How Jewish souls survive the grave: Rabbi Aaron Parry (z't'l) transitions days before coincidental Torah portion

Sibling Rabbis, Aaron (r) and Moshe (l) Parry read from the Torah at a holiday prayer service

Orthodox Rabbi Aaron Parry, was raised secular as Tony. Just two weeks ago, he celebrated his 66th birthday while visiting America. For decades, he had taught Torah students in Los Angeles schools and conversion classes. Aaron managed  classes for respected Rabbi Zvi Block to educate converts in orthodox philosophy and lifestyles.

Aaron and his late wife, Mindy, raised nine children. He followed his older brother, Moshe, to Israel to study in  yeshivas where they both earned rabbinic ordination. They learned about practices of Jewish living and dying - both  intellectually and through the loss of each of their parents, who died 7 years apart. A few years later, Mindy developed a fatal cancer - which acquainted all her family members with Jewish practices in death, mourning, and grieving

Aaron, aspiring to better understand life and the journey of the soul, relocated to the spiritual Israeli city of Tsfat (also spelled as Safed) a known center for mysticism and Kabbalah. Meeting Liora, he found a new marriage-partner.

On a visit back to Los Angeles in 2022, Rabbi Parry spoke with us about a number of topics. In this video, he addresses Judaism's ideas of the soul - in life and death.

Rabbi Aaron explains that according to Jewish teachings, the soul is composed of three components: the nefesh, ruach, and neshama. Although the body remains in the ground, the nefesh, which represents the more spiritual aspect of the soul, has a connection to its remains and may revisit the grave for solace.

 

Rabbi Aaron emphasizes the importance of identifying the soul with its Hebrew heritage, as it is not an English, French, or Spanish soul- but a Hebrew soul. He also mentions that the soul does not have physical eyes but possesses a knowing and understanding that transcends sight. The soul is aware of the presence and words spoken at the gravesite, so showing respect is crucial. This concept is discussed in the Talmud. 

Rabbi Aaron Parry teaches on JooTube from L.A.'s Carlebach Minyan, as Rabbi Moshe davens

Mentor, Rabbi Zvi Block consoles
Moshe Parry on the passing of
 of brother, Aaron ben Avraham
Shmuel ha Levi

Rabbi Aaron returned to the US for several weeks in June. While travelling among his children and grandchildren in New Jersey to Monsey, New York yesterday, he suffered a fatal coronary incident. Just as in this week's torah portion, Parshat Chukat, Aaron accomplished much educating and continuing the Jewish people, but was cut short before reaching the Promised Land. So, too, will his brother, Moshe, continue their mission to reach our Holy Land in preparation for the final redemption. 

Aaron's own soul will assume the journey and transitions he described in the video. May his mourners be comforted by example, his contributions to Jewish continuity, and his signature words to others: Be happy, be healthy, and holy!

L.A. Muslim commencement speaker mimics CUNY Law's Israel-bashing, ruining graduation for her classmates

"California student’s ‘anti-Semitic hate’ speech ruins graduation for some ‘outraged’ classmates" by Doree Lewak:

(NY Post/14 June)  The California college student who delivered incendiary “anti-Semitic hate” during a commencement speech sparked “outrage” among students in attendance with her unchallenged rhetoric. 

“The speech definitely soured my graduation,” one Jewish El Camino Community College student told The Post about his spoiled big day. “I definitely felt singled out.” 

Jana Abulaban, the 18-year-old who crammed several inflammatory anti-Israel claims into her two-minute speech to some 5,000 attendees at the Torrance, Calif., campus ceremony, included accusations that the “oppressive apartheid state of Israel” is “killing and torturing Palestinians as we speak.” 

“Part of me wanted to leave,” added the grad, who said he felt “outed.” “It just wasn’t appropriate for a speech.” 

According to a Jewish student at the ceremony, many attendees were “outraged” by the comments.

Abulaban’s speech, which closely echoed the roundly maligned CUNY Law School commencement speech by Fatima Mousa Mohammed who infamously claimed Israel was guilty of indiscriminately killing Palestinians, inspired a fresh wave of outrage.

Lawyer, Stacey E. Burke tweeted, “…from coast to coast, Islamist terrorist sympathizers are spreading propagandist lies about half of the world’s Jews and the one Jewish nation,” tweeted  adding, “The scary part is many are and the institutions (many of which receive both state and federal funding) are okay with it and approve it. They lie about that later if trouble arises, but they approve these words. It’s who they are and what they believe.”

Despite the smattering of enthusiastic applause from some members of the audience, Abulaban’s charged rhetoric spoiled the day for many. “From who I talked to, they were outraged that was allowed to be said,” added the student.

The gobsmacked grad told The Post he “felt uneasy” when Abulaban, a self-described “Palestinian refugee” — who was really born and raised in Jordan — launched into her hateful and “hurtful” diatribe. “I was kind of telling myself, ‘Are you kidding me? You’re using a platform that you earned as student government president to put out this message that clearly pushes further division instead of a message of inclusion.’” 

Article Continues with speech video

Both Jewish-Amer documentarian of "Israelism" and UCLA host criticized as anti-Israel

California University Hosts Screening of Trans Director’s ‘Anti-Israel’ Film by Kate Anderson, contributor, Daily Caller News Foundation 9 June 2023

Eric Axelman, co-dir., Israelism Film

At University of California, a Los Angeles (UCLA) professor hosted a screening Wednesday of a film, which many activists believe is anti-Israel, created by a Jewish transgender director. 

The film “Israelism” follows the story of two American Jews who go from staunch supporters of Israel to “battling the old guard to fight for Palestinian equality,” according to the event page’s description. 

Professor Dov Waxman, the chair for the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation in Israel Studies, hosted a screening of the movie and a question and answer session with director Eric Axelman, who is Jewish and transgender. 

Prof Dov Waxman (photo UCLA)

“Israelism explores the past, present and future of the relationship between American Jews and Israel,” the event page reads. “Dozens of American Jewish thinkers, community leaders and activists share stories of falling in and out of love with Israel, and competing visions for a Jewish future, while Israelis and Palestinians describe how their lives are affected by the decisions of a community half a world away.”

“Israelism explores the past, present and future of the relationship between American Jews and Israel,” the event page reads. “Dozens of American Jewish thinkers, community leaders and activists share stories of falling in and out of love with Israel, and competing visions for a Jewish future, while Israelis and Palestinians describe how their lives are affected by the decisions of a community half a world away.”

In the film, Simone Zimmerman goes to college in America and Eitan joins the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). Both witness “Israel’s mistreatment of the Palestinian people” and eventually conclude that the “Jewish institutions” that raised them “built their Jewish identity around a lie,” according to IMDB.

Peter Beinart (pictured) is among what's criticized
as an anti-Zionist biased depiction of Israel

Both Zimmerman and Eitan go on to fight for the rights of Palestinians and against the alleged human rights abuses committed by the Jewish state, according to IMDB. The film is similar to others that Axelman has produced in the past, saying in 2017 that Israel had come to embody racism, colonialism and occupation, according to the Portland Press Herald.

“Not only, as American Jews, are we not being told the truth about Israel, but the most disturbing aspect is the censorship of left-wing voices and voices that are critical of Israel in Jewish communities,” Axelman said.

The film has been criticized for its “anti-Israel” views by some in the Jewish community. David Suissa, the editor-in-chief of the Jewish Journal, wrote that the film portrays an intentionally biased portrait of Israel. 

Sam Eilertsen, co-director, Israelism

“I felt bad for the filmmakers because I could feel the exertion they must have gone through to stick to only one side of the story,” Suissa wrote. “There is no mention, for instance, of the UN role in the creation of Israel, Arab aggression at the birth of the state, chronic Palestinian terror and rejection of peace offers, the denial of any Jewish connection to Jerusalem, and on and on. These facts are so well known, I could almost feel the filmmakers asking themselves: ‘Should we include some of this stuff just to appear more balanced and credible?'” 

Abraham Foxman, former director of the Anti-Defamation League, called the film both “anti-Israel and anti-American Jewish community.” 

“Sadly and innocently I agreed to be interviewed being told that the film will examine the special relationship between Israel and American Jews,” Foxman wrote on Twitter. “What a sham. I regret being part of this.” 

UCLA has a history of hosting antisemitic and anti-Israel events in the past. The university invited George Washington University professor Lara Sheehi, who is under investigation for allegations of antisemitic discrimination, to an event earlier this year. The school was also listed in the top 10 worst schools for antisemitism, according to a report from StopAntisemitism.com. 

UCLA and Waxman did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment. Axelman could not be reached for comment.

Democrats release 'anti-Israelism'-excluded, 'antisemitism definition' on anniv of BLM anti-Israel pogrom against L.A Jewry

Despite Obama forcing Bibi's hand against Iran, do Democrat Jewish orgs presume W.H. exempting anti-Israelist's won't bite us?

The White House’s unveiling of the “U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism

Synagogue desecrated May 30,2020 part of BLM Pogrom
in West L.A w/antiIsrael screed. 3-years to the weekend,
White House revealed its weak plan against antisemitism
with carve-outs for hate towards Israel & Zionism, the
primary proxy for Jew-hatred from the Democrat Left 

" coincided with the 3rd anniversary weekend of the Democrat-supported, Black Lives Matter pogrom which destroyed conspicuously Jewish premises and  kosher-serving outlets in Jewish Los Angeles.

Daniel Greenfield wrote: "A Farrakhan Supporter Led the LA Black Lives Matter Rally that Became a Pogrom" in FrontPageMag.com 2020:

Aryeh Rosenfeld, an Orthodox Jewish small business owner in the area, described to the Jerusalem Post hearing screams of, “Fuck the Jews” during the riots and looting as he tried to protect his store. The looting not only devastated countless small businesses in the area, but graffiti, some of it explicitly anti-Semitic, was scrawled across at least 5 Orthodox Jewish synagogues and 3 religious schools.

Melina Abdullah, the lead organizer of Black Lives Matter in LA and a professor of Pan-African Studies at Cal State, had been very clear about her motive for bringing her hateful campaign to the area.

“We’ve been very deliberate in saying that the violence and pain and hurt that’s experienced on a daily basis by black folks at the hands of a repressive system should also be visited upon, to a degree, to those who think that they can just retreat to white affluence,” the BLM-LA co-founder ranted. Melina Abdullah has a hateful record of appearing at Farrakhan and Nation of Islam events and praising the antisemitic hate group and its leader. When Facebook decided to remove Farrakhan over his hateful rhetoric toward Jews, the Black Lives Matter LA co-founder came to his defense.

BLM-looted LA Jewish watchmaker
Mr. Hooshman among others
on May 30,'20. Note the
smashed glass shards of the BLM
-looted showcase. Valuables were 
stolen, yet overlooked a copper
engraving of Torah given to Moses
on Mt. Sinai on Shavuot

Aryeh Rosenfeld, an Orthodox Jewish small business owner in the area, described to the Jerusalem Post hearing screams of, “Fuck the Jews” during the riots and looting as he tried to protect his store. The looting not only devastated countless small businesses in the area, but graffiti, some of it explicitly anti-Semitic, was scrawled across at least 5 Orthodox Jewish synagogues and 3 religious schools.

Melina Abdullah, the lead organizer of Black Lives Matter in LA and a professor of Pan-African Studies at Cal State, had been very clear about her motive for bringing her hateful campaign to the area.

“We’ve been very deliberate in saying that the violence and pain and hurt that’s experienced on a daily basis by black folks at the hands of a repressive system should also be visited upon, to a degree, to those who think that they can just retreat to white affluence,” the BLM-LA co-founder ranted. Melina Abdullah has a hateful record of appearing at Farrakhan and Nation of Islam events and praising the antisemitic hate group and its leader. When Facebook decided to remove Farrakhan over his hateful rhetoric toward Jews, the Black Lives Matter LA co-founder came to his defense.

LA's iconic Canters Deli had to board up windows and
doors on Fairfax Avenue, (Christina House via J.T.A.)

Mr. Greenfield elaborated on B.L.M.'s anti-Israel intersectional pogrom against Jewish-America on this JooTube video commentary from this kosher L.A. avenue just after the tragedy occurred.

The pogrom began at the evening concluding Shavout 2020 and continued for 2 more days. Today, Jewish News Syndicate editor-in-chief, Jonathan Tobin, ties it all together in today's column regarding the perceived confusion about the Democrat plan released during Shavuot.

"Asking the wrong question about Biden’s flawed antisemitism plan"  (May 30, 2023 / JNS)  a column by Jonathan Tobin

Cheers from failing Jewish leaders enabled the Biden administration to pose as a defender of the Jews - even as its policies enable a toxic ideology that spreads Jew-hatred.

You’ve got to hand it to the current occupants of the West Wing. President Joe Biden’s administration has shown itself to be weak and confused about a lot of important issues. But when it comes to manipulating American Jews, they know exactly what they’re doing. After teasing it for weeks, the White House’s unveiling of the “U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism,” last week was a public relations triumph in more ways than one.

It was released just hours before the Jewish holiday of Shavuot and the Memorial Day weekend. Much like the traditional DC Friday afternoon news dump in which officials release something just as everyone stops paying attention to the news, this helped the White House manage reactions. With the Jewish world about to be shut down for two days and then everyone else for two days after that, administration-shills succeeded in dominating the conversation about the document.

More than that, the unveiling was a textbook example of how exceeding low expectations can generate positive spin. It also led to a discussion that avoided the most important question that should have been raised. Instead, the Jews were debating how happy they should be about Biden’s gesture.

For weeks, Jewish groups had feared that the document would not be rooted in the definition of antisemitism established by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). Among other points, this definition states that denying Jews the right of self-determination and claiming that Israel is a racist endeavor are antisemitic.

This is why the intersectional left—which promotes the lie that, in accordance with the precepts of critical race theory, the Palestinian war on Israel’s existence is morally equivalent to the struggle for civil rights in the United States—opposes the IHRA definition. And given that faction’s increasing influence within the Democratic Party, the rumors emanating from the White House that the antisemitism strategy would treat the IHRA definition as no more valid than others put forward by anti-Zionists that give a free pass to hatred of Israel, those fears seemed valid.

So, it was not surprising that, when the document was unveiled and it turned out the IHRA definition was embraced by it, the sighs of relief and hosannas for the wisdom of President Biden were far louder than they would have otherwise been. Listen to the full story from Jonathan Tobin here:

Indeed, the gratitude of the organized Jewish world was so great

Demonstrator holds a sign that reads "Palestinians for Black
Power" during a protest in the streets of New York City
in June 2020.  (Ira L. Black / Corbis via Getty Images)

 that, with only a few honorable exceptions, almost all of the groups that purport to represent Jews were inclined to ignore or downplay the fact that elsewhere in the 60-page document filled with governmental boilerplate text and pious expressions of righteous opposition to prejudice was language that “welcomes and appreciates the Nexus Document.” 

The Nexus Document’s sole reason for existence is to provide an intellectual platform for the bogus claim that anti-Zionism (i.e., anti-Israelism) is not antisemitic. Thus, it serves to legitimize a fast-growing form of Jew-hatred that—in contrast to the antisemitism of the far-right—has important support in the media, popular culture and the left-wing of the Democratic Party. As such, the failure to define the term unequivocally flatly contradicts the IHRA definition and renders the entire exercise meaningless.

Why more than 40 countries boycotted U.N.'s debut Palestinian ‘Nakba (punishing Israeli Independence) Day'

Israel's Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan speaks with sign 
 "Stop ignoring Jewish Nakba," at United Nations, Nov 30, 2022.

In a seemingly endless war of stories, the Palestinians took center stage at the United Nations on Monday, even though Israel was victorious in shrinking its audience.

May 15 marks the first official UN "Nakba Day", according to a resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December. In Arabic, the word means "disaster" or "catastrophe", regarding the founding of modern Israel on May 14, 1948.

The ceremonies took place Monday morning at the United Nations, despite the alleged 'catastrophic' narrative, which included Palestinian Arabs' rejection of a 1947 UN plan to partition Palestine from Britain. mandate into Jewish and Arab states, and in violation of the United Nations charter. when armed Arabs sought to destroy a state established in 1948.

Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas attacked the US and UK in his speech, saying both are responsible for the current Palestinian situation by establishing Israel for their own political ends, considering Palestinians are victims.

“These countries want to get rid of their Jews and take advantage of their presence in Palestine (British Mandate),” Mr. Abbas said. Abbas stressed that the United Nations suspends Israel if it does not give state to the Palestinians and demands the so-called "right of return" for the millions of descendants of the refugees. He perjured that Israel had agreed to this provision in 1947 to be accepted as a member state of the United Nations.

The US and UK announced last week that they would not be participating in Monday's events, angering Abbas. The UN Delegation and Israel's Foreign Ministry lobbied to convince other member states to stop attending, which seems to have paid off.

About 32 countries are said to have avoided, including Ukraine, 10 European Union member states, three African countries and Canada. Gilad Erdan, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, sent a letter to his colleagues on Sunday urging them not to participate in "Nakba Day" ceremonies. “The idea that an international organization could mark the founding of one of its member states is a disaster or a catastrophe that is both appalling and repulsive,” he wrote.

Erdan warned that participation in unilateral initiatives such as the "Nakba Day" event "gives the Palestinians the green light to continue to exploit international bodies to advance their defamation narrative." ." It also contributed to hatred of the Jews, he said.

"It is a shame that the United Nations marked the birthday of a country for the first time - the 75th anniversary of the founding of the only Jewish state in the world, Israel, approved by the United Nations in 1947 - by call it 'disaster'," B'nai B'rith International tweeted on Monday. "Palestinian 'Nakba' Day promotes a ghastly narrative that promotes more conflict, not peace."

Bulgaria, Czechia, Greece, Guatemala, Italy and Peru are said to be among others boycotting Monday's event. The General Assembly will host an event on the evening of May 15, featuring Palestinian singer Sanaa Moussa, the New York Arab Orchestra, and many other exhibits and testimonials. Palestinian supporters also held a rally outside the United Nations headquarters on Monday morning.

The EndJewHatred movement held a rally outside the United Nations at 5pm Monday in protest of the world body's "flagrant and consistent hatred of Jews" he tweeted.

Spotted now, in front of the United Nations before our protest! We will not be silent in the face of Jewish hatred. The days of the Jew who lived with their heads bowed are over. 'Nakba Day' is a call to genocide and we will not allow it to go undefeatable. pic.twitter.com/x4iQsQSR1y

– Brooke Goldstein (@GoldsteinBrooke) May 15, 2023

Synagogue-sponsored politicians project white gunman's antisemitism onto critics of Democrats' importing foreigners to vote

Flower memorials outside the Tree of Life Synagogue after
shooting over HIAS immigrating Muslims to Pittsburgh

The jury-phase of the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooter, Robert Bowers' death-penalty trial is finally underway. Although weapons won't be in Bowers' hands anymore, on May Day, interpretations of his motives were politically weaponized by Leftist pro-immigration activists in California. 

On May Day '23, S.F. Bay Area filmmaker, Patrice O'Neill participated in an L.A. panel conversation following an early screening of her The Working Group's "Repairing the World: Stories from Tree of Life" documentary  about the massacre at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life Synagogue in Autumn 2018. The screening was hosted by IKAR Rabbi Sharon Brous and was supported by a number of Liberal Jewish groups. The film's messages about racial-tolerance and multiculturalism were amplified by adding government Democrats to the Q&A. Rabbi Brous and the Democrat officials cast critics of Democrats' current, illegal migrant invasion as racial "haters."

Pittsburgh's Tree of Life congregation, along with Congregation Dor Hadash (New Generation) and New Light Congregation, which also worshipped in the building, were attacked during Shabbat morning services on October 27, 2018. The alleged perpetrator, Robert Bowers killed eleven people and wounded six, including several Holocaust survivors. It was the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the United States. Mr. Bowers is currently on trial over the attack.

Patrice O'Neill participated in a panel conversation after an early screening of her The Working Group's "Repairing the World" documentary about the massacre at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue by Robert Bowers in Autumn 2018. On the panel, Patrice O'Neill said "Anti-Semitism is the ideological driver in the white-power movement. ... To see what unfolded in Pittsburgh to see what was apparent on the ground when Ms. Charene (Zalis) first went there - was to know that this is a story that can possibly move people into action in a new way."

Rabbi Brous and the panelists use gunman Robert Bowers (who attacked the Dor Chadash minyan - which supports HIAS' resettling Syrian-Muslim migrants in the Pittsburgh area - as well as the Tree of Life because of its support for Central American Caravan migrants) as a stereotype for all Republicans. 

The filmmakers further project the Charlottesville white-nationalists chanting "Jews will not replace us" (reflecting a belief in a Liberal-Jewish-led conspiracy to replace white people with non-white immigrants) to vilify all conservatives. In doing so, they attempt to divert attention from the real phenomenon of antisemitic hostility - as they have ignored the anti-Israel plank among the Progressive Left, Muslims, blacks, and Farrakhan-inspired Black Muslims all with record-stats of Jew-hatred - which inspires increased enmity and hostility against Jewish people and places. 

(Please see reference report: Islamic Antisemitism in the United States, Tel Aviv University's Institute for  National Security Studies, April 18, 2023). The authors of the Report emphasize

... the “rebranding” and mainstreaming of Islamist groups by utilizing the wide interest in human and minority rights in the US, taking advantage of growing societal divisions and the advance of “intersectionality” and the ongoing activity of far-left activist groups together with Islamists, also known as the “red-green alliance”. The “red-green alliance” serves as a unifying axis of anti-Israel mobilization and operates on the basis of shared agendas of anti-globalization, anti-capitalism, anti-imperialism and anti-colonialism.

The report goes into detail on the dynamics of the Muslim antisemitic ideology, the organizations who carry such, and the Leftist groups they partner with to grow to power through.

During the 2020 US elections a new coalition emerged, which brought such groups as the Movement for Black Lives, a coalition that includes Black Lives Matter (M4BL, 2020) together with far-left Jewish groups and Islamist political groups such as MPower Change (MPC)(United Against Hate, 2020; Mathias, 2020). ... This coalition further claimed that an overwhelming majority of antisemitic attacks were conducted by white supremacists, and not by left-wing groups (Emgage, 2020). Therefore, as one of the groups in the coalition claimed, progressives from all backgrounds should join hands in “defeating the far-right” to keep all communities safe (If Not Now, 2020).

Our original footage shows progressive-activist Rabbi Sharon Brous leading the post-screening panel discussion with director Patrice O'Neill, Muslim civic activist Ms. Aziza Hasan of NewGround, and Democrat politicians Rep. Adam Schiff, Mayor Karen Bass, and Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, who succeeded Ms. Bass as Congresswoman from L.A.'s 37th District.

The film, and the post-screening panelists, attribute blame for antisemitism to "white nationalism" which (in the panel discussion) they extend to all Republicans as "haters" deserving of Democrats opprobrium. They position Leftist politicians as the audience's enforcers of love, tolerance, and justice.

The panelists in the video express concern over the rise of anti-Semitic incidents and violence against other communities, discussing trauma, fear, and the need for structures that will address racism, anti-Semitism, and gun violence. They stress the importance of creating a multiracial, multi-faith network to combat hate and promote unity, acknowledging the challenges of building relationships and breaking through fear and vulnerability. They also touch on the impact of hate speech, erasing history, and changes to election structures on communities, and reflect on personal challenges they face in their work. Throughout, the panelists emphasize the importance of vulnerability, humor, and taking action to build communities of love and justice, urging the audience to create opportunities and spaces for people to come together and do meaningful work.

(From right-left) Aziza Hasan, director Patrice O'Neill, Rep. Adam Schiff, Rep. Kamlager-Dove, Mayor Karen Bass, Rabbi Sharon Braus, Former L.A City Atty Mike Feuer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.Mayor Karen Bass surprisingly quips at (48:21 min into video):

"... because I do believe that's at the foundation of a lot of this and I think that there's a segment of our country that was so traumatized by that black family moving into the White House - that they just still haven't recovered. And what they realized is that the demographics of this country is changing fundamentally and in a minute, the United States is going to look like California! And that is very threatening. (Applause)

 

Thank you, I think that's a good thing, too! They're realizing the demographics are changing and so their first strategy was voter suppression and gerrymandering / redistricting. But if, people, if the demographics fundamentally change you can't just erase everybody out - so then you have to change the structure of elections! "

Apply the lessons from the Holocaust era - to live a life that matters - Ben Lesser of Zachor Foundation

Ben and sister Lola were their
family's sole Shoah survivors

Yom Ha Shoah, Israel's day to commemorate the catastrophe of institutionalized genocide, falls on different dates each year, according to the Hebrew Lunar Calendar. Coming in the springtime, it's the last of two annual Holocaust commemorations, following the International Holocaust Remembrance Day during the end of January. 

When Mr. Ben Lesser was first in his teens, the Nazi-occupied Polish government forced his family out of their home and into the walled ghetto. Eventually, his family were sent to concentration camps where he was taken as slave laborer. He and his family members were sent to concentration camps during the Holocaust, where his parents were genocided, and inmates were intentionally worked to death. 

On the evening of the 4/19 Yom haShoah holiday Mr. Lesser recorded for a KLAS-TV News history segment.                                                                                                              

Jean Lesser (z'l) passed a year ago

We filmed an interview with him close to evening time on a day approaching the unveiling of the headstone of Jean, his wife of seven decades. Jean and Ben Lesser established the Zachor (Hebrew for "Remember") Educational Foundation to educate against tyranny - using people's Holocaust experiences as a background. Today, the foundation is managed by their daughter, Gail.

In our interview, Ben shares his experience living in ghettos in Europe, including how homes and businesses were confiscated from Jews with no legal justification. He emphasizes the importance of education in preventing another genocide and discusses his work in making teaching the Holocaust mandatory in schools. Mr. Lesser also expresses concern about society not fully acknowledging the Holocaust and the portrayal of Jews in Christian and Catholic theology. Finally, he discusses the importance of his grandchildren continuing the work of the Zachor Holocaust Remembrance Foundation.  

 

80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising where Jews staved-off deportation by Nazis

 

Rabbi Moshe Cohn, who heads the Jewish World Section of Yad Vashem's International School for Holocaust Studies, spoke at the L.A. Holocaust Museum on the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. His school produced the educational video below about their act of brave resistance and dignity.

   

In this interview with JooTube, Rabbi Cohn discusses the significance of the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. He describes how the young Jewish people, aware of their limited survival chances and  despite their limited access to weapons, rebelled against the Nazi army for 29 days. 

Though ultimately unsuccessful in preventing the Germans from entering the ghetto, the Jewish people's strategic and brave fighting showed that even amidst oppression, they could unite and fight back. This revolt created an enduring legacy for Jewish people everywhere.

 

Rabbi Cohn explains the significance of the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and the new form of resistance it represented when compared to prior spiritual resistance. He describes how the young Jewish people, who were well aware that they had no chance of survival, decided to risk their lives in a rebellion that lasted 29 days against the mighty Nazi army, where they only had access to a few guns. 

Despite their Rebellion ultimately not being successful, it set a standard for Jewish people, especially those in Israel, who have an army to protect them and remind the world of the Jewish people's courage.

Though the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising lasted 29 days, it was longer than the entire Polish Army's defense of Germany in September 1939. The Jews in the ghetto had very few weapons, but they fought strategically and bravely, using Molotov cocktails and pistols against the German army's tanks and machine guns. 

 

Though they were ultimately unsuccessful in preventing the Germans from entering the ghetto, they showed that even in the face of oppression, Jewish people could unite and fight back. Mordecai Anielewicz, who led the revolt, wrote that he saw his dream of Jewish soldiers defending themselves physically in the ghetto come true, a dream that had laid dormant since the time of the Maccabees. 

Passover: Pharoah incites Jews' in-fighting over "reform" to deter them from his betraying them to Iranian nuclear weapons

As US Democrat Admin betrays Israel by revising its "red-line' pledges to prevent Iran's nuclear weapons program, a leftist movement incites Israelis to revolt, hoping to preclude a pre-emptive attack

In "Strikes, Protests Rock Israel after Netanyahu Fires Defense Minister," Chris Mitchell reports for CBN about the source of the demonstrations (3/27/23): 

"After a night of nationwide protests, demonstrations and riots surrounding judicial reform and the firing of Israel's defense minister, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly considering a halt to the immediate passage of legislation to rein in the power of the courts and the legal system. The internal battle has thrust Israel into what many believe is one of the most dangerous times since the Yom Kippur War 50 years ago."

Israeli electorate rallies in defense of the Netanyahu gov't resisting leftist revolt 
over the pretense of proposed judicial re-balancing. Tel Aviv, March 30, 2023. (Erik Marmor/Flash90)

Prof. Moshe Koppel, chairman of the Kohelet Policy Forum and one of the architects of judicial reform, speaks about what is actually in the proposal and what it is seeking to fix. 

• Prof. Koppel is worried about the situation surrounding Israel's Supreme Court reform

• He said that if the reform collapses, those who supported it will feel that there's really no point in participating in the whole democratic process 

• He is against the override clause, meaning that the Knesset would be able to override a Supreme Court decision with a simple majority of 61 votes

 

The proposed judicial reform in Israel aims to bring more balance and checks to the judiciary, which currently lacks them. The reform includes clarifying the Attorney General's role as an advisor, changing the composition of the panel that appoints justices, outlining legitimate grounds for striking down administrative actions and laws, and allowing the court to use the country's constitution to strike down ordinary statutes under certain conditions. While some find the possibility of the Knesset overriding a court decision worrisome, Prof. Koppel argues that the other parts of the reform bring Israel closer to other democratic countries.  

In this section, Prof. Koppel explains why the judicial reform is needed and what it includes. He notes that currently, the court has no checks and balances on it and also has an attorney general who can push the government around on its behalf, which the reform is trying to amend. The reform has five parts, including clarifying the Attorney General's job as an advisor, changing the composition of the panel to appoint justices to make it less homogeneous, and outlining legitimate grounds for striking down administrative actions and laws. Additionally, the reform establishes that basic laws cannot be struck down, no matter what. Overall, the goal of the reform is to rein in the courts, which currently lack checks and balances, and bring balance to the judiciary. 

Prof. Moshe Koppel said that if the reform collapses, then those who supported it, which is what he sees as a majority of Israelis, will feel that “there’s really no point in participating in the whole democratic process, because in the end, the courts are just going to do whatever they want anyway.” Regarding the selection committee of judges, Koppel said that it is “a catastrophe the way it is now.” “The fact of the matter is that when you have a system in which the people who are already there have a veto over who joins them, it’s always going to pull in the direction of homogeneity; they’re always going to look the same.” “All of a sudden, it is like this coalition of ragtag outsiders won the election, right?

Update: 4/6: Left-wing activists invaded the office of the Kohelet Policy Forum on Sunday in Jerusalem, targeting the free-market think tank that came up with most of the judicial reforms embraced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. The protesters initially arrived at the Kohelet offices with a bouquet of flowers, saying they were bringing a delivery to the organization’s management. When a security guard opened the door they burst into the office and remained there until police removed them.

This is a video after the attack, my friends put me in the office to protect me and the attacker in the colorful shirt continued to chase me. I told her to sit down and talk and not attack like an animal - it didn't interest her. In the end she also proceeded to apply classic victim blaming to me "You chose to work here - deal with it".

 pic.twitter.com/RHJWthdGmE

— Morin Hayo-Hemo (@hmorin7) April 2, 2023

Some of the protesters were taken in for questioning.