Michelle Bachmann on Israel and the arrival of Moshe Feiglin

By Jason Gold

1. Michelle Bachmann on Israel:"We" and the "Jewish State"

Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann speaking at the Manhigut Yehudit dinner this past Monday in NY

Say what you want about Michelle Bachmann. Gd knows some of her views on abortion and government together with her penchant for off the cuff remarks have made her an easy target for mudslinging by the MSM and the Washington/NY/LA elites here in the US. However, there is no one, I repeat, NO ONE, in the US government who is a more passionate supporter of Israel and ridiculer of the "two state solution" and that also includes all of our "progressive", liberal, assimilated brethren. What's that hand you're holding, friend? A Malcolm Hoenlein, an Abe Foxman, an Edgar Bronfman, Jr., a Jeremy Ben-Ami? Well you can gently place them where the sun doesn't shine because on Israel, I choose the nice shiksa Congresswoman from Minnesota who had the stones to call Jewish supporters of Obama's peace plan, "the Jews who were selling out Israel".

Over and over again in her impassioned 20 minute keynote address at the Manhigut Yehudit dinner in New York this past Monday (look, Ma!! no teleprompter and no notes) she displayed adroit knowledge and history of Israel, beginning from her time on a kibbutz after high school.  Again and again it was Israel, "the Jewish State" and things that "we" must do where she joyfully and emphatically included herself in the mix.  It is plainly obvious that her strong Christian faith is the guide here, quoting from the Bible ("bless those that bless you, curse those that curse you") and consistently noting that the Temple Mount will be Jewish again, that Judea/Samaria belongs to Israel, and the land will be whole again; these things and more because it has been promised to the Jews, and that a "peace" process like Oslo and the current illegitimate offspring of Oslo, is not a guarantee of peace but a guarantee of war.  

It's a shame that there aren't any more high-visibility people like her who are willing to go on record and toe to toe with the deniers, especially those of the Jewish self-loathing persuasion. Best line of the night? "Israel is not an occupier, it is an owner". 

2. The arrival of Moshe Feiglin.

Shmuel Sackett, international director of Manhigut Yehudit, watches Moshe Feiglin light a memorial candle to the fallen IDF soldiers at the Manhigut dinner.

I've said this before and it bears repeating. Watching Moshe Feiglin's evolution of these past 8 years since I have known him is a gratifying experience.  While always a master debater and speaker in Hebrew, he was not always comfortable in English addressing crowds. No longer. The man who took the stage this past Monday at the Manhigut Yeudit dinner in New York was erudite, confident and at ease on the podium speaking in English. A summary video of the past year's accomplishments since his election to the Knesset had just been shown and Feiglin delivered a perfect sequel to that video montage.

Feiglin has now established himself as a hawk on security and land issues in regard to Israel but has quite the libertarian view on social issues ranging to legalization and loosening of the restrictions on Marijuana and related cannaboid products for medical use. He has become a champion of human rights in Israel as well as for the Falun Gong in China and has also become quite vocal in his stand on illegal organ harvesting.  He described his five part plan for peace (which can be seen here in his speech in Toronto, the following evening) as well as repeating a theme that he has been speaking about for years, namely that the conflicts facing Israel now are not about Israel vs. the Arabs, but rather about the Jews (not necessarily religious or observant but those with a strong sense of Jewish identity and purpose) vs. the "Israeli", i.e., those devoid of a Jewish identity, those who view Israel as nothing special with no manifest destiny and those who live under the illusion that if the Arabs (so-called "Palestinians") are given everything they want, they will not follow their charter to drive the population Israel (Jews, Israelis, whatever) into the sea and that the Israelis can continue to sip coffee at eat humus at the outdoor cafes.  Oh, and can someone please tell the Yesh Atid MK with the nice hair and teeth that the so-called Palestinians never annulled their charter calling for Israel's destruction.

Feiglin once remarked to me how he felt sorry for the "Israelis." As he said, if you take away all the Arabs from Hebron and Yesha and Jerusalem and liberate all the Jewish sites including the Temple Mount, the "Jews" will be left with their identity and heritage and be ready to re-build the Temple.  But wither the "Israeli"? Without the Jewish identity, and without the Arab to justify their distorted vision of what the Land of Israel truly means, what the Israeli is left with is a lost soul who cannot experience the joy of his heritage, the appreciation of the living history of the holy sites, and the true freedom in service of his Creator.   Given the events of today, nothing could be closer to the truth. Carry on, Moshe.  As the packed dinner testified, you speak the truth as you always have and we've got your back.