Watch candidates vie for support, staking-out positions at the America/Israel AIPAC Policy Conference

Donald Trump overcomes doubts about his commitment to Israel in address to Zionists at AIPAC

Jewish and Christian conference attendees attempting to access the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington were confronted by violent Muslim and Leftist demonstrators chanting, "Shut it down!"
 

Analysis of presidential candidates' speeches at the Verizon Center in Washington from Tim Constantine, Washington Times columnist and Scott Jacobs of DemoCast.

Donald Trump laid out his Middle East policy plans which would affect Israel.

Ted Cruz will be hard towards the latitudes Obama has granted Islamist movements, like Iran. 

Gov. John Kasich professed a personal affinity with Jewish friends and Israel.

Vice President Joe Biden downplayed his administration's pushing Israel to sacrifice territory for an Islamist Palestinian state, sabotaging Israel's defense against Iran's nuclear development and reneging on promises to boost Israel's military advantage after losing the JCPOA to the White House.
 

Hillary Clinton made no reference to the revelations of her State Dept. staff and advisors to stir Palestinian terrorism against Jews in order to pressure Prime Minister Netanyahu to cede territory.

Anti-Israel antagonists met by brave defenders outside AIPAC's D.C. conference

Organized left-wing and Islamist protesters antagonize pro-Israel, AIPAC Policy Conference attendees at D.C. Convention Center, March , 2016. We examine the provocation and the responses from Zionistic attendees, including one Tennessee Christian. 

Rabbi Ben Packer of Heritage House in Jerusalem set up a stand on the streetcorner at 8am. When asked why so few of the 10,000+ conference attendees had come out to oppose the protestors, Rabbi Packer replied he was told that AIPAC would revoke conference access to anyone who did.

Michael Aliff, a Christian, stands alone against oncoming anti-Israel marchers 

Mr. Aliff says he comes from Knoxville, Tennessee year after year to encourage US support for Israel, waving his Israeli and American flags.

"It's time for this country to wake and realize Israel is our ally and our friend," Mr. Aliff said.  "We don't break friendships. In Tennesee, that's what being a Tennessean and a "volunteer" is all about. Friendships- period. You don't turn your back on your friend. Israel is our friend and ally and I will always support her- always! I will say that those that are for them are greater than those who are against them."

A number of conferencees came out to engage the protestors in what was likely the first dialogue they've ever had with Jews, Christians, or anyone else with differing views on Israel-Arab relations and resolution of the conflict. Watch our original news chronicling.

The issues which turn Democrat Jews against their Republican brethren

Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL) and Hasidic blogger Jacob Kornbluth

"A War Among the Jews"

by Caren Bessner

Fratricide isn't a pretty word.  It evokes the image of siblings in conflict with one another.  The Old Testament is replete with stories of such disharmony, that serves both as a lesson in morality and a warning for future generations.  The story of Cain and Abel, the enslavement of Joseph in Egypt by his brothers, the enmity between Jacob and Esau, and the hostility between Solomon's son and heir Rehoboam and his brother Jeroboam which eventually led to a split in the ancient kingdom of Israel are classic examples.  This last example proves conclusively, that even when we were an indigenous people in our own homeland surrounded by a plethora of enemies; the Jews still could not get along.  

The Northern kingdom compromising ten of the original tribes, kept the name of Israel and had its capital at Shechem; while the Southern kingdom re-named Judah, retained the city of Jerusalem.  Both Jewish kingdoms remained inherently hostile toward one another.  When the Northern kingdom of Israel was attacked by the Assyrians, the Southern kingdom refused to render assistance.  Israel fell in 722 BCE.  Thus began the odyssey of the ten lost tribes.  Competent leadership in the Southern kingdom managed to keep potential enemies at bay for over a century, but this could not last and Judah eventually succumbed to the Babylonians in 597 BCE.

What does all this ancient history have to do with events today?  Most Jews would probably say that as a people, we have evolved past fratricidal disputes.  Since the destruction of the second temple, we have lived for almost 2000 years as a nation within the nations of the world.  This has produced a "diasporic mentality," where we sought some form of accommodation with the ruling elites of the countries in which we resided.

Rep. Brad Sherman (r) menaces fellow Jewish Democrat, So-Cal US

US Rep. Howard Berman 10/12 (l) (Photo: Lichtman ,Jewish Journal

This strategy has not always been successful.  Witness the many pogroms, expulsions, and exterminations that have been endured in many lands, over many centuries, finally culminating in the Holocaust.  In response, Jews naturally gravitated toward any movement or ideology that promised relief.  Philosophies such as Communism, Nihilism, Anarchy, and Socialism were widely embraced.  Millions of Jews carried these ideas with them when they migrated to the new world, passing them on to their children and grandchildren.  As a result, the vast majority of American Jews tend to identify with the far left of the political spectrum. 

A Florida Jewish retirees' group at a Jewish Community Center debated their election considerations on Primary Day.

Of the 30 group participants, 28 argued against the Republicans - primarily against the candidate Donald Trump.

Will Oscar for "Son of Saul" spur confronting anti-Israelism in leftist culture?

Laszlo Nemes takes Foreign Film Oscar

Laszlo Nemes interviewed by JooTube (Photo:Orly Halevy)

Mr. Laszlo Nemes' debut feature film,the Holocaust-set, Son of Saul, finally won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, after taking similar prizes at Cannes Film Festival, the Golden Globes, and the Spirit Independent-Film awards Saturday night, also in L.A.

Geza Rohrig filmed by Matyas Erdely 
Photo: Ildi Hermann/Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

In February 28th's Sunday N.Y. Times, Katalin Balog, an associate professor of philosophy at Rutgers University-Newark, characterizes the picture in her "‘Son of Saul,’ Kierkegaard and the Holocaust" as: "The film follows a day in the life of Saul, a member of the Sonderkommando, a group of mostly Jewish prisoners the Nazis forced to assist with herding people to the gas chambers, burning the bodies and collecting gold and valuables from the corpses. The film creates a direct, experiential and visceral engagement with these events by maintaining a relentless focus on the minute-to-minute unfolding of Saul’s world."

Saul shows physicians driven by social-pressure
to rationalize conducting medical atrocities
on Jewish patients

Mr. Nemes, 39, who directed and screenwrote Son of Saul, discusses what it took to produce this provocative look at the dynamics between Nazis and Jewish gas-chamber workers inside a genocide camp. His picture should renew attention to the depths of gentile inhumanity towards Jews in the modern era.

Appearing at Temple of the Arts in Beverly Hills on Friday, February 12, 2016 in a knitted kippa to accept Hungarian Mensch Foundation's Mensch Award, filmmaker Nemes reveals that he is a Hungarian Jew whose grandparents were killed by Nazis. In this video interview with JooTube, he responds to the myriad of issues involved in his producing the picture.



Holocaust epic drama, "Son of Saul" director Laszlo Nemes accepted the "Mensch Award" from Mensch Foundation's Hungarian founder, Steven Geiger. Mr. Geiger is concerned that Jews (even the Israeli Left) are too comfortable. 'Anything can happen at any time," the refugee from Communist Hungary declares in this video interview:


In Jeffrey Fleishman's "Oscar winner 'Son of Saul' is a collage of the unimaginable" in yesterday's Sunday L.A. Times,  he writes: “Son of Saul” is “an unwavering vision of a particular kind of hell. No matter how many Holocaust films you've seen, you've not seen one like this,” Times critic Kenneth Turan wrote in his review. “It's essential for us as a culture to continually see and understand that this was not an aberration, that people did this to other people and could do it again. Having films like 'Son of Saul' made and seen is our best hope of that not happening.” How, exactly?

Laszlo Nemes on JooTube

When I offered Mr. Nemes to review our interview, he asked me to omit his remarks supporting Israel - and to embargo the interview until after the Oscar voting was complete (out of concern for offending liberal anti-Zionist, Academy Awards voters- especially Jewish ones who might self-discriminate to prove their universality). JooTube complied, but it does raise an irony:

How can we claim to have come far in educating the world to "Never Again" let anti-Semitism grow, until it becomes a social threat to Jews (which could devolve to physical threat) when the champion depictor of the atrocities recognizes that Jews in Hollywood would discriminate against his opinion to protect Jews from a "stabbing intifada" by Muslims against the Jewish state?

Mrs. Susanne Reyto is an author ("Pursuit of Freedom: a true story of the enduring power of hopes and dreams") and speaker about the turbulent years in Hungary after WW II. Her often harrowing childhood and her ultimate escape from Communist Hungary in the late 1950's left an indelible mark on her spirit.

In this interview at the Son of Saul honors, she reminds us how the Nazi's Middle East allies imported and absorbed their propaganda makers and techniques - which they exploit by scapegoating the Jewish state - Israel to galvanize their power throughout the Muslim world.



 And with a world molified by Islamphobia-mongering, just who's going to stop them?

As Prime Minister Netanyahu said during a speech at a ceremony marking the 100th birthday of former prime minister Yitzhak Shamir:

A straight line leads from the provocations of Jerusalem’s Mufti Haj Amin al-Husseini who incited against Jews in the 1920s to the “wild incitement” today that motivates the current round of terrorism, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday. ("Thirst for destruction driving force of Arab terror for 100 years" Jerusalem Post, 29 February 2016).

Amin al-Husseini, the mufti of Jerusalem, meets German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop
in Berlin, November 20, 1941.. (photo credit:JEWISH AGENCY)

Despite the allegation that Hollywood discriminates against minorities (which Oscar-show producers embraced), the irony of last night's Academy Awards was that although the Academy did elect Nazi-set, "Son of Saul," the pro-Palestine-nationalism created by Hitler's Muslim-adopted strategists, necessitates Israel to distribute first-class vacations to Academy (leftist) nominees- in hopes of reversing the effects of the Nazi-Islamist-Leftist campaign to perpetuate Jew-hatred socio-politically for power and influence.

Which is why- for Son of Saul to be purposeful- we must carry its message beyond 'anti-Semitism as a dynamic of history' to confront its essence in Islamic anti-Israelism- and crack the taboo against fighting Islamism (which dominates Muslims and non-Muslims) and threatens the survival of Judaism and the Jewish people.

Read more about "Egyptian Islamo-Nazism and "Omar Amin" von Leers" by Dr. Andrew Bostom in Family Security Matters.

The Oscars revive interest in the definitive documentary about the Holocaust

Adam Benzine with Claude Lanzmann (Photo: JTA)

Will ‘Lanzmann’ finally win an Academy Award? 

"An interview with Adam Benzine, the young first-time director whose award-winning take on the famed, veteran filmmaker is up for an Oscar on Sunday, 28 February" by  Lisa Klug,  Times of Israel, February 27, 2016

The first major documentary about the filmmaker, entitled “Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah,” is among the nominees for this year’s Academy Awards, which is broadcast live from Los Angeles on Sunday evening, February 28.  

The superbly-crafted film from first-time director Adam Benzine explores the arduous 12-year journey that led to the creation of Lanzmann’s landmark documentary, “Shoah,” and reveals for the first time the countless challenges the French iconoclast faced in making the film.  

“It didn’t relieve me from anguish,” Lanzmann says. “I think it is the other way around. I have made the film but the film made me. I lived all these months after the end of Shoah like a bereavement as a matter of fact. It took me a very long time to be able to recover.”  

The 40-minute project explores how making “Shoah” nearly — and repeatedly — cost Lanzmann his life. Benzine says the film evokes strong audience response.  

“To sit in a darkened room and watch people cry as the watch your work, it’s a very moving experience,” says writer, producer and director Benzine, 33, who is not Jewish. “Cinema has a tremendous power to unify, and I think that’s very important with the way the world is at the moment.” 

Museum of Tolerance's Liebe Geft interviews Adam Benzine

In the 40-minute film “Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Holocaust," director  Adam Benzine explores the seven years of filming and five years of editing required to produce “Shoah,” Lanzmann's 9½-hour documentary which attracted widespread acclaim.

Adam Benzine takes JooTube inside his producing of the film- which is nominated for an Academy Award in the category for Documentary (Short-Subject).  In addition to theatrical showings, it has been broadcast by BBC and will be shown in the US on HBO in May.  Adam Benzine, spoke with JewTube on International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2016 about his effort.

Adam Benzine in conversation with Liebe Geft (director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles) on the making of "Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah." Mr. Benzine also answers questions presented by the audience.

Dennis Prager at orthodox shul: 'Why it's a mitzvah to conduct yourself happily'

Dennis Prager: Happy conduct is better
than only feeling or intending to be happy

Jews and Gentiles traversed through a Southern California, El Nino downpour to watch Dennis Prager teach "Why it's a mitzvah to be happy." At orthodox, Beth Jacob Congregation's "Modern Minds on Jewish Matters" series on Wednesday, February 17th, Mr. Prager drew from his 1998 book, "Happiness is a Serious Problem," to teach that the Jewish essence of this concept benefits the individual and those around us. Mr. Prager teaches that that to conduct oneself pleasantly is not only a mitzvah (i.e., Jewish commandment) for behaving kindly to others we encounter, but that during times when we aren't, the imperative helps us to make ourselves happier. 

Mr. Prager's nationally syndicated radio program is aired in L.A. weekday mornings on 870KRLA-AM. Each week, he dedicates "The Happiness Hour" to addressing this issue.

JooTube.TV presents Mr. Prager's remarks in this video playlist. Part 1 is his main talk; Part 2 is the first half of Dennis responding to audience submitted questions regarding his remarks; Part 3 is the concluding Question and Answer segment.


(Video Menu is in the upper-left corner; lower-left corner advance forward and back between segments).

Why Be Happy? Dennis Prager on PragerU, 20 January 2014

Most people think of happiness as essentially a selfish issue: “I want to be happy -- and I want to be happy for me.”  

I’d like to suggest that in fact happiness is far, far more than a selfish desire. In fact, it is a moral obligation.

How Buzz Aldrin reacted to documentary on Ilan Ramon and his earth-orbiting torah which miraculously survived both Holocaust and Columbia disaster, 13-years ago

Israeli Astronaut Ilan Ramon's shoah Torah survived destruction

In the spirit of Holocaust Remembrance Day last week and the 13th anniversary of the event, PBS re-webcast, "Space Shuttle Columbia: Mission of Hope" (formerly titled "An Article of Hope").  It is the untold story of Colonel Ilan Ramon, a fighter pilot and son of Holocaust survivors who became the first and only astronaut from Israel, embarking on a mission with the most diverse shuttle crew ever to explore space. 

Space Shuttle Columbia crew
(Ilan Ramon rightmost in red)

Ramon realized the significance of “being the first” and his journey of self-discovery turned into a mission to tell the world a powerful story about the resilience of the human spirit. Although the seven astronauts of the Columbia perished on February 1, 2003, a remarkable story of hope, friendship across cultures, and an enduring faith emerged. 

The film premiered in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of the disaster and NASA’s annual Day of Remembrance. 

“Moving tributes like this film remind us all that spaceflight always carries great risk,” NASA Administrator and four-time space shuttle astronaut Charles Bolden said. “But fallen heroes like Ilan were willing to risk the ultimate sacrifice to make important science discoveries and push the envelope of human achievement.”



Space Shuttle Columbia: Mission of Hope goes behind the scenes to explore the “mission within the mission” for Ramon, who carried into space a miniature Torah scroll that had survived the horrors of the Holocaust, given to a boy in a secret bar mitzvah observed in the pre-dawn hours in the notorious Nazi concentration camp of Bergen-Belsen. The bar mitzvah boy grew up to become Israel’s lead scientist for the mission, Joachim “Yoya” Joseph. 

Photo credit:FrumLife
http://goo.gl/bKOOFc

The film follows the scroll’s path into Ramon’s hands, and the dramatic moment when he tells its story live to the world from the flight deck of Columbia. From the depths of hell to the heights of space, his simple gesture would serve to honor the hope of a nation and to fulfill a promise made to generations past and future.

Moon-walking astronaut Buzz Aldrin pays homage to Israel Air Force astronaut Ilan Ramon chronicle of Holocaust survivors' ascent into the heavens

L.A. Museum of the Holocaust memorializes Fascist Italy's 8,000 Jewish victims of the Shoah

"Life is Beautiful" (1997) depicted the Italian Jewish Holocaust experience

Fascist Italy was one of the last countries to serve-up her Jewish citizens to the Nazi camps. The 1997 film "Life is Beautiful," starring Roberto Benigni dramatized the Italian internment. Benigni's own father had survived 3-years of internment at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

Italy's Consul General to L.A., the Honorable Antonio Verde, explains the reading of names of the Italian Jewish victims of the Nazi Holocaust at the L.A. Museum of the Holocaust.

Hearing the names of some of the 8,000 Jewish family members
 served-up from Italy sobered the LAMOTH audience.

Samara Hutman, Executive Director of L.A. Museum of the Holocaust explains the genesis and growth of the Italian Holocaust awareness project. 
Mrs. Anne Signett reads the names of Italian victims of Nazism. She expresses concern that the lessons of the Holocaust manifest as vigilance by current generations. 

Mrs. Amelie Dembitzer Levin, who survived the Holocaust by being hidden by Catholics in Italy.

Watch Avraham Fried perform with Cong. Beth Jacob cantor, Arik Wollheim; Duo Re'im scheduled

Nearly 1,800 people packed the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills on Jan. 11 to see Avraham Fried in concert during a musical extravaganza presented by the Modern Orthodox Beth Jacob Congregation and the synagogue’s Cantor Arik Wollheim. Israel’s Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau also took to the stage and delivered an impassioned address, according to a press release.

Photo: Jewish Home L.A.

Orthodox Jewish singing star, Avraham Fried, is joined by Cantor Arik Wollheim of Cong. Beth Jacob of Beverly Hills, who organized this concert at the Saban Theater, Jan. 11, 2015 in Beverly Hills.

Born and raised in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Fried is a Jewish singer, songwriter and musician whose musical style integrates variations of rock, pop and jazz, and features Jewish lyrics and themes. His hits include works sung in English, Hebrew and Yiddish. He has performed worldwide to large audiences, including a 2007 show in Jerusalem with Charedi superstar Yaakov Shwekey commemorating the 40th anniversary of the reunification of the city. 

The event attracted large groups from Beth Jacob, Chabad yeshiva schools, Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy, Maimonides Academy, Beverly Hills High School, and YULA boys and girls high schools, as well as casual Jewish music fans, the press release stated. 

The Sunday night concert was a festive occasion, as Fried and Wollheim involved the audience from the outset, imploring them to participate by singing along, dancing and forming conga lines in the aisles. Wollheim asked why a city like Los Angeles, with such a vibrant Jewish community, isn’t host to more events like this. 

“What is it about Jewish-American culture that prevents this from happening, and why does Jewish music tend to be limited to weddings in this city?” the Israeli-born cantor asked, according to the press release. “Why are we not a major consumer of Jewish music?” 

Wollheim indicated that he hopes to change this trend in Los Angeles and will be hosting The Duo Re'im on Sunday, January 10th at 7pm at Congregation Beth Jacob. 

Middle East diplomacy expert, Stephen Tebid, endorses JewTube.Info's efforts to chronicle and present original video perspectives on social media and television.  
Mr. Tebid feels that donations to JewTube.Info deliver a value impact of 100:1 over donations to larger establishment organizations. Viewership exceeds 5,000 per month. Will you please donate towards our continuing and expanding this initiative?
(Please click to contribute to sustain the publishing operations of JewTube.Info  with a generous donation of any amount.  Thank you)!

- Video by Scott Jacobs; Story by Ryan Torok, Correspondent Jewish Journal of L.A. and Oren Peleg, Contributing Writer.

At 14th Festival of Lights, L.A.-based Stand With Us shows global organizational reach

More than 1,200 people gathered on the last night of Hanukkah for the StandWithUs' annual gala, "Festival of Lights," celebrating the non-profit Israel education organization's fourteen years of growth and achievements.   The event was held at the Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles, on December 13, 2015.

StandWithUs (SWU) was founded in 2001 by Roz and Jerry Rothstein and community leader Esther Renzer as an international organization that educates peoples of all ages and faiths about Israel.  The organization now has multiple chapters throughout the U.S. and including Israel, Canada and the U.K.

SWU honored two philanthropists who have dedicated their lives to supporting Israel:  Leo David and David Wiener.  David is a Holocaust survivor who immigrated to America after World War II ended, and Leo moved to Israel from Germany where he joined the Israeli army prior to moving to New York.  Both men warned of the danger Israel is facing as a result of the propaganda war promoted by the boycott movement,  primarily on campuses.  They commended SWU for educating people of all ages around the world, particularly to high school and college students.

(Left to Right): Honorees Leo David and David Wiener hold the Menorahs bestowed to them at 

"Festival of Lights" Credit: Jonah Light Photography

Similar to previous years, the gala was underwritten by Ellie and Bruce Lederman and Debbie and Naty Saidoff.  As a result, all the funds will go directly into programming for 2016.  

(left to right):  Roz Rothstein, CEO, StandWithUs; gala co-chairs Naty and Debbie Saidoff; honoree Leo David; honoree David Wiener; keynote speaker Malcolm Hoenlein; gala co-chairs Ellie and Bruce Lederman; Esther Renzer, President, SWU and Jerry Rothstein, COO, SWU and emcee Elon Gold

Bruce Lederman, co-host of "Festival of Lights" introduced keynote speaker Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman/CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Organizations.  Malcolm wove Hanukkah themes into the present day challenges, noting that the archeological find of coins from Hasmonean (Maccabean) period is God's way of reminding Jews of their past and the promise of the future.  The triumph of the Maccabees is an example of the ingathering of exiles to Israel, similar to the ones from Iran, Syria,and Ethiopia, among others.  He praised SWU for standing with Israel and remarked that those who have stood with Israel survived throughout history and those who didn't, are forgotten.


Keynote speaker Malcolm Hoenlein. Credit: Jonah Light Photography

Two United States Congressmen - a Republican and Democrat - were honored with the StandWithUs "Guardian of Israel" award  - Ed Royce (R-39th district) and Juan Vargas (D-51st district) for their courage in voting against the Iran nuclear deal and continuing to approve aid to Israel.. Introduced by SWU President Esther Renzer as true guardians of Democratic values and of the American-Israel relationship, she also acknowledged CA State Assemblyman Travis Allen who recently introduced a critical bill in the California state assembly which would prohibit the state from doing business with any entity that would boycott Israel.  The bill will  deal a blow to the Boycott movement.


(Left to right): Roz Rothstein, Marie Royce; Congressman Ed Royce (R-CA); Congressman Juan Vargas (D-CA); Malcolm Hoenlein; Esther Renzer; Jerry Rothstein and emcee Elon Gold. Credit: Jonah Light Photography
StandWithUs has a high school internship program entering its fourth year and the Emerson Fellowship for college students in its ninth year.  Two students were honored with the "Star of David" award for being role models in educating their peers about Israel and fighting anti-Israel rhetoric at their schools.  Olivia Feldman, attends LA County High School for the Arts.  She recalled that her passion for Israel began while on a trip there.  When she returned, she realized that her peers were extremely critical of Israel even though they didn't have much information.   Unsure as to how to express her support, Olivia credits the StandWithUs high school Internship for giving her the tools and the courage to express that "loving Israel goes hand-in-hand with  my values."

Tomer Kornfeld, John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the SWU New York Campus Liaison, asked the audience how they would feel if they walked onto their campus and met by a "die-in" where students are laying on the ground, pretending to be shot by  Israeli soldiers.  A graduate of the first Teen Internship program and an Emerson Fellow, Tomer credited SWU for giving him the  knowledge to properly respond to these kinds of actions, emphasizing that, "none of this would be possible without SWU."


(Left to right):  Tomer Kornfeld, Malcolm Hoenlein and Olivia Feldman 

Credit: Jonah Light Photography

Robert French, co-founder and co-chair of StandWithUs-New York delivered an impassioned speech stressing the importance of SWU's work in clearing misconceptions and fighting the lies against Israel.  

Robert French, co-founder and co-chair SWU-NY adresses the audience. 

Credit: Jonah Light Photography

Roz Rothstein, co-founder and CEO StandWithUs expressed that, "we do this work for our children and our grandchildren."  As a child of Holocaust survivors who lost many family members, she urged that we must take an active role, reminding the audience that Israeli's defend Israel with their children and the very least we can do is to defend Israel with words and deeds.  

Los Angeles Israel Consul General David Siegel opened the evening.  He stated that these are perilous times for Israel, but SWU is central in the fight. He commended the Israel education organization for having the foresight to recognize the need 14 years ago, when it began reaching out to high school and college students, building a giant platform that empowers them to clarify Israel's challenges and achievements.  Siegel expressed that while "we work for Israel, we are confident that SWU is there."


(Left to Right) - Naty Saidoff, SWU-"Festival Of Lights" co-chair; honoree Leo David; Israel's Consul General to Los Angeles David Siegel at the Menorah lighting. Credit - Orly Halevy

Comedian Elon Gold emceed the event, and once again, anti-Boycott rapper Ari Lesser closed the evening with a rousing performance.  The national anthems were sung by Rabbi Cantor Alison Wissot (American) and SWU Board member Alon Miller (Israeli.)  The David Kates Orchestra provided the music.
 

Anti-BDS rapper Ari Lesser. Credit: Jonah Light Photography

The event was followed by a Young Professionals after-party attended by hundreds and sponsored by Barak Raviv and Joel Mowbray.

SWU staff enjoy the Young Professionals After-Party.  Credit: Jonah Light Photography

Does songwriter/activist David Broza's documentary "East/West Jerusalem" augment or diminish the conflict?

David Broza appeared at the L.A. Skirball's screening of the "East Jerusalem/West Jerusalem" documentary which depicts the making of his multi-cultural album of the same name. From their publicity:   "Can music bridge a decades-long political divide? Legendary Israeli musician David Broza heads to East Jerusalem to find out when he gathers a group of Israeli, Palestinian, and American musicians into a recording studio for eight days to record his latest album, "East Jerusalem/West Jerusalem." 

The groundbreaking album, produced by American producer/singer Steve Earle features Arabic rhythms, a Palestinian rapper, Broza's signature Spanish-influenced guitar playing, and more. Through soulful music and personal conversations, this new documentary follows the creation of the album, as well as the relationships of several Israelis and Palestinians, including the Israeli and Palestinian children who comprise the Youth Choir of Jerusalem and Broza's lifelong friendship with Israeli-Arab musician, Issa Freij.

Despite the tensions in the outside world, the musicians in the studio come together with a shared sense of optimism and love of music that transcends conflict, and gives us all hope that maybe music truly can change the world."

Our videotaped conversations with an Israeli peace-activist and a Gazan nationalist-activist (who currently resides in the West) reacting to the movie- reveal much about the religio-political divide. The liberal Israelis feel guilty about the Palestinian conditions (reinforced by Mr. Broza's film's polemic objections to the West Bank security fence and visit to a Palestinian refugee camp) and hope that granting sovereignty will end the Arab/Muslim terror against them. The Gazan man intends to conquer the Jewish state of Israel and sovereignty in a State of Palestine won't appease or deter them (as Israel's withdrawal from Gaza since 2005 has proven).   



Multi-cultural arts initiatives rarely emanate from the Muslims towards the Jews. One reason is that reconciliation is not in the interests of the global-Muslim mafias who rule Gaza and the West Bank. Perpetuating terror attacks necessitating the Security Fence/Wall and 3-generations of Arabs in refugee camps are the products of kleptocratic Palestinian politicians who have rejected reasonable sovereignty offers from Israeli leaders. By showing the appealing Palestinian singer, Ms. Mira Awad and Palestinian musicians in the recording of the songs, directors Henrique Cymerman and Erez Miller and Broza co-writer Gidi Avivi cinematically blame Israel's politicians and voters for the Palestinians "statelessness."  

This vilifying only hurts public perceptions of Israelis (many, like Mr. Broza, who view themselves as "citizens of the world"). But it condemns all Zionists (Israelis and Zionistic Jews and Christians) and rationalizes and encourages the jihadists' irredentist movement to conquer the Jewish state. While the intercultural music in "East Jerusalem/West Jerusalem" does feel good in the short-term, in the long-run, as it doesn't enlighten the world to push for reforms in Palestinian governance (and ending the Muslim war against Israel) which would genuinely advance the Palestinian interest, though perhaps not those invested in the bash-Israel/Palestinian sufferage business.

David Broza will perform in concert December 19th at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica.

What were the teachings of Rabbi Benjamin Kahane and wife, Talia, that Palestinians ambushed them for, 15-years ago this month?

Martyred Talia, Binyamin, and Meir Kahane  

Fifteen years after their tragic death by Arab terrorists, a memorial was held in Los Angeles on Thursday for Rabbi Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane and his wife Talia. The couple was killed in December of 2000 when Arab terrorists fired at their vehicle south of the Samarian community of Ofra, as they were driving from Jerusalem to their home in Kfar Tapuach. Just minutes before the attack the couple dropped off their 9-year-old son in Beit El where he attended school. 

Benjamin & Talia Kahane left 6 orphans

Rabbi Kahane was fatally shot and lost control of the car which overturned. Talya was critically wounded and died in the ambulance en route to Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. The couple's five daughters, who were also in the car, were wounded by the terrorists.

One of the murderers was Khaled Shawish, a senior commander in the Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades terrorist organization, sponsored by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah faction. He was caught more than 8 years ago by Israeli forces in Ramallah. 

Rabbi Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane was born in New York and immigrated to Israel with his family in 1971. He was the son of Rabbi Meir Kahane, who founded the Kach movement and who was himself murdered by an Arab gunman in New York in November 1990. After his father’s death, Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane headed the “Kahane Chai” (Kahane Lives) movement which he established to continue his father's legacy. 

Binyamin and Talia Kahane were buried in Jerusalem. Their six children are being raised by Talia's younger sister and her husband in Kfar Tapuach.  (Israel National News) You can see the young, Nachum Shifren in this AP News video. He spoke at the Los Angeles event. 

Avraham Herzlich, Talia's father, a former New Yorker, turned Torah-observant shepherd- opens-up about his views since Palestinians murdered his daughter, Talia Kahane and son-in-law, Benjamin Kahane, which created 6 orphans his family has had to care for. Every day, he and a Belgian Shepherd dog lead their flock of 250 goats to graze across Jewish pastures on the West Bank - incurring the ire of Palestinian olive farmers.

What perspectives can we learn about who they were, what they taught, and why they were killed? What lessons do they have for our times? For the 15th year since the assassination of Rabbi Benjamin and Talia Kahane, Jonathan Stern organized a teaching in their honor. 



Event-speakers in this playlist: Rabbi Zvi Block of Toras Emes in Valley Village, Rabbi Nachum Shifren, Aryeh Rifkin of Jewish Activity Center of L.A., and Rabbi Moshe Parry.