UNMIA

Why can’t we all just get along? Why not peace instead of war? For Israel these two songs give the main reason. Here is a popular Israeli song, with a common theme. Other songs are about life and love, like most other people’s songs. You won’t find Israeli songs about murder and suicide and the joy of killing Arabs. Listen to the Palestinian song. It’s very typical, you can find many samples like this among popular Arab songs, and many are more violent than this one.

Do you want peace? First, define peace. There are many kinds of peace…the peace of the grave, the peace of complete victory, the peace of having nothing left to lose, the peace of living together in unity. Unless both sides in a conflict want the same kind of peace, peace will only come with victory. For that to change, the Palestinians will have to change their goal. Listen and consider.

A video of Ofra Haza singing “Yerushalayim Shel Zahav” (Jerusalem of Gold)

Yid With a Lid
Today Jews all across the world celebrated the Seventh Day of Passover, which is the day Moses Parted the Reed Sea and lead the Jews to safety. Its Ironic that on the anniversary of that day, another Exodus hero died. Yossi Harel, the ship commander whose attempt to bring Holocaust survivors to Palestine aboard the Exodus 1947 built support for Israel’s founding, died on Saturday. He was 90. Harel’s daughter Sharon said he died of cardiac arrest at his home in Tel Aviv.

Sixty years ago the Exodus, then called the USS President Warfield had its name changed for the last time as it embarked on what would be its last and most famous mission

As the world ramped up to WWII the British caved into Arab pressure (that would never happen now–would it ?) and refused to allow any Jews to enter what was then called Palestine. Many of those trying to get in were trying to escape the Holocaust, after the war, when the Exodus made its final journey, the British were stopping Holocaust Survivors from entering the holy land.

The Exodus voyage was an attempt to smuggle some of these Jews into …

Israeli Girl
Beautiful! The Israeli song, Eucalyptus Grove (חורשת האקליפטוס), written by Naomi Shemer, is beautifully sung by a young Bulgarian woman, Preslava Peycheva. Below is the same song by an Israeli singer, Ofira Gluska. Thanks to Israeli Girl for pointing this out, and for the subtitles. Note, in the subtitles, “rain” (geshem) should be “bridge” (gesher).