Teller From Jerusalem

Israel's Arab neighbors were also her declared enemy. Accordingly, they had no interest in respecting a border regarding which they had signed an armistice. Infiltrators, that were called fedayeem would sneak into Israel to tend unmanned farmland, to loot border villages, or to carry out violent and often deadly attacks and then return across the border where they would be commended rather than condemned for the mayhem and murder which they had committed. In the early 1950s there were thousands of attacks each year resulting in the murder of several hundred Israelis. Something had to be done, resulting in the IDF forming Special Forces Unit 101. After the murder of Susan Kanias and two of her children in a fedayeem raid in 1953, Unit 101 carried out their first reprisal in the West Bank village of Qibya. Overnight everyone learned that the rules of engagement had radically changed. Credits: Euro News: Qibya village sheds no tears for Ariel Sharon Politics and Prowess: Meir Har Zion: A National Hero Edward Sturm: The Man in the Hathaway Shirt Ad Made David Ogilvy Famous Unpacked, History of Israel Explained: Moshe Dayan: Iconic Military Leader Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast.

Having already explained in our previous podcast on this subject (S5 E1) that there are people who “give in order to take,” which is far from the ideal, in this episode we explore the concept proposed by Joseph Telushkin of “Imaginative Kindness.” When implemented – which is a cinch – it enables one to harvest so much more mileage from one's kindness. Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2025 Media Education Trust llc

Why Four, and why not a peace treaty? All of this will be explained in this episode that details the difference between an armistice and a peace treaty. Israel's warring neighbors were battered and humiliated in Israel's War of Independence, which they were so confident would result in Arab triumph. Exhausted and losing ground by the day they wished to conclude the war, but how do you arrive at an agreement with an enemy that you do not recognize. Ultimately, that is what an armistice can accomplish. Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2025 Media Education Trust llc

A vast program of public works was initiated by the Israeli Government to provide employment opportunities for the refugee immigrants who were mainly unskilled. Likewise, the Jewish National Fund embarked upon a nationwide forestation project that totally transformed the landscape of the country. After figuring out how to absorb the greatest number of immigrants the world has known, Prime Minister Ben Gurion had to deal with other burning issues such as how to deal with the deeply religious residents of Israel referred to as “Haredim.” Critical attention also had to be devoted how to secure Israel's borders when each neighboring country was hostile and sought Israel's destruction. This resulted in the Army Reserves for every able-bodied soldier. Audio Credits: What Happened to Mizrachi Jews of Arab Countries | The Jewish Story |Unpacked Golda Meir – The Matriarch of Israel Documentary | The People Profiles Transforming Israel's Barren Terrain into Green Forests | Greening Israel The Official Documentary | The Israel Guys Hareidim and the IDF | Center for Israel Education | Whiteboard Video IDF Band - Machar i24 News | Insight – IDF Reservists: Citizen Soldiers Why Don't Ultra Orthodox Jews Serve in the IDF | Today Unpacked Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2025 Media Education Trust llc

In 1950 the Israeli Parliament passed a dramatic and symbolic law known as The Law of Return. This would finally bring an end to the description of “The Wandering Jew.” The Law also brought a formal end to the execrable White Paper of 1939 (by the British Government) and a symbolic overturning of the Nuremberg Laws which the Nazis employed to determine who was Jewish. The Law of Return employed the same (non-halachic) status: if you were Jewish-enough to be condemned to death by the Nazis, then you were Jewish enough to be deserving of the protection of the State of Israel. Jewish refugees from Arab countries had to flee for their lives (and not everyone was so fortunate) to the State of Israel, resulting in the arrival of 850,000 desperate refugees. Israel cared for her brethren and saw to it that they would not be referred to or be looked upon as refugees. And yet, the primitive conditions in which they were originally housed in transit camps or ma'abarot was appalling. Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2025 Media Education Trust llc

Teller From Jerusalem takes an emboldening look at the compulsion of moral sensitivity to engage in kindness. We break down and analyze with stories (as usual) what it does for the recipient and what it does for the giver. Why is it that kindness matures a person and strips them of self-centered instincts? Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2025 Media Education Trust llc

When the second truce in Israel's War of Independence went into effect on July 18, 1948, Israel was militarily in a far better position than it had been at the outbreak of the War. Still, work was still very much cut out for the nascent IDF as Egyptian forces had pressed so deep into the Negev that they were able to menace the key artery linking Tel Aviv to the southern towns and Jewish settlements. Israel's innovative, young commander of the Negev campaign was Yigal Allon. In order to break the Egyptian hold, he would have to get his troops to the south undetected. Allon's soldiers discovered an ancient route built by the Romans 2000 years earlier, known as the Ruheiba Trail. The Egyptians logically expected an Israeli assault from the conventional route and were totally unprepared for an enemy that materialized out of nowhere from a trail that was concealed and provided natural cover. Audio credits: Trailer: To Cast a Giant Shadow Pacific Front Untold – Flying the Hump vs The Burma Road Kings and Generals – The First Arab-Israeli war 1948 The Armchair Historian – Brutal Urban Combat - Battle for Fallujah 2004 Fox News – Fallujah General details the True Challenges of Gaza Invasion Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2025 Media Education Trust llc

After the first truce was called in Israel's War of Independence, the United States and Britain, acting through the United Nations, wished to secure a lasting peace in the region. The United Nations mediator was Count Foke Bernadotte, who unabashedly viewed himself as a soon-to-be Nobel Prize laureate and assumed many liberties that succeeded in making himself extremely unpopular to both sides of the conflict.  Bernadotte's scheme for achieving regional peace entailed amputating the Negev region from Israel and limiting Jewish immigration.  With pressure mounting upon Israel to make concessions that it could not afford, the prudent option Ben Gurion concluded was to take the Negev by force. Young and brilliant commander Yigal Allon was responsible for this campaign and employed some innovative techniques that would become the hallmark of Israeli military strategy. Audio Credits Audiology 1948- Arab-Israeli War Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2025 Media Education Trust llc

TFJ invited eloquent and dynamic Alex Traiman, CEO of Jewish News Syndicate, to explain the current situation in the Middle East. Alex Traiman is a go to for accurate news analysis and uncensored perspective on what lay behind current events. In this eye-opening interview (recorded On November 25, 2024) Mr. Traiman provides a fascinating understanding of Prime Minister Netanyahu who is constantly reviled by the Left and the Media without ever acknowledging the man's incredible fortitude and leadership. The JNS Jerusalem Bureau Chief also lucidly explained how recent events have shattered myths and conceptions such as, “The devil we know is better than the devil we do not know,” “Good fences make good neighbors,” “Our enemies care more about their economic well-being than they do about killing Jews.” With trenchant examples, Traiman explains how each one of these concepts was faulty and has proven to be a notion that misled policy with tragic consequences. There was also the military misconception that believed that troops on the ground were not necessary if there was the proper monitoring and surveillance in place. In his hallmark way of looking at the positive, Traiman recognizes the current war as an opportunity to repair the false concepts which will enable Israel to emerge stronger and smarter. For up to the minute news analysis by competent experts one is advised to check out JNS.com and JNS TV. Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2025 Media Education Trust llc

TFJ takes a serous look at cheerfully greeting others and smiling. From explaining the origin of the smiley emoji to the classic, true story of how a life was saved thanks to a cheerful greeting, this podcast (as always) gives substantial background to a rarely considered matter. More significantly, it will awaken dormant and atrophied friendliness muscles which should be a part of the daily fitness of every respectful and caring human being.   Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2024 Media Education Trust llc

UNRWA was originally a small agency mandated to provide basic humanitarian relief for Palestinians, including a vote for renewal every three years. Seventy-five years and four generations later, it has mushroomed to having more than 30,000 employees and an annual budget of substantially more than $1 billion, it has unjustifiably become one of the largest UN agencies. Revelations from the War in Gaza have also revealed that it has become a major resource for the Hamas terrorists with its employees assisting and participating in terrorist acts and crimes against humanity. Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2024 Media Education Trust llc

Professor Alan Dershowitz writes that the controversial battle in the Deir Yassin suburb of Jerusalem in 1948, “Stands out in the history of Arab-Jewish conflict in Palestine precisely because it was so unusual and out of character of the Jews.” Arab armies massacred Jewish civilians avoiding any Jewish refugee problem. The Israelis did not kill Arab combatants, resulting in a burgeoning refugee problem. Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2024 Media Education Trust llc

Israel's War for Independence resulted in three distinct refugee problems. The largest group of refugees were Jews who were forced out of their homes and threatened with severe violence and pogroms in the Arab and North African lands where they had lived for centuries. They received haven in Israel where they were welcomed by their brethren and were never referred to as “Refugees.” The Arabs did not welcome their refugee brethren and shunted them in refugee camps – where they have remained ever since.  Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2024 Media Education Trust llc

TFJ invites Motty Mendelowitz back to continue the story of how his family's project of visiting wounded soldiers has been life-changing for the visitors and those visited. Who'da thunk that brawny commandos who stormed into hornets' nests of terrorists, would be equally challenged by constructing a Lego set? The task is far more than just putting the right parts together, but patiently employing fine motor skills of badly mauled fingers.  In some instances, these exercises have saved soldiers from surgery. Team Mendelowitz teaches us vital lessons regarding how to properly and dynamically fulfill the precept of visiting the sick. Notice: TFJ is going on a summer break and will only resume broadcasting on November 6, 2024. Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2024 Media Education Trust llc  

In the dialogues of today categories must be delineated so that they conform with: Critical Theory, Intersectionality and Identity Politics. What they all share in common is portraying Israel as the “Oppressor” or “Victimizer” and the Palestinians as the “Oppressed” or “Victims.” This emanates from the claim that with the creation of the State of Israel one million (which is mathematically impossible) Palestinian refugees were created. In the annals of history there have never been fourth generation refugees, but the Palestinians, and Arab countries, and – as this episode will expose – the United Nations Relief Agency UNRWA has a distinct agenda in promoting this narrative. TFJ is happy to set the record straight.  Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2024 Media Education Trust llc

Ambassador Daniel Taub, Israel's ambassador to the United Kingdom between 2011 – 2015 returns to TFJ to relate fascinating and intriguing anecdotes from the time that he represented Israel in Britain. Not since the time of Ambassador Yehuda Aviner, did Israel have an emissary that was so beloved by Anglo-Jewry. Under his watch Israel's relations improved and trade doubled, but already then, Muslim leaders made life difficult for those associated with Israel. A gifted orator and witty intellectual, Daniel Taub not only speaks the Queen's English, but perfectly understands the British mentality. Among his duties was to meet with the Chief Rabbi once a month and Ambassador Taub realized what an opportunity this was, so he quickly would get business out of the way so that he could spend the rest of the time studying with Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z”l. Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2024 Media Education Trust llc

Britain was in favor of soliciting its Arab neighbors at Israel's expense. However, the economic realities of strapped Britain at the end of WW II ensured that she could not aggravate the United States. Hence Britain had no recourse but to comply with the arms embargo to the Middle-East.  The UN imposed a cease fire early in the War of Independence and Count Bernadotte was responsible for overseeing it. Bernadotte earned a lot of Israeli ire for the liberties he intended to impose including not recognizing the UN vote on November 29, 1947 which was the prelude to Israel's statehood. His bold, biased positions resulted in his assassination and he was succeeded by Dr. Ralph Bunche.  At this juncture Teller From Jerusalem begins to delve into the creation of the refugee problem that evolved at the time of Israel's creation. To really understand the true story it is vital to listen to this and future episodes.  Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2024 Media Education Trust llc  

This episode begins with some useful tips and matters of etiquette regarding the commandment to visit the sick. Motty Mendelowitz joins to detail the project he and his family have undertaken that has rewritten the book regarding this precept, constantly leaving the infirm markedly better after the visit. Team Mendelovitz is profoundly improving the lives of soldiers wounded, fighting in Gaza. The mission Motty has undertaken is incredibly emboldening and rock-solid proof that commitment and persistence can appreciably improve the lives of others. Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2024 Media Education Trust llc

The vital support of the Soviet Union towards Israel's creation is an unknown chapter in Israeli history. Consequentially, too much credit is awarded to America who did nothing more in the critical first years than vote for her statehood and recognize its independence. Stalin was the most unlikely of Israel supporters, yet as it says in Proverbs, “The heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord.” In classic Orwellian style the Soviets would erase this period of their foreign policy, but Russian Jewry had already been energized about leaving their oppressive Communist birthplace for Israel.  Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2024 Media Education Trust llc

This is an excellent question and a full-fledged mystery that will not be fully answered in this episode. Teller From Jerusalem continues to explore the various steps that occurred in the evolution of the Soviet support for nascent Israel. It was beneficial to Israel that the Soviets arrested the work of Count Folke Bernadotte, the Swedish aristocrat that was appointed by the United Nations Secretary General to hammer out a temporary truce between Israel and her neighbors.  Bernadotte sought to achieve far more than just a temporary truce. He foisted terms upon Israel, when she was already winning the war, which would have deprived her of much of what she had achieved at the very greatest sacrifice. This was going to cost him his life at the hands of Israel's underground and embroil Israel in international censure resulting in Ben Gurion declaring war upon any defense force that was not part of the Haganah. Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2024 Media Education Trust llc

The title of this episode sounds inane, if not in fact Orwellian. Who can remember when the Soviets ever did anything beneficial to Jews or for the State of Israel? Alas, there was a window when the Soviets were determined to see a Jewish state arise and they were dependably reliable in the UN and allowing the transfer of weaponry that was to ensure that this would happen. Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2024 Media Education Trust llc

Rabbi Kelemer had the unique talent to empower whomever he encountered and always left them with a better feeling about themselves and their abilities. His sensitivity to the emotions and pain of others was legendary and a poignant example was when the Versailles Wedding Hall in Jerusalem collapsed in 2001. In this context TFJ expands upon the seminal role this catastrophe had upon the development of United Hatzalah in Israel, under the leadership of Eli Beer. Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2024 Media Education Trust llc  

One's first association of the IDF is that of a mighty army that secures Israel's borders and simultaneously prevents an Iranian hegemonic caliphate in the Middle East. But the IDF is very much also the platform and the wherewithal to enable Israelis – of every background – to live the Israeli dream.  The IDF presents an incredible educational opportunity for those who have been deprived of a high school education, or received weak schooling. The first priority for the scholarships are for minorities: Arabs, Druze or Christians. But even those who do not participate in the IDFs continuing education programs, are very much involved in a broader educational project that is the essence of the IDF. During their years of service, young men and women will transform from selfish takers absorbed with their phones, into mature, responsible adults who blossom into givers that are committed to each other for life. Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2024 Media Education Trust llc

The casualty ambassadors of the IDF, like of any army, have the difficult job of informing of the passing of a loved one. Rabbi Steven Weil CEO of Friends of the IDF explains what is entailed in the role of these ambassadors and the caution they employ to make the hardest news a softer blow. Rabbi Weil also reveals what the IDF is doing to weed out potential victims of PTSD. Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2024 Media Education Trust llc

The IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) has spread its tentacles all over the earth. Their greatest resource is the Hezbollah in Lebanon who probably possess 2000 precision guided missiles. These missiles have the capability of taking out Israel's most valuable assets within 14 inches of accuracy. Because of the existential threat that Hezbollah poses, when Israel called up its reservists after the October 7th attack, two thirds of them were sent to the North where 100,000 civilians have been evacuated to be out of direct Hezbollah range. But the danger that Hezbollah poses is not just to Israel. Iran seeks a hegemonic Shia califate that will threaten the world, and all that stands in their way is the State of Israel. Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2024 Media Education Trust llc

From the time Rabbi Kelemer assumed his post as Rabbi of the Young Israel of West Hempstead, NY the congregants (and soon many, many others) understood that their Rabbi was totally devoted to assisting them, with never a consideration for his own personal comfort or prestige. His expertise in halacha was marshaled to assist those who grappled with dilemmas but wished to remain allegiant to Jewish law.

As Israel valiantly fights an existential battle against Hamas in Gaza, it is painfully aware that Hamas is but one of Iran's Shia proxies looking to spread the Islamic revolution. Rabbi Steven Weil, CEO of Friends of the IDF and former pulpit rabbi and the director of the Orthodox Union, joins Teller From Jerusalem to share his wisdom and insight regarding the frightening threats Israel must cope with and be prepared for. Although the Shia are the minority in the Islamic world, they pack enormous weight through their proxies directed by the IRCG. Be it the Houthis in Yemen, Shia militia in Syria, Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), the terrorist groups in Gaza and the most heavily armed proxy with the most sophisticated weaponry, the Hezbollah in Lebanon, all are at the beck and call of Iran to eliminate any country or force opposed to the hegemonic caliphate that they are determined to establish. Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2024 Media Education Trust llc

Israel had a cadre of talented leaders. Israel also enjoyed the support of world Jewry resulting in sorely needed funds and volunteers that formed the beginning of the Israeli Air Force. The least likely of allies was the Soviet Union, which was and would return to being fiercely anti-Zionist, but at this critical period backed Israel and allowed its satellite Czechoslovakia to supply Israel with arms. King Abdul of Jordan, pragmatically realized that Israel was here to stay and would have preferred dealing with the Israelis over the likes of Haj Amin al-Husseini. Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2023 Media Education Trust llc

Despite the embargo on armaments to Israel, the Israelis figured out daring ways to smuggle in weapons. The arrival of these munitions enabled the Hagana to attempt to break the stranglehold on Jerusalem. The all important site overlooking the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway was Kastel and the Arabs under the command of their most dynamic leader, Abdel Kader al-Husseini, drove the Jews out. But not before a Hagana gunner eliminated Husseini, seriously crippling Arab leadership. Abdel Kader al-Husseini's cousin was the Nazi mufti of Jerusalem, accurately portrayed in TFJ Season I episode 33. Haj Amin al-Husseini spared no efforts to exterminate the Jews in Israel and elsewhere, inflaming Arab passions with the fiction that the Jews were taking over Al Aksa. This false rumor invariably led to pogroms, mass murder, mayhem, looting and destruction. The family tradition was carried on with the Mufti's nephew, arch terrorist, Yasser Arafat. Their lies, incitement and methodology continue with Hamas today. Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2023 Media Education Trust llc

The Young Israel of West Hempstead burgeoned to a community of 750 families under the dynamic leadership of Rabbi Yehuda Kelemer of blessed memory. Referred to as the “Rabbi's Rabbi,” this title does no justice to the overwhelming impact that he had upon anyone he encountered. It wasn't charisma, and it certainly wasn't hip coolness; it was the rarest blend of mastery of every facet of Torah, exquisite sensitivity, and how a God-fearing individual must consistently conduct themselves. Anyone who required assistance, whether it was requested or not (usually the latter) was blessed by Rabbi Kelemer taking them under his wing, making them feel honorable and important. The Rabbi had a very liberal ‑ nigh incomprehensible ‑ interpretation of assistance. With never a thought for his personal comfort or dignity, no obstacle could prevent his treasured and cherished uplifting intervention.  Because of his Torah scholarship recognized by the world's most prominent roshei yeshivah, dynamic leadership, and extraordinary care for everyone, the Young Israel of West Hempstead where he was the Mara D'asra swelled to a membership of 750 families. Young and old, disaffected youth, ardent secularists and yeshivah graduates revered Rabbi Kelemer and lovingly heeded his counsel. Listen to some of the amazing stories concerning one of this generation's most noble rabbis.

As we noted in our previous episode, a spirit of volunteerism and unity has swept Israel. Everyone seems to be joining the war effort in their own modest way, and the result is enterprising ingenuity marshalled in a scope that is hard to comprehend and beautiful to behold. The murderous and barbaric Hamas attack exacted a very heavy price, but in its aftermath the people of Israel have united and put aside their long-standing differences. There are those from around the world – even cowboys – who are also showing their solidarity.

Consequential to the Hammas barbaric attack on October 7, 2023, the residents of Israel have locked arms in a sincere display of unity and determination to support each fellow countryman. The amazing acts of generosity, altruism, volunteerism and philanthropy are unprecedented on the world stage. Differences that had ripped the country apart prior to the Hammas attack, are nearly forgotten, as Israelis have soberly realized that they face an existential threat and everyone must join in this battle with unity of purpose, together. Part of this episode is a ten-minute interview conducted on the Michael Medved Show exploring the unprecedented acts of solidarity and magnanimity that have overtaken Israel.

Teller From Jerusalem has culled the trenchant interviews and clips to provide a perspective and understanding of what has transpired since the outbreak of the Hamas terrorist incursion. The news is appalling, but the reaction of Israel and of Israel's friends is heartening and emboldening. Listen to the acts of kindness, unity, and generosity that have enveloped a country on the brink of a serious escalation of the war. This episode captures the determination and the love of the people of Israel.

Our second installment on how to avoid shaming others takes note that the desire to humiliate adversaries is particularly common in politics. Just because someone is competing with you for the same seat, gives no right to violate privacy and humiliate. Many other key rules are discussed and the children's ditty, “Sticks and Stones may Break my Bones, but Words will Never Hurt me” is dismissed as incorrect. Lastly, caution is issued over the damage that can be so readily and devastatingly achieved via social media and online with opportunities to attack anonymously and with an absence of gatekeepers. 

Israel's Law of Return was designed to solve the problem of persecuted Jews who had nowhere to flee, for no country would allow them entry. They would all be welcomed in Israel. Israel did not just open her doors, but actively took part in dangerous rescue missions to bring entire populations to Israel where they could be resettled in safety. One of the most famous missions was Operation Magic Carpet which, in the span of one year, clandestinely airlifted nearly 50,000 Jews from Yemen, where they were suffering attacks and lived in constant danger. Transporting Yemen Jewry to one central place where they could be extracted, required the impoverished people to trek at least 300 kilometers by foot through deserts and mountains as they were attacked along the way and suffered from hunger and disease. A motley group of young air force veterans from WWII, piloted transport planes, licensed to carry no more than 60 people, with 600 passengers on board. The entire flight from southern Yemen to Israel was fraught with danger, flying above Arab territory and always with a need to refuel along this hostile route. Conducted in total secrecy, a miracle was achieved without the loss of a single loss of life on these exceptionally perilous flights. 

The British Mandatory government enforced a ban not only on Jews entering the country, but also on Jews acquiring weapons or manufacturing arms under the penalty of death.  Where was Israel to acquire weapons to defend herself? There were risky efforts to smuggle in weaponry and clandestine production in Israel. But the production that was done locally was neither the volume nor the dimension that Israel required. But Jewish innovation which was the hallmark of the War of Independence met this challenge as well.

The Partition Plan of November 1947 has a glaring error insofar as that it never occurred; and there never was a partition between a Jewish and an Arab country. The significance of the Partition Plan was that it delineated a point from which both sides could begin their struggle. For the Zionists it was never more than a starting point as no one believed that it was the ending point for the map according to the Partition Plan was unrealistic and absurd. From the Arab position the Partition Plan was not even a starting point, but rather a non-starter. The Arabs had pledged that they would rid the land from the Jews, and the chiefs of staff of the Arab neighbors plus army contingents from Iraq and Saudi Arabia that do not even border Israel, met to devise a strategy how to annihilate the Jewish menace. Proof that as Weizmann had spoken and Alterman had composed into poetry, Israel was not going to be delivered on a “silver platter.”

Teller From Jerusalem was horrified when a Google search for “public humiliation” rendered clips and even websites devoted to shaming others. The actual evil of public shaming has scant representation – even in an age where social media has made the humiliation of others instantaneous and ubiquitous. The first of our installments on this subject will focus upon how to avoid shaming others. In our discussion regarding revealing the former criminal behavior of someone who is now leading an ethical, law-abiding life, we will tangentially explore some recent literature of two who were rehabilitated and told their stories. 

The UN was about to vote on partition and surprisingly the Soviet Union supported it as did the US (The United States means President Truman, the State Department was opposed). The world was shocked by the sudden Soviet support of the partition plan affording a home for the Jews, for this contravened all of Stalin policy heretofore. Although Israel was not yet ready to defend itself militarily against its Arab enemies, the constellation of countries willing to support the partition vote would never repeat itself. It was a “now or never” situation for Israel and she rallied all of her influence and contacts behind mustering the 2/3 majority required. (By error, I referred in the recording to Andrei Gromyko as Alexei Kosygin, his colleague in the Politburo.)

TFJ is very proud to welcome Ambassador Daniel Taub who served as Israel's ambassador to the UK from 2011 – 2015. An academic scholar (attending both Oxford and Harvard Universities) playwright extraordinaire, and blessed with an outstanding sense of humor which has made him beloved and adored in all of his postings. Ambassador Taub marshals his encyclopedic knowledge and treasure trove of anecdotes to enlighten and edify regarding one of the most seminal events in the ultimate establishment of the State of Israel.

Even after the conclusion of WWII Zionist fulfillment faced enormous hurdles. They British had every intention of maintaining the same blockade of Jews to Palestine which they enforced during the war denying the Jews haven that would have saved their lives. Jewish lives was simply not as important as antagonizing the Arab world and threatening the importation of oil to Britain.  And if illegal immigrants managed to sneak in, the British would capture and deport them. The Patria was crammed with 1800 Jewish refugees that were to be deported from the port of Haifa to Mauritius when a bomb placed aboard caused the ship to instantly sink. 

A considerate individual thinks about the needs of others and recognizes that they are greater than your own needs or conveniences. Primarily, it means not living with a “me-first” approach. On this episode we shall explore consideration regarding driving, being punctual and not wasting other people's time.   We will also discuss the rabbinic concept of “say a little, but do a lot” and not raising other people's expectations, only to disappoint them in the end. Good manners also govern how we should refrain from conduct that will annoy others, and how to properly compliment a fellow person.

Israel's War of Independence resulted in three distinct refugee problems: 70,000 Israelis that were displaced from their homes and villages because of the war, 700,000 Arabs that fled Israel because of the war, and over 800,000 Jewish refugees from Arab lands that had to flee for their lives. Teller From Jerusalem filters between the truth and the propaganda concerning the misery and suffering of those disposed. It is very telling how Israel and her neighbors reacted to the refugees of their respective peoples. Were they embraced as brethren or manipulated to become a political opportunity and ultimately a time bomb.

TFJ Season 2 Episode 21  Foreign Volunteers, The Battle for Lod and the Displacement of Non-Combatants Foreign volunteers were critical to Israel's victory in the War of Independence. Israel's fledgling air force was made up of Jewish English speaking pilots, veterans of WWII. It became clear that the only way that Israel could persevere through the difficult beginning of the War of Independence would be if she would seize the initiative and Plan Danny was launched. Part of this operation was to capture Lod (Lydda) which was an Arab stronghold. In the fighting tens of thousands of Arabs either fled their homes or were instructed by their leaders to leave with the assurance that they would return with victorious Arab armies. 

TFJ Season 2 Episode 20  The Arab Revolt, The White Paper and the Évian Conference With the rise of Jewish immigration to Palestine in the 1930s the Arabs lodged their protest with violence, attacks, murder and mayhem that became known as the Arab Revolt (1936-1939). In response to the revolt, famous appeaser Neville Chamberlin, far more interested in Arab oil than the plight of millions of desperate Jews whose lives were in imminent danger, issued The White Paper of 1939. This entailed a severe limitation of Jewish immigration to Palestine. Despite the fact that the White Paper stated that the future of Jewish immigration would be determined by the Arab majority and limited if not curtailed the ability of Jews to buy land, it was still rejected by Palestine Arabs led by Haj Amin al-Husseini.   With the number of Jewish refugees in Europe at catastrophic dimensions consequential to the Nazi rise to power in Germany and in Austria, the Évian Conference was convened to ease their plight. The conference was a fiasco never intending to be of any help, and in fact, gravely worsened their condition.

Gratitude should not be short-term. Ideally one should feel and express gratitude for favors done to family members and the community, yet minimize the favors that you have done for others. Otherwise, you may walk around in a constant state of annoyance for not being recognized for the good that you have performed. Gratitude is the most important component to achieve happiness, but even gratitude cannot help if happiness is confused with pleasure. There are many who believe that the pursuit of pleasure is the goal of life and will sacrifice their lives in the process. 

Close to 100,000 Jewish residents in Jerusalem were starving because of an Arab siege of the city. A garrison manned by Jordanian gunners in the high grounds of Latrun overlooking the sole road to Jerusalem saw to it that no trucks bringing relief to the city could pass.  Ben Gurion ordered that Latrun be taken, but Israel had neither the manpower nor the weaponry to launch a successful assault and each of its attacks were futile and very costly. A shepherd path was accidentally discovered beyond the view of the Arab gunners, and hundreds of Israeli volunteers worked around the clock to convert this winding path strewn with rocks and pits into a viable road for trucks to bring desperately needed supplies to Jerusalem. The miraculous road, discovered and created so providentially, was named the Burma Road because of its similarity of circumstances to the road built by the Allies during world War II connecting Burma to Southwest China to avert the Japanese sea blockade. This episode has been enhanced by the excellent “History of Israel Explained/Unpacked” series.

Close to 100,000 Jewish residents in Jerusalem were starving because of an Arab siege of the city. A garrison manned by Jordanian gunners in the high grounds of Latrun overlooking the sole road to Jerusalem saw to it that no trucks bringing relief to the city could pass.  Ben Gurion ordered that Latrun be taken, but Israel had neither the manpower nor the weaponry to launch a successful assault and each of its attacks were futile and very costly. A shepherd path was accidentally discovered beyond the view of the Arab gunners, and hundreds of Israeli volunteers worked around the clock to convert this winding path strewn with rocks and pits into a viable road for trucks to bring desperately needed supplies to Jerusalem. The miraculous road, discovered and created so providentially, was named the Burma Road because of its similarity of circumstances to the road built by the Allies during world War II  connecting Burma to Southwest China to avert the Japanese sea blockade. 

At the beginning of the War of Independence Israel was vastly outnumbered and did not had sufficient weapons to defend herself. In those initial weeks before weapons began to arrive, primarily form Czechoslovakia, it was only the daring and ingenuity of lone Israeli soldiers coupled with industrial helpings of Divine Providence that enabled Israel to hold on. Ron Feller is one such hero who single-handedly took on and defeated an entire Egyptian mechanized platoon.  Swedish diplomat Count Folk Bernadotte was chosen to be the United Nations Security Council mediator in Israel's War of Independence. Bernadotte labored to turn the cease-fire into a binding peace treaty which he figured would earn him a Nobel Peace Prize. It certainly earned him disdain.

  In TFJ's first installment on gratitude, the correlation between gratitude and happiness is explored. Although goals are critically important, expectations are a recipe for misery. Furthermore, the less you expect the more grateful you will be, and the more you expect the less grateful you will be. Counting your blessings is not merely a phrase, but a mantra for a grateful person. It is the only way to avoid the all-too common appreciating what you have, only when it is taken away.

  Once Israel declared her independence, she was attacked by all of her neighbors.  The Hagana, which will become the Israel Defense Forces, mobilized any able-bodied man or woman and this amounted to barely 30,000. The Arabs had significant manpower and far greater firepower and air forces. The Jews had nothing comparable. Lacking defense in depth the Jews could not afford to give ground on any of their four fronts. But now that the British mandate was over, the Jews were able to import weapons that had previously been forbidden. The greatest Jewish resource was the dedication of their troops, and the talent of their leaders. If Israel was to hang on, she would have to survive the first two weeks.