Stupid Questions, Great Answers
Dear Country Yossi,
When in England at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of ‘empire building’ by George Bush. He answered by saying, “Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.”
It became very quiet in the room.

Then there was a conference in France during which a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a break one of the French engineers came back into the room saying “Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intend to do, bomb them?”
A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: “Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?”
Once again, dead silence.

A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S., English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of officers that included personnel from most of those countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English. He then asked, “Why is it that we always have to speak English at these conferences rather than speaking French?” Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied “Maybe it’s because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and Americans arranged it so you wouldn’t have to speak German.”
You could hear a pin drop.
G.S.
BP

An Open Letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
The Jewish Community of Hebron

November 06, 2007

The Hon. Dr. Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State
United States Department of State
Washington, D.C. 20520
U.S.A.

Dear Secretary Rice,
We notice that recently you have been pledging much effort and time to the Middle East. We are sure that you are doing this on behalf of those who live in this region and that your efforts are meant to ordain a better future for the region and its inhabitants. We might appreciate these intentions if we did not know clearly that all your efforts and actions will cause the region and its residents much more suffering and bloodshed. Moreover, the goals that you have established are totally contrary to justice, the Bible, and the rights of the Jews in this country.
We wish to remind you, Dr. Rice, that in the Bible this land was promised to the Jewish people some 4,000 years ago. Abraham, the Jewish patriarch, purchased Hebron more than 3,800 years ago. The Jews left Egypt in order to go to their country, the Holy Land, the Land of Israel, 3,500 years ago. There they established a state 3,300 years ago. This state became the kingdom of the Jewish King David, 3,000 years ago. The Temple stood in the center of the country, Jerusalem, and after being destroyed by the Babylonians it was rebuilt some 2,000 years ago. In all of those generations, this land was the sole homeland of the Jewish people. Only the Jewish people gave it independence. Only they lent it a distinct identity.
Please bear in mind that by the time Arabs reached this country, it had belonged to the Jews for thousands of years. The Arabs destroyed the country and caused its inhabitants much suffering. They never established an independent state in this country and never contributed a thing to its development. Under Arab rule, most of the country was unpopulated and desolate, covered with marshes and deserts - as your countryman, the renowned Mark Twain, described in his unforgettable book The Innocents Abroad. The Holy Land remained abandoned, as if loyally waiting for its offspring to return. The Jewish people, too, remained true to its land for millennia and aspired to return to it. Jews began to return to the Land of Israel about 140 years ago and started to make it blossom, cultivate its soil, and build it.
Then the Arabs woke up and embarked on acts of terror and murderous attacks. In 1929, lethal Arab terror brought on the destruction of the world’s most ancient Jewish community, that of Hebron. Arabs butchered seventy Jews, brutalized dozens of women, and banished the survivors. The mastermind of pogroms against the Jews of the Land of Israel in the 1920s, the Arab leader Amin al-Husayni, the founder of Palestinian nationalism, went so far as to meet with Hitler during the Holocaust and to plan, in common cause, the annihilation of all Jews in the Land of Israel. He even established Muslim units in the Nazi army. These aspirations have been typical of the Palestinian leadership ever since.
Even if Arabs have personal human rights, they have never had any collective national rights in this country. This is clear to anyone who has average schooling. However, to secure national rights that they never had, the Arabs established terror organizations of which the PLO was the first. These organizations specialize in the murder of civilians - men, women, and children, mainly Jews and Israelis but also many others, including no few American citizens. From the moment Israel recognized the PLO and gave it land in certain parts of the country, these areas have become incubators of terrorism, suffering, and corruption. Not long ago it transpired that the PLO had become so corrupt and reviled an entity that the Arabs themselves gave rise to a much more murderous enemy, Hamas, which very easily seized power in the Gaza Strip by means of gruesome acts of terror. Your persistence in trying to hand further areas to the PLO will certainly inflict more terrorism, more suffering, and more bloodshed on the entire region and its inhabitants.
Moreover, you constantly ignore the rights of the Jews in this territory, their historical and sole country and homeland. The Jewish community has returned to Hebron and is revitalizing the Jewish quarter and the synagogues that the Arabs destroyed. We have full rights to these properties and buildings. Your policies are definitely leading to further destruction and killing. Is this how your country treats the property of Jewish communities on American soil?
You must be aware that Jews who remain in any territory that is handed over to the PLO will be easy prey for brutal murder - and a fortiori if the territory falls into the hands of Hamas, as is likely. How can you promote a policy that will deal the Jews so grievous a blow - in their homeland of all places, the historical Holy Land?
Your schemes plainly include the deportation of tens of thousands of Jews from their localities and homes. Therefore, we wish to inform you that we do not intend to leave our homes on any terms. You will have to use force against us in order to transfer the territory, free of Jews, to the murderers’ organizations - the PLO and Hamas. This is the direction in which you are leading the Middle East. Is this how the United States fights for justice and against Islamic terror?
We hope you receive these remarks and change the dangerous direction in which you are heading. Please remember: many generations after you conclude your term in office, we, the inhabitants of this region, will still be here and will have to endure the consequences of your policies. Only Israeli control from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River will confer rights upon all people in the region and maximize the peace and happiness of all inhabitants of the area.
Respectfully,
Noam Arnon - David Wilder
The Jewish Community of Hebron

Protect your Privacy
Dear Country Yossi,
The following is accurate. I tried it and some of my numbers lead to my address. SNOPES.COM verified this as well.
Google has implemented a feature which enables you to type a telephone number into the search bar and hit ‘enter’ and you will be given the person’s name and address. If you then hit ‘MapQuest,’ you will get a map to the person’s house. Everyone should be aware of this! It’s a nationwide reverse telephone book. If a child gives out his/her phone number, someone can now look it up to find out where he/she lives. The safety issues are obvious, and alarming. Note that you can have your phone number removed or blocked. I tried my number and it came up along with the MapQuest and directions straight to our house. I did fill out the removal form for myself, and encourage everyone to do the same.
Quite scary. Please look up your own number. In order to test whether your phone number is mapped, go to: google ( http://www.google.com/). Type your phone number in the search bar (i.e. 555-555-1212) and hit ‘enter.’ If you want to B L O C K Google from divulging your private information, simply click on your telephone number and then click on the Removal Form. Removal takes 48-hours. Check your own number and although this may not apply to you if you have an unlisted number or cell phone as primary contact, you may know someone who needs to know this.
Please share this information with friends and family.
Received via email

Dear Emailer,
I checked this out - it’s true!
CY

Always Ready to Help
Dear Country Yossi,
My father was a rav in Monsey and he would help me with my homework - he made time between answering shailos and all. Then he would send me upstairs from his study when we were done and say, “Tell Mommy you knew the Chumash very well.”
When I was 11 my father was diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas. I was my mother’s right hand through all of it, missing school to babysit my little sisters while my mother took my father for chemo treatments, etc. Five years after his diagnosis, he passed away, when I was 16. I was in 11th grade that year. I was out of school for about 6 weeks through the last of his illness when my mother “lived” in the hospital.
I came back to school and a few weeks later our teacher gave us an assignment in Chumash to look something up. I called my stepbrother to ask him to help me with this. He was not available to help me. I called two other men from my father’s shul to ask them for help but they were not home. I was overwhelmed by the loss of my father and what he was to me in so many ways. I was determined to get this Chumash done and not “disappoint” him.
Suddenly, I thought of exactly who to call! Whenever my father was too sick to answer shailos, he would tell us to call Rav Neuschloss, the dayan of Skver. I happened to have spoken to Rav Neuschloss during shiva for shailos and was told to call whenever I needed anything. Well, now I needed something! So, I dialed Rav Neuschloss and spoke to him in Yiddish, telling him I had this question for Chumash I needed help with. Rav Neuschloss asked me to hold while he got the Chumash from the seforim shrank. He then proceeded to go over the pasuk with the translation in Yiddish with me. Then we read the Ramban my teacher had assigned to me to look up. He reviewed it to make sure I understood it. Then he wished me a good night and we hung up.
I use this story to tell my sons that if they have a question, they can call anyone in their lives for help. Often we call Reb Shmuel Kaminetsky for a bracha or for a quick advice question. I tell my children that true men of stature are happy to help out no matter what the level of the question.
Rochel Weinfeld
Far Rockaway

Dear Rochel,
Like I always say: “If you have any questions, give me a call.”
CY

True Comparison
Dear Country Yossi,
In the years before the Balfour Declaration, a member of the House of Lords asked Chaim Weizmann, “Why do you Jews insist on Palestine when there are so many undeveloped countries you could settle in more conveniently?”
Weizmann said: “That is like me asking you why you drove twenty miles to visit your mother last Sunday when there are so many old ladies living on your street.”
M.S.
BP

Dear M.S.,
Git Gezookt!
CY

Beware of Strangers
Dear Country Yossi,
A few years after I was born, my dad met a stranger who was new to our neighborhood. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.
As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger? He was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies.
If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn’t seem to mind.
Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)
Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home - not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our longtime visitor, however, got away with language that burned my ears and made my Dad squirm and my mother blush.
My Dad didn’t permit the liberal use of alcohol. But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, violence acceptable and trashy clothing stylish.
He talked freely about issues that a child really shouldn’t know. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing. I now know that I was strongly, and negatively, influenced by this stranger.
Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked - and NEVER asked to leave.
More than 50 years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents’ den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures. His name?
We just call him “TV.”
And the stranger has recently taken a wife. We call her “Internet.”
Received via email

Dear Emailer,
Mazel Tov!
CY

A Reason to Shop at Sears
Dear Country Yossi,
I received this via email. I know I needed this reminder since Sears isn’t always my first choice. Amazing when you think of how long the war in Iraq has lasted and they haven’t withdrawn from their commitment. Could we each buy at least one thing at Sears this year?
How does Sears treat its employees who are called up for military duty? By law, they are required to hold their jobs open and available, but nothing more. Usually, people take a big pay cut and lose benefits as a result of being called up.
Sears is voluntarily paying the difference in salaries and maintaining all benefits, including medical insurance and bonus programs, for all called-up reservist employees, for up to two years.
I submit that Sears is an exemplary corporate citizen and should be recognized for its contribution. I suggest we all shop at Sears, and be sure to find a manager to tell him why we are there so that the company gets the positive reinforcement it well deserves.
Pass it on.
I decided to check whether or not this information was true, before I sent it further. So I e-mailed the following to the Sears Customer Service Department:
I received this e-mail and I would like to know if it is true. If it is, the Internet may have just become one very good source of advertisement for your company. I know I would go out of my way to buy products from Sears instead of another store for a like item, even if it’s cheaper at that store.
This was their answer to my e-mail:
Dear Customer:
Thank you for contacting Sears. The information is factual. We appreciate your positive feedback. Sears regards service to our country as one of the greatest sacrifices our young men and women can make. We are happy to do our part to lessen the burden they bear at this time.
Bill Thorn
Sears Customer Care
webcenter@sears.com
1-800-349-4358
Please pass this information on to all your friends. Sears needs to be recognized for this outstanding contribution and we need to show them as Americans that we do appreciate what they are doing for our military!
H.W.
5 Towns

The Big Myth
Dear Country Yossi,
In Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum’s reply to his critics in the November issue, a great myth was perpetuated, presumably inadvertently. It is widely recognized that in order to avoid listening to our venerable leaders people come up with many theories. One example of this is that people try to find “personal negius” (selfish motivation) in their decisions, and they proclaim that the Torah itself teaches us that bribery has an effect on our leaders. The Chazon Ish in his sefer Emunah Ubetochon (Ch. 3, 30) cries about this “sickness” and explains the proper intention of the Torah. Another common theory is the one perpetuated by the aforementioned article. The theory says that our leaders are surrounded by people that control their access to information. The followers of this theory proclaim that it is not the fault of the sages - they are well meaning - but we don’t have to listen to them since they are not privy to the “truth” about what is going on in the real world. Even well-meaning individuals sometimes fall prey to this type of thinking. However, a small analysis of the way our leaders live easily debunks this destructive theory. The facts of the matter can be recognized even without delving into the well-established understanding of the supernatural powers of Torah scholarship and leadership. Even a cursory understanding of how our leaders interact daily with countless individuals including roshei yeshivos, admorim, rebbeim, principles, teachers, and community leaders from all over the world - by telephone and in personal face to face conversations - already throws this theory out of the window. This is besides the hordes of plain folk that line up for advice and blessings. The fact of the matter is that nobody can stop this constant flow of information. In addition, we also have to trust our leaders’ confidence in the people that do surround them just as we have to trust them about anything else.
Although Rabbi Teitelbaum does make sure to mention in the end of the article that “we must listen to our Torah leaders no matter what they say” the main thrust of the article can lead people to believe the opposite. We must proudly trust those that excelled in Torah scholarship and were recognized as leaders by Klal Yisroel, and not try to find excuses to exclude ourselves from their decisions.
Motti Mezei

In reply to Motti Mezei:
You certainly make a very valid and important point, which must be properly addressed lest some people reach the wrong conclusions. We are not talking about any “theories” about people giving gedolim false information but rather carefully checked out facts. I am aware of who these people are, and so are many others in Yerushalayim. The Chazon Ish is talking about people having such “theories.” There is a big difference between the two. This is why I personally went down to check out what was going on and I had witnesses who came along and saw the people standing in front of the hall making the charges. When I asked them to show me the problem, they weren’t able to - because it was non-existent.
I spoke to a number of rabbonim about this problem and they fully agreed. In fact, they said that the same thing often happened in other cases. I’d rather not mention the issues that are involved, but Rabbi Belsky and other rabbonim are well aware of people who intentionally feed our gedolim lies and misinformation. These snakes are still alive and kicking, and to deny it is to deny the truth. Putting our heads in the ground and pretending that it doesn’t exist only makes it worse.
Recently, a well known godol told me that he was fooled into signing a kol korah and only later found out that he was given false information, but found it difficult to retract. I told him that this wasn’t the first time and wouldn’t be the last time. The Gemorah in Sanhedrin 102 says that the great prophet Achiyah Hashiloni, the rebbi of Eliyahu Hanovi, was fooled into signing a letter endorsing one to follow in the ways of Yerovam ben Nevot and serve avoda zarah. Today, with the use of photo copy machines, such letters are far easier to produce.
Anyone learning Naach knows that unfortunately, even the greatest of the great such as Shaul Hamelech accepted loshon horah about Dovid. In fact, it came from none other than the head of the Sanhedrin. Had anyone in his time dared to speak up and expose Doeg or Achitofel, they would probably have stoned him to death. Certainly, if we know for sure that there are people feeding our Torah giants false facts and information we must not remain silent despite the poison arrows shot at us by those well-intentioned people who may feel that thereby the authority of our Gedolim may suffer. The honor of our gedolim often suffers much more when we don’t pluck out the weeds that sometimes surround them. Let’s not be so naive and believe that they are greater than the giants of yesteryear. Just check out Chazal and see what they have to say about Shmuel’s children and their “trusted” agents whom they were surrounded by, and you’ll understand what it’s all about. Certain things have not changed much over time.
Yes, you are right. People can easily misunderstand my words to mean that we don’t have to listen to gedolim. However, I give our people much more credit than that. Hopefully, they understand the difference.
This is why I clearly stated and stressed that everyone must have a posek to whom he must always turn, and never decide things on his own. There is unfortunately no Sanhedrin, and there are legitimate differences among our present gedolim on many issues which even involve sekilah. By following another opinion, the opposing godol does not become mitigated in our eyes. By nearly always following the Bais Hillel, we don’t belittle Bais Shamai. The Agudath Israel is bound by their gedolai Torah, while others are free to choose other Torah giants. They all deserve our greatest respect, but we must decide whom we will follow and not play musical chairs.
By the way, no place was it chas v’shalom mentioned or suggested that our gedolim have any “personal negius” when reaching their decisions. I greatly appreciate your letter, so that I could make this important clarification.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum

Nothing Personal
Dear Rabbi Teitelbaum,
I was very surprised by your harsh response to my letter that was never intended to be personally against you. I only meant to say that we need to try to fix the problem of “mixed concerts” and try to come up with solutions such as separate seating. I was disappointed that you didn’t take the initiative and agree with the problem and the solution, but instead, you took it as a personal affront against your well-intentioned article.
The bottom line is that we cannot totally ignore the “Kol Koreh” of Gedolei Torah of Eretz Yisroel! Chazal say that people’s plain common sense is often the opposite of Daas Torah of Gedolim.
“Talmidei Chachamim Marbim Shalom Baolam.”
Sincerely,
Your Friend,
Rabbi Moshe Sochet

Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum replies:
Dear Rabbi Sochet,
Before we can fix problems, we must first identify the problems. My article specifically focused on and pointed out that the problem is not with our esteemed and revered Gedolai Torah whom we must always follow no matter what they say but rather with those who are feeding them the misinformation.
I’m sorry if you felt that my answer was too harsh but it wasn’t aimed at you but at those who seem blind to the problem and the many who love to misinterpret what I’ve said. I clearly wrote that we may have problems but banning things is not the solution and we must find ways to fix things. When we eliminate the weeds that have since time immemorial stirred up trouble and have often succeeded to misinform our Torah giants and caused dissension and hatred among us, it will only help raise their esteem in everyone’s eyes and spread real peace, not one that’s just a mirage.
Chazal tell us that if only all the Shoftim would have followed in the novi Shmuel’s example and traveled from village to village and from town to town to get a first hand view of what’s happening out there and to find a kosher alternative to their problems, things would be very different. Past history ought to be our best teacher and is just as applicable today as it was in ancient times. If every one of us would take a few minutes of his precious time to serve as a mentor for a younger child then the “At risk” problem we have would be greatly reduced. If we would take positive steps such as making melave malkes, choirs, and game rooms for them, they wouldn’t have to look elsewhere for their pleasures. We’d accomplish far more with a positive approach than with the “banning” method which rarely ever works since as we know “Mayim genuvim yimtaku” – stolen water tastes better. Let’s also remember the Gemara that says “Gedola legima shemkareves.”
Anyway, I know you meant well and I love reading the wonderful letters and articles you always write. Just remember to always take a positive approach and not a negative one.
All the best,
Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum

Fishing for Life
Dear Country Yossi,
An American investment banker was at the pier of a small Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish, and asked how long it took him to catch them. The Mexican replied, “Only a little while.” The American then asked, “Why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?” The Mexican said, “With this I have more than enough to support my family’s needs.” The American then asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?” The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.” The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing, and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor; eventually open your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles, and eventually New York where you will run your ever-expanding enterprise.” The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?” To which the American replied, “15 to 20 years.” “But what then?” asked the Mexican? The American laughed and said that’s the best part. “When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions.”
“Millions? Then what?” the Mexican asked. The American said, “Then you would retire, move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”
P.R.
BP

Kill Two Birds
Dear Country Yossi,
I was feeling a bit depressed the other day, so I called the “National Help Hotline”.
The call went through to a ‘call center’ in Pakistan.
I explained that I was feeling suicidal.
They were very excited at this news and wanted to know if I could drive a truck or fly an airplane?
Depressed in Cedarhurst

Prepare for Disaster
Dear Country Yossi,
I recently came across some information regarding American-Israeli relations that I thought was worth sharing. I am not exactly sure what it all means, but I have learned enough in my life to know that there is no such thing as coincidence.
The following is just a sampling, with the real kicker at the end.
October 30, 1991:
President Bush (1st one) opened the Madrid Conference, the intended purpose of which was to strip Israel of its land in exchange for “peace” with the Palestinian Arabs.
ON THAT VERY DAY, an extremely rare storm formed on the coast of Nova Scotia, a storm later named “The Perfect Storm” (which the book and movie were about), and record-setting waves pounded the New England coast causing heavy damage to the President’s home in Kennebunkport, Maine.
August 23, 1992:
The Madrid Conference moved to Washington, D.C. with the same agenda of attempting to wrest land from a sovereign country. That, of course, would create a state of homelessness for thousands of Jews.
ON THAT VERY DAY, Hurricane Andrews produced an estimated $30 billion in damage, leaving 180,000 Floridians homeless. It was the worst natural disaster to ever hit America - at least up to that time.
January 16, 1994:
President Clinton met with the Syrian President in order to develop a strategy that would force Israel to give up the Golan Heights.
LESS THAN 24 HOURS LATER, a powerful earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale rocked southern California, leaving countless Americans homeless.
March 1, 1997:
Arafat began a one-month tour of America, and President Clinton publicly rebuked Israel for not surrendering land for peace.
ON THE VERY DAY that Arafat landed in America, powerful tornadoes devastated huge sections of the country while ripping across Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Days later, as Arafat was still touring, storms hit the Dakotas, causing the worst flooding of the century.
Weeks of storms raged throughout the Midwest until Arafat completed his tour.
The day he left the U.S., the storms “suddenly” began to settle down, and ended within a few days.
January 21, 1998:
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu met with Clinton and was coldly received as President Clinton and Secretary of State Madeline Albright refused to lunch with him.
ON THAT VERY DAY, just hours later, the Monica Lewinski scandal erupted and consumed the major portion of Clinton’s time for the remainder of his tenure.
Other “coincidences” include: The World Trade Center Bombing of 1993, on the day that Secretary Albright left on a trip to visit 8 Arab/Muslim countries to develop a strategy against Israel.
The Northridge Earthquake in 1994, on the day that President Clinton and Syrian President Assad demanded that Israel turn the Golan Heights over to Syria.
Ravaging tornadoes hit the Mid-West on the day in 2002 that Bush negotiated Arafat’s release from Israeli capture.
Hurricane Lili hit the U.S. the same time in 2002 that Bush refused to move the American Embassy to Jerusalem and refused to recognize Jerusalem as the Capital.
But here, ladies and gents, is the kicker.
August of 2005 was the month when Sharon expelled the Jews of Gaza from their homes. Just about 10,000 Jews were made homeless, in accordance with the demands of the American President and his Secretary of State. The operation was being concluded on August 29.
THAT VERY DAY, America was hit by THE WORST natural disaster to have ever occurred in America. Hurricane Katrina hit the New Orleans area and just about 500,000 people were made homeless.
10,000 Jews out of a population of 6 million is a percentage of .00167.
500,000 Americans out of a population of 300 million is a percentage of .00167.
Like I said, I don’t believe in coincidences. All I can say is that the next time this government comes down hard on our brethren over there, we all might want to duck for cover.
Received via email

The Cole Slaw
Phenomenon
Dear Country Yossi,
It’s the best selling side dish. It is loved by most people and it is very healthy for you. Cole slaw wins the taste test hands down. Compared to other foods it outsells and out-profits everything else put together. What can we learn from this winner that we could use in our own lives? The first thing we can do is appreciate the chesed of Hashem Who gave us this tasty food which ensures that we will be nourished by eating it often. The second thing to realize is how a little flavor changes the plain cabbage into a super food with wide popularity. We should all try to do the same. We should embellish our inborn good traits so that they become pleasing to all people. If we are good natured, we should spread that goodness. If we are naturally wise, we should sharpen that wisdom to help lead others and to teach them. The third thing we can learn from the simple cole slaw is one of the most important lessons of Jewish life. “Sur mera veaseh tov.” Dovid Hamelech says ‘turn from evil and do good.’ Only after we eradicate the bad can we hope to achieve good. So too the cabbage of cole slaw must be checked and cleaned of bugs before we can enjoy its luscious flavor.
A lot to think about while on line at the take-out store waiting to order cole slaw, or at home while making cole slaw because your recipe beats the store’s.
Anonymous
BP

Dear Anonymous,
Yeah, but what can we learn from kasha varnishkes?
CY