Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Bloomberg Explodes Over "No Mosque at Ground Zero" Remark at Jewish Heritage Dinner

B"H

I got a first-person account of this incident just moments after it happened, and I have been scanning the news and the blogs since, waiting for it to be reported.

Of course, it isn't reported (except at Shelomo's own blog, here, and at Atlas Shrugs).

There is an overwhelming and dangerous silence surrounding the Mosque project at ground zero. No politician wants to go on the record against it.

Why?

Don't they understand that this mosque is the victory dance for Jihad?

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Confronted over Mosque at Ground Zero, Mayor Explodes

By Shelomo Alfassa

http://www.alfassa.com/mayor.html

While attending the June 15, 2010 annual invitation-only Jewish Heritage Dinner at Gracie Mansion, the New York City mayor's symbolic home, this writer had an astonishing and unforeseen run-in with Mayor Michael Bloomberg regarding the proposed controversial mosque at Ground Zero.

(June 15, 2010) New York's Jewish establishment gathered for a pleasant kosher barbecue held on the lush back lawn of the mayor's graceful 19th century mansion on New York's Upper East Side.

When the dinner and program ended, I walked over to the west side of the stage, along with a dozen or so others which were hoping to get a photo of the mayor. As the mayor came off the stage, both uniformed and plainclothes policemen demanded that everyone step back.

The New Face of Hip Hop is Halachically Jewish, Black, and Canadian

B"H

Calling Matasyahu! Can you PLEASE help this kid remember he is a Jew as he is faced with millions of temptations?

Sure, he has been around show business for years, starring in a very popular television series . . . but that was nothing compared to where he is headed now.

The way this article starts, with some girl trying to get a date with him (a NOT Jewish girl!), makes THIS Jewish mother cringe. (Yeah, OK, she's probably beautiful, no-doubt. But, seriously? Relationships are hard enough! Don't try keeping a relationship with someone whose best childhood memories come from holidays you don't celebrate!)

Anyway, back to the subject . . .

Drake is a sensation, and if you don't know who he is--it is time you met him.

Here is a beautiful article from the NYT, and here is a link from Youtube (even though I am still mad at them about removing "We Con the World!") Hmph.

B"H

This is fascinating. Shas has never been Zionist.

In fact, if you asked me to describe Shas's position on Israel, I would have answered, "Shas supports anything and anyone who will give more money to Shas."

This "political philosophy" has allowed every PM from Sharon to Olmert to Bibi to buy support from Shas to destroy Gaza, raze Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, seal homes, and give our Holy City of Hevron away to terrorists.

Now they want to be Zionists? Seriously?

I think it will take more than membership in the WZO to do this. Do they know that Zionists have scruples? Do they know that Zionists want Jews to live in the land of Israel? Do they know that we expect them to keep that ideology even when some politician offers them more child allowances?

I am very skeptical that Shas can make a full Zionist teshuvah.

Meanwhile, I like the declaration of the obvious--especially if it puts the UN in a pickle. I guess we all assumed that the Torah's declaration that Hashm gave us Israel was enough.

Silly us!

We forgot that the UN is run by a bunch of thugs that could care less about G-d.

B"H

Wow. This is one of the most concise, accurate, and chilling pieces I have seen.

In it, Clifford May lays out exactly what Hamas wants from Israel, and exactly what those who support Hamas are supporting: Genocide.

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Beyond Bigotry
Clifford May, Scripps Howard News Service
http://www.nationalpost.com/todays-paper/Beyond+Bigotry/3150541/story.html#ixzz0qqbgxN1G

Israel is at war, and if Israel were to be defeated, much of the world would not shed wet tears. What would happen after such a defeat? No one can seriously doubt that Hamas has genocidal intentions.

Abdallah Jarbu, Hamas's Deputy Minister of Religion, recently asserted that Jews "want to present themselves to the world as if they have rights, but, in fact, they are foreign bacteria -- a microbe unparalleled in the world." Jarbu then offered this prayer: "May He annihilate this filthy people who have neither religion nor conscience."

Pogrom 2010: 75,000 Uzbeks Flee Kyrgyzstan. Women, Children, Elderly Slaughtered in Border Towns. Mobs Burn Uzbek Villages. Osh Falls to Kyrgyz Mobs.

UPDATE 6/15/2010: UZBEK BORDER CLOSED. REFUGEES TURNED BACK.

B”H

This is HORRIBLE news!!

At this point, although most of the news is about Kyrgyzstani mobs murdering Uzbeks, we can't be sure exactly what is happening or what to think about it. The news is just too confusing and too new.

But no matter who is fighting whom, and no matter where the blame eventually falls, this is a giant and tragic story.

I do know that city of Osh is filled with Jews, as are a lot of the smaller towns on the border; but there are also a large number of Kyrgyzstani Jews--and both populations move between those two countries and have a lot of connections.

There are both Bukarian Sephardic Jews and Ashkenazi Jews (including a lot of Chabad) in the both Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

Right now, it is reported that Kyrgyzstani mobs are attacking, but at this point it is unclear which ethnic groups are fighting. I know that people along the border of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbek are close.

I also know that there have been a lot of murders of Jews in these towns.

Right now, innocent women, children, and elderly people are being attacked, and the situation is chaotic, at best.

May Hashm be with the innocent people of both Uzbekistan and Kyrgystan. May they find peace and safety in the coming days, and may Hashm comfort those who have lost loved ones in this terrible event.

B"H

The most disgusting part of this story is that, in Richmond, it was a Jewish politician who sponsored the resolutions. His Dhimmitude is complete!

Do these people not understand that Israel has been under attack? Do they not understand that the "Gaza Flotilla" was a terrorist infiltration under the guise of a "humanitarian mission"?

Do they understand that terrorists are trying to infiltrate Israel to kill our citizens on a DAILY basis and that Iran is working hard to establish a base of operations there?

Do they not understand that, according to International Law, Israel was well within its rights to board the ship, that there was NO humanitarian aid aboard the ship, and that IDF members weren't even properly armed?

If the IDF hadn't been attacked, the IDF would never have fired their weapons.

I think they are aware. It is just that their hate of Israel has overcome the need to actually find out the facts before making a resolution to condemn Israel.

Youtube Shows It's Anti-Israel Bias, Removes "We Con The World" Parody

B"H

Youtube can make the excuse that there is a copyright infringement with "We Con the World," even if the makers of the song were making money on the song (which they aren't).

This is clearly established in the Supreme Court Case Cambell v. Acuff-Rose Music Inc. In that case, the Supreme Court established Parody fell under the Fair Use law.

A parody is clearly protected speech and is NOT an infringement of copyright. This is clearly established in case-law, so clearly established, that there is NO WAY Youtube could even think that they are in danger of being sued. They aren't.

More likely, Youtube has bowed to pro-Arab pressure and/or threats.

Even more disappointing is that Youtube waited until Shabbat to pull the video so that the Shabbat observant Jews who created this video wouldn't know it was missing for a full 24 hours.

Parshat Korach by Naftali Kassorla

B"H

This is one of my favorite parts of Torah because, like most people, I really like it when the good-guys win.

This story really should be on the big screen. It has everything! Passion, scandal, dispute, and a WOW ending when Hashm opens the earth to swallow the bad-guys whole!

It is also a parshat that speaks to our times. We are constantly confronted by those who would try to find fault in Torah rather than looking to understand it. When we are confronted by such an attitude, we must follow Moshe's lead.

B"H

So, Israel's "failure" on the Gaza-Bound ship of terrorist fools can be linked directly to the biggest fool of all: President Obama.

Why am I not surprised?

Israel knew there were terrorists aboard the ship. Israel knew they might attack. Israel has more than enough knowledge in crowd control--yet, Israel didn't use crowd control methods because, yes, you guessed it, the US "pressured" Israel, and Israel gave in to that pressure.

Seriously, Israel knows its business, and Israel should have taken care of this business without the US "helping." Why can't Israel just act like a sovereign nation and stop worrying about what the world community thinks? After all, they will hate us no matter what we do, so we might as well do what we want!

If Israel had done what Israel does best, there probably wouldn't be any dead terrorists on the "humanitarian" ship.

The deaths of the terrorists AND the injuries to our courageous IDF troops can both be traced to the same address: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

So, get to it! All those arabs festooned in Hamas green, all those fat chicks with mullets dressed in shorts and peace sign tee-shirts, all those white guys in dreadlocks, and skinny girls with no makeup wearing kefiyahs can unite with our modestly dressed mothers, our black-and-white penguin-suited yeshiva boys, our militant knit-kippah Zionists, and our sundress-clad university girls in one giant protest against Barak Obama's stupid meddling.

And, while we are at it--maybe someone can bring a muzzle for Rahm Emmanuel. I'm sure he had a lot to do with this mess.

Reuters Admits Cropping Gaza "Flotilla" Photos, Denies Political Motivation (Yeah, right!)

B"H

There have already been countless examples of Reuters changing their news to go against Israel, so the only thing that is surprising is that they would admit they changed the photos.

Their claim that they didn't do it for political reasons rings hollow. They knew what they were doing! No photojournalist would crop a knife out of a photo unless they had a very good reason to do so--and that reason wouldn't be journalistic!!

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Reuters Admits Cropping Photos of Ship Clash, Denies Political Motive
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/06/08/reuters-fake-photos-ihh-gaza-blockade-commandos/?test=latestnews
By Ed Barnes
The British-based Reuters news agency has been stung for the second time by charges that it edited politically sensitive photos in a way that casts Israel in a bad light. But this time Reuters claims it wasn’t at fault.

The news agency reacted to questions raised by an American blogger who showed that Reuters' photo service edited out knives and blood traces from pictures taken aboard the activist ship Mavi Marmara during a clash with Israeli commandos last week. Nine people were killed and scores were injured in the clash.

The pictures of the fight were released by IHH, the Turkish-based group that sponsored the six-ship fleet that tried to break Israel's blockade of Gaza.

Iran doesn't want to miss out on this Israel-bashing, PR propping, Islamogasmic Good Time. Planning To Send Navy to Escort "Humanitarian" Ships to Gaza

B"H

Iran doesn't want to miss out on this Israel-bashing, PR propping, Islamogasmic good time, so "I'm-a-nut-job" has decided to send Iranian vessels to "guard" the next "humanitarian flotilla" to Gaza.

Whoopie.

The Iranian madman, like Erdogan, is tanking in the polls, unpopular with his own people, and in need of a great deal of support from the masses.

And, in the great tradition of Arab incitement aimed at having the masses forget the troubles at home and blame everything on Israel, Iran is jumping on the bandwagon with gusto.

Spoof of Flotilla "We Con the World" Gets 1.3 Million Hits on YouTube, Accidentally Sent Out By Israel's Government Press Office

B"H

I think a little humor is called for . . .

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‘We Con the World’ Big Hit on YouTube with 1.3 Million Clicks
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/137922

The “We Con the World” spoof of the Flotilla attackers has passed the 1.3 million mark on YouTube after making the rounds on dozens of web sites and blogs. The Government Press Office apologized to foreign media for accidentally sending it on its email list as if it were an official PR piece.

Complaints were heard about the line "There are no dead bodies" in the song from viewers that did not realize that it does not refer to the fatalities on the flotilla, but is a spoof on the reasons the flotilla was sent, one of which is that it is a long time since Israel invaded Gaza and they could claim civilian deaths.

Click here to see the video on YouTube.

by Shelomo Alfassá
http://www.alfassa.com/me_zsl.html

NEW YORK, NY (June 7, 2010) - The State of Israel lost a powerful voice of political reason and religious rationality on June 7, 2010 (7 Sivan 5770) when Hakham Mordehai Eliyahu, former Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel, succumbed to advancing health problems he had been suffering for the past two years.

Hakham Mordehai Eliyahu served as Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel from 1982 to 1993 and was member of the Bet Din Harabani Hagadol (Supreme Rabbinical Court) based in Jerusalem. He was considered one of the leading Zionist rabbis and certainly one of the most popular and charismatic rabbinical leaders in all of Israel for many decades.

The rabbi was born in the ‘Old City’ of Jerusalem in British-occupied Palestine during the dark year of 1929 when Arabs attacked, killed and maimed over 100 Jews throughout Hebron, Jaffa, Safed and other towns. A consequence of these sad events was an increased growth in Jewish nationalism and intensification of Jewish self-determination for Jews all over the holy land.Hakham Eliyahu's upbringing was one imbibed with a rigorous love of the land of Israel which helped him become a staunch defender of such, first inspired by his father, the Iraqi-born rabbi, Hakham Salman Eliyahu (1878-1940). His father was not only considered a respected rabbi and mekubal (kabbalist) of Jerusalem, but he also had been secularly educated in London. As a result of his Western education, he later served as personal secretary of the British High Commissioner of the Palestine British Mandate, Lord Herbert L. Samuel (1870-1963) -- the first Jew to govern the historic land of Israel in 2,000 years.

The Difference Between a "Peace Activist" and Supporter of Terror Explained In NYT by The Israeli Ambassador to the US, Michael Oren

An Assault, Cloaked in Peace

Many who were aboard the Gaza-bound flotilla had one goal it was to aid terrorists, not to help civilians.

By MICHAEL B. OREN

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/03/opinion/03oren.html

PEACE activists are people who demonstrate nonviolently for peaceful co-existence and human rights. The mob that assaulted Israeli special forces on the deck of the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara on Monday was not motivated by peace. On the contrary, the religious extremists embedded among those on board were paid and equipped to attack Israelis — both by their own hands as well as by aiding Hamas — and to destroy any hope of peace.

Millions have already seen the Al Jazeera broadcast showing these “activists” chanting “Khaibar! Khaibar!”— a reference to a Muslim massacre of Jews in the Arabian peninsula in the seventh century. YouTube viewers saw Israeli troops, armed with crowd-dispersing paintball guns and side arms for emergency protection, being beaten and hurled over the railings of the ship by attackers wielding iron bars.

What the videos don’t show, however, are several curious aspects Israeli authorities are now investigating. First, about 100 of those detained from the boats were carrying immense sums in their pockets — nearly a million euros in total. Second, Israel discovered spent bullet cartridges on the Mavi Marmara that are of a caliber not used by the Israeli commandos, some of whom suffered gunshot wounds. Also found on the boat were propaganda clips showing passengers “injured” by Israeli forces; these videos, however, were filmed during daylight, hours before the nighttime operation occurred.

Shelomo Alfassa: Beware the Cordoba Initiative

http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/127499.html

Shelomo Alfassa is the former US director of Justice for Jews from Arab Countries and a scholar of Judaic life in Islamic Spain. He lives in New York.

The world should know that the ‘Cordoba Initiative,’ the New York City based organization desiring to construct a massive Islamic house of prayer at ‘Ground Zero,’ has posted on its website, a peculiar and disingenuous statement indicating the desire to bring back the atmosphere of, “interfaith tolerance and respect that we have longed for since Muslims, Christians and Jews lived together in harmony and prosperity eight hundred years ago.”

I point this out because contemporary scholarship has clearly demonstrated that there was no ‘harmony’ or ‘prosperity’ for non-Muslims in Islamic Spain. The Cordoba Initiative is attempting to revisit some sort of mythical “tolerance and respect” which never existed.

What is irrefutable is that living under Islam, the non-Muslim population was always mandated to submit to Islam, accept discriminatory laws, and make payment of a mandatory Quranic tax imposed upon every non-Muslim. For a period of about 800 years, most of Spain was ruled by Muslims and this area was known as ‘Al-Andalus.’ Islamic rule ended in 1492, when the city of Granada, the last Muslim kingdom in Western Europe, capitulated to the Spanish Catholics.

The Cordoba Initiative is an organization whose very name makes reference to what was, 1,000 years ago, one of the world’s most advanced cities, Cordoba, Al-Andalus (Spain). This was a city that was politically and religiously dominated by Islam, and a city that was conquered by jihad (holy war). Today, there are

With Gaza Flotilla, Erdogan Got the International Incident He Was Hoping For. Now He Can Concentrate His Power in Turkey By Using Israel As A Scapegoat

B"H

Erdogan, the PM of Turkey, is a jerk, but he is a smart jerk.

Erdogan was hoping to cause an international incident with his "Gaza Freedom Flotilla," and he did.

It was a win-win for Erdogan. If Israel allowed the flotilla to go through, Erdogan was a hero. If Israel stopped the flotilla, Erdogan would say the right things and show the right indignation, and Erdogan would be a hero.

In an article from earlier this week, Debka said that Erdogan had arranged for the flotilla in order to use it as leverage for his own political aspirations, and Debka was right.

As we speak, riots are breaking out all over Turkey, there are reports that one of the Turkish MPs on the boat was killed, Israelis are warned to stay away from Turkey, and Turkish Jews, already targeted since Operation Cast Lead, are fearing for their lives and the lives of their children.

B"H

OK, let's look at the situation.

Over 1,000 "peace protesters" board ships from several different countries, and set sail to break the security perimeter that Israel has established around Gaza.

Why did Israel establish this perimeter? Because Gaza was importing weapons in order to attack Israel. Large ships full of weapons were pulling up to Gaza ports, or parking just off shore and either off-loading weapons into smaller ships for transport or dropping those weapons into the sea in watertight boxes for "fishermen" to pick up.

Israel was attacked over and over again by Hamas rockets, and those rockets were getting more and more sophisticated, able to reach further and further into Israel. This is why Operation Cast Lead occurred. Israel was being attacked. It is still being attacked, but on a much smaller scale BECAUSE of the success of the security perimeter established by the IDF. Without that perimeter, there would be an unstopping siege upon Israel by the terrorists.

OK, now these idiots say that there is a "blockade" of Gaza, and they are bringing "humanitarian aid" in.

Israel answers with offers to transfer that "humanitarian aid" to Gaza in a lawful manner, as they do not want the boats to enter the security perimeter. The boats refuse.

Next, the sail closer. The IDF warns them to stay back. They say, "If you don't stay back, we will sink you!"

The "peace protesters" continue on--oh, but this time they have armed themselves with guns and knives to prevent an IDF assault. They are planning violence against the IDF--and they have been planning it all along. After all, those weapons were aboard those boats from the beginning!

"Secret" Iraqi Document Connects Saudis to Al Queda. Saudis Scramble To Arrest Those Who Leaked Document

B"H

Wow. Seriously? The Saudis are involved in terror? They fund Al Queda?

I thought they were just a bunch of rich guys who like to walk around in dresses!

I'm shocked! (NOT)

(By the way, can you call something "secret" when the whole world already knows it?)

The scariest part of this story is the fact that even the Saudis aren't denying it. Instead, they are trying to arrest the people who leaked the document.

OK, so when is the next official Saudi delegation expected in Washington? Which of our "representatives" have taken money from them, and can we charge those representatives under the laws against material support of terrorism?

(Psssst. Hey, Hillary! You might want to do a little house-cleaning soon! [Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.])

B"H

The tents at a UN children's summer camp were burned? The Director of a UN children's summer camp was threatened? Pshaw! That's not important, right? Who cares if several hundred children might be in danger later this summer, or if the head of the UN children's summer camp is killed?

No wonder none of the other news agencies covered this story.

After all, they wouldn't want to make the terrorists in Gaza look like the terrorists in Gaza!

No way--especially when the manufactured news story about the "Friendship Flotilla" heading toward Gaza to "break the blockade" will be hitting Thursday.

The news agencies don't want to pollute that story with anything as unseemly as facts! If they did that, there wouldn't be an outpouring of outrage against Israel--and isn't that the point of all this?

As Gaza Flotilla Nears, Erdogen Issues Secret Threat To Israel

B”H

This is a serious escalation of the situation between Israel and Turkey if, as I assume, Debka has this right.

The “freedom flotilla” that is approaching Gaza is already a political hot potato.

If Israel lets it go through, it will break the isolation from Gaza and a free-flow of weapons and terrorists will begin flooding in.

If Israel doesn’t let it go through, it may be that Turkey starts some very nasty stuff with us. He has threatened "Israeli Interests." Let's all hope and pray that Erdogen isn't contemplating harm to the Turkish Jewish community.

Right now, Turkey’s Erdogen isn’t looking so hot politically, and he has painted himself into a corner with his involvement in this affair. Losing face would be more than a political situation for him, it would be personal.

He may just want to have a dust-up with Israel so that he can boost his numbers, his influence, and his power at home. I just hope that no innocent Jews are harmed by this increasingly dangerous and increasingly evil man.

This could be a very interesting summer.

B”H

OK, I am majorly confused here. It appears that “Haredim” is the catch-all term for any religious person? Because, I would definitely make a distinction between “Haredim” and “Neturei Karta.”

By the way, how does the news media distinguish between them as they are rioting? Do the Neturei Karta wear some special uniform that shows that they hate Israel and love Iran or what? Are they wrapped in an Iranian flag? Do they wear little Hamas insignias? What?

I have always questioned the any news reports about religious Jews, but I always thought there was some basis for what they wrote.

Now, I am questioning EVERYTHING about the news coverage of these “riots” in Jerusalem because I am not sure whether they were the result of religious concerns (as was reported), or if they started as religious concerns and then were taken over by the Neturei Karta because they hate Israel and might want to cause difficulty to the authorities in order to help their “palestinian brothers,” or if the Neturei Karta were the instigators from the beginning. Were other religious Jews involved at all? If so, to what extent?

B"H

I don't know why we are surprised that every concession leads to a provocation. We already know that their culture is one of respect for power, not concession. If we want to negotiate with them, we need to do it in a culturally-appropriate fashion, i.e. we need to be tough and never give in.

Aren't all the liberals always screaming about cultural differences and telling us to pay attention to the importance of these differences?

Why don't we follow their advice?

Don't make any concessions at all.

We need to say, "This is our land, it has always been our land, it will always be our land, and you can go back to where you came from right now!"

This is the culturally appropriate way to deal with the "palestinian" arabs who are occupying our ancestral homeland. They need a clear and strong statement, and we must not back down for a second.

HELL NO! Pay Your Own Dang Bill, Mr. Emanuel! How Dare You Eat Fried Squid As You Plan Your Son's Bar Mitzvah, And Expect Israel To Pay the Bill!

B”H

HELL NO, Mr. Emanuel! Pay your own bill!

You should not go to Israel, pretend to be a representative of MY government during your PRIVATE trip, and then expect Israel to pay for your UNKOSHER meal which, ironically, you ate while you planned your son’s Bar Mitzvah . . . you know, the ancient ceremony where you son becomes a “son of the Torah.”

I guess you forgot that Kashrut was part of that Torah, right?

You are a rude, discourteous, embarrassment to the United States, Israel, and Judaism.

I feel very sorry for your son. It is sad that your crass behavior has to taint his special day. You will be lucky if several rabbis don’t come out against your son becoming a bar mitzvah when he can’t possibly know the first thing about his obligations after living with a father like you.

You should be ashamed of yourself!

(I know I am ashamed of you!)

M

B"H

It is quite fitting that Hashm chose to end this terrible man's life on the same day that we celebrate the giving of the Torah. I don't think I can name a Jew who rejected Torah more than this horrible evil man, and it is fitting that Hashm removed him from this earth in order for the rest of us to enjoy this holiday without him.

He not only sinned, but he caused others to sin deeply. For this, there is no recompense. May Hashm judge him as he should be judged, may his children reject him and find shame in his name, may he be forgotten, may his legacy be destroyed, and may those who followed him recognize their sin while they are still capable and turn to Torah, study it with true Jewish scholars, and learn the error of their ways.

Why am I publishing this story on my blog?

Because I want every Jew to know who their enemy is (Js for J was founded by the Baptist Church), where this enemy came from (the leader of Js for J was a Baptist Minister), who supports this enemy (Baptists), who funds this enemy (Baptists), and what this enemy uses to entice Jews away from Hashm and the Holy Torah (Lies and confusion).

They prey upon Jews who do not know their heritage and their traditions, they prey upon Jews who are poor, who are sick, or who are elderly. Mostly, right now, they prey upon Jews from the Former Soviet Union, Jews from the Middle East, and Anusim. They pretend to be Jewish, but they talk about "Yeshua"--their god-on-a-stick.

Do not fall for their evil lies, and don't let others fall for them either.

If you want information about how to counteract their evil lessons, and the evil lessons of other fake Jews PLEASE go to Jews for Judaism, The Anti-Missionary Gateway, The Messiah Truth Project, and/or visit Tovia Singer's Website for Outreach Judaism.

We all need to know what these blood-sucking soul whores are up to and how to counteract them.

-M

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M* R*, 78; founded evangelistic group Jews for Jesus

Shavuot Celebration (Or Not!) Shows Difference Between Jews

B"H

Sephardim are often attacked as "less religious" because all types of Jews meet together in Sephardic Synagogues.

For example, it is common for my children to be insulted by their playmates that our synagogue is "Reform" or "Conservative" because some of the congregants are not religious. Even though we are just as "religious" and kosher as they are, we often find that Ashkenazi parents will not allow their children to eat in our home because we don't attend a "religious" (read Ashkenazi Orthodox) synagogue.

What they don't understand, is that the terms "Reform," "Conservative," and "Orthodox," are alien to our religious observance, and have no bearing upon the way in which Sephardim relate to Judaism, or to one another.

Traditionally, among Sephardim, there is no separation between different types of Jews.

We expect our rabbis and our synagogues to be completely religious, but we don't judge those who attend our synagogues or ask them about their observance level before we give them an aliyah. We simply pray, celebrate, and work together.

But, among Ashkenazim, the tradition is to segregate Jews--to have groups like "Reform," "Conservative," and "Orthodox."

Askenazim worry about exposing their children to "less religious" Jews, while the Sephardim wonder how it is possible for "less religious" Jews to know their obligations if they are segregated into a group with others like them.

Sephardic and General Shavuot Stuff . . . And a Few Recipes Too!

B"H

Shavuot is the only major festival mentioned in the Torah that is not given a particular date on the Jewish calendar. Instead, the date of the festival is given in relation to Pesach. Instead of giving us an exact date, we are commanded to count a week of weeks, 49 days, in anticipation of the date the Torah was given. Clearly, the lesson that Shavuot is intimately connected to Pesach cannot be ignored. In order to understand the importance of Shavuot, we must begin with an understanding of this connection.

Pesach is clearly the festival celebrating our freedom from the slavery of Egypt, but this was only the beginning. When one is enslaved, one is stripped of two important aspects of humanity—freedom and responsibility.

As freedom diminishes, so does responsibility. As slaves, we had no ability to control our own destinies or the destinies of our families. We could not make decisions. We lost track of the days as we strived hour by hour just to exist. During this time, it is said that the Jewish people slipped to the 49th level of impurity, a spiritual state so low that we were almost lost completely. Because we lost our freedom, we lost our responsibility. Because we lost our responsibility, we lost our humanity.

At Pesach, Hashm restores our freedom.

At Shavuot, Hashm restores our responsibility.

Ozzy Osbourne to Perform During Chol HaMoed Sukkot in Tel Aviv

B"H

Thank you, Ozzy! Your support of Israel is greatly appreciated!

Rock on!

Here is some classic Black Sabbath to get you all in the mood!

(I'm thinking the War Pigs are Hamas, how about you?)

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Ozzy Osbourne to perform in Israel
Legendary British singer-songwriter, known as 'godfather of heavy metal', to give one concert in Tel Aviv on September 28

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3888837,00.html

Osbourne, known as the "godfather of heavy metal", will perform in Tel Aviv on September 28, according to his official website.

Osbourne is being brought to Israel by producer Shuki Weiss. According to the singer's website, the concert will be held at Yarkon Park. Osbourne, 61, will arrive in Israel as part of his world tour, immediately after giving concert in Greece.

B"H

So, you expected something different? They don't care about their people. They care about destroying Israel. That is there one and only goal. It has always been their one and only goal.

Anyone who supports these terrorists is not doing something good for the "palestinian" people.

The supporters of these terrorists are simply supporters of terrorists. Nothing more.

Wake up and smell the rocket fuel!

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Hamas Demolishes Dozens of Arab Homes
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/137582
by Hillel Fendel

Hamas police beat and forcibly removed residents from their homes in a southern Gaza city, and the buildings were then demolished by bulldozers.

The Associated Press reports that the Hamas police wielded clubs and pushed the residents out of dozens of homes in Rafah, on the Egyptian border. The incident occurred on Sunday, and destruction was expected to continue on Monday. Hamas authorities said the homes were built illegally on government land.

Wake Up Noam! It's Not 1969!! Chomsky (Thankfully) Barred from Israel. Can't Make Scheduled Speech to Ramallah "College." Boo Hoo

B”H

Good for Israel! It is about time!!

But this isn’t enough.

This bozo needs to be barred from every academic institution, conference, and/or presentation that he could possibly attend. He has gone completely crazy, seriously.

He seems to believe because he came up with one particularly well accepted (but not by me) linguistic theory, that he has become a god or something. His ego has gotten completely out of hand, and now he thinks that whatever he thinks is what should be thought by everyone.

Also, he seems to have lost all connection with time.

Hey, Noam! Sorry to break this to you, but the 60s are over, you are out of touch, and your linguistic theories are passe!

M
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Noam Chomsky Barred from Entering Israel
by Gil Ronen
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/137566
Ultra-leftist MIT professor Noam Chomsky was denied entry from Jordan to Israel at the Allenby Bridge Sunday.

Chomsky, a leading linguist, was scheduled to speak at Bir Zeit University near Ramallah. He reportedly spoke on the phone with an activist in an NGO called Right of Entry and said that his passport had been stamped with the words “entry denied.” He said that when he asked Israeli authorities for the reasons for the decision to block his entry, he was told that it would be sent in writing to the US embassy.

Chomsky has described his views as 'anarchist' and has been a proponent of ultra-leftist politics since the 1960s, when he opposed US involvement in the Viet Nam war.

In a recent interview with Democracy Now, Chomsky appeared to justify the development of nuclear weapons by Iran:

Israel actually is sending the nuclear submarines and other warships through the Suez Canal, with the tacit agreement of Egypt, the Egyptian dictatorship, another US client in the region. Well, those are all threats—constant, verbal, actual.

And the threats do have the effect of inducing Iran to develop a deterrent. Whether they’re doing it or not, I don’t know. Maybe they are. But if they are, the reason, as I think almost all serious analysts would agree, is not because they intend to use nuclear weapons and missiles with nuclear weapons. If they even loaded a missile was nuclear weapons, assuming they had them, the country would be vaporized in five minutes. And nobody believes that the ruling clerics, whatever one thinks about them, have a kind of a death wish and want to see the entire country and society and everything they own destroyed.

Chomsky visited Lebanon in 2006 and was hosted by Hizbullah. He stated that at the time that “Hizbullah's insistence on keeping its arms is justified... I think [Hizbullah leader Sheik Hassan] Nasrallah has a reasoned argument and [a] persuasive argument that they [the arms] should be in the hands of Hizbullah as a deterrent to potential aggression, and there is [sic] plenty of background reasons for that.”

One month after his visit, Hizbullah launched an attack against the IDF, sparking the Second Lebanon War. (IsraelNationalNews.com)

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

“For those of us who put on tefillin, if you had said to me that morning, ‘Rick, if you put on tefillin today you’ll save the life of a Muslim patient,’ I’d have said you were nuts"--Rick Hodes

B"H

Here is a religiously observant Jewish doctor doing amazing things for the people of Ethiopia. What a Kiddush Hashm!

It all has to do with making oneself a vessel for goodness. He has no problem giving five orphans a life of meaning--even if they aren't Jewish and wish to keep the faith of their people. He doesn't spurn them or spit on them or tell them they are sinning--he loves them, cherishes them, and provides for them.

This is the power of love, and it is a power that we can all tap into.

For example, I have a friend who lives in Pittsburgh. He's a regular guy with a regular job who doesn't think of himself as particularly religious. He keeps Kosher, tries his best to keep Shabbat, and attends a synagogue on a regular basis where he helps the youth learn to read Torah.

What is amazing about my friend?

Bomb suspect busted at JFK Pakistani US citizen 'trying to flee US'

B”H

Wow. A young muslim man tried to commit a terrorist act in NYC? I would have NEVER guessed!!!

M
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Bomb suspect busted at JFK
Pakistani US citizen 'trying to flee US'
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/bomb_suspect_busted_at_jfk_YcdVR3kBSvjTciTXytWRKI

By MURRAY WEISS, DAN MANGAN and TIM PERONE in NY and S.A. MILLER in DC

Last Updated: 9:51 AM, May 4, 2010

A Connecticut man who recently spent several months in his native Pakistan was arrested at Kennedy Airport early this morning in connection with the attempted Times Square car bombing, law-enforcement sources told The Post.

Faisal Shahzad, 30, was trying to flee the United States and was headed for Dubai when he was apprehended by federal customs agents, the sources said.

Montreal's Only Women-Only Mikvah Needs Major Repairs

B"H

The Cote St. Luc Mikvah is apparently the only mikvah in Montreal dedicated to women's use, and it is in grave condition.

This story makes me angry. Really, really angry.

Why?

Because this is just another example of how chumrot is quickly replacing halacha in so many of our Jewish communities.

It is HALACHA for women to immerse. It is chumrot for men to immerse.

Because the men are following their chumrot, they are making it difficult for women to fulfill the halachic requirement to immerse.

By adding to the Torah, these men are subtracting from it. By thinking they are making themselves "more religious" by dunking in the mikvah, they are making the women unable to perform a necessary halachic requirement.

Why am I saying that women can't use a mikvah that men are using?

B"H

We already knew this was happening, and it is happening all over Israel. Not only do the seculars assimilate, but they either do not have children, or they have only one or two children. After all, they wouldn't want new Jewish life to impact their lifestyle!

So, Israel moves more and more to the right and more and more to the religious spectrum. No surprise here.

Those old men and women in our Knesset represent a dying species, soon to be replaced by religious men and women intent upon keeping Israel Jewish, intent upon clearly defining and defending our borders, and clearly stating, once and for all, "Am Ysrael Chai!"

This is why Obama and the EU are so frantic to get a "solution" (foul Nazi connotation intended) to the Mideast "crisis"--read, "situation where Israel won't roll over and give everything to the arabs."

B”H

The most shocking thing about this story, for me, is that the artists would be considered sincere about wanting to remove Israel off the map and using Nazi terminology like “Endlosung” (Final Solution).

If I saw this posted on a street corner, I would think it was done in a sarcastic manner by artists who wanted to drive home the point that the arab “palestinian” people are playing the victim card in order to destroy Jews in the same way that Hitler played the victim card in order to destroy Jews.

It is hard to wrap my head around the idea that, in Berlin in 2010, people would actually take these artists seriously or that, in Berlin in 2010, the artists themselves would take themselves seriously.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Friday, June 11, 2010

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Monday, June 7, 2010

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Monday, May 31, 2010

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Monday, May 24, 2010

Sunday, May 23, 2010

M***** R*****, 78; founded evangelistic group Jews for Jesus

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Monday, May 17, 2010

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Sunday, May 2, 2010

M* R*, 78; founded evangelistic group Jews for Jesus