Litvish Roshei Yeshiva will not allow "Achdus" In Israel,

The war in Eretz Yisroel has brought together practically ALL Jews. 
And a  wave of warm feelings for the Israel Defense Forces swept over Israel’s frum citizens in recent weeks, and was expressed in prayer, study and the recitation of Tehillim on its behalf. 

However, it turns out that not all frum people share the same sentiments.

The Litvishe Roshei Yeshivah are against this new spirit of Ahavas Yisroel. They are afraid that because of the new respect that the Heimishe & Yeshivishe Oylim has for the IDF, they, the Roshei Yeshivah, will lose their standing and clout amongst  their perspective students, since it was the Roshei Yeshivah that were constantly berating the IDF, and now the oylim sees that it was all a bunch of nonsense. 

 R' Yisroel Yitzchok Kalmanowitz, a well respected litvishe Rosh Yeshivah went into panic mode and was reported saying:

"that it's better for soldiers to die in battle than to live as sinners."

I wonder if he would be saying this if one of his grandchildren (which I'm praying happens) joined the IDF!

Rabbi Kalmanovitz is then quoted as saying the following:

“How much does the soul of a son of Israel, especially a Torah learner, need to be disgusted in order to loathe the state and its army, [which] are the greatest haters of all of the whole of Israel, inciters and agitators.”

This Kalmanovitz guy, lives in the State, has his garbage picked up by the State, has his streets paved by the State, and has his water and electricity provided by the State.
He has no Hakoras Hatoiv and we allow this fanatical hater of his fellow Jews, teach our children! 

That was followed by an editorial in the Israeli Yated Ne'eman 

“The unceasing efforts to change us became even greater during the war. The attempt to cynically exploit the emergency situation by digging spiritual terror tunnels must be rejected and expelled,” the editorial stated. It cited the haredi conscription law that passed in March as evidence of attempts to change haredi society.

“At this time when they are trying to coerce us, we must seal every crack and strengthen the weak who are more likely to be tempted,” the article read. “We must raise the walls.... Contact and connection between the haredi camp and the secular is treif [non-kosher], especially at a time like this.”

Move to Gaza, R' Yisroel! We don't need you amongst us, we are still paying the price for what the Meraglim said! 

338 New Immigrants Arrive At Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport

Israeli president Reuven Rivlin welcomes new immigrants from USA and Canada as they arrive in a special "Soldier Aliyah Flight 2014" on behalf of the Jewish Agency and the Nefesh B'Nefesh organization, at Ben Gurion airport in central Israel. 

A group of 110 young new immigrants from the USA and Canada arrived in Israel on AUgust 12, 2014 on a special "soldiers flight", to recruit into the IDF (Israeli Defense Force). 
The Nefesh B'Nefesh organization works on promoting immigration to Israel from western countries. 

George Clooney's British Lawyer fiancee turns down UN offer to help probe 'war crimes' by Israel and Hamas in Gaza

Amal Alamuddin

I guess Clooney knows which side his bread is buttered on. George Clooney is an actor and his producers are all Jewish. He must have told Amal, his Kallah, if you go on the UN panel, you will have to support me like the rest of the Kollel wives!

George Clooney's barrister fiancee has turned down an offer from the United Nations to become one of three experts called in to investigate alleged human rights violations and war crimes in Gaza.

British-Lebanese lawyer Amal Alamuddin, 36, was named as part of an independent team observing alleged crimes by both sides during Israel's military offensive on Monday morning, but within hours she issued a statement saying she had turned the offer down, citing prior work commitments.

‘I am honored to have received the offer, but given existing commitments - including eight ongoing cases - unfortunately could not accept this role,’ said Alamuddin.

 ‘I wish my colleagues who will serve on the commission courage and strength in their endeavors.'

William Schabas, a Canadian professor of international law, was also announced on Monday as the head of the panel along with Doudou Diene, a veteran U.N. human rights expert from Senegal.

The team will investigate 'all violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law ... in the context of the military operations conducted since 13 June 2014,' the U.N. statement said.

A month of war, marked by Israeli air strikes on Gaza and rockets fired by Hamas militants into Israel, has killed 1,938 Palestinians and 67 Israelis while devastating wide tracts of densely populated Gaza.

The panel is due to report by March 2015 to the U.N. Human Rights Council. Israel has long accused the 47-member state forum of bias against it.

Navi Pillay, the top U.N. human rights official, said on July 31 she believed Israel was deliberately defying international law in its military offensive in Gaza and that world powers should hold it accountable for possible war crimes.

There are no plans as of this writing for the UN to investigate, Hamas, ISIS, Syria, Iran, Hezbollah etc.

BREAKING: Oscar-winning comic, 63, found dead in apparent suicide at California home after long battle against depression

Actor Robin Williams has died aged 63 from an apparent suicide, police in California said tonight. 

His wife Susan Schneider confirmed the tragic news and spoke of her 'profound grief'. 

'This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings. I am utterly heartbroken. As he is remembered, it is our hope the focus will not be on Robin's death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions.' 

A statement by the Marin County Sheriff's Department in California said: 'On August 11, 2014, at approximately 11:55 am, Marin County Communications received a 9-1-1 telephone call reporting a male adult had been located unconscious and not breathing inside his residence in unincorporated Tiburon, CA. The male subject, pronounced deceased at 12:02 pm has been identified as Robin McLaurin Williams.'

Sarit Hadad will not sing for the IDF because of "Kol Isha"

Sarit Hadad offered to perform for Givati troops for free, but the commander refused.

The commander of one of the Israeli army's infantry brigades refused an offer for a free concert for his troops that was scheduled to be performed by female pop star Sarit Hadad for fear that her presence would insult the sensibilities of religious soldiers, according to Channel 10.

Col. Ofer Winter, the commander of the Givati Brigade, refused to allow the concert to go ahead, even though Hadad had offered to sing for the troops for free, according to Channel 10.

The singer was ready to appear at a special brigade event next week, but those plans appear to be off.

Winter has courted controversy in the past, particularly when it comes to the influence of religion in the military.

A letter of encouragement written by Winter to his soldiers containing several biblical references and religious overtones generated condemnation from secularist groups and support from senior public officials, including Deputy Religious Services Minister Eli Ben-Dahan.

Just before the start of last month's ground incursion in the Gaza Strip, Winter sent a letter to soldiers under his command saying that it was a great merit to be in the vanguard of a fight against “the terrorist enemy that dares to curse, blaspheme and scorn the God of Israel.”

Winter said the brigade should accept the mission upon itself with humility and be prepared to give up their lives “to protect our families, our people and our homeland.”

He continued, “I look up to the heavens and I read with you ‘Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one,’” quoting the Shema prayer recited twice a day in the Jewish liturgy.

“The Lord, the God of Israel, make our path on which we go successful, as we are poised to fight for your people Israel against an enemy that abuses your name. In the name of the fighters of the IDF and in particular the brigade and the commanders, may the verse be fulfilled for us that ‘the Lord your God goes with you to fight for you with your enemies to save you,’ and we will say ‘Amen.’ Together and only together we will win.”

Mickey Gitzin, the head of the Israel Be Free secularist movement, criticized Winter’s letter, saying his words turned the conflict into a religious war.

“IDF commanders should also remember that the IDF is the national army, not a religious militia, and therefore he needs to include everyone who serves in the IDF, haredim, national-religious, secular, Jews and non-Jews, and to refrain from the kind of terminology he used,” Gitzin said.
Jeremy Sharon contributed to this report.

IDF successfully tests system designed to detect terror tunnels

Senior army officer says system passed lab tests, currently undergoing field testing; could be deployed around Gaza within 1 year; system will cost at least NIS 1 billion.

A system designed to detect infiltration tunnels proved successful in laboratory tests for the first time ever and is now being tested in the field, a senior IDF officer said Monday.
If the field test proves successful, the system can be deployed around the Gaza Strip within approximately one year, the officer added.

The system will cost from NIS 1 billlion to NIS 1.5 billion to deploy.
According to Israel Radio, the officer said that the IDF is also working to improve the Iron Dome.
It is believed that, in the future, Israel's enemies will try to overcome the rocket defense system by launching a number of missiles and rockets at the same time, including more advanced projectiles that can reach a greater height than those previously fired from Gaza.

The officer also touted the Trophy tank defense system for its success in saving the lives of IDF soldiers during Operation Protective Edge.
He said that the Trophy system had neutralized dozens of anti-tank missiles fired at tanks and armored personnel carriers during the operation.

The officer said that the defense establishment was in need of an additional NIS 3 billion in order to bolster Israel's ground forces.

Our Next President?

Hamas said to have executed dozens of tunnel diggers

Hamas executed dozens of diggers responsible for its extensive tunnel system in past weeks, fearing the workers would reveal the site locations to Israel, a report on the Mako website’s army blog said.

The tunnelers, many of whom constructed the tunnels over the course of months, would dig for 8-12 hours a day, and received a monthly wage of $150-$300, according to the blog.

Sources in Gaza told the website that Hamas took a series of precautions to prevent information from reaching Israel. The terror organization would reportedly blindfold the excavators en route to the sites and back, to prevent them from recognizing the locations. The tunnels were strictly supervised by Hamas members, and civilians were kept far from the sites.

M., a former tunnel digger and Israeli collaborator, told the website that Hamas would strip search the workers to ensure they had no recording devices or cameras hidden on them.

“The people we met had their faces covered; no one knew them by their real names, it was all codes and first names. They didn’t want to take the risk that some of the diggers were collaborating with Israel,” he said.

A tunnel entrance, within a civilian home, found by Golani soldiers in the northern Gaza Strip (photo credit: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit/ Flash 90)

After the tunnels were completed, dozens were reportedly executed to prevent intelligence leaks to Israel.

“Anyone they suspected might transfer information to Israel on the tunnels was killed by the military wing,” a different source said. “They were very cruel.”

In 2012, a Journal of Palestine Studies article claimed 160 Palestinian children were killed while working on Hamas’s tunnel system.

A soldier leading journalists through a tunnel in Khan Yunis. (screen capture: Walla! News)

The digging of tunnels began four years ago and has demanded 40 percent of Hamas’s budget, The Times of Israel has learned.

Tunnel diggers have been using electric or pneumatic jackhammers, advancing 4-5 meters a day. The tunnels found were reportedly mostly dug 18-25 meters (60-82 feet) underground, though one was discovered at a depth of 35 meters (115 feet).

 “That’s like a 10-story building underground,” one expert said.

Digging requires engineering and geological expertise, with tunnels usually dug through sandy soil, their roof supported by a more durable level of clay. As they are dug, the tunnels are reinforced by concrete panels, manufactured locally in workshops adjacent to each tunnel. These workshops have also been targeted by the IDF throughout its military operation.

Elhanan Miller contributed to this report.

Third Bais Hamikdash Already Built ...... in Brazil

It is a replica  of  the Second Bais Hamikdash as described by Josephus. The building is made from Jerusalem Stone, imported from Jerusalem and they also imported some 2,000 Mezuzas from Israel. The building is  in Sao Paulo, Brazil.


The huge building was erected by the cult Brazilian, in Sao Paulo and will be used for education.

The building, was built at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars.. 

Misleading statements in the name of Achdus

by http://jewishworker.blogspot.com/

Jonathan Rosenblum

Jonathan Rosenblum wrote a column describing the efforts of Mrs. Sharon Issacson a member of the "Charedi" community in Ramat Bet Shemesh, to help out women whose husbands were called up to the army to fight in Gaza. The point of the article was to show how the Charedi community has stepped up to the plate and is showing achdus with the soldiers and the Israeli people.

There is only one problem. Mrs. Sharon Issacson is not your typical Israeli Charedi. In fact, it would be hard to call her Charedi at all given her background and life today. 

She was raised in a Modern Orthodox home in NY and 
attended a co-ed elementary school and YUs Stern College. 

Her husband is a graduate of MTA and YU and has a law degree from Columbia. He is currently the Rosh Yeshiva of Mevaseret, a 1 year American Yeshiva for modern orthodox boys in Israel. Her 2 sons went to Maarava for High School. There is 1 even more startling fact that is missing, her son is currently serving in the Israeli Army in Nachal Haredi. 

Given all of the above is it not very misleading to simply call her "Charedi"?

It seems that every time the Charedi world tries to appeal to more moderate Americans they bring examples that fall into one of 2 categories:

1. Baalei teshuva
2. They grew up in modern homes

A few years ago, Aish Hatorah published an article 
Women at Work
which claimed that Orthodox women can work at any job that they want.

Let's get something perfectly clear: Jewish women work. One of my neighbors is a nuclear physicist. I'm a zoo veterinarian.
...
And nowadays, like women all over the Western world, they work in every field. Some run their own businesses or are part of a larger corporation. Here in Israel one of my neighbors is a nuclear physicist. Another is a school principal. Several good friends are lawyers. One's a pediatrician. Two are successful artists. I'm a zoo veterinarian.
...
My point is, little is forbidden to us. We work in the fields we want. We have open choices. We can choose to work part-time or full-time.

As I pointed out then (See Misleading statements in the name of Kiruv) if Aish Hatorah was a Modern or Centrist Orthodox institution then these statements would be perfectly true and not misleading. However, Aish Hatorah is a Charedi institution and it's goal for it's students is that they join Israeli Charedi society. The fact is that if Elizabeth had been born to a Charedi family she would not have had a choice to be a veterinarian, a nuclear physicist or anything other then a school teacher. University study is strictly prohibited. In Yerushalayim and Bnei Brak even getting a high school diploma is prohibited (see this post No Bagrut for Beis Yaakov girls?).I find it very offensive when Charedi institutions use examples of Baalei Teshiva or people who were brought up in a more Modern home, as Rosenblum does in this case, to try to make a point about the Israeli Charedi community. It is simply not true, the are not really in the same Charedi community. A "real" Israeli Charedi would never marry any of their children for example. Americans, either Baalei teshuva or those coming from a more modern home, have a very different world view and certainly do not represent Israeli Charedi society.

Turkish Airlines hires 2000 Iranian Pilots .. Oh Oh!

Many Israelis are still flying Turkish Airlines, even to the United States in an effort to cut ticket costs. Turkish Airlines offers a connection via Istanbul, which works for many Israelis.

If you are among those flying Turkish Airlines you might want to know airline officials have announced they are experiencing a critical shortage of pilots. As such, they are hiring the services of 200 pilots, from Iran. 

The airline reports it is short 350 pilots.

Interestingly, pilots from the airline are angered over the news, 

Channel 2 News reports, explaining the Iranian pilots lack proper training due to the sanctions against that country and other factors. Nevertheless, for now at least, it appears Turkish Airlines is moving ahead with the plan.

It is also reported that all pilots entering Israel must first be approved by Israeli security officials so it is less than likely we will be seeing Iranian pilots in Ben-Gurion Airport.

Jewish Owned Starbucks Insists It Doesn't Back Israel, Closes all Stores in Israel, but open in Arab Countries!

Starbucks issued a statement saying the company and its CEO do not provide any financial support to Israel or its army.

Howard Schultz, Starbuck’s CEO, is Jewish.

The company updated a four-year-old statement on its website after the spread of false “rumors that Starbucks or Howard provides financial support to the Israeli government and/or the Israeli Army,” the statement said.

The statement, a fact sheet in Q and A form, was updated on August 5.
“Starbucks has been and remains a non-political organization. We do not support any political or religious cause. Additionally, neither Starbucks nor the company’s chairman, president and CEO Howard Schultz provide financial support to the Israeli government and/or the Israeli Army in any way,” the statement said.

The company said in its statement that it closed its Starbucks stores in Israel in 2003 due to “on-going operational challenges that we experienced in that market.”

The company has stores in 65 countries, including nearly 600 stores in 12 Middle Eastern and North African countries such as Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

Obama's weekend interview with New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman a portrait of incoherence and inadequacy

Clueless Obama with Clueless (Self-hating Jew) Friedman

President Barack Obama's weekend interview with New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman is a stunning portrait of incoherence and inadequacy. Friedman--a shameless promoter of Obama since the 2008 campaign, whose books have allegedly influence Obama's foreign policy views--tries his mightiest to wrest something of substance from the absentee president: "[I]t’s clear that the president has a take on the world," he declares.

And what is Obama's "take"? 

Two themes emerge from a morass of clichés and sophistry. The first is that the world is simply not worth engaging unless it agrees to behave itself: "no victor, no vanquished," says Obama. 

Second, America is its own worst enemy, and the political divisions at home threaten to become as disruptive as those in Iraq. (The Tea Party, Friedman chimes in, "accounts for at least half of [Obama's] gray hairs."

Obama is a man shockingly detached, not just from his job, but from himself. It takes particular chutzpah to blame your fellow Americans for political divisions when you are running around threatening executive orders if you don't get your way. 

And it takes a special kind of arrogance to insist that the world behave as you wish it to, or to think that withholding your interest in it presents any kind of threat that will be taken seriously.

As for a path forward, Obama has no ideas. Russia could invade Ukraine--and there is nothing we could do, he suggests. 
Iraq is imploding--but that was inevitable given "de-Baathification" (i.e. Bush's fault). 

Israel is united behind Benjamin Netanyahu--and that's too bad.

That such impotence poses as insight speaks to the narcissism of the man, and of those satraps who put him in a position to do the most damage to himself and the country.

Meisels owner of 4 Israeli Seminaries Sued By American Parents Who Allege Sexual Assault Of Their Daughters

The parents of teen girls sent to Orthodox seminaries in Israel are suing the rabbi in charge, stating he sexually assaulted the girls and falsely presented the seminaries to entice the parents to pay thousands of dollars to attend the schools.

The Seminary Tzadik, Meisels

According to the court documents filed at the NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS, the plaintiffs who are american citizens sued Rabbi Elimelech Meisels, and four subsidiary Jewish seminaries Peninim, Binas Bais Yaakov, Chedvas Bais Yaakov and Keser Chaya which are located in Israel. 

The lawsuit states that Meisels, traveled to and participated in personal, in-person recruiting meetings with the plaintiffs and their daughters at various Orthodox schools across the United States, including New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Maryland and California to entice them to enroll in his seminaries.
“From approximately 2004 until the present date, defendant Elimelech Meisels engaged in a fraudulent and unlawful scheme to induce Orthodox Jewish parents from across the United States to send their daughters to various seminaries in Israel that he controlled under the guise of educational and spiritual development,” says the complaint 

“In truth, defendant Meisels’ true aim was to fraudulently and unlawfully take thousands of dollars from each of these parents and to induce these girls, by telephone, mail, wire and other means, to travel thousands of miles outside the United States and away from their parents for the purpose of sexually assaulting these vulnerable young girls.”

The claim goes on to say that Meisels would lure the girls to late night coffee meetings to sexually assault them, and that he would intimidate the victims into silence by telling them nobody would “believe that a rabbi and author with his reputation would have done such a thing.”
He also said if the girls ever told he would ruin their reputations and would ensure they would never marry.

The plaintiffs accuse the staff of actively and passively hiding the assaults, and that it was “widely known” that Meisels was having late inappropriate meetings with the girls.

Last month, the Chicago Bais Din, a Jewish religious court, heard testimony from several of the victims and ruled that the students at Meisels’ seminaries were “at risk of harm.”

Hebrew Theological College and Tuoro College suspended their relationships with the seminaries, which meant that a student attending the seminaries couldn’t receive college credit for her attendance at American educational institutions.

The complaint describes how Meisels and other defendant created a scam where they would say Meisels sold the seminary and it was now under a new ownership, making it safe for the girls to return and therefore reaping the profits from the tuition deposits.

The plaintiffs seek punitive damages for racketeering, fraud, breach of contract, emotional distress, conspiracy and conversion.

Meisels has of course denied all the accusations, “The allegations are completely false,” Meisels told JTA in an email. “My attorney has advised me to pursue legal action against all those who are wronging myself and the seminaries.”

Aside from Meisels, other administrators of the seminaries are also names in the suit.
Meisels had admitted everything to the Chaicago Bais Din!

Rabbi Yaakov Tzvi Chanon, father-in-law of Rabbi Avrohom Wallis, blames death on Zionists, but people in shul tell him to make his specch in gaza!

R' Yaakov Tzvi Chanon, the father-in-law of the murdered  Radical Extremists Avrohom Wallis, blamed his son-in-law's murder, not on the Arab but on the IDF and Zionists!
Well some people in shul in Mea Shearim, would have none of that, and told him to go "preach in Gaza"... People were screaming at him while he was davening. 

The Meshiginar , Yaakov Tzvi Chanon

At least one person shouted, “Go to Gaza! This is your place, the where you can make your speeches!”
The confrontation almost sparked a riot.
According to Bechadrei Chadorim, Chanon is a member of the of Mishkenot Haroim  and is known as a fanatic and extremist.. He  travels to the US where he serves as a Baal Tefilah  in the two main Satmar synagogues in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Chanon’s speech at his son-in-law’s funeral angered  Mea Shearim Charedim who reportedly felt that during a war, and when Chanon’s son-in-law was killed by a terrorist, Chanon’s words were inappropriate.
Here is his sick and demented Hespid in yiddish, but I decided not to translate his crazy rant!

Neturei Karta Join Hamas Rallies in New York and London on Shabbos

In New York

London 

Satmar Newspaper, "Der Blatt" calls Netanyahu a "Murderer"

Der Blatt, the Aronie Yiddish Newspaper, wrote an op-ed article in this week's edition, in reference to the funeral of  Avraham Walles, the radical Asra Kadisha member murdered by an Arab with a tractor.

Walles being arrested previously while protesting at a construction site

After blaming the murder of Avraham Walles on the Zionists, the article calls the Prime Minister of Israel, Bibi Netanyahu a "murderer!" 

This article is no difference then the propaganda by Hamas!

I only cut out one paragraph of the lengthy diatribe that this author spewed against his fellow Jews!

I will loosely translate the clip:

"we know very well that it doesn't hurt, the murderer and crazy Netanyahu, that a young man of the Toldos Aaron was killed. 
He has no mercy on the (Wallas') orphans, it doesn't bother him at all that an extremist of Asra Kedisha was murdered.
The only reason he sent a condolance letter to the family is because he wants to have them in his "group" 
He wants to include Walles' death with the other martyrs that were murdered on the Zionist alter."

Rabbi Joseph Raksan murdered in Miami Beach on Shabbos by two Blacks

 A Brooklyn Rabbi visiting Miami was killed while walking to synagogue on Saturday morning.

Rabbi Joseph Raksin, 60, was walking with a friend to North Miami Beach synagogue Bais Menachem, at 1005 N.E. 172nd Terrace around 9 a.m. when two young men reportedly approached and shot him, Miami-Dade Police said.

Raksin was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where he died shortly thereafter.
The two suspects ran away on foot and by bike and police still do not have a description of them.

Yona Lunger, a local Jewish community activist and member of the Shmira Patrol said that Raksin is from Brooklyn Crown Heights section, who was in South Florida to visit his granddaughter and other relatives.

Police have released a statement saying “At this time there is no indication of this being a hate crime,”.

But Brian Siegal, director of the American Jewish Committee’s Miami and Broward Regional Office, said he believes Raksin’s shooting may be connected to the recent act of vandalism at the nearby Torah V’Emunah, an Orthodox synagogue, 1000 N.E. 174th St.
Chesed Shel Emes is working wth medical examiner to avoid an autopsy.

Hava Holzhauer, ADL Florida Regional Director, said in a statement. “That at this time, it appears to be a robbery that went badly.”
“Currently no evidence has been brought to light that it was motivated by anti-Semitism”.
“This is a terrible tragedy. While the motivation for this crime is still being investigated, nothing can justify the killing of an innocent man walking to his place of worship to pray on his holy day.”
“We appreciate the professionalism that the Miami-Dade Police Department has shown in securing all the evidence surrounding the crime and assuring that this investigation remains an exceptionally high priority. Let us hope that the culprits are swiftly apprehended and brought to justice.” Said Holzhauer

All Ladies Chassidic Band "Bulletproof Stockings"

Perl Wolfe and Dalia Shusterman make up the band Bulletproof Stockings.

This takes “Ladies Night” to a new level.
An all-female Hasidic rock band will play Arlene’s Grocery on Thursday night — and the Lower East Side music venue has agreed to shut its doors to men.

Dalia Shusterman and Perl Wolfe, the Crown Heights, Brooklyn, duo behind the band Bulletproof Stockings, follow strict Orthodox rules that bar them from playing in front of men. The stricture also requires them to cover their hair, knees and elbows.

It wasn’t easy convincing Julia Darling, the manager of Arlene’s Grocery, which holds 110 people, to snub male clientele for Bulletproof Stockings’ biggest gig yet.
“Julia was pretty skeptical,” said Shusterman, 40, who plays drums and sings backup. “Turning away half the audience isn’t something that’s ever been done. They had to really think about it.”
Determined to prove they were worth it, she and Wolfe hit the streets, amassing a list of women who vowed to pack the tiny venue. Darling was immediately impressed.
“We said, ‘OK, we like your music and you guys did some guerrilla promotion out there,’ which showed us that they were really serious about playing here,” said Darling.
“We did take a little bit of a risk on them because this is one of their first gigs in New York City.”
So far, there have been no complaints from men about being excluded, even though Darling is confident they will sell out the venue.

The male employees at Arlene’s are exempt from the ban because they’ll be there in a work capacity.
“They have a right to uphold their religious views,” said Darling.
Bulletproof Stockings, which formed 2¹/₂ years ago, is named for the opaque tights Hasidic women traditionally wear. The band hits the stage at 7 p.m.

The one-hour set will be filmed for Oxygen Network’s upcoming show “Living Different,” which will feature the band in one episode. The docu-drama series is expected to debut in early 2015.
Wolfe, 27, and Shusterman describe their music as drawing influences from classical, blues, jazz and rock — as well as the women’s Hasidic backgrounds. The band’s sound has been compared to Florence and the Machine, Fiona Apple — and even throwback rockers the Black Keys.
“Hasidic alt-rock,” joked Wolfe, who sings and plays piano. “We’re making a new genre.”

The women hope Thursday’s gig will help encourage more female-only audiences. “Right now, it’s a little bit of a novelty,” said Wolfe. “But we see it becoming a new movement.”
Shusterman added, “We’re so excited! It’s unbelievable — just the fact that it’s happening, that people are really interested in (us).”

It is time for Jews to say to the New York Times: we’ve had enough.

by Rabbi Benjamin Blech

I write often for Aish.com. I write infrequently to the New York Times. Sometimes they print what I have to say. But this time I knew they weren’t going to publish my letter.

Here’s what I said:

To the editor:

In the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the New York Times has repeatedly insinuated that Hamas enjoys the higher moral ground based on the premise of proportionality – the number of its civilian victims far exceeds that of Israelis. Since my children and grandchildren live in Israel and have thus far been spared from death thanks to their shelter, the Iron Dome, and most certainly God, I beg you for some clarification. To my mind, the thousands of rockets that have targeted 6 million innocent civilians – a number that somehow resonates for me with great significance – have gratefully not succeeded in fulfilling the stated goal of those who fired them. By charter, Hamas has made clear its intention to slaughter all Israeli residents, men women and children. Were Israel not to respond forcefully to this threat, admittedly and most regretfully killing hundreds of civilians during this war they did not seek or initiate, the results would catastrophically be in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Israeli deaths. Please enlighten me as to how many Israelis need actually die and how many photos of butchered Israeli children would be required for Israel to regain the media’s favor? I can only hope it’s not another 6 million – because, starkly put, been there, done that.

And why was I so sure it was an exercise in futility to send this letter to them?

Because it’s now become clear that the New York Times has lost any claim to journalistic integrity by the way it continues to distort its reporting of a war initiated by an internationally recognized terrorist organization against the only democracy in the Middle East.

Ignored and completely forgotten by the supposed “newspaper of record” are the simple facts that

• Hamas started a fight with a clear-cut goal, as affirmed in its charter, of killing every Israeli, or to be more precise every Jew. That means men, women and children. By the way there’s a name for these intended victims. They are called civilians, a term not to be selectively used only for Arab citizens of Gaza.
• Hamas sent hundreds – by now thousands – of rockets specifically designed to maim and to murder as many of these civilians as possible and their lack of success in no way diminishes their moral culpability.
• Hamas has refused to accept every cease-fire offered – and broken every limited humanitarian-based agreement to mutually suspend conflict.

Instead what the Times offers its readers to the point of nausea are heartbreaking photos of suffering residents in Gaza without the context of the reason for their grief – a leadership safely ensconced in luxury far from the fighting who praise death and martyrdom as the noblest aspirations for their followers.

One can only wonder if the Times would have covered World War II in the same fashion, keeping score as over 1 million Germans civilians perished as compared to only 12,000 Americans – none of whom it may be recalled were in immediate danger of missiles over the American mainland. If morality is determined solely by number of innocents dying the New York Times must truly believe that United States bears an unspeakable measure of guilt for its role in stopping Nazi Germany from its murderous plans because, after all, in order to accomplish its mission it caused the death of innocent victims.

What is perhaps most astounding about the Times’s coverage is not only its lack of objectivity and its inability to view events with any semblance of moral clarity but something that Bret Stephens pointedly noted in his column in the Wall Street Journal that smacks either of amateurish incompetence or willful and evil distortion. As source for the numbers of victims in Gaza, as well as for the breakdown between combatants and civilians in this figure, the Times cites the Palestinian Health Ministry and United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Just a little digging by a responsible journalist would reveal that that the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza is run by Hamas and the United Nations group gets his information from two Palestinian agitprop groups!

So even if war has been reduced to a game of numbers by the New York Times,the information it offers its readers is nothing more than propaganda filtered through what is supposed to be a reliable newspaper.

It is time for Jews to say we have had enough. It is time for Jews to say what Emile Zola said when he could no longer stand the lies, the fabrications, the deceits and the dishonesty of the press of his day as they falsely accused the Jew Dreyfus of treason when the real reason for their attack was because Dreyfus was a Jew: J’accuse.

We, even the liberals and leftists and the intelligentsia who have so long been taken in by the prestige and the esteem the New York Times has for so long enjoyed in their circles, must finally take note of reality. Loudly and clearly, as well as by way of cancellation of subscriptions, we must shout out J’accuse! We accuse the newspaper that has built its reputation on fairness and objective reporting of losing its way as it grants the moral high ground to terrorists and to those whose admitted goals are violence and terrorism.

Sent from my iPad

Geraldo Rivera says he can back Hamas against Israel because he has a tattoo of a Star of Davis on his hand! LOL!!!

Listen to this dope say at 2.44 in the video, that he has a Star of David tattooed on his hand, so that gives him the right to bash Israel??????

Geraldo Rivera recently referred to Israel’s killing of civilians as a “travesty,” for example, but Andrea Tantaros was having none of it. She called Rivera an “apologist for a terrorist organization” that hides weapons in schools and hospitals.1

Rivera mentioned the number of Palestinian civilians killed so far in the conflict–a tragedy, of course–but whereas he blames Israel for those deaths, Tantaros says Hamas is to blame for hiding its weapons and leaders behind human shields.

“You are unbelievable to defend Hamas,” she said, and argued that America “should get out of Israel’s way” and let them finish their operation to wipe out the terrorists in Gaza.

A Jewish right to a Jewish land

The Rebbe of Gur was visited by an official of the British Mandate. In the course of conversation the official informed the Rebbe that the British were poised to move out and leave Israel to the Jews. 
The Rebbe’s reply was a Yidishism – “Mi-heChe-Teise,” an idiom loosely translated as "let it be." Unsure of how to translate the Rebbe’s response, the interpreter said, “The Rebbe is pleased with the news.”

After the interview the interpreter asked the Rebbe why he was so casual in his response. The Rebbe replied, “G-d promised the land to our forefather Abraham, to our forefather Isaac and to our forefather Jacob. The British also want to promise us this land? Nu, Mi-heChi-Teise,” let it be…”

This is the true Jewish perspective of why Israel belongs to the Jew. We don’t require legal arguments or scientific proof to justify our claim to Israel. To us, Israel and the Jew belong to each other because it is inherent in our heritage. It is enshrined in the Bible, where it wasn't only promised us, but given to us.

That archaeology, sociology and anthropology buttress this claim is superfluous to the Jew. It’s nice to know that our tradition is corroborated, but it is hardly surprising to us nor is it necessary. It is not for science or history that we lay claim to Israel. It is for our G-d given right.

Yet Jews often shy away from making the Biblical claim outright. You hear Jews speak of the United Nations Vote for Partition in 1948. You hear Jews speak of a historical right to reclaim the land of our ancestors, but rarely does one hear Jews speak publicly about a G-d given right enshrined in the Bible.
The obvious reason is that such a claim would subject us to the counter-claim that Islam has its own tradition, its own holy book and isn’t subject to ours. While this is true, it essentially allows the other side to dictate the conversation. If we don’t claim our Biblical right out of respect for Islam and the secular west, we essentially discard our best, and truthfully our only, argument.

It is well known that some early Zionists weren't particular about Israel. As secular European Jews, their chief aim was to secure a homeland for Jews. They were willing to establish this land wherever they could. The British offered to provide a Jewish homeland in Uganda and in principle, the early Zionists weren't opposed. It was ultimately rejected, as Herzel told the Zionist Congress in 1903, because no other land would motivate Jews to accept marching orders. Only Israel holds that resonance and drama.
Jews would only leave their homes and businesses for the Holy Land, given us by G-d. The land whose loss we never stopped mourning and for whose shores, we never stopped yearning. The land of our fathers, the land of our glory, the land of our home, the land of our soul; only that land that would move the nation. No other land would do.

This is the only true reason Jews live in Israel today. It isn’t a gift of the UN and it is not ours by right of conquest. It isn’t ours on account of history, it is ours because G-d made it so. Had the UN given us California, we would not have gone. Had the Jewish people defeated the Nazis in the Warsaw Ghetto, they would not have claimed that land.

Let us face the truth. The only reason we are in Israel is because it belongs to us and we belong to it. It is no less a part of our Jewishness than the Torah. Of the 613 commandments, 343 are unique to the land of Israel. We can survive anywhere, but we can thrive only there. Plainly put, if Israel weren't ours, we wouldn't have had a homeland.

Should we deny this essential truth only because Islam isn’t not prepared to accept it?

Instead we devise all kinds of new arguments. We claim it is ours because the UN gave it to us. That is a weak argument. The UN dictates all manner of things to Israel that Israel conveniently ignores. If the UN’s authority suffices to create the land, it should suffice to dictate to the land. If we won’t accept its dictates, how can we claim its partition?

We use the argument of our historical right, but it too doesn't work. If the tribes indigenous to America and Canada were to take up to arms to reclaim their historical lands, international law wouldn't support them. The fact is that when Jews returned to Israel to establish a government, there was an indigenous community on the land. We can’t just displace them because we lived there thousands of years earlier.
In fact, even if we posit that Jews lived in Israel thousands of years earlier, what of the tribes we conquered and displaced when we arrived? If historical rights are claimed, the descendants of those tribes should be located and awarded the land. In addition to Jews, Hittites, Philistines, Jebusites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and the Turks all controlled Israel at some point. How do we determine whose it really is? That we cannot identify the descendants of these nations doesn't justify our claim to it.

The only conclusive and resounding argument for a Jewish right to a Jewish land, is the Biblical one. G-d gave it to us. It is only through this argument that the others make sense. They buttress our G-d given right, but they can’t stand as independent arguments.

As He gave it, He also took it. We mourn the destruction of our Temple and the loss of our land, but we also know it why it was taken. It was for our sins that we were driven from our land.

“When you beget children and children’s children… and you become corrupt and make a graven image….. you will speedily and utterly perish from the land” “And you will return to the Lord your G-d with all your heart and all your soul… then the Lord your G-d will bring back your exiles and have mercy … and bring you to the land which your forefathers possessed.”

We hesitate to speak this truth because we are a diaspora people surrounded by nations. Even in Israel we hesitate to speak because we are dependent on the good will of these nations. Yet the Torah tells us that it is precisely in the diaspora, where we ought to seek and find G-d.

“From there you shall seek him out and you shall find him - if you shall seek Him with all your heart and soul. From there, from your exile and diaspora, where G-d is hidden and must be sought in order to be found, you shall seek Him. Don’t despair of finding Him and bringing Him to the attention of the nations. Seek Him with all your heart and soul, and you shall find Him."

Over and over we hear that these arguments are good for the synagogue, but not “out there.” The Torah tells us to seek G-d when we are “out there,” “From there you shall seek him out.” The mystics point out that the Hebrew word for there is sham and the Hebrew word for name is Shem. The two words are similar because they belong together. On the surface, there, represents a place where G-d needs seeking because He is concealed. Name connotes that G-d’s name is known. Yet the two words are comprised of similar letters because it is precisely “out there” that we should seek Him. And when we do, we make a name for Him. Sham, out there, turns out to be a most conducive place for Shem to make His name.

We are wary because on the surface G-d is utterly concealed “out there.” But the Torah enjoins us to have a little faith and make that leap. Though you are out there, tell your neighbors, colleagues and friends that Israel is yours because G-d gave it to you and because the Bible says it is so. Don’t worry that they will think of you as way “out there.” G-d told us to think differently. G-d said that your words will make a real difference. You will create a name for G-d and a bastion of support for Israel, even “out there.”

Rabbi Lazer Gurkow, a respected writer, scholar and speaker, is the spiritual leader of Beth Tefilah congregation in London, Ontario. He is the author of Reaching for God: A Jewish Book on Self Help, and his new book, Mission Possible: Living With Higher Purpose will be released this spring and can be pre-ordered by emailing egurkow@gmail.com

'Hand of God sent missile into sea'

More claims of divine intervention are being reported in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, with an operator of Israel’s Iron Dome missile-defense system saying he personally witnessed “the hand of God” diverting an incoming rocket out of harm’s way.

Israel Today translated a report from a Hebrew-language news site, which noted the Iron Dome battery failed three times to intercept an incoming rocket headed toward Tel Aviv last week.

The commander recalled: “A missile was fired from Gaza. Iron Dome precisely calculated [its trajectory]. We know where these missiles are going to land down to a radius of 200 meters. This particular missile was going to hit either the Azrieli Towers, the Kirya (Israel’s equivalent of the Pentagon) or [a central Tel Aviv railway station]. Hundreds could have died.
“We fired the first [interceptor]. It missed. Second [interceptor]. It missed. This is very rare. I was in shock. At this point we had just four seconds until the missile lands. We had already notified emergency services to converge on the target location and had warned of a mass-casualty incident.
“Suddenly, Iron Dome (which calculates wind speeds, among other things) shows a major wind coming from the east, a strong wind that … sends the missile into the sea. We were all stunned. I stood up and shouted, ‘There is a God!’
“I witnessed this miracle with my own eyes. It was not told or reported to me. I saw the hand of God send that missile into the sea.”

The commander’s account is reminiscent of a recent newspaper headline which trumpeted the possibility of supernatural protection.
“Their God changes the path of our rockets in mid-air, said a terrorist,” was the headline in the July 18 edition of the Jewish Telegraph.

It was a partial quote from Barbara Ordman, who lives in Ma’ale Adumim on the West Bank.
Her exact quotation was: “As one of the terrorists from Gaza was reported to say when asked why they couldn’t aim their rockets more effectively: “We do aim them, but their God changes their path in mid-air.”
She opened her piece by noting: “In October 1956, [Israeli Prime Minister] David Ben Gurion was interviewed by CBS. He stated: ‘In Israel, in order to be a realist, you must believe in miracles.’”
Ordman also noted religious texts, specifically the Jerusalem Talmud, teaches Israelis not to depend on miracles for survival.
“It argues that we must not desist from our obligations and must not wait for miraculous intervention from the Supernatural,” she wrote.

Meanwhile, the Times of Israel reported a senior officer in Israel’s army said divine miracles protected his soldiers during fighting in the Gaza Strip.

Givati Brigade commander Col. Ofer Winter told the weekly publication Mishpacha that he “witnessed a miraculous occurrence, the likes of which he had never seen before during his military career.”

Winter indicated a predawn raid intended to use darkness as cover was delayed, forcing the soldiers to move toward their objective as sunrise was approaching.

Col. Ofer Winter

With the troops in danger of being exposed at daybreak, Winter explained how heavy fog quickly descended to shroud their movements until their mission was accomplished.
“Suddenly a cloud protected us,” he said, referring to clouds the Bible says guided the ancient Israelites as they wandered in the desert. “Clouds of glory.”

Winter said only when the soldiers were in a secure position, the fog finally lifted.
“It really was a fulfillment of the verse ‘For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to give you victory,’” he said, quoting Deuteronomy 20:4.
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The Times of Israel notes Winter made headlines over an official letter he sent to battalion and company commanders July 9, telling his subordinates that “history has chosen us to spearhead the fighting (against) the terrorist ‘Gazan’ enemy which abuses, blasphemes and curses the God of Israel’s (defense) forces.”

The dispatch came under fire from some, since it portrayed the Operation Protective Edge as a religious war against non-Jews. The Israeli government’s stated aim is to stop rocket attacks at Israel and destroy a network of tunnels dug under the border from Gaza used to launch terror attacks inside Israeli territory.

In his interview with Mishpacha, Winter defended his message, saying everyone finds God when in combat.
“Anyone who attacked me for the letter apparently has only seen weapons in pictures, was never in combat, and doesn’t know what fighting spirit is,” he said, revealing that before going into action his custom was to recite the blessing with which the ancient Israelite priests would bless the army before it went to war.

“When a person is in a life-threatening situation he connects with his deepest internal truths, and when that happens, even the biggest atheist meets God,” he said, claiming soldiers see so many miracles, “it is hard not to believe [in God].”

Tisha B'ov