – as the capital of Israel, under Israeli sovereignty – Yitzhak Rabin, in his last address to the Knesset seeking ratification of Oslo II, October 5, 1995

I apologize to my readers if the tone of this column is more abrasive that usual. But Jeffrey Goldberg’s column this week (January 14) published by Bloomberg titled “Obama: Israel Doesn’t Know What Its Best Interests Are,” is so infuriatingly impudent, so deceptively disingenuous, so maliciously misleading, so pretentiously pompous that it strains the bounds of civility to almost impossible limits.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR3-sczuyZU
PLEASE ALSO READ: GUSH ETZION BY RUTH KING

http://www.mideastoutpost.com/archives/gush-etzion-by-ruth-king.html

Toldot Yisrael (http://www.toldotyisrael.org) presents the tragic yet inspiring story of the 35 Haganah soldiers who gave their lives in January 1948 trying to bring much needed supplies to the kibbutzim in the besieged Etzion Bloc south of Jerusalem .

“I don’t know if there was any company in the Israel Defense Forces or in any army in the world that assembled such splendid manpower, pure bravery, and spiritual abundance as this company, who will forever be known by our people as the “lamed hey” (the thirty-five)…These lions of Israel were a mix of youthful spirit and glory, superior wisdom…and bravery fiercer than death.”
– David Ben Gurion

This movie is the fourth episode in the “Eyewitness 1948” short film series produced by Toldot Yisrael and was generously sponsored by the Alexander Family in memory of Shaul Pnueli, one of the fallen.

Producer
Eric Halivni (Weisberg)

Director and Editor
Tal Ella

Production and Cinematography
Peleg Levy

Narrator
Michael Greenspan

Editor
Dikla Shitrit

Original Score and Sound Editor
Uri Kalian

http://www.americanthinker.com/printpage/?url=http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/../2013/01/does_a_film_mirror_americas_future_a_review_of_barbara.html The horrors of living in communist East Germany in the 1980s are subtly and exquisitely conveyed in the 2012 German drama Barbara, written and directed by Christian Petzold. Watching this film, I was reminded of Eva Hoffman’s introduction to Exit into History, wherein she writes: “And if story is closer to history in Eastern […]