Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News: EoZNews

Showing posts with label EoZNews. Show all posts

Monday, October 21, 2013

EoZNews Video: Save a Child's Heart

Save a Child's Heart is one of those organizations whose very existence completely and thoroughly debunks the lies about Israel that haters make up and then parrot.

I didn't note this on the video, but keep in mind while you are watching it that the Wolfson Medical Center is not state of the art. It is actually pretty run down. It serves a poorer section of Israel around Holon. It didn't even have an MRI. Rooms were hurriedly converted to allow relatives of the children to stay overnight.

Yet even with all these limitations, the dedicated doctors and administration have built up an amazing organization that not only treats children from around the world for free (including from many Arab countries,) but also sends doctors all over the world to teach other doctors how to save lives.

It is remarkable.

By the way, SACH is one of the very few worthwhile causes in Israel that the EU Commission donates to.

EoZNews: Yossi Kuperwasser, part 2: Getting Israel's message out (video)

This is part 2 of my video interview with Brig. Gen. Yossi Kuperwasser, head of the Ministry of Strategic Affairs in the Prime Miister's office.

In part 1, Kuperwasser gave a passionate defense of the building of Jewish communities on the territories reclaimed in 1967. Here. he discusses the bizarre conclusions of the Goldstone Report and the victory of Goldstone's recanting it. Kuperwasser states that he would like to get other Jews who hold the wrong opinions about Israel, like Walt/Mearsheimer and Thomas Friedman, to admit that they have been wrong as well.

He then goes on to talk about what bloggers can do to help, and he says that if any of us are not getting the proper information from the government of Israel then we should contact him. He also notes that I specifically have the ability to take the dry facts that Israel releases and put it into historical or emotional context, and that is something that the government cannot do.

EoZ Interview with editors of Mida (video)

After Mida wrote their great story on me, it is only fair for me to do the same.

Mida is a conservative leaning, but non-religious, magazine that came onto the Israeli scene late last year. It has already broken major stories and made some waves.

For a startup, they have a really beautiful office in Jerusalem, with a great view (not seen in this video unfortunately.) I'm very, very jealous.

EoZ interviewed by Israel web magazine Mida

Mida, a fast-growing Hebrew Israeli web magazine, interviewed me when I was in Israel last month.

Its extensive story about me has been published today - as their top story!

Here's the introduction:

Revenge of the Elder of Ziyon: Interview with the combative blogger

He believes that American liberals cannot understand Israel; but working tirelessly he explains it to them; every day he reveals the high levels of hatred and anti-Semitism prevalent in the Arab world, but he believes that - by exposure to these critical stories - it is possible to "save the world". Interview with influential pro-Israeli blogger Elder of Ziyon

Posting an average of 10 items a day and with an impressive list of readers, the "Elder of Ziyon" is one of the most influential pro-Israeli bloggers in the world. Those who follow him see the systematic coverage of events that pass under the radar of Western media, as well as analytical skills and critical depth. When this is seasoned with a satirical sense and good old-fashioned Jewish pride, it creates a unique topical product. Elder visited two weeks ago (his full name is jealously guarded) in order to collect video footage on his blog and he also found time to chat with the Mida team.

Ironically, I didn't record my part of the interview I don't have the time now to translate it back! (Anyone who wants to take on that job is welcome.) But it is a wide-ranging interview, and, I think, a pretty good one.

EoZNews Video: The Bedouin problem in the Negev

While I was in Israel last month I was given a tour of the Negev by Regavim, an NGO that concentrates on the legal use of land in Israel.

A major concern is how the Bedouin have been illegally building villages throughout the entire Negev. This is not a small problem - it is an epidemic.

The problem is not all the Bedouins' fault, either. Regavim is very sympathetic to how badly they were treated by Israel in the decades following 1948. But if nothing is done now, the problem will only get worse.

Israel has tried to deal with the issue by giving them land, but as this video shows, that has not worked. The Bedouin are recklessly ignoring Israeli law and building wherever they want. These are not ancient villages but scattershot buildings all being built today on stolen land - on literally thousands of settlements.

What is also clear is that the people who say that Israel must simply make these buildings legal have no idea what they are talking about. No responsible state should cave in to what is simply theft. And many of these buildings start as mere shacks, but when nothing is done they become more permanent with cinder blocks and eventually fully functional housing.

But Israel does have to offer an alternative, and that will cost serious money.

The current state cannot continue.

Hopefully, this video will illustrate the problem a little better.

EoZNews Interview: Joe Hyams of Honest Reporting

Another of my stops in Israel was to visit Honest Reporting, the famous media watchdog group. They have a beautiful office space in the famed Hechal Shlomo building - and their CEO, Joe Hyams, showed me that their outdoor balcony space is actually where IDF officers would have their swearing-in ceremony before 1967, because from the rooftop it is possible to see the Temple Mount.

I spoke with Joe not only about Honest Reporting but also about their unique Media Central initiative where they actually help journalists do their jobs in Israel.

More videos to come! Finding the time to edit them is the only challenge....

EoZNews: Interview with NGO Monitor's Gerald Steinberg

On the first full day of my recent trip to Israel, I visited NGO Monitor, the organization that keeps track of abuses by NGOs - both the supposedly unbiased NGOs like Human Rights Watch and the many specifically anti-Israel NGOs that have spouted up.

I was warmly welcomed, and had a nice time meeting all the employees over a Big Apple Pizza lunch. (It isn't Pizza Hut, but it isn't bad!)

I took the opportunity to interview its president, Gerald Steinberg, about how NGO Monitor started, the Israeli NGO transparency law that has caused such angst among the anti-Israel crowd, and NGO Monitor's own transparency.

EoZNews: Interview with Alex Safian of CAMERA

When I was in Israel I had the opportunity to meet with many of the people working for CAMERA, the Committee for Accuracy in Middle east Reporting in America, as well as representatives of their sponsored blogs CiFWatch and BBCWatch. We had a good discussion of media bias and strategy. (Yes, conspiracy theorists, I will discuss strategy with fellow pro-Israel advocates. Scary, isn't it?)

Here is an exclusive EoZNews interview with Alex Safian, Associate Director of CAMERA, about media bias, the "apartheid land policy" claim that got him involved in the field, and other topics.

A tour of the Belz synagogue in Jerusalem (EoZNews video)

Here is the video I made of the personal tour I had of the immense Belzer Hasidic synagogue earlier this week, that I mentioned in yesterday's post of the interview with the Belzer representative:

EoZNews Video: A hareidi response to the Israeli draft

This week I was given the opportunity to be given a personal tour of the headquarters of the Belzer Hasidic movement in Jerusalem.

The building complex is very impressive and I plan to post a video of the tour of the huge synagogue itself soon.

While being showed around, I spoke to the Belzer representative, Yechezkal Friedman, about the major issues being discussed today concerning the hareidi community in Israel today, specifically the idea of being drafted for army or national service, the perception that the hareidim are freeloaders off of Israeli society and the hareidi economic model.

Whether you agree with the haredi movement or not, it is worthwhile hearing their point of view, which is a little more nuanced than how it is reported in most Israeli and world media. (One point that Friedman made that I didn't follow up on was that the Belzer opposition to national service was specifically for those who are young, 18 or so; he said that he did not know whether the Belzer Rebbe opposed older members - say, 27 year olds - doing some sort of service. This might point the way towards an agreement of sorts.)

EoZ talk in Herzliya (slides plus audio)

Last Tuesday, I spoke at a gathering of pro-Israel activists in Herzliya. My topic was "How Israel can win the information war."

As usual, I am placing this video up so everyone can watch and listen to how fast I speak:

Thanks again to the organizers, Israel Muse and Batzi, and to Yarron for the sound (my recorder did not work, and his was better anyway.)

Purim in Jerusalem 2013 (video)

Footage from the Mamilla Mall, today:

(h/t to Real Jerusalem Streets for telling me where to find kids in costume)

Shocking discrimination discovered against Arabs at evil settlement supermarket

Jews and Arabs shopping together today
at Rami Levy

Today I had the opportunity to interview the manager of the Rami Levy supermarket in the Binyamin region of Judea and Samaria (the "West Bank.")

The Rami Levy stores, you will recall, have been the target of Palestinian Authority wrath because it offers low prices that Palestinian Arabs from the area take advantage of. The PA even started a boycott campaign against the chain back in 2010, but it failed miserably.

During today's visit I saw lots of Palestinian Arabs shopping there, together with many more Jews buying food for Purim (the parking lot was completely full.)

So I spoke to the manager of the store, as well as to an Arab supervisor at the market (unfortunately, he didn't want to be on videotape, for obvious reasons).

Over and over again, the manager and Arab supervisor - who incidentally was promoted to his position after only three months on the job - claimed that the store did not discriminate against the Arab employees or customers in any way. Arab employees are paid the same amount as Jewish employees for the same jobs. Roughly half the employees at the store are Arab. They claimed that the store was a perfect example of Jewish-Arab coexistence and tolerance.

From seeing the protests against the store by leftists who claim to be supporting human rights, however, I knew that these Rami Levy employees could not possibly be telling the truth. There had to be some way that they mistreated their Arab workers - I knew it, deep down. The "human rights" activists wouldn't lie, would they? I just had to dig a little deeper.

Finally, I discovered the shocking truth.

The manager showed me the synagogue on the premises. I naturally asked him if there was prayer room for Muslims as well. He answered that they only go to the mosque on Fridays and generally pray by themselves during the week, and he is happy to let them go where ever and whenever they want to pray (usually outside.) He also said that during Ramadan he would adjust their work schedules so they could break the fast with their families.

In other words, only Jews have a room for prayer.

It gets even worse!

I asked the manager if Rami Levy gives out gifts to their employees for various holidays. He answered that they do give out Mishloach Manot baskets to all employees every Purim.

But then he admitted the shocking truth.

Rami Levy takes the wine bottles out of the gift baskets meant for Muslim employees! Only the Jews get wine!

They made some excuse, saying that giving alcohol to a Muslim is offensive. Pshaw. The anti-Israel Leftists know the real reason: explicit, abject Jewish discrimination against Arabs.

There can be no other explanation that makes sense to those who are offended by real coexistence.

EoZNews: The Soccer Desecration Video

You asked for it...and here it is.

Taken from the Mount of Olives/Har HaZeitim.

EoZ News Video: A visit to the Temple Mount

Here is the first of what I plan to be a series of videos taken during my current trip to Israel.

Last Thursday, I ascended to the most sacred place in Judaism, the Temple Mount, with Yisrael Medad (author of the My Right Word blog.) He has been there hundreds of times and he showed me around, literally - we circled the Dome of the Rock while staying in areas that most Jewish authorities allow visiting.

The video, about 34 minutes long, is almost real-time, with perhaps two or three minutes edited out.

I overlaid a satellite image of the Mount at various parts of the video so you can see where we are walking.

I hope you enjoy it!