Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on November 30, 2021

Hanukkah began at sundown on Sunday. While Jewish people around the world are celebrating the festival of lights, what many might not know is that the word Hanukkah itself means dedication.

As the story goes, the holiday commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem after the ancient temple was destroyed. The Jewish people reclaimed it and rededicated it in order to preserve their religion and heritage.

And all these years later, Temple Aaron in Trinidad, Colorado, is having a sort of rededication of its own.

The end of an era

While it was never destroyed, Temple Aaron was on the brink of extinction. In 2016 the then 127-year-old Synagogue was faced with limited funds and declining membership. That's when the for-sale sign went up.

That's when Neal Paul got involved. Paul, a commercial real estate broker based in Littleton and the son of Holocaust survivors, drove for three hours to check out the synagogue. He was joined by Denver attorney David London.

It's like in the middle of nowhere, Paul said. I could not imagine as we were getting closer that there's any possibility of there being any sort of an interesting synagogue or building there.

As soon as Paul heard about a synagogue in trouble, he knew he had to go see it for himself.

When we got there it was just completely surprising, he said. Once I walked in the building, went upstairs and saw the sanctuary, it was hard not to fall in love with it. Id love to do everything possible to save it.

But in order to understand why one of the oldest synagogues in the Mountain West needed saving, you first need to know its history.

A marker was erected outside of Temple Aaron in June, 2019 at the Temple's 130th anniversary party

Jewish history of Trinidad

According to Kim Grant, the director of Colorado's Most Endangered Places for Colorado Preservation Inc., Jewish people started to settle in the area around 1867.

Thats the year two brothers Maurice and Isaac Wise opened a store on Main Street.

Then a little after that, the Jaffa Brothers Trading Company was established in 1872. The Jaffa brothers Sam, Henry and Sol also built Trinidad's Jaffa Opera House in 1882. Sam Jaffa was even elected Trinidad's first mayor.

Very early on, there is this small but prominent merchant and professional class of primarily German Jews who came to Trinidad, Grant said.

In 1889, Temple Aaron was built. It sits high on a hill overlooking downtown. It was built in a revival style, harkening back to Moorish, Egyptian and Middle Eastern influence.

Two finials resembling Torah scrolls frame the front faade. The sanctuary has a hand-carved bimah, its original wooden pews and colorful stained-glass windows.

It's really beautiful when light comes through those windows and bathes the sanctuary with color, Grant said.

At the temples height in 1917, it had about 250 congregants. Grant says those numbers steadily dwindled to a point where the local caretakers can no longer maintain it.

Mike Tranter

A family synagogue

Some of those caretakers include the Rubin family. Randy Rubin is one of the few surviving people who grew up attending Temple Aaron. He was born and raised in Raton, New Mexico, about 20 miles south of the Colorado border.

It was basically my brother and myself who were the only two Jewish kids in the Raton school system, Rubin said. We did not face any discrimination that I was aware of, but they just didn't know about Jews.

Once a week, Randy, his brother Ron and their parents drove up to Temple Aaron for services. Rubin said there were no other children, and everybody in those days was probably in their 50s or 60s.

Everybody was an uncle and an aunt, so to speak, Rubin said. And I was bar mitzvahed in that temple, as was my son, and my daughter was bat mitzvahed there. So I have a very close relationship with it, not only physically but mentally also.

By 1985, Rubins parents became the de facto caretakers of Temple Aaron. And in 2011, that job fell to him. That is, until the synagogue ran out of funding from their original endowment from the son of Alfred Freudenthal, the son of the temple's first rabbi, Leopold Freudenthal.

Rubin said they could no longer afford maintenance or upkeep for the temple and decided to put it up for sale.

It caused consternation and sleeplessness, Rubin said. Are we doing the right thing or doing the wrong thing? Will there be a rescue? There was no rescue in sight.

Restructuring and reviving

That's when Neal Paul got involved. And soon after he was joined by Sherry Glickman, a medical writer and editor in the Denver area.

In the beginning, Glickman she and Paul were uncertain that saving the temple made sense.

As things kept moving forward, it became clear that to keep going, we needed some additional help, Glickman said.

They started holding fundraising events in Trinidad and Denver.

People were really excited to hear about what we were doing, she said.

As interest increased, so did the strength of the temples board members. By this time, Glickman was the treasurer, Rubin became president, and Paul, vice president.

Paul said even though Trinidad lacks a large Jewish community, the temple has received major community support from townspeople, the city council and the mayor.

It's considered the third most important building that they're trying to save, he said.

Thanks largely to the support of both non-Jewish locals and Jewish people from around the country who donate to the temple and even fly in for events, Temple Aaron has seen a revival of sorts.

In May, the temple hosted its first bar mitzvah in over 30 years. Last summer, Paul and Glickman got married at the temples first wedding ceremony in 10 years.

I feel very fortunate that we were able to have it there, Glickman said. There's a certain feeling inside the temple, as well as just the beauty of it, and it's hard to describe. It was very powerful to feel that love and support there.

Mike Tranter

And according to Rubin, all the new events have led to new excitement that, just a few years ago, seemed impossible.

This synagogue was not built to be temporary, Rubin said. We want to have it there for years to come.

Rubin said he wants the people who donate from places like Maine and California to feel welcome in the temple too.

Other Jewish people, and non-Jews I might add, see the energy that's been expended, and they want to be part of it, Rubin said.

But despite all of the changes, Rubin says there are some things he hopes will always stay the same.

This may sound a little maudlin, but there is an odor when I walk into that temple and I remember from when I was a child, he said. It's a distinct odor, it's not foul, it doesn't offend your olfactory senses. And it's still there. And I don't want that to ever leave.

Alana Schreiber

Looking ahead

One way to ensure that is granting the building historic landmark status. Temple leaders first applied three years ago and after an exhaustive process, they're expecting to hear back in early 2022

Grant said historic landmark status is the highest level of protection a building can achieve. He said there are around 200 national landmarks in the United States.

But only seven of those are synagogues, and I believe only one of those is west of the Mississippi, one or two, he said. So this would be a really special deal for Temple Aaron and for the Trinidad community.

But before anyone can get too excited, Rubin says they're celebrating a different milestone right now: a working heating system.

It hasn't had heat for about seven years, and we haven't been able to have any events from probably October through April because it's just too cold in that building, Rubin said. We've raised enough funds. Heat is being installed as we speak.

And because the festival of lights falls during the cold weather season, Rubin hopes the temple will hold Hanukkah parties in the coming years.

Mike Tranter

The guests in this episode include commercial real estate broker Neal Paul; director of Colorados Most Endangered Places for Colorado Preservation Inc, Kim Grant; Temple Aaron president, Randy Rubin; and medical writer and editor, Sherry Glickman.

The music featured in this story comes courtesy of freemusicarchive.com. The songs include shtil by Dee Yan-Key, Klezmer by Crowander, Bagopolier Freylekhs by Alicia Svigals and Lauren Brody, and Dzhankoye by Vanya Zhuk.

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How to save a synagogue: Remembering the rededication of a historic temple in Trinidad, Colorado - KUNC

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Posted By admin on November 30, 2021

Among the many stories about Kolkatas synagogues which Jewish scholar Jael Silliman is fond of narrating is one about a plan in 1970s from members of the community to move the magnificent Maghen David synagogue brick by brick out of Kolkata.

The drastic plan was thought of as there were not enough people to take care of the synagogues due to the migration of Jews out of Kolkata.

However, the Maghen David synagogue, now protected under the Archaeological Survey of India, has survived the ravages of time and still stands as an awe-inspiring monument in one of busiest parts of Kolkata.

On a November afternoon, the Kolkata Circle of ASI organised a heritage walk, celebrating the Jewish architecture of the city.

The less than 200-metre walk from the Beth-El synagogue located on Pollock Street to the Maghen David synagogue at the junction of Brabourne Road and Canning Street amidst the sound of azan from a nearby mosque and bells of the centuries old Portuguese Church not only highlights the cosmopolitan culture of the metropolis but also splendid non-British architecture of the city.

Synagogues are not just beautiful monuments, they are the heart and soul of our community, Ms. Silliman said, describing the history of the Jewish settlement in Kolkata.

The first Jews arrived in Kolkata in 1799 from Syria via Surat, and in less than 30 years, they built the citys first synagogue Neveh Shalome in 1826. It was demolished in 1884 to give way to the magnificent Magen David synagogue but was later rebuilt in 1912 in the same compound.

For Ms. Silliman, if the Maghen David is the King of Synagogues because of its architecture, then the Beth-El synagogue is the Queen. She describes the Beth-El as the most complete synagogue with a Mikveh, a place for a ritual bath, a place from making matzah (unleavened flatbread used during Jewish Passover ritual) and a wine cellar.

Pollock Street, where the Beth-El synagogue (built in 1855-56) is located, was a Jewish neighbourhood and many important institutions including the Jews Girls High School were located just on the other side of the street next to the synagogue. A plaque highlighting location of the school which stood till few years ago, has gone missing now.

The different architectural elements of the Maghen David synagogue also tell the story of 19th century Kolkata which was part of a cosmopolitan world.

Designed by a British firm, Macintosh Burn, the Maghen David, unlike many synagogues has a steeple about 142 feet high and it had a clock imported from London. The floor in front of Sefer Torah (a handwritten copy of the holiest book of the Jews) sanctuary was designed by a Dutch firm and is made of castellon tiles.

Ms. Silliman, who has worked on the Jewish heritage of the city for the past two decades, also points out that when the Magen David synagogue was built in 1884, there was no electricity in the city and the beautiful chandelier in the synagogue was lit by olive oil.

After electricity came to Kolkata, a benefactor of our community bought a beautiful electrolia basically a big chandelier with 30 cut glass lamps with electric bulbs and it was brought from the Grand Opera House in Kolkata, she said, emphasising that such developments indicate how the Jews thrived in Kolkata.

Jael Silliman at a wine cellar at Beth-El Synagogue.

Shubha Majumdar, superintending archaeologist of the Kolkata Circle, said there are about 3,693 monuments and sites which are protected by the Archeological Survey of India in the country. Of these only two are synagogues the Magen David synagogue and the Beth-El synagogue both in Kolkata

Dr. Majumdar said at one point there were five synagogues in Kolkata. But the Magen Aboth synagogue established in 1897 and the Shaare Rason constructed in 1933 no longer exist.

The monuments Magen David synagogue and Beth-El synagogue came under our protection in 2003 and since then the ASI has been regularly involved in maintenance and conservation of these two synagogues. Both of these monuments which are among the citys oldest structures are in very good shape, the ASI official said.

These structures not only provide magnificence to citys sky space but are also part of Kolkatas unique composite culture. For many years these synagogues evoked awe among a section people of the city when they learnt that many of its care takers are Muslims.

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Stories of a syncretic past from Kolkatas synagogues - The Hindu

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Posted By admin on November 30, 2021

REGO PARK, Queens The story of the triangle-shaped lot along Queens Boulevard began 80 years ago. Over the years, a movie theater became a synagogue and a restaurant turned into a bank, and then a local diner.

A clock tower on the corner has become a beacon to Rego Park. Some neighbors dont want to see it disappear.

The land owner and developer has filed plans to demolish the building and is asking the city to rezone it. New plans include a 15-story residential complex with commercial space on the ground floor.

The building is not landmarked. The proposal requires city approval.

A public hearing was held this monthwith Community Board 6. Thats the first step in the process.

Therecommendation will be reviewed by the Queens Borough President, and then the citys Planning Commission, and finally, City Council will make thedecision.

Michael Perlman is chairperson of Rego-Forest Preservation Council. He lives nearby and it has been a favorite spot for his family, friends and community.

This means something to so many people. For our developers and politicians to ignore us, its unfair and a travesty, he said.

Someof the businesses have found new homes. The owners of the diner have another restaurant down the boulevard.

Perlman says the fight for the building and clock tower goes on. A petition set up by the preservation council currently has nearly 4,000 signatures.

A representative for the land owner and developer did not have any additional comment.

The company website says the new structure could be open by 2024. The review process routinely lasts six months or more.

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Neighbors rally to save historic diner and building in Queens - WPIX 11 New York

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Posted By admin on November 30, 2021

GOSHEN - The Republican-dominated Orange County Legislature is set to keep its current party split for another four years after a hand recount affirmed Democrat Laurie Tautel's come-from-behind re-election victory.

Tautel, a Highland Falls resident who represents the town of Highlands, much of Woodbury and the village of Harriman, had trailed Republican challenger Jennifer Gargiulo by nine in machine-cast votes after the Nov. 2 election. Losing that race would have cost Democrats one of only five seats they hold on the 21-member legislature.

But Tautel pulled ahead by seven after the county Board of Elections counted 130 absentee votes. The closeness of the race triggered a mandatory recount, which validated Tautel's win.

That final outcome preserved the exact party divide the chamber has had for the last four years: 15 Republicans, five Democrats and one independent. It also meant that all 19 incumbents who sought re-election won their races.

Election results: Republicans retain dominant hold on Orange Legislature

Ballot stakes: County Legislature seats and town supervisor contests across Orange

Ballots galore: Voters ask for 718 absentee ballots at one Blooming Grove house

Two close town supervisor races in Orange also came down to absentee tallies.

New Windsor Supervisor George Meyers, a registered Republican running on the Democratic ballot line, had led by just six on election night but widened his lead after absentee ballots were opened and went 164-63 in his favor. He wound up beating his GOP challenger, town CouncilmanStephen Bedetti,by 107 votes to win another two-year term.

In Woodbury, Democrat Thomas Burke overcame an 11-vote deficit on election night to become the next town supervisor, a post his late father John once held. After absentee votes were counted, Burke defeated Republican Anthony Spagna by 18 in their contest to succeed Frank Palermo.

In neighboring Monroe, Councilwoman Mary Bingham won re-election after absentee ballots expanded the slim lead she held over fellow Democratic Councilman Richard Colon on election night. Republican Dorey Houle had comfortably won the second Town Board seat at stake in that race.

The Cornwall Town Board also had a tight race for councilman involving two incumbents that came down to absentee ballots. Democrat Virginia Scott had trailed Republican Helen Bunt in machine-cast votes on election night but pulled ahead in absentee ballots and won reelection by a 28-vote margin.

In Blooming Grove, a campaign by Hasidic community leaders to elect a town councilman through write-in votes only culminated in a resounding victory for their candidate, Simon Schwartz but without the flood of absentee ballots they intended to gather.

Schwartz, whose name was not on the ballot,won the Town Board's Ward 4 seat with 432 write-in votes cast in person, rather than by absentee ballots. That total swamped the 245 votes cast for Samantha Rappa-Giovagnoli, who had run unopposed to succeed fellow Democrat Sonia Ayala.

The write-in strategy changed course after voters applied online in October for 718 absentee ballots to be sent to a single house in the village of South Blooming Grove. State and county election officials investigated the flurry of requests and ultimately mailed 327 ballots and rejected 391 applications. Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler said his office would investigate the matter after the election.

cmckenna@th-record.com

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Absentee votes turn the tide in several Orange County races - Times Herald-Record

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Posted By admin on November 30, 2021

Today on Midday, a variety of perspectives on Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other Identities, the 1992 play about Black-Jewish relations in America that's getting a new production at Baltimore's Center Stage. Opening night is Thursday.

Anna Deavere Smith is an award-winning playwright, actor and activist. (courtesy Center Stage)

Tom's first guest today is the playwright who created Fires in the Mirror: the writer, actor and educator, Anna Deavere Smith. In addition to the one-woman plays she has written and performed, her acting credits include dozens of well-known television and film roles. She has been awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, and in 2012, President Barack Obama awarded her the National Humanities Medal.

Anna Deavere Smith has revolutionized theater with work based on intensive interviews with people around the subjects she explores. She transforms these interviews into powerful shows that capture the nuances and complexities of the issues she takes up.

Her work has examined, among other topics, health care, the school-to-prison pipeline, and racial tension in Los Angeles following the acquittal of white police officers who beat Rodney King in 1991. In 1992, she wrote and performed Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other Identities, which explored the violence that broke out in a New York City neighborhood after a Hasidic Jew lost control of the car he was driving and killed an African American child. The play was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and Ms. Smith was a recipient of a 1993 Drama Desk Award.

Anna Deavere Smith joins us on Zoom from New York City.

Baltimore Center Stage is presenting Fires in the Mirror, in a live stage production that runs through December 19.

A little later, Tom speaks with Center Stage's artistic director and the director of its production of Fires in the Mirror.

But first, Tom is joined by two eminent scholars who help us explore the relationship between the African American and Jewish communities in America::

Dr. Susannah Heschel is the Eli M. Black Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College. Her father, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, was a close confidant and colleague of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. Heschel will be speaking in Baltimore a week from tonight about the current state of inter-religious dialogue in this years Manekin-Clark Lecture, sponsored by the Institute for Islamic, Christian and Jewish Studies. Her talk is entitled Recapturing the Prophetic Tradition: A Challenge for Interreligious Dialogue. The event begins at 7:00pm at Kraushaar Auditorium at Goucher College, and will also be streamed on YouTube. To register for the talk, click here.

Prof. Susannah Heschel joins us today on Zoom from Hanover, New Hampshire.

Dr. Charles Chavis is the Founding Director of the John Mitchell, Jr. Program for History, Justice, and Race at George Mason Universitys Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. Hes also an Assistant Professor of Conflict Analysis and Resolution and History at George Mason. His new book will be published next month. Its called The Silent Shore: The Lynching of Matthew Williams and the Politics of Racism in the Free State.

Dr. Charles Chavis, Jr. joins us on Zoom from Virginia.

Susannah Heschel is a Jewish Studies scholar at Dartmouth College; Charles Chavis, jr. is an author and a professor of history at George Mason University (courtesy Dartmouth/GMU)

Tom's final guests today are two artists who are bringing Anna Deveare Smiths extraordinary play, Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other Identities to life at Baltimore Center Stage. Stephanie Ybarra is the Artistic Director of Baltimore Center Stage. Nicole Brewer is directing the production. They join us on Zoom with their perspectives on this groundbreaking drama.

The one-woman play opens on Thursday night and runs through December 19.

Stephanie Ybarra is Artistic Director at Baltimore Center Stage; theater artist Nicole Brewer is directing "Fires in the Mirror." (photos courtesy BCS)

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Views on "Fires in the Mirror": the playwright, scholars, Center Stage - WYPR

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Posted By admin on November 30, 2021

Mike Rylko Park in Buffalo Grove will be filled with light on Sunday, as the Jewish community of the Northwest suburbs gathers to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah.

The celebration, hosted by the Northwest Suburban Chabad, will start at 4 p.m. with a car menorah parade proceeding from the synagogue, 16296 Aptakisic Road in Lincolnshire, and will culminate with the lighting of a giant menorah at the park, 1000 N. Buffalo Grove Road, at 5 p.m.

Attendees will enjoy lively Hanukkah music and spirited Hasidic dancing, as well as traditional Hanukkah treats such as latkes, doughnuts, hot soup and beverages. Children will get to see a juggling show, and prizes will be distributed to all.

Attendance is open to everyone.

This year's event recognizes the importance of community as the Chicago area slowly emerges from the hardships of the pandemic, said Rabbi Shmuel Katz, who codirects Northwest Suburban Chabad with his wife, Chanie.

"After the difficulties we have all experienced, the importance of community has never been more clear," Katz said.

"We're thrilled to be able to safely host this family-friendly event, and it's an incredible feeling to be part of such a visible celebration of Hanukkah."

For more information, visit nwschabad.org/Hanukkah.

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Giant menorah will be lit on first night of Hanukkah in Buffalo Grove - Daily Herald

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Posted By admin on November 30, 2021

Its really lovely to be part of the Boston community and the Jewish community coming out all together, especially during the pandemic, when its so hard to convene a group and celebrate, Braun said.

Last Hanukkah, the number of confirmed COVID cases in Massachusetts was surging: 5,369 new cases on the first night. The 2020 Boston Common menorah-lighting ceremony still took place, albeit with a smaller crowd and a livestream for people watching at home.

This year was more celebratory. A few dozen people gathered at the Brewer Fountain, from dignitaries and families who came to watch to passersby unfamiliar with the holiday, casually stopping to ask what the gathering was for. Members of the Jewish bluegrass band Kol Kahol, Hebrew for Blue Voice, played Hanukkah songs for the crowd.

Millions of Jews right now, tonight, around the world, are lighting the same candles in the same structure in their homes and in their communities, said Rabbi Marc Baker, president and chief executive of Combined Jewish Philanthropies.

Rabbi Yosef Zaklos of Chabad of Downtown Boston spoke about spreading light and joy from one candle to the next.

Theres a vibe, Zaklos said. People are happy to be able to be outdoors without a mask, in a safe space. There is certainly uncertainty. We all understand that. But I think when were anchored in goodness and positivity, it allows us to ride that uncertainty in a much more calm and collected way.

Though public celebrations of Hanukkah date back a few thousand years, Jewish people typically celebrate at home. Families hold small celebrations over eight nights with candle-lightings, prayers, songs, and fried food potato latkes and jelly-filled sufganiyot.

Members of Chabad, an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic, have been organizing large-scale menorah lightings since the 1970s as part of a campaign to raise awareness of the holiday and bring a bit of happiness and hope to public spaces.

Judaism teaches us that the best way to celebrate Hanukkah is infectious, Zaklos said. You light one candle first, you add in light, and you cant hold back from adding another candle the next night. In addition, you light the world around you. Its contagious because when you are bright, then those around you also assume positivity.

Zaklos greeted newly elected Boston Mayor Michelle Wu with a big mazal tov, as we say, to congratulate her. She did the shamash honors with Governor Charlie Baker as her three elected predecessors had, holding a blowtorch on the lift next to Zaklos, Braun, and Weiss.

Despite the many forces keeping us apart, despite how much we are trying to stay isolated, we need each other, Wu told the crowd. And we are showing in this city, and in every action that we take, that we can follow these same lessons of this holiday season: Of courage and perseverance triumph, and making sure that light will spread.

Baker acknowledged that these times are still difficult for many people but welcomed the light of such ceremonies.

In some respects, especially in times like these, I think its important for us to all remember that every day somewhere, someplace there are little miracles happening, Baker said. They involve acts of grace and kindness and generosity. And they are, in fact, the light that pushes out the darkness, which is what this menorah these eight days of light stand for.

Gal Tziperman Lotan can be reached at gal.lotan@globe.com or at 617-929-2043.

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Spreading light in menorah lighting on Boston Common - The Boston Globe

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Posted By admin on November 30, 2021

Buses move at a glacial pace, empty taxis are an endangered species, Ubers cost a million bucks, biking is like wheeled circus combat, and the subway turns into a water park when it rains. Maybe private aquatic travel isnt so crazy? Corey Orazem, the thirty-year-old owner of Jersey Jet Ski, thinks the future is a world in which office workers Jet-Ski to their jobs. Say goodbye to gridlock and road rage (and perhaps to a general sense of environmental responsibility).

Currently, New York City regulations make it illegal to park a Jet Ski along most of the shoreline without a special permit. But Orazem has been talking with legislators in New Jersey about updating its laws, and he hopes to convince New York, too. One warmish Saturday, Orazem jumped on a Jet Ski at one of the rental shops he owns, on the Hudson River in Jersey City, to begin his own commute: he would be zipping around the citys waterways to scout potential places where he could establish boat slips. Once you have that liberty on a Ski, its so enthralling, he said. Who wouldnt want to transport themselves like that?

First stop was North Cove Marina, at Brookfield Place, in the financial districta mile as the crow flies, two minutes and fifty seconds as the jet skis. No need for coffee on this commute. The Hudson slapping your face will suffice.

Orazem puttered into the marina. Easy as that, he said. Youre at the front door of the World Trade Center. Two security guards on the promenade began yelling at him; he swept noisily out. Next stop: Pier 25 Marina, in Tribeca, a three-minute ride. At the pier, Orazem poked around, fantasizing about the changes he would introduce. He explained how it would work: before embarking, commuters would zip themselves into dry suits, large rubber onesies that scuba diversever the vanguard of fashionsometimes use. You can wear your work clothes underneath and pop the neckpiece on, he said, referring to a rubber collar. Special boots come with the suit. Gloves are optional. Waterproof backpacks would protect briefcases and purses. Upon landing, a commuter could walk to work in the dry suit or change at, say, a gym. Better yet, a lot of the times, marinas have showers, Orazem said. In the true capitalistic world, you keep all your work clothes there. Annual membership for use of a slip and a changing facility: How about two or three thousand dollars a year?

A young man in a dinghy approached Orazem and told him that the marina was privately owned. Over the summer, we had a lot of people on Jet Skis from New Jersey jumping over the fence, he said.

Orazem seized the opportunity: Do you think that if there were slips here for people to keep Jet Skis, something organized

Thats what I was thinking, the man said. His name was Binh, and he told Orazem that hed unsuccessfully applied for a job at his company. (I liked Binh, Orazem said later. Hes definitely going to work for me.)

Orazem bought his first Jet Ski in 2016, when he was living on Staten Island, where he grew up, and was dating a dental technician who worked in Chelsea. The Ski, he found, offered a solution to the unbridgeable distances of interborough relationships. He instructed his girlfriend to hop over a fence at Chelsea Piers after her shift. I would throw up a waterproof bag, she would put all her stuff in it, Id throw her a life jacket, shed hop down, and we would blast right back, he said. (They split up a year later.)

On to Brooklyn. Orazem rounded the tip of Manhattan. A Staten Island ferry honked authoritatively. Sea levels rose. He reached Wallabout Channel, near Williamsburg, and pointed to barren banks along the water. This whole canal is literally perfect, he said. He noticed buses nearby with Hebrew lettering. Orazem runs Jet Ski tours, and he has many Hasidic clients. Ive never met people who are more motivated to come out in groups and go Jet-Skiing than the Hasids, he said. Sometimes I have to pull a yarmulke out of a Jet Ski propeller, but its no problem.

He pushed north, to Greenpoint. Fresh ideas were percolating. Jet Ski taxis. A courier service. He whizzed off and said, Forget Uber Eats.

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If You Jet-Skied to Work, Youd Be Home by Now! - The New Yorker

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Posted By admin on November 30, 2021

The South Koreans are at it again. Netflix struck gold by expanding into the South Korean movie industry as the country is a gift that keeps on giving! Following the massive global success of The Squid Game, another smash hit has emerged from the neon horizon of Seoul: Hellbound, a gory, violent, metaphysical horror story from creator Yeon Sang-ho, the man behind the zombie flick hit The Train to Busan.

Hellbound is only about monsters on the outside, as the real antagonists are cults, charismatic leaders and blind followers. Jumping off that board, heres a selection of cult horror suggestions to stream!

Midnight Mass

Mike Flanagan is slowly becoming the king of the isolated location horror genre. Following Hush and Haunting of Hill House, Flanagan takes on a journey to an isolated island community whose pastor fails to return from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Instead, a young firebrand priest arrives with a horrible secret literally packed away. The young priests revelations will turn the small community from a god-fearing congregation to a horrible cult able to carry through the most heinous acts.

Midnight Mass is a limited Netflix series that was met with great success when it came out earlier this year. It blends religious horror with the fear of isolation beautifully, resulting a highly bingeable series that delivers on its promise.

Apostle

I mean, a list on cultist horror series/films could not be complete with at least one entry about a rural community that worships a pagan god. At this point its a contractual requirement. Our selection is Apostle, the story of a man who tries to save his kidnapped sister from the clutches of a deranged Welsh cult. Thomas infiltrates the cult but soon finds himself in the middle of unspeakable horror. Be warned: this is not a movie for the faint of heart. This is Netflix that is violent, bloody and extra gory. Proceed with caution. And a crucifix, just to be safe.

So. Many. Documentaries

Sure, scary cults are fun but there is nothing fun about actual scary cults. Netflix has an abundance of cult-related documentaries, from the scientology-themed Going Clear to the eastern mysticism craze of Wild Wild Country. Much like an actual cult, when you enter the world of these documentaries is extremely hard to get out. Children of God tells the harrowing tale of a cult that encouraged child sexual abuse actors Joaquin Phoenix and Rose McGowan were born in that cult while One Of Us gives a glimpse of the life of Hasidic Jews. There is truly a large number of selections, just pick your poison.

Hellbound

Starting off as an online cartoon, Hellbound is the newest Netflix entry from South Korea and boy is this a scary one. Sinners are being told by an angel (not one that I would ever like to meet) that they will die at a certain point in time in the future and they are bound for Hell. Once that time comes, three hulking, grey figures materialise out of nowhere and hunt down the victim, eventually killing him/her.

I cannot possibly stress how violent and gory this series is. The hulking figures beat their victims to a pulp, toss them around like dolls, run them through windows, stomp on them, disembowel them and finally incinerate them.

Thats the first five minutes of the series.

But these mysterious punishments bring to the forefront a mysterious cult called The New Truth, as well as a paranoid, more militant one called The Arrowhead. How the cults connect to the creatures is for you to discover!

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The first cu(l)t is the deepest: horror movies and shows to stream now - Cyprus Mail

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Posted By admin on November 30, 2021

HaGaon HaRav Edelstein spoke during his weekly sichah on Tuesday night about the anti-religious decrees of the Bennett-Lapid-Lieberman government.

Knesset members have been working around the clock in recent days to finalize many laws, including the controversial kashrus reform law, in order to have them approved as part of the Arrangements Law, which is passed conjointly with the state budget.

The Rosh Yeshivah spoke with pain about the current situation in Israel, focusing on the laws that will cause a stumbling block to Jews who arent shomer Torah and mitvos, such as the kashrus reform law and impending laws affecting giyur and marriage.

The gezeiros arent just on the frum public but also on the chilonim that are makpid on certain halachos, the Rosh Yeshivah said. [The gezeiros] will prevent them from fulfilling kashrus and other mitzvos.

And apart from this, it will cause the general population to act contrary to halacha. They want to be machshil the general population that doesnt transgress issurim chamurim, that everyone will be baalei aveiros.

Its incomprehensible that Jews enact gezeiros on Jews, the Rosh Yeshiva lamented. Its contrary to the nature of Jews. The Gemara says that the Jews have three simanim: theyre rachmanim, baiyshanim and gomlei chasadim. This applies to every Jew not davka shomer Torah and mitzovs. Every person that has a Jewish neshama is different from the umos haolam. This is a well-known thing people who are familiar with the world say this also I heard from them they see that theres a difference. The character of a Jew is something different, its not the same as the umos haolam thats the reality.

The goyim enact gezeiros. But Jews should enact gezeiros on other Jews? Its incomprehensible. Acheinu Bnei Yisrael.

(YWN Israel Desk Jerusalem)

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HaRav Edelstein: "How Can A Jew Enact Gezeiros Against ...

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