If you watch this video you will see that Lionel Messi was not ready when Shimon Peres hit this ball and ended up getting hit in a place God did not intend to get hit by soccer balls. Ironically you could say that after this incident Messi actually has more reason to dislike Israel than most, yet he doesn’t. Why? Because he is an intelligent and decent individual and of course this was all in good fun. Good luck in the FIFA 20144 World Cup Final Mr. Messi.
Monthly Archives: July 2014
Why I do this and Why You should too
On occasion as I sit in front of a computer opining, I stop and consider the fact that there are friends and even family members who ask themselves, what is David doing? Shouldn’t he be spending more time working? Is he just looking for attention? Does he really believe he is making a difference?
I have answers to all those questions, and I am comfortable with my choices, but I am more than aware that those questions are in the minds of some and need to addressed. I do so however not so much for my personal satisfaction but to make the point of how getting involved is something we all need to do.
A few days ago I sent an email to the Secretary General of the United Nations concerning the United Nations traditional and existing anti-Israel stance and lack of concern for the well-being of the Jewish people worldwide. That very sentence could be misinterpreted as delusional self-importance. However, I did not write the letter with some any degree of expectation. I would not be surprised if no one reads it, let alone the Secretary General, and if by some miracle someone does, I doubt they will care. So why did I bother?
I will share with you some comments I received when I posted the letter on Facebook. The comments will remain anonymous in this post, but will of course be recognizable to anyone who is in that particular group.
“Good you take what action you can! I hope we all follow your lead and write, email, call, express, encourage, confront, support ourselves and the nation of Israel. Silence is inappropriate our people need us.”
“Bravo David Groen! We Need More People like you, that speak up!”
“Thank you for sharing. Heartfelt and really an important thing we can all do and should.”
People generally like compliments and accolades, and although I am no exception, my motivation is less personally motivated than probably anything I have ever done in my lifetime. I do what I do for me, but the fact is, and this is what makes this so important, I do not do it only for me. I do it for the Jewish people. I am aware that I am merely one drop of water in a huge ocean, but resistance to evil needs to be fought on many fronts and with a cohesive understanding of the ultimate goal. I am just one small person fighting on one of the fronts.
I am the son of Holocaust survivors. My father’s parents, younger sister & husband were murdered by the Nazis. My mother’s father and younger and only brother were also victims of the Holocaust. Both of them lost numerous friends and relatives during the Nazi occupation of Holland. My father’s parents, Leendert and Maryan Groen were presented with the opportunity to get baptismal papers in order to provide them with the possibility of being seen as non-Jewish so that they would have some hope of survival. Leendert refused basically stating that he was born a Jew and would die a Jew, and that in his eyes to pretend otherwise was to forsake his covenant with God. That was the sacrifice my grandfather made. He sacrificed his life to declare himself a Jew.
So what is it that I am doing? Nothing compared to what others did before me. Giving up time from work? Hardly the ultimate sacrifice. If I am making less money so that I can somehow give some extra encouragement and strength to others than what sacrifice am I making? If my work motivates others to speak up and build a resistance against evil then what I do does matter.
The ripple effect matters more than we may realize because in many ways it is what we are actually up against. The evil forces within Islam, and I said within Islam not of Islam, that want to take over the world and will kill anyone in their way, are attempting a worldwide revolution. Part of this revolution is through ripple effect. I support Israel 100% in doing anything that needs to be done to protect the Jewish people, but I also know that the ultimate battle extends far beyond its borders.
As a student of the Holocaust I have come to a very sobering conclusion. The lessons I have learned from my parents and from others regarding that devastating time not only in Jewish but in World history are lessons that need to be given practical application today. We are no longer dealing with theory of what if a group once again wants to see our destruction? We are once again up against an enemy that wants us wiped off the face of the planet. If any of us who know the history turn a blind eye to what is happening or try to wait it out patiently, we will be making a tragic mistake. I respect those who hold out hope that the world can be a peaceful utopia. I too hope that it can be. But we are not living in a world leaning in that direction and to allow our hope to overshadow our realism will only hasten our demise.
There is a time to hope and there is a time to fight. Right now is the time to fight, any way we know how.
With Abbas it’s about Expediency, not Right and Wrong
Relatively quiet during this most recent crisis in Israel is the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas once again has been presented with an unprecedented opportunity, and rather than make the most of it, he did what he usually does, willingly and cynically disregard it. The opportunity of which I speak was for him to make believers of even the most extreme skeptic as to whether or not he truly is a worthy peace partner. Instead, as always, Abbas chose to take the easy and corrupt way out.
There are two types of dangerous politicians. The evil ones whose intentions are to cause division or suffering, and the weak ones who make all their decisions based on their own personal standing and position. Abbas, now a politician with a terrorist resume, has traded in his militant status to become one of the most transparent politicians in the region, if not in the world. His every move is a calculated way of dancing between appearing willing to make a lasting peace with Israel and conning the world, while appeasing the hardliners not only within his ranks but with Hamas in Gaza as well. His comments generally are indicative of the poor character of the man, as he does what so many of those who are truly his partners, the ones who do not want peace do, fabricate statements because of their expedience. Case in point, his comparing Israel’s current military action to the Nazi death camps that killed 6 million Jews. The ridiculous dishonesty of the statement surely can not be based in ignorance. Does he not know that the Nazis openly stated their desire to wipe Jews off the planet? Does he not know the Germany’s campaigns and raids targeting Jews were not attempts to provide a safer non-violent Germany, but solely to kill them? Does he not know that the death toll of Palestinians is significantly lower than it could be because the Israeli Defense Forces make every attempt NOT to kill civilians, in sharp contrast to Hitler’s Germany that hunted down Jews and murdered them? Of course Abbas knows. But what good would it do politically for him to acknowledge that? Where does he gain by doing what is right? His place as head of the PA is dependent on motivating the angry mob and placating the ambitious terrorists in his midst. What better way to do this than to demonize Israel once again at what he sees as another opportune time. While Israeli politicians will speak out against and act against bad behavior of their constituency, Abbas makes excuses or distorts the facts for his. It may not be right, it may not be moral, but for a politician with a poor character such as Abbas, it certainly is expedient.
And here in lies one of the biggest problems facing Israel. Should by some miracle the terrorist organizations get eliminated from the equation they still have a major problem. They are left with a so-called peace partner who is nothing more than a terrorist turned self-serving politician. To put this in the harshest and scariest of perspectives, consider this point. He’s seen as the good one.
Make Up your Mind World: Occupiers or Invaders?
As Israel’s critics get ready to obstruct an invasion of Gaza with the usual lies and catch phrases, I present this one very logical question. How can you on one hand refer to them as a brutal occupying force and on the other hand be opposed to an invasion? Doesn’t occupation imply you’re already there? I guess it is just another example of what happens when you lie often enough. You eventually get caught in your own lie. No country on the planet has to endure this constant barrage of hypocrisy and falsehood yet somehow it is globally accepted. Hard to fathom.
My letter to United Nations Secretary General
Dear Mr. Secretary General,
Despite my understanding that it is not only a one in a million shot that you will ever read this, but equally unlikely that you will care what I have to say, as a Jewish man, an American citizen, and as a supporter of true human rights all over the planet, I feel compelled to write to you.
I am increasingly perplexed by the approach taken by the organization you lead. It may be that since the organization is called the United Nations, and not the ‘United Nations of Morality and Fairness’, that all that truly matters is that there is an understanding and agreement among the representatives. Therefore it would not matter if the statements and inquiries made would be fair and equitable, merely that they would be convenient to those encouraging or enforcing them. My point being that fair treatment of Jews all over the world is not something many of your member nations concern themselves with as evident in continuing UN policies.
I try to be objective and see it differently but then I hear about another brutal attack in France and the world is silent. I hear about a Swedish man become the latest supporter of Israel to be attacked in Malmo, Sweden, merely for putting out an Israeli flag and once again the world remains silent. You are unquestionably intellectually superior to me, so I am sure you know this, but the number of Jews in Malmo is less than 1,000, probably closer to 500, while the number of Muslims in Malmo is about one-third of its population which would put it in the 100,000 range. And yet I never hear a statement of how there is a disproportionate act of aggression being committed against the Jewish people in European cities like Malmo and Paris.
What I do hear from you is a comparison of the kidnapping of 3 Jewish teenage students, far away from any frontline, kidnappings we later learned were almost immediate murders, to targeted attacks by Israel on Hamas locations in the Gaza Strip. With all your intellect and understanding Mr. Secretary General, how do you justify comparing the attack on terrorists to the kidnapping and murder of 3 innocent children? As I indicated in the beginning of this letter, I realize the unlikelihood of you even seeing this question, let alone caring, but despite that I feel it to be an important question and one that really does need to be asked.
I also need to address the bizarre inconsistency in an organization such as yours, taking votes, many that result in condemnation of Israel, a democratic country, by representatives of countries that are actually non-democratic, totalitarian dictatorships. It is the most cynical twist on the democratic process I’ve ever encountered, yet somehow it seems to work if it means the demonization of Israel.
In conclusion I would like to say that I am an open-minded man who understands that the government of Israel does not do everything correctly when it comes to the Palestinian issue. However, on what basis does the United Nations demand fairness from Israel when they insist on not giving Israel any unbiased fairness in return? Or is it just that the member nations are indeed “United”, united against Israel.
Sincerely,
David Groen
I WISH this was unbelievable
This is what we are dealing with. This is why we can not apply normal standards of thinking to this growing problem. A true United Nations, one that truly care about Human Rights would be all over this. But it won’t be.
Of Course Holland lost..They’re my team
Behind every perception of destiny, irony sits waiting and ready to pounce. But I will get back to that. The title of this post is by no means rooted in self-pity. Pity is never the feeling I have regarding the futility of the teams I support. As a somewhat well-adjusted individual, I generally get past the pain of my sports teams’ demise within an hour of it happening. I must say I am pretty good when it comes to that. After all, and this is the root of the title, I have a lot of experience with it.
We can of course start with the most recent result of which irony played a major factor as well. But again, I will get back to the irony later. When the Netherlands lost to Argentina yesterday in the FIFA 2014 World Cup semi-final, I knew that another World Cup would be played without Holland lifting the trophy. I watched Holland once again secure its position as the best team to never win the World Cup. I took solace in the fact that they lost with class to a team with class, but nevertheless, once again, their World Cup ended in defeat.
I move on to the National Football League. I credit the great New York Giant linebacker Lawrence Taylor with getting me into football. Sure I watched the game and followed the playoffs and Super Bowl, admiring the skills of Joe Montana and Jerry Rice in particular, but it was LT who got me excited about the game. And living in New York I cheered on the football Giants when they won their Super Bowls with Taylor, Simms, etc. But it was not till I began to admire the tough character and skill of Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Donovan Mcnabb, and enjoyed games with my family that I considered myself a true fan of a team. The Eagles would go on to 4 straight NFC Championships and one Super Bowl, but would never win the big one. And as football fans know, they still haven’t.
In 1976 I began what would be 4 years of school in London, England. I picked a team. Sure, I could have picked Arsenal just as easily, a team that won titles and cups, but no, I picked Tottenham Hotspur, probably the most consistently mediocre team in any sport in any country. And since they are exceedingly mediocre, that’s all they are getting in this piece.
Being a marginal Basketball fan I put my allegiances behind the home team New York Knicks and watched as they always came up short against Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. Except of course for the times the Bulls were without MJ when the Knicks came up short against Hakeem Olajuwons’s Houston Rockets. Whatever, they came up short.
Then there is the team I am most emotionally invested in on a yearly basis, the Philadelphia Flyer of the National Hockey League. Having lived in Philadelphia during their 2 glorious Stanley Cup victories, I will always be a devoted fan. Even if we end up never winning another cup. Does it count at all when the Los Angeles Kings win? Flyers fans and educated hockey fans understand that question.
Lastly I will speak of Major League Baseball’s New York Mets. In 1985 when I moved to New York I picked a team as my local team. I picked the very charismatic and entertaining Mets. In 1986 I got my immediate reward, s the Mets not only won the World Series, they won it in the most dramatic and exciting of fashions. The 1986 Mets have been the reason I have remained a fan of theirs till now, despite the fact that they are generally not very good. And since I am a fan, when I say it that way, I am being nice. The greatest overall significance of my support of the Mets now is that their 1986 team is the last team I am a fan of to win a championship in their sport. Yes, that is almost 30 years.
And on it goes. Yes I pushed the idea of Holland’s World Cup destiny, and the fate surrounding the teams they would need to beat, and of course started the online campaign of “Win it for my mother”, but in the end it was not to be. My mother, whose maiden name was Rodrigues-Lopes, or in every day use, just Rodrigues, was the son of Marcel Rodrigues. My grandfather’s nickname was Max. So he was indeed known by many as Max Rodrigues. So when Argentina needed just one more goal in penalty kicks to put them through to the finals and send Holland packing, I looked down, smiled wryly, shook my head and mumbled to myself, “of course”. Stepping up to take the kick was Argentinian football veteran Maxi Rodriguez, who subsequently put the ball in the back of the net and guaranteed Holland would once again not the win the World Cup. I guess I was right. Sports destiny did play a factor. It just did so with a tremendous sense of irony. Good thing it only takes me an hour to get over it.
The Personal bias of Sports Destiny
When it comes to sports, destiny is a very biased concept. Had Brasil won yesterday without the services of their superstar Neymar and their captain Silva, the host nation of the FIFA 2014 World Cup would have been buzzing about how destiny favored this soccer powerhouse. Instead Brasil’s team laid the proverbial egg, didn’t show up for the game at all, and lost 7-1 to a very good German team. Undoubtedly all German fans are now talking about their destiny. I would like to put my own personal spin on the subject of destiny and show how it favors Holland.
Four years ago Holland, The Netherlands, lost in its 3rd World Cup Final appearance to Spain. They began this years campaign with a 5-1 whipping of the reigning champs. In about 4 hours they will face Argentina in the semi-final. Argentina who was the host team in 1978 and defeated Holland, then making their second final appearance. After Germany’s victory yesterday, if destiny keeps to form, Holland will face Germany on Sunday with an opportunity to finally lift up the World Cup as champions. 40 years ago in 1974, it was Germany, then the host country, that defeated the Netherlands in their first ever appearance in the World Cup. Like Holland or not, from the perspective of destiny it could not play out any better.
And then there is my favorite Dutch fan, my mother Sipora Groen. At 92 years old she is enjoying the games as much as anyone else and would love to see Holland finally call themselves World Cup Champions. So I say it again, and hopefully will be making this plea again after today and before Sunday, WIN IT FOR MY MOTHER.
HUP HOLLAND
Back when I was a Moderate…2 weeks ago
Two weeks ago I would have been considered a moderate regarding the situation with Israel and the Palestinians. I even held hope that the Palestinian Authority would do the right thing in response to what then was the kidnapping of the 3 Israeli teens. However, like anyone else in life I have a breaking point. Mine was the moment it was clear that these 3 boys had not only been kidnapped, but murdered as well. Having reached that breaking point I have come to following conclusions. Any person who does not believe Israel is in its rights to use any manner of force necessary, be it in Gaza, Judea or Samaria (aka ‘The West Bank’) falls into one of the following categories:
Non Jew: Ignorant; Gullible; Anti-Semitic
Jew: Ignorant; Naïve; Flat-out stupid; Self-hating
As a Jew, two weeks ago I fell into the naïve category. That is a category with many different levels. My naiveté was rooted in the belief and hope that a peaceful solution was possible. I was a moderate. The 3 murdered Israeli teens are 3 among thousands killed by terrorists, but somehow it was their murder that destroyed my moderate status as well. Yes I questioned my moderation even then, but I was always open to the idea that there were enough people in power on their side who wanted peace more than they wanted the destruction of Israel to create an atmosphere of coexistence. Sadly that is not the case. As Golda Meir once said so eloquently, “Peace will come when the Arabs love their children more than they hate us.” It is with genuine pain that I say that day is further away from us than ever before.
First to the Non-Jewish people I make mention of, I say this. I respect anyone whose genuine desire is a world of peace. Even if you are ignorant to the truth or gullible as to the intentions of Israel’s Arab enemies, you may desperately cling to the hope that peace can break out. I admire your motivation and appreciate your decency. However, if you really take time to look at the situation you will come to the same tragic conclusion. They do not want peace. They want dead Jews. If you can show me any concrete evidence to prove otherwise I would be happy to see it, but I truly do not believe that evidence exists.
If you are anti-Semitic I have nothing to say to you. You live with hate in your heart and to make matters even worse, that hate is directed towards me and my family. You therefore are nothing to me other than disgusting and potentially dangerous.
To the Jews in these categories I say this. Please learn from the past. The Nazis set out to kill every last Jew. Not merely the Jew who opposed them, but even the Jew whose fear motivated them to work for them in concert in the hope that they would be spared. They were all targets. As we all are today. The naïve amongst you who believe in a peaceful solution, are making the mistake I so genuinely understand. You are applying rational thinking to irrational minds. These are people who are taught that the greatest honor they can achieve in life is through death. Not merely death, but death through murder and destruction. I am sure those of you who are applying your rational standards do not for one second relate to that way of thinking, but if you analyze it honestly and without personal prejudice you may see the sad truth.
To the self-hating Jew, the one who chooses to be extra vocal about criticism of Jews when they do things wrong but are only half as vocal, at best, when Jews are attacked and murdered, I say this. It is not just your fellow Jew you will bring suffering to, but to yourself as well. You are a pawn on a chessboard of evil, and those who play chess know that the pawns are the most expendable. My father, Rabbi Nardus Groen of Blessed Memory once wrote when referring back to his account of the Holocaust, “We may in the course of it meet people who, for whatever it’s worth,may be portrayed as heroes, while others are cowards, pacifists, or activists.They are all the products of mankind. For them, there will always be a place under the sun (with the exception of the traitor).” It is not my place to determine who are the cowards and pacifists and who are the traitors. God will know what is in your heart and I trust will judge you accordingly.
One may make the argument that every day a moderate turns radical Hamas has gained another victory. That may be true. But it is safer to be a realistic radical than a delusional moderate. Unfortunately I now believe those are the only two choices.
Where’s the Outcry?
The number of Jews in Malmo, Sweden is probably at around 500-800. The Muslim population in Malmo is around 100,000. Earlier today a 38 year old Jewish man was beaten for hanging an Israeli flag outside his home. The man was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries.
This is our world. A world where this type of behavior acceptable. To those dumb enough to think Jews are the only targets or just too scared to say or do something, I urge you to read up about what happens to Christians in Nigeria. You might see it differently. You might even see this as the earlier stages of World War III. Terrifying thought, but one I would love to be convinced is not the case.
In the meantime I ask those who are quick to judging and attacking the behavior of the Jewish people in Israel and throughout the world to pretend this was happening in the reverse and say what you would say then. Come on Roger Waters, you hypocritical anti-Semitic pond scum, where is your outrage now? Where are the United Nations voices now? Or is human rights a pick and choose issue.
I’ll say something I do not say often. I am sure Israel is guilty of doing some things wrong when it comes to the handling of the Palestinians. However, as long as this ridiculously lopsided double standard exists it holds significantly less importance, because to demand fairness from one group while denying fairness to the ones you are demanding it from, destroys the credibility of the cause.
Holland's Heroes 