shouldn’t some readings be out of bounds in the civilized discourse, is everything fair game and entitled to be heard, or are readings which deny other people life and liberty just wrong.

WHEN MAN REALIZES THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD AND THUS ONLY ONE RELIGION WHICH MERGES US TOGETHER INTO SUBMISSION TO BEHOLDING HIS CREATION WHETHER IT BE LAND, HIS FELLOW MAN, THE ENVIRONMENT, THEN WE WILL HAVE PEACE…NATIONALISM SHOULD BE REPLACED WITH HILLARY CLINTON’S IDEA OF THE WORLD AS A VILLAGE…I HOPE THIS CAT AND MOUSE GAME BETWEEN THE ISRAELIS AND THE PALESTINIANS AND LEBANESE WILL END WITH BOTH SIDES ADMITTING THEIR MISTAKES.

When people stop looking at each other as black, white, jew, german and etc they will then and only then realize we are the human race not just where they are from and what is their race we are male and female and that should be that. We should learn to all love one another help one another only then will we achieve I believe what God is expecting from us all. Even the bible says love thy neighbor as thy self.

We should learn to love one another as we are black,white,german,jew, french,etc when we learn to love one another and stop looking at where we are from and weather or not we are black white or anything else then and only then will we achieve what God expects us to do and that is to love thy neighbor as thyself. (BIBLE) That is the number one rule that will help us to get to heaven but a lot of people look at the past instead of forgiving and yes forgiving is hard to do but when we realize what it can do for us then we can live for the future and not the past.

For just about the first time, I agree with almost everything Rabbi Hirschfield writes!
The question is not (or is not only), Israel’s right to defend itself, which nearly everyone would agree is absolute. The questions are, how does Israel go about defending itself, what else could it do, what hasn’t it tried yet, and what are the likely results of its actions? That Hamas does awful things is not in doubt; but no matter how intolerable its attacks on Israeli civilians, is it just to punish every Gazan in response? Hamas’s criminal attacks, however abominable, are not an existential threat to all of Israel, whereas Israel’s current actions are a dreadful humanitarian threat to just about the entirety of the population of Gaza. As a Jew, that strikes me as a violation of what I value most about being Jewish: that we care for everyone and that we always do the right thing, no matter what.
Again, this is not to be taken as my not supporting Israel; I think what Israel is doing now, not only is wrong but also WON’T WORK – that is, it will not produce the desired results. Which does not mean I have a solution that WILL work. But if you try something and it clearly doesn’t work – should you keep it up (even if it makes things worse) until you find something better? Especially since, while this war is ongoing, it’s almost impossible to have a rational discussion about what else might be tried.

Man invented G-d and religion in order to achieve certain mundane objectives. The main ones were (1) psychological comfort and (2) social control.
Psychological: A belief in a Super Daddy in the sky who would take care of one’s tribe was comforting and Faith in pie in the sky upheld people’s spirits when they saw no logical reason to push on. Marx referred to this aspect of religion when he called it the opiate of the masses.
Control: If people belief that Super Daddy will see what they do and will punish them, it is easier to enforce social control. Otherwise, human life would be anarchy.
Thus, men create the religion that satisfies their needs. If you suffer from a Paranoid Personality Disorder, you are likely to gravitate to a religion that re-enforces your feelings of grandiosity by saying that your alone has the One Truth.
Other people are centered on personal and societal improvements. Calvinists, for example, have a belief system that requires them to work hard to provide for their families while making significant contributions to society. The system is very similar to doing Mitzvot and Hillel’s Three Questions.

Israel was foolish to agree to these silly three hour cease fires without getting something in return. Israel should have demanded one missile launcher for each hour. If the humanitarian need is real, then Hamas would give over the missile launchers. Each missile launcher which Hamas gave up would be one less launcher for the IDF to find and that would reduce civilian and Hamas casualties. Hamas does not need any missile launchers as they serve not bona fide military purpose. They are solely items of terror.
I agree that Olmert is a weak man; we learned this fact 2 and 1/2 years ago. Without denying the problems with Hamas, Israel has far more serious internal problems, otherwise this dithering, ineffectual idiot would have been out of the government a long time ago. All Olmert knows is to talk loud and surrender.

From what I hear from young Israelis who have come to the US, the problem is not the Arabs, but the corruption and incompetence in Israeli society as exemplified by Olmert. They say they left Israel because the corruption and incompetence made it impossible for them.
The so-called Humanitarian problem in Gaza is not the fault of the Israelis as Hamas follows the tried and true tactic of Death by Israeli — force Israel to defend itself and then cause as many civilian casualties as possible — also lie about the number of injuries and pretend that dead terrorists were innocent civilians. We all know that the world loves this game where it exhibits its hypocritical moral righteousness knowing that the more it blames Israel for Hamas’ action, the more Arab deaths the West is creating.
Only an corrupt and incompetent government, however, would fail to prepare for the real war — which is as much military as public relations. In the public relations war, Olmert’s troika of incompetence gets a F-. Corruption and incompetence tend to go hand in hand. Corrupt people avoid merit preferring to select people on the basis of bribery and political favors. People who have the most to contribute based on natural talent and hard work are shut out and they go elsewhere, e.g. my young Israeli friends starting businesses in USA.
The incompetent Olmert regime has done nothing in the very real PR war. For example, since more Israelis died of natural heart attacks than died from Hamas rockets, why is Israel killing so many Palestinians? It would have been cheaper to distribute more heart defrib’s in southern Israel. Is an Israeli dead by a heart attack any less dead than an Israel dead by a rocket? Of course, there are answers, but Olmert surrendered in the PR war before it began.
The incompetent Olmert regime treats the reasons for the incursion a state secret. can anyone point to a rational connection between what the IDF has done and stopping the Hamas rockets? Of course, there are answers, but Olmert surrendered in the PR war before it began.
The incompetent Olmert regime’s perchance for surrender. Who can support Israel when at any moment Olmert may surrender? As we learned in 2006, Olmert is always ready to give up, under the delusion that people are too stupid to realize that what he calls a “cease fire” is actually a surrender.
The incompetent Olmert regime did not ask for a single missile launcher in return for the 3 hour cease fires. If he had asked, Hamas would have been forced to either refuse or produce a launcher. Instead Olmert acts as if Israel and Israel alone has caused a humanitarian disaster, and thus, Israel has to make 100% of the concessions to rectify the humanitarian disaster.
Israel could have offered to escort medical supplies medical supplies. Since Israel knows where it will bomb, it could avoid bombing itself. Also, it would have helped if Israel had made certain the world saw all the medical supplies waiting at the Rafa Crossing which Hamas was refusing to pick up in order to leave the hospitals without supplies for propaganda purposes.
The instances of the the Olmert regime’s incompetence equal the number of Hamas’ rockets and missile and Olmert is far more lethal to Israel’s existence than Hamas.
Why would any Israeli vote for Olmert II (Tzipi Livni) in the February 2009 elections? The colossal incompetence in the Gaza War shows why Olmert’s regime, whether it is headed by Olmert or Livni, is more deadly to Israel than to Hamas. The only factor that gives the Olmert regime any back bone is Bibi Netanyahu’s waiting in the wings.

What is a Hamas theologian?? It sounds oxymoronic to me.

Leann,
There is nothing oxymoronic about any type of theologian. Some theologians may show themselves as evil or as plain morons but never as “oxymorons.” Even the most immoral, the most unethical group will have its theologians to ground their immoral or unethical acts in their shared beliefs.
Peace,
Pavvel

B-H
How dare you term Jews in the “territories” as “Messianic settlers,” auotmatically labeling them as fanatics.
Israel never had plans to capture the terroritories, but was forced to go to war against massive army buildups in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria in 1966-67. Rabid heads of state in those countries were screaming “Death to the Jews!” and “We will destroy Israel…”
Had they accepted the 1947 UN mandate, there never would have been a ’67 war. And, the territories captured included Jewish holy sites which Arabs had previously forbidden Jews to visit, including the Kotel, Hebron, etc.
The “messianic settlers” are sincere Jews who want to be able to live their lives in Jewish holy places, which does madden the Palestinians, whose leader spent part of WWII in Berlin planning deportation of Jews from the Holy Land to eastern Europe for extermination.
Jewish blood isn’t cheap any more, we have every right to our holy sites as Muslims and Christians, and they have no right to deny us access to our holy sites, or our lives.
Let them compromise half as much as Israel does, and there will be peace.

I am a Christian Zionist and stand with Israel . I am amazed at the attitude of the nations. Who could possibly stand carelessly by while their citizens are constantly bonbarded and threatened with suicide murderers . It is not surprising that religionist can find an excuse to hate in whatever faith they propose. More people have been unjustly killed , tortured , and maimed in the name of G-D . In the case of Christianity and Jdudaism there is no doubt these people have not followed the teaching of Moses or Jesus , but their own lusts and desires. I would like a Muslim to condemm these acts of hate and tell me these terrorists do not follow their founder .

“The ‘messianic settlers’ are sincere Jews who want to be able to live their lives in Jewish holy places, which does madden the Palestinians, whose leader spent part of WWII in Berlin planning deportation of Jews from the Holy Land to eastern Europe for extermination.”
Whoa. That Palestinian leader must be one really old man by now. I wonder how he keeps running fast enough to avoid getting hit by the rockets lately.
And that’s indicative of the problem. Israelis and Palestinians both can point to outrages. And their leaders have no way to lead except by invoking outrage and creating even more outrage. Both sides are utter masters at this, the Palestinian side, master of nothing else, but the same approach is used by both parties and it is far past time for the US to stop tolerating either of them.
Should Jews live in “holy places?” I cannot answer that question, but it does strike as odd that the deity could only make a certain few places holy and that maybe living by higher morality (we won’t go all Christian and call it “love,” but at least mercy, justice, and humility) might be what makes a land holy. Do you suppose?

“I would like a Muslim to condemm these acts of hate and tell me these terrorists do not follow their founder.”
Really? Why? Are you considering converting to become a Mohammedan? Why impose your standards for a consistent theology on someone else? Isn’t it enough just to stop shooting the damned missiles at Israel? Call me an incrementalist.

I have a shop in a rural community, where there are very few Jews. Two years ago an Imam lived in the apartment above my shop. Again, very few Muslims live here: He was a rural prison chaplain. We conversed when business was slow, and agreed that the resolution of the Middle East conflict was so simple that none would ever choose to see it: The children of Abraham are Jews and Muslims, and should both be equally permitted to live and worship in Israel. Israel should remain under Jewish rule, but should be charged with the loving care and respect of its Muslim citizens. Of course, Muslims would be free to relocate if they so chose, and immigration would be restrictive. But as cousins, courtesy and hospitality would be appropriate. And, of course, no other countries are expected to return lands acquired through war: It is how the United States gained land, and inequitable rules should not be applied to Israel.

Jews are losing the public relations war. I cannot believe the lack of savvy and acumen Jewish politicians are displaying in dealing with the media.
Where are the comparisons between Hamas’ Qassam rockets and the V-2s of the Nazis, or the comparisons between Hamas and the Nazis themselves? After all, which OTHER group dedicated itself to the destruction of Jews, and which OTHER group brought destruction upon its innocent citizens because of its aggression toward others? Just as the Nazis’ aggression prompted the fire bombing of Dresden, so does Hamas’ aggression prompt the shelling and bombing of Gaza.
You need to get off your asses and you need to give “what for” to those liberal Jews who are betraying their own ethnicity and homeland. If you lose against Hamas, it’s because you chose defeat over victory.

Dear Ruvain,
I am curious as to what you actually believe in,as I don’t want to assume anything,but by your comments I take it you don’t believe in The Creator,which you refer to as “super daddy”. Before I start a dialogue with you I first must understand your thoughts on (1)The Bible and (2) the One who inspired it.
Looking forward to your response,
Jay

Dear J.Kravette,
I think my comments speak for themselves. If you want commentary, I point to the Shema.
Ruvain

What is a Hamas “theologian”?? That seems like an oxymoron to me!

It is an old well-known fact that an innocent individual can be convicted of any crime by a series of pre-arranged yes & no answer questions… which means any debate is inconclusive but by self-conviction.

Dear Ruvain,
Thank you for your response, but please indulge me as I didn’t quite get your point. Are you referring to the” Shema Yisroal Adenoi Elohenu Adenoi Echad”?
J