Letter from Netanya: Jan Gaines' "Greetings From a Beleagered Little Country"

(TBE member Jan Gaines often sends emails from Netanya, where she lives for much of the year. See my response in the next entry above)

"Greetings from a Beleagered Little Country"

by Jan Gaines

Or so it feels, after weeks of reading and hearing about the massive deligitimization and demonizing movements all around the world. I know you don't really have any idea how bad it is because you just don't get the same news that I do. Unless you read the JPost or other English news sources on line.

Just today I picked up the Post to read about hecklers stopping Michael Oren's speech at UC Irvine, hecklers at Oxford shouting "Kill the Jews" at Danny Ayalon giving a speech there, and the cancelling of Benny Morris lecture at Cambridge because it might "inflame" people (cancelled by the Israeli group sponsoring him) but including a hate monger sponsored by the Islamist Student Organ who had no such problems bringing this guy to the campus.

Of course we've been hearing this stuff for years, especially in England, but the tempo and the frequency have grown enormously since the Gaza (Operation Cast Lead) war which has fomented an anti-Israeli, "apartheid" movement around the world, stoked by the Goldstone Report.

And now the New Israel Fund has joined the fracas. Why? It seems that a Zionist Israeli student group did a study of all the NGO's which furnished info and testimony to the Goldstone investigators and it turned out that a large majority (they claim 90%) were Israeli and funded by NIF. Some of these groups are well known like "Betzelem", "Up Against the Wall", and Human Rights Watch, among lots of others. But this has enraged the Knesset, even the moderate Kadima faction, which is calling for an investigation of NIF. It has all come to a head because of the proliferation of European human rights groups actively protesting against Israel both in Gaza and in the West Bank, many of them funded by European governments. Finally, it is all just too much for the Israeli public!!!

NIF has been drifting left for some years. I myself stopped supporting them almost 15 years ago, but then I've been accused of being right wing (but only in the U.,S.). However, previously well respected groups like ACRI, Association of Civil Rights in Israel, has moved from defending right and left alike, to strictly left wing activities, even going so far as to take part in violent protests in Bi'ilin and other places where the security fence is being constructed. These protests have been held on a weekly basis, every Friday, attended by Europeans as well as Palestinians and some Israelis. This in my book is just going too far for ACRI; it loses its legal impartiality and therefore other Israeli's respect. Its as if the ACLU took part in the Skokie demonstrations in addition to their legal defense.

All this tends to circle the wagons, dilute the influence of Meretz and other left wing political groups, give much more support to Likue and the right wing, and breed defiance among ordinary Israelis. Wouldn't you react the same way if you saw your people under constant attack world wide for"crimes against humanity"? And wouldn't you turn inward to defend your country in the face of the massive untruths of Goldstone?

Other than this,local politics is quiet. Bibi is enjoying pretty good ratings and Likud even better. The press (especially foreign) tries to paint Lieberman as a McCarthyist but he's just striking back for a change where foreign ministers used to be quiet and "work behind the scenes." He still has alot of support from the public who are tired of being vilified by Turkey or Syria. The economy is sound and growing, tourism is on the rise, we're getting rain (hallejuiah), the electric car is being launched next month, the Arava Power Company is starting to build its huge solar panels at Kibbutz Ketura with a hearty contract from Siemens, and the great book about Israeli start-ups called "Start Up Nation" is Amazon's best selling book about Israel. (Read it if you haven't already.)

So yes, we are kind of beleagured but the country is still charging ahead, thumbing its economic and cultural nose at those who love to demonize us. The best defense is success.

And yet, and yet, what to do about our university campuses? Maybe you have an answer for me.

From my view of the beautiful green sea, the sunny skies and temps in the 70's, here's wishing you all a bit of warm weather.

Shalom, Jan

TBE Bar Mitzvah Commentary: Joel Castle on Yitro

Last summer I was in Israel and I visited Masada. My family and I toured the ancient ruins, including the world’s oldest synagogue. Then I saw the view, and I was blown away by the vastness of it. Desert as far as the eye could see. Hazy mountains lining the horizon, with the Dead Sea in the foreground. Of the entire trip to Israel, that was the most memorable moment. But, there were many other special moments, like when I visited the Western Wall with my Dad or swimming in the Mediterranean Sea with my family.

Sacred moments come in all shapes and sizes, whether it is when you are alone, or in a group, planned, or unexpected, far away, or right at home.

My Torah and Haftarah readings give us some examples of the most amazing, incredible, sacred moments ever experienced. The Torah Portion describes the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. That event was experienced by all of the Jewish people. The Haftarah describes Isaiah the prophet’s very personal, mystical vision of God and Angels.

Sacred moments don’t have to be either collective or very personal. They can be both. For example right now is a very special moment for me in a way that it is for nobody else. But for every one who knows me, it is also very special.

This time of year is filled with special moments. There is tomorrow’s Super Bowl, which is something shared by the whole country. If only the Jets could have gotten in. Well, maybe next year. Coming up over the next few weeks are Purim and Passover. I always find the Passover Seder to be a very spiritual moment for me every year. And then there are the holidays that don’t appear on the calendar. Or like the time my Dad had his bags packed for a business trip to England. Suddenly he turned to us and said ‘Pack your bags, you’re coming too!’

One thing that we learn from the Ten Commandments is that Jews tend to have sacred moments, not sacred things. In the Ten Commandments we are constantly reminded not to worship things. No graven images, no thievery, and not to covet. Worshipping things always seems to get us into trouble.

Sometimes the most sacred moments come when you are helping others and doing Mitzvot. For my mitzvah project I have and will be monitoring the clean-up of the Mill River.

Colts - Saints Super Bowl Prediction, Using Jewish Sources

It’s not easy for me to make a prediction this year, given the Patriots’ sad collapse. And I must admit, a Super Bowl featuring the Jets would have been fun. But since I’ve almost always been right (my personal favorite being Pats-Rams in 2002), I must meet the challenge.

It has not been a good week for horses. We just commemorated the third yahrzeit of Barbaro, of blessed memory, and on Feb. 6, 1966, Mr. Ed was cancelled.

Sad as those commemorations are, however, they pale in comparison to a far-worse event in equine history commemorated last Shabbat. We chanted the triumphant Song of the Sea – triumphant for Israelites, but not good for horses. “Ashira L’Adonai Ki Gaoh Ga’ah,” it begins, “(“I will sing to Adonai, who has triumphed gloriously,” “Soos v’rochvo ramah va’yam” (“Horse and driver have been hurled into the Sea”). Considering the fact that the Atlantic Ocean will be within sniffing distance of the game in southern Florida this Sunday, it is tempting to toss in all the cards at this point and proclaim that the Saints will win in a rout and the Colts will sink.

Add to that the fact that the great miracle of the see was precipitated with a massive gust of wind – or, in other words, a breeze – as in Drew Brees, the Saints’ quarterback.

But, while last week’s portion is screaming “Brees,” my head says “Colts,” so I’ve got to play this out.

After all, the Colts were incredibly impressive in their second half comeback over the Jets two weeks ago; and only the Colts have a player whose name is also a Passover song (Addai-aynu). But it is a group of Jewish Saints fans, the “Jews for Breesus,” who have made a Super Bowl version of Dayenu. There are, to my knowledge, no Jews currently on the roster of either team, but interestingly, there was one tight end, Scott Slutzker who briefly played for both. Colts owner Jim Irsay, raised as a Catholic, has spoken publicly about his family’s Jewish origins.

So a more comprehensive investigation is in order:

Yes, on the surface, the word “saints” is hardly a Jewish term. But neither is it exclusively Christian. For instance, there are Hindu saints. In his book, Making Saints: How the Catholic Church Determines Who Becomes a Saint, Who Doesn't and Why, author Kenneth Woodward notes the following: A saint is always someone through whom we catch a glimpse of what God is like -- and of what we are called to be. I can think of many Jews like that. The Jewish equivalent term would be “Tzaddik” or “Hasid.” Jews often make pilgrimage to the tombs of saintly rabbis, especially in Israel, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. We remember our saints especially on the anniversary of their deaths, their yahrzeits. This weekend, Shevat 22- 23, we commemorate the yahrzeit of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, the Kotzker Rebbe, a great 19th century Hasidic leader, who said, “Human beings can only be searchers for truth. And as they seek the nearness of God, they must be forever on guard, lest pride or egocentricity pervert the purity of their quest."

I think Vince Lombardi once said the same thing:

“Mental toughness is many things. It is humility because it behooves all of us to remember that simplicity is the sign of greatness and meekness is the sign of true strength. Mental toughness is spartanism with qualities of sacrifice, self-denial, dedication. It is fearlessness, and it is love.”

By the way, on Feb. 7, many noteworthy events happened in Jewish history (including the birth of my son Ethan), among them the beginning of the armed struggle in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1943 and the opening of Mel Brooks’ classic comedy, “Blazing Saddles.” Please note which animal takes it on the chin in one of that film’s most famous bits.

It’s noteworthy that there are many more Jews considered tzaddikim than are named “Soos (Horse)” (Doctor Seuss notwithstanding). Jewish folklore speaks of 36 anonymous Tzaddikim whose spiritual fortitude sustains the world for their generation. They are better known as the Lamed Vav, the Hebrew letters whose numerical equivalent adds up to 36. There is dispute in the sources as to where the number comes from. But these hidden saints play a huge role in Jewish folklore.

So I think I’m on solid Jewish ground in stating that the Saints will score somewhere in the neighborhood of 36 points this Sunday. The question is, will the Colts score more?

There IS one biblical character (Numbers 13) whose last name is “Soosi.” The root meaning of “soos,” incidentally, is “swift,” which pretty much describes the Colts, both offensively and defensively. They are built for speed.

According to an online concordance, the word “horse” (soos) appears 283 times in the Hebrew Bible. With the land Israel being so mountainous, horses were not as useful as mules and oxen and therefore not as plentiful as they were in flatter places, like Egypt and Arabia. On the plain, horses and chariots were formidable, but you can ask the Canaanite general Sisera how things went once it got hilly and wet. We read about it in last week’s haftarah. Or ask Pharaoh. Bottom line – a wet, muddy field favors the Saints.

Typically, horses are seen as instruments of war, typically employed by the enemies of Israel (see Deut.20 - When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you ) . Despite their threatening status (and how often in history have Jews been chased down by the horses of Cossacks, Roman soldiers and Crusaders), they are also admired, especially for their speed – see Isaiah 30:16. Clearly, the biblical authors were aware of the Colts’ lightning fast attack. Horses are also symbols of dignity and honor (Esther 6:11). Think of that scene in the book of Esther when Mordechai, not Haman, got to ride through town on horseback – one of those great “gotcha” moments in Jewish history. But a horse is also a symbol of vanity and false hopes. Psalm 33:17, is rather indicative of the Colts’ history (with the notable exception of 2006): “A horse is a false hope for victory; Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.” As we saw with Barbaro and Mr. Ed, a horse’s majesty also carries a deep fragility. This is expressed in this verse from Judges 5:22.

This week the Israelites return to Mount Sinai, home of the Decalogue but, more the point of this game, the burning Bush. But while Reggie Bush might be burning up the turf with his kick returns, we must also note that the Hebrew term “bush” means “embarrassment” and “shame.” We just don’t know which team he’ll shame: the Colts, or his own. There is no Jewish source, BTW, that speaks at all about Bush’s oft-photographed girlfriend, Kim Kardashian.

I can envision the end of the game clearly. The Hebrew word Peyton (“pie-tan”) means “poet,” or the composer of a prayer (a piyyut). So Manning will throw up a prayer in the game’s final seconds, a “hail Mary,” as it were, but it will fall incomplete.

Jeremiah 31 speaks of an apocalyptic theme: "And the entire valley of the corpses, and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the stream of Kidron, to the corner of the Horses' Gate toward the east, shall be holy to the Lord; it shall not be uprooted and it shall not be demolished again forever."

The Colts will be back – and may not be demolished next time, but this time, the Horses will fall.

So while my head says Colts, Jewish tradition leans toward a score reflecting the spiritual power of the Lamed Vavniks and the devastation of that chapter of Jeremiah:

Saints 36 – Colts 31.

Tweets: Nuggets of trivia...or pearls of spiritual awareness?

Tweets: Nuggets of trivia...or pearls of spiritual awareness:- Tammy Erickson - Harvard Business Review: http://bit.ly/9UYXis via @addthis

Frankly, most people's tweets are neither interesting nor fun to read — certainly not on a daily or hourly basis. Many, not at all. I say this with no condemnation, since I admit mine are pretty lousy, too. And I have a theory about why.

Recently I received one of those random chain emails; it's probably circulated through your in-box, as well. This one described an experiment organized by the Washington Post in 2007. A man played six Bach pieces on a violin for 45 minutes in the Washington DC Metro Station on a cold January morning. During the time he played, approximately two thousand people passed through the station. Of those, only six people stopped and listened, and then only for a very short while. The greatest levels of enthusiasm were displayed by young children, several of whom tugged on their parents, asking to stop and listen, but without success.

This concert, enjoyed by virtually none of the two thousand in the station that day, was given by the renowned violinist Joshua Bell, playing some of the most intricate pieces ever written. Two days before his concert in a theater in Boston had sold out with ticket prices averaging $100.

The circulating email challenges us to ponder what we each are missing. In a common place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

I would add: Do we take time to reflect on the events of our day — to add our own interpretation? When things strike us as unusual or lovely, do we take time to note them?

These questions, I believe, are at the heart of the successful use of Twitter. Individuals who are most skilled at using this peculiar 140-character medium are those who do notice the small details of life, who capture the moments that others of us miss, who slow down to watch and listen while most race on, and who personalize the events they see.

IDF Investigations of the Gaza Operation: An Update (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

IDF Investigations of the Gaza Operation: An Update (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs)


On January 29, 2010, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a 46-page update describing Israel's procedures for the investigation of allegations of violations of the laws of armed conflict in the Gaza operation a year ago. Israel is committed to investigating every allegation of violations, irrespective of the source of the allegation. To date, the IDF has launched investigations into 150 separate incidents. Prior to the publication of the Goldstone report, Israel was already investigating 22 of the 34 incidents it addresses. The remaining 12 incidents, none of which had previously been brought to the attention of the Israeli authorities, were promptly referred for investigation upon the report's publication.

The Military Advocate General has reviewed the entire record of certain incidents discussed in the Goldstone report and concluded that there was no basis for a criminal investigation.

The Gaza wastewater treatment plant - The wastewater treatment plant was not defined, prior to or during the operation, as a target for an aerial strike. The nearest aerial strike on the relevant dates was 1.3 km. from the plant. When Israeli armored forces passed near the plant, during the operation, the basin wall was already breached and the area surrounding it was flooded, thus limiting the movement of the forces in that area. The Military Advocate General could not dismiss the possibility that the damage might have resulted from a deliberate action by Hamas as part of a defensive plan to hamper the movement of IDF forces.

The El-Bader flour mill - The immediate area of the flour mill was used by enemy armed forces as a defensive zone, due to its proximity to Hamas' stronghold in Shati. Hamas had fortified this area with tunnels and booby-trapped houses, and deployed its forces to attack IDF troops operating there. Adjacent to the flour mill, two booby-trapped houses exploded. In the course of the fighting on Jan. 9, IDF troops came under intense fire from different Hamas positions in the vicinity of the flour mill. The Military Advocate General found that, in the specific circumstances of combat, and given its location, the flour mill was a legitimate military target in accordance with the laws of armed conflict.

The Abu-Askar house - The cellar and other parts of the residence of Muhammad Abu-Askar were used to store weapons and ammunition, including Grad rockets. Furthermore, the area where the house was located was frequently used as a launch area for rockets aimed at Israeli towns. Before the strike, the IDF made a telephone call to the house warning of an impending airstrike. The call was received by Muhammad Abu-Askar. Following this warning, all occupants immediately evacuated the premises. There were no civilian casualties from the strike. Shortly after the strike, two sons of Mr. Abu-Askar, both Hamas military operatives, were killed while launching mortars at IDF forces. The Military Advocate General concluded that due to its use as a large storage facility for weapons and ammunition, the house was a legitimate military target.

READ THE FULL DOCUMENT (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

God's Playlist: CHAI-Tunes

On this Shabbat Shira (Shabbat of Song), let's take a look at God's Playlist - or CHAI-Tunes, as I call them. Click here for the pdf, which contains:

THE TOP TEN SONGS IN JEWISH HISTORY (Where would you put Adon Olam? Hatikva? The Sh'ma? "Tradition" from Fiddler on the Roof? See my list here

THE SONG OF THE SEA:
What do the spaces between the words symbolize? See the full list of 14 here. Selected interpretations are below:

1) Talmud: Shabbat 103b – “like a brick wall” – recalling the bricks of slaves.

2) This implies that the connection between our nation and God is stable and strong, like the wall of a building.

3) Each phrase stands by itself / its own unique meaning, yet connected to the whole.

5) Until now, the mysteries of God’s miracles were “closed” and out of reach – now they are open and clear for all to see.

6) Shabbat is the pause, the space, that gives music to our lives. The silence shouts out eloquently.

7) Kotzker Rebbe: “This is my God and I will declare His perfection.” (ZEH AYLEE V’ANVAYHU). How? I will make a dwelling place for God within me. Those spaces are the places that we have carved out for God in our lives.

8) Psalm 81: “I answered you in the secret place of thunder (a thundering silence). God speaks to us in silence.

9) MEDITATE ON THE VISUAL TEXT OF THE SONG / STARE AT IT FOR A MINUTE – WHAT DO YOU SEE?
- Rows of Soldiers?
- Waves of the Sea?
- Do you see the form of a giant Alef? (which is a silent letter)

10) Without getting too graphic, can this space between the words be Israel’s “birth canal?”

11) Or could this be a “Battle of the Sexes?” Moses is up top, Miriam is mentioned below. Or maybe the separation of the sexes. Midrash Mechilta Shira 10 cites this song as justification for separation of men and women. Could it be seen as a sign of the need to unify?

Some recent scholarship suggests that this song was written by women (it is called the Song of Miriam in some ancient manuscripts). In rabbinic literature, Moses and Miriam often appear in parallel, with Miriam given equal status.

12) The song describes a mythological battle between Israel’s God and the Ugaritic Sea god Yamm. There is no mention here at all (in the song) of the historical context of Egyptian slavery. It’s God vs. Yamm. Sacred vs Profane. Hebrew letters vs. Empty spaces. May the best deity win!

13) The white space symbolizes winter. The dark is beginning to encroach as Spring approaches. Tu B’Shevat is here!

Wordle for the Song of the Sea

Here is this week's Wordle, this one for the famous Song of the Sea found in Exodus 15. Click on it to enlarge. Note that God's name appears largest, because, in this song, the real drama of the Exodus is that of the battle between supernatural powers, between God (= Order) and the forces of Chaos as symbolized by the Sea (Yamm). Pharaoh and Moses play bit parts in this celestial battle. To read more about Wordles, see http://www.wordle.net/ - and make one of your own! (send me what you've got, English or Hebrew, and I'll post it)

Tu B'Shevat Special: The Seven Species, the Orange, Rootedness and Exile

Why is the orange, the premier agricultural symbol of modern Zionism, not considered one of the traditional seven sacred species of the Land, as mentioned in the Torah?

See this fascinating new discussion of the meaning of those species, and the orange: The Seven Species and the Orange: Nostalgia and Jewish Identity, by Dr. Michal Oren of the Schechter Institute.

Nostalgia for an event or a place - real or imagined - serves as an aid for personal and collective identity building. However, it can also be a comfortable snare, for building an identity that empowers and motivates can, at the same time, provide an excuse for psychologically sinking into a sleepy passivity from which it is hard to rise. In national terms this is referred to by the twin concepts of 'diaspora exile' and 'national rebirth.'
The ideas of 'rootedness' and 'exile' (rootlessness) surface over and over again in Jewish history. The Land of Israel for the People of Israel in the Diaspora was an object of yearning not experienced firsthand, but imagined. The dialectic of rooted and rootless encouraged nostalgic rituals intended to strengthen identity and rootedness.

It is not surprising that trees, and chiefly tree planting, are used to symbolize rootedness, in contrast to the Wandering Jew motif. The tree, compared to man in various cultures and used metaphorically to denote the life cycle (birth, survival, death), also serves as a symbol for national interests. Specific tree types, whether common or rare, in any region, are chosen as symbols of consciousness formation along with associated ritual activity, such as partaking of the indigenous fruits of Israel on Tu B'shvat.

Eating fruits of the Land, as a metaphor for rootedness, has traced the strings of recollection from the present to an imagined glorified past and shaped the collective memory of Israel in exile. This worked two ways: on the one hand, fostering a sense of belonging and an eternal longing for the Land that promoted passivity; and prompting an awakening to ‘return' and national rebirth on the other.

In view of this, it is interesting to see if the ritual of ‘partaking of fruits of the Land' differed between ‘in the Land' and ‘in the Diaspora,' and to see which fruits were chosen to help shape memory and strengthen the collective, in exile and later in the Land.

Click here for the rest of the article

Holocaust Memorial Day - 65 Years Since Liberation

Auschwitz was liberated 65 years agho this week, and Holocaust Memorial Day has gained significance in the international arena. Jews commemorate it in the spring, but Jan. 27th has become an important date on the calendar of nations, especially this year.

President Shimon Peres delivered a historic speech to members of the German parliament in Berlin on Wednesday afternoon to mark the occasion. According to this report on Y-net, the German parliament heard a translation of the speech, which was carried out in Hebrew. Peres said the Kaddish prayer in honor of the Holocaust victims, which include his grandparents, who were burned alive in their town's synagogue.

"In the State of Israel and across the world, Holocaust survivors are slowly retiring from the world of the living. Their number is reduced every day. At the same time, those who were involved in the most despicable work on earth – genocide – are still living on German soil. Please do all you can to bring them to justice," Peres said.

Peres went on to direct his words at Iran. "We are now left with the crucial lesson: Never again. No more racist doctrine, no more feelings of superiority, no more so-called divine authority to incite, murder, break the law, deny God and the Shoah."

Peres added, "The threats to destroy a people and a state are being made on the backdrop of a development of mass destruction weapons by unreasonable hands, with an insane mind, without speaking the truth."

The president stressed that "in order to prevent another Holocaust we must have peaceful relations with other nations and have respect for the particular culture and universal values, in order to reprint the Ten Commandments once and again."

Here is the full text of Peres' stirring, historic speech. Also here - some more excerpts:

"I stand here before you, as the President of the State of Israel, the home of the Jewish People."

"I can see in my mind's eye, at this very moment, the imposing image of my deeply respected grandfather, Rabbi Zvi Melzer...in the town where I was born, Vishniev in Belarus."

"When the Nazis came to Vishniev, they ordered all the members of the community to congregate in the synagogue. My grandfather marched in front, together with his family, wrapped in the same prayer shawl in which I enveloped myself as a child. The doors were locked from the outside and the wooden structure was torched. And the only remains of the whole community were embers. There were no survivors."

"If we, the Jews, constituted a terrible threat in the eyes of Hitler's regime, this was not a military threat, but rather a moral threat that stood opposite their desire that denied our faith that every man is born in the image of God, that we are all equal in the eyes of God, and that all men are equal."

"As a Jew, I always carry the pain of the Holocaust endured by my brothers and sisters. As an Israeli, I regret the tragic delay in the establishment of the Jewish state that left my people with no safe harbor. As a grandfather, I cannot come to terms with the loss of one-and-a-half million children - the greatest human and creative potential that could have changed Israel's destiny."


See also the text of the address by Prime Minister Netanyahu at Auschwitz (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Here is the JPost account: Netanyahu at Auschwitz: Never again.

120 Minutes of Medieval Jewish History: New from JTS

120 Minutes With JTS

New JTS Video Podcast Series Launches At-Home and On-The-Go Jewish Learning Opportunities

How often have you wanted to contribute to discussions on Judaism, but held back because you didn’t feel you knew enough in general or about a particular topic?

How many New Year’s resolutions have you made to include just a little more Jewish study in your life and how many years have you been unable to enroll in classes because there’s just no time?

How surprised would you be to discover that you are not alone and that The Jewish Theological Seminary has just launched a solution to help?

Spend120 Minutes With JTS (20 minutes at a time) and our new video podcast series

Spend120 Minutes With JTS(20 minutes at a time) wherever you may be

Each 120-minute series offers six engaging twenty-minute sessions that explore a particular Jewish topic in depth, with a variety of topics to come—all of them will inform and inspire you.
Our opening topic is 120 Minutes of Medieval Jewish History and it covers the history, society, and culture of medieval Sephardic Jewry

Presented by Dr. Benjamin Gampel, the Dina and Eli Field Family Chair in Jewish History, JTS (and former TBE Scholar in Residence)

Get started with Part 1A: "Introduction to Sephardic Jews: When the Jews Arrived in the Iberian Peninsula"

120 Minutes With JTS is made possible by a grant from Pearl and Nathan Halegua.

Listen to the complete series here.

New Portal to Jerusalem

Jerusalem.com features detailed guides which cover hundreds of destinations in the city, including hotels, restaurants, museums and other attractions; an exhaustive events calendar; and in-depth articles published every weekday. We also publish Everything Jerusalem, a quarterly high quality print guide that is distributed throughout hotels in the city.

The site has partnered with the Municipality of Jerusalem as the primary Internet source for city-sponsored events. The aim is to further Jerusalem culture among the English-speaking lovers of the city, and native Israelis, be they long-time residents, one-night tourists, or even if they've never been there but still feel a connection.

http://www.jerusalem.com/

Sarah Aroeste Coming to TBE on March 20

Renowned singer Sarah Aroeste will be coming to TBE on Sat. night, March 20 as part of our weekend Synaplex program.

Sarah Aroeste and her band are known for their dynamic fusion of Spanish, Mediterranean and American musical traditions. Inspired by her family's cultural heritage--with Sephardic family roots orginally from Spain and later settling in Salonika, Greece-- the Aroeste sound combines and updates aspects from her unique family background.

Most influenced by the music and language of her Spanish roots, Aroeste grounds her music in Ladino, or Judeo-Spanish, the language originated by Spanish Jews after their expulsion from Spain in 1492. This medieval dialect of Spanish was carried by Spanish Jews to the various points where they later settled, primarily along the Mediterranean coast and North Africa. In time, Ladino came to absorb bits and pieces of languages all along the Mediterranean coast, including some Greek, Turkish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Hebrew, and more.

This exotic pan-Mediterranean language has, unfortunately, been fading away and is rarely spoken anymore. But the musical legacy of Spanish Jews highlights the strength of an oral tradition that spans many centuries and crosses many geographic boundaries. Until WWII the vibrant Spanish Jewish communities, particularly throughout the Mediterranean, had been able to perpetuate a significant Hispanic influence throughout the region.

Since the Sarah Aroeste Band was launched, Aroeste has amassed a large and loyal following across the nation and abroad, and has been featured in both national and international press. To date, the Sarah Aroeste Band has released two recordings, A la Una: In the Beginning (2003) and Puertas (2007), and has performed in major music venues throughout New York City, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, Washington, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and more, as well as overseas (throught Europe, Israel and Cuba). In 2006, Aroeste was nominated in the category of Best Singer/Songwriter for the Jewish Music Awards (USA), alongside the likes of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. The Sarah Aroeste Band has gotten notable attention both for the band’s musical talent as well as for Aroeste’s innovation in working to make Ladino music more accessible and exciting to new and larger audiences.


Check her website here. Or go take a listen for yourself -- or watch the video below!

The God Of OMG! (Jewish Week)

The God Of OMG!

Jewish Week

by Joshua Hammerman

Just before the December vacation, I challenged my class of seventh graders to keep count of how often the expression “OMG!” appears in text messages, Facebook postings, tweets, e-mails or other communications that they send and receive. When they returned in January, I was amazed — but not surprised — and what they reported: nearly 250 OMG!s were recorded among the dozen or so who participated. That’s over 20 OMG!s per person, or about two a day over the span of the vacation.

I told the kids that they are one devout group, and each OMG! is a prayer.

For those Neanderthals still living in the 20th century, OMG is texting shorthand for “Oh my God!” Just as with telegrams a century before, texts and tweets require users to economize on what they write, so an entire dictionary of shorthand expressions has evolved, including acronyms like OMG. Rules of proper usage have also sprung up; for instance, it is not proper “netiquette” to use capitals unless you wish to convey that you are shouting. OMG is not always shouted, but it often is.

Of the thousand or so abbreviations now found in web dictionaries, OMG is probably the most widely known, along with BFF (best friends forever), LOL (laugh out loud) and, a favorite among rabbis, IMHO (in my humble opinion). OMG also has derivations, including OMGYG2BK, “Oh my God, you got to be kidding.” There are also, BTW (by the way), a number of acronyms designed to confound parents looking over their kids’ shoulders at what they are texting. If you see P911 on your teen’s screen, know that he has just alerted a friend that you have come into the room.

So this new age of instant text communications has developed its own language. But rather than bemoan the loss of good ol’ fashioned English, we need to reach out to the kids where they are and recognize that God-talk comes in all shapes and sizes. Take a look at the Kaddish, written primarily in Aramaic, using expressions for God not seen in the Bible. For centuries, rabbis have tried to reach the average Jew on the street through the use of the vernacular, be it Aramaic, Greek, Ladino, Yiddish or English. Each language’s expression for God lends insight to the values of the Jews living at that time. Ladino, for instance, the language of Jews from Spain, uses the expression “El Dio,” for God, eschewing the Spanish ‘Dios” because it ends in an “s.” Ladino-speaking Jews, undoubtedly influenced by the strict monotheistic inclinations of philosophers like Maimonides, did not want anyone to assume that God can be expressed in the plural. In Yiddish, the German “Gott” is often used, but what might sound harsh in German sounds more like a cry in Yiddish. “Oy Gotenyue!” is an untranslatable cry out to God from the depths of despair, part of the repertoire of every poet and cantor of the old country. “Oy Gotenyue” is most definitely a prayer.

So why not OMG?

OMG is an expression of fearful and fascinating mystery. Unlike old-school words like “Lord,” OMG is not a noun but an exclamation, a statement of radical awareness of life’s wonders. I subscribe to “OMGfacts” on Twitter, providing me with a steady stream of seemingly pointless but amazing trivia all day long. Did you know it takes about 20 seconds for a red blood cell to circle the whole body? That vultures can fly for six hours without flapping their wings? The point of it all is to be amazed, to connect with the rhythms of the universe in deeper ways, and to sum it up with a loud “OMG,” again and again.

Whoever says we have a problem with God language isn’t speaking the right language. There is no such problem with OMG, though there may well be one with the now passé term “God.” That word has been laid to rest, the victim of countless sleepy responsive readings in rote-infested congregations. While Buber said that “God cannot be expressed, only addressed,” OMG rarely addresses the Eternal One directly, but testifies emphatically to the daily miracles of life, ascribing those miracles, ultimately, to God — or, more precisely, to “G.” OMG is spontaneous prayer at its best.

I wanted to show my students how the theology of OMG can be found in our set prayers as well. So I took the liberty of translating the entire Friday evening service into the language of OMG (without using other Internet acronyms). What you see below are some examples from the first crude effort at such a translation —I’m sure the first of many. And it may have come out more Valley Girl than OMG. I felt like the third-century BCE scribes of Alexandria who first translated the Bible into Greek, making it accessible to the entire Mediterranean world, including many Jews. My OMG translation may not rank up there with the Septuagint, but I tried it out on the kids last week and they loved it:

The Shema: OMG! God is ONE! That means everyone (and everything) is connected!

Lecha Dodi: OMG! Shabbat is as beautiful as a wedding! And the bride’s entering the room right now!

Ma’ariv Aravim: OMG! The orderly cycles of nature: day and night, winter to spring — it’s all sooooo AWESOME!

Mi Chamocha: OMG! We got out of Egypt and crossed the Red Sea! That was a CLOSE one! I’m so happy!

Hashkiveynu: OMG! PLEEZE God, protect my loved ones! I care about them! And Israel too!

Now that I’ve completed this project, maybe I’ll turn next to the High Holy Days Machzor, or perhaps the Bible itself!

IMHO, it can be done.

For Some, Israel Can Do No Right - Alan Dershowitz (Huffington Post)

For Some, Israel Can Do No Right - Alan Dershowitz (Huffington Post)

Critics complain that Israel should not be sending medical assistance to such a faraway place as Haiti. Instead it should be sending it to nearby Gaza. They fail to note the difference between Haiti and Gaza. Haiti is not at war with Israel. Haiti has not pledged itself to Israel's destruction. Haiti has not fired 8,000 rockets at Israeli civilians. Gaza, on the other hand, has a popularly elected government that has done and continues to do all of the above.

Moreover, there is no comparison between the tens of thousands of Haitians who have died from a natural disaster, and the people of Gaza who suffer far less from what is, essentially, a self-inflicted wound.

Nor do the perennial enemies of Israel emphasize the comparison between tiny and resource-poor Israel, and the resource-rich Arab and Muslim nations. While Israel digs deeply into its treasury and manpower to send medical assistance a quarter of the way around the world, Arab and Muslim nations are generally missing when it comes to relief efforts. Israel is sending more aid per capita than any country in the world.

Israel will be extremely generous to the people of Gaza if and when they stop supporting attacks on Israeli civilians, stop making martyrs of their suicide murderers, and stop encouraging their children to don suicide vests. The peace dividend the Palestinian people will reap from making peace with Israel is incalculable.

Interview with Yoav Sorek-Part I « Menachem Mendel

Interview with Yoav Sorek-Part I « Menachem Mendel

A well-known Israeli religious intellectual explains how removing his head covering symbolizes his idea of a Judaism infused with the spirit of secular Zionism. (Continue reading part 2 and part 3 of this series.)

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