Jewish Bikers from around the world are here in Israel.
They shipped their motorcycles, and came to tour Israel.
They will ride around the country in a landmark ride to commemorate the Holocaust, celebrate Israel's 60th anniversary and express support for the Jewish homeland. The idea for this trip was dreamt up at a Ride to Remember (R2R) in 2005, when members of various worldwide Jewish motorcycle clubs rode to the grand opening of the Holocaust museum in Washington DC.
Since that ride, the R2R has become an annual event that takes riders to various landmarks around the US to commemorate and educate about the Holocaust, and represent the Jewish people as free and strong.
As part of their tour, Jewish Bikers visited the Latrun Armor Corps Museum on Israel's Memorial Day.
Israeli Bikers joined the tour as well. Being motorcycle addict, I just had to be there.
My friend and I met up with the convoy of Harleys, Hondas, Yamahas and others, on the Highway and rode to Latrun. At the Armor Corps Museum there are tanks , antique and modern weapons, and every armored and tracked vehicle ever used by the IDF on display. We were given the VIP treatment with our very own IDF Armor Corps tour guides.
We got to see, and touch all of the equipment from huge Merkava tanks to various small arms. I even got to check out the new RPG7.
Tanks on display
Wall of heroes More tanks Parade gorund and wall of names where we participated in the Memorial day ceremonies.
The air-raid siren's blare last night at 8:00 PM found me as I was driving home on the mountain roads of the Shomron.
I pulled over to the side of the road, turned on the car's hazard lights, got out and stood next to my car under the dark sky. Other cars also stopped, their driver's got out, and we stood silently listening to the siren.
So what do you think about during the siren? Once upon a time, I used to recite Psalms to myself to honor the memory of the IDF soldiers who fell defending Israel. Yet the one minute siren is so short, many more thoughts last night reverberated in my head. More Here, Hattip Jameel.
Are you planning to visit Israel? Are any of your friends? Caliber 3 Shooting Range has opened up their training services to the general public.
They are offering a special 2 hour package for tourists visiting Israel (and Israeli civilians).
The package includes a briefing of the security situation Israelis face, examples of different anti-Terrorist techniques, and of course the fun part - Shooting pistols and rifles.
The program is open to individuals, groups, and families. You can see from the photos on their site that everyone is having a great time.
Of course they’re having a great time. They're shooting M-16A1s and Glock pistols!
Take a look at their website and learn first hand what it is like to protect an Israeli settlement and fight a terrorist.
Approximately 150 paratroopers from armies from around the world arrived this past weekend in Israel, to participate the parachuting exhibition with the IDF.
The visiting paratroopers include delegations from the American, English, Singaporean and South African armies. The paratroopers are being hosted at the IDFs paratrooper school.
Here in Israel, every privately owned firearm is registered to a single owner. Every carry permit holder is required to qualify at the range in order to renew the permit on the weapon.
My permit expires in June, so instead of relying on the local militia for ammunition and training, I went to the local range.
I took my 15 year old son along figuring it had been way too long since I had taken him shooting.
The guy that runs the place knows me, and the range instructor has seen me around, so instead of putting me through the standard permit renewal stuff, he just went over the safety basics and went to the back of the room.
I went through safety rules with my son, the correct way to check a weapon, how to draw cock and shoot, maintain eye contact with the target, change magazines, and how to doubletapp.
At this point the range instructor left the room, figuring that we knew what we were doing.
My son, who started shooting at the age of 7, is a confident and extremely proficient shooter.
I let him do most of the shooting, just enjoying the "quality time" and basking in pride at what a man he is becoming.
After over 6 years of daily carry while, riding through rain, sleet and hail on my Yamaha 660, off-roading, landscaping and military maneuvers, my Glock 17 and the 3 magazines (a 17 round, and 2 33 round Glock originals) preformed flawlessly. No jams, no miss-feeds, no stovepipes, no nothing!
We spent over an hour shooting. My son was doubletapping the heads of the silhouette targets, and changing magazines with ease by the time we were through.
The sirens wailed for two minutes, the entire country came to a standstill. Cars stopped in the middle of the road, people stood, and took time to remember the martyrs and heroes.
Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Day was set to mark the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising and has been traditionally commemorated around the world.
The Tenth of Tevet, (this year January 6) was set by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel as the day for the recital of the Kaddish prayer for those murdered during the Holocaust whose date of death is not known.
My friend JoeSettler commented that some people shouldn't own guns.
I own a gun, and have always had guns.
Mrs. DoubleTapper has a Glock 26.
Almost all of my friends and neighbors have guns.
The Government here in Israel requires that all guns be licensed, that every permit holder be 21 years old, and certified by a doctor that they are healthy, both physically and mentally. In addition no felons can be licensed to carry guns.
So now you have the government telling an elderly person with a debilitating illness that they have to sell their handgun and are no longer allowed to have a firearm for protection. And Servicemen and students from the ages of 18-21 can't own firearms either. They can do military service and be issued weapons by the IDF, but can't purchase a pistol.
In the USA no felon or mentally ill person can legally own a firearm. But there's no law on the elderly, or the physically weak/sick.
Tuvia Bielski was born in Stankiewicze, in western Belorussia in 1906. When Germany invaded Russia in June of 1941, Tuvia and his younger brother Zus vowed never to be caught by the Germans. Tuvia’s extensive knowledge of the area saved his life, allowing him to move around frequently to avoid being captured by the Germans, who had a warrant for his arrest.In early 1942, Tuvia began hearing rumors about partisans, and decided that if he and his fellow Jews were to survive, he must acquire arms and organize all-Jewish resistance groups. Along with two of his brothers, Zus, and Asael, Tuvia (see below) began organizing Jews.
By May of 1942, Tuvia was in command of a small group, which by the end of the war had grown to 1200 people, and was known as the Bielski otriad. Tuvia had focused on saving as many Jews as possible, and would accept any Jew into his group. Many came through the family of Konstantin Kozlovski, a non-Jew, who provided shelter for Jews escaping from the Novogrudok Ghetto and worked with the partisans to free hundreds of Jews from the ghetto.
The Bielski otriad carried out food raids, killed German collaborators, and sometimes joined with a Russian partisan group in anti-Nazi missions, such as burning the ripe wheat crop so the German soldiers couldn’t collect and eat the wheat. Additionally, the Bielski otriad would seek out Jews in the ghetto willing to risk escape to the forest, and send in guides to help them.
By the summer of 1943, Tuvia was the leader of 700 people. In the Nalibocka forest, Tuvia set up a functioning community, with everyone working to support the community in a variety of ways. There was a hospital, classrooms for the children, a soap factory, a Turkish bath, tailors, butchers, and even a group of musicians who played at festivals. Beyond meeting the needs of its own members, the Bielski otriad was able to provide services to other partisan groups in exchange for food and arms. By the summer of 1944, the group had grown to 1200. The group consisted mainly of the elderly, women, and children. Tuvia’s group was the largest of the Jewish partisan groups, and a high percentage of those he led survived, due to Tuvia’s strong and effective leadership, and his determination to save as many Jews as possible. After the war, Tuvia moved first to Israel and later to the United States, where he died at age 81.
And another account: After the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, killing or imprisoning Jews by the thousands, the Bielski brothers fled their home near Stankiewicze - in what is now Belarus - and hid out in the forest, determined to fight back against the brutal onslaught.
The brothers' encampment grew to include hundreds of armed fighters, families, children and elderly. No Jew was turned away and their partisan movement ultimately rescued some 1,200 Jews.
"To save a Jew is much more important than to kill Germans!" Tuvia Bielski, would tell his followers. Most other partisan groups focused solely on hunting Nazis, killing collaborators and seeking revenge, said Christian Gerlach, a history professor at the University of Pittsburgh who has studied the Holocaust extensively.
"In a way, that's what makes the Bielski unit different," Gerlach said. Tuvia Bielski was in overall command of the encampment. Asael Bielski mostly guided the brothers' armed unit, Zus Bielski was head of reconnaissance while Aron largely played the role of messenger as he knew the forest best.
"There are thousands of people who are walking the Earth because of the decisions that him and his older brothers made," said Tuvia's son Michael Bielski.
The Bielski brothers managed to improvise a resistance network and some 360 Jews who found refuge with them took up arms against the Nazis. The brothers also managed to create a whole partisan community, complete with synagogues, bakeries and even an airstrip which the Soviets used to fly in supplies and fly out the wounded.
Asael was killed in 1944 fighting for the Red Army as it moved into Germany. The remaining brothers emigrated to the U.S. in the 1950s, settling down in the New York area and working in the taxi and trucking industries.
Aron Bielski, with his wife Henryka, is the sole surviving brother.
During the Passover prayer services, they brought their guns. With terror warnings galore, there were guns of all types. Our local militia carried their M16's, my neighbors carried their handguns, and their sons, our servicemen, carried their M4 and Tavor rifles.
The terrorists stayed home, but the synagogue was packed with worshipers.
Someone should design synagogue seats with gun racks!
How he did it:
First he got out of his SUV in the middle of a group of gun toting terrorists.
Next he pointed his shoulder held video camera at an IDF tank while standing in the middle of a group of gun toting terrorists...
Watch how it happened!
He had about two seconds. Any ideas what he was thinking?
Prior to the upcoming week long Passover festival, Chief Rabbis of Israel, Rabbi Yonah Metzger and Rabbi Shlomo Amar, reminded the public that there is no prohibition against carrying a weapon during prayers. And it "makes it possible for every home in Israel to celebrate the holidays" in security.
(Me Praying at the Western Wall)
So get out your guns, and bring them to Synagogue, it's holiday time in Israel.
Former US President Jimmy Carter says he feels “quite at ease” meeting with chief Hamas terrorist Khaled Mashaal in Damascus and is looking forward to his talks with the politburo head, scheduled this Thursday. “I’ve been meeting with Hamas leaders for years,” said Carter, who arrived in Israel Sunday on his unauthorized diplomatic “study mission.”
Carter has made headlines across the US with his insistence on holding talks with Hamas against the specific and repeated requests of the American government that he not do so. More here
Rabbi Yitzchak Dadon and David Shapira who shot the terrorist that killed eight people in a shooting at Jerusalem's Mercaz Harav Yeshiva, were awarded citations of gratitude by Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski, and Jerusalem District Police Commander Aharon Franco.
Rabbi Dadon at the Likud Awards Ceremony
Rabbi Yitzchak Dadon at was also honored at a Likud Party Award Ceremony last Tuesday.
Member of Parliament Moshe Kachalon and former MP Gilah Gamliel also attended the Ceremony.
The certificate of honor was presented to Rabbi Dadon by Mr. Eli Sheetrit, of the Likud Tegar fellowship, comprised of the fighters of the Etzel and Lechi undergrounds. Tens of Tegar members attended the salute, emphasizing the fact that Rabbi Dadon has continued the battle for the Jewish State where they left off.
During a recent interview Rabbi Dadon reconstructed his own experience the night of the attack. "I was studying alone at the front of the study room when I heard the first round of fire. I realized it was a terror attack. The room's inhabitants quickly evacuated through the front door. I pulled my gun, climbed up to the row of windows facing the street and then jumped on to the roof of the dining room. I then jumped on to a separate roof overlooking the library and the library entrance. I lay on the roof with my gun ready for about five minutes. All that time I heard gunfire from inside. Because of the fire power, I was sure that there were a number of terrorists. Had I known it was only one, I probably would have gone inside. I waited for the terrorist to come out. Then, the door to the library opened and the gunman fired in the air. Bullets flew past my ear. I carefully peeked down and the terrorist was gone.
"After a few seconds, I saw Shapira beneath with a rifle. An M-16. I shouted: 'Don't shoot me.' Shapira asked: 'Where did the terrorist go?' I said: 'Either the library or study room. Shapira peeked into the library and went back to the study room. At that point I saw the terrorist walking inside the library near the glass doors. He pressed his head against the window, with his Kalashnikov against his chest. Then, I shot two bullets. He swaggered and fell. His weapon fell to his side. Shapira fired at the same time as me, and then I emptied my clip on him. I saw him through the glass, falling."
Rabbi Dadon and David Shapira deserve much more then awards!
The accepted method of training in Israel is demonstrated in this video.
The first thing that is taught is firearm safety. Notice that the firing line is not crossed, and that the instructor maintains control of the trainee at all times.
Next, how to carry, draw, cock, and shoot, and change magazines from a static position. Most shooters are taught the Isosceles shooting stance, although the front Weaver stance is also used.
Then how to effectively engage a single target, and after the target has fallen, to "verify" that the target has been neutralized.
Next, how to do all of the above dynamically, including stepping to the side and dropping to one knee to change magazines. And moving with one hand on the pistol and the other held up to part the crowd.
An finally how to engage multiple targets.
This is only the basics, and is taught to civilians at shooting ranges.
More advanced techniques like room clearing and other anti terror methods are also taught at shooting ranges.
Excerpt from a puppet show, which aired on Al-Aqsa TV on March 30, 2008.
Bush: Who are you? What brings you to my home? How did they let you in, boy? My guards! My soldiers! Get this boy out of here.
Child: Nobody will take me out of here.
Bush: Who are you to come here and threaten me?! You are on my own turf, you little child, you! Get out. My dear, bring your father, your grandfather, or your mother, so I can talk to them. Get somebody older and smarter than you. What, you came here on your own?
Child: You killed daddy in the Iraq war. It's true, you killed him in the Iraq war. As for my mom – you and the criminal Zionists killed her in Lebanon. You and the criminal Zionists also killed my younger and older brothers in the Gaza holocaust. I'm an orphan, you criminal!
Bush: What are you talking about? Where did you come from? Don't I have enough troubles already? Where did you come from?
Child: I have come to take revenge with this sword – revenge for my mother and my sisters. You are a criminal, Bush! You are despicable. You made me an orphan! You took everything from me, Bush! I must take revenge on you, with this sword of Islam, the Prophet's Al-Battar sword.
Bush: No... No, my dear. I give you my word that this is it. I repent, just don't kill me. Where are my guards? Where are my people? Help! Help! He wants to kill me. Help!
Child: There are no guards, and your people have surrendered, Bush. I have not come alone, Bush. I have brought thousands of thousands of children from Palestine, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Afghanistan. You have denied all these children their fathers and mothers. That's why I have come to take revenge on you and on all the criminal traitors who collaborated with you.
Bush: Okay, fine, that's enough. I will give you whatever you want from me.
Child: What can you give me? All I want is one thing. Bring back my father and mother. I don't want anything from you. I don't want anything from you, just bring back my father and mother. I place my trust in Allah. I need to kill you.
Bush: No, my dear. Enough. I will give you anything you want. I also... Enough with that. Come with all your friends to the White House. I will give you food and toys. We will sit in the White House and talk. You will get whatever you need.
Child: You are impure, Bush, so you are not allowed inside the White House.
Bush: What are you saying?! Why am I not allowed into the White House?
Child: Because it has been turned into a great mosque for the nation of Islam. I will kill you just like Mu'az killed Abu Lahab. I will kill you, Bush, because that is your fate.
Rabbi Erez Bar-On is the principal of the Hitzim High School in Itamar, near Shechem. and a graduate of the Hesder yeshiva in the town of Har Bracha, on Mt. Gerizim in Samaria.
On Monday afternoon, an Arab man approached the Shiloh Junction bus stop and began talking to two people, Rabbi Erez Bar-On and teenager, Hillel Maeir. Maeir described the events which followed: After a short conversation in broken English and Hebrew, which aroused the suspicion of the two, the 16-year-old young man decided to move away, behind a concrete barrier at the bus stop while the Rabbi Erez Bar-On placed his hand on his personal weapon.
At that point, the attacker suddenly pulled out a six-inch knife and tried to stab the Rabbi Bar-On. Because of his fear of getting entangled with the law for using his weapon, the would-be victim waited until the last second to draw his personal weapon. Hillel Maeir described that as the terrorist's knife was coming down toward the Rabbi Erez Bar-On, he managed to draw, cock and shoot his pistol at the terrorist all in the same motion.
The bullet knocked the Arab off his feet and wounded him. When the terrorist then reached inside his shirt, the Rabbi Erez Bar-On interpreted the motion as a possible attempt to detonate an explosive vest, and he shot again, this time killing his attacker. It later turned out that the Arab was reaching for a second concealed knife.
Steve at HogOnIce asked about accessories for the AR. Versitile, customizable rifles with a huge selection of accessories available.
Here in Israel we carry the IDF issue M16A1 (and the M4) as members of the local militia.
I carry my M16A1 with a barrel mounted laser sight/pointer with a PTT on my tactical fore grip in the front, a Surefire flashlight, and a rear pistol grip. I also have a see through mount for my 50mm 3-9X scope with lighted rangefinder reticle so I can use the iron sights at close range. And a magazine coupler.
I added accessories as they became available as my budget for add ons is nonexistent.
Each accessory has been carefully checked out and certified by the anti-terror team.
If I had my way, I'd upgrade to a newer M4 rifle and set it up like this:
Steve, I don't think Mrs. DoubleTapper would appreciate me naming her Vera, but since she's a Colt, I could probably get away with calling her Filly.
Of course there are many more accessories and options available...
At 17:30 today, an Arab terrorist approximately 20 years old drew an 8 inch knife and attempted to stab a 15 year old Jewish boy at a bus stop near the town of Shiloh.
Rabbi Erez Bar-On, who was at the bus stop, drew his pistol fired twice killing the terrorist on the spot.
IDF officials said Monday that Rabbi Erez Bar-On did the right thing, “The citizen acted properly, in a decisive and fitting manner,” officials said. Rabbi Bar-On’s quick response saved the 15-year-old, who was not hurt in the attempted stabbing.
"I will insist that the Hebrews have done more to civilize man than any other nation." -John Adams (in a letter to Thomas Jefferson)
"Our society is illuminated by the spiritual insights of the Hebrew prophets. America and Israel have a common love of human freedom, and they have a common faith in a democratic way of life." -Lyndon B. Johnson
"I had faith in Israel before it was established, I have in it now. I believe it has a glorious future before it - not just another sovereign nation, but as an embodiment of the great ideals of our civilization." -Harry S. Truman
Senior officials in the PA (Palestinian Authority) health system systematically stole valuable medications and replaced them with worthless placebo pills.
The placebos, which lab tests show had no medical value, were passed along to clinics and hospitals, where they were given to patients suffering from serious and often life-threatening diseases.
The real medications were taken to massive warehouses in Ramallah and Shechem, and were sold for high prices on the black market.
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