Jeffery Golberg, writing in the Atlantic, a leading leftist publication, urges liberals not to donate to Israeal’s fire relief fund… Because Israel is a “rich” country.
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Inevitably, the Jewish National Fund, which, among other things, plants forests in Israel, is asking for donations from Americans for its “Forest Fire Emergency Campaign,” in response to the massive fire spreading across the Carmel mountains. But I’m not giving.
Israel’s per capita GDP is nearly $30,000. Israel is a rich country. The fact that it doesn’t possess adequate firefighting equipment is its own fault. The fact that the leadership of its fire service is incompetent is its own fault (you can read more about that here). At some point, the good-hearted Diaspora Jews who still think of Israel as a charity case are going to have to tell their cousins to learn to fully-fund basic services like firefighting if they want to be thought of as citizens of an advanced country.
Any shortage of money or equipment Israel may have is largely to to the cost of defending Israel from the relentless war waged against it by the Arabs and their liberal friends.
when j. goldberg gets a kick in his a… by the goyim, this will be his own fault, and i do not care
I don’t need any Goldberg to make my own decisions.
Long time ago I stopped giving to Israeli charities. I do donate to Honest Reporting and similar organizations, but Israel, as a state, has to take care of its own problems.
As the matter of fact, asking for donations directed to Israeli poor, victims of terrorism, etc. — this after 60+ years of existence of the state of Israel — suggests that Israel is NOT capable of taking care of its people, and, thus, is a FAILED STATE.
I know it does not run well with many block-headed zionists, but stop and think, and you will get my point.
Having said this, I must add that all Jews and supporters of Israel must actively fight attempts to isolate, de-legitimize and annihilate the only Jewish state.
In this case Jeffry is right. Incompetence should not be rewarded
But I have another use for the money. Buy out the Arabs from the Land of Israel and settle them in Arizona, or upstate NY. It seems everybody thinks the Arabs are such great people, cruelly treated by the Jewish majority. Why then not buy them out and resettle them in the land of plenty, away from these nasty Jews
Incidentally, this policy might do much to reduce the incidence of forest-fires
Absolutely. Having seen the size of the place, it wouldn’t be surprising if someone renamed it “Postage Stamp Nation”. And one can almost feel, despite the apparent calmness, the slight tension all around. Goldberg – whoever he is – should realize (fat chance) that the majority of Israelis, far from being “rich,” are living on the edge, just like all of us. You can see it in most faces, particularly in the open-air markets…
BlandOatmeal: I am a DISABLED VETERAN and cannot pay even my fuel heating bill. However,my love for Israel is leading me to ask for you to support Israel rather than disabled vets. Pray and you will see why.
Fortunately very few people will pay attention to Mr. Goldberg’s rantings. His influence is nil. For the rest of us, for all its “Upstart Nation” and military prowess, Israel is still under siege and must devote a huge amount of its resources to remain alive. We will happily continue to help Israel in its many hours of need, and pray for the day when she will finally be able to flourish without wars and arsonists.
And largely due to arson fires over the summer by arabs.
This has nothing to do with Israel being a rich country, but rather goldberg’s hatred of the Jewish state. You can be sure he would be urging people to give if this had happened in a muslim country.
I don’t see Israel as a charity case and thankfully it is indeed a wealthy country capable of self-sufficiency. But this was an emergency deliberately caused by the very arabs which liberals like goldberg defend.
I tend to agree with Godberg that Israel should no longer be viewed as a charity case and we are certainly capable of funding our own firefighting services. The damage while extensive is certainly within our own capabilities to repair over time. Reforestation will take many years, so much of the costs are deferred. Insurance companies will pay many if not most of the victims and their families.
Donations to Israel over the years have been used by our political establishment to perpetuate their own corruption and to help to paper over their own criminal incompetency or worse, as they allow our politicians to avoid making cost effective decisions and reducing governmental waste. That waste is reflective in the lack of good governance reflected in this latest Israeli fiasco.
On the other hand financial donations is the main vehicle for North American Jews to connect with Israel and since there is no apparent alternative at present it seems that it will continue.
In ancient times every Jew was required to pay a half shekel tithe to the Temple in Jerusalem and it was set at a half shekel whether one were poor or rich. This half shekel was collected in every diaspora community and served to connect all Jews to the Land of Israel and the Holy Temple. Contributions to Israeli institutions and charities are today’s substitute but I think a universal nominal head tax would be better served for both the givers and receivers.
Godberg is one of those Jews who came to Israel to live couldn’t make it returned to America and became a useful idiot for all Israel bashers and opponents. Bashing Israel probably for him justifies his own weakness for leaving Israel it assuages his guilt.
My wife handles the giving around here, which is largely to the disabled vets and homeless. The JDF seems like a worthy cause, though, especially in helping out Israel in its current time of need.
Phew, that’s a relief. I’m a thinking person, not a liberal, so I can, and will, give.