Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on June 7, 2024

Living in New York City, I have had the opportunity to cross paths with many influential and well-known figures in the Jewish world. Over the past few years, it has been a tremendous privilege to become close to Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, who is known as Americas rabbi.

Boteach is an eloquent public speaker and writer, as well as a popular television and radio host. He is the author of over 30 books, including The Israel Warrior: Fighting Back for the Jewish State from Campus to Street Corner.

For two seasons, he hosted the prime-time reality television series Shalom in the Home, which was one of the highest-rated shows on TLC. Boteach has met a myriad of celebrities, from Elie Wiesel to Michael Jackson, Pamela Anderson and Roseanne Barr, and has provided them with sound advice and guidance. At the same time, he has debated bigots and fought for the Jewish people in various arenas, from the halls of Oxford University to Times Square.

No matter where he fights the battle for Israel, Boteach is a force to be reckoned with. He has been described as one of the most influential Jews today. The Washington Post referred to him as the most famous rabbi in America; Newsweek named him one of the 10 most influential rabbis in the United States; and The Jerusalem Post named him one of the 50 most influential Jews in the world.

Boteach, who is married to Debbie, with whom he had nine children, is the founder and executive director of The World Values Network, a Jewish and Zionist nonprofit organization that he established in 2007. The mission of the organization is to disseminate universal Jewish values in politics, culture, and media. The organization is founded on the belief that Judaism, with its emphasis on improving the world and celebrating life, can help America address some of its greatest challenges, such as high divorce rates, teenager alienation, depression, and increasing ignorance and materialism.

It holds an annual Champions of Jewish Values International Awards gala, which has honored figures in the fields of politics, business, journalism, and entertainment who have promoted Israel and Jewish values. With the rise in antisemitism across America and the world, Boteach has taken it upon himself to fight the PR battle for Israel and the Jewish nation on a daily basis and does not show any signs of slowing down. I recently had the chance to speak to him regarding the state of the world today and what must be done for the nation of Israel to win the battle against bigotry and antisemitism.

Thats an excellent question. You would have thought that a Holocaust-level day of extinction in Israel would have reminded the world of the tragedies of the Holocaust and there would be more sympathy. Instead, we saw precisely the opposite. I guess the answer is that antisemitism was always lurking underneath, and it took some explosion to allow it to be manifest. For example, I had always heard that X, Facebook, and Instagram were sewers of antisemitism, and I had seen a lot of it. But, forget about it. What I have seen in my own interactions with the, lets say four to five thousand messages that I get per a day, the antisemitism is so extreme, the bile is so poisonous, the attacks are so personal, that I have seen a whole new side of the world that I had never seen before. If its true (as they say) that 70 percent of the Internet is promiscuous according to statistics, I wouldnt even say thats true. I would say that 70 percent of the Internet is antisemitism. Its astonishing how bad it is.

My answer to the students is the same as the answer to the question of why I debate with people like Alex Jones, Mohammed Hijab, Cenk Uygur, and Norman Finkelstein. Youre not going to change any of their minds and almost any of their followers minds. I mean, most of the followers of the people I just mentioned are antisemites, white supremacists, Islamists, etc. Theyre the worst antisemites from the extreme Right and the extreme Left, so why debate them? The answer is that the Jews are watching, and right now we are a very frightened people. So when one Jew gets up on TV or on a video platform or on a podcast and shows that he or she is not going to be afraid of these guys and will debate with them, it sets an example. I may not change any minds, but I will demonstrate fearlessness. Then suddenly, all the Jews that are watching are thinking, Yeah, why am I afraid? What am I afraid of? I can also fight. Thats my message to the Jewish college students. The Jewish college students are so much more powerful than they realize. For example, take NYU, where my son was an undergraduate a few years ago [now hes in the IDF fighting in the war], which passed two BDS proposals to have NYU divest from Israel. How many students passed it? Only 60 members from SJP [Students for Justice in Palestine]. There were 6,000 Jewish undergraduates, the largest Jewish population of any university in the United States. So how is it that 60 pro-Palestinian students can pass resolutions against Israel to divest and economically destroy Israel, and some of the Jewish students attending the university werent fighting it or responding? The Jewish students need to know how powerful they are when they raise their voices and they fight back and that they are actually very impactful. So if I a short five foot six inch Jew can fight these really bad guys in the media, and trust me its uncomfortable (I get afraid like anyone else), then they can as well. I get attacked all over the streets of New York, and I have been able to actually videotape many of these attacks in the past, as well as stand my ground.

The first thing is, you have to be filled with courage. The second thing is that if you are attacked on the street, you must film it because most of the people who are attacking you in the streets are cowards. Thats why they are attacking you when you are alone, not protected, precisely because they are cowards. What they are most afraid of is being exposed. When you film them, their employer sees it, their community sees it, their relatives see it. Then all of a sudden, some are not going to be very proud of them and wont be like, Oh, wow, youre an antisemite, Im so proud of you. Instead, they are going to be shocked and be like, Really? Youre attacking people on the street? You must shame them, get out your phone and be ready. The third thing is never back down, never have fear; stand in their face. Dont provoke them we are not like them, who harass people but stand your ground.

Lets be clear. Not only did Dennis Prager and Ben Shapiro fail to speak out and their silence became deafening, but they actually did speak out and they defended her. Dennis Prager has been a friend and mentor to me for three decades. Our friendship has been severely tested by his choice to proactively defend the foremost female antisemite in America. I was shocked when he did that, and we discussed it. I said, Dennis, I fear that you have forever stained your legacy. In the past, your legacy was being a champion of Israel, a champion of Jewishness, and now youre defending the foremost Jew hater in America. A woman who says that Israel is genocidal, a woman who promotes the idea that Jews drink the blood of Christians. A woman who says that Jews control Hollywood and run sex rings there. She is psychotic, and he is defending her. Even worse, though, is Ben Shapiro. At the very least, Dennis Prager didnt make money from it, but Ben Shapiro profited and we dont even know how much. Im guessing to the tune of millions of dollars because for two years after knowing what Candace Owens was, for two years after she came out and defended Kanye West, who said he loved and proclaimed Hitler, Ben Shapiro continued to profit from her daily broadcast. So what I would say to Ben Shapiro is You have disgraced yourself, and you have disgraced your own moral compass. You have also betrayed your people, the Jewish people. You have defiled the yarmulke on your head because if you wear a yarmulke, especially on national TV, you are declaring yourself as an ambassador of the Jewish people, and that comes with a lot of responsibility. If you are declaring that I am an Orthodox Jew and Im in the media and I make money from antisemites, then that desecrates your yarmulke. A yarmulke means Yere Malka that I fear God. No one who fears God is going to make money from those who assail Gods chosen people, including innocent Israelis and the IDF.

Candace Owens was only fired by Ben Shapiro because of the pressure that I and my daughter exerted upon him. So he cant really do teshuva [repentance] because he didnt really choose to fire her, and yet he called me disgraceful on the Piers Morgan show. The only teshuva that he can do is to have accountants do an analysis of how much money he and The Daily Wire which I call The Daily Liar with Candace Owens made and to donate that money to two groups. The first group is the victims of the families of October 7, and the second group is the IDF widows whose husbands fell in combat. If he does that, I will consider that proper teshuva. If he does not do that and he keeps the money that he made from Candace Owens for the past two years, then I guarantee him that there will be no blessing on that money, and it would be a curse to him.

I think that RFK, Jr. is the most pro-Israel of all the presidential candidates right now. He is a very special man. He actually lost a lot of support from his own people because of his stance, but he said, I can lose all of my support, but I am never going to change my support of Israel, and Im always going to be a champion of Israel.

That is the critical question. Lets just look at the numbers for a second. A lot of Jews are saying that there is no way we can win this battle. There are 400 million Arabs, 1.3 billion Muslims, and there are only 16 million Jews. So I always remind them, okay there are 16 million Jews, lets say just 10% of the world Jewish community were actually part of the pro-Israel community and are actively involved in the online wars on Twitter, X, Facebook and Instagram and they were actively protesting on the streets, actively writing columns and signing petitions. An army of 1.6 million can easily defeat an army of hundreds of millions. We saw it during the Second World War. How many American soldiers landed on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944, on D Day? Just 250,000. Yet they slowly pushed back all of Hitlers soldiers. An army of 1.6 million people is very significant, and our numbers would be great. The problem is that we only have one percent of the world Jewish community that are actually engaged. I would be surprised if more than 160,000 Jews (outside of Israel) more than 1% were involved. I think that in the United States we have around six million Jews and would be surprised if more than one percent of what we call the pro-Israel community were involved. Whenever you go to a pro-Israel rally in places like New York, its always the same people over and over again. We need more people to be involved and to help make a difference.

The writer received his undergraduate degree in business (cum laude) from Yeshiva University and his MBA with double distinction from Long Island University. He is a financial adviser who resides in New York City and is involved in Israel-based and Jewish advocacy organizations.

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Rabbi Shmuley Boteach: 'Ben Shapiro only fired Candace Owens because of me' - The Jerusalem Post

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Posted By admin on June 7, 2024

After the Rebbe announced on Simchas Torah that whoever went out of their limits for tzedaka would earn fivefold, Rabbi Avremel Silver wrote a check for all that he had. The results were astounding.

Heres My Story

Rabbi Avremel Silver is a businessman living in Crown Heights. He was interviewed in January 2024.

After getting married in 1975, I first tried pursuing a certain opportunity to be a Chabad shliach, but it didnt work out. So I got back on the bus, went back to Crown Heights, and started looking for ways to make a living.

There were a few other young men my age who were going to work in the diamond industry on Manhattans 47th street, so I wrote to the Rebbe about the opportunity. His response came back about two hours after I had sent in my question, and it was clear: Take the offer.

In general, whenever I wrote to the Rebbe, the answers I received were very clear and direct. Often, I had peers who wrote similar questions to the Rebbe at the same time I did, but the Rebbe would simply advise them to consult with knowledgeable friends.

So, in January 1979, I began working in the diamond industry as a broker; finding people who wanted to sell diamonds, others who wanted to buy them, and earning a commission of about $300 a week.

That year, on the first day of Sukkot, a close friend of mine had a son, and then during the second part of the holiday, on the night of Shemini Atzeret, my wife gave birth to a boy as well. The next morning, I waited on the steps of 770, and as the Rebbe was walking into the building, I told him the good news.

Mazal Tov, he told me, and then added that I should make sure to be called up to the Torah that day.

On Simchat Torah, my friend made a brit for his son, which was followed by a celebratory farbrengen. Of course, I attended, and being in a festive mood, I said a few lchaims. The next thing I knew, I woke up and it was dark outside, which meant that the holiday was already over. So I got up, dusted myself off, and went to see my wife and son in the hospital.

When I returned to Crown Heights, I stopped in 770, where the Rebbe had been holding the usual farbrengen at the end of the holiday. By then, I had missed the farbrengen itself, and now when I returned from the hospital, the Rebbe was in middle of distributing kos shel bracha pouring a little wine from his cup to each individual following Havdalah. At the same time, there was some kind of a commotion going on in 770. Soon, I learned what had happened during the farbrengen.

We are standing in a moment that is higher than any limitation, the Rebbe had declared. On Simchat Torah, we celebrate by dancing. Rather than opening up the Torah scrolls, studying from them, or asking anybody how much Torah they know, we keep the scrolls closed and dance with them as they are. On Simchat Torah, said the Rebbe, the most learned rabbi and the simplest Jew are equal; it is a time beyond reason and measurement. Therefore, if we take it upon ourselves to do something beyond our limits, beyond reason, then G-d will respond in kind and will give back to us without limits.

The Rebbe was saying all of this in the context of a talk about charity. Whoever committed himself, he said, to give a sum of money to charity without making any considerations whether he can afford it or not and this money could go to any charitable organization, not necessarily to the Rebbes own causes would receive five times that amount in return. In this, he made a reference to the biblical story of how, following the famine in Egypt, farmers would give one portion of their crops to Pharaoh, and then four portions shall be yours. This calculation, said the Rebbe, was meant literally: Youll be able to count it with your finger!

By the next morning, I decided I wanted to give all of our money to the Rebbe. I went to speak to my personal chasidic mentor, a sagacious man named Rabbi Shmuel Dovid Raichik of Los Angeles, about the idea. Rabbi Raichik thought that it would be appropriate, sensing that the Rebbe had presented all the young men of Lubavitch who, like me, had gone into business, with a special opportunity for giving charity.

I had five thousand dollars saved up at that point, and so I made out a check to the Rebbe for the entire sum. To put it into perspective, I was paying $250 in rent at the time, and that was my biggest expense.

In the meantime, I told the bank that if a check came in for a few thousand dollars, it wasnt fraud.

The next Shabbat, the Rebbe brought up what he had said during the farbrengen on Simchat Torah. He clarified that it was not his intention to make a charity appeal. Rather, he was challenging his chasidim to go beyond their limitations in a practical way, thereby testing themselves as to how much they were impacted by Simchat Torah. If someone donated the money with that mindset, it is a certainty that G-d would pay them back five-fold. However, one who only decided to make their donation later on, or not in the Simchat Torah spirit that he had described, ought not make it at all and should come by the office to take their donation back.

Now, I had only decided to make the donation once I heard what the Rebbe had said after Simchat Torah was over. Nevertheless, I decided that I wasnt going to come to pick up my check; let the Rebbe decide whether to cash it, I figured.

A week went by, and then a month. Eight or nine weeks later, on a Thursday, I got a call from the bank: The check had arrived.

Now, by this time, it was almost 1980 and the Iranian hostage crisis was going on. As a result, the price of precious metals had taken off, and a certain financial consultant I knew, named Bob Schwartz, had advised to invest in gold and silver. There were a few dollars left over from my kids birthday money, and so I went and bought some silver dollars for them, at the price of $24 dollars each.

We spent that Shabbat with my in-laws in New Jersey. At shul on Friday night, this Bob Schwartz was there, and he mentioned to me that he had also bought silver dollars but for $26. As soon as he told me that, I realized there was money to be made.

Bob, I told him. I paid $24, thats a two-dollar spread. Let me buy them for you, and well split the dollar.

Why not, replied Bob. Go out and buy $50,000 worth of silver coins for me.

To me, $50,000 was more money than the world, and I didnt have a dollar left to my name at that point. But I have no money, I told Bob.

He was unperturbed. I trust you youre Mottel Simons son-in-law. Come by my office on Monday morning, and Ill give you the money.

Sure enough, he handed me $50,000 in cash. Now I was in the precious metals business, which enabled me to start buying and selling for others as well. That very week, I earned $5,000 making back all of the money I had donated. The following week, I made $10,000, then $15,000 in the third week, and I kept on going throughout the year. I managed to pay off all of my debt, and then give a few dollars to charity as well.

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400% ROI on the Rebbe - Anash.org - Good News

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Posted By admin on June 7, 2024

A United Nations watchdog filed a complaint Monday morning against a top official at the international organization for trying to skirt the rules of accepting honorariums.

The complaint is based on a series of emails obtained by The Daily Wire in which a top official was duped by the satirical Chief Rabbi of Gaza to speak at an anti-Israel protest.Francesca Albanese, the UNs Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, was fooled last month by the invite and honorarium offer to speak at Columbia Universitys encampment by the parody account Rabbi Linda Goldstein, known for using progressive talking points to mock anti-Israel protesters.

In the emails, Albaneses assistant proposed the eight-month anniversary of Hamas attack for the speech, asked for the Zoom link, and requested that the honorarium amount be given to an outside organization to fund her assistants fellowship.

Hillel Neuer, the executive director of UN Watch, filed a complaint on Monday calling for an investigation into Albanese illegally requesting payments for work done in her official UN capacity.

As the evidence shows, Ms. Albanese is engaged in a practice by which she knowingly and unethically circumvents this prohibition, by requesting instead that, in exchange for her lectures, payments by external groups be made to her research assistant, Neuer wrote.

Excellencies, in light of the foregoing, we respectfully request that you commence an immediate and independent investigation into Ms. Albaneses violations of the Code of Conduct, he added.

Neuer requested a full disclosure of all of Albaneses payments, whether direct or indirect, the name of the institute that was going to send the invoice, and an explanation into the legality of Albaneses actions.

The letter was addressed to UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.

Goldstein is a well-known parody account that uses progressive anti-Zionist language to make jokes about the anti-Israel movement several times a day on X.

On behalf of the Gaza solidarity encampment at Columbia University, we wish to invite Special Rapporteur Albanese to deliver a keynote address at her convenience to the thousands of students gathered at the camp, Goldstein wrote to Albanese in the invitation. Many anti-Zionist Jews like myself have taken a leading role, and we would be honored to have you. I look forward to hearing from you.

Email correspondences indicate that Albanese was willing to participate.

Research assistant, Eleonora De Martin, responded to the invitation, asking for more details on the topic and the length. In full solidarity with what you are doing, Ms Albanese would like to know some more details on her intervention, De Martin wrote.

De Martin maintained interest in the proposition, even after being told it was a speech about the morality of the intifada.

[W]e want to hear about the Morality of the Intifada, which Zionists have co-opted and turned into a dirty word, Goldstein wrote. There is also a small honorarium available.

De Martin responded, asking if Albanese could speak on May 7the eight-month anniversary of the Hamas attack.

If I understood correctly, you would like Ms Albanese to deliver a keynote speech of around 15/20 minutes to the students, De Martin said, adding that Albanese could not officially accept an honorarium, but asked for it to go elsewhere.

Moreover, concerning the honorarium, she cannot take honorarium for anything she does in her official capacity, De Martin wrote. However, she kindly asks for this honorarium to be transferred to the Fellowship of her volunteer which supports her mandate work. Could you please provide some detail on the sum of the honorarium? The research institute will then send you the invoice for payment.

Sara Troian, another research assistant, told The Daily Wire that Alabanese never agreed to Linda Goldsteins request, even though emails show her team asked for a Zoom link. The assistant added that she wanted the honorarium to be sent to her university to fund her own work.

Francesca Albaneses staff asked to speak to the Columbia University encampment on the seven-month anniversary of the Hamas massacre of Israeli civilians.

Regarding the honorarium, there seems to be some confusion: it was me proposing that it would be sent to my University for the purpose to fund my fellowship, Troian said. The Erasmus University of Rotterdam, which hosts me as a Research Fellow, collects funds from individual donors with the only purpose of accompanying the Special Rapporteur in her country-missions. My work of support to the Special Rapporteurs mandate is fully voluntary and I do not get paid for it.

After Goldstein asked if the honorarium could be donated to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) instead, Albaneses team stopped replying.

Is it okay if its donated to UNRWA in her honor instead? Goldstein wrote. Since I was displaced from Gaza as Chief Rabbi after October 7 its near and dear to us.

Francesca Albanese, the embattled UNs Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian territories was duped by a satirical X account.

Troian said Albaneses team did not respond to the last message because they realized Goldstein was not a reliable account.

The character of Goldstein told The Daily Wire that she fears her arch-nemesis Hillel Neuer is probably the most effective Zionist.

All of us anti-Zionists (NOT anti-Semites) fear him, she said.

As the Chief Rabbi of Gaza, I know how it feels to be targeted by Zionists, Goldstein said. Perhaps if shed follow through with her speech and hadnt disrespected the Chief Rabbi of Gaza, her ethical issues wouldnt have come to light.

Albanese is known for inflammatory anti-Israel rhetoric which led to her being barred from the Jewish state in February after she contended that French President Emanuel Macron was wrong for labeling Hamas October 7 massacre as the biggest anti-Semitic massacre of our century. She instead said the attack was launched as a way to break the occupation against apartheid.

The Daily Wire previously reported in February that Albanese told Harvard University students that Israel did not have the right to defend itself from the terrorists who raped, murdered, and burned people and homes.

It didnt have the right to act in self-defense, meaning waging a war because it couldnt wage a war against the people it maintains under occupation, Albanese said. What Israel had to do was to repel the attack on its own territory, arrest and detain and treat humanely the people who had been arrested and ensure justice.

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UN Watchdog Files Complaint Against Official For Trying To Skirt Rules On Honorarium Offered By Fake 'Chief Rabbi ... - The Daily Wire

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Posted By admin on June 7, 2024

The Chabad movement on Tuesday issued this statement:

Rabbi Kotlarsky, who was born in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn in 1949, joined Merkos, the Chabad outreach division, shortly after he got married, when the movement was experiencing explosive growth in the number of Chabad emissaries worldwide. Starting in 1968, he traveled to remote Jewish communities, assessing their needs and collaborating with local leaders to plan future Chabad centers. Combining organizational abilities and fundraising skills, he became a vital link between field operatives and Chabad headquarters.

As Vice Chairman of the expansive network overseeing more than 5,000 institutions across 100 countries, Rabbi Kotlarsky presided over the massive annual Kinus Hashluchim conference in New York City for Chabad emissaries. He directed this event where more than 5,000 emissaries and families participated in workshops, social activities, a communal Shabbat, and a banquet. Kotlarsky also served as a top Chabad spokesperson, overseeing religious and educational institutions globally.

He cultivated relationships with major philanthropists worldwide who funded Chabads growth, including the late Sami Rohr and his son George, whose investments significantly supported Chabads expansion on campuses and in Eastern Europe. Rabbi Kotlarskys office administered the Bogolubov Simcha Fund, disbursing grants for family expenses to Chabad representatives internationally. He also facilitated individual grants for emissaries and community projects by connecting them with philanthropic contacts.

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Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky Who Oversaw Thousands of Chabad Institutes Dead at 75 - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com

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Posted By admin on June 7, 2024

Hagaon Hatzaddik Rabbi Yaakov Meir Shechter, leader of Breslev chassidim and Rosh Yeshiva of the Yeshivas Hamekubalim Shaar Hashamayim, met with the Chief Rabbi of Russia Hagaon Rabbi Berel Lazar who came to the Holy Land for a quick visit to benefit the klal.

Hagaon Rabbi Shechter welcomed his guest with a shining countenance and seated him at the head of the table. They conversed for a while on Torah matters, amongst which Rabbi Lazar repeated an explanation from the Lubavitcher Rebbe zatzal on the words of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai which he said about himself I can absolve the entire world from judgement. At first these words are difficult to understand, since how can Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai absolve a Jew who committed a grave sin and deserves harsh punishment? The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that this is so because Rashbi connects with every yid, even one who is at the lowest spiritual level, and therefore he can absolve even such a person.Upon hearing this, Rabbi Shechter smiled widely and remarked that only the Rebbe can give such an explanation.

Rabbi Shechter shared that when his daughter was ill, he sent a letter with a request to the Lubavitcher Rebbe that he daven for her. The conversation continued as he took interest in the activities of the Rebbes Shluchim in Russia.

When Rabbi Lazar spoke about it being evident how a yids Neshama suddenly awakens, since the spark is always burning deep inside Rabbi Shechter reacted with great enthusiasm.

The fascinating dialogue touched upon a number of public matters, amongst which Rabbi Shechter expressed gratitude to Russias Chief Rabbi for his assistance to Breslev chassidim in Uman.

As the visit came to an end, Rabbi Shechter presented his guest with two of his new books, thanked him for the visit and walked him to the main entrance with great honor.

photo credit Maayan Yerushalayim

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Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar Meets with Rabbi Yaakov Meir Shechter - CrownHeights.info

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Posted By admin on June 7, 2024

At the Jewish Community Center in Lyon, France, two weeks ago, the meeting of the Standing Committee of the Conference of European Rabbis took place. Dozens of chief rabbis, heads of rabbinical courts, and judges from most European countries gathered under the leadership of the conference's president, Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, and the chairman of the standing committee, Rabbi Menachem Gelley, to discuss various issues concerning Jewish communities in Europe.

Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, in his opening remarks, stated, "The member states of the European Union need to talk less and do more to protect the Jews of Europe." He provided a comprehensive review of the conference's activities with EU institutions and member governments and the manifesto published by the conference ahead of the EU elections, urging European leaders to commit to combating antisemitism with renewed vigor and determination.

One significant initiative announced at the Conference of European Rabbis was a groundbreaking plan to assist community rabbis across the continent. The conference will provide a package of religious services worth thousands of euros to participating communities. According to the plan, the conference will send expert rabbis in areas such as mikveh inspection, Jewish status verification, organizing lectures, and more. Communities will 'purchase' this package in exchange for a regular subscription to receive ongoing community services.

Rabbi Aharon Shmuel Baskin, the conference's secretary-general and head of the community development department, presented the biennial report to the standing committee. He stated that the conference had held and operated 26 programs, activities, courses, and meetings through its Munich headquarters.

These included rabbinical studies, a third cycle of the rabbinical training program, a program for rabbis' wives, a program for graduates of the rabbis' wives program, training mikveh attendants in Hebrew and English, family and Jewish home training courses and seminars, a pilot school for rabbis' children, kosher certification courses in Hebrew, English, and Russian, a Chevra Kadisha course, participation in the Bible quiz in Germany, and more.

The conference also held a program for graduates of the rabbinical training program, a course for wedding officiants, a mediation course, a coaching workshop for rabbis, an ambassador training seminar as part of the Jewish Ambassadors program, a pre-Shavuot study evening, and numerous Torah, philosophy, and thought classes available to communities. They also offered matchmaker training and a European matchmaking system.

In a conversation with Maariv, Rabbi Baskin emphasized the importance of empowering rabbis and teaching them leadership. "Most rabbis participate based on intuition, but to grow, we need to connect with management colleges and teach leadership," he said. Rabbi Mordechai Zolt, the chief military rabbi of Germany, shared with Maariv that the military is the only unit in Germany without hatred toward Israel. "Soldiers and officers understand what Israel is going through due to military discipline and support Israel," he said, noting the sharp increase in Jewish soldiers in the German army and the need to assist them. "I came here to discuss our work to help and advance Jews in Germany," he added.

Rabbi Avichai Apel, the rabbi of Frankfurt, told Maariv, "The community is very active, and we see this in our cooperative work. We face challenges in education, assimilation, and recently, antisemitism. Despite the city's ban on protests, we see problems everywhere, leading to a trust crisis among community members." Professor Solomon Koren, a prominent community member, told Rabbi Apel, "We used to feel safe in Frankfurt, but now we need to be cautious." Rabbi Apel noted that attending the conference gave him the strength and support to continue his work for the Jews of Frankfurt and Germany in general.

Rabbi Yosef Dweck, the chief Sephardic rabbi of London, told Maariv that their challenges involve connecting with the youth, embracing the modern world while preserving tradition, and working together with rabbis to gain tools to help. "The Conference of European Rabbis provides strength to tackle issues like antisemitism and various problems in the Jewish world," he said.

Rabbi Menachem Gelley, chairman of the standing committee of the Conference of European Rabbis, added in a conversation with Maariv, "The conference's role is essential, providing a place for the rabbinate to raise current issues and discuss together how to continue with Jewish tradition amid today's challenges. Whether it's antisemitic problems or bans on kosher slaughter or circumcision, together we are a force that can bring important issues to the forefront and change laws by explaining why these things are important to the Jewish people."

In the afternoon, the rabbis visited the special Jewish Museum located in the Lyon community center. The museum educates non-Jewish school students about Judaism and its commandments, aiming to foster friendly relations with Jewish communities. The museum receives around 3,000 young visitors annually and includes a VR room that explains the Sabbath. The head of the president's office, Mr. Gadi Gronich, said that the museum would host the Bavarian Minister of Culture next month and work to replicate a similar model in Munich and across Europe.

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Standing Committee meeting of European rabbis opens in France - The Jerusalem Post

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Posted By admin on June 7, 2024

A prominent rabbi from Brussels who once criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for calling on European Jews to move to Israel now asks the Jewish state to prepare for a wave of immigrants from the continent due to antisemitism.

My message to the Israeli prime minister today is not as sure as it used to be, says Menachem Margolin, head of the European Jewish Association lobby group in Brussels, at a conference in Amsterdam on combating antisemitism.

Today I say to Israel: We are not there yet, but be ready, get your government agencies ready, Margolin says.

If European governments carry on as they have so far, if they continue to tolerate this flood of Jew hate, they can expect hundreds and thousands of us to leave, Margolin adds.

The conference, which is titled Fighting Back for Our Future and is co-sponsored by Israels Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism and the Christians for Israel group, brings together dozens of European Jewish community leaders and addresses the explosion in antisemitic hate crimes that followed the October 7 Hamas onslaught in Israel. The event features a legal panel tasked with devising practical legal tools for fighting antisemitism.

Eddo Verdoner, the Dutch governments point man for fighting antisemitism, says Jewish communities are experiencing the largest rise in antisemitism since the Shoah, since the murder of the Holocaust. Verdonner, who is Jewish, calls for strict enforcement against antisemitic hate crimes but also for celebrating Jewish life, enabling it to thrive.

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European rabbi who slammed calls for Jews to move to Israel now says they may be coming - The Times of Israel

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Posted By admin on June 7, 2024

With the passing of this legendary globetrotting Shliach of the Rebbe, who played a pivotal role in revitalizing Jewish communities and growing Chabad institutions worldwide, a group of shluchim have committed themselves to uphold the projects he started.

Reb Moshe dedicated his entire life to perpetuating The Rebbes Shlichus and supporting the thousands of Shluchim worldwide. He was the Vice Chairman of Merkos Linyonei Chinuch and Chairman of legendary organizations that he founded, including Chabad on Campus International, The Rohr Jewish Institute, Merkos 302, Ckids Network, Cteen Network, Chabad Young Professionals, and many others.

Reb Moshe had an unwavering commitment to every Shliach, traveled millions of miles to meet them in their Chabad House, and personally answered their calls day and night.

He was instrumental in expanding Jewish life and learning across the globe. His work facilitated the establishment of countless Chabad centers, providing a home for Jewish life in communities spanning all continents. His inspiring lectures, personal guidance, and tireless advocacy for Jewish continuity and education left an indelible mark on all who had the privilege to know him.

Rabbi Kotlarskys legacy is one of love, dedication, and profound Emunah. He believed deeply in the power of each individuals Mitzvos and dedicated the last few years to creating a world filled with Mitzvahs that was ready for Moshiachs imminent arrival.

Today, in the spirit of ViHachai Yiten El Liboi, we commit ourselves to perpetuating Reb Moshes legacy and ensuring all these incredible initiatives for Shluchim and the Jewish world at large live on.

The Campaign Committee, overseen by:

Rabbi Zalman Ahron Grossbaum Rabbi Efraim Mintz Rabbi Berel Lazar Rabbi Benji Korf Rabbi Mordechai Farkash Rabbi Yosef Chaim Kantor Rabbi Raleigh Resnik Rabbi Mendel Kotlarsky Rabbi Shimon Rivkin Rabbi Shneur Nejar

Donate now to perpetuate Reb Moshes legacy.

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Continuing the Life and Legacy of Reb Moshe - Anash.org - Good News

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Posted By admin on June 7, 2024

In our time of war and pain, grief and loss, Gila Fines The Madwoman in the Rabbis Attic transports us to a completely different era and place, ideology and concerns. Her wonderful scholarly text reminds us of the simple pleasure of reading and, indeed, rereading familiar texts, and drawing out new meanings that cut to the core of modern identity and contemporary authenticity.

The title of Fines book can be traced to a groundbreaking study of feminist literary criticism from 1979 titled The Madwoman in the Attic, a phrase drawn from Charlotte Brontes classic novel Jane Eyre. In the novel, Edward Rochesters wife (real name Bertha Mason) is kept secretly imprisoned in an attic of the house by her husband.

Professors Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar, the authors of the 1979 study, argued that female writers in the 19th century had to contend with what Gilbert and Gubar termed the paradigmatic polarities that male writers had imposed upon female characters, that they be either angels or monsters. Though Fine does not mention Gilbert and Gubar, she does reference the madwoman of Jane Eyre and connects her to Talmudic stories about women, which were solely crafted by the rabbis, and ostensibly fell prey to the angel-monster binary, with the sages investing in a few other female archetypes as well.

But Fine refuses to succumb to a surface impression, and her books extended argument is that although one can find ample evidence for these stereotypical depictions of women in Talmudic literature, a more careful analysis can reveal subtle reversals of these clichs and, at times, a subversive defense of female agency and ability.

The Madwoman in the Rabbis Attic discusses the six women in the Talmud who are cited by name, and matches them with six paradigms of the female, both in art and in life: Yalta the Shrew; Homa, the Femme Fatale; Marta the Prima Donna; Heruta the Madonna/Whore; Beruria the Overreacherix (Fines term for a woman who overreaches her station); and Ima Shalom, the Angel in the House.

Fines methodology throughout is clear and consistent. Each of the paradigms is initially described, and then illustrated through a myriad of examples in global literature and art, from antiquity to the present, before Fine turns her gaze to the Talmudic character. The prototypical passage in the Talmud, where the characters ostensibly defining trait is put on display, dissected, and reconstituted in Fines analysis, demonstrates that there is far more complexity here than one might suppose. Each chapter concludes with Fine briefly offering a moral of the story ethical questions that readers can take away when considering the narrative they have just consumed.

It is in her close readings of the Talmudic texts that Fines work exhibits a bold creativity. A good example of her approach can be seen in the discussion of Heruta, in which Fine guides us to understand that although the Talmudic passage seems to reinforce a platitude of dangerous female sexuality, the rabbinic lens in these pages is broader than the supposed binary being discussed.

In Fines words, The rabbis may not have been able to transcend their patriarchal culture entirely, but there are certain instances in the Talmud where they show themselves to have been way ahead of their time. In a world steeped in the feminine dichotomy, the story emerges as an exceptional critique of the madonna/whore paradigm.

Women, it implies, are not simply reproductive or sexual creatures.

No woman is wholly pure, as no woman is wholly promiscuous. No one, the rabbis seem to say (centuries before Kants famous categorical imperative), should be treated solely as a means to an end. No person should be reduced to a role or function that they fill for you.

Certain readers may be taken aback by Fines rereading of rabbinic intent and charge her with imposing on the sages certain modern proclivities and categories that are ill-fitting. How, in the end, can we discern what the rabbis truly had in mind? And do they really echo our contemporary perspectives, or is this just wishful thinking?

The question of authorial intent was a raging debate in mid-20th-century literary circles. As articulated in the New Criticism, championed by Cleanth Brooks, T. S. Eliot, and others, one should not read in ones own speculations about what authors might have secretly or esoterically intended. The apex of this argument can be found in C.S. Lewis, who espoused an almost literalist view of authorial intentionalism, believing that a texts meaning is only what the original author intended when he or she wrote it. In Lewiss An Experiment in Criticism, he writes: The first demand any work of art makes upon us is surrender. Look. Listen. Receive. Get yourself out of the way.

But Lewiss certainties are not quite convincing. For one thing, who can even say what the original intent was?

As Fine concedes, why go through a tortuous process of close reading to uncover the rabbis true moral sensibilities? Why dont the rabbis just own up what they really think? Fines own explanation for the rabbis thorough concealment of their own proto-feminist empathy is that they were deliberately seducing us into making the moral errors of hasty judgment and stigmatization, the better to realize our mistakes and force us to become closer and more careful readers. This is no small accomplishment and one that has lifelong consequences.

I began this review by alluding to a time of war and pain, subjects that, unsurprisingly, we accord gravitas and world-shaking implications. In contrast, reading books (and books about reading books) may seem, at best, a kind of scholarship we solemnly admire but then marginalize to the hinterlands of our cultural landscape and preoccupations.

As such, the simple act of reading can be devalued to the point where it seems like something that one need not worry about disturbing. The novelist Ian McEwan once noted that if he were playing tennis, no one would walk onto the court and ask him what they were having for dinner, or what he was doing on Sunday. But people see nothing wrong with interrupting all the time when one is reading a book.

Our lack of esteem about the role of reading indicates a basic misunderstanding of how central a place that pastime plays in our lives. Whether perusing the speeches and rhetoric of politicians or scanning the cultural landscape, the art of reading, closely and accurately, is one of the most fundamental acts we engage in as human beings. And the actual reading of texts, especially ones that have been central in forming the attitudes among Jews for millennia, towards the reality around (and above) them, is not only a journey of sacred importance but of existential necessity. May The Madwoman in the Rabbis Attic find a large audience, and may we blessed with readers like Gila Fine.

The writer was professor of literature at the University of Toronto and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. For more of his writing, go to emalamet.substack.com

THE MADWOMAN IN THE RABBIS ATTIC: REREADING THE WOMEN OF THE TALMUD

By Gila Fine

Maggid

288 pages; $30

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The Madwoman in the Rabbi's Attic: the Talmud and feminine dichotomy - The Jerusalem Post

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Posted By admin on June 7, 2024

The legendary globetrotting Shliach of the Rebbe, who was the iconic Chairman of the International Kinus Hashluchim and Merkos Shlichus, who played a pivotal role in revitalizing Jewish communities and growing Chabad institutions worldwide, passed away on Tuesday, 27 Iyar 5784.

Reb Moshe dedicated his entire life to perpetuating The Rebbes Shlichus and supporting the thousands of Shluchim worldwide. He was the Vice Chairman of Merkos Linyonei Chinuch and Chairman of legendary organizations that he founded, including Chabad on Campus International, The Rohr Jewish Institute, Merkos 302, Ckids Network, Cteen Network, Chabad Young Professionals, and many others.

He was instrumental in expanding Jewish life and learning across the globe. His work facilitated the establishment of countless Chabad centers, providing a home for Jewish life in communities spanning all continents. His inspiring lectures, personal guidance, and tireless advocacy for Jewish continuity and education left an indelible mark on all who had the privilege to know him.

Rabbi Kotlarskys legacy is one of love, dedication, and profound Emunah. He believed deeply in the power of each individuals Mitzvos and dedicated the last few years to creating a world filled with Mitzvahs that was ready for Moshiachs imminent arrival.

The Campaign Committee, overseen by:

Rabbi Zalman Ahron Grossbaum Rabbi Efraim Mintz Rabbi Berel Lazar Rabbi Benji Korf Rabbi Mordechai Farkash Rabbi Yosef Chaim Kantor Rabbi Raleigh Resnik Rabbi Mendel Kotlarsky Rabbi Shimon Rivkin Rabbi Shneur Nejar

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The Life and Legacy of Reb Moshe - CrownHeights.info

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