We are a democratic country; so much so, we allow our enemies into our government and from the podium of our parliament, they have the freedom to call for policies that would destroy us.

Our current enemies, those who pose the most immediate threat lie to our north. This is Hizbollah land, where according to their leader Hassan Nasrallah, "We have discovered how to hit the Jews where they are the most vulnerable. The Jews love life, so that is what we shall take away from them. We are going to win, because they love life and we love death."

Our enemies lie to the northeast. This is Syria. My son spent many months on the Golan Heights, including some tense days waiting to see how the Syrians would react after Israel sent planes to destroy a building widely believed to be the beginnings of a nuclear reactor.

Our enemies lie further to the east. This is Iran, led by a madman who promises that he will do all he can to accomplish in minutes more than what Adolf Hitler accomplished in six years of war. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has made it clear in words and actions that he is after a nuclear bomb and that his goal is to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. Believe him.

I urge you to consider Israel's realities when you make your choice for the upcoming US elections. What starts in Israel, often shakes the rest of the world in its own time. That's the truth of 9/11, that's the truth of the Iranian threat, and that’s the truth of what is at stake in the US elections

This site archives articles about many issues, including:

• A running "tally" of anti-Semitic attacks worldwide (for 2008, 2007, 2006)
• Articles about aliyah, and Five Reasons to Come to Israel
• Our enemies, in their own words
• Barnard/Columbia's shameful decision to grant tenure to Nadia Abu El-Haj, a "professor" of anthropology who poisons scholarship with in her political agenda
• Life in Sderot
• About the Holocaust
• And much more

An Israeli Soldier's Mother

From the time our children are born, we accept that our identity has changed. We were so many things, and continue to be. But in the moments after we give birth, and in the years that follow, we become something so much more. I have been a mother for more than 20 years, and now, as I see my oldest son enter the army of Israel, I become a soldier's mother. To read my ongoing blog: http://israelisoldiersmother.blogspot.com/.

Blogging not only opens new doors in terms of outreach, it is also quite addictive. Here's another blog I'm running: http://thisisisrael.blogspot.com/ - This is Israel.

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"We have discovered how to hit the Jews where they are the most vulnerable. The Jews love life, so that is what we shall take away from them. We are going to win, because they love life and we love death."

             -- Hizbullah General Secretary,  Hassan Nasrallah

Nasrallah is right - we Jews love life and they love death. But he is wrong - it is not what makes us vulnerable, it is what makes us invincible.

We have the choice to be strong...or to bow to our enemies. We must tell the world, we are going to win because we love life, because we love our land, and because we are destined to live in this country, this land, for eternity. The people and the nation of Israel lives!

Part of this living is remembering what was done in the past so as to prevent it from happening in the future. Several sections on this site are dedicated to this principle. These include:

• Partial Report of Anti-Semitic Attacks by country in 2008 (in progress)
• Partial Report of Anti-Semitic Attacks in 2007 (including summaries)
• Partial Report of Anti-Semitic Attacks in 2006 (including summaries)
• Having A Son in the Army
• About the Holocaust

About Life in Israel

Today, as with most days - Palestinians fired rockets at our cities, probably attempted to infiltrate our cities or smuggle weapons in order to perpetrate attacks against us. Our response must be...even if you succeed today, and sometimes you will...you may hurt us, but you will never defeat us.

Ultimately, Israel is about spirit. Every day in Israel, we are reminded of the things that could only happen here. For a few examples, click here.

Remembering the Lebanon War II

Do you know what a Katyusha rocket sounds like? Click here to see and listen to a katyusha. Some sound bites from this war:

• Dan Gillerman, Israel's representative to the UN, recently said, "When you sleep with a missile, sometimes you don't wake up."
• Lebanese President Emil Lahoud, "I support the Hizbollah because they liberated our land"  and called Hizbollah "a symbol for steadfastness and dignity." See When You Sleep with a Missile.
• Click here for more on...War in the North including a blog from a resident of Karmiel who wrote from her work in a hospital in the north (Resident's Blog) and an article on what the war should be called War of the Captives. Len, a resident of Haifa took pictures of what happened in Haifa during the war. Click here to see a list of the Presentations and download them. (Please be patient, it may take a moment to load, but the images are important and the message one worth the delay).

Remembering Gush Katif and its brave people:

On the right is a picture of a Kassem Rocket fired at Moshe and Rachel Saperstein's home in Neve Dekalim. This was one of more than 6000 rockets and mortars fired by Palestinians hoping to drive the Jews from their homes. In the end, it was not the Palestinians...but Ariel Sharon that accomplished this - to his everlasting shame and guilt.

Click here for a brief tour of what was stolen from the people of Gush Katif, and the people of Israel.

Poland

After a trip to Poland, I began documenting what I'd seen, what I'd learned, and most importantly, what I felt. In the months and years since my trip, I find that once you have been to Poland, you can never quite see the world in the same way again. Here are a few of the articles related to that trip:

• Auschwitz
• Story of the Chelmno Baby
• Treblinka
• Jedwabna

I have begun a section to document my visit  Poland: from a Jewish perspective. I hope to add many more pictures in the coming weeks, and perhaps expand the pages to include other countries as well. Also, please see: www.polandjews.com for more information.

If you have comments about this site, please write to me at .

Western Wall, Jerusalem

Golan Heights, Israel

Judean Desert

Masada

Who links to me?

Background of PaulaSays.com:

I'm hoping that something that seems inherently egotistical can be explained as something else. For quite a few years, friends and relatives have said they enjoy my articles and I should do something about saving them, publishing them to a wider audience, etc.

PaulaSays.com is a step in this direction. Although I hope the site will grow, at this point, it contains articles that I have written (most have been published either in Israeli or US newspapers, or are located in e-magazines and Internet News sites such as IsraelNationalNews.com and IsraelInsider.com.

Other Interests:

WritePoint

Writing articles soothes the soul, but probably not the checkbook. So, some 15+ years ago, I founded WritePoint Ltd. WritePoint is a leading technical writing company in Israel involved in all manner of documentation and training. Several years ago, we opened the Training Center in Jerusalem. WritePoint is based on a simple concept: offer your clients loyalty and quality that stands the test of time - and they will stay with you. Many of our clients have been with us for years, some for more than a decade. We are always interested in working with new companies. WritePoint's website can be viewed at www.writepoint.com.

MarcShoret

MarcShoret is a list of MARCOM professionals in Israel and abroad. Currently there are more than 220 members on the list and the first annual conference is scheduled for November 2 in Binyanei Hauma in Jerusalem. For more information, see: www.marcshoret.com.

Techshoret

Techshoret is a list of technical writers in Israel and abroad. Currently, there are more than 1800 list members. More than just a list, Techshoret is a community of people who share the same professional interests, for the most part live in the same country, and are interested in learning and teaching each other.

As list owner and one of the moderators of the list, I have the interesting job of helping list members, processing messages and handling problems and, most of all, seeing that the list runs smoothly and politely. The list also features a resume database for technical writers. The Techshoret website can be viewed at www.techshoret.com.