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Zei Gezunt Responding to a Sneeze in these Difficult Times – The Times of Israel

Posted By on September 4, 2020

I. The two words: Zei gezunt

1. The first Yiddish word: zei from zein -to be. When speaking to more than oneperson, the grammatical form is zeit gezunt. (zei rhymes with eye)

2. The second Yiddish word: gezunt

A. If you are old enough to have had Eastern European grandparents who came in the great wave of immigration from 1880-to the early 1920s, you may have heard this Yiddish phrase in addition to many more phrases and words from casually overhearing them speak. Depending on what area of Eastern Europe they came from, they pronounced the second work either zei gezunt or zei gezint.

B. Regardless of whether you are from Ashkenazi or non-Ashkenazi heritage, you may have heard it from survivors of the Shoah.

C. Inevitably, if you live in Israel with its vast assortment of Jews from everywhere, you would have heard zei gezunt.

D. It may well be that you saw or heard it in the secular media which sprinkles an ever-growing vocabulary of Yiddish (and Hebrew) words into the dialogue. Detective and spy best-sellers particularly do it.

E. In the time of The Plague depending on who you hang out with you may hear this almost as often as Stay safe.

F. Whether you are Jewish or not, everyone has heard Gezuntheit* after someone sneezes.

3. Back to the first word zei

A. Grammatically zei is the simple imperative form Be! And the phrase would mean Be healthy!B. I have the sense that it is more a statement of good wishes. (This is what the label-loving grammarians call the optative mood, though I may be wrong, lost as I was in the thicket of their exotic vocabulary.) What you are then saying is, May you be/stay healthy. This is a comparable nuance found in many languages, including Biblical Hebrews mi yeetayn v and Spanishs ojal que.

II. The Third Word Zei mir gezunt

1. I dont know who told me that phrase a long time ago, but I keep remembering is that only nowadays has it changed its possible meaning for me.2. mir: means we.3. The entire awkward phrase would mean Be we healthy or better in good-wish nuance, May we be/stay healthy.4. Lately, this mir-we has become problematic for me.A. If it is a simple wish that we should both be healthy, I have no problem, butB. In light of the recent horrible and terrifying spikes in new positives and deaths from the virus, the word mir-we sounds to me to have an underlying meaning of Please, dont be sloppy, careless, ignorant, negligent, selfish, insensitive, grossly inconsiderate, or stupid so that you endanger other peoples wellbeing and life and other peoples wellbeing and lives and, obviously, my own.Thats what I sometimes feel and sadly so when I have heard or used the phrase.

*III. A Timely Supplement From My Yiddish-Speaking Old Friend Rabbi Moshe Waldoks1. Tsum gezunt is for the first sneeze.2. After the second tzu lange lebn [You should have} a long life.3. The third one zolst a bubbe (zeyde) vaksn [You should] grow old enough to be a grandmother (grandfather).4. The fourth will certainly call for more serious medical intervention, at least an allergy medication!

Danny Siegel is a well-known author, lecturer, and poet who has spoken in more than 500 North American Jewish communities on Tzedakah and Jewish values, besides reading from his own poetry. He is the author of 29 1/2 books on such topics as Mitzvah heroism practical and personalized Tzedakah, and Talmudic quotes about living the Jewish life well. Siegel has been referred to as "The World's Greatest Expert on Microphilanthropy", "The Pied Piper of Tzedakah", "A Pioneer Of Tzedakah", and "The Most Famous Unknown Jewish Poet in America."

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Zei Gezunt Responding to a Sneeze in these Difficult Times - The Times of Israel

Five Things Every Woman Should Know About Ovarian Cancer – Baptist Health South Florida

Posted By on September 4, 2020

If you knew that your cars make and model tends to developbrake problems after 50,000 miles, youd probably want to take it in and get themchecked, right? Likewise, women of a certain age should be getting checked forovarian cancer, says NicholasC. Lambrou, M.D., chief of gynecologic oncology at Miami Cancer Institute.

Ovarian is the fifth leading cause of cancer among women, according to the American Cancer Society; this year, roughly 21,750 women will be diagnosed with it. This cancer develops primarily in older women women over age 40 are most at risk and a womans odds of getting ovarian cancer during her lifetime is about one in 78.

In advance of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month in September,Dr. Lambrou says there are five things every woman should know about thedisease, its symptoms and its treatment.

1. GeneticScreening is Key

There is no Papsmear-like test for ovarian cancer, or an HPV-like vaccine that can prevent it,so genetic screening is very important, Dr. Lambrou says. If you have theBRCA 1 gene, for example, you have up to a 90% risk of getting breastcancer and up to a 50% risk of getting ovarian cancer. With odds like that,its understandable why some women who have the gene decide to haveprophylactic surgery.

Also, Jewish women of Ashkenazi ancestryhave a higher rate of carrying mutated BRCA genes, Dr. Lambrou says, which putsthem at increased risk for a multitude of cancers,includingovariancancer. Recent guidelines allowallwomenof this ancestry, including those with no family cancer history, to be testeddue to the higher prevalence of cancer in this group.If your familyhistory points to an increased risk, your doctor can help you decide how tobest manage your situation.

Additionally, being diagnosed with one cancer could meanyoure more likely to develop the other, Dr. Lambrou adds. If youre a youngwoman of 33 years old and you get a breast cancer diagnosis, then theres ahigher chance youre carrying one of these genes and didnt know it, leavingyou vulnerable to developing ovarian cancer, he says. But information ispower and if you know you have the gene, there is something you can do, proactively,to prevent yourself from getting it.

2. Know Your Family History

A common misconception about ovarian cancer isthat people often think it can only get passed down from mother to daughter.However, its 50/50 and men can pass the gene down to their children, oftenunknowingly. By understanding your complete family history maternalandpaternal,you can potentially avoid these types of cancers through geneticscreening.

3. Early Screening/Testing is Paramount

Ovarian cancercan be curable but treating it can be a long and sometimes challengingprocess. As with virtually every other type ofcancer, earlier detection leads to better outcomes, Dr. Lambrou notes.

African American women carry a higher risk of developinggynecological cancers, he says, and theyre also at greater risk for receivinga poor prognosis due to disparities in access to screening and testing.Withroutine cancer screenings being put on pause during the height of the COVID-19pandemic, its more important than ever to visit your gynecologist for a yearlypelvic exam, Dr. Lambrou advises. And once you get tested, he says, make sureyou share that information with other members of your family, who may also beat risk.

4. Understanding Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer Can Save YourLife

Ovarian cancer was known for years as a silentdisease. However, research points to four key symptoms all women should beaware of. They include 1) bloating, 2) pain in pelvis and/or belly, 3) troubleeating or sensation of quickly feeling full, and/or 4) feeling the need to urgentlyurinate and/or urinate more frequently.If the symptoms are new, occurmore than 12 times a month, and/or dont dissipate when changing theenvironment through diet or exercise, then you should see your doctor, Dr.Lambrou says.

5. Management of Ovarian Cancer Has Undergone DramaticChanges

The management of ovarian cancer has undergone dramaticchanges over the last few years, Dr. Lambrou says, and as treatments continueto progress, so does the patients outlook. Surgery by an experienced gynecologiconcologist is still the mainstay of treatment but there is also a new class ofdrugs called PARP inhibitors that have changed the standard of care, improvingprogression-free survival in women.

In addition, he says randomized control trials havedemonstrated the benefit in some women of incorporatinghyperthermicintraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) in the management of this disease. Thisinvolves administering warm chemotherapy drugs directly into the abdomen duringsurgery.

Where you are treated can make a difference, too, Dr.Lambrou says. Studies show that cancer centers with higher patient volumeshave better outcomes. At Miami Cancer Institute, we treat a large number ofpatients with ovarian cancer and every other type of cancer and we differentiateourselves with a thoughtful, multidisciplinary approach tailored to the unique,individual needs of every patient.

Tags: Miami Cancer Institute, Nicholas Lambrou M.D., ovarian cancer

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Five Things Every Woman Should Know About Ovarian Cancer - Baptist Health South Florida

Ehud Olmert to ‘Post’: Israel’s divisions have reached near-violent level – The Jerusalem Post

Posted By on September 4, 2020

The heated discourse about the social, political and moral crisis that is shaking up the country has been turned by the imperial family on Balfour Street into a direct and bitter confrontation between what is known as the First Israel and what is known as the Second Israel. The person who intensified this dispute until it reached an almost violent level is the so-called haredi (ultra-Orthodox) journalist Dr. Avishay Ben Haim, who has split the Israeli public into two categories: The first, privileged, rich Ashkenazim who enjoy all of the benefits a rich and prosperous Israeli society has to offer those who it chooses to honor; the second category is made up mostly of people from Middle Eastern origins and the haredi sector. It is by definition an underprivileged Israel that has systematically been thrown into the margins of society by the First Israel.The first Israel, according to Ben Haim and others like him, are first and foremost the people living in Rehavia, Jerusalems luxurious neighborhood. This central neighborhood in western Jerusalem is where many Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Hadassah Medical Center professors live alongside senior government officials and CEOs of huge corporations. This neighborhood represents the public that is defined as privileged. Israeli society can be split into two categories: those who are deserving as opposed to those who are underprivileged. Rehavia residents benefit from all of the advantages, such as economic comfort, spacious housing, close ties with economic and political power centers, comfortable lives, and priority in receiving services at governmental offices. In short, everything that qualifies them to receive the title of the First Israel.Usually when Dr. Ben Haim and others like him present these two subgroups, one next to the other, they dont mention how many combat soldiers, pilots, paratroopers, and soldiers in the armored corps or elite units grew up in Rehavia, since these statistics do not fit with their objective of demonstrating that the people living in this community are a bunch of arrogant people who think they have everything coming to them.Of course, the most important characteristic of the First Israel is that it is made up by leftists. Leftists in the public discourse that is currently taking place throughout the country, in addition to everything that characterizes this group, are also perhaps not as loyal to the country or who possibly might be traitors, even if people from Rehavia are Israeli Air Force pilots or soldiers in the Special Forces, of which there are plenty.Rehavia is of course a symbol, as are Ramat Aviv, Herzliya Pituah, Savyon, Tel Aviv suburbs, the neighborhoods surrounding Netanya, Haifa, Nahariya and Rishon Lezion. Of course, they are joined by the working people who settled the kibbutzim and moshavim in the Jordan and Jezreel Valleys and the Galilee, such as the residents of Nahalal, Kfar Yehezkel, Tel Adashim, Kfar Giladi, Tel Amal, Beit Alfa, Gvat, Yifat and many other moshavim and kibbutzim in the Negev, such as Nahal Oz and Kfar Aza. cnxps.cmd.push(function () { cnxps({ playerId: '36af7c51-0caf-4741-9824-2c941fc6c17b' }).render('4c4d856e0e6f4e3d808bbc1715e132f6'); });These communities brought forth the best of the countrys volunteers, brave combat fighters, academics, literary and cultural figures, poets, scientists and advanced technologists.THE FRAGRANCE of life that theyve dispersed throughout the country is what gives many of us the taste of life and the joy of belonging to this place. In other words, everyone who enjoys an upper middle-class standard of living, who are not clearly identified as Middle Easterners, who live in neighborhoods that do not suffer from overcrowding and enjoy economic prosperity, and especially if their family immigrated to Israel before the establishment of the state, are on the side of the bad, arrogant people who deprive the members of the Second Israel of their rights.The attempt to artificially create a division between Middle Eastern Jews and the First Israel is sinister. There are many hundreds of thousands of Israelis of Middle Eastern origins, whose lifestyle, culture, behavior, quality of life, education, academic, professional and economic success, and military achievements are at the highest level. Nonetheless, according to Ben Haim they are not part of First Israel and they vehemently refuse to view themselves as part of the Second Israel. Are people like Gabi Ashkenazi, Dan Halutz and Gadi Eisenkot members of the First or Second Israel? Are Prof. Amnon Shashua and Prof. Shaul Mishal part of the First or Second Israel? Is Moshe Levy, who lost his arm in battle, following which he was decorated with a Medal of Valor, a member of the First or Second Israel? I could fill this entire newspaper column with names of Israelis of Middle Eastern origin who reached the pinnacle of military, economic, academic and technological achievements and are famous in Israel as well as around the world.They dont consider themselves part of the haughty first Israel, even though they possess all of the characteristics attributed to this group. They refuse to align themselves with Avishay Ben Haims second Israel, who view themselves as disadvantaged in comparison with so-called privileged Israelis who hold all the positions of power and enjoy all the benefits and rights the country can offer its citizens.The second, disenfranchised Israel, in whose name Ben Haim is trying to speak, is the haredi community, which includes both Ashkenazi and Middle Eastern Jews, who live in crowded neighborhoods in Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Modiin Illit, Bnei Brak and many other communities around the country.Why are people like Ben Haim dividing Israeli society in this arbitrary manner? Are they supposedly disadvantaged because they are purported to have been denied the rights and resources offered by the country? The so-called Second Israel is underprivileged because it wants to lead a different way of life that does not correspond with the hedonistic and opulent lifestyle of the first Israel, which runs the country and holds all the power and wealth.The truth is, the division between the first and second Israel, between haredi and secular Israelis, the inequality among Ashkenazim and Middle Eastern Jews, is a false classification. It hides the attempt by those who make it to hold back the reins of political power in the State of Israel by way of division, incitement, fanning flames, hatred and feelings of discrimination based on historical memories, true hardships and difficulties adjusting that some people suffered upon arriving to Israel, especially during the early years of the state when many new immigrants flooded the country, mostly from North African countries. THEY LIVED under difficult conditions, had a low standard of living and suffered many difficulties in adapting to Israeli culture. In addition, the Mapai Party - which then was dominating the government - was perceived to have had an aggressive attitude and many new immigrants from North Africa, who were justified for feeling bitterness and helplessness in light of the discrimination they experienced.There is no denying that for years, members of this community, especially those who were sent out to outlying areas in northern and southern Israel, lived in unbearable conditions. They were forced to deal with excruciating difficulties and poverty, and lived in overcrowded and untenable living situations and under harsh weather conditions. In contrast, all of the government and political representatives were Ashkenazim, some of whom lived in extremely comfortable conditions.There was a clear division between these two communities, and this feeling of bitterness penetrated into the second, and to some extent also into the third generation.In other words, the controversy over the first and second Israel is a false usage of terminology that was meant to serve the policy of incitement and division being put forward by the prime minister and his gang on Balfour Street. Here in Israel there are the disadvantaged that we are saving and helping, as well as the rich leftist tycoons who are forming alliances with Ayman Odeh in order to harm the country that we tried to rescue from them.There is no first Israel and second Israel. There is considerable and heartbreaking social inequality between people who have plenty, some of whom are Ashkenazim and some of whom are of Middle Eastern origin. Some are religious, haredi, secular or Arab. Other people live in poverty and the government is not taking proper care of them. They are not carrying out a balanced program and taking responsibility for these people, some of whom are also Ashkenazim, or of Middle Eastern origin, or religious, secular, haredi or Arab.This, however, is not the division that interests Ben Haim and his guru from Balfour Street. They are concerned with only one question: Whos with and whos against us. Anyone in the latter group is a rich, leftist, arrogant traitor. Whoever is with us is a disadvantaged, Middle Eastern, haredi person who is loyal to the state.And we havent even mentioned the two million Arab Israelis who live here. Are they the first, second or perhaps a third Israel? Or maybe they dont actually count, since why would two million Israelis be on Netanyahus or Ben Haims radar if they cant help us in our struggle to divide, incite and make our reality more complicated as a means to threaten the stability of our lives here in our country?Israels Arabs, who are citizens, are here to stay. They belong to the first Israel just like all the rest of Israels citizens, and they are entitled to everything that everyone else receives, were it not for the prime minister who thinks that only those people who are loyal to his lawlessness deserve what the government can offer.The writer was the 12th prime minister of Israel.

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Ehud Olmert to 'Post': Israel's divisions have reached near-violent level - The Jerusalem Post

Halting West Bank annexation resurrects the 67 line: 10 things to know – The Jerusalem Post

Posted By on September 4, 2020

The decision to suspend annexation almost automatically resurrected the pre-1967 line in the West Bank, excluding in Jerusalem.This transition last month was swift and sudden, because the two concepts are opposite sides of the same conceptional coin.One either operates within a conversation about the application of sovereignty or within a dialogue about a two-state solution at the pre-1967 lines.That is because the West Banks Area C, where over 700,000 Israelis and Palestinians live, cannot be frozen in time.The going wisdom of US President Donald Trumps regional peace plan as it has now unfolded, is to hold the West Bank in some suspended reality, to be handed out by priority to whichever side is most compliant with the process.Ideally, settlers and the Israeli Right should simply wait until the process is done, knowing that sovereignty awaits them like some golden cup prize at the end of the race.The problem has little to do with the issue of political trust that would result in this prize being theirs. Every day in what is otherwise known as the battle for Area C Palestinians and Israelis engage in activities in the West Bank that either help strengthen an inevitable annexation or assist in ensuring a two-state solution at the pre-1967 line.These activities occur within a framework of Israeli government policies that either promote annexation or oppose it. Time has slowly erased the gray area, where politicians could talk the talk, without also walking the walk.But that hasnt stopped anyone from trying.The United Arab Emirates said it had stopped annexation as a prerequisite for their deal with Israel. Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi has concurred stating that normalization with Arab states, has replaced annexation. The US has said it was suspended indefinitely, which is to say that there is no time line for its implementation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that sovereignty will eventually happen, but at the end of the process not at the start.For those who are trying to figure out what this all means. Here are 10 things to know that might be helpful.1. What is the battle for Area C? At issue is the status of the West Banks Area C, which is now under Israeli military and civilian rule. All the Israeli settlements are located there, accounting for a population of close to 450,000. Some 300,000 Palestinians also live there. Many of the settlers and those on the Right want all of Area C to be part of sovereign Israel. The Palestinians want all of Area C to be part of their future state. The battle for this territory is played out almost literally rock by rock and house by house, out of the belief that occupancy will eventually determine sovereignty. But the issue of annexation does not immediately involve all of Area C, which makes up 60% of the West Bank. The remaining 40%, Areas A and B are under the auspices of the Palestinian Authority.2. How much of Area C would be annexed to Israel? Under Trumps plan unveiled in January, 50% of Area C where all the settlements are located would be annexed to Israel, with the possibility that Israel could extend its footprint into Area C should the Palestinians fail to come to the negotiation table. While the settlers want all of Area C, at present they are battling only for the spoken of 50% or an expanded map of at least 52% or 58% which addresses some of their concerns with regard to the Trump plan.3. What was the initial timeline for annexation? In January the US said that Israel could annex 30% of the West Bank, half of Area C, immediately, at the start of its peace process irrespective of what happened with the Palestinians. Then Israel was asked to wait for US approval, which would occur after the work of a joint Israeli-US mapping committee was concluded. The committee began its work with much fanfare and a public news conference on the outskirts of the Ariel settlement. There was no public conclusion to its process nor were its results published. A July 1 date was then put forward as the earliest possible option by which Israel could annex. Then in August, with the announcement of Israels pending normalization deal with the UAE, annexation was suspended.4. What is the current timeline for annexation? Annexation has been suspended indefinitely. No new date has been set. At a press conference this week Netanyahu said sovereignty could happen only after Palestinians failed to come to the negotiating table. This means that instead of annexation occurring independent of the peace process, annexation is now intrinsically tied to it. So much so, that sovereignty has been moved, from the start of the process to the end. Its a transition that opens up the question of whether annexation would actually ever happen. If annexation is such a sure thing, then why was the waiting period suspended?5. What is de facto annexation? This is the litmus test by which settlers and the Right know whether annexation would occur. If the suspension of annexation is truly just about a waiting period, then settlement building should move forward without any issues. This would include regular meetings of the Higher Planning Council to approve settler building projects, any project, even controversial ones such as E1, which is located in an undeveloped area of the Maaleh Adumim settlement. The US has accepted the principle point that settlements per se are not inconsistent with international law. More to the point, the Trump peace plan acknowledges Israels historic rights to that territory and has already stated that the settlements would be part of sovereign Israel in any two-state resolution of the conflict. So, the Right reasons, it is only logical to normalize settler life as much as possible in the interim, while awaiting the promised application of sovereignty to areas of Judea and Samaria.6. What is a de facto freeze? That is the sudden absence of any building advancement or approvals, particularly with regard to projects that expand Israels footprint in Area C, even within the area designed by the Trump plan for annexation. There would be no governmental announcement; there would simply be a long silence or only minor activity. This happens when settlement building is linked to peace activity, in such a way as it is perceived as disturbing the peace process.7. Are settlements once again a stumbling block to peace? If a de facto freeze has occurred, then it reopens the concept that settler activity is a stumbling block to peace. If there is a link between settler activity and the regional peace process now underway, then that language which was part of the era of former US president Barack Obama would now be resurrected. The underlying idea of a freeze is precisely this, that settler building can not go hand-in-hand with peace. It was for this reason that Obama had a no tolerance attitude toward settlement building.8. Why would settlement activity be a stumbling block to peace? Technically speaking there should be no problem if settlers want to build in portions of the West Bank that under the Trump peace plan are designated for sovereign Israel. If that concept is accepted for an Israeli-Palestinian and an Israeli-Arab plan, then there should be no issue. But the moment it becomes an issue, the legitimacy of the settlements is called into question. Ultimately the absence of sovereignty has always placed a shadow of danger over the settlement enterprise. If the territory is not sovereign, it does not legally even under Israeli standards belong to Israel. At the end of the day, its status will have to be resolved, the lack of its resolution holds out the possibility of a future withdrawal.9. How does all this relate to the pre-67 line? Ever since the 1993 Oslo Accord, the question has been raised as to how much of the territory of Area C Israel could retain. There was an idea that Israel could apply sovereignty to high population centers known as settlement blocs. Under Obama, that concept was abandoned in favor of a withdrawal based on that pre-1967 line. In the Trump plan, Israel had believed that the idea of a two-state solution based on those lines had been eliminated.Ultimately, as long as the West Bank settlements are not under sovereign Israel, that pre-1967 line still exists. Effectively outside of Jerusalem, that line still determines what is and what is not sovereign Israel. Any de facto freeze or limit on settlement activity for fear of harming the peace process, essentially acknowledges that the line is meaningful. In the final analysis; it resurrects the line.10. How set in stone is the 67 line now? It remains in place until Israel applies sovereignty to areas of the West Bank. White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and Netanyahu have both spoken of additional peace deals between Israel and Arab states, with Kushner speculating that eventually Israel would have peace with all 22 members of the Arab League. It is likely those states would also insist on the suspension of annexation as a prerequisite, thereby making it increasingly improbable that annexation would occur. Should it move back onto the table, it would more likely be a highly modified from that would not include all the settlements.

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Halting West Bank annexation resurrects the 67 line: 10 things to know - The Jerusalem Post

This opposition lawmaker wants to be the killer Israels left needs – Haaretz

Posted By on September 4, 2020

The centrist party Yesh Atid, which partnered Benny Gantz to form Kahol Lavan and then broke away from it, is in historical upheaval, undergoing a party leadership challenge by one of its figureheads, Ofer Shelah. But his announcement that he wanted to vie for the top spot of the anti-Netanyahu camp surprised no one in Israels political swamp. All the early signs were there already; and in fact, he might even have a shot.

LISTEN: Trump is hot to trot on back of Israel's PR peace with UAE

In an interview with Haaretz at the height of the first wave of the pandemic, when he was the fighting chairman of the Knesset's coronavirus committee, he hurled harsh accusations against Netanyahus esrtwhile political challengers, who had abandoned his party for the sake of unity with the prime minister. He called Gantz a weak man who simply collapsed under the pressure at the moment of truth... He ran into Netanyahus arms and now hes begging for mercy," and tagged Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, Gantzs No. 2, as subversive.

But a few more statements in that interview also signaled his desire to take the top spot.

Shelah came out strongly against the culture of recycling former Israeli army generals, which the anti-Netanyahu camp likes so much. I think that Kahol Lavan is also signaling to the public, lets call it the left wing, or those who want an alternative to Likud, that perhaps the time has come to be weaned off of the invention that says lets bring in generals who say nothing, he said. Lets use their popularity and build a campaign where theyll try to say as little as possible, and thats how well win. What he is really saying is: Nothing will come of fielding pampered generals; instead, you should bet on hardboiled politicians like me.

Talking of the pressure under which he said Gantz collapsed, Shelah said: Standing up to Netanyahu? That isnt pressure. Thats a pleasure. Pressure is what small business owners are under now. And youre there because you dont have any alternative.Yair [Lapid]and I are sitting together and enjoying ourselves. If you didnt go into politics to be in this moment if you dont have this megalomaniac tendency that says I have to be there at this moment then what are you doing there?

That statement was meant to be the entry ticket to the hearts of Netanyahus opponents, who have been hoping for two decades now for a killer, a bad boy that can get the job done. They were humiliated when the people they voted for three times joined forces with the great demon, and are looking for someone to lead them against the indefatigable hate machine that is Netanyahu.

Many have called Shelah the brains behind Lapid, his historic partner and founder of Yesh Atid, on whom he took delicate revenge in the interview. When I asked him whether Yesh Atids decision to no longer rule out partnering with Arab lawmakers was Lapids idea, the man who called Arab Knesset members Zoabis, in a mocking reference to controversial former Balad lawmaker Haneen Zoabi, he said: I dont know, youll have to ask Lapid. That is, were no longer one brain and one body, but separate entities.

The recognition of the Arab polity and the intention to bring Arab-majority parties into the anti-Netanyahu camp, out of the logical realization that no political changeover is possible without making them full partners, is one of the principles that distinguish Shelah from other centrist leaders. For those who curl up apologetically every time they are accused of cooperating with the predominantly Arab Joint List, this is a very bold change. For years, Yesh Atid tried to disguise itself as soft right wing, and attract people disappointed with Netanyahu mainly over corruption accusations, his behavior and that of his family. Shelah will be mercilessly attacked by the right wing for his intentions, but it could turn into his strength. It will differentiate him from the generals and their mumbled Zionist clichs, who surrendered to every politician without a voting base, like Yoaz Hendel and Zvi Hauser, in delegitimizing the Arab political leadership.

Shelah also talks about a new leadership contract between citizens and their elected representatives. This is appropriate for the moment the country is currently living through, when the publics faith in the government has been shattered by the confused, contradictory and reckless management of the health and economic crises. His operative record at the helm of the coronavirus committee, although it was short-lived due to the establishment of a government and the handover of his position to the coalition, could be a preview of this. The man knows how to work.

Shelah is indeed made of the right stuff to lead a humiliated and cowed opposition, whose soul is still burning from a deep sense of betrayal. If his touted cooperation with the Arabs does succeed, and he manages to sweep in enough left of center voters, he could bring about something new. This is in fact his only chance to rise above another niche party, which is sophisticated and refined, but comes with only a tiny number of Knesset seats. Shelahs glass ceiling is his branding as a left-wing, arrogant member of the media elite. As opposed to Lapid, he was never a recognized authority on what is Israeli - a common refrain from the Yesh Atid leaders long-running newspaper column. And even that wasnt enough for Lapid to become a realistic contender for the premiership.

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Shelahs distinctive opinions were always in the deep left which did not hesitate to criticize him sharply during Yesh Atids pathetic dress-up as right wing, and the attacks on the anti-occupation group Breaking the Silence. He could have easily led far-left party Meretz, but Shelah never wanted to go there. On the contrary, he was scornful of the ability of the party he once voted for to exert any substantial influence. He always aimed higher.

Will he manage to break through those barriers? That is an even greater challenge than breaking the draconian charter of Yesh Atid, which perpetuates Lapids leadership seemingly forever, and persuading the activists of the partys well-oiled machine, who are so loyal to their leader, to betray him. But if he meets this challenge, he could bring about a brand new political platform. Right now, all the attention is focused on the leadership of the party, and the opposition; a potential shot at the premiership is still far ahead. A smart man like Shelah knows that the long road must be traveled in small, wise steps.

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This opposition lawmaker wants to be the killer Israels left needs - Haaretz

Microsoft, McCann NY, Buck Share "More Ways to be a Team" – SHOOT Online

Posted By on September 4, 2020

Client Microsoft Agency McCann New York Sean Bryan, Tom Murphy, co-chief creative officers; Shayne Millington, Piper Hickman, EVPs, global executive creative directors; Brad Soulas, Kristine Salm, creative directors; Nick Ciomperlik, Ricardo Munoz, associate creative directors; Mikey Bready, jr. art director; Enoch Lui, jr. copywriter; Yung Lee, designer; Malik Dupree, jr. designer; David Cliff, director of creative technology; Hiya Vazirani, Alicia Foor, creative technologists; Sanjoo Ryou, project management & creative resource director; Lauren Kosche, sr. project manager; Nathy Aviram, chief production officer; Mel Senecal, VP, executive producer; Morgan Edstrom, producer; Eric Johnson (aka DJ Bunny), SVP, executive music producer; Dan Gross, music producer; Patty Visconti, VP, sr. interactive producer; Charlotte Popper, Sean Flanigan, digital producers; Caroline Sollmann, art producer. Ash Far, EVP, global director of strategy & research; Jordan Berger, strategy director; Carra So, associate strategist. Production Buck Orion Tait, executive creative director; Thomas Schmid, group creative director; Stevie Watkins, associate creative director; Doug Hindson, art director; Joe Nash, exec producer; Kitty Dillard, head of production; Kevin Hall, sr. producer; Irka Seng, producer; Dara O Cairbre, Deanna Rivera, production coordinators; Gilles Desmadrille, animation lead and design; Dan Cantelm, 2D animation, design; Enle Le, 2D animation, design; Bill Dorais, CG supervisor; Carmel Gatchalian, Liron Eldar-Ashkenazi, Taylor James, Theo Glad, Trey Holt, Vinicius Naldi, Yeojin Shin, Zuheng Yin, Bernardo Henning, Justin Cassano, design; Jordan Scott, Lily Padula, Rachael Park, Tim Beckhardt, 2D animation; Taylor James, Filipe Machado, Joy Tien, 3D modeling; Jing Huang, rigging; Arvid Volz, 3D-CG lead; Taylor James, Zuheng Yin, Kevin Nguyen, Daniel Zucco, Mohammed Elberkawi, Selah Kwon, animation; Shane OHare, Ylli Orana, lighting; Seth Ricart, colorist; Paal Riu, roto VFX pick conform. Audio Post Sonic Union Steve Rosen, mix engineer; Patrick Sullivan, sr. producer. Content Licensing Catch and Release Kerri Helliwell, project manager; Helen Giano, Mattia Nuzzo, Anelka Agiro, Shelby Shariatzadeh, Buck Spillner, Jackson Rockowitz, curation; Zoe Ani, Jordan Vail, Brent Lovell, Cris Walters, Akimi Biggs, clearance.

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Microsoft, McCann NY, Buck Share "More Ways to be a Team" - SHOOT Online

Israeli fire and rescue experts fly to aid California – ISRAEL21c

Posted By on September 4, 2020

At 1 oclock in the morning today (August 30), an Israeli delegation departed for California to assist in managing a massive wave of wildfires.

The delegation includes 10 officers and firefighters from Israels Fire and Rescue Authority chosen by Fire and Rescue Services Commissioner Dedy Simhi, along with rescue and forest fire experts and a Foreign Ministry official.

On August 15, lightning strikes started hundreds of fires across northern and central California, killing five people. More than 1.2 million acres have burned, and California is under a state of emergency.

About 119,000 California residents were evacuated; some 50,000 were able to return home in the past few days. Sixteen fires are currently listed as active incidents on the states Cal Fire website and officials say mega fires could burn for weeks.

The California River Fire of Salinas, in Monterey County, was ignited by dry lightning on August 16, 2020. Photo via Shutterstock.com

The departure of a relief mission to the United States, and Israels rapid mobilization to assist its friend the United States, is representative of the close friendship between our nations and of the excellent relations our two countries share across a wide range of areas, said Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabi Ashkenazi.

Two of the Israeli delegates going to California to help the firefighting effort, August 30, 2020. Photo via Itai Bardov/Twitter

The trip is funded by the Israeli Foreign Ministry in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Security, which oversees the Fire and Rescue Authority.

The launch of this mission follows intensive communication between the Foreign Ministry and the US Embassy in Israel, as well as the Israeli consulate in San Francisco and the authorities in the United States, in order to identify the United States needs in managing the wildfires and arrange the necessary approvals, Foreign Ministry stated.

Trav Hawley from the California Air National Guard tweeted, We appreciate the help from @PikudHaoref1 [the Israeli Home Front Command] here in California fighting unprecedented fires with us.

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Israeli fire and rescue experts fly to aid California - ISRAEL21c

‘This will completely change Jewish life in Austria’: Thousands of Jews around the world expected to apply for Austrian citizenship through new rules…

Posted By on September 2, 2020

(JTA) Caroline Wellberys father, the late German literary scholar Egon Schwarz, fled Austria with his family after the Nazis annexed the country in 1938, when he was 15. Schwarz ended up studying in the United States and then teaching at Harvard and Washington University in St. Louis.

His escape was a deeply life-changing event for him, and it permeated our household for the entirety of our lives, said Wellbery, a physician and medical educator at the Georgetown University School of Medicine who lives in Maryland.

Schwarz didnt feel animosity toward the nation that had ousted him, Wellbery said. Still, he always had a desire to reconnect with his ancestral roots.

Now Wellbery, who turns 67 this month, is trying to do that for him by applying for Austrian citizenship under a new amendment to the countrys citizenship law that goes into effect Tuesday.

It seems like there was a wish to bring the story to some kind of closure, and that is part of why I am interested in pursuing this, she said.

Wellbery is among thousands of Jews around the world expected to apply. Adopted last year by the Austrian National Council, the amendment allows those who were persecuted by the Nazi regime and their direct descendants (including children adopted as minors) to obtain Austrian citizenship without giving up their current passports thats still mandated of new Austrian citizens outside of this law.

It applies not only to citizens of Austria proper and successor states of the former Austro-Hungarian monarchy, but also to stateless persons who had a primary residence in Austria but had to leave for safety by May 15, 1955, a decade after the war ended.

The amendment is in line with Austrias ongoing endeavor for reconciliation with all those who suffered under the totalitarian Nazi regime in Austria, Austrias U.S. Embassy said in a statement.

Interest is high, says attorney Daniel Gros of Vienna, who is hearing from friends of friends all over the world but especially from the United States, Israel and the United Kingdom. He is advising applicants as a consultant with the Vienna law firm of Lansky, Ganzger + Partner.

There is a special twist for British Jews who were not thrilled about Brexit, he added: They will be able to have both British and EU passports, the latter being extra valuable for travel throughout Europe once the U.K. fully severs ties with the EU.

The passport is additionally attractive for some Americans, like Wellberys family members, who she said are particularly distressed by the political and social chaos in the U.S., mostly fueled by President Donald Trump.

Most of the 8,000 or so Jews left in Austria live in Vienna, shown here in 2018. (Andrew Michael/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

If there is a repeat of the last four years, this will pique the interest of the family, she said.

Zeev Maayan, 33, is an Israeli who has successfully applied for Portuguese and Hungarian citizenship based on his ancestry in both countries. Hed like to add Austria to that list.

In Israel, getting a foreign citizenship is like a national sport, he said. People want to have other options. It also upgrades you socially, and you can travel in certain countries without worrying.

But even the experienced Maayan was surprised by the quick response to his new Hebrew-language Facebook group aimed at crowdsourcing information about the Austrian application process. Within days he had more than 100 Israeli members, most of them asking technical questions about how to apply: Do I need to translate this, or where did you find the documents of your ancestors?

Oskar Deutsch, president of the Jewish Community Vienna and the Federal Association of Jewish Communities in Austria, said many people have contacted him already, too.

I am very happy about it, said Deutsch, who was consulted on the law by Austrias Foreign Ministry.

Still, he doubts the measure will have much impact on the size of the community, which has about 8,000 members, mostly in Vienna, with some in the cities of Linz and Graz.

During the coronavirus pandemic, people should not and will not travel very much, Deutsch said. They have other problems than to decide where to live.

Gros is much more optimistic: He expects thousands and thousands of applications.

I believe this will completely change Jewish life in Austria, said Gros, 33, who was born in Germany to a family from the former Yugoslavia. Even if only a small percentage bring their families, a lot of things will change because we will have Jewish people from all over the world contributing to the community.

According to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, when Austria was annexed by Germany in 1938, there were about 192,000 Jews living there, nearly 4% of the total population. By December 1939, three-quarters had emigrated, and about 65,000 Austrian Jews were murdered in the Holocaust.

The Palais Ephrussi, seized by Nazis during WWII, is seen in Vienna, Nov. 7, 2019. Ephrussi family members returned to Vienna in November for their first reunion in more than eight decades to attend the opening of an exhibition about their family story. (Joe Klamar/AFP via Getty Images)

But Austria has been much slower to confront its dark Nazi past than Germany and other European countries. For decades after the Holocaust, successive Austrian governments adhered to a line that painted Austria as the first victim of Nazism, ignoring the mobilization of its society and infrastructure of state for the Nazi war machine after German annexation.

Whereas German society, its laws, judiciary and other institutions had been de-Nazified following World War II, few similar actions were taken in Austria. An official apology for being henchmen in the Nazi dictatorship came in 1994, and critics allege that it is still overly stingy with Holocaust restitution funds and in its handling of a large number of art restitution claims.

Today, Gros sees the state as committed to somehow face its history, to somehow give the next generations something that was taken away from their grandfathers and grandmothers. Austrias young conservative chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, has boosted ties between his country and Israel in recent years, citing the countrys Nazi collaboration as part of his motivation.

German citizenship has been open since 1949 to German Jews who survived the Nazi era and their descendants. Other European countries have made it possible for Jews to reclaim citizenship denied to their forebears, with some limitations. Spain enacted a law in 2015, meant as an atonement for the Inquisition the 15th-century persecution and expulsion of Jews. Sephardic Jews with demonstrable roots in Spain and knowledge of the Spanish language could receive passports through October 2019 (in May, Spain extended the window for one year due to the coronavirus crisis). Portugal has a similar law without a time limit and without a language requirement.

The Austrian citizenship will be more practical for American-Israeli Elana Dunn-Rennert, 35, who already lives in Vienna with her husband and their three children but has to renew her visa regularly. She took a circuitous path to the country of her roots: Her maternal grandmother fled Graz in 1938 at age of 3 with her family, ending up in the U.S.

Decades later Dunn-Rennert, then 6 years old, moved with her parents from the U.S. to Israel. She eventually met her husband there, and they moved to Austria.

Shes planning to apply for citizenship, following instructions sent out by the Jewish leader Deutsch.

Before, I would have had to give up my Israeli and American passports, and thats not something I ever wanted to do, said Dunn-Rennert, who teaches at the Vienna Jewish Community organizations kindergarten.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, left, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a joint news conference in Jerusalem, June 11, 2018. (Ammar Awad/AFP via Getty Images)

She has to get documents proving she is related to her grandmother, who died last year. Already the archives of the Austrian Jewish Community organization has provided some information on her ancestors.

True, reclaiming my Austrian heritage is a practical thing for me, she said. But its also kind of like, They wanted to get rid of us, but we are still here.

U.S. citizen Paul Burg, 87, sees getting an Austrian passport as the ultimate triumph. Born in Czernowitz (today Chernivtsi) in 1933, his family survived the war along with some 20,000 other Jews thanks to an intervention by Traian Popovici, the citys wartime mayor.

But the changing status of Czernowitz makes his claim a little tricky. Czernowitz was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until it dissolved in 1918, then became part of the Kingdom of Romania. After World War II, Ukrainian forces took it over, and most of its Jews fled to Israel. Since 1991, it has been part of Ukraine.

Still, the fact that his father was born there when it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire makes Burg eligible for citizenship under the new regulation. He is receiving advice from Gros and his Vienna law firm.

I want to be part of the struggle against anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism in Europe, Burg said.

U.S.-born Israeli lawyer Deborah Opolions father was born in Vienna in 1932. In the late 1970s, he returned there with his family as an American diplomat. Opolion, then a teenager, fell in love with the city, though she knew that people who might have been Nazis were still alive. It was a very staid, serious, somber sort of a place.

Now 55, she has visited Vienna often with her teenage daughter. To her, the atmosphere has changed a lot since she was a girl.

There is a more cosmopolitan feeling, a younger and fresher, more open vibe, she said. I dont know if I would be applying for citizenship if it were the same old Austria.

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'This will completely change Jewish life in Austria': Thousands of Jews around the world expected to apply for Austrian citizenship through new rules...

Summer Ends with Nights of Free Music in Ljubljana Old Town, 27-29 August 2020 – Total Slovenia News

Posted By on September 2, 2020

STA, 27 August 2020 - Slovenia-based artists will be in the focus of the 32nd Nights in Old Ljubljana Town. The international music festival will bring traditional sounds of modernity to the Ljubljana old town Thursday through Saturday.

"Culture is one of the sectors that have been hit particularly hard by the current crisis," Jano Kern of organiser Imago Sloveniae has said in a press release. "Therefore we decided to support domestic artists this year."

In 23 admission-free events, spectators will be able to listen to music to "some of the best Slovenian performers and selected foreign musicians living in Slovenia. The programme will also be sprinkled with a few top ensembles from abroad".

In total, more than 100 musicians from 12 countries will perform in six venues in the .Ljubljana old town. The festival will feature folk, jazz and classical music, using traditional influence in modern sound forms.

A large share of artists performing are members of ethnic minorities, as the festival will be accompanied by an international conference dedicated to music and minorities.

Organised by the Musicology Department of the Ljubljana Faculty of Arts, the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU) and KED Folk Slovenija, the conference will mark 20 years since the establishment of a minority music study group within the NGO International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM).

The festival will kick off tonight with Mi Linda Dama, an Italian-Serbian ensemble, narrating Sephardic stories to the sound of Andalusian melodies and Arab rhythms.

Moreover, spectators will be able to enjoy a modern take on tango as part of Tori Tango, a project by accordion player Jure Tori, and a performance by Zvezdana Novakovi, an interpreter of folk songs, as well as a concert by Kapobando, an ensemble of accordion player Marko Hatlak.

The festival will also feature Flamenko dancer Ana Pandur, accompanied by Vito Mareence Flamenco Duo, Mascara Quartet performing fado, while the ensemble Lasanthi will perform Indian classical music.

The renowned British folk musician Hanna James and her The JigDoll Ensemble will also perform, as well as composers Aldo Kumar and Matija Krei, with the latter presenting his most recent album Cut/Rez.

The open-air events will take place even if it rains, the organisers have said.

The full programme can be found here

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The Needed Truth About Zionism – Part 1 | Olivier Jack Melnick | The – The Times of Israel

Posted By on September 2, 2020

The terms Zionism and Zionist were coined in 1890 by Jewish activist Nathan Birnbaum (1864-1937), who also played an important part in the first Zionist Congress held in 1897, (and renamed the World Zionist Organization in 1960) alongside its first president, Theodore Herzl.The word Zion comes from the Hebrew tzion, a reference to Jerusalem and often, by extension, to the Land of Israel itself (first mentioned in II Samuel 5:7.)Nevertheless, David captured the stronghold of Zion, that is the city of David.According to scholar Mitchell Bard, Zionism is: The national movement for the return of the Jewish people to their homeland and the resumption of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel.One doesnt need to peruse the news for too long before reading or hearing about Zionism. So, it becomes necessary to go back in history to understand how Zionism came about.

European Jews had suffered at the hands of many popes, kings, and the masses since the Early Church Fathers. Anti-Semitism, in many shapes, from theological to social to ethnic, had punctuated Jewish life throughout the centuries, limiting if not eliminating any semblance of normalcy within the Jewish communities of Europe. The Crusades, the crushing hatred unleashed by false claims of blood libel against the Jewish people, the 1492 Spanish Inquisition and the creation of the first Ghetto in Italy in 1516, to name a few, were ominous milestones of terror against the Jewish people on the timeline of Jewish history. It would eventually get much worse, with the Russian pogroms (massacres occurring during fomented riots against the Jews in the Ghettos and the shtetls) and the Holocaust (1933-1945), a systematic extermination in which six million Jews were murdered by the Nazis.

After all this persecution and devastation, something had to change. Jewish people felt they had to leave the Ghetto not just physically, but spiritually and emotionally as well. In the midst of their misery, the Jewish people saw a ray of hope with the advent of the Haskalah.The Haskalah, also known as the Jewish Enlightenment, was a movement among European Jews of the 17th and 18th centuries advocating a more secularized way of life, hopefully leading to their emancipation and thus better integration into a non-Jewish society. Moses Mendelssohn (1729-1786) was a German-Jewish philosopher and the father of the Haskalah. The result of the Haskalah was a new emphasis on Jewish culture and history, much of it apart from religion. It was adapted to various Jewish communities across Western and Eastern Europe. For a short while, there seemed to be a period of respite for the Jewish people. Emancipation was working, or was it?

In 1894 France, at a time when Jewish people thought that their emancipation had prevailed, an event occurred that interrupted that hope. French Alsatian Jew, Captain Alfred Dreyfus, was accused of treason against the French Government. In a vitriolic explosion of hatred, anti-Semitism appeared once again in the treatment of Captain Dreyfus and the spillover to the French Jewish people in general. Mobs took to the streets of Paris, screaming, Death to the Jews! Even though Captain Dreyfus was later cleared and even fully reinstated in 1906, the climate had changed in France. In a sense, what is today still known as the Dreyfus Affair, was the catalyst for conceiving of and pursuing Zionism.

A Vienna newspaper sent their Paris correspondent, Hungarian journalist, Theodor Herzl, to cover the Dreyfus Affair. To be sure, Herzls obsession with Jewish existence in a land of their own predated the Dreyfus Affair. But it is the very treatment of Captain Dreyfus and, by association, the Jews of France, that prompted Theodor Herzl to compile his work of several years into the historic pamphlet Der Judenstaat or The Jewish State, published in Vienna in 1896 in which he stated: Palestine is our unforgettable historic homeland.Let me repeat once more my opening words: The Jews who will it shall achieve their State. We shall live at last as free men on our own soil, and in our own homes peacefully die. The world will be liberated by our freedom, enriched by our wealth, magnified by our greatness. And whatever we attempt there for our own benefit will redound mightily and beneficially to the good of all mankind. Herzl was convinced that the only viable solution was a mass exodus of the Jews of Europe back to Israel, the land of their ancestors, as he further stated: Political principle will provide the basis, technology the means and the driving force will be the Jewish tragedy.Theodor Herzl, if not the originator of the concept of Zionism, was definitely the visionary, catalyst and leader of political Zionism. Let me just remind all of us that the word Palestine is used in this article ONLY as the name for the geographical area known as Israel, prior to 1948.)

So, Herzl started lobbying for the Jewish peoples return to a safe land of their own. He first met with German Kaiser Wilhelm II in Istanbul in 1898 in an effort to convince him to help secure land in Israel. But Herzl wasnt taken very seriously; and the Kaiser, influenced by his own anti-Semitic tendencies, flatly rejected Herzls appeals for a Jewish homeland.Disappointed and frustrated but not discouraged, Herzl met with British Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain who, as a compromise, offered the Jews the country of Uganda in Eastern Africa. Eventually, in 1903, during the sixth Zionist Congress, and by now rather discouraged, Herzl proposed the move of the Jewish people to Uganda, as a temporary solution until Palestine could be secured. The Jewish people who followed his leadership reacted immediately and, at the sight of a possible split within the Zionist movement, Herzl decided against the compromise Herzl died a year later in Vienna at age 44, having spent most of his adult life fighting for a Jewish homeland.

In Vienna in 1897, he had said, almost prophetically: At Basle I created the Jewish State. In five years, perhaps, and certainly in fifty, everyone will see it.It is exactly 50 years later in November 1947, that the United Nations officially voted for the partition of British Mandate Palestine, later to become Eretz Yisrael on May 14, 1948.One could argue that during Herzls life, Zionism was mainly a political movement relying on diplomacy for any sustainable existence. But even Herzl saw that political Zionism and practical Zionism, while having the same goal, had different methods. The chasm would divide further as the Jewish homeland became more of a reality.Herzl had worked hard at gathering funds, yet they hadnt been disbursed significantly, and a move from the theoretical to the practical was necessary. Additionally, there was a serious push for a Hebrew renaissance. The idea of a cultural Zionism, mostly introduced by Russian Jews, appealed to a wider spectrum within the Jewish community; while political Zionism left many of the more religious leaders unsatisfied and unable to relate to the cause.

A key player who had not always seen eye-to-eye with Herzl was Russian Jewish essayist, Asher Ginsberg (1856-1927), who went by the pen name of Ahad Haam, Hebrew for one of the people. Haam is known as the father of cultural Zionism, and his vision was a Jewish State and not merely a State of Jews. He felt that Jewish people should return gradually to Palestine while Diaspora Jews should be given a vision of the new homeland making them jealous and thus drawing them to a move.Another important figure in the fight for a cultural rebirth was Hebrew Lexicographer, Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, who immigrated to Israel during the first Aliyah of 1881, and dedicated the rest of his life, not without tremendous hardship, to the rebirth of Hebrew as a modern tongue.

Robert St. John, Ben Yehudas biographer, wrote of him in Tongue of the Prophets: In twenty years he had fathered ten children. Five had died but five still lived. Two of them spoke fluently the language he had spent so much of these twenty years trying to bring back to life. More important, the streets of Jerusalem, the market places, the villages scattered over the desert were thronged with other Jews who spoke this same revived language.

In the decade following Herzls death, Zionist influx continued in the Holy Land, and about 100,000 pioneers lived there. Times were hard, workdays were long, and poverty was rampant; but the spirit of hope kept Zionism alive. On the eve of World War One, Zionism had become a reality; a fragile one, but a reality, nonetheless.

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