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"What kind of Jew am I?" is among questions raised by "God of Isaac" at L.A.'s Pico Playhouse

Discussion with the cast of the American Jewish identity play- "The God of Isaac" theatrical producer, Howard Teichman, cast members Adam Korson (Isaac Adams) and Corrin Cummins (wife, Shelly) on the cultural re-examination sparked by mid-western Jews at the time of the neo-Nazi march in Skokie, Illinois in 1978.

Howard Teichman explores the phenomenon of anti-Semitism in American Jewish identity.

Paul McCartney is converting to Judaism; A Jewish Beatle? Yeah, yeah, yeah!

According to Mike Walker in The National Enquirer, Paul McCartney is studying Judaism and has promised his new bride, Nancy Shevell, that he'll convert, according to one of his friends.
PAUL MCCARTNEY, baptized Roman Catholic but admittedly never very devout, quietly told pals after his marriage to socialite NANCY SHEVELL – who’s Jewish and takes her religion seriously – that he’s studying Judaism and promised his new bride he’ll convert, reports a friend of the star. 
The former Beatle’s first wife, LINDA EASTMAN, came from a prominent Jewish family and McCartney had talked about converting after they married, but just never got around to it. 
Paul told pals he’ll complete his conversion studies next year.

Jewish Federation of L.A. mission brings record 400 Los Angelenos to Israel; will dedicate community center at Negev's Ayalim Village; Pres. Shimon Peres will address

Delegation of more than 400 Jews arrives in Tel Aviv to celebrate 100th anniversary of Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles.

The delegation represents the largest group of travelers from Los Angeles traveling together on an organized mission. Participants include prominent Jewish community leaders and philanthropists from Los Angeles, as well as congregants of synagogues traveling with their rabbis and spiritual leaders.

Personalized itineraries include tourist destinations as well as visits to numerous human service programs throughout Israel that are funded by The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles.

Highlights include the following: October 25, in Tel Aviv: Cultural celebration including opera, dance, TV, film and art featuring participants in programs of The Jewish Federation’s Tel Aviv/Los Angeles Partnership. Emcee is Chaim Topol; October 27 in Jerusalem; Reciting the Shehechiyanu at the Haas promenade with Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat October 28 at the Kotel; Welcome Shabbat as a community October 30 in Ashalim;  Dedication of new community center at Ayalim Village funded by The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles;



October 31 in Jerusalem: Closing gala with President Shimon Peres and Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky (YNetNews)

Worshipers rejoice upon completing atonement on Sukkot and the reading of the Torah on Simchat Torah holy days

It's a "mitzvah" (commandment) to be happy on Sukkot and Simchat Torah! At Los Angeles' modern orthodox, Carlebach "Happy" Minyan, impassioned worshipers accompany the Hoshana Rabah worship service by dancing and playing timbrel, shofar, fiddle, guitar, and other acoustic musical instruments.



On Simchat Torah, the celebration of the completion of the annual Torah-reading cycle, the Torahs are danced around the synagogue. The effusion often spills over into the streets of their visibly Jewish neighborhood in Los Angeles.

"We want more Shalits!" Israeli Arabs & Palestinians shout, Palestinian journalist abu-Toameh interprets

"We Want More Shalits!" by Khaled Abu Toameh in Hudson-NY October 21, 2011

It is clear by now that it is only a matter of time before Hamas or any other Palestinian group try to kidnap another soldier or Israeli civilian in order to copy the Shalit example. The deal has given them a strong incentive to try once again to snatch a soldier or civilian to achieve that goal.

Like the withdrawals from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, the prisoner swap has sent the same message not only to the Palestinians, but to the rest of the Arab world: that violence and kidnappings are the only language that Israel understands, and that the violent struggle against Israel must continue because negotiations do not lead to anything.

Sadly, it is hard to find anyone on the Palestinian side who sees the exchange deal as a sign of Israeli flexibility. On the contrary - Israel's concessions are almost always interpreted as a sign of weakness that eventually leads to more violence. The withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005 was seen as a sign of Israeli weakness in the face of increased rocket and suicide attacks. The withdrawal from southern Lebanon before that was also viewed as a sign of weakness in the face of Hizbollah's attacks on Israel.

Statements made by many of the released prisoners and several Hamas leaders don't bode well for the future. They view the deal as an Israeli capitulation to their demands and are now calling for the kidnapping of more Israeli soldiers to trade them for the remaining Palestinians in Israeli prisons.

Chanting "We want more Shalits!," thousands of Palestinians took to the streets in the Gaza Strip to greet the released prisoners and call on Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups to hurry up and launch more operations to kidnap Israeli soldiers. Read it all

“Ehr Kumt” (Yiddish for “he’s coming”) pulpit sermon of the century

FrontPage Magazine published this clarion sermon about Islamic anti-Semitism, delivered by Rabbi Shlomo Lewis of Atlanta on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, 2010, which has been referred to as the “Sermon of the Century.”

 “I remember one Shabbos in 1938 when Vladimir Jabotinsky came to the shul” (Jabotinsky was Menachim Begin’s mentor – he was a fiery orator, an unflinching Zionist radical, whose politics were to the far right.) Joe continued “When Jabotinsky came, he delivered the drash on Shabbos morning and I can still hear his words burning in my ears. He climbed up to the shtender, stared at us from the bima, glared at us with eyes full of fire and cried out. ‘EHR KUMT. YIDN FARLAWST AYER SHTETL – He’s coming. Jews abandon your city.’ ”
We thought we were safe in Lithuania from the Nazis, from Hitler. We had lived there, thrived for a thousand years but Jabotinsky was right — his warning prophetic. We got out but most did not.”
 Read it all

50,000 Zionists from all around the world participate in annual Jerusalem March for Sukkot

Israel-lovers from around the world participated Tuesday 18 October in the annual Sukkot / Feast of Tabernacles, "Jerusalem March" parade. (Video courtesy http://www.jr.co.il)

Rabbinical perspectives on paying ransom of 1,027 convicted Arab terrorists to free a sole Israeli captive, Gilad Shalit

Israelis celebrate the return of Islamist-held captive Gilad Shalit
















Rabbi Zvi Block, of Beis Medrash Toras HaShem, offers a Judaic perspective about paying excessive ransom for releasing a kidnap victim, in the wake of Israel's releasing over 1000 convicted terrorists in exchange for the release of Gilad Shalit.




Rabbi Abraham Cooper is the associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Fox News published his Op/Ed, Gilad Shalit Comes Home -- Tears of Joy Mixed With Bitter Tears of Sorrow.

"Jewish law demands, that a community’s last Torah scroll must be sold off to perform one special deed: Redeeming a Jew from captivity.



The Talmud says captivity is worse than starvation or death. The great Medieval scholar Maimonides, who lived in an era when helpless Jews were too often held for hostage, collected money to redeem them and lashed out at those who refused to help as violating biblical commandments, including "you shall not harden your heart" (Deuteronomy 15:7); "you shall not stand idly by the blood of your brother" (Leviticus 19:16); and "you shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18).


One legal text admonishes that anyone who delays in ransoming a captive is akin to a murderer.
Indeed, 2,000 years ago the Talmud explicitly cautioned that the commandment to redeem the captive ends when the deal upends “ Tikun Olam” -- the good order of the world. Meaning, only make the deal, if "… they [the kidnappers] should not seize more captives".


Tragically, throughout 2,000 years of exile, embattled Jewish leaders, too often found themselves between a rock and a hard place, more often than not, forced to pay high ransoms, with the knowledge they were helpless to stop the next kidnapping.


Even the modern state of Israel has not been immune from this scourge.. Over the last four decades, Jewish scholars have grappled with the phenomenon of terrorist kidnappings-- from the Entebbe skyjacking saga in 1976 to the Shalit affair.


The late former Chief Rabbi Goren, ruled that one must not pay more than the captive's value because it would encourage the kidnappers to kidnap more Jews and endanger the public.


Rabbi Goren’s conclusion: the safety of one or a few Jews in captivity does not take precedence over the safety of the entire public and without doubt, the freeing hundreds or thousands of terrorists in 2011 will definitely increase terrorism and the threat of more kidnappings.


But other scholars disagree since Israel is struggling with a war based on Palestinian nationalism—not money. And so, the price paid for Gilad Shalit's freedom, however painful and lopsided, they argue, will not make any difference to Hamas or Hezbollah, who will continue to try to kidnap Jews regardless of what Israel does.


It will be a bittersweet Simchat Torah this year for us Jews: We celebrate a tradition that cherishes Life and helped repatriate a kidnappedson; while we cast a wary eye on terrorists who leverage our reverence for life to stoke the flames of their culture of death."
 

Read more 

Hamas militant Fakhre Barghouti waves in Ramallah,
as one of 1000 Islamist terrorists Israel is trading

Occupy Wall Street movement rationalizes Christian anti-Semitism with classic, socialist anti-Semitism

The leftist, Occupy (Wall Street) Movement is rife with Jewish conspiracy - which depicts Jews as historically controlling and determining nature and human destiny. It presents an explanation of the world by attributing such extreme powers to its motive force—the Joos!

 

Top blogger, Debbie Schlussel, writes in article Occupy Wall Street Morons & Jew-Hatred; Plus Sean Hannity’s Attack on Wall St is the Same "Muslim and pro-Palestinian groups have set up tables to pass out their pamphlets of hate against Israel and the Jews."

Learn more about leftist anti-Semitism in Briton, Steve Cohen's 1984 book, "That's Funny- You Don't Look Anti-Semitic - An anti-racist analysis of left anti-Semitism."

Video: Jews Shout-out to G-d at the Western Wall; Be favorably inscribed in the book of righteousness!

Tzfat's Rabbi, Rav Shmuel Eliyahu, led a special Selichot service in the Western Wall. "We're praying to G-d by shouting out to him."

During the Ten Days of Repentance, the period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, thousands of Jews traditionally visit the Western Wall in Jerusalem for Selichot (penitential prayers). 

A special prayer service was at the Wall held this week, advertised in posters throughout the city of Jerusalem, attended by people from all over the country. It was led by the Rabbi of the city of Tzfat, Rav Shmuel Eliyahu, the son of the late Sephardic Chief Rabbi, Rav Mordechai Eliyahu. 

The sound of the shofar was not heard during this particular service; rather, Rav Eliyahu asked the participants to cry out together to G-d instead because of the many difficulties besetting the Jewish people and the state of Israel at the start of this new year.

 

“We’re lifting our voices to G-d,” Rav Eliyahu explained. “We’re shouting out to him like a baby shouting out to his father. When a baby cries, his father understands him. His mother understands him. This how we shout out to G-d. Without talking.”

“We pray to G-d that the prayer will not just take place here at  the Kotel [Western Wall, ed.] but in the actual Holy Temple, on the Temple Mount,” added Rav Eliyahu. “May it be rebuilt quickly and in our time. Amen.”

The rabbi also had a blessing for the people of Israel on the occasion of the new year.

“We want to wish everyone the strength of happiness, the strength of blessing. Chatima Tova to the entire people of Israel. May they be inscribed in the book of redemption, in the book of righteousness, in the book of blessing and good living.”   Source: (Israel National News)

Tshuvahu tefillahu tzedakah maavirin et ro’ahhagezeirah!  Repentence, prayer, and righteous giving have the Power to transform sins into "good deeds" and a meritous decree for your inscription in the Book of Life.  
Behave selflessly, helping and giving to others, and become involved in improving the Klal Yisrael.



A communal-minded person indicates by his altruism and benevolence that he recognizes his mission: to emulate Hashem by being a giver.  Fortify JewTube's mission to defend Hashem's stake in the world


For doing so, may He bless you with a kesivahva chatimah tovah!  May you be inscribed in the book of redemption, in the book of righteousness, in the book of blessing and good living!

European Jihad analyst presents: "Will Iran Bomb the Jewish Devil?"

Just as Hitler sought to “liberate” humanity by murdering the Jews, so the Ayatollahs believe they can “liberate” humanity by eradicating Israel. 


Giulio Meotti
The writer, an Italian journalist with Il Foglio, writes a weekly column for Arutz Sheva. He is the author of the book "A New Shoah", that researched the personal stories of Israel's terror victims, published by Encounter. His writing has appeared in publications, such as the Wall Street Journal, Frontpage and Commentary.


"While the Islamic world could sacrifice hundreds of thousands of “martyrs” in an Israeli retaliatory strike without disappearing – so goes Teheran’s fatwa – Israel would be history after the first bomb.

For the Islamic fanatics the martyrs are an affordable price to pay in order to remove the Jewish Devil. 

Israel should trust her enemies’ mettlesome rants more than the futile experts’ opinion. Iran has the motivation to destroy Israel, and if it is allowed to gain nuclear weapons it will not need an excuse to do so.

It’s a double motivation: messianic Shi’ite and expansionist-imperial - a winning combination. In that mindset, the Jew Devils must all suffer a violent death, down to the last one."

Read it all

Anti-Semitism incidents report reveals imperative for more effective management, solutions

ADL Audit avoids web anti-Semitism. Some state levels down only in comparison to Gaza War spikes in 2009. California up - leads nation. 

Following a consistent trend over the last several years, the number of anti-Semitic incidents in the United States remained constant in 2010, with a total of 1,239 incidents of assaults, vandalism and harassment reported during the calendar year, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
The ADL Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents, released today, found that the number of anti-Semitic incidents increased slightly in 2010, to a total of 1,239 incidents, compared to 1,211 incidents reported in 2009.  It is the first increase reported by ADL since the numbers hit a record high in 2004, when the U.S. experienced 1,821 incidents of anti-Semitism.  Since 2004, the total number of anti-Jewish incidents had declined incrementally each year.
The ADL Audit tracks incidents of vandalism, harassment and physical assaults against Jewish individuals, property and community institutions across the U.S., using reports and data gathered by the League's 30 regional offices and law enforcement.
Courtesy: Steve Greenberg-Art.com
"While we have come a long way in society as Jews have been accepted into the mainstream, America is still not immune to anti-Semitism and bigotry," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director.  "The good news is that we have continued to enjoy a period of relative calm, where the overall numbers are mostly unchanged and the incidents isolated.  But the bad news is that for all our efforts to educate, to raise awareness and to legislate, anti-Jewish incidents remain a disturbing part of the American Jewish experience."
The 2010 ADL Audit identified:
  • 22 physical assaults on Jewish individuals (down from 29 in 2009);
  • 900 cases of anti-Semitic harassment, threats and events (up from 760 in 2009);
  • 317 cases of anti-Semitic vandalism (down from 422 in 2009).
The 2010 Audit comprises data from 45 states and the District of Columbia, including official crime statistics as well as information provided to ADL's regional offices by victims, law enforcement officers and community leaders and members.  The Audit encompasses criminal acts, such as vandalism, violence and threats of violence, as well as non-criminal incidents of harassment and intimidation.
Majority of Incidents Concentrated in Handful of States
Continuing a longtime trend, the states with the highest totals were those with large Jewish populations.  The top four states were California, with 297 incidents in 2010, up from 275 in 2009; New York, with 205 incidents, down from 209; New Jersey, with 130 incidents, down from 132; and Florida, with 116 incidents, up from 90.
According to the ADL Audit, other states with double-digit totals in 2010 include Massachusetts (64, up from 55 in 2009); Pennsylvania (42, down from 65 in 2009); Colorado (38, up from 14); Connecticut (38, up from 24); and Texas (37, up from 28).
The Audit has never included, and does not now include, thousands of anti-Semitic events that have occurred in cyberspace. The Audit does not attempt to evaluate anti-Semitic Web sites, online groups, postings and comments. It does include anti-Semitic cyberbullying and harassing anti-Semitic email or postings when they target a specific private individual. It is intended to serve only as a barometer looking at one small piece of a larger societal problem.
 Anti-Semitic placards at anti-Israel demonstrations
"As a barometer of anti-Semitism in America, the Audit helps us to identify trends across the country and to take stock of how and where anti-Semitism is manifested," said Robert G. Sugarman, ADL National Chair.  "This information helps us to work with law enforcement and others in cities and communities to address the problem of hatred of Jews."
The Audit identifies both criminal and non-criminal acts of harassment and intimidation, including distribution of hate propaganda, threats and slurs.  Compiled using official crime statistics, as well as information provided by victims, law enforcement officers and community leaders and evaluated by ADL's professional staff, the Audit provides an annual snapshot of a nationwide problem while identifying possible trends or changes in the types of activity reported. This information assists ADL in developing and enhancing its programs to counter and prevent the spread of anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry.
The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.
Watch video, "Anti-Semitism on the Rise in Europe" we helped to produce with CBN News' Dale Hurd which aired on The 700 Club and has garnered approaching 50,000 views online: