Dear Family & Friends,

The world will note & long remember what he did there!! Prime Minister Binyamin BenZion Netanyahu made history & it will never be forgotten. Before a packed House, they gave him 40 standing ovations in 40 minutes.

He spoke for the Jews, for our present, in honor of our past & to defend our future. It won’t be ignored, as were the delegations of Orthodox Jewish Rabbis, our highest scholars, were ignored by then President FDR…Roosevelt who the Jews idolized then because they didn’t know he was allowing the real destruction, ‘korban’, burned sacrifice of 6 million of our holy people.

We are proud, moved to tears, thankful we are not alone. He was brilliant & masterful. Perhaps the United States Congress & People will stand with us – because – we stood up for ourselves. No, Bibi stood up for us & we will stand up because he led the way!

Now I must run to celebrate the reading of Esther’s Megillah (Story), of how she saved the Jewish people of ancient Persia – which included many countries Persia had engulfed in her Empire – & had given evil Haman the permit to destroy all the Jewish people.

More Saturday night & Sunday, after Purim & Shabbat.

Chag Purim Sama’ach & Shabbat Shalom!!!

All the very best, Gail/Geula/Savta/Savta Raba/Mom

1.Arlene Kushner: “HOW PROUD WE ARE!”

2.The “Esther Moment” and Why There is Nothing “Random” About This Day

3.Any Deal Is a Bad Deal Iran, like the Pal. Authority, has one mindset. A deal is not peace. It’s an evil piece of paper.

4.Women-in-Green: Applaud PM Binyamin Netanyahu’s utstanding speech yesterday in Congress & Prof. Moshe Arens on “The Motives for the attack on Netanyahu’s speech.”

5.The Ayatollahs Mean What They Say by Dr. Mordecai Kedar

6.Netanyahu’s Speech Strengthened Israel-US Relations The “pundits” have it all wrong, as usual. By Rabbi Prof. Dov Fischer

7.Yes, Netanyahu Pulled it Off. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu came to Congress with one simple objective: and he pulled it off. by Ari Soffer

8.Purim guide for the perplexed, 2015 (excerpts) An ancient edition of an Iranian plot against the Jewish people By: Yoram Ettinger Published: March 4th, 2015

9.“In Every Generation…Remember Amalek” By: Donny Fuchs

10.Al Arabiya Editor-In-Chief: President Obama, Listen To Netanyahu On Iran

Don’t listen just to Bibi, President Obama, but to your own experts, in Washington

1.Arlene Kushner: “HOW PROUD WE ARE!” March 3, 2015

Credit: Israel National News

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu gave the speech of his life today. His speech was not merely good, it was, as one commentator here put it, perfect.

His pacing and his delivery were masterful; he managed to take the high road and deliver a powerful message at the same time.

But let me back up just a moment: before he spoke a word, he entered the chamber to a packed house and received a standing ovation that was overwhelming. It brought me and many others to tears, I will say. Wow!

So much for the talk of boycotting the speech. Every seat was taken, and during that opening ovation, which went on and on, members of Congress cheered him, and reached out to shake his hand. As I said (lacking a better term): Wow!

I will include below both a full text of his talk and a full video. (If you haven’t seen the speech, I encourage you to watch – even though the video begins after that first standing ovation).

And so here I will simply touch upon his major points.

First, as to that high road. He began by assuring everyone that he had no partisan intentions in coming to speak and said he understood that both Democrats and Republicans stand with Israel (which brought great applause). He thanked President Obama for all of the ways in which he has helped Israel: and he enumerated several ways. Very gracious and non-confrontational.

Then too he refrained from revealing any secrets. This was one of the major “concerns” voiced by Obama prior to the speech: we fear he will ruin negotiations by speaking of matters that should not be public. Actually, what Bibi said was that the information he was sharing is available to anyone who Googles the Internet. Took the wind right out of Obama’s sail, there.

Bibi said he had a profound obligation to speak about Israel’s future, and Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons. He referred to the Book of Esther, and the upcoming holiday of Purim – which refers to an ancient threat to the Jewish people by Haman, in Persia. Today, he said, another potentate in Persia (Iran is ancient Persia) is threatening to destroy the Jewish people.

Iran, however, is not just a threat to Israel, but to the entire world, which point is of considerable significance. He then proceeded to describe the nature of the regime in Iran, the zealots who seek to fulfill an ideological mission of jihad, exporting revolution around the world. In the Middle East, states are collapsing and Iran is rushing in. In addition, Iran is promoting terrorism worldwide. We must stop this march of conquest, subjugation and terror.

These are exceedingly important points: It’s not “just” about Iran nuclear, Iran is a problem and source of unrest in the world now. What is more, in spite of the sweet words of Iranian leaders two years ago, there has been no moderation of Iran –it is as radical as ever.

Then Bibi delivered a warning: Do not make the mistake of imagining that in the battle between Iran and ISIS, Iran can become a friend. (Obama has promoted this ludicrous scenario.) Iran and ISIS are simply competing for the crown of the militant Islamic empire.

The greatest danger to the world is Iran with nuclear weapons. And, said Bibi, it could happen if the deal currently on the table is signed.

There are two major concessions that are of greatest concern:

1) Iran will be permitted to retain a vast nuclear infrastructure, which will allow a short breakout time. Not a single facility would be demolished, and thousands of centrifuges would keep spinning. The breakout time might be a year, but might be much less.

2) Apparently restrictions are to expire in about ten years. The Iranians have declared intention to have 190,000 centrifuges – which would permit a whole arsenal to be put together in a matter of weeks.

The deal, as structured, paves the way for Iran to get the bomb.

As to inspections, the major problem is that inspectors inspect, but do not stop anything from happening. In 2005, 2006, and 2010, Iran defied inspectors, sending them packing.

Iran can also play “hide and cheat.” Just yesterday, the IAEA said Iran won’t come clean. They could get to a bomb by violating the deal.

The question of development of ballistic missiles is not even on the table; in time they will reach the US.

Bibi does not believe Iran will change, but will actually become more aggressive with a deal. They will be aggressive abroad and have prosperity at home. A nuclear tinderbox will be created, as Iran’s neighbors rush to get the bomb too.

But there is another way to handle the situation:

Restrictions on Iran must be kept in place as long as it continues its aggression in the region, fosters terrorism around the world, and threatens to annihilate Israel.

It is argued that the clock cannot be rolled back, as Iran has the know-how. But know-how without infrastructure goes nowhere. Roll back Iran’s infrastructure.

And keep the pressure on. (That is, sanctions.) If Iran threatens to walk, call their bluff.

This is a very bad deal. No deal is better.

It is not true that the only alternative to this deal is war, the alternative is a better deal.

This is a fateful crossroad in history: Do not sacrifice the future for the present.

NEVER AGAIN. This, said Bibi, is the first time in 100 generations that the Jewish people are not powerless. We can defend ourselves. Even if Israel has to stand alone, Israel will stand. (The implication here is clear, and welcome on several levels.)

However, he knows that America stands with Israel. (This met with great applause.)

The story of Israel, he said, is the story of the human spirit that refuses to succumb to the world’s horrors.

Bibi ended by citing Moses: “Be strong and resolute, neither fear nor dread them…” This is Deuteronomy (D’varim) 31:6. The completion of that phrase is, “for the Lord your God goes with you” – unspoken in Congress today, but, I am certain, clearly understood by our prime minister.

This is the third time that Prime Minster Netanyahu has spoken before the Congress of the United States. The only head of state to be similarly honored was Winston Churchill. During the speech, there were some 24 standing ovations.

Here you can find both video highlights of the speech, and, if you scroll down a bit more, the entire speech:

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/192082#.VPYWMJv9nIV

And here you have the complete transcript:

http://imra.org.il/story.php3?id=66628

There has been enormous critical praise for this speech, beginning from the moment it was over. Except on the left, of course. Obama is perhaps the biggest clown with his comments on the speech which he only read in transcript form, he said, and which he referred to as “theater.” (“theater”? and he wasn’t watching?) There was “nothing new,” he said, “no viable alternative” was offered.”

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/192093#.VPYZL5v9nIU

Credit: Reuters

What nonsense. Bibi was quite clear: do not allow the infrastructure for enriching uranium to stand, and keep the sanctions on in order to apply maximum pressure as long as Iran continues to display hegemonic intentions, export terrorism, and threaten Israel. (Because the price of oil is down, sanctions will do even more damage, and bring Iran to its knees if applied stringently.) Do not ally with Iran, reducing sanctions in the mistaken belief that a US-Iranian partnership against ISIS is possible.

I am certain that the Senators and Congresspersons present understood this quite well. It now remains to be seen how much they will take this to heart. There is betting that they will.

Some Democrats are saying that this speech was just for political purposes, which is also nonsense. Iran is a topic that has been of deep concern to Binyamin Netanyahu for many years.

Of course, there are mindless comments coming from the left here in Israel as well. Take Zahava Gal-On, head of Meretz, for example. She called the speech “chutzpah” because Bibi told the US how to handle the negotiations with Iran. Oh, better he should have kept quiet and just watched Iran move towards the bomb? This is called grasping at straws in an election season.

In the end, it is still possible that negotiations will fall apart on their own. Just today, Iran declared that the US demand for a ten-year freeze on certain nuclear activities was “unacceptable.” They smell weakness, and push back against all restrictions. Precisely how many backward steps will Obama take, especially now, with Congress watching ever so carefully?

I would like to call your attention to a piece by Khaled abu Toameh – “Arab Joint Force”: A Vote of No Confidence in the West.”

Egyptian President al-Sisi has proposed a joint Arab force to confront Iran and radical Islam, and has gone to Saudi Arabia to discuss it. This indicates a lack of faith in the West, and abu Toameh suggests that it may be the start of a move towards the Arab states taking the lead in fighting the radicals.

http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/5304/arab-joint-force

When Bibi spoke today about Iranian aggression in the area, it was against these states that he was referring. There is reason to believe these states would likely provide backup for us, should it be necessary.

Tomorrow night is Purim (Thursday night in Jerusalem, which was a walled city and celebrates Shushan Purim). It is a joyous time, and I, for one, am eager for the celebrations. Time with grandchildren, a family dinner (seuda) and more. I even have my costume.

There will not be another posting, I suspect, until after Shabbat. I will pick up then on responses from Congress and other pertinent issues.

Now I wish all who are celebrating a Purim Sameach!

© Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by Arlene Kushner, functioning as an independent journalist. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution. If it is reproduced and emphasis is added, the fact that it has been added must be noted. See my website at www.arlenefromisrael.info Contact Arlene at akushner18@gmail.com

2.The “Esther Moment” and Why There is Nothing “Random” About This Day Will Queen Esther Make An Appearance This Week in Washington? By: Elie Pieprz The Jewish Press.com Published: March 3rd, 2015

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressing Congress. Photo Credit: GPO

This will not be the first time that a Jewish leader has made a dramatic or even a provocative clarion call in a foreign leader’s courtyard. Nor is it the first time that much of the world (and even much of the Jewish world) has been critical of such “chutzpah.” Just like now, many past Jewish leaders were oblivious to, or did not take the existential threat to the Jewish people seriously. After all, the Jews in Shushan like many American Jews today, did not want to upset their neighbors who have welcomed and embraced them into the greater society for the past 70years.

But is it reasonable to draw parallels between the Purim story we read in the Megillah and the latest Obama-Netanyahu blow-up? After all, the White House is not trying to destroy the Jews or even endanger the existence of Israel. Their goal, ostensibly, is to prevent Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon that can wipe out Israel (and threaten the US and her allies).

Yet despite this, the White House is not only strengthening the Iranians’, (geographically, Persia is Iran) security. The White House acts is if there are no ‘checks’ on its powers – like an all-powerful Monarch – the type that we are familiar with from Biblical times. When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives in DC, there will be those who will want to parade him throughout the city as the savior for the free world – someone who is not afraid to act decisively in the face of grave danger for his people. TV talk shows, favoring the Prime Minister’s address, have reportedly taken the royal garments and chariots of Shushan out of mothballs and prepared them for Netanyahu.

What is the focus of the immediate conflict? PM Netanyahu was invited to speak about Congressional legislation that enjoys bi-partisan support. He was essentially asked to provide Congressional testimony – just not in a committee room, but in front of the entire Congress.

· One bill forces the White House to complete negotiations with Iran by June or Iran will be subject to increased monetary sanctions. It recently passed the Senate Banking Committee 18-4 with affirmative votes by six of the 10 Democrats on the committee including Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Chuck Schumer of New York.

· Another bill that was introduced on Friday, would grant Congress the opportunity to approve, or reject, the comprehensive nuclear deal with Iran negotiated by the Obama administration. This bill was sponsored by Senators Bob Corker (R-TN) Robert Menendez (D-NJ, Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Tim Kaine (D-VA), and cosponsored by four Republicans and four Democrats (although one is technically an Independent).

These two bills represent the epitome of the tradition of bi-partisanship that has been the mainstay in American foreign policy. They also demonstrate that Congress has absolutely no faith in the President’s commitment to protect US national security interests. President Obama’s real problem is that he knows Netanyahu has more credibility on this issue than he does. His only chance to derail this humiliation is to accuse him of the ultimate beltway transgression – partisanship. The Biblical equivalent of Queen Vashti humiliating the King by refusing to appear before him in merely her crown, and is handed a death sentence for violating protocol, thereby presenting King Ahashverosh as weak. So the King killed his wife in order to avoid appearing weak – the original “Leading from Behind.”

It is interesting to note that when Haman attempted to wipe out the Jews, he agreed to pay the King for the right to do so, ensuring that it would not cost the government to wipe out the Jews. The Iran sanctions bills are designed to inflict economic damage on the Iranian government. The White House opposes sanctions. Doing so, ensures that Iran’s attempt to wipe out the Jews won’t cost the Iranian government anything either.

Purim is the holiday that obliterates the notion that the world is dictated by randomness. Haman choose a lottery to determine the date of the destruction of the Jewish people. Two thousand years ago Haman’s ‘Powerball’, landed on Adar 13, which is the date that Prime Minister Netanyahu was invited to speak before a joint session of Congress about the dangers that Iran poses to the US, Israel and the free world.

But for all the similarities between the events surrounding the original Purim festival to Netanyahu’s trip to DC is,the question remains: Who will be the Esther of Purim 2015? When Mordechai enters the capital city and wails loudly for all to hear about the threats that face the Jewish people, he is alone and those in the Capital City ignore his concerns. They feel that they know better, and are equipped to weather the storm since they are close to the political leadership of King Ahashverosh. Even Queen Esther, initially, attempts to calm Mordechai down. But then Esther makes a decisive change and rallies all the Jews in Shushan to support her. She is exposed to mortal danger – for which she remains a Jewish heroine to this very day.

· Will Jewish Democrats who have supported President Obama grab this moment to endorse Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech as vital for the security of Israel AND the security of America?

· Will patriotic Americans across the political spectrum implore President Obama to stop playing dirty politics by protecting Iran while maligning Israel, the Jewish State?

· Will Jewish Americans make this their “ESTHER MOMENT” and stop blindly supporting President Obama, take off their masks and identify themselves as protectors of the Jewish people AND of America?

THIS IS THEIR DEFINING MOMENT; THIS IS THEIR MOMENT OF TRUTH

“For if you persist in keeping silent at a time like this, relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from some other place.” (Esther 4:16)

About the Author: Elie Pieprz, a God-fearing Jew, has spent his professional career at the nexus of politics and faith. Elie has represented the Jewish communities of Judea & Samaria as the YESHA Council’s, Director of External Affairs and has helped strengthen the US-Israel relationship through founding iVoteIsrael. His diversified professional career includes serving as a DC based lobbyist, producer of Tuesday Night Live in Jerusalem, real estate developer, and as a marketing coordinator for Microsoft. Elie and his wife Judith are blessed to raise their three daughters in the Neve Aliza community in Samaria, Israel.

3.Any Deal Is a Bad Deal Iran, like the Palestinian Authority, has one mindset. A deal is not peace. It is an evil piece of paper. By: Tzvi Ben-Gedalyahu The Jewish Press.com March 3rd, 2015

President Barack Obama and Iran do not speak the same language..

Any deal that President Barack Obama and the rest of the P5+1 make with Iran will be a bad deal because the regime in Tehran cannot be trusted to keep its end of the bargain.

That is a lesson that the West still has not learned from decades of fruitless efforts to create a “New Middle East,” in the words of then-President Bill Clinton.

Boy, he sure did create a new Middle East, and it’s one helluva mess.

He got plenty of help from the bleeding heart liberal establishment that includes major media conglomerates in Israel and elsewhere, the Labor party administrations under Rabin and Peres, and their corporate sponsors in Israel and abroad that count their money while appeasing a menace instead of challenging the axis of evil that it feeds to become a Frankenstein.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the previous president of the Islamic Republic also known as Iran, once said that President Barack Obama does not understand Iran because they do not speak the same language. He didn’t mean Farsi or English. He meant the culture.

American foreign policy for decades has been guided by State Dept. experts who can’t see past Foggy Bottom.

The Palestinian Authority has proven that any agreement is only the basis for another crisis until it can achieve is demands, which were written in stone by the so-called Saudi Peace Initiative of 2002. All Israel has to do is to surrender every inch of land that was restored to the country in the Six-Day War in 1967, including the Golan Heights and the Temple Mount, and open its borders for UNRWA’s Doomsday weapon it created in the guise of millions of Arab “refugees,” and there will be peace with the Arab world.

Since then, the Bush administration, and more emphatically the Obama administration, have whittled away at Israel’s existence by allowing Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas to repeatedly break agreements signed with Israel.

Iran, like Abbas, has a one-track mind. It wants to develop nuclear power for “peaceful purposes.”

But “peace” in Iran does not mean the same as in Jerusalem or Washington. “Peace” for fundamentalist Islamists is a world without Israel.

Therefore, Iran needs a nuclear wean to bring “peace” via an Islamic caliphate in the Middle East, where Israel is an obstacle.

Saudi Arabia understands that. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu understands that. The Gulf States understand that. Egypt understands that.

But Obama does not because he does not understand the language of other cultures. He thinks that the world is one big American melting pot.

Obama has not learned his lessons from the colossal American foreign policy failures in the Palestinian Authority, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Egypt, Russia and almost any crisis in a country where U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has visited.

He has not learned the lesson from the Kennedy-Johnson governments’ disastrous war in Vietnam.

That is why Netanyahu is going to speak in Congress today.

The problem is not whether or not Iran promises to stop making centrifuges. The problem is not that Iran may or may not promise to allow inspections of its nuclear facilities.

Israel’s problem, and it also is America’s problem, is not that Iran will agree to anything under the sun and will continue to use secret underground installations, or employ Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria, to continue to develop nuclear capability.

The problem is that Tehran cannot be trusted. Period.

The minute Obama started dealing with Evil. He lost.

Any deal with evil is a bad deal.

About the Author: Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu is a graduate in journalism and economics from The George Washington University. He has worked as a cub reporter in rural Virginia and as senior copy editor for major Canadian metropolitan dailies. Tzvi wrote for Arutz Sheva for several years before joining the Jewish Press.

4.Women-in-Green: Applaud PM Binyamin Netanyahu’s utstanding speech yesterday in Congress & Prof. Moshe Arens on “The Motives for the attack on Netanyahu’s speech.”

Dear Friends,

We all applaud Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s outstanding speech yesterday in Congress.

Left wing politicians and commentators in Israel and abroad are of course attacking the speech, but the People in Israel and in the United States of America will not be fooled.

Below please find an interview with former foreign minister Professor Moshe Arens on the motives for the attack on Netanyahu’s speech. The interview appears in the latest issue of Sovereignty that Women in Green published yesterday and will distribute all over the country, in the next few days, in Hebrew and in English, in 120,000 copies.

Women in Green wishes all friends of Israel a happy Purim.

“And The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour” (Meguilat Esther)

Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar

———————————————–

Motives For The Attack On Netanyahu’s Speech In Congress – Politicization & Lack Of Understanding’ By Former Foreign & Defense Minister Of Israel Prof. Moshe Arens:

Professor Moshe Arens is convinced that even if Obama and his people do not like Netanyahu’s speech in Congress, this will not cause a degradation of relations between the United States and Israel, a relationship that is based on mutual interests, which the United States also understands should not be given up.

A lack of understanding and political biases: These are the two reasons that former foreign minister, Prof. Moshe Arens finds for the frontal attack against the prime minister regarding his speech in the American Congress and the claim that Israel’s relations with the government in Washington are being degraded.

Prof. Arens endured tremendous American stresses while he was a minister in Yitzhak Shamir’s government and the present stress on Netanyahu’s government appear in his eyes to be of totally different proportions than how they are described in the Israeli media.

“Relations with the United States are very good”, he states and clarifies that even if it seems that in the fabric of Israeli-American relations, that Israel is the receiver and the United States is the giver, the reality is quite different. “The relationship is based on the interests of both countries. The connection between the two countries is advantageous to both countries. No country would harm relations that it considers to be advantageous for it. Therefore I am sure that Netanyahu’s speech in Congress cannot harm these interests. Everyone who is concerned can rest reassured”.

Arens, perhaps because of his responsible political approach, finds it difficult to understand why the prime minister’s political opposition must make use even of this speech in order to butt heads and fight with him. He sees the speech as having importance of the first degree for every Israeli whatever his political beliefs. “The agreement that is being formulated between the United States and Iran is not good for Israel and it is in the interest of every responsible Israeli citizen, no matter whom he intends to vote for, that the prime minister’s speech before the two houses of Congress will be effective. Period”.

Arens is not impressed by the fact that those who oppose Netanyahu’s speech are headed by the person who was foreign minister, MK Tzipi Livni, and who should, supposedly, understand the true structure of Israel’s relations with the United States. In his opinion, as mentioned, the reasons for the criticism of Netanyahu are clear. “The unfortunate fact is that many Israelis speak on the subject of relations with the United States without understanding the United States and the way in which a position is formulated there and without understanding the true essence of the relationship, or they prefer to hide this in order to blame the prime minister. It is a mixture of lack of understanding and political motives. There is a lack of understanding here. People do not understand what these relations are based on. The support for Israel comes from Republicans as well as Democrats and nothing will change as a result of the speech, even if the president of the United States is not enthusiastic about Netanyahu’s appearance there”.

Arens also relates to Israel’s degree of political freedom, especially in light of the Israeli sense that the Israeli prime minister cannot take a different political stance from that which is dictated to him by the White House. Arens totally rejects this approach and states that an Israeli leader must have only Israeli interests in mind. “We must take care of our own interests. Our interests in Judea and Samaria are essential and necessary for our security. We must state our policies according to our interests and with all due respect to former American president Bush and his letter, I am not sure that this letter represents the epitome of the State of Israel’s security interests”.

Arens reminds us that there have already been leaders who stood up for Israel in the face of American dictates, and under much tougher circumstances. “Begin did it and he told them that we are not a banana republic. Why is it a problem to say this?” he says, and mentions that this stance was taken with the Americans during the period when Israel’s economic dependence was far greater than that of today.

“The State of Israel has progressed in giant steps since then. Israel of today is a relatively rich state showing impressive growth for years.

“It is nice to get grants but we must remember that this support also serves American interests. These are not gifts. But even during the economic crisis, when there was no choice and they had to cut their governmental budget, and also the support to Israel, it became clear even then that we can even get by without this. Their support represents perhaps one and a half percent of the Israel gross national product and if this is decreased or eliminated it will not harm us, and certainly not harm us critically. We do not need to change direction because of some dependence or other on a friend like the United States”. From Prof. Moshe Arens

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5.The Ayatollahs Mean What They Say by Dr. Mordecai Kedar

Why Netanyahu must shout the truth from every possible stage before it is too late.

Arutz Sheva IsraelNationalNews.com Published: Tuesday, March 03, 2015 3:00 PM

Dr. Mordechai Kedar is a senior lecturer in the Department of Arabic at Bar Ilan U.

With Netanyahu’s speech to Congress as a backdrop, Israel has demanded allowing the negotiations with Iran to reach the implementation stage, in order to prevent deterioration of the relationship between Iran and the West. It also hopes to prevent a military show of force or sanctions that will push the Iranian regime to the wall, causing it to engage in radical and uncontrollable behavior – on the line of “may I die with the Philistines” (the biblical judge Samson’s words as he brought the Philistine temple down on himself as well as on his enemies).

A long term examination of years of Iranian publicized information, starting with the Ayatollah’s 1979 takeover of the country, shows that the Iranian leaders are motivated by several factors.

But no matter what the situation or context, one motivating factor moves to the fore, while the others continue to have background influence. This article will survey the Ayatollahs’ motivation for acquiring the weapons that will deter anyone who tries to face them in the future, starting with the main one.

Regional Hegemony

Iran’s rulers see their country as a regional power, and they will do anything to strengthen this position. They feel that they are the key actor in the international arena, because of their military power, the size of their nation, its territory, daring and willingness to suffer for the fulfillment of its aspirations. They feel that a country like theirs does not have to be satisfied with being “just another country”, and that it ought to be the primary force in the region by right.

Shiite Victory over the Sunnis

Iran’s leaders see themselves as obligated to rule over Islam as the descendants of the fourth Caliph, Ali Ibn Abi Talib, founder of Shia. Many Shiites, from all over the world, have a burning hatred for Sunnis in their hearts, seeing them as followers of Mu’awiyah ben Abi Sufyan, who rebelled against Ali, and this hatred has been nourished by 1300 years of persecution, murder, torture and death meted out by the Sunnis to the Shiites.

The Shiites especially remember the murder of the son of Ali, Husayn, in the city of Karbala in southern Iraq in the year 680, because he wasn’t just murdered; in fact, his severed head was brought to Damascus as proof that the mission was accomplished. Umayyad Caliph Yazid ibn Mu’awiyah put the head on his table and left it there for a month, so that all his opponents could see and tremble at what would happen to anyone who rebels against his rule. The Shiites memorialize this event at a yearly Tazya (consolation) ceremony, during which they flog and wound themselves until they bleed.

The Ayatollahs dream of conquering Mecca from the hands of the Sunni Saudis so as to return the rule of the House of Ali. This is one of the sources of the deep and burning hatred that exists between the Iranians and the Saudis.

Taking Revenge on the Arabs

The Persians did not forget the destruction that the Muslim Arabs wreaked upon them when they defeated the Sassinate Persian Empire in the seventh century, nor did they forget how the Islamic armies slaughtered them, nor how they treated the Persian wives and daughters, how they sold them as slaves in the market and forced them to convert to Islam. The Persians, Azars, Balochs, and Kurds – the nations of Iran – did not forget or forgive what the Arabs did to them, and many are still waiting for the moment for vengeance against the hated Arabs.

They especially hate the Bedouin of the Arabian Peninsula, from where the Arab tribes emerged to conquer the world and subjugate its peoples. Today the Saudis live in that peninsula, and that is why Saudi Arabia is seen as a country that must move over and allow Iran, a better and more legitimate nation, to take over.

Returning the Persian Empire to its Former Glory

The Persians dream of a return to the dimensions of the Persian Empire that reigned from “India to Africa” – that is, from the Indian Subcontinent to Northern Africa. This imperialist aspiration was expressed by Ali Khomeini in a speech given on Marsh 25, 2006, part of which appeared in a weekly Hezbollah publication, when he said most clearly: “The strategic depth of the Iranian people ranges over Palestine, Northern Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent.”

Ruling the West

The West, headed by Britain and America, are the modern world powers considered hostile by the Iranians. The UK is a power that exerted the greatest influence on the borders and regime of Iran starting with Iran’s establishment in the ’40s. The Americans also interfered more than once in the internal administration of the country and if there is one thing the Iranians abhor, it is outside interference in their affairs.

They call the West “Istikbar” – those filled with undeserved pride – and under the title “Oh the Istikbar”, Khomeini is quoted as saying: “This is our message to the worldwide Istikbar: May the worldwide Istikbar know that the Iranian people are solid and strong. The young and old of this vast Islamic nation and the generations that followed upon one another in this powerful nation that lives in the center of events and that has been hardened by experience, carry the banner of protecting Islam. Our banner flies over this land to which one and a half billion Muslims raise their eyes from all over the world, and that is our nation’s strategic depth and its revolutionary [capacity] in the Islamic lands of the region….”

The worst blow of all to the Ayatollahs is that the heretic West’s cultural poison has managed to infiltrate Islamic society – bringing permissiveness, materialism, equal rights, secularism, democracy – and destroying their morals and values, their regime and economy, in order to neutralize their will to fight the West. Western propaganda is blamed for the fact that most young Iranians would emigrate to the USA or Europe if they could.

Hatred of Jews

Shiite tradition has a special place for Jews and attitude towards them. On the one hand, the Jews were a small minority among the Sunnis like the Shiites, causing them to take the Shiite side most of the time and in most locations. Some Shiites view the Jews as ‘Najes” – ritually impure – a fact that is obvious in the marketplace, where when a Jew comes to buy foodstuffs he is not allowed to choose, but has to allow the merchant to decide for him and hurl the goods into the Jew’s basket. It was only natural that the Jew got the rotting merchandise that no one else wanted.

Modern Jews and the State of Israel are the “small Satan” in the eyes of the Ayatollahs, while the USA is the “large Satan”. The Jews have no right to a land, making the State of Israel illegitimate and a candidate for disappearance. The Jews have no right to defy Muslims and certainly not to kill Muslims even for self defense, which is why all the Jews in Israel are deserving of death.

Jerusalem, which has absolutely no standing in Shiite tradition, has been adopted by the Ayatollahs in order the show the Islamic world that they are no less anti-Zionist than the Sunnis. Hezbollah uses the same language.

This is the source of the burning hatred of the Iranian rulers for Israel. They will do anything they can to destroy the Jewish state, and they know that many of the nations of the world will not shed a tear if Israel vanishes, so that destroying Israel will not adversely affect their international standing.

One of Iran’s leaders has already called Israel a “one-bomb country”, because one atom bomb on Tel Aviv is enough to destroy the entire state. We, and the world, must take them seriously, remembering that we didn’t pay attention to warnings in the ’30s.

Israel’s Prime Minster must shout the dangers from every possible stage in order to wake up the world and its leaders to the Iranian catastrophe that faces Israel and the entire world.

The Ayatollahs Mean What They Say By Dr. Mordechai Kedar

6.Netanyahu’s Speech Strengthened Israel-US Relations The “pundits” have it all wrong, as usual. By Rabbi Prof. Dov Fischer Arutz Sheva IsraelNationalNews.com Published: Tuesday, March 03, 2015 9:20 PM

Rabbi Prof. Dov Fischer

The writer is rabbi of the Young Israel of Orange County, authored the books “Sharon Against Time Magazine” (Jerusalem: Steimatzky, 1985) and “Jews for Nothing”.

Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress today strengthened Israel’s relations with America. Anything else you read will be written by so-called “pundits” who flock together like sheep, make sure they march in lock-step with each other, write the same stories for the same kinds of reporting outlets, drink every night at the same bars, socialize at the same cocktail parties — and know very little about long-term dynamics of civilization.

The “pundits” predicted that George W. Bush would lose to John Kerry when he ran for President. They predicted that John McCain would be the strongest Republican nominee for President four years later. They predicted that the Arab Spring would herald a new peace in the Middle East. They lauded the Egyptian ascent of the Moslem Brotherhood and rued the rise of Al-Sisi. They declared Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) a peacemaker.

They predicted that Obama would successfully re-set relations with Vladimir Putin by “toning down the rhetoric” and removing threats to Russia posed by anti-ballistic systems intended for Poland and Czechoslovakia. They lauded the new “liberalized Libya” that Obama helped create by “leading from behind” to take down Col. Qaddafi and replace him with a new “friendly” regime.

They do not and virtually never know what they are talking about. And they completely have missed what happened today in America, as the Prime Minister of Israel forged tighter bonds of unity with America than ever before have existed.

Yes, “even” six Jews were absent. Israelis need to understand that those are the six most-leftist Jews in Congress. They are politically far to the left of Meretz.
Yes, forty or fifty Democrats did not show up for the speech. And ten or twenty of my distant relatives and college buddies did not show up for my wedding many years ago. Some relatives were out of town that day, some were exhausted by other aspects of their lives, some could not afford the air fare. But the relatives who were related to me before the wedding still hold me dear. And my college buddies and I still would give the shirts off our backs to help each other.

Instead of focusing on the forty or fifty who missed out on history, focus on the 90 percent who were there. Eight Senators missed the moment in history? Well, 92 Senators were there. Forty-eight Congressional representatives were absent? There are 435 Congressional representatives, so 387 were present. Ninety percent of the Congress were there. And — importantly — almost every single one who was absent would not be on Israel’s side anyway, no matter who leads Israel, no matter what the venue or the protocol, when Judgment Day comes and a vote is taken.

Yes, “even” six Jews were absent. Israelis need to understand that those are the six most-leftist Jews in Congress. They are politically far to the left of Meretz. They are far to the left of Ha’aretz. They are to the left of — what was her name? — Shulamit Aloni. Al Franken is a comedian and a radical leftist. Jan Schakowsky is a radical leftist, and not even a comedian.

John Yarmuth of Kentucky? I lived in Kentucky, was a rabbi of a modest congregation in Louisville, have been honored by three separate governors of Kentucky with a modest designation — and I am telling you that this guy pulls out the Jew-stuff when it suits him. He was a Republican, then became an Obama Democrat. He switches teams. And Bernie Sanders of Vermont is such a leftist that he refuses even to be affiliated with Democrats — he literally runs as a Socialist. Enough about the Jews who chose to remain in Egypt during the Exodus.

Dianne Feinstein, formerly mayor of leftist San Francisco and now a United States Senator from California (who, by the way, absolutely is not Jewish — has a Jewish father, no halakhic conversion) told the media that, well, OK, she will attend the Netanyahu speech — but she definitely will not be “jumping up and down” to applaud. Guess what? By my count, she was jumping up-and-down applauding during that speech so many times that I even remember that, among all the dark suits and ties, she was wearing a medium-blue outfit. She could not help it. Up and down — it looked like a Yom Kippur service: everybody up, please be seated, everybody up, please be seated.

In all, the Prime Minister of Israel was interrupted by standing ovations dozens of time and, further counting the many interruptions of applause that did not rise to standing ovations, the United States Congress interrupted a forty-minute speech by the Prime Minister of Israel with some forty bursts of applause. That was one a minute — more than Obama ever gets when he speaks to Congress, as during his annual State of the Union addresses.

More importantly, the Prime Minister of Israel now has forced every American to take note of the kinds of sophisticated news items that most Americans ignore. Americans like news stories about massive fires and train derailments, police car chases and bank holdups, celebrities getting married and divorced, and Obama going golfing . The average American, until today, did not know the difference between Iraq and Iran. The Prime Minister of Israel changed all that today.

After the Holocaust, as Eisenhower started liberating concentration camps, people in the West lined up to say “We did not know. No one told us. If only we knew.” Of course they knew, but this time the record is clear that they know. Everyone now knows. Iran is the largest supporter of Islamist terror in the world. Iran has gobbled up four other Arab countries, with more on the butcher block. Iran sponsors terrorism from Hezbollah to Al Qaeda. Iran murdered American marines in Lebanon, has murdered and otherwise maimed thousands of other Americans in Afghanistan and in Iraq. Iran’s government has been in power for more than 35 years, with no end in sight, and never has moderated. After Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran has gotten more deadly, not less.

If Iran gets nuclear, then every other country in the Middle East will go nuclear. Not only will Israel be imperiled, but America will be within Iran’s cross-hairs, as Teheran continues developing inter-continental ballistic missiles aimed at delivering nuclear warheads for bombing Washington, D.C. Even if Shiite Iran opposes Sunni ISIS, this is the rare situation where the enemy of your enemy is — your enemy.

And everyone else now knows something else: even if Israel has to go it alone, she indeed will do so. With Elie Wiesel as witness, the people of Israel through its Prime Minister have publicly vowed in the halls of Congress that this time, instead of accepting destruction passively, the Jewish People will respond with “Never Again.”

Perhaps more importantly, the anti-Semites of Western Europe, the parliamentarians of England and France and Germany and even worse parliaments, all have viewed on international television that, when the Prime Minister of Israel forthrightly and daringly told the United States Congress that, if it has to, Israel will successfully defend itself alone, the response in Congress was not shocked silence or repressed indignation but thunderous applause.

And when he added that, really, Israel knows that it never will have to go it alone — because America will be there alongside of Israel — the response of that 90 percent of the American Congress was not silence. Not embarrassment. Not a sense of “who is he to presume for us?” Rather, that statement drew more thunderous standing applause than any other statement the Prime Minister made. Even the non-Jewish Senator from California, Dianne Feinstein, was standing in her blue outfit, applauding aggressively. She couldn’t help it.

The “pundits” predicted that the speech would drive a wedge in American support for Israel. While they are out drinking these next few nights, go ahead and check the opinion polls in America. The West Europeans will be doing so. The Iranians will be doing so.

The Israel-U.S. relationship is now tighter than ever. Israel has the right Prime Minister for the moment in history.

One only can pray that the People of Israel understand this.

Rabbi Dov Fischer is author of General Sharon’s War Against Time Magazine (Steimatzky: 1985). His political commentaries have appeared on the op-ed pages of the Wall Street Journal, The Weekly Standard, National Review, Los Angeles Times, and in other major American publications. He formerly was Chief Articles Editor of UCLA Law Review, is an adjunct professor of law at two prominent American law schools, and is Rav of Young Israel of Orange County, California. He is author of Jews for Nothing (Feldheim: 1983) and is in his fifth year as a member of the National Executive Committee of the Rabbinical Council of America. His writings can be found at RabbiDov.com As with all of Rabbi Prof. Fischer’s writings, this commentary expresses his own views.

Netanyahu’s Speech Strengthened Israel-US Relations The “pundits” have it all wrong, as usual. By Rabbi Prof. Dov Fischer

7.Yes, Netanyahu Pulled it Off. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu came to Congress with one simple objective: and he pulled it off. by Ari Soffer Arutz Sheva IsraelNationalNews.com Arutz Sheva IsraelNationalNews.com by Ari Soffer, the Managing Editor of Arutz Sheva/Israel National News.

Binyamin Netanyahu will be very pleased with his performance in front of Congress today.

After weeks of controversy, which merely helped raise the profile of his speech (“Never has so much been said about a speech that hasn’t even been given yet,” he joked yesterday at AIPAC’s Policy Conference), all eyes were on the Israeli prime minister as he took the podium to make Israel’s case against the pending deal with Iran over its nuclear program.

And that he did.

No, Obama (who, like John Kerry, says he didn’t even watch the speech at all) won’t now be frantically reaching for the phone and ordering his diplomats to radically shift his administration’s stance in talks with Tehran. Kerry won’t be breaking off his intimate tet-a-tets with Tehran’s foreign minister either. In fact, once the dust settles it’s unlikely we will see any kind of “radical” change in the deeply troubling trajectory of the P5+1 talks, which are looking more and more like unabashed appeasement.

But then, that’s not what Netanyahu went to Congress for.

Putting aside the accusations that it was all just some elaborate election ploy – a silly claim given that it was Boehner who initiated the whole thing by issuing the invitation, though the Likud leader doubtless savored the opportunity so close to March 17 – Netanyahu’s objective in all this was actually very straightforward: to make Israel’s case.

Yet while the task in theory was straightforward, in practice it was no simple matter. From a diplomatic perspective, Netanyahu was walking a minefield; how to oppose the White House from within Congress without it looking like an all-out attack? He managed to pull that off as well as could be hoped, spending considerable time praising Obama’s record while skillfully avoiding any direct criticism of the administration – though regardless, the indictment of the administration’s strategy was still stinging.

Instead, the Israeli PM merely outlined his country’s perspective, and laid out clearly and succinctly, in just two points, precisely what is so wrong with the looming deal: 1. The fact that it allows Iran to maintain its current nuclear capabilities, merely pausing their program but still leaving Tehran fully capable of reaching the nuclear threshold at a later date of its choosing; and 2. Even more obscenely, giving the deal a 10-year expiration date, after which Iran is legitimately allowed to go ahead and… build nuclear weapons!

Mercifully, he did it all without the help of any of his now world-famous (infamous?) props. Cartoon bombs might be suitable for the theater of the absurd that is the United Nations – where brutal dictatorships define the “human rights” narrative – but would have essentially made a mockery of the “most important legislative body in the world,” as Netanyahu himself put it.

But in fact, he wasn’t just speaking for Israel. As he alluded to during his speech, Netanyahu was essentially representing all Middle Eastern states, primarily the Arab gulf states, threatened by Tehran’s blatantly imperialist ambitions and the terrifying prospect of the Shia Islamist theocracy already bristling with arms soon wielding nuclear warheads.

Perversely (and that’s probably the most suitable adjective to describe much of Obama’s foreign policy), the very states most threatened by Iran’s nuclear ambitions – Israel, Saudi Arabia and the other Sunni Arab states – have been shunted aside throughout the entire diplomatic process, denied access to or any say whatsoever in the negotiations. Instead, we’ve been told to leave it to the boys who know best: patronizing western powers whose every naive foray into Middle Eastern diplomacy resembles an American tourist wandering haplessly through a “Persian bazaar,” to borrow a rather fitting metaphor from Netanyahu’s speech.

This speech – as Netanyahu explained yesterday at AIPAC – was Israel’s attempt to foil those trying to shut it out, and have its voice heard. Nothing more, and nothing less.

Those who have so fiercely criticized Netanyahu’s perceived chutzpah towards Obama, particularly liberal American Jews so feverishly rushing to prove their loyalty, would do well to remember this: Israel is not some servile vassal state, ready and willing to die for the sake of a western experiment. While they can afford to be wrong, at least in the short-term, for us the stakes could not be higher. For Israel, and many of its neighbors, “Oh well, we tried!” isn’t on the cards.

To put it another way: compared to the existential threat we face from a nuclear Iran, two years of a thoroughly peeved Barack Obama is a price we’re willing to pay.

It was that sentiment which Netanyahu expressed at the end of his speech, when he declared:

“The days when the Jewish people remained passive in the face of genocidal enemies – those days are over… Even if Israel has to stand alone, Israel will stand.”

That is certainly true. As any normal country would do, we are even willing to risk our deepest friendships for the sake of our own survival and go it alone.

Of course, as Netanyahu himself hastened to add, we sincerely hope that will not be the case – for Israel of all countries knows the horrific price which would be paid, by us and the entire region, if the diplomatic track fails and the military option is the only one remaining:

“But I know that Israel does not stand alone – I know that America stands with Israel; I know that you stand with Israel.”

Where does Obama stand as he rushes headfirst into a desperate detente with Iran? That’s not so clear at all.

8.Purim guide for the perplexed, 2015 (excerpts) An ancient edition of an Iranian plot against the Jewish people By: Yoram Ettinger Published: March 4th, 2015

1. Purim’s Scroll of Esther represents fundamental tenets of Judaism:

*Faith in God, in contrast to idolatry and cynicism;

*Faith in mankind’s capabilities, as God reduces direct involvement (from Genesis and Exodus to Esther Scroll – which does not mention God’s name – Ezra and Nehemiah);

*Value/principle-driven realism, in contrast to opportunism and wishful-thinking;

*Attachment to roots (religious, cultural, historical), in contrast to detachment and assimilation;

*Liberty – the core of personal/national existence (just like Sukkot/Tabernacles, Chanukah and Passover);

*Community/national-driven responsibility, in contrast to selfishness (Queen Esther assumed responsibility, while risking her life and convenience);

*The ingathering of Jews to the Land of Israel (opposed by Haman and advanced by Mordechai);

*Optimism, confidence and courage, in contrast to pessimism, despair and fear; *Tenacious defiance of enormous adversity, in contrast to defeatism, submission and accommodation. Problems = opportunities in disguise.

2. Purim’s Clash of Civilizations exemplifies an early edition of the war between right and wrong, liberty and tyranny, justice and evil, truth and lies, as were/are Adam/Eve VS. the Snake, Abel VS. Cain, Abraham VS. Sodom & Gomorrah, Jacob VS. Esau (grandfather of Amalek), the Maccabees VS. the Assyrians, the Allies VS. the Nazis, the West VS. the Communist Bloc and Western democracies VS. Islamic rogue and terrorist regimes.

3. “Purimfest 1946” yelled Julius Streicher, the Nazi propaganda chief, as he approached the hanging gallows (Newsweek, October 28, 1946, page 46). On October 16, 1946 (in the Jewish year 5707), ten convicted Nazi war criminals were hanged in Nuremberg. An 11th Nazi criminal, Hermann Goering, committed suicide in his cell. Julius Streicher’s library, in his ranch, documented his interest in Purim and its relevance to the enemies of the Jewish people.

According to the Scroll of Esther, King Ahasuerus allowed the Jews to defend themselves and hang Haman and his ten sons. The Talmud (Megillah tractate, 16a) claims that Haman had an 11th child, a daughter, who committed suicide following her father’s demise.

4. Purim is celebrated on the 14th/15th days of the Jewish month of Adar. Adar (???) is the root of the Hebrew adjective Adir (- (???? glorious, awesome, exalted, magnificent. It is, also, a derivative of the Akkadian word Adura (heroism). In Jewish tradition (Babylonian Talmud) Adar is featured as a month of happiness, singing and dancing. The zodiac of Adar is Pisces (fish), which is a symbol of demographic multiplication. Hence, Adar is the only Jewish month, which doubles itself during the 7 leap years, in each 19 year cycle. Purim is celebrated on the 14th day in non-walled towns and in Jerusalem on the 15th day of Adar, commemorating the deliverance of the Jewish People from the jaws of a holocaust in Persia. It also commemorates the 161 BC victory of Judah the Maccabee over Nikanor, the Assyrian commander. Moses – who delivered the Jewish People from a holocaust in Egypt and whose burial site is unknown – was born and died (1273 BC) on the 7th day of Adar, which is Israel’s Memorial Day for soldiers, whose burial sites are unknown.

5. Purim’s (?????) Hebrew root is fate/destiny (???), as well as “lottery” (commemorating Haman’s lottery which determined the designated day for the planned annihilation of the Jewish People), “to frustrate,” “to annul” (????), “to crumble” and “to shutter” (?????), reflecting the demise of Haman.

6. Mordechai, the hero of Purim and one of Ezra’s deputies, was a role model of principle-driven optimism in defiance of colossal odds, in the face of a super power and in defiance of the Jewish establishment. He fought Jewish assimilation and urged Jews to sustain their roots and return to their Homeland. Mordechai was a politically-incorrect, out-of-the-box thinking leader and a retired military commander, who preferred a disproportionate pre-emptive offensive to retaliation, appeasement and defense. The first three Hebrew letters of Mordechai (?????) spell the Hebrew word “rebellion” (???). Mordechai did not bow to Haman, the second most powerful person in the Persian Empire. He was a member of the tribe of Benjamin, the only son of Jacob who did not bow to Esau. The name Mordechai is also a derivative of Mordouch, the chief Babylonian god.

7. Mordechai was a descendant of King Saul, who defied a clear commandment to eradicate the Amalekites, sparing the life of Agag, the Amalekite king, thus precipitating further calamities upon the Jewish People. Consequently, Saul lost his royal position and his life. Mordechai learned from Saul’s error, destroying Haman, a descendant of Agag the Amalekite, thus sparing the Jewish People a major disaster.

8. The Persian King appointed Mordechai to be his top advisor, overruling Haman’s intent to prevent the resettling of Jews in Zion, the reconstruction of the Temple and the restoration of the wall around Jerusalem. The king prospered as a result of his change of heart and escaped assassination. That was also the case with Pharaoh, who escaped national collapse and starvation and rose in global prominence after he appointed Joseph to be his deputy.

9. Queen Esther, the heroine of Purim’s Scroll of Esther, was Mordechai’s niece. Esther demonstrated the centrality of women in Judaism, shaping the future of the Jewish People, as did Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Leah, Miriam, Batyah, Deborah, Hannah and Yael. Sarah was the first – and Esther the last – Jewish women mentioned in the Bible. Sarah lived 127 years and Esther ruled over 127 countries. The name Esther (????) is a derivative of the Hebrew word ???? , “to conceal” – reflective of her initial concealment of her Jewish identity, while the Hebrew word for “scroll,” ?????, derives from ???? – “to reveal.” God is concealed in the scroll of Esther, which is the only Biblical book that does not mention God. The Purim custom of wearing costumes highlights the transition from concealment to revelation of identity.

10. The name Esther (pronounced Ester in Hebrew) is also a derivative of Ishtar – a Mesopotamian goddess and Astarte, “star” – a Phoenician goddess. In fact, the one day pre-Purim Fast of Esther (commemorating the three day fast declared by Esther in order to expedite deliverance), was cherished by the Maranos in Spain, who performed Judaism in a concealed manner. While God’s name is hidden/absent in Esther’s Scroll, Michael Bernstein suggests that there are 182 references to “King,” corresponding to 26 (the numerical value of Jehovah) times 7 (days of creation).

11. Esther’s second name was Hadassah, whose root is Hadass (myrtle tree in Hebrew) – whose leaves are shaped like an eye. The name Esther is identified with the planet Venus. Hence, Esther’s other Hebrew name is Noga – just like my oldest granddaughter – which means a shining divine light in Hebrew. In Gimatriya, Esther (????) and Noga (???) equal 661 and 58 respectively, and the sum of 6+6+1 and 5+8 is 13 (the number of God’s virtues). In “small Gimatriya,” both Esther (1+6+4+2) and Noga (5+3+5) equal 13, which is also the total sum of “one” in Hebrew (???), which represents the oneness of God, monotheism, as well as the total sum of love in Hebrew (????).

12. Purim’s four commandments:

*Reading/studying the Scroll of Esther within the family, emphasizes the centrality of the family, education, memory and youth as the foundation of a solid future.

*Gifts to relatives, friends and strangers emphasize the importance of family, community and collective responsibility.

*Charity (at least the value of a meal) reflects compassion and communal responsibility. According to Maimonides, “there is no greater or more glorious joy than bringing joy to the poor.” Purim is celebrated when Jews study the portion of the Torah, ????? (charity, donation in Hebrew), which highlights giving and contributing to others as a means of enhancing solidarity and reducing egotism. According to the Torah, contributions benefit the contributor more than the recipient.

*Celebration and Happiness sustain optimism and faith – the backbone of individuals and nations.

Wishing you a Happy Purim and a rewarding week!

About the Author: Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger is consultant to Israel’s Cabinet members and Israeli legislators, and lecturer in the U.S., Canada and Israel on Israel’s unique contributions to American interests, the foundations of U.S.-Israel relations, the Iranian threat, and Jewish-Arab issues.

9.“In Every Generation…Remember Amalek” By: Donny Fuchs Published: March 2nd, 2015

Hur and Aharon holding up Moshe’s hands as Joshua battled Amalek.

On the joyous festival of Purim we celebrate G-d’s hidden intervention to thwart the original “Final Solution” that never was. From a superficial glance, the events of Purim seem to have occurred with the aid of human intervention and clever political machinations; yet chazal understood what becomes evident when one analyzes the story with a critical eye. Despite the veneer of normalcy, none of the events relating to the Purim story make any sense. Neither the initial plunge into a period of dark hester panim (Divine concealment), nor the eventual miracle of Divine Providence brought about by our collective repentance can be explained with such superficiality. And in the historical aftermath of the Holocaust, Purim takes on a context that cannot be ignored. We can conceptualize on some level, what Haman’s nightmare decree might have looked like had he (Heaven forbid) fulfilled his genocidal ambitions. Purim was our miraculous salvation from a Persian Holocaust of the Jewish people.

Purim reflects the fullest expression of Jewish joy. And the true simcha derives not only from our survival from the terrible decree, but from our eternal belief that we remain under G-d’s providence, despite the tribulations of a long and terrible exile. Purim confirms our eternally binding covenant with The Almighty. Purim is proof that the nation of Israel lives.

On Purim day, even the wine we drink attains a higher level of sanctification. We seek clarity in a most atypical manner, as we go beyond what we would normally imbibe. Purim remains the one time each year when we abandon an aspect of our seichel, to pursue a clarity that can only be obtained in the midst of slight intoxication. Yet despite the Halachic imperative to be joyous, we need to be cognizant of Purim’s critical lessons that often get lost?in a haze of intoxication and silly “Purim Torahs”:

Lesson #1: The lesson of ?Amalek’s?persistence, and how our ancient arch-rivals arise in every generation to annihilate us. Many Jews refuse to see the enemy for who he is. The most deluded within our camps keep returning to the vomit of Arab lies and duplicity, out of a sick need to believe that there are Arab/Islamic moderates who actually want to live in peace with us. Pragmatic, politically ambitious “right-wingers” sell the mythos that most Israeli-Arabs are peaceful. And perpetuating the lie blinds Jews to the terrible truth. Amalek cannot coexist with us. Others seek artificial friendships and alliances with the leaders of Jordan and Egypt, out of the naive belief that we now have a shared enemy. They refuse to see that ISIS is not a new enemy. The atrocities that they are committing are things that we have already seen from the “moderates” of Fatah. ISIS simply represents the most “successful” and efficient expression of such barbarism. ISIS is articulating Muhammad’s original platform. And those who refuse to see the enemy, will never defeat him.

Lesson #2: The lesson of Jewish vengeance and violence against evil, and the looming Halachic requirement which asserts that one day we will destroy all?manifestations?of our oldest and most barbaric foe. Let us not forget that the story of Purim culminates with victorious armed battles that we waged against those who were looking forward to slaughtering the Jewish people. We killed a great many anti-Semites. This is unpleasant for the supposed humanists of our camp to accept, since they wish to grant humanity to those who deny ours. They would prefer to believe that the Torah speaks metaphorically. And of course, we have the Torah’s lesson that collective punishment is the only answer with the impossible to rehabilitate or re-educate Am Lak; a people whose desire to lap up Jewish blood reflects a terminal spiritual disease. Amalek represents those who cannot do repentance because their evil is total; both in the intensity of its expression and its pervasiveness in the society. Such lessons are articulated with somber warning in the reading of Parshat Zachor:

“Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey, after you left Egypt-how, undeterred by fear of G-d, he surprised you on the march, when you were famished and weary, and cut down all the stragglers in the rear. Therefore, when the L-rd your G-d grants you safety from all you enemies around you, in the land that the L-rd your G-d is giving you as a hereditary portions, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under Heaven. Do not forget! (Deuteronomy 25: 17-19) JPS Hebrew English Tanakh

And why are we still dealing with the ideology of Amalek today? Here we have an early example of false morality resulting in terrible repercussions for the Jewish people The seed of Agag lives today, because King Saul failed to heed what the prophet Samuel explicitly instructed him to do. His failure to destroy Amalek in entirety, allowed the ideology to live on. As such, Amalek isn’t a particular nation anymore, but a poisonous doctrine that any people can adopt. As Rabbi Yosef Soloveitchik, of blessed memory explained:

“Amalek is obviously more than a Bedouin tribe. He is more than a particular group, nationality or people. He is Everyman gone berserk, who has shed his Divine image for that of Satan. Any nation which declares that its policy is to destroy the Jewish people is Amalek, for it has emblazoned on its banner the slogan of impassioned hatred: “Come let us destroy them as a nation, that the name Israel may no more be remembered.” (Reflections of the Rav, Abraham Besdin, pag 180.)

The potential resides within every committed Jew-hater, yet only those that fully articulate their Jew hatred attain this unique level of evil. Sometimes Amalek wears a cross, other times he goose-steps in a brownshirt screaming “zieg heil”. The communist Amalekite denied the concept of a G-d, and thus deified the worst expressions of man. Today’s version of Amalek speaks Arabic, yet he shares the same ideology. It is no coincidence that Nazi propaganda is treated with the same reverence by Arabs/Muslims that the Koran holds for many believers.

What are the signs of Amalek?

Rabid Jew hatred- Amalek’s religion is an ideology of killing Jews. Their self-interests are sacrificed for the mission. Feeding the masses, helping the indigent, healing the sick within their own camp? All sacrificed in order to slaughter Jews. Education? The sole education is the demonization of the Jewish people. While the Arab tyrants continue to abuse and exploit their own people, they can always redirect their ire towards the Jewish people.

Barbarism- The Germans annihilated 6 and 1/2 million Jews with bullets, bayonets, gas chambers, crematoria, and “scientific” human experimentation. The Mufti’s offspring are trying to finish the job. With their own words they often describe in monstrous detail how they crave Jewish blood, and we have seen them use their teeth and talons to pull apart living Jews. True to form, the modern day Amalek targets and slaughters women and children, even babies sucklings at the teat. The weak stragglers receive no reprieve. They are the first to go.

Purim Festivities?

In 2011, Arabs infiltrated the town of Itamar in Samaria and butchered the Fogel family, may G-d avenge their blood. Shortly after the horrible tragedy, the public school down the block from me was?having their annual Purim carnival. The raucous mirth was particularly disturbing in the wake of the slaughter, where Arab degenerates stabbed an infant and small children, as readily as they slaughtered their parents. The callous people who run the school probably never considered toning down the festivities. In all likelihood, they didn’t even mention the slaughter to their students, which would be contrary to the culture of “peace” that they are brainwashing the schoolchildren with.?After all, the Ministry of?Mis-education?portrays Arabs as ordinary people who want to live in peace with Jews, not as modern day nazis capable of stabbing infants and children. They prefer that Purim remain the vulgar display that it has become among large sections of the populace. Essentially a reenactment of the feast that caused us problems in the first place. A sign of descent into spiritual depravity; a Jewish Carnevale.

(As an aside, one could tear kriyah at what has become of many of the daughters of Israel today, who grow up in homes devoid of Torah. Just enter any shop and take a look at the choice of available outfits for girls these days. How any father could let his daughter go out in such sexually provocative costumes which both sexualize and exploit them is beyond me, and it speaks volumes about where this country is heading. But I digress.)

In every generation,?Amalek?wars with?Am Yisroel. Evil exists. Use your senses and Jewish kup to draw the obvious conclusions. The Arabs and the Islamic world have eagerly taken the crown of Amalek from the Nazis of yesterday. And Persia is still making trouble for us in 2015. A nuclear armed Iran is every bit the genocidal threat that Haman’s original decree was. And while I have never praised Netanyahu before, if indeed he defies the anti-semitic Achashveirosh of our times and presents his speech to Congress, he deserves praise for exposing Iran’s genocidal intentions. Not so much to convince the anti-Semites of the world who deny the obvious ( I don’t are much for meaningless PR), but rather because it represents a semblance of Jewish strength to the anti-Semites who would aid Amalek. And let the discerning reader keep an eye out for those anti-Semites (i.e. democrat politicians, members of the “Black Caucus”) who boycott Netanyahu’s speech. Their actions will speak volumes. And they should all be called out.

The message of Parshat Zachor and Purim is clear and unambiguous. Agag still lives. In every generation.

A freilichin Purim to everyone. Drink with dignity and self-control to attain the desired state of “ad d’lo yada”. But don’t lose sight of the underlying lessons of Purim. And of course, have your loved ones hide your car keys. Stay off the roads! Chag Sameach.

About the Author: Donny Fuchs made aliyah in 2006 from Long Island to the Negev, where he resides with his family. He has a keen passion for the flora and fauna of Israel and enjoys hiking the Negev desert. His religious perspective is deeply grounded in the Rambam’s rational approach to Judaism.

10.Al Arabiya Editor-In-Chief: President Obama, Listen To Netanyahu On Iran

Don’t listen just to Bibi, President Obama, but to your own experts, in Washington DC. The Jewish Press.com By: JBN / Jewish Business News Published: March 4th, 2015

A photograph posted by Mashregh News, an Iranian outlet affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards Corps, that shows top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani (R) embracing the leader of Iraq’s Shiite Badr militia Hadi al-Amiri. This picture is not dated, but is thought to have been taken in 2014.

Faisal J. Abbas is the Editor-in-Chief of Al Arabiya English, who has covered the Middle East extensively working for Future Television of Lebanon and both Al-Hayat and Asharq Al-Awsat pan-Arab dailies. His column, calling on President Obama to pay attention to Netanyahu’s warnings, was published Tuesday.

Abbas opens by declaring that he is far from being a Netanyahu fan, nevertheless, “one must admit, Bibi did get it right, at least when it came to dealing with Iran.”

Abbas notes: “In just a few words, Mr. Netanyahu managed to accurately summarize a clear and present danger, not just to Israel (which obviously is his concern), but to other U.S. allies in the region.

“What is absurd, however, is that despite this being perhaps the only thing that brings together Arabs and Israelis (as it threatens them all), the only stakeholder that seems not to realize the danger of the situation is President Obama.”

Abbas confirms Netanyahu’s assertion that “the real Iranian threat is not JUST (caps in the original – JBN) the regime’s nuclear ambitions, but its expansionist approach and state-sponsored terrorism activities which are still ongoing.”

To prove his point, Abbas cites a recent column by Diana Moukalled, Web Editor at Future Television, describing how the Islamic Republic has been touting the terrorist activities of its national hero, General Qassim Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force.

Moukalled writes: “Soleimani is no longer that secretive personality whose role over the past two decades has lingered been between myth and reality. He is now telling us bluntly: Yes, I am Iran’s strongman who is responsible for the Iranian military’s expansion in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Palestine.”

Speaking of spreading terrorism, Abbas notes that “not only is Iran responsible for sponsoring Shiite terrorist groups, but Sunni ones too. In fact, according to the U.S.’s own State Department, Tehran was home to a number of Al-Qaeda facilitators and high ranking financiers. These accusations are also backed by findings of the U.S. Treasury Department as well.”

So, don’t listen just to Bibi, President Obama, but to your own experts, right there in Washington DC.

Iran’s terrorists, Abbas concludes, “are in uniform, hold government positions and are not bothering to hide their evil plots anymore!”

Tuesday night, Prime Minister Netanyahu came close to suggesting that signing a deal with the Iranian leadership is a foolish exercise, because they will break it:

“Right now, Iran could be hiding nuclear facilities that we don’t know about, the U.S. and Israel. As the former head of inspections for the IAEA said in 2013, he said, ‘If there’s no undeclared installation today in Iran, it will be the first time in 20 years that it doesn’t have one.’

“Iran has proven time and again that it cannot be trusted. And that’s why the first major concession is a source of great concern. It leaves Iran with a vast nuclear infrastructure and relies on inspectors to prevent a breakout. That concession creates a real danger that Iran could get to the bomb by violating the deal.”

To read Faisal J. Abbas, permitting a situation in which these terror makers have quick access to atomic devices is simply insane.

So, please, President Obama, listen to Bibi.

Al Arabiya Editor-In-Chief: President Obama, Listen To Netanyahu On Iran

11.Tickets for Netanyahu’s Speech ‘Hotter than Fresh Latkes’ The anti-Netanyahu crowd, in the spirit of topsy-turvy Purim, drummed up support for his speech. By: Tzvi Ben-Gedalyahu The Jewish Press.com Published: March 3rd, 2015

Obama’s opposition to Netanyahu’s speaking in Congress has cooked up demand for tickets.

Tickets for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s speech n Congress today would be selling on the black market for hundreds if not thousands of dollars if Congressmen could sell their allotment of one ticket to friends and constituents.

“If I had 100 tickets, I’d be the most popular guy in town,” Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, told The New York Times.

The ear-piercing crescendo from the Obama administration and anti-Netanyahu bleachers in Israel has had a “Purim” effect by achieving results exactly opposite from their intentions.

Netanyahu stood his ground against demands from his political and media opponents in Israel to cancel the speech, which now has become talk of Washington, if not the entire United States.

“They have made it the most talked about thing in Washington, and I think it blew up in their face,” said Sen. Graham to the Times. “Everything he says, people want to hear, and people want to be in that room to listen, they want to be in person. It’s become a historic speech.”

The tickets are hotter than fresh latkes,” said Democratic Sen. Charles E. Schumer, who perhaps should have used the more timely analogy of “Hamantashen.”

“If Taylor Swift and Katy Perry did a joint concert at Madison Square Garden wearing white-and-gold and black-and-blue dresses, accompanied by dancing sharks and llamas, that’s the only way you’d have a tougher ticket,” Michael Steel, a spokesman for Boehner, told the newspaper.

That may be one of the reasons Obama is so angry over Netanyahu’s appearance.

The Jewish Press reported here yesterday that Americans have a highly favorable view of Netanyahu, even more than Obama.

The New York Times quoted New York Congressman Lee Zeldin as saying, “No one asked to be my guest” at the president’s State of the Union address.”

Approximately 30 Democrats are expressing their loyalty to Obama by planning to boycott the speech.

Their absence will not be noticed.

About the Author: Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu is a graduate in journalism and economics from The George Washington University. He has worked as a cub reporter in rural Virginia and as senior copy editor for major Canadian metropolitan dailies. Tzvi wrote for Arutz Sheva for several years before joining the Jewish Press.