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Dec. 1, 2008

Max Freidlander, as told to Jacklyn C. Wadler: India Inkings

Mark Steyn: Whodunit!?

Nov. 28, 2008

Rabbi Ahron Rapps: An evil seed that didn't have to be

Melanie Phillips: Carpe diem --- or can we all relax now?

Nov. 26, 2008

Michael Feldberg: Meet the Orthodox Jew who laid groundwork for scientific development of ordnance that undergirds America's current world leadership

Andrea Simantov: Shades of life

Nov. 25, 2008

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir : Getting Emotional For Influence

The Kosher Gourmet by Ethel G. Hofman : Thanksiving feast!

Nov. 24, 2008

Rabbi S. Binyomin Ginsberg: 'I just Became a grandchild!'

Barry Rubin: Don't flatter your enemies, protect your friends

Nov. 21, 2008

Rabbi A. Henach Leibowitz: Money matters?

Caroline B. Glick: Civilization walks the plank

Nov. 20, 2008

Rabbi Avi Shafran: Bronfman's blindness

The Kosher Gourmet By Linda Gassenheimer: Portobellos add a hearty flavor to pasta with pesto

Nov, 19, 2008

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir : Spread the wealth? Jewish tradition and income equality

Elliot B. Gertel: 'Mad Men': Tackling prejudices or reinforcing them?

Nov, 18, 2008

Dr. Debby Schwarz Hirschhorn: The End of the Age of Reason

Jonathan Tobin: Does Barack + Bibi = Disaster?

Nov, 17, 2008

Rabbi Yonason Goldson: The End of the Age of Reason

Diana West: Gulling Americans into making terror legit?

Nov, 14, 2008

Rabbi A. Henach Leibowitz: The Power of Spiritual Inertia

Caroline B. Glick: The perils ahead

Nov, 13, 2008

Stratfor Intelligence Briefing: How Bush and Obama together could change the Middle East dynamic

The Kosher Gourmet by JeanMarie Brownson: Sweet and savory, crispy and meltingly tender bestilla

Nov, 12, 2008

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir : Tyrannical Co-Workers

Michael Doyle: High Court to consider today donated monuments that may have religious messages in public parks

Nov, 11, 2008

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Will Obama stop government officials considering institutionalizing financial jihad?

Jonathan Tobin: They Will Decide Their Own Fate

Nov, 10, 2008

Rabbi Avi Shafran: $8 billion, modern-day Tower of Babel being built?

Barry Rubin: A letter to the president-elect from a Middle East realist

Nov, 7, 2008

Rabbi Francis Nataf: Of Children and Immortality

Caroline B. Glick: Livni's Obama strategy

Nov, 6, 2008

Rabbi Yonason Goldson: How I tricked a classroom of apathetic students into grasping the fallacy of moral relativism

The Kosher Gourmet By Gina Kim: Tips for making the perfect soup --- includes recipes

Nov, 5, 2008

The Jewish Ethicist By Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Destitute Debtors

Bruce Weinstein: 'Religulos': Bad title,even worse movie

Nov, 4, 2008

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Treasury Dept. submits to Shariah law

Frida Ghitis: A surprise for Obama in the Middle East

Nov, 3, 2008

Jonathan Rosenblum: Who says Jews are Smart?

Jonathan Tobin: Was He Wrong About Everything?

March 22, 2007

J-Rhythms with Avraham Rosenblum: JWR's cutting-edge music program showcasing performers -- singers, song writers, musicians, and bands -- who learn and live the Torah lifestyle (OUR NEWEST IGODCAST !)

Oct. 29, 2003
Mortimer B. Zuckerman: Graffiti On History's Walls (MUST-READ!)

Jewish World Review Dec. 8, 2002 / 28 Kislev, 5763

261 dead

By Chezi Goldberg




Bodies of Kenyan dancers in rubble
of the demolished Paradise Hotel
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http://www.jewishworldreview.com | I was riding a Jerusalem bus Thursday when news of the intended missile attack against the Arkia flight from Kenya came across the airwaves. For a moment the passengers were in shock. Then we all breathed a sigh of relief.


That was our mistake.


Minutes later, news of the attack on the Paradise Hotel came across the radio waves. There were casualties. There was no sigh of relief.


When we here look at a miraculous escape from a deadly attack and breathe a sigh of relief, we lose the war on terrorism. Our attitude should be: The terrorists intended to down a plane with 261 innocent commercial air travelers aboard. They did not succeed, thank G-d. However, their intentions were clear. We must consider their intentions and take action with a state of mind, as if they had succeeded.

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When the missiles were launched, the Israeli government was shown what the enemy intends to do. The Israelis should react with overwhelming firepower, as if 261 innocents had actually died. It is short sighted to move on in life as if nothing happened. By backing off because no one died, we allow the terrorists to keep on attacking.


And, rest assured, they will until they are stopped.


Since when does a government have to wait until a massacre happens to do something to change reality. Why do people have to die for something to be done to prevent further death from happening?


When the terror attack Pi Glilot Refinery was miraculously averted, Shimon Peres, then foreign minister was quoted as saying that had the attack been successful and killed tens of thousands of Israelis, it would have been considered an act of war against Israel.


In other words, since the attack did not kill ten thousand Israelis, Israel would not take action. In simpler terms, it seems that until people die, no one wants to do anything to prevent deaths. Unfortunately, when I look around me at the senseless and avoidable carnage taking place in Israel and other places frequented by Jews and Israelis, it becomes clear that Peres was not speaking out of turn. Seems pretty clear to me that he was expressing government policy.


Sounds crazy? Not really. This type of thinking happens all the time. I know of a local street corner that is considered a dangerous threat to the preservation of human life. The local city council refused to put in a speed bump because only two accidents had happened there. Finally, after ten accidents, three of them fatal, they put in a speed bump. They had to justify the expenditure to protect human life through collected data about actual loss of human life.


Thursday terrorists attacked the Arkia flight with the expressed intent of murdering 261 travelers in mid air. The terrorists did not succeed to kill their intended targets. We all appreciate the miracle. Thank G-d, 261 people did not die. Yet, our leaders MUST react as if the terrorists did succeed. The fact that the terrorists even dared to try to carry out such an action is reason and justification enough to root them out and exterminate each and every one of their members.


When they fired to kill, they made their intentions clear. They will try again. We need not and should not wait for 261 people to actually be killed.


Retaliate now.


We have been warned.


The next time, they might hit the target. They next time, we might not be so lucky.

Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and in the media consider "must reading." Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.

JWR contributor Chezi Goldberg is a Jerusalem based counselor for Adolescents and Families At Risk. Send your comments by clicking here.



© 2002, Chezi Goldberg