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Jewish teachings on the environment/ecology The Talmudic sages assert that it is the role of humanity to enhance the world as “co-partners of God in the work of creation.” The theme is illustrated in a Midrash, a moral tale based on Biblical events and values: In the hour when the Holy one, blessed be He,created the first man,He took him and let him pass before all the trees ofthe Garden of Eden and said to him:”See my works, how fine and excellent they are!Now all that I have created, for you have I created?Think upon this and do not corrupt and desolate My world, For if you corrupt it, there is no one to set it right after you.” The central Jewish teaching on the environment is expressed in Psalm 24: “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.” The land is not ours, it is the Lord’s, and we hold it subject to Divine law. Hence the basic Jewish concept is that everything belongs to God. We are to be stewards of the earth, to see that its produce is available for all God’s children. Land is a sacred trust given by God, and people therefore have custodial care of the earth. The Judaic tradition insists that we believe this is God’s world and not our own. As Rabbi Daniel Swartz says, “to take seriously the notion that we are but leasing the planet from God is to provide ourselves with specific behavioural guidelines. One who leases is called, in general, a shomer, usually translated as guardian. The specific type of lease we have on Earth is that of a sho’el, a borrower. Borrowers may use any part of what they borrow- but they must ensure that at the end of the term of the lease, and at any given moment during the lease, the property is at least as valuable as it was at the beginning of the lease.” The Talmud therefore prescribed detailed regulations for preserving the environment and preventing pollution. Josie Lacey OAM, June 2003

Unshackled is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that provides startup and operational support for new social enterprises and entrepreneurs that wish to create skilled training and employment opportunities for individuals in recovery, often reintegrating their lives after a period of incarceration. The first of these social enterprises is Flourish Bakery. Flourish took on its first interns in January of 2018, and is currently housed in the South City Campus of Salt Lake Community College. Flourish Bakery is a supportive community that fosters hope and health, in addition to personal growth, while teaching the art and skills of professional baking. Flourish Bakery employs individuals in recovery from substance use disorders, often reintegrating their lives after a period of incarceration. This employment opportunity assists individuals in the healing process and works to reduce recidivism and relapse through life and job skills training. Flourish provides a community of support, mentorship and friendship, and is a space of life transformation. The bakery is the first of the Unshackled social enterprises. Aimee brings with her a unique blend of skills being both an award-winning, classically trained pastry chef and Episcopal Priest. With nearly 30 years of culinary industry experience, Aimee has directed the opening and operations of pastry programs at several notable locations like – Firewood Restaurant, Zermatt Resort, and Talisker Club & Canyons. To support the work of transformation and reconciliation in the Unshackled & Flourish community, Aimee brings a holistic understanding of recovery and her passion for mentoring young culinarians. Ed moved to Utah in 2017 having retired after a 32-year career at the Supreme Court of the United States. Prior to his position as a Special Assistant to the Counselor to the Chief Justice, providing support to the Chief Justice’s broad-ranging administrative responsibilities within the Court and with external stakeholders in his leadership role as head of the judicial branch of government, Ed served as the Court’s Deputy Public Information Officer. Previously, he served as an Assistant Clerk in the Clerk’s Office and started his career as Secretary for the Public Information Office in 1982. Ed graduated from LaSalle University in Philadelphia with a degree in political science. Patricia has a B.S. degree in Social Change and Development and Women’s Studies from the University of Wisconsin and has been a dedicated volunteer for various non-profits in Salt Lake City. Patricia has worked with the ESL program at the Guadalupe School, with the Chef and the Child, and the IRC. Patricia is a true lover of food and its presence in all cultures. If there is such a thing as a Food Sociologist she would be one! Her Italian heritage has played a predominate role in her exposure to foods deeply rooted in culture which lead her to a long career immersed in the food industry; working, as a caterer, a baker and eventually an Executive Chef for 7 years. Sandra is an ACPE trained Chaplain who has worked as a staff Chaplain for two hospice organizations, in addition to providing pastoral care to staff and members of her parish, where she serves as an ordained Episcopal Deacon. She brings to Unshackled her love of new challenges, and learning opportunities, her skills as a Chaplain, her humor, her commitment to social justice and the excitement of being a part of something that will make a difference in the lives of others through creating a space of renewal and wholeness. Sandra finds relaxation and rejuvenation through hiking, knitting, exploring spiritual practices and volunteering at the VA. Lukas is the Chief Financial Officer of Utah Luxury Tours based in Sandy, Utah. He brings vast entrepreneurial skills and experiences with him having created a business from the ground up. As a businessman and a co-founder, Lukas learned firsthand the joys and hardships of guiding a startup from concept to success. His focus lies within financial management and employee development. Lukas graduated from the University of Economics in Prague, Czech Republic, with Master’s degrees in Economics & International trade as well as Philosophy. When he’s not immersed in data analysis, Lukas enjoys the great outdoors and traveling with his wife, Christina. Romina has been in the food and beverage industry since 2002 after leaving a career in telecommunications. She studied pastry at the French Culinary Institute. Romina opened Les Madeleines, a local bakery in Salt Lake City in 2003. Julie has worked in the social services and behavioral health fields for the past thirteen years. She has worked with worked with homeless, refugee, youth, and adults with mental health and substance use difficulties. She has connected individuals with employment services and housing resources as well as teaching vocational and psycho educational skills, and providing individual, family and group psychotherapy. She currently provides oversight of clinical operations and training for several behavioral health treatment teams in Salt Lake County. Julie began her volunteer work with Flourish in November 2017 and is the chair of internal committee. Janae has worked in the Accounting field since 1988. She earned her degree in Accounting at SLCC. Currently, she works as a Credit Manager for Muir Copper Canyon Farms. She is a member of the National Association of Credit Managers and has earned her CBA, CBF and in 2007 she become a Certified Credit Executive (CCE). From 2008-2009 Janae was the President of ICEL (Intermountain Credit Education League). Janae owns J. Lynne Bookkeeping Services And is a World-wide Traveler. Rob Ferris is a retired disabled Army staff sergeant with over thirty years of leadership, counseling and instructor experience. Rob is the CEO of Advantage Services Inc. a social enterprises started in 1992 that employs over 150 people who are disabled or disadvantaged. Dr. Roderic R. Land is the Special Assistant to the President and Chief Diversity Officer at Salt Lake Community College. Dr. Land did all of his postgraduate work at the University of Illinois, where he earned his PhD in Educational Policy, Organization and Leadership. He has committed his “life and work” to higher education. Dr. Land’s past experience includes working in the Salt Lake County Mayor’s office as the Associate Director for Human Services. He also taught in the Dept. of Education, Culture, and Society at the University of Utah and serves as an Associate Minister at Calvary Baptist Church. Additionally, Dr. Land served as the state representative on the national board of the ACLU. Steven is the Founder and Chief Eating Officer at Liberty Heights Fresh, a pioneering merchant of good food in Salt Lake City, established in 1993. Steven was born and raised on a 425-acre tree fruit and vegetable farm in southwestern Michigan; obtained a BS in Agricultural Economics/Food Marketing from Michigan State University in 1983; and studied filmmaking at the Vancouver Film School, 1990-91. Steven has served on numerous community and trade group boards and committees, including the Central Regional Council for Utah Workforce Services, Jewish Family Services, the Utah Film Center, Local First Utah’s Government Relations Committee, Salt Lake City Business Advisory Board, the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade Board of Directors; and was a founding member of the Utah Independent Business Coalition. Steven and Liberty Heights Fresh were twice named a top retailer of specialty food in North America (2001 & 2007) by the Specialty Food Association. Steven possesses a commitment to make the world a better place for all, and cares deeply about changing how society treats those recovering from addiction. Flourish Bakery represents an opportunity to begin again. We are guided by a simple philosophy: it’s never too late. It’s never too late to heal lives, repair communities broken by substance use disorder and incarceration, and to reduce recidivism and opportunities for relapse. It’s never too late to create meaningful existence. We start in a kitchen, where individuals participate in a twelve-month bakery and pastry arts training program. Essentially, it’s a classic paid apprenticeship in an artisan bakery. Our mission is, after graduation, to place our interns in an externship at a local hotel, resort, bakery, catering company, or restaurant. Our graduates continue to receive assistance in job placement with reputable employers where they will build their culinary career and enhance their skills. But our graduates are not limited to kitchens and bakeries–we provide experience in business management and marketing while facilitating an introduction to a variety of industry players such as: specialty and broad line purveyors, farmers and growers, and local artisan crafts makers. We believe that opportunities like Flourish empower individuals and create a world of growth, leading to lasting and total-life recovery.

Oil on canvas Framed: 90 x 70 x 9 cm (35 7/16 x 27 9/16 x 3 9/16 in.); Unframed: 69.5 x 52.3 cm (27 3/8 x 20 9/16 in.) Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 1963.326 This loosely painted sketch is the preliminary design for an altarpiece in the Church of Saint Ulrich, Vienna. Mary and Joseph have brought the infant Jesus to the temple to be inducted into the Jewish faith; the aged priest Simeon cradles the infant in his arms, turning his gaze to heaven as he realizes that he is holding the Son of God. Strong contrasts of light and shadow underscore the drama of the moment. The frame is not original to this painting, but was made by an Austrian craftsman in the mid-1700s. Its florid style suits Maulbertsch’s flickering brushwork, and reflects the tradition of wood sculpture from Central Europe seen in other objects in the CMA's collection. The information about this object, including provenance information, is based on historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete. Research on objects is an ongoing process, but the information about this object may not reflect the most current information available to CMA. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email email@example.com. To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk. Request a digital file from Image Services that is not available through CC0, a detail image, or any image with a color bar. If you have questions about requesting an image, please email firstname.lastname@example.org.

Welcome to a Special Edition Daily Digest! During Holy Week we have six special Daily Digest Devotions for you. These devotions will be posted at 6am daily from Monday, April 11th through Saturday, April 16th. In addition to the Daily Digest, tune in to Facebook Live each day at noon for a discussion of the day's topic. When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them. And they went on to another village. On more than one occasion, I have asked God why He no longer lets us strike down our enemies. I have prayed prayers of death and destruction, which unsurprisingly continue to go unanswered. I have struggled when God allows those who have inflicted pain on me to get away unscathed. I have often wished that the call to follow Jesus was easier, especially when it comes to loving my enemies. But that is my agenda and not Jesus'. Jesus' mission has always been "to seek and to save the lost," to heal the brokenhearted, and to bring those who are far away near to Himself. It's clear Jesus took this mission seriously. The Hebrew idiom "to set one's face" means that Jesus made an internal commitment to go to Jerusalem. He knew that His mission would be won on the cross, so He committed to seeing it through. Though Jesus' disciples failed to understand His mission and Samaritan villages rejected Him, nothing could set Him off course. To the contemporary reader, Jesus' choice to travel through Samaritan villages may seem like no big deal, but to the first century Jew, it could have meant war. Samaritans and Jews not only hated each other, but they also both believed that they possessed the exclusive place where Yahweh could be worshipped. For the Samaritans, it was Mount Gerizim. For the Jews, it was Jerusalem. So it makes sense why the Samaritans would have refused to welcome travelers heading to Jerusalem. What neither the Samaritans nor Jesus' Jewish disciples realized is that Jesus was heading to Jerusalem to die for our sins, so that members from both groups could become Yahweh's children and belong to one family. It's so unnatural to consider an enemy becoming family. We are naturally like James and John: quick to defend Jesus in our own way and slow to love our enemy in His way. Yet—if we follow Jesus—then His mission to save the lost is our mission, His prerogative to bring healing is our prerogative, and His heart to reconcile enemies needs to be our heart. So, Jesus often rebukes us like He rebuked James and John. He rebukes and then carries on, patiently inviting us to continue following Him. He is as patient with us bull-headed followers as He is with those who are still in darkness. Thankfully, His choice is to keep moving to the next village, so that He can fulfill His mission to seek and to save, to redeem and reconcile so that all of us can become and belong. Who do you find hard to love? How might the Holy Spirit be calling you to love that person? What about our call and mission as followers of Jesus do you find difficult? What assumptions about or prejudices toward others is Jesus calling you to lay down so that you can follow Him to the cross? Join Pastor Daniel today at noon on Facebook Live for a discussion of today's devotion.

Arab Israelis say they are fearful of voicing solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza—under deadly attack by the Israeli military—and say their loyalty has been tested for 60 years in light of Israel's recent ban on two of their parties from next month's elections. Although Sakhnin, which has an Arab population of 25,000, was the site of a demonstration of around 100,000 people to protest the Israeli assault on Gaza, people say they are worried their support for Gaza may have a negative impact on their lives. "We identify with the people in Gaza, but we don't want to endanger ourselves," said the Arab Israeli. "We want to stand in our land. We're scared. Right wing Jews see us as enemies," said the leader of the Greek Orthodox community in Sakhnin, father Salah Khoury, who has organized a campaign to send food and clothes to Gaza. As the death toll has spiraled, spontaneous protests against the war have multiplied in Galilee -- home to around half of the 1.4 million-strong Arab Israeli community, which makes up about 20 percent of Israel's population. "Our state is at war with our Palestinian nation," said Gazal Abu Raya, an Arab Israeli and head of the Jewish-Arab Institute for Peace in Sakhnin, in the northern Galilee region. "For 60 years, we've been under a test of loyalty," said Abu Raya. Adding to the fear is Monday's decision by Israel's election panel to disqualify two Arab parties from running in the Feb. 10 elections based on a motion filed by two far-right parties which claimed they did not recognize the Jewish state's right to exist. "Obviously, the right wing is stronger with the war. The Israelis are selling more cheap popularity in the streets," said Jamal Zahalqa, head of the parliamentary group of one of the two parties, the National Democratic Assembly. "In general, Arabs in Israel feel they are not wanted as citizens in the state," Khalil Nakhleh, a Palestinian researcher into conflicts and based in the West Bank, said. The Supreme Court is to rule on the ban next week. Arab Israelis are descended from the 160,000 Palestinians who remained in Israel when it was created in 1948. If the ban is confirmed, Zahalqa warned of an Arab boycott of the elections and a "crisis" that would deepen the friction with the Jewish population. "If we can't participate in the electoral process, and work under political legitimacy we will reconsider our strategy. More and more people will demand an Arab parliament," he said. "There will be a crisis between the Palestinian minority and (Israel's) majority." The election panel's decision is "an act of racism, an intimidation," said Sakhnin's deputy mayor, Mahmud Abu Raya, who has no party affiliation. "We will boycott the elections as a protest." Gazal Abu Raya, who belongs to the same Arab clan as Mahmud, conceded that these are difficult times for the community's fragile relations with Jews in north Israel. He said his institute tries "to be a bridge, mediators between the Palestinians and the state of Israel. It's not easy when you see the pictures of children and women dying in Gaza."

So: This year you are going to host your own Passover seder! You’ve decided that this year it’s going to be at Your House. Alternatively, someone else has decided that this year it’s going to be at Your House. Either way, you are now feeling a mixture of excitement and dread, because this is the first time you’ve hosted. Here are seven tips for making your first seder one that you will remember with a smile, or maybe a laugh. 1. PARTNER, DIVIDE, and CONQUER! Your partner may be your spouse, your beloved, your roommate, your best friend, or the other Jew in your book group. The point is, you don’t want to do this alone. One of you is going to be in charge of food and the other in charge of setting the table and leading the seder. Don’t be fooled by the word “leader:” these two roles are co-equal and equally critical to success. During the first part of the seder, both of you will be busy. One of you will serve as Maestro/a of Ceremonies, making sure that things move along, that everyone participates, that everyone has a good time, etc. The Food Czar will be monitoring final developments in the kitchen, or monitoring the warming of potluck dishes, or making sure the cat stays out of the kugel, while supervising the movement of greens, salt water, wine, grape juice, and other necessities. 2. CHOOSE a HAGGADAH. Your first seder is not the time to roll your own Haggadah (that’s next year.) You need at least one Haggadah for every two participants, and really, each guest having their own is best. This is one reason the Maxwell House Haggadah and other free ones are so popular. The Maestro/a of Ceremonies should read the Haggadah well ahead of the actual seder, cover to cover. Consider possibilities: if you find, mid-evening, that you need to skip, where do you intend to shorten things? Are there other readings or stories or games you have experienced at other seders you’d like to include? If you are adding things to your seder, make sure to have as many copies as you need. 3. PLAN YOUR GUEST LIST. Yes, I know that your Great Aunt Sadie always had at least 50 people at her seders. Trust me, she started small too. In my experience, a minyan [10 people] is a nice maximum for a first seder. Think about dishes. Think about where everyone will sit. Think about whether you can cook for this number, or if you will be potluck. Think about the ratio of seder “veterans” to newbies. A minyan of people who have never been to a seder trying to have a seder is adventurous but might result in 40 years lost looking for the afikomen, or even trying to figure out what the afikomen is. Note: if you have inherited the family seder, and like it or not you will have 50 people in your home for your first time seder, grab the relative with whom you feel the most comfortable and level with him or her about exactly how freaked-out you are. Ask for help. Humbly accept help. Keep reading this list, there is still stuff here that will be useful to you. 4. PLAN THE MENU. Rabbi Noam Zion, in his wonderful book, A Night To Remember, pointed out than in the ancient seder, no one sat starving for hours while we told the story. The scrap of soggy parsley you had at seder years ago could also be a bountiful plate of crudités with dip for everyone to nosh [snack] on while you tell the story and talk about what it means. Keep the parsley on the seder plate, and have a nice plate of celery, endive, and other crunchy goodies for everyone — then you won’t need a salad for the meal. As for the meal itself, let the Food Czar decide what he or she wants to wrangle and how. Whatever you choose, avoid foods that require last minute fussing. Note: Not all of your guests may be of the same mind about what constitutes kosher-for-Passover food. Check in with any guest you expect will have a strong opinion on the subject, so that you can plan for everyone’s comfort. If the meal is potluck, make sure that guests who may not know anything about Passover food are assigned something specific, lest they show up with home baked bread or some other labor-intensive inappropriate food. Hospitality is a Jewish value, and embarrassing a guest is a Jewish sin. 5. CONSIDER THE TABLE. Maestro/a of Ceremonies: if your group has several young children, plan entertainment for them: crayons, finger food, costumes, age-appropriate activities. Join in the children’s activities, lest the children suspect they are being snookered. If you have a table full of adults, the Maestro/a of Ceremonies should be ready with some leading questions or statements or a clipped article to get a lively discussion rolling. Most adults have at least one part of their lives in which they feel they are in servitude, or one wild plan for a jailbreak from that servitude: the trick is to free them to talk about it. The wine will help. Speaking of which: 6. PREPARE THE WINE. The seder is planned around four cups of wine. Even if you are absolutely certain that everyone at the table will be over 18 and is not a recovering alcoholic, have a bottle of grape juice handy. No one should have to drink a glass of alcohol after they feel they’ve had enough. By the same token, make sure your table setting includes water glasses and water. Sweet kosher wine is a love/hate thing: some love it, some hate it. I put both Manischewitz and a “nicer” kosher for Passover wine on my table, to accomodate both. The Maestro/a of Ceremonies might want to have a joke about the Red Sea ready for the almost-inevitable spilled glass of something. 7. REMEMBER, THERE IS ALWAYS NEXT YEAR. The purpose of the seder is to tell the story of freedom in a way that will make it a part of everyone around the table. It is a shared experience that will build memories for the group at the table. Have fun with it. Some of the best seders I’ve been to involved spilled wine, crumbs everywhere, a burnt side dish, and a lot of laughter. If you skip something in the haggadah, or you forget a dish, or the dessert melts, it isn’t the end of the world. After all, every year at the close of the evening, we remind ourselves that Passover will come again next year. What advice do you have for someone hosting a first seder?

Epic of the Ordinary: Christian Mission for You and Me The Book of Acts is clearly one of the most action-packed segments in the storyline of Scripture. The title, “The Acts of the Apostles,” cues us in on this clue from the start. As many commentators have suggested, a more accurate title would be something to do with the acts of the Holy Spirit, or perhaps “The Action of the Ascended Christ by His Spirit Through His Church.” The book opens with Jesus ascending as human to the throne of the universe, sending the Spirit, and commissioning his messengers. “You will be my witnesses,” he promises, “in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). And so Luke recounts the movements in that outline — all action and no slush. There are powerful proclamations, riveting dialogues, and thousands of conversions. There is everything from miracles that disgruntle the white-collar villains to prison sentences that end in wild escape. There is character development — absolute transformation — when Paul is knocked off his horse by a shining light and propelled to play a prominent role thereafter. Then there is religious controversy and political trials and the backstory of Jewish factions and Roman rule. Add in the maritime adventures of suspenseful decision-making and shipwreck to an unknown island of nice natives and venomous snakes. Sometimes Jesus’s messengers were mistaken as gods, other times they were killed by the sword. Sometimes they were stoned to death, other times they were stoned but survived. There are disputes among the protagonists, ironic encounters, and affectionate goodbyes. The world, honestly and truly, was being turned upside down (Acts 17:6), everywhere from the scruffy blacksmith who lost his business to the highest court of international law. This story has all the pieces for a box-office hit. And then there’s the way it ends. Throughout the book, the action has ramped up, up, up. Paul’s voyage to Rome has been like a symphonic crescendo. The percussion is blaring louder, louder, louder. And then the story closes with a bi-vocational leader talking to folks who visit him at his house. All of that action — head-spinning action — leaves us with an old man inviting everyone into his home to tell them about Jesus. Plainness As the Peak The Book of Acts is meant to frame the church’s self-understanding. It has a “formative function,” as it’s been called, which is aimed at answering the identity question: Who are we, and what are we supposed to do? Luke doesn’t answer this question with a bulleted list. Nor does he give us a handbook full of prescriptive lines. Instead, he writes our story, our history, with a theological intentionality we can’t ignore. This kind of approach doesn’t call our plays on the field, it shapes the way we see the game. The whole book is pointing in this direction, and in particular, the way it ends. The last verses about Paul in Acts 28 are no accident. The nature of what he is doing has huge implications for how we be Christian in our day. To be sure, it doesn’t prescribe that we all go do house churches, and it isn’t the be-all, end-all of how we interact with culture. But it is important for how we understand our witness in this world, especially when we’re more allured by the idea of recreating Pentecost than sharing a meal with neighbors. As an aside, don’t misunderstand me. I love packed-out arenas of Christ-exalting worshipers. Passion’s latest album is wearing out my iTunes. Conferences are great. My wife doesn’t knit. I like McDonald’s. But the point I’m highlighting is that the biblical vision of the gospel’s advance isn’t bright lights and a great sound system. It looks much more plain. No frills Christian mission — that’s the picture Luke leaves us. A People of Open Doors Luke has shown us the miracles. There are times when the Spirit may teleport us into the back of a limousine beside a foreign ambassador who’s reading the Bible. He can do that sort of thing. But that’s not the inspired author’s last word. The rhythm to which we should be bobbing our heads is the simple, reproducible strategy of opening our doors to whomever will come. Paul “welcomed all who came” into his house where he plainly taught the story of God and who Jesus is. Keep in mind that it’s not so much about doing what Paul did. It is about imbibing the nature of Christian mission that Luke has been narrating all along, building up to this final scene: Come in, have some coffee, pull up a chair, let me tell you about Jesus. This is the last thing we see a gospel messenger do in Acts and it’s what we can still do today, whether in Minneapolis or Malaysia. With summer just around the corner in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s the perfect season within the perfect aeon for us to do this. Men, take a few minutes to sit down with your wife, or gather your friends if you’re single or not-yet-married, to pray and plan how your home can become a center for the gospel’s triumph during the next four months. What will our hospitality look like this summer? Try to get at least one event on the calendar — one barbecue or discussion group or prayer meeting. Now, it won’t feel epic, but it really is in this setting that the new creation peels into this old world. It’s in those conversations about who Jesus is and what he has done for us, simple as they may be, that we feel the force of his reign through us. It’s at our dinner tables, no less ordinary than any stable in first-century Bethlehem, where lives are transformed from darkness to light, where God’s enemies become his sons and daughters, where his glory shines a little brighter into this planet he will soon make new. Luke means for us to walk from this book not disillusioned by a distant historical recount, but infused with encouragement to pick up where Paul left off. Because, after all, this book is more accurately “The Action of the Ascended Christ by His Spirit Through His Church” — which now includes you and me, and our homes. More on mission from Sent:

Review: New Jewish Theatre Transforms 'The Good Doctor' From Meh to Magic Anton Chekhov, known for literary stage classics like “Uncle Vanya,” “The Cherry Orchard” and “The Three Sisters,” is also widely regarded as one of the greatest short story writers in history. Several of those stories were turned into a play by Neil Simon to create “The Good Doctor,” presented by New Jewish Theatre to kick off their 2013-14 season. It’s not your typical Neil Simon piece, whose contribution is more as organizer than playwright. Fortunately, Chekhov never needed Neil Simon’s help, and apparently, neither does New Jewish. The well-acted, superbly directed, lit and costumed play—a series of eight vignettes with five actors playing multiple roles—makes for an enjoyable and intriguing evening of theater. Set in the latter part of 19th century Russia, the audience is guided through the eight vignettes by a narrator—presumably Chekhov himself—portrayed by an assured David Wassilak, who actually bears a strong resemblance to the Russian writer. He also joins in on “The Seduction,” as a charming and resolute rogue who seduces only married women. His target is portrayed by Alina Volobuyeva—prim, proper and desirable—who despite her protestations, can’t help but fall victim to the rogue’s pursuits. Volobuyeva shines also in “The Governness” as the meek and demure title character opposite Teresa Doggett. Dogget really shines in “A Defenseless Creature” as a creature who is anything but defenseless. She harangues hapless bank officer Jason Grubbe, whose incredulous and abused character along with Dogget’s persistence adds a humorous punch to the show, and Grubbe does so again as a priest with a toothache opposite Aaron Orion Baker as the inexperienced dentist-in-training. Baker does an excellent job with all of his many characters, bringing full characterizations to each in both interpretation and physicality. Work that generally earns a performer the honorific, “an actor’s actor.” Bobby Miller’s direction is smooth and flawless, effectively utilizing every bit of Dunsi Dai’s excellent set with its starry backdrop and second level, used to perfection by Miller in a scene as a dock where Baker plies his trade as a drowning victim impersonator. Good lights by Maureen Berry define each performance area, and the period costumes by designer Michele Friedman Siler are delightful. If Neil Simon added little to Chekhov’s work when he cobbled together “The Good Doctor,” the New Jewish Theatre picks up the slack with their expansive and lively production. “The Good Doctor” continues through October 20. For tickets and information, visit the New Jewish Theatre website.

The editio princeps of the tract On the Mystery of Letters (mid-6th century) opens access to a unique document from Early Byzantine monastic writing. Working from the Jewish tradition of Hebrew letters, but at the same time distancing himself from it, the author developed a Christian interpretation of the Greek alphabet – from alpha through to omega. An introduction locates the work in cultural history by presenting various versions of Jewish and Christian letter symbolism. The critical text itself is supported by a translation and notes. "This is a marvelous book, a masterpiece of editorship, and a much needed investigation into a text that was neglected for too long."Thomas J. Kraus in: Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2008.08.06

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Daily Jewce: Israel’s Gift To Egypt, Orthodox Commitment Ceremonies, Gilad’s Dad, Ron Paul’s New Friend, And More By Jewcy Staff / January 10, 2012 In the news today: Captured Israeli soldiers translating Tolkien, Gilad’s dad wants to run for office, Ron Paul’s new buddy, and much more. Read More Jewcy loves trees! Please don't print! - An Orthodox rabbis explains why he performs “commitment ceremonies” for gay couples. - Gilad Shalit’s father wants to run for political office. - Ron Paul makes a new Jewish acquaintance. - How captured Israeli soldiers brought The Hobbit to Egypt.

Alton Fitzgerald White plays the wronged Coalhouse Walker Jr. in the hit Broadway musical, Ragtime, but when it comes to his constitutional and civil rights, the popular actor does not play around. That was the message the City of New York got Sept. 28 when White and his American Civil Liberties Union lawyer, Norman Siegel, filed a notice of claim in association with White's alleged wrongful arrest by the NYPD on July 16. White is demanding as much as $750,000 in damages but, he says, the real issue is the changes he feels are necessary in police procedure. "It's not about the money," White explained. "We are talking about civil rights, and you can't put a price on that, can you? The most important thing is to get some systemic changes. Racial profiling is happening right now, while we are talking. And it has to stop." The NYPD arrested White on the afternoon of July 16 near his home in Harlem after responding to a call about "four Hispanic men with guns," White recalled. "I opened the door for them," White told Playbill On-Line. "I was inside near the door when I saw them approaching and I actually quickened my pace so they wouldn't have to ring the bell. I thought, "Oh, people in uniforms are here," and I figured they might be paramedics or something, because there are a lot of older people in my building. Some of these people are friends of mine, people who have been there for forty or fifty years, and I have seen ambulances come to the building at times. I was trying to help. "To go from welcoming the police with `hello' to being put up against the wall is a shock -- and that's an understatement." he said. White, who is African-American ("Dark-skinned African-American, thank you very much," he adds.), said the police told him they were looking for "four Hispanic men." "To be immediately made a suspect and taken into custody, even though you do not fit the description is a shock," he said. White said that the notice of claim filed Sept. 28 gives the city 30 days to respond. "The issue's not going to be dropped," White pledged. "As long as this keeps happening it deteriorates our society. I have had friends who are black, white, Russian, and Jewish ask me, `How this could possibly happen? You star in a Broadway show.' "Even when I was in custody the police said, 'Yeah, your super was telling us you're the star of a show.' " White said he had received many cards and letters and e-mails from around the world offering support. "If you could help me and tell everyone thank you for the cards and letters, I would appreciate it," White said. "People can also e-mail me directly on my web page, which is altofitz.com." White said a couple of the e-mail messages he has received were actually apologies from individual NYPD officers. "I'm not out to sue the NYPD," White emphasized. "I'm against the cops who did this to me. The police I encountered that day took me through this, not every cop. If I thought that, it would be like me reversing the racial profiling thing and saying, `All cops are bad.' They just aren't." As earlier reported, The New York Times said that police have conceded White and three acquaintances were wrongfully arrested outside the lobby of White's Harlem apartment building on St. Nicholas Avenue, held for several hours and strip-searched. White missed the Friday performance July 16, and subsequent shows over the weekend. The police were responding to a report of Hispanic men with weapons at the building, but White, who is African-American, and his black acquaintances, were among those rounded up. Although he was released that Friday, White also missed the subsequent weekend Ragtime performances. Some of his fellow cast members had no idea where White was until they read the weekend papers. He told the Times Saturday that he pulled out of his Saturday appearance in the Tony Award-winning show because he had not eaten or rested properly. In the musical, White plays an African-American rag pianist who can find no justice after his property is destroyed by racist firemen. The vandalism leads to a revenge, murder and mayhem story in which Coalhouse Walker Jr. wreaks havoc on the justice system that showed him none. White had also told The New York Times he believes he and the other men were arrested due to their skin color. "When I was sitting in that jail cell, I realized that my perception about good and justice would never be the same," he told The New York Times. The police department apologized, but said the men fit the description of a tip about drug-dealing, and told The Times that two of the six men arrested -- not White's acquaintances -- were charged with criminal drug possession. Strip-searching is apparently routine in felony drug cases. White's other Broadway appearances were in Smokey Joe's Cafe (also in London), Miss Saigon and The Who's Tommy. He has worked at the Goodman Theatre, the McCarter Theatre and elsewhere.

Many generous and visionary individuals and organizations helped make Dimensions in Testimony possible. We are grateful for this caring group of passionate supporters, all of whom were preceded by Sir Trevor Pears, who provided early thought partnership and philanthropic investments to transform testimony as we knew it, and to preserve some of the world’s most important conversations well into the future. USC Shoah Foundation is proud to work alongside each of the partners listed below and we gratefully acknowledge their ongoing support and commitment to our shared work. Genesis Philanthropy Group Genesis Philanthropy Group (GPG) is a global foundation, co-founded by Mikhail Fridman, an international businessman, investor and philanthropist, and his business partners. GPG primarily, but not exclusively, focuses its philanthropic support on developing and enhancing Jewish identity among Russian-speaking Jews worldwide. GPG supported the recording of the first Russian-language interactive biographies of a survivor and a Red Army veteran for the Dimensions in Testimony program. Given the importance of Holocaust education for young people today and in the future, GPG aims to disseminate knowledge about the tragedy of Soviet Jewry during the Shoah and the heroism of the Jewish fighters against the Nazis to a wider audience. Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center (IHMEC) is a founding museum partner for the Dimensions in Testimony program. Together, USC SF and IHMEC filmed seven local Holocaust survivors: Aaron Elster (of blessed memory), Fritzie Fritzshall, Sam Harris, Janine Oberrotman, Adina Sella, Israel Starck, and Matus Stolov. These testimonies and others can be viewed as a part of the museum’s state-of-the-art Take a Stand Center. Pears Foundation is a founding partner of the Dimensions in Testimony program and has continued to support its evolution, significantly increasing the program’s reach and impact. Pears Foundation was established by Mark, Trevor and David Pears, all of whom serve as its Trustees. The Foundation is focused around themes of understanding, engagement and well-being and is the largest funder of Holocaust education in the UK. The Snider Foundation The Snider Foundation and its philanthropic efforts are a direct result of the vision, work and generosity of Philadelphia's Ed Snider. Following his passing in 2016, Mr. Snider's family is continuing his legacy of giving. Since 1977, The Snider Foundation has granted more than $40 million in philanthropic gifts. The Foundation embraces its legacy with philanthropic efforts that sustain Jewish culture and combat anti-Semitism. Tianfu Bank and Tianfu Group Tianfu Finance, a combined commercial bank and financial leasing group based in Chengdu, China gives generous support to a variety of international charitable organizations, including USC Shoah Foundation. Tianfu’s support is part of its mission to better the world through investments and charitable activities. $500,000 - $999,999 Melinda Goldrich and Andrea Cayton/Goldrich Family Foundation in honor of Jona Goldrich USC Shoah Foundation’s Board of Councilors member Melinda Goldrich and her sister Andrea Cayton memorialize their father, Holocaust survivor Jona Goldrich, because Holocaust education and the important work of USC Shoah Foundation was his mission and is now theirs. Louis. F. Smith Louis Smith, a member of USC Shoah Foundation’s Next Generation Council, was one of the earliest supporters of Dimensions in Testimony as he saw it as a way to continue conversations with survivors far into the future. Righteous Persons Foundation The Righteous Persons Foundation was a founding partner of the Dimensions in Testimony program. Deeply moved by the experience of directing Schindler’s List, Steven Spielberg donated his portion of the film’s profits to build and support a meaningful and relevant Jewish community. To that end, he and Kate Capshaw established the Righteous Persons Foundation (RPF), which has made more than $100 million in grants—and been supported by additional profits from the films Munich and Lincoln. For more than two decades, RPF has funded innovative approaches that help bridge the divide between people of different backgrounds; galvanize the power of the arts, media, and storytelling; preserve Jewish history and traditions and make them accessible for generations to come; build on the Jewish value of justice to inspire social activism; and ensure that the moral lessons of the Holocaust are not forgotten. Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum provided support for the Dimensions in Testimony interview with local Holocaust survivor Max Glauben. Mr. Glauben’s testimony, along with other Holocaust survivor testimonies, can be viewed at their state-of-the-art Dimensions in Testimony theater. Stiftung EVZ provided support for the first ever German-language Dimensions in Testimony interview with Holocaust survivor Anita Lasker-Wallfisch. This interactive testimony is currently being piloted in different locations throughout Germany. Cecile and Edward Mosberg Edward and Cecile (of blessed memory) Mosberg, Holocaust survivors and philanthropists, have dedicated their lives to tell the world about the horrors of the Holocaust. Ed Mosberg contributed his personal testimony and funds to both the Dimensions in Testimony interactive biographies and 360 Degree Testimony on Location. With support from the Mosbergs, USC Shoah Foundation was able to build a mobile filming rig that allows our team to film these interactive interviews with survivors close to their homes. Edward Mosberg states that “It is important that those who come after us are our witnesses and be sure that the tragedy of the Holocaust will never be forgotten.” $100,000 - $249,999 CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center is a founding museum partner for the Dimensions in Testimony program. Together, USC Shoah Foundation and CANDLES filmed museum founder Eva Kor (of blessed memory). Eva’s testimony and others can be seen as a part of the museum’s permanent exhibit. The Leon Greenman Trust The Leon Greenman Trust was an early supporter of the Dimensions in Testimony program, helping to launch the project in memory of Holocaust survivor Leon Greenman. Mr. Greenman was living in the Netherlands with his wife and son when they were deported in 1943 to Birkenau by train with roughly 700 others. Mr. Greenman was one of only two survivors of the 700 individuals deported on that train, and later dedicated his life to sharing his story with students and others, and fought injustice and intolerance well into his 90s. Aliza and Guillermo Liberman Support from Aliza and Guillermo Liberman provided for the first ever Spanish-language Dimensions in Testimony interview with Holocaust survivor Lea Novera. The grandchild of a Holocaust survivor and member of USC Shoah Foundation’s Next Generation Council, Aliza Liberman and her husband Guillermo are doing what they can to ensure future generations feel connected to the horrors and lessons of the Holocaust. Holocaust Museum Houston The Holocaust Museum Houston provided support for the Dimensions in Testimony interview with local survivor William Morgan. Mr. Morgan’s testimony can be viewed as a part of the museum’s permanent exhibit. Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage provided support for the Dimensions in Testimony interview with local survivor Stanley Bernath (of blessed Memory). Marcy Gringlas and Joel Greenberg, Seed the Dream Foundation Dr. Marcy Gringlas, child of two Holocaust Survivors and developmental psychologist, co-founded Seed the Dream Foundation together with her husband, Joel Greenberg, in 2011. Gringlas, former member of the USC Shoah Foundation's Board of Councilors, and Greenberg, former United States Department of Justice trial attorney who served in the Office of Special Investigations, remain steadfast in their commitment to educating about contemporary antisemitism. Today, Seed the Dream Foundation supports numerous projects to raise awareness about and address antisemitism across the United States, including: the Echoes and Reflections Gringlas Unit on Contemporary Antisemitism. Seed the Dream Foundation is a private grant-making foundation that strives to advance well-being through Educational Access, Engagement, Awareness, and Empowerment. $25,000 - $49,999 Shimona and David Petroff Shimona and David Petroff supported the development of technology that would enable USC Shoah Foundation to collect interactive testimony for the Dimensions in Testimony program from anywhere in the world. Albert M. Tapper A longtime supporter of USC Shoah Foundation, Albert M. Tapper is passionate about supporting genocide and Holocaust education. He established the Tapper Research and Testing Center in the backlot of Universal Studios in 2002, which allowed scholars and educators to search within the testimonies for the very first time. Tapper has provided seed funding for innovative projects such as taking testimonies in areas of current conflict and Dimensions in Testimony. His philanthropy is informed by his belief in the power of the testimony of survivors of the Holocaust and other genocides to combat hate.

Dr. Mehmet Ali SANLIKOL Mehmet Sanlıkol studied western classical piano with his mother Fethiye Sanlıkol and started giving piano recitals as early as age five. Until the year 1992, he constantly performed classical and contemporary music. Later on he studied with the internationally acclaimed Turkish composer/Jazz pianist Aydın Esen and won a scholarship to Berklee College of Music. In 1997, he found the band AudioFact with Onur Türkmen and toured Mexico, Argentina, the USA and Europe. The same year, he received Berklee College of Music’s Clare Fischer Award and completed his degree in Jazz Composition and Film Scoring. 1998 he released the CD Black Spot with AudioFact. In the year 2000 he graduated from New England Conservatory of Music with a Master’s Degree in Jazz Composition. In the year 2002 Sanlıkol was commissioned to write a piece for PALS children’s chorus accompanied by Turkish instruments and a chamber orchestra. The piece, entitled Ergenekon, was a big success. Boston Globe’s Richard Dyer wrote: “The music is colorful, fanciful, full of rhythmic life, and full of feeling. The multiculturalism is not touristy, but rather sophisticated, informed, internalized; Sanlıkol is a citizen of the world”, “…and he (Sanlıkol) is another who could play decisive role in music’s future in the world.”In the year 2003 Sanlıkol has released his second CD entitled Asitane with AudioFact. In the year 2004 Sanlıkol completed his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Composition at the New England Conservatory and helped find the organization Dünya based in Boston, Massachusetts. Sanlıkol is the president of Dünya, an organization dedicated to contemporary presentations of Turkish traditions, alone and in interaction with other world traditions, through musical performance, publication, and educational activities. Since its founding Sanlıkol has produced, performed and delivered talks at over eighty Dünya events. This organization has also released 6 CDs (Come See What Love Has Done To Me, Psalms of Ali Ufki, Music of Cyprus, The Tulip and the Sword, The Language of Birds and For You the World, For Us the Roses) as well as a DVD (Wisdom and Turkish Humor) featuring Mehmet Sanlıkol both as a director/performer and a composer. The Music of Cyprus CD is the first and the only project that brings Greek and Turkish Cypriot musicians together on an international platform to present the musical traditions of the island of Cyprus. The unique nature and the success of this project resulted with Dr. Sanlıkol going on the air with NPR’s Robin Young and PRI’s The World. Throughout the year of 2010 Dr. Sanlıkol directed, performed and produced A Story of the City: Constantinople-Istanbul CD and concert production as a part of Istanbul 2010 European Culture Capital activities. The project included a largely Boston-based cast of 35 musicians who after recording the double CD performed the program in the 4000 seat open air Harbiye Açıkhava Tiyatrosu in Istanbul on Friday, June 18, 2010. This program explores more than a 1000 years of Istanbul’s communal memory through Greek Orthodox music, Greek folk music, Crusader songs, music of the Ottoman military ensembles, Ottoman court music, Sufi ceremonial music, Turkish folk music, Sephardic Jewish songs, urban music of the Armenians and Turks, and contemporary urban popular music. In today’s world where we are constantly reminded of the differences between traditions, cultures, religions and ethnicities, like the Music of Cyprus project, Mehmet Sanlıkol chooses to direct and research projects in which music connects disparate ethnic and religious groups through devotion, longing, celebration and joy. Currently Sanlıkol is pursuing this idea with a new program entitled “Jews and Sufis: A Shared Musical Tradition”. This program explores, the Turkish Jewish maftirim repertoire—Hebrew devotional poetry set to Ottoman/Turkish makam music for use in the synagogue—which demonstrates the deep relationships Ottoman Jews established with members of Muslim mystical brotherhoods. On this program Dr. Sanlıkol collaborates with leading scholar Dr. Edwin Seroussi. Mehmet Sanlıkol has composed for, performed and toured with international stars and ensembles such as Tiger Okoshi, Bob Brookmeyer, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, Okay Temiz, Erkan Oğur, Yansımalar, Omar Faruk Tekbilek and The Boston Camerata at numerous prestigious International Music Festivals and venues such as the Blue Note Jazz club in New York. He has also composed, arranged, produced and performed for Turkish pop stars such as Fahir Atakoğlu, Burcu Güneş, Ümit Sayın, Edip Akbayram and Nil Karaibrahimgil. Dr. Sanlıkol taught at Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory. He is currently a faculty member at Emerson College and Brown University. Dr. Sanlıkol actively delivers papers and talks at academic conferences such as Sohbet-i Osmaniye series at Harvard University’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies and the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Islamic Studies Program at Harvard University. Dr. Sanlıkol’s book, entitled The Musician Mehters, about the organization and the music of the Ottoman Janissary Bands will be published during 2011 in both English and Turkish.

- 100 Brachot Challenge - USY Self Study Program - USY Torah Bytes - Jewish Ritual and Holiday How-tos - Divrei Torah - Creative Tefillot - Abraham Joshua Heschel Honor Society - Take the SAT/ACT on Sunday - Regional Rel/Ed VPs USY Torah Bytes Frequently Asked Questions about USY Torah Bytes: Q: What is Torah Bytes? A: An online video chat with your USY friends on a contemporary Jewish issue. Each week will highlight a different topic. Q: I don’t have time for anything new. How can I still participate? A: Each Torah Bytes session will be offered three times a week. Regions are grouped and assigned to a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, so try to participate on your assigned regional day. If you can’t make that day, you may join one of the other sessions that week. Sessions will last for about 25 minutes and begin at 9:45 p.m. EDT. You do not need to RSVP, so if something comes up, you can join the next session. Q: How do I participate in a webinar? A: You can join the audio conference with your phone or you participate via video chat (you will need internet connection for this. The link to each webinar will be posted each week as part of the schedule that appears at the bottom of this page. Q: If I have an idea for a topic or have questions, who can I contact? A: E-mail Andy Weissfeld, USY International Religion/Education Vice President, at firstname.lastname@example.org or Daniel Mackler, a member of the USY Religion/Education International General Board, at email@example.com. Q: I’ll add it to my Google Calendar. What are the dates? A: Here is a schedule of all the Torah Bytes dates and times (EDT). Please note: topics are subject to change without notice. |March 20 @ 9:45 p.m.||Introductory Session| |April 3 @ 9:30 p.m.||Topic: Does the Pope Really Talk to God? Validity of religious leaders outside Judaism, the Prophets, what it means to "talk to God."| |April 4 @ 10:30 p.m.||Topic: Does the Pope Really Talk to God? Validity of religious leaders outside Judaism, the Prophets, what it means to "talk to God."| |April 16 @ 8:30 p.m.||Topic: TBD (Israel-Related)||Click here for Log-In Information| |April 17 @ 9:30 p.m.||Topic: What Language Does God Speak? Is Hebrew an Obstacle to Jewish Prayer? (with guest presenter)||Click here for Log-In Information| |April 18 @ 10:30 p.m.||Topic: TBD (Israel-Related)||Click here for Log-In Information| |Special Video Chat with teens from NOAM, the Conservative Youth Movement in Israel| |May 5 @ 11 a.m.||The Israel-American relationship||Click here for Log-In Information| |May 21 @ 8:30 p.m.||Topic: Evening of Awesomeness (log on to find out what that means) with Special Guest Presenter Rabbi Dave Levy||Click here for Log-In Information| |May 22 @ 9:30 p.m.||Topic: L'shon Hara and Why Everybody Does it||Click here for Log-In Information| |May 23 @ 10:30 p.m.||Topic: L'shon Hara and Why Everybody Does it||Click here for Log-In Information| |June 4 @ 8:30 p.m.||Topic: Final Conversation||Click here for Log-In Information| |June 5||This session has been cancelled| |June 6 @ 10:30 p.m.||Topic: Final Conversation||Click here for Log-In Information|

Migron residents called on their supporters Wednesday to protest the same day High Court of Justice ruling that all 50 families in the West Bank outpost evacuate their homes no later than September 4. The court’s decision appears to mark the end of Migron residents’ long legal battle to retain their It was issued in the evening, as the sun set over the small outpost in the Binyamin region of the West Bank. Men were reciting the evening prayer in the synagogue and a few small children played in the adjacent parking Four Migron residents and Binyamin Regional Council head Avi Ro’eh held a brief press conference in the community’s small kindergarten classroom, decorated for the start of school with the words, “A sweet They sat behind a folding table, set up for the event, next to a shelf of games. “We are calling on every Israeli citizen to protest the injustice that was done here. It does not matter if they are left- or right-wing,” said Migron resident Shuki Sat. But residents who spoke at the press conference did not clarify what they meant by the word Nor would they commit to leaving of their own volition, as mandated by the court. In a document submitted to the court earlier this week, in advance of the judgement, they stated that they had no intention of acting Migron resident Itai Chemo said that no decision had been taken with respect to leaving their homes. As of press time, Migron residents along with Ro’eh were holding a closed meeting in their synagogue to debate their next step. The Defense Ministry told the media they were ready to help the residents relocate to a site that has been prepared for them, two kilometers away near the Psagot winery. Weinstein issued a plea to Migron residents and their leaders to refrain from inflammatory actions and to act responsibly by respecting the rule of law. Weinstein called on the Migron families to relocate peacefully, adding that he understood the court’s decision was not an easy one for Migron At the press conference, Sat said, “This is a black day for Israeli democracy. It is a day when the government has trampled on the basic rights of its citizens and has betrayed the principles of its party, the Likud, and its land.” “The prime minister has now joined some of his predecessors who raised a hand against the settlement enterprise. certain that his voters will even the score,” Sat said. will continue to settle the land, and on this hilltop in the future, two settlements will exist, he said. Behind him, a large sign hung on the wall, which said, “This will end with two settlements, an upper and a lower Migron resident Itai Harel added, “We will persevere, like The High Court of Justice had ordered the outpost’s demolition in the summer of 2011 because it was built without permits on land classified by the state as belonging to private Palestinians. Last month, Migron residents petitioned the court to allow 17 of the families to remain there, claiming that they had purchased the three plots of land on which their homes stood from the Palestinian owners. On Wednesday, however, the court rejected their petition. But it did agree to allow the buildings on lot 10 to remain for 90 days, to allow time to investigate the validity of the The court, however, said that the families must leave because it agreed with the state’s opinion that there was no legal possibility for Israelis to live on that lot of land, without infringing on the rights of Palestinians who owned the abutting lots. Earlier this week, the families also petitioned the court to delay the evacuation until such time as their new modular housing site was fully completed. On Wednesday the court rejected that petition and ordered the families to leave. It added that all the buildings in the outpost, except for those on lot 10, must be taken down no later than September According to the World Zionist Organization, the homes near the Psagot winery are ready for Migron families, but work is still being done on the public buildings and security features such as guardrails. The Binyamin Regional Council, under whose auspices Migron and the new site are located, however, has argued that the site will not be completed for another month. to the 2005 Talia Sasson report on West Bank outposts, Migron was built in May 2001 with NIS 4.3 million from the Construction and Housing Ministry. 2006, Peace Now petitioned the High Court of Justice on behalf of the Peace Now executive director Yariv Oppenheimer said that the ruling was a victory for the rule of law and order, and a statement against the system of building illegal outposts in the “It transforms Migron from a symbol of defiance and anarchy into a symbol of respect for the court and the legal system,” Oppenheimer “This judgement should be a bright light for Israeli society that proves that the settlers are not above the law,” he said. views this judgment as an important achievement for all those who believe in a two-state solution and democratic rule,” Oppenheimer said. Science and Technology Minister Daniel Herskowitz (Habayit Hayehudi) who is also a member of the Ministerial Committee on Settlements, said that Peace Now’s victory was an empty one. Building will continue in Judea and Samaria, and specific Migron families can build permanent authorized homes near Psagot to replace their modular ones, he said. MK Zevulun Orlev (Habayit Hayehudi) blamed the court’s verdict on Netanyahu’s failure to support his legislation to authorize West Bank outposts. National Union head MK Ya’acov Katz attacked the Likud, saying “All those who love the Land of Israel understand now that the Likud government headed by [Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu freezes settlements and supports the principle of two states,” and is responsible for erasing a Jewish community, he said. MK Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) who came to Migron briefly, said that the court had become a contractor for Peace Now and was executing its policy. “It seems that property rights exist for Arab and not for Jews,”

Central Florida's religious community is responding to victims of Hurricane Katrina's devastation with an abundance of generosity and hospitality, sending truckloads of aid west while preparing to host evacuees heading east. The efforts by local houses of worship cross the ecumenical, ethnic and racial spectrum, and seem endless. First Presbyterian Church in DeLand plans to send church members and a trailer filled with supplies to Laurel, Miss., today to assist at a Red Cross shelter and help residents clean up from the hurricane. First Presbyterian of Maitland is sending a work team to the city as well. FOR THE RECORD - ********** CORRECTION OR CLARIFICATION PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 8, 2005 ********** An article on Page A13 Wednesday about religious groups providing relief to victims of Hurricane Katrina misidentified the organization administering "Operation Home Away from Home." It is Catholic Charities. First Presbyterian of Orlando had two truckloads of relief supplies ready to go to the Gulf Coast. But the church decided Tuesday that those supplies should remain here for the thousands of evacuees expected in Central Florida. "If we've got people here, we need to take that responsibility," said Laura Roll of the church's missions department. "We need to take care of them here. We can't just sit and ignore them." The Greater Orlando Baptist Association, which represents 155 congregations, has sent a 10-person cleanup unit and a tractor-trailer filled with tarps, hammers and nails to Hattiesburg, Miss. That crew, equipped with chain saws, will be replaced by a new group of 22 volunteers Saturday, said Lynn Latham, the group's disaster coordinator. Some congregations are working with churches in the devastated region. "We decided to adopt First United Methodist of Pascagoula, Miss.," said the Rev. Bob Bushong of First United Methodist Church of Winter Park. "We are going to be driving a truck full of supplies on Friday along with a work team that will do cleanup and assessment for future volunteer teams." Catholic Relief Services, through "Operation Home Away from Home," has begun placing evacuee families of all faiths and denominations, including 18 people in four families through St. Margaret Mary in Winter Park. Parochial schools at St. Mary Magdalen in Altamonte Springs and Our Lady of Lourdes in Daytona Beach have accepted students from the stricken region. A group of black churches decided Tuesday to provide long-term assistance to 50 elderly storm victims. Members of the African American Council of Christian Clergy, consisting of about 40 black churches, pledged to match displaced senior citizens with Central Florida families who volunteer to house them for up to six months. The effort will cost an estimated $64,000 -- half of which would pay for a full-time case manager. The plan was proposed by the Rev. Randolph Bracy, pastor of New Covenant Baptist Church of Orlando, and formulated by his wife, LaVon. "The key is case management," LaVon Bracy said. "Not only have they lost everything, but they're in a new city. You need people to take them by the hand and help them." Others taking action include Joy Metropolitan Community Church, which is preparing to offer housing assistance to evacuees from the predominantly gay denomination who have contacted the church; Jewish Family Services, which is asking people to drop off nonperishable foods at the Jewish Community Center in Maitland; and the Episcopal Diocese, which is offering to help evacuees through what it calls "family-to-family hosting." Since Thursday, Radio Luz, the local Spanish-language Christian station, has been calling on listeners to donate food and other necessities. In coordination with the Hispanic Christian Church Association of Central Florida, Radio Luz has established several collection points for people to drop off water, canned food, sanitary napkins, diapers and baby food. The phone number is 407-345-1105. At least one national effort is being directed from Orlando. From its Lake Hart headquarters, Campus Crusade for Christ is shipping 10,000 personal-care kits with food, water and hygiene supplies, and preparing to dispatch hundreds of college-student volunteers to the Gulf Coast, said Jim Topmiller of Crusade's U.S. Campus Ministry. Meanwhile, houses of worship are using collections at regular weekly services to raise cash for hurricane relief. The Catholic Diocese of Orlando has designated this weekend's offerings in every parish for relief. The Islamic Society of Orlando raised $5,000 at Friday's Juma prayers. When word spread that the Islamic Society was taking an 18-wheeler full of water, food, clothes and medicine to Mississippi this past Saturday, groups from Protestant and Catholic churches arrived with donations. "This has been a real interfaith effort," said Imam Muhammad Musri, president of the society. "It wasn't just ours."

Topics in Theory Sat Dec 1, 2012 After experimenting with topic models of Critical Inquiry, I thought it would be interesting to collect several of the theoretical journals that JSTOR has in their collection and run the model on a bigger collection with more topics to see how the algorithm would chart developments in theory. I downloaded all of the articles (word-frequency data for each article, that is) in New Literary History, Critical Inquiry, boundary 2, Diacritics, Cultural Critique, and Social Text. I then ran a model fitted to one-hundred topics. I had to adjust the stop-word list to account for common words and, unsuccessfully, for words in other languages. What I should have done was use the supplied stop-word lists in those languages as well. At least this way there is a chance that interesting words in those languages will cluster together. The topics themselves looked good, I thought. One hundred was about the right number, as I didn’t see much evidence of merging or splitting. I should say rather that I saw an acceptable level, or the usual level. This topic, for example, shows what I mean: “aboriginal rap[?] women australian climate weather movement work warming time australia housework change social power oroonoko[?] make wages years.” I also didn’t lemmatize this corpus, although I know how to. Lemmatizing takes a lot of time the way I’m doing it (using the WordNet plugin of the python Natural Language Toolkit). And I frankly haven’t been that impressed with the specificity of the lemmatized models that I have run. Visualizing changes in topics over time is quite difficult. Each year will have thousands of observations per topic and taking the mean of each topic per year doesn’t always produce very readable results. geom_smooth function of ggplot2, which I never had much luck with. The main reason, I found, that I couldn’t get it to work very well is that I was trying to create a composite graph of every topic facet_wrap. Each topic graphed by itself with produced better results. Here, for example, is the graph for this coherent topic—“gay sexual queer sex lesbian aids sexuality homosexual men homosexuality identity heterosexual male gender desire social lesbians drag butler”: The chronology you see above does approximately track the rise of queer theory, though the smoothing algorithm is full of mystery and error. A scatter-plot of the same graph would be far noisier and also not reveal much in the way of change over time. This topic should also correlate somewhat roughly to postcolonial theory–“indian india hindu colonial postcolonial subaltern british indians nationalist gandhi english bengali religious caste nationalism sanskrit maori bengal west”: I’m suspicious of this linear increase, needless to say. The underlying data is messier. Would Marxist theory show any decline around the predictable historical period? (Terms: “social class theory ideology political production ideological historical marxist marx bourgeois capitalist society capitalism marxism economic labor relations capital”) That is roughly what I was expecting. But compare “soviet party revolutionary socialist revolution socialism communist political national left union struggle europe russian fascism war central movement european”: I have hopes for the exploratory potential of topic-modeling disciplinary change this way. Another interesting topic that shows a linear-seeming increase (“muslim islamic islam religious arab muslims secular arabic algerian orientalism rushdie religion iranian iran western turkish ibn secularism algeria”): Next is a scatter-plot: All of the graphs reveal a general upward trend, I think, though not as much as the smoothing function does. I would be delighted in hearing any ideas anyone has about better ways to graph these. I’ve not found any improvements in grouping by document rather than year. There’s more I plan to do with this data set, including coming up with better ways to visualize it (more precision, efficient ways of seeing many at once, etc.) I am including the full list of topics after the fold for reference. Some reveal OCR errors; others are publishing artifacts that my first rounds of stopping didn’t yet remove. Update (2/14/12): I created a browser of this model that shows the articles most closely associated with each topic. 0 0.0321 american left radical political movement social economics black time years war power orwell decade began america back students books 1 0.02376 chinese china western hong cultural kong wang boundary modern zhang west mao lu intellectual shanghai intellectuals japanese east liu 2 0.09169 french france paris pierre jean barthes bataille flaubert work proust sartre jacques louis revolution text marcel madame histoire georges 3 0.03662 movement movements left political radical american revolution cultural world aronowitz issue civil change issues society sexual freedom social history 4 0.18127 language speech words word linguistic translation english voice meaning discourse speaking speaker act speak sentence utterance languages spoken verbal 5 0.02654 woolf virginia jane beckett lentricchia gilbert austen lawrence moore richards eve forster adam room samson edna shaw bloomsbury stevens 6 0.03491 asian american united ethnic pacific states immigrant immigrants immigration racial transnational border korean diaspora hawaiian mexican chicano identity diasporic 7 0.68931 power suggests figure authority text version rhetoric appears makes irony offers terms force calls rhetorical cited earlier act ironic 8 0.03294 latin spanish cuban don cuba puerto juan borges spain america mexico mexican brazilian rican american jose brazil maria garcia 9 0.0539 medieval middle oral latin literary ages ancient tradition written auerbach century classical texts renaissance modern rhetoric augustine early philology 10 0.12145 south national state political government people rights nation community local international official africa human african policy population land resistance 11 0.04518 medical health body medicine disease aids drug illness mental patients treatment patient clinical healing hysteria madness addiction bodies coffee 12 0.05613 german das den germany als berlin ist kafka benjamin ein karl eine trans ich mit dem ernst friedrich sich 13 0.15228 social class theory ideology political production ideological historical marxist marx bourgeois capitalist society capitalism marxism economic labor relations capital 14 0.18724 philosophy theory philosophical knowledge truth thought science scientific world wittgenstein epistemological human idea philosophers view language theoretical reason empirical 15 0.21737 university trans john david duke cambridge boundary chicago michael robert harvard oxford richard paul modern james minnesota princeton peter 16 0.0917 aesthetic art benjamin adorno sublime aesthetics work kant experience critique object beautiful form modern beauty concept judgment modernity trans 17 0.12624 narrative story narrator narratives events stories narration time plot tale event voice literary telling structure discourse action account history 18 0.20746 history historical past time present historians historian future modern events period histories century human historiography temporal study change historicism 19 0.0124 aboriginal rap women australian climate weather movement work warming time australia housework change social power oroonoko make wages years 20 0.02402 jewish palestinian arab israel israeli jews palestinians palestine zionist jew arabs state zionism middle west land political east hebrew 21 0.56336 form work general structure individual forms elements analysis principle formal specific works terms single set style function features type 22 0.16719 public york media television news national american times show president united march recent audience private april states people campaign 23 0.11547 identity postmodern cultural politics postmodernism difference discourse social culture power dominant practices identities world resistance discourses history struggle language 24 0.41333 critical studies work cultural theory critique political contemporary essay recent intellectual theoretical ways historical questions analysis question practice discussion 25 0.06531 japanese money economic market economy exchange japan corporate commodity capital financial business capitalism consumption consumer commodities production economics wealth 26 0.09897 sexual women male female woman men body gender sex feminine sexuality desire masculine power man difference masculinity pleasure bodies 27 0.06501 women feminist feminism feminists gender female woman male men sexual patriarchal sex work politics political radical mary history movement 28 0.66109 argument make position evidence response good view critics find simply claim general values arguments claims problem easily issue difficult 29 0.07487 poem romantic poetry poet wordsworth poetic milton poems coleridge william mind nature yeats paradise poets blake thy shelley bloom 30 0.01992 indian india hindu colonial postcolonial subaltern british indians nationalist gandhi english bengali religious caste nationalism sanskrit maori bengal west 31 0.08238 fig photography photograph photographs figure photographic museum portrait picture objects visual pictures image images camera object medium display portraits 32 0.1694 moral human ethical freedom life ethics individual action good morality values person social nature actions reason responsibility man judgment 33 0.20092 literary literature criticism critical history critics theory critic works study language english art tradition texts modern aesthetic writers essays 34 0.14431 writing book writer life writers write read reading written books work autobiography literary autobiographical literature personal wrote style reader 35 0.01414 chomsky dewey ek war read goodman american politics marcuse movement work political state left social radical approach public life 36 0.05149 literary history cited univ text cal notes ity dis ence human ness pro sion tional term form inter comparison 37 0.06194 music musical sound jazz song dance performance sounds voice musicians songs listening play hear art playing singing radio recording 38 0.1099 american america united states national americans war john world william james henry culture north cultural cold history canadian melville 39 0.03316 gay sexual queer sex lesbian aids sexuality homosexual men homosexuality identity heterosexual male gender desire social lesbians drag butler 40 0.17065 death body violence human dead life animal living bodies man fear pain kill blood horror murder animals scene violent 41 0.09262 city space urban spatial building place spaces cities architecture site home center house landscape architectural public places built map 42 0.02614 williams james brown tom fuller eliot maggie american john bishop read margaret people smithson act charlotte book bowl robert 43 0.05497 foucault life power deleuze everyday michel modern sovereignty state political agamben trans sovereign body guattari human discipline politics disciplinary 44 0.18385 love father family marriage woman life man young mother wife story home house husband daughter desire lady women scene 45 0.69503 time order question place point longer end moment truth means present fact back precisely word speak give remains beginning 46 0.30084 water earth land sea sun place green landscape tree river sky trees snow space light stone red white high 47 0.10127 law legal rights state court justice property laws case act authority decision system rule states sovereign contract rules sovereignty 48 0.49656 desire moment return loss form death lost presence absence condition remains sense figure passage identity past end crisis sign 49 0.16624 system time systems theory information communication cognitive affect body processes affective human process temporal level space perception brain distinction 50 0.42525 world experience life human reality consciousness nature process mind imagination vision sense language individual personal meaning man form act 51 0.40925 book published years work text letter written early author title letters books publication read readers english number found wrote 52 0.06248 technology information media computer technological digital technologies electronic machine communication human control world technical data virtual machines web internet 53 0.06998 police crime trial violence criminal prison case murder legal evidence crimes political violent victim victims serial secret justice eichmann 54 0.3546 subject discourse order relation space form discursive object difference practice subjectivity logic place symbolic subjects production position mode boundary 55 0.02432 emerson ellison burke twain hawthorne trilling read invisible ralph huckleberry writers work finn jim black social literature women john 56 0.03159 renaissance pastoral king court courtly queen literary english greenblatt prince sidney elizabethan good marie royal sir henry knight text 57 0.09066 freud psychoanalysis psychoanalytic desire unconscious lacan theory object subject freudian ego psychic symbolic sexual pleasure psychological dream psychology fantasy 58 0.57855 great modern century man life made time age men history years early thought intellectual long world found nineteenth period 59 0.14516 labor economic workers work class social working economy state welfare system industrial market percent capital control poor government union 60 0.1693 text reading literary interpretation meaning texts reader textual work author interpretive readers theory history intention read understanding act interpretations 61 0.02364 muslim islamic islam religious arab muslims secular arabic algerian orientalism rushdie religion iranian iran western turkish ibn secularism algeria 62 0.07184 play theater drama audience dramatic stage performance shakespeare plays theatrical action history hamlet tragedy characters comedy comic character actor 63 0.04363 memory trauma past holocaust memories traumatic event jews nazi history experience truth jewish testimony auschwitz german victims witness war 64 0.18222 image representation images visual space body gaze object vision presence mirror representations represented eye visible point perception represent picture 65 0.06115 film films cinema camera cinematic hollywood movie screen shot documentary frame scene movies early spectator visual images time sequence 66 0.13551 inquiry critical winter autumn abbreviated professor response spring account summer trans claim chicago fact theory point made convention essay 67 0.07161 black white african racial race blacks slave negro racism slavery bois color racist whiteness whites people social class blackness 68 0.11013 metaphor language meaning sign linguistic semiotic semantic signs system theory metaphors word metaphorical structure discourse level words literal semiotics 69 0.04175 ou comme nous mais tout sans akhmatova avec cette sont baudelaire ii fait ses ces aux lydia meme leur 70 0.04025 natural science mathematical scientific mathematics machine physics quantum hobbes human descartes nature mechanical machines body universe set history einstein 71 0.10857 god religious christian religion divine church christianity secular faith theological christ theology jesus sacred spiritual holy biblical tradition jewish 72 0.09419 war military vietnam world united states american nuclear enemy terror cold power peace soldiers torture wars army violence bush 73 0.09257 art painting work artist artistic artists works arts paintings visual aesthetic modernist modernism painter modern museum abstract fried style 74 0.06986 science human scientific nature natural scientists genetic species biological environmental research evolutionary sciences knowledge evolution biology humans life environment 75 0.0255 gramsci italian italy che prison antonio fascist ii notebooks croce giovanni vita canto carlo dante verdi michelangelo rome trans 76 0.21001 people time years good talk lot back things talking women wanted feel work make told interview thing men put 77 0.19357 political politics state public social liberal power democratic society democracy civil freedom sphere people discourse rights private radical intellectuals 78 0.10585 derrida text man reading deconstruction writing language texts jacques deconstructive miller play figure read difference question rhetoric paul essay 79 0.05332 greek tragedy classical tragic ancient oedipus aristotle plato epic socrates homer roman greeks riddle greece city antigone gods athens 80 0.07717 english british irish england london john eighteenth ireland britain victorian william century early thomas sir george late history charles 81 0.09257 colonial european western native west culture world indian cultural africa african peoples imperial discourse europe indigenous anthropology people colonialism 82 0.0366 genre bakhtin genres russian generic dialogue carnival dialogic literary mikhail literature rabelais poetics dostoevsky text speech work theory pushkin 83 0.11295 myth ritual sacred myths king mythic symbolic story magic man traditional hero tale great stories power tales gods ancient 84 0.01573 shame movement black social trip individual larkin youth political white culture lsd term anger person usage heavy cultural man 85 0.10016 poetry poem poems poet poetic poets pound language poetics verse lyric line lines olson words word prose robert form 86 0.72608 kind sense things make work part thing point find fact made world making makes call ways great called sort 87 0.76598 point terms fact question notion problem sense concept part discussion view relation relationship important nature context makes idea simply 88 0.08277 soviet party revolutionary socialist revolution socialism communist political national left union struggle europe russian fascism war central movement european 89 0.10262 global world national cultural postcolonial nation international modernity globalization nationalism states united local transnational economic culture political western capital 90 0.11165 fiction novels literary characters fictional character story reader author joyce narrator readers literature romance james genre narrative works fictions 91 0.03936 game play games players sports playing player baseball sport chess world team rules ball leisure cricket played life living 92 0.05541 diacritics trans derrida ofthe time community relation levinas ethical ethics event gift possibility jacques responsibility work logic blanchot future 93 0.0573 children child family mother parents abuse birth mothers adult adoption childhood baby families maternal father kinship reproductive motherhood home 94 0.12026 university students education academic faculty student research teaching graduate humanities higher knowledge professional school universities studies educational college english 95 0.3797 social society cultural forms individual group ways relations role practices groups community people individuals power public important process life 96 0.24791 young man room street small years day side big home food boy front days car back girl began middle 97 0.09584 heidegger nietzsche thought hegel philosophy time world thinking truth trans spirit philosophical metaphysical essence sense phenomenology existence metaphysics man 98 0.47688 back eyes time face night left hand head day man hands dark light dream words house inside world black 99 0.16072 culture cultural popular mass rock high class contemporary youth production everyday industry dominant cultures american style traditional media consumption

This is war. And the EU clowns and leftwing governments continue to paint a rosy picture of millions of Muslim refugees flooding Europe. But the worst is coming. Rality is blowing up in their fleshy faces. Literally. This is just the beginning. Why did law enforcement keep this from the people? What other critical war news are they hiding? As one reader points out, there were enough weapons here to equip a division. “Many of the auto rifles look like FN-FALs to me, or Belgian made NATO rifles, .308 caliber. Yellow tipped shells look like heavy mortar shells minus fuzes. A close call. Almost lost Paris. Wonder how many more ammo dumps and factories are operating out there?” TOOLS OF JIHAD Shocking police pictures reveal 10,000-weapon arsenal including howitzers, machine guns and grenades intended for the hands of terrorists in Europe Police found the stash in Spain back in January but have only now released the terrifying images By Danny Collins, The Sun, 15th March 2017: POLICE last night revealed an arsenal of more than 10,000 weapons destined for the hands of terrorists and organised gangs around Europe. A continent-wide operation stopped weapons including anti-aircraft guns, howitzers and grenades falling into the hands of extremists in France, Spain and Belgium. Some were previously described as being powerful enough to “bring down an aircraft”. Europol announced the vast haul in January but only now have Spanish police published images of the devastating arsenal. Among the stash were 10,000 rifles, 400 howitzers, anti-aircraft guns, grenades, pistols and revolvers. Spanish cops also found a factory in Bilbao maintaining and reactivating old guns so they could be re-used. A probe into European gun runners was launched following an attack on Brussels’ Jewish Museum in May 2014. The attacker Mehdi Nemmouche was later arrested in Marseille, France, while carrying a Kalashnikov. Following the original raid, Spanish police tweeted: “These are the 12,000 weapons, some capable of bringing down aircraft, intercepted from organised crime.” In November 2015, Islamic extremists wielding automatic rifles similar to those seized killed 130 people in attacks on Paris, including a bloody gun assault on the Bataclan theatre. Have a tip we should know? Your anonymity is NEVER compromised. Email email@example.com The Truth Must be Told Your contribution supports independent journalism Please take a moment to consider this. Now, more than ever, people are reading Geller Report for news they won't get anywhere else. But advertising revenues have all but disappeared. Google Adsense is the online advertising monopoly and they have banned us. Social media giants like Facebook and Twitter have blocked and shadow-banned our accounts. But we won't put up a paywall. Because never has the free world needed independent journalism more. Everyone who reads our reporting knows the Geller Report covers the news the media won't. We cannot do our ground-breaking report without your support. We must continue to report on the global jihad and the left's war on freedom. Our readers’ contributions make that possible. Geller Report's independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our work is critical in the fight for freedom and because it is your fight, too. Please contribute here. Make a monthly commitment to support The Geller Report – choose the option that suits you best.

TEL AVIV—The Tel Aviv District Court has ruled that six months ago, Tel Aviv University abruptly cancelled an international art exhibition due to pressure from the Chinese Embassy in Israel. The exhibit contrasts the serenity of the mind-body meditation practice Falun Gong with the persecution and torture that many Falun Gong practitioners suffer within China at the hands of the ruling communist regime. "The decision to take the exhibition down one week prior the original date was made by the university out of foreign and faulted considerations, marred with arbitrariness and extreme lack of reasonableness," stated Justice Amiram Binyamini in his ruling. The justice ordered the university to reinstate the exhibition, and pay all court expenses to the two Tel Aviv University students who organized the event and later initiated the court proceedings. Earlier iterations of the Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance Art Exhibition, which has been touring the world since 2004, have been shown in venues as diverse as the National Arts Club in New York City, the U.S. House of Representatives, and Moscow's National Exhibition Hall. Apart from Israel, Chinese diplomatic missions have attempted to thwart the exhibit in several other countries, including the U.S. and Korea. The Tel Aviv judge noted that the decision to take down the exhibition was made a day after the dean of students received a visit from the cultural affairs consul of the Chinese embassy in Israel. In his testimony, the dean claimed he received emails from Israeli students in China claiming the exhibition endangered their Jewish studies programs in China. The justice stated the dean did not validate the authenticity of the emails and did not know whether or not they were fabricated. "The court chose to uphold freedom of speech where it is threatened by foreign forces wanting to silence legitimate criticism in the form of art work," said Shlomy Zakharia, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs. The exhibition was initiated by renowned Chinese sculptor Kunlun Zhang, who was released from a PRC forced labour camp in 2001 following three months of psychiatric and physical torture. Its main artistic form is realist oil painting, chosen for its narrative capabilities, accessibility and simplistic purity, according to the exhibit website. Michael Sfard, another lawyer for the plaintiffs added, "There is nothing more dangerous than a university—a temple of free speech—submitting to foreign interests. We are happy the court stood on guard." The Chinese Embassy in Tel Aviv could not be reached for comment at the time of writing.

(March 21, 2022 / JNS) Singapore is set to open an embassy in Israel some 53 years after the two countries established diplomatic relations, it was announced on Monday. The proclamation was made during a meeting in Jerusalem between Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and his Singaporean counterpart, Vivian Balakrishnan. Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the embassy in Tel Aviv will be a focal point and “support Singapore companies seeking to expand their collaboration with potential Israeli partners.” Also on Monday, Balakrishnan and Orit Farkash-Hacohen, Israel’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, signed a Moratorium of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in artificial intelligence between the two countries. The MFA said that during Balakrishnan’s stay in Israel he will also visit the technology investment platform OurCrowd and “meet prominent personalities in Israel’s technology industry.” Singapore and Israel established diplomatic ties in 1969. The Singapore-Israel Industrial Research & Development Foundation is also celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. It has funded roughly 190 projects and provided about $120 million to projects between Singapore and Israel. Jewish News Syndicate With geographic, political and social divides growing wider, high-quality reporting and informed analysis are more important than ever to keep people connected. Our ability to cover the most important issues in Israel and throughout the Jewish world—without the standard media bias—depends on the support of committed readers. If you appreciate the value of our news service and recognize how JNS stands out among the competition, please click on the link and make a one-time or monthly contribution. We appreciate your support.

The Blazers should cut ties with apartheid and report from a Portland, Oregon, protest calling on the Trail Blazers to cut ties with a company that manufactures sniper scopes used by Israel. ACTIVISTS FROM around Portland, Oregon, gathered on a recent Saturday at the Moda Center, the city’s landmark venue for sporting events and concerts, to demand that the Portland Trail Blazers basketball team end its partnership with Leupold & Stevens, a sniper-scope manufacturer based in Beaverton, Oregon. Leupold & Stevens currently sponsors “Hometown Hero” during Blazers games, a segment that celebrates members of the community in the U.S. military, first responders and other “everyday heroes who put service before self.” Leupold & Stevens is also the company that furnishes sniper scopes to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), which recently murdered more than 140 unarmed Palestinians and wounded 14,000 others during the Great March of Return. The Portland chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) was the lead organizer of the speakout. It partnered with other activist groups from the Portland community, including Jewish Voice for Peace, Jobs with Justice, Portland’s Resistance and others, to make their demands heard by the community at a time when the Moda Center was bustling with people: the Rip City 3-on-3 basketball tournament. PORTLAND DSA co-chair Olivia Katbi Smith MC’d the speakout. She kicked off the speeches, speaking on why the Trail Blazers’ partnership with Leupold & Stevens is out of step with the team’s purported values: The Portland Trail Blazers support a myriad of causes in our community dedicated to supporting children and families. We see kids of all ages and families participating in the Rip City 3-on-3 across the street, so it’s ironic that kids and families just like those have been shot to death, thanks to a company that the Portland Trail Blazers have chosen to enable. Mohammed Nabil, a native of Gaza, gave a brief history of Palestine’s struggle, and made clear the ugliness of the basketball team’s partnership with the scope manufacturer: [S]ince the first day I came to Portland, I knew that the Blazers are one of the teams that has a big popularity among friends, among people who love social justice issues, and supporting the good spirit of the city. But with this partnership with Leupold & Stevens, I see this team as a team that kills my people… I really support this team withdrawing from this partnership, because this partnership brings death to my people and brings a lot of support to a military-industrial complex that basically treats us the people of Palestine…as test subjects for weapons for Israel. Joel Beinin, from Jewish Voice for Peace and a professor of Middle East history at Stanford University, brought attention to the abominable living conditions of Palestinians in Gaza and the human rights violations of the Israeli state: The campaign of demonstrations has made two demands: one, that Israel and Egypt lift the decade-long siege of the Gaza strip, and two, that Palestinians refugees be allowed to return to their homes. Over two-thirds of Gaza’s 1.9 million inhabitants are refugees from the 1948 Arab-Israeli War or their descendants. Conditions in the Gaza strip are horrific: 97 percent of tap water is undrinkable because of sewage, pollution or high salinity levels. The unemployment rate is 44 percent. Forty percent of Gazan children suffer from anemia or malnutrition. Israel severely restricts food aid entering the territory. Israel has forbidden Gazans to access about 17 percent of their territory, including a third of the agricultural land. Entry and exit from Gaza is strictly controlled by Israel, with assistance from Egypt. GREG McKELVEY, from Portland’s Resistance, tied the IDF killings to local police killings, pointing out how police officers from Ferguson, Missouri, and Baltimore were trained by the IDF in how to deal with riots or protests. He related this issue to disarming the police: As we have seen in Portland, when police are armed with violent weapons, they use them. As local police tanks rolled through the streets of America, warrior costumes are handed out to fight against peaceful protest, and Leupold & Stevens sniper scopes are given to police officers in Ferguson… The militarization of police across the country has gotten out of control. This correlates with increased murder at the hands of the police, as well as the continuance of the failed drug war, and disproportionate policing of marginalized communities…These are the types of actions that the Trail Blazers are quietly supporting in other cities across the nation and the globe. The last speaker at the rally was Justin Norton-Kertson, a representative of the Portland chapter of Jobs with Justice, who highlighted the importance of internationalism in the struggle for justice: The thing about justice is that it doesn’t stop at borders…And so we show up in solidarity with people around the world who are struggling for justice, who are struggling for freedom from colonialism and from imperialist oppression. This company Leupold & Stevens, through its contract with the IDF, directly contributes to and participates in and profits from the murder and the oppression of the Palestinian people. Like Greg just said, the Trail Blazers are an institution here in Portland, and in that way, they’re a representative of this city. So every time this company’s name is featured at a Blazer’s game, it’s a shame on this city. Olivia Katbi Smith concluded the speakout by urging attendees and others to contact the Portland Trail Blazers and demand that the team end its partnership with Leupold & Stevens.

Professor concludes that sex sells. Who knew? The 10 best "reproductive messages" in songs State University of New York professor Dawn R. Hobbs recently concluded that 92 percent of the songs that made it to the Billboard Top 10 in 2009 contained some form of "reproductive messages." The conclusion is unsurprising: Sex sells. What is mildly surprising, however, is the statistical degree to which it apparently does: We don't just buy sex, we devour it. Then again, the Billboard charts have always been rife with explicit reproductive messages. Here are ten of our favorites. 10. Color Me Badd - "I Want to Sex You Up" (1991) Color Me Badd declines to go into much detail regarding the sex acts that will constitute the "sexing up" referred to, beyond "Let me take off all your clothes"-- but that's pretty much par for the course when it gets down to reproductive time. Far creepier, really, is the video, which, using the mind-blowing '90s trick of putting TVs on TVs, features a security guard keeping a watchful eye over security cameras that evidently only film sex. 9. The Captain and Tennille - "Do That to Me One More Time" (1980) Songs with reproductive messages tend to be smooth, but it doesn't get much smoother than the extended synth-flute solo that anchors The Captain and Tennille's "Do That to Me One More Time," in which Tennille can't get enough of a man like, ostensibly, the Captain. Baby, we're sure he will. We're sure he will. 8. John Mayer - "Your Body Is a Wonderland" (2003) Proof positive that a song containing reproductive messages doesn't even have to be any good to top the charts is John Mayer's "Your Body Is a Wonderland," in which Mayer pines for his sweetheart's "pair of candy lips and your bubblegum tongue," weirdly implying that he intends to chew her body parts vigorously. But watch out, ladies: He'll use his hands. 7. Digital Underground - "Humpty Dance" (1990) From that weird time in the early '90s when rappers emulated Jewish people and adopted arcane pronouns from middle English for rhyming purposes comes Digital Underground's "The Humpty Dance," which you can tell is about sex because the opening line says "Do me, baby" and the bass line just sounds like freakin'. Shock G. also addresses a number of other subjects, such as how he prefers his oatmeal. 6. Salt-N-Pepa - "Push It" (1986) Basically all of Salt-N-Pepa's songs were about reproductive messages, but probably the best (in multiple senses) was "Push It," in which the majority of the lyrics were basically the sounds Salt-N-Pepa would make if they were having sex. They also take the time to demand sex now, or else they're going to get pissed. The top 5 are on on the next page.

Stage listings are compiled by Molly Freedenberg. Performance times may change; call venues to confirm. Reviewers are Robert Avila, Rita Felciano, and Nicole Gluckstern. Submit items for the listings at email@example.com . For further information on how to submit items for the listings, see Picks. For the complete listings, go to www.sfbg.com . Bay One Acts Festival Boxcar Theatre, 505 Natoma; 776-7427, www.threewisemonkeys.org . $12-$24. Dates and times vary. Opens Thurs/18. Runs through March 13. Three Wise Monkeys presents eleven short plays by Bay Area playwrights, including Cris Barth, Stuart Bousel, and Lauren Yee. The Gilded Thick House, 1695 18th St. www.thegilded.com . $18-$30. Opens Thurs/18. Runs Thurs, 7pm; Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through March 7. The Curiouser Group presents a new musical by Reynaldi Lolong. Mahalia Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, 450 Post; 474-8800, www.lhtsf.org . $18-$40. Previews Thurs/18-Fri/19. Opens Sat/20. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 4pm. Through Feb 28. Lorraine Hansberry Theatre presents the inaugural production of Tom Stolz's gospel musical. Suddenly Last Summer Actors Theatre, 855 Bush; 345-1287, www.actorstheatresf.org . $15-$35. Opens Thurs/19. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through March 27. Actors Theatre presents one of Tennessee Williams' finest and most famous plays. What Just Happened? The Marsh, 1062 Valencia; (800) 838-3006, www.themarsh.org . $20-$50. Opens Fri/19. Runs Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through March 13. The Marsh presents Nina Wise's improvisation-based sow about personal and political events which have transpired over the previous 24 hours. An Anonymous Story by Anton Chekhov Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant, Berk; (510) 558-1381, centralworks.org. $14-$25. Previews Fri/19. Opens Sat/20. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 5pm. Central Works presents a new play adapted from the Checkhov novella. *East 14th Laney College Theatre, 900 Fallon St, Oakl. www.east14thoak.eventbrite.com . $10-$50. Opens Fri/19. Runs Fri-Sat, 8:30pm. Through Feb 27. Also at the the Marsh Berkeley in March. Don Reed's solo play, making its Oakland debut after an acclaimed New York run, is truly a welcome homecoming twice over. It returns the Bay Area native to the place of his vibrant, physically dynamic, consistently hilarious coming-of-age story, set in 1970s Oakland between two poles of East 14th Street's African American neighborhood: one defined by his mother's strict ass-whooping home, dominated by his uptight Jehovah's Witness stepfather; the other by his biological father's madcap but utterly non-judgmental party house. The latter—shared by two stepbrothers, one a player and the other flamboyantly gay, under a pimped-out, bighearted patriarch whose only rule is "be yourself"—becomes the teenage Reed's refuge from a boyhood bereft of Christmas and filled with weekend door-to-door proselytizing. Still, much about the facts of life in the ghetto initially eludes the hormonal and naïve young Reed, including his own flamboyant, ever-flush father's occupation: "I just thought he was really into hats." But dad—along with each of the characters Reed deftly incarnates in this very engaging, loving but never hokey tribute—has something to teach the talented kid whose excellence in speech and writing at school marked him out, correctly, as a future "somebody." (Avila) Learn to be Latina La Val's Subterrnean, 1834 Euclid, Berk. impacttheatre.com. $10-$20. Previews Thurs/18-Fri/19. Opens Sat/20. Runs Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Impact Theatre continues its 14th season with the world premiere of Enrique Urueta's play. Animals Out of Paper SF Playhouse, 533 Sutter; 677-9596, www.sfplayhouse.org . $30-$40. Tues, 7pm; Wed-Fri, 8pm; Sat, 3 and 8pm. Through Feb 27. SF Playhouse presents Rajiv Joseph's quirky comedy. Beauty of the Father Phoenix Theatre, 414 Mason; (800) 838-3006, www.offbroadwaywest.org . $30. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through March 13. Off Broadway West Theatre Company presents Nilo Cruz's Pulitzer Prize-winner. Bright River Brava Theater Center, 2781 24th St; (800) 838-3006, thebrightriver.com. Thurs/18-Sat/20, 8pm. From the imagination of Tim Barsky comes a journey through a dystopian uderworld. Eat, Pray, Laugh! Off-Market Theaters, 965 Mission; www.brownpapertickets.com . $20. Wed, 8pm. Through Feb 24. Off-Market Theaters presents stand up comic and solo artist Alicia Dattner in her award-winning solo show. Eccentrics of San Francisco's Barbary Coast: A Magical Escapade San Francisco Magic Parlor, Chancellor Hotel Union Square, 433 Powell; 1-800-838-3006. $30. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Ongoing. This show celebrates real-life characters from San Francisco's colorful and notorious past. Fabrik: The Legend of M. Rabinowitz Jewish Theatre, 470 Florida; 292-1233, www.tjt-sf.org . $20-$45. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through Feb 28. The Jewish Theatre San Francisco presents a Wakka Wakka Productions presentation of this story of a Polish Jew who immigrated to Norway, told with hand-and-rod puppets, masks, and original music. Fiddler on the Roof Golden Gate Theatre, 1 Taylor; 512-7770, www.shnsf.com . $30-$99. Wed/17-Sat/20, 8pm; Wed/20, Sat/21, 2pm. Harvey Fierstein, who played Tevye in the recent critically acclaimed Broadway production, reprises the role as part of the Best of Broadway series. Fiorello! Eureka Theatre, 215 Jackson; 392-4400, www.cityboxoffice.com . $10-$30. Sat/20, 2pm. The San Francisco Arts Education Project celebrates the ninth year of its musical theater company with three weekend performances of Broadway's Pulitzer Prize winning play. The Greatest Bubble Show on Earth Marsh, 1062 Valencia. (800) 838-3006, www.themarsh.org . $7-$50. Sun, 11am. Through April 3. The Amazing Bubble Man returns with his extraordinary family-friendly show. Hearts on Fire Teatro ZinZanni, Pier 29; 438-2668, www.zinzanni.org . $117-$145. Wed-Sat, 6pm; Sun, 5pm. Through May 16. Teatro ZinZanni celebrates its 10th anniversary with this special presentation featuring Thelma Houston, El Vez, and Christine Deaver. *Loveland The Marsh, 1074 Valencia; 826-5750, www.themarsh.org . $15-$50. Sat, 8:30pm; Sun, 7pm. Through April 11. Los Angeles–based writer-performer Ann Randolph returns to the Marsh with a new solo play partly developed during last year's Marsh run of her memorable Squeeze Box. Randolph plays loner Frannie Potts, a rambunctious, cranky and libidinous individual of decidedly odd mien, who is flying back home to Ohio after the death of her beloved mother. The flight is occasion for Frannie's own flights of memory, exotic behavior in the aisle, and unabashed advances toward the flight deck brought on by the seductively confident strains of the captain's commentary. The singular personality and mother-daughter relationship that unfurls along the way is riotously demented and brilliantly humane. Not to be missed, Randolph is a rare caliber of solo performer whose gifts are brought generously front and center under Matt Roth's reliable direction, while her writing is also something special—fully capable of combining the twisted and macabre, the hilariously absurd, and the genuinely heartbreaking in the exact same moment. Frannie Potts's hysteria at 30,000 feet, as intimate as a middle seat in coach (and with all the interpersonal terror that implies), is a first-class ride. (Avila) Oedipus el Rey Magic Theatre, Building D, Fort Mason Center; 441-8822, www.magictheatre.org . $20-$55. Days and times vary. Through Feb 28. Luis Alfaro transforms Sophocles' ancient tale into an electrifying myth, directed by Loretta Greco. Pearls Over Shanghai Hypnodrome, 575 Tenth St.; 1-800-838-3006, www.thrillpeddlers.com . $30-69. Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. Through April 24. Thrillpeddlers presents this revival of the legendary Cockettes' 1970 musical extravaganza. *The Position Studio 250, 965 Mission; www.applyfortheposition.com . $20. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. Through Feb 28. From the ready pen of notable local playwright William Bivins comes a witty dystopic thriller too good not to be (essentially) true: In the USA's not-too-distant future, after "the Great Downturn," there's 80% unemployment, the population lives by scavenging, despair is in the water and air, and there are no more dogs (those little four-legged ambassadors of hope). But there are still one or two job openings in the ultra-powerful, totemic, life-giving corporate universe of The Concern. A recent search has narrowed the candidates down to six (types played to perfection, while imbued with palpable soul, by Kate Jones, Asher Lyons, Gabi Patacsil, Eric Reid, Dan Williams, and Laura Zimmerman). They're flown to an exclusive island, paradisial in its accommodations and distance from dismal American society at large, totalitarian in its panoptic surveillance and haughty obscurantism. Greeted by the icy hot Mrs. Radcliffe (Jessica Cortese) and her deliriously accommodating man-servant Baylian (a joyously loopy Even Winchester)—both nattily futuristic in coordinated turquoise business wear—the candidates find there are no rules but two over the course of the evaluation, and no explanation of what they might be evaluated on. The contest begins and, in PianoFight's low-budgeted but high-spirited production, it makes no difference how familiar might be the themes or the scenario—very adeptly riffing on classics new and hoary, from "Survivor" and "The Apprentice" to "The Most Dangerous Game"—"The Position" never feels merely derivative, let alone dull or predictable. Instead, it's inspired, rebellious lovemaking with our doom-clouded moment, realized by an engrossing cast unerringly directed by PianoFight's Christy Crowley. Assume nothing, not even "the position," unless it be that of butt-to-seat—this is a great ride. (Avila) Ramona Quimby Zeum: San Francisco Children's Museum, 221 Fourth St; (510) 296-4433, aciveartstheatre.org. $14-$18. Sat/20-Sun/21, 2 and 4:30pm. Active Arts Theatre for Young Audiences presents a theatrical production based on the novels of Beverly Cleary. The Real Americans The Marsh, 1062 Valencia; 826-5750, www.themarsh.org . $15-$50. Thurs-Fri, 8pm; Sat, 5pm. Through April 18. The Marsh presents the world premiere of Dan Hoyle's new solo show. Red Light Winter Next Stage, 1620 Gough; (800) 838-3006, custommade.org. $18-$28. Thurs/18-Sat/20, 8pm. There's a moment in the second act of Red Light Winter that eerily recalls the plotline of Fugard's Coming Home, currently playing the Berkeley Rep, but unlike Fugard, playwright Adam Rapp can't help but to ratchet up the despair without tempering it with a shred of hope, and the resultant script comes off more like misery porn than an authentic exploration of the human spirit. You can't fault the fearless cast of Custom Made Theatre's production of it for the script's overall flaws though; they inhabit their characters wholly, firing off volleys of "dude-speak" "nerd-speak" and "unrequited love-lament" without a hitch, imbuing each scene with subtle quirk and nervous tension. Steve Budd, as Davis, channels the restless energies of a hedonistic jackass (whose brash exterior sadly does not hide a heart of gold), and the neurotic, OCD sorrows of the hopelessly heartbroken Matt are brought to acutely uncomfortable life by Daveed Diggs. But it is the shape-shifting, name-changing, unreliable Christina (powerfully rendered by Britanny K. McGregor) who remains the play's greatest enigma and bears the brunt of Rapp's punishing pen, like the weary subject of a Tom Waits ballad, minus the comfort of a redemptive moment, or even just a bottle of whiskey. (Gluckstern) Rent Southside Theatre, Fort Mason Center; www.jericaproductions.com . $25-$35. Fri/19, 8pm; Sat/20-Sun/21, 2 and 8pm. The Royal Underground presents A Jerica Productions Company rendition of Jonathan Larson's Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning rock opera. Tick, Tick ... Boom! Eureka Theatre, 215 Jackson. (800) 838-3006, www.therhino.org . $15-$30. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. Through Feb 28.Theatre Rhinoceros presents Jonathan Larson's rock musical. What Mama Said About 'Down There Our Little Theater, 287 Ellis; 820-3250, www.theatrebayarea.org . $15-$25. Thurs-Sun, 8pm. Through July 30. Writer/performer/activist Sia Amma presents this largely political, a bit clinical, inherently sexual, and utterly unforgettable performance piece. Wicked Orpheum Theatre, 1182 Market; 512-7770, www.shnsf.com . $30-$99. Tues, 8pm; Wed, 2pm; Thurs-Fri, 8pm; Sat, 2 and 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Ongoing. Assuming you don't mind the music, which is too TV-theme–sounding in general for me, or the rather gaudy décor, spectacle rules the stage as ever, supported by sharp performances from a winning cast. (Avila) Antigone Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck, Berk; (510) 649-5999, www.aeofberkeley.org . $12-$15. Fri/19-Sat/20, 8pm. Actors Ensemble of Berkeley presents Jean Anouilh's adaptation of the ancient Greek tragedy. Coming Home Thrust Stage, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison; (510) 647-2917, www.berkeleyrep.org . Tues, 8pm; Wed, 7pm; Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through Feb 28. $33-$71. The rags to riches fantasy of the small town girl who hits the big time after abandoning her hometown for the brighter lights of a big city is one of the most well-worn yet perennially beloved plotlines. Less popular are the tales of the girls who return to their hometowns years later still in rags, their big city dreams crumbled and spent. Such a tale is Athol Fugard's Coming Home, a cautious sequel to Valley Song, which follows Veronica Jonkers (a versatile Roslyn Ruff) to her childhood home in the Karoo, her own small child in tow and little else. The tragedy of her ignominious return is further compounded by her secret knowledge that she is HIV-positive, and her young son's future therefore precarious. The slow-moving yet tenacious script stretches over a period of four years, following both the progression of Veronica's dread decline in health, and the flowering intellectual development of her son, Mannetjie (played by Kohle T. Bolton and Jaden Malik Wiggins), who keeps his "big words" in his deceased Oupa's pumpkin seed tin. Almost superfluous appearances by the ghost of Oupa (Lou Ferguson) are made enjoyable by Ferguson's quiet mastery of the role, and Thomas Silcott parlays great empathy and range in his performance as Veronica's irrepressible childhood companion and circumstantial caretaker Alfred Witbooi. (Gluckstern) The First Grade Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison, Berk; (510) 843-4822, auroratheatre.org. $15-$55. Tues, 7pm; Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through Feb 28. Aurora Theatre Company presents the world premiere of Joel Drake Johnson's new play. Akram Khan Company YBCA, 700 Howard; 978-2787, ybca.org. Thurs-Sat, 8pm. $22-$27. YBCA presents bahok, a profound meditation on national identity. "The Butterfly Lovers" Palace of Fine Arts Theatre; 392-4400, www.cityboxoffice.com . Wed, 7:30pm. $35-$70. Chinus Cultural Productions and China Arts and Entertainment Group present the U.S. premiere of China's Romeo and Juliet, performed by the Beijing Dancemakers' Forum San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, 301 Eighth St. Sun, 2pm. Free. Alyce Finwall Dance Theater hosts this workshop and showing of works-in-progress. "It Never Gets Old" The Garage, 975 Howard; (510) 684-4294, dancetheatershannon.org. Thurs, 7pm. $25-$250. Dance/Theater Shannon presents an evening length performance exploring how different relationships provide context to intentions of touch. "When Dreams are Interrupted" City Hall Rotunda. Wed, noon. Through Feb 24. Purple Moon Dance Project presents a special performance of this inspiring work about the forced removal of Japanese Americans in San Francisco. "Ecstatic Dance" Sweets Historic Ballroom, 1933 Broadway, Oakl; 505-1112, firstname.lastname@example.org . Sun, 9:30am; Wed, 7pm. Ongoing. Move however you feel inspired with this freeform journey of movement. "here, look" Shawl-Anderson Dance Center, 2704 Alcatraz, Berk; (510) 654-5921, www.shawl-anderson.org . Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 6pm. Through Feb 28. The Shawl-Anderson's Dance Up Close/East Bay Series, ahdanco, presents an evening of new works by Abigail Hosein. "Saints and Angels" Temescal Arts Center, 511 48th St, Oakl. www.danceelixir.org . Fri, 6:30 and 9pm. Through Feb 26. Dance Elixir presents an evening of beautiful, austere, athletic, and comic contemporary dance. "All Star Magic & More" SF Playhouse, Stage 2, 533 Sutter; 646-0776, www.comedyonthesquare.com . Sun, 7pm. Ongoing. Magician RJ Owens hosts the longest running magic show in San Francisco. 30th Anniversary Celebration of New Works African American Art and Culture complex, 762 Fulton; 292-1850, www.culturalodyssey.org/tickets . Thurs-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 3pm. Through March 14. $20. In celebration of Black History Month and National Women's Month, Cultural Odyssey presents a festival featuring The Love Project, The Breach, and Dancing with the Clown of Love. "Barbary Coast Comedy" Shine, 1337 Mission. www.barbarycoastcomedycom . Sun, 7:30pm. Ongoing. $5. The popular weekly production spotlights the best comedians in the Bay Area. BATS Improv Theatre Bayfront Theater, Fort Mason Center, B350 Fort Mason; 474-6776, www.improv.org . Fri-Sat, 8pm. $17-$20. The Theatresports show format treats audiences to an entertaining and engaging night of theater and comedy presented as a competition. Bijou Martuni's, 4 Valencia; 241-0205, www.dragatmartunis.com . Sun, 7pm. $5. The eclectic live cabaret showcase features a night of love songs in honor of Valentine's Day. City Solo Off-Market Theaters, 965 Mission. www.brownpapertickets.com . Sun, 7pm. $20. Off-Market Theaters presents an all new show featuring a culturally diverse collection of the finest solo artists in the Bay Area. "Cora's Recipe for Love" EXIT Theatre, 156 Eddy; 673-3847, www.theexit.org . Fri-Sat, 8pm. $15-$25. Sean Owens' wacky alter ego returns to address love and longing through the eyes of Gas and Gulp regulars. "Fauxgirls!" Kimo's Penthouse Lounge, 1351 Polk; 885-4535, www.fauxgirls.com . Sat, 10pm. The producers of En Drag present this female impersonation revue. "Happy Forever: The Life and Death of an Italian Cat" Dark Room Theater, 2263 Mission; 401-7987. Tues, 7, 8, and 9pm. $10. Dark Room Theater presents a play by Spy Emerson and narrated by Hal Robins. "Hot Summer Night" Eureka Theatre, 215 Jackson. www.therhino.org . Mon, 7pm. Donations accepted. Theatre Rhinoceros and Grooviness Productions presents a reading of Jerry Metzker's impertinent and queerified adaptation of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. "Kids of Emily and Walt" Make-Out Room, 3225 22nd St; 647-2888, www.makeoutroom.com . Thurs, 7pm. Jack Foley, Sharon Doubiago, Whitman McGown, Margery Snyder, Marvin Hiemstra, and Ingrid Keir present a night of poetry and music honoring Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson. "Le Petit Mort: The Sex Show" Verdi Club, 2424 Mission; 861-9199, www.verdiclub.net . Mon, 7pm. $15-$25. Porchlight presents stories from Bawdy Storytelling Series maven Dixie de La Tour and more. "The Lieutenant Governor from the State of Confusion" Rrazz Room, Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason; 781-0306, www.therrazzroom.com . Mon, 8pm. $25. Will Durst is back with his quiver chock full of fresh topical barbs. "No Holds Barrio" Magic Theatre, Fort Mason Center; 441-8822, www.magictheatre.org . Fri, 10pm. $25. Luis Alfaro performs an evening of poetry, performance, and tequila slamming. PianoFight Studio 250 at Off-Market, 965 Mission; www.painofight.com . Mon, 8pm. Through March 29. $20. The female-driven variety show Monday Night ForePlays returns with brand new sketches, dance numbers, and musical performances. "Unscripted: unscripted" Off-Market Theater, Studio 205, 965 Mission; 869-5384, www.un-scripted.com . Thurs-Sat, 8pm. Through March 13. The Un-Scripted Theater Company kicks off its eighth season with an improvised improv show. "Death as a Salesman" Jellyfish Gallery, 1286 Folsom. Deathasasalesman.org. Humanist Hall,, Oakl. Sat, 7:30pm. Also March 12-13 in San Francisco. Teahouse Productions presents Douglass Truth's one-woman show. "Eve Ensler: I am an Emotional Creature" King Middle School, 1781 Rose, Berk; (510) 644-6280, www.mlkmiddleschool.org . Thurs, 7pm. $12-$15. KPFA Radio 94.1 presents the bestselling author of The Vagina Monologues . "Once Upon a Mattress" Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave, Berk; (510) 595-5514, www.ymtcberkeley.org . Feb 20, 26, and 27, 7:30pm; Feb 21, 27, 2pm; Feb 28, 3pm. $10-$20. Young Musical Theater Company presents the Broadway classic. Upright Citizens Brigade Pan Theater, 2135 Broadway, Oakl; www.pantheater.com . Fri, 8 and 9:10pm. Ongoing. $14-$18. Upright Citizens Brigade Touring Co. brings the NYC funny to Oakland with this improve comedy show with guest performing troupes. "4 Ever Laughing with the Nutballs" SF Playhouse, 533 Sutter; 646-0776, www.comedyonthesquare.com . Sun, 8:30pm. $20. SF Playhouse presents refreshingly offbeat alternative comedy including impressions, stories, sound effects, and videos. Annie's Social Club 917 Folsom, SF; www.sfstandup.com . Tues, 6:30pm, ongoing. Free. Comedy Speakeasy is a weekly stand-up comedy show with Jeff Cleary and Chad Lehrman. "All Star Comedy and More with Tony Sparks" SF Playhouse, 533 Sutter; 646-0776, www.comedyonthesquare.com . Sun, 8:30pm. Ongoing. SF's favorite comedy host brings a showcase of the Bay's best stand-up comedy and variety. "Big City Improv" Shelton Theater, 533 Sutter; (510) 595-5597, www.bigcityimprov.com . Fri, 10pm, ongoing. $15-$20. Big City Improv performs comedy in the style of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" Brainwash 1122 Folsom; 861-3663. Thurs, 7pm, ongoing. Free. Tony Sparks hosts San Francisco's longest running comedy open mike. Club Deluxe 1511 Haight; 552-6949, www.clubdeluxesf.com . Mon, 9pm, ongoing. Free. Various local favorites perform at this weekly show. Clubhouse 414 Mason; www.clubhousecomedy.com . Prices vary. Scantily Clad Comedy Fri, 9pm. Stand-up Project's Pro Workout Sat, 7pm. Naked Comedy Sat, 9pm. Frisco Improv Show and Jam Sun, 7pm. Ongoing. Cobbs 915 Columbus; 928-4320. Thurs, 8pm; Fri, 8 and 10:15pm. $20. "Comedy For a Cause" San Francisco Comedy college, 414 Mason. Clubhousecomedy.com. Wed, 8pm. $15-$50. The best comedians in the Bay Area have come together to raise money for the Bonnie J Addario Lung Cancer Foundation. "Comedy Master Series" Blue Macaw, 2565 Mission; www.comedymasterseries.com . Mon, 6pm. Ongoing. $20. The new improv comedy workshop includes training by Debi Durst, Michael Bossier, and John Elk. "Danny Dechi and Friends" Rockit Room, 406 Clement; 387-6343. Tues, 8pm. Free. Danny Dechi hosts this weekly comedy showcase through October. "Frisco Fred's Comedy Hour" Chancellor Hotel in the Luques Restaurant, 433 Powell; 646-0776, www.comedyonthesquare.com . Sat, 7 and 8:30pm. Through March 27. $25. Frisco Fred presents this fun-filled hour of comedy, magic, crazy stunts and special guests. "Galeria de la Laughter: Comedy Showcase" Galeria de la Raza, 2857 24th St; (209) 740-7522, www.galeriadelaraza.org . Wed, 8pm. $5. Evert Villasenor, Nato Green, Jabari Davis, Aundre the Wonderwoman, and Tony Sparks join up for socially conscious comedy. "Improv Society" Shelton Theater, 533 Sutter; www.improvsociety.com . Sat, 10pm, ongoing, $15. Improv Society presents comic and musical theater. Punch Line San Francisco 444 Battery; www.punchlinecomedyclub.com . Featuring Jim Jeffries Wed-Sat. Purple Onion 140 Columbus; (800) 838-3006, www.purpleonionlive.com . Rrazz Room Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason; 781-0306, www.therrazzroom.com . "Raw Stand-up Project SFCC, 414 Mason, Fifth Flr; www.sfcomedycollege.com . Sat, 7pm, ongoing. $12-15. SFCC presents its premier stand-up comedy troupe in a series of weekly showcases. BAY AREA "Comedy Off Broadway Oakland" Ms. Pearl's Jam House, 1 Broadway, Oakl; (510) 452-1776, www.comedyoffbroadwayoakland.com . Thurs-Fri, 9pm. Ongoing. $8-$10. Comedians featured on Comedy Central, HBO, BET, and more perform every week.

by Constance Daley St. Simons Island, Ga. October 5, 2010 THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS BRADENTON, Fla., Oct. 2, 2010 -- As leaders and groups emerge throughout history, it is a universal precept that they are tested by trial and tragedy. Such events have been visited upon almost every people that ever lived, from ancient times to the present. Many of those peoples and their nations did not survive challenge; among the few who have survived, only a handful prospered; among them are the very few who triumphed. As an American Catholic of Irish descent, I am a member of the very few, a race of hardy, intelligent, productive people who survived multiple conquests, a deliberate famine and mass migration to finally find freedom, and so prosper and triumph in the United States. Many of my fellow Irish-Americans are at the top of many professions; I'm proud that someone who shares my exact same name, Joseph Patrick Shea, was the managing director of Cantor Fitzgerald, the firm that held the top floor at 1 World Trade Center. Joe Shea was the top man at the top firm at the most prestigious business address on earth until Sept. 11, when a radical few of yet another resurgent people, the Arabs, also long tested and tried if not triumphant, destroyed him and nearly his firm when they leveled the World Trade Center. The Armenian people are also survivors, not only of endless persecutions and murders perpetrated by the Arabs, Persians, Turks and Russians, but several deliberate attempts at genocide that very nearly destroyed them. They, too, have survived enormous challenges to maintain an independent identity which has also prospered, if not yet triumphed, in America. We tend to forget the genocide that was aimed at the Tutsi people of Rwanda by their neighbors, the Hutus, killing nearly a million of them. We rarely remember to count the black Americans kidnapped in Africa, brought here as slaves, squeezed into depressed, sprawling ghettoes and discriminated against at every level of American life; even with a black President among their achievements, and great leaders in music and the arts, half of black children will not finish high school, and a quarter of them has either been arrested or imprisoned at some point in the past four decades. Despite the individual triumph of President Barack Obama, and the casinos that have been minting money for American Indian tribes, or the shaky peace that governs Rwanda, I don't think anyone would call the Irish, or any of the above, or the Armenians a "chosen people." No one would say that of the Arabs, the Chinese or the Indians, who mostly continue a test of suffering from ignorance, poverty, disease, hunger and oppression into the 21st Century. The Jews are another matter. They have suffered almost since the time of Abraham from persecution, famine, betrayal, displacement, discrimination and unjust libels. Far more so than any people in the past two millennia, they have suffered, survived and struggled for identity and nationhood. And while there have been a great many sieges of mass murder perpetrated against the many peoples of the world, none has devastated and destroyed a people so much as the 20th Century Holocaust that took the lives of 6,000,000 Jews in Germany and Eastern Europe; many died in other theaters of the Second World War, and their death represented the loss of two-thirds of the Jewish population of Europe. And who would not say they have survived, prospered and triumphed? The State of Israel is a concrete triumph. The Jewish people of America are at the top of numerous professions, they do run the entertainment industry, and are enormously influential in the worlds of law, medicine, news, banking, the arts and education. They are the richest per capita of members of any American religious denomination (followed by the Irish Catholics, I'm proud to say), and they are prominent in both houses of Congress and the White House. They are triumphant in the sense that they need not apologize to anyone for their success; and they are the last to complain of unequal access to education, health care and other benefits of American life. They, in fact, are the chosen people. Measured against other populations and the entire length and breadth of history, they are the shining triumph of humanity. And since they sit at the top of a very large heap, and intend to stay there until a new strategy for humankind emerges, they remain the targets of hatred, jealously, terrorism, bias and betrayal. The most successful people on earth have developed the most successful defenses on earth. They try not to marry outside their faith so as to strengthen its unity; they respond in kind when they are attacked, both as a culture and as Israel, their nation; and they sometimes overreact, as they did against the many and frightening but mostly harmless missile attacks from Gaza, for which they killed almost indiscriminately 1,000 persons in Gaza; or when they sent commandoes to land on a Turkish aid flotilla, and suddenly killed 11 of the passengers. The Jewish people also rose up in angry reaction at the drunken comments by actor and filmmaker Mel Gibson, to a Jewish police officer during a DUI traffic stop near Malibu. The chief of Paramount Studios, Brad Grey, then called for "shunning" Gibson, invoking an ancient Jewish practice that, coming from Grey, was the equivalent of a fatwa and could end his meaningful career. Again, on Friday last, they reacted angrily to the mostly innocuous comments by CNN daytime anchor Rick Sanchez to a comedian's question on Sirius Radio. Sanchez implied in his response that Jon Stewart was a bigot, and that there are many others "like" Stewart (Jewish, that is) who are "liberals" (I thought Sanchez was a liberal, honestly, and I watched him daily) at CNN who had discriminated against by keeping him on the "second tier" of anchors. Sanchez said, "I'm telling you that everyone who runs CNN is a lot like Stewart, and a lot of people who run all the other networks are a lot like Stewart, and to imply that somehow they, the people in this country who are Jewish, are an oppressed minority? Yeah." he said. "I can't see someone not getting a job these days because they're Jewish." The long and arduous defense of freedom of speech by American Jewish intellectuals short-circuited upon hearing that; their well-established ideals did not inhibit a cultural counterswipe that has probably destroyed the career of one of the very few prominent and successful Cuban-Americans - not to mention an egomaniac, which was Sanchezís real problem. Our human struggle for survival has engraved in all of us defensive reactions to certain kinds of provocations. I went to great lengths to save the life of a wandering blue bug, as I reported here recently, but I'll usually stomp on a moving cockroach and automatically swat at a fly. Who knows why? My excuse is that I have an obligation to preserve life. But when a substantial part of an entire people reacts to a provocation by an individual, the outcome is unusually harsh, and in some form, that one person dies, literally or figuratively. Sanchez, at this moment, is dead. A Gainesville preacher recently tried to reverse that equation and insult the entire world of Islam by burning one or more Korans; what he probably did not expect was that the entire spectrum of American society, and all of Islam, too, would turn against the idea and swat him and his outrage into oblivion. It's unfair, perhaps, to pit a 200-lb man against a 1-oz. cockroach, but that is how we are built: bother us and we act. There may be compassion in the wake of that first reaction, and often is when Jews are involved, but if you bother some people, watch out. What is the Rick Sanchez incident to tell us, then? That's what stimulated these thoughts tonight. I would still predict he'll get some sort of reinstatement, but no apology. Yet I am bothered by what CNN has done, and even I felt a little revulsion as I started to tune in today, then changed my mind. I hate FoxNews for its lies and overt bias, and don't care much for MSNBC even though it always on the side of right - I guess because it often is. I can watch Bay News 9, our local, mostly objective, all-news station in the Tampa Bay region only so long before I hunger for more national news. By choice, I was without a tv for 33 years, and far better off, yet who can throw away a 32" flat screen? I don't know what the hell I'm going to watch now; the triumph of the chosen people has ruined CNN for me, because it so dramatically overrode free speech rights, for which I have risked everything I had (disclosure: I don't have anything, anymore). So struggle on, my dearest Irishman, myself; with luck, you will survive and prosper; don't expect a triumph.

FRONTS FOR INTERNATIONAL BANKING CARTEL “Synarchy...is ‘government by secret societies’, or by a group of initiates who operate from behind the scenes. It is an analogue of ‘theocracy’, or rule by a priesthood.” ~ Marquis Alexandre Saint-Yves d’Alveydre THE “JUDEO-CHRISTIAN” THEOCRACY “When the King of Israel sets upon his sacred head the crown offered him by Europe he will become patriarch of the world... The King of the Jews will be the real Pope of the Universe, the Patriarch of the International Church.” (Protocols 15.23; 17.4) AYN RAND / “THE TRUST” In his book, Practical Idealism, Count Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi, founder of the International Pan European Union, wrote that the Jews were predestined to be a “future leader-nation” and a “new race of spiritual nobility.” “The main representatives of the corrupt as well as the upright brain aristocracy: of capitalism, journalism and the literate are Jews. The superiority of their spirit predestines them to become a main factor of the future nobility. One look at the history of the Jewish people explains its lead in the struggle over the governance of humanity. For two thousand years Jewry was a religious community, made up of ethical and religious predisposed individuals from all nations of the classical cultural area, with a national Hebrew centre in Palestine. “Instead of destroying Jewry, Europe, against its own will, refined and educated this people into a future leader-nation through this artificial selection process. No wonder that this people, that escaped Ghetto-Prison, developed into a spiritual nobility of Europe. A new Noble Race by the Grace of the Spirit “Therefore a gracious Providence provided Europe with a new race of nobility through spiritual grace... The prominent position held by Jewry these days is owed to its spiritual supremacy which enables it to win the spiritual battle over enormous superior numbers of favored, hateful, jealous rivals.” (Practical Idealism, Count Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi, 1925) Coudenhove-Kalergi’s words echoed the Protocols of Zion, which were signed by “the Representatives of Sion of the 33rd degree.” “PER ME REGES REGNANT. ‘It is through me that Kings reign.’ And it was said by the prophets that we were chosen by God Himself to rule over the whole earth. God has endowed us with genius that we may be equal to our task.” (Protocol 5.6) “God has granted to us, His Chosen People, the gift of the dispersion, and in this which appears in all eyes to be our weakness, has come forth all our strength, which has now brought us to the threshold of sovereignty over all the world.” (Protocol 11.8) “In this difference in capacity for thought between the GOYIM and ourselves may be clearly discerned the seal of our position as the Chosen People and of our higher quality of humanness, in contradistinction to the brute mind of the GOYIM. Their eyes are open, but see nothing before them and do not invent (unless perhaps, material things). From this it is plain that nature herself has destined us to guide and rule the world.” (Protocol 15.11) The reader will notice in the Protocols the reference to “Goyim,” which is a derogatory Yiddish term for “non-Jews.” “n. Offensive., pl. goy·im (goi’ĭm) or goys. Used as a disparaging term for one who is not a Jew Yiddish, from Hebrew gôy, Jew ignorant of the Jewish religion, non-Jew.” (Answers.com) The above quoted Protocol 15, Section 11 reveals the ‘Learned Elders’ contempt for non-Jews. In their view, Jews have a “higher quality of humanness, in contradistinction to the brute mind of the GOYIM. Their eyes are open, but see nothing before them...” Why do the Jews have a higher quality of human life than the Gentiles? The Goyim “eyes are open, but see nothing before them.” The expression is an allusion to “second sight” or “clairvoyance,” which is the supernatural power of seeing objects or actions removed in space or time from natural viewing.” (“Clairvoyance”) Those who are enlightened or illuminated also receive instructions from “spirit entities,” i.e., fallen angels (Lucifer and his demons), who, in exchange for their souls, confer upon them supernatural power to perform magic. To prepare the Jews for their destiny as rulers of the world, the Learned Elders have mainstreamed the Kabbalah, the sourcebook of their occult doctrine, throughout Jewry. Kabbalah has made great inroads into North American Jewry where interest in Jewish occultism has risen dramatically. “…A more traditional American Orthodox rabbi, Aryeh Kaplan, spent the seventies and early eighties reconstructing the forgotten Jewish meditative tradition by researching long-neglected kabbalistic texts, many only extant in manuscript. He boldly disregarded the centuries-old rabbinic ban on the dissemination of kabbalistic practices among those under forty and unschooled in Bible and Talmud—a result of the Shabbetai Tzvi tragedy—by teaching Jewish meditation classes and publishing practical manuals and source readers on the subject. Thanks largely to Kaplan’s efforts, many Orthodox rabbis and lay people have taught and written about Kabbalah, recognizing its appeal to non-practicing Jews searching for spiritual guidance.” (Michael Sidlofsky, “Kabbalah—A Brief History”) Since the unenlightened Gentiles are unfit to govern their own lands, the Learned Elders must consolidate and rule over the nations of the world. Their megalomaniacal plan was obstructed when the ‘anti-Semitic’ Vichy regime banned Masonic societies, and so they renamed their program the Synarchist Movement of Empire (S.M.E.) after the 19th century Synarchist movement founded by Joseph Alexandre Saint-Yves d’Alveydre (1842-1909) who had been the Grand Master of the Martinist Order. “The Vichy regime legislated against Freemasonry, and co-operated with the Germans in identifying and acting against Masons. But, even within the regime itself, people were very doubtful that Freemasonry had genuinely been banished. In the so-called ‘Chavin Report’, which seems to have originated from within or near government circles, allegations were made that large number of people in responsible positions belonged to Masonic political groups called ‘synarchist’ which had been in existence since the 1920s. These synarchists were supposed to have been inspired in part by the doctrine of Saint-Yves d’Alveydre. They were represented as a group of influential politicians, businessmen, and so-called ‘technocrats’ who had been plotting to seize power ever since a reputed ‘Synarchist Revolutionary Pact’ of 1922.’”—Peter Partner, The Murdered Magicians (Secrets of the Knights Templar: The Modern Merovingian Connection: Vichy France) And so, it was “under a sophisticated Catholic disguise they called Synarchy,” that the Judeo-Masonic societies banned by the Vichy regime launched the Pan European movement. “The new book ‘The Sion Revelation: The truth about the guardians of Christ’s Sacred Bloodline’ by Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince states in the conclusion: ‘Yet as we have seen from dozens of checkable associations and links, it seems that at least the concept of the European Union is the product of an occult conspiracy, inspired by individuals who believed they were in contact with spirit entities, with the ultimate aim of establishing a full-blown United States of Europe in line with Joseph Alexandre Saint-Yves d’Alveydre’s original vision.’ “The heart of the book zeroes in on ‘The Rectified Scottish Rite’ — not the Scottish system of the U.S. but a different, highly esoteric system. This makes sense according to professor Hugh B. Urban’s article on French Freemasonry and full-lotus yoga meditation. The leaders of this order depend on channeling higher spirits.” (“Synarchy: Beyond Left and Right”) According to Masonic authors, Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince, Synarchy is a theocracy ruled by secret societies whose enlightened initiates receive their instructions from spiritual intelligences. “[Schwaller de Lubicz] also always concealed the influences that shaped his own philosophy, but an examination of his ideology places him firmly in the context of a specific politico-esoteric system, a movement known as Synarchy. This is ‘government by secret societies’, or by a group of initiates who operate from behind the scenes. It is an analogue of ‘theocracy’, or rule by a priesthood. Schwaller de Lubicz was a fervent Synarchist which is why he admired ancient Egypt so much, ruled as it was by divine kings and priesthoods...” (The Stargate Conspiracy, p. 263) Pan European Union was a front for Synarchy, whose larger objective was world Synarchists claim that Agarttha is headquarters of the King of the World.” According to one source Aghartans who have reincarnated on earth in our day in order to bring us their science, their organization and their form of government: government by From Foucault’s Pendulum: “Because if the Masters of the World exist, they can only be underground; this is a truth that all sense but few dare utter. Perhaps the only man bold enough to say it in print was Saint-Yves d’Alveydre. You know him?” “He is the one who told us about Agartha, the underground headquarters of the King of the World, the occult center of the Synarchy,” the taxidermist said. “He had no fear; he felt sure of himself. But all those who spoke out after him were eliminated, because they knew too much.” (On Synarchy) The writings of Saint-Yves d’Alveydre revealed Agarttha to be, not an underground location, but “a Trinitarian unity and Synarchy of Judeo-Christians” with its roots in the “Jewish School of Alexandria, seeking by means of unification, through many Judœo-Christian sects, to dominate and secretly rule the Western World.” In other words, Synarchy, which according to Webster, means “joint rule or sovereignty,” is a Judeo-Christian theocracy ruled by Jewish Elders: “Having read Mission de l’Inde en Europe, Mission de l’Europe en Asia, written in 1886 by Saint-Yves d’Alveydre, we are led to conclude that is more or less symbolic, that Agarttha is of no one country, of no one nation, but universal; that the hierarchy is, apparently, a group of cabalistic and gnostic magi and initiates, having links with the Jewish School of Alexandria, seeking by means of unification, through many Judœo-Christian sects, to dominate and secretly rule the Western World and eventually unite the East with the West; that in all probability the mysterious subterranean libraries merely consist of what is known as the ‘Akashic Records’—akasa meaning ether, which according to these initiates has imprinted upon it all past, present, and future world happenings... “In support of our opinion of the nature of Agarttha we quote from the above book by Saint-Yves d’Alveydre. He explains that ‘the name of Agarttha signifies impossible to be taken by violence and inaccessible to anarchy.’ In itself he says it is a Trinitarian unity and Synarchy of Judeo-Christians, as opposed to ‘general government by brute force, that is, military conquest, political tyranny, sectarian intolerance, and colonial rapacity.’ Everywhere to-day it looks as if an attempt were being made to rule the world by some such Synarchic hierarchy of men, politically, religiously, and economically. “It was Agarttha too ‘who, at the beginning of modern times, everywhere renewed, through the Judeo-Christians, the thousands of associations developed today under the name of Freemasonry. As Schuré wrote: ‘The tradition of esoteric Christianity, properly speaking, is directly and uninterruptedly attached to the famous and mysterious Manes, founder of Manichœism, who lived in Persia in the fourth century.’ This sect arose out of the Jewish School of Alexandria. “Like Mazzini who cried: Associate! Associate! Associate! Saint-Yves d’Alveydre’s cry was: “‘Synarchy! Synarchy! Synarchy! thus save your tiaras, your universities, your crowns, your republics, all that is yours, all, including what was legitimate in the Revolution of 1789 in its social promises, that the Synarchy Judœo-Christian alone can maintain and accomplish. Unite in that Law, teaching bodies, ecclesiastic or laie; juridical bodies; economic bodies.’” (The Trail of the Serpent, pp. 313-315) Saint-Yves d’Alveydre, who was a Kabbalist, owed his concept of Synarchy to the Kabbalistic Order of the Rose Cross, whose leaders were in communication with the “Masters of the Occident,” — the Ascended Masters of the Hierarchy channeled by Alice Bailey. “Papus, as a witness and participant in the birth of other British Rose+Croix currents of origin...wrote this about the Kabbalistic Order of the Rose-Cross : “‘The Rose+Cross movement would have continued in silence, and been isolated from other initiatory organizations, if foreign occultists had not claimed to bring it out of France which was a the place of birth of the Western traditions—at its origins, to involve it in a movement which was to change the axis of gravitation of esotericism; to place the center of gravity of the movement outside of Paris [...] It would have been a sacrilege to allow the work of the Masters of the Occident to be destroyed. Thus, it was decided (high up in the organization) that a movement of diffusion would be undertaken, which was intended to select by work and by examination those initiates who would be able to adapt the esoteric tradition to the century that lay before them.”... “The following generations of French and European occultists perpetuating the initiatory traditions and of the mysteries of Occident were largely influenced by this unique school. Such was also the case...for Saint-Yves d’Alveydre [1842-1909] and his concept of ‘Synarchy’ and for Rudolph Steiner.” (Ordre Kabbalistique de la Rose-Croix) The legendary founder of the Rose Croix, “Christian Rosenkreutz,” was the main character of the Rosicrucian manifestos. The third manifesto, The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz, is an allegorical romance depicting the spiritual marriage of Christianity and Jewish Cabalism—called by the oxymoron “Christian Cabalism” in the Middle Ages. The Rosicrucian manifestos heralded the restoration of the “true Christianity” based on a right understanding of the Holy Scripture which could be attained by means of the Jewish Cabala. The envisioned Synarchy would be a Judeo-Christian theocracy based on Cabala/Kabbalah, as depicted also in Francis Bacon’s Atlantis. (See: “Christian Cabala”) What Christians are not told is that the Synarchist theocracy calls for a highly organized state with a rigid two-caste system governed by a predestined “enlightened elite,” the Jewish priest-kings, whose claim to authority is that it “is in direct contact with, and receives its instructions from, the spiritual intelligences that rule the universe—rather like the theocratic pharaohs of ancient Egypt, who were both secular rulers and intermediaries between the gods and the people.” “Saint-Yves’s concept of synarchy was essentially a reaction to the rise of anarchy and therefore the opposite—a highly ordered method of government based on what he believed were universal laws and principles. Everything and everybody had its place and purpose; harmony is achieved by keeping to that place and fulfilling that purpose, whereas any circumvention of those natural laws leads to disaster. Everyone has to remain in his or her allotted station in life. (Papus likened the individual’s relationship to a nation or race to the cell’s relationship to the body. As each was preordained to fulfill a specific function, attempting to do anything else would only cause problems for both the individual and the organism as a whole.) “His works outlined an ambitious, visionary program for establishing synarchy in France and beyond. Each state must be highly organized at every level, with everyone in his or her own specific place; otherwise anarchy would triumph. Challenging one’s status would not be tolerated. “However, the concept that everyone has a preordained place and role means that some people are naturally intended to lead: in other words, Saint-Yves advocated government by a predestined elite. And although much of his work is about the practicality of applying synarchy to the government of society, at its core it is an essentially spiritual or mystical philosophy. The elite is spiritually attuned to the universal laws—effectively a priesthood. Synarchy is therefore a form of theocracy, rule by priests or priest-kings. “Synarchy even suggests that this enlightened elite is in direct contact with, and receives its instructions from, the spiritual intelligences that rule the universe—rather like the theocratic pharaohs of ancient Egypt, who were both secular rulers and intermediaries between the gods and the people. Saint-Yves himself believed he was in contact with invisible forces. But as Andre Ulmann and Henri Azeau point out in their 1968 Synarchy and Power (Synarchie et pouvoir), ultimately such elites are always self-selected.” (The Sion Revelation, pp. 338-339) In the Synarchist theocracy of enlightened Jews ruling unenlightened Gentiles, social mobility will be nonexistent. “The Goyim...do not see the urgent necessity of what we, when our kingdom comes, shall adopt at once, namely this, that it is essential to teach in national schools one simple, true piece of knowledge, the basis of all knowledge of the structure of human life, of social existence, which requires division of labor, and, consequently, the division of men into classes and conditions. It is essential for all to know that owing to difference in the objects of human activity there cannot be any equality... After a thorough study of this knowledge, the peoples will voluntarily submit to authority and accept such position as is appointed them in the State.” (Protocol 3.10) Behind the Synarchist conspiracy was the high cabal, the Prieuré de Sion, and its front, Alpha Galates, whose enlightened initiates directed the political movement for the Pan European Union. “The ‘Knight Beneficent of the Holy City’ is the highest grade and is another name for the Templars. “‘We were utterly astounded to discover that Schwaller de Lubicz and synarchy led us right back to the same groups — including the Martinist Order and the Knights Beneficient — which we had already identified as being behind the Priory of Sion. So we were intrigued to find that not only had Jean Cocteau and Schwaller de Lubicz corresponded for many years but Cocteau had stayed with the Lubiczes at Luxor during a tour of Egypt in 1949.’* “It’s well documented in the book that the Synarchist Conspiracy of the 1940s in Europe was also the main force for a United States of Europe. ‘Here we have two politicians, instrumental in creating the first step toward the EU, one of whom (Schuman) had belonged to a think tank organized by Louis Le Fue [sic]of Alpha Galates, and the other (Monnet) who had been involved in the preward synarchist milieu.’ Mitterand is considered a protégé of Monnet.” (“Synarchy: Beyond Left and Right”) *Prieuré de Sion Grand Master from 1918-1963, Jean Cocteau, and French Freemason and Egyptologist, Schwaller de Lubicz, a protofascist who influenced the Nazi Party. Joseph Alexandre Saint-Yves d’Alveydre, who founded the Synarchist movement in the 19th century and was Grand Master of the Martinist Order, was a friend of Victor Hugo, who was Grand Master of the Prieuré de Sion from 1844 to 1885. The membership of the Martinist Order were from “High Industry, the High Finance, and the Aristocracy” Strategically placed, the Synarchists were “in positions of power to take over the three key institutions of social control: political, religious and economic.” “The founder of Synarchy, a Frenchman named Joseph Alexandre Saint-Yves d’Alveydre (1824-1909), explained that the term was the opposite of anarchy. Whereas anarchy is based on the principle that the state should have no control over individuals, Synarchy proposes that it should have complete control. He proposed that Synarchists achieve power by taking over the three key institutions of social control: political, religious and economic. With its own members in positions of power, the Synarchists would, in effect, secretly govern entire states. And why stop there? One of the aims of Synarchy, from its very inception, was—from the words of a Synarchist document—the creation of a ‘federal European Union’. Is it any coincidence that we are now moving rapidly towards such a European state.” (The Stargate Conspiracy, p. 263) Part II: Financial Vampires documented that the goal of British Intelligence MI6 operations was to establish a European Union controlled by multinational corporations. Also that MI6 collaborated with First National Bank of Chicago whose President was Gaylord Freeman, the President of First National Bank of Chicago and Grand Master of the Prieuré de Sion from 1963 to 1981. The Synarchists were not only high initiates of the Synagogue of Satan, their occupations were heads of industry, financiers and bankers. They were/are the modern Knights Templars who were the Jewish bankers of medieval Europe. “The Synarchist movement is an international movement born after the Versailles Treaty, which was financed and directed by certain financial groups belonging to the top international banking community. Its aim is essentially to overthrow in every country, where they exist, the parliamentary regimes which are considered insufficiently devoted to the interests of these groups and therefore, too difficult to control because of the number of persons required to control them. “S.M.E. proposes therefore to substitute them by authoritarian regimes more docile and more easily maneuverable. Power would be concentrated in the hands of the CEO’s of industry and in designated representatives of chosen banking groups for each country.” (“Synarchy Movement of Empire”) The existence of the Synarchist conspiracy is documented in mainstream sources. “In his new popular history, The Collapse of the Third Republic (New York, 1969, pp. 237-38), William L. Shirer credulously assigns the Synarchy a ‘considerable’ role in undermining the [French] Republic.” (“The Legend of the Vichy Synarchy,” Richard F. Kuisel, French Historical Studies, Vol. 6, No. 3 (Spring, 1970), pp. 365-398) “...the following statement by one of the leading globalist strategists, Mr David Rockefeller, published in 2002... As will be seen, David Rockefeller acknowledges that he is part of a secret cabal (synarchy) which works against the best interests of the United States: more than a century, ideological extremists at either end of the political spectrum have seized upon well-publicised incidents such as my encounter with Castro, to attack the Rockefeller family for the inordinate influence they claim we wield over the American political and economic institutions. Some even believe we are part of a secret cabal working against the best interests of the United States, characterizing my family and me as and of conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure – one world, if you will. If that’s the charge, I stand guilty, and I am proud of it’. (David Rockefeller, ‘Memoirs’, Random House, New York, 2002, page 405.)” and Officials Tightening Own Noose”) AYN RAND / “THE TRUST” Alexandre Kojève (1902-1968) was born in Russia and emigrated to France. He was a leading figure in the Synarchist conspiracy and in the creation of the European Union. In the 1920s, Kojève was the leader of a group of Russian emigrés in Berlin and Paris who supported the Bolshevik Revolution, which was financed by the Warburg banking family which also funded Count Coudenhove-Kalergi who co-founded the Pan European Union. The Synarchist, Alexandre Kojève, spent most of his life in France where he “worked in the French Ministry of Economic Affairs as one of the chief planners of the European Common Market.” “Kojeve...secured a job in the Direction des relations economiques exterieures, and for the next twenty years, he was according to everyone who worked with him the eminence grise of French economic policy. He was involved in diplomatic events and treaties whose significance continues to define our century. After helping to implement the Marshall Plan, he was involved in promoting the European Economic Community (now the European Union).” (Gallery of Russian Thinkers) Alexandre Kojève was “an eminence grise (French for ‘grey eminence’)—a powerful advisor or decision-maker who operates secretly or unofficially.” He was also a Russian spy for the “Soviet secret service project called ‘the Trust.’” “Saint-Yves’ successor, Gerard Vincent Encausse (‘Papus’),... “Both Saint-Yves and Papus envisioned a global Synarchist empire, divided into five geographic areas: 1. the British Empire; 2. Euro-Africa; 3. Eurasia; 4. Pan-America; 5. Asia. Indeed, Alexandre Kojève is identified in Russian sources as a leader of the so-called ‘Eurasians,’ a group of Russian emigrés in the 1920s Berlin and Paris, led by Sir Samuel Hoare’s Guchkov and tied into the Soviet secret service project called ‘the Trust.’ The ‘Eurasians’ welcomed the Russian Revolution as a purgative force to wipe out corrupt Western civilization. Kojève’s own cosmology of great tyrants counted Josef Stalin and Adolf Hitler as second only to Napoleon, in achieving the ‘end of history’ goal of a true global tyranny.” (“Synarchism: The Fascist Roots of the Wolfowitz Cabal”) According to a CIA file, “The Trust” was a controlled opposition stealth operation whose purpose was “penetration and manipulation of anti-communist Russian groups in exile, from 1922 to 1927.” (United States. Central Intelligence Agency typescript: The Trust) The modus operandi of the Jewish Elders of Sion is to preempt their opponents by neutralizing any and all opposition to their schemes. For example, they neutralize opposition to Communism by posing as anti-Communists and through the creation of front organizations achieve control over genuine anti-Communists who might organize against them. A good example of this a controlled-opposition front is the John Birch Society, which was founded by Communists. The tentacles of “The Trust” extended far beyond Europe, even to the United States. Another Russian emigré was Ayn Rand, the Jewish atheist who arrived in the United States in 1926, the same period that the Russian agent, Alexandre Kojève, emigrated to France. “‘Rand’ was born Alisa Zinov’yevna Rosenbaum in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1905... ‘Ayn Rand’ came to America from Russia presenting herself as if a radical anti-Communist. Hers was the typical modus operandi of Bolshevik operatives working for an official Soviet organization known as ‘The Trust’. These agents, many of them crypto-Jews, came to the West in search of anti-Communists and infiltrated anti-Communist organizations and Western intelligence agencies. Their objective was to forward the interests of Communism by creating a controlled opposition to Communism which would serve the interests of the Communists while pretending to fight them. They also subverted all authentic anti-Communist movements. “Rand promoted negative stereotypes of women, attacked homosexuals, advocated laissez faire Capitalism, and taught selfishness and disregard for humanity. She opposed charity and objected to any governmental assistance for those without means. She wanted to place America on the ruinous Gold Standard. “Rosenbaum’s ‘good advice’ to the blacks only held them back by preventing them from using the political process to forward their interests. Her good advice to the Goyim only held the Gentiles back, by making them selfish and irresponsible, and also by preventing them from using their government to better themselves and their neighbors. She taught the Gentiles to hate the poor, undermine the middle class and concentrate wealth in the hands of the wealthiest Jews, all in the name of ‘fighting Communism’. Her ‘good advice’ pitted Goys against one another at the time when they should have been helping one another to become successful. She taught Gentiles to shun any efforts to cooperate in their communities and improve the lot of one another. “While Jews famously provided communal support and charitable assistance for their own, Rosenbaum helped to create the destructive ‘me generation’ attitudes in Americans, which undermined the good nature of Christianity, weakened communities and inhibited the advancement of the poor and middle class. Her beliefs also fostered the drug culture, pornography and the destruction of public education. While Jews promoted strong community ties, Rosenbaum taught the Goyim to be selfish and ‘independent’, meaning without any sense of social responsibility or communal cohesion. “While Jews wisely took from the public schools all they could, Frederick T. Gates, an agent of World Jewry, used Rockefeller/ Rothschild money to finance institutions of higher learning which benefited Jews, while promoting the idea that Gentile students should be readied for factory work and work as field hands and farmers. While World Jewry took the monies they stole from Gentiles and distributed them charitably to their own, Rosenbaum taught Gentiles to abandon all social responsibility, obsessively focus on themselves, and destroy all government institutions which better the lot of the American middle class and poor. “Alisa Rosenbaum’s ‘anti-Communist’ philosophies weakened Americans opening the door for Communism. I suspect she was an agent of ‘The Trust’.” (“Ron Paul, ‘Ayn Rand’ and ‘The Trust’”) Ayn Rand authored the popular books, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. Readers unfamiliar with these tomes can listen to Rand’s 1959 interview with Mike Wallace in which she expounds her philosophy of “Objectivism” and “rational self-interest.” Before an American audience, Rand disparaged God and Christianity, promoted Marxist atheism and unbridled capitalism wherein the pursuit of self-interest is the highest virtue. Rand redefined morality as the individual’s pursuit of his own happiness to the exclusion of others’ needs, while condemning altruism and charity as immoral because the recipients are unworthy, or they would help themselves and refuse help from others. One only need to listen to Ayn Rand to recognize that her philosophy is the fountainhead of the self-absorbed and atheistic “Me Generation,” as well as the uncharitable self-interest that defines much of the Conservative movement. “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5) A byproduct of Ayn Rand’s philosophy of rational self-interest is class warfare, a major theme of Communist agitators. Today, the strident rhetoric of Conservative TV and radio hosts who daily vilify Liberals and pander to the self-interest of their Conservative viewers only serves to widen the economic and social chasm between the rich and the poor. Ayn Rand was a Synarchist, in the mold of Saint-Yves d’Alveydre, whose paradoxical ideology proposed to eliminate class struggle by reducing mankind to slavery under a ruling elite. “Saint Yves d’Alveydre...was determined to find a political formula that could lead to a more harmonious society. Synarchy in opposition to Anarchy. A European society ruled by three councils representing the economical power, the executive power and the spiritual power, that is, the churches and the scientists. An enlightened oligarchy through which class struggle could be eliminated.” (Umberto Ecco, “The Pendulum of Foucault”) Ayn Rand framed her thesis as a false dichotomy between socialism and capitalism, liberal and conservative, a dialectic which has been perpetuated by the mainstream media. This left-right dialectic has obfuscated the reality of a criminal Jewish cabal that conspires to destroy mankind. Within Ayn Rand’s inner-circle named “The Collective” was Alan Greenspan, the future Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board. Greenspan studied economics under the tutelage of future Federal Reserve chairman Arthur Burns, who was instructed by Ludwig von Mises at the Rockefeller-funded New York University. While Alan Greenspan belonged to “The Collective” he was also the Chair of President Gerald Ford’s Council of Economic Advisors. “Rand’s magnum opus, the 1,100-page Atlas Shrugged, was published in 1957... The theme of Atlas Shrugged is ‘the role of the mind in man’s existence—and, as a corollary, the demonstration of a new moral philosophy: the morality of rational self-interest... she formed a group (jokingly designated ‘The Collective’) which included future Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan... [O]n March 6, 1982,...Rand’s funeral was attended by some of her prominent followers, including Alan Greenspan.” (“Ayn Rand”) “The Collective” was no joke. Ayn Rand, who launched the anti-communist propaganda campaign in the U.S., was, in reality, a Communist agent commissioned to destroy the moral values and the economy of the United States. The von Misians who are her disciples are also controlled opposition agents. Ayn Rand’s teachings on laissez faire capitalism were the teachings of Ludwig von Mises and the Austrian School, the Mont Pelerin Society, the Eugenics Societies, and the Chicago School, as well as the Republican and Libertarian Parties. “The New York Times journalist Henry Hazlitt and his wife had been friends of Rand and her husband even before her success with The Fountainhead, and in the 1940s Hazlitt introduced her to the Austrian School economist Ludwig von Mises. Both men expressed an admiration for Rand, and, despite her philosophical differences with them, Rand strongly endorsed the writings of both men throughout her career. “She has also had an influence on a number of notable people in different fields. Examples include philosophers such as John Hospers, George H. Smith, Allan Gotthelf, Robert Mayhew and Tara Smith, economists such as George Reisman and Murray Rothbard, psychologists such as Edwin A. Locke, historians such as Robert Hessen, and political writers such as Charles Murray. United States Congressmen Ron Paul and Bob Barr, and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Clarence Thomas have acknowledged her influence on their lives, and former United States President Ronald Reagan described himself as an ‘admirer’ of Rand in private correspondence in the 1960s.” (“Ayn Rand”) “The founding members [of the Mont Pelerin Society] included [Friedrich von Hayek’s] teacher von Mises, his close friend and colleague at the LSE, the philosopher Karl Popper, and some famous economists of what came to be known as the Chicago School, including Frank H. Knight, and the Nobel Laureates Milton Friedman and George Stigler.” (F.A. Hayek) “The Objectivist philosophy of Ayn Rand was referred to earlier. Although as unacademic as Popper was academic, Rand did share with him a number of philosophic premises; such as dedication to metaphysical realism, opposition to conceptual realism, and rejection of determinism and subjectivism. Indeed Wallace Matson has suggested that Rand and Popper had ‘much in common.’ His view has been partially endorsed by Robert Hollinger, who has written of ‘parallels’ between the two thinkers.” (R. Hollinger, ‘Ayn Rand’s Epistemology in Historical Perspective,’ in The Philosophic Thought of Ayn Rand, D. Den Uyl & D. Rasmussen Eds. (Urbana, Ill: University of Illinois Press, 1984), p. 56.) (“A Critique of Karl Popper’s Critical Rationalism”) THE LIBERTARIAN REVOLUTION

In this installment of my series dealing with a local small papers regular article, I respond to the misdirection of energies to ideas surrounding religious and political extremism. A proper understanding of both history and one’s own political leaders can direct one’s energies to properly deal with the issues that animate so many. I only have the patience and time to correct a couple of items in the above (as usual, you may click the graphic to ENLARGE it). This will again fit into the category of Mr. Huizum not knowing history well, and based on such bad historical referencing making broad claims that hurt healthy dialogue. This is a common practice in higher education, and Professor Mike S. Adams comments on what affect this has on young students: - They motivate some students to dedicate their professional lives to finding solutions to non-existent problems. - They cause many students to become angry over things that aren’t even true. Letters to a Young Progressive: How to Avoid Wasting Your Life Protesting Things You Don’t Understand (Washington, D.C.: Regnery Publishing, 2013), 42-43. “Life is too short to spend being angry about things that aren’t even true” (43). Similarly, one should put one’s energies towards the right area of focus. So for instance, when John states, - The Oklahoma bombing was perpetrated by a right-wing militia member, so politics was involved in that incident. He has in his mind a picture of a religious right-winger. When in fact Timothy McVeigh was an atheist who renounced the Judeo-Christian God and said his “god” was science. So in reality, McVeigh’s motivations line up closer with John’s political (and some would say, religious… because “atheism” is a metaphysical viewpoint) views rather than the “religious-right.” And most of the violence has been committed by people who have left leaning political views. In other words, John Huizum’s focus is wrongly placed, and so his outrage in the past has not only been misplaced, but infective as well. Another portion that I wish to point to along a similar vein is this statement: - The Crusades were motivated by Christians hating Muslims and vice versa, so a difference in religious beliefs caused those wars. Again, some history will benefit the discussion. The following is from a recent post on Pope Francis canonizing some Christians who were killed in Muslim/Christian conflicts: What did I mean by “intrinsic”? When I talk to a Muslim I make sure I compare Jesus to Muhammad, and the Trinitarian God to the Islamic unitarian god. Which leads me to one of my favorite quotes: So the Crusades were motivated by Muslims hatred for civilization, and this political view entwined in Sharia is still stuck in the barbarism of the 600’s and is still at war with civilized society. I am not saying of course the Church is blameless, do not get me wrong. What I am saying is that people (fallen and infallible) responded at times wrongly in a correct situation that needed to be handled with military power… not ecumenism. Ecumenism was the root cause for Muslim’s to take over large swaths of land. Just war stopped this onslaught and many centuries later we are still reaping the net benefit of this larger good that kept a large portion of the world free enough to allow maximal liberty. Even if this liberty was slow and gradual, it sill allowed the laboratory for experiments in political and religious philosophy that led to our current situation. Otherwise, most of the world would still practice keeping Africans in slavery, like in Muslim countries. John, in the above and previous articles, has made clear he disdains political and religious extremism — explicitly and implicitly. Again, I will include a recent conversation from my Hawaiian vacation that speaks to John not applying his concerns to the proper areas — religious extremism: ….But every point of disagreement or complaint Walter had focused around racism. Which led me to my final point of the discussion with his. I asked him why he was so sensitive to the topic of race/racism. He responded that he had a family member who passed in a concentration camp during WWII, mentioning his Jewish roots. Awesome! This led me to my favorite analogy, which I asked Walter to allow me time to build. He agreed, revealing ultimately his political inconsistencies: Walter, I will use Bush in my analogy. Let us say for twenty years Bush attended a church that twice prominently displayed David Dukes likeness on the cover of their church’s magazine which reaches 20,000 homes, and a third time alongside Barry Mills (the founder of the Aryan Brotherhood). Even inviting David Duke to the pulpit to receive a “lifetime achievement award.” Even selling sermons by David Duke in the church’s book store. Authors of sermons sold in Bush’s church’s bookstore teach in accordance with Christian Identity’s view that Jews and blacks are offspring of Satan and Eve via a sexual encounter in the Garden of Eden. In the church’s bookstore, the entire time Bush attended, books like Mein Kampf, My Awakening (David Duke), and other blatantly racist books. Even members of the Aryan Brotherhood felt comfortable enough to sit in the pews at times… being that the pastor of the church was once a reverend for the group. Now Walter, if Bush had gone to a church like that I would walk arm-n-arm with my Democratic comrades in making sure he would never be President. You would expect me to I am sure? He confirmed my suspicion. I then shared my knowledge of Obama. I purchased from Obama’s church’s bookstore online 3-books: A Black Theology of Liberation, Black Theology & Black Power, and Is God A White Racist?: A Preamble to Black Theology. In these books Walter, God is said to be against white people, and mirror in their hatred of whites to that of Jews in Mein Kampf, calling both devils. “The personification of the devil as the symbol of all evil assumes the living shape of the Jew” ~ Adolf Hitler – Mein Kampf “The goal of black theology is the destruction of everything white, so that blacks can be liberated from alien gods” ~ James Cone, A Black Theology of Liberation, p.62 “White religionists are not capable of perceiving the blackness of God, because their satanic whiteness is a denial of the very essence of divinity. That is why whites are finding and will continue to find the black experience a disturbing reality” ~ James Cone, A Black Theology of Liberation, p.64 Obama’s pastor not only was a minister in The Nation of Islam, an anti-Semitic/racist group, but the church’s book store sells sermons by Louise Farrakhan, who teaches that the white man was created on the Island of Cyprus by a mad scientist, Yakub. (Mr. Farrakhan also believes he was taken up on a UFO to meet God, and was told he was a little messiah, take note also that he was directly involved in the deaths of police officers as well.) Louise Farrakhan was featured twice on the church’s magazine which reach 20,000[plus] homes in the Chicago area. Even placing on the cover with Louise Farrakhan a third time the founder of the Nation of Islam, Elijah Muhammad. Elijah Muhammad likewise taught that the white man was created by Yakub 6,600 years ago. Walter, Louise Farrakhan teaches that the Jews in Israel do not belong there, and that the true Jews are the black people. Louise Farrakhan was invited into Obama’s church, to the pulpit and given a “lifetime achievement award.” In fact, the New Black Panthers and members of the Nation of Islam often times sat in the pews for sermons by Rev. Wright, whom Obama called a mentor. So I expect you, Walter, to join arm-and-arm with me on finding out why the media, and Democrats who are so concerned about racism let such a man into office, when, if the tables were turned, I wouldn’t want in office. Do you know the next thing out of Walter’s mouth was? ✫ “Didn’t Bush speak in a church that forbid interracial marriage?” I responded that no, it was a speech at Bob Jones University… … and you are making my point Walter. If that bugs you soo much to mention it during the course of a conversation, why doesn’t Obama’s history more-so irk you? Not to mention the university overturned its silly rule, even Bob Jones said he couldn’t back up that policy with a single verse in the Bible (CNN). Obama’s CHURCH OF TWENTY YEARS has made no such concession. At this point Walter started to get out of the hot-tub finishing with “well, that’s just your opinion” (meaning my carefully laid out facts and years of study combined with an analogy was hogwash. Walter went his way, and even avoided me when he saw me in the international caffe — even though our conversation was calm, rational, and reasoned. I even asked him permission twice to make my analogies, being polite and respecting his age. Walter is a great example of how Democrats ignore following their own concerns to their logical conclusions, when applied to their own candidate. Sad.

The Great Wheel of the Church Yearhas turned to Lent ? and for the first time in my lifetime there is a loud, public conflict about Good Friday. The argument is about the movie, The Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson?s cinematic version of the Stations of the Cross, which are more properly called the Passion. First, if you don?t already know, the word passion comes from a Greek word, pathos, that means suffering. So the passion of Christ refers to the final twelve hours of his life, after the Last Supper, beginning in the Garden of Gethsemane and ending at the Cross. And second, Jewish people have a right to be very anxious about how this story is told, because, for centuries, right up into the 20th century, in Eastern Europe Good Friday was a day when gangs of Christian men would get drunk, catch Jews, beat them, rape them, or kill them, taking vengeance ? and blood sport ? in the name of Jesus. This behavior was, and is, completely despicable. It is a serious misunderstanding of the gospel to blame Christ?s death on the Jews. The death of Jesus is an occasion wherein we may find our way to Easter with Jesus, it is not an occasion for blame, vengeance or anger. If we choose hatred and anger, we miss the point. And we end up like the unrepentant thief beside him for whom Jesus could do nothing, rather than the one to whom he promised paradise that day. Mel Gibson, a conservative Catholic, venerates the tradition of the Stations of the Cross, and also venerates the use of ancient languages (his group still has Mass in Latin). So the film is a bit remote from the ear in that it is subtitled in English but spoken in Aramaic and Latin. But visually it is so intimate, and so overwhelming in its portrayal of suffering, that many are crying Unfair!, while others are crying Praise God! I went to the film with a mix of emotions. I lament the public battle, because I wish there were more films about Jesus, and for that matter, Moses, Elijah, Buddha, Mohammed, and this kind of battling discourages people from trying to tell those stories. The arts have always been a pulpit for the laity, telling versions of the faith that theologians decry. My sympathies are with the laity -- may they keep on creating. But the Stations of the Cross are not part of my tradition, several of them are not part of the biblical account (the three falls of Jesus, and Veronica wiping his face with her veil), so I thought I might not like the film. And I don?t like violent films. But I have liked some other Mel Gibson films despite their violence (Braveheart and Signs). And our culture is awash in violence, in movies (all of Schwartzenegger?s; and Monster, an Oscar nominee this year; and Hannibal Lector, remember him?). We are a violent nation, in school killings, on the streets of our cities, in the brutality endured by many women, children, and poor people, and in the chronic warfare in which we all participate through the daily news. So I felt that Mel Gibson?s movie was being unfairly singled out for violent content. The gospels do not glorify violence. But Christ does endure violence. I haven?t finished thinking about what I saw yet. The film is very bloody, and not for children. But Mel Gibson made me look at what it means to flay someone, a deatail I too easily skip over when I read it. As I watched, I thought of James Byrd, the black man in Jasper, Texas, who was offered a ride home in July 1998 by three white men who then tied him to the bumper of their truck and dragged him for miles till parts of his body littered the highway. And I thought of Matthew Shepard, the gay Wyoming college student, lured into a truck by two men who then tortured, beat and pistol-whipped him, and tied him to a split rail fence along a highway and left him to die in October 1998. And I thought of the brutality of war. And it came to me that this savage inhumanity happens all the time, all over the world. What Jesus offers in his passion is his enduring love -- not even this can separate him from us, and us from the love of God that is in him. And the love that is in him is stronger than this, stronger than death. The film correctly portrays the Roman soldiers as brutal monsters. Pilate is clearly in charge of these brutes, they work for him, he knows what they do. At one point Pilate says to Jesus, who has already been whipped, "If it were up to me I wouldn?t crucify you." Meaning he wants Jesus to blame the Jews. And Jesus won?t have it. He looks him right in the eye and says "You have no power over me other than what was given to you by the one who is above you. And that?s the one who has the major blame for what is happening to me." Well, the one who was over Pilate was Caesar. It?s a small acknowledgement of the horrible politics of the Roman Empire in which the Jewish leaders and Jesus and the people were all caught. Throughout the film the Tempter, an androgynous figure who begins as a woman and later is unmasked as a man, glides like a shadow around everyone. Jesus, after his baptism, struggled with the Tempter and won. That story ends with the words, "and the Tempter left him until a more opportune time." Good Friday is the opportune time. I thought this part of the film worked well. There is a lot more to Jesus than the story of the Passion. Why Gibson made a film just about the Stations of the Cross, I don?t know. But I learned the deep spirituality of the Stations, which I had not known. It isn?t my spirituality. In a nation that pursues happiness as an inalienable right, the value of suffering is hard to accept. The contemplation of it is harder still. Yet that value remains one of the claims of Christian tradition. Rev. James Forbes, Pastor of Riverside Church (UCC) in New York City, says about the film: This movie is a mirror. At the end, it will show each of us what is inside us. It can bring out the best that is in us and the worst. Don?t take the children. Do take someone you can talk it over with afterwards. Watch yourself. And come to your own conclusion. Rev. Nancy Rockwell Tabernacle Congregational Church UCC

Elena GorlovskyUnited States We had excellent experience with Inna. She was able to manage our bilingual company between Russian and English, paying equal attention to all of us. She showed great knowledge of Jewish history of Prague, her stories were very passionate. We had a long , but wonderful day, I would strongly recommend Inna as a tour guide , who knows and loves Prague. Elena Gorlovsky and friends. TOUR GUIDE RESPONSE: Dear Elena, thank you very much for these kind words. I was really glad to share my knowledge with you and I am happy that you are spending a good time in Prague. All the best to you and your friends. I hope to see you in Prague again. Inna

Purim is a wonderful feast set up to remember all the amazing events in the book of Esther. We have so enjoyed telling Esther’s story to our children each year during Purim. Are you planning to celebrate Purim this year? Here are some great ideas to get you started. - Retell the wonderful story of Hadassah, a young Jewish girl that was placed in the position of Queen in the Persian Empire. She, through her bravery and trust in the God of Abraham, was able to save the Jewish people from certain death. You can find the whole story in the book of Esther in the Bible. It is traditional to make lots of noise whenever the name of Haman is mentioned, to blot him out of history. - Watch a movie about Esther to help your children experience the culture and emotions of this incredible story. We absolutely love One Night with the King. - Make hamantaschen, the traditional cookie treat eaten on Purim. You can find lots of recipes here at Joy of Kosher. We love a simple hamantaschen with either prune filling or all fruit jam filling, but that chocolate chip one at Joy of Kosher is begging to be made! We have even made hamantaschen pizza! - Color some pictures. Here are some to get you started. Older children may enjoy drawing their own illustrations of the story. - Make some noisemakers for your reading of the story of Esther, to blot out Haman’s name. Try putting beans in a small container for shaking, or banging spoons together. After you finish telling the story, have fun creating some rhythm music together. - Spend some time together praising YHVH for His wonderful deliverance. - Have fun dressing up and acting out the story of Esther. - Get more great ideas from my Purim board on Pinterest. - Listen to some Purim music. Our absolute favorite song is by the Maccabeats. We hope you enjoy your celebration of Purim this year. Tell us how you will be celebrating!

December 6, 2018 Luke 1:28-33 – Blessed “Look! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.” -Luke 1:31 • held in reverence • honored in worship • of or enjoying happiness • bringing pleasure, contentment, or good fortune I want to share a video today, it was originally written as a poem by Aurelius Clemens Prudentius and first published in 1582 and is sung by a capella choir. I love the beautiful stained glass images in the video and the wondrous story it portrays of Jesus’ birth and life! What is your typical reaction when someone comes to you and says, “Don’t be upset!” Most of us respond with, “Why? What happened? or something similar. I’ve been thinking about Mary, here we have a young girl, probably around 13 years old, she promised in marriage to a man, who was probably a bit older than she and now an Angel appears to her and tells her she is favored by God and then says to her, “Do not be afraid,” never-mind the fact that an Angel, yes a real Angel is in front of you and talking to you, Wow! I can’t imagine Mary’s thoughts at that moment in time, fear/being afraid was probably only one of many thoughts. The parts of the story Luke doesn’t tell us is what the Angel looked like, flesh and bone like Mary, spirit or a day-dream like experience. This is most likely not a critical issue of the story, what we do know is that Mary was a believer in God and had knowledge of Jewish heritage and the long struggles of her people and angels would have been a well known fact in those stories. When I think of Mary I imagine her as a quiet and obedient daughter, a friend to everyone in her village, a helper, a devout woman of faith and someone who loved and feared God, believed in Him as creator of all things. I also think she probably never wanted to stand out, she enjoyed her life and was humbled to serve God in whatever situation God placed her in. The Bible tells us, Mary was “highly favored” by God. “The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Luke 1:28 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Luke%201:28&version=NIV Truly, Mary is Blessed! You and I are also blessed. • Blessed to know this story • Blessed to be a part of this continuing story • Blessed to share this story • Blessed because we were created by God, made with a purpose and are LOVED by God. Carry the word BLESSED with you today as you navigate your way through life, be reminded that you too are BLESSED and are a blessing to someone. I am honored, humbled and BLESSED to be able to share my thoughts with you and I am thankful for your support. Lord Jesus, help me to grasp the wonder of your coming. Amen. ~Peace and Blessings~

UC Berkeley's New Chancellor Endorses the Falsehood: Criticizing Israel is Anti-Semitic [The following statement was issued on 19 December 2012 by a group of Columbia University professors in response to recent comments by the newly appointed chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, Nicholas Dirks, wherein he equated the criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism.] A recent interview conducted by UC Berkeley’s Public Relations office and timed with the appointment of the new university Chancellor, Nicholas Dirks, begins, “Floating around the Internet is a claim that at some point in your past... you signed a petition for Columbia to divest in all things Israel.” The interviewer asks the Chancellor-designate to clarify his role. But let us be clear: this is not a question. It is a demand. We live in political climate in which robust and critical speech about the policies of the Israeli state is becoming ever more difficult. Its proponents are subjected to myriad forms of harassment in an effort to shut down such speech. If one wants to be a powerful public figure, the interviewer is effectively saying to Dirks, distance yourself from that petition. Unfortunately, Dirks responds by doing precisely what is demanded of him. He does not clarify that the Columbia University petition did not call for divestment from “all things Israel,” but instead from companies that manufacture or sell arms or other military hardware utilized by Israel, in violation of US law, against the civilian populations of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. He does not say that he did sign the petition, but, as he might have argued, that once he became an administrator he recognized he had to play a different role, one that protects all political speech on campus, regardless of his own personal convictions, and thus that he chose to withdraw his signature. Instead, he declares that somehow his name appeared on the petition and that he asked for it to be removed. That is not all: Dirks goes much further. He offers a description of Columbia in 2002 as a time in which broader “controversies” over the question of Israel and Palestine developed. He narrates those controversies in the voice of the off-campus Jewish neo-conservative groups (Campus Watch, the David Project, to name the main provocateurs) who spearheaded a sustained attack against his own colleagues, who were faculty members in the Middle East field. The David Project produced a film, Columbia Unbecoming, that instigated Columbia’s supposedly “internal” investigation. Parroting their perspective in his interview, Dirks notes that it was a climate in which “it seemed very difficult for some [Jewish] students to find safe spaces in which to talk about Israel where they didn’t feel that the basic context in which they found themselves wasn’t hugely not just anti-Israel, but by implication, anti-Jewish and anti-Semitic.” His is a brilliant rhetorical move, an account of how some Jewish students supposedly “felt.” In providing no other perspective on the “controversy,” however, Dirks allows the contention that criticism of Israel’s policies is, “by implication, anti-Jewish and anti-Semitic” to stand as a simple matter of fact. In purveying this false account, Dirks rewrites the history of the conflict at Columbia. The reality, in contrast, was one in which most members of the faculty and many students argued that baseless accusations of anti-Semitism were being wielded in an effort to curtail academic freedom and free speech. Moreover, Dirks rewrites the “conclusion” to that so-called controversy. No action was taken against any professors precisely because 1) the Committee that he himself appointed, and that he speaks of in the interview, found no evidence that any members of the faculty had ever done or said anything that could be reasonably construed as anti-Semitic, and 2) the Columbia faculty stood overwhelmingly behind the principles of academic freedom that were threatened by these malicious accusations. Dirks’ response is disturbing not just for how it distorts the past. It is perhaps even more alarming for what it portends for the future. The new Chancellor of UC Berkeley is walking into a situation in which the California State Assembly has passed a bill that equates defense of Palestinian rights and criticism of the policies of the state of Israel with anti-Semitism (Bill HR 35). He is walking into an institutional context in which his boss, the president of the University of California system, was apparently involved in commenting on and drafting that very same bill [see Center for Constitutional Rights letter to UC President Yudof]. He is walking into a political reality in which several Title VI cases are pending against schools in the UC system, accusing them of fostering a “hostile” learning environment for Jewish students. He is taking charge of a campus in which Arab, Muslim and other students advocating for Palestinian rights are being targeted by specific Zionist activist groups for creating a “campus climate” that is “anti-Semitic and hostile to Jewish students” (see CCR letter to UC President Yudof). This was a moment for the incoming Chancellor of UC Berkeley to stand on principle. Criticizing the policies of the state of Israel that violate Palestinian human and political rights, or advocating in favor of a boycott and divestment campaign, he might have said, is political speech, not hate speech. Dirks could have risen to the occasion and said that even if he is personally opposed to the divestment campaign it is nevertheless a matter that we must be able to discuss. For that matter, he could have said that even if he, as the incoming Chancellor of Berkeley, disagrees with critics of Israel’s policies, their speech is nevertheless legitimate, even necessary speech. Dirks should have said that what is at stake are fundamental democratic principles—not just academic freedom but free speech itself. Nadia Abu El-Haj

today is my first meeting with that new little gay youth group im volunteering in...though i'm not exactly a "youth"...where is the cutoff for "youth"?....or perhaps if you have to ask you're just not "youth". meow! anyway....im a little nervous...israeli homos...i better dress well...(sif i ever not dress well)! anyways...ive decided to paint the straight boy...it's his fault because he said he always wanted to be painted..and now he will be...plus painting things is how i get over them...it's like closing a chapter...so yay for painting! should i tell him i'm painting him? anyway...NEW BOY! he's name is daniel...which is a nice name...and he's Iraqi...hmmmm hot...chocolate skin but not overly hairy or nothing of sort...like you know all those arabs you see in movies...arabs don't look like that...i hope you people realize that...when arabs shave and wear clothes and not various rags...they're like....uber HOT! so anyway he's a nice little israeli jewish boy...i think he's 19, in the army. only bad thing is...i think he's rich. i don't know why all the rich boys in israel like me...it pisses me off....rich people are just...rich! i just love those army boys...the uniform really is very hot. he is hot too..and normal..which i like...though i'm nto gonna let myself get too excited about it this time. what i most especially like is his body...it's just perfectly average....which means that if i ever have sex with him i wont have to feel like he's doing me a favour! bahahahaha...not that my body is bad...(hint hint tim). anyway...guess there was really no good reason for me to say all that about the new boy...thoguh he does seem distincly different, very open honest and genuine...which is as rare as a ten inch penis on a bee. anyway...only one downside with him...he's in the closet to his family. i dunno what about that just annoys me...but it does....i'm a closet nazi...i don't deny it...it's not right...it's not fair of me...but there it is.

Last week we were awakened to the tragedy in Aurora, Colorado where 12 people were shot to death in a movie theater and many more were wounded, and others in critical condition by a lone gunman underscore why we need leadership on gun control. Unfortunately, neither of the presidential candidates, incumbent, President Obama and his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, have offered or signaled any strong interest in making gun control a part of their campaign platform in 2012 despite the glaring reality of the gun menace. In the wake of the killings in Colorado, neither candidate has rejuvenated the conversation for stricter gun control. In the past couple of months in Detroit we’ve seen carnage take place, where in some cases young children are the victims of violent crime situations created by the proliferation of guns in our community, including assault weapons. Unfortunately none of our local elected officials in Michigan and in Detroit have gone on record or initiated a meaningful conversation around gun control in and around Detroit. Aside from some law enforcement efforts in metro Detroit in partnership with churches to get people to turn in guns, there has been no real significant move to make gun control an important part of making our lives safer. Why would someone who legally owns a gun be in need of an assault or automatic weapon? Making our lives safe shouldn’t be a Democratic or Republican issue. We never knew the party affiliation of the victims of the Aurora shootings or the victims of violent crime in Detroit. And it is dangerous when we begin to politicize public safety to the level that one party feels that it has to be the sacred mouthpiece of the National Rifle Association (NRA). This is where we need leadership that is principled and not afraid of the powerful NRA lobby. In 1994, former president Bill Clinton signed into law the decade-long ban on assault weapons. Clinton rallied supporters — including police officers and other law enforcement, the strongest backers of the ban — as well as families of victims of assault weapons and succeeded in getting Congress to pass the ban. Like the smart politician he is, Clinton put a face to the dangers of assault weapons like the one used in the Colorado killings. In 2004, during the George W. Bush presidency, the ban on assault weapons lapsed and there has been no interest shown by members of Congress to renew the ban. Because they are afraid of the NRA? Who sent them to Congress? Is it the NRA or their district members? It’s time to demand that our political leadership show some backbone and fight to protect the lives of people by supporting not only the renewal of the ban on assault weapons, but ensuring that in our communities gun control is at the forefront of the survival question. We cannot avoid this issue and we should not wait for another Aurora or Columbine to remind us yet again that our political leadership is failing woefully on this issue. We owe it to the legacy of the victims of Aurora, the victims of violent crime in Detroit, where dangerous weapons have been used, to push for gun control in our search for “liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Nothing can compensate for the lives that have been lost in Colorado, Detroit, the gang violence in Chicago and the six-year-old killed in the Aurora movie theater. But those who claim to be our leaders have a responsibility to care and work for those who put them in office. And it should not matter what is politically expedient when it comes to public safety. What should matter is doing the right thing — and that is fighting to ensure that we can curtail violent crime from Aurora to Detroit. We can start by offering leadership on gun control. Certainly, the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms, matters, but explain that in defense of lack of gun control to a family that has lost members in a deadly shooting where assault weapons were used. Explain that to the parents of the six-year-old killed in Aurora. Explain that to the families of young children who have been killed in gang violence. It is time for our political leadership to step up. Bankole Thompson is editor of the Michigan Chronicle and the author of a six-part book series on the Obama presidency. His book “Obama and Black Loyalty,” published in 2010, follows his recent book, “Obama and Christian Loyalty” with a foreward by Bob Weiner, former White House spokesman. His forthcoming books in 2012 are “Obama and Jewish Loyalty” and “Obama and Business Loyalty.” Thompson is a political news analyst at WDET-101.9FM (NPR affiliate) and a member of the weekly “Obama Watch” Sunday evening roundtable on WLIB-1190AM New York and simulcast in New Jersey and Connecticut.

LOVE him or hate him, Yasser Arafat is one of the great survivors of all time. Frail and doddery for his 75 years, suffering from Parkinson's and other diseases, holed up in humiliation in a bombed-out office block in Palestine's benighted West Bank for the past three-and-half years, occasionally threatened by Israel's leaders with expulsion and even assassination, he is widely considered, in the end, a flop. He has dismally failed to build a proper democracy on his own patch, allowing corruption and gross patronage to flourish around him. More important for the Palestinians, he has failed, whatever the reasons, to bring them their independent state on the West Bank and in Gaza, the territories occupied by Israel since the war of 1967. Most importantly for Israelis, he has also failed, as the Palestinians' elected president, to stop a variety of armed factions operating in the name of Palestine from launching raids, including suicide-bombings that have killed hundreds of civilians. That is why, say the Israelis, the “road map” laid out by American and European draftsman has had to be furled up. As a result, both the United States and the Israeli governments have declared Mr Arafat a non-person with whom negotiation can never be worth restarting. If the Palestinians want a settlement, they must find someone else to arrange it. This conclusion, though understandable, is, for a variety of reasons, mistaken. For one thing, despite his manifest weaknesses, Mr Arafat is still the undisputed and elected leader of the Palestinians, and shows no sign of quitting (see article). It is to be hoped that in the next few months Israel will allow a string of elections, at all levels, in the Palestinian territories. With luck, this should produce a more responsive, accountable, youthful and energetic set of representatives. It would be delightful if a fresh and dynamic new Palestinian leader were to emerge. It may happen sooner rather than later. Mr Arafat should have bowed out voluntarily. Would-be successors are waiting in the wings. But they cannot come forward, with the necessary popular backing, until the old man has gone. It is almost certain he will be re-elected—by a massive majority. Like it or not, he still has the power to block any deal presented without his approval. Is he incorrigible? It may be argued that the fact of Mr Arafat's election as the Palestinians' leader is not a sufficient qualification to re-engage him as an interlocutor. If, as the Israelis say, he has consistently broken reams of solemn undertakings, leading, among other things, to the deaths of thousands of people, why should he be trusted to start negotiating again? If only recent history were that simple. In the chicken-and egg arguments over apportioning blame for the failure of past negotiations, Mr Arafat has been by no means wholly at fault. He fumbled at Camp David in 2000; at Taba in 2001, when the two sides came close to a more generous deal, he should have pinned the agreement down. He is an inveterate prevaricator. In any event, if Mr Arafat wants to be let back into the debating chamber, he must prove his credentials anew. Once a new slew of Palestinians are elected, he and they need to reassert control over the plethora of violent groups waging war in the name of Palestine—and enforce a ceasefire. It will be hardest for him to persuade Hamas, the Islamist group responsible for most of the suicide-bombings, to desist. And he must restate his acceptance of Israel as a Jewish state and his belief in two states living side-by-side in peace and security. If so, Mr Sharon should then reciprocate, for a start letting Mr Arafat move freely among his people. The Israeli leader, though not his Likud party, has accepted the two-state notion, but the chances of his offering more than what his predecessor suggested at Camp David, let alone at Taba, are minimal. His hope, many believe, is that the security fence and other harsh measures will put the Palestinians into a shrinking box and squeeze the fighting spirit out of them. But that will not work. His barrier will not, in the long run, make Israel safe—or provide a minimally contented state for the Palestinians. As usual, it is for the Americans, with Europeans more involved than before, to knock heads together. George Bush has gone far to accommodate Mr Sharon; John Kerry has carefully sounded no less amenable. While hoping, as sensible people must, that a better leader will emerge, they must also again accommodate Mr Arafat, so long as he is the Palestinians' elected leader—and once he shows he can eschew violence.

WARSAW Poland is to draft new laws so that it does not have to stop slaughterhouses from producing kosher meat, a prospect that has angered the Jewish community in the country where Nazi Germany massacred millions of Jews during World War Two. The constitutional court ruled this week that kosher slaughter methods, which involve killing livestock while they are still conscious, contravened a Polish law which states animals must be stunned before slaughter. The agriculture ministry said in a statement it "has taken actions to prepare legal solutions," that would amend the current animal protection law and allow the practice to continue legally. "I believe this it is the only way to get out of the current legal impasse," said Piotr Kadlcik, the head of the Union of Jewish Communities of Poland. "We will be fully satisfied when shechita (kosher slaughter) is legal again." Some Polish abattoirs have been slaughtering animals without stunning them for Jewish customers and also for Muslims, whose halal butchery techniques are similar. They were able to do this because the government had issued a ministerial decree waiving the requirement that livestock be stunned, but the court said the waiver was unlawful and would no longer apply from December 31 this year. The case was referred to the court after representations from animal rights activists, who say kosher and halal slaughter practices are unnecessarily cruel. Jewish groups said the ruling threatened their right to freely practise their faith. Some Jewish community leaders said the tone of the debate around the issue echoed the kind of anti-Semitic rhetoric seen in Europe before World War Two. Poland was home to Europe's largest Jewish community before the outbreak of war in 1939, but the Holocaust all but wiped it out. Nazi concentration camps including Auschwitz and Treblinka were located on Polish soil. The Polish dispute over kosher meat has echoes of a case in neighbouring Germany this year. There, a court ruling outlawing circumcision of young boys on medical grounds raised an outcry from Jews and Muslims, who said it curtailed their religious freedom. The German ruling is to be overturned by new legislation. (Reporting by Marcin Goettig; Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Sophie Hares)

Sunday is the third anniversary of the start of the Second Lebanon War. When you go into a second war, it is tempting to believe that something has been learned from the first, and you try to avoid the same mistakes. A document from 1982, of which large portions have not been published until now, confirms the suspicion that this is an illusion. The date at the top, July 12, is the same date the war began three years ago. In 1982, however, the war began on June 6 and was followed by more than a month of very murderous stomping around. The Israel Defense Forces imposed a siege on Beirut, waiting for a policy decision. The prime minister at the time, Menachem Begin, like prime minister Ehud Olmert in 2006, was working with a sympathetic Republican administration in the United States, by and large. But by mid-1982 Begin had used up his bag of surprises. Begin had surprised president Ronald Reagan with the attack on the Iraqi nuclear reactor in June 1981, and six months later with the annexation of the Golan Heights. In both cases Reagan (mainly under pressure from his defense secretary, Caspar Weinberger) retaliated with harsh but temporary punishment. Six months later came Operation Pines, which morphed into the Lebanon war. Israel's defense minister, Ariel Sharon, didn't really coordinate the justification for the war with the American secretary of state, Alexander Haig, who was dismissed two weeks later. In a discussion on July 12, Begin expressed bitterness toward Reagan's envoy, ambassador Philip Habib - "He really drives me crazy, he's a sick man." These are words Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might use today to refer to special envoy George Mitchell, who like Habib is of Lebanese origin. Begin had a particularly shrewd chief of staff, Rafael (Raful) Eitan, who saw the escalation in Lebanon as an asset, not a burden. "All the prophets who prophesized that they would get us out of Lebanon said we would stay there for four days," scoffed Eitan. "The biggest optimists said a week to a week and a half, and we've already been there for five weeks. No one is talking about leaving Lebanon." Begin hastened to award himself a citation of valor: "This is because we have conducted a diplomatic campaign, not only a military campaign. That's the reason." Eitan, to whom Begin had forced Sharon to give another year as chief of staff, hastened to nod: "Therefore we have time." These hallucinatory statements were uttered at the end of a long speech by Begin, which began with his announcement that "after due consideration, after having heard the arguments, the chief of staff's plan looks best to me, for the most part. Since he is the commander, he will decide on the plan, which will be brought to the cabinet for a decision that will obligate the army to implement it. Different opinions have been heard here, but it is the commander who decides." A swift achievement was needed, said Begin, not temporary treatments without curing the disease. He explained how time was a factor, "and there has been a huge international outcry, especially this matter of hearts going soft at the expense of the Jewish people .... And what is this business of keeping water from a civilian population? Jews are also joining the calls. A siege is a very lengthy business and we won't be able to withstand the time factor. It is best to take the path proposed by the chief of staff." Begin preferred "that if the shooting starts up again, the cabinet will take a decision on the entire plan, not only the air force's bombing of selective targets. The proposal to have the air force bomb and destroy artillery and Katyushas that are shooting at us is justified, and it is possible to destroy them without harming the civilian population. This is completely legitimate, [though] ... we have not solved the whole problem." He said that maybe other means were necessary, including a siege. "How much time do you estimate would be needed for this entire operation?" he asked. Eitan: "Two days." Begin: "Forty-eight hours - we fight for 48 hours and we're done. The Americans will want to take revenge on us. In my opinion we have to withstand this. They can't keep materiel and food from us in the coming months. They can threaten in the future - we'll withstand it. We have ways of protecting ourselves." Begin also planned to manipulate his fellow cabinet members. "If you want us to put the air force into action tomorrow morning," he told Eitan, "if the shooting starts up again today, I would have to convene the cabinet tonight. So tomorrow there will be an action, it will stir a big outcry and afterward they'll say it caused an even bigger conflagration. It's better to suffer for three days and return artillery fire until Wednesday night. "This is my plan: On Wednesday at 8 I want to convene a cabinet meeting at my home to inform the cabinet at the last minute, so the news won't become common knowledge. That night, we'll take the decision - I hope it will have a majority ... and then on Thursday we start to act. By Saturday we can be finished. A concentrated action ... is preferable to a strike by the air force on the terrorist infrastructure, after which nothing decisive would be done." Begin, who had still not learned the lesson of the failure of the previous promise that the operation would end within two or three days, said he was stating things "very cruelly, because we would be cruel to ourselves if the situation were to continue - that is the worst war of all for us. The public, too, will not withstand it. If there is a real truce and people aren't getting killed and hurt, the people can wait for a few weeks. But if there are 30 casualties a day, the way there were yesterday, two killed and 28 wounded, some of whom will be cripples for life - our people will not stand for this." Reagan's aides, among them his bureau chief James Baker, who eventually became secretary of state, had taken the trouble to leak harsh things the president told Begin. According to Begin, "It is true that in a certain sentence the president spoke to me in terms of an ultimatum, apart from the date .... If I conclude that there is no other way apart from taking control of West Beirut all at once, what does this mean? Declaring an arms embargo, stopping the economic aid? An arms embargo is a transient thing and postponing economic aid - the Jewish people lives. If we enter into a conflict with the United States, we will have to eat bread and margarine. We can't take orders from anyone. But we need to take this into account." This is Begin at his best: a statement and its opposite, boastful staunchness alongside acceptance of the judgment, seemingly with Eitan, actually with Reagan. Sharon, who was already bruised, made do with the statement: "The plan the chief of staff has presented is acceptable to me." At the meeting Begin convened later that week, most cabinet members believed Begin the statesman, not Begin the military man, and voted no. Until the approval of the entry into West Beirut, and after that the massacre at Sabra and Chatila, two months and one assassination (of president-elect Bashir Gemayel) would go by. Within slightly more than a year, all the other fomenters of the Lebanon War - Haig, Eitan, Sharon and Begin - had managed to knock themselves off their pedestals, as is usually the case in Israel and Lebanon. Want to enjoy 'Zen' reading - with no ads and just the article? Subscribe todaySubscribe now

Next Tuesday, about 3,000 activists of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the pro-Israel lobby, will come to Capitol Hill in Washington in an impressive display of support for Israel. They have a complex mission this time, as the United States is at war, and it's not a convenient moment to clash with the administration. Nevertheless, prominent Jewish leaders told Haaretz correspondent Nathan Guttman (March 26), they will not mute their criticism of the "road map" that is being drawn up in Washington. Abe Foxman, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League, doesn't like the "timing" of the map or the fact that President George Bush has created a connection between the war in Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, promises that if the Israeli government expresses reservations about the road map, it will have the support of the Jewish community, and "we will not hesitate to make our voice heard." Before their annual conference concludes, the 3,000 AIPAC activists will undoubtedly be asked, upon their return home, to encourage their friends and relatives to write to their representatives in Congress and make known their concern about the road map and about the linkage the administration is creating between the war in Iraq and peace here. Senators and members of the House of Representatives will duly receive stacks of letters and telegrams, along with faxes and e-mails, from which they will conclude that the American Jewish community, like the Israeli Jewish community, has fears and anxieties about the road map that the administration officials are preparing. That's how it works. AIPAC has plenty of influence and clout, and it tilts to the right. The majority of the other Jewish organizations are also on the right when it comes to the conflict. So sweeping is the success of the Israeli right and its allies among the Jews (and Christians) in the United States that an unchallenged political axiom has emerged, to the effect that if the president decides to push ahead with the road map, he will generate hostility among millions of voters. This is presented as an unassailable fact in the political discourse and in newspaper commentaries. The only point that remains unclear is whether Bush will accede to the urgings of British Prime Minister Tony Blair and of his own State Department and adopt the map despite the political risk that step entails. Other voices within the American Jewish public, of a more moderate character, are shunted to the margins of organized Jewish life. The trouble is that what is shunted aside along with them is Israel's vital interest - as many Israelis view it - that the hoped-for allied military victory in Iraq will indeed usher in a period of vigorous activity by the United States in our region, with the aim of imposing a phased settlement on the warring sides and thus bring the conflict to an end. It is truly difficult to imagine a more absurd missed opportunity than one in which some 300,000 American troops are sent to the Middle East to fight Saddam Hussein and make peace in Iraq - and then leave while the bleeding wound known as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues to fester. Israelis who take this approach are pinning their hope - almost a last hope - on the emergence of a new order in this region in the wake of the war. True, those same Israelis pinned the same hope on a different Bush and a different war, 12 years ago. And that hope was actually almost realized, but in the end was shattered, largely because of Yasser Arafat. Now, as a first stage in the new order, even before the removal of Saddam, Arafat has been removed from his status as sole decision maker within the Palestinian leadership. According to the road map, that achievement is meant to open the way to the resumption of security cooperation between the sides, to a general cease-fire and to an Israeli withdrawal to the pre-intifada lines. By the terms of the draft road map of December 20, 2002, Israel is also called upon to freeze the settlements, "including natural growth," and to agree this year to the establishment of a Palestinian state with provisional borders. That scenario is a nightmare for the Israeli right, and it is operating in Washington, by the accepted democratic means of lobbies and pressure groups, to effectively get the plan shelved. The right wing believes that this is a patriotic act par excellence. However, what about the peace camp? How do people there give expression to their patriotism? After all, they too believe, from their point of view, that the country must be saved from an approaching existential danger in the form of a demographic conquest by the conquered nation. The region would appear to be at a decisive juncture, and the decision will be made mainly in Washington. The peace seekers in Israel must stop whining over the fact that the Jewish organizations there have turned right, and instead of that act - by taking the same action that those organizations implement so successfully. If every Israeli who agrees with the road map and wants it to be translated into practice were to write a letter or an e-mail to one Jew in the United States, a relative or a friend, explaining his position and making it clear that many other Israelis think the same way, a minor earthquake would undoubtedly be created in Jewish-American opinion. If every such Israeli were to write to two Jews, the result would be a genuine tectonic shift. And if he were to suggest that his two friends or relatives write to their Congressman - who knows, maybe that would completely undermine the despairing axiom that peace efforts are bad politics. Want to enjoy 'Zen' reading - with no ads and just the article? Subscribe todaySubscribe now

I was talking through my website idea with a law school friend of mine, and he practically fell out of his chair when I told him the title. “Stuff Jewish Girls Like? Are you kidding me?” What’s the problem? I thought it was a pretty good name. I am Jew(ish) after all--certainly culturally so---and in any case, it seemed catchy. My friend remained skeptical. He asked me, “What do you order at Starbucks?” I told him: medium drip coffee. I had a little half & half and some splenda. With this, he said, I failed the Jew test. According to him, you can walk into most Starbucks places in New York and ask for something called a “Long Island,” which gets you a grande half-caff skinny mocha cappuccino extra foam and sugar-free syrup or something equally absurd along those lines. This, he says, is what the Jewish girls get. This, he says, is why I’m not a Jewish girl. The thing is, he has a point in a lot of ways. I don’t think I share interests with many Jewish girls. I only recently got my first credit card and I don’t enjoy spending money (this may be more of a Jewish male trait). I do like shopping, and I like cooking, but I also love poker and am probably somewhat below the mean when it comes to being emasculating. Beyond the superficial and somewhat tongue-in-cheek stereotypes---I often speak in faux-stereotype, much to the dismay of my mother---I’m struggling to figure out where my religion fits into my life at this point. I hope to write some more entries about this as time goes on---frankly, while it’s an important struggle, it generally takes up less of my mental space than other topics. Still, the title of the site remains on the page. It also remains somewhat of a misnomer; I am a Jewish girl by nature, but the stuff I like isn’t always.

It’s been a few weeks of major Muzzling attempts on Israel/Palestine. Last week in Washington, DC, AIPAC held their annual conference, or shall we say chorus, where over half the US Congress and thousands of Likud supporters cheered on Prime Minister Netanyahu’s assertion that Iran’s potentially-maybe-would-be nuclear capacity is the same thing as Auschwitz, a move some keen observers see as making it that much harder for Netanyahu not to attack Iran. As Jon Stewart makes only too clear, American politicians do not – cannot? – oppose Netanyahu. (In this excellent essay, Peter Beinart lays out the history of Obama’s failure to stand up to Netanyahu, warning that the cost of this failure may be war with Iran.) JVP activists were among the hundreds of activists who occupied AIPAC from within and without, reminding attendees and the media that AIPAC does not speak for Jews, and that many, many Jews, allies and others oppose the Israeli government’s planned war on Iran and policies of occupation and oppression of Palestinians. Though JVP’s truck ad was silenced, JVP’s voice came through loud & clear, both displayed on the outside wall of the Convention Center on the night of the AIPAC Gala and as JVP Board Member and general badass Liza Behrendt directly challenged AIPAC, StandWithUs, the David Project and Hillel for silencing young Jews on the issue of Israel/Palestine. And beyond AIPAC, the campaign to silence the indomitable, indispensible MJ Rosenberg (whose analysis of Netanyahu, Obama and AIPAC is the only glimmer of light we’ve seen) continues. The Emergency Committee for Israel (a truer McCarthyite organization there never was) published an attack in the NYTimes against MJ’s employer, Media Matters, as well as the Center for American Progress, two organizations with close ties to the Democratic Party. The ad quotes Alan Dershowitz’s critique of Media Matters and CAP, and Dershowitz didn’t like that – and in his articles and interviews opposing the ECI’s use of his words, Dersh has been very clear that he won’t stop until Media Matters fires MJ or the White House fires Media Matters. MJ is the latest target of this chief muzzler, or “heresy hunter from Harvard,” as Jeremiah Haber calls Dershowitz, whose targets have included Richard Goldstone, Norm Finkelstein, Shlomo Sand, Anat Matar, Rachel Giora – at least MJ is in good company. JJ Goldberg of the Forward defends MJ here and MJ’s latest column is as smart, impassioned, insightful and indispensible as ever, proving, once again, how much we need his thinking, his intuition, his guts, and his voice. May he only get stronger and louder. And last, the March 3 & 4 One State Conference at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government was a success even before it took place, before an array of fascinating, bold thinkers, including JVP Advisory Board member Sarah Schulman and Rabbinical Council co-founder Brant Rosen, aired nuanced, thoughtful and difficult ideas to a sold out crowd. This conference was a success simply because it happened. No less a powerful figure than Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown tried to get it shut down, while the ADL led the charge among dominant Jewish organizations in demanding that Harvard denounce the conference and the legitimacy of discussing a one-state solution. More than 4,000 “students, alumni and friends” of Harvard signed a petition calling for the university to effectively prevent the conference by denying it funding and facilities. The AJC called it a “non-starter”. The condemnation of the conference took the same forms, calling the discussion of a one state solution anti-Semitic, and worse: organizers are “soft eliminationists” (Jeffrey Goldberg) who seek Israel’s “elimination” (ADL) through a “Final Solution” that will lead to the “extermination” and “annihilation” of Israel (FrontPage Magazine). As the ADL put it in a letter to Harvard president Drew Gilpin Faust, “there can never be any legitimate discussion” about a one-state solution. Yet do they lob the same critique at Knesset members calling for one state – one Jewish supremacist state, that is – or the state legislatures of Florida and South Carolina, which recently passed resolutions supporting one state, meaning the state of Israel in the greater land of Israel? No, on the topic of a viable solution for Israel/Palestine, these muzzlers reserve their muzzling for perceived leftists. What they’re doing is trying to make it impossible for anyone but speakers they’ve vetted and chosen to speak about Israel’s future. Palestinians need not apply – and nor should anyone who thinks there’s more to the story than “why the Palestinians have inflicted so much unnecessary suffering on themselves,” as the ADL’s New England Regional Director put it. Harvard hosted the conference in spite of the attacks, yet it did something else, too. Dean David Ellwood of the Kennedy School issued a statement regarding the conference, saying “We would never take a position on specific policy solutions to achieving peace in this region, and certainly would not endorse any policy that some argue could lead to the elimination of the Jewish State of Israel.” Does “the Jewish State of Israel” ring any bells? That’s the new language / negotiation precondition imposed by Netanyahu in 2007. Never before did Israel demand official recognition as “the Jewish state;” this demand flummoxed diplomats and threw a wrench in potential negotiations with Palestinians. Israel as the “Jewish state”: what impact would this declaration have on discrimination against Palestinian citizens? Or civil rights for Jewish Israelis, who also suffer from ultra-orthodox domination? On negotiations over the Palestinian right of return? In short, Dean Ellwood’s use of that language is a victory for Netanyahu and a loss for democracy, equality, civil rights and justice. Congratulations, ADL. Congratulations, Harvard. There are a lot of benefits of a wholesome lifestyle. But can medicines help us? In fact, it is not so easy to find trusted web-site. Choosing the best treatment option for a racy disease can get really confusing considering the merits and demerits of the existing treatment methodologies. 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The Washington Post is promoting accusations the Hungarian government is “hatemongering” against billionaire open borders activist George Soros – accusations made by a group Soros is funding. In an article titled, “Hungary Accused of ‘Hatemongering’ in National Survey Targeting George Soros”, the left-wing media outlet reports that the government in Budapest “has come under fire from human rights groups and European Union officials who say they are engaging in ‘hatemongering’ propaganda”. Not until roughly halfway through the article does the WaPo writer confess that the source of this accusation is a non-governmental organisation “which is partly funded by Soros’s Open Society Foundations” — and this is the only so-called civil society organisation which the article cites as complaining about the national consultation. In terms of “European Union officials”, the WaPo cites no-one at all, but instead quotes European Parliament member and former Prime Minister of Belgium Guy Verhofstadt. The controversial but influential politician has denounced the national consultation, and claims to have persuaded the President of the European Parliament to summon the Hungarian ambassador to demand it is stopped. Dr. Zoltán Kovács, senior spokesman for Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, has already responded to Verhofstadt at length in a very frank open letter, which points out that the Belgian was named on a leaked list of European politicians who Soros considers “reliable allies”. The Washington Post chooses to describe the convicted insider trader as a “billionaire philanthropist”, and makes several references to his ethnic heritage. While the article refrains from accusing the Hungarian government of anti-Semitism outright, it indicates that Soros has been subject to anti-Semitic abuse in Hungary — and that anti-Semitic attitudes are widespread in the country. Budapest has defended itself from similar accusations in the past, arguing that attempts to puncture any criticism of the mass migration activist by alleging anti-Semitism are “cynical and dishonest”. Orban gets the seal of approval from Israel https://t.co/03aadkWOfS — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) July 18, 2017 Budapest has had a powerful ally on this score in the form of Israel, which has warned that people should not try to “delegitimise [Hungary’s] criticism of George Soros, who continuously undermines Israel’s democratically elected governments by funding organisations that defame the Jewish state and seek to deny it the right to defend itself”. In addition, Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu has personally thanked Prime Minister Orbán for being “at the forefront” of the fight against the “new anti-Semitism that is expressed in anti-Zionism”.

Battle of Cable Street The Battle of Cable Street was an event that took place in Cable Street and Whitechapel in the East End of London, on Sunday 4 October 1936. It was a clash between the Metropolitan Police, sent to protect a march by members of the British Union of Fascists led by Oswald Mosley, and various anti-fascist demonstrators, including local anarchist, communist, Jewish and socialist groups. The majority of both marchers and counter-protesters travelled into the area for this purpose. |Battle of Cable Street| Flyer distributed by the London Communist Party |Date||4 October 1936| |Caused by||Opposition to a fascist march through East London| |Resulted in||Fascist march called off| |Parties to the civil conflict| It had become known that the British Union of Fascists (BUF) were organising a march to take place on Sunday 4 October 1936, through the heart of the East End (an area which then had a large Jewish population). Mosley planned to send thousands of marchers dressed in their Blackshirt uniform through the East End. An estimated 100,000 residents of the area petitioned then Home Secretary John Simon to ban the march because of the strong likelihood of violence. He refused, and sent a police escort in an attempt to prevent anti-fascist protesters from disrupting the march. The anti-fascist groups built roadblocks in an attempt to prevent the march from taking place. The barricades were constructed near the junction with Christian Street in Stepney, towards the west end of this long street. The main confrontation took place around Gardiner's department store in Whitechapel. An estimated 20,000 anti-fascist demonstrators turned out, and were met by 6,000–7,000 policemen (including mounted police), who attempted to clear the road to permit the march of 2,000–3,000 fascists to proceed. The demonstrators fought back with sticks, rocks, chair legs and other improvised weapons. Rubbish, rotten vegetables and the contents of chamber pots were thrown at the police by women in houses along the street. After a series of running battles, Mosley agreed to abandon the march to prevent bloodshed. The BUF marchers were dispersed towards Hyde Park instead while the anti-fascists rioted with police. About 150 demonstrators were arrested, although some escaped with the help of other demonstrators. Around 175 people were injured including police, women and children. Many of the arrested demonstrators reported harsh treatment at the hands of the police. Between 1979 and 1983, a large mural depicting the battle was painted on the side of St George's Town Hall. This building was originally the vestry hall for the area and later the town hall of Stepney Borough Council. It stands in Cable Street, about 150 yards (140 m) west of Shadwell overground station. A red plaque in Dock Street commemorates the incident. Numerous events were planned in East London for the battle's 75th anniversary in October 2011, including music and a march, and the mural was once again restored. In 2016, to mark the battle's 80th anniversary, a march took place from Altab Ali Park to Cable Street. The march was attended by some of those who were originally involved. In popular cultureEdit - Battle of George Square – a riot in Glasgow in 1919 in which William Gallacher (a colleague of Phil Piratin) was involved - Battle of Stockton – an earlier incident between BUF members and anti-fascists in Stockton-on-Tees on 10 September 1933 - Battle of South Street – an incident between BUF members and anti-fascists in Worthing on 9 October 1934 - Battle of Stepney – a gunfight that took place in 1911, a few streets away - Christie Pits riot – a similar incident that took place in Toronto on 16 August 1933 - 6 February 1934 crisis – a similar event that took place in Paris - "Cable Street: 'Solidarity stopped Mosley's fascists'". BBC News. Retrieved 13 October 2015. - Barling, Kurt (4 October 2011). "Why remember Battle of Cable Street?". Retrieved 16 May 2018 – via www.bbc.co.uk. - hate, HOPE not. "The Battle of Cable Street". www.cablestreet.uk. Retrieved 16 May 2018. - Brooke, Mike (30 December 2014). "Historian Bill Fishman, witness to 1936 Battle of Cable Street, dies at 93". News. Hackney. Hackney Gazette. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2016. - Jones, Nigel, Mosley, Haus, 2004, p. 114 - Kushner, Anthony and Valman, Nadia (2000) Remembering Cable Street: fascism and anti-fascism in British society. Vallentine Mitchell, p. 182. ISBN 0-85303-361-7 - "Battle of Cable Street - Dock Street". London Remembers. Retrieved 16 May 2018. - Phil Katz. "Communist Party – Communist Party". Retrieved 13 October 2015. - Cable Street 75. "Cable Street 75". Retrieved 13 October 2015. - Brooke, Mike. "'They Shall Not Pass' message from the past for Battle of Cable Street 80th anniversary". East London Advertiser. Retrieved 3 April 2017. - Rod McPhee (1 October 2016). "'We still haven't learned the lesson of the Battle of Cable Street 80 years on'". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 8 September 2017. - Penny, Daniel (22 August 2017). "An Intimate History of Antifa". The New Yorker. Retrieved 26 August 2017. - "Chicken Soup with Barley, Royal Court, London". The Independent. 9 June 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2017. This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) |Wikimedia Commons has media related to Battle of Cable Street.| - The Battle of Cable Street 80th anniversary - News footage from the day News reel from youtube.com - Video for the Ghosts of Cable Street by 'They Men They Couldn't Hang' set to images of the battle - Historical article by David Rosenberg linked to the 'battle's 75th anniversary - The Battle of Cable Street as told by the Communist Party of Britain. - "Fascists and Police Routed at Cable Street" a personal account of the battle by a participant. - Cable Street and the Battle of Cable Street. - Google Earth view of the junction of Cable Street and Christian Street as it is now - The Myth of Cable Street on the History Today website - A police constable's account - Tom Wilson was on duty at Cable Street

|Smellvin - 2009-12-16 | Did anyone else read the title and imagine a Jewish Obama or am I the only one? |Jefka - 2009-12-16 | How did the Heath Ledger joker look become the conservative version of the V for Vendetta mask? +5 for tea party crazy mixed with unironic use of the word "raghead" |IrishWhiskey - 2009-12-16 | "If they're guilty, we shoot 'em. If they're not guilty, we let them go. But if we catch them again, we just shoot them." So, if a person is wrongfully arrested once, they must be guilty if they're arrested again? Under the legal principle that two wrongs make a right? Also, "The Federal Government is acting like its a game with RULES!" Wait, what's wrong with rules? You mean they should act outside the law? Irish Virgin Daiquiri: What rules? Al Qaeda as waged war on the US, so civilian trials don't work. Plus Al Qaeda never signed the Geneva Treaty nor do they follow its rules. The U.S. has the authority to kill them on the spot, but instead we act like a bunch of pussies and give them a trial where they will attempt to humiliate us. Cena_Mark thinks the best example to show the world how we fight the enemy is to act exactly like the enemy. Glenn or Glennda No one's actually come out and said it, but the problem with trials has got to be that there's no evidence. Which doesn't mean they're not terrorists, it just doesn't mean that they are. How much evidence can you gather in the middle of a war? Someone from the Northern Alliance fingers you, and you disappear. I think I heard this on "This American Life". Someone who was actually in charge of Gitmo at one time said that he estimated that 60 per cent of the detainees were innocent. Now that sucks if it's true, and one reason why it sucks is that it means that 40 per cent are real terrorists. So you can't just let them all go, but a trial would have to be something of a joke. They probably all have the same amount of evidence against them, none. This wouldn't be such a problem in a conventional war, you just treat them all humanely and keep them in for the duration. But the war on terror goes on and on and on. Actually Glenn/da its much worse than that. 68% of Gitmo detainees, 531 out of 779, were released by 2007. This was because many of them either had no reason to suspect guilty or, like the Tripton Three, had been proven innocent shortly after arrest and were held anyway. The people ordering the releases were Bush appointed military judges with broad powers to detain. After that the "40% of real terrorists" you refer to were labeled by Bush as "the worst of the worst". But a funny thing happened. When we started the process of trials, judges quickly dismissed 28 out of the 33 cases brought not only for a complete lack of evidence, but because many provably had no links to terror or extremist groups, nor had they ever. In other words, out of the "worst of the worst", 85% had their cases immediately thrown out. This doesn't even include people like the "Chinese Uighurs" who recently made the news. Fox News spewed outrage that these "Muslim terrorists" were under simple house arrest rather than in maximum security or dead. Why did this happen? Because in 2003, once again, they were found to "pose no threat" and had "no ties to terror groups". They were simply held because they couldn't be returned to China. Despite the reputation Gitmo had for holding terrorists, the truth is that most of the individuals initially stored there were rounded up in mass sweeps, or handed over by "Northern Alliance" militia for money, with the assumption that guilt or innocence would be sorted out later. One man was arrested solely for wearing a Casio watch, which is sometimes used in bombmaking. One was a 14 year old boy was confessed to throwing a grenade. However he only did this after extended torture, and promises his family would be killed if he didn't confess. As any real expert on torture knows, it is a useful tool for getting people to sign confessions and to say what you want, but not for finding truth. Oh and Cena? The US and Geneva Conventions have long had rules for capturing and trying non-state terror groups. Despite what the Bush Administration suggests, this problem is hardly a new type of warfare, and has actually been more prevalent in the past. |notascientist - 2009-12-16 | |zatojones - 2009-12-16 | Does he have pictures of the white house with a mosque dome and another with watermelons growing out front? That's classy as shit. |Glenn or Glennda - 2009-12-16 | Wow. I hadn't noticed that. Watermelons. Jesus, what is this, 1960? |Cena_mark - 2009-12-16 | I hate folks like this. He takes credibility away from sane, logical, non-racist Obama haters like me. Well RealRobert, I do have similar feelings on some of the statistics he's reading out. We agree that Obama is doing nothing that is actually helping out the economy. Its just his racist trimmings that make him a disgrace. I've never said anything racist or shown racist images in my videos, but this jerk drags me and the rest of the tea partiers down. Gaymes Woods, I'm not a fascist, show evidence of me behaving like one. From Wikipedia, which is difficult: "Fascism is a political ideology which seeks to combine radical and authoritarian nationalism [e.g. "Imma enlist and smash an Islamist"] with a corporatist economic system [e.g "HMOs always have our best interests in mind"], and which is usually considered to be on the far right of the traditional left-right political spectrum [e.g. "Gaymes Woods"]." Nice to see that it only took you three days to crawl out of your alcohol-induced stupor after a FCW no-namer was booked over your namesake. Chumpishly following the mainstream Republican party line verbatim is a pretty good start. Holding rallies against a Democratically-elected (w/ the electoral and popular votes) candidate within months of his election using "revolutionary" imagery is an excellent follow-up. You're just as bad as Mr. Obamastein here, Cena. Even if you arn't, this is pretty much how you come across. I seem to remember a huge stimulus plan that was fought tooth and nail by certain members of congress. Now, I'm not so naive that I can't recognize bargaining for what it is. That's what congressional Rs (and Ds) were doing, by and large—trying to get more for their individual districts. Which doesn't bother me. But it's silly to say nothing's been done about the economy when things were done, and they were drastic enough to be unpopular with many. Plenty of people who dislike Obama that are not racist. But the "hate" in and of itself is weird. When he starts new wars, fails to protect us from terrorists, taps millions of phones illegally, etc, then hate him. In my opinion he hasn't been in office long enough to deserve anyone's hate. "Gaymes Woods, I'm not a fascist, show evidence of me behaving like one." You just made my holiday season all the merrier. You're a real piece of work. |charmlessman - 2009-12-16 | I spent this entire video trying to catalog the ways this guy was wrong. After about 2 minutes, I lost count. Let's just go with, "NO!" for my response. | Register or login To Post a Comment|

Red flags that put you at higher risk Assess your risk Many factors can increase your risk of ovarian cancer. Talk to your medical provider if you have concerns about your past personal health or family cancer history. There are ways to reduce your risk. - Age over 55 - Previous cancer diagnoses - Being of Jewish descent - Family history of breast, ovarian, uterine, endometrial, colon, or rectal cancer - Use of hormone replacement therapy during menopause - Uninterrupted menstrual cycles (no pregnancies, infertility) - A history of endometriosis, chlamydia or Poly-cystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) - Inherited genetic predisposition (HBOC, Lynch Syndrome) Two other factors which may contribute to an increased risk of ovarian cancer also have been identified - A diet high in meat and animal fat (common in industrialized Western countries where there is a higher prevalence of ovarian cancer) - The use of talc or baby powder in the genital area (talc is related to asbestos, a known carcinogen; the particles can travel to the ovaries and be toxic). Several large lawsuits have awarded damages to those afflicted with ovarian cancer. However, the jury is still out on the medical soundness of this theory.

Archive/File: imt/tgmwc/tgmwc-18/tgmwc-18-176.03 Last-Modified: 2000/09/19 DR. SEIDL: Mr. President, may I briefly define my attitude on this? As far as I am concerned, I do not wish to criticise the decisions of the conference at Potsdam. However, I am anxious to find out whether, employing the rules of the Charter, a certain conduct which has been alleged on the part of the defendant Frank constitutes evidence for War Crimes or Crimes Against Humanity. It is only in the course of investigating that question that I find myself forced to go into the decisions of the so-called Potsdam conference and bring them up in my argument. THE PRESIDENT: Dr. Seidl, the Tribunal considers that your references to the Potsdam declaration are irrelevant, and the objection of General Rudenko is therefore sustained. You are directed to go on to some other part of your argument. DR. SEIDL: Mr. President, I presume that the Tribunal have the translation of my presentation at hand. I am not quite clear about the question as to whether the final conclusion, which appears at Page 38, is also affected by the decision of the Tribunal which you have just announced. THE PRESIDENT: It is affected by that, and I think you can pass on to Page 40, where you begin to deal with the subject of the Jews. That is the second paragraph on Page 40. [Page 291] DR. SEIDL: Very well, Mr. President. The defendant Frank is further accused of having. approved and carried out a programme for the extermination of Jews of Polish nationality, thereby infringing upon the laws of war and humanity. It is clear that in a number of speeches made by the defendant Frank in his capacity as Governor General, he revealed his point of view on the Jewish question. The extracts from the diary submitted by the prosecution in connection with this matter comprise practically everything relevant thereto in the defendant Frank's diary of 10 to 12,000 type pages. It is not denied that the defendant Frank made no secret of his anti-Semitic views. He spoke in detail on this question when giving his testimony in the witness- box. But the question of the importance to be attached to the diary entries submitted by the prosecution is quite another matter. Almost all of them consist of statements made by the defendant Frank in speeches, but there has not even been an attempt by the prosecution to prove the existence of a causal connection between these statements and the measures carried out against the Jews by the Security Police. As a result of the evidence, in particular of the testimony given by the witnesses Dr. Bilfinger and Dr. Buehler, it can be looked upon as certain - in connection with the secret decree concerning the jurisdiction of the Security Police and the SD of the year 1939, and the decree concerning the transfer of certain tasks to the State Secretary for Security - that all the measures concerning Jews in the Government General were carried out exclusively by Reichsfuehrer SS Himmler and his organs. That is true for both the initiation and the organization of ghettoes and the so-called final solution of the Jewish question. As regards the latter, it may be said here, on the basis of the testimony given by the witnesses Wisliceny and Hoess and of the documents presented by the prosecution, that these measures were undertaken on Hitler's express orders and that only a small circle of persons was concerned in their execution. This small circle was confined in the main to a few SS leaders of Department IV-a-4-b of the RSHA and the personnel of the concentration camps that had been selected for the purpose. The administration of the Government General had nothing to do with these measures. The above facts also show that the anti-Semitic statements by the defendant Frank submitted by the prosecution have no causal connection with the so-called final solution of the Jewish question. Since a causal link must be established before the question of illegality and guilt can even be considered, it does not seem necessary to dwell further on the matter. All the less because the factual elements of any punishable offences can only be said to exist if at least an attempt has been made, that is, if the commission of the offence has at least been begun. Under the principles derived from the criminal law of all civilised nations, the statements contained 1n the diary of the defendant Frank do not even constitute preparatory acts. In consideration of the tense and sometimes extremely frangible relationship between the Government General on the one hand and the Reichsfuehrer SS Himmler and the Higher SS and Police Leader Kruger on the other, it would also seem to be impossible to look upon the statements of the defendant Frank as acts of incitement or complicity. The evidence has shown on the contrary that all the efforts of the defendant Frank to investigate the rumours about the elimination of the Jews, at least within his own administrative district, were unsuccessful. Only to complete the picture need it be mentioned that the concentration camp of Auschwitz was not in the Government General, but in that part of Poland which was annexed to Upper Silesia. For the rest, it is not clear whether the erection and administration of concentration camps is in itself to be looked on as fulfilling the requirements of a War Crime or a Crime Against Humanity, or whether the prosecution considers the establishment of such camps solely as part of the so-called Common Plan or Conspiracy. Setting aside the crimes committed in the concentration camps, and considering the nature of [Page 292] concentration camps to be that in which people are confined for reasons of State and security on account of their political opinions, and without an opportunity of defending themselves in an ordinary court of law, it appears at least doubtful whether an occupying power should not have the right to take such necessary steps as this in order to maintain public order and security. Apart from the fact that it was not National Socialists and not Germans at all who first established such camps, the following must be mentioned: In the American occupation zone alone there were, according to a statement - DR. KEMPNER: Mr. President, we raise an objection. This matter is completely irrelevant. THE PRESIDENT: Dr. Seidl, do you wish to say anything in answer to the objection? DR. SEIDL: Mr. President, I beg you to overrule the objection by the prosecution, and I should like to say the following: I am not interested in criticising an occupying power, I am only concerned with the question of whether certain conduct of which the defendant Frank has been accused by the prosecution constitutes evidence of a criminal act. I base my case on the assumption that what is proper for one occupying power must, under similar circumstances, be allowed for another occupying power, especially when it is a question of accusations made against the defendant concerning actions carried out during the war, whilst the state of war with Germany having ceased on 8th May, 1945, at the very latest, these urgent reasons no longer existed to that extent. THE PRESIDENT: The Tribunal sustains the objection. There is no evidence of the statements which you have made. And in any event, the Tribunal considers them entirely irrelevant. DR. SEIDL: I assume, Mr. President, that in that case I may continue with the last paragraph on Page 44. THE PRESIDENT: I think so, yes, the last paragraph. BY DR. SEIDL: It is not necessary to go into this matter in more detail here, because the evidence has shown that it was the defendant Frank who, from the first day of assumption of power by the National Socialists, fought against the Police- State system and, above all, stigmatised the concentration camps as institutions which could in no way be made to harmonise with the idea of a State resting on law. In this connection I refer to the testimony given by the witness Dr. Stepp to the defendant's own statement, and above all to the extracts from the defendant's diary which I put in evidence. The evidence has further shown that the establishment and administration of the concentration camps lay within the sphere of Reichsfuehrer SS Himmler's organization. The camps, both in Reich territories and in all areas occupied by German troops, were exclusively under the command of the SS WVHA and/or the Inspector-General of the concentration camps. Neither the Governor General nor the general administration of the Government General had anything to do with these camps. A further point of accusation against Frank is the charge that he supported violence and economic pressure as a means of recruiting workers for deportation to Germany. It is true that during the recent war many Poles came to work in Germany, but in this connection the following should be noted: Even before the First World War, hundreds of thousands of Poles came to Germany as vagrant workers. This stream of vagrant workers continued to flow even during the period between the First and the Second World Wars. In consequence of the ill-fated demarcation line, the Government General became an area that was distinctly over-populated. The agricultural surplus areas had fallen to the Soviet Union, whereas important industrial areas were incorporated [Page 293] into the Reich. Under these circumstances, because there were no riches to be found in the soil, the only valuable means of production lay in the working capacity of the population. And this - at any rate for the first few years - could not be absorbed to a sufficient extent, because the other production factors were lacking. In order to avoid unemployment, and above all in the interest of maintaining public order and security, the administration of the Government General was bound, if only for reasons of State policy, to try to transfer as many workers as possible to Germany. There can indeed be no doubt that during the first years of the administration most of the Polish workers went to the Reich voluntarily. When later, in consequence of the continuous bombing raids, not only Germany's cities but also her factories crashed in ruins and a not inconsiderable part of Germany's capacity for the production of war materials had to be removed to the Government General for reasons of security, the aim of the defendant Frank was necessarily to put a stop to any further transfer of labour. Over and above this, however, the defendant Frank had from the very beginning opposed all violent measures in recruiting labour, and alone, for security reasons and in order not to create new centres of unrest, had insisted that no compulsory measures were to be used and only propagandistic methods employed. That is certain, as shown by the testimony of the witnesses Dr. Buehler and Dr. Boepple, and also by a large number of entries in the diary. In my presentation of evidence, I have already referred to several of them. Thus, for example, the defendant Frank said among other things on 4th March, 1940: ". . . I refuse to issue the decree demanded by Berlin establishing compulsory measures and threatening punishment. Measures that, viewed from the outside world, create a sensation must be avoided under all circumstances. There is everything to be said against the removal of people by violence." On 14th January, 1944, he made a similar statement to the Commander of the Security Police. I quote: "The Governor General is strongly opposed to the suggestion that police forces should be used in recruiting labour." These quotations could be amplified by many more. I refer further to the evidence presented by me in respect of the treatment of Polish workers in Germany. The defendant Frank continuously and repeatedly pleaded for better treatment of the Polish workers in the Reich. For the rest, the legal position in the matter of recruiting foreign labour does not appear to be quite clear. I do not intend to go further into the legal questions pertaining to this matter. The defence counsel for the defendant Sauckel will go into this matter fully, and I just wish to say the following: In the literature of International Law it is undisputed that the concept of emergency as recognized in criminal law would, in International Law, too, preclude illegality in the case of a violation of law committed in circumstances within the meaning of this term. If the vital interests of a State are endangered, the State may, these interests being paramount, safeguard them if necessary by injuring the legitimate interests of a third party. Even those writers who deny the application of the "emergency" theory to International Law - they are in the minority - grant the threatened State the "right to self- preservation" and therewith the right to enforce "necessities of State," even at the cost of the interests of other States. It is a recognized principle of International Law that a State need not wait until the direct threat of extinction is at its very threshold. There can be no doubt that after the entry of the United States of America into the war, by which, for all practical purposes, the productive capacity and the military might of almost the whole world were gathered together to overthrow Germany, the German Reich was faced with a situation which not only threatened the State as such with extinction, but over and above that placed the bare existence of the people in jeopardy. Under these circumstances the right of the State leadership to make use of labour forces, even those in occupied territory, in this defensive struggle has to be acknowledged. [Page 294] In addition, the following should not be passed over: The prosecution alleges that many if not most of the foreign workers were brought to Germany by force, and that they were then obliged to do heavy labour under degrading conditions. However one may look upon the evidence on this question, the fact cannot be ignored that there are hundreds of thousands of foreign workers still living in Germany who were allegedly deported thither by force. They refuse to return to their homes, although no one now attempts to hinder them. Under these circumstances it must be assumed that the force cannot have been as great, nor the treatment in Germany as bad, as is alleged by the prosecution. Another allegation refers to the closing of the schools. It may be left out of account whether International Law recognises any criminal classification which would make the closing of schools appear as a war crime or a crime against humanity. In time of war this would seem to be all the more unlikely, as it is well known that schooling in war time was considerably reduced, not only in Germany, but in many other belligerent countries. There is all the less reason to investigate this. question more thoroughly as the evidence has shown that the schools were for the most part already closed when the defendant assumed office as Governor General. During his whole period of office he left no means untried to re-activate not only the elementary and technical, but also the higher standard of schools. In this connection I will only mention the university courses which he initiated. The Soviet prosecution has presented as Exhibit USSR 335 a decree issued by the defendant to combat attacks against German reconstruction work in the Government General, dated 2nd October, 1943. There is no question but that this decree setting up a drum-head court martial is not in conformity with that which can be regarded as correct, legal procedure under normal circumstances. This decree can only be judged correctly if the circumstances which led to its promulgation are taken into consideration. It general it should first be said that the reconstruction work of the administration of the Government General had to be carried on in a difficult territory and under circumstances which must be among the most difficult that have ever fallen to the lot of any administration. After the collapse of the Polish State, the German administration found, so to speak, a vacuum in which to organize and administer. In all spheres of administration they had to start completely afresh. If in spite of the difficulties they succeeded fairly quickly in removing war damage, particularly in the communications system, then that is incontestably to their credit. The year 1940 was, however, the only one in which the work of restoration in the area of the Government General could be carried out under fairly normal conditions. As the year 1941 opened, the Germans began to concentrate their troops for action against the Soviet Union and therewith initiated a period of immense strain for the administration of the Government General. The Government General became the greatest repair workshop and the greatest military transit territory that history has ever known. This carried in its train an increasing deterioration of the security situation. The resistance movement began to re-organize on an intensified scale. But the menace inherent in the security situation developed to a still more alarming degree when the German armies were forced to arrest their progress in Russia and when - after the catastrophe of Stalingrad - their march forward was transformed into a general retreat. In the course of the year 1943, the activities of the resistance movement and in particular of the numerous guerrilla bands, in which thousands of anti-social elements were grouped, reached extremes that represented a danger to any kind of orderly administration. The administration of the Government General was forced again and again to deal with this matter. Thus on 31st May, 1943, a service meeting of the government of this Government General was held to deal with the security situation. At that meeting the President of the Chief Department Internal Administration felt obliged to state among other things (I quote from the diary): [Page 295] "... In their activities the guerrilla bands have revealed an increasingly well-developed system. They have now gone over to the systematic destruction of institutions belonging to the German administration; they steal money, typewriters and duplicators, destroy quota- lists and lists of workers in the communal offices, and take away or burn criminal records and taxation lists. Moreover, raids on important production centres in the country have multiplied, for instance on saw-mills, dairies and distilleries, railway installations and post- offices, and bridges are destroyed. The organization of the guerrillas has become strongly military in character." In the course of the summer and autumn of the year 1943, the increasing activities of the partisans and the improvement in their military organization and equipment so endangered security in the Government General that it might perhaps under the circumstances have been better to turn over its entire administration to the appropriate army commanders, and to proclaim martial law. It is indeed not possible to describe the conditions then existing in the Government General as anything else but a state of war. It was the period when at any moment the possibility had to be taken into account that a general revolt would break out over the whole country. Site Map · What's New? · © The Nizkor Project, 1991-2012 Home · Site Map · What's New? · Search Nizkor

Stalin Mao Zedong Gifting The United Nations To Stalin a book by Greg Hallett [pdf] The Illegitimate Rothschild Family Tree The Jews are not good rulers of the planet. They bred the Jewish leaders of WWII, hid their Jewish secret society origins and then used them to kill Jews in order to create a state of Israel. Ever since, Israel has been a Mecca for war, peace frauds, oil thefts, insurance jobs (9-11), international designer drug rings, and political-psychological sex-rings. The sexual and psychological training of Western leaders has led to such control of governments, voting has become a complete waste of time, disguised, rather badly, as free choice. This has resulted in a One World Order where entire economies are controlled by globalisation, where stock and financial markets are rigged – the Jews again – either to retain or replace the current leader of a country. The British Police are constantly fitting people up for crimes that they, or their secret society, committed. The British Police then colonised the planet with their methods and now police everywhere routinely fit up their citizens – especially when they have spoken out. Hitler, Stalin, Churchill and the British Monarchy were all related. They were all Jews, and all a subset of the Rothschild family. The famous five then went about migrating Jews through pogroms, and killing Jews under the guise of war. As planned, this created enough public sympathy to be given a country. Israel has been at war ever since and has provided the mechanisms and arms for most international conflicts from 1948 – with the Rothschilds creating the conflicts from the 1840s. The media has become an exercise in lying to the public. The Jews control the media and the people in it. Through media lies the Jews have presented themselves as a meek peace-creating people. The opposite is true. The Jews are the biggest warmongers on the planet. They control the finances, the media, monarchies, governments, drugs, the sex industry and the financial markets – but principally they control the US Government to such a degree that America’s international policy is Israel’s domestic policy. So why is Henry Kissinger, the Jewish mass murderer of some 50 million people, in the White House, and why has he remained unchallenged for four decades? A little background on inside jobs might help. Let’s start with the British Police, Pearl Harbor and a nuclear test in San Francisco.

Past Projects List - The Collaboration to AdoptUsKids - The purpose of this project was to operate and maintain a National Adoption Information Exchange System (NAIES) and the National Adoption Internet Photolisting Web site, AdoptUsKids. CWLA evaluated the link between these approaches to the predicted outcomes of increased adoptions of special needs children and numbers of foster and adoptive parents as well as the implementation and effectiveness of the approaches. - Best Practices in Behavior Support and Intervention - Funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), this was a three-year, multisite training demonstration project. In partnership with the Federation of Families for Mental Health, CWLA acted as a coordinating center in the provision of restraint and seclusion training in programs that serve children and youth. CWLA evaluated the project and will disseminate the resulting findings to promote identified best practices in restraint and seclusion. Please visit project website at: http://www.cwla.org/programs/behavior/ - Evaluation of the Adoption Support Services for Kinship Caregivers and Their Adolescents - Funded by the Children's Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and located in Washington, DC, this project was designed to improve permanency, safety and well-being for adolescents with special emphasis on reducing the number of kinship adoption disruptions. The project provided support services to kinship caregiver families that have opted to adopt their adolescent kinship child. CWLA and its partner, D.C. Child & Family Services Agency, expect to show an increase in the kinship caregivers readiness to adopt; improved caregiver and adolescent conflict and communication skills, and decrease in adolescent behavior problems. As a result of these services the number of kinship adoption disruptions will be reduced. - Evaluation of the Central Baptist Family Services Multiple Systemic Therapy (MST) Programs - This 18-month evaluation of two MST programs administered by Central Baptist Family Services in Southside and Westside Chicago Neighborhoods was to assess the programs' success in reducing recidivism rates among serious juvenile offenders, the programs' target population. The evaluation also examined the differing effects of urban or suburban communities on program outcomes. - Evaluation of Children Missing from Care - The Children Missing from Care Project was a one-year, joint project between CWLA and the National Center on Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and aims to provide comprehensive guidance to child welfare and law enforcement agencies on monitoring the status of children in the custody of the child welfare agency and responding when any one of these children is missing. The project is a response to the nation's heightened awareness of the risks children face when they "go missing" from an agency's care - whether due to their overt action (such as running away), the actions of others (such as abduction), or the inattentiveness of the custodial agency. The evaluation assessed the process of developing and disseminating practice guidelines and provided technical assistance to the state of Florida to enhance its capacity to monitor the whereabouts and safety of children in foster care and to effectively respond when a foster child is missing. - Evaluation of Enhanced Support Services for Kinship Caregivers - Funded by the Children's Bureau of the U.S. DHHS and located in Baltimore, Maryland, this project was designed to improve the safety, permanency planning, and well-being of children by providing enhanced support services to kinship caregivers. The evaluation compared differences in child safety, permanency planning, child well-being, and consumer satisfaction between those kinship caregivers who receive support services and those who do not. - International People-To-People Exchange - With the support of the State Department, CWLA evaluated an exchange between child welfare professionals in the US and a major child protection agency in Delhi, India. The goal was to establish relationships with counterpart colleagues in other countries. While the content of the exchange broadly covered child protection, the Indian authorities had a particular interest in citizen participation and advocacy, and strengthening the capacity of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The exchange sent US child protection workers to Delhi for ten days to learn from child welfare professionals and to expose them to US methods and ideas. India selected 8 professionals to visit the US for approximately two weeks. While in DC, they visited national agencies, local agencies, and government officials. - Funded by the KnowledgeWorks Foundation in Cincinnati, Ohio, this research project investigates the educational status, achievement, and needs of youth in foster care in Ohio, documents a variety of outcomes for youth six months after they have left foster care, and identifies the best predictors of their success and failure. - Lucas County Children's Services - CWLA in conjunction with Beech Acres in Cincinnati, Ohio conducted a study to assess the educational needs of foster care children in Lucas County, Ohio. As part of the project, there was a review of administrative data, focus groups conducted with child welfare workers and parents, and interviews with key informants in Lucas County, Ohio. - LGBTQ Young people and Adults and the Child Welfare System Project - The Transition: LGBTQ Project is a collaboration Of CWLA and Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc.. It is a three year project with the primary objective of initiating a transition that will result in measurably increased will and capacity on the part of the child welfare systems nationwide to deal equitably and constructively with young people, family members, and employees who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning their sexual orientation (LGBTQ). The process and summative evaluation described here is based on the Appreciative Inquiry perspective, as prescribed by the funding agency, ANDRUS Family Fund. The AI perspective's core concept is "the collection of people's stories of something at its best" (Gervase R. Bushe, Five Theories of Change Embedded in Appreciative Inquiry, 1998). This evaluation will be based on one of the five AI approaches, Social Constructionism. - Odyssey Project - The Odyssey Project has grown from a modest request for research assistance from a member agency into an important national study of out-of-home care. Participants included children and youth that entered residential treatment or therapeutic foster care during the first four years of data collection. Subjects were assessed as they initially obtained services and were reassessed annually and at discharge; participants continued to be assessed six months, one year, and two years after discharge from care. Twenty-two CWLA member agencies contributed data to the project. The following member agencies were involved throughout the project and granted permission to list their names and addresses: Bellefaire Jewish Children's Bureau, Cleveland, OH Bonnie Brae, Liberty Corner, NJ Campagna Academy, Schererville, IN Children's Bureau of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN The Devereux Foundation, Orlando, FL The Children's Village, Dobbs Ferry, NY Edwin Gould Academy, Chestnut Ridge, NY Family and Children's Center, Mishawaka, IN Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services, New York, NY Jewish Child Care Association, New York, NY KidsPeace, Orefield, PA Leake and Watts Services, Yonkers, NY Presbyterian Child Welfare Agency, Buckhorn, KY Professional Association of Treatment Homes, St. Paul, MN Ryther Child Center, Seattle, WA Saint Vincent's Home, Fall River, MA The Spurwink School, Portland, ME The Villages of Indiana, Bloomington, IN - State Child Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP) - To increase awareness of accessibility, quality, continuity, and coordination of health care services for children in the child welfare system through national and local efforts in support of the Federal SCHIP program. Goals of the project: (1) To understand and document the general state, county/tribal, and local SCHIP policies and practices; the state, county/tribal, and local SCHIP policies and practices focused on children in the child welfare system; and the state, county/tribal, and local child welfare policies and practices focused on health care coverage outreach. (2) To inform others (i.e., raise awareness of) what the current child welfare / health insurance outreach policies and practices of the five chosen states (California, Georgia, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Missouri), in order to model methods which other states may use to assess their state, county/tribal, and local policies and practices regarding the overlap of SCHIP and the child welfare population. - Salary Study - The Salary Study is a biennial survey of salaries and benefits that is circulated by CWLA. Typically, the survey is sent to CWLA's public and private member agencies that provide services to children and families. Like the previous survey, the 2003 Salary Study was also sent to officials responsible for juvenile justice programming. The questionnaires, as in the past, inquired about salaries, staff turnover, and general agency operations, such as budget, services offered, geographic coverage, etc. Questions on benefits address tuition reimbursement, leave policies, health care retirement programs, compensatory time, and overtime pay. A few questions added this year cover workforce issues, such reasons for resigning. The categories of staff covered in the 2003 Salary Study include management, casework, child day care, residential care, probation officers, and counselors, among others. Order the published Salary Study. - Trends and Issues Survey - This biennial survey delineates the issues important to CWLA members and provides direction for CWLA services. The findings are interpreted with consideration given to agency auspices and service areas, as well as geographic areas. The questionnaire inquired about the most pressing issues affecting children in care, and general agency operations, such as budget, services offered, geographic coverage, and other issues. In addition, the surveys now include more questions on member preference for and satisfaction with CWLA services. An electronic version of the survey is now available at the link below. Log in to the CWLA Members Only website to see the survey - Juvenile Justice - The Juvenile Justice Program, funded by the MacArthur Foundation, works to improve communication and cooperation between the child welfare and juvenile justice systems and to improve the quality of programs in both systems that serve youth and their families. The evaluation of CWLA's Juvenile Justice Program will examine the degree to which the three-year program has facilitated the integration of public and private services directed to juvenile offenders who are also known to the child welfare system. - Workforce Survey - To analyze and address emerging challenges in the child welfare workforce, in partnership with the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) and the Alliance for Children and Families, CWLA conducted a workforce survey of its member agencies in 2000. The survey gathered data about the scope and nature of the problem, identified best practices in agencies that are addressing the problem successfully, prepared findings and recommendations for the field, and will provide a basis for future studies. - Workforce Survey results - in PDF format (Requires Acrobat Reader) - in HTML format - National Council on Research in Child Welfare - The National Council on Research in Child Welfare comprises agency, association, and university-based researchers; agency executives; representatives from the federal government; and representatives from the private sector. All are chosen for their expertise in and support of research in child welfare. The Council's mission is to promote and use empirically based, interdisciplinary knowledge to advance practice and to inform public policy in behalf of children and their families. - Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Integrating Systems of Care: Improving Quality of Care for the Most Vulnerable Children and Their Families - Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), this project seeks to create a broad consensus research agenda that describes both an advocacy (policy and social marketing) and research agenda that is meaningful, realistic, and one that can be sustained across the child welfare, juvenile justice, and behavioral health (substance abuse and mental health) service systems. The Research Workgroup will address what are the knowledge gaps; what new knowledge needs to be created; how to address current research barriers e.g. involvement of consumers/families, cross discipline/system efforts; possibly propose new research projects and suggest new methods for improving dissemination and implementation of best practices. For more information on any of the projects listed above, please contact Paula Neese, Director of Research to Practice, email@example.com Back to Top Printer-friendly Page Contact Us

Caroline Glick's column today concerns the Great Neck synagogue's cancellation of my speech and a litany of the failures of the American Jewish community. Read her stunning indictment of the American diaspora: Moral relativism and jihad Caroline Glick, Jerusalem Post, April 11, 2013 The day that Carter was embraced by the Orthodox Jewish establishment, Jewish author and activist Pamela Geller was silenced. Geller is the nightmare of the liberal Jewish establishment. She is a beautiful and articulate speaker and writer who has risen to prominence in the US for her steadfast commitment to exposing the deadly pathologies of Jew hatred, misogyny and other prejudices inherent to jihadist ideology. Geller’s website, Atlas Shrugs, is a clearinghouse for information on Islamic persecution of women, Christians and apostates and hatred of Jews. She also showcases the documented ties between mainstream American Islamic groups and the Muslim Brotherhood. An indefatigable defender of Israel, Geller recently ran a highly controversial, and successful ad campaign in the New York and San Francisco public transportation systems in response to an anti-Israel ad campaign. Her billboards read, “In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel, Defeat Jihad.” Geller was scheduled to speak on April 13 at the Great Neck Synagogue in Great Neck, New York. The topic of her talk was “The Imposition of Shari’a in America.” Last month, after learning of her talk, a consortium of Islamic and leftist activists in Nassau County led by Habeed Ahmed from the Islamic Center of Long Island launched a pressure campaign to coerce the synagogue into cancelling her speech. Members of the group telephoned the synagogue and castigated Geller as a bigot, and likened her to the Nazis in the 1930s. In short order liberal rabbis Michael White and Jerome Davidson took over the opposition to Geller and launched a media campaign attacking her as a bigot and demanding that the Great Neck Synagogue cancel her speech. Rejecting the distinction Geller makes between jihadists and their victims – Muslim and non- Muslim alike, White and Davidson claimed that she opposes all Muslims and so her speech must be canceled. By hosting her, they intoned, the Great Neck Synagogue would be guilty of propagating hate speech. Liberal Christian and Jewish activists and their Muslim associates threatened to protest the speech. On Wednesday the synagogue caved in to their massive pressure. Citing “security concerns” the synagogue board released a statement saying that while “these important issues must be discussed, the synagogue is unable to bear the burden” of the pressure campaign surrounding Geller’s planned speech. Her event was canceled. Surveys of the American Jewish community taken in recent years by the American Jewish Committee demonstrate that the vast majority of American Jews are deeply supportive of Israel, and their views tend toward the Right side of the political spectrum in issues related to Israel, the Palestinians and the wider Islamic conflict with the Jewish state. On the other hand, the AJC’s surveys show that for the vast majority of American Jews, Israel is not a voting issue. This state of affairs was reflected by a comment that Yeshiva University student Ben Winter made to the media regarding the absence of student protest against Carter on Wednesday. In Winter’s words, “While many students at YU feel strongly about their Zionism, few have the courage to publicly express their opinions.” The danger exposed by the cancellation of Geller’s speech and the conferral of honors on the likes of Carter and Waters by mainstream Jewish institutions is daunting. If moral relativism remains the dominant dogma of the American Jewish establishment, the already weakly defended, but still strongly rooted, support for Israel among the rank and file of the American Jewish community will dissipate

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Stuff you might wish to knowUpdated Monday February 25, 2019 by JBL. Frequently Asked Questions: When does the 2018-19 Season Begin? Girls, Kindergarten thru 6th grade Boys, Kindergarten thru 4th grade How are the divisions divided? If JBL is divided into 4 age-appropriate divisions as follows: KINDERGARTEN - BOYS & GIRLS 3RD-6TH GRADERS – GIRLS 1ST & 2ND GRADERS - BOYS & GIRLS 3RD & 4TH GRADERS – BOYS In the 1st-2nd grade division, the boys and girls play separately. At what time does each division play? KINDERGARTEN - BOYS & GIRLS- 9:30-10:30am 3RD-6TH GRADERS – GIRLS – 10:30-11:30am 1ST & 2ND GRADERS - BOYS & GIRLS – Noon-1pm (Regular session) 3RD & 4TH GRADERS – BOYS – 1:00–2:00pm NEW!! 1ST & 2ND GRADERS - BOYS & GIRLS – 1:00–2:00pm- Limited session for those unable to attend the noon session due to reigious school and other similar conflicts. Please note that these times are subject to change and might vary plus/minus 30 minutes. Stay tuned for details Note about the added 1pm session for 1st-2nd graders: <p style="Trebuchet MS" trebuchet="" 0px;="" cursor:text;word-spacing:0px"="">Please note that JBL takes great pride in being a fabric of the Westchester Jewish community and bringing together Jewish families of various schools, denominations and observance levels. In recent years, we have discovered that some families were unable to participate because of scheduling conflicts with religious/Hebrew school. To that end and to mitigate at least part of this problem, we have added an additional session at 1pm for those 1st-2nd graders who attend religious school and unable to make the regularly scheduled noon session. Due to coaching and court constraints, there are only limited spots available. We hopes this added session allows more children to participate (without having to choose between education and JBL). HOLIDAY BREAKS--There are NO JBL Sessions on the following days: November 25th- Thanksgiving weekend December 23rd & December 30th- Winter Break January 13th- MLK weekend February 17th- President's weekend (subject to change) Where are the sessions held/games played? Most sessions are played at Schechter Westchester Upper School in Hartsdale, with a sprinkling of sessions at the Lower School in White Plains and other day schools TBD. Please click the "Locations" tab at the left of the homepage for address and directions Is the program instructional, competitve games, or a combination of both? First and foremost, it's FUN! We have cultivated an environment of fun and inclusiveness. For players who are true beginners, the program will give them a taste of basketball in an organized setting and will teach them basics. For players who already have some skills, the program will allow them to satisfy their competitive juices. For the first 2-3 sessions of the season, all players participate in instructional clinics. Each player partakes in drills that are fun and instructional. Depending on the age group, some partake in scrimmages as well. After the first few weeks of strictly instructional clinics, the players participate in games with accredited referees. In an effort to reinforce their skills and focus on fundamentals, a period of time will be allocated to short drill sessions prior to each game. For some of the teams, we provide an additional bonus hour of practice sessions and/or specialized drills.The bonus practice sessions strengthen their games and reinforce basic and advanced skills As one might expect, the younger groups require more instruction than the older groups. Coaches play point guard for the younger divisions Kindergartners will continue to receive instruction throughout the season via our rotating drill stations If one of my children is an inexperienced beginner and the other an experienced star, is there room for both to flourish and enjoy the JBL experience? Yes, players at JBL thrive and have an enjoyable experience regardless of skill level. We intersperse instruction with gameplay, and make teams and substitutions with skill level and competitive balance in mind. Advanced players are matched vs advanced players, and the lesser-skilled players are matched vs similarly skilled players. For the younger groups, coaches are involved in the game and ensure that all players receive "touches". Players of all levels not only have fun and feel like part of the team, but they also have an excellent BASKETBALL experience. My kindergartner has never touched a basketball and is my oldest child. Will she do ok? Will she be able to function in a structured environment? At this age, part of the challenge is to get the kids to pay attention, follow instruction and to remain engaged in a structured environment. Many parents are very apprehensive and often wonder if their respective 5- year olds will stay the course. Well, guess what; the kids love it and thrive in our program. Since we began the Kg program 7 years ago, I am proud to say we have had only 1 withdrawal out of over 200 participants! In the Kg program, it is all about instruction and having fun. Following calisthenics, the players join their teams and each team rotates among a number of drill stations, e.g. passing, shooting, dribbling etc. If a child is a true beginner who has never touched a basketball, or a seasoned veteran who has played with older siblings, it makes no difference. Each will succeed and have fun in this program. They are playing and learning WITH each other, not against each other. In the final few sessions of the season, after drills, the kids play some modified scrimmages/games, in which the coaches participate, play with them and give direction. It is a wonderful experience Many of our sponsors are local businesses , organizations or professionals who take advantage of our sponsorship opportunities, leading to a mutually beneficial outcome. Please click on the Sponsorship/Donor Link on the website Menu for further details.

Carter says Trump Mideast plan violates international law Ex-president urges United Nations to stop Israel from annexing Palestinian land "The new US plan undercuts prospects for a just peace between Israelis and Palestinians," the former US president said in a statement. "If implemented, the plan will doom the only viable solution to this long-running conflict, the two-state solution," said Carter, who brokered the landmark 1978 Camp David Accords that brought peace between Israel and Egypt. He urged UN member-states "to adhere to UN Security Council resolutions and to reject any unilateral Israeli implementation of the proposal by grabbing more Palestinian land." His office said in a statement that Trump's plan, unveiled Tuesday, "breaches international law regarding self-determination, the acquisition of land by force, and annexation of occupied territories." "By calling Israel 'the nation-state of the Jewish people,' the plan also encourages the denial of equal rights to the Palestinian citizens of Israel," it said. Trump presented his long-awaited plan Tuesday alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his close ally, who shortly afterward signalled he would seek to annex a large part of the West Bank. The plan also backs a Palestinian state with a capital on the outskirts of Jerusalem but says the Palestinian leadership must recognize Israel as a Jewish homeland and agree to a demilitarized state. The 95-year-old Carter, the longest-living president in US history, has frequently spoken out since losing re-election in 1980 and has won the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work. In his recent years, he has frequently faced criticism from pro-Israel supporters for his views on the conflict, especially his use of the word "apartheid" to describe the Jewish state's potential future without a peace deal.

Martin Indyk, Master of the Game: Henry Kissinger and the Art of Middle East Diplomacy, New York: Knopf, 2021, pp688 In his insightful new book Master of the Game: Henry Kissinger and the Art of Middle East Diplomacy, veteran US diplomat Martin Indyk explains why peace has not been and is not likely to be achieved between the Palestinians and Israelis, no matter what initiatives may come. He shows why former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, despite his exceptional wit, failed to see in former Egyptian president Anwar Al-Sadat “a revolutionary leader” who would go to war in the pursuit of liberating Egyptian territory. “I had been present at the creation… [of the War on 6 October 1973] as an Australian graduate student living in Jerusalem… I would lie awake at night in a kibbutz near Gaza where I had volunteered my labour, heartsick at the causalities of a war I was convinced was unnecessary, fearing for Israel’s ability to survive,” Indyk writes in the early pages of his account. At a later point in his introduction, he writes about his fascination as a student in Jerusalem with the diplomatic craft that Henry Kissinger, the first naturalised US citizen to be given the job of secretary of state, used to get the Israelis and Egyptians to work together on a ceasefire. This was followed by the negotiations that ended the October War, the last of the Arab-Israeli wars, and paved the way for the signing of the first ever Arab-Israeli Peace Treaty between Sadat of Egypt and prime minister Menachem Begin of Israel. These lines are perhaps as good an introduction as any to the mind set of this diplomat, with his long career in managing the Arab-Israeli, and particularly the Palestinian-Israeli, struggle. They prepare the reader for an account that is unapologetically influenced by admiration for Kissinger’s plans for the region, which were able to survive for three consecutive decades during the Cold War and beyond until they ceased to work and no other plans were on offer to bring about Palestinian-Israeli peace. Indyk, as he makes clear throughout the book, was always convinced that a compromise could have saved the day for everyone. If this had been achieved, Israel could have had its “Jewish state” with clear-cut lines on security and refugee issues, and the Palestinians could have had their state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. The question, according to this book that Indyk published earlier this year after having been working inside the White House and at the State Department for over a quarter of a century, was not only about what the Palestinian and Israeli leaders would agree to, or, for that matter, about what regional partners in the Arab-Israeli peace would condone. This was despite the fact that some of the characters who engaged in the first rounds of the negotiations were so grand, he says, “that they were larger than life.” Instead, it was also, and often enough most significantly, about what the US could broker or rather enforce at the negotiation table. The first few lines of Indyk’s book contain unmasked praise for the diplomacy of Kissinger, who succeeded, while only two weeks into the job as secretary of state as the Watergate scandal sank the presidency of Richard Nixon, to manage the October 1973 War in such a way that it granted Israel close to military dominance, but also granted Sadat sufficient military and political gains to allow him to walk the path of peace that he seemed inclined to embrace, and to accommodate the former Soviet Union and present the US as the ultimate broker of Middle East peace. Later, the ability of the US to be an uncontested broker, Indyk’s book indicates, seems to have either expired or lost its way in the late 1990s, with the 1998 Wye River Memorandum being to date the last peace agreement that the US has managed to broker between the Palestinians and Israelis. HENRY KISSINGER: It would be hard to miss a key point in Indyk’s book — that Kissinger, despite some inevitable mistakes and his identity as a Jew obsessed by memories of the European Holocaust, was able to work with both Arab and Israeli partners to conclude workable deals. In his research for the book, Indyk has made much use of Israeli archives, which are unlike “the Arab archives that… remain closed to the public.” He has also had lengthy interviews with Kissinger himself and with other politicians who were involved in the management of the struggle, many of whom he met while trying to do part of the job that Kissinger himself had done a few decades earlier. “I have tried to take the readers into the rooms where he [Kissinger] conducted his diplomacy,” Indyk writes. “In one respect, this is a book of deep history about a period when the Middle East seemed to move into a new era of accommodation. But it is also a story about the beginning of the American-led Middle East Peace Process told from my perspective as someone who was directly involved in what looks now to have been its denouement. I have tried to tell the story both as a historian poring over the records that preserve the memory of what happened, and as an actor in a master class, seeking to derive and apply the skills and lessons of Middle East peacemaking from the consummate diplomat.” According to Indyk, “the graduated step-by-step peace process that [Kissinger] developed became his primary mechanism for creating a new regional order in the Middle East that sidelined the Soviet Union in the midst of the Cold War.” For Kissinger, the pursuit of peace in the region was essentially about producing a reliable set up for “a stable order in a highly volatile part of the world.” And, he adds, “the Kissingerian Middle Eastern order would last for almost thirty years.” In part, Indyk seems to blame the US leaders of the past two decades for causing a situation in the Middle East that ate up the stability that Kissinger had worked to construct. This, he suggests, included the decisions of both Republican and Democratic Party presidents to encourage the deposing of powerful Arab leaders, either by US-led wars, or by US-led support for revolutions, or as former US president Donald Trump did, by overlooking the basic requirements of a US role in the region. He seems to be suggesting that the leaders of the past couple of decades were short on some of the key qualities that helped grant Kissinger his skills, among them a willingness to take risks. In the 1960s, Kissinger proposed the need for the US to consider a “flexible response” to the threat of a nuclear strike, and he had a profound dislike for the muted reaction to big steps on the part of his rivals. Most of all, he had a deep appreciation of the importance of historical context in international politics and the mindsets of the leaders involved. Indyk argues that these were the qualities that guided Kissinger in designing his policies on the Middle East, like in Vietnam and on the détente, or the lack thereof, with the former Soviet Union. “Eisenhower’s handling of the 1956 Suez Crisis did gain his attention; he came away convinced that it was bad policy to weaken friends and help Soviet clients,” Indyk notes. All this was far from being related to Kissinger’s Jewishness, although he was not in conflict with this or with his Holocaust nightmares that recalled family and friends, altogether adding up to over 100 people, who died in Europe. Kissinger was quite upfront about this, as he often said that “you cannot have 13 members of your family perish in the Holocaust and not have that impact on your identity,” Indyk writes. Indyk does not deny his own fears for the safety of Israel during the early days of the October War, and he recalls, too, the concern of Kissinger for the ability of Israel as “a tiny Jewish state… in a hostile world of Arab states bent on its destruction” to defend itself. In the early 1960s, he adds, Kissinger was “impressed by Israel’s existence, with a population at the time of only 2.3 million situated on a ‘splinter’ of territory surrounded by much larger, hostile Arab states.” It was around this time, he says, that Kissinger informed the State Department that Israel was building nuclear weapons and that “only an ironclad US security guarantee could forestall this.” Indyk credits Kissinger with being the founder of what has become known as the Peace Process. However, he hastens to add that in the mind of Kissinger, the objective of the process was to establish a more sustainable order [after the October War] rather than peace itself, because “he did not believe [it] was an achievable or even desirable objective.” Throughout his career, or at least for the most part, Indyk notes, Kissinger “would consistently shy away from aiming for peace treaties, instead seeking agreements that would give all sides a stake in preserving the existing order.” In Kissinger’s analysis, he adds, “peace was abstract and reversible. What mattered more was an absence of war.” However, notwithstanding Kissinger’s “fears” for Israel, the way Indyk explains Kissinger’s position on Eisenhower’s choices on the 1956 Suez Crisis makes it comparable to Kissinger’s disapproval of later US president Kennedy’s “muted response to the building of the Berlin Wall.” As far as Kissinger was concerned, Indyk argues, there were three leaders in the Middle East that the US was interested in: the leaders of Israel, Iran, and Egypt after the latter had left the Soviet camp. These were the partners that Kissinger wanted to establish the new Middle East order with. Right from the beginning, he recalls, the Soviet Union wanted a full Israeli withdrawal from the Arab territories it had occupied in 1967, while the position of the Kissinger team, still only on the US national security side of things, was largely based on a partial rather than a full withdrawal. Kissinger opposed — and practically blocked — all attempts by the then US secretary of state William Rogers to discuss a close to full withdrawal with Moscow. Nixon, who had concerns over the impact of Kissinger’s Jewishness on his positions on the Arab-Israeli struggle, also had an issue with what he and Kissinger qualified as the “intense bureaucracy” of the State Department. Meanwhile, Yitzhak Rabin, then a top Israeli general who had gone to Washington as Israeli ambassador, made it clear to all in the State Department and the White House that Israel would not work according to any international plans and would only negotiate with the intervention and the backing of the US on the basis of Israeli strength. This has been the case since in the history of the Peace Process. In late 1960s Washington, Indyk writes, Rabin’s position made him “a natural interlocutor for Kissinger”. One of the things that the two men saw eye to eye on was the need to put more military pressure on Egypt. Rabin thought this would establish a new balance of power not just with the Arabs but with the Americans as well. Kissinger thought that it would increase the Soviet dilemma in the Middle East, given that Moscow was then the main arms supplier to Egypt. “Nixon talked from time to time [after the 1967 War] about imposing a solution on Israel for which arms supplies were an obvious lever. But Rabin was counting on Kissinger to make the argument against linkage,” Indyk says. Kissinger also did much more. He acted, with the support of Nixon, and in cooperation with then Israeli prime minister Golda Meir, to thwart the Rogers Plan that was proposed in December 1969. Meir also worked with Rabin to increase the military pressure on Egypt through increasingly deep raids into the country, including attacks on the outskirts of Cairo in January 1970. Three months later, Nixon told Rabin to approach him through Kissinger whenever Israel needed arms and he would find a way around the bureaucracy. A few months later, Kissinger was telling Israeli top military figure Moshe Dayan that he had to maintain the military pressure. “They must never think you are wavering… If from time to time you did not give them a brutal blow, they will wear you out,” he said. Kissinger was convinced that diplomacy in the absence of taking a firm stand against Soviet moves on the other side of the Suez Canal was futile, Indyk argues. Shortly afterwards, Kissinger was proposing to Nixon that Israel intervene in Jordan on behalf of the US to help former king Hussein against a militant Palestinian group that was using Jordan as the scene for its activities. From this moment on, Indyk draws a detailed profile of Kissinger as almost the ultimate mover-and-shaker of US foreign-policy decisions vis-à-vis the Middle East, not just in terms of relations with the regional players, but also in terms of managing relations with the Soviet Union in the Middle East. Indyk shows at great length how Kissinger played all his cards at the same time to make sure that Israel kept the upper hand — without deny Washington all possible leverage over Tel Aviv — and how every single weakness of every Arab ruler, especially those of the countries surrounding Israel, was fully manipulated to serve his plan of “motion without movement” followed by “step-by-step negotiations” leading to limited Israeli withdrawals from most of the Arab territories it had occupied in 1967. “Special status [was given] to Arab Jerusalem,” a term that, according to the book, first came out during a 1972 visit by then Egyptian national security advisor Hafez Ismail to the Oval Office. The highly detailed accounts of the October War as seen from Kissinger’s office, the days of the talks to achieve a ceasefire, as managed with Moscow, and the subsequent “shuttle diplomacy” to start a possible settlement are perhaps the most captivating part of Indyk’s book — not just because they offer a close analysis of the making of the strong US-Israel bond, which had started prior to the October War with the full US commitment to Israeli security, but also because they show at length the pitfalls that paved the way to the currently blocked peace talks between the Palestinians and Israelis. Indyk does show some admiration for Sadat. He repeatedly indicates that Kissinger made a mistake in underestimating Sadat’s political shrewdness and his ability to live up to his words when months before the October War he told the US magazine Newsweek that the US would be making a big mistake if it continued to think that the Egyptians and Arabs were “crippled”. Indyk also credits Sadat with showing an impressive ability to manoeuvre out of deadlocks and to make gains out of challenging the status quo, whether these gains were smaller or larger ones. The account of Sadat’s political gestures towards the US before the October War, the negotiations of the ceasefire, and the political talks that followed are all testimony to a Sadat who is certainly not without political and personal vulnerabilities, but who also had a shrewdness that was always applied to serve a clear objective. The account of the Sadat-Kissinger talks, which started with the 7 November 1973 meeting in Cairo, offers insights into how Kissinger perceived the then Egyptian president and how he found him willing to play the political game either out of conviction or out of an impulse that could have been stimulated by a vision or a dream. *A version of this article appears in print in the 7 October, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

Levitt was born in east London, to Jewish parents and a mother in her mid-40s and suffering greatly from ill health. His brother, Fred, had been born in the Ukraine eighteen years earlier, and a sister had died at 13. Another brother, Henry, was born in England in 1911 and became a leading trade union general secretary. The death of his father, when Vic was only 14, was made more bearable by Fred and his wife Rachel taking on responsibility for the family. In his teens, Vic joined the Communist Party and became a leading activist in the pre-war period. His voice was heard almost daily at Spouters' Corner in Wood Green, north London, from the early 1930s onwards. He took part in anti-fascist demonstrations and was at the Cable Street in 1936. Vic married Joclyn in September 1939, and he joined the RAF three days later. He passed a series of tests demonstrating outstanding aptitude as a potential pilot, but was repeatedly thwarted because of his activist history. Only after the MP for Wood Green asked questions on three occasions in parliament was he allowed to proceed to pilot training. He qualified among the elite at the RAF College, Cranwell, as a pilot and, unusually, also as a navigator. He ended the war as an instructor at Cranwell. Having later qualified as a teacher, as a passionate swimmer he persuaded the local council to create the new post of swimming teacher for the schools in Edmonton, north London, and to keep open the then Knights Lane swimming baths during the winter. He found this a conducive niche and occupied it as a swimming coach in Edmonton north London for much of the rest of his working life. He died aged 91 in 2010. Source: Guardian 18th January 2010

OK, Shabbat is still a day away, but I’m going to be offline for awhile (click here for an explanation), so I wanted to post this today. - Please enjoy this Q&A with author Anna Solomon, about The Little Bride, a new historical novel featuring a Jewish mail-order bride who leaves Odessa and lands in South Dakota. - Eric Herschthal previews the October U.S. release of a new Amos Oz book. - The Jewish Week offers its fall books preview. - I’m not sure when Hadassah magazine built up its online book coverage, but I’m delighted to see it all. - Holiday books and videos for the little ones. - Finally, my story collection, Quiet Americans, has received a wonderfully thoughtful (and enthusiastic) review over on The Short Review. Shabbat shalom, everyone. See you next week. The other day, mulling over a possible short story idea, I needed to know how Jewish-American families celebrated a certain Jewish holiday a couple of generations ago. Had the celebrations changed over time, and if so, how? Along with the websites and scholarly books I consulted, I turned to one very special resource: a battered copy of Althea O. Silverman’s Habibi and Yow: A Little Boy and His Dog. My copy of Habibi and Yow isn’t really mine. First published in 1946 by Bloch Publishing Company (“The Jewish Book Concern”), the book went into a second printing in 1948. That’s the printing that produced the copy that belonged to my father when he was a little boy. It remained in my grandparents’ home once my father was grown. Since my grandparents didn’t own many books, I spent innumerable childhood hours first listening to my grandmother read me the stories about this little American Jewish boy and his dog, and then reading them to myself. Habibi and Yow provided some of my earliest introductions to the ideas, history, and customs surrounding Shabbat (“Shabbos,” in Habibi and Yow), Purim, and Shavuot (“Shavuos”), among other holidays. As an adult, I’ve been interested to learn that Althea O. Silverman wrote other books, including one about Habibi’s Adventures in the Land of Israel, which was published in 1951. Her husband, Rabbi Morris Silverman, served a Conservative Hartford, Conn., congregation for nearly 40 years. According to Shuly Rubin Schwartz’s The Rabbi’s Wife: The Rebbetzin in American Jewish Life, Althea Silverman was “deeply concerned about the dearth of appealing Jewish educational materials for children.” Habibi and Yow helped address that need. I, for one, remain grateful. My Machberet is proud to serve as June host for the Jewish Book Carnival, “a monthly event where bloggers who blog about Jewish books can meet, read, and comment on each others’ posts. The posts are hosted on one of the participant’s sites on the 15th of each month.” Herewith, this month’s Carnival posts:

Saturday August 26th 2006, 3:25 am At Thoughts on Antiquity, Ben C. Smith is just starting a series that promises to be very interesting. He’s covering the formation of the New Testament canon — that is, the official list of books accepted as Sacred Scripture, the books that could be read in the liturgy and cited as authorities. His first posting is up, and it covers the Marcionite canon. You might want a little background first… Marcion was one of the most notorious — and devastatingly successful — heretics of the early Church. He believed that the creator of the Old Testament was not the same deity as the New Testament’s good God, the Father of Jesus Christ. In fact, Marcion set the two “gods” in opposition to one another: There was the evil creator who trapped and tormented humans in this vale of tears, and there was the good God who wanted to rescue his faithful from the clutches of the creator. Marcion was fabulously wealthy, a shipbuilder. Think of George Steinbrenner, if he wanted to go one better than buying the Yankees, and start a church instead. Marcion was the son of the Bishop of Sinope (in modern Turkey), born around 110 A.D. As a young man, he led a devout life, but managed to get himself into trouble with a young woman who was consecrated to virginity. This infuriated his bishop-father, who excommunicated him. Marcion begged to be taken back, but his father feared the gravity of the scandal. So Marcion packed his moneybags and left for Rome. To his credit, he seems to have sincerely repented of his sin and led a chaste life afterward. But there are worse sins, and Marcion soon fell to one in particular: the pride that makes a brilliant theologian want to reinvent Christianity or edit out the difficult parts. In Rome, Marcion attracted disciples by preaching against the Old Testament and its “god,” by impugning the Jews and their law, and by railing against marriage and childbearing, which only trapped more souls in this material world. His Bible, which was quite small, consisted of parts of Luke and the Pauline letters, with most of the Old Testament references clipped out. Marcion’s money enabled him to get the word out, borne no doubt by his own ships to lands far away. Around 150, St. Justin Martyr wrote that Marcion’s heresy had already spread everywhere. A church so far-flung needed a structure, so the son-of-a-bishop set up his own clergy and hierarchy. Only the unmarried were allowed to be baptized. Irenaeus reports that his own master, St. Polycarp (who was himself a disciple of the Apostle John), once met Marcion during a trip to Rome. Marcion asked the old man: “Don’t you recognize me?” Polycarp answered: “Of course I recognize you. You’re the firstborn of Satan.” Tertullian tells us that Marcion eventually went penitent, and the Church accepted him back, but only on the condition that he should lead his wayward flock back with him. Death, however, prevented him from completing his penance. We don’t know when he died. Marcion’s heresy continued to spread after his death, until Constantine made it illegal in the fourth century. Yet pockets of Marcionites remained in the hinterlands as late as the ninth century. Even today, we find hints of Marcionism in otherwise devout Christians. They say, “I’m a New Testament Christian,” and they dismiss the teachings of the Old Testament. Or they speak of the law of Moses as if it’s the very antithesis of the Gospel — something Jesus never did. They act as if they have nothing to learn from the prophets or from Abraham and Isaac, Moses and David. Their religion is “me and Jesus,” but — like Marcion — they’re missing the religion of Jesus. Saturday August 26th 2006, 3:00 am Interesting little note on the fifth-century Christian poet Sedulius and his use of Vergil — and the instances where the Roman liturgy incorporated Sedulius’s resonant lines. Very Marian. Friday August 25th 2006, 7:58 am Bread and Circuses alerts the world to a 1913 Source Book for Ancient Church History from the Apostolic Age to the Close of the Conciliar Period, now posted online in PDF format. It’s a collection of primary texts in English translation, with minimal commentary, arranged by themes within the various periods. The book begins with Tacitus on Nero’s persecution and continues to the seventh ecumenical council, so we’re talking about the entire patristic era. The author is Joseph Cullen Ayer, Jr., Ph.D., professor in the divinity school of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. B&C describes the book as “moderately useful,” and he’s probably right, since quite a few documents have turned up since 1913, and others have been identified, dated, and edited with greater accuracy. Still, this collection’s free, and it doesn’t take up space on your bookshelves. Friday August 25th 2006, 3:00 am Today’s the feast of two martyrs named Genesius. Our warm-up act is Genesius the Comedian (d. 286 or 303). With a name like that, who can resist? Genesius was the leader of a theatrical troupe in Rome, performing one day before the Emperor Diocletian The script called for these wise guys to make fun of the Christian rites, and Genesius was supposed to pretend to receive the Sacrament of Baptism. But a funny thing happened on the way to the punch line: When the water had been poured out on him, he proclaimed himself a Christian. Diocletian at first thought it was all part of the joke. But gradually it became clear that Genesius meant it. Suddenly, the emperor was not amused. For spoiling the party, Diocletian ordered the comedian to be tortured and then beheaded. Genesius must have had quite a following, though. We know that he was venerated at Rome as early as the fourth century: a church was built in his honor very early, and was repaired and beautified by Gregory III in 741. And now for something completely different: Genesius of Arles was a notary martyred under Maximianus in 303 or 308. At first a soldier, this Genesius became known for his proficiency in writing, and was made secretary to the magistrate of Arles. While performing the duties of his office the decree of persecution against the Christians was read in his presence. As he himself was a catechumen, he was outraged at the injustice. He threw down his tablets at the feet of the magistrate and fled. He was captured and executed, and so received baptism in his own blood. His veneration must be very old, as his name is found in the ancient martyrology ascribed to St. Jerome. A church and altar dedicated to him at Arles were known in the fourth century. Friday August 25th 2006, 2:52 am Phil, the Canadian Anglican patristiblogger, tells how the study of Augustine at a secular university led him to take his first steps toward Christian faith. Thursday August 24th 2006, 6:59 pm Painful puns and even culinary punning, all in honor of St. Bartholomew, at Fr. Z’s place. Thursday August 24th 2006, 1:14 pm Good news for those of you who’ve been waiting sleeplessly for the Brazilian Portuguese edition of The Grail Code. It’s here. I’m holding it in my hands. Here’s the good word: “O Código Graal”, Mike Aquilina e Christopher Bailey vão muito além das versões popularizadas por historiadores e arqueólogos sobre a busca do Graal,um tema recorrente, mas não menos instigante na literatura ocidental. A busca pelo cálice usado por Jesus na Última Ceia e, depois, por José de Arimatéia para recolher o sangue de Cristo crucificado impulsiona as lendas sobre o Rei Arthur, estimulou as maiores aventuras de Indiana Jones e mobilizou as pessoas a virarem as páginas de “O Código Da Vinci”. “O Código Graal” representa um tratamento lúcido para as lendas do Graal, baseado na história real, sem falsas teorias conspiratórias ou elementos da mitologia céltica. Para discorrer sobre a história verdadeira do Santo Graal, os autores estudaram séculos de crenças sobre a Santa Comunhão – da Palestina de Jesus Cristo até a Grã-Bretanha nas sombras da Idade Média, das cortes coloridas da França medieval até a Alemanha de Hitler -, a história da literatura européia e as diferentes idéias de amor e pecado. Ao fundamentar as lendas em seu contexto histórico e teológico, os autores, ambos jornalistas, corrigem grande parte das distorções da lenda, tal qual a conhecemos hoje, e mostram por que ela se tornou tão popular e como mudou ao longo do tempo. I find it for sale — and immediate shipment — right here. Thursday August 24th 2006, 3:50 am Today is the feast of St. Bartholomew, who’s called Nathanael in John’s Gospel (Jn 1:45-51). St. Augustine paid tribute to our apostle in his Tractates on the Gospel of John. Here’s a snippet: What sort of a man was this? … Hear the Lord bearing testimony to Nathanael: “Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’ Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said of him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!'” Great testimony! Not of Andrew, nor of Peter, nor of Philip was that said which was said of Nathanael, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile.” What great testimony! What was said of Nathanael was said not of Andrew, nor Peter, nor Philip, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile.” … Jesus then saw this man in whom was no guile, and said, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile.” Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” … His words, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel,” were not dissimilar to those of Peter so long afterwards, when the Lord said to him, “Blessed art you, Simon Bar Jona, for flesh and blood has not revealed it to you, but My Father in heaven.” And there He named the rock, and praised the strength of the Church’s support in this faith. Here already Nathanael says, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Read the rest here (scroll down to number 16 and following). (Today’s also my firstborn‘s birthday. He attained the mighty rank of Star Scout last night.) Thursday August 24th 2006, 3:05 am The Curt Jester tagged me for this meme. But it’s only right to trace its lineage back to Michelle Arnold of Catholic Answers, who took her inspiration from no less than Brooke Shields. Brookie had bragged to a reporter that her family tree included Catherine de Medici and Lucrezia Borgia, Charlemagne and El Cid, William the Conqueror and King Harold II. I did a little digging on genealogy sites a few years back. All my grandparents hailed from two little villages in Sicily, and a priest in the area told me that those villages had been settlements of refugees from Napoleon’s invasion of Malta. Since “Aquilina” is to Malta what “Smith” is to Pittsburgh, his history seems plausible. One of the leaders of Malta’s resistance against Napoleon was Salvo Aquilina, who was executed for his efforts. Maybe Salvo’s survivors weren’t as eager to go to the gallows, and so took the midnight boat to Sicily instead. My correspondence with Aquilinas throughout the world has turned up an Aquilina in the rolls of Byzantine nobility, and a deed from the 1670s that refers to a parcel of land granted to the Aquilinas in the 1430s. If Malta still wants me, I’m ready to claim that land. As for other famous forebears … Well, readers of this blog already know all about St. Aquilina of Byblos. She’s got the name, but we’ve yet to draw DNA from her relics. So I can’t claim her yet. But all this is connected by dotted lines (or imaginary lines), since I didn’t do anything resembling real research. My father long ago warned me: “Don’t shake the family tree too hard, you never know what’ll fall out.” As my “research” stands, it permits me to imagine a lineage even more illustrious than Brookie’s. Heck, everybody owned Sicily for a month — Athenians, Byzantines, Germans, Africans, Arabs. And how about Malta? St. Paul and St. Luke, the Knights Templar — I could be a walking Da Vinci Code. Thus I proceed with this meme, assuming, like Dan Brown, that everything I declare is FACT. 1. Which famous person would you most like to learn that you are descended from? St. Mary Magdalene. Even in reality, what a bloodline that would be! 2. Which famous person would you hate to learn that you are descended from? Nero. He was about as creepy a guy as I can imagine. The London Observer recently summed him up as “a psychopathic, debauched, wife-beating matricide.” 3. If you could be ancestor to any living famous person, who would it be and why? My son Michael, because he wrote a great book on St. Jude, which made him world-famous on the street where I live. 4. If you could go back in time and meet any known ancestor(s) of yours, who would it be? My grandfather, Calogero. My accurate genealogical information ends with him. He was a coal miner and, later, a school janitor, who was so beloved in our town that his obituary was a full-page news item in 1926, thirty-seven years before I was born. 5. Tag five others: you, you, you, you, and you. Thursday August 24th 2006, 3:03 am The Divine Lamp tagged me for the “Five People Meme.” The question is: “If you could meet and have a deep conversation with any five people on earth, living or dead, from any time period, who would they be?” It’s hard to know what to make of the question. Some of my favorite authors (William Faulkner, Robert Frost) were not known for their sparkling and genial conversation. (Come to think of it, neither am I.) And I don’t know if I could emerge alive from a conversation with Evelyn Waugh or St. Jerome. I can’t imagine what I’d say to St. Augustine, other than “Can I have your autograph — and your blessing?” So some folks probably made my lists just because I know precious little about their biographies or personalities — or because I’ve heard one or two anecdotes that make them seem to be good company. As for the celebrities: At least for some of them, I’d like our conversations to turn into lessons. If I could host all five of them at once, it would make for quite a jam session. 1) The Blessed Virgin Mary (Hi, Mom) 2) St. Josemaria Escriva 3) St. Maximilian Kolbe 4) St. Ambrose of Milan 5) St. Ignatius of Antioch THOSE IN THE PROCESS OF BEING CANONIZED 1) Alvaro del Portillo 2) Solanus Casey 3) John Henry Newman 4) Pope John Paul II 5) Pope John Paul I HEROES FROM YOUR NATIVE COUNTRY 1) St. John Neumann 2) Bl. Francis X. Seelos 3) Bishop Michael O’Connor 4) Demetrius Gallitzin 5) Boniface Wimmer 1) Theodore Roethke 2) Wilfrid Sheed 3) David Scott 4) Phyllis McGinley 5) Flannery O’Connor 1) Paul Simon 2) Dion DiMucci 3) Eric Clapton 4) Scott Hahn 5) Rod Argent Wednesday August 23rd 2006, 10:04 am The ancient Lebanese port of Byblos “has survived the Romans, the Crusades and the armies of Alexander the Great but now it faces a 21st century menace, brought to its shores on a tide of war — oil pollution.” A heavy oil slick, produced by the bombing of a power plant, is now lapping at the old city’s fortified stone walls. It’s an estimated 10,000-15,000 tons of oil washing up on an 87-mile stretch of coastline. (Read more of the story here.) A few months back, we posted on St. Aquilina, Byblos’s famous little-girl martyr of the third century. Pray for Lebanon. Pray for peace. Wednesday August 23rd 2006, 9:34 am Neon and his brothers Claudius and Asterius met their death in the persecution of the Emperor Diocletian (around 303 A.D.). Their stepmother denounced them as Christians to the proconsul of Cilicia, who tortured them and had them crucified. On the same day, a woman named Domnina chose to be scourged to death rather than renounce the faith. A widow named Theonilla was scourged before meeting her death by burial in hot coals. All you holy men and women, pray for us! Tuesday August 22nd 2006, 3:51 am Back in July, I posted on the traditions of St. Thomas the Apostle’s work in India, suggesting a strong case for their plausibility, given the state of Roman trade with India in the mid-first century. Recent archeological excavations confirm what we read in the ancient geographers and naturalists: Rome was dependent on India’s spices, textiles, gems, dyes, and perfumes. Moreover, there were already well established Jewish settlements in India, and the synagogues would have been natural starting points for Thomas, as the synagogues of Europe were for other apostles. Now come further hints that the evidence for Roman commerce has been plentiful all along, but suppressed. Pottery, coins, and other artifacts turn up regularly, but people in the villages would rather not have archeologists disrupt their lives (certainly a difficult situation). Rumor has it, too, that nationalist movements do not welcome evidence of ancient Indian Christianity or contact with the Roman West. It’s un-PC. Thus, the best policy is often to sweep the shards under the porch. IOL carried a story yesterday, “Ancient Indian Port Faces Extinction,” by Jeemon Jacob. It concerns a village in Kerala, a region traditionally associated with St. Thomas’s apostolate. In fact, it concerns a port that might have been St. Thomas’s landing in India. Excerpts follow: Pattanam, India — Pottery shards, beads, Roman copper coins and ancient wine bottles litter the strata beneath this small seaside village in India’s southern Kerala state. The 250 families, mostly agricultural labourers, who live in Pattanam, 260km north of Kerala’s capital Thiruvananthapuram, find the objects pretty, but would rather dig up the ground and build larger homes. But according to archaeologists KP Shajan and V Selvakumar, they may be destroying the remnants of Muziris, a well-documented trading port where Rome and India met almost 3 000 years ago. Muziris mysteriously dropped off the map. They say that, based on remote sensing data, a river close to Pattanam had changed its course and the ancient port may have been buried due to earthquakes or floods. The two are worried construction activity in the village will destroy evidence about the existence of the port before they get the chance to examine it scientifically. “There is no doubt that Pattanam was a major port that is linked to Indo-Roman trade,” Shajan said. “But we can’t confirm whether it was Muziris. We need more collaborative evidence to support our findings.” A majority of the families that live in Pattanam are demolishing old tiled-roof structures and replacing them with concrete buildings right in the middle of the 1,5km zone where Shajan and Selvakumar say Muziris was possibly located. Muziris was a port city mentioned in several ancient travelogues and scholarly texts as a major centre of trade between India and Rome, especially in pepper and other spices around the second century BC to probably as late as the sixth century AD. Christianity may have been introduced to the sub-continent through Muziris, historians say. But Muziris mysteriously dropped off the map – maybe to war, plague, or disaster. The two archaeologists say they want to find out for sure and have asked local preservation groups to help. Kerala’s Historical Research Council, an independent body that promotes research in history, says it has written to the Archaeological Survey of India, which is in charge of protecting monuments and historical places, to take steps to protect Pattanam. But KV Kunjikrishnan, a professor of history, says neither the government nor the Archaeological Survey of India has responded. “The construction activity in the area may destroy vital evidence of historical importance,” says Kunjikrishnan. Pattanam housewife Sheeba Murali says ancient beads pop out from the ground after heavy rains and the 30-year-old history graduate, like some other villagers, collects them and hands them over to the archaeologists. Villagers say they used to get gold coins from the site, but kept the finds quiet. “Nobody admits whatever things they get. We are scared that the government may take over our land for archaeological survey,” says villager Arun Rajagopal. It was from Rajagopal’s land that the two archaeologists discovered beads, layer of bricks, wine bottles, jars, pendants and copper coins. Selvakumar says the ancient bricks, which the villagers used to build their homes, bore a close resemblance to those used 2 500 years ago. “During my excavations I collected a wide range of pottery which goes back to the historic date. Amphorae, roulette ware, beads, nails and several other artefacts such as copper coins were also recovered,” he says. But Sheeba says villagers will continue building new homes. “My children need a decent place to stay when they grow up. But I am thrilled to live in a place where history sleeps,” she says. I’d quibble with the estimate of 2,500-3,000 years ago. Roman trade with India seems to have begun to boom right around the middle of the first century, with the discovery of the trade winds that made open-sea sailing possible. Other than that, the story — like so much of the painstaking Indian research I mentioned in my July post — gives us a clearer vision of a certain world, a lost world — a world where, I believe, St. Thomas walked. UPDATE: Bread and Circuses posts links to useful background material on the port of Muziris. Tuesday August 22nd 2006, 3:24 am Today’s feast, the Queenship of Mary, was fixed on the calendar by Pope Pius XII in 1954. But, of course, it has deep roots in the age of the Fathers. In the fourth century, St. Ephrem addressed the Blessed Virgin as “Queen.” In the eighth, so did St. Andrew of Crete, who called her “queen of the whole human race.” But my favorite Father on Mary’s queenship is St. John of Damascus, a contemporary of St. Andrew. In his Three Sermons on the Dormition of the Virgin, St. John imagines King David, who danced before the Ark of the Covenant, dancing as Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant, arrives in heaven. Such should be our festive attitude on this great day. St. John says: “Let us dance in spirit with David; today the Ark of God is at rest. With Gabriel, the great archangel, let us exclaim, ‘Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Hail, inexhaustible ocean of grace. Hail, sole refuge in grief. Hail, cure of hearts. Hail, through whom death is expelled and life is installed.'” If you’re so inclined, you can pick up audio of St. John’s first homily on the Dormition at the site of Maria Lectrix. Monday August 21st 2006, 9:41 am This is a very cool glimpse at the correspondence between St. Augustine and Pope St. Sixtus III. The subject at hand is the Pelagian controversy. Augustine had heard rumors that the new pope was on the other side. Their letters produce some lovely passages, including one that Catholics will recognize from a commonly used preface of the Mass. Thanks, Fr. Z!

|Part of a series on| Zināʾ (زِنَاء) or zina (زِنًى or زِنًا) is an Islamic law concerning unlawful sexual relations between Muslims who are not married to one another through a Nikah. It includes extramarital sex and premarital sex, such as adultery (consensual sexual relations outside marriage), fornication (consensual sexual intercourse between two unmarried persons), and homosexuality (consensual sexual relations between same-sex partners). Traditionally, a married or unmarried Muslim male could have sex outside marriage with a non-Muslim slave, with or without her consent, and such sex was not considered zina. In the four schools of Sunni fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), and the two schools of Shi'a fiqh, the term zināʾ is a sin of sexual intercourse that is not allowed by Sharia (Islamic law) and classed as a hudud crime (class of Islamic punishments that are fixed for certain crimes that are considered to be "claims of God"). To prove an act of zina, a qadi (religious judge) in a sharia court relies on an unmarried woman's pregnancy, the confession in the name of Allah, or four witnesses to the actual act of penetration. The last two types of prosecutions are uncommon; most prosecuted cases of zina in the history of Islam have been pregnant unmarried women. In some schools of Islamic law, a pregnant woman accused of zina who denies sex was consensual must prove she was raped with four eyewitnesses testifying before the court. This has led to many cases where rape victims have been punished for zina. Pressing charges of zina without required eyewitnesses is considered slander (Qadhf, القذف) in Islam, itself a hudud crime. Zina the unIslamic act, is not to be confused with 'Zina' or 'Zeina' (زينة), the woman's name. The name has a different linguistic root, a different meaning ("guest, stranger"), is pronounced differently (either Zīnah or Zaynah), and is usually spelled differently. Islam considers zināʾ a hudud sin, or crime against Allah. It is mentioned in Quran and in the Hadiths. From the perspective of the Qur'an, sex uncoupled with a legally binding marital tie is considered zināʾ, and is equally punishable for both women and men. The Qur'an deals with zināʾ in several places. First is the Qur'anic general rule that commands Muslims not to commit zināʾ: “Nor come nigh to fornication/adultery: for it is a shameful (deed) and an evil, opening the road (to other evils).” Most of the rules related to zināʾ, fornication/adultery, and false accusations from a husband to his wife or from members of the community to chaste women, can be found in Surat an-Nur (the Light). The sura starts by giving very specific rules about punishment for zināʾ: "The woman and the man guilty of fornication,- flog each of them with a hundred stripes: Let not compassion move you in their case, in a matter prescribed by Allah, if ye believe in Allah and the Last Day: and let a party of the Believers witness their punishment." “And those who accuse free women then do not bring four witnesses, flog them, (giving) eighty stripes, and do not admit any evidence from them ever; and these it is that are the transgressors. Except those who repent after this and act aright, for surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” 'Ubada b. as-Samit reported: Allah's Messenger as saying: Receive teaching from me, receive teaching from me. Allah has ordained a way for those women. When an unmarried male commits adultery with an unmarried female, they should receive one hundred lashes and banishment for one year. And in case of married male committing adultery with a married female, they shall receive one hundred lashes and be stoned to death. Allah's Messenger awarded the punishment of stoning to death to the married adulterer and adulteress and, after him, we also awarded the punishment of stoning, I am afraid that with the lapse of time, the people may forget it and may say: We do not find the punishment of stoning in the Book of Allah, and thus go astray by abandoning this duty prescribed by Allah. Stoning is a duty laid down in Allah's Book for married men and women who commit adultery when proof is established, or if there is pregnancy, or a confession. Ma'iz came to the Prophet and admitted having committed adultery four times in his presence so he ordered him to be stoned to death, but said to Huzzal: If you had covered him with your garment, it would have been better for you. Narrated 'Aisha: 'Utba bin Abi Waqqas said to his brother Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas, "The son of the slave girl of Zam'a is from me, so take him into your custody." So in the year of Conquest of Mecca, Sa'd took him and said. (This is) my brother's son whom my brother has asked me to take into my custody." 'Abd bin Zam'a got up before him and said, (He is) my brother and the son of the slave girl of my father, and was born on my father's bed." So they both submitted their case before Allah's Apostle. Sa'd said, "O Allah's Apostle! This boy is the son of my brother and he entrusted him to me." 'Abd bin Zam'a said, "This boy is my brother and the son of the slave girl of my father, and was born on the bed of my father." Allah's Apostle said, "The boy is for you, O 'Abd bin Zam'a!" Then Allah's Apostle further said, "The child is for the owner of the bed, and the stone is for the adulterer," He then said to Sauda bint Zam'a, "Veil (screen) yourself before him," when he saw the child's resemblance to 'Utba. The boy did not see her again till he met Allah. Other hadith collections on zina between men and woman include: - The stoning (Rajm) of a Jewish man and woman for having committed illegal sexual intercourse. - Abu Hurairah states that the Prophet, in a case of intercourse between a young man and a married woman, sentenced the woman to stoning and the young man to flogging and banishment for a year; - Umar al-Khattab asserts that there was a revelation to the effect that those who are muhsan (i.e. an adult, free, Muslim who has previously enjoyed legitimate sexual relations in matrimony regardless of whether the marriage still exists) and have unlawful intercourse are to be punished with stoning. Homosexuality and zina “If two men among you are guilty of lewdness, punish them both. If they repent and amend, Leave them alone; for Allah is Oft-returning, Most Merciful.” Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: The Prophet said: If you find anyone doing as Lot's people did, kill the one who does it, and the one to whom it is done. Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: If a man who is not married is seized committing sodomy, he will be stoned to death. Inclusions of the zināʾ definition Zināʾ encompasses extramarital sex (between a married Muslim man and a married Muslim woman who are not married to one another), and premarital sex (between unmarried Muslim man and unmarried Muslim woman). In Islamic history, zina also included sex between Muslim man with a non-Muslim female slave, when the slave was not owned by that Muslim man. Zina also includes homosexuality, sodomy (liwat) - zoophilia as well as any type of heterosexual sex between a man and a woman that does not involve penetration of penis into vagina. Sharia, in describing zina, differentiates between an unmarried Muslim, a married Muslim (Muhsan) and non-Muslim slave (Ma malakat aymanukum). The last two must be lethally stoned (rajm), while an unmarried Muslim must receive public lashing. Heavy petting, kissing, caressing, masturbation and any form of sexual intimacy between individuals who are not married to each other are all considered a form of zina. There is some disagreement between Islamic scholars on the nature of zina and the kind of Sharia-required punishment for sexual acts between husband and wife such as oral sex, mutual masturbation, and they having sex when sharia forbids sex to them such as during religious fasting, hajj and when the wife is having her menstrual period. Abu Hanifah and Malik, and the two major fiqhs named after them, use the Principle of Najassah to argue irregular sex such as oral sex between husband and wife are abominable and disapproved (makruh) because it leads to impurity (Hadath-Akbar, حدث أکبر). Accusation process and punishment - A confession by a Muslim of zināʾ. However, the person has a right to retract his/her confession; if confession is retracted, he/she is not punishable for zina (barring the presence of four male Muslim witnesses), or - The woman is pregnant but not married, or - The testimony of four reliable Muslim adult male eyewitnesses, all of whom must have witnessed the penetration at the same time. “If any of your women are guilty of lewdness, Take the evidence of four (Reliable) witnesses from amongst you against them; and if they testify, confine them to houses until death do claim them, or Allah ordain for them some (other) way.” The four witnesses requirement for zina, that applies in case of an accusation against man or woman, is also revealed by Quranic verses 24:11 through 24:13 and various hadiths. Some Islamic scholars state that the requirement of four male eyewitnesses was to address zina in public. There is disagreement between Islamic scholars on whether female eyewitnesses are acceptable witnesses in cases of zina (for other crimes, sharia considers two female witnesses equal the witness of one male). In Sunni fiqhs of Islam, female Muslims, child and non-Muslim witnesses of zina are not acceptable. Any uninvolved Muslim witness, or victim of non-consensual sexual intercourse, who accuses a Muslim of zina, but fails to produce four adult, pious male eyewitnesses (Tazikyah-al-shuhood) before a sharia court, commits the crime of false accusation (Qadhf, القذف), punishable with eighty lashes in public. Confession and four witness-based prosecutions of zina are rare. Most cases of prosecutions are when the woman becomes pregnant, or when she has been raped, seeks justice and the sharia authorities charge her for zina, instead of duly investigating the rapist. Some fiqhs (schools of Islamic jurisprudence) created the principle of shubha (doubt), wherein there would be no zina charges if a Muslim man claims he believed he was having sex with a woman he was married to or with a woman he owned as a slave. All Sunni schools of jurisprudence agree that zināʾ is to be punished with lethal stoning if the offender is a married Muslim (muhsan). The punishment for zina by a muhsan is a hundred lashes followed by stoning to death in public. Persons who are not muhsan (unmarried Muslim) are punished for zina with one hundred lashes in public, but their life is spared. Pregnancy of an unmarried woman is regarded as evidence of zina. Maliki school of Islamic jurisprudence considers pregnancy as sufficient and automatic evidence. Other Sunni schools of jurisprudence rely on early Islamic scholars that state that a fetus can "sleep and stop developing for 5 years in a womb", and thus a woman who was previously married but now divorced may not have committed zina even if she delivers a baby years after her divorce. These alternate fiqhs of Sunni Islam consider pregnancy of a never married woman as evidence of her committing the crime of zina. The position of modern Islamic scholars, however, varies from country to country. For example, in Malaysia which officially follows the non-Maliki Shafi'i fiqh, Section 23(2) through 23(4) of the Syariah (Sharia) Criminal Offences (Federal Territories) Act 1997 state, Section 23(2) - Any woman who performs sexual intercourse with a man who is not her lawful husband shall be guilty of an offence and shall on conviction be liable to a fine not exceeding five thousand ringgit or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or to whipping not exceeding six strokes or to any combination thereof. Section 23(3) - The fact that a woman is pregnant out of wedlock as a result of sexual intercourse performed with her consent shall be prima facie evidence of the commission of an offence under subsection (2) by that woman. Section 23(4) - For the purpose of subsection (3), any woman who gives birth to a fully developed child within a period of six qamariah months from the date of her marriage shall be deemed to have been pregnant out of wedlock. — Islamic Laws of Malaysia The Malikis do not require Ihsan for the imposition of stoning. According to the Hanafis, homosexual intercourse can only be punished on the strength of tazir. Minimal proof for zināʾ is still the testimony of four male eyewitnesses, even in the case of homosexual intercourse. Again, minimal proof for zināʾ is the testimony of four male eyewitnesses. The Shi'is, however, also allow the testimony of women, if there is at least one male witness, testifying together with six women. All witnesses must have seen the act in its most intimate details, i.e. the penetration (like “a stick disappearing in a kohl container,” as the fiqh books specify). If their testimonies do not satisfy the requirements, they can be sentenced to eighty lashes for unfounded accusation of fornication (kadhf). If the accused freely admits the offense, the confession must be repeated four times, just as in Sunni practice. Pregnancy of a single woman is also sufficient evidence of her having committed zina. Human rights controversy Hundreds of women in Afghan jails are victims of rape or domestic violence. This has been criticized as leading to "hundreds of incidents where a woman subjected to rape, or gang rape, was eventually accused of zināʾ" and incarcerated, which is defended as punishment ordained by God. In Pakistan, over 200,000 zina cases against women, under its Hudood laws, were under process at various levels in Pakistan's legal system in 2005. In addition to thousands of women in prison awaiting trial for zina-related charges, there has been a severe reluctance to even report rape because the victim fears of being charged with zina. Zina laws are one of many items of reform and secularization debate with respect to Islam. In early 20th century, under the influence of colonial era, many penal laws and criminal justice systems were reformed away from Sharia in Muslim-majority parts of the world. In contrast, in the second half of 20th century, after respective independence, governments from Pakistan to Morocco, Malaysia to Iran have reverted to Sharia with traditional interpretations of Islam’s sacred texts. Zina and hudud laws have been re-enacted and enforced. Contemporary human right activists refer this as a new phase in the politics of gender in Islam, the battle between forces of traditionalism and modernism in the Muslim world, and the use of religious texts of Islam through state laws to sanction and practice gender-based violence. In contrast to human rights activists, Islamic scholars and Islamist political parties consider 'universal human rights' arguments as imposition of a non-Muslim culture on Muslim people, a disrespect of customary cultural practices and sexual codes that are central to Islam. Zina laws come under hudud — seen as crime against Allah; the Islamists refer to this pressure and proposals to reform zina and other laws as ‘contrary to Islam’. Attempts by international human rights to reform religious laws and codes of Islam has become the Islamist rallying platforms during political campaigns. - Islamic sexual jurisprudence - Sex and the law - Nikah urfi - Nikah mut‘ah - Ma malakat aymanukum and sex - R. Peters, Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman et al., Brill, ISBN 978-9004161214, see article on Zinā - Muḥammad Salīm ʻAwwā (1982), Punishment in Islamic Law: A Comparative Study, American Trust Publications, ISBN 978-0892590155 - Sakah Saidu Mahmud (2013), Sharia or Shura: Contending Approaches to Muslim Politics in Nigeria and Senegal, Lexington, ISBN 978-0739175644, Chapter 3 - Ursula Smartt, Honour Killings Justice of the Peace, Vol. 170, January 2006, pp. 4-6 - Z. Mir-Hosseini (2011), Criminalizing sexuality: zina laws as violence against women in Muslim contexts, Int'l Journal on Human Rights, 15, 7-16 - Camilla Adang (2003), Ibn Hazam on Homosexuality, Al Qantara, Vol. 25, No. 1, pp. 5-31 - Z. Mir-Hosseini (2011), Criminalizing sexuality: zina laws as violence against women in Muslim contexts, SUR-Int'l Journal on Human Rights, 8(15), pp 7-33 - M. S. Sujimon (2003), Istilḥāq and Its Role in Islamic Law, Arab Law Quarterly, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp 117-143 - Ali, Kecia (2010). Marriage and slavery in early Islam. USA: Harvard University Press. pp. 161–172.; - Haeri, Shahla (1989). Law of Desire: Temporary Marriage in Shi'i Iran. Syracuse University Press. pp. 24–32. ISBN 978-0815624837. Quote: Sexual intercourse with one's own slave girl continued to be legitimate until recently in most Islamic societies. Slave ownership should not be confused with slave marriage. Slave marriage involves marriage of a slave with another person, with the permission of the slave master. Marriage is not necessary between a male slave owner and his female slaves. His ownership entitles him to a right of intercourse. - Julie Chadbourne (1999), Never wear your shoes after midnight: Legal trends under the Pakistan Zina Ordinance, Wisconsin International Law Journal, Vol. 17, pp. 179-234 - Kecia Ali (2006), Sexual Ethics and Islam, ISBN 978-1851684564, Chapter 4 - M. Tamadonfar (2001), Islam, law, and political control in contemporary Iran, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 40(2): 205-220 - A. Quraishi (1999), Her honour: an Islamic critique of the rape provisions in Pakistan's ordinance on zina, Islamic studies, Vol. 38, No. 3, pp. 403-431 - Joseph Schacht, An Introduction to Islamic Law (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1973), pp. 176-183 - Peters, Rudolph (2006). Crime and Punishment in Islamic Law: : Theory and Practice from the Sixteenth to the Twenty-First Century. Cambridge University Press. p. 63. ISBN 978-0521796705. - DeLong-Bas, Wahhabi Islam, 2004: 89-90 - "Zina meaning and name origin". thinkbabynames.com. Retrieved 16 September 2014. - Reza Aslan (2004), "The Problem of Stoning in the Islamic Penal Code: An Argument for Reform", UCLA Journal of Islamic and Near East Law, Vol 3, No. 1, pp. 91-119 - Quran 17:32 - Quran 24:2 - Quran 24:4–5 - Ziba Mir-Hosseini (2001), Marriage on Trial: A Study of Islamic Family Law, ISBN 978-1860646089, pp. 140-223 - Hina Azam (2012), Rape as a Variant of Fornication (Zina) in Islamic Law: An Examination of the Early Legal Reports, Journal of Law & Religion, Volume 28, 441-459 - Sahih al-Bukhari, 2:23:413 - Understanding Islamic Law By Raj Bhala, LexisNexis, May 24, 2011 - Stephen O. Murray and Will Roscoe (1997), Islamic Homosexualities: Culture, History, and Literature, ISBN 978-0814774687, New York University Press, pp. 88-94 - Quran 4:16 - Mohamed S. El-Awa (1993), Punishment In Islamic Law, American Trust Publications, ISBN 978-0892591428 - The sunnah and surah describe the Lot's people in context of homosexuality and sodomy such as any form of sex between a man and woman that does not involve penetration of man's penis in woman's vagina. - Sharia allows sex between married or unmarried Muslim man and any slaves he owns, without the slave's consent. - Jan Otto, Sharia Incorporated, Leiden University Press, ISBN 978-9087280574 - What constitutes Zina? Universiti Sains Isam Malaysia (2002) - Quran 23:5–7 - Quran 2:222 - Sahih Muslim, 17:4194 - Quran 4:15 - Quran 24:13, Kerby Anderson (2007), Islam, Harvest House ISBN 978-0736921176, pp. 87-88 - Al-Muwatta, 36 19.17, Al-Muwatta, 36 19.18, Al-Muwatta, 41 1.7 - A. Engineer (2004), The Rights of Women in Islam, 3rd Edition, ISBN 978-8120739338, pp. 80-86 - J. Campo (2009), Encyclopedia of Islam, ISBN 978-0816054541, pp. 13-14 - R. Mehdi (1997), The offence of rape in the Islamic law of Pakistan, Women Living under Muslim Laws: Dossier, 18, pp. 98-108 - A.S. Sidahmed (2001), Problems in contemporary applications of Islamic criminal sanctions: The penalty for adultery in relation to women, British journal of middle eastern studies, 28(2): 187-204 - F. Vogel, Marriage and Slavery in Early Islam. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press - JANSEN, W. (2000), Sleeping in the Womb: Protracted Pregnancies in the Maghreb, The Muslim World, n. 90, p. 218-237 - Laws of Malaysia SYARIAH CRIMINAL OFFENCES (FEDERAL TERRITORIES) ACT 1997, Government of Malaysia - CEDAW and Malaysia Women's Aid Organization, United Nations Report (April 2012), page 83-85 - Pakistan Human Rights Watch (2005) - Afghanistan - Moral Crimes Human Rights Watch (2012); Quote "Some women and girls have been convicted of zina, sex outside of marriage, after being raped or forced into prostitution. Zina is a crime under Afghan law, punishable by up to 15 years in prison." - Ziba Mir-Hosseini (2011), Criminalizing sexuality: zina laws as violence against women in Muslim contexts, SUR - Int'l Journal on Human Rights, 15, pp. 7-31 - Haideh Moghissi (2005), Women and Islam: Part 4 Women, sexuality and sexual politics in Islamic cultures, Taylor & Francis, ISBN 0-415-32420-3 - KUGLE (2003), Sexuality, diversity and ethics in the agenda of progressive Muslims, In: SAFI, O. (Ed.). Progressive Muslims: On Justice, Gender, and Pluralism, Oxford: Oneworld. pp. 190-234 - LAU, M. (2007), Twenty-Five Years of Hudood Ordinances: A Review, Washington and Lee Law Review, n. 64, pp. 1291-1314 - National Commission on the status of women's report on Hudood Ordinance 1979 - Rahat Imran (2005), Legal Injustices: The Zina Hudood Ordinance of Pakistan and Its Implications for Women, Journal of International Women's Studies, Vol. 7, Issue 2, pp 78-100 - BAGHI, E. (2007) The Bloodied Stone: Execution by Stoning International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran - End Executions by Stoning - An Appeal AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, 15 Jan 2010 - Rehman J. (2007), The sharia, Islamic family laws and international human rights law: Examining the theory and practice of polygamy and talaq, International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family, 21(1), pp. 108-127 - SAFWAT (1982), Offences and Penalties in Islamic Law. Islamic Quarterly, vol. 26, no. 3, pp. 149-181 - Weiss A. M. (2003), Interpreting Islam and women's rights implementing CEDAW in Pakistan, International Sociology, 18(3), pp. 581-601 - KAMALI (1998), Punishment in Islamic Law: A Critique of the Hudud Bill of Kelantan Malaysia, Arab Law Quarterly, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 203-234 - QURAISHI, A (1996), Her Honor: An Islamic Critique of the Rape Laws of Pakistan from a Woman-Sensitive Perspective, Michigan Journal of International Law, vol. 18, pp. 287-320 - A. SAJOO (1999), Islam and Human Rights: Congruence or Dichotomy, Temple International and Comparative Law Journal, vol. 4, pp. 23-34 - K. ALI (2003), Progressive Muslims and Islamic Jurisprudence: The Necessity for Critical Engagement with Marriage and Divorce Law, In: SAFI, O. (Ed.). Progressive Muslims: On Justice, Gender, and Pluralism, Oxford: Oneworld, pp. 163-189 - DeLong-Bas, Natana J. (2004). Wahhabi Islam: From Revival and Reform to Global Jihad (First ed.). New York: Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 0-19-516991-3. - Calder, Norman, Colin Imber, and R. Gleave. Islamic Jurisprudence in the Classical Era. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge UP, 2010. - Johnson, Toni, and Lauren Vriens, "Islam: Governing Under Sharia.", Council on Foreign Relations. Council on Foreign Relations, Inc., 24 Oct. 2011. Web. 19 Nov. 2011. - Karamah: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights, "Zina, Rape, and Islamic Law: An Islamic Legal Analysis of the Rape Laws in Pakistan." 26 Nov. 2011. - Khan, Shahnaz. "Locating The Feminist Voice: The Debate On The Zina Ordinance." Feminist Studies 30.3 (2004): 660-685. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Nov. 2011. - McAuliffe, Jane Dammen. The Cambridge Companion to the Qurʼān. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2006 - Peters, R. "Zinā or Zināʾ (a.)." Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Edited by: P. Bearman;, Th. Bianquis;, C.E. Bosworth;, E. van Donzel; and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2011. Brill Online. UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN. 17 November 2011 - Peters, R. "The Islamization of criminal law: A comparative analysis", in WI, xxxiv (1994), 246-74. - Quraishi, Asifa. "Islamic Legal Analysis of Zina Punishment of Bariya Ibrahim Magazu, Zamfara, Nigeria." Muslim Women's League. Muslim Women's League, 20 Jan. 2001 - Zina prosecution in Katsina State, Northern Nigeria Proceedings and Judgments in the Amina Lawal Case (2002) - Sharia Law - False Accusation Under Islamic Law - Articles and Opinions: American Muslims need to speak out against violations of Islamic Shariah law (Asma Society) - Understanding Islamic Law: From Classical to Contemporary - Zina Chapter, p. 43, at Google Books, Hisham M. Ramadan - Afghanistan: Surge in Women Jailed for ‘Moral Crimes’ Zina in Afghanistan, Human Rights Watch (May 21 2013) - Yet another case of stoning; Sudan women continue to be caught up in the chaos Zina victims, Sudan Tribune (2012) - MAURITANIA: Justice not working for rape victims Zina in Mauritania, IRIN Africa, United Nations - Mukhtar Mai - history of a rape case, Pakistan, BBC News - Fate of another royal found guilty of adultery Zina in Saudi Arabia, The Independent (2009), UK - Zina, Evidence and Stoning Punishment The Independent (September 2013)

powered by AFI Based on the rags-to-riches life of real-life comedienne Fanny Brice, Funny Girl follows Fanny's life as a young ugly duckling from New York's Lower East Side to a headlining star with the Ziegfeld Follies. Hired into the Follies as a singer, Fanny (Barbra Streisand) causes a sensation with her immense talent and becomes one of Broadway's brightest stars. She meets and marries the man of her dreams, the charming gambler Nicky Arnstein (Omar Sharif). As Fanny's star rises, however, Nicky has trouble dealing with her success. His shady business dealings begin catching up with him and Fanny must face the possibility of life without him. Director: William Wyler Musical Numbers Director: Herbert Ross Assistant Director: Jack Roe, Ray Gosnell Producer: Ray Stark Screenplay: Isobel Lennart (Based on the stage musical Funny Girl, music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Bob Merrill, book by Isobel Lennart) Art Direction: Gene Callahan (Production Designer), Robert Luthardt (Art Director) Cinematography: Harry Stradling Editing: Robert Swink, Maury Winetrobe, William Sands Set Decoration: William Kiernan, Richard M. Rubin Costume Designer: Irene Sharaff Cast: Barbra Streisand (Fanny Brice), Omar Sharif (Nick Arnstein), Kay Medford (Rose Brice), Anne Francis (Georgia James), Walter Pidgeon (Florenz Ziegfeld), Lee Allen (Eddie Ryan), Mae Questel (Mrs. Strakosh), Gerald Mohr (Branca), Frank Faylen (Keeney), Mittie Lawrence (Emma), Gertrude Flynn (Mrs. O'Malley), Penny Santon (Mrs. Meeker), John Harmon (Company Manager). C-154m. Letterboxed. Closed Captioning. Why FUNNY GIRL is Essential It's hard to imagine a time when anyone didn't know who Barbra Streisand was, but Funny Girl introduced her to the world with her unforgettable first line, "Hello, gorgeous!" The film marked Streisand's big screen debut in a role that couldn't have been more perfectly suited to her. Funny Girl gave her a chance to showcase her immense talents as a singer, comedienne and a dramatic actress. It couldn't have been a more auspicious feature film debut. Streisand became an instant movie star and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her funny and heartbreaking performance. Streisand managed to do what many Broadway greats like Ethel Merman and Mary Martin had not been able to: successfully transition from a career on the musical stage to a career as a leading lady in films. Even though Streisand had caused a sensation with her portrayal of Brice on Broadway, many didn't believe that she had the looks to be a movie star. Streisand, however, proved them all wrong and showed that a girl with an unconventional face could still be a box office draw and beautiful in her own way. While Funny Girl established Barbra Streisand as a superstar, it also confirmed her reputation as "difficult" that has followed her to this day. As a perfectionist, Streisand often found herself locking horns with producer Ray Stark and other crew members during the making of Funny Girl despite the fact that she was a film neophyte. Love her or hate her, however, there is no denying Streisand's immense talent that comes through in every frame of Funny Girl. Funny Girl marked the first and only musical ever made by the legendary director William Wyler. Wyler, who had won Academy Awards for directing such films as Mrs. Miniver (1942), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), and Ben-Hur (1959), was 65 years old and hard of hearing when Funny Girl came his way. Not one to back down from a challenge, Wyler tackled the project head-on and Funny Girl wound up being one of the top grossing box office films of 1968 and garnering eight Academy Award nominations including Best Picture. "If Beethoven could write his Eroica Symphony stone deaf," Wyler said to producer Ray Stark, "then William Wyler can do a musical." by Andrea Passafiume Funny Girl (1968) Funny Girl was followed by a sequel in 1975 called Funny Lady. It picked up with Fanny Brice's later life with second husband Billy Rose and starred Barbra Streisand and James Caan. It was directed by Herbert Ross, who staged the musical numbers in Funny Girl. While it was disappointing to most critics and moviegoers compared to Funny Girl, the sequel still did solid business. The original Broadway show of Funny Girl opened March 26, 1964 and ran for 1348 performances. It was nominated for eight Tony Awards. On September 23, 2002 a one-night-only concert performance of Funny Girl was given at New York's New Amsterdam Theatre as a benefit for the Actors' Fund. It featured performers such as Kristin Chenoweth, Sutton Foster, Ana Gasteyer and Jane Krakowski singing various songs from the show. In 1968 Diana Ross and the Supremes released an album of cover songs from Funny Girl called Diana Ross and the Supremes Sing and Perform Funny Girl. It was not a hit and turned out to be the lowest ranking album ever released by The Supremes. It is a hard to find recording and has never been released on CD. Barbra Streisand released a single of the song "People" written by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill in January 1964 and it peaked at number 5 on the Billboard charts. It was Streisand's first Top 40 hit. The song "People" from both the Broadway show and movie version of Funny Girl has been recorded numerous times by artist such as Jack Jones and Perry Como. Singer Bobby Darin recorded a version of the Funny Girl song "Don't Rain on My Parade" in 1966. This version was used in the trailer for Steven Spielberg's 2002 film Catch Me If You Can starring Leonardo DiCaprio. by Andrea Passafiume Funny Girl (1968) The producer of Funny Girl, Ray Stark, was married to the only daughter of Fanny Brice and Nick Arnstein, Frances. Anne Bancroft and Carol Burnett were both considered to play Fanny Brice in the Broadway production of Funny Girl before Barbra Streisand came on board. Barbra Streisand gave her famous concert in New York's Central Park while in preparations for Funny Girl. The concert was filmed in June 1967 and aired on television titled A Happening in Central Park a year later. While director William Wyler and Barbra Streisand were shooting the scene in a train station where Fanny sings "Don't Rain on My Parade," Streisand tried to convince Wyler to let her make an entrance like Greta Garbo in the 1935 film Anna Karenina. According to the 1995 William Wyler biography A Talent for Trouble: The Life of Hollywood's Most Acclaimed Director William Wyler, Streisand said, "Willie, I have this idea. Why don't we do a takeoff on Garbo's entrance in Anna Karenina. You know, because I had to appear in the train doorway...Let's put smoke in the shot and I'll appear at the top of the stairs and I'll cough through the smoke and come down the steps." Wyler, according to Streisand, said no. Barbra Streisand tied with Katharine Hepburn for Best Actress - a first in the history of the Academy Awards. Ingrid Bergman presented Barbra Streisand with the Academy Award for Best Actress on April 14, 1969. Aretha Franklin sang the song "Funny Girl" at the Academy Awards ceremony, which was nominated for Best Original Song. Assuming that Barbra Streisand, a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, voted for herself as Best Actress, it would mean that her vote caused her to tie with Katharine Hepburn. The accounting firm of Price Waterhouse confirmed that they counted and re-counted the votes, and it was an exact tie. Barbra Streisand wore a wig from her film On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970) to the Academy Awards when she accepted the Best Actress Oscar® for Funny Girl. While she was filming Funny Girl in California, Barbra Streisand along with husband Elliott Gould and 6-month-old son Jason rented a house once owned by Greta Garbo. Sidney Lumet was the original director of Funny Girl, but he left the project due to "creative differences." According to the 1985 book Barbra Streisand: The Woman, the Myth, the Music by Shaun Considine, composer Jule Styne was unhappy with the orchestrations in the film version of Funny Girl. "I was upset with the orchestrations for the entire movie," he is quoted as saying. "They were going for pop arrangements...They dropped eight songs from the Broadway show and we were asked to write some new ones. They didn't want to go with success. It was the old-fashioned MGM Hollywood way of doing a musical. They always change things to their way of vision, and they always do it wrong. But, of all my musicals they screwed up, Funny Girl came out the best." Co-stars Barbra Streisand and Omar Sharif had an affair during the making of Funny Girl which Sharif details in his 1976 autobiography The Eternal Male. Later he told Rex Reed, "She's a monster. I had nothing to do but stand around. But she's a fascinating monster. Sometimes I just stood on the sidelines and watched her. I think her biggest problem is that she wants to be a woman and she wants to be beautiful and she is neither." Funny Girl had its first sneak preview in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The songs "My Man," "Second Hand Rose" and "I'd Rather Be Blue" from Funny Girl were all closely associated with the real Fanny Brice. According to many sources, Barbra Streisand's reputation as a self-absorbed diva began partly as a result of a party thrown for her by producer Ray Stark. Stark wanted to introduce Streisand to his powerful Hollywood friends before shooting began on Funny Girl. She reportedly not only showed up very late, but she also spent the entire time at the party holed up in a single room forcing anyone who wanted to meet her to come to her. Stark's guests found her rude, aloof and arrogant for keeping them waiting. Streisand claimed that she was just shy about meeting them. Barbra Streisand's third television special The Belle of 14th Street aired on October 11, 1967 while she was in the midst of filming Funny Girl. Arnold Scaasi designed Barbra Streisand's infamous eyebrow-raising see-through outfit that she wore to the Academy Awards the night she won Best Actress for Funny Girl. "The outfit seemed see-through," he said, "but it wasn't really. It was underlined with nude-colored georgette crepe. There were pockets over the bosom with double and triple fabric if you look closely at the outfit there's nothing indecent about it at all. But none of us considered what would happen under glaring lights, or when the flashbulbs went off. The lights eliminated the black net covering [and] made it seem that you were seeing Barbra's skin." When designer Arnold Scaasi tried to defend his design for Streisand's sexy Academy Awards outfit he explained, "What I tried to do was present Barbra as the modern young woman she was. Young girls were wearing things like that all over the world. Barbra had an older image because of Funny Girl, but this night she could be herself, her own person, youthful and current." Herbert Ross, who staged the musical numbers in Funny Girl, went on to direct Barbra Streisand in two films: The Owl and the Pussycat (1970) and the sequel to Funny Girl, Funny Lady (1975). Columbia restored the film negative of Funny Girl for the DVD release in 2001. The process took a painstaking three years. Famous Quotes from FUNNY GIRL FANNY BRICE (Barbra Streisand): (looking in the mirror) Hello, gorgeous. FANNY: You think beautiful girls are going to stay stars forever? I should say not! Any minute now they're going to be out! Finished! Then it'll be my turn! NICK ARNSTEIN (Omar Sharif): I'd be happy to wait while you change. FANNY: I'd have to change too much, nobody could wait that long. FANNY: Where I come from, when two people... well, sort of love each other... oh, never mind. NICK: Well? What do they do when they "sort of love each other"? FANNY: Well, one of them says, "Why don't we get married?" FANNY: Yeah, and sometimes it's even the man. FANNY: You could get lonesome being that free. NICK: You could get lonesome being that busy. FANNY: Now who'd think to look at you and me and see we got the same problem! FANNY: He's a gentleman. A gentleman fits in anyplace. ROSE BRICE (Kay Medford): A sponge fits in any place. ROSE BRICE: When you look at him, you only see what you want to see. FANNY: I see him as he is. I love him as he is! ROSE BRICE: Fanny. Love him a little less. Help him a little more. FANNY: I'm a bagel on a plate full of onion rolls! NICK: Goodbye, funny girl. ROSE BRICE: What kind of mother would name a boy Florence? EDDIE RYAN (Lee Allen): It's Florenz-zzz. ROSE BRICE: What kind of mother would name a boy Florenz-zzzzzz? FANNY: "No law against waiting," I said, "people do it all the time." For once, I didn't say too much, I didn't say too little, I said just what I said and then walked. FLORENZ ZIEGFELD (Walter Pidgeon): Miss Brice, do I have to remind you this is my theatre? FANNY: So, what, nobody argues with the landlord? FANNY: Flo! Flo, quit yelling or your ulcer will flare up. ZIEGFELD: That's funny coming from you, you gave me that ulcer! FANNY: If I can't tell when you're ordering roast beef and potatoes, how will I know when you're making advances? NICK: You'll know. I'll be much more direct. Compiled by Andrea Passafiume Funny Girl (1968) Producer Ray Stark wanted to bring the story of comedienne Fanny Brice to the big screen since her death in 1951. He had always been fascinated by the story of the ordinary looking girl with the big talent who came from nothing to become one of show business' biggest stars. Stark had another unique interest in the project: he was married to Fanny Brice's only daughter, Frances. Stark had commissioned an authorized biography to be written about his famous mother-in-law before she died in 1951. Brice was in the midst of dictating her memoirs to help with the book when she passed away. With her death, the rights to Brice's life story fell into Stark's hands. When he saw a draft of the biography that he had commissioned, however, he was not happy with it and reportedly bought the printers' plates for $50,000 in order to keep it from being published. Instead, he commissioned writer Ben Hecht to work on a screenplay depicting Brice's life. He also reportedly purchased the rights to other treatments and screenplays that other studios had in the works about Brice to ensure that his project reached the public first. Not satisfied with Hecht's script, Stark had other writers take a stab at the Fanny Brice story. It reportedly went through at least 10 different versions before writer Isobel Lennart came up with a script she titled My Man, named after one of Brice's most famous signature songs. Stark considered making the Fanny Brice project into a motion picture right away. Columbia even offered him $400,000 for the rights to My Man, but Stark turned them down. He knew that the project had great potential, but had come to believe that it stood a better chance for success if it began as a stage musical. "Books are the most personal form," said Stark at the time, "plays open up more, and films are worlds unto themselves. It seemed wise to open it halfway as a trial before going the whole way with a film and also to be able to view a 'dry run' for a film." With music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Bob Merrill and a book by Isobel Lennart, the stage musical, re-titled Funny Girl, opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on March 26, 1964 starring a 22-year-old powerhouse talent from Brooklyn named Barbra Streisand. Streisand had already appeared on Broadway in a featured role as Miss Marmelstein in the 1962 production of I Can Get It for You Wholesale and had won two Grammy awards for her 1963 debut album The Barbra Streisand Album. Funny Girl had originally been slated for actress Anne Bancroft to star in, but composer Jule Styne had seen Streisand in I Can Get It For You Wholesale and was knocked out by her. Styne later admitted that after hearing Streisand, he wrote the score with her specifically in mind. While Streisand was singing a nightly gig at the Bon Soir, a Greenwich Village nightclub, Ray Stark went to see her and knew instantly that she was the perfect person to play Fanny Brice. The Funny Girl stage musical was a smash and made Barbra a Broadway star. She continued to appear in Funny Girl for over a year. With the stage musical of Funny Girl a proven success, Ray Stark believed it was time to make the film version of it. The screenplay went through several revisions, with final credit going to original writer Isobel Lennart. Eight songs were dropped from the original Broadway score. Gone were "The Music That Makes Me Dance," "Cornet Man" and "I Want to Be Seen with You." In their place several new songs were added, including "Roller Skate Rag," "I'd Rather Be Blue Over You," and one of Fanny Brice's signature songs, "My Man." For Ray Stark, it was a given that Barbra Streisand would reprise her role as Fanny Brice for the movie version of Funny Girl. "There was no question about who would do the movie," said Stark. "I just felt she was too much a part of Fanny, and Fanny was too much a part of Barbra to have it go to someone else." Some studio executives at Columbia, however, were not so sure. While it was clear that Streisand could command Broadway, movie audiences didn't know her. She had never acted in a feature film before, much less starred in one. Besides, she didn't have the traditionally beautiful looks of a movie star. Broadway was one thing, but how would Streisand look magnified forty feet wide? There was too much at stake. Columbia wanted Shirley MacLaine. Ray Stark balked. It would be Streisand, he said, or there would be no movie of Funny Girl. Finally, Columbia agreed. Stark signed Barbra Streisand to a four picture deal with his company Rastar Productions. It was an unprecedented demonstration of faith in someone who had never made a single movie before. Streisand became the talk of Hollywood. Who was this girl? Could she really pull this off? Funny Girl would make or break Streisand's film career. Other Broadway greats like Ethel Merman and Mary Martin had tried to make the transition to the silver screen and failed. Streisand was determined to prove that she was a movie star. Her career had been slowly gaining momentum since she had appeared on Broadway by doing concerts, television specials and records. When her first film was finally released, Streisand didn't want it to be just good. She needed it to be great. Stark had to find a director for Funny Girl. Streisand wanted someone strong who could command her respect and draw the best performance out of her. Mike Nichols, George Roy Hill, and Gene Kelly were all considered. Ultimately, however, Stark signed Sidney Lumet to direct Funny Girl. Lumet didn't last long on the production, however. Six months into preparations for the film, Lumet bowed out of the project, citing the ever vague "creative differences." Stark next approached legendary director William Wyler about taking over. Wyler had directed some of the best films to come out of Hollywood and had earned three Academy Awards for Best Director for his work on Mrs. Miniver (1942), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) and Ben-Hur (1959). Wyler not only had a proven track record of making excellent films, he also had a knack for demanding and getting great performances from talented actresses who had been labeled "difficult" such as Bette Davis and Margaret Sullavan. Four women (Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Audrey Hepburn, and Greer Garson) had won the Academy Award for Best Actress under his direction. He would be perfect to direct someone like Barbra Streisand. When Stark told Streisand that he was considering Wyler, she had never heard of him. When he gave her a list of Wyler's films and told her that he had won the Academy Award recently for directing Ben-Hur, she reportedly said, "Chariots! How is he with people, like women? Is he any good with actresses?" At first, Wyler said no. He was interested in the project, but had never directed a musical before and at the age of 65, Wyler wasn't sure he could do it. Wyler also suffered from significant hearing loss which he thought could affect his judgment on a musical. According to Wyler's wife Margaret "Talli" Tallichet, his brother Robert pushed him to take the job. "Bob thought it was a terrific property," said Talli according to the 1995 book A Talent for Trouble: The Life of Hollywood's Most Acclaimed Director William Wyler. "He just smelled it was going to be really something. He was very high on Barbra and the whole project." In the end it was Barbra Streisand that convinced Wyler to do Funny Girl along with the challenge of doing the kind of film that he had never done before. "What captivated me was of course, Barbra," Wyler is quoted in his 1973 authorized biography by Axel Madsen, "and my principal concern was to present her under the best possible conditions as a new star and a new personality. She was terribly eager, like Bette Davis used to be, to do different and new things. She wanted everything to be the very best. The same as I do." He was also interested in helping establish her as the movie star she wanted to be. "I wouldn't have done the picture without her," he said. "She's an interesting performer and represented a challenge for me because she's never been in films, and she's not the usual glamour girl." As for William Wyler's hearing loss that he feared would be a problem on Funny Girl, he decided to face that challenge head on, too. "If Beethoven could write his Eroica Symphony stone deaf," he reportedly told producer Ray Stark, "then William Wyler can do a musical." Wyler moved into an office on the Columbia Studios lot to work on Funny Girl and announced to the press, "When I've completed this one, I will be a man who has done everything in the making of all kinds of motion pictures." First rate choreographer Herbert Ross was hired to stage the musical numbers in Funny Girl. Ross had worked with Barbra Streisand once before in the Broadway production of I Can Get It for You Wholesale, for which he also staged the musical numbers. It took quite awhile to find the right leading man to play Nick Arnstein opposite Streisand. Funny Girl was clearly Streisand's show, and it wasn't easy to convince an established star to play second fiddle to a newcomer. Marlon Brando and Gregory Peck both turned it down. Sean Connery and James Garner were considered. According to composer Jule Styne, Frank Sinatra was interested in playing Arnstein if the role was expanded and some new songs were added for him. "I wanted Frank," said Styne. "What a powerhouse bill that would be. Streisand and Sinatra together...I called Ray Stark. Ray said Sinatra was too old, that they needed someone with more class. So who do they pick? Omar Sharif, who couldn't sing and was an Arab. You figure it out. That's Hollywood." Omar Sharif had made his mark in Hollywood in films such as Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Doctor Zhivago (1965). The dashing Egyptian actor was certainly handsome enough to play Arnstein, but no one ever thought of Sharif until William Wyler noticed him having lunch in the Columbia Studios commissary. As Sharif describes in his 1976 autobiography The Eternal Male: My Own Story, "They were getting ready to do Funny Girl and...were looking for a co-star. That wasn't such an easy assignment. The screenplay was built around Barbra. What actor would agree to play her straight man? Fanny Brice sang, cracked jokes, fascinated the audiences; Nick Arnstein...had to content himself with giving her cues and looking good in a tuxedo...Apparently it was no cinch to find an actor who could look relaxed in a tuxedo. I just happened to be one of those rare individuals, something that started people in the studio canteen joking: 'Why not Omar Sharif?'" Streisand, who had some say in who would be her leading man, was charmed by Sharif. According to writer Arthur Laurents, "Ray Stark told me that Sharif came in, oozing continental charm. Then Omar bowed elegantly, kissed Barbra's hand, and told her, 'In America you are the woman I have most wanted to meet.' Naturally, he got the part." Rounding out the cast was Anne Francis in a small role as an aging Ziegfeld girl, Kay Medford in a reprisal of her Broadway role as Fanny's mother Rose, and movie veteran Walter Pidgeon as the great Florenz Ziegfeld. With husband Elliott Gould and six month-old baby son Jason in tow, the New York-based Streisand flew to California on May 2, 1967 to begin preparations for Funny Girl. It would be the defining role of her career. by Andrea Passafiume Funny Girl (1968) William Wyler, Herbert Ross and the cast of Funny Girl rehearsed for weeks during the summer of 1967 at Columbia Studios in Hollywood. Almost immediately Omar Sharif found himself at the center of a controversy that nearly got him replaced in the film. In June the Israeli-Egyptian Six Day War broke out, which according to William Wyler, "sent jitters through Hollywood's Jewish community." As Omar Sharif elaborates in his 1976 autobiography, "All the investments in the production were Jewish. The atmosphere of the studio was pro-Israeli and my co-star was Jewish. Most of the newspapers backed Israel. And I was an Egyptian." Panic gripped the studio over the politics of the situation. Some people wanted Sharif removed from Funny Girl. Others thought that Sharif should issue a public statement condemning Egypt. Even Barbra Streisand's mother made her feelings against Sharif known. "My daughter isn't going to work with any Egyptian!" she said according to Sharif. Producer Ray Stark was ready to break Sharif's contract when William Wyler, who was also Jewish, stepped in as the voice of reason. "We're in America, the land of freedom," he said according to Sharif, "and you're ready to make yourselves guilty of the same things we're against? Not hiring an actor because he's Egyptian is outrageous. If Omar doesn't make the film, I don't make it either!" Sharif kept his job. Just prior to shooting, Barbra Streisand took a short break in June to fly back East to perform her famous concert in New York's Central Park. In July, Funny Girl was ready to roll. Everything was going smoothly until a publicity photo of Omar Sharif and Barbra Streisand kissing was released to the newspapers. With the emotions of the Six Day War still running high, the Egyptian press began a campaign to get Sharif's citizenship revoked over the kiss. The Egyptian headline read: "Omar Kisses Barbra, Egypt Angry." When asked to respond to the controversy, Barbra Streisand tried to make light of it. "Egypt angry!" she said. "You should hear what my Aunt Sarah said!" The controversy eventually died down, but the chemistry between Streisand and Sharif did not. Though both were married at the time, the two began an affair while making Funny Girl that lasted for the duration of the production. "Barbra Streisand, who struck me as being ugly at first," said Sharif, "gradually cast her spell over me. I fell madly in love with her talent and her personality. The feeling was mutual for four months - the time it took to shoot the picture." With Streisand's husband Elliott Gould back in New York to take an acting job, the two were free to share romantic evenings and weekends together. Though their relationship didn't last, the affair would ultimately contribute to the breakup of Streisand's already shaky marriage to Gould. William Wyler, who knew about the affair, tried to channel their real-life chemistry into their performances. Barbra Streisand may have gotten along with Omar Sharif, but there were many others involved with Funny Girl that she alienated with behavior that was often described as "controlling," "rude" and "demanding." There were reports that Streisand was chronically late and that she constantly kept everyone waiting. Some said that she would ask to re-shoot scenes that were already done and try to control every aspect of the production from the lighting design to what sort of shot was needed to who did her hair. No one could believe the audacity of this film neophyte. "Here was this young whippersnapper," said Assistant Director Jack Roe, "telling a very noted director how to do his job." The majority of the extended cast and crew reportedly found her aloof, self-absorbed and inconsiderate. "I thought she was rude during the whole shoot," said Roe. "I didn't like the way she treated people, from Wyler and (cinematographer Harry) Stradling all the way to her personal maid, Gracie." According to some, Harry Stradling threatened to walk off the picture unless Streisand stopped trying to dictate how he should photograph her. Screenwriter Isobel Lennart famously described working with Streisand as "a deflating ego-crushing experience." Actress Anne Francis, who had a supporting role as aging Ziegfeld girl Georgia, became convinced that Streisand was responsible for having her screen time in Funny Girl cut way down. "She told Harry Stradling how to [photograph] her and Wyler how to direct," Francis said. "It was all like an experience out of Gaslight. There was an unreality about it...I had only one unpleasant meeting with Barbra during the entire five months of rehearsals and production. But the way I was treated, it was a nightmare. And my scenes were whittled from the very good ones and a lot of other ones, to two minutes of voice-over in a New Jersey railroad station." In Streisand's defense, Supervising Editor Robert Swink denied the allegation. "I know the Anne Francis role was cut down terribly," said Swink. "But Willie only did it for the sake of the picture. He had final cut. Streisand didn't." Gossip spread quickly around the show business world that there was trouble on the set of Funny Girl and that Streisand was butting heads with William Wyler. Some said that Wyler was so intimidated by Streisand that he was letting her push him around while she ran the show herself. It was a charge that Wyler vehemently denied. Yes, Barbra was difficult, he said, but she worked hard and took her work seriously. "I kept hearing reports that Barbra quarreled with me on the picture," said Wyler. "But there was never any evidence of it...With me she worked desperately hard on her part. She kept trying to improve herself; she worried about how she looked; she would come on the set in the morning and ask if we could do a scene over again. She was totally dedicated. She trusted me, and I trusted her." Adding to that Wyler later said, "I'd much rather work with someone like Barbra, a perfectionist insisting on giving her best at all times and expecting it of everyone else, than a star who doesn't give a hoot." Supervising Editor Robert Swink agreed. "I felt they got along well. Streisand was easy for Willie to work with. He had no problem with her. She wasn't what I would call trouble." Barbra Streisand always had complimentary things to say about her experience working with Wyler. "At the beginning, I guess, before we started the picture, we had the usual differences most people have," she said. "At that point, I think I knew more about Funny Girl than Mr. Wyler. I had played it a thousand times and had read all the revisions of all the scripts...But once we started...well, it couldn't have been a more creative relation...We tried different things and experimented and so forth. It was stimulating and fun and good things came out." She added later, "He was never threatened by my ideas. After [Funny Girl], I was thrown by any director who ever was [threatened] because Willie used to get a kick out of them. He'd use them, not use them, laugh at me, not laugh at me. I mean, he was a wonderful person to collaborate with." In fact, Wyler's professional relationship with Barbra Streisand was such that he allowed her unprecedented access to his directing process, often letting her watch dailies with him to see how her performance was shaping up. Co-star Anne Francis found this aspect of the director-star relationship threatening. "Every day, Barbra would see the rushes," said Francis, "and the next day my part was cut or something else was cut. Barbra ran the whole show...She had the Ziegfeld girls' scenes changed - one day she told Wyler to move a girl standing next to her because she was too pretty, and the girl wound up in the background. Eventually, the Ziegfeld girls' scenes were eliminated altogether." Challenging as she was, several on the set also agreed that many of Streisand's instincts were good ones, and that she was often right about things. Her perfectionism, some believed, was merely the result of insecurity. If she was demanding of everyone around her, she was twice as demanding of herself. "She fusses over things," said Wyler, "she's terribly concerned about how she looks, with the photography, the camera, the makeup, the wardrobe, the way she moves, reads a line. She'd tell the cameraman that one of the lights was out way up on the scaffold. If the light that was supposed to be on her was out, she saw it. She's not easy, but she's difficult in the best sense of the word the same way I'm difficult." Herbert Ross, who staged the film's musical numbers, added to that. "We spent hours shooting her to test her in different lights, different makeups, different hairdos," he said. "I was with her the day she saw the first set of dailies. She was terrified it was the first time she'd ever seen herself on film. Well, onscreen she looked a miracle. How could anyone have known that her skin was going to have that brilliant reflective surface, that she was going to look radiant that was just a wonderful plus." Omar Sharif explained, "You have to understand, she's a kid from Brooklyn...She didn't just think she was plain she thought she was ugly. So no wonder that insecurity...Those weren't rumors that she caused trouble during the filming of Funny Girl. There was trouble in wardrobe, in makeup, and so on. But when the whole film sinks or swims on you, you're in trouble." William Wyler always believed that most of the gossip about him not getting along with Streisand had been stirred up by producer Ray Stark in order to generate publicity for the film. In fact it was Stark himself who clashed more often with both Wyler and Streisand. "Ray Stark wanted to look over Willie's shoulder and find out what was going on," said Robert Swink. "He ordered this to be done and that to be done. Willie didn't work that way." For the last scene in the film where Fanny sings "My Man" after she has been told goodbye by Nicky Arnstein, William Wyler did something unusual. Normally, actors in musicals lip-synched to pre-recorded music for their singing scenes. Streisand had tried to do that for "My Man", as she did with the other numbers in Funny Girl, but the scene, which was supposed to be emotional and heartbreaking, wasn't working. He and Streisand decided to have her sing live in order for her to truly be in the moment. During the scene, Wyler had Omar Sharif stand behind a nearby curtain and talk to Streisand between takes. Their affair was ending as the Funny Girl shoot came to an end, and Wyler knew that Sharif's presence would have an effect on her performance. "He wanted him around to help build up her sadness," said Robert Swink. "They must've done at least ten takes. Willie shot the thing live and recorded it live. It was pretty emotional for her." Shooting wrapped on Funny Girl in the Fall of 1967. At the wrap party William Wyler gave Barbra Streisand a director's megaphone, according to William Wyler's 1973 authorized biography, "in mock recognition of her devotion to every aspect of filmmaking including directing." Streisand gave Wyler an 18th century gold watch inscribed "TO MAKE UP FOR LOST TIME." The two parted ways with a mutual respect. "I was very fortunate to have Willie as my first director," said Streisand. "What was amazing is that when he showed me the first cut of the movie, I would say ninety-five percent of the moments I had picked in my head was in there. It was extraordinary. He just knew when it was right. He used the right moments all the time." Funny Girl premiered on September 19, 1968 at the Criterion Theater in New York. With everything that Barbra Streisand had riding on the film, she couldn't have asked for a more smashing debut. Funny Girl was a huge hit - the highest grossing film of 1968 - and the reviews were unanimous that Barbra Streisand was a superstar. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actress. On April 14, 1969 Barbra Streisand took home the Oscar® for her performance, tying with Katharine Hepburn in The Lion in Winter (1968). Taking the stage in her now infamously see-through black Arnold Scaasi outfit, Streisand looked at the Oscar® and said, "Hello, Gorgeous!" mimicking her famous first line in Funny Girl. Streisand was indeed a movie star. by Andrea Passafiume Funny Girl (1968) "I'm the greatest star there is by far, but no one knows it." Barbra Streisand, Funny Girl In 1968, everybody knew that Barbra Streisand was just about the greatest star in the world. Not only had she soared to the top with a series of smash TV specials, hit recordings and the popular stage musical Funny Girl, but when she made the transition from stage to screen in her first great vehicle, she changed the conception of what a screen queen could look like. Although always the epitome of glamour and a natural clothes horse, Streisand's unconventional features were far from the standard set by such early musical queens as Doris Day and Rita Hayworth. But when she first stepped on screen as Ziegfeld Follies star Fannie Brice, audiences couldn't take their eyes off her. Funny Girl was the brainchild of producer Ray Stark, whose wife was Brice's daughter by first love Nicky Arnstein. He commissioned Isobel Lennart, a screenwriter noted for crafting strong female roles in films like Love Me or Leave Me (1955) and The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958), to create a suitably reverent script. Jule Styne, composer of such classics as "Small World" and "Just in Time," wrote the music, while Bob Merrill, who had done both words and music for the stage hit Carnival, provided the lyrics. With standards like "People" and "Don't Rain on my Parade" in the score and a star-making performance by Streisand, the show became a sensation when it opened in 1964. Streisand would go on to play Brice for two years on stages in New York and London. Stark had always seen the stage version as a dry run for a film, and with her strong reviews and growing fan base, Streisand seemed the only choice for the lead. But her look was so unconventional that she was ordered to do a screen test to prove she could pull it off. From a combination of pride and fear, the star repeatedly refused Stark's entreaties to make the test until the studio gave in and cast her anyway. Casting her leading man, Nick Arnstein, was much harder. With Streisand in the lead and taking a keen interest in all production elements, the film was shaping up as a vehicle to launch her film career, which meant that Arnstein would be less prominent in the film. Among those up for the role were TV star David Jannsen, Sean Connery, Gregory Peck and James Garner. Styne wanted Frank Sinatra and even offered to write new songs to expand his part, but Stark decided he was too old. They finally settled on Egyptian heartthrob Omar Sharif, still hot off the success of the David Lean epics Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Doctor Zhivago (1965), because he looked good in a tuxedo. The only problem was that he couldn't sing. They filmed one solo number for Arnstein but ended up cutting it. At the time Stark hired him, nobody considered the irony of casting an Egyptian actor as the Jewish Arnstein. Then the Six-Day War between Israel and Egypt broke out. Studio executives wanted to drop Sharif before the film started shooting, but director William Wyler and Streisand, who had not even met him at the time, threatened to walk off the picture if they did. After production started, a new furor broke out when a shot from one of the stars' love scenes turned up in the Egyptian press. This triggered a movement in Sharif's native land to revoke his citizenship. When the reporters asked Streisand how she felt about the controversy, she quipped, "You really think the Egyptians are angry? You should see the letter I got from my Aunt Rose." Streisand had more than just a professional interest in keeping Sharif on the film by this time. Shortly after production started, the two became involved in an affair. Streisand's husband, Elliott Gould, had been by her side through pre-production and had helped soften her temperamental nature during the soundtrack recording. Then he was offered the chance to play his first major film role in The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968), which would shoot in New York. He couldn't turn down the chance to establish an identity separate from his wife's, so he took off, over her objections. Streisand's affair with Sharif would last four months, the time it took to make the film. Then they went their separate ways. So did she and Gould, who would divorce in 1971. Even on her first film, Streisand was building a reputation as a perfectionist who demanded control over every aspect of her films. During pre-recording, she demanded extensive retakes of her songs until she got them just right. On the set, she often disregarded veteran director William Wyler to express her opinions about costumes and photography. She also had most of her scenes with Anne Francis cut (the latter was a noted Hollywood beauty who played a Ziegfeld chorus girl and Brice's best friend). As a result, Francis sued to have her name removed from the credits. With stories of her temperament and rumors about her affair with Sharif widely reported in the press, the critics had every reason to savage Funny Girl. But for the most part, they were ecstatic about Streisand's performance and her star presence. Some carped that the film was too obviously created as a vehicle. Writing in The New York Times, Renata Adler called the film "an elaborate, painstaking launching pad, with important talents of Hollywood treating Barbra rather fondly, improbably and even patronizingly, as though they were firing off a gilded broccoli." The film's publicist responded by taking Adler to lunch and having her served a gilded broccoli, just so she could tell the difference. Streisand's success continued when awards season rolled around. She picked up a Golden Globe, Italy's David di Donatello Award and, in a headline-making tie, the Oscar® for Best Actress. She tied with Hollywood legend Katharine Hepburn for The Lion in Winter in the Academy's® only exact tie between actors to date. Funny Girl was one of the year's bigger hits, picking up an additional seven Oscar® nominations, including Best Picture, and a Writer's Guild Award. Streisand would return to the role seven years later for Funny Lady (1975), which dealt with Brice's marriage to producer Billy Rose (James Caan) and featured Sharif in a cameo. The film was directed by Herbert Ross, who had staged and filmed the musical numbers for Funny Girl. Producer: Ray Stark Director: William Wyler Screenplay: Isobel Lennart Based on the Musical by Jule Styne, Bob Merrill and Lennart Cinematography: Harry Stradling Art Direction: Robert Luthardt Music: Jule Styne, Walter Scharf Cast: Barbra Streisand (Fanny Brice), Omar Sharif (Nick Arnstein), Kay Medford (Rose Brice), Anne Francis (Georgia James), Walter Pidgeon (Florenz Ziegfeld), Lee Allen (Eddie Ryan), Mae Questel (Mrs. Strakosh), Tommy Rall (Prince in Swan Lake parody). C-154m. Letterboxed. Closed Captioning. by Frank Miller Funny Girl (1968) AWARDS AND HONORS Funny Girl was nominated for eight Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Actress (Barbra Streisand), Best Supporting Actress (Kay Medford), Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Original Song ("Funny Girl"), Best Musical Score, and Best Sound. Barbra Streisand won for Best Actress. The film's editing team of William Sands, Robert Swink and Maury Winetrobe was nominated for an ACE (American Cinema Editors) Eddie Award for Best Edited Feature Film. Funny Girl was nominated for three BAFTA Awards: Best Actress, Best Cinematography, and Best Costume Design. William Wyler was nominated for a DGA (Directors Guild of America) Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures. Funny Girl was nominated for four Golden Globe Awards including Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, Best Director, and Best Original Song ("Funny Girl"). Barbra Streisand won for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy. Isobel Lennart won a WGA (Writers Guild of America) Award for her Funny Girl screenplay. It was for Best Written American Musical. In 2002 Funny Girl was ranked number forty-one on the American Film Institute's list "100 Years...100 Passions" which named the best love stories of all time. In 2004 the song "People" from Funny Girl was ranked number thirteen on AFI's list of the greatest movie songs "100 Years...100 Songs." The song "Don't Rain on My Parade" was ranked number 46. In 2005 Barbra Streisand's famous opening line from Funny Girl "Hello, gorgeous" was ranked number eighty-one on AFI's list of the greatest movie quotes "100 Years...100 Movie Quotes." In 2006 the American Film Institute named Funny Girl the 16th best movie musical of all time. The Critics' Corner: FUNNY GIRL "Barbra Streisand's star qualities need no iteration and it is not surprising to have her emerge as a superstar in the Technicolor-Panavision milieu of the screen. By now no one even dares set foot in her parade, let alone drizzle thereon...What comes clearer on the big screen than on the stage or television is how good an actress she is...She creates, on screen, a person rather than merely a personality. She is a clown and a tragedienne, a combination of waif and nice-Jewish-girl, of gamine and galumpher; she is that contemporary enigma, the beautiful ugly who defies classic form. She is, in effect, a startling piece of pop art with a glitteringly evident potential for permanence, depending ultimately on her surroundings and her own propensity for development." New York Magazine "[Watching] Funny Girl is like suddenly immersing oneself in warm, melted marshmallow. The much-honored William Wyler has piloted this popular musical from stage to screen, and it has a way of making the calendar flip back some twenty years to the days of Betty Grable and Rita Hayworth, with one notable modernization-Barbra Streisand." - Saturday Review "[Streisand] may have omitted an a from her name, but Barbra leaves nothing out of Funny Girl. Gags, production numbers, vaudeville mugging and tearstained love scenes receive the same manic stress and fervor. As in the Broadway show, when the jokes are good, Barbra displays the best timing East of Mae West. When Jule Styne's numbers are deserving 'People,' 'Don't Rain on My Parade' she warms them with meticulous emotional phrasing until they glow like a marquee." - Time Magazine "When she is singing in a marvelous scene on roller skates when she throws a line away, or shrugs, or looks funny or sad, she has a power; gentleness and intensity that rather knocks all the props and sets and camera angles on their ear." The New York Times "It is not surprising that after almost two seasons on Broadway and a healthy run in London's West End, playing the Fanny Brice role she created, that Barbra Streisand in her Hollywood debut makes such a marked impact. The charismatic ingredients of the smash musical, the star's inspired song stylings, with the deliberately offbeat...casting of Omar Sharif in the Nick Arnstein role, combine into one of the more important roadshow filmusicals." "It is impossible to praise Miss Streisand too highly...She turns out, curiously enough, to be a born movie star. It was her voice that made her famous, and that's fair enough. But it will be her face and her really splendid comic ability that make her a star. She has the best timing since Mae West, and is more fun to watch than anyone since the young Katharine Hepburn. She doesn't actually sing a song at all; she acts it. She does things with her hands and face that are simply individual; that's the only way to describe them. They haven't been done before. She sings, and you're really happy you're there." "A bravura performance by Barbra Streisand. As Fanny Brice, she has the wittiest comic inflections since the comediennes of the 30s; she makes written dialogue sound like inspired improvisation. As the shady gambler Nicky Arnstein, phlegmatic Omar Sharif appears to be some sort of visiting royalty, with a pained professional smile to put the common people at their ease. But Streisand's triumphant talent rides right over the film's weaknesses." "The film's central irony is not the usual one of public success at the expense of private pain, but the complex one of success at the expense of personal knowledge. Streisand never looks into the mirrors that Wyler surrounds her with. Well worth watching, even if most later Streisand movies aren't." - Phil Hardy, TimeOut Film Guide "While the 1960s swung, this spirited, good-natured but creakily old-fashioned picture lived in a different zeitgeist. It had the semi- fantasized stage musical sequences of a previous age. It suggested a Jewish identity for Fanny, but not too emphatically. It had smiling, submissive "coloured help". Streisand's attempts at being "funny" are an embarrassing kind of cleaned up Mae West schtick. But songs like "Don't Rain on My Parade" live triumphantly on." - Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian.co.uk "Streisand is a great Funny Girl and there's something entertaining in every scene, but I always think of it as a watershed movie, from the time when the definitions of success and talent and getting ahead in show business were changing. Not Streisand - she's a doll with a remarkable voice, especially in the final number which is actually shot live and not to recorded playback. I'm talking about the swift rise of the fictional Fanny Brice seen here, who hopefully was not like the character in the movie." - Glenn Erickson, DVD Savant "Bad as biography, but first rate as musical..." - Leonard Maltin's Film & Video Guide "Streisand is stunning, but the film is a trial, particularly when the music disappears somewhere around the 90-minute mark and all that's left is leaden melodrama." - Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader "William Wyler's musical debut is less assured than one would have liked, but no matter...The oddly cast Sharif is better than usual, but Streisand, of course, is most of the show, belting out songs, pulling heartstrings, alternating between raucous slapstick and dramatic power, and generally demonstrating that she has arrived in a big way." - TV Guide Compiled by Andrea Passafiume

French court rejects Al-Dura hoax posted at 8:24 am on May 22, 2008 by Ed Morrissey French broadcaster France2 lost its case and a large portion of its credibility yesterday when its appeals court called their Al-Dura story a hoax and reversed a lower-court ruling on a defamation case. Philippe Karsenty was vindicated in his criticism of France2 when he called their video of a supposed murder of a Palestinian child by Israeli soldiers staged for propaganda purposes. As PJM’s Richard Landes notes, the entire unedited footage of France2 contained a long series of laughably staged “injuries”, prompting him to refer to France2 as “Pallywood”: The French court of appeals, presided over by the redoubtable Madame Laurence Trébucq, has reversed the decision of a lower court — the (in)famous “Chambre 17″ that specializes in verbal crimes had found Philippe Karsenty guilty of defaming France2 after Karsenty, in a 2004 article, claimed (as have many familiar with the dossier), that the scene was staged. The unexpected reversal by the court of appeals represents the first major European breach of the blanket of silence that has greeted any effort of critics to call into question France2’s presentation of the Al Dura footage as actual news. The Muhammad al Durah affair represents one of the most revealing and distressing cases in the mainstream media’s coverage of the Arab-Israeli conflict. On September 30, 2000, France2’s Middle East correspondent, Charles Enderlin, ran footage of what looked like a boy and his father, together hiding behind a barrel, “the target of fire coming from the Israeli position.” According to this report, the boy was killed and the father badly wounded. The footage went around the world instantly, provoking outrage and violence against both Israel and Jewish communities in the Arab world and in Europe. France2 compounded these violations of journalistic ethics by attempting to block any criticism. Ridiculing the proponents of the “staged hypothesis” as conspiracy theorists on the order of 9-11 truthers or holocaust deniers, France2 sued independent French citizens who had the nerve to criticize them for their journalistic incompetence. … France2’s legal maneuver backfired when they were called to show the court the raw footage of their Palestinian cameraman, Talal abu Rahmah, whose camera work and testimony lie at the heart of the accusation against the Israeli army. They found themselves forced to cut the most embarrassing scenes before showing the footage to the court, and to explain to the court why the remaining footage had so many suspicious scenes. The reversal and the resultant implosion of France2’s credibility shows the lengths that some will go to paint the Israelis as the source of all woe in the region. Instead of reporting objective truth, the “journalists” at France2 decided to propagate lies as a means of telling the narrative they prefer. They couldn’t actually find examples of Israeli soldiers deliberately killing unarmed children, but France2 believed that they did, so they staged it and passed it off as truth. And unfortunately, they found many people who believed them despite the many inconsistencies in the video — such as the child moving after his supposed death and the lack of blood in the scene, rather odd for a gut shot. The reversal upholds an important principle for freedom of speech — the freedom of criticism. Karsenty dared to criticize France2 for their hoax, and the broadcaster decided to wage a campaign of intimidation against him rather than attempt to defend its propaganda. They succeeded in the lower court and could have forced Karsenty into silence. Instead, Karsenty persevered and eventually forced France2 to release all of its footage, a step they had resisted from the first. That showed the depth of dishonesty not just for the team that created the al-Dura hoax, but for the entire organization that deliberately hid the truth and tried to silence Karsenty through legal action. Landes includes a long video presentation as part of this story. Be sure to watch it all the way through, and ask yourselves this question: how many al-Duras have we been fed by a media eager to take sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Landes provides at least one more major hoax with which Americans may be very familiar.

GENEALOGY-DNA-L ArchivesArchiver > GENEALOGY-DNA > 2013-01 > 1357281077 From: James Lick <> Subject: Re: [DNA] mtDNA H11 Date: Fri, 4 Jan 2013 14:31:17 +0800 PhyloTree only goes down to U6a7a at this time. The U6a7a1b is either an invented or obsolete designation. The U6 admin's phylogeny conflicts with the current PhyloTree tree. For example, what the U6 admin calls U6a7a1 is called U6a7a in PhyloTree Build 15. I would suggest the U6 admin update the classifications to either the current PhyloTree Build 15 or else Build 14 which is the current standard used by FTDNA. Also I would encourage all mtdna group admins to clearly state which designations are unofficial to avoid confusion. For example, the U5 group admin will use something Group G proposed new subclade" to group related sequences to make it clear that the branch is unofficial. Also I would urge caution in predicting a haplogroup based on 150T. This is a fairly common mutation, so it could be coincidental. 23andMe currently uses PhyloTree Build 7 as their reference, so there may be some discrepancies between it and mthap. You can also use the advanced options of mthap to select an older reference to see how that compares. On Thu, Jan 3, 2013 at 8:56 AM, Cyndi Norwitz <> wrote: > On Jan 2, 2013, at 2:56 PM, Wayne R. Roberts wrote: > > Cyndi, > > Try this site and upload his raw mtDNA data and it should give you a > > prediction. > > http://dna.jameslick.com/mthap/ > Very cool, thank you! > It's saying he's an imperfect match to H11, H11b, and H11b1. So good > enough unless we get a full mitro. > I also uploaded mine. 23andme says I'm U6a7. But my analysis of my raw > data says I'm U6a7a1b (a known Sephardic Jewish cluster). I'm part of the > U6 project at FTDNA and the head of that agrees with my conclusion. > James Lick gives me all imperfect matches and only goes as far as U6a7a, > though it notes my 150T, which is the hallmark of U6a7a1b. > Very nice program though. I can't wait to use it for my daughter's and my > brother's mtDNA. I have an "extra" mutation the project hasn't seen before > and I want to see which of us have it. > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message James Lick -- 黎建溥 -- -- http://jameslick.com/

Yad Vashem Launches Unique Online Exhibition: “Marking the New Year” (September 9, 2015—Jerusalem) Ushering in the beginning of the Jewish New Year, a special online exhibition has been uploaded to www.yadvashem.org . “Marking the New Year” features approximately 50 items from Yad Vashem’s collections, including greeting cards, documents, religious artifacts and testimonies – all relating to the Jewish New Year. Through these items, Yad Vashem offers a glimpse into some of the ways that Jews marked the High Holidays before, during and immediately after the Holocaust. Shofar blowing in the Kovno Ghetto, from the testimony of Shmuel Daitch Ben Menachem “On Rosh Hashanah, anyone who could get out of their work and come to the synagogue in order to hear the blowing of the Shofar did everything to do so…. My father blew the Shofar all throughout the Jewish month of Elul without a single mistake, and so he got up and put the Shofar to his lips – and no sound came out. He tried two, three times, and nothing came. No one wanted to ask Rabbi Mendel, the Head of the Yeshiva, to take the Shofar away. At the time I was 16 years old, and I went over to him and said, ‘Father, give me the Shofar.’ He gave me the Shofar and I blew the thirty blasts. The whole congregation started to cry – with good reason. A month and seven days later most of the people there were in the world to come, together with my father and the rest of my family except for me, my sister and my younger brother.” Shmuel Daitch Ben Menachem was born in Kovno, Lithuania, in 1924, to a religious family. With the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, the family was deported with the rest of the Jews of Kovno into the ghetto in the Slobodka neighborhood. In October 1941, Shmuel’s parents and older brother were murdered in the Ninth Fort in Kovno. Surviving the selection with his younger brother and sister, Shmuel joined the Zionist ABC Youth Movement in the ghetto, becoming a member of the underground. He eventually fled the ghetto and joined the Zionist partisans, living in the forest and helping Jews escape from the ghetto. Wounded during a Lithuanian ambush, Shmuel managed to escape and remained hidden in the forest until liberation by the Soviet army. Immigrating to Eretz Israel after the war, Shmuel participated in Israel’s War of Independence in the “Shimshon Foxes” battalion. Jewish calendar and prayers from Bergen-Belsen A series of original drawings, including a Jewish Calendar from the Jewish Year 5705 (1944-1945) and the U’Netane Tokef one of the holiest prayers in the liturgy of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, is portrayed in the exhibition. Menachem Shimoni, (formerly Emil Neumann) was born in 1927 in Krakow, Poland. During his childhood, the family moved to Budapest, and they remained in Hungary during the war years. In 1944, after the German invasion, the family managed to board the “Kastner train” that traveled from Budapest to Bergen-Belsen, Germany. While imprisoned in Bergen-Belsen, Menachem made a calendar from memory. The calendar included all the festivals and special days, and the weekly Torah portion, and served many religious prisoners in the camp, who tried to remain observant despite the inhuman conditions prevailing there. The whole family, including Menachem’s brother and sister, survived, and after the war’s end immigrated to Eretz Israel. Menachem arrived in Eretz Israel in 1945, and settled in Tel Aviv, where he was active in the “Tze’irai Hamizrachi” movement. He later married and moved to Bnei Brak.

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Kaifeng Travel Guide The city of Kaifeng, formerly known variously as Bianliang, Bianjing/ Dongjing, Daliang, and simply Liang, is located near the entranceway to Henan Province's "panhandle", the northern chunk of the province that is wedged between Shanxi Province to the west, Hebei Province to the north, and Shandong Province to the east, is also located some 50 kilometers due east of the provincial capital city of Zhengzhou. Kaifeng is one of "twenty-four historical and cultural cities" announced by the Chinese Government, and one of the seven ancient capitals of China. Under various names and construction vintages, the city was the capital of several dynasties, beginning with the tiny state of Wei (BCE 445-225) during the Warring States (BCE 475-221) Period, and ending with the overthrow of the Song (CE 960-1279) Dynasty by invading Jurchens (forebears of the Manchus), who established the Jin (CE 1115-1234) Dynasty. However, the city served as the "second capital" to the Jurchens, and in fact, both Ming (CE 1368-1644) and Qing (CE 1644-1911) Dynasty emperors recognized the cultural importance of Kaifeng, and took steps to rebuild or restore the city. Present-day Kaifeng, a prefecture-level city of some 800,000 residents, offers both cultural-historical highlights as well as a rare natural beauty. The city is laid out in a pattern typical of the ancient cities of Han China, with a central axis that has been preserved in spite of successive rounds of urbanization over the past 2700 years. It is also a city that incorporates water, both for good and for bad (there was much flooding in the city's past, notably by overflows from the nearby Huang He ("Yellow River")), being a part of the Yellow River flood plain, to which the city also owes its lush greenery. The city's rich cultural history lies buried in successive layers below present-day Kaifeng, occasionally coming to light when new construction projects permit archeological excavations. Among the many sightseeing highlights of the city of Kaifeng are Dragon Pavilion Park, Da Xiangguo Temple, the Yang Family Mansion, Yanqing Temple, Temple of Lord Bao, Kaifeng Synagogue and the Iron Pagoda. Top Things To Do in Kaifeng Kaifeng Synagogue in the city of Kaifeng, Henan Province, is the only Jewish synagogue in China whose origins can be traced back to the earliest migration of Youtai (Jews) to the country, who are bel... [ View Details ] Historical Background Over a thousand years ago, the area of the present-day Long Ting (Dragon Pavilion) Park in Kaifeng, Henan Province, was the Office of the Border General of the Xuanwu Army ... [ View Details ]

Jewish World Review Oct. 15, 2001/ 28 Tishrei 5762 Historians, for example, seek lessons. Paul Johnson, the recondite English historian, argues that the current war against terrorism draws parallels with the wars against piracy of the 19th century. A young United States initiated its first campaign against international outlaws, considered ``enemies of the human race,'' by fighting the pirates directly and sending troops against those states that harbored them, such as Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli. ``Pirates were the main reason Congress established a navy in 1794,'' writes Mr. Johnson in the Wall Street Journal. ``In 1805, the American Marines marched across the desert from Egypt, forcing the pasha of Tripoli to sue for peace and surrender all American captives.'' Most of us have forgotten the origin of the lyrics of the U.S. Marine Anthem: ``From the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli.'' The more civilized local rulers of the 19th century who suffered from piracy eventually joined political coalitions (just like today) in attempting to destroy their enemy. European nations inevitably colonized some of the nations they defeated. Those who fought the pirates, writes Paul Johnson, learned that ``suppression of well-organized criminal communities, networks and states was impossible without political control.'' We can argue whether such analogies work, but at least they remind that terrorism is not unique in the modern world. On Halloween, little boys once dressed up like pirates with a black patch over one eye. This year the best-selling Halloween mask is expected to be one of Osama bin Laden. If historians look for lessons in the way history repeats itself, men and women engaged in the arts are seeking universal meanings imbedded in classical mythology. Ancient poetry offers emotional equivalents for expressing timeless concerns for death and destruction. The Latin poet Ovid lived over 2,000 years ago, but his ``Metamorphoses'' (the stories schoolchildren of another time perused for sexual allusions) has been revived in a theater in New York with a thoroughly modern sensibility, drawing as it does on the eternal themes of suffering and loss. Instead of high-tech videos, it repeats images of emotional devastation in painful pantomime. In an instant, Orpheus looks back and watches his wife slip from his sight, receding into the underworld. The actors play and replay the scene as the audience passively sits by, powerless to save her. A husband and wife live with a humdrum happiness until he leaves her to go off to sea. As he sails away, she is filled with foreboding, forever scanning the sea, knowing that dread will turn into despair and he will never return. Perhaps the hardest job at the moment is the one confronted by comics who want to give some relief to the burden of grief, but who worry about hitting raw nerves. No comedy could have seemed as irrelevant as that of Jerry Seinfeld, whose television show epitomized the nonsensical nothingness of navel-gazing singles in the '90s. And yet, in an event Seinfeld organized to raise money for victims of terrorism, he delivered laughs to an audience hungry for the corny normality of his neuroticism. Directors and producers are confused about what kind of movies and television shows will entertain while not offending. It's a particularly difficult problem for Hollywood, which is used to pandering to the most vulgar tastes in sex and violence. But sometimes prescience emerges in spite of itself. Since the 1960s, it's been trendy for the movies to make the U.S. government the heavy. Patriotism, with a few notable exceptions, was an emotion for straights and squares, not to be indulged by creators of popular culture. But now that we've gone to war against terrorism, good feelings about our government have begun to resurface. A new CBS series called ``The Agency,'' to debut soon, actually casts the CIA in a positive light. The first episode (which I haven't seen) has been delayed because of the terrorism and portrays both the CIA and the MI-6, its British counterpart, attempting to break up a bomb plot in London by terrorists linked to Osama bin Laden. When Michael Frost Beckner, its originator, introduced his pilot to the press, he was greeted with skepticism that showed a lack of interest in the subject. He no longer expects that kind of reaction. If the popular culture doesn't lead public sensibilities, it sometimes catches up with

- All Genres - Theatre & Shows - Days Out ← Please choose a date… No tickets for sale Check the info below ← Please choose a ticket… We have more than one ticket for this event - please choose one from the list Pick A Date Viagogo offer you a safe way of buying tickets for "sold out" shows. Please check the artist line-up and event details on the purchase page before you buy Buy with confidence from Ents24's trusted ticket partners. Tickets: Available Limited Contact the venue: Please try the venue for ticket information Tickets will be on sale here on More buying choices |Ticket Type:||Sold By:||Tickets & Prices:| Ents24 have been trusted online since 1999 Ents24 is proud to be… - The UK's most popular independent ticketing website. - Trusted by entertainment fans since 1999. - An easy and safe place to buy tickets for thousands of shows. About this event A brand new play celebrating the life of Beatles manager Brian Epstein. The play charts Epstein's adult life and illustrious career from his drama school days to managing the world's biggest pop group. Brian's short life was crammed with success and controversy; he was an intelligent man whose presence, taste, vision and passion left a lifelong impact on the world. Born in Liverpool in 1934 to Jewish descent, he spent his early adult years working for the family business NEMS (North End Music Stores) before being drafted into the Royal Army Service Corps, after a brief stint in London joining RADA and living a more openly gay life he returned to Liverpool to manage the new NEMS city centre music store making it one of the biggest in the North. Not long after was the historic lunchtime visit to the famous Cavern Club to hear four Liverpool lads perform and the rest is history. It is a one man multi-media play with live music, created by Jen Heyes and Andrew Sherlock, written by Andrew Sherlock, directed by Jen Heyes. Proceeds from ticket sales will help support the charity CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably), which seeks to help young men going through tough times. Track this event - Event has been added to your calendar - Any important updates will be sent to your email address - Add to your personal Ents24 calendar - Sync with iCal, Outlook and others - Receive important updates Venue: The Epstein Theatre → Liverpool Central 3 min walk

MK Hanin Zoabi has had a tough term. Since first being elected to the Knesset in 2009 as number three on the list for Balad (National Democratic Assembly), the party founded by now-exiled former MK Azmi Bishara in 1995, Zoabi has endured almost constant personal and political attacks. She was aboard the Mavi Marmara, the Turkish ship participating in the "Free Gaza" flotilla, when it was raided by Israeli commandos in 2010. In the aftermath, she suffered verbal attacks and threats from other Knesset members, and Likud representative Anastasia Michaeli tried to physically prevent her from addressing the legislative body. Last month, Israel's Central Elections Committee voted to disqualify Zoabi's candidacy. At the conclusion of the December 27 hearing where a panel of nine justices, headed by Supreme Court President Asher Grunis, overturned the ruling, right-wing activists called her "terrorist" and "filth," and tried to push past her escorts to prevent her from making a statement. Just a few days ago, the far-right Otzma LeYisrael party, founded by Aryeh Eldad and Michael Ben Ari, ran an ad featuring a black and white picture of Zoabi's face and the caption: "Only Eldad and Ben Ari will make her stop smiling in the Knesset." Zoabi recently told Haaretz, "It's said that I'm the most hated woman in the country." In Zoabi's eyes, though, it is precisely these attacks and the political incitement against her that will open the minds of Jewish voters. She expects the party to more than double its Jewish support in the upcoming elections on January 22. While the vast majority of Israeli Jews find Zoabi’s views objectionable because she rejects the concept of the Jewish state, and only some several hundred Jewish voters will turn out for Balad, Zoabi nonetheless sees this as a significant, positive, and desirable increase. "We have repeated our attitudes, what we believe in, again and again—we're very outspoken," Zoabi said. "Balad is offering the only democratic vision that exists in the Knesset." Zoabi argues that Balad should be the natural choice for Israeli voters who value democracy. "We are the only ones offering a democratic program for the Palestinians, and also for Jewish citizens," she said. "We are the only party that talks about democracy and equal citizenship as the basis of our life and our political vision. All the others first base their vision on national separation." Zoabi explained that the Zionist left's focus on two ethnic national states as the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict precludes a place in Israel for the Palestinians whom Israel did not expel in 1948—those like Zoabi herself, who was raised in Nazareth and educated at the University of Haifa and the Hebrew University. "We say the basis should not be national segregation, it should be equality, justice, and freedom," Zoabi continued. "This is why I can represent a Jewish citizen who believes in democracy much better than any Zionist party. When you say Zionism, this means a Jewish state. When you say Jewish state, this means giving privileges to the Jews at the expense of the Palestinians. That is not a democracy." Though Zoabi admits that Balad focuses on the national identity of Israel's Arab citizens, who make up just over 20 percent of the country's population, the identity of Jewish citizens is not far from her mind. "Balad recognizes the collective rights—cultural, national, and religious—of Jewish citizens," Zoabi said. "I am not saying that the state must recognize my collective rights while I don't recognize the other group's. Jewish citizens who can think freely, outside the psychological ghetto that the state of Israel has created, will have no problem adopting Balad's vision. On the contrary, they will find it the only democratic vision possible." Zoabi is sincere when she says she wants more Jewish support, and while Balad may not attract more than the radical fringe, she deserves every vote she will get. In an election ruled by fear, Zoabi's is an angry, but ultimately hopeful voice: She is appealing to what is best and most rational in Israeli voters, their capacity to imagine a society based on true equality. This same unabashed commitment to equality has made her such an outspoken force in the parliament. She has opposed the previous Knesset's avalanche of racist legislation and been vociferous in her support for women's rights. Zoabi should be prepared, though, for more attacks: Her sincerity and commitment have made her a lightning rod for all the right's hostility and spite. Matthew Kalman broke the story of physicist Stephen Hawking’s boycott of Israel. Then Cambridge University tried to falsely deny it.

The Thursday before Easter is a day rich in deep, often poignant events. These include Jesus’ last supper with his disciples, at which he instituted the sacrament and washed his disciples’ feet; his prayer and agony in the Garden of Gethsemane; his betrayal by Judas and abandonment by the other disciples; and his arrest, cynical examination, and abuse by the Jewish authorities of the time. Known as Holy Thursday in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox communities, in many English-speaking countries this Thursday is sometimes called “Maundy Thursday.” The word “maundy” is an early English form of the Latin mandatum for “commandment” and recalls Jesus’ teaching “A new commandment I give you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye love one another” (John 13:34). In God So Loved the World, 49, I wrote: While Latter-day Saints do not formally observe the day, the events commemorated in the gospel texts for Thursday hold great significance for us. Because we partake of the sacrament weekly, the Last Supper has particular meaning. Further, insights from restoration scripture and latter-day apostles and teachers regarding the atonement make the events in Gethsemane especially important. But Thursday also marks some beautiful final teachings of Jesus to his closest disciples, as well as other, difficult experiences-such as his betrayal, abuse, abandonment, and false judgment-that were important parts of his “descending below all things” (D&C 88:6; 122:8). Scriptural Accounts for Thursday: Mark 14:12–72; Matthew 26; Luke 22; John 13:1–18:27; see also Mosiah 3:7 and D&C 19:15–20 The following episodes are discussed and illustrated with art, photographs, and music on today’s Holy Week blog entry. - The Last Supper (Matt 26:17–35; Mark 14:12–31; Luke 22:7–38; John 13:1–38) - Last Supper Discourses (Luke 22:24–30; John 13:31–17:26) - Jesus Goes to Gethsemane: “The Valley of the Shadow of Death” (18:1a) - Jesus at Gethsemane (Mark 14:32–42; Matt 26:36–47; Luke 22:39–46; John 18:1b) - Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus (Mark 14:43–52; Matt 26:47–56; Luke 22:47–53; John 18:2–3) - Jesus Before the Jewish Authorities (Mark 14:43–65; Matt 26:57–68; Luke 22:54–71; John 18–28)

The classic Marshmallow Dreidel, with my mini version for older kids. Bump up the educatainment value with a food-safe marker and a printable guide to writing the 4 Hebrew letters (name of letter, what it stands for in Hebrew and English). Bump it up even more and make an Israeli dreidel for contrast: in Israel they use a Pey instead of a Shin. See below.) Don’t you dare make these yourself and hand them out to kids. The whole point of edible Jewish crafts is that the kids do the making. You can be there, preferably, since another whole point of edible Jewish crafts is spending time together making Jewish things. Below is a list of materials, a brief how-to, and a short description about the Why of marshmallow dreidels. Here’s what you need. Trust me. Marshmallows. My favorite kosher brand is Paskesz because they stay fluffy. Elyon are good, too. If you are unconcerned about kosherness, go for treyf (nonkosher): they are exquisitely plump and firm and sport that super-fine marshmallow dust kosher brands have yet to perfect. Snyder’s Pretzel Sticks. Not Rods or Dippers or any other shape: only “Sticks.” They are kosher (OU) and just the right size for dreidel handles, even for mini dreidels. Frosting. Color it blue for maximum festiveness. Mix in some edible silver glitter dust, too. Edible glitter dust is simply unforgettable. (Wilton’s makes it.) In a hurry? Buy a tube of blue frosting (NOT gel. Gel is too wet and translucent and it will end up turning everyone’s fingers, teeth, tongues, clothes and the kitchen table blue. Ask me how I know this.) Kisses and / or Chocolate Chips. Hershey Kisses for the regular size dreidels, chips for the minis. Food-safe marker (or food coloring with tiny brush). Do not call the food-safe marker an “edible pen” or I guarantee a kid will try to eat the pen. Or at least suck on it. It happens. The word “edible” makes kids go nuts. Using diluted food dye with a tiny watercolor brush is fine if you can deal with this sort of thing. Using a toothpick with undiluted food dye is asking for trouble. But using a food-safe marker is fabulously fun. It feels so deliciously wrong to WRITE on food with a pen and then eat it. Kids will not forget the experience. And isn’t this part of that “whole point” I keep mentioning? Break off a piece of pretzel stick for handle and jab it into one end of marshmallow. Dab a bit of frosting “glue” onto the other end of the marshmallow. Apply flat side of kiss/chip to frosting. Write a Nun, Gimmel, Hey and Shin around marshmallow. HEBREW LETTERS on a dreidel stand for Nes Gadol Haya Sham (a Great Miracle Happened There), the miracle being that the wee jar of oil lasted 8 days and nights. נ Letter: Nun. Stands for Nes (miracle) ג Letter: Gimmel. Stands for Gadol (great) ה Letter: Hey. Stands for Haya (happened) ש Letter: Shin. Stands for Sham (there) An Iraeli dreidel proclaims that the great miracle happened here, not there. Here in Hebrew is Po, spelled with the letter Pey: פ The letters go in order from right to left on a dreidel. Which means, if you want to be strictly correct, a gimmel will never be next to a shin, and a nun will never be next to a hey. You’d be surprised how many picture books show dreidels with letters out of order. Print out Dreidel Letter cheat sheet to show kids how to make the letters. It has the name of the letters, what they stand for and how to play the game. The WHY of Marshmallow Dreidels My own introduction to the value of instant edible Jewish crafting was a marshmallow dreidel. I saw it in 2001, during my first week teaching Kitah Aleph (First Grade) at a Conservative synagogue religious school. What a cute idea, I thought, so simple: a pretzel stick handle at one end of a marshmallow, a dab of frosting and a chocolate kiss at the other. And then my colleague pulled out the blue food coloring and showed the kids how to paint marshmallows with the four traditional Hebrew letters. Suddenly, what was cute and simple became ingenious. The questions erupted around the room: What are the letters? What do they stand for? How do I shape them? Does the nun or the gimmel have the extra leg? What’s the “great miracle” and where is “there”? Can all four letters fit? Will this spin? Why do we spin dreidels anyway? Can I eat this now? What’s the bracha for an edible dreidel? Can we make more? Okay, I admit the bracha question was asked by an adult, but still, it was asked.* Instant edible crafts make busy hands and brains. What may have looked like goof-off party time was actually solid, Jewish content. By the way, these kids are high school juniors now, and they still remember painting marshmallow dreidels in Kitah Aleph. One of them, my own kid, requested to make them at her Hanukkah party last year. Edible dreidels won’t be outgrown. (Even without food-safe markers and edible glitter dust.) *the bracha (blessing) for marshmallow dreidels is Shehakol. Can’t be Mezonot because the wheat pretzel doesn’t constitute enough of the total composition, right? I’m winging it here, folks, so if there are any bracha mavens reading this, let me know if I’m wrong. By the way, having this discussion in a classroom is a teachable moment in itself. The Guide to Blessings from OU.org is here. - Here’s a groovy review of food-safe markers from Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories. They use such things for uber-nerdy “circuitry snacks,” to which I bow in humbled awe. Other edible dreidel posts on the Internet. Please add yours in a comment. - Naturally Educational uses Nutella as glue and paints the letters in milk-diluted food coloring, here. - Savvima has fancy chocolate-dipped versions and rolled-in-non-pareils versions, here. - Cooking With My Kid dips the marshmallows in peanut butter and then rolls in chocolate sprinkles, here. Marshmallows: If you want to hear more about kosher marshmallows, see my Passover post, here.

Few good things happen when diplomats and career UN "civil" servants start acting like elected representatives of the people, of all people. Something like that just popped in the news a few hours ago as the head of the UN's mission in Geneva, Switzerland, started directly advocating for new additions to the Law of Armed Conflict. Specifically, they are worried about robots. From the AP: "Geneva — Diplomats urged the adoption of new international laws Tuesday that could govern the use of "killer robots" if the technology becomes reality someday. At the first United Nations meeting devoted to the subject, representatives began trying to define the limits and responsibilities of so-called lethal autonomous weapons systems that could go beyond human-directed drones." First, a little bit of the backstory" There is an awful lot of fear-mongering out there about robots, almost all of which is cultural and really does not have much of a basis in actual or potential threats. And more to the point, it's not even applicable to all cultures, but almost exclusively to Western European ones, or cultures which have their roots in Western Europe. Going back a millennia or more one can find traces of it in Eastern European Jewish traditional stories about the "golem," the huminoid creature made of clay by an especially bright (but—and this is the teaching point—excessively proud and not very wise) Rabbi. He wants it for his personal and tireless servant, but he loses control and the golem kills him. Flash forward several centuries and we have the tale of Frankenstein, the physician who wants to reanimate dead human flesh, but the monster goes out of control and they're all killed. You're getting the point, right? This is an enduring theme. It's the exact same storyline from the original Terminator movie, although, in this case, replace the hubris of a single man with the hubris of a company and a government. They create a monster, which then kills them. But you don't see this in other cultures. Take Japan, for example. Without the same cultural baggage (they have plenty of their own to deal with and don't need to import ours) the Japanese view on robotics is almost 180-degrees out from our own. In post-war Japanese cultural touchstones, robots and "mechanical men" are seen as the heroes. Think those 1960s TV classics "Johnny Socko and Robot," or even "Ultra-Man" (who was not only a robot, but an alien from outer space), or any of the last 20 years of Japanese cartoons. In their minds—and in pretty much all of South-East Asia—robots are forces for good. It is only the Western Europeans who maintain this paranoia, which is solely cultural, not based upon facts or anything but emotion. Now, back to the present. The man identified as pushing this idea, hard, is one Michael Moller. He seems a decent enough fellow. Dutch, taking his undergraduate degree in England and eventually his Masters degree in International Relations at Johns Hopkins. He has been working for the UN, exclusively, for 35 years, almost all of it in administrative positions. Not quite a diplomat, more of an institutional-man, but either way, that is OK. I like diplomats. Hell, I married one. (Although I do wish she would stay out of war zones. Sri Lanka at the end of their war, and Kabul during the attack on the Embassy there, she tends to attract explosives and I do not like it.) But what has he not done? Here is his bio as it stood prior to his most recent appointment to Geneva. He has not done anything in actual science, anything in actual computer technology, anything in military affairs (aside from humanitarian issues), or anything at all in the now 50-year-old field of robotics. And Moller's central thesis? "All too often international law only responds to atrocities and suffering once it has happened. You have the opportunity to take pre-emptive action and ensure that the ultimate decision to end life remains firmly under human control." The big problem with that thesis? Already, computers that are in place or in development are getting better at making that critical "shoot/don't shoot" decisions. We are close, and I am talking a few years, from the point where the likelihood of a human making a "bad decision" resulting in excessive or inappropriate deaths (killing too many, or killing the wrong people) is greater than that of a computer making that same decision. So here is the ethical conundrum. Mr. Moller wants to "ensure that the ultimate decision to end life remains firmly under human control." But when humans make mistakes 10-20% of the time (over the past couple of centuries, our own fratricide rates in major conflicts verify that rate), and a computer might only make a mistake on that score 2-4% of the time, does that not make it unethical not to use the computer? In other words, 10 years from now, when the technology is well and truly available, but Moller's law exists, could we not prosecute Mr. Moller for war crimes at the Hague for adding to the sum total of human suffering because his law resulted in the death of many more people than might have been killed if unemotional, non-political, completely-dispassionate-and-able-to-incorporate-more-data-faster-than-any-human computers made the shoot/don't shoot decision? In other words, if this law were to move forward, it is quite possible—probable, even, in my opinion—that more people will die unnecessarily. Which is the sort of thing that happens when diplomats start acting like legislators.

The Writing’s On The Wall Super Shemitah can NOT be prevented; however, it can be alleviated. The Whole World Waits for the Momentous 70th Biblical Shemitah Jubilee with Great Anticipation and Uneasy Apprehension 40 Day Period of Special Prayers, Fasting and Repentance Ends on September 23rd SEPTEMBER 2015: A Window Of Time To Be Understood Historically, it is always the month of Tishri that reflected how true the community, both local and global, was to the spirit of the Shemitah year. The Shemitah always ends on Elul 29, which is the last day of the month of Elul that falls on September 13th in 2015. This particular Shemitah inaugurates the Biblical Shemitah Jubilee which officially begins on September 23rd with the close of Yom Kippur. What distinguishes this particular Jubilee from all the others is that the upcoming one is the 70th stretching back almost 3500 years. The crucial understanding here concerns the spirit of the Shemitah. The very purpose of the Shemitah was to rest … to rejuvenate … to prepare for the next 7-year cycle. The practical ways for doing that were to let the farmland lie fallow and for the shopkeepers to take a respite. Business was curtailed to only what was necessary. A more spiritual and contemplative posture was assumed by everyone in the community. “The word Shemitah refers to Sabbath year observed in ancient Israel, when all working of the land ceased, the land rested. This took place every seventh year. On the last day of that year, all debts were wiped away, all credit was nullified, the financial accounts of the nation were, in effect, wiped clean.” On the financial front the outstanding debts were forgiven, as were other forms of indebtedness. This religious practice (showing mercy and compassion) allowed everyone in the community to start over free from old debts and crushing burdens. Individuals and families, businesses and other enterprises could then begin the next seven year cycle refreshed. Again, it the respecting and honoring the spirit of the Shemitah that is of utmost importance. By doing so those obedient Jewish communities were ensuring a future full of peace and prosperity. However, the recorded history of the Hebrew people also provides dramatic examples of when the Shemitah was not properly observed. It was always during the month of Tishri that JUDGMENT fell upon the land after the trumpets sounded on Elul 29. Hence, the biblical sounding of trumpets could presage both great joy and jubilation, or difficult trials and tribulation. In the latter case, the “JUDGMENT” was simply a karmic blowback for the failure to release those from indebtedness who would be weighed down during the next 7 year cycle. Not showing mercy toward their brethren or not allowing the land to rest were considered transgressions against God’s will, as well as the scriptural injunctions. Hard times would surely follow when the divine laws associated with the Shemitah were not strictly obeyed. Now, let’s fast forward from ancient Israel to the post-modern USA and the present Global Economic & Financial System. The Current State of World Affairs Will Determine the Outcomes of the Super Shemitah It is really quite easy to forecast the future of the planetary civilization based on recent history. The many long established societal trajectories, which have been plotted over the past 50 years, also telegraph both fate and fortune. The economic and financial trends since 1965 have clearly carved out a destiny which has been tracking deeper and wider by the year. Since 2015/2016 is the Jubilee, this particular year will either suffer or enjoy the fruits or just desserts, respectively, of 50 years of human endeavor or lack thereof where there was neglect. Quite inauspiciously, the third millennium began with an unmatched cataclysm on September 11 of 2001. That false flag terror attack had unfortunately set the stage for the past 14 years, another 2 x 7 cycle. Hence, the 2015/2016 period represents the blowback of so much karma on so many different levels. The fruition of benevolent plans and malevolent perpetrations for both good and ill, respectively, are now approaching their culmination and climax. A quick scan of the turbulent and tumultuous global geopolitical chessboard clearly portends a very dynamic and fast-changing game. Especially for those nations which happen to be located in the wrong place at the wrong time, have the times been full of misery and misfortune. Some countries such as the Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen and, of course, Palestine have seen the Shemitah bring nothing but extreme adversity. Where it pertains to the spirit of the Shemitah, there are three main areas of deep concern. Truly, the unfoldment of the Super Shemitah will be determined to a great extent by how things continue to develop in the USA, in the European Union (EU) and in China (as well as the major economies of the Asian Pacific Rim). Each of these now face monumental problems and formidable obstacles which will not go away unless they are dealt with decisively. I. The EU treatment of Greece does not bode well … for anyone. The imposition of even more austerity and hard times on a thoroughly bankrupt nation runs completely counter to the spirit of the Shemitah. The lack of charity toward the people of Greece has been shocking and disturbing. The ever-worsening immigration turmoil throughout the whole EU will only continue. These are the karmic consequences for unlawful military attacks supported by Europe on various Middle Eastern countries such as Libya and Syria, Iraq and Yemen. The whole EU, not just the PIIGS, is actually in big trouble. Even France and Germany are not in very good shape considering the global economic downturn. However, it is the brutal treatment by the EU, ECB and IMF of Greece that has set the European stage for a Super Shemitah disaster. So, too, has the European support of the civil war in the Ukraine, as well as the unjustified and illicit sanctions levied against Russia. Crashing the Russian economy by the West, in particular, was an extremely unwise move by the Anglo-American Axis (see Glossary). II. The USA has a national debt fast approaching $19 trillion. The divide between the 1% and the 99% grows by the day. Racial hatreds and religious prejudices are being stoked by both media and government. Police brutality and gun violence are now commonplace. Financial hardship and economic stagnation are everywhere to be found. Wall Street has methodically closed down Main Street, as the Fed bails out the TBTF banks instead of the truly indigent and destitute. The political differences have never been so irreconcilable. The government has never been so transparently corrupt and bereft of moral leadership. Profound judicial rulings and legal decisions have been improperly rendered which will have great consequence. Social engineering is occurring at breakneck speed in the wrong direction, which is giving rise to an ultra-permissive society that many now refer to as Sodom and Gomorrah. The epic California Drought and relentless persecution of the state of Texas by Washington only add to this volatile mix. The American stage for a Super Shemitah event(s) has been painstakingly set up by the year since 9/11. III. The Far East is fraught with unpredictability and unknowns. China’s stock markets are in total disarray as their currency fluctuations bring more uncertainty to global markets. The Asian economic powerhouse — 2nd largest in the world — is slowing down precipitously. Japan not only has Fukushima looming in Tokyo’s backyard, its political instability and economic doldrums increase by the day. Their dexterous use of financial sleight of hand is the only reason why Japan has not collapsed outright. The 2 Koreas have yet to sign a durable peace treaty which means that the Korean War is ongoing, mostly at the instigation of the USA. The Philippines is incessantly thrashed by global climate change precipitated superstorms which threaten environmental stability and economic security. Lastly, India has yet to jumpstart itself even with a very business-oriented prime minister. Bringing such a large rural population into the Internet Age has proven to be overwhelming as intractable social problems and corporate abuses resist resolution. When considered in the aggregate, it is likely that the Super Shemitah will not be easy on the Asian economies. What is most obvious in the world today is the perpetual state of war throughout the Mideast. Then there is the current predicament of financial volatility and economic instability throughout the entire European Union. The same goes for China and Japan. The devolving state of affairs in the USA is equally desperate and unstable … in every sphere of life. So, too, are there deteriorating situations in various African and South American countries. However, it is the largest economies of the world that pose the greatest problems for the community of nations. The United States and European Union, Russia and China, Japan and India all represent the biggest economies on Earth. Herein lies the greatest threat which looms from the Super Shemitah. Tishri: The Real Month of Reckoning that Follows Elul 29 There is a critical point here: That what transpires across the planetary realm during the month of Tishri will demonstrate the benefits or the consequences of a Shemitah year well lived or otherwise. In other words the more that the spirit of the Shemitah is respected, the fewer the consequences for society-at-large. When the spirit of the Shemitah is not properly honored, throughout both the mundane and spiritual realms, the community will bear the appropriate consequences. In the present case “the community” is now very much a global one. Because the ruling cabal that oversees the Global Economic & Financial System has used the Shemitah phenomenon for millennia, they have sufficiently interpenetrated every facet of society. In this way TPTB have guaranteed that the coming Jubilee will indeed manifest — quite impressively — as the historic 70th Jubilee that it is. Many are now wondering why those who possess the capacity to manipulate events so convincingly utilize a religious calendar and sacred scripture as their guiding reference points and documents. This is a very thorny question. After all, what does manufacturing world wars and engineering stock market crashes have to do with God or spiritual pursuits. Without opening up that can of worms, there is an excellent analogy which serves the purpose of offering an all-encompassing explanation. As follows: The biblical story of Job presents an excellent example of where we really are. In short Job’s plight represents the predicament of the human race. Who is not caught up and crushed by the rat race of life in 2015? God used Satan to test Job, as humankind is being tested, at the apparent behest of Satan. However, it was God who planted the seed in the first place because Job needed to be tried and tested. It was his time. Satan thought he had the power to nettle and vex the righteous Job. No, God gave him the temporary power to afflict and bedevil Job at every turn. The moral of the story is that God is in charge, not the devil. Conversely, TPTB have no real power; it’s all perceived power which can be taken away in the blink of an eye. Yes, they pulled off a couple of ‘successful’ controlled demolitions in September of 2008 and 2001. However, that was then; this is now. Only time will tell how this tract of humanity will fare during the upcoming Super Shemitah. Regardless of the prophesied Great Tribulation, God — and God alone — remains in charge of the entire epochal transformation. The earthly powers merely do his bidding, unwittingly of course. Let’s get back to the month of Tishri. Rabbi Jonathan Cahn quite eloquently speaks to what is happening right now regarding the 40 holy days which transpire from Elul 1 through Tishri 10. Just like the 40 days of the Christian Lenten season, this period of time is set aside for special prayers, fasting and repentance. Rosh Hashanah (aka the Feast of Trumpets) marks the Jewish New Year which takes place from September 13th to the 15th. This entire 40 day period culminates on Yom Kippur — the Day of Atonement — on September 22/23. It’s imperative for those who understand the significance of this special window of time — from September 13 to September 23 — to use the sublime energies in the best possible way and for the greatest good. From the ending of the Shemitah year on the 13th to the beginning of the 70th Jubilee on the 23rd, virtually anything is possible. Likewise, in light of the true state of the GE&FS, as well as the many unresolved and profound financial and economic issues previously discussed, that realm will most probably see some something very BIG occur! The Elul-Tishri 40-day marks the Time of Atonement (aka At-One-Ment) If ever there was a time to align with the Spirit of the Shemitah — of atonement — this is it. Rabbi Cahn makes a very strong case for every individual to live in the spirit of the Shemitah, and to make amends wherever possible. He points directly to a number of official actions taken by the U.S. Federal Government which have put the whole nation in jeopardy. Some of these highly misguided initiatives have profoundly exposed the American people to pushback by the Universe itself. When a nation chooses to violate natural law, divine law, scriptural law so zealously, “the writing is on the wall”. Rabbi Cahn refers to the true back story of this biblical phrase in his most recent video which is further described below from an alternative reference. “The writing on the wall”, or “the hand writing on the wall”, or “the writing is on the wall” or “Mene Mene”, is an idiom implying that there is evidence of an impending disaster. The event may be seen as difficult to avert. The expression refers originally to Chapter 5 of the Book of Daniel, in which a disembodied hand writes an enigmatic message on the palace wall of Babylon. For those who are unaware, the actual story of what happened to Babylon has been summarized as follows: In the Daniel 5, a disembodied hand is witnessed writing on the wall at Belshazzar’s feast in the palace of Babylon. The event occurs while those at the feast profane the sacred vessels that were pillaged from the Jerusalem Temple. The words that appear on the palace wall are “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin.” The prophet Daniel is summoned to interpret the message, which, as he explains, means the imminent end of the Babylonian kingdom. That night, Belshazzar is killed and the Medo-Persians sack the capital city. The bottom line here is that the Year of the Shemitah is not to be used to break the law (or make bad law), especially the higher laws that have been obeyed since time immemorial. In the words of Rabbi Cahn, “acts of desecration” by any means — in the courts or in the temple or in the abortion clinic — are anathema to the Lord during these holy days. Therefore, the greater the transgressions, the greater the retribution … both individually and collectively. When numerous “acts of desecration” in the aggregate exceed a certain threshold, God’s Judgment quite naturally issues forth. This divine intercession does not occur as a punishment or chastisement; rather, it comes as a divine corrective measure. Only in this way will the people be saved from the consequences of their ever-worsening behavior that contravenes natural law. In other words, the Almighty has been tapping on the shoulder those nations and societies which continue to offend the universal order. With each tap getting a little stronger over the past 50 years, a critical mass of people has yet to receive the vital message. Therefore, it appears that the Highest Power now has only one recourse, and that is to deliver the message in such a way that it cannot be ignored. The following body of evidence serves as the basis for some those previous messages from on high. The Shemitah Historical Evidence is Definitive and Indisputable September of every Shemitah year has proven to be a highly consequential window of time because Elul 29, the very last day of the year falls within this month. Going back every 7 years provides stunning evidence of a remarkable correlation with global financial breakdown and economic collapse. The historical record below delineates the last several Shemitah years and the major financial and economic events that occurred … right on time. Seven Year Shemitah Cycle Correlated with GE&FS Events 0) August 2015 — U.S. Stock Market Crash as DJIA dropped 1678 points (10%) in 4 days; Preceded by Chinese Stock Market Crash culminating on Black Monday, August 24 with an 8.49% loss, similar losses on Tuesday 25th 1) September 2008 — Stock Market Crash followed by the Great Recession; Preceded by a Real Estate Market Collapse 2) September 2001 — Staged Terror Attacks of 9/11 followed by Closure and then Crash of Stock Market; Preceded by the Dotcom Crash and followed by Enron, Arthur Andersen & Telecom Scandals 3) September 1994 — Bond Market Massacre began in January and culminated in September/October of 1994 followed by Orange County California Bankruptcy in December 4) October 1987 — Stock Market Crashed on Black Monday (October 19) as the DJIA fell exactly 508 points to 1,738.74 losing 22.61% 5) Fall 1980 — Recession began that persisted through the mid-1980s; Preceded by the 1979 Energy Crisis 6) October 1973 — Oil Crisis began with an Oil Embargo announced by OPEC raising the price of oil from $3 per barrel to nearly $12 by March 1974 7) August 1966 — Stock Market Collapse that dropped 22% over 8 months, after 4 straight days of losses stocks hit new ’66 low on August 19th This list of events demonstrates that September and beyond, especially during the month of Tishri, is when the effects of the Shemitah are often felt to the greatest degree. What occurs during the 9/13/15 – 9/23/15 time frame will determine the outcomes for the rest of September and October. However, because this is the Super Shemitah, the remainder of the year and well into 2016 will quite likely be very interesting times indeed. September: Solar Eclipse on Elul 29 Plus Final Tetrad Blood Moon There is also the extraordinary convergence of various luminary and astrological events occurring during this September. Some of the most consequential cannot be mere coincidence, particularly the solar eclipse on Elul 29, as their timing ‘seems’ to be the product of divine ordination. Similarly, the last Blood Moon of an ongoing tetrad also takes place on September 28th, just after the Biblical Shemitah Jubilee begins. Perhaps this exceptional synchronicity reflects yet another example of where “sacred scripture has been morphed into a profane script”. It appears that a certain ROGUE group of Judaic astrologers and Kabbalistic practitioners, Talmudic scholars and Hebrew scribes, Cahilla elders and Jewish bankers, Orthodox rabbis and Zionist leaders have been quite busy indeed over the centuries. Otherwise, how else could everything be timed so perfectly and executed with such precision during the Shemitah years, especially during the finale? Saturn will be exiting Scorpio on 9/18/15, right in the middle of the highly anticipated September time-window. The ending of this particular transit always intensifies its typically earthshaking effects, as evidenced by what has transpired on Planet Earth over the past two and a half years that Saturn has been careening through Scorpio. The key point is that these celestial happenings are all occurring simultaneously, along with the following September astrological events described by Vedic astrologer Joni Patry below. (Source: September Predictions and Aspects) The Super Shemitah does hold the power of a super-catalytic series of events. Each of these ought to be understood in the context of our own modern-day biblical experience. By “biblical” it should be understood according to the religious and/or spiritual context of each soul. Some are guided by the Holy Bible or the Koran, the Vedas or the Buddhavacana; others are moved by the oral traditions of the Indigenous Peoples (such as those of the various Native American tribes). Within the Christian tradition each person may soon feel that they are living the life of a 21st century Job. However, every person on Earth will be participating in their own version of the End Times. For instance, those Christians who subscribe to the Book of Revelation can find therein the wisdom and solace that will help guide them through what might be viewed as the Great Tribulation. No matter what the prophecies and predictions are which actually manifest, all peoples will eventually find themselves in the same planetary predicament. Truly, what is soon to unfold around the globe will ensure that the shared experience of humanity is a universal one. The crucible of the Super Shemitah was quite purposefully designed in this fashion. As a result, each spiritual aspirant can partake of the vast body of wisdom and knowledge which will accrue very quickly in the wake of the Super Shemitah. As the September prediction above indicated, “we are all one”. The global village is now hardwired (via the internet) so that anyone can tap into the global karma report at any time. In this manner everyone can become instantly aware of what is happening practically anywhere else on the planet. By living vicariously and consciously through each other’s experiences, anyone can accelerate their spiritual journey back to the Godhead. Such is the power of the Super Shemitah. To function as a heavenly catalyst in order to effectuate lasting transformation, both individual and collective, is its primary purpose. Just because TPTB don’t see it that way, doesn’t mean that the rest of humanity can’t. After all, “the writing is on the wall” … … … and most of us know exactly who put it there. Cosmic Convergence Research Group August 31, 2015 The following video provides an excellent way to prepare for the Super Shemitah. Jonathan Cahn offers some valuable historical context, as well as present-day realities, which ought to be fully understood going forward. His penetrating insights and spiritual perspective serve to edify, enlighten and empower. The Anglo-American Axis is represented, first and foremost, by the major English-speaking countries of the world: USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Israel. The European member nations of NATO, such as Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands are also closely aligned with the AAA as are all the Scandinavian countries. So are the Asian Pacific Rim nations of Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines. Pakistan, Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, and Qatar also owe their allegiance to the AAA, although some of these may be changing. The World Shadow Government is a secret, supranational organization which completely controls the Anglo-American Axis, as well as the European Union, NATO, among many other institutional entities which constitute the Global Control Matrix. (Source: Vladimir Putin’s Russia: Perfect Foil To The Anglo-American Axis And Their New World ‘Order’) September 2015 — A Month To Remember 9.10 — International Day of Prayer 9.11 — 14th anniversary of September 11, 2001 9.12 — Israel Orthodox Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky states the Messiah will return 9.12 — Madonna starts U.S. leg of Rebel Heart Tour in Washington D.C. 9.13 — Shemitah Year Ends on Elul 29 9.13 — Full Solar Eclipse 9.13 — Feast of Trumpets & Rosh Hashanah 9.14 — Hebrew Year 5776 begins, 1st day of Wall Street trading after end of Shemitah year 9.15 — UN Resolution for Palestine Statehood 9.15 — JADE HELM 15 ends 9.17 — Constitution Day 9.21 — UN International Day of Peace 9.21 — Hajj (Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca) 9.22 — Day of Arafat 9.23 — Yom Kippur 9.23 — Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha aka Feast of the Sacrifice 9.23 — Declared “International Year of Light” by UN General Assembly 9.24 — Pope addresses U.S. Congress, first time ever 9.23 — 70th Biblical Shemitah Jubilee begins, Super Shemitah commences 9.25 — Pope addresses UN General Assembly of World Leaders 9.25 — Pope holds Mass at Madison Square Garden 9.25 — French Foreign minister predicting 500 days to avoid climate chaos comes due 9.25 — United Nations launches the “2030 Agenda” 9.26 — Pope visits Church of Philadelphia for the 2015 World Meeting of Families 9.27 — Feast of Tabernacles & Jewish Holiday of Sukot 9.28 — Lunar Eclipse & 4th Blood Moon of 2-year Tetrad 9.?? — Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit US in September

Please add a one-time gift to assistance fund our most urgent campaigns to fighting favouritism and expand LGBTQ rights. Remember, 100% of your purchase fuels the fight for LGBTQ par and makes you an active member of the quality Rights Campaign. If you find yourself treed in the middle of the plant material without electricity, spouting water, or a car you would likely describe that state of affairs as a “nightmare” or “a distressing causa book wish after plane crash or something.” segregated people refer to it as “camping.” once snowy mass begin talking to you about camping they will do their best to utter you that it’s actual easy and it allows them to leak the pressures and troubles of the urban lifestyle for a more natural, simplified, quiet time. In theory tenting should be a very cut-rate action since you are literally relaxation on the ground. But as with everything in covered culture, the additional simple it appears the more dear it really is. Camping is a multi-day, multi-step, possibly lethal activity that aim monetary value you a astronomic amount of some time and money. Why Jews Support Black Causes - Interview With Kevin MacDonald PhD | Real Jew News Is a Professor of science at the California nation University in Long Beach California. As the author of several books, Kevin Mac Donald outlines Jewry’s hunting to destroy light-skinned Christian culture done good movements, politics, and the fundamental quantity media. His masterwork, Ever since the commencement of the nationalist remembering for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909, Jewish organizations person had a bimestrial standing sound recording of load-bearing dark causes.

We thank many readers for their responses to our three-part Western trip series. For those who missed them, we will list the three links here: Western Trip-Part 1: www.cumber.com/western-trip-part-1/ Western Trip-Part 2 – Breastfeeding & The WHO: www.cumber.com/western-trip-part-2-breastfeeding-the-who/ Western Trip-Part 3 – A Simple Call for Action: www.cumber.com/western-trip-part-3-a-simple-call-for-action/ “Western Trip-Part 1” reported anecdotes and evidence of the Trump-Navarro Trade war damages. In responses, nearly all agreed with us, and many added personal evidence. No one supported Navarro. The subsequent Wall Street Journal weekend lead editorial excoriated Navarro, and rightfully so in our view. (https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-trade-casualties-mount-1532127901). Trade drama, of course, continues. As reported in Politico, Trump announced his decision to begin talks with the European Union “on reducing industrial tariffs to zero” and to defer any tariffs on automobiles while those talks are underway. His decision evoked this response from European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker: “‘The major progress today is that our American friends agreed not to increase tariffs on cars and other products during the negotiation, which is a major concession by the Americans I have to say,’ Juncker told reporters after a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.” (https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/25/trump-juncker-trade-concession-tariffs-1661543). Politico warned in their “Morning Money” email that Juncker’s choice of words seems “almost tailor-made to anger Trump.” “Western Trip-Part 2 – Breastfeeding & the WHO” drilled down into distortions of media and the true fakery of news flow distributed by social media. Western-2 also described the insidious application of money-influenced health policy and how the Trump administration tried to maneuver policy to the detriment of breastfeeding and for the benefit of a handful of businesses that produce and sell infant formula. We received many emails thanking us for the carefully cited research. A handful said we were just being politically anti-Trump. For those detractors we must note that Trump himself created the Twitter storm and that the charge of fake news leveled at the NYTimes was patently false, as was his defense of his policy. Responsibility lies with Trump’s delegates to WHO and Trump’s HHS cabinet and Trump’s political alliances that received political money. For those critics who attacked me, I note that not one offered evidence to contradict our reporting on breastfeeding. They have no facts to offer. To them and to Trump, we suggest that when it comes to a charge of fakery, truth is an absolute defense against which there is no rebuttal. “Western Trip-Part 3. A Simple Call for Action” was a personal appeal. The idea originated from many discussions in Western states with mostly men who are involved in their churches (varied religions) and who are disappointed with the direction of Trump policy. The two principles listed are a succinct summary of those views. Nearly all women agreed with these principles. Men were divided, with about 85% opposed to Trump’s immigration policy. Remember that many of these men employ undocumented workers because they cannot otherwise find labor. My four-state sample is about 200 businesses, mostly in construction, hospitality, and services. Western-2, about health and breastfeeding, triggered responses in the hundreds. That includes email and social media. Western-3 had lots of affirmations and also a number of thoughtful and articulate replies. We welcome them. Most replied with civility. A handful were nasty, and a couple were downright ugly. Below is an assortment of the replies we received. Let’s call them, the good, the civil, and the ugly. Responses to “Western Trip-Part 1” (http://www.cumber.com/western-trip-part-1/) and my follow-up piece “Trade War Worsens”(http://www.cumber.com/trade-war-worsens/): “Yup. But Trump doesn’t care about the country. Although I have no proof, I am 98 percent sure that Trump is in Putin’s pocket because he and his friends have lent Trump also of his borrowings for the last 20 years – no one else would, and they have bought his condos all over the world – thus no tax return disclosures. It may take another 20 years to come out, but I believe it likely that Trump will be declared a traitor.” – Jack “The only way to solve this craziness is to vote them out of office. I believe in small government and lower taxes, but this administration is just nuts.” – Jay “An excellent job. You may enjoy my piece written after the steel and aluminum announcement (https://www.econforecaster.com/single-post/2018/03/04/Trumps-New-Tariffs-Are-Insane). You should circulate the famous chart from Kindleberger at the end.” – Jim Smith [Name used with permission.] [The chart Jim suggested follows.] Responses to Western Trip-Part 2 – Breastfeeding & The WHO (http://www.cumber.com/western-trip-part-2-breastfeeding-the-who/): “I am honored to count you among honest, able, and deep feeling friends and cheer you for your good work on the issue.” – Frank “I commend you on your integrity. Mother Nature does not take kindly to those who claim they know better, especially if they use misleading info to make a buck.” – Robert “I knew of this story and it was disgusting. But I am a total and complete cynic. Given a choice between tax cuts and breastfeeding, the businesspeople you met with will take their tax cuts. Sorry, but I don’t think much of their being appalled unless they actually made phone calls, pulled out (or pulled) their check books, spoke out or did something. They probably shook their heads and then smiled at their bank accounts. Did anyone say they would do something, and actually do it? “Let’s face it, the business community may be appalled by Trump’s actions and sayings about many things, but they will vote their pocketbooks and as long as he fills those up, they will not change their behavior – or support. If I am wrong, tell me how.” – Joel “Here is my response to those who want to punish you for being you:” Responses to Western Trip-Part 3. A Simple Call for Action “Spot on. In order to maintain a free, global market we need to rationalize our national and international immigration policies. “Financial leaders like yourself can and will make a significant political/diplomatic difference. I hope other leaders will pick up the just cause.” – Patrick Shea [Full name used with permission.] “Your principles resonate emphatically with me. The severity of the crime separating children from parents is incalculable. “These children are forever traumatized. The term alien is also abhorrent. I am watching the ethics and morality of this country being destroyed as we become an ugly, mean nation.” – Miriam “I’m so impressed with your values that I needed to send this email. “I suspect I’m more to the left and you’re more to the right but there are issues that are so obvious that all of us can agree on such as keeping families together and the value of breastfeeding. “Since I read the NYT I was aware of the breastfeeding issue and was shocked at what we tried to do at the WHO meeting and understand that Russia eventually sponsored the resolution. I did mention it to some conservative friends and they had not been aware of the issue. “The other day I was playing golf with someone who has been politically independent and he expressed to me how he can’t understand how we’ve changed and is frankly embarrassed by our policies. He doesn’t believe we are representing America’s long held values. “Unfortunately, our country is now so divided that many people(rightfully so) feel the same way and your call to action probably will fall on deaf ears from the evangelical right, Trump’s base. “Again, thanks for expressing ideas that can make us great again.” –Steve “I respectfully urge you to focus on your area of expertise, investing and finance; and leave the left wing talking points to MSNBC etc. I have to believe you are aware that this separating of families was going on during the previous administration ( the photos of the children behind bars in aluminum foil blankets the media is splashing all over now were from 2014) but Obama’s sycophants in the media chose not to cover it. Now that we have a Republican in the White House it is big news. “An unfortunate situation, but easily remedied: don’t attempt to gain access to our country illegally.” – Dan “Thank you, David, for speaking out on this issue.” Julie “2 has been addressed. As for 1, justice needs to be prompt.” – Skip “Excellent, David. Excellent!” – Tim “Seriously, put on your pink hat and play with your coloring book. To write such drival and garbage about politics is not in your wheelhouse. Your the typical leftist with Trump Derangment Syndrome. Do you have the remotest grasp of any facts?? My own children were taken by the Canadians when we crossed over the border. They were questioned and given back I wasn’t offended. A couple of points you fail to grasp: these children may not even be related to the adult illegally crossing over and some are even abducted for this purpose. A little fact those with TDS fail to grasp. What is worse dragging a child through lawless countries risking life and limb or being separated for verification by US border officials to verify their status. You also fail to mention that your KING OBAMA is who instituted this policy. Your credibility as an investment commentator is dimities by your idiotic politicking.” – Harold K. “I could not agree more. Many times I find myself in the crosshairs of the righteous right when I stand up against the behavior of President Trump with regard to his actions toward immigrants. Living in NM and growing up in a very diverse ethnic community, I believe or at least I hope I have a keen awareness/insight to the interplay of immigration within the US. When I retire later this year, I hope to spend a lot of my retirement efforts in educational outreach, more on the macro aspect.” “Just for the record, I’m registered as an independent and typically lean toward Republican candidates; I did vote for Trump but not enthusiastically.” – Lindsey “Thank you! You are a voice with public recognition. Thank you for using it to call out for true facts & encourage a call to action. Our focus this week at Chautauqua is on ethics of dissent. It should be interesting as it will be about how we speak out against something that is blatantly wrong.” – Liz “Your arguments reverberate with progressive (flaming liberal) ideas as to politically correct speech. Since they can’t win the argument, they shift attention to the semantics. You need to focus on the problem. There actually are aliens that are here legally and those that are here illegally. If we don’t have a border, we don’t have a country. We have immigration laws that control who can and who cannot enter our country. Until just a few years ago Democrats also supported and defended those laws. If you don’t like the laws, change them with a majority vote of Congress. And no, not all or even most are entering illegally to escape torture. Those that are escaping are supposed to be sheltered in the nearest safe country (Geneva Convention). Note “sheltered” rather than given citizenship. Democrats changed their tune because they see a voter base that could change this country and put them in charge forever… and they are right.” – Jim “I agree. Solution: build the wall!” – Simon “You old Liberal, you!” – Robert “Excellent, David. Excellent!” – Tim “BRAVO BRAVO BRAVO DAVID! I agree completely. During the war, they kept as many Jews out as they could. In Vineland, many of the immigrant chicken farmers, including my own German Jewish relatives, had to stay in San Domingo or other parts of Latin American for a time, due to the quota system.” – Elaine “While I sincerely appreciate your insights on economic and financial issues (whether via your email updates, conference settings, or Bloomberg interviews) I do beg to differ with you regarding your recent email pertaining to the issue of “illegal” (or undocumented) immigrants or your statement that our government is “yanking” children from their parents as they cross the border. “I have some minimal experience with similar circumstances. My father used to own houses in Indiana, one of which was for years occupied by “illegal” (or undocumented) Mexicans. Neither I (nor he) had any real basis for knowing that, but, the father of the family ultimately informed him (us) of that. However, “he” knew that he was in the USA illegally – and, he intended to do something about it. With my father’s help on rent, he left his wife and children in Indiana and returned to Mexico for nearly a year in order to “properly and legally” re-enter our country. He knew that he had been living in the wrong and righted it. “People who do not enter our country legally are, in fact, “illegal” immigrants. Honestly, how can that be denied? Switzerland would not tolerate such situation. Those bringing children to our borders for the purposes of dumping them in this country are the perpetrators of wrong – not our government (nor our president for that matter). When will we get it through our heads that it is the perpetrators of illegal activity that are at fault and not the victims (in this case the U.S. Government)? Is it not wrong to rob someone then claim that the ‘victim’ somehow enticed me to do evil? Likewise, it is a baseless argument for those entering our country “illegally” to turn around and claim that they are the victim. “Those who wish to take advantage of children, use them as shields, or otherwise do harm to others or, at a minimum, skirt the “legal” process of immigration are the culprits here. The answer is reform of our immigration system to a “merit-based” system.” – Dan “Gee Dave, thanks for the call to arms. Why don’t you stick to what I guess you think you do best, financial economic and market analysis. Why don’t you lead by example. Instead of your elitist fishing confab in Maine how about gathering the “boys” down at the border and directly aiding the asylum seekers. You libs are all talk and no action.” – Kerry “YOU HAVE IT ALL WRONG. I AM SHOCKED THAT YOU WOULD PREACH THIS CRAP. KEEP IT UP AND WE WILL HAVE NO COUNTRY.” “Thank you for taking an ethical stand on the issue of immigration. Every American needs to do some soul-searching on this issue. “In any given situation, there are several questions to be answered: 1. What are the circumstances? 2. In these circumstances what kind of nation do we choose to be? What deeply held values/ethics/principles should guide our decisions and actions? 3. What course of action should flow out of these answers? “If our reactions to circumstances violate the founding principles and ethics we, as a nation, have long held dear, we ourselves chip away all that made this bold and historic national experiment worth the trouble. We squander the sacrifices our armed forces have made in defense of human rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. (It wasn’t, after all, just home and apple pie we were defending. It was also those self-evident truths our founding fathers chose to enshrine, though we have ever been somewhere on the path to realizing them in full—we haven’t yet arrived.) “When an immigrant child, torn from her parents, lies traumatized in a cold warehouse, untouched and uncomforted, wrapped only in a Mylar blanket, we have utterly lost our way. We absolutely do have the ability to both uphold our borders and to treat those who cross them uninvited, often out of need, with human dignity. “We are the America we choose to get up every morning and be. There is no resting on the laurels of generations before us who acted out of principle and courage and faith. We must do the same, or we become a generation that will leave our children and grandchildren only a legacy laid waste, haunting guilt, and diminished dreams—tendrils of acrid smoke from liberty’s extinguished torch. “We must choose. We cannot let an angry, impulsive man who rants about “shithole countries” choose for us. So that all that matters most will not be lost, we must remember who we are and what we stand for and act accordingly.” – Lisa “Yup, so the rules are unclear, say anyone born here is citizen, but not the birth parents. There is a great industry on the border getting pregnant women into the US, and into a US emergency room – lots of cost to hospitals, lots of payoffs to those arranging. And so it goes. Set the rules, enforce, let all know.” – William “Unitarian Universalists are on the case! And have been since at least 1963. Not that it’s made any difference…” – Linda “I am in complete agreement with you on immigration and value your concise, clear statement on the subject. Thank you. I will share this.” – Carolyn

Attention: All Members and friends of HJC We have available in the office, enrollment forms for the Gordon Foods “FunFund”. There is no cost for you to join, and HJC will benefit each time you shop there, and present your card. HJC will accumulate rebate points based on your purchases. You can also register on line by going to: Once registered, stop in the store to pick up your Fun Funds card. After you fill in the simple application on line, you will have an option to print a donation coupon. With this coupon, GFS will donate $10.00 to HJC after your first $50.00 purchase. Thank you in advance for supporting Heights Jewish Center Synagogue. If you have additional questions, call the office, or call Rob Altshuler, at 216-387-3340

It’s time for our side to reassert a People’s Brexit and quash the creeping Remainers and their anti-socialist EU allies, argues Lindsey German There is growing unreality in the debate round Brexit. The British establishment may be obsessed with the question but it isn’t getting much closer to achieving it. The Tory party remains as split as ever with even the cabinet divided into two working groups to discuss the issue. Theresa May is no closer to dealing with the rifts in her party over this, attacked as she is now by Boris Johnson and Michael Gove. Her repeated claims to ‘take back control’ are fairly meaningless given that she can’t even control her own ministers. The arch Brexiteers are still intent on a hard Brexit which means they hope a return to a mythical Britain of old, one which relied on free trade, kept out migrants and was economically self-sufficient. It has never existed. Their trade deals would care little for workers’ rights, ecological or ethical concerns, and although they are being posited as cutting the cost of food and so benefiting workers this is highly unlikely given that the main reason for expensive food lies with the profiteering of supermarkets and the big farmers - and in or out of the EU this will continue. The other failure to look at reality lies with the continuity Remainers who regard leaving the EU as a complete disaster and who are trying desperately in a number of different ways to reverse the decision of the referendum nearly two years ago. They ignore the fact that the EU is showing, not least through its negotiating stances, that it is a ruthless entity which is increasingly determined to drive a hard bargain with Britain against the interests of the majority of its population. The cat was out of the bag in a Times article last week which made it clear that the main reason for this hardline over trade and relations with the EU 27 is fear of the policies a Corbyn government would bring in. It says ‘Senior European officials have told The Times that concerns over Labour’s economic policies are the main reason for the EU’s insistence on a tough “level playing field mechanism” in a future deal after Britain leaves.’ They want to avoid public ownership in particular which they believe will be punitive for European companies now involved in running privatised areas such as utilities and railways and making huge profits for their shareholders. The logic of Remain is to accept all of these strictures while denying that they can happen. At the heart of their campaign lies the embittered Blairites and their friends. Sunday’s Observer led its front page with the story about 1 million students wanting another vote on Brexit - in fact, it was 120 student union officials. And the House of Lords has played a role, with a major defiance of the Labour whip spearheaded by among others Lord Kinnock to vote for continued membership of the European Economic Area. Kinnock then launched an attack on Corbyn and made clear that he encouraged Labour MPs to defy him, calling his attitude a ‘serious evasion of duty’ and left opposition to the EU as ‘infantile leftist illusion’. You would think Kinnock would have a bit of self-awareness about attacking failings of other Labour leaders. His record as Labour leader is second to none. He spent nine years as one, failed to win an election in 1992 which should have been an open goal, spent those years attacking the left and then went to an unelected position as EU commissioner followed by an unelected position in the House of Lords, similar to one of his allies Lord Mandelson. This week they will be joined by David Miliband, and no doubt a range of right-wing Labour figures, in continuing their attack on Corbyn over this. They have little shame over their inability to convince their own former voters to support Remain. Indeed they simply ignore the reality of many Labour voters in a stance which almost certainly damaged Labour in some places in the local elections and which amounts to a denial of democracy. That is what a second referendum would mean, as would staying in the single market and as, in my opinion, would a customs union acceptable to the EU. But they are not going to stop. They have money, power and influence and they are using it. Time to reinstate the idea of a People’s Brexit, one based on creating jobs, building infrastructure and widespread nationalisation. Because this whole debate is about what sort of society we want to see - one where there is far greater equality and where there is greater political control by working people. It would be disastrous for Labour to take any other position than this. In the event of a Corbyn victory, the EU Commission and Council would treat Britain in exactly the same way as it has treated Greece, and the only way to stand up to that is to reject its assumptions and membership of its club. Union organising: what we do next I was on the TUC demo last weekend in London. I thought it had a great atmosphere and met some new and old friends on it. But I do ask myself some questions, the main one being why wasn’t it much bigger? The TUC says it was the largest demo of many years. But that isn’t true. Demos on austerity, refugees, the NHS in the last two or three years have all been bigger, and it had little impact in mobilising beyond the official union machine. I think that’s partly the slogan - a new deal for workers - which is just too general and non-focussed to get people out of bed at dawn in Hull or Manchester. In addition, it seems very driven from above, with lots of money but not enough grassroots organising, too little liaising with groups outside the TUC, and too little appealing to the large majority of the workforce who are not in unions. Nonetheless, it did bring tens of thousands onto the streets and it got loads of publicity. Now we need to build on it in two ways: first to ensure that upcoming demos on the NHS and for Trump’s visit have a major trade union contingent. Second to find an answer to the question over why, if Jeremy Corbyn got 13 million votes in the election last year, there are only around half that number of trade union members? At least part of that lies in mass recruitment of young people. In my experience there is lots of talk about this but not always much happening. But we know when there is an effort, let alone when there are strikes such as in the universities or McDonalds, there is no shortage of recruits. Trump and Netanyahu: conflict ahead This week marks 70 years since the establishment of the Israeli state - and 70 years since the Nakba, or catastrophe as the Palestinians call it. It is 70 years since they were driven off land they had lived on for generations as a result of the formation of the new state. They have long demanded the right to return to their homelands, a right denied to them by the Israelis. Those demonstrating for this right at the Gaza border have been shot by Israeli troops, with many injured and killed. The history of that 70 years has been one of both hopelessness and resistance for the Palestinians. They are a huge refugee population, many in exile and often living in miserable conditions. Gaza, the West Bank and the Golan Heights have been illegally occupied since the 1967 war which resulted in Israeli expansion. Netanyahu represents the right of Israeli opinion, and supports continued occupation and repression of the Palestinians, as well as the illegal settlements which are growing rapidly. His domestic political problems lead him to take an even more aggressive stand, not just with the Palestinians but over his growing conflict with Iran, in which he is backed by Donald Trump. This week too, Trump is moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, again in defiance of international agreements; a move designed to appease the settlers and to further alienate the Palestinians. What a tragedy this all is. Israel was seen as a haven for many Jews following the horrors of the Holocaust and the Second World War. But the original injustice of the Nakba has prevented that from being the case. Whereas Jews, Muslims and Christians lived together in the Middle East for hundreds of years, that has been eroded and is no longer the case. Cities with a major Jewish history and contribution such as Alexandria in Egypt no longer have a sizeable Jewish population, for example. The aim of a two state solution for the Palestinians is, it seems to me, dead. The only solution is a democratic secular state. Trump and Netanyahu are pursuing policies which are not in the interests of anyone in the Middle East, regardless of their race or religion. They will bring more division, more likelihood of war, more injustice for the Palestinians. We should not forget that many Israelis themselves oppose these policies and have made stands in favour of the Palestinians. Much more may be needed from us all in the coming months As national convenor of the Stop the War Coalition, Lindsey was a key organiser of the largest demonstration, and one of the largest mass movements, in British history. Her books include ‘Material Girls: Women, Men and Work’, ‘Sex, Class and Socialism’, ‘A People’s History of London’ (with John Rees) and ‘How a Century of War Changed the Lives of Women’. More articles from this author - Testing times, but no trace of a government strategy - weekly briefing - No country for old men? – weekly briefing - Trump goes viral - weekly briefing - When Towering Inferno meets Groundhog Day - weekly briefing - Protecting war criminals and torturers: the Tory bill and Starmer's shame - Second time farce, but it will lead to tragedy - weekly briefing - Where next for the left? - Lindsey German

Even though I look like 1996 Claire Danes if she were a boy with glasses, I'm Italian. My grandparents were "off the boat" and didn't speak English. I never really had strong family ties, but do I love Italy. I love the bustling streets of Rome, the perilous cliffs of the Amalfi Coast, the museums and cobblestones of Florence. The pizza on every corner. The secret covens of witches living amid the ruins and running prestigious dance academies... But you don't have to take my word for it, just ask Susy Bannion. Susy loved Italians so much that she followed them to Germany. Everyone knows that when Germans aren't plotting the decimation of the Jewish people, there's nothing they enjoy more than the art of Dance. Italians are smart - they go where the work is. If the Germans want dance theatre, then the Italians are going to give it to them, goddammit. Being an American, Susy doesn't let the fact that she's not a dancer get in the way of her dreams - she packs her duffle bag and heads to Germany to learn the art of Italian dance. She found a sultry Italian roommate who wore a lot of silk and defiantly refused to condition her hair. Everything seemed to be going just great until she gets a cold. Everyone has their favorite Italian horror masterpiece. For some, it's Fulci's The Beyond, for others it's Tenebre or Cannibal Holocaust or Demons... I could go on for a week (I won't go on for a week). I'm wanted to be a ballet dancer, but my mom said it was "faggy," so I love Suspiria. Ballet dancers wearing overalls, exotic locales, hand sculpted wood finishes covered in technicolor lacquer, how could I resist it? Obviously I'll be seeing the Luca Guadagnino remake at least four times. Amazon has already started hosting gay tastemaker screenings to stir us into a social media tizzy and, you know what, good for them! The only way to out-gay Call Me By Your Name, with its Sufjan Stevens ballads and casually discarded $400 vintage bathing suits, is by adapting Suspiria with Tilda Swinton and Melanie Griffith's daughter. I'm already planning my outfit.

« ZurückWeiter » Council. Now let our readers ponder penalties adjudged by the canons. However, the manner in which Maur Cappellari, we warn and beseech them in our Lord to re member the censures and spiritual punishcalling himself Gregory XVI., denounces ments decreed by the apostolical constitutions these gentlemen in his “Brief,” addressed and general councils against those who dare to the titular Bishop of Heliopolis. We to perpetrate such things, so thai they are incite it from pp. 130, 131, of the official curred ipso facto; and as we hold on earth the “Complete Catholic Directory, Almanac, place of Christ, who came to seek and to save and Registry, for the year of our Lord, than to see them detest their crime, and sin that which was lost, we desire nothing more 1843,” published at Dublin : cerely return to the respect and obedience due “GREGORY XVI. Pope.-Venerable Brother to you." -We have long been uneasy at all that has Here the bishop of the Latin Church been done (at Gibraltar) against the rights of the Church and injuries to your own dignity. at Rome arroganily claims to "hold on But it is, above all, bitter to our heart to see earth the place of Christ," and denounces some Catholics conspiring the ruin of holy audacious laymen” those who apthings, who, on account of the functions con- pealed in defence of their rights to " herefided to them, should have been foremost in tical magistrates," and fulminates against the path of duty. Some laymen, who have no them “ihe penalties adjudged by the other authority than that given by the bishop to the edituos of the Church, have dared to canons." rise up against your authority and to despise The same rapacious spirit which was the decree you had published, forbidding the displayed at Gibraltar, by the titular receiving of money for the administration of Bishop of Heliopolis, has been manifestthe sacraments; and thus, against the sanctioned in the United States, where the Roof the canons, and even the will of Christ our Lord, they attempted to usurp the government mish clergy are endeavouring to take all of holy things. Having in vain solicited against the property belonging to the churches you our Congregation of the Propagation of out of the hands of the laity. This the Faith, they despised its authority, and were measure has, of course, been resisted by not ashamed to appeal to laics, and even to the laity. In the supreme court of Louisheretical magistrates; and it was by their command, venerable brother, that you were iana, a decision has been made adverse to thrown into prison, where you were detained the demands of the priests. One of the until the beginning of last month. Whilst Romish congregations has likewise rethese events were passing, we, who have the fused to obey the mandate of the titular solicitude of all the Churches, and who dis- Bishop of New York. charge the highest functions of the apostleship, felt this injury, and raising our voice from the It were not difficult to adduce additional height of the Holy See, we publicly protest instances illustrative of the real spirit of against the injury done to the sacred order and Popery; but the preceding may suffice. Catholic institution. We therefore solemnly Papists are triumphing in the anticipated declare, by our apostolic authority, that the ascendency of Popery. But they are said cedituos have violated and trampled under foot the liberty of spiritual power and its most chaunting their songs of victory before sacred rights, We declare them guilty of the the battle is gained. most manifest audacity, and full worthy of the THE MYSTIC BABYLON. THE VOICE FROM HEAVEN TO THE PIOUS MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH OF ROME. BY THE REV. EDWARD BIĆKERSTETH, RECTOR OF WATTON, HERTS. "And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.”—RevelaTION XVIII. 4. Ever since the fall of man, the great pent, I will put enmity between thee and controversy between light and darkness the woman, and between thy seed and has been carrying on in our world. The her seed, it shall bruise thy head and Divine testimony against the old ser- thou shalt bruise his heel, contains the SOLEMN CHARGE TO COME OUT OF HER. history of the world fulfilling to this day. mere enthusiasm to attend to it. The Before the flood we see it in individuals enemy of souls having felt that such and families, from Cain and Abel to the truth lays the axe at the root of all his Deluge. After the flood we see this con- falsehood, seeks in every way to throw flict commencing in its national and po- contempt upon it: he would by all means litical form, in the beginning of Nimrod's have men cast away the shield which kingdom, the building of Babel, and the God has given them; and never wield dispersion of the builders ; 'and in the this sword of the Spirit divinely prepared families of the sons of Noah, and then in for us, to enable us to resist Popery. the call of Abraham. God preserve us from the foolish simThe unity of evil throughout the four plicity of being prevailed upon to neglect great empires of the earth, is set forth in any part of our divine armour, when fightthe remarkable prediction of the great ing with foes within or foes without the image given in the second chapter of visible Church. Daniel; where we have Babylon, Persia, We will consider-I. THE TRUE MEANGreece, and Rome, all set forth as one ING OF BABYLON IN THIS PROPHECY. II. image. The unity of the true Church Her SINS God. III. THE also, whether Jewish or Christian, is con- PLAGUES TO COME UPON HER. IV. The tinually set forth in the word of God. Christ, we are told, hath made both one, And first and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us. Christian be- THE TRUE MEANING OF BABY. lievers are come to Mount Zion, the city LON IN THIS PROPHECY. of the living God, the heavenly Jerusa It is peculiarly important that this be lem. Here are the two opposing powers clearly ascertained, as the whole scope of light and darkness, truth and error, of the prophecy, and the whole course of Christ and Belial. These two powers our practical conduct is affected by it. It are still more plainly contrasted in the is a part of the Divine wisdom and goodNew Testament. Satan is called the god ness, that he has here left sufficient dark. of this world, and boasts that the king ness to stumble those willing to remain doms of this world and all the glory of in error, and given sufficient light to those them are given to him. But all power really desiring the truth. He has given in heaven and earth is really given to us marks and evidences that cannot easily our Lord Christ, and he must reign till be mistaken by candid, truth-loving he has put all enemies under his feet. minds, really in ihis matter, searching to There are also the followers of each, the know, that they may do, his will. children of darkness and the children of 1. BABYLON IS A POWER WHOSE SEAT light, the children of the wicked one, and AND CENTRE IS ROME. There are three the children of God; the world lying in clear marks of this. The seven heads of wickedness, and those chosen out of the the Beast are interpreted as seven mounworld, whose conversation is in heaven. tains on which the woman sitleth. (Rev. The controversy is still continued—the xvii. 9.) The common title of Rome is war is still waging. The true Church is the “seven-hilled city, the Queen and marked by Divine faith realizing things Lady of the world.” It was not better unseen and hoped for, by union to an invisible head, Christ, our Saviour. The of its own name, than by these appella known,” says Cressener, “ by the letters false Church is marked by reposing on tions."* Babylon is farther described as man's traditions, by looking to a visible the great city which reigneth over the head, and by worldly tyranny and fraud. kings of the earth. This description In these things we may discern on the comes from the angel, for the express one hand the mystic Jerusalem, and on the other hand the mystic Babylon. * See the testimonies he gives from Varro, There is an infidel feeling among pro- Virgil, Horace, Ovid, Propertius, Martial, Lufessing Christians, which scoffs at the can, in his “ Demonstration of the Apocahighest part of Divine truth, as if it were lypse," p. 9. purpose of telling St. John the mystery the Beast in the Revelation, and from its of the woman and of the beast which allusion to the ten horned beast in Daniel, carrieth her. He speaks in the present that this whole beast is nothing but the tense, and no other city had this charac- Roman empire." Bellarmine says, “ John ter in that day but Rome, which reigned every wliere calls Rome Babylon. Neither over east, west, south, and some parts of was there any other city in St. John's the north, to the end of the then civilized time that reigned over the kings of the world.* What but being misled could be earth; and it was everywhere known that the fruit of such an explanation, if Rome Rome was built on seven hills." At a were not intended! This fixes its appli- later period, Bossuet maintains the same cation. Farther, the unity of the great sentiment, stating that the city of Rome image, Babylon in its head, Persia in its is manifestly designed by the mark of silver breast and arms, Greece in its belly the seven hills. So far then Protestants and thighs of brass, and Rome in its feet and Roinanists are generally agreed.* of iron, and the toes part of iron and part of clay, leads us to the same conclusion. * Those who would see farther how fully We see one combination of evil seek- the Romanists prove that Babylon is Rome, ing to preserve that, which, as being de may consult Cornelius A. Lapide on the 17th structive of man's holy happiness, God chapter of the Revelations. He endeavours to escape the Protestant application of it to has determined to bring to nought. The Rome Papal by distinguishing between Heavoice of prophecy is here so clear, that then Rome and Christian Rome. He says, the Romanist maintains this truth equally “Heathen Rome, under the emperors to the with us Protestants, only applying the time of Constantine, was Babylon; under Con stantine it became Christian and pious, and prediction, some to Pagan Rome, and cea ceased to be Babylon, and became the faithful some to an Antichrist at Rome yet to city, the Zion beloved of God. At the end of come. Alcazar, a learned Spanish Jesuit, the world, forsaking faith, piety, Christ, and who studied the Apocalypse much, says, his chief Bishop, it is again made Babylon. ** that it is plain from the characters of And this the Lord permits that we may discern 2. BABYLON IS A POWER YET TO BE added, Alleluia, for the Lord God OmDESTROYED. The various predictions of nipotent reigneth: let us be glad and the city from the Church, and Rome from the chair of Peter.” There is, doubtless, a mea* The remarks of Mede, on the 17th chapter sure of truth in this statement, but it has been of Revelation, are very weighty: “This vision exactly met in the prophecies of the Revelaconcerning the great whore and the Beast tion. The progress of the seals marks the bearing her, is opened to John and us by the growing corruption of the Church. As long angel (which he is not used to do) hy a most as the visible Church was pure, it is repreplain interpretation, without doubt to the end sented by the white horse, then it became red that by the benefit of the interpretation thereof, or fire-coloured; then black, and lastly pallid, as being the chief vision of all the rest, the or livid and deadly. (See Woodhouse and other mysteries contained in the Revelation Cuninghame on the Apocalypse.) While the hitherto indeed shut up, but with wonderful visible Church of Rome was the means of contrivance depending upon it, might be re- protecting and extending the true faith, though vealed. Here, therefore, be attentive, and lest with more and more corruption, it was reprethe angel shall have taken this pains in vain, sented by the four horses of the first four seals. as far as it concerns thee; remember this well, When it ceased almost altogether as a system that the interpretation of the allegory or para- to diffuse Christian truth, and became itself ble (such as this of the angel) is not a new the persecutor of the true Church, then the allegory or parable-therefore do not thou look cry of the martyrs under the 5th seal is heard after, I know not what ages of the world, or against it, and the Church of Rome appears such like feigned things—it is thy part to ap. nexi, not as a warlike horse, but as a horrible ply the interpretation already given it to the beast. (Rev. xiii. 11-18.) The name Babythings themselves." Mede has also observed, lon is not given to her in the course of the "The Roman empire was believed to be the prophecy, till this second beast from the earth, fourth kingdom of Daniel by the Church of with two horns like a lamb, and speaking as a Israel, both before and in our Saviour's time; dragon, had appeared; nor till after the first received by the disciples of the apostles and angel message of the Reformation had exhorted the whole Christian Church, for the firsi 400 men to fear God and worship him. (Rev. xiv. years, without any known contradiction. And, 6-8.) 'Í'hen first we have announced this I confess, having so good ground in Scripture, complete character of the apostacy, as well as it is with me little less than an article of faith." its fall, under the name Babylon. This may -Mede's Works, p. 736. He establishes this account for what has stumbled some Protest. p at length, pp. 711-716. ants, that any should have been living under . the following chapters, connected as they rejoice, and give honour to him ; for each are with Old Testament prophecies, the marriage of the Lamb is come, and abundantly show this. There have never his wife hath made herself ready. On been any judgments on Rome, Pagan or this immediately follows the appearance Christian, at all corresponding to the judg- of Christ under the glorious title, the ments here predicted, which repeatedly Word of God, and his open triumph over testily a complete and eternal overthrow, his remaining enemies. Babylon is then so that it shall be found no more at all. yet to be destroyed, and with her destrucAnd it is remarkable that those overthrows tion is connected the full triumph of by enemies which have visited Rome, Christ and his glorious kingdom.* In took place not under its Pagan emperors, but under its Christian emperors; after it * THE WASTING OF THE TURKISH EMPIRE had become avowedly Christian, it was PRECEDES THE FALL OF ROME. The drying up Alaric and Genseric, with their Goths of the Euphrates in the typical history of the and Vandals, who took and plundered destruction of Babylon of old, preceded its Rome. Its burning, in the reign of Nero, fall, and the drying up of the mystical Eu phrates, it is clear from the chronological was before the Apocalypse was written. course of the Apocalyptic prophecy, precedes The things directly connected with the the fall of the mystical Babylon. The river predicted overthrow of this city are, as Euphrates was one great means of defending we see in the following chapter, the tri- Babylon. It is used in the Old Testament as umph of the whole Church, Jew and Gen the figure of the people, power, and glory of the kingdoms in which it is situated. Thus, tile, and the marriage of the Lamb to his Isaiah viii. 7, 8, predicts. Behold, the Lord bride fully prepared for him. I heard a bringeth up upon them the waters of the river great voice in heaven saying, Halleli- string and many, even the king of Assyria and jah, (the only part of the New Testa- all his glory, and he shall come up over his chanment in which this word occurs is in this nels, and go over all his banks. Thus, accordchapter, and it brings in by implication, ing to the general consent of Protestant inter preters, the river Euphrates, which is men. in a prophecy where no word is used iioned both in the 6th trumpet and in the 6th without its deep meaning, the restored vial, reiers now to the Turkish empire, the 6th Jewish branch as well as the Christian trumpet pointing out its commencement, and the hih vial its overthrow. It may also have Church,) Hallelujah; salvation, and a larger reference to the national defences and glory, and honour, and power unto the glory which support the Babylonian empire, Lord our God: for true and righteous and which are now drying up. Great Babylon, are his judgments, for he hath judged it is predicted, came in remembrance before God the great whore which did corrupt the under the 7th vial. Under the 6th vial poured earth with her fornications. Upon the out on the great Euphrates, or the Turkish em. pire, the waters thereof are dried up. The sym. Hallelujahs of all the servants of God are bol of waters, is, by the Angel referring to those waters on which Babylon the Great sits, Babylon and not know it. It is not till the explained to mean peoples, and multitudes, and second angel announces it that Babylon is nations, and tongues. We behold this visibly thus called. in the wasting of the Turkish empire, and the We may see God's design of love even in same thing is also manifest spiritually in the the long-suffering with which he endured this wasting of the defences of Popery and her corruption. It was a part of that infinite wis. national glories. The European powers at dom and goodness which intends ultimately this moment deeply feel that ihe preservation that his truth should pervade and bless the of Turkey is necessary to the prolonged peace whole earth. He allows his most precious and safety of the European kingdoms, and all gifts to be abused by human corruption before their policies are directed to this end. The he redeems them from the evil of that abuse, fall of Turkey then opens the way for the fall that he may bring to pass in the end the largest of the European kingdoms, adhering to the and fullest blessings. The chaff shall remain 'Papacy. The drying up of the waters of the while it covers and protects the wheat, and Euphrates, not only prepares the way of the shall only be removed when it is worthless. kings of the East, but from the going forth of Joab shall be spared as long as he assists the unclean spirits noticed under the same David, but shall be cut off when he rebels vial, the kings of the earth and of the whole against Solomon. world are gathered together to the battle of the this also we have the concurrence of lead- generally the governing power, and the ing Romanists. Cornelius A. Lapide, avowed system, have in the whole past answering those who referred it to the history of Rome been antichristian and fall of the Jewish commonwealth, says, idolatrous, and judgments on Popery, " that this of a prophecy makes the Apo- more and more open the way for the calypse a history, for the Jewish state escape of God's faithful people. - Yet was put down before writing these as Babylon wastes, both the Church of things ;” and Ribera says, “ He is blind Christ and open infidelity gather strength. that does not see that the judging of the In Popery there are conjoined together head (ch. xi. 18) cannot be fulfilled be- both truth and error. In infidelity there are fore the time of the last judgment.” So avowed enmity and opposition to God's Malvenda on ch. xix. says, “ It is mani. truth. Babylon contains then an interfest that this denotes the burning of Ba- mingling of the people of God and his bylon, that is of Rome in the end of the enemies; while the beast, the kings of world.” Ribera says, that “ Rome shall the earth, and the false prophet, in the be utterly burned, not only for its former last stages make open war with the sins, but also for those which it shall Lamb, and then are for ever put down commit in the last times, is so manifestly and cast into the lake of fire. to be known from these words of the 4. BABYLON IS ONE IN CHARACTER AND Apocalypse (chap. xiv. 10), that the sil- CRIME with Pagan Rome. As the woliest man in the world cannot deny it."* man is that great city which reigneth Thus far then Protestants and Romanists over the kings of the earth, so both Paare agreed. gan and Papal Rome have been the great 3. In Babylon THERE IS AN INTER- persecutors of the Church of Christ. For MINGLING OF God's FAITHFUL SERVANTS the first three centuries, in ten general WITH HIS ENEMIES. "The people of God, persecutions, the power of Pagan Rome who had been led captive and detained in and its vast authority were employed to Babylon, are charged, when the fall of suppress and destroy true Christianity; * Babylon is announced, to come out of in her was found the blood of the pro her. There was this intermingling in phets, and of saints, and of all that were Babylon of old. The faithful Daniel was slain upon the earth. When the empire even in chief authority under its king Ne- became Christian, for a season its power buchadnezzar, who was himself convert- was exerted in favour of the Church of ed to God, and truly honoured him. After Christ, as marked in the triumphs of the this, when Belshazzar returned to idola. heavenly host. (Rev. xii. 10, 11.) Nor try, and his kingdom was overthrown, in this was it unlike its type Babylon of Ezra and his companions, and afterwards old. The same Nebuchadnezzar, king Nehemiah, returned from the captivity. of Babylon, who had required all to worIn all we say against the Church of Rome ship the golden image, afterwards reas a system, let us never be understood quired all to honour the true God, and as denying the season of purity and ex- was himself, in the end, truly humbled cellence of that Church, nor the existence and converted ; and yet his successor of faithful servants of Christ now amongst Belshazzar returned 10 idolatry, and the them. God honoured Christian empe- kingdom was overthrown. We need not rors, and while his servants and the fole here enter into those steps, of the return lowers of Babylon remain intermingled of Rome to idolatry, which are so clearly together, Papal kingdoms are spared; but marked in the Book of Revelation. It is sufficient to say that the Church of Rome, great day of God Almighty. We gain then by degrees becoming Papal, at length behere another mark of the connexion of Baby- came again idolatrous, similar in characlon and Rome, and the true character of boih ter and crime to Pagan Rome, and justly as detaining in bondage and captivity, one the literal, and the other the spiritual Sion, to be acquired its proper New Testament dedelivered on its overthrow. signation of Babylon. Popery, gradually See these quotations in Cressener's “De growing in strength from the time of Jusmonstration," page 26. tinian, reached its height under Innocent

Parashat Ki Tavo Quiz Learn more about the weekly Torah portion. Provided by the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, exploring Torah through the original sources. 1. What was the first thing the Israelites were commanded to do upon coming into the Land? 2. To whom were they told to take their offerings, and where? 3. Which is the year of tithing? 4. Which four groups benefit from the tithes? 5. What was supposed to be written on the stones of the altar that the Israelites were commanded to build after crossing the Jordan? 6. Moses charged six of the tribes to stand on one mountain and the other six tribes on one facing it. What were the names of the two mountains? 7. Those standing on the two mounts would hear blessings and curses. From whom did they hear them? 8. What was the first curse the people heard? 1. They were commanded to first take the first fruit of the ground and make an offering to God. (26:2) 2. They were told to take their offerings to the priest in the place that God would choose. (26:2-3) 3. Tithing occurs in the third year. (26:12) 4. Levites, strangers, widows, and orphans benefit from tithes. (26:12) 5. The words of God's law were to be written on the stones. (27:3) 6. Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. (27:12-13) 7. The Levites recited the blessings and curses. (27:14) 8. "Cursed be the man that makes a graven or molten image and sets it up in secret." (27:15)

Claude Fischer: Political scientists have long established that most Americans cannot reliably identify which specific policies each party supports, that people adopt party loyalties quite early in life, and that most stick to those loyalties whatever happens. H. Scott Prosterman: The proposal calls for more than a mosque. It’s really an Islamic Community Center, modeled after the Jewish Community Center and YMCA. Make it a Global Spiritual Community Center with small houses of worship adjoined to the parkland, pool, basketball courts and performance hall. Articles by Robert Reich, Andrea Nill, John Peeler, Anthony Samad, Tina Dupuy, Rev. Irene Monroe, Sikivu Hutchinson, Steve Hochstadt, Berry Craig, Michael Sigman, Dick Price, Paul Loeb, Paul Hogarth, Ron Wolff, Mark Naison, Randy Shaw, Marcus Stern, Ed Rampell, Matthew Kavanagh, Sharon Kyle, Sylvia Moore, Tom Hall, Berry Craig, Ed Rampell, Mike Price, Seth Hoy, Pete Daniel, Tom Degan, and Joel K. Goldstein Tom Hall: A conservative Republican judge, appointed by George H.W. Bush has done what the Tea Party activists have been demanding – he restored the Constitution. Judge Vaughn Walker held that the U.S. Constitution, and its provisions requiring equal protection of the laws, required that Proposition Hate be stricken down. Andrea Nill: Tuesday,, the Arizona Republic reported that “the exodus of illegal and legal immigrants predicted by some as a result of Arizona’s tough new immigration law is expected to hurt a variety of businesses that directly and indirectly cater to immigrant populations.” If all of Arizona’s undocumented immigrants “disappeared,” the state could lose $26.4 billion in economic activity, $11.7 billion in gross state product, and approximately 140,324 jobs.

Moshe tells Bnei Yisrael to appoint judges and officers in their cities. A bribe of even an insignificant sum is forbidden. Trees are not to be planted near Hashem's altar, as was the way of idolaters. Blemishes in animals designated for offerings and other points of disqualification are listed. The Great Sanhedrin is to make binding decisions on new situations according to Torah criteria to prevent the fragmentation of the Torah. A very learned scholar who refuses to accept the Halachic decisions of the Sanhedrin incurs the death penalty. A Jewish king may only have possessions and symbols of power commensurate with the honor of his office, but not for self-aggrandizement. He is to write for himself two sifrei Torah, one to be kept with him wherever he goes, so that he doesn't become haughty. Neither the kohanim nor the levi'im are to inherit land in the Land of Israel, rather they are to be supported by the community by a system of tithes. All divination is prohibited. Hashem promises the Jewish People that He will send them prophets to guide them, and Moshe explains how a genuine prophet may be distinguished from a false one. Cities of refuge are to be provided an accidental killer to escape the blood-avenger from the deceased's family. However, someone who kills with malice is to be handed over to the blood-avenger. Moshe cautions Bnei Yisrael not to move boundary markers to increase their property. Two witnesses who conspire to "frame" a third party are to be punished with the very same punishment that they conspired to bring upon the innocent party. A kohen is to be anointed specifically for when Israel goes to war, to instill trust in Hashem. Among those disqualified from going to war is anyone who has built a new house but not lived in it yet, or anyone who is fearful or fainthearted. An enemy must be given the chance to make peace, but if they refuse, all the males are to be killed. Fruit trees are to be preserved and not cut down during the siege. If a corpse is found between cities, the elders of the nearest city must take a heifer, slaughter it, and wash their hands over it, saying that they are not guilty of the death. “And you will come to the priests, the Leviim, and the judge who will be in those days.” (17:9) Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi was extremely sensitive to the smell of garlic and could not tolerate its odor. Once, he was teaching a group of students. He paused, the smell of garlic reaching his nose... “Would the student who ate garlic kindly leave the room?” he asked. Not just one, but many students left. One of them was Rabbi Chiya. The next day Rabbi Shimon (Rabbi Yehuda’s son) chided Rabbi Chiya for his lack of consideration in eating garlic before attending the lecture. Rabbi Chiya replied “I didn’t eat any garlic. The reason I left was that so the offender should not have to be embarrassed by revealing himself.” Where did Rabbi Chiya learn the need for this sensitivity to the feelings of others? The Talmud teaches us that Rabbi Chiya learned this behavior from seeing Rabbi Meir conduct himself in a similar way. And from whom did Rabbi Meir learn it? From Shmuel HaKatan. And Shmuel? From Schania in the Book of Ezra. And Schania learned it from Yehoshua, who learned from Moshe Rabbeinu. Why didn’t the Talmud skip all those generations and just get to the point? Why didn’t it just say, “Rabbi Chiya learned his sensitivity and noble behavior from Moshe Rabbeinu?” We stand at the end of an unbroken chain of generations. A chain of generations that stretches back ultimately to Moshe Rabbeinu and a moment of supreme contact with G-d on Sinai.But our contact with that moment is with the great Torah Sages of our own generation. There are no “missing links” in the chain of the Torah. For every rabbi is a student of his rabbi. When we seek wisdom and direction, we need look no further than our own living links to the past. - Source: Based on Rabbi Chaim Shmulevitz

Every year around this time, holiday specials fall on network TV like snowflakes, a comforting blanket of tradition and familiarity. But while those classics may be festive enough for some, we prefer a more modern take on the holiday season. From the heart-warming to the hilarious to the possibly offensive, here are twelve holiday-themed episodes from some of my favorite contemporary shows that put me in the Christmas spirit: "Forgiveness and Stuff" , Season 1 Episode 10) Though the foundation of Gilmore Girls is the inseparable mother-daughter duo, the magic of "Forgiveness and Stuff" lies in the flirtation between Lorelai and diner-owner Luke. They won't get together until the fifth season, but this episode marks the real beginning of the relationship; not only does he drive her to the hospital after her father has a heart attack, but at her request for something 'festive' he makes a Santa-burger "with a hat and everything." At the end of the episode she returns the favor, gifting him with the navy blue baseball cap he'll wear for the rest of the series. Aw. "The Santa in the Slush" , Season 3 Episode 9) A number of procedurals have Christmas episodes involving dead Kringles, but Bones manages to mix the crime with just the right amount of Christmas cheer, keeping the story light despite the corpses in this spin on Miracle on 34th Street . Harken back to the good ol' days when Angela and Hodgins were still together, and delight in U.S. Attorney Caroline Julian's 'puckish' side which forces Booth and Bones into a long overdue smooch beneath the mistletoe. Yes, it gets a little schmaltzy toward the end when Brennan forgoes Christmas in Peru for Christmas with her incarcerated relatives in the conjugal visit trailer of the local prison, but I dare anyone to watch the credits roll without a smile. , Season 2 Episode 9) Sometimes, you just want to watch someone tell it like it is. On this not-so-holy night, crazy sketch comedy star Tracy Jordan chafes against his court-ordered SCRAM anklet, Kenneth the Page tries to teach everyone the true meaning of Christmas with a prayer circle and a documentary about missionary work in Guatemala, while Jack's mother decides to prove that everyone's family is just as screwed up as theirs - including Liz Lemon's. The moral of the story, I think, has to do with copious amounts of liquor and remembering that you can't choose your relatives, or sell them on the black market. "The One With the Holiday Armadillo" , Season 7 Episode 10) Nothing like the joy of watching Ross attempt to interest his completely oblivious son in Hanukkah. While wearing an armadillo suit. Oy vey. And just when it seems like he's making some headway with the whole menorah thing, Chandler, disguised as St. Nick, and Joey, dressed like the Superman, join in the fun. Frankly, I think it's a miracle that the eight-year-old Ben doesn't recognize his dad in the giant roadkill costume. "How Lily Stole Christmas" (How I Met Your Mother , Season 2 Episode 11) Though you can't choose your actual relatives, you can choose your family. Unfortunately, sometimes you choose to call them a dirty word in a misguided attempt to cheer up a broken-hearted friend and nearly destroy Christmas. Using "Grinch" as a substitute for a four letter word that probably starts with 'c,' Older Ted tells his future children the tale of the year he almost had to spend the holiday with his über-religious cousins in Staten Island because Aunt Lily heard an old message he left on the voicemail referring to her in less than flattering terms. Nothing a free beer can't solve. "A Very Supernatural Christmas" , Season 3 Episode 8) A Christmas story, but not for the faint of stomach. Mixed in with the hunt for a people-snatching anti-Claus are flashbacks to the Winchester brothers' younger days that make you wonder how Sam got into Stanford when he had no primary school education. In the present, Dean wants to make the most of his last Christmas on Earth, but Sam plays the Grinch. He changes his tune, of course, after a run-in with two pagan winter solstice gods who think that just because they only eat three or four people a year, it's okay. At the end, the boys go back to their cheap motel, exchange gifts purchased at the Gas 'n Go, and watch sports. , Season 2 Episode 8) In the future, Christmas will become Xmas, and everyone will live in fear. Santa is a highly explosive robot who finds everyone naughty, except Dr. Zoidberg, who gets a pogo-stick. There's a Gift of the Magi gag, Fry buys a 500 dollar parrot which escapes, and everyone endeavors to be home before dark because "Santa Claus is coming to town." Much, much better than The Santa Clause 2, and way shorter. "The Christmas Invasion" (2005), Season 2 Special) What would Christmas be without aliens, killer Christmas trees, sword fights, and satsumas? The first of the annual Doctor Who Christmas specials is David Tennant's first official outing as the Doctor, and right away he captures your heart. A simple cup of tea revives him from his post-regeneration coma, and he battles alien invaders in another man's pajamas. Though the snow that falls on London at the end is actually ash from the destruction of an alien spaceship, it's undeniably beautiful. "Fall On Your Knees" , Season 1 Episode 10) Everyone loves A Christmas Carol. There's something undeniably satisfying about watching the icy heart of a Scrooge melt into a big puddle, and this episode of Popular tells us that even the wicked, awful, nasty cheerleaders who make our high school lives miserable are secretly good people. Queen Bitch Nicole Julian gets a trio of visitors one Christmas Eve and decides she doesn't really want to die alone. Maybe it's unrealistic, but deep down we all want to believe that bullies just need a hug. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer , Season 3 Episode 10) If you're sick of all the joy, and are looking for something with an edge in your stocking, this episode of Buffy might be just the thing. There are blind demon-priests underneath the local Christmas tree lot, Oz the werewolf turns down witch-girl Willow's offer of...you know, and Angel, vampire-with-a-soul, gets tormented by the First Evil in a twisted version of a It's a Wonderful Life. Then he tries to kill himself. But everything turns out okay when it snows for the first time ever in Sunnydale, California during a heat wave. "The Christmas Show" (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip , Season 1 Episode 11) For some real, last minute merriment, watch Studio 60 attempt to put on a Christmas show in the heart of Los Angeles. Jewish Matt Albie's Christmas spirit cannot be denied, even when the prop snow falls victim to an earthquake, forcing them to improvise with coconut. Even when he discovers his ex-girlfriend had lunch with his arch-nemesis. Even when the entire writers' room comes down with a case of the bah-humbugs. There's some kissing and declarations of love, and the show ends with a really beautiful performance by some real New Orleans musicians displaced by Hurricane Katrina. (Mystery Science Theater 3000 , Season 5 Episode 21) When you're done with the Christmas cheer, and you've had a little too much eggnog, join Mike and the 'bots on the Satellite of Love to watch Santa battle Satan on the streets of Mexico. Santa Claus is a Mexican kids' movie about child labor and forced merriment - perfect fodder for the SoL crew, who find time to give gifts and sing a song about tolerance of all cultures amidst the mockery. Story by Megan Christopher Starpulse contributing writer

In advance, I apologize for my stupidity. The fact of the matter is, I know I have a problem. But I don't know how to fix it. Which either makes me smart enough to realize that I have a problem. Or more stupid than the stupid I thought I was. Bottom line, I qualify as a worldwide leader in stupidity. And that pretty much is what makes me, me. It's taken me 40 years, but I've come to terms with that, as has everyone else in my life. Which is my immediate family, because everyone else I know doesn't think I'm stupid. They think I'm retarded. As will you when I tell you what I'm about to tell you. I don't get the whole lesbian thing. I'm sorry. But I just don't understand the whole guy infatuation with Girls in Love. What's wrong with me? Oh believe me, I've tried to get it. I've tried really, really hard. But…I just don't. That look on your face right now is that exact same look I've received from a hundred different guys when I spit out the words, "I don't get lesbians." The look I get looks something like this: "What? Are you freaking stupid?" I know, I know. Listen, I don't drink alcohol -- which is gay enough -- but I've never gotten anywhere near the looks I get about lack of beer consumption as I do when I confess my lack of interest in the Land of Carpet Munching. I've kinda stopped talking about it actually, because I'm convinced I'm the only man on earth who feels this way. I'm a man on an island. And that woman from Weakest Link is not on my island. Right now, you're all shaking your heads, thinking, "Poor, pitiful sap." Y'know what? Help me, then. I beg you. I want to understand. I want to be on your side. I am on your side. I really, really, really want to embrace this. Not a lesbian. The idea of a lesbian. I'd like nothing better than to sit around with a bunch of you guys, take a puff of my cigar, and then, after a long, dramatic pause, say to no one in particular, "God, what I wouldn't give right now to see some hot girl-on-girl action." Call me silly, but when I'm thinking happy thoughts about that Happy Thing called sex, I'd like to put my mind in a place where I'd like to be. If I'm not mistaken, two lesbians don't have a whole lot of need for what I can bring to the table. And that table is a Little Tykes picnic bench, by the way. I mean, sure, everyone has hopes, dreams and aspirations. And for most guys, those hopes, dreams and aspirations are titled "Women Who Love Women And The Men Who Love Them." However, in spite of my lack of concrete evidence, I would suspect there haven't been a whole lot of instances where, A. two lesbians let some yutz sit there and watch, and B. they then turn to him and say, "You. You're what's missing in this equation. C'mere." So what is then? Why the male obsession? And why don't I have it? Frustrated, angry and somewhat bitter over the fact that I was not blessed with The Gene, I took my confusion to the experts. A co-worker named Tom. And my next-door neighbor, Brent. I sat down. I took notes. I asked questions. I watched an Ellen rerun. I did everything I could to put myself in the proper frame of mind. Listen with me, if you please, as Tom pleaded his case on behalf of the Lesbian Defense. Also known as, the Wet Dream Team. "When I look at pornography, guys bodies are just freaking ugly," said Tom. "But then there's the beauty of two naked women touching each other. All squirmy together. "That, my friend, is love." For them? Or you? "Lesbianism is so good because it's beyond the bounds of what we're told is right or wrong," continued Tom. "It's against social norms. It's everything we're told we shouldn't be or shouldn't enjoy. It's perverse. "Trust me, it's not perverse. It's just good." What's so good about it? "Let me give you a specific example," he continued. "I was at a bar with a couple of friends, and one of the girls we were with was French kissing another girl." Did you like that? I asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable asking another man about his sexual feelings. "I liked that," said Tom. Why? I asked. "Because I liked it," said Tom. Yeah, I said, but here's my problem. Regardless as to what they were doing, there wasn't any chance you were going to get a piece of the action. "You're absolutely right," said Tom. "I wasn't in it. But I was close by. "And in this game, that counts for a lot. "I also have a theory," said Tom, "that if she's gonna do that, there's a good chance she'll do anything." So this is about you getting a little something out of this. "Not necessarily," said Tom. "I can't explain it. It's a mystery. It's like…love." Fine, I said. But you're not giving me any data. I need specific information that can explain this attraction in a more tangible, rational way. "Simple mathematics, my friend," said Tom. "Two vaginas instead of one. Four breasts instead of two. And two nice asses. And neither one has hair on them." Finally, someone was starting to make some sense. Next up for the defense, my neighbor, Brent. "Let me ask you," he said, immediately attacking me, "would you rather see two guys going at it?" Interesting approach, I thought. Challenging my lack of interest by twisting the indifference to imply a question regarding my sexual preference. Um, no. By the way, have I ever told you that you have beautiful eyes? "Here's the bottom line," said Brent. "Women know how to please other women better than a man will ever know or understand. And there's nothing better than watching a woman being aroused." Really? I always thought there was nothing better than me being aroused. "Guys don't know what the hell they're doing," he continued. "They pounce on top and that's it. If it works out for her in the process, well, good for her. But is there a man on earth who really cares?" Ignore him, honey. I care. "And on those rare occasions when you do whatever you need to do to take her to the Promised Land," said Brent, "do you really have any idea what's going on down there? C'mon, we're all just guessing. " So what you're telling me then is that this isn't so much of a sexual obsession thing as it is a learning experience. A chance for men to gain a full appreciation of the proper way to satisfy a woman by watching someone who knows how to satisfy a woman -- another woman. Right? "No," he said. "It's pretty much a sexual obsession thing. Especially when they're both hot." Please understand, I've thought long and hard over this topic. I've tried to get people to understand my point of view. I've tried to understand the point of view of others. But it's just not working for me. It doesn't make sense. I think, ultimately, it comes down to me not being capable of enjoying an experience that I can never be a part of. Other than hiding in the closet and peeking through the crack in the door. My fantasies are more enjoyable when they're founded in reality. For example, if I saw Jenny McCarthy walking down the street, and I knew she was a lesbian, I'd be thinking, "What a terrible waste of a beautiful woman." As opposed to me just thinking, "Jenny McCarthy? Wow! I bet she'd really be into a balding, 40-year-old Jewish guy with a lisp and hair on his back." Now do you see what I mean about my fantasies being founded in reality?

Karen Glick lives outside of Philadelphia. She is a clinical psychologist whose other interests include writing, painting, and acting. When not feverishly engaged in these pursuits, she enjoys spending time with her four children, husband, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and cats. Karen Glick has recently published her first novel, Questions in the Silence, which sounds excellent! Readers can learn more about Ms. Glick and her work by visiting the following: Please tell us a bit about your book and what you hope readers take away from reading it. The idea for Questions in the Silence emerged from two of my life passions (don’t ask about the others!): psychotherapy and a spiritual approach to life. The protagonist, Ari Rothman, is a young Jewish woman whose childhood is flavored by unusual dreams and visions. Some of her dreams are derived from her Jewish education, but others are more mystical and cryptic. These experiences inspire her to become a seeker of spiritual truth, not limited by her own religious upbringing. At the same time, she is driven to find her life purpose and feels she may find it in helping people through psychotherapy. Questions in the Silence chronicles Ari’s personal growth from her childhood, when she feels like an outsider because of her precocious approach to life, to her search for a life partner and her attempts to initiate a mature relationship with her parents. At the same time, in her professional life, Ari faces mounting conflict when she tries to integrate her traditional training as a psychologist with her intuitive abilities. Her struggles come to a head when she treats her first long-term client whose problems resonate deeply with some of her own issues. I guess I have always questioned the meaning or purpose behind my life. I feel that growing up in a fairly materialistic culture has made it necessary for me to constantly renew and acknowledge my core spiritual values. One of my key values has always been the recognition of the eternal in every person who enters my life. In my novel, I wanted to explore the life of a female character who would embody that spiritual striving while pursuing a career that I have found meaningful. Ari Rothman is both a seeker and a psychologist. At the same time, I wanted to depict how she navigates the difficulties she faces in her own relationships, in spite of her spiritual search, because I feel that is the task we all face. Who are your favorite characters in the story? I have three favorite characters: Ari, who embodies some of my own struggles, Dr. Samuels, the kind of supervisor I would have welcomed, and James, the client who helps his therapist grow. Do you have a favorite line or excerpt from your book? It’s hard to choose, but here is a key excerpt from one of Ari’s sessions with James:/p> Ari sat in silence with him. She could do this. Silence held no fears for her. It had become an old friend. She let her mind probe James’ silence, attempting to glean some understanding of this change in him. As the silence lengthened, Ari noticed his body sank deeper into the lumpy cushion. He allowed the chair to hug his entire frame. Ari was reminded of a small child encompassed by his mother’s embrace, allowing himself to fall asleep in her lap. Exactly the type of maternal refuge that James had never experienced. She hoped that their shared silence might serve that purpose now. If your current release were to be turned into a movie, who would you love to see play what characters and why? Ari Rothman would be played by Elizabeth Olsen (with a curly wig). I loved her recent work in Martha Marcy May Marlene and I felt she demonstrated the ability to convey internal struggles exceptionally well. Evan would be portrayed by Zach Gilford, an actor from Friday Night Lights. He is talented at playing the really decent boy next door who is always trying to do the right thing and feels responsible for everyone. James would be played by another actor from that show, Michael B. Jordon. First of all, he looks like James to me with his large eyes and athletic frame. I feel his acting skills allow him to show both sensitivity and repressed anger. Adrienne Rothman ( the mother) would be played by Diane Lane. She could easily work in an art gallery, dressed in elegant attire. But, also she does well with neurotic, tense behavior. Josh Rothman (the dad) would be played by David Duchovny. His role in the X-files demonstrated that he can certainly play a father who lives in his ideas. What are your favorite aspects of writing? There are so many aspect of the process I love. First, I should tell you that my initial draft is handwritten using a pen with flowing ink… to coax the words to flow as well. Secondly, I love writing at a smooth granite table in the sunlight that streams through my dining room skylight. Most importantly, I love the feeling that I am visiting with my characters while they show me what they want to do next. Your least favorite aspects of writing? I detest those days when my brain is soggy and void of ideas! Usually, I still force myself to sit and write, but I know that most of the writing I produce on those days will eventually be discarded. Who are some of your favorite authors/books? I love to read and probably spend too much time reading. I actually get up early just to have a quiet period to read while sipping my coffee. Some of my favorite authors are: Murakami, Abraham Vergese, Sara Gruen, Audrey Niffenegger, Jeffrey Eugenides, and John Irving. What are you reading right now? I am on the last 100 pages of 1Q84. If you could have a dinner party and invite five authors – dead or alive – who would they be and what would you serve them? I would invite Abraham Vergese, Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, Robert Frost, and Thich Nhat Hanh. Since Thich is vegetarian, I would serve polenta with roasted mushrooms, eggplant, and zucchini, with a trace of sun-dried tomatoes and a dash of parmesan. For dessert, I would bake chocolate molten lava cakes with fresh whipped cream. This question is making me hungry. What is a book that you wish you could say that you had written and why? I wish I had written The Tale of Edgar Sawtelle by Roblewski. It’s just such a wonderful epic that explores family dynamics, dealing with disability, and the wonderful relationship that can exist between dogs and their owners. On top of all of that, I love the paranormal aspects of the story. What is the greatest piece of advice (for writing and/or just living) that you have heard? In both living and writing, I believe in focusing on the present moment as much as possible without judging. Following this advice keeps the creative path open and also helps me enjoy some part of each day!Powered by Sidelines

Some of you are seeing a red banner at the top of this page, saying that it is not safe to open this email. THAT STATEMENT IS FALSE. Please press "Ignore. I trust this message" in order to continue receiving the Daily Brief. Thank you. Capitol Hill Prayer Partners "A National Prayer Alliance" P.O. Box 5152 Herndon, VA 20172-1970 The Daily Brief: "Praying for All in Authority" Wednesday, March 9, 2016 "And the Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be- 'The Lord is one,' And His name one." (Zechariah 14:9) Pray . . . and . . . Vote! Terror Attacks in Israel Terror Attacks in Israel: "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem" 1. Jaffa stabbing spree: Palestinian kills American tourist, wounds 10 others - Jerusalem Post A Palestinian assailant killed an American tourist and wounded at least 10 other victims in a stabbing spree that began in southern Tel Aviv's Jaffa Port, in the third attack within a number of hours on Tuesday evening. The American who succumbed to his wounds sustained in the attack had been evacuated to Wolfson Medical Center in Holon. Tel Aviv police said the attacker began stabbing people near the entrance to the Jaffa Port, wounding a number people to varying degrees. He then escaped on foot in the direction of Tel Aviv, running between vehicles stopped on the road and stabbing motorists. He managed to wound a number of other civilians before he was shot and subdued by police. (Read more) 2. Taylor Force, Vanderbilt grad student, identified as Jaffa terror fatality- Jerusalem Post Vanderbilt graduate student Taylor Force, 29, was killed Tuesday evening by a Palestinian terrorist who went on a stabbing rampage in Jaffa in which 12 other people were wounded. "This horrific act of violence has robbed our Vanderbilt family of a young hopeful life and all of the bright promise that he held for bettering our greater world," Vanderbilt chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos wrote in a letter to the student body. "Taylor embarked on this trip to expand his understanding of global entrepreneurship and also to share his insights and knowledge with start-ups in Israel," wrote Zeppos. (Read more) 3. AIPAC Mourns the Loss of Taylor Force - AIPAC Americans and Israelis are grieving after yet another tragedy in Israel. And once again, it hits particularly close to home. Twenty-nine year old Taylor Force, a native of Lubbock, Texas, was murdered last night in Jaffa during a spree of Palestinian stabbing attacks across Israel. He is the fifth American citizen killed by Palestinian terrorists since October. . . As we grieve with the families of those lost, we are reminded of the importance of our work together and our collective commitment to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Taylor Force during this difficult time. Jeff Mendelsohn, National Outreach Director, AIPAC To read Jeff's entire statement, please go here. 4. Sen. Cruz: Murder of West Point Grad in Israel Proves Radical Islamists Target Americans and Israelis Indiscriminately - CNSNews.com In reaction to the murder of Taylor Force, an American from Lubbock, Texas, and graduate of West Point who served multiple tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said the brutal crime "is grim evidence that the scourge of radical Islamic terrorism targets Americans and Israelis indiscriminately." . . . "Earlier this week, Palestinian terrorists continued their brutal campaign of violence against civilians in Israel," said Senator Cruz in a statement. . . Ending his statement, the senator said, "Heidi joins me in sending our thoughts and prayers to Taylor's family, and for all those injured in these attacks, we wish a full and complete recovery." (Read more) - Capitol Hill Prayer Partners adds our prayers to those of Senator Cruz and millions of Americans today, that God will comfort those who grieve, and bring healing to all who have been wounded, in the name of our Messiah, amen. - "The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit." (Psalm 34:18) 5. Amid bout of attacks, Netanyahu decides to complete barrier in Jerusalem area - Jerusalem Post Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to complete the security barrier in the area of Jerusalem in the aftermath of the three terror attacks Tuesday, in which an American graduate student was killed and 15 people were injured. The attacks occurred around the time that US Vice President Joe Biden landed in Israel for a two-day visit. Late Tuesday night, Netanyahu held security consultations with Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Maj.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai and representatives from the IDF. During the meeting, Netanyahu made a number of security decisions in addition to the already established measures such as the closure of villages where Palestinian terrorists live or left from to carry out their attacks. Media outlets that promote incitement will be closed. (Read more) 6. Abbas' Fatah Praises 'Martyr' Who Killed American; Biden Denounces 'Failure to Condemn These Acts' - CNSNews.com Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah organization on Wednesday praised as a "heroic martyr" the killer of West Point graduate and U.S. Army veteran Taylor Force, according to an Israel-based media monitoring group. On its Facebook page, Fatah posted a sketch of a man's hand holding a knife over a map of "Palestine," Palestinian Media Watch reported. Across the map is written "Bashar Masalha," the name of the 22 year-old Palestinian who stabbed Force and 11 others in the Tel Aviv-Jaffa area on Tuesday. Written on the arm of the person holding the knife in the sketch are the words, "the heroic martyr." (Read more) - Lord God, we continue to remain stunned at the level of evil we see in these reports. We cannot fathom such a mindset, nor can we even attempt to do so. We bring the enemies of Israel before You and we lay them at Your feet, knowing that You, O Lord, can and will bring justice in Your time. We cry out for the souls of these demon - possessed people and ask deliverance for each one, in Jesus' name, amen and amen. - Please anchor your prayers on the truth of Mark 5:1-20, the story of the healing of the Gerasene demoniac. Amen. The Middle East in Focus "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you." (Isaiah 54:10) 1. IDF can put Lebanon back 300 years if Hezbollah attacks, officer tells Saudi paper - Jerusalem Post A senior IDF officer told a Saudi newspaper on Monday that "the IDF could put Lebanon back 300 years and in parallel conquer the Gaza Strip and destroy all of its infrastructure." The officer told journalist Majdi Halbi of the Elaph news site that despite the IDF capability, the army is subject to the political echelon that in the officer's estimation will not order such action. Regarding Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's threat to target the ammonia plant in Haifa, the officer said Israel was prepared for such an attack and was aware that its strategic infrastructure could be cut off during a confrontation with the militant Shi'ite organization. 2. Japanese tourist wounded in stone-throwing attack outside Jerusalem church - Jerusalem Post A 69-year-old tourist from Japan was lightly wounded on Monday by stone-throwers who pelted a group of visitors from a roof near Saint Anne's Church in Jerusalem, police said. Paramedics transferred the wounded woman with light wounds to the head to the emergency room at Hadassah University Medical Center. "I'm a tourist in Israeli as part of a tour group of Japanese people who love Israel, I was very surprised by the stone-throwing attack," said the wounded woman. "At the time [of the attack] I was praying and I didn't understand what had hit me." She added that she had not been seriously wounded. - Father God, we thank You that this Japanese tourist was not seriously injured. We ask that You bring her quick healing from physical and emotional wounds, in the name of Yeshua, amen. 3. American tourist dead, 11 wounded in Jaffa terror attack -YNET News Three terror attacks hit the cities of Jaffa, Jerusalem and Petah Tikvah within an hour and a half on Tuesday afternoon and early evening, with one person murdered and 14 wounded. A 29-year-old tourist from the US was murdered and eleven others were wounded in a terror attack at the Jaffa Port area early Tuesday evening. The terrorist, Bashar Masalha, a 22-year-old Palestinian from Qalqilya, was shot to death by police that arrived at the scene. - Heavenly Father, we know that there are attacks on the people of Israel on a daily basis, but today was particularly full of violence. We ask for Your Holy Spirit to comfort all those who experienced or witnessed the attacks. We ask that You bring Shalom peace, and protect them from all trauma. We ask also, Father, that You protect their hearts from becoming bitter and full of hate. We pray for the forgiveness and salvation of those terrorists who commit these acts. They do not know what they do. We pray that You tear down the lies and falsehoods they have been raised with. Reveal Yourself to them that they may see. We pray these things, in the mighty name of Yeshua, amen. 4. Most Israelis believe a divided capital is already a foregone conclusion - Jerusalem Post As the debate over whether to divide the capital intensifies amid terrorist attacks that have politicians and security personnel scrambling for solutions, most Israelis believe that the model of a unified Jerusalem has failed, a poll found this week. The Israel Democracy Institute conducted the survey by telephone interview with 600 Jewish and Arab Israelis from February 28 to March 1, constituting a representative national sample of the adult population. With a maximum sampling error of 4.1 percent, and a confidence level of 95%, the surveyors repeated a question first posed to Israelis in 1999: "Do you agree or disagree with the opinion that Jerusalem is actually already divided into two cities - East and West?" A clear majority of Jewish Israelis (61%) agreed that Jerusalem is divided into a western and eastern city, while in 1999 the 44% of respondents thought so, while 49% disagreed. Approximately 47% of Arab Israelis said the capital is divided, according to the current survey. 5. Likud minister blasts 'traitor' Arab MKs for Hezbollah support - Times of Israel Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, a senior member of the ruling Likud party, slammed two Arab Israeli parties Monday over what he said was their support for the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah in its ongoing clash with Saudi Arabia. Hadash and Balad, two parties that are among the factions of the mostly Arab Joint List in the Knesset, published condemnations Monday of Sunni Arab states that last week designated Shiite Hezbollah a terror organization. Both parties argued that the move serves Israel. The blacklisting of Hezbollah, announced last Wednesday by the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, came amid the continued deterioration of relations between Hezbollah's Shiite backer Iran and Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia. Gulf monarchies had already sanctioned Hezbollah in 2013 in reprisal for its armed intervention in Syria in support of embattled President Bashar Assad. 6. Iranian Foreign Minister: Muslim Governments Normalizing Ties With Israel 'Shameful'- Algemeiner Iran's foreign minister attacked certain Muslim governments for trying to normalize ties with Israel, calling the move "shameful," Tehran's semi-official news agency Fars reported on Monday. Mohammad Javad Zarif expressed this sentiment to reporters on the sidelines of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit in Indonesia on Monday. He said that such Muslim countries are warming up to Israel "at a time when the Zionist regime is under serious attack by the West and NGOs are taking a stance against its crimes." Zarif went on to stress that Iran would "never abandon its support for Palestine." 7. Insight for Intercessors - Weekly Report To read this report, please go here. The Daily Brief 1. Biden coming to Israel to discuss US military aid - YNET News Biden's main objective for the visit is working to convince Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to sign a new Memorandum of Understanding between Israel and the United States, which will ensure Washington's continued security aid to Jerusalem for the next 10 years. It is unlikely a final agreement will be reached on the Memorandum of Understanding, which is supposed to replace the previous one signed in 2007, but the vice president will work to advance the issue and to convince the prime minister to sign the Memorandum before President Barack Obama leaves office. Washington is hoping Biden could resolve some of the disagreements. There are big gaps in the talks between the two sides: Israel wants the American aid to provide a response to the increasing threat it faces from Iran following the signing of the nuclear agreement with world powers. In addition, the US is willing to increase the military aid to Israel in $5 billion, spread over the 10 years, on top of the $3.1 billion already approved, while Israel seeks a $10-$15 billion addition. Biden will also work to advance negotiations between Israel and Turkey on the normalization of ties, which is an American interest as it would increase stability in the region and serve as a counter-balance to the Shi'ite terror axis of Iran, Syria and Hezbollah. The Americans see the natural gas reserves discovered off the shores of Israel as a catalyst to form this counter-bloc, and Biden is expected to raise this issue with Netanyahu. (Read more) - Abba Father, we thank You that we have a close relationship with Israel. We pray that this trip is what it says it is and that there is no hidden agenda. We pray that You watch over Vice-President Biden and his family as they travel in Israel and the West Bank. Bless these meetings with Your Holy Spirit hovering over every word that is spoken and every agreement that is made. May the Memorandum of Understanding be beneficial to Israel and the USA. In Jesus Christ's Name we pray, Amen. - "Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, That hovers over its young, He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His pinions." (Deuteronomy 32:11) 2. Obama starts interviewing candidates for Supreme Court vacancy - Reuters President Barack Obama has started to interview candidates for the U.S. Supreme Court . . . Among the interviewees are Chief Judge Merrick Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals . . . (District of Columbia); Judge Sri Srinivasan of the same court; Judge Paul Watford of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals . . .(San Francisco); Judge Jane Kelly of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals . . .(St. Louis); and U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, . . . (Washington, D.C) . . . (Read more) - Father, in the midst of this president doing what he feels he needs to accomplish, we thank You for the Republican leadership in the Senate who have stood firmly to say NO to holding any hearings on this matter until a new president is in office. May they continue to stand strong against any initiative by the White House to nominate or to install a new Supreme Court Justice this year. In Your name, amen. - "He will be a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate." (Isaiah 28:6) 3. Ex-Guantanamo prisoners suspected of rejoining militants increases: U.S.- Reuters The number of former Guantanamo Bay prison inmates who are suspected of having returned to fighting for militants doubled to 12 in the six months through January, the Obama administration said on Monday. The increase could fuel Republican attacks on Democratic President Barack Obama's plan to close the U.S. military prison in Cuba, which has come to symbolize aggressive detention practices following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and opened the United States to accusations of torture. Most detainees have been held without trial for more than a decade. The closure plan, drawn up by the Pentagon and which requires approval by Congress, proposes 13 potential sites on U.S. soil to hold 30-60 detainees in maximum-security prisons. (Read more) - Abba Father, we as a nation need Your wisdom. President Obama wants to shut down Guantanamo Bay prison. The Congress is against it, and nobody wants these terrorists permanently in local maximum security prisons. And it is not safe to release these prisoners as those that are left in Guantanamo are the most violent. We pray that You will give wisdom, knowledge and understanding to both the president and the Congress that they can come to an agreement about what is best for USA. In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen. - "For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding." (Proverbs 2:6) 4. Administration Official: 'Our Streets Are Flooded With Heroin' With Much of It 'Coming From Mexico' - CNSNews.com An official with the Obama administration said on Tuesday that the "streets are flooded with heroin" in the United States and much of it "is coming from Mexico." Mary Lou Leary, deputy director of State, Local and Tribal Affairs for the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), spoke at the National League of Cities Conference in Washington, D.C. . . "Our streets are flooded with heroin. It's not domestically grown or produced. Much of this is coming from Mexico. And so there's another aspect to this, which is work that we do with ONDCP with our other federal partners, and that is working with federal law enforcement agencies that have jurisdiction beyond the U.S. borders, and also working with the government of Mexico," Leary said.(Read more) - Father, we plead mercy over our streets. Provide a solution to protect our borders in order to reduce drug trafficking. Reveal the locations of where these drugs are coming from. In Jesus Name. - There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil,Proverbs 6:16-19 5. AG Lynch: DOJ Has Discussed Whether to Pursue Civil Action Against Climate Change Deniers - CNSNews.com Attorney General Loretta Lynch acknowledged Wednesday that there have been discussions within the Department of Justice about possibly pursuing civil action against so-called climate change deniers. "This matter has been discussed. We have received information about it and have referred it to the FBI to consider whether or not it meets the criteria for which we could take action on," Lynch said at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Justice Department operations. (Read more) - Father, protect our climate and our resources. As our climate becomes more polluted by more substances, help us to bring about measures that will protect people, animals, the air we breathe, and the food we eat. - Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." (Genesis 1:26) 6. DOJ Announces New Effort to 'Promote Religious Freedom' in the Nation's Schools - CNSNews.com Under the banner of civil rights enforcement, the U.S. Justice Department plans to "promote religious freedom" in the nation's public schools by cracking down on discrimination and bullying, especially as it may affect Muslims. The new enforcement effort announced on Tuesday will "expand" DOJ's ability to investigate and prosecute complaints; lead community outreach; and develop guidance for federal prosecutors. Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, said one goal of the new initiative is to promote religious pluralism and create safe, supportive and inclusive schools for all children. Following acts of terrorism, including 9-11 and San Bernardino, "too many Muslim Americans and those perceived as Muslim suffer a backlash of violence and discrimination," Gupta said. "We see criminal threats against mosques; harassment in schools; and even reports of violence targeting Muslim Americans, people of Arab or South Asian descent, and people perceived to be members of these groups." (Read more) - Father, thank You for these plans to "promote religious freedom" in schools. We have seen an increase in harassment against Christianity. We pray these efforts will protect Christians as well as other religions. - But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and [be] ready always to [give] an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: (1 Peter 3:15) 7. Miami's oceanfront nuclear power plant is leaking - Fusion.net What is arguably America's least-well-placed nuclear power plant is leaking radiation into the sea. The University of Miami has found that the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant, located just south of Miami, has caused levels of tritium, a radioactive isotope, in Biscayne Bay to spike to 200-times higher than normal levels. (Read more) - Father, we thank You that we have been alerted to this need, and we ask that You would grace the authorities with wisdom to know how to stop this leak, and how to bring these waters back to safe levels of tritium. We ask this in Your name, amen and amen. - "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." (James 1:5) 8. Man Suspected of Shooting Idaho Pastor Arrested at White House - CBN News A man arrested by Secret Service agents for throwing items over the White House fence is also a suspect in the shooting of an Idaho pastor. Officials arrested former Marine Kyle Odom, 30, on Tuesday. Police say he threw computer flash drives and other unidentified items over the fence. Odom is accused of shooting Pastor Tim Remington six times outside his church in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, on Sunday. "I think everyone can breathe a good sigh of relief that at least this part of the case has come to a conclusion," Coeur d'Alene Police Chief Lee White said. Remington, 55, led the prayer at a weekend campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz. Authorities say there's no evidence the pastor's appearance with Cruz had anything to do with the shooting. (Read more) - Lord God, we do thank You for this quick and rather amazing answer to prayer. Only You, dear God, would have known that in the brief time of two days, Kyle Odom had traveled across the nation, to stand in front of the White House! We pray for his own healing of all mental health issues and for his salvation, too, and we continue to lift up Pastor Remington in prayer until he has been fully restored to health. In Your Name, amen. - "Praise the Lord!" (Psalm 149:9) 9. Iran Revolutionary Guards conduct ballistic missile test - Reuters Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) test-fired several ballistic missiles on Tuesday, state television said, challenging a United Nations resolution and drawing a threat of a diplomatic response from the United States. Two months ago, Washington imposed sanctions against businesses and individuals linked to Iran's missile program over a test of the medium-range Emad missile carried out in October 2015. U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Washington would review the incident and, if it is confirmed, raise it in the U.N. Security Council and seek an "appropriate response". We also continue to aggressively apply our unilateral tools to counter threats from Iran's missile program," Toner added, in a possible reference to additional U.S. sanctions. (Read more) - Abba Father, We stand in the gap and repent for the government of the USA seeking treaties with Iran. Abba, we have sinned and we ask You to forgive us. We have allied ourselves with the enemy, and now we have to watch Iran blatantly display their missile testing. Abba, we pray that the UN will be able to pass sanctions on Iran to rein them in from their desire to take over the nations of the Middle East and elsewhere. Abba without Your intervention, we are lost. In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen. - "Woe to the rebellious children," declares the LORD, "Who execute a plan, but not Mine, And make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, In order to add sin to sin . . ." 10. Air strike hits Syrian market, opposition says truce must be respected - Yahoo A Syrian or Russian air strike was reported to have killed at least 19 people and possibly many more at a market in northwestern Syria on Monday, straining a cessation of hostilities agreement meant to pave the way for peace talks. In a further upsurge in violence, al Qaeda's Nusra Front and other Islamist insurgents not included in the U.S.-Russian agreement attacked government forces in a neighboring province, taking over a village and at least two hilltops in their first advance for some time in the area, a monitoring group said. The agreement, accepted by President Bashar al-Assad's government and most of his enemies, has reduced violence in Syria since it took effect on Feb 27, the first truce of its kind in a 5-year-old war that has killed more than 250,000 people and caused the world's worst refugee crisis. Foreign powers hope the pause in fighting can lead to peace talks to end the conflict. But the agreement, which has not been directly signed by the Syrian warring parties and is less binding than a formal ceasefire, is very fragile and each side has accused the other of breaking it. (Read more) - Abba Father, we repent of not using the power that You have given the USA for good. We have sinned against You when we do not use our God-given powers for You. We pray that You will endow the president with an overwhelming sentiment for what is happening in Syria, and that he will use the power You have given the USA to turn the situation around in Syria. We pray that it is not too late for the USA to act, and that our time has not passed. We also ask for mercy for the Syrian people, especially the family members of those who were massacred. In Your Name we pray, Amen. - "But now, I pray, let the power of the Lord be great, just as You have declared." (Numbers 14:17) The Daily Jot Wednesday, March 9, 2016 Of Kings and Prophets Hollywood style There are few things, if any, that upset me more than someone twisting or demeaning the context, the intent, the totality of the Word of God. ABC's Of Kings and Prophets does just that. Billed as "an epic Biblical saga," I couldn't make it through the first episode for the very reason of how the beautiful Word of God was conveyed in such a non-Biblical way. ABC made out the prophet Samuel to be a crazy-eyed control freak, David a shady, unclean person who was trying to avoid paying his taxes, and the cast turns the Bible into a sordid soap opera replete with sex scenes and debauchery. Warning, Warning, Warning--take heed that no Hollywood depiction of the Holy Scriptures deceive you. (Read more) The Persecuted Church China Forcibly Removes more Crosses in Zhejiang, Raising Number to 49 in 2016 (Wenzhou, Zhejiang-March 8, 2016) The amount of church crosses demolished in China's coastal Zhejiang since the beginning of 2016 rose to 49 on March 3 as authorities across the province continue a cross removal campaign. Earlier this year, churches in the province received official notices that threatened to forcibly demolish the churches' crosses if they refused to voluntarily dismantle them. After Zhongchang Church, located in Wenzhou, rejected this order, officials cut off the church's access to water and electricity on Feb. 23. Currently, the church is incapable of holding religious services due to government interference. Songs Our Grandmothers Sang: IN THE SWEET BY AND BY "In My Father's house there are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you." (John 14:2) There's a land that is fairer than day, And by faith we can see it afar; For the Father waits over the way To prepare us a dwelling place there. In the sweet by and by, We shall meet on that beautiful shore; In the sweet by and by, We shall meet on that beautiful shore. We shall sing on that beautiful shore The melodious songs of the blessed; And our spirits shall sorrow no more, Not a sigh for the blessing of rest. To our bountiful Father above, We will offer our tribute of praise For the glorious gift of His love And the blessings that hallow our days. Please go here. (Sung by Loretta Lynn) About the Author: Words: Sanford F. Bennett, 1868. Music: Joseph P. Webster This song was sung in the Academy Award winning movie Sergeant York (1941). About the Hymn: Mr. Webster, like many musicians, was of an exceedingly nervous and sensitive nature, and subject to periods of depression, in which he looked upon the dark side of all things in life. I had learned his peculiarities so well that on meeting him I could tell at a glance if he was melancholy, and had found that I could rouse him up by giving him a new song to work on. He came into my place of business [in Elkhorn, Wisconsin], walked down to the stove, and turned his back on me without speaking. I was at my desk. Turning to him, I said, "Webster, what is the matter now?" "It's no matter," he replied, "it will be all right by and by." The idea of the hymn came me like a flash of sunlight, and I replied, "The Sweet By and By! Why would not that make a good hymn?" "Maybe it would," he said indifferently. Turning to my desk I penned the words of the hymn as fast as I could write. I handed the words to Webster. As he read his eyes kindled, and stepping to the desk he began writing the notes. Taking his violin, he played the melody and then jotted down the notes of the chorus. It was not over thirty minutes from the time I took my pen to write the words before two friends with Webster and myself were singing the hymn. Sanford Fillmore Bennett (1836-1898) Signs and Wonders Southern Plains slammed by violent weather NORTH TEXAS -- The southern plains are getting pounded by violent weather, including tornadoes, hail and high water. Bystanders captured cell phone video of a funnel cloud as it tore through Hood County, Texas. When it was over, damaged homes could be seen for miles. In nearby Stephenville, the roof was sheered off of an apartment building, leaving furniture and belongings exposed. (CBS News) Read more "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea." (Luke 21:25) The Good News Corner Former Muslim Now Baptizing Muslim Converts Shahid is proof that God is moving powerfully across parts of Muslim-majority Middle East and North Africa. Shahid (not his real name for security purposes), is from Libya and grew up a devout Muslim. "As every Libyan, when I was a little boy, I used to go to the Koranic school," Shahid told Leading The Way with Dr. Joseph Youssef, a Christian television and radio ministry that broadcasts in more than 190 countries around the world. Shahid spent 14 years of his life attending Muslim schools, where a strict interpretation of Islamic jurisprudence was taught. He became an expert in the Koran, even memorizing the entire Muslim holy book. Worship With Us Today! Worship With Us Today! Jesus Culture - "Rooftops" Election 2016: Prayer Resources Election 2016: Prayer Resources "Choose some wise, understanding and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you." (Deuteronomy 1:13) 1. Family Research Council Voter Guides (General reference) FRC has developed non-partisan voter guides for federal races in certain states, which appear in red. Click on any state to see voting information and a link to the family policy council. To view these voter guides in all 50 states, go here. 2. 2016 Presidential Candidate Voter Guide - Family Research Council Equip yourself with the facts before you vote. See where the candidates stand on the important issues affecting faith, family, and freedom. Click on the image below to view the full Voter Guide. 3. Intercessors for America: "How to Pray for the Election and Nation More Effectively" Election Process is now in full swing -- time to get out the prayer! For resources offered by IFA, please go here. 4. Wallbuilders: Christian Voter Guide.com Lots of resources here! Go here to explore this site. 5. National Day of Prayer: Election Prayer Guide This is an excellent guide to intercession for our state and national elections this year. NDP's prayer guide includes insights from Dave Butts, Chairman, National Prayer Committee. To read this prayer guide, please go here. 6. Wall Street Journal: Election 2016 Calendar Key dates in the presidential election, including debates, primaries, caucuses and other important events. Filter by a date range or category. Go here. 7. Pray as ONE As One is a national call to prayer. The basic strategy revolves around two 40-day periods of prayer walking, fasting, and corporate prayer events. The first will start on Easter Sunday, March 27 and run through the National Day of Prayer on May 5. The second begins on September 30 and ends on Election Day. In addition, there will be much collaboration with major national prayer events that are happening throughout the year. Click here to learn more about this united effort to call America to prayer. "So that with one mind and one voice, you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." - (Romans 15:6)

I have seen many films and documentaries about wars. I remember seeing the first one back in 1968 in a large auditorium with about 700 other teenagers, watching a single B-52 bomber as its bomb bay doors opened and bombs started to drop on Vietnamese villages. I have seen many films and documentaries about wars. I remember seeing the first one back in 1968 in a large auditorium with about 700 other teenagers, watching a single B-52 bomber as its bomb bay doors opened and bombs started to drop on Vietnamese villages. From one bomber, not 10, not 30, not 70, not 85, but what I found out years later as many as 110 bombs from one B-52 bomber on one run. I found, in that moment, that what we were doing as a nation was criminal; that bombing villages of woman and children and old men in their homes was a crime beyond the blood and burnt and melted flesh that resulted from it. Yesterday at the Ashland Library I witnessed a documentary that went beyond that film. Watching a film about the children of Gaza was almost too much for me. It was too much to know my tax dollars are paying for shrapnel embedded in the brains of teenage Arab children; that Jewish and Arab children cannot live in peace and enjoy their lives because of selfish men with agendas and dreams based on blood and money and of empires of the past. I have given my government too many dollars for too many lies, and too many children have died too many horrible, lonely destructive deaths since my own birth. I'm tired of those lies. It's time to end the war machine and to spend those dollars on the great problems of today which are all easy to solve if we focus on building and cleaning our world the world of the 21st century. Over and over, peace comes only after too many people have died for reasons that never legitimize those deaths. Too many have died in the Middle East and I'm not interested in the reasons any more. I have heard them all since sitting in Hebrew school in that same year of 1968, the year two men of peace were murdered and a president elected who lied to Americans and bombed Cambodians and Vietnamese by the millions. There is a peace in the Middle East, and it is attainable. It's time to put my tax dollars to work for peace. I will do what it takes to stop these endless, illegal wars.

I was urged to write this blog series by friends on Facebook who were wondering why I was so, so very glad to be back home from my vacation in Russia. This will take many posts to explain properly. Buckle your seat belt and have fun; I didn't. WHY I WENT TO MOSCOW Optimism is a powerful force. When I went to journalism school, it was with the specific goal of becoming a freelance magazine journalist. During my time there, many faculty members said "freelancing is really tough. You'll never make it if you don't take an entry-level position, work your way up in the field, develop your network, and THEN become a freelancer." My internal response was always "there's something they know that I don't know, which is how difficult it is to freelance. But there is something I know that they don't know, which is how badly I want it, and how determined I am." I was pretty successful at freelancing for many years, until I wasn't. I never set a goal of going to but when the chance came unexpectedly, I jumped at it. I work for The Jewish Agency for Israel, as a marketing writer, and therefore often write materials (mostly donor-relations materials) for our Unit for Russian-Speaking Jewry. I recently wrote a material urging Jewish groups to go on organized visits to our activities in Moscow, and so I knew something both about the tourist attractions there and the activities of the Jewish community. It never occurred to me to go myself; if I were going to spend money on an "exotic" vacation, there are other destinations I'd rather see first. But El Al, the national airline of had a "Fun Day" about 2 months ago, during which, for 24 hours, the prices to select (not-popular-in-winter) destinations were rock bottom. For $200 I could go round-trip to Moscow, St. Petersburg, or Valencia. Having grown up in the USA in the 1980's, the idea of being able to witness, with my own eyes, children studying in Jewish day schools in Moscow was very, very compelling, even if it is the middle of a Russian winter; in the summer I could never afford it. Everyone said I'm crazy. The weather is terrible, and anyway who goes to on VACATION? There was something they knew that I didn't, which is how ugly and cold and not-vacation-like Moscow is. But there was something I knew that they didn't, which is how deeply connected I feel, for some reason, to my Russian-speaking colleagues and to Russian-Israelis, how cool I, personally, felt it would be to interact with the Jewish community of Moscow , and to see the Kremlin and Moscow Red Square. For $200, it was within reach now. So I booked the ticket.

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“Not only with you am I making this covenant and this oath, but with those standing here with us today before the Eternal our God, and with those who are not here with us, this day.” Every generation is the Jewish people. And every generation must choose life or death: do we pass on our traditions to our children or do we let the Jewish people die with us? Tisha b’Av is a kind of “Bermuda Triangle in Time” for the Jewish people. Most people know that both the First and the Second Temples were destroyed on that day. That would be enough to qualify this day as a day of misfortune. But what is less known is how far back it goes. A subconscious thought becomes explicit when it is articulated in speech. Things unspoken—and unspeakable—may have tremendous influence on an individual. A nightmare may shape one’s outward thoughts and feelings far beyond what we can ever be aware of. Until we can articulate the nightmare, and bring it into conscious awareness, we have no control over it. So it is with Teshuvah, and so it is with the Geulah. “Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find the common factor: What does recovery from trauma have to do with these three things: teshuvah; bringing a disturbing dream to Birkhat Hakohanim; and the Jewish people’s national redemption.” Needless to say I accepted the mission…

I'm now back in Cochin for a few days, currently sitting on a jetty in the bay, under a full moon, and the call to prayer from the nearby mosque ended a few minutes ago. Of course, I'm sitting here by myself, even the four apparently French women at a nearby table have left. It's probably early for dinner, just 8 PM, but I have a full day tour of some of the Kerala backwaters scheduled for tomorrow, have attended a sample performance of the local type of theatre, Kathakali, and spent last night in a reclining chair on the ship from Lakshadweep. I opted for non-veg again, with seered(sic) fish, spiced rice and eggplant. My luck holds- I dropped my dive mask from the sink while rinsing it before I left Agatti, and the frame broke right at the bridge. This was AFTER the last scheduled dive of this trip, and the mask is still usable, it's just that the lenses conform to my face, instead of being straight. And I may be able to repair it. But, I think a new, probably frameless (if I can get corrective lenses in that type), mask is indicated. I think the synagogue with the blue Chinese tiles is open on Sunday, and it's just down the road, so I can connect with the Rushdie book a bit Delhi and Agra are going to be difficult, since I really only get two full days there, and leave at 02:45 after that second day. I think I like India, and want to come back- I've not even scratched The hotel here has a broadband connection, and were perfectly willing to let me unplug their computer, and plug in mine, so I got a few queued email messages sent, and downloaded all of my incoming (mostly junk). Sat about 15:00, on the Kerala backwaters I realized today that it's been about two weeks since I talked to or even saw anyone I though was from the US. There are a couple of Canadians on this backwaters trip, but that's the closest to anyone from the US since Joe left Havelock Island. I also realized that I've not used a toilet roll since I arrived in India. They've often been available, but water is working very well for me. And I've not been ill at all, barring a bit of a stuffy head, that didn't even impede diving. The boats here are made of smaller planks, sewn together with coir (coconut fiber), which they spin and braid here. We took a power boat for the morning part of the trip on Lake Vembanadu, and am now being poled through some canals. This one was dug a long time ago, as a shortcut from the river, Moovattu Puzha, to the lake, but functions as the main road, too. There are the two Canadians, me, and five Indians in this boat. We saw a place where they burn mussel shells to make slaked lime, and had a number of the local plants explained to us, saw two woemn spinning coir, with the help of a clever electrical motor setup, and had coconuts dropped from a tree for us to drink and eat. We also had a very nice lunch, to which I added an optional bowl of mussels, and most of us had coconut toddy, also. We also got a bit of a swim in, in the lake. A chat with the Canadians about Kathakali indicates that there are at least two places in Fort Kochi that do perfomances, and they got 4 dancers and two musicians, to my one and one. There are four other boats full of tourists that we're passing going in as we're retracing our path out. When I got back to the hotel, after a nerve-shattering ride, I found VU3SCC had just arrived and was waiting for me. We chatted a bit, and he told me all the things he needs, and left for his home, very close to the airport, 35+ kilometers away. I had a restorative shower and lay down for a bit, then decided to take a look at the Chinese fishing nets just a bit west of here. In addition to the nets, I found a fair crowd of people promenading on the seawall and waiting for the sun to go down, as well as fresh fish stalls and food stalls where they'll cook your new purchase for you to order. After postponing the decision as long as I could, I bought 5 tiger prawns, and had them grilled. They were delicious, as was the kalamari noodles that I got to accompany them. I'm just glad I only bought the 5 for 120 INR, instead of twice the number for 200 INR. The grilling cost 30 rupees. I had a short chat with another Canadian, too. He was told that the synagogue is closed tomorrow, too, for a Jewish holiday. If true, foo! My flight is at 10AM Monday. I like Fort Kochi. I'll see if I can get another mango lassi, and send this out in a few

Professor of Sociology Jonathan Rieder joined the faculty of Barnard College in 1990 and chaired the department from 1990 through 2003. He previously taught at Yale University and Swarthmore College. In addition to his teaching in the Sociology Department, Professor Rieder is affiliated with Barnard's programs in American Studies, Jewish Studies, and Human Rights Studies. A member of the graduate faculty of Columbia University’s Sociology Department, he is also affiliated with the Columbia American Studies Department. Rieder teaches courses on contemporary American culture and politics; unity and division in the United States; the sociology of culture; and race, ethnicity, and American pluralism. He has regularly taught "The Shapes and Shadows of Identity" for Barnard's First-Year Seminar Program. His latest course is "From Rhythm and Blues to Soul and Rock: The Sociology of Crossover Culture." Rieder is the author of Gospel of Freedom: Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail and the Struggle That Changed a Nation (Bloomsbury, 2013). He is also the author of The Word of the Lord Is upon Me: The Righteous Performance of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Canarsie: The Jews and Italians of Brooklyn against Liberalism. He edited The Fractious Nation: Unity and Division in Contemporary American Life. Between 1995 and 2001, He was a co-founding editor of CommonQuest:The Magazine of Black- Jewish Relations. He has been a regular commentator on TV and radio, a contributor to The New York Times Book Review, and a contributing editor for The New Republic. He has been a Member and a Visitor at the Institute for Advanced Studies at Princeton, and been awarded fellowships by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Davis Center for Historical Studies at Princeton, The Wilson Center, the National Humanities Center, the Russell Sage Foundation, and the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. He is currently working on a book about the rise of contemporary crossover culture and the transition of rhythm and blues into soul music. Recent SELECTED PUBLICATIONS Gospel of Freedom: Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail and the Struggle That Changed a Nation (Bloomsbury, 2013). “King May Have Dreamed,” The Los Angeles Times, August 25, 2013. “Songs of the Slaves,” The New Yorker, August, 23, 2013. “The Prophet Unbound,” The Washington Post, April 23, 2013. "Too Black or Not Black Enough?: Final Thoughts on Beer Summits and Postracial Paradoxes," The Huffington Post. "'I'm Going to Be a Negro Tonight': Martin Luther King, Jr., Barack Obama and Postracial Paradoxes," The Michigan Review, Summer, 2009. The Word of the Lord is Upon Me: The Righteous Performance of Martin Luther King, Jr. (The Belknap Press/Harvard University Press, 2008). Sociology of Culture; Culture and Politics in the United States; Racial, Religious, and Ethnic Conflict and American Pluralism. In the News Sociology professor honored by John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and Sheila Biddle Ford Foundation Sociology professor comments on King's legacy for The New Yorker, The Los Angeles Times, The Charlie Rose Show, and more. - 1 of 2

Wine is an alcoholic drink made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol, carbon dioxide, and heat. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts produce different styles of wine. These variations result from the complex interactions between the biochemical development of the grape, the reactions involved in fermentation, the terroir, and the production process. Many countries enact legal appellations intended to define styles and qualities of wine. These typically restrict the geographical origin and permitted varieties of grapes, as well as other aspects of wine production. Wines not made from grapes include rice wine and fruit wines such as plum, cherry, pomegranate, currant and elderberry. Wine is an integral part of Jewish laws and traditions. The Kiddush is a blessing recited over wine or grape juice to sanctify the Shabbat. On Pesach (Passover) during the Seder, it is a Rabbinic obligation of adults to drink four cups of wine. In the Tabernacle and in the Temple in Jerusalem, the libation of wine was part of the sacrificial service. Note that this does not mean that wine is a symbol of blood, a common misconception that contributes to the Christian myth of the blood libel. "It has been one of history's cruel ironies that the blood libel—accusations against Jews using the blood of murdered gentile children for the making of wine and matzot—became the false pretext for numerous pogroms. And due to the danger, those who live in a place where blood libels occur are halachically exempted from using red wine, lest it be seized as "evidence" against them." Institutions such as hedge funds, pension funds and investment banks like Barclays Capital, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have been instrumental in pushing up prices in the last five years, with investment in food commodities rising from $65bn to $126bn (£41bn to £79bn) between 2007 and 2012, contributing to 30-year highs. This has caused price fluctuations which are not strongly related to the actual supply of food, according to the United Nations. Financial institutions now make up 61% of all investment in wheat futures. According to Olivier De Schutter, the UN special rapporteur on food, there was a rush by institutions to enter the food market following George W Bush's Commodities Futures Modernization Act of 2000. De Schutter told the Independent in March 2012: "What we are seeing now is that these financial markets have developed massively with the arrival of these new financial investors, who are purely interested in the short-term monetary gain and are not really interested in the physical thing – they never actually buy the ton of wheat or maize; they only buy a promise to buy or to sell. The result of this financialisation of the commodities market is that the prices of the products respond increasingly to a purely speculative logic. This explains why in very short periods of time we see prices spiking or bubbles exploding, because prices are less and less determined by the real match between supply and demand." In 2011, 450 economists from around the world called on the G20 to regulate the commodities market more. Organic food is food produced by methods that comply with the standards of organic farming. Standards vary worldwide, but organic farming in general features practices that strive to cycle resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. Organizations regulating organic products may restrict the use of certain pesticides and fertilizers in farming. In general, organic foods are also usually not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents or synthetic food additives. Also, the natural sugar in fruit does affect your carbohydrate intake — especially if you eat a lot of fruit. This may temporarily raise your blood sugar or certain blood fats. However, this effect is lessened if you are losing weight. If you have diabetes or any other health conditions or concerns, work with your doctor to adjust the Mayo Clinic Diet for your situation. For example, people with diabetes should aim for more vegetables than fruits, if possible. It's a good idea to snack on vegetables, rather than snacking only on fruit. Rarely, food allergies can lead to a medical emergency, such as anaphylactic shock, hypotension (low blood pressure), and loss of consciousness. An allergen associated with this type of reaction is peanut, although latex products can induce similar reactions. Initial treatment is with epinephrine (adrenaline), often carried by known patients in the form of an Epi-pen or Twinject. Vertical and horizontal tasting involves a range of vintages within the same grape and vineyard, or the latter in which there is one vintage from multiple vineyards. "Banana" flavors (isoamyl acetate) are the product of yeast metabolism, as are spoilage aromas such as "medicinal" or "Band-Aid" (4-ethylphenol), "spicy" or "smoky" (4-ethylguaiacol), and rotten egg (hydrogen sulfide). Some varieties can also exhibit a mineral flavor due to the presence of water-soluble salts as a result of limestone's presence in the vineyard's soil. Wine aroma comes from volatile compounds released into the air. Vaporization of these compounds can be accelerated by twirling the wine glass or serving at room temperature. Many drinkers prefer to chill red wines that are already highly aromatic, like Chinon and Beaujolais. In whole grain foods, the higher fiber content effectively displaces some of the starch component of the flour. Since certain fibers have no food energy, this results in a modest energy reduction. Another technique relies on the intentional addition of other reduced-food-energy ingredients, such as resistant starch or dietary fiber, to replace part of the flour and achieve a more significant energy reduction. In recent years, space food has been used by various nations engaging on space programs as a way to share and show off their cultural identity and facilitate intercultural communication. Although astronauts consume a wide variety of foods and beverages in space, the initial idea from The Man in Space Committee of the Space Science Board in 1963 was to supply astronauts with a formula diet that would supply all the needed vitamins and nutrients. Seeds of plants are a good source of food for animals, including humans, because they contain the nutrients necessary for the plant's initial growth, including many healthful fats, such as omega fats. In fact, the majority of food consumed by human beings are seed-based foods. Edible seeds include cereals (corn, wheat, rice, et cetera), legumes (beans, peas, lentils, et cetera), and nuts. Oilseeds are often pressed to produce rich oils - sunflower, flaxseed, rapeseed (including canola oil), sesame, et cetera.

2ndSunday after Pentecost June 3, 2018 You can click on the links above to read the text in Oremus Bible Browser. Imagine with me, a sunny afternoon, like it was yesterday. Breezy, but warm. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks. Jesus has jumped into his ministry full blast, settling into Capernaum in the Galilee, gathering a small group of followers, preaching in the synagogues at every opportunity to tell the story of God’s restoring love and healing for the hurts of the world. When he preached at home, he healed a man who was possessed, right in the middle of the worship service. He went home to find Peter’s mother in law down with a fever and healed her. Now everywhere he goes, he is besieged with people asking for healing. It’s been a whirlwind tour of teaching and healing. There has not been one quiet moment as Jesus and his followers have marched from town to town. The strictest religious elders and the biblical lawyers were already on alert. For someone who claimed to be God’s messenger, Jesus seems to be pretty relaxed about what it means to a Jewish Rabbi. He doesn’t seem to be worried about any of the rules about who you touch and who you eat with. He’s left himself wide open to accusations of breaking the purity laws that are the very thing that made the Jewish people into God’s people. The ancient laws they followed made them superior to the rest of the disgusting heathens that surround them; the so-called elite Greeks and Romans that occupied them. On this sabbath afternoon, Jesus and his followers are wandering in the wheat fields that surround Capernaum. I imagine they’ve been in church all morning, and they are finally going home to a nice meal. It’s already afternoon. As they wander through the wheat, some of the guys are snacking on some of the ripe heads of wheat that surround them, as they relish the thought of a lazy day stretching ahead of them, when the religious elders that are always watching them pull Jesus aside to demand what his guys are doing hiking out of town and harvesting grain on the Sabbath. Everyone knows you don’t work on the Sabbath! Of course Jesus has a great example from their history to show that someone famous did something far more spectacular. If you want to be nit-picky about what you could do on the Sabbath, I’ll give you an example of when it seemed OK to other religious elders to do something not allowed, he says. The Pharisees were being extreme, the point of not harvesting grain on the Sabbath was to keep people from gaining an advantage over their peers by harvesting on the weekend and rushing to market on Monday morning when everyone else was busy harvesting. So what exactly is the point of Sabbath? Sabbath is a mark of liberation. Only a free people can take a day off, to rest, to build relationships in the family and the community, to go to church and sit in God’s presence, and to spend time in prayer and reflection on the Word of God, given to them directly by a God who loves them. When God brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of slavery with a mighty hand, God gave them the time to rest from work, and to give the people and animals who worked for them a time of rest. It was meant to be a time to give thanks and be grateful for God’s blessings and to enjoy them. It was not ever meant to be a burdensome time of iron-clad rules that made life more complicated. Or as Jesus says, “The sabbath was made for people, not people for the sabbath. So then at church that very night, Jesus encounters a man in need of healing: a test case, so to speak. He asks them whether it is appropriate to heal on the sabbath, to save a life or to let it end. And they are as ungenerous with Jesus’ intention to heal the man’s crippled hand as they were about eating grain. It’s amazing to me that this early in Jesus ministry, the self-righteous church leaders were already plotting with the most unlikely political conspirators to undermine and destroy Jesus and his work. We are the very beginning of his teaching ministry. One of the things that has not changed since this story is how quickly church people and church authorities become the most judgmental and hard-hearted about people’s circumstances. I have known people who were sent away from church for being divorced, having a baby without being married, being gay, or otherwise failing to be the fine examples of behavioral norms as defined by the church. As if any of us comes to God’s table because we are worthy. So often the church has been so much into being righteous about the rules that we forget we are all forgiven and invited by a God who never failed to look past the lying, cheating, greed, or self-righteousness of God’s own chosen people to love and forgive and support their efforts to live up to the honor of being God’s chosen. The message that Jesus brings is that even though we all fail, we are still all invited to come to hear God’s word and to share in Christ’s presence here in the bread and wine we have to offer. That is where we get the strength to suspend our ego and to let the love of God enter into us. That is where the power of the love that raised Jesus from death can open our hearts to befriend and care for each other and for the world outside our doors. That is the source of generosity and the courage to right the wrongs of our world. Sabbath is the time to get back in tune with what God intended for the world to be like, and to rest for a moment in the peace of that vision until we have to turn back to our work of healing and saving the world that is our legacy from Jesus himself. May our sabbath rest always be one of gratitude and grace for ourselves and a chance to realign our souls with God’s purposes.

Up until November my Top 10 list was topped by The Dark Knight. Walking out of a screening in IMAX, I remember telling anyone who would listen that I'd just seen the best movie of the year and probably the best superhero movie ever made. Then in December I saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button...and I began flip-flopping The Dark Knight between 1st and 2nd place. Ultimately, I went with The Dark Knight because it stuck with me for months. Keep in mind these are my personal favorites. You're free to disagree with any or all of them. Honorable Mentions: What Doesn't Kill You, Tropic Thunder, Iron Man, & Snow Angels 1. 'The Dark Knight' Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Gary Oldman all deliver terrific performances in the second Batman movie from writer/director Christopher Nolan. 'Dark' is the appropriate word to associate with this Batman tale which pits our hero against one of his biggest adversaries - The Joker. Bale's Batman is once again one of the best lead performances in a superhero film, and Ledger's Joker is one of the most memorable villains ever to grace the silver screen. The effects are top-notch, Nolan's direction is crisp and precise, and there's absolutely no fat left to trim away. The Dark Knight is just about as good as movies get. More on 'The Dark Knight'Read Review Who loves you in 2009 ?Or who'll fall in love with you. With your birthdate I can tell.pasqualina.com/Free_love_2009 UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions League fan? Play the Star Final game, win a great prize!Starfinal.com Litoral Grecia 2009Cele mai atractive oferte de vacanta in Corfu, Rodos si Creta.www.sejurulmeu.ro 2. 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' © Paramount Pictures Oh man, I love this fantasy tale. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button may run 2 hours and 45 minutes but it's 2 hours and 45 minutes I'll never regret spending in a theater. Gorgeous to look at, every detail is perfect in this fairy tale pic from David Fincher (Fight Club, Zodiac). Watching Brad Pitt age backwards and seeing Cate Blanchett evolve from a gangly young woman into a mature, dignified senior citizen could have felt contrived, could have looked hokey even with all the progress that's been made in make-up effects. But the fact is within minutes of sitting down to watch Benjamin Button you are so lost in this beautiful story, you don't think twice about it being Pitt and Blanchett under all that make-up. More on 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'Read Review 3. 'Slumdog Millionaire' © Fox Searchlight The popularity of Who Wants to be a Millionaire has waned, but you don't need to be a fan of the series to understand and enjoy Slumdog Millionaire. One of those films that's hard to resist as tagging 'a little gem', Slumdog Millionaire shows how one young man was able to emerge from horrible poverty to become a millionaire on India's version of the once-popular game show. Although some of the scenes are horrific and incredibly sad, there's a sense of hope that permeates Slumdog Millionaire. Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later) shot the film on location in Mumbai, employing mostly unknown young actors to fill out his lead roles. The result is a film that's believable, relatable, and genuinely touching.More on 'Slumdog Millionaire'Read Review Wall-E snuck up on me. It's not that I didn't want to like it - in my book Pixar hasn't made many missteps in the past. But come on...a movie about a robot that compacts trash for hundreds of years and looks a little like the character in Short Circuit? That doesn't sound all that appealing. And not only that, Pixar didn't hide the fact there wasn't much dialogue in the movie. I wasn't immediately sold on the idea but I'll tell you what, 10 minutes into the movie I fell in love with Wall-E - and I fell hard. Those magicians at Pixar, led by writer/director Andrew Stanton, did it once again. They created a magical world that draws in audiences of all ages and pulls on your heartstrings. More on 'Wall-E'Read Review 5. 'The Reader' Kate Winslet is phenomenal in the lead role in The Reader, a difficult film to sit through because of its subject matter but one that doesn't attempt to apologize or make excuses for the unbelievably evil acts committed by its lead character. The Reader is one of those movies that's going to split the audience reaction into two camps - you'll love it or loathe it. There's no middle of the road with this dramatic film which focuses on the aftermath of the Holocaust and its affect on survivors. More on 'The Reader' I knew nothing about the Nixon versus Frost interviews until I watched this movie. Now I feel better versed about the disgraced ex-President as a fallen world leader and as a man who had to deal with being run out of office (something he brought on himself) and forced to live out his life away from the world of politics. Directed by Ron Howard and adapted for the screen by Peter Morgan (who wrote the stage play the feature film's based on), Frost/Nixon isn't just about politics and that's what makes it so fascinating. houston recruiting professional More on 'Frost/Nixon'Read Review 7. 'In Bruges' Did you see In Bruges in theaters? You didn't? You are not alone. But it's out on DVD now so put it in your Netflix queue or run to the store and find out what you've been missing. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson play hitmen sent to cool off on vacation in Bruges after a job goes horribly wrong. While the film's a little violent, it's also absolutely hilarious and features the best performance of Farrell's career. It's a shame it was released early on in 2008. Had it hit theaters in the fall, In Bruges might have stood a chance at earning a spot on more Top 10 lists and maybe even an award or two.More on 'In Bruges' © Focus Features Another bit of American history I wasn't familiar with prior to seeing a feature film on the subject, Milk chronicles Harvey Milk's rise from a small business owner to being the first openly gay man elected to office in California. Milk marks the feature film writing debut of Dustin Lance Blank who, with this film, announces himself as a screenwriter to watch. Blank condenses Milk's life without marginalizing the man and director Gus Van Sant shows considerable restraint in handling the subject matter. Loaded with terrific performances (Sean Penn, James Franco, Josh Brolin and Emile Hirsch are real standouts), Milk is a thoroughly engaging, thought-provoking story that hopefully will be the fodder of conversations for days after viewing.More on 'Milk' 9. 'The Visitor' Right up there with In Bruges in the 'I bet you missed this in theaters' category, The Visitor is a timely story about an introverted man who helps two illegal immigrants and in the act of befriending them, he opens up to life and love. Richard Jenkins (Six Feet Under) gives a tour de force performance as a guy who keeps all of his emotions bottled up until he meets these strangers who need his assistance. The filmmaker behind the brilliant The Station Agent, writer/director Tom McCarthy, gives us a movie loaded with people carrying on real conversations - not spouting dialogue.internet marketing services More on 'The Visitor' © Paramount Vantage Daniel Craig scored yet another hit with his second movie as Bond, James Bond. Quantum of Solace, released on November 14, 2008, will likely finish its theatrical run with bigger numbers than Casino Royale and that's great news for Craig because it means more potential ticket buyers for his other projects - including Defiance. What might be a hard sell to audiences is made easier with the current Bond in the lead role of the oldest of three brothers who flee from the Nazis into the forest surrounding their town. Set in 1941 and based on a true story, Defiance follows the brothers and the ever-increasing group of Jewish citizens who join with them in order to survive.

Eating berries may slow brain's decline Berries for brains Women who eat blueberries and strawberries experience slower mental decline with age than women who consume fewer of the flavonoid-rich fruits, according to a US study. Based on a survey of more than 16,000 women who filled out regular questionnaires on their health habits from 1976 through 2001, the findings showed that those who ate the most berries delayed cognitive decline by up to 2.5 years. Every two years from 1995 to 2001, researchers measured mental function in subjects over age 70, according to the study published in the Annals of Neurology. "We provide the first epidemiologic evidence that berries may slow progression of cognitive decline in elderly women," says Elizabeth Devore, a doctor with Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. "Our findings have significant public health implications as increasing berry intake is a fairly simple dietary modification to test cognition protection in older adults." Devore adds that the findings are of particular importance to the aging population, which is on the rise. The number of Australians aged 65 and older grew 26 per cent from 2000 to 2010, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Robert Graham, an internist at New York's Lenox Hill Hospital who was not involved with the study, says eating more berries is a good idea for people of any age. "Large epidemiological studies, such as this one, add to the basic science research that the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of berries have a beneficial role in age-related cognitive decline," says Graham. "I would advise all my patients, at any age, to eat more berries. Berries are an easy, nutritious and delicious way to preserve brain function." More fruit and vegetables Flavonoids are antioxidants that are found in berries, apples, citrus fruits, tea, red wine and onions, and previous research has shown they may reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer. "The current study demonstrates that women who consumed the most flavonoids, especially berries, had a slower cognitive decline over time than women with lower intakes," says Nancy Copperman, director of public health initiatives at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System in New York. "Increasing our intakes of fruits and vegetables is one of the best ways to live a healthy life." Associate Professor Shawn Somerset of the Australian Catholic University in Brisbane says rather than focus on berries, people should consume a wide range of fruits and vegetables known to contain flavonoids. "Australian intake of vegetables is inferior to fruit, therefore vegetable consumption needs to be promoted above fruit consumption," says Somerset. "The most sensible advice is to consume a wide range of flavonoids, rather than large amounts of specific ones, since excessive amounts of some are problematic. This translates to consuming a range of vegetables and fruits, not just one type."

I'm having a discussion on Facebook with my Goddaughter concerning Agnostics. I find that ironic. I told her that the only difference between Agnostics and Atheists is that an Agnostic is open to the concept of an afterlife. Both reject scripture. I was wondering what people on this site felt about the difference between Agnostics and Atheists. Atheism and agnosticism are quite different, agnosticism deals with knowledge, whereas atheism deals with belief. Some people belief that ultimately knowledge about whether god(s) exists or not is unknown or even unknowable, these people are considered to be agnostics. There are also people that belief that knowledge about god(s) can be known, these are gnostics (from the Greek "Gnosis", meaning knowledge). So, technically speaking an atheist is anyone who answers "no" to the question "Do you belief in god(s)?" whereas an agnostic can answer that they believe in god(s) as long as they do not claim to have knowledge about it. Therefor, there are agnostic atheists, and agnostic theists. Some people feel that atheism is the claim (of knowledge) that god(s) do(es) not exist, but that is not correct, the position of atheism is a position of belief, not knowledge. So, in regards to your opening remarks, both atheists and agnostics can be open to the idea of an afterlife. There are not many atheists who do believe in an afterlife, but as long as it does not involve a deity it still would be an atheist. There's a lot of division and derision between atheists and agnostics, some feel that atheists are dogmatic, yet as atheism is the "lack of belief" and nothing more, it cannot be dogmatic. There is no claim of knowledge involved. Absolutely clear as a bell, Dr Grixis. This is the dictionary definition: "as atheism is the "lack of belief" and nothing more, it cannot be dogmatic." However, in real life it often doesn't work out that way. Very good. I think a similar issue developes out the the assertion, 'babies are born atheist'. If as you say 'atheism is a position of belief', if babies are yet not capable of belief, none can be born so. Are babies theists?? no. So they are not theists.... or atheists. Atheists do not need to believe there is no god. They just need to not believe there is one. No, atheism in it's most basic form and the one that is most common means the "lack of belief" it is not an positive term describing any affirmation of belief and as such requires no conscious action on the part of the atheist. Irreligion (adjective form: nonreligious or irreligious) is the absence of religion, an indifference towards religion, a rejection of religion, or hostility towards religion. So this 'definition' works even in folks that can't yet harbor the belief, like new borns? Interesting... I agree with your comment on agnostic atheists and agnostic theists. I have gone back and forth between the two my whole life until a couple of years ago when I decided to leave the RCC. I researched other denominations and other religions and discovered that the gospels were not original works; They were just a retelling of the story of Buddha. I do believe in an afterlife of some sort because of an experience I had in college (bet you can image what that included). Because of this I've never considered myself to be a true atheists, just an agnostic atheist. So under what conditions would an atheists believe in an afterlife? To be honest, I've always thought atheists knew there was no god, not believe there is no god. IMO an atheist is just 'not a theist' so technically a deist in an atheist. It's just that deist is a better descriptive term in that case. So an atheist can believe in a god so long as it's not a theistic god.... BUT that is probably not the best way to communicate the issue as most people will misunderstand. Agnostic is someone who answers "i don't know" when you ask "is there a god?". If you ask "do you believe there is a god?" that is a very different question. I am an atheist.... but if you ask me "is there a god" I definitely cannot say "no". However at the same time if you ask a more specific question like "does the god of the bible exist" I can say with complete certainty "no!" because I have researched the topic sufficiently to know it is more likely that unicorn riding leprechauns exist. I don't believe Yahweh doesn't exist, I know it. I usually say that I don't believe in the god as he is described in the bible. After 4,000 years of oral and written tradition, Jewish and Christian changed the meaning, It may mean that Yahweh/Elohim that you deny is the god that you cannot say "no". (for the sake of debate) Yes, but for the sake of debate, if the god of the bible is based off any sort of reality it has been perverted way past recognition. It would be akin to debating if leprechauns exist and taking into account midgets as a possible answer. At least 99.9% of the traits and actions given to Yahweh are false. There are enough logical problems with any 'theistic' god to know one does not exist. I wouldn't agree that "agnostics are open to the concept of an afterlife" is a good, or even accurate description of the difference Atheism is a belief that there is no god. For some people, this belief comes from logical/rational/philosophical reasoning. For others, it's just a feeling they feel in their heart. Agnosticism is a philosophical viewpoint that a particular question cannot, even in principle, be answered. For example, I could ask you: "Can God (be he fictional or nonfictional) devise a task even he could not complete?" This is a classical paradox; since he is all-powerful, the answer is yes he can, but because he is all-powerful, the answer is also no, because he would be able to complete the task. Because any answer results in a logical contradiction, the question has no meaning. The conclusion, therefore, is that the concept of omnipotence is logically impossible, and therefore God does not exist (this is a particular example of agnosticism, which happens to conclude with atheism [sorry if that's confusing]).

December 25, 2013, - 8:59 am Merry Christmas to all of my Christian readers & friends. I wish you a very joyous and merry Christmas with family, friends, and everything that you wish for. I hope you are enjoying the holiday. Even though I believe very strongly in my own religion and I am not a Christian, I am thankful that, for now, America’s strong Christian tradition remains. With G-d’s* help, it is the only thing that keeps us from becoming a Muslim nation. Like you, I want to continue to practice my religion freely and for that to be the case for my fellow co-religionists and yours. As I’ve said so many times before on this site, even though I do not believe in Christ, I do believe that America has resisted becoming a Muslim nation thus far because of its strong Christian heritage and the fact that the majority of Americans still identify as Christians. That is and has always been the backbone and at the forefront of America’s traditional values. People like Miley Cyrus and the supporters of Hezbollah in Dearbornistan have one thing in common: they do not go to church and they do not believe in our common Judeo-Christian values, traditions, and heritage. Look to Europe, and you’ll see why every single country there is moving toward becoming an Islamic state. Yes, a good part of it is because of immigration and birthrate problems that face America as well. And because of the welfare state for these immigrants and multiple births, as well as an orthodoxy of multiculturalism. But, ultimately, it’s because Europe has lost its Christian faith and more and more of its population is either unaffiliated or atheist. You see it in Great Britain. You see it throughout Scandinavia, where marriage and other sacraments of the Church and of Judeo-Christian values are anathema. Those are the same countries that have willingly allowed themselves to become ravaged by Muslim immigration and the corresponding hate. There is a reason Malmo, Sweden is no longer welcoming to Jews and the Israeli Davis Cup Tennis Team cannot compete there in front of a live audience, lest they be blown up. And if you think Europe is unique, it is not. We are no different, just a decade or two behind, except for America’s still strong Christian faith. Yes, more and more Americans are leaving Christianity or are becoming lapsed in their observance of it. And devout Muslims are growing in numbers in our midst. But we are still a Christian nation by far, with well more than half of America celebrating Christmas today. Yes, we are experiencing the same religious decline as in Europe, but it’s to a far lesser, much slower degree. As I always say, atheists and lapsed Christians are future Muslims, ripe for the picking. Just look at all the former hippies and feminists who choose this cult (Islam) that imprisons the mind and the body, while they spent their lives denouncing Christians and Jews and fighting Nativity displays in the courts and wishes of “Merry Christmas” in the major retailers. While Jews were an active part of every step of American history, from its founding to all of its battles (we fought in every one, including the Revolutionary War–American history is inextricably part of Jewish history and vice versa), and America has always been a Judeo-Christian country, those of us who are realists know it is really and has always been a Christian nation (unless we continue to do nothing about the ever-increasing encroachment by Islam on our shores). Most of the Founding Fathers were Christians, as were most of the revolutionaries who fought off the British. Yes, there were exceptions who came pretty close to atheism (such as Thomas Jefferson), but for the most part, they were Christians (and had some Jewish help–see Haym Solomon and so on). And that’s why America’s still around and as we know it–because of its Christian heritage. That could change and in the long-term demographics, it looks like it will change because we’ve done nothing to stop that. America as we know it–and Christmas as you know it–may not be around (to the extent that they are now) in several generations. You and I won’t see it, but your great-great-great-grandchildren and theirs may. Look at what has happened to Christians in the birthplace of your religion: the Middle East. They aren’t under siege–that was yesterday. Today, they are no longer there, unless you count their scant and meager presence. They’ve been forced out and have left in droves to the West and other locals, if they haven’t been killed off first. Bethlehem, Jesus’ birthplace, is majority Muslim–vast majority Muslim. And, no, contrary to Palestinian terrorist-in-chief Mahmoud Abbas a/k/a Abu Mazen’s claim, Jesus was NOT a Palestinian. He was a Jew. Never forget that. Yes, today, more and more Americans are obsessed with Us Magazine and TMZ and what celebrities are wearing and with whom they are sleeping. Many more Americans of Christian heritage can name all of the members of the Kardashian-Jenner clan than can name Jesus’ apostles. But so long as we are a Christian nation–which continues to be based on its Judeo-Christian roots–and haven’t fallen to Islam in the way Europe has via political correctness/multi-culturalism and a vast welfare state with uber-generosity toward illegal aliens (and again, we are doing that as well, unfortunately), I will be safe to be a Jew and will be able to freely practice my religion, G-d willing. In the end, it is His (G-d’s) will, but with our help. G-d helps those who help themselves and we must help ourselves in this regard. It’s a problem that many of those who identify as Christian in America (and the rest of the West) are Christians in name only and don’t practice much of anything. The religion that is fast growing here–through immigration (legal and illegal), women-as-baby-factories mass births, and brainwashing conversions–is Islam. That’s got to change. While some see my fellow co-religionists in Judaism as anti-Christian, I assure you we are not. Those who oppose your holiday displays and religious observances are not devout Jews. We who believe strongly in our faith have no issue with yours. We know that the enemies of Christmas and Christianity are also the enemies of my faith of Judaism. While some try to erase references to Christmas in America–whether in commerce or in education, whether in Hollywood or in trying to decimate Nativity scenes at the local city hall lawn–I am not among them. I do not share your religion nor some of your religious beliefs, but I celebrate that you celebrate. The day that Ramadan or Eid Al-Fitr or Eid Al-Adha are national holidays (and they are holidays in several American school districts and union factories–thanks, unions!–around the country already) is the end of days or the precursor to them for our America where you and I are free to practice our Judeo-Christian holidays and religious observances. At least, it’s the end of days for you and me to be able to live in peace. And, again, we are well on our way there. Like I said, that day may be sooner than you think–in a few generations, if we continue to do nothing about Muslims seeping into our country and expanding their stronghold. While we have that strong Christian background that is an essential part of America’s fabric and history, Christian America hasn’t had the necessary resistance to Islamic immigration that we need and the fight against Muslims’ refusal to be absorbed in American culture that is required to preserve our freedoms and our American way of life. Christian America–primarily the left-leaning, “progressive” portion of it–has bent over backward (and forward) to the many unreasonable, un-American, unconstitional demands put forth on our society by Muslims. In that respect, many churches and Christian organizations–especially the leftist ones such as the Presbyterian Church of the United States of America (PCUSA) and so on–have failed and their celebration of Christmas today is phony and hollow. They have maintained their status quo–or worse, engaged in this multi-cultural “interfaith” dialogue to lend legitimacy to the supporters and agents of Islamic terrorism and tyranny. And they aren’t working on sustaining their faith and its continued existence in America–which must include resistance to Islamic tyranny on our own shores–for future generations. That’s something to think about as you gaze happily at your Christmas tree while you and your family open presents (and are hopefully lucky enough to have presents in this age of ObamaCare insurance payment hikes). Will your great-great-grandchildren and their children be able to do the same? Will their great-great-grandchildren be forced to say Midnight Mass in a basement hiding from the Mukhabarat (“secret police) and Mutaween (“Muslim religious police)? You are celebrating the birth of Christ today, but in future tomorrows, your progeny may all be forced to “celebrate” Ramadan and the Eids because we did not do enough to stop from becoming Eurabia, American Annex, or as I call it, “Islamerica.” Your descendants may be forced to hide under hijabs and niqabs and be oppressed for their faith and religious practice, just as mine were in every single Muslim nation in which they lived throughout history (and as they had to do in the Communist Soviet Union), just as the dwindling Christian populations are in every single Muslim nation in which they lived and have now been forced to leave or lose their lives. Christianity is under attack all over the Muslim world. And as America inches closer to the Muslim world, it will come under attack on our shores more and more. If you think ACLU lawsuits over Creches are bad, just wait. And if you think the Muslims in America are different in that respect, you simply aren’t thinking at all. They are no different than their fellow co-religionists, except that they have not yet reached critical mass here. But they are getting there. And in the long run, if we do nothing, the result will be the same here as it is in the Muslim world and every European country well on its way to becoming part of the Muslim world. Don’t be fooled by the leadership in the Palestinian Authority and its pseudo-embrace of the Christmas tourism in Bethlehem. They need the money, and business is business. Quietly, they–the Palestinian Muslims who dominate Bethlehem and the rest of the Muslim world sneer at all the pilgrims who’ve come to mark the Christmas holiday . . . all while they count the cash they’ve meet from selling trinkets to the visiting Christians. Christians and Christianity in Bethlehem are merely a business, a customer base for Muslims to make money off of. They are a means to an end for the Muslim Palestinian Authority which rules the place and is alternately feuding with and trying to merge with HAMAS. More than three out of every four Bethlehem residents are Muslims and that rate is growing. The Muslim call to prayer, not prayers at the Church of the Nativity, is the loudest sound. And it is not just a call to prayer, it is a call to war. They are at war with all of us. Like humans amidst the sounds of a dog whistle, we just don’t hear it. And that call to prayer isn’t just the loudest sound on the other side of the world in Bethlehem, it is also now the loudest sound in Hamtramck, Michigan, once a stronghold of Catholics. It is also the loudest sound in Canton, Michigan. And Dearbornistan and Dearbornistan Heights, and a growing number of American cities and towns as the virus spreads. For me, a strong Christian America is a strong America where religious Jews like me can celebrate our religion, our Sabbath, and our holidays, just as it enables you to celebrate Christmas today. Let’s keep America that way not just for us, but for future generations. We must do that if we want our faiths, our people, and our country to survive into the future. Again, I wish you a wonderful holiday and a Merry Christmas overflowing with joy, family and loved ones, friends, good health, food and drink and other sustenance, warmth, and shelter. And even though I do not celebrate your holiday, I appreciate the gift you give me every day: your readership (and comments and tips, too), your support, and your camaraderie in the marketplace of ideas. And most important, our common goal and aim for the survival of Western civilization, of which the Judeo-Christian ethos is the backbone. And, remember, we are all still here and allowed to practice our faiths freely because of G-d. May He bless us all. Thank you and, again, Merry Christmas. * Religious Jews do not write/type out G-d’s full name out of respect for Him. Tags: Christians, Christmas, Christmas 2013, Islam, Jews on Christmas, Jihad, Merry Christmas

The Yiddish name for grandmother is bubbe. Since Hebrew uses a different alphabet from English, making transliteration necessary, words often exist in several different spellings. Variations of bubbe include bube, bubbie, bubbeh, bobbe, bobeh and bubby. Some add a -shi to the end to show affection, resulting in a name that is usually spelled bobeshi. Some Jewish families prefer the Hebrew savta, but bubbe is the more traditional choice and is chosen by some non-Jews for its warm connotations. Things a Bubbe Might Say Here are some common words that you might hear from a Yiddish grandmother: - Naches means "pride" or "joy," often the pride or joy associated with a child or grandchild. A common blessing spoken to new parents is some variation of, "May this child bring you much naches." The "ch" is pronounced similarly to the "ch" in challah. - Mazel tov is the common congratulatory expression in Yiddish. The literal meaning is "good destiny." It is also appropriate for the birth of a grandchild. - Shmutz (or schmutz) means a little dirt that needs to be wiped off, as off a grandchild's face. - Tchatchke is a knick-knack or small gift, such as a grandchild might give to a grandmother. This word has several variant spellings. A Yiddish grandmother might also impart these jewels of wisdom: - "If grandma had wheels, she would be a wagon." Don't expect people to do things they aren't equipped to do. It's something like the expression, "If a frog had wings ...." - "Show her the rudder, but don't steer the boat." Teach others how to do things for themselves. - "Don't throw away the old bucket until you know whether the new one holds water." Don't discard something until you know you have something better. What Is Yiddish, Anyway? Yiddish is a Germanic language traditionally associated with the Ashkenazi, Jewish people living in Germany and nearby areas. Ashkenaz is an early Hebrew name for Germany. The Ashkenazic Jews spoke German but included Hebrew expressions in their speech. In the 1200s they began using the Hebrew script to write their language, known academically as Judeo-German. Gradually, Judeo-German developed into a distinct language and became known as Yiddish, which means Jewish. The Mother Tongue Yiddish was sometimes described as the "mother tongue," contrasting with Hebrew, known as the "holy tongue" and studied only by men. Yiddish gave women a way of connecting with their religion and their culture. Jewish women began to write in Yiddish at a time when most women worldwide were unable to write in any language. Decline of Yiddish The use of Yiddish was criticized by many Jews during the 1700s and 1800s on the basis that its use was a barrier to acceptance by the culture at large. It survived this challenging time, however, and in the early 1900s Yiddish language and literature was thriving. That came to a halt with the Holocaust, when many Yiddish speakers were killed and the survivors were widely dispersed. When Jews began to work toward a homeland, much discussion was devoted to the choice of language. Yiddish was considered but rejected, possibly because it is closely tied to eastern Europe, whereas Jews all over the world have some knowledge of Hebrew. Today Hebrew and Arabic are the official languages of Israel. Current State of Yiddish Both the United States and Israel still have a significant number of Yiddish speakers, especially in communities of conservative Jews. There has also been a small but significant body of writers who create literature in Yiddish, the most famous being the Nobel Prize winner Isaac Bashevis Singer. Another of this group was Singer's older sister, was Esther Kreitman. Kreitman is said to be the model for the main character in Yentl, written by Singer. Like the fictional character, in her younger years Kreitman yearned to study the Talmud. Her books are available in English and Yiddish.

GUEST: Sydney Levy, Jewish Voice for Peace Director of Advocacy, talks about boycotting corporations that profit from the illegal Israeli occupation. One such corporation is TIAA/CREF. It invests in many Israeli companies that make products in the illegal settlements of the West Bank. TIAA/CREF also puts shareholders assets into companies like Caterpillar that sells the special bulldozers used to destroy Palestinian homes. Many of us can raise these objections with TIAA/CREF because we have invested a part of our college salaries in the firm. Where is the "moral investing" that TIAA/CREF talks about in its literature? But there is progress. Steve Tamari, TIAA-CREF Investor said: “I welcome the news that as a TIAA-CREF investor, I am no longer profiting from SodaStream, whose main production facility operates in an illegal settlement on Palestinian land in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. I urge TIAA-CREF to drop the remaining companies in their portfolio profiting from confiscating Palestinian land and contributing to illegal settlement expansion. I hope in the coming year to see TIAA-CREF divest from the French multinational Veolia, which operates transportation, water-treatment, and garbage services for illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank.”Now is the time to do your part.

Armed with tenacity and a willingness to take risks, Nancy White is celebrating nearly five decades of professional excellence. Originally a professional artist in Houston from 1970 to 1977, Dr. White eventually came to see the role art could play in healing. She used her talents to serve as an art therapist at the Galveston County Hospital in Texas City between 1976 and 1977, and fell in love with helping others. In 1978, she opened her own private psychotherapy practice in Houston, and has been there ever since. The natural progression of professions thrilled Dr. White, who is a strong believer in the importance of following your passions, no matter where they take you. When Dr. White isn’t working in a professional setting, she enjoys using her background to help out in the community. She has been the founder and clinical director of Unique Mind Care since 2007, and is involved with prominent organizations like the American Board of Sexology, the American Association of Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, and the International Academy of Professional Counselng and Psychotherapy. Dr. White has also served in leadership roles with The Meta Center, The Texas Meta Corp., the Enhancement Institute, and the PAIRS Foundation, as well as the International Society for Neurofeedback and Research and the Society for Neuronal Regulation. With such a unique background, Dr. White felt it was only natural to contribute to the growth of the younger generations. She has been a national seminar leader for Practical Application of Intimate Relationships Skills programs in Houston since 1989, and is a consultant editor for the Journal of Neurotherapy. She has also served as a member of the field faculty at Norwich University, and as an author of articles for professional journals and chapters for books. Dr. White prepared for her endeavors by graduating magna cum laude from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1976, and by earning a Master of Arts from the same school in 1978. To coincide with her career evolution, she continued her education at the Union Institute in Cincinnati, where she obtained a PhD in clinical psychology in 1985. Dr. White also became a diplomate and clinical supervisor of the American Board of Sexology, a licensed marriage and family therapist, a certified sex therapist and neurotherapist, an advanced addiction counselor through the American Association of Sexuality Educators Counselors and Therapists (AASECT), and a diplomate of the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance. In light of her achievements, Dr. White has earned a number of accolades over the years. She was the recipient of the Merit Award from the Southwest Watercolor Society and the 1st Prize from the Jewish Community Center in 1976, and a citation from Fine Arts Texas and the Merit Award from the Watercolor Art Society of Houston in 1977. Between 1986 and 2016, she has been honored in numerous editions of Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in Science and Engineering, Who’s Who in the South and Southwest, and Who’s Who of American Women.

Lin Shaye biography Date of Birth: October 12, 1943 Although she's been designated a bonafide "scream queen" for her work in various horror franchises, you may not recognize Lin Shaye simply by her name. But you may recognize the veteran actress as Cameron Diaz’s very orange, dog-loving neighbor in There's Something About Mary (1998) or as the determined demonologist with a knack for seances in Insidious (2011). Born in Detroit, Michigan, Linda Shaye is the second child of Dorothy, a homemaker, and Max Mendel Shaye, a supermarket owner and painter. Her elder brother is New Line Cinema founder and CEO Robert Shaye, better known as Bob Shaye. Both children were raised in a strict Jewish household. Lin studied acting at the University of Michigan, and eventually moved to New York City where she earned a Master's in acting at the University of Columbia. During her time in New York, she appeared in several Off-Broadway productions. In 1975, she made her feature film debut in the romantic drama Hester Street. Two years later, Lin moved to Los Angeles, where she began landing more television and movie roles, such as Sandra in the TV movie Sex and the Married Woman (1977), and Amy in the drama A Secret Space (1977). Throughout the rest of the decade and into the next, the actress earned small roles in various movies and television series. Mainstream success eluded her until she made an appearance as a doomed high school teacher in 1984's A Nightmare on Elm Street , marking the beginning of her career as a scream queen. Her brother Bob Shaye helped her get the role, and in an interview with USA Today in 2015, she said, "I'm forever grateful to my big brother, who really started my horror career." Many more freaky flicks were to follow, with Lin starring in Critters (1986), My Demon Lover (1987), The Hidden (1987), and Critters 2 (1988). The early part of the next decade allowed Lin to stray from horror to appear in the romantic comedies Book of Love (1990) and Three of Hearts (1993), the dramas Pump up the Volume (1990) and The Temp (1993), and the comedies Roadside Prophets (1992) and Loaded Weapon 1 (1993). In 1994, Lin was cast as Mrs. Neugeboren in the Farrelly Brothers' comedy Dumb & Dumber (1994) — a role that would forever mark her place in comedy history. She followed up this hilarious act with high-profile projects such as Kingpin (1996) starring Woody Harrelson and Last Man Standing (1996) starring Bruce Willis. After parts in some television movies and series, Lin earned another role that would change her life — Magda in the next Bobby and Peter Farrelly project, There's Something About Mary (1998). As the wacky (and tacky) neighbor of Cameron Diaz's Mary, Lin had to sit for four hours every morning in order to achieve her character's signature sun-burned look, a process she said she "loved every minute of." In the years following her breakout role in There's Something About Mary , Lin continued working steadily in films such as Detroit Rock City (1999), Me, Myself & Irene (2000), Contagion (2002), Boat Trip (2002), Stuck On You (2003), A Cinderella Story (2004), Snakes on a Plane (2006), Asylum (2008) and My Sister's Keeper (2009). Despite landing loads of work and continuing her frightful film streak, it wasn't until 2011 that Lin would reach the pinnacle of her horror career. In the massively popular Insidious , the actress stepped into the role of renowned demonologist Elise Rainier, who is tasked with helping a family return their comatose child from an evil spirit realm. According to Lin, the process of landing the role wasn't all smooth sailing, particularly when she first read the movie's script. "I was so upset, I took it downstairs and locked it in a closet. I didn't want that thing by my head when I went to sleep," she recalled to US Today. Lin would go on to appear in the next two installments of the franchise, and reprises her role again in 2017's Insidious: The Last Key . Living up to her moniker, Lin more recently appeared in the horror flick Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016) alongside Elizabeth Reaser, Henry Thomas, and newcomers Annalise Basso and Lulu Wilson. She also landed a role in the adventure comedy Get the Money (2016) starring Danny Trejo and Casper Van Dien. Lin was first married to Marshall Rubinoff, until his death in 1968. In 1988, she married actor Clayton Landey, with whom she has a son, Lee J. Landey, born in 1989. The couple divorced in 2003. Lin Shaye Filmography

Czech Romani group objects to reading names of Holocaust victims who were Romani, those organizing commemorations disagree The informal Dikhas group in the Czech Republic, which is represented by Libuše Martínková and František Lacko, is claiming that the public reading of the names of Holocaust victims from the Romani community during commemorative gatherings organized by the Terezín Initiative Institute (ITI) is displeasing and embarrassing Romani people. The director of the ITI, Tereza Štěpková, says she believes the group is making the statement because they hold a grudge against her personally and that she has not yet heard a convincing argument as to why it would be disrespectful or inappropriate to read aloud the names of those who were murdered for no reason in the absolutely barbaric way that the Holocaust involved. Dikhas: Reading the names of the dead in public is not part of Romani culture or tradition "As members of the Dikhas group, we regularly hold discussions with Romani people about what their idea of a dignified way to honor the memories of Holocaust victims from the Romani community would be. We cannot speak for all Romani people and that is not our intention, because perfect agreement among Romani people on this question does not yet exist," the group's standpoint on the issue says, which has been sent to news server Romea.cz. "However, from our dialogues with Romani people, we have learned that what they consider dignified during commemorative ceremonies is raising the Romani flag, showing respect by holding a minute of silence, and laying floral wreaths, especially on Roma Holocaust Memorial Day on 2 August. Furthermore, they would like the mainstream media and public officials to pay the attention to such events that they deserve," the group's statement says. "What is sparking embarrassment and sometimes even displeasure among Romani people is the public reading of the names of Holocaust victims who were Romani at some commemorative gatherings held by the Terezín Initiative Institute. Those gatherings are held on Yom Hasho’a day in April and then in August on Roma Holocaust Memorial Day by reading the names of the dead in public, which is not part of Romani culture and tradition," the statement reads. "The words 'Let our dead sleep' eloquently express this, unambiguously - the Roma perceive the public reading of these names aloud as disrespectful and undignified, although they do comprehend this is an attempt to remember the victims symbolically, by name. Romani people do not want to forget their forebears who perished in the Nazi camps, just as Jewish people do not, but their commemorations are culturally different," the statement reads. Tereza Štěpková, ITI director: No argument has yet convinced me it is disrespectful and inappropriate to read these names On the ITI website, Štěpková has published her response to the standpoint of the Dikhas group as to how the memories of Holocaust victims of Romani origin are being honored. "Despite knowing that this is motivated by a grudge held against me personally, and despite the fact that I do not consider such an approach to be correct, I have decided to express my own opinion about this and to open discussion of this subject, which has appeared recently from different parties around the event called the Public Reading of Holocaust Victims' Names - Yom Hasho’a," she writes. "I am mainly responding because this issue is not just about me - many other people have invested energy, work, and personal participation into these events, as well as their own families' memories," the ITI director writes, reminding people that the public readings have been held since 2006. "The idea of including the names of Romani victims arose in 2010 during a discussion with the co-organizers of the event at that time, the Czech Union of Jewish Youth, the Foundation for Holocaust Victims, and Romani community representatives." "The Museum of Romani Culture was contacted for the names of the individuals concerned and prepared the lists during the years to follow," the ITI director writes. "The aim we all have shared this entire time has been to contribute toward acknowledging the fact of the racial persecution of Romani people during the Second World War and toward the acceptance of the genocide of the Roma as part of the history of the Holocaust and the Nazi racial persecution of innocent people," she writes, adding that this is the first time negative reactions to the inclusion of Romani names among those to be read have reached her. The ITI is not the only organization in the Czech Republic that publicly reads the names of Holocaust victims from the Romani community. Since 2019, the reading of such names has also been organized annually on 2 August by the ARA ART organization as part of an event called Leperiben ("We Do Not Forget"). "Although I have been reflecting on this a great deal over the past few months, I have not yet heard a convincing argument as to why this way of remembering the names of the people who were wrongly and absolutely barbarically murdered is inappropriate and disrespectful," the ITI director writes, adding that disagreement with Lacko's position on this matter has also been expressed by the director of the Museum of Romani Culture, Jana Horváthová. When asked about the issue by the Community News (Obecní noviny) published by the Jewish Community of Prague, Horváthová said: "The Museum is not joining Mr Lacko's initiative with regard to his disagreement with reading the names of Romani people during the Yom Hasho'a event." Public readings of the names of Holocaust victims happen in the Czech Republic on the occasion of Israel's Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day, when Holocaust victims' memories are revered during commemorative ceremonies. This day is not an official state holiday in the Czech Republic. 19 April 1943 was the day on which the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising began, and 19 April has therefore been chosen for this annual day of reverence. The public readings of Holocaust victims' names from the Romani community have been convened since 2019 by the ARA ART organization and are held on 2 August, when Europe commemorates the memory of the murder of almost 3000 Roma and Sinti in the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp at the close of the Second World War; 2 August is also not an official state holiday in the Czech Republic. - Exhibition in Czech capital shows newly-identified photographs of the deportations of Jewish people from Prague during the Holocaust - Czech library to exhibit all designs submitted for the future Lety u Písku Memorial to the Holocaust of the Roma and Sinti - Czech demolition of pig farm on former WWII-era concentration camp for Roma delayed one year, future new memorial said to be unaffected - Czech ceremony commemorating Romani prisoners sent to Auschwitz on 20 August attended by more than 150 people - President of Czech Senate says Lety commemorations are a call for people to treat minorities fairly - Poland: Refugees from Ukraine join March of the Living event at the memorial for the former Nazi death factory at Auschwitz - Czech town unveils 15 "Stones of the Disappeared" to honor Holocaust victims - Yom HaShoa: Tomorrow the names of both Jewish and Romani victims of the Holocaust will again be read publicly and together in the Czech Republic - German court sentences 93-year-old Holocaust denier to a year behind bars, she may appeal - British-Irish comedian makes tasteless "joke" about the Holocaust and Roma, sparking outrage - Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia: NGO reports that LGBT+ Roma face discrimination from their own families as well as majority societies in these EU Member States - Black American celebrity apologizes for saying Holocaust was "not about race", but about "two groups of Whites", her talk show suspends her for two weeks - Jana Horváthová: Romani suffering began long before the Second World War - Leaders of Czech Parliament: Society must not ignore aggression. Museum of Romani Culture director commemorated the Holocaust and its Romani victims with them in the Senate - For most people in the Czech Republic the Holocaust is not just history, survey shows - Museum of Romani Culture director speaking today at Czech Senate and Václav Havel Library, Holocaust Memorial Day also commemorated at Czech Foreign Ministry

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