Purim in Israel

The Jewish Festival of Purim Begins Saturday Night in Israel! 

  

Purim is the holiday remembering a very specific story of Jewish past. In short, we Jews were exiled from the Land of Israel (6th century BCE), and found ourselves under Persian rule. Persian King Ahasverus had a high-ranking officer named Haman, a descendant of Amelek - arch enemy of the Jewish people. When Haman was entering the palace, the high priest of the Jews, Mordechai, would not bow down to him. Haman wanted to kill Mordechai and all the Jews, and he got King Ahasverus' permission to make a decree to exterminate all the Jews in the Persian Empire, that would have eliminated almost every Jew in the world. So, Mordechai sends in his niece, Ester, Ahasverus' new queen, and she talks to old King Ahasverus. He loves her, she reveals Haman's plan, King Ahasverus has Haman hung on the very trees he planned to hang the Jews on... yay!  Then the Jews, "And the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and with slaughter and destruction, and did what they would unto them that hated them."(Esther 10:5)

As we say: "For the miracles and the deliverance and the victories​ and the salvation​ and the battles that You did for our ancestors​, in those days at this time!"

Purim is celebrated by giving gifts to the poor, gifts to our friends (mishloach manot), listening to the reading of the Scroll of Ester (telling this story -- which is found in the Tanach/Bible) twice, and finally, getting very drunk during a ritual meal and wearing costumes. 

We dress up in costumes to help celebrate. Since charity is a central feature of the holiday, when givers and/or recipients disguise themselves this allows greater anonymity thus preserving the dignity of the recipient.

World leaders have always known about our connection to our faith and festivals. Hitler banned and forbade the observance of Purim. In a speech made on November 10, 1938, (the day after Kristallnacht), Julius Streicher surmised that just as "the Jew butchered 75,000 Persians" in one night, the same fate would have befallen the German people had the Jews succeeded in inciting a war against Germany; the "Jews would have instituted a new Purim festival in Germany."

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Purim Albums and Posts

Festival of Purim Begins Saturday Night      Purim Costume       IDF Women Purim Fun 

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IDF Women

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تنسيق-الكليات-لعام سكس نيك Since before independence in 1948 Women have served.  First in the Hagana, then after Israel's independence in the IDF.  IDF Women have a long tradition of service. For 2 to 3 years IDF Women in uniform... كس

Rapid Fire, Mar. 10th

Rapid Fire for Thursday, March 10th:

• Dear Israel, #uck you: Obama accepts the prospect of a nuclear armed Iran.

• Iranian official admits to aiding Hezbollah. Also says all of the Middle East oil will be cut off to the West.
  

• NATO seizes powerful Iranian rockets bound for the Taliban.

• The Joint Strike Fighter (F-35) helmet is such a hit that Elbit will develop a new heads-up display for the US Air Force.

• Gadhafi: I'm fighting the terrorists just like Israel. Whatever, you quack.

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IDF Technology and Training

IDF Ground Forces Commander Maj. Gen. S. Turgeman recently discussed IDF preparations for the modern battlefield, including recent improvements both in terms of technological equipment and manpower quality. 

“In light of change in the characteristics of conflict, we definitely need fast and lethal maneuvers. We understood this during the Second Lebanon War and Operation Cast Lead. A fast and lethal maneuver shortens the duration of war while preserving our old concept of security – of moving the action to the enemy’s territory as fast as possible,” says Maj. Gen. Turgeman, in a recently published interview he granted to the military magazine Israel Defense. 

On the new version of the DAP.  "The system doesn’t know the art of commanding, it only makes the commanders more effective.”

This year we will introduce a portable command and control system to the infantry forces which will be called Shachar,”  Built around the $500 million Tzayad (Hebrew - Hunter) Digital Army Program (DAP), has become Israel's centerpiece in its land force modernization effort, with new capabilities linking all combat echelons and disparate ground force elements into a single, secure C4I net. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) plan to deploy the fourth block version, Torch 400, on the Golan Heights facing Syria, marking the operational debut of Israel's first fully digitized combined arms division.

Beyond the technology equipment processes, the IDF's Ground Forces Commander noted that the most important ingredient of all is the investment of the Ground Forces in the quality of command and the training. “The quality of command is the flagship of the Ground Forces, and we will invest every effort in order to take it as far as possible”, noted Maj. Gen. Turgeman. “This year we markedly increased the level of difficulty of training exercises in the reserve brigades – including training exercises with live fire for entire reserve brigades, training which were not like these since the beginning of the last decade.”

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Rapid Fire, Mar. 7th

Rapid Fire for Monday, March 7th:

• For humanitarian purposes: Iran trying to buy uranium from Zimbabwe.

• Outsourcing his balls: Obama asks Saudi Arabia to arm Libyan rebels.

• Wait, what? Iran joins UN women's rights commission.

• Unsubstantiated (but interesting) rumor: Syrian mercenaries and warplanes aiding Gaddafi.

• Miracle on Ice II: Israeli hockey team wins the world championship.

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Krav Maga

Due to Israel's constant state of conflict, Krav Maga has continually been tested and refined over the years through actual combat situations. In Krav Maga training, the same lethal techniques developed on the battlefields of the Middle East are adapted for ordinary people who might face an attack or other aggressive encounter and need to defend themselves. Unlike many other martial arts, Krav Maga lacks a strict system of rules—a fighter is trained to use his or her fists, elbows, or shins in any way he can to inflict enough pain to break free from an opponent and, if necessary, disarm him. Blows are aimed at the opponents vulnerable areas, including his eyes, stomach, throat, and groin, in order to make the most impact. A crucial defensive technique of Krav Maga is to keep the body constantly moving, using the arms to deflect blows from all angles. The object is to be able to face multiple opponents from all sides, wielding multiple weapons, including knives, pistols, and even assault rifles.

Despite this no-holds-barred approach to self-defense, Krav Maga training centers endorse a system of values including personal integrity, non-violence, good citizenship, and humility. Its reputation as an excellent cardiovascular exercise has secured Krav Magas small but growing cult status, and it is now studied by some 10,000 people around the world.

Krav Mag, literally translated as close combat or contact combat, is one of the most lethally effective hand-to-hand combat techniques in the world. It was developed by Imi Lichtenfeld, a Czech-born former heavyweight boxing champion trained in self-defense tactics by his father, a police officer. In 1940, facing Nazi persecution, Lichtenfeld was forced to emigrate to Palestine the Jewish Homeland (now Israel). After the formation of the state Israel in 1948 he was asked to develop self-defense and hand-to-hand combat techniques for the elite units of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).


Over the next two decades, Lichtenfeld trained IDF fighters in what would become the Krav Maga system, a combat style featuring elements of boxing, judo, and jujitsu as well as stick- and knife-fighting techniques. After leaving the army, Lichtenfeld began teaching the system to civilians, and in 1978 he and some of his students founded the International Krav Maga Federation, a nonprofit organization aimed at promoting teaching of the fighting system in Israel and around the world. By the time Lichtenfeld died in 1998, Krav Magas popularity had spread among law enforcement and security officers, as well as civilians of all ages, both male and female, across Europe and the United States.

Want to learn Krav Maga?

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Rapid Fire, Mar. 6th

Rapid fire for Sunday, March 6th, after a week-long hiatus:

• Booyah! Israel's new Trophy tank protection system battle tested successfully! Much to the terrorists' chagrin... (Previous Doubletapper Trophy articles here and here)

• I'll take two: An Israeli company develops a mini-radar system the size of a personal camera.

• It's those damn Joos again! A possible Alzheimer's vaccine developed by Israelis - in the form of a nasal spray.

• D'oh! Russians diagnose Iran's Reactor problems: a failed water pump from the 70's shot metal shards into the nuclear fuel. (Stuxnet or a variant could still be the root cause, IMO.)

• Hey, at least they are honest with their constituents! Elected Gazan government officials (a.k.a., Hamas) robbed a Gazan Bank for over $340,000.

• Is this dramatic enough? Obama demands dramatic statements from Bibi. Bibi promptly tells him to to go #uck a burro.

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FAB Defense KPOS

Since my last post on the KPOS I've had lots of questions.

I personally find the KPOS to be both comfortable to shoot, and extremely useful.

Not only can I accessorize the ___ out of my Glock 17, but I get the stability of a submachinegun with the portability of the folded stock!

Sure if I lived in a place where I could own lots of different weapons I could probably find something better, but here in Israel - where I can only own 1 pistol, the KPOS allows me to extend the range, usability, and stability of my Glock pistol.

And when shooting full auto!

Check it out!!

Here's how you can get a KPOS

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IDF Women

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Service in the IDF is both an obligation and an honor. IDF Women are required a minimum term of 2 years and can be called up for reserve duty each year after the mandatory term is completed.تنسيق-الكليات-لعام سكس نيك كس

Front line Pistol Holsters

I tried out some of the Front line holsters available from Zahal. 

Conceled carry, inside the waist band, thumb break, Kydex, Leather, Suede-Kydex-Leather, BFL Modular and more.

Front line holsters are made in Israel and have been battle tested.  All are very high quality, well made and comfortable.

The BFL Modular can be worn in two ways: Either as reguler slide-on Belt loop holster or as a paddle holster with security strap, which easily closes around the belt. No need to remove the belt in order to put on the holster.

The BFL Modular can be used with 3 different belt sizes:

• 1.2" (30mm)
• 1.5" (38mm)
• 2"    (50mm)

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holster pistol front line kydex polymer combat gun shooting تنسيق-الكليات-لعام سكس نيك كس