Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on December 10, 2021

For more than two decades, Texan civil engineer Rasmy Hassouna was a contractor for the city of Houston. Hassouna has consulted the city on soil volatility in the nearby Gulf of Mexico a much needed service to evaluate the structural stability of houses and other buildings.

He was gearing up to renew his government contract when a particular legal clause caught his eye: a provision that effectively banned his company, A&R Engineering and Testing, Inc, from ever protesting against the nation of Israel or its products so long as his company was a partner with the city of Houston.

For Hassouna a 59-year-old proud Palestinian American it was a huge shock.

I came here and thought I was a free man. Its not anybodys business what I do or what I say, as long as Im not harming anybody, he told the Guardian. Were you lying all this time? If I dont want to buy anything at WalMart, who are you to tell me not to shop at WalMart? Why do I have to pledge allegiance to a foreign country?

But Hassounas reaction did not stop at anger. He took action, launching a case that is challenging the Texas law and by example similar provisions that have spread all over the US that seek to stop government contractors from boycotting Israel and can be found in more than 25 US states. Along with the Arkansas Times newspaper, A&R Engineering and Testing Inc is now one of only two companies fighting this kind of law in the nation.

Hassounas case which was filed on his behalf by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) will be heard in federal court on Tuesday and is based on the idea that such laws violate free speech. If ruled unconstitutional, the 2019 ban on boycotting Israel will be illegal in the state of Texas.

But Hassounas decision to sue is not without a price. It could cost him a substantial amount of his yearly revenue, his lawyer said.

They werent counting on Rasmy Hassouna from Gaza, whose family has suffered so greatly. He believes that Americans have the right to boycott whatever entity, foreign or domestic, that they want to. Thats what hes doing putting his money where his mouth is, said Gadeir Abbas, a senior litigation attorney for CAIR who is representing Hassouna.

Hassouna first set foot on American soil in 1988. Like many immigrants, Hassounas first experience of the US was New Yorks JFK airport. However, his final destination was the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, the university at which he planned to study civil engineering. Regardless how long it was going to take or how hard I had to work, I was going to keep aiming toward my goal, he said.

As a Palestinian under Israeli occupation, Hassouna had no claim to citizenship, so he had to get permission from Israeli officials in order to leave his home in Gaza, an area described by humanitarian organizations and politicians as an open-air prison.

For almost two months every day, I left the house and I took a cab to the center of Gaza city. I gave [Israeli officials] my government application, my ID. I went to the gate and waited from 7 in the morning until 5 in the evening. Youre looking at the month of June and July in the sun, just standing there.

After two months Hassouna finally secured clearance to travel to the United States for his university studies. Since Palestine is not recognized as a country, he was not issued a passport, but rather an Israeli travel document that stumped customs agents at every step of the journey.

When the time came for Hassouna to leave for the US, his neighborhood in Gaza was placed under a curfew. This meant that he had to escape under the cover of night if he was to make his flight. He recalled walking five miles behind his father, luggage in tow, to his cousins house, an area just outside the designated curfew zone. That was the last time he saw his father, who died before they could meet again.

Hassounas college experience was not unlike that of most American students. He recalled living with three roommates and surviving off the modest stipend from his teaching assistant position.

After graduating, Hassouna moved to Houston, Texas, in August 1992. Though he had a comprehensive background in his field, Hassounas early career was uncertain and tumultuous. He worked odd jobs at a Stop N Go gas station and convenience store before becoming a technician.

Back then, I would work 11-7 at the convenience store and 8-5 at the company. One of my students [from South Dakota] was my supervisor, making three or four times what I was making. She used to come and ask me for advice.

Finally, he was hired for an engineering position at another company with a starting pay of $24,000 what he described as half of what most engineers were making at the time.

Hassouna has come a long way since then. Along the way, he got married and had two now-teenage sons. His mother died a few years after his father, but due to travel and visa restrictions for Gaza, Hassouna was unable to see her or attend the funeral. In 2005, Hassouna became an American citizen. His place of birth listed on his certificate of citizenship read Israel, a statement with which he took issue.

I went to the lady who was giving the certificates away and told her I didnt want Israel on my certificate. She told me to go to the immigration center and that they would take care of it. I explained to them that my place of birth was not Israel, it was the Gaza Strip in Palestine. They told me Palestine was not in the system.

Hassouna handed the certificate back to the immigration official and asked them to return his green card to him, explaining he would rather not be a citizen than be designated as Israeli by birth. After much deliberation, the immigration office conceded and mailed him a new certificate with his place of birth listed as Gaza Strip.

In 1999, he and his friend Alfred started their own company, A&R (Alfred and Rasmy) Engineering. Together, they secured contract work for the city of Houston. Some 25 years later, Alfred has sold his share in the company to Hassouna, who is now the sole owner.

Now, Hassounas loyalty to his homeland is being tested. After reading the most recent city contract, he wrote a letter to the city asking them to remove the Israel boycott ban clause from the contract, arguing that it was his constitutional right to choose that his company boycott Israel if he so desired. City officials said it was out of their hands.

Now it is in the hands of a judge. If things dont go Hassounas way, he said he is more than prepared to suffer the financial consequences.

I want to stay working with the city and any other government entity. The thing is, I want to do it with my freedom intact and my dignity intact, he said.

This article was amended on 9 December 2021 to clarify in the text and subheading that the Texan legal provision concerned applies only to companies, not individuals.

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I thought I was a free man: the engineer fighting Texass ban on boycotting Israel - The Guardian

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Posted By admin on December 10, 2021

A man was fatally shot Friday in northern Israel in what appears to be a criminal feud, as the number of murder victims in Israel's Arab community rises to 118.

Basem Lofti Sarhan, 31, was in his car when he was shot at close range in the Arab town of Nahf in the country's north. Police opened an investigation under the pretense of a criminal dispute.

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Sarhan's murder is the latest in aparticularly deadly year for Israel's Arab community, which experienced a staggering rise in crime and intercommunal violence. In the country's north, Arabs are involved in 99 percent of shootingsand murders.

According to the Abraham Initiatives NGO, of those murdered this year, 99 were citizens and 19 non-citizens; 15 were women; and 56 were 30 years old or younger. Of the 118 murders this year, 98 involved a firearm.

Police have increased their efforts to tackle the proliferation of firearms in Arab towns.Last month,police arrested 65 suspected arms dealersin an unprecedented sweep operation.

However, the country's police have regularly come under fire for their handling of the rising crime wave. In a recent presentation to the government, police representatives outlined their plan to reduce crime in the Arab community by 10 percent in 2022.

After receiving blowback for their goal of 100 murders in 2022, the Public Security Ministry was demanded to present a more ambitious goal. The government also allocated 2.4 billion shekels ($780 million) as part of a national five-year plan to combat crime and violence in the Arab community.

There has been a significant drop in the Arab community'sfaith in the police's abilityto address the ongoing homicide rate. Only 23 percent of the killings in the Arab Israeli community this year have been solved, compared with 71 percent in the Jewish community.

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Israeli shot dead in north is 118th murder victim in Arab community this year - Haaretz

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Posted By admin on December 10, 2021

Israel is not expected to join the U.S.-led diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in China next year, a senior Israeli official told Haaretz on Tuesday. The official described the diplomatic boycott of the games as bizarre and added sarcastically that Israels snow sledding team is already warming up on the sidelines.

This week, the White House announced that no American government officials would attend the games in Beijing next year, including the opening and closing ceremonies, in protest at Chinas human rights record.

The American boycott of the games, which will be taking place in February, does not include athletes on the U.S. team. It is more of a diplomatic snub that will not have an impact on the sporting events themselves. It's not clear if the U.S. has asked its close allies, including Israel, to take a similar step.

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"The athletes on Team USA have our full support,"White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, according to a report in USA Today."We will be behind them 100 percent as we cheer them on from home. But she added: We will not be contributing to the fanfare of the games."

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Explaining the Biden administrations decision, Psaki citedChina's"ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and other human rights abuses. She added the administration did not wish to prevent American athletes from competingbut still wanted to signal its disapproval of China's actions. It cannot be business as usual," she said.

Following the U.S. announcement, Australia was the first U.S. ally to join in the boycott. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, like President Joe Biden, emphasized that while Australian athletes would be attending the games, Australian diplomats and government officials would not. The decision to join Americas boycott was not surprising, he said, considering the growing tensions in recent months between China and Australia.

The Chinese embassy in Canberra said in response that Australias success at the Beijing Winter Olympics depends on the performance of Australian athletes, not on the attendance of Australian officials and the political posturing by some Australian politicians.

By signaling that it wont join the American boycott, Israel could disappoint its closest ally.

The issue of Israeli-Chinese relations has been a source of tension between Washington and Jerusalem in recent years, particularly when it comes to Chinese involvement in major infrastructure projects in Israel. The United States also attaches importance to cultural competition with China, and if other U.S. allies later decide to join the boycott, Israel could face additional pressure to follow suit.

Last month, Israels president, Isaac Herzog, had a telephone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the first since Herzog took office earlier this year. The call was described as friendly and took place after repeated signals from top U.S. officials that they expect Israel to stand with America in its dispute with Beijing.

The call came just days after Biden and Xi held a three-hour conversation of their own in which they agreed to tread carefully as their nations navigate an increasingly fraught competitive relationship.

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Israel not expected to join bizarre U.S. boycott of Winter Olympics in China - Haaretz

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Posted By admin on December 10, 2021

If there is anything that could classify Bob Dolethe longtime Kansas senator, U.S. House Majority and Minority leader, and the 1996 Republican nominee for presidentit was his resilience to forge on.

Dole, who died last week at the age of 98, was never expected to survive his World War II injuries on the battlefield. While the injuries made his right hand unusable and dashed the athletic young mans dreams to be a surgeon, after three years of being bedridden, it also altered his future. Having a disability changes your whole life, not just your attitude, he said in a 1999 interview. With that, Dole did not let it pull him down, saying I learned to apply myself more and made good grades for a change.

Indeed, it was perhaps resilience that Dole admired most. And he saw that trait in the Jewish people.

At the end of a 1991 meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir the senator told him: Mr. Prime Minister, do you know why the Majority leader [Maine Democratic Sen. George Mitchell] and I absolutely disagree with you, but immensely respect you? Because youre tough.

Bob Dole in 1945, recovering from injuries sustained during World War II at Winter General Hospital in Topeka, Kansas. Credit: Dole Institute of Politics.

At a 1978 speech in Florida, Dole used the term Eretz Israel, stressing the way Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin referred to Israel, saying that he agreed with the distinction that Begin made between liberated and occupied territory. Perhaps a better term, he said, would be redeemed territory.

He told those gathered at the Israel Bond Man of the Year dinner that it was more important than the peace between Israel and Egypt, which was on the table at the time, not be sacrificed for the political needs of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat or U.S. President Jimmy Carter. The peace that will be concluded must transcend politics, he said.

During his first few years in Congress, Dole made few headlines when it came to the Jewish community or Israel. When the Senate Finance Committee gathered to discuss the free-trade agreement with Israel, which would be the first of its kind, others discussed the pros and cons, while Dole told the committee chairman he had no questions rather, he said, I just have an interest in implementing this agreement, and I wanted to be here to indicate that.

In 1987, he led the call to shut down the offices of the Palestinian Liberation Organization in the United States. While it had missions in more than 100 countries, the terrorist group continued to target and murder Jews. Dole wrote in a letter to the U.S. State Department that while he would not want to violate anyones rights, something needs to be done about the fact that a known terrorist organization can maintain open and active offices in the United States. Several months later, he led a bipartisan bill to close down the offices to strengthen the defenses of this country against the real, physical threat that the PLO represents.

Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres (right) meets with Sens. Bob Dole (R-Kansas) and Trent Lott (R-Miss.)) in Washington, D.C., in 1985. Credit: Dole Institute of Politics.

Dont have to agree with every group 100 percent of the time

Given his history of support for Israel, Jewish groups were surprisedand confusedwhen, in 1990, as communism seemed to be on the decline in Eastern Europe, Dole made headlines when he said it was time for America to take a new look at some of its foreign-aid programs, noting that only five countries, including Israel, received more than two-thirds of American foreign aid. Does it make sense, at this historic moment, to provide these countries practically all of our aid at the cost of foreclosing dramatically promising new aid initiatives in Eastern Europe or other important countries? What about, for example, those Latin American nations in the front lines in the war against drugs?

Doles statement came on the heels of an appearance on NBCs Meet the Press, when he threatened to review aid policy to the Middle East if countries did not agree to hold Arab-Israeli peace talks.

A week after his proposal, Dole said, I dont think you have to agree with every group 100 percent of the time to be their friend. In a letter to Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), he explained: My assertion [is] that the leaders of the pro-Israeli lobby are shortsighted and selfish in their zealous efforts to protect Israels aid levels at any cost.

Dole also seemed to blame Israel for the 1990 murder of Marine Lt. Col. William Higgins, who had been kidnapped by Muslim terrorists in 1988 and killed in retaliation for Israels capture of a Shiite Muslim leader, Sheik Abdul Karim Obeid, from Lebanon.

I cannot condone, as a thinking person, how any governmentours, the Israeli government or any other civilized government, he said on the Senate floor, could embark on this unilateral, free-lancing course, without regard to the effect on innocents of other friendly countries, without regard to our common front against terrorism.

His damning comment was immediately rejected by the White House and the State Department.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Republican presidential candidate Sen. Bob Dole in 1996. Photo by Yaacov Saar/GPO.

Though this episode tainted his legacy, before running for president in 1996, Dole authored The Jerusalem Embassy Relocation Act, which was signed into law. While many saw it as a way to gain Jewish support, Dole said that it was just the right time to introduce as there was bipartisan backing for the bill that did not previously exist.

In defining what makes a leader, Dole said leaders make hard decisions and have to live with the consequences. They dont pass it off to somebody else. They do what has to be done. And at their best, they accept change, even while adhering to the values that are timeless: to duty and decency, to courage and sacrifice, to public conscience and personal responsibility.

In 1995, talking about the Holocaust, Dole said that American leadership was a failure during the Second World War, as they stood by as 6 million Jews were being murdered. Never again would America sit on her hands, if our leadership was needed to confront genocide, he stated.

When it came to Israel, he said that after the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel sought peace in the form of official agreements. All nations, Israel not least, have an inherent right to live in peace, he said, adding that Israel has been denied that right.

We all pray for that kind of lasting peace that will not only affect the people of Israel and of the Middle East today, but also the generations not born yet, Dole said back in 1978 at the Israel Bonds dinner.

He then quoted from Isaiah, saying in Hebrew: Lo teydah milchamahThey shall not know war.

The post Doles mercurial relationship with Israel didnt diminish respect for his service, integrity appeared first on JNS.org.

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Dole's mercurial relationship with Israel didn't diminish respect for his service, integrity - Cleveland Jewish News

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Posted By admin on December 10, 2021

Israel revoked the temporary residence permit of a human trafficking victim from Ethiopia who was forced into a marriage with an Israeli citizen, two days before a scheduled interview with the Population and Immigration Authority in violation of the agencys own rules and without an explanation.

The womans status was revoked despite her application to extend her visa, in accordance with Interior Ministry protocols for dealing with female victims of violence, and despite the fact that the Justice Ministrys national anti-trafficking officer was in contact with her lawyers. Immigration agency officials apologized and cited human error. However, a source in the authority criticized the handling of the affair and the treatment the victim received.

In late November Haaretz reported on the situation of the woman, who is referred to in the article as H. The report notes that about 15 Ethiopian women are known to have been brought to Israel for forced marriages. Most of them have been recognized as trafficking victims, and the state believes there are many more in the same situation that it doesnt know about.

On Tuesday the womans husband was detained for questioning for the first time. The purpose of his interrogation conducted in cooperation with Interpol, which is gathering evidence in Ethiopia is to strengthen the argument that the offenses go beyond mere violence and also constitute human trafficking. Police officials told Haaretz that the investigation in Ethiopia is hampered by lack of cooperation and by the fighting in the area.

The woman, who was given temporary residency by dint of marriage to an Israeli citizen, was recognized as a victim of trafficking in April 2020 and has been living in a shelter for female victims of domestic violence for nearly a year. However her husband was not arrested or questioned until recently. Police detectives have instructed her to remain in the shelter in order to keep her safe until the investigation is completed.

On November 9, Sigalit Zohar, the Justice Ministrys national anti-trafficking officer, asked the police and the head of the immigration authoritys temporary populations division, Michal Yosepof, to help the woman. Zohar repeated her plea about a week later, writing that the woman was expected to move to an apartment operated by the charity No2Violence Against Women and asking for the immigration agencys humanitarian department to consider making her temporary residence permanent. This is a particularly difficult humanitarian case, of human trafficking and of severe sexual violence on the husbands part, Zohar wrote. She did not receive a reply.

On Tuesday, she and her attorney, Michal Pomeranz, who is representing her on behalf of the Justice Ministrys legal aid department, visited the Population and Immigration Authority office in central Israel for a hearing and to submit a residency request based on humanitarian grounds. According to authority regulations, the residency permit of anyone submitting a request is automatically extended by a month until the committee chairperson makes a decision. However, Pomeranz was informed two days before the committee meeting that H.s permit, which was valid until December 16, was being rescinded. H. was asked at the end of the meeting to sign off on the Hebrew-language minutes, even though she doesnt speak the language.

It is regrettable that the Population Authority acts once again with such unreceptiveness toward a woman who has undergone incredibly difficult experiences, and the fact that the authority made a decision before even bothering to hear her is infuriating, Pomeranz the attorney and Zohar the anti-trafficking officer said in a statement. An immigration officer asked her during her interview, which lacked any privacy and was next to another womans hearing, why she hadnt told immigration officials about her troubles in other interviews. Were talking about the authoritys atrocious lack of awareness and a badge of shame. Its unclear why the authority expects people to have faith in it when it acts this way.

H.told Haaretz in August, when she knew her permit would expire in December, that she didnt know where to go to. We were exploited in all sorts of ways, she recalled. After they used us, they tossed us out like trash. They told us: Who are you, who will listen to you? You have no citizenship. We were brought like luggage. The men looked at us like were their property.

Vardit Danziger, director-general of No2Violence Against Women, said: It is frustrating and disappointing that instead of letting H. rehabilitate in wake of the violence she suffered, she is forced to fight a war of survival. If she will be forced to return to Ethiopia, itll be like going back to hell.

H., in her 20s, grew up with her father and stepmother, who signed the deal with the Israeli man when H. was a student. The father and stepmother spoke with the man by phone while he was in Israel, and he promised to open a store for H. and that she would continue her studies. H. opposed the match and fled to a relative, but he brought her back home. H. recalled that the Israeli first met her at a hotel in Ethiopia, where he confined her and raped her several times a day for two weeks, sometimes until she fainted. She came to Israel with him two years ago, and he filed in her name a residency request to the Population Authority.

H. said that she did not divulge her troubles during the hearings at the Interior Ministry to extend her permit because she was afraid of her husband and a divorce. She said that divorced women who return to Ethiopia disparaged and are condemned to a life of prostitution. H. lived with the man she married for two years, during which he forced her to work and took her earnings.

A coworker noticed her distress and referred her to the municipal welfare department. The polices human trafficking unit recognized her as a human trafficking victim and as a person being held in servitude in April.

The Population Authority commented: The case involves a couple, an Israeli and a foreigner, who started a graduated process of obtaining residency status for the female partner about a year and a half ago. She was given residency status last December. Three months after receiving that status, she left the home, and according to the information we received, she entered a shelter. Based on her representatives request, the process of recognizing her as a human trafficking victim began in parallel. The applicant was recognized as a trafficking victim, and at the same time stopped the process of receiving status by dint of marriage. As soon as the process ended, she was offered a residency and work permit in recognition of her status as a trafficking victim, but she refused the permit on the advice of her representative. Due to human error, the process of receiving citizenship by dint of marriage was halted two days before the interview to stop it, and we apologize for that. The applicant now has the option to receive the residency permit offered her.

The police commented: Violence in the family and between partners in particular is an unacceptable social phenomenon demanding care and special preparedness. The Israel Police takes it very seriously and deals with every complaint or piece of information in this area, with investigative cases handled thoroughly in full cooperation with the relevant authorities. When the complaint arrived, an investigation, which is still ongoing, was opened, involving investigative activities in Israel and abroad, including the arrest and questioning of the suspect, after which he was released conditionally. The complainants stay in a shelter is part of the assistance she received from welfare authorities to protect her.

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Israel revokes residence permit of woman recognized as victim of human trafficking and sexual violence - Haaretz

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Posted By admin on December 10, 2021

When we were young, my mother invited her Ob-Gyn to join us for a Friday night Shabbos meal. He was a fine doctor and a proud Jew a survivor of the Holocaust. He was thrilled to help bring children into this world.

During the meal he asked us kids if we knew about the Holocaust. We did. He then asked my brother and I the names of the concentration camps and we were only able to name two or three.

He was not happy.

He asked how my parents could bring up their children I was 9 at the time without a thorough knowledge of what had happened just a short 50 years earlier? My father simply smiled and shared how beautiful it was that we were learning in the yeshiva, studying Talmud and Jewish law, and sitting here celebrating Shabbos, openly, freely, joyously.

The doctor was not impressed, to say the least.

I have replayed this particular Shabbos meal in my mind many times over the years. I began to wonder why I dont know more about this most horrific atrocity that befell my people, my family, just a few years earlier.

As I got older I understood that I actually know very much about the torture, hunger, suffering, killings and murder at the hands of the Nazis, may their name be obliterated. In fact, many of my neighbors, shopkeepers and the people I sat next to in synagogue had numbers on their arms and spoke to us about what they went through and the families they had lost.

Yet, the focus of our education was not on what the world likes to show or teach about Jews, mainly dead Jews and the persecuted, but rather on the living, breathing, vibrancy of Judaism.

My parents worked hard to instill in us children the joy of Judaism the heroism, the bravery, the eternity and the growth of the Jewish people which is why we were sitting at a Shabbos table with 30 guests.

My father brought us to the Lubavitcher Rebbe to hear his talks and to be in his presence. The rebbe is upbeat, motivating and uplifting.

The rebbe, who survived the war, was alive. The rebbe had joy and, at times, the central shul where the rebbe prayed was electrifying. It was filled with forward motion, with a vision towards a stronger, rebuilt Jewish nation.

There were the lessons of the past, yet, the focus was on the future.

Our eyes were trained not to look backwards but to share the vision for the future and the potential of the Jewish people.

Over the years, I have come to appreciate this way of thinking much more. Not because what happened in the past is not important to learn from, but it is precisely because of the past and what we went through as a people that the need to reach out, uplift and be present for each brother and sister is essential to a thriving Jewish people.

It is not enough to be a proud Jew. That leaves the next generation, unfortunately, marrying outside the religion and essentially ending the Jewish line of his/her family.

We need to live an inspired life, a happy life, to teach and inspire those of the religion to be an active Jew, a mitzvah-fulfilling and proud Jewish person. This will keep us alive and thriving for a more meaningful life as individuals and as a people.

It is time we embrace the happiness of Judaism, the positive lessons and the amazing opportunity that G-d gives us to connect to Him, to have a relationship with Him. How fortunate we are to be living in this generation where, through our actions, we will be able to see and feel the fulfillment and promise that Moshiach is here. JN

Rabbi Mendy Deitsch is the director of Chabad of the East Valley.

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The joy of Judaism | Opinion | jewishaz.com - Jewish News of Greater Phoenix

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Posted By admin on December 10, 2021

One of televisions most notorious cartoon antisemites is now an Orthodox rabbi.

Eric Cartman, the egomaniacal, hate speech-spouting grade schooler on Comedy Centrals long-running adult animated series South Park, has had a change of heart in a new hour-long special of the show, which is set 40 years in the future.

In South Park: Post COVID, which debuted on Thanksgiving on the Paramount Plus streaming service, Cartman has converted to Judaism, leads a congregation in Colorado Springs, wears a tallit wherever he goes, and has a Jewish wife named Yentl and three children: Moishe, Menorah and Hakham. His trademark blue hat now serves as a kippah.

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Is Cartmans conversion for real, or some elaborate scheme directed at his old nemesis, Kyle Broflovski? Post COVID is only the first part of a new series of South Park movies commissioned as Paramount Plus exclusives, so we wont know for sure whats going on with him until the story arc continues sometime in December.

But his sudden devotion to the Torah is enough of a shocker to send Kyle, the shows long-suffering Jewish protagonist, into fits of rage, as he becomes convinced his ex-friends new life is just a mean-spirited ruse.

The Cartman-Kyle storyline is only the B-plot of the new special the rest involves the old schoolyard gang reuniting to try to uncover long-buried secrets of the pandemic but South Park has long used the dynamic between the two as politically incorrect comic fodder, dating back to the shows debut in 1997. Series co-creators Matt Stone (who is Jewish, and voices Kyle) and Trey Parker (who voices Cartman) have built many episodes around Jewish themes, frequently making note of Cartmans antisemitism usually as a way to mock actual antisemites.

The pint-sized sociopath has previously impersonated Hitler in an attempt to get Passion of the Christ fans to re-enact the Holocaust; faked having Tourette Syndrome in order to spout antisemitic speech in public; and tried to force Kyle to hand over his Jew Gold. Hes even jokingly converted to Judaism before, in a 2012 Passover special.

But this time, Cartman actually seems serious about his faith he even yells out Talmudic lessons while in the bedroom with his wife. Kyle, meanwhile, seems to have lapsed from his own beliefs in the intervening decades, noting at one point, Its been a long time since Ive prayed. The rest of the Broflovski family, who play a large role in the original South Park series and in the 1999 feature-length film, are nowhere to be found in Post COVID, though Kyle still lives in their house and keeps their photos on his wall.

So maybe seeing his longtime frenemy embrace the faith he once ridiculed could open up something in Kyle. But if so, that may take some more healing. When circumstances compel Kyle to host Cartmans family, he instead tries to kick them out. One of Cartmans kids exclaims, This is just like when our people were exiled from the Holy Land!

Jewish fans of South Park are used to Cartmans shenanigans: Odds are, theres something funny going on here. We wont know for sure whats up with him until the next made-for-streaming film, which is due next month.

South Park: Post COVID is now streaming on Paramount Plus.

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Cartman converts to Judaism on South Park after decades of tormenting Jews - Jewish News

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Posted By admin on December 10, 2021

Comic books and superheroes have a cult status. Perhaps its the desire to emulate them or perhaps its falling into a fantasy world where theres someone out there always protecting us from the bad guys. Whatever the reason, their popularity is unparalleled.

The fascination around comics stems as far back as the golden age of comic books the late 1930s to the early 1950s when they were first published and quickly found fame.

Many were created by Jews who had been forced out of work from American newspapers due to antisemitic quotas.

As MAD magazine cartoonist Al Jaffee has said in the past, we couldnt get into newspaper strips or advertising; ad agencies wouldnt hire a Jew. One of the reasons we Jews drifted into the comic book business is that most of the comic book publishers were Jewish. So there was no discrimination there.

Superman was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Captain America by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, Bob Kane and Bill Finger are responsible for Batman, and Kirby, together with Stan Lee, created some of the most impressive superheroes of them all Spider-Man, The Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Ironman, the X-Men, Thor and the Avengers.

Today these superheroes are topping the box office charts time and time again. In 2019, before COVID-19 disrupted much of the industry, Avengers: Endgame raked in more than $2.7 billion worldwide.

Now, Whistle is joining the DC ranks as the next Jewish superhero their first in more than 40 years.

She joins the likes of the Green Lantern, Harley Quinn, Batwoman, Cyborg and Alice Cohen and The Monolith. Fun fact, there is even commentary around the fact that Batmans mum was Jewish, making the Dark Knight Jewish too.

One of the reasons we Jews drifted into the comic book business is that most of the comic book publishers were Jewish. So there was no discrimination there

Willow Zimmerman is a 16-year-old Jewish social activist. She has curly hair, loves a good Reuben sandwich and has a dog named Lebowitz.

The story centres on how Willow copes when she finds out her mum can no longer undergo treatment for cancer because of the high cost. She finds a job with her mums friend, the income from which helps keep her family afloat and covers the critical medical treatment. But the job isnt all that it seems.

For Whistle author E Lockhart, its the superheros ability to relate to everyone that makes her so appealing.

Willow also represents the superheroes who walk among us in everyday life young adults who are searching for ways to make the world a better place, some of whom do so through a Jewish lens.

Whistle is a hero like me. Like you, maybe. Shes an ordinary person who sees whats wrong in her city and feels powerless to right it until she isnt, Lockhart told Jewish culture website Alma.

Whistle is a social activist, a secular Jewish person and a teenage girl working to support her mother through sickness all elements I havent seen so much in superhero comics. The story explores the dark, ethically-compromised side of a superheros life as well as the empowerment.

In one panel, Willow visits a synagogue as she struggles with the two vastly different sides of being a superhero the lure of riches and possible corruption verses the activism on behalf of her community.

The comic is full of Jewish references with Willow embracing her Judaism. Lockhart has even created a Jewish home for Willow and her story.

In order to make Gotham my own, I invented a neighbourhood called Down River. Its a formerly all-Jewish neighbourhood like New York Citys Lower East Side, now home to a wider range of people, but still holding onto a lot of its Jewish history and culture, said Lockhart.

There are stores such as Shelskys Bagels of Gotham and Rosen Brothers Delicatessen to make it even more authentic.

For Lockhart, Willow represents the Jewish tradition of interrogation. The Jewish intellectual heritage is to question, to have dialogues, to not let a moral conversation be over, but instead to keep thinking about it, pondering it, having dialogues about it, she told the Comic Book Resources website.

So, I tried to create a hero for whom that was also true.

Willow also represents the superheroes who walk among us in everyday life young adults who are searching for ways to make the world a better place, some of whom do so through a Jewish lens.

To me, you can wrap all of Judaism in one sentence, and that is, do unto others, American comic book writer Stan Lee has been quoted as saying.

All I tried to do in my stories was show that theres some innate goodness in the human condition. And theres always going to be evil; we should always be fighting evil.

And now, one of the batons has been handed to Willow as she inspires the next generation of superheroes.

Whistle is published by DC Comics Childrens, $24.99 (rrp)

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Former chairman of Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Waqf Board Syed Waseem Rizvis decision to convert to Hinduism is legally fine. He has that right under the chapter of fundamental rights in the Indian Constitution. To profess a religion, to convert, or even not to profess any religion is a normative idea in most democratic countries.

But Rizvis conversion has posed a predicament for the Hindu religion. His becoming a Hindu cant be as simple as someone converting to Islam or Christianity or Sikhism or Judaism. A Hindu must have a caste. Casteless Hindu is an oxymoron, an impossibility. Rizvis problem was fixed by Yati Narsimhanada Saraswati, who officiated the formers conversion at Dasna Devi Temple in Ghaziabad by renaming him Jitendra Narayan Singh Tyagi. And thus, the former Samajwadi Party leader got his caste, an abode to live under the bigger tent of Hinduism. What a relief. He has an address. Or has he?

Though Waseem Rizvi was a Syed, the highest rank in Indian Muslim hierarchy, he was inducted in a comparatively low Tyagi caste. A top-ranking Muslim should be made a Brahmin. Why else shall they convert? After all, this will be a downgrade for them in the social hierarchy.

This is also one of the reasons why Muslims will never convert to Hinduism in large numbers. A Sikh Jat or a Syrian Christian, who are placed highest in Sikh and Christian hierarchies, respectively, will not accept the subjugation of the Brahmins and Thakurs.

For the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to succeed in its ghar wapsi campaign, converting the higher-ups is very important. Those who hold top rank in the social hierarchy, also play the role of opinion leaders among the followers of that religion. If the top-ranking persons of a religious order refuse to convert to Hinduism then the middle and lower castes among them will also hesitate.

Also read: A state survey is no solution to lack of political will for national caste census

1. Why was a Syed not inducted in the Brahmin caste after he accepted Hinduism? The problem is that an outsider becoming a Brahmin is simply not possible. Brahmins are born, becoming one was not possible. Rizvi was adjusted in the Tyagi caste. Tyagis or Tagas consider themselves very similar to Brahmins but Brahmins have different ideas about the former. The two castes dont marry each other. Tyagis position in the caste hierarchy is almost that of the Bhumihars.

2. The second reason is more complex. Yati himself is a Tyagi and was earlier known as Deepak Tyagi. He included Rizvi in his own caste. But we dont know, at this point, whether the Tyagis will accept Rizvi (now Jitendra Narayan Singh Tyagi) in their fold. We can only guess whether the Tyagis will consider marriage alliances with the family members of Jitendra Narayan Singh Tyagi. If this does not happen, then his position will become untenable in the Tyagi caste. The possibility of him getting accepted in the Tyagi caste can become greater if the community were to accept Rizvis forefathers as Tyagis and his conversion as some sort of ghar wapsi (returning to home).

3. Third problem is about Narayan Singh Tyagis right to have upanayana sanskara (the religious practice of wearing sacred thread called janeu or poonal). In Sanatana Dharma Shastra, those who have rights to wear sacred thread are called Dwijas or the twice born. Historically and traditionally, Tyagis have the hereditary right to wear the thread. But will a neo-convert be allowed the practice?

Also read: Adivasis are not Hindus. Lazy colonial census gave them the label

B.R. Ambedkar has written and explained this problem in detail in his thesis Who Were the Shudras: The real criterion is not the wearing of the sacred thread but the right to wear the sacred thread. Understood in its proper sense, it may be said without fear of contradiction that the right to Upanayana is the real and the only test of judging the status of a person According to religious texts, only Brahmins have the authority to perform the upanayana ceremony. Will they perform the upanayana sanskara for a neo-convert Tyagi? If they refuse to perform the sanskara, then this will make Jitendra Narayan Singh a Shudra or even a Pancham (formerly untouchable).

Becoming a Hindu can be a complex and tedious exercise.

Despite taking all the pain of conversion, if the neo-converts are placed low in the social order, then it will only dissuade them from choosing Hinduism.

Its a fact that caste is a South Asian problem and no religion can claim that its followers do not practice caste in some form or another. But the difference is that among the Hindus, caste has religious sanction whereas caste among non-Hindus is without religious consecration. This makes the caste practice among Hindus rigid and thus prevents them from welcoming others into their fold.

Ambedkar argues that caste prevents Hindus from being a missionary religion. He argues that caste is inconsistent with conversion. Problem is where to place the convert, in what caste? It is a problem that arises in connection with conversion. It is a problem which must baffle every Hindu wishing to make aliens convert to his religion.

This is the reason that despite all efforts of Arya Samajis and RSS volunteers, the idea of shuddhi and the project of shuddhikaran remains a non-starter. Shuddhikaran only worked in the case of mainland tribals because they do not practice caste as a system of hierarchy in their social life. Thus, it is easier for a Christian tribal to re-convert to Hinduism because in a new religious avatar, his/her social status is not defined by any caste identity. The tribals were never part of the Hindu order. They were not even outcastes or pancham varna. This means that they dont have the Hindu problem of locating caste while converting.

If RSS actually wants to make India a pure Hindu Rashtra, it must undertake the project of large scale shuddhikaran, and annihilate caste amongst Hindus. To do so, the RSS will be required to denounce religious texts, Shrutis, Smritis, even the Vedas and Bhagavad Gita as these texts provide sanction to the caste system. Its not an easy task. Till then, Muslim and Christian religious leaders should not worry that people will do ghar wapsi to Hinduism in large numbers.

The reasons are obvious. As R. Jagannathan of Swarajya says, the larger Hindu society does not know how to accept the new converts in their faith. He asks a pertinent question: Why did Hindu society fail to win back even those Hindus who converted due to fear and coercion? He concludes by saying, The only way Hindu demography can be maintained or expanded in India is by making Hinduism a missionary faith, but this means creating an ecosystem to support such missionary activities. Islam and Christianity are leagues ahead of Hindus in this race. But if we dont start building this ecosystem now, the two Abrahamic faiths will gain at our cost. Hinduism will shrivel and wither in the land of its birth.

Its easier said than done.

Jagannathan is asking for a fundamental purge in Hinduism. To become a proselytising religion, Hinduism has to first annihilate caste. This is again a tough task.

Another issue is that without structures like caste, birth-based graded inequality and hierarchy, and ideas like karma philosophy and rebirth to sustain those structures, what will remain in Hinduism? Will that even qualify to be called Hinduism?

Its a real catch-22 situation. Until this is resolved,Rizvi becoming a Tyagi remains a rare affair.

The author is the former managing editor of India Today Hindi Magazine, and has written books on media and sociology. He tweets @Profdilipmandal. Views are personal.

(Edited by Anurag Chaubey)

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Posted By admin on December 10, 2021

A shofar blast signals the start of the ceremony.

The guests, many wearing brightly colored African-style clothing and head coverings, take their seats. A DJ cues up Grazing in the Grass by South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela, and the groom two-steps his way to the purple wedding canopy. He has on a white kippah and a shawl decorated with an image of a lion, the symbol of the Tribe of Judah. Then his bride begins sashaying to the chuppah to Jill Scotts Golden. She wears an elegant white dress from Nigeria and a white turban, and she holds a red, gold and green fan from Ghana.

Over the next half-hour, Ahk (Brother) Micael Ben Shaleahk and Acote (Sister) Aminah Ha Rofah will commit themselves to each other during a soulful and syncretic marriage ceremony that draws on Jewish, Hebrew Israelite, African and African American traditions.

God will be invoked by several names, including Elohim and Yah. One of the officiants will anoint the bride and groom by rubbing their foreheads with oil. The couple will exchange silver bracelets and jump over a broom. At the reception afterward, an entirely vegan meal will be served. And there will also be some spontaneous line dancing, all under clear skies.

It was perfect outside, Micael said in an interview after the celebration, which took place Oct. 17 at a former plant nursery in a rural part of Davis. It wasnt too hot or too cold. The wind was kicking up though it was that ruach letting us know that Yah was there.

A shortened form of the four-letter Hebrew name of God, Yah is the moniker favored by Hebrew Israelites like Micael and Aminah. Distinct from Jews of color and Ethiopian Jews, Hebrew Israelites are people of color, mostly African Americans, who identify as genealogical descendants of the ancient Israelites and practice a Torah-centered lifestyle but who, in most cases, are not Jews by birth or conversion.

There are communities across the United States, United Kingdom, Caribbean and Africa, with a wide range of ideologies and attitudes toward mainstream Jews and Israel. Perhaps the most prominent Hebrew Israelite is Rabbi Capers Funnye, who leads a congregation in Chicago. (He is both a convert to Judaism and the chief rabbi of the International Israelite Board of Rabbis.) The number of Hebrew Israelites living in the U.S. is unknown, as national religion surveys do not include the category.

Micael and Aminah, both 63, are affiliated with one of the more established communities, the African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem, which is based in Dimona, Israel. Both lived there for periods of time. Both eventually moved back to the U.S. and ended up in Northern California, Micael to care for his 94-year-old mother in Richmond, and Aminah to be near several of her children from a previous marriage.

Theirs was a relatively fast courtship; they spoke for the first time by phone in March a mutual friend gave Aminahs number to Micael and were engaged by August.

My mind was so far away from marriage when Micael called, said Aminah, who was living in Sacramento at the time and working as a midwife. Im thinking, my older self, can I really find a nice, healthy brother? She said she was impressed by how attentive Micael was to his mother, Marjorie. Micael said he was struck by the virtuous energy of Aminahs children. Children are a parents report card, and she has a good report card, he said.

The two said they bonded quickly because as African Hebrew Israelites, they share the same vegan diet (based on an interpretation of Genesis 1:29, in which God tells Adam and Eve to eat plants and fruit) and other core beliefs, as well as some of the same interests, including studying the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and doing yoga. It was definitely Yah who brought us together, Micael said.

Marriage and procreation are integral parts of African Hebrew Israelite culture, according to Yehuda Ha Cohane, a community priest (and Aminahs son-in-law) who helped conduct the wedding ceremony via an audio recording. He pointed out in an interview that in the Book of Genesis, God says it is not good for man to be alone before creating Eve. And in the same book, God instructs Noah and his sons to be fruitful and multiply.

In Israel, many African Hebrew Israelite men have more than one wife, and there are families with 10 or more children, he said. Micael and Aminah told J. that they respect the cultural paradigm of plural marriage and will decide if it is right for them after one year of successful marriage. (Officially, polygamy is illegal in the U.S. and Israel, though enforcement is lax.)

Yehuda began his recorded remarks at the wedding by giving thanks to Yah for permitting a return of our people to that great and mighty land of ours, Jerusalem, Northeastern Africa. (This was a reference, he said, to the belief that Israel is part of Africa, not the Middle East or Asia. A map on display at the wedding identified the African continent as Eden.) After prompting the couple to exchange short vows in Hebrew, he recited the priestly blessing and formally introduced Micael and Aminah as ish and isha, man and wife.

Hallelujah! he cried three times, in a call and response with the assembled relatives and friends.

After embracing, the couple set two brooms on the ground in front of the chuppah and jumped over them. This African American custom was once performed by enslaved people who could not legally wed. Asked why they chose to incorporate it into their ceremony, Micael told J. it represents that were crossing over to a higher consciousness thats what Hebrews do. (In the Torah, Abram later Abraham is referred to as the Hebrew because he crosses into the land of Canaan.)

At the conclusion of the ceremony, Aminah distributes colorful handkerchiefs to several women in the crowd, including two of her daughters, Tsviyah, 23, and Chaiyah, 21. They are given to single sisters to bless them with a husband, she explained of the tradition, which is unique to the African Hebrew Israelites. Its similar to throwing a bouquet.

The African Hebrew Israelites emerged in Chicago in the mid-1960s. At the time, African Americans were exploring their heritage and pursuing greater self-determination through various political and spiritual movements, including the Black Power and civil rights movements. The founders of the community decided to leave the U.S. after their future leader, Ben Ammi Ben Israel, shared that the angel Gabriel had appeared to him in a vision and told him it was time for an exodus. They spent over two years in the West African country of Liberia before settling in Israel beginning in 1969.

Although they view Israel as their ancestral homeland, they have never been fully accepted by the state because they are not halachically Jewish. As a result, they do not enjoy the freedom to immigrate there under the Law of Return, and fewer than 10 percent hold Israeli citizenship. At present, dozens are being threatened with deportation for living in the country without legal status.

Aminah lived in Israel from 1998 to 2010, and although she completed a Jewish conversion at a Reform synagogue in Cleveland in 1997, she said she was never able to obtain Israeli citizenship due to her affiliation with the community. Still, during her time in Israel, she discovered a passion for midwifery and helped deliver more than 200 African Hebrew Israelite babies.

I had a great experience, but I was expecting the Hebrews to be accepted because its the Holy Land, she said. To go there and see the discrimination of the people that was a rude awakening.

University of San Francisco Jewish studies professor Aaron Hahn Tapper included a short section on the African Hebrew Israelites in his 2016 textbook Judaisms, in a chapter on communities that exist at the borders of mainstream Judaism. He said in an email that Jewish adjacent groups like this one and the Samaritans a small community in Israel and the West Bank that practices a monotheistic religion similar to Judaism should be part of the conversation about the complex nature of modern Jewish identity.

Over time, [the African Hebrew Israelites] have had different iterations as related to the issue of Jewishness, identifying, among other signifiers, as Israelites, the true or real Israelites, Judeans, and now, of course, Israelis, he said.

He added that there are compelling reasons to cultivate amicable relations with such groups. As Jews make up 0.2% of the worlds population and 2.2% of the American population, Jews must have non-Jewish allies, he said. This is an ethical and moral necessity (as well as a strategic one), and Jewish adjacent communities are a good place to start.

Micael said he believes it is important for Jews and Hebrew Israelites to interact and develop a peaceful conversation. Yehuda echoed that sentiment, saying, We have to coexist. Our children [in Israel] are really pointing the way. He highlighted the fact that African Hebrew Israelite youth have been serving in the Israel Defense Forces alongside their Jewish peers since 2004. (Most community members living in Israel are permanent residents and, as such, are required to enlist.)

Ahk Pahaltiel was born and raised in Dimona and served in an Israeli combat unit during the 2006 Lebanon War. Now living in Houston, he remains closely connected to Israel he is one of 16 children, and most of his siblings live there. The governments move to deport African Hebrew Israelites represents a betrayal, he said.

They said if we completed military service they would grant status to everyone in the community, but they reneged on the agreement, Pahaltiel, 35, recalled in an interview after the wedding, which he attended with his wife and two daughters. We were lied to.

Today, he has Israeli citizenship as a result of his army service, but he said he decided not to apply for an Israeli passport in protest of the governments treatment of the community. We served hand in hand with them, and now theyre trying to separate our families, he said angrily.

While the African Hebrew Israelites administer official jurisdictions of followers in cities such as Chicago and Atlanta, the Bay Area does not have one. There are, however, small numbers of Hebrew Israelites those who are affiliated with the Dimona community and those who are not scattered across Northern California.

Some of them, it should be noted, are part of extremist sects such as Israel United in Christ (IUIC), which the ADL says promotes racist, antisemitic, homophobic and sexist elements of [Black Hebrew Israelite] ideology. Members of IUIC regularly engage in confrontational street preaching in Oakland, San Francisco and other cities. They are not connected to the Dimona-based African Hebrew Israelite community to which Micael and Aminah belong.

One wedding attendee, Netanya Davis, shared with J. her story of leaving Christianity as an adult and embracing Hebrew Israelite culture. A one-time Christian minister, Davis said she became disillusioned with the inflexibility of church doctrine. It didnt allow for dialogue and questioning, she said.

So she and her husband embarked on a spiritual journey that led them to Seventh-day Adventist and Hebrew Israelite teachings. They are now part of an informal assembly of Hebrew Israelites around the country who meet every week on Zoom with a teacher based in Netanya, Israel.

In October, Davis hosted an in-person Sukkot celebration for local Hebrew Israelites at her Elk Grove home that Micael and Aminah attended. The program included prayers, poetry readings and a pescatarian meal. We are still in our infancy stages of doing the holy days, she explained. Every time we do it we learn more and more.

Like many Hebrew Israelites, Davis took a new name after reconnecting with her true identity, she said. She chose Netanya because she fell in love with that seaside city during a 2019 trip to Israel. I went to the city and felt serenity and joy, even around the Jewish people there, she said. I felt no animosity.

She added, I think its OK to be separate and appreciate each others culture and heritage separately. We just dont have to be bitter and hostile.

Back at the wedding in Davis, Micael and Aminah and their guests sit down for the vegan potluck meal. Several dishes were prepared by their friend Amenhetep Isra El, a local chef who specializes in alkaline food, which is thought to raise the bodys pH levels and stave off illness. The dishes include wild rice with portobello mushrooms and pecans, an organic purple kale salad and raw chocolate made from cocoa and hemp seeds. (The chocolate received mixed reviews from attendees.)

Finally it is time to cut the cake. Sitting atop it are two figurines, dressed in vaguely Biblical garb. They are dark-skinned and are meant to represent Abraham, Sarah and other ancestors shared by both Hebrew Israelites and Jews.

Were calling on their spirit to bless us and deliver us from evil, Aminah told J., quoting a verse from the Book of Chronicles, the final book of the Hebrew Bible.

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Vows, broom jumping and vegan cake: a soulful Hebrew Israelite wedding in Davis J. - The Jewish News of Northern California

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