January 06, 2009

The Gaza War (s)

The Gaza War continues with bullets and missiles, and in cyberspace, the Gaza War is also being waged.

Updates throughout the day. Just keep scrolling down.

Here's Egyptian cleric Muhammed Hussein Ya'qub, appearing on Egyptian state-controlled television:

Good thing that Egypt is a “moderate” Arab state, not like all those other radical Jew-hating Arab Muslim states.

Sigh.

I don't know about you but we need a morale booster.

Brigitte Bardot says: “Go Operation Cast Lead!”

Jack, hard-working Jack, is out with his Gaza War Update #10.

Continuing their invaluable live-blogging of the war are Aussie Dave and The Muqata.

Mayor Bloomberg slices and dices a CNN newsbunny who's shilling for terrorists.

Hey kids, what time is it? It's time for the IDF's Greatest Hits!

An Israeli warplane on Tuesday struck the home of a militant leader from the Islamist group Hamas' rocket division in the Gaza Strip. Ayman Siam is believed to have been killed in the strike against the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces said Siam was at home at the time of the attack.

As well as being the founder of Hamas' rocket launching programme, he headed the group's artillery throughout the territory, the IDF said.

The rest at Weasel Zippers

Do you get the feeling that IDF intel is so precise that they know where every Hamas terrorist leader can be found?

No wonder, like rats, the Hamas leadership is hiding in deep, underground bunkers. And some, the really brave ones, are in Gaza hospitals, disguised as doctors and nurses.

I'll bet the boys and girls of Hizbullah are watching and going: “Whoops, that could be me.”

This is a shock. A synagogue in France was fire-bombed. Who would have thought that France, home to liberty, yadda, yadda, would be fertile ground for Jew-killers?

Good thing Sarkozy is working so hard to make sure the IDF doesn't win in Gaza or the loyal Muslims of France might get angry. Can't have that. Waiting for the media to blame the Jews for the fire-bombing. The line being: If Israel ceased to exist and all Jews were, y'know, not breathing, everything would be cool with the religion of peace.

12: 58 pm PST Okay, by now the media have accused Israel of a major war crimes, of being baby-killers, the whole familiar meme. But as always, pictures and initial reports are wrong. My pal Omri, at Mere Rhetoric, analyzes this latest slice of terrorist propaganda. Let's be clear, the civilian casualties in this episode were victims of Hamas. This is what happens when terrorists use civilians as human shields.

Here's the IDF spokesman.

Hamas have two goals: to kill as many innocent Israelis as possible. And to make sure that numerous Arab civilians—preferably women and children—also die. And to use their deaths for propaganda purposes. Yes, they are that evil.

Here's a video of mortar fire coming from that same U.N. school in Oct 2007. Clearly Hamas and their UN collaborators have turned the school into a forward base for launching terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians.

According to Article 28 of the Geneva Conventions: The presence of a protected person may not be used to render certain points or areas immune from military operations

Hamas are responsible for the civilians in the UN school, hence war criminals which is sort of an oxymoron considering that they are already Islamo Nazis.

Colleen Moore dances for joy at Big Hollywood's launch.

1: 16 pm PST Big Hollywood is up, the new conservative film and culture blog founded by Andrew Breitbart and edited by my close friend John Nolte. Big Hollywood supports Israel, big-time, and soon we will devote an entire day to Israel.

My article about “The Real Battle of Algiers” will be posted in a day or two. Meanwhile head on over and enjoy. It's filled with refreshing and thought-provoking articles and reviews.

1:46 pm PST You know how Democrats claim that support for Israel is bi-partisan. You know how Democrats are always insisting that they love and support Israel? Well, turns out that it's not so true. Even when it comes to Operation Cast Lead.

Sixty-two percent (62%) of Republicans back Israel’s decision to take military action against the Palestinians, but only half as many Democrats (31%) agree. A majority of Democrats (55%) say Israel should have tried to find a diplomatic solution first, a view shared by just 27% of Republicans.

While 75% of Republicans say Israel is an ally of the United States, just 55% of Democrats agree. Seven percent (7%) of Democrats say Israel is an enemy of America, but only one percent (1%) of Republicans say the same.

Full story, here. H/T Jake Novak

3:01 pm PST I'm in awe of Jack. Here he is with Gaza War Update 10.5.

3:06 pm PST More faux photography from the country that just eats it up, like they eat snails and frog's legs. Figures.

4:11 pm PST Robert D. Kaplan on the Iranian Beast in Gaza:

Israel’s attack on Gaza is, in effect, an attack on Iran’s empire, the first since its offensive on Iranian-backed Hezbollah in 2006. That attack failed for a number of reasons, not least of which was Israel’s poor intelligence on Hezbollah: historically, its intelligence on the Palestinians has been much better. Moreover, this attack seems more deliberately planned, with narrower, publicly stated aims – all in all, a more professional job. But there is a fundamental problem with what Israel is doing that goes to the heart of the postmodern beast that the Iranian empire represents.

To read the complete story, please click here.

8:43 pm PST Welcome to Londonistan.

The number of anti-Semitic attacks in London has risen sharply following Israel's land assault on Gaza, Jewish community groups said today.

Their leaders have compiled a dossier of attacks against Jews which will be handed to seniors officers in the Metropolitan police.

The attacks include claims of:

An attempt to burn down a synagogue in north-west London.

An assault on a Jewish motorist who was pulled from his car and punched.

A gang of youths chanting anti-Semitic slogans as they tried to enter restaurants and shops in Golders Green.

The Community Security Trust, which is responsible for the safety of Jews in Britain, has also noted the emergence of anti-Semitic graffiti in Jewish areas across London.

Slogans sprayed on walls include: 'Kill Jews' and 'Jews are scumbags.'

Full story at Weasel Zippers

8:47 pm PST And Ireland...

Full story at Weasel Zippers.

Do you get the feeling that support for Hamas, a genocidal bunch of thugs, is the norm in the Arab Muslim world? Do you get the feeling that Jew-hatred has gone mainstream, especially in Europe?

9:08 pm PST Let's CUT TO another scene, another mood, something more uplifting:

IDF soldiers heart each other. And we heart them.

9:55 pm PST Richard Landes and Yizchak Sokoloff discuss media bias at Pajamas TV. Great stuff. I had lunch with Richard a few months ago. His passionate and articulate defense of Israel and common sense morality should be a model for Israeli spokesmen as they confront a hostile world-wide media.

Say goodnight BB:

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 12:43 PM in Gaza | Comments (10)

Surprise Message from Usama bin Laden

Seraphic Secret has several secret and reliable sources in the intelligence community. One of our most trusted and knowledgeable sources has leaked a secret communique by none other than Usama bin Laden.

We feel it our patriotic duty to share this with our readers.

Interoffice Memo:

From: Usama Bin Laden

To: Barack Hussein Obama

In the name of Allah, in the name of The All Merciful Prophet, greetings upon your head.

For too long the dog Bush The Son has waged brutal war against Islam, against those holy warriors who answer the call of Islam to fight Jihad against the Jews and the Crusaders. This war has crippled the Holy Warriors and prevented those who love Allah and His Prophet from slaughtering Crusader American and Jew infidels. But Bush is past and by the grace of Allah and His Prophet you are now in the White House, soon to be a Holy Mosque.

In the name of the Holy Warriors we give thanks for the wisdom you display in anointing the infidel Leon Panneta—we know his real name is Pinsky The Jew—as next Director of Central Intelligence.

We give thanks, for Panneta/Pinsky has no experience in the intelligence field, and he is a well known critic of the interrogation methods that we most fear and that have kept America safe from our Holy Jihad fighters these past seven years.

We give thanks for a return to the bountiful days of Jimmy “Our Jihad Brother” Carter who also appointed the most ignorant outsider Stansfield Turner as director of the satanic CIA. The Iranian dogs—Death to all Shia!—swiftly brought the Great Satan to its knees.

We give thanks for a return to the glorious days when the degenerate sexual beast Bill Clinton—real name Benish Cohen—appointed the great dupe, and another non-professional, John M. “The Kraut Jew” Deutch as Director of the CIA. Those were the blessed years when Allah caused his humble servant to build Al Quada, bomb the Twin Towers—if at first you don't succeed try, try again—and build the all powerful, all Holy, Jihad network, that has better ratings than all the Jew-networks on The Great Satan American Television, a subsidiary of The International Jewish Conspiracy.

Indeed, we give thanks to the Democrats, AKA The Elders of Zion, who meekly submit to the will of Allah and His Messenger.

His humble servant praises the Dhimmi Obama and his most wise choice for the CIA.

The Jihad against The Great Satan and The Zionist Entity will now comfortably and courageously enter its next phase in which the infidel dogs of the West will convert or their heads will separated from their bodies.

Blessings Upon Allah and His Prophet.

Your Best Blood Enemy,

Usama bin Laden

P.S. Your woman (who talks too much!) and little female infidels (who smile too much!) dress like wantons. Enclosed please find three burqas. Don't worry, one size fits all. And black is slimming.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 07:33 AM in Gaza | Comments (6)

January 05, 2009

The Unbearable Lightness of the Blood Libel

In the middle-ages, Christians in Europe routinely accused Jews of killing Christian children in order to use their blood to bake the Passover matzo.

This was a Blood Libel. And it usually resulted in pogroms where entire Jewish communities were given the choice of converting or having their throats slit. Often, entire Jewish communities were martyred.

The Blood Libel was not only a lie, but it turned reality on its head in the most gruesome fashion, for Jewish law is meticulous in forbidding the eating of blood, in any form.

The classical Blood Libel has virtually disappeared from the European Christian world—the Blood Libel never made any headway in America, American Christians have always been deeply anchored in the Jewish bible.

But the Blood Libel lives on in the Arab world, literally. It was dramatized in an Egyptian multi-mini-series Horseman Without a Horse, with a scene of a Jew slitting the throat of an Arab child, perhaps the gruesome scene I have ever had the misfortune to screen. This mini-series remains the most watched and most popular drama in the Arab world.

The Blood Libel has mutated into general and vicious attack on the Jewish State, whereby every action taken by Israel is condemned through a series of vile lies and distortions.

Currently, Israel is accused of the massacre of citizens in Gaza—patently untrue. Ignored is the fact that Israel, more than any other country under arms, goes to the greatest lengths to avoid civilian casualties. In fact, the IDF sent thousands of text messages, plus 90,000 phone calls to the residents of Gaza warning them to vacate homes that were used by Hamas as weapons depots, 90,000 warnings on how to avoid being a casualty.

Further, precision bombing has minimized civilian casualties.

Ignored by the world is the fact that Hamas have been firing missiles into Israel for years. In fact, as soon as the Israeli government expelled 9,000 Jews from Gaza, Hamas declared victory and commenced their brutal missile offensive on Israeli civilians. Since the Hamas aggression began 25% of the residents of S'derot have abandoned that unhappy city. How long can one endure when the sky is screaming and the earth is on fire?

In truth, Hamas are responsible for every civilian death in Gaza for they use civilians as human shields.

Most perverse is that the world relentlessly accuses Israel of crimes that are, in fact, widespread in the Arab Muslim world—the murder and torture of civilians, a savage disregard for human life, and a casual acceptance of cruelty and murder.

Indeed, a death cult grips the Arab Muslim world, personified by the beheadings of so-called infidels, and homicide bombings carried out as regularly and casually as reruns of an old TV show.

That the dinosaur media focuses exclusively on so-called civilian casualties in Gaza—Hamas terrorists on a gurney are invariably counted as civilians because they are not wearing uniforms—is proof that the media are either stupid or willing dupes of Islamic terrorists.

The world-wide demonstrations against Israel are a massive blood libel.

The round the clock reports on CNN and other networks, where moral idiots called anchors and journalists, count dead Arabs as a proof of Israel's “war crimes,” are a blood libel.

The sophisticates in the U.N. routinely engage in the blood libel.

The leaders of the European countries have returned to their comfortable Jew-hating roots by coddling up to Arab Muslim terrorists—first it was Arafat, now it's Hamas, Hizbullah and Iran—and roundly condemning Israel for having the temerity to exercise national self defense.

The sacred Hamas Covenant, ratified in 1988, is a proudly Jew-hating document that revives The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, calls for the complete elimination of the State of Israel and of Jews everywhere, is a classic blood libel.

And of course, the greatest blood libel of all is that the Western media never, but never cites this frankly genocidal document as the founding constitution of the Palestinian State—Gaza.

The hard-working Jack is up with Gaza Update #9.

Seraphic Secret is busy, busy, busy today—conference call, screenplay to polish—but we will try and update as often as we can. And please forgive our tardiness in responding to comments. We are just buried. Also, our spam filter is having a nervous breakdown and spamming legitimate e-mail.

Aussie Dave and The Muqata continue to live-blog the war. These two bloggers are an invaluable source of information and impressions.

Seraphic Secret took part in a conference call for bloggers with the San Francisco Israeli Consul-General. Omri, of the most excellent Mere Rhetoric, sums up the conversation here.

Hey, how about a morale booster? Okay, if you insist.

Brigitte Bardot says: “Go IDF.”

My good friend Dirty Harry has been tapped by Andrew Breitbart as Editor-in-Chief of the exciting new blog Big Hollywood.

I've been asked to be a regular contributor, a great honor, for the list of contributors is long and impressive.

My first article is "The Real Battle of Algiers," a two part essay that illuminates the skillful jihadist propaganda that is Gillo Pontecorvo's film, The Battle of Algiers. I examine the true historical record, the inconvenient facts excluded from the film, including the horrifying Muslim Jew-hatred that helped fuel the battle of Algiers, and the eventual expulsion of Algeria's entire and ancient Jewish community by the Algerian terrorists after the French surrendered.

As I've said many times, movies are a moral landscape.

The Battle of Algiers is a movie that inhabits a deeply immoral and dishonest landscape. It's a beautifully crafted film, but at the core it is a stealth piece of Jihadist propaganda. Like Leni Riefenstahl's work for the Nazis and Sergei Eisenstein's films for the Soviet Communists, Pontecorvo's movie is in service to a totalitarian and genocidal ideology.

Big Hollywood makes its debut tomorrow, Tuesday January 6, 2009.

And here's Big Hollywood founder Andrew Breitbart on this much-needed new corner of the blogosphere:

On Tuesday, I launch Big Hollywood (bighollywood.breitbart .com), a big group blog that will feature hundreds of the big minds from the fields of politics, journalism, entertainment and culture.

Big Hollywood is not a “celebrity” gabfest or a gossip outpost - it is a continuous politics and culture posting board for those who think something has gone drastically wrong and that Hollywood should return to its patriotic roots.

Big Hollywood’s modest objective: to change the entertainment industry. To make Hollywood something we can believe in - again. In order to give millions of Americans hope.

Until conservatives, libertarians and Republicans - who will be the lion’s share of Big Hollywood’s contributors - recognize that (pop) culture is the big prize and that politics is secondary, there will be no victory in this important battle.

To read the complete article, please go to Dirty Harry's:

Staged Photos are pouring out of Gaza. The Arab Muslim world understands that truth matters little to the mainstream media, image is all, and so they shamelessly stage false scenes to increase the public perception of the Arabs as eternal victims. And the Western press, slaves to Hamas in Gaza, or their kneecaps will be blown off, cooperate in this terrorist enterprise.

The Persians—what a shock—are volunteering to go to Allah, by slaughtering Jews, natch. The Iranians are yapping away because their proxy army in Gaza, Hamas, are collapsing, taking massive casualties. The IDF have captured numerous terrorist prisoners—that will result in piles of intel that will lead directly back to Tehran. The IDF has displayed most excellent intel-gathering in the Gaza and the Persians must know that the Israelis will, any day, come screaming across the sky and reduce the Nantaz Nuclear facility to nothingness. Anyhoo, most anxious to see how the Mullahs plan to get these 70,000 volunteers to Israel. Perhaps El-Al. As my friend Omri comments: Whatever.

3:34 pm PST Jack, Jack, Jack, don't you ever sleep? The man is a marvel. Here he is with Gaza War Update 9.5.

3:45 pm PST Seraphic Secret has quite a few loyal readers in Melbourne, Australia. We'd like you to know that your lovely city is home to Jew-hating Islamists who would gladly slit your throat if they knew that you were friends with yours truly, a Zionist, and hey, a Hollywood Jew. Here are a few pictures of your peace loving Muslim neighbors from yesterday's rally.

4:07 pm PST Okay, time for a much needed break from the war in Gaza for a totally random bit of Hollywood trivia. This is one of my favorite true Hollywood stories.

Joan Bennett

In 1951, Hollywood star Joan Bennett met with her agent Jennings Lang to discuss a project. In fact, they were having an affair. Bennett's husband, producer Walter Wanger—at the time his brilliant career was sort of in the toilet—spotted his wife and Lang parked in her convertible. Wanger walked up, pulled a gun and blam! blam! fired twice, hitting Lang in the groin and the hip. Thankfully, the wounds were not mortal and Lang survived. Later, Bennett delivered one of the greatest lines in Hollywood history when she told her husband: “Walter, he was only an agent!”

10:18 pm PST IDF troops training for war in Gaza. Good stuff.

10:25 pm PST I don't think you'll see this story in the dinosaur media because, y'know, it reveals Hamas as utter and complete barbarians. Hamas Declares Open Season on Jewish Children.

10:34 pm PST Jew-haters here, Jew-haters there, Jew-haters in Anaheim. Notice the forward fashion sense of this Jew-hating jihadist female/whatever. The Black burqua is the new, um, black burqua. And get a load of the official “Hey I'm the Next Homicide Bomber Headband.” Very Woodstock. And the Lone Ranger mask is, well, mysterioso, right? Just hints at the hidden depths of Jihad Jane.

10:46 pm PST Joshua Pundit was in on the Consul-General conference call this morning and when I heard his voice I wanted to blurt out, real fan boy style, “Love your blog. Can I puh-leese be a member of Joshua's Army.” But yours truly managed to keep mouth firmly shut. Anyhoo, here's Joshua Pundit with the Latest From the Gaza Front.

10:59 pm PST Okay, gotta go. I DVR'd the season premiere of The Bachelor. I just gotta find out what happens with Jason. This show is ultra brilliant, Hitchkockian (suspense) meets Busby Berkeley (endless babes.) Hey, even Seraphic Secret does not live by classic Hollywood films alone.

Say good night, BB.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 08:48 AM in Gaza | Comments (20)

January 04, 2009

Terrorist Rhetoric: Fact vs. Fiction or What I Learned in Hollywood

Let's begin with Jack's most excellent War in Gaza Update # 8.

Also just published is Haveil Havalim #199.

Last night, Karen got all upset by the deeply biased media coverage—Fox was the best, putting the war in context, not shilling for Hamas, etc.—and the world-wide protests against Israel.

I thought to myself: what else is new? It's not as if the world loves Jews, except when they are dead in massive numbers—Auschwitz and company—and even that genocide is actively denied by the Arab-Muslim world.

And then I remembered something that Bibi Netanyahu told us at the Nefesh B'nefesh Bloggers Conference; it went something like this, and I'm paraphrasing from memory:

“The best weapon we have against our enemies is the truth.”

I've watched movies obsessively since I was a child. I've studied movies, obsessively for just as long. I've written and produced movies and TV shows for over 25 years and I'm here to tell you that fiction is far more potent than fact. In fact, fiction, well-crafted, becomes more real than reality.

Fiction carries a simple and clear message. Fiction has a story-line that is deeply personal. Fiction lays out a moral universe that is comfortable.

And that is why the big lies that dominate the media and Arab-Muslim propaganda are so powerful—they carry dramatic heat—and the cool facts we recite fall on deaf ears.

The Muslim Arabs have created a narrative whereby they are the eternal victims of Jewish Israeli aggression. The Muslim Arabs have created a narrative that, no matter how horrendously they act—homicide bombings, pogroms, Jew-hating rhetoric that makes Nazi propaganda look tame—it counts for nothing because Israel and Jews are so evil that anything is justified.

What to do?

Do we resort to endless lies, do we parade dead babies in the streets in order to score valuable minutes on CNN and the BBC?

Well, of course not. Israel-Judaism respects truth, and unlike the Arab-Mulsim world, we sanctify life.

There is only one rational path and that is to do what has to be done for self-preservation. Apologize to no one and to make it clear, especially to the media who shill for the Arab-Muslim terrorists, that their presence in Israel, or Gaza, is not welcome as long as they aid and abet Jew-killers.

Israel refused to allow UN rep Richard Falk to enter Israel. The media complained for maybe thirty seconds and then it was forgotten.

Why?

Because they were intimidated. Because they realized that if Falk can be punished, so can they. Because Israel stopped being a punching bag. Israel said enough is enough, this man is a U.Nazi and we have the right to expel such creatures.

It's almost funny, the Israeli government had little problem expelling 9,000 Jews from their homes in Gaza—which lead directly to the Second Lebanon War, and to Operation Cast Lead—but the government moans and kvetches and refuses to expel hostile reporters who, with their dispatches, enable Hamas, a proudly genocidal organization.

Busy, busy today doing stuff, but we will update as often as we can.

Morale booster—for our troops.

10:25 am PST The IDF's Greatest Hits, Take #2.

Another senior Hamas terrorist, Muhammad Hilo, was also killed in the same airstrike. Hilo was in charge of the Hamas special forces in Khan Yunis.

12:56 pm PST Hey, have you noticed that when Arabs slaughter other Arabs there are no protests from the, ahem, international community, or from the peace-loving Arab Muslim street. BTW, these alleged Israeli collaborators are, almost always, victims of private tribal and religious vendettas. Yup, for the Caliphite Islamists it's a good time to settle personal scores and blame it on the evil Jooz.

1:08 pm PST Good Lord, 35 Arab civilian casualties. Oh wait, they were slaughtered by an Arab-Muslim female homicide bomber in Iraq. Nothing to get excited about here.

1:12 pm PST Baruch Dayan Emet, Blessed be the True Judge.

1:16 pm PST The Arab Muslim world spins their false narrative using faux photography, and creating fictional scenes for the news. It's called propaganda. Naturally, the gullible western press has not a clue.

1:21 pm PST Dead babies on parade. Hey, did it ever occur to anyone that maybe the children were killed by Hamas. They have this habit of blowing themselves up as they build bombs intended for Jews. And Hamas are embedded in dense civilian areas. Barbarians.

1:25 pm PST I'm a glutton for punishment. Just turned on Al CNN and wouldn't you know, the news bunny is asking an Israeli spokesman about humanitarian aid to Gaza. I'm waiting for her to ask the same question to the Egyptians who share a border with Gaza. BTW, don't the Egyptians just love their Arab brothers in Gaza? Answer: No, they don't. Egypt would like nothing better than for Hamas to be annihilated to the last man.

1:37 pm PST The IDF's Greatest Hits continue.

1:48 pm PST Ah, Paris, city of lights, fine food, buttery croissant, the Louvre, wretched movies, and oh yeah, terrorists wild in the streets calling for Jewish blood.

1:56 pm PST The Utility of Force in Gaza, a fine and rational analysis by a man I'm proud to call a close friend.

2:03 pm PST Per Rahel's request. Most combat soldiers in the IDF are male, but women also serve, and they are beautifully deadly.

And of course:

2:36 pm PST My mate Aussie Dave continues to live-blog the war. Awesome coverage. Next time I'm in Israel I'm going to buy Aussie Dave a beer or ten.

2:38 pm PST Jameel, not his real name, is also blogging the war live and for this man we will buy, what else, waffles.

2:44 pm PST Digression for the sake of sanity: Doris Kenyon (1897 - 1979) was a lovely actress of the silent screen. Today she's pretty much forgotten. But she was the favorite star of a woman named Alma Sophia Kappelhoff of Cincinnati. When Alma gave birth to a little girl in 1924, she named her Doris in honor of the star. Doris Kapelhoff went to Hollywood and became Doris Day. Talent via osmosis.

Doris Kenyon

Doris Kapelhoff AKA Doris Day

Seraphic Secret has to take a break, helping a young screenwriter with a script.

4:38 pm PST Rule #1 of screenwriting. Figure out what your main character wants, why he can't get it, and then how he gets it. If you neglect this simple narrative progression you are screwed.

4:40 pm PST One of my favorite military bloggers, Op-For, hangs at the Erez Crossing.

4:57 pm PST This from Jameel at the Muqata:

Zvi Yehezkeli (Channel 10 TV) reports that the machine gun weaponry firing at IDF troops now in Gaza City were given to the PA and Fatah by Israel as a "sign of goodwill, confidence-building measure."

In screenwriting this is called irony. In real life it's suicidal insanity.

5:01 pm PST Hey, I have a fab-u-lous idea: let's divide Jerusalem and hand it over to the Arabs! What could possibly go wrong?

5:02 pm PST I'm overflowing with brilliance. Let's expel every Jew from Judea and Samaria AKA The West Bank, hand it over to the Arabs and heck, they will be so touched that peace will break out and everyone will sing Kumbaya. Oh wait, we tried that in Gaza. Didn't quite work out. But gee-willikers, let's try it again. What could possibly go wrong?

5:13 pm PST Soccer Dad trains his laser sights on terrorist spokesman Christian Al Amanpour. I look at her on CNN and two words come to mind: Leni Riefenstahl.

5:42 pm PST ABC news just reported that the reason Egypt has not opened its border with Gaza is because they have been advised not to by Israel. If you believe this you are a first-class moron. Hamas is a splinter group of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist terror group at war with the Egyptian regime. The Brotherhood assassinated Anwar Sadat. In fact, in spite of their public pronouncements, Egypt is delighted that Israel is finally rolling over Hamas.

5:51 pm PST Middle Eastern politics alert: the peace-loving Persians have just put a bounty on Mubarak's head—literally.

5:57 pm PST Mugabe—Jimmy Carter's bestest pal—is using hunger as a weapon in Zimbabwe. Look at all the protestors in the streets. Oh, wait, they're far too busy calling for Israel's destruction. Nothing going on in Zimbabwe but mass murder. Ho-hum.

6:12 pm PST Save the poor starving Gazans. H/T Elder of Ziyon via Joshua Pundit.

6:59 pm PST Gaza City Surrounded. From Joshua Pundit:

...the IDF have pretty much closed the ring around Gaza City, using variations of similar tactics they've used before to divide the Strip into three sections.

The IDF already controls the ground at the Hamas launching sites in the North Strip in what used to be Jewish communities around Netzarim and at Beit Hanoun in the north and has captured parts of the Zeitun refugee camp. They also took over the old airfield at Dahaniya.

At the same time, the Israeli navy dropped off IDF troops in an amphibious landing in the southern Philadelphi enclave which is the main artery for the weapons smuggling tunnels which supply Hamas and the IDF has almost completely taken this area over from Hamas.

The idea (which appears to have been fairly successful) is to isolate the diferent Hamas commands from one another, kill off or capture the Hamas jihadis outside the ring around Gaza City and isolate Hamas' main force in the tunnel complex known to Army intel as 'underground Gaza'. That's where Hamas' leaders and what's left of their fighters are holed up. And of course, it's built underneath civilian areas.

Full story, here.

7:20 pm PST You know who's not happy? The Iranians. They have spent millions arming and training the Hamas terrorists and in just a few days thousands of their missiles have been destroyed, Hamas capabilities seriously degraded, and terrorist bodies are piling up like cordwood. In addition, the Mullahs can't help but notice that Israeli intel is scary accurate, indicating top notch electronic surveillance patiently compiled over years, and, no doubt human intel from Arabic speaking Israelis agents—that's what the Arabs get for expelling the Jews from their lands—and Arabs in Gaza and Egypt who are sick of Hamas, plus Arab states—Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia—who are anxious to see Hamas liquidated. The Mullahs realize that the IDF has the Nantaz nuclear facilities in their sights, and a plan that will turn it into ashes. Believe me, behind their dopey bluster, the Persians are plotzing.

Seraphic Secret has to sign off now. Gonna sit down and watch Harold Lloyd's last silent film Speedy (1928).

Say goodnight BB:

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:16 AM in Gaza | Comments (19)

January 03, 2009

IDF Enters Gaza

Shavua Tov. We made Havdalah a few minutes ago. I turned on my computer and discovered that the IDF has, at last, moved into Gazastan.

Jack has posted Gaza update 7.5.

Seraphic Secret live-blogs, just keep scrolling downward.

Here is the prayer we recite for the IDF in shul, synagogue, every Shabbos.

He Who blessed our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob — may He bless the fighters of the Israel Defense Forces, who stand guard over our land and the cities of our God, from the border of the Lebanon to the desert of Egypt, and from the Great Sea unto the approach of the Aravah, on the land, in the air, and on the sea.

May the Almighty cause the enemies who rise up against us to be struck down before them. May the Holy One, Blessed is He, preserve and rescue our fighters from every trouble and distress and from every plague and illness, and may He send blessing and success in their every endeavor.

May He lead our enemies under our soldiers' sway and may He grant them salvation and crown them with victory. And may there be fulfilled for them the verse: For it is the Lord your God, Who goes with you to battle your enemies for you to save you.

Now let us respond, Amen.

IDF troops prepare for battle in a staging area on the Israeli-Gaza border
Photo By Ariel Jerozolimski

Anti-Islamist Brigitte Bardot
says: “Go, IDF!”

My pals in Israel Jameel and Aussie Dave continue live-blogging the war. Invaluable.

Omri, at Mere Rhetoric, is also doing a fine job of covering the war.

Seraphic Secret would like to point out that:

1. Hamas, in Gaza, to the west of Israel, is a proxie for Iran.

2. Hizbullah—in control of Lebanon, to the north of Israel—is a proxie for Iran.

4. Iran, to the east of Israel, genocidal and spreading its hegemony over the region, is building a nuclear program.

In short, Israel is surrounded by a ring of genocidal, Jew-hating regimes. Seraphic Secret strongly urges Israel to cut off the head of the snake, Iran, and destroy the Iranian nuclear facilities. As long as Iran has military teeth, Israel is in mortal peril.

7:16 PST: Hamas has announced that they will fight to the last man. To which we say: fab-u-lous.

7: 18 PST Good Lord, is the CNN Barack Obama look-alike anchor really that dumb. He just asked Israel spokesman Mark Regev why Israel feels the need for an aerial attack and a ground invasion at the same time. Duh, to win the war. BTW, the dopey CNN anchor forgot to mention the most excellent Israeli navy is dong a nice job of off-shore shelling.

7:24 PST Barack Obama II on CNN just informed us that innocent civilians in Gaza are dying. This anchor is a shill for Hamas. Not a word about Israeli civilians under fire for years. More German civilians died in WWII than allied civilians. The Nazis were responsible for all that death and destruction. And Hamas uses civilians as human shields, which makes them responsible for any civilian deaths in Gaza.

7:30 PST The UN Security Council are meeting to formulate a response to the war. I have a great idea: the UN should cease to exist. The U.N. is a Jew-hating forum that does nothing but condemn Israel for existing and allows genocide—Sudan, Congo, Rwanada—to flourish. And Barack Obama promised to kick in another 50 million to support the U.N. Comforting thought.

7:38 PST President-elect Obama has no comment on the war in Gaza. He's “closely monitoring international events, and deferring to President Bush.” Smart move by a wily politician. Let Bush take all the heat and hope that things quite down by the time he parachutes into office. Keep dreaming.

7:42 PST Okay, that's it, can't take CNN a moment longer. They're shamelessly shilling for Hamas.

7:45 PST Have you ever noticed that the moment the terrorists start getting their butts kicked by Jews the world gnashes its teeth and demands/begs/weeps for a cease-fire? Pathetic bunch of losers.

7:48 PST Yours truly needs a morale booster.

Okay, feel better.

7:52 PST Just deleted two terrorist comments. Furthermore, we tracked down their identities and have alerted the world-wide Jewish conspiracy to monitor these knuckle heads.

8:00 PST Watching Fox news now. Never thought the day would come when I'd be grateful for Geraldo Rivera.

8:04 PST How come I'm getting older and Geraldo looks younger? Must be those five marriages.

8:08 PST Geraldo is interviewing Hanan Ashwari. She lies. And lies some more. Claims that Hamas doesn't use Mosques or Universities or private homes as ammo depots. Hey, Geraldo, say something. Fatah put Ashwari out to pasture years ago. Leave it to the American media to resurrect this terrorist. What's funny about this is that Fatah are supplying the IDF with a ton of Gaza intel. Fatah are as anxious to liquidate Hamas as are the Israelis.

8:18 PST Former UN ambassador John Bolton now commenting on Fox. Makes a moral argument for the necessity of eliminating the evil of Hamas. Thank G-d for Bolton.

8:21 PST Endless commercials. Hey, ever hear of a silent film star named Jetta Goudal? She was gorgeous, but had a short career because she was nutty as a fruit cake. Anyway, her real name was Julie Henriette Goudeket and she was a gold-played Jew-hater, always making cracks about hook-nosed Jews. Goudal claimed that she was born in France to aristocrats, but in truth she was born in Amsterdam and her parents were Orthodox Jews, her father a successful diamond merchant.

Jetta Goudal

8:41 PST A spokesman for the Arab League, formed in1945 exclusively to oppose the birth of the state of Israel, is yapping away about “Is-ra-eli aggression.” He really, really wants a cease fire. No kidding, Hamas is getting hammered. You think this Jew-hater would be calling for a cease fire if Jews were getting wiped out? I don't think so.

8:44 PST My brain is melting. Gonna take a break and get something to eat. Back soon.

9:18 PST I'm back. Footage of pro-terrorist demonstrators in NY. They're upset by deaths of innocent Palestinians. Oh, yeah sure they are. Where were they when Hamas and Fatah were slaughtering each other in Gaza? Where were they when the Jordanian army slaughtered 30,000 Palestinians on Black September. What about the 50,000 innocents who die in the Congo every month? And gee, Sudan is committing genocide in Darfur, over a million have been murdered, and hundreds of thousands of women raped. You know why these people never say a word about true evil? Because they are a bunch of Jew-haters hiding behind the fig-leaf of “mere anti-Zionism.”

9:29 PST Mini documentary on Fox about Moussif Hassan, the son of a Hamas leader, who now denounces Hamas, and labels Islam a “drug.” This young man is a convert to Christianity. Reveals that Hamas tortures and murders, well, everyone they don't like, and conveniently labels them Israeli collaborators. Details Hamas torture methods. Makes you yearn for good ol' water-boarding. Hope young Moussif packs heat 24/7 and checks the undercarriage of his car every morning.

9:35 PST Barak has ordered a 40km naval blockade around Gaza. Oh goody, hope Cynthia McKinney and her buddies—how come Jew-haters are called peace activists by the dinosaur media?—try to run the blockade and get blown out of the water. I really want to run this headline: McKinney Sleeps With the Fishes.

9:37 PST Commercial for a weed whacker. I'm tempted to buy. Which means that I'm half out of my mind because I don't know a weed from a rose—and care even less.

9:38 PST Maybe I'll send away for the Elvis CD they're pushing.

9:39 PST Hmm, the Titan Peeler looks nifty, though I have o idea what it's for. I'll just grab my trusty credit card and...

9:40 PST Or not.

9:41 PST Signing off for tonight. Gonna watch B'tipul with Karen, the Israeli TV series that has been remade as In Treatment on HBO. We need some cheering up. Back tomorrow morning.

Say goodnight, BB:

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 06:07 PM in Gaza | Comments (12)

January 02, 2009

Gaza: A Matzav Within The Matzav Plus a Deeply Superficial Digression From War

IDF tanks at Gaza border (photo: Amir Cohen)

Near midnight, last night, Seraphic Secret dialed Israel and spoke with Karen's brother, Rabbi David Singer, who lives with his wife Elana and their lovely children in Efrat. My brother-in-law, who is more like the brother I never had, is my go-to-guy when I'm trying to get a clear idea of “Ha Matzav,” Hebrew for “The Situation.”

Matzav is code for: “Hey, the surrounding Arab states are obviously a bunch of genocidal goons and loons, but we can't actually articulate such a heart-stopping thought so we're just going to understate the horror with an awesomely bland label: The Matzav.”

This bit of linguistic delusion allows Israelis to sleep at night.

It's a bit like calling the Nuremberg Laws “controversial legislation.”

Before getting to The Matzav, David asked about the film business, does the economic meltdown affect the movie biz or is Hollywood recession-proof?

My response: “When money is tight, the first thing families do is cut back on entertainment. Most people don't realize that during the depression Hollywood suffered staggering losses—except for MGM, who actually posted profits. Currently, the studios are cutting back on development, and box office will suffer. It also doesn't help that Hollywood produces so many mediocre movies—films the public actively shuns.”

“What about TV,” David asked, “don't they need a constant supply of product?”

“They do, but the networks and cable stations are developing more and more reality shows to fill their schedules. These shows are cheap to produce, get high ratings, and spawn spin-offs like mating rabbits. In short, as the economy worsens, you can bet that Hollywood will also suffer.”

I asked David for his impressions of Gaza, Operation Cast Lead.

David expressed full support for the offensive and claimed that pretty much the entire country—except for the extreme lefties who, like most lefties, have but a tenuous relationship to reality—is fed up with the aggression from Gaza and desperately want to crush the enemy.

David sighed, and I sensed a “but” coming.

“But,” said David, “I'm really afraid that Olmert, Livni and Barak made a deal with Fatah and Egypt to go into Gaza, destroy Hamas and then turn it over to Fatah.”

I let this sink in and my stomach did an Olympic level reverse flip. Yup, David might be right, all the diplomatic moves that Livni pulled before the offensive certainly hint at such a foolish alliance.

Let's be clear, Fatah and Hamas share the identical strategic goal: the annihilation of Israel and the death of Jews everywhere. They only differ on tactics. Hamas insists on round the clock terrorism coupled with massive propaganda efforts, whereas Fatah favors limited terrorism coupled with equally incendiary propaganda that features relentless Jew-hatred and legitimizes an Islamic genocidal theology.

There was a brief silence, both of us lost in our thoughts.

Finally, David stated: “Look, we hope this offensive works out. I trust in Ha Shem, G-d, and in our soldiers. But Olmert and Livni... well, it's not a good thing when you don't trust your own government.”

Absorbing this common-sense thought I wondered to myself if there is any Israeli politician who would be trusted by a majority of the Israeli public.

I have no answer.

David expressed deep concerns about Israeli Arabs who are rioting in support of Hamas.

I agreed: “They're a Fifth Column, nothing less. Israel cannot suffer such treason for much longer.”

“Very worrying,” David dead-panned.

“What about the North, Hizbullah in Lebanon?” I asked.

“Yeah, we're waiting for them to make a move. It's a real possibility.”

“I don't think they'll attack unless the IDF pushes ground troops into Gaza. That will give Hizbullah the perfect opportunity to attack with their long range missiles, then Israel has to deal with two-fronts at the same time. No army likes to find itself in that situation.”

“Yeah, you're probably right.”

On that happy note, I asked about Jeremy, David's eldest son, on active duty somewhere in the land of Israel.

David disclosed Jeremy's deployment, information Seraphic Secret will not reveal.

David said: “It's not easy.”

“Nope,” I agreed.

We wished each other a good Shabbos and said goodbye.

And before dropping off to sleep I recalled the exalted words of the Jewish prophet Joel (Hebrew: יואל‎).

Announce this among the nations: prepare for war; arouse the mighty; let all the soldiers approach and ascend. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning forks into spears; the weak shall say, I am strong.

Several readers have written asking how they can help Israel: One of our wonderful advertisers Hatzalah is a worthy place to start. Their volunteer medics rush to all scenes with incredible speed and they have saved numerous lives. Please donate generously.

A Palestinian terrorist-spokesmodel gets on Fox News and lies, and lies and lies so more. Her act puts Julius Streicher to shame. The Fox anchor, unlike most, doesn't put up with her outrageous blood libels. H/T Treppenwitz.

Jack is out with his most excellent Gaza Roundup #6.

Which calls for our trusty morale booster:

Brigitte Bardot, the stalwart anti-sharia
movie star.

The IDF has entered the blogosphere, check out their site, some good stuff there.

Pop Quiz: What is today?

Marilyn says: “Hey, Seraphic Secret, isn't today Friday Footwear?”

Well, yes it is, Marilyn, but there's a war in Gaza, do you actually think that we'd spend time on something so superficial?

You bet we would.

So: Karen waltzes into my office, back from a lightning, F-16ish sortie into Loehmann's and announces that she bought some new shoes. “Well,” says yours truly, “let me see and judge.” Karen, graceful as Cyd Charisse, slips into her latest, greatest purchase. I study the new flats and hand out the highest compliment one can bestow on women's footwear: “Cute shoes!” Karen frowns: “Really?” I'm like: “You know me, I'm a harsh critic, merciless even. Those are cute, cute, cute. They're all, Tuesday Weld Tortures Dobie Gillis to Death.” Karen sighs with relief and marches back into Casa Avrech. CUT TO: A half hour later. Karen limps into my office and announces the looming tragedy: “The shoes hurt, right here.” The love of my life steps out of her Tuesday Weld Tortures Dobie Gillis to Death flats and shows me the spot where her itsy-bitsy foot is being cruelly lacerated. Reasonably, I go: “You'll have to return them.” Karen's expression gets all stern, like Golda Meir sending the Mossad to liquidate Black September terrorists—only Karen's much prettier. “I am not returning these shoes. They are too nice!” “But—” Karen shakes her head back and forth and her eyes go all flinty. She separates her words like cobblestones: “Not. Returning. Shoes.” And that is why Seraphic Secret has Friday Footwear, even during Operation Cast Lead.

Ground assault into Gaza tonight?

IDF troops on the Israeli-Gaza border wait for orders.
Photo: Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty)

Karen and I wish all our friends, our relatives, and the IDF a lovely and meaningful Shabbos.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 08:32 AM in Gaza | Comments (11)

January 01, 2009

Ten Best Movies of 2008, Part II

Once again, Seraphic Secret is taking a short break from blogging the Gaza war to look back at the Ten Best Movies I screened in 2008. I have to admit that I did not see one contemporary release that comes close to the quality and passion of these older films. And keep in mind that most of these classic studio movies were produced on modest budgets, never intended as studio blockbusters. These ten products of Hollywood's golden age are what Hollywood used to do best: solid, unpretentious entertainment.

William Boyd, Mary Astor, Louis Wolheim in
Two Arabian Knights.

4. Two Arabian Knights, (1927), produced by Howard Hughes, Directed by Lewish Milestone, starring William Boyd, Louis Wolheim , who was fluent in Yiddish, and Mary Astor. Winner of the Oscar for Best Comedy Direction in 1927, the first and last time that category was included in the Oscar ceremonies. This hilarious and beautifully crafted movie was immensely popular with the public. Until quite recently, it was considered a lost classic, and then the negative was unearthed among the Howard Hughes archive. Boyd, the future Hopalong Cassidy, unbelievably young and matinee idol handsome, is paired with Louis Wolheim—his trademark broken nose is like a potato glued between his eyes—are squabbling WWI doughboys, captured by the Germans. They escape to Constantinople and there compete for the affections of an Arabian princess, the stunning Mary Astor. The script by Donald McGibney Wallace Smith Cyril Gardner James T. O'Donohoe and, whew, George Marion Jr. is tight and liberally sprinkled with brilliant sight gags. A sparkling pleasure from beginning to end.

3. Blonde Crazy (1931) starring Jimmy Cagney, and Joan Blondell, Directed by Roy Del Ruth. Wonderful and clever film about two con artists, the manic Jimmy Cagney, and the sexy, wisecracking Joan Blondell. Most of their victims are low-life crooks and con artists. But Cagney is tempted by a big score to become an outright thief, breaking the code Blondell holds dear. Like most movies, this is a love story. Cagney is all jangling nerves, constantly looking for the next mark, while the wide-eyed Joan Blondell waits for her partner in crime to realize that this partnership can yield only love or heartbreak. Blondell was one of the hardest working actresses in Hollywood. Born poor, to vaudeville performers—her father's real name was Blustein—she clawed her way to the top and never took her fame or good fortune for granted. For a few months Blondell was shooting so many films simultaneously—Blondell appeared in more Warner Bros. films than any other actress— she finally checked into a hotel and slept for three days straight.

Charles Boyer and Jennifer Jones in Cluny Brown.

2. Cluny Brown, (1946) with Jennifer Jones and Charles Boyer. This was director Ernst Lubitch’s last film. The Lubitch touch is most in evidence with Jennifer Jone's light-as-air performance as Cluny, a poor young beauty who is sent away by her uncle to “work respectable” as a maid in the English countryside. You see, Cluny is a passionate plumber, and everywhere she goes in polite society people are shocked, just shocked by Cluny's commitment to good plumbing. There's a great moment when Cluny confronts an overflowing sink, rolls up her sleeves, and then all business, rolls down her stockings to attack the problem. Charles Boyer stares in disbelief, and then his expression softens and love settles into his heart. Jennifer Jones won an Oscar for her fine work in Song of Bernadette, but as everyone in the movie business knows, comedy is harder than drama and here Jones is just incandescent. Cluny Brown, not often screened, is a gentle comedy and an irresistible love story that should be seen by everyone who loves movies.

1. Bombshell, (1933) Jean Harlow, Lee Tracy, Frank Morgan, Una Merkel and Franchot Tone. Harlow plays Harlow. That's what this film is really about. Harlow, all wisecracks and fed-up with Hollywood's merry-go-round insanity, is Lola Burns, a Hollywood sexpot. Her father and brother are always looking for handouts, and the studio publicity flack cooks up outrageous publicity stunts to add heat to an overheated reputation as a smoldering blonde bombshell. Harlow, a hugely appealing and gifted comedienne, delivers the best most energized performance of her career. In truth, like Lola, Harlow yearned for a normal life, a husband and children, but was thwarted by bad judgment in men, and a monstrously overbearing mother who controlled every aspect of her daughter's life and career. The great director Victor Fleming with ace screenwriters John Lee Mahin and Jules Furthman cooked up this Hollywood tale as a thinly disguised look at Fleming's former lover, silent film star Clara Bow. Fleming observed that Bow's life, on the surface was Hollywood glamorous, but when Bow went home at night, her mansion was filled with dog droppings and her deeply unstable family soaked her for every penny she earned. Bombshell is actually a screwball comedy before Hollywood invented that most entertaining genre.

Here's Part I of my Ten Best of 2008.

My close friend Dirty Harry agrees with Seraphic Secret, the New York Times review of Valkyrie, reveals a severely broken moral compass.

And hey, let's start a list of The IDF's Greatest Hits of the Gaza War. Here's #1.

This calls for another BB morale booster for our troops:

My friends Jameel and Aussie Dave brilliantly live-blog the war. I suggest a Pulitzer Prize for both, but we all know that only politically correct liberals are ever in the running.

And heeeeer's hard-working Jack with Gaza Round-up 5.5. Somebody treat this man to lunch at Pico Kosher Deli.

Seraphic Secret volunteers.

The IDF has a You Tube account where you can screen their latest blockbusters.

Here's the current rocket range of those pesky Hamas missiles the dinosaur media is so sanguine about. Tel-Aviv is next. No wonder Israel finally went to war. H/T The Muqata

Oh man, definitely need yet one more BB morale booster.

BB says: “Hang tough, Israel. We're in this together.”

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 01:09 PM in Movies | Comments (2)

Why We Fight, Part II

Here's the reason Israel has, finally, gone to war against Gaza.

And here's another good reason to fight the Islamists. Contrast the aspirations of Muslim-Arab women in Gaza with Jewish-Israeli mothers in Israel.

H/T Carl in Jerusalem

Jack, steadfastly chained to his computer, eye on the Gaza blogosphere, has just released his Gaza Roundup #5.

Hmmm. Still no morale boosting pic of the anti-Islamist Brigitte Bardot as Seraphic Secret suggested to Jack.

Okay, we'll do our patriotic duty. I'm like the Bob Hope of the Gaza war.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:41 AM in Gaza | Comments (8)

December 31, 2008

Ten Best Movies of 2008, Part I

Seraphic Secret is taking a short break from blogging the Gaza War to look back at the ten best movies I screened in 2008. I have to admit that I did not see one contemporary release that comes close to the quality and passion of these older films. And keep in mind that most of these classic movies were produced on modest budgets, never intended as studio blockbusters. These ten products of Hollywood's golden age are what Hollywood used to do best: solid, unpretentious entertainment.

Charles Laughton, the finest actor
of his time.

10. The Man From Down Under (1943) starring Charles Laughton and Donna Reed. Billy Wilder once stated that Charles Laughton was the greatest living actor. Who am I to argue with the legendary director? Laughton was certainly methodical in his research. Tapped to star as Captain Bligh in MGM's blockbuster Mutiny on the Bounty, (1935) Laughton went to the original London tailor shop that made the real Bligh's uniforms and had them copied to wear as his wardrobe. Anything for a true performance. Here, Laughton brilliantly portrays a rough and alcohol sodden Australian soldier who adopts two Belgium orphans, rescuing them from the ruins of World War I. This could have been a dreadful exercise in melodrama, but Laughton's acute commitment to the crude but sensitive Aussie character raises the movie to an unexpected emotional pitch. Robert Z.Leonard real name Robert Zigler Leonard, directed this little gem. Leonard is one of those great studio directors who are sniffed at by film cultists because he didn't have a "personal signature.” But Leonard's signature, like the great Clarence Brown, was rock solid professionalism and the highest levels of craftsmanship.

Marion Davies in Peg O' My Heart

9. Peg O’ My Heart (1933) starring Marion Davies as poor Irish girl who is forced to abandon her beloved father and live with snooty, wealthy relatives in the manor—and learn to be a lady. Davies is poignant and charming. She was a hugely gifted comedienne. Unfortunately, as William Randolph Hearst's mistress she was never taken seriously. It didn't help that Hearst financed her movies and insisted that she star in stiff dramatic period pieces that were unsuited to her natural comedic talents. Davies, a former Ziegfeld Girl, also sings and dances in this movie with magnetic energy. Once again, Robert Z. Leonard provides rock solid direction. Before he died, Orson Welles confessed that he had “done a dirty” to Marion Davies with his portrayal of the shrill and talentless Susan Alexander in Citizen Kane. It's impossible to know if Welles was truly contrite—he was always acting—but he spoke the truth. Citizen Kane destroyed a talented woman's reputation for several generations. Only now is a new generation of movie-lovers beginning to appreciate Marion Davies incandescent screen persona.

8. Five Star Final (1931) starring Edward G. Robinson, and Marian Marsh, Screenplay by Byron Morgan, directed by Mervyn Leroy. This amazing film delves into the squalid world of yellow journalism. Edward G. Robinson, real name Emanuel Goldenberg, plays a city editor who agrees to pursue a story, actually a family with a terrible secret, in order to increase circulation. Lives are shattered and spilled ink results in spilled blood. There's great use of split screen to build tension during a telephone sequence, so next time you watch 24, remember that this is an old and reliable device. Robinson, one of the great American film actors of all time, turns in a powerful and moving performance as a professional who sacrifices his soul and ethics for a story that should not be told. Mervyn LeRoy, real name probably Mervyn Levine, who got his start as a gag writer for silent star Colleen Moore, stays out of the way and allows his cast to work together and dramatize the moral vacuum that has been opened. The great Marian Marsh real name, Violet Ethelred Krauth, is simply riveting. I saw this on TCM, and so far have not been able to find it on DVD or VHS. A buried treasure.

7. The Toll of the Sea (1922) From a script by Hollywood's greatest screenwriter, Frances Marion. Anna May Wong's first feature role. She was just 17-years old. This was the first Hollywood feature shot in the new two-color Technicolor process. Anna May, Lotus Flower, rescues and falls in love with a shipwrecked American sailor. He promises to take her home. But the sailor's friends discourage the love affair with a Chinese girl, and he takes off to America without Lotus Flower. Wong's performance is beautifully modulated and deeply moving, especially for one so young. Wong matured into a great actress—she steals scenes from the flashy Dietrich in Shanghai Express simply by her riveting zen-like stillness. Sadly, Wong was doomed to star in B programmers where the plot required her to die rather than end up in a clincher with her Caucasian co-star.

Constance Bennett

6. The Easiest Way, (1931) starring Constance Bennett, Anita Page, Adolphe Menjou, Robert Montgomery, and the very young Clark Gable has a small supporting role. This is a a smoldering, Pre-code moral fable. Constance Bennett, an impoverished beauty, discovers that the easiest way to support her struggling family is to become mistress to the oily, and always tuxedoed Adolphe Menjou. But Bennett falls in love with the poor but honest Robert Montgomery. Ultimately, she has to choose between love, money, and a moral code that will allow her to sleep at night. Bennett was a huge star for a few years, but her diva-like behavior made enemies of studio executives and film crews alike. When Bennett's star fell—sister Joan's star ascended as Constance crashed—there were few who shed any tears. Constance Bennett fans usually cite the superb Hollywood or Bust or the overrated Topper—a one-joke film with terminal second act problems—as their favorite Constance Bennett films. But for yours truly, The Easiest Way is her most surprising and multi-layered performance. For an insightful look into the entire Bennett clan—talk about a family with tzuris—Self-Styled Siren has been blogging about sisters Constance, Joan, a bit on tragic Barbara, and toxic daddy Richard Bennett.

5. Lorna Doone 1922, starring Madge Bellamy, John Bowers, Frank Keenan and Patrick McDonald, from the novel by Richard Doddridge Blackmore. Madge Bellamy, real name Margaret Derden Philpott, for a few brief moments in Hollywood time, was a massive star. You can also see her in John Ford's The Iron Horse. In the sound era, Madge's most famous role is as Madeleine Parker, in White Zombie, with Bela Lugosi (1932), a cult classic. But the young beauty seemed bent on self-destruction and gained a reputation for being difficult, the kiss of death in tinsel town. She sealed her fate when she walked out of L.B. Mayer's office because, as she explained, he didn't stand up to greet her like a gentleman. Her personal life was a mess. Bellamy was dominated by a grasping, overbearing mother, and Madge's only marriage lasted but four days. Her downfall came when she stalked a former lover and then shot him. Arrested and charged with attempted murder, Bellamy said: “I only winged him, which is what I meant to do. Believe me, I'm a crack shot.” Lorna Doone, one of the greatest love stories evuh, tells the tale of Lorna, a noble young girl who is kidnapped and reared by the Doone's, a clan of highland bandits. Years pass and one of the thieves tries to press Lorna into marriage, but Lorna is still in love with her childhood sweetheart. Director Maurice Tourneur, real name Maurice Thomas, was one of the great pioneers and poets of the silent cinema. Every composition is carefully balanced and source-lighting evokes layers of mood that recalls the Northern Renaissance. Bellamy is just lovely and her performance is a fine portrait of a young woman torn between the conflicting emotions of duty to Sir Ensor Doone, the clan leader, and her long lost love.

Here's Part II.

And do check out my buddy Dirty Harry's list of Ten Worst Films of 2008. Oy-vey, the things DH does for his audience. He should get a medal for hazardous duty.

In the meantime:

Mae West, the woman who famously boasted of turning
men into boys, celebrates.

The hard-working Jack has just published his Gaza Update 4.5. Seraphic Secret prides itself on transparency, so we'd like you to know that Jack asked us if we had any suggestions on how to improve his Gaza Updates. “A picture of Brigitte Bardot,” was our reasonably reply. I mean, BB would be a great moral booster during this difficult time, no?

Well, Jack didn't take our wise advice so here's one—for the troops.

The anti-Islamist BB

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 01:01 PM in Movies | Comments (17)

And the Oscar Goes To...

Here's the feel-good movie of the year: the IAF targeting and taking out a cell of Hamas terrorists as they load Grad missiles—manufactured by Iran, smuggled into Gaza via tunnels from Egypt—to the back of a truck. This compelling and suspenseful film—very Hitchcock—was up on the IDF's new You Tube account, but, naturally, a bunch of terrorists and their enablers protested and the politically correct idiots at You Tube removed it. Can't let the public see a bunch of Arab Muslim thugs preparing to launch missiles against innocent civilians in Israel. That would, y'know, give lie to their precious victim status.

Thankfully, Live Leak is happy to pick up the business. The IDF should immediately shift its account to Live Leak. Capitalism at work.

Update: We have just been informed by Seraphic friend Ezzie, that You Tube have reinstated the banned video. Just goes to show, with enough publicity and pressure the good guys can win in this PC environment.

Speaking of politically correct idiots, a group of Hollywood actresses have decided to enable the Jew-hating terrorists. Explain to these actresses that they are strengthening sharia-yearning transnational Islamists who routinely oppress, rape and murder women, and they will look at you as if you're crazy. For them, that only happens in the movies. And you wonder why it's been almost 50-years since Hollywood produced Exodus, the last big studio film in support of Israel.

And hey, want to know where the courageous Hamas leadership in Gaza is hiding? In maternity and cancer wards. Shocking, huh, they're cowering behind their most vulnerable civilians. As they well know, there is no chance the IAF will bomb a Gaza hospital. Because unlike Hamas and the Gazans who elected them, the Jewish State is civilized, even when threatened by a relentless and genocidal enemy.

Shin Bet Chief Yuval Diskin briefed the cabinet Wednesday on the progress of Operation Cast Lead.

According to Diskin, "Hamas has been attacked like never before. It has suffered significant damages and its rule over Gaza has been compromised."

Diskin also noted that large numbers of Hamas operatives are hiding in hospitals and that some are posing as medical staff. "Some are also hiding in mosques and some of those have been turned into headquarters, since they assumed Israel won't attack them there. Their weapons' labs have been completely destroyed and their tunnel system has been severely damaged.

For the full story, please click here.

Ah, Denmark, the little country that heroically rescued its Jewish citizens during World War II. Well, times have changed.

A group of Arab youths opened fire Wednesday evening on a number of Israelis working at a mall in the Danish city of Odenza, some 200 kilometers north of Copenhagen.

Full story here.

The next time someone claims that anti-Zionism is not pathological Jew-hatred, here's what Seraphic Secret recommends: Punch them in the face—really hard—and calmly explain to the, hopefully bleeding useful idiot, that the punch was merely an advanced rhetorical device, not violence. I'm certain he'll calm down and accept your nuanced—one of their gold-plated words—interpretation.

Jack has just published his Gaza Roundup 3.5. Invaluable.

My friends Jameel and Aussie Dave continue live-blogging the war. These guys should get a medal for excellence in journalism.

A Jewish soldier recites Shachareet, the morning prayer,
on the Israeli Gaza border.

Watch this 15-second video clip. Fifteen seconds is all you have from the start of a "Code Red" air raid siren—if you're in the 10-kilometer zone around Gaza—to reach the safety of a bomb shelter.

Ready, set, go!

Not a lot of time.

Here's the petition in support of the citizens of S'derot. H/T The Muqata.

Also from Aish, Missiles from Gaza, a sobering look at the current situation.

Oh joy! Further honest if unlettered Arab rhetoric. This from Iran, where Jew-hatred is a fine art. Notice the not-so-subtle atomic logo on the red balloon. This, no doubt, signals that Persia is developing atomic energy for peaceful purposes, not as we right-wing alarmists caution, to bomb the Jewish State into ashes.

Jack is a busy blogger, he's just posted his Gaza Roundup numero IV.

My good friend and one of the best bloggers in the known universe, David of Treppenwitz, is gladly—well, sorta—running in and out of a bomb shelter.

Attention! Did you know that Nazis are evil, that World War II offered moral absolutes? Did you know that sophisticated film reviewers consider this POV rather, um, unsophisticated? Well, check out the review of Valkyrie by Manolo Blahnik—I always call her that—at the, what a shock, NY Times.

It’s a war that offers moral absolutes (Nazis are evil) and narratives (Nazis are evil and should die) that seem easier to grasp than any current conflict. Truly, World War II has become the moviemaker’s gift that keeps on giving, whether you want it to or not.

Karen read this—I actually don't bother reading reviews—and went into a pretty dramatic melt down.

“Robert, you have to write about this.”

“Oy, it's just a dopey film review from a clueless tool.”

“Robert, this is horrifying. Can you imagine if you showed this to a Holocaust survivor?”

“Why draw attention to such idiocy?”

“Really, you have to write about this review, it's unconscienceable.”

“Okey-dokey.”

Thanks heavens nobody pays attention to film reviewers. In fact, the dinosaur media are wisely laying off their film reviewers, recognizing dead wood when they see it. New media is moving into the film world with the speed and power of Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman across Georgia. The blogosphere is brimming with stupendous and penetrating film sites, the good blogs so much better than the mainstream media that it's not even a close call.

A really powerful film producer once explained to me that if one of his blockbusters received a positive review from the NY Times the film was guaranteed to tank. A negative review was gold in the bank.

Anyhoo.

Yours truly needs a drink. Oh wait, I don't drink, liquor gives me migraines. Okay, somebody out there pour a stiff one for Seraphic Secret.

Liberals are going to need a drink—many drinks—once they get a look at this honest and hard-hitting report from FOX Business News: The Media and Gaza.

Seraphic Secret is going to take a moment to shep nachas, Yiddish: experience joy and pride, for the Exectuve Producer of the Fox Business News is long-time Seraphic friend, Jake. Hat Tip to faithful Seraphic reader Lance, who suggests that we give the Oscar to Jake.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 04:39 AM in Gaza | Comments (12)

December 30, 2008

Honest if Unlettered Arab Rhetoric

A pro-terrorist, i.e. Palestinian supporter, displays his ideological convictions at a Jew-hating, er Juice-hating rally, in Manhattan yesterday.

H/T Little Green Footballs

Seraphic Secret is worried that Israel will suspend Operation Cast Lead in order to send “humanitarian aid” into Gaza. Israeli government spokesman claim that Hamas have hijacked the peaceful residents of Gaza.

This is nonsense. It's like drawing a distinction between the so-called innocent German citizens who actively supported the Nazis, or the Japanese who willingly died for their emperor.

The citizens of Gaza overwhelmingly elected Hamas, not because, as the chattering classes claim, because Fatah is corrupt—all Islamists are corrupt—but because the Hamas Covenant denies the historical and religious legitimacy of Israel, vows to eliminate Israel, and to murder all Jews everywhere. This genocidal program is a guaranteed winner with the citizens of Gaza, and has metastized throughout the Arab Muslim world.

Once Israel denies the rock solid civilian support that props up Hamas, she enters a realm of delusion that can only lead to military and political defeat.

My friend Treppenwitz points out that Israeli blood, for humanitarian transfusions, is shipped into Gaza via Jordan. Why? Because Jewish blood is considered filthy, and so as a fig leaf, Jewish blood sent to Jew-haters is transported into Gaza via an Arab state, thus maintaining the illusion that the blood is pure, i.e. Muslim.

This is Nazi doctrine writ large.

Can you make peace with such people?

The Israeli government, acting as a modern Judenrat, expelled every single Jew from Gaza, we're talking approximately 9,000 Jewish souls.The government promised that once Gaza was Judenrein, free of Jews, peace would break out.

It didn't quite work out that way.

The peaceful residents of Gaza took the following actions:

1. Burned ever abandoned synagogue.

2. Destroyed the lovely and profitable greenhouses that dopey liberal American Jews—Mortimer Zuckerman & friends—purchased for 14 million dollars—who said Jews are smart?—for the peace-loving residents of Gaza.

3. Immediately launched missiles into Israel, targeting civilians.

4. Kidnapped IDF soldiers. Goldwasser and Regev were probably dead when they were kidnapped. Gilad Shalit is still in cruel captivity—the only Jew in Gaza.

I have yet to hear one supporter of the Gaza expulsion admit that creating a defacto Palestinian state only strengthened Hamas, and proved to every transnational terrorist on the face of the earth that terror pays big dividends—especially when the victims are Jews.

Seraphic Secret has long maintained that all power should be shut off to Gaza—Israel controls the power grid. No fuel should be permitted into Gaza. And let the Egyptians provide humanitarian aid for they also share a border with their Arab brothers.

Every spark of electricity provides the Jew-haters in Gaza with power to kill Israelis. Every ounce of fuel is ammunition for the terrorists to launch their missiles.

War is a serious business. Hamas recognize this and proceed accordingly.

I fear that the current Israeli leadership has no stomach for waging war as it should be waged against the Reich in Gaza: with overwhelming force, until Hamas are turned to nothingness and Gaza surrenders unconditionally.

Czech-mate!

The world is obsessed with casualties—of terrorists—in Gaza, but what about the slaughter of innocents in Congo and the murder of Kurds in Iraq?

Baka Diary has an incredibly powerful post: Where Was the Outrage, that profiles the innocent civilians, women and children, murdered by Hamas missiles—weapons the world labels crude and ineffective.

More tragedy for the Holtzberg family:

The four-year-old son of Gavriel and Rivak Holtzberg, who were killed in the terror attack on the Chabad house in Mumbai, has died of a severe genetic disease overnight.

Dov-Ba'ar Holtzberg's funeral will be held at 10 am in Jerusalem.

Jack has posted his invaluable Gaza Roundup, Part III.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:52 AM in Gaza | Comments (13)

December 29, 2008

Why We Fight

Israel is unable or unwilling to expend much energy in the propaganda war against her Arab Muslim enemies and the mainstream media who enable the Jew-hating Muslim world.

But Arab television does the job for the Jewish State quite nicely. They produce and broadcast—round the clock—the most ghoulish, blood-thirsty, genocidal films since the Third Reich. In fact, the propaganda films of the Third Reich are positively subtle compared to the filth churned out by the Arab Muslim world.

These Jew-hating spots should convince most any fair-minded person—excluding the Hamas boosting dinosaur media—that Israel must fight and destroy her enemies. The charge of disproportionate response is just plain silly for there is no such thing as a disproportionate response in the face of relentless and solemn Muslim tribal calls for genocide.

Israel's current offensive against Gaza, Operation Cast Lead, has been a long time coming. Hamas, a proxy for Iran, has poured more than 6,000 missiles into Israel since 2005 when Israel expelled every Jew from Gaza—the Israeli government acting as a modern Judenrat—and created a de facto Palestinian state. Terrorist rhetoric has been full-throated and triumphal. Hamas have boasted that The Zionist Entity—they refuse to acknowledge Israel—has no way of dealing with their rocket attacks. But now that Israel has struck back, the bombastic rhetoric has abruptly ceased. Hamas gnashes its teeth and cries that they are helpless victims.

Odd how the terrorists shed one identity for another so rapidly. Reminds me of the school yard bullies who used to torment the small and weak kids in my grade school—until the weaker kid struck back in self-defense.

I have no idea how Operation Cast Lead will turn out. Israel says that its strategic goal is to halt the rain of rockets on Israel, not to topple Hamas.

But Hamas was formed for one purpose: to destroy Israel and to murder every Jew on the planet. This genocidal goal is neatly and proudly laid out in the Hamas Covenant.

And so the truth is that until Hamas is destroyed Israel will suffer unrelenting terror.

America utterly destroyed Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan during World War II. If Israel wants peace from Gaza, and from her hostile Arab neighbors, she must demonstrate the consequences of making war against the Jewish state.

And the consequences must be the destruction of Hamas and their unconditional surrender. Defeat must be accompanied by humiliation for in the Arab Muslim world—a culture defined by honor and shame—abject humiliation is the surest long term remedy.

If an international cease-fire is imposed, then Israel loses, because like cockroaches, terror organizations need only survive a conflagration to declare victory.

Jack has compiled an excellent Gaza Round-up Part II.

Seraphic Secret's buddy, Jameel at The Muqata continues to live-blog the war. Superb work.

My mate, (I speak the lingo) Aussie Dave, at Israellycool, between swigs of beer—he is an Aussie!—is also doing a great job of live-blogging the war.

Update:This is unconfirmed but Joshua Pundit reports that IDF troops have just entered Gaza. May Hashem protect and guide them to victory.

IAF footage of air strikes on Hamas tunnels, used to smuggle arms from Egypt into Gaza—with the aid of The Muslim Brotherhood—strikes on missile depots disguised as greenhouses, and a strike on the expensive high-rise headquarters of Hamas.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at 09:39 AM in Gaza | Comments (22)

December 28, 2008

Egypt: "Hamas is to Blame"

In the back-stabbing world of Arab politics where “death to Israel” is the only common cause, this official statement from the Egyptian Foreign Minister is a blazing neon sign that Hamas is perceived as a greater danger to the region than the evil Jooz.

Too bad the European Jew-haters can't come up with the same common-sense message. But the cultural and mental narcissism afflicting liberals trumps all.

And Haveil Havalim # 198 is up and live, this week hosted by Material Maidel—hey, is MM aware of Seraphic Secret's Friday Footwear?

In her quick-witted commentary—very Carole Lombard—MM wonders if Seraphic Secret's post about the Iranian Christmas Message is a bit angry.

Actually, we're furious.

Hey, guess what kids, Faux Photography from Gaza, AKA Pallywood, is already underway.

The well informed and always articulate Joshua Pundit, nicely summarizes Operation Cast Lead, and points out that the AP office in Gaza was also hit by Jewish shrapnel. In a screenplay we refer to this as a well-crafted resolution.

Jack has put together a nice round-up of posts about the war. Jack is pressed for time, but he says that there is more to come.

At some point, the useful idiots in the west and in Israel are going to insist that the so-called Palestinians should get more aid, more money. Joe Settler sanely points out that the more money you give these genocidal thugs, the more Jews get dead.

My buddy Jameel at The Muqata, is live-blogging the war—and yes, it is a war.

And let's not forget that my Aussie mate—I just love saying mate—at Israellycool, is also live-blogging the war.

Flashback: At the Nefesh B'Nefesh International Bloggers conference I met Israellycool for the first time. Aussie Dave is tall and trim and looks a bit like a Jewish version of Crocodile Dundee. Anyway, we're standing there talking about, what else, blogging, and he starts getting all tech on me. He goes on about RSS feeds and other stuff and I go:

“What's RSS?”

His jaw, I kid you not, just drops to the floor.

He's like: You're kidding, mate?”

I'm like: “Um, no.”

So he looks at me long and hard, at first totally bewildered at the ignorance displayed by yours truly, and then with real pity in his eyes because it hits him: Seraphic Secret is tragically backwards.

But he's a good bloke—another great Aussie word—and he starts lecturing me on RSS feeds and other stuff, and the tech talk is just mind-numbing, so naturally my so-called mind just drifts away and I wonder if Mae Murray, real name: Marie Adrienne Koenig, might be the most forgotten and overlooked star of the silent movie era—evuh?

Aussie Dave finishes his RSS lecture and asks if I understand, so of course I nod my head like a bobble and tell him:

“Oh, yeah, perfectly.”

And he knows I'm just lying through my teeth.

Anyhoo:

Still wondering about poor Mae Murray.

And still not a clue about RSS.

Mae Murray, known as
The Girl with the Bee Stung Lips.

Karen and I wish all our friends and relatives a miraculous happy eighth and last night of Chanukah. And if you want the perfect Chanukah gift—also excellent for a late Christmas gift—here's a shameless plug for my novel. Another fine gift is my