Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on January 4, 2022

Tech investors know what a roller coaster ride that sector can be. A sector that exemplified the highs and lows in 2021 was cybersecurity stocks. Many of these stocks were outperforming the broader market for a good part of the year. But many just as quickly gave up most, or all, of those gains.

Nevertheless, this sector will continue to outperform the market in 2022. The reason is simple. The need for cybersecurity has never been greater. And with so much work moving to the cloud, information technology (IT) professionals face a range of threats that are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Those threats will only become greater as workers return to the office.

According to the firm Cybersecurity Ventures, the total damage inflicted by cybercrime in 2021 will be $6 trillion. A more concerning statistic is that the same firm expects that number to grow by 15% a year, meaning that by 2025 damage from cybercrime will total $10 trillion. Companies that wont adopt cybersecurity defense wont stay in business, warned Moran Ashkenazi, JFrogs (NASDAQ:FROG) chief security officer and VP of security engineering. They will get hacked and shut down there wont be other options, she said in a recent interview.

Thats why when considering stocks to add in the new year, cybersecurity stocks deserve consideration. I invite you to keep reading about seven cybersecurity stocks that are on track for a stellar 2022.

It is also worth noting here that the potential in these stocks hasnt been lost on exchange-traded fund managers, as several of the names are also top holdings in what ETFtrends.comconsiders the best cybersecurity ETFs. PANW, ZS and CRWD are in among the five largest holdings in First Trust NASDAQ Cybersecurity ETF (NASDAQ:CIBR) and Global X Cybersecurity ETF (NASDAQ:BUG). As thematic investing took off in 2021, BUG was among top asset-gatherers among thematic funds with inflows of $800 million last year. ETFtrends editor Tom Lydon wrote last month.

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CrowdStrike is a good example of how cybersecurity stocks have given investors steep price movement in 2021. There is a 76.9% difference between the stocks 52-week high and low. What may trouble investors is that as the year begins, CRWD stock is trading closer to the 52-week low, only weeks after trading hands at the high.

However, this looks like an example of a good stock getting lumped in with the broader sell-off in tech stocks over concerns of the Fed raising interest rates. I believe this because the companys Dec. 1 earnings report seems to have given CRWD stock a floor.

CrowdStrike provides a wide range of solutions focused on real-time endpoint security, threat intelligence and cloud workload protection. And its a software-as-a-service (SaaS) company that is growing its earnings and revenue both sequentially and year-over-year.

Analysts give the stock a consensus price target of $286.85 suggesting a 35% upside. The path to this number may not be straight, but getting in CRWD strike at its current price looks like a steal.

Source: Michael Vi / Shutterstock.com

Zscaler has not been immune to the recent sell-off in tech stocks. However, as we near the end of the year, ZS stock is within approximately 12% of its 52-week high set in mid-November. The stock posted a double beat in their most recent earnings report on Nov. 30.

Although Zscaler is a niche player it has a simple, yet vital cybersecurity solution that is essential as workers embrace a hybrid work model. The company provides a solution that lets users safely browse the internet and access applications regardless of their device, location or network. Thats a key reason that Zscaler has a customer base that includes over 20% of the Fortune 500.

ZS stock is up 57% in the last 12 months and is up 100% since closing at a low of $160.92 in mid-May. Analysts suggest the stock has a 13% upside. However, recent upgrades may not be factoring into the companys stock price.

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Microsoft is not a pure-play cybersecurity stock by any means. However, with $10 billion of revenue coming from that part of its business, MSFT stock is not one to be ignored. One reason for that is the companys ability to integrate its security tools into its Office 365 software which is already based in the cloud.

And if recent purchases are any indication, Microsoft isnt shy about generating growth through acquisition. In July 2021, Microsoft acquired RiskIQ for approximately $500 million. This was in addition to its purchase of CloudKnow Security in July.

Microsoft stock is up 50% in 2021 and a good bit of that growth is because of the companys Teams collaboration software. However, the company continues to expand into other high-growth areas such as the metaverse. Nevertheless, MSFT stock is a solid buy for investors who have a lower risk tolerance but still want exposure to cybersecurity stocks.

Source: Sundry Photography / Shutterstock.com

Palo Alto Networks offers a patented security platform called App-ID that, as its name suggests identifies network traffic by application, user and content. The benefit is that it provides customers with in-depth visibility into all traffic and applications for greater monitoring of potential risks and threats. The companys platforms are also stand-alone solutions that mean consumers get end-to-end security without needing to use another company.

The question that Palo Alto executives might be asking investors is what took you so long to see that? PANW stock is up 58% for the year. But if you were a holder of the stock in mid-August, you might be losing patience. However, your patience was rewarded. After its earnings report in late August, the stock has been on a tear, gaining almost 54%.

The earnings report may have confirmed to investors that the company is starting to generate recurring revenue after introducing two new platforms earlier in the year. Morningstars Mark Cash recently upgraded the firms moat rating to wide from narrow, boosting its fair value estimate to $585 a share from $550.

Source: Lori Butcher / Shutterstock.com

Okta is another one of the cybersecurity stocks I like because they have carved out a distinct niche. In this case, the company focuses on identity authentication with a zero trust approach.

Simply put, Okta delivers solutions ranging from passwords to biometrics to help its customers easily identify, verify and enforce who accesses a network at a given time.

OKTA stock may seem like a curious addition to the list because its down 10% for the year and is trading in the bottom half of its 52-week range. However, the stock has been climbing back after a strong earnings report in early December. Analysts still give the stock about a 25% higher price. The company continues to see subscription revenue move higher and it is also growing its free cash flow.

Source: Sundry Photography / Shutterstock.com

When it comes to cybersecurity stocks, Fortinet certainly should be on the list. Like others outlined here, Fortinet makes my list because it offers a benefit to consumers that is easy to understand in our hyperconnected world. FTNT stock was added to theNasdaq-100 index in mid December, which CEO Ken Xie said is another proofpoint of Fortinets successes and future growth opportunities.

Simply put, were all online a lot. And Fortinet, among other things, offers VPN services. My InvestorPlace colleague Josh Enomoto reminded investors that VPNs are about more than just keeping our internet behavior private, its becoming a best practice when it comes to protecting our own cybersecurity.

FTNT stock is up 135% for the year and its fair to say that if youre not currently a shareholder, youve likely missed out on the largest gains. Shares of the cybersecurity company have closed positive four weeks in a row and sit at all-time highs, notedStockTwits newsletterThe Daily Rip. Nevertheless, this is a quality stock that grew 1,138% in its first 10 years of being publicly traded. With demand for the companys products and services remaining high, Fortinet is a solid buy for 2022 and beyond.

Source: Maddas / Shutterstock.com

Last on our list of cybersecurity stocks is Tenable Holdings. As its name suggests, Tenable is a holding company that provides cybersecurity solutions to customers through its subsidiaries. The mid-cap company has enterprise customers in industries that include automotive, energy, finance, healthcare, oil and gas, and government.

Its that last one that caught my attention. The high-profile cyberattack on the Colonial Pipeline has prompted the Biden administration to propose new cybersecurity initiatives. Its anybodys guess if these initiatives will find their way through a contentious Congress, but if they do then Tenable Holdings may be a significant player.

TENB stock was a choppy performer in 2021. However since being named one of Daniel Ives at Wedbush Securities top two cybersecurity picks for 2022 on Dec.20, 2021, the stock has shot up 4%.

On the date of publication, ChrisMarkochdid not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article.The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.comPublishing Guidelines.

ChrisMarkochis a freelance financial copywriter who has been covering the market for seven years. He has been writing for InvestorPlace since 2019.

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7 of the Best Cybersecurity Stocks for 2022 to Buy Now - InvestorPlace

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Posted By admin on January 4, 2022

THE ALTERNATIVE with Reno Omokri

The Ijebu, The Yoruba and Their Influence on The Bible and Judaism

Due to the many requests I received from readers who read my piece on the Ijebu people of Nigeria, the first #TheAlternative of 2022 will be an updated edition of my article The Ijebu, The Yoruba and Their Influence on The Bible and JudaismI am doing this not only because some Yoruba elders have investigated and found that I was right about the origin and meaning of the word Yoruba (Yariba), but also because if we as Black people do not know our history, we will constantly wander around in circles, and return to the place where we first began, and instead of knowing it for the very first time, as TS Eliot wrote in Little Gidding, we will simply wander again.

One significant update in this edition is to note that Ijebu-Remo came about because a colonial officer was tasked with visiting Ijebu and Remo, and in his travel log, he referred to the places as Ijebu-Remo, instead of Ijebu/Remo or Ijebu and Remo, giving the impression that the two separate areas were in fact one geographical location.

Prior to British colonialism, Remo was known as Remo, not Ijebu-Remo. In fact, the first occurrence of the term Ijebu-Remo are found in British colonial records and later in a Hansard of the British Parliament.In fact, just as you had Ijebu towns bearing the prefix, Ijebu, for example, Ijebu-Ode, Ijebu-Igbo, you also have Remo towns bearing the prefix Remo, for example, Ogere-Remo, Ilishan-Remo, etc.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the history of the Black Race is hidden in plain sight and I have known this for years, but I have been a coward. I know my people. I know how some of us love to deprecate their own selves. And I was afraid that if I wrote about the truth, I would be attacked. But when has it ever been that truth was first celebrated?For the truth, it has always been as Mahatma Gandhi said First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. I have no interest in winning. I just want the truth to be out there.

But as I woke up this morning, a Force propelled me. I was so restless and I asked myself why I was restless. And the words of John 8:32 were emblazoned on my mind:you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Elsewhere, I have written about the biblical Nimrod (the first world emperor) in Genesis 10. I showed in actual fact that there was nothing like Nimrod. His real name is Namrud in Aramaic and Arabic. From where the European translators got the name Nimrod, I would not know. But the name found in the Pentateuch is Namrud. Do not take my word for it. Google it. Or go to a reference library.

I had also said that that Namrud was no other person than Lamurudu, the father of Oduduwa, the father of the Yoruba people. If you want evidence, Google my article Why Black Man dey Suffer today.

But today, I want to reveal the truth about a place called Jerusalem.Many people do not realise that the original name for Jerusalem was not Jerusalem but actually Jebus. If you doubt me, stop reading right now and Google the word Jebus. Or go to a reference library.

The Jebus, were a tribe that occupied the modern day Jerusalem before they were conquered by King David. This is a historical fact. It is also recorded in the Bible.In Joshua 11:3, we read:And to the Canaanite on the east and on the west, and to the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite in the mountains, and to the Hivite under Hermon in the land of Mizpeh.Now, note those words the Jebusite in the mountains. It is very important, as I will explain later.

Do not be confused by the use of the generic term ite after the names of tribes. They were not used in the original Hebrew Scriptures. It was the European and specifically the English translators of the Hebrew Scriptures, that added the generic suffix, ite.So for example, in their eyes, a person from Canaan would be a Canaanite. The children of Ammon would be called Ammonites. And those from Jebus were called Jebusites.

I do not know why they did this. Did they do it to deceive, confuse, or hide the truth? Or, did they do it for ease of reference? Your guess is as good as mine.Now, if you read 2 Samuel 5:6, it says:

The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there.The King here, refers to David. David attacked Jebus and defeated them as we can see in verse 8 of 2 Samuel 5 which says:

David had said, Anyone who conquers the Jebusites will have to use the water shaft to reach those lame and blind who are Davids enemies.In verse 9, we read that David defeated the Jebusites, but did not take up residence in the mountains, where most of them lived (remember I told you to remember the mountains).He chose to reside in the lowlands surrounding the mountains as we read in verse 9:David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the terraces inward.In actual fact, the name Jebus that you read about in The Bible, refers to a tribe now known as Ijebu in Southwest Nigeria.I have just blown your mind. I know. It sounds like blasphemy. Heresy. But please let me land!

The Ijebu do not really call themselves I-J-E-B-U, the way an outsider would pronounce all syllables. They actually call themselves J-E-B-U, with the I before jebu silent.And the Ijebu people are unlike other Yoruba tribes in that they do not claim Yoruba heritage. They have something you would find nowhere else in Yoruba land. They have a king called Awujale.

The Awujale of Ijebu, Sikiru Adetona, revealed in an interview, (which I urge every reader of this article to read: simply Google Middle East origins of the Ijebu), that the Ijebu originally came from the area around the Middle East to the Sudan.This agrees with the biblical references in Joshua 11:3 and 12:10 as well as 2 Samuel 5:6-10.So if the Jebus were the original inhabitants of Jerusalem, where does the word Jerusalem come from?

You see, the Ijebu or Jebu is the name of the tribe. However, they name their towns, villages and habitations after the topography of their environment.So for instance, in modern day Nigeria, the Ijebu towns are known by the prefix Ijebu, followed by a suffix indicating their topography. Today, the Ijebu towns are known as Ijebu-Ode (which may loosely mean outer Ijebu), Ijebu-Igbo (which may loosely mean forested Ijebu). You also have Ijebu-Remo, Ijebu-Isiwo and other Ijebu towns, villages and communities that begin with the prefix Ijebu and end with a suffix depicting their topography or to a lesser extent, their history.

Now, recall that I urged my readers to remember that in Joshua 11:3, the Jebus were referred to as living in the mountains, but in 2 Samuel 5:6, the Bible records that the Jebus lived in Jerusalem.

Psalm 125:2 reads:As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore.Jerusalem is a town surrounded by mountains. Even today, some residents of Jerusalem live in the mountains, others live in the lowlands or valley.The Jebus who were living in the lowlands of Jerusalem and who were conquered by King David in 2 Samuel chapter 5 were Ijebu-Isale, loosely meaning Ijebu of the lowland or valley.

It is that Ijebu-Isale, which the natives would have called Jebu-sale (both is after Ijebu and Isale would have been silent) that was mispronounced as Jeru-Sale by King David and his men, because 2 Samuel chapter 5 quite clearly states that King David built the city of David in the lowland. Jeru-Sale became Jerusalem.The challenge many Black People have is that we do not read. It is still true today that if you want to hide something from a Black man, you hide it in a book.

These things you just read are not secrets. They have been hidden in the most popular book in the world for centuries! They are in The Bible!It grieves me when I see Black People, especially people of the Igbo tribe of Nigeria, say that their culture is derived from Jewish culture. That is not true and I will prove it using only Scripture.

Many people do not realise that there is a difference between being a Hebrew and being Jewish.Hebrews are the descendants of Abraham. Jews are those who profess the faith of Judaism.The faith of Judaism is not actually traced to Abraham, although the God of Judaism (whom I believe in) is the same God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.The fact is that the prophet Moses (Moshe) was the founder of Judaism. But how did he come about his spiritual knowledge?

Moses was an Egyptian general of Hebrew descent. For the first 40 years of his life, he lived in Egypt and had no connection with the one true God.It was only when he ran away from Egypt after killing an Egyptian, that he met God.Moses sought asylum in Midian, where he lived for forty years. He married Zipporah, the daughter of Jethro, the priest of Midian (also known as Reuel). This is very important. Why? Because Jethro was Black. How do I know? The Bible tells us.

Numbers 12:1 reads:And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.If you read the same verse in the NIV, it says:Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite.

Cush is the Hebrew word for Black. Do not be confused by the use of Ethiopian by the King James Version. When the KJV uses the term Ethiopian, what it actually means is Black Africa. You see, when the King James Version was written, Africa was known as Ethiopia and Black People were called Ethiope.

Google the word Ethiope if you doubt me. The nation now known as Ethiopia is referred to as Sheba in the Old Testament. It is NEVER referred to as Ethiopia (except in the New Testament). Hence, the Queen of Ethiopia who visited King Solomon is referred to as the Queen of Sheba, not Queen of Ethiopia.

So Moses was living with Black People in Midia and married the daughter of their Black priest. It was while he was there that he had the encounter with God described as the Burning Bush experience of Exodus 3.A lot of the spiritual and physical laws which Moses passed on to the Hebrews in the form of the religion of Judaism were actually taught to him by his Black father-in-law. How do I know? Because the bible says so.

Exodus 18:24 says:Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said.This is the reason why there are so many similarities between Jewish culture and Black African culture.For example, in Deuteronomy 25:5, Moses taught that if a man dies without a seed, his brother, who is next in line, will produce seed for him through his widowed wife.In the New Testament, the Sadducees threw this law at the face of our Lord Jesus in

Matthew 22:24 which reads:Teacher, they said, Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him.This custom is present in the original customary laws of almost all Black African tribes. Africans did not learn this from the Jews. The Jews learnt it from Africans.Africans need to realise that the very first nation mentioned in the Bible is the Black Race.

Genesis 2:13 reads:The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush.That word Cush is the Hebrew word for the Black Race till this very day.Even the way that the Jews consulted God (divination) is of Black origin. Many times, when we read that God told a Jewish prophet something, it is not that God came down or spoke to them in dreams or through an angel, which did happen. However, by far the most consistent way that the Israelites consulted and heard from God, was through the practice of divination. It is in the Bible.Aaron was a diviner. He cast lots, using holy jewelled beads called Urim and Thummim.

Exodus 28:30 reads:Also put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aarons heart whenever he enters the presence of the LORD. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the LORD.David was recorded as a good king because he regularly practiced divination (casting the lot).

We see this in 1 chronicles 24:31They also cast lots, just as their relatives the descendants of Aaron did, in the presence of King David and of Zadok, Ahimelek, and the heads of families of the priests and of the Levites. The families of the oldest brother were treated the same as those of the youngest.Even the land of Canaan was divided amongst the tribes of Israel by divination.

Numbers 26:55 reads:But the land shall be divided by lot. They shall receive their inheritance according to the names of the tribes of their fathers.Even in the New Testament, the disciples of our Lord and Saviour used divination to choose a successor to Judas Iscariot.

In Acts 1:26 we read:Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.This practice of casting lots, is a very ancient and still common practice amongst the Jebu or Ijebu people of Nigeria specifically and amongst the descendants of Oduduwa.Just as the Jewish priests use beaded jewels known as Urim and Thumim, so do the Jebu or Ijebu and the Omo Oduduwa use beads for their divination.

If you have ever watched a Nollywood movie where a traditional priest threw beads on the floor and saw the future or identified a culprit who stole or predicted the outcome of a given venture, that was the ancient Black African science of divination.Now, I have used the word, Yoruba, to describe the Omo Oduduwa as distinct from the Jebu or Ijebu. But ask any Yoruba elder for the meaning of Yoruba and they have no clue. The truth is that before the British came, there was NOTHING like Yoruba.You were either Egba, Owu, Ijesha, Awori, etc. You will not find any document bearing the word Yoruba from the 18th century. The omo Oduduwa now called Yoruba used to call themselves omooluabi.

The word Yoruba actually comes from the word YarIba. It is a Fulani word dating from the days of slavery. If you read the memoirs of Bishop Samual Ajayi Crowther, he did not refer to himself as Yoruba.

In his memoirs, Ajayi Crowther revealed that he was raided from his village in Osogun (in present day Oyo state) by Fulani slave raiders (different from slave traders).The Fulani were notorious for raiding tribes of the lower Niger. They called the Igbo YarMiri, which is a derogatory name that they still call them in the North (Nyamiri). The Yorubas they called YarIba. I know the meaning of that word and it is so derogatory that I will not reveal it here.

It was the British, who in search of an ethnic identity for the Omo Oduduwa, took the derogatory word Yariba, and mispronounced it as Yoruba.The actual name for the Yoruba or the Omo Oduduwa, is omoluabi, which is a word that evolved from omo-ti-olu-iwa-bi, meaning the child that the lord of character begat.Many people, including many modern day Yoruba speakers, think that Oluwa means Lord. No it does not. Oluwa connotes Lord, but it does not mean just lord. It means Lord of Iwa, meaning character, or good morals.

Now what is the origin of omo-ti-olu-iwa-bi? Many, myself included, think It goes back to the origin of Adam, the child that had no mother or father but was begotten by the Lord as we read in Genesis 2, which itself agrees with the folkloric origins of Oduduwas ancestral line through Lamurudu.

I know that these revelations may be shocking and could even seem like heresy to some of my readers, but I urge everyone who has read this to behave like the Berean people.

Acts 17:11 reads:Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.Please search the Scriptures. Everything you have read here is based on Scripture, shocking as it may be.If you have questions stemming from this article, you can reach me by sending me a DM on Instagram.

Reno OmokriGospeller. Deep Thinker. #1 Bestselling author of Facts Versus Fiction: The True Story of the Jonathan Years. Avid traveller. Hollywood Magazine Film Festival Humanitarian of the Year, 2019.

RenoYou have the power to summon a stronger positive thought into your mind whenever a negative thought attempts to break into your mind

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The Alternative Tues Jan 4 for online publicationTHISDAYLIVE - THISDAY Newspapers

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Posted By admin on January 4, 2022

The sound of celebratory music, the light of candles and the smell of potato pancakes filed the Statehouse rotunda Monday, as Gov. Laura Kelly, Secretary of State Scott Schwab and a host of Jewish leaders lit a ceremonial menorah in honor of Hanukkah.

The annual Jewish festival of light began over the weekend in commemorationof the recovery of the temple in Jerusalem, the successful revolt of the Macabeesand the corresponding lighting of the menorah. Chabad of Kansas hosted a corresponding celebration in the Statehouse, continuing a 15-year tradition.

Kelly used her remarks to condemn anti-Semitism, including a series of incidents in legislative hearing where members of the public and even a state legislator appeared to compare COVID-19 vaccine mandates to the Holocaust.

She said it was disappointing those events occurred a year after state leaders condemned an opinion cartoon in a western Kansas newspaper comparing her mask mandate to the Holocaust.

I didnt expect such a comparison would be made again. … It happens time and time again, including right here in the Kansas Statehouseat a legislative committee hearing just a few weeks ago," Kelly said."This behavior is unacceptable. It is not who we are as Kansans or as Americans, and we cannot let it become acceptable."

In addition to Kelly and Schwab, Rabbi Zalman Tiechteland a cast of children helped light the menorah in the rotunda. Kelly was also presented with a dreidel, a four-sided top traditionally played during the Hanukkah season.

Rabbi Mendi Wineberg of The Shul Chabad of Leawood noted the season of Hanukkah is about light, something which is important to embrace in an often gloomy world.

The darkness can be banished very easily," Wineberg said. "If we just light a candle, we just add some light.We can remove divisiveness just like that."

Andrew Bahl is a senior statehouse reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached at abahl@gannett.com or by phone at 443-979-6100.

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Condemning anti-semitism, governor and Jewish leaders ...

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Posted By admin on January 4, 2022

Helenas Jewish community has been without a local synagogue for decades. Fundraising is underway to buy back a synagogue thats been owned by the Catholic Diocese since the 1980s.

Rebecca Stanfel walks through Temple Emanu-El in Helena.

When you walked into this building in 1891, you were walking into a very different internal structure. As soon as you walked in, there was ceilings that were 86 feet tall, she says.

Stanfel is co-founder of the nonprofit Montana Jewish Project. Temple Emanu-El is the oldest synagogue in Montana and was the first synagogue built between St. Paul, Minnesota and Portland, Oregon 120 years ago.

The Jewish community were among the first to come to Helena in the 1860s. They were a large part of the community. At one point in the 1870s or 80s, 20% of the merchants in town were Jewish.

According to Montana Historical Society research, the Jewish congregation made the difficult decision to sell the building to the state of Montana for one dollar after the Great Depression.

The building was converted into a three-story office building and later sold to the Helena Catholic Diocese, which until recently used it as office space.

Stanfel and others in Helenas Jewish community jumped at the opportunity to buy the building when they heard last spring that the Catholic Diocese would be moving out and would be willing to sell the building for less than market value.

Our vision is to use the building as it now exists and to grow and to build from there, Stanfel says. So ultimately, do we want to carve back out a sanctuary? Absolutely. Is it going to be one giant space with 86-foot-high ceilings? No.

The Montana Jewish Project signed an agreement with the Catholic Diocese of Helena in November to acquire the building. The group is now trying to raise $1.5 million to cover all associated costs. The plan is to turn it into a Jewish Community Center that can host religious celebrations, and cultural and educational events.

The group must raise 65% of the cost by the end of February.

Helena Jews and friends gathered for a recent fundraiser.

Donna Breitbart is on the board of the Montana Jewish Project. She moved to Montana from New York City, which is home to the largest Jewish population in the world outside of Israel. She says a cultural center in Helena would help strengthen the already vibrant local Jewish community.

I love Helena, its such a warm and welcoming community. But there is that definite something missing of that other connection.

Breitbart imagines Jewish ceremonies, book clubs, cooking classes and a variety of other events will take place at the center and will be open to all.

Methodist Reverend Daniel Viehland was also at the fundraiser. He says the historic temple should be returned to Jewish hands and hopes others can learn more about Judaism through the community center.

Its really, really important, I think, in light of the historic and continuing anti-Semitism, that theres a place people can to learn more about their Jewish neighbors, Viehland says.

Stanfel, the co-founder of the nonprofit, agrees. She hopes education and connection can combat that.

Our grounding principle is two Hebrew words: tikkun olam, and that means to repair the world. We want to be working with people and organizations who every day, in a little way, are making the world a better place, Stanfel says.

The Montana Jewish Project hopes to close on acquiring the synagogue by June 2022.

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Biblical Archaeology - Significant Discoveries from Ancient Empires.

Ancient Jerusalem - Interactive Study of Jerusalem with Map.

Picture Study Bible - StudyBible with Pictures and Maps.

First Century Israel Map -Large Map of Israel in the First Century - Click around on the Cities.

The Incredible Bible - First in the BKA Series.

Roman Empire Map -Large Map of the Roman Empire in the Early First Century - Click around on the Places.

The History of Rome - Brief Overview Of Roman History from Her Dawn to the First Punic War.

The Tabernacle of Ancient Israel - Brief Overview of the Tabernacle of Moses in the Wilderness and the Ark of the Covenant.

The Babylonians - Learn about ancient Babylon and the people who lived there.

Old Testament Overview - General survey of the Old Testament.

New Testament Overview - General survey of the New Testament.

A Harmony of the Life of Jesus - Four gospel accounts in harmony.

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Irans news agency Tasnim on Monday officially launched a Hebrew-language website to coincide with the second anniversary of the assassination of Revolutionary Guards Quds Force General Qassem Soleimani by the United States.

The semi-official news agency stated that the new site was created because of the strategic importance that the issue of Palestine has for the Islamic Republic of Iran and for Muslims across the world, and to counter what it called massive and systematic censorship of news about the Zionist regime in the media.

The undeniable reality is that not only have the people of the world been deprived of receiving the news about the whole truth about the occupied Palestine and the Zionist crimes, but the reports that are fed even to the residents of the occupied territories are being extensively manipulated and managed, Majid Qolizadeh, CEO of Tasnim, said in a statement.

The aim of the site is to feed Hebrew speakers with true and authentic news of what is happening inside the occupied territories and other parts of the world, particularly in the West Asia region, according to Qolizadeh.

As Iran and allied groups allied in Iraq have been holding events to honor Soleimani, President of the Islamic Republic Ebrahim Raisi threatened revenge against former US President Donald Trump if he was not brought to trial for the targeted killing. The Iranian terror mastermind, who was the architect of Tehrans strategy for regional domination via its regional proxies and military involvement in the Syrian civil war, was assassinated in Iraq in a drone strike two years ago.

Separately, Israels Jerusalem Post newspaper said Monday its website had been hacked, with its home screen temporarily replaced by a banner depicting a projectile blowing up Israels Dimona nuclear facility and the text, We are close to you where you do not think about it.

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Iranian News Agency Launches Hebrew-Language Site on Second Anniversary of Soleimani Assassination - Algemeiner

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Posted By admin on January 4, 2022

Tractate of the Talmud about blessings and prayers, particularly the Shema and the Amidah

Berakhot (Hebrew: , romanized:Brakhot, lit. "Blessings") is the first tractate of Seder Zeraim ("Order of Seeds") of the Mishnah and of the Talmud. The tractate discusses the rules of prayers, particularly the Shema and the Amidah, and blessings for various circumstances.

Since a large part of the tractate is concerned with the many berakhot (English: blessings), all comprising the formal liturgical element beginning with words "Blessed are you, Lord our God.", it is named for the initial word of these special form of prayer.[1]

Berakhot is the only tractate in Seder Zeraim to have Gemara rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah in the Babylonian Talmud. There is however Jerusalem Talmud on all the tractates in Seder Zeraim. There is also a Tosefta for this tractate.

The Jewish religious laws detailed in this tractate have shaped the liturgies of all the Jewish communities since the later Talmudic period and continue to be observed by traditional Jewish communities until the present, with only minor variations, as expounded upon by subsequent Jewish legal codes.

The Mishna of this tractate deals with aspects of the daily prayer services, primarily the laws about formal prayers and blessings, and only infrequently or incidentally with the content, theology, or rationales for these prayers. These aspects are discussed more at length in the Tosefta, Gemara, and passages in the Midrash. Although the Talmud identifies some biblical basis for the topics dealt with in the tractate, the Mishnah organizes the material according to topics, with only occasional references to biblical sources.[2][3]

The laws regarding three liturgical categories addressed in this tractate are as follows:[1][4]

The first three chapters of the tractate discuss the recital of the Shema, the next two the recital of the Tefilla, and the last four the various blessings.[1][4]

The biblical basis for the discussions in this tractate are derived from the Torah (Deut. 6:49, Deut. 11:1321 and Numbers 15:3741) regarding the Shema; for the Grace after Meals from Deut. 8:10; and from other Biblical references about the recital of prayers and the deduction that prayers should be recited three times daily (Psalms. 55:18 and Daniel 6:11).[3]

The obligation to recite the Shema is a biblical command derived from the verses of the Torah in Deut 6:7 and Deut 11:19 that constitutes the way for a Jew to fulfill their obligation to affirm their acceptance of the "yoke of the kingship of Heaven" by declaring, "the Lord is One" (Deut. 6:4).[2]

The Talmud explain this as a specific commandment to recite the two paragraphs in which the requirement occur (Deut. 6:49, 11:1321) to be performed twice per day, in the evening ("when you lie down") and in the morning ("when you rise up"). The tractate defines the exact periods when the Shema should be said in the evening and the morning, specifies conditions for its recital, and who is exempt from this mitzvah ("commandment").[4]

The Mishnah also mandates the addition of a third section to the Shema (Numbers 15:3741), relating the commandment of ritual fringes and the daily obligation to acknowledge the Exodus from Egypt.[2]

The tractate deals with the principal rabbinic prayer, recited quietly, without interruption, and while standing and known as the Amidah or "standing prayer", or simply as Tefillah ("prayer"). Its original version comprised eighteen blessings all beginning with the standard formulation "Blessed are you, Lord our God". A nineteenth blessing was added at a later stage of the Talmudic period.[2]

The Mishnah takes the structure and text of the prayer as a given and tefillah as a general concept refers to the regular prayers instituted by the members of the Great Assembly and the sages who followed them. Three daily prayer services were instituted: Shacharit during the morning hours until four hours of the day have passed, and corresponding to the morning daily sacrificial offering at the Temple in Jerusalem, Mincha during the afternoon, corresponding to the afternoon sacrificial offering and Ma'ariv in the evening after nightfall. The times for these services are also connected in the tractate to the practices of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.[5]

On days when an additional offering was sacrificed in the Temple, namely Shabbat, Festivals, the intermediate days of the Festivals and the New Moon, an additional prayer service, Musaf, was recited between the morning and afternoon services.[5]

The Mishnah and subsequent discussion in the Gemara consider the designated times for the three services; occasions when the full eighteen blessings, or an abbreviated versions should be recited; circumstances in which a person does not have to pray as normally required facing towards the Temple in Jerusalem; traditions about the required state of mind when praying and the role of the Shaliach tzibbur ("representative of the congregation") who leads the repetition of the prayer when a minyan ("quorum") is present.[4]

A "berakhah" is a formal liturgical unit that is usually formulated with the opening words "Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe..." The tractate discusses the blessings for specific occasions, and the Tosefta[6] states that the theological rationale for this is a recognition that a person should not benefit from the world without first acknowledging that God is the source of the abundance.[2]

The tractate formulates and describes the use of a number of categories of blessings, for the following:

In addition to the blessings to be recited before eating, the tractate discusses the blessing ordained in the Torah (Deut 8:8), known as Birkat Hamazon ("the Grace after Meals"), to be recited after eating food; while the Torah obligation applies only to a meal that satisfies a person's hunger, the rabbis of the Mishna required that it be recited after eating a k'zayit measure of bread. When three or more men have eaten together, one of them is required to invite the others to recite the Grace after Meals in what is known as the zimmun ("invitation to bless").[5][7]

The tractate formulates the berakha m'ayn shalosh ("blessing abridged from the three blessings" of the Grace after Meals), recited for food or drink made from any of the seven species wheat, barley, grape, fig, pomegranates, olive (oil), and date (honey) which are listed in the Hebrew Bible (Deuteronomy 8:8) as being special products of the Land of Israel.For all other foods, besides bread or the products of the seven species, a one blessing berakha acharona ("blessing recited after eating or drinking") is recited.[5]

The tractate also discusses the various requirements for Kiddush, the sanctification prayers recited over wine on Shabbat and Festivals, and Havdalah, the blessings for the ceremony recited at the end of the Shabbat and Festivals.[7]

The tractate consists of nine chapters and 57 paragraphs (mishnayot). It has a Gemara rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah of 64 double-sided pages in the standard Vilna Edition Shas of the Babylonian Talmud and 68 double-sided pages in the Jerusalem Talmud. There is a Tosefta of six chapters for this tractate.[8]

Tractate Berakhot in the Babylonian Talmud has the highest word per daf average due to its large quantity of aggadic material. Some of these passages offer insights into the rabbis' attitudes towards prayer, often defined as a plea for divine mercy, but also cover many other themes, including biblical interpretations, biographical narratives, interpretation of dreams, and folklore.[2]

An overview of the content of chapters is as follows:

The topics of tractate Berakhot, relating to prayers and blessings, are seemingly quite different from the agricultural laws of the other tractates of this Order and several rationales have been proposed for this placement:

According to Maimonides, because food is the foremost necessity for life, the laws concerning its production and use the Order Zeraim was placed at beginning of the Mishnah. However, to first express gratitude to God for these gifts, the one non-agricultural tractate which opens this order is Berakhot.[3]

Another explanation given is the fact that since reciting the Shema in the evening is the first religious duty of the day, this may account for the placement of the tractate at the beginning of the first Order of the Mishnah the important principle implied in the first question of the tractate, "From what time is it allowed to read the evening Shema?" is that the day is calculated from evening to evening and thus the Mishnah begins with the first mitzvah commandment that a Jew is obligated to fulfill every day.[1]

The Talmud itself (Shabbat 31a), cites an explanation given by Resh Lakish, who homiletically states that the first six terms in a verse in Isaiah (Isa 33:6) refer to the six orders of the Mishna and the first word, "emunah" (faith), corresponds to Zeraim. This is seen as an explanation for why the regulations regarding prayers and blessings and especially those concerning the recital of the Shema prayer the Jewish declaration of faith in the One God came to be grouped with agricultural laws, which are seen both as an expression of faith through reliance on God and, according to the commentator Rashi, (1040 1105 CE), as an expression of faithfulness in social relationships, by the provisions of dues to the poor, the priests and the Levites as described in the other tractates of this Order.[9]

Composed towards the end of the Mishnaic period (c. 30 BCE - 200 CE) in the Roman province of Judea, the Mishnah of tractate Berakhot contains traditions covering the full range of sages from the period, from the Second Temple period until the end of the period of the Tannaim.[2][10]

This tractate, along with other literature from the Second Temple era, especially the liturgical texts of the Dead Sea Scrolls, has provided scholars with a better understanding of the place of Jewish prayer in the broader evolution of Jewish worship of the time when it coexisted alongside the sacrificial worship of the Temple in Jerusalem. The tractate also provides significant information about the eating customs of the Jews in Babylon (chapter 6), and of the Jews in Roman Palestine, which were largely modeled on those of the Romans (chapter 8) by the time the Mishna was written (c. 200 CE).[2][4]

Initially, the prayers instituted by the Talmudic rabbis were primarily learned and transmitted orally and prayer texts may have been flexible within these accepted structures. Only around the fourth century CE does synagogue architecture in the Land of Israel begin to consistently reflect the physical orientation towards Jerusalem required by rabbinic worship. By that time, prayer had become a function of the synagogue, with a shaliach tzibbur ("leader of the congregation") who recited the prayers out loud to enable those incapable of praying properly on their own to fulfill their obligations to participate by listening and responding "amen".[11]

Around the essential main prayers of the Shema and Amidah, other elements seem to have arisen, probably in the later Talmudic period during the time of the Amoraim. These included the recitation of psalms and other collections of biblical verses known as pesukei dezimra ("verses of song") prior to the main prayers in order to set an appropriate frame of mind for praying (Berakhot 5:1), and the recitation of individual prayers after the Amidah. These began as private supplications, including personal requests (Tosefot to Berakhot 3:10), but were gradually formalized. These elements took different forms in the Land of Israel and in Babylonia, as the findings of some of these texts in the Cairo Genizah have shown.[11]

During the Talmudic period, the norm developed that the ideal language for prayer was Hebrew, although other languages were considered acceptable for many prayers (BT, Berakhot 13a). By the end of the Talmudic period, consensus existed as to the basic formulation of most prayers, though regional variations remained.[11]

By the end of the Talmudic period (c. 500 CE), two distinct prayer rites had developed, in the Land of Israel and in Babylonia. However, by the end of the period of the geonim (c. 1038 CE), the prayers of all the traditional Jewish communities had largely conformed to the liturgy of the Babylonian Jewish community, and this has remained so until the present time, with only minor textual and structural variations among them.[4]

Both the Babylonian Talmud (BT) and Jerusalem Talmud (JT) include original prayers, many of which have been included in the Siddur, the daily prayer-book. The prayers are mostly the same in form and content in both Talmuds.[1]

Many of the Talmudic sages arranged personal petitions that they would say at the conclusion of the Amidah, some of which are cited in this tractate [12] Elohai ("My God"), the private meditation of the fourth century sage, Mar son of Ravina, as recorded in this tractate, has become universally accepted as the concluding meditation of the Amidah in the liturgies of all the Jewish communities. It begins with the words "My God, guard my tongue from evil and my lips from deceitful speech" and reflects the opening meditation of the Amidah "O Lord, open my lips so that my mouth may declare your praise" in that, having asked God to guide what to say in his presence, it now asks Him to guide what not to say in the presence of other human beings.[13]

Yehi Ratzon ("May it be Your will"), the personal prayer of the late secondearly third century sage, Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi, as recorded in this tractate (Talmud, b. Berakhot ), requesting protection from harmful events, people and temptations, which he recited every day after the morning service, has been incorporated at the beginning of the morning service in both the Ashkenazi and Sefardi liturgies, albeit with minor textual variants in each.[14][15]

The second part of the Nishmat prayer, recited on Sabbath and Festivals, from the words "If our mouths were as full of song as the sea...we could not sufficiently praise You O Lord our God" is the text of a thanksgiving prayer for rain cited in this tractate (Talmud, b. Berakhot ).[15]

Another prayer beginning with Elohai ("My God") and continuing with "the soul which you have given me is pure" is recorded in this tractate (BT, Berakhot 60b) expressing gratitude to God for restoring ones spirit upon awakening in the morning and for providing the person with the requirements for life and health. This text is the introduction to the series of fifteen blessings recited in the early morning service in both the Ashkenazi and Sefardi liturgies, in accordance with the teaching on Berakhot 60b, that as one experiences the phenomena of the new day, one should bless God for providing them.[16][17]

The concluding statement of the tractate in both the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmud (BT, Berakhot 64a) is Amar Rabbi Elazar ("Rabbi Elazer said"), "Torah scholars increase peace in the world..." and it is recited at the end of the Kabbalat Shabbat service welcoming the Sabbath on Friday night in the Ashkenazi liturgy, and towards the end of the Musaf service on Sabbaths and Festivals in both the Ashkenazi and Sefardi liturgies.[1][18]

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Berakhot (tractate) - Wikipedia

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Posted By admin on January 4, 2022

Reverend Ian MacInnes-Green| The Petoskey News-Review

Now comes the time of the year, where we are not sure what to wear week to week; for it could be 45 degrees Fahrenheit one week and 15 below zero Fahrenheit the next. In the letter to the Colossians, the author writes how to dress, regardless of the weather; but rather how to dress ourselves for the faith we confess.

To begin with, we need to take off the clothing and beliefs we have, much like Moses before the burning bush, he is to take off his shoes for he is standing on holy ground. The Hebrew word that is translated into English for take off is literally means to shed. Much like a snake sheds its skin on a regular basis, so we too must take notice what we wear when it comes to our faith and beliefs.

In the third chapter in the letter to the Colossians, we read that we are to begin to cloth ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience and thankfulness. When we start to cloth ourselves with these attributes, we learn how to deal with our neighbors and with our own sense of self. We are called to forgive each other; how many start off with being able to forgive themselves for the actions we take or do not take? How many of us hold on to the mistakes that we make and wrap ourselves in chains to drag around for the rest of our lives. It has been said that holding on to grudges we have of others is like offering poison to the person, but we drink the poison ourselves hoping the other person dies.

We are called to cloth ourselves with love, which binds everything in perfect harmony. One of the hardest people we have to learn to love is ourselves. In this political and emotional time, the separation of each other is getting wider and wider. What would it look like, if we were able to love ourselves and each other? Throughout the Christian scriptures, we are called to forgive, love and pray for each other; including those we perceive to be our enemies.

We are to continue to dress from the inside out: clothing our hearts with the peace of Christ. The Hebrew word shalom is often translated into the English as peace. Shalom does not mean the absence of war, but the wholeness of God to be within us and each other. Shalom is the love, justice, healing and reconciliation with God, ourselves and each other. This will lead us to be thankful not only for each other, but for all of humanity and creation as well; for God created All.

As we let the word of Christ dwell within us, we will learn to live faithful lives with the richness that God calls for us. With Christ dwelling and residing within us, our thoughts and actions are transformed. It will be with every heartbeat and breath that the Divine will flow through us to all of creation, including each other.

We are called to teach and admonish one another in wisdom and love. In order to teach and admonish each other, we need to start with ourselves. We are called to recognize the venom, painful and hurtful words we speak to each other, but also that we speak with our own inner thoughts. Let the power of God bring forgiveness and love before we start to teach and admonish each other; then we can speak words of power, love, grace and forgiveness from within and without.

This past week, Archbishop Desmond Tutu died. He was known for his ability to speak the truth and love to those in powerful positions. Tutu did not mince his words when speaking truth to power; he was able to speak shinning and healing light where darkness of humanity and power reside. He not only called out his enemies, but also called out his allies when they were headed into the darkness of power over the powerless.

As we move into this new year, with COVID-19 and political divide running ramped, leading us into the darkness of humanity; let us cloth ourselves, inside and out with Christ as our guide, in word and deed. We remember that Christ is the Light and Word of God, rushing into the darkness to bring Gods grace, and the darkness can not overcome the light. Speak truth to your own power within you, and then slowly to others; but in all things, give thanks to God for everything we are to embody.

With prayers of peace, grace and love as we journey together into this new calendar year…

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Merry Christmas and happy New Year - Petoskey News-Review

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Posted By admin on January 4, 2022

LOS ANGELES Adam Nimoy gazed across a museum gallery filled with Star Trek stage sets, starship replicas, space aliens, fading costumes and props (think phaser, set to stun). The sounds of a beam-me-up transporter wafted across the room. Over his shoulder, a wall was filled with an enormous photograph of his father Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock on the show dressed in his Starfleet uniform, his fingers splayed in the familiar Vulcan live long and prosper greeting.

But that gesture, Adam Nimoy noted as he led a visitor through this exhibition at the Skirball Cultural Center, was more than a symbol of the television series that defined his fathers long career playing the part-Vulcan, part-human Spock. It is derived from part of a Hebrew blessing that Leonard Nimoy first glimpsed at an Orthodox Jewish synagogue in Boston as a boy and brought to the role.

The prominently displayed photo of that gesture linking Judaism to Star Trek culture helps account for what might seem to be a highly illogical bit of programming: the decision by the Skirball, a Jewish cultural center known mostly for its explorations of Jewish life and history, to bring in an exhibition devoted to one of televisions most celebrated sci-fi shows.

But walking through the artifacts Adam Nimoy recalled how his father, the son of Ukrainian Jews who spoke no English when they arrived, had said he identified with Spock, pointing out that he was the only alien on the bridge of the Enterprise.

Jewish values and traditions were often on the minds of the shows writers as they dealt with issues of human behavior and morality, said David Gerrold, a writer whose credits include The Trouble with Tribbles, one of the most acclaimed Star Trek episodes, which introduces the crew to a cute, furry, rapidly reproducing alien life form.

A lot of Jewish tradition a lot of Jewish wisdom is part of Star Trek, and Star Trek drew on a lot of things that were in the Old Testament and the Talmud, Gerrold said in an interview. Anyone who is very literate in Jewish tradition is going to recognize a lot of wisdom that Star Trek encompassed.

That connection was not explicit when the show first aired. And a stroll through the exhibition, which covers the original television show as well as some of the spinoffs and films that came to encompass the Star Trek industry, mainly turns up items that are of interest to Star Trek fans. There is a navigation console from the U.S.S. Enterprise, the first script from the first episode, a Klingon disrupter from Star Trek: The Next Generation, and a display of tribbles.

To some extent, the choice of this particular exhibition Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds to help usher the Skirball back into operation after a Covid shutdown reflects the imperatives museums everywhere are facing as they try to recover from a pandemic that has been so economically damaging. These days honestly, especially after the pandemic museums are looking for ways to get people through the door, said Brooks Peck, who helped create the show for the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle. Museums are struggling to find an audience and are looking for a pop culture hook.

It seems to have worked. The Star Trek exhibition has drawn 12,000 attendees in its first two months here, a robust turnout given that the Skirball is limiting sales to 25 percent of capacity.

This has been bringing in new people, no question, said Sheri Bernstein, the museum director. Attendance is important for the sake of relevance. Its important for us to bring in a diverse array of people.

Jessie Kornberg, the president of Skirball, said that the center had been drawn by the parallels between Judaism and the television show. Nimoys Jewish identity contributed to a small moment which became a big theme, she said. We actually think the common values in the Star Trek universe and Jewish belief are more powerful than that symbolism. Thats this idea of a more liberal, inclusive people, where other and difference is an embraced strength as opposed to a divisive weakness.

The intersections between the television series and Judaism begin with its two stars, Nimoy and William Shatner, who played Capt. James T. Kirk. These are two iconic guys in outer space who are Jewish, said Adam Nimoy. And it extends to the philosophy that infuses the show, created by Gene Roddenberry, who was raised a Southern Baptist but came to consider himself a humanist, according to his authorized biography.

Those underlying connections are unmistakable for people like Nimoy, 65, a television director who is both a devoted Star Trek fan and an observant Jew: He and his father often went to services in Los Angeles, and Friday night Sabbath dinners were a regular part of their family life.

Nimoy found no shortage of Jewish resonances and echoes in the exhibition, which opened in October and closes on Feb. 20. He stopped at a costume worn by a Gorn, a deadly reptilian extraterrestrial who was in a fight-to-the-death encounter with Kirk.

When he gets the Gorn to the ground, hes about to kill him, Nimoy recounted. The Gorn wants to kill Kirk. But something happens. Instead he shows mercy and restraint and refuses to kill the Gorn.

Very similar to the story of Joseph, Nimoy said, referring to the way Joseph, in the biblical book of Genesis, declined to seek retribution against his brothers for selling him into slavery.

Leonard Nimoy died in 2015 at the age of 83. Shatner, who is 90 and recently became the oldest person to go into space, declined to discuss the exhibition. Unfortunately Mr. Shatners overcommitted production schedule precludes him from taking on any additional interviews, said his assistant, Kathleen Hays.

The Skirball Cultural Center is set on 15 acres, about 20 miles from downtown Los Angeles.

The exhibition ran for about two years in Seattle after opening in 2016 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the original Star Trek TV shows 1966 debut. (That version was on NBC for three seasons.) The exhibition had been intended to tour, but those plans were cut short when the pandemic began to close museums across the country.

The exhibition was assembled largely from the private collection of Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft and founder of the Museum of Pop Culture, who died in 2018.

Peck said he wanted to commemorate the anniversary of the series with an exhibition that explored the outsize influence the television show had on American culture. The answer that I am offering is that Star Trek has endured and inspired people because of the optimistic future it presents the good character of many of its characters, Peck said. They are characters that people would like to emulate.

Skirball faced a bit of a challenge in trying to explain to its audience how Star Trek' fit in with what they do, he said. Happily it completely worked out. I had always hoped that Skirball could take it. Skirballs values as an institution so align with the values of Star Trek and the Star Trek community.

Bernstein, the Skirball director, said the exhibition seemed a particularly good way to help bring the museum back to life.

There was never a better time to present this show than now, she said. We very much liked the idea of reopening our full museum offerings with a show that was about inspiring hope. A show that promised enjoyment.

By spring, Star Trek will step aside for a less surprising offering, an exhibition about Jewish delis, but for now, the museum is filled both with devotees of Jewish culture, admiring a Torah case from China, and Trekkies, snapping pictures of the captains chair that Kirk sat in aboard the Enterprise.

There is no such thing as too much Star Trek, Scott Mantz, a film critic, said as he began interviewing Adam Nimoy after a recent screening at the museum of For the Love of Spock, a 2016 documentary Nimoy had made about his father. A long burst of applause rose from his audience.

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To Boldly Explore the Jewish Roots of Star Trek - The New York Times

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Posted By admin on January 4, 2022

norman lebrecht

January 04, 2022

Ronald Smith would have been 100 this week. A shy man, almost blind, he sought no limelight. But without him the world would never have heard of Alkan, and much else.

Heres an article I wrote way back in 2000, four years before Ronald died:

British music and the art of the possibleNorman Lebrecht

BRITAIN never used to be much of a country for pianists. There was Dame Myra Hess, who played us through the war, and Solomon, who played us out of it until his arm was paralysed by a stroke.

Then John Ogdon won the 1962 Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow, sharing top prize with Vladimir Ashkenazy, and a sea change overcame the self-perception of British pianists. Suddenly, it seemed that our diffident artists were ready to join the mainland of piano playing, where big cats of the keyboard prowl the Liszt tudes and lazily survey the broader fingerspans of late Busoni.

Ogdon was a formidable pianist. At college in Manchester, he would play ink-wet sheets of music by his friends Peter Maxwell Davies and Harrison Birtwistle. He persuaded the unplayable British composer Kaikhosru Sorabji to let him tackle his mountainous chords and performed other superhuman feats until mental illness and overwork wore him down.

Ogdons was the art of the possible. His success encouraged British pianists to believe that nothing was beyond them. In the bowels of the BBC, a Kentish man called Ronald Smith found some scores by Alkan, a 19th-century French master of redoubtable repute. Smith took a shine to Alkan, and wrote the first biography of the reclusive composer his real name was Charles Valentin Morhange and made premiere recordings for EMI.

Smith was an unlikely keyboard lion. A courteous man, easily mistaken for a bank clerk, he had started out as a composer, but Henry Wood booked him to play a Bach Prom and word got around that he could play half of Groves dictionary. I first heard him, in an Alkan lecture-recital, reel off a stretch of Mahlers Sixth Symphony in Alexander von Zemlinskys four-hand transcription to illustrate the Frenchmans uncanny prescience. Not many concert pianists can quote a major symphonist, let alone relate him to their world.

Beset by failing eyesight and a reticent personality, Smith never courted the limelight. Now 78, he runs an academy in Canterbury for gifted youngsters, aged six and upwards, and numbers Freddy Kempf, a prize-winner at the 1998 Tchaikovsky Piano Competition, among his former pupils. Thanks to Smiths generation, it is no longer unusual for British pianists to hit the summits.

Smith himself has not given up playing you can hear him on September 17 at the Polish Institute in London and has certainly not given up on Alkan. This month, he brings to light the first-ever recording of Alkans chamber music.

Alkan (1813-1888) was a sensitive fellow who locked himself away in 1848 after failing to be appointed head of piano studies at the Paris Conservatoire. He gave occasional recitals in a small room at Salle Erard, attended by the pianistic avant-garde. Although Alkan was a contemporary of Mendelssohn and Chopin, his tonal leaps belong to the early-modern era.

The chamber-music recordings were planned 15 years ago by an EMI producer, Simon Foster, who decided that Ogdon should play the piano, partnered on cello by Stephen Isserlis and on the violin by Nigel Kennedy, whose mother is a friend of Smiths. The aim was to release the disc for the 1988 centenary of Alkans solitary death, crushed beneath a bookcase from which he had been trying to extract a volume of the Talmud.

The recording was ill-fated. Ogdon missed his train to a rehearsal and Kennedy declared himself too busy to learn the music. Smith, almost blind, sat down and memorised the piano part; he was joined by the cellist Moray Welsh and James Clark, concertmaster of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. By the time they were ready to record, Foster had left EMI and a new executive, Roger Lewis (now head of Classic FM), announced: This company is sticking to core works.

Nimbus Records stepped in excitedly, offering to record the music in a new hall it was building in Wales. By the time the roof was on, Nimbus was in trouble and being taken over by Robert Maxwell. When Maxwell fell off his boat, the financial hole deepened. Alkans music was recorded but not released. We expected it to come out, but it never did, says Smith.

Eventually Nimbus gave the unedited tapes to APR Records, which is producing them with as much of a fanfare as a rural Northumberland label can muster. A companion disc of Beethoven sonatas marks Smiths half-century as a recording artist.

The struggle to get recondite music and senior artists on to record is becoming hopeless. Smiths experience makes you wonder how many excellent recordings have been left languishing in the can, and how many mighty minds like Smith ply their craft provincially, far from the PR-pack.

The public are taken in by saturation promotion, he tells his pupils, but assures them that good music will always triumph. It sometimes does, but it can take half a lifetime to get heard.

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Muted centenary of an unsung pianist - Slipped Disc

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