New Day and Terror Attacks Increasing

 

There was a promise from yesterday to talk about a recent increase in Christian yielding to ascending Islam in the Western World, so first to make good on our word. When researching some information we found that we are far from the first to talk about Chrislam as a rising idea in many churches and that this concept has spread far beyond the Anglican Church where the Archbishop of Canterbury was one of the first church leaders to suggest that his church make some accommodations for acceptance of Islam and incorporate some Islamic acceptance and influences into the churches liturgy as a method for the church to survive. When Dr. Rowan Williams when he was the Archbishop of Canterbury stated the adoption of certain aspects of Sharia law in the UK “seems unavoidable,” this was the initial start of an inevitable surrender to the inevitability of Islam becoming an integrated, inseparable and intractable force in Britain. This was followed with news later that the Anglican Church was considering making accommodations which could lead to a merging of the Church and Islam in a form which would incorporate both religions as a way of rescuing the church from lack of participation and filling the empty pews. There have since been Bishops and other high church officials from almost every form of Protestantism hinting or even insinuating or inferring, if one prefers, that some form of merging between their respective churches with Islam was the path for the future whereby both religions could and would gain from the incorporation of the best from each religion making the resultant faith the largest and most followed religion on the planet. Needless to say the reactions to these allegations that some truncated version of Christianity with an equally compromised form of Islam could be the basis for Chrislam and a stronger version of both Christianity and Islam combining the two religions were immediate and anything but cordial. The claim the union would easily make for the largest of all religions was said to be assuming that there were not mass migrations from Chrislam by both Muslims and Christians to churches and mosques which remained true to the source essences of each religion was being ignored and also likely to represent the majority of adherents to both religions.

 

The doubts that any idea of Chrislam becoming the newest religion by forming a marriage between Christianity and Islam were expressed by both faiths, though the reasons differed radically between the two religions. The main problem the defenders of Christianity gave revolved around the conflict which would ensue over the deity of Jesus Christ and the trinity being one of the criticisms which Islam held was polytheism which they explained showed the limited understanding the practitioners of Islam held about the trinity being the three forms of the wholeness of G0d and that there was really only one G0d in Christianity who had taken three facets representing the differing entities which defined the wholeness of G0d. The defenders of Islam simply insisted in the damnable beliefs and the corrupted verses of the Christian Bible which just as the Hebrew Bible differed from the Quran which was all the proof necessary to prove it was a corruption of the word of Allah and thus the religions of both Judaism and Christianity were false religions and their adherents would either be sent straight to hell or would be granted one last chance on judgement day to accept the Quran, Muhammad and to correct their erroneous ways and join the only true faith, Islam. As for whether anything such as Chrislam will ever come to pass, the probabilities are slim at best and completely impossible as the Christians will never compromise on the deification of Jesus Christ while the Muslims will never compromise on their Quran and their being the final word from Allah superceding Christianity just as Christianity with the New Testament was thus superceding Judaism.

 

What is more likely to happen is those Christians who are that unsure and not wholly committed to their faith and would be willing to form some bastardized version of Christianity merging with Islam be compromising and blurring the differences would just as easily continue down that slippery slope and soon come to rest as practitioners of Islam though their probability of being accepted by many Muslims would be remote as anyone that willing to compromise their religious principles obviously is incapable of true faith and dedication that Islam demands and cannot be trusted to be true to Islam as new Muslims than they had been to their Christianity. But all Chrislam would ever become would be a way-station for those Christians unsure of their faith and already inclined to try a different religion, particularly one with adherents so completely dedicated as the Muslims they have known or read about appear to be capable of being. Their view was and would continue to be to believe whatever was the going religion of the moment and as such not really any religion as much as a person going through the motions in order to be popular and in the primary and ascendant group, the dominant religion.

 

On to what was a horrific day of terrorist strikes all across Israel with the brunt of the attacks plaguing Jerusalem. It tears at one’s gut to have the holy and wondrous city of Jerusalem be the scene of such carnage and cruelty. There were at least a half dozen Israelis murdered and approaching thirty people injured. There was this attack where the terrorist rammed a bus stop with his vehicle and then proceeded to assault people murdering Rabbi Yeshayahu Krishevsky and severely wounding a second person as seen in the video below. A security guard who was close to the incident intervened and initially wounded the terrorist with his firearm but the terrorist grabbed for his weapon and rose to his feet when he was pushed against the wall and refused to go down still clasping his knife or hatchet, depending on which report, was shot a second time and he still got to his feet and attempted to make his way to his vehicle when the security guard fired one last time killing the terrorist.

 

 

 

 

Another attack saw a team of terrorists attempt to commandeer an entire bus and when that failed they attempted to kill as many passengers as possible after locking the doors of the bus. The attack took place at a bus stop in the East Talpiot or Armon HaNetziv neighborhood in southeast area of Jerusalem. The two terrorists were armed with a knife and a pistol attacking passengers with one person killed and eighteen others were injured, with at least three being critically injured. Police arrived while the attack was in progress with one terrorist threatening people in vehicles which had stopped at the scene and by the time everything was said and done one of the terrorists was injured and taken into custody and the other terrorist was dispatched to Allah.

 

Rabbi Yeshiyahu Krishevsky, a member of the Pinsk-Karlin Hassidic sect, spent years compiling the book “Pearls of Yeshiyahu” on the Torah, and acquaintances had told Arutz Sheva about Rabbi Krishevsky stating that, “He lived alone for many years. All he wanted to do was study Torah and perform mitzvoth. At religious events, we always honored him with speaking because of his extensive knowledge of the Torah. Standing next to the deceased at the bus stop was one of the most important Hassid. He is the second injured person who condition remains defined as serious. May the peace and quiet return to Jerusalem.” Rabbi was on his way to study Torah as he had done every day for years. Rabbi Krishevsky is survived by one son. He was laid to rest today and we have included a video funeral service or at least the scene out on the street outside of the synagogue.

 

 

 

There were other attacks with one thwarted in Tel Aviv, two along the coast in Ra’anana, a town north of Tel Aviv, where a man stabbed four people with a knife on Jerusalem Boulevard with one in serious condition with stab wounds to the upper body. The three other victims were slightly injured, Baruch Hashem. The terrorist was arrested. Earlier in the day, another attack just a few hours earlier in Ra’anana was another stabbing attack in which one male victim was slightly injured being stabbed while waiting at a bus stop on the central Ahuza thoroughfare in the city. A spokesperson for the Magen David Adom rescue service said, “The victim, 32, suffered light wounds to his upper body in the incident.” It was reported by Magen David Adom and confirmed by police that the attacker, after being beaten by passersby to stop the attack, was taken into custody with serious injuries.

 

On an older front there was shooting at an IDF vehicle by snipers from inside Gaza. As usual it was not sure which of the terror entities was responsible though by default Hamas is the elected government and by default they are held responsible by Israeli authorities. This was not the first time since the resent assault wave in Jerusalem and throughout Israel as there was another incident on the Gaza border two days ago as Palestinians opened fire at an IDF force near Kissufim working on reinforcing the border fence. While discussing the border fence, the regional leaders from the four regions bordering Gaza on Sunday called on Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon (Likud) and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to immediately advance stalled plans to build a barricade the entire length of the Gaza border. Their urgency was spurred by the recent event which saw dozens of Gaza Arabs storm the border fence attempting once again to break through to Israeli territory. IDF soldiers were able to keep the hordes back without incident despite their having some limited success in breaching the fence. The demand is for a barrier similar to the wall in Jerusalem and other points considered most dangerous in Judea and Samaria such as Bethlehem. Perhaps the fence pictured below may just be insufficient to contain the attacks which have begun to be implemented by the terror forces in Gaza and perhaps it is time to proceed with installing a barrier and make the border more secure and also to act as a bullet stopper rendering sniper fire a thing of the past.

 

 

Current Gaza Fence which has proven to be insufficient to prevent storming by large groups of terrorist invaders or in preventing sniper fire and related dangers

 

 

Finally, in closing, despite almost receiving no coverage, as, by comparison, the stone and cinderblock throwing at passing vehicles with Israeli license plates continued and has not lessened in ferocity or murderous intents. The citizens and their friends or relatives who may visit them are still at risk of being ambushed and potentially having their windshield or other windows smashed through and the rocks, bricks and/or cinderblocks hurling through the vehicle injuring or murdering the occupants and should the driver be struck the car may careen out of control striking a wall or tree or slamming into a ditch threatening all riding within the vehicle. We could describe the times when there were serious injuries or death but that would take up too much of your time and most would not read such a list. Instead let us remember three complete innocents who paid the ultimate price. More information is available at the articles we wrote when these assaults occurred. Yonatan Palmer age one died when his father lost control of the vehicle after a large rock struck him in the head and he either lost consciousness or was murdered immediately. Chaya Zissel Braun three-month-old baby girl before she was struck in her tiny little head by a rock thrown in a stone throwing assault and died shortly thereafter. The final victim did not die but her life will be permanently scarred as she missed a year of life and school meaning she will not be graduating with the class who has been a popular member until she met tragedy on the receiving end of a Molotov cocktail. Eleven year-old Ayala Shapira was burned over almost her entire body with severe burns on her face which will always leave scars and deformations no matter how many surgeries she must endure. Pictures of Yonatan Palmer and Chaya Zissel Braun can be viewed at the links above while a video showing the vehicle minutes after the crash where Ayala Shapira received the burns and scarring she will never completely recover from. These may have been some of the most severe attacks from the rock and firebomb throwers but that does not lessen the intent of the current attacks as if given even the slightest opportunity to murder more people with Israeli license plates, note we did not refer to the targets as Jews as they would attack any Israeli where one out of five Israelis are Arabs, they would release blood curdling yells of exhilaration as they not only murdered but also continued to attack even the corpse in order to remove any identity and satisfy their bloodlust. Such is the true horror of these rock throwers as their lust to kill, to slaughter is insatiable and beyond any reason and these attacks have been pushed from any coverage as the stabbings and other attacks are more noteworthy and because of the ancient news slogan, “If it bleeds, it leads.” This may have been in use when Aristotle read his morning tablet.

 

Beyond the Cusp

 

Historic First Tashlich Observed at the United Nations

 

There should be joy simply that such a Jewish custom as Tashlich, which literally means to toss, was being observed with a ceremony at the United Nations attended by Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and United Nations Ambassadors from over ten countries and other dignitaries presided over by Rabbi Arthur Schneier of the Park East Synagogue. But there is so much more to find as a blessing than this event having taken place, and the bread cast into the East River may be a blessing to any fish sturdy enough to reside in these waters, as this idea was not a result of anything done by the Israeli United Nations staff or by the Jews of the United States but by a group of Europeans who call themselves the Forum for Cultural Diplomacy (F4CD). The ceremony was held in the resplendent Rose Garden of the UNHQ, and allegorically threw the bread of their “sins” into the East River, may the waters of the East River ever survive and recover from the shock of such a casting of sins. The real miracle is the Forum for Cultural Diplomacy which is a pro-Israel European Christian group and is wholly responsible for this miracle of so many dimensions. Probably the best ways to reveal the scope and breadth of this not so minor miracle might be to allow the video of the event speak for itself.

 

 

 

 

There were two founding members from the F4CD, Dr. Gregory Lafitte and Tomas Sandell, who spoke and told of their reasoning behind their initiative. Dr. Gregory Lafitte spoke clearly and succinctly demanding that, granting the Jewish People “Tolerance is not the answer. It is not enough to ‘tolerate’ the Jewish people, but we need to honor and celebrate their culture and their many contributions to mankind.” Dr. Lafitte went so far as to conclude his speech with a rendition of the Avinu Malkeinu prayer. It is nested here in the declaration by Dr. Lafitte that we come upon the miracle, the gem in the center of this entire event, the demand by Righteous European Christians for humankind to not simply tolerate the Jews but to thank them for the basis for so much of our modern society, the Jews contribution to not only justice but to justly work towards justice with no regard for wealth or lack thereof, position of importance or one of meager standing, king or pauper, man or woman, elder or the youngest amongst you, to justly apply justice with complete blindness to the petitioner or the petitioned, with only the inward seeking eye of fairness and impartiality, this amongst all the gifts societies have garnered from the Bible and its lessons. Dr. Lafitte also alluded to the rising groundswell of anti-Semitism sweeping Europe and that at the United Nations there is the “Isaiah Wall” featuring the verse from Isaiah, Chapter 2, prophesying a time when “swords will be turned into plowshares.”

 

Outgoing Israeli Ambassador Prosor addressed the gathering stating, “We are here today to participate in a unique tradition – Tashlich, which literally means to toss. It’s an opportunity to symbolically cast off the sins of the past and let the flowing water carry away the shortcomings of the previous year. As we mark the 70th anniversary of the United Nations this is an opportunity to reflect off this institution where it has fallen short and where we have not done enough to alleviate human suffering. Seventy years on, it is time for voices of reason, of tolerance and moderation to reclaim the public space.”

 

Rabbi Arthur Schneier stated, “The fact that we are gathering here at the UN shows the respect that the United Nations has for all faiths, their holidays and for their stress on human dignity. Day of Atonement means to be at one – at one with God and one with man.”

 

The reason this struck me as being so meaningful is because there is now a balance with the F4CD group of Christians in Europe added to groups such as CUFI (Christians United for Israel) in the United States that maybe the world will have finally found the track which will grant the Jewish People the respect for their existence, their homelands and their contributions which continue to this day in so many fields of endeavor contributing to the advancement of human knowledge that perhaps the waves of anti-Semitism can start to be turned back and not just contained but eliminated. I have known that even if the Jewish People were to stand with one voice and demand as proud and loud as possible for their being tolerated and given what is due them even if not respected in all manner of dealings; such would be as a whisper in the hurricane that is modern society. The Jews pleading their case is but a weak cry from deep within the wilderness, a sound which can never carry the fury to demand to be heard as we are barely one-fifth of one percent (0.2%) of the world’s population.

 

If the Jewish People are ever to be allowed to live even vaguely resembling normal lives treated as equals with guaranteed rights it will take voices supporting the Jewish People, and by extension, Israel, from outside the Jewish communities. It literally comes down to a game of numbers and in the world we Jews are far too few to make our own case without outside support, and it needs to be unwavering and unconditional support. With these Christian groups willing to stand with us, or almost basically for us, we then have one obligation which we owe these wonderful people willing at last to risk alienation and rejection to stand with us, to stand with the Jew, both as a people and as a nation, Israel, and that is to remain honorable, upright, caring and most of all deserving of their support. Yes there exists the need for those who have wronged the Jews throughout history, and that list is a virtual list of who’s who of nations and backgrounds stretching from one side of the globe through to the other, with hatred of Jews and by implication, Israel, almost the constant which ties the world as one and to be in the Jews corner at long last.

 

 

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon celebrating Historic First Tashlich Observed at the United Nations and United Nations Ambassadors from over ten countries and other dignitaries presided over by Rabbi Arthur Schneier of the Park East Synagogue. The Forum for Cultural Diplomacy facilitated the ceremony which was held in the resplendent Rose Garden of the UNHQ where the diplomats and attendees cast their bread upon the water an thus rid themselves figuratively of their sins.

 

 

Having Christians willing to stand for Israel and for the Jewish People is a very healthy start and we can only pray that these groups gain in strength and numbers as those are the things which grease the skids upon which all civilization rests. The Jewish People, often as individuals, have contributed so much to the modern limited government concepts through the limitations placed on a King or other sovereign against their gathering unto themselves riches at the expense of their subjects and instead demanded of each sovereign to write their very own Torah Scroll such that their everyday is another lesson in humility and sacrifice for the betterment of the people. All too often Jewish and Israeli leadership has seemingly lost their way and thus lost their perspective and gathered themselves riches in direct contravention of the Biblical directives. This new group of friends needs to be cultivated and worked alongside with to provide them a clearer picture of the state of the world, the anti-Semitic, anti-Zionist and anti-Israel NGO, government or other grouping all of which can be competed against utilizing simple facts. These very same facts require our assistance in defining the areas where their assistance can produce the greatest return on their efforts.

 

These groups need be armed with facts and the reality and ramification of the San Remo Conference, the Mandate Systems, the Churchill White Papers, the occupation of Judea and Samaria by Jordan, the Golan Heights by Syria and Gaza by Egypt. The rightful demands of the Israelis need to be heard above the cacophonous din of lies, half-truths, innuendo and outright deceit spread far, wide and loudly. These allies will need to study research of the past in order to form an unbiased decision, one that is probably not going to rest well with those demanding that the Jews have no claim for visiting the Temple Mount or that there need be another nation called Palestine, let alone replacing Israel with such a state. Still, it is of paramount importance that Jews and Israel continue to cultivate acceptance where possible and true friendship with those who know Jewish history and support Israel in her struggles for peace, a just and true peace which will last forever. The reality is that in Europe, as in the rest of the world, Israel and the Jewish People have some very staunch supporters and a general support amongst those who understand the problems Israel faces daily and must find means of dealing with a very vocal minority in most instances whose incessant demands often in the form of the BDS movement such that they lose the support of those who still regard Jews as an evil blight to be wiped from the face of what they consider their planet. These are the flies in the ointment which must be isolated, something Prime Minister Netanyahu claims he can accomplish by speaking at the United Nations this week. If only his words were sufficient to drown out the raucous few who largely occupy the extreme ends of the political spectrum, both extreme right and left. If only his words would suffice.

 

Beyond the Cusp

 

A Test of True Zionism, Yerushalayim

 

The true test of a Zionist and of Zionism generally lies with the answer to a single question, where does your heart lie when you think of a Jewish State. There is but one acceptable answer, ‘My heart lies with Jerusalem and with the building within of the Temple, the Throne of G0d.’ This is true as we proclaim every year at the end of our Passover Seder in every Jewish home, “Next year in Jerusalem.” The final truth lies within Psalms in the powerful words within the lines to the “Song of Babylon” written in Psalm 137 which reads:

1) By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
2) Upon the willows in the midst thereof we hanged up our harps.
3) For there they that led us captive asked of us words of song, and our tormentors asked of us mirth.
4) How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a foreign land?
5) If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.
6) Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I fail to count Jerusalem the greatest of all my joys.
7) Remember, O LORD, against the children of Edom the day of Jerusalem; who said: ‘Raze it, raze it, even to the foundation thereof.’
8) O daughter of Babylon, you will be destroyed! A blessing on anyone who pays you back for the way you treated us!
9) A blessing on anyone who seizes your babies and smashes them against a rock!

This is the test which the new Israeli government led by Prime Minister Netanyahu as there will be calls from much of Europe and the Western World with a few notable exceptions; Canada will oppose such a demand be lain upon Israel for as long as Stephen Harper remains their Prime Minister and likely carried on for as long as his Conservative Party holds on to power in the Canadian elections. There is also a strong possibility that Great Britain will also not favor the division of Jerusalem providing the Israelis put forward a strong face of determination to never allow the dividing of their Capital City or the loss of the Temple Mount and all the importance which that holds. Other than these two it would fall to any conservative or traditional party to take the lead for any other nation to oppose such a demand. The crux of why this may become an immediate crisis belongs to President Barack Obama who as the leader of the United States will be left to direct and dictate the manner that United States Ambassador Samantha Power will vote and whether or not she would utilize the United States veto power to block any Security Council Resolutions which would call for Israel to return to the Green Line which describes the armistice lines from the 1948 – 1949 War launched by over a half dozen Arab States to annihilate the nascent State of Israel which divided Jerusalem. Many wish to demand that Israel grant Eastern Jerusalem to the Arabs to use as the capital for their state, ignoring the fact that Israel annexed the entirety of Jerusalem after reuniting the two halves of Jerusalem in 1967 and by doing so included all the Arab residents who had resided under the Jordanian occupation permanent resident status which makes the individual to hold all rights as an Israeli citizen with the exception of political rights. The Israelis actually are only required to grant any Arabs or other non-Jews all rights but withhold political rights according to the San Remo Conference and the British Mandate, both included as valid by the United Nations Charter in Article 80. Israel went as far as to grant the former Jordanian citizens who were included in the reunification annexation of Eastern Jerusalem partial political rights when they were permitted voting rights in Jerusalem city elections. This one further indication proving that all of Jerusalem belongs to Israel and it will never be permitted peaceably to be torn in half; to this too do we say “Never Again!”

 

Any government which would permit the division of Jerusalem will find itself on the wrong side of the people of Israel who in polling have supported and demanded that Jerusalem remain unified and the Capital City of Israel for this time and forevermore into the future and never ending usually surpassing 75% and even reaching over 90% in numerous local polling. Thus we can easily conclude that any platform which supports the division of Jerusalem as one of their main planks in their platform can forget gaining a majority no matter what their social programs or other money promised to particular groups in order to convert their opposition to splitting Jerusalem muted while they are a part of the coalition such a party might manage to make. The problem is that such a government would be extremely unstable for as soon as a vote came to permit the splitting of Jerusalem or the making of Jerusalem an ‘International City’ presumably managed and run by an agency of the United Nations the promises made not to vote against such a resolution brought before the Knesset would probably not be honored by a significant number of Ministers from such parties who would vote against any such resolution. Furthermore, the Israeli Supreme Court has recognized the annexation of Jerusalem and thus they also might step in to invalidate anything passed through the Knesset and signed by the Prime Minister making any such deal void and without support by the government without opposing the Supreme Court and facing dissolution of the government and new elections. This would place the central issue of the ensuing campaign the division of Jerusalem and losing any possibility that the rights of Jews to visit holy sites in the Old City and around and on the Temple Mount as once the Arabs have control over Eastern Jerusalem such attempts by Jews to visit these sights would result in their death as soon as they were identified. This situation itself, and such extremes required to visit other holy sites described above, are sufficient to reject any proposal for peace which would preclude access by any Israeli to the Temple Mount or the numerous holy sites of Judea and Samaria.

 

That brings up the other point which is often claimed about the universality of the holy sites and their access being guaranteed for all peoples. This was part of the claim made when the IDF was pulled from Hevron and the majority of the city was relegated to Arab control. This required the strong presence of Israeli security personnel to keep the Cave of the Patriarchs, the Cave of Machpelah, in order to make it safe for Israelis to visit this holy site. The worst case scenario comes from Joseph’s Tomb, Kever Yoseph (Hebrew: קבר יוסף) which is located in the outskirts of Nablus and is completely within Arab areas of control, as they enjoy an almost completely autonomous region within the parts of Judea and Samaria (West Bank) of Area A and B, which according to all agreements is a place of holy pilgrimage or visitation for prayers and other religious purposes and is set apart as to be made available and safe passage to and from this holy place of great importance to the Jews. The reality is something completely different. There is one visit permitted each month, with permitted being very loosely defined, which is arranged by the IDF were one or two busses, heavily armored made bullet proof and strongly reinforced to withstand mines, and a convoy of IDF troops fully armed for security who escort the few fortunate visitors to the tomb somewhat after midnight and steal away back to the safety of Israeli governed lands making very sure they have left at least an hour before sunrise. Even with this covert action there have been times when the convoy was set upon and for reasons of security the trip is cancelled and a retreat to safety becomes the main objective. The trip can be cancelled right before they were to depart if IDF intelligence reports that trouble such as an ambush is a definitive probability. Part of the time spent at each visit is used to cleanup and repair as much of the destruction done to the tomb since the previous month’s visit, whether it was a single month or three or more months since the last visit. The tomb is violated every time after the Israelis try to make it presentable and given the honor it deserves and the Arabs apparently do similarly but have little respect or honor felt towards Kever Yoseph.

 

The manner and security required for visits to Joseph’s tomb, Rachel’s Tomb, Kever Rachel (Hebrew: קבר רחל), which is a place where women will visit for special prayers the first of each Hebrew calendar month and also require heavy security as it is located northern outskirts of Bethlehem which is within the disputed areas and under shared Arab and Israeli security and Arab semi-autonomous rule and this often leads to the Jewish women being assaulted with rocks and other items hurled at them which most often do not strike within the high walls placed around Rachel’s grave and the women are completely safe within the rebuilt dome which grants them freedom from assault as they pray and neaten the area making the tomb a more honored place. This would be the requirement and limitations placed on the Temple Mount and the Western and other walls of the Temple Mount, the final point of defense in days which are hopefully permanently behind us as Jerusalem deserves a future free of strife and sacking as has been its unfortunate history and may Jerusalem never again feel deserted by her faithful servants whose hearts are gladdened by a visit to her ancient walls and its grasping for a degree of modernity. Israel must demand that all of Jerusalem remain under complete Israeli rule as it has only been since June 1967 that every religion is permitted their rights to visit the Temple Mount and witness the city, both its centuries old buildings intermixed in areas with modern structure thankfully mostly in a style which has them more blend than clash with their surroundings. Let us end with the most remembered lines from Psalm 137 lines 5 and 6 as they speak strongly and resonate at least in this Israeli’s heart, mind and especially and primarily my soul.

If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I fail to count Jerusalem the greatest of all my joys.

 

Beyond the Cusp