Powered By Blogger

Friday, March 30, 2018

The Pesach Haggadah ...

by Shmuel Knopfler
The Haggadah commences with words of shame and ends with praise ...

Why are we starting the Haggadah with words of shame?


Wouldn't a nation pride itself with it's glorious past
and erase those parts of its history that may be shameful?


And aren't we  prohibited to remind a convert of his checkered past?


The Maharal points out that in order for a person to ascertain his current position he must look into his past from where he came from.


This is an integral part of Hakaras Tov, simple gratitude.


A third of the Jewish people were decimated 70 years ago.


Today we are resuscitated in our own land with the language of our ancestors.
What a contrast to the abyss we came from.


This is a clear & open miracle of HaShem.


Our physical & spiritual revival manifests itself both
on an individual as well as on a national level.

חג כשר ושמח

Thursday, March 29, 2018

The Female IDF Officer That Stopped a Mass Terrorists Action From Egypt



The dramatic moments between the terrorists and the Karkal Battalion Officer, a mother of 3 children, can now finally be revealed!

How Great are the Wonders of Hashem?

Transformation of a kidney bean into a fully-grown plant 


Transformation of a kidney bean into a fully-grown plant is captured in a mesmerizing timelapse

The mesmerizing process of a kidney bean burgeoning into a fully-grown plant has been captured in an incredible new timelapse.

Shot through a soil cross section, the footage shows how the bean first bursts and sprouts roots, before a stem and plant shoots out above the surface.
The amazing video was captured by Lithuanian YouTuber Mindaugas Kriksciukas in a painstaking process that took a total of four attempts.

The footage was shot over 25 days, with Mr Kriksciukas, 27, setting his camera to shoot an image of the bean's progress every nine minutes and 36 seconds.
The result was a jittery but engrossing clip showing just how much plants can move during their earliest stages of growth.
The idea came to Mr Kriksciukas while brainstorming ideas for an interesting time-lapse subject for his YouTube channel GPhase.

The footage was shot over 25 days, with Mr Kriksciukas, 27, setting his camera to shoot an image of the bean's progress every nine minutes and 36 seconds.
The result was a jittery but engrossing clip showing just how much plants can move during their earliest stages of growth.
The idea came to Mr Kriksciukas while brainstorming ideas for an interesting time-lapse subject for his YouTube channel GPhase.

'Seeing the motion, the action, growth itself is definitely the most fascinating thing about these videos.'
Most plants grow from seeds, which come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and the kidney bean plant grows from kidney beans.
Within this compact package is everything the plant needs to grow and reproduce

The outside covering of seeds is called the coat, which protects the baby plant and is split open once it begins to grow.
In order for seeds to grow into plants, they need soil containing nutrients, water, sunlight, the right temperature, room to grow, and time.
If the conditions are just right, the seed begins to sprout roots deep into the soil to collect water, while a stem shoots upwards.

The plant knows which way to grow its roots and stem because it can sense the pull of gravity through the soil - while the stem is grown in the opposite direction, the roots are pushed in line with gravity.
Once the stem has breached the surface of the soil, it grows leaves to collect sunlight.
The plant has specialised cell machinery that means its stem always grows in the direction of the sun to make sure it is pointing the right way. 

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Two Uncle Moishys! Monsey Bais Din says its "ok" to confuse the children!


The Machon Le’Hora’ah has weighed in on a dispute about who owns the name “Uncle Moishy,” and who can perform the songs that the performer has sung for 40 years.
The Wikipedia entry for “Uncle Moishy and the Mitzvah Men” says that the group began in Toronto in 1975. The original members included Moshe Tanenbaum, Zale Newman and Chaim Shainhouse. Their first album, according to the website, was released in 1979.
With the trademark Hebrew letter mem affixed to his black fedora, Uncle Moishy has brought joy to children around the world ever since. Uncle Moishy and his Brooklyn-based production company, Suki & Ding Productions, have produced 22 albums and 14 videos.
But some time ago, Tanenbaum’s relationship with Suki & Ding soured, following a dispute over money and who owned the Uncle Moishy character. The case went to the rabbinical court.
In a ruling delivered last October and clarified in the last few weeks, the beis din found that while the songs and music of Uncle Moishy belong to Suki & Ding, both parties may use the stage name “Uncle Moishy.”
Tanenbaum then moved to anther production company, Sonic Duo Productions, and continues to perform and record as Uncle Moishy.
Meanwhile, Suki & Ding found a new Uncle Moishy, Rabbi Yossi Berktin, a long-time Toronto children’s musician and entertainer who goes by the moniker “Rabbi B.”
Read More: CJN

Monday, March 26, 2018

Coins from Second Bais Ha'Mikdash found near Temple Mount


Bronze coins, the last remnants of a four-year Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire, were found near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

These bronze coins were discovered by Hebrew University archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar during renewed excavations at the Ophel, located below the Temple Mount’s southern wall.

These 1.5cm bronze coins were left behind by Jewish residents who hid in a large cave (7x14 meters) for four years (66-70 C.E.) - from the Roman siege of Jerusalem, up until the destruction of the Second Temple and the city of Jerusalem.

While several of the coins date to the early years of the revolt, the great majority are from its final year, otherwise known as, “Year Four” (69-70 CE). Significantly, during the final year, the Hebrew inscription on the coins was changed from “For the Freedom of Zion” to “For the Redemption of Zion,” a shift which reflects the changing mood of the rebels during this period of horror and famine.

“A discovery like this - ancient coins bearing the words “Freedom” and “Redemption” - found right before the Jewish Festival of Freedom - Passover - begins is incredibly moving,” shared Dr. Mazar.

In addition to Hebrew inscriptions, the coins were decorated with Jewish symbols, such as the four Biblical plant species: palm, myrtle, citron and willow, and a picture of the goblet that was used in the Temple service.

Many broken pottery vessels, including jars and cooking pots, were also found in the cave. According to Mazar, it is remarkable that this cave was never discovered by subsequent residents of Jerusalem nor used again after the Second Temple period. As a result, the cave acts as a veritable time capsule of life in Jerusalem under the siege and during the four-year revolt against the Roman Empire.
The new finds all date back to the time of the rebellion and were found in the Ophel Cave directly above a Hasmonean Period layer that was situated at the base of the cave. 

A more complete report of these findings will be published in the third volume of the Ophel excavations; the second is being published this week.

According to Mazar, the coins were well preserved, probably because they were in use for such a short time. A similar number of “Year Four” coins were found near Robinson’s Arch, near the Western Wall, by Professor Benjamin Mazar, Eilat Mazar’s grandfather. He conducted the Temple Mount excavations right after Israel’s Six Day War, on behalf of Hebrew University’s Institute of Archaeology.

The Ophel excavations are situated within the Walls Around Jerusalem National Park, which is managed by the National Parks and Gardens Authority and the Eastern Jerusalem Development Company. Funding was generously provided by the Herbert W. Armstrong College of Edmond, Oklahoma, whose students participate in the digs.



Black Caucus Members of Congress Support Jew-Hater Louis Farrakhan


Ronald Lauder Stabs Israeli Jews in the Back!


…the Jewish democratic state faces two grave threats that I believe could endanger its very existence…The first threat is the possible demise of the two-state solution…The second, two-prong threat, is Israel’s capitulation to religious extremists and the growing disaffection of the Jewish diaspora. - Ronald S. Lauder, New York Times, March 18, 2018.

Earlier this week the president of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald Lauder, published an Op-Ed in the New York Times, entitled Israel’s Self-Inflicted Wounds.
In it, he made a bewildering claim.

'Holocaust survivor a victim of barbaric murder' in Paris

French-Jewish politician Meyer Habib on Sunday commented on the murder of an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor whose burnt and stabbed body was found in her Paris apartment.

The National Bureau for Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism (BNVCA) said the body of the woman, identified only as Mireille K., was set on fire Friday night. Her charred body also had at least 11 stab wounds. Police have a suspect in custody in connection with her death.

“For the Jews of France, the nightmare continues. 85-year-old Holocaust survivor Mireille K. was stabbed and burned in the heart of Paris,” said Habib.

“While France is still traumatized by the terrorist attack in Trebes, we are discovering today the shocking murder of Mireille K., an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor who was stabbed and burned to death at her home in Paris’ 11th District.”

“I spoke at length this evening with David K., one of the sons of Mireille of blessed memory, to express my condolences and support during these difficult moments. I will meet him tonight or tomorrow,” Habib continued.

“Unfortunately, the number of victims rises but it seems that the story repeats itself: 
Like Sarah Halimi of blessed memory (who was murdered by her Muslim neighbor who threw her out of her window), Mireille also knew the suspect - who is currently under arrest - her 35-year-old Muslim neighbor whom she had known since he was a child.”

“Like Sarah Halimi, in this case as well, the French authorities are very careful about linking the murder to an anti-Semitic motive. The family has no doubt about the anti-Semitic background of the incident,” added Habib.

“For Sarah, it took almost 10 months for the legal authorities to recognize the obvious reality. 
What about Mireille? 

The investigation has begun, but I am afraid that after Sarah, Mireille also fell victim to the hatred of Jews which is increasingly seen in the suburbs, against the backdrop of Islamic radicalization, hatred of Israel but also hatred of France.”

“Like the murder of Sarah Halimi, in this case, as well, I intend to fight along with other Jewish organizations for the sake of justice and truth,” concluded Habib.

Friday, March 23, 2018

With Nothing To Do.. Auerbach Terrorists Protest Violently .... Many Hurt! 28 Arrested



The following are some of the injured:

Jacobson. 30 years old, from Ofakim - broke and bleeding in his right
hand

He is hospitalized at Me'ayanei HaYeshua Hospita  

Muscat. 45 years old from Bnei Brak. Fracture in back. Yehoshua Kruk is 
hospitalized   
  
Markowitz. 15 years old, from Bnei Brak. 21 stitches in the head .. 
hospitalized in the children's department at Maayanei HaYeshua  

Polak. 15 years old from Elad. Stitches on right foot and right hand. 

Pinhas Deri is in the Pediatrics Department of the Maayaney HaYeshua 

A 38-year-old boy from Bnei Brak was bleeding, he could not see. 
He was sent from Einayi Hayeshua to Beilinson Hospital  

Pinchas Cohen. 35 years old from Jerusalem. Concussion and bruising in the head. Entered the head surgery at Tel Hashomer 

 Haim Furman. A 17-year-old from Modi'in Illit stitches his hands and feet. 
He is hospitalized at Tel Hashomer


Thursday, March 22, 2018

How to make perfect "mashed potatoes" for Pesach!


1. SELECT THE RIGHT POTATOES
If you want fluffy, super smooth mash, then use potatoes that are high in starch, such as Russets. These spuds also absorb flavours more easily.
Waxy potatoes on the other hand require more mashing to make them creamy. This could result in sticky potato glue, which can occur as a result of overworking your mash.

2. DON'T MAKE THEM IN ADVANCE

Mashed potato is one of those dishes that just doesn't taste as good after it has been sitting around for a long time.
If you chill your mash overnight to eat the next day, it will apparently taste of 'cardboard,' according to GH.
However if you really need to save time and make them ahead, GH recommends reheating them slowly in a heat proof bowl covered with plastic wrap by sitting them over a pan of boiling water for up to two hours.
You can also reheat them successfully in a slow cooker on a warm setting. 


3. START FROM COLD WATER
Cover potatoes with cold water in a pan on the stove, not freshly boiled water from a kettle.
GH's experts say that adding potatoes to hot water when boiling will make them cook unevenly.  

4. SALT THE WATER
Potatoes absorb water and salt while they cook, which means if you add salt to the water, they will become well-seasoned during the process.
It will ensure your mash isn't bland and you won't need to add much seasoning at the end after you've cooked them. 

If you don't drain your potatoes thoroughly, they may end up tasting watery.
GH's experts advise gently reheating potatoes on the stove after draining to dry them out slightly if you can't get rid of all the water.

6. DON'T ADD BUTTER STRAIGHT FROM THE FRIDGE
Allow your butter to come to room temperature before melting over your freshly cooked potatoes.
You should also let milk and cream come to room temperature before adding these if you like to add richness to your mash.
This is because the potatoes will absorb the flavours much more easily if they are at room temperature, and it won't cool the dish down, ensuring it remains hot enough to serve.

7. DON'T OVERWORK
When you cook potatoes, the starch granules become swollen which means they are delicate.
Mashing them too much or too vigorously can release the starch which is why they can sometimes end up gloopy and more like a potato paste than delicious creamy mash. 

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Here's how police tracked the suspected Austin bomber

Investigators believe a man captured on surveillance cameras dropping off two suspicious packages at a FedEx store in Austin on Sunday is linked to a string of five explosions that have rocked Texas in recent weeks, according to a report.
The suspect in the bombings, identified as a 24-year-old white man who killed two people and injured several others over the course of nearly three weeks, died early Wednesday after he detonated a bomb inside his car, according to Austin Police Chief Brian Manley.
The man was wearing gloves and what may be a blond wig when he entered the FedEx Office store on Sunday evening with two boxes, both of which were found on Tuesday, according to sources who spoke to CBS.
One of the two boxes exploded on a conveyor belt at a FedEx sorting facility in Shertz outside San Antonio, while the second package contained a bomb that was successfully intercepted at a FedEx facility near Austin’s international airport.
The FBI confirmed that both packages were tied to the four previous explosions that have terrorized the Austin area starting on March 2.
Sources told the Austin American-Statesman authorities identified the suspect based on evidence that included security video and store receipts, which allowed them to obtain a search warrant for his Google search history while he was traced to a hotel through his cell phone.
While the suspect is confirmed dead, authorities say they are not sure where he has been in the last 24 hours, and warned the public to be cautious as it's possible he left behind other explosive devices.

Yoel Falkowitz Thrown Out of Monsey Shul

Yoel Falkowitz was recently ejected from the synagogue and barred by the Rabbi of the Spring Valley, NY synagogue he regularly attends on the grounds that he is an apostate (“kofer”). The Rabbi, Avrohom Yehoshua Retek, accuses  Falkowitz of expressing heretical beliefs in shul and influencing others. He has mocked the biblical story of Jonah and the fish, and has remarked to a fellow congregant that “I’m not so sure there is a creator” –the self-appointed Rabbi said in an interview with HasidicNews.com.
Falkowitz’s embarrassing ejection occurred on Feb, 10, 2018 during the Friday evening liturgy. Approximately midway through the liturgy, right before borekhu, the Rabbi, having previously warned Falkowitz not to attend synagogue that week, approached him and said “it’s my shul, get out!” When Falkowitz refused, the Rabbi went over to the central bimoh and announced that the service will continue downstairs.  Congregants hesitated, but after some moments of intense glaring by the Rabbi they followed him to the other room where the service resumed without Falkowitz’s presence.
For the morning service the next day, the spiel repeated itself. Falkowitz was asked to leave and when he refused the Rabbi directed his congregants out of the room and continued the service elsewhere while Falkowitz remained in the synagogue alone.
After suspending shabbos services for one week while strategizing action, the Rabbi hired guards for the third shabbos to be stationed at the shul’s entrance and prevent Falkowitz’s entry should he attempt it. Falkowitz, learning that some action was being planned against him for that week, did not show up, and has subsequently not appeared at Retek’s synagogue.
In order to punish Falkowitz and deter his return to the synagogue in the future, the Rabbi filed trespass criminal charges against Falkowitz. Around March 1st, Falkowitz received a notice of the second-degree criminal trespass charge by mail and was summoned to answer the charge in court.
In an interview with HN Falkowitz denied all the charges against him, including that he ever expressed any heretical opinions in shul. The Rabbi has a personal beef with him and has tried to instigate congregants against him, he says. When that failed the Rabbi sought to punish him out of spite in order to redeem the Rabbi’s honor and appear victorious. Members of the shul are disturbed at his ejection from the synagogue, Falkowitz says.
Falkowitz has hired a lawyer to repel the criminal trespass charge. He argues that his barring from the shul violates his civil rights since the shul “belongs to the state because it is tax exempt”. His GoFundMe page has raised $2,839 from 70 contributors since its launch five days ago. The prosecution has offered him a plea deal in which it would not seek any substantive penalty if he agreed to stay away from the shul for six months. But Falkowitz has rejected the offer, professing innocence and demanding that the charge be dropped at once unconditionally.
The synagogue in question is known as the “Parkview shul”, after the 64-unit condominium development, Parkview Condominiums at Maple & 45, within which it is located. The developer is a Hasidic individual who availed himself of federal urban renewal funds for the project, and all the condominium’s residents are Hasidim. The synagogue’s Rabbi, Falkowitz, and nearly all of its congregants are condominium members. The Rabbi had apparently paid the developer extra for the privilege of running the shul.
Federal standards for the project require that space in it be designated for a “community room”. However, being that Hasidim eschew secular social activities, the developer instead granted a concession to Mr. Retek to run religious services there on shabbos and be the “synagogue”‘s Rabbi. The room’s use as a synagogue is legally acceptable on its face although the federal standard requires that if it be used for religious purposes, then all religions be granted access equally.
In light of the federal rules governing the “community room”‘s use, Falkowitz appears to have a very strong legal case entitling him to attend services there against the wishes of the rabbi, who does not appear to have a right to exclude someone on religious grounds, even if the heretical charges against Falkowitz were to be true.
Falkowitz is infamous for having taken controversial positions within the Hasidic community. He is one of a select few brave Hasidim who have come out openly in support of Yaffed’s effort to improve secual education in Hasidic schools. He is also a professional actor, having roles in the film Menasheh and the TV series High Maintenance, defying the Hasidic norm to shun all television and cinema.
Nevertheless, in a sign of a general relaxation of strict communal conformity in recent years, Retek’s campaign against Falkowitz, while sincerely held by the Rabbi, has not been followed by any other elements in the community. Falkowitz’s children have not been ejected from their Hasidic school, and he is permitted to attend other synagogues, albeit being located farther from his home.

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Anti-Semitic Cynthia Nixon Running for Governor of New York

Alan Dershowitz is warning New Yorkers not to vote for ‘Sex in the City’ actress Cynthia Nixon, who announced Monday that she’s running for governor of the state.
The 51-year-old co-star of the popular television series and movies launched her run on Twitter, writing, “I love New York, and today I’m announcing my candidacy for governor.”
Nixon may love New York, but she sure doesn’t love Israel, and it’s questionable how much she really loves Jews, warns Dershowitz.
Nixon, a “progressive,” plans to challenge incumbent Governor Andrew Cuomo for the Democratic nomination.
Dershowitz warned in a tweet that Nixon is an anti-Israeli bigot.
At least nine percent of New York State’s population is Jewish — about 1.75 million Jews, all told — and there are 1.1 million Jews living in New York City alone, according to the 2011 population study by the UJA-Federation of New York. According to the 2012 Census Bureau data, Jews comprise at least 18.4 percent of the population in New York City. Any way you cut the Big Apple, that’s a lot of Jewish voters.
He referred to a letter that Nixon signed in September 2010, along with 150 other U.S.-based performing and related creative artists, voicing support for Israeli performers who refused to participate in performances taking place in Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria – and refusing specifically to perform in the newly-built cultural center in the city of Ariel, in Samaria. The letter campaign was organized by the Jewish Voice for Peace NGO linked to the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions (BDS)campaign against Israel.
Cynthia Nixon may run for Gov of NY. She has collaborated with Israel haters Jewish Voice for Peace and Vanessa Redgrave in boycotting Israel. Do not support her bigotry.
The tweets in response to my Cynthia Nixon tweet prove my point. If you’re anti-Israel, Nixon’s your candidate.
A statement from Nixon’s campaign said, “We want our government to work again, on healthcare, ending mass incarceration, fixing our broken subway. We are sick of politicians who care more about headlines and power than they do about us. It can’t just be business as usual anymore.”
Nixon, who is not Jewish, is aligned with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, also a liberal and a politician to the left of Cuomo. She appears to have no background in the legal field, other than that which she has developed in the research she has done for her myriad dramatic roles.
One can point to a number of roles Nixon has had that might be considered, in a stretch, relevant to the political field. For instance, she won the 2008 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and her television roles include playing political figures Eleanor Roosevelt in Warm Springs (2005), Michele Davis in Too Big to Fail (2011), and playing Nancy Reagan in the 2016 television film Killing Reagan.
Nixon has “come out” as bisexual, and is currently married to a woman. The couple are parents to a son and daughter.
But despite a very long list of television and movie credits, Cynthia Nixon has absolutely no experience whatsoever in politics.