Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on August 2, 2017

Atara Foods employee Enrique Torres, a 25-year-old Pikesville, Md., resident, slices freshly slaughtered kosher meat at the downtown Baltimore facility on July 26. | Shana Medel

By Shana Medel

Yaakov Levi is fixated on working his way to the top of the food chain in Charm City, otherwise known as Baltimore.

The Israeli native, who was introduced to the glatt-kosher meat industry by his father, quickly became an integral part of the family business at 8 years old.

From a humble beginning, when he worked in the slaughterhouse and cleaned kishkes, to founding Atara Foods in downtown Baltimore, Levi is all too familiar with the kashering process.

I started from the bottom, said Levi, referring to the days he spent at his fathers slaughterhouse in Nahariya. I know the meat business.

His meat processing and packing plant opened its doors in February. The 20,000-square-foot facility processes 5,000 to 8,000 pounds of meat each day, Levi said.

In addition to selling the traditional forequarter meat to American-Jewish consumers, Atara Foods also sells hindquarter meat including filet mignon, top sirloin roast and New York strip steak and thats what makes it unique. Although not a rarity in Israel and parts of Europe, hindquarter meat is difficult to come by in the American kosher scene.

What Jacob wanted to do was bring that to the market here, said Binyomin Ansbacher, who has served as the companys Star-K mashgiach since it set up shop in Baltimore. Were offering a new product to the kosher market.

And that product has opened doors to shoppers looking to purchase tender meat with a rich taste in the local area.

Levi said his prices match those of the nationwide chain Omaha Steaks.

Since theres non-kosher fat in the hindquarters, the kashering process is a delicate one, requiring immense skill and precision. But with Levis vast experience, the Atara Foods processing manager can remove the forbidden parts, including the sciatic nerve, with ease.

We start at 6:30 a.m., and we finish when we finish, said Levi, who is also an ordained rabbi.

Freshly slaughtered cattle strapped to metal ceiling hooks added a pop of color to the white-walled facility on July 26. Even during the early morning hours, workers clad in hair nets, aprons and gloves maintained their focus, slicing chunks of kosher meat at their work stations.

Levi is a ninth-generation traiborer, a Yiddish term referring to the removal of non-

kosher fats and veins from meat during the kashering process. Shortly after moving to the U.S. in the early 90s, he began a 20-year career overseeing the certification for Philly Foods.

It didnt take long for Levi to realize that filet mignon the crown jewel of meat was practically a nonexistent option for kashrut-observing Jews in the U.S.

From that void, he developed a long-term goal to restore glory to the market, which is where the companys Hebrew name, Atara, or crown, comes from.

While Sephardim give the all-clear when it comes to traiboring hindquarters, Ashkenazim do just the opposite. And since American kosher certification agencies are typically supervised by Ashkenazi Jews, the lack of hindquarter meat isnt surprising.

The thinking is theres enough meat available from the forequarter cuts that the hindquarters can be sold to non-Jewish butchers without any financial loss, Ansbacher said.

Its not that Ashkenazim believe the entire hindquarter to be treif, as put by Ansbacher, but rather that many havent been properly trained to kasher the meat.

But the hindquarters provide a different kind of meat, one with a lot of flavor, he said. For instance, filet mignon is very lean. Its actually the least worked muscle in the cow, so its very tender.

To ensure that strict adherence to this Ashkenazi custom doesnt deter buyers, the company has two separate kosher certifications, one for forequarters and one for hindquarters. The former is certified by Star-K, which doesnt certify hindquarter meat, and is under Atara Foods. The

latter is certified by Sephardic Rabbi Eliyahu Ben Chaim of Badatz Mekor Haimunder and is under an Atara affiliate called Tender.

Although processed in the same facility, the meats are packaged at different times using separate utensils.

At the moment, the high-end meat is processed, packaged and shipped to supermarkets in the Maryland and Washington, D.C., areas on a weekly basis.

But like most business owners, Levi has dreams of expanding his reach.

His goal is to be operating at full capacity by mid-August, which means increasing the number of employees from 16 to 35 and ordering new equipment, such as a meat salting machine and conveyer belt.

Thus far, Levis high-end products have made their way to restaurants, catered events and even a weekly farmers market in Bethesda, Md.

Buyers can also ship meat to their doorstep or drop by the facility to pick it up themselves.

All they have to do is call, Levi said. No order is too big or too small.

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Atara Foods: Restoring Glory to Hindquarter Meat - Jewish Exponent

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Posted By richards on August 2, 2017

August 2, 2017 by Felicity Boardman, The Conversation Credit: gopixa/Shutterstock

The ability to cheaply and quickly sequence entire genomes is changing the way diseases are identified and treated. But it is also likely to change the way we make some of the most important and personal decisions of our lives: how, and with whom, we have children.

Pre-conception genetic screening (testing for "carrier status" before pregnancy) has usually only been available to couples already known to be at risk of a particular disease. Ashkenazi Jews, for example, are most likely to be carriers of the mutated HEXA gene linked to Tay-Sachs disease, a fatal genetic disorder. Screening for the HEXA mutation is therefore recommended for all Ashkenazi Jews planning children. Today, though, genome sequencing is more affordable and accessible than ever before. It is now (at least, technically) possible to screen everyone to find out if they are a carrier of a genetic disease.

These technological changes have triggered increased enthusiasm for carrier screening. Recently, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists recommended that carrier screening be offered to everyone, and at the very least to all pregnant women. Similarly, private companies in the UK are now offering pre-conception screening for large panels of genetic conditions, simultaneously.

It is estimated that the average person carries three to five serious genetic conditions, such as spinal muscular atrophy or cystic fibrosis, so the routine use of pre-conception screening could affect a lot of people and the way they approach relationships.

The "genetic compatability" of a couple is set to become an important consideration for future generations, changing the way relationships are formed. Dating apps, for example, which give users snapshot information about a potential mate, could become places where carrier status is disclosed alongside other notable physical characteristics such as hair and eye colour.

Some of these apps are already emerging one has been dubbed Tinder for Tay-Sachs. Indeed, through the Dor Yeshorim initiative, the Ashkenazi community has long operated an anonymous programme of pre-marital genetic screening for this very purpose.

Unlike an Ashkenazi Jew, who may be more prepared for the news that they are a carrier of Tay-Sachs, research shows that most people who undergo carrier screening are entirely unprepared for a positive result. As most genetic disorders screened for are considered rare, those having the screening will probably have never experienced, or even heard of, the condition they have been found to carry.

Impossible judgement

This lack of experience is significant because research shows that it makes an important difference to the way people make decisions about having a baby with that condition. For example, a recent study my colleagues and I conducted showed that people without prior experience of spinal muscular atrophy took a much dimmer view of the condition than families who live with it. They were also more likely than families with spinal muscular atrophy families to consider termination of an affected pregnancy as acceptable.

This contrast highlights that decisions about whether to introduce pre-conception screening, and which conditions it should be used for, are not as straightforward as they initially appear. What may be a liveable disability to one person, may be an intolerable experience to another. Yet pre-conception genetic screening calls on us to make this impossible judgement before that person is even conceived.

Given the wide variability and unpredictability of genetic disease, it may appear logical to avoid all forms of it as far as current technology allows, anyway. However, the emergence of groups, such as "don't screen us out", which lobby against screening for Down's syndrome, highlight the difficulties that surround such blanket avoidance.

Many people can, and do, live happy and fulfilling lives with a genetic disease. Yet, once introduced on a mass scale, screening programmes can become difficult to refuse. Having a disabled child, when the technology existed to prevent it, could come to be seen as knowingly inflicting that condition on the child.

While personal choice and control are at the heart of the drive towards pre-conception screening, we also need to consider what other choices become closed off by its introduction. Neutralising the genetic gamble does not come without a cost. And, as a society, we need to carefully consider just what sacrifices we are prepared to make for it.

Explore further: What is pre-pregnancy carrier screening and should potential parents consider it?

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Newborn screening is considered to be a "baby's first test." Within the first two days of birth, a baby's heel is pricked to obtain a small amount of blood that is screened for up to dozens of genetic diseases, especially ...

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Opinion: Why we should be worried about gene-carrier screening - Medical Xpress

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Posted By richards on August 2, 2017

SUNDAY, AUGUST 6

For women only. All women welcome. A free event at Bnai Emunah Chabad on Aug. 6, at 7 p.m.

4315 Murray Ave., next to PNC Bank in Greenfield. A travelogue will be given by Libby Zal on "No Quinoa for Quebec Passover." Nancy Clark will do the D'var Torah. Refreshments will be served after the program.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 6 AND

SUNDAY, AUGUST 13

The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh will hold free Community/Congregation Security Trainings on Sunday, Aug. 6 and Sunday, Aug. 13 from 8:30 a.m. to approximately noon at Rodef Shalom Congregation. There will be light refreshments to include coffee, water and bagels.

This training is open to anyone in the community. The training is to prepare congregations and organizations to develop sound security practices and protocols in keeping everyone as safe as possible. The training will occur over two Sunday mornings and focus on a variety of issues. Everyone is encouraged to attend both days to garner knowledge for use in organizations or everyday life. If anyone is unable to attend both days, come to another that is scheduled.

Visit http://jfedpgh.org/security for more information and to register.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 8

The sixth annual Jewish Heritage Night at PNC Park will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 8. Each ticket purchased will include a Lets GO Bucs hat in Hebrew. Contact Josh Avart at 412-325-4903 or joshua.avart@pirates.com to purchase tickets.

The Pittsburgh OASIS Intergenerational Tutor Program is seeking volunteers (50+) to tutor in the Pittsburgh and Woodland Hills School Districts in grades K-4. An hour a week can change a childs life. A two-day training class will be conducted on Tuesday, Aug. 8 and Thursday, Aug. 10 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at 411 Seventh Ave., Suite 525 (Duquesne Light Building), downtown Pittsburgh. No teaching experience is required and all training, materials and clearances are provided free of charge.

Contact John D. Spehar, Pittsburgh OASIS Tutoring Program director at 412-393-7648 or jdspehar@oasisnet.org for more information or to register.

This program is operated in partnership with Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9

Zionist Organization of America: Pittsburgh will hold a free program, Through the Lens of David Aschkenas: European Synagogues, on Wednesday, Aug. 9 at 7 p.m. at New Light Congregation, on the corner of Beechwood Boulevard and Forbes Avenue in Squirrel Hill. Aschkenas has been a photographer for 30 years.

RSVPs are requested at Pittsburgh@

zoa.org or 412-665-4630.

MONDAY, AUGUST 14

National Council of Jewish Women Pittsburgh Section will hold A Day at Camp NCJW at Green Oaks Country Club on Monday, Aug. 14 from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. to benefit the Center for Women.

Visit ncjwpgh.org/day-camp-ncjw/ for more information and to register.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16

Community Day School invites the community to a Twilight Tour and Wine & Cheese Reception at the Gary and Nancy Tuckfelt Keeping Tabs: A Holocaust Sculpture on Wednesday, Aug. 16 from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Keeping Tabs is a maze in the shape of the Star of David, constructed of glass blocks filled with 6 million aluminum pop tabs collected and counted by Community Day School students, each tab representing a human life lost at the hands of the Nazis. Experience the power of the Keeping Tabs Sculpture on a summer evening through a docent-led tour and enjoy a special address by Bill Walter, the visionary history teacher behind this Pittsburgh landmark. The sculpture is located on the CDS campus, 6424 Forward Ave., Squirrel Hill. This outdoor event is free and open to the community.

RSVP to Jenny Jones at jjones@comday.org or 412-521-1100, ext. 3207.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 17

The community is invited to a viewing of Missing McKeesport with producer Sam Zolten on Thursday, Aug. 17 at 6:30 p.m. at Temple Bnai Israel, 2025 Cypress Drive in White Oak.

The charge is $18 per person, which will include a parve dessert reception, dietary laws observed.

The program is presented by Temple Bnai Israel and the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives Senator John Heinz History Center in association with the Smithsonian Institution.

RSVP by Aug. 10 to 412-678-6181 or tbioffice@gmail.com.

The community is invited to Movie on the Lawn at Rodef Shalom on Thursday, Aug. 17 at 8 p.m. at Fifth and Morewood avenues, Shadyside.

Bring a blanket or your favorite chair and savor the last of summer nights with a movie under the stars. An American Tail will be shown on the front lawn. Toss around a Frisbee or ball while the sun goes down; the movie will start after sunset, around 8:20 p.m.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 18

The groundbreaking for Krause Commons, a multipurpose building at the former site of Poli restaurant located near Murray and Forward avenues in Squirrel Hill, will be held on Friday, Aug. 18 at 10 a.m. The community is invited to attend.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 18

SUNDAY, August 20

Congregation Beth Shalom will hold Shulabration: Sex, Magic, & Medicine in the Ancient World, with scholar-in-residence, Sharon Keller, Ph.D. in Bible and the Ancient Near East. Keller is on the classics faculty at Hofstra University, where she teaches courses as diverse as Women in The Hebrew Bible, Magic, Miracle, and Medicine in the Ancient World and Greco-Roman Comedy. She has been an assistant professor of Bible and ancient Semitic languages at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where Beth Shaloms Rabbi Seth Adelson, and Executive Director Rob Menes studied in her classes.

Visit bethshalompgh.org/events/ for a full calendar of events.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 20

NAAMAT USA, Pittsburgh Council will hold its annual summer barbecue and tzedakah box collection to benefit the Child Rescue Campaign on Sunday, Aug. 20 at 5 p.m., hosted by Judy and Gerry Kobell.

Guests are asked to bring their tzedakah boxes and $18 for dinner, per person. Dietary laws will be observed.

Contact Jackie Braslawsce at naamatpgh@gmail.com for more information and to RSVP. Vegetarians should indicate that on the RSVP.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 22 & 29,

SEPTEMBER 5 & 12

Rodef Shalom Congregation will offer text exploration and discussion for the month of Elul Tuesdays, Aug. 22 and 29, Sept. 5 and 12 at 7 p.m. in the Chapel.

Rabbi Alan Lews book This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared: The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation will be studied together as a way to open the rituals and traditions to everyone. The Prayer and Practice Committee of Rodef Shalom is the sponsor.

Contact Rodef Shalom at 412-621-6566 for more information.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 24

Rendezvous in Rodef Shaloms Biblical Botanical Garden with friends and neighbors for a free happy hour on Thursday, Aug. 24 at 6:30 p.m. Hors doeuvres and live music will be provided, and Wigle Whiskey will be on site with drinks by donation.

The Jimmy Adler Band will be playing original blues music that is steeped in the traditions of Chicago Blues, West Coast Jazzy Jump, and other Americana traditions. Made possible by the generosity of the Goldstein Entertainment Endowment.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 25

The Jewish Womens Foundation is offering two programs for its 2017 grant-making cycle: small grants up to $10,000 to fund innovative programs that impact women and girls; and start-up grants between $2,500 and $5,000 to fund pilot programs and small nonprofits working to improve the lives of women and girls.

Visit JWFs website at jwfpgh.org for more information. The deadline for submission is midnight, Aug. 25.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 27

Temple Ohav Shalom will present A Night of Jews in Baseball, a grand slam evening for adults and kids on Sunday, Aug. 27 at 5 p.m.

The program will include a Jews and baseball documentary, a raffle for baseball artwork and memorabilia, a Q&A with a former Jewish Major Leaguer and a hot dog and drink. There is a charge. Contact Cindy at 412-215-7843 for more information and to RSVP.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 27

THURSDAY, AUGUST 31

Aleph-Bet Bootcamp at Rodef Shalom will be held from Sunday, Aug. 27 through Thursday, Aug. 31 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Rodef Shalom Library.

The month of Elul is customarily a time of self-reflection, learning, and preparation for the High Holidays. Karen Brean, Rodef Shaloms executive vice president, is launching this intensive language class to help you learn the Aleph-Bet in under one week.

Confirm your attendance by contacting kmbrean@gmail.com or by calling Rodef Shalom Congregation at 412-621-6566.PJC

THURSDAY, AUGUST 31

The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh will present highlights of the past year at its Thursday, Aug. 31, annual meeting, with the theme Our Next Act. The show will star Pittsburghs Jewish community: its collective accomplishments through the Jewish Federation in 20162017 and a preview of the initiatives that are in the wings. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, Squirrel Hill at 5738 Forbes Ave.

The annual meeting is one means for donors to the Federation to learn about the Federations funding strategy and the benefits that result from collective giving.

Among the leaders who will be honored at the event are Chuck Perlow and Alexis Winsten Mancuso. Perlow will receive the Emanuel Spector Memorial Award and Mancuso will receive the Doris and Leonard H. Rudolph Jewish Communal Professional Award. In addition, the event will recognize Jan Levinson, who in June received the Federations Gerald S. Ostrow Volunteer of the Year Award, and salute 41 Jewish Federation Volunteers of the Year. The 41 honorees were nominated by the local Jewish nonprofit organizations and congregations that they serve. The volunteers will be recognized as a group.

The service that Spector Award recipient Perlow has given to the community reflects his passion for Jewish continuity and Jewish learning.

The Doris and Leonard H. Rudolph Award recognizes the exceptional commitment of a Jewish communal professional employed by the Jewish Federation or one of its partner agencies. The recipient is selected for his or her contribution to improving the quality of services offered in the community and to the enhancement of Jewish life.

Mancuso is assistant executive director at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh. She is responsible for the agencys human resource management and oversight of the JCCs services to older adults, including AgeWell Pittsburgh.

Onsite registration for the meeting will begin at 6:15 p.m. A dessert reception will follow the meeting. (Dietary laws observed.)

Admission is $5 per person for those who preregister online at jfedpgh.org/annual-meeting. By mail or at the door, the cost is $7 per person. To preregister by mail, send a check payable to Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, Federation Annual Meeting, 234 McKee Place, Pittsburgh, PA 15213.

The full inclusion of people of all abilities is a core value of the Pittsburgh Jewish community. To discuss disability-related accommodations and for more information about the meeting, call 412-992-5251 or visit jfedpgh.org/annual-meeting.

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Calendar 8-4 - thejewishchronicle.net

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Posted By simmons on August 2, 2017

Video-sharing website YouTube seems to be systematically purging conservatives and others who challenge politically correct orthodoxy from its platform.

Free speech activists across the internet were shocked on Tuesday after YouTube appeared to suspend the account of noted psychology professor Jordan B. Peterson. I cannot post new YouTube videos, including last weeks Biblical lecture. No access. At least for now the videos are still up, Peterson tweeted on Tuesday morning.

A backlash quickly ensued, and before the end of the day, and indeed shortly after The Daily Caller published a story on the shock suspension, Petersons account was reinstated. But Peterson is not the first to fall victim to YouTubes efforts to censor politically incorrect free speech, nor will he be the last.

The Google subsidiary announced in a blog post published Tuesday that it is taking new steps to combat what it referred to as terrorism content and hate speech steps critics assert are little more than efforts to censor conservative thought.

Greatly reinforcing this perception is YouTube's own admission that it is partnering with far-left organizations to decide what exactly constitutes hateful or "terrorist" content. "Over the past weeks, we have begun working with more than 15 additional expert [non-governmental organizations] and institutions through our Trusted Flagger program, including the Anti-Defamation League, the No Hate Speech Movement, and the Institute for Strategic Dialogue," YouTube said in the blog post.

"This is terrifying in an Orwellian way," said Dan Gainor, vice president of business and culture at the Media Research Center. "Organizations that don't support free speech, like the ADL, are being used to monitor it. The ADL has clearly lost its way and become just another left-wing pressure group in recent years," Gainor told LifeZette.

Indeed only two weeks ago the ADL found itself embroiled in minor controversy after wrongly listing a number of relatively mainstream right-wing activists and politicians as racist hate figures, including Rebel Media's Gavin McInnes (who is married to an Asian woman), former Virginia gubernatorial candidate Corey Stewart, and Milo Yianoppolous, who is a half-Jewish homosexual.

YouTube's reliance on partisan organizations to police "hateful" content is troubling enough, but "YouTube's insistence on telling us how to live our lives and what words we can use is even more distressing," said Gainor.

"The plan to have a 'playlist of curated YouTube videos that directly confront and debunk violent extremist messages' sounds positively like 1984. YouTube apparently doesn't believe its customers are smart enough to know what they want to see," Gainor continued. "Unfortunately, billions of people have turned over their free speech rights to companies that increasingly don't believe in free speech."

In addition to promising to promote progressive propaganda videos, the video-sharing website also admitted that it is effectively implementing new ways to censor politically incorrect content that doesn't actually violate its hate speech policies. "We'll soon be applying tougher treatment to videos that aren't illegal but have been flagged by users as potential violations of our policies on hate speech and violent extremism," YouTube wrote.

"If we find that these videos don't violate our policies but contain controversial religious or supremacist content, they will be placed in a limited state. The videos will remain on YouTube behind an interstitial, won't be recommended, won't be monetized, and won't have key features including comments, suggested videos, and likes," they wrote.

"We'll begin to roll this new treatment out to videos on desktop versions of YouTube in the coming weeks, and will bring it to mobile experiences soon thereafter. These new approaches entail significant new internal tools and processes, and will take time to fully implement."

But YouTube has already begun to implement some of these new approaches and has been doing so for some time. Numerous right-wing accounts on YouTube have been demonetized over the past year, including those of leading right-wing millennials such asJames Allsup, an independent journalist and former director of Students for Trump, Infowars' Paul Joseph Watson, and former Rebel Media reporter-turned-activist Lauren Southern.

Nor is YouTube the first online platform to banish right-wing voices. Last week, Patreon deleted Southern's account solely because she reported on the efforts of "Defend Europe" activists to turn back boats owned by radical left-wing NGOs thatEuropean authorities claim have been operating as taxi services for migrants. Last Thursday, fundraising website GoFundMe removed Allsup's account without reason.

"What we have seen in the last decade, across western media, politics and business and through our education sector is a chilling rise in censorship and curtailment of free speech," said Ben Harris-Quinney, chairman of The Bow Group, the oldest conservative think tank in the United Kingdom and an expert on progressive attempts to stifle free expression.

"Online outlets like YouTube became insurgent largely because of this, but as they join the liberal establishment many are culling off the free speech element that was crucial to their success," Harris-Quinney told LifeZette.

"As Bill Clinton said of the last election 'We thought we had changed their minds, but we'd just silenced their voices,'" Harris-Qunney continued. "Brexit in the U.K. and Trump's election in the U.S. prove that establishment media in no way represents the reality of public sentiment, and all censorship does is leave large sectors of society ignorant to reality."

Ultimately, however, efforts to censor "offensive" speech could backfire on the internet media companies that embrace them.

"As a private company I believe YouTube should be free to do as it pleases," said Harris-Qunniey. "However, what we have seen in recent years is a stark decline in the reach and profitability of establishment media, and I suspect the more YouTube curtails, the greater their loss will be."

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YouTube Working with ADL to Shut Down Free Speech - LifeZette

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Posted By simmons on August 2, 2017

Three decades ago, Rabbi Mendy Cohen decided to study Torah. Seven years ago, he decided to read the entire Talmud 2,711 pages to be exact. Last week, he turned the last page, and it was time to party.

That day a siyyum celebration was held to mark Cohens accomplishment.

Cohen, who with his wife, Dinie, founded Chabad of Greater Sacramento in 1994, studied with a group of three to eight students every evening. The daily learning culminated in his completion of the Babylonian Talmud.

Inspired by his student Harry Weiss, Cohen said, Harry was the amazing driving force, and his tenacity drove me to this study. He also noted that Weiss has completed the entire Talmud an undertaking known as daf yomi (page of the day) several times. With daf yomi, individuals dont simply read, but study a page of Torah each day along with its commentary, or Gemara. The process takes seven years to complete.

In talking about the accomplishment, Cohen shared a story from 30 years ago involving the late Lubavitcher Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, known to his followers as the Rebbe.

I was 18 years old, and I was at the Rebbesfarbrengen [gathering], he recalled. As is customary, I lifted up a small cup of wine to wish the Rebbe lchaim. The Rebbe acknowledged the person on my right and the person on my left, but not me. I stood up as tall as I could, but again, the Rebbe nodded to the people around me, but not me. I felt that I needed to do something, so I put down my head and thought for a moment. On the spot, I decided to learn the entire tractate of Ketubot, which we were studying inyeshivahat that time.

When Cohen lifted his head, the Rebbe turned to him and wished him lchaim velivrachah (life and blessings). This is what got me started, Cohen said, and this is what keeps me motivated and focused.

Of note at siyyum was that keynote speaker Rabbi Joel Zeff traveled all the way from his new home in Israel to support his colleague and friend. Zeff is a Sacramento native and former rabbi of Kenesset Israel Torah Center in that city.

The siyyum also honored Rick Brodovsky for completing his study of the Tanach, or Hebrew Bible. Motivated to study when he was hospitalized, Brodovsky read the 24 books of the Tanach and the five books of the Torah, an amazing journey, Cohen noted. When he introduced him, Cohen said, Rick always says, The one thing I got from the Tanach is a love of God for the Jewish people.

The opening remarks at the siyyum came from Cohens uncle, Rabbi Naftoli Estulin, who studied Torah in a basement in his native Russia, always fearful of being caught by the KGB.

With the Jewish people, the main thing is action, Estulin said. Directing his comments toward his nephew, he added, I always knew you were a scholar and a chesed [a loving and kind person]. You made Sacramento and the area around Sacramento come together.

Cohen and Brodovsky reportedly were recognized for their achievements with resolutions from the state Assembly, prompting the rabbi to joke, At the end of the Torah, it says, Go build a temple. The government of California says, Keep on studying.

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Merriment aplenty as Sacramento rabbi finishes 7-year Talmud study - Jweekly.com

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Posted By simmons on August 2, 2017

On the list of Things a Good Jew Should Do, fasting on Tisha BAv ranks pretty low on my list.

Now, before my rabbi has a minor heart attack, I should confess that despite my misgivings, like many observant Jews around the world, I will be refraining from eating, drinking, bathing, wearing leather shoes and engaging in marital relations with my nonexistent spouse from sundown tonight until an hour after sundown tomorrow. But that doesnt mean Ill be happy about it.

Its not that I have anything against fasting itself. Like the Israeli author Etgar Keret, my favorite holiday is Yom Kippur. Its practically transcendent: You spend all night and day in synagogue, prostrating yourself, singing, thinking about all the things you want to change and all the people youve been a little shit toward. By the end, the old men across the aisle from Kiddush club have been practically transformed into angelic beings.

But Tisha BAv holds no such magic. It has all the same rules, minus the ones that give you a day off from work. How am I supposed to be simultaneously thinking about all the sad things that have happened to Jews, listening to my growling stomach and keeping up with my overflowing inbox? How can you be transcendent and depressed while watching cat videos at your desk?

Its also hard to take it seriously. Whereas on Yom Kippur, eating a single morsel of food leaves your soul inextricably cut off from the Jewish people, no such grievous consequences come with violating Tisha BAv. And in my book, any rule that you can break without serious spiritual consequences cant really be that much of a rule, now can it?

I mean, I get it Tisha BAv is supposedly the saddest day of the Jewish year. Lots of bad stuff happened to our people on the Ninth of Av, for sure. We were kept out of the Promised Land. Both temples were destroyed. We were kicked out of Spain, and so on and so forth. But what ever happened to They tried to kill us, we won, lets eat?

In fact, theres a strong case to be made that this actually is the right approach to take, starting with some of our oldest texts. In Zechariah 8:19, God tells the prophet, The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth month, the fast of the seventh month, and the fast of the tenth month shall become occasions for joy and gladness, happy festivals for the House of Judah.

And in a tractate of the Talmud, many rabbis take this as carte blanche to eat. When there is peace in the world, they will be times of joy and gladness, on which eulogies and fasting are forbidden; but when there is no peace, they are days of fasting, one rabbi writes. Another rabbi interprets the biblical line to mean, When there is peace in the world and the Temple is standing, these days will be times of joy and gladness; when there is persecution and troubles for the Jewish people, they are days of fasting,; and when there is no persecution but still no peace, neither particular troubles nor consolation for Israel, the halakha [Jewish law] is as follows: If people wish, they fast, and if they wish, they do not fast.

Are the Jewish people in a time of peace? We have a modern state; we have several of our own in the White House; we have relative prosperity in the United States, Israel and other major Jewish communities. Despite all our hand-wringing, are the Jewish people really having such a bad time of it? Jerusalem itself, the city we are supposed to be mourning, has never been as vibrant and full of life as it is today. As Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo put it, How can I, in good conscience, utter or even listen to words claiming that I live in a desolate city, when in fact I look out of my window and am amazed to see Yerushalayim rebuilt so splendidly, as if mocking the Scroll of Eichah?

Its a good question. As for me and my household, well be 25 hours food-free, whether or not theres a biblical or rabbinic obligation to be. At the end of the day, for most Orthodox Jews, communal norms, minhagim, are just as binding as Jewish law itself. But if youre a lonely wandering Jew trying to take on a new Jewish obligation, I suggest you take on gossiping less, giving more charity, hosting more strangers at your Shabbat dinner table or learning Jewish law. Youd have a rabbinic leg to stand on. And seriously, havent the Jewish people suffered enough?

Laura E. Adkins is the Forwards contributing network editor. Contact her at adkins@forward.com or on Twitter, @Laura_E_Adkins

The views and opinions expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forward.

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Why Are We Still Fasting On Tisha B'Av? Even The Rabbis Of The Talmud Were Over It. - Forward

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Posted By admin on August 2, 2017

Aug 2 2017

The bad news I just received is that it is a "mainstream" Muslim view that the Dajjal, the "Anti Christ", "the deceiver", "the imposter", who will bring humanity to its knees prior to the End of Days, will be Jewish.

The good news is that it can't be me - because I don't have "enough hair".

I was visiting a number of bookshops in Sydney's Bankstown, talking with scholars-on-duty and discussing attitudes towards Jews. Material relating to Christianity and/or interfaith dialogue is generally abundant, some in the form of intellectual argument, some in the form of testimony by former Christians who have embraced Islam, some in the form of insulting or antagonistic attacks on Christianity, Christians and/or the Bible. However, almost the only material available on Jews were references to the Jewish background of the Dajjal and anti-Israel political texts (on a spectrum from far right to far left).

However, deep within the bowels of one of the shops, I came across a copy of Henry Ford's notorious antisemitic polemic, The International Jew, which included insane allegations of Jewish efforts to control the world.

Crazed conspiracy theories are, obviously, not restricted to Muslims.

Indeed, 15 years ago, in an Australian court, I was cross-examined by a person of Russian Christian heritage who claimed that the Talmud, a central text of Judaism, is a handbook for immoral and malevolent behaviour.

It was a bizarre, and to the best of my knowledge, unique, experience. Although my testimony was accepted as persuasive by the Court, my inquisitor appeared to completely believe that Judaism was not just an existential enemy of humanity but that Jews made public their teaching material as to how to destroy morality and other foundations of civilisation.

In late July, after the incident at the Israeli Embassy in Jordan, in which an Israeli security guard was stabbed and the assailant and a second Jordanian shot, the Arabic media outlet Hamrin News commented:

"Those who want to know the secrets of Jews and their hatred of others hidden inside them must read their Talmud . . . The Talmud, despite its intellectual primacy, continues to be the spiritual force that drives them to perpetrate evil."

That article also alleged that, in the Talmud, "The Jews do not cease to slander God." (Translation via Google Translate).

While the final call of the Hamrin News article was for Jordan to sever diplomatic relations with Israel, some American Muslims were being rallied to even more drastic action.

On July 21, in the Islamic Center of David, North California, Imam Ammar Shahin was recorded on video calling for American Muslims to "play a part in" a global movement to "annihilate" Jews.

In his Friday sermon, he railed: "The Prophet Muhammad said Judgment Day will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews, and the Jews hide behind stones and trees, and the stones and the trees say: Oh Muslim, oh servant of Allah . . .' They will not say: Oh Egyptian, oh Palestinian, oh Jordanian, oh Syrian, oh Afghan, oh Pakistani. The Prophet Muhammad says that the time will come, the Last Hour will not take place until the Muslims fight the Jews. We don't say if it is in Palestine or another place."

Describing Jews as the source of "filth", he prayed "Oh Allah, destroy those who closed the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Oh Allah, show us the black day that You inflict upon them, and the wonders of Your ability. Oh Allah, count them one by one and annihilate them down to the very last one. Do not spare any of them."

From Canada to Germany, Australia to Iraq, Indonesia to the UK, such open antisemitism continues to be observed, documented and, not often enough, condemned.

Our understanding of the relationship of Muslims and Jews, and of the situation of Israel, is greatly diminished if we belittle, or worse, ignore, this phenomenon.

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The Last Word: Staying Level-Headed - Australia-Israel Jewish Affairs Council

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Posted By simmons on August 2, 2017

WEST NYACK, N.Y., Aug. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- RustyBrick, Inc. is excited to share that its ShulCloud product has reached 613 active subscribers of the popular cloud-based synagogue management software. Only 15 months ago ShulCloudsurpassed 400 subscribers and the growth rate of the6-year old product is incredible.

Why announce this at 613? In the Jewish culture, individuals strive to accomplish the613 "mitzvot," commandmentsfrom the Torah. The number - 613 - is a significant milestone and we expect to continue to see the same level of growth for the foreseeable future.

ShulCloud is a synagogue management platform that is completely web based and accessible from any browser. It maintains the day-to-day operations of any form of synagogue and makes those daily tasks efficient and more economical than alternatives. The software includes features to manageaccounts receivables, membership data, send email and paper communication, calendaring, event management, the web site, mobile apps, digital displays, cemeteries, yahrzeits and the list goes on and on.

ShulCloud is denomination agnostic and works across all flavors of Judaism. Its goal is to simply make synagogueoperations streamlined, cost effective, efficient and even fun.

"The Synagogue world is changing drastically and ShulCloud is the perfect sign of that. A decade ago the products on the market for temple use were limited in capability, functionality, and scope. Now ShulCloud leads the way in providing a cloud-based, forward-thinking solution for marketing, communications, fundraising, and member engagement. Our staff finds it to be intuitive and incredibly useful on a day-to-day basis. We view ShulCloud as the ideal partner in helping to grow and evolve the Stephen Wise Temple community for the future," saidJeremy Goldstein, Director of Communications &Marc Entous, Director of Information Technology fromStephen Wise Temple, Los Angeles, California.

"The exciting part of ShulCloud is that RustyBrick is always adding new features in response to customer requests. Most companies talk about the vendor/customer partnership or use buzzwords like crowdsourcing. RustyBrick delivers," stated Richard Langer, Executive Director, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, Bronx, New York.

"I'm grateful to be in a position where our company, RustyBrick, can develop technology solutions that help the Jewish world," saidBarry Schwartz, the President of RustyBrick."From our Jewish mobile apps to revolutionary AR glasses and an ad platform optimized for the Jewish populationto software that Jewish organizations can use to grow their communities, and much more to come. It is just an honor to be able to help solve many of the challenges in this space with software and technology," Schwartz added.

To learn more about ShulCloud, check out http://www.shulcloud.com.

Media Contact:Barry Schwartz, RustyBrick, Inc., 8453696869, rel="nofollow">barry@rustybrick.com

News distributed by PR Newswire iReach: https://ireach.prnewswire.com

SOURCE RustyBrick, Inc.

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Mazel Tov! ShulCloud Reaches 613 Active Synagogue Customers - Markets Insider

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Posted By simmons on August 2, 2017

Jewish Chronicle (blog)

Secret Shul Goer No 4 - Kol Nefesh Masorti Synagogue Jewish Chronicle (blog) In some ways, Kol Nefesh Masorti isn't really a synagogue at all. It doesn't own its own building. It has a part-time Rabbi. And the community is made up of just a hundred or so people, who meet in the Leonard Sainer Jewish Care home in Edgware ...

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Secret Shul Goer No 4 - Kol Nefesh Masorti Synagogue - Jewish Chronicle (blog)

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Posted By richards on August 2, 2017

getty images

Uneasy Balance : A Jewish man prays near an entrance to the Temple Mount. Right-wing Israelis are demanding access to the holy site, which could tip an uneasy balance between faiths.

JERUSALEM (JTA) Israels Sephardi chief rabbi and Jordans foreign minister criticized the record number of Jews who visited the Temple Mount on Tisha BAv.

In a public message on Tuesday afternoon, Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef said, according to Israel National News, that on ninth day of Av, the day the Temple was destroyed, it is imperative to recall that the pilgrimage to the Temple Mount is forbidden by Jewish law. Those Jews who ascend to the Temple Mount desecrate its sanctity.

By the end of visiting hours that day, some 1,300 Jews had visited the site. On Jerusalem Day, in May, some 900 Jews visited the Temple Mount, setting the previous record.

On Tuesday, at an emergency Executive Committee meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi criticized the large number of visitors and said more unrest at the Temple Mount was likely.

The number of extremists who stormed Al-Aqsa today stands at a record number, greater than any other since the beginning of the Israeli occupation in 1967, Safadi told the meeting in Istanbul, which included foreign ministers from 57 countries.

Many more dangerous crises will erupt as a result of continued Israeli violations if Israel does not uproot the sources of the tension, if the occupation doesnt end, if East Jerusalem is not independent and not the capital of the sovereign Palestinian State along the 1967 lines, Safadi also said, The Times of Israel reported.

The mass influx of visitors comes after nearly two weeks of tensions roiled the site over increased security measures, including metal detectors, following an attack on the Temple Mount that left two Israel Police officers and their three Arab-Israeli gunmen dead.

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Record Crowd Of Jews On Temple Mount, But Sephardic Chief Rabbi Scorns Them - Forward

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