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"The Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism"

"The Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism" is a short but valuable book written by Dennis Prager and Rabbi Joseph Telushkin. In it, I have found some very persuasive arguments on behalf of Jewish religious belief - - perhaps some of the most compelling I have seen anywhere. 

An excerpt:

God may have His own reasons for denying us certainty with regard to His existence and nature. One reason apparent to us is that man's certainty with regard to anything is poison to his soul. Who knows this better than moderns who have had to cope with dogmatic Fascists, Communists, and even scientists?

Emanuel Rackman, in The Condition of Jewish Belief

If the believer has his troubles with evil, the atheist has more and graver difficulties to contend with. Reality stumps him altogether, leaving him baffled not by one consideration but by many, from the existence of natural law through the instinctual cunning of the insect to the brain of the genius and heart of the prophet. This then is the intellectual reason for believing in God: That, though this belief is not flee from difficulties, it stands out, head and shoulders, as the best answer to the fiddle of the universe.

Milton steinberg, Anatomy of Faith

DOUBT

Does God exist? This is life's most crucial question. The implications of the conclusion have the most significant consequences for the meaning of human existence.

Yet, despite its overwhelming importance, serious discussion of Cod is usually confined to theologians and philosophers. The rest of us form simple opinions of belief, agnosticism, or atheism at a relatively early age and are content to retain them without questioning for the rest of our lives.

We must therefore begin our presentation of Judaism with a discussion about God. First, let us briefly note Judaism's attitude toward a most common contemporary sentiment about God: doubt.

Can you doubt God's existence and still be a good Jew? Yes.

Belief in God is often difficult. Crises of faith are to be expected, and acknowledging such crises is not an irreligious act for a Jew. There are four significant reasons why doubts about God's existence should not be an obstacle to your being a good Jew.

1. Judaism emphasizes deed over creed

Judaism stresses action far more than faith. The Talmud attributes to God a declaration which is probably unique among religious writings: "Better that they [the Jews] abandon Me, but follow My laws" (for, the Talmud adds, by practicing Judaism's laws, the Jews will return to God, Jerusalem Talmud Haggigah 1:7). According to Judaism, one can be a good Jew while doubting God's existence, so long as one acts in accordance with Jewish law. But the converse does not hold true, for a Jew who believes in God but acts contrary to Jewish law cannot be considered a good Jew.

It is not, of course, our intention to deny the centrality of God in Judaism, but merely to emphasize that Judaism can be appreciated and practiced independently of one's present level of belief in God. You can incorporate Judaism into your daily life through study and practice even while doubting God's existence, because Jewish study and practice in and of themselves are extraordinarily valuable to the individual and society.

Moreover, our experience has confirmed that once you begin to study and live Judaism, you will find belief in God much more feasible. As the Talmud notes, whereas a man or woman may begin to practice Judaism for reasons unrelated to God (such as rational and ethical conviction), he or she will eventually do so because of God (Pesahim 50b).

2. Absolute certainty in faith leads to fanaticism

In the words of Emanuel Rackman, one of the foremost Orthodox rabbis of our time: "Judaism encourages doubt even as it enjoins faith and commitment. A Jew dare not live with absolute certainty, because certainty is the hallmark of the fanatic and Judaism abhors fanaticism, [and] because doubt is good for the human soul, its humility....God may have had His own reasons for denying us certainty. with regard to His existence and nature. One apparent reason is that man's certainty with regard to anything is poison to his soul. Who knows this better than moderns who have had to cope with dogmatic Fascists, Communists, and even scientists?"

3. If God were known, moral choice would end

If we knew God existed and would punish us for evil acts, then good acts would be much less freely chosen. An element of unknowability about God is necessary so as to allow us to choose good. In order to choose good, we must feel free to do bad, and we would not feel this way if we had definite knowledge that God was present and recording our every action. (How much choice do we have to speed when we know a police car is present?)

4. Since God's existence is unprovable, doubt is natural

God cannot be known to exist in the sense that we know a table or a cat exists. Their existences can be physically demonstrated and verified through our senses. But God's existence cannot, since God possesses no physical qualities. One can prove the existence of the natural, the physical, the finite; God, however, is supernatural, metaphysical, infinite. The inability to prove God's existence reflects, then, only on the fact that God has no physical qualities, a position that Judaism has always maintained.

To have doubts about God is, then, normal, permissible, and consistent with being a good Jew. But a good Jew may not deny God's existence. Indeed, the primary task of the Jewish people since its inception has been to bring the idea of a universal God and morality, or ethical monotheism, to mankind. As we shall see below, the most important values of life are dependent upon positing the existence of God: morality, or good and evil as objective realities that transcend personal and national opinions, and ultimate purpose and meaning to human existence. To put it another way, if there is no God, then there can be no objective good and evil, and no ultimate purpose to our existence. For these reasons, among many others, a committed Jew (a) may not deny God's existence, (b) must struggle with his doubts about God (the name of the Jewish people, Israel, means "struggle with God"), and (c) must advocate ethical monotheism, the ideal of a universal God as the basis of a universal standard of ethical behavior. As Elie Wiesel stated it: "The Jew may love God, or he may fight with God, but he may not ignore God."

THE NEED TO POSIT GOD'S EXISTENCE

MORALITY

The first value whose existence is dependent upon positing God's existence is morality. If there is no God, there are no rights and wrongs that transcend personal preference. Gases and molecules, the laws of nature, are not "good" or "evil," "right" or "wrong." If the natural world is the one objective reality, and there is no moral source beyond nature, good and evil possess no objective reality. Moral judgments then become purely subjective. They are popular or personal opinions which are objectively meaningless and represent no reality. It is self-evident and acknowledged by the foremost atheist philosophers that if a moral God does not exist, neither does a universal morality. Without God, all we can have are opinions about morality, but our opinions about "good" and "evil" behavior are no more valid or binding than our opinions about "good" and "bad" ice cream.

This is why in secular societies morality is generally considered to be a matter of opinion. Moral relativism is the only possible consequence of the denial of God's existence; morality becomes a euphemism for personal opinion. As this century's most eloquent atheist philosopher, Bertrand Russell, wrote: "I cannot see how to refute the arguments for the subjectivity of ethical values but," Russell conceded, "I find myself incapable of believing that all that is wrong with wanton cruelty is that I don't like it."

Russell's second point is our whole point. All that can possibly be wrong with wanton cruelty according to atheism and its moral relativism, is that we may personally not like it. Amorality is inherent to atheism.

To illustrate this point, assume there is no God and attempt to explain why Hitler was morally wrong. For the atheist and moral relativist, the only thing wrong with Nazi atrocities, as Russell said, "is that I don't like it."

One may answer that we know "deep down" that Hitler's mass murder and torture were wrong. But from where does this "deep down" feeling of right and wrong come? If there is no God, such feelings are just feelings, and objective morality must transcend subjective feelings. And if in fact we do possess "deep down" knowledge of good and evil, what source of morality put it within us?

Or, one may answer that Nazi-type murder is wrong for pragmatic reasons -- citing the argument that "if we kill them, they'll start to kill us and society will fall apart." This is not a moral argument, but merely a pragmatic one, and it is in any event invalid, since committing evil can be regarded as highly practical. In fact, pragmatic arguments usually favor committing the crime. The Nazis, for example, would have correctly dismissed the argument that "if we kill them, then they will kill us" by noting that "they" will not be able to kill "us." As in the rest of nature, only the weak will be destroyed. The pragmatic argument against committing evil is naive. If you can get away with a crime, there is no pragmatic argument against committing it -- only a moral argument, which is often quite impractical.

Take, for example, the relatively minor crime of tax evasion. The pragmatic argument again argues for, not against, committing the crime. The argument that "if everyone cheated on their tax returns, we would all suffer," understandably dissuades almost no one from cheating. On the contrary, tax evaders are quite certain that nearly everyone else is cheating, and it is precisely this fact that serves as their justification for doing the same. Precisely because one believes nearly everyone else is cheating, he, too, should cheat. Otherwise he loses. Pragmatism dictates immoral behavior at least as often as it dictates moral behavior.

You can purchase a used copy from Amazon for as little as 27 cents and read the whole thing.

Israel at 60

A video from the American Jewish Committee, with original footage of the 1947 UN partition vote:

From Front Page Magazine, a comparison of earlier Israel to the Israel of today:

Growing up in the Israel of the 1960’s meant experiencing a bonding intimacy of idealism grounded in the soil of this newly liberated Jewish homeland. The Holocaust was put behind us, and was perhaps even a taboo for discussion. But the lessons of the Holocaust remained fresh and real to young Israelis.

Self-reliance and sacrifice were the demands of the day. Israel in the early 1960’s was an idealistic society and nobody needed to be lectured on Zionism. Israelis resented anyone’s fulminations on idealistic Zionism, since it was practiced rather than discussed.

In today’s Israel, the leftist post-Zionists no longer see Zionism beyond a topic for discussion. Does it indicate the death of Zionism and an end to the idealism that made several generations of pioneers toil the soil and shed their blood to make the dream of a Jewish State a living reality? Not really!

The State of Israel is a reality cemented in established institutions, rooted in a strong and flourishing civil society that enjoys a free press, the rule of law, and a democratic government. Like all modern states, Israel is no longer a “developing country,” but part of the developed world with an average per capita income of $30,000. Its GNP is larger than that of all its Arab neighbors combined and it exports to other western countries some of the most sophisticated computer technology, optics, electronics, military hardware and software, and the best medical devices that high–tech can produce. While the lives of many of those living in the greater Tel Aviv and Haifa areas may resemble those of western Europeans and Americans, the pioneering spirit can still be found in the communities of Judea, Samaria, Golan, the Negev and Galilee and even in a few Jerusalem neighborhoods.

The intimacy of a small-beleaguered nation of the 1960’s has, in 2008, given way to great material expectations. The streets of Tel Aviv are a testament to such material changes. In the 1960’s, only two out of ten Israelis owned a motor vehicle. Today, it is about 9 out of 10. Israelis own the latest and the best gadgets, and the fashion leaders in New York, LA, Paris, or London can be assured that what’s “hip” in Soho is “cool” in Tel Aviv too.

Veteran Israelis who put their lives on the line in successive wars have sought more comfortable lives for their children. They have reasoned that if their sons and daughters must still depend on arms to preserve their country from attack, at least let them enjoy the luxuries of life. Israelis travel abroad more than virtually any other people per capita. Israelis can be found trekking the far corners of the earth in what has become a rite-of-passage following completion of their compulsory military service.

Link

Six decades of Israeli history as seen in photographs from private albums.

The European Jewish Press discusses commemoration plans:

Israel was founded on May 14, 1948, when its first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, declared statehood as Britain's UN mandate over historic Palestine was expiring.

Holidays in Israel, however, are marked according to the Hebrew calender, so the celebrations are to begin on May 7, the eve of what in Israel is known as Independence Day.

As part of dozens of additional projects, children have begun collecting 1.5 million marbles, symbolizing the 1.5 Jewish children who died in the Nazi Holocaust. Artists plan to use these marbles to construct a memorial to them.

A highlight of the celebrations is a three-day international conference hosted by President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem.

Many of the world's leaders  are to attend the festivities, including US President George Bush, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, former Soviet president Michael Gorbachev and former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

Like Bush, some of the other dozen presidents on the list have been to Israel before, but this will be a first visit for Mongolian President Nambaryn Enkhbayar, among others.

Other presidents to attend the conference include Victor Yushchenko of Ukraine, resident Lech Kaczynski of Poland, Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Michael Saakashvili of Georgia, Stjepan Mesic of Croatia, Bamir Topi of Albania, Blaise Campoare of Burkina Faso, Danilo Türk of Slovenia and Valdis Zatlers of Latvia.

As a Nobel Prize winner, Peres invited other Nobel Prize laureates, at least seven of whom will be coming to Israel to share their views of the future.

Prominent figures from the private sector who will attend include Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Google co-founder Sergey Brin and media tycoon Rupert Murdoch.

The agenda for the conference covers a myriad of topics, including the future of the world economy, the content and meaning of a Jewish state, the extent to which Jewish tradition is relevant in tomorrow's world, whether a green Israel is possible, the tipping point of the geopolitical arena, Israel's ability to continue to be a leading contender in the world of science and cultivating future leaders of Israel and the Jewish people.

Link

Columnist David Brumer asks why Israel is cast as the obstacle to peace in the region when it has "said yes to virtually every partition plan put forth in modern times while the Palestinians have said no" :

For more than 3,000 years, Jews have been spiritually as well as corporeally bonded to the land of Israel. In 1921, Winston Churchill proclaimed, "It is manifestly right that the Jews, who are scattered all over the world, should have a national center and a national home. And where else could that be but in this land of Palestine, with which for more than 3,000 years they have been intimately and profoundly associated?" For French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the recreation of a sovereign Jewish state "is the most significant event of the 20th century." He described Israel's re-establishment as "the 20th century's miracle" and noted that "defending its existence is an international duty."

So why, 60 years later, or 3,060 years, if you will, is Israel living under such a barrage of existential threats? Why does Israel still have to prove itself worthy of being included in the family of nations? Why indeed is Israel singled out as the one nation on Earth whose very existence is questioned? Cynthia Ozick bristles at the "the scandal of calling into question a living nation's existence ... The Big Lie that demonizes Israel and contaminates the viler estuaries of what is nowadays dubbed 'the international community' ... ."

Yet among "progressive" intellectuals, especially in Europe, it is axiomatic that Israel is not merely "not doing enough to for peace in the Middle East," but is responsible for Islamist "outrage" against the West; that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict remains at the core of the Arab world's grievances, and, if only this conflict could be solved, peace would ensue. Leaving aside the illogical nature of this proposition (al-Qaida and other radical Islamists have as much a gripe against Christian nations whom they see as usurping their place in history), it is hard to find a country that has striven more for peaceful co-existence with its neighbors than Israel. No nation has taken more demonstrable risks for peace. Israel proved its intention to live in harmony with its neighbors when it enacted peace treaties with Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994. Israel has shown its willingness to make painful sacrifices in the name of peace, withdrawing from all of Gaza in 2005 while evacuating more than 8,000 Israeli citizens from their homes.

Israel has said yes to virtually every partition plan put forth in modern times while the Palestinians have said no, starting with the Peel Commission in 1937, which would have given the Palestinians nearly 80 percent of the land between the "River and the Sea." In 1947, the Palestinians again rejected statehood on 45 percent of the land, while Israel agreed to the remaining 55 percent divided into three cantons (60 percent of which is desert). Finally, in 2000 Israel offered the Palestinians more than 96 percent of contiguous West Bank land and all of Gaza in the hopes that the century-old conflict could end. The Palestinian response to that offer was the Second Intifada, more aptly understood by Israelis as a Terror War unleashed against the Jewish State.

Yet Israel continues to be viewed as the obstacle to peace in the Middle East.

Link

Why we should support Israel:

The last living witness to the birth of Israel, at 93, recalls what it was like:

Arieh Handler participated in Israel's birth on two separate occasions. The lesser event, in his view, was on May 14, 1948, when he was among some 200 persons invited to the Tel Aviv hall where David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the establishment of the state. Handler, 93 this month, is believed to be the only one of those present still alive.

"...The Arabs were quite strong and the British didn't like us," said Handler. "We didn't know whether we could oppose the British empire."

Some delegates favored accepting the American proposal for very different reasons; they believed that if the partition proposal were scrapped the Jewish state could expand beyond the territory allocated to it in the UN resolution.

The debate was stormy, Handler remembers, and lasted close to six hours. "It seemed at times that people might come to blows."

In the end, it was Ben-Gurion who decided the issue with a passionate speech. Despite the fact that neighboring Arab states had 40 times the population of the Yishuv, he said, and despite the abundance of weapons in the hands of the Arabs and the assistance they were receiving from the British, no Jewish settlement had yet been captured or abandoned. (This would change shortly.) The most difficult test still lay ahead, with the incursion of the Arab armies, he said, but the Yishuv would prevail if it summoned up the powers inherent in it.

When the issue was put to a vote, Ben-Gurion won a clear victory. "We have decided," said the concluding resolution, "relying on the authority of the Zionist movement and the support of the entire Jewish people, that upon the termination of the mandatory regime there shall be an end to foreign rule in Palestine and the governing body of the Jewish state shall come into being."

Says Handler: "This event was more important than the actual signing of the Declaration of Independence. We felt at the time very clearly that the meeting was decisive."

Long article - read the whole thing.

From the Jewish Chronicle (London), some Haiku:

Haiku Mania

By Rabbi Elizabeth Tikvah Sarah

To mark Israel’s upcoming 60th anniversary, we challenged JC readers to write a haiku —the traditional Japanese verse form — to sum up what the country means to you.

This obviously struck a chord, with over 100 readers taking on the tricky three-line, 17-syllable structure of the haiku to express views about Israel, from the poetic to the political.

A variety of themes emerged, with many entrants extolling Israel for providing oppressed Jews with a homeland, this example by Ruth Landsman being fairly typical:

Israel means to me
A safe haven for all Jews,
A place to call home

A sizeable number of readers chose to lament the enduring conflict with the Palestinians. Witness this entry from Hannah Hutchinson:

Jew and Muslim, sons
Each of Abraham — long-term
Sibling rivalry

Some opted for the humorous approach (which we said might win extra points), and found a rich source of amusement in the restrictions of the haiku form itself. This from Barry Hyman:

Eretz at sixty?
How can you do it justice
In just five syllab…?

Food, naturally enough, figured large, particularly falafel, as this example by 10-year-old Jasmine Sadlik demonstrates:

Feeding the people
Falafel in pitta bread
Ever so tasty!

Falafel was one attraction that inspired Adam Mizler to express his enthusiasm for Israel. There was another:

Beautiful women,
And the best fresh falafels…
Man, I love Israel!

Some, like Rose Abrahamson, simply strived to conjure up a memorable image:

The train was chugging
Through sweet-scented orange groves
To Jerusalem

A few more:

She-ma Yis-ra-el,
A-do-nai E-lo-hei-nu,
A-do-nai E-chad

Moshe Rabbennu

(sent in by
Jonathan Samuel)

Children of Israel;
Wandered for thousands of years.
Where were the adults?

Adam Grossman

Sixty years have passed
It’s about time we had peace
In the Middle East

Joseph Adams

Shalom Aleichem
Two brothers in God’s own house
Salaam Aleikum

David Ury

Sixty years ago
Israel became our homeland
But we’re still fighting

Laura Gold

Tattoos on bodies
Dent on cars. Cellphone clubbers
In non-kosher bars

Monty Goldin

I'm not reprinting them, but also included were some anti-Israel haikus.  The author of the article deplores them and so do I.

Some of you might be familiar with the fact that Israel has a long history.  There's an Ancient Book called, "The Bible" that tells the story. Jews read it in its original Hebrew, one section at a time, in temple throughout the year.

American Thinker has some of the background:

The nation of Israel is about to commemorate its 60th birthday. That's the official, politically correct, line. But to be truly accurate, a cake celebrating the milestone should have more candles than 60 -- thousands more.

While it is most certainly true that David Ben-Gurion stood in Tel Aviv in front of a portrait of Zionist Patriarch Theodor Herzl and proclaimed Israel's independence from Britain on May 14, 1948, (immediately after which the armies of five Arab nations attacked the Jewish state), this year's celebration would more accurately be "Israel 3,200" or perhaps even "Israel 3,400."

In other words, the popularly promoted notion that Israel was "founded", "created", or "established" just in 1948 to give the Jews a piece of land by the Western powers out of guilt over the Holocaust is not accurate. Israel's detractors use this claim to try to delegitimize the Middle East's only true democracy.

After all, Israel has really been in existence since at least 1200 BCE and some experts place the establishment of Israel as the home of the Jewish people as early as 1406 BCE.

It is dutifully recorded in Scripture (Book of Joshua, ArtScroll Edition) that after the Children of Israel had gathered on the eastern bank of the Jordan River, as instructed to do so by G-d, that "When the bearers of the Ark [of the Covenant] arrived at the Jordan and the feet of the Kohanim, the bearers of the Ark, were immersed in the edge of the water - and the Jordan was overflowing its banks all the days of the harvest season - the waters descending from upstream stood still and they rose up in one column ... and was cut off; and the people crossed opposite Jericho. ... [A]ll Israel crossing on dry land until the entire nation finished crossing the Jordan." Joshua 3:14-17

Next, G-d commanded Joshua to select 12 men - one from each Israelite tribe -- to each gather one stone from amidst the river bed, bring it into the land of Israel and erect a memorial "and these stones shall remain a remembrance for the children of Israel forever." Joshua 4:7.

Scripture chronicles the date of this miracle: "The people ascended from the Jordan on the tenth of the first month, and encamped at Gilgal at the eastern end of Jericho." Joshua 4:19.

Nisan is the first month of the Jewish calendar, and this year the 10^th of Nisan coincides with April 15 in the Gregorian calendar. [Note: Though Nisan is the first month, the Jewish New Year is marked in a different month.]

The Children of Israel -- better known today as the Jewish People -- has inhabited the land of Israel continuously ever since, despite a string of wars, conquests and expulsions.

Read the rest.

The Original Source.

Dennis Prager: The Case For Judaism

Prager recently gave a talk on this subject which I can't recommend highly enough.  It is summarized here. 

Jews and Catholics

A moving article written by former NYC mayor, Ed Koch.

Leora of HP

An overdue link and recommendation:  Every once in a great while I come across a blogger whose interests line up with mine and with whom I feel an immediate affinity.  Leora is one of those.  But more, she's a wonderful writer and artist, very knowledgeable about Judaism and a very nice person as well.  I am glad that she stopped here and commented weeks ago, thus allowing me to find her blog and make her acquaintance.

For those interested in art, Judaism, nutrition, psychology, parenting, website design and/or Highland Park, New Jersey, or if you simply want to read an excellent new blog, I highly recommend visiting Here in HP.  Oh and by the way, there's a wonderful interview of Leora up on the Iconia blog, regarding the intersection of faith and art.

An Open Letter to Senator Obama

MUST READ

It's Up to the Jews to Save Judaism

Rabbi David Gutterman writes:

The first historic testimony from a non-Jewish source for the existence of the Jewish people appears on a black granite chronicle called a stele housed in the Cairo Museum. It's called the Merneptah stele after the 13th century B.C.E. Egyptian pharaoh. On it was recorded a virtual litany of his military conquests.

Yet when historians encountered the following line, they were fascinated and piqued. Couched within this elaborate panegyric to Merneptah's military prowess is the boast that "Israel is laid waste, her seed is no more." Is it not intriguing, if not ironic, that the first historical non-Jewish document about the Jewish people is an obituary?

From Merneptah to Mein Kampf, Amalek to Antiochus, Haman to Hitler, Chmielnicki to Khomeini, Achashverosh to Ahmadinejad -- there have been endless attempts at writing the epitaph of the Jewish people.

This Shabbat is special; it is already referred to in our Mishnah (circa 180 C.E.) as Shabbat Zakhor -- the Sabbath of Remembrance. No other people is as consumed with the notion of remembering as the Jews. No other people is as intoxicated with its imperative.

No, Jews don't live in the past; rather, as Elie Wiesel has written, "the past lives in us."

This Shabbat, we conclude the Torah reading with a reminder about our history's first intended author of our genocide. His name was Amalek. Amalek was a person, a nation and a concept. He is the architect and archetype par excellence of anti-Semitism.

But it's worth noting that the Torah has two approaches when dealing with Amalek, and they both warrant our attention. One text concludes with God promising: "I will eradicate Amalek," and the other text concludes with the admonition to the Jewish people: "You will eradicate Amalek." So which is it?

Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik resolved this contradiction. The Torah is admitting of two scenarios. When it comes to our physical survival -- when the Amaleks and Hamans of the world attempt to write our obituary notice -- God has promised to protect the Jewish people. Even against the fact of our historic dislocations and exiles, Inquisitions and a Holocaust, the Jewish people will survive.

But when it comes to our spiritual survival, when our ideals and faith are assailed and assaulted, God says: "Jewish people, take ownership; be the protagonists; be proactive." As Rabbi Soloveitchik so piquantly taught, "God will see to it that Jews survive. Jews have to see to it that Judaism will survive."

A major accomplishment: Middle son is coming with me to services on Friday night.

How to Share Your Faith...

...with Jenna the Jew.

As a mother, I don't like this at all. I wouldn't have wanted anyone targeting my children like this.

There's a "how to" aimed at others as well.

Some discussion from a Jewish perspective here.

Polish Rabbis Meet as a Group For the First Time Since the Holocaust

A sign of the re-growth of Jewish community in Poland:

Nearly 70 years after its demise, the Rabbinical Association of Poland was relaunched over the weekend at a ceremony in Lodz attended by Israel's Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Yona Metzger.

Metzger signed a special scroll together with Polish Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich and other community rabbis serving in Warsaw, Krakow, Wroclaw and Lodz declaring the formal reestablishment of the group, which prior to the Holocaust had united all of Poland's rabbis.

The event took place as part of a weekend conference arranged by the Shavei Israel organization for Poland's "Hidden Jews" which brought together 150 people from across the country, many of whom only recently learned that they have Jewish roots.

"Jewish life in Poland has been growing stronger in recent years, as many young Poles have begun to discover their family's Jewish ancestry, which was often hidden out of fear of persecution by the Nazis and the Communists," said Shavei Israel Chairman and Jerusalem Post columnist Michael Freund.

"This trend towards embracing - rather than concealing - one's Jewish identity in a place where the Germans sought to extinguish it six decades ago, is testimony to the unbreakable spirit of the Jewish people," Freund added.

Metzger said he was impressed by the revival taking place among young Polish Jews, and he also praised the establishment of the rabbinical group, asserting that it would help to bolster Jewish and Zionist identity.

"I was deeply moved to see the awakening that is taking place among young people in Poland who are reclaiming the Jewish identity that was hidden from them," Metzger told the Post. "These were days filled with much emotion and many tears." The newly-established rabbinical group, he said, "will hopefully serve as an address for those Jewish souls that are stirring anew, and will enable them to come to appreciate the value of Torah, Zion, Yiddishkeit and Israel."

On the eve of World War II, Poland was home to over 3,000,000 Jews, more than 90 percent of whom were murdered in the Holocaust. While the current community officially numbers some 4,000 people, it is estimated that there are tens of thousands of "hidden Jews" living throughout the country.

My mother's father came from Poland, a town called Rozhan.  He came over to the US in the early part of the 20th century. He learned to speak English, but could only read and write in Yiddish until the day he died.  He was a tailor and owned his own dry cleaning shop.

Thank God he came to the US, because there were precious few survivors of the Holocaust from Rozhan.  The town was decimated. Sometimes I visit Jewish Generation's Rozhan memorial book, and read stories of what the town was like before, during and after:

...Early next morning S.S. men woke us up shouting "Come out, come out!" They led us to the market place at the end of the town, near the synagogue. At the time we were: my parents o.b.m. (of blessed memory) Abraham Isaak and Esther Shafranovitch, my elder brother Fishel, my sister Golda and my younger brother Menahem. My sister Freda-Leah was already married and was not with us and my sister Tsivel was staying at Warsaw. My two eldest brothers were in Eretz-Israel: Nahman at Ein-Hashofet and Haim-Meir near Tel-Aviv. Of all these only Nahman, Haim-Meir and myself survived. May God revenge the others! They forced us to raise our hands and they took pictures. The town was in flames. The Poles were allowed to leave in horse carts with their belongings, using a small bridge not far from the synagogue, but the Jews were stopped at the market place, which was full of men, women and children, who were kept standing there for hours on end with their hands up. We didn't know what they'd do to us.

Some said they'd throw a bomb and kill us. Our uncle Geltshinsky, my mother's brother-in-law, tried to escape together with the Poles, but a Gentile betrayed him to the Germans who shot him on the spot for all to see. Thereafter any rumour could be believed, but the Nazis had a nefarious plan of their own. They led us from the market place to the synagogue and blocked all the doors. Many of the houses around were on fire and we were afraid that they were about to burn us.

Some of the Nazis came in and announced that all the able-bodied men would be taken to work. They wanted to take my brother Fishel too, but my parents entreated them with tears to leave him, as he had a crippled hand, and they agreed. That was before we knew of their intention to burn us, and we were happy that he was allowed to stay with us. After a while we saw that the house next to the synagogue was on fire. Then my parents were distressed that they had not let my brother go. The cries and wailings in the synagogue were indescribable. Some people were injured. I saw an old woman with a wound in her belly - and nobody to help her. Many confessed themselves, prayed whatever prayers came to their lips. Utter despair reigned.

The synagogue and its courtyard were full of people. Some were standing near the bridge and all around were German guards. Just then a German officer crossed the bridge in his car; he heard the wailings, stopped and asked what it was all about. The soldiers told him that one of them had been found dead the night before and that the Jews had done it. Therefore they had decided to roast us alive. A miracle happened: the officer had mercy and he gave the order to let us out and bring us to the other side of the river. Some of the soldiers even helped old people to cross the bridge. There we were told not to budge. So we sat on the spot and witnessed how the synagogue with all the Tora scrolls of Govorovo and Rozhan was burned to the ground.

That night we slept in the open. Meanwhile the men were burying the dead. In the morning no soldier was to be seen. They had left Govorovo and it was all in ashes. We went back and found a few pear trees with fruit on them wasted in the fire. From there we moved on to Dlugoshlodlo, where we stayed until the end of the Sukkoth holiday; then we were handed over to our Russian "brothers" at Zambrov. And here began a new chapter of sufferings - but that is for others to tell.

I am glad that the Jewish community is growing, but I don't know how anyone could live there, amongst those horrible memories.

The Jewish Conscience

Shira Bat Sarah writes:

Every aspect of Jewish life is rooted in respect for life. A discussion during Shabbat services three weeks ago brought this to the forefront. In the d'var Torah, we were asked the question: Which is the easiest commandment to follow and which is the hardest?

The easiest commandment is not to take eggs or chicks from a nest while the mother bird is present. This is to prevent the mother bird pain from seeing her eggs or chicks taken. Kashrut is followed for similar reasons. These rules are meant to make us conscience of all our actions. It governs our speech as well.

Read the whole thing.

"To Be Not Just Practiced, But Lived..."

...a Jew who never lives in Israel...will never realize Judaism's full expression: to be not just practiced but lived; to be freed from the confines of the synagogue and the community center, and to be alive in the open air, unscorned and unscrutinized, enveloped in a kind of everyday holiness.

Huge Archaeological Find in Israel

From the Jerusalem Post:

A stone seal bearing the name of one of the families who acted as servants in the First Temple and then returned to Jerusalem after being exiled to Babylonia has been uncovered in an archeological excavation in Jerusalem's City of David, a prominent Israeli archeologist said Wednesday.

The 2,500-year-old black stone seal, which has the name "Temech" engraved on it, was found earlier this week amid stratified debris in the excavation under way just outside the Old City walls near the Dung Gate, said archeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar, who is leading the dig. 

...

"The seal of the Temech family gives us a direct connection between archeology and the biblical sources and serves as actual evidence of a family mentioned in the Bible," she said. "One cannot help being astonished by the credibility of the biblical source as seen by the archaeological find."

Palestinians continue in their unconscionable attempts to destroy archaeological evidence of Jewish history in order to support false claims that Jewish temples never existed on the Temple Mount and thus reinforce their hold on the territory. Thankfully, this is one piece of history left unscathed.

(Hat tip: Chaya)

From the Jerusalem Post:

A stone seal bearing the name of one of the families who acted as servants in the First Temple and then returned to Jerusalem after being exiled to Babylonia has been uncovered in an archeological excavation in Jerusalem's City of David, a prominent Israeli archeologist said Wednesday.

The 2,500-year-old black stone seal, which has the name "Temech" engraved on it, was found earlier this week amid stratified debris in the excavation under way just outside the Old City walls near the Dung Gate, said archeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar, who is leading the dig. 

...

"The seal of the Temech family gives us a direct connection between archeology and the biblical sources and serves as actual evidence of a family mentioned in the Bible," she said. "One cannot help being astonished by the credibility of the biblical source as seen by the archaeological find."

Palestinians continue in their unconscionable attempts to destroy archaeological evidence of Jewish history in order to support false claims that Jewish temples never existed on the Temple Mount and thus reinforce their hold on the territory. Thankfully, this is one piece of history left unscathed.

(Hat tip: Chaya)

Shir La'maalot

Sung by Yosef Karduner:

121:1 A Song of Ascents. I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains: from whence shall my help come? 121:2 My help cometh from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. 121:3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved; He that keepeth thee will not slumber. 121:4 Behold, He that keepeth Israel doth neither slumber nor sleep. 121:5 the Lord is thy keeper; the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. 121:6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. 121:7 the Lord shall keep thee from all evil; He shall keep thy soul. 121:8 the Lord shall guard thy going out and thy coming in, from this time forth and for ever.

23rd Psalm

In Honor of the Last Night of Chanukah...

...my favorite Chanukah song, Light One Candle by Peter, Paul and Mary. Love the lyrics. Love the music. Not fond of Peter Yarrow's hocking before the song begins, but he did write it and for that I applaud him:

Jewish Philosophy

It is wrestling with our nature, rather than perfection, which constitutes true righteousness...Jews look up to Abraham, who made mistakes in his parenting of Ishmael. Jacob is criticized for favoring Joseph. Moses was so imperfect that he was not allowed to enter the promised land. What, then, made these men great? It was their capacity to wrestle with their nature and do the right thing amid a predilection to do otherwise. Jews believe in struggle. The angelic model of he for whom goodness is intuitive is not compelling to Jews. Rather, we admire those who act altruistically amid the pull to behave with selfishness.

Therefore, Jews, while of course condemning hypocrisy, still understand the concept in a totally different way. Most people are inconsistent rather than hypocrites. They preach one thing and practice another not because they don't believe in goodness, but because they cannot always master their natures to do the right thing. No matter. Imperfect people can still vastly contribute to the perfection of the world.

All it takes is one good deed.

- Shmuely Boteach

Anne Coulter Wants to See an End to Judaism - UPDATED

She has crossed the line before, and in the past there have been times when I did not agree with her tactics, but this time it's personal.  I find the following unforgiveable.  Via Media Matters:

From the October 8 edition of CNBC's The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch:

DEUTSCH: Let me ask you a question. We're going to get off strengths and weakness for a second. If you had your way, and all of your -- forget that any of them --

COULTER: I like this.

DEUTSCH: -- are calculated marketing teases, and your dreams, which are genuine, came true having to do with immigration, having to do with women's -- with abortion -- what would this country look like?

COULTER: It would look like New York City during the Republican National Convention. In fact, that's what I think heaven is going to look like.

DEUTSCH: And what did that look like?

COULTER: Happy, joyful Republicans in the greatest city in the world.

DEUTSCH: No, no, no, no, but I'm talking about this country. You don't want to make this country -- it's not about Republicans. I'm saying, what would the fabric of this country look like? Forget that the Republicans would be running the show.

COULTER: Well, everyone would root for America, the Democratic Party would look like [Sen.] Joe Lieberman [I-CT], the Republican Party would look like [Rep.] Duncan Hunter [R-CA] --

DEUTSCH: No, no, no, I don't want -- I'm not talking about politically the landscape. What would our -- would we be safer? Would people be happier? Would they be more --

COULTER: We would be a lot safer.

DEUTSCH: Would there be more tolerance? Would there be -- would women be happier, would the races get along better? The Ann Coulter subscription -- prescription. What -- tell me what would be different in our fabric of country, because --

COULTER: Well, all of those things.

DEUTSCH: -- I can give -- I can give you an argument there would be more divisiveness, that there would be more hate --

COULTER: Oh, no.

DEUTSCH: -- that there would be a bigger difference between the rich and the poor, a lot of other -- tell me what -- why this would be a better world? Let's give you -- I'm going to give you -- say this is your show.

COULTER: Well, OK, take the Republican National Convention. People were happy. They're Christian. They're tolerant. They defend America, they --

DEUTSCH: Christian -- so we should be Christian? It would be better if we were all Christian?

COULTER: Yes.

DEUTSCH: We should all be Christian?

COULTER: Yes. Would you like to come to church with me, Donny?

DEUTSCH: So I should not be a Jew, I should be a Christian, and this would be a better place?

COULTER: Well, you could be a practicing Jew, but you're not.

DEUTSCH: I actually am. That's not true. I really am. But -- so we would be better if we were - if people -- if there were no Jews, no Buddhists --

COULTER: Whenever I'm harangued by --

DEUTSCH: -- in this country? You can't believe that.

COULTER: -- you know, liberals on diversity --

DEUTSCH: Here you go again.

COULTER: No, it's true. I give all of these speeches at megachurches across America, and the one thing that's really striking about it is how utterly, completely diverse they are, and completely unself-consciously. You walk past a mixed-race couple in New York, and it's like they have a chip on their shoulder. They're just waiting for somebody to say something, as if anybody would. And --

DEUTSCH: I don't agree with that. I don't agree with that at all. Maybe you have the chip looking at them. I see a lot of interracial couples, and I don't see any more or less chips there either way. That's erroneous.

COULTER: No. In fact, there was an entire Seinfeld episode about Elaine and her boyfriend dating because they wanted to be a mixed-race couple, so you're lying.

DEUTSCH: Oh, because of some Seinfeld episode? OK.

COULTER: But yeah, I think that's reflective of what's going on in the culture, but it is completely striking that at these huge megachurches -- the idea that, you know, the more Christian you are, the less tolerant you would be is preposterous.

DEUTSCH: That isn't what I said, but you said I should not -- we should just throw Judaism away and we should all be Christians, then, or --

COULTER: Yeah.

DEUTSCH: Really?

COULTER: Well, it's a lot easier. It's kind of a fast track.

DEUTSCH: Really?

COULTER: Yeah. You have to obey.

DEUTSCH: You can't possibly believe that.

COULTER: Yes.

DEUTSCH: You can't possibly -- you're too educated, you can't -- you're like my friend in --

COULTER: Do you know what Christianity is? We believe your religion, but you have to obey.

DEUTSCH: No, no, no, but I mean --

COULTER: We have the fast-track program.

DEUTSCH: Why don't I put you with the head of Iran? I mean, come on. You can't believe that.

COULTER: The head of Iran is not a Christian.

DEUTSCH: No, but in fact, "Let's wipe Israel" --

COULTER: I don't know if you've been paying attention.

DEUTSCH: "Let's wipe Israel off the earth." I mean, what, no Jews?

COULTER: No, we think -- we just want Jews to be perfected, as they say.

DEUTSCH: Wow, you didn't really say that, did you?

COULTER: Yes. That is what Christianity is. We believe the Old Testament, but ours is more like Federal Express. You have to obey laws. We know we're all sinners --

DEUTSCH: In my old days, I would have argued -- when you say something absurd like that, there's no --

COULTER: What's absurd?

DEUTSCH: Jews are going to be perfected. I'm going to go off and try to perfect myself --

COULTER: Well, that's what the New Testament says.

DEUTSCH: Ann Coulter, author of If Democrats Had Any Brains, They'd Be Republicans, and if Ann Coulter had any brains, she would not say Jews need to be perfected. I'm offended by that personally. And we'll have more Big Idea when we come back.

[...]

DEUTSCH: Welcome back to The Big Idea. During the break, Ann said she wanted to explain her last comment. So I'm going to give her a chance. So you don't think that was offensive?

COULTER: No. I'm sorry. It is not intended to be. I don't think you should take it that way, but that is what Christians consider themselves: perfected Jews. We believe the Old Testament. As you know from the Old Testament, God was constantly getting fed up with humans for not being able to, you know, live up to all the laws. What Christians believe -- this is just a statement of what the New Testament is -- is that that's why Christ came and died for our sins. Christians believe the Old Testament. You don't believe our testament.

DEUTSCH: You said -- your exact words were, "Jews need to be perfected." Those are the words out of your mouth.

COULTER: No, I'm saying that's what a Christian is.

DEUTSCH: But that's what you said -- don't you see how hateful, how anti-Semitic --

COULTER: No!

DEUTSCH: How do you not see? You're an educated woman. How do you not see that?

COULTER: That isn't hateful at all.

DEUTSCH: But that's even a scarier thought. OK --

COULTER: No, no, no, no, no. I don't want you being offended by this. This is what Christians consider themselves, because our testament is the continuation of your testament. You know that. So we think Jews go to heaven. I mean, [Rev. Jerry] Falwell himself said that, but you have to follow laws. Ours is "Christ died for our sins." We consider ourselves perfected Christians. For me to say that for you to become a Christian is to become a perfected Christian is not offensive at all.

DEUTSCH: We will let the audience decide then, won't we? Ann Coulter. New book. More Big Idea straight ahead. 

It is wrong to think Christians are perfect and Jews are not.  It. Is. Wrong. All of us have the same potential for good and evil. It is what you do and how you treat others that counts - not your beliefs.  A good person does and says good things.  Coulter's snobbery, conceit, and obliviousness to history and the feelings of others who have been harmed by the views she holds proves her to be a lesser person.

I feel strongly about this and have deleted a conservative blog from my blogroll for defending Coulter.

A "fast track" to goodness?  No such thing.  It takes time, work and intention to be good. It takes deliberate acts of goodness and unselfishness and caring.  You can't just say "I believe therefore I am."

Update:

Some essays from American Thinker which provide excellent food for thought regarding Anne Coulter's comments:

Ann Coulter is Not Helping Criticizes the effect of Coulter's comments with regard to the political outcome.

My Opinion on Ann Coulter's Opinion of the Jews A Christian opinion which I found touching and beautiful.

On Coulter, Christians, And Jews A secular Jew who thinks very differently on the issue than I do, but makes some good points. Re-reading what he has to say, I've decided he's wrong on all points.

Fire and Brimstone

My daughter's teachers email us with her assignments.  One of her assignments involved the following quote from Jonathan Edwards (from the 1700s):

The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked: his wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire; he is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in his sight; you are ten thousand times more abominable in his eyes, than the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours. You have offended him infinitely more than ever a stubborn rebel did his prince; and yet it is nothing but his hand that holds you from falling into the fire every moment. It is to be ascribed to nothing else, that you did not go to hell the last night; that you was suffered to awake again in this world, after you closed your eyes to sleep. And there is no other reason to be given, why you have not dropped into hell since you arose in the morning, but that God's hand has held you up. There is no other reason to be given why you have not gone to hell, since you have sat here in the house of God, provoking his pure eyes by your sinful wicked manner of attending his solemn worship. Yea, there is nothing else that is to be given as a reason why you do not this very moment drop down into hell.

O sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in: it is a great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath, that you are held over in the hand of that God, whose wrath is provoked and incensed as much against you, as against many of the damned in hell. You hang by a slender thread, with the flames of divine wrath flashing about it, and ready every moment to singe it, and burn it asunder; and you have no interest in any Mediator, and nothing to lay hold of to save yourself, nothing to keep off the flames of wrath, nothing of your own, nothing that you ever have done, nothing that you can do, to induce God to spare you one moment.

All this and witch hunts, too. What a lovely time period to not have lived in.

 

A Yom Kippur Prayer

May He who blessed our forefathers
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
Bless every holy congregation,
The men, women, sons, daughters
And all that is theirs.

May He bless those who
Dedicate synagogues for prayer
And those who enter them to pray,
Those who give lamps of illumination,
Wine for Kiddush and Havdalah,
Bread for guests, charity for the poor,
And all who faithfully
work for the needs of the community.

May the Almighty reward them
And remove from them all afflictions.
May He heal their bodies,
Forgive their mistakes,
And send them blessing and success
For their every endeavor,
Along with the entire Jewish People.

Link

*****

The Dohany Street Synagogue in Budapest - Max Bruch :Kol Nidrei arrangement for piano and cello: Jacqueline du Pre

Kol Nidre

A beautiful rendition.

Religion, Modernity and All That Jazz

Jerry Lewis starred in a live TV version of "The Jazz Singer" back in 1959.  The piece above, the last few minutes of the show, includes a very dramatic portion where Lewis explains to his father that his teachings have not been for nil despite the fact that he is not carrying on the traditional role of cantor, as his family has done for generations. It's the best acting I've ever seen him do, ending with him singing a portion of Kol Nidre. (A review by IMDB pans the performance, and I should disclose that I only have seen the few minutes in the clip above. The person who posted the clip on YouTube remarks that Lewis is still wearing clown's make up when he sings in temple, and notes that there was some question as to whether he did this on purpose.  I don't think so - it was live television and it is very likely that he had no time to remove the make up.)

The story of The Jazz Singer is a quintessential representation of the struggle between Jewish traditionalism and assimilation.  Through my modern eyes, the Jazz Singer's mother's treatment of his non-Jewish girl friend comes across as rude, but it also begs several questions: Will the desire to be political correct kill the Jewish culture? How do we maintain our Jewishness without holding ourselves separate?  How do we hold ourselves separate and still convey our respect for the people outside of our own tradition?  Is marrying only our own a form of bigotry? But how can it be bigotry if we say that anyone who feels it strongly enough within him or herself can become a member of the tribe?

Liberal and Orthodox strands of Judaism treat the Jewish relationship with the modern world differently.  Liberal Jews embrace it, but so much so that they intermarry at increasingly higher rates (last I heard, the rate was up to 50% of all marriages being interfaith among Jews in the US.  The children of interfaith marriages rarely maintain their Jewishness and there may be multiple reasons for this, but that's too big of a subject for me to go into here and now).  Yet, the strict fundamentalism of Orthodox Judaism can be a turn off for many - - does it push Jews away from Judaism? 

I feel buffeted between traditionalism and modernity - going back and forth between each, switching the view I prefer at a moment's notice.  I am reading a very interesting book right now, "One People, Two Worlds: A Reform Rabbi and an Orthodox Rabbi Explore the Issues that Divide Them." The book is a series of emails between the two rabbis, each answering back the other's arguments with arguments of his own.  Is there such thing as definitive truth when it comes to religion?  I hope to find an answer somewhere in the book's pages, but I suspect I will end up where I started - confused and searching for answers.  Maybe we simply aren't meant to know.

All I do know in the end is that my commitment to Judaism, no matter how poorly I observe Halacha, is deep and irreversible. I have been surprised to have found in recent years a belief in God that has provided meaning and comfort under certain circumstances in a way that nothing else - certain nothing human, could have.  I would like to find a way to be deserving of that comfort. That thought pushes me toward a deeper level of observance, while modern demands - an unbelieving family, for one thing - push me away. 

A very interesting and somewhat related discussion on patrilinial descent can be found at Random Thoughts.    

Haveil Havalim #133

Welcome to this week's edition of Haveil Havalim, the blogging carnival of posts relating to Israeli and Jewish issues.  Many thanks go out to SoccerDad for creating this carnival and for allowing me the opportunity to host.

In no particular order:

Schvach provides a very interesting take on CNN's controversial Warrior of God series and makes several very good points about Judaism in the process.  He also writes with much frustration regarding Israel's current adminstration and reports on the Jewish Reconnection Project.

Batya points out many unrealistic and unfair expectations that people have of Israel, and also that "rackettot" is much too cute a name for the kassam rockets which kill and maim innocents.

Everything (and I do mean EVERYTHING) you ever wanted to know about preparing for the High Holidays but never even thought to ask is listed in detail by Juggling Frogs. Follow this list and you will cover every base.

NY's Funniest Rabbi writes a poem in answer to a poem that is better than the original. Why?  Because it did what a poem is supposed to do that the original did not do - it moved me. Do go read it.

A Simple Jew addresses Judaism, assimilation, Christmas, American identity, patriotism and Chassidic insularity.

If you haven't read the long, involved and extremely enlightening discussion between Bookworm, her co-blogger Don Quixote and Oceanguy on the status of Judea and Samaria, the dispute over the use of the term "occupation," and the history of Israel, you are missing some of the best blogging/commentary on the internet. All the relevant links can be found here.  Go and read.  You will be glad you did. 

Shira's son is very fortunate. His nice parents shlepped all of his stuff to graduate school. His parents are very fortunate too - their son is going for his PhD in physics. Mazel tov to all! Shira also provides a comprehensive guide to the Orthodox observance spectrum and its dress code.

Don't miss Saus's discussion about the future of Judaism in America. Sad, but I believe he is correct.

Jeramayakovka has unearthed a phenomenal video of Leonard Cohen performing "The Partisan," a song about survival behind nazi lines. He includes information on the background musicians and the lyrics.

Dag of There Are No Feminists on a Sinking Ship offers up several suggestions to help revitalize the Orthodox community.  I think that the Conservative and Reform communities could benefit from these ideas as well.

LynnB of In Context says the left is always wrong.  She finds convincing evidence in an old JPost op-ed from 1978.  Fascinating stuff.

SoccerDad describes yet another instance of media bias against Israel from the Washington Post.  Guess who gets the last word? 

Believing it is long overdue, an argument for energetic self-defense by the people and government of Israel is made by Treppenwitz.

Boker Tov Boulder reports on the recent discovery of remains from a Jewish cemetary near Barcelona, which was believed to have existed before the 1492 expulsions. 

Israellycool addresses the utility of cutting off utilities to Gaza in response to kassam fire and notes, "...if you think I sound harsh, I’m guessing you are not accustomed to having rockets deliberately fired at your children’s schools." He also supplies a detailed reporting of Syria's claim of an Israeli warplane violating its airspace.

Van of KesherTalk lets us in on a serious case of Bush Derangement Syndrome on JDate.

Looking for some very cool and professional looking Jewish graphics?  Copyright free?  Check out this flickr photoset from nzdzeni. Also - don't miss these spectacular fractal stars of David (note - this set is not marked copyright free) and a Rosh Hashanah greeting.

Marty Peretz, in The New Republic, writes about Ruth Wisse's latest book, entitled "Jews and Power."  Must read.

Bookworm reports on the High Holiday plans of an ultra-left wing temple in Berkeley:  Services to be conducted by Rabbi Michael Lerner, guest speaker Cindy Sheehan.

From Heichal HaNegina, a story from Rabbi Dr. Avraham J. Twerski’s book, "The Zeide Reb Motele," called, "A Bracha For...a Thief?"

Rafi G addresses the high price of seats in Israeli synagogues for the High Holidays.  He also writes about a flier passed around his neighborhood outing an "adultress."  (A Jewish version of The Scarlet Letter? Just what we need.)

Here's a good one from Elder of Ziyon.  He first determined the translation for the word "Jew" in Arabic.  Next, he googled this, and then translated the results into English.  What do you suppose he found?  T'wasn't  Arabs ♥ Jews.

Go to Breath of the Beast to learn about signing a petition which demands that France2 release all film relating to the death of Muhammad al Durah, a 12 year old Palestinian.  Media was manipulated and lies were told making it appear that Israeli soldiers deliberately targeted and killed the boy.  This story is not to be believed - it is "Pallywood" at its worst. Please go and sign the petition.

Robert J. Avrech takes a look at facts which support taking Arab threats against Jewish lives very seriously.

Meryl Yourish reports on the way the media has ignored facts which don't fit its predetermined narrative with regard to Israel and Sudanese refugees from Egypt.

Mr. Mearshiemer, a member of the infamous Walt and Mearshiemer anti-Israel-Lobby-but-we-are-not-antisemites-we-really-love-Jews-we-really-really-do duo, was caught in a lie during a TV interview about Israel's role in the Iraq war.  Yid with Lid has the story. Also, he writes about further destruction of the Temple Mount and supplies a link to a petition asking Olmert and Bush to stop it. Finally, don't miss "A Baby Cries in Sderot."

More on Mearsheimer and Walt from Israel Matsav who points out their double standard with regard to Israel and the "Arab Lobby." Don't miss the picture that goes along with the story.  Perfect. He also writes about a the closing down of a Minnesota-based website that supplied information on how to attack US military bases.

MyRightWord tracks back to Mandate days a letter writer to the New York Times.  Also - a new stringency: defumigated flora covering for the Sukkot.  Finally, Yisrael Medad is a bit smug over Daniel Gordis' predicament which he refers to as Gordis' Gordonian Not. 

Snoopy the Goon reports that Hamas is in the process of making Sderot a ghost town.

Hezbollah lies about Israel and Human Rights Watch believes every word according to Mere Rhetoric, who supplies evidence of the falsehood - via video, photograph and leaked UN documents.

From Daled Amos, a strange story - the most popular show on Iranian TV?  You'll never guess what it's about - - remember that Jewish Holocaust thing that never happened? In another post, he provides information on how you can send a holiday basket to a family in Sderot.

Temunot presents a great Elul story, "Return of the Monster." Read this first, and then check out this picture.  Quite a coincidence! Also - don't miss these two great photographs, here and here.

Rabbi Without a Cause discusses his thoughts concerning insensitivity to alcoholism in the Torah-observant community.

Planck's Constant elucidates on Salisbury steak, Muslims, Jews and the shoulders of giants. You should read the post upon which it is based first, which compares and contrasts contributions to the world made by the Israelis vs the Islamic world: "Israel creates more in one month than Islam does in a century."

Ezzie describes a conversation about Israel he had with a taxi driver which reveals the unexpectedly powerful influence we may have on one another, even during a brief exchange.

Jack