Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on October 31, 2021

Almost a third -- 32percent -- of Jewish college students said they personally experienced anti-Semitism directed at them on campus or by a member of their college community within the last year, according to a new survey from Hillel International and the Anti-Defamation League.

Most commonly, respondents reported personally experiencing offensive comments online (19percent) or in person (13percent). Onepercent of respondents reported experiencing a physical threat, and 1percent reported experiencing a physical attack.

Additionally, 31percent of Jewish students reported witnessing anti-Semitic activity on campus that was not directed to them. Most commonly, 18percent of respondents said theyd witnessed anti-Semitic symbols, logos or posters, with many saying they witnessed swastikas drawn on campus. Some students reported instances of vandalism against Jewish fraternities, sororities or cultural centers.

Taken together, 43percent of Jewish college students experienced and/or witnessed antisemitic activity in the last year, a report on the survey findings says. We asked them to describe those occurrences and created the following word cloud to highlight their responses. Outside of Jews and Jewish, the most common words in the descriptions of antisemitic experiences include Israel Nazi, swastikas, and jokes. Additionally, the prominence of the words online and social media reinforce the finding that many Jewish students experience antisemitism online.

The majority of survey respondents reported feeling safe and welcomed on campus: 70percent reported feeling safe on campus as a Jewish person, and 67percent said their campus was welcoming and supportive of Jewish students. However, among students who reported experiencing anti-Semitism, only 51percent said they felt safe, and 50percent said their campus was welcoming and supportive.

The online survey was conducted by the survey company College Pulse on behalf of Hillel and the Anti-Defamation League. (College Pulse also works with Inside Higher Ed.) The sample included 756 undergraduate students who identify as Jewish from 220 different four-year colleges across the U.S. and was drawn from College Pulses Undergraduate Student Panel, which includes more than 400,000 students from more than 1,000 U.S. colleges.

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Nearly One-Third of Jewish Students Report Campus Anti-Semitism - Inside Higher Ed

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Posted By admin on October 31, 2021

AUSTIN (KXAN) Antisemitic signs that have made a spectacle in Austin the past few days have some community members concerned for their safety and looking for support.

City Council Member Alison Alter, who along with other leaders has spoken up about recent events, is now authoring a resolution condemning those acts and directing the city manager to improve Austins response to hate with the help and input of local community groups.

The resolution will condemn acts of hate, anti-Semitism, racism and bigotry, said a statement from Council Member Alters office. Support from other council members and city leaders is already pouring in.

Alter is also requesting a briefing on the citys current protocols and legal options to respond to the signs that were on display at the Far West Boulevard overpass over MoPac first on Saturday, and again on Tuesday.

Local nonprofit leaders of Shalom Austin spoke out against the signs, wanting to reassure community members that police were notified and leaders were working closely with them.

We understand this is extremely upsetting and unsettling, said Shalom Austins Saturday statement. We are always vigilant in monitoring antisemitic groups and work closely with law enforcement to share information about their activities.

Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon issued a statement then as well, speaking against the offensive signs and detailing his officers endured a barrage of hate speech and personal insults, while responding to that scene.

Fast forward to Tuesday at that same location, other hateful messages were hung on that overpass in the middle of rush hour traffic.

Its important to note, less than a mile to the west of the overpass is Shalom Austin JCC, where three synagogues and Austin Jewish Academy all stand.

(Toggle through the map below to see closer)

The concern is heightened for the community even more on Wednesday, which marks three years since the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the U.S.

The mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh left 11 Jewish community members dead.

No trial date has been set for the suspect, as of this report.

As community members try to find support in one another, Austin city leaders are trying to offer as much support as they can while also not giving attention to what the group responsible for the hateful signs is aiming to draw attention to.

I am heartbroken to see antisemitic hatred in Austin, a welcoming and respectful place. Hatred of any kind has no place in our city. If you see or hear it, you should report it to @ADL at https://t.co/baFmvEIpjD

Since it continues to happen I think that council should take a stand, said Council Member Mackenzie Kelly, who reached out to Alter on Tuesday about how she can offer support. We need to live in a society where we are accepting of each other.

Its my responsibility to speak out against acts of hatred, racism, bigotry and antisemitism, said Kelly. I would hope as a leader that other community members would feel empowered to speak out against those acts as well.

Austin City Council Members Kathie Tovo, Leslie Pool, Paige Ellis, Pio Renteria, Ann Kitchen, Natasha Harper-Madison, Greg Casar and Vanessa Fuentes plan to support Alters resolution as well.

More details about the resolution are expected to be released in the coming days.

A city of Austin spokesperson said after checking with multiple departments, the city doesnt regulate personal signs.

Information on the city of Austins website about sidewalks says banners or signs may not be hung off of or attached to bridges over roadways, but signs may be carried while walking on sidewalks over bridges.

Regarding the hateful signs on MoPac, since it is regulated by the Texas Department of Transportation, the city spokesperson directed us to them.

A spokesperson for Council Member Alters Office also directed KXAN to TxDOT, though they did share relevant state laws related to signage.

KXAN will update this story when we hear back from TxDOT.

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Antisemitic banners displayed in Austin lead to efforts to improve citys response to hate - KXAN.com

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Posted By admin on October 31, 2021

November 9 marks the 83rd anniversary of Kristallnacht, The Night of Broken Glass.

On that night, Nazis and Nazi sympathizers raided synagogues, Jewish homes, and Jewish businesses throughout Germany, Austria, and the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia. They burned synagogues, desecrated holy texts, rounded up Jews and brought them to concentration camps, and smashed the windows of Jewish homes and businesses. Local officials were told to look the other way and let the terror happen. Ordinary citizens, who had been influenced by years of anti-Semitic propaganda, joined in the destruction and chaos, and terrorized Jews in their own communities.

Recently my local paper (Valley News) reported that someone had tagged swastikas and wrote pro-Nazi statements on The Temple monument at St. Gaudens National Historic Park in Cornish, N.H. This graffiti occurred less than a mile from Vermont soil. The hateful symbols and words were etched into Vermont marble.

According to the Anti Defamation Leagues website, there have been several anti-Semitic acts in and around Vermont in the last two years.

In September, a mural in Swanton Village was defaced with graffiti that police described as racist and anti-Semitic hate speech. Similar graffiti was reported days earlier near a local elementary school.

On July 13, 2020, an unknown person or group distributed fliers with anti-Semitic remarks. They were found in St. Albans near the office of a lawyer who is Jewish.

On April 29, 2020, the Essex County Democratic Committee candidate forum that was held via Zoom in Brattleboro was disrupted by unknown individuals who drew swastikas and insulted a Jewish candidate.

According to a Sept. 12 article in Medium.com, there has been a spike of anti-Semitic incidents at the University of Vermont. This includes a teaching assistant who instituted a discriminatory grading policy against Jewish students.

In December 2020 somebody shot out the lights of the Chabad menorah on the Dartmouth College green in Hanover, N.H., about one half mile from Vermont soil. This hate crime literally consisted of a night of broken glass.

These are just a sample of many more incidents that have happened in and close to the state that I call home.

These incidents are happening here in our communities. These acts of hate are being committed by our neighbors against our neighbors. Many of these events remain unsolved and the perpetrators have yet to be held accountable for their actions.

As we approach the 83rd anniversary of Kristallnacht, I ask you to consider the ramifications of hateful words and actions. I ask you to consider what happens when slogans of racial prejudice and religious intolerance are written on our monuments, spewed in our universities, and handed out on flyers. These messages embolden larger acts of violence. Hateful words lead to hateful actions and endanger our friends and neighbors.

The Vermont Holocaust Memorial (VTHM), a 501c3 nonprofit organization, founded in 2017 by three daughters of Holocaust survivors, offers speakers to your community who share their families lessons of survival against the largest atrocity that stemmed from anti-Semitism genocide.

By engaging and educating the community, VTHM envisions a time when prejudice, bigotry and hatred will be replaced with respect for all. VTHM is working with Vermont lawmakers and educators to bring about legislation creating Holocaust and genocide standards for our schools curriculum and plans to host an educators workshop in March. For more information, please visit VTHMs website at http://www.holocaustmemorial-vt.org.

Vermont can be better than this. We must clean up the graffiti and teach our children and our neighbors what tolerance and inclusiveness means. We should reach out to those who worship differently or speak a different language or come from a different place. We can be kind.

On the 83rd anniversary of Kristallnacht I ask you to take action to help repair the world in Judaism we call this tikkun olam. Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson said: If you see what needs to be repaired and how to repair it, then you have found a piece of the world that God has left for you to complete. But if you only see what is wrong and what is ugly in the world, then it is you yourself that needs repair. I ask you to look at your corner of the world, find something that needs repair, and then, take action toward fixing it. You can help move the world beyond hate and maybe together we can pick up the broken shards of glass.

K. Heidi Fishman, a psychologist, Vermont Holocaust Memorial board member, and author of Tuttis Promise, lives in Norwich, Vermont.

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Vermont is better than this | Columnists | benningtonbanner.com - Bennington Banner

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Posted By admin on October 31, 2021

By Andy Rose, CNN

A fraternity house at George Washington University was vandalized over the weekend, including desecration of a Torah scroll, according to the university and Tau Kappa Epsilon.

Our entire chapter is outraged and saddened by this blatant act of antisemitism and violence against our brothers, the fraternity said in a statement Sunday evening.

Chapter President Chris Osborne told CNN by phone the house was broken into while members were away and the damage was discovered early Sunday morning. There was laundry detergent dumped on religious texts, specifically a Jewish Torah, he said.

We believe it was an act of anti-Semitism, Osborne told CNN. There was a Christian Bible and a Jewish Torah in the room, and only the Jewish Torah was vandalized. I believe it was a hate crime.

A statement from the president of George Washington University (GWU), which is located in Washington, DC, said campus police and the DC Metropolitan Police Department are investigating.

I want to be clear: I condemn all such acts of antisemitism and all forms of hatred, discrimination, and bias in our community, said President Thomas LeBlanc. Any act of antisemitism is an attack on the entire GW community and cannot, and will not, be tolerated.

CNN reached out to the DC Metropolitan Police Department Sunday night for information on its investigation.

Osborne said about a quarter of his TKE fraternity chapter is Jewish, roughly mirroring the Jewish population of GWU, according to a college guide from the Jewish student organization Hillel.

The fraternity asked the Washington, DC, chapter of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to look into the incident.

Very disturbed to learn about this hateful incident that took place overnight at the TKE fraternity house on GWUs campus, the ADL tweeted along with a photo of the damaged Torah, torn and covered in blue liquid. Weve spoken with students & reached out to campus PD. We expect a full & rapid investigation.

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Police investigating desecration of Torah scroll at George Washington University fraternity - KTVZ

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Posted By admin on October 30, 2021

Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, Larry David, Cheryl Hines and J.B. Smoove attend the Premiere Of HBOs Curb Your Enthusiasm at Paramount Pictures Studios on October 19, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.

Larry Davids popular comedy series, Curb Your Enthusiasm, returned to HBO on Sunday night for its 11th season. But viewers hoping for spoilers as the show rolls out over the next couple of months will be hard-pressed to find them, said Jeff Schaffer, a longtime Curb collaborator, who directed all but one of the 10 new episodes. You know how there are those teenagers who go to prom and their stomach hurts and they go to the bathroom and theyre totally surprised that they had a baby? Schaffer, 51,deadpanned toJewish Insiders Matthew Kassellast week. Thats how Larry wants the season to come out. He wants it to just come out like a bathroom baby. A prom bathroom baby that no one knew was coming.

Strange predicaments:Schaffer, who helped David write most of the new season over daily FaceTime sessions early on in the pandemic, remained faithful to that wish in an interview from his office in Los Angeles. From minute one this season, youre going to see that Larrys gotten himself into some strange predicaments, he said, only broadly characterizing the narrative arc. I will say that at the beginning of the season, it seems like theres a lot of disparate threads, but they do all tie together very nicely by the end, I think in a way youd never expect.

Jewish lens:Still, he was willing to reveal a few noteworthy and distinctly Jewish tidbits that viewers should look out for. There are quite a few places where Judaism comes front and center, said Schaffer, who describes himself and David, now 74, as the Impossible Burger of Jews. We look like one, we sound like one, but on the religious side theres a fundamental difference between us and, I think, your more observant Jew, he said.

His goy Friday:There is an episode in which David addresses the issues of antisemitism and hate groups as, of course, only Curb Your Enthusiasm can, Schaffer disclosed. Theres a discussion about how the Jews fled Egypt that features prominently in an episode, he added. Its sort of part of who Larry is, so these kinds of things are always getting woven into the fabric of our shows. Elsewhere, David is tasked with instructing Jon Hamm his goy Friday, Schaffer quipped on the intricacies of Yiddish slang. Poor Jon Hamm, Schaffer said. He didnt go to Sunday school. What does he know?

On the horizon:Schaffer, who has worked with David since the Seinfelddays in the 1990s and whose most recent independent project is Dave, the FXX comedy series said he was in the process of putting the final touches on the Curbseason finale. Were basically almost done, he told JI. And then? And then, well see, Schaffer said. Every season is the last season, and if this happens to be the last season, I think it ends on a very strong note. But, he suggested, there may be more in store. I have a feeling Larry might get into more scrapes in the future that he wants to write about.

Read the full interview here.

Bonus:TheWall Street Journalexamineshow Larry David has emerged as a fashion icon despite or perhaps because of his plain attire.

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Daily Kickoff: Jill Biden cites Rabbi Sacks + As Curb returns, an interview with the director - Jewish Insider

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Posted By admin on October 30, 2021

KINGSTON, R.I. Oct. 28, 2021 Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger and Shadi Abu Awwad, leaders of Roots/Shorashim, a grassroots movement of understanding, nonviolence, and transformation among Israelis and Palestinians, will speak about their personal interconnected stories and the groundbreaking work of Roots on Monday, Nov. 15 from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Hardge Forum in the Multicultural Student Services Center, 74 Lower College Road.

Attendees must register for the event on the URI Events Calendar, uri.edu/events, under November 15 events.

Shadi Abu Awwad is the grandson, son and nephew of strong proud Palestinian leaders who were at the helm of the First Palestinian Intifada (Uprising). He grew up imbued with a deep hatred for Israelis. When still a child, his family underwent a major transformation and were among the pioneers in reaching across the divide to their Jewish neighbors to work together to create a shared vision for the future. As the Palestinian architect and first coordinator of the Roots youth movement, Shadi has facilitated shared encounters and experiences among Palestinian and Israeli teenagers, building a new generation of leaders who can confront the real problems between their communities while acknowledging each others shared humanity.

AnOrthodox rabbi and passionate Zionist settler,Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger has lived most of his life in the West Bank where Palestinians make up 90% of the population. Yet 33 years passed until he first had a real conversation with aPalestinian. Rabbi Schlesinger was profoundly transformed by his meeting and friendship with Shadis uncle, Ali Abu Awwad, and with other Palestinians at the beginning of 2014. His understanding of the reality of the Middle East conflict and of Zionism was utterly complicated by the parallel universe that they introduced him to. Shaken and transformed, Rabbi Hanan together with Ali and other local Israelis and Palestinians formedRoots, the Israeli-Palestinian grassroots initiative for understanding, nonviolence and transformation to build bridges of reconciliation between the two sides.

Awwad and Schlesinger do not come with blueprinted peace plans in hand, but with the deep conviction that human understanding and trust are the prerequisites for lasting justice, freedom, and peace in that little sliver of land they both call home.

For more information about Roots/Shorashim visit friendsofroots.net. For more information about the November 15 event, please contact Amy Olson, executive director of URI Hillel, at amyolson@uri.edu.

The event is sponsored by URI Hillel, the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies, the Multicultural Student Services Center, the Harrington School of Communication and Media, the Division of Student Affairs, and the Office of Community Equity and Diversity.

PLANTING SEEDS OF PEACE: Shadi Abu Awwad , left, and Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger, leaders of Roots/Shorashim, a grassroots movement of understanding, nonviolence, and transformation among Israelis and Palestinians, will visit URI Nov. 15.

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Two Truths in One Heart Two Peoples in One Land - URI Today

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Posted By admin on October 30, 2021

Rabbi Elliott Tepperman of Bnai Keshet, a Reconstructionist congregation in Montclair, first discovered the writings of Rabbi Arthur Waskow, the Jewish Renewal author and environmental activist, in the early 1990s, when he was a college student at the University of California Santa Cruz.

I had been reading a lot of Christian liberation theology and was just thrilled to find somebody who was writing Jewish liberation theology, arguing for the need for us to be engaged in social justice work rooted in Judaism, Rabbi Tepperman said.

Before too long, Rabbi Waskow came to the campus, and young Elliott Tepperman got a chance to meet him.

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I was thrilled, he said.

The meeting helped push Mr. Tepperman toward the rabbinate.

Two weeks ago, on Tuesday, October 12, Rabbi Waskow celebrated his 88th birthday and spent part of it protesting in front of the White House in a call for the Biden administration to take more action on stopping global warming. He was arrested in an act of civil disobedience. And Rabbi Tepperman was standing next to him, on both the protest line and the police booking line.

To be standing side-by-side with Rabbi Arthur Waskow was extraordinarily powerful, Rabbi Tepperman said.

It was also powerful to be joined in the protest by a minyan of activists from his congregation that included his 19-year-old son, Akiva, he added.

Climate change is an issue that resonates with a lot of members at Bnai Keshet, Stephanie Greenwood of Bloomfield said. Ms. Greenwood was one of the Bnai Keshet congregants at the protest; she is taking a lead role in climate activism at Bnai Keshet, something she said is a priority at the congregation. She added that Rabbi Tepperman gave a sermon on Yom Kippur that was a real powerful call for the congregation to make this the year that we all dive in on it.

Were planning to take a closer look at what climate activism looks like in New Jersey, she said. Were looking to continue to build inside our congregation and also in an interfaith way with other organizations.

Within the congregation, Shabbat services on November 20 are being dedicated to reflecting on climate change one of a number of themed Shabbat programs being organized by the synagogues tikkun olam committee. Reverend Fletch Harper, an Episcopalian priest and the executive director of GreenFaith, the interfaith environmental group that organized the Washington protest, will be the guest speaker. Details havent been finalized, but Ms. Greenwood expects there to be some text-based discussion as well as chance for for people who have been involved in climate action to reflect on those actions, and some conversation on where we go next.

Rabbi Elliott Tepperman plays guitar in front of the White House. (Jessica Silsby Brater)

Ms. Greenwood said the Washington protest was the first time she had been arrested at a political protest.

It was a real honor to stand next to Rabbi Waskow while we all did this together, she said.

She said the protest began with two hours of speakers.

We heard directly from people who are fighting pipeline projects, she said. Being witness to these front-line groups was very powerful and motivating.

Ms. Greenwood described her arrest as actually very calm.

She and the other protesters went where the police told them not to go, and then were arrested. They were processed in a nearby tent and given a ticket.

The wait to pay the ticket was about six hours, she said. We had to wait in an extremely long line to pay it.

We ended up having a lot of very interesting conversations with the other people standing around. It led to some interesting community-building opportunities. There was an impromptu teach-in from someone from South Carolina who works on raising awareness of the problems of industrial agriculture. There were people playing guitars.

Back in New Jersey, Ms. Greenwood is organizing a Dayenu chapter for her congregation. She said the group seems to be accomplishing its goal of helping Jews organize to fight climate change.

The support you get from Dayenu seems very significant, she said. I have a full-time job. I am not a full-time organizer. I am really encouraged to participate because Dayenus national apparatus provides calls for action and scripts to use when calling legislators.

With the national office guiding the action, whats left for our local circle to do is to generate interest and turnout for the events, and to continue to deepen the work the congregation wants to do on climate, she said.

Ms. Greenwood said that Dayenus Jewish lens on fighting global warming appeals to her.

Rabbi Arthur Waskow greets Raymond Kingfisher of the Cheyenne Nation. (Photo by Jamie Henn @JamieClimate)

There is something powerful about organizing from a Jewish perspective, she said. There are so many moral questions about how were going to get to climate safety in an equitable way. So much of what we need to do runs counter to business as usual. Its important to have a moral voice saying that we have to change what were doing.

Meanwhile, Dayenu has recruited Jewish activists who live in the fifth congressional district, which includes parts of Bergen County, to sign a letter calling on their representative, Josh Gottheimer, to pledge your support for President Bidens full Build Back Better agenda with big and bold investments in Jewish communal priorities.

Mr. Gottheimer, a centrist Democrat, has been the lead voice in the House of Representatives seeking to pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill separately from a bill including President Bidens more expansive agenda.

We believe that for our district, our state, and our country to thrive, we must not only invest in roads and bridges, but in people: good jobs, affordable housing, healthcare, childcare, education, and more, the letter drafted by Dayenu says. And as the devastating impacts of Hurricane Ida on the Fifth District showed, the time is now to address the climate crisis.

Ina Miller Silverstein of Teaneck, co-president of the Bergen County chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women, was among the letters 70 signatories.

She heard about the letter from the national office of the National Council of Jewish Women.

I had never heard of Dayenu, she said. I had to look up who they are.

But signing the letter was easy.

Certainly climate change is a huge issue for me, she said. I have grandchildren.

Hurricane Ida made the issue feel even more personal for her. It was so devastating in Englewood, she said. People who I know were resettled into hotels and motels.

To see this devastation was terrible. You see pictures of New Orleans and its terrible, but when you know the faces of the people who are moved into motels, you feel so connected.

Is Dayenus activism having an impact on Mr. Gottheimers policies?

Its hard to say whether this letter alone is having an impact, Phil Aroneanu, Dayenus chief strategy officer, said. We do know that over the past month or so, the volume of statements he has made on climate has gone up, and his commitment to passing the Build Back Better agenda has come on strong in a way it wasnt before.

A month ago he said we should pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill first. Hes not saying that anymore.

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Taking action on climate - The Jewish Standard

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Posted By admin on October 30, 2021

Ali Shamkhani, two-star Iranian general and Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, tweeted in Hebrew on Thursday that Iran had "foiled the enemy's plans" regarding Tuesday's cyber attack.

"The wise methods of October 2021 have revealed the hastiness of October 2019," he added in reference to a US cyber attack on Iran following the drone attack on Saudi oil facilities, which Washington and Riyadh blamed on Tehran.

Iran's state news agency IRNA reported on Tuesday that some 4,300 gas stations across the country had been disabled by a cyberattack, a week after it had carried out a complex and coordinated strike on US forces in Syria using up to five armed drones to attack the Tanf garrison at a key strategic point near the Jordan-Iraq border.

The gas stations began to operate regularly again on Wednesday, according to Iranian media.

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Posted By admin on October 30, 2021

Jack o Lantern

Toby Ord

Carved pumpkins. Ghoulish costumes. Trick-or-treating. Bonfires. Pranks and horror films. Its one of the most peculiar festivals in the Western worldand at that, named among the yearly Christian festivals.

Yet neither Halloween nor its peculiar practices are mentioned anywhere in the New Testament. There is, however, a striking account in the Old Testamentthe Hebrew Bible.

Whereand whodid this peculiar festival come from?

Halloween, celebrated on the evening of October 31, is usually traced back to the pagan Celtic Druids and their festival of Samhain, which took place on November 1 (yet started the evening before, October 31the Druids calculated days from sunset to sunset). Samhain was known as the Feast of the Deadthe belief was that on this date the dead could return to the land of the living. Burial mounds in Celtic Ireland, Scotland, Wales and other regions were opened and bonfires were lit so that the dead could make their way home. Extra places were set at tables, and food laid out, for those who had died that year.

riptheskull

This festival thus marked what was believed to be a liminal time of the year, in which the boundaries between our world and the Otherworld thinned, allowing evil spirits to emerge and possess the bodies of the living. In order to prevent this from happening, the Celts dressed in grotesque costumes, leaving treats outside their homes to pay off the evil spirits.

Samhain was the most important of the Celtic holidays and is mentioned in the earliest Irish literature. During the medieval period, its celebration became fixed to October 31November 1. However, in earlier periods, it was not a fixed date applied to the Roman calendar; the festival marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, halfway between the equinox and solstice, thus falling typically within early November.

Encyclopedia Britannica states this about Halloween: It long antedates Christianity. The two chief characteristics of ancient Halloween were the lighting of bonfires and the belief that this is the one night in the year during which ghosts and witches are most likely to wander about. History shows that the main celebrations of Halloween were purely Druidical and this is further proved by the fact that in parts of Ireland October 31 is still know as Oidhch Shamhna, Vigil of Saman.

Encyclopedia Americana likewise states that Halloween is clearly a relic of pagan times. The famous 20th-century anthropologist Ralph Linton wrote that the earliest Halloween celebrations were held by Druids in honor of Samhain, Lord of the Dead, whose festival fell on November 1 (Halloween Through Twenty Centuries).

sandyraidy

By the ninth century c.e., Catholicism had spread into Celtic lands, and it is from this point forwardbeginning first in these British Islesthat a Catholic festival appears on November 1, known variously as All Souls Day, Hallowmas, or All Hallows Day. In c.e. 834, the church in the region began celebrating All Hollows Eve on the evening before All Souls Day, corresponding to the beginning of SamhainOctober 31. (It is from the Roman Catholic festival name All Hollows Eve that we get the modern name Halloween/Halloween, Hallows Evening). By the 10th century, this festival was extended from just the British Isles to apply to the whole Catholic Church.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, November 1 is the day to honor all the saints, known and unknown who have since died. Linton describes the grafting of this Celtic festival of the dead into Catholicism as a practice quite in line with church policy of incorporating harmless pagan folk ideas (op cit)adopting the practices of pagan cultures as a means of drawing in more converts.

Rannphirt anaithnid

Dorothy Wood of the Wichita Beacon wrote the following (actually condemning much of Christianity for plagiarizing pagan festivals): This ancient night of revelry for the devil and his cohorts has degenerated. Its the Christians who are to blame. For centuries, theyve been grabbing off all the old heathen festivals. The midwinter feast with its greens and feasting and drinking has become Christmas. The wild spring festival has become Easter, and the worshipers of Christ boldly use the old pagan symbols of fertilitychicks and rabbits and eggs. Now theyve completely taken over Halloween (emphasis added).

Halloween, again, is nowhere mentioned in the New Testament as a Christian festival. In fact, the Christian commemoration of a festival built around worship of the Lord of the Dead is ironicbecause Jesus himself stated that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living (Matthew 22:32; Mark 12:27; Luke 20:38; King James Version). The dead praise not the Lord (Psalm 115:17).

The important question follows: Which deity is being worshiped on Halloween?

Nandaro

We now get into a fascinating part of history described in the Hebrew Bible.

First, we must briefly mention one of the important holy day festivals that is commanded in the BibleSukkot (in English, the Feast of Tabernacles). This festival, described in Leviticus 23, begins on the 15th day of the seventh month on the Hebrew calendargenerally falling around the end of September or start of October on the Gregorian calendar. (Its also of note that this festival was kept in the New Testament by Jesus and the disciplesi.e. John 7; 12:12-20. Further, Zechariah 14:16-19 prophesy that all nations in the future who refuse to keep the Feast of Tabernaclesincluding Gentile nationswill be cursed.) The Feast of Tabernacles/Sukkot is one of the lynchpin festivals, described in numerous passages in the Hebrew Bible (and New Testament).

The United States and Britain in Prophecy

Enter King Jeroboam I.

In the late 10th century b.c.e., following the reign of King Solomon, a dramatic split took place in Israels united monarchy, due to the sins of Solomon. Ten tribes split away from the Jerusalem-based throne of David. Led by King Jeroboam, they established the northern kingdom of Israel (from this point forward, referred to as the Israelites). Two tribes (and another half tribe) remained to make up what became the southern kingdom of Judah (from this point forward known collectively as Jews; i.e. 2 Kings 16:5-6).

As related in 1 Kings 11, God gave Jeroboam a chance to establish himself as a righteous king over a prosperous kingdom. However, Jeroboam began to fear that Israelites traveling to the temple in Jerusalem to worship would begin to turn away from him and his ruleso he concocted a plan.

The last half of 1 Kings 12 describes a new religion established by Jeroboam, with more convenient worship centers in Dan (in the north) and Bethel (in the south), centered around cattle worship (verses 28-30). Jeroboam appointed as his priests not the Levites, but the lowest of the people (verse 31; kjv). And the last two verses of the chapter describe the central feast day of his newly established religion.

And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made . So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel (verses 32-33; kjv).

Jeroboam, then, established a counterfeit feast day exactly one month after Sukkot. This feast therefore relates to the end of October/early November on the Gregorian calendarexactly the same time frame as the original Celtic Samhain, before it was eventually fixed on the Roman calendar to the evening of October 31. Furthermore, the Israelites calculated their days and festivals from sunset to sunset (Leviticus 23:32).

Isnt that interesting? Both Samhain and Jeroboams feast occurred at the same time of the year. Both were the chiefest festivals of their respective religions. Both were reckoned from evening to evening. Both were central to a cattle cult (the Celts were a transhumance-based society, and Samhain marked the time when the cattle were brought down from summer pastures, at which time select cattle were sacrificed upon Samhain bonfires). Both included related burning and sacrifices.

And both had magic and witchcraft as central to their religions. From this point forward, the religion and customs of the northern kingdom of Israel became known as the sins of Jeroboamfeaturing witches and wizards using divination and enchantments (2 Kings 17:16-17). This was the result of Jeroboams installation of the lowest of the people as priests. The Hebrew word translated lowest is literally edges or extremitiesthese new religious leaders were the extremities of the people.

There is even a potential biblical connection here with the reemerging of the dead. As Jeroboam was worshiping at his altar in Bethel (apparently during this new festival), a prophet of God arrived, warning the king that for these sins a future leader named Josiah would come on the scene and open the graves of Jeroboams pagan priests, exhuming the bodies and burning them to ashes on the altar (1 Kings 13:2). This prophecy led to a general fear among Jeroboams priests (one of which hatched a crafty plan to try to preserve his remains in-state; verses 31-32). Three hundred years later, the prophecy was fulfilled, and a king named Josiah was coronated. He summarily exhumed and burned the bones of the dead priests (2 Kings 23:15-16). It is therefore interesting that great lengths are taken in the HalloweenSamhain festivals to appease the emerging dead, as well as witches and wizards.

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But all of this is simply the tip of the iceberg in the deep connections between the early Israelite pagan priests, and the later-emerging class of Celtic Druids in Europe (an emergence actually following the deportation and disappearance of the lost 10 tribes, who were banished for their disobedience). Parallels in customs are rife, from festivals to clothing to symbols to ritual siteseven a language and migratory link (as well as hair color?) and a specific connection to the tribe of Dan (within which was Jeroboams northern center of worship). For more information on this subject, read Brad Macdonalds article Were the Celtic Druids Pagan Israelite Priests?

In a 1959 article titled Halloween: Where Did It Come From?, Dr. Herman Hoeh summarized this passage in 1 Kings 12 as follows:

At the time the tribes of Israel split into two nations, King Jeroboam adopted in place of the biblical Feast of Tabernacles (ordained by God to be kept forever in the seventh month) a pagan celebration to be observed in the middle of the eighth month. The year used to begin in the spring of the year and the eighth month extended from the middle of October to the middle of November. And the middle of the month corresponded to the very time of Halloween today! In fact, October means the eighth month in Latin. Since the days of Jeroboam, the 10 tribes of Israelwho later migrated into northwest Europehave continued to celebrate this pagan harvest festival, which today is called Halloween!

Back to the original questionand its natural extension: If Halloween is at its core a day of worshiping the god of the dead, and the God of the Bible is repeatedly called the God of the living (also note Psalm 6:6; 115:17)who exactly is being worshiped on this festival? And does it matter?

The Bible is clear from beginning to end that Satan is the god of death and of darkness. Even the message behind the celebration of Halloween is the lie promulgated by the serpent right at the beginning, in the Garden of EdenYe shall not surely diea deceitful message directly related to the immortality of the soul and the living dead. The New Testament itself describes him who has the power of death, that is, the devil (Hebrews 2:14; Revised Standard Version).

Numerous scriptures throughout the Bible expressly forbid various Halloween practices and traditions. As Dennis Leap wrote in his article Unmasking the Origins of Halloween:

All Hollows Eve is still a festival of the dead. Even though Christian leaders have attempted to put a holy face on the day by having people pray for the dead, the custom does not make the evening Christian.

Some of the most popular costumes for adolescents and teens are werewolves, vampires and zombies. What are people thinking? Even home decorations feature satanic themes of darkness, death and misery. The colors black, orange and redregarded as essential for Halloween home decoratingare considered Satans colors. Spiders and spider webs are featured in Halloween decorating. Did you know that the spider is considered one of Satans followers? Witches are given place of honor in many homes during Halloween. Yet the Bible says, Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live (Exodus 22:18; kjv). Halloween is one of the most overtly pagan festivals .

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Isaiah 8:19 reads, When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? (New International Version). Deuteronomy 18 warns: There shall not be found among you one that useth divination, a soothsayer, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer [witch], or a charmer, or one that consulteth a ghost or a familiar spirit, or a necromancer [one who calls up the dead]. For whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto the Lord; and because of these abominations the Lord thy God is driving them [the Canaanites] out (verses 10-12).

And it is for the very festival and sins of Jeroboam, God explains, that the entire northern kingdom of Israel was utterly conquered and driven outvanishing from world view at the end of the eighth century b.c.e.! As 2 Kings 17:16-18 relate:

And they forsook all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made them molten images, even two calves they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and gave themselves over to do that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger; that the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of His sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.

The Prophet Jeremiah, in relaying Gods words, is direct in condemning the practice of borrowing of pagan traditions. Learn not the way of the heathen (Jeremiah 10:2; kjv). Deuteronomy 12 similarly warns, Take heed to thyself that thou be not ensared to follow them [the conquered heathen nations], after that they are destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying: How used these nations to serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God (verses 30-31). God clearly spelled out His own holy days for His people to follow as a statute for everthese are found in Leviticus 23 and repeated throughout the Bible (including the New Testament!). And the Bible prophesies that at the coming of the Messiah, they will be celebrated by all people on Earth (Zechariah 14).

Halloween is clearly a festival in which horror and violencepretend or realis indulged. Yet the Bible says that the wicked and him that loveth violence His soul hateth (Psalm 11:5). Another prevalent belief is that dressing up in satanic costumes is in mockery of Satan. That is not biblical, thoughjust the opposite. Fools make a mock at sin, says Proverbs 14:9 (kjv).

Halloween is a festival of horror and darkness. Yet the Bible repeatedly describes God as a God of light and living. Woe unto them that call evil good, And good evil; That change darkness into light, And light into darkness (Isaiah 5:20). [T]he path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more [t]he way of the wicked is as darkness (Proverbs 4:18-19; kjv). And the last verse of Psalm 56: Thou hast delivered my soul from death that I may walk before God in the light of the living.

Gods holy days are a symbol of lightpicturing the steps in Gods plan for salvation. God is light, and His holy days reflect that. Halloween, on the other hand, is the antithesis of thata festival ultimately in worship of a being who is the antithesis of God.

For more information on this subject, read our free booklet Pagan Holidaysor Gods Holy DaysWhich?

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HalloweenIn the Hebrew Bible? - watchjerusalem.co.il

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Posted By admin on October 30, 2021

Newswise Parents and teachers of Jewish autistic children say they frequently have to disregard outdated professional advice not to teach them Hebrew a recommendation they describe as stealing their cultural identity.

In a University of Cambridge study with families and schools around the UK, Jewish parents of autistic children told researchers that non-Jewish specialists, such as speech therapists and paediatricians, often counsel them against teaching their children Hebrew as a second language. Many found this guidance distressing, given Hebrews centrality to their spiritual and family life.

The study was the first to investigate Hebrew-English bilingualism and autism in schools. Broadly, a growing body of research suggests that autistic children from bilingual settings will benefit if they learn a second language, but that practitioners often contradict the scientific evidence and tell families this is inappropriate.

Unexpectedly, the new study found that education professionals in Jewish schools tended to back parents in rejecting such guidance as old-fashioned and unjust. Jewish teachers default position was that autistic children should learn Hebrew wherever possible. In some cases, the pupils then mastered it more proficiently than their neurotypical peers.

The researchers suggest that practitioners, when advising bilingual families with an autistic child, may lack both an awareness of the latest scientific evidence, and appropriate knowledge of cultural contexts which can make second languages critically important to the wider development of autistic people.

They point out that autistic Jewish children who miss out on learning Hebrew are likely to become marginalised from key communal and lifecycle events. For example, they will be less able to join in with annual festivals, or to fulfil thebar mitzvahceremony at age 13, which involves reading from the Torah.

The study was led by Rabbi David Sher, a doctoral researcher who undertook it while studying for an MPhil in Psychology and Education at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge.

Autistic children often face inequalities throughout school, he said. Depressingly, being discouraged from learning a second language, even if their own culture is bilingual, seems to be one example.

Although there is no evidence that teaching autistic children a second language is harmful, there seems to be a prevailing, outdated view that it will confuse them and impede their acquisition of English. This overlooks the fact that Jewish children use Hebrew extensively to participate in community and family life. For autistic children, those opportunities are hugely important.

The researchers conducted detailed interviews and written surveys with 53 parents and educational practitioners, collectively representing 168 autistic children and 20 of the 90 Jewish primary schools in the UK including four of the five Jewish special schools.

Parents described themselves as being shocked after being told not to teach their child Hebrew. One recalled of a meeting with her doctor: He said straight away: Two languages with children like this complicates things. He didnt even know [my son]; it was part of the rhetoric. Another parent told the researchers: Its their heritage at the end of the day. Its like stealing what should be theirs.

Other studies on bilingualism and autism have typically found that schools tend to follow professional guidance about language-learning, even if this contradicts parents preferences. In this case, however, the researchers found that staff at Jewish schools perhaps because of their familiarity with the cultural context typically overlook the guidance and do teach pupils Hebrew, unless they are already struggling with English.

Teachers often echoed parents concerns that forcing autistic children not to learn Hebrew might impoverish their engagement with their faith and the wider community. One, who teaches seven autistic pupils, dismissed the guidance as outdated: People who hear that a person has autism switch to the old-fashioned model: they think theyre retarded.

Some teachers said that they had devised bespoke techniques, such as a flashcard-based memorisation system, to help their autistic pupils learn Hebrew words and scripture. We are ambitious for them to achieve like the other children, one head told the researchers. Our autistic children usually learn Hebrew like the rest of the class. Participants frequently described the effect, in helping children to participate in prayers, festivals, and other activities, as empowering.

Teachers and parents also reported that autistic pupils who did acquire proficiency in English showed no difficulty grasping Hebrew as well sometimes doing so with greater ease than their peers. The finding corresponds to other studies which indicate that despite the advice of some practitioners, bilingual autistic children do not generally experience language development delays.

The research is likely to be relevant to other bilingual communities where parents of autistic children often face similar challenges. For example, Wales has no Welsh-medium specialist autism schools, forcing parents to make a sometimes painful choice between supporting their childs autism and their cultural heritage.

The researchers, Sher, Dr Jenny Gibson and Dr Wendy Browne, recommend that more should be done to ensure that practitioners working with autistic children from diverse communities understand the cultural and linguistic values of their families. Addressing this may involve awareness training, or simply matching autistic children to psychologists and therapists from similar backgrounds where possible.

Gibson, associate professor of psychology and education at the University of Cambridge, said: It is essential that practitioners recognise the importance of linguistic and cultural diversity when considering how to support children from minority backgrounds. The idea that autistic children can only learn one language is a myth. Research shows that speaking home languages with family and friends can be incredibly important for building social connections, participating in cultural life, and fostering a sense of wellbeing.

The study is reported in theJournal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

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Jewish autistic pupils thrive as bilingual learners, after communities reject advice not to teach Hebrew - Newswise

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