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Talmud

Posted By on September 19, 2015

Origem: Wikipdia, a enciclopdia livre.

O Talmude (em hebraico: , transl. Talmud) um livro Sagrado dos judeus[1] , um registro das discusses rabnicas que pertencem lei, tica, costumes e histria do judasmo[2] . um texto central para o judasmo rabnico[2] .

O Talmude tem dois componentes: a Mishn (c. 200 d.C.), o primeiro compndio escrito da Lei Oral judaica; e o Guemar (c. 500 d.C.), uma discusso da Mishn e dos escritos tanaticos que frequentemente abordam outros tpicos[3] .

O Mishn foi redigido pelos mestres chamados Tannaim ("tanatas"), termo que deriva da palavra hebraica que significa "ensinar" ou "transmitir uma tradio". Os tanatas viveram entre o sculo I e o III d.C.[4] A primeira codificao atribuda a Rabi Akiva (50 130), e uma segunda, a Rabi Meir (entre 130 e 160 d.C.), ambas as verses tendo sido escritas no atual idioma aramaico, ainda em uso no interior da Sria.[4]

Os termos Talmud e Guemar so utilizados frequentemente de maneira intercambivel[5] . A Guemar a base de todos os cdigos da lei rabnica, e muito citada no resto da literatura rabnica; j o Talmude tambm chamado frequentemente de Shas (hebraico: "), uma abreviao em hebraico de shisha sedarim, as "seis ordens" da Mishn.[6]

Originalmente, o estudo acadmico do judasmo era oral. Os rabinos expunham e debatiam a lei (isto , a Tor) e discutiam o Tanakh sem o benefcio das obras escritas (alm dos prprios livros bblicos), embora alguns possam ter feito anotaes privadas (meguilot setarim), por exemplo, a respeito das decises de cortes. A situao se mudou drasticamente, no entanto, principalmente como resultado da destruio da comunidade judaica no ano de 70 d.C., e os consequentes distrbios nas normas legais e sociais judaicas. medida que os rabinos foram forados a encarar uma nova realidade principalmente a dum judasmo sem um Templo (para servir como centro de estudo e ensino) e uma Judeia sem autonomia surgiu uma enxurrada de discursos legais, e o antigo sistema de estudiosidade oral no pde ser mantida. Foi durante este perodo que o discurso rabnico passou a ser registrado na escrita.[7][8] A primeira lei oral registrada pode ter sido na forma dos Midrash, na qual a discusso halquica est estruturada como comentrios exegticos sobre o Pentateuco. Uma forma alternativa, porm, organizada pelos tpicos de assuntos, em vez dos versos bblicos, tornou-se dominante por volta do ano 200 d.C., quando o rabino Jud HaNasi redigiu a Mishn ().

A Lei Oral estava longe de ser monoltica ,variando enormemente entre diversas escolas. As duas mais famosas eram a Escola de Shammai e a Escola de Hillel. No geral, todas as opinies, mesmo as no-normativas, eram registradas no Talmude.

A Mixn ou Mxena, tambm chamada de Mishn, uma compilao de opinies e debates legais. As declaraes contidas na Mixn so tipicamente concisas, registrando as opinies breves dos rabinos debatendo algum tpico, ou registram apenas um veredito annimo, que aparentemente representava uma viso consensual. Os rabinos registrados na Mixn so chamados de Tannaim.

Na medida em que suas leis esto ordenadas pelo assunto dos tpicos, e no pelo contedo bblico, e a Mishn discute cada assunto, individualmente, de maneira mais extensa que os Midrash, e inclui uma seleo muito maior de assuntos halquicos. A organizao da Mishn tornou-se, desta maneira, a estrutura do Talmude como um todo. Porm nem todos os tratados da Mishn possuem uma Guemar correspondente. Alm disso, a ordem dos tratados do Talmude difere, em muitos casos, da do Mishn.

"A Mxena judaica, uma coleo de ensinos e de tradies rabnicos, um tanto mais explcita. Credita-se sua compilao ao rabino Jud, o Prncipe, que viveu no segundo e no terceiro sculos EC. Parte da matria da Mxena relaciona-se claramente s circunstncias anteriores destruio de Jerusalm e do seu templo, em 70 EC. No entanto, certo perito diz a respeito da Mxena: extremamente difcil decidir que valor histrico devemos atribuir a qualquer tradio registrada na Mxena. O espao de tempo, que talvez tenha contribudo para obscurecer ou distorcer as lembranas de pocas to diferentes; as sublevaes polticas, as mudanas e as confuses resultantes de duas rebelies e de duas conquistas romanas; os padres prezados pelo partido dos fariseus (cujas opinies a Mxena registra), que no eram os do partido dos saduceus . . . estes so fatores a que se deve dar o devido peso na avaliao do carter das declaraes da Mxena. Alm disso, h muita coisa no contedo da Mxena que se encontra num ambiente de discusso acadmica travada s pela discusso, (conforme parece) com pouca pretenso de registrar usos histricos. (The Mishnah [A Mxena], traduzida para o ingls por H. Danby, Londres, 1954, pp. xiv, xv) - In Estudo Prespicaz das Escrituras, Volume 2 publicado pelas Testemunhas de Jeov

Alm da Mishn, outros ensinamentos tanaticos eram correntes na mesma poca, e por algum tempo depois.[9] A Guemar frequentemente se refere a estas declaraes tanaticas, para compar-los queles contidos na Mishn e para apoiar ou refutar as proposies dos Amoraim.[10] Todas estas fontes tanaticas no-mishnaicas so denominadas de baraitot (singular baraita, - literalmente "material de fora", se referindo s obras externas ao Mishn).[11]

Nos trs sculos que se seguiram redao da Mishn, os rabinos de Israel e da Babilnia analisaram, debateram e discutiram aquela obra. Estas discusses foram a Guemar (). A palavra significa "completude", em hebraico, do verbo gamar (), "completar", "aprender". A Guemar se focaliza principalmente na elucidao e elaborao das opinies dos Tannaim. Os rabinos do Guemar ficaram conhecidos como Amoraim (no singular Amora, ).

Boa parte da Guemar consiste de anlises legais. O ponto de partida para a anlise , costumeiramente, uma declarao legal existente em determinada Mixn. A declarao ento analisada e comparada com outras declaraes, numa troca dialtica entre dois disputantes (frequentemente annimos, por vezes metafricos), que so chamados de makshan ("questionador") e tartzan ("respondendor"). Outra funo importante da Guemar identificar a base bblica correta para determinada lei apresentada na Mishn, assim como o processo lgico que a conecta com outra: esta atividade era conhecidade como talmud, muito antes da existncia do Talmude como texto.

Estas trocas formam os componentes bsicos da Guemar; o nome dado a cada passagem sugya (; plural sugyot). Uma Sugya costumeiramente contm uma elaborao cuidadosamente estudada e detalhada de uma declarao mishnaica.

Em determinada sugya, declaraes escriturais, tanaticas e amoraicas, so trazidos para reforar as diversas opinies. Ao faz-lo, a Guemar levanta discordncias semnticas entre os Tannaim e os Amoraim (frequentemente direcionando o ponto de vista para uma autoridade mais antiga, no sentido de como ele teria respondido a questo), e comparando as vises mishnaicas com as passagens da Barait. Raramente os debates so encerrados formalmente; em muitos casos, a palavra final determina a lei prtica, embora existam diversas excees a este princpio.

O Talmude contm um material vasto, que aborda assuntos de naturezas muito diversas. Tradicionalmente, as declaraes talmdicas podem ser classificadas em duas categorias amplas, as declaraes halquicas e hagdicas.[12] As declaraes halquicas so aquelas que se relacionam diretamente com as questes da prtica e lei judaica (Halach), enquanto as declaraes agdicas so aquelas que no tem qualquer contedo legal, sendo de natureza mais exegtica, homiltica, tica ou histrica.[13]

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Talmud

Hasidic Schools Ensure Ignorance And Poverty

Posted By on September 19, 2015

"The case for government intervention [in hasidic schools] isnt complicated. Lack of [secular] education directly correlates to greater poverty, and so it is no coincidence that some 63 percent of chasidic Jewish families in New York City are poor and this estimate does not include communities like Kiryas Joel, in Orange County, among the poorest towns in the country."

Shulem Deen, who left the Skvere hasidic community of New Square, New York almost a decade ago has no contact to speak of with his four children because New Squares rabbis make sure of it, mixing in the private lives of family to insure the familys children are not tainted or corrupted by their now-secular father.

Deans two sons, now ages 13 and 15, were both born and raised within the US. But, Deen writes in op-ed for the Jewish Week, neither of them can speak, read or write English.

Why?

The schools they attend in New Square dont teach any English, and the language of instruction is Yiddish. All the boys do is study Torah.

This violates New York States education law but the politicians and political appointees in charge of enforcing that law have turned a blind eye to New Squares blatant violations for decades, just as they turn a blind eye to very similar violations in the Satmar hasidic village of Kiryas Joel, New York and in other hasidic strongholds including Borough Park, Williamsburg, Crown Heights and other heavily hasidic Brooklyn neighborhoods.

When they were in elementary school in New Square, for several years Deens boys had occasional after-school English classes. They were taught the English alphabet and how to read simple words like cat and bag, and they were also taught addition and subtraction. But like all other hasidic boys in New Square, once they reached bar mitzvah age even that woefully inadequate secular education ended.

They were never taught science, literature, civics, American history, world history or anything else the state mandates, and not one state or local education official lifted a finger to stop what can only be called a form of child abuse.

So what lies in store for Deens sons? Likely, poverty:

My sons, if their paths are to follow the pattern in their community, will likely be married before their 20th birthday. Birth control will be forbidden, and they will be expected to have large families, for whom they will have to provide, despite their minimal education and lack of marketable skills.

In time, they will learn on their own, in a manner typical of immigrants to read and write English, though they will struggle, and achieving any level of proficiency will be unlikely. Their families will almost certainly have to rely on public benefits Food Stamps, Medicaid, Section 8 to get by.

Deen also makes a strong case for government intervention:

The case for government intervention isnt complicated. Lack of education directly correlates to greater poverty, and so it is no coincidence that some 63 percent of chasidic Jewish families in New York City are poor and this estimate does not include communities like Kiryas Joel, in Orange County, among the poorest towns in the country.

While some chasidic individuals find success despite their meager education, particularly in the fields of entrepreneurship, vast numbers are forced to rely on government benefits to get by. In some communities, couples apply for Food Stamps and Medicaid right after marriage as a matter of course.

Those who would excuse the current system are doing these communities a disservice. They have either not seen or remain oblivious to the many young chasidic men, who, after fathering several children, go out to seek jobs but cannot write basic English words, cannot compose a basic letter of business correspondence,and cannot speak in full coherent sentences using the language of this country.

I have seen the helplessness and the poverty that results from this situation, and later the searing anger on the part of a number of these young men for being deprived even the most basic skills needed to provide for their families.

One thing must be made clear: This is not about a communitys right to religious freedom. So far, chasidic communities have not made the case that their religious beliefs forbid secular studies; in fact, in a twist of sexist irony, girls, who are not obligated to study Torah study, receive instruction in secular studies that is vastly superior to that of boys, and proves that the study of secular subjects is not anathema to its world, only to its boys. The end result, however, is the institutionalizing of ignorance and poverty not out of principle but out of neglect.Average citizens dont get exemptions from laws they dislike or find inconvenient. They can either lobby to change the law, or comply. Chasidic schools must do the same, and city and state officials need to start doing their jobs by making sure of it.

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Hasidic Schools Ensure Ignorance And Poverty

UN envoy says pace of reconstruction in war-torn Gaza …

Posted By on September 18, 2015

Published September 17, 2015

United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov, talks during his a press conference in Gaza City, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. The U.N's Mideast envoy has given a rare upbeat assessment in the Gaza Strip, saying that postwar reconstruction is speeding up. Thousands of homes were destroyed or damaged in the 50 days of fighting between Israel and the Hamas militant group last summer. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)(The Associated Press)

United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov, talks during his a press conference in Gaza City, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. The U.N's Mideast envoy has given a rare upbeat assessment in the Gaza Strip, saying that postwar reconstruction is speeding up. Thousands of homes were destroyed or damaged in the 50 days of fighting between Israel and the Hamas militant group last summer. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)(The Associated Press)

United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov, talks during his a press conference in Gaza City, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. The U.N's Mideast envoy has given a rare upbeat assessment in the Gaza Strip, saying that postwar reconstruction is speeding up. Thousands of homes were destroyed or damaged in the 50 days of fighting between Israel and the Hamas militant group last summer. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)(The Associated Press)

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip The United Nations' Mideast envoy has given a rare upbeat assessment in the Gaza Strip, saying that postwar reconstruction is speeding up.

Thousands of homes were destroyed or damaged in the 50 days of fighting between Israel and the Hamas militant group last summer. The reconstruction of hundreds of houses started last month with help from Qatar, which has donated millions of dollars to rebuild 1,000 housing units.

U.N. envoy Nikolay Mladenov said in Gaza City on Thursday that reconstruction has "visibly accelerated" over the past two months.

Construction materials are shipped into Gaza from Israel through a U.N.-supervised program that ensures the goods are not diverted to Hamas.

Mladenov warned, however, that faster construction would require the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority to take back control of Hamas-ruled Gaza.

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2015 Senior Housing Conference – B’nai B’rith International

Posted By on September 18, 2015

Conference Registration Sponsored By The Bnai Brith Senior Housing Committee Marvin Siflinger, Chair Seth Riklin, Vice Chair

Conference on Senior Housing Participants Registration Fee:$250 Fee includes kosher style breakfast and lunch on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, tour and reception Monday afternoon, and all conference materials. Register today!

*Registration Deadline: Nov. 1, 2015*

Sunday, Nov. 8 features concurrent sessions for Housing Professionals and the Bnai Brith Senior Housing Committee beginning at 8:30 a.m.

The conference will adjourn with a closing lunch on Tuesday, November 10 at 1:00 pm.

Guests at the Washington Court Hotel can explore the rich history of Washington DC just by stepping outside our Capitol Hill hotels front doors. Situated adjacent to Union Station, the 16-story luxury Washington DC hotelproperty is located in the heart of the distinctive Capitol Hill neighborhood providing access to the National Mall, renowned monuments, free museums and the U.S. Capitol.

Luxuriate in world-class surroundings, complete with Italian marble bathrooms, well-lit vanities, and haute technology including flat-screen TVs and high-speed wireless Internet access. As a truly exceptional destination among downtown Washington, D.C. hotels, Washington Court Hotel is an inspired choice for discerning visitors of Capitol Hill just steps from Union Station.

For reservations, please click the registration button below or call the hotel directly at 1-800-321-3010 and identify yourself as part of the Bnai Brith Conference on Senior Housing. You can cancel your reservation up to 24 hours prior to check in.

Remember to book early. Reservations must be made by October 7, 2015, to ensure availability and the special rateof $189 single/double plus taxes.

The Washington Court Hotel is located at 525 New Jersey Avenue, NW, just blocks from Union Station (Amtrak, Marc and Metro Red Line service). There are 3 airports serving Washington, D.C.The Washington Court Hotel is located 5 miles from Reagan National Airport, 30 miles from Dulles International Airport and 35 miles from Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport. Click each info button for more on the airport, and review cost estimates for ground transportation.

*Registration Deadline: Nov. 1, 2015*

Pascal and Gross will have a public conversation about his experiences, before, during and since his time in Cuba. This is a unique opportunity for attendees to learn more about Gross and his story.

Spielberg grew up surrounded by the film industry, where she worked on her brother Stevens early films. She attended Arizona State University and UCLA and, after moving to New York, studied film at Sarah Lawrence College and the New School in New York. She is founder and co-founder of several charities including A Bid for Charity, Children of Chernobyl, Project Sunshine and the American branch of The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance.

He holds a B.A. fromColby College(Waterville, Maine) and a Ph.D. in political science from theUniversity of Connecticut. He has taught at Bucknell University (Lewisburg, Pennsylvania) and at the Catholic University of America (Washington, D.C.).

A frequent soundbite, Mr. Rothenberg has appeared on Meet the Press, This Week, Face the Nation, The NewsHour, Nightline and many other television programs. He is often quoted in the nations major media, and his op-eds have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and other newspapers. He has served asan election analyst for the Newshour on PBS, CBS News, CNN and Voice of America.

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2015 Senior Housing Conference - B'nai B'rith International

IAEA Shoots Down Arab Call for Israel Inspections – Global …

Posted By on September 18, 2015

The International Atomic Energy Agencys (IAEA) annual general conferenceon Thursday once again shot down anattempt byArab states toforce Israel to join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

The proposal to have Israel's Dimona nuclear reactor inspected, which was submitted by Egypt with backing by Syria, Iran, Libya and Iraq, was defeated handily by a margin of61-43.

While similar proposals have been submitted nearly annually, this is the first such vote since the controversialIran nuclear deal.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's office welcomed the rejection of the resolution.

"I spoke personally with over 30 presidents, prime ministers, and foreign ministers," Netanyahu said Thursday evening, describing his diplomatic battle against the move.

"In my conversations I explained that there is no place fora debate of this sort at a time when the central problem in the Middle East is the nuclear proliferationattempts of Iran and its clear declarations of intent to destroy the state of Israel."

Netanyahu concluded by "welcoming that the gap in favor of Israel rose significantly from votes in recent years. I thank every country that supported the state of Israel, and foremost among them the United States, Australia and Canada."

As noted by Netanyahu, the 61-43 margin is an improvement from recent years.Last year, a similar measure by 18 Arab member stateswas rejected by 58 votes to 45, with 27 countries abstaining.The measure wassimilarly defeated in 2013by 51-43,with 32 abstentions.

Ze'ev Snir, head of Israel's Atomic Energy Committee, addressed the IAEA on Wednesday and condemned the motion singling out Israel.

"If the resolution passes it will only hurt the credibility of the IAEA by politicizing the organization and reducing it valuable resources," said Snir. "This is clearly beyond the scope and mandate of the IAEA. This debate has been forced upon the economic committee year after year and most of the member states have understood this after voting down these proposals three times in recent years."

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IAEA Shoots Down Arab Call for Israel Inspections - Global ...

The New York Times Goes Nuts After Netanyahu Victory …

Posted By on September 17, 2015

Office of The New York Times. Photo: Wiki Commons.

The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) told The Algemeiner today that The New York Times has an anti-Netanyahu obsession. The media watchdog made the comments in response to a strongly worded editorial in The Times decrying Prime Minister Netanyahus election victory on Tuesday.

Anyone who wasnt already aware of The New York Times mindset just has to read todays paper on Israels elections torealize how pervasive isthe anti-Netanyahu obsession at that newspaper, said Senior Media Analyst Ricki Hollander of CAMERA.

CAMERA also accused the paper of being anti-Israel. Hollander said that the newspaper makes no secret of its disdain for the Israeli election results and of Israels democracy.

Hollander addedthat she is hard pressed to think of any other foreign election that haselicited such clear and obvious bias at The New York Times.

Entitled An Israeli Election Turns Ugly, The New York Times editorial board used words, such as desperate, craven, racist, outrageous, and fear-mongering in its description of Netanyahus reelection campaign. The board also argued that Netanyahu had forfeited any claim to representing all Israelis.

The New York Times specifically criticized Netanyahus comments this week in opposition to a Palestinian state, writing:

Mr. Netanyahu showed that he was desperate, and craven, enough to pull out all the stops. On Monday, he promised that if his Likud faction remained in power, he would never allow the creation of a Palestinian state, thus repudiating a position he had taken in 2009.

The publication continued:

But his statement this week laid bare his duplicity, confirmed Palestinian suspicions and will make it even harder for him to repair his poisoned relations with President Obama, who has invested heavily in pushing a two-state solution.

The New York Times editorial board also accused Netanyahu of ugliness:

Mr. Netanyahu added to the ugliness of the campaign when, during Tuesdays voting, he said in a video on social media: Right-wing rule is in danger. Arab voters are streaming in huge quantities to the polling stations.

The editorial further described what it considered fear-mongering:

In his desperation, Mr. Netanyahu resorted to fear-mongering and anti-Arab attacks while failing to address the issues that Israelis said they were most worried about, namely the high cost of housing and everyday living in Israel.

Soon after the editorial was published, Haaretz journalist Chemi Shalev described it as one of the harshest in memory. New York Times greets Netanyahu victory with one of harshest editorials ever, he wrote on Twitter.

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The New York Times Goes Nuts After Netanyahu Victory ...

Geography for Kids: Gaza Strip – Ducksters

Posted By on September 17, 2015

Population: 1,710,257

Today the Gaza Strip is one of the territorial units that form the Palestinian territories. The government in the Gaza Strip is the Hamas. They have ruled following the 2006 Palestinian legislative election and the Battle of Gaza.

Size Comparison: slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC

Geographical Coordinates: 31 25 N, 34 20 E

World Region or Continent: Middle East

General Terrain: flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain

Geographical Low Point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m

Geographical High Point: Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Auda) 105 m

Climate: temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers

Major cities:

Languages Spoken: Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by many Palestinians), English (widely understood)

Independence:

National Holiday:

Nationality: NA

Religions: Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 98.7%, Christian 0.7%, Jewish 0.6%

National Symbol:

National Anthem or Song:

Agricultural Products: olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products

Natural Resources: arable land, natural gas

Major Exports: citrus, flowers, textiles

Major Imports: food, consumer goods, construction materials

Currency: new Israeli shekel (ILS)

National GDP: $768,000,000

** Source for population (2012 est.) and GDP (2011 est.) is CIA World Factbook.

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Geography for Kids: Gaza Strip - Ducksters

Hasidic Jew Runs Away From Her Orthodox Roots After …

Posted By on September 16, 2015

Holocaust denial – Conservapedia

Posted By on September 16, 2015

Holocaust denial is a belief that the Nazi Holocaust did not occur, or occurred to a lesser extent than believed by the preponderance of scholars. Holocaust deniers assert that the Nazis did not attempt to exterminate the Jews (as well as political opponents, Gypsies, Catholics and other Christian church members opposed to his policies, mentally retarded individuals, homosexuals, etc.) during World War II.

The holocaust denial view point has no support amongst any significant number of scholars. This denial is partly a result of a growing number of existentialist thinkers who refer to history as simply a myth as well as the result of the efforts of history revisionists and anti-Zionists.

As denial of the holocaust is nonfactual, another common strategy of history revisionism is to use relativism by comparing it to other genocides, the death toll of Germans in WWII, persecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany, or the number of abortions.

One of its main purposes is to discredit the establishment of the nation of Israel in 1948. Questioning the historicity of the Holocaust is considered gravely offensive to Jews [1], and anti-Semitic in nature. Denying the Holocaust is illegal in a number of European countries. In 2007, a German court sentenced notorious historical revisionist and denier Ernst Zndel to five years in prison for "incitement of racial hatred." [2]

"Holocaust denial" is a simplistic term for a movement with several different schools of thought. Some radical conspiracy theorists and neo-Nazi groups dispute whether the Holocaust occurred, but the the superabundance of evidence undermines their argument. Most holocaust deniers do not deny that the event happened at all, but they question the methods, historiography and truth behind the holocaust. That viewpoint has manifested itself into the following arguments used by most contemporary holocaust deniers

Some holocaust deniers admit that many Jews died during the war, but dispute that there was any official Nazi policy towards extermination of the Jews. To support this argument, the point out that there exists no unequivocal written order from Adolf Hitler that orders the mass murder of Jews. This argument maintains that the Jewish deaths during the war were no more than collateral damage and/or the civilian deaths that are unavoidable, especially in a war of that size.

Despite the lack of a written order, Hitler's intentions were well-known.In a 1939 speech in the Reichstag, Hitler voiced a goal of "annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe."[3] Aside from that, an abundance of eyewitness testimony, diaries and orders from other Nazi officials make it clear that there was a planned extermination campaign in place.[4][5] It is higly unlikely that a project of this size would occur without the knowledge or consent of the notoriously autocratic Hitler.

As well, there is abundant evidence that Nazi officials ordered widespread destruction of such written orders towards the end of the war. As it appeared increasingly likely that Germany would lose the war, Himmler ordered such documentation destroyed, so as to avoid incriminating the regime. There also exists a signed order dated April, 1945, in which Himmler orders that no prisoner "fall into the hands of the enemies alive," since their testimony would condemn the Nazi leaders[6]

While awaiting trial in 1960, Nazi officer Adolf Eichmann said that Reinhard Heydrich, chief of the Reich Main Security Office had told him in August 1941 that "the Fhrer has ordered the physical extermination of the Jews."[7]

Many deniers question the death toll of the Holocaust, arguing that the numbers are highly inflated. Many contemporary Holocaust deniers put the Jewish death toll between 300,000 and 1.1 million, [8] which is at odds with most widely accepted statistics, which put the Jewish death toll at approximately six million.[9]

Simple demographic evidence effectively rebuts this argument. Deniers claim that many Jews simply emigrated elsewhere, but there are no corresponding population increases in other countries that would support this argument. While it is possible that hundreds, or even thousands of people could "fall through the cracks," that still leaves several million Jews unaccounted for.[10]

This axis of Holocaust denial consists of several different arguments:

These arguments collapse under the weight of overwhelming evidence. Photographs, written orders and eyewitness testimony from guards and prisoners alike support the position that gas chambers were employed for mass murder. [13][14][15]

Arguments based on the physical structure of the chambers (ventilation, construction and other concerns) spring from the postwar examination of the camps. However, there is ample evidence that Nazis fully or partially destroyed many execution facilities to conceal evidence of their crimes.[16][17]

A letter from Karl Bischoff, the head architect at Auschwitz, to the German Armament Works dated March 31, 1943 orders three gas tight doors for Crema 3 following exactly the size and construction of those already delivered for Crema 2. Bischoff reminded the manufacturer that the doors had to have a spy-hole of double 8-mm glass with a rubber seal and metal fitting. The order was characterized as very urgent.

There are also many photographs of actual gas-tight doors that were found all over Auschwitz immediately after the war. One, which had been used in either Crema 4 or 5, had a peep-hole covered with a heavy mesh screen and still had a gas-tight seal still around the edge, just as Bischoffs letter requested. The blueprints for Crema 2 show ventilation ducts in the walls (labeled Entlftung) and the remains of the ducts can still be seen in the ruins. In the archives there is also a request for a handle for the gastight door and a request for twenty-four-gastight anchoring screws for gas tight doors for Cremas 4 and 5.

The walls and ceilings of the gas chambers were plastered and whitewashed as numerous eyewitnesses have testified. By the time Leuchter arrived at the camp to take his samples, the plaster was gone and the exposed brick had been exposed to 40 years of rain, sun and snow. As HCN leaves only a thin blue chemical residue on surfaces, any Prussian Blue residue from the HCN would have collected on the surface of the plaster and would not have left a substantial presence on the bricks and mortar or concrete underneath.

Leuchter collected 31 handful-sized samples of bricks and mortar from the cremas and one control sample from the delousing chamber in Birkenau. By the time he crawled into the ruins of Crema 2, the plaster was long gone and only the bricks and mortar and concrete remained. Cremas 4 and 5 were constructed entirely of brick. They were totally destroyed before the end of the war. Only the concrete foundations remain and bricks have been gathered from around the area and loosely stacked up to show the general outline of the floor plan of the buildings. The bricks that Leuchter sampled did not necessarily come from anywhere near the gas chamber rooms. In the laboratory the individual samples were ground up into powder. Any trace of the HCN residue that might have been there became a miniscule part of the entire sample. A more appropriate method would have tested only the surfaces of the sample. Testing the total amount of the ground up powder was like trying to analyze the color and chemical structure of paint on the inside of a wall by looking for it in the boards and masonry behind the drywall. In the case of Cremas 4 and 5, it would like analyzing the materials from another room entirely. The fact that Leuchter still found insignificant traces of the chemicals in the ruins of the gas chambers after all these years of being exposed to the elements is proof that there WERE gas chambers in Auschwitz-Birkenau.[18]

A properly authorized and meticulously conducted, rigorously scientific study done by Polish authorities in 1994 found that in spite of the passage of a considerable period of time (over 45 years) in the walls of the facilities which once were in contact with hydrogen cyanide the vestigial amounts of the combinations of this constituent of Zyklon B had been preserved. This is also true of the ruins of the former gas chambers.

Holocaust denial is particularly sensitive issue in Germany, the former seat of the Nazi regime. The country first outlawed denial movements in 1985, making it a crime to deny the extermination of the Jews. The law was amended in 1994, imposing a fine and a five-year prison sentence on anyone who publicly endorses, denies or plays down the genocide against the Jews.[19] In 2007, the German government spearheaded a movement to ban Holocaust denial throughout the European Union.[20]

A base of anti-semitism is observable in the liberal news medias of Japan in which news sources (Shukanshi) including the popular Shukan Bunshun has repeatedly published articles denying the German holocaust of European Jews[21].

The Westboro Baptist Church, a group of homophobic, Christian extremists and self proclaimed "fag-haters" and creators of the website GodHatesFags.com, created a parody of "Hey Jude" by the Beatles titled "Hey Jews".

This song features several anti-semitic remarks, including the line "Fag & dyke rabbis teach rebellion. You lie about the holocaust days". Clearly stating that they believe the Holocaust was a lie created by homosexual rabbis. [22]

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has become an outspoken voice of the denier movement, making many public statements condemning Israel and Jews in general. He has questioned whether the Holocaust actually occurred and hosted a conference designed to cast doubt on the idea of its historicity. [23]

Originally posted here:
Holocaust denial - Conservapedia

Hilton Head Magazines: CH2/CB2: The Mattress King Sleeps …

Posted By on September 15, 2015

Bet you didnt know that the mattress king sleeps here. Living on Hilton Head Island, Gary Fazio brings nearly 40 years of bedding industry know-how to the Lowcountry. Known among industry leaders as one of the most influential people in the bedding business, Fazio has spent his life learning how you can rest more peacefully.

Fazio is currently CEO of Simmons, based in Atlanta, after major stints at Sealy and Mattress Firm. Lucky for you, his son Adam Fazio owns the local Mattress Firm store in Bluffton and can pass on their collective knowledge to you as a benefit of living in the same town as the royal family of mattresses.

Adam instinctively knows he must pass on his wealth of knowledge to grow his empire. His employees are degreed professionals who work at Mattress Firm as a career, not just a job, he said. This level of expertise makes mattress buying an educational experience for the customers, not just an item to cross off their to-do list.

All of our managers go to Houston, Texas, where Mattress Firm and its Sleep School are headquartered. Under the guidance of Dr. Michael Breus, known as The Sleep Doctor, each employee learns what makes a mattress and what makes sleep restorative, Adam said. Even our delivery guys have degrees and mattress training. I am serious about this business, and everyone who represents my stores must be informed about the latest business trends and information.

Mattress Firm employees are sleep therapists: you tell them intimate details of your life in order to improve the quality of your sleep and life.

Sleep is the foundation of life. Without proper rest, we dont have the energy to live life at our best levels, Adam explained. When customers come into the store, we dont ask them what mattress they want to see. We ask them what their sleeping patterns are, if they have any physical issues, and how their sleep behaviors help or hinder the sleep of their partner, and then we show them the mattress which may best fit their needs.

Adam didnt start his career following the pillow imprints of his father. He owned a computer business and specialized in Web application and development for government agencies. He sold the company to a Washington, D.C.-based federal contractor and then moved to the Lowcountry to open his first Mattress Firm store. Just like the computer biz, Adam knows that technology and attention to details create industry leaders. He found the best location in Bluffton, as the store firmly faces Highway 278. Neil, a life-size astronaut is usually in front of the store. The caricature symbolizes the discovery of the Tempur-Pedic mattress while NASA was experimenting with materials to better cushion and support astronauts during lift-off.

While Gary continues to manage the industry on an international level, Adam is growing the family dynasty on a local level. Adam plans to expand his Hilton Head Island- Savannah franchise within the next six to nine months. The first expansion is to open a Super Center in front of Oglethorpe Mall in Savannah. The next opening is scheduled in Pooler, Georgia, on Pooler Parkway near the Savannah airport. Proud that Mattress Firm is the only specialized sleep store with sleep shops in all four time zones, Adam plans to own stores from south of Charleston to north of Jacksonville, Florida. And when you meet him, you may get the impression he lives, eats andwell, sleeps this mission.

Once I found the Bluffton location during Thanksgiving of 2007, I gutted the building and rebuilt it in four weeks, Adam said. I opened for business in 2008 when the economy was in recession and the bedding industry numbers had sunk to 2002 levels. However, I have a low-price guarantee, hired professional people, offer more than 500 models, display more than 60 of them and now our momentum is revving up by opening more stores in Georgia and South Carolina.

Adam attributes his success to customer service such as next-day service, shipping mattresses to peoples homes in other states, offering better warranties and knowing how a mattress can better a persons life. You cant sell a multi-thousand dollar Tempur-Pedic bed by putting a sign on it, he said. You have to know the science behind restful sleep. He wants the consumers needs, not whats in stock or what may be a quick sale, to dictate the bed. You keep the customers needs first and everyone wins, Adam said.

According to Adam, the forthcoming Savannah Super Center will have more mattresses on display than any other Mattress Firm store in the country. It will also feature a Tempur-Pedic Sleep Experience Center, a state-of-the-art, computerized sleep simulator that customers can experience as part of discovering what mattress best fits their needs.

Tempur-Pedic, known as the highest echelon of mattresses, has selected Adams new store to be one of the first in the United States to offer this sleep simulator. The Bluffton Mattress Firm store already has a proven track record since it is the only retailer in South Carolina to display all of Tempur-Pedic models.

Being the son of the mattress king, Adam has grown up listening to his fathers management philosophies. One of his dads strongest tenets is never to be satisfied and always to strive for the next goal. His dad said many times that success is not an accident.

In addition to his family taking note, Garys leadership has been recognized by national groups. In July 2011, the Anti-Defamation League honored Gary as one of the home furnishings executives who have created a corporate culture which benefited the lives of others and advanced the goals central to the mission of the Anti-Defamation League. (The civil rights and human relations agency, which fights all forms of bigotry, also honored renowned model and furniture designer Kathy Ireland.)

The last four years of being in the business has taught me a greater appreciation of what my dad created. I am proud of his vision and that he saw a gap between manufacturing and retail and has filled that gap to create a better experience for the customer, Adam said.

While his employees arent related by bloodline, Adam said they are a part of his plan and bond with him through shared experiences and goals. He calls his Bluffton store manager, Charles Taylor, son. Two other employees, Kimberly Morris and Rachelle Hobus are roommates. And Adams colleague from his computer days, Rob Moul, will assist in expanding the Mattress Firm franchise to other states.

Adam learned much from his dad and continues to pass it on. We are family here, he said.

For more information on your next mattress, call 843-837-FIRM!

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Hilton Head Magazines: CH2/CB2: The Mattress King Sleeps ...


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