Sunday, November 11, 2007
Cotton's ridiculous piece in the Trib
Read this and I'll point out the obvious errors and distortions:
A glimpse at a life in line
For Palestinians, a tense daily grind
By Robert Cotton Fite, an Episcopal priest and clinical psychologist who lives in Wilmette
November 11, 2007
: Waiting in line at a West Bank border checkpoint, intimidated by the prison like atmosphere and frustrated by the Israeli soldier denying me passage back into Israel, I got my first real taste of what it's like most days for thousands of Palestinians. ..I don't yet understand how the Palestinian people endure the oppression of an occupation or what it feels like to be a Palestinian. I could always have returned to Zababdeh, called the American Consulate and gotten out. An ordinary Palestinian would have no such advocate, or even, perhaps, an Israeli friend like Harry. cotton.fite@sbcglobal.net
1. None of this ever needed to happen.
a. Nov 1947 the UN voted to partition Palestine to 2 nations, 1 Jewish 1 Arab. The jews agreed. The Arabs fought to exterminate the Jews.
b. Between 1948-1967 the Jordanians controlled the West Bank and Egypt Gaza. If they cared, they could have, on day 1, created Arab state there. It could now be 60 years old.
2. It need not be now this way. Every Israeli Prime Minister in a decade has tried to create an Arab state but The Palestinians continued to try and kill Israels in Intifada 1 and 2 and now daily missiles fired from Gaza. Hamas refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist, or renounce terror. If the Arabs would be interested in life, instead of death, there would be a State for Arabs there, a 22nd Arab state, asap. When Arabs smuggle weapons in ambulances, masquerading as women wearing full length Arab dress, etc, what can Israel do?
It is too bad the Palestinians are inconvenienced this way. Then don't elect terrorists who want to kill Jews as part of their basic platform.
Simply
1.renounce violence as civilized people do
2.State clearly you support Israel's right to exist
3. root out the violent elements
presto-Palestinian entity
Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg
Sunday, November 11, 2007
My Hannukah videos on Jewtube
My Hannukah videos on Jewtube
How to play Chanukah dredyl erabbi281
Hannukah menorah lighting and songs
The Truth about Hannukah
Homintashen vs Latke debate erabbi 260
Terms about Sukkot,Hannukah 9 erabbi214
Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg
How to play Chanukah dredyl erabbi281
Hannukah menorah lighting and songs
The Truth about Hannukah
Homintashen vs Latke debate erabbi 260
Terms about Sukkot,Hannukah 9 erabbi214
Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg
Saturday, November 10, 2007
new youtube videos
How to play Chanukah dredyl Jewu281
Tunnels, Balfour, Kristallnacht, Nazis, Hamas Jewu280
Tunnels, Balfour, Kristallnacht, Nazis, Hamas Jewu280
Friday, November 9, 2007
Learning from the Evangelicals
From New York Time aerticle on how the evangelicals grwo so rapidly and what e can learn
"Those desires resonated immediately for Jewish leaders frustrated in the failure of synagogues to engage the unaffiliated, the disaffected, the spiritual seekers. Mr. Warren’s informants had told him they yearned for a friendly welcome, quality child care, a sermon that had a pragmatic message for their weekday lives and an overarching sense that the church cared more about each member as a person than as a revenue stream.
Mr. Warren told the workshop listeners what he had come to realize: “A congregation isn’t a building. God dwells in people.” He explained that Saddleback did not construct its own building until it had 10,000 congregants. Even in the church’s current vastness, a decentralized network of ministers and laity seek to connect every newcomer to at least six longtime members.
“The biggest challenge we have in transforming synagogue life,” Mr. Wolfson said recently, recalling the workshop, “is transforming the basic relationship of most Jews to most synagogues.” He added: “It’s a fee-for-service model. I’m going to write you a check, and you’re going to give me what I need — a rabbi on call, High Holy Days seats, a Hebrew school for my kids. It’s not deep.”
Mr. Hoffman said the most obvious exception in the Jewish world was the Chabad movement of the Lubavitcher Hasidim. Its success at what is called “inreach,” meaning proselytizing unobservant Jews, has become a source of fascination, envy and enmity. In a strange way, it may have been less controversial for Synagogue 3000 to emulate Christians who are total outsiders rather than a Hasidic sect that competes for the same pool of Jewish souls.
“Jews need to be more quote-unquote evangelical,” Mr. Wolfson said. “We need to do a better job of presenting Judaism to our own people. The story doesn’t get across that Judaism is a way to find meaning and purpose in your life. And that’s another lesson I’ve learned from the evangelical model.”
"Those desires resonated immediately for Jewish leaders frustrated in the failure of synagogues to engage the unaffiliated, the disaffected, the spiritual seekers. Mr. Warren’s informants had told him they yearned for a friendly welcome, quality child care, a sermon that had a pragmatic message for their weekday lives and an overarching sense that the church cared more about each member as a person than as a revenue stream.
Mr. Warren told the workshop listeners what he had come to realize: “A congregation isn’t a building. God dwells in people.” He explained that Saddleback did not construct its own building until it had 10,000 congregants. Even in the church’s current vastness, a decentralized network of ministers and laity seek to connect every newcomer to at least six longtime members.
“The biggest challenge we have in transforming synagogue life,” Mr. Wolfson said recently, recalling the workshop, “is transforming the basic relationship of most Jews to most synagogues.” He added: “It’s a fee-for-service model. I’m going to write you a check, and you’re going to give me what I need — a rabbi on call, High Holy Days seats, a Hebrew school for my kids. It’s not deep.”
Mr. Hoffman said the most obvious exception in the Jewish world was the Chabad movement of the Lubavitcher Hasidim. Its success at what is called “inreach,” meaning proselytizing unobservant Jews, has become a source of fascination, envy and enmity. In a strange way, it may have been less controversial for Synagogue 3000 to emulate Christians who are total outsiders rather than a Hasidic sect that competes for the same pool of Jewish souls.
“Jews need to be more quote-unquote evangelical,” Mr. Wolfson said. “We need to do a better job of presenting Judaism to our own people. The story doesn’t get across that Judaism is a way to find meaning and purpose in your life. And that’s another lesson I’ve learned from the evangelical model.”
BUILDING A BRIDGE TO with dreydl
BUILDING A BRIDGE TO ISRAEL
ON CHANUKAH WE PLAY WITH THE DREIDEL
But the dreidel is much more than just a simple game for children. Or perhaps simple games for children are much more complex and meaningful than we often think.
In Israel , the sides of the dreidel proclaim “a great miracle happened HERE.” In the Diaspora the four sides form an acronym declaring that “a great miracle happened THERE.” Imagine that where we are in the world, we need the insights found on each of the four sides of the dreidel. We need the insights that flow both from the miracles of Israel and from the miracles of Jewish life in contemporary North America .
Wherever we are, we can all learn the lesson of dreidels from Israel – the immediacy of wonderful things happening around us, the opportunity to create Jewish destiny, and the celebration of that which is closest to us. We can all learn to identify the miraculous events in the “here” of our own lives. That is the gift of dreidels from Israel .
And we can also integrate the wisdom of dreidels in America – the possibility of miraculous events far away; the ability to see the wonder of people, places and things to which we have less direct connection; and the celebration that our sense of community must always be wider than we might at first experience or imagine. That is the gift of Diaspora dreidels.
As you light the candles each night, reflect on the following miracles that make up the fabric of human life in the twenty-first century:
NIGHT ONE. The miracle of unprecedented Jewish power to help create a safer and more ethical world.
NIGHT TWO. The miracle of 350 plus years of Jewish life in America .
NIGHT THREE. The miracle of traveling the length and breadth of modern Israel .
NIGHT FOUR. The miracle of mapping the human genome.
NIGHT FIVE. The miracle of new artistic expression in music and the arts.
NIGHT SIX. The miracle of unparalleled generosity in the face of Hurricane Katrina and devastating fires in Southern California .
NIGHT SEVEN. The miracle of life found everywhere from fertility clinics to our parks and gardens.
NIGHT EIGHT. The miracle of friends and family with whom we share our lives.
A Great Miracle Happened... Here and There
From the dreidel
(from a Message prepared by CLAL, 440 Park Avenue South , New York , NY 10016 , www.clal.org)
Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg
ON CHANUKAH WE PLAY WITH THE DREIDEL
But the dreidel is much more than just a simple game for children. Or perhaps simple games for children are much more complex and meaningful than we often think.
In Israel , the sides of the dreidel proclaim “a great miracle happened HERE.” In the Diaspora the four sides form an acronym declaring that “a great miracle happened THERE.” Imagine that where we are in the world, we need the insights found on each of the four sides of the dreidel. We need the insights that flow both from the miracles of Israel and from the miracles of Jewish life in contemporary North America .
Wherever we are, we can all learn the lesson of dreidels from Israel – the immediacy of wonderful things happening around us, the opportunity to create Jewish destiny, and the celebration of that which is closest to us. We can all learn to identify the miraculous events in the “here” of our own lives. That is the gift of dreidels from Israel .
And we can also integrate the wisdom of dreidels in America – the possibility of miraculous events far away; the ability to see the wonder of people, places and things to which we have less direct connection; and the celebration that our sense of community must always be wider than we might at first experience or imagine. That is the gift of Diaspora dreidels.
As you light the candles each night, reflect on the following miracles that make up the fabric of human life in the twenty-first century:
NIGHT ONE. The miracle of unprecedented Jewish power to help create a safer and more ethical world.
NIGHT TWO. The miracle of 350 plus years of Jewish life in America .
NIGHT THREE. The miracle of traveling the length and breadth of modern Israel .
NIGHT FOUR. The miracle of mapping the human genome.
NIGHT FIVE. The miracle of new artistic expression in music and the arts.
NIGHT SIX. The miracle of unparalleled generosity in the face of Hurricane Katrina and devastating fires in Southern California .
NIGHT SEVEN. The miracle of life found everywhere from fertility clinics to our parks and gardens.
NIGHT EIGHT. The miracle of friends and family with whom we share our lives.
A Great Miracle Happened... Here and There
From the dreidel
(from a Message prepared by CLAL, 440 Park Avenue South , New York , NY 10016 , www.clal.org)
Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg
Kosher Thanksgiving
EATING AS A CONSERVATIVE JEW-from the USCJ Compact
MAKING THE U.S. THANKSGIVING DAY JEWISH
Bake a challah for Thanksgiving dinner. Try one with a Thanksgiving theme, such as cornmeal or cranberries. Say the motzi before eating.
Recall the history of the land. Go around the table and have everyone participate in recalling the history of America since the pilgrims arrived. Each person can continue where the one before left off.
Answer questions. Allow each person an opportunity to respond to questions such as these. What are we personally thankful for? What are we thankful for as Jews? What do we wish to contribute to this country? What do we believe are the highest ideals and best values of the United States ? Have we, as a nation, lived up to those ideals and values in the past year?
Read aloud great quotes. A great example of something you can read aloud at Thanksgiving is the Emma Lazarus poem that is inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty:
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame:
With conquering limbs astride from land to
land,
Here at our sea-washed sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lighting, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips.
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest -tost to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Conclude with a blessing. Here’s an example of a blessing you can say before you conclude with Birkat HaMazon, the grace after meals: “God, Source of life, compassion, and justice, grant us wisdom and strength that we may lift our lamps for freedom, justice and compassion. Amen.
P.S. FYI :
In an article entitled, “Is Thanksgiving Kosher?” by Rabbi Michael J. Broyde, also titled “Thanksgiving at the End of November: A Secular or Religious Holiday”, he explores a halakhic analysis of Thanksgiving by three prominent Orthodox rabbis -- Feinstein, Soloveitchik, Hutner – and cites three opinions. ( www.tfdixie.com/special/thanksg.htm ) It is shared to a) show halakhic thinking; b) demonstrate that Judaism is not monolithic; c) to analyze differences in Orthodox Judaism; and d) to affirm that Conservative Judaism seeks to imbue Jewish life with kedusha as we proudly live in the world.
Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg
MAKING THE U.S. THANKSGIVING DAY JEWISH
Bake a challah for Thanksgiving dinner. Try one with a Thanksgiving theme, such as cornmeal or cranberries. Say the motzi before eating.
Recall the history of the land. Go around the table and have everyone participate in recalling the history of America since the pilgrims arrived. Each person can continue where the one before left off.
Answer questions. Allow each person an opportunity to respond to questions such as these. What are we personally thankful for? What are we thankful for as Jews? What do we wish to contribute to this country? What do we believe are the highest ideals and best values of the United States ? Have we, as a nation, lived up to those ideals and values in the past year?
Read aloud great quotes. A great example of something you can read aloud at Thanksgiving is the Emma Lazarus poem that is inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty:
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame:
With conquering limbs astride from land to
land,
Here at our sea-washed sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lighting, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips.
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest -tost to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Conclude with a blessing. Here’s an example of a blessing you can say before you conclude with Birkat HaMazon, the grace after meals: “God, Source of life, compassion, and justice, grant us wisdom and strength that we may lift our lamps for freedom, justice and compassion. Amen.
P.S. FYI :
In an article entitled, “Is Thanksgiving Kosher?” by Rabbi Michael J. Broyde, also titled “Thanksgiving at the End of November: A Secular or Religious Holiday”, he explores a halakhic analysis of Thanksgiving by three prominent Orthodox rabbis -- Feinstein, Soloveitchik, Hutner – and cites three opinions. ( www.tfdixie.com/special/thanksg.htm ) It is shared to a) show halakhic thinking; b) demonstrate that Judaism is not monolithic; c) to analyze differences in Orthodox Judaism; and d) to affirm that Conservative Judaism seeks to imbue Jewish life with kedusha as we proudly live in the world.
Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg
My JewTube Hannukah videos
My JewTube Hannukah videos
Hannukah menorah lighting and songs
The Truth about Hannukah
Homintashen vs Latke debate erabbi 260
Terms about Sukkot,Hannukah 9 erabbi214
Rabbi Jonathan ginsburg
Hannukah menorah lighting and songs
The Truth about Hannukah
Homintashen vs Latke debate erabbi 260
Terms about Sukkot,Hannukah 9 erabbi214
Rabbi Jonathan ginsburg
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