Preserving English Text While Texting

Tush tush! A pox upon the texting
habits of our posterity!

As I have traveled around the English speaking world teaching grammar and business writing courses, I am sometimes confronted with various forms of the following question: “Is the future of the English language doomed because of the text messaging habits of today’s teenagers and young professionals?” This question always makes me smile (at least on the inside), partly because I know from whence the questioner’s distress arises, and partly because I possess sufficient optimism to provide a hopeful answer to such queries.

The simple answer to this question is “No”; contemporary young people (and their older adult counterparts who routinely butcher English virtually) are not going to ruin our language – at least not entirely – with their lazy acronyms, painfully poor spelling, and lack of any penchant for proofreading. In the end, the real cost is not to the language itself as much as it is to their own personal and professional credibility. To the extent that they persist in these habits, they tarnish their personal image and minimize their potential for professional advancement in the modern workplace.

Pope wrote that hope springs eternal;
May it be so for your texting diurnal.

It is true that the English language is evolving, and in some ways more quickly than ever before throughout its storied history. But language has always evolved. Such evolution began long before the invention of computers or cell phones, and will continue long after the Millennial Generation has matured. As an optimist in the face of this ongoing evolution, I hold that a vestige of quality language will always remain in tact in Western Civilization and beyond.

If I am to be proven right in purporting the perpetual maintenance of what one might call “High Language,” or at very least, “Professional Speak,” then trainers and other educators must play a vital role. Moreover, if the rising generation is to effectively make the vital transition from “Teenage Texter to Polished Professional Communicator,” a very real “Evolution in the Classroom” must occur to match the seeming language evolution that mirrors the troubled text and instant messaging quagmire in which many young professionals (and others) find themselves mired.

I suggest that this educational evolution ought to be based on the view that ALL language is vital, and therefore worthy of thoughtful composition followed by careful and consistent editing and proofreading. This belief corrects the misnomer held by so many that a text or instant message somehow possesses less literary value than an email, letter, report, etc. It also eliminates the mistaken notion that emails are essentially just a grandiose text message and therefore not worthy of careful construction, eager editing, or precise proofreading.

You would think the importance of CLARITY, CONCISION, and COGENCY in all forms of communication would be a self-evident reality for all writers. Not so! In reality, even the best writers struggle at times to effectively cast their thoughts into the finest molds possible – even after expending good-faith efforts and ample time in the process. As such, is it any wonder that less experienced, and more careless composers commonly craft professional prose that would barely qualify as doggerel were it to morph into verse or suddenly burst forth into song?

In truth, the only thing that is self-evident is that much of the communicating public could use a LOT of training when it comes to communication of all kinds, and perhaps especially so when it comes to the compositions that many create most often: text and instant messages. To remedy this self-evident societal sickness and persistent professional problem, I suggest three primary premises serve as a pedagogical foundation to any effective text or instant messaging educational initiative. And the good news is that these same premises apply to other, longer forms of written communication.

Premise 1: Inscrutable text has no value

ALL communication designed to inform, instruct, or persuade (as opposed to poetry, drama, and fictional prose, which is designed to entertain) only has value if it can be quickly read and readily understood. If your readers are confused by whatever convoluted thoughts and disorganized material you have haphazardly strung together on a screen or page, they will likely find themselves frustrated – perhaps even a little angry – and in many cases may stop reading and give up trying to understand what you are trying to communicate.

I often wonder how many billions of dollars are lost in time and resources every single year in America and beyond for no other reason than that a preventable miscommunication has occurred. All communication counts! Don’t be lazy in carefully organizing and dutifully reviewing each message you decide to craft for another, be it for an individual, small group, or large audience.

Premise 2: Editing and proofreading are paramount—not perfunctory—even for text and instant messages.

No matter how long your composition is, editing and proofreading should not be considered perfunctory tasks, but a paramount part of the process. No matter how good you are at writing, and regardless how much knowledge and experience you bring to your keyboard, everyone makes mistakes. A common misnomer among amateur writers is that great writers get it right on their first draft. Not so! There are times when I will edit and/or proofread a document seven, eight, or even nine times before hitting “send” or otherwise submitting it to its intended audience. And I am typically still making changes on the eighth and ninth revision.

Carl Sederholm, a college professor of mine at Brigham Young University, once told my English class: “You never finish a document; you stop writing.” Dr. Sederholm is correct. Unlike math equations and science questions, there is rarely just one right answer when you are writing. Furthermore, you could theoretically continue making adjustments to any document forever! As such, there is usually a point in time where you must “stop writing” and choose to turn your document in. In the meantime, it is wise to spend as much time editing and proofreading as would be both practical and prudent. It will take more time up front on your part to do this; but oh the time it can save you—and others—down the road if you will do it!

Premise 3: Short messages can be just as important as lengthy communications.

Regardless whether your composition is a text message, a full-page letter, a 20-page report, proposal, grant, etc., or a full-length thesis, manual, or book, every communication matters. If it didn’t, you (or anyone else) wouldn’t bother to take time to craft the message in the first place. While some communications are clearly more important than others (e.g., a supervisor’s formal reprimand or financial statement may carry more weight with you than an email or text message wishing you Happy Birthday), any communication that fails to achieve its intended purpose has failed indeed. I don’t like to fail at anything I seriously attempt. As such, regardless of the medium, whenever I communicate, I greatly value the way in which that piece of information is composed. My goal is to maximize the clarity, concision, and cogency of every message I send. Whether a message is a 20-page report or a 2-line text message makes little difference to me.

It is true that it will take more time to effectively edit and properly proofread a 20-page proposal or a 200-page book than a 2-page email or 2-paragraph text message. In addition, the time I devote to editing and proofreading is typically commensurate to the importance of the document (in consideration of all the stakes involved). Nevertheless, I rarely, if ever, hit my “Send” button until I have done at least one or two editing and proofreading reviews—no matter how long or short the document.

I encourage ALL educators to apply these premises in your own communication practices until they become an unconscious habit on your part. By so doing, you will become a good example to your students, thus empowering you to better teach and model the cultivation of the same premises in their communication habits—and especially with regards to text and instant messaging. As you – and they – so do, the maintenance and perpetuation of the beautiful, elegant, and rich English language will be preserved for generations to come. And in the short run, everyone will save time and money while avoiding unnecessary confusion, stress, and heartache as we send and receive messages that are clear, concise, cogent, and let us not forget—kind—a topic for another day.

In closing, there are some fantastic articles online that provide additional, concrete tips for improving your text and/or instant messaging practices. Here are four I would recommend:

Frankola, K. (2015). Has Instant Messaging Become More Annoying Than Email? 5 Steps for More Productive Pinging. HuffPost Business. Posted 10 May 2015. URL: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karen-frankola/has-instant-messaging-become-more-annoying-than-email-5-steps-for-more-productive-pinging_b_6815700.html

Maher, K. (2004). The Dangers of Using Instant Messaging at Work. The Wall Street Journal (Online). Posted 5 October 2004. URL: http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB109692934259135827

Simpson, M. (2013). 12 Tips for Using Instant Messaging. Matt Simpson Blog. 10 April 2013. URL: https://matthewsimpson.com/12-helpful-tips-for-using-instant-messaging-in-workplace/

Twelve Tips for Instant Messaging in the Workplace. Training and Consulting in International Business Protocol and Social Etiquette. Posted 1 June 2014. URL: http://www.advancedetiquette.com/2014/06/12-tips-for-instant-messaging-in-the-workplace/

Post Scripts:

What is the Difference Between Editing and Proofreading?

The terms “Editing” and “Proofreading” are often used together or interchangeably. This practice perpetuates the mistaken notion that they are synonyms. In fact, they are different pursuits that are both very important. The difference is that editing involves content while proofreading in concerned with mechanics. In shorthand, we can write:

Editing = Content  and  Proofreading = Mechanics

Editing involves checking a document for completeness and accuracy. It also includes examining a sentence, paragraph, section, chapter, or document’s organization, syntax (word ordering), tone, and flow. Proofreading, on the other hand, involves checking for capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and grammar.


The 3 (Three) C's of Good Writing: Clarity, Concision, and Cogency

All effective written compositions possess two or three fundamental elements. These elements are clarity and concision, and in cases where persuasion is a priority, cogency as well. Clarity begs the question: “Is my writing clear and easy to understand?” Concision begs the question: “Have I stated my message as briefly as possible without using any unnecessary words?” Cogency begs the question: “Will my writing be compelling and/or persuasive to my audience?” After finishing any piece of writing, regardless of the length, if you can honestly look it over and say with confidence: “This composition is clear, concise, and cogent,” then you are ready to turn your work in.

About the Author 

Dr. Jordan R. Jensen

Dr. Jordan Jensen is the Founder & CEO of Freedom Focused and the author of the groundbreaking new book, Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom.  He has trained business professionals in 47 U.S. States and Territories, 5 Provinces of Canada, and 9 Counties of Great Britain on a wide variety of soft-skill topics including leadership, self-leadership, management, time management, goal setting, strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, and a variety of communication skills. To learn more about Dr. Jensen and how his company, Freedom Focused, can assist you in achieving your organizational potential, visit www.freedomfocused.com

To buy Jordan's new book, click HERE.

January 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Nadene Goldfoot                                                

Auschwitz Concentration Camp established June 1940.
Auschwitz concentration camp was a network of German Nazi concentration camps and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II.
Poison gas experiments here by September 3, 1941.
First systematic deportations here from March to April  1942

                   
The United Nations General Assembly designated January 27—the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau—as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On this annual day of commemoration, the UN urges every member state to honor the victims of the Nazi era and to develop educational programs to help prevent future genocides.  WWII ended on May 8, 1945.  The anti-Semitism did not end, nor did the physical attacks on Jews that often led to their deaths.  .  
                                                                        

Buchenwald, 1945, a Concentration Camp established in 1937.  Buchenwald concentration camp was a German Nazi concentration camp established on the Ettersberg near Weimar,

Germany, in July 1937, one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps on German soil.  Jews were deported to here in 1941 and then gassed.  One survivor, Dow Lewi, wrote to his sister in Palestine on August 4, 1945, "that you, over there, cannot imagine even a hundredth part of the suffering, fear, humiliation and every kind of bullying that we lived through.  People who live and think as normal people cannot possibly understand."  Even after liberation, the survivors were victims of riots in Cracow on August 20, 1945 and afterwards in other Polish towns.  The truth is that the native populations helped the Nazis to kill the Jews during the Holocaust and afterwards.  

                                                                   This is a time to remember the unthinkable and of what MAN is capable of doing.  The killing of 6 million Jews by the German National Socialist  (Nazi) regime led by one of the ugliest men I've ever seen, Adolf Hitler, with a voice that ranted and raved like a lunatic.  Will someone tell me why the Germans followed him like a herd of sheep?                                                                           

Treblinka was an extermination camp, built by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland during World War II. It was located near the village of Treblinka north-east of Warsaw in what is now the Masovian Voivodeship.

Treblinka was disguised as a train station.  All Jewish property and belongings in Thrace and Macedonia were confiscated and sold.  The money raised had first to go towards the cost of the rail and boat "fare" to Treblinka.  Each morning on their journey northward, the trains would stop in the  open countryside, and the bodies of Jews who had died during the night were thrown out.  The Germans would not allow any form of burial.  Several hundred sick and old people died during the 6 day journey, which ended at Treblinka.  

His followers went along with his plans that the extermination of the Jews was an essential part of the gospel of Nazism and inherent in the core of its creed.  The Aryan decree issued on April 11, 1933, defined as non-Aryan, any person having a non-Aryan, particularly Jewish parent or grandparent.  In other words, if you had even one Jewish grandparent, you were headed for the gas chambers.  The extermination of all Jews on the planet had started.                                      

Just 2 years, 5 months and 4 days later, on September 15, 1935, the NUREMBERG LAWS were issued by Reichstag.  These were racial laws from the Nazis and reinforced by persecutory decrees including economic and soial discrimination against the Jews.  Incarceration in CONCENTRATION CAMPS without any legal proceedings were the rule and law.  There was no protection from them.

It all began with a BOYCOTT on April 1, 1933.  Violent acts occurred against Jews were common after the occupation of Austria on March 13, 1938.  The intention was to force Jews to emigrate from Germany and Austria. The catch was in finding a country that would take them in.   Then there was a pogrom on November 9th and 10th of 1938 that followed the killing of Vom Rath in Paris;  the brutal assault on Jews throughout the Reich, the demolition of their homes and businesses, the burning of synagogues and the wholesale arrests, violence and murder.

My uncle was from Germany.  His family had lived there since about the year 1000, maybe even as early as the year 321 when the emperor Constantine issued regulations about their Jewish community in Cologne.  .  His father had served in WWI as a soldier.  They were sausage makers, had their own little business.  My uncle, about 20 years old, was picked up and taken to Dachau in 1938 for walking a cow to their slaughter house.  The Nazis said he hit the cow with a stick. (Have you ever walked a cow along a cow path?)   By May 4, 1939, he was on the SS Washington headed for New York.  His parents had to sell everything they had to get his passport and official papers allowing him out of Germany.  I think he was the last Jew to leave.  His family had to remain as they could not afford the price for themselves and his 16 year old red-headed sister.  Luckily, he was helped by my great uncle who took the responsibility for him in the states, for you could not just enter and that was it.
                                                                         

Jews being moved from their homes to concentration camps.  Notice the Star of David on their clothing-identifying them as Jews.  

I was born in 1934 in the United States.  If I were in Germany like my uncle, I would have been 7 years old in 1941 at the height of the war.  Today, we find 40% of Europeans still harbor anti-Semitism, brought out today by the influx of Muslim refugees that has hit their shores who bring it with them.  We've all seen on our TVs what has been going on in France, lately, and then in Brussels.  Sweden is the 3rd highest in anti-Semitic occurrences.
                                                                       

Jews of Hungary not knowing what awaited them.  

Most school districts have had a poor program to teach about the Holocaust.  Then we have Iran who are Holocaust deniers.  If you really want to learn what it was about, read THE HOLOCAUST-A History of the Jews of Europe During the Second World War by Martin Gilbert.

Resource:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Holocaust_Remembrance_Day
http://www.ushmm.org/information/exhibitions/online-features/special-focus/international-holocaust-remembrance-day
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia-Holocaust

40% of Europeans Becoming Anti-Semitic Once Again

Nadene Goldfoot                                                    

Syrians entering Europe who were fighters, possibly now ISIS members.  This is the fear of seeing single males coming through.  

                                                                                                             
40% of Europeans now hold  anti-Semitic views such as they are behaving like Nazis.  This comes from the increase in their Muslim population of late due to the rise of radical Islam, the refugee crisis, BDS and the rise of the extreme political right in their politics.  It's led to the growth of gated communities for Jews for protection purposes.     "German Chancellor Angela Merkel says anti-Semitism is “more widespread” in Germany than some believe and that action is needed to “deal with it – especially among young people… from countries where hatred of Israel and the hatred of Jews is widespread.”             

Other Muslim refugees come by boat and seem to be safe. "The desire for heightened caution in the wake of a terrorist attack is understandable, but the rhetoric from those who think it's impossible to safely take in 10,000 Syrian refugees, out of the more than 4 million who have left their country, goes beyond a simple call for vigilance."  Now we see that even taking in Syrians brings about a growth of anti-Semitism with them.    

                                                                           

Refugees blocked in Turkey on the way to Europe

Back to 1933 and the rise of anti-Semitism in Germany.  This was after World War I but was taking place after the Balfour Doctrine when the plans for Israel were now on the table with the League of Nations.
                                                                         

Husseini and Hitler, 1941 Meeting to talk about the Jews

We saw Haj Amin al-Husseini, the Sherif of Jerusalem, who I call the big fish in the little pond, instigated riots with the Muslims in Jerusalem in 1929 and thereon.  This was also the time of an economic crash with the stock market in the USA which probably affected Europe as well.  Wasn't this said to be the time Germans had to take a wheelbarrow full of paper money to buy a loaf of bread?
                                                                       

Muslims Marching to Austria

Now the Europeans in their brilliant way are blaming the Jews for defending themselves when the Muslims attack them to kill.  The Europeans couldn't stop the Nazis who attacked them and had to rely on the USA to bring about an end of WWII.
                                                                           

Jewish school, class pre-war picture from Karlsruhe, Germany

Germany had lost 3,500,000 soldiers and  700,000 civilians with a total of 4,200,000 deaths from WWII.
The Axis altogether lost 8,268,000 people.  This included Germany, Japan, Romania, Hungary, Italy, Austria and Finland.  "According to the census of June 16, 1933, the Jewish population of Germany, including the Saar region (which at that time was still under the administration of the League of Nations), was approximately 505,000 people out of a total population of 67 million, or somewhat less than 0.75 percent."  Yet Hitler had the audacity to blame all their problems on the Jews, who weren't even 1% of their population! 
                                                                       

USA Soldiers 

The Allies lost 39,963,700 people from 24 different countries.  Out of this number, the USA and Canada were not attacked so there were no civilian deaths.  They lost 400,000 soldiers.  Canada lost 37,000 soldiers.
                                                                       
It must not be forgotten that the Jews were almost exterminated by the murder of 6,000,000 (6 million).  Now the Europeans have turned around and are calling Israelis Nazis?  For shame!  Ignorance knows no barriers, except through education!

There was no Israel when the Holocaust occurred from 1939 to 1945.  Israel came about from the growth of anti-Semitism in Russia with constant pogroms against Jews, and from Easter pageants held against Jews.  It came from a mindset of the Europeans that held that Jews were a lower form of people, even when they excelled.  It came from jealousy and avarice and the desire for power..

Muslims and Jews have different beliefs even though they both believe in one G-d and both live in the Middle East.  Jews are not eager to die.  They hold onto life as much as humanely possible.  Muslims, on the other hand, have the religious belief in that if they die as martyrs for their religion, they will gain immediate rewards including 72 virgins for eternity.  They have been putting Jews in a bad light by dying eagerly for the cause!

Jews are holding onto Israel with all their might that their 6 million population of today can bring forth.  They lost their Israel twice; once in 722 BCE to the Assyrians when the original Israel was attacked and 10 of the 12 tribes were kidnapped.  It happened again to the southern part of Israel named Judah for the remaining tribe who lived there in 70 CE.  This is when Rome had occupied Jerusalem and then decided to burn the city and the Temple down.

Christians have had their times of being reborn again Christians.  Well, we are having our rebirth that finally happened after 2,000 years of patiently waiting for the right time, and here we are-like it or not!  Israel has done more good by creating inventions in medicine and other technologies since 1948 than any European country has  since that same period that have benefited the world.
                                                                         

And what have the Muslims contributed?  Nada.  Nothing.  Only tunnels and bombs used against Israel.  While they try to kill off the Jews, the Jews patch up their people who were in harm's way.  At the same time, there have been Muslims who were eager to die for their cause and put themselves in harms way-either that or their leaders did the dastardly deed.

When Israel was created in 1948, they had a population of 650,000 Jews.  Today they have 6 million for their  one Jewish state.  The Muslims, on the other hand, have had 48 Muslim majority states in the world.  Of course, they have now lost Syria and Iraq to IS as their new caliphate, but that is their own fault.  This is also not counting any new Palestine!  With a population that is killing each other, the Muslim population in the world is about 1.6 BILLION.  This is against 6 MILLION Jews and 1.7 MILLION MUSLIMS who are Israelis.

Israel is not just another state in the world.  It is the ONLY JEWISH STATE and must keep their population to reflect this.  You don't have to be a mathematician to understand this.   It was created to be the haven for Jews suffering from anti-Semitism in the world.  It looks like there is no end to this problem with what is happening to Europe today with 40% of the population being anti-Semitic.

Back in August of 2013, I tried to bring in one Syrian male, age 32 and single, who had a Jewish birth mother and Muslim father and who was raised in a Muslim home.  I could have stood on my head, but nothing I could do could bring this young man into the USA due to religious persecution being he was considered to be Jewish by his family.  He had to remain a secret Jew like the Sephardic Spanish Jews of 1492.  At the time, our State Department had announced that they would admit 2,000 Syrian refugees.  I don't know how they were selected, but no one needed to get out more than this young man who wanted to practice his Judaism and not be a Muslim.  Even Senator Wyden gave me no hope of ever getting him out unless he was a special atomic scientist or something similar.  At this time, a friend, a female friend at that, could not get a male Syrian out and into the USA.  Now the floodgates have been opened, at least in Europe.  At the time, it was not that hard to get into Great Britain, however.  All it ever took was money.

Now, 10,000 refugees will be entering the USA.  " The first transport of Muslim so-called “refugees” just arrived in New Orleans recently and will be resettled in Louisiana and 180 other American communities. " " fact, our own DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson actually said “we don’t know a whole lot” about Syrian refugees coming into America, and that DHS has “no active protocol” for properly screening them." "Jeh Charles Johnson (born September 11, 1957) is an American civil and criminal trial lawyer, and the current United States Secretary of Homeland Security. He was the General Counsel of the Department of Defense from 2009 to 2012 during the first Obama Administration."  

Update: 1:10pm--Up to date facts about the refugees arriving in New Orleans and the 180 other cities are not online.  A lot of bogus information about it is online.  Whether or not they have arrived and have been vetted is not known.  This vetting process has been said to take 2 years, and certainly if they have just arrived, they have not been vetted.  As to whether or not this is even possible to do will be amazing since all of their government records will have been lost.  I doubt if anyone can be vetted properly.  

The 10,000 Syrian refugees are first flown to the United States, according to the French news wire Agence France-Presse, with the State Department paying the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for the airfare. "

Update: 10:07pm:  Fact: . Since the conflict in Syria began in Fiscal Year 2011, the United States has admitted just over 2,200 Syrian refugees. In Fiscal Year 2016, the Administration remains committed to its goal of resettling at least 10,000 Syrian refugees in the United States.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2015/11/250005.htm.   This means it has yet to happen in this year.
 9:53am 1/27/16   I just verified this with the rep in Sen. Wyden's office who handles refugee questions.  Refugees have been coming into the USA but only after vetting which has sometimes taken as long as 3 years.  For some it will be impossible to enter if vetting can't occur.  

Will my friend be among them?  I doubt it.The last thing he ever wanted to have happen to him was to be resettled for life in a refugee camp.  How these 10,000 will be handled should be different than what has happened in refugee camps in Jordan where they do live in camps.

What can be done about the 40% of Europeans that are admitting anti-Semitic feelings?  Education.  Education and more education.  Ignorance is not bliss.  It's leading to the deaths of innocents.  Muslims have to undertake some education about Jews and Israel.  They've been so brainwashed, it's almost impossible to change their hearts and minds.  It would help immensely if Europeans were better educated too, so they could combat the false allegations when they are confronted with them.  It all starts in the home with the little children.

Resource:  http://www.algemeiner.com/2016/01/24/shocking-new-israeli-report-over-40-of-europeans-hold-antisemitic-views/
http://warchronicle.com/numbers/WWII/deaths.htm
http://www.infowars.com/pictures-show-jihadist-militants-entering-europe-as-refugees/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dangerous-syrian-refugees-photos_us_564baae2e4b08cda348b5499
Messages from a Syrian Jew Trapped in Egypt by Nadene Goldfoot, on amazon.com -a book telling about the refugee situation with Syrians in a novel setting; true story.
http://toprightnews.com/breaking-theyre-here-first-load-of-10000-syrian-refugees-has-arrived-in-new-orleans/
Update: from November 14, 2015 : http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/11/gov_jindal_demands_more_inform.html-gov. of Louisiana needing more information on refugees to be arriving.
http://toprightnews.com/breaking-theyre-here-first-load-of-10000-syrian-refugees-has-arrived-in-new-orleans/
http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/16/politics/syrian-refugees-u-s-applicants-explainer/
http://www.allenbwest.com/2016/01/flashback-germany-admits-new-huge-problem-from-refugee-crisis/
http://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2013/06/jewish-contributions-in-medicine-for.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisemitism_in_Europe

Jews of Belarus (White Russia)

Nadene Goldfoot                                                          

         
Back from the 9th to 12th century, there was a state called Rus" that existed in Eastern Europe where Slavs lived.  It was the cradle of Kievian Rus'.  It was in existence where today's Belarus, Ukraine, Russia and Eastern Poland now exist.
                                                                         
It was also referred to as White Russia or Belorussia, a Republic.  Jews went there originally from Poland and were living in Grodno by the 12th century; at Brest-Litovsk by the 14th century and in Pinsk from 1506 onward.
                                                                           

                                                                             

In Eastern White Russia, Jews were found to be living there in the 16th century, but the communities were not recognized at that time due to opposition from the local burghers.  Massacres took place at Polotsk in 1563; at Homel in 1649, at Mohilev and other places in 1655.  The Jewish population suffered severely at the end of the 17th century from the Polish-Cossack and Swedish wars.

"Some believe that the earliest Belarusan immigrants in America settled in the Colony of Virginia in the early 1600s. The reason is that Captain John Smith, who became the first Governor of Virginia in 1608, had visited Belarus in 1603. In his True Travels, Captain Smith recalls that he came to "Rezechica, upon the River Niper in the confines of Lithuania," and then he narrates how he traveled through southern Belarus, as Zora Kipel related in her article ( Zapisy, Volume 16, 1978). Thus, it is possible that Smith brought Belarusans with him to Virginia, together with Polish or Ukrainian manufacturing specialists. The question is, were they Jewish Belarusians?  I doubt it.  We had a boat of Sephardic Jews try to enter New York in the 1600s and were turned away except for the fact that they were connected with the Dutch Trading company.  However, Virginia was settled by business people more than religious people, so it is possible they allowed Jews to enter.  

                                                                     

Poland was partitioned in the latter 18th century which brought the Jews of White Russia under Russian rule and led to the abolition of their organized communal plans.  By 1804, the Moscow government went along with the opinions of Derzhavin.  Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin was one of the most highly esteemed Russian poets before Alexander Pushkin, as well as a statesman.
 After he had visited White Russia, he suggested that   the Jews must be indoctrinated with crafts and given a general education and then be resettled in Southern Ukraine.
                                                                         

By 1897 the Pale of Settlement was the only area in the Russian Empire where Jews were allowed to live.
This map shows where Jews were living by 1933, the start of WWII, at least in Germany.  " In 1897 there were 724,548 Jews in Belarus, i.e. 13.6% of the total population.  Some 800,000 Jews—90% of the Jewish population—were killed in Belarus during the Holocaust."

White Russia had become an important center of Jewish scholarship.  The Hasidism had developed there with Chabad, a Hasidic movement  and Haskalah or the Enlightenment Movement which started in 1832.. It was a movement for spreading modern European culture among Jews from about 1750 to 1880.  Chabad's attraction was intelletual and its main support came from White Russia with the founder being Shneour Zalman of Lyady who was against the Mitnaggedim led by the Vilna Gaon of Lithuania.   The community suffered a great deal during WWI when White Russia had become a war area and many Jews had been expelled to the interior. Update:  On March 20, 1917, Jews were allowed to move out of the Pale and into Russia.  This was the end of WWI.
                                                                             

In 1921, White Russia was partitioned between Russia and Poland. "Since 1922 it had formed part of the Soviet Union."  

By 1939, at the beginning of WWII, the entire area fell under Russian rule and many of the educated Jews and wealthier classes were exiled.  The area was under German occupation from 1941-1944.  Those Jews who did not escape into Russia were almost entirely exterminated by the Germans in cooperation with Belorussians and Lithuanians.  Those that escaped fought with the partisans.

The official 1989 Jewish population was 111,789.  " A few Belarusans, mainly the children of Jewish Belarusan marriages, came to the United States between the late 1930s and the end of 1941.
                                                                     

Haim-Moshe Shapira (Hebrew: חיים משה שפירא‎, 26 March 1902 – 16 July 1970)Born to Zalman Shapira and Rosa Krupnik in the Russian Empire in Grodno in what is today Belarus

One famous person was Mosheh Hayyim Shapira, born 1902 in White Russia and died in 1970 in Israel. He was the founder of the Mizrahi youth movement started in 1919.  In 1925 he made aliyah to Palestine.  By 1935 he was elected to the Jewish Agency Executive and represented the National Religious Party which was formerly called Ha-Poel Ha-Mizrahi.   .  He became a member of the Knesset from 1949, 1 year after the birth of Israel on May 14, 1948.

"In 1936 he was elected as a member of the Zionist Directorate and a Director of the Aliyah department of the Jewish Agency, a role he filled until 1948. In 1938 he was sent on a special mission to try to save Jews in Austria following the takeover by Nazi Germany."   (My uncle from Germany was one of the last to get out in 1939 after being held in Dachau.) His family could only manage to save him while his mother, father and young 16 year old sister stayed behind because of the difficulties in getting out.)  

In the following Israel coalition governments, he served as Minister of Immigration, Health from 1948-1949, The Interior from 1949 to 1952, and since 1959, Religious Affairs and Social Welfare from 1952 to 1958, and Minister of Health from 1961 to 1970.

"78,859 Belarusian immigrants made aliyah to Israel (in the years 1989-2013).  

Resource:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Russia
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haim-Moshe_Shapira
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kievan_Rus%27
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Belarus
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/pale.html
http://www.everyculture.com/multi/A-Br/Belarusan-Americans.html

Netanyahu's Opinions About Iran Deal on Fareed Zakaria's Program

Nadene Goldfoot                                                      

Fareed Zakaria from CNN went to Davos, Switzerland to attend a meeting there, the WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM,  and was able to interview Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel while there. Obama's deal with Iran was implemented just last weekend where they will now receive the billions of dollars held from them during the agreement talks about their ability to enrich uranium.
                                                                               

Fareed Zakaria's Sunday Morning Program on CNN

Netanyahu answered Fareed's questions by stating that his concerns were about Iran's ability to reconstitute whatever they had given up for now since the agreement ends in 15 years (2030-31) .  There is nothing in the deal to stop them from attaining their goals to wipe out Israel..  They will be able to resume their plans on a much larger scale and will enrich as much uranium as they want.

Netanyahu hopes to be wrong and that Iran will change to be a moderate country but he has his doubts.  Iran has not ever stopped its goal since the Ayatollas to eradicate Israel and deny that the Holocaust ever happened.  They show this by giving money to all the terrorist groups from Hamas to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Their goal always has been to wipe out Israel.

There is no symmetry in the goals between Iran and Israel.  Israel, even though it also has nuclear power, has never had a goal of wiping out any country or group whereas Iran has.  They are all about this.  Now Saudi Arabia and Israel find they have a common enemy, Iran.  This has caused a common alliance between the 2 people.

Netanyahu told Zakaria that the reason this has come about is because he sees the world as it is, not like he would like to see it.  Iran and ISIS are the enemy of Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Netanyahu attended a dinner in Switzerland and was able to speak with EU leaders from Brussels.  He now  felt that nurturing present relationships will solve the Palestine-Israel problem whereas they used to think that solving the Palestinian problems would solve world-wide problems.

Fareed Zakaria wanted to know Netanyahu's opinion of the Syria-Iraq war in attacking ISIS.  He asked what Israel has done to help out?  Netanyahu explained how they have given humanitarian help and had set up a medical station only 50 yards away from the border of Syria.  They have had thousands of patients there who were injured during attacks.  They take no photos since these same patients can be killed for getting attention from Jews.  He sees 2 enemies fighting each other and is trying to stay out of it and let them have at each other.

Israel also watches and interferes with Iran and Hezbollah's attempts to transport more ammunition through Israeli  land.  The IDF watches the Golan very carefully.

Netanyahu explained the differences between ISIS (Dash) and Iran.  He said that ISIS wants to establish a Caliphate NOW.  Their goal is for immediate paradise and those 72 virgins.  Iran is postponing gratification and is waiting for the Imam that is coming a little later. (One should read about their idea of the end of times and what is to happen according to the Shi'a ideas.  )

Netanyahu had to remind Fareed that he is not finished yet in his role as Prime Minister.  What he wants to be remembered for is as a PROTECTOR OF ISRAEL.  His father lived to 102.  In his day, they brought about the one and only Jewish state again.  Now Benjamin's job is to keep it safe.

I hope my readers understand this.  Israel is not out to take land away.  They are defenders of their own land.  Their land came to them through the only legal means available to them in the 1920's after losing it in 70 CE due to the Roman Occupation and destruction of their land when Jerusalem and their Temple were burned down.  The law to create Israel was used once again.  It  happened twice;  through the League of Nations in the 20s  and again through the new United Nations in 1947.   Since 70 CE, Jews have been stateless for the past 2,000 years until May 14, 1948, just 3 years after the end of World War II.  Since it was G-d who led them to their Promised Land through Moses, no other land can satisfy their needs.

Resource: CNN 1/24/16 Fareed Zakaria's program, 7:00am.

Afghanistan and the Taliban Terrorists

                                                                       

Our USA State Department was not sure whether or not the Taliban are still terrorists 3 years ago in 2013.

They had opened an office in Qatar to bring on stability without the USA's help.  Afghan President Hamid Karzai has halted talks with the United States “to protest the way the Americans are reaching out to the Taliban in efforts to find a political solution to the war.” Karzai expressed his disappointment with the U.S. government for holding direct talks with the Taliban before bringing Afghan officials into the negotiations.  Not terrorists?  Then why did they kill " 14 Hazaras in Ghor Province? in 2014?  Violent attacks in Afghanistan cause a surge in child civilian casualties and impeded access to medical care then.  "The Taliban view the country's minority Shia community as apostates, and have targeted Hazaras in the past with suicide bombings and other attacks."  In this case, they stopped a bus and killed the Hazaras on it who are Shi'ites.  Are they really that much different from IS?  

The Taliban has taken over much of Afghanistan and does not want their competitor, Daesh (IS) to enter this country, so they have warned them to stay away.  "Afghan policemen stand guard near the site of a Taliban attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, May 27, 2015."  The Taliban has been losing some of its fighters to Daesh in the last few months, something Western countries have also noticed in some of their population.  In their letter to Bagdadi, they have appealed to him saying that the Taliban is based on "religious brotherhood "and asks him to understand and let them have a pass. Being the Taliban is a band of terrorists, there is more to it than brotherhood.  They even attack Afghanis and Pakistanis.  
                                                                               

The Taliban "is an Islamic fundamentalist political movement in Afghanistan currently waging war (an insurgency, or jihad) within that country.  From 1996 to 2001, it held power in Afghanistan and enforced a strict interpretation of Sharia, or Islamic law, of which the international community and leading Muslims have been highly critical.
                                                                             

Their ideology has been guilty of many outlandish acts  "which resulted in the brutal treatment of many Afghans, especially women.   During their rule from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban and their allies committed massacres against Afghan civilians, denied UN food supplies to 160,000 starving civilians and conducted a policy of scorched earth, burning vast areas of fertile land and destroying tens of thousands of homes.  In its post-9/11 insurgency, the group has been accused of using terrorism as a specific tactic to further their ideological and political goals.   According to the United Nations, the Taliban and their allies were responsible for 75% of Afghan civilian casualties in 2010, 80% in 2011, and 80% in 2012.  

They are worse than the Mafia was in the United States in the 20's and 30's, fighting off other 

equally nasty mobs aiming to take over.  

Osama bin Laden was taken out by the USA in Pakistan in May 2011.  This also brought on 

the  assassination of many important Afghanis by the Taliban insurgents.  

"The Afghan Taliban's main goal is a full withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan and the fall of the Afghan central government under Ashraf Ghani. The Taliban leadership operates in so-called leadership councils (shuras). The main Taliban leader was Mullah Omar, who reportedly died in April 2013. He was replaced by Mullah Akhter Mansoor, although some senior Taliban members do not recognize him as their leader."

Afghanistan is not doing well.  It is one of the poorest countries in the world with a population of about 28,395, 716 people who are 99% Sunni and some Shi'a.  It's an Islamic state following the Hanafi and Jafari fiqhs like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, etc.  It is the 12th largest Muslim majority state, whereas Pakistan is the 2nd largest with 172,800,000 population and 97% Sunni and Shi'a, also another Islamic state.  Afghanistan is one of the least developed and most corrupt states in the world.  .  
                                                                              

Pashtos "Afghan Amir Sher Ali Khan (in the center with his son) and his delegation in Ambala, near Lahore, in 1869.

Out of Afghanistan's population, about 13,750,117 were Pashtuns in 2008, just a little less than half the population.  Some, no doubt, belong to the Taliban, but not all of them.  Those that don't have suffered harm from them.  The Pashtos are made up of several different tribes claiming descent from several different groups.  An interesting point  is that several tribes come from the Lost 10 Tribes of Israel.  "According to Ethnologue, the total population of the group is estimated to be around 50 million,  but an accurate count remains elusive due to the lack of an official census in Afghanistan since 1979.   Estimates of the number of Pashtun tribes and clans range from about 350 to over 400."
                                                                                

Indian Bollywood actor, Saif Ali Khan's paternal ancestors were Pashtuns.
The movie, Eklavya-The Royal Guard, stars Saif, of which is the only Indian video I possess.  Born in New Delhi, India,  he is the son of Sharmila Tagore, and Indian cricketer, Mansoor Ali Khan. Both his grandfather, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, and father were professional cricketers. His mother, Sharmila Tagore, an actress within her own rights, is the grand-niece of renowned Rabindranath Tagore, who converted to Islam after marrying Saif's father. 

"Many high-ranking government officials in Afghanistan are Pashtuns, including: Zalmay Rasoul, Abdul Rahim Wardak, Omar Zakhilwal, Ghulam Farooq Wardak, Anwar ul-Haq Ahady, Yousef Pashtun and Amirzai Sangin. The list of current governors of Afghanistan, as well as the parliamentarians in the House of the People and House of Elders, include large percentage of Pashtuns. The Chief of staff of the Afghan National Army, Sher Mohammad Karimi, and Commander of the Afghan Air Force,Mohammad Dawran, as well as Chief Justice of Afghanistan Abdul Salam Azimi and Attorney General Mohammad Ishaq Aloko also belong to the Pashtun ethnic group."

There is so much to improve on in Afghanistan, where does one begin;  from the culture comes this corruption that is running amok.  No wonder terrorists do well here.  Wherever people do not follow their  law, it develops; here, Mexico, wherever.  It must start with politicians, and then expect others to do the same.  


Resource: http://www.newsweek.com/taliban-warns-isis-dont-come-afghanistan-343651
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taliban_insurgency
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taliban
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pashtuns
http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2013/06/19/state-dept-unsure-if-taliban-still-considered-terrorists/
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2014/07/afghanistan-attack-201472553221541767.html
****http://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2015/10/pashtuns-and-jews-who-have-lived-in.html