I have written many times on this blog that I do not ascend the Temple Mount because my rabbis here in Israel have ruled that it is forbidden to do so until there is a sacrificed red heifer's ashes that can make us pure from the impurity of coming into contact with the dead (yes, that's the reason).
However, others do ascend to certain parts of the Mount, and this morning, two Jews had the audacity to prostrate themselves before God on the Mount in order to fulfill the command to bow before God on the Temple grounds on the three holidays (Pesach, Shavuot and Succot). Watch what happens.
Let's go to the videotape.
Can you imagine any other country in the world where everyone but the majority would have freedom of worship?
In case I don't get to post again before the holiday starts, a Chag Kasher v'Sameyach (Happy and Kosher Passover) to all of you. And since there's still a little time left, let this Passover - and if not this certainly the next one - be celebrated with the paschal lamb being sacrificed in the rebuilt Third Temple in the Holy City of Jerusalem. There's plenty of room for a tent for all of you to stay in my backyard :-)
At Legal Insurrection, Miriam Elman reports that the loony Jewish Left, lead by 'Jewish' Voice for 'Peace' (JVP) has published a Haggada this year. I have my doubts that anyone who reads this blog is going to want it in their house, but....
I was curious to see what they do for the end of the seder, when we all say "Next year in [rebuilt] Jerusalem. Here's the answer.
Question 4. “Next Year in Jerusalem!”
We now end our Seder meal once again with the proclamation “Next Year in Jerusalem!” And so
we ask: what will we do to ensure that Jerusalem lives up to its name as a city of peace? How will
we respond as the Jewish state increasingly implements policies that claim this holy city in the
name of one people only? Do we dare to dream of a city divided or a city truly united for all its
inhabitants?
...and if we do believe that Jerusalem must be, once and for all, a true City of Peace, what are we
willing to do to make it so?
CLOSING
As we close tonight, go around your table and say goodnight and one thing that you are taking
away with you from this evening’s seder.
TOGETHER:
Next Year in Jerusalem! Next Year in al-Quds! Next year in a City of Peace!
Kumbaya.... Totally delusional. Either the Jews will control Jerusalem or the Arabs will make it Judenrein (Jew-free).
But as Miriam reports, the loony Jewish Left has done much more than publish a Haggada.
This week JVP activists have also been partnering with other Jewish activists affiliated with the recently founded If Not Now movement to field a “public Passover action” on April 19-21.
The effort is spread on social media through this week’s trending
hashtags #LiberationSeder and #IfNotNow (see samples below). It’s a five
city (Boston, NYC, Chicago, Bay Area, and Washington, D.C.) series of “seders in the streets”
and in various buildings that house major Jewish organizations in order
to appropriate the holiday’s rituals and texts for an anti-Israel
narrative.
The explicit goal of these publicly staged seders is to replace the
essential Passover themes—the retelling of the exodus from Egypt and the
Jewish people’s redemption in the land of Israel—with messages
concentrated on the “fight for Palestinian liberation”.
Let's go to the videotape.
Even more, it’s a bizarre program of anti-Jewish propaganda that has a
precedent. As I describe below, in the 1920s some deluded Jews in the
Soviet Union also enlisted in a campaign to eliminate the true meaning
of Passover.
It gets worse and there's a lot of it. Read the whole thing, but please don't let it ruin your Passover.
The leaflet, signed by Chairman of Donetsk's temporary government Denis Pushilin, was
distributed to Jews near the Donetsk synagogue and later in other areas
of the city where pro-Russians activists have declared Donetsk as an
independent "people's republic", defying an ultimatum from Kiev to
surrender.
The leaflet was written in Russian and had Russia's national symbol on it, as well as the Donetsk People's Republic insignia.
"Dear Ukraine citizens of Jewish nationality," the flyer began, "due
to the fact that the leaders of the Jewish community of Ukraine
supported
Bendery Junta," a reference to Stepan Bandera, the leader of the
Ukrainian nationalist movement which fought for Ukrainian independence
at the end of World War II, "and oppose the pro-Slavic People's Republic
of Donetsk, (the interim government) has decided that all citizens of
Jewish descent, over 16 years of age and residing within the republic's
territory are required to report to the Commissioner for Nationalities
in the Donetsk Regional Administration building and register."
The leaflet detailed what type of documents the Jewish citizens would
need to supply: "ID and passport are required to register your Jewish
religion, religious documents of family members, as well as documents
establishing the rights to all real estate property that belongs to you,
including vehicles."
If the message was not made clear enough, the leaflet further
stipulated the consequences that would come to those who failed to abide
by the new demands: "Evasion of registration will result in citizenship
revoke and you will be forced outside the country with a confiscation
of property."
...
According to Alex
Tenzer, a Kiev native and one of the directors of the National
Association of Immigrants from the Former USSR in Israel, said: "The
Jewish-Ukrainian leadership supports Ukraine's new government, but it's
hard to tell whether the leaflet is valid or simply a provocation.
"Anyway, the material is very anti-Semitic and reminds me of the kind of material distributed by the Nazis in WWII."
Emanuelle Shechter, from Israel, received a copy of the leaflet via
Whatsapp from his friends in Donetsk. "They told me that masked men were
waiting for Jewish people after the Passover eve prayer, handed them
the flyer and told them to obey its instructions."
Olga Reznikova, a member of Donetsk's Jewish community, told Ynet
that "we do not know if the leaflet was spread by pro-Russian forces or
someone else, but it did manage to create quite a fear. This reminds me
of texts from darker times. Other members of the Jewish community I
spoke with are not afraid, but it is unpleasant.
"I do not intend to register, I am 32, I have lived in Donetsk my
entire life and have never had to deal with anti-Semitism until I laid
eyes on this piece of paper. Though I take it very seriously, I am
uncertain of its authenticity."
Jenia from Israel,
who also received the letter from a Jewish acquaintance, said "the Jews
in Donetsk are uncertain of anything; it is unclear who is responsible
for the leaflet and who controls the city at the moment.
"We don't feel safe like we used to because of the political
instability in the area; there isn't a legitimate president or
sovereign. Currently Donetsk is ruled by a junta."
In a response to a request by a Ukrainian Jewish website, Pushilin,
the interim government's regional chairman, confirmed that the flyers
were distributed by his organization, but denied any connection to the
leaflet's content.
I've read a number of claims that attach significance to the fact that no one has registered yet. Consider that (a) they have until May 3, (b) the flyers were handed out on Monday night which was the first night of Passover, (c) Tuesday and Wednesday were Passover holiday days in Ukraine and (d) these reports are all likely based on Wednesday night or Thursday morning interviews in Donetsk and the Ukraine.
During the intermediate days of the Holiday, we go to the Kotel (Western Wall) - once during Pesach and every day during Sukkoth. Today was our day for Pesach.
As we were leaving, there were a large number of border police at the top of the ramp to the Mughrabi gate, and a long line of Jews and tourists waiting at the bottom to ascend. My sons asked why so many border police at 7:30 am on the holiday, and I explained that there had been riots over the past week, and that the Muslims were probably trying to prevent Jews and tourists from ascending the Mount. It turns out that we left just in time.
According to police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld, the violence began as
officers stationed at Mughrabi Gate unlocked the passageway at
approximately 7:45 a.m.
"Police units immediately went to the top of the mount and used stun grenades to secure the scene," he said.
"Officers stayed there for an hour to ensure order and visitation continued as scheduled."
Rosenfeld said there were no injuries reported and arrests are expected later in the day.
The violence comes three days after two police officers sustained light
injuries upon opening the Temple Mount’s Mughrabi Gate entrance for
visitation, when a throng of Palestinians threw rocks and Molotov
cocktails at them.
At least this time, the police apparently gained control of the situation.
I'm very uncomfortable doing this, but the reality is that I devote an
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to, most people don't think to contribute.
Please contribute
whatever you can to keep this blog going. If everyone contributed
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If you'd like to contribute, please click here. This post will be moved to the top as much as I can without messing up my Twitter Feed between now and Pesach.
I apologize for any inconvenience or discomfort you may feel by being confronted with this post on the home page.
For those for whom the link above does not work, please try this:
I'm very uncomfortable doing this, but the reality is that I devote an
inordinate amount of time to this blog, and if you don't ask them
to, most people don't think to contribute.
Please contribute
whatever you can to keep this blog going. If everyone contributed
ten cents(!) for each page view on this blog, I wouldn't have to look
for more work practicing law than I already have. (Reality is that
PayPal takes a cut, so if you account for 30 page views a month,
please don't only send a $3.00 contribution).
If you'd like to contribute, please click here. This post will be moved to the top as much as I can without messing up my Twitter Feed between now and Pesach.
I apologize for any inconvenience or discomfort you may feel by being confronted with this post on the home page.
For those for whom the link above does not work, please try this:
I'm very uncomfortable doing this, but the reality is that I devote an
inordinate amount of time to this blog, and if you don't ask them
to, most people don't think to contribute.
Please contribute
whatever you can to keep this blog going. If everyone contributed
ten cents(!) for each page view on this blog, I wouldn't have to look
for more work practicing law than I already have. (Reality is that
PayPal takes a cut, so if you account for 30 page views a month,
please don't only send a $3.00 contribution).
If you'd like to contribute, please click here. This post will be moved to the top as much as I can without messing up my Twitter Feed between now and Pesach.
I apologize for any inconvenience or discomfort you may feel by being confronted with this post on the home page.
For those for whom the link above does not work, please try this:
I'm very uncomfortable doing this, but the reality is that I devote an
inordinate amount of time to this blog, and if you don't ask them
to, most people don't think to contribute.
Please contribute
whatever you can to keep this blog going. If everyone contributed
ten cents(!) for each page view on this blog, I wouldn't have to look
for more work practicing law than I already have. (Reality is that
PayPal takes a cut, so if you account for 30 page views a month,
please don't only send a $3.00 contribution).
If you'd like to contribute, please click here. This post will be moved to the top as much as I can without messing up my Twitter Feed between now and Pesach.
I apologize for any inconvenience or discomfort you may feel by being confronted with this post on the home page.
For those for whom the link above does not work, please try this:
The photo is a parody, the story unfortunately is not. The Seattle chapter of the radical leftist 'Jewish Voice for Peace' is holding a 'seder' at which wine from Israel is banned, and the Haggada is reinterpreted to turn the 'Palestinians' into the Jews.
The Seattle Chapter of the radical Israel hating Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) invites you to a very special Passover Seder. They will be using their own one of a kind Passover Haggadah. Highlights of the JVP Haggadah include many helpful tips, like a reminder not to confuse Egypt with “Egypt” or Israel with “Israel”.
You will be especially moved and inspired by the Ten Plagues of the Israeli Occupation (Page 10). With a flair for the original, JVP adds an orange and a bowl of olives to their seder plate....
The ADL notes that
“the introduction to the JVP Haggadah compares Moses’s famous
declaration to Pharoah, “Let My People Go!” to the efforts of the Gaza
Flotilla to “free” the Palestinian people by breaking Israel’s blockade
of Gaza. According
to JVP, the third cup of wine, which is traditionally consumed after
the meal portion of the Seder, represents the Boycott, Divestment and
Sanction (BDS) of the Jewish state and Seder participants are
encouraged to “make a L’Chayim” to BDS.”
“The
constant supremacy of the Palestinian cause is also startling. When the
text, for example, reaches Yachatz, the breaking of the middle matzah,
the text reminds participants to acknowledge the “break that occurred in
Palestinian life and culture with the establishment of the State of
Israel in 1948″.”
Believe it or not, JVP and its ilk are slated to march in the Salute to Israel parade in New York City in June. A protest against the prospect of groups that support BDS being allowed to march in the parade is being held on April 8 from 4:00 - 7:00 pm in front of UJA-Federation of NY, 130 East 59th Street between Lexington and Park Avenues, New York, NY.
The Maccabeats sing the story of Passover in a perfectly adapted medley based on Les Miserables.
“Look down, look down. You’ll always be a slave…” Wait for the grand
finale as they continue with “Do you hear the people sing? Say do you
hear the distant drums, It is future that they bring when tomorrow
comes.”
The haredim have a long list of grievances against Netanyahu, most
recently legislation enacted to draft haredi men and criminal sanctions
against draft dodgers. His visit to the bakery was hotly contested in
the haredi community, according to the report.
Kfar Chabad denied the implication that the matza was discarded as a
petty extension to a political feud, claiming that the matza was simply
left on the table for too long, reported Kikar HaShabat.
Chabad added that Netanyahu's matza dough was kneaded without proper
oversight, and that he hadn't washed his hands or cut his nails, leading
to concerns that hametz (yeast-based products not allowed on Passover) caught under his nails might have gotten into the dough.
Tempest in a teapot.
I wasn't there, so I cannot tell you that the matzoth were left to rise for more than the 18-minute maximum, but having baked matzoth in Israel, I call tell you that the chabura (group) leaders don't let you near the dough until your hands are washed, your nails are cut, and your clothes are covered with a plastic apron.
Besides, Chabad are the least likely of the Haredim to look for a fight with Netanyahu.
---------------------------------
Let Us Go
---------------------------------
The moon shines bright for my people tonight
For yours, it cannot be seen
Your kingdom of subjugation
Was so callous and so mean
We'll leave our signal while the plague unfolds outside
You've been warned enough. Heaven knows I tried.
You won't give in, won't let us free
Still the wicked Pharoah you must be
Your heart of steel, is cold as snow...
But even so......
Let us go, Let us go
You can't hold us here anymore
Let us go, Let us go
Now it's time to show us the door
There's no point for a longer stay
Now your son is gone
Destruction is all around, anyway.........
Our Holy Land in the distance
is seemingly so small
And the fear by which you bound us
Can't hold us, not at all.
So let us free, so we can do
G-d's service as He asked us to
So do what's right for them and me
We're free....
Let us go, Let us go
Now you know the reason why
Let us go, Let us go
Why should more Egyptians die?
Understand, we're on our way
While your storm goes on......
My people passes through the sea on drier ground
Your men are spiraling in mighty currents all around
And from above you watch and now you are the last
We're never going back. The past is in the past
Let us go, Let us go
Here comes the early dawn
Let us go, Let us go
Your empire now is gone
Here we stand at the break of day
"G-d forever reigns"
But you never listened, anyway......
The Knesset, in its infinite wisdom, has decided to make a holiday to honor the contribution of immigrants to the country. Given that a holiday on which religious Jews can travel is a rarity in this country, we should all be grateful. So why make the holiday four days before Passover?
The 10th of Nisan was selected for the holiday given the historical
importance of the date, on which the Jews crossed the Jordan River into
Israel after the Exodus from Egypt, as recorded in the Book of Joshua.
The bill notes this was the "first mass Aliyah in history."
MK Bar remarked that "the Yom Haaliyah bill is an important national
day in a country that was built on Aliyah, since that it is an
inseparable part of the country's essence."
Yom Haaliyah is planned to be celebrated in various ceremonies,
highlighting the contribution of immigrants who have found their way
home to Israel from all parts of the world.
Initially, the bill was drafted and lobbied for by Jay Shultz, an
immigrant from New York who founded TLV Internationals, a large online
community for young professional immigrants; Schultz was joined in the
bill by Jonathan Javor who immigrated from London, and who also was part
of TLV Internationals before working for the Mayor of Tel Aviv to plan
the absorption of immigrants.
That's fine.... But I'd really rather have Sundays.... The 10th day of Nissan will just be a longer day to clean for Pesach....
Newest 'Palestinian' blood libel: Jews brought pigs and donkeys to al-Aqsa mosque
The latest blood libel by the 'Palestinians' comes from an Egyptian web site, which is claiming that the Jews brought pigs and donkeys to al-Aqsa mosque.
Which, translated, reads:-
A numberofyoungIsraelidesecrationpartsclose to theAl-Aqsa mosque, whentheyhadcarriedarangeofanimals, includingpigs, donkeysandgoats, andplacedthemnear the mosqueduringthecelebrationofEaster...
The newspaper pointed out that a group ofyoung Israelis andputagroupofanimalsinsidethecourtyardofthemosque, duringtheperformanceofJewishprayerin front oftheWailingWall"Wailing", butIsraeli policemanagedtocontrol them andexpelledthese animalsoutofthemosque.
That wouldn't be religious hatred incitement?
Besides being factually incorrect?
Now what did happen, on the eve of Passover, was that Jews tried to bring a sheep to the Temple Mount for the Passover sacrifice, But the people and the sheep were turned away long before they got there.
You don't think the Arab Muslims would make up something like this, do you?
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
