February 1, 2008 – Shevat 25, 5768
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THIS WEEKEND!!!!
Click HERE to see the complete Auction Catalog
Contents of the Shabbat O Gram:
(Click to scroll down)
The (Occasionally) Ranting Rabbi
Mitzvah/Tzedakkah Opportunities
The Beth El Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary
Required Reading and Action Items (links to key articles on Israel and Jewish life)
Quote for the Week
You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.
-Eleanor Roosevelt
Candle lighting: 4:44 pm on Friday, February 1, 2008. For Havdalah times, other Jewish calendar information, and to download a Jewish calendar to your PDA, click on http://www.hebcal.com/. To see the festivals of other faiths as well, go to http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/. The United Synagogue has updated its candlelighting information. To learn more, click here.
THE FULL SERVICE SCHEDULE NOW APPEARS ON THE SEPARATE TBE ANNOUNCEMENTS E-MAIL
Shabbat Services: 6:30 Friday night in the sanctuary
Tot Shabbat Friday at 6:45 pm. in the chapel
Shabbat morning @ 9:30, Children’s services at 10:30
Mazal Tov to Leah Hazen, daughter of Terry and Asa Hazen, who becomes Bat Mitzvah this Shabbat morning
Morning Minyan: 7:30 Weekdays, 9:30 Sundays
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Reminder of our “No School No Shul” policy: On days when Stamford
Torah Reading For Shabbat Morning
Torah Portion: Mishpatim
(assorted laws comprising the “Book of the Covenant”)
Exodus 21:1 - 24:18
1: 21:1-6
2: 21:7-11
3: 21:12-19
4: 21:20-27
5: 21:28-32
6: 21:33-36
7: 21:37-22:3
maf: 24:15-18
Haftarah Jeremiah 34:8 - 34:22; 33:25 - 33:26
- myjewishlearning.com
- Torah from JTS
- JTS Podcasts
- American Jewish University
- Academy for Jewish Religion
ANNUAL SUPERBOWL PREDICTION
Pats vs.G-Men
I’ve always given my Super Bowl prediction, based on Jewish sources, and I’ve almost always been right, last year’s pick of the Bears notwithstanding. Because this year’s game hits so close to home, I thought it would be a good idea to open up this process to our fearless and wise Judaic experts and pigskin prognosticators.
Here are assorted comments, followed by my own.
Superbowl LXII Biblical and
Jewish Perspective Analysis
by the Robinov Family
The whole Robinov family gladly accepted the Rabbi’s invitation to predict the outcome of Superbowl LXII based upon Jewish sources. Although our hearts are with the Giants, we predict that the Patriots will win in a close game. Here’s why:
In the Giants’ favor:
1. Eli Manning is #10, an auspicious number in the Bible. Most importantly, it represents the 10 Commandments – Aseret H’divrot, in Hebrew. If you remove the taf and the vav taf from the Hebrew, you get Eser H’dvar – “10’s the thing.” In other words, Eli’s the
Using Gematria, the taf vav taf that we removed from Aseret H’divrot equals 806. Drop the zero and you have ’86, another very good year for the Giants!
2. Eli can be a nickname for Elijah. Elijah’s appearance is said to usher in the messianic age. Another brilliant performance by our Eli might just do that. It is also said that Elijah comforts the poor and the suffering and appears miraculously when the need is the greatest. Certainly the Giants fans have suffered far more this season and over the past several years than the Patriots fans. The Giants’ need is great.
3. The Giants have a plethora of Jewish Biblical names among their playing and coaching staffs: David (Diehl), Reuben (Droughns), Adam (Koets), Sam (
By contrast, although full ownership of the Patriots lies with the Jewish Kraft family, they have far fewer Jewish Biblical names among their ranks: Dan (Koppen), Sammy (Morris), (
4. We have a Tom, too, Tom Coughlin. Like Tom Brady, Tom Coughlin makes his job look “simple.” This one’s (at best) a wash.
In the Patriots’ favor:
1. Tom Brady is number 12, also an important number in the Bible. The Hebrews sent 12 Patriotic spies (oh, did we say “SPIES”? Is that a coincidence, too?) to check out the
2. The most famous Giant in the Bible, Goliath, was slain by David, a Patriot fighting for his people. As you know, David launched a rock right on target, just like Brady’s passes.
3. The Israelites were always surrounded by Giants – Anakim, Philistines, etc. Eventually, they were all conquered or driven out.
4. Eli the priest had a big problem. His sons did some terrible things in the temple. Because of their behavior, God put a curse on Eli’s family forever. (Is this why Peyton also lost this year and until last year had such a difficult time winning the big game?)
5. The most famous Jewish Patriot in this country was George Washington’s financial advisor, Haym Solomon. During the cold winter months at Valley Forge when American soldiers were freezing and running out of food, it was Haym who marshaled all the Jews in
By contrast, the story of the most famous contemporary Jewish Giant, Eddie Carmel, is sad and tragic.
Taking all of the above into consideration, we reluctantly foresee the Patriots winning in a close game over the Giants.
From Rhonna Rogol
The Giants will win because they have Eli (“God is on my side”) –just as the biblical Eli had God on his side against that other formidable foe that began with a P (the Plishtim). Obviously I’m totally ignoring that horrible fall and neck injury at Eben Ezer – and Eli’s resulting death – and you’re probably thinking that’s because I am a Giants fan. Not so. Clearly, those unfortunate events that befell Eli were due to the bad behaviour of those embarrassing kids of his, Hofni and Pinchas, and their indiscretions at
By the way, despite his injury, did I hear that Jeremiah (Shockey) has been prophesying from the sideline about the downfall of the enemy?
Ok...being a relatively new football fan, that’s about all I know about the Giants, so I’ll end now.
FROM JOEL SCHOENFELD
I am afraid that according to the Bible, the Patriots will not have their season end in perfection:
Ps 119:96 - "I have seen a limit to all perfection"
From Carl Shapiro, TBE’s distraught Cowboy’s fan (who brought us “The First Basket” last week)
If the score is 61-3, in which 613 is the total number of Mitzvot AND the total number of victories Red Holtzman led the Knicks
to, the team that wins by this score will not only have won everything, but will also be sending a clear message to Jerry Jones to HURRY UP WITH THE NEW STADIUM!!!!
And finally, from Matthew Katz…
DEAR RABBI HAMMEREMAN
MY PREDICTION FOR THE SUPER BOWL IS THE GIANTS WILL UPSET THE PATRIOTS.
MY BIBLICAL REFERENCE IS THE STORY ABOUT DAVID AND GOLIATH.
IN THE STORY THE UNDERDOG (THE GIANTS) BEATS THE OPPONENT AGAINST ALL ODDS WITH JUST A SLINGSHOT AND STONE TO HELP HIM. I THINK THIS MEANS THE GIANTS WILL GO AGAINST ALL ODDS WITH JUST THERE SMALL PASSING AND RUNNING GAME TO UPSET THE GIANT FAVORITE THE PATRIOTS.
FROM,
MATT KATZ
P.S. LETS GO GIANTS
Now, for the Rabbi’s Response…
That all sounds very reasonable. But for me, the most apropos biblical reference has got to be the incident of the spies, as indicated by the Robinovs. In the story in Numbers, the spies did not get fined $500,000 and have to forfeit a draft pick, but their fear of the giants that they encountered caused them to wander for 40 years in the Wilderness. Coincidentally, when the spies saw the Giants, they reported back that they felt “like grasshoppers.” Anyone who has ever been to Boston knows that high above that home of the original Patriots, Faneuil Hall, there sits a weathervane in the shape of, you guessed it, a grasshopper!
Also, it is noteworthy that the Patriots wandered for just over 40 years before winning the first championship, in 2002. So they’ve already served their time for the sin of the spies. They’ve weathered their grasshopper-ness. Prior to then, they were never able to stand up to the Giants…or the Raiders or Steelers or Dolphins, for that matter. But no more. First they sacrificed the Rams, pillaged the Panthers and flew on wings of Eagles. Now, just as the former Giant now coaches them, so have they become giants - in their own eyes, and the eyes of the other teams in the league.
Giants are called both Nefilim and Anakim in the Torah. The Nefilim were mythic humanoids that filled the earth before the flood, much like the Titans of Greek mythology (a Giant-Titan Super Bowl would have been a doozy), while the Anakim were the ones who petrified the Israelite spies. There is one other giant of note in the Bible’ as has been mentioned: Goliath. But it isn't just Goliath who bit the dust, folks. When Rashi tried to explain the term Nifilim, he related it to the Hebrew word "nafal," "to fall." As Rashi (he was so good at predicting games that they called him “Rashi the Greek”) understood it, the Giants fell.
And so they will.
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COMING NEXT WEDNESDAY!
Directions at http://jcpdowntown.org/
For those who can’t make it, stay tuned for info on a live webcast!
Check out the latest from
The Jewish Communal Landscape
Each month the journal Sh'ma posts three or four essays from the print publication online. This month our essays focus on the Jewish communal landscape and how it's changing. As Deborah Dash Moore writes:
"Increasingly American Jews are ignoring struggles over who controls the center of Jewish life. Relegated to the periphery of Jewish life because of their spouses, their associates, their minimal religious practices, their sexual orientation, their marital status, their lack of wealth, or their politics, they have discovered that things are pretty exciting out there."
In addition to essays, Sh’ma has posted a very rich Roundtable discussion on
Nurit and Melanie’s Holiday Songs
Now available in our gift shop, a new CD compilation of children’s holiday songs from our own Nurit Avigdor, assisted by Melanie Roloff, daughter of TBE teacher Galit Roloff. Nurit has entertained and taught children here for generations, and her music continues to enchant children here every week on Shabbat morning and three times a month at Tot Shabbat on Friday. This CD contains some of our all-time Nurit favorites. Check it out at our gift shop!
Mitzvah/Tzedakkah Opportunties
Beth El Cares:
Inreach and Outreach
LETTER FROM NETANYA: THE JAN GAINES REPORT
Dear Friends,
If you stand at the 1948 Memorial to the fighters of Kibbutz NirAm, you can see
And in 8 years, no one has been killed. This secular kibbutz considers that a miracle.
On the other hand, in Sderot, a city of about 25,000, there have been 10 deaths in the last 8 years, some of them from heart attacks as well as shrapnel. Again, this is something of a miracle. Here's the statistics: In 2007 there were 1500 rockets which hit the city; since 2001 there have been 6,000! From January 18 -26 alone there were 178 Kassams and they only stopped the end of January because of bad weather and the breaking of the Egyptian barriers which kept Hamas busy.
Only ten deaths, but there's no way to measure the psychological trauma suffered by the children. They shake in fear when they hear the sirens. They can't play outside; they can't study peacefully at home. Hamas usually shoots Kassams between 7:30 and 8:30 when the kids are heading to school, again at 1:00 when they are coming home for lunch or for the day, and again in the evening when everyone is trying to get some sleep.Some days there are Kassams coming at the rate of 25 a day!
It is amazing that only 3,000 people have left the city, but the others don't necessarily stay out of patriotism. Most can't leave for economic reasons, and others have no place else to go. Besides the kids, it is also very hard on the elderly, many of whom live in the original housing built 60 years ago. The Olmert govt isn't reinforcing the roofs of these old houses because they claim it sets a bad precedent! They would have to do it for all the border communities.
We felt the terrible frustration and anger of both Sderot and Nir Am residents, who have protested, gone to court, brought in observers from all over- - but until now, nothing has been done for them. And of course the big media story is always
Forty of us from Netanya chartered a bus and went down to the border to both show solidarity and to go shopping. No one has calculated the economic losses of this situation, but they are considerable. A large mattress factory in Sderot just moved out. Nir Am used to house students from nearby
So why doesn't the army or the government do something, you ask? I think you know the answer. It is a replay of Islamic terrorist tactics everywhere. The Kassams are fired from neighborhoods and schools. The IDF know exactly where they are coming from, but- - - you know that ethical
The sad thing about all of this is that people in both Sderot and Nir Am used to trade and meet with Gazans all the time, forming good friendships. Until they were asked to stop coming, not just because of risk to the Israelis, but risk to the GAZANS. If they were seen with the enemy their lives would be in danger. People on both sides still manage to speak to each other on cell phones but that's it. Our Nir Am contact told us that he was getting to the point where he wished the IDF would immediately retaliate, as they always did in the past.
"I prefer it would be their kids in danger instead of ours," he said. "
The Arabs used to know that if they hit us, they would be hit back even harder. Now they know differently."
There is much more that the government could be doing, especially in the area of media coverage. But
The Israeli response lasted about 2 days until the world condemned us once again.
We've had terrible storms this week so we didn't encounter any Kassam firings. The wind was too strong. But I'm sure that once Gazans return from
Jan Gaines, January 31, 2008
Mitzvah Suggestions for the Week
The Survivor Mitzvah Project
http://www.survivormitzvah.org/
The Survivor Mitzvah Project is 100% dedicated to providing direct financial aid through donations to those elderly and forgotten Jewish Holocaust survivors scattered throughout
The Survivor Mitzvah Project considers all Jewish Men, Women and Children who experienced the Holocaust, "Survivors," whether they were in ghettos, concentration camps, partisan groups, the Russian Army, the Gulag, slave labor camps, or whether they were hidden or fled to
Chevra Kadisha of
We at TBE benefit greatly from this community-wide service. Our members have always been among the volunteers, but the Chevra is always looking for more people from our congregation to become involved. The Chevra (Burial Society) performs the sacred act of tahara, washing and preparing the deceased for burial. It is done in a loving, traditional manner that is profoundly meaningful to all who participate. Since I ran this in last week’s Shabbat-O-Gram, at least four people have decided to become involved. Let me know if you might be interested in helping out. Meanwhile, here is the announcement regarding their annual dinner, always timed for the date traditionally known as Moses’ Yahrzeit, a date when burial societies have customarily been honored throughout the Jewish world.
ANNUAL DINNER
Wednesday, February 13, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. at Congregation Agudath Sholom
Honorees: Bernard L. Shapiro, President of the Chevra Kadisha, and his son, Benjamin Shapiro
Community Service Award: Michelle Balazano of Leo P. Gallagher and Sons Funeral Home
Guest Speaker: RABBI TZVI HERSH WEINREB
Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb is the Executive Vice President of the Orthodox
Donation - $36 person
Sponsorship available at $180 (entitles one to two reservations at the dinner)
Please join us as the community honors the many volunteers who selflessly perform the mitzvah of preparing the dead for burial according to Jewish tradition.
For further information, please call Phyllis Shapiro at 327-6711.
Bar/Bat Mitzvah Projects:
Keep watching for projects to appear in this space….
Why do we cover the Hallah?
Last Sunday I had a delightful time with one of our religious school’s younger grades, discussing some of the customs of Shabbat. One of the more amusing moments occurred when, while we were discussing the Friday night dinner, I mentioned that the Hallah reminds us of the mannah that was eaten by the Israelites in the wilderness, a food that, according to tradition, tasted like each individual’s favorite food. So if someone liked ice cream best, it tasted like ice cream. I also mentioned that the Friday night dinner, in general, should be the most special of the week, and that there is no rule that any specific food has to be served. So if you like pizza better than chicken, by all means, then, it is OK to have the Shabbat dinner include pizza (though, of course, not pizza AND chicken). So I went around the room and asked the kids what favorite food they would want served for Shabbat dinner. One child gleefully jumped up and replied “lobster.”
A “Kosher Pig” moment, if there ever was one.
Then one child asked why we cover the Hallah – a timely question, since they were about to make Hallah covers as part of this family program. This answer is adapted from “A Day Apart: Shabbat at Home” by Noam Zion and Shawn Fields Mayer.
On the one hand, bread is the staff of life, the primary ingredient of the daily meal and the one generally honored by the first blessing. On the other, the opening invocation of the Shabbat meal is the Kiddush, the sanctification of Shabbat, which has been attached to the drinking of a cup of wine. So which takes priority: basic nutrition or a spiritual toast? By covering the Hallah during the Kiddush, we can “pretend” that it is not on the table . Then, after having the wine, we can wash hands and break bread with all who are hungry. That is the legal and historical explanation, but some prefer folksy one, that the hallah would be “embarrassed” to see the wine receive the blessing first.
It comes down to two priorities, sharing of food and celebrating life. On Shabbat we do both. Shabbat is both to be celebrated and to be shared. We show concern for everyone along with our own spiritual fulfillment. The Hallah and wine each play a key role in concretizing the moral and spiritual message of this sacred day.
On Kosher Ferrets, “Rabbi-d” Dogs and Rudy Giuliani
In the “strange but true” department, I received this question from TBE’s own Nolan Zeide, who in the midst of his graduate studies, was confronted with an unusual situation.
Shalom Rabbi Hammerman!
I hope all is well in
I am taking a class on "pocket pets" hamsters, rabbits, ferrets etc. My professor found some information about ferrets not being kosher, and I did not understand why that would be. He asked me why that was (there aren’t too many Jews in my class-so I guess I am the authority) and I had no idea.
I was under the impression kashruth only applied to our diet-not the pets we keep. Can you please clear up the confusion and relate to me any information you might have about un-kosher pets, particularly ferrets.
thank you so much,
Nolan
My response:
Hi Nolan
This is interesting...
You are right, in that there are no restrictions regarding the pets we keep, just the ones we eat. I looked it up and think the confusion may stem from this incident in NYC a few years ago:
Now that Rudy Giuliani's weighing a presidential bid, I thought it would be fun to look back at one of his lesser-known achievements as Mayor of NYC. For reasons that remain unclear, he lead the charge to ban pet ferrets in May, 2001:
The ferret legalization bill caused an unusually emotional, party-fracturing and, at times, humorous debate yesterday in the Council chambers, which was marked by alternating hissing and applause from Ms. Rainey and about 25 other ferret owners who assembled in the balcony for the show.
Councilman Noach Dear, an Orthodox Jew and Democrat from
Well, so much for Rudy’s achievements – and his candidacy, for that matter! Now I should mention that while there are no “kosher” restrictions on what pets we can own, the Talmud does discourage owning pets that scare other people (see http://judaism.about.com/library/3_askrabbi_o/bl_simmons_dogs.htm). The rabbis were especially wary of dogs – I guess they had never seen MY dogs. But, as another site quips, “While many observant Jews are scared of dogs, many unobservant Jews are terrified of rabbis.” Perhaps, as this this questioner adds, the dog simply hasn’t had its “rabbis” shots! Perhaps, as we read here in this d’var Torah on this week’s portion of Mishpatim, we should all just “thank Dog.”
The Torah later, in parshas Mishpatim (Shemos 22: 30), commands the people not to eat flesh that was torn from a “treifa” animal. Rather, the flesh must be thrown to the dog. The Rabbis explain that the flesh is thrown to the dogs as a reward for remaining silent on the night of the plague of the first-born. An understanding of the significance of these dogs will enable us to appreciate the importance of gratitude to them.
And finally, some helpful advice from the new book, “How to Raise a Jewish Dog.”
Questions to Ask a Breeder: 1. What kind of job is this, growing dogs? 2. Are these dogs nice? I mean of course they are. But if not, is this refundable? 3. Is this a stable business? Do you make a decent living? 4. Does the insurance kill you or is it okay? 5. Dogs are animals ? does this mean you qualify for some kind of Federal ranch subsidies? 6. What do I say to people who want to know how I can spend $1500 and up on a dog when there are so many dogs to be rescued from the pound? The (make-believe) Rabbis of the (fictional) Boca Raton Theological Seminary have developed the essential dog training program for raising a Jewish dog. For the first time, the same dynamic blend of passive-aggressiveness and smothering indulgence, that unique alloy of infantilization and disingenuous manipulation that created generations of high-achieving Jewish boys and girls, can be applied to create a generation of high-achieving Jewish doggies. Written (for real) by Ellis Weiner and Barbara Davilman, co-authors of the bestselling Yiddish with Dick and Jane and Yiddish with George and Laura, this essential "guide" is sure to be a complete howl.
Turns out the professor had read this same article about Rudy simply misunderstood it. Here is what the article says (the italics are mine):
I’ll give Nolan the last word here, since he has often taken care of my two dogs, working for his father Steve, and because he went on Birthright Israel, and because now he is the only Jew in a class where the teacher is quoting rabbis, and because, many years ago, when he was a teenager and his teacher WAS a rabbi, he didn’t give me too hard a time J and because, well, just because I like him.
Now as for what the Talmud said-people should not have a pet that scares others. Well, in the wild, ferrets are carnivores, they eat mice, moles, etc. So they could be considered "scary" but at the same time, so are dogs and cats carnivores, not scary). Interesting though......
Some Marvelous Israeli Sites and Sounds
http://www.cityofdavid.org.il/hp_eng.asp - a virtual tour of the ancient City of
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLmb8fe3KG4&eurl=http://www.jewlicious.com/?p=3909 DestiNATION
http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1293598826&channel=932542391 - Israel in a Minute - Many Faces, One Country
http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1291942164&channel=932542391 - Israel's Proclamation of Independence, by Shai Davis
http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1291942164&channel=932542391 - A trip to the Supermarket, by Andrew Stein
The Beth El Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary
Stay tuned….
Required
Mazal tov to Carol Brewer, whose interior design expertise is featured in this month’s Architectural Digest
The Jerusalem Post's Special Section on the Candidates
|
Tuesday Vote Promises Fresh Data On Jews’ Views (NY Jewish Week)
And now the 'Jewish primary' begins . . . (LA Jewish Journal)
Super Tuesday: Snapshots from Around the Country (the Forward)
WEBCASTS FROM THIS PRESTIGIOUS ANNUAL GATHERING HELD LAST WEEK: http://web11.mediazone.co.il/media/idc/LIVE/2008/
Reut at the 2008 Herzliya Conference
In the panel entitled "The Balance of
See the following Reut Products, presented at the 8th Herzliya Conference:
- Reut Booklet: Israel 15
- Presentation: The Economic Problem is Governance
- MP3 Audio File of the Presentation (in Hebrew)
- Ynet: The Balance of Israel's National Security - Gidi Grinstein, the founder and CEO of the Reut Institute, gave a lecture at the opening panel of the 2008 Herzliya conference dealing with: "Assessing National Security – The Annual Update."
- Blogidi: Israel's National Goal - Leapfrogging into the 15 Leading Countries - Leapfrogging may be an ambitious goal, but it is achievable. It requires a drastic change in
Some GOOD NEWS from
http://www.israel21c.net/ - THE BEST ISRAELI NEWS PORTAL!
eBay buys Israeli startup for $169m: eBay subsidiary PayPal has purchased a tiny Tel Aviv start-up in an effort to fight Internet fraud. The unexpected $169 million buy-out will help the two
Israeli energy initiative makes climate change a social cause
Israel's unique deaf-blind theater group Nalaga'at is not just challenging audience perceptions with its compelling and high-end productions, but also providing the partially-disabled cast with a chance to give something back to society. more
now for the rest
Prime source: Daily Alert of the
Exposing Racism in
Itzik, an ultra-orthodox resident of
His manner changed dramatically when he learned that the more than 50 protestors were demanding an end to discrimination against Mizrachi students in Ashkenazi ultra-orthodox schools. “Well done. It’s about time somebody did something against that,” said Itzik whose grandparents came to
Commission of Inquiry on Second Lebanon War Submits Final Report - Roni Sofer (Ynet News)
A year and a half after the Second Lebanon War, retired Justice Eliyahu Winograd, the chairman of the commission of inquiry into failures of the 2006 war, delivered the 500-page final report to Prime Minister Olmert and Defense Minister Barak.
The other four members of the commission were law professor Ruth Gavison, political science professor Yehezkel Dror, Maj.-Gen. (res.) Menachem Einan and Maj.-Gen. (res.) Chaim Nadel.
See also Winograd's Dire Warning - David Horovitz (Jerusalem Post)
The thrust of the report was focused more on Israel's survival, noting that Israel "cannot survive in this region" without "the political and military leadership, military capabilities, and social robustness" to deter and, if necessary, overcome its enemies.
See also English Summary of the Winograd Commission Report (New York Times)
Polls: Olmert's popularity rising (JPost)
42% support PM; 27% say he should resign immediately; Netanyahu leading among opponents.
Israel to Send Animal Vaccine to Gaza after Border Breach (AP/Ha'aretz)
Gazans have brought in large numbers of camels, sheep, cows and chickens. Israeli authorities fear that with the new influx of livestock will come a wave of diseases not indigenous to Gaza, among them foot-and-mouth disease and avian flu that are known to exist in
Because of the proximity between
Israel High Court Okays Reducing Fuel and Power Supply to Gaza - Yuval Yoaz
Israel's High Court of Justice on Wednesday gave the state a green light to reduce the supply of power and fuel to Gaza, ruling that the reductions are legal as they still meet the humanitarian needs of the population.
Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch wrote: "We emphasize that the
The three-ju dge panel ruled: "In the case of the attacks against
IDF Foils Suicide Attack on Gaza Border - Hanan Greenberg
An IDF force shot and killed an armed terrorist near the border fence north of Kerem Shalom in
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis (Best of
Lebanon Held Hostage - Editorial
It's intolerable for international justice - and
Has the Shiite Crescent Disappeared? Saudi Arabia and the U.S. Alliance Against Iran - Joshua Teitelbaum
Viewed from Riyadh, Washington is no longer the strong, confident leader it had been - weakened in Iraq, and burdened by a National Intelligence Estimate that appeared to contradict much of the current administration's rhetoric. Bush arrived in
Justice at the UN Human Rights Council? - Bridget Johnson
The UN Human Rights Council voted 30-1 to condemn
Remember that
A Barrage Against Israel - Robin Shepherd (Times-UK)
- Apologists for extremism had long argued that occupation rather than ideology was the "root cause" of terrorism. Terrorism would therefore cease once occupation ended. That argument has now been conclusively defeated. Since
- There is not a state in the world that could ignore this kind of barrage. So what were the options? One was reoccupation. Another was to carpet-bomb the areas from which the rockets are being fired. Many states would have done both.
- What has
- The condition of the residents of
- The frenzied, rhetorical onslaught against the Jewish state is at best intellectually lazy. At worst it forms part of a hateful agenda that shames those who indulge in it.
The writer is a senior fellow at
Shoah: the silence
On Monday, Binyamin Netanyahu said in front of the Knesset, on the occasion of the International Day of the Shoah :
A Modest Proposal for Middle East Peace - Victor Davis Hanson
Why not hold an international conference on all displaced populations, many from the post-war, late 1940s? Perhaps it would be best to start with the millions of Germans who were expelled from East Prussia in 1945, or Indians who were uprooted from ancestral homes in what is now Pakistan, or over half-a-million Jews that were ethnically cleansed from Egypt, Iraq, and Syria. Were these refugees ever adequately compensated for lost property and damages? Can they be given promises of the right to return to their ancestral homes under protection of their host countries? The ensuing solutions might shed light on Palestinian aspirations to return to land lost sixty years ago to
Another international panel could take up the issue of returning territory lost by defeat in war. Ten perc ent of historic
Give Gaza to Egypt - Daniel Pipes
It's hard to divine what benefit American taxpayers have received for the $65 billion they have lavished on
Iranian Threats and the UN Sanctions Debate - Patrick Clawson
On Jan. 26, Hussein Shariatmadari - the publisher of Iran's most influential newspaper and a close confidant of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei - stated that attacks on "Zionists, Americans, and European countries that support Israel," as well as on compliant regional rulers, were both morally permissible and easily carried out.
Despite the regime's provocations, a total ban on all Iranian exports is not the best approach. Instead, the Security Council should design "smart sanctions" based on careful consideration of the following criteria: Do the sanctions pressure
See also The Iranian Policy in the Gulf Is Indeed Puzzling - Zaki Taleb
Could the editorial penned recently by editor-in-chief Hussain Shariatmadari of the conservative Iranian newspaper Kayhan saying Bahrain is "part and parcel" of Iran be looked upon as a trial balloon? Is it not absurd for a man like Shariatmadari, an advisor to Iranian spiritual leader Ali Khamenei, to write such an extremely sensitive editorial without a "go-ahead" from senior Iranian officials? (Arab Times-Kuwait)
Israeli Strategists Weigh Gaza Options - Leslie Susser (JTA)
- The collapse of the border wall between
- Guy Bechor of the
- Former Israeli national security adviser Giora Eiland also sees an excellent opportunity for
- Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yom Tov Samia, a former head of
MYTH #287
"
FACT
During the years that Israel controlled the Gaza Strip, a consistent effort was made to get the Palestinians into permanent housing. The Palestinians opposed the idea because the frustrated and bitter inhabitants of the camps provided the various terrorist factions with their manpower. Moreover, the Arab states routinely pushed for the adoption of UN resolutions demanding that Israel desist from the removal of Palestinian refugees from camps in Gaza and the West Bank.74 They preferred to keep the Palestinians as symbols of Israeli “oppression.”
Now the camps are in the hands of the Palestinian Authority (PA), but little is being done to improve the lot of the Palestinians living in them. Journalist Netty Gross visited
When Israel evacuated the Gaza Strip in 2005, the Israelis were prepared to leave the houses of settlers for use by Palestinian refugees, but the Palestinians said these mostly single family homes were not practical for their needs and asked that they be demolished so the PA could build high-rise apartment buildings to house refugees and other Palestinians. More than two years later, not a single brick has been laid for housing for the refugees.
The Palestinians received more than $6 billion in international aid following the Oslo agreements. One might have expected that at least one home could have built for refugees with that sum, but none were. In December 2007, international donors pledged $7.4 billion in new aid to the Palestinians.75a That should be more than enough to build homes for every refugee. Based on the last 60 years of neglect by their fellow Arabs, however, the refugees are far more likely to see their officials’ enriched than their lives improved.
Notes
74Arlene Kushner, “The UN’s Palestinian Refugee Problem,” Azure, (Autumn 2005).
75Jerusalem Report, (July 6, 1998).
75aRoni Sofer, “Donors pledge $7.4 billion for faltering Palestinian economy,” Ynetnews.com, (December 17, 2007).
This article can be found at http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/myths2/Refugees.html#m15
(One of my father’s old favorites)
A man walks into shul with a dog…
The Rabbi comes up to him and says,
"Pardon me, this is a House of Worship,
you can't bring your dog in here."
"What do you mean,"
says the man,
"this is a Jewish dog.
Look."
And the Rabbi looks carefully
and sees, that in the same way
that a St. Bernard carries a brandy barrel round its neck,
this dog has a tallis bag round its neck.
"Rover," says the man, "kipa!".
"Woof!" says the dog,
stands on his hind legs,
opens the tallis bag,
takes out a kipa and puts it on his head.
"Rover," says the man, "tallis!".
"Woof!" says the dog,
stands on his hind legs,
opens the tallis bag,
takes out a tallis and puts it round his neck.
"Rover," says the man, "daven!"
"Woof!" says the dog,
stands on his hind legs,
opens the tallis bag,
takes out a siddur and starts to daven.
"That's fantastic," says the Rabbi,
"Absolutely amazing, incredible!
You should take him to
get him on television,
get him in the movies,
he could make millions of dollars!!
"You speak to him," says the man,
"he wants to be a doctor."
Previous Shabbat-O-Grams can be accessed directly from the archives on our web site (www.tbe.org)
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