Shiloh Israel Children’s Fund

After abandoning Gaza several years ago, destroying the vibrant Jewish communities of Gush Katif, and allowing the Hamas terror organization to fire rockets on Israeli cities and towns, the Israeli government has finally woken up and we are responding. We have one of the best armies in the world and there is no doubt that God is with us. If we use all of our power and move quckly with faith in the rightness of our battle, it will be a glorious victory!

I would like to believe that our leadership will choose that road and stand strong against the inevitable pressures that will be applied on Israel to agree to a hasty ceasefire. It is time to reconquer Gaza and drive out all of the Islamic terrorists before they can do further harm to the Children of Israel. Please remember that the war against Israel is really aimed at the United States, Europe, India and the rest of the free world. We just happen to be on the front lines!

As we speak, rockets continue to be fired on our cities and towns and our ground troops are on the border of Gaza, waiting for the order to enter! Please pray that our political leaders will give the order to fight with the courage and faith of Joshua, the great leader who brought down the walls of Jericho.

David Rubin

Shiloh, Israel (more…)

For those who aren’t aware , Chanukah is an eight day holiday in which we commemorate Israel’s restoration of the traditional worship in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago. This involved an ongoing battle against the culture of the Greek Hellenists and the Hellenistic Jews who had aligned with them. The focus in this story is often on the Menorah lights and the Temple ritual, but the symbolism of the societal struggle is much greater. More to the point, the Greek values and sexual mores were not our values, but were being forced upon us, and this is a lesson for our times, as well.

The struggle for traditional family values that we recently saw in California’s Proposition Eight and the subsequent violent backlash against it, as well as in other parts of the United States, is a struggle that is even taking place in the Land of Israel, as witnessed by the yearly “Gay Pride” parade in Jerusalem. It is the traditional Jewish family and its enabling of gender identity in the home that has kept us strong over the centuries of persecution. We do not take pride in a repudiation of the traditional family values that have been the foundation for the passing down of our biblically-based traditions. This is not an issue of civil rights, rather a brazen attempt to drastically change the recognized norms of society from one in which the nuclear family of father, mother, and children has always been the ideal to strive for, to a society of infidelity, promiscuity, and a blatant blurring of gender identity.

In this holiday season, we should be proud of who we are, and not let the bullies of political “correctness” dictate our societal norms.

With Blessings for a wonderful holiday season,

David Rubin

Shiloh, Israel

I’m actually getting tired of hearing politicians of many nationalities arguing about how to wage “The War on Terror”. Even if they were fighting it in a serious, consistent way, which they aren’t, they are missing the point!

You can not fight a war against a strategy. You can fight against an ideological enemy and the name of the enemy is the Islamic Alliance of nations and terrorist organizations who are focused on world domination for Islam. They have names like Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Hamas, Fatah, Al Qaeda, and Hezbollah. They are all in unofficial collusion against Israel, the USA, Europe, India —–in short, anyone who is not like them.

Until we come to understand this basic (”politically incorrect”) truth and shout it from the rooftops, I expect, with great sadness, that we will have many more terror victims.

David Rubin

Shiloh, Israel

Should one continue to give charity (to Israel) during a recession? Apparently, some people are grappling with this question.  I was even amazed to be told recently by a rabbi in a well-known Jewish community in the USA that he wants all the rabbis in his community to discourage all giving to Israel until the economic situation improves! With all due respect, he seems to be missing some of the basics from the little-known college course Giving 101(not to mention the Shulchan Aruch, the Code of Jewish Law, which clearly gives priority to Tzedakah given to the Land of Israel). A person is strengthened and uplifted by the support he gives to Israel!

I want to be very clear about this: The Hebrew word for charity is Tzedakah, coming from the root Tzedek, which means Justice. Our sages made it clear that the just thing to do is to give. It is not simply an act of kindness from the giver to those in need. In fact, the giving of tithes ranging from 10-20% of one’s income is an obligation in Judaism. and giving is good for the giver!

The Hebrew word ashir (wealthy) is similar to the word maaser (tithe), denoting not only the obligation to give, but the benefit that such giving will have for the donor. The Lubavitcher Rebbe, of blessed memory, used to stress that when we are in tough economic times, one should give more! In the spiritual realm, which is not detached from reality, that is the true way to increase one’s wealth!

And there is no better giving than to invest in the Children of Israel in the Land of Israel. As it says in the Book of Genesis (12:3), those who bless Israel will be blessed!

David Rubin

Shiloh, Israel