My Grandfather Wrote the ‘Mein Kampf’ of Lithuania

by Silvia Foti

Research into my grandfather, Jonas Noreika, a magnificent WWII hero of Lithuania, started going off track when rumors arose that he may have persecuted Jews. I hoped further examination would exonerate him, until that dreadful day when I discovered a booklet he had authored in 1933, titled “Raise Your Head Lithuanian”.

Initially, I assumed it would be a rallying call to patriotism and loyalty to Lithuania, then in its 15th year of independence from Russia. I found the booklet rather hidden in my mother’s archives, amid newspaper articles of my grandfather’s heroism, and so was not prepared for what I would read.

Here are some excerpted translations of the 1933 document …

Lithuania belongs only to Lithuanians! 

She is held ransom with our blood. We can become the owners of the existing capital if we exert our will. Let us be open and sincere. Let’s reveal our wounded spots! Let us determine once and for all, what we are creating: A benefit for the nation, the party, or the foreigners?…

Our life is our land

All of Lithuania’s residents are well aware that we are an agricultural land. The farmer carries the entire country on his shoulders. That is why we must first examine the farmers—how are they living? What are today’s farmers doing and thinking? We can answer quickly: They are waiting with clenched teeth. They are waiting for better times! But those better times are not appearing…

…Those who live the best in our cities are the Jews! Thousands of litas rustle through their hands! They sit in the coffee shops dressed smartly and make new plans on how they can get more of our money. Let us declare our news one time loudly! We have been hiding our wounds for too long! Let us not be afraid to look with open eyes at the existing poverty and discord among us!…

…In the land of Klaipėda, the Lithuanians are being overthrown by the Germans, and in Greater Lithuania, the Jews are buying up all the farms on auction. What are we going to do if all the capital and land will be in the hands of the Jews?! . . .

Original plaque of Jonas Noreika, placed in October 2000, which was shattered by a sledgehammer by Stanislovas Tomas in April 2019. Photo by author.

(Click for more on the shattering of the plaque.)

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United Arab Emirates & Israel Reach Historic Peace Deal ....

 A"peace deal" is a "peace deal" .... 

We must remember that the UAE is not the one killing Jews it's the Palestinians ... so let wait and see!

Israel and the United Arab Emirates have reached an agreement to normalize relations between the two countries for the first time since the establishment of the Jewish state in 1948, according to a report by Reuters Thursday afternoon.

The historic peace deal was brokered by the Trump administration, senior White House officials told Reuters.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is expected to make a formal statement on the development at 7:00 p.m. Jerusalem time.

As part of the deal, Israel has agreed to suspend its plan to apply sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria, for now.

“Israel will suspend declaring sovereignty over areas outlined in the President’s Vision for Peace and focus its efforts now on expanding ties with other countries in the Arab and Muslim world,” reads a joint statement to be issued by the US, Israel, and the UAE which President Trump tweeted out.

“Huge breakthrough,” Trump tweeted.

The president later hinted that more diplomatic breakthroughs between Israel and Arab states are likely to be announced.

“Things are happening that I can’t talk about."

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The Shomrei Emunim Rebbe of Bnei Brak Dies From Vovid-19

The Chassidic world was plunged into mourning Thursday morning, with the news of the petirah of the Shomrei Emunim Rebbe of Bnei Brak, Harav Refael Aharon Roth, zy”a, at the age of 72.

The Rebbe had been hospitalized in recent weeks in the Laniado Medical Center in Netanya, after he caught the coronavirus. 

The Rebbe, Harav Refael Aharon Roth, was the oldest son of the previous Shomrei Emunim Rebbe, Harav Avraham Chaim Roth, zy”a, the Chukei Chaim. His father was the only son of the famed Rebbe Harav Aharon (Reb Arele) Roth, zy”a, the author of Shomer Emunim. He was born in Cheshvan 5708/1947, and was named Aharon for his grandfather who had passed away just a few months earlier. His mother, Rebbetzin Basya Chaya, a”h, was the daughter of Harav Mordechai Goldman of Zhvill, zy”a. Her grandfather, Harav Gedalya Moshe of Zhvill, zy”a, served as sandak at the bris.

He learned in Yeshivas Shomrei Emunim in Yerushalayim, and later received semichah from Harav Shmuel Tobias, zt”l.

The Rebbe served as Rav of the Shomrei Emunim community in Ashdod during his father’s lifetime, and after his father’s petirah, on 4 Elul 5772/2012, he was appointed Shomrei Emunim Rebbe in the main beis medrash in Bnei Brak. He continued his father’s legacy and led the Chassidus to greater heights.

When the Rebbe took over from his father, the court of Shomrei Emunim began to experience his leadership, as he founded a yeshivah in Bnei Brak, Yeshivas Chukei Chaim, named for his father. He also founded many chessed and tzedakah initiatives in the community.

His leadership was lofty and sublime, and he served as a role model for all the Chassidim. Many would flock to the Rebbe’s tischen, and his divrei Torah were published and widely spread.

The Rebbe is survived by his twelve children.

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Nick Cannon Claims Great-Grandfather Was a Jew and a Rabbi

American media personality Nick Cannon revealed that he was Jewish on his mother’s side during an appearance on Monday on the American Jewish Committee’s online program “AJC Advocacy Anywhere.”

“The Masked Singer” host apologized last month for voicing antisemitic conspiracy theories in the June 30 episode of his podcast “Cannon’s Class,” after he initially refused to back down from his comments that caused an uproar in the Jewish community.

In a conversation with Rabbi Noam Marans on the AJC program, Cannon said his mother had been calling him “every single day” since the controversy erupted to share information about their family history.

“My great-grandfather was a Spanish rabbi,” Cannon asserted. “He’s a Sephardic Jewish man. So, as much heat as I’ve been catching from the public and the outside, this hit home for my family in a real way because I come from a Black and Jewish family on my mother’s side.”

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‘Fauda’ and ‘Shtisel’ Actors Star in New Israeli Period Drama ‘The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem’

“Fauda” actor Itzik Cohen and “Shtisel” cast member Michael Aloni star in a new series by Israel’s Yes Studios called “The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem” that began production on Tuesday, The Algemeiner has learned.

Adapted from the best-selling novel of the same name by Sarit Yishai-Levy, the series is set in the early-to-mid 20th century in Jerusalem and “unravels, recreates and brings to life the story of a family set against the backdrop of the Ottoman Empire, The British Mandate and Israel’s War of Independence,” according to Yes Studios.

The show focuses on “the loves, heartbreak, jealousy and pain of the three Armoza sisters — Luna, Rachelika, and Becky — their parents, grandparents and children,” the production company said, adding that it is “a colorful, passionate and tragic series interwoven with Judeo-Spanish traditions and the history of a nascent country.”

The series will film across Israel — including in Jerusalem, Safed and Acre — and will feature Hebrew, English, Ladino and Arabic. Yes TV has already commissioned two seasons for the show, with the first set to air in early 2021, according to Deadline.

A behind-the-scenes photos from the show’s production.

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New York Daily News Out of Business .. Just as Pres Trump Predicted

Good Riddance!  
The once conservative paper turned left ... hated Trump with a passion .. and their hatred bordered on insane as they would ridicule the candidate and subsequently President Trump with nasty front covers ... they even called his supporters "mindless zombies"
Trump would mock them and always wondered "Are they still around?"

Well he got his sweet revenge ... they are finito! 

will The New York Slimes go next??

Tribune Publishing Company, which owns some of the most storied newspapers in American journalism, said Wednesday that it is closing the newsrooms at five of them, including New York’s Daily News and The Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland.

With no clear path forward in terms of returning to work, and as the company evaluates its real estate needs in light of health and economic conditions brought about by the pandemic, we have made the difficult decision to permanently close the office,” said a spokesperson for the Chicago-based company, Max Reinsdorf, referring to The Daily News in a statement about the newsroom closures.

The Daily News, once the newspaper with the largest circulation in the country, has been in financial trouble for years and was sold to The Tribune Publishing Company for $1 in 2017 by New York real estate developer and media mogul Mortimer B. Zuckerman. The new owner cut the newsroom staff in half.

Its offices at 4 New York Plaza in Manhattan will be formally closed as of Wednesday and staff will be given until Oct. 30 to retrieve personal items, a human resources executive at The Daily News said in a letter to employees obtained by The Associated Press.

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New Feature by DIN .... Learning the Writings of Harav Kook on Eretz Yisrael Part 1

Many readers have e-mailed me showing an interest in learning Harav Kook's Toras...

Rav Kook's writings are not easy reading for many reasons. 

First, the Hebrew that Harav Kook's uses is very poetic and the words are not commonly used. Secondly, he writes assuming you are fluent in the entire Tanach.. and finally his concepts are very deep ....

I have decided to focus on his essays vis a vis Eretz Yisrael... and have gleaned from his writings his thoughts on the connection of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel...

 I will periodically post Rav Kook's thoughts on this topic ...

I have decided to begin with his essay from Orot, 

"Eretz Yisrael" chapter 1.

 I supplied footnotes wherever I found it necessary.

Please send me feedback .. if you want me to continue, because it's not an easy task.

Israel & the Jewish People 

 Gleaned from the writings of Harav Avraham Yitzchok Kook z”l

Part One

ארץ- ישראל איננה דבר חיצוני, קנין חיצוני לאמה, אמצעי למטרה של ההתאגדות הכללית, והתחזקת קיומה החמרי 1, או אפילו הרוחני 2.

ארץ-ישראל היא חטיבה 3 עצמותית 4, קשורה בקשר-חיים עם האומה, חבוקה בסגלות פנימיות עם מציאותה 5. 

ומתוך כך אי-אפשר לעמוד על התוכן של סגולת קדושת ארץ-ישראל,ולהוציא לפועל מאת עומק חבתה, בשום השכלה רציונלית אנושית, כי-אם ברוח ה‘ אשר על האומה בכללה, 

1. ראה לנתיבות- ישראל חלק א‘ מאמר ב‘ ” על הפרק“

2. עיין עוד עין-איה ברכות חלק ב’ פרק ו’ אות מ.

3. ראה לשון אונקלוס דברים כו, יח, בהשוואה לדברי רש“י 

4. עיין אורות-הקודש חלק ג’, מוסר-הקודש פרק עט [עמוד קיז]

5. עיין כוזרי ב, ט-טז, רמב“ן ויקרא יח, כה ” בתיתו לנו את הארץ“ ובספר ברית-הלוי לרבי שלמה אלקבץ 

דף מא. מי-מרום חלק יא פרשת שלח- לך, עמ’ עג-עד 

English loose Translation

The land of Israel is not something external, it’s not an external national asset, a means to an end of collective solidarity 1 and the strengthening of the nation’s existence, physical or even spiritual.

The Land of Israel is an essential unit bound by the bond-of-life with the Nation, united by inner characteristics with its existence. 

Therefore, it is impossible to appreciate the content of the sanctity of the Land of Israel and to actualize the depth of love for her by some rational human understanding…. One understands this only by the spirit of Hashem that is in the soul of Israel. 

Explanation: 

The Land of Israel is not a means to an end of collective solidarity1 but rather an end in itself. 

It defies rationalism; it is a mystical dimension, just like the concept of "Kedusha" which by definition cannot be understood rationally.

We see that the hope of the Land of Israel is what gives the Diaspora the strength to continue to exist.

The essential difference between the Judaism of the Diaspora and that of the Land of Israel.

1.In halacha we do find the concept that the Land of Israel, bonds individual Jews into a collective, something that cannot occur outside the land… Rav Kook, of course, subscribes to this halachic notion… his objection is leveled at who say that the Land is merely a cohesive factor to bond Jews together… Rav Kook is emphatic that the Land of Israel must not be viewed as a means to an end but rather as an end in itself..

( See Berachos 58a, Rambam Hilchot Berachot 10:11 Avnei Nezer, Orach Chayim, Teshuva 314, citing Maharal, Netivot Olam, Netiv ha’Tzadaka, chap 6) 

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Two Different Poems Written by Survivors of the Nazi Atrocities

The first poem that I decided to post was written by Ya'akov Silberberg, and it criticizes Hungarian patriotism even while working as slaves for the cursed Nazis.....

 Reading it I found similarities in the mindset of today's Jews in Chutz Le'aartz.

Ya'akov Silberberg, was one of the Sonderkommandos prisoners forced by the Nazis to aid with the disposal of Jews killed in the gas chambers in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp......


Things are good for us among the gentiles, in their land, in their company.
Their culture serves as our eyes.
And if at times they persecute us in the wickedness,
Is that a reason for us not to seek their welfare?
We will wait until their hostility is spent
and they will appreciate and respect us doubly.
Then life with them will be pleasant again;
We will befriend them
And even gain their affection.
we will stay in the beautiful exile.
Where we have honey, filth, and dung.
It is good for us to serve Egypt.

The second poem that I decided to post was written in January 1944, by Jerachmiel Schwarcz, on a train carrying him and his fellow slave laborers to Szombathely.

This poem longs for Eretz Yisrael while he was in hell!

Oh, to finally return home / to my beloved country, ancient landscape ... / where the sea glistens blue / and the daughter of Zion sings;

Where the star of freedom shines / and an aroma fill the air, / the moon's halo is blue / and atop Mount Hermon frosty dew gleams;

Where the fields, blessed by God / still yield abundant produce, / and in a spacious garden / are reddening fruit and good wine.

Every vineyard is productive, morning winds / blow through greenish foliage, / and the leaves of grass tremble / like a golden gem.

The eternal city of Jerusalem is borne heavenward / on the mountaintops. / Oh, if only I could go home again / to the blue sea and shining light,

To my ancestral land, the land of freedom / where my people's heart sings and makes music.

Reading them back to back, gives one a perspective how frum Jews think...
On one hand, they hope that their  goyishe neighbors  will get over their anger and be nice to them again ..
and on the other hand they yearn to see Eretz Yisrael...
In their eyes it's not a contradiction.. 

You don't have to "yearn" anymore ....it's here ... 
And the goyim will no longer give you respite.... 
there aren't any more countries to flee to..

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Qatari academic blames Lebanese girls, gays, plastic surgery for Beirut blast

Sounds familiar... where oh where did I hear this before?

I think that Abd al-Zaziz al-Khazraj al-Ansari, reads yiddish and he read the "kol koras" in the Williamsburg Shteeblich! 

That's where he must have gotten these ideas...

I hope he picked up some Shmaltz Herring from Flaums while he stopped by ..

Qatari sociologist Abd al-Zaziz al-Khazraj al-Ansari blamed last week’s Beirut Port explosion on Lebanese girls, homosexuals and plastic surgery in the Eastern Mediterranean country.

In a video that Ansari uploaded on August 6, he cites as one of the causes for the blast that killed at least 220 people and injured 7,000 that "85% of Lebanese girls are not married. What do you think they are doing? Making original models with the boys? Collecting stamps? Most of them are involved in forbidden relationships.”

He continued his diatribe against the Lebanese people, stating that "Lebanon is famous for changing Allah's creation. You want to puff your lips? Augment your breasts? Change your face? Go to Lebanon.”

Ansari then launched an anti-gay rant about the cause of the explosion. "In addition, Lebanon is famous for the prevalence of sodomy and the abundance of homosexuals in it.”

Qatar is considered one of the most dangerous countries for gays because the Islamic regime imposes the death penalty on same-sex relations.

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"Bein Hazmanim" Death Trap for Yeshivah Students

This past week, Shmuel Aron Glick got killed riding his bicycle and Akiva Krauss a married kollel guy drowned in the Kinneret.

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