Next Stop Europe

From Dry Bones

Reality

The War

A major world war is going on and we are on the side-lines. "Sectarian violence" is the code word for the bloody and explosive religious war between Sunnis and Shias. A war that none of our leaders or reporters dare name! Wow!

Obama's New Year Resolution

A Christmas Wish

May G-d grant this wish to all!

A Question

In the Middle East (And Muslim Countries) Jews are either gone or reduce to a few people.  The world said nothing.  (Some applauded.)  Today Christians are being persecuted the same way.  The world is saying nothing.  Their silence is deafening.

The Muslims have an old saying:

First the Saturday People (Jews)
Then the Sunday People (Christians)

A idea to remember as you import Muslims into your nation.

Don't Blame Him

You cannot blame Barack Hussein Obama for anything.  After all he is black (1/2 black any way) and is not responsible for anything that goes wrong in his administration.

Popcorn

Are you scared yet?  I am!

Egypt Turns

From Dry Bones

 

The current drama of the Middle East is that every Arab state seems to be under attack by one bunch of Islamists or another ...and the countries are crumbling.

Enough Already

 

It is time for the Tribe to say to the Human Race: "We've had enough, it's your turn to save Humanity!"

Boston Bombing

Yaakov Kirschen the creator of Dry Bones has said it all.

It never seems to stop. Yes, our societies, towns, and cities survive. Yes, we are strong. We bounce back. But for the victims,their bodies torn apart, limbs blown off, for the dead and their families and those who loved them. For all of these it will never be over.
Theirs is a life sentence.

Reality Bites

 

This just says it all.

Happy Anniversary Dry Bones!

40!

After The Elections

From Dry Bones

Yup.  Ahmadinejad is watching and waiting and wondering.  Just like the rest of us.

May Obama be calling as a private citizen.

The View From Our Windows

Everything has at least 2 sides.  Your view point, and your opponent view point.  Sometimes they are the same, while other times they are very different.  So it is the question on whether to bomb Iran.  Dry Bones answers it very well.

Two different views through our two different windows, and yet the approaching threat and the approaching election are so intricately connected.

64 + 3500 And Counting

64 years ago today David Ben-Gurion watch the last of the British Garrison leave the Palestinian Mandate and that evening at the Tel Aviv Museum he spoke the following words:

ERETZ-ISRAEL [(Hebrew) - the Land of Israel, Palestine] was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here their spiritual, religious and political identity was shaped. Here they first attained to statehood, created cultural values of national and universal significance and gave to the world the eternal Book of Books.

After being forcibly exiled from their land, the people kept faith with it throughout their Dispersion and never ceased to pray and hope for their return to it and for the restoration in it of their political freedom.

Impelled by this historic and traditional attachment, Jews strove in every successive generation to re-establish themselves in their ancient homeland. In recent decades they returned in their masses. Pioneers, ma'pilim [(Hebrew) - immigrants coming to Eretz-Israel in defiance of restrictive legislation] and defenders, they made deserts bloom, revived the Hebrew language, built villages and towns, and created a thriving community controlling its own economy and culture, loving peace but knowing how to defend itself, bringing the blessings of progress to all the country's inhabitants, and aspiring towards independent nationhood.

In the year 5657 (1897), at the summons of the spiritual father of the Jewish State, Theodore Herzl, the First Zionist Congress convened and proclaimed the right of the Jewish people to national rebirth in its own country.

This right was recognized in the Balfour Declaration of the 2nd November, 1917, and re-affirmed in the Mandate of the League of Nations which, in particular, gave international sanction to the historic connection between the Jewish people and Eretz-Israel and to the right of the Jewish people to rebuild its National Home.

The catastrophe which recently befell the Jewish people - the massacre of millions of Jews in Europe - was another clear demonstration of the urgency of solving the problem of its homelessness by re-establishing in Eretz-Israel the Jewish State, which would open the gates of the homeland wide to every Jew and confer upon the Jewish people the status of a fully privileged member of the comity of nations.

Survivors of the Nazi holocaust in Europe, as well as Jews from other parts of the world, continued to migrate to Eretz-Israel, undaunted by difficulties, restrictions and dangers, and never ceased to assert their right to a life of dignity, freedom and honest toil in their national homeland.

In the Second World War, the Jewish community of this country contributed its full share to the struggle of the freedom- and peace-loving nations against the forces of Nazi wickedness and, by the blood of its soldiers and its war effort, gained the right to be reckoned among the peoples who founded the United Nations.

On the 29th November, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution calling for the establishment of a Jewish State in Eretz-Israel; the General Assembly required the inhabitants of Eretz-Israel to take such steps as were necessary on their part for the implementation of that resolution. This recognition by the United Nations of the right of the Jewish people to establish their State is irrevocable.

This right is the natural right of the Jewish people to be masters of their own fate, like all other nations, in their own sovereign State.

ACCORDINGLY WE, MEMBERS OF THE PEOPLE'S COUNCIL, REPRESENTATIVES OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF ERETZ-ISRAEL AND OF THE ZIONIST MOVEMENT, ARE HERE ASSEMBLED ON THE DAY OF THE TERMINATION OF THE BRITISH MANDATE OVER ERETZ-ISRAEL AND, BY VIRTUE OF OUR NATURAL AND HISTORIC RIGHT AND ON THE STRENGTH OF THE RESOLUTION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, HEREBY DECLARE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A JEWISH STATE IN ERETZ-ISRAEL, TO BE KNOWN AS THE STATE OF ISRAEL.

WE DECLARE that, with effect from the moment of the termination of the Mandate being tonight, the eve of Sabbath, the 6th Iyar, 5708 (15th May, 1948), until the establishment of the elected, regular authorities of the State in accordance with the Constitution which shall be adopted by the Elected Constituent Assembly not later than the 1st October 1948, the People's Council shall act as a Provisional Council of State, and its executive organ, the People's Administration, shall be the Provisional Government of the Jewish State, to be called "Israel".

THE STATE OF ISRAEL will be open for Jewish immigration and for the Ingathering of the Exiles; it will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

THE STATE OF ISRAEL is prepared to cooperate with the agencies and representatives of the United Nations in implementing the resolution of the General Assembly of the 29th November, 1947, and will take steps to bring about the economic union of the whole of Eretz-Israel.

WE APPEAL to the United Nations to assist the Jewish people in the building-up of its State and to receive the State of Israel into the comity of nations.

WE APPEAL - in the very midst of the onslaught launched against us now for months - to the Arab inhabitants of the State of Israel to preserve peace and participate in the upbuilding of the State on the basis of full and equal citizenship and due representation in all its provisional and permanent institutions.

WE EXTEND our hand to all neighboring states and their peoples in an offer of peace and good neighborliness, and appeal to them to establish bonds of cooperation and mutual help with the sovereign Jewish people settled in its own land. The State of Israel is prepared to do its share in a common effort for the advancement of the entire Middle East.

WE APPEAL to the Jewish people throughout the Diaspora to rally round the Jews of Eretz-Israel in the tasks of immigration and upbuilding and to stand by them in the great struggle for the realization of the age-old dream - the redemption of Israel.

PLACING OUR TRUST IN THE "ROCK OF ISRAEL", WE AFFIX OUR SIGNATURES TO THIS PROCLAMATION AT THIS SESSION OF THE PROVISIONAL COUNCIL OF STATE, ON THE SOIL OF THE HOMELAND, IN THE CITY OF TEL-AVIV, ON THIS SABBATH EVE, THE 5TH DAY OF IYAR, 5708 (14TH MAY,1948).

11 minutes later the following telegram was sent to Israel by the United States:

This Government has been informed that a Jewish state has been proclaimed in Palestine, and recognition has been requested by the provisional government thereof.

The United States recognizes the provisional government as the de facto authority of the State of Israel.

Signed;

Harry S. Truman

The United States was the first nation to recognize the State of Israel.  It was followed by by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's Iran, Guatemala, Iceland, Nicaragua, Romania, and Uruguay.  And the armies of Egypt, Trans-Jordan, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Lebanon, and Syria invaded Israel.  Israel was given only 10 days before there would be a massacre of every man, woman, child.  But A MIRACLE OCCURRED THERE!  They won their Independence with no weapons, no army, no navy, and no air force.  The "experts" said that the nation will not last, could not last.  But it has been 64 years.

Israel is still here!

Israel 64 + 3500 years and counting!

Yom HaShoah (1988)

From Dry Bones

Today is Yom HaShoah (Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day).
Today's Golden Oldie was drawn for Yom HaShoah back in 1988.

Dem Bones, Dem Bones, Dem Dry Bones!

Yaakov Kirschen, the creator of Dry Bones, will receive the Israeli Museum of Caricature and Comics’ “Golden Pencil” award next week.

The political cartoon Dry Bones and its creator, Yaakov Kirschen, will receive the Israeli Museum of Caricature and Comics’ “Golden Pencil” award next week. The prize is awarded annually as a lifetime achievement award and a prize designed to encourage creative young artists and students.

Dry Bones has appeared for almost 40 years in newspapers around the world, in The Jerusalem Post and on a successful internet blog.



Kirschen, who made aliyah to Israel from New York in 1971, told Arutz Sheva that what makes Dry Bones unique compared to other political cartoons is that it is a political comic strip.

“When I started in January of 1973, comic strips were a strip of cartoons and editorial and political cartoonists did one-panel metaphors,” he said.

Dry Bones’ main character’s name is Shuldig, which is Yiddish for “guilt”. Kirschen said the reason he chose this name is that “when I came to Israel I recognized that with all the problems, there’s no one who would accept the blame, so I decided I would create a character who would accept the blame and say, ‘I’m guilty.’”

The name of the cartoon, Dry Bones, is based on the prophet Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones coming to life. The vision’s meaning is multi-layered in Jewish tradition, with rabbinic commentaries discussing wide ranging terms. Kirschen said that as non-religious Jew he recognizes that Ezekiel’s vision is difficult to understand from a secular point of view, “so what I’m doing in Dry Bones is simply filling in the pieces that Ezekiel didn’t have time to tell us.”

He said that unlike other cartoonists, he tries to attract Israel’s enemies “so that when they laugh at a joke they will, for that moment, see it from my point of view.”

“My goal in Dry Bones is to make people laugh,” said Kirschen. “When the news is so horrendous that I can’t get a laugh out of it, then I figured I’ve failed.”

Source

I first read Dry Bones when I was living in Israel in the 70's.  Reading Dry Bones over the years you can see the history of the nation of Israel over the last 40 years.

I hope you enjoy his work.  Here is today's Dry Bones:

Iran's Problem

There are times that Yaakov Kirschen, the creator of the comic strip Dry Bones, accurately tells a tale.  This is one time:

The latest report from the Washington Post:

Iranian scientist involved in nuclear program killed in Tehran bomb attack

"TEHRAN — A scientist linked to Iran’s nuclear program was killed in his car by a bomb-wielding assailant on Wednesday, a bold rush-hour attack that experts say points to a further escalation in a covert campaign targeting the country’s atomic officials and institutions.


The precision hit in a northern Tehran neighborhood killed the 32-year-old chemical engineer employed at Iran’s main uranium-enrichment facility and brought to four the number of Iranian scientists killed by bombs in the past two years. No one asserted responsibility for the bombing, which prompted a swirl of accusations and denials as well as renewed concerns about worsening tensions between Iran and the West.


An Iranian nuclear expert was killed Wednesday by a magnetic bomb attached to his car, state media reported. Officials were quoted as accusing Israel in the attack, suspected as part of a covert effort to set back Iran's nuclear program.


U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday that Iran's threats to close the Strait of Hormuz were provocative and dangerous. She also denied the U.S. had any role in the killing of an Iranian scientist.


Iranian officials immediately accused the United States and Israel of orchestrating the attack on scientist Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan, who was killed along with his bodyguard when an assailant on a motorcycle slapped a magnetic bomb on his car as he commuted to work, according to Iranian news reports. Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimiblamed the attack on “Zionists” and “those who claim they are against terrorism,” the semiofficial Fars News Agency reported."-more

What The Heck Is Purim?

Contrary to popular misconceptions, Purim is not the Jewish Halloween.

From Judaism 101

Purim is one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar. It commemorates a time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination.

The story of Purim is told in the Biblical book of Esther. The heroes of the story are Esther, a beautiful young Jewish woman living in Persia, and her cousin Mordecai, who raised her as if she were his daughter. Esther was taken to the house of Ahasuerus, King of Persia, to become part of his harem. King Ahasuerus loved Esther more than his other women and made Esther queen, but the king did not know that Esther was a Jew, because Mordecai told her not to reveal her identity.

The villain of the story is Haman, an arrogant, egotistical advisor to the king. Haman hated Mordecai because Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman, so Haman plotted to destroy the Jewish people. In a speech that is all too familiar to Jews, Haman told the king, "There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your realm. Their laws are different from those of every other people's, and they do not observe the king's laws; therefore it is not befitting the king to tolerate them." Esther 3:8. The king gave the fate of the Jewish people to Haman, to do as he pleased to them. Haman planned to exterminate all of the Jews.

Mordecai persuaded Esther to speak to the king on behalf of the Jewish people. This was a dangerous thing for Esther to do, because anyone who came into the king's presence without being summoned could be put to death, and she had not been summoned. Esther fasted for three days to prepare herself, then went into the king. He welcomed her. Later, she told him of Haman's plot against her people. The Jewish people were saved, and Haman was hanged on the gallows that had been prepared for Mordecai.

The book of Esther is unusual in that it is the only book of the Bible that does not contain the name of G-d. In fact, it includes virtually no reference to G-d. Mordecai makes a vague reference to the fact that the Jews will be saved by someone else, if not by Esther, but that is the closest the book comes to mentioning G-d. Thus, one important message that can be gained from the story is that G-d often works in ways that are not apparent, in ways that appear to be chance, coincidence or ordinary good luck.

Purim is celebrated on the 14th day of Adar, which is usually in March. The 13th of Adar is the day that Haman chose for the extermination of the Jews, and the day that the Jews battled their enemies for their lives. On the day afterwards, the 14th, they celebrated their survival. In cities that were walled in the time of Joshua, Purim is celebrated on the 15th of the month, because the book of Esther says that in Shushan (a walled city), deliverance from the massacre was not complete until the next day. The 15th is referred to as Shushan Purim.

For those who do not know where Persia was, it is now the modern nation of Iran. And today there is a modern Haman. He is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. A man who is threatening like Haman to wipe the Jewish people off the face of the Earth. I wonder if he is of Haman's bloodline. Or it it just something Persian think of doing naturally?

An interesting fact that happened on a Purim past is:

On Adar 13, during the biblical story of Purim, the 10 sons of Haman were hanged (Esther 9:7). This would find eerie parallel over 2,000 years later when 10 top Nazi officials were hanged at the Nuremberg Trials. Incredibly, the Hebrew year of the hangings at Nuremberg, 5707, is encoded in the Book of Esther: In the listing of Haman's 10 sons, three Hebrew letters -- taf, shin and zayin, representing the year 5707 -- are written unusually small. (This anomaly appears in every authentic Megillah scroll, written that way for over 2,000 years.) Incredibly, when Nazi officer Julius Streicher ascended the gallows to be hanged at Nuremberg, he shouted, "Purimfest 1946."

On Purim the Megillah (Book of Esther) is read. Every time the name Haman is read, a loud noise must be made. Usually one uses a groggers (as seen in the picture on the bottom), other noise makers can be used. The horns one uses at New Years and birthday celebrations is also acceptable. But under no circumstances should you ever use an Marine Horn (as seen in the picture on the right). Can you imagine what this would do to the windows of a synagogue? Let alone the embarrassment to your parents? And then there is the safety issue to take into account. Let's just say it was a bad idea at the time and leave it at that. Just stick to the grogger, and you will be fine.

We dress up in costumes, to let our defenses down and open up to the deeper reality of ourselves and our world. Our costumes normally reflect the holiday with dozens of Esthers, Mordechais, etc... One enterprising youngster in Sderot dressed up as a Grad Rocket last year. This year one is dressing up as a Hamas fighter. Try doing that one Halloween. You will be sure to scare your neighbors.

On Purim expect to be subjected to many practical jokes. It is a Purim tradition and enjoyable one as long as you are doing the jokes, and not receiving them. So tomorrow, this blog just might have a few posts that aren't exactly Kosher. But it is in the spirit of the holiday and beer that in mind.

Purim is a time of gift-giving. Gifts of food and wine are given to family, friends, and especially those who are poorer than you. It is a time of great joy and feasting. And most especially drinking. It is the only time of the year you are commanded to get drunk. Not tipsy, but rip-roaring, stinking drunk. You are commanded to get so drunk that you cannot tell the difference between the names of the Blessed Mordechai and the Wicked Haman. And remember that even if you and your friends are passing around a couple of bottle of fine vodka, don't even consider using that marine horn I know you have hidden in your bag. Vodka and a marine horn just don't mix. I can tell you that from personal experience.

The most important thing about Purim is to have fun.

Here is a little fun to get you started:

The Maccabeats - Purim Song



The Lyrics:

Stand stand for a tale so grand
Shushan is the place where it all began
The hidden miracle

One man, second in command
Slay all the Jews was his wicked plan
A scheme so miserable

He chose a day for the disaster
It’s ironic what came after
He didn’t know a girl named Esther
Would turn it upside down

So raise your glass if you can see the hidden meaning
It's right in front of you
We will never be never be anything but proud to tell the story
V'nahafoch hu (it was turned upside down)

Won’t you come on and come on and raise your glass
just come on and come on and raise your glass
Esther became the queen
Cuz’ G-d was pulling strings from behind the scenes

She wore the royal crown
Three days the Jews just prayed,
Queen Esther risked her life went to save the day
She took Haman down

The streets were filled with celebration
Everyone ate Hamantashen
Jubilation for the nation
Ken tihiyeh lanu… (So should it be for us)

So raise your glass if you can see the hidden meaning
It's right in front of you
We will never be never be anything but proud to tell the story
V'nahafoch hu

Won’t you come on and come on and raise your glass
Just come on and come on and raise your glass
So get your costumes on
Make noise and drown out Haman

Don’t drink like a fool
And remember and remember
What the day’s about…

So raise your glass if you see G-d in hidden places,
He's right in front of you,
We will never be never be anything but proud to tell our story
V'nahafoch hu

So raise your glass if you can see the hidden meaning,
It's right in front of you,
We will never be never be anything but proud to tell the story
V'nahafoch hu

Won’t you come on and come on and raise your glass just come on and come on and raise your glass…

Have Fun Filled Purim!!!!