YACHAD - A TIME FOR REFLECTION
One of the constitutional obligations of the Board of Deputies is to take such appropriate action as lies within its power to advance Israel’s security, welfare and standing.
Last year Yachad UK narrowly achieved the two thirds majority needed for it to be admitted as a member of the Board of Deputies. At the time I, along with the 60 other Deputies that voted against their admission, was concerned that this would lend credibility to an organisation that is outside the mainstream of Jewish life in the UK and that has a well known reputation for demonising and delegitimising the Jewish State of Israel.
Indeed I was aware that Yachad funds numerous “educational” trips to Judea & Samaria, known to them as “the West Bank”. Their guides include a member of the infamous fringe group “Breaking the Silence”. On such radical groups, the reputation of Yachad hangs. Even the liberal Ha’Aretz newspaper called out Breaking the Silence as having “a clear political agenda, and can no longer be classed as a ‘human rights organisation.’’
Yachad is a critic of the security measures that Israel has in place in the territories despite the fact that the checkpoints are an essential security requirement for the citizens of Israel and security is a sine qua non for peace. As far as I am aware there are no such Yachad-funded “educational” visits to Israeli terror victims. Had there been perhaps Yachad would get a different Israeli perspective of the need for security and check posts. Until then their activities in Israel will remain entirely pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel.
However if this was not bad enough, we now know that Yachad’s tours have, in the past, stopped at the Tamimi house for drinks and a briefing from the family themselves. Having already read the post about the Tamimi family; ’Shirley Temper’ and the Reality of Pallywood Hits Mainstream Media http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2015/08/30/shirley-temper-and-the-reality-of-pallywood-hits-mainstream-media/ I was absolutely shocked to learn that Yachad had gone beyond giving legitimacy to an Israeli political group with an agenda that undermines Israel’s security but is also giving legitimacy to the family of a well known Pallywood “star”. This led me to do further research on the subject and I came across the blog “This Ongoing War" which was cofounded by Frimet and Arnold Roth and inspired by the tragic murder of their daughter, Malki at the age of 15 in a massacre in the centre of Jerusalem carried out by Hamas, the infamous Sbarro massacre. In particular I saw this recent post; Peace, human rights, the sheer joy of killing people http://thisongoingwar.blogspot.co.il/2015/09/07-sep-15-peace-human-rights-sheer-joy.html The post points out that Ahlam Tamimi, who rode with the suicide bomber, helped him and his explosive-filled guitar pass without interference through the Qalandia security crossing and can be seen on video exulting over the murder of the victims is in fact a cousin of Bassem Tamimi, the father of Shirley Temper.
I reached out to Arnold Roth, as I wanted to be absolutely certain about the relationship between the Tamimi family of Pallywood fame and Ahlam Tamimi. The Roth's have provided the definitive post on the subject; It Takes a Village: The Passion for Violence of the Peace Loving Tamimi's http://thisongoingwar.blogspot.co.il/2015/09/10-sep-15-it-takes-village-passion-for.html I invite readers of this post to read the Roth's post in its entirety. It establishes beyond doubt not only the family relationship but also the sheer evil mendacity of the Tamimi propagandists.
The period over Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is a time for self-examination. We as Jews reflect on our actions throughout the year, acknowledge mistakes, seek repentance and look to the coming year to better ourselves.
Clearly Yachad which claims to be pro peace and pro Israel needs to reflect on its activities over the past year and the years before. The very least it could do is issue an apology to the Roth family and to all the other Israeli victims of terror who have to suffer the vile propaganda of the Tamimi family. Yachad could then promise never to visit them or the village of the damned again. Perhaps Yachad could go one stage further, and actually be pro peace and pro Israel.
Last year Yachad UK narrowly achieved the two thirds majority needed for it to be admitted as a member of the Board of Deputies. At the time I, along with the 60 other Deputies that voted against their admission, was concerned that this would lend credibility to an organisation that is outside the mainstream of Jewish life in the UK and that has a well known reputation for demonising and delegitimising the Jewish State of Israel.
Indeed I was aware that Yachad funds numerous “educational” trips to Judea & Samaria, known to them as “the West Bank”. Their guides include a member of the infamous fringe group “Breaking the Silence”. On such radical groups, the reputation of Yachad hangs. Even the liberal Ha’Aretz newspaper called out Breaking the Silence as having “a clear political agenda, and can no longer be classed as a ‘human rights organisation.’’
Yachad is a critic of the security measures that Israel has in place in the territories despite the fact that the checkpoints are an essential security requirement for the citizens of Israel and security is a sine qua non for peace. As far as I am aware there are no such Yachad-funded “educational” visits to Israeli terror victims. Had there been perhaps Yachad would get a different Israeli perspective of the need for security and check posts. Until then their activities in Israel will remain entirely pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel.
However if this was not bad enough, we now know that Yachad’s tours have, in the past, stopped at the Tamimi house for drinks and a briefing from the family themselves. Having already read the post about the Tamimi family; ’Shirley Temper’ and the Reality of Pallywood Hits Mainstream Media http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2015/08/30/shirley-temper-and-the-reality-of-pallywood-hits-mainstream-media/ I was absolutely shocked to learn that Yachad had gone beyond giving legitimacy to an Israeli political group with an agenda that undermines Israel’s security but is also giving legitimacy to the family of a well known Pallywood “star”. This led me to do further research on the subject and I came across the blog “This Ongoing War" which was cofounded by Frimet and Arnold Roth and inspired by the tragic murder of their daughter, Malki at the age of 15 in a massacre in the centre of Jerusalem carried out by Hamas, the infamous Sbarro massacre. In particular I saw this recent post; Peace, human rights, the sheer joy of killing people http://thisongoingwar.blogspot.co.il/2015/09/07-sep-15-peace-human-rights-sheer-joy.html The post points out that Ahlam Tamimi, who rode with the suicide bomber, helped him and his explosive-filled guitar pass without interference through the Qalandia security crossing and can be seen on video exulting over the murder of the victims is in fact a cousin of Bassem Tamimi, the father of Shirley Temper.
I reached out to Arnold Roth, as I wanted to be absolutely certain about the relationship between the Tamimi family of Pallywood fame and Ahlam Tamimi. The Roth's have provided the definitive post on the subject; It Takes a Village: The Passion for Violence of the Peace Loving Tamimi's http://thisongoingwar.blogspot.co.il/2015/09/10-sep-15-it-takes-village-passion-for.html I invite readers of this post to read the Roth's post in its entirety. It establishes beyond doubt not only the family relationship but also the sheer evil mendacity of the Tamimi propagandists.
The period over Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is a time for self-examination. We as Jews reflect on our actions throughout the year, acknowledge mistakes, seek repentance and look to the coming year to better ourselves.
Clearly Yachad which claims to be pro peace and pro Israel needs to reflect on its activities over the past year and the years before. The very least it could do is issue an apology to the Roth family and to all the other Israeli victims of terror who have to suffer the vile propaganda of the Tamimi family. Yachad could then promise never to visit them or the village of the damned again. Perhaps Yachad could go one stage further, and actually be pro peace and pro Israel.
