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I was going to begin this post by talking about how much I love and care for boobies. But this is actually a VERY serious matter and for the first time ever, an international organization, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, in partnership with Hadassah and the City of Jerusalem, is running a race in Jerusalem in order to raise public awareness of breast cancer.
Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer among women. In Israel alone breast cancer constitutes
nearly 30 percent of all cancer cases and is the number one cause death amongst women in Israel.
In the last 25 years the frequency of diagnosis with breast cancer has gradually risen with over 4,000
new cases diagnosed every year hitting women at a younger age than ever before. Hadassah’s researchers in Israel have only recently been able to identify an apparent halt in the rise due to increased preventative measures and the development of advanced techniques for treating breast cancer. The Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization has contributed over $2 million in Israel in the last 16 years to support varying breast cancer research projects as well as women’s outreach programs.
The race will begin in Sacher Park on October 28th and go through the heart of downtown Jerusalem before ending at Gai Ben Hinom (just outside Zion Gate). This event will influence local advocacy for breast cancer awareness while empowering men and women in Israel who are stricken by breast cancer. The race in Jerusalem will be opened by top Israeli fashion designer Dorin Frankfurt who has agreed to volunteer as honorary race chairperson.
For more information on how you can participate or get involved, please visit komen.org.il. Do it now!
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Friday that under no circumstances would the PA sign an agreement with Israel which required the recognition of Israel as a Jewish state or a land swap.
“The PA recognized Israel’s existence in 1993, and now Israel needs to recognize the Palestinian state in line with the 1967 borders,” Abbas said during a meeting…
He explains that he is referring to 1967 borders. Of course, there are no 1967 borders, he is referring to the 1949 armistice lines which the Arabs refused to accept as borders, apparently in the hope they would conquer more of Israel in the future. In 1967, however, after attacking Israel, Jordan lost the war and its hold over east Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria which they had named “West Bank.” Israel then annexed the eastern part of Jerusalem but not the West Bank.
About 80% of Israelis who live in towns in the West Bank/Judea and Samaria, live very close to the Green Line, which is the demarcation point of the 1949 armistice lines and what Abbas calls “1967 borders.” In the deals offered by Israel to the Palestinians over the past decade, they have offered 100% of Gaza and 95%-97% of Judea and Samaria. The idea is that these heavily populated Israeli neighborhoods and towns would be annexed to Israel. In exchange, Israel has offered the Palestinians land inside Israel which is contiguous with land they would control in their new Palestine.
The other element of “1967 borders” is, of course, eastern Jerusalem, which includes the holiest site for Jews, the Western Wall. Prior to 1967, under Jordanian control, no Jews were permitted to enter this area at all, Jews were not permitted to have citizenship or even live in these areas. Before 1948 when Jordan conquered this area, Jews were only permitted to be at the Western Wall based on restrictions established by Muslim authorities (and enforced by the British) which restricted the number of visitors drastically and did not permit things such as the blowing of the shofar – ram’s horn – which is a custom going back to the days of the Temple. Today, under Israeli rule, there are no such restrictions while Muslims and Christians also pray openly and freely in their respective holy places.
What Abbas is saying, in effect, is that this part of Jerusalem, including the Jewish Quarter which was razed by the Jordanians and rebuilt by the Israelis, must go to the Palestinians.
Now just to add one last bit of clarification. None of the area east of the “1967 borders” or west of the “1967 borders” was ever under Palestinian control; not under their sovereign control and not even under their figurative control. First the Ottomans controlled all of the province called Palestine as part of their empire, and then the British controlled it as part of their agreement to bring about the establishment of a “home for the Jewish people” as required by the League of Nations, predecessor to the UN, in 1922.
Of course, the Israelis have no intention of giving up the Western Wall or the Jewish Quarter in Jerusalem. In offers of peace made by Barak and Olmert, the former offered shared sovereignty over eastern Jerusalem and the latter offered the same but recommended an international protectorate to be “sovereign” in the Holy Basin where the key holy sites for Judaism, Christianity and Islam reside.
Abbas and his predecessor, Arafat, rejected those offers. There does not need to be any more evidence as to what their goals are and how ridiculous the “peace process” has become. If the Palestinians “recognize Israel” but not as the state of the Jewish nation, and refuse to give up their dream of gaining control of Judaism’s holiest site, then there isn’t much left to discuss.
These rejections by the Palestinians are not made in a vacuum. To understand their reasoning, one need only listen to some Fatah Central Committee (essentially the executive decision-making body of the parent movement of the Palestinian Authority) members:
Jamal Muhaisen, a member of the Fatah Central Committee, said that it was “impossible” for the Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
“No Palestinian could ever accept such a demand, no matter where he is and what job he holds,” he said. “This recognition would scrap the right of return for the Palestinian refugees and endanger the status of the Palestinians living in the territories that were occupied in 1948.”
Or listen to Hassan Khraisheh, deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council,
“By saying he will recognize Israel as a Jewish state, Abed Rabbo has crossed all red lines,” Khraisheh said. “These remarks harm the right of return and our people in the territories occupied in 1948.”
These statements clarify why Palestinians won’t declare Israel a Jewish state. They still intend to bring to Israel all the descendants of those refugees who left in 1948, and together with the Israeli Arabs – to whom they refer as “Palestinians” and “our people” – create an “Israel” that is essentially another Arab, Muslim country. That country, would, of course, be joined to the new Palestine in Judea and Samaria. Needless to say, at that point, they would hope to join the two Palestines to the biggest section of original Palestine, Jordan, which has a majority of Palestinian inhabitants.
That’s a wonderful dream that has nothing to do with reality or peace.
The Palestinians are now making a move to take this to the UN Security Council to have the Council declare a Palestinian state on “1967 borders.” They appear to have tacit consent from the French and the Spanish, and possibly even from Obama. The UNSC’s resolutions are considered to be enforceable laws and therefore bear great import here. The Council would have to get around a previous resolution, 242, which would seem problematic, but anything is possible with the Obama administration, including abstention from a vote, which would enable the other members of the Council to do the Palestinians’ dirty work for them.
Israel has now began to negotiate with Hamas over Gilad Shalit. Presumably, this is a signal to the PA and Fatah that if they continue to play hardball in this way, then Israel will stop protecting them from Hamas as it has been doing for years and might even enable Hamas to win control of the Palestinian population in the West Bank/Judea and Samaria by giving them a “victory” over Israel in the release of 1000 prisoners for this one soldier.
Since the PA has now proven in its statements and claims that its goals are the same as those of Hamas, Israel may be reaching the point where it refuses to whitewash the PA’s and Fatah’s two-faced game where it continues to speak about peace in the most sophisticated diplomatic style but in reality seeks to undermine Israel’s legitimacy, drives the international boycott efforts against it and continues to speak of “peace” as an outcome where the self-determination of the Jewish people is nixed and another Arab, Muslim state is born. It may well be that at least with Hamas in control, the truth will be plain for all to see.
Before I begin this article please let me make it clear that this is not a puff piece. I’m discussing this element not because I’m saying that this is something everyone should adopt and that everyone needs to go after this. However, I believe that everyone needs to go after something like this. For me, Jewish education is one of the most important things. Why? Because, it is my belief, that what will allow Jews to continue into the future, and what has allowed Jews to continue until now, is not the Bible and its laws, and is not the clergy and their sermons, but rather, Jewish education. If our children do not learn about Judaism, its laws, what it means to be a Jew, the history of the Jewish people, both in biblical times and in our recent past, they will not be Jewish. Being born to a Jewish mother will not ensure that the grandchild will be Jewish if that child knows nothing about what it means to be Jewish or the elements of being Jewish. Look at many of the children, born to Jewish parents, in the FSU, where practicing one’s religion was essentially not allowed. I know quite a few of them. They have Jewish last names, and they tell me that, yes, their mother was a Jew. Are their children Jewish? Some of them; the ones who chose to send their kids to Jewish day schools, Jewish summer camps, and/or Jewish youth groups. Others, however, don’t even know what a Jew is. Jewish education is fundamental to our survival as a people, and that is why I’m writing this article.
When it comes to Jewish education, we have two clear types. One type is Jewish day school. That’s the system where a kid is sent to school all day (mine was 7:30/8:00 am to 3:30pm), which, in addition to teaching the core secular subjects of English, math, history, and science, also, teaches Hebrew and Jewish studies. Judaism becomes part of the education. I’m a proud product of Jewish day school, and I think its a fantastic way to teach children about Judaism. However, not everyone is able or willing to send their children to day school. The other type of Jewish education that we have is known as “supplementary” or “complementary” education. In this types, children who attend schools which are not Jewish in character, attend a religious school two days a week (i.e. the classic model of Sunday and Wednesday). In addition, we could, also, include in supplementary education things like Jewish summer camps and youth movements. These are all great ways to teach children about Judaism, and to help foster a love of Judaism.
Let’s focus, for the moment, on the idea of religious school; a typical supplementary education. There are problems with this method. First, parents and children, often decide that sports, drama, or other extracurricular activities are more important, and Jewish education gets left on the side lines. Second, even if they do decide that its important, and they send their kid to a a Jewish religious school, often the kids find it a s a “turn off;” they’re being forced to be there and its boring. One of the reasons is that in their “regular,” classes their teachers are in the 21st century. They use smart boards, the internet, and all sorts of media, but in their Jewish studies classes, they’re using handouts. You know today, what happens if a teacher loses a paper from the Jewish studies course-book? In today’s day and age, our natural inclination is to go online, download the course material from the publisher’s website, and print out a new page. But, right now, we can’t do that. The URJ’s textbook is not online; you have to contact them and have them photocopy and fax you that page. Why is our Jewish education so far behind our secular education? Of course the kids don’t relate to it, and of course they think it’s uncool, when in their math classes they get all sorts of online games, and their secular classes are part of the new world where things are available at the touch of their fingertips, yet in their Judaic studies classes, they are learning in the same way as our parents and grandparents did. There’s been very little change in Jewish education since the early 1900s. That’s what I think is so terrific about the ileaרn program.
During my recent trip to L.A., I had the great pleasure to speak with Rabbi Melissa Buyer, Director of the Religious School, at Stephen S. Wise Temple. She, in partnership with the Union for Reform Judaism, have come up with this incredible program. Here’s the basic idea: we’re going to bring religious school into the 21st century. We’re going to take that textbook, and have a computer-based version. We’re going to be able to use our smart-boards when we teach the material. But more than that, instead of having kids drive for hours to get this education twice a week, we’re going to do one day in the schul, where they will get the feeling of community, and we’re going to do one day online in a virtual classroom. They will see and communicate with their fellow classmates and teachers, online, just like in a regular classroom, but it was also utilize the tools that the 21st century has tot offer. It will utilize things like the internet, google searching, G-dcast (G-dcast, if you don’t know of it, is really awesome. They have a short animated clip for each of the parashot hashavua. I encourage you to go check it out.), etc. It will make religious studies seem as relevant to these students as math, science, and history.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: great, Stephen S. Wise Temple, this massive wealthy temple, has started this program. Why should this matter to us? What I love about this program, is that it isn’t just a Stephen S. Wise program for wealthy schuls with a huge budget. This is something that, once they have it figured out, can be applied to temples across the United States, and across the world, at a very minimal cost. Let’s say you live in a place like Kentucky, or you’re a service-man or -woman stationed somewhere without a lot of Jews. You may still want your child to have an excellent Jewish education. The local schul, if there is one near by, may not have a religious education program, or may not be equipped to start one. This tool, by having a virtual classroom, provides a solution. You can live anywhere in the world and have your kid join an online classroom, have Jewish classmates, and get a solid Jewish supplementary education, taught by the big machers, wherever they are; L.A., New York, Jerusalem, etc. The possibilities are endless. I think this is setting the way to the future. It’s been a long time now since Jewish education took that leap forward. As Jews, we’ve been leaders in so many things. We brought monotheism to the world. More recently, we were heavily involved in the civil rights movement (Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel even marched with Martin Luther King Jr., and was one of the few people given the privilege to speak at his early funeral), we’ve been leaders in raising money to free slaves in the Sudan, and to respond to crises like Hurricane Katrina, and the earthquake in Haiti. As Jews, we have a responsibility to the world, but we also have a responsibility to ourselves. How will Judaism continue on to the next generation, if this generation isn’t being taught to love their Judaism, and to recognize their Judaism? It is not enough that they know that we celebrate Hanukkah instead of Christmas. It should never happen that when someone asks a child what makes them a Jew, that the child responds “that we don’t believe in Jesus.” There needs to be a connection, and there needs to be a level of Jewish education. That’s why I think this program is setting the path to the future.
If you have any questions, I encourage you to leave a comment here and we’ll get someone in the know to respond to them. But more so, I encourage people to get involved. Contact the URJ, your own schul, use this idea as a launching board; the possibilities are infinite. Let’s make sure that this generation is more involved in their Jewish community than they are now.
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As a last note, this isn’t the time or place for people to say “well, that’s why you should raise your family Orthodox.” To those who would, I’d like to remind them that, they too, have those who go down that path of latzeit le’sheela, and leave their community, too. This article is simply about the fact that Jewish education is important. and I hope you all agree
As reported earlier (see below) on Jewlicious.com, the New Jersey Jewish Standard newspaper published the upcoming marriage of two young Jewish men in the Celebration and Simchas section. The men, one of whom is the son of a leader of a local Jewish day school, met at Camp Ramah and work in the field of non profits and Jewish education. While the national media reported on recent gay suicides, and arrests for bullying and beatings of gays, the NJ Jewish Standard apologized for publishing the item, and causing pain to those of its readers who find homosexuality and gay marriage offensive.
Pages of letters were then published on their site from readers, NJ rabbinical leaders, individual rabbis, and other local leaders decrying the paper’s apology. One blogger asked why the paper accepted ads from non kosher restaurants, reports on events that desecrate the traditional Shabbat, and celebrates the simchas of children who may not be halachicly Jewish in the eyes of some readers, but yet it found it necessary to apologize for celebrating two Jewish, committed men. On the West Coast, in contrast, the Jewish Bulletin published their commitment to fight hatred and bigotry. See the pledge HERE.
Farkas: Farfel in Every Pot
A story that was widely reported in Chile, but not so much in North America, was the donation of funds to the families of the then trapped Chilean miners by Leonardo Farkas (Klein). Farkas, the Obama of Chile, who once traveled through North America playing piano before taking over his famiglia’s business enterprises, is one of Chile’s wealthiest businessmen; he is a friend to both Chilean miners and minors, and was once expected to run for the country’s presidency.
Quick, the hamburger chain in France that is trying to complete with the ubiquitous McDonalds chain, has been selling HALAL certified beef hamburgers in 22 of its 367 locations. Muslim teens can now order burgers with their friends and not be ostracized when eating the fish sandwich. This has led to a backlash and some legal suits against Quick. Authorities in Lille and Roubaix have criticized and investigated the chain for hurting France’s Christian traditions.
Speaking of food traditions, the SF Jewish Bulletin profiled a recent BATTLE JEW-TALIAN that pitted a Jewish chef and an Italian American chef in a cookoff.
Tasty Books making news this week include four that are of JewLicious interest. In the UK, Manchester-born author Howard Jacobson, 68, won the prestigious, literary Man Booker Prize for “The Finkler Question,” a novel about a friendship between a radio producer and a philosopher. Jacobson is known for two other books, “Who’s Sorry Now?” and “Kalooki Nights.” At the awards ceremony, he read a speech that he had prepared 27 years ago. The Guardian plans to ask, this weekend, why Jacobson is the only person writing funny Jewish novels in England these days. In the USA, Avner Cohen has published a follow-up to an earlier book on Israel and Dimona. In The Worst-Kept Secret: Israel’s Bargain with the Bomb, Cohen writes that Israel is right to have an arsenal of bombs, but he feels the country should make it public and join international non proliferation groups.
Speaking of bombs (I jest), Philip Roth’s newest novel is, Nemesis, the story of the Jewish community of Newark during WW2, when most men were in the armed services, and young semi-orphaned Bucky Cantor is 4F and trying to fight his own battle against neighborhood toughies and polio. But my fave book so far this month has been, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin’s Hillel: If Not Now, When?, on the life of Rabbi Hillel (who probably passed away 2000 years ago in the 10CE). It should be selected as a community read by the Jewish community. PS: Mazel Tov to Nicole Krauss’ book, Great House, which was just named a finalist for the National Book Award in the USA.
Mazel Tov also to News Corp/Fox/Wall Street Journal Chairman, Rupert Murdoch, who received a prize this week from the ADL and Abe Foxman for international leadership and his stalwart support of Israel and his commitment to promoting respect and speaking out against anti-Semitism. Accepting the award, Murdoch, who has vowed to crush The New York Times. spoke on the soft war against Israel and the bigotry of Leftists. Way to go, ADL.
The Buffalo News reports that Philip Caputo, the campaign manager of NY State gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino offered to resign from the campaign after Paladino spoke to a small Orthodox Jewish group with a disgusting speech that characterized homosexuality and gays poorly. The speech was partially written by the candidate’s host, Rabbi Yehuda Levin (the same rabbi who endorsed Pat Buchanan). The NYT reported that Rabbi Levin was in the middle of eating a kosher sandwich when his associates came running to him to report that Paladino, whose son recently fired all the gay employees at his upstate restaurant, backtracked on his anti-gay statements. ‘What?’ the rabbi replied, “I almost choked on the kosher salami.”
Take a look at what it takes to get the Asst. Secretary of the US Department of State to acknowledge that Israel is a Jewish state. It boggles the mind! Thank heaven the reporters kept pressing the issue to the point where he felt absolutely cornered.
Keep these guys away from the negotiating table!
Philip J. Crowley
Assistant Secretary
Daily Press Briefing
Washington, DC
October 12, 2010
QUESTION: I mean, from the Palestinians’ point of view, I think they feel that what they’re being asked to do is to, if not give away the store, to make a very major concession. The corollary to acknowledging Israel as a Jewish state is, effectively, abandoning the so-called right of return for Palestinians to whatever – become the ultimate borders of the Israeli state. And that’s a major – what used to be called, “final status,” question – is it constructive to float offers or ideas like that just to get back into talks?
MR. CROWLEY: Well, we think it’s constructive for the parties to put forward and to continue to put forward their ideas on – to demonstrate their commitment to and the importance of and the value of these negotiations. And this has to be something that’s done by both sides. They’re in the direct negotiations now. We want to see those direct negotiations continue. There is a pause in the action as we kind of work through the issue of the moratorium and settlements. But if Prime Minister Netanyahu, who has offered his thoughts on both what he’s willing to contribute to the process, what he thinks he needs for his people out of the process, we would hope that the Palestinians would do the same thing, and through this ongoing dialogue will gain the commitment on both sides to continue and to resume in these negotiations.
We will continue our discussions with both parties. We hope that a formula can be arrived at, conditions can be established that allow the prime minister and the president on behalf of their respective people to make the political commitment to stay in this direct negotiation. So this is the kind of process that we think is needed at this time. But ultimately, it will be up to the prime minister and the president to decide if they’re seeing enough, they’re getting enough, and they’re offering enough to sustain this process.
QUESTION: So the ball’s in the Palestinian’s court now? You want to see them make a counter offer or put some ideas out there?
MR. CROWLEY: Well, it’s the responsibility of both the parties. This ultimately is – has – you work from back to front. This has to be an agreement that they make. It’s not something that we’re going to impose on either one of them. As we get down the road in this process, as we’ve said all along, we’re willing to offer specific proposals that might get beyond the inevitable challenges that we know we will face. We’ve offered our ideas to both sides to try to navigate through this particular issue that we currently confront over the settlement moratorium. But these are judgments that the leaders have to make. We want to see both of them stay committed to the process. We want to see both of them offer their thinking about what needs to be advanced and agreed to that allows both sides to stay in these negotiations. That’s what we want to see them do. But ultimately, it will be up to both to say these – that this is what we need to be able to make the difficult political decision that we know both of them face, whether or not stay directly engaged in negotiations.
QUESTION: Well, P.J. –
MR. CROWLEY: Michel.
QUESTION: P.J., do you recognize Israel as a Jewish state and will you try to convince the Palestinians to recognize it?
MR. CROWLEY: We will continue our discussions with the parties. I would expect, following up on the Arab League meetings of late last week that George Mitchell will go to the region at some point. I’m not announcing anything, but I – it would be logical for us to follow up directly with the parties, see where they are. We will offer our ideas on – based on our conversations what our assessment is that – of what each side needs to be able to make the political commitment to remain in these direct negotiations.
QUESTION: And do you recognize Israel as a Jewish state?
MR. CROWLEY: We recognize the aspiration of the people of Israel. It has – it’s a democracy. In that democracy, there’s a guarantee of freedom and liberties to all of its citizens. But as the Secretary has said, we understand that – the special character of the state of Israel.
QUESTION: Is that a yes or no?
QUESTION: P.J., it’s – do you want to answer his question or –
QUESTION: Did you say yes or no to that question from Michel?
MR. CROWLEY: Hmm?
QUESTION: Michel’s question was a yes or no sort of question. I was wondering whether that was a yes or no.
MR. CROWLEY: We recognize that Israel is a– as it says itself, is a Jewish state, yes.
H/T to Rick Richman from Commentary Magazine who informs us that so far the Obama Administration has refused (22 times by his count) to state that it stands behind the commitment made by Bush to Israel in the Bush 2004 letter to Sharon about the Gaza disengagement. That letter states:
The United States is strongly committed to Israel’s security and well-being as a Jewish state. It seems clear that an agreed, just, fair, and realistic framework for a solution to the Palestinian refugee issue as part of any final status agreement will need to be found through the establishment of a Palestinian state, and the settling of Palestinian refugees there, rather than in Israel.
As part of a final peace settlement, Israel must have secure and recognized borders, which should emerge from negotiations between the parties in accordance with UNSC Resolutions 242 and 338. In light of new realities on the ground, including already existing major Israeli populations centers, it is unrealistic to expect that the outcome of final status negotiations will be a full and complete return to the armistice lines of 1949, and all previous efforts to negotiate a two-state solution have reached the same conclusion. It is realistic to expect that any final status agreement will only be achieved on the basis of mutually agreed changes that reflect these realities.
In other words, the Obama administration has sent exactly the kinds of signals that give the Palestinians the confidence they have to continue to game any attempt at negotiations and peace.
Michael Oren, the historian who is the current Israeli ambassador to the USA, has written an op-ed in the NY Times about the Israeli demand to be recognized as a Jewish state by the Palestinians.
He writes:
Affirmation of Israel’s Jewishness, however, is the very foundation of peace, its DNA. Just as Israel recognizes the existence of a Palestinian people with an inalienable right to self-determination in its homeland, so, too, must the Palestinians accede to the Jewish people’s 3,000-year connection to our homeland and our right to sovereignty there. This mutual acceptance is essential if both peoples are to live side by side in two states in genuine and lasting peace.
So why won’t the Palestinians reciprocate? After all, the Jewish right to statehood is a tenet of international law. The Balfour Declaration of 1917 called for the creation of “a national home for the Jewish people” in the land then known as Palestine and, in 1922, the League of Nations cited the “historical connection of the Jewish people” to that country as “the grounds for reconstituting their national home.” In 1947, the United Nations authorized the establishment of “an independent Jewish state,” and recently, while addressing the General Assembly, President Obama proclaimed Israel as “the historic homeland of the Jewish people.” Why, then, can’t the Palestinians simply say “Israel is the Jewish state”?
He doesn’t quite answer his own question, but he does conclude by stating that:
The core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been the refusal to recognize Jews as a people, indigenous to the region and endowed with the right to self-government. Criticism of Israeli policies often serves to obscure this fact, and peace continues to elude us. By urging the Palestinians to recognize us as their permanent and legitimate neighbors, Prime Minister Netanyahu is pointing the way out of the current impasse: he is identifying the only path to co-existence.
Is this a new way to spend your first day at school in Israel? And if so will I have to post every single one? Well this was sent to me by Yair Amsel, a friend of Jewlicious, who I met at Jew the Write Thing a while back in Jerusalem. What the students at Netanya Academic College lack in pure lip synching skills, they more than make up for in uhm, exuberance, costumes, roller skating, underwater camera work and bikinis!!! By the way, what an awesome looking campus! I like, had no idea. OK, now enjoy the vid featuring Bad Romance by Lady Gaga. Who is not a Jewish agent of the illuminati hell bent on world destruction. Just sayin’:
Idan Gorsky, a 3rd year law student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and dozens of his friends got together to shoot the following lip dub, an hommage to Queen’s song “Somebody to Love” shot in one take on the first day of School. Yeah, University here starts after the high holidays, not in September. What’s the point of a Jewish state otherwise?
So Gorsky, who appears as Freddy Mercury at 4:04 of the video, emailed Brian May of Queen, letting him know about it and, remarkably, May responded:
Hi Idan
Well, even though I am way behind in EVERYTHING today — I watched the video, and I have to say, among all the grimness of today’s world, this is a breath of fresh air. I – unexpectedly – got quite a lump in the throat. It’s very well done, with great heart and joy, and I’m sure Freddie would love it. Well done to all … it’s quite something to pull all this off in a single shot. I’m sure there are no edits in this at all.
All the very best to all involved, and thanks for alerting me. I will publish this on my site, if that’s OK with you … (yes, you look good – you pass!! ha ha! )
Cheers
Bri
And even the comments, well at least so far, have been good and even edifying…
rondak17 wrote:
OK – I’m not Jewish, and at times I don’t really even like Israel all that much (even though I’m American) not to be all mushy but this really puts a face on folks that I think are different than me. Maybe not so different ? Looks like this could have been filmed on almost any American University Campus. Next time I hear about an attack on Israeli civilians, I ‘ll think about the kids in this video & pray none of them were injured or killed. No one deserves the violence in the mideast.
With 11 “thumbs up” it seems viewers liked this comment. But tidharn took umbrage and responded:
OK, your are not Jewish you know nothing about Israel & Jewish people and still you take your right to say that you don’t like Israel. Being less ignorant would be OK for you. What did you think that we are riding on camels on our way to the Campus? or maybe you thought that we are killing one Arab baby each morning before our class because that what they told you in CNN
Sigh. Welcome to Israel. OK, gotta go. Gonna hop on my camel and grab an Arab baby shwarma for lunch. Yum! The occupation is delicious. And remarkably tender too!
Rabbi Avraham Yosef, Chief Rabbi of Holon and the son of Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef recently stirred up some controversy when he declared that any newly religious Jew must follow Sephardic tradition, even if the person is originally of Ashkenazic descent. Rabbi Avraham Yosef is considered by most to be the son most likely to inherit his father’s mantle as head of Shas. Shas, Hebrew acronym for Sephardi Torah Guardians, currently holds eleven seats in the Knesset as well as 4 Cabinet posts.
Now, ordinarily, I would wholeheartedly support Rabbi Avraham Yosef’s ruling. And why not? Sephardic Jews eat better food, are far less neurotic, have a refreshing lack of insane cultural chumras and dance better than our holy Ashkenazic brothers and sisters. Sephardim can eat rice and legumes on Passover, never eat Geffilte fish, and we have not suffered the detrimental consequences of Emancipation. No Sephardic Rabbi ever said “Casablanca is the new Jerusalem.” Sorry Moses Mendelsohn.
That having been said however, this message would resonate A LOT more with me if it didn’t come from a guy who, for all intents and purposes, looks like a Litvack rosh yeshivah. What the heck is up with that??
The Internet is retarded. Not intellectually challenged or learning disabled or whatever. It is flat out RETARDED and I mean that in the most politically incorrect way possible. How else do you explain catsthatlooklikehitler.com? Yes. It’s a site dedicated to photos of cats. Cats that look like Hitler. And now we have Hipster Hitler, an anachronistic cartoon that re-imagines Hitler as a pouty hipster, complete with ironic t-shirts (Mix Master Race, Death Camp for Cutie, You Make me Feel like Danzig etc.), an ironic bicycle and a constantly annoyed attitude.
It’s kind of creepy perhaps but frankly, anything that ridicules Hitler I figure is pretty good for the Jews. And for mankind. And so I allow myself to laugh at the retardation.
I know the story of the recent halachic ruling by Rabbi Ari Shvat regarding Israeli honey pots was already covered by themiddle, I nonetheless decided to revisit the issue in a little more detail while also throwing in a photo of a hot spy woman (the new Nikkita for those of you who are wondering). Some took offense at the notion of a male Rabbi telling women what they can and cannot do with their bodies, likening the whole exercise to Rabbinically sanctioned porn. Others were titillated by the notion of Rabbis allowing and even extolling extra-marital sex under certain conditions, whereas others still were wondering where they could sign up to be an enemy of the State of Israel and how soon they could expect delivery of a hot Israeli honey trap.
For me the ruling was interesting on several levels, for instance, for what it said almost as much as for what it omitted. Like, would the Israeli agent in question be allowed to wear pants while seducing an enemy? If said seduction lead to dancing, would that too be ok? Rabbi Shvat only mentions female agents, but would a male agent be allowed to take one for the team, so to speak, if it meant saving Jewish lives? Surely, despite our awesome Gay pride parades and Drag Queen extravaganzas, we must have some homosexual enemies, no? And if the enemy was a lesbian would that have any kind of detrimental effect on the female agent’s marital status?
All that is fine and good but the thing that most troubled me was the following quote from an interview with Rabbi Shvat:
”Women interested in becoming “Valentine operatives,” must realize they will not be able to marry a Cohen Jewish priest), the rabbi noted, adding that the matter would probably not deter such women, since “these missions may naturally be tasked to women who are already promiscuous.” ” (emphasis mine)
This strikes me as being very, very wrong, guided more by distorted perceptions of contemporary female sexuality than by any kind of biblical precedent.
Now I’m not a Rabbi (well, sorta) but the article made mention of Yael wife of Heber the Kenite. Nowhere in that narrative is it mentioned that Yael actually slept with Sisera, general of the Canaanite army before driving a tent peg through his head with a hammer. Also not instructive is the story of Esther because she wasn’t married (though some Midrashim claim that she was in fact married to her Uncle Mordechai who urged her to marry the King Achashverosh. Ewww.). So neither of these are instructive. Similarly Judith, the daughter of Yochanan the high priest was a widow when she sought out and “seduced” Assyrian General Holofernes before plying him with cheese and wine and then lopping off his head. No indication of sexual intercourse there at all. Let me also add at this point that Judith was not what one would call promiscuous. Despite many offers, she never remarried. Yael for her part, was noted for her modesty and blessed even more than Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah, the Jewish Matriarchs.
I can only assume then that Rabbi Ari Shvat, with all due respect, has no idea what he’s talking about when he talks about promiscuity. I understand that the Haredi world has a limited perception of what that entails as the only “promiscuous” women they ever come across are secular women with a payes (side lock) fetish or actual prostitutes that they hire on those out of town trips taken to secure booty in a way that would not embarrass their uhm, “frigid” wives.
Rabbi Shvat could not possibly imagine his God fearing and modest wife or daughters engaging in such an abhorrent, albeit massively important mitzvah. Better leave that to the sluts, right?
Wrong Rabbi Shvat. Your own cited precedents demonstrate quite clearly that in the past, women who engaged in such activities in order to save Jewish lives were extremely God fearing and extremely modest. Look at Yael. She used a hammer and a tent peg to dispatch the sleeping General Sisera. Why a tent peg? Wasn’t there a sword or a spear around? Well apparently, swords and spears are weapons of war usually associated with men. Yael felt that using these would be immodest so she went through the trouble of killing Sisera with a tent peg instead, associated with women because they were in charge of setting up the tents. She thus preserved her modesty at great risk to her life since killing Sisera with a sword or spear would have been much faster.
What’s the lesson here? That whoever goes out and engages in such activities is in fact doing a great mitzvah. There ought not be any presumption of prior promiscuity. Acting as a honey pot and saving the Jews is not the sole domain of the sluts. I appreciate Rabbi Shvat’s attempt to fashion halacha that takes into account modern realities, but if you’re going to address such realities, you should probably get out of the house a bit more.
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When you throw a party you don’t need to write a detailed FAQ. But we understand that with a new thing, well, folks might need some more details. So here is the first in a series of posts with more details about TIKKUNFEST.
Imagine a party which is not about hooking up, but about cleaning-up.
Instead of dressing to kill, you dress to get messy.
Instead of sporting nice shoes, you wear shoes that can take some punishment, or at least getting dirty.
Instead of needing to know people to get an invite, or just get in, you can pre-register, or show up on the day of, to be a part of it.
Instead of being impressed with how people dress, you will be impressed by how people work
Instead of painting the town red, you see how many feet of curb you can paint red.
Instead of trashing the place, you leave the place trashless.
You get the idea.
Beyond a service day, TIKKUNFEST is a celebration of service. Bringing together people under the umbrella of community service, social action, TIKKUNFEST features a romping concert, vendors, and good vibes. It is geared for young adults 18and over, but anyone is welcome.
TIKKUNFEST volunteers will gather at the registration point, be assigned teams, and spread out to complete a series of projects on 18 blocks of Pico Blvd. Hopefully everyone will have a chance to plant, paint, clean up garbage, sweep, wash, trim, and beautify the neighborhood.
At the moment, we are working on a few dinner options for volunteers. Make sure to bring cash or credit card for dinner.
This is a party with a purpose if there ever was one , make sure you and all your friends pre-register for chance to get a free collectible TIKKUNFEST T-Shirt!
Federation CJA got a bright fund raising idea, dubbed the Eternal Hora, it’s a collection of silly dancing videos and for every video uploaded, $10 will be donated to Federation CJA for the important work it does in Montreal and Israel.
So far the videos include a clip by Larry King of CNN, a bunch of kids from me and muffti’s old stomping grounds at McGill Hillel as well as some really goofy shots taken at the Federation CJA offices. How’d they get King? Well Larry was in Montreal last week speaking at a fundraiser for Federation CJA at the TTheatre Maisonneuve in Place des Arts. I guess when you’re paying a 6 figure speaker’s fee, you can ask for extras. “Dance Larry, dance!!”
I like Eternal Hora even though it’s a flat out ripoff, err homage to Eternal Moonwalk (a Michael Jackson tribute site). And I learned a few things too! I learned that Moroccan Jews in Montreal still dance better than their Ashkenazic colleagues. I learned that the McGill Hillel Web site needs help. Badly (see JewMD for a good Hillel site). And I learned that Federation CJA is now capable of having fun! You don’t have to be from Montreal to upload a video and it just takes a few minutes. I’ll do it too and post the link here when its up. Feel free to post links in the comments section too if you upload a vid.
YNet reports that legendary rock band Guns N’ Roses has scheduled two performances in Israel in December. Sweet! Enjoy this live 1992 performance of Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door at the Tokyo Dome. Coming soon to Tel Aviv…
Every year, the CMJ Music Marathon hosts over 1,200 indie artists over the course of 5 days, and is the largest and longest-running music industry event of its kind anywhere. This year, Israel will be well represented with no less than 8 bands/artists showcasing their musical chops in New York City. These include Onili, Ivri Lider, Tamar Eisenman, Izabo. Sagol 59, Carusella, Hybrid Lava and DJ Mesh.
This aint no Hava Nagilah crew. Onili is an electro pop machine. Ivri Lider is mad popular in Israel and for good reason – I dare you to watch this video (Zachiti Le’ehov) and not get misty (if you know any Hebrew). He performs in English too – see Jesse and his cover of Katy Perry’s I Kissed a Girl. Tamar Eisenman is 5″4′, rocks a Fender Telecaster, and you don’t want to miss her – she’s part of that new generation of female singer/songwriters with genre transcending TEETH. Izabo’s music is this frenetic mish mash of musical styles and frantic energy that makes for both a fun live show and an enlightening music experience. Sagol 59 is a much respected Jerusalem rapper who is not a Matisyahu wannabe. His raps are earthy, poetic, rough and real. Carusella is a duo not unlike the White Stripes but way more rockin’ if you can believe that’s possible. Hybrid Lava is a completely out of control glam mind fuck from hell. DJ Mesh is an inspired turntablist who will wow you with his spins while his crew of Russian Jerusalem gangbangers steal your car and mess with your woman. Nope. No Hava Nagila here.
CMJ takes place in New York City from October 19-23rd. More info and tickets available at the CMJ site.
For more Jewy CMJ stuff check out Shemspeed’s CMJ Showcase on October 19th. See all the details click here.
How are fashion designers, video scratchers, musicians and choreographers exploiting technology? Composer Yaron Gottfried says “The possibilities today are amazing,” but are the Internet and innovations like YouTube propelling us into a ‘Copy- Paste’ culture? What’s become of ‘pure’ art?
Honestly, Electric, interactive shirts? Has the advent of technology lead to a fusion of traditionally distinct industries? Come ponder the true affects and effects of technology and our age.
(This update is cross-posted from “Sacred and Insane,” my blog about immigrating to Jerusalem as a secular Jew. To read the original post, please click here, or follow me on Twitter to stay completely updated with my journey here in Israel).
Shockingly — and violating everything my father ever told me about socialized healthcare — I was able to get a gynecologist appointment on Tuesday, only two days after I called to schedule one. And it wasn’t even an emergency.
Since he always told me that people have to wait months for care in a socialized medicine, I figured I ought to make my appointment way in advance — you know, at least a month and a half before any medication would run out.
The facilities, however, didn’t necessarily match the quickness. The Jerusalem Medical Center, located on 9 Diskin St. in the ultra-pricey Rehavia neighborhood, was teeming with little children and senior citizens, and the furniture was all rather old and grimy. Flies seem to be regular patients at the office.
To my horror — and anyone who knows me will cringe on my behalf when reading this — the gynecology wing (that’s an exaggeration, as it was just one room really) was located right next to the head-lice treatment center.
I would for sure be scrubbing myself down to the bone as soon as get home, I thought, while sitting in the waiting room. My head was itching thinking about that haven across the corridor. Couldn’t they have placed it somewhere else? You know, at least a few miles away?
A bit like a factory, patients walked in and out of the tiny gynecology waiting room to see the one doctor there that day, the representative for Maccabi insurance holders. After waiting only about 20 minutes — that’s pretty good even compared to American standards — it was my turn. And as a pregnant haredi woman and peyot-clad husband exited with their double-decker stroller, I walked in.
I saw down with quite an intelligent American doctor, whom of course I had researched thoroughly beforehand. He got his undergraduate degree at Stony Brook University (also my parents’ undergraduate alma mater), and then had gone on to study medicine at New York University, one of the best medical school programs in the United States.
Doctors are always friendlier to me when I mention my parents’ professions. And they actually speak to me like I’m someone familiar with medicine, rather than a clueless writer.
My only slight concern was the black velvet kipa and beard — albeit close shaven — that appeared in the photo alongside his online resume. You know, because I thought it was slightly awkward to discuss birth control pills with an Orthodox physician, but then I remembered that’s exactly what he is — a physician. Though I do admit I was mildly shocked when I heard him say the word “intercourse.”
But within seconds, after I presented him with detailed drug information about my somewhat obscure American birth control, he found an Israeli counterpart with the exact same hormones.
The only catch is that the Israeli version, called Feminet, is a monophasic regimen instead of a triphasic regimen like my old set. Unlike triphasic pills, which have different hormone levels every week to mimic a “real” menstrual cycle, the monophasic versions do not change throughout the cycle. He promised me, however, that this will have no negative effect on my system.
Actually, this is an important piece of information for female immigrants to Israel to take note of — in Israel, according to my doctor, triphasic birth control pills no longer even exist. They were phased out long ago because Israeli doctors didn’t see the need to mimic the real menstrual cycle when all cycles under birth control are actually fake anyway.
Similarly, all the packs have 21 pills, not 28, another American addition that the doctor said was not necessary to Israelis, whom he informed me are intelligent enough to know how to count 7 days between packages.
As usual, the Israelis refuse to deal with the useless yet comforting things that we Americans so thoroughly enjoy. In fact, the doctor even recommended that I feel free to go right from one packet to another whenever I want — something American gynecologists seem to rarely recommend.
The co-pay there was NIS 7 ($2), and each pack, aside from the two free ones the doctor gave me, cost NIS 30 ($8), four times less than my prescriptions in the United States, also with insurance.
But by the way…to my disappointment and desire to prove my father’s view on socialist medicine wrong, the doctor assured me my dad was actually right. It was fluke, he said, that I had gotten that appointment in a mere two days, as only minutes before I called he had added that entire day to his schedule, to make up for the days he had lost during the September holidays.
Don’t worry though, he assured me. Normally, you’ll get to wait that month.
Jewish Social Action Month Meets Jewlicious Meets LA
Graphics by Jewlicious Festival Creative Director, Michael Mordechai
We recently were the benefactors of a very generous grant from the Jewish Community Foundation Los Angeles (a massive post on this is in the works). Thanks to their generosity, we have been able to expand the offerings of Jewlicious in Los Angeles, including this past August’s Camp Jewlicious.
This month Jewlicious is launching TIKKUNFEST, a day of community service and social action culminating in a free concert for volunteers. Volunteers will spread out over 18 blocks of Pico Blvd. – aka The Chood – planting fruit trees and herb gardens in custom made planters, painting stuff, cleaning up garbage, repairing stuff, collecting clothing and food for the needy at registration, assisting seniors with stuff, a few other projects and promoting community involvement.
TIKKUNFEST is in support of Jewish Social Action Month and The LA Green Mile. The LA Green Mile began a few years ago to help clean up the section of Pico Blvd that runs through the most thriving part of Jewish LA.
How to get involved? Its easy! Volunteers just register here, or below the break, then show up on game-day. You will get a free t-shirt and a concert at a local venue with an amazing band (details soon!)
You can also be a contributor by sponsoring a planter, or supplies, the concert, and the food. You can dedicate a tree or herb garden in honor or memory of someone and we will be putting plaques on the planters, and all sponsorships and donations are tax-deductible!
Your organization can come out for the day and be a part of a great project – email us for more info! tikkunfest@gmail.com
TIKKUNFEST is sponsored by The Jewish Community Foundation Los Angeles, powered by JConnect, and with a growing list of co-sponsors and partners including: Progressive Jewish Alliance • JConnectLA • Uri L’Tzedek • Repair The World
Or perhaps it was for what Ynet calls ‘a scandal filled trial year’. Dr. Gav Avital is was the chief scientist of Israel’s Education Ministry but comments such as these riled enough sensible people to call for his ouster (see Ha’aretz for references):
Another scientific field that is problematic is biology, or life and environmental sciences. When your doctrine is based on Darwin’s theory of evolution and its implications, you are standing on unreliable foundations – that is, there is no God, there was only something primeval, and then there are certain random developments which led to the apex of all creation, the human being.
If textbooks state explicitly that human beings’ origins are to be found with monkeys, I would want students to pursue and grapple with other opinions. There are many people who don’t believe the evolutionary account is correct
If they keep writing in textbooks that the Earth is growing warmer because of carbon dioxide emissions, I’ll insist that isn’t the case.
Not surprisingly, Israeli scientists were irate. Muffti’s favourite quote? From Prof. Hava Yablonka of Tel Aviv University:
[it's like] saying that space should be given in textbooks to the view that the earth is flat and the sun revolves around it. It’s astonishing that the chief scientist of a government ministry can say such bizarre things.
Muffti has to agree – make what you like about creationist stories, it doesn’t really seem to fit the rubric of ‘science’ (unless you want to call it ‘bad science’). Then again there is a board of education that would love to have Gavriel Avital: Texas!.
Before I begin this article please let me make it clear that this is not a puff piece. I’m discussing this element not because I’m saying that this is something everyone should adopt and that everyone needs to go after this. However, I believe that everyone needs to go after something like this. For me, Jewish education is one of the most important things. Why? Because, it is my belief, that what will allow Jews to continue into the future, and what has allowed Jews to continue until now, is not the Bible and its laws, and is not the clergy and their sermons, but rather, Jewish education. If our children do not learn about Judaism, its laws, what it means to be a Jew, the history of the Jewish people, both in biblical times and in our recent past, they will not be Jewish. Being born to a Jewish mother will not ensure that the grandchild will be Jewish if that child knows nothing about what it means to be Jewish or the elements of being Jewish. Look at many of the children, born to Jewish parents, in the FSU, where practicing one’s religion was essentially not allowed. I know quite a few of them. They have Jewish last names, and they tell me that, yes, their mother was a Jew. Are their children Jewish? Some of them; the ones who chose to send their kids to Jewish day schools, Jewish summer camps, and/or Jewish youth groups. Others, however, don’t even know what a Jew is. Jewish education is fundamental to our survival as a people, and that is why I’m writing this article.
I know the story of the recent halachic ruling by Rabbi Ari Shvat regarding Israeli honey pots was already covered by 
