The Jewish People Policy Institute-Raising Jewish Children 2017

11/06/2017 – י״ז בסיון ה׳תשע״ז – י״ז בסיון ה׳תשע״ז – 06:15

Is there a future for non-Orthodox American Jewry?

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In summing up the marital and parental status of American Jews, The Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) study (http://jppi.org.il/new/en/article/english-raising-jewish-children-research-and-indications-for-intervention/english-introduction/) shows that among all non-Orthodox Jews in the 25-54 age group, just 15% were married to a Jewish spouse and had Jewish children.

Jerusalem Cats Comments: [See Rabbi Sacks’ on Why Civilisations Fail]

From aish.com INFOGRAPHIC: Will Your Grandchildren Be Jewish? comments:
6) Mike, June 14, 2017 2:08 AM
Some sobering statistics.
The reform movement has caused incalculable harm to the American Jewish community. I saw it with my own eyes when I was a member of a reform synagogue. There is no line that they will not cross, no tradition that they will not abandon when it suits them. They pay lip service to the mitzvahs, but rarely perform them. Children are not stupid. They see what their parents do on Shabbos. They know when their Rabbi is being a hypocrite. Yiddishkeit must be lived in the home in order to be passed to the next generation. Orthodox mothers make it their mission to keep a kosher home, while reform mothers go to PTA meetings and serve KFC for dinner. An orthodox father puts on tefillin in the morning, while a reform father watches TV. The orthodox family goes to Shul on Shabbos, while the reform family goes to Walmart. It is very simple, if you abandon the Torah you will be cut off from the Jewish nation.
Table 6 Family configurations for all non-Haredi American Jews ages 25-54

jppi.org.il Table 6 Family configurations for all non Haredi american Jews ages 25-54 http://jppi.org.il/new/en/article/english-raising-jewish-children-research-and-indications-for-intervention/english-family-engagement-and-jewish-continuity-among-american-jews/english-family-configurations/ *raising children as non-Jews

jppi.org.il Table 6 Family configurations for all non Haredi american Jews ages 25-54 http://jppi.org.il/new/en/article/english-raising-jewish-children-research-and-indications-for-intervention/english-family-engagement-and-jewish-continuity-among-american-jews/english-family-configurations/ *raising children as non-Jews

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

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

To quote the study: “The entirely Jewish, multi-person family is truly the “gold standard” of Jewish family configurations. Among non-Haredi inmarried* Jews with Jewish children at home, we find the following high levels of Jewish engagement indicators: seder attendance (95 percent); fasting Yom Kippur (84 percent); attending High Holiday services (87 percent); belonging to a synagogue (72 percent); and giving to Jewish charities (87 percent). On all these indicators, the inmarried* with Jewish children home out-score all other family configurations. The next most active groups are the inmarried with no Jewish children at home and single parents raising Jewish children.”

*marriage within one’s own family, race, or other grouping : endogamy

Click to download PDF file  Click to Download the Report. jppi-org-il-Raising Jewish Children Research and Indicators for Intervention 2017

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: There were about 4 million Jews in the U.S. as of 2001
6,419,000 Jews in Israel as of 2016

 To quote the study: “… we see less and less Jewish engagement. Judaism is becoming more significant in non-Jewish environments, but Jewish belonging in the next generations of mixed families is not guaranteed. Their youth are distancing. They are less inspired by their own roots and often over simplify the challenges faced by Israel. Many are attracted to anti-Israel groups on campuses and elsewhere.”
“The family patterns of American Jews in many ways resemble those of American non-Jews with comparable socio-economic, educational, and occupational profiles. Researchers of family and religion have long demonstrated that peak ethno-religious involvement is associated with life-cycle status, especially with marriage and children.10 Across religious groups, maritally-intact couples with school-age children at home display relatively high levels of religious engagement, however that engagement is measured. Conversely, the absence of children – along with divorce, widowhood, and non-marriage – are associated with depressed levels of religious engagement.
Moreover, spouses of any religion who share ethno-religious backgrounds are more likely to raise children who, in turn, grow up to marry and raise children in that particular religious tradition.11“

” The patterns of marriage and childbearing reported above combine to produce rather small numbers of Jews whose family circumstances are conducive to their own Jewish engagement and to the likelihood of their contributing to Jewish demographic continuity. ” “The finding that children of two Jews are more likely to replicate aspects of the home they grew up in comports with the research literature generally showing that more religious Americans and intra-group marriage exhibit more traditional family patterns.19“
Table 8 Jewish identity indicators for non-married, intermarried and inmarried non-Haredi Jews, 25-54

jppi-org-il-Table-8-Jewish identity indicators for non married intermarried and inmarried non Haredi Jews 25-54-2017

jppi-org-il-Table-8-Jewish identity indicators for non married intermarried and inmarried non Haredi Jews 25-54-2017

The intermarried, non-married, and inmarried report very different levels on every Jewish identity indicator available on the Pew survey. The non-married substantially out-score the intermarried, and the inmarried substantially outscore the non-married. As the tables below show, the gaps in Jewish engagement indicators between the Jews who are inmarried and those who are intermarried are truly enormous.
To take a few examples (Table 8): As we move from intermarried to non-married to inmarried, we find increases in feeling that being Jewish is very important: 25 vs. 40 vs. 63 percent; for having mostly Jewish friends: 8 vs. 22 vs. 48 percent; for belonging to a synagogue: 12 vs. 25 vs. 70 percent; and, most critically, for the percent of one’s children being raised in the Jewish religion: 20 vs. 46 vs. 94 percent.
Among those raising their children as non-Jews, levels of Jewish engagement are truly quite low. None of these respondents reported synagogue membership, and just 3-5 percent belong to a Jewish organization, have mostly Jewish friends, feel very attached to Israel, or feel being Jewish is important to them. Somewhat larger numbers attend a Passover Seder (28 percent) and give to some donation to a Jewish charity (15 percent).
Table 9 Jewish identity indicators among those with no children, non-Jewish children and Jewish children, non-Haredi Jews, 25-44

As might now be expected, those with Jewish children at home in turn out-score those with no children, and even more substantially out-score those with non-Jewish children in their households. In every measurable way, the presence of Jewish children – and raising children as Jewish-by-religion – both reflects a prior commitment to Jewish life and, as well, the positive influence of Jewish children upon Jewish engagement. Engaged Jews raise Jewish children, and parents of Jewish children are more engaged in Jewish life.

As might now be expected, those with Jewish children at home in turn out-score those with no children, and even more substantially out-score those with non-Jewish children in their households. In every measurable way, the presence of Jewish children – and raising children as Jewish-by-religion – both reflects a prior commitment to Jewish life and, as well, the positive influence of Jewish children upon Jewish engagement. Engaged Jews raise Jewish children, and parents of Jewish children are more engaged in Jewish life.

The Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) study (http://jppi.org.il/new/en/article/english-raising-jewish-children-research-and-indications-for-intervention/english-introduction/) shows that among all non-Orthodox Jews in the 25-54 age group, just 15% were married to a Jewish spouse and had Jewish children.
Table 10 Jewish identity by family configuration, all non-Haredi Jewish Americans ages 25-54

Raising Jewish children has a profound impact on personal Jewish identity. For decades, research showed that American Jews become more involved with Judaism after they marry and especially after they give birth to and begin to raise their children.

Raising Jewish children has a profound impact on personal Jewish identity. For decades, research showed that American Jews become more involved with Judaism after they marry and especially after they give birth to and begin to raise their children.

“Marriage to Jews and the raising of Jewish-by-religion children are key to the current and future Jewish vitality of American Jewry, as well as to its transmissibility. The family first, and then community and friendships, create the conditions for formal and informal Jewish education to take place. The impact of spouses on each other, and of parents and children on each other, and of close and even loosely tied friendship circles, continues to matter.25” “Numerous studies, including a recent qualitative study of Jewish fertility goals, show that most Jewish women continue to hope to have children “someday.” However, many do not assign childbearing chronological priority, and encounter unexpected infertility, often having no or fewer children than their expected family size.26“

Jerusalem Cats Comments: How can you raise Jewish Children without having children early? What do you want a College education (filling your head with fluff which you will never use) or Children? Get Married young and start making and raising Babies.

Jerusalem Cats Comments: How can you raise Jewish Children without a good Jewish Education?

“One factor which the majority of research and, hence, policy planning in the field of Jewish education has not paid sufficient attention to is social networks. Our research shows that American Jews may say they feel disconnected from other Jews; yet, they are actually influenced by their Jewish social circles. Similarly, educators have tended to emphasize the role of parents in making educational decisions for their child and overlooked the importance of Jewish social networks in motivating children to continue their Jewish education. Our research shows that Jewish friends and social networks, especially during the teen years, influence decisions to attend Jewish schools and Jewish educational programs. This new understanding of the power of social networks suggests that the direction of influence in the teen years is from friendships to education to family involvements. A strong Jewish social network in the teen years is a predictor of college friends and choice of Jewish marriage partners.”

Jerusalem Cats Comments: How can you raise Jewish Children without Jewish peers? If you want Jewish teenagers then you need to raise then with Jewish Peers in a Jewish Schools and in a Jewish State with Jewish Holidays and a Jewish Week.

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Even the most secular teenager in Israel has a better Jewish education then anyone outside of Israel.

 To quote the study:

“When Jews lived in societies in which they had a lot of contact with each other (and very little with non-Jews) they and others usually thought of themselves as “born into” Jewishness. Jews amassed ethnic social capital through daily experience, in the form of ethnic languages, food, music, stories, texts, arts and culture, religion and rituals. These individuals who shared ethnic social capital also tended to value similar things, and to feel an affinity for each other.”

You can only do this in Israel.

“In terms of predicting adult Jewish connections, statistical studies show that every year past the bar mitzvah year “counts” more than the year before. Receiving formal Jewish education from age 16 to 17 more accurately predicts adult Jewish connectedness than receiving formal Jewish education from age 15 to 16. Quantitative and qualitative research suggest that having mostly Jewish friends in high school is a motivator for continuing formal and informal Jewish education and a predictor for marrying or partnering with a Jew and forging strong Jewish connections. Conversely, when teenagers stopped attending Jewish schools after bar and bat mitzvahs, both they and their parents (in separate interviews) reported that their family Jewish observances and activities such as Shabbat service attendance gradually declined.””This is a growing group. Successive studies have underscored the fact that in 1960, 77 percent of American women and 65 percent of men below the age of 30, had accomplished the five sociological milestones of adulthood–”completing school, leaving home, becoming financially independent, marrying and having a child.” Today, fewer than half of women and one-third of men fit that fully adult profile The proportion of Americans aged 25 to 34 who have never been married exceeds those married. The Jewish identity gains that result from a Jewish education during the teenage years are significantly undermined when young American Jews remain single for a decade or longer after college. These young American Jews between the ages of 22 to 35 require programs tailored to their distinctive form of Jewish attachment.”

“When Jewish education succeeds, it is most often a story of the more, the more.

Jewish education is part of the ongoing building of Jewish social capital. No one educational strategy provides a permanent Jewish inoculation for all Jews, but all educational strategies work best when they include the reinforcement of a social network.”

“But for some Jewish populations who miss these serendipities, the story is more like, the less the less. Some Jews are geographically isolated in childhood, and have few Jewish friendship circles, and do not get sent to Jewish camps that might enrich their Jewishness on many levels [What about a Jewish Day School or Full Time Yeshiva Program of stead of Public School?]. Some are the children of weakly identified Jewish parents; some of these Jewishly “impoverished” families, in terms of Jewish social capital, are intermarried families, especially where the mother does not identify as a Jew. Weak Jewish identification often gets worse with each generation that is remote from Jewish social networks and Jewish education, creating a cycle of poor Jewish social capital.”

According The Pew Research Religion and Public life project : Orthodox Jews are more likely than American Jews of any other denomination to have traveled to Israel; 77% have done so, followed by 56% of Conservative Jews, 40% of Reform Jews and 26% of those who have no denominational affiliation.
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Pew:What happens when Jews intermarry?

By and
November 12, 2013 http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/11/12/what-happens-when-jews-intermarry/

 

American Jews have been debating the impact of intermarriage for decades. Does intermarriage lead to assimilation and weaken the Jewish community? Or is it a way for a religion that traditionally does not seek converts to bring new people into the fold and, thereby, strengthen as well as diversify the Jewish community? The new Pew Research Center survey of U.S. Jews did not start this debate and certainly will not end it. However, the survey’s findings on intermarriage, child rearing and Jewish identity provide some support for both sides.

 

For example, the survey shows that the offspring of intermarriages – Jewish adults who have only one Jewish parent – are much more likely than the offspring of two Jewish parents to describe themselves, religiously, as atheist, agnostic or nothing in particular. In that sense, intermarriage may be seen as weakening the religious identity of Jews in America.

 

Yet the survey also suggests that a rising percentage of the children of intermarriages are Jewish in adulthood. Among Americans age 65 and older who say they had one Jewish parent, 25% are Jewish today. By contrast, among adults under 30 with one Jewish parent, 59% are Jewish today. In this sense, intermarriage may be transmitting Jewish identity to a growing number of Americans.

 

Surveys are snapshots in time. They typically show associations, or linkages, rather than clear causal connections, and they don’t predict the future. We do not know, for example, whether the large cohort of young adult children of intermarriage who are Jewish today will remain Jewish as they age, marry (and in some cases, intermarry), start families and move through the life cycle. With those cautions in mind, here’s a walk through some of our data on intermarriage, including some new analysis that goes beyond the chapter on intermarriage in our original report. (We would like to thank several academic researchers, including Theodore Sasson of Brandeis University, Steven M. Cohen of Hebrew Union College and NYU Wagner, and Bruce Phillips of Hebrew Union College and the University of Southern California, for suggesting fruitful avenues of additional analysis.)

 

First, intermarriage is practically nonexistent among Orthodox Jews; 98% of the married Orthodox Jews in the survey have a Jewish spouse. But among all other married Jews, only half say they have a Jewish spouse.

 

In addition, intermarriage rates appear to have risen substantially in recent decades, though they have been relatively stable since the mid-1990s. Looking just at non-Orthodox Jews who have gotten married since 2000, 28% have a Jewish spouse and fully 72% are intermarried.

 

Also, intermarriage is more common among Jewish respondents who are themselves the children of intermarriage. Among married Jews who report that only one of their parents was Jewish, just 17% are married to a Jewish spouse. By contrast, among married Jews who say both of their parents were Jewish, 63% have a Jewish spouse.

 

Pew 2013 jewish identity by generation

Pew 2013 jewish identity by generation

 

Among Jews, the adult offspring of intermarriages are also much more likely than people with two Jewish parents to describe themselves religiously as atheist, agnostic or just “nothing in particular.” This is the case among all recent generations of U.S. Jews.

 

For example, among Jewish Baby Boomers who had two Jewish parents, 88% say their religion is Jewish; hence, we categorize them as “Jews by religion.” But among Baby Boomers who had one Jewish parent, 53% describe themselves as atheist, agnostic or having no particular religion, even though they also say they consider themselves Jewish or partially Jewish aside from religion; they are categorized as “Jews of no religion” in the table. Far fewer Jewish Baby Boomers who had two Jewish parents (12%) are Jews of no religion today.

 

A similar pattern is seen among Jewish Millennials: 51% of Millennials who have one Jewish parent are Jews of no religion, compared with just 15% of Millennials who had two Jewish parents.

 

Summing this up, it appears that the share of Jews of no religion is similar – and relatively low – among recent generations of Jews with two Jewish parents. It is much higher (and also fairly similar across generations) among self-identified Jews with only one Jewish parent.

Pew 2013 Jewish Intermarriage one parent

Pew 2013 Jewish Intermarriage one parent

But it is also important to bear in mind that the percentage of Jewish adults who are the offspring of intermarriages appears to be rising. Just 6% of Jews from the Silent Generation say they had one Jewish parent, compared with 18% of Jewish Baby Boomers, 24% of Generation X and nearly half (48%) of Jewish Millennials. The result is that there are far more Jews of no religion among younger generations of Jews than among previous generations, as shown in the survey report.

 

When we look at all adults who have just one Jewish parent – including both those who identify as Jewish and those who do not – we see that the Jewish retention rate of people raised in intermarried families appears to be rising. That is, among all adults (both Jewish and non-Jewish) who say they had one Jewish parent and one non-Jewish parent, younger generations are more likely than older generations to be Jewish today.

 

For example, among U.S. adults ages 65 and older who had one Jewish parent, 25% are Jewish today (including 7% who are Jews by religion and 18% who are Jews of no religion), while 75% are not Jewish (meaning that they currently identify with a religion other than Judaism or that they do not consider themselves Jewish in any way, either by religion or otherwise). Among adults younger than 30 who have one Jewish parent, by contrast, 59% are Jewish today, including 29% who are Jews by religion and 30% who are Jews of no religion.

Pew-2013-Jewish Intermarriage younger generation

Pew-2013-Jewish Intermarriage younger generation

Finally, it has often been assumed that Jewish women are less inclined to intermarry than are Jewish men. As Bruce Phillips, a sociologist at Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles, has written: “In American popular culture, intermarriage has been the [domain] of Jewish males. Starting with ‘Abbie’s Irish Rose’ and ‘The Jazz Singer’ following the turn of the century through ‘Bridget Loves Bernie’ and the ‘Heartbreak Kid’ in the early 1970s to ‘Mad About You’ in the 1990s, the plot is about a Jewish married man in love with a stereotypical [non-Jewish woman].”

 

But our survey finds that Jewish women are slightly more likely to be intermarried than Jewish men. Among the married Jewish women surveyed, 47% say they have a non-Jewish spouse. Among the married Jewish men, 41% say they have a non-Jewish spouse.

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From aish.com INFOGRAPHIC: Will Your Grandchildren Be Jewish?

Are American Jews facing an existential threat?

by and Published: June 10, 2017 http://www.aish.com/jw/s/INFOGRAPHIC-Will-Your-Grandchildren-Be-Jewish.html
Click to download PDF file  Click to Download the PDF version Will Your Grandchildren be Jewish-aish

Will-Your-Grandchildren-Be-Jewish Will Your Grandchildren Be Jews1

 

From aish.com INFOGRAPHIC: Will Your Grandchildren Be Jewish?

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This is the result of not raising Jewish Children in a Jewish environment in a Jewish State with Jewish Peers.

New York Times Proves That We Have Lost The Jewish Youth

By Chaim Zalman Hutz April 30, 2019 https://www.israellycool.com/2019/04/30/new-york-times-proves-that-we-have-lost-the-jewish-youth/

The American Jewish community has been rocked by antisemitism in the past week.  A shooting at a Chabad synagogue, and not one, but now two antisemitic political cartoons.  The anger among the Jewish world has been palpable, and frankly, it’s about time. There has been a blatant rise in antisemitic/anti-Israel attacks (“anti-Israel” is more often than not just code for anti-Jewish) in both America and in Europe and frankly, up until now, the tepid responses from Jewish people and alleged “leadership” have been not only ineffective, but embarrassing. We make just enough waves to get a canned, bogus apology, and, content that we made a real difference, we go back to whatever other preoccupation we were engaged in that made us miss most of the antisemitism in the first place.

 

Not this time though.  Fortunately, this time, the Nazi imagery coupled with a prestigious name like The New York Times lit a fire under activists, culminating in what looked to be a relatively well-manned protest outside their offices yesterday.  It would appear that finally, people have decided to take real physical action instead of merely writing angry letters and donating extra money to their local do-nothing Jewish Federation.  There was a major problem on display though based on the pictures of the protest. This is a long-term problem, and it will hamper future efforts to fight antisemitism and support Israel at meaningful level.  The lack of young people.

Israel Protest Photo Credit Victor Muslin

Israel Protest Photo Credit Victor Muslin

From the pictures that have been made available to the public thus far, I’m sad to say, Jews everywhere are in trouble.  Not only from antisemitism, but from a demographic disaster of our own making. We have lost the American youth. In a city with over one million Jews, there should have been thousands, even tens of thousands of people at this protest.  Instead there appeared to be less than five hundred. And the most striking aspect, and the most concerning to me, was that (with all due respect to friends of mine that were there fighting the good fight) I was looking at a sea of mostly gray and white hair.Where were the young people? Where were the college students? Where were the Israel advocates? This protest was at 5:30 PM, plenty of them were out of work, out of class, able to stop by on their way home.  Why is it that when its time to protest against Israel for trumped-up charges of genocide and oppression, we see huge numbers of young Jews.  When it is time to protest against President Trump, we see huge numbers of young Jews.  We see (and hear) loud Jews vocally proclaiming their Jewishness in support of causes that negatively impact their own people. They are Jews who have no sense of history or appreciation for what Israel means, and how deadly antisemitism is. We had the opportunity to teach them these things, and instill in them the desire to turn the passion of youth towards things that help their people and thereby make the world as a whole better but we failed.

 

Palestine Protest

Palestine Protest

We failed to teach them, and as a result of that failure, we lost those Jews. We lost them to apathy. Not general apathy of the type stereo-typically associated with the youth, but with apathy towards their own heritage, turning it into a tool to be trotted out for political capital rather than a source of personal pride and purpose. We chose baseball practice and piano lessons over Hebrew School. We sent our kids to Jewish summer camps that have nothing to do with being Jewish for fear of excluding someone. We allowed our comfort in America, our belief that “it can’t happen here” to make us complacent, and we downloaded that complacency onto our children.  We have placed our Americanness over our Jewishness and in doing so, we have raised good Americans, but we have raised profoundly ignorant Jews.

 

True, there are young Jews that do tremendous work on behalf of Israel, advocating strongly for the Jewish State that should be a guarantee that “Never Again” is more than just a hackneyed phrase, but they are the clear minority at this point. We need to do better, people.  If we want our children and grandchildren to care enough about their people to put down their phones, turn off their Playstations and engage with their own heritage, we must do better. It starts with education. When we put all our eggs in the Holocaust education basket, we end up with Jews who say “Woe to be a Jew” rather than “Thank God for making me a Jew”. We end up with a depressed, beaten down group of kids who feel like it would be better to hitch their wagon to any group other than the Jews, particularly when they see the usually soft, hand wringing responses of Jewish leadership when Jews are publicly attacked. Of course we must educate our children about the Holocaust. How else will they come to understand the price of complacency, or to see the signs of trouble on the horizon, such as the New York Times cartoon? The stories of sorrow have to be balanced out with the tales of glory, because no one wants to grow up hearing about how miserable it has been for their people. That won’t inspire any kind of fervor, passion or even interest in most kids, and they will grow up to be the apathetic young adults who are so often missing from the Jewish community. The answer to this education crisis lies with Israel.

 

Teach your children about Israeli courage, because in the same decade that we were being herded into boxcars at gun point and shipped off to die in Auschwitz, we were freeing our ancestral homeland from the British Empire, fighting off Arab armies at odds of 10-1 and making our little desert into the paradise that it is today as gutsy pioneers. We have thousands of years of rich culture and vibrant history, we are one of the oldest nations on Earth. Unlike the ancient Assyrians, and Babylonians and Romans, we are still here, and what’s more, we’ve come home! Give your children something to be proud of.  Make them feel like they are a link in a great, golden chain, rather than a burdened member of a cursed people and I promise you, that if, God forbid, we have to protest again, the average age will be thirty instead of fifty.

 The best solution is to make Aliyah, thereby you children will be raised in a Jewish State with a Jewish environment and marry a Jew.

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Europe’s Jewish Exodus (Full Length) :: Is the US next?

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

Why Civilizations Fail

What is the real challenge of maintaining a free society? In Parshat Eikev, Moshe springs his great surprise. Here are his words:
Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God . . . Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery . . . You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” . . . If you ever forget the Lord your God . . . I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. (D’varim 8:11-19)

 

What Moshe was saying to the new generation was this: You thought that the forty years of wandering in the wilderness were the real challenge, and that once you conquer and settle the land, your problems will be over. The truth is that it is then that the real challenge will begin. It will be precisely when all your physical needs are met – when you have land and sovereignty and rich harvests and safe homes – that your spiritual trial will commence.

 

The real challenge is not poverty but affluence, not insecurity but security, not slavery but freedom. Moshe, for the first time in history, was hinting at a law of history. Many centuries later it was articulated by the great 14th century Islamic thinker, Ibn Khaldun (1332- 1406), by the Italian political philosopher Giambattista Vico (1668-1744), and most recently by the Harvard historian Niall Ferguson. Moshe was giving an account of the decline and fall of civilisations.

 

Ibn Khaldun argued similarly, that when a civilisation becomes great, its elites get used to luxury and comfort, and the people as a whole lose what he called their asabiyah, their social solidarity. The people then become prey to a conquering enemy, less civilised than they are but more cohesive and driven.
Vico described a similar cycle:

 

“People first sense what is necessary, then consider what is useful, next attend to comfort, later delight in pleasures, soon grow dissolute in luxury, and finally go mad squandering their estates.”

 

Bertrand Russell put it powerfully in the introduction to his History of Western Philosophy. Russell thought that the two great peaks of civilization were reached in ancient Greece and Renaissance Italy. But he was honest enough to see that the very features that made them great contained the seeds of their own demise:

 

What had happened in the great age of Greece happened again in Renaissance Italy: traditional moral restraints disappeared, because they were seen to be associated with superstition; the liberation from fetters made individuals energetic and creative, producing a rare fluorescence of genius; but the anarchy and treachery which inevitably resulted from the decay of morals made Italians collectively impotent, and they fell, like the Greeks, under the domination of nations less civilised than themselves but not so destitute of social cohesion.

 

Niall Ferguson, in his book Civilization: the West and the Rest (2011) argued that the West rose to dominance because of what he calls its six “killer applications”: competition, science, democracy, medicine, consumerism, and the Protestant work ethic. Today however it is losing belief in itself and is in danger of being overtaken by others.

 

All of this was said for the first time by Moshe, and it forms a central argument of the book of D’varim. If you assume – he tells the next generation – that you yourselves won the land and the freedom you enjoy, you will grow complacent and self-satisfied. That is the beginning of the end of any civilization. In an earlier chapter, Moshe uses the graphic word V’NOSHANTEM, “you will grow old” (D’varim 4:25), meaning that you will no longer have the moral and mental energy to make the sacrifices necessary for the defence of freedom.

 

Inequalities will grow. The rich will become self-indulgent. The poor will feel excluded. There will be social divisions, resentments and injustices. Society will no longer cohere. People will not feel bound to one another by a bond of collective responsibility. Individualism will prevail. Trust will decline. Social capital will wane.

 

This has happened, sooner or later, to all civilisations, however great. To the Israelites – a small people surrounded by large empires – it would be disastrous. As Moshe makes clear towards the end of the book, in the long account of the curses that would overcome the people if they lost their spiritual bearings, Israel would find itself defeated and devastated.
Only against this background can we understand the momentous project the book of D’varim is proposing: the creation of a society capable of defeating the normal laws of the growth- and-decline of civilisations. This is an astonishing idea.
How is it to be done? By each person bearing and sharing responsibility for the society as a whole. By each knowing the history of his or her people. By each individual studying and understanding the laws that govern all. By teaching their children so that they too become literate and articulate in their identity.
Rule 1: Never forget where you came from.

 

Next, you sustain freedom by establishing courts, the rule of law and the implementation of justice. By caring for the poor. By ensuring that everyone has the basic requirements of dignity. By including the lonely in the people’s celebrations. By remembering the covenant daily, weekly, annually in ritual, and renewing it at a national assembly every seven years. By making sure there are always prophets to remind the people of their destiny and expose the corruptions of power.
Rule 2: Never drift from your foundational principles and ideals.

 

Above all it is achieved by recognising a power greater than ourselves. This is Moshe’s most insistent point. Societies start growing old when they lose faith in the transcendent. They then lose faith in an objective moral order and end by losing faith in themselves.
Rule 3: A society is as strong as its faith.

 

Only faith in God can lead us to honour the needs of others as well as ourselves. Only faith in God can motivate us to act for the benefit of a future we will not live to see. Only faith in God can stop us from wrongdoing when we believe that no other human will ever find out. Only faith in God can give us the humility that alone has the power to defeat the arrogance of success and the self-belief that leads, as Paul Kennedy argued in The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers (1987), to military overstretch and national defeat.

 

Towards the end of his book Civilization, Niall Ferguson quotes a member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, part of a team tasked with the challenge of discovering why it was that Europe, having lagged behind China until the 17th century, overtook it, rising to prominence and dominance.

 

At first, he said, we thought it was your guns. You had better weapons than we did. Then we delved deeper and thought it was your political system. Then we searched deeper still, and concluded that it was your economic system. But for the past 20 years we have realised that it was in fact your religion. It was the (Judeo-Christian) foundation of social and cultural life in Europe that made possible the emergence first of capitalism, then of democratic politics.
Only faith can save a society from decline and fall. That was one of Moshe’s greatest insights, and it has never ceased to be true.

The “Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel is a classic. But looking at the meaning behind the song, there is so much depth. You have a choice either the Cellphone, Internet and the Computer or Shabbat and family

jewishjournal-com-logo

After closing, rallying cry for Perutz Etz Jacob Hebrew Academy

Jewish Journal
September 16, 2016 https://jewishjournal.com/los_angeles/189813/

For more than 20 years, a Jewish Orthodox day school in West Hollywood strived to provide a quality education to children from immigrant families who couldn’t afford to pay a private school tuition.

 

But in recent months, Perutz Etz Jacob Hebrew Academy fell behind on rent payments and it was forced to close in July. Now, supporters are fighting to reopen its doors somewhere else.

 

“I want to cry when I think about what happened,” said Kenneth Lowenstein, 35, an alumnus who is trying to raise money for the school. “Where is the outcry from the philanthropies? Where is the community outrage?”

 

The academy’s financial troubles started a few months ago, after its landlord raised the rent, Lowenstein said.

 

The school occupies a corner near the intersection of Beverly Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, just a short walk from the glitz and glam of The Grove and other luxury boutiques that have popped up in the vicinity. The academy paid $8,000 a month until its landlord nearly tripled the rate to $22,000 earlier this year, according to Lowenstein.

 

A representative of Hayworth Property Management, the leasing management company, declined to comment for this article, and Rabbi Shlomo Harrosh, who has been the principal of the school since 1994, said he preferred not to discuss the reason for the academy’s closure.

 

Bernard Suissa, president of the school’s board, said rising costs forced the academy to close but there are no hard feelings. The property’s landlord has been Jacob’s biggest donor for many years, he said.“Sometimes we didn’t pay for many months and they looked the other way,” Suissa said. “They were incredibly patient and gracious with us.”

 

More than 80 percent of the school’s income came from donations and only 20 percent from tuition, Harrosh said. On top of that, the majority of students whose families struggled with financial problems received a significant discount. The tuition was set at $10,000 a year, but only a fraction of students paid the full amount, according to Harrosh. “If you could pay $600 a month, they would take you,” Lowenstein said. “If you could afford only $200 a month, they would still take you.”

 

That proved to be an unsustainable business model.

 

“Rabbi Harrosh has never been a successful fundraiser, but he has always been an excellent teacher,” Lowenstein said. “He has touched so many lives though his education and impacted so many children.”

 

The Perutz Etz Jacob Hebrew Academy, named after Holocaust survivor Rachela Silber Perutz, was founded in 1993 by Rabbi Rubin Huttler as an emergency school for children who immigrated from Russia and Iran. It enrolled 55 students last year in grades one to eight, some of them with learning disabilities and behavioral problems.

 

“We took in children who other schools couldn’t handle,” Harrosh said. “We enrolled children who struggled emotionally, academically and financially.”

 

Since the school’s closure in July, some families placed their children into public schools, while others are still scrambling to find a new school.

 

One parent is Ross, the father of a 9-year-old son who has a pervasive developmental disorder, or PDD, characterized by delays in the development of social and communication skills. (Ross preferred his full name not be published in order to protect his son’s privacy.)

 

He reached out to the academy two years ago after other Jewish Orthodox schools refused to accept his son, and was welcomed. Over time, he said, his son fell in love with Perutz Etz Jacobs. Once a day, the boy spent at least an hour studying one on one with Harrosh or other teachers. During holidays, the boy begged Ross to take him to school.

 

In August, Ross found out that the academy was forced to close, news that his son didn’t take well. Now, Ross is scrambling to find a new school for his son.

 

“It was very traumatic for him,” Ross said. “He has nowhere to go now, and he is very upset about it.”

 

Unlike some other schools, Perutz Etz Jacob, situated in an unimposing, one-story structure, could never brag about a state-of-the-art building, spacious grounds or classrooms equipped with iPads, said Lowenstein, who spent two years there before graduating in 1995.

 

But its teachers provided plenty of love and support for their students, according Harrosh.

 

“Our students saw Judaism in action,” the rabbi said. “When you care about every child, you see Judaism in action.”

 

Lowenstein, who now runs a security firm, said he was a troubled child with learning disabilities when he was accepted to the school, which quickly became his second home.

 

“I had combative relationships with my parents and sometimes I asked my teachers to stay a little longer,” he said. “The school became my home away from home.”

 

Many other children had similar experiences, said Ross, who reached out to the academy after several people told him how Harrosh changed their lives. “More than one person told me something like, ‘When I was a kid, Rabbi Harrosh saved my life,’ ” he said.

 

On a recent weekday afternoon, the yellow one-story stucco building located at the intersection of Beverly and Hayworth Avenue showed no sign of the day school. Construction materials were seen in empty rooms through a dusty window.

 

Just recently, Lowenstein posted a message on Facebook about the closure of the academy, calling on the school’s alumni, including lawyers, doctors and real estate developers, to give back to the school that “has done so much for so many families.” His hope is that with the community’s support, the school will find a new building so that it can relocate.

 

“I want to reach as many people as possible, make phone calls, and track alumni via social media,” he said. “I want to do as much as possible to help the school.”

 

In the meantime, Harrosh is planning to meet and work with some students one on one. He said it breaks his heart knowing that some children still have not started the school year.

 

“Those children need more love and attention,” he said. “I don’t blame other schools, but they are too big to give attention that those children need.”

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By Staff | Posted in The Bird Cage Liner Gazette | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Jewish People Policy Institute-Raising Jewish Children 2017

Debbie’s Worm

06/06/2017 – י״ב בסיון ה׳תשע״ז – י״ב בסיון ה׳תשע״ז – 05:59
Debbie’s Worm

Debbie’s Worm

Hank Williams-Hey Good Lookin

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Hank Williams

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Williams

Hank Williams - Promotional Photo

Hank Williams – Promotional Photo

Wikipedia-logoHiram “Hank” Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he recorded 55 singles (five released posthumously) that reached the top 10 of the Billboard Country & Western Best Sellers chart, including 12 that reached No. 1 (three posthumously).

Born and raised in Alabama, Williams was given guitar lessons by African-American blues musician Rufus Payne in exchange for meals or money. Payne, along with Roy Acuff and Ernest Tubb, had a major influence on Williams’s later musical style. Williams began his music career in Montgomery in 1937, when producers at local radio station WSFA hired him to perform and host a 15-minute program. He formed the Drifting Cowboys backup band, which was managed by his mother, and dropped out of school to devote his time to his career. When several of his band members were drafted during World War II, he had trouble with their replacements, and WSFA terminated his contract because of his alcoholism.

Williams married singer Audrey Sheppard, who was his manager for nearly a decade. After recording “Never Again” and “Honky Tonkin'” with Sterling Records, he signed a contract with MGM Records. In 1947, he released “Move It on Over“, which became a hit, and also joined the Louisiana Hayride radio program. One year later, he released a cover of “Lovesick Blues“, which carried him into the mainstream. After an initial rejection, Williams joined the Grand Ole Opry. He was unable to read or notate music to any significant degree. Among the hits he wrote were “Your Cheatin’ Heart“, “Hey, Good Lookin’“, and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry“.

Years of back pain, alcoholism, and prescription drug abuse severely compromised Williams’s health. In 1952, he divorced Sheppard and married singer Billie Jean Horton. He was dismissed by the Grand Ole Opry because of his unreliability and alcoholism. On New Year’s Day 1953, he suffered from heart failure and died suddenly at the age of 29 in Oak Hill, West Virginia. Despite his relatively brief career, he is one of the most celebrated and influential musicians of the 20th century, especially in country music. Many artists have covered his songs and he has influenced Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, George Jones, George Strait, Charley Pride, and The Rolling Stones, among others. Williams was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. The Pulitzer Prize jury awarded him a posthumous special citation in 2010 for his “craftsmanship as a songwriter who expressed universal feelings with poignant simplicity and played a pivotal role in transforming country music into a major musical and cultural force in American life”.

Williams was born Hiram Williams[3] on September 17, 1923,[4] in the rural community of Mount Olive in Butler County, Alabama.[5] He was the third child of Jessie Lillybelle “Lillie” (née Skipper) (1898–1955) and Elonzo Huble “Lon” Williams (1891–1970). Elonzo was a railroad engineer for the W. T. Smith lumber company and was drafted during World War I, serving from July 1918 to June 1919. He was severely injured after falling from a truck, breaking his collarbone and suffering a severe blow to the head.[6] The family’s first child, Ernest Huble Williams, was born on July 5, 1921; he died two days later. They later had a daughter named Irene. Since Williams’s parents were both followers of Freemasonry,[7] Williams was named after Hiram I. His name was misspelled as “Hiriam” on his birth certificate, which was prepared and signed when he was 10 years old.[8] He was of Cherokee and Muscogee descent[9][10] along with ancestry from various Western European nations.

As a child, Williams was nicknamed “Harm” by his family and “Herky” or “Skeets” by his friends.[11] He was born with spina bifida occulta, a birth defect of the spinal column, which gave him lifelong pain; this became a factor in his later alcohol and drug abuse.[12] Williams’s father was frequently relocated by the lumber company railway for which he worked, and the family lived in many southern Alabama towns. In 1930, when Williams was seven years old, Elonzo began suffering from facial paralysis. At a Veterans Affairs clinic in Pensacola, Florida, doctors determined that the cause was a brain aneurysm, and Elonzo was sent to the VA Medical Center in Alexandria, Louisiana. He remained hospitalized for eight years, rendering him mostly absent throughout Williams’s childhood.[13] From that time on, Lillie assumed responsibility for the family.[14]

In the fall of 1934, the Williams family moved to Greenville, Alabama, where Lillie opened a boarding house next to the Butler County courthouse.[15] In 1935, they settled in Garland, Alabama, where Lillie opened a new boarding house; they later moved with Williams’s cousin Opal McNeil to Georgiana, Alabama,[16] where Lillie took several side jobs to support the family despite the bleak economic climate of the Great Depression. She worked in a cannery and served as a night-shift nurse in the local hospital.[17] Their first house burned down, and the family lost their possessions. They moved to a new house on the other side of town on Rose Street, which Williams’s mother soon turned into another boarding house. The house had a small garden on which they grew diverse crops that Williams and his sister Irene sold around Georgiana.[18] At a chance meeting in Georgiana, Williams met U.S. Representative J. Lister Hill while Hill was campaigning across Alabama. He told Hill that his mother was interested in talking to him about his problems and her need to collect Elonzo’s disability pension. With Hill’s help, the family began collecting the money.[19] Despite his medical condition, the family managed fairly well financially throughout the Great Depression.[20]

There are several versions of how Williams got his first guitar. His mother stated that she bought it with money from selling peanuts, but many other prominent residents of the town claimed to have been the one who purchased the guitar for him. While living in Georgiana, Williams met Rufus “Tee-Tot” Payne, a street performer. Payne gave Williams guitar lessons in exchange for money or meals prepared by Lillie.[21][22] Payne’s base musical style was blues.[23] Payne taught Williams chords, chord progressions, bass turns, and the musical style of accompaniment that he would use in most of his future songwriting. Later on, Williams recorded “My Bucket’s Got a Hole in It“, one of the songs that Payne taught him.[24] His musical style contained influences from Payne along with several other country influences, among them Jimmie Rodgers, Moon Mullican, and Roy Acuff.[25] In 1937, Williams got into a fight with his physical education teacher about exercises the coach wanted him to do. His mother subsequently demanded that the school board terminate the coach; when they refused, the family moved to Montgomery, Alabama. Payne and Williams lost touch, though Payne also eventually moved to Montgomery, where he died in poverty in 1939. Williams later credited him as his only teacher.[26]

Career

1930s

In July 1937, the Williams and McNeils opened a boarding house on South Perry Street in downtown Montgomery. It was at this time that Williams decided to change his name informally from Hiram to Hank. Williams told a story in later concerts that attributed his name change to a cat’s yowling. The authors of Hank Williams: The Biography pointed out that “Hank” sounded more “like a hillbilly and western star” than “Hiram”.[27] During the same year, he participated in a talent show at the Empire Theater. He won the first prize of $15, singing his first original song “WPA Blues”. Williams wrote the lyrics and used the tune of Riley Puckett‘s “Dissatisfied”.[28]

He never learned to read music; instead he based his compositions in storytelling and personal experience.[29] After school and on weekends, Williams sang and played his Silvertone guitar on the sidewalk in front of the WSFA radio studio.[30] His recent win at the Empire Theater and the street performances caught the attention of WSFA producers who occasionally invited him to perform on air.[31] So many listeners contacted the radio station asking for more of “the singing kid”, possibly influenced by his mother, that the producers hired him to host his own 15-minute show twice a week for a weekly salary of US$15 (equivalent to $300 in 2020).[32]

In August 1938, Elonzo Williams was temporarily released from the hospital. He showed up unannounced at the family’s home in Montgomery. Lillie was unwilling to let him reclaim his position as the head of the household. Elonzo stayed to celebrate his son’s birthday in September before he returned to the medical center in Louisiana. Williams’s mother had claimed that he was dead.[30]

Williams’s successful radio show fueled his entry into a music career. His salary was enough for him to start his own band, which he dubbed the Drifting Cowboys. The original members were guitarist Braxton Schuffert, fiddler Freddie Beach, and comedian Smith “Hezzy” Adair. James E. (Jimmy) Porter was the youngest, being only 13 when he started playing steel guitar for Williams. Arthur Whiting was also a guitarist for the Drifting Cowboys.[33] The band traveled throughout central and southern Alabama performing in clubs and at private gatherings. James Ellis Garner later played fiddle for him. Lillie Williams became the Drifting Cowboys’ manager. Williams dropped out of school in October 1939 so that he and the Drifting Cowboys could work full-time.[12] Lillie Williams began booking show dates, negotiating prices and driving them to some of their shows. Now free to travel without Williams’s schooling taking precedence, the band could tour as far away as western Georgia and the Florida Panhandle.[34] The band started playing in theaters before the start of the movies and later in honky-tonks.[35] Williams’s alcohol use started to become a problem during the tours; on occasion he spent a large part of the show revenues on alcohol. Meanwhile, between tour schedules, Williams returned to Montgomery to host his radio show.[36]

1940s

The American entry into World War II in 1941 marked the beginning of hard times for Williams. While he was medically disqualified from military service after suffering a back injury caused by falling from a bull during a rodeo in Texas, his band members were all drafted to serve. Many of their replacements refused to play in the band due to Williams’s worsening alcoholism.[37] He continued to show up for his radio show intoxicated, so in August 1942 the WSFA radio station fired him for “habitual drunkenness”. During one of his concerts, Williams met his idol, Grand Ole Opry star Roy Acuff backstage,[38] who later warned him of the dangers of alcohol, saying, “You’ve got a million-dollar talent, son, but a ten-cent brain.”[39]

He worked for the rest of the war for a shipbuilding company in Mobile, Alabama, as well as singing in bars for soldiers.[28] In 1943, Williams met Audrey Sheppard at a medicine show in Banks, Alabama. Williams and Sheppard lived and worked together in Mobile.[40] Sheppard later told Williams that she wanted to move to Montgomery with him and start a band together and help him regain his radio show. The couple were married in 1944 at a Texaco Station in Andalusia, Alabama, by a justice of the peace. The marriage was declared illegal, since Sheppard’s divorce from her previous husband did not comply with the legally required 60-day trial reconciliation.[41][42]

In 1945, when he was back in Montgomery, Williams started to perform again for the WSFA radio station. He wrote songs weekly to perform during the shows.[43] As a result of the new variety of his repertoire, Williams published his first songbook, Original Songs of Hank Williams.[38] The book only listed lyrics, since its main purpose was to attract more audiences, though it is also possible that he did not want to pay for transcribing the notes. It included 10 songs: “Mother Is Gone”, “Won’t You Please Come Back”, “My Darling Baby Girl” (with Audrey Sheppard), “Grandad’s Musket”, “I Just Wish I Could Forget”, “Let’s Turn Back the Years“, “Honkey-Tonkey”, “I Loved No One But You”, “A Tramp on the Street”, and “You’ll Love Me Again”.[44] With Williams beginning to be recognized as a songwriter,[45] Sheppard became his manager and occasionally accompanied him on duets in some of his live concerts.[46]

On September 14, 1946, Williams auditioned for Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, but was rejected. After the failure of his audition, Williams and Audrey Sheppard attempted to interest the recently formed music publishing firm Acuff-Rose Music. Williams and his wife approached Fred Rose, the president of the company, during one of his habitual ping-pong games at WSM radio studios. Audrey Williams asked Rose if her husband could sing a song for him on that moment,[47] Rose agreed, and he liked Williams’s musical style.[48] Rose signed Williams to a six-song contract, and leveraged this deal to sign Williams with Sterling Records. On December 11, 1946, in his first recording session, he recorded “Wealth Won’t Save Your Soul”, “Calling You”, “Never Again (Will I Knock on Your Door)“, and “When God Comes and Gathers His Jewels”, which was misprinted as “When God Comes and Fathers His Jewels”.[38] The recordings “Never Again” and “Honky Tonkin’” became successful, and earned Williams the attention of MGM Records.[49]

Williams signed with MGM Records in 1947 and released “Move It on Over“; considered an early example of rock and roll music, the song became a massive country hit. In 1948, he moved to Shreveport, Louisiana, and he joined the Louisiana Hayride, a radio show broadcast that propelled him into living rooms all over the Southeast appearing on weekend shows. Williams eventually started to host a show on KWKH and started touring across western Louisiana and eastern Texas, always returning on Saturdays for the weekly broadcast of the Hayride.[50] After a few more moderate hits, in 1949 he released his version of the 1922 Cliff Friend and Irving Mills song “Lovesick Blues“,[51] made popular by Rex Griffin. Williams’s version became a huge country hit; the song stayed at number one on the Billboard charts for four consecutive months,[52] crossing over to mainstream audiences and gaining Williams a place in the Grand Ole Opry.[53] On June 11, 1949, Williams made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry, where he became the first performer to receive six encores.[54] He brought together Bob McNett (guitar), Hillous Butrum (bass), Jerry Rivers (fiddle) and Don Helms (steel guitar) to form the most famous version of the Drifting Cowboys, earning an estimated $1,000 per show (equivalent to $10,900 in 2020) That year Audrey Williams gave birth to Randall Hank Williams (Hank Williams Jr.).[55] During 1949, he joined the first European tour of the Grand Ole Opry, performing in military bases in England, Germany and the Azores.[56] Williams released seven hit songs after “Lovesick Blues”, including “Wedding Bells”,[51] “Mind Your Own Business”, “You’re Gonna Change (Or I’m Gonna Leave)”, and “My Bucket’s Got a Hole in It”.[57]

1950s

In 1950, Williams began recording as “Luke the Drifter” for his religious-themed recordings, many of which are recitations rather than singing. Fearful that disc jockeys and jukebox operators would hesitate to accept these unusual recordings, Williams used this alias to avoid hurting the marketability of his name.[58] Although the real identity of Luke the Drifter was supposed to be anonymous, Williams often performed part of the material of the recordings on stage. Most of the material was written by Williams himself, in some cases with the help of Fred Rose and his son Wesley.[59] The songs depicted Luke the Drifter traveling around from place to place, narrating stories of different characters and philosophizing about life.[60][61] Some of the compositions were accompanied by a pipe organ.[58] Around this time Williams released more hit songs, such as “My Son Calls Another Man Daddy“, “They’ll Never Take Her Love from Me“, “Why Should We Try Anymore“, “Nobody’s Lonesome for Me“, “Long Gone Lonesome Blues“, “Why Don’t You Love Me“, “Moanin’ the Blues“, and “I Just Don’t Like This Kind of Living“.[62] In 1951, “Dear John” became a hit, but it was the flip side, “Cold, Cold Heart“, that became one of his most recognized songs. A pop cover version by Tony Bennett released the same year stayed on the charts for 27 weeks, peaking at number one.[63]

Williams’s career reached a peak in the late summer of 1951 with his Hadacol tour of the U.S. with Bob Hope and other actors. On the weekend after the tour ended, Williams was photographed backstage at the Grand Ole Opry signing a motion picture deal with MGM.[64] In October, Williams recorded a demo, “There’s a Tear in My Beer” for a friend, “Big Bill Lister“, who recorded it in the studio.[65] On November 14, 1951, Williams flew to New York with his steel guitar player Don Helms where he appeared on television for the first time on The Perry Como Show. There he and Perry Como sang “Hey Good Lookin'”.[66]

In November 1951, Williams suffered a fall during a hunting trip with his fiddler Jerry Rivers in Franklin, Tennessee. The fall reactivated his old back pains. He later started to consume painkillers, including morphine, and alcohol to help ease the pain.[55] On May 21, he had been admitted to North Louisiana Sanitarium for the treatment of his alcoholism, leaving on May 24.[67] On December 13, 1951, he had a spinal fusion at the Vanderbilt University Hospital, being released on December 24.[67] During his recovery, he lived with his mother in Montgomery, and later moved to Nashville with Ray Price.[68]

During the spring of 1952, Williams flew to New York with steel guitarist Don Helms, where he made two appearances with other Grand Ole Opry members on The Kate Smith Show. He sang “Cold, Cold Heart“, “Hey Good Lookin’‘”, “Glory Bound Train” and “I Saw the Light” with other cast members, and a duet, “I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love with You)” with Anita Carter.[69] That same year, Williams had a brief extramarital affair with dancer Bobbie Jett, with whom he fathered a daughter, Jett Williams.[70]

In June 1952, he recorded “Jambalaya (On the Bayou)“, “Window Shopping”, “Settin’ the Woods on Fire”, and “I’ll Never Get out of this World Alive”. Audrey Williams divorced him that year; the next day he recorded “You Win Again” and “I Won’t be Home No More”. Around this time, he met Billie Jean Jones, a girlfriend of country singer Faron Young, at the Grand Ole Opry. As a girl, Jones had lived down the street from Williams when he was with the Louisiana Hayride, and now Williams began to visit her frequently in Shreveport, causing him to miss many Grand Ole Opry appearances.[71]

On August 11, 1952, Williams was dismissed from the Grand Ole Opry for habitual drunkenness and missing shows. He returned to Shreveport, Louisiana, to perform on KWKH and WBAM shows and in the Louisiana Hayride, for which he toured again. His performances were acclaimed when he was sober, but despite the efforts of his work associates to get him to shows sober, his abuse of alcohol resulted in occasions when he did not appear or his performances were poor.[72] In October 1952 he married Billie Jean Jones.[73]

During his last recording session on September 23, 1952, Williams recorded “Kaw-Liga“, along with “Your Cheatin’ Heart“, “Take These Chains from My Heart“, and “I Could Never be Ashamed of You”. Due to Williams’s excesses, Fred Rose stopped working with him. By the end of 1952, Williams had started to suffer heart problems.[55] He met Horace “Toby” Marshall in Oklahoma City, who said that he was a doctor. Marshall had been previously convicted for forgery, and had been paroled and released from the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in 1951. Among other fake titles, he said that he was a Doctor of Science. He purchased the DSC title for $25 from the Chicago School of Applied Science; in the diploma, he requested that the DSC be spelled out as “Doctor of Science and Psychology”. Under the name of Dr. C. W. Lemon he prescribed Williams with amphetamines, Seconal, chloral hydrate, and morphine, which made his heart problems worse.[74] His final concert was held in Austin, Texas, at the Skyline Club on December 19.[75]

Personal life

On December 15, 1944, Williams married Audrey Sheppard. It was her second marriage and his first. Their son, Randall Hank Williams (now known as Hank Williams Jr.), was born on May 26, 1949. The marriage was always turbulent and rapidly disintegrated, and Williams developed serious problems with alcohol, morphine, and other painkillers prescribed for him to ease the severe back pain caused by his spina bifida occulta.[12] The couple divorced on May 29, 1952.[76] In June 1952, Williams moved in with his mother, even as he released numerous hit songs such as “Half as Much” in April, “Jambalaya (On the Bayou)” in July, “You Win Again” in September, and “I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive” in November. His substance abuse problems continued to spiral out of control as he moved to Nashville and officially divorced Sheppard.[77] A relationship with a woman named Bobbie Jett during this period resulted in a daughter, Jett Williams, who was born five days after Williams died. His mother adopted Jett, who was made a ward of the state after her grandmother died and then adopted by another couple. Jett did not learn that she was Williams’s daughter until the early 1980s.[78]

On October 18, 1952, Williams and Billie Jean Jones were married by a justice of the peace[79] in Minden, Louisiana.[73] It was the second marriage for both (each being divorced with children).[73] The next day, two public ceremonies were held at the New Orleans Civic Auditorium, where 14,000 seats were sold for each.[79] After Williams’s death, a judge ruled that the wedding was not legal because Jones’ divorce had not become final until 11 days after she married Williams. His first wife and his mother were the driving forces behind having the marriage declared invalid, and they pursued the matter for years. Williams had also married Sheppard before her divorce was final, on the 10th day of a required 60-day reconciliation period.[80]

During the 1952 presidential election, Williams was a vocal supporter of Republican nominee Dwight D. Eisenhower. According to singer Jo Stafford, Williams sent Eisenhower a birthday telegram on October 14, informing him that he considered it a personal honor to endorse a military figure to lead the nation in its coming future. Eisenhower was sworn in as president 19 days after Williams’s death.[81]

A man named Lewis Fitzgerald (born 1943) claimed to be Williams’s illegitimate son; he was the son of Marie McNeil, Williams’s cousin.[82] In 2005, the BBC documentary series Arena featured an episode on Williams.[83] Fitzgerald was interviewed, and he suggested that Lillie Williams operated a brothel at her boarding house in Montgomery. A friend of the family denied his claims, but singer Billy Walker remembered that Williams mentioned to him the presence of men in the house being led upstairs.[82]

Death

Williams was scheduled to perform at the Municipal Auditorium in Charleston, West Virginia, on December 31, 1952. Advance ticket sales totaled $3,500. That day, Williams could not fly because of an ice storm in the Nashville area; he hired a college student, Charles Carr, to drive him to the concerts.[84] Carr called the Charleston auditorium from Knoxville to say that Williams would not arrive on time owing to the ice storm and was instead ordered to drive Williams to Canton, Ohio, for a New Year’s Day concert there.[85] The two arrived at the Andrew Johnson Hotel in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Carr requested a doctor for Williams, who was affected by the combination of the chloral hydrate and alcohol he had drunk on the way to Knoxville.[86] Dr. P. H. Cardwell injected Williams with two shots of vitamin B12 that also contained a quarter-grain of morphine. Carr and Williams checked out of the hotel, but the porters had to carry Williams to the car as he was coughing and hiccuping.[87]

At around midnight on January 1, 1953, when the two crossed the Tennessee state line and arrived in Bristol, Virginia, Carr stopped at a small all-night restaurant and asked Williams if he wanted to eat. Williams said he did not, and those are believed to be his last words.[88] Carr later drove on until he stopped for fuel at a gas station in Oak Hill, West Virginia, where he realized that Williams had been dead for so long that rigor mortis had already set in. The station’s owner called the local police chief.[89] In Williams’s Cadillac, the police found some empty beer cans and unfinished handwritten lyrics.[90] Dr. Ivan Malinin performed the autopsy at the Tyree Funeral House. He found hemorrhages in the heart and neck and pronounced the cause of death as “insufficiency of the right ventricle of the heart”.[91] He also wrote that Williams had been severely beaten and kicked in the groin recently, and local magistrate Virgil F. Lyons ordered an inquest into Williams’s death concerning a welt that was visible on his head.[92] That evening, when the announcer in Canton announced Williams’s death to the gathered crowd, they started laughing because they thought it was just another excuse. After Hawkshaw Hawkins and other performers started singing Williams’s song “I Saw the Light” as a tribute to him, the crowd realized that he was indeed dead and began to sing along.[79]

On January 2, Williams’s body was transported to Montgomery, Alabama, where it was placed in a silver casket that was displayed at his mother’s boarding house for two days. His funeral took place on January 4 at the Montgomery Auditorium, with his casket placed on the flower-covered stage.[93] An estimated 15,000 to 25,000 people passed by the silver casket, and the auditorium was filled with 2,750 mourners.[94] His funeral was said to have been far larger than any ever held for any other citizen of Alabama, and the largest event ever held in Montgomery.[95][96] Williams’s remains are interred at the Oakwood Annex in Montgomery. The president of MGM Records told Billboard magazine that the company got only about five requests for pictures of Williams during the weeks before his death, but over 300 afterwards. The local record shops reportedly sold all their Williams records, and customers were asking for all records ever released by Williams.[94]

Williams’s final single, released in November 1952 while he was still alive, was titled “I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive“. His song “Your Cheatin’ Heart” was written and recorded in September 1952, but released in late January 1953 after his death. The song, backed by “Kaw-Liga“, was No. 1 on the country charts for six weeks. It provided the title for the 1964 biographical film of the same name, which starred George Hamilton as Williams.[97] “Take These Chains From My Heart” was released in April 1953 and reached No. 1 on the country charts.[98] Released in July, “I Won’t Be Home No More” went to No. 4. Meanwhile, “Weary Blues From Waitin'” reached No. 7.[99]

Legacy

Hank Williams’s star at 6400 Hollywood Boulevard, on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Williams has been called “the King of Country Music” in popular culture.[100][101][102] Alabama governor Gordon Persons officially proclaimed September 21 “Hank Williams Day”. The first celebration, in 1954, featured the unveiling of a monument at the Cramton Bowl that was later placed at the gravesite of Williams. The ceremony featured Ferlin Husky interpreting “I Saw the Light”.[103] Williams had 11 number one country hits in his career (“Lovesick Blues“, “Long Gone Lonesome Blues“, “Why Don’t You Love Me“, “Moanin’ the Blues“, “Cold, Cold Heart“, “Hey, Good Lookin’“, “Jambalaya (On the Bayou)“, “I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive“, “Kaw-Liga“, “Your Cheatin’ Heart“, and “Take These Chains from My Heart“), as well as many other top 10 hits.[104]

On February 8, 1960, Williams’s star was placed at 6400 Hollywood Boulevard on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[105] He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame[106] in 1961 and into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 1985.[107] When Downbeat magazine took a poll the year after Williams’s death, he was voted the most popular country and Western performer of all time—ahead of such giants as Jimmie Rodgers, Roy Acuff, Red Foley, and Ernest Tubb.[108]

In 1964, Hank Williams was portrayed by George Hamilton in the film Your Cheatin’ Heart.[109]

In 1977, a national organization of CB truck drivers voted “Your Cheatin’ Heart” as their favorite record of all time.[110] In 1987, he was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame under the category “Early Influence”.[111] He was ranked second in CMT‘s 40 Greatest Men of Country Music in 2003, behind only Johnny Cash who recorded the song “The Night Hank Williams Came To Town”. His son, Hank Jr., was ranked on the same list.[112]

In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked him number 74 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[113] Many artists of the 1950s and 1960s, including Elvis Presley,[114] Bob Dylan, Tammy Wynette, David Houston, Jerry Lee Lewis, Merle Haggard,[115] Gene Vincent,[116] Carl Perkins,[117] Ricky Nelson, and Conway Twitty[118] recorded Williams’s songs during their careers.

In 2011, Williams’s 1949 MGM number one hit, “Lovesick Blues”, was inducted into the Recording Academy Grammy Hall of Fame.[119] The same year, Hank Williams: The Complete Mother’s Best Recordings …Plus! was honored with a Grammy nomination for Best Historical Album.[120] In 1999, Williams was inducted into the Native American Music Hall of Fame.[121] On April 12, 2010, the Pulitzer Prize Board awarded Williams a posthumous special citation that paid tribute to his “craftsmanship as a songwriter who expressed universal feelings with poignant simplicity and played a pivotal role in transforming country music into a major musical and cultural force in American life”.[122] Several members of Williams’s descendants became musicians: Hank Williams Jr., daughter Jett Williams, grandson Hank Williams III, and granddaughters Hilary Williams[123] and Holly Williams are also country musicians.[124][125] In July 2020, his granddaughter Katherine (Hank Jr.’s daughter) died in a car crash at the age of 27.[126] His great-grandson Coleman Finchum, son of Hank Williams III, released his debut single credited to IV and the Strange Band in 2021. Meanwhile, Lewis Fitzgerald’s son Ricky billed himself as Hank Williams IV following his father’s claim of being Williams’s son.[127]

In 2006, a janitor of Sony/ATV Music Publishing found in a dumpster the unfinished lyrics written by Williams that had been found in his car the night he died. The worker claimed that she sold Williams’s notes to a representative of the Honky-Tonk Hall of Fame and the Rock-N-Roll Roadshow. The janitor was accused of theft, but the charges were later dropped when a judge determined that her version of events was true. The unfinished lyrics were later returned to Sony/ATV, which handed them to Bob Dylan in 2008 to complete the songs for a new album. Ultimately, the completion of the album included recordings by Alan Jackson, Norah Jones, Jack White, Lucinda Williams, Vince Gill, Rodney Crowell, Patty Loveless, Levon Helm, Jakob Dylan, Sheryl Crow, and Merle Haggard. The album, named The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams, was released on October 4, 2011.[128][129]

Material recorded by Williams, originally intended for radio broadcasts to be played when he was on tour or for its distribution to radio stations nationwide, resurfaced throughout time.[130] In 1993, a double-disc set of recordings of Williams for the Health & Happiness Show was released.[131] Broadcast in 1949, the shows were recorded for the promotion of Hadacol. The set was re-released on Hank Williams: The Legend Begins in 2011. The album included unreleased songs. “Fan It” and “Alexander’s Ragtime Band“, recorded by Williams at age 15; the homemade recordings of him singing “Freight Train Blues”, “New San Antonio Rose“, “St. Louis Blues” and “Greenback Dollar” at age 18; and a recording for the 1951 March of Dimes.[132] In May 2014, further radio recordings by Williams were released. The Garden Spot Programs, 1950, a series of publicity segments for plant nursery Naughton Farms originally aired in 1950. The recordings were found by collector George Gimarc at radio station KSIB in Creston, Iowa.[133] Gimarc contacted Williams’s daughter Jett, and Colin Escott, writer of a biography book on Williams. The material was restored and remastered by Michael Graves and released by Omnivore Recordings.[134][135] The release won a Grammy Award for Best Historical Album.[136]

Williams was portrayed by English actor Tom Hiddleston in the 2016 biopic I Saw the Light, based on Colin Escott’s 1994 book Hank Williams: The Biography.[137]
By Staff | Posted in The Bird Cage Liner Gazette | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Debbie’s Worm

Jerusalem 2019

01/05/2017 – ו׳ באייר ה׳תשע״ז – ו׳ באייר ה׳תשע״ז – 19:43

Yom Yerushalayim יום ירושלים

Yom Yerushalayim יום ירושלים‎ the holiday commemorating the reunification of Jerusalem, the Old City and regaining of access to the Kottel כותל (Western Wall) in the aftermath of the June 1967 Six-Day War. The day is officially marked by state ceremonies and memorial services.
‎

Watch and Listen to the real people that lived through the the events that lead up to the Six Day War in 1967 and the war itself. Six Day War – Israeli victory – Documentary – War of Redemption – Celebration at the Mercaz HaRav Yeshivah on Yom Yerushalayim 5781

Jerusalem – A taste of the Holy City
Nokia Kosher cell Phone

Nokia Kosher cell Phone

2019 has always been a key date in Science Fiction, such as Blade Runner or The Running Man, But technology has caught up to fiction. What technology will we use in the Beit Hamikdash? These are just a small samplings of some ideas.One thing I would like to see is more use of

Computerized voice messages with Kosher Phones of stead of requiring to have a Smart Phone. If Google can do it why not banks and others that use text messages for security codes?

Besides the use of Bar Code have RFID Tags or Smart Cards on everything, Have everyone who is in the Beit Hamikdash wear a Photo ID Smart Card, both for  Kohanim, Levim and for visitors. Color Code everything and have Color lines leading to major places like a bus map. Have voice and sound markers like at crosswalks in Israel (I know, Israel is years ahead of the US and Europe with aiding the Blind and Disabled). Israel already uses Electric Wheelchairs at the Kotel.

RFID Passive Tag

RFID Passive Tag

Smart Card

Smart Card

bus-map
Commercial vacuum seal bag

Commercial vacuum seal bag

Textured mylar bags wholesale meat

Textured mylar bags wholesale meat

For Korban Pesach: The use of Commercial vacuum seal bags for meat. (The bag is very strong and they have been using it for decades with wholesale meat.) The inner bag is completely Kosher and Tahor, with all the Kashruth seals. A second outer Textured Foil ChannAl Vacuum Bags for insulation and Kashruth double wrapping. A Third Standard Rip proof FedEx outer bag with the Name and Address of the owner along with “Care and Handling” instructions in Hebrew, Yiddish, Arabic, Russian, English, French and Spanish with illustrations. Finally the outer carrying bag with handles.
For Korbanot that are brought in by their owners: Have an advanced CT Scanner that will detect any metal object that the animal has eaten or any thing else that will disqualify it. Have the CT Scanner use AI (Artificial Intelligence) to quickly check the animal.
Banking: Trusted Secure Payments: Paypal Visa MC Amex Discover – Until the Globalist go after you with Sanctions

Buy locally, Charge locally, https://digital.isracard.co.il/

Isracard

Isracard

Trusted Secure Payments Paypal Visa MC Amex Discover

Trusted Secure Payments Paypal Visa MC Amex Discover

Intergalactic Banking Alliance & Logo

Intergalactic Banking Alliance & Logo
דואר-ישראל Israel Post

דואר-ישראל Israel Post

https://digital.isracard.co.il/

https://digital.isracard.co.il/

Red Heifer Update! (June, 2020/Tammuz 5780)

The Temple Institute 29June2020
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Eretz Yisrael in the Haftara by Rabbis Ethan Eisen and Tuly Weisz

Jerusalem’s Oldest Charity and the Secret to its Restoration

From his home in Liadi, Russia, Rabbi Shnuer Zalman, the first Lubavitcher Rebbe, established in 1788 the Kolel Chabad soup kitchen in Jerusalem. For more than two and a quarter centuries, Kolel Chabad has been the personal tzedakah of each succeeding Lubavitcher Rebbe. The long lasting and beloved institution dispenses not only food and drink to those who need it most, but helps Yerushalayim assume its vital role as the “city of righteousness, faithful city” as described in our haftara.

The Shabbat preceding Tish’a b’Av is known as Shabbat Chazon, taking its name from the opening words of the haftara. Chanted to the tune of Eicha, the Navi Yishayahu employs the same lament as Yirmiyahu, “How (eicha) the faithful city has become a harlot?! (1:21).

How indeed?

What is the Chazon (vision) of Yeshayahu? Although the opening passage of Yeshayahu does not detail Jerusalem’s devastation, it does contain the underlying reason for the destruction, while at the same time offers the solution for its restoration.
“Learn to do good. Devote yourselves to justice; Aid the wronged. Uphold the rights of the orphan; Defend the cause of the widow… If, then, you agree and give heed, You will eat the good things of the earth; But if you refuse and disobey, You will be devoured by the sword” (v. 17, 20).

As Hashem’s capital city, Yerushalayim exists on a different set of values. The Torah’s strategic defense plan for Jerusalem does not focus on metal detectors or riot police, but righteousness and justice.

The first ruler of Jerusalem is Malki-Tzedek, king of Shalem (B’reishit 14:18), and the ruler of the city when Bnei Yisrael entered the land as a nation was Adoni-Tzedek (Yehoshua 10:1). The Radak (ibid.) explains, “for Jerusalem is the place of justice and peace; it cannot tolerate injustice and oppression and abominable acts for long.”

Not only were the ancient kings of Jerusalem called ‘Tzedek’, but the city itself is referred to by seventy names, many of which refer to its inherent sense of justice. “Ir HaEmet” (Zecharya 8:3), “Nevei Tzedek” (Yirmiyahu 31:22), and in our haftara, “Ir HaTzedek” and “Kiryah Ne’emana” (Yeshayahu 1:25) – all reinforce the values essential to the Holy City.

The call for Yerushalayim to be a haven for the vulnerable goes beyond feeding the poor and needy. Our tradition goes even further and looks out for those who we ordinarily shun. Chazal offer a remarkable interpretation of a central verse in our haftara:
“How (eicha) the faithful city has become a harlot! – she had been full of justice, righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers!” (1:21). The Talmud (Sanhedrin 35a) explains that the “murderers” in this verse actually refers to those sitting in judgment. When trying a capital case in Yerushalayim, the judges must be extremely prudent and not act hastily in their decision making.

According to Rabbi Chanina, any court that finalizes a capital trial in a single day, and does not wait overnight to issue a final ruling, is considered murderous. Rashi explains: the court waits overnight to find a reason to acquit the defendant. Failure to uphold this procedural precaution, in the eyes of the Navi, is tantamount to murder. Yeshayahu here blames the judges of Yerushalayim for failure to be concerned with the most vulnerable members of society. Even someone on trial for murder is entitled to extreme compassion by the judges of the community, how much more so the widows and orphans! .

The return of righteous leaders and judges who will lead the people to relentlessly pursue justice on behalf of the vulnerable allows for Hashem to return His presence to the city and the Holy Temple:

“Then I will restore your judges as at first, and your counselors as at the beginning; after that you will be called ‘City of Righteousness’, ‘Faithful City’. Zion will be redeemed through justice, and those who return to her through righteousness” (v. 26, 27).
On the Shabbat before Tish’a b’Av, we read the words of Yeshayahu to not only recall that the absence of righteousness led to the destruction of Yerushalayim, but to remember that its presence will lead to its rebuilding.

It is particularly noteworthy that the oldest, continuously operating institu- tion in Israel, which predates the first Zionist Congress by more than a century and the founding of the State by nearly two, is a soup kitchen. The legacy of Kolel Chabad stands as a proud testament to the restoration of Yerushalayim in our generation.

Rabbi Tuly Weisz is the director of Israel365 and editor of “The Israel Bible”; Rabbi Dr. Ethan Eisen is a psychologist and a new Oleh, as well as a rebbe in Yeshivat Lev Hatorah. Please send comments to Haftarah@TheIsraelBible.com

Torah Tidbits #1239- D’varim – Chazon July 28-29, ’17 – 6 Av 5777 Avot: 3rd perek website: www.ttidbits.com
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Using Technology in the Third Beit Hamikdash

From: The Temple Institute

Integrating Modern Technology into the Holy Temple
http://www.templeinstitute.org/technology-and-the-holy-temple.htm

WILL MASSIVE DIGITAL SCREENS allow worshippers to observe the work of the Kohen Gadol from a great distance? Will escalators carry pilgrims up to the Temple Mount courtyards? Will special buses designed in such a way that they can’t be tainted by spiritual impurity be employed to transport Passover pilgrims and their Pascal offerings? These, and many other fascinating and challenging questions were raised at this year’s 29th annual Temple Institute Passover Symposium, under the banner of “Integrating Modern Technology into the Holy Temple.”

THE SIZABLE AUDIENCE which turned out on Wednesday afternoon, March 31st, the first day of chol hammed Pesach, (the intermediary days of Passover), was rewarded with a learned and lively presentation by six leading rabbis and educators, each focusing on specific aspects of the Holy Temple, its architecture, and the Divine service, and how it can be enhanced and facilitated through the introduction of today’s cutting edge technology.

WILL THE BEIT MOKED – THE CHAMBER OF THE HEARTH, the dormitory for the kohanim who are serving in the Holy Temple, still house a large fireplace, or will central heating render the hearth obsolete? Will Passover pilgrims be able to roast their Passover offerings in electric ovens? Do such ovens fulfill all the strict halachic (Jewish law) requirements of what constitutes roasting?

OVER THREE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED YEARS AGO, when the children of Israel left Egypt, they brought with them the most cutting edge technology of their day, and led by Betzalel, they employed all of their skills and worldly knowledge in the construction of the Tabernacle and the vessels that would be used in the Divine service. Throughout the nearly one thousand years that the two Holy Temples stood, technological advancements took place that helped to facilitate the performance of the Divine service and to enhance the beauty of the Holy Temple.

MOST FAMOUS OF THE TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS WAS THE MUCHNI, a separate water reservoir added to the copper laver, solving a problem of water becoming impure if left in the laver overnight. This mechanism was conceived of, designed and executed by none other than the Kohen Gadol of that generation, known as ben Kattin.

CENTURIES EARLIER KING SOLOMON had designed the “great sea” massive water basin which stood outside the first Holy Temple. The historic refurbishing of the second Holy Temple ordered by Herod took advantage of the latest first century CE science and technology.

AS DISCUSSED AT THE SYMPOSIUM, Torah is very specific concerning the dimensions and materials of the various service vessels. The same principle holds true for the basic layout and structure of the Tabernacle and later the Holy Temple. However, where the Torah does not designate specifics, for example, as to what decorative enhancements can be incorporated into the vessels, the artists and artisans are granted free creative license.

NO ONE BUT THE KOHEN GADOL is permitted to enter the Holy of Holies, and he enters it only one time a year, on Yom Kippur. But could a camera be placed within the Holy of Holies, allowing others to witness the Kohen Gadol when he places the burning incense pan before the ark of the covenant? Would this constitute “seeing the Holy of Holies,” which is strictly forbidden, or would viewing the Holy of Holies via a camera be considered as seeing indirectly, and would that then render it permissible?

THIS IS JUST ONE EXAMPLE of a wide range of issues raised at the symposium, all of which will need to be addressed when the Holy Temple is built.

IN ADDITION, AN ANIMATED THREE DIMENSIONAL ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN for the Lishkat HaGazit, the Chamber of Hewn Stone, the seat of the Great Sanhedrin, commissioned by the Temple Institute was shown to the public for the first time. Half in the sanctified courtyard, and half in the profane, just as it was in second Temple times, the new design also calls for the two story structure to be half underground, incorporating within it a parking facility for the seventy one judges, and a viewing gallery for the public.

AMONG THE DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS WAS ISRAEL’S serving Minister of Science and Technology, Rabbi Professor Daniel Hirshkovitch, a mathematician by profession, who explained how sophisticated mathematical principles can be employed to reveal essential knowledge concerning the design and dimensions of some of the vessels referred to in Torah, but whose precise measurements weren’t delineated. In turn, Rabbi Professor Hirshkovitch revealed the great knowledge of mathematics, physics and engineering possessed by our ancestors.

IN ALL, IT WAS AN ABSORBING AFTERNOON for all who attended. When we talk about and plan the rebuilding of the Holy Temple, we are not talking about an archaeological restoration in which no effort is spared to painstakingly recreate an ancient edifice. The Holy Temple of tomorrow will be a living viable center of worship for all mankind, incorporating all the relevant 21st century technological advancements which can be used to enhance the service and enrich the experience of the pilgrims, and most importantly, give honor to G-d. May we build it soon!

These are interesting questions indeed. However, would the use of such technology minimize the miraculous nature of the third Beit Hamikdash? Would the use of such technology minimize the serenity and holiness of the third Beit Hamikdash?

For the first question, I’ll provide 2 reasons why it does not:
1)The very use of such technology is miraculous in and of itself if you compare it to years past.
2)We can say that we do what we need to do – let Hashem do what He needs to do. Other – even greater – miracles will occur. Technology wouldn’t be to minimize the miracles – it would be used to help Kohanim keep track of Korbanot, which is something we need nowadays in our lower state that we did not need 2000 years ago. If Hashem provides a miracle that makes the use of computers obsolete, I’m all for that!

Regarding the second question – would technology minimize the serenity and holiness of the Beit Hamikdash – this is a matter of taste.

We use technology in our Mikdeshei Me’at nowadays – we have atomic alarm clocks to tell us when HaNeitz HaHama is, we have electronic signs telling you when to say Mashiv Haru’ah, etc. Some may argue that when we have our real Beit Hamikdash, it should be no different. After all, we’re not Amish.
Others, however, may contend that the Beit Hamikdash should be a place free of anything worldly. Shoes cannot even be worn – how can we display computers and video screens? It will make the place look like a cross between a slaughter-house and a business office – not the holiest place in the world.

It will be interesting what will be decided. May it be rebuilt soon – במהרה בימינו אמן.
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From Dixie Yid:

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Guest Post – Technology in the Third Beis Hamikdash

http://dixieyid.blogspot.co.il/2013/03/guest-post-technology-in-third-beis.html

I have had conversations with people of the years about how technology would be incorporated into the third Beis Hamikdash when it will be built. But my friend wrote up a “handbook” for those offering korbanos in the third Beis Hamikdash, imagining in detail what it would be like, and incorporating many halachos in the essay as well. So enjoy the below guest post and IY”H, may we be zoche to see how technology will be incorporated soon in our days!

Bais Hamikdash Tech Update
Due to several documented mix ups with korbanos, the Mikdash Committee has instituted new technology and procedures.
First, all animals to be sold for sacrifices on the Temple Mount area have already had magnetic bar codes firmly affixed to their hooves. Birds have a smaller tag attached to the right foot. Anyone bringing in their own animals for korbanos will have similar bar codes affixed in the examination area. There will be no additional charge for this service.
All of the Klei Shares have embedded tags as well.

Next, korbanos need to be registered on the system with full owner information and korban designation before offering. This can be done online, by cellphone app, or on one of the dedicated terminals installed on the base of the temple mount. Any changes in owner information (particularly for korban pesach group status) needs to be completed before shechita. No exceptions.

Owner information will be checked with Department of Health records in real time. A chatas whose owner has died will not be offered.
Temurah registrations, while discouraged, will still be accepted by the system.
All Kohanim On Duty have been assigned small portable scanners. Before shechita, the KOD must scan the animal as well as the Kli Shares to be receiving the blood. If the animal is in the wrong location (i.e. slaughter in the north is required), the system is programmed to alert the KOD with both audio and visual alerts.

Several help stations have been strategically placed throughout the Azarah. If the KOD has forgotten which avodah he needs to perform or where, he can just scan the kli and a full diagram will come up.

For semicha, the owner(s) will receive a text message when their animal is ready to go. They will then enter the azarah and proceed directly to the automated hoist number of their korban, perform the semicha, and leave. More viewing of the avodas can be done by the AzarahCam at any time.
Due to concerns about tahara and chometz, we will no longer allow people to bring flour, oil, wine, etc. from home to be offered (with the exception of the kohen gadol). Therefore, we have purchased all the supplies needed for menachos and sell them using our system.

The system will go like this. The person purchasing a mincha will enter their information and the korban needed, whether it is challos or wafers, deep fried or shallow fried, kohen owned, etc. A ticket will be generated and sent to the bakery to fill the order. For a minchas nesachim, the ticket will not be generated until the blood of the associated korban is sprinkled. The bakery employee will place the finished mincha in the window facing the kodesh in an ordinary container.

The kohen will take the mincha, scan it for the owner info, and place it in a kli shares while verbally consecrating it for its owner. He will then proceed to perform the proper avodah of the mincha. The system will assist in reminding the kohen of the proper procedure, whether it needs waving, hagasha, kemitza, etc. with audible alerts. Any questions on identifying a particular mincha can be easily resolved with a quick scan of the kli.

A korban Todah will be prevented from being slaughtered until all the loaves have been baked.
Non Jews are not required to pay for minchas nesachim.

Salt will be added to all offerings at no charge.

The system will also arrange the proper order of offerings. This has previously been a very difficult principle to achieve by hand. For example, chatas blood comes before olah blood, but olah limbs are offered before chatas sacrificial parts. The queuing will be done automatically and signal the nearest KOD to perform the next avodah. Audio and visual alerts will warn any KOD about to perform an avodah out of order.

Additional tags will be affixed to the cut up parts of the korban in the flaying area, near the sinks. Absolutely NO meat is to be placed in the Mikdash Refrigerators without proper tags.
The Mikdash Refrigerator doors have sensors as well. Notifications will be sent out for any meat that is nossar, which will now be easy to locate.

Tracking the hides are important for determining ownership. Depending on circumstances, the hide may belong to the mikdash, the kohanim, or the donor. We will auction off each hide and track the sale price to the owners. At the end of each day, all of the kohanim that swiped in (even those with a mum that performed non-avodah labor, but not Mikdash employees) will be automatically credited their share by direct deposit.

 

Cooking pots have been tagged as well. Pots have to be koshered after use with korbanos, within the time frame allowed for eating the korban, unless the pot is used for another korban, which resets the clock again. This system will track each pot and signal those needing koshering.

 

The mizbeach has been outfitted with special metal-free sensors. As the kli filled with blood approaches for sprinkling, the KOD will be gently prompted as to which corners to approach and the proper order, and whether sprinkling needs to be done above or below the red line. Similarly, birds post melikah will be sensed if the sprinkling is about to be performed in the wrong place.
After the afternoon Tamid has been offered, the system will go into lockdown mode, and no further sacrifices may be brought until the next morning. Any blood waiting to be sprinkled is to be placed in one of the oscillators until the morning. The next shift of kohanim will be able to identify the blood through the tag on the kli.

The Ulam has sensors installed at the doorway to prevent any korbanei chutz from entering lifnim accidentally.

Sensors and alarms have been set up around all the exits. If a korban that is not allowed to leave the area approaches the exit, an alarm will sound. Similarly, the system will guard against theft of Mikdash property.

Outside in the Ezras Nashim, large screen displays have been installed with real time information on offering status. Text or email alerts to the owners are available at no extra charge.

The Mikdash Bank

Previously, there were 13 ‘horns’ that held coins used for purchasing sacrifices for when the altar was unoccupied. The Kohen entering the room where they were stored had to enter there barefoot in clothing without a hem or pockets etc. -a difficult procedure. We have eliminated this, and set up a Mikdash Bank, with multiple accounts. Balance and activity information is openly available online. All donors will receive a receipt number that can be tracked, with their name listed if they desire. Any withdrawals will list the kohen signing off on it, as well as the tag number of the animal purchased. The main branch of the bank is located near the base of the Temple Mount, eliminating the need for private money changers.
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Tisha b’Av: The Third Holy Temple Plans Have Begun

Red Heifer Update: Adar 5780/March 2020

The Temple Institute 11March2020
Important update from the Temple Institute concerning the status of the red heifer candidates that the Temple Institute is raising in Israel. Rabbi Azariah Ariel, head of the Institute’s Kollel research department, and and expert on the halachic laws concerning the red heifer, reports on the heifers’ current status and the Institute’s future plans.

English subtitles included (click on cc on bottom right of video)!

Raise a Red Heifer in Israel / לגדל פרה אדומה בארץ ישראל

Blueprints and Computer Animation of the Sanhedrin Chamber of Hewn Stone

Historic Reenactment of the Omer Barley Offering

The Temple Institute Videos

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Accessible Jerusalem

September 11, 2016
By Loren Minsky

The Israeli people are known for an outgoing willingness to help anyone on the street, and this extends without question to those needing disability access, such as assisting blind people with walking sticks to cross streets, and patience when awaiting the wheelchair door on a public bus. This approach comes from an overall Middle Eastern warmth, as well as the fact that many war veterans suffered injuries leading to disabled access needs.

Of note, in December, 2012, the Knesset passed a comprehensive law requiring most venues to be handicap-accessible by 2018, from wheelchair access to hearing and sight impaired services.

Do keep in mind that while most people are happily supportive, the Jerusalem streets might not be: Jerusalem is hilly, with sidewalks often narrow or nonexistent. The Old City streets and sidewalks, in particular, are largely cobblestoned and unstable. At the same time, most major museums and attractions and several hotels cater for the disabled. In addition, there are transportation options available.

Tourists can learn more about accessible Jerusalem restaurants and Jerusalem attractions on itraveljerusalem.com. We’ve put together a list below of additional helpful contact information for organizing best accessibility.

Access Israel – Information and Activism on Disabled Access in Israel

Started by someone who needed disability access in Israel, the Access Israel site offers comprehensive information on tourism sites, accommodation options, restaurants, events and taxis that are accessible to special needs travelers.

Phone: +972-9-7451126
More info here and here

Yad Sarah

Yad Sarah (http://www.yadsarah.org/index.asp?id=106) offers transportation to and from Ben Gurion Airport, intracity and intercity transportation vans, and specific services for tourists in need of disability services. In addition, they offer all kinds of medical equipment for rent, from oxygen to walkers and everything in between.

Phone (Tourism Desk): 972-2-644-4664
Email: tourism@yadsarah.org.il

Egged Buses – List of Accessible Jerusalem Bus Lines

Egged offers many accessible intercity lines in Jerusalem with a rear entry door set up with automated wheelchair access.

Car Rentals for Special Driving Needs

Many rental car companies provide cars for special driving needs – contact your preferred rental car company for more information.

In particular, the Eldan Car Rental company offers 1600 cc automatic cars with left or right-hand controls – best to reserve 10 days in advance.

Read more about car rental here.

Milbat

Milbat has a site in Hebrew offering products that ease the daily life of those with disabilities, and also assisting with transportation options.

Phone: +972-3-5303739

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Yom Yerushalayim יום ירושלים

Yom Yerushalayim יום ירושלים‎ the holiday commemorating the reunification of Jerusalem, the Old City and regaining of access to the Kottel כותל (Western Wall) in the aftermath of the June 1967 Six-Day War. The day is officially marked by state ceremonies and memorial services.

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Watch and Listen to the real people that lived through the the events that lead up to the Six Day War in 1967 and the war itself.

Six Day War – Israeli victory – Documentary – War of Redemption

Six Day War – Israeli victory – Documentary – War of Redemption
The redemption of Jerusalem is a complete and total redemption, even if it has its ups and downs.
Next year in Jerusalem! לשנה הבאה בירושלים!
This video shows what the Arabs wanted to do with the Jews living in Eretz Israel and the miracles that god performed.
Six Days in June (2007)
Director: Ilan Ziv
Writers: Stephen Phizicky, Ilan Ziv
Stars: Levi Eshkol, Andre Nicolas Malouf, Gamal Abdel Nasser
Even though the producers are leftists and think that “If only…” this is a very good historical account.

ירושלים במרכז – שידור חי ממרכז הרב – Celebration at the Mercaz HaRav Yeshivah on Yom Yerushalayim 5781

Posted 10May2021 ערוץ 7: Jonathan Pollard’s Remarks at the Central Thanksgiving Celebration to mark the 54th anniversary of the unification of Jerusalem. He starts speaking at 02:08:00 or thereabouts in the video.
עצרת ההודיה המרכזית לציון 54 שנים לאיחוד ירושלים.
בשיתוף:
עירית ירושלים
משרד ירושלים ומורשת
הרשות לפיתוח ירושלים
הפקה: צ’יקו הפקות ואירועים.
צילום ושידור: רואים את הקולות
The Central Thanksgiving Assembly to mark the 54th anniversary of the unification of Jerusalem.
In collaboration with:
Jerusalem Municipality
Jerusalem Office and Heritage
Jerusalem Development Authority
Production: Chico Productions and Events.
Photography and broadcast: See the voices

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By Staff | Posted in Chagim - Holidays, Life in Jerusalem | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Jerusalem 2019