11% Increase in the Incidence of Cancer in Tzfat Since 1997
According to an article that appeared in the 19/10/07 edition of one of the Tzfat local papers, "Chadash B'Galil", there has been an 11% increase in the incidence of cancer in Tzfat.
We are in fifth place in incidents of cancer per capita in the nation. We are after Chaifa and Tel Aviv, and before Afula and Tiveria.
This is very odd considering the fact that Tzfat is located on a mountain and is legendary for its pristine pure air.
All of the other towns are far more industrialized than Tzfat. Tel Aviv is home to a great deal of manufacturing. Chaifa is home to some of the most dangerous chemical manufacturing possible as anyone who has gone near the port can attest.
Women are 6 times more likely than men to become ill with cancer.
What environmental factors would contribut to this?
I'd like to make a suggestion. When I was young I remember a number of women who became ill with cancer. They all had one thing in common - suppressed misery and rage. They were "good eggs" who lived only for their husbands and children. They sacrificed themselves entirely. For their efforts, they were not appreciated by their husband. Their children respected them a bit more, but still saw them as floor rags.
I believe, and there are oncologists who agree entirely with this, that there are emotional factors that play a part in carcinogenesis.
I think there are simply a great deal of women in Tzfat who are miserable with their lives and dare not express their feelings to themselves or to others.
The cancer allows them to opt out of the lives that they hate.
Certainly, this is not always the case. But is a known phenomenon and we should be considering in, in my opinion.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
Sunday, October 21, 2007
A CRITIQUE OF "DIRTY, FILTHY, STINKING TZFAT LAUNDRY"
I received the following criticism for publishing "Dirty, Stinking Tzfat Laundry". I'd like to share it because it seems to me a critique that any number of well-intentioned, but misguided, Jews are likely to level.
The critique:
"I question the sincerity of this person. who makes her politics (anarchy) public knowledge.
Although the corruption is certainly wrong and needs to be corrected, I also question someone's motives who wants to make this "known to the world." The UN would absolutely devour this information. The UN ignores the atrocities in Darfur, Tibet, and elsewhere and concentrates solely on anything negative about Israel. Why give Israel-haters even more ammunition?"
My response:
Leaving people to die, most particularly the feeble and infirm, including sick and handicapped children, during a war while one parties with the vouchers in hotels intended for them, is an atrocity. An atrocity was committed by Jews against Jews in Tzfat. That's the word for it. Wrap you mind around that.
Neither is it the first atrocity committed by Jews against Jews in this country and around the world.The majority of Jews are, in part, hated because of the acts of the rich and powerful Jews who not only send the children of their own People to die in fabricated wars to make them richer, but yet hide behind Jewish solidarity.
I am not hesitant to say to the world that the Jews who care not a whit for their People, but only about their power and money are a pox on the body of the Jewish People and a plague on the House of Yisra'el.
It is high time we sent a clear message of total rejection and disavowal of that scum to the world. We, as a People in toto, are paying for the sins of the Jewish rich.
I am not doing this because I am an Anarchist. It just so happens that an Anarchist is the person with the courage and dedication to justice to do this.
I wrote more to this person after thinking the matter over for awhile. This is the continuation:
There are, and always have been the privileged and the disenfranchised among us Jews.
Although it is true that during the powerful and massive waves of anti-Semitic activity some, I repeat some, a small number, of rich Jews were divested of their holdings and hauled off to their deaths together with their unwashed brethren, with whom they would not have otherwise associated; those are unusual cases.
In most cases the wealthy were not only able to bribe their way out of trouble with the Gentiles, or flee; they often collaborated with them against the poor Jews.
Protected behind their sundry security systems, the rich Jews left the poor Jews at the "mercy" of the Gentiles whose anti-Semitism was aroused by the nefarious activities of the wealthy Jews.
Though the rich Jews were the one who aroused the most hatred, the hatred was taken out on the poor and defenseless Jews always - always, today as well.
Who were the victims of the pogroms? The rich Jews? And in our times, who are blown up on buses by terrorists? The rich who drive around, or are chauffeured around, in limousines? Or those who cannot afford private transportation?
You are protecting those who send us to our deaths at the hands of anti-Semites whose hatred has been aroused because of the socio-economic havoc that they wreak.
Of course there were the truly humanitarian fabulously wealthy philanthropists and benefactors Montifiore, Dona Gracia and her family. And have I already mentioned Montifiore, Dona Gracia and her family?
Were Baron Rothschild's intentions pure in establishing the settlements in Israel? None of his efforts in Europe were aimed at eradicating Jewish poverty. He *caused* Jewish poverty in Europe, as well as Gentile poverty, and the Gentiles took their justified hatred of him and his ilk out on the Jewish peasants and small artisans. He was doing business in Palestine. Period.
It's high time we roused ourselves from the mythology about the Jews that we are taught.
Ordinary Jews, like everyone else, are seen by rich Jews as nothing but servomechanisms and soldiers for the defense of their power and privilege.
To hell with them.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
I received the following criticism for publishing "Dirty, Stinking Tzfat Laundry". I'd like to share it because it seems to me a critique that any number of well-intentioned, but misguided, Jews are likely to level.
The critique:
"I question the sincerity of this person. who makes her politics (anarchy) public knowledge.
Although the corruption is certainly wrong and needs to be corrected, I also question someone's motives who wants to make this "known to the world." The UN would absolutely devour this information. The UN ignores the atrocities in Darfur, Tibet, and elsewhere and concentrates solely on anything negative about Israel. Why give Israel-haters even more ammunition?"
My response:
Leaving people to die, most particularly the feeble and infirm, including sick and handicapped children, during a war while one parties with the vouchers in hotels intended for them, is an atrocity. An atrocity was committed by Jews against Jews in Tzfat. That's the word for it. Wrap you mind around that.
Neither is it the first atrocity committed by Jews against Jews in this country and around the world.The majority of Jews are, in part, hated because of the acts of the rich and powerful Jews who not only send the children of their own People to die in fabricated wars to make them richer, but yet hide behind Jewish solidarity.
I am not hesitant to say to the world that the Jews who care not a whit for their People, but only about their power and money are a pox on the body of the Jewish People and a plague on the House of Yisra'el.
It is high time we sent a clear message of total rejection and disavowal of that scum to the world. We, as a People in toto, are paying for the sins of the Jewish rich.
I am not doing this because I am an Anarchist. It just so happens that an Anarchist is the person with the courage and dedication to justice to do this.
I wrote more to this person after thinking the matter over for awhile. This is the continuation:
There are, and always have been the privileged and the disenfranchised among us Jews.
Although it is true that during the powerful and massive waves of anti-Semitic activity some, I repeat some, a small number, of rich Jews were divested of their holdings and hauled off to their deaths together with their unwashed brethren, with whom they would not have otherwise associated; those are unusual cases.
In most cases the wealthy were not only able to bribe their way out of trouble with the Gentiles, or flee; they often collaborated with them against the poor Jews.
Protected behind their sundry security systems, the rich Jews left the poor Jews at the "mercy" of the Gentiles whose anti-Semitism was aroused by the nefarious activities of the wealthy Jews.
Though the rich Jews were the one who aroused the most hatred, the hatred was taken out on the poor and defenseless Jews always - always, today as well.
Who were the victims of the pogroms? The rich Jews? And in our times, who are blown up on buses by terrorists? The rich who drive around, or are chauffeured around, in limousines? Or those who cannot afford private transportation?
You are protecting those who send us to our deaths at the hands of anti-Semites whose hatred has been aroused because of the socio-economic havoc that they wreak.
Of course there were the truly humanitarian fabulously wealthy philanthropists and benefactors Montifiore, Dona Gracia and her family. And have I already mentioned Montifiore, Dona Gracia and her family?
Were Baron Rothschild's intentions pure in establishing the settlements in Israel? None of his efforts in Europe were aimed at eradicating Jewish poverty. He *caused* Jewish poverty in Europe, as well as Gentile poverty, and the Gentiles took their justified hatred of him and his ilk out on the Jewish peasants and small artisans. He was doing business in Palestine. Period.
It's high time we roused ourselves from the mythology about the Jews that we are taught.
Ordinary Jews, like everyone else, are seen by rich Jews as nothing but servomechanisms and soldiers for the defense of their power and privilege.
To hell with them.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
IT BEHOOVES US TO AIR THE DIRTY, STINKING LAUNDRY OF TZFAT
HEBREW VERSON
http://tinyurl.com/36gyov
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
HEBREW VERSON
http://tinyurl.com/36gyov
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
A BEAUTIFUL ARTICLE ABOUT URBAN KIBBUTZIM
"An Urban Kibbutz in Jerusalem"
by Shulamit Reinharz, the Jacob Potofsky Professor of Sociology at Brandeis University, where she founded the Women's Studies Research Center and The Hadassah-Brandeis Institute (hbi@brandeis.edu).
Tzfat needs this spirit and these activities, particularly that of Kibbutz Reshit and Kibbutz Bet Israel in Yerushalayim so very, very much.
Short excerpt: "Recently, three members of Kibbutz Reshit received a national prize for their work. They were cited for providing education and social-community services with enthusiasm, creativity, persistence, and outstanding leadership. The prize rewarded ongoing, long-term activity that has enjoyed great success and is intended to benefit and, in particular, to empower a disenfranchised population."
Let's make it happen here too.
Only we, the concerning and caring residents of Tzfat, can make it happen.
No one in the Municipality will initiate this. No one will do this for us.
Source: http://tinyurl.com/2cbdxb
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
"An Urban Kibbutz in Jerusalem"
by Shulamit Reinharz, the Jacob Potofsky Professor of Sociology at Brandeis University, where she founded the Women's Studies Research Center and The Hadassah-Brandeis Institute (hbi@brandeis.edu).
Tzfat needs this spirit and these activities, particularly that of Kibbutz Reshit and Kibbutz Bet Israel in Yerushalayim so very, very much.
Short excerpt: "Recently, three members of Kibbutz Reshit received a national prize for their work. They were cited for providing education and social-community services with enthusiasm, creativity, persistence, and outstanding leadership. The prize rewarded ongoing, long-term activity that has enjoyed great success and is intended to benefit and, in particular, to empower a disenfranchised population."
Let's make it happen here too.
Only we, the concerning and caring residents of Tzfat, can make it happen.
No one in the Municipality will initiate this. No one will do this for us.
Source: http://tinyurl.com/2cbdxb
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
CLEAN THE WORLD DAY - IN TZFAT
This looks most positive.
http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=1&attid=0.1&disp=vah&view=att&th=115a896276df972c
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
This looks most positive.
http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=1&attid=0.1&disp=vah&view=att&th=115a896276df972c
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
Sunday, October 14, 2007
RECOMMENDATION FOR URBAN K'VUTAH IN TZFAT
A quiet revolution is well underway in the Kibbutz Movement.
Literally hundreds of small Urban Kibbutzim, or K'vutzot as some call themselves due their small size, are springing up all over the country - most of them in development towns and in distressed neighborhoods.
They are models of mutual sufficiency based on cooperation.
You'll read a bit about the Urban Kibbutzim and K'vutzot on the following links. The second was written by a member of one of those k'vutzot.
http://tinyurl.com/24rtkv
http://tinyurl.com/2zj6yu
They are small groups of people who not only pool their resources, live their lives according to direct democratic principles that they carry out in their regular meetings; they devote their lives to helping others in distress.
A number of them have developed innovative programs of education for people of all ages.
Kibbutz Mehanchim (Educators) help youth at risk in the Hadar neighborhood of Chaifa. See: http://tinyurl.com/2tgr9h Note that the article states that "the city (of Chaifa) called on 70 young people from all over the country, members of the Noar Haoved Vehalomed (Working and Learning Youth) youth movement, to establish an urban kibbutz to work with the neighborhood's at-risk youth. That means that they provided housing and initial services for the program to get underway.
Kibbutz Tamuz in Beit Shemesh (a rapidly developing town near Jerusalem) is the oldest of the Urban Kibbutzim. We visited Kibbutz Tammuz when it was about five years old. We were very impressed with the warmth and dedication of those young people. They had received a building from Amidar that was pretty run down and renovated it themselves. It is a pleasure to present an idea to you of how far they've gotten since and how much they contribut to Beit Shemesh: http://tinyurl.com/ypxxg2
And now we get down to takhlis. K'vutzat Re'ut is located in the housing project Gilo Aleph in Jerusalem. It is one of two urban Kibbutzim in Jerusalem. One of the Urban Kibbutzim in Jerusalem is entirely religious. It is called Reishit (The First).
The population of Kvutzat Re'ut is mixed - more and less religiously observant. They run a number of projects of neighborhood aid. Additionally, they have a beit midrash and a pre-army leadership training program (a mekhina). My son visited K'vutzat Re'ut when he was doing his pre-army leadership training course at Meitzar. Meitzar took their students to K'vutzat Re'ut because their program is so very good. : Please see their web site: http://www.reut.org.il/
There are people that are considered "Friends of Urban Kibbutzim". While they are not members themselves, they support the programs and learn and work with the K'vutzot for the betterment of the environs.
I believe that the model of K'vutzat Re'ut would be perfect for Tzfat. K'vutzat Re'ut is all about Jewish learning and mutual tolerance. It is a model of cooperation. They go beyond mere toleration of varying viewpoints. They incorporate them into one beautiful, and very productive mosaic.
I find it odd that Tzfat with all of its problems has not extended a hand to the youth movements to set up an urban K'vutzah here. The City of Chaifa did. Why not Tzfat? We certainly have as many problems as does the city of Chaifa per capita and goodness knows there are neighborhoods in this town that would benefit greatly from the input of a bunch of idealistic, energetic, educated youngsters.
I urge you to consider the information on the links I've provided.
I have been in touch with the Kibbutz Movement about beginning an Urban K'vutzah here in Tzfat.
I was told that they are aware of the problems in Tzfat as they have received reports from the youth movements here.
They know very well that Tzfat is in dire need of one of those programs. They would very much like to begin a K'vutzah here.
The problems seems to be funding.
Perhaps if we, as a group of concerned citizens, turn to the City of Tzfat and to Amidar we can get the ball rolling.
Thank you for your consideration. The contribution that an Urban Kibbutz can make in the poor neighborhoods of Tzfat is inestimable. As they have found that the K'vutzot work best when they remain small, they tend to divide into two sister K'vutzot when they reach a certain size. We could have a K'vutzah in the Ofer Neighborhood, or thereabouts, and one in the poor areas of Cana'an.
The City of Tzfat can't be relied upon to initiate this. We have to nudge them.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
A quiet revolution is well underway in the Kibbutz Movement.
Literally hundreds of small Urban Kibbutzim, or K'vutzot as some call themselves due their small size, are springing up all over the country - most of them in development towns and in distressed neighborhoods.
They are models of mutual sufficiency based on cooperation.
You'll read a bit about the Urban Kibbutzim and K'vutzot on the following links. The second was written by a member of one of those k'vutzot.
http://tinyurl.com/24rtkv
http://tinyurl.com/2zj6yu
They are small groups of people who not only pool their resources, live their lives according to direct democratic principles that they carry out in their regular meetings; they devote their lives to helping others in distress.
A number of them have developed innovative programs of education for people of all ages.
Kibbutz Mehanchim (Educators) help youth at risk in the Hadar neighborhood of Chaifa. See: http://tinyurl.com/2tgr9h Note that the article states that "the city (of Chaifa) called on 70 young people from all over the country, members of the Noar Haoved Vehalomed (Working and Learning Youth) youth movement, to establish an urban kibbutz to work with the neighborhood's at-risk youth. That means that they provided housing and initial services for the program to get underway.
Kibbutz Tamuz in Beit Shemesh (a rapidly developing town near Jerusalem) is the oldest of the Urban Kibbutzim. We visited Kibbutz Tammuz when it was about five years old. We were very impressed with the warmth and dedication of those young people. They had received a building from Amidar that was pretty run down and renovated it themselves. It is a pleasure to present an idea to you of how far they've gotten since and how much they contribut to Beit Shemesh: http://tinyurl.com/ypxxg2
And now we get down to takhlis. K'vutzat Re'ut is located in the housing project Gilo Aleph in Jerusalem. It is one of two urban Kibbutzim in Jerusalem. One of the Urban Kibbutzim in Jerusalem is entirely religious. It is called Reishit (The First).
The population of Kvutzat Re'ut is mixed - more and less religiously observant. They run a number of projects of neighborhood aid. Additionally, they have a beit midrash and a pre-army leadership training program (a mekhina). My son visited K'vutzat Re'ut when he was doing his pre-army leadership training course at Meitzar. Meitzar took their students to K'vutzat Re'ut because their program is so very good. : Please see their web site: http://www.reut.org.il/
There are people that are considered "Friends of Urban Kibbutzim". While they are not members themselves, they support the programs and learn and work with the K'vutzot for the betterment of the environs.
I believe that the model of K'vutzat Re'ut would be perfect for Tzfat. K'vutzat Re'ut is all about Jewish learning and mutual tolerance. It is a model of cooperation. They go beyond mere toleration of varying viewpoints. They incorporate them into one beautiful, and very productive mosaic.
I find it odd that Tzfat with all of its problems has not extended a hand to the youth movements to set up an urban K'vutzah here. The City of Chaifa did. Why not Tzfat? We certainly have as many problems as does the city of Chaifa per capita and goodness knows there are neighborhoods in this town that would benefit greatly from the input of a bunch of idealistic, energetic, educated youngsters.
I urge you to consider the information on the links I've provided.
I have been in touch with the Kibbutz Movement about beginning an Urban K'vutzah here in Tzfat.
I was told that they are aware of the problems in Tzfat as they have received reports from the youth movements here.
They know very well that Tzfat is in dire need of one of those programs. They would very much like to begin a K'vutzah here.
The problems seems to be funding.
Perhaps if we, as a group of concerned citizens, turn to the City of Tzfat and to Amidar we can get the ball rolling.
Thank you for your consideration. The contribution that an Urban Kibbutz can make in the poor neighborhoods of Tzfat is inestimable. As they have found that the K'vutzot work best when they remain small, they tend to divide into two sister K'vutzot when they reach a certain size. We could have a K'vutzah in the Ofer Neighborhood, or thereabouts, and one in the poor areas of Cana'an.
The City of Tzfat can't be relied upon to initiate this. We have to nudge them.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
MUTUAL BANKING AND MUTUAL CREDIT
The descriptions of the Mutual Bank or Credit Union below are general.
They need to be tweaked to suit Jewish needs and this is a matter for Jews to sit down and discuss to decide how best this can be done.
As you can see, the idea is built upon the principle of free credit - and that is in line with Torah.
The system of banking that we have today in Israel is wholly corrupt. Every time we make use of a commercial bank in Israel we commit an avayrah. We are FORBIDDEN to earn interest on a loan to another Jews. PERIOD. No if. No ands. No buts. No "heterim". Gornisht.
To partake in and support institutions Jewish usury is not less an avayrah than any other. Any Rabbi who tells you otherwise is getting his salary to do so from the establishment. More about that establishment at the end of this post.
Today, most Jews in Israel outside of Me'ah She'arim have to do business with commercial banks. We can, we must, change that. ASAP.
It is incumbent upon us as Jews to establish Mutual Banks based on Mutual Credit. The residents of Me'ah She'arim have such a banking system. I am sure that they would be delighted to instruct us how to implement and run a bank like that.
The bank should be commonly run, should have wholly open books and there should be a Board of Governers who sit for a short period of time, who are elected by the community and are subject to immediate recall if they do not carry out their duties in accordance with Hilkhot Mamonot and common decency.
This system will eventually supplant gemachim. Although people who run gemachim can be very helpful in the establishment of such a Mutual Bank.
No one should have to borrow money from another person. We should all have what we need.
Let's get to the short overview then:
"Mutualists argue that free banking should be taken back by the people to establish systems of free credit. They contend that banks have a monopoly on credit, just as capitalists have a monopoly on land. Banks are essentially creating money by lending out deposits that do not actually belong to them, then charging interest on the difference. Mutualists argue that by establishing a democratically run mutual bank or credit union, it would be possible to issue free credit so that money could be created for the benefit of the participants rather than for the benefit of the bankers.
A credit union is a cooperative financial institution that is owned and controlled by its members. Credit unions differ from banks and other financial institutions in that the members who have accounts in the credit union are the owners of the credit union.
Credit union policies governing interest rates and other matters are set by a volunteer Board of Directors elected by and from the membership itself. Only a member of a credit union may deposit money with the credit union, or borrow money from it. As such, credit unions have historically marketed themselves as providing superior member service and being committed to helping members improve their financial health.
Credit unions may be viewed as non-profit organizations, or alternatively as for-profit enterprises charged with making a profit for their members (who receive any profits earned by the cooperative in the form of dividends paid on savings, which are taxed as ordinary income, or reduced interest rates on loans).
This debate reflects credit unions' unusual organizational structure, which attempts to solve the principal-agent problem by ensuring the owners and the users of the institution are the same people. In any case, credit unions generally cannot accept donations and must be able to prosper in a competitive market economy. "
My dear Brothers and Sisters: There is nothing more revolutionary than to be a true Jew. The heart and Soul of Judaism is revolt against corruption and the mechanisms that are generated from it.
From the day we were commanded to slaughter the sacred cows of Egypt, we were commanded to live a life of perpetual revolt against power of man over man and the idol worship that supports it.
When the State of Israel was declared the rich and politically powerful understood that if Judaism was given true expression that we would create a world-wide revolution.
They were right on correct about that.
So, all the forces of Hell were unleashed against us: they support the Arabs to keep us in a constant state of war; they fluoridate our water so that we will be debilitated; they bankroll an army of "Rabbis" to teach us that which is not Torah and keep us very busy with made-up things to do so that we will not remember the voice we heard in Egypt and at Har Sinai. They keep us in economic straits and worries, they keep us in thrall in a million different ways.
Why have they gone to all that trouble and expense. Because NO ONE is more dangerous to a corrupt system than a real Jew. Nothing works against a real Jew to get him or her to cooperate with corruption - not the carrot and not the stick.
And so, my dear Brothers and Sisters, despite all that has been set against us - real Jews we must be. A real Jewish society we must build. Real solidarity we must return to - the solidarity that we knew when we were a young people.
We have to return to a time when authority was invested in people only on the basis of the love and the wisdom they proved. We have to return to the time of the Judges - the time before a State and a government was set over us. The Judges were known by their communities intimately. Their every character trait was seen by all. If they were not immaculately honest and straight they would not have been respected. Their honor was their only source of power - and that is the only correct source of power.
Read the Book of Sh'mu'el. We were not meant to be ruled by flesh and blood!
Because our society is so sick our Judaism too is sick, paltry and in our hearts we know, sadly, largely contrived. We will only be able to find our way back to the true Torah as we institute mechanisms of righteousness.
Today we turn to HaShem in our poverty, in our fear, in our insecurity, with our broken hearts and broken spirits and broken bodies, after having been traumatized - and we fall victim to the "Rabbis" who are working for the rich and politically powerful to lead us astray.
Would that we would turn to HaShem in our strength and in our love and in our security! Would that we would turn to HaShem in celebration of the bounty we live in!
I saw on Kibbutz that when every material and social need is provided for still there is a feeling that something is lacking. I saw on totally secular Kibbutzim synagogues being built and b'tei midrash being put together and study groups forming.
When we have provided for one another's human needs, when we all live in abundance and in solidarity, when our consciences and our hands are clean and we all earn our livings in dignity and with honor THEN and only then will we be in a position to return to the true Torah.
It is so easy to begin. We form food co-ops and mutual aid projects. We form a mutual bank that provides mutual credit. Soon others will emulate us.
Tzfat is the perfect community to begin this in and the one that needs it the very most.
Let's begin NOW. For I tell you truly, it is we who must usher in the Messianic age.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
The descriptions of the Mutual Bank or Credit Union below are general.
They need to be tweaked to suit Jewish needs and this is a matter for Jews to sit down and discuss to decide how best this can be done.
As you can see, the idea is built upon the principle of free credit - and that is in line with Torah.
The system of banking that we have today in Israel is wholly corrupt. Every time we make use of a commercial bank in Israel we commit an avayrah. We are FORBIDDEN to earn interest on a loan to another Jews. PERIOD. No if. No ands. No buts. No "heterim". Gornisht.
To partake in and support institutions Jewish usury is not less an avayrah than any other. Any Rabbi who tells you otherwise is getting his salary to do so from the establishment. More about that establishment at the end of this post.
Today, most Jews in Israel outside of Me'ah She'arim have to do business with commercial banks. We can, we must, change that. ASAP.
It is incumbent upon us as Jews to establish Mutual Banks based on Mutual Credit. The residents of Me'ah She'arim have such a banking system. I am sure that they would be delighted to instruct us how to implement and run a bank like that.
The bank should be commonly run, should have wholly open books and there should be a Board of Governers who sit for a short period of time, who are elected by the community and are subject to immediate recall if they do not carry out their duties in accordance with Hilkhot Mamonot and common decency.
This system will eventually supplant gemachim. Although people who run gemachim can be very helpful in the establishment of such a Mutual Bank.
No one should have to borrow money from another person. We should all have what we need.
Let's get to the short overview then:
"Mutualists argue that free banking should be taken back by the people to establish systems of free credit. They contend that banks have a monopoly on credit, just as capitalists have a monopoly on land. Banks are essentially creating money by lending out deposits that do not actually belong to them, then charging interest on the difference. Mutualists argue that by establishing a democratically run mutual bank or credit union, it would be possible to issue free credit so that money could be created for the benefit of the participants rather than for the benefit of the bankers.
A credit union is a cooperative financial institution that is owned and controlled by its members. Credit unions differ from banks and other financial institutions in that the members who have accounts in the credit union are the owners of the credit union.
Credit union policies governing interest rates and other matters are set by a volunteer Board of Directors elected by and from the membership itself. Only a member of a credit union may deposit money with the credit union, or borrow money from it. As such, credit unions have historically marketed themselves as providing superior member service and being committed to helping members improve their financial health.
Credit unions may be viewed as non-profit organizations, or alternatively as for-profit enterprises charged with making a profit for their members (who receive any profits earned by the cooperative in the form of dividends paid on savings, which are taxed as ordinary income, or reduced interest rates on loans).
This debate reflects credit unions' unusual organizational structure, which attempts to solve the principal-agent problem by ensuring the owners and the users of the institution are the same people. In any case, credit unions generally cannot accept donations and must be able to prosper in a competitive market economy. "
My dear Brothers and Sisters: There is nothing more revolutionary than to be a true Jew. The heart and Soul of Judaism is revolt against corruption and the mechanisms that are generated from it.
From the day we were commanded to slaughter the sacred cows of Egypt, we were commanded to live a life of perpetual revolt against power of man over man and the idol worship that supports it.
When the State of Israel was declared the rich and politically powerful understood that if Judaism was given true expression that we would create a world-wide revolution.
They were right on correct about that.
So, all the forces of Hell were unleashed against us: they support the Arabs to keep us in a constant state of war; they fluoridate our water so that we will be debilitated; they bankroll an army of "Rabbis" to teach us that which is not Torah and keep us very busy with made-up things to do so that we will not remember the voice we heard in Egypt and at Har Sinai. They keep us in economic straits and worries, they keep us in thrall in a million different ways.
Why have they gone to all that trouble and expense. Because NO ONE is more dangerous to a corrupt system than a real Jew. Nothing works against a real Jew to get him or her to cooperate with corruption - not the carrot and not the stick.
And so, my dear Brothers and Sisters, despite all that has been set against us - real Jews we must be. A real Jewish society we must build. Real solidarity we must return to - the solidarity that we knew when we were a young people.
We have to return to a time when authority was invested in people only on the basis of the love and the wisdom they proved. We have to return to the time of the Judges - the time before a State and a government was set over us. The Judges were known by their communities intimately. Their every character trait was seen by all. If they were not immaculately honest and straight they would not have been respected. Their honor was their only source of power - and that is the only correct source of power.
Read the Book of Sh'mu'el. We were not meant to be ruled by flesh and blood!
Because our society is so sick our Judaism too is sick, paltry and in our hearts we know, sadly, largely contrived. We will only be able to find our way back to the true Torah as we institute mechanisms of righteousness.
Today we turn to HaShem in our poverty, in our fear, in our insecurity, with our broken hearts and broken spirits and broken bodies, after having been traumatized - and we fall victim to the "Rabbis" who are working for the rich and politically powerful to lead us astray.
Would that we would turn to HaShem in our strength and in our love and in our security! Would that we would turn to HaShem in celebration of the bounty we live in!
I saw on Kibbutz that when every material and social need is provided for still there is a feeling that something is lacking. I saw on totally secular Kibbutzim synagogues being built and b'tei midrash being put together and study groups forming.
When we have provided for one another's human needs, when we all live in abundance and in solidarity, when our consciences and our hands are clean and we all earn our livings in dignity and with honor THEN and only then will we be in a position to return to the true Torah.
It is so easy to begin. We form food co-ops and mutual aid projects. We form a mutual bank that provides mutual credit. Soon others will emulate us.
Tzfat is the perfect community to begin this in and the one that needs it the very most.
Let's begin NOW. For I tell you truly, it is we who must usher in the Messianic age.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
Monday, October 08, 2007
CO-OPS AND MUTUAL AID PROJECTS
Below you will find a link to a number of mutual aid projects that were undertaken in Ithaca, New York.
I am posting them here to give an idea of the kind of projects that a number of families in a community can undertake in order to make life more fun, more social, more economical, more efficient, to increase the number of services available in their communities and, most of all, to become more INDEPENDENT of elected officials by working together.
I cannot stress how detrimental the mentality of putting trust in politicians and government bodies to do for us that which we can do for ourselves is.
Politicians are parasites. They act at the behest of the rich, as is commonly known but also commonly accepted as a "fact of life". It need not be. They, like all parasites, weaken the host whose body they invade -in this case, the body of the citizenry. But the truth of the matter is, people abnegate their power and independence more than politicians arrogate them.
Where there are politicians there is no true democracy. There is only plutocracy. "Representative democracy" is not democracy at all. Only direct democracy, where people meet face-to-face and hammer out the issues that face all of us, eat out of a communal pot and whose destinies are tied one to the other is democracy that deserves the name. We are now living a farce – a very dangerous farce, a very dangerous self-delusion.
Of course, that abnegation is encouraged by politicians and people are made to feel weak and helpless. How many times and in how many ways, either directly or by implication, have you been called "weak" and "little" by politicians and by the press? Does the phrase "Joe Citizen" ring a bell and arouse a feeling of being put down? Those are psychological ploys designed to make you feel dependent and helpless. The message is ubiquitous and repetitive. But as Eleanor Roosevelt said: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." She also said: "If someone betrays you once, it's their fault; if they betray you twice, it's your fault." How many times have we been betrayed by politicians? Whose fault is it by this time?
There is power, and safety, in numbers. That is where co-ops and mutual aid programs come in.
People simply get together and, as a group on a rotating basis, supply one another with their everyday needs.
Vegetarian and health food co-ops are very popular, as I'm sure you know. People buy in bulk together, prepare the food together and dine together - all in a communal atmosphere of fun and conviviality.
But co-ops and mutual aid projects can do so much more than that.
A few ideas are to be found on the link below. They were undertaken in Itaca, New York; but with a little bit of tweaking they can be adapted to the needs of your community.
Most of all, co-ops and mutual aid programs will accustom people to working in solidarity one for all and all for one.
Those programmes confer a feeling of strength and mutual reliance without dependency.
They will wean the community from the unhealthy dependence upon politicians who, of every stripe and every party, have proven without exception that they cannot and will not improve matters.
We are responsible for one another. Only then can we flourish. Only then can we feel secure. Only then can we become fully adult and actualize our capacities. We become whole and independent individuals when we act with others in solidarity. We must be whole and strong in order to give and the giving makes us strong.
Please take a look at the programmes outlined on the link below.
One of them is not relevant to those who live in societies that have instituted socialized medicine. Most of the members on this list do not enjoy socialized medicine and the idea of a group working together to obtain insurance for all is a terrific one.
These programs should gradually supplant charities. In this way everyone is giving and everyone receiving. Living this way we all give and receive in dignity and in bounty.
Gradually, these programs will lead us in the direction of comprehensive mutual sufficiency that will phase out all need for politicians.
http://tinyurl.com/2xtwfj
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
Below you will find a link to a number of mutual aid projects that were undertaken in Ithaca, New York.
I am posting them here to give an idea of the kind of projects that a number of families in a community can undertake in order to make life more fun, more social, more economical, more efficient, to increase the number of services available in their communities and, most of all, to become more INDEPENDENT of elected officials by working together.
I cannot stress how detrimental the mentality of putting trust in politicians and government bodies to do for us that which we can do for ourselves is.
Politicians are parasites. They act at the behest of the rich, as is commonly known but also commonly accepted as a "fact of life". It need not be. They, like all parasites, weaken the host whose body they invade -in this case, the body of the citizenry. But the truth of the matter is, people abnegate their power and independence more than politicians arrogate them.
Where there are politicians there is no true democracy. There is only plutocracy. "Representative democracy" is not democracy at all. Only direct democracy, where people meet face-to-face and hammer out the issues that face all of us, eat out of a communal pot and whose destinies are tied one to the other is democracy that deserves the name. We are now living a farce – a very dangerous farce, a very dangerous self-delusion.
Of course, that abnegation is encouraged by politicians and people are made to feel weak and helpless. How many times and in how many ways, either directly or by implication, have you been called "weak" and "little" by politicians and by the press? Does the phrase "Joe Citizen" ring a bell and arouse a feeling of being put down? Those are psychological ploys designed to make you feel dependent and helpless. The message is ubiquitous and repetitive. But as Eleanor Roosevelt said: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." She also said: "If someone betrays you once, it's their fault; if they betray you twice, it's your fault." How many times have we been betrayed by politicians? Whose fault is it by this time?
There is power, and safety, in numbers. That is where co-ops and mutual aid programs come in.
People simply get together and, as a group on a rotating basis, supply one another with their everyday needs.
Vegetarian and health food co-ops are very popular, as I'm sure you know. People buy in bulk together, prepare the food together and dine together - all in a communal atmosphere of fun and conviviality.
But co-ops and mutual aid projects can do so much more than that.
A few ideas are to be found on the link below. They were undertaken in Itaca, New York; but with a little bit of tweaking they can be adapted to the needs of your community.
Most of all, co-ops and mutual aid programs will accustom people to working in solidarity one for all and all for one.
Those programmes confer a feeling of strength and mutual reliance without dependency.
They will wean the community from the unhealthy dependence upon politicians who, of every stripe and every party, have proven without exception that they cannot and will not improve matters.
We are responsible for one another. Only then can we flourish. Only then can we feel secure. Only then can we become fully adult and actualize our capacities. We become whole and independent individuals when we act with others in solidarity. We must be whole and strong in order to give and the giving makes us strong.
Please take a look at the programmes outlined on the link below.
One of them is not relevant to those who live in societies that have instituted socialized medicine. Most of the members on this list do not enjoy socialized medicine and the idea of a group working together to obtain insurance for all is a terrific one.
These programs should gradually supplant charities. In this way everyone is giving and everyone receiving. Living this way we all give and receive in dignity and in bounty.
Gradually, these programs will lead us in the direction of comprehensive mutual sufficiency that will phase out all need for politicians.
http://tinyurl.com/2xtwfj
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
Friday, October 05, 2007
SPECIAL POST
GROSS IRREGULARITIES IN THE TZFAT MUNICIPALITY DURING THE WAR WITH LEBANON
It's high time that this was made widely known outside Israel. I am ashamed of myself for having hesitated to broadcast this information earlier. My son was in the army and I was constrained to keep my silence.
Now that he has been released from the army, I searched for, and found, the message below, addressed to a cousin, in which I described the rip off on the part of the Municipal workers of Tzfat (Safed) during the Lebanon war last summer.
I'm making up for that mistake now and will make this known outside Israel because NO ONE HAS BEEN PROSECUTED OR EVEN CENSURED even though it is known exactly who the perpetrators are and a report, including the personal reports of those who suffered during the war as a result of what you will read below, was served to the State Ombudsman.
The workers at the Tzfat Municipality continue to work (usually until about 13:00 - that's supposed to be full-time) with the same sense of security, entitlement and lavishing "extras" on themselves that they did before the war in Lebanon - even as the City of Tzfat is on the verge of economic collapse and a programme of financial "recovery" so draconian is being discussed that we may not have lights in the streets at night or regular garbage removal.
Getting back to what happened during the war with Lebanon last summer:
1) 1000 of the 5000 meals that were donated by a charity went unaccounted for every day. The worker at the Municipality who was in charge of distribution told local reporters that he was told to put the 1000 meals aside daily and to leave no written record as to having received them.
2) A truck load full of air conditioners that were donated for the poorly-ventilated, sweltering bomb shelters vanished into, well, thin air.
3) Ditto for the TVs that were donated. In contradistinction, the workers of the Municipality (that is, the 17 out of 350 who didn't desert the city entirely) arranged deluxe, "VIP" shelters for themselves, replete with color TV, A/C and Internet.
4) The free days in hotels, including free meals, that were donated by the hotels themselves and were specifically designated for the infirm and elderly first and foremost were, instead, used by workers in the Municipality. As the result of not getting one of those rooms, one woman whose 8-year-old handicapped, wheelchair-bound daughter, who must be kept in sterile conditions, contracted an infection and had to be hospitalized. Some relative of some worker of the City got the room that little girl should have had. No matter, eventually she got a nice room - in the hospital.
5) A huge number of disposable diapers that was donated likewise disappeared. What the hell can someone do with tons of nappies???
As a result of most of the Municipality workers running for the own lives and leaving us here to die, the army sent in a regiment of reserve soldiers to run the city. They did an exemplary job of handling the exigencies, but the danger of the precedent of being deserted by the democratically-elected government of the city and being governed almost entirely by high-ranking officers in the army need not be elaborated upon.
I am LIVID. I am also mobilized and galvanized to speak up about this.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS SINCE I FIRST DISSEMINATED THIS:
I received the e-mail message below from a member of the Tzfat Municipality. As the English is so poor, I thought it was spam and almost deleted it. Just as I was about to, I realized the name was vaguely familiar.
I opened it and found the following message, which, I have checked with a lawyer to make sure that I can repost it. I am fully within my legal rights to do so.
This is the content of the message:
Subject: "EVEN DO U R PROBABLY RIGHT
HI DOREEN I HAVE BEEN READING U R ARTICLE ABOUT THE THEFT DURING THE WAR AND EVEN DO U R PROBABLY RIGHT THAT THIS MAYOR AND WORKERS R CORRUPT U R EFFECTING OUR FUTURE REHABILITATION OF THE CITY I ASK U TO CONSIDER TAKING DOWN THE ARTICLE"
I fail to see entirely how keeping this information quiet will positively affect the "rehabilitation of the city".
I am of the opinion that the only thing that will rehabilitate the city is the prosecution of all those who were involved, and a complete revamping of the Municipality and how the city is run.
At this juncture, I will keep the name of the member of the Municipality to myself. However, during the course of the upcoming campaign; I may decide to publish the letter, with the name, including a translation.
If this person decides to run for Mayor of Tzfat, or openly supports a candidate; I will publish this letter with his name asking why this person is defending people who left residents of Tzfat for dead during the war.
Someone on the Tzfat Yahoo! list described me as "incorruptible". Evidently, the person who wrote that e-mail to me does not know the meaning of the word 'incorruptible' in English, or is so deep into politics that he has no concept what the meaning is at all.
But I am incorruptible and I'm going to keep on keeping on with this campaign to bring the events of last summer in Tzfat to international light.
Instead of taking his suggestion, I sent the text of "Dirty, Stinking, Tzfat Laundry" to every related charity organization, major Jewish newspaper in the US, Europe and elsewhere as well as to major news services internationally - mentioning the fact that I had been contacted by a member of the Tzfat Municipality who thinks that I should be quiet about having been left to die in order to rehabilitate the city.
If you can read Hebrew, read the synopsis of the recent State Comptroller's recent report here: http://tinyurl.com/2gzjll
If you cannot read it, it says that about a BILLION shekels in donations were received by the Northern part of Israel during the war with Lebanon last summer.
A large part of that did not go toward the intended purposes.
Let that sink in, a billion shekels is largely unaccounted for, while people were left TO DIE, abandoned by the Tzfat Municipality, except for 17 members (out of 350). My husband and I are two of those people.
Meanwhile, the city of Tzfat is in such economic straits that the education budget has been cut to the bone, our street lights will be turned off after 1:00; garbage collection will be reduced; social services have been drastically reduced; the cultural centers, which house the libraries, are closed...
I am making an international issue of this for the sake of justice and justice alone. Those who know me know I have no political or personal ambitions.
My only interest is that the perpetrators are brought to justice and that the money supply that keeps this corruption going is dried up.
I ask you to contribute to the betterment of Tzfat. I ask you to notify all of your loved ones and friends about what transpired here. Tell them to make the issue known in their local newspapers, other media, synagogues and communities.
As you can see from the response of this politician, politicians react to exposure. They don't like it. It is our most effective tool in the fight against corruption. Put the spotlight on them. Do not be afraid of them. Make them afraid of you. Politicians are very afraid of the truth coming to light. Let this ugly, ugly truth come to light.
There may be another war coming and it is expected, if it does occur, to be far worse than the last. If you do nothing to insure your safety, you can expect, without a shadow of a doubt, to be abandoned and stolen from again in the event of war.
If they get away with it once, they will be even more brazen next time.
We must make an international issue of this. By now, the report of the State Comptroller has most certainly been handed over to the Office of the Prime Minister. The State Comptroller can not do anything personally. All he or she can do is report the facts and known and recommend action. Nothing has been done inside Israel – and nothing will.
We must, MUST, take this story to the world - it is a story so shocking that it will make international waves if it is known.
Don't let the politicians fool you. This is the only way to rehabilitate the city.
Don't let there be a next time. Your life and the lives of your loved ones depend on the actions you take now. Believe it. The Municipality of Tzfat and the complicity of the national government have already proven that. We can only depend upon ourselves. No one else cares.
I have contacted many Jewish organizations, charities, synagogues and newspapers. I would appreciate the names of any that you think may have donated to Israel during the war or that may need to know this story.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
GROSS IRREGULARITIES IN THE TZFAT MUNICIPALITY DURING THE WAR WITH LEBANON
It's high time that this was made widely known outside Israel. I am ashamed of myself for having hesitated to broadcast this information earlier. My son was in the army and I was constrained to keep my silence.
Now that he has been released from the army, I searched for, and found, the message below, addressed to a cousin, in which I described the rip off on the part of the Municipal workers of Tzfat (Safed) during the Lebanon war last summer.
I'm making up for that mistake now and will make this known outside Israel because NO ONE HAS BEEN PROSECUTED OR EVEN CENSURED even though it is known exactly who the perpetrators are and a report, including the personal reports of those who suffered during the war as a result of what you will read below, was served to the State Ombudsman.
The workers at the Tzfat Municipality continue to work (usually until about 13:00 - that's supposed to be full-time) with the same sense of security, entitlement and lavishing "extras" on themselves that they did before the war in Lebanon - even as the City of Tzfat is on the verge of economic collapse and a programme of financial "recovery" so draconian is being discussed that we may not have lights in the streets at night or regular garbage removal.
Getting back to what happened during the war with Lebanon last summer:
1) 1000 of the 5000 meals that were donated by a charity went unaccounted for every day. The worker at the Municipality who was in charge of distribution told local reporters that he was told to put the 1000 meals aside daily and to leave no written record as to having received them.
2) A truck load full of air conditioners that were donated for the poorly-ventilated, sweltering bomb shelters vanished into, well, thin air.
3) Ditto for the TVs that were donated. In contradistinction, the workers of the Municipality (that is, the 17 out of 350 who didn't desert the city entirely) arranged deluxe, "VIP" shelters for themselves, replete with color TV, A/C and Internet.
4) The free days in hotels, including free meals, that were donated by the hotels themselves and were specifically designated for the infirm and elderly first and foremost were, instead, used by workers in the Municipality. As the result of not getting one of those rooms, one woman whose 8-year-old handicapped, wheelchair-bound daughter, who must be kept in sterile conditions, contracted an infection and had to be hospitalized. Some relative of some worker of the City got the room that little girl should have had. No matter, eventually she got a nice room - in the hospital.
5) A huge number of disposable diapers that was donated likewise disappeared. What the hell can someone do with tons of nappies???
As a result of most of the Municipality workers running for the own lives and leaving us here to die, the army sent in a regiment of reserve soldiers to run the city. They did an exemplary job of handling the exigencies, but the danger of the precedent of being deserted by the democratically-elected government of the city and being governed almost entirely by high-ranking officers in the army need not be elaborated upon.
I am LIVID. I am also mobilized and galvanized to speak up about this.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS SINCE I FIRST DISSEMINATED THIS:
I received the e-mail message below from a member of the Tzfat Municipality. As the English is so poor, I thought it was spam and almost deleted it. Just as I was about to, I realized the name was vaguely familiar.
I opened it and found the following message, which, I have checked with a lawyer to make sure that I can repost it. I am fully within my legal rights to do so.
This is the content of the message:
Subject: "EVEN DO U R PROBABLY RIGHT
HI DOREEN I HAVE BEEN READING U R ARTICLE ABOUT THE THEFT DURING THE WAR AND EVEN DO U R PROBABLY RIGHT THAT THIS MAYOR AND WORKERS R CORRUPT U R EFFECTING OUR FUTURE REHABILITATION OF THE CITY I ASK U TO CONSIDER TAKING DOWN THE ARTICLE"
I fail to see entirely how keeping this information quiet will positively affect the "rehabilitation of the city".
I am of the opinion that the only thing that will rehabilitate the city is the prosecution of all those who were involved, and a complete revamping of the Municipality and how the city is run.
At this juncture, I will keep the name of the member of the Municipality to myself. However, during the course of the upcoming campaign; I may decide to publish the letter, with the name, including a translation.
If this person decides to run for Mayor of Tzfat, or openly supports a candidate; I will publish this letter with his name asking why this person is defending people who left residents of Tzfat for dead during the war.
Someone on the Tzfat Yahoo! list described me as "incorruptible". Evidently, the person who wrote that e-mail to me does not know the meaning of the word 'incorruptible' in English, or is so deep into politics that he has no concept what the meaning is at all.
But I am incorruptible and I'm going to keep on keeping on with this campaign to bring the events of last summer in Tzfat to international light.
Instead of taking his suggestion, I sent the text of "Dirty, Stinking, Tzfat Laundry" to every related charity organization, major Jewish newspaper in the US, Europe and elsewhere as well as to major news services internationally - mentioning the fact that I had been contacted by a member of the Tzfat Municipality who thinks that I should be quiet about having been left to die in order to rehabilitate the city.
If you can read Hebrew, read the synopsis of the recent State Comptroller's recent report here: http://tinyurl.com/2gzjll
If you cannot read it, it says that about a BILLION shekels in donations were received by the Northern part of Israel during the war with Lebanon last summer.
A large part of that did not go toward the intended purposes.
Let that sink in, a billion shekels is largely unaccounted for, while people were left TO DIE, abandoned by the Tzfat Municipality, except for 17 members (out of 350). My husband and I are two of those people.
Meanwhile, the city of Tzfat is in such economic straits that the education budget has been cut to the bone, our street lights will be turned off after 1:00; garbage collection will be reduced; social services have been drastically reduced; the cultural centers, which house the libraries, are closed...
I am making an international issue of this for the sake of justice and justice alone. Those who know me know I have no political or personal ambitions.
My only interest is that the perpetrators are brought to justice and that the money supply that keeps this corruption going is dried up.
I ask you to contribute to the betterment of Tzfat. I ask you to notify all of your loved ones and friends about what transpired here. Tell them to make the issue known in their local newspapers, other media, synagogues and communities.
As you can see from the response of this politician, politicians react to exposure. They don't like it. It is our most effective tool in the fight against corruption. Put the spotlight on them. Do not be afraid of them. Make them afraid of you. Politicians are very afraid of the truth coming to light. Let this ugly, ugly truth come to light.
There may be another war coming and it is expected, if it does occur, to be far worse than the last. If you do nothing to insure your safety, you can expect, without a shadow of a doubt, to be abandoned and stolen from again in the event of war.
If they get away with it once, they will be even more brazen next time.
We must make an international issue of this. By now, the report of the State Comptroller has most certainly been handed over to the Office of the Prime Minister. The State Comptroller can not do anything personally. All he or she can do is report the facts and known and recommend action. Nothing has been done inside Israel – and nothing will.
We must, MUST, take this story to the world - it is a story so shocking that it will make international waves if it is known.
Don't let the politicians fool you. This is the only way to rehabilitate the city.
Don't let there be a next time. Your life and the lives of your loved ones depend on the actions you take now. Believe it. The Municipality of Tzfat and the complicity of the national government have already proven that. We can only depend upon ourselves. No one else cares.
I have contacted many Jewish organizations, charities, synagogues and newspapers. I would appreciate the names of any that you think may have donated to Israel during the war or that may need to know this story.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
If you can read Hebrew, read this:
דו"ח המבקר: לאן הלכו התרומות לצפון
כמיליארד שקל הועברו כתרומות ליישובי הצפון במהלך מלחמת לבנון השנייה - אך מדו"ח המבקר עולה כי לעתים התרומות לא שימשו כלל למטרות הקשורות למערכה. למה כן
Source: http://tinyurl.com/yvceqd
About a billion, a BILLION, shekels in donations went to the North during the war, much of it was not used for what it was intended for WHILE THEY LEFT US TO DIE.
Where is it???
Why is the city in such desperate economic straits???
WAKE UP, TZFAT, WAKE UP!!!
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
דו"ח המבקר: לאן הלכו התרומות לצפון
כמיליארד שקל הועברו כתרומות ליישובי הצפון במהלך מלחמת לבנון השנייה - אך מדו"ח המבקר עולה כי לעתים התרומות לא שימשו כלל למטרות הקשורות למערכה. למה כן
Source: http://tinyurl.com/yvceqd
About a billion, a BILLION, shekels in donations went to the North during the war, much of it was not used for what it was intended for WHILE THEY LEFT US TO DIE.
Where is it???
Why is the city in such desperate economic straits???
WAKE UP, TZFAT, WAKE UP!!!
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
DIRTY, FILTHY, STINKING TZFAT, ISRAEL LAUNDRY
It's high time that this was made widely known outside Israel. I am ashamed of myself for having hesitated to broadcast this information earlier. My son was in the army and I was constrained to keep my silence.
Now that he has been released from the army, I searched for, and found, the message below, addressed to a cousin, in which I described the rip off on the part of the Municipal workers of Tzfat (Safed) during the Lebanon war last summer.
I'm making up for that mistake now and will make this known outside Israel because NO ONE HAS BEEN PROSECUTED OR EVEN CENSURED even though it is known exactly who the perpetrators are and a report, including the personal reports of those who suffered during the war as a result of what you will read below, was served to the State Ombudsman.
The workers at the Tzfat Municipality continue to work (usually until about 13:00 - that's supposed to be full-time) with the same sense of security, entitlement and lavishing "extras" on themselves that they did before the war in Lebanon - even as the City of Tzfat is on the verge of economic collapse and a programme of financial "recovery" so draconian is being discussed that we may not have lights in the streets at night or regular garbage removal.
Getting back to what happened during the war with Lebanon last summer:
1) 1000 of the 5000 meals that were donated by a charity went unaccounted for every day. The worker at the Municipality who was in charge of distribution told local reporters that he was told to put the 1000 meals aside daily and to leave no written record as to having received them.
2) A truck load full of air conditioners that were donated for the poorly-ventilated, sweltering bomb shelters vanished into, well, thin air.
3) Ditto for the TVs that were donated. In contradistinction, the workers of the Municipality (that is, the 17 out of 350 who didn't desert the city entirely) arranged deluxe, "VIP" shelters for themselves, replete with color TV, A/C and Internet.
4) The free days in hotels, including free meals, that were donated by the hotels themselves and were specifically designated for the infirm and elderly first and foremost were, instead, used by workers in the Municipality. As the result of not getting one of those rooms, one woman whose 8-year-old handicapped, wheelchair-bound daughter, who must be kept in sterile conditions, contracted an infection and had to be hospitalized. Some relative of some worker of the City got the room that little girl should have had. No matter, eventually she got a nice room - in the hospital.
5) A huge number of disposable diapers that was donated likewise disappeared. What the hell can someone do with tons of nappies???
As a result of most of the Municipality workers running for the own lives and leaving us here to die, the army sent in a regiment of reserve soldiers to run the city. They did an exemplary job of handling the exigencies, but the danger of the precedent of being deserted by the democratically-elected government of the city and being governed almost entirely by high-ranking officers in the army need not be elaborated upon.
I am LIVID. I am also mobilized and galvanized to speak up about this.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS SINCE DISSEMINATING THIS:
I received the e-mail message below from a member of the Tzfat Municipality. As the English is so poor, I thought it was spam and almost deleted it. Just as I was about to, I realized the name was vaguely familiar.
I opened it and found the following message, which, I have checked with a lawyer to make sure that I can repost it. I am fully within my legal rights to do so.
This is the content of the message:
Subject: "EVEN DO U R PROBABLY RIGHT
HI DOREEN I HAVE BEEN READING U R ARTICLE ABOUT THE THEFT DURING THE WAR AND EVEN DO U R PROBABLY RIGHT THAT THIS MAYOR AND WORKERS R CORRUPT U R EFFECTING OUR FUTURE REHABILITATION OF THE CITY I ASK U TO CONSIDER TAKING DOWN THE ARTICLE"
I fail to see entirely how keeping this information quiet will positively affect the "rehabilitation of the city".
I am of the opinion that the only thing that will rehabilitate the city is the prosecution of all those who were involved, and a complete revamping of the Municipality and how the city is run.
At this juncture, I will keep the name of the member of the Municipality to myself. However, during the course of the upcoming campaign; I may decide to publish the letter, with the name, including a translation.
If this person decides to run for Mayor of Tzfat, or openly supports a candidate; I will publish this letter with his name asking why this person is defending people who left residents of Tzfat for dead during the war.
Someone on this list described me as "incorruptible". Evidently, the person who wrote that e-mail to me does not know the meaning of the word 'incorruptible' in English, or is so deep into politics that he has no concept what the meaning is at all.
But I am incorruptible and I'm going to keep on keeping on with this campaign to bring the events of last summer in Tzfat to international light.
Instead of taking his suggestion, I sent the text of "Dirty, Stinking, Tzfat Laundry" to every related charity organization, major Jewish newspaper in the US, Europe and elsewhere as well as to major news services internationally - mentioning the fact that I had been contacted by a member of the Tzfat Municipality who thinks that I should be quiet about having been left to die in order to rehabilitate the city.
You all know that I care nothing for politics and am not doing this in order to gain political capital for myself.
I am making an international issue of this for the sake of justice and justice alone.
I ask you to contribute to the betterment of Tzfat. I ask you to notify all of your loved ones and friends about what transpired here. Tell them to make the issue known in their local newspapers, other media, synagogues and communities.
As you can see from the response of this politician, politicians react to exposure. They don't like it. It is our most effective tool in the fight against corruption. Put the spotlight on them. Do not be afraid of them. Make them afraid of you. Politicians are very afraid of the truth coming to light. Let this ugly, ugly truth come to light.
There may be another war coming and it is expected, if it does occur, to be far worse than the last. If you do nothing to insure your safety, you can expect, without a shadow of a doubt, to be abandoned and stolen from again in the event of war.
If they get away with it once, they will be even more brazen next time.
We must make an international issue of this. By now, the report of the State Comptroller has most certainly been handed over to the Office of the Prime Minister. The State Comptroller can not do anything personally. All he or she can do is report the facts and known and recommend action. Nothing has been done inside Israel – and nothing will.
We must, MUST, take this story to the world - it is a story so shocking that it will make international waves if it is known.
Don't let the politicians fool you. This is the only way to rehabilitate the city.
Don't let there be a next time. Your life and the lives of your loved ones depend on the actions you take now. Believe it. The Municipality of Tzfat and the complicity of the national government have already proven that. We can only depend upon ourselves. No one else cares.
Mo'adim L'Simcha (Happy Holidays),
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
It's high time that this was made widely known outside Israel. I am ashamed of myself for having hesitated to broadcast this information earlier. My son was in the army and I was constrained to keep my silence.
Now that he has been released from the army, I searched for, and found, the message below, addressed to a cousin, in which I described the rip off on the part of the Municipal workers of Tzfat (Safed) during the Lebanon war last summer.
I'm making up for that mistake now and will make this known outside Israel because NO ONE HAS BEEN PROSECUTED OR EVEN CENSURED even though it is known exactly who the perpetrators are and a report, including the personal reports of those who suffered during the war as a result of what you will read below, was served to the State Ombudsman.
The workers at the Tzfat Municipality continue to work (usually until about 13:00 - that's supposed to be full-time) with the same sense of security, entitlement and lavishing "extras" on themselves that they did before the war in Lebanon - even as the City of Tzfat is on the verge of economic collapse and a programme of financial "recovery" so draconian is being discussed that we may not have lights in the streets at night or regular garbage removal.
Getting back to what happened during the war with Lebanon last summer:
1) 1000 of the 5000 meals that were donated by a charity went unaccounted for every day. The worker at the Municipality who was in charge of distribution told local reporters that he was told to put the 1000 meals aside daily and to leave no written record as to having received them.
2) A truck load full of air conditioners that were donated for the poorly-ventilated, sweltering bomb shelters vanished into, well, thin air.
3) Ditto for the TVs that were donated. In contradistinction, the workers of the Municipality (that is, the 17 out of 350 who didn't desert the city entirely) arranged deluxe, "VIP" shelters for themselves, replete with color TV, A/C and Internet.
4) The free days in hotels, including free meals, that were donated by the hotels themselves and were specifically designated for the infirm and elderly first and foremost were, instead, used by workers in the Municipality. As the result of not getting one of those rooms, one woman whose 8-year-old handicapped, wheelchair-bound daughter, who must be kept in sterile conditions, contracted an infection and had to be hospitalized. Some relative of some worker of the City got the room that little girl should have had. No matter, eventually she got a nice room - in the hospital.
5) A huge number of disposable diapers that was donated likewise disappeared. What the hell can someone do with tons of nappies???
As a result of most of the Municipality workers running for the own lives and leaving us here to die, the army sent in a regiment of reserve soldiers to run the city. They did an exemplary job of handling the exigencies, but the danger of the precedent of being deserted by the democratically-elected government of the city and being governed almost entirely by high-ranking officers in the army need not be elaborated upon.
I am LIVID. I am also mobilized and galvanized to speak up about this.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS SINCE DISSEMINATING THIS:
I received the e-mail message below from a member of the Tzfat Municipality. As the English is so poor, I thought it was spam and almost deleted it. Just as I was about to, I realized the name was vaguely familiar.
I opened it and found the following message, which, I have checked with a lawyer to make sure that I can repost it. I am fully within my legal rights to do so.
This is the content of the message:
Subject: "EVEN DO U R PROBABLY RIGHT
HI DOREEN I HAVE BEEN READING U R ARTICLE ABOUT THE THEFT DURING THE WAR AND EVEN DO U R PROBABLY RIGHT THAT THIS MAYOR AND WORKERS R CORRUPT U R EFFECTING OUR FUTURE REHABILITATION OF THE CITY I ASK U TO CONSIDER TAKING DOWN THE ARTICLE"
I fail to see entirely how keeping this information quiet will positively affect the "rehabilitation of the city".
I am of the opinion that the only thing that will rehabilitate the city is the prosecution of all those who were involved, and a complete revamping of the Municipality and how the city is run.
At this juncture, I will keep the name of the member of the Municipality to myself. However, during the course of the upcoming campaign; I may decide to publish the letter, with the name, including a translation.
If this person decides to run for Mayor of Tzfat, or openly supports a candidate; I will publish this letter with his name asking why this person is defending people who left residents of Tzfat for dead during the war.
Someone on this list described me as "incorruptible". Evidently, the person who wrote that e-mail to me does not know the meaning of the word 'incorruptible' in English, or is so deep into politics that he has no concept what the meaning is at all.
But I am incorruptible and I'm going to keep on keeping on with this campaign to bring the events of last summer in Tzfat to international light.
Instead of taking his suggestion, I sent the text of "Dirty, Stinking, Tzfat Laundry" to every related charity organization, major Jewish newspaper in the US, Europe and elsewhere as well as to major news services internationally - mentioning the fact that I had been contacted by a member of the Tzfat Municipality who thinks that I should be quiet about having been left to die in order to rehabilitate the city.
You all know that I care nothing for politics and am not doing this in order to gain political capital for myself.
I am making an international issue of this for the sake of justice and justice alone.
I ask you to contribute to the betterment of Tzfat. I ask you to notify all of your loved ones and friends about what transpired here. Tell them to make the issue known in their local newspapers, other media, synagogues and communities.
As you can see from the response of this politician, politicians react to exposure. They don't like it. It is our most effective tool in the fight against corruption. Put the spotlight on them. Do not be afraid of them. Make them afraid of you. Politicians are very afraid of the truth coming to light. Let this ugly, ugly truth come to light.
There may be another war coming and it is expected, if it does occur, to be far worse than the last. If you do nothing to insure your safety, you can expect, without a shadow of a doubt, to be abandoned and stolen from again in the event of war.
If they get away with it once, they will be even more brazen next time.
We must make an international issue of this. By now, the report of the State Comptroller has most certainly been handed over to the Office of the Prime Minister. The State Comptroller can not do anything personally. All he or she can do is report the facts and known and recommend action. Nothing has been done inside Israel – and nothing will.
We must, MUST, take this story to the world - it is a story so shocking that it will make international waves if it is known.
Don't let the politicians fool you. This is the only way to rehabilitate the city.
Don't let there be a next time. Your life and the lives of your loved ones depend on the actions you take now. Believe it. The Municipality of Tzfat and the complicity of the national government have already proven that. We can only depend upon ourselves. No one else cares.
Mo'adim L'Simcha (Happy Holidays),
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
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Lies the Rabbis Told and Tell Us http://www.geocities.com/dordot2001/LiesRabbisTell.htm Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel DoreenDotan@g...
