To every thing there is a season,

Kohelet 3 (Ecclesiastes)

3 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?
10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.
11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
12 I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.
13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.
14 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.
15 That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.
16 And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.
17 I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.
18 I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.
19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?
22 Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?

Goodbye to 2015

Goodbye to 2015

Father Time

Goodbye to 2015

Out with the Old Year!

Goodbye to 2015

Into a New Year.

And so, in 2016, the struggle will continue. Happy New Year to us all.

Merry Christmas

I can only quote Alice who had fallen down a rabbit hole to find herself in a bizarre and unreal world observed "curiouser and curiouser!"

Happy New Year

And to those who seize the opportunity for a bit of fun
by celebrating the new civil year

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

According to KKL, The Jewish National Fund:

KKL-JNF Christmas Tree Distribution in Full Swing

Tuesday, December 22, 2015 11:34 AM

Trees are distributed at several points in northern and central Israel: in Nazareth, the KKL-JNF nursery in Shfaram, and the KKL-JNF Center in Givat Yeshayahu. Approximately 800 trees will be distributed by Christmas. Distributing Christmas trees has become a tradition at KKL-JNF. For many years, embassy representatives from all over the world, clerics and Christian families from all over Israel have been coming to KKL-JNF distribution centers in northern and central Israel to select trees that will make their homes green and festive.

Sister Felicia at the KKL-JNF Christmas tree distribution center at Givat Yeshayahu. Photo: Yoav Devir“I come here every year to get trees for Christmas,” said Sister Feliciana from the church in the German Colony in Jerusalem. “It’s so important for us to have a real tree with a natural scent that will contribute to the atmosphere of the holiday.”

Trees are distributed at several points in northern and central Israel - in Nazareth, the KKL-JNF nursery in Shfaram and at the KKL-JNF Center in Givat Yeshayahu. Approximately 800 trees will be distributed by Christmas in three locations.
At the distribution center in Givat Yeshayahu, people are welcomed by smiling KKL-JNF employees - Jewish, Muslim and Christian - who help visitors choose the trees and load them onto their vehicles. Brother Anton of the Emmaus Nicopolis Monastery at the KKL-JNF center at Givat Yeshayahu. Photo: Yoav DevirTogether, they check each tree carefully - the leaves, the branches and the trunk - to make sure it is tall enough and full enough, until the perfect match is found.

“It’s so exciting to see people of all faiths meeting here today and helping each other,” said Brother Anton from the Emmaus monastery, who arrived early in the morning to select the largest and most magnificent trees for his church. “This special project is a sign of new hope for a future of peace in this country,” he said.

Saulius Kolyta, a commercial attaché at the Lithuanian Embassy in Israel, came to get trees for a number of Embassy personnel. “A Christmas tree brings back memories from childhood. It’s also really nice that we can celebrate as we do at home, in such a distant place,” he said. Saulius Kolyta, commercial attaché at the Lithuanian Embassy in Israel. Photo: Yoav DevirLooking up at the clear blue sky and the warm sunshine, he smiled and said, “But I’m not at all sure we’ll be having a white Christmas this year.”

Although fir trees do not grow in Israel, the Arizona cypress (Cupressus arizonica) definitely does the job. It even looks a little like the traditional fir. The Arizona cypress trees are grown in a special plot, where one can see the newly planted trees next to mature trees.

Yossi Sharavani, a KKL-JNF Forester in the Masua area, who is in charge of Christmas tree distribution in central Israel, explains the advantages of the Arizona cypress: “It’s a sturdy tree that grows quickly in the local climate. Felling the tree does not kill it but stimulates the growth of a new tree from the trunk, so the tree is tall again within a few years. KKL-JNF Forester Yossi Sharavani at the Arizona Cypress plantation area in Givat Yeshayahu. Photo: Yoav DevirThe cutting doesn’t dry up too fast and stays green and beautiful throughout the holiday season.”

Sharavani sees the day of Christmas tree distribution as an opportunity for meeting and strengthening the connection between all the residents of Israel. “It’s a time for unity between all of us, the people who live in Israel of all religions and the KKL-JNF workers from all the sectors,” he said.

Charlotte and John Earley, a couple from Herzliya, have lived together in different countries, and this year they are living in Israel because of John’s work. She is originally from Cameroon, he is from the UK. Charlotte and John Earley from Herzliya with their chosen Christmas tree at the KKL-JNF center in Givat Yeshayahu. Photo: Yoav Devir“It’s a wonderful thing that we can find a tree for Christmas here in Israel and meet people from different places in the world, who also wish to have a real tree in their home,” said John. “The tree brings back childhood memories from the days when I would go with my parents to choose a tree, bring it home and decorate it for the holiday.”

Heather and Roee Pargament from Michmoret came to the distribution center with their son Jesse. “We came to pick a Christmas tree,” explained little Jesse, “and we got a big and beautiful one,” he said with pride.

“We used to decorate our home with an artificial tree,” said Heather, “but since we heard about this KKL-JNF program three years ago, we threw away the plastic tree. Heather, Roee and Jesse Pargament from Michmoret, with their chosen Christmas tree at the KKL-JNF center in Givat Yeshayahu. Photo: Yoav DevirA real tree goes much better with the spirit of the holiday.”

The green and aromatic trees were taken to the churches, the different offices and, of course, to people’s homes, where they have been decorated and are now adding natural colors and scents, and a lot of joy, as Christmas approaches. On Christmas Day, when the children run to the tree in the morning to look for the presents awaiting them there, they will be feeling a bit of nature at home that came from KKL-JNF’s forests in Israel.

Sad Santa

Berserk

Whenever I do a cartoon attacking President Obama I am hit with charges that I am a racist. I have learned to get around this by attacking "the White House" or John Kerry instead.

There are other "accepted" positions that I must observe in order to be taken seriously by a large part of our Jewish constituency. One of these "accepted" positions is the idea that Israel needs to stay firmly in America's pocket. Another "accepted" position is the idea that Donald Trump is a dangerous, crazy, racist, clown. In order to stave off the knee-jerk response to a cartoon challenging these ideas in today's cartoon, I had to present them as being the insane ramblings of an out-of-control computer-robot who has gone berserk!

Public Relations

The Knesset is Israel's parliament, and its latest decision as reported by the Jerusalem Post is:

Stung by years of bad press, the Knesset announced Monday that it was beginning a new advertising campaign to try to improve the parliament’s image.

At a press conference in his office, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein stressed that he started working on the campaign a year and a half ago, long before recent embarrassing news items about former MK Yinon Magal and current MK Oren Hazan.

He cited studies indicating that the public’s opinion of the Knesset had deteriorated to a new low, and that the parliament’s positive work was not attributed to the Knesset.

“There is a huge gap between what really happens here and what the public thinks,” said Edelstein. “We are fighting for this house. Our democracy is in danger. I decided it was time to change the situation.”

To that end, the Knesset spent NIS 1.8 million to produce television commercials about how the Knesset improves people’s lives and purchase air time on major networks. Under the slogan: “This is the way democracy works,” the ads will feature ordinary citizens talking about how legislation helped them personally.

Laws featured in the ads include those requiring employers to let their workers sit down while they work, lowering the price of school books and protecting the rights of consumers and the disabled. The commercials will also encourage people to visit the Knesset website, which will begin broadcasting the proceedings of every Knesset committee.

The commercials will begin airing on Tuesday.

School Daze

According to the LA Times:

A crudely written email threat to members of the Los Angeles Board of Education prompted officials to close all 900 schools in the nation’s second-largest school system Tuesday, sending parents from San Pedro to Pacoima scrambling to find day care — while New York law enforcement dismissed a nearly identical threat from the same sender as an obvious hoax.

The unprecedented districtwide shutdown reflected the tense atmosphere over possible terrorist attacks less than two weeks after two Islamic radicals opened fire at a workplace party in San Bernardino, killing 14.

L.A. Unified School District Supt. Ramon Cortines said he made the decision to order the school closures because he couldn’t take a chance with the system’s 640,000 students. -more

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Swedish Meatballs

According to the Times of Israel:

Swedish PM: Stabbing attacks in Israel not terrorism
“No, it is not classified as [terrorism],” Lofven said in an interview to the Swedish news agency TT. “There is an international classification regarding what constitutes or does not constitute [terror]. As far as I know, the [knife attacks in Israel] are not defined as terror.”
Later in the day, Lofven contacted TT again to clarify his message, fearing what he called a “misunderstanding.”
“I meant that it was unclear if the knife attacks are organized by a group classified as a terrorist organization,” Lofven told the agency. “Nonetheless, the attacks themselves do constitute terror.”
Ties between Israel and Sweden have soured in recent weeks following a series of comments by Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom criticizing Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and suggesting a link between the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the terrorist attacks in Paris last month, claimed by the Islamic State.
Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Margot Wallstrom gives a statement to media on the Paris terrorist attacks, Stockholm, Sweden, November 14, 2015. (AFP/ TT NEWS AGENCY / HENRIK MONTGOMERY)
Last week, Wallstrom said that Israel was conducting “extrajudicial executions” of Palestinian stabbers, calling the Israeli response to the terrorist attacks “disproportionate.”
Israel has suffered near-daily stabbing attacks by Palestinians in recent months, part of an ongoing wave of violence. -more

Look, up in the air . . .

The Skystar 180 tactical aerostat system developed by RT Ita Systems was recently used to protect world leaders at the UN climate summit in Paris.
Photo credit: (Photo courtesy RT Ita Systems)

According to Globes:

Dec. 02--Leaders from all over the world gathered this week in Paris for the Climate Change Conference, which was clearly also utilized for diplomatic and security meetings. A surveillance balloon made by Israeli company RT Ita Systems -- a small mobile tactical balloon system suitable for tactical intelligence missions and military and civilian security missions -- provided security for this high-level event. The Skystar 180 tactical aerostat system developed by RT is already in use in communities near the Gaza Strip and on Road 443 between Jerusalem and Modi'in. The system can carry up to 20 kilograms, and provide prolonged intelligence coverage of all events from a height of up to 300 meters. The system is operated by only two people, and can operate in different weather conditions and remain airborne continuously for up to 72 hours. The balloon system used in Paris is equipped with a special TR-Stamp load for surveillance made by Controp -- an independent light balloon that is easy to change and economical to use for diverse military operations, and also for civilian purposes. RT Ita emphasized that the Skystar 180 balloon is being used for intelligence tasks in a number of countries, and is regularly operated by the IDF and Israel Police. For the Climate Change conference, the company trained local police personnel and cooperated with French company SSI. Skystar surveillance balloon systems are independent, economical to use, and very easy to transport. RT Ita's products are patent protected. 40 of the company's balloon surveillance systems are in use in 10 countries, including Israel, Canada, the US, Russia, Thailand, Afghanistan, Mexico, Columbia, and African countries, where they have accumulated over 500,000 operational hours. Copyright 2015 - Globes, Tel Aviv, Israel

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Ha Ha Ha

Hag Sameah
Happy Hanukkah!
Our holiday message of joy to the world!

Happy Hanukkah To Us All

Hag Sameah
Happy Hanukkah!
The first of the eight candles is lit tonight Sunday, Dec. 06, 2015.

Together

Hag Sameah
Happy Hanukkah
This year the first of the eight candles will be lit on Sunday evening, Dec 6th.

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