Confusing NY Times Article Mixes Historic Sequense

I see Ancient History rather simplistically.

• First Judaism, which started with one leader, Abraham and ended up as strong monarchies with Jerusalem as the religious and political capital. 
• Then Christianity is invented which was an attempt to supplant/replace Judaism, which is why its bible is called the "new" sic testament, rather than just the Christian Bible. It claims to be a continuation of the Jewish Bible.
• After that Islam is invented, and with the aim to replace both Judaism and Christianity. It adopts/stolen early Jewish History and major figures.  

This morning I saw a New York Times article which makes for confusing reading, because it fudges the simple sequence. 

Carved Stone Block Upends Assumptions About Ancient Judaism

A detail of one side of the Magdala Stone.CreditYael Yolovich/Israel Antiquities Authority

 But what makes the stone such a rare find in biblical archaeology, according to scholars, is that when it was carved, the Second Temple still stood in Jerusalem for the carver to see. The stone is a kind of ancient snapshot.

And it is upending some long-held scholarly assumptions about ancient synagogues and their relationship with the Temple, a center of Jewish pilgrimage and considered the holiest place of worship for Jews, during a crucial period, when Judaism was on the cusp of the Christian era.

Instead of admitting that the early Catholics (Christians) stole many holy artifacts from the Jewish Holy Temple in Jerusalem, it gives the impression that there's a Christian connection to the stone, via the mythical Mary. I didn't catch any reference to the crucial and indisputable fact that Christianity began after the death of Jesus, Mary etc. They lived as Jews, and many theologians are certain that they are rolling over in their graves In furious anger that a new religion, one that denigrates and denies Judaism has been invented in their names.

Even a superficial reading of the Jewish Bible will point out that places of Jewish worship existed all over the Land of Israel during Biblical times, whether sanctioned or not. The split in the Kingdom into Judea and Israel was strengthen by the building of an alternative worship at the time when there was a Jewish Holy Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

I find this paragraph just too ridiculous for words.

In contrast to the current tensions over the contested site in Jerusalem that is revered by Jews as the Temple Mount, where the ancient temples once stood, and by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, the Magdala project has emphasized religious harmony. The land belongs to a Roman Catholic religious order, the Legionaries of Christ, and the archaeologists who are managing the dig and who found the stone are Dina Avshalom-Gorni, an Israeli Jew, and Arfan Najar, a Muslim.

We all know that the Vatican stole land and artifacts, and that is why the stone was discovered there. I'm waiting for them to admit it and return it all to the Jewish People and the State of Israel!!

Embarrasing Statements by Danny Ayalon

Tonight, after Shabbat and after the Havdala ceremony, my husband turned on the television, and we were "greeted" by  Danny Ayalon making the most outrageous and embarrassing statements.

Ayalon was talking about the advantages of allowing Christian prayer in Kever David, KIng David's Tomb, which the Christians claim as being the site of the "Last Supper."

Now, what advantages could he be talking about? I don't see how giving the Christians more places for their prayers in Jerusalem. The Vatican already owns a frightening amount of Jerusalem. There are many churches and monasteries. There has been a yeshiva, the Diaspora Yeshiva, in Kever David for over forty-five 45 years. It was there when my husband and I made aliyah and lived in the Old City of Jerusalem in 1970.

Danny Ayalon was telling us that giving them more places for prayer was to our advantage. Do you know why? The State of Israel would make money from it. They would pay arnona, property tax. Duh? He sounded like a money-grubbing caricature of a Jew as depicted by antisemites.

I saw this on television and haven't yet found any references to his statement on the internet.

There has been news about Kever David of late, so it does make sense that Ayalon is involved. The Vatican has renewed its pressure on Israel to give it more rights to our land and our holy places.They have been eying, or lusting after King David's Tomb for a very long time.

The Israeli Government must be clear and uncompromising in saying:

NO!!

Pope Francis Proves He Doesn't Know a Sinner from a Saint (Revised)

There are a lot of people, including non-Catholics, who think that Pope Francis is a good man to be pope at this time. But if the Vatican's recognition of "Palestine as a state" wasn't bad enough, his calling Abbas "Angel of Peace*" should convince them that this Pope Francis wouldn't know a sinner from a saint.

Pope Francis welcomes Palestinian authority President Mahmud Abbas during a private audience at the Vatican on May 16, 2015 (AFP Photo/Alberto Pizzoli)

Vatican City (AFP) - Pope Francis met Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Saturday, calling him "an angel of peace," days after the Vatican said it was preparing to sign its first accord with Palestine to the anger of Israel. (Yahoo)

*It is now being said by linguists who read the original Italian of Pope Francis that he said something different. He did not say that Abbas is presently "an angel of peace," but that he should act in a way that would make him one. One shouldn't ignore that in a previous meeting between the pope and Abbas, the pope did call Abbas a "man of peace." Considering the recognition of "Palestine," the increase in Arab terrorism and Abbas's financial support for terrorists and their families, I'd say that this correction is just a technicality. It does not change the fact that Abbas is very far from being a "man of peace," too. So, my point still holds that Pope Francis's sympathies lie very far from Israel and Jewish Rights. 

This new pope is a throwback to Pope Pius XII, who is notorious for his ignoring the persecution and systematic murdering of Jews during the Holocaust.

Within the Pope's own church, Cardinal Theodor Innitzer of Vienna told Pius XII about Jewish deportations in 1941. In 1942, the Slovakian charge d'affaires, a position under the supervision of the Pope, reported to Romethat Slovakian Jews were being systematically deported and sent to death camps.⁽⁶⁾

In October 1941, the Assistant Chief of the U.S. delegation to the Vatican, Harold Tittman, asked the Pope to condemn the atrocities. The response came that the Holy See wanted to remain "neutral," and that condemning the atrocities would have a negative influence on Catholics in German-held lands.⁽⁷⁾

In late August 1942, after more than 200,000 Ukrainian Jews had been killed, Ukrainian Metropolitan Andrej Septyckyj wrote a long letter to the Pope, referring to the German government as a regime of terror and corruption, more diabolical than that of the Bolsheviks. The Pope replied by quoting verses from Psalms and advising Septyckyj to "bear adversity with serene patience."⁽⁸⁾  (Jewish Virtual Library)

And don't forget that the few Jews, mostly children, who did find refuge in church-run institutions were subject to pressure to convert to Catholicism. Many children had no idea that they were actually Jewish and to this day are lost to their Jewish People.

Whatever improvements Pope John II had made with the Jewish People and Israel have been totally wiped out by Pope Francis!

Send the Pope Packing!

Pope Francis touches the wall that divides Israel from the West Bank, on his way to celebrate a mass in Manger Square. Photograph:AP

I'm not surprised that the pope enthusiastically participated in the P.A."chairman" (is it?)  Mahmoud Abbas's media trick on Israel. I have been writing all along that the pope's planned "even-handedness" was an affront against Israel by equating the State of Israel with that band of Arab terrorists. Video from the Catholic News Service via Arutz 7.



He topped it off by insulting Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, a political/diplomatic faux pas that shouldn't be ignored. The pope then invited Shimon Peres to meet with him and his buddy Abbas at the Vatican. Please remember that Abbas has been busy of late uniting his supposedly "moderate" Fatah organization with the unabashedly terrorist Hamas. And Shimon Peres's position as "President of Israel" is supposed to be a totally ceremonial one with less political, diplomatic and policy power than the Queen (or if there is ever a King) of England has in Great Britain. 

The fact that Shimon Peres has always been involved in sneaky, actually illegal contacts and "diplomacy" without government authority is something that should have been stopped decades ago. Sarah Honig has written an excellent article about the illegal (and treasonous would you say?) diplomatic escapades of Peres and other extreme Leftists, which is worth reading yet again. I linked and quoted from it in Treason? Could Be, Couldn't It?

• There is nothing Jewish in the principle of "turning the other cheek." It's a Christian thing which is used more to tell us Jews to shut up and take the insults and discrimination silently than anything a Christian would actually do.
• There is no such thing as a "joint Jewish-Christian heritage." We worship G-d, and they worship a man. 
• Their Bible denies the continued eternal legitimacy of the Jewish Bible. 

It's no surprise that the pope has been a very rude guest. The ultimate aim of his Catholic religion is the supplanting/replacement of Judaism aka identity theft. Actually Islam has the same aim. Now, here in Israel they are allied against us. In other parts of the world they are at loggerheads competing for power. The State of Israel should never have approved of the Vatican's itinerary for the pope. It was a political, diplomatic and theological mistake!

Don't Celebrate the Pope's Visit to Israel

I'm one Israeli who is not impressed nor happy that the current pope, head of the Roman Catholic Church will be in Israel next week. No doubt many Israelis will find themselves stuck in traffic as the papal convoys traverse the Jerusalem area, wherever his itinerary takes him. And the fact that some Israelis won't even be given any freedom of movement is worse.

An Israeli police spokesman said police and the Shin Bet internal security service handed restraining orders to "a number of right-wing activists" whom they believed intended to cause "disruptions during the pope's visit and be involved in provocative illegal acts".
The spokesman declined to say how many activists received the orders. But he said they would not be allowed to enter certain areas "for security reasons" for four days.

There is a very, very major problem with the planning of the visit. I don't agree with the concept of "equality/balance" between Israel and the so-called "Palestinians."

Despite the pope's strong ties to the Argentine Jewish community and appreciation for Judaism, which he cultivated during his years as the amicable archbishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis will maintain a policy of "total balance" when it comes to Israelis and Palestinians, the rabbi predicted.

Israel is a country sixty-six 66 years old, the return/continuation of a well-documented nation/people over three thousand 3,000 years old while the so-called Palestinians are a recently invented "people" who use terrorism against Jews and Israelis to get publicity and support. There's no comparison, no balance between us and the Arabs. It's an insult to the State of Israel to pretend that there is.

Davka that the pope's visit coincides with the forty-seventh anniversary of the 1967 Six Days War is terrible timing. We should be thanking G-d and celebrating the great miracle of our survival and victory and not celebrating the visit of a man who represents a religion with a long, very long history of murdering Jews and forcing conversion to Catholicism.

And I pray to G-d that we can trust those government "reassurances" that the Mount Zion, David's Tomb area won't be given to the Vatican.

If the pope really insists on coming here to Israel it should not only be to officially apologize for the Crusades, Inquisition and tacit support of the Nazis, it should be to admit that his Catholic religion is an attempt of identity theft since they claim to be the continuation of the Jewish Bible and want our historic Holy Land. Of course, there's no chance of that, but I can dream...

Save Mount Zion!! King David's Tomb Must Remain Jewish-Israeli

Listen to Jewish Israel's Ellen Horowitz talk to Arutz 7's Tamar Yona talk about the dangers of the Vatican takeover on Mount Zion.


Find more videos like this on Jewish Israel

JewishIsrael's content and research director, Ellen Horowitz, was interviewed by Israel National Radio on their show, News & Call-In with Tamar Yonah on May 5, 2014.
For prerequisite information on the subject of this interview, read JewishIsrael'smost recent article on this matter, Questions Continue to Loom Over Mount Zion as Pope Prepares to Visit Israel.

As we all know, the actual building is from crusader time which was a thousand years ago and a thousand years after Jesus's death. So the room is not where Jesus ate his "last seder meal." Yes, the Vatican is interested in the location of a Jewish ritual, while at the same time insisting that they are observing their religion according to Jesus's teaching. Duh?!? That doesn't seem very logical.

The original significance of the location on Mount Zion is that it is believed to be the burial place of King David, the second King of the Jewish Nation and the first one to have established a dynasty. The significance of that dynasty is crucial in understanding the Bible, the Jewish one of course, and the Jewish connection to Jerusalem and the entire Land of Israel. According to Dr. Yael Ziegler, my Tanach, Bible teacher in Matan, G-d's reason for refusing to allow King David to build Him an impressive House of Holy Worship, Beit HaMikdash, The Holy Temple was because the job, the privilege was to be given to King David's son which would cement King David's dynasty. (How's that for the source of the idiom?) Dr. Ziegler always stresses that the Tanach is a book of theology.

There's a religious, spiritual source or agenda for all that is recorded in the Bible. Tradition is that King David is buried there, and we the Jewish People and Jewish State must preserve that area as totally Jewish, Israeli sovereignty only. Remember that both Christianity and Islam are attempts at identity theft to take over our Land and our history. That's why we must stymie, refuse every single request by those religions for more power and legitimacy. The Vatican must be told NO! And if the pope's visit is cancelled, so be it, big deal. Not only will we survive; we will thrive.

Rabbi Goldstein, founder of the
Diaspora Yeshiva, Mt. Zion

For about forty-five 45 years, the Mount Zion location known as Kever David, King David's Tomb has been part of the Diaspora Yeshiva, headed by Rabbi Mordechai Goldstein. I was privileged to visit it a few years ago and been shown around by Rabbi Goldstein.

There should never be a non-Jewish presence there on Mt. Zion. Let David's Tomb and the buldings remain Jewish. Keep the Vatican away!!



The Diaspora Yeshiva Band (Selah) performing Ish Yehudi in Jerusalem. 1984.


Diaspora Yeshiva Band Reunion "Malchutcha," Your (G-d's) Kingdom will last forever!!

Kerry and Vatican Squeezing Israel from Both Ends

Whoever thinks we've seen the last of United States Secretary of State John Kerry is over-optimistic.

Photo: AFP/Getty Images

The failure to reach a deal has given more ammunition to critics of President Barack Obama's foreign policy, who also accuse him of not reacting forcefully enough to Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.
But Kerry, who has invested much of his own time and clout in the Israeli-Palestinian peace effort, strongly suggested he was not about to walk away.
"I personally remain convinced that as each (side) sort of works through the reasons that things began to become more difficult in the final hours, there may be quiet ways within which to begin to work on next steps," Kerry said. Reuters

Rumor has it that he hasn't given up on his dream of a Nobel Peace Prize. He has set himself up as an easy target to mock and no doubt will be blamed for US President Obama's awful foreign policy record.

Plus, spit-shine the Nobel! There’s Kerry aiming to quickly settle “the mother of them all,” as he likes to call the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, with peace to come to the Holy Land within nine months.
Swings and misses, every time.
As in “Casey at the Bat,” mighty Kerry has struck out. NY Post

I'm pretty sure that Kerry will return. And John Kerry isn't the only foreign representative pushing Israel to further endanger itself. The Vatican, one of the (or the) largest landowners in Jerusalem has been lusting over more for a long time. They want Israel to give it The Cenacle, above David's Tomb on Mount Zion.

This conflict over Mount Zion and David's Tomb has been going on for a very long time. There is no reason at all for the Vatican to take over yet another piece of Land in Jerusalem. Mount Zion and David's Tomb has been the home of the Diaspora Yeshiva for forty-five years or more.

Just because The Vatican wants it, and the present pope will be visiting in May doesn't mean that we Israelis must acquiesce. This is our Land, our City and we must behave with self-respect. The Catholics/Christians have been trying to steal our Land, religion and Bible no less than the terrorist whose aims are supported by Kerry.

We're about to celebrate 66 years of Israeli Independence. Let's act like a self-respecting independent nation!!

Praying To A non-god

I'm already pooped out on the pope's visit here. Israel's Chanel One TV has been showing the Catholic pope and Eurovision ad nauseum. So this afternoon, I put my copy of The Sting in the DVD. After that I popped out to the local movie club* and watched Sunset Boulevard. Maybe tomorrow I should watch our Star Wars Trilogy.

I'm a Jew and I worship only One G-d, HaKodesh Baruch Hu. It's the first mitzvah of the Ten Commandments.

"I am the Lord your G-d, Who has taken you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery"
"You shall have no other gods but me"
"You shall not take the name of your Lord in vain"

No confusion. What amazes me is the excitement the visit this goyishe religious leader has caused. Davka Roman Catholics? Since when have they done anything for the Jews?

I think I'm going to take a sabbatical from the news for the week. All one hears about here is pope, pope, pope and more pope.

I found Rabbi Lau's complaint rather ironic:

"A few points were missing in the pope's address," said Lau. "There was no mention of the Germans, or Nazis, who carried out the massacre. There was not a word of sharing the grief or of compassion or pain for the six million victims."
"Instead of the word 'murdered,' as the previous pope John Paul II used," Lau continued, Benedict XVI used the word 'killed.' There is a very clear difference between the two verbs," the former chief rabbi stressed.

How can he complain about the pope's words and ignore the terminology used in Yad Veshem? "Perished" is even worse than "killed."

I'm going to have to work hard to keep myself entertained this week, since Jerusalem is all jammed up, so that the roads will be empty for the pope. Now, I'm curious. Does any other country do this to its innocent civilians?

*a small group of friends

'Catholics, Jews share inseparable bond' Like in S-M?

The Roman Catholic Pope is gearing up for his visit to Israel with statements like "Catholics, Jews share inseparable bond."

I admit that I'm neither a history expert nor one in christian theology, but according to the facts I do know, the ongoing relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and the Jewish People can best be described as sado-masochistic. For two thousand years there have been a series of attacks both physical and ideological by the church on Jews as a People, religion and individuals.

The church has been the aggressor and the Jewish People the victim. They've tried everything in their power to wipe us out, like Haman of olde. Now, they're trying sweetness and kindness. And that's the most effective, unfortunately. The Jewish People are so emotionally damaged that too many are susceptible to anybody bringing gifts, even gifts labeled "Trojan Horses."

Ministry of Tourism sells Israel...down the tubes

Posted by Ellen W. Horowitz

The Israel Ministry of Tourism has launched a new website dedicated to Pope Benedict XVI’s first Papal visit.

Israel is a Jewish state and to produce a site and video presentation which promotes the "holiness" of Christianity at the expense of Jewish identity is a sham and a shame. Talk about replacement theology! The video repeatedly hails jesus as lord and savior, while Israel is reduced to a "modern, democratic state" on the cutting edge of Hi -Tech, Bio-Tech and Agri-Tech (oh, I forgot... there was Jewish content... I caught a glimpse of the Chief Rabbi bowing to the Pope).

It was also reported on Israel National News that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that, "It is possible to bring an additional one million tourists per annum to Israel in the near future."
Netanyahu said he believe that Christian historical sites have a great unrealized potential that could assist the Israeli economy in general, and the development of the Galilee in particular. The Prime Minister has previously raised the need for a comprehensive plan that would lead to a revolution in the tourism sector by rehabilitating various sites, increasing incoming tourism, creating jobs and increasing revenues.

The Jerusalem Post also reported on an increase in Christian pilgrims, but the stats were a bit suprising..."Last year, more than a million incoming tourists defined themselves as Catholic, 300,000 as Protestant, 360,000 as "other Christian," and 75,000 as Evangelicals, according to the Tourism Ministry statistics that were released during a tour of Christian holy sites in Nazareth ahead of the Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the Holy Land next month."

Hmmmm...the evangelicals seem to have come up a bit short... Does this mean that the Catholics are our new best friends?

While you ponder that question, take a look at the video (which is also on YouTube) and if it offends you, write to the Minister of Tourism at smiseznikov@knesset.gov.il

The Right to Smash Idols

Posted by Ellen W. Horowitz for JewishIsrael

"Do not bow down to their gods and do not serve them. Do not follow their practices. You must tear them down and you must utterly shatter their monuments." (Parashat Mishpatim 23:24)

The above was from last week’s Torah portion. G-d with His infinite sense of humor handed that one down to a people who don’t have much of a hankering for violently pulverizing pagan ideas, altars and places of worship.

How does one reduce idols to mere dust in a civil society, in a modern Jewish state?

Ideally, we Jews should counter idolatry by using our intellect to enable compassionate and just laws which are both considerate of human dignity and in keeping with Jewish tradition. But with Western democracies cramming the mantras of tolerance, political correctness, and freedom of religious expression down our Israeli gullets, we sometimes find ourselves preserving and protecting that which we were commanded to uproot. What’s a Jew to do?

Well, there’s always humor… and it’s been a funny week.

Headlines reported that the results of a survey on Israeli attitudes toward Christianity indicate a sharp division between religious and secular Jews on topics ranging from missionary activity, to accepting funds from evangelical sources, to visiting churches. Despite the sharp divide, both secular and religious Israelis did find some common ground, as only 50% of Israeli Jews agreed that Jerusalem was central to the Christian faith; and 75% believe the state should not allow Christian groups to buy land to build new churches in Jerusalem.

Meanwhile secular Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit of Kadima saw fit to set up a special committee to discuss amending Israel's Law of Return. Sheetrit feels the law has been abused by non-Jews with no connection to Judaism as a way to obtain Israeli citizenship. "In a few years Israel will no longer be the state of the Jews, and I do not want that," Sheetrit said.

But by far the most bizarre interfaith clash of this past week was over a skit, broadcast on Israeli Channel 10, which the Vatican claimed had "ridiculed -- with blasphemous words and images -- the Lord Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary."

C’mon Mr. Pope, Lior Shlein is just a secular Jewish entertainer - it’s not like he is one of your devout and disciplined Catholic bishops. Israel should be the place where Jews can express themselves fully as Jews; and a late night Hebrew program televised on a private channel in Israel should surely be a safe haven for satirists - and out of the sights and clutches of the “Holy See”.

A virgin birthing a deity who can walk on water is – for the Jew – absurd to the point of being hysterically funny. For the Jew, there is simply nothing reverent about it.

Besides, satire by nature is irreverent, and it’s a given that unconventional artists and entertainers are prone to going over-the-top and dabbling in the tactless, tasteless and insulting. Monty Python, Mel Brooks and Mr. Bean have all pushed the religious humor envelope to the outer limits. Alternatively, politically conservative comedienne Jackie Mason took his rants in defense of Christmas, Christianity and Mel Gibson to the brink, too ( but drew the line in the form of a law suit when Jews for Jesus put out a broadside entitled: "Jackie Mason… A Jew for Jesus?!”)

Were Shlein’s antics heresy? Were they tanamount to “denying Christianity” as Palestinian-Arab-Catholic and Israeli Arab newspaper CEO, Zohir Andreus, claims? Well, Mr. Andreus, we have a dilemma because to acknowledge Christian belief is to deny Judaism.

What is sacred for the devout Christian is oft-times blasphemous for the Jew. Even the currently in-vogue fascination many Christians are having with “messianic hebraic roots” movements and Jewish rituals cannot mask, nor bridge, the very fundamental differences between faiths.

If we adhere to the philosophy of the late and very great Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, then it seems the secular Mr. Shlein did us all a favor with his “blasphemy”. Rav Kook found a holy spark in Jewish heretics and atheists. In their denial of a Creator, they refuse to ascribe form to G-d or define His attributes and character in limited human terms. The heretic does not fall into the trap of creating a false image. This attitude intellectually and spiritually challenges the religious community and compels it to strive for a more profound knowledge and perception of G-d. The Pope should thank Lior Shlein for expanding his horizons, and for giving him the opportunity to grow beyond the confines and imagery of the Sistine Chapel.

We have to remember that it was the patriarch Abraham who, according to Jewish (and Islamic) tradition used common sense and a sense of humor when, as a young boy, he smashed all of his father’s idols except for one, and when asked what transpired replied, “The idols all got into a fight and the biggest idol won." At the time, little Avram must have appeared as a very disrespectful and rebellious blasphemer.

They just don’t make Jewish leaders like they used to. I bristled as Ehud Olmert submitted to Vatican demands and confessed and repented with a public apology, It is so in character for our outgoing Prime Minister to take his final bow facing Rome.

These are dark times and disputes with the Vatican and other Christian denominations over property rights, rights to proselytize, and the right to freedom of Christian expression, appear to be on the increase. Christian influence is growing in Israel exponentially and we Jews had better find our voice and assert our rights to laugh, legislate, smash idols, and bloodlessly slaughter sacred cows.

Rabbi Riskin defends himself

Posted by Ellen W. Horowitz

(below is a response by Rabbi Riskin to my post: Did you hear the one about the Jewish Knight, the Pope, the Rabbi, and Jesus?

Dear Rabbi Riskin,

Thank you for your thorough response to my blog posting. I will certainly post your entire response, as well as link it to the original piece and send it out to my email lists.

I find your explanations to be unsettling and l will continue to take issue with your stand on Christian-Jewish dialogue and relations, as well as continue to seek the advice of, and have my writings on this issue reviewed by respected rabbinic authorities.

With regards to point three, I urge you to reconsider your relationship with the Cavalry Tabernacle Church of Cranford NJ, as they are connected with and sponsoring Dugit Messianic Ministries in Tel Aviv - an organization working hard to convert Jews.

Please go to the "missions" section of the Calvary website at

http://ctnj.org/ourmissionaries

You will find the second listing under "our missionaries" is Avi and Chaya Mizrachi of Dugit in Tel Aviv

http://www.ctnj.org/Mizrachi

To see Dugit in action, please view the follwing video:

http://www.youtube.com/dugitusa

I've attached the most recent brochure of Pave the Way Foundation in which your endorsement is prominently featured.

Again, thank you for taking the time to respond.

Shabbat Shalom and Hanukah Sameach.

Ellen W. Horowitz

Sent: Thursday, December 25, 2008 9:43 PM

Subject: from Rabbi Shlomo Riskin

To Ellen Horowitz et al,

It is my understanding from Yaffa Ganz that you would be glad to reprint, as well as, send out my response to issues raised on "Ellen’ Horowitz’s blog" to your entire list. I greatly appreciate your willingness to do this. While I welcome honest and sincere criticism to stands that I take, the entire picture of opinions and quotes should always be taken within the context it was expressed. Below, you will not only find my response to the subjects mentioned in the blog, but my fundamental positions that I hold firmly to.

I – Ellen's first quote

Ellen Horowitz suggested to her readers that they sit down before reading her following choice quotes lest they plotz. She quoted me as saying "the Christians have told the whole world about the god of love and peace, and they did it by picking up the ball that we Jews dropped 2,000 years ago".

This is an accurate statement, and lies at the very root of the reason for our Center for Jewish Christian Understanding and Cooperation (CJCUC). G-d initially elected Abraham and his descendants to present the religion of ethical monotheism to the world, or at the very least the seven Noahide laws. At the very time of Abraham's election, G-d informs him "All the families of the earth shall be blessed through you" (Gen. 12:3), and all of our prophets speak of the Holy Temple from which Torah will go forth to the entire world (Isaiah 2 and Micah 4).

Even Maimonides legislates that it is incumbent upon the Jewish people even to coerce the rest of the world if necessary to accept the Noahide laws (Mishneh Torah , Laws of Kings 8,10) Indeed, in the unexpurgated versions of Maimonides' text of Mishneh Torah as transmitted by Rav Kapah in his Yemenite version, we find the following quotation:

But the thoughts of the Creator of the Universe can never be grasped by human beings, since our ways are not His ways and our thoughts are not His thoughts. All of these words of Yeshua the Nazarene and of that Yishmaeli who came after him were only in order to prepare the road for the king Messiah and to perfect the entire world to serve G-d together…. how so? Since already (through them) the entire world has been filled with words of messianism and with words of Torah and with words of commandments; and these concepts have spread to the furthest islands and to many nations whose hearts are not yet circumcised and they (the Nazarene and the Yishmaeli) have carried and given over these concepts as well as commandments of the Torah… (Laws of Kings 11, 11-12)

The fact remains that during the Second Commonwealth and until the Hadrionic persecutions, after the abortive Bar Kochba rebellion, Jews were avid proselytizers. Judaism was indeed a charismatic religion with a core tenet to spread the Torah to the world. Josephus writes a great deal about this, insisting that throughout the Roman Empire wherever there were heavily populated Jewish areas, the overwhelming majority of Gentiles were not working on the Sabbath, were eating kosher food and fasting on Yom Kippur.

In addition to prominent proselytes like Onkelos, Avtalyon, Ben Bag Bag and Ben Heh Heh, both Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Akiva were traditionally said to have come from converts. It is important to also take note of the Mishnah in Avot: "Be among the students of Aaron: love peace, pursue peace, love all human beings (briyot) and bring them close to Torah." Apparently our Jewish missionary activity stopped during the period of the Hadrianic persecutions when it became forbidden for us to convert others.

I completely subscribe to Professor Huntington's position in his path breaking work The Clash of Civilizations. We are in the midst of the fourth world war, a religious struggle between the free world (which believes in a G-d of love compassion and peace, the G-d of the 24 books of Tanach which are accepted as sacred by Judaism and Christianity) and the world of fundamentalist Islam which believes in a god of will, world domination and jihad. I see the present day rapprochement between Christianity and Judaism after almost 2,000 years of enmity as one of the critical signs of the fateful times in which we are living and a strong ray of light through the darkness emanating from Iran, Al Quaida, Hezbollah and Hamas.

A sea change has occurred during these last several decades. Christians are sincerely trumpeting the call that G-d remains faithful to His initial covenant with Israel, and that the Biblical prophecy is continually being fulfilled through the people of Israel living in its covenanted land. I do believe that together we must champion the belief in our joint G-d who created the world and promises eventual redemption to a fragile and fragmented world on the brink of disaster.

II – Ellen's second quote

Ellen Horowitz further cited:

"Nekrutman assured his guests that he wanted them to feel comfortable and even urged them despite being in a synagogue 'pray in Jesus' name, don't leave Jesus at the door'"

David Nekrutman serves as the Executive Director of CJCUC. When lecturing to Christian groups, he begins by telling the audience that he is an Orthodox Jew who does not believe in the divinity of Jesus or in the sacredness of the Christian canon. What makes our dialogue possible is that we pray to the same Father and our expressions of faith are rooted in the covenant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

The major view of most poskim such as Rav Yaakov Emden and the Shach say that dialogue between both faiths is possible since Christian Trinitarian doctrine looks upon the trinity as a belief in one God, not three separate god-heads. Therefore, there is a unity with the trinity. Of course, Jewish belief does not subscribe to this theology and in our talks with Christians we make it quite clear that any individual who accepts the divinity of Jesus can ipso facto never be considered Jewish. Retaining Jewish identity at the same time believing in the supreme core doctrine of Christianity is heretical to both faiths. You are either Jewish or a Christian. There is nothing in between.

Christians believe that theirs is the perfect revelation to which ultimately everyone will convert. We, as Jews, also believe that Judaism is the perfect revelation to which ultimately everyone will convert. We make the above points very clear in our discussions with Christians, even stressing that any Christian sect who presents a raison d'etre to convert Jews as a specific mandate is bordering on spiritual anti-Semitism, because they are saying the Jewish soul in its present state can not be “saved”. We understand that part and parcel of Christian identity is spreading the gospel to everyone, but there are ways to do this. Coming to Israel under guise of supporting the Jewish people and the Land and distributing missionizing material is not only unlawful, religiously dishonest and offensive. CJCUC does not dialogue with Jews for Jesus or any Messianic entities.

III – Ellen's third charge

Ellen Horowitz then writes the following: "His embrace of evangelicals becomes problematic when an organization under his auspices appears to be the recipient of significant funds which were raised at a CUFI sponsored event held at a missionary training center which is affiliated with an actively proselytizing Tel Aviv Messianic Outreach Center"

Christians United for Israel (CUFI) does not evangelize Jews. Pastor John Hagee, the founder and leader of this movement, has dedicated his cleric career in serving Israel without ulterior motive – and has even been strongly criticized by many evangelical pastors because of his belief that Jews as Jews have a share in heavenly reward and eternity. The churches which belong to CUFI have special "Nights to Honor Israel", wherein they talk about the importance of the land of Israel for the Jews and the world, encourage political support and raise funds to help the poor in Israel.

Let it be stated on record that in the last two years, we have received the sum total of less than $50,000 from these Israel nights, with none of that money going to our Ohr Torah Stone Institutions but rather to a special loving kindness fund which feeds poor Jews and Palestinians who live near Efrat. The particular evening which Ellen speaks of was held in the Cavalry Tabernacle Church headed by Pastor Clem Salerno in Cranford N.J. The Church may very well have donated to other Christian operations which send out missionaries; however, to the best of my knowledge they do not at all have as a central goal of missionizing Jews. Churches are by there very nature involved in sending out pastors whose job is to spread the gospels; my interest is to try to get these churches to support Israel unconditionally and without specifying any mission to the Jews. If I were to discover that any who I have a connection with whose raison d'etre is converting the Jewish people, all ties with them would be severed.

IV - Ellen's final quote

"And prominently featured in the center right of Pave the Way foundation's brochure is Rabbi Riskin's endorsement of that organization. But wait. It was three years ago, in late October of 2005, that Rabbi Riskin's office told this writer that Rabbi Riskin would request that his name be removed as a sponsor of Pave the Way foundation due to the organization's efforts to get Israel to give control to the Vatican of the room above the traditional burial site of King David. I guess Rabbi Riskin has since changed his mind, as the updated literature once again sports Rabbi Riskin's endorsement of the Pave the Way foundation."

I am not and never was a board member, officer or endorser of the Pave the Way foundation. I did mail a letter of gratitude for his invitation to meet with Pope John Paul II with other organizational leaders. It was this letter that was prominently featured in the foundation’s brochure. When I heard that the foundation was trying to get Israel to give control to the Vatican of the room above the burial site of King David, I clearly voiced my objection to those efforts. I consider Gary Krupp a good and sincere friend – one who I respect but with whom I do not always agree.

In regard to reviewing the Papacy of Pope Pius XII, Krupp has done extensive research in this area. I sent David Nekrutman to attend the symposium sponsored by Pave the Way Foundation in September of this year. He debriefed me of the events that took place and mentioned that his own judgments on the Pope were changed. Nekrutman originally thought that Pope Pius XII was indeed a Nazi collaborator and the documents shown at the symposium counter that claim. I have voiced to him as well as to others that I believe the jury is still out until the documents in the Vatican files are all properly studied and interpreted. Yad Vashem is the premiere Holocaust institution in the world and will deal with these issues according their own protocols and standards.

I do believe in Jewish-Christian dialogue especially during these fateful times. There will be those who will disagree with me about this issue, and they have every right to do so. In my relationships with Christians, I have found that we have much more in common than what separates us - such as the sanctity of our shared Biblical Scriptures (the 24 books of the Bible) as well as in a G-d of love, morality and peace. Thus far in our relationship, I have found more Christians (many thousands) being moved to accept more and more Jewish practices and even coming closer to our theological views than the other way around.

Sincerely,

Shlomo Riskin

Did you hear the one about the Jewish Knight, the Pope, the Rabbi, and Jesus?

New: Rabbi Riskin Responds this post

UPDATE: Batya has follow-up posts on this issue here and on A7

Posted by Ellen W. Horowitz for Jewish Israel

Riskin Drops a Bomb

You can’t make this stuff up. The December 2008 Jerusalem Post Christian Edition has a feature article on Rabbi Shlomo Riskin’s new interfaith endeavor - Ohr Torah Stone's Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding & Cooperation. David Nekrutman is the Executive Director of the center which is located in Efrat.

You may want to sit down before reading the following choice quotes from that article lest you plotz

Rabbi Riskin said, “The Christians have told the whole world about the God of love and peace, and they did it by picking up the ball that we Jews dropped 2000 years ago."

“Nekrutman assured his guests that he wanted them to feel comfortable, and even urged them, despite being in a synagogue, to ‘pray in Jesus name. Don't leave Jesus at the door’."

I don’t know if we dropped the ball, Rabbi Riskin. I think it’s more like we Jews dropped back for a pass, and the other team (let’s call them “the Saints”) were guilty of illegally roughing the passer and stealing the ball - among a torrent of other fouls.

And from where I’m sitting, it does seem that certain progressive rabbis – not unlike “Progressive rabbis” - are playing dangerous games and may be at risk of fumbling the future for all of us.

These “Orthodox” rabbis, like their “messianic” Christian counterparts, are trying to “put a new face on Jesus” in order to market him in the name of interfaith dialogue and Jewish-Christian reconciliation (or Jewish conversion – depending on which side of the fence you are standing).

But the fences have been breached…

Guys like Rabbi Shmuely Boteach regularly invite debates with messianic pastor/rabbis and promote the position that, “Judaism was the faith practiced by Jesus for his entire life, and from which he never wavered.” Or “Jesus was a Pharisaic rabbi. Everything he taught and lived was based on the Torah and the Talmud…Jesus' mission was to renew Jewish attachment to the Torah in a time when the threads of tradition were being unwoven due to the oppressive hand of the occupying Roman beast. “

Note how similar Shmuely’s explanations are to the one found at Messianicjewish.net, in response to the question: If I believe in Yeshua, won't that mean I'm no longer Jewish?

The site’s reply: ” Yeshua was born of a Jewish mother … and lived a Jewish lifestyle. He consistently followed the Jewish traditions and taught others to do so … The early followers of Yeshua (called disciples) worshipped daily in the Jerusalem Temple.. Also, the B'rit Chadasha (New Testament) was written by Jewish authors…to explain Jewish teachings to a Jewish audience. The Jewishness of the New Testament is clearly reflected in a recent translation entitled "The Jewish New Testament". Believing in Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah, is a very Jewish thing to do. "

Rabbi Riskin announced his shift in position regarding interfaith dialogue in the Jerusalem Post in a July 2007 oped (which was - in part - a response to an editorial which I had written expressing concern about the crossing of theological red lines) :

“…the founder of Christianity was a Jewish teacher who - it would certainly appear from the Gospels - lived a Jewish life-style, replete with the Sabbath, festivals and kashrut. Hence there is every logical, historical and religious reason for there to be a rapprochement between us.”

Several months ago Penina Taylor, the Director of the Jerusalem Branch of Jews for Judaism, and I met with Rabbi Riskin and discussed our concerns with regards to his understanding of certain Christian theological concepts, like “grafting” and “One New Man”. It was certainly a cordial meeting, but both Penina and I came to the conclusion that Rabbi Riskin may not have grasped what these concepts mean to evangelical Christians.

And while we may be able to dismiss Rabbi Shmuely Boteach’s antics with messianics as a PR stunt by the “Chief Rabbi of Kosher Sex; Rabbi Riskin ,on the other hand ,is the Chief Rabbi of Efrat and is approached in that capacity by many people as a Rav Posek .

That Rabbi Riskin is enthusiastically awaiting the messianic era of peace and reconciliation is to be admired, but he may be jumping the gun a bit ( and I’m not referring to his being one of the first in line to be measured for his own custom-made set of Priestly Garments).

His embrace of evangelicals becomes problematic when an organization under his auspices appears to be the recipient of significant funds which were raised at a CUFI –sponsored event held at a missionary training center which is affiliated with an actively proselytizing Tel Aviv Messianic Outreach Center

And it’s literally playing with an Aish Zarah - a strange fire - when his center for interfaith dialogue encourages Christians to enter an Orthodox Jewish synagogue and to “pray in Jesus name”.

Just how close are we to setting up Stations of the cross, from Gush Etzion to Har Tzion?

Rabbi Riskin’s Center, touted as “the first Orthodox Jewish center to theologically dialogue with Christians”, recently issued the following press release:

Orthodox Chief Rabbi Meets With Latin Patriarch Of Jerusalem

(Excerpt)

....The meeting between the Rabbi Riskin and the Latin Patriarch was coordinated by Gary Krupp, founder and president of Pave the Way Foundation, an organization that bridges the gaps between religions. Krupp is organizing the first ever Lyon, France religious leaders mission to visit Israel in March of 2009. The group will be hosted both by the Latin Patriarch and Rabbi Riskin.

Just who is Gary Krupp and what does the Pave the Way Foundation do?

“Vatican Knight Gary Krupp and wife Meredith of Long Beach are Jews with strong ties to Rome”,

"I was knighted by Pope John Paul II, then knighted by the Anglica church, and then knighted by Pope Benedict and I'm Jewish!"

According to Pave the Way Foundation’s brochure, “Being a trusted member of the Papal household has enabled him [Krupp] to act as a catalyst in initiating changes and eliminating many obstacles to the furtherance of Judeo-Christian relations. Gary has also been invested, by permission of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, as an Officer Brother in the Anglican Order of St. John.”

If you ever wanted to know what a court Jew looks like, I imagine it’s something like this (just look at all of Gary’s little crosses!)

A fatwa on Krupp

As long as we’re on the topic of honor, Gary Krupp was awarded “the Fatwa of Al-Aqsa” from the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. (Like I said, you can’t make this stuff up) And I was going to suggest that someone should really ask Mr. Krupp if perhaps the Grand Mufti didn’t put out a fatwa on him for having approached Al Aqsa. But then I saw it. It does exist on the Pave the Way Foundation sit. Top row center - running smack through the center of the State of Israel is the Fatwa of Al-Aqsa. And prominently featured in the center right of Pave the Way foundation’s brochure is Rabbi Riskin’s endorsement of that organization.

But wait. It was three years ago, in late October of 2005, that Rabbi Riskin’s office told this writer that Rabbi Riskin would request that his name be removed as a sponsor of Pave the Way Foundation due to the organization’s efforts to get Israel to give control to the Vatican of the room above the traditional burial site of King David. I guess Rabbi Riskin has since changed his mind, as the updated literature once again sports Rabbi Riskin’s endorsement of the Pave the Way Foundation.

Supper over Mt. Zion:

Krupp has unrelentingly campaigned for the return of the Cenacle Shrine to Catholic control.

According to Krupp, it’s “one of the most important sites for Christianity… It’s where Jesus first broke the matzo that Christians remember at each Mass….The Catholic Church has owned it since the 11th century. They have a bill of sale...It only makes sense now that it goes back to Catholic jurisdiction.”

Well, Mr. Krupp, this writer believes that High Mass at the Kever Dovid HaMelech complex could really throw a wrench into one’s davening, and Gregorian chants are likely to disturb Gemorah classes at the Diaspora Yeshiva - which operates the campus and manages the Mt. Zion complex.

Some of you may recall that three years ago the Committee to Save Mt. Zion played a pivotal role in upsetting ongoing Vatican efforts to gain control of “the Last Supper Room (Cenacle Shrine)”

It was Gary Krupp and his Pave the Way Foundation which has been acting as a facilitator in the Vatican – Israel property negotiations of the past few years. And it remains high on his agenda, although his most recent literature makes a special point that “use” of the Shrine “will not disturb the Tomb of King David below or the Yeshiva on the ground level”

I’m certainly no scholar, but it was my understanding that there is an absolute halachic prohibition of Jews giving away land in Eretz Yisrael to non-Jews, worse so to Ovdei Avodah Zara, worse so when being done as a gift. Perhaps Rabbi Riskin could shed some light on this, and offer some clarification.

Rehabilitating Pope Pius XII

Another one of Krupp’s papal priorities is to see to it that Pope Pius Xll has any anti-Semitic blemishes removed so that the Vatican can proceed with his beautification process without Jewish sensitivities getting in the way. And so last September Pave the Way Foundation sponsored an international symposium of scholars and rabbis.

...Krupp told Catholic News Service after the audience that Pope Benedict "was very appreciative" of the organization's extensive research, which had revealed clearly that the current negative perception of Pope Pius "is completely wrong.".....

Krupp uses David Nekrutman of Rabbi Riskin’s center to bolster Pave the Way Foundation and the Vatican’s position:

David Nekrutman, executive director of the Israeli–based Center for Jewish–Christian Understanding and Cooperation, told CNS the exhibit at Yad Vashem should be taken down “until it’s done correctly.”

Nekrutman, who knows Krupp from his past – as Director of Community and Interfaith Relations for the Consulate General of Israel in New York - can also be seen on YOUTUBE as he gets an “awakening call” and is “transformed” as he discovers, “whatever I was taught from day one about the Catholic church and Pope Pius was wrong.”

To be fair, Rabbi Riskin and David Nekrutman are not the only Torah Observant Jews who have had dealings with Gary Krupp, the “trusted member of the Papal household” (does that make him a house Jew?).

Ronny Levy of MADP Tarshish Foundation recently dined and “broke bread together” with the Krupps, “a Catholic priest, two Protestants, and two Palestinian Muslims.”

Levy is the personal advisor to the President of the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land and served as an advisor to the former chairman of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus. I will give you more on Mr. Levy in my next report, but here’s a little preview:

“As an orthodox Jew of the Levy tribe, son of an orthodox family of 11 generations in Jerusalem, educated all his life in orthodox schools and yeshivas, I can guarantee you that when the day of Salvation arrives God will open our eyes, and if God shows us that Jesus is the Messiah, we will receive him with love and joy! We do not turn our backs on God and His message! If He sends Jesus as His Messiah we will have to accept Him! We will be unable to turn our back on God!”

Conclusion:

By opening the “first Orthodox Jewish center to theologically dialogue with Christians”,I believe Rabbi Riskin has compromised the currently accepted halacha, and consequently puts at risk our spiritual continuity and imperils our future in a Jewish Israel.

BREAKING NEWS: from the President of Israel Spokesperson's Office

Vatican Advance Delegation Meets With President's Residence Officials In
Order To Prepare For Possible Visit By Pope Benedict Xvi To Israel

Israel attributes great importance to the visit and is preparing to receive
Pope Benedict XVI with full ceremony and official events that will
strengthen ties between the State of Israel, the Holy See and the entire
Christian world.