New York City – Hester Street 100 Year later

25/04/2017 – כ״ט בניסן ה׳תשע״ז – כ״ט בניסן ה׳תשע״ז – 05:24

What has happened to the religious Jewish life to the immigrant families that landed in New York City 100 years ago?

Norfolk and Hester Street around 1898

Children in the Hester Street Talmud School

New York City Hester Street 1903

“There’s a quiet Holocaust happening in the United States – assimilation,” “American Jewry assimilated because the parents were forced to work on Shabbat. Thus, millions of Jews were cut off.”

MK Yisrael Eichler (UTJ) 28/12/17

Jews in New York had a great history. However they have forgotten their roots in Judaism and have gone off the path. Of stead of concentrating on Torah education and Talmud they concentrated on “Science” and “Social Justice”. Of stead of raising a Jewish Family with Torah with the mother being proud that her son is a Rabbi, they want their son to be a Doctor or Lawyer. What has the Reform produced in their “Rabbis”? What do they do to grow and develop the Jewish Family of stead of worrying about everyone else. Just look at the news and see all the intermarriage. Some will say “What is the big deal about intermarriage?” If you want to have a family who will pass on the Jewish life, Customs and Ways. Who will teach your children about Shabbat and the Holidays if they don’t live them day by day with the family? Who will teach them morals and ethics but by learning them by being with their parents by watching them live and interact with others? Life is not a video game but something you actually have to do. Remember you learn more from your parents by watching them then from a formal book education. We all carry “baggage” from our families while growing up, some good and some that needs to be looked at.

From Pew: A Portrait of Jewish Americans 2013

Trends in the Size of the Jewish Population

Using the 1957 Current Population Survey as a benchmark, it appears that the number of adult Jews by religion rose about 15% over the last half-century, while the total U.S. population more than doubled over the same period.¹² As a result, national surveys that repeatedly have asked Americans about their religion (Gallup, the American National Election Studies, the General Social Surveys and the American Religious Identification Surveys) show a decline, over the long term, in the percentage of U.S. adults who say their religion is Jewish…

Pew-2013 Trend percentage of US Adults as Jews

Caroline Glick The American Jewish Community’s Moment to Choose

Examples of what has happened to Jews in New York City:

Friday, March 4, 2016

Guest Post: Greek Jews Syrian Jews

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.co.il/2016/03/greek-jews-syrian-jews.html

* * * Greek NYC Jews and Syrian NYC Jews * * *

a short historical essay by Mr. Cohen,

the moderator of the Derech Emet Yahoo Group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DerechEmet/
that teaches a big lesson about Jewish continuity.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Over the past 35 years, I noticed that the highest intermarriage rates [between Jews and non-Jews] are found in communities where Reform Judaism is most dominant, and the lowest intermarriage rates are found in communities where Reform Judaism does not exist.

Around the 1920s [of the Common Era], tens of thousands of Jews came from Greece to New York City, and tens of thousands of Jews came from Syria to New York City.

In the 1920s, the numbers of Greek Jews and Syrian Jews in New York City were approximately equal. Their observance of Jewish rituals was also approximately equal.

Around that time, the Greek Jews of NYC decided to follow Reform Judaism, while the Syrian Jews followed Orthodox Judaism.

By the 1980s, the Greek Jews of NYC [and the USA] were so few in number that there was only ONE Greek Synagogue in NYC, and that ONE Greek Synagogue functioned mostly as a museum. The very few Greek Jews of NYC were intermarrying with Gentiles at a very high rate, and very few participated in any kind Jewish activities. One Greek Jew who I personally spoke to had decided to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day instead of Purim.

By the 1990s, the Syrian Jews of NYC had grown exponentially, with many new synagogues that did not exist in previous decades, and more-than-enough new Syrian Jews to fill those new synagogues with active members. Their rate of intermarriage with non-Jews was LESS THAN ONE PERCENT [<1%].

By year 2015, the Greek Jews of NYC were so few in number that their community had basically ceased to exist. They had no schools, and only that one synagogue which mostly functioned as a museum.

By year 2015, the Syrian Jews of NYC continued to grow rapidly, with less than 1% intermarriage and many new synagogues that did not exist in the 1990s. The number of schools run by-and-for Syrian Jews also increased dramatically.

The Syrian Jews of NYC also added new mikvahs to their infrastructure, while the Greek Jews of NYC had no mikvahs.

By year 2015 the Syrian Jews of NYC had two of their own monthly magazines, while the Greek Jews had none.

By year 2015 the Syrian Jews of NYC had produced dozens of Rabbis, while the Greek Jews had none.

In the early 1980s the Greek Jews still had their own social club, called The Pashas.
In 2017, I could not find The Pashas with Google, despite several attempts to search for keywords like “Pashas” and “Greek Jews”. The Pashas seem to have vanished.

In dramatic contrast, the Sephardic Community Center (which is misnamed, because it is really the Syrian-Jewish Community Center) has often been filled to capacity or near-capacity since it was built in year 1982, which is impressive, when you consider the large size of the SCC building.

The Sephardic Bikur Cholim (which is misnamed, because it is really the Syrian-Jewish Bikur Cholim) is very active with many programs and its own building. The Greek Jews of NYC do not have their own Bikur Cholim organization.

Between 1980 and 2015, more than a dozen new siddurim and machzorim were published by Syrian Rabbis. Total number of Greek siddurim and machzorim published between 1950 and 2017: zero.

THE VALUABLE LESSON TAUGHT BY THIS TRUE STORY:

Initially, the only significant difference between the Greek Jews of NYC and the Syrian Jews of NYC was that the Greek Jews chose Reform Judaism while the Syrian Jews chose Orthodox Judaism.

Less than a century later, the Greeks Jews [of NYC], who chose Reform Judaism, have vanished; while the Syrian Jews [of NYC], who chose Orthodox Judaism, enjoy a rapidly-growing community and seem to have a bright future.

BOTTOM LINE: Reform Judaism causes entire communities of Jews to become extinct,
while Orthodox Judaism causes Jewish communities to grow rapidly.

PS: This short essay reveals a piece of Jewish History
which is known to only very few individuals.
Therefore, I feel it is my responsibility to publicize it,
before it becomes forgotten.

PS: The Persian Jewish community of NYC, which has never known Reform Judaism, also has an extremely low intermarriage rate. While I do not have exact statistics for Persian Jews, their intermarriage rate seems to be so low that it cannot possibly threaten their future.

PS: The difference between Greeks Jews and Syrian Jews is also demonstrated by their Hollywood celebrity representatives:
Lea Michele [Sarfati] is an American vocalist and actress, famous for her starring role in GLEE. Lea Michele’s father is [or was] a Greek Jew who converted to Christianity and married a non-Jewish wife [Lea Michele’s mother] and together they raised their non-Jewish daughter [Lea Michele] to be Catholic.
Paula Abdul, another famous Hollywood vocalist, is a Syrian Jew who lights Shabbat candles and helps Chabad.

4 comments:

Batya Medad said…

Thanks for posting. Very interesting.

5/3/16 19:10 Anonymous said…

Have always had the greatest respect for the Syrian Jewish community. They are probably the most intact Jewish community of all. Intermarriage was always almost unheard of; they were even reluctant for their offspring to marry within the Ashkenazic community; today, that is not true and, fortunately, the east/west are intramarrying, as should be. We are one people. They are even reluctant to having conversions within their midst. A great yasher koach to them – true descendants of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov.

Whereas, apparently, the Greek community has kept up with the same hellinization as their ancestors, r’l. Just by turning to the Reform, rather than true Judaism, shows their mindset.

6/3/16 04:38 CDG, Yerushalayim, Eretz Yisrael Shlemah said…

Unfortunately, my mother was cut off from the Syrian community she was born into by well-meaning Ashkenazi social workers in the 1930s and given to a non-religious Ashkenazi family. Long story; but to make it short, she married a non-religious Ashkenazi and I am the result. So, what’s a virtually infinitesimal percentage lost? It means a lot to me because I had a 100% chance of suffering the hardship it took me to return to Judaism at all, never mind the Syrian community; and, thankfully, I was still acceptable to return to our homeland. It’s been even harder for my mother.

Note to Mr. Cohen: I just want to let you know that http://www.ArabsForIsrael.com doesn’t work any longer. You might want to check out the links you post to make sure they all work. It’s good that you spread them around.

And, if your family comes from Haifa and goes back at least as long as 1900CE there (and probably much longer than that), there’s a chance I might be distantly related to you, sir.

6/3/16 19:39 Mr. Cohen said…

www.ArabsForIsrael.com had been replaced by:

http://ArabsForIsrael.blogspot.com/

TOP

Is this what has happened to the religious Jewish life?

Sophia’s the pomeranian’s Bark Mitzvah w/Lee Day & Rabbi Otis on Nat Geo Wild Spoiled Rotten Pets

The Jews are dying because of Jewish intermarriage

Jewish intermarriage

From Pew: “The new Pew Research survey finds that, overall, 56% of married Jews have a Jewish spouse, while 44% of Jewish respondents are married to a non-Jew. Among Jews by religion who are married, 64% have a Jewish spouse and 36% have a non-Jewish spouse. By comparison, Jews of no religion are much more likely to be in mixed marriages; just 21% of married Jews of no religion are married to a Jewish spouse, while 79% are married to a non-Jewish spouse.”

They are also marrying later:

Remaining in the nest is also a trend for young men – in fact, even more so when compared with their female peers. Last year, 42.8% of young men lived with their family, a higher share than women but not one that surpasses the highest rates on record like the women’s share does. Read more at http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2015/11/women-not-leaving-nest-record-number.html#v2EhRRwkDu22MEkA.99

Protester burn Israeli flag outside DNC, Byron Tau/ Wall Street Journal

My test for whether people are really “pro-Israel” stands, and J-Street has flunked.

The Jewish Soul is dying because of Materialism and Assimilation.

An American Passover Greeting Card 2015 A family was ordering a McDonald’s like Clown Passover Happy Meal Voice on Speaker: “Welcome to the Seder Shack. May I take your order?” Father: “Yes, We’ll have three Matzo Meals, some Maror Nuggets with the special Seder Sauce, and a SuperSize kosher grape juice shake.” Son: “Dad, don’t forget the collectible Elijah cation figure!” The Card States: ” Passover in the not-so-distant future.”

Overall trends of Jews in America

79% intermarriage rate.
67% of Secular Jews are not raising their children Jewish
71% of intermarried families & 32% Jews had a Christmas tree
70% of children that didn’t receive a Jewish education (ie, went to public schools) ultimately intermarried.

Compared with older Jews, younger Jews are more likely to have no denominational attachment and somewhat more likely to be Orthodox Jews. http://www.pewforum.org/2013/10/01/chapter-3-jewish-identity/

From Pew: “Compared with older Jews, younger Jews are more likely to have no denominational attachment and somewhat more likely to be Orthodox Jews.” [In other words the younger Jews have gone away from the Conservative/Reform and have either dropped out of the Jewish Community or have returned to their roots and become a Baal Teshuvah. ]

You mean “As a Jew” who is still a spoiled 5 year old who is having a temper tantrum, of stead of a real Jew who has made Aliyah to Israel and deals with day to day life in Israel as a proud Jew.

— Yakov Butterfield (@JerusalemCats) August 10, 2020

Caroline Glick tweet 9August2020 No room for Jews in the Democrat Party unless they’re “as a Jew” Jews

This says it all.

יום הזיכרון

Pew-2013-Childhood Involvement in Jewish Activities

Jews by religion are more likely to have participated in these kinds of programs than are Jews of no religion. http://www.pewforum.org/2013/10/01/chapter-3-jewish-identity/

Let’s start from Square One. If you DO NOT differentiate yourself as a Jew by living in a Jewish Community, by keeping Kosher (Real Kosher not “Kosher-Style”). By keeping Shabbat and the Holidays of stead of working 7 day a week like a Slave. By sending your children to a Jewish Day School of stead of Public School. To dress as a Jew of stead of a Goy (non Jew). Then how will your children know that they are Jewish? I will not even go into making Aliyah which is the real goal of Jews for the last 2000 years of not having an independent country to call their own. You can water something down till it is nothing and you can not tell what it is. This is the current state of Jews in America. Reform Judaism is so watered down that anyone with a brain will realize that they are now a Goy a non Jew and act like it. Just look at the founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, who married a non Jew and now acts like a non Jew, or they can take action to correct the matter and return to their real Jewish roots becoming a Baal Teshuvah. Namely to return to your People, God and Country.

Assimilation adds hatred to the people of Israel in the Land of Israel and throughout the world. Jews who live with non-Jews will convert them properly and marry them, if they want to receive a soul from heaven. Do not to say ‘we are modern,’ modern is rebellion against the Holy One, Blessed be He. Those who do not observe the Commandments are against the Holy One, blessed be He.

The Jews who live outside the land of Israel, the Creator of the world begged you many times already to immigrate to the Land of Israel now, it is urgent! You have the opportunity to come up now with great property, like they left Egypt with great property. Today it’s exactly the same. Today you can still leave with great property, but if you do not leave, in a while you will be expelled by anti-Semitism, ISIS, the refugees and the infiltrators; you will be expelled from all over the world.

Message from Rabbi Nir Ben Artzi, shlita, Parashat Tazria-Metzora, 27 Nissan 5777 (23.4.17)

The choice is yours. “The Red Pill or the Blue Pill”.

“You take the blue pill, the story ends. You wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.”

You are in the Matrix! You have felt it for all your live. It is like a splinter in your mind. So follow the white rabbit. Don’t worry about over-sleeping and being late for work. You’re soon to find out your job or career or whatever is irrelevant anyway, once you come to the realization that modern society is merely the modern day equivalent of the Colonial American slave plantation, just with benefits like a corner office and vacation time. It’s your choice, The Blue Pill or the Red Pill. – from the movie The Matrix

The Kumatrix: Aliyah Revolution

Where are the Reform children, the Reform Schools?

Not to worry the Reform and other non Torah ways are dieing out in America.
According to the Pew Research Institute survey of American Jews; http://www.pewforum.org/2013/10/01/jewish-american-beliefs-attitudes-culture-survey/ The total fertility rate (TFR) for US Reform is 1.7 /Secular 1.4 (Replacement is 2.3). Compare this to Israeli Haredim rate is 6.9. (Many Haredim women have 17-21 Children in Jerusalem)
The Reform will be very surprised by the new data by the Pew Research Center Israel’s Religiously Divided Society http://www.pewforum.org/2016/03/08/israels-religiously-divided-society/

From Pew:”Among married Jews, those who have Jewish spouses are much more engaged in the Jewish community in these ways than are those married to non-Jews.” http://www.pewforum.org/2013/10/01/chapter-3-jewish-identity/

By several conventional measures, Jews tend to be less religious than the U.S. public as a whole. Orthodox Jews are a clear exception in this regard, exhibiting levels of religious commitment that place them among the most religiously committed groups in the country.

US 2013-Fertility rate

From Pew:"Among married Jews, those who have Jewish spouses are much more engaged in the Jewish community in these ways than are those married to non-Jews." http://www.pewforum.org/2013/10/01/chapter-3-jewish-identity/

American and Israeli Jews: Twin Portraits From Pew Research Center Surveys

Most American Jews are part of organized Jewish denominations or “streams,” which include the relatively large Reform and Conservative movements as well as Orthodox Judaism. In Israel, only about 5% of Jews identify as either Reform or Conservative. Instead, Jews in Israel generally place themselves into one of four informal categories of Jewish religious identity. These labels – Haredi (ultra-Orthodox), Dati (religious), Masorti (traditional) and Hiloni (secular) – are not connected to formal Jewish organizations or denominations, but instead are loose identity groups (similar, for example, to an American Christian calling herself an “evangelical” rather than a “Southern Baptist”).
http://www.pewforum.org/essay/american-and-israeli-jews-twin-portraits-from-pew-research-center-surveys/

intermarriage in the US vs. Israel If you want a Jewish spouse and have your children marry Jewish spouses make Aliyah

Hillonim lights Shabbat candles

Pew-2016.03.08_American-Jewish-denominations-and-Israeli-Jewish-identity

Pew Research Center http://www.pewforum.org/2016/03/08/comparisons-between-jews-in-israel-and-the-u-s/

Pew 2016.03.08 Haredim have more children

Ben Shapiro: Why Jews Vote Leftist?

New Reform curriculum: Further alienating Jews from Israel?

Framing Israel: The Distortions of the New Boycott-Driven School Curriculum

Max Samarov & Amanda Botfeld Researchers, StandWithUs 10January2016 http://www.thetower.org/article/framing-israel-the-distortions-of-the-new-bds-driven-school-curriculum/

The next phase in anti-Israel academic indoctrination is already here – at Hebrew schools across the country.
A new curriculum for Reform Hebrew schools in the United States, already being used by more than 10 such schools, is threatening to alienate young Jews further from Israel than they already are.

Produced by Reform Rabbi Laurie Zimmerman, the new Kindergarten-12th grade course of study is entitled “Reframing Israel.” Assuming that the default approach to Israel among Jews is positive and sympathetic, the title does not bode well for supporters of Israel.

it is crucial to note that the main author and the majority of contributors to Reframing Israel are part of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. This includes the writer of the curriculum’s “historical overview of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
Below is a short summary of these examples by which the new Reform curriculum attempts to “reframe Israel” in the minds and hearts of young, relatively-uninformed Jews:

The historical relationship between the Jewish people and Israel is downplayed. It is never comprehensively stated that Jews are indigenous to Israel; that Israel is the birthplace of their identity, language, religion, and culture; that Jews maintained a continuous presence in Israel for over 3,000 years; and that exiled Jews maintained their unique connection to the land throughout their history.
The overview whitewashes the centuries of the institutionalized oppression, discriminatory taxation, and violence that Jews faced under Muslim rule across the Middle East, including in the Holy Land. Anti-Semitism is mentioned only in relation to Europe, and not the Middle East.
In “teaching” about Israel’s War of Independence in 1948, the new course states that the Arabs who originally attacked the Jews were “no match for the well-trained and equipped Haganah” – ignoring that these Arab forces were British-equipped and supported, and were able to besiege Jerusalem for weeks at a time. It might be added, too, that the Jewish yishuv did not see great success in repelling the Arab offensives, and only when the British left and the Arab nations attacked did the Jewish side begin, slowly, to emerge victorious.
The controversial account of the Deir Yassin “massacre” is covered uncritically, while the numerous accounts of Jewish civilians being killed by Arabs during the war are never mentioned. Deir Yassin is where Arabs shot at Israeli food-transports bringing food to besieged Jerusalem. In addition, it is by now well-known that not 250 villagers were “massacred,” but rather between 100-120 were killed in bitter, house-to-house fighting.
Israel is blamed for the Palestinian refugee issue, but Arab leaders are not held responsible for the simultaneous dispossession and plight of 850,000 Jewish refugees from Arab states.
The curriculum’s overview states that “neither side embraced” the 1937 Peel Report, which called for the establishment of a tiny Jewish state and a much larger Arab state. It does not point out, however, the differences between the parties’ respective “lack of embrace”: The Arab leadership unequivocally rejected any possibility of Jewish statehood, while Zionist leaders signaled that they were interested in negotiating.
Regarding the UN’s 1947 Partition Plan, the overview states that the Jews celebrated it, while the Arabs rejected it. It explains the Arabs’ objections – yet does not explain why many Jews did not accept it. For instance, it notes that the “recently-arrived” Jews made up 30% of the population yet were awarded 56% of the area – but does not mention that 70% of the Jewish land was arid desert, or that Jerusalem was to be an internationalized city, or that many of the Arabs were just as recently-arrived as some of the Jews.
Yasser Arafat’s rejection of a far-reaching Israeli peace offer in 2000 is presented as an Israeli “claim,” rather than a known fact. Similarly ignored is an Israeli offer in 2008 to give up almost all of Judea, Samaria and Gaza for peace, and its rejection by Mahmoud Abbas.
The BDS movement – which calls for the “right of return” for “Palestinian refugees and their descendants” – is presented entirely uncritically: BDS is described as having “attracted significant global support,” with opposition coming only from “Jewish organizations” – when in fact Western political leaders, major American academic institutions, and the mainstream Jewish community oppose BDS.
“Most egregious,” write Samarov and Botfeld, “is how the violent racism of prominent Palestinian leaders and organizations is whitewashed or ignored.”

This is what you have to look forward to living in America!

Antisemitic vandalism at Jewish cemeteries

PG&E outage map

GICs can enter the earth’s surface through transformers in the power grid.

It’s time to come home! Nefesh B’Nefesh: Live the Dream 1-866-4-ALIYAH UK 0800 075 7200 Come home to the Land of Emuna

Nefesh B’Nefesh: Live the Dream US & CAN 1-866-4-ALIYAH | UK 020-8150-6690 or 0800-085-2105 | Israel 02-659-5800 https://www.nbn.org.il/ info@nbn.org.il

Alyah : mode d’emploi http://www.jewishagency.org/fr/aliyah/program/7618 Choisissez celle qui vous correspond et inscrivez-vous sur notre site Internet en cliquant ICI ou par téléphone, en appelant le Global Center au 0800 916 647
The Jewish Agency Global Service Center http://www.jewishagency.org/global_center

The Mitzvah to Live in Eretz Yisrael

One should always live in the Land of Israel, even in a city where the majority are idol worshippers, and not in chutz la Aretz, even in a city where the majority are Jews. (Kesubos 110); also included in the Rambam (Hilchos Melachim Chapter 5)

Said the Holy One Blessed be He: A small group in the Land of Israel is dearer to Me than a full Sanhedrin outside the Land. (Yerushalmi, Sanhedrin 86)

There are ten measures of Torah in the world. Nine are in Eretz Israel. and one in the rest of the world. (Esther Rabba)

Better is a dry piece of bread with tranquility in it than a house full of quarrelsome feasts (Mishle 17:1): Better is a dry piece of bread with tranquility in it: R. Yochanan said, “This refers to Eretz Israel, for even if a person eats (dry) bread and salt every day while dwelling in Eretz Israel, he is assured a portion in the World to Come…Than a house full of quarrelsome feasts: This refers to Chutz LaAretz, which is full of violence and robbery.” (Yalkut Shimoni 2:956)

Settling Eretz Israel is a Mitzvah that encompasses all the Torah, for all those who walk in it four Amot have a portion in the World to Come which is all life. (Or ha Chayim ha Kaddosh Devarim 30:20)

“It is preferable to dwell in the deserts of Eretz Israel than the palaces of Chutz LaAretz” (Bereshit Rabba 39:8).

This is what you are missing not living in Israel. A very very large family that really cares about you!

“בית מקדש שלישי בירושלים Third Beit HaMikdash Holy Temple in Jerusalem; And rebuild Jerusalem the holy city soon in our days! Blessed are You, O Lord, Who will rebuild Jerusalem in His mercy.

3rd Temple Golden Menorah

IDF Passover Seder

Efrat Chief Rabbi Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, a Kohen himself, gets measured for his own set of Kohanim garments

Gal Gadot – גל גדות I am sending my love and prayers to my fellow Israeli citizens. Especially to all the boys and girls who are risking their lives protecting my country against the horrific acts conducted by Hamas, who are hiding like cowards behind women and children…We shall overcome!!! Shabbat Shalom! #weareright #freegazafromhamas #stopterror #coexistance #loveidf 25July2014

IDF Praying at Western Wall

Arutz Sheva http://www.israelnationalnews.com/

Rabbi Hier :’Jewish Diaspora is dependent on Israel’

Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of Simon Wiesenthal Center says to Arutz Sheva that without Israel there will be no more Jews.
Yoni Kempinski, 26/04/17 17:25
Rabbi Marvin Hier, the founder and dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, was chosen to be the first non-Israeli citizen to light the ceremonial torch on Israel’s Independence Day next week.

Rabbi Hier spoke with Arutz Sheva about the honor he felt in being given the role. He said that the Jewish Diaspora is now dependent on the State of Israel for its survival.

“I had the privilege, one time in my life, to meet [Israel’s first Prime Minister] David Ben Gurion,” he said. “I’ll never forget what he told us.”

Rabbi Hier recalled that Ben Gurion told the group of American youths: “Tell your parents and grandparents, thank them for supporting the State of Israel, because without the Diaspora, we would not have been able to create the State of Israel.”

“But he said, ‘tell them also, there will come a time when the Diaspora will be totally dependant on the State of Israel.

Rabbi Hier said that “that time is now. If, God forbid, something happened to the State of Israel, every Jew living in chutz la’aretz (outside of Israel) – there would be no Jews. We are all dependent on the State of Israel.”

By Staff | Posted in The Bird Cage Liner Gazette | Tagged Conservative Judaism, intermarriage, Pew, Reform Judaism | Comments Off

Next Year in Jerusalem

09/04/2017 – י״ג בניסן ה׳תשע״ז – י״ג בניסן ה׳תשע״ז – 14:33

Pesach (Passover) seder is in a few days. What does Next Year in Jerusalem mean to you? If you are not living in Israel, you need to move to Israel NOW!! Look at all the things you are missing. Pesach Shopping You know exactly what you can buy in every Store. and in many store everything is without Kitniyot. – Leavened foods concealed behind plastic at Jerusalem supermarket during Passover The White plastic film covering the shelves of Chametz is what our local store dose, but a lot of stores remove all Chametz completely weeks before Pesach. All the Dairy is Kosher for Pesach at least a week before Pesach. I personal like Rami Levi Mehadrin in Givat Shaul, Jerusalem. The products have no Kitniyot. Click to Download the Printable Hebrew-English Haggadah-Chabad Remember to Cout the Omer. Sefirat HaOmer Chart
A Country of Chessid (Kindness) The IDF helping with Pesach Food Boxes for the poor.
Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yosef “Today thank God most of the nation of Israel is here in the land of Israel.” Be part of the Majority. Make Aliyah Today! It’s time to come home! Nefesh B’Nefesh: Live the Dream 1-866-4-ALIYAH UK 0800 075 7200 Come home to the Land of Emuna Nefesh B’Nefesh: Live the Dream US & CAN 1-866-4-ALIYAH \| UK 020-8150-6690 or 0800-085-2105 \| Israel 02-659-5800 https://www.nbn.org.il/ info@nbn.org.il Be sure to try out a Wonder Pot-סיר פלא. It is great when you do not have a Kosher for Pesach large oven. You can use it like an oven on the stovetop. Wonder Pot (Hebrew: סיר פלא‎, seer peh-leh) is an Israeli invention for baking on top of a gas stove rather than in an oven. It consists of three parts: an aluminium pot shaped like a Bundt pan except smooth-sided rather than fluted, a hooded cover perforated with venting holes, and a thick, round, slightly domed metal disc with a center hole that is placed between the pot and the flame.A Wonder Pot can be used to bake cakes, casseroles, rice, potatoes, apples, and even meat and chicken.
Pesach Wonder Pot סיר פלא Recipe – Baked Potato סיר פלא-תפוחי אדמה Place 6 – 10 small or Medium Potatoes in the bottom of the Wonder Pot סיר פלא, they can even be standing up, Place lid on and Bake on Medium Heat Check the Potatoes Medium Potatoes – 1 hour: If they are soft and done. If not fully baked cook for another 30 minutes You can also Cut up Potatoes, Yams, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Beets, or any vegetable into chunks or slices. Drizzle Olive Oil on top and Bake	Wonder Pot-סיר פלא-potato-תפוחי אדמה
Pesach Wonder Pot סיר פלא Recipe – Potato Knishes
first boil the clean potatoes	Chop up fresh onions and fresh large garlic then Brown then together in Olive oil be sure to use fresh garlic of stead of the small dried garlic from China.
Be sure to use fresh garlic of stead of the small dried garlic from China.	After boiling the Potatoes, drain the Potatoes and peel them.
Mix everything except matzoh meal then roll into big balls and roll in matzoh meal.	The Wonder Pot: bottom flame heat diffuser, the Pot and top cover with holes to let the heat out.
Place the heat flame diffuser on the center of the burner facing down so that the center dimple is facing down and the rim is up.	Place The Wonder Pot, סיר פלא, on top of the flame heat diffuser so that the bottom grove of the pot is on the rim of the flame heat diffuser.
Put the Potato Knishes in wonder baker all around, and bake for ½ hour and check and then another ½ hour til cooked, check so it doesn’t burn. Use a medium flame. Absolutely delicious.	Use a medium to low flame. Absolutely delicious.
It’s done.	Wonder Pot-סיר פלא-potato-תפוחי אדמה
Pesach Wonder Pot סיר פלא Recipe Potato Knishes 5 Cups mashed potatoes 3 eggs ¾ Cup matzoh meal salt and pepper to taste chopped up fresh garlic optional 2 onions olive oil to line pot Brown onions and garlic (if using) in pan. Mix everything except matzoh meal and roll into big balls and roll in matzoh meal, place in wonder baker all around, and bake for ½ hour and check and then another ½ hour til cooked, check so it doesn’t burn. Use a medium flame. Absolutely delicious.
Carol Umbehocker’s Delicious Squash Kugel for Passover Baked Squash Kugel for Passover 3 lb. (1.36 Kg) Yellow summer squash ½ Cup chopped onions ½ Cup Matzoh meal 2 eggs 1/2 Cup of vegetable oil or 1 stick margarine (Kitniyot) divided in half 1 teaspoon Salt or to taste 1 Tablespoon. sugar ½ teaspoon pepper to taste Wash and cut up the squash. Boil until tender. Drain thoroughly, then mash. Add all ingredients to squash and ½ stick of melted margarine. Melt remaining margarine. Pour mixture into baking dish then spread melted margarine over top and sprinkle with matzo meal. Bake at 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C for 1 hour or until top is brown. TOP
Try fresh steamed vegetables as a side dish
Try the Potato Knishes with steamed vegetables.	Try the Potato Knishes with steamed vegetables.
Pesach Wonder Baker Pot סיר פלא Recipe-Wonder Pot Classic Cake By: Yaara Holtzman http://www.kan-naim.co.il/artical.asp?id=4462
“מתכוני פסח מיוחדים ל”סיר פלא זוכרים את ’סיר-הפלא יש לו תחייה מחודשת מכינים בו עוגות, שאגב לא מביישות אף אופה מקצועית, על… הגאז! מאת: יערה הולצמן orange-apricot זוכרים את ’סיר-הפלא?’ כן, סיר המתכת העגול עם החור, שהסבתות שלנו, השתמשו בו בימי ה’צנע’? ובכן, יש לו תחייה מחודשת! היות ולהרבה משפחות אין תנור מיוחד לפסח ולא כולם נוהגים להכשיר את התנור הרגיל. לפיכך, מכינים עוגות, שאגב לא מביישות אף אופה מקצועית, על… הגאז! עוגת ’סיר פלא’ קלאסית החומרים: 6 ביצים מופרדות 1 כוס סוכר ¾ כוס קמח תפוחי אדמה ¾ כוס שמן 1 כוס אגוזים קצוצים 1 כפית קינמון 1 תפוח עץ או גזר 1 אבקת אפיה אופן ההכנה: מערבבים את החלמונים עם ¾ כוס סוכר ומוסיפים את קמח תפוחי האדמה, האגוזים, אבקת האפייה, השמן והקינמון. מגררים תפוח עץ או גזר ומוסיפים לתערובת. בנפרד, מקציפים את החלבונים עם ¼ כוס סוכר. מוסיפים לתערובת בתנועות קיפול. משמנים את ’סיר הפלא’ ושופכים פנימה את התערובת. סוגרים את הסיר. מחממים את טבעת המתכת המיוחדת שרוכשים עם סיר ’ואופים’ ע”ג אש בינונית – נמוכה, למשך ¾ שעה. עוגת שלוש שכבות החומרים: 6 ביצים מופרדות 2 כפות קקאו 2 כפות קמח תפוחי אדמה 1 חבילה קוקוס 3 כפות שמן 2 כפות יין 1 אבקת אפייה אופן ההכנה: להקציף חלבונים עם 1 כוס סוכר. בנפרד להקציף חלמונים עם ½ כוס סוכר. להוסיף לתערובת החלמונים שמן, קקאו, קמח תפוחי אדמה ויין. Cake_sirpela מחצית מקערת החלבונים המוקצפים להכניס לקערת החלמונים בתנועות עטיפה. לקצף החלבונים הנותר להוסיף את הקוקוס. לשמן את ’סיר הפלא’ ולשפוך את מחצית מתערובת החלמונים לסיר. להוסיף את קצף החלבונים והקוקוס ולשטח על גבי השכבה השנייה בעזרת כף. לשפוך את יתרת תערובת החלמונים מלמעלה. לסגור את הסיר. לחמם את טבעת המתכת המיוחדת שרוכשים עם הסיר ו’לאפות’ ע”ג אש בינונית – נמוכה, למשך ¾ שעה. * הכותבת יערה הולצמן, למדה עיצוב, ועבדה בתור ארט-דירקטורית וקופירייטרית במשרדי פרסום שונים. כיום היא עסוקה בעיקר בגידול ילדים, בישול וספונג’ה, ובין לבין היא גם “חוטאת” בכתיבה. * מובא באדיבות אתר aish של “אש התורה” שהיא רשת בינלאומית וא-פוליטית של מרכזים לחינוך יהודי.	Special Passover Wonder Pot recipes {This is a traslation into English via Google} Remember the wonder pot has a reassertion prepare cakes, which by the way is not put to shame even a professional baker, the … gas! By: Yaara Holtzman Remember the ‘wonder pot?’ The metal pot with a round hole, our grandmothers, used during H’tzna? Well, it has a revival! Since many families have no special oven for Passover and not all of them tend to use the regular oven. Therefore, make cakes, which by the way is not put to shame even a professional baker, the … gas! Wonder Pot Classic Cake Ingredients: 6 eggs, separated 1 cup sugar ¾ cup potato flour ¾ cup oil 1 cup chopped nuts 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 apple or carrot 1 baking powder Preparation: Mix the egg yolks with ¾ cup sugar and add the flour, potatoes, nuts, baking powder, and cinnamon oil. Grate an apple or carrot and add to the mixture. Separately, beat the egg yolks with ¼ cup sugar. Fold add to the mix. Grease the ‘Wonder pot and pour in the mixture. Close the pot. Place the metal ring on the Burner Flang facing up, put the Wonder pot on the ring and bake ‘with on medium heat – Low, for ¾ hour. Three-layer cake Ingredients: 1 ½ cup sugar 6 eggs, separated 2 tablespoons cocoa 2 tablespoons potato flour 1 package coconut 3 tablespoons oil 2 tablespoons wine Baking powder 1 Preparation: Whisk egg whites with 1 cup of sugar. Separately whisk egg yolks with ½ cup sugar. Add the egg yolk mixture of oil, cocoa, flour, potatoes and wine. Half a bowl of whites put in a bowl of egg yolks wrapping movements. Egg whites add the remaining coconut. Lubricate the ‘Wonder pot and pour half of the egg yolk mixture into the pot. Add the egg whites and coconut and flatten onto the second layer with a spoon. Pour the remaining egg mixture on top. Close the pot. Place the metal ring on the Burner Flang facing up, put the Wonder pot on the ring and ‘bake’ with on medium heat – Low, for ¾ hour. * The author Yaara Holtzman, studied design and worked as art director and copywriter in various advertising agencies. She is currently busy with raising children, cooking and mop up, and in between is also a “sinner” in writing. Excerpted courtesy of a aish of “Aish HaTorah” which is an international network and a-political centers of Jewish Education.
From epicurious.com Here is a Torte without Potato flour or Potato Starch that normally contains Sulfites used as a preservative or whitening agent that is lethal to asthmatics. Mock Chestnut Torte by Marcy Goldman \| Epicurious 1998 A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking Mock Chestnut Torte Yield: Makes 14 to 18 servings ingredients Torte 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted Passover margarine 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 6 large eggs, separated 1 1/2 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes, fresh or canned 1 teaspoon Passover rum extract (optional) 10 ounces good-quality semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled 1/4 teaspoon salt Chocolate Ganache Glaze 1/2 cup water 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped Toppings (optional) Unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted Curls of semi-sweet chocolate Pureed strawberries or raspberries preparation Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch springform pan with baking parchment. Torte: In a mixing bowl, cream the unsalted margarine or butter with the 1/3 cup sugar. Blend in the egg yolks, then the mashed sweet potatoes, rum extract (if using), and cooled chocolate. In another bowl, with clean beaters, whip the egg whites gently until they are a bit foamy. Then add in the salt and whip on a higher speed, slowly dusting in the two tablespoons of sugar to form stiff, glossy (but not dry) peaks. Fold one third of the egg whites into the sweet potato/chocolate mixture and work them in well to loosen the batter. Then, gently fold in the remaining egg whites, blending well but taking care not to deflate the mixture. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes. The cake rises and looks dry, and slightly cracked on top when done. The middle should be soft but firm. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then remove to a wire rack. At this point, the cake can be frozen for up to a month. Even if serving it the same day, chill the cake for an hour or two before finishing it with the ganache glaze. Chocolate Ganache Glaze: In a double boiler, bring the water to a gentle boil and add the chopped chocolate all at once. Remove from the heat and stir briskly with a wire whisk until all the chocolate melts and you have a thick glaze or sauce-like topping. Refrigerate for an hour or so. (You can also make this ahead and refrigerate it for up to a week or two. Simply warm it to the right temperature for glazing the cake.) Invert the cake onto a cardboard circle or cake board so that the smooth, flat bottom faces up. Do not be dismayed if this is not a high cake — it is a torte and is meant to be a little less than statuesque. Pour the glaze over the cake and, using a metal spatula, even out the glaze and spread it along the sides. Instead of the glaze, you can also simply sift some cocoa over the top of the cake or decorate it with curls of chocolate (using a vegetable peeler and a warmish chocolate bar). The cake can also be offered with a pureed raspberry or strawberry sauce, garnished with chocolate shavings, or left as is, with a citrus leaf, a sweetheart rose, or several berries in the center. Source Information Reprinted with permission from A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking by Marcy Goldman. © 2009 Whitecap Books, Ltd. Epicurious.com © Condé Nast Digital, Inc. All rights reserved.
When Erev Pesach is Shabbat Daily Halachic Corner – 336 – Pesach 2021 – Rav Dayan Elgrod!
Real Pesach in Jerusalem The Passover Recipe That You DON’T Want to Miss! Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yosef “Today thank God most of the nation of Israel is here in the land of Israel.” Be part of the Majority. Make Aliyah Today! It’s time to come home! Nefesh B’Nefesh: Live the Dream 1-866-4-ALIYAH UK 0800 075 7200 Come home to the Land of Emuna Nefesh B’Nefesh: Live the Dream US & CAN 1-866-4-ALIYAH \| UK 020-8150-6690 or 0800-085-2105 \| Israel 02-659-5800 https://www.nbn.org.il/ info@nbn.org.il Now that the majority of Jews are in their homeland we can have Korban Pesach! Bring out the Mint jelly! Kotel, Western Wall, Jerusalem, Shavuot Is Korban Pesach Obligatory Today?
Holy Temple Myth Busters: Part I – Introduction Published on Dec 19, 2016We must wait for Moshiach to build the Holy Temple. Fact or myth?The Holy Temple will descend ready-made from heaven. Fact or myth?Building the Holy Temple will cause World War III. Fact or myth?Rabbi Chaim Richman provides the answers from the sources of Torah wisdom to these questions and many more in this multi-part series which will bust all of the myths that have come to clutter Jewish thought concerning the building of the Holy Temple and its significance to the entire world.This video was made possible in part by the Shraga family of the USA, and by the Temple Institute, Inc., a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization .SOURCES: Jerusalem is the center of the World – Title: Die gantze Welt in ein Kleberblat, welches in der Stadt Hannover, meines lieben Vaterlandes Wapen Description: Depicting the world as a cloverleaf, this cartographic curiosity reflects the traditional Medieval world view of three continents. breaking the glass: BT Talmud Berachot 30,31 fruit was lost: Sotah 9, 12 all the Torah’s commandments are for all of israel to fulfill – Rambam, Igeret HaShmad (Letter on Persecution), Yitzchak Shilat Edition, Volume I, pp. 57-58 Rambam, Sefer HaMitzvot, Positive Commandments number 20 *Rashi on BT Sukkah 41:a, Ezekiel 43:11 (“so that they keep: They will learn the matters of the measurements from your mouth so that they will know how to do them at the time of the end.”) The sources can also be found at https://www.templeinstitute.org/holy-…
Holy Temple Myth Busters: Part II: Falling from Heaven Published on Feb 6, 2017 The Holy Temple will descend ready-made from heaven. Fact or myth? Rabbi Chaim Richman provides the answers from the sources of Torah wisdom to this question and many more in this multi-part series which will bust all of the myths that have come to clutter Jewish thought concerning the building of the Holy Temple and its significance to the entire world. This video was made possible in part by the Shraga family of the USA, and by the Temple Institute, Inc., a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization. SOURCES FOR THIS VIDEO: Old World Map -Jerusalem City Hall Rambam, Sefer HaMitzvot, Shoresh Shlishi Rambam, 13 Principles of Faith, Introduction to Tractate Sanhedrin Rambam, Igeret HaShmad Deut. 29:28 Rambam, Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah 9,1 Sefer HaIkarim 3:16 Maharal Tiferet Yisrael 51 ‘clearly according to halacha it is a mitzva for Israel to build the Beit HaMikdash, Rambam Hilchot Beit HaBechira 1,1 Aruch L’Ner on Sukkah 41.A, on Rashi ‘Ei Nami’ Rambam, Sefer HaMitzvot 20 Or HaChaim on Shemot 25:8 Sifre BaMidbar, 92 S’Mag, Positive Commandments 163 Sanhedrin 17.b, Shavuot 15.a, Jerusalem Sanhedrin 1,3, Rambam Hilchot Beit HaBechira 6,11 The Mitzvot are for Israel to Fulfill (G-d commands, we fulfill); G-d does not do the commandments: Ramchal Derech Hashem 1:2:2; Makot 23b; Devarim 6:24-25; 30:11; Bereshith Rabbah 44:1; Vayikra Rabbah 13:3; Tanchuma, Shemini 8; Midrash Tehillim 18:25; Yalkut Shimoni 2:121; Rambam Moreh Nevuchim 3:26-27; Avodat HaKodesh, Chelek HaAvodah 3; Shnei Luchot HaBrit, Shaar HaGadol 1:48b; Maharal Tiferet Yisrael 7. Opinions of Rashi/Tosafot: Sukkah 41:a, Rosh Hashana 30:a, Shavuot 15:b source for information about R. Y. ben Chanina B’reishith Rabbah 64 Ezekial 43:11, Rashi says ‘so that they will know to do them’ source for R. Yehiel of Paris…Kaftor Va’Ferach, Rabbi Ashtori HaParchi, Chapter 6 The sources can also be found at https://www.templeinstitute.org/holy-…
Holy Temple Myth Busters: Part III: Mashiach vs the People Published on Mar 23, 2017 We must wait for the messiah to build the Holy Temple. Fact or myth? Quoting directly from Israel’s most illustrious sages, Rabbi Richman explodes myth after myth concerning Moshiach and his role in the building of the Holy Temple. From previous chapters in the Temple Institute’s Holy Temple Myth Busters Series: The Holy Temple will descend ready-made from heaven. Fact or myth? Building the Holy Temple will cause World War III. Fact or myth? Rabbi Chaim Richman provides the answers from the sources of Torah wisdom to these questions and many more in this multi-part series which will bust all of the myths that have come to clutter Jewish thought concerning the building of the Holy Temple and its significance to the entire world. This video was made possible in part by the Shraga family of the USA, and by the Temple Institute, Inc., a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization. SOURCES FOR THIS VIDEO: Maimonides Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Beit HaBechira 1,1 Maimonides Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Melachim 11,1 Maimonides Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Melachim 12 Malachi 3:1 Pesikta Rabati 36 Maimonides, Sefer Igeret HaShmad The sources can also be found at https://www.templeinstitute.org/holy-…
Holy Temple Myth Busters: Part IV: Korban Pesach: To Be Or Not To Be? Published on Apr 3, 2017 The Passover Offering is a thing of the past. It’s not relevant today. Fact or myth?Quoting directly from Israel’s most illustrious sages, Rabbi Richman explains why it is not only possible to bring the Korban Pesach today, but it is imperative to do so.From previous chapters in the Temple Institute’s Holy Temple Myth Busters Series:We must wait for the messiah to build the Holy Temple. Fact or myth?The Holy Temple will descend ready-made from heaven. Fact or myth?Rabbi Chaim Richman provides the answers from the sources of Torah wisdom to these questions and many more in this multi-part series which will bust all of the myths that have come to clutter Jewish thought concerning the building of the Holy Temple and its significance to the entire world.This video was made possible in part by the Shraga family of the USA, and by the Temple Institute, Inc., a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization.SOURCES FOR THIS VIDEO:Exodus Chapter 12Numbers 9:13Kritot 22:bRambam Hilchot Teshuva 8, 1Rambam Hilchot Biyat HaMikdash, Chapter 4, 7Chasam Sofer Responsa, Yoreh Deah #236R. Ashtori HaParchi, Kaftor V’Ferach, Chapter 6Ya’avetz Responsa, Section I, #99Maharatz Chajes, Kuntrus Acharon, Avodat HaMikdash 76Rambam Hilchot Beit HaBechira Chapter 6, 15Rambam end of Hilchot Klei HaMikdash, Maharatz Chajes Kuntrus Acharon Chapter 2HaRav Tzvi Hersch Kalisher, Drishat Tzion, Additions to Ma’amar Kadishin, Ma’alat Eretz Noshavat 5, Neilat Sha’arimRambam Hilchot Beit HaBechira Chapter 7, 23HaRav Yitzchak Itinga, Respona Mahari, Sec. I, Orach Chaim 88The sources can also be found at https://www.templeinstitute.org/holy-temple-myth-busters-sources.htm These sheep are in Jerusalem outside our window Kohanim in uniform Arab Sheep grazing on Jewish Jerusalem land
OMER CHART 5780 Download 5780-OU-Torah-Tidbits-1366omer-sifirat-haomer.pdf OMER CHART 5783 Download Sefirat HaOmer Chart 5783 .pdf Sefirat HaOmer Chart 5783 http://www.yucs.org/~dwallach/jewish/omer/legal.png Sefirat HaOmer Chart 5783 http://www.yucs.org/~dwallach/jewish/omer/legal.png 5780 OU Torah Tidbits 1366omer sifirat haomer Right Click to Download image. You can use it as Computer Wallpaper to remind you to count the Omer.
Rabbi Sacks http://www.ttidbits.com/1225/1225whole.pdf Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks Why Civilisations Die In her recent “The Watchman’s Rattle”, subtitled ‘Thinking our way out of extinction’, Rebecca Costa delivers a fascinating account of how civilisations die. Their problems become too complex. Societies reach what she calls a cognitive threshold. They simply can’t chart a path from the present to the future. The example she gives is the Mayans. For a period of three and a half thousand years, between 2600BCE and 900CE, they developed an extraordinary civilisation, spreading over what is today Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Belize with an estimated population of 15 million people. Not only were they master potters, weavers, architects and farmers. They developed an intricate cylindrical calendar system, with celestial charts to track the movements of the stars and predict weather patterns. They had their own unique form of writing as well as an advanced mathematical system. Most impressively they developed a water-supply infrastructure involving a complex network of reservoirs, canals, dams and levees. Then suddenly, for reasons we still don’t fully understand, the entire system collapsed. Sometime between the middle of the eighth and ninth century the majority of the Mayan people simply disappeared. There have been many theories as to why it happened. It may have been a prolonged drought, overpopulation, internecine wars, a devastating epidemic, food shortages, or a combination of these and other factors. One way or another, having survived for 35 centuries, Mayan civilisation failed and became extinct. Rebecca Costa’s argument is that whatever the causes, the Mayan collapse, like the fall of the Roman Empire, and the Khmer Empire of thirteenth century Cambodia, occurred because problems became too many and complicated for the people of that time and place to solve. There was cognitive overload, and systems broke down. It can happen to any civilisation. It may, she says, be happening to ours. The first sign of breakdown is gridlock. Instead of dealing with what everyone can see are major problems, people continue as usual and simply pass their problems on to the next generation. The second sign is a retreat into irrationality. Since people can no longer cope with the facts, they take refuge in religious consolations. The Mayans took to offering sacrifices. Archeologists have uncovered gruesome evidence of human sacrifice on a vast scale. It seems that, unable to solve their problems rationally, the Mayans focused on placating the gods by manically making offerings to them. So apparently did the Khmer. Which makes the case of Jews and Judaism fascinating. They faced two centuries of crisis under Roman rule between Pompey’s conquest in 63 BCE and the collapse of the Bar Kochba rebellion in 135 CE. They were hopelessly factionalised. Long before the Great Rebellion against Rome and the destruction of the Second Temple, Jews were expecting some major cataclysm. What is remarkable is that they did not focus obsessively on sacrifices, like the Mayans and the Khmer. Instead they focused on finding substitutes for sacrifice. One was gemillat chassadim, acts of kindness. Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai comforted Rabbi Yehoshua, who wondered how Israel would atone for its sins without sacrifices, with the words, “My son we have another atonement as effective as this: acts of kindness, as it is written (Hosea 6:6), ‘I desire kindness and not sacrifice'” (Avot d’Rabbi Natan 8). Another was Torah study. The sages interpreted Malachi’s words (1:11), “In every place offerings are presented to My name”, to refer to scholars who study the laws of sacrifice. (Menachot 100a). “One who recites the order of sacrifices is as if he had brought them” (Taanit 27b). Another was prayer. Hosea said, “Take words with you and return to the Lord … We will offer our lips as sacrifices of bulls” (Hosea 14:2-3), implying that words could take the place of sacrifice. “He who prays in the house of prayer is as if he brought a pure oblation” (Talmud Yerushalmi, B’rachot 5:1). Yet another was T’shuva. The Psalm (51:19) says “the sacrifices of God are a contrite spirit.” From this the sages inferred that “if a person repents it is accounted to him as if he had gone up to Jerusalem and built the Temple and the altar and offered on it all the sacrifices ordained in the Torah” (Vayikra Rabba 7:2). A fifth was fasting. Since going without food diminished a person’s fat and blood, it counted as a substitute for the fat and blood of a sacrifice (B’rachot 17a). A sixth was hospitality. “As long as the Temple stood, the altar atoned for Israel, but now a person’s table atones for him” (B’rachot 55a). And so on. What is striking in hindsight is how, rather than clinging obsessively to the past, sages like Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai thought forward to a worstcase-scenario future. The great question raised by Tzav, which is all about different kinds of sacrifice, is not “Why were sacrifices commanded in the first place?” but rather, given how central they were to the religious life of Israel in Temple times, how did Judaism survive without them? The short answer is that overwhelmingly the prophets, the sages, and the Jewish thinkers of the Middle Ages realised that sacrifices were symbolic enactments of processes of mind, heart and deed that could be expressed in other ways as well. We can encounter the will of God by Torah study, engage in the service of God by prayer, make financial sacrifice by charity, create sacred fellowship by hospitality and so on. Jews did not abandon the past. We still refer constantly to the sacrifices in our prayers. But they did not cling to the past. Nor did they take refuge in irrationality. They thought through the future and created institutions like the synagogue and house of study and school that could be built anywhere and sustain Jewish identity even in the most adverse conditions. That is no small achievement. The world’s greatest civilisations have all, in time, become extinct while Judaism has always survived. In one sense that was surely Divine Providence. But in another it was the foresight of people like Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai who resisted cognitive breakdown, created solutions today for the problems of tomorrow, who did not seek refuge in the irrational, and who quietly built the Jewish future. Surely there is a lesson here for the Jewish people today: Plan generations ahead. Think at least 25 years into the future. Contemplate worst-case scenarios. Ask what we would do, if… What saved the Jewish people was their ability, despite their deep and abiding faith, never to let go of rational thought, and despite their loyalty to the past, to keep planning for the future.
JerusalemCats Comment: On the other hand you have this: This is a very short clip of a much longer video from the The Ruderman Family Foundation on facebook. Knesset Member Amir Ohana to american leftist Jew If I will have to choose
From Esser Agaroth: Rashi suggests the possibility that only 20% of Israel left Egypt, at the time of our great exodus from there. How so? וַיַּסֵּב אֱלֹהִים אֶת-הָעָם דֶּרֶךְ הַמִּדְבָּר, יַם-סוּף; וַחֲמֻשִׁים עָלוּ בְנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם. (שמות יג,יח) But God led the people about, by the way of the wilderness by the Red Sea; and the children of Israel went up (hamushim) armed out of the land of Egypt. (Ex. 13:18) On the word hamushim, he offers an alternative translation to “armed.” דבר אחר: חמושים אחד מחמשה יצאו, וארבעה חלקים מתו בשלשת ימי אפילה. Another thing: one fifth of five [fifths] left, and four parts (fifths) died in the [plague of the] three days of darkness. Several sources, such as the Kol HaTor, suggest parallels between our exodus from exile in Egypt and how we will complete our exodus from the current exile of Edom, including the possibility that only four fifths of us will make it out this time as well. Who knows? There might even be three days of darkness. However, this time final time around, will these days of darkness necessarily be physical? Instead, they could be spiritual, and unfortunately, the may have already begun for European [or American] Jewry. May our recalling of the exodus from Egyptian exile this Pesach (Passover) inspire those Jews still entrenched in Europe, to complete their own Exodus. JerusalemCats Comment: Something to think about: What percentage of Jews made it out of Spain in 1492. 10%? What percentage of Jews made it out of Europe in 1939 before the Holocaust. 10%? From Holocaust Encyclopedia The Jewish communities of eastern Europe were devastated. In 1933, Poland had the largest Jewish population in Europe, numbering over three million. By 1950, the Jewish population of Poland was reduced to about 45,000. The Soviet Union had the largest remaining Jewish population, with some two million Jews. Romania’s Jewish population was nearly 757,000 in 1930 and fell to approximately 280,000 (1950). Most of these demographic losses were due to the Holocaust, the rest to postwar emigration from Europe. Before the Nazi takeover of power in 1933, Europe had a vibrant and mature Jewish culture. By 1945, most European Jews—two out of every three—had been killed. Most of the surviving remnant of European Jewry decided to leave Europe. Hundreds of thousands established new lives in Israel, the United States, Canada, Australia, Great Britain, South America, and South Africa.
Caroline Glick The American Jewish Community’s Moment to Choose
As for the risks living in Israel with Hamas, Fatah (PA) and the other crazies;To quote General George S. Patton “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his. “ “You (the Arabs) have a choice, The peace of prosperity or the peace of unburied death. The choice is yours” Just look at all the attacks to the Jewish Community in the US! Come home to Israel while you still can. Nefesh B’Nefesh: Live the Dream US & CAN 1-866-4-ALIYAH \| UK 020-8150-6690 or 0800-085-2105 \| Israel 02-659-5800 https://www.nbn.org.il/ info@nbn.org.il It’s time to come home! Nefesh B’Nefesh: Live the Dream 1-866-4-ALIYAH UK 0800 075 7200 Come home to the Land of Emuna
Mistakes That Destroy The Marriage (A Must Watch Lecture)

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Sydney, It’s time to come home

24/02/2017 – כ״ח בשבט ה׳תשע״ז – כ״ח בשבט ה׳תשע״ז – 07:04

Jewish Parents in Victoria, Australia, Please for the safety of your children think about making Aliyah. At lest send them ahead to Israel where they are safe.

I am deeply concerned that we are running out of time before we go over the cliff and public schools will become no-go zones for Jewish students. Increasingly today, being Jewish is a liability and makes you an easy scapegoat in an educational system where antisemitism is a deeply entrenched problem that is being swept under the rug and brushed aside by principals.
Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission

RISE IN ANTISEMITISM: SKY NEWS OUTSIDERS 6 Oct 19

Bibi Netanyahu:”I want you to continue studying Hebrew. Be proud Jews. Be proud Australians. And come to Israel.”

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been mobbed by Jewish primary school students during a visit to Moriah College in Sydney.
23 Feb 2017 – 5:24 PM UPDATED YESTERDAY 5:24 PM
They were told to be on their best behaviour. They were told to sing in their most beautiful voices. And most importantly, to smile.

But the excitement was just too much for hundreds of Jewish primary school children to remember the messages from their head teacher when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu walked into their assembly hall at Moriah College in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

Up leapt dozens of children from the neat lines they were sitting in on the floor, while dozens more school choir members jumped down from a tiered stand where they had been patiently waiting, sending Mr Netanyahu’s huge security team into a spin.

As the grim-faced, dark-suited security guards tried unsuccessfully to stop the mini mob, Mr Netanyahu grinned and shook their hands and gave them high-fives.

Squeals of excitement rang out as he and his wife Sara made their way to some seats at the side of the hall.

The Netanyahus were accompanied by Malcolm Turnbull and his wife Lucy, who are regular visitors to Moriah’s high-security Bondi Junction campus as it sits in the heart of the prime minister’s Wentworth electorate.

After listening to the choir sing Jerusalem of Gold, Israel’s unofficial national anthem, Mr Netanyahu had some questions for the children.

“How many of you want to come to Israel?” he asked. A sea of arms reached into the air.

“How many of you speak Hebrew?” Again, more arms went up.

“Here’s what I want to ask you to do. I want you to continue studying Hebrew. Be proud Jews. Be proud Australians. And come to Israel.”

As he bid them shalom, the children cheered and leapt to their feet to swarm around him so they could have pose for photos while some chanted his nickname, “Bibi, Bibi”.

Finally he managed to make his way out of the hall so he could drop by on a Hebrew lesson and deliver a speech to the college’s high school students.

The young children he left behind in the hall were buzzing with excitement.

But their head teacher wasn’t quite as happy.

“I think you could have behaved with a bit more decorum,” she told them.

Hundreds of high school students in a separate auditorium restricted themselves to standing ovations for Mr Netanyahu after he delivered a speech focused on the “fierce courage” of the Jews and their determination to have their own homeland in the state of Israel.

“Jews were transformed as the Jewish state transformed Jewish history and Jews’ destiny,” he said.

“You are part of that destiny. You are part of the reborn Jewish people.”

PM Netanyahu and Australian PM Turnbull Visit Moriah College in Sydney

The Jewish Agency Global Service Center

The Global Service Center is our one-stop Aliyah and Israel Experience Hotline, open throughout the day, in seven languages.

If you have questions, we’ve got answers. Whether you are considering a short or long-term visit to Israel, or you are thinking about moving to Israel permanently, or you are looking for home hospitality with Israelis, we can help you get started.We look forward to hearing from you at the Global Service Center. We’re open from 8:00 – 22:00 (Israel time), six days a week, and we can talk to you in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Hebrew, or Amharic. http://www.jewishagency.org/global_center

Let us answer your questions

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Jewish boys taunted in shocking cases of anti-Semitic bullying at Melbourne schools

By Adam Carey October 3, 2019 https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/jewish-boys-taunted-in-anti-semitic-bullying-at-melbourne-schools-20191003-p52xen.html

A 12-year-old Jewish student was forced to kneel down and kiss the shoes of a Muslim classmate, while a five-year-old boy was allegedly called a “Jewish cockroach” and repeatedly hounded in the school toilets by his young classmates.

The two incidents this year – the first involving a year 7 boy at Cheltenham Secondary College and the second a prep student at Hawthorn West Primary School – have prompted the Anti-Defamation Commission to sound an alarm about what it says is a “rapidly spreading” crisis involving anti-Semitic bullying in Victorian state schools.

Both boys, whose parents have asked to remain anonymous, have since left the schools where the incidents occurred, with the five-year-old boy currently being home schooled.

The older boy’s act of kissing another student’s shoes, under threat of being swarmed by several other boys, was filmed, photographed and shared on social media.

No disciplinary action has been taken against the group of boys involved in the incident, which took place in a public park.

The mother said she was bitterly disappointed by the response of Cheltenham Secondary College and the Education Department.

The school and the department have denied having responsibility for the incident, because it did not take place on school grounds, the mother said.

“I took such offence with the Education Department, because there was nothing they did to protect my son at all, at any point in time – that’s what’s cut me up,” she said.

The mother sought out the parents of the Muslim boy, who were horrified by their son’s actions.

“We sat down, his parents, the two boys and myself, around the table and explained the velocity of [the bullying] and what it meant to us as parents as far as building bridges between Jews and Muslims in society and not creating division like that photo does,” she said.

One of the boys who watched on was later suspended for five days for assaulting the Jewish student in the school locker room.

The Jewish boy was punched in the face and left with a bruised back and had skin gouged out of his shoulder, his mother said.

Death threats sent to Jewish boy forced to kiss Muslim’s shoes

Jewish 12-year-old in Australia who was forced to kiss Muslim peer’s shoes receives messages threatening that he’ll be slaughtered.
Marcy Oster, JTA, 10October2019 http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/270009

The Jewish boy who was forced to kneel and kiss the shoes of a Muslim classmate has been sent threatening text messages.

The messages were sent Friday after photos of the incident were splashed across the front pages of newspapers in Australia and around the world, the Daily Mail reported. The photo was first published by the Australian Jewish News.

The messages told the 12-year-old boy that he would be slaughtered and asked if he wanted to “talk about suicide,” according to the report.

Victoria Police confirmed to the Daily Mail Australia that they were investigating a report of such text messages but would not comment further.

Dvir Abramovich, chairman of B’nai B’rith’s Anti-Defamation Commission, called the threats “vile and deplorable.” He said the boy’s parents now want a broader inquiry into anti-Semitism in schools.

Abramovich has helped the family to relocate the boy from Cheltenham Secondary College in suburban Melbourne to a Jewish school.

The incident did not take place on the school’s campus. Reports said a group of older students threatened the boy with violence if he did not comply.

Opinion from Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission

Antisemitism in Victorian schools is a monumental and hidden crisis

By Dvir Abramovich October 4, 2019 https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/antisemitism-in-victorian-schools-is-a-monumental-and-hidden-crisis-20191004-p52xp2.html

A 12-year-old Jewish boy from Cheltenham Secondary College is lured to a park and threatened with gang violence unless he kisses the feet of a Muslim boy who films this evil ritual. Later, the young man is beaten up so badly that he loses consciousness and is hospitalised.

A 5-year-old Jewish kid at Hawthorn West Primary is bullied by five classmates because he is circumcised and called a “Jewish vermin and cockroach”. Emotionally scarred, he eventually leaves, effectively forced out by an administration whose only solution is to suggest that the child use the staff bathroom. These heartbreaking episodes are just the tip of the iceberg.

We need to accept a hard truth: Anti-Semitism in Victorian schools is a monumental and hidden crisis that is keeping Jewish parents, who are terrified about the physical and mental safety of their children, up at night. The phones at the Anti-Defamation Commission ring off the hook daily with chilling reports of harassment of Jewish students, and the situation has become so bad that there is no telling where this descent will end.

I am deeply concerned that we are running out of time before we go over the cliff and public schools will become no-go zones for Jewish students. Increasingly today, being Jewish is a liability and makes you an easy scapegoat in an educational system where antisemitism is a deeply entrenched problem that is being swept under the rug and brushed aside by principals.

I well up with emotion when I hear of Jewish kids being subjected to physical assaults, bigoted stereotypes and insults, exclusion, degrading text messages and social media lynching. The day is not too far off when young people will have to hide their Jewish faith so as not to be singled out and vilified by their classmates. The victims are traumatised, filled with feelings of despair and abandonment, convinced that the system has failed them. And they are right.

Not infrequently, distraught parents are concerned that the anti-Semitic abuse will escalate if they notify the school since their child will become an even-bigger target. Some remain silent believing that the school leadership will not be sympathetic to their complaint. In fact, some administrators trivialise the attacks as a childish aberrations, as “kids being kids”, or blame the victims (“it’s your child’s fault since they provocatively choose to exhibit their Judaism” or “we are a non-Jewish school so if you don’t like it, leave”), are very slow to respond, and do not impose the appropriate punishment. In effect, they are enabling the wrongdoers by sending a crystal-clear message that Jewish pupils are fair game.

The elephant in the room is that very few of our elected representatives are actually speaking out about the darkening clouds that are gathering. And so, this cancer of intolerance, which is spreading like wildfire, must end. All of it. Because we literally have no choice and because that is not who we are as a nation. Good intentions and words are not enough. We now need bold action by the state and federal governments that matches the scale of the runaway problem we face, and which effectively tackles this menace at every single step. One solution is to institute mandatory reporting so schools are obliged to notify the Education Department when such incidents occur. Such reporting will then necessitate the investigation of each individual case and if warranted, appropriate penalties for the perpetrators.

Countering religious bigotry in the long run also hinges on making anti-bias and Holocaust education compulsory in every class. One example is the Anti-Defamation Commission’s Click Against Hate program, a free, groundbreaking educational program, which equips students with the skills to respond to the hate they encounter in schools, urging them to action when it happens to them or when they see it happening to others. Further training for teachers and headmasters is also urgently needed so they understand that antisemitism is a threat to our way of life and that inaction is not an option. It’s time for the adults in the room to stand up and protect the defenceless and vulnerable – our children.

Dr Dvir Abramovich is Chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission.

Rabbi Meir Kahane HY”D “Jews MUST make ALIYAH to Israel!”

Speaking about Australia:

CSIRO: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

Using science and research to solve issues and make a difference to industry, people and the planet. National science agency.

The Hungry Microbiome: why resistant starch is good for you
Bowel cancer is the second most common cancer in Australia. Research shows that eating fibre rich in resistant starch is one way we can combat this threat. This animation shows how resistant starch moves through the intestine, feeds the healthy bacteria of the gut Microbiome and helps prevent cancer. More information on our website:
http://www.csiro.au/hungrymicrobiome/