Of Pilgrims, Patriarchs, and Politics

Whatever the reason the great biblical patriarch Abraham left this storied land, there’s a pattern to be discerned in his narrative that wasn’t lost on the “patriarchs” of early America, who not only devoured the Bible, but were intent on making it part of their personal experience. We know them as the “Pilgrims,” who sadly have been reduced to little more than caricatures in children’s books. 

These “Pilgrims,” as we know them, were people of extraordinary faith. It’s rather difficult in our own day to imagine that people might really be motivated to do extraordinary things by pure faith, but such were the Pilgrims. It was their powerful piety that led them to withdraw from the religious structure of their European land – the Church of England. Originally part of a larger movement known as the Separatists, they incurred the wrath of Britain’s King James I, who expected strict obedience from his subjects and condemned them as fanatics. Their first move involved crossing the Channel to the Netherlands, taking refuge in Amsterdam and subsequently Leiden. Holland was their equivalent of the ancient city of Haran, Abram’s midpoint on his long trek out of Mesopotamia. 

Such parallels weren’t lost on the likes of William Bradford, who later became governor of this rag-tag group and recorded their adventures in an illustrious memoir, Of Plymouth Plantation. Of their desperate crossing for the New World, undertook in September, 1620, he wrote: “They knew they were pilgrims, and looked not much on those pleasant things they were leaving, but lifted up their eyes to the heavens, their dearest country, and quieted their spirits.” Whereas Abraham followed the desert trade routes of the ancient tribal nation called the Amorites, the Pilgrims navigated the sea routes of English colonists. Theirs was as much a voyage into the unknown as was that of the first biblical Patriarch, who knew nothing of his future “promised land.” 

Steve Jobs: In Memoriam

The first time I encountered a Mac was back in the 80s, in grad school, studying an "obscure" discipline that everybody said was sure to keep me "hungry" for life. I was "hungry and foolish," but I managed to scrape together enough to buy my first Mac, with a "huge," 20 megabyte built-in hard disk. Writing my doctoral dissertation on it, I was hooked. Over 2 decades and 5 books later (all written on Macs), my life revolves around products that Steve pioneered. As a professor at a major university, I talk endlessly to my students about the world of Apple, and I've probably sold a few over the years. The least I could do for the best computer/ hi-tech company on the planet. We'll miss you, Steve!

Israel’s Fault?

Having lived in Israel for years, learned the national language – Hebrew – and spent the better part of my life “supporting” the Jewish state, I can’t imagine I’m about to say that when it comes to the country’s current beleaguered situation, Israel has, quite arguably, done this to itself! “Back in the day,” I remember when a young aspiring Israeli leader named Benjamin Netanyahu declared that an independent Palestinian state is out of the question. There just isn’t room in this tiny region, a scant 50 miles across, for two independent nations. Nor is this Switzerland, where folks of French and German stock have learned to just “get along.” Mr. Netanyahu – Bibi – used to say, “This isn’t a peace process; it’s a war process.” To that he added, “The Palestinians don’t want a peace with Israel; they want a piece of Israel.” Moreover, Israel needs the territories it conquered in the 1967 Six Day War in order to protect itself from existential threats. It needs the strategic Jordan Valley as a buffer zone against attack from the east. And it can by no means allow a hostile Palestinian state to exist just a few miles from its largest city, Tel-Aviv, and occupying the eastern half of its capital, Jerusalem.

The Libertarian’s Bible

All right; it’s time for some political musings!... from a "Libertarian" perspective...  

What do we think of when we think of the Bible? The “Good Book.” A book of Faith. The Word of God. All very nice designations. But how often to we dare to think of the Bible as a book of politics? Doesn’t the Bible engender enough religious disputes without throwing politics into the mix? But what if the Bible actually weighs in on political issues and principles relevant to our own times? What if it teaches valuable political lessons that we can’t afford to miss? 

Propagandizing the Temple

“Jerusalem Jones” is writing a new book. It’s all about the intersection of archaeology and the Arab-Israeli conflict. No snakes, no Nazis. But plenty of nefarious “bad guys” who want to take, not just Israel’s land, but its heritage and history as well. In other words, Israelis are a people who just need to go away. The international community – the notorious U.N. – and the international media will do whatever they can to promote this lofty goal. 

Siberian Jewish Renaissance

A great deal has been researched, written and documented concerning the Jews of Russia during the last century of their collective experience, throughout the Soviet era and beyond. Most attention is understandably devoted to the Jewries of Moscow, St. Petersburg, and western regions (known in the Czarist era as the Pale of Settlement). Relatively little is said, however, about Jews living further to the east, in central Siberia. Having just returned from a summer residence in Siberia’s capital, Novosibirsk, the third largest city in Russia, I was surprised to find a vibrant Jewish Community Center, that I was privileged to address, and a new synagogue on the rise. From several members of the community, including the director of the JCC, I was able to piece together their story.

Trans-Siberian!

Tomorrow is the “big day,” meaning the “great train ride” from Novosibirsk, Russia’s third largest city, to St. Petersburg, the second largest.  We’re talking three nights and two long days across the heart of the Russian countryside – actually through the heart of the Russian forests. The Trans-Siberian Railroad is the whole reason Novosibirsk, the capital of Siberia, exists, having been established in 1893 at the future location of the vital bridge over the Ob River. The Woody Harrelson film, “Transsiberian,” really nails it in terms of the accuracy of the experience. (Not that I’m expecting to meet any drug smugglers…) It even makes reference to Novosibirsk, which, being located on the midway point of the railroad, seemed as good a place as any for Comrade Stalin to exile his enemies. The city exploded in size and population during the Stalinist regime, the modern city boasting a population of over two million. It is difficult to determine how many Jews found themselves living in the Siberian capital by the mid-twentieth century. What is certain is that the Jews of Siberia became greatly assimilated, many converting to Christianity and/ or entering into mixed marriages. In any case, Jews were certainly present, as an element of the population, just as they are today.

St. Petersburg has its own story to tell. Czar Peter the Great coveted a warm water port,  and in 1703 staked his claim on a boggy island where the River Nava meets the Gulf of Finland. The czar himself grabbed an axe and set to work building his new city. He drafted thousands of workers in the effort, in spite of brutal winters and muddy malarial summers. The saying arose, “St. Petersburg was built on bones.” In 1711 Peter moved his capital there, creating a gilded legacy for what would become perhaps the most spectacular city on the continent. Repression and splendor seem to go hand in hand in Russia, as the next installment of the Trans-Siberian adventure is likely to reveal…

Shalom, and Da Svidanya!

Synagogue Rising!

Twenty thousand. That’s how many Jews there are today in Siberia’s capital, Novosibirsk, which itself has a population of roughly two million. While twenty thousand is only a sliver of greater Novosibirsk, it still represents a “decent congregation.” How many synagogues, then, would we expect to find in the city? Answer: One, and only one. During the seven long decades of Soviet rule, there were precisely none. Synagogues could not function in the open any more than churches. Houses of worship in Soviet Russia were literally driven underground, often relegated to people’s homes. In today’s Russia things are quite a bit different. Anti-Semitism is still a factor, as explained to me by one of the congregants at Shabbat services this week. (I was in fact able to find the one-and-only synagogue and join in the davening on Saturday morning.) One Jewish schoolteacher came to her classroom recently, to find that one of the pupils had drawn a big star of David on the chalkboard, with sinister implication. Security at the synagogue is understandably tight, visitors being required to register their passports at the front entrance. Inside, however, the atmosphere is warm and friendly, fellow congregants being quick to help in finding one’s place in the prayerbook. After services (and the obligatory kiddush), the vodka was flowing, and the food was plentiful and tasty. Who established this synagogue? I wasn’t surprised to find that its “parent” organization is Habad-Lubavitch. The congregational leader speaks fluent Hebrew, so the conversation flowed freely. I found that the synagogue has some five hundred families as members – pretty healthy! And while services are conducted in a side room, that’s but an annex of a large and impressive new building near the city center. Anti-Semitism may still rage in Russia, but the mere presence of a building like this speaks volumes about the future and vitality of today’s Russian Jews. “You’ve come a long way, baby!”  

Got Mezuzah?

More Russian Ramblings on the Fourth!

Having checked out an old Russian Orthodox church, in the exact geographic center of Russia, I’m drawn back to the biblical text, with some random observations:

At the end of Joshua’s life, the Bible declares:

Now Joshua was old, going on in days. And the LORD said to him, You are old, far along in days, and there remains yet very much land to be possessed. (Joshua 13:1)

Instead of jihad and genocide, we find that a great deal of the Promised Land had yet to be conquered by the Israelites. We actually start to wonder how good a general Joshua was after all. In the final analysis, the picture that begins to emerge from the biblical account is a gradual, two-century long process of “conquest” that encompasses the books of Joshua and Judges together, as one ongoing narrative of migration, settling down, and occasional battles and skirmishes with the local Canaanites. The “real” history of the period doesn’t make as compelling a story as the glorified hero-stories of biblical lore, but it tells us a lot about the struggles, not only of ancient Israelites, but of early Americans, to form “a more perfect union.” 

Russian Ruminations on the Fourth

Factor this! American Independence Day finds me on the other side of the world - literally - visiting downtown Novosibirsk, Siberia. Destination: the imposing statute of comrade Lenin, still proudly standing before the city's theater and opera house. (I'm sure Comrade Lenin was very attentive to the opera...) My thoughts immediately turn to the meaning of revolution, and the fact that the American Revolution of 1776 is often compared to the French Revolution of 1789, both being products of the European Enlightenment. But my thoughts turn to a different assessment: that while America's Founders were fueled by Enlightenment ideals, they were not purely men of the Enlightenment. Nor were they in any sense "radicals." They believed in the rule of law patterned on a "republican" form of government. The mob they distrusted, so much so that they took pains to ensure that neither senators nor the president be directly elected, but indirectly selected via the states. The fact is, the American Revolution has more in common with England's Bloodless Revolution. The French Revolution, very much the product of "the mob," should be associated with the Russian Revolution of 1917. Comrade Lenin still stands there, looking out proudly, as though standing astride history itself. But his revolution brought only tyranny, oppression and untold misery, especially for "dissidents" and Russia's Jewish minority. How ironic, that many Jews originally supported Lenin's revolution, only to find their very identities crushed by it. Such is the maniacal power of "the mob"...

“Far and Away”...

So, I decided to take a little trip this summer … halfway around the world. And that’s why I find myself in, of all places, Novosibirsk! It’s the capital of Siberia, situated due north of east India! It’s 11 time zones to the east of the U.S. east coast, and another 5 hours by jet east of Moscow. Just a little “getaway.” Surrounded by endless forests, it was founded over a century ago as the midway point on the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Its population “took off” when Stalin decided that there needed to be more people in Siberia, beyond all those he exiled here to the gulags. So, a world-class university was constructed, and substantial numbers of academicians, scientists, and captains of industry were politely “relocated” to the east. There were also quite a few Jews, who had historically lived in western Russia, whom Stalin perceived as “bait” for an attack by Hitler. So he moved them east, to Siberia. Here’s the great irony. While Stalin had no use for Jews, he nonetheless “saved” the ones he moved east, removing them from Hitler’s grasp. Hopefully, I’ll have a chance to do some serious research on the Jews of Siberia during my month-long furlough to central Asia. As I said, just a little “getaway”...

Could a new book be in the offing?

How’s this for a proposed new book?:

Yesterday and Today in the Land of Israel: 

How the Middle East Conflict Brings Past and Present Together on the Field of Archaeology

Biblical Archaeology today is more than just an obscure field for academic eggheads, trying to get tenure. It’s a mine field, with implications that may well determine the course of events, geopolitically, for the Middle East and the entire world. It’s exciting enough that there are always “Indiana Jones” adventures lurking in the background, including fantastic new discoveries, as well as age-old discussions about the fate of the Ark of the Covenant, among other things. 

Yesterday and Today on the “Holy Hill”

Does the Temple Mount in Jerusalem really hold the key to war and peace in the modern world? Consider this… A little more than three decades ago, a radical right wing Israeli named Yehuda Etzion became involved in a dark conspiracy that may well have brought on World War III. Ultimately convicted and imprisoned by the state of Israel for his own brand of Jewish terrorism, Etzion became inflamed over Menachem Begin’s peace deal, whereby Israel gave back the entire Sinai peninsula to Egypt’s Prime Minister Anwar Sadat. As one of the leaders of the Israeli settlers – those intent on a slow annexation of the territories won by the Jewish state in the 1967 Six Day War – he joined forces with the “Jewish Underground,” to hatch a plot right out of an espionage thriller. During his service in the Israeli Defense Force, he had become acquainted with high explosives, and he decided to use them. 

The Six Day War: Targeting the Dome

The year 1967 changed everything in the Middle East. In just six days, Israel (responding to Arab threats to invade and destroy it) engaged in a blitzkrieg against its adversaries that left the Jewish state in control of the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights, and the entire West Bank of the Jordan River, including East Jerusalem. Israeli paratroopers stood at the newly conquered Western Wall (the last vestige of the ancient Temple Mount) and wept openly. There was much going on behind the scenes in those tumultuous days, and it took decades before it came to light that the chief rabbi of the Israeli Defense Force actually advocated blowing up the Dome of the Rock.

World War III and the Dome of the Rock

They had a vision. They were actively planning to shake the world, by a single act perpetrated in the holy city, Jerusalem Israel. Their goal was to prepare the way for the Messiah to come, by bringing down the third holiest site in Islam – the Dome of the Rock. We’ll talk about their plot in due course, but first we need to lay out some background. 

The Virtue of Stubbornness

You can’t win a war without consensus at home. And that's something that every nation instinctively knows. The U.S. certainly learned that during our tragic experience in Vietnam. Well, the lesson is one the state of Israel ought to know, but for whatever reason doesn’t. 

Reflections on "spirit"...

For those who don't live in Orlando and/ or weren't able to catch my observations on "spirit" at Friday night's Torah service (led by me) at Congregation Bet Chaim, Casselberry, Florida, I thought I'd post an audio file, captured by my iPhone. Enjoy...
Here's the link:
Dr. H.'s Podcast

“Jerusalem of Gold” – more than a pot of schmaltz!

I’m sharing with my class today (“Modern Israeli Culture”) about the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967… We’re watching a documentary produced a couple of years ago by CNN – only a little bit “slanted” :) – and on comes a snippet of a song written by Israel’s late “poet laureate,” Naomi Shemer, the famous “Jerusalem of Gold” (ירושלים של זהב). 

9,000 Years Old!

In the news, Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, has declared that the Palestinian people have a 9,000 year old legacy. Gee, that makes them the ORIGINAL owners of the land of Israel, and the Jews a bunch of Johnny-come-lately usurpers. Where in blazes did Mahmoud Abbas come up with 9,000 years? 

Here They Come Again!

It’s a human wave! In a repeat of last month’s assault on Israel’s borders, an enormous horde of refugees has once more stormed the Jewish state from Syria. What do they want?

Freedom for Palestine?

With all the intricacies of international diplomacy affecting the Middle East today, who can we turn to who has the skill, the training, the background knowledge to sort it all out and point us in the right direction? One name shines out like a beacon: the band Coldplay! Thanks to Coldplay’s hearty endorsement, a new music video is garnering incredible attention: “Freedom for Palestine.” It features pop singers, a catchy tune, a message of hope, cast against a backdrop of squalid refugee camps and Israel’s “Apartheid Wall.” It hails diversity, while celebrating the “peaceful Palestinians” with singers and dancers, and lots of smiley faces. And I’m looking for a barf bag! 

Heil Hamas!

I know it gets really old making comparisons with the Nazis, but there’s been some ominous language from the mouth of Mr. Abbas of the Palestinian Authority that we just can’t ignore. Yet, most nations do ignore the maniacs populating the world stage right now, while continuing to call Israel “apartheid.” What’s going on here? WHY DO THE BAD GUYS GET THE PASS? 

Jerusalem Day – ¡Ay, caramba!

Happy Jerusalem Day! Today we celebrate the reunification of the city during the Six Day War in 1967. It’s a time to stand united with regard to the preposterous notion of once again turning Jerusalem into the Berlin of the Middle East (with barbed wire and mine fields) and declare: Never again! How ironic, that Spain has just announced that it will support the creation of a Palestinian State (its capital of course being East Jerusalem)! In fact it will recognize such a state even before the U.N. officially votes on the question in September. ¡Ay, caramba! 

But why are we surprised? After all, Spain is home to some of the most vehement anti-Semitism in history. Though Jews had lived there for centuries under Muslim rule (the Moors), experiencing a “Golden Age” of prominence, creativity and wealth, when the Christians reconquered the Iberian Peninsula, all that changed. The Jews of Spain were plunged from a pinnacle of success to the depths of deprivation and persecution. Long before Hitler’s systematic persecution, the Catholic Church launched the “Spanish Inquisition.” Oy! (Remember Monty Python?: “NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tym0MObFpTI) In the end, the entire Jewish community of Spain was expelled (lock, stock and barrel), in the worst catastrophe to befall world Jewry since the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in the year 70 of the Common Era. 

The exiles fanned out across the Arab/ Muslim world, many landing in – of all places – Palestine. Many settled in a little town nestled in the hills of northern Galilee called Tsfat, one of my favorite places in today’s Israel. It’s legacy includes generations of Jewish mystics – kabbalists – who made it their headquarters and birthed a whole world of visions, revelations, and metaphysical teaching. Ask Madonna; she’s probably been there as often as I have, just to feel the mystical presence that still resides in its quaint streets and art galleries 

 In any case, those refugees from hostile Spain helped create a Jewish presence in that backwater province of the Ottoman empire, that would one day (May 14, 1948 to be precise) morph into the modern state of Israel. And now, Spain, you want us to step aside while genocidal jihadist fanatics swarm over the ancient Jewish heartland and build a staging ground for our annihilation? Well, think again. Israel’s first female prime minister summed it up well: “We Jews have a secret weapon; we have nowhere else to go!”

We Need a Little Winston!

Gaza – a narrow strip along the Mediterranean, bordering Egypt on one end with Israel all along its flank. Its connotations have never been anything but ugly. Dr. H. the linguist can tell you that the Hebrew root behind “Gaza” is Az, meaning “strong,” though it can also refer to “arrogance” (as in Proverbs 21:29). We can also transliterate it as Oz … Has anybody seen Dorothy, Toto, or that feisty wizard? 

In antiquity it was the home of the Philistines, descendants of the “Sea Peoples” who invaded the region (known as the Levant by demographers) from western lands. Biblical references are entirely negative. Joshua was said to have “smitten” the evil Canaanites as far as Gaza, and Samson pursued his shenanigans there, meeting up with a certain lady of ill repute. Jeremiah went as far as to prophesy that Gaza’s inhabitants are to be stricken with baldness! (I’m looking in vain for bald Gazans in the news footage; can anybody help?) 

The Romans, who experienced their share of grief from their unruly Jewish subjects, once tried to obliterate every trace of Jewishness from the land called “Israel” by renaming it “Palestina” in Latin, after the long-vanished Philistines. That’s the origin of the word “Palestinian.” A made-up name for a made-up land, now claimed by a made-up people, whom history had known as Ottomans, Egyptians, Mamelukes, and a host of other nationalities. There has never in history been a Palestinian nation or a Palestinian people. In fact, Jews immigrating to the Middle East in the early 20^th Century called themselves “Palestinians.”

Now, however, we are told that this “Palestine” must be recognized as a legitimate, sovereign nation, and Spain has just gone on record as declaring that it will recognize the new state even before the United Nations votes on Palestinian recognition in September. Importantly, just over the weekend, Egypt decided to open the Rafah crossing with Gaza. A great humanitarian move, consistent with the “Arab Spring,” right? Think again. Israel fears that a torrent of terrorists, with their weapons, missiles, and nasty materials for bomb-making will come across the border as well. Do we wonder whom the missiles will be aimed at? As a former resident of Israel’s border city of Kiryat Shmona, I know exactly what it’s like to fear rockets landing in the town square … or on the building you’re living in. 

“Baldness has come upon Gaza!” thundered Jeremiah. With the U.N. poised to add another nation to its roster (one dominated by Hamas and bent on annihilation of the Jewish state), I’m not even sure Rogaine will be of assistance! Yep, baldness has come upon Gaza, and blindness has come upon the world. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, Israel. Hang tough. Desperate times are coming, but you’ve been there before. Leaving behind another Memorial Day, it’s good to remember Winston Churchill’s classic radio address during the darkest days of the Nazi blitz: “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”

Memorial Day Musings: “Not by Might…”

People love to quote the biblical prophets, especially if they have a traditional “religious” mindset. Having grown up in a religious environment, I used to hear people slinging Scripture all the time, mostly to let us know we weren’t not praying enough! Just start quoting those obscure “minor” prophets, and you’d feel the mystical vibes… “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD of Hosts’” (Zechariah 4:6). Of course nobody knew who the heck Zerubbabel was, but that didn’t matter as long as you felt “spiritual.” It was supposed to mean that whatever you came up against in life, if you just rely on God (exactly how you do that was a mystery), it would all work out. Or, as my grandmother famously said, “It’ll all come out in the wash!” Well, the Judaica professor (Dr. H.) has some news for you. This particular passage isn’t about your personal experience, your spirituality, or what you “feel” day by day. It’s about one little piece of turf along the eastern Mediterranean called Eretz Yisrael (that’s the “Land of Israel” as we pronounce it in Hebrew) and those who defend it against the multitudinous threats to its existence. 

Here’s the background. The ancient kingdom of Judah (founded – for better or for worse – by the mighty David) had been conquered, back in 586 BCE (“before the Common Era”) by the Babylonians (under King Nebuchadnezzar). The great Temple, built by Solomon, had been burned to the ground, the Ark of the Covenant most likely destroyed with it. Its people had been sent into exile, far to the east. Yet, inexplicably, they would not and did not assimilate, disappearing into the surrounding population. Rather, they clung to their ancient traditions more fervently than ever. “Judaism” was born, ironically, as a child of exile. Some seventy years later, their descendants, along with a few of the original flock of now-elderly exiles, came home! It was all thanks to a new regional ruler (the emperor Cyrus of Persia), who graciously adopted a foreign policy that favored minorities, including Jews, and encouraged their return to their ancestral homeland. 

But the liberated Israelites discovered soon enough that returning home was only “Step 1.” They faced formidable enemies round about, especially the relatively new kids on the block, the Samaritans. The Jewish governor in those days, Zerubbabel (meaning shoot of Babylon), soon realized he had a lot on his plate. How do you rebuild a ruined city, build a wall to enclose it, and erect a new, Second Temple, when your enemies are closing in and your people are apathetic? You can of course arm your builders. The book of Nehemiah describes those building the walls as laboring with a spade in one hand and a sword in the other! (Nehemiah 4:17). But even that won’t do the trick. You really have to believe in “the cause,” whatever your cause happens to be. And you have to match it with focused action. 

The prophet’s words are as relevant today as they were back then. You can have a formidable arsenal up your sleeve; the modern state of Israel certainly does. But all the weaponry isn’t enough. You need “spirit” – the Hebrew word ruakh. It really means “wind” or “breath,” which may sound mystical, though it’s as biologically essential as respiration. Ruakh is solidarity. Ruakh is courage. It’s that indefinable something inside that breeds heroism in the face of overwhelming odds. That’s what Zerubbabel’s Israel had to have, and it’s what modern Israel desperately needs. After all, I witnessed it myself, living as I did in northern Galilee, and working with a television news gathering outfit. 

So there I was on the border of Lebanon, chatting with Israeli soldiers heading into “enemy territory” to chase down terrorists and their ilk. Like soldiers in any army, their talk was full of slang, cynicism and complaint. “Where’s your Zionism?” I asked. “WHAT ZIONISM?” was the only response I got. I never forgot those pathetic words! People need to believe in their cause, or they’re toast! Today’s Israelis need a good dose of ruakh, because if they don’t believe in themselves, nobody else is going to carry water for them. Let the United Nations rage all they want; let Richard Goldstone declare them guilty of human rights abuses against the “poor Palestinians.” Let the president of the United States tilt American foreign policy away from its best friend in the region. What Israel needs is not to convince the world of anything. Israel needs to convince itself! As the ancient Jewish sage Hillel once asked rhetorically, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me?” Believe in yourself, Israel, and the world will follow. If you have to find a “spiritual” application in all of this, all right, Dr. H. will allow it. The fact is, the same holds true for everyone, individually. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF; the world will follow… #fb http://bit.ly/mygC6r 

Dr. H. Weighs In

It seems particularly appropriate in these days of the "new media" to communicate various "issues" and "insights" from my multifarious journeys and "adventures" (notorious world traveler that I am) to the legions of "inquiring minds" in cyberland. After all, I've not only lived in the Middle East, but worked in war-torn Lebanon with a television news gathering operation, witnessed the reality of middle eastern terrorism, and been on-hand, in country (Israel that is), during some of the most tumultuous debates of the last several decades. So, let the blogging begin!