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"Rhythm and Roots" show at L.A.'s Ford Theater combines African-American and Hebrew music and dance styles

Israeli, Israeli-American, and African-American performers joined to stage a multi-ethnic music and dance theater at L.A.'s Ford Theater on Sunday, August 28th. The "Rhythm and Roots" event featured individual and joint performances by Macy Gray, Israel's Harel Skaat, L.A.'s Israel-American Keshet Chaim Dance Ensemble, Lulu Washington Dance Theater, the Agape Int'l Choir Ensemble, MC Lyte, and vocalist Abraham McDonald.

Celebrating the connection and diversity of the world’s cultures through music and dance, Israeli-American Keshet Chaim Dance Ensemble, African American Lula Washington Dance Theatre, and multi-ethnic, interfaith Agape International Choir joined together for a cross-cultural evening under the stars. Also featuring guest artists Israeli superstar Harel Skaat, making his Los Angeles debut; two-time Grammy Award-winner Macy Gray; R&B singer Abraham McDonald, whose victory on the first-ever Oprah Show Karaoke Challenge earned him an exclusive contract with the Island Def Jam Music Group; and legendary female rapper MC Lyte, All proceeds from Rhythm & Roots go to support Children Uniting Nations, an organization that brings attention to the plight of at-risk and foster youth, and Keshet Chaim’s youth education programs, which serve to eradicate ethnic and cultural barriers through the arts. Diverse as the RHYTHM & ROOTS artists might seem on the surface, they all share a communal mission to bring peace and healing to the world through their art.



Keshet Chaim's mixed white and black troupe, reflecting Israel's integrated Ethiopian Jewry, appeared to surprise and impress many of the African-American audience members. The dance ensemble's high-profile patron, Mrs. Daphna Ziman, asked the audience to remember the 25th birthday of Palestinian-kidnapped Israeli, Gilad Shalit, still held under inhumane conditions by Palestinian Hamas for over 5-years.

The talented, Los Angeles-based Keshet Chaim Dance Ensemble was founded in 1983 by Eytan Avisar, still its Artistic Director. Their performance was choreographed by Kobi Rozenfeld. Genie Benson serves the dance troupe in the capacity of executive director. Keshet Chaim (Hebrew for Colors of Life) is an American Israeli contemporary dance company dedicated to celebrating the inclusive spirit of Israeli culture and Judaism throughout the world. Influenced by world music, the multi-ethnic roots of the Jewish people, and a constant drive for interpreting and exploring Jewish values through art, Keshet Chaim serves as both a repertory ensemble for traditional dance forms and a laboratory for contemporary work. Keshet Chaim founder and artistic director Eytan Avisar conjures the colors of Jewish life and culture with vibrant storytelling and choreography, creating an emotional connection to the people of Israel and their sacred roots.

Don't let the media silence Israel's efforts for peace

A comical (but true) video sketch about foreign-press bias in Israel - from Honest Reporting.

50-75% off Keshet Chaim Dance Troupe "Rhythm & Roots" multicultural spectacular tickets for Sunday at Ford Amphitheater

RUSH TICKETS!!! $75 tickets only $25 'til 7pm! We are offering a special discount to all our audience members who are on their toes. Call (818) 986-7332 'til 7pm today  and get as many tickets as you can cram into your wallet. Bring your friends and get your groove on.

It's Keshet Chaim with four new dances, with more than 100 performers on stage including Macy Gray, Harel Skaat, Abraham McDonald, MC Lyte, Agape International Choir Ensemble and Lula Washington Dance Theatre. It's all to support our educational programs in LAUSD schools and Children Uniting Nations. Call (818) 986-7332 right away to get your rush ticket by 7pm! Afterwards, you can still get tickets at 50% off online at the Ford Theaters website.

Macy Gray is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, producer and actress famed for her distinctive raspy voice and singing style. She won two Grammy Awards, two MTV awards and with "I Try" had one of the most successful singles of all time. "The Sellout" released on June 22, 201- is perhaps her finest album to date.

MC Lyte, one of the most prolific female hip-hop rappers, first became known in the late 80's. She was the first solo female rapper to release an album. Agape International Choir Ensemble inspires the spirit of freedom and community with the sound of one voice united. Harel Skaat rose to fame in the second season of A Star is Born, the Israeli adaptation of American Idol and is now of the leading artists in Israel. Abraham McDonald, an R&B singer became a star on The Oprah Winfrey Show winning the first ever Oprah's karaoke Challenge.

Distracting ourselves from fighting our enemies by fighting one-another and our allies



Jews avoid opposing leftists' and Muslims' Nazi-esque, "Destroy Israel" rally in Trafalgar Square, to concentrate on objecting to Glenn Beck assuming Zionist leadership void- from Israel from JooTube.TV



Cyber-journalist Richard Millett has chronicled Sunday's Trafalgar Square, Anti-Israel Rally:


The leader in the rally video declares, “You can’t take an army, which is a nation’s army, a terrorist nation’s army, and defeat it with sincere small fighters. It needs some of those states around to release their armies to burn that land and then that region will see peace like it had in the past. Because the only time that land has seen peace between Muslim, Christian and Jew living side by side was when sincere Islamic rulers ruled with justice.”




Al Quds Day was creatively subtitled “End the Siege, End the Occupation, End the Israeli Apartheid”, but for brevity they might just have subtitled it “End Israel”.Placards, see below, were held up which read: Israel Your Days are Numbered; Death to Israel; Down, down Israel; For World Peace Israel Must Be Destroyed; The World Stopped Nazism, The World Must Stop Zionism; We are All Hizbollah.


Where were the Jews? by Barry Shaw in The View from Israel



Certainly, there were no Israeli flags to be seen in the picture. I searched the internet expecting to see that there had been a turn out in support of Israel. Maybe, they were there but the press had, as usual, overlooked them? But no. Apparently the heads of the Jewish and Zionist bodies in Britain were below the barricades, or sleeping on the job!


As an Israeli, and one active in hasbara for Israel, I demand to know why the voice of British Jewry was not shouting out loud and clear as we were being attacked? If they weren't outside the Israeli Embassy, why weren't they outside the Palestinian diplomatic mission in London protesting Palestinian terror tactics against my country? Or don't they care enough to get up and become pro-active?

If I were a Jew in Britain, and cared for Israel, I would demand to know what these so-called pro-Israel professionals are doing? certainly, they are not hyper-active when it comes to moments of crisis for the Jewish state.

If these people can't do what they are paid to do, let them move over and allow other, fresher, and more dynamic people take over. 

As you can tell, I am one angry Israeli who is disgusted with the country of my origin - and glad to be out of there.

Can this Israeli unite Jews & Christians to resist the repressors of Israel and the god of Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob?

American-born Israeli, Avi Lipkin addressed an L.A.-area, Act! for America gathering with strategies gleaned from monitoring Islamic media, about their plans to Islamize the West - with the facilitation of Muslim-raised, Barack Hussein Obama in the White House.

In this video, he addresses what he sees as the plan to destroy Jewish Israel - and the Israeli political party he is forming, with Jews and Christians, to save Israel, according to Torah principles. 

(Advance through the playlist via the arrow'ed buttons)

Israel Matzav: Study confirms US aid to 'Palestinian Authority' is counterproductive

Israel Matzav: Study confirms US aid to 'Palestinian Authority' is counterproductive

Islamist calls for Muslims to cut-out tongue of David Letterman; "Slay him as our hero did that other Jew, Rabbi Meir Kahane"

Voz iz Neias reports:
New York, NY - An internet jihadist has called on Muslims in America to kill TV funnyman David Letterman, according to a new report. The threat was allegedly made by Umar al Basrawi, a frequent contributor to an online Islamic jihadist forum, Stars and Stripes reported today. In the post, al-Basrawi directs American Muslims to “cut the tongue of this lowly Jew and shut it forever.” The threat came after Letterman apparently offended al Basrawi by making jokes following the deaths of al Qaeda leaders Usama bin Laden and Ilyas Kashmiri. A spokesman for Letterman declined comment. 
The poster wrote: “Is there not amongst you a Sayyid Nosair al-Masri (may Allah release him) to cut the tongue of this lowly Jew and shut it forever. Just as Sayyid (may Allah release him) did with the Jew Kahane.” Sayyid Nosair al-Masri was tried for the murder of Rabbi Meir Kahane in 1990.
Liberal Muslim reformist, Tarek Fatah, author of "The Jew is Not My Enemy" (which addresses Muslim bigotry towards Jews) discusses Islamist nature and it's threat to freedom (especially the freedom of non-Muslims) on Ezra Levant's The Source show in Canada.

Jewish 'guardians' keep London streets safe

As riots escalate and with police caught unprepared, Jewish volunteers take to northwest London streets to defend their neighborhoods Ronen Medzini in YNet News The Shomrim ("guardians"), a volunteer-based Jewish organization, has been keeping London's Jewish neighborhoods safe in cooperation with the Scotland Yard for years. Now, with the riots in the British capital, their work has become doubly important. This week they have already managed to thwart looting attempts in one of the Jewish neighborhoods, in an operation befitting of a Hollywood blockbuster action movie. Read it all

Tu (the 15th day) b' Av - the original, copied Valentine's day

The Torah says "and He will love you" (v'ahavcha) (Devarim/ Deut. 7:13). The 15th day of Av (Tu b' Av in the Hebrew calendar - this year on 14-15 August)  has become a Jewish Valentine's Day and a popular day for weddings, proposals and romantic dates.



Jconnect Tu b'Av LoveFest 2009 from DemoCast on Vimeo.
Performances by Blue Fringe, Rav Shmuel, The Moshav Band,
hosts Rabbi Yonah and DJ Eric Rosen

Julie Wiener questions the precepts in How to Date Like a "Shiksa" in The New York Jewish Week, 8/8/
11

“Avi Roseman,” the pen name of a 26-year-old single woman has written and self-published  “Secrets of Shiksa Appeal: 8 Steps to Attract Your Shul Mate (iUniverse).
The gist of her missive (which opens with “I once drove a boyfriend into the arms of a shiksa”) is that gentile women know better than Jewesses how to entice male members of the Tribe — and instead of complaining about “shiksas stealing our men,” Jewish women can “learn from them and prevent them from doing that in the first place.”

White Jihadist guilty of inciting attacks on Jewish schools and day-care centers via online forum

White American convert to Islam incited terrorism, including attacks on Jewish targets.
by Gavriel Queenann Israel National News


A 22-year-old Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty Tuesday in Pittsburgh to soliciting people to engage in acts of terrorism, including attacks on Jewish targets.

Emerson Winfield Begolly, of New Bethlehem, Pa., was an active administrator of an Islamic extremist internet forum that solicited jihadists to use firearms and explosives against police stations, post offices, Jewish schools and daycare centers, military facilities bridges and other targets.

"Jihadist propaganda on the Internet is a serious threat to our safety, and today's plea is the latest example of our Office's efforts to aggressively identify and prosecute homegrown terrorists," Neil MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said.

Using the pseudonym Abu Nancy, Begolly used the Ansar al-Mujahideen English Forum to encourage followers to "write their legacy in blood." He applauded the shootings at military facilities throughout Northern

Virginia last October and even posted a manual on how to manufacture a bomb.
In early January of 2011, he assaulted FBI agents as they tried to stop him from pulling a gun, going as far as to biting agents on the fingers.

Begolly is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 29.

Can universities study anti-Semitism honestly?

Can universities study anti-Semitism honestly?
By Walter Reich from Op/Eds in JPost.com 7/23/11

Recent history at Yale indicates that doing so might be too costly.


Prof. Reich's Bottom Line: "I think it’s simply very hard for Yale, or any other university, to focus honestly and responsibly on contemporary anti-Semitism, because doing so invites accusations of “Islamophobia,” and universities simply cannot tolerate such accusations.

Besides, examining the explosion of anti-Semitism in the Arab/Muslim world, much of it aimed also at Israel, leaves some faculty members (themselves uncomfortable with Israel) uncomfortable with the study of the anti-Semitism aimed at Israel.

It seems likely that the new institute will support the study of historical anti-Semitism – about which an endless number of books and articles have already been written – or contemporary anti-Semitism, that touches on the phenomenon in the Arab/Muslim world but holds back from sponsoring research that includes the kinds of value judgments that logically flow from such study.

And it seems likely that administrators at other universities, learning from Yale’s painful experience, will vow, if they’re asked to start such an institute: “Never again!” 


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