Israel Cyber Unit Responsible for Iran Computer Worm Virus?

Israel Cyber Unit Responsible for Iran Computer Worm?

An elite Israeli military unit responsible for cyberwarfare has been accused of creating a virus that has crippled Iran's computer systems and stopped work at its newest nuclear power station.

By Richard Spencer and Damien McElroy
Published: 9:00PM BST 30 Sep 2010
http://www.telegraph.co.uk

Computer experts have discovered a biblical reference embedded in the code of the computer worm that has pointed to Israel as the origin of the cyber attack.
The code contains the word "myrtus", which is the Latin biological term for the myrtle tree. The Hebrew word for myrtle, Hadassah, was the birth name of Esther, the Jewish Queen of Persia.

In the Bible, The Book of Esther tells how the queen pre-empted an attack on the country's Jewish population and then persuaded her husband to launch an attack before being attacked themselves.

Israel has threatened to launch a pre-emptive attack on Iran's facilities to ensure that the Islamic state does not gain the ability to threaten its existence.
Ralf Langner, a German researcher, claims that Unit 8200, the signals intelligence arm of the Israeli defence forces, perpetrated the computer virus attack by infiltrating the software into the Bushehr nuclear power station.

Mr Langer said: "If you read the Bible you can make a guess."
Computer experts have spent months tracing the origin of the Stuxnet worm, a sophisticated piece of malicious software, or malware, that has infected industrial operating systems made by the German firm Siemens across the globe.

Programmers following Stuxnet believe it was most likely introduced to Iran on a memory stick, possibly by one of the Russian firms helping to build Bushehr. The same firm has projects in Asia, including India and Indonesia which were also attacked. Iran is thought to have suffered 60 per cent of the attacks.
Mr Langner said: "It would be an absolute no-brainer to leave an infected USB stick near one of these guys and there would be more than a 50 per cent chance of him pick it up and infect his computer."

Cyber security experts said that Israel was the most likely perpetrator of the attack and had been targeting Iran but that it had not acknowledged a role to its allies.
"Nobody is willing to accept responsibility for this particular piece of malicious software which is a curious, complex and powerful weapon," said one Whitehall expert.

The Iran authorities acknowledged the worm had struck Bushehr and a statement conceded that the plant would come into operation in January, two months later than planned.
Elizabeth Katina, a researcher at the Royal United Services Institute, said the possibility of a copycat attack on British or American electricity networks or water supplies had been elevated by the release of Stuxnet.

"Critical national infrastructure is at greater risk because this shows groups on the outside of governments how to do it," she said. "It's more likely now that the northeast of England power grid can be shut down until someone decides to start it up again."

Hamas Gaza Jewish Flotilla Ship's PR Sinks in Ashdod, Israel

Hamas Gaza Jewish Flotilla Ship's PR Sinks in Ashdod, Israel

Hamas and Iran are praying that the world will never put on its glasses.

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By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency 

http://www.israelnewsagency.com/ireneflotillastarvinggazahamasidfshipactivistsjewsjewishisraelnavyblockadeiranterrorismpeacemossadyoutubefacebooktwitterprpublicrelations48092810.html

Jerusalem, Israel ---- September 28, 2010 ..... It's no secret that no one is starving in Gaza.
Nor is it a secret that Hamas which rules Gaza is not interested in any form of a peace arrangement with Israel.

Hamas makes no secret of the fact that her only goal is the complete and total destruction of the State of Israel. It was exactly 5 years ago this month that Israel withdrew all of her forces from Gaza in a unilateral peace move. 

What was the response of Iran backed Hamas? 

Over 12,000 rockets and missiles were fired from Gaza and slammed into Israel cities and towns. Just ask the thousands of children in Sderot, Ashdod and Ashkelon who have been injured and forced to run into air raid shelters - if Gaza wants peace?

It took the Islamic world a bit of time to realize that Israel was not going to pack her bags and leave after being subjected to hundreds of terror suicide bombings. Buses, restaurants, shopping malls and hotels dripped with Jewish blood for years. So now it was a time for a change in tactics. Rather than seek 72 virgins, the Muslims of Islamic Jihad, Hamas, al-Qaeda and Hezbollah are now typing up news releases and sending them off to the AP, Reuters, AFP, al-Jazeera, CNN, BBC and FOX.

Today's news release was that a special Jewish ship was now organized and headed to aid the starving and suffering people of Gaza. Using the words "peace", "humanitarian" and "activists" they set sail from Northern Cyprus to Gaza.



Unlike the Turkey backed ship Mavi Marmara which was intercepted by the IDF with poor INTEL - the IDF thinking that they were only about to confront some grass smoking hippies - the IDF today was more than ready to stop and board the "Irene" with no loss of life and or injury to IDF forces.

The Israel navy intercepted the Hamas supporting catamaran today carrying nine Jewish "activists" about 20 miles off the coast of Gaza. Before surrounding the small, Hamas public relations yacht agency the IDF sent two warnings to its captain, making sure that he was aware that he and his crew were breaking both Israel and international law. The IDF stated that their warnings were ignored by the captain of the yacht who continued to sail further into the area under Israel naval blockade.

The State of Israel has a very real and very legal blockade of Gaza. The San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea, an international treaty in effect since June 12, 1994, expressly allows Israel’s defensive actions. And for some strange, life preserving reason Israelis do not care to have weapons and rockets smuggled into Gaza that are then used to be launched into Israel city and towns.

Upon grabbing the "Irene" the IDF stated that it "regrets that it must divert the Israel Navy’s attention from its regular operational activity defending Israel and its citizens because of acts of provocation such as this."

The IDF's chief spokesperson Avi Benayahu deplored the fact that “naval forces and fighters are being diverted from our main mission” to “a surreal assignment” of intercepting a boatload of activists. Benayahu continued: “Its entire intention was to generate media attention and create a provocation. This matter is especially regrettable as we are talking about a group of Jews and of Israel citizens, and even someone who has worn an IDF officer’s uniform.” 

Yossi Levy, a spokesperson for the Israel Foreign Ministry said that the boat’s attempt to break the naval blockade of Gaza was “a completely unnecessary media gimmick which should never have been born. This is a trick of hatred and publicity for people who don’t care about the love of Israel and don’t deserve more than a footnote. They poured fuel into the bonfire of hatred against Israel worldwide. We don’t expect Israelis to be patriotic, but they should definitely not act as Hamas followers.”

And Ashley Perry of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs said this on Facebook: "Wow, nine people!!! They have shown that 'not all Jews support Israel', apparently they could only get 9 people out of almost 12 million Jews - (not even sure if all 9 are Jewish) are committed to this cause."

Iran and Hamas were very smart in their latest attempt to "break the siege of Gaza". Let's remember that Gaza also has another border - Egypt. But that's not the issue here. What we are witnessing is the most professional, the most sophisticated PR being used against Israel.




 
Iran and Hamas know very well that all of Israel is now on Succot vacation. Try emailing anyone at the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You will get an automatic reply that they will be back in their office in October.


All the same, Israel's Mossad did their job and provided the IDF with the right INTEL do create a "soft mission" in intercepting the "Irene". The IDF's new media department also gets top applause for having recorded and uploaded a YouTube video of the interception of the Gaza bound (really media bound) ship within minutes of the peaceful IDF boarding.

Islamic terror suicide bombers have been replaced by news releases, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook. 

That nine passengers on board a small boat to Gaza, where the obesity rate ranks in eighth place worldwide, can carry more headlines than the genocide of thousands in Rwanda, Iran or Sudan's Darfur speaks volumes.







The Israel News Agency, which is accredited by Israel Government Press Office, was the first on line news organization in Israel. The INA reaches up to 60 million readers through Google News and Internet social networking channels such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube from New York, London, Moscow and Paris to Toronto, Los Angeles, China and India. Leyden is presently launching the United States News Agency using the INA as a successful working model.

The above news content was edited and SEO optimized in New York, London and Israel for the Internet by the Leyden Communications Internet Marketing PR SEO Group London SEO Pr New York SEO Pr Israel SEO Pr Israel, London, New York.

Israel Father, Child Victimized by Gender Biased Kfar Saba Family Custody Court

Israel Father, Child Victimized by Gender Biased Kfar Saba Family Custody Court

By Jonathan Schwartz
Israel News Agency

Jerusalem, Israel ---- September 24, 2010 ..... A Sharon, Israel resident has become a victim of a perversion of justice by the Kfar Sava Family Court. Kfar Saba is a northern suburb of Tel Aviv, Israel.

The perversion was allegedly carried out by Judge Rivka Mckies (Mckays), who denied the Sharon resident his basic right of due process, denying him and his child their basic human rights, his basic parental rights in a hearing at which neither he nor his attorney were present.

Based on unsubstantiated allegations of abuse made by a woman who has a record of mental problems, and has taken psychiatric drugs, Judge Mckies saw fit, during the above mentioned hearing, which more closely resembled a KGB "Peoples Justice" tribunal than due process as commonly recognized in democratic societies, to ban all contact between him and his child. This, based solely on unsubstantiated allegations made a person of questionable mental stability, and despite the fact that a complaint to the police was never made.

The woman who takes large quantities of Prozac, a drug used to enable depressed mental patients to function, is currently under investigation by the Israel police and Israel child welfare for sexually abusing her own son.

This is not the first time Judge Mckies (Mcyes) has displayed questionable judgment. A self admitted radical feminist with a feminist agenda, her decisions and behavior clearly indicate she is more concerned with balancing all the wrongs women undergo at the hands of the Rabbinical Courts in Israel by displaying bias towards innocent, caring and responsible fathers whose cases she hears than in providing justice.

Judge Rivka Mckies was the subject of a press expose in Israel a few years ago regarding her anti-male bias. It appears that the only reason she was able to maintain her seat on the Bench was the well documented tendency of the Israel justice system to close ranks and protect one of their own, irrespective of what they've done.

Aware of what she is doing, Mckies issued a blanket gag order to ensure that her judicial conduct (or perhaps misconduct) not be subject to any scrutiny.

As a result of the Kfar Saba Family Court Order, the Sharon resident, who is an officer in the IDF (res.) and recently returned from Haiti with the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Israel Defense Forces where he helped save the lives of 53 starving children, has been limited to a one hour a week supervised visit with his own daughter.

Since Judge Mckies is the sole mistress of her schedule, this situation could go on indefinitely, inexorably resulting in PAS - Parental Alienation Syndrome, the child being alienated from the parent to the point where the resident no longer will be able to have any relationship with the child.

So far the Sharon, Israel resident has scrupulously respected the law, despite its total lack of respect for him and the basic human rights of his daughter. This case however does beg the question at what point is someone entitled to act in accordance with the famous expression "an unjust law is no law at all".

"One of the most commonly used weapons against men in Israel is that of alleging sex abuse between the father and his children," says the Sharon resident who is also the Director of Fathers 4 Justice Israel.

"I have read about and written on this subject for several years. I believe that we all have a tendency to doubt the complete innocence of the father, thinking that he had to do something wrong. But now that I have been personally charged with abuse charges, not having an opportunity to respond to it before a Zav Hagana or restraining order was issued by Judge Mckies, I can understand the deep suffering and frustration that both many fathers and children experience."

The Sharon, Israel resident (who pays child support) concludes: "At the very least the Israel judge could have ordered a psychological assessment to be performed within seven days, as to not interrupt the father child relationship, reduce conflict and to avoid any reputation and or character assassination against the father. But this judge illustrated the epitome of callousness, a total lack of sensitivity to both father and child while the child remains under the mother's sole custody. This is classic gender bias discrimination."

The mother who made what appears to be a false, libelous claim is said to earn 2.5 million dollars from her family business in Israel and has placed this money in the hands of family lawyers (Feder Law) and private detectives (Ron Investigations) who are currently under investigation by the Israel police for assault and criminal harassment of both the father and his child.

Neighbors of the Sharon resident photographed the criminal trespassing and physical assault outside his home and the private detectives from Netanya, Israel have allegedly confessed to the crime. Both father and child were treated at a nearby hospital.

The Sharon resident says that he plans on requesting sole custody of his child, suing the Israel Ministry of Justice, the Family Court Judge, the Mayor of the City of Ra'anana Nachum Hofree and it's Child Welfare (Revacha) Department.

The Israel News Agency, which is accredited by Israel Government Press Office, was the first on line news organization in Israel. The INA reaches up to 60 million readers through Google News and Internet social networking channels such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube from New York, London, Moscow and Paris to Toronto, Los Angeles, China and India. Leyden is presently launching the United States News Agency using the INA as a successful working model.

Israel Fathers, Children Suffer From Family Custody Rights Gender Discrimination

Israel Fathers, Children Suffer Custody Rights Discrimination

By LAUREN GELFOND FELDINGER
THE JERUSALEM POST

Jerusalem----April 10.....The Israel News Agency is pleased to republish the Jerusalem Post Magazine feature, Mommy vs. Daddy which illustrates in the finest detail how Israel courts, local welfare family services, the Israel Ministry of Health, the Israel Ministry of Justice, the police, family court judges, the Marshall's office and Israel Knesset (Parliament) blatantly and openly discriminate against fathers in Israel.

This very tragic story points out how the very basic civil rights of separated and divorced dads are ignored through gender bias discrimination by some very disturbed, selfish and angry mothers who manipulate the government of the State of Israel using an outdated law from 1962 in preventing children from seeing their fathers. This discrimination leads to immediate and long term adverse affects for thousands of children and reinforces Parental Alienation Syndrome.

The Israel News Agency, which advocates joint custody and shared parenting, thanks the Jerusalem Post for having broken the silence on this critical issue of broken homes and suffering children. The Israel News Agency also appreciates recent research by the American Psychological Association, which clearly states that joint custody and shared parenting reduces conflict between divorced parents and creates a healthier environment for the children of divorce.

Subscribe to Fathers 4 Justice Israel

"Without shame, the court quotes psychological research that is 23-24 years old," charges Attorney Amir Shai, head of legal services for "Horut Sheva," an equal parenting advocacy association established in 2000. The Jerusalem Post------April 1.......Half an hour passed and his excitement quickly turned into a sinking feeling. Ofer, a separated father in Israel, had arrived early at the playground on one of the three days a week he had visitation rights with his son, and watched a stream of pre-schoolers make their way into the first day of kindergarten, endearing little book-bags in tow. With his son nowhere in sight, he finally entered the principal's office and was told, "Your son is not and was never registered here." Though he and the boy's mother had agreed to make joint decisions on the boy's education, an agreement mandated by Israel Capacity and Guardianship Law of 1962, the mother had apparently changed her mind. She wasn't answering her cellphone, so, fighting back tears, Ofer drove from kindergarten to kindergarten around the area in a desperate search. When that failed, he made his way to the Jerusalem Municipality, only to find them on strike. He banged on the door again and again, and eventually a sympathetic worker let him in, checked some papers, and offered a tip on where his son might be registered. Ofer waited all morning and when school was out, he put his son in the car to take him home for the afternoon. But suddenly the mother showed up and opened his car door and screamed, "Stop pushing me, you wife-beater." A crowd gathered, the police showed-up, and, says Ofer, there was an automatic presumption that he was guilty - because he is a man. The presumption of the state of Israel, the police and society, an Israeli dad says, is that "men don't have hearts; don't have feelings. We are just cash machines for child support, but our human side, our love and dedication to our children is not important." "Though it was the first time she had ever made such an accusation, they treated me like I was a bad person, like every father after divorce is a potential murderer," he says. "They took my gun (that I use for protection when work takes me to the territories) and the courts, without an investigation, prevented me from seeing my son."  The presumption of the state of Israel, the police and society, he says, is that "men don't have hearts; don't have feelings. We are just cash machines for child support, but our human side, our love and dedication to our children is not important." Though Ofer says the Israel courts eventually dropped the abuse case against him, the issues remain: He is traumatized by unfair Israel laws and practices that keep him and his son apart, and his ongoing struggle to see his son as much as possible without obstacles continues. Though his battle is a personal one, there are thousands of men across Israel like him, working with divorce lawyers and affiliating with a new crop of men's rights organizations that are trying to bring the issues of divorced and separated fathers to public attention.  These fathers and activists argue that the law, as well as the public, is gender-biased in favor of mothers and against fathers, and that mothers are taking advantage of the law. This not only hurts fathers, they charge, but more important, it hurts the children. Compared to other western countries, the Israeli fathers' movement is relatively quiet and, some say, behind the times. Fathers-4-Justice, a largely European group, has made headlines over the last year for stopping traffic. In a public awareness campaign launched in 2004, members dressed as Superman, Batman, Robin and Spiderman climbed a suspension bridge in England at rush hour, flailing a banner reading "Superhero Fathers 4 Justice Fighting for your right to see your kids." The organization apologized to backed-up commuters for denying them access to the bridge, stating in a press release that like the commuters, "thousands of fathers are denied access to their children every day by this country's archaic family laws." In 1979, the Hollywood film Kramer vs. Kramer highlighted the subject of gender bias in the courts through the re-telling of a real-life, precedent-setting case. Though the movie won numerous awards, law professionals said the film exaggerated the legal issues, which had already been partly and previously redressed in the courts. The US and many European countries have already reconsidered the legal benefits granted to mothers after divorce, in favor of gender-neutral language that gives both parents equal legal opportunities. But even in these countries, men argue that mothers are still overwhelmingly, and often unfairly, granted rights denied to fathers. In Israel, by contrast, the public outcry over such issues has been more like a squeak. Last month, the Israel Fathers' Rights Advocacy Council sent announcements to its 8,000 members to flood the Kfar Saba Family Court for a mass public protest against gender-biased custody laws. But only about 10 people showed up. "People need to work, or are in reserve duty, or simply don't have the time or money to travel to protests," explains Ya'acov Schlosser, the head of the organization and author of Zchuyot hagever b'mishpaha? ("Israel Men's Family Rights"). Israeli dads are ready to sacrafice their lives for security, but find no security with their own children. Criminals have more rights in Israel, than divorced dads who are denied due process. Launched in 1987 as Israel's first public awareness group on fathers' rights, IFRAC later re-focused its attention on the Knesset, "where there is electorate strength," says Schlosser.  "The laws are bad, this is a feminist country, and the rabbinate, the family court, the police, and everyone are against men. Men are not protected in the legal system." In 1997, in hopes of reaching the Knesset from within and not just as a lobbyist, he helped launched the IFRAC-affiliated Ra'ash Party - a Hebrew acronym for rayon ha shivion, ("the idea of equality") and a double-entendre on the word ra'ash, or noise.  But when the single-issue party ran for the Knesset in 2003, it didn't even get a foot in the door and was soon forgotten. Today the party and the council work together, and with 100 activity advisers around the country, provide social, emotional and legal support to members. One member admitted that his inability to spend time with his daughter, on top of losing his wife, and spending most of his time and money fighting a losing custody battle, has caused him to have suicidal thoughts, which organizations like IFRAC have helped him keep at bay.  "The Internet, the information and chat rooms have served as a good support base for me and others," he said. "Here in Israel, the 25 percent divorce rate went up to about 33%, and there are also many separations, and about one-fourth of all of these men have problems with their wives," explains Schlosser. "Women prevent joint-custody, or even prevent men from seeing their children. Men have to pay child support even if the women are millionaires and the husbands are unemployed." One divorced father in Israel said he pays NIS 2,000 a month in child support of his NIS 7,000 salary, and that it is nothing compared to his friend who pays NIS 4,000 a month from his NIS 5,000-a-month salary. "It's totally arbitrary," he says, "judges can figure a man should pay about NIS 2,000 a month per child, regardless of whether the child spends half the time at the father's house, and regardless of whether the father is not left with enough money to live." IFRAC executive committee member Gary Pickholz invests a lot of his time raising funds overseas to provide financial assistance to fathers who spend all or most of their primary salaries on child support and can't afford legal fees or even taking their children out to a movie. IFRAC provides such fathers with basic spending money for visitations and to cover exorbitant lawyer fees in Supreme Court legal motions against judges they say failed to apply the law, or in appeals cases against "false testimony of wives." "It is almost impossible to afford lawyers' fees for appeals, so wives lie with zeal about the couple's income to secure higher judgments," charges Pickholz. IT IS true that fathers are not normally granted shared custody in Israel, and it is the basic obligation of fathers to pay child support, admits Jerusalem family practice lawyer David Ernst. "The system in Israel does not favor fathers and husbands," he says. While the civil court does look at the parental qualifications of both mother and father, the rabbinic court can be stricter than the civil court on husbands, he says. "I have a case where a man waited 20 years to get a get (bill of divorce). The law in Israel is based on fault, or guilt. If you didn't do anything wrong then there is no divorce, the rabbinic court won't force it. In this case, the wife said 'no' to the get, and after 20 years, he gave up his half of the house, his half of the car and paid her $100,000, and then she agreed to accept the get. The husband has to get a heter (permission) - if 100 rabbis sign an agreement, then the husband can marry again." In contrast, the problems of women in the Israel courts, he says, are much more well-known. What distinguishes Israel marriage and divorce law from those in other western countries, says Ernst, is the relationship between civil law and Jewish law. Prof. Dov Frimer, a rabbi and lawyer currently teaching family law at Hebrew University, concurs, explaining that Israel's relevant laws - the Israel 1962 Tender Years Doctrine of the Capacity and Guardianship Act - are based on Halacha. "Israeli law places emphasis on obligation, and that comes directly from Jewish law. Judaism is a duty - not rights - oriented system. This is opposed to American law, which is based on Roman law, which is rights-oriented. An Israel father has visitation rights because he has an obligation to care for and educate his children," says Frimer. "But the fundamental doctrine in Jewish law is the 'best interest' of the child. This concept was introduced into Anglo-American law only in the 1800s. In Judaism, it goes back to Talmudic times, 1,000 years earlier." In Jewish tradition, mothers are considered the best care-givers in most circumstances until age six (the basis for the Tender Years Doctrine). After that age, girls are considered better off with their mothers and boys with their fathers. These concepts can, however, create a conflict between the best interest of the child and rigid gender presumptions. The sages responded to this potential conflict, says Frimer, by ruling that the guiding principle is the best interest of the child, but if parents are equally qualified, "then the Tender Years Doctrine principle or the gender presumption is the tie-breaker." In local civil cases involving Christian or Muslim parents and children, the courts may also look to Christian or Muslim Sharia Law. As a rule, though, if a mother and father are considered equally good parents, and the mother does not encourage joint custody, she will be awarded full custody, and the father will be awarded visitation rights. Joint custody is not an Israel legal concept, says Frimer, explaining that Israeli law distinguishes between "guardianship" and "custody." "All the legal rights and obligations that parents have towards their children are within the concept of 'guardianship,' and that - by Jewish and Israeli secular law - is shared. When Israeli law talks about 'custody,' however, it only means physical custody: where the child is going to be sleeping and eating on a day-to-day basis, etc. In terms of Israeli law, the only issue is how much time each parent gets to spend with the child." A lot of fathers do not understand this distinction, he says. "The law in Israel will protect them if they exercise their legal rights. There is very little more the law can do because on a legal level, the father is a full partner in decisions that include education, health, welfare, where the child lives, where the child goes to school, all major decisions have to be made equally. There is a practical problem if the child lives more with one parent than the other, but that is indigenous to divorce." This concept of guardianship is radically different from that of the US. In the US, Frimer says, the original concept of joint custody was the maintenance of three households, one for mother, one for father, and one for children, and the parents shuttled back and forth, not the child. "Because the kids need stability, it was very successful, but very, very expensive. Most people could not sustain three households, so instead of parents, the kids started shuttling back and forth," says Frimer. "Most psychologists that I speak to say that is not so great for the kids, because they need a certain degree of stability, and that's also the opinion of the Israeli judges." But fathers are not quick to agree. "We're not the men of long ago: I raised my son and when he was sick I stayed home with him," says Ziv, a divorced Israel father. "But now I'm always afraid they'll take away the limited time I have with him. It doesn't matter how good a father I am, the woman gets automatic guardianship [unless she's violent, criminal, negligent, has a drug addiction, or is found physically or mentally unstable]. The law and the social workers still base their values on old-time men. It's true some men don't pay child support and some men don't want to be guardians. But why not start the law from a 50-50 basis." Israel court-appointed social workers and psychologists help judges determine how fit fathers and mothers are. Courts usually take the findings and recommendations into consideration, but they are not obliged to do so under the law, and may occasionally put them aside, says family practice lawyer Louise Borochov. A 1983 study in Israel by Hebrew University professor of social work Eliezer Jaffe found that the Israeli social work world placed a lot of emphasis on women and mothers; and fathers were often overlooked. Today, it doesn't seem as if very much has changed, he says, after 40-plus years in the child welfare field. "Social workers and psychologists need to know more about the problems of fathers and need to look at fathers as a subculture. Fathers are neglected and forgotten clients, but they are part of the family." Social workers in Israel, he adds, are overwhelmingly women treating women. "It may be subconscious, but dads are very often left out of the decision making and treatment plans." "Social workers and psychologists need to know more about the problems of fathers and need to look at fathers as a subculture. Fathers are neglected and forgotten clients, but they are part of the family." Social workers in Israel, he adds, are overwhelmingly women treating women. "It may be subconscious, but dads are very often left out of the decision making and treatment plans." IFRAC raised funds to pay a psychologist to help train municipal social workers assigned to divorce cases. The organization also recently paid for the Ra'anana Municipality to hire a religious social worker, after discovering that all the Raanana social workers were secular while a large portion of the clients were religious and had specific concerns the social work staff was not familiar with. At the root of the legal issues facing judges, social workers and psychologists in Israel are the fundamental questions: What is in the child's best interest and is a mother, by definition, a better care-giver" Though the 1962 law... gives built-in preference to mothers for custody of children under age six, there is a slow tendency for that to be challenged. Previously, it was challenged only if the mother was not a suitable parent, because of extreme circumstances - that she was a drug addict, a whore, or not physically or mentally able, for example," says Borochov. But in an August 2004 case in Kfar Saba, a Tel Aviv suburb, a judge took the recommendations of a report and transferred custody from the mother to the father, because the father was found to better meet the physical and emotional needs of the child. The mother was not involved in any outrageous behavior, except that she did work almost all the time and the child spent most of its time with babysitters. The mother was also found to be a high-conflict person who sometimes put the children in the middle of the battles with the father. This is not a binding precedent because it was not a Israel Supreme Court ruling, but, says Borochov, it shows "slow recognition" of change. In extreme cases, where children are being severely "poisoned" against the non-custodial parent to the point that they completely reject this parent, the court may even define the custodial parent as inflicting emotional abuse on the child and reconsider custody (see box).  The same holds true in abduction cases. But across state and national boundaries, the tangle of laws becomes even more confusing, and lawyers' fees even more expensive. With the help of disgruntled fathers' and men's advocacy groups, such issues have been heard by legislators in recent years, in an effort to knock-down the controversial Tender Years Doctrine. In 2003, Justice Haim Porat of Tel Aviv's District Court, who has since retired, petitioned the Supreme Court to do away with the Tender Years Doctrine based on the argument of equality. Justice Dalia Dorner handed down the decision rejecting the petition, arguing that psychological studies were consistent with Israeli statutes, that the child until age six is presumed to be better off with the mother, except in extreme circumstances. The 1979 movie Kramer vs. Kramer represents a real life nightmare for thousands of dads and their children in Israel in 2006 "Without shame, the court quotes psychological research that is 23-24 years old," charges Attorney Amir Shai, head of legal services for "Horut Sheva," an equal parenting advocacy association established in 2000. Though the organization is small, it is considered influential and meets regularly with Knesset members to lobby against the premise that a young child of divorce needs its mother, and for the principle that a child of divorce needs both parents. "Fathers should be allowed to participate in raising the kids through equal time, or at least 30-40%, including overnights from an early age," says Shai. "Children sleep at the homes of grandparents and in day care, and there is no psychological research that says kids have to be in the same bed every night." Such issues made their way to the Knesset on January 23, when the Knesset rejected a first reading of a bill to delete the Tender Years Doctrine, with some 40 against and nearly 20 for, says Shai. "This time, the government opposed on the grounds they need a committee to evaluate [the issue]," he says, explaining it is a move that is cause for cautious optimism. "There will be reforms, but the question is, how far will the reforms go and how long will it take." According to Shai and an official source, two new Knesset committees have already been approved in the wake of the January decision. Apparently, one committee to review custodianship has already been formed but has yet to meet, and another committee to review child support issues is in the process of being formed. The Ministry of Justice did not reply to requests for confirmation. Parental alienation It's not just considered a spat between ex-spouses. There is a name for the phenomenon in which a parent influences a child to hate, fear or reject the other parent without grounds. When American psychiatrist prof. Richard Gardner coined the term Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) almost two decades ago, it quickly caught on in legal and psychological circles.  PAS has even been cited in Israeli case law in recent years. Gardner defined PAS as a childhood disorder that arises almost exclusively in the context of child custody disputes. "PAS may not only produce lifelong alienation from a loving parent, but lifelong psychiatric disturbance in the child," he writes, adding that this should be distinguished from true parental abuse or neglect, when the child's animosity is justified.  Gardner's work has been controversial in some circles, because he found that in the vast majority of cases, it was the mother who was doing the "brainwashing" against the father. In 2001, he explained: "My own observation since the early 1980s has been that in 85-90 percent of all the cases in which I have been involved, the mother has been [alienating the child against the father]. I recently conducted an informal survey among approximately 50 mental health and legal professionals whom I knew were aware of the PAS and deal with such families in their work. I asked: What is the ratio of mothers to fathers who are successful programmers of a PAS? The responses indicated that mothers are the primary alienators in 60-90% of the cases. Only one person claimed it was 50-50, and no one claimed it was 100% mothers." "Divorce should be just between the parents, not between a parent and a child." In Israel, behavior defined as PAS is frowned upon by the court. "It stops the children from having two valued parents in their lives," says adv. Louise Borochov. "There are extreme cases where as a result, a parent has lost custody. There was one very extreme case where a child suffered so badly [from PAS that] the court was afraid he would commit suicide... in such cases you can't [immediately switch custody]." In all custody battles, the custodial parent's ability to recognize the legitimate role of the other parent in the child's life is always a major factor. "It's important for the parent to recognize the child should have an ongoing relationship with both parents to develop emotionally," she said.  The court also takes this into consideration when a parent abducts his or her child to another jurisdiction. Seventy percent of "kidnappers" are mothers, charges Hebrew University professor, rabbi and advocate Dov Frimer. One lawyer explained that abductions and parental alienation are committed by both parents, but seem to be documented as being perpetrated more by mothers, since mothers are usually the primary guardians. Meanwhile as legislators and advocates continue their debates in Israel, Ofer, unaffiliated with any group, is still trying to make sense of his rights and recover from what he calls an endless series of injustices. After his wife moved his son to a different kindergarten without permission, and the court, as a result, gave him the power to decide where the child would go to school, he didn't move his son after all, in an effort to avoid hurting him. But now when he comes to pick him up and asks the teachers questions, he says, "Many act like, 'that's the mother's business; not yours,'" he says. He also doesn't understand why it was so easy for his wife to accuse him of violence and why he was penalized before the investigation. "Violence starts with something small, like a slap. I have never hit her back when she hit me and I consider slapping a form of physical and emotional abuse," he says. "Today I was in court and I told them the latest things she was up to; the judge said, 'ok, we'll schedule a hearing.' But he was cavalier; if it was reversed, the whole police force would be after me." The worst thing of all, says Ofer, is the constant fear of not being close to his son and wondering how it will affect the child. Last Hanukka, his wife called suddenly and said his son was sick and couldn't spend the holiday with him. Ofer says this also happens periodically on visiting days. Now, with Passover (Pessah) and a visiting day fast approaching in Israel, he feels anxious about whether it will work out. "When she calls and tells me he is sick, I never know if it's true. When I'm away from him, for even one week, I feel every minute of every 24 hours, but she's the mother; she has the freedom to decide," he says. "Divorce should be just between the parents, not between a parent and a child."

Israel News Agency

Children Need Fathers, Not Visitors!

In Israel, many caring, responsible fathers are falsely accused of sex abuse with their children by angry, psychotic mothers. It has become a "weapon" of choice by a few mothers in an attempt to destroy the father.

The Family Court judge automatically orders "supervised visits" between father and child. While the child goes to the mother. 

The father is guilty by default because of his gender. He must prove his innocence and to do this usually takes much time. Only if the father has the money for expensive psychological testing can he prove that he is mentally balanced and a responsible dad.

This is Gender Bias Discrimination!

The lack of quality, parenting time with the father often results in PAS - Parental Alienation Syndrome.

What is PAS?
Gardner's definition of PAS is:

1. The Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) is a disorder that arises primarily in the context of child-custody disputes. 

2. Its primary manifestation is the child's campaign of denigration against a parent, a campaign that has no justification. 

3. It results from the combination of a programming (brainwashing) of a parent's indoctrinations and the child's own contributions to the vilification of the targeted parent.
Excerpted from: Gardner, R.A. (1998). The Parental Alienation Syndrome, Second Edition, Cresskill, NJ: Creative Therapeutics, Inc.

Many fathers simply give up and the children lose a father.

Israel needs to immediately reform it child custody laws to protect good men, good fathers from losing their children. Our children deserve smiles, not tears.

"Children Need BOTH Parents"

On This Yom Kippur .......................

On this Yom Kippur I light a candle to remember my parents Helen and Bernard.
I light a candle to remember those who were murdered in the Holocaust.
I light a candle to honor those who have fallen defending Israel.

And I ask G-d to forgive that one person for having taken away from me what was and is most sacred.

What Is Yom Kippur In Israel?

What Is Yom Kippur In Israel?

By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency

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(Updated September 2009)

Jerusalem-----October 1, 2006......First, what is Yom Kippur?
For the many who are not Jewish and for the Jewish who are not "observant", let us first take a look at Yom Kippur 101. Yom Kippur is the most important, the most sacred of any day in the Jewish year. Many Jews who do not observe any other Jewish custom will refrain from work, fast and or attend synagogue services on this day. Yom Kippur occurs on the 10th day of Tishri.

In Israel, it is a day when the world stands still.

Cars are not allowed on the road. Only the sound of children laughing as they ride their bicycles, the voices of prayer coming from the Beit Knesset. For 24 hours all places of entertainment, all local cable TV does not exist. One day totally free of car horns, telephone calls, email and polluted air.

For this writer, I do observe Yom Kippur. This exercise in writing, is not work. It is reflection. And that is the one common denominator that all Jews, from Reform and Conservative to Orthodox and Hassid share in common today. It is also a reminder of who we are. Tradition. The club we belong to. Who I am and those who wish us harm.

It's a day that I keep my telephone on, TV, Internet and radio for Israel is at war. Not a formal war as the Yom Kippur War of 1973, but a burning and real war of state terrorism where Hezbollah, Hamas, Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia wish me and my family dead. Hezbollah continues to threaten us from Lebanon and Hamas continues to hurl Qassam rockets into the Negev.

Where Iran repeatly denies the Holocaust, continues to threaten to wipe Israel "off the map" and is building nuclear weapons at a frightening pace. So I stay alert as many others do on this holy of holy days in Israel.

The name "Yom Kippur" means "Day of Atonement," and that pretty much explains what the holiday is.

It is a day set aside to "afflict the soul," to atone for the sins of the past year. On Yom Kippur, the judgment entered in these books is sealed. This day is, essentially, your last appeal, your last chance to change the judgment, to demonstrate your repentance and make amends. Yom Kippur atones only for sins between man and G-d, not for sins against another person. To atone for sins against another person, you must first seek reconciliation with that person, righting the wrongs you committed against them if possible. That must all be done before Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is a complete Sabbath; no work can be performed on that day. It is well-known that you are supposed to refrain from eating and drinking (even water) on Yom Kippur. It is a complete, 25-hour fast beginning before sunset on the evening before Yom Kippur and ending after nightfall on the day of Yom Kippur.

The Talmud also specifies additional restrictions that are less well-known: washing and bathing, anointing one's body (with cosmetics, deodorants, etc.), wearing leather shoes (Orthodox Jews routinely wear canvas sneakers under their dress clothes on Yom Kippur), and engaging in sexual relations are all prohibited on Yom Kippur.

As always, any of these restrictions can be lifted where a threat to life or health is involved. In fact, children under the age of nine and women in childbirth (from the time labor begins until three days after birth) are not permitted to fast, even if they want to. Older children and women from the third to the seventh day after childbirth are permitted to fast, but are permitted to break the fast if they feel the need to do so. People with other illnesses should consult a physician and a rabbi for advice. Most of the holiday is spent in the synagogue, in prayer.

In Orthodox synagogues, services begin early in the morning (8 or 9 AM) and continue until about 3 PM. People then usually go home for an afternoon nap and return around 5 or 6 PM for the afternoon and evening services, which continue until nightfall. The services end at nightfall, with the blowing of the tekiah gedolah, a long blast on the shofar. See Rosh Hashanah for more about the shofar and its characteristic blasts. It is customary to wear white on the holiday, which symbolizes purity and calls to mind the promise that our sins shall be made as white as snow. Some people wear a kittel, the white robe in which the dead are buried.

What I desire to do is focus on the meaning of this "Day of Atonement," that is atoning for the sins of the past year.
Not my sins, but rather sins committed by my beloved State of Israel. And to address these sins, is proof positive that I live in a beautiful but somewhat imperfect democratic state which truly allows for free speech.

The first sin is that of poverty.

That this Israel nation has allowed over 1.6 million people to suffer and wallow in poverty. That one out of three children are deprived of proper food, education and health. The figures from the National Insurance Institute (Bituach Leumi) show that 34% of Israel children are impoverished, with 24,500 children falling into poverty. That Israel has not made any concrete steps to attract more venture capitalists, more foreign investment in Israel. Instead of lowering taxes for VC's to operate and blossom in Israel, we create more hurdles than pools of honey for these business people.

The second sin is having the wrong people in the wrong positions in government.

For a nation which struggles for it's physical survival on a daily basis, why is it that a Prime Minister selected a Defense Minister with very little experience in the defense industry? We know the answer. It is called job security, it is called politics, but at what price?

That we had IDF soldiers marching off into Lebanon with little food and no water? There is no excuse for this. None.

The third sin is called gender bias discrimination.

That Israel, which will place its very existence in the hands of brave soldiers holding M-16's and flying F-15's, will not trust these same men as fathers. Under an archaic custody law passed by the Knesset in 1962, in the event of divorce only women are capable of having custody of a child till the age of six. Loving dads, are separated from their children and turned into "visitors" seeing their children no more than a few hours twice a week.

The fourth sin is arrogance.

That we Jews sometimes judge others to be less than us if we do not meet their own religious and or ritual beliefs. That one is only a "good Jew" if ...

The fifth sin is that we allow and reinforce the public to attack every senior leader that Israel has.

From the President and Prime Minister to the Chief of Staff and Minister of Defense. Hey, did I just attack a past Prime Minister for making the wrong choice for Defense Minister. I apologize. It's Yom Kippur. But between me and G-d, I repent for the Prime Minister for having made this particular decision. Olmert is a good man, a good leader, but is human and we other humans must help him, not attack. We must stay united, for divided is what our enemies pray for.

Yom Kippur in Israel.
A day of prayer, walking to the beach or a child placing his bike in 5th gear.

I have passed many a Yom Kippur in Israel. Twenty-two to be exact.
On this Yom Kippur, I see many things which are positive about Israel, rather than the negative.
First, the weather. It is cool. The punishing, searing heat of summer and "hamsins" (heat waves) are past us for now.

Second, the nature of the Israeli is no less tough in business or in warfare. That the average Israeli will donate what they do not have to those who have suffered in bomb shelters in Kiryat Shomona, Metulla, Haifa and Nahariya.

Third, Zionism is still alive and well, with Birthright and Nefesh b' Nefesh delivering many new immigrants every month.

Fourth, that the Israel Ministry of Tourism is finally using sex to sell Israel, rather than 2,000 year-old walls in Megiddo.

Fifth, that the Israel Export Institute and Google came together a few weeks ago to teach every industry in Israel how to market themselves on the Internet. The meaning of SEO or search engine optimization.

Six, that the US and it's President, finally realize that we face the same enemy - Islamic terrorism. That there is no difference between 9/11 and the Passover Massacre which took place at the Park Hotel in Netanya.

Seven, that Intel, Microsoft and Google are inspiring many other global brands to invest in Israel's brain power.

Eight, that Madonna, Sir Paul McCartney, Leonard Cohen, Dire Straits, Sting and many other artists are visiting Israel. Telling the world that Israel is as safe as New York or London.

Nine, that we never forget the Nazi holocaust nor forgive Iran, Syria, Hamas, Hezbollah and al Qaeda for wanting to "wipe us off the map."

Ten, that I have only 20 hours left of fasting.

Yes, Yom Kippur in Israel.
A time to play with Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. To watch DVD's, CNN and Fox News while keeping the volume low between making our treks to the local synagogue. A time to see, smile and talk with our neighbors and wish them a better year than the one we have just left behind. A time to reflect, forgive and resolve ourselves to future challenges as one community. As one Jewish nation.

Lastly, that each and every Israeli will remember the words respect, tolerance and forgiveness on those days which are not called Yom Kippur.

I Miss You!

Every Thursday we are together.
But not today.

We go to the pool. Or the shopping center.
Sometimes we visit the horses or just stay at home as I help you with your
homework.

I miss you.

That sweet, intelligent smile.
The care and understanding you express to all.

I miss you.

Teaching you about the world.
Who the neighbors of Israel are, where is Canada and China.
What 42 and 42 is and what Givati, Golani and Handasa Kravit are.

I miss you.

Asking to be with your friends and picking them up.
Your smiles and laughter merge as you play on the beach.

I miss you.

Asking for cola or ice-cream and not taking a no.
Brushing your teeth as you awake.
Playing with Gingy and Tiger, your two furry friends.

I miss you.

Scratching your back.
Holding your hand.
Teaching you to look both ways when you cross the street.

I miss you.

Eating breakfast, lunch or dinner together.
Smiling as you sing and smile in Beit Knesset.

Yes, daddy misses you and has been told not to discuss the court custody case.
But NO ONE can tell me not to miss you!

To stop loving you.
I will always be here for you.

These days and hours will not come again.
They have been lost forever.
But always know my sweet, little girl, please know and never forget:

I miss you.
I love you.
I always will.

Daddy

Why Israel Cares About Peace

Why Israel Cares About Peace

By Michael B. Oren

Given our experience of disappointment and trauma, it's astonishing that Israelis still support the peace process at all. Yet we do, and by an overwhelming majority

Imagine that you're a parent who sends her children off to school in the morning worrying whether their bus will become a target of suicide bombers.

Imagine that, instead of going off to college, your children become soldiers at age 18, serve for three years and remain in the active reserves into their 40s.

Imagine that you've seen rockets raining down on your neighborhood and have lost close family and friends to terrorist attacks.

Picture all of that and you'll begin to understand what it is to be an Israeli.

And you'll know why all Israelis desperately want peace.

Yes, many Israelis are skeptical about peace.

We withdrew our troops from Lebanon and Gaza in order to generate peace, and instead received thousands of missiles crashing into our homes.

We negotiated with the Palestinians for 17 years and twice offered them an independent state, only to have those offers rejected.

Over the last decade, we saw more than 1,000 Israelis - proportionally the equivalent of about 43,000 Americans - killed by suicide bombers, and tens of thousands maimed.

We watched while Palestinian mothers praised their martyred children and wished to sacrifice others for jihad.

When Arab leaders such as Egyptian President Anwar Sadat or King Hussein of Jordan offered genuine peace to Israel, our people passionately responded and even made painful concessions.

That most Israelis are still willing to share their ancestral homeland with a people that has repeatedly tried to destroy them is nothing short of miraculous.

According to the prestigious Peace Index conducted by the Tamal Steinmetz Center for Peace Research at Tel Aviv University and released in July, more than 70% of Israelis back negotiations with the Palestinians, and nearly that number endorse the two-state solution.

These percentages exist even though multiple Palestinian polls show much less enthusiasm for living side by side in peace with Israel , or that most Israelis believe that international criticism of the Jewish state will continue even if peace is achieved.

Indeed, Israelis have always grasped at opportunities for peace. When Arab leaders such as Egyptian President Anwar Sadat or King Hussein of Jordan offered genuine peace to Israel, our people passionately responded and even made painful concessions. That most Israelis are still willing to take incalculable risks for peace — the proposed Palestinian state would border their biggest cities — and are still willing to share their ancestral homeland with a people that has repeatedly tried to destroy them is nothing short of miraculous.

It's true that Israel is a success story. The country has six world-class universities, more scientific papers and Nobel Prizes per capita than any other nation and the most advanced high-tech sector outside of Silicon Valley. The economy is flourishing, tourism is at an all-time high and our citizen army selflessly protects our borders. In the face of unrelenting pressures, we have preserved a democratic system in which both Jews and Arabs can serve in our parliament and sit on our Supreme Court. We have accomplished this without knowing a nanosecond of peace.

We shouldn't have to apologize for our achievements. Nor should outside observers conclude that the great improvements in our society in any way lessen our deep desire for peace. That yearning was expressed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the recent White House ceremony for the start of direct negotiations with the Palestinians. Addressing Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas as "my partner in peace," Netanyahu called for "a peace that will last for generations — our generation, our children's generation and the next."

For Israelis who don't have to imagine what it's like to live in a perpetual war zone, that vision of peace is our lifeline.

The writer is Israel's ambassador to the U.S. (Los Angeles Times)
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-oren-israelpeace-20100915,0,6374377.story