Celebrating Fifty 50 Years in Israel, Part 2

Yes, I was pregnant that first year in Israel, and before the
year was up, we became parents.

Many of you have been asking for more of my stories about our early days in Israel, fifty 50 years ago. So here goes...

If you've walked to the Kotel from Jaffa Gate, or reverse direction, by following the inside of the city walls, you'll recognize where I'm standing.

Living in the Old City of Jerusalem, which wasn't referred to as the Rova Yehudi, Jewish Quarter, in those days was thrilling. It was both a tourist site and building site.

Some days we'd open the door of  our home the Maon Betar, corner of Rechov Plugat Hakotel and Rechov Hayehudim and discover it blocked off by swarms of tourists. Once some tourists got all excited to see us, because they were friends of my parents and had promised to look for us.

Another day, when I was already close to my due date with our first child, I discovered that the pathway had been dug up, and it was a deep drop to the planks of wood that had replaced it. I closed the door and turned around. That was the end of my shopping, or I had thought. One of the guys living in Maon Betar insisted it was safe and helped me down. Later that day when he stepped down, the wooden plank broke. I'm so grateful I hadn't fallen; I would have needed the Emergency Room.

The photo on the left is from a few weeks after we had docked. If you look carefully you'll notice that my jaw is a bit swollen. No I wasn't hit.

About half way through our voyage to Israel, I began feeling what I suspected was an impacted wisdom tooth. I was in terrible pain. Our table mates in the dining area gave me a bottle of strong booze and instructed me in simple pain control. I'd dampen some cotton with the booze and keep it where the pain was. It got me through the rest of the boat ride.

Soon after we docked, we began inquiring about top notch dental care. While today's Israeli dentists are on a high level, fifty years ago, the situation wasn't as good, to put it mildly. A friend possibly Emanuel "Adam" Hanegbi, the father of Tzachi Hanegbi ,or David Federman, the father of Noam Federman, recommended that I go to Hadassa Hospital in Ein Kerem which had a dental clinic considered the most modern in the country.  They agreed with my guess; it was an impacted wisdom tooth. That's where I had it operated on. When the surgery was over, I was told to keep ice on my jaw. The only problem was that I didn't have any ice. So when we got off the bus we asked for some in a restaurant. And when we got back to the Old City, we got more from our neighbor Rabbi Moshe Tzvi Segal.

These two photos are from our first Chanuka. The guys in the Maon Betar took the mitzvah of pirsum haness, publicizing the miracle very seriously. With the help of cans and kerosene thy lit up an "impromptu" Chanukiya (menorah) using the rooftop domes of our building.

Further installments will get harder, because I don't have too many photographs.

I'd love to hear your reactions to these stories.

What Really is The Light of Chanukah?

One of the big misconceptions about the lights on the chanukiya, Chanukah Menorah is that they are to compensate for the shortness of winter days.

True, the Chanuka holiday occurs when daylight is shortest, and here in the Holy-Land it may rain, though very rarely snow. But we are forbidden to use the light for anything practical. It is not supposed to be the light for the room, or the street, or for reading, cooking or anything else one needs light.

The light of the chanukiya, Chanukah Menorah is to publicize the miracles that Gd performs for us, even more often than we may notice. Yes, specifically, on Chanukah, we celebrate the fact that time and time again, Gd is on our side. When the odds and the experts say that we're about to be defeated, such as when the powerful Ancient Greeks invaded our Holy land and forbade us to observe Judaism, we defeated them and returned Jewish worship to the Holy Temple.

Over the millennia, this has happened time and time, again.  Also, please remember that the Modern Greeks aren't ruling and occupying the Holy Land any more. None of our ancient enemies exist today. They may have won many battles, but we, with the help of Gd, the One True Gd, have won the war.

עם ישראל חי

Am Yisrael Chai

The People of Israel Live

That is what the lights of the chanukiya, Chanukah Menorah shine and broadcast to the world.

Where do You Light Your Chanukiya, Chanuka Menorah?

The light of our Chanukiya, Chanuka Menorah, is supposed to be a sign to the world that we, the small Jewish People, cannot be defeated by big, strong armies. It's not supposed to be a light that physically illuminates. The Light of the Chanukiya, Chanuka Menorah is not to be used for any practical purpose, like reading or navigating and certainly not to light up a room.

We've always set up our chanukiyot on window sills facing the main street. Since our custom has always been that everyone old enough to have some understanding of the mitzvah should light their very own chanukiya, there have been years when both our meter plus window sills were full of chanukiyot.

Nowadays, there are rarely more than just the two of us rattling around this empty nest. Our big family Chanuka celebrations are generally at the kids.

Many of our neighbors light their chanukiyot outside, by their doors or right on the sidewalk. The mitzvah of פרסום הנס pirsum haness, publicizing the miracle, is taken very seriously.

What are your family and community chanukiya-lighting customs?

The Fast of the Tenth of Tevet

Today is a fast day on the Jewish Calendar, the 10th of Tevet. The eight day Chanukah holiday ended just a week ago. Chanukah celebrates the impossible sounding miracle of a small group of Jews fighting the mighty Greeks, a fight for the possession of our Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

We finish Chanukah with a fully lit Chanukiya burning brightly feeling rather invincible. I grew up in a rather non-observant Jewish home. Even in my Conservative Hebrew School, I don't remember hearing about a fast day after Chanukah.

If anything, the power felt from Chanukah took us all the way to Purim.

That's really a mistaken notion. I remember my shock the first time I read that the heroes of the Chanukah story, the Maccabees, the Hasmonean Dynasty ruled a very short time. Jewish History isn't a simplistic fairy tale. After the pure olive oil stayed lit for the full eight days, while more oil was readied, the Jewish People didn't live happily ever after...

Even in modern times, our great victories in 1948, 1967 and 1973 haven't guaranteed us lasting peace. We must keep our enemies far away from us. Our existence as an independent country and Jewish People is a constant battle.

The Fast of the Tenth of Tevet is unknown by many Jews but Chazal, our Sages don't consider the Tenth of Tevet to be minor, or unimportant:

The Tenth of Tevet marks the onset of the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylonia, and the beginning of the battle that ultimately destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon, and sent the Jews into the 70-year Babylonian Exile. The date of the Tenth of Tevet is recorded for us by the prophet Yechezkel, who himself was already in Babylonia as part of the first group of Jews exiled there by Nebuchadnezzar, 11 years earlier than the actual destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem itself. aish.com

Judaism pays attention to the first stages of our tragedies, not just the dramatic endings. We must always be on the alert to stay safe and preserve our independence and freedom.  We don't want to be conquered and exiled yet again...

Real Miracle of Chanukah

Dry Bones is super brilliant, especially here:

Bones explains Jewish History and resilience in a nutshell.

This perfectly illustrates what I've said many times about my feelings when listening to Megilat Ester, the Scroll of Esther, which in Shiloh is read four times over our two day Purim.  Megilat Ester, the Scroll of Esther was written about events that took place well over two thousand, close to 2,500 years ago, hundreds of years before those of Chanukah.

Scroll of Esther, Chapter 9

20And Mordecai inscribed these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far,		כוַיִּכְתֹּ֣ב מָרְדֳּכַ֔י אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֖ים הָאֵ֑לֶּה וַיִּשְׁלַ֨ח סְפָרִ֜ים אֶל־כָּל־הַיְּהוּדִ֗ים אֲשֶׁר֙ בְּכָל־מְדִינוֹת֙ הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵר֔וֹשׁ הַקְּרוֹבִ֖ים וְהָֽרְחוֹקִֽים:
21to enjoin them to make the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and the fifteenth day thereof, every year,		כאלְקַיֵּם֘ עֲלֵיהֶם֒ לִֽהְי֣וֹת עֹשִׂ֗ים אֵ֠ת י֣וֹם אַרְבָּעָ֤ה עָשָׂר֙ לְחֹ֣דֶשׁ אֲדָ֔ר וְאֵ֛ת יֽוֹם־חֲמִשָּׁ֥ה עָשָׂ֖ר בּ֑וֹ בְּכָל־שָׁנָ֖ה וְשָׁנָֽה:
22as the days when the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month that was reversed for them from grief to joy and from mourning to a festive day-to make them days of feasting and joy, and sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.		כבכַּיָּמִ֗ים אֲשֶׁר־נָ֨חוּ בָהֶ֤ם הַיְּהוּדִים֙ מֵאֹ֣יְבֵיהֶ֔ם וְהַחֹ֗דֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר֩ נֶהְפַּ֨ךְ לָהֶ֤ם מִיָּגוֹן֙ לְשִׂמְחָ֔ה וּמֵאֵ֖בֶל לְי֣וֹם ט֑וֹב לַֽעֲשׂ֣וֹת אוֹתָ֗ם יְמֵי֙ מִשְׁתֶּ֣ה וְשִׂמְחָ֔ה וּמִשְׁלֹ֤חַ מָנוֹת֙ אִ֣ישׁ לְרֵעֵ֔הוּ וּמַתָּנ֖וֹת לָֽאֶבְיֹנִֽים:
23And the Jews took upon themselves what they had commenced to do and what Mordecai had written to them.		כגוְקִבֵּל֙ הַיְּהוּדִ֔ים אֵ֥ת אֲשֶׁר־הֵחֵ֖לּוּ לַֽעֲשׂ֑וֹת וְאֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־כָּתַ֥ב מָרְדֳּכַ֖י אֲלֵיהֶֽם:

And we have been celebrating the Purim Holiday with feasts and gifts for thousands of years.

Simple reminder. Both Chanukah and Purim celebrate miracles Gd made for the Jewish People centuries before the beginnings of both Christianity and Islam. This is further proof that the only true religion is Judaism.

Chanukah Lights of Jewish Return

The main mitzvah, Commandment, of the Chanukah Holiday is Pisum haNess, Publicizing the Miracle. That is why we are commanded to place our lit chanukiyot, Chanukah Menorot in a place where people can easily see them.

That's why you'll see lit chanukiyot outside of people's homes or in their windows facing the street. And the oil, or candles, are supposed to stay lit for as long as possible, the longer the better. There is nothing discreet about Chanukah.

Chankukah is the only Jewish Holiday which isn't clearly mentioned in the Bible. Chazal, our scholars show where it's alluded to, but the story itself took place after all of the other ones, including the Purim story. Esther and Mordechai lived in the time between the First and Second Temples, while Chanukah is about the Second Temple centuries later.

There is not yet a Third Temple, though we Jewish People have begun returning to the Holy Land. And although the Chaunkah story of the Maccabees' victory over the Greeks leaves us with a very optimistic impression, their dynasty was very short-lived. And afterwards we suffered an exile of two thousand years.

Today's prominence of Jews and Israelis, especially those who aren't ashamed to publicly follow Jewish Law, whether it's in dress, insisting on Kosher food or refusing tor work on the Jewish Sabbath and Holy Days, is a very enlightening and "24/7" observance of Pisum haNess, Publicizing the Miracle. I also see the lights of Jewish communities all over the Land of Israel as Pisum haNess, Publicizing the Miracle.

As the sun goes down and the sky gets dark, lights of our return to the Holy Land burn brightly for all to see.

Shvut Rachel, east of Shiloh

May we soon, speedily in our days build the Third Temple which will bring the Moshiach and Redemption, Gd willing.

Distorting Headlines

From these outrageous and totally inaccurate headlines, you'd think that USA's Vice President Pence and the State of Israel cause all the problems here:

WorldGood Morning America4 Palestinians dead, hundreds injured in clashes ahead of Mike Pence's visit

WorldThe TelegraphMan dies after attacking Israeli troops with a knife in deadly clashes over Trump's Jerusalem decision

But the truth is very simple. It's really because of the Leftists, the journalists and the NGOs which egg on the Arabs to riot and attack Israelis. There's a very simple price to the violence. The IDF and Israeli Police have to stop them from murdering innocent Jews/Israelis.

The journalists/media love the violence, since it makes for nice eye-catching pictures and headlines. Their aim is the total destruction of the State of Israel, although then the violence will move to other countries. But they don't care.

For a very suitable Chanukah reminder... We have never had true allies, not in modern times, nor ancient times. A favorite phrase used by American leaders that they'll "stand by us" is totally useless, because all they promise to do is to "stand still" while Israel is being attacked. Then they plan on picking up the pieces and taking over. That is what Nixon and Kissinger had planned in 1973 during the Yom Kippur War. They tried to conduct it by "advising" both Israel and Egypt simultaneously. American troops had been waiting on standby in Europe for weeks/months ready to move in. We don't need "friends" like that. Only when Arik Sharon took over the southern front and ignored American instructions did Israel defeat Egypt and end the war.

Chanukah is a reminder that a small Israel only needs Gd as an ally.

Chag Urim SameachMay We have an Enlightened Holiday 

Chanukah in The Dark

Chanukah starts during the last days of the winter lunar Jewish month of Kislev. Days are short and the sky grows darker, as less of the moon can be seen. Simultaneously we light more and more candles, but according to Jewish Law, it is forbidden to use the light of the candles. They are only to "publicize the miracle" of Chanukah.



What's the miracle?



What is the true miracle? Is it really about some oil?

In the earliest of the writings about the history of the time and about the holiday of Chanukah, nothing was said about oil.

The true miracle was that there were Jews willing to fight, even as the situation got darker. Yes, just like the sky gets darker during Chanuka. We light more and more oil/candles, but we can't use the light.

The suddenly, the moon shows some light. It's Rosh Chodesh Tevet. Gd brings back the light, because we fought for Jewish Rights, Jewish Religion. We were smaller and weaker, but when we fought the Greeks, our enemies, then Gd joined us and suddenly we were strong. We won! Yes, a miracle:

...על הניסים

No Peace Possible Without Third Temple in Jerusalem

Here we are midway through the eight 8 day Jewish Holiday of Chanukah. Last night we lit the 3rd candle, and tonight before Shabbat we light the fourth.

Jerusalem is the very heart of the Jewish Nation, People, Religion and Land, and this has been for thousands of years. And to repeat something very crucial, the Jewish religion, People, Nation etcetera have existed thousands of years before the advent/invention of Christianity, Islam, the USA and the United Nations.

We celebrate Chanukah because it commemorates the Jewish victory over the Ancients Greeks, who no longer exist. They tried to exterminate, defeat us, and they failed. What appeared to be mighty was actually weak. This template has repeated many times in Jewish History.

When the "experts" think we're down, we rise again. Here we are in the Modern State of Israel defying the Arab armies and their many supporters. Two thousand years of exile, and we are stronger than ever, bli eyin haraa.

It really doesn't matter what the world thinks of the Jewish and Israeli rights to Jerusalem. The last and possibly only time Jewish sovereignty in Jerusalem was after King Solomon built the very first Holy Temple. And maybe only when we build the Third Temple will we again get the acceptance that will bring the Moshiach. That's how it seems to me. We shouldn't fear. It's time for a Nachshon, the brave fleeing Jewish slave, who stepped into the water and caused Gd to make a dry passageway to facilitate the Exodus from Egypt.

Gd willing, speedily in our days....

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Urim Sameach

Chanukah's Eternal Message

7th night of Chanukah a few years ago

There is a very simple basic message in the Chanukah Holiday.  It is that not only doesn't might make right, but sometimes the smaller and seemingly weaker opponent wins.

Jewish History is full of such examples. We were never one of the large nations or empires throughout the thousands of years of our history, but although today the Jewish Nation thrives, none of our ancient enemies still exist.

The Ancient Greeks of the Chanukah Story had once ben an enormous mighty empire which spread a lot further than their small Mediterranean islands. They even managed to conquer the Holy Land and tried to ban Jewish worship, putting their idols on the Temple Mount and destroy the Holy Jewish Temple and defile the pure oil required for Jewish worship there. Many of the Jews of the time thought it wiser to align with the invaders; they were called Hellenists.

A small band of Jews stayed true to Judaism and Gd. The Maccabees fought the Greeks, even though the Greeks had more forces and weapons. Gd performed a miracle for them. They were able to not only return to what was left of the Holy Temple, but the brave Gd fearing Maccabees even found one small vial of pure olive oil, just a day's worth. And that oil miraculously lasted eight days, until new oil could be gotten.

The Maccabean reign/dynasty didn't last all that long, due to sins of the people. Within a relatively short time, the Jewish People were exiled, and that exile lasted two thousand years. Many times it looked like the Jewish People were dying out, as had happened to all of the other ancient peoples and religions.

Instead of the Jewish People becoming extinct, in the 19th Century, as modern nationalism was sweeping Europe, and new countries were emerging, the Jewish People awakened from its national slumber. Zionism was coined to give a modern name to the eternal yearnings of the Jewish People for Zion, for the Land of Israel. Subsequently, not only did Jews come from all over the world as a pilgrimage to the Holy Land or to die and be buried there, but Jews began to arrive with plans and training to bring the Land back to life. Ancient cities were repopulated; farms and towns were built. And the necessary defensive groups, too, were established because of constant Arab terrorism.

Then after World War Two, after the Holocaust and the murder of six million Jews the time had come to declare independence, statehood for the Jewish State, the State of Israel. Despite our enemies and dire predictions of international media and leaders, the State of Israel thrives, thank Gd!

Lots of Reasons to Pray

There's so much to pray for. Besides all of the personal issues, which no doubt each and everyone can list, the Land of Israel is suffering serious serial drought. We haven't had a full winter's rain for a long time. It used to be that days on end the sun was hidden by rain clouds and generous storms. But in recent years the rains started later, end earlier and are much skimpier.

Cyclamen rakefet רקפת

It's just a week to the Jewish Month of Tevet, and we're using hoses and rinse water in the gardens. Rains are barely once a week and very weak. The ground still looks brown and dry, instead of natural lush green carpets. It's a rare and anorexic Cyclamen, rakefet רקפת that peeks out of the earth.

No matter what Israeli policies, the world hates us and does its best to weaken us. The Arab terrorists attack regardless of who's in power here. So, don't blame Bibi. When Rabin and Peres made policy things were much, much worse.

One of the most moving stories of how Gd hears our prayers is the story of Chana (Hannah) who prayed for a son, whom she promised to Gd to lead the Jewish People out of the anarchy of the time of Shoftim, Judges. She came to Shiloh to pray in the Mishkan, Tabernacle. Since Gd's presence never left Shiloh, and Rosh Chodesh, the beginning of the Jewish Month, is traditionally known as a holiday for women, I've been inviting women to Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh, to pray together where Chana did three thousand years ago. So, make your plans to join us. For more details, please email me.

Women's Prayers at Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh
Rosh Chodesh Tevet 5778
Monday, December 18, 2017
30th of Kislev, 5778, 8:30am
Hallel and Musaf for Rosh Chodesh
Tour of Tel Shiloh
Dvar Torah, Short Torah Lesson
Please come and invite family, friends and neighbors.

תפילת נשים ראש חודש טבת בשילה הקדומה, תל שילה

יום ב' 18-12-2017

ל' כסלו, תשע"ח 8:30

הלל ומוסף לראש חודש

יהיה דבר תורה קצר וסיור בתל

כדאי לבוא ולהזמין חברות, משפחה ושכנות

Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh, is a beautiful archeological park, and it's open six days a week, Sunday-Friday. There will be special activities for the entire family during Chanukah, which you may enjoy. For more information, either check its facebook page or contact visit@telshilo.org.il.

בתכנית:
- משחק חפש את הנר מיוחד לחנוכה
- סיורים מודרכים הכוללים ביקור במיצג מגדל הרואה, מערכת מערות מסתור, תצפית על קרבות החשמונאים וביקור במוזיאון.
- מלא סדנאות ומשחקים! רפאות כדים, ספינר סביבון, נר חשמונאי קדום ומתחם משחקי ענק
- אפיית פיתות על הסאג' וטעימות שמן זית

עלות כרטיס: 39 ש"ח לאדם מגיל 3
ימים שני-רביעי, ל' כסלו- ב' טבת, 20-22/12, בין השעות 9:00-16:00

פרטים והזמנות כאן:
www.a-shiloh.co.il/2425

GUEST POST: SEVEN TIMES STRONGER

SEVEN TIMES STRONGER
a guest post by Mr. Cohen -- about American anti-Semitism during the Holocaust
 
Popular concern for Europe’s Jews could not develop without wide-spread knowledge of what was happening to them.  But the information gap, though extremely important, was not the only limiting factor.

Strong currents of anti-Semitism and nativism in American society also diminished the possibilities for a sympathetic response. A quieter, more prevalent prejudice, a “passive anti-Semitism,” was another major barrier to the growth of concern. 

It was reflected in opinion surveys taken by the [USA] Office of War Information.

 

They showed that the impact of atrocity information on the average American was 

SEVEN TIMES STRONGER when it involved atrocities-in-general, than when
it referred specifically to atrocities against Jews.

SOURCE: The Abandonment of the Jews: America and the Holocaust 1941-1945

(chapter 16, page 327) by David S. Wyman, year 1984, Pantheon Books, New York,
ISBN: 9780394428130, 0394428137, 9780394740775, 0394740777.
____________________________________________________________
PLEASE help the battle against
internet anti-Semitism by
making a PayPal donation to:
FourCupsOfWine@gmail.com.
THANK YOU!!
____________________________________________________________
OTHER BLOG POSTS BY MR. COHEN:

Ancient Roman historians connected Jews with the Land of Israel and Jerusalem:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/02/guest-post-josephus-vs-muslim-liars.html
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/05/guest-post-cornelius-tacticus.html

Rambam Rejected Childless Messiah:

http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/08/rambam-rejected-childless-messiah-by-mr.html

Forgotten Muslim Oppression against Jews:

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/01/guest-post-forgotten-oppression.html

Why Muslims Hate Jews:

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/12/guest-post-why-muslims-hate-jews.html
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/01/guest-post-moynihan-1982.html

Quick Bible Quotes from Joshua and Jeremiah:

http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/11/guest-post-joshua-chapter-23-verse-12.html
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/12/guest-post-jeremiah-chapter-17.html

How a Reform Rabbi Became Orthodox (true story):
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/07/how-did-reform-rabbi-become-orthodox-jew.html

Sephardic Jews Reject Reform Judaism:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/07/sephardim-reject-reform.html
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/08/guest-post-persian-rabbis-decree.html

Greek NYC Jews and Syrian NYC Jews:
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/03/greek-jews-syrian-jews.html

How to Convict the New York Times of Unfair Bias Against Israel:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/11/guest-post-how-to-convict-new-york-times.html
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/11/guest-post-nyt-erases-israel-from-map.html
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/03/guest-postnyt-vs-israel.html

Why Israel’s 1967 Borders are Undefendable:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/03/guest-post-why-1967-borders-are-suicide.html 
 

Chanukah, The Real Story, Then and Now

Chanukah is Not The "Jewish Christmas"

Celebrating the 8th Night of Chanukah

The simple fact that the Jewish Holiday of Chanukah and the Christian holiday of Christmas come in the same season get people very mixed up. There is no theological nor historic connection between the two. Nowadays it has become customary to give gifts on both of the holidays, so stores market to both Jews and Christians, and that's it.

The Jewish Holiday of Chanukah celebrates a victory over the Greeks who had not only invaded and occupied the Jewish Historical Land, but they did everything they could to prevent the Jewish People from observing the Jewish Religion.



In modern terminology, the Greek "policy" should be considered immoral and against human, civil and religious rights, but in the shadow of the recent United Nations Security Council Resolution and the outrageous and notorious speech by lame duck Obama's lame duck Secretary of State Kerry, and remembering how the "free world" ignored the Nazi Holocaust against European Jewry...

The Story of Chanukah, which happened only a century or two before the beginning of Christianity, is beginning to sound rather modern.

In the second century BCE, the Holy Land was ruled by the Seleucids (Syrian-Greeks), who tried to force the people of Israel to accept Greek culture and beliefs instead of mitzvah observance and belief in G‑d. Against all odds, a small band of faithful Jews, led by Judah the Maccabee, defeated one of the mightiest armies on earth, drove the Greeks from the land, reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and rededicated it to the service of G‑d. (Chabad)

Few Jews fought the Greeks, because many were assimilated. The Maccabees had no allies, no help. It was a miracle that the small band of fighters defeated the mighty Greeks. When things looked black, Gd came in and lit the world. This is so much like the 1967 Six Days War, when small, weak Israel with indefensible borders, was threatened with, destruction, and the United Nations quickly followed Egypt's demands and took away their peacekeeping forces. Then the world patiently watched, expecting the Arab armies to destroy Israel. Jews all over the world prayed for Israel's survival--a victory, and Gd made a miracle.

Yes, those wars were very similar, from the Jewish isolation to the illogical and inexplicable military victory.

There's one big difference. The Maccabees rushed to the Holy Temple and consecrated it as quickly as they possibly could. They recognized that their victory was due to Gd Almighty and not any human prowess. Here in Israel, June 1967, as soon as the proverbial dust began to settle after the State of Israel's great miraculous victory the government, instead of inviting the Jewish Nation to ascend Har Habayit, the Temple Mount and pray together to Gd to thank Him, gave the key back to the Muslims and then thanked the IDF for the victory.

That is why the United Nations, the United States, the European Union etcetera keep insisting that we must give the fruits of that miraculous 1967 victory, including Jerusalem, to the Arab terrorists for a state they want to call Palestine, sic.

Going back to the Chanukah story, the rule of the Maccabees didn't last very long, which is why the Romans ended up here and Christianity began... So, it seems we're still fighting the same war. Gd keeps giving us chances. And now I hope that Prime Minister Netanyahu has gotten sufficiently angry and disgusted enough to recognize that his trying to be a reasonable "Centrist" isn't working. We need a zealot who only tries to please Gd.

Gd willing, speedily in our time...

Chag Urim Sameach

May You Have an Enlightened Chanukah

Chanukah Question- Suggestions Welcome

On Friday, before Shabbat, we had no problem getting our Chanukiyot aka Chanuka Menoras all prepared for lighting just after Shabbat and Havdalah.

While I was busy with last minute things in the kitchen, I asked my husband to set it all up. He likes to light candles, while I prefer oil.

And it was nice to be able to light immediately with everything waiting and ready, yes, even the ceremonial blessings and songs. And one is supposed to light immediately after Shabbat and not waste time.

Next week will be more difficult, since we will be lighting for day #7 before Shabbat. So how can we be prepared for the last night of Chanukah with a full chanukiya?

Do you have any ideas?

Honestly, Blame Israeli Policy for UN Resolution

Here in Israel and for many of our supporters all over the world there's great anger and disappointment about the recent and rushed United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israel for the "settlements" which includes all the Land liberated in the 1967 Six Days War INCLUDING JERUSALEM.

Most people when confronting something they aren't personally involved with see it all, understand it, in basic simplistic black and white. They just can't comprehend the nuances, especially the very strange ones that successive Israeli governments and Jewish groups all over the world see.

Wikipedia

First of all, let's make it clear that the 1967 Six Days War the State of Israel battled three armies and the Iraqi Air Force not only without any allies, but severely restricted in its arms purchases because of the anti-Israel policies of many countries. It was very clear to those of us old enough to understand what was happening, that the rest of the world really wouldn't have cared if we had been defeated and washed into the sea, which was predicted/threatened by Egypt's Nasser. And please don't forget that the United Nations fully cooperated with Nasser and removed its peacekeeping forces, which were supposed to prevent a war.

Thank the Good Lord that we had one ally, Gd Almighty, who took charge, and the State of Israel defeated its enemies and within six days was suddenly a large country with easily defensible natural borders.

Defensible Borders

West Point

Israel had been geographically and militarily vulnerable when the War for Independence ended in 1949. It was clear that at some point, pretty soon, our enemies would attack in order to wipe us off the map.

So, when the proverbial dust settled in June, 1967, after the war, any normal country would have immediately annexed and declared sovereignty over every single millimeter of the land liberated and make it clear to the aggressors and the world that we would be considering all that land ours and no different from Tel Aviv. But instead, every single government since then has made all sorts of incomprehensible distinctions between the areas we held. That's how Menachem Begin blithely gave the Sinai to Egypt and in the process unprecedentedly destroyed Jewish communities and agreed for it to be Judenrein.

Even though all Israeli Governments since the 1967 ceasefire insist that East Jerusalem, including the Kotel, Western Wall, the Golan Heights and a few other locations remain under Israeli control, the world in general does not understand, nor accept all of these distinctions. For them it's all or nothing, and that is why even countries that Israel naively considers as allies had no problem voting for that Security Council resolution.

All I can say is that it's never too late, and now's the time for a total change in Israeli policy. The only thing that can save us is our annexing and declaring full Israeli Sovereignty over what we still hold. And, yes, we will have to cease our support and recognition of the P.A. Palestinian Authority.

It must be done. We have no choice if we want to survive, and Gd will only step in to save us if we do it.

Now we are celebrating Chanukah, the perfect time to rid ourselves of the modern Greeks and Hellenists in our midst. We must fight like the Maccabees of Old! And, yes, Gd willing with the Help of Gd we will be victorious. 

guest post: CHRISTIANS WHO CONVERTED TO ORTHODOX JUDAISM

CHRISTIANS WHO CONVERTED TO ORTHODOX JUDAISM
(a guest post by Mr. Cohen)
==================================================
AVROHOM BEN AVROHOM is the biography of Graf Valentin Pototcki,
a European nobleman who converted to Judaism in the early 1700s.

SO STRANGE MY PATH by A. Carmel is the biography of Father Kenneth Cox,
a Catholic priest who converted to Orthodox Judaism in 1953.

ORDAINED TO BE A JEW is the autobiography of John David Scalamonti,
who was a Catholic priest for 5 years before he converted to Orthodox Judaism in 1972. 

ESCAPE FROM JESUS is the autobiography of Shlomoh Sherman,
a "Jewish Christian" rejected Jesus and accepted Judaism, published
by Decalogue Books in 1983.

MY SISTER THE JEW is the autobiography of Delores Grey,
who was a Christian minister before she converted to Orthodox Judaism. 

PLAYING WITH FIRE is the autobiography of Tova Mordechai,
who became a Christian minister at age 25, before she became an Orthodox Jew.

Aharon Calderon, a former Benedictine monk born in 1970,
converted to Orthodox Judaism in 1998.  He said:
“The GYD of Israel is a GYD of love who accepts all mankind.”

SOURCE: Hamodia Magazine section, 05/31/2006, pages 12 and 21,
article by Michael Fruend, entitled: From Monastery to Meah Shearim.

Asher Wade, a former Methodist minister, converted to Orthodox Judaism
in May 1983.  His web site is: www.AsherWade.com.

Penina Taylor quit Christianity and accepted Orthodox Judaism:
www.PeninaTaylor.com

Why a Christian Minister Chose Judaism -- Yehuda Tebbitt
a "Born Again" Christian who was born again as a Jew: 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyqPKvveUBs

NOTE: This list of converts to Orthodox Judaism is very far from complete,
and some of the books mentioned above have been out-of-print for decades. 
Sorry about that.
_______________________________________________

Please also read: If Daniel Were Alive Today:

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2018/03/if-daniel-were-alive-today.html

Please also read: If Isaiah Were Alive Today:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2018/03/if-isaiah-were-alive-today.html

Please also read: If Ezekiel Were Alive Today:

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2018/03/if-ezekiel-were-alive-today.html

Please also read: If Jeremiah Were Alive Today:

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2018/03/if-jeremiah-were-alive-today.html

Please also read: If Ezra Were Alive Today:

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2018/03/if-ezra-were-alive-today.html

Please also read: If Nehemiah Were Alive Today:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2018/04/if-nehemiah-were-alive-today.html

Please also read: Refuting the Fans of Vashti:

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2018/02/refuting-fans-of-vashti.html
_______________________________________________
PLEASE help by making a PayPal donation to:
FourCupsOfWine@gmail.com  YTHANK YOU!!
______________________________________________
 

OTHER BLOG POSTS BY MR. COHEN:
Quick Bible Quotes from Joshua and Jeremiah:

http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/11/guest-post-joshua-chapter-23-verse-12.html
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/12/guest-post-jeremiah-chapter-17.html

Ancient Roman historians connected Jews with the Land of Israel and Jerusalem:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/02/guest-post-josephus-vs-muslim-liars.html
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/05/guest-post-cornelius-tacticus.html

Rambam Rejected Childless Messiah:

http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/08/rambam-rejected-childless-messiah-by-mr.html

Why Muslims Hate Jews:

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/12/guest-post-why-muslims-hate-jews.html
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/01/guest-post-moynihan-1982.html

Forgotten Muslim Oppression against Jews:

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/01/guest-post-forgotten-oppression.html

Seven Times Stronger

(a quick quote about American anti-Semitism during the Holocaust):
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/01/guest-post-seven-times-stronger.html
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/01/guest-post-jewish-nyc-mayor.html

How a Reform Rabbi Become Orthodox (true story):
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/07/how-did-reform-rabbi-become-orthodox-jew.html
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/05/guest-post-real-judaism.html

Sephardic Jews Reject Reform Judaism:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/07/sephardim-reject-reform.html

Greek NYC Jews and Syrian NYC Jews:
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/03/greek-jews-syrian-jews.html

How to Convict the New York Times:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/11/guest-post-how-to-convict-new-york-times.html
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/11/guest-post-nyt-erases-israel-from-map.html
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/03/guest-postnyt-vs-israel.html

Why Pray for Tzahal-IDF:
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/04/guest-post-why-pray-for-idf.html

How to Pray for Tzahal-IDF:

http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/how-to-pray-for-tzahal-idf.html

Why Israel’s 1967 Borders are Undefendable:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/03/guest-post-why-1967-borders-are-suicide.html