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https://aish.com/an-open-letter-to-my-fellow-jews-in-the-diaspora/?src=ac
AN OPEN LETTER TO MY FELLOW JEWS IN THE DIASPORA
by Rabbi Efrem Goldberg
October 17, 2023
7 min read
We cannot simply go back to living our normal lives. Here are some of our marching orders.
Dear Fellow Jews,
We are living in extraordinary times, days in which atrocities about which we pledged “Never Again” have happened, with dozens of pogroms, over 1,400 brutally and barbarically murdered, and unthinkably, 200 Jews taken hostage, among them babies, infants, women, and elderly, even Holocaust survivors. Hundreds of thousands of young, beautiful souls – our children, brothers, sisters, cousins, nephews, nieces, and friends – have been called up, asked to risk their lives to protect our people, in Israel and around the world.

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A Martyred Angel in Israel
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We cannot and must not be leading ordinary lives. It isn’t only the media and elected leaders that need to be careful about their language, their attitudes, and their focus. All of us need to be more sensitive, aware, and thoughtful in not only what we are doing, but what and how we are messaging. I don’t believe people generally have malicious or bad intentions, but our words online and offline matter, they can lift and support and boost morale or they can deflate, cause pain, make our brothers and sisters in Israel feel very alone.

Don’t Move On:
Nobody in Israel has been able to return to “normal” or move on. Hundreds of thousands have been called up to fight. Their spouses, children, parents and family have had to pick up the slack, all while worrying non-stop about their loved one’s fate. Cities in Israel have no men to run businesses, pick up the garbage, or serve the roles we take for granted. Restaurants and food establishments have take-out only. This war has barely begun with a ground operation imminent and 200 hostages still not home.

https://aish.com/a-martyred-angel-in-israel/?src=ac
A Martyred Angel in Israel
by Rabbi Shraga Simmons
October 17, 2023
3 min read
Yosef Malachi Guedalia was killed in battle against Hamas terrorists.
At the beginning of the Gaza war, a photo came across my computer screen of a young man wearing tefillin. I’d never seen him before, yet I was instantly drawn by his pure angelic countenance, serenely speaking to God.
AishA Martyred Angel in Israel
I sat transfixed for a moment before realizing the context of this photo: One of our fallen soldiers at the Gaza border.
“No! Not him!” I screamed aloud. “Please, not him!”
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Yosef Malachi Guedalia, 22, of the elite Duvdevan commando unit, was in Jerusalem when Hamas first attacked. He raced toward the front line, facing dozens of heavily-armed terrorists with machine guns, grenades and RPGs.
In an unimaginably gruesome battle at Kibbutz Kfar Aza, Yosef provided wounded civilians with immediate treatment and evacuated them to a safe place.
Then without hesitation, he bravely raced back to the battlefield to confront evil and protect the innocent.
Yosef was killed in heavy crossfire, just a few days after celebrating his first wedding anniversary.
He was buried at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem.
Beit Shemesh
With Yosef’s holy visage stuck in my mind, I traveled to Beit Shemesh to visit the Guedalia family as they sat shiva.

Their home was filled with hundreds of people – including Member of Knesset Moshe Abutbul – from all sectors of Israeli society, who’d come to cry, console and share memories.
I discovered that the Guedalia family is well-known, beloved and English-speaking. Yosef’s father, David, a hi-tech exec, made aliyah from America; Yosef’s mother, Dina, is originally from Manchester, England; Yosef’s wife Senai made aliyah from Boston.
Everyone spoke about how Yosef was a gentle, sweet person, with an ear-to-ear smile and a twinkle in his eyes, who studied Torah every spare moment and was an accomplished athlete. Yosef was loved by all, the child every parent could only dream of.
“Yosef’s middle name is Malachi, meaning ‘my angel,’” his father told me. “We named him ‘angel’ because that's who he was.”
Yosef always led by example. Army friends describe how he always went far out of his way to help others. He’d volunteer for the dirty jobs, without seeking the limelight.
This led to some good-natured ribbing by fellow soldiers, who called Yosef "fryer," a Hebrew term for someone who “gets taken advantage of.” That’s when the army commander stepped in and said, "No! We must all emulate Yosef’s example.”
Yosef’s brother Asher, also a soldier who learned of his brother’s killing while fighting near Gaza, describes Yosef’s key principles:

Don’t stand by your neighbor's blood.
Help the people of Israel in times of trouble.
Never turn away in fear.
Elijah in Army Boots
“Yosef was Elijah the Prophet in army boots,” Asher told me. “People die. Angels do not die. Every day, we recite the blessing ‘Revival of the Dead.’ I believe that I will see Yosef again. He will return, with good tidings for the Jewish people.”

Yosef’s mother echoed this sentiment. “I am calm in my faith,” she told me. “Yosef is where he needs to be now. I know that great things will come from this. I am just waiting to receive the good news.”

What can we do to honor Yosef’s memory? “Aspire to be like Yosef,” Asher exhorts. “Hang his picture in every home and yeshiva. Strive to achieve his level of heroism and righteousness.”

https://aish.com/10-members-of-one-family-held-captive-in-gaza/?src=ac
10 Members of One Family Held Captive in Gaza
October 17, 2023
DR. YVETTE ALT MILLER
Shaked Haran’s relatives are prisoners of Hamas in Gaza.
Ten close relatives of Shaked Haran, a young Israeli lawyer, are being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. She is using every contact she can find tell the world about their plight and try and gain their freedom.

As Hamas’ bloodthirsty attack unfolded early in the morning on October 7, 2023, Shaked was at home in the Israeli city of Beersheba with her husband Yuval and two young sons, aged one and three. Shaked is eight months pregnant and was looking forward to celebrating the birth of her third child with her close-knit family, most of whom live about 35 miles away in the small farming community of Kibbutz Be’eri, near the Gaza border, where Shaked grew up.
Near daybreak, the peace throughout Israel was broken by the wail of air raid sirens. “Unfortunately, sirens are not such an unusual occurrence,” notes Rachel Gur, a friend of Shaked. It was Shabbat and the holiday of Shemini Atzeret, so Shaked and her husband didn’t turn on their phones as they went to synagogue and ate their holiday meal. For hours, they had no way of knowing about the terrible horror unfolding in her family’s home.

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Kibbutz Be’eri was one of the first places targeted by Hamas on their day of terror. According to security videos, terrorists arrived at the kibbutz’s protective gate at around 6:30 AM, and broke through at four or five locations, shooting everyone they could find with automatic rifles. As terrorists went from house to house, they murdered children in front of mothers, and killed mothers before their crying children.
Many families rushed into their safe rooms. In order to flush out the Jewish families cowering inside these reinforced rooms, terrorists set houses on fire. “People faced a choice, either be burned to death, or go outside to be shot,” Rachel explains. By the end of the attack, about 10% of the kibbutz’s population had been tortured and murdered. Many were kidnapped and transported into Gaza.
Unbeknownst to Shaked, her family was desperately texting Shaked’s brother (who lives in Be’eri and happened to be out of town that weekend, along with his wife), letting him know that the entire family was huddling together in a bomb shelter while masked terrorists hunted Jews down throughout their kibbutz. At 7:30 AM, Shaked’s father sent a WhatsApp message saying, “There’re armed terrorists, masked terrorists, just swarming. We don’t think we’re gonna make it out alive.”
See PHOTOS
The last messages were sent about 10:30 or 11,” Rachel says. The family texted, “They are coming. We love you.” After that, her relatives’ phones went silent.

By the time Shaked learned of the attacks many hours later, her family’s homes had been burned to the ground, forcing her relatives out of their reinforced safe rooms. “Her brother updated her that her entire family was missing,” kidnapped at gunpoint, Rachel explains. Shaked and her husband raced to the kibbutz. Once the Israeli military secured the area, they scoured the wreckage for any remains of her family. They found nothing but the burned-out shells of their homes.

The burned-out home of the Shaked family
Many of the corpses of the kibbutz members were unrecognizable. Shaked gave rescue workers a DNA sample to match against the human remains on the kibbutz. “There were over 150 bodies found in the kibbutz,” Rachel explains. “They were decapitated, mutilated, cut into little pieces.” Shaked wasn’t a match for any of the remains. She and her brother used a phone tracking app to locate their relatives’ phones: the app showed they are currently in Gaza.

After phoning and phoning all of her kidnapped relatives’ telephones repeatedly, someone finally answered Shaked’s father’s phone on Sunday afternoon, October 8. Speaking in Arabic-accented Hebrew, the person said: “Hatuf” (“kidnapped” in Hebrew) then “Gilad Shalit”, the name of the Israeli soldier kidnapped by Hamas in 2006, held captive for five years with no visits from the Red Cross, in violation of international law, and finally freed in 2011 in exchange for 1,027 terrorist prisoners. His last work was “Hamas.”
The whereabouts of Avshalam Haran, Shaked’s father, and her other relatives remain unknown. Only Shaked’s grandmother survived the attack wasn’t taken; she is now staying with Shaked and her family in Beersheba.

After the attacks, Shaked recorded an English language video plea for help, telling the world: “Almost all my family were taken hostage by Hamas into Gaza. My father, my mother, my sister, her husband, and both of their young children: my niece that is three years old, and my nephew that is eight years old. My aunt, and my cousin that is twelve years old, and another and another aunt and uncle. My uncle is disabled and he was taken also with his caregiver to Gaza after their houses were burned down completely. We haven’t heard from them since Saturday noon. The last we heard they were kidnapped to Gaza. We have no idea where they are now and how they are safe or if they are together or if the children are with my sister. We don’t know anything.”
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https://aish.com/10-members-of-one-family-held-captive-in-gaza/?src=ac

https://aish.com/tragedy-and-spiritual-mindfulness/?src=ac
Spiritual Mindfulness Amidst Tragedy
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by Dov Ber Cohen
October 15, 2023
Tragedies aren’t the time to question your faith; they are the time to implement your faith.

We are currently going through the most horrific and painful time I can remember. We cannot just be victims and passive spectators in our lives letting the circumstances dictate us. We have to take action to address the internal and external challenges we are facing.

Here are some of the thoughts I am focusing on to spiritually deal with this traumatic time.

1. Feel your feelings
Aish
Spiritual Mindfulness Amidst Tragedy
Sit with your feelings and experience them. Experience your pain, anger, helplessness, fear, sadness, worry.

Don’t fight your feelings, make decisions based on them, form beliefs based on them, react to them, express them in a harmful (to yourself or others) way; don’t let them dictate your life.
Just sit, breathe deeply and make space to feel those feelings.
Just validate and be with the emotion - “This is how I feel now.”

Express them in a healthy way - cry, share them with close supportive people, creative expression through art/journaling/music.

2. Manage your thoughts.
Thoughts need to be dealt with in a different way to emotions.

With thoughts we need to control which ones to engage in by identifying if they are healthy and useful or not. Our thoughts create, build and perpetuate our emotions.

For example, imagining terrible scenarios and playing them out in your mind is not helping you or the situation. (Planning for possible eventualities is useful.) Trying to make sense of it or work out who is to blame (unless it’s in order to make sure it doesn’t happen again) isn’t helping.

Once we have identified thoughts that aren’t helping the situation, nor helping us grow or feel better - we have three choices. We often use the analogy of a bus. When you realise you are on the wrong bus you can either:

just keep riding the bus.
analyze being on the bus - why am I on this bus? Whose fault is it that I'm on the bus? I hate being on this bus …etc
get off the bus
The challenge is to become aware of when you are engaging in thoughts that are not serving a purpose, know that you don’t have to be thinking these things right now and consciously choose to let the thoughts go.

Notice the thought bus, take a deep breath, loosen your neck and shoulders, say “I’m choosing to get off this bus now.” Choose more positive things to fill your mind. Just like you change the cd in the car if you don’t like the music, change the cd playing in your head.

After a while you’ll become more conscious of when you are riding the wrong bus and be able to get off more quickly. At some point you’ll be conscious enough to just let the bus pass without even getting on it in the first place. Obviously, if you need to experience the emotion - pain, sadness - then that’s okay. Feel what you feel. Just learn to let go of the mental commentary that is exacerbating the pain.

3. Do something pro-active (for yourself and to help the situation).
While being totally open to experiencing our painful emotions, we don’t want the situation to dictate and define our lives. We are not helpless spectators, we are powerful participants, or even managers of our lives.

We must keep functioning in a healthy way. Self care. Eat well, exercise, meditate, hot baths, lavender oil, nice music, healthy self expression.

Keep on living your life as much as you can. Go to work, see friends. Not only do we not let our pain define us, we use it to take action. Do something that can help the situation. Donate money and supplies. Volunteer time and skills. Educate people, pray, learn Torah and perform mitzvahs and acts of kindness with intention.

4. Trust in God
Tragedies like this can really shake someone’s faith. How could God let this happen? Especially now after the entire High Holiday season and the joy of Sukkot. It makes absolutely no sense.

Tragedies aren’t the time to question your faith; they are the time to implement your faith. That is the challenge of integrating your trust in God. When it doesn’t make any sense, we still believe that there is a valid reason and positive meaning behind it.

It presently doesn’t make sense - so don’t try to make sense out of it. You can’t make sense out of something that doesn't make sense. This is where your trust in God comes in. And remember, that although from our finite perspective we can’t make sense out of it, we know that in the infinitely bigger picture it makes sense and will lead us where we need to get to.

The Jewish People are the most formidable nation on the face of the earth. We have been battered throughout the generations and we are still here, impacting the world. We won’t be victims. We will get through this and we will become stronger. In the war of darkness versus light, light always wins in the end. We firmly stand on the side of good.

Jewish unity is crucial. We must put our differences aside and come together - left/right, religious/secular. We can love and respect each other even if we have differences of opinion.

https://aish.com/teenager-spearheading-drive-to-send-gear-to-israel/?src=ac
LATEST
TEENAGER SPEARHEADING DRIVE TO SEND GEAR TO ISRAEL

DR. YVETTE ALT MILLER
Overnight, Yonatan Bodner and his family created a major charity to aid Israeli soldiers.
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Teenager Spearheading Drive to Send Gear to Israel
by Dr. Yvette Alt Miller
October 11, 2023
7 min read
Overnight, Yonatan Bodner and his family created a major charity to aid Israeli soldiers.

With Israel reeling from last weekend’s horrific Hamas attacks, 18-year-old Yonatan Bodner “wanted to do something” to help. The American teenager is currently spending his post-high school gap year studying at EFG@Aish (formerly known as Gesher) in Jerusalem’s Old City. In an Aish.com exclusive interview, Yonatan explained how he and his family and friends are working to aid Israel in its hour of need.

Yonatan Bodner on the rooftop of Aish

Aish
Celebrating Our Baby’s Birth When Israel Is On Fire
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On Saturday night, October 8, at the conclusion of the Simchat Torah holiday in Israel, Yonatan - like Orthodox Jews all over the world who avoided using their phones and computers over the holiday weekend - read the news on his phone and grasped the enormity of the attacks that had been rocking Israel since that previous morning. He sprung into action.

Aiding Israeli Soldiers
Yonatan spoke on the phone with his older brother Ike in Tel Aviv. When Yonatan and his five siblings were young, his family spent several years living in Israel. His older brother Ike never left and served in Israel’s Air Force, and now lives in the Jewish State with his wife. Ike mentioned that some of his friends who are currently serving in Israel’s military could use some extra supplies: perhaps Yonatan could help ask for donations?

https://aish.com/held-hostage-in-gaza/?src=ac
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by Dr. Yvette Alt Miller
October 12, 2023
5 min read
Sharona Shmunis-Harel, a 40-year-old wife and mother, is being held captive in Gaza. Her family is desperate to get her back.

It was meant to be a fun birthday outing.

Sharona Shmunis-Harel, an interior designer from Rishon LeZion, a city near Tel Aviv, just turned 40. She and a large group of female friends decided to celebrate by going to the Nova Music Festival together. Sharona’s husband Yotam encouraged her to go, promising he’d take care of their two young children while Sharona was away.

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Held Hostage in Gaza
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https://aish.com/held-hostage-in-gaza/?src=ac




Dedicated to “friends, love and peace,” the festival was an all-night party held on farmland in Kibbutz Re’im, 3.3 miles from the Gaza border. Approximately 3,500 people attended. As dawn broke on Saturday, October 6, Hamas struck the festival; it was one of their first targets as terrorists crossed into Israel. 260 people were killed at the scene.

Sharona’s Story
Sharona’s brother-in-law, Ohad Harel, described what happened in an exclusive Aish.com interview with Ohad in Sharona’s parents’ home as he was surrounded by her family who are stricken with fear. They want the world to know what has happened.

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“Saturday morning,” Ohad recalls, “we were woken up by the air raid sirens at 6:30am.” Ohad and his wife and child live in Rishon Lezion, close to Sharona and Yotam, Sharona’s parents, and other relatives. It’s a large, close-knit Israeli family. “Every Friday night we get together for Kiddush and Shabbat dinner.” Sharona is the life of the party.


Sharona Shmunis-Harel
“As the air raid sirens broke the morning quiet, my brother called me saying Sharona is at a big music festival in the south. She sent him a message saying people have shot at them and she’s hiding.” Ohad picked up his brother and drove him down to the festival site. They arrived just as the earliest first responders appeared on the scene.

“It’s too hard to even speak about it,” Ohad explains of the 109 km journey. Hamas fired thousands of rockets at Israel that morning. Vegetation on both sides of the highway was on fire. “All the bushes were burning,” Ohad recalls. “We saw a few bodies on the way, on the side of the road.”

The scene at Kibbutz Re’im was even more harrowing. “We saw a lot of people crawling out of the bushes where they hid during the shooting.” Ohad and Yotam showed people Sharona’s photograph, asking if anybody had seen her. “They were post-traumatic,” he explains. Many of the survivors they spoke with couldn’t even answer.

As police began to seal the perimeter, Ohad and Yotam searched for Sharona elsewhere in the area. “We went to every settlement on the border to check if maybe she’s there because people ran away from the festival in all directions. We went to the hospitals in the region but nothing….” The two brothers couldn’t find any trace of her.

Feared Kidnapped in Gaza
Later on, Sharona’s friends pieced together some of what happened. When the shooting began, Sharona and several friends ran to their car. They tried to drive away, but were immediately confronted with Hamas gunmen who were shooting at the fleeing cars. Panicked, the women got out of the car and ran away in different directions. Sharona’s friends survived the shooting, but could find no trace of Sharona. They believe she is one of the 150 Israelis taken hostage and brought to Gaza.

“It’s been four days we’ve been trying to look for her,” Ohad explains. “Every day I take my brother to the area to look for her. By now, a lot of people have received messages from family members; we got nothing.” Sharona’s name has appeared on two unofficial lists compiled by Israeli news media of Israelis who’ve been kidnapped by Hamas and brought to Gaza. The last signal from her phone on Saturday was from the Gaza border.

“Where is Mommy?”
Sharona’s and Yotam’s two children have been asking where their mother is. They are used to Sharona taking them to the many after school activities and fun outings.

“We just let them know she was in a party, and now people are looking for her - that’s it,” Ohad relates about his niece and nephew. But the children’s questions are becoming more persistent and they are beginning to realize that something is very wrong.

Ohad notes that in their large, sprawling family, Sharona is the one who is always taking care of other people, always giving of herself to others. Everyone in her family is heartbroken, filled with dread about what she is going through right now. “They know how Hamas deal with their captives.”

Sharona’s family has a request for everyone around the world: “We want everybody to demand that Hamas set free the civilians they took. Babies. Women. Even in wartime, it’s between two countries, two armies; it’s not between people who went to a party to get slaughtered…I want the world leaders to demand to set them free, without any conditions.”

As Sharona’s family continues to await news of her fate in Gaza, they ask that people around the world pray for her release and put pressure on their elected representatives to demand that Hamas free their hostages. Please say Psalms for Sharona and keep her in your prayers. And please call or email your elected officials today to demand that they insist Hamas free every one of their captives.

Please pray for the safe return of Sharona bat Ella

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Dr. Yvette Alt Miller

Dr. Alt Miller lives with her family in Chicago, and has lectured internationally on Jewish topics. Her latest book Portraits of Valor: Heroic Jewish Women You Should Know describes the lives of 40 remarkable women who inhabited different eras and lands, giving a sense of the vast diversity of Jewish experience. It's been praised as inspirational, fascinating, fun and educational.

It isn’t helping you or anybody else.
When we heard the horrific news about what was happening in Israel, we were at shul and about to say the prayer for the welfare of Israel. The expressions on our faces went from shocked to terrified. We thought of our children who live in Israel. We thought of the hundred hostages, of the thousands injured and of the hundreds murdered. The urge to run home and check our phones was overwhelming. I wanted to know what was happening. I wanted to call my daughter and make sure she was okay. But it was Shabbat and then Yom Tov and I forced myself to stay in shul as the words of the prayer for the peace and safety of Israel filled the room.

I bowed my head, closed my eyes and cried. I knew that the most helpful thing I could do at that moment was not to hear about the latest details of the violent attacks. The most helpful thing I could do right then was to pray. Because while I couldn’t be there physically to help, I could reach out with my tears and my love. I knew without calling my daughter on the phone, that she would feel that love across the world.
READ MORE https://aish.com/stop-obsessively-checking-the-news/?src=ac

As we continue to pray across the world now for Israel, many of us are also obsessively checking our phones for news updates several times a day. Some of us are watching the horrific videos and footage of the attacks. Maybe you feel like you need to know the latest updates to show that you care. Maybe you feel guilty for not knowing every detail of what is happening and not being in Israel to help. But losing yourself in endless scrolling on your phone isn’t helping you or anyone else.
Obsessively checking the news actually robs you of the spiritual and physical energy you need to be helpful.

Mourning Two Israeli Heroes
Managing the Trauma of the War in Israel for Individuals and Families
Stop Obsessively Checking the News
Judaism and No Regrets
by Eliyahu Freedman
October 9, 2023
Colonel Roi Levy and Aharon Haimov were killed while trying to save the lives of others.
The loss of a single human life is equated to the destruction of an entire world. With more than 700 Israelis killed, it is impossible to do justice to the lives that have been lost and worlds that have been destroyed. At the very least, let us honor the memories of those who fell in their attempt to save lives and do our best to create a world based upon their example.
In Judaism, one who passed away “for the sake of heaven” is considered to be a hero. Tragically, Jewish history is full of such examples of heroes from the Crusades to the Holocaust and more recent battles in Israeli history. Tragically, here are the stories of just two of brave Israeli heroes. May their memory be for a blessing.
Colonel Roi Levy, 44
Aish
What You Need to Know about Israel’s War Against Hamas
IDF Colonel Roi Levy was born in America and raised in Jerusalem. He quickly climbed the ranks of the Israeli Defense Forces where he led several elite units such as the 1st Golani Brigade and the ‘Egoz’ unit that specializes in guerilla warfare. Seriously wounded in the 2013 Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, Roi initially refused to leave the battlefield and have his injuries treated. He would not leave his brothers, under his command, without their leader.
READ MORE https://aish.com/mourning-two-israeli-heroes/?src=ac

Aharon Haimov, 25
Aharon Haimov (Courtesy of MDA)
Early in the morning of October 7, Aharon responded to distress calls from the nearby Gaza area from his home in Ofakim and quickly reported to duty as a civilian driver for Israel’s Magen David Adom ambulance service. On his way to treat the wounded, he was murdered by gunfire by Hamas terrorists.

Eli Bin, the Director General of Magen David Adom said in a eulogy for Aharon: “For every complex security event, volunteers and staff of Magen David Adom are found on site in order to provide professional first aid to the wounded. Aharon was a ‘salt of the earth’ kind of person, and an outstanding example of the staff and volunteers of Magen David Adom. Aharon, a person for whom the well-being of others and the value of human life were always before him including today, on this tragic morning. The passing of Aharon leaves us in great pain and honoring his path. The volunteers and staff of Magen David Adom salute Aharon and hug his family - an inseparable part of the Magen David Adom family. May his memory be for a blessing.”

Aharon is survived by his wife, two children, family members and friends.
click here for more https://aish.com/mourning-two-israeli-heroes/?src=ac

https://aish.com/the-meaning-of-am-yisrael-chai/?src=ac
The Meaning of Am Yisrael Chai
What Is a Mikveh?
6 min read
Dancing Can Change Your Life
5 min read
Empower Your Jewish Journey
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by Rabbi Efrem Goldberg
October 9, 2023
3 min read
We always knew how to die together. The time has come for us to know also how to live together.

Jews in Bergen-Belsen singing Hatikvah
When the Jews of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp were liberated on April 20th 1945, they sang Hatikvah. At the end of the anthem, British Army Chaplain Rabbi Leslie Hardman, cried out, “Am Yisrael Chai – the People of Israel live!”

ARABS IN THE UAE SAID THIS ABOUT JEWS, AND ISRAEL-HATERS CAN’T BELIEVE IT
written by Leah Rosenberg September 28, 2023 4.9K views
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Is peace between Arabs and Jews possible? It most definitely is. Arabs in the UAE are looking forward to a bright future with Jews.


UAE Arabs Want Peace
This is truly amazing. A few decades ago, no one could have imagined something like this happening. Even just a few years ago this seemed like a crazy idea! But times are changing! The fact that Arabs in the UAE are not only feeling positive about peace with Israel but also willing to publicly say it is mind-blowing.

Many people don’t like former President Donald Trump. But those people have to give credit where credit is due. Trump was the one who helped bring about the Abraham Accords. This was a major accomplishment. It opened up the doors for many more positive developments between Israel and Arab countries.

The messages from these Arabs in the UAE are not just “I will try to tolerate you as a Jew.” These Emiratis are not being forced to make peace. They want to actively befriend Jews! The messages are about unity and love. The Arabs speaking here are really saying remarkable things. And it can only lead to more light in this world.


Peace between Arabs and Jews is possible. It is more than possible – it has already begun. No one benefits from all of the hate and bloodshed. Even the Arabs don’t benefit. Let’s pray that more Arabs wake up to the truth about the Jewish people and end their extreme hatred of the people of Israel.

ARABSJEWSPEACEUAE

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https://aish.com/i-just-sent-five-of-my-children-to-war/?src=acI Just Sent I just sent Five of My Children to War
by Hillel Scheinfeld
October 8, 2023
For the first time in my life I drove on Shabbat, taking my son to defend our people. The scene repeated itself three more times as I sent my other sons off to war.
I woke up at 6:30 AM this past Shabbat/Simchat Torah to the sound of thunder and my light fixtures shaking. I opened the blinds and the sky was blue but the thunder continued. I went outside and saw streaks across the sky.
I woke up my wife and said, “Miriam, get up, I think we are at war.” Neighbors slowly started to come outside to see what was happening. We all have kids in the army or on reserve duty. Most of our kids were home for the Jewish holiday. Since we hadn’t heard any news we didn’t know what was happening and we went to synagogue as usual.

Aish
Mourning Two Israeli Heroes
READ MORE https://aish.com/trembling-in-jerusalem/

There were booms and clear signs of the Iron Dome throughout the service. At 8:45 AM we had our first of what would be many air raid sirens. After a few minutes in the bomb shelters we emerged and went on with the prayers. We danced a little, completed the reading of the Torah and started Genesis.

During this time young men in my shul started to get called up from the army. I asked my youngest son who is in active duty in the tank brigade called Shiryon if he got a call. He went and checked his phone and that moment his commanding officer called him. He said that things were very serious and that he should start packing a bag as he would be called in later in the day.

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My wife and I have five children (four sons and a daughter); three of them are married, and two granddaughters from my oldest son. I’m privileged that all four sons or ours are in the infantry and a daughter-in-law in the air force.


I was asked to lead the prayers for the welfare of the State of Israel, and the welfare of the soldiers, and the Mussaf service. As I put on my white kittel for the special prayers for rain recited on Shmini Atzeret and sang the words “to life and not death,” I could not stop thinking of the prospect of my son being deployed. The day felt more like Yom Kippur than Simchat Torah.

Hillel and Miriam Scheinfeld

When I returned home and my second son told me that he was called in and needed to urgently get to Tel Aviv where he will get a ride up to the north to join his soldiers. I quickly ran back to shul to ask the Rabbi if I was allowed to drive him on Shabbat as I did not want him driving himself. I also asked if I could return home after and then take my youngest son was already called in. The Rabbi answered in the affirmative.

I got home, my son packed his bag, said goodbye to his wife and our family and for the first time in my life I drove on Shabbat to take my son to defend our people and country. In the car we were talking about the situation and how crazy it was. We both felt nervous but the prevailing feeling was that now it was time to take care of business. Other cars on the road had passengers with soldiers going to their destination.

We finally got to his apartment where he packed his bag with the items he would need and we were waiting for his ride to come. As we were waiting, my son asked me if I wanted to learn or say Psalms to make good use of time. I was so proud of that this is what he wanted to do while waiting to be taken to the front lines.

Someone from his unit arrived to take him, a non-religious soldier with his girlfriend. I gave my son the traditional blessing a father gives his son on a Friday night. In general, I’m a big crier but I knew I needed to be strong – strong for my son, strong for my family, strong for his friend and girlfriend. Strong for all soldiers. Here they were going into the unknown with so much motivation and courage; who was I to show weakness?

The Scheinfelds in earlier days

I turned to him and said, “I love you. Focus on what you need to do. Listen to your orders, trust your fellow soldiers, focus on your targets and mission, talk to God when you need to, say Psalms, and kick some Hamas butt. I’ll see you in a few weeks. We love you and can’t be more proud! We will take good care of your wife and everything she needs.” We hugged and the first son was on his way.

As I started driving back home I get a call from my fourth son that he got the call and needed to go to Jerusalem to catch a bus down to his base near Eilat. I drove home and got ready for my next run. My oldest son then told me that he was also put on alert but not called in yet. I said to keep me posted.

My wife and daughter gave my fourth son a hug and we were off to Jerusalem. As we were driving the news was on and the reports started coming in and it was not good. I could see my son’s face and the nerves building up. What does a father say at that point? At the end of the news the radio station reported on the weather. I made a joke to my son that do we really care what the weather will be tomorrow right now? It was a great way to break the tension. The rest of the way we spoke about how proud I was of him and that once he sees his fellow soldiers and gets his orders he will feel better.

As we pulled into the parking area with tens of buses I could see hundreds of soldiers being dropped off by their parents, hugging each other. I gave my son the same blessing and same message as well. “I love you. Listen to your orders, trust your fellow soldiers, focus on your targets and mission, talk to God and kick some Hamas butt. I’ll see you in a few weeks. We love you and can’t be more proud!” With that we hugged and our second son was on his way.

As I got home it was time for mincha, the afternoon service. I put my keys and phone away and walked to shul. When I got there my oldest son was there with me. He asked me what I knew and said that I dropped off his two brothers and that the news was not great. He indicated that he had his phone on him as he was told to be ready. As we started praying, my son walked out. When he returned, he said that he was called up.

We walked home and he told his mother, his wife and two children that he is being deployed. He spent the next 20 minutes hugging his family. His three-year-old-daughter said, “Abba, I’m sorry you have to go, bye!” We got into the car again, and this time drove 150km to the border of Egypt to drop him off. As the sun set, we said while driving “Baruch Hamavdil Ben Kodesh L’chol” ending Shabbat and Simchat Torah, and we called my wife. We wanted to hear about my third son and his wife who are part of special units in the army and air force. Our daughter-in-law was called onto base at 7 AM and our third son was going to be deployed later that night.

As my eldest and I arrived at his base, I could see the focus in his eyes and him getting ready mentally for what the next days and weeks will bring. For the third time that day found myself giving the same speech and strength to my son. I put my hands on his head and gave him his blessing and said, “I love you. Focus on what you need to do. Listen to your orders, trust your fellow soldiers, focus on your targets and mission, talk to God when you need and say Psalms and kick some Hamas butt. I’ll see you in a few weeks. We love you and can’t be more proud! We will take good care of your wife and girls so no need to worry.” With that we hugged and the third son was on his way.

On the drive back home I was calling other friends and family whose kids were going in. My sister had two sons and two sons-in-law called up and everyone I spoke to was giving their kids strength as they went off. When I got home I met my second son’s in-laws who were picking up my daughter-in -law from our house and taking her to stay with them while my son was away.

At 11pm my fourth son called me and said it was time to go. So back in the car I went, picking him up from his in-laws house and taking him to his base. My son said he felt bad asking me to pick him up as he knew I was driving all day. I said, “Don’t worry! It’s my absolute merit to be the designated army driver today.”

On the way to his base we past a line of 15 tanks and army jeeps. The specter of war was already very real and getting more intense. This son is part of a unit I am not allowed to name here but his composure was that of a professional getting ready for a day at work. We talked about the days ahead and called his brothers so they could all speak together before I dropped him off. It was amazing to hear them all ranking on each other and in the end wishing each other the best of luck.

For the fourth time that day I said to him those unforgettable words that I told his brothers. We hugged each other and my son was on his way.

We finally arrived at the base and for the fourth time that day I said to him those unforgettable words that I told his brothers. We hugged each other and my son was on his way.

When I walked back to my car it was 1 AM on what may have been the longest, craziest Shabbat of my life. I sent the following message to my family WhatsApp group: "Ok everyone. Gavriel dropped off. That's everyone! Be strong!! Love you all!! You all have the privilege to defend Am Yisrael, the Jewish Nation. I'm super proud of all of you!! See you all soon”!!!!

When I finally got home I gave my wife a hug and said, “We are fortunate to have such an amazing family. May God watch over them all and all of the amazing soldiers and everyone in Israel. Let’s try to get some sleep. It’s going to be a long haul.”

Please pray for our children Yechiel Asher ben Miriam Chaya, Zev Yisrael ben Miriam Chaya, Gavriel Eitan ben Miriam Chaya, Mordechai Yosef ben Miriam Chaya, and Shai bat Orli, in addition to all the soldiers, wounded and captives.

Jewish References in Popular Songs
LATEST
JEWISH REFERENCES IN POPULAR SONGS
MARK MILLER
Can you find the connection to Judaism in these popular songs?
READ MORE https://aish.com/jewish-references-in-popular-songs/?src=ac

Many popular songs are replete with Jewish references. Yet how often do you consciously connect their lyrics to Judaism?

Check out these entertaining and insightful references, and best to read with your earbuds at full volume.

“Turn! Turn! Turn!” The Byrds
Aish
Savory Southern Kugel
READ MORE
Inspired by King Solomon and a chapter of his book “Ecclesiastes”, Pete Seeger first assembled the lyrics and recorded a version of the hit song, "Turn! Turn! Turn!", subtitled "To Everything There Is a Season", in 1959 before The Byrds applied their jingle-jangle folk-rock magic, turning these ancient words of wisdom into a hit single that went all the way to No. 1 on the pop charts in 1965. The message: Life as we know it is cyclical.
The bulk of the lyrics consist of the first eight verses of the third chapter of the Book of Ecclesiastes, which is read during the Sukkot holiday.
To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, a time to reap that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain that which is to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silent and a time to speak;
A time of love, and a time of hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

The Biblical text posits there being a time and place for all things: birth and death, killing and healing, sorrow and laughter, war and peace. Seeger's song presents the words as a plea for world peace with the closing line: "A time for peace, I swear it's not too late." This line and the title phrase "Turn! Turn! Turn!" are the only parts of the lyric written by Seeger himself.

“Hallelujah,” Leonard Cohen
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"Hallelujah" was written by Canadian singer Leonard Cohen and released in 1984. The song achieved widespread popularity after John Cale's version of it was featured in the 2001 film Shrek. Hundreds of other arrangements and versions have been performed in recordings and in concert. One of the best is by Jeff Buckley.


Now I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do ya?
It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing "Hallelujah"

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Your faith was strong, but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty in the moonlight overthrew ya
She tied you to a kitchen chair
She broke your throne and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Leonard Cohen never found the “secret chord that David played, and it pleased the Lord,” but after a decade or so, he did manage to find a vast audience for this majestic 1984 composition, which also includes references to Samson, Delilah, and Bathsheba. The song has been translated into Yiddish.
Cohen addresses our deepest longings for connection, hope and transcendence.
Financial Times arts and culture columnist Enuma Okoro wrote that "the lyrics and the tone of the song seem to sway between hymn and dirge, two musical forms that could serve as responses to almost everything that happens in our lives: songs that celebrate and acknowledge the blessings and provisions of our lives, and songs that bemoan our losses, our heartbreaks, and our deaths". Okoro noted that the Hebrew language roots of the word hallelujah mean "praise God", adding that Cohen said people have been "singing it for thousands of years to affirm our little journey.”

“Dance Me to the End of Love,” Leonard Cohen
Don’t be fooled by the lovely Central European cabaret-style melody. When Leonard Cohen sings, “Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin,” he’s talking about the string quartet that serenaded Jews at Auschwitz on their way to the gas chambers.

In some death camps, a string quartet was pressed into performance while the killing was going on. They would be playing classical music while their fellow prisoners were being gassed and burnt. So, that music, "Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin," meaning the beauty thereof being the consummation of life, the end of this existence and of the passionate element in that consummation.

“Silent Eyes,” Paul Simon
Silent eyes
Watching
Jerusalem
Make her bed of stones
Silent eyes
No one will comfort her
Jerusalem
Weeps alone

She is sorrow
Sorrow
She burns like a flame
And she calls my name

Silent eyes
Burning
In the desert sun
Halfway to Jerusalem
And we shall all be called as witnesses
Each and every one
To stand before the eyes of god
And speak what was done

Written just after the Yom Kippur war, “Silent Eyes” could be Paul Simon’s most Jewish song. It is about longing and weeping for Jerusalem in prayerlike phrases — “She is sorrow, sorrow / She burns like a flame / And she calls my name.” And it envisions a time when all will be called to account — “We shall all be called as witnesses / Each and every one / To stand before the eyes of God / And speak what was done.” It isn’t too much of a stretch to wonder if the Jerusalem of the song is a stand-in for the Jewish people. With its central image of “silent eyes,” its latent subject could be the Holocaust.

On a larger scale, the speaker implies, we must all answer for what we did not do to stop suffering in general, in Jerusalem or during the Holocaust or at any time or place. We see the devastation wreaked by war and nature, we hear the "weeping," but we only watch with "silent eyes." And if we say nothing, then when we are asked to speak for ourselves, we will have nothing to say.

“Isaac,” Madonna
[Hebrew:]
Im ninalu daltey Nedivim
daltey Nedivim
Daltey Marom
[English translation:
"If doors of generous men are locked,
Doors of heaven"]

Staring up into the heavens
In this hell that binds your hands
Will you sacrifice your comfort
Make your way in a foreign land

Wrestle with your darkness
Angels call your name
Can you hear what they are saying
Will you ever be the same

Mmmm mmm mmm
Im Nin'alu, Im Nin'alu
Mmmm mmm mmm
Im Nin'alu, Im Nin'alu
[English translation: "If they are locked"]

Remember, remember
Never forget
All of your life has all been a test
You will find the gate that's open
Even though your spirit's broken

Open up my heart
Cause my lips to speak
Bring the heavens and the stars
Down to earth for me

Mmmm mmm mmm
Im Nin'alu, Im Nin'alu
Mmmm mmm mmm
Im Nin'alu, Im Nin'alu

Mmmm mmm mmm
Im Nin'alu, Im Nin'alu

“Isaac” was named after the featured vocalist Yitzhak Sinwani, who sang portions of the Yemenite Hebrew poem Im Nin'alu in the track. Initially Madonna toyed with the idea of calling the song as "Fear of Flying" since the idea behind the composition was to let go. However, at the end she decided to just call it "Isaac" after the English version of Sinwani's name.
It is perhaps Madonna’s most Jewish song, featuring Aramaic lyrics based on a Yemenite poem, a cantorial-style improvisation, English lyrics (“Open up my heart / ‘Cause my lips to speak / Bring the heavens and the stars down to earth for me”) inspired by Psalms 19:15, and a verse inspired by Jacob’s dream of wrestling with angels (“Wrestle with your darkness / Angels call your name / Can you hear what they are saying / Will you ever be the same?”). She gives Sinwani the last word when he intones, “The gates of heaven are always open.”

Madonna said spirituality is even more powerful than politics when it comes to changing the world for the better.

“The Hanukkah Song,” Adam Sandler
Comedian Adam Sandler’s “The Hanukkah Song” is a humorous novelty song written by Sandler with Saturday Night Live writers Lewis Morton and Ian Maxtone-Graham. Since he debuted this song on a 1994 “Weekend Update” segment of “Saturday Night Live,” Sandler has been having fun updating this seasonal confection.

The song is a listing of Jewish celebrities with both real-life and fictional connections to Judaism as a way of creating sympathy for Jews everywhere. It is intended to instill Jewish pride in children feeling alienated during Christmas. The original version contains the names of 21 celebrities.

“…I wrote a song for all those nice little Jewish kids
who don't get to hear any Hanukkah songs
Here we go

Put on your yarmulke
Here comes Hanukkah
So much funukah
To celebrate Hanukkah

Hanukkah is the festival of lights
Instead of one day of presents, we have eight crazy nights
When you feel like the only kid in town without a Christmas tree
Here's a list of people who are Jewish just like you and me

David Lee Roth lights the menorah
So do James Caan, Kirk Douglas, and the late Dinah Shore-ah
Guess who eats together at the Carnegie Deli
Bowser from Sha Na Na and Arthur Fonzerelli

Paul Newman's half Jewish, Goldie Hawn's half too
Put them together, what a fine lookin' Jew
You don't need "Deck The Halls" or "Jingle Bell Rock"
'Cause you can spin a dreidel with Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock- both Jewish…”

No one could have imagined that this silly song would enjoy such a robust and enduring second life as a bona fide holiday season perennial, the Jewish equivalent of one of those Christmas classics you hear over and over again. The song is a perfect tongue-in-cheek expression of defiant Jewish pride.

“Rael,” The Who
Following a visit to Israel in 1966 and the subsequent outbreak of the Six-Day War, Pete Townshend began work on “Rael,” a song cycle loosely based on Israel’s struggle to survive despite being massively outnumbered by its enemies. It was going to be The Who’s first rock opera, but “Rael” — short for “Israel” — got sidetracked, partly due to the demands of the Who’s record company for faster delivery of more hit singles, and the project was consigned to the shelf.

“Rael” appears on the late 1967 album, “The Who Sell Out.” Its lyrics hint at what Townshend was aiming for, as well as revealing his deep empathy for the Jewish people: “Rael, the home of my religion / To me the center of the Earth…. My heritage is threatened / My roots are torn and cornered / And so to do my best I’ll homeward sail.”

“The Sound of Silence,” Simon & Garfunkel
“The Sound of Silence” is a song about prophecy. It begins with visions implanted in the singer’s brain. His eyes are stabbed by the flash of a neon light, revealing 10,000 people, maybe more — a number often used in the Bible for an army — seemingly unable to speak or hear or communicate in any way. The singer grows enraged, calling the people fools for refusing to listen to him. Instead, they bow and pray to a Golden Calf-like neon god they made. But then a sign flashes out a warning: “The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls.” Will the people listen now?

Maintaining the religious overtones, the final verse showcases the response to the speaker’s attempt to enlighten the people. Ignoring his words, the people bow and pray to their “neon god,” an interesting choice of descriptor given that it is repeated from the second stanza’s “neon light.”

The words “And the people bowed and prayed to the neon god they made” is often taken to be a representation of mass media, business, or the like, though it harkens to the biblical concept of false gods and idolatry.

The speaker then reads a sign warning that “the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls.” This line serves a dual purpose. Firstly, it acts to convey a final biblical allusion: In Daniel chapter five, the king of Babylon sees an apparition of a hand writing a message on a wall in the midst of a party. He calls the prophet Daniel to interpret the words, and Daniel tells him that God is displeased with his behavior and punishment is coming, which comes to pass when the king dies shortly thereafter.

The second intention of this line is to echo the idea that the poor and downtrodden of society are just as valuable as everyone else and their voice matters. But the use of “whispered” in the last line hints that this message may not be heard by everyone but that it will reach those who listen for it.

“With God on Our Side,” Bob Dylan
In a few short lines — “Though they murdered six million / In the ovens they fried / The Germans now too / Have God on their side” — Bob Dylan skewers the hypocrisy of superficial beliefs and unearned pieties, taking down not only the Germans but their newfound American friends, neither of whom let a little thing like the Holocaust get in the way of a heartwarming Cold War alliance.
The lyrics address the tendency of Americans to believe that God will invariably side with them and oppose those with whom they disagree, thus leaving unquestioned the morality of wars fought and atrocities committed by their country. Dylan mentions several historical events, including the slaughter of Native Americans in the nineteenth century, the Spanish–American War, the American Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Holocaust, Vietnam and the Cold War.
“When the Second World War came to an end, we forgave the Germans and we were friends. Though they murdered six million, in the ovens they fried, the Germans now too have God on their side”.

After the war the staggering loss of life didn’t prevent the Allied Forces from drawing the Germans into their camp. Germany had become a democratic republic and joined the Allied Forces, in particular the U.S., in their fight against Stalin’s communism. Dylan says that the Germans were forgiven and that they became friends. This was obviously only for political reasons. First the Americans fought against the Germans, with God on their side. Now the Americans fought with the Germans in the Cold War against Communism also with God on their side.

Dylan is ironically saying: “God is always on the side of America, and any nation who joins America may be assured that God is on their side too, no matter what crimes such a nation may have committed in the past.”

“Already Home,” Marc Cohn
Marc Cohn, winner of the 1991 Best New Artist Grammy Award for his hit “Walking in Memphis,” has throughout his career dropped hints in song about searching for his place in Judaism. He had already been featured on a 1996 Hanukkah compilation singing a passionate version of “Rock of Ages / Ma’oz Tzur” when he released the album “Burning the Daze” in 1998. It opens with “Already Home,” which appears to be about rediscovering and embracing his Jewish heritage, and closes with “Ellis Island,” a reminder of where he came from and how he got here.

In terms of a Jewish interpretation, the song offers universal themes that resonate within the Jewish tradition, such as the idea of finding a sense of belonging, contentment, and peace.

Both of Cohn’s parents were observant Jews, and his mother headed the women’s organization at The Temple-Tifereth Israel near Cleveland, Ohio, where Cohn was raised.

“One of my regrets with all my kids was that I haven’t kept up the traditions that my father had us practice in our house in terms of seder dinners and going to High Holiday services,” Cohn said. “But culturally, I’m as proud as can be that I’m a Jew. My kids know that, and I would say it’s a very important part of who I am, and an important part of my work.”



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by Mark Miller
October 4, 2023
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Can you find the connection to Judaism in these popular songs?

Many popular songs are replete with Jewish references. Yet how often do you consciously connect their lyrics to Judaism?

Check out these entertaining and insightful references, and best to read with your earbuds at full volume.

“Turn! Turn! Turn!” The Byrds
Aish
Schnitzel Eggplant on Challah
READ MORE
Inspired by King Solomon and a chapter of his book “Ecclesiastes”, Pete Seeger first assembled the lyrics and recorded a version of the hit song, "Turn! Turn! Turn!", subtitled "To Everything There Is a Season", in 1959 before The Byrds applied their jingle-jangle folk-rock magic, turning these ancient words of wisdom into a hit single that went all the way to No. 1 on the pop charts in 1965. The message: Life as we know it is cyclical.
The bulk of the lyrics consist of the first eight verses of the third chapter of the Book of Ecclesiastes, which is read during the Sukkot holiday.
To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, a time to reap that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain that which is to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silent and a time to speak;
A time of love, and a time of hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

The Biblical text posits there being a time and place for all things: birth and death, killing and healing, sorrow and laughter, war and peace. Seeger's song presents the words as a plea for world peace with the closing line: "A time for peace, I swear it's not too late." This line and the title phrase "Turn! Turn! Turn!" are the only parts of the lyric written by Seeger himself.

“Hallelujah,” Leonard Cohen
SUBSCRIBE
Our weekly email is chockful of interesting and relevant insights into Jewish history, food, philosophy, current events, holidays and more...

Enter your email address
GET OUR EMAILS
"Hallelujah" was written by Canadian singer Leonard Cohen and released in 1984. The song achieved widespread popularity after John Cale's version of it was featured in the 2001 film Shrek. Hundreds of other arrangements and versions have been performed in recordings and in concert. One of the best is by Jeff Buckley.


Now I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do ya?
It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing "Hallelujah"

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Your faith was strong, but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty in the moonlight overthrew ya
She tied you to a kitchen chair
She broke your throne and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Leonard Cohen never found the “secret chord that David played, and it pleased the Lord,” but after a decade or so, he did manage to find a vast audience for this majestic 1984 composition, which also includes references to Samson, Delilah, and Bathsheba. The song has been translated into Yiddish.
Cohen addresses our deepest longings for connection, hope and transcendence.
Financial Times arts and culture columnist Enuma Okoro wrote that "the lyrics and the tone of the song seem to sway between hymn and dirge, two musical forms that could serve as responses to almost everything that happens in our lives: songs that celebrate and acknowledge the blessings and provisions of our lives, and songs that bemoan our losses, our heartbreaks, and our deaths". Okoro noted that the Hebrew language roots of the word hallelujah mean "praise God", adding that Cohen said people have been "singing it for thousands of years to affirm our little journey.”

“Dance Me to the End of Love,” Leonard Cohen
Don’t be fooled by the lovely Central European cabaret-style melody. When Leonard Cohen sings, “Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin,” he’s talking about the string quartet that serenaded Jews at Auschwitz on their way to the gas chambers.

In some death camps, a string quartet was pressed into performance while the killing was going on. They would be playing classical music while their fellow prisoners were being gassed and burnt. So, that music, "Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin," meaning the beauty thereof being the consummation of life, the end of this existence and of the passionate element in that consummation.

“Silent Eyes,” Paul Simon
Silent eyes
Watching
Jerusalem
Make her bed of stones
Silent eyes
No one will comfort her
Jerusalem
Weeps alone

She is sorrow
Sorrow
She burns like a flame
And she calls my name

Silent eyes
Burning
In the desert sun
Halfway to Jerusalem
And we shall all be called as witnesses
Each and every one
To stand before the eyes of god
And speak what was done

Written just after the Yom Kippur war, “Silent Eyes” could be Paul Simon’s most Jewish song. It is about longing and weeping for Jerusalem in prayerlike phrases — “She is sorrow, sorrow / She burns like a flame / And she calls my name.” And it envisions a time when all will be called to account — “We shall all be called as witnesses / Each and every one / To stand before the eyes of God / And speak what was done.” It isn’t too much of a stretch to wonder if the Jerusalem of the song is a stand-in for the Jewish people. With its central image of “silent eyes,” its latent subject could be the Holocaust.

On a larger scale, the speaker implies, we must all answer for what we did not do to stop suffering in general, in Jerusalem or during the Holocaust or at any time or place. We see the devastation wreaked by war and nature, we hear the "weeping," but we only watch with "silent eyes." And if we say nothing, then when we are asked to speak for ourselves, we will have nothing to say.

“Isaac,” Madonna
[Hebrew:]
Im ninalu daltey Nedivim
daltey Nedivim
Daltey Marom
[English translation:
"If doors of generous men are locked,
Doors of heaven"]

Staring up into the heavens
In this hell that binds your hands
Will you sacrifice your comfort
Make your way in a foreign land

Wrestle with your darkness
Angels call your name
Can you hear what they are saying
Will you ever be the same

Mmmm mmm mmm
Im Nin'alu, Im Nin'alu
Mmmm mmm mmm
Im Nin'alu, Im Nin'alu
[English translation: "If they are locked"]

Remember, remember
Never forget
All of your life has all been a test
You will find the gate that's open
Even though your spirit's broken

Open up my heart
Cause my lips to speak
Bring the heavens and the stars
Down to earth for me

Mmmm mmm mmm
Im Nin'alu, Im Nin'alu
Mmmm mmm mmm
Im Nin'alu, Im Nin'alu

Mmmm mmm mmm
Im Nin'alu, Im Nin'alu

“Isaac” was named after the featured vocalist Yitzhak Sinwani, who sang portions of the Yemenite Hebrew poem Im Nin'alu in the track. Initially Madonna toyed with the idea of calling the song as "Fear of Flying" since the idea behind the composition was to let go. However, at the end she decided to just call it "Isaac" after the English version of Sinwani's name.
It is perhaps Madonna’s most Jewish song, featuring Aramaic lyrics based on a Yemenite poem, a cantorial-style improvisation, English lyrics (“Open up my heart / ‘Cause my lips to speak / Bring the heavens and the stars down to earth for me”) inspired by Psalms 19:15, and a verse inspired by Jacob’s dream of wrestling with angels (“Wrestle with your darkness / Angels call your name / Can you hear what they are saying / Will you ever be the same?”). She gives Sinwani the last word when he intones, “The gates of heaven are always open.”

Madonna said spirituality is even more powerful than politics when it comes to changing the world for the better.

“The Hanukkah Song,” Adam Sandler
Comedian Adam Sandler’s “The Hanukkah Song” is a humorous novelty song written by Sandler with Saturday Night Live writers Lewis Morton and Ian Maxtone-Graham. Since he debuted this song on a 1994 “Weekend Update” segment of “Saturday Night Live,” Sandler has been having fun updating this seasonal confection.

The song is a listing of Jewish celebrities with both real-life and fictional connections to Judaism as a way of creating sympathy for Jews everywhere. It is intended to instill Jewish pride in children feeling alienated during Christmas. The original version contains the names of 21 celebrities.

“…I wrote a song for all those nice little Jewish kids
who don't get to hear any Hanukkah songs
Here we go

Put on your yarmulke
Here comes Hanukkah
So much funukah
To celebrate Hanukkah

Hanukkah is the festival of lights
Instead of one day of presents, we have eight crazy nights
When you feel like the only kid in town without a Christmas tree
Here's a list of people who are Jewish just like you and me

David Lee Roth lights the menorah
So do James Caan, Kirk Douglas, and the late Dinah Shore-ah
Guess who eats together at the Carnegie Deli
Bowser from Sha Na Na and Arthur Fonzerelli

Paul Newman's half Jewish, Goldie Hawn's half too
Put them together, what a fine lookin' Jew
You don't need "Deck The Halls" or "Jingle Bell Rock"
'Cause you can spin a dreidel with Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock- both Jewish…”

No one could have imagined that this silly song would enjoy such a robust and enduring second life as a bona fide holiday season perennial, the Jewish equivalent of one of those Christmas classics you hear over and over again. The song is a perfect tongue-in-cheek expression of defiant Jewish pride.

“Rael,” The Who
Following a visit to Israel in 1966 and the subsequent outbreak of the Six-Day War, Pete Townshend began work on “Rael,” a song cycle loosely based on Israel’s struggle to survive despite being massively outnumbered by its enemies. It was going to be The Who’s first rock opera, but “Rael” — short for “Israel” — got sidetracked, partly due to the demands of the Who’s record company for faster delivery of more hit singles, and the project was consigned to the shelf.

“Rael” appears on the late 1967 album, “The Who Sell Out.” Its lyrics hint at what Townshend was aiming for, as well as revealing his deep empathy for the Jewish people: “Rael, the home of my religion / To me the center of the Earth…. My heritage is threatened / My roots are torn and cornered / And so to do my best I’ll homeward sail.”

“The Sound of Silence,” Simon & Garfunkel
“The Sound of Silence” is a song about prophecy. It begins with visions implanted in the singer’s brain. His eyes are stabbed by the flash of a neon light, revealing 10,000 people, maybe more — a number often used in the Bible for an army — seemingly unable to speak or hear or communicate in any way. The singer grows enraged, calling the people fools for refusing to listen to him. Instead, they bow and pray to a Golden Calf-like neon god they made. But then a sign flashes out a warning: “The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls.” Will the people listen now?

Maintaining the religious overtones, the final verse showcases the response to the speaker’s attempt to enlighten the people. Ignoring his words, the people bow and pray to their “neon god,” an interesting choice of descriptor given that it is repeated from the second stanza’s “neon light.”

The words “And the people bowed and prayed to the neon god they made” is often taken to be a representation of mass media, business, or the like, though it harkens to the biblical concept of false gods and idolatry.

The speaker then reads a sign warning that “the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls.” This line serves a dual purpose. Firstly, it acts to convey a final biblical allusion: In Daniel chapter five, the king of Babylon sees an apparition of a hand writing a message on a wall in the midst of a party. He calls the prophet Daniel to interpret the words, and Daniel tells him that God is displeased with his behavior and punishment is coming, which comes to pass when the king dies shortly thereafter.

The second intention of this line is to echo the idea that the poor and downtrodden of society are just as valuable as everyone else and their voice matters. But the use of “whispered” in the last line hints that this message may not be heard by everyone but that it will reach those who listen for it.

“With God on Our Side,” Bob Dylan
In a few short lines — “Though they murdered six million / In the ovens they fried / The Germans now too / Have God on their side” — Bob Dylan skewers the hypocrisy of superficial beliefs and unearned pieties, taking down not only the Germans but their newfound American friends, neither of whom let a little thing like the Holocaust get in the way of a heartwarming Cold War alliance.
The lyrics address the tendency of Americans to believe that God will invariably side with them and oppose those with whom they disagree, thus leaving unquestioned the morality of wars fought and atrocities committed by their country. Dylan mentions several historical events, including the slaughter of Native Americans in the nineteenth century, the Spanish–American War, the American Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Holocaust, Vietnam and the Cold War.
“When the Second World War came to an end, we forgave the Germans and we were friends. Though they murdered six million, in the ovens they fried, the Germans now too have God on their side”.

After the war the staggering loss of life didn’t prevent the Allied Forces from drawing the Germans into their camp. Germany had become a democratic republic and joined the Allied Forces, in particular the U.S., in their fight against Stalin’s communism. Dylan says that the Germans were forgiven and that they became friends. This was obviously only for political reasons. First the Americans fought against the Germans, with God on their side. Now the Americans fought with the Germans in the Cold War against Communism also with God on their side.

Dylan is ironically saying: “God is always on the side of America, and any nation who joins America may be assured that God is on their side too, no matter what crimes such a nation may have committed in the past.”

“Already Home,” Marc Cohn
Marc Cohn, winner of the 1991 Best New Artist Grammy Award for his hit “Walking in Memphis,” has throughout his career dropped hints in song about searching for his place in Judaism. He had already been featured on a 1996 Hanukkah compilation singing a passionate version of “Rock of Ages / Ma’oz Tzur” when he released the album “Burning the Daze” in 1998. It opens with “Already Home,” which appears to be about rediscovering and embracing his Jewish heritage, and closes with “Ellis Island,” a reminder of where he came from and how he got here.

In terms of a Jewish interpretation, the song offers universal themes that resonate within the Jewish tradition, such as the idea of finding a sense of belonging, contentment, and peace.

Both of Cohn’s parents were observant Jews, and his mother headed the women’s organization at The Temple-Tifereth Israel near Cleveland, Ohio, where Cohn was raised.

“One of my regrets with all my kids was that I haven’t kept up the traditions that my father had us practice in our house in terms of seder dinners and going to High Holiday services,” Cohn said. “But culturally, I’m as proud as can be that I’m a Jew. My kids know that, and I would say it’s a very important part of who I am, and an important part of my work.”

https://aish.com/ancient-pagan-antisemitism/?src=ac
Jewish beliefs and practices in the ancient world were unique and often attracted pagan scorn and hostility.
Antisemitism is one of the world’s oldest hatreds. It stubbornly persists into modern times. How did it start and where did it come from? That is difficult to answer.

The Talmud teaches that Sinai, the mountain where the Jews accepted the Torah, comes from the Hebrew word “sina,” which means “hatred.” After receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai, which gave concepts of morality, hatred of the Jews descended on the world.

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No doubt Jews in the ancient world were viewed as different based on their unique belief systems. The 19th century German historian, Theodor Mommsen, claimed that Jew-hatred and agitations against the Jews were as old as the Jewish diaspora itselfi. Judaism was an abnormality in the ancient polytheistic worldii. Jews were sometimes blamed for the “anger of the gods” when natural disasters struck. They were seen as strange because they had no statues and worshipped an invisible deity. The Torah relates the fear and loathing of the ancient Egyptians towards the Israelites.

Judaism was an abnormality in the ancient polytheistic world.

Most pagans were willing to absorb new deities introduced by conquering armies. Jews as monotheists refused to do so. Dietary laws prevented Jews from eating with their pagan neighbors. Jews were considered lazy for not working on the Sabbath. While different cultures intermarried, absorbing each other’s idols, Jews remained separate. Jews were the ultimate nonconformists in a sea of paganismiii.

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Scholars often called pagan hostility to Jews anti-Judaism rather than the more modern term antisemitism. But here, we will refer to hatred of Jews as antisemitism to avoid confusion.

The most numerous written sources of antisemitism in the pagan world came from the Greco-Roman period. This was a time after the Babylonian expulsions when many Jews lived outside the Holy Land in various diasporas and mixed with other cultures.

Maetho
One of the earliest antisemitic sources came from a Greek speaking Egyptian priest living in the early third century BCE named Manetho. Manetho wrote a history of Egypt, devoting a section to the Israelites and the Exodus. Much of Manetho’s writing has been lost but was referenced by the ancient Jewish historian Josephus.

Josephus
In his version of events, Manetho turned the Exodus story upside downiv. Instead of a tale of Jewish liberation from Egyptian slavery, Manetho wrote a scathing version where the Egyptian gods expelled the Israelites to purify Egypt. Before expulsion, the Jews under a rogue prince named Moses, terrorized the Egyptian people, and blasphemed their gods.

One of the larger ancient Jewish population centers was in Alexandria, Egypt. Alexandria was hub of learning, focused at the great ancient library of Alexandra. It was also the hub of much tension between Jews and pagans living there.

Once again from Josephus, we understand that a man named Apion was an official of the Alexandria library and wrote a scathing polemic against the Jews. Among his writings, Apion claimed the Jews of worshipping a donkey’s head in the Jerusalem Temple. Josephus spilled much ink defending Jews against the accusations of Manetho and Apion.

In a more chilling libel that would have serious implications through history, Apion accused Jews of kidnapping Greek children and offering them for human sacrifice in the Templev. Tensions between Greeks and Jews in Alexandria continued to simmer until war broke out between the two groups in 115 CE.

Tacitus
The famous Roman historian Tacitus, devoted large segments of his writing to criticize Jewish practices. Tacitus lived at the time of the Second Temple and wrote his Histories decades after its horrific destruction. He wrote that the gods despised the Jews. Tacitus believed Jews hated everything held sacred by Rome. He called Jewish rites “sordid and ridiculous.” He claimed Jews were the “most despised people and basest of nations.” While many pagan writers and orators scorned Jews and Judaism, Tacitus’ polemic is particularly viciousvi.

There seemed to be several themes in pagan antisemitism, some of them still used against Jews in today. One theme was to malign the origins of Judaism. There were repeated attempts to downplay or degrade the events that led to the formation of the Jewish people and their attachment to the land of Israel.

Another form of attack alluded to what the pagan world perceived as the strangeness of Jewish practises. The concept of taking one day off each week for the Sabbath was seen as ridiculous, particularly when applied to the lower classes and slaves. That many Jews throughout the Roman Empire were poor only added to derision. Circumcision and abstaining from eating pork were also misunderstood and considered “barbaric.”

One area that especially stirred up hatred was proselytization. In later antiquity Jews did it with some success. Tacitus complained about Jewish proselytizing, warning that those who accept the Jewish faith “despise the fatherland.”vii Oddly, one of the accusations leveled against Jews was that they practised “atheism” and caused others to convert to these beliefs.

There is significant evidence to argue that ancient pagan antisemitism was widespread. The tragedy is that many pagan forms of antisemitism morphed and adapted through history. Christianity, Islam, and secular societies often built upon pagan hatreds and continued to use the same methods to attack Jews and Judaism.

Chapter 3 Antisemitism and Early Scholarship on Ancient Antisemitism in: Protestant Bible Scholarship: Antisemitism, Philosemitism and Anti-Judaism (brill.com)
Microsoft Word - Life in the ancient world 2-2-07.DOC (keene.edu)
Cultivated Pagans and Ancient Anti-Semitism (utoronto.ca)
The Egyptian Beginning of Anti-Semitism’s Long History (jcpa.org)
Apion: Intellectual and Anti-Semite - The Jerusalem Post (jpost.com)
Tacitus and the Defamation of the Jews (utoronto.ca)
Anti-Semitism in the Hellenistic-Roman Period (utoronto.ca)

aish.com
Scotland’s Jewish Community
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SCOTLAND’S JEWISH COMMUNITY
KYLIE ORA LOBELL
Scotland is known for bagpipes, kilts, and the Loch Ness Monster, but it’s also home to a thriving Jewish community and Jewish visitors from around the world.
Bagpipes. Kilts. “Auld Lang Syne.” The Loch Ness Monster. Whisky. All these things come to mind when you say “Scotland.” But most people don’t think about the Jewish community there. They don’t even know it exists. Scottish Jews have made their own small but vibrant community in this country that’s part of the United Kingdom. Since 1691, when the first Jew was recorded to have lived in the town of Edinburgh, the Jewish people have become an active part of the culture there.

Glasgow Jewish linen merchant. Courtesy of the Scottish Jewish Archives Centre

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Learn more about Jewish Scotland, and then put it on your bucket list to visit and meet members of this tight-knit and warm community.
Jewish Scotland, then and now
While the first Jew recorded in Scotland was in 1691, the first formal community was founded in Edinburgh in 1816. During World War II, the Jews of Eastern Europe fled the Nazis and ended up in the United Kingdom, with some of them staying in England, and others going to Scotland.
By the 1950s, there were 18,000 Jews in Scotland, with the majority in Glasgow, a port city. They lived throughout the city and in the community of Giffnock, where they attended the Giffnock Newton Mearns Synagogue, a shul established in the 1930’s. Today, the Orthodox synagogue holds Shabbat and holiday services. The Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation in Edinburgh, which is one hour from Glasgow, holds weekly services and is home to a showcase of Jewish musicians, actors, and comedians during the world-famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival every August. Currently, there are less than 5,000 Jews in Scotland, with some of the population dying, intermarrying, or moving out of the country. Many younger members of the community made aliyah to Israel.

Memorial to Edinburgh's Jews who died fighting in the world wars (Kim Traynor, Wikipedia)

For the Jews that are there – as well as visitors coming from all over the globe – Chabad Lubavitch of Scotland operates a synagogue in Glasgow as well as a kosher restaurant, Sora's Cafe & L'Chaim's Restaurant, which serves traditional Scottish food like fish and chips and takeout for Shabbat and the holidays. Close to L’Chaim’s is Mark’s Deli, a kosher restaurant with an attached grocery store that sells a kosher haggis; a haggis is a Scottish dish made up of a sheep’s heart, liver, and lungs, oatmeal, and spices. The kosher version at Mark’s Deli is made of ground lamb, onions, and barley, and the Jews of Scotland enjoy eating it to celebrate Burns Night every January 25th. Burns Night commemorates the life of the famous Scottish poet Robert Burns (also called Rabbie Burns) who wrote “Auld Lang Syne” and “To a Mouse.”
Rabbi Mendel Jacobs, a Chabad emissary, created the Scottish tartan, a patterned cloth that is often seen on Scottish kilts. The colors of the tartan are blue and white, which are the Scottish and Israeli flags, as well as a gold line that represents the gold from the Ark in the Torah. When visiting Scotland, tourists can purchase a Jewish tartan kilt, tallit bag, yarmulke, necktie, mug, or mouse pad. Tourists can also check out the Scottish Jewish Heritage Centre in Glasgow and learn more about the community. It’s located in the historic Garnethill Synagogue, which opened in 1879, and tours feature information on how Scottish people helped Jews find safety during the Holocaust.
Local news about the Jewish Scottish community can be found in The Jewish Chronicle, the oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper in the world that covers the entire community in the United Kingdom and beyond.
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https://aish.com/deep-in-the-weeds-appreciating-the-natural-world/?src=ac
Deep in the Weeds: Appreciating the Natural World
Empower Your Jewish Journey
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by Rabbi Dovid Campbell
September 26, 2023
5 min read
The holiday of Sukkot reminds us of the immense power and beauty of nature.
So much of the world seems to be worth ignoring. Whether that’s because we find it irrelevant, too complicated, or just plain boring, we have strong opinions about what deserves our time. Social media is partially to blame. After all, if something was worth knowing, it would already be on my feed, right? And politics and technology have had millennia to slowly alienate us from the world and from each other.

The holiday of Sukkot counters this attitude.
“What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have never been discovered.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
During Sukkot, there is a commandment to wave the four species that were meticulously selected. I say meticulously because the details of this commandment are surprisingly exacting. Everything from the color of the leaves to their arrangement on the stem is fair game here, and people will pay top-dollar for one of those elegant bumpy lemons. It’s a botanical beauty contest that might do well on HGTV.

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There is deep symbolism to the four species. The date palm, willow, myrtle and citron are all notably distinct from one another, whether in terms of their shape, smell, or taste. They are likened to distinct types of individuals within society, or distinct qualities within the individual, and highlight that all four of these species must ultimately be waved together. It’s a beautiful metaphor for recognizing our unique natures and binding them together into something that resembles a compostable lightsaber.
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Medieval polymath Gersonides writes that the commandment to wave the four species has a surprisingly simple purpose: to get us to notice plants. That requires some unpacking. If I ever forgot about plants, I guess shaking foliage in my face for a week would probably jog my memory. But who forgets about plants?


Turns out, a lot of people. There is a strange phenomenon called “plant blindness.” A large and growing body of research has shown that people, particularly urban people, are becoming oblivious to the plant life in their surroundings. We just tune it out, like background noise, and in the process, we become increasingly alienated from the natural world. Scientists have identified this as a major hurdle in conservation efforts. It’s difficult to get people to care about something that they habitually ignore.

Plant blindness is actually our key to understanding a much larger problem. As Emerson reminds us, even a weed is worthy of our attention. Its apparent irrelevance is just an indication that some untapped opportunity awaits us. But today, we seem to have lost this perspective. Anything that’s no longer useful or exciting to us, even if it once was, is reduced to a bothersome weed. And nowhere is this more apparent than in our relationship with the living world.

Numerous studies have found that children today are spending significantly less time outdoors than their parents’ generation, and it’s not good for them. Between the predictable physical consequences and the shocking psychological ones, it turns out that we need to step outside once in a while, absorb some sunshine, and feel ourselves as a part of this organic universe.

Judaism is intimately connected to our awareness of nature. Nineteenth century rabbi, Samson Rafael Hirsch, articulated this idea with exceptional flare:

I almost believe that all you homebodies will one day have to atone for having stayed indoors, and when you seek entrance to see the marvels of Heaven they will ask you, ‘Did you see the marvels of God on earth?’ Then, ashamed, you will mumble, ‘We missed that opportunity.’

How different were our rabbis in this respect. How they breathed, felt, thought and lived in God’s marvelous nature. How they wanted to awaken our senses for all that is sublime and beautiful in Creation. How they wanted to teach us to fashion a wreath of adoration for God out of the morning’s rays and the evening blush, out of the daylight and the night shadows, out of the star’s glimmer and the flower’s scent, out of the roar of the sea and the rumble of the thunder, the flash of the lightning. How they wanted to demonstrate to us that every creature was a preacher of His power, a monitor of our duties; what a Divine revelation they made of the book of nature. (Collected Writings, vol. 8)

The Jewish sages write that if the Israelites had never received the Torah at Mount Sinai, they would have sought moral inspiration from the natural world. Rabbi Hirsch reminds us that even after receiving the Torah, our connection to nature remains essential. It is our experience of the “sublime and beautiful in Creation” that inspires us to wonder, to explore, and ultimately to find spiritual relevance in this world.

It is our experience of the “sublime and beautiful in Creation” that inspires us to wonder, to explore, and ultimately to find spiritual relevance in this world.

I still remember the first time I saw an ant farm in grade school. I watched one ant climb down the same tunnel dozens of times, removing a single grain of sand on each trip. It was a lesson in complete selflessness and dedication, and it sparked a realization that the living world could be more than just interesting. It could be inspiring.

Sukkot brings this idea to center stage. Following the spiritual inner work that characterized Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Sukkot asks us to turn that work outward and see what happens. Whether it’s by camping in our own backyards or waving an assortment of bespoke flora, Sukkot is our chance to discover the virtues in every weed.

https://aish.com/what-is-antisemitism/?src=ac
WHAT IS ANTISEMITISM?
TZVI GLUCKIN
Antisemitism has been around for centuries. What makes it different from other types of hate and why is it so pervasive?
Antisemitism is defined as hostility toward, prejudice against, or hatred of Jews.
What does antisemitism mean?
History of antisemitism
Antisemitism in Europe
Antisemitism and the Holocaust
Antisemitism and the Islamic world
Antisemitism in the United States
Modern Antisemitism
Why is there antisemitism?
Summary
FAQs
What does Antisemitism Mean?
Click below and
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https://aish.com/what-is-antisemitism/?src=ac
WHAT IS ANTISEMITISM?
TZVI GLUCKIN
Antisemitism has been around for centuries. What makes it different from other types of hate and why is it so pervasive?
Antisemitism is defined as hostility toward, prejudice against, or hatred of Jews.
What does antisemitism mean?
History of antisemitism
Antisemitism in Europe
Antisemitism and the Holocaust
Antisemitism and the Islamic world
Antisemitism in the United States
Modern Antisemitism
Why is there antisemitism?
Summary
FAQs
What does Antisemitism Mean?
Click below and
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https://aish.com/the-magician-who-helped-defeat-the-nazis/?src=ac
aish.com
The Magician Who Helped Defeat the Nazis
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THE MAGICIAN WHO HELPED DEFEAT THE NAZIS
JUDY GRUEN
The battle against the Nazis relied on machinery, manpower, money, and even a bit of magic.
During a course with the Royal Engineers Camouflage Training and Development Center at Farnham Castle in Surrey, Maskelyne impressed an army inspector general by hiding a machine gun bunker in plain sight. After completing the program in January 1941, Maskelyne shipped out to North Africa with a dozen other camouflage officers, all with the rank of captain. At that time, war camouflage was being developed by engineers. Maskelyne was certain that if he could hide things in plain sight from an audience only an orchestra’s pit away, he could deceive German observers from a distance of 15,000 feet in the air or miles away on land.


In North Africa, the magician was expected to entertain the troops, but he also created a Camouflage Experimental Section, working with a hand-picked group that included a cartoonist, pottery worker, electrical engineer, chemist, and stage scenery designer. A History Channel documentary about Maskelyne referred to “the gang,” as they were known, as “undisciplined, unorthodox, and unwanted by the mainstream military establishment, but they had guts, glory, and imagination.”

Making an Entire Harbor Disappear
The gang wasn’t called into action until June 1941. Then, British ships at Alexandria Harbor in Egypt became prime targets for the Luftwaffe, and Maskelyne was asked to make the harbor, comprised of hundreds of buildings and spanning many miles, “disappear.” Instead, he and the gang created a decoy harbor a few miles away, using mud, canvas, and cardboard. It was designed and lit to resemble Alexandria’s naval buildings, with ground lights connected to the Pharos Lighthouse (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world), where they could be controlled. Electric charges were set underground to simulate bomb explosions.

A ‘sunshield’ covering half a Matilda II tank at a workshop of the Middle East Command Camouflage Development and Training Centre, Helwan, Egypt in 1941, as used in Operation Bertram.

On June 22, the British turned off all the lights in Alexandria but turned on the lights over the decoy harbor. The Luftwaffe took the bait, and as they flew over, the decoy ships were blown up by remote control. This convinced the Germans they had the right target, and they continued to drop bombs on the fake harbor for three nights running. Maskelyne was promoted to Major and earned the respect he craved from his superiors.

Blinding Pilots
The magician also used optical illusions to help achieve victory. The Suez Canal--a vital link in the British supply chain--was under attack by the Germans. Maskelyne was asked to extend the range of 90 searchlights along the waterway so that British gunners could more easily spot oncoming enemy planes. Instead, Maskelyne used a trick of illusion that was already nearly a century old. He and the gang cut a series of reflective mirrors and attached them to searchlights, turning them into blinding strobe lights that could daze and temporarily blind enemy pilots. This dazzling set of beams, known as the Whirling Spray, would hide the Suez Canal in an ocean of blinding light.


When the Whirling Spray was ready, Maskelyne insisted on testing it personally. He climbed up into an RAF fighter plane which rose 15,000 above the African desert. When the gang on the ground turned on the spotlight, it did the job with nearly fatal results. The RAF pilot was temporarily blinded and he lost control of the plane. It began to plunge to earth, with the pilot managing a last-minute recovery, barely preventing a crash. The Whirling Spray lights dilated the eyes of many German pilots, and many planes went down. The Germans couldn’t penetrate the space where the Suez Canal had seemingly disappeared.

War Magic
The battle for El Alamein was a crucial win for the Allies, and General Archibald Wavell asked Maskelyne to make tanks invisible to Germans in the desert. Flat, featureless, and completely open, the desert is a tough place for camouflage. Maskelyne’s gang designed “a sun shield,” two “wings” that closed over real tanks, making them appear to be innocent convoy vehicles. To rub out the tracks made by the tanks, they added a spiky chain mail device to make the tracks look like those from trucks.

General Wavell then amassed a huge convoy of “harmless transport” trucks opposite a weakness in the Italian front line, stopping an enemy offensive into Cairo before it began. Maskelyne was jubilant: “I danced with joy. War magic was coming into wartime fashion at last and I knew this was only the first example of what we could do.”

But by late June 1942, the Germans were still winning the African continent, having pushed the British army back 60 miles west of Alexandria. To create ambushes and confuse and trap the enemy, Maskelyne and the gang hid explosives in trails of camel and donkey dung along the roads. While hardly a grand illusion, it did the job.

The magician’s greatest success occurred in July 1942 during the battle over El Alamein, then under German control. Land, middle east oil, and the course of the war were all at stake. This battle would settle the fate of North Africa, and British Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery desperately needed to capture it back.

British supply lines were located in the north, but Allies wanted the Germans to expect an attack from the south. Maskelyne wrote, “The biggest drama in which I ever played a humble part was being played on a grand scale and villainy was already beginning to know that the final hour of reckoning was at hand.”

Wartime Stalemate Turns into Victory
To create the illusion of an attack being planned in the south, “the gang” built dummy tanks, guns, aircraft, men, even a pipeline of steel cans.

Inflatable dummy Sherman tank

This decoy army was so convincing that the Germans placed their main forces nearby. Meanwhile, Maskelyne masterminded the real deception: thousands of soldiers and tanks—camouflaged as dummy transports--were being moved in plain view of enemy forces. When the British attacked in the north as planned on October 23, Germany’s Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, known as the Desert Fox, had been outfoxed. The ill-prepared German forces retreated to Libya and the British savored their first real victory of the war. This was Jasper Maskelyne’s last grand illusion in the desert, turning a stalemate into a tremendous victory for British forces, psychologically and militarily.

Jasper Maskelyne (on the right) and his magic troupe departing from Nairobi in 1950.

After the war Maskelyne returned to England and to the stage. He asked for and received permission to continue to dress in British Army uniform when performing on stage again. Though he wrote an autobiography, Jasper Maskelyne never revealed his magician’s secrets. In fact, his subterfuges and war illusions are classified as top secret by the Official Secrets Act, not to made public till 2046.
https://aish.com/the-magician-who-helped-defeat-the-nazis/?src=ac

https://aish.com/four-myths-about-forgiveness/?src=ac
SPECIAL GUIDES FOR YOM KIPPUR
FOUR MYTHS ABOUT FORGIVENESS
DEBBIE GUTFREUND
You can forgive even without an apology, even if you’re still in pain, and even if you’ll never reconcile with the person who hurt you.
The days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur present an opportunity to align more closely with your priorities and values, and to examine your relationships. Are there people you need to forgive? Are there mistakes for which you need to ask forgiveness?

There are several myths that can make forgiveness seem insurmountable. Here are four central myths about forgiveness to re-examine and practical tools on how to ask for forgiveness.

Myth 1: You need an apology before you can forgive.
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Forgiveness doesn’t need to depend on anyone else. It would be nice if everyone who has insulted or hurt you apologized to you immediately, but an apology often comes much later than you expect it. Sometimes it never comes. But you don’t need an apology from someone to forgive them.

Forgiveness does not free the other person from blame, but it does free you from resentment. Don’t wait for an apology to free yourself. Forgive the person now.

Myth 2: Forgiveness means that you no longer feel any pain or hurt.
Many people believe that they can’t forgive if they still feel insulted or betrayed. They think they have to wait until they’re no longer in pain before they can forgive. But in some situations, the hurt will always remain and being free of pain is not necessary in order to forgive. You can forgive while you are still hurt. You can forgive despite the hurt, because anger and resentment only add more suffering to an already painful situation.


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Forgiveness is an intentional choice to let go of resentment, and you can let go no matter how much you are still hurting.

Myth 3: Forgiveness means that you need to reconcile with the person that you are forgiving.
Sometimes people hurt you in ways that create barriers to continuing a relationship with them. Sometimes you need to set boundaries that are healthy for you that may preclude any connection with people who have caused you pain. You don’t need to reconcile with someone before you can forgive them. They don’t even need to know that you are forgiving them.

Sometimes forgiveness is a purely internal process in which you let go of your anger so that you can move forward with your life. Forgiveness is like putting down a heavy bag filled with items you no longer need. You will feel lighter. Your life will feel lighter.

Myth 4: Forgiving yourself isn’t necessary.
The focus of forgiveness is usually on others, but often the most important person you need to forgive is yourself. You are probably harder on yourself than on anyone else. You would never talk to a friend the way you talk to yourself about your mistakes.

It’s crucial to learn from your mistakes, but holding onto regrets from your past can block you from future growth. When you look back on the mistakes that you made this year, figure out what you can learn from them and then forgive yourself. Often, you are doing the best you can with the knowledge and tools that you have at the moment. Let go of the resentment you have for yourself. Sometimes we need to forgive ourselves before we can forgive others.

https://aish.com/thinking-about-the-roman-empire-a-jewish-edition/?src=ac
Thinking About the Roman Empire: A Jewish Edition
by Rabbi Nechemia Coopersmith
September 21, 2023
My answer to the question: What’s your Roman Empire?

The recent Tiktok craze asking men how often they think about the Roman Empire reveals the surprising phenomenon that most men think about it if not daily, then at least a couple of times of week. Apparently, the Roman Empire is on the male mind just about all the time.

Is something wrong with me? I can’t remember the last I thought of the Roman Empire. I guess it was a couple of months ago during Tisha B’Av that marks the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem; the destruction of the second temple happened under the hands of those Romans.
Thinking About the Roman Empire: A Jewish Edition
Now the trend is delving into the female version of “what’s your Roman Empire” (motherhood, Taylor Swift and sadly being a victim of a violent crime).

ONE WOMAN’S YOM KIPPUR SERMON DURING THE HOLOCAUST
DR. YVETTE ALT MILLER
In the depths of hell, Livia Koralek encouraged her fellow concentration camp prisoners.
by Dr. Yvette Alt Miller
September 18, 2023
6 min read

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In the depths of hell, Livia Koralek encouraged her fellow concentration camp prisoners.

Livia Koralek was a natural leader. Born in Hungary in 1921, Livia grew up surrounded by strong Jewish women role models. Many of the Jewish charities in her hometown of Gyor were run by women and Livia absorbed the message that women were capable of leadership, just like men.

By the time she trained as a teacher in 1940, Livia was poised to break glass ceilings. She was hired by a Jewish school in the nearby town of Csorna, which had never hired women before. The reason for this break with tradition was a tragic one: so many Jewish men had been deported to labor camps by Hungary’s fascist authorities, that women were being hired to fill jobs traditionally seen as male.

Imprisoned by the Nazis
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A Mother’s Love & Yom Kippur
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After Germany invaded Hungary in March,1944, conditions for Hungary’s Jews worsened. Livia’s school shut down and she moved back in with her parents in Gyor. Within weeks, all the Jews in Gyor and surrounding areas – thousands of people – were imprisoned in a cramped Jewish ghetto.

Holocaust survivor Zsuszanna Dallos recalled the ghetto liquidated: “We were herded…through the city center, the center of Gyor, with our yellow stars and our bundles…I remember the crowd who stood on the sidewalks. It was a hostile crowd and they cheered us. We were herded next to the railway in(to) barracks…(There) they shaved Rabbi Emil Roth’s head. They shaved shapes of (a) moon, stars… I remember that.”

Defying Nazis on Shabbat
One Friday night, June 9, 1944, the two community rabbis, Rabbi Emil Roth and Rabbi Ben-Zion Snyders, organized a top-secret Shabbat service in the prison where Gyor’s Jews were held, under very the noses of their Nazi jailers. Thousands of imprisoned Jews took part, praying with their fellow Jews; people of all ages, religious outlooks, and backgrounds prayed together as one. The service was eventually discovered and broken up, but Livia and the other Jews remembered it all their lives.

Livia’s Sermon

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From Gyor, the Jews were sent to Auschwitz; no one survived. Nearly everyone Jew from the town was murdered in gas chambers as soon as they stepped off the train. But Livia was spared. She was sent to a Czech concentration camp called Parschnitz where she joined a group of 2,500 Jewish women working in local factories. Her natural leadership abilities were noticed by her fellow prisoners. When Yom Kippur came around, the prisoners asked Livia to deliver a sermon.

Livia demurred. “I didn’t want to be a leader,” she later recalled. “There was no need for it. I only wanted to give encouragement.” Eventually, Livia relented. She encouraged the women to join her in saving their meagre bread rations so they could fast. She then started speaking, encouraging her fellow-prisoners to see themselves not as passive victims but as people capable of feeling remorse and asking forgiveness:

On behalf of everyone here, I beg God’s forgiveness, for we are guilty… We have caused pain to our parents, relatives, siblings and friends. We have hurt them because we are but flesh and blood, because the evil inclination clung to us, and led us astray from the path of justice and righteousness… May this Yom Kippur be a day of pardon, forgiveness and atonement, and may God forgive us for all our iniquities…

Even in the depths of despair, Livia urged her fellow inmates that it was possible to choose to be a better person. She recalled the words of one of Gyor’s rabbis:
MORE https://aish.com/one-womans-yom-kippur-sermon-during-the-holocaust/?src=ac

https://aish.com/jew-know-it-what-is-yom-kippur/?src=ac
It’s about that time to celebrate the holiest day of the year, or as I like to call it - the HUNGRIEST day of the year.
This is JEW KNOW IT and today we’re talking about Yom Kippur.
https://aish.com/jew-know-it-what-is-yom-kippur/?src=ac
WHAT IS YOM KIPPUR?
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So, leading up to and on this day, you can be like, "Hey God, my bad if I messed up last year.”

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And more importantly? You can also say “sorry” to those you wronged and say “it’s all good” to those who wronged you.

Why? Well, you know those old, unused apps on your phone that slow it down and take up space? Grudges and hurt feelings are like those apps - they slow down our emotional well-being, and Yom Kippur is your chance to delete them.

You also fast on Yom Kippur and abstain from things like bathing, leather shoes, lotions and oils, and sex.

You do this so you can, just for the day, ignore your physical bodies and focus on your souls.

HOW TO OBSERVE YOM KIPPUR
So you want to observe Yom Kippur like a boss? Here’s how:

You start before sundown with an EPIC pre-fast meal. Think of it as fueling up for a spiritual marathon. Get in those carbs!

Next, you hit up Kol Nidrei, the Yom Kippur service that officially starts the holiday.

Kol Nidrei helps us do two things:

One, it lets you annul old promises you may have bailed on.

Think of this as a “reset” button for promises you may have made without fully thinking them over.

Two, Kol Nidrei helps you look ahead and ask, "Are you SERIOUS about your new promises? Can you follow through on your word?”

This matters TODAY more than ever. Why? Because we live in a world where the power of the WORD feels about as sturdy as the latest TikTok trend.

Moving on to Yom Kippur day, you hit up services focused on forgiveness and 2nd chances, tapping into the idea that the more you forgive others for their mistakes, the more God will forgive you for your mistakes

It's like the mystical secret to being forgiven!

The day concludes with “Ne'ila,” the MOST climactic service of them all, when the GATES OF PRAYER are said to be closing and you have a final opportunity to seek forgiveness.

And when that final Shofar BLASTS, you made it. Time to eat!

WHY JEWS FAST ON YOM KIPPUR
Believe it or not, Jews have been fasting on Yom Kippur way longer than intermittent fasting has been a thing.

But have you ever thought about why? I mean, isn’t stuffing your face what the holidays are all about?

Let me explain: fasting on Yom Kippur is like hitting the pause button on your body so you can crank up the power on your soul.

It’s like you’re flipping the script on life and saying, “Yo, life, I’m not just living to eat, but eating to live!”

Think of it this way – when you get to the end of your life, hopefully many, many years from now, do you want your tombstone to read, “Pounded a gazillion In-N-Out burgers,” or would you rather it say something like, “Lived with soul and purpose.”
Now I get it - the first one is pretty funny and you might say that you’d be cool with it, but really think about it! What kind of legacy do you want to leave?

Of course eating, and occasionally indulging, is something you can, and should, enjoy, but on Yom Kippur, you’re making a statement that the physical aspects of life are a means to an end… not the other way around.

WHY JEWS ATONE ON YOM KIPPUR
Did you know that the word “scapegoat” - that’s someone who is blamed for something - actually derives from Yom Kippur?

Back in the day, the High Priest would take an actual GOAT, confess everyone’s sins over it, then send that lil’ guy off into the desert until he got lost.

Quite literally, he was an ESCAPED GOAT. Get it?

And did you know that even further back, God was having a chat with the angels when he was considering creating humans and the angels weren’t really that into the idea?

The angels were like, "Why bother creating humans who are FLAWED when we angels are LITERALLY PERFECT?”

But God was like, "Yeah, but they’ll have the ability to achieve greatness by using their Free Will to choose good over evil, and in doing so, they will reach greater heights than you angels.”

That shut up the angels REAL quick.

Together, these stories illustrate why Jews atone on Yom Kippur:

One, so that they can achieve a CLEAN SLATE by breaking free from mistakes as if they were sent with the goat to the desert.

And two, so they can strive for greatness in the year ahead by using free will to choose to do the right thing.

And while you may never be perfect as the angels, that’s sort of the point. It is your imperfections and ability to keep trying your best that make you great.

LIFE AFTER THE HIGH HOLIDAYS
The High Holidays are a time in which you make a spiritual accounting - you review our actions, identify weaknesses, say sorry, forgive and make a game plan for next year.

But once the High Holidays are over… then what???

First off, those resolutions you made? Keep 'em! Write them down somewhere you'll see every day. Just don’t like… get a face tattoo of them or something.

Next, remember that "sorry" isn't just a High Holidays thing. If you mess up, it's not a "once a year" deal. Apologize when needed, forgive when asked, simple as that.

And that spiritual connection you felt during the Holy Days? Keep engaging in activities that nurture your soul, whether it's prayer, meditation or just being there for others.

Oh, and try to follow through on what you said you would do, and if you can’t, be open and communicative about it.

And if you forget any of the above, allow that little voice in your head to remind you. It’s like your very own Shofar.

https://aish.com/three-steps-to-finding-forgiveness/?src=ac
THREE STEPS TO FINDING FORGIVENESS
by Sarah Pachter
September 18, 2023
How to go from bitter to better.
A professor once held a glass half-filled with water before his class and asked, “How heavy is this glass?”

Students called out: “Three ounces!” “Five!”

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The teacher responded, “You’re all correct. How heavy something feels just depends on how long you’ve been holding it.”1

Letting go brings freedom and happiness; holding on to grudges can cause a decline in health. Research at Berkeley University found that internalizing residual anger can actually increase the risk of heart disease and even lead to premature death.2

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If staying angry is so bad for us, why do we hold on so tightly and refuse to forgive?


We may long for validation, or worry that if we forgive, the other party is “getting away” with the misdeed. We believe holding on will serve as a form of punishment for the other person, when, in fact, we only end up punishing ourselves.

Dr. Edith Eger, Holocaust survivor and bestselling author, shares that after liberation from Auschwitz, anyone who was physically capable walked out of the camps. Yet, almost immediately after, a shocking number of people walked back inside. Although they were physically liberated, they went back and slept in the same barracks they had the night before. They felt they had nowhere to go.

You hold the key to unlocking your handcuffs.

We do the same on an emotional level, imposing psychological slavery upon ourselves. We have the capacity to free ourselves from anger and painful memories, but our minds drag us back into the past, marring our present life.

You hold the key to unlocking your handcuffs.

The Hebrew word for forgiveness is mechila. It is also the same word for burrow, a type of tunnel made by animals.

The purpose of a tunnel is to bring you to where you don’t have access. When excavating a tunnel, both sides are ideally supposed to dig towards one another until they meet in the center. This mimics how forgiveness should work.

But what if the other person isn’t doing her part? What if she is too self-absorbed to even seek forgiveness?

Judaism requires that we not hold a grudge, but we are also not obligated to forgive someone who has not done their part.3

Regardless of whether the other person does their digging, you can still create the tunnel single-handedly.

Forgiveness is a gift to yourself. Here are three tools to dig deep and your own burrow of forgiveness.

Tool 1: Visualize forgiveness.
One way to develop forgiveness is to visualize granting it.

Studies have shown that forgiving thoughts increase feelings of control and reduce the stress response. They also suggested that visualizing forgiveness could enhance one’s health.4

Dr. Eger suggests that one should revisit the difficult scene in his mind’s eye in order to comfort the younger self and “release” the perpetrator.

Based on her technique, I asked a student of mine, Ava* to replay details of an explosion with her father during childhood. I suggested, “When your father is physically aggressive, offer your child self-comfort by holding her until she feels secure.

“Then, take your hand and say, ‘Come with me. You don’t live here anymore, and I’ll protect you.’ Confidently walk out the door, to the street, until the house is out of sight. Give her a space to be angry, and then show her the beauty of her present life. Go to your current home and say, ‘You live here now. You don’t have to live in that house anymore, your life is here. I’ll protect you forever.’ Show your younger self how wonderful it is to stay in the present.”

Eger explains that the next step is to go back and release the perpetrator from the grip he holds over you. She suggests mentally putting your hand on the shoulder of that person, looking him in the eye and saying, “You can’t do this anymore. You no longer have power over me. Once I was young and weak, but now I am strong.” As Eger writes, “releasing ourselves from victimhood also means releasing others from the role we’ve assigned them.”

We’ve all been in painful circumstances that have made us feel powerless, unaccepted, or unloved. You don’t have the ability to change the past or the behavior of others, but you do have the power to love yourself, and mentally extricate your mind from negative experiences. You have a choice to either remain a victim or inch toward freedom. Releasing the shackles of victimhood is a healthier choice.

Tool 2: Develop empathy.
Engaging in empathic thinking doesn’t mean you ignore or mitigate what the other person has done. Rather, compassionate thoughts gradually allow you to release the intense emotion that blocks you from feeling happy.

Dr. David Pelcovitz, a leading psychologist, speaks of Jonathan*, who had been physically abused by his father as a child. In his sessions, Jonathan expressed fantasizing about his father’s death.

Compassionate thoughts gradually allow you to release the intense emotion that blocks you from feeling happy.

When his father eventually passed away, Jonathan remarked, “The strangest thing happened. You know, I always dreamed of this day when I would finally be free of my father, but instead of being happy, I’m even more depressed.”

The death only exacerbated Jonathan’s depression. He began to develop chronic headaches, causing him to take a leave of absence from work.

Jonathan then began the difficult work that forgiveness requires.

While in sessions, Jonathan journaled about his father, logging memories and emotions. He began developing empathy. His father was a survivor of the Holocaust, who carried traumatic memories. Because Hitler stole his childhood, it rendered him unable to deal with his own adolescent child.

Jonathan realized that many of his father’s abusive episodes were tied to fear of danger or anxiety that he may lose his son. His anxiety expressed itself as rage, but underneath it all was love unable to be expressed.

Jonathan began to let go. One afternoon he walked into the office notably different; he seemed lighter, and even happy.

“What happened?” Dr. Pelcovitz asked.

“I went to visit my father’s gravesite. I placed my journal on the headstone. I spent the entire day crying. I cried tears of rage, anger, and ultimately tears of forgiveness.”

From that day on he was no longer weighed down by the had burrowed through his own darkness and reached a new destination - one of forgiveness and light.

Tool 3: Recognize that the villain propels you.
Although counterintuitive, the villain in your life is also your greatest accomplice in reaching your personal goals.

Your life is akin to a play. In your personal dramas, there are good guys and bad guys. You have to embrace them all—otherwise, there is no plot. The villain is an important aspect of a well-developed plot. No villain means no hero.

The book Frindle by Andrew Clements illustrated this beautifully.

Frindle is a story about Nick Allen, a fifth-grade troublemaker. His teacher has an obsession with the dictionary and the etymology of words. She teaches her class that sometimes words are created from people inventing new ones.

Nick’s ears perk up and he asks, “So anyone can just make up a word?”

She responds, “Not people like you and I. This rarely happens.”

On the spot, Nick makes up the word “frindle,” meaning pen.

He and his friends make a pact to only use frindle when referring to a pen.

The teacher is horrified, and gives detention to any student who utilizes “frindle.” When 400 kids are in detention, the local news starts filming.

Nick’s teacher retaliates. “Nick, you’re creating problems, and I’m completely opposed. Mark my words, here is a sealed envelope. One day I’m going to give this to you—watch out!”

To her dismay, Nick ends up on TV and makes millions selling “frindle” paraphernalia.

Years later as a young adult, Nick receives a large package in the mail. He opens a dictionary from his fifth-grade teacher, sticky note attached, instructing, Check page 281!

He looks, finding the word “frindle” circled. He then sees the sealed envelope from years prior and opens it.

Dear Nicholas,

If you are reading this letter, it means the word Frindle has been added to the dictionary. Congratulations.

I am so proud of you.

Her letter continued to explain that she believed his word would make it to the dictionary, but that he needed someone to propel him. She chose to be the villain because in every story there has to be one.

The difficult people in your life either bring you or break you. They either take you where you’re supposed to go, or they destroy you in the process. The choice is yours.

Forgiveness is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself. When you visualize forgiveness, develop empathy, and recognize the value your challengers provide, you can live a lighter, more carefree life.

https://aish.com/i-thought-that-being-skinny-would-make-me-happy-but-it-didnt/?src=ac
I Thought Being Skinny Would Make Me Happy
by Rivky Itzkowitz
September 18, 2023
I lost 30 pounds and looked great on the outside, but on the inside, I still felt fat, ugly, and awkward.
If I were to step onto the scale, the number would be the highest it’s ever been. In the past, I’d be devastated about this. But now, it doesn’t faze me, because I’m the happiest I’ve ever been and finally have a positive view of my body.
I couldn’t imagine feeling this way just a few years ago, because all my life I thought I was fat… and that made me worthless. If only I’d lose those “extra pounds,” I would be satisfied with how I looked. I would finally be happy.
I realized that I was overweight in middle school and got serious about dieting after my bat mitzvah, sometime during the seventh grade. It was in the air. Other girls my age did it. I thought it was normal. I also thought it was normal to view my body in a negative light, to think that I was fat and not beautiful.
I thought it was normal to view my body in a negative light, to think that I was fat and not beautiful.
I had a food journal where I kept track of every piece of food that entered my mouth. I’d drag myself out of bed at 6 a.m. to run before school. I thought about diet and exercise constantly. I looked great on the outside – I lost 30 pounds by the time eighth grade rolled around and I was a petite size 6 – but on the inside, nothing changed. I still felt exactly the same as I always had: fat, ugly, and awkward. I assumed the problem was that I was not small enough. Or maybe I was just inherently unpretty and doomed to a life of feeling this way.
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I kept trying to lose more weight, to push myself harder, to eat foods that were bland and punish myself when I had “junk food” or slept in and missed my morning run. Honestly, I was lucky not to have developed a full-blown eating disorder.

I Decided I Was Done
When I was 17, as I stood in the kitchen one morning measuring non-fat milk and pouring it on top of plain corn flakes, I decided I was done. I couldn’t live like this anymore. I wasn’t living. I was torturing myself.

I started eating intuitively, focusing on foods that gave me energy and made me feel good. I slept as much as I needed to and exercised because it improved my mood and it was fun. I didn’t punish myself when my dress size went up. I felt good, and that was apparent. I was glowing.

This experience not only taught me how important it is to love my body and myself, but also that other women were suffering as well. I noticed that the messages they received from clothing retailers weren’t helping. If you weren’t petite, you didn’t deserve to look good. There was no nice clothing for women above a size 12. I wanted to change fashion and make shopping a less stressful and traumatic experience for women who didn’t fit the mold, just like me.

So when I was in my early 20s, I started designing modest clothing for women. I called my company Impact Fashion, and we now carry sizes 2-28. The clothing is high-fashion and beautiful, because women deserve to feel gorgeous at any size.

The idea that beauty stops at a size 12 is ingrained so far deep in all of us that looking good was actually a shock to some of my customers.

Over and over again, I’ve heard the same thing from my customers: “I’ve never even felt pretty. No one let me feel pretty. Your clothes have shown me that it’s possible.” The idea that beauty stops at a size 12 is ingrained so far deep in all of us that looking good was actually a shock to some of my customers. The women I now dress had very few options before; I’m honored to be able to provide them with more, and also make a positive impact on the clothing industry.

In my brand messaging, I make sure to talk about my personal story and show women of all sizes that they don’t have to feel bad about their bodies. There is a different path they can take. They can love themselves, no matter what the number on the scale says.

It took a while for me to learn this. But now that I have, I hope to spread that lesson to the world, while making it a little more beautiful with my designs and my loving messages at the same time.

Rivky Itzkowitz is the founder of Impact Fashion, a modest clothing line in sizes 2-28. She’s also the host of Be Impactful, a podcast about the women making a difference in their own corners of the world.

https://aish.com/concise-guide-to-the-high-holidays-9-short-insights/?src=ac
Concise Guide to the High Holidays: 9 Short Insights
Rosh Hashanah’s 4-Step Game Plan

THE SHOFAR

Three Meditations When Hearing the Shofar

THE SHOFAR

The Meaning of the Shofar
Not sure how to wrap your head around the High Holidays? Check out these insights, meditations, and tools to help you maximize this auspicious time.

It's the Jewish new year, which starts with the High Holidays—Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur—or what some call "the Days of Awe." Sounds boring? It shouldn't be. Put your emphasis on awesome as opposed to awful.

1. What Is a Shofar and What Does It Have to Do with Rosh Hashanah?
A shofar is a trumpet-like instrument that’s made by hollowing out, polishing, and shaping the horn of a ram. It’s blown on Rosh Hashanah, which is the first day of the Jewish year, and serves as a type of spiritual alarm clock. It reminds you that a new year is a new beginning, and that you need to wake up and think about your mission and purpose in life.

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Three Meditations When Hearing the Shofar
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It also references the Torah reading that’s read in synagogues on Rosh Hashanah, which tells the story of the binding of Isaac. In that story, God told Abraham to offer up his son, Isaac, but at the last minute had him substitute a ram in his place. Abraham was willing to sacrifice his future for an ideal. Are you? And isn’t that something worth thinking about on the first day of the year?

2. Why Dip an Apple in Honey?
Dipping an apple in honey is a symbolic way of starting the year off on the right foot, and saying that this new year should be a sweet one.

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But there’s a deeper reason, too.
The Biblical book, the Song of Songs, compares the Jewish people to apples: “Just like the apple is rare amongst the trees of the forest, so too is my beloved, Israel, rare amongst the maidens, or nations, of the world.” Being Jewish is special. Don’t take that for granted.

And honey—as in date honey, or silan—is descriptive of the abundance of the land of Israel, which the Torah calls “the land of milk and honey.”

In other words, dipping an apple in honey is more than just a fun mnemonic device, it’s a simple way for you—no matter where you live or what language you speak—to spend a minute thinking about your unique Jewish identity and ancestral homeland.

3. Rosh Hashanah Is a Tool. Here’s How to Use It.
The first day of the year is an opportunity for introspection and growth. Ask yourself these five questions to get in the zone:

What am I living for?
If I only had one year to live, what would I make sure to do?
If fear was no issue, what goal would I set out to accomplish?
What practical steps can I take to lead a healthier life?
What project or goal, if left undone, will I regret most not having accomplished next Rosh Hashanah?
At first glance, these questions are painfully simple, but try thinking about them anyway. It doesn’t take long to see that your aspirations and dreams are probably not in sync with your day-to-day. Rosh Hashanah is an opportunity to think about how you are going to change that.

4. If You’re Going to Synagogue On Rosh Hashanah—Or Even If You Aren’t—Think About These Three Things
The Rosh Hashanah prayer service is built around three themes: big picture clarity, accountability, and personal responsibility

Big Picture Clarity: called “Kingship,” this is a meditation on ethical monotheism (the idea that makes Judaism Jewish). Jews believe in one, omnipotent God, who created the world for your pleasure and benefit. The Torah—which translates as “instructions” in English—is your tool to enjoy it.
Accountability: called “remembrance,” your focus should be on what God remembers (which, obviously, is everything). Take stock of your failures and successes, and figure out what adjustments you need to make for the upcoming year.
Personal Responsibility: called “shofar,” your job is to internalize the message of listening to the shofar: wake up, get real, and put your plan into action.
5. How The High Holidays Foster Positive Mental Health
The High Holidays are a time for reflection, gaining perspective, taking responsibility, and committing to do better. They’re also an opportunity to gain self-awareness, to focus on spirituality, and to think about your interactions with other people.

This type of introspection is good for your mental health, as it helps you:
Clear your mind
Reduce stress
Increase feelings of optimism and hope
Strengthens relationships
The High Holidays are also experienced communally—whether you're going to synagogue, sharing meals with family and friends, or both—which creates a sense of belonging, social connection, community, and support.

6. Don't Say "Sin," Say “Mistake”
A major part of the Yom Kippur service is reading an exhaustive list of transgressions that starts, “For the sin…”

Although that translation isn’t accurate.

The better translation is, “For the mistake…”

The Hebrew word, Het (חטא), means “to miss the mark,” or “to be off,” or in other words, “a mistake.” Mistakes are manageable. You learn from mistakes. You don’t learn from sin, which implies a moral failing, or a rebellion against God.

You blew it. Figure out where you went wrong, make amends, and move on. Don’t wallow in the negativity or impotence of being a sinner.

7. Don’t Wear Shoes on Yom Kippur
In addition to fasting, you’re also not supposed to wear leather shoes on Yom Kippur. But there's a deep reason for that.

Mystically speaking, the shoe has the same relationship to the foot as the body does to the soul. Without shoes, your feet have nowhere to go, and without a body, your soul cannot connect to the physical world.

Stepping out of your shoes is, symbolically, like stepping out of your body. It's as if you're literally striving for transcendence.

In the Torah (in the book of Exodus), when Moses stumbles upon the burning bush, the very first thing God says is, "Take off your shoes,” because true spirituality is impossible without first quieting the desires and needs of the body.

That’s what you’re trying to do on Yom Kippur, too, and not wearing shoes—in addition to fasting and prayer—are powerful tools to help stay focused on the power of the day.

8. Make a Plan for Growth
A resolution isn’t a wish. Do these five things to transform your next year:

Set Goals: a clear target propels you to reach it
Take Responsibility: no one else can do the work on your behalf
Get Clarity: you can’t change if you’re not sure what you want to achieve
Take An Accounting: review your goals, check your plan, measure your progress, and adjust
Strategize: develop an approach to meet your challenges and to reach your goals
9. The High Holidays Start and End with a Shofar
At the very end of Yom Kippur, after a full day of fasting and prayer, someone blows a shofar, and that signifies the end of the day (and that it’s time to eat).

On a simple level, the shofar blast is a kind of celebration, indicating that you've hopefully internalized the lessons of the day, and that you're committed to living a more realized, better version of you.

But on a deeper level, it signifies that you are forgiven. The day is over and God forgives you. But that’s the easy part. The hard part is forgiving yourself. Listening to the shofar is a final reminder to let go of your mistakes and to accept yourself, warts and all.

The Dubious Link Between Education and Antisemitism
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by Jeff Jacoby
September 12, 2023
What kind of person considers Jews "the central enemies of Western civilization"? What sort of individual spreads caricatures of leering, hook-nosed Jews or claims that Jewish Germans used their influence to introduce "sexual perversions of all sorts," including "sadism, masochism, lots of homosexuality"?

It likely wouldn't surprise you to be told that those grotesque and hateful slurs, which attracted attention recently in the British press, were spewed by a knuckle-dragging boor who never got past grade school. In fact, they are the words of Boštjan Zupančič, who for 17 years was a judge on the European Court of Human Rights. Until recently, Zupančič had a sterling record as a legal scholar and a protector of human rights. He earned degrees from Harvard, lectured at colleges around the world, and published extensively in multiple languages. He even wrote poetry.
Aish
The Dubious Link Between Education and Antisemitism
He is also, it transpires, a raging antisemite. Zupančič has spread numerous smears about Jews, of which the examples quoted above are merely a selection.
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