Major attack on Israel by Hamas

[Josh]

I would describe the evangelical right wing’s sordid involvement with the Iraq fiasco as their “original sin” that they need to recognise and move on. Instead, they seem to be doubling down on repeating the same thing.

I am seeing plenty of them forwarding emails and expressing great concern about “Muslim terrorism” and some even arguing that America should be sending troops to Gaza to “fight Hamas and terrorists”. It really concerns me that they think this way.

[RZehr]

And plain Mennonites are being invited to Israel to work on kibbutz’s farms and mechanic shops to backfill the labor shortage due to the war.

Hey Rxxxxxxx... sorry to drop you a note out of the blue, but I am trying to coordinate volunteer work for Mennonite-background friends who might be able to help with agriculture here in Israel during the crisis. If you know of anyone who might be interested, please send them the following info:

Farmers in Israel are in desperate need for help with everything from tending animals and picking produce to running heavy equipment and making repairs. Many of them are in reserve duty due to the war.
The multiple skills you have are incredibly valuable at this time -- hands that actually know instinctively what to do. If you feel lead to bless the people here, and if you can free yourself up for a few weeks, please let me know. I am already in contact with the agricultural community here to make the placement of helpers efficient and effective -- including sleeping arrangments.
Besides, winter is coming on in North America anyhow, so why not? I also promise to explain the following verses -- a rephrasing of part of Psalm 129 -- in the original Hebrew context if you do come
Let all those who love Zion
Be honored and welcomed in.
Let them not be as the grass on the housetops,
Which withers before it grows up,
But rather as the wheat with which the reaper fills his hand,
With which he who binds sheaves fills his arms.
Let those who pass by them say,
“The blessing of the LORD be upon you"
And may those who are working respond,
"We bless you in the name of the LORD!”

Jxxxx

If you want to go, I can put you in contact with the the coordinator in Israel.

[mike]

And plain Mennonites are being invited to Israel to work on kibbutz’s farms and mechanic shops to backfill the labor shortage due to the war.

Hey Rxxxxxxx... sorry to drop you a note out of the blue, but I am trying to coordinate volunteer work for Mennonite-background friends who might be able to help with agriculture here in Israel during the crisis. If you know of anyone who might be interested, please send them the following info:

Farmers in Israel are in desperate need for help with everything from tending animals and picking produce to running heavy equipment and making repairs. Many of them are in reserve duty due to the war.
The multiple skills you have are incredibly valuable at this time -- hands that actually know instinctively what to do. If you feel lead to bless the people here, and if you can free yourself up for a few weeks, please let me know. I am already in contact with the agricultural community here to make the placement of helpers efficient and effective -- including sleeping arrangments.
Besides, winter is coming on in North America anyhow, so why not? I also promise to explain the following verses -- a rephrasing of part of Psalm 129 -- in the original Hebrew context if you do come
Let all those who love Zion
Be honored and welcomed in.
Let them not be as the grass on the housetops,
Which withers before it grows up,
But rather as the wheat with which the reaper fills his hand,
With which he who binds sheaves fills his arms.
Let those who pass by them say,
“The blessing of the LORD be upon you"
And may those who are working respond,
"We bless you in the name of the LORD!”

Jxxxx

If you want to go, I can put you in contact with the the coordinator in Israel.

I saw that, too. I went to Charity Bible School with the guy who sent that invite. Mennonites being invited to go to Israel to work to help out soldier-farmers. I wonder if he will get any takers. I'm curious whether Mennonites would be willing to work on American farms to help out army reservist farmers here. If we won't go to war, should we volunteer to fill in at work for the people who do?

[Ken]

And plain Mennonites are being invited to Israel to work on kibbutz’s farms and mechanic shops to backfill the labor shortage due to the war.

Hey Rxxxxxxx... sorry to drop you a note out of the blue, but I am trying to coordinate volunteer work for Mennonite-background friends who might be able to help with agriculture here in Israel during the crisis. If you know of anyone who might be interested, please send them the following info:

Farmers in Israel are in desperate need for help with everything from tending animals and picking produce to running heavy equipment and making repairs. Many of them are in reserve duty due to the war.
The multiple skills you have are incredibly valuable at this time -- hands that actually know instinctively what to do. If you feel lead to bless the people here, and if you can free yourself up for a few weeks, please let me know. I am already in contact with the agricultural community here to make the placement of helpers efficient and effective -- including sleeping arrangments.
Besides, winter is coming on in North America anyhow, so why not? I also promise to explain the following verses -- a rephrasing of part of Psalm 129 -- in the original Hebrew context if you do come
Let all those who love Zion
Be honored and welcomed in.
Let them not be as the grass on the housetops,
Which withers before it grows up,
But rather as the wheat with which the reaper fills his hand,
With which he who binds sheaves fills his arms.
Let those who pass by them say,
“The blessing of the LORD be upon you"
And may those who are working respond,
"We bless you in the name of the LORD!”

Jxxxx

If you want to go, I can put you in contact with the the coordinator in Israel.

I saw that, too. I went to Charity Bible School with the guy who sent that invite. Mennonites being invited to go to Israel to work to help out soldier-farmers. I wonder if he will get any takers. I'm curious whether Mennonites would be willing to work on American farms to help out army reservist farmers here. If we won't go to war, should we volunteer to fill in at work for the people who do?

In military parlance there is something called the "tooth to tail" ratio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth-to-tail_ratio which refers to the percentage of people involved in combat versus supporting operations in any given war. In modern industrialized war the ratio is close to 1 in 10.

If one goes to a foreign country to assist in manpower shortages due to mobilization one is choosing to be a part of the "tail" in a military effort. Whether one is wearing a uniform or not is irrelevant. The civilian farmer who is growing food used in a war effort is no different from the solder in uniform who is driving that same food in an army truck towards the front.

The same thing could have been said of Mennonites who took agricultural deferments from the draft during WW2 and stayed home to produce meat and grains that went towards the war effort. Which many in my family did. But at least in those instances one doesn't really have a choice. The war came to you, you didn't choose go to it.

[mike]

If one goes to a foreign country to assist in manpower shortages due to mobilization one is choosing to be a part of the "tail" in a military effort. Whether one is wearing a uniform or not is irrelevant.

I agree.

[mike]

...



What Biden says makes sense to me, that Israel has the obligation to distinguish between terrorists and innocents. But at the same time he tacitly acknowledges the problem they are facing (an enemy which obviously didn't distinguish between combatants and civilians and which blends itself in with the innocent Palestinians) and says that Israel makes its own decisions.

He doesn't seem to be one of those openly condemning Israel for the deaths of innocents in Gaza.

[Josh]

Kibbutzim are quite profitable. I find it very questionable anyone recruited to go work for “free”, particularly to support a war effort.

If someone wants to go do agricultural work for free, how about helping needy farmers in impoverished regions?

[Ken]

Kibbutzim are quite profitable. I find it very questionable anyone recruited to go work for “free”, particularly to support a war effort.

If someone wants to go do agricultural work for free, how about helping needy farmers in impoverished regions?

If people want to go support a war effort, go support a war effort. Lots of people are doing that in Ukraine, Israel, and other hotspots around the world.

Just don't pretend that isn't what you are actually doing.

[Soloist]

It’s one thing if you would be sent to war or prison to opt to work on a farm, it’s another thing to voluntarily work on a farm so the farmer can go shoot people.

[Josh]

Consider this question:

Let’s say farmers in Gaza were asking for volunteers to come farm their olive groves because they are off fighting. What would you think of people who volunteered to go work in them?