Swiss Town Slams the Chareidie "Chazeirim" For Littering, Calls To Refrain From Hosting Jews

 

DIN: I am well aware of the Swiss antisemites, may they all go to hell, and I don't believe the Gipfel Zeitung's report below. 

Having said that, Charedi tourists unfortunately leave garbage whenever they are in any tourist place, be it in the Bronx Zoo, The Liberty Science Center etc, etc. Even where they live it is filthy be it in the rat infested Bnei-Brak, Yerushlayim and Beit Shemesh Bet. Boro-Park is one big filth zone, you cannot walk thru 13th Avenue without smelling like a mountain goat. I realize that the garbage is from the stores, but there is garbage from people shopping all over the sidewalk. Candy wrappers with heimishe hashgachos, filthy diapers all over the place. It's time to teach basic "mentchlichkeit" in the schools. 

The town of Davos in Eastern Switzerland has gained fame and prominence due to the annual World Economic Forum conference held there during the winter months, which attracts leaders and celebrities from around the world. However the town is also a popular tourist retreat for thousands of Orthodox Jewish families in the summer months.

In recent weeks, tensions between the Jewish visitors and local Swiss residents have been rising due to behaviors by the tourists which offended locals, according to a Ynet report.

Last week, these tensions came to a head following a wave of complaints from local residents and property owners about excessive littering by tourists and rude behavior in public spaces.

Reto Branschi, director of the local tourism office, also levelled strong criticism at the  Jewish visitors in two interviews he gave to local media outlets. “Some of these visitor groups find it very difficult to respect local laws and the common ways of life here,” he said in one of the interviews.

However, a recent offense by one tourist proved a step too far for the local hospitality sector. Gipfel Zeitung, a small local newspaper, featured a front-page photo of feces left by Jewish guests on the balcony of a rental cabin, under the headline: Davos: A “s–t stain” on the balcony.

A 'shit stain' on the balcony - Gipfel Zeitung front page 

The newspaper stated, “This undoubtedly comes from someone of Jewish descent.”

According to the newspaper, the property owner claimed that “he had never experienced anything like this in all his years and has decided not to rent apartments to these people anymore,” expressing hope that the Davos tourism authorities would finally take action on the matter.

The local paper in Davos also published a letter to the editor saying this: “The behavior of Orthodox Jewish guests here in Davos is not only borderline at times, but downright presumptuous and transgressive. With all understanding for the suffering of the Jewish people, it was unacceptable that the descendants of the victims use behavior that cannot be reconciled with local customs, even in the most elementary way.”

The increasing local outrage against Jewish tourists is deeply troubling and embarrassing for the Swiss Jewish community, especially for Jonathan Kreutner, the Secretary General of the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities.

For years, Kreutner has led a project in Davos designed to cultivate positive relations and address behavioral and cultural gaps between tourists and residents. However, Davos authorities have decided to halt their collaboration with him due to the growing number of complaints.

“In my view, the situation in Davos is very uncomfortable. Taking the inappropriate behavior of a few individuals and generalizing it to many is simply racist, and they are doing this only in the case of Jews, which makes it antisemitic,” Kreutner told Yedioth Ahronoth this week.

Kreutner, who has also lodged a police complaint following the headline, which he said “crosses all red lines,” added, “We don’t understand why the Davos tourism office has decided to cut ties with us. This will only exacerbate the situation. It seems that Davos has decided they simply no longer want Jewish tourists. They’ve made crude generalizations about all Jews based on the behavior of a few.”

Earlier this week, the canton of Graubünden, where Davos is located, reportedly opened an investigation into the newspaper headline, the behavior of the Jewish tourists and allegations of racism.

This issue has been covered extensively in Swiss mainstream media. According to a report in the Swiss newspaper Blick, the editor for Gipfel Zeitung refused to apologize for the picture and headline and denied accusations of racism. “I will only apologize if the person who did this comes to me and provides a reasonable explanation for their actions.”

US Embassy In Israel Boycotts Democratically Elected Senior Israeli Right-Wing Ministers

 

In a continuation of its undeclared boycott of right-wing ministers in the new Israeli government, the US Embassy in Jerusalem did not invite them to a scheduled to hold a toast in honor of the upcoming Jewish New Year. Among those invited were all of the ministers in Israel’s government, but ministers from Religious Zionism and Jewish Force were not given invitations.

Channel 13 reported Wednesday that Interim Ambassador to Israel Stephanie Hallett distributed invitations to the event to all of the Israeli ministers. Those who did not receive invitations were the ministers from the Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit parties, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

The decision not to invite the ministers to the event continues the Biden administration’s snub of parties to the right of the Likud. In July, the embassy withheld invitations to its July 4th celebration from these two partie’s ministers. Noam’s Avi Maoz was also not invited to the celebration.

The two parties, which have been ignored by the US since the current government was sworn in, make up over 20% of the current Israeli government and were democratically elected by more than 500,000 Israelis.

The US Embassy responded to the report, stating: “The guest list includes only those who have close work ties with the embassy.”

Don’t let Jack Lew the "Obama Stooge" become US Ambassador to Israel

 

In June 2015, while then-president Barack Obama’s negotiating team, sitting in a palace in Vienna, was in the last stages of appeasing the terrorist Islamic Republic of Iran – with Obama’s head negotiator bursting into tears at the negotiating table and begging Iran to enter into the disastrous anti-American and anti-Israel deal – the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Obama’s Treasury secretary, and his former chief of staff, Jack Lew appeared at the annual Jerusalem Post Conference in New York to try to promote the JCPOA and its almost-as-bad predecessor, the interim Iran deal, the JPA.

During Lew’s lengthy conference speech, he stuck to and trotted out every Obama administration line (and lie) to try to sell the Iran deal to the American-Jewish public. Lew pledged that “the final deal will be built around an incredibly robust and intrusive inspections regime on Iran’s nuclear program” and that “this deal will only be finalized if the connective tissue of the agreement meets a tough standard of intense verification and scrutiny.”

But in fact, the deal placed Iranian military facilities (where nuclear weaponization development was most likely to take place) off limits to inspectors; it placed virtually insurmountable obstacles in the way of inspecting potential secret sites; it gave Iran significant notice before inspectors would arrive; and, in a side deal, even allowed Iran to take its own soil samples. In other words, the opposite of the “incredibly robust and intrusive inspections” and “intense verification” promised by Lew.

The Anti-Concert Roaches Are Coming Out Again

 

Ishay Ribo learning with his father 

DIN: The sickos and naysayers are coming out like roaches when lights go on. A frum singer with songs that have a frum perspective fills up Madison Square Garden with 14,000 frum people for a concert and yet there are jealous "imfarginars" that are criticizing this Kiddush Hashem. 

Yes they sat family style, so what? 

A Mother shouldn't sit with her boy teenagers to enjoy a concert? A father shouldn't sit with his teenage daughter and enjoy a concert? 

When Avram Fried and the rest of the "boo-hoo, bee- hee, oy " singers do it, "ein kol ve'ein ona" that's ok but when an Israeli guy does it... all hell breaks out!

I think that sitting with your family enjoying a frum concert is the most beautiful thing! It's good for "shulim Bayis" it's a great connection between parents and their children and promotes harmony. 

Those knocking this and bringing all kinds of fake halachos, should get a life and leave us all alone!

Go Ishay !! Go!!

Orthodox Jewish Podcaster Nachi Gordon posted a video of himself on Twitter, defending his earlier comments linking a recent Jewish concert with the coming of Moshiach, and asking social media users to be more positive.

Gordon was apparently responding to unnamed critics who took issue with his praise of Sunday’s Ishay Ribo concert as a Kiddush Hashem and a spiritually uplifting experience. He also defended and clarified an earlier tweet which said “15,000 Jews pack @TheGarden for an Ishay Ribo concert. Was able to feel in that room tonight that we are in the days leading up to Moshiach!”

In the video, Gordon said, “A lot of people who criticized the Ishay Ribo concert were not there…

“[They said it was] not a Kiddush Hashem, it had mixed seating…A lot of people said you mentioned “Moshiach””

Archaeologists Find 4 Rare Swords From Bar-Kochba Period

 In a sensational find from the period of the Bar Kochba rebellion 1900 years ago, archaeologists and cave mappers in the Judean desert discovered a rare treasure trove – four swords in almost perfect condition.

Researchers believe that the swords had apparently been stolen from the Roman army stationed nearby and hurriedly stashed away in the cave for future use. The swords, as well as a spearhead, were found inside sheaths of wood and leather in a cave overlooking the Dead Sea in the Ein Gedi nature reserve. Due to the dry and arid conditions and the difficulty to access the cave, which is on a rocky promontory above the reserve, the swords hardly suffered the effects of centuries of wear and tear.

Sicko Thomas Friedman To US And Saudis: Don’t Agree To Normalization With Netanyahu-Led Govt.

 

 Self-hating Jewish New York Times journalist and sick political commentator obsessed with Israel  Thomas Friedman continues his negative coverage and approach towards the current Israeli government. But Friedman is worse than just a critic; In his malevolence towards the right-wing Israeli coalition, he is actively attempting to derail any possible diplomatic achievements by the Netanyahu-led government.

Luxury lounges and secluded villas: How Hassidic rebbes go on holiday

 

Early in July, Ben-Gurion International Airport was one of the hotspots of the protests against the judicial reform. In the ultra-Orthodox community, there was high drama. But this was neither because of opposition nor support for the reform: 

The cause of the excitement was that the Gur rebbe was due to board a flight to Switzerland and his followers feared that he would not be able to get to the plane on time. In the end, the flight was canceled due to a technical malfunction.

The solution came from a wealthy Hassid in the form of a private jet, and the rebbe's vacation got underway without any hitches. His Hassidim breathed a sigh of relief.

Israel fumes as UNESCO weighs designating ancient Yericho as Palestinian heritage site

 Israel harshly criticized the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization this week for plans to designate the ancient city of Jericho as a Palestinian World Heritage site.

Ancient Jericho is one of 53 natural and cultural sites the World Heritage Committee will be voting to include on its list when it convenes in Saudi Arabia in two weeks.

MK Dan Illouz (Likud) blasted the decision, saying "Jericho is first and foremost a city of biblical significance."

 Jericho was the crossing point of the Israelites into the Land of Israel after wandering in the desert for forty years following the Exodus from Egypt.

Illouz called on President of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay to deny the Palestinian Authority's request for the recognition that is "archaeological false."

"This is not only an insult to Jews, but also an insult to Christians around the world who admire the site for its biblical history," Illouz wrote in a letter to Azoulay.

"The Palestinian Authority is systematically working to erase all ties of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel. This is evident on the Temple Mount, where valuable archaeological findings were destroyed, as well as throughout Judea and Samaria, where acts of vandalism and deliberate destruction of biblical evidence frequently occur. It is our duty to stop this and insist on our right to our country against enemies at home and abroad," the letter said.

Ishay Ribo’s Madison Square Garden Debut Makes History

 

Ishay Ribo became the first Israeli artist and the first orthodox Jew to headline a concert at New York’s renowned Madison Square Garden arena on Sunday, September 3, in what became a historic evening of heartfelt songs that united thousands.

A packed Madison Square Garden arena waited with bated breath as Israeli singer Ishay Ribo ascended the colossal stage at New York City’s premier entertainment venue on Sunday evening. Hours later, when his final song dissolved into thunderous applause, the electrified emotions coursing through the audience bore witness to an unforgettable evening of Jewish unity and inspiration.

Coming just twelve days ahead of Rosh Hashanah, Ribo’s performance immersed those present in the moving melodies of Elul. “We’re bridging worlds tonight,” Ribo said of the concert’s theme. “These are songs I grew up on in the synagogue and in my parents’ home; I never imagined a day when thousands would sing those songs here in Madison Square Garden.” 

Ribo’s Madison Square Garden debut—partnered with Bnei Akiva of the United States and Canada—reflected the diversity and unity of today’s Jewish world. Jews wearing jeans danced alongside those wearing black hats, and Chassidic, secular, Sephardic, and modern orthodox Jews sang along to a heartfelt repertoire of traditional Mizrachi tunes, modern Israeli rock, Chassidic niggunim, and original pop songs.

Secular Israeli rock star Amir Dadon—performing in the United States for the first time—joined Ribo on stage for a stirring performance of Ribo’s hit song Nafshi, and other classic hits, alongside Israeli popular star Akiva.

Midway through the concert, the music cut short. “I am honored by the presence of an artist who has been a personal inspiration and mentor,” Ribo said. “I stand before him as a student before his teacher,” he added before inviting Chassidic singer Avraham Fried to the stage. Surprised to find himself on the big screens, Fried made his way to the stage amidst uproarious cheering from the audience. United on stage, the two performed an emotional rendition of Avinu Malkeinu in honor of the concert’s auspicious date: the birthday of the Baal Shem Tov and the Baal HaTanya on 18 Elul.

For all those present, the event’s immense scale evoked powerful emotions. “A venue of this scale once seemed unachievable for Jewish music,” Ribo said. “But the world is changing today. There are challenges, but as artists, we’re here to bring light and create togetherness.”

To view Bnei Akiva’s extraordinary offer to concert-goers considering aliyah, including a year of free groceries and a private concert with Ishay Ribo, visit bneiakiva.org/welcomehome.

Hebrew ‘Symbolizes Far-right Israeli Militarism’: New York Times

 The New York Times published an op-ed on Saturday in which the author described Hebrew as a symbol of “far-right Israeli militarism,” smearing an entire language and the people who speak it.

The op-ed is not itself antisemitic. It is titled “Yiddish Is Having a Moment,” and is written by Ilan Stavans, a professor at Amherst who describes himself as having been born and raised in the Mexican Jewish community.

Still, the sweeping portrayal of Hebrew — the language of the Bible, revived over a century ago in a modern context — as the language of extremists suggests a deep prejudice, whose source may be decades-old sectarian splits in the Jewish community.