Category Archives: Uncategorized

Welcome to a World where Terrorists Charge War Crimes

Pflpmayday2005When I read that Palestinian Foreign Affairs Minister Riyad al-Maliki arrived in the Hague with the intent to make a case charging Israel with war crimes, I decided to read up more about the man appearing to the world as a defender of humanity. After all, the Palestinian Authority produces nothing but the highest quality individuals.  Sarcasm aside, here are the facts about the latest “humanitarian” to be produced in defense of the people in Gaza.

Riyad al-Maliki was a leading member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine(PFLP).  The picture inserted in this post is its 2005 May Day poster.  Tells you a lot already.  The PFLP, al-Maliki’s faction,  supports a one-state solution,  which basically means it favors the destruction of the State of Israel. The PFLP has conducted terrorist attacks worldwide since 1968, but I’ll just show a few that took place since the year 2,000.

A suicide bomb in a pizzeria in the West Bank in February of 2002 killing 3 teenagers…CIVILIANS

A suicide bomb in a market in Netanya in May of the same year killing 3 Israelis….CIVILIANS

A suicide bomb in a bus station in Petach Tikvah on December 25, 2003 killing 4…CIVILIANS

A suicide bomb in a market in Tel-Aviv in November 2004 killing 3..CIVILIANS

There are plenty more to show but you get the point.    The world we live in today is so backwards when it comes to morality and decency, one might think if the Warsaw Ghetto uprising would have happened today the Jews would have been condemned for it.

Riyad al-Maliki, the latest Palestinian terrorist to put on a suit, is the man presenting the case against Israel.  To the world’s shame it is listening.  One day some of these people will look back and lament how they took the side of terrorists over a free and democratic country.  By then it may be too late.

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Ironically, only Israel wants to Free Gaza

mqdefaultAt some point Israel will be  left with no other choice but to inflict damage that will show everyone the true restraint they’ve shown until now. When that moment comes, those in the world with power and influence using it to obstruct and criticize Israel while empowering Hamas, will have to answer for the war  they prolonged with their corrupt and self-serving politics.  The spilled blood that will follow will be on their hands more so than anyone else’s.  If these people have clearly thought this through they know that making it difficult for Israel to cripple Hamas will lead to a prolonged conflict that will consist not only of more fighting but much more intense fighting.  If they truly cared about civilians more than their personal gain they would support Israel in removing the cancer destroying Gaza.  But since it is clear that  money from Qatar is not being spent on freeing Gaza, don’t expect that to happen any time soon.

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Our Souls Uplifted

A ray of hopeWhat you are about to read is something I wrote on June 10, 2007, 3 days before my father passed away.  With all that is happening in the world today, and on this meaningful day in the Jewish calendar, I wanted to share this very meaningful and personal post.  So many of our days recently have been ordinary days interrupted with moments of tremendous sadness.  On this, the saddest day in the Jewish calendar, and at a time when the events in the world are often incomprehensible,   I present you with what I hope provides you with some faith and inspiration.

 

 

 

 

What I write today I do not write for myself, but I write for those who struggle with emotional pain, anxiety, and doubt. It is for those who out of love or need or responsibility, take upon themselves what feels like the weight of the world.

I am not sure that this falls into the category of religion, but there certainly is a place for it there. This weight that these people feel, the pain, the hurt, is far more easily removed than they realize.  Sometimes all they need to do is to allow God to lift it.

Let’s start with one very important concept and from there it will become so much simpler. When we know our loved ones are going to pass on, or have passed on, we need to make a distinction between how it hurts us to no longer have them in our lives, from the existence and life that they have had and are about to encounter. Let’s work under the assumption that if it hurts to see them go, that we have memories that will make us smile and laugh and shed tears of joy for what they brought to our lives. In that we can celebrate their life and glorify their memory.

And in their passing let’s realize that the human soul is only less powerful than God and is in essence a part of God’s manifestation on earth. And with that knowledge and understanding we must remember and understand that not only will there be no pain and suffering for our loved ones who leave us, but more than likely there will be a bliss, a joy, and an eternal beauty that we find so difficult to grasp on to on this earth. Ironically it us, those who are left behind, who need to be uplifted in spirit. And the one most poignant way to do so, is to allow the souls of our loved ones to do that which they either have begun, or truly desire to do. To guide us, prepare us, and teach us. As long as we realize that it is their souls attempting to instruct our souls, then, and only then will we bring that true connection and symmetry between our life on earth and the life our souls live now and later.

Be strong everyone and be sure to keep moving forward. But at one point if you truly want to achieve an even greater joy with those you have loved and lost, let go, trust, and allow yourself to be guided to a higher level together with them.


A Day of Sadness

Temple-Destruction (1)The 9th Day of the Jewish month of Av, known in Hebrew as Tisha B’Av, is the day commemorating the destruction of the first and second Temples that once stood in Jerusalem.  It is a day of tragedy and commemorates some of the worst moments in Jewish history.  Simply put, it is the saddest day of the year, and it begins tonight.

On this Tisha B’Av let’s pray that all the tragedy and sadness stops, and that we see a world of peace and kindness.  We have seen so many days of sadness recently but lets stay hopeful for a brighter future. I know it sounds unrealistic at this moment, but if it was easy we wouldn’t need to pray for it.  To all those fasting I wish you an easy fast.

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Thank You

111The month of July was the best month Holland’s Heroes ever had with 28,931 hits. Obviously the situation in Israel has made all of us more interested in showing our support for Israel and each other and has given us all a passionate desire to be involved in one way or another.  I would gladly go back to a less active blog and a peaceful Israel, but for now I intend to keep up the fight together with your help and participation.  I truly thank all of you who take the time to view my posts and will do my best to continue providing worthwhile reading and viewing.  Ironically the more popular the blog becomes, the more humble I feel.  I would love any suggestions you might have for making it better.

Let’s hope that God blesses the State of Israel and all the good people of this world with peace and tranquility very soon.

Thank you all again,

David

 

If you appreciate my writing, feel a connection to the Jewish people, or both, I urge you to read the book “Jew Face: A story of love and heroism in Nazi-occupied Holland”.  CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

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Open Letter to Ban Ki-moon:Regarding the term “moral outrage”

UN-Secretary-General-Ban-Ki-moonDear Mr. Secretary-General,

I write to you today out of concern for your reaction to a recent attack in Gaza you referred to as a “moral outrage and criminal act.” I will not address your outrage since that is a feeling one has and it is pointless to debate one’s feelings, but what can be, and in this case needs to be clarified is your definition of morality.

The outrage you speak of is caused by Israel’s attack on a United Nations school in which 10 people were killed.  It is without question another tragedy in a very tragic war.  However, if you are to use the term moral outrage now, I believe it prudent to ask you what exactly you deem moral and immoral.

Is it moral for “militants”, as your organization now refers to the terrorists of Hamas, to hide in hospitals and schools?  Is it moral to consistently fire missiles at Israeli population centers with one intent, to kill civilians?  You have moral outrage for Israel’s attack, an attack whose purpose was to target terrorists and sadly killed civilians, but you do not express similar outrage when Hamas targets Tel-Aviv with the sole intent of murdering civilians.  I understand Israel is a stronger force and that it’s ability to defend itself has prevented the amount of casualties Hamas has hoped for, but is the action itself not one deserving of your outrage?

Is it moral to agree to a cease-fire and shortly after ambush the opposing force’s soldiers killing three of them?  Hamas has had numerous opportunities to stop the fighting but has rejected each cease-fire.  If you truly feel so strongly about human life where is your moral outrage for the fact that Hamas insists on continuing the fighting?  Where is the moral outrage with an organization using billions of dollars in financial aid on weapons and terror tunnels while the people it pretends to care for live in squalor?  Is it moral that the leaders of Hamas travel in private jets and hide in luxury hotels in Qatar while it uses its citizens as pawns in its effort to wipe Israel off the face of the earth?  If your outrage was truly sincere you would hear that while one side calls for the other’s destruction, the one you and your organization consistently oppose calls for peace.

Myself, and many like me might listen to your organization more if it were not for the one-sided approach consistently exhibited when it comes to matters regarding Israel.  I took some time to look up some of the resolutions and condemnations over the years and one in particular made me feel moral outrage.  Just before Israel destroyed Iraq’s nuclear capabilities the United Nations passed a resolution calling for a nuclear-free Middle East, and soon after the attack passed a resolution condemning the attack despite the fact that Israel’s actions kept nuclear weapons out of the hands of a crazy and dangerous dictator.  I also look back at the warm welcome received by PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat and to this day question the credibility your organization gave to someone who waged his war by murdering innocent civilians.  There was no moral outrage then.  The UN then proceeded to provide the PLO support laying the groundwork for future terrorist organizations to gain acceptance on the world stage.  That fact alone puts a lot of blood on the collective hands of the United Nations even though it is something it will never openly accept accountability for.  It did however very efficiently proceed to pass the resolution equating Zionism with racism.  This treatment towards Israel has gone on for quite some time and is no surprise to anyone, but with all the facts so readily available today, your comments and the reaction of the United Nations as an institution are even more absurd than they were in the past.

I could speak of other atrocities such as having Syria, Libya and China on Human Rights councils over the years and the lack of action against Syria and ISIS today, but that would take too long.  The amount of criticism given to Israel while so many people are being murdered by brutal regimes and organizations all over the world, mostly Muslims I might add, is, and I use the phrase many like to use when criticizing Israel’s actions, a disproportionate response.

Quite frankly, and I say this without apology, the organization you lead has shown itself to be anti-Semitic beyond compare, and has functioned as though it is clearly in the pocket of the corrupt and the criminal.  While you call for investigations of Israel’s actions I call for an investigation of your actions and the actions of the organization you are running.  However, no one, myself included, is naive enough to believe there will ever be full disclosure of what takes place behind the scenes.  At the end of the day it is not about right and wrong, it is about money and power, something the United Nations has a lot of and therefore is bulletproof and untouchable.  When you have the degree of responsibility for funding and influence that you possess, to abuse it as you are doing Mr. Secretary General is a true moral outrage and criminal act of enormous proportions.

Sincerely,

David Groen

 

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Why Israel Doesn’t Take off the Gloves

Israeli-flagEven the most blatant liar portraying Israel as the brutal aggressor is aware that Israel is showing tremendous amounts of restraint. They just won’t say that publicly.  It doesn’t fit with the Public Relations smear campaign so central in their war strategy.  But let’s face it.  They know that if Israel really was targeting civilians and committing Genocide as they’re accused of doing, tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of Palestinians would be dead by now.  So why does Israel show the restraint that it does?

Let’s examine what might happen if Israel took off the gloves and waged this current war without concern for civilian casualties. World opinion would be overwhelmingly against it, the United Nations would condemn it, enemies like Iran and Turkey would try to rally nations to destroy it, the United States administration would be shaky in its support, Israeli Soldiers would die, missiles would be fired at cities, anti-Semitic crimes and demonstrations would increase worldwide , and violent protests would increase in the West Bank. That’s what would happen if Israel took the gloves off, right?.  But wait just one second.  That is what is happening now.  So realistically we can conclude that the situation wouldn’t be much worse for Israel if it used the full extent of its force and wiped out significant portions of Gaza to achieve its objectives quicker and with a greater degree of success.  So why don’t they?  The answer lies in one word, morality.

It is the most infuriating irony of the past month that terms like “War Crimes” and titles like “Nazis” are being thrown around to describe Israel when the very facts being used to justify those terms are the very facts that destroy that argument.  Israel isn’t holding back for fear of consequences or for concern of world opinion.  What you would think Israel would endure if they weren’t showing restraint, is indeed what it is enduring while showing restraint.  That means that if put in a position where it has no choice but to take off the gloves, the blood of the civilians in Gaza won’t be on Israel’s hands, but on a world ignoring the truth that exists today. Instead of lauding and supporting Israel for showing respect for human life,  too many people with power are attacking it and obstructing it, behaviors that may at one point force Israel to intensify the operation to a point where tens of thousands do get killed.  If that happens, the hypocrites and the corrupt of today will be able to look back and see that they were the cause of the increasingly higher death toll, not Israel.  But that’s not what will happen.  Instead they will say what they are saying now, just with more passion and conviction.  Even if it isn’t genuine and honest.


And the DOPA goes to…

dove of peaceStarting today Holland’s Heroes is rolling out a new feature.  It is called the Dove of Peace Award (DOPA).  The DOPA will be presented to friends of Israel and the Jewish people who display exceptionally strong and vocal support when it is needed most.  The people I speak of are people who have a clear understanding of  the damage and carnage being caused by, and as a result of the actions of Hamas and terrorists organizations like it, as well as a clarity about Israel’s true motivation, PEACE.  Normally there will be one at a time with an unspecified degree of frequency, but since there were 4 people I wanted to start with today, I am starting with a countdown of my assessment of the 4 most deserving of this weeks DOPA’s.

NUMBER 4:

BOB SCHIEFFER

Bob Schieffer 715In an atypical fashion for a journalist of his tenure, Bob Schieffer gave his very strong opinion of the situation in Israel and Gaza, and in doing so quoted the late great Prime Minister of Israel Golda Meir.  Schieffer said the following:

In the Middle East, the Palestinian people find themselves in the grip of a terrorist group that has embarked on a strategy to get its own children killed in order to build sympathy for its cause, a strategy that might actually be working, at least in some quarters. Last week, I found a quote of many years ago by Golda Meir, one of Israel’s early leaders, which might have been said yesterday. “We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children, she said, “but we can never forgive them for forcing us to kill their children.”

FOR THESE COMMENTS BOB SCHIEFFER GETS A HOLLAND’S HEROES THANK YOU AND A DOPA!!

NUMBER 3:

SENATOR TED CRUZ

ted-cruz-has-just-wrapped-up-his-epic-21-hour-defund-obamacare-talk-a-thonLet me start with an overdue apology.  I once called Senator Cruz a sideshow act. Now I call him Senator Cruz and do so respectfully.  He has shown himself to be a consistently staunch supporter of Israel, has given one of the most impassioned speeches on the Senate floor  supporting Israel in the past few weeks, and has shown his sincerity even further by going across party lines and working with Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of NY in pushing for a resolution condemning Hamas.  Senator Cruz said the following:

“Hamas is undoubtedly guilty of violating international humanitarian law through its deliberate, repeated, and consistent use of civilians as human shields. “The United States of America, along with the entire international community must expose and denounce Hamas’ barbaric tactics and unequivocally support Israel’s right to self-defense.”

FOR HIS CONTINUING EFFORTS TED CRUZ GETS A HOLLAND’S HEROES THANK YOU AND A DOPA!!

 

NUMBER 2:

HOWARD STERN

866px-Howard_SternWhen I heard Howard Stern’s recent assessment of the situation in Israel and Gaza, I almost stopped writing in Holland’s Heroes.  There was nothing to add. He nailed it.  It is one of the best 5 minutes you will ever spend. CLICK HERE TO HEAR HIS SPEECH. Howard leaves no doubt as to what he thinks in this humorous, intelligent, and candid accounting of what is really happening in the Middle East.  Just be careful.  If you don’t like bad language you better find the edited version.  But let’s face it, some people deserve a Go F&*(& Yourself.

He said the following:

“Israel’s at no fault,” he said. “Jews get enough s**t all over the world … Jews are the indigenous people of that area. The Arabs don’t even want those Palestinians .. nobody wants them.  If you’re anti-Israel you’re anti-America. [It’s] the only democracy over there, the only friend we have .. who’s willing to fight and stand up for what’s right.”

FOR HIS STRONG SUPPORT OF ISRAEL HOWARD STERN GETS A HOLLAND’S HEROES THANK YOU AND A DOPA

NUMBER 1:

JON VOIGHT

Jon-Voight1I have to admit, I loved Howard Stern’s 5 minute speech so much, I could listen to it 10 times a day.  So then why does Jon Voight get number 1? Because in his support and defense of Israel one forgets Jon Voight isn’t Jewish.  When he gets going he sounds as passionate as someone who was born and raised Jewish and conscience of Israel and the Jewish world.  And he not only shows his support, he makes it an obvious priority in a way that shows it is not only important, it is personal.  His passion is so strong he even goes after the administration.

Jon Voight said the following:

Instead of telling Hamas to stop sending rockets into Israel aimed at its civilian population, [Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry] say Israel has to stop killing civilians. What a travesty of justice! Every patriotic America- Jew and non-Jew alike- must show their outrage and that we will not tolerate propaganda and lies about Israel being the aggressors and suppressors of the Palestinians.”

FOR HIS STRONG SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL AND THE JEWISH PEOPLE JON VOIGHT GET’S A HOLLAND’S HEROES THANK YOU AND A DOPA.

 

dove of peaceIf you have anyone you want to nominate for future DOPAs please feel free to leave a comment on this page.

 

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Please Pray

hadarThe name of the kidnapped IDF soldier is Hadar Goldin.  His Hebrew name is Hadar, son of Chedva Leah.  I ask you all to pray for his well-being.