Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on February 23, 2020

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received good news from two polls on Sunday that indicated that his Likud party had passed up its rival Blue and White for the first time in this election campaign.Channel 12s survey, conducted by pollster Mano Geva, predicted a Likud victory of 34 seats over 33 for Blue and White, which beat Likud by two seats, 35 to 33, in Gevas last poll on February 19. The new Channel 12 poll predicted 13 seats for the Joint List, 10 for Labor-Gesher-Meretz, eight each for Shas and United Torah Judaism and seven each for Yamina and Yisrael Beytenu.A Kantar Institute poll taken for KAN 11 found that Likud is leading Blue and White 35 to 34. The poll gave the Joint List 14 seats, Labor-Gesher Meretz nine, Shas eight, UTJ and Yisrael Beytenu seven and Yamina six. Political analysts who introduced the polls said Blue and White had fallen due to a week of negative reports regarding probes of party leader Benny Gantzs bankrupt company The Fifth Dimension and a controversial forged document when Blue and White MK Gabi Ashkenazi was IDF chief of staff. The announcement of a March 17 trial date for Netanyahu apparently did not harm the Likud in the polls.

Excerpt from:

Likud passes Blue and White in polls - The Jerusalem Post

Category: Ashkenazi | Comments Off on Likud passes Blue and White in polls – The Jerusalem Post
Tags:

Posted By admin on February 23, 2020

Pity the poor pickled herring. The small preserved fish sold in jars in the refrigerated section of most delis gets no respect. I am an unabashed fan. I love its sweet and salty taste, alone or in a herring salad. I know Im not the only one.

But I also know herring is a secret delight that some fans wont even talk about in public. In many households, herring lovers are forced to sneak bites straight out of the jar by the light of the refrigerator when no one else is home. My husband says it makes him gag, confessed a herring lover who asked to remain anonymous.

Pickled herring never really got the passionate declarations of love Ashkenazi Jews reserve for bagels, lox, deli sandwiches, or even chopped liver. Its pale gray color and watery (but delicious!) brine also does it no favors when it comes to attracting first-time diners. But once you get hooked, theres no going back.

Herrings bad reputation among North American Jews is nothing new. In 1928, the Canadian Jewish Review bemoaned the younger generations disinterest in traditional observance and knew just where to place the blame. Noting that a Jewish girls club featured ice cream and ham sandwiches (thus breaking the laws of kashrut), editor F. F. Cooper wrote: As to the ham sandwiches, well they are the logical downfall of a generation that knows not herring. Cooper encouraged families to feed their children traditional Jewish dishes that keep the stomach Jewish when the mind has wandered away.

The history of herring and Jews goes back hundreds of years. Herring first came to Jewish markets as early as the 15th century, when the Dutch salted fresh fish to preserve it for export to cities across Europe. Food historians say the Renaissance diet of Austrian Jews was made up of milk, butter, black bread, eggs, cheese, soup, vegetables, sauerkraut, rice, and herring.

The first Jewish fishmongers received the fish in barrels. They eventually became prominent herring traders, importing and transporting the fish to Germany, Poland, and Russia, then selling it in shops and from pushcarts. In the early 1900s, my uncle was one of those peddlers selling herring and other fish to Jewish families in Central Massachusetts.

Hawking pickled fish from a pushcart was also how one of the most famous herring purveyors came to be: Russ and Daughters have been selling herring, lox, and other Jewish dairy delights on New Yorks Lower East Side for over 100 years. In 2013, owner Mark Russ Federman told the Haaretz that the original herring customer was first-generation Yiddish speaking immigrants. Now, a century later, its a younger, more diverse clientele that includes hip foodies from all over the world.

While, herring in wine or cream sauce are the traditional favorites, these days, new purveyors like The Rebbes Choice offer more contemporary flavors like jalapeo and honey-mustard Sriracha.

Purists maintain that the best way to eat herring is straight out of the jar with a thick slice of rye bread and butter. But this far from the only traditional way to enjoy the fish. Chopped herring salad, once a mainstay of Shabbat dinners and Jewish celebrations, is difficult, if not impossible to find, but not hard at all to make at home. Herring is combined with chopped eggs, Granny Smith apples, challah, and a little sugar. This recipe is closest to what most consider a traditional herring salad. (Note: its perfectly fine to substitute a jar of herring for the herring filets.)

Jews from the former Soviet Union have their own herring dish delightfully called Herring Under a Fur Coat, nicknamed shuba, which means fur coat in Russian. Its a festive dish, served at celebrations such as New Years Eve and Jewish holidays, made up of layers of herring, shredded potatoes, beets, carrots, and eggs in between layers of mayonnaise.

Herring today isnt stuck in the past, or on kiddush tables alone. Chefs and cookbook authors are creating new ways to enjoy herring that resonate with modern tastes. If the idea of creamed herring in a jar makes you nervous, why not whip up your own version with sour cream, Dijon mustard, and horseradish. New York Times food writer Melissa Clark updated herring for modern palates with her recipe for Pickled Herring and Apple Crostini with Dilled Ricotta a deconstructed version of herring salad thats perfect for entertaining friends. Clark and cookbook author Alison Roman both suggest serving herring as an hors doeuvre atop crunchy potato chips for a fresh variation on salt and vinegar flavored chips.

Love Jewish food? Sign up for our Nosher recipe newsletter!

More here:

The Brief Jewish History of Herring (And Why You Should Be Eating It) | The Nosher - My Jewish Learning

Category: Ashkenazi | Comments Off on The Brief Jewish History of Herring (And Why You Should Be Eating It) | The Nosher – My Jewish Learning
Tags:

Posted By admin on February 23, 2020

The Central Elections Committee (CEC) is working on preparing up to 20 polling stations for Israelis exposed to the coronavirus, CEC head Orly Ades said on Army Radio on Sunday morning.The special polling stations will be separate from others and will be intended for voters during their 14-day isolation period. The CEC is awaiting more instructions from the Health Ministry regarding those in isolation ahead of next Monday's election.A CEC spokesman said the committee was looking for locations for the polling stations and for staff to man them. Interior Minister Arye Deri said in an interview with KAN Radio that there was no chance of postponing the election due to the virus. He said there was no need, because "we are making sure that those in isolation will be able to vote."Blue and White MK Zvi Hauser wrote the head of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Blue and White MK Gabi Ashkenazi, asking him to form a subcommittee of MKs to oversee the government's preparations for the spread of the virus. Hauser had asked for a special Knesset committee to be formed to deal with the matter, but his proposal was not brought to the Knesset plenum for approval."Overseeing the handling of the spread of the virus must remain above politics and should not be postponed by elections," Hauser wrote. Hauser also wrote Defense Minister Naftali Bennett asking him to urgently appoint a permanent head of the National Emergency Authority. Yisrael Beytenu's candidate for health minister, former World Medical Association president Dr. Leonid Edelman, said the steps the government was taking to handle the coronavirus indicated that the upcoming election was more of a factor than any visitors from Korea.

Read more here:

Twenty polling stations fitted to let Israelis with coronavirus vote - The Jerusalem Post

Category: Ashkenazi | Comments Off on Twenty polling stations fitted to let Israelis with coronavirus vote – The Jerusalem Post
Tags:

Posted By admin on February 23, 2020

Richard Branson is proud to discover he is of Indian descent, but empowerment coach Remy Blumenfeld ... [+] says family secrets can be harmful

After I wrote here aboutfamily mappingI received a lot of messages from people asking how to map your family's history when there are important facts you dont know. It can be hard, for instance, if you don't know the identity of one or both of your birth parents. Yet, these 'known unknowns' are often much less pernicious than the 'unknown unknowns' brought about by secrets and lies. Its one thing to know that you do not know who your father is. Its another thing altogether to grow up, as Richard Branson did, thinking you knew who your ancestors were, only to discover in later life that your bloodlines were very different from what youd been told.

Often, family secrets stem from our ancestors desire to conceal their ethnicity. This was surely the case for the Billionaire, Richard Branson's forebears, whom he discovered had never spoken about their Indian bloodlines. The Madras archives combined with analysis of my DNA uncovered a very surprising family secret, Branson writes on his blog, The baptismal record of my second great-grandmother Eliza Reddy strangely didn't list her mother. Analysis of my DNA revealed that the reason for this was because my third great-grandmother was Indian. Yes, it turns out I'm part Indian. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face when I found this out. I'm honoured. I wish that my father had got to see these records; he would have been fascinated too.

A woman who we shall call Marianne wrote to me with a similar tale. She had always been told that her paternal grandfather was a hospital registrar who died of TB around 1929. Her father was brought up by the man his mother re-married.

Recent DNA test results revealing that 26.7% of her DNA was Ashkenazi Jewish, came as a complete surprise to Marianne. Up to then, she had identified as a Catholic Pole and she says her personality traits and behavior were honed accordingly. All through her childhood, Marianne felt she did not completely fit in and in adult life, before the secret of her DNA was discovered, she surprised her family by working for a Jewish firm.

Marianne writes 'Of course, the pressing question is why was this secret kept about my paternal heritage? My working assumption is that my paternal grandfather had Jewish ancestry. Was my grandmother protecting her only son? On the outbreak of WW2, my dad was at real risk of being sent to a concentration camp as the Germans thought he had Jewish features. He was put into forced labour instead. A wall went up when we asked dad about our unknown grandfather.'

In his book East West Street, Philippe Sands quotes the psychoanalyst Nicolas Abraham who wrote of the relationship between a grandchild and a grandparent. 'What haunts are not the dead, but the gaps left within us by the secrets of others.' Family mapping can often motivate us to explore these gaps which can haunt us, even when we do not know they exist.

Two years ago Patrick discovered that his husband, Donald (not their real names) had kept their relationship a secret from his work colleagues. When Patrick returned home a day early from a retreat, he found that all trace of him had been removed from view. Instead, there were photographs of Donald with his sister and other female friends. Even Patrick's clothes were no longer hanging in the bedroom closets. When Patrick confronted him, Donald explained that he had a heterosexual identity at his workplace. Colleagues had come over for drinks, and so Donald had tidied Patrick away. Many people would have felt that this breach of trust marked a point of no return. Not Patrick. For some reason, he chose to remain unquestioningly in the marriage.

Cut to December 2019. Patrick was reading an article about a celebrity doctor who he'd always followed, not least because they were a similar age and had grown up in the same part of rural Canada. The article detailed how this doctor had recently discovered that his father (who was still alive) had a secret family in a neighboring town. The description of the doctor's dad left no doubt in Patrick's mind that this man was his father too. The 'secret family' in the story was Patricks own family. Although his dad's double life had been kept secret from him, on some level, Patrick had grown up understanding that keeping secrets from your family was normal. This was surely part of the reason he'd been attracted to Donald and a big part of why he quickly 'forgave' Donald for pretending he did not exist.

Dr. Anne Coxon, now an eminent neurologist, grew up with two very different memories of her father. In her earliest set of memories, her dad was warm and kind. In the other, later set of memories her father was cold and distant. Through her childhood and adolescence, she blamed herself for having somehow turned this warm, loving dad into a cold one. This event colored her relationships with men, however, after her father died, by which time Anne was middle-aged, she discovered the family secret that had caused her confusion. "I was never told until my father died, that in Los Angeles during the war my mother had developed a relationship with a warm open guy, who adored me. Of course I assumed both men were the same and that I had done something to turn the warm, nice guy into a rather cold and reserved shy person who did not relate easily.'

Like many families, mine too has secrets, only some of which I had a chance to discover as a result of interviewing family members for the BBC4 film I produced about my grandfather, the photographer, Erwin Blumenfeld. When I interviewed my father on camera about the great loves of Erwin's life, my dad said: 'Well, of course the greatest love of his life, from when he met her in the 1940s to when he died in 1969, was Kathleen.' I was shocked. I knew Kathleen had been the manager of my grandfather's studio at 222 Central Park South, but I had no idea she had been his mistress. You see, Kathleen Blumenfeld was also my aunt, the wife of my father's brother and my grandfather's eldest son, Henry. She was the mother of my cousins.

The secret fact that Kathleen had been the greatest love of my grandfather's life explained many of the tensions and animosities between family members that until then I had never understood.

Dr. Anne Coxon puts it this way: 'Family lies are there for a reason, but they still distort and make psychological growth difficult because you are searching for truth. We may not have a memory for the first five years of life but by then have established learned patterns some of which are false, and yet form the basis of future perception. Psychoanalysis is a search for the real truth without which we are living through a glass darkly, in the prism of our own self-deception, compounding mistakes because we dont see clearly.'

As a coach, my focus, of course, is on the present and the future. Yet when there are strong, hidden forces at work, as with Patrick or Anne, the past often repeats itself. Just another reason why it's a good idea for you to sit down, if you can, with parents or grandparents and ask them to shed light on anything unclear to you about your family's past. If in doubt, simply ask, 'Is there anything in our family's history that I may not know everything about?'

Continued here:

Richard Branson Knows His Familys Secrets - Heres How To Discover Yours, Before They Haunt You - Forbes

Category: Ashkenazi | Comments Off on Richard Branson Knows His Familys Secrets – Heres How To Discover Yours, Before They Haunt You – Forbes
Tags:

Posted By admin on February 23, 2020

Silent witnesses of the whole Zionist past gathered in a dark stone basement, illuminated by a series of electric lamps. At first glance, the basement appears to be a catacomb. Thousands of Jewish newspapers in different languages, excerpts from the non-Jewish press with articles featuring Zionism, a collection of assorted books, brochures and pamphlets on the Zionist movement and the Jewish land; and, last but not least, a colossal organized archive of the files and documents of the Zionist organizations, the treasure of our past.

These are the words of Dr. Hindos, an enthusiastic Zionist from New York, as he described his visit in 1924 to the Central Zionist Archives in the newspaper Dos Yiddishe Folk.

Last summer, I visited Berlin for the dedication of a memorial plaque honoring the CZA centennial celebrations. During my visit, I stepped down the same low flight of stairs to the catacomb-like basement described by Hindos many years before.

Dr. Georg Herlitz founded the Zionistisches Archiv (Zionist Archives) on June 1, 1919, at Schsischestrasse 8, in a room that had previously served as a bathroom of a private apartment. However, at that time, it housed the offices of the Zionistisches Zentralbro Berlin (Central Zionist Office Berlin). The CZA started with only a few dozen folders and a large stack of papers.

It then moved in 1924 to a more spacious building, bequeathed to the Zionist movement by the Jewish surgeon Dr. Friedrich Kabersky, on Meinekestrasse, with many other Zionist organizations. Also housed in this building was the Jewish Agency, which issued the very sought-after Palestine certificates.

The Zionist Archives in Berlin (1919-1933) included three sections: library, Zionist journals (including a photograph collection), and archival material of the Zionist institutions, including various Zionist offices, the Jewish National Fund, the agency and the Keren Hayesod.

Due to the instability in Germany in December 1931, Herlitz contacted Dr. Leo Lauterbach, the head of the Organization Department in the World Zionist Organization, and warned him of the impending danger of either the Communists or alternatively Hitlers Nazis coming into power. He wrote: There is no need to explain the ramifications of such a move. We believe that if this scenario comes to pass, then Zionist activities will no longer be possible here.

As a cautionary measure, Herlitz used a code to convey this message. He later disclosed the code in an interview on the 80th birthday of journalist Avraham Elhanani: The climate in our country is not good for the goods I handle. Perhaps it is better to move it to a warmer country (Davar, March 11, 1965).

On February 1, 1933, the day after the Nazis seized power, Herlitz directed a request to the executive branch of the Zionist organization to move the archives to Palestine.

Once again, Herlitz used precautionary measures to make sure the letter would arrive at its destination. As letter censorship existed from the first day of National Socialist rule, Herlitz was convinced that the censor would read any message with the logo of a Zionist institution. Consequently, he used a plain envelope and addressed the letter to Lauterbachs home address.

Six months later, the Zionist executive informed Herlitz to take all steps needed to transfer the archives to Jerusalem.

Faced with the challenge of relocating a Jewish archive out of Nazi Germany, Herlitzs wife suggested: The Prussians certainly remained the strict officials they have always been, even after the rule passed to the National Socialists.

Surprisingly, his request was accepted, although a few days later a Gestapo officer appeared at the archives and took an interest in its contents. Overwhelmed by the amount of the documents and their languages, he demanded that Herlitz write the report in his place, which he would sign afterward.

Fortunately, everything worked out, and in the fall of 1933, with the help of the WZO, the archives, packed in 154 crates, arrived in Jerusalem and moved to the National Institutions Building.

Twenty-three years later, the 24th Zionist Congress confirmed the CZA to be the historical archives of the Zionist movement and organization and the Jewish Agency with the following resolution: All the offices and institutions of the World Zionist Organization Executive and the Jewish Agency in Israel and the Diaspora are obliged to make all files, no longer necessary for ongoing work, accessible to the archives.

The small archive, with its original limited material content, grew into the CZA of today. In 1987, it moved to its own building adjacent to the Jerusalem International Convention Center complex. A century later, with over 90 million documents, photographs, private archives, maps and plans, the CZA is considered the largest and most important archive of the history of the Zionist enterprise as well as one of the most extensive public archives in Israel.

Herlitz was not only the founder of the CZA but was also very involved in the Zionist enterprise as a Zionist official over the years at the various Zionist Congresses.

Herlitz met Moritz Reichenfeld at the 19th Zionist Congress in Lucerne in 1935. Reichenfeld, the last surviving executor of Theodor Herzls last will, was also a cousin of Herzls wife, Julie. After Herzls death, his private archive was preserved in the house of Johann Kremenetzky, founder of the JNF and Herzls close friend and adviser. A year after Kremenetzkys death, Reichenfeld was looking for a new home for Herzls archive and understood the urgency to transfer the archive out of Austria.

To receive Herzls collection was a dream come true for Herlitz, as he had been trying for years to add it to the CZAs collections. After a follow-up visit in Vienna, Herlitz succeeded in obtaining the approval to bring the Herzl Archive to Jerusalem. However, Reichenfeld had placed a condition in the agreement, stipulating that the Zionist Archives would have to appoint a special curator for the Herzl Archive.

MEANWHILE, IN Austria, as the National Socialist movement grew stronger, an official declaration for moving the Herzl Archive seemed problematic. Therefore, they decided to send the archive as the household goods of the pioneer Josef Kastein.

A year and a half later, two large crates arrived at Haifa Port. A few days afterward, the CZA received a summons to carry out customs clearance for the shipment in the harbor.

But before the representative of the CZA, Dr. Alex Bein, was able to comply with this request, an incident occurred that almost destroyed the Herzl Archive. An arsonist set fire to the customs warehouses of the Haifa Harbor, destroying several buildings and their contents. By a miracle, the flames came to a stop next to the wall by which the Herzl Archive was stored.

With the arrival in Jerusalem, the travails of Herzls archive were yet to be over.

On June 29, 1946, on the Sabbath known as the Black Shabbat, at 6 a.m. the general secretary of the Zionist Executive (the Jewish Agency) woke Herlitz up and informed him that British police and military were searching the offices of the National Institutions Building, including the CZA. He asked him to hand over the keys of the archives safe.

As the keys were in the archives, Herlitz dressed quickly and went with the police car waiting for him to the archives.

A British police officer, already expecting him, inquired about the safes contents.

Herlitz responded: Only historical material from the early days of Zionism, which will certainly not be of any interest to you, to which the officer replied: You are mistaken, exactly this is of great interest to us.

Left with no choice, Herlitz opened the archives safe. After about half an hour, in which the officer browsed through various documents, a loud alarm sounded announcing the breakfast break of the British. Immediately, all the police and military personnel left the building.

Though surprised by the event, with the building empty, Herlitz quickly used the opportunity and hid relevant documents, including circulars and pamphlets, from the Jewish underground movement.

After the break, all the contents of the safe were loaded in 10 black boxes and transported away. Fortunately, Herlitzs concerns that the Herzl Archive was lost were unfounded. After four weeks, everything returned with a red note saying On his Majestys Service, Room 20 on each file and box. Each of Herzls 18 diaries end pages, between the cover and the first page, were carefully separated to see whether any hostile to the state material was hidden in it.

HERZL WAS a prolific writer. He wrote most of his time, be it for his work or in his private life, on small pieces of paper, at the corners of newspapers or in his diaries. Thankfully, he had the foresight to safeguard most of it.

Both campaigns turned out to be successful. Today, although there are still various institutions and private collectors holding letters and documents of Herzl, the CZA, with its extensive collection of over 30,000 documents, preserves the official archive of Theodor Herzl. It consists of personal and family records, his diaries, letters, his literary works, artifacts, Zionist writings and documents of his political activities.

Throughout time, Herzls insightful writings have been the basis of various books, articles and studies. Researchers, students, and the general public enjoy Herzls thoughts and visions for the Jewish state through visits to our reading room, lectures, or group visits to the Herzl Archive itself.

To see Herzls original diaries, manuscripts and letters is a very emotional experience, which inspires young and old alike.

The writer is the curator of the Theodor Herzl Archive at the Central Zionist Archives. suzanneb@wzo.org.il

See the rest here:
The Central Zionist Archives and the Theodore Herzl Archive: A journey - The Jerusalem Post

Category: Zionism | Comments Off on The Central Zionist Archives and the Theodore Herzl Archive: A journey – The Jerusalem Post
Tags:

Posted By admin on February 23, 2020

Photo Credit: pixabay

Rod Reuven Dovid Bryant and Jerry Gordon bring back Dexter Van Zile, Christian Media Analyst of the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (CAMERA) to address why anti- Zionism is the only unifying factor for the World Council of Churches (WCC). The umbrella world body was founded in 1948 with the mission of unifying Christian witness. However, with conflicting theologies, the only thing that it shares is political defamation of the Jewish state of Israel thus providing cover for the Palestinian Authority opposing efforts at normalization.

Instead, the WCC supports the blood libel actions of clerics like Archbishop Attallah Hanna, the Head of the Sebastia Diocese of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem condemned by the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the International Committee for Interreligious Consultations. Then there is South African theologian Jerry Pillay who is running for election as the WCC leader who accuses Israel of being an apartheid state. General Secretary Fykse Tveit of the WCC has joined forces with anti-Israel Churches for Middle East Peace condemning the Trump Peace through Prosperity Plan. The WCC views the Peace plan as the equivalent of an act of war against the Palestinians. Thus, providing cover to corrupt Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas to avoid engaging in bi-lateral negotiations persisting in holding out to occupy the space between the river and the sea by espousing incitement to hatred and funding terrorism. According to Van Zile, the PA relies on the WCC to promote hostility and agitation towards Israel. The Palestinians believe the WCC has access to the international media to further their agenda of incitement to hate and terrorism.

The WCC also operates in a dhimmi-like pose to Islamic supremacism in the Middle East because of threats to dwindling Christian minorities in Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan. The WCC is fearful of sectarian riots and pogroms against minority Christians. This comes as normalization of relations with Israel is being promoted by the Gulf Arab States, and by both Palestinian and Israeli Arabs who increasingly identify with the benefits of living under Israeli law and commerce.

Van Zile contrasts the WCC anti-Israel agenda with the pro-Zionism of evangelical groups like the 8 million strong members of Christians United for Israel. He attributes that to the founding fathers of the US who were Old Testament Scripture Protestants who recognized the contributions of the Jewish People for self-government and as America as a chosen nation. The vast majority of American evangelicals support and love the Jewish people and the Jewish nation of Israel. Van Zile believes that Evangelical pastors do not follow the lead of the WCC and the UN.

When the subject of the peculiar role of the Russian Orthodox Church in the WCC was brought up, Van Zile noted that during the Cold War era that it was infiltrated by the KGB and deployed Christians in international groups. The Russian Orthodox Church does whatever the current Putin regime says is policy. That includes oppressing minority Christian churches that oppose the Orthodox hierarchy.

The discussion turned to Van Ziles human rights -based arguments against granting the Palestinians a state rooted in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, passed in 1948 and modeled on that adopted by the US. Van Zile argues that by refusing to acknowledge Jewish rights to self-determination, Palestinians are undermining their own moral claim to the right of determination. He points to the so-called Cairo Declaration of Human Rights, developed by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in 1990s, that granted such rights, just as long as they confirmed to Islamic Sharia law, an act of Islamic Supremacism. Thus, violating the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

More here:
The Anti-Zionism Hypocrisy of the World Council of Churches Beyond the Matrix - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com

Category: Zionism | Comments Off on The Anti-Zionism Hypocrisy of the World Council of Churches Beyond the Matrix [audio] – The Jewish Press – JewishPress.com
Tags:

Posted By admin on February 23, 2020

Cilck here to vote

The State of Israel came into being because of the World Zionist Congress. This is where Herzl made his mark and major contribution. The first Zionist Congress which he chaired was held in Basel, Switzerland in 1897.

Every five years Jews living in the Diaspora have a chance to have a significant say in the future of the State of Israel. More than five billion dollars is at stake. The more votes the more influence in where the money goes. Israels national institutions, its Schools and Yeshivot, and its political landscape are all impacted by this funding.

Since 1897 the Reform and Conservative Jewish groups have ruled the roost. Orthodox Jews,I am sorry to say, have been slow learners. There are many reasons for this but times are a changing. It is clear that Orthodox Jews can be a powerhouse when they want to be. Orthodox Jews helped elect Donald Trump as President of the United States. They are a formidable force when they are united and take an interest.

It is not clear why the Orthodox have failed to grasp the enormity of the election facing them in the World Zionist Congress. In the last election only 8000 Orthodox Jews voted. There were only 55,000 votes in all. The Reform contributed most of the votes. The Reform for the most part push for Reform Conversions, Civil Marriage, a Pro-BDS Agenda, an Anti-Settlement Ideology, and for a mixed prayer service at the Western Wall. The Orthodox cannot be apathetic. They must be pro-active and realize the tremendous responsibility to vote in this crucial election. As of this past week a total of 56,000 votes have been cast. Most are from the Reform and Conservative Movements who have been better at mobilization once again than the Orthodox. If every Orthodox Jewish family registers to vote (you must be at least 18 years old-it costs $7.50 each) (see the link above) then the Orthodox will finally have a major share of the 5 Billion Dollars that is distributed.

There are a number of Slates that the Orthodox can choose from including Slate #4 which is the Orthodox Israel Coalition which the National Council of Young Israel and Yeshiva University belong to. There are two Orthodox Sephardic Slates, and an Agudah Slate as well. My personal preference because of my close relationship since childhood with Mort Klein is Slate #11 which is the ZOA (Zionist Organization of America) Slate.

Mort Kleins Father of Blessed Memory was my Rabbi growing up in a small Orthodox Synagogue in Philadelphia. He was a tremendous Torah Scholar.

It is high time for the Orthodox to abandon Apathy and embrace their responsibility to future generations. Voting in the World Zionist Congress upcoming election is one sure way to do so.

Cilck here to vote

More:
Apathy in unacceptable in the upcoming World Zionist Congress election - Jewish World - Arutz Sheva

Category: Zionism | Comments Off on Apathy in unacceptable in the upcoming World Zionist Congress election – Jewish World – Arutz Sheva
Tags:

Posted By admin on February 23, 2020

We call this format a Timesaver Guide to Israels Coming Elections. This will be a usual feature on Rosners Domain until next Election Day, March 2, 2020. We hope to make it short, factual, devoid of election hype.

Bottom Line

The Final Week.

Main News

Campaign: Focus on Blue and White inability to form a coalition without Arab support.

Netanyahu Trial: To begin March 17.

Gantz favorability: Most voters dont see his as fit as Netanyahu to be the next PM.

Investigation announced of the Fifth Dimension artificial intelligence company, in which Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz served as an executive.

Lieberman: Fully committed to not forming any coalition under Netanyahu.

Polls: No change.

Developments to Watch

Netanyahu momentum? The political class begins to talk about such thing, but the polls dont yet show it.

Coronavirus and its possible impact on voter turnout. If Israelis decide to stay this one out, a surprise becomes more likely.

The Blocs and Their Meaning

Take a look at this graph, as it tells you the full story of Israels coming election in three scenarios.

Scenario 1:

The polls are completely off, and the Netanyahu bloc (the blue column) rises to 61 seats. In such case, Netanyahu forms a government (and probably moves to use his majority to solve his legal troubles by legislative means).

Scenario 2:

The polls are off in the other direction and the Blue and White bloc without the Arabs (yellow column) has more seats than the Netanyahu bloc (blue column). This is what Blue and White leaders call A Jewish majority or a Zionist majority. Based on such majority Benny Gantz forms a minority government (he does not have 61 members in his coalition) with the Arabs abstaining.

Scenario 3:

The polls get it right. The Arab party must decide if it gives Gantz its recommendation (and Gantz gets a mandate to form a government) or not (and Netanyahu gets to try). Either way, Netanyahu cannot form a government so Gantz must decide if he wants to form a government without even having a claim on a Zionist majority (if the Arabs agree to abstain from opposing his coalition). If he does, see scenario 2 (Gantz will have a minority government with Arab support and very little room for maneuver). If he doesnt, a fourth election is forthcoming.

Shmuel Rosners book#IsraeliJudaism, Portrait of a Cultural Revolution(with Prof. Camil Fuchs) is available on Amazon.

Read more:
Election Handbook: In Search of a Zionist Majority - Jewish Journal

Category: Zionism | Comments Off on Election Handbook: In Search of a Zionist Majority – Jewish Journal
Tags:

Posted By admin on February 23, 2020

Dr. Michael L. Wise Michael Wise is a founder and investor in numerous technology companies. He is a graduate of YU and holds a PhD..in Theoretical Physics from Brandeis U., is the author of Israel demography study (BESA).and has published numerous articles about Israel sovereignty and demographics in Judea and Samaria.

More than 120 Democratic Congress members, headlined by Rep. Ilhan Omar and Sen. Warren and Klobuchar, sent letters welcomingthe Islamist Hamas supporting anti-Israel Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) gala to Washington.

Democratic politicians know that speaking in support of Israel or against the anti-Semitism of the far left threatens their candidacy.

J Street, the Jewish Voice for Peace and others allege Israel apartheid and occupation to influence Democratic politicians to support anti-Israel positions. MoveOn.org and others convinced Democratic presidential candidates to skip the AIPAC conference.

The 2020 Dems are fearful of standing up and condemning anti-Israel and anti-Jewish rhetoric.

How did support for Israel and Zionism become a partisan issue in the USA?

Historically, Congressional support for Israel was overwhelmingly bi-partisan. In 1922, both Houses of Congress unanimously approved the "Mandate for Palestine," endorsing a Jewish National Home in Palestine (H.J. Res. 322). In 1995, theJerusalem Embassy Act was adopted in an overwhelming bipartisan vote by theSenate(935)and theHouse(37437). It authorized the move of the US Embassy to Jerusalem, Israels undivided capital. Remarkably, many Democrats are now turning against Israel and do not condemn anti-Semitism

Thirty years ago, Kimberly Crenshaw, a law professor at UCLA, coined the term intersectionality to address the oppression of women of color. Intersectionality quickly linked victims and identity groups defined byclass,race,sexual orientation, age, religion, creed,disability, andgender. Over time other movements were included: in 2006 #MeToo and in 2013 Black lives matter (BLM).

In 2014, enemies of Israel realized that intersectionality could be used as a weapon against Israel and Zionism and encouraged new anti-Semitism. They depicted the Palestinian Arabs as victims of Israeli oppression, promoted the #palestine2ferguson campaign and equated Palestinian victimhood with the BLM movement. Palestinian Arab protesters are labeled people of color fighting against white Zionist colonialists.

Intersectionality at the core of the BDS movement excluded Star of David flags at BLM, #MeToo and LGBTQ rallies and embraced Palestinian flags. Anti-Semites such as Linda Sarsour and far left BDS groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) lead intersectionality rallies. Intersectionality embracing identity politics as well as anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism is taught in our universities. Students are told support for Israel is incompatible with social justice and defending Israel is taboo.

Anti-Israel activism has spread beyond the college campus and into elementary and high school classrooms. A Massachusetts high school taught that Israel was murdering and torturing Palestinian women.

SJP says the US alliance with Israel is complicit in the genocide taking place against Palestinian Arabs. They spread the lie that genocide of black people in America is similar to Palestinian Arab genocide. There is no genocide of Palestinian Arabs. BDS co-founder, Omar Barghouti calls for boycott of an apartheid Israel and euthanasia to terminate Israeli racism, exclusion and colonial subjugation.

Israel and Zionism should not be targets of the intersectionality movement. Co-opting and manipulation of legitimate causes to advance a biased and false narrative about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict must be Israel and Zionism should not be targets of the intersectionality movement. Co-opting and manipulation of legitimate causes to advance a biased and false narrative about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict must be exposed, as it undermines the credibility of everyone involved in social reform.exposed, as it undermines the credibility of everyone involved in social reform. Israel is not a racist, apartheid or oppressive country. Israel exhibits the highest standards with respect to class,race,sexual orientation, age, religion, creed,disability, andgender. To brand Israel as an apartheid state, is a corruption of the word apartheid, and a distortion of Israeli society and its minority rights. Israels Declaration of Independence assures equal civil and religious rights for all minorities in stark contrast to the status of Jews, Christians and Hindus in much of the Muslim world.

Israels Muslims are Members of Parliament, government ministers, judges, professors, physicians, entertainers, and senior business and community leaders. The Arab minority in Israel is educated in Arab-speaking public schools administered by Arabs in their own cultural and religious traditions. Israel measures including checkpoints and barriers to suppress terrorism and violence have nothing to do with apartheid, racial prejudice or oppression.

The PLO Charter (1964) and the Hamas Covenant (1988) call for the annihilation of the Jewish state. Pursuant to the Oslo Accords (1993-1995) more than 97% of the 'West Bank' Arab population is governed by the Palestinian Authority.

After Arafat walked away from Camp David peace talks in 2000, Israel implemented security measures to prevent terrorists from exploding buses, cafes, and public gatherings. As a result, suicide bombings and violence were severely curtailed. Arabs in the 'West Bank' are safer and more prosperous than in neighboring Muslim countries.

If the intersectionalists want to combat apartheid, they should travel to the Palestinian Authorityterritories and neighboring Arab countries where they will find outrageous abuse against religion, race, LGBQT, and gender. Legitimate intersectionality has been hijacked and has degenerated into anti-Semitism. When it comes to Arabs in Israel, there is no apartheid, no racism and no oppression. Of the 51,000 Arab students enrolled in Israeli Universities (total 313,000 students), 61% are Arab women. Greater than any Arab country. An Arab in the Middle East who is gay, female, Christian, or seeking education andself-improvement can do no better than living in Israel.

Intersectionality supporters of womens and gay rights ally with an intolerant Palestinian Arab society in which misogyny and honor killings are commonplace. Hundreds of LGBTQ Palestinian Arabs risk their lives in order to flee to the safety of Tel Aviv, where individuals are not abused.

Nonetheless, intersectionality demands that every victim in the world must ally with the Palestinian Arabs. Democrats must recognize the absurdity of anti-Israel BDS campaigns describing Palestinians as victims of colonialist oppression. Israel is not only a progressive, anti-racist, sophisticated, sustainable, moral society but could become the political catalyst and moral anchor for a strengthened, reinvigorated Middle East capable of affirming the human rights that intersectionalists seek.

Democratic Party leaders are afraid to confront the mantras of the intersectionality adherents. They fear polling data that suggest that the partisan divides on race and identity as well as anti-Zionism are growing. That trend will continue until the intersectionality movement fights racism and intolerance. Far-left progressives have created the illusion that identity politics are mainstream in the Democratic Party. Rank and file Democrats cannot let intersectionality supporters with incompatible values hijack their party.

Democrats must learn to distinguish legitimate intersectionality and reject the imposters.

Support of Israel must again become bi-partisan.

When Democrats understand that Israel is a progressive liberal society that respects universal human rights, they will have the courage to stand up to the anti-Zionists and anti-Semites in the intersectionality movement.

See the original post:
Who hijacked the Democratic party? - Arutz Sheva

Category: Zionism | Comments Off on Who hijacked the Democratic party? – Arutz Sheva
Tags:

Posted By admin on February 23, 2020

Over 180 Jews from across the Egyptian diaspora gathered in Alexandria this weekend in the largest Jewish prayer service in decades to rededicate their newly renovated forefathers synagogue in the Mediterranean port city. The event was described by participants as a very, very emotional and festive Sabbath of prayer, singing, and dancing.

For the first time in decades, We were actually sitting in our fathers seats saying a full-blown prayer service, said Alec Nacamuli, a former resident of Alexandria and a board member of the Nebi Daniel Association, an organization that works to preserve Jewish sites in Egypt, which organized the weekend. The Friday evening song, Lecha Dodi, hasnt resonated in those columns with such a large congregation in about 40-50 years, he said.

Nacamuli said the idea of the weekend germinated from the moment that the association heard that the Egyptian government would be restoring the famed synagogue, which has a history stemming back to circa 13th century.

Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top storiesFree Sign Up

The house of worship is one of several Jewish sites in Alexandria, which was once home to an estimated 30,000-40,000 Jews. Today the community is made up of a handful of widows in their 70s, only one of whom was hale enough to attend the prayer service.

Keisar Zamir, center, grandson of an expat Egyptian Jew Levana Zamir, holds a Torah scroll in the renovated Alexandrian Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue, February 15, 2020. (Courtesy)

Although the original building dates back to the 13th century, the synagogues current structure was erected in the 1850s, after the original building was badly damaged in the late 18th century during a French invasion of Egypt under Napoleon.

The synagogues massive hall, decorated with stunning rose marble columns and lit with glinting chandeliers, can hold approximately 700 worshipers. While women traditionally sat upstairs in a womens balcony, due to the age of the participants, that custom was waived and the women sat behind the men on the main floor, said Nacamuli.

Most of the delegation, made up of Jews now living in France, England, Israel, the United States, and elsewhere, arrived on Thursday. On Friday, there were excursions to the three Jewish cemeteries in Alexandria, one in a neighborhood called Mazarita and two in Chatby, which had been cleaned up for the first time in 40 years by the Nebi Daniel Association, prior to the visitors arrival.

Members of the Egyptian Jewish Diaspora visit their grandfathers grave at the Chatby cemetery in Alexandria. (David Lisbona)

Under heavy security one participant quipped that there were more police than participants the delegation entered the large synagogue compound on Friday afternoon, where, with prayer and song, they rededicated the prayer hall through affixing a new mezuza to the main door. Inside the synagogue, individuals lit memorial candles for deceased family members, which was followed by the traditional Sephardic custom of Friday evening Sabbath services. (The Jewish Sabbath runs from sundown Friday until an hour after sundown on Saturday.)

There were two rabbis at the service, Rabbi Andrew Baker and the son of the final Alexandrian rabbi, Rabbi Yosef Nefussi. Additionally, the service was joined by the US Ambassador to Egypt Jonathan Cohen and the former Israeli ambassador David Govrin, as well as other local cultural attaches.

Rabbi Yosef Nafussi at the newly renovated Eliyahu Hanavi synagogue in the northwestern Egyptian city of Alexandria on February 14, 2020. (David Lisbona)

On Friday night, with wine and braided Shabbat challah brought from Israel, the Eliyahu Hanavi congregation recited the traditional blessings as a community, and broke bread before heading to a festive meal.

They regathered the next morning for more prayer and Torah reading. The highlight of the day was when 12 of the synagogues circa 60-70 Torah scrolls were taken out and festively paraded throughout the hall.

It was certainly a very emotional and poignant moment, said Nacamuli.

The 12 Torah scrolls were in honor of the 12 tribes of Israel, said Levana Zamir, the head of the International Association of Jews from Egypt. Cairo-born Zamir arrived with a contingent of some 20 Jews from Israel, along with her daughter and two grandchildren.

The scrolls, she said, had been stored for decades, unused for ritual purposes by the ever-dwindling community. Their use, along with the rededication of the synagogue, made her very, very glad, she said.

I never imagined I would see my grandson here, holding a Sefer Torah, with the tallit [prayer shawl] on his shoulder. I cried, of course, there is so much emotion. It was just like seeing my father there, said Zamir.

Egyptian Jew Levana Zamir is flanked by her grandchildren, Keisar (right) and Kochav Zamir (left) at the Alexandrian Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue on February 14, 2020. (Courtesy)

But even amid the afterglow of the celebratory weekend, the expat Egyptians told The Times of Israel that their community registers generations of annals of births, deaths, and marriages are essentially being held hostage by the same government that sponsored the synagogues restoration.

Under the Ottoman Empires Millet system, all lifecycle events were recorded through the local communitys central rabbinate. (Israels chief rabbinate is a direct descendent of this system.) In major hubs Alexandria and Cairo, the registers date back to the 1830s. Three years ago, they were all taken to the Egyptian National Archives where, according to Nacamuli, nobody can gain access to them.

Alec Nacamuli, a former resident of Alexandria and a board member of the Nebi Daniel Association. (Courtesy of Alec Nacamuli)

According to the Nebi Daniel Association, none of the communal documents pertain to personal property, but they are nonetheless invaluable for the continuation of Jewish life.

In religious matters they are often the only proof of Jewish identity to enter into a Jewish marriage, determine Jewish lineage or be granted a Jewish burial, especially in the Diaspora, reads the Nebi Daniel website.

In civil matters, they are used to establish civil identity related to nationality, marriage, divorce, etc, it continues. And, for historical and genealogical research, the Registers constitute a rare collection covering 150 years of the history of a thriving Jewish community.

The Nebi Daniel Association is working to obtain digital copies of these documents, said Nacamuli, and is now considering its next steps. Weve been working on it for 15 years, and I can honestly say weve been treading sand, he said.

180 Jewish guests from around the world visit the newly renovated Eliyahu Hanavi synagogue in the northwestern Egyptian city of Alexandria on February 14, 2020. (David Lisbona)

Zamir is hopeful for incremental slow change under Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and compared him to assassinated peacemaker president Anwar Sadat.

Under president Hosni Mubarak, she said, almost all memory of the Jewish community was wiped out and a generation of Egyptians in their 20s and 30s now have no idea of the flourishing Jewish community that helped build their country.

180 Jewish guests from around the world visit the newly renovated Eliyahu Hanavi synagogue in the northwestern Egyptian city of Alexandria on February 14, 2020. (David Lisbona)

A-Sissi is like Sadat, he will succeed [in normalizing relations], said Zamir. He is doing it slowly and has very good relations with the Israeli government, she said, adding that the Egyptian people are not yet ready to embrace Israel.

Relations between Israel and Egypt are still far from normal, as illustrated by the fact that out of the 40 Israelis who applied for visas, only 15 were granted. Most other western nations can purchase visas at the border.

Security for the 180 Jewish guests from around the world who visited the newly renovated Eliyahu Hanavi synagogue in the northwestern Egyptian city of Alexandria on February 14, 2020. (David Lisbona)

But although Zamir left dozens of disappointed Israeli expat Egyptians back home, she is optimistic that in recognizing its Jewish past, the country will eventually accept its Zionist neighbors.

There is no Jewish life in Egypt, but I am really happy that Egypt is preserving these monuments because it says we [the Jews] were here, we left traces. These monuments is us, our history, our life, said Zamir. In 200, 500 years from now, Egypt will continue to preserve all these monuments. Its important because they [future Egyptians] will know Jews were here, said Zamir.

180 Jewish guests from around the world visit the newly renovated Eliyahu Hanavi synagogue in the northwestern Egyptian city of Alexandria on February 14, 2020. (David Lisbona)

Adam Rasgon and agencies contributed to this report.

Here is the original post:

Worshipers fete 'very emotional' Shabbat in refurbished Alexandria synagogue - The Times of Israel

Category: Synagogue | Comments Off on Worshipers fete ‘very emotional’ Shabbat in refurbished Alexandria synagogue – The Times of Israel
Tags: