My Story on Beit Hatfutsot, Diaspora Museum Site

As part of the Senior Citizen program in the Ofra Girls High School, I told "my story" to the "harav dori," multi-generation site of The Museum of the Jewish People, Beit Hatfutsot, formerly called The Diaspora Museum.

ממחול בניו יורק לתפילה בתל שילה From Dancing in New York to Praying in Tel Shiloh

It's in Hebrew, as you can see if you click above. I know that they also have an English version of the site, and I have to find out how to redo my story in English.

There are two basic aims to this oral history program. Besides having the stories of thousands of Jews from all over the world on their site, the museum also wanted the younger generation to hear about the lives of us older ones. That's why we were matched up with high school students, who asked us questions and typed up the stories on the computer.

Since our program began last fall, we've participated in many activities in which we "veteran Israelis" got to tell the teens about ourselves. I went from feeling that I had either no story worth telling or too many to choose from. This isn't meant to be a full biography, just one small but important aspect of my life.

When I found a couple of pictures of my marching/dancing, while holding an Israeli flag, at the 1970 Salute to Israel Parade in New York, it seemed like the perfect example of my "old life" to contrast with my present one. In the mid-late 1960s I was one of the prominent Jewish student "activists" in New York, SSSJ, NCSY, Betar and more. Today we live in Shiloh, and over a decade ago I initiated women's Rosh Chodesh Prayers at Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh.

Yesterday, as part of the program with The Museum of the Jewish People, Beit Hatfutsot, we went to the museum for a special tour. I hadn't been there since it had first opened forty years ago. They've changed it so much, not just the name.

To continue to build our connection with the students, we were told to walk around various exhibits with them and choose the items that we both felt connected to. By doing this we shared experiences and backgrounds. The students are the ages of our grandchildren, so they know very little about us. It was a very interesting exercise.

I definitely recommend visiting The Museum of the Jewish People, Beit Hatfutsot, and hope to go again, soon.

I couldn't resist a selfie next to this photo of olim chadashim, new immigrants leaving a ship, since we, too, made aliyah by boat, though about fifteen 15 years after this photo was taken.

History Lesson: Thanks, President Ruby Rivlin

I'm not the only one who has been disappointed in the actions and words of Israel's President Ruby Rivlin, but yesterday he redeemed himself:

PRESIDENT RIVLIN TO FOREIGN ENVOYS: ISRAEL ‘NOT COMPENSATION FOR HOLOCAUST’
Rivlin noted that his own family came to the Land of Israel well over a century before the Holocaust and said other Jewish families were already living here long before the arrival of his own ancestors. “The State of Israel is not a colonial project, and not compensation for the Holocaust,” he declared. “The State of Israel came into being from the right of the Jewish people to self-determination in its own homeland.”

The Jewish struggle for a state, self-government isn't something modern. It didn't begin in the 20th century or even the 19th century. It began two thousand years ago as we lost our independence to foreign invaders who toppled our king, tried to ban the Jewish religion and destroyed our Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

Yes, really. That is what the Great Revolt by Simon Bar-Kosiba aka Bar-Kochba was about.

The war began as a guerrilla struggle against Rome in 132 C.E. Within a short time it had spread throughout the country, and the rebels took Jerusalem, which had not been heavily fortified by the Romans. It is possible that sacrifices were now reinstituted and that work was begun on rebuilding the sanctuary. From the coins Bar Kochba struck we know of his high priest, Eleazar, who must have taken the lead in efforts to reestablish sacrificial worship. Here we see a reflection of the ancient concept of two messiahs, a lay and a priestly figure, prominent in the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs and in certain Qumran scrolls.
We know from the documents that the country was organized into administrative districts, that taxes were collected, and that governmental operations were carried out by Bar Kochba’s supporters. Bar Kochba observed Jewish law, and it may be stated that the documents confirm the close relationship be­tween this “messiah” and tannaitic Judaism. Parenthetically, the texts also show that Hebrew was very much a living lan­guage at this time, and that, along with Aramaic and Greek, it served a large segment of the population. (read complete article by Lawrence Schiffman)

After Bar-Kochba's failure, no national leader or movement managed to inspire the Jewish People until Herzl's Political Zionism in the 19th Century.

Yes, that same defeated Jewish People were not destroyed. We survived those two thousand years, because Jewish religious leaders managed to codify Jewish Law into a "doable" lasting religion that is observed until this very day. That codified Jewish religion, based on the Bible is the key to our survival, when all of our ancient enemies are long gone.  There is no historical comparison with any other people/religion. And there is no other land-based people religion like the Jewish one.

The Jewish Calendar and Holidays are totally geared to the Land of Israel and agriculture here. The Modern Zionists of the 19th and 20th centuries embraced agriculture to celebrate this unique connection. Within a few decades, the barren wasteland began to bloom, and today Israel's agriculture and modern technological innovations have revolutionized agriculture all over the world.

The United Nations, European Union and other anti-Israel, anti-Jewish bodies will not succeed in doing what the Ancient Greeks and Romans failed to do. They will join the growing list of Jewish enemies buried in history books.

What is Really Behind Anti-Israel and Antisemitism?

I've been interviewed, spoken before all sorts of groups and have found myself being asked all sorts of questions over the years, decades.

Over forty-seven years ago, when we boarded the enormous ship that took us to Israel, I was interviewed by a television crew and asked why I was leaving my native New York to start a life in Israel. That was a pretty simple question. I answered that as a Jew I didn't feel like a "real American," so I was going to live in the Jewish country, Israel.

There's another much more difficult question I've been asked, first a number of years ago by a little American girl who had come with her family to tour Israel with their pastor. She very naively and sweetly asked why people always want to kill Jews. I didn't have a very good answer for her then.

The other day a documentary film crew came to interview me and my husband separately. I was, davka, asked the same basic question. And I think that I now have an answer that makes sense. Unfortunately, it's an answer that can't make us hopeful of an end to the antisemitism, condemnations and terrorism we Jews and Israelis suffer from.

Ironically, earlier in the interview I had stated that I wasn't going to talk theology. But in all honesty, I think that the answer to this very important question is rooted in theology, Christian and Islamic theologies. When I explain Judaism, Israel and the "conflict," I stress the importance of chronology. Judaism, the Jewish People, the Jewish Kingdoms all predate both Christianity and Islam. This must never be ignored.

• Both Christianity and Islam expected to/aimed to replace Judaism.
• Both Christianity and Islam have adopted sections of the Jewish Biblical narrative with distortions.
• Both Christianity and Islam claim to be the continuation of Judaism.
• Both Christianity and Islam want the Jewish Homeland as their own.
• Both Christianity and Islam predicted the end of the Jewish People.
• Both Christianity and Islam are a form of Identity Theft of Judaism.

The continued existence of the Jewish People, especially the return to our Historic Biblical Homeland threatens the essence of both Christianity and Islam. The establishment of the State of Israel and the miraculous wars in which we have been victorious show that the True Gd supports the Jewish People, which totally contradicts both Christian and Islamic theologies.

Besides theology, there are the philosophies/ideologies like Communism, Liberalism, Naziism etc. which had been expected to replace religion, especially Judaism. As they have failed, and Israel and the Jewish People thrive, their followers are angry with us.

Rather than saying that they have been wrong and following "false gods," everything Jewish is attacked. It's that "simple." And being that it's that simple, I don't see a solution, because those who oppose us certainly won't join us nor say that everything they believe in is a lie. Trying to destroy us us a lot easier for them. But, no doubt, they will go the way of all of our ancient, and not so ancient, enemies. They will be past history while the Jewish People and Judaism live on forever, with the Help of Gd.

Chanukah Sameach 

Chag Urim Sameach

May You have a Joyful and Enlightened Chanukah

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!

Halloween: What Type of Holiday is it Really?

I grew up in a very simple time and lovely, innocent ideal neighborhood. Bell Park Gardens, Bayside, NY, like many all over the USA, was built by some government authority for army veterans. The American decision to join the war, World War Two, was the impetus, medicine, that greatly improved the economy and ended the Great Depression.

Bell Park Gardens and surrounding when still under construction, post-WWII
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Army veterans came home and needed housing for their new and growing families, so the government built some neighborhoods, private homes, two and four-family houses, garden apartment developments and some apartment houses.

Bell Park Gardens was a utopia from my memories and those of others who grew up there in the 1950's.  That's why I could never relate to the awful stories I hear about Halloween. Most of our neighbors, probably 95%, were Jewish, so there certainly was no Christian aspects. We all dressed up in some sort of costume. In some homes it was homemade, since nobody was rich in my neighborhood. Then we would go around from house to house with a bag that would get full of simple candies from neighbors. We'd say:

"Trick or Treat?"

It was all "treats" and no "tricks."

Jews, in those days, didn't put up Christmas Trees, but we never thought that there was a Christian or dangerous element in Halloween. I'm happy to be here in Israel where I can just remember that more innocent time and not deal with the terrors of today's United States of America.

Hungarian Anti-semite Handled Truth Better than Madeleine Albright

You might have heard the story, which is now on the BBC movie site about the Hungarian former antisemite, pro-Nazi, who discovered the truth about his background and became an observant Jew.

I was very impressed that the BBC, which isn't known for being at all sympathetic to Jews, Judaism and Israel, is promoting a movie about Csanad Szegedi.

BBC

A leading member of a Hungarian anti-Semitic party, notorious for his provocative comments about Jews has discovered that he is a Jew himself.Ultra nationalist Csanad Szegedi of the far-right Jobbik Party had accused Jews of ‘buying up’ the country, railed about the ‘Jewishness’ of the political elite and claimed Jews were desecrating national symbols. That was until it was revealed that his grandmother was a survivor of Auschwitz death camp and his grandfather was a forced labour camp veteran.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2188722/Anti-Semitic-politician-Csanad-Szegedi-discovers-Jewish-heritage.html#ixzz4APMYhUBl Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Yes, this is an amazing and encouraging story. And it brings me back to the very different reactions of former American Secretary of State Madeleine Albright when she was confronted with her Jewish background.

"Also, the whole aspect of charity and forgiveness and generosity — these are common in all religions as far as I can tell. It’s interesting, I was always the most most religious member of my family. ... Even as a little girl, I played priest. I really find there is a comfort in religion and it doesn’t matter which of the various traditions, it’s a similar aspect. ... The thing that makes me the saddest is the divisions created by religion when it should be the opposite. ... I look for the common threads rather than the divisive ones." Madeleine Albright, HuffPost

What I find most telling, most different in these two people is their general philosophy in life. It's pretty obvious that Csanad Szegedi, as antisemite, lehavdil (to differentiate,) and later as Torah Observant Jew believes there's one right, while Albright goes for her version of general spirituality, no true religion.

Just curious. Are you the "one right" or "many rights" type of person? I know what I am.

On Being Treated Like Some "Foreign Alien"

Call this a rant or call this a plea, but please listen, comment and share, thanks.

Recess at Ohel Shiloh
boys school

I moved far across the ocean with my husband almost forty-five, 45, years ago to live as a Jew in the Jewish Homeland, the State of Israel. We never saw the 1949 Ceasefire Lines as holy, certainly no holier than the locations depicted in the Bible where our Jewish Religion/People/Culture/Nation etc was formed and developed.

Shiloh

Anyone with even a minimal knowledge of the Bible, the first Jewish History Book, or any collection of atlases can attest to the fact that borders change, usually due to wars. The winner becomes the ruler of whatever land its army holds. Why should the 1967 Six Days War be considered any different?

Biblical Wikipedia

© 2005 Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs

History of Israel – Israeli Wars – The Six Day War 1967

But for some horrible malignant to the unity of the Jewish People reason, there are many who consider us, those Jews, Israelis who live in the Land of Israel liberated by the IDF, and G-d's miracles, in 1967 to be some foreign alien "other."

The other day I caught an Israeli Television news talk show and was horrified to hear how the "panel" referred to me and my neighbors as if we're some unwanted foreign enemy. They're perfectly happy to take our blood donations from the Magen David Adom Blood Bank, and they don't mind that our sons and daughters volunteer and even excel in the most dangerous and difficult IDF Israeli Army units in disproportionate numbers. They accept, as if their entitlement that our non-military serving kids contribute their time and energies in development towns and hospitals. They don't mind being on the receiving end of what we contribute to Israel society.

I'll never forget one of the first times I came up against this "other-ment." My husband was speaking to a group, and I had been asked to be part of the audience. During "comment" and question time one of the audience spoke of "those people," meaning me, my family and neighbors, in such a negative and nasty way I wanted to stand up and take the floor saying:

"I'm one of those people. Do I look or seem different from you? How can you refer to me, as if I'm a strange enemy alien?"

But I didn't get up. I said nothing but was very upset and left the room with friends.

We are all part of the Jewish Nation/People/Religion, and unity is the secret of our survival.

If you look at Jewish Prayers, there's something very important to notice. Our prayers are in plural. And that is to remind us that we're not alone; our fates are totally entwined. May G-d give us the wisdom and strength to tear down the barriers that separate us and allow us to function as one united and strong People.

Real Life "Gentleman's Agreement"

I just came across a great real-life story on the very popular blog Israellycool which is by Ryan Bellerose who writes of his "week as a Jew." All I could think of was the great movie Gentleman's Agreement starring,  Gregory Peck.

Gentleman's Agreement is a 1947 drama film about a journalist (played byGregory Peck) who goes undercover as a Jew to conduct research for an exposé on antisemitism in New York City and the affluent community of Darien, Connecticut. It was nominated for eight Oscars and won three: Best Picture,Best Supporting Actress (Celeste Holm), and Best Director (Elia Kazan).
The movie was controversial in its time, as was a similar film on the same subject, Crossfire, which was released the same year (though that film was originally a story about homophobia, later changed to antisemitism).Gentleman's Agreement was based on Laura Z. Hobson's 1947 novel of the same name.

And...

I decided that in order to really understand what Jewish people go through, I was going to “become a Jew”. Unlike that dude who tanned and took some pills to become black in that movie, I didn’t really have to do anything difficult. All I had to do to incur the hatred and enmity that comes along with being Jewish, was put on a hat.
I didn’t need to speak, walk or act differently, just put on a hat that identifies me as a Jew. Now think about that. I wore the same clothes I always wear, spoke the exact same way, walked the same way, but by putting on a small piece of woolen apparel, I suddenly became despised to the point where it was uncomfortable for me to walk in certain areas in my own city here in Canada. I had a few people threaten me with physical violence but in all honesty, I am not a small man so I was not concerned. It just made me think about what smaller people must go through, people who do not have my gifts. 

And if that's in relatively tolerant Canada....

We Need Unity, Not Protest Rallies!!

We Jews here in the Holy Land are under great danger, and G-d is getting very impatient.  This year's winter weather is a sure sign that G-d is angry with us.  We haven't had enough rain. Our rainfall and other weather conditions are indications of how The Almighty has graded our behavior, most especially towards Eretz Yisrael and bein adam v'chareiro, fellow Jew.

U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama is back on his theme that we had better sign a deal quickly, even though the vast majority of Israelis know perfectly well that all of these proposed "deals" will just further endanger us.

Speaking to Bloomberg’s Jeffrey Goldberg in an interview published Sunday, Obama warned that time was running out to negotiate a peace agreement.
Obama further claimed that PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas “is sincere about his willingness to recognize Israel and its right to exist.”
“We are coming to a point, though, over the next couple of months where the parties are going to have to make some decisions about how they move forward,” he said. “And my hope and expectation is that, despite the incredible political challenges, that both Prime Minister Netanyahu and Abbas are able to reach past their differences and arrive at a framework that can move us to peace.”

Instead of separating themselves from most Israelis and the State of Israel, chareidi leadership should be working hard to unite with us, find solutions good for all.

COURTESY ISRAEL POLICE

If only these strong masses of good Jews would use their power to work together with other Israelis instead of holding themselves as if they are a separate people. Davka in recent years you can see chareidi Jews in more and more jobs and positions here in Israel.  That should be their aim, and that's the only way to influence, through darchei noam, gently more and more Jews to live Torah observant lives.

Photo Credit: Kobi Gideon / GPO /Flash 90

Instead of protesting against the State of Israel and the IDF, chareidim should have spearheaded a rally to encourage Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to be strong against American pressure. The Public Letter by Women in Green's Nadia Matar and Yehudit Katsover  is on the right track, and chareidi leadership should be joining them.

Dear Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Today you are your starting out on your complex mission to the United States and may you have Heaven’s support and the support of the Land of Israel. He who turns history presents you with the challenge of your life at an optimum point in time. A quick glance at what is happening around us reveals how international attention has passed from Israel to the Ukraine and everyone is alert and prepared to see if the weakness of the American president’s policies will lead to the collapse of the United States’ international standing. The experience of the recent past in Syria teaches us that Obama has not kept his promises about the red lines that he himself stated. In Egypt as well as in Libya Obama supported the wrong side and his failed policy has brought the entire Middle East to a state of instability and shock. Who better than you knows that in the Iranian question as well, Obama made declarations, promises and commitments about his commitment to the security of Israel while in effect, gave a green light to continue the Iranian nuclear program. Mister Prime Minister, every child understands today that we must not depend on the Obama administration and we must not submit to his decrees. The eyes of the People of Israel accompany you in your travels. Up until now you have maneuvered yourself wisely, and indeed, we hope that you will have the wisdom to take advantage of the momentum that has been presented to you to raise Israel’s esteem in the world and repair the long-range damage to the consciousness that were done by the declarations in your Bar Ilan speech. The damage that was done by that declaration must and can be repaired now. At this juncture, when the entire world is alert and everyone realizes the importance of maintaining the sovereignty of Ukraine, this is the time to clarify in a great voice to the entire world that we intend to guard our sovereignty in the Land of Israel like the pupils of our eyes. We must impose Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley. From your long years of acquaintance with the Arab “partner” and the blood-soaked history that our people has experienced, you know well, Mr. Prime Minister, that the Arabs have never recognized and will never recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish People, regardless of any borders. We are at a decisive time in which it is possible to strengthen our position. As you leave Jerusalem, the Women in Green movement and the Forum for Sovereignty are with you and will accompany you with a very large poster that will be placed at the exit from Jerusalem for the coming weeks and it reads: “YES to Sovereignty over Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley”. In a discussion on the expulsion from Gush Katif and northern Samaria that was held in Ariel a few days ago, Eyal Arad claimed that the Right failed because it did not present an alternative. This is not true. There is an alternative! A realistic, Zionist plan does exist – application of Israeli sovereignty. This plan is indeed accompanied by difficulties but the difficulties associated with sovereignty are preferable to the physical and spiritual destruction entailed in the establishment of a terrorist Palestinian state in the heart of our Land, a stone-throw away from Ben Gurion Airport. We must not think in terms of survivalism, rather we must aspire to realize our hold on the Land and our sovereignty in the Land of Israel. This will bring calm to our Arab neighbors, economic growth and an improvement in the security situation. From the city of our forefathers we send you the greetings of Caleb ben Yefuneh: Let us ascend, for we can succeed. Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar Women for Israel’s Tomorrow – Women in Green – Sovereignty.
Read more at: http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/have-a-good-us-visit-bibi-please-dont-bring-home-any-surprises/2014/03/02/0/

Chodesh Adar Tov, May All the Evil be Reversed and Turned into Good!

A Crew-Cut For The Vines

Here in Shiloh, Bible Land--Where It All Happened--a good portion of the flora is Biblical. Even in my pathetic garden I have an amazingly large olive tree and grape vines.

The olive tree doesn't demand much care. It was planted about twenty-seven years ago, even before we chose the land for our house.

But our grape vines are a bit more recent. They were probably planted about twenty years ago. The vines are supposed to be pruned every winter, while they look dark and dead.

I presume there's an art to it, but I try not to ask too many questions. It's not the type of job I can take over, and I don't want my gardener to up and leave.

When the work is done, when it's shorn of all the unnecessary branches, it does look like it has had a crew-cut.

I'll bli neder have to post about it throughout the spring and summer. Soon the first leaves will appear and then "miniature" clusters of grapes. It takes a couple of months after that for there to be any edible grapes and even longer for them to really sweeten.

Last year, for the first time ever, we had the most delicious grapes I have ever eaten in my life. For a couple of months we and neighbors enjoyed the most impressive supply imaginable.

Now most of the trees are still in their winter modes, like the grape vines. One of the others is the willow, which is used as one of the four species during the Succot holiday. There's much symbolism in the willow. Some say that the willow is like the Jewish People. In the winter it looks dead. And sometimes in our long, long history, it has looked like we, the Jewish People, were finished. But just like the willow tree comes back to life in the summer, massively full of leaves by the Succot fall Holiday, we the Jewish People also have renewed strength.

I guess you can say that about the grape vines, too. I'd say that the grape vines are even more like the Jewish People, because after we appear dead, cut down, shrunken, life returns to us. Not only does the grape vine in summer look impressive; the leaves can be eaten as food before the grapes are sweet and ripe. Extra grapes can be dried for future food. It's certainly a more valuable plant than a willow tree. And we the Jewish People really are more like the grape vine... in so many ways.