Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on February 5, 2020

In the United States, The Cognitive Campaign to Co-opt Zionism is in full force. This is a movement, sometimes intentional, sometimes unintentional, consisting of one simple goal: The complete separation of Judaism and Zionism, which is the belief in the right of the Jewish people to a state in the territory defined as the historic Land of Israel.

But what exactly is a cognitive campaign?

In the information era, war is often not waged in any physical space. Instead, the battlefield lies inside peoples hearts and minds where influence is the weapon of choice. As Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser and David Siman-Tov of Israels Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) explain: The purpose of the cognitive campaign is to cause target audiences to adopt the perception of reality held by the side wielding the effort, so that it can more easily advance the strategic and/or operational objectives that it sees as critical.

Campaign activists accomplish this via a wide array of tools, ranging from traditional diplomacy, mass media, social media, grassroots efforts, and so forth. Cognitive campaigns have become such powerful weapons in both domestic and international affairs that governments have created entire agencies to operate exclusively in the field of public perception.

However, the cognitive campaign to co-opt Zionism is one that is seldom discussed, likely due to the sensitivity surrounding the subject within the Jewish community. Jewish identity has many different characteristics. Some emphasize the community aspect of Judaism, others the religious aspect, and others the Zionist aspect. And in a society that puts such an emphasis on personal identity, it is galling to see broad swaths of the public, Jews included, disparage Zionists because of their beliefs. Many American Jews simply do not see Zionism as a legitimate component of Jewish identity. Unfortunately, it is often Jews themselves who take prominent roles in the campaign against Zionism.

The cognitive campaign to separate and redefine Zionism from Judaism is longstanding. For decades, Zionism has been compared, in some quarters, to colonialism, imperialism, and white supremacy. In 1975, a shameful resolution was passed at the U.N. declaring that Zionism is racism (it was later reversed in 1991, but by then the damage was done). Today, this cognitive campaign is led by anti-Israel activists, such as Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voices for Peace, and BDS supporters, who relentlessly promote misinformation that Israel is a non-democratic, oppressive, apartheid state.

In the digital age, almost everyone spends time on social media, where cognitive campaigns thrive, and where people live in echo chambers that oftentimes expose them to only one perspective on a given issue. When combining this one-sided social media exposure with the blatant lies constantly told about Israel in the media and academia, people fall victim to the illusory truth effect, which causes them to believe misinformation due to repeated exposure. If someone ignorant of the facts were to stumble upon all the terrible things said about Zionism and Israel, its no wonder he might distance himself.

This brings us to President Donald Trumps recent Israel-related moves. Part of the controversy surrounding the presidents actions is that they amplified the already fraught tension inside the Jewish community about the connection between Judaism and Zionism.

Take, for example, the Trump administrations declaration that Israels settlements in Judea and Samaria do not necessarily violate international law. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hit the nail on the head when he stated that the declaration establishes the truth that we are not strangers in our land.

Then theres President Trumps executive order (EO) combatting anti-Semitism on college campuses an EO that many erroneously claimed would redefine Jews as a race or nationality. In fact, the EO merely enshrines that Jews will enjoy the same protections under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act as other racial, ethnic, or national groups. It also implicitly links Zionism with Judaism, by relying on the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliances Working Definition of Anti-Semitism, which stipulates that denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination (i.e., Zionism) is inherently anti-Semitic.

Of course, one cannot forget President Trumps statement regarding the American embassy move to Jerusalem, when he reminded the world that Jerusalem was the capital the Jewish people established in ancient times a fact which he reinforced in his newly unveiled vision for a comprehensive peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.

All these actions by President Trump not only reaffirm the connection between Jews and Zionism, but also subvert decades of the cognitive campaigns attempt to separate the two.

Make no mistake the cognitive campaign to co-opt Zionism is consequential for the Jewish people. Will large sectors of Jewish society continue to distance themselves from Zionism? Or will they re-embrace it?

The most effective way to combat this campaign is through what can be described as a Counter-Cognitive Campaign. Obviously, this campaign must spread some much-needed truth about Zionism as a legitimate national movement. Equally important, the campaign must clarify that although Judaism and Zionism need not always be conflated, they must not be disassociated from each other. Of course, not every Jew needs to consider Zionism a core part of his individual identity. We do, however, need to recognize that every Jew enjoys the right to identify as a proud Zionist and nobody can demonize him or her for that.

Follow this link:
FISCHBERGER: The Cognitive Campaign To Co-Opt Zionism - The Daily Wire

Category: Zionism | Comments Off on FISCHBERGER: The Cognitive Campaign To Co-Opt Zionism – The Daily Wire
Tags:

Posted By admin on February 5, 2020

The World Zionist Congress consists of 500 delegates elected from around the world including the United States and meets in Jerusalem every five years to allocate some $1.1 billion in funds.

Since delegates typically vote in favor of allocations that support their delegate slates policy preferences, the makeup of the delegate body is crucial to the success of the various interests in play in Israeli society.

Thus, those interested in promoting yeshiva education, shmiras Shabbos, kashrus standards, the religious integrity of the Kosel, and halachic standards in marriage, divorce, and conversion, should look to elect delegates with a similar worldview so they can direct WZC funds to the appropriate supportive institutions.

The 38th World Zionist Congress is scheduled to meet this year from October 20-23 to decide on allocations. However, the election of delegates to the congress is taking place right now (it began on January 21 and ends on March 11).

In order to secure as much funding as possible for the promotion and protection of Torah values in Israel, a delegate slate called Eretz HaKodesh has been formed. It is being encouraged in its proposed work by numerous rabbanim including Rav Yitzchok Berkowitz, Rav Elya Brudny, Rav Chaim Kohn, and Rav Asher Weiss.

Those interested in making a positive impact on true Torah values in Eretz Yisroel are urged to go to EretzHakodesh.org to learn about WZC voting qualifications and how to cast a ballot. The process is straightforward and quite simple.

Read this article:
The Upcoming World Zionist Congress Elections - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com

Category: Zionism | Comments Off on The Upcoming World Zionist Congress Elections – The Jewish Press – JewishPress.com
Tags:

Posted By admin on February 5, 2020

A senior Blue and White (Kahol Lavan) MK speculated yesterday that his party would be open to forming a minority government with right-wing factions, if the March election produces no majority coalition.

I hope we will get enough seats to form our own government, and after that the Likud will join. If the Likud is not willing to join, then we will start with a minority government with [Avigdor] Lieberman and others, MK Yoaz Hendel told Channel 13 News, and as reported by Arutz Sheva.

The best thing for the State of Israel is a Zionist unity government and that is the aspiration even now, Hendel added.

The MK stressed that Blue and White would never go into government with the Joint List: There is no government with the Joint List, there was no such thing and there will not be such a thing.

READ: Right-wing Israeli lawmakers attempt to remove Palestinians from Knesset

He later tweeted that he meant a minority government with Zionist parties but did not elaborate.

As part of the interview, Hendel also addresses the Trump administrations proposed plan.

The Trump plan has great achievements, but actions are just as important and not only the talking. I find it difficult to see the Palestinians meeting the conditions of the peace plan.

Responding later to Hendels remarks, the pro-settler, right-wing party Yamina stated: It turns out that the card up the sleeve of Evet [Lieberman], who is coordinated with [Benny] Gantz, is the establishment of a minority government with support of the Joint List.

Lieberman, Blue and White, Meretz and the Joint List are coordinated on forming an extreme left-wing government that will depend on the whims of Ayman Odeh and Ahmad Tibi.

Blue and Whites Yaalon: under Gantz, Jordan Valley will be Israels forever

More:
Blue and White official: 'Best thing' for Israel is 'Zionist unity government' - Middle East Monitor

Category: Zionism | Comments Off on Blue and White official: ‘Best thing’ for Israel is ‘Zionist unity government’ – Middle East Monitor
Tags:

Posted By admin on February 5, 2020

Over a decade ago, Peter Theroux participated in a panel discussion at Columbia University on the work of the Arab-Israeli writer and Communist Knesset member Emile Habibi (1922-1996), whose work he had translated into English. Reflecting on the experience, Theroux recalls the different ways the participants spoke of the country where their subject had lived:

Professor A noted Habibis literary achievements and attachment to Palestine, though she faulted his acceptance of the Israel Prize for Literature in 1992, which advanced the Zionist project. She went on for a little longer in the same vein, before concluding to loud applause. Elias Khoury, [the Lebanese novelist and PLO member], thumped the table with the palm of his hand in approval.

Professor B announced that he would read aloud from something he had composed on the redeye flight from the West Coast the night previous. He denounced the U.S. governments detention and alleged torture of al-Qaeda terrorists in black sites, as well as the practice of translating foreign works into English (referencing colonialism and, in an anguished tone, English, the hegemon). My recollection is that he did not mention Habibi at all. The audience applauded him noisily, and Khoury thumped the table even harder.

These literary and academic figures had nothing to say, Theroux notes, about Habibis lifelong efforts to promote coexistence between Arabs and Israelis. Perhaps, he suggests, it would be both fair and useful to start judging the authorial empathy of Arab writers based on their ability to acknowledge the worlds only post-Holocaust Jewish state. And perhaps that ability should be compared with the extent of their acceptance in the West:

It probably is no surprise that acceptance, or not, of a secure Israel brought out the best or worst of these political Arab men of letters while providing a kind of quick X-ray of the inner integrity and therefore the lasting qualities of their own work. What gives me pause is how America has embraced them in inverse proportion to their openness toward the Jewish state. Khoury [and the likeminded, if less extreme, Saudi Arabian author] Abdelrahman Munif are Amazon celebrities. Habibis great Saraya, the subject of the memorable panel in the Upper West Side? The English translation celebrated that evening was published in Jerusalem, not New York.

Read more at Tablet

More about: al q, Anti-Zionism, Arabic literature, Israel on campus, Israeli Arabs, Translation

Excerpt from:
America Seems to Embrace Arab Literary Figures in Inverse Proportion to Their Openness toward Israel - Mosaic

Category: Zionism | Comments Off on America Seems to Embrace Arab Literary Figures in Inverse Proportion to Their Openness toward Israel – Mosaic
Tags:

Posted By admin on February 5, 2020

Is U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres a Talmudic scholar or a Bob Dylan fan? Or both?

Close students of Dylan and the Talmud immediately recognized Guterress assessment that a wind of madness is sweeping the globe as an allusion to one or both of these original sources.

In Tractate Sotah 3a of the Talmud, Reysh Lakish is quoted as having said, Eyn adam over aveyre ela im keyn nikhnas bo ruach shtus [emphasis mine]. This translates approximately to: No one commits a sin unless the wind of madness enters into him.

In his remarks on Tuesday, the Secretary-Generals equivalent of a U.S. State of the Union address, Guterres inveighed against military instability, economic dislocation and manmade climate crisis, blaming it all on the Talmudic wind of madness. How else could rational world leaders be so irrational?

There is another way to translate ruach shtus, and that is the wind of idiocy. In other words, youd have to be stupid to foment wars, build great wealth at the expense of the 99 percent, and to take measures that will increase rather than decrease global warning.

This is the version that Bob Dylan no stranger to the Talmud chose to use as the key phrase of one of his all-time greatest songs: Idiot Wind. For Dylan, the ruach shtus is the breath of idiocy, or wind of idiocy. He uses both constructions in the song, which was originally contained on his landmark album, Blood on the Tracks: Idiot wind, he sneers in the song which can easily be read as Dylans own 1975 state of the union address its a wonder that you still know how to breathe.

The use of the term by Dylan and Guterres implies an equation between idiocy or madness and sin, that the acts of stupidity recounted in the formers song and the latters address can only be explained as the wages of sin.

In Dylans case, his use of the central image of wind also echoed that earlier anthem that addressed sin and idiocy of a sort the kind that was blowin in the wind.

Today, theres idiocy, madness, and plenty of hot air blowing like a circle around my skull, from the Grand Coulee Dam to the Capitol, as Dylan put it.

Seth Rogovoy is a contributing editor at the Forward and the author of Bob Dylan: Prophet Mystic Poet (Scribner, 2009).

Read more:

Wait was the U.N. Secretary General quoting Bob Dylan or the Talmud? - Forward

Category: Talmud | Comments Off on Wait was the U.N. Secretary General quoting Bob Dylan or the Talmud? – Forward
Tags:

Posted By admin on February 5, 2020

A general view shows thousands of Jewish worshippers attending the priestly blessing on the Jewish holiday of Sukkot at the Western Wall in Jerusalems Old City September 26, 2018. Photo: REUTERS/Ammar Awad.

Many have wondered about the underlying basis for the continuing existence of the Jewish people. In their book Jews and Words (2012), Amos Oz and his daughter Fania Oz-Sulzberger point out that Jewish continuity has always depended on spoken and written words ours is not a bloodline but a textline. More specifically, they draw a connection between Jewish continuity and the ancient and modern use of the Hebrew language.

The worldwide study of Daf Yomi is an example of the connection between Jews and words. On January 1, 2020, many news outlets reported on the 13th Siyum HaShas (completion of the Talmud). This event marks the end of the sequential one page per day (Daf Yomi) study of the 2,711 pages of the Babylonian Talmud. Initiated in 1923 by Rabbi Meir Shapiro of Poland, each participant studies the same page each day. The end of the 13th cycle involved 350,000 participants, the vast majority Orthodox Jews.

Project 929, which was initiated in Israel in 2014, uses the same model to encourage the study of the Hebrew Bible (the name comes from the 929 chapters of the Bible, the Tanach). Participants study five chapters per week. According to one source, there were 250,000 participants in the first cycle, three quarters of them secular. As for Talmud study, those involved can use non-Hebrew translations, but Hebrew (and Aramaic in the case of the Talmud), as the source language, is the final word.

In fact, in Hebrew Roots, Jewish Routes, A Tribal Language in a Global World (2019), Jeremy Benstein emphasizes that throughout most of their history, Jews have been multilingual, often using a Jewish language such as Yiddish or Ladino for use in the home and the street, while Hebrew remained a liturgical language that was also used for study. Alternatively, or additionally, languages such as Greek, Aramaic, Arabic, and English have also been used as the vernacular tongue.

February 5, 2020 1:14 pm

Benstein provides a wonderful description of the Hebrew language, emphasizing its compact vocabulary and system of three consonant roots with interconnected layers. He describes the use of Hebrew in traditional as well as modern Jewish life, as well as the relation between Hebrew and the Hebrew calendar, including the annual cycle of Jewish holidays.

He asks whether historical religious Hebrew and contemporary Israeli Hebrew are one language or two, noting that while 61 percent of the underlying roots of Hebrew are Biblical in origin, only 21 percent of contemporary dictionary entries are Biblical. However, a language is really defined by political and social considerations, not only grammar, and multiple language dialects are common for other languages too.

As to whether ancient and modern Hebrew are one language, Benstein believes they are. He quotes the American writer Cynthia Ozick as saying, Hebrew as a contemporary language is no longer the language of the Bible; but neither is it not the language of the Bible.

In Jews and Words, Oz and Fania Oz-Sulzberger state that the revival of Hebrew (there are an estimated nine million Hebrew speakers worldwide) is the most creative and least controversial accomplishment of the modern Zionist movement. While I can agree that it is the most creative feature of modern Zionism, I am not so sure about the claim to being non-controversial.

A 2019 resolution of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa titled Time to act: Solidarity with Palestine includes an effort to disconnect Jews from Israel, and Zionism from Judaism. Moreover, in 2018, the JTA reported that in a speech to a meeting of the Palestine Liberation Organizations Central Council, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas denied a Jewish connection to Israel saying: Israel is a colonial project that has nothing to do with Jews.

In the struggle between rival Israeli and Palestinian narratives, the question of who has indigenous status has come up. The UN bases indigeneity on a number of factors, including a distinct language, culture, and religion. No doubt, the long and continuing role of the Hebrew language in Jewish life will play an important part in this controversy.

Jacob (Jake) Sivak, elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2002, is a retired professor in the School of Optometry, University of Waterloo, where he continues his research interests as a Distinguished Professor Emeritus. He has a lifelong interest in the history of the Jewish people.

Read the original:

Hebrew as the Proof of Jewish Continuity | Jewish & Israel News - Algemeiner

Category: Talmud | Comments Off on Hebrew as the Proof of Jewish Continuity | Jewish & Israel News – Algemeiner
Tags:

Posted By admin on February 5, 2020

Having walked through redwood forests, I experienced the ancient spirit of these trees as their scent and presence wafted gently around me. I felt secure and grounded knowing their roots were embedded deep within Mother Earth, pathways enabling trees to communicate and share in a wood wide web. Redwoods can live as long as 2,000 years while the oldest tree on the planet is a spruce that is 9,500 years old.

I always have resonated with the trees stately stature and graceful, extending branches with shapely leaves, beautiful foliage and fragrant fruit. Having to cut down a hundred-year-old Chinese Elm to make room for a home remodel caused me great sadness and I finally felt consoled when we decided to use much of it for firewood to warm our home as well as cut a sizable stump to use as a side table, a constant presence of our old friend. Who isnt moved by Shel Silversteins The Giving Tree, showing the variety of uses and relationship to humankind over its lifetime, from protection to nourishment, comfort to play, beauty to life-giving oxygen, and even practical usage as paper, pencils and furniture. The tree, an expression of the Divines gift of nature, looms large in our lives and has become an important image in Judaism.

The 15th of Shevat, Tu BShevat, is the holiday that celebrates the trees importance and value in our lives. Torah introduces the tree as a symbol of wisdom, life and death. It reminds us of the reward of grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates if we keep the commandments, while the Tanakh likens the human to a cedar in Lebanon bearing fruit even in old age and Torah as an Etz Chayim, She is a tree of life

The holiday is first mentioned in the Talmud as the New Year for trees. Its historic purpose was for tithing fruit to support the priests and the poor. After the destruction of the Temple, this practice was discontinued, turning into a celebration that would continue our awareness of the trees importance and our ecological relationship with all of creation. Torah commands, When waging war do not destroy (fruit-bearing) trees, which evolved into the generalized law of bal tashchit, do not destroy, prohibiting wasteful destruction. The tree is not only an archetype of values but expands the awareness of our relationship to creation and our moral responsibility for it.

On Feb. 10, be mindful of the giving tree its glorious beauty and sustaining bounty, its central place in our tradition, its symbol as Torah and wisdom.

On another level, the tree becomes an innovative construct for the mystics. Kabbalah views the tree as a model of psycho-spiritual expression. In a holy different description of creation, Rabbi Isaac Luria, a 16th-century kabbalist, describes God contracting in order to make room for creation, then emanating into the empty space 10 Divine expressions. This model, the Etz Chayim, becomes each one of us, a tree of life, reflecting Divine presence through our engagement in the world. Giving each person a new way to identify with the Divine, it is described with roots in heaven, trunk connecting to the Earth, and foliage and fruit flourishing in physicality. A reverse image, it connects the upper and lower worlds, the Divine and the human.

Attempting to draw a more intimate connection to this holiday, the kabbalists created a ceremony, a ritualized meal, using the produce of trees associated with the land of Israel nuts and fruit as well as reading selected texts and drinking four cups of wine representing four levels of existence and the four-letter name (yud-hay-vav-hay) of God. Like the Passover seder, it is an attempt to share in community, awakening each of us to a sense of gratitude for the gifts of the Divine, the blessing of nurturing and healing. This seder, has evolved, reflecting contemporary concerns for climate change and its impact on our beloved forests and assuring their longevity.

Tu BShevat enables us to identify with one of the most sacred of creations, the tree, and its life-giving gifts. On Feb. 10, be mindful of the giving tree its glorious beauty and sustaining bounty, its central place in our tradition, its symbol as Torah and wisdom, its moral lessons and spiritual awakening, and its comforting presence in moments of disease. S/He is like a tree planted by water whose foliage never fades.

Eva Robbins is a rabbi, cantor and author of Spiritual Surgery, Journey of Healing Mind, Body and Spirit.

Continue reading here:

Tu BShevat: A Celebration of the Tree - Jewish Journal

Category: Talmud | Comments Off on Tu BShevat: A Celebration of the Tree – Jewish Journal
Tags:

Posted By admin on February 5, 2020

Obviously, there is no comparison. One is a mere human being who happens to occupy the highest office in the land. The other is a kedosh elyon, a pillar of Torah Shebaal Peh and our eternal teacher in the holiest of dimensions, the chain of Torah from Moshe Rabbeinu. Furthermore, Rabbon Gamliels opponents in this event were also the greatest Tannaim, who virtually saved Klal Yisrael in the difficult years right after the churban Bais Hamikdosh.

Yet, as the Maharal often teaches us, devorim gedolim einom bmikra, great things are never coincidental. A good deal of Klal Yisroel learned the saga of Rabbon Gamliels removal from the nesius of Klal Yisroel essentially the formal leadership of the nation in the Daf Yomi (Brachos 27) of last Friday. One of the major Rishonim, the Nemukei Yosef, enumerates 16 original takeaways (I have written this from my heart) from this seminal event (Rav Reuvein Margoliyos, Yesod HaMishnah Vaarichasa, page 51). In the process, he offers us timeless solutions to countless issues facing society and daily personal situations.

To briefly review the relevant facts, the Gemara describes a halachic disagreement between the Tannaim, Rabbon Gamliel and Rav Yehoshua. Despite the fact that in the past, Rav Yehoshua, who was the av bais din, and Rabbon Gamliel, who was the nosi, had publicly disagreed (Bava Kamma 74b), with Rabbon Gamliel accepting the controversy in the usual spirit of appropriate machlokes, this time was different. Following a pattern enumerated in two other places (Bechoros 36a and Rosh Hashanah 25a), Rabbon Gamliel seemed to refuse any dissent toward his opinion. Although Rabbon Gamliel did this to prove the authority of the Torah leadership, not for his personal honor, eventually the sages of the day demoted him from his position. As Rav Margoliyos notes, this event had far-reaching ramifications for the history of the Talmud and Torah Shebaal Peh. Most of that is not relevant to this discussion. However, what is extremely pertinent is how the sages treated Rabbon Gamliel in this delicate process.

The seventh of the Nemukei Yosefs lessons is the most applicable to our situation: It is appropriate to choose the method that is the most decent toward the one being judged. He proves his point from the fact that Rav Yehoshua would have been the most natural choice to succeed Rabbon Gamliel as nosi, but he was immediately rejected. This was because since he was the one who had suffered Rabbon Gamliels displeasure, it would have hurt Rabbon Gamliel excessively, so it would have been wrong to add this insult to injury.

We must notice the sharp contrast with what has happened, lehavdil, to President Trump for over three years of false allegations and accusations. Dozens of charges, recriminations and insults have been hurled at him on a daily basis by his political and personal foes. Our sages took care of all of it bo bayom, that very day. Nothing was prolonged or festered; nothing was exaggerated or embellished. There were no insults or innuendos, only the facts, and even those were presented with respect and honor. If giants like the Tannaim had the sensitivity of treating a defendant so humanely, can we not expect mere imperfect mortals to temper their conclusions and deprecations? Surely not one of them is above any of the calumny they have inveighed against the president. The criticism hurled at Senator McCarthy, Have you no shame? certainly comes to mind. Sadly, this admonition must be aimed at some of our Jewish brethren who have sought to ignore that the president has been the most benevolent American leader in history toward Israel and our people.

Interestingly, in the case of Rabbon Gamliel, there is some debate about what was actually done to him. The Gemara (Brachos ibid. and Yerushalmi, Moed Koton 3:1) expresses concern about demoting one of the sages from his position, and indeed some meforshim (Yesod HaMishnah, page 54) are of the opinion that Rav Elozor ben Azariah never became nosi, only reish mesivta). According to this view, Rabbon Gamliel was never actually impeached. He merely lost one of his titles, since in most previous generations, the nosi was also the reish mesivta and his colleague was the av bais din (see ArtScroll commentary to Brachos 27b, note 20 from Doros Harishonim). If we were to attempt to extrapolate from this important case history, we would conclude for the future, since the damage is already done from the present impeachment in the House, that for the sake of the country, not just for the individual, the dignity of those elevated by the people must be preserved. Partisan politics, personal preferences and enmities should be kept out of all national deliberations. Of course, it is impossible to demand such lofty ideals of mere mortals, but at least we should easily spot where the process has gone awry. When one party spends years trying repeatedly and unsuccessfully to discover non-existent high crimes and misdemeanors, the sole constitutional criterion for impeachment, the process has obviously been high-jacked for venal purposes.

We should note that Rav Meir Greineman, a nephew of the Chazon Ish ztl, takes the position (Imrei Yosher, Brachos, page 83) that the sages were dealing with a difficult conundrum. On the one hand, maalin bakodesh vein moridin, we are not permitted to lower someones status in kedusha. On the other hand, they had already appointed Rav Elozor ben Azariah and Hashem had performed a miracle on his behalf (the eighteen rows of white hairs in his beard). They therefore decided that Rabbon Gamliel and Rav Elozor ben Azariah should share the leadership, which they indeed did with humility and mutual respect (see also Drashos of Rav Yaakov Emden, Hakeshurim LeYaakov, page 194). That is the Torah way, and it has sadly not been the path we have witnessed in these difficult days.

Since by the time this is published, we hope that the president has been exonerated by the Senate, we can only offer him some consolation and Torah advice. What did Rabbon Gamliel do after his role was diminished? The sages arranged for a compromise, whereby Rabbon Gamliel gave the shiur three weeks out of four and Rav Elozor ben Azariah one week. During this entire period, the Gemara testifies that Rabbon Gamliel did not absent himself a single day from the mesivta at Yavneh. They all made peace with each other and the Torah became even stronger than before.

Rav Chaim Shmulevitz ztl (Sichos Mussar 5732, No. 36) goes even further. He points out that it was not only in the situation of the holy Tannaim that the Torah was solicitous of everyones honor. Even when the 250 rebels attempted to wrest the leadership from Moshe and Aharon, they were treated with dignity to the end. The Meiri (Brachos ibid.) points out that Aharon was not the one to raise the pans in victory over them for that would have been an improper display of revenge and personal triumph. Rav Chaim makes the powerful point that we, too, should always maintain the proper kavod habriyos human dignity not to revel in victory.

We wish the president the strength and wisdom to rise to this august occasion. He can be bigger and greater than his tormentors, unifying the country under the banner of all the accomplishments he has already made and the new initiatives he will offer. This is the true taste of victory, being able to show genuine courage, grace and magnanimity even to those who have tried to destroy him. This is a tall order, but we believe that he is up to the task.

See the original post here:

The Impeachment of President Trump and the Demotion of Rabbon Gamliel: A Study in Contrasts - Yated.com

Category: Talmud | Comments Off on The Impeachment of President Trump and the Demotion of Rabbon Gamliel: A Study in Contrasts – Yated.com
Tags:

Posted By admin on February 5, 2020

Re: Is the WZC a Sham Election?

Dear Editor,

Is the World Zionist Congress a Sham Election? asked your editorial article (January 31, 2020). Sadly, it was exactly this attitude that led to progressive Jewish groups winning over 60% of the seats in the 2010 election, and allocating significant percentage of their budget to groups that oppose authentic Jewish values.

Take a look at the published slates of the other parties running in the WZC election and you will see that they are taking this election very seriously. They recognize that millions of dollars are at stake. They are investing large sums of money into fighting for its seats, because they understand the power and influence that it has. Issues such as Jewish identity, civil marriage in Israel, control of the Kotel, funding of religious schools, and development of towns beyond the Green Line are all decided by the WZO. Appointments that they make to the leadership of major Jewish organizations the KKL, the Jewish Agency and otherswill determine the direction of international Jewish policy for generations to come.

The founder of the Shas Party, Maran HaRav Ovadya Yosef ztl, worked all his life to restore the Crown of the Torah and the Glory of our Sephardic Heritage to its rightful place among the leaders of the Jewish people. He understood the importance of the World Zionist Organization and its influence over many aspects of Jewish life in Israel and in the Diaspora. He encouraged the establishment of the World Union of Jewish Communities, to unite Sephardic communities around the world, and Shas Olami as the International Sephardic Zionist Organization, to represent all Sephardim in the United States in this important election.

Adult Jews of all backgrounds across America are being invited to declare their membership of the Jewish people by registering to vote for just $7.50 ($5 for those under 25). Perhaps this is the Half Shekel of our generation? Who would not want to stand up and be counted as a member of the Jewish people? Let us reach out to our unaffiliated friends and encourage them to register and vote, to show that we care about them and want them to have their say in the future of the Jewish people too.

The call of the hour from Shas Olami and other Torah-true slates is to register as many voters as possible in the next 4 weeks and ensure that all Jews are represented in this important election. Let us not make the mistake of ignoring this election and surrendering our influence. Let the Sephardic voice be heard. Let Orthodox votes count. Lets not lose the election through apathy and cynicism.

Sincerely

Rabbi Natan Sasson,Leader of Shas OlamiRabbi of Keter Torah Synagogue,West Bloomfield, MI

The Wests Selective Amnesia

Dear Editor:

In 1972, Arafat orchestrated the butchering of Israeli athletes at Munich, as the inaugural event to announce the formation of the bloody PLO which has waged war against Israel ever since. If the cowardly and ignorant West, enabled by the selective amnesia of mainstream media, would have put consistent pressure on these Arabs to negotiate and accept the many fair peace offers, they would have been celebrating their statehood, instead of their continued war on the Jewish state of Israel. Some unsolicited advice to all if I may-read up on the facts, before you next speak.

Palestinian leaders have rejected numerous U.S. and Israeli offers for statehood in exchange for peace with the Jewish statein 2000 at Camp David, 2001 at Taba and 2008 after the Annapolis Conference. The 2008 offer would have given the Palestinians a state with its capital in eastern Jerusalem and 93% of the West Bank with land swaps to make up the difference. For the first time, Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas has admitted that he rejected out of hand an Israeli offer for a PA state on nearly 95% of Judea and Samaria. In 2008, then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert offered to agree to the creation of an independent PA state including all of Gaza, nearly all of Judea/Samaria, and parts of Israel and the PA state would have its capital in eastern Jerusalem.

In 2017, the Director of the independent monitoring group, UN Watch, testified and presented a new report showing 40 alarming new cases of UNRWA school teachers in Gaza, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria whose Facebook pages incite to Jihadist terrorism and antisemitism, including by posting Holocaust-denying videos and pictures celebrating Hitler. UNRWAs textbooks demonize Jews, show maps with all of Israel gone, replaced by Palestine, and incite children to kill Zionists for martyrdom.

These so called Palestinian Arabs are victims of their own making. If the West and all those progressives out there really wanted to help them, you would demand they sit down and sweat out negotiations with Israel. They have never made even one counter offer, openly state they will never accept a Jewish state, yet somehow the world continues to blame Israel for their lacks.

When lose your moral compass, you can no longer identify a true victim from a true oppressor. Israel is the victim of these Arabs continued terrorism and the Wests false, myopic, relentless obsession with blaming the Jewish state while never demanding any accountability of Arab refusals. The world has truly become the inmates running the asylums. Where we go from here sounds more and more like hell on earth for all of us.

Sincerely

Ginette Weiner

No Hate in Our State

Dear Editor:

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo recently announcedsignificantadditional measures aimed at protecting religious buildings and houses of worship across the state. The announcement, made at the No Hate In Our State 2020 Security Grant Conference, included an additional $25 million in state grant funding. This funding is intended to help organizations and communities vulnerable to hate crimes to protect themselves. This is part of a broader effort to strike back against hate crimes, including proposed legislation to categorize hate crimes as domestic terrorism and punish it accordingly. Governor Cuomo has also called for increased funding to the New York Police Hate Crimes Task Force, as well as expanded education efforts designed to protect our children from the influence of hate.

Although anti-Semitic hate, in particular, played a central role in Governor Cuomos remarks, these new measures are intended to be inclusive and interfaith, as well as, protect New Yorkers across racial, ethnic, and religious lines. For over one hundred years, the American Jewish Congress has operated under the belief that, in order for any minority group to be protected, all must be protected. We were proud to attend the conference, and westand shoulder to shoulderwith Gov. Cuomo on hiscrucialinitiative andsalutehis effort to ensure that the kind of violence inflicted on Jews in such places as Poway, Pittsburgh,Jersey City, and Monsey does not happen again.

Sincerely,

Jack Rosen, President American Jewish CongressMunr Kazmir, Vice-President American Jewish CongresBen Chouake, SecretaryAmerican Jewish Congress

Read more from the original source:

Letters to the Editor - The Jewish Voice

Category: Sephardic | Comments Off on Letters to the Editor – The Jewish Voice
Tags:

Posted By admin on February 5, 2020

Two weeks ago, I attended an event alongside 800 fellow Jews, many of whom I knew personally to be either staunch Democrats or Republicans.

After hearing various remarks and speeches, I was shocked: Not one person spoke a word of politics on stage all night. It was the best evening Id spent since I had dinner with an inspiring Holocaust survivor who happened to love Persian food.

I was at a gala hosted by the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles which presented its 2019 Jewish Community Lifetime Achievement Award to legendary philanthropists Younes and Soraya Nazarian.

Ashkenazi, Sephardic and Persian Jews, including many young professionals, came together to break bread, shmooze and, for many, meet for the first time to honor the manufacturing and tech entrepreneur and his wife. Yes, there were some non-Persians in the room for whom it would have taken a few tries to say mazal tov in Persian (Mobarak) but there were also hundreds who greeted the family matriarch in perfect Persian.

In the past few years, American Jews have seemed more divided than ever, and the absence of unity has been as public as its been palpable. But that night, left-leaning Jews were seated next to Jews who had attended fundraisers for President Donald Trump; unaffiliated Jews talked about legacy and philanthropy with Orthodox Jews; elderly, Ashkenazi women passionately pulled young Persian men aside and lectured them about the imperative of starting a family; and Persian women in their 20s shook hands with Persians in their 80s.

Los Angeles is home to hundreds of Jewish and pro-Israel organizations, and often, their events and galas, however meaningful, draw Jews from the same political and ideological circles.

Ive rarely observed this about a local Jewish event Ive attended since 2016, but that evening, the diversity and unity in the room was unmistakably visible.

I should have known that if anyone could bring together Jews, it would be the Nazarians and the Jewish Federation. Both are deeply invested in the Jewish community.

Thats when I got it: Jews are part of an inescapable family, in all that family means, including love, disappointment, conflict, healing and home.

Speaking on behalf of her family, daughter Sharon Nazarian took a deep breath, scanned the crowd, and said, Wow, there is a lot of love in this room. Its a night of celebrating together; of two rich and diverse communities. This is a night that brings together all of our families.

She recounted some of her parents contributions ranging from building four libraries in Israel, including one at Sapir College in Sderot, to establishing Israel Studies at UCLA that have distinguished them as prominent philanthropists. She then thanked everyone, from students in Israel to administrators at Cal State Northridge, where the Nazarians established the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts, for being part of the Nazarian family. She concluded by gesturing to everyone in the room and saying, You are part of our family.

Thats when I got it: Jews are part of an inescapable family, in all that family means, including love, disappointment, conflict, healing and home. Which is why even the worlds most unaffiliated Jew may find herself on a beach in Bali and chat with a fellow Jew whos excited to have found another Member of the Tribe so far from home.

When real estate developer Sam Nazarian, Sharons brother, told attendees, Tonight has to be about the things we agree on, not the 1 to 2% we dont agree on, the room burst into thunderous applause.

I think weve all had it with the division and destruction that politics has waged on our friendships and families over the past few years. Weve forgotten that heads of state, whether in the U.S., Israel or elsewhere come and go, but perfectly imperfect family is forever.

It may take years before we unlearn the normalization of Jewish infighting, but at least for one wonderful night, we ate, talked and celebrated as one family.

Tabby Refael is a Los Angeles-based writer and speaker.

Read the original:

All in the Family - Jewish Journal

Category: Sephardic | Comments Off on All in the Family – Jewish Journal
Tags: