Israel, Russia, Ukraine

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Israel has always been a small, almost powerless country overridden by the surrounding Great Powers. The Bible is full of stories about Israel caught between (often conquered by) Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome as the Great Powers battled over the connecting areas.

In medieval times, Jews in Europe sometimes were hired to intercede between antagonistic Christian populations (such as Russian Orthodox landowners who owned Catholic serfs).

Hebrew has a word for “intercessor” because this has been an important concept for thousands of years.

Israel has not condemned the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Many Israelis are Russian. Israel does a lot of business with Russia. Russia has troops in Syria, which overlooks Israel.

Israel is balanced between the United States and Russia, similar to the way they were balanced between Egypt and Babylon in ancient days.

It’s ironic that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky happens to be Jewish – in a country whose historic antisemitism has caused the murder of thousands of Jews and the emigration of many more (including my family).

https://www.timesofisrael.com/ukraines-leader-asks-bennett-t…

**Ukraine’s Zelensky asks Bennett to mediate with Russia, host talks in Jerusalem**
**Kyiv’s envoy to Israel confirms request to NY Times: ‘We do believe that Israel is the only democratic state in the world that has great relations with both Ukraine and Russia’**
**By Times Of Israel staff, 25 February 2022**

**...**
**During a phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Friday morning, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky asked that Jerusalem serve as a mediator with Russia to help resolve the military conflict between the countries.**

**Ukraine’s Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk told The New York Times, “We do believe that Israel is the only democratic state in the world that has great relations with both Ukraine and Russia.” He added that Bennett did not give an immediate answer.**

**“They didn’t say no,” he said. “They are trying to figure out where they are in this chess play.”...** [end quote]

The Ukrainians refused a Russian offer to meet in Belarus, and the Russians refused a Ukrainian offer to meet in Poland.

Who knows, maybe this startling idea of meeting in Israel could lead to something?

Wendy

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Interesting reporting! Thanks.

The Captain

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It’s ironic that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky happens to be Jewish – in a country whose historic antisemitism has caused the murder of thousands of Jews and the emigration of many more (including my family).

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The Russians murdered Jews in Russia, and in Ukraine Russians and Ukrainians murdered Jews. The Russians also murdered Ukrainians. I do not understand why you think the Ukrainians were worse than the Russians. The worst and most of all Jewish murders were caused by Russians in Russia and Ukraine.

Jaak

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The Ukrainians refused a Russian offer to meet in Belarus,

When I heard of that offer, my first thought was of Benigno Aquino’s return to Manila.

Steve

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Thanks for your post. With all the news I have been listening to never has any of them mentioned Isreal.

I Psalm I read recently: Psalms 137

Wayne

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< Psalms 137>

The Babylonian conquest of Judaea was a tragedy because the Babylonians destroyed the First Temple after a terrible siege. However, it was only one of many sieges and conquests of Jerusalem and Judaea.

In the long view of history, the Babylonians weren’t that bad. They didn’t commit genocide. Once the Jews surrendered, the Babylonians forced the upper class (the king, nobles and priests) to migrate to Babylon. The Babylonians left the farmers alone (apart from collecting taxes).

Notably, the Babylonians didn’t kill the Jews – they gave them a reasonably nice area to settle down in Babylon. Note the phrase in the Psalm, “By the rivers of Babylon we sat…” This shows that they were given habitation near a river. (There were already Jewish communities who lived in Babylon and the Jerusalem exiles probably joined them.) Babylon was a desert country. The exiles could have been dumped in a barren territory the way the Americans dumped the indigenous tribes in Oklahoma. Also, the Jews were allowed to rise according to their talents, including becoming advisors to the king. (See the Book of Daniel.)

During the Babylonian Captivity, the Jews (who were now without a Temple for the first time in many hundreds of years) developed rabbinic Judaism. (“Rabbi” means “teacher” – rabbis are not priests.) They redacted the many scraps of stories that had been collected separately into the Torah. They began discussions that eventually led to the Babylonian Talmud.

My lawyer friend, David Bendell, wrote a trilogy about this time period which includes Babylon, Egypt and Persia. He published his first book, “Captivity,” as an e-book on Amazon.com. Unfortunately, he died before he was able to publish the other books but he sent them to me. Good historical novels based on solid research.

https://www.amazon.com/Captivity-David-Bendell-ebook/dp/B00I…

We have been fortunate in America to live in peace on our own land for generations. The rest of the world is not as lucky.

Wendy

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Thank you very much for sharing this. I started reading the book of Isaiah. I’m reading it slowly to absorb it all in. I’m on chapter 10. I also read 5 Psalms a day and I’m getting to recognize the Psalms that were written in that time period.

You sure know your history and I may ask you some questions now and then.

They say history will keep us from repeating stupid stuff. Not so much. It’s hard to understand why Putin is doing what he is doing but not surprising.

Wayne

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< It’s hard to understand why Putin is doing what he is doing >

Putin is acting like a perfectly normal imperialist, stealing from and enslaving his neighbor. That’s the model which has motivated leaders since the beginning of humanity.

It’s the post-World War 2 Pax Americana that is different.
Wendy

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Also, the Jews were allowed to rise according to their talents…

Weren’t talents a monetary unit in antiquity?

Bekahs, Shekels, and Talents: A Look at Biblical References to Money

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1987/08/res…

The Captain

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It’s hard to understand why Putin is doing what he is doing but not surprising.

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Here is an excellent article about Putin’s insane mentality. For example, Putin compares what Russia will do to Ukraine as a rapist would do to sleeping beauty.

<Just last week as Putin spoke with Macron, the Russian president casually invoked a Russian rape joke about Sleeping Beauty to explain what he would soon do to Ukraine. Conflating Ukraine and Sleeping Beauty, he gleefully put himself in the role of the rapist: “Whether you like it or not my beauty, you will need to put up with all I do to you.” (It rhymes in Russian.)>

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/26/valdimir-putin…

The whole article gives you a window into Putin thinking.

Jaak

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< It’s hard to understand why Putin is doing what he is doing >

He has no sense of reality.

It is just putin putin putin all day long. Me me me…

Thanks to all the yes men who made this possible. Sarcasm.

The world is rising to the challenge minus our wannabee here at home.

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At this point a negotiated peace with Russia is just wrong.

It would entail Ukraine compromising.

It would entail future battles with Russia and Putin.

This must end only one way.

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Many Israelis are Russian.

and many are ukranian

c.

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Many Israelis are Russian.

and many are ukranian

and many Ethiopian

The Captain