Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on June 16, 2021

As the first person from the Hasidic community to come out as transgender, Abby Stein is a pioneer. Stein recounted her experiences in the book Becoming Eve: My Journey from Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi to Transgender Woman.

Part of my identity was religion, Stein told Inside Edition Digital in 2019. Part of me was like, if the same people who are telling me about who I am gender-wise could be so wrong about that, they are also the same people whether it's my parents or teachers they were telling me all these things about God and religion and Judaism, what makes me think they are right about that?

Stein, who grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York, says herfamily only spoke Yiddish and was sheltered.

We didn't have access to anything of the outside world, TV and radio is purely forbidden, Stein said. "We had Yiddish community newspapers and magazines and all of them are without pictures of women.

Stein said that the Hasidic community is the most gender-segregated society in North America.

If someone could show me a community that is more gender-segregated than the Hasidic community in North America, I will buy you a drink, she joked.

Stein said growing up, many of the men in her family sat in different rooms than the women and first cousins are not allowed to play with each other at times. Stein said that those gender dynamics and segregation made life hard for her.

I knew I was a girl since I remember myself. However, there was no way to explore that in any way or form, she said.

Her life also had an added layer because of her family tree. Stein explained that she is a direct descendant of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Hasidic movement in five different ways. She said his grandkids have been held to some extent as royalty.To my dad, I was his first son. I never was, but that was to him, and he really wanted a son because he had five girls, Stein explained. I have five older sisters. And having a son is a big deal for all Hasidic men, and I think for a lot of people in general, but specifically for someone who was going to be a rabbi. You have the synagogue, and usually your son is the one who is going to replace you. And he would tell me my entire life, I was waiting for a son, and so on.

Stein said that at a young age, she learned she could not talk about who she was.

I got a message from a really young age that it's not something I can even talk about and it's not a normal thing to talk about. I was convinced that I'm the only person in the world that feels like I am, which is something that no one should ever experience. And interestingly enough, my parents did pick up on it, Stein said.

She said, for a while my dad was convinced that I was gay, which is not necessarily wrong, but it wasn't a thing that it was about, but he didn't know about trans people.

Stein said her father was aware that gay people exist and he would always tell me, I think you're hiding something, you're hiding something big.

At one point, Stein said she was set up by a matchmaker to date her first cousin. They went out just once and were engaged, then didnt see each other for a year.

I wanted to get married because it also felt like it's going to give me a bit more freedom. There was a small part of me that was hoping that maybe everything that I'm feeling is not that I am a woman, maybe I just want to be with a woman. Turned out that's not what I was, Stein said. And then we got married and the night of the wedding you were supposed to do it, so to speak, and that's it.

Stein said that the sea change occurred when she learned she was going to become a parent and went online, which also was limited due to the religion not finding the Internet favorable. Stein said she went online for the first time to find help by borrowing a friends tablet and going into a strip mall to use a unisex bathroom.

Literally the first thing that I Googled in Hebrew was whether a boy could turn into a girl. And from there I found a Wikipedia page in Hebrew, thats talking about trans people, that redirected me then to online forums in Hebrew from the trans community and that is how I started learning about it," she explains.

A journey I think that took about two years. From deciding to leave until actually leaving, was pretty much done, she said. The second I got divorced, I was not part of the community anymore. All of my friends from my childhood stopped talking to me when I left the community.

She says she learned English on her own through YouTube videos and got her high school diploma, and enrolled in college in 2014 at Columbia University when she lived on her own for the first time. She publicly came out in 2015 on social media.

It wasn't a big deal; I'm just going to share on Facebook, and change my name, and posted a picture where I'm wearing makeup, and said, Call me Abby, and whatever, I did the cheesy thing. And I was like, Okay, great! Now, I'm just going to move on with my life, continue with my education. I posted that around eleven, at night. I wake up in the morning, and that post, alone, had over 20,000 views, overnight, she said.

Stein wrote Becoming Eve as a way to not just tell her story but the story that others can relate to.

Because, my life is good, I'm happy where I am in life. I have community, I have friends, I have a chosen family, and I even have biological family, both cousins, and some more extended family, that I'm really close with, she said. And, if you can't accept me, I feel like it's your bad. And I wish, that one day, they will come around, and I think they will, but, for now, life continues, and it's very good.

Original post:

Meet Abby Stein, the First From New Yorks Hasidic Community to Come Out as Trans - Inside Edition

Category: Hasidic | Comments Off on Meet Abby Stein, the First From New Yorks Hasidic Community to Come Out as Trans – Inside Edition
Tags:

Posted By admin on June 16, 2021

Before Andrew Yang announced his bid for New York City mayor in January, upending what until then had seemed like a fairly stable Democratic primary field, the favorite candidate for Orthodox Jewish support throughout the five boroughs was, by most accounts, Eric Adams, the brash and outspoken Brooklyn borough president.

Adams, a former police captain who is building his campaign around a public safety message amid an uptick in violent crime across the city, has maintained long-standing ties with Orthodox leaders, particularly in Queens as well as Hasidic enclaves of Brooklyn like Borough Park and Crown Heights, a neighborhood he represented as a state senator from 2007 to 2013.

Having set his sights on Gracie Mansion after decades of public service, Adams is now depending on those relationships as he builds a coalition capable of propelling him past his opponents in the crowded June 22 primary, for which early voting began on Saturday. I have a lot of credible messengers that know me, Adams, 60, said in a February interview with Jewish Insider, predicting that he would pull in strong support from the Orthodox community, certain sects of which represent powerful voting blocs in local elections.

But Yangs candidacy has tested that expectation. The 46-year-old mayoral hopeful, a former presidential contender who rose to national prominence last election cycle on a widely popular pitch for universal basic income, has aggressively courted the Orthodox vote with a similarly straightforward message.

Early in his mayoral campaign, for example, Yang forcefully denounced the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement as antisemitic while expressing his steadfast support for Israel. Not only is BDS rooted in antisemitic thought and history, hearkening back to fascist boycotts of Jewish businesses, its also a direct shot at New York Citys economy, Yang wrote in a January opinion piece for The Forward. Strong ties with Israel are essential for a global city such as ours, which boasts the highest Jewish population in the world outside of Israel. Our economy is struggling, and we should be looking for ways to bring back small businesses, not stop commerce.

Jewish leaders have appreciated Yangs views, even as they have garnered criticism from progressives.

Looking at the field, I felt he was the best person for New York City and the best person for the Jewish community, said Daniel Rosenthal, an Orthodox assemblyman in Queens, who offered an early endorsement for Yang in mid-March and values his opposition to BDS. In a time when some people in the Jewish community felt like they were being shunned, he was proudly standing with us.

Perhaps most consequentially, though, Yangs unequivocal defense of the yeshiva education system has given him a unique advantage within the Orthodox community. He has vowed to take a hands-off approach to imposing state-mandated instruction on secular subjects at the Jewish religious schools, many of which have been found to be lacking in that regard, according to an investigation by the Department of Education.

People feel that a lot of the candidates were fumbling and dancing around the yeshiva question, said Alexander Rapaport, a Jewish community leader in Borough Park who runs Masbia, a network of soup kitchens. Yang was the only one who was ready to just say it everywhere, Rapaport told JI. So for the people who are in the trenches about this, they notice something.

Over the past few months, Yang has succeeded in peeling away several key endorsements that would likely have gone to Adams if not Scott Stringer, the city comptroller, who also developed ties with Orthodox leaders while in office.

The relationship that Andrew has built with Orthodox communities around the city in a relatively short time, the concern in very real ways that he has demonstrated to us about the challenges that we face in the city, surpasses any other candidate in this race, Yeger told JI in a blunt assessment.

But Stringer, whose campaign has been hobbled by allegations of sexual impropriety, alienated large swaths of the Jewish community when, in an effort to shore up progressive support not long ago, he endorsed a string of left-leaning candidates who were backed by the Democratic Socialists of America. Stringer has since failed to pick up any meaningful support from Orthodox leaders.

I know of the frustration or anger, said Ezra Friedlander, a Democratic consultant who is backing Stringer. Sometimes putting together a winning coalition could leave an aftertaste, so to speak, he added. I think Scott would have been able to navigate his many allies, both old ones and new ones, and everybody would be happy.

But Leon Goldenberg, an Orthodox real estate executive and talk radio host in Midwood who has maintained a personal connection with Stringer for years, disagreed. Hes not going to be getting any support from the Orthodox community, Goldenberg told JI. You cant endorse DSA candidates.

Instead, it is Yang and Adams, two of the leading moderates in the field, who have battled it out for the Orthodox vote a fierce and occasionally chaotic rivalry that has only intensified in the final weeks of the race as the candidates have pivoted to attack mode.

Until recently, it seemed as if Yang whose campaign did not respond to repeated requests for comment had all but locked up Hasidic support in Brooklyn. In April, after placing first in a number of public polls, Yang earned the support of a coalition of Hasidic sects in Borough Park, followed by endorsements from two influential Orthodox elected officials Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein and City Councilman Kalman Yeger who represent the neighborhood.

The relationship that Andrew has built with Orthodox communities around the city in a relatively short time, the concern in very real ways that he has demonstrated to us about the challenges that we face in the city, surpasses any other candidate in this race, Yeger told JI in a blunt assessment.

Then, in late May, Yang announced that he had scored a coveted dual endorsement from leaders of Williamsburgs rival Satmar factions, a rare and significant development his campaign touted in a triumphant email blast.

There was indeed cause for celebration. The haredi community is the best opportunity for a candidate to win votes wholesale, said David Pollock, director of public policy and security at the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York. Youre talking about the potential for 6,000 votes-plus in an election which might have low turnout, he added, speaking only of the majority Satmar faction. Show me a union that can turn out that many voters.

I like him because he speaks his mind and says what he has to say and hes not thinking twice, Rabbi David Niederman, a Satmar leader and president and executive director of the United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg, said of Yang. When I say not thinking twice, thats a bad statement, he clarified. In other words, of course, he speaks what he believes in, doesnt go back. He fought for the issue of the education, which is the most important issue for us.

For Adams, the endorsements were a notable snub given his well-established presence in the borough, notwithstanding questions amplified by Yang over the location of his permanent residence. Throughout his tenure as an elected official, he has helped secure funding for bullet proof vests and cameras, while standing with the Orthodox community against antisemitism, despite having praised the antisemitic Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan at an earlier point in his career.

The two-term Brooklyn borough president has since explained that such praise was aimed at the Nation of Islams approach to public safety and had nothing to do with Jews. Im not a Muslim, Im a Christian, he said in the interview with JI. Im never supportive of any antisemitic statements and would never be supportive of that. I dont believe in that philosophy.

Still, some leaders felt as if Adams had not gone far enough in supporting the community, particularly on more substantive issues like affordable housing. On photo ops, he was good, said a Hasidic leader in Brooklyn who asked for anonymity to speak freely. Always to get a picture, he was here.

Tensions seem to have culminated during a meeting with Satmar leaders in which Adams spoke threateningly after it became clear that he would not be earning their support, according to sources familiar with the discussion. Adamss campaign denies this account, which was first reported by Politico and confirmed by JI.

Last week, however, the minority Satmar faction suddenly reversed course and went with Adams a decision coinciding with new polling indicating his emergence as the apparent frontrunner with just over a week remaining until the primary. If you have a chance, we want to join, said Rabbi Moishe Indig, a leader of the Aroni Satmar sect who is credited with boosting Mayor Bill de Blasios longshot bid for mayor in 2013.

Indig denied backpedaling, even though he had signed his name to a recent ad clearly positioning Yang as the top pick in a ranked endorsement including Adams and Stringer. He said he had never explicitly endorsed the order, adding that his loyalty to Adams motivated his decision above all other considerations. If you have a friend that helped your community, who was here for you, Indig reasoned, its not fair to just dump him and throw him under the bus and just take a new guy.

Yang may be better, I dont know, Indig told JI. If he wins, we would like to have a good relationship with him.

Such uncertainty underscores the difficulty of navigating a race that is still very much in flux: Kathyrn Garcia, the former sanitation commissioner, has seen a late wave of momentum thanks to endorsements from The New York Times and Daily News, while Maya Wiley, a former de Blasio aide and MSNBC commentator, is hoping for a last-minute surge of progressive enthusiasm after a recent nod from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

Yang, for his part, has recently fallen behind after months of promising polling, making his endorsements within the Orthodox community, should they hold, all the more essential if he has any hope of pulling off a victory despite no prior history of involvement in New York City politics.

Adams appears to have upped his Orthodox outreach in recent months, running an ad in Yiddish casting him as a Jewish community stalwart with a long history of helping yeshivas and other institutions. He has managed to rake in a number of endorsements from Orthodox groups in Queens, Staten Island and now Brooklyn, where he earned the backing of the Flatbush Jewish Community Coalition as well as the Chabad community in Crown Heights.

Eric is making his gains, which was part of his original plan just to bring everybody in, said Menashe Shapiro, a consultant on the Adams campaign. Hes all over the community. Every corner of the Orthodox community from Hasidim to Far Rockaway and all in between are coalescing around him.

I look at Yang like another Trump, he told JI, referring to the Orthodox communitys vociferous support for the former president. Hell say today whatever it takes to get elected. It just shows that the leadership has lost its way, and just like they supported Trump, theyre supporting Yang.

We feel like the right thing to do is work with our friends that we have come to know and respect over many years, Josh Mehlman, chairman of the FJCC, said of Adams, commending his approach on several issues including public safety, small business and addressing antisemitism.

Rabbi Chanina Sperlin, a leader in the Hasidic community of Crown Heights, echoed that view. Hes a friend, Sperlin told JI, noting that he has never met Yang despite having communicated with his campaign. I just hope I made the right pick, and then we go from there.

A Hasidic community member in Brooklyn who requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the discussion believes that Yangs endorsers are making a strategic error and that they have abandoned a reliable ally in Adams. I look at Yang like another Trump, he told JI, referring to the Orthodox communitys vociferous support for the former president. Hell say today whatever it takes to get elected. It just shows that the leadership has lost its way, and just like they supported Trump, theyre supporting Yang.

Theyre not looking at long-term relationships and long-term supporters of the community, he added.

But Yeger, the city councilman in Borough Park, offered a more nuanced reason for backing Yang.

For me, its not an abstract question of who the mayor of our city is going to be. Its actually looking at the day-to-day work. I need to know for myself, my constituents and for my city that on the other side of the building is a mayor who is going to treat us equally, fairly with every other community in the city, he said, offering what might be interpreted as a veiled critique of Adams. With Andrew, I believe I have that. I believe we all have that.

Still, whether such endorsements from the Orthodox community will help carry Yang to victory remains to be seen.

This is an attempt to show their power, and that will be tested, said Hank Sheinkopf, a veteran Democratic consultant in New York. Theyd better hope that Yang wins. Thats the other side of it. Because if not, nobody owes them anything.

Excerpt from:

Andrew Yang, Eric Adams and the battle for Orthodox Jewish support The two frontrunners have jockeyed - Jewish Insider

Category: Hasidic | Comments Off on Andrew Yang, Eric Adams and the battle for Orthodox Jewish support The two frontrunners have jockeyed – Jewish Insider
Tags:

Posted By admin on June 16, 2021

Congregation Zichron Chaim will build a new synagogue on the corner of Summerfield and South Green roads about a half-mile from its existing building at 2203 S. Green Road in University Heights.

This gives a home to the mission of the synagogue and to all the people that pray in the synagogue, Rabbi Alexander Charlop, spiritual leader of Zichron Chaim, told the Cleveland Jewish News June 9.

Charlop said the architecture of the new building which is traditional in design but uses modern materials coincides with the congregations focus.

The congregation has been meeting at Beatrice J. Stone Yavne High School in Beachwood for 15 years for Shabbos and holiday services as a result of outgrowing its current space. It uses the original building for weekday services and study.

In a series of nine votes, University Heights City Council June 7 approved demolition of six homes Zichron Chaim purchased to build the synagogue, lot consolidation and its plan to build the synagogue following the planning commissions June 3 recommendation.

The homes to be demolished to make room for the synagogue are at the following addresses: 14499 Summerfield Road; 2424, 2420, 2414, 2402 and 2392 S. Green Road.

The 45-year-old congregation began working with University Heights officials and staff more than a year ago to draft a plan that includes a 14,500-square-foot, two-story building with a parking lot of 39 spaces on a 1.3-acre lot.

Zichron Chaim has received commitments from neighboring synagogues for use of their parking lots for overflow.

Rami Berner, an architect and member of Zichron Chaim who serves on the synagogues building committee, presented petitions from 47 residents in support of the plan at the city council meeting. He presented the design of the building, traffic study figures and traffic flow on the site. Moreover, he said vehicles can only enter from Summerfield Road, but can enter and exit from South Green Road near Timberlane Drive.

Designed by Rise Architecture of Lakewood, N.J., the basement will contain a kitchen and social hall. The main floor will contain a library, sanctuary and rabbis study. The second floor will contain a womens balcony and study room, called a beis medrash, according to the plan.

At councils public hearing, one resident objected to the plan. Lisa Smith, whose house is behind the property, said she is concerned about property value and the impact of a dry retention pond on the site near her property. She also said she first saw drawings of the plan the day before they were submitted to the planning commission June 3.

Councilman Justin Gould called the plan fantastic and said he believed Smiths property value would go up, but said he was also concerned about the quick timing given to Smith, particularly in light of the long planning process.

Following the planning commissions unanimous support of the project, councils votes were split, with Gould dissenting on all nine motions and councilman Philip Ertel dissenting on two. Vice Mayor Michelle Weiss is a former member of Zichron Chaim. She made six of the nine motions to approve the plan and seconded one.

Weiss told the CJN June 9 she spoke with the University Heights law director about her past membership at the synagogue.

I spoke to the law director awhile ago about it, she said. At that point, it was not a conflict of interest for me to vote when it came up at planning commission.

The congregation, which has 150 member families, will continue meeting at Yavne High School while the development agreement with the city is finalized and the building is constructed.

Construction could take eight to 10 months with plans to open in 2022, Berner said.

Were so excited to build our home here, Berner said after councils final vote. And we will continue to work with our neighbors to be great neighbors and really make an asset for University Heights.

He thanked council and staff for their help after the project started in pre-administrative review in December 2019.

Congregation Zichron Chaim was founded in 1975. Rabbi Moshe Garfunkel was its first spiritual leader, with Charlop stepping in as co-rabbi 10 years ago. Garfunkel retired a year ago and was named rabbi emeritus, and Charlop became the spiritual leader.

At the council meeting Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan praised the applicant for working closely with the city. He said from the beginning he fully supported the plan to build a new Zichron Chaim.

This is something that builds community and builds upon a strong and vital congregation that has long outgrown its present accommodations, Brennan told the CJN June 9.

Follow this link:

Zichron Chaim to build synagogue in University Heights - Cleveland Jewish News

Category: Synagogue | Comments Off on Zichron Chaim to build synagogue in University Heights – Cleveland Jewish News
Tags:

Posted By admin on June 16, 2021

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) A man told officers he was cleansing the world after allegedly setting fire to Ripleys Haunted House.

According to a police report, officers heard people yelling fire, inside Ripleys Haunted House on Ninth Avenue in Myrtle Beach Saturday night before setting walls of a tunnel inside the building on fire.

MBPD officers and a SLED agent were able to get a description of the suspect from witnesses, according to the report.

The suspect was taken into custody shortly after on Tenth Avenue and Withers, where he told officers he was cleansing the world by burning the synagogue.

The Myrtle Beach Fire Department and SLED bomb squad responded to the scene.

Daniel Huff is charged with second degree arson. No bond has been set.

Read the original here:

Cleansing the world by burning the synagogue; man sets fire to Ripleys Haunted House in Myrtle Beach - WGHP FOX 8 Greensboro

Category: Synagogue | Comments Off on Cleansing the world by burning the synagogue; man sets fire to Ripleys Haunted House in Myrtle Beach – WGHP FOX 8 Greensboro
Tags:

Posted By admin on June 16, 2021

Emanuel Synagogue together with Plus61J and Mazon are hosting a screening of Breaking Bread, plus a post-screening cooking demonstration with acclaimed Chef Michael Rantissi on Wednesday 23 June.

In a film which SBS Australia said was feel good and extremely appetizing...A mouth-watering film, Breaking Bread shows how Dr. Nof Atamna-Ismaeel is on a quest to make social change through food.

Having founded the A-sham Arabic Food Festival, where pairs of Arab and Jewish chefs collaborate on exotic dishes like kishek (a Syrian yogurt soup), and qatayef (a dessert typically served during Ramadan), she is among other things, the first Muslim Arab to win Israel's version of MasterChef.

Breaking Bread is a film about hope, synergy and mouth-watering fare. Its a film that illustrates what happens when people focus on the person, rather than their religion; on the public, rather than the politicians.

Emanuel Synagogue invites you to join them for an evening of joy, where after watching the film, attendees can enjoy a cooking demonstration by renowned Chef Michael Rantissi, and with Mazon launching their Winter soup appeal, guests will be able to make a difference.

In what promises to be a nourishing evening from every perspective, attendees will be able to enjoy a film, a nosh, learn something new and make a positive social impact all in the one event.

WHERE: Emanuel Synagogue, 7 Ocean St, Woollahra

WHEN: 6.30pm, Wednesday 23 June

PRICE: $35 per person; all proceeds going to Mazon.

BOOKINGS: https://tinyurl.com/breakingbread2021

The screening of the Israeli film "Breaking Bread" is the perfect start to the 2021 Mazon Australia Shavuot Soup Bag campaign in Sydney.

For information about the event, contact Marina Capponi on 0431 425 832 or email info@emanuel.org.au.

ENDS

About Mazon

Last winter, Mazon Australia delivered over 400 soup bags filled with fresh vegetables and a delicious soup recipe to organisations in Melbourne to distribute to their clients. These organisations included Jewish Care, Salvation Army, National Council of Jewish Women and the Winja Ulkupna Women's Recovery Hostel. This year they would like to expand this campaign to Sydney.

About Michael Rantissi

After training in Paris and New York, Israeli-born Michael Rantissi arrived in Australia in 2005 and joined The Bathers' Pavilion as sous chef. In 2011 he opened Kepos Street Kitchen in Alexandria and recently opened Kepos & Co. He and partner Kristy Frawley have released their first cookbook, Falafel for Breakfast

About Emanuel Synagogue:

Emanuel Synagogue was founded in 1938 and is regarded as one of Australias most inclusive and dynamic congregations. It is known for its commitment to social justice works (especially concerning refugees and the homeless), other matters of human rights as well as

About Plus61J:

Plus 61j is a balanced, contemporary, bold publication that is pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-human rights and supports a two-state solution. It aims to broaden the conversation among both the Jewish and general communities by providing informative, analytical material that will enable a better understanding of critical issues facing the Jewish world.

Read the rest here:

Press Release: Emanuel Synagogue, Plus61J and Mazon host a screening of acclaimed documentary 'Breaking Bread' - PRWire

Category: Synagogue | Comments Off on Press Release: Emanuel Synagogue, Plus61J and Mazon host a screening of acclaimed documentary ‘Breaking Bread’ – PRWire
Tags:

Posted By admin on June 16, 2021

A new resort opening in the heart of the concrete jungle aims to bring a tropical oasis to the bustling Times Square, luring in tourists and locals to a new island-themed destination.

The brand new 32-story Margaritaville NYC has 234 guestrooms, five food and beverage options and boasts the first outdoor heated pool in the Crossroads of the World. Entirely decked out in paradise-themed dcor, there's even a 32-foot replica of the Statue of Liberty holding a margarita to the skies.

Capturing singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett's "island escapism" lifestyle, the hotel hopes to bring a slice of paradise amongst the skyscrapers. And when it comes to city tourism, the resort leadership is not worried about attracting guests.

"Everyone needs that laidback escapism at some point. Whether you're living here or a tourist out sightseeing all day, you can come back and get in that 'flip-flop state of mind' and be in a little island oasis at Margaritaville," said Kylie Featherby in a recent interview with NBC New York.

The NYC resort's general manager says that this hotel is the perfect spot for city workers to grab a bite or drink after a long day.

"If you're at Bank of America as a VP working 100 hours a week, come here, grab a burger, some nachos and a drink upstairs. You'll forget that you just had a long week in finance," said Kori Yoran.

The resort cost more than $300 million to build over the span of its three-year development. There's even a new unique, feature to be added soon - a synagogue.

Soho Properties' Chair and CEO, Sharif El-Gamal, worked as the owner and developer of the Times Square resort. During the planning, El-Gamal had to negotiate with the Garment Center Congregation synagogue, which was originally located in the spot of hotel construction.

"For those who may not know, the synagogue was on this site. In a wonderful act of international cooperation Sharif relocated the synagogue. But in fact, in about six months, the synagogue is coming back and will be on the ground floor here," said John Cohlan, CEO of Margaritaville Holdings.

According to the website, guests are allowed to make accommodations starting next week.

See the article here:

First Look: Margaritaville NYC Offers Island Oasis in the Heart of Times Square - NBC New York

Category: Synagogue | Comments Off on First Look: Margaritaville NYC Offers Island Oasis in the Heart of Times Square – NBC New York
Tags:

Posted By admin on June 16, 2021

JERUSALEM, Israel A double-sided bronze amulet found near the ancient Byzantine-era synagogue of Arbel close to 40 years ago was recently donated to the Israeli National Treasures Center and the Israel Antiquities Authority.

The area where the amulet was originally found in northern Israel is just a few miles west of the Sea of Galilee, and roughly 20 miles south of the Lebanese border. The Ancient Synagogue of Arbel was located on Mount Arbel and constructed in the 4th century.

Ruins of the Ancient Synagogue Arbel Image credit: Bukvoed CC BY 3.0

The front of the bronze amulet depicts a rider on a galloping horse bearing a spear that is being thrust in the direction of a female figure on the ground. The rider also is depicted with a halo around their head. Beneath the rider and above the female figure on the ground are the Greek letters, I A W , which stand for the Jewish Divine Name (Yahweh, IHYH). An inscription, also in Greek, is engraved in a semicircle above the rider and reads, The One God who Conquers Evil.

The reverse side of the amulet features an eye that is pierced by arrows and by a forked object. Directly beneath the eye is a scorpion flanked by a bird on the left and a snake on the right, and then framed by two lions in a rampant pose, one on either side. At the top of the amulet are Greek letters that researchers say are the abbreviation of meaning One God.

Deputy Director of the Antiquities Theft Prevention Unit, Dr. Eitan Klein, who conducted the research on the amulet said, [T]he amulet is part of a group of fifthsixth-century CE amulets from the Levant that were probably produced in the Galilee and Lebanon. This group of amulets is sometimes called Solomons Seal, and the rider is depicted overcoming the evil spirit in this case, a female-identified with the mythological figure Gello/Gyllou, who threatens women and children and is associated with the evil eye. The eye on the reverse is identifiable as the evil eye, being attacked and vanquished by various means. Therefore, the amulet was probably used to guard against the evil eye, possibly to protect women and children.

One side of the amulet with a galloping rider overcoming a demon and the Greek letters for the Jewish Divine Name. Photo by Dafna Gazit/Israel Antiquities Authority [Courtesy]

permalink

The opposite side of the ancient bronze amulet. Photo by Dafna Gazit/Israel Antiquities Authority [Courtesy]

permalink

In Greek mythology, Gello/Gyllou refers to a female demon who can harm women by interfering in reproduction, causing infertility, miscarriage, and even infant mortality. However, in the Byzantine era, the gelloudes () were considered to be a class of beings. A woman who was believed to be under the influence of demonic possession by gelloudes could be forced to undergo an exorcism or even be brought to stand trial.

The origin of the Gello is uncertain, but it possibly is derived from the name Gall, which refers to a BabylonianAssyrian demon thought to bring sickness and death. Gall may also be the root for the word ghoul.

Ben, a practicing orthodox Jew and Israeli who immigrated to the U.S. in the early 2000s told TWH that typical modern use of protective amulets would not have any type of figures or pictures on them, only Hebrew script.

Arbel as a Jewish settlement during the Byzantine era supported a linen-production industry that was important in the Talmudic period and governed by Jewish agrarian laws. As such, it would have had a variety of sages who would have visited and taught within the settlement.

When asked who might have worn the amulet, and whether they might be Jewish or not, Klein replied,I cant determine that. On the contrary! Anti-demon pendants of this type were used by everyone at the time Jews, Christians and gnostics who existed here.

Klein continued, Gnostics used Yahwehs name. The name of the Jewish god was accepted by everybody who lived here then. It was a powerful name in its divinity. One didnt have to be a Jew to believe in the power of the name.

Although scholars generally identify the wearers of such amulets as Christians or Gnostics, the fact that the amulet was found within a Jewish settlement containing a synagogue in the fifth-sixth centuries CE may indicate that even Jews of the period wore amulets of this type for protection against the evil eye and demons, Klein said.

Ruins of Arbel Synagogue Image credit: Yael Alef CC BY-SA 3.0,

Ben, a practicing orthodox Jew and Israeli who immigrated to the U.S. in the late 90s told TWH that any typical modern use of protective amulets would not have any type of figures or pictures on them, only Hebrew script.

The idea of the evil eye, or the ability of a magical practitioner to cause misfortune or harm by merely meeting their gaze, is a belief that is found across many cultures around the globe and throughout time and history.

While it may be impossible to know who wore the amulet or exactly what faith they might have ascribed to, protection from malignant magic, especially for women who were either pregnant or just hoping to start a family was possibly universal.

Continue reading here:

Ancient amulet found in Israel may have been protection against curses | Middle East, News, Paganism, World - The Wild Hunt

Category: Synagogue | Comments Off on Ancient amulet found in Israel may have been protection against curses | Middle East, News, Paganism, World – The Wild Hunt
Tags:

Posted By admin on June 16, 2021

The bombing of Gaza may have ended, the sirens in Tel Aviv silenced for now. Yet as concern over a planned June 15, 2021 march by right-wing Israeli nationalists underscores, the threat of violence in Israel is never far from the surface. It is sustained and fueled by what is at the core of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict: land and property ownership.

A key component in the most recent violence 11 days in which 282 Palestinians were killed by Israeli bombs or bullets and 13 Israelis killed by Hamas rockets from Gaza was tension following efforts by Jewish settlers to evict Palestinians from their homes in the urban neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in occupied East Jerusalem.

The Israeli government has said that these evictions were the result of a real-estate dispute between private parties without indicating a historical precedent.

But as a scholar of the Ottoman Empire, which ruled over Palestine from 1517 to 1919, I argue that these disputes are not private quarrels taking place in the here and now. Rather, they reflect a history of land disputes that have long defined the terms of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It is seen in the repression of legal claims over agricultural land in the late 19th century, and continues with the selective denial of Palestinian claims for urban spaces today.

Landed property has long been a crucial part of Zionism a settler colonial movement that pushed for the establishment, and then support, of a Jewish state. In practice, this has meant the dispossession of land from the Palestinian Arab population.

From the 1901 founding of the Jewish National Fund an organization that purchased agricultural land for a future Jewish homeland Zionists goal was to purchase contiguous villages in what was then the plains of Ottoman Palestine. Zionists targeted an N-shaped area that took in the most fertile land in the region. This N-shaped settlement became a template for the 1947 U.N. partition plan for Palestine and the core of the future Israeli state after the Arab-Israeli War of 1948.

The lands that Zionist organizations targeted for purchase were primarily held by companies headed by families living in the Levant the Sursuqs, Bustruses, Debbases, Trads, Khuris, Hajjars and Tueinis. These family companies, whose owners were living in Cairo and Beirut, became major global capitalist enterprises during the 19th century, investing in manufacturing and trade in India, Germany and Britain.

The narrative pushed by many Zionists both in the early 20th century and today is that the land was empty of people and in the hands of Levantine absentee landlords.

But ownership of the land was a murkier affair, with more than one claimant.

In the mid-19th century, agricultural land in the Ottoman Empire was technically state-owned. Levantine companies and peasants purchased the right to use the land from the Ottoman government or from local sellers. Peasants had bought and sold these use rights as if they owned the land itself since at least the 18th century. The Ottoman state also recognized Palestinian Arab peasants, merchants and Bedouin as owners of olive groves, fruit trees, mills, houses, buildings, and even water and grazing rights on this land.

These multiple claims complicated attempts to sell land to Zionists. The Levantine companies didnt have enough land solely in their ownership to satisfy Zionist demand and local Ottoman officials and courts blocked the Jewish purchasing agencies demands for private property.

[3 media outlets, 1 religion newsletter. Get stories from The Conversation, AP and RNS.]

Frustrated by their inability to sell and buy entire villages, the Levantine companies and their Zionist partners took advantage of World War I to dispossess Palestinians of some of their property rights.

During the war, the Ottoman Empire was subjected to a lengthy naval blockade that led to a severe food shortage. To satisfy the demand for food for soldiers, Levantine companies under the supervision of the Ottomans diverted wheat from fertile regions of Palestine to give to the military resulting in starvation and impoverishment among Palestinians.

With peasants unable to pay taxes, Ottoman leaders under pressure from capitalist families in Beirut took away peasants rights to land and gave temporary rights to the Levantine companies for growing food.

When the British were handed the mandate for the administration of Palestine at the end of the war, its officials upheld Levantine companies claims to the land, ignoring Palestinians who came forward with their own ownership claims to land, buildings and homes.

Palestinians continued to present paperwork that supported their case throughout the period up to 1948, but by then much of the land they were disputing had become exclusively Zionist-owned.

It had been sold to them by the Levantine companies, attracted by the Zionists offers to buy villages for well over the market value.

Both the Zionist buyers and Levantine companies knew that many Palestinian Arabs still owned homes, olive groves, mills, warehouses and fields in the N-shaped region. They offered money to the families that came forward. But, Zionists forcibly evicted them if they refused compensation or to sell their land.

My research has found that Palestinians repeatedly brought ownership claims to British courts. But there is evidence that the claims were hampered by the claimants difficulty accessing the courts. In addition, the Levantine companies manipulated official land records during World War I to expand their boundaries and eliminate others claims to parts of villages.

Even if they suspected the transactions were unclean, British officials honored the land titles exchanged between the politically powerful Levantine companies and Zionists.

After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War an event in which Jewish forces displaced approximately 750,000 Palestinians from their homes in Palestine the 1950 Absentee Land Laws prohibited Israels consideration of any more Palestinian claims for the land Israel occupied before and during the 1948 war.

Recent events show that these land disputes are not just a matter of history. The dispute over Sheikh Jarrah involves claims that Jewish settlers acquired land rights in 1885. Palestinian families say that it was Palestinian-owned long before then.

To describe dispossessions in Sheikh Jarrah as a real estate quarrel conceals the true history of land ownership in the regions which is complicated, disputed and rarely decided in favor of Palestinians.

Go here to see the original:
Property disputes in Israel come with a complicated back story and tend to end with Palestinian dispossession - The Conversation US

Category: Zionism | Comments Off on Property disputes in Israel come with a complicated back story and tend to end with Palestinian dispossession – The Conversation US
Tags:

Posted By admin on June 16, 2021

BAL HARBOUR Nearly 300 people gathered at the Shul of Bal Harbour, a sprawling Orthodox synagogue, to greet Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday as he signed into law two bills of particular importance to the South Florida Jewish community one authorizing a local emergency medical service and another mandating a moment of silence in schools.

The governor also took the opportunity to make it clear how strongly he supports Israel. He promised shortly after taking office to become the most pro-Israel governor in America.

One of the bills will grant privileges to Hatzalah of South Florida, a Jewish-led emergency medical services volunteer network that is part of a larger EMT organization with branches across the nation and in Israel. In Miami-Dade and Broward counties, Hatzalah has 70 volunteers, including paramedics and first responders, who work to answer 30 to 150 emergency calls each week including for tourists and non-Jews in the neighborhood, Zalman Cohen, its operations manager, said in an interview.

The new law, HB 805, authorizes the use of sirens and red lights on privately owned vehicles of volunteer staff in groups like Hatzalah, allowing for faster response time and transportation of patients to hospitals, according to the bills proponents. The bill prohibits the use of sirens and lights when not responding to an emergency.

What started as a dream 13 years ago has given birth to todays reality, said Baruch Sandhaus, the executive director of Hatzalah of South Florida. Today marks the day that Hatzalah can become a full-fledged volunteer agency in the great state of Florida.

Hatzalah, meaning rescue in Hebrew and founded by a Brooklyn rabbi in 1965 as a volunteer service for the citys Orthodox neighborhoods, on Monday became the first private and faith-based EMT response group in Florida.

Although it has operated in the state for more than a decade and, according to Sandhaus, has assisted in 13,000 emergencies in that time, until this year the organization was not allowed to operate as an ambulance service. The bill, approved by a vast majority of the Legislature, allows Hatzalah to operate as an ambulance service without getting that approval from counties.

As the bill made its way through the Legislature, the Florida Fire Chiefs Association opposed the bill, arguing that the addition of Hatzalah would create a more disorganized local emergency services system. Hatzalah is not a part of local 911 networks, Ray Colburn, the Florida Fire Chiefs Association executive director, noted at an April committee meeting.

Were very blessed in Miami Beach because we have tremendous fire and ambulance services, so its not really an issue in Miami Beach that much, Miami Beach Commissioner Steven Meiner said in an interview. But its still nice to know that theres a volunteer service that can literally save lives. The seconds literally count. Miami Beach had passed a resolution in support of the bill, Meiner said.

Hatzalah responds to its own 10-digit phone number. The organization urges those suffering medical emergencies to call 911 before calling the volunteer service.

To one volunteer EMT with the group, Manny Hassan, the governors support of the bill felt personal. As a 5-year-old in New York, Hassan was hit by a car, and rescued by local Hatzalah EMTs. Now, he sees himself as giving back, volunteering with the organization for the past three years in South Florida, which he said frequently has him getting out of bed three or four times a night, responding to callers.

Bal Harbour Mayor Gabriel Groisman, who spoke alongside DeSantis in support of the bill, said in an interview that earlier this year he made use of Hatzalahs services in his own family. When his wifes grandmother fell and injured her head, he said, we called both Hatzalah and 911 at the same time, and Hatzalah did come first.

In this community they work seamlessly, Groisman said. I actually saw first-hand how they gave her the aid she needed.

DeSantis also signed into law legislation that will require first-period public school teachers to institute a one- to two-minute moment of silence at the beginning of each day. Teachers will not be allowed to make suggestions on how kids should use the time but will be encouraged to talk to parents so they can talk to their children about how they should spend the time in class.

For several years, Republicans in the Legislature tried and failed to create a state law requiring the moment of silence. Opponents have long argued that mandating a moment of silence in public schools blurs the line between church and state.

Could children take out rosaries and start doing the sign of the cross and other children feel uncomfortable? Could a child take out a prayer rug and start using a prayer rug? Sen. Lori Berman, D-Boynton Beach, said when debating the measure during the 2021 session.

Proponents of the bill, however, said the measure is meant to be a moment of reflection. The bill itself says the Legislature finds that in todays hectic society too few persons are able to experience even a moment of quiet reflection before plunging into the activities of daily life. The Republican-led body further found that young people are particularly affected by the absence of an opportunity for a moment of quiet reflection and that they would be well served with one.

Still, at the press conference, DeSantis framed the legislation in explicitly religious terms. Signing the bill while standing at the pulpit of a house of worship, he described the new law as a religious freedom opportunity, saying, We think its something thats important, to be able to provide each student the ability to be able to reflect and be able to pray as they see fit.

The idea that you can just push God out of every institution and be successful Im sorry, our founding fathers did not believe that, the governor added.

Critics often argue the nations framers did, in fact, intend a strict separation of church and state, enshrining a prohibition on laws respecting an establishment of religion in the First Amendment.

Those in the audience seemed also to view the new law as a move to reintroduce prayer to the classroom. Ivan Gluck, an 83-year-old community member, said he sees the bill as putting God back into the school system, a move he supports. If you dont have religion, then I think that society and humanity will come to an end, Gluck said.

Rep. Randy Fine, R-Brevard, who said he is the only Jewish Republican in the Florida House, sponsored the legislation and commended the governor for his strong stance against antisemitism.

Prior to signing both pieces of legislation, DeSantis was greeted with rousing applause from the synagogue crowd and spoke at length about his support for the Jewish community in Miami-Dade and the state of Israel.

When he was last at the Shul, DeSantis said, he spoke with community members about the potential move of the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a controversial measure the Trump administration took in its early days.

After recounting a personal story of using water from the Sea of Galilee that his wife brought home from travels to Israel for his childrens baptisms, DeSantis walked the audience through a slew of what he sees as his own and other Republican leaders accomplishments.

From the U.S. recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli territory under former President Donald Trump, to a partnership with an Israeli company to combat Floridas problem with blue-green algae, the governor aimed to reinforce his staunch support for the Jewish state.

DeSantis also spoke of a bill he signed into law in 2019 aimed at combating anti-Semitism, which required schools and universities to address anti-Semitic behavior the same way they would racial discrimination. Fine commended the governor for signing that bill in what he called the eternal capital of Israel, Jerusalem. At the time, DeSantis had faced a lawsuit for convening the Florida Cabinet abroad in an alleged violation of Floridas open meeting laws.

The governor also discussed various measures he has taken to combat anti-Semitism in the state and increase Holocaust education, including increased funding for the Florida Holocaust Museum and designating the second week of November as Holocaust education week.

As a Holocaust survivor, I think Gov. DeSantis, I see him as a very good man to everyone, but especially to the Jewish community, said Gluck, the 83-year-old member of the shuls congregation.

As DeSantis positions himself for reelection in 2022, he and his allies used Mondays event to highlight his pro-Israel stance. For instance, Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuez, declared DeSantis is the most pro-Israel governor in all of America.

At the event, DeSantis also was introduced as a future world leader, adding fuel to wide speculation that he may consider running for the White House in 2024.

Here is the original post:

Ron DeSantis signs bill mandating moment of silence in schools - Tampa Bay Times

Category: Anti-semitism | Comments Off on Ron DeSantis signs bill mandating moment of silence in schools – Tampa Bay Times
Tags:

Posted By admin on June 16, 2021

Members of Atlantas Jewish community said they appreciate the apology but her future actions are what they will be watching.

ATLANTA Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene apologized for comments comparing COVID restrictions to the Holocaust.

Her apology came hours after lawmakers said they would introduce a resolution to censure Greene for her previous remarks.

There are words that I have said and remarks that Ive made that I know are offensive and, for that, I want to apologize," Greene said in a last-minute press conference on Monday.

Might be the first time that the Congresswoman has apologized for anything in her tenure," said Dov Wilker, Regional Director for Atlanta Jewish Committee.

The Georgia representative sought to make amends for commentsshe made a month earlier. During a May podcast, Greene compared a House floor mask mandate to the Holocaust. She later tweeted comparing vaccination logos to Jewish people being forced to wear a Gold star.

But after a visit to the Holocaust Museum, Greene said she was reminded of her recently deceased father, who always told her to own her mistakes.

"The Holocaust is, theres nothing comparable to it, Greene added.

There is no comparison to the Holocaust. The only comparison to the Holocaust is the Holocaust itself, he said.

When people do compare it, it truly is so disgusting and disrespectful to those that have perished in the Holocaust," said Cheryl Dorchinsky with Atlanta Israel Coalition.

Dorchinsky and Wilker said they were surprised by the apology and hope its both sincere and an educational moment.

I think whats important is that her followers, her constituents, is that they hear the apology and it hopefully changes the way they view things," said Wilker.

Drawing attention to the rise in attacks against Jewish people, Dorchinsky said comments like the ones Greene apologized for do not help tame Jewish hate.

While they appreciate the apology, they said they'll be watching for her future actions and hope Greene moves beyond words to shine a light on anti-Semitism.

I think actions are more important," said Wilker.

Only time will tell if she truly did learn something, Dorchinsky added.

After her apology, Greene doubled down on her belief that anyone being forced to wear a mask or get a vaccine is a type of discrimination that she strongly condemns.

Here is the original post:

Members of Atlanta Jewish community respond to Marjorie Taylor Greene apology: 'I think actions are more important' - 11Alive.com WXIA

Category: Anti-semitism | Comments Off on Members of Atlanta Jewish community respond to Marjorie Taylor Greene apology: ‘I think actions are more important’ – 11Alive.com WXIA
Tags: