האולימפיאדה עדיין לא יהודית ולא בשביל יהודים / The Olympics are Still Not Jewish, and Still Not for Jews

ערב שבת קודש פר׳ פינחס תשפ״ד

English follows the Hebrew. Photos from The Eiffel Tower official website.

עשר אגורות (2¢):
 הערב בפריז יתקיים טקס פתיחת האולימפיאדה המודרנית ה-33. השנה יציינו באולימפיאדה כמה מאפיינים משמעותיים.

מדליות
אני תוהה אם מותר בכלל ליהודי לקבל מדלית האולימפיאדה (להלן) השנה בגלל "האלה" מאחורה (לא בתמונה). עכשיו כשאני חושב על זה, איזה ציורים היו במדליות של האולימפיאדות בעבר?

וגם למדליות יהיו פיסת ברזל שנאספה מהשיפוצים בעבר של מגדל אייפל. לא סוגדים למגדל אייפל - נכון? -- אבל בהחלט המגדל סמל זר מסוגו.

הספורט השנה ברייקדאנס תחרותי ייכלל באולימפיאדה, בעוד כדור בסיס (בייסבול), כדור בסיס עם כדור רך, וקראטה לא ייכללו? כלומר, ברור שברייקדאנס אתלטי. אבל למה לא קפוארה גם כן?

השתתפות מדינות
"פלסטין" תשתתף. פלסטין מעולם לא הייתה מדינה ריבונית, הערבים פיספסו את ההזדמנות שלהם לקבל מדינה כשהם דחו את תוכנית החלוקה של האו"ם בשנת 1947. מרשים לרוסיה ובלארוס, שהן כן מדינות, לשלוח רק ספורטאים, שנבדקו ואושרו על ידי הוועד האולימפי, בשל היותם בצד הלא נכון של סכסוך צבאי. ואם הספורטאים האלה שיזכו במדליה כלשהי, הם אפילו לא ישמעו את ההמנונים הלאומיים שלהם. תשתתף גם קבוצת הפליטים במשותף.

אני זוכר שבשנת 1980 נשיא ארה"ב ג'ימי קרטר החרים את אולימפיאדה במוסקבה, עקב פלישתה לאפגניסטן. ואז ב-1984, ברית המועצות חזרה בה, על ידי החרמת ה אולימפיאדה שנערכה בלוס אנג'לס.

חשבתי ששניהם החלטות מצערות.

עכשיו יש לנו קריאות ביזוי לנבחרת ישראל בכדורגל מסיבות פוליטיות.

מה קורה למשחקים האולימפיים שאמורים להמנע מלהתיחס לפוליטיקה?

מגדר
האולימפיאדה בפריז נגועת במחלוקת עוד יותר. ארגוני שחייה וקפיצה למים אתלטיקבה קלה, מסלולי ספורט ורכיבה על אופניים הבינלאומיים אינם מאפשרים להתחרות לטרנסיות שעברו התבגרות גברית, .

מערכת שידור ציבורי [PBS] מציגה את המחלוקת הזו כחוסר הכללה, מבלי להתייחס לחוסר ההגינות בכך שהיא מאפשרת לטרנסיות להתחרות בנשים טבעיות. רוב הנשים הטרנסיות עברו התבגרות גברית, מה שהעניק להן יתרונות פיזיים במסת העצם ובשרירים, בין היתר.

וכך, שוב, יש לנו עוד הוכחות לכך שאין שום דבר יהודי במשחקים האולימפיים.

כאמור בהתחלת הכתבה הזו, טקסי הפתיחה יתקיימו הערב. לדברי תומר דבורה (באנגלית), השבת נכנסת בפריז ב-21:19. זה שלוש שעות אחרי שישראל מקבלת לשבת, בהיותה קרובה יותר לקו המשווה, ובאזור זמן שעה קדימה.

זוהי ברכה לשומרי שבת. אנו לא נצפה את זה. עם זאת, עלינו להתפלל לשלומם של הספורטאים שלנו (בני בריתו), לאור האיומים במשחקים, שהתגלו זה עתה, 52 שנים לאחר טבח הספורטאים הישראלים במשחקי מינכן, שבוצע על ידי אנשים כמו מחמוד עבאס יש"ו.

סמל אולימפיאדה, פריז 2024

מגדל איפל עם סמליל האולימפיאדה
The Eiffel Tower with Olympic logo

צילום מסך מערכת שידור ציבורי [PBS]
Screenshot PBS

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
Tonight in Paris, the Opening Ceremonies of the 33rd modern Olympic Games, which will be marked by a few, significant features.

Medals
I wonder if it would even be permissible for a Jew to possess one of these new, Olympic medals (above), as there is the depiction of a "goddess" on the back (not pictured). Now that I think about it, what has been depicted on the medals of previous games?

The medals will also include a piece of iron collected from past refurbishments of the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower may not be worshipped -- is it? -- but it is most definitely a foreign icon of sorts.

Changes In Sports
Competative breakdancing will be included in this year's Olympics, while Baseball, Softball, and Karate will not? I mean, I am not saying that breakdancing is not athletic. It is. But then why not Capoeira?

Country Participation
"Palestine" will be participating. Palestine has never been a sovereign country, the Arabs blowing their chance at a Pseudostine, when they rejected the United Nation's 1947 Partition Plan. Russia and Belarus, which are countries, were allowed to only those athletes, vetted and approved by the Olympic Committee, due being on the wrong side of a military conflict. And if these athletes win any medal, they will not even hear their own national anthems played. The collective team of refugees will also be participating. 

I remember when the U. S., under the President Jimmy Carter, boycotted the Moscow Olympics, due to its invasion of Afghanistan. Then in 1984, the USSR reciprocated, by boycotting the Games held in Los Angeles.

I thought that both were unfortunate decisions.

Now we have booing of the Israeli soccer team for political reasons.

What happen to the apolitical Olympic Games? Were they ever?

Gender
The Olympic Games in Paris will be tainted with even more controversy. International swimming and diving, track and field, and cycling organizations do no allow transwomen, who have gone though male puberty, to compete.

PBS, the source of much of the information presented here, framed this controversy as lack of inclusion, without addressing the lack of fairness by allowing transwomen to compete against biological women. Most transwomen have gone through male puberty, providing them with physical advantages in bone mass and musculature, among other things.

And so, yet again, we have even more evidence that there is nothing in the least bit Jewish about The Olympic Games.

As stated at the beginning, the Opening Ceremonies will take place tonight. According to Tomer Devorah, Shabbat does not come in, in Paris until 9:19 PM. This is three hours after Israel takes in Shabbat, being closer to the Equator, and in a timezone one hour ahead.

This is a blessing for those of us who observe Shabbat, including refraining from using electronic devices. We will not be tempted to watch. However, we should pray for the safety of our athletes (בני בריתו), given the threats at the Games, which have just come to light, 52 years after the massacre of Israeli athletes at the Munich Games, perpetrated by the likes of Mahmud Abbas ysh"w.

בדיקת דנ"א כדי לגלות קשר לעם ישראל, הבעד והנגד / DNA Testing to Discover Ones Connection to Israel, Pros and Cons

י״ט לחודש השנים עשר ב׳ תשפ״ד

English follows the Hebrew.

הסיפור המדהים של הניאו-נאצי שהפך ליהודי שומר תורה ומצוות
נאצי שישב בכלא עבר שינוי דרמטי לאחר מפגש עם אפרו אמריקאים. לאחרונה הוא חשף טוויסט מדהים
יענקי פרבר י"ז אדר ב' התשפ"ד 27.03.24

ניאו-נאצי לשעבר חשף כי הוא כעת יהודי שומר מצוות לאחר שעשה מהפך בחייו - וגילה את מורשתו באמצעות בדיקות די אן איי.

פרנק מיינק, בן 48, הפך למנהיג של קבוצת ימין קיצונית אלימה בתחילת שנות ה-90.

פרנק היה אנטישמי עם צלב קרס מקועקע על צווארו, הוא התמרמר נגד מה שכינה "ממשלת הכיבוש הציוני" והאמין שהיהודים הם "שורש כל הרוע".

מיינק החל להשתנות והחליף את דעותיו הגזעניות לאחר שרקם חברות עם אסירים אפרו אמריקנים בכלא בארה"ב. הטוויסט הגיע לאחרונה כאשר מינק חשף ל"ניו יורק פוסט" את העובדה שהוא יהודי.

הרבה אחרי שעזב את הניאו-נאציזם וניסה לתקן את עברו, הוא גילה שהוא ממוצא יהודי לאחר בדיקת די אן איי, וכעת אימץ את מורשתו היהודית.

הוא עשה את הבדיקה בהערה מקרית של חבר שאמר לו שהוא "נראה יהודי".

"רק רציתי לראות אם זה נכון, רציתי לראות אם זה אמיתי", אמר מיינק לעיתון. הבדיקה גילתה כי הסבתא מצד אמו, הייתה יהודייה ולכן גם הוא יהודי. מיינק אימץ את היהדות בהתלהבות.

הוא החל להתפלל שלוש תפילות ביום, הולך לשלושה שיעורי תורה בשבוע ושומר שבת וכשרות. (ללחוץ כאן כדי לקרוא את המשך המאמר)

עשר אגורות (2¢):
אפשר לצפות את סרטון באנגלית שבו פרנק מיינק מספר על המסע האישי שלו מלהיות ניו-נאצי לדרך חשיפות שהוא יהודי ואז שומר תורה ומצוות ב-X (טויטר לשעבר) של מכון לימודי יהדות רוהר.

"רק רציתי לראות אם זה נכון, רציתי לראות אם זה אמיתי", אמר מיינק לעיתון. הבדיקה גילתה כי הסבתא מצד אמו, הייתה יהודייה ולכן גם הוא יהודי. מיינק אימץ את היהדות בהתלהבות.

זה לא כל-כך ברור. יכול להיות שבדיקת דנ״א שחשפה לפרנק מיינק שהוא 2.4 אחוז יהודי אשכנזי פשוט עודדה אותו לחקור את מורשתו כפי שכתוב במאמר המקורי באנגלית (להלן). ותוצאת החקירה היא שסבתא רבה שלו יהודייה. ולכן הוא גם יהודי.

כן אפשר לבדוק את שושלת יחסין מצד האם באמצעות דנ״א קשור למיטוכונדרים כיחתיכת הדנ״א הזו עוברת לילדים רק מהאם.

להיות ישראל אינו גנטי בלבד. אלא עם ישראל הוא עם אתנו-רוחני. גר צדק הוא מוגדר כישראל. גם יש לגר הזכות / המצווה להתגורר בארץ ישראל.

בצד השני יש נוצרים מנצלים בדיקות דנ״א, כדי למצוא דרכים חדשות וחדשניות לקבל אזרחות ישראלית. ב״ה הרבנים נזהרים ביישום ראיות DNA בחשיפת קשרים לעם ישראל. להיות יהודי כלומר להיות מישראל הוא דין הלכתי, ולא מבוסס על ראיות גנטיות בלבד. הנוצרים מאמינים שארץ ישראל היא שלהם למרות שעל פי הלכה אין להם שום זכות לה בכלל.

השימוש של פרנק מיינק בבדיקות דנ״א כדי לעודד אותו לחקור, ובסופו של דבר, לגלות את זהותו היהודית הוא סיבה מצויינת להיות בעד בדיקת דנ״א.

ניצול בדיקת דנ״א על ידי הנוצרים, וככל הנראה חקירת שושלת יחסין צד האב כדי להשיג חניה בבקרקע של ארץ ישראל, וניצול בדיקת דנ״א על ידי הערב רב כדי לקבל עוד גויים כאזרחים, לעודד נישואי תערובת, ולהוסיף מצביעים למפלגות שלהם הנוגדות לתורה הם סיבות ברורות להיות נגד בדיקת דנ״א למטרת קביעת חיבור לישראל.

New York Post: Neo-Nazi who inspired Edward Norton’s ‘American History X’ skinhead is now an observant Jew thanks to DNA discovery
James Liddell, March 26, 2024

The neo-Nazi who inspired Edward Norton’s skinhead character in “American History X” has revealed he is now an observant Jew after turning his life around — and discovering his heritage through DNA testing.

Frank Meeink, 48, became a leader of a violent ultra-right group in the early 1990s, torturing enemies who stood in the way of his attempt to foment a race war.

Intensely anti-semitic and flaunting a flaming swastika tattooed on his neck, he railed against what he called the “Zionist occupation government” and believed the Jews were “the root of all evil.”

In 1998’s “American History X,” Norton’s Derek Vinyard character was based, in part, on Meeink’s road to redemption as he began to ditch his racist views after kindling friendships with black inmates in prison.

But now Meeink has revealed to The Post an astonishing twist: he is Jewish.

Long after quitting neo-Nazism and attempting to make amends for his past, he took a 23andMe test and discovered that he has Jewish ancestry — and has now embraced his heritage.

He was prompted to take the test by a chance remark from a friend that he “looked Jewish.”

“I just wanted to see if it was true, I wanted to see if it was real,” Meeink said.

“I found out by a beautiful gift from God that I was Jewish through DNA.”

The test showed his ancestry composition is 2.4% Ashkenazi Jewish. The small proportion belied its importance: his mother’s maternal great, great grandmother Elizabeth Zellman Rementer was Jewish — meaning that, according to the tradition of matrilineal descent, he is too.

Although not all Jewish scholars would accept that definition, many do — and Meeink has enthusiastically embraced Judaism.

He prays three times daily wearing the tallit and tefillin of observant Jews, attends synagogue, goes to three Torah study classes a week and keeps kosher.

Meeink grew up in an Irish-Catholic enclave in southwest Philadelphia with his mother and abusive step-father, surrounded by black families.

Escaping his fractured home life at his aunt and uncle’s farm near Lancaster, PA, in the summer of 1988, the 13-year-old was greeted by his neo-Nazi cousin who had a mural of Hitler in his bedroom.

Meeink feared drugs and black people, and his cousin’s skinhead crew “justified all my fears,” he said.

After returning home, he travelled the US, meeting prominent neo-Nazis including David Duke.

“I grabbed onto this information that was being fed to me,” he said. “I wanted to make this movement bigger.”

Aged 15, he had already joined – and been booted from – the Ku Klux Klan before deciding to form his own group with his cousin, called Strikeforce.

Meeink used the Bible to preach hate, “just like Hamas does with the Koran” and started his own public-access cable TV show in Springfield, Illinois, called “The Reich” full of racist “skits and jokes.”

Strikeforce particularly despised the anti-facist Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice (Sharp).

Meeink, who had “Sharp Killer” tattooed inside his lower lip, invited a member of the group to a party on Christmas Eve, 1992, then held him captive and tortured him.

“So we kidnapped him, used firearms — we had guns and s–t. We had him stay in the apartment and tortured him for hours with no remorse, no empathy, no nothing,” he recalled.

Aged 17, Meeink was sentenced to three years for aggravated kidnapping. In the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections he quickly became part of a crew of Aryan “farm boys and bikers.”

But unexpectedly, he bonded with two black inmates nicknamed Jello and G over games of football and cards in the prison yard, and began a slow journey out of neo-Nazism, which helped inspire Norton’s character.

He got out of prison in just over a year and still went to neo-Nazi rallies where he scoffed at their racism towards black people — but not their anti-semitism.

“I would hear them say all black people are this way,” he said, thinking “That’s not true.” But his anti-semitism meant, “I’m still gonna preach against the Jews.”

In 1994, jobless and a drunk at just 19, he was offered work in an antiques store in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, by its owner, Keith Brookstein, even though Brookstein was Jewish.

“‘Did you tell him about me — the swastika?’,” Meeink said he tentatively asked his friend who got him the job.

“Keith doesn’t give a rat’s a-s what you believe, just don’t break his furniture,” he replied.

Brookstein’s kindness, compassion and willingness to forgive resonated deeply with Meeink.  (cont.)

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
First of all, I would like to say thanks to James Lidell for writing this piece, and to Frank Meeink for his willingness to share his story.

Now, I must point out one grave error in Lidell's piece, ALL Jewish scholars hold to matrilineal descent. If they do not, then they are not scholars but rather they are pundits, wannabe heretics, neo-Karaites, or non-Jews, pushing an agenda. 

Yes, that sounds subjective, even patronizing, but I'm sticking to it. For now I presume that Lidell does not have any agenda here, other than objectivity and a desire to be inclusive from a non-Jewish perspective. If Lidell is not Jewish, I can understand, even appreciate, why he would not want to wade into Jewish issues.

On the other hand, perhaps Lidell was referring to the challenges involved in confirming the status Meeink's great-grandmother. In this is the case, I could not argue with it. Meeink has rabbis in his life. I have no doubt that they have addressed this with him, and the matter has been closed.

Also I believe that Brookstein's giving Meeink a job is what we might call a bdi'avad situation, roughly ex post facto, in this case something that worked out after the fact, but not a good idea to do, in the first place. With respect to Torah Law, a mitzvah (commandment) ideally must be carried out in specific manner. But if it was not, it still might acceptable the way it ended up being carried out,... after the fact.

I personally do not believe it was a good idea for Brookstein to give Meeink a job. But, as it it turns out, thank goodness that he did. Maybe Brookstein has a good intuition about people. Or maybe The Holy One, Blessed Be He was in charge (He is always in charge), and it was Meeinks turn for a break, what most people might call luck. Others might call it hashgahah pratith (The Almighty taking care of someone in an apparently direct way).

I am glad that Lidell wrote this piece, and recommend that you read it in its entirety. It is important information, and who knows? Regardless of Lidell's intentions, maybe one (or two or ten) more Jews will find their way back, like Meeink did.

You can see a video of Frank Meeink talking about his journey on the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute's X (formerly twitter) account.

And now for the main point I want to address here: DNA evidence. I do not believe the DNA testing did not prove, support, nor indicate in anyway that Meeink was Jewish. It seems that it inspired him to investigate his heritage further.

Mitochondrial DNA [mtDNA] is a piece of DNA which is passed on to children only from their mother, and can be traced. In other words, it can theoretically be used to trace matrilineal decent. However, this does not account for converts, who in many, if not most, cases are not genetically related to most other Jews.

Being a member of the Jewish People is not a solely genetic litmus test. Rather we are an ethno-spiritual people. Converts are by definition, members of the People of Israel, the promise of residing in the Land of Israel included.

As I write this, Christians exploit DNA testing, in order to find new and innovative ways toward a path to Israeli citizenship. This is one of the many reasons why the Rabbis have been very careful in the application of DNA evidence in determining Jewishness. Being Jewish is a halakhic (Torah legal) status, and not a genetic one.

Christians are one of the groups historically in opposition to the validity of the halakhah (Torah Law), not to mention how it excludes them. By extension this includes the laws of conversion. The bases of halakhah is not something made up out of the blue by rabbis, in order to push an agenda, as many, both Jews and non-Jews, would love for you to believe. Rather its basis has been handed down to us through the rabbis throughout the generations.

Halakhah is one of the Christians' biggest obstacles to gaining a foothold within the Land of Israel they believe to be theirs by right. Yet, they have no rights to it whatsoever.

Frank Meeink's use of DNA testing to prompt him to investigate, and eventually discover his Jewish identity is an example of an obvious pro.

Christians exploiting a genetic, and most probably patrilineal set of genetics markers to gain a foothold in the Land of Israel, the Erev Rav (Jews destroying us from within) who want to apply DNA testing to open our borders, and encourage intermarriage, and add otherwise add voters for their anti-Israel political parties are obvious cons.

אין שום דבר יהודי באולימפיאדה / There is Nothing in the Least Bit Jewish about the Olympics

ט' לחודש השישי תשפ"א

English follows the Hebrew.

YNET: רזבוזוב: "לא הגיוני שארטיום דולגופיאט לא יוכל להתחתן במדינה"

שר התיירות מחה על היחס שזוכים לו ישראלים רבים שאינם יהודים לפי ההלכה ולא יכולים להתחתן בארץ. "גאווה על הפודיום, סוג ב' מתחת לחופה", כתב בעקבות דבריה של אמו של האלוף. "לא צריך לקבל אישור או דחייה מהרבנות" 

YNET | 03.08.2021

...דבריו של השר [התיירות יואב רזבוזוב] נכתבו בעקבות הריאיון עם אמו של ארטיום, אנג'לה בילן, שסיפרה כי בנה מחויב להתחתן בחוץ לארץ עם בת זוגו שאינה יהודייה, ועד כה לא יכול לעשות זאת בשל שגרת האימונים וסגירת הגבולות. "המדינה לא נותנת להתחתן", סיפרה בילן ברדיו 103, "הם גרים ביחד שלוש שנים אבל צריך לצאת ולא נותנים. היא לא מפה, היא מבלרוס". גם דולגופיאט עצמו שגדל כיהודי, אינו יהודי לפי ההלכה - אלא רק מהצד של אביו. "סבתא שלו יהודייה ומבחינתנו הוא יהודי לגמרי", אמרה האם...

עשר אגורות (2¢):

כולם משבחים את ארטיום דולגופיאט, ספורטאי הזכה מדליית זהב בגימנסטיקה. קוראים לו גיבור ישראל וכולם בוכים שהרבנות הראשית של [מדינת] ישראל לא נותן לו להתחתן עם בת זוגו. למה? מפני שהוא לא יהודי? מפני שהיא לא יהודייה? לא! מפני ששניהם לא יהודים! אז מה הבעיה? הם יכולים להתחתן בכניסייה אורתודוקסית רוסית.

אם זהותו יהודית חשובה לו עד כדי כך, אז למה הו רוצה להתחתן עם אישה לא יהודייה? ולמה הוא לא רוצה לעבור את תהליך הגיור? אולי מפני שמה שלימדו אותו כיהדות היא לא יהדות בכלל.

תומר דבורה שואלת אם הם ביחד שלוש שניםלמה הם לא התחתנו כבר? הם נוסעים בכל רחבי העולם. לא היתה להם ההזדמנות לקבל תעודת נשואין אזרחי? או לא פשוט לא היה מספיק חשוב להם?

כל זה לא אשמת דולגופיאט. הוא לא החליט לעלות לארץ ישראל, זאת אומרת ארץ מולדת עם ישראל. אלא ההורים שלו בני נשואין תערובת החליטו כך.

עכשיו כדאי להזכיר לכם על אחד העניינים הראשונים שרה״מ לשעבר אריאל שרון הסכים לתת לעלות לדיון. והוא היה שינוי בחוק השבות. הרב ח״כ בני אלון ז״ל העלה את זה לדיון. ולפי שרון, העניין עלה לדיון, לא עבר הצבעת הקבינט. ניסינו. לא הצלחנו. וזהו נגמר. לדעתי הוא לא השתדל לשנות את חוק השבות בכלל.

אני לא מאמין במקריות. פרשת ״קושי דולגופיאט להתחתן בארץ״ (אפילו שהוא כן יכול) מתפרסמת הרבה בשל הרפורמות הנוכחיות שנכפות על הרבנות הראשית על ידי הממשלה. הפרסום הזה מבשר את ההתקפות הבאות נגד התורה על ידי הממשלה ובג״ץ. בואו נראה אם דולגופיאט ישמש בתור נציג המאבק למען נישואין תערובת בישראל.

לינוי אשרם גם זכתה מדליית זהב, וכפי שזה קורה, היא באמת יהודייה. והיא זכתה את המדלייה שלה בשבת. מה זה אומר על האולימפיאדה ועל תחרות ספורט בינלאומית בכלל?

ואין וכן צריך לומר שבגד התעמלות אומנותית בכלל לא צנועה. בת ישראל אמורה להתלבש ככה?

עודה פעם אני חייב להדגיש זה לא אשמת אשרם על מעשיה אלא היא אשמת מערכת החינוך הממלכתי.

לונה צ'מטאי-סלפטר השתתפה בריצה כנציגת מדינת ישראל. נולדה בקניה היא לא יהודייה אבל נשואה ליהודי. היא הגיעה ארצה כדי לעבוד בשגרירות קניה. מיכל הרצוג רעייתו של נשיא מדינת ישראל אמרה לה "את גיבורה אמיתית בשבילנו"

צופים ישראלים גם התרגשו כשהמאמן הכדורסל של איראן נתן יד למאמן קבוצת הכדורסל של צ׳כיה שהוא ישראלי. באמת יש מאמינים שהמאמן האיראני נתן יד לישראלי בכוונה? באמת?! התמונת התרחשות זו הופיעה מייד בהרבה כתבות על ידי אנשי ״הסברה.״

ועכשיו כדאי להזכיר לכם על עוד משהו, היסטוריית האולימפיאדה לגבי היהודים. הספורטאים באולימפיאדה השתתפו בערום. רק גברים השתתפו ורק גברים ניתנו להכנס לצפות. היו לנשים תחרות ספורט שלהן, ״חגיגת הֶרַאִיָה״ על שם האלילה היוונית ״הֶרָה.״

יהודים שרצו להשתתף עברו תהליך לשחזר עורלתם או דרך משיכת העורלה מטה או דרך ניתוח להסתיר ליוונים את זהותהיהודים שרצו להשתתף באולימפיאדה או ואפילו להכנס לגימנסיה עברו תהליך לשחזר עורלתם או דרך משיכת העורלה מטה או דרך ניתוח להסתיר ליוונים את זהות יהודית שלהם. זאת אומרת הם ביטלו את ברית מילה שלהם.

הנה האולימפיאדה: משתתפים לא יהודיים נציגי מדינת ישראל, יהודים זוכים מדליות בשבת והיסטוריה של ביטול ברית מילה על ידי יהודים שרצו להשתתף. כל הדברים אלה מוכיחים שאין שום דבר יהודי בכלל על האוליפיאדה. אלא האולימפיאדה היא סמל ענק של התבוללות ולא רק התבוללות הלניסטית. ישראלים צועקים בגאווה שהם עם כמו כל אומות העולם ורוצים להתקבל כך.

כמה יהודים יודעים באמת שחג חנוכה נולד בזכות ניצחון במלחמה נגד התבוללות?

אולי הספורטאים הנזכרים לעיל כן גיבורי מדינת ישראל. אבל הם לא גיבורי עם ישראל. אלא הם סמלים של נשואין תערובת, דוגמאות התבוללות, ותוצאות של מערכת החינוך הממלכי ושל האסטרטגיות להסיר את האופי היהודי וההשפעה היהודית (תורנית) ממדינת מארץ ישראל.

בטח שהתרגשנו ממרק שפיץ, סנדי קופקס ומספורטאים יהודים אחרים. הם ועוררו לנו השראה. הגענו לכושר גופני טוב יותר. הדימוי העצמי שלנו עלה. הבנו שיש לנו יכולת אפשרית להפוך להיול לוחמים יהודים בנוסף להיות חכמים. אבל, לתחרויות ספורט יש גבול.

בשנת תשנ"ו/1996 אחרי ששמעון פרס הפסיד בבחירות לבנימין נתניהו, הוא השיב לשאלה עיתונאית לאחר: "מי הפסיד?" באומרו כי "הישראלים" הפסידו ו"היהודים" ניצחו.

עכשיו אנחנו צריכים להגיד שהישראלים זכו וניצחו באולימפיאדה, אבל היהודים הפסידו.

YNET: ‘Israel will claim my son’s Olympic gold but won’t let him marry here’
Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov, himself a former Soviet Union immigrant, throws his support behind Artem Dolgopyat after his mother slammed the state for not allowing him to marry in Israel since he is not considered Jewish by Halacha
YNET | 08.02.21

..."They have lived together for three years but she is not from here, she is from Belarus. His grandmother is Jewish and for us he is completely Jewish," said the mother, referring to the fact the pair would need to travel abroad to have a civil marriage, which would be recognized by the state...  

...Israel's Law of Return allows anyone with at least one Jewish grandparent to immigrate and become a citizen....

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
Everyone is heaping praise onto Artem Dolgopyat, an athlete who won a gold medal in gymnastics. He is called the Hero of Israel and everyone cries that the Chief Rabbinate of the State of Israel does not let him marry his partner. Why? Because he is not a Jew? Because she's not Jewish? No! Because they are both non-Jews! so whats the problem? They can get married in a Russian Orthodox church.

If a Jewish identity is so important to him, then why does he want to marry a non-Jewish woman? And why does he not want to go through the conversion process? Maybe because what he has been taught him as Judaism is not Judaism at all.

Tomer Devorah asks, if they've been together for three years, why haven't they gotten married already? They travel all over the world. Didn't they have the opportunity to have a civil marriage? Or was it just not important enough to them?

None of this controversy is the fault of Dolgopyat. It wasn't his decision to immigrate to the Land of Israel, that is, the homeland of the Jewish People. That was the decision of his mixed-married parents.

At this point, we should remind ourselves of a piece of recent history concerning the Law of Return (mentioned above). When now deceased, former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was first elected one, the Law of Return was one of the first issues he agreed to bring up for discussion. Rabbi MK Benny Alon z"l raised the issue. And according to Sharon, the matter did not pass the Cabinet. We tried, and that's it. In my not so humble opinion, Ariel Sharon didn't try very hard at all.

It is no coincidence that Dolgopyat's inability to marry in Israel, even though he can, has been heavily publicized. This is due to the current reforms being forced upon the Chief Rabbinate, forebodes the Government and Supreme Court's next assault on the Torah. Let's watch and see if Dolgopyat will be used as Israel's intermarriage poster boy.

Linoy Ashram also won a gold medal for the State of Israel. And she actually happens to be Jewish. She also happens to have won her medal on Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath). What does this tell you about the Olympics, and about international sports competition in general?

Needless to say, Unfortunately, it actually is necessary to mention that rhythmic gymnastics outfits, such as worn by Ashram, are not in the least bit modest. Is this how a Bat Yisrael (Jewish woman) is supposed to dress? 

Once again I must emphasize it is not Ashram's fault for her actions. Rather it is the fault of the State's education system, and objective to reduce the Jewish nature of the State of Israel.

Born in Kenya, and originally coming to Israel to work at the Kenyan embassy, Luna Chamtai-Salpeter represented the State of Israel in track. She is not Jewish, but is married to a Jew. Michal Herzog, the wife of the State of Israel's President told her, "You are a true hero for us."

Israeli Olympic spectators also got super excited over the Iranian basketball coach who shook hands with the Czech basketball team coach who happens to be Israeli. Do people really believe that the Iranian basketball coach intentionally shook hands with an Israeli? Seriously?! Photos of this incident immediately made it into articles by those involved with "Hasbara" (co-dependent PR).

And now it bears reminding ourselves of the original Olympics regarding the Jews. The Athletes participated at the Olympics naked. Only men participated, and only men were allowed in as spectators. The women had their own athletic competition, the Heraean Games, named for the Greek goddess Hera.

Jews who wanted to participate in the Olympics, or even enter the gymnasium, hid their Jewish identity from the Greek, either by stretching their foreskin or restoring it through surgery, thus purposefully undoing their brith milah (ritual circumcision).

So, here we have it: Non-Jewish participants representing the Jewish State, Jews winning medals on Shabbat and a history of canceling ones brith milah by those Jews wanting to participate. All of these aspects demonstrate that there is nothing in the least bit Jewish about Jewish participation in the Olympics. Rather the Olympics are nothing more than an embarrassing symbol of assimilation. Israeli citizens proudly shout that they are a people like all other nations of the world and desperately want to be accepted as such.

How many Jews actually know that Hanukkah is a holiday born out of a war against such assimilation?

Perhaps the athletes mentioned above are indeed heroes of the State of Israel, but they are not heroes of the people of Israel, the Jewish People. Rather, they are symbols of intermarriage, examples of assimilation, and the results of the Israeli Mamlakhti (statist) educational system and of the objective to remove Jewish character and Torah influence from the State of Israel.

Sure, Mark Spitz, Sandy Kofax, and other Jewish athletes excited and inspired us. We got into better physical shape. We raised our self-image. We realized we had the potential to become Jewish warriors, as well as scholars. But, sports competitions have their limits.

In 1996, after losing the premiership to Benjamin Netanyahu, Shimon Peres was asked by a journalist, "Who lost?" Peres responded, "Israelis." He was then asked, "Who won?" To this, he responded, "The Jews," clearing differentiated between the two.

Now we can say that it was the Israelis who won at the Olympics, but it was the Jews who lost.

There is nothing in the least bit Jewish about the Olympics.

*********

See Tomer Devorah's There Comes A Time, in which she addresses the issues above.

ברקוביץ מסוכן לירושלים! אל תצביע לברקוביץ! / Berkovitch is Dangerous for Jerusalem! Do not Vote for Berkovitch!

ראש החודש התשיעי תשע״ט

הנה כמה מודעות אפשר לראות תלויות בירושלים...

Here are some posters you can see hanging in Jerusalem...

Berkovitch is dangerous for Jerusalem!

He is for the Reform Movement in Jerusalem!
Ofer Berkovitch: "We will honor every person and each community which can function according to a world view, Reform, Arab, Jew. As mayor I will come to every community in order to give it the honor it deserves without any connection to religion or perspective." (October, 2018)

Fighting for sanctity of Jerusalem!

Berkovitch is dangerous for Jerusalem!

He is against supporting yeshiva students!
"You know how it is, our public continuously complains more and enlists into the military less. That's what we're fighting for."

Fighting for the sanctity of Jerusalem!

Berkovitch is dangerous for Jerusalem!

From the Hitorerut Party platform of Ofer Berkowitz: The Hitorerut movement will support the operation of public transportation on Shabbat, such as service taxis in order to allow freedom of movement in Jerusalem during the Sabbath.

Fighting for sanctity of Jerusalem!

Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid), Ofer Berkovitch (Hitorerut)

They're building upon your Apathy...

Fighting for the Sanctity of Jerusalem

עשר אגורות (2¢):
בואו  נדבר על הבטחת הכנסה לאברכים פעם אחרת. בינתיים אל תקראו ״הבטחת הכנסה לאברכים״ אלא ״אברכים״ בלבד. כלומר חרדים או שומרי תורה בכלל. ולכן למה יש חרדים התומכים בו? כתבתי על זה כבר ב״רק לא ברקוביץ׳!״

צריך להיות מספיק ההשקפה של עופר ברקוביץ׳ לגבי הרפורמים, הערבים, ושבת לשכנע אותכם לא להצביע לו.

ואם לא, אל תדאגו. בעוד חמש שנה אני אהיה כאן כדי להקשיב לחרטה שלכם.

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
We can talk about financial support for yeshiva students another time. In the meantime, do not read "financial support for yeshiva students" but rather just "yeshiva students."In other words, Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) or Torah observant in general. And so, why are there some Haredim who support him? I've already written about this in "Don't Vote for Berkowitch!"

Berkovitch's opinions regarding the the Reform Movement, the Arabs, and Shabbat should be enough to convince you not to vote for him.

If not, then I can't help you. But, I'll make a point of being there in five years to tell you that I told you so.

It's Broken Record Time: Western Values and Sensibilities do not Equal Jewish Values and Sensibilities

כ"ג לחודש השנים עשר ב' תשע"ד

A respondant to a string on Facebook warning of the dangers of assimilation, particularly outside of Israel:

The solution lays in adjusting halacha (Jewish Law) to make it more attractive for the people, less oppressive towards woman, less misogynistic, ethnocentric and sexist. We can deny all we want, but why would anyone want to be a part of a religion that makes them feel bad? Assimilation happens as a result of something, maybe instead of locking up the girls of Israel, make them apart of the leadership, halachic bodies and allow them to take an active roll in who they can be in this religion. Marriage is the point where woman clearly have a disadvantage, look at the get situation among many woman who actively choose to remain religious. Arabs aren't the issue and neither are the "none-Jews" it's close minded Jews who want to stay in the Galut/holocaust mentality that drive assimilation.

Esser Agaroth (2¢) Response:
We are not here on this earth do whatever we want (ie. adjust halakhah), nor are we here on this earth to do whatever we want, and delude ourselves into thinking that it is, in fact, what HaShem wants, too.

We are here on this earth to do what HaShem wants. How do we know what that is? His Holy Torah, which includes the Oral Torah.

When we attempt to "adjust" halakhah, based on nothing but how we feel and what we want, then we are doing nothing less than disregarding it, if not cancelling its proper place in our lives.

I would like to suggest that you (and many others) arrived at this idea as a result of 1,700 to 2,000 years in galuth (exile). Such an experience can, and has, most certainly distort the authenticity of a people's traditions, not to mention their beliefs.

That being said, I am just as critical of all of the humroth (stringencies) which also came out of galuth, as I am of those with perspectives such as yours. These humroth may have had their purpose in galuth, to keep us together, whole, and on track. However, I do not see that they have much purpose here in Eretz Yisra'el. 

In support of you, I believe that you are right about people not being attracted to Judaism, but I disagree with your solution. The solution, I believe, is two-fold:

1. Seek out the learning of authentic halakhah. One possible resource for this is Machon Shilo and its companion YouTube Channel, which is updated weekly.


2. Learn to differentiate between Western values and sensibilities (eg. feminism, egalitarianism, state-ism, Christianity, haskalah) and Jewish values and sensibilities. In time, we can all learn which is the wisdom of the goyim (non-Jews) that we may embrace, and which is the failed attempts of "Torah" by the goyim, that which we must discard, if not speak out against them.

Here is an example: When Passover Became a Holiday Again.

Most Jews forget that Passover is a holiday, a happy time, but rather see, and inaccurately so, as a time of suffering, if not during Passover itself, then certainly beforehand, scrub brush in hand.

Who wants to spend six to eight hours in schul on Rosh HaShannah? I sure don't! Although there are some out there who find this meaningful and gratifying, I, personally, am not one of them. And I challenge anyone to show me how this is the halakhah.

I am happy to report that every year, I spend 3:20 hours in a minyan on Rosh HaShannah morning. That's right only 3:20 hours, and I can even set my watch by it.

But this is not about "less" being "more." Otherwise, the so-called Jewish "movements" would be the bearers of the solution, which they most certainly are not.

This is about stepping up to challenge of accepting an authentic Jewish identity, and investigating what that means, and perhaps more importantly, what that doesn't mean.

More ADL Kishen Tuches and It's Germany's Turn!

כ"ב לחודש השנים עשר ב' תשע"ד

YNET: Merkel receives ADL human rights prize
Jewish group presents German chancellor with its distinguished Joseph Prize in recognition of her 'abiding commitment' to protecting human rights of Jews, defending Jewish religious freedom.

March 23, 2014

VIDEO – The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has presented German Chancellor Angela Merkel with its distinguished ADL Joseph Prize for Human Rights in recognition of her "abiding commitment to promoting and protecting human rights at home and abroad."

In presenting the prize, ADL cited a number of accomplishments and actions that it said showed Chancellor Merkel’s unwavering commitment to human rights.

"They include Merkel’s efforts to protect the human rights of Jews through her commitment to the security of the State of Israel; raising her voice against Russian President Vladimir Putin and his arbitrary exercise of power; her defense of Jewish religious freedom in Germany, including the protection of the right to male circumcision; and her courageous public criticism of Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan’s actions against protestors last year, in which she stated that 'our European values – the freedom to demonstrate, the freedom of speech, the rule of law, the freedom of religion – they apply always. They are non-negotiable for us.'"

The prize was presented at the German Chancellery in Berlin by members of a leadership delegation currently traveling in Germany, headed by ADL National Chair Barry Curtiss-Lusher and ADL National Director Abraham H. Foxman.

"As the head of government, the pursuit of human rights is not your only responsibility,” Foxman said in his remarks to Chancellor Merkel.

"Internationally, we have seen you, time and again, speak frankly to other leaders on human rights issues. On your first visit to Moscow as chancellor, you made a point of inviting human rights campaigners to a reception at the German embassy. And since then you have raised your voice publicly when meeting with Vladimir Putin on behalf of those targeted by his arbitrary exercise of power.

"It is clear to all," Foxman added, "that your actions are based on deep personal convictions. We are fortunate that someone with such convictions leads one of the most important countries in the world, and that you have made clear to other leaders that their records on human rights play a weighty role in determining Germany’s relations with their nations." (cont.)

Esser Agaroth (2¢):

I have absolutely no idea why Putin is mentioned in the citation, just more proof perhaps that the ADL, which claims to be a Jewish organization, isn't.

I wonder if this wasn't perhaps some kind of lame, consolation prize for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's recent, accidental shadow puppetry (below).

We have rabbis in the Crimea and other parts of the the Ukraine declaring the "everything's fine. don't worry about us." We have and yet the non-profit, a-political ADL doesn't happen to like what Putin is doing, and so it says so.

Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu
...playing shadow puppets.

Meanwhile, Chancellor Merkel and the rest of her European Union continue to support a so-called two-state solution," in other words the establishment of yet another Arab state which desires the annihilation of Israel.

How does this support the Jewish "human" right of self-determination? How does this guarantee Israeli's security, by trusting Yishma'el (the Arabs),...this time?

So, how different is slaughtering an entire people yourself versus having some "Palestinian" lackeys do it for you?

Food for thought...

It seems to me the Vladamir Putin appears to be doing more to support the rights of his own people, those of his own people/nationality, than the Israeli government does for its own.

The delegation also presented Chancellor Merkel with a framed paper-cut that repeats, in several languages, the Hebrew phrase "V'ahavta L'reakha Kamokha," which translates "Thou Shalt Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself," which is one of the most sacred admonitions of the Torah.

...not to mention one of the most misunderstood verses in the entire Tana"kh (Bible).

I'm get soaked by all of the ADL's, and in particular Foxman's, slobbering all over the German Chancellor, including some serious kishen tuches.

May Chancellor Merkel never recover to a state of complete dryness.

Is the Jewish State Jewish?

פורים תשע"ד

Jeremy Gimpel

Two different pieces prompted me to write the following, diehard Christian-lover Jeremy Gimpel's Dodging the Draft Because of God?! (Tip: The Torah Revolution, which I also recommend that you read his response.), obviously written without the knowledge that the Haredi Draft Issue has never been about the Haredi Draft, and Ya'el Shahar's A New Sanhedrin: A Leap Forward or a Step Backward.

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
As far as the State of Israel, and its army [IDF] being Jewish, well, let's see....

1. Fighting for democratic (Hellenist) rights, instead of fighting for us to perform the Will of The Almighty.

2. Continuing to insist on being just like the goyim (non-Jewish), a member of the international "family of nations," instead of striving to be the separate and distinct people we are supposed to be.

3. Watering down Shabbath, kashruth, marriage and conversion regulations, for the sake of democracy.

4. The indoctrination of even religious children into Israeli, secular society, to make sure that the authority of the State is central, instead of the authority of The Almighty through His Holy Torah.

5. The suicidal giving away land, not even ours to give away, and to hostile enemies no less.

6. Increasing levels of romiscuity in the IDF, due to male and female close contact in fighter units.

7. Sacrificing the lives of our IDF soldiers for the sake of protecting enemy "civilians" instead of following halakhah related to war.

8. Feminism, egalitarianism, and other "do what we want" libertine concepts.

9. The silence of the State-employed "rabbis" on most of these issues, acting little more than puppets, rather than the halakhic authorities they are supposed to be, how on earth can you call the State and its army Jewish?

Is this what you mean by "Jewish?".

Who was it who said that we'll have a truly Jewish state, when we have Jewish street cleaners, Jewish Prostitutes, and Jewish criminals?

What I mean by "Jewish" is that of being Torah-focused, which is the primary purpose of the Jewish People.

As a religious Jew, I would not want my son entering such a an un-Jewish army, unless it was for one of these reasons, such as having influence on other soldiers for the good of the Jewish People and its eternal Homeland.

The State is only occasionally Torah-focused, and then only cosmetically so. Thus, when it comes to being Jewish, the State of Israel is only occasionally Jewish, and then only cosmetically so.

Which Israeli Court Overstepped its Bounds?

ח' לחודש השנים עשר ב' תשע"ד

Arutz 7: Rabbinic Court Cannot Decide on Circumcision
A rabbinic court overstepped its bounds when it ruled in parents’ circumcision battle, Attorney General says.

Maayana Miskin, March 6, 2014

Yehuda Weinstein
Israeli Attorney General

A beit din (rabbinic court) overstepped its legal authority when it ruled in the case of divorcing parents who disagree over whether to circumcise their young son, Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein said Thursday.

Weinstein submitted his opinion to the Supreme Court as part of the ongoing legal battle between the parents.

The parents in question are in the midst of divorcing via the rabbinic courts. In Israel, Jewish couples may divorce through either the rabbinic courts, which rule according to Jewish law (halakha), or through the Family Court system.

During the divorce process, the father raised a complaint against the mother for refusing to have their infant son circumcised. Circumcision is considered an important Biblical command in Judaism, and the circumcision ceremony is when infant boys fully join the Jewish nation.

The court ruled in the father’s favor, and ordered the mother to have the baby boy circumcised or else pay a fine. The mother has appealed to the Supreme Court.

Weinstein previously told the Supreme Court that he does not believe the beit din had the right to rule in the specific case at hand, due to the fact that in this particular case, the circumcision would need to be performed under anesthesia or other pain-killing medicine.

In his statement submitted to the court Thursday, which came to complete his earlier opinion, Weinstein said that when parents disagree over circumcision, the Family Court system – and not the beit din system – has the right to rule in the case.

The question of circumcision cannot be considered an issue directly pertaining to divorce, he explained – and therefore, it is outside the beit din’s jurisdiction.

Weinstein noted that while he believes the beit din should not have ruled in the case, it is possible that a family court, too, may rule that it is in a minor child’s best interests to undergo circumcision.

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
The Israeli Justice System, not to mention the Israeli Government, is not Jewish System. Worse yet, the Israeli Attorney General himself appears to be battling again the only, relatively Jewish System which exists in this country.

...as if it, besides piqu'ah nefesh (saving a life), it should EVER be considered NOT to circumcise a Jewish son?

How Jewish of a question is this? Not very... Rather it is a question out of the Western galuth (exile) mentality, underneath which we discover the Greco-Roman concept of the perfection of the body. Of course, it is buried under the Western Galuth concepts found closer to the surface, such as freedom of religious expression and democracy, or in Israel's case, deMOCKracy, and the co-dependent need to be acceptable by the goyim (non-Jews) as their equals and peers, one member of the international family of nations. Even though it is our role to remain a separate and distinct people.

I find the only odd element of this case is Weinstein's apparent inconsistency.

(Wikipedia) Criticism
Weinstein came under intense criticism for his inaction regarding a number of rabbis [including Rabbi Shmu'el Eliyahu shlit"a] in Safed, who, according to Haaretz called on Jewish homeowners to not rent to Arabs—an action they claim is prohibited by Halakha. A number of MKs, mainly from Meretz, and public intellectuals, attacked him for dallying on pursuing an investigation against the rabbis, who they argued, as civic officials, were in severe violation of Israeli law. 

Rabbi Shmu'el Eliyahu

So, Weinstein apparently did the right thing (ie. the halakhic thing), regarding a previous issue, by seemingly letting Rabbi Shmu'el Eliyahu of Tzfath (Safed) off the hook, so to speak. Yet goes after a beth din (rabbinical court) over its decision to retain the sanctity of a male, Jewish infant's entrance into Klal Yisra'el.

The only logical conclusion drawn from speculation is that he has been moving farther and farther away from Jewish-based decisions, and closer and closer toward un-Jewish ones.

Either that, or he knows that a beth din functioning under the auspices of the Israeli Government is a much easier target than the Chief Rabbi of Tzfath, who is uncompromising on Torah principles.

"Sheeple" = "Sheep" + "People"

Clearly, it was the Israeli secular court which overstepped its bounds, by asserting power over a case which it has absolutely no authority over,...even when numb-out "Sheeple" Jews allow it.

The battle between Torah and Israel's Western galuth-based excuse for a government continues.

Which side are you on?

Excuse me, but Exactly How is AIPAC Pro-Israel?

ערב שבת קודש פר' ויקרא תשע"ד

A Star of David embedded in a 5-pointed star?
I hate to ask what that means... embedded in...
Christianity? Wicca? Pentacles?

The "pro-Israel" lobby held it big, annual shindig this week. This is the same "pro-Israel" lobby, which backed down on sanctions against Iran, which would like to annihilate Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and AIPAC President Michael Kassen
AIPAC Conference,  March, 2014

Jewish Ledger: What do you see as AIPAC’s top priorities?Michael Kassen: The underlying AIPAC mission is to help create a very tight relationship between the state of Israel and the U.S. – that’s at the core of our work. We do that first and foremost by working through legislation and through Congress. Our priorities every year include U.S. foreign aid, which is now entirely security assistance. Four or five years ago, some component of that aid was economic assistance to Israel; this year, President Obama’s budget includes a $3.1 billion request for fiscal 2013. That’s very, very important. Not only is the money important, but the overall security collaboration between our two countries is more so. 

Hmm...but I suppose that sanctions against Iran,...what? Fell through the cracks? Or perhaps they did not serve in AIPAC's interest. Security funding? You mean keeping Israel financially and emotionally co-dependent the U. S.'s addiction to spending what it doesn't have. So, when the U. S. finally hits bottom (soon than you think!), where does that leave Israel? There is already talk about President Obama's cuts in aid to Israel's anti-missile defenses. Thanks, but no thanks!

Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD)

Rep. Eric Cantor, the Majority Leader in the U. S. House of Representatives, and who should not be having anything to do with the political scene of his country of exile, rather be here in Israel, where he belongs "told reporters that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had made a bold and very difficult decision by releasing Palestinian terrorists 'with a lot of blood on their hands.' In doing so, Israel has demonstrated a willingness for peace, but it was important for Israel to secure itself and secure its citizenry, said Cantor, who made the distinction between regular prisoners and terrorists with blood on their hands." (JPost.com) 

This is supposed to be a pro-Israel stance?

Rep. Steny Hoyer, the Minority Whip in the U. S. House of Representatives, believes in a two-state solution. Giving away land Divinely promised and granted to the Jewish People is not only anti-Israel, it is pure hutzpah (gaul), if not worse.

Next on the list of AIPAC stars, we have "Rabbi" Felipe Goodman of Las Vegas. He is just a little bit too close to Christians for comfort, seemingly even providing some validation to their mythology. I wonder how his fellow Jewish "confusing Western concepts with Torah ones" Theological Seminary [JTS] feel about this.

Hey, "Rabbi!" We are supposed to be a separate and distinct People. Fraternizing with the [spiritual] descendants of Esau, is only relevant for our survival in the lands of our exile, where are no longer forced to reside.

AIPAC Activist indeed!

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), considered a "hawkish" pro-Israel activist, does not seem to mind Azza (Gaza) being choked economically. Sounds promising, no? But, he, too, believes in the two-state solution crap. Furthermore, he has somehow got it into his head that the majority of Israelis feel the same way. Hmm... maybe he considers Arabs to be Israeli, too.

Pro-Israel? "Hawkish," indeed! If Sen. Schumer wants to show how pro-Israel he is, then he can resign his position, pack his bags, and get on a plane to Israel already!

Pastor Chris Harris? Need I say more? A Christian choir at the AIPAC Conference? Hey, I am all for non-Jews supporting us from afar,...FROM AFAR. After all, it is in their benefit, more than ours (Gen. 12:3). We don't need any hanger-onners with ulterior motives, thank you very much!

Last, but definitely not least, is U. S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who has anything but Israel's best interests at heart. And, why should he? He is the U. S. Secretary of State, not the Israeli Secretary of State.

Pressuring Israel into a two-state solution, dividing the Eternal Capital of the Jewish People, Jerusalem, and stationing U. S. troops in Eretz Yisra'el (Land of Israel) for our so-called "protection" appears to be the least pro-Israel of them all, and thus providing the ultimate support for my contention that AIPAC is anything, but pro-Israel. How about some encouragement of Jews to leave the U . S., and to make aliyah (immigration to Israel)?

Just say, "No"
to AIPAC

I won't hold my breath.

Jews are just wasting their time hanging around the U. S., and slobbering over non-Jews, and the Jewish "celebrities" of the non-Jewish governmental system of one of our nations of exile.

Why Israel does not Need a President

ל' לחודש השנים עשר תשע"ד

I must admit that I was surprised by the several good point Tami Arad made in her Op-ed. I did not bother to copy and paste any of those points here. You may want to go to the original, and see if you agree.

Of course, the premise upon which Arad's piece is based is completely irrelevant.

Shimon Peres
President of Israel

YNET: Why Israel Needs A President, Tami Arad, February 18, 2014
Op-ed: A country which sees itself as part of the family of nations has to have at least one figure to represent it in the world according to the acceptable diplomatic standards. 

"Sees itself as part of the family of nations?" Who does? I sure as heck don't.

"Acceptable diplomatic standards?" Acceptable to whom? Acceptable according to what?

...the absence of a representative figure towards the world. For example, if Angela Merkel arrives for a visit in Israel and decides to voice irresponsible criticism against us in German. The honorable chancellor may find herself attacked in witty Hebrew not just by the Bayit Yehudi's defenders of ethics but also by the prime minister, who out of political factional motives may find himself on the offensive, forgetting that he is supposed to be the goalkeeper.

Again with the "world representative" rhetoric.... So, when the recent envoy from the European Union [EU] expressed his criticism, what was our supreme leader president supposed to have done? Comfort us, after we finished just sitting there and taking it?

A story of the wife of a well-known rabbi in Southern California comes to mind. She, her daughter, and a friend were attending a fundraiser. When this prominent rabbi's wife dared to bring up some possible halakhic (Torah legal) problems with the event to the chief organizer, and in private, she and her companions were asked to leave. Upon being escorted out, she was heard saying, "I've been thrown out of better places than this!" 

And so a country which sees itself as part of the family of nations needs at least one figure to represent it in the world according to the acceptable diplomatic standards. In addition, when the president is an authority and a popular figure, he may serve as a mediator on ethical and social issues or during labor disputes, when the parties need a reconciling formal figure.

Again with the family of nations analogy. (SIGH) In Arad's defense, whether she wants me to defend her or not, she does say "sees itself." She observes, quite correctly I might add, that this is how Israel sees itself.

Of course, I find this unfortunate, as it nothing less that the same ol' Galuth (exile) -minded drive to be "just like everyone else." Even though we are supposed to be a separate and distinct people, with many of out roles being separate and distinct from everyone else's.

And before any of you start getting in my face about how Israel asked Shmu'el HaNavi for a king, like everyone else had (I Sam. 1:5-7), The Almighty foresaw this already (Deut.17:15), as He is all-seeing and all-knowing. As the Ramba"m elaborates in his the Laws of Kings and Wars, Jewish kings are to have distinctively Jewish (ie. not goyshe) qualities. Thus the idea of a proper, Jewish King of Israel cannot be seen as "being like everyone else."

And so, when we finally have a proper, Jewish king, as part of a proper, authentically Jewish Government, which we do not at all currently have, then the king

However, I will hazard a guess that the king will not be representing Israel to the international "family" in the manner which Arad believes to be appropriate. Rather, he will function according to Jewish (ie. Torah) Law, whether that ends up rubbing the "acceptable diplomatic standard" keepers the wrong way or not.

Assessing Ariel Sharon's Life

י"ב לחודש האחד עשר תשע"ד

This past Shabbath, Ariel Sharon, who served as Israel's Prime Minister from 2001/תשס"א to 2006/תשס"ו, died, after being in a coma for eight years.

בראשית כג
א וַיִּהְיוּ חַיֵּי שָׂרָה, מֵאָה שָׁנָה וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וְשֶׁבַע שָׁנִים--שְׁנֵי, חַיֵּי שָׂרָה. ב וַתָּמָת שָׂרָה, בְּקִרְיַת אַרְבַּע הִוא חֶבְרוֹן--בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן; וַיָּבֹא, אַבְרָהָם, לִסְפֹּד לְשָׂרָה, וְלִבְכֹּתָהּ.

Genesis 23
1. And the life of Sarah was a hundred and seven and twenty years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2 And Sarah died in Qiriyath-Arba--the same is Hevron--in the land of Canaan; and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.

Now, before you start yelling at me for daring to invoke the name of the righteous Sarah Immenu in a piece about Ariel Sharon, please just keep reading, and you will see why I have done so.

Regarding these verses, it has been asked (please help me out with the source here), "Why does the 'Life of Sarah" begin with her death?"

The answer I have heard to this is that only after person's death can that person's life be fully assessed.

The on-line chatter has already crowded the various news media with anything from fantastical praise for Ariel Sharon to ultra-demonization. He was the Hero of the Six Day War; he participated in the "Saison" Jew-hunting in the 1940's.

Anything and everything you wanted to know about Ariel Sharon, and perhaps did not want to know about Ariel Sharon, is for the most part, available on-line, including theories as to whether he was even Jewish, and what actually put him into a coma in the first place.

The point of the verses from Genesis, and subsequent midrash, is to demonstrate that even in Sharon's case, only now can his life be fully assessed. Apparently, even the exact time of his final departure from this world may have significance.

Of course, in Sarah Immenu's case, Rashi says of the years of her life that, "all of them were for the good."

I doubt that anyone could say this of Ariel Sharon.

However, I do not intend to enter the debate over whether Sharon was an angel or a devil, or anything in between the two. I simply intend to point out few observations, which I am not so sure that anyone else has yet to make, and then let you draw your own conclusions.

President Shimon Peres places wreath next to former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, lying in state.
(Photo Credit: Amos Ben Gershom/GPO - edited)

First of all, he dies this past Shabbath afternoon, at which time the plugs were pulled, an action completely unnecessary to keep him alive, quite the opposite, in fact. Shabbath was the furthest thing from the minds of this secular family. I get that. So, let's move on to the photo above.

Sharon is "lying in State" in Jerusalem, something which goyim (non-Jews) do. Jews, on the other hand, are supposed to be buried, as soon as possible. Often, the maximum number of days to wait is considered by most to be three, under normal circumstances. But, in the Holy City of Jerusalem, the custom is to bury the deceased with 24 hours. For this reason, Jerusalem is the only city in the world where Jewish funerals are routinely conducted at night, as well as during the day.

Next, we see Israeli President Shimon Peres observing another goyshe custom, that of placing flowers next to the deceased.

Were the customs observed for other Israeli prime ministers and government officials? I think that we can safely assume so. Then, perhaps, it is unfair to single out Sharon.

My point here is that assessing Sharon's life does not have to entail the complexities of delving into the events in his life or the various actions he took.

The non-Jewish treatment of Ariel Sharon in death is reflective of his treatment of the people and the country he led in life. Sometimes his decisions were wise, those requiring practical strategies which can be permissible to learn from goyim. But, when required to formulate decisions not based on such wisdom, he failed.

Parashath Sh'moth: What's In A Name? (Part 1: People)

ערב שבת קודש פר' שמות תשע"ד

וְאֵלֶּה, שְׁמוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, הַבָּאִים, מִצְרָיְמָה: אֵת יַעֲקֹב, אִישׁ וּבֵיתוֹ בָּאוּ. שמות א,א

Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt with Jacob; every man came with his household: (Exodus 1:1)

Once upon a time, there was a class of boys in a religious school in New York. The class had three Ephraim's in it. To differentiate among these boys, the teacher came up with a clever idea. He would call one of these boys Ephraim, one of them Effie, and one of them Jeff, his English name.

This was a religious school? This was Jewish school?

I suppose the thought never occurred to this teacher to call each of these boys "Ephraim ben...[father's name]."

Another man I know made aliyah when he was a teenager. His name was "Joshua," and that is exactly what he had been called all of his life. Yet, he looked forward to changing his name on his freshly issued Israeli ID Card to Yehoshu'a. When the time came, when his turn at the Ministry of the Interior came up, he submitted his name-change request. The clerk actually discouraged him, saying, "You're in luck! Foreign (non-Hebrew) names are very popular. Keep yours!"

This was in Israel at a government agency, in a country where the official language is Hebrew? And this is a supposed to be a Jewish State?

So, why are there still rabbis, not just outside of Israel, but IN Israel going by goyshe names? What kind of example does that set?

Sorry, but there is NO excuse for "rabbis" in Israel to be called by their slave names such as "Jeff," "Steve," or "Richard." Even "Mark" is considered by some in Israel as a nickname for "Meir" (Merik/Mark).

Ephraim and Joshua at least made some effort to go by their Hebrew names. When Ephraim came to Israel, he was called Effie in the army [IDF]. But, after that, try as he may, everyone continued to call him Jeff. Kol HaKavod to the IDF. Go figure.

Years ago, I was teaching Hebrew at a "Reformist" institution,...fourth grade boys. It was not the kind of place which would have even heard of thing such as gender segregation. I was simply given the small group of students with so-called "attention difficulties," which happened to have been made up of only boys.

I started the year with an announcement to my students that during class, as this was a Hebrew [and Judaism] class, we would be using our Hebrew names.

So as not to embarrass anyone, I immediately qualified this by saying that one or more of them might not yet know his Hebrew name or even have one, and that this was [unfortunately] not uncommon. The boys were to go home, and ask their parents about this, and if they did not already have a Hebrew name that, with the help of their parents, they could pick their own.

I actually adapted this use of Hebrew names in Hebrew class from my own junior high school Spanish experience, in which we had to pick Spanish names to use during class.

One boy Craig came to the next class, quite pleased with himself that he had a Hebrew name that he could present to me and to the class.

He said that his parents told him that his Hebrew name was Hanan. Like with all of the students, I explained what I knew about their names, in order that their names would have even more meaning to them. Of coruse, some of them were named for deceased relatives. For that aspect of their names, they would have to ask their parents, or in some cases their grandparents, about those relatives for whom they were named. In addition to providing them with meaning to their own names, they would be engaged in keeping the memories of those relatives alive, which is the point of naming children after them. But, this assignment was also designed to get their parents more involved with their Jewish education,...hopefully in a painless manner.

I explained to Hanan a little bit about his name.

Hen = charm (He really liked this one! ie. charming)

Honen HaDa'ath = implanter/endower of wisdom

Hananiah (AKA "Shadrach," Daniel 1:1-3:33)

He insisted that I only call him Hanan, even outside of class. Uh-oh, I thought. Did I create a monster? Would I receive a phone call from parents complaining that I was brainwashing their son?

That's OK. I was willing to take that risk. And, as it happened, I did not receive any phone calls from irate parents. Parental trust in their Jewish institution? Parental apathy? I would never know.

רב הונא אמר בשם בר קפרא בשביל ד' דברים נגאלו ישראל ממצרים שלא שנו את שמם ואת לשונם ולא אמרו לשון הרע ולא נמצא ביניהן אחד מהן פרוץ בערוה לא שנו את שמן ראובן ושמעון נחתין ראובן ושמעון סלקין לא היו קורין ליהודה רופא ולא לראובן לוליאני ולא ליוסף לסטיס ולא לבנימין אלכסנדרי. -ויקרא רבה לב,ה

...Rav Huna said in the name of Bar-Qafra for the sake of four things, Israel was redeemed from Egypt, they did not change their names, nor their spoken tongue, and they did not say lashon hara', and there was not one found among them who acted lewdly. They did not change their names: Reuven and Shimon when they entered; Reuven and Shimon when they left. They did not call Yehudah Rofe, and not Reuven Luliani, and not Yosef Listim, and Binyanin Alexandrei.... (Wayiqra Rabba 32:5)

I am willing to bet that wherever Craig is, and whatever Craig is doing with his life, he will at least always have a positive, Jewish identity. Who knows? Maybe it will lead him to more.

Maybe it already has, due to the power of having an authentically Jewish name.

*********

Craig/Hanan is his real name. He would be about 30 years old by now. The Reform schul above is on the East Coast of the U. S. I mention this on the unlikely chance that he, or someone he knows, will read this, and I could perhaps find out what really happened to student who made my day.

Who knows what kind of Jewish identity he was being raised with, but it seemed that his Jewish name was what clicked for him.

Ephraim and Joshua were not really named these names. However, those stories did occur, as they were related to me.