Yes it was a horrible week and today’s announcement from the morally bankrupt countries of the West recognising the non-existent State of Palestine made today, right before our New Year speaks volumes. What it shows me is that the West hasn’t learned its lessons and the old Jew hatred is alive and well. Starmer isn’t another Neville Chamberlain, he’s worse because Arab terror and jihad has been around for decades. They have no excuse. This is a betrayal to the Jewish people in Israel and the Diaspora. You forgot to add the pathetic Emmy’s to the list with woke useful idiot stars wearing the bloody hand pin, boycotting Israeli artists because their ‘complicit’ in the fake genocide and as a Jew Emmy winner Hannah Einbinder’s cringe address throwing Israel under the bus saying Gaza was close to her heart and Free Palestine. Could anything be more vomit inducing?😼 This from someone who attended Beverly Hills High-school with Persian Jews whose families had escaped the mullahs to America and Israel to live free as Jews. It beggars belief. My Israel American friend sent me video of her son, a lone soldier being inducted into the Iran Dome combat unit. She was very proud and I keep him in my prayers twice daily. I pray this war ends soon and the hostages be they dead or alive come home so the families have closure. I pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the Jewish people and for new elections, accountability and new leadership. I want to make Aliyah, G-d willing with my dog next year. Once again thank you Vivian for all the great work you do it is very much appreciated and happy belated Birthday. Glad you and your daughter got to decompress and spend time in a beautiful place. My English BD is on Tuesday, first day of Rosh Hashana. G-d Bless and Keep the Faith🐺💪🍯🍎🍷🇮🇱
Happy Birthday. I missed it by one minute..:) Thanks for the comments......and you're quite right - I overlooked Hannah Einbinder. As well as the 1000+ Hollywood types who have decided to boycott Israeli films and artists. Honestly, it's hard to keep up - which is totally part of the strategy - to overwhelm us all. Let's hope for more light in the coming year. And an end to this hostage madness. Shana tova.
Thanks for the diary update Vivian and the TIFF interview videos.
As it happens I addressed the weekly hostage rally in Vancouver today by sharing my Euro-travels and focus on the various antisemitic excesses there. The audience was shocked and often not fully aware of how deep in particular government, academic and media elites have sunk into the abyss. Very often it is just sheer cowardice and moral weakness: looking away and giving in to the mob. A deep concern as it affects the very institutions that uphold functioning democracies.
As for Bibi, i think it is also the clock. We are 12 months away from general elections in Israel and his time to clear the October 7th stain from his record is very limited. Patience in Washington may also run out at some point in time. Expect more rushed decisions with unintended consequences.
I tend to agree with your pessimistic prediction for the next year, Pieter. And I've been very surprised by how people often choose to look away. "It'll pass." It won't. I'm behind on my own reading - way behind - and have to get to some of your recent pieces.
Can you believe Lisa LaFlamme? I mean - why did she feel it necessary to do that? So so wrong.
Awful horrible week. I am glad you had a lovely vacation with your daughter. Austria would be one of the last places I would think Jews would be warmly welcomed. Life is full of surprises.
I feel very bad for the Jews of Canada and for the average Canadian who tried to change the climate in their country.
The murder of Charlie Kirk has unleashed 2 opposing extremes. And yes Charlie was proIsrael, but I'm afraid that legacy is being rewritten. I fear the Jews will once again be caught in the middle of what is to come here in the US.
Bibi or not Bibi? Gaza City or not Gaza City? I have never been one to tell Israel how to handle their security. And you are right, send your children if you are so gung ho.
I just don't know how you get the hostages home. Hamas will not give them up and rumor is Qatar told them to keep the hostages. That was even before DOHA. So what now?
And despite what Gantz, Bennet or Lapid are now saying, what would they really have done so differently over the past 2 years? Seriously?
The only saving grace to the move by Starmer and Macron is that their populations overwhelmingly reject what they did Sunday. In Stamer's case 86% of Labour rejected what he did. But what does that all mean going forward?
Thanks for this response. So much to comment on but I feel that I've writtn about much of it. But - how might another leader have handled things during the last two years? Very differently. And there are also the years leading up to October 7. How and why it happened. To understand that we need a State Commission of Inquiry - which Netanyahu will never convene.
Another brilliant article Vivian.
Thanks, Karen.
Yes it was a horrible week and today’s announcement from the morally bankrupt countries of the West recognising the non-existent State of Palestine made today, right before our New Year speaks volumes. What it shows me is that the West hasn’t learned its lessons and the old Jew hatred is alive and well. Starmer isn’t another Neville Chamberlain, he’s worse because Arab terror and jihad has been around for decades. They have no excuse. This is a betrayal to the Jewish people in Israel and the Diaspora. You forgot to add the pathetic Emmy’s to the list with woke useful idiot stars wearing the bloody hand pin, boycotting Israeli artists because their ‘complicit’ in the fake genocide and as a Jew Emmy winner Hannah Einbinder’s cringe address throwing Israel under the bus saying Gaza was close to her heart and Free Palestine. Could anything be more vomit inducing?😼 This from someone who attended Beverly Hills High-school with Persian Jews whose families had escaped the mullahs to America and Israel to live free as Jews. It beggars belief. My Israel American friend sent me video of her son, a lone soldier being inducted into the Iran Dome combat unit. She was very proud and I keep him in my prayers twice daily. I pray this war ends soon and the hostages be they dead or alive come home so the families have closure. I pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the Jewish people and for new elections, accountability and new leadership. I want to make Aliyah, G-d willing with my dog next year. Once again thank you Vivian for all the great work you do it is very much appreciated and happy belated Birthday. Glad you and your daughter got to decompress and spend time in a beautiful place. My English BD is on Tuesday, first day of Rosh Hashana. G-d Bless and Keep the Faith🐺💪🍯🍎🍷🇮🇱
Happy Birthday. I missed it by one minute..:) Thanks for the comments......and you're quite right - I overlooked Hannah Einbinder. As well as the 1000+ Hollywood types who have decided to boycott Israeli films and artists. Honestly, it's hard to keep up - which is totally part of the strategy - to overwhelm us all. Let's hope for more light in the coming year. And an end to this hostage madness. Shana tova.
Thanks for the diary update Vivian and the TIFF interview videos.
As it happens I addressed the weekly hostage rally in Vancouver today by sharing my Euro-travels and focus on the various antisemitic excesses there. The audience was shocked and often not fully aware of how deep in particular government, academic and media elites have sunk into the abyss. Very often it is just sheer cowardice and moral weakness: looking away and giving in to the mob. A deep concern as it affects the very institutions that uphold functioning democracies.
As for Bibi, i think it is also the clock. We are 12 months away from general elections in Israel and his time to clear the October 7th stain from his record is very limited. Patience in Washington may also run out at some point in time. Expect more rushed decisions with unintended consequences.
I tend to agree with your pessimistic prediction for the next year, Pieter. And I've been very surprised by how people often choose to look away. "It'll pass." It won't. I'm behind on my own reading - way behind - and have to get to some of your recent pieces.
Can you believe Lisa LaFlamme? I mean - why did she feel it necessary to do that? So so wrong.
Awful horrible week. I am glad you had a lovely vacation with your daughter. Austria would be one of the last places I would think Jews would be warmly welcomed. Life is full of surprises.
I feel very bad for the Jews of Canada and for the average Canadian who tried to change the climate in their country.
The murder of Charlie Kirk has unleashed 2 opposing extremes. And yes Charlie was proIsrael, but I'm afraid that legacy is being rewritten. I fear the Jews will once again be caught in the middle of what is to come here in the US.
Bibi or not Bibi? Gaza City or not Gaza City? I have never been one to tell Israel how to handle their security. And you are right, send your children if you are so gung ho.
I just don't know how you get the hostages home. Hamas will not give them up and rumor is Qatar told them to keep the hostages. That was even before DOHA. So what now?
And despite what Gantz, Bennet or Lapid are now saying, what would they really have done so differently over the past 2 years? Seriously?
The only saving grace to the move by Starmer and Macron is that their populations overwhelmingly reject what they did Sunday. In Stamer's case 86% of Labour rejected what he did. But what does that all mean going forward?
Thanks for this response. So much to comment on but I feel that I've writtn about much of it. But - how might another leader have handled things during the last two years? Very differently. And there are also the years leading up to October 7. How and why it happened. To understand that we need a State Commission of Inquiry - which Netanyahu will never convene.