This video follows Orit’s participation in the “Prettiest of Women” beauty pageant held on Valentine’s Day (February, 14, 2008) at the Israel Mall, Talpiot in Jerusalem. There were 13 contestants total. Click to see which award Orit took home…(Note: Not all contestants appear.)
Orit’s Jerusalem beauty pageant adventure Read More »
Leon Azancot, a wonderful 80 year old Tangerine Jew (he should live to 120), sang some piyyutim in Hebrew and explained them in Spanish at his insurance office over the Socco Grande (entrance to the souk) in Tangier, Morocco.
Video by Vanessa Paloma.
Vanessa wrote about her visit for The Journal.
VIDEO: Moroccan Jewish sacred singing Read More »
Yossi Harel, Commander of Exodus, Dies at 90
Last week, a white-haired former shipmate propped a gold-fringed, pale blue flag of the legendary Exodus ship next to the coffin of its commander, Yossi Harel.
A short distance away sparkled the azure Mediterranean Sea, whose waters Harel sailed four times on clandestine journeys between 1945 and 1948. Those journeys brought a total of 24,000 Holocaust survivors to the shores of what would soon become the State of Israel.
Harel, who died April 26 of cardiac arrest at the age of 90, was remembered as a hero by his former comrades, the Jewish refugees he helped bring to Israel and the leaders of the country.
He was “modest, a brave fighter and a hero who did not seek acts of heroism,” said Shaul Biber, a fellow former Palmach fighter.
When he secretly set sail from France on the Exodus, a rickety former Chesapeake Bay steamer originally called the President Warwick, Harel could not have known that the voyage would become legendary.
The boat left on July 11, 1947, with 4,553 Jewish refugees on board and headed toward Palestine until it was intercepted by British navy vessels. The British commanders ordered that the refugees not be allowed into Palestine, then under British control, and be sent back to Europe.
But the defiant Harel and his skipper planned a daring escape from under the nose of the British destroyer that was escorting them. They shut off the ship’s lights in the dead of night and swiftly changed the ship’s course, heading for Palestine.
The British intercepted the Exodus, hitting the ship’s bow and attempting to board the boat. Passengers tried to repel the British forces by hurling potatoes and canned goods at them. A British soldier and three Jews were killed in the clashes, including an American volunteer sailor from San Francisco, before Harel ordered his passengers to surrender.
The refugees were taken to Haifa and put on ships headed back to Europe.
Among those who witnessed the dramatic scene of the refugees disembarking from the Exodus in Haifa only to be loaded onto three other ships headed back for the continent were members of the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine.
The officials said later that seeing the unfortunate journey of those refugees up close spurred them to push for a resolution of the question of Palestine and the Jews who wanted to make it their home.
For its role in galvanizing world opinion in favor of a Jewish state, the Exodus became known as the ship that helped launch the Jewish state.
The dimensions of its story, including the return of the refugees to Europe and their eventual landing in Germany, was covered widely by the international media. The story was mythologized in the 1958 novel “Exodus,” by Leon Uris, as well as a hit film starring Paul Newman in a loose portrayal of Harel.
For Jews and non-Jews, the book and film painted a romantic, heroic picture of the Zionist cause, doing wonders for the young state’s image.
Years later, in the Soviet Union, illegal copies of the book were circulated among young Jews, turning them into avid Zionists. Among them were the leaders of the movement to free Soviet Jews and allow their immigration to Israel.
Harel, who was 28 when he was the Exodus commander, went on to a career in the Israeli army’s intelligence corps in the early years of the state. He later went into business and reportedly also worked for the Mossad.
During a visit to Los Angeles in 1948 he met an American woman who would become his wife.
“I saw a man in uniform facing me, impressive and handsome, and I fell in love with him immediately,” Julie Harel was quoted last week by the Israeli daily, Ma’ariv. “We were married and since then we were never apart. It’s hard for me to imagine life without him.
“His life,” she said, “was interwoven with the history of the State of Israel.”
—Dina Kraft, Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Arieh Diamond, a student at Rutgers University and 2007 graduate of New Community Jewish High School in West Hills, as well as a 2003 graduate of Kadima Academy in West Hills, died Sunday, May 4 in New Brunswick, N.J. He was 19.
Two Facebook pages in his memory have been formed—attracting both those who knew him well and those who wish they’d known him better.
According to a post on one of the pages from a fellow Rutgers student: “There was a very nice gathering at Rutgers, more than 300 people showed up to remember Arieh. We did what he would have wanted… we sang some of his favorite songs. It was really beautiful. We spoke kind words of Arieh—of his time here at Rutgers. He was definitely well-liked and he will be missed.”
A classmate from New Jew wrote:
“Arieh will never be forgotten. He would do anything to make people smile. Arieh was and always will be the very essence of a mensch. He will be missed. On his senior page, Arieh wrote ‘What is right is not always what is popular, and what is popular is not always what is right.’ He lived life to the fullest, and always made sure that everyone else did, too, or at least were never left out. He always had a smile on his face, and kindness in his heart. Arieh, if you could only see the changes you inspired in people. We all love you, and miss you terribly.”
A memorial service was held Thursday afternoon at Temple Ramat Zion in Northridge.
Burial at Eden Memorial Park.
Shiva will be held at private homes in Northridge and West Hills.
Goldie Abramson died April 12 at 88. She is survived by her son, Walter; daughter, Edythe; and two grandchildren. Groman
Ilona Ackerman died April 7 at 100. She is survived by her son, Dr. John. Malinow and Silverman
Minerva Arthur died April 7 at 89. She is survived by her son, Steven (Lynn Barbe); daughter, Stefanie; and sisters, Cynthia Weill and Rhoda Green. Mount Sinai
Sidney Carp died April 10 at 81. He is survived by his wife, Rita; daughter, Melanie (Art) Coble; son, Dr. Harvey (Sylvie); four grandchildren; and brother, Milton. Malinow and Silverman
Mildred Cutter died April 1 at the age of 78. She is survived by her daughters, Linda Lingle and Barbara Cutter; son, Stephen; and four grandchildren. Sholom Chapels
Helen Davidovics died April 2 at the age of 88. She is survived by her son, Saul (Rose) Elbaum. Sholom Chapels
Lester Dubin died April 8 at 87. He is survived by his wife, Pauline; son, Marc (Ila); daughters, Hali (Richard) Karr and Amy (Charles) Scottini; and four grandchildren; brother, Philip. Mount Sinai
Jeffrey Eisenberg died April 7 at 55. He is survived by his wife, Sarah; son, Jason; daughters, Anne and Elizabeth; and sister, Judith. Malinow and Silverman
Michael Entin died April 9 at 50. He is survived by his wife, Yelena; daughter, Anna Vera; mother, Sandra Marks; and brother, Richard (Dana). Mount Sinai
Robert Fried died April 6 at 61. He is survived by his sister, Karen; brother-in-law, David Bornstein; and niece, Chloe. Malinow and Silverman
Sam Futterman died April 12 at 85. He is survived by his wife, Shirley; son, Glen; daughters, Lisa and Jody; five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Groman
Moe Gelber died April 9 at 87. He is survived by his wife, Naomi; son, Daniel (Nancy); daughter, Amy (Tim) Long; grandchildren, Rebecca and Alan Long; and sister, Date. Mount Sinai
Carolee Gennarelli died April 11 at 66. She is survived by her daughters, Gina Hoffman and Debra (Frank) Marquez; grandchildren, Lindsay Hoffman and Tyler Marquez; sister-in-law, Linda Marasa; nieces; nephews; and four grandnieces. Groman.
Judge Leonard Goldstein died April 12 at 76. He is survived by his daughters, Risa (Paul) Fowler and Bethany (Josh) Anderson; sister, Debbie (Steve) Friedland; and brothers, Dennis (Marcia) Sobol, Ed (Margie) and Gary (Jayme). Malinow and Silverman
Susan Hutson died April 7 at the age of 65. She is survived by her husband, Cliff; children, Andra Verstraete and Bruce Hoffman; brother, Barry (Enid) Friedman; and sister, Sally (William) Larson. Mount Sinai
Raquel Kaplan died April 7 at the age of 92. She is survived by her sons, Dr. O. Benjamin (Janna) and Judge Leon. Mount Sinai
Sonia Kirk died April 7 at the age of 89. She is survived by her son, Michael (Betty); and daughter, Bonnie (Richard) Polson; and four grandchildren. Mount Sinai
Blanche Koransky died April 8 at 91. She is survived by her sons, Irwin (Carol), Robert (Judy), Steven (Claudia) and Alan (Natalie); grandchildren; and great-grandchildren. Malinow and Silverman
Pauline Lederman died April 12 at 82. She is survived by her sons, Richard and Robert; daughter, Elyse; and seven grandchildren. Groman
Sam Login died April 11 at 93. He is survived by his wife, Margaret. Malinow and Silverman
Max Lowenstein died April 8 at 96. He is survived by his daughter, Connie Brockman. Malinow and Silverman
Adele Meltzer died April 8 at 72. She is survived by her sons, Craig and Kevin; and cousins, Muriel and Sid Eiduson. Malinow and Silverman
Victoria Rousso died April 6 at 92. She is survived by her son, Henry; and sister-in-law, Sylvia Kapon. Malinow and Silverman
Andrew Rutman died April 7 at 46. He is survived by his daughters, Nicole and Kaitlyn; father, Gilbert; mother, Roanne Rutman Coplin; brother, Michael (Kina); uncle and aunt, Max and Carole Cline; and former spouse, Felicia (Jim) Hilaski. Mount Sinai
Hannah Schwarz died April 6 at 95. She is survived by her daughter, Sandra (James) Kohn; son, Jerome; five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Mount Sinai
Sheldon Shapiro died April 10 at 78. He is survived by his son, Stuart (Kimberly Herdman); and grandchildren, Benjamin and Matthew. Mount Sinai
Sophie Waters died April 8 at 95. She is survived by her children, Sheila Lawrence, Eve Caliendo and Michael. Hillside
Leonard Weil died April 7 at 85. He is survived by his wife, Janice; daughters, Susan, Marilyn (David Abelman) and Diane (Les); and son, Michael. Hillside
Pearl Winard died April 10 at 96. She is survived by her daughter, Bobbi (Joel) Scherr; son, Steve; and four grandchildren. Mount Sinai
Isadore Wolf died April 7 at the age of 86. He is survived by his wife, Delly; sons Aaron and Clark; grandchildren, Sarah and Rebekah; and sister, Barbara Simon. Sholom Chapels
Roslyn Zaslow died April 9 at 93. She is survived by her sons, Jerome (Barbara) and Louis (Karen); daughter, Beverly (Michael) Gershaney; six grandchildren; two great-grandchildren. Mount Sinai
Michael Scott asked himself that question on an old episode of “The Office,” re-airing last night during an NBC marathon. Scott’s answer:
“If not, then what are all these churches for? And who is Jesus’ dad?”
After reading Norman Finkelstein’s claim that journalist Jeffrey Goldberg tortured Palestinians while serving in the Israeli military two decades ago, Gilead Ini from the pro-Israel media watchdog CAMERA sent me this story.
In it, Ini had referred to a speech in which Finkelstein’s misused Benny Morris, the dean of Israel’s New Historians, to validate Jimmy Carter‘s apartheid comparison. (Morris was, in fact, referred to several times Wednesday at UC Irvine.) Here was Morris’ reply to CAMERA, which sounds familiar:
Norman Finkelstein is a notorious distorter of facts and of my work, not a serious or honest historian.
Benny Morris slams Finkelstein as a ‘notorious distorter of facts’ Read More »
If God is good, why does He let bad things occur? I know we try to answer that question, but some days it just seems so difficult. Today is one of those days.
I opened my computer this morning and the first headline I saw screamed, “Thousands Feared Dead in China Quake.” At first I thought the copy editors had made a mistake. That disaster was in Myanmar, and, frankly, it was sort of old news by now.
But then I realized Myanmar had been slammed by a massive cyclone, not earthquake, and when I scanned down the New York Times home page I saw that the death toll there had been raised to 32,000.
And, oh yeah, at least 22 people were killed yesterday by tornadoes in Georgia, Missouri and Oklahoma.
So as we begin a new week, religious leaders around the world will no doubt be asked for a rhyme and a reason for the suffering they are seeing. No answer will likely satisfy, as this guy stated a few years ago.
“If there was a God, how come he let all that happen?” Tom Cotton, 51, of Pinion Hills asked while finishing a burger at a Carl’s Jr. in San Bernardino.
“If it’s his plan,” Cotton said, scanning the restaurant as if he was going to curse, “he’s sure got a messed-up plan.”
God only knows what that plan might be.
“If God is wiser than we, His judgment must differ from ours on many things, and not least on good and evil,’ C.S. Lewis, the Christian philosopher and children’s author, wrote in “The Problem of Pain.’ “What seems to us good may therefore not be good in His Eyes, and what seems to us to be evil may not be evil.”
Gary Stern, who recently wrote “Can God Intervene?—How Religion Explains Natural Disasters,” writes at Blogging Religiously:
There are no easy answers. Each religious tradition has its own way of looking at these things. And it’s complicated.
Yes, Buddhists in Myanmar and China will blame karma. Protestants in Missouri may blame Original Sin. Many people around the world, from many faith traditions, will wonder who is being punished for what.
But on a day like today, when children are buried and thousands of people (bodies?) are missing, what explanation can possibly be satisfying?
As one Catholic priest who advises the U.S. Bishops Conference, Father Thomas Weinandy, told me for my book:
What gets preached from the pulpit and by the bishops is “Let’s support these people, take up a collection and do what we can to help them get back on their feet,”—rather than addressing the theological issues that may be raised. Part of the problem is that there is no simply answer. You can’t get up on a pulpit and say this is why this happened, other than to say that God has his purposes and ways and hopefully it will all become clear in heaven. What is there to say other than that we have to know that God loves us, that we have to trust in him, that he’s on our side in the end? Other than that, what can you say?
As much as I believe I serve a loving and just God, I’m not sure I will ever understand why natural disasters that leave tens of thousands in mourning come with the gift of life.
Jeffrey Goldberg, who made an appearance here last week, spent part of his weekend asking Barack Obama about being endorsed by Hamas (he didn’t care for it), Jimmy Carter’s portrait of Israel as an apartheid state (“I strongly reject that characterization”), whether Israel hurts the U.S. image abroad (“no, no, no”) and the lingering feeling among many Jews that he can’t be trusted.
Here is Obama’s response to “the kishke question”:
I think the idea of Israel and the reality of Israel is one that I find important to me personally. Because it speaks to my history of being uprooted, it speaks to the African-American story of exodus, it describes the history of overcoming great odds and a courage and a commitment to carving out a democracy and prosperity in the midst of hardscrabble land. One of the things I loved about Israel when I went there is that the land itself is a metaphor for rebirth, for what’s been accomplished. What I also love about Israel is the fact that people argue about these issues, and that they’re asking themselves moral questions.
Sometimes I’m attacked in the press for maybe being too deliberative. My staff teases me sometimes about anguishing over moral questions. I think I learned that partly from Jewish thought, that your actions have consequences and that they matter and that we have moral imperatives. The point is, if you look at my writings and my history, my commitment to Israel and the Jewish people is more than skin-deep and it’s more than political expediency. When it comes to the gut issue, I have such ardent defenders among my Jewish friends in Chicago. I don’t think people have noticed how fiercely they defend me, and how central they are to my success, because they’ve interacted with me long enough to know that I’ve got it in my gut. During the Wright episode, they didn’t flinch for a minute, because they know me and trust me, and they’ve seen me operate in difficult political situations.
The other irony in this whole process is that in my early political life in Chicago, one of the raps against me in the black community is that I was too close to the Jews. When I ran against Bobby Rush [for Congress], the perception was that I was Hyde Park, I’m University of Chicago, I’ve got all these Jewish friends. When I started organizing, the two fellow organizers in Chicago were Jews, and I was attacked for associating with them. So I’ve been in the foxhole with my Jewish friends, so when I find on the national level my commitment being questioned, it’s curious.
In other Obama news (analysis), the Crunchy Con discusses the passages he found most interesting from the New York Times’ lengthy profile of Obama’s rise and on the op-ed page, Edward N. Luttwak argues that Obama is not going to be the miraculous American emissary to the Muslim world that some hope.
Obama on ‘the kishke question’ Read More »
Harun Yahya is the best-known creationist in the Muslim world. Author of the 12-pound, 800-page anti-evolution tome, “Atlas of Creation,” Yahya, AKA Adnan Oktar, has also been dogged by legal problems, which culminated Friday in a three-year prison sentence in Turkey “for creating an illegal organization for personal gain.”
Oktar had been tried with 17 other defendants in an Istanbul court. The verdict and sentence came after a previous trial that began in 2000 after Oktar, along with 50 members of his foundation, was arrested in 1999.
In that court case, Oktar had been charged with using threats for personal benefit and creating an organization with the intent to commit a crime. The charges were dropped but another court picked them up resulting in the latest case.
Oktar planned to appeal the sentence, a BAV spokeswoman said. No further details were immediately available.
(Hat tip: Science and Religion News)
Muslim creationist gets three years prison time Read More »
Pope Benedict XVI on Monday asked Israel to ease travel restrictions for Mideast Christians, who in Gaza and the West Bank and places like Lebanon have been under attack.
Benedict has made concern over the future of Middle East Christians a
priority. Economic problems as well as violence in the Holy Land and Iraq have led Christians to emigrate from the region.
“I pray that, in consequence of the growing friendship between Israel and the Holy See, ways will be found of reassuring the Christian community that they
have a secure future in the region,” Benedict said.
He said problems facing Christians are related to Israel-Palestinian tensions.
The Holy See recognizes Israel’s legitimate need for security and self-defense and strongly condemns all forms of anti-Semitism, the pope said.
At the same time, he urged Israel to alleviate travel restrictions causing hardships for Palestinians.
The ambassador, in his remarks released by the Vatican, said Israel would do its utmost to help strengthen the Christian communities in Israel as their essential presence in the Holy Land is deeply rooted and historically self-understood.
This is a bit of a different tone from the Holy See than when the Vatican’s former ambassador to Israel said, “relations between the Catholic Church and the state of Israel were better when there were no diplomatic relations.”
Pope urges Israel to help Christians in Mideast Read More »