Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on June 30, 2017

The Israeli authorities last week confiscated two tractors, a hydraulic excavator and other equipment used by Palestinians to carry out illegal quarrying that has been damaging a rare nature reserve in the Judean Desert.

If major American newspapers reported the story, the headline would probably read: Israel Confiscates Palestinians Tractors.

I say if, because theres really not much chance The New York Times or Washington Post would ever cover a story that reflects badly on the Palestinian cause. That would undermine their drive to promote the creation of a Palestinian state.

The Palestinians have been carrying out quarrying activities in the area for several years, and have significantly increased the quarrying over the past few months, especially in the upper part of Darga ravine, a seasonal stream that runs from the Judean Desert to the Dead Sea, Israel Hayom reported. The extensive quarrying has been systematically destroying the ecosystem in the rare nature reserve...

According to Marco Ben-Shabbat, head of the Israeli Civil Administrations inspection unit, the Palestinians simply go from one place to the next in search of places to dig up. Its unthinkable that a place that has been uninterrupted for 2,000 years was harmed in this way in a matter of a month. Ben-Shabbat said he had contacted the Palestinian Authority in an effort to have it prevent the damage to the nature reserve without Israeli intervention, but to no avail.

All this illegal quarrying also happens to be a blatant violation of the Oslo accords, which forbid any such activity without Israeli consent. But since the news media and the international community routinely ignore the many other Palestinian violations of the accords, why would they speak up about this one?

Last October, Haaretz correspondent Zafrir Rinat revealed that sewage from West Bank areas administered by the Palestinian Authority has been polluting streams inside Israel for years... Last week the problem led for the first time to a beach being closed in the Netanya area, near the mouth of the Alexander River.

And the Beit Yannai beach was not the only victim of the sewage from the Nablus-area olive oil factories, according to Rinat: The Nature Authority says this sewage kills off a lot of animal life, and rehabilitation work done in the area goes down the drain. The authority has warned about this problem multiple times in the past.

American and European newspapers often quote Haaretz when it publishes articles that reflect badly on Israel. They praise Haaretz as The New York Times of Israel and present it as an authoritative source of information about Israel and the Palestinians. But on the rare occasion when Haaretz prints something that reflects badly on the Palestinian Authority, the major U.S. dailies lose interest.

Recall the international news media last year turned a blind eye when the Israeli authorities shut down a charcoal factory in the Palestinian Authority-ruled city of Yabad that was causing serious air pollution in the region. Israel repeatedly warned the PA about the problem, but the PA refused to acteven though local Palestinian villages were suffering a disproportionately high rate of respiratory problems because of the smoke from the factory.

The implications of Palestinian pollution are significant for the issue of whether or not to create a Palestinian state. Any attempt by Israel to act against pollution emanating from Palestine would constitute a violation of another countrys national sovereignty. The Israelis would be condemned and perhaps even face international sanctions. Toxic smoke would fill Israels air and deadly sewage would flow into its rivers, and Israel would be unable to stop it.

Thats why Palestinian advocates in the news media and peace groups never talk about the charcoal factory in Yabad, or the olive oil factories in Nablus, or the quarrying in the Judean Desert. They know that the dirty little secret of Palestinian environmental destruction would raise serious questions about the cause of Palestinian statehoodquestions they would prefer not to answer.

Stephen M. Flatow, an attorney in New Jersey, is the father of Alisa Flatow, who was murdered in a Palestinian terrorist attack in 1995.

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Palestinian pollution: A dirty little secret - Heritage Florida Jewish News

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Posted By admin on June 30, 2017

Greenblatt is CEO and National Director of the Anti-Defamation League.

Last weekend, organizers of a gay pride parade in Chicago ejected three people carrying pride flags emblazoned with a Jewish Star of David. Subsequent bizarre statements attempting to rationalize their action, claiming that Zionism is an inherently white supremacist ideology only exacerbated the sense that the organizers were deaf to the concerns of the Jewish community and engaged in anti-Semitism denying Jews the same rights that were extended to other participants, basically to celebrate their identities as Jewish queer women.

While this incident could be dismissed as one fringe group in one city, the fact is that it does represent a wider school of thought that is fueling a trend of creeping anti-Semitism among some segments of the political left.

Over the past year, we have seen other examples that have raised eyebrows as intersectional intolerance has sprung up among the progressive community. Similar stories to the one in Chicago were reported at the Celebrate Israel Parade in New York City earlier this month.

Last summer, a plank in the platform of the Movement for Black Lives bizarrely accused Israel of genocide .

Linda Sarsour , a leader of the womens rights movement, has lambasted Zionism as incompatible with feminism and advocates for the exclusion of pro-Israel Jews from activist groups. And some in the anti-Israel movement have accused Israel of pink-washing, claiming that Israel and its supporters celebrate freedoms enjoyed by the LGBTQ community in Israel to divert attention from Israels treatment of the Palestinians.

For an organization like the Anti-Defamation League, which was founded both to combat anti-Semitism and protect the Jewish people but also to secure justice and fair treatment to all Americans, these manifestations are upsetting. Frustration with particular Israeli policies does not excuse an irrational hatred of Jewish people who support its existence. But this occurs all too frequently, which provides an opportunity to make clear certain moral and practical distinctions.

For starters, the agenda of the civil rights community is the agenda of ADL. We are committed to this work because it is core to our mission.

For example, we do not agree with every tenet in the Black Lives Matter platform. We were outraged by the baseless accusations made against Israel in the M4BL platform released last summer. However, we find common cause with many in the BLM movement around the quest to achieve educational equity, end the school-to-prison pipeline and stop the use of excessive force and the killing of unarmed African Americans by some in law enforcement.

In the case of the Muslim community, we work to combat discriminatory laws such as the Muslim Ban, to call out Islamophobia whenever it happens, such as the recent use of scare tactics to stoke fear that Sharia law is taking over this country and to promote greater understanding of their faith through intergroup work.

And regarding the LGBTQ community, we were proud to stand against discrimination of HIV/AIDS patients decades ago and, more recently, to champion marriage equality. We continue to fight housing and workplace discrimination targeting people based on who they love or how they self-identify their gender. And while great progress has been made in recent years, we continue to resist efforts to turn back the clock under the guise of religious freedom.

On the other hand, when hatred comes from individuals in those very communities or organizations for whom we advocate, we are duty bound to raise our voice. In recent times, anger over specific policies of the Israeli government has been used by some activists to excuse broad anti-Semitism directed at members of the Jewish community. In some cases, we have seen painful rhetoric unfold on college campuses or outright exclusion of self-identified Jews from progressive circles simply because of their faith. All of it is inexcusable.

At ADL, we work with various communities not only because it is the moral thing to do but also because our freedoms are bound to theirs. That said, even as we fight alongside other groups on issues of mutual concern, we should not sacrifice our principles, and we will forcefully denounce those who would slander our community and resort to stereotypes.

This does not mean we need absolute ideological alignment with every prospective partner. But it does mean that we need to draw lines in a clear manner and demand that our allies observe those fundamental values that we also seek to live by: equality, fairness and respect for all.

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Anti-Semitism Has Infected Progressivism - TIME

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Posted By admin on June 29, 2017

Posted by Tip Staff - June 28, 2017

In Official Statement, Chicago LGBT Group Calls Zionism a White-Supremacist Ideology "We Are Coming": Iran, Hezbollah Erect Flags, Signs on Israel's Border With Lebanon U.S. Aircraft Carrier to Visit Israel for First Time in 17 Years Israeli Coral Could Provide Key to Saving Reefs Around the World

In Official Statement, Chicago LGBT Group Calls Zionism a White-Supremacist Ideology

Organizers of the Chicago Dyke March on Tuesday defended their decision to eject three participants who displayed Jewish symbols by claiming that "Zionism is an inherently white-supremacist ideology."

The group's official statement also included screenshots of a chat between an organizer and Laurel Grauer, one of the individuals targeted for holding a rainbow LGBT flag emblazoned with a Star of David, which is closely associated with Judaism. Grauer is an official at A Wider Bridge, which works to build ties between the LGBT communities in the United States and Israel.

The chat appears to confirm Grauer's account of the incident, which was published Monday in Haaretz. The organizer told Grauer via text that the Chicago Dyke March Collective does not support "any form of anti-Semitism" and that she would not be subject to any harassment. However, during the march, she and two other marchers were told to leave for displaying "Jewish pride" flags.

"What made these people 'feel unsafe' was the presence of Jews," Jamie Kirchik observed in Tablet Magazine.

With the acceptance of anti-Israel groups into more LGBT events, Kirchick reported, "the effort has shifted from inserting anti-Israel activism into the gay rights movement to outright discriminating against Jews."

Similarly Bari Weiss observed in The New York Times, that the incident in Chicago is a sign "that anti-Semitism remains as much a problem on the far-left as it is on the alt-right.

"We Are Coming": Iran, Hezbollah Erect Flags, Signs on Israel's Border With Lebanon

Iran is not shy about its aim of spreading influence abroad, nor its apparent success with establishing a visible presence ... just a stones throw from Israel, The Jerusalem Posts Seth J. Frantzman reported Wednesday.

Just meters from the fence that separates Israel and Lebanon, where the Israeli community of Metulla is located, Iranian, Hezbollah, and Palestinian flags are provocatively displayed on the Lebanese side of the border.

On a hill overlooking new houses being constructed in Metulla is another huge poster with a photo of the Dome of the Rock. The face of Ayatollah Khomeini glowers down over the dome and Hezbollah has written 'we are coming' in Hebrew and Arabic, Frantzman reported. Theyve put a giant Palestinian flag next to the poster."

According to Frantzman, the flags are symbols of the changing political situation on the border and increased Iranian influence nurtured by the conflicts in Syria and Iraq, where the regime in Tehran has consolidated power with the help of its proxies.

The message is clear. Iran is looking down on Israel from the north. Its purposely done so Israeli residents can see the flags and the billboards next to them. In Metulla there is a memorial for the 12 Israeli soldiers killed in the 1985 suicide bombing, while just across the border a huge billboard celebrates the same killing, Frantzman explained.

U.S. Aircraft Carrier to Visit Israel for First Time in 17 Years

A United States aircraft carrier is slated to dock in an Israeli port for the first time in 17 years on Saturday.

The USS George H. W. Bush, named for the World War II naval aviator and 41st U.S. president, is scheduled to arrive in Haifa for a four day stopover with a crew of about 5,700 and some 90 planes, Haaretz reported. The crew will spend the Fourth of July in Israel.

Because of its massive size, the George H. W. Bush will be unable to dock at Haifa's port, but will remain offshore. Ferries will transport the crew to land.

The carrier, a Nimitz class nuclear-powered vessel, was deployed to the Persian Gulf to serve as a base for air strikes against the Islamic State in Syria.

On a visit to Israel in April, U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis said that Washington "maintains absolute and unwavering commitment to Israels security."

The two dangers that face Israel and all of the other nations in the region that are trying to maintain a stable and peaceful and prosperous region are those that Im here to discuss with the Prime Minister," Mattis added.

Israeli Coral Could Provide Key to Saving Reefs Around the World

Coral reefs are dying on a massive scale around the world, driven by climate change. The planets largest reef, Australias Great Barrier Reef, has only a third of its 2,300-kilometer ecosystem left unscathed by bleaching, which happens when colored algae are ejected by the coral and their normal symbiosis breaks down.

Coral reefs are dying on a massive scale around the world, driven by climate change. The planets largest reef, Australias Great Barrier Reef, has only a third of its 2,300-kilometer ecosystem left unscathed by bleaching, which happens when colored algae are ejected by the coral and their normal symbiosis breaks down.

However, corals in the Gulf of Aqaba in the northern Red Sea are particularly resistant to the effects of global warming and ocean acidification.

That is the encouraging finding of a study recently published in the journal Royal Society Open Science by scientists in Lausanne, Switzerland, and from Bar-Ilan University and the InterUniversity Institute of Marine Sciences in Israel.

Because the Gulf of Aqaba is a unique coral refuge, its corals may provide the key to understanding the biological mechanism that leads to thermal resistance, or the weakness that underlies wide-scale bleaching. It is also hoped that the Gulf of Aqaba reefs could be used to re-seed deteriorated reefs in the Red Sea and perhaps even around the world.

(via Israel21c)

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The Daily TIP: In Official Statement, Chicago LGBT Group Calls Zionism a ''White-Supremacist Ideology' - The Israel Project (press release)

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Posted By richards on June 29, 2017

Over one hundred people gather for the Al-Quds Day demonstration, New York City, Friday, June 23, 2017. (Photo: Amith Gupta)

A loud and festive protest against the Israeli occupation of al-Quds, also known as Jerusalem, convened in Times Square on Friday, June 23, 2017. More than 100 demonstrators commemorated International Al-Quds Day by reaffirming the right of New Yorkers to boycott institutions complicit in Zionism and calling for the end of Israels violent, decades-long occupation of Jerusalem. The demonstrators also called for an end to Saudi Arabias ongoing bombardment of Yemen, which has killed thousands of innocent Yemeni civilians in the Saudi-led coalition airstrikes.

Nerdeen Kiswani of NYC Students for Justice in Palestine condemns Zionism. (Photo: Amith Gupta)

The protest was organized by the Free Al-Quds network and Muslim Congress and co-sponsored by a number of New York-area community organizations, including the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, NY 4 Palestine, and the NYC Students for Justice in Palestine.

Throughout the demonstration, crowds chanted not only for the liberation of Palestine, but for the liberation of other marginalized communities. Speakers repeatedly identified the Palestinian cause with the cause of undocumented immigrants, chanting From Palestine to Mexico: Borderwalls have got to go!Nerdeen Kiswani of NYC Students for Justice in Palestine remarked that oppressed nationalities have always identified with Palestine, pointing out the use of punitive evictions against both black and Palestinian communities, and the ongoing nature of colonization against indigenous people in Palestine and the Americas.

When oppressed people unite, stand together, and fight against our collective oppressors, we will rise, and thats what we are doing todaywe must spread the message of freedom and liberation, not only for Palestinian people, but for the black community, queer communities, indigenous communities, and the Mexican communityand fight against imperialism, Kiswani said.

Speakers from the black, Jewish, Filipino and Puerto Rican communities reaffirmed their collaborative support for the Palestinian struggle. Mike Legaspi, of the Filipino anti-imperialist community organization BAYAN-USA, said Palestine, to us in the Philippines, means courage. It means fighting back against imperialismif youre against war, youre against imperialism. Youre against Zionism, and youre against its ultimate lifeline here [in America]. The best way we can help the peoples struggle all over the world is by demanding that U.S. imperialism stop funding Israel!

From Puerto Rico to Palestine, the people will be free! chanted Esperanza Martell, of the Puerto Rican Working Womens Organization. Martell discussed her happiness to see the Palestinian communitys support of the Puerto Rican Day Parade, which was attacked by establishment politicians for commemorating Puerto Rican freedom fighter OscarLpez Rivera. Puerto Rico has been a colony of the United States for one hundred and twenty years. We will never surrenderwe will resist until freedom rings, and we stand with the resistance of the Palestinian people, Martell said.

Left: Demonstrators commemorate Al Quds Day and condemn the ongoing bombing of Yemen. (Photo: Joe Catron)

Al-Quds Day was first announced by Ayatollah Khomeini in August 1979, months after the Iranian Revolution. The demonstration continues to be hosted annually by the government of Iran on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. At the 2015 march, millions protested in Tehran, marking the largest day of Shia Muslims protesting against Zionism and the ethnic cleansing of Palestine. Outside of Iran, the event is organized in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Africa by political parties, many with ties to Iran. Yet in the U.S. and Europe, the day of protest is organized independently by human rights groups and Palestinian advocacy organizations.

Israeli forces expelled Palestinians from West Jerusalem during the 1948 mass expulsion of Palestinians from nascent Israel, actions known as the Nakba. In 1967, Israeli forces conquered the eastern half of Jerusalem, including the Haram al-Sharif complex, which houses the al-Aqsa Mosque, and then annexed East Jerusalem in a move condemned as illegal by the UN Security Council. Israel has since engaged in a Judaization campaign to illegally evict Palestinian residents from East Jerusalem and cancel their residency status while building illegal Israeli settlements on land confiscated by the Israeli authorities. Israeli authorities have separated Jerusalem from other Palestinian communities in the West Bank through checkpoints and movement controls.At the same time, a number of Jewish religious extremists have also sought to destroy Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem.

These policies have been enforced with an aggressive use of state violence. In 2015, Israeli police executed a Palestinian man after he was chased and harassed by Israeli settlers who accused him of being a terrorist. More recently, Israeli forces fired indiscriminately at Palestinian crowds in Jerusalem, killing three, in response to an attack on an Israeli soldier, before closing off the city and threatening to kill any Palestinian who was out at night. Last week, a Palestinian man was killed at a checkpoint near Jerusalem; Israeli soldiers claimed he posed an armed threat.

During the demonstration in New York, members of the Jewish Defense League counter-protested aggressively, repeatedly crossing barriers set up by the NYPD and attempting to intimidate the Al-Quds Day rally-goers. Many of the Jewish Defense League counter-protesters carried pro-Trump banners and paraphernalia. While the NYPD did little to restrain the Jewish Defense League, officers arrested a member of the Al-Quds Day protest for using a megaphone, despite the organizers possessing a sound permit.

Left: Nick Maniace, a demonstrator with the Al Quds Day protest, is arrested for using a megaphone. Maniace was released later that night and plans to challenge the charges. (Photo: Amith Gupta)

Following the demonstration, the NYC Students for Justice in Palestine held a community Iftar to commemorate Al-Quds Day. Iftar is the traditional breaking of fast during Ramadan, when Muslims fast from sunrise to sundown. Community Iftars are open to people of all faiths, and indeed, the room was filled with people from diverse backgrounds.

Jewish Defense League counter-protesters promote Donald Trump. (Photo: Amith Gupta)

Guests teach and learn debke.(Photo: Amith Gupta)

NYC Students for Justice in Palestine makes an active effort to ensure that its campus activities held on multiple New York college campuses are closely linked to the wider efforts of people in Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim communities off-campus. Prior to the breaking of fast, a volunteer with the group called on the Muslim community to use its resources and organizing strength to defend Palestinian rights and remarked on the specific Islamic significance of Jerusalem. Following the Iftar, the community broke out into dance, teaching newcomers how to dance the traditional Palestinian debke.

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Al-Quds Day protest and iftar in New York shows vigorous opposition to Zionism - Mondoweiss

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Posted By admin on June 29, 2017

Astronomy involves the study of planets, and it is a lot easier to pursue when you know the planets names. The Torah does not offer individual monikers for each of the celestial bodies that comprise our solar system, but in the secular world, planetary names were created many moons ago based on Roman and Greek mythology. After thousands of years, such names (at least in the scientific community) have become accepted universally.

Of course, the commonly-used names for the planets are not Jewish names. (In fact, the only space-related term that is remotely Jewish is supernova, which refers to an exploding star but sounds more like a gigantic piece of lox). So, the question is: how would the Jews of today name the planets?

For the record, the Talmud actually offers alternative names for some of the planets. The Babylonian Talmud, at Shabbas 156a, indicates that Mercury is Kokhav, (star), Venus is Nogah, (light), Mars is Maadim (red), Jupiter is Tzedek (justice) and Saturn is Shabbtai, (the Sabbath, i.e., the seventh day of the week, because in Talmudic times Saturn was considered the seventh planet). The Talmud does not specifically refer to Uranus, Neptune or Pluto because they were not discovered until after the Talmudic era. Naturally, there are other things in life that were not discovered until after the Talmudic era and thus are not mentioned in the Talmud, including Titanium, Pterodactyls and Teletubbies.

When Uranus and Neptune were discovered, the scientific community decided that, for consistency, they too should have names based on Roman and Greek mythology. Some scientists, however, wanted to give these new planets unique names (true) like Casper the Friendly Planet, Planet of the Apes and Planet Hollywood (not true). More recently, the Academy for Hebrew Language created Hebrew names for Neptune (Rahav, based on a biblical sea creature) and Uranus (Oron, which means small light). If Israeli scientists exploring other galaxies discover a new sun, i.e., a new super star, they should consider naming it Gal Gadot.

When Pluto was discovered, there also was some debate about its name. As legend has it, the name Pluto was suggested by an 11-year-old girl from Oxford, England (true) and Pluto was chosen over names like Mickey, Donald and Goofy (not true). More recently, Pluto was demoted to the category of dwarf planet because it is too small to be considered a full-blown planet. The Disney character named Pluto was created after the planet was named Pluto, but if tiny Pluto is a now considered a mini-planet, then why not maintain the Disney connection by renaming it Minnie?

There certainly are other ways to name the planets in our solar system, especially if the goal is to give them a more Jewish/Yiddish flavor. Let me give you an example. Mercury is the planet closest to the sun, which necessarily means that its average temperature is even hotter than summertime in Phoenix or Miami. Jews in these blazing cities seem to enjoy living in a perpetual sauna or steam room, so if they were living on ridiculously hot Mercury, they probably would refer to it as Planet Shvitz.

Lets try renaming another planet. How about Jupiter? Wait, thats way too easy. The answer, of course, is Jewpiter. Next!

Venus is a planet associated with beauty so we can keep it simple by calling it Planet Sheyna Punim.

Mars is known for its reddish hue and, based on Roman and Greek mythology, is associated with war and strife. Guess what? There is a Yiddish word that literally means fuss or disturbance and also refers to a stew with a somewhat reddish hue. Thus, the ideal Yiddish name for Mars is Planet Tsimmes.

Saturn is arguably the blingiest planet because of all of its rings. Indeed, Saturn has more rings than Michael Jordan (but fewer than the phones at a successful telethon). Given the amount of jewelry that Saturn is constantly wearing, an appropriate name for the planet would be Planet Tsatskeleh, i.e., Planet Fancy Schmancy.

Neptune typically is associated with the sea because it is blue. Of course, when a person is blue, it means that the individual is feeling sad due to some troubles, aggravation or other unpleasant events. Based on this interpretation of blueness, a possibly proper name for Neptune is Planet Tzuris.

Diminutive Pluto, as noted above, was demoted to a dwarf planet, so perhaps it should be referred to as Planet Bisele, i.e., Planet Pipsqueak.

In the secular world, our lovely planet often is referred to as Mother Earth, which is appropriate because her bountiful natural resources have sustained her inhabitants for thousands of years. It therefore might make sense to refer to Earth as Planet Balebusta.

Bottom-line: When secretive astronomers refuse to answer questions about new astronomical sightings, they need to respond very carefully because no comment could easily sound like no comet, which, in this context, is a comment.

By Jon Kranz

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Astronomical Appellations - Jewish Link of New Jersey

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Posted By richards on June 29, 2017

In medieval times Jews were required to defend the Talmud against attacks by Christians. If they were deemed to have lost (which they inevitably were), the Talmud was then burnt. There is something equally medieval about bringing an Emeritus Oxford Professor into a Church to vilify and lie about Israel. But that was what happened on Tuesday.

St James Church, Piccadilly and in particular the Reverend Lucy Winkett have form remember the replica of the security fence (2014)? (Winkett now chairs the Amos Trust).

On Tuesday Avi Shlaim spoke in the church, on the topic Britain and Palestine: From Balfour to Blair and Beyond. Around 400 were there. The event was the Annual Lecture of a Christian organisation called Embrace the Middle East. Embrace the Middle East endorsed the Kairos Palestine document, which promotes BDS and denies Jewish historical connections to Israel. Its former CEO Jeremy Moody called Zionism an incoherent and racist theology. This and similar Christian organisations have supercessionist roots. (Supercessionism is the belief that because Jews denied the divinity of Jesus, all the promises which G-d made to them, revert to Christians including the promised Land, Israel).

Avi Shlaim was born in Baghdad. His family had to move to Israel, due to the persecution of Jews in Iraq. Yet Shlaim did not blame Iraq for the dislocation of his family. He blamed Israel! Here is a comment from someone who knew him at the JFS school in the early 60s (he later married out (to a great granddaughter of Lloyd George)):

From the first day I knew him it was obvious that Abe absolutely HATED Israel. His family, well-to-do in Iraq, but forced out by the Baathist regime (so he said) were now just another family of Mizrahim, Sephardic Jews, in Israel, where, truth be told, they were never the equals of the Ashkenazim. But Abe never blamed Iraqi politics for this demeaning drop in status; he blamed the establishment of the State of Israel!

So thats Embrace the Middle East and Avi Shlaim . It doesnt take much to imagine the resulting toxicity when the two are mixed together .A farrago of lies and demonisation of Israel, mindlessly applauded by the adoring churchgoers. (A personal note: For me, its the demonisation in Churches that hurt most. I went to a C of E foundation school respect for the Church is in my DNA. All my life I have interacted with C of E members. It is the established religion in the UK Constitution. The monarch is also the head of the C of E. For me, there is nothing more alienating for me than seeing Israel vilified in a Church. Seeing Christian antisemitism up close is profoundly traumatic. Hinde Street was the same).

Here are the lies and distortions we heard from Shlaim (recorded):

The blockade of Gaza still exists today.

Not true. The only restrictions are on items which could be used for making missiles.

The Balfour Declaration is a classic colonial document

Not true. The opposite it was an anti-colonialist document. It recognised the Jewish right to self-determination and put in place arrangements for the dismantling of the Ottoman Empire after its defeat in World War One.

The UK made three promises which were incompatible.

Not true. Sir Henry McMahon pointed out in a letter to the Times in 1937 that the claim that he had promised Hussein all of the territory was incorrect. As for the Sykes-Picot Agreement, it was officially abrogated by the Allies at the San Remo Conference in April 1920, when the Mandate for Palestine was conferred upon Britain.

The British had no moral right to make this promise [the Balfour Declaration]

Not true. Britain had every moral right as one of the victors of World War One deciding on the future of the Empire of the losers, the Ottomans. (Note that Shlaim signed the petition for the UK government to apologise for the Balfour Declaration!).

The main driving force behind the Balfour Declaration was not Balfour but the Prime Minister David Lloyd George

Balfours appreciation of the history of the Jews was genuine and it was this above all which explains the Declaration which bears his name . See for example this quote:

Here you have a small race, originally inhabiting a small country .., at no time in its history wielding anything that can be described as material power, crushed between great Oriental monarchies, its inhabitants deported, then scattered, then driven out of the country to every part of the world and yet maintaining continuity of religion and racial tradition of which there is no parallel elsewhere. We cannot forget how they have been treated during long centuries. Our whole religious organization of Europe has proved itself guilty of great crimes against this race. [Speech to the Lords (1922); Quoted in Lord Turnbergs book Beyond the Balfour Declaration and in his speech on Sunday, where I was present].

[In 1917] the Zionists were a tiny minority within the Jewish community.

No evidence.

Referring to his status as a New Israeli Historian, Shlaim said: The old historians still cling to the doctrine of Israels Immaculate Conception

An utterly evil comment, written as sycophancy for the Christian audience.

The JNF caters only for Jews.

Simply a lie.

Shlaim said that Tony Blair only won the support of the House of Commons for action in Iraq because he promised to deal with the Palestinian problem.

Another lie. In his speech to the Commons (18 March 2003) Blair simply asked the US to remember the importance of restarting Middle East peace talks.

Shlaim said that the reason that Theresa May backtracked on Resolution 2334 was the desire to curry favour with President Trump. That has to be nonsense. 2334 was voted on two months after the US election. The real reason seems to be that she was not aware that the UK was going to support 2334. It was adopted two days before Christmas when Boris Johnson (UK Foreign Secretary) was away on vacation. Number Ten had aEuropean adviser but no global foreign policy adviser. When she found out about the vote, the Prime Minister was reportedly furious.

Shlaim also promoted the work of Ilan Pappe, of whom Benny Morris said: At best, Ilan Pappe must be one of the worlds sloppiest historians; at worst, one of the most dishonest. In truth, he probably merits a place somewhere between the two.

After Shlaims speech there was an Appeal for Embrace the Middle East by Bishop Michael Langrish. (Langrish has served as a Patron of Friends of Sabeel UK alongside Manuel Hassassian (the Palestinian ambassador to the UK) who has reportedly defended the firing of rockets into Israeli civilian areas, supported Taleban rule in Afghanistan, and praised Hezbollah as saviours of Arabs). Astonishingly Langrish told the audience that many Palestinian girls in Acre in Israel are living in what resembles a refugee camp many of them have been abused in various ways !!

To the Q and A .

Three Israel advocates asked questions. But the organisers kept hold of the microphone, effectively ensuring that they could censor them. Shlaim failed to answer any of their questions properly because he couldnt. But we did learn more about Shlaim, who in his retirement seems to be aiming for a career on the anti-Zionist Conference circuit alongside his admired colleague Pappe. He stated that Israel is an apartheid state; that settlements are the fundamental reason for the prolonging of the conflict; that the Palestine Solidarity Campaign is a serious pro-Palestinian outfit, rather than (see David Colliers account) an anti-Israel movement of hate, dripping in hard-core antisemitic ideology; that Corbyn has the most persistent record of opposing racism; that the antisemitism in the Labour Party is alleged (see Richard Milletts video for the reaction and counter-reaction to this pernicious untruth).

In answer to my own question (Why do you give a distorted one-sided view of history?) Shlaim said that the Jews had no right to self determination early in the 20th century because they only formed 10% of the population of Palestine and its an international convention that the majority in a country has the right to national self-determination. This is a nonsense. There was no such place as Palestine in 1917. 1.26% of the population of the Ottoman Empire were Jews and Israels share of the land area of the former Empire is 1.1%. There was an unbroken Jewish presence near Jerusalem for 5000 years.

The Aftermath

As we were leaving, there were some vile comments. I was told put your jackboots back on. Another activist received a bizarre Jew/Nazi comparison. Thats what happens at these events, when you confront the lies.

But confront them we must. Because in the runup to the Balfour Centenary later this year (2 November), the lies, demonisation and hate are flowing free.

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Medieval disputation in a London church in 2017 - Jewish News (blog)

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Posted By admin on June 29, 2017

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Saif 19, Mechaber: The plaintiff claims he lent the defendant money and though he cannot remember how much, it was at least two silver maot and one perutah. Alternatively, the defendant admits he borrowed money but cannot remember how much. In each case, the court should ask the defendant whether he remembers borrowing at least one perutah. If the defendant admits this, he must take the Modeh Bemiktzat oath of partial admission. However, he is unable to take the Modeh Bemiktzat oath of partial admission because he does not remember how much he borrowed. Accordingly, judgment in the amount of two silver maot and one perutah will be entered against him in accordance with the rule one who cannot swear must pay.

Before entering judgment against him, however, the beit din must satisfy itself that the claim is feasible in so far as the plaintiff had the means to make such a loan to the defendant and that the defendant needed the money. As always, the defendant may ask the court to warn the plaintiff that if he is lying he will be subject to excommunication for having taken something that in fact does not belong to him.

If the defendant cannot remember whether what he borrowed was even worth a perutah, he must take the Shevuat Heiset oath that he does not remember, and the case against him will be dismissed. Some halachists are of the opinion that the very admission of having taken a loan justifies a judgment against the defendant because there is no loan at law of less than one perutah.

Ner Eyal: A maah (singular of maot) was the smallest silver coin of legal tender in the days of the Talmud. A perutah was the smallest copper coin of legal tender in the days of the Talmud and anything less than that has no legal worth. Thirty-two perutot equal one maah.

Whereas the plaintiff discussed previously in Saif 18 had no recollection whatsoever how much he lent the defendant, the plaintiff in this case is able to say for sure that he lent him at least two silver maot and one perutah. The significance of this amount is that it is the minimum amount required to trigger the Modeh Bemiktzat oath of partial admission.

Before the Torah obliges a defendant to take the Modeh Bemiktzat oath of partial admission, the defendant must admit at least one perutah of the claim and deny two maot. This means the claim itself cannot give rise to the Modeh Bemiktzat oath of partial admission unless it is at least a claim for two maot and one perutah.

Now that the plaintiff states that what he lent was at least that amount, and the defendant admits to having borrowed money from him, the beit din should inquire whether the defendant remembers borrowing at least one perutah. If he does, the beit din can oblige him to take the Modeh Bemiktzat oath of partial admission. Since he will not be able to do so because he does not remember how much he borrowed, judgment will be entered against him for the whole amount of the claim in accordance with the rule he who cannot swear must pay.

If the court, before rendering judgment, does not think it feasible that somebody in the plaintiffs financial circumstances had the means to make such a loan to the defendant or that the defendant did not need so much money, it can reduce the judgment amount to what it believes is feasible.

The Baal Heterumot was not sure if the court could initiate the question as to whether the defendant remembers borrowing at least one perutah and thereby trap the defendant into a judgment against him based on the one who cannot swear must pay rule. However, after consulting with the Ramban, the Baal Haterumot ruled that the beit din should initiate the question and the Mechaber rules accordingly.

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Can The Court Can Initiate Questions Leading To Judgment Against A Litigant? (Siman 75:19) - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com

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Posted By richards on June 29, 2017

PALERMO This is the first step on a long path, Archbishop of Palermo Corrado Lorefice said Thursday upon receiving the Raoul Wallenberg Medal for having transferred to the Jewish community a churchowned facility built atop the ruins of the Great Synagogue of Palermo.

Addressing the audience at a celebratory event at his residence, Lorefice was moved to tears as a he delivered a heartfelt speech.

This is the first step on long path that we are called to together, to reach God on the day when all the people will be together in paradise, he said.

He described the medal as a sign of friendship that warms my heart, and warms the heart of all the Christians of Palermo, and particularly this archdiocese.

In the audience were representatives of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths, their presence underscoring an emphasis placed throughout the event on the importance of interfaith relations among all communities.

This is an opportunity to strengthen the relationship between the Christian and Jewish communities, Lorefice told The Jerusalem Post, hailing the moment as the fruits of a long friendship. He added that it would not only enrich both communities, but also serve as an example to society at large.

Lorefice noted that it was important to rediscover the beauty of the roots of our identity because people must remember where they come from in order to understand who they are.

If Christianity doesnt remember that it was born out of the Jewish faith, then it doesnt understand who it is, he said, adding that recognition of the Christian community by the Jews was equally important.

Palermo is a place that welcomes everyone, he said, reiterating another message that was drummed home throughout the event.

The transfer of the building was requested by the Sicilian Institute of Jewish Studies in conjunction with the Jerusalem- based nonprofit Shavei Israel, which is active around the world in communities of bnei anusim, the descendants of Jews who were forcibly converted to Christianity centuries ago.

Rabbi Pinhas Punturello, Shavei Israels emissary to Sicily, serves as spiritual leader for the islands tiny Jewish community and will be the primary operator of the synagogue. He has been active in helping to revive the once-thriving community.

For several years, members of the Jewish community had been discussing with the mayor the idea of reviving the old synagogue, but the issue did not appear to be progressing. Last year, Sicilian Institute of Jewish Studies president Evelyn Aouate and other members of the institute approached Lorefice.

Twenty days later, the archbishop called Aouate with a positive response.

Speaking on behalf of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, its vice president, Giulio DiSegni, expressed the organizations deepest gratitude to those who opened a new perspective for Jewish life in Sicily, specifically mentioning Lorefice and the archdiocese.

Taking a look back to the past, we know that Sicily has an extremely important Jewish history, he said.

After sacking Jerusalem, the Romans deported over 30,000 Jews to the island. During the Middle Ages, about 50 towns and cities in Sicily had their Jewish quarter, or giudecca.

Under Norman rule, Jewish communities flourished all over the island, greatly contributing to Sicilys cultural and economic development, [coming] to probably constitute onetenth of the islands population, he said.

He went on to speak of how this part of the islands history was abruptly cut off, with the expulsions and forcible conversions of Jews during the Spanish Inquisition.

The date chosen for the official handover of the facility this year was January 12, the same date as the deadline in 1493 for the expulsion of Jews from the island by order of Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand of Aragon.

After about four centuries of forced removal, oblivion, silence and fear, DiSegni continued, a representative of the Church is doing an exemplary action, a concrete and sincere move to heal this centuries-old wound. This is exactly the kind of action that constitutes a sincere and pure step of reconciliation between Judaism and Christianity. Sicilian Jews will have their place once again. It may sound simple, even obvious, but its actually extremely important, even revolutionary.

He added: Our hope is that this generous and brotherly gesture will be a new beginning, that the future new synagogue of Palermo will be able to become a center of Jewish life.

The synagogue is currently undergoing refurbishment and is expected to become active next year.

The Raoul Wallenberg Foundation is generally seen as highlighting the efforts of those who save innocent people. But Guillermo Bruschtein, vice president of the foundation, noted that this also includes those who rescue cultural, ethnic and religious symbols.

Aouate said: I think this is the only case in the world like this. She added that it was justice like Wallenberg, referring to the wartime Swedish diplomat who saved tens of thousands of Jews in Nazi-occupied Hungary with special passports before disappearing into Soviet captivity.

While expressing hope that the community, which currently numbers only several dozen, will grow, she said that the synagogue would be a point of reference for all Jews who pass through.

I hope that there will always be a minyan, added Aouate, who currently hosts prayer services in her home.

The writer was hosted by the Raoul Wallenberg Foundation.

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Top Catholic cleric in Palermo honored for returning ancient synagogue land to Jews - The Jerusalem Post

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Posted By simmons on June 29, 2017

Women who read aloud from the Torah at a synagogue in Marseille were subjected to threats and insults by congregants after local rabbis condemned the event.

The dozens of threats and insults, made on social networks and in emails, started coming in Saturday night after the group of half a dozen women read the Torah at the Fleg Jewish Center that morning, the French community centers president,Raymond Arouch, and director, Martine Yana, wrote in a statement Monday.

The threats were of all kinds of assaults and were intolerable, Arouch and Yana said in the statement, which neither identified the women nor contained examples of the abuse. They said the synagogue at the community center was nondenominational and open to all Jewish streams, including Reform Jews, who worship in an egalitarian manner. However, men and women were seated separately inside the synagogue during the reading, organizers said.

The incident prompted passionate statements from supporters and critics of the womens actions, which some Orthodox Jews believe contradicts what they perceive as a prohibition on the vocalization of Torah portions by women at synagogue. The news site JForum called the fallout of the incident a scandal in an article Thursday.

The reading of the weekly portion by a woman in the framework of a religious ceremony is not permitted in the Halakha, the chief rabbi of Marseille, Reuven Ohana, wrote in a statement Thursday upon hearing of the womens plan to stage a public reading on Saturday. We ask the people involved not to offend the sensibilities of the public, added the rabbi in a letter co-signed by two other spiritual leaders from the rabbis from the city.

The rabbis wrote they are disturbed and terribly perturbed and furious over the event.

But the rabbinical intervention prompted a pushback from some Jews in Marseille, which is home to Frances second largest Jewish community of approximately 80,000 members and overwhelmingly Sephardic and Orthodox.

Have you applied any measures benefiting women in synagogue? Liliane Vana, a prominent member of the community and a Talmud scholar, wrote on Friday in an open letter addressed to the rabbis. For girls during their bar mitzvah? Anything?

She accused the rabbis of remaining silent on injustices involving chained women wives who are unable to obtain a Jewish divorce because their husbands refuse.

Vana added that she, too, is disturbed and terribly perturbed and furious by the rabbis reaction.

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Women Torah readers at French synagogue threatened, insulted - Cleveland Jewish News

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Posted By simmons on June 29, 2017

Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, the iconic Manhattan LGBTQ synagogue, instructed marchers joining it June 25 in the New York Pride Parade to avoid wearing clothing or carrying signs relating to the Jewish state or the Palestinians, the Forward has learned.

A CBST rabbi asked in an email for the groups to ensure that their marchers focus on resistance to President Trump and not bring messaging comprising words, symbols and signage about Israel/Palestine.

We were trying to say the debate about Israel and Palestine is not located in this event, said Sharon Kleinbaum, the senior rabbi of CBST. She emphasized that the email applied to Palestine imagery and signage as well.

The email, which is the latest example of conflicts over Israel roiling the wider progressive movement, pleaded for gay and lesbian unity and urged marchers not to engage in debate with spectators or each other about Israel.

What I wanted was to make sure we had the positive focus on Trump, Kleinbaum said. I wanted to make sure we stayed focused on our domestic agenda of protecting democracy in this country.

The call did not sit well with some LGBTQ Jews, who object to being told when and how to express their opinions about the Middle East conflict or the Jewish state.

Exclusion has no place in pride, said Mordechai Levovitz, director of Jewish Queer Youth. Were there to include all views and make sure all people feel that they belong.

Other leaders agreed with CBSTs rule, although some were uncomfortable with the tacit recognition of the highly controversial place that Israel occupies among left-wing activists in the LGBTQ community.

It left a sad taste in my mouth that politics around Israel have become so viciously polarizing, says Idit Klein, executive director of Keshet. But, she added, I think there was absolute rationality to it.

Israel politics has undeniably become a flashpoint in recent months, especially during this months Pride celebrations, the marquee expression of gay political and cultural expression.

At the Celebrate Israel parade, held in New York on June 4, members of Jewish Voice for Peace, which fiercely opposes Israels occupation of Palestinian lands, were arrested after they briefly infiltrated and disrupted the parades LGBTQ contingent. On Saturday, June 24, two women carrying flags emblazoned with Stars of David were asked to leave the Chicago Dyke March.

CBST, which marched with the Progressive Coalition at this months Celebrate Israel parade, has long been known for balancing support and criticism of Israel. Kleinbaum, the senior rabbi at CBST, famously included the names of both Israeli and Palestinian soldiers in her services during the 2014 conflict between Israel and Gaza.

CBST decided earlier this year to march in the parades Resistance Contingent, which consisted of 17 other groups that used their lead-off place in the parade to voice opposition to the Trump administration, including its positions on immigration policy and on police shootings of minorities. (Other organizations that participated in the Resistance Contingent were not asked to forgo imagery and signage from other countries.)

CBST via Facebook

Many of the Jewish LGBTQ organizations that have traditionally marched with CBSTs Pride float in the past, including Keshet, Eshel and Jewish Queer Youth, joined the synagogue again this year. A Wider Bridge, an LGBTQ not-for-profit that is expressly pro-Israel, declined CBSTs invitation and instead chose to march alongside the Israeli Consulate.

Levovitz said that the rule against Israel/Palestine messaging was announced at a brunch for Jewish LGBTQ organizations that was held before the start of the march.

Ironically, in the end CBST avoided enforcing the edict, and a handful of activists did carry Israeli flags and sported Israeli-themed clothing.

Levovitz said he decided not to enforce the ban on teenagers from his organization, some of whom brought Israeli flags to the march. He himself carried what he called a rainbow-hued Jewish Pride flag that mimics the Israeli flag.

Kleinbaum refused to explain why the ban was not enforced, but Levovitz speculated that the incident at the Chicago Dyke March a day earlier had spooked CBST.

Had Chicago not happened, possibly the same thing would have happened in our Pride parade, Levovitz said.

Even though he felt strongly about letting marchers express themselves however they saw fit, Levovitz conceded that he was concerned about a conflict with other progressive LGBTQ activists, many of whom are critics of Israel.

I was nervous about what the other people in the larger Resistance Contingent would do, Levovitz said. But he added that the sprawling and celebratory nature of the New York Pride Parade made it less likely to be disrupted: It was somewhat controlled chaos, and I think that helped us in this case.

Contact Ari Feldman at feldman@forward.com or on Twitter, @aefeldman

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Iconic LGBTQ Synagogue Told Marchers To Avoid Israel 'Messaging' At Pride Parade - Forward

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