Israeli Non-Profit Featured for Building and Maintaining the World’s Largest Jewish Bone Marrow Registry; and For Their Work Saving Lives Around the World

Ezer Mizion, Israel’s largest non-profit organization providing health support services in Israel and The Jewish Bone Marrow Registry around the world, was prominently featured by The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) at its recently held policy conference in Washington for its growing efforts and contributions in Israel, the United States and around the world with a special emphasis on its global bone marrow registry. At this year’s conference, Ezer Mizion unveiled its new #SharedLife campaign through which the organization plans to raise awareness of its bone marrow initiative.

Established in 1979, Ezer Mizion began as a non-profit in Israel. It was founded by Chananya Chollak who was inspired from his experience with local medical care units and hospitals following his father-in-law’s sudden illness. In addition to his family’s experience, Mr. Chollak took notice of the toll that illnesses were having both emotionally and financially on other Jewish families and it was that empathy upon which the foundation of Ezer Mizion was built. Today, the organization reaches more than 670,000 individuals from Israel and around the world.

In 1998, Dr. Bracha and Moti Zisser founded the Ezer Mizion’s Bone Marrow Registry. What originally began as a registry in Israel has today expanded to be the largest Jewish Bone Marrow Registry around the world. It has 885,264 registrants (including 470,038 IDF recruits), has successfully matched nearly 12,000 patients, and has facilitated nearly 3,000 transplants.

A key differentiator for Ezer Mizion is its exclusive partnership with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The partnership was initiated and facilitated by Motti and Dr. Bracha Zisser. The agreement was signed in 2005. The IDF obtains swab samples from incoming soldiers for the Ezer Mizion Bone Marrow Registry. Statistics show that bone marrow donations from younger individuals (beginning at age 18) have a higher rate of success for the matched recipients. The partnership with IDF grants Ezer Mizion access to a sampling pool which includes young candidates from various ethnic backgrounds. Each recruitment cycle allows the organization to receive a fresh, diverse set of new registrants.

With the launch of the #SharedLife campaign, Ezer Mizion plans to educate the public about the importance of bone marrow registration and the advancements in the process including how a simple cheek swab is all it takes to join the registry.

“We are truly honored to be invited as a featured guest at this year’s AIPAC Annual Policy Conference,” said Dr. Bracha Zisser, Director of the Bone Marrow Registry at Ezer Mizion. “It is an inspiring experience to be surrounded by so many like-minded individuals and groups coming together in support of the State-of-Israel and the Jewish people. Our goal as an organization is to relieve pain, save lives, and utilize this opportunity to raise awareness of the Bone Marrow Registry.”

To celebrate its presence and recognition at the event, Ezer Mizion proudly hosted a booth at AIPAC’s Annual Policy Conference located in “The Village.” The exhibition was designed by Berenbaum Jacob Associates, inspired by the concept of portraying Jewish Genetics-DNA and showcased the impact of the donors on the bone marrow recipients. The designers are known for combining unique and moving stories with deep, thought-provoking messages.

Ezer Mizion also unveiled the #Shared Life campaign, which was developed by Eff Creative Group of Times Square, NYC, an Inc. 500 company known for their award-winning social media movements, creative messaging, custom digital platforms and strategic marketing campaigns.

Ezer Mizion’s Executive Team hosted an exclusive ‘Meet and Greet,’ by invitation, with honorable guests Naftali Bennett, Israel Minister of Education and Diaspora Affairs and Ayelet Shaked, Israel Minister of Justice.

To learn more about Ezer Mizion, to donate, or to register as a donor, please visit: www.SharedLife.EzerMizion.org.

ABOUT EZER MIZION

Established in 1979 by Mr. Chananya Chollak, Ezer Mizion is one of the largest non-profit organizations in Israel providing medical and social support services. The organization provides a diverse range of services to positively impact the lives of the sick, disabled, elderly, and underprivileged. The organization benefits more than 670,000 people annually, has more than 25,000 volunteers to support its initiatives, and an annual budget of $100 million. One of the organization’s major initiatives, which was launched in 1998, is Bone Marrow Donor Registry. To date, this registry includes 885,264 active registrants, more than half of which are IDF recruits. Since its inception, nearly 12,000 positive matches have been established and nearly 3,000 transplants facilitated. To learn more about the organization, to donate, or to register as a donor, please visit: www.EzerMizion.org.

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American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) held its annual policy conference at the Washington Convention Center from Sunday March 4th-Tuesday March 6th 2018.  AIPAC which began in the 1950s as a relatively obscure organization has transformed into an influential behemoth becoming pivotal on the schedule of nearly every Washington politician and one of the most powerful lobbying groups in the United States.  AIPAC describes itself as a bipartisan organization with representatives from both parties heading to the conference including: Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and Rep Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)-with Nancy Pelosi scheduled to attend but an apparent no-show.

Over the years it has been leaning towards the right as the Republican party continues to manifest its stronger commitment to Israel and its priorities.  While prior years were sold-out way in advance this year $600 tickets were available up until a couple of days before.  This year’s agenda touted AIPAC’s vast accomplishments in advancing its pro-Israel agenda and reiterated its goal of curbing Iran’s power and limiting financial support for the Palestinians while also targeting the BDS movement for its anti-Israel campaign.

The 18,000 attendees this year contained hundreds of students and participants who flew in from California, Israel and other far-flung locales.  However, the most consequential year of the convention was 2016 where the electricity of an election year was palpable with candidates Trump, Cruz, Kasich and Clinton heading to the hallowed halls of AIPAC.  This convention was more relaxed without the urgency of the anti-Israel Presidency of Obama and without the consequential stakes of a presidential candidacy.  In fact, with the most pro-Israel Presidency of all time in place at the White House AIPAC, almost had a celebratory feel to it.

As UN Ambassador to Israel David Friedman strolled the halls the crowd surrounded him with hugs and praise excited at the prospect of the Embassy being moved to Jerusalem.  There was also a massive AIPAC village erected with a kosher cafeteria and coffeehouse with David Broza and other musicians playing throughout the three-day convention.  The conference hashtags were #ChooseToLead and #AIPAC2018 manifesting the lighter mood of an organization that had previously been in emergency mode.

In fact, Sunday evening contained no speakers with breakout sessions and general sessions being the dominant activities and guests heading to socialize at events held by CAMERA, ZOA, and ELNET at various locations throughout Washington.  There was also a Real Estate networking event held at the Convention Center which contained bigwigs from major companies.  However, the hotspot was the Marriott Marquis where hundreds gathered in the lobby for meetings and drinks throughout the morning and evening hours.  Security was tight with badges being scanned and IDs required at nearly every checkpoint.  However, the massive demonstrations of previous years where television crews from around the globe were stationed outside the Hotel were nowhere to be found.

Moreover, the Convention Center was the sole venue for speakers as opposed to the one-mile away Verizon Center of last year where many lazy AIPAC A-listers complained of the endless trek.  One major drawback of the Convention Center was the lack of raised levels making it nearly impossible to see the speakers if you didn’t have the right credentials -a fate I was confined to.  The first major speeches were held on Monday at 5:00 PM at the Convention Center where lines snaked around the corner to hear US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and VP Mike Pence speak.  Similar to last year, Nikki Haley was the star of the convention with the crowd giving her lengthy standing ovations and screaming “We love you Nikki” from the audience.

Not only is she beautiful, donning a Chanel-like light blue dress, but she is humble, brilliant and soft-spoken.  She recounted her upbringing as a child of Indian immigrants who was often bullied by her neighbors and who hates bullies-including those at the UN who she said bullied Israel.  After receiving multiple ovations, she declared that in making Jerusalem the capital of Israel President Trump was recognizing a reality that had been denied for too long.  She then said the United States was taking names to see who voted against Israel when it made determinations regarding foreign aid-an unbelievable declaration.

She praised Guatemala, which she recently visited, for moving its embassy to Jerusalem and said she can’t understand why an organization such as the UN which is comprised of 193 countries spends half of its time attacking Israel.  She scoffed at the notion that the US was showing favoritism to Israel declaring there was nothing wrong with appreciating an ally.  There were some in the audience expressing hope that Haley might run for President as the crowd’s adoration for Haley was insatiable.

When Chuck Schumer arrived to comparatively tepid enthusiasm he started his speech, as he always does, with a lengthy joke.  Schumer has proven himself to be a weak friend of Israel; hesitant to denounce the disastrous Iran deal and recently calling on Orthodox Jews to denounce Trump’s failure to confront hate groups despite Trump’s unabashed and unprecedented support of the Jewish people-let’s not forget Trump’s recent pardoning of Sholom Rubashkin.

Schumer spoke out against the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and the need to contain the significant threat of Iran taking up residency in Syria becoming dangerously close to Israel’s border.  While saying all the right things Schumer’s continued use of Hebrew words such as Hashem and “Am Yisrael Chai” came across as pedantic and insincere as it was clear he was trying to curry favor with his massive audience.

Contrastingly, a sincere friend of Israel, VP Mike Pence, who became the first US Vice President to address the Knesset in January where he received one ovation after another as he referenced various Biblical passages and expressed his resolute support for Israel and the Jewish people, spoke once again of his and the President’s unflagging support of Israel.  He mistakenly called Trump the most “pro-life” President when he meant to say pro-Israel and reiterated that America stands with Israel because “it believes in liberty over tyranny”.  He spoke of his pride in President Trump’s decertification of the Iran nuclear deal and declared to tepid applause, that the President, with the agreement of both sides, would support a two-state solution.  He ended his speech with the prayer “Shehecheyanu, v’kiyimanu, v’higiyanu la ‘z’man ha’zeh”-not bad for a non-jew from Indiana.

As the speeches concluded at 7:00 PM guests headed to AIPAC village for a VIP reception replete with delicious food and revelry.  There was a UJA reception at the Marriott where CEO Eric Goldstein was accompanied by AIPAC President Mort Fridman and Executive Director Howard Kohr.  At the beginning of the conference, Kohr controversially declared his support for Palestinian statehood and expressed hopes that peace would be achieved between the two countries. Tonight his remarks were brief as he thanked CEO Eric Goldstein for his leadership.

As attendees gathered in the Marriott many were excitedly anticipating Netanyahu’s speech the next morning.  With security tight long lines gathered early on Tuesday morning to make their way to the Convention Center.  Netanyahu who rarely addresses AIPAC live, was embraced by the lively crowd and praised President Trump for recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and for moving the embassy to Jerusalem this May-Israel’s Independence Day.  Netanyahu addressed the disastrous Iran nuclear deal and said peace with Abbas could only be achieved if he stopped supporting terror.  After Netanyahu’s warm reception attendees headed to their training sessions to practice talking points for the afternoon’s lobbying sessions-the raison d’ etre of AIPAC: the most consequential Jewish organization in existence.

The post Personal Reflections on the 2018 AIPAC Annual Policy Conference in Washington, DC appeared first on Jewish Voice.

“They call me Anatol in prison I do lie”-I can still remember singing that song in elementary school and listening lugubriously to the story of Natan Sharansky who was languishing in jail for no other reason then wanting to be a practicing jew.  On Wednesday March 7th 2018, at Cipriani 25 Broadway I had the privilege of attending an evening celebrating his release from prison more than 30 years later and the conclusion of his tenure at The Jewish Agency after nine years of service.  Sharansky was born in the Soviet Union in 1948 with a degree in applied mathematics.  In March 1977 he was arrested on multiple charges including high treason and spying for the Americans and sentenced to 13 years of forced labor.

In prison his health deteriorated to the point of near death; he kept himself sane by playing chess in his head-he was a chess prodigy even beating Garry Kasparov in a simultaneous exhibition in Israel in 1996.  Through the help of an international campaign led by his wife Avital he was released from jail in February 1986 as part of a larger exchange generated by Ronald Reagan pressuring Mikhail Gorbachev.  That Sharansky has not only survived but thrived in multiple arenas is miraculous.  I could never imagine I would be taking pictures of him and his wife Avital at a dinner in Cipriani thirty years after his detainment.

There was a palpable excitement in the air heightened by the extraordinary guest list which included Prime Minister Netanyahu and former President George W. Bush.  There were also your average super-billionaires including Sheldon and Miriam Adelson, James Tisch and Ira and Ingeborg Rennert.  To have a sitting Prime Minister attend a dinner with a former President is quite extraordinary and the Secret Service seemed slightly overwhelmed.  The evening opened with a beautiful rendition of the song “Al Kol Ele” by Ania Bukstein a Russian immigrant who arrived in Israel at the age of 8 where she said she felt reborn.

Ania thanked Sharansky for leading the way for Jews to enter the land of Israel where they now comprise over one million of the population.  James Tisch, CEO of Loews Corporation and the dinner chair, thanked the 500-person crowd for attending despite the nasty storm.  Tisch recounted the history of the Jewish Agency which 90 years ago was led by Ben Gurion and was up until today headed by Sharansky.  He thanked Avital for her efforts in freeing

Natan and said that Natan’s jailers failed spectacularly as he has been the unofficial spokesmen of Jews everywhere.  He said that Natan “never does what is easy but does what is right.”

We were then shown a film where Sharansky said he grew up without any Jewish identity and surprisingly remarked the biggest threat to the Jews was themselves.  The film spoke of the Agency’s new Shlichut Institute which trains students to be great emissaries by providing them with the tools and technology to connect Jews around the world to Israel.

Another great shaliach of the Jews, Rabbi Avi Weiss, spoke movingly about the struggle to free Natan and how Avital would light oil instead of candles on Friday night because she hoped a miracle akin to Chanukah would attain Sharansky’s release.  Weiss then led the crowd in singing “Am Yisroel Chai” an extremely apropos melody.

We were then treated to a fascinating panel where Paula Zahn moderated a discussion between Sharansky and Bush on democracy and freedom.  Sharansky thanked President Bush for meeting with 100 dissidents when he was President.  Sharansky said one of his best days in prison was reading the newspaper Pravda where Ronald Reagan called Russia “the evil empire.”  Bush denounced the current government in Russia remarking that it was not really a democracy as there was no independent media and joked that he would be popular too if he owned NBC.  Sharansky countered with his observation that on the good side Putin loves jews but on the bad side Russia is retreating from developed democracy.

However, Sharansky noted there was still no KGB controlling 200 million minds and no gulag; in the current Russia people are able to speak their mind freely in the town square as long as they don’t criticize the leaders.  President Bush had the audience in stitches when he recounted introducing Putin to his dog Barney, a pet whom he said nobody liked.   One year later Putin introduced Bush to his dog and Putin said his dog was bigger stronger and faster than Barney. Bush joked that Barney was dead and voting absentee.  He also said his father was doing well but not speaking much with his mother doing much of the talking. Bush took a hard stance against Putin saying he had a huge chip on his shoulder.  Bush remarked, “Putin is a zero sum thinker; I win and you lose.”

He also remarked Putin was pleased to see the disruptive elements in the American election as everything he does is poised to diminish America.  Bush said Iran was a great danger to Israel and other allies in the Middle East because while they have changed their spokesmen they haven’t changed decision makers-the unelected mullahs are still in place.

Speaking of Iran, Netanyahu who has made it his mission to speak out against the terrorist regime, did so again tonight.  Netanyahu began by thanking President Bush for his 8 years of friendship and support and for defending freedom around the world.  He also extolled Sheldon and Miriam Adelson calling them “the greatest philanthropists in the world”.  I have never had the opportunity to hear the Prime Minister speak in such an intimate setting and he is absolutely spellbinding.  There is no greater orator I can think of who speaks without notes.

Netanyahu had the audience mesmerized when he spoke of Sharansky telling him that when he would hear a plane go by in prison he would think of Netanyahu’s brother, Yoni, and Entebbe and know he was not alone because of the Jewish State.  “Yoni’s courage inspired you and your courage inspired me”, exclaimed Netanyahu who recounted Sharansky defying a Kangaroo court in Russia by declaring “next year in Jerusalem.”   Netanyahu said at the time when the Soviet Union was a communist regime he and Sharansky thought Russia was a hollow empire that looked strong on the outside but was weak on the inside.

Netanyahu felt a strong sustained leadership of the West could win a Cold War and that’s what they proceeded to do with President Reagan and Secretary Schultz who Netanyahu called  “magnificent” leading the way.  “If you press hard enough they will crack,” Netanyahu told the wife of Andrei Sakharov who feared he would die in prison.  He then compared Russia to the Iranian regime which also oppresses its people and terrorizes its neighbors.  “Iran too has a hollow core and if you press them they will crack,” exclaimed Netanyahu.

He exhorted the audience to honor Natan’s legacy by supporting the young people in Iran fighting for freedom.  He concluded by describing the day Sharansky zigzagged across the bridge to freedom in the morning and ended the evening carried on the shoulders of “our people” to the Western Wall.  He praised Sharansky for campaigning for all those left behind in the iron curtain after he was freed.  “Nine years in prison, nine years in Politics and nine years in the Jewish Agency, I don’t know which were more excruciating,” joked Netanyahu.

While Netanyahu is currently under fire in his country he has made an indelible impression on his visit to the United States.  When Sharansky concluded the evening he thanked those who had braved the storm and Netanyahu who was “facing many storms,” a joke Netanyahu didn’t seem to hear.  The night ended with Sharansky dancing enthusiastically while accepting a chess board from the legendary Garry Kasparov – the ultimate conclusion to a once-in-a-lifetime evening.

The post Bush, Bibi , Adelson , Tisch, Sharansky at Cipriani appeared first on Jewish Voice.

Steve Jobs loved to quote Wayne Gretzky saying “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not to where it has been.” The Rabbis formulated the same idea centuries ago when they said, “ איזהו חכם הרואה את הנולד–Who is wise? He who sees what the future will bring.” But more than simply having insight and vision, great leaders also have the courage and confidence to take action. They solve problems before anyone even realizes there was a need, and build towards a future that others still cannot even imagine.

Blessed is the generation that has a truly wise Hakham in its midst. When I was in college, Rabbi Moshe Shamah offered me advice about several of the most important life decision I was then considering. I was not ready to appreciate his wisdom at the time, but over the next years, everything that he recommended and predicted ended up turning into reality. He knew what was best for me and set forth the trajectory of my life way before I could foresee those possibilities. Many other people have similar stories in their personal interactions with Rabbi Shamah. Moreover, his visionary leadership extends not only to individuals and families – but to the community as a whole. That is fundamentally what Sephardic Institute and Synagogue are all about.

Rabbi Shamah opened Sephardic Institute fifty years ago as a yeshiva for advanced Torah study. The goal was to train future community rabbis, teachers, and leaders. Sephardic Institute also sought to research and recover more of the depth of the Torah’s original teachings that are relevant today to pave a way towards future growth of Judaism that could confront challenges of assimilation in the Diaspora, and the new promises of the State of Israel. A number of the rabbis throughout the community today developed from that learning program.

In 1973 a most pressing concern became the need for a community high school. Rabbi Shamah, assisted by Rabbi Sam Kassin and Rabbi Ronald Barry, responded to the need and devoted themselves to establishing Sephardic High School. In its twenty years, it created a generation of committed community members and leaders. In Chief Rabbi Shaul Kassin’s words, “Sephardic High School saved the community.”

When that torch was passed off to Magen David High School, Sephardic Institute turned to other pressing needs. Rabbi Barry spearheaded the drive to build perhaps the most halakhicly acceptable urban erub in the world. For the past fifteen years, tens of thousands of community members of all ages, the elderly, and the infirmed, have enhanced their joy and spirit of Shabbat like never before due to the erub.

The Frieda Kassin Mikveh on Kings Highway, which was built and continues to be operated by Sephardic, provides a dignified, hassle-free, and uplifting experience for over one thousand women every month.

When Carvel on the corner of Kings Highway and East 3rd Street closed, Sephardic Institute bought the land for its future growth but later sold it to Ahi Ezer when they felt it was an ideal location for their senior center. Despite the appreciation in value, Rabbi Shamah considered them as community partners and insisted it be sold to them without profit despite significant appreciation in value. The same is true for the land upon which Congregation Bnei Yishak is built. The synagogues in Allenhurst, Elberon, and Mikdash Eliyahu all trace their roots back to Sephardic.

Fifteen years ago, inspired by Sephardic Institute, I was pleased to have the opportunity to lead in the establishment and running of Merkaz Moreshet Yisrael. We have provided special community-wide classes, public lectures, and college accredited courses. For several years, we spearheaded a Yom Haasmaut event in the Sephardic Community Center that brought together thirteen congregations to celebrate together. Merkaz continues to run www.teachtorah.org, which hosts hundreds of lesson plans for high school Tanakh teachers. These curricula are being used by dozens of teachers in schools around the world to raise the level of Jewish education everywhere. We completed lessons for Megilat Esther last year, Melakhim Alef last month, and are currently working on Melakhim Bet.

The website pizmonim.org was another offshoot of Sephardic Institute and Merkaz Moreshet Yisrael, which continues to host the site. David M. Betesh has gathered a storehouse of the entirety of our liturgical tradition–pizmonim, taamim, maqam by our community Hazzanim including a studio recording of the entire Torah by our Hazan Abe Zami. The site has received nearly 450,000 visitors since it has opened and is an essential resource for students throughout the community and the world.

Tebah Educational Services, another amazing success, also began in Sephardic under the leadership of Morris and Rabbi Nathan Dweck. It has published over 20 works and its edition of the Halakhot of the Holidays have been distributed to 65 Jewish organizations.

Above all this stands Rabbi Shamah’s crowning achievement – Recalling the Covenant. Every page offers a goldmine of newly uncovered insights and solutions to textual, philosophical, and moral questions. It is a trustworthy guide for any intelligent and sensitive reader to appreciate the inspiration and continuing relevance of the Torah. Professor Yaakov Elman recently told me that this is the single most significant contribution to Jewish scholarship in our generation.

The programs and achievements of our synagogue over the past decades are too numerous to list except to note that we are also a thriving congregation providing pastoral care, classes and minyanim every day. Our youth minyan is a pioneer in teaching children maqam, pizmonim and reading the Torah each week. Our Hayil minyan has had instance success with our young professionals. We are at the cutting edge in realizing the often untapped potential in our talented youth and other synagogues look to our minyanim as models for how to succeed.

You might say that Sephardic is to the community what the Apple iphone was to flip phones. Think about where this community would have been without Sephardic Institute and Synagogue’s activities over the past 50 years. Now think about what the next 5, 10 and 50 years can bring as we continue to educate and inspire. We will not rest on past achievements because there is so much more to do. Right now, members of this synagogue together with our partners are working on solutions to the agunah problem, improving education in our yeshivot, and helping to solve the tuition crisis. We are thinking deeply about engaging millennials, developing future educators and leaders, and increasing our own spiritual and communal commitments. We should all feel proud to be part of this congregation under the leadership of our Hakham, Rabbi Moshe Shamah.

It is therefore my pleasure to invite the entire community to join us as we celebrate the Jubilee Anniversary of Sephardic Synagogue with a gala dinner on April 15, 2018. We are now kicking off a major fundraising campaign that will culminate in a dinner journal. With these funds we will be able to continue the legacy that Rabbi Shamah and Rabbi Barry have created. We have plans to completely renovate the basement, to refurbish the lobby, the staircases and the outdoor façade, and also to add a fourth floor to accommodate a high school minyan and other actives. We ask you for your generous support so that we can expand and beautify not only our physical building but also to build upon our original mission with an advanced learning program, a fellowship program, and many other initiatives to deliver an elevated level of services to our wonderful kahal as well as to the Jewish community at large.

At Sephardic we don’t just play defense; we are focused not only on where the puck is now – we are tracking where it is going so that, together with your support, we can meet new challenges and realize a vision of growth and success for the future.

By: Rabbi Dr. Richard Hidary

The post Sephardic Institute and Synagogue at Fifty appeared first on Jewish Voice.

Receives Litany of Accolades from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Former President George W. Bush

“They call me Anatol in prison I do lie”-I can still remember singing that song in elementary school and listening lugubriously to the story of Natan Sharansky who was languishing in jail for no other reason then wanting to be a practicing jew. On Wednesday March 7th 2018, at Cipriani 25 Broadway I had the privilege of attending an evening celebrating his release from prison more than 30 years later and the conclusion of his tenure at The Jewish Agency after nine years of service. Sharansky was born in the Soviet Union in 1948 with a degree in applied mathematics. In March 1977 he was arrested on multiple charges including high treason and spying for the Americans and sentenced to 13 years of forced labor.

In prison his health deteriorated to the point of near death; he kept himself sane by playing chess in his head-he was a chess prodigy even beating Garry Kasparov in a simultaneous exhibition in Israel in 1996. Through the help of an international campaign led by his wife Avital he was released from jail in February 1986 as part of a larger exchange generated by Ronald Reagan pressuring Mikhail Gorbachev. That Sharansky has not only survived but thrived in multiple arenas is miraculous. I could never imagine I would be taking pictures of him and his wife Avital at a dinner in Cipriani thirty years after his detainment.

There was a palpable excitement in the air heightened by the extraordinary guest list which included Prime Minister Netanyahu and former President George W. Bush. There were also your average super-billionaires including Sheldon and Miriam Adelson, James Tisch and Ira and Ingeborg Rennert. To have a sitting Prime Minister attend a dinner with a former President is quite extraordinary and the Secret Service seemed slightly overwhelmed. The evening opened with a beautiful rendition of the song “Al Kol Ele” by Ania Bukstein a Russian immigrant who arrived in Israel at the age of 8 where she said she felt reborn.

Ania thanked Sharansky for leading the way for Jews to enter the land of Israel where they now comprise over one million of the population. James Tisch, CEO of Loews Corporation and the dinner chair, thanked the 500-person crowd for attending despite the nasty storm. Tisch recounted the history of the Jewish Agency which 90 years ago was led by Ben Gurion and was up until today headed by Sharansky. He thanked Avital for her efforts in freeing Natan and said that Natan’s jailers failed spectacularly as he has been the unofficial spokesmen of Jews everywhere. He said that Natan “never does what is easy but does what is right.”

We were then shown a film where Sharansky said he grew up without any Jewish identity and surprisingly remarked the biggest threat to the Jews was themselves. The film spoke of the Agency’s new Shlichut Institute which trains students to be great emissaries by providing them with the tools and technology to connect Jews around the world to Israel.

Another great shaliach of the Jews, Rabbi Avi Weiss, spoke movingly about the struggle to free Natan and how Avital would light oil instead of candles on Friday night because she hoped a miracle akin to Chanukah would attain Sharansky’s release. Weiss then led the crowd in singing “Am Yisroel Chai” an extremely apropos melody.

We were then treated to a fascinating panel where Paula Zahn moderated a discussion between Sharansky and Bush on democracy and freedom. Sharansky thanked President Bush for meeting with 100 dissidents when he was President. Sharansky said one of his best days in prison was reading the newspaper Pravda where Ronald Reagan called Russia “the evil empire.” Bush denounced the current government in Russia remarking that it was not really a democracy as there was no independent media and joked that he would be popular too if he owned NBC. Sharansky countered with his observation that on the good side Putin loves jews but on the bad side Russia is retreating from developed democracy.

However, Sharansky noted there was still no KGB controlling 200 million minds and no gulag; in the current Russia people are able to speak their mind freely in the town square as long as they don’t criticize the leaders. President Bush had the audience in stitches when he recounted introducing Putin to his dog Barney, a pet whom he said nobody liked. One year later Putin introduced Bush to his dog and Putin said his dog was bigger stronger and faster than Barney. Bush joked that Barney was dead and voting absentee. He also said his father was doing well but not speaking much with his mother doing much of the talking. Bush took a hard stance against Putin saying he had a huge chip on his shoulder. Bush remarked, “Putin is a zero sum thinker; I win and you lose.”

He also remarked Putin was pleased to see the disruptive elements in the American election as everything he does is poised to diminish America. Bush said Iran was a great danger to Israel and other allies in the Middle East because while they have changed their spokesmen they haven’t changed decision makers-the unelected mullahs are still in place.

Speaking of Iran, Netanyahu who has made it his mission to speak out against the terrorist regime, did so again tonight. Netanyahu began by thanking President Bush for his 8 years of friendship and support and for defending freedom around the world. He also extolled Sheldon and Miriam Adelson calling them “the greatest philanthropists in the world”. I have never had the opportunity to hear the Prime Minister speak in such an intimate setting and he is absolutely spellbinding. There is no greater orator I can think of who speaks without notes.

Netanyahu had the audience mesmerized when he spoke of Sharansky telling him that when he would hear a plane go by in prison he would think of Netanyahu’s brother, Yoni, and Entebbe and know he was not alone because of the Jewish State. “Yoni’s courage inspired you and your courage inspired me”, exclaimed Netanyahu who recounted Sharansky defying a Kangaroo court in Russia by declaring “next year in Jerusalem.” Netanyahu said at the time when the Soviet Union was a communist regime he and Sharansky thought Russia was a hollow empire that looked strong on the outside but was weak on the inside.

Netanyahu felt a strong sustained leadership of the West could win a Cold War and that’s what they proceeded to do with President Reagan and Secretary Schultz who Netanyahu called “magnificent” leading the way. “If you press hard enough they will crack,” Netanyahu told the wife of Andrei Sakharov who feared he would die in prison. He then compared Russia to the Iranian regime which also oppresses its people and terrorizes its neighbors. “Iran too has a hollow core and if you press them they will crack,” exclaimed Netanyahu.

He exhorted the audience to honor Natan’s legacy by supporting the young people in Iran fighting for freedom. He concluded by describing the day Sharansky zigzagged across the bridge to freedom in the morning and ended the evening carried on the shoulders of “our people” to the Western Wall. He praised Sharansky for campaigning for all those left behind in the iron curtain after he was freed. “Nine years in prison, nine years in Politics and nine years in the Jewish Agency, I don’t know which were more excruciating,” joked Netanyahu.

While Netanyahu is currently under fire in his country he has made an indelible impression on his visit to the United States. When Sharansky concluded the evening he thanked those who had braved the storm and Netanyahu who was “facing many storms,” a joke Netanyahu didn’t seem to hear. The night ended with Sharansky dancing enthusiastically while accepting a chess board from the legendary Garry Kasparov–the ultimate conclusion to a once-in-a-lifetime evening

By: Lieba Nesis

The post Jewish Agency’s Sharansky Bids Farewell in Star Studded Event at NYC’s Cipriani 25 appeared first on Jewish Voice.

New York

• Classico — 212-355-5411( Ask Eli or Frank)

35 West 57th Street (Btwn 5th & 6th Ave), New York, New York, 10019

• China Glatt — 718-438-2576

4413 13th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11219

• Colbeh -212-354-8181( simon, simon@colbeh.com)

32 West 39st, New York, New York, 10018

• T Fusion Steakhouse — 718-998-0002(tfusiontm@gmail.com)

3223 Quentin Rd, Brooklyn, New York,11234

• The Purple Pear — 845-352-5262

106 Route 59(cor. Rte 306), Monsey, New York,10952

• Eighteen — 212-517-2400

240 E 81st, New York, New York, 10028

• Hummus Kitchen — 212-333-3009

768 9th Ave, New York, NY 10019

212-696-0055

444 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10016

212-988-0090

1613 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10028

• La Brochette — 212-972-2200

340 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10016

• Mr. Broadway — 212-921-2152

1372 Broadway, New York, NY, 10018

• My Most Favorite Food — 212-580-5130

247 W 72nd Street, New York, New York, 10023

Florida

• Kikar Tel-Aviv — 305-866-3316

5005 Collins Ave.,M.B. Inside Carriage Club., Miami Beach, FL, 33140

• Aroma Market and Deli — 561-931-3300

9200 Glades Road, Boca Raton, Florida 33434

• Florida Grill Kosher — 305-535-6077

4229 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33140

• Seventeen Restaurant and Sushi Bar — 305-672-0565

170 Alton Rd, Miami Beach, FL 33139

• Bourekas Etc. — 305-503-3838

18671 W. Dixie Hwy, Aventura, FL,33180

• 41 Prime — 305-397-8782

4101 Pinetree Dr, Miami Beach, FL,33140

• Yosef Roaster Nuts — 786-916-5141

9098 W. Dixie Hwy, Aventura, Fl,33180

• South Florida Kosher Meats — 305-949-6068

1324 NE 163rd Street, N. Miami Beach,33162

• Kosherland — 305-866-6993

9467 Harding Ave, Surfside, FL, 33154

• J Chef — 305-512-5000

20255 NE 15h Court.

Edited by: JV Staff

The post Restaurants Open During Passover in New York & South Florida appeared first on Jewish Voice.

President Donald Trump has fired his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and picked CIA director Mike Pompeo to replace him. And he did this all in an early morning Tweet on Tuesday, which is the president’s preferred method of mass communication.

Tillerson learned of his firing through the Tweet, according to Steve Goldstein, undersecretary of state. “The secretary did not speak to the president and is unaware of the reason, but he is grateful for the opportunity to serve,” said Under Secretary of State Steve Goldstein in a statement Tuesday. “The secretary had every intention of staying because of the critical progress made in national security.”

White House officials disputed that notion, and promptly fired Goldstein.

The rapidly announced departures came just hours after Tillerson returned from a weeklong trip to five African nations.

His departure was officially announced by the president on Twitter. “Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!”

Hours later, Tillerson appeared at the State Department and said “effective at the end of the day” he is delegating all authority to Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan. Tillerson said he is formally stepping down at the end of the month and stressed the importance of a smooth transition to his successor.

In the days leading up to his firing, Tillerson showed no outward signs that his days in the administration were numbered.

A senior administration official told VOA News on Tuesday that Tillerson was informed of his ouster last week. The official, speaking on background, said Tillerson was told by White House Chief of Staff John Kelly last Friday that he was being removed from the Cabinet by the president. The official said Kelly “followed up” with another phone call Saturday.

However, that account contradicts other reporting, which said Kelly never explicitly told Tillerson he was being fired. The Associated Press reported that Kelly warned Tillerson that Trump might tweet something that would concern him, but was not told what the tweet might say.

Tillerson told reporters traveling with him at the time that he did get a late-night phone call, but did not elaborate.

“I got another call at 2:30 a.m. that woke me up. I can’t say. And so I was up most of that night. And that was Friday night,” Tillerson later told reporters.

Just two days later, dressed in sneakers and khakis, Tillerson appeared relaxed and enjoyed a tour at Kenya Wildlife Service Genetics and Molecular Forensics Laboratory, chatting with experts working at the lab, as well as prominent conservationist Dr. Richard Leakey.

On Monday, during a rare on-the-record briefing with seven members of the traveling press en route to Cape Verde, Tillerson appeared to be at ease, occasionally smiling while answering questions.

And during a joint press conference with Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama in Abuja earlier Monday, his last public event in Africa before Trump’s tweet announcing his replacement, Tillerson appeared fully invested, showing no outward signs that he would soon be leaving his position.

Just minutes after Trump gave Tillerson the ax, the president was blunt about his long-standing differences with his former secretary of state.

“We disagreed on things,” Trump told reporters outside the White House, specifically pointing to friction over the Iran nuclear agreement.

“I wanted to either break it or do something, and he felt a little bit differently,” Trump said. “We were really not thinking the same.”

The move left some of Trump’s staunchest defenders with mixed feelings.

“It’s all very Trumpian,” said James Carafano of the conservative Heritage Foundation, who helped staff the State Department as a member of Trump’s transition team. “When the president makes changes, he just abruptly makes them.”

During his 14 months at the State Department, Tillerson had numerous policy differences with Trump–and the friction frequently played out in public.

The animosity peaked in October, when news surfaced that Tillerson reportedly called Trump a “moron” following a July Pentagon meeting. Tillerson never explicitly denied the account.

Tillerson also publicly disagreed with Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord. He also reportedly opposed Trump’s decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Mike Pompeo, on the other hand has publicly expressed his support for a strong US-Israel relationship and has addressed pro-Israel organizations in the past.

In early November of 2017, Pompeo served as keynote speaker at the “Our Soldiers Speak” annual fundraising in Manhattan. “Our Soldiers Speak” is the is the only organization which brings high ranking, senior, uniformed commanders and officers of the Israel Defense Forces and the Israel National Police to address audiences at college and university campuses, to give briefings to members of Congress and other prominent governmental leaders. They also deliver their presentations at community and synagogue programs.

On this auspicious occasion, Pompeo took the opportunity to brief the audience on the ongoing and close relationship between the US and Israel.

And Tillerson sometimes took a tougher stance than Trump on Russia — including this week, when he blamed Moscow for a suspected nerve agent attack in Britain. In return, Trump on numerous occasions publicly undermined his top diplomat, including in October when he tweeted Tillerson was “wasting his time” trying to negotiate with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

When Trump ultimately made his decision last week to meet with Kim, he did so without consulting Tillerson.

“I really didn’t discuss it very much with him honestly,” Trump acknowledged Tuesday. “I made that decision by myself.”

The Tillerson firing comes as Trump embarks on several major foreign policy initiatives, including talks with Kim Jong Un, recently unveiled tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum, and Trump’s threats to undo the Iran nuclear deal.

As Trump becomes more confident in his foreign policy, he has come to realize that the U.S. diplomatic apparatus was holding him back in some ways, Carafano said.

“There’s always this kind of pull from the State Department to not try new things and just keep doing what we’re doing,” Carafano said. “And I think the president doesn’t feel that’s helpful anymore.”

The moves suggest the Trump administration “is tactically going to be a little bolder on its foreign policy,” he said.

It’s unclear whether Trump’s relationship with the State Department will improve under CIA chief Mike Pompeo. “I’ve worked with Mike Pompeo now for quite some time,” Trump said Tuesday. “Tremendous energy. Tremendous intellect. We’re always on the same wavelength.”

But the problem is deeper, said David Schultz, professor of political science at Minnesota’s Hamline University.

Trump does “not seem to view diplomacy as a major aspect of his administration,” Schultz said. “Evidence of that is that many State Department positions are unfilled even to this day, and many careerists have departed.”

A senior White House official also said Tuesday Tillerson’s ouster occurred at this time because Trump wanted to “have his new team in place in advance of the upcoming talks with North Korea and various ongoing trade negotiations.”

The president said they also disagreed on the 2015 Iran nuclear accord.

“When you look at the Iran deal, I think it’s terrible, I guess he thought it’s okay. I want to either break it or do something and he felt a little bit differently, so we were not really thinking the same.”

During the Obama administration, the U.S. and other major powers struck the deal in which Tehran agreed to limit its nuclear program in exchange for the easing of international economic sanctions. President Trump has repeatedly criticized the agreement as a bad deal and threatened to dismantle it.

By: Steve Herman

The post Trump’s Cabinet Takes a Turn to the Right; Fires Tillerson in Tweet appeared first on Jewish Voice.

As Tel Aviv celebrates its sixth Fashion Week we look at why a penchant for comfort and functionality remains at the core of Israeli ready-to-wear fashion

There is a special energy walking around the streets of Tel Aviv, the city that has come to be recognized as Israel’s fashion capital. Stylish residents, young and old, tend to breeze about in light garments that can easily go from office to beach, to an evening out or even to a celebration. Understated makeup, natural hair and comfortable footwear often complement the easy-going look.

However, uncomplicated style does not translate to unsophisticated clothes when it comes to Tel Aviv’s fashion industry, home to some of the best design talent in the world. Many of Israel’s top fashion brands simply embrace their Mediterranean roots by creating clothes that are practical and durable, just like their Israeli muses.

From the designers of Israel’s oldest fashion house to newer labels by recent graduates of Shenkar College of Engineering and Design, Israeli fashion designers seem to agree that the penchant for comfort and functionality remains at the core of Israeli ready-to-wear fashion.

“I think it’s really important to the Israeli crowd to dress very comfortably,” says Sharon Tal, head designer of Maskit, the newly revived historic fashion label. “That’s the challenge –to design comfortable clothes that will still be very elegant and beautiful.”

A hot fashion climate

The climate of Israel is easiest to blame for the no-fuss style popular among Israelis. As a country whose landscape consists of 60 percent desert, Israel experiences warm weather most of the year.

“I think weather really affects everything about design and culture here, especially in Tel Aviv,” says Noy Goz, one-third of the design team at TRES. “It’s not only in fashion; you can feel it even in the restaurants and food here. Everything is very much about nonchalance and sense of ease.”

Though TRES started out making evening wear, a casual collection of cotton t-shirts introduced during TLV Fashion Week in 2017 quickly became a bestseller.

TRES’ collection uses a lot of light, machine-washable materials such as linen, cotton and denim, mostly imported from Japan and Italy. Linen dresses and button-up tops are staples at the brand’s Tel Aviv shop, along with wrap dresses and skirts that can be worn in different ways to flatter various body types.

Linen is a classic Israeli fabric because of its ability to stay cool in the heat. “It suits the vibe of the Israeli style, a bit wrinkly but still fashionable,” Goz tells ISRAEL21c.

Tamar Levit of Tel Aviv’s Muslin Brothers says her team also tries to keep clothes easy and breathable by working with natural materials.

The contemporary brand, which takes its name from the lightweight cotton fabric, uses various cottons in different weights and mixes in more unexpected, high-tech fabrics imported from Japan, Levit tells ISRAEL21c.

“Everything [in Tel Aviv] is so improvised. You can see it when you walk in the street,” says Levit, who founded the label in 2011 with fellow Shenkar graduate Yaen Levi. “You’ll see an AC unit dripping and another neighbor will put their plant underneath it. We always try to find these kinds of spontaneous moments and interpret them into fashion.”

The result is a collection infused with a bit of humor whose oversized, unisex fits challenge gender norms and allow plenty of breathing room during the country’s hottest months.

Shaping fashion in Israel

It is not only Israel’s climate that drives designers toward one-size-fits-all, laid-back styles. The lack of textile industry in Israel can be extremely limiting for young designers who cannot afford to import expensive fabrics, says Tal. She worked in London as head of embroidery for Alexander McQueen before reviving Maskit.

“One-size clothing is easier to stitch, it’s easier to design, and it’s easier for stores to sell,” she tells ISRAEL21c. “It’s kind of like which came first – the chicken or the egg? When people don’t have any choice, they make use of the fabric they have, the people they can work with, and the stores they can sell in.”

When Maskit was founded in 1954, the melting pot of Israeli culture inspired many of the collection’s techniques and silhouettes such as the desert cloak, Bedouin-style tunics and traditional embroideries.

The iconic desert coat, one of the original Maskit designs, is still one of the brand’s bestsellers, with its adjustable fit appealing to both Israeli and international customers.

Though fashion in Tel Aviv may be more informal than in other metropolitan cities like New York, Tal and Goz see an increased interest in dressier international trends. However, says Goz, “Israeli style will never be very tailored or uptight, it’s not in the roots of being Israeli.”

As Tel Aviv celebrates its sixth Fashion Week, the enthusiasm and talent of local designers continue to push Israeli fashion into the global spotlight. The event kicks off today at the historic Hatahana Compound in Tel Aviv and will run until March 13.

Among the designers and brands showcasing their collections are Alon Livne, Shenkar’s Fashion Design Department, Victor Bellaish, jewelry designer Maya Geller , Holyland Civilians, Dror Contento, Dorin Frankfurt and others. There will also be several shows that highlight up and coming design talent, a curated pop-up shop and fashion tech event.

By: Rebecca Stadlen Amir
(Israel 21C)

The post Israelis Like it Comfy When it Comes to Fashion appeared first on Jewish Voice.

Dr. Drew Pinsky’s long running call-in show Loveline, with Adam Carolla, aired on MTV for 32 years and pioneered a pop culture adaptation of relationship and safe sex education. The show, featuring an assortment of celebrity guest hosts, served as a lifeline to multiple generations. Dr. Drew’s Teen Mom franchise, also an MTV staple, opened the eyes of television viewers to the trials of teen pregnancy and teen parenthood where previous methods had fallen short. Dr. Drew’s critically acclaimed VH1 docu-series Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew and it spinoffs Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew and Sober House, allowed viewers an intimate look inside the causes of addiction and the arduous road to addiction recovery.

With his HLN show, Dr. Drew On Call, which aired from 2011 to 2016, he broadened his television audience, delving into the behavioral components behind the headlines of the day. Dr. Drew’s New York Times bestselling book, The Mirror Effect: How Celebrity Narcissism is Seducing America (Harper Collins), examines the widespread adoption of celebrity narcissism within our culture.

A true advocate who has spent decades bringing once-taboo health matters to the forefront of public discussion, he now hosts MTV’s Teen Mom OG, KABC’s Dr. Drew Midday Live and The Dr. Drew Podcast, the #1 health podcast on iTunes.

A health crisis that is gripping our nation is that of adolescent mental health and gun violence. This generation is dealing with a problem that goes far beyond typical teenage angst, as it deals with the frightening fallout from a broken healthcare system and gun control laws that have failed to address our societal landscape. These issues intersect at the corner of one of our biggest political and social quagmires. Unfortunately, gun violence is nothing new to young people from America’s poorer urban pockets who have been living under its threat for decades. Gun-related injuries and fatalities in school settings date back to the 18th century, with the first American school shooting on record taking place on July 26, 1764 in the town of Greencastle, Pennsylvania.

The epidemic of mass shootings in more affluent suburban enclaves entered the public’s consciousness on April 20, 1999 in Littleton, Colorado, at Columbine High School. The most recent school shooting that took place on February 14, 2018 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, has left an encouraging and unstoppable movement in its wake, reminiscent of the social and political mobilization of the 1960s and 1970s.

The courage, clarity, and strength the students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas have demonstrated in the face of unspeakable tragedy, and their ability to mobilize a nation, inspired me to sit down with Dr. Drew Pinsky for a frank discussion about the state of adolescent mental health and its intersection with gun violence in America.

Allison Kugel: Why are school shootings a recent phenomenon over the last 19/20 years?

Dr. Drew Pinsky: There’s a multiplicity of factors and no simple answer. Obviously, it’s guns and the type of guns. But in addition, it’s the access that people have; people who have a proclivity towards self-harm or harming others (The Florida state Senate just passed a bill upping the legal age to purchase a fire arm from 18 to 21 and mandating a 3-day waiting period. It now falls on Florida state Congress to vote). We all know that adolescent males will complete suicide because of their use of fire arms. It’s not a far reach from feeling that your own life doesn’t have meaning to other people’s lives not having meaning. We’ve connected that bridge now.

Allison Kugel: What leads a young man to get to the point where they no longer value their own life?

Dr. Drew Pinsky: Within adolescent depression it becomes a special case when they have this sort of magical thinking that this will solve their problems, and they’ll be around to see the solution after they’re gone. But we’re seeing this in young adults, not just adolescents. I happen to believe, and this is one man’s opinion and it’s hard to substantiate the data, but we’ve been through an epidemic staring in the 1960s of adverse childhood experience. Our families are unhealthy. My work in media has been almost exclusively dealing with people with addiction issues and addiction medicine; people with issues of physical abuse, sexual abuse and neglect in their childhood. These are profound injuries. Among those injured are people who don’t have the ability to regulate their emotions or really have any sense of empathy for others. We have a growing population of people who have difficulty with empathy and difficulty with emotional regulation… and a firearm. It’s a pretty potent combination. And we have drugs and alcohol; we have a massive problem with that. I’ve begun to think of it all as sort of this spiritual bankruptcy.

Allison Kugel: When I am speaking with a physician, like yourself, I always wonder how you feel about the intangible factors, like a spiritual component.

Dr. Drew Pinsky: I am always challenged by my patients in that regard. They will tell me that their recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, that I turned them towards it, but really it’s the spiritual connection they make that actually leads them into a full recovery. I’m okay with that. Whatever gets them there! I think there can be a stigma with words like “soul” or “spiritual” because people tend to equate them with religion. But I think [spiritual] is a word people can understand without indoctrinating religion into it. Whatever it is, we need to feed our souls and feed our spiritual life in a much better way. It starts with our families and our relationships, and our communities.

Allison Kugel: What are your thoughts about how media chooses to cover these mass shootings and other large scale violent crimes?

Dr. Drew Pinsky: There’s contagion, not doubt about it. There’s contagion with things like suicide, all sorts of violent acts, and with pathological behaviors like cutting. All these things have contagion associated with them. I almost feel like it’s a double-edged sword. Yes, there’s contagion, but we also have to take a good hard look at the realities we face.

Allison Kugel: And when you say “contagion” you’re talking about the copy-cat effect, just to clarify for people. Personally, I feel that releasing the person’s picture and their name, and analyzing their motives is playing into their pathological desire to gain attention for their act.

Dr. Drew Pinsky: There’s no doubt that the thinking of the perpetrator includes things like that, but not saying their name also gives it a kind of energy that I think is weird. I’d like to see the evidence that holding back the name somehow reduces the contagion effect. I just don’t see it.

Allison Kugel: Let’s talk about you. When you were in high school and college, what coping skills did you cultivate to deal with things like anxiety, depression, stress and peer pressure?

Dr. Drew Pinsky: I had a problem with that. I had panic attacks. I’m still formally diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I was depressed when I was nineteen and there were no services for adolescents at that time. I think that’s what got me interested in helping that population with mental health, in general. I was so mishandled, it was egregious. I thought maybe I was having a seizure when I was having a panic attack; I wasn’t sure what it was. But I understood there was a mental health issue. I went for help and I was told that I needed to get my act together, and I should take long walks in the woods. I would have happily gotten my act together (laughs)! And I was socially awkward, I was living in New England in college and didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. What got me out of that was finding purpose. Finding medicine and science, getting turned on by that and getting into it, and feeling good about what I was doing. That’s what helped me climb out. And I had therapy, though the therapy I had in college wasn’t very good

Allison Kugel: In the late seventies, wasn’t the field of mental health first really understanding what anxiety was, and first beginning to treat it?

Dr. Drew Pinsky: They knew what anxiety was. They didn’t really understand the developmental phenomenology and psychiatry of adolescents. That was poorly understood, and certainly what to do with it was even more poorly understood. My wife and I have triplets, and we’ve used mental health services all the way through in raising our family, every step of the way, and it’s yielded dividends. We used behavioral therapists when our kids were very young, and it’s always yielded results and been positive for us.

Allison Kugel: What kind of support system did you have around you in those early years?

Dr. Drew Pinsky: I had very limited support. I was connected, but not intimately connected, and I didn’t understand really what I was feeling, I didn’t have that insight. I remember reading a lot of material that really didn’t help. There was nowhere to turn at that time, and I’m angry about it to this day. But again, it’s what made me interested in mental health, and in adolescent mental health.

Allison Kugel: What kind of impact do you feel you’ve had on young people?

Dr. Drew Pinsky: I hope I make them think. I’ve broadened the scope of who I want to influence. I’m not just trying to influence young people. I would like to influence all different age groups. Ultimately, particularly with young people, I’ve noticed that the most efficient way to affect their behavior is to give them a relatable source. If you remember, Loveline was about taking phone calls and then we would analyze the cases. With Teen Mom, it’s about looking at the consequences of teen pregnancy. When they approached me about Teen Mom, I knew it would have a positive effect on teen pregnancy; I just knew it. And lo and behold, there is ample research now to show that it did (according to the CDC, teenage births have steadily declined, across all ethnicities, over the last ten years). For young people, I always like looking at the behavior, and then saying, “Here’s how to analyze that, here’s what this means.”

Allison Kugel: Like you, I live with anxiety and panic disorder. I’ve always had to be pro-active about my mental health, like the way other people go to the gym to stay in shape. My concern is that the importance of staying on top of your mental health needs to be communicated to young people, in mass.

Dr. Drew Pinsky: I certainly try. On HLN, almost every night I would chant, “Why do we treat medical conditions above the neck differently than medical conditions below the neck?” In other words, why are brain disorders special? Brain disorders are the same as pancreas disorders. It just happens to affect an organ that is associated with our concept of behavior. Just like you would treat your heart or your pancreas or your lungs, it’s medical matter. And treatment works. People need to stop associating it with stigma, or a moral failing, or as any different than any other medical issue. You and I also know it’s brushing past a larger issue, which we would call “spiritual.” It ties into mental health, and I feel that is a bigger social, psychological problem affecting our society. At its core, it’s about our relationships.

Allison Kugel: We’re seeing a disturbing trend of young males and gun violence. What are we missing when it comes to male adolescent mental health?

Dr. Drew Pinsky: Adolescent males, when they have spiritual and psychological problems, become aggressive. And when they don’t have some sort of outlet that they are engaged in, any time there’s social unrest, there’s young males. That’s just the way we’re wired. Males need to be challenged. This sort of co-dependent helicopter parenting over the last twenty years has been about preventing children from experiencing discomfort. I think there is a major deficiency right now. In addition to our spiritual emptiness, we have lost the ability to tolerate ordinary misery. Ordinary misery is good. And our children need to experience ordinary misery to learn how to regulate their emotions and overcome. Unless we are challenged we feel deficient. Because of our narcissism as parents we can’t tolerate seeing the child’s discomfort and disappointment, because it mobilizes our own internal misery, which we avoid. We use drugs and alcohol, and extreme sports, and all kinds of ways of avoiding. But when we include our children in making sure they don’t have those feelings as well, there’s a problem. I think that in some way, it is affecting the young male. It’s probably experienced differently from the young female.

Allison Kugel: Yes, females internalize emotions.

Dr. Drew Pinsky: Women go in, men go out.

Allison Kugel: I’m going to throw a scenario at you, and tell me what you think could be a viable solution: A single parent home with limited financial resources, and an under-supervised child who’s beginning to show signs of deteriorating mental health…

Dr. Drew Pinsky: I feel unworthy of the question you’re asking me, except to say, like we’ve been discussing, make sure there is access to mental health services and that there is no stigma associated with that. But there are other solutions which goes under the heading of Mutual Aid, whether it’s a church or a community. I’m thinking about that book, Bowling Alone (Simon & Schuster). Have you read that book? It’s about the decline of club membership in the United States. I think we’re all bowling alone (laughs). And you can’t do it; you can’t do it by yourself! But you also can’t do it with perfunctory supervision. There has to be real, intimate contact and I’m not sure we know how to do that. That’s why where there are resources out there, we need to deploy it and amplify it, and build community around it. Many people are not good at it and don’t even tolerate closeness anymore, mostly because many people have been neglected or abused. When you’ve been hurt as a result of close relation, guess what you want to avoid in the future. We must overcome that.

Allison Kugel: What are your thoughts on the students from Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School and the #NeverAgain movement?

Dr. Drew Pinsky: Like the rest of us, I am so impressed with their poise, and their willingness to make change. They’re taking action. They’re being vulnerable and present. It’s inspirational. What I see gives me great hope.

Visit http://drdrew.com/get-help/  for assistance in finding mental health support services. For help with anxiety and depression, visit https://adaa.org/finding-help/treatment.  Tune in to The Dr. Drew Podcast and Dr. Drew Midday Live.

By: Allison Kugel

Allison Kugel is a syndicated entertainment and pop culture journalist, and author of the book, Journaling Fame: A memoir of a life unhinged and on the record. Follow her on Instagram @theallisonkugel.

The post Dr. Drew Pinsky Talks Mental Health and Gun Violence in America appeared first on Jewish Voice.

KLA-Tencor Corporation (Nasdaq: KLAC), an American manufacturer of equipment for the semiconductor industry, will purchase Israeli optical inspection equipment company Orbotech Ltd. (Nasdaq: ORBK) in a cash and share deal worth $3.4 billion.

The deal values Orbotech shares at $69, a premium of 15% on its closing price Friday.

Kobi and Judith Richter, the founders of stent manufacturer Medinol, will rake in some $180 million for their 5.4% share of Orbotech, while Richter’s brother Yochai holds a 2.1% stake in the company worth some %70 million. The brothers were among the founder of Orbot, which later merged with Optrotech to form Orbotech. Clal Insurance holds a 5% share in Orbotech valued at some $167 million.

“This acquisition is a true testament to [our] strong leadership and success,” said Orbotech CEO Asher Levy. “I firmly believe that this deal benefits our employees and creates additional value for our shareholders. Together with KLA-Tencor, we will significantly increase growth potential, accelerate our product development roadmap, and enhance customer offerings.”

Levy said that Orbotech would continue to operate under the Orbotech brand in its current location in Yavne as a standalone branch of KLA-Tencor.

“This acquisition is consistent with our strategy to pursue sustained, profitable growth by expanding into adjacent markets,” said KLA-Tencor president and CEO Rick Wallace. “This combination will open new market opportunities for KLA-Tencor, and expands our portfolio serving the semiconductor industry. Our companies fit together exceptionally well in terms of people, processes, and technology.

“In addition, KLA-Tencor has had a strong presence in Israel over the years, and this combination further expands our operations in this important global technology region,” Wallace said.

In yet another development on the business front, it was reported that Tesla CEO Elon Musk met Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu who said they had discussed solar power.

Speaking at the 8th Negev Conference, Netanyahu said: “This morning, before coming here, I met with Elon Musk, a man of vision, perhaps the greatest technological visionary of our time. He is a genius.”

Netanyahu said Musk praised Israel as a ‘technological power’ and said the Negev could provide the country with all its energy needs. “The Negev is the energy future of the State of Israel. You could spread solar systems here that would give you more energy than you need or could need. Clean energy,” Musk said according to the prime minister.

Musk revealed his visit to Israel yesterday when he posted on Instagram that he was “learning how to pour flaming absinthe over a tower of glasses in a Jerusalem speakeasy.”

Earlier Tuesday Musk posted a photo of himself at Masada, tweeting “Paid respects to Masada earlier today. Live free or die.”

A report in the Globes financial website suggested that Musk was in Israel to discuss cooperation between local computerized vision company Cortica and his Tesla electric car venture.

Cortica declined to comment on the report, Globes said.

Tesla also has a solar roof division launched last year, which produces solar tiles for residential buildings. Musk has claimed that the entire United States could be powered by solar energy. “If you wanted to power the entire US with solar panels,” he said, “it would take a fairly small corner of Nevada or Texas or Utah; you only need about 100 miles by 100 miles of solar panels to power the entire United States.”

         By: TPS Staff

The post KLA-Tencor To Buy Out Israeli Optical Co Orbotech in $3.4B Cash & Share Deal appeared first on Jewish Voice.

The Middle East will be plunged into a devastating new war if the Trump administration withdraws the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, German Chancellor Angela Merkel reportedly warned Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Tuesday.

The Israeli premier spoke with Merkel on Tuesday and congratulated her on the formation of a new governing coalition, according to an INN report.

During the phone call, Merkel and Netanyahu also discussed the future of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), better known as the Iran nuclear agreement.

While President Donald Trump has indicated his willingness to withdraw from the agreement if America’s European allies are unwilling or unable to alter key components of the deal – a position strongly supported by the Israeli leader – Merkel warned Netanyahu that the collapse of the JCPOA would likely lead to a major regional conflict, Channel 10 in Israel reported Tuesday night.

According to the report, during a meeting between the two leaders in Davos, Switzerland this January, the chancellor pressed Netanyahu on the subject, telling him if the US does leave the JCPOA, it would divide Western allies, asking Netanyahu rhetorically “Do you want that to happen?”

The European signatories to the JCPOA, Merkel is also quoted as saying, are unwilling to push for the kinds of fundamental changes to the deal sought by the Trump administration and the Israeli government, according to the INN report.

Pushing for significant changes to the deal nearly three years after its signing would destroy America’s credibility in future negotiating, Merkel added.

President Trump, a long-time critic of the JCPOA, fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson earlier this month in large part because of Tillerson’s support for maintaining the Iran nuclear deal. Trump has tapped CIA chief Mike Pompeo, an opponent of the JCPOA, to replace Tillerson.

“Rex and I have been talking about this for a long time. We got along, actually, quite well, but we disagreed on things. When you look at the Iran deal, I think it’s terrible. I guess he thinks it was okay. I wanted to either break it or do something, and he felt a little bit differently. So we were not really thinking the same. With Mike Pompeo, we have a very similar thought process. I think it’s going to go very well.”

Republican Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on Sunday that he expects President Trump to pull out of the Iran nuclear agreement in May, according to a report that appeared on the INN website.

“The Iran deal will be another issue that’s coming up in May, and right now it doesn’t feel like it’s gonna be extended,” Corker told CBS’s Margaret Brennan. “I think the president likely will move away from it unless our European counterparts really come together on a framework. And it doesn’t feel to me that they are.”

Trump has asked both Europe and Congress to come up with fixes to the accord including, but not limited to, new sanctions on its ballistic missile program and its “malign” behavior across the Middle East. He also wants new terms added onto the deal unilaterally: for some of its key provisions to be extended through US mandate and for the West to demand greater access to Iran’s military sites that once hosted nuclear weapons experimentation.

Trump, who has blasted the 2015 nuclear deal as “the worst deal ever negotiated”, recently decided to extend a waiver on nuclear sanctions that were imposed on Iran but made clear it would be the last time he will do so and ordered European allies and Congress to work with him to fix “the disastrous flaws” in the 2015 deal or Washington would withdraw.

The president is concerned about the deal’s “sunset clauses” as well as about Iran’s ballistic missile program which concerns the West.

Western countries say Iran’s ballistic missile tests are a violation of the UN resolution enshrining the 2015 nuclear deal. Iran denies it is in violation of any UN resolutions and categorically rules out any negotiations on its missile program.

Last Friday it was reported that Britain, France and Germany have proposed fresh EU sanctions on Iran over its ballistic missiles program and its role in Syria’s war in a bid to persuade Washington to preserve the deal.

Asked if he believed Trump would pull out on May 12, the deadline for the president to issue a new waiver to suspend Iran sanctions as part of the deal, Corker responded, “I do. I do.”

Corker had previously urged Trump’s administration to work closely with European allies as it develops its new Iran policy, according to the INN report.

Congress has failed to come up with a legislative fix that satisfies Trump’s desire to fundamentally disrupt the accord and fulfill his oft-stated campaign promise to “rip up” the deal early on in his presidency.

Also weighing on the controversial Iran nuke deal was Saudi Arabia who on Monday called the 2015 deal between Iran and world powers a “flawed agreement”, in comments which come ahead of a meeting between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and President Trump.

“Our view of the nuclear deal is that it’s a flawed agreement,” Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told reporters in Washington, according to the Reuters news agency.

Jubeir called out Iran for what Riyadh has long slammed as Tehran’s destabilizing behavior in the region, saying “We’ve called for tougher policies towards Iran for years.”

“We’re looking at ways in which we can push back against Iran’s nefarious activities in the region,” he added, lambasting Tehran’s support for the Houthi militia in Yemen and support for Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad in Syria.

Shiite Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia have a historic rivalry in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly called on Iran to stop its “meddling” in the affairs of the kingdom’s neighbors, according to an INN report.

Iran has fired back, accusing Saudi Arabia of trying to “drag the entire region into confrontation”.

During the negotiations between Iran and world powers, Saudi Arabia and other major Sunni states expressed concern over a deal which would allow Iran to produce nuclear weapons.

Ultimately, however, Saudi Arabia’s government announced that it welcomed the deal.

In October, after President Donald Trump decided not to certify that Tehran is complying with the 2015 nuclear deal, Jubeir said Saudi Arabia supported Trump’s policy on Iran.

The Saudi Crown Prince met with Trump on Tuesday at the White House. He also saw members of Congress, some of whom have been critical of the Saudi campaign in Yemen, particularly the humanitarian situation and civilian casualties.

In a related development, during their Tuesday meetings, Trump implored Saudi Arabia’s powerful crown prince to share his nation’s wealth by continuing to purchase American-made weapons, according to a CNBC report.

Trump’s focus on Saudi purchases of U.S. military equipment came amid a bipartisan effort to limit the United States’ role in Yemen’s civil war and protests in several U.S. cities over the Saudi-led invasion, which has contributed to a humanitarian crisis.

In opening remarks before a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Trump crowed about the sales, running through a list of $12.5 billion in approved arms purchases by Saudi Arabia and previewing billions more to come.

“Saudi Arabia is a very wealthy nation, and they’re going to give the United States some of that wealth, hopefully in the form of jobs, in the form of the purchase of the finest military equipment anywhere in the world,” Trump said.

“There’s nobody even close, as I said before, when it comes to the missiles and the planes and all of the military equipment,” Trump said. “There’s nobody that even comes close to us in terms of technology and the quality of the equipment, and Saudi Arabia appreciates that.”

By: David Rosenberg

The post European Capitals Quake; Merkel Warns Bibi that Nixing Iran Deal Will Lead to War appeared first on Jewish Voice.

Instead of counting “down” toward the big day, we count “up” from one to 50. Why?

The Jewish people left Egypt on Passover, and 50 days later (on the holiday of Shavuot) received the Torah at Mount Sinai. Today, in revisiting that Sinai experience, we observe a special mitzvah called “Counting the Omer,” where we actually count aloud each of these days, beginning on the second night of Passover. (The Omer was a special offering brought to the Holy Temple during this season.)

Counting in anticipation of an exciting event is quite understandable. At one time or another, we’ve all probably said something like, “Grandma’s coming to visit in a week and a half,” or “Only 17 more days til my birthday!” But there’s one subtle difference: The usual method is to count down toward the big day, whereas in the case of the Omer, we count up —from one to 50. Why the difference?

Long-Term Impact

To understand, we first need to answer a more basic question: Why did God wait 50 days after the Jews left Egypt before giving the Torah? Why didn’t He simply give it to them in Egypt, or immediately after their departure?

The answer is that the Jews were not yet spiritually equipped to receive the Torah. For over 200 years, they had been living in an Egyptian society known to be the world center for immorality and vice. Even without direct Jewish participation, these influences nonetheless permeated the air and seeped into their consciousness. The primary book of Kabbalah, “The Zohar,” reports that in Egypt the Jews had slipped to the 49th level of spiritual impurity. (50 is the very lowest.) God could not give the Torah at this point. The Jews needed to grow up first, or else they would have squandered the opportunity.

The high-impact adventure of the Exodus —10 miraculous plagues and the splitting of the Red Sea —launched the Jews into physical freedom. Yet the miracles of Egypt were only a jump-start to the spiritual possibilities that lay ahead. A one-time experience, as powerful as it is, does not permanently change anyone’s emotional attitude. That is only possible through practice and adjustment over time.

It reminds me of a scene from the film “Trading Places.” Eddie Murphy has gone from beggar to wealth in a few hours, and the first thing he does upon entering his own luxury apartment is to steal things! His physical body had been transported to opulence, but emotionally he was left behind. You can take the Jew out of Egypt, but you can’t take Egypt out of the Jew.

I’ve witnessed a similar phenomenon at the Discovery Seminar, a dramatic presentation of the rational basis for Jewish belief. Many people leave the seminar with the astounding conviction that God exists and that He gave the Torah to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai. Yet without proper follow-up, the impact lasts but a few days. Real change occurs only through steady day-to-day growth and a commitment to a consistent program of contemplation and study.

Now we can understand why the 50 days of the Omer is counted in a forward progression. We begin the process at the 49th level of spiritual impurity, and every day we peel away another layer of gunk, to reveal the original, pure soul we each possess. That’s why every step both reduces the negative number and increases the positive number —the single step of peeling away a layer automatically reveals the corresponding positive side.

A Time of Growth

Classic Talmudic commentators say that the days of counting the Omer are the most auspicious for acquiring these spiritual levels.

This necessity for self-growth is stressed in the Torah’s description of Abraham: “Abraham was old, he came with his days” (Genesis 24:1). “He came with his days” teaches us that Abraham used each of his days to the fullest extent. At the end of his life, he came to old age “with all his days” in hand. No day was without its requisite growth.

When it comes to children, we take for granted that growth and development is part of childhood. You don’t expect a 10-year-old to act the same way he did at age five. But somehow as adults, we lose that impulse to continue growing. Yet should a 30-year-old act as he did at age 25? As adults, we could be using those five years in a very powerful way.

The formula for staying young is to continue growing. Losing that capacity at any age is tragic. Any time we’re not growing and changing, we’re not living. We’re just existing.

One Step at a Time

A major impediment to growth is the feeling of being overwhelmed by the magnitude of the task. But Judaism is not all-or-nothing. If I cannot have 1,000 gold coins, does that mean I should not strive to have even one?! The biggest reason people fail is that they have set a goal which is too lofty and unattainable. We inevitably fall short and get discouraged.

In Jacob’s famous dream, God shows him a vision of a ladder reaching toward heaven. Spiritual growth, like climbing a ladder, must be one step at a time. By setting small, incremental goals, we will be encouraged by the periodic success. To make the plan foolproof, make your initial goal something you know you can reach. Tasting success will bolster your confidence and determination, and you can use this energy to strive for higher goals. Remember, the longest journey begins with just one step. And what goes in slow, will remain.

The story is told of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter (19th century Europe) who took upon himself to lead an entire city back to Torah observance. He set up a weekly class and began by telling them, “If you have to work on Shabbat, at least try to minimize the violation.” In today’s lexicon, that would mean walking instead of driving, or setting your TV on a timer. With this approach, Rabbi Salanter was able over a few years to turn the community around to full Shabbat observance —one step at a time.

Take pleasure in the times you achieved your goal, and use that as a motivation to improve further. Don’t castigate yourself if you do not always succeed. No human being is perfect. The Kabbalists say that spiritual growth is “two steps forward and one step back.” We will inevitably have setbacks. What’s important is that we’re heading in the right direction.

King Solomon tells us in Proverbs (24:16): “The Tzaddik falls seven times and gets up.” The definition of a Tzaddik is not someone who never makes a mistake, but rather someone who, although he may fail, does not give up. He tries again and does not despair!

Spiritual Accounting

One important principle to remember is that you are not competing with anyone but yourself. Secular society has accustomed us to compete against others —whether in business or on the tennis court. Of course, healthy competition is good. But life is not a race to beat the other guy; life is only a race to conquer yourself. As we climb the ladder, it’s more important which direction we’re headed than which rung we’re on.

Nowhere in the entire Torah is the date of Shavuot mentioned. It merely takes place at the end of 50 days —because the key is to get there at your own pace, following these steps. To maintain growth, a good rule of thumb is to always be a bit uncomfortable. You don’t want to climb a ladder and get stuck between rungs!

It also helps to reinforce your goals by writing them down. Writing helps a person to concentrate and clarify his thoughts. A business person would surely write out goals and keep an accurate tally of their progress. In Judaism, this is called Cheshbon —a spiritual accounting.

Keep a notebook for writing down these daily goals, and make a chart to track your progress. Place this in a conspicuous place like in your daytimer or on the refrigerator, and then review your goals by reading them aloud. The Torah, in describing the Omer, says, “count for you” (Leviticus 23:15) —because each person has to do this for himself, speaking it aloud. Strategize!

As with anything, the key is consistency. Choose a convenient time and commit to working on this at least 15 minutes every day. Don’t postpone learning for “afterwards,” at which time it becomes late and you may be too tired. Say to yourself that you are going to dedicate 15 minutes and nothing is going to stop you. Close your door, unplug your phone, and log offline. If you need a daily reminder, try the buddy system.

Ideally, at the end of the Omer process, we will have experienced a journey of self-improvement and be ready to receive the Torah. The holiday we’re working toward is called “Shavuot,” which means “weeks.” The name itself tells us that without the weeks of preparation beforehand, there is no Shavuot. So don’t just count the Omer —make the Omer count.

By: Rabbi Shraga Simmons

The post Make the Omer Count appeared first on Jewish Voice.

It seems the Big Apple is beating Hollywood at its own game. On Thursday March 22nd, the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment announced that the NYC broke its record of Network drama pilots being filmed locally this season. Three of the major networks have opted to film 12 drama pilots in our city. By Contrast, eight pilots will be filmed in Los Angeles. NYC’s boost represents both the largest number of productions across the country and the biggest jump in any city across the nation. “Today’s announcement bodes well for our city’s continued dominance as the episodic TV capital of the world, providing long-lasting, good jobs to New York-based crew members and actors alike,” said MOME Commissioner Julie Menin. She credited the boom to the city’s budding population of film talent, and the desirable selection of locations and soundstages available throughout the five boroughs.

Last year, NY hosted the filming of only seven pilots. The previous record for city-produced network pilots is 10, from the year 2012. The number of hour-long broadcast drama pilots industry-wide across the nation also rose, from 38 last year to 43 this year. The city added that the figures do not include pilots filmed by streaming networks such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon, since they are filmed throughout the year, not during the Spring. As per AM NY, the number of shows filmed in NYC from those three streaming networks also rose by 11 percent, from the 2015-2016 season to the 2016-2017 season.

As per the City’s Press Release, CBS led the city’s productions with the largest number of pilots in the city. The productions include: “Murder,”, “The Code,” “Main Justice,” and “God Friended Me”, and “F.B.I.”. “F.B.I. ” is a new series by famed producer Dick Wolf, who is celebrated for his hits “Law and Order” and “Chicago”. The creator hasn’t filmed a pilot in NYC since 1999. NBC is filming four pilots in NYC including, “Manifest,” “The Enemy Within,” “The Village,” and “Bellevue”.

The last of which is a medical drama inspired by the memoir Twelve Patients: Life and Death at Bellevue Hospital, written by Dr. Eric Manheimer, MD, the former medical director at New York City’s Bellevue Hospital, who also is the producer for the series. ABC will film 3 pilots in the five boroughs including, “Get Christie Love”, “Holmes Sisters,” and “The Rookie”. There will be three other pilots filming in the city for cable networks this season including, “Compliance” for FX, “The Demons of Dorian Gunn” for Pop TV and “Alternatino” for Comedy Central.

“New York City continues to light up the small screen in homes all across America,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “It’s great to see production activity spreading out throughout the five boroughs and with it, good-paying jobs for more New Yorkers.”

By Hadassa Kalatizadeh

The post Record Number of Network Pilots Filming in NYC appeared first on Jewish Voice.

A military coalition led by Saudi Arabia on Monday threatened retaliation against Iran after Houthi rebels fired a barrage of missiles from Yemen, AFP reported.

Saudi forces said they intercepted seven missiles on Sunday, including over the capital Riyadh, in a deadly escalation that coincided with the third anniversary of the coalition’s intervention in Yemen.

The Saudis accused their regional rival Iran of being behind the attack.

Displaying wreckage at a news conference in Riyadh of what it said were fragments of those ballistic missiles, the coalition claimed forensic analysis showed they were supplied to Houthi rebels by their ally Iran.

“The missiles launched against Saudi territory were smuggled from Iran,” coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki told reporters.

We “reserve the right to respond against Iran at the right time and right place”, he warned.

The missile strikes resulted in the first reported fatality from Houthi fire in the Saudi capital.

Egyptian national Abdul-Moteleb Ahmed, 38, died instantly in his bed when what appeared to be burning shrapnel struck his ramshackle room in Riyadh’s Um al-Hammam district, leaving a gaping hole in the roof, witnesses told AFP.

Witnesses on the ground said they heard loud explosions and saw bright flashes in the sky.

Three other Egyptian laborers in the same room were wounded and hospitalized, they said.

The Houthis said on their Al-Masirah television that Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport was among the targets.

It has long been believed that Iran is planning to use the Houthis to take over Yemen and seize the key strategic port of Aden, which controls the entrance to the Red Sea and ultimately to the Israeli resort city of Eilat.

Iran denies it is backing the Houthis. Recently, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley brought Security Council envoys to a U.S. military base in Washington to view missile parts that the U.S. calls evidence of Iran’s illicit transfer of prohibited missiles to the Houthis.

Sunday’s missile launch coincides with the third anniversary of the Saudi-led coalition that has launched airstrikes and a ground operation to try to push the Houthis out of Yemen.

A Saudi-led military coalition intervened in Yemen on March 26, 2015 to try to restore the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi after the Houthis and their allies took over large parts of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

About 10,000 Yemenis have been killed and 53,000 wounded since the start of the coalition intervention in Yemen.

On Sunday, the United States strongly condemned Houthi missile attacks directed at Saudi Arabia. On Monday, the State Department said that the United States supports “the right of our Saudi partners to defend their borders against these threats”.

Saudi officials said at the time that the attack “may amount to an act of war.”

Human rights groups have alleged that Saudi rockets have obliterated entire civilian neighborhoods in and around Sana’a. They say that it has also compounded Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, including thousands of civilian deaths, a looming famine, fuel shortages, and a cholera epidemic.

The Houthis seized the capital in 2014, sending the Yemeni government into exile in Saudi Arabia. U.N. peace talks have been unsuccessful.

Last week the State Department approved nearly $1 billion in new arms sales for Saudi Arabia as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman continued his American tour.

Congress was notified last Thursday of the deal, which includes a $670 million sale of more than 6,600 TOW anti-tank missiles and a $300 million sale of spare vehicle parts for the Royal Saudi Land Forces Ordnance Corps.

“This proposed sale will support U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives by improving the security of a friendly country which has been, and continues to be, an important force for political stability and economic growth in the Middle East,” the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which oversees foreign military sales, said.

Saudi Arabia is the largest buyer of American-made weapons, and the United States sees the country as an ally in the fight against al-Qaida and Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.

“Iran has not been treating that part of the world or the world itself appropriately,” Trump said alongside Crown Prince Mohammed in the Oval Office. “A lot of bad things are happening in Iran.’

Citing the near demise of ISIS in the Middle East, the president declared that the U.S. military forces will be departing from “certain areas that we’ve wanted to get out of for a long period time,” saying “other countries can handle it. At this point they’ll be able to handle it.”

The crown prince responded, “That’s why we are here today — to be sure we’ve tackled all the opportunities and achieve it and also get rid of all the threats facing” the United States, Saudi Arabia “and the whole world.”

On March 15th, it was reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman likened Iran’s supreme leader to Adolf Hitler and said Saudi Arabia will quickly develop a nuclear bomb if Iran does the same.

“Saudi Arabia does not want to acquire any nuclear bomb, but without a doubt if Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible,” Prince Mohammed said in a recently aired CBS 60 Minutes interview.

During a meeting last Thursday with the Saudi crown prince at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary James Mattis gave Riyadh a vote of confidence.

“We believe that Saudi Arabia is part of the solution,’’ Mattis said. “They have stood by the United Nations-recognized government, and we are going to end this war. That is the bottom line. And we are going to end it on positive terms for the people of Yemen but also security for the nations in the peninsula.’’

In also demonstrating its stalwart support for Saudi Arabian interest in the region, the US Senate last Tuesday voted down a resolution seeking an end to U.S. support for Saudi Arabia’s campaign in Yemen’s civil war. The Senate voted 55-44 to dismiss the resolution, which sought for the first time to take advantage of a provision in the 1973 War Powers Act that allows any senator to introduce a resolution on whether to withdraw U.S. armed forces from a conflict not authorized by Congress.

During Senate debate before the vote, some backers called the three-year-long conflict in Yemen a “humanitarian catastrophe,” which they blamed on the Saudis.

Independent Senator Bernie Sanders noted the deaths of thousands of civilians, displacement of millions, famine and potentially the largest cholera outbreak in history because of the conflict.

“That is what is going on in Yemen today as a result of the Saudi-led war there,” Sanders said.

Senator Mike Lee, a Republican backer of the resolution said that Saudi Arabia is an indispensable partner in the region, without which the United States would be less successful.”

The vote was largely along party lines, although a handful of Democrats voted with the majority Republicans to kill the measure, and a handful of Republicans supported the failed effort to let it move ahead.

Meanwhile, Iranian backed terrorists operating in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip fired multiple rockets at Israeli towns in the western Negev Sunday night, with warning sirens sounding across the Hof Ashkleon and Shaar Hanegev regions, as well as inside the town of Sderot, according to an INN report.

Iron Dome anti-projectile batteries responded to the attacks, shooting down multiple rockets.

Hamas forces in the Gaza Strip have conducted massive training exercises over the past few days, including mock rocket attacks featuring the firing of projectiles over the Mediterranean.

INN reported that on Sunday night the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) attacked two observation posts in northern Gaza using a tank.

“The IDF considers the Hamas terrorist organization responsible for everything happening inside and coming out of the Gaza Strip, and views with severity of any type of fire at Israeli territory,” the IDF Spokesperson said.

On Saturday night, the Israel Air Force targeted a terror objective in a military compound in Rafah in southern Gaza, belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization.

The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said the airstrike was in retaliation for an incident in which the security fence between Israel and Gaza was damaged and there was an attempt to set fire to an engineering vehicle.

On Sunday it was reported that IDF planes dropped leaflets over the Gaza Strip warning Gazans not to approach the fence on the border with Israel.

A social media campaign dubbed ‘The Great Return March’ has attempted to bring thousands of Gazans together to March on the Israeli border this Friday, March 30, which the Palestinian Arabs mark as ‘Land Day.’

The leaflets dropped by the IDF call on Gazan families not to come within 300 meters (985 feet) of the fence during the demonstration, warning that “whoever comes near will put himself at risk.”

The leaflets also included a map of Gaza in which the line residents should not cross is marked in grey.

One Arab journalist mocked the IDF’s efforts to prevent confrontations this Friday on Twitter, calling the leaflets “a waste of ink and paper.”

By: Walter Metuth

The post Hamas & Hezbollah Attacks on Israel Increase; Saudi Arabia Threatens Iran Over Houthis appeared first on Jewish Voice.

This week, on the eve of Passover, the Jewish holiday of redemption, a heartwarming ceremony took place in Israel’s Air Force Base in Chatzerim. In a highly-emotional moment, caps and wings were awarded to a new squadron of soldiers with special needs who volunteer in the logistics corps of the IAF in the framework of the Special in Uniform project.  Parents and siblings wiped away tears of emotion as Res. Major Tiran Attia described the positive effects and actual social transformation transpiring in the IDF as a result of these dedicated soldiers.

“Special in Uniform began with a very small number of soldiers, and today, we have several hundred soldiers serving in bases throughout the country. This model is a paradigm for other militaries in countries  around the world, proving how individuals with special needs can surely be absorbed by the army.”

Among the celebrants at Chatzerim were Ahuva and Avraham, parents of Or, a young man with special needs who was successfully inducted into the IAF. Avraham, the father, arrived in Israel from Ethiopia in the framework of Operation Moses, a covert evacuation that brought thousands of Ethiopian Jews from Sudan during a civil war and brought them safely to Israel. The operation, while deemed successful, came at a very high price as over 40,000 Jews perished in desert Sudan on their way to Israel.

Avraham was inducted into the IAF in 1987 and completed his full regiment of service. “This takes me back years to my first days in the army… Today my son is serving…. These kids gain so much from the love and warmth of good people in this country. It’s not something to take for granted and it fills me with pride and love for our country.”

The climax of years of effort, Special in Uniform is a joint project of the JNF, IDF and Lend A Hand To A Special in Uniform. This program integrates youth with physical and mental disabilities into the IDF, imbuing them with pride in themselves and their abilities and enabling them to function independently and contribute positively to society.  

Representing the JNF, Yossi Kahana says, “When we launched this project, people raised their eyebrows and challenged us, ‘In an Armed Forces as advanced as Israel’s, where will you find the place to integrate individuals with special needs? And even if you do manage it, they will be integrated into the non-essential units.

“Several years after the original skeptics doubted our dream,” continued Kahana, “our wonderful soldiers have integrated beautifully among the crème of Israel’s Armed Forces—the coveted IAF—where they are treated as equals.” Special in Uniform accentuates a soldier’s ability, not his disability, and builds his self-confidence and skills in order to foster independence and enable him to integrate into mainstream society despite physical challenges.

The Special in Uniform program commences with a 10-day pre-induction training program course. Thereafter, the new soldiers are incorporated into a variety of units as part of military manpower.  The job experience during army service endows them with tools and skills that eventually facilitate their entry into the public workforce. Throughout the program, the soldiers are mentored by a team of highly-experienced, dedicated professionals who invest boundless energy into the soldiers and shower them with warmth and love. The team consists of a psychologist, social worker, and instructors who have undergone professional training.

Dick Berman, JNF Northern California Board President and a member of JNF Task force on Disabilities said: “Watching these young people become proud and contributing members in the IDF has been a great source of pride for me. Toda Raba Special in Uniform”

Shelly, Or’s sister who recently completed her mandatory service with the police, expresses emotionally, “Seeing my younger brother in uniform isn’t something I take for granted. As a sister to a fantastic brother with special needs, my message to siblings is ‘Never be ashamed of such a family member! Be proud of them and give them the tools to forge ahead, because these amazing kids can break through any barrier.”

Indeed, with the help of outstanding individuals who care, the young people from Special in Uniform have breached a giant barrier, advancing the societal goal of inclusion and transforming this day—for them and the nation as a whole—into a true holiday of redemption!

The post Closing Circles on Passover Eve appeared first on Jewish Voice.

The warm summer months are upon us and mark the official start of wedding season. Whether you yourself are getting ready to tie the knot, or you are attending the nuptials of a friend or family member, it is important to know about an important checklist item that could help a young couple plan ahead for a healthy future family.

JScreen is a national, non-profit, public health initiative based out of Emory University in Atlanta. By educating and creating awareness around the importance of Jewish genetic disease screening, JScreen makes it easy, convenient and affordable to get screened for over 200 diseases, including those common in people with Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Mizrahi backgrounds, and others common in people with non-Jewish background. With the development of an affordable genetic screening option available from the comfort of one’s own home, JScreen is a significant innovation in the world of genetic testing.

Some people are worried about the results they’ll receive from genetic testing. It’s important to point out that the majority of couples receive reassuring results. For couples that are at increased risk, there are many available options to help them have healthy children, such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF) with pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and others.

Many couples have said that they are surprised that more Jewish and interfaith couples don’t undergo screening and that their friends seem to be unaware of the need for testing. JScreen’s mission is to educate the Jewish community and to empower those who are considering starting a family.

As an alternative for purchasing your loved ones the 11th towel set from their registry, give them each a $149 JGift card to offset the cost of screening. This is really the gift that lasts a lifetime. To register for a screening kit for yourself, to purchase a JGift card for a loved one, or to learn more, visit www.JScreen.org.

By JV Staff

The post JScreen Presents The Gift That Lasts a Lifetime appeared first on Jewish Voice.

An excursion to the ancient city reveals its historic and spiritual Jewish nexus

We departed from Kochav Yair, a quaint, affluent town in central Israel, at precisely 7 a.m. Our destination was the ancient city Jericho, one of civilization’s oldest and the first to be liberated by the Israelites when they crossed the Jordan River some 3,400 years ago. Our guide was former Deputy Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Uzi Dayan. Ironically, he also happens to be nephew to the late Moshe Dayan, who as Israel’s Minister of Defense, led the IDF to victory during the 1967 Six-Day War and returned the city of Jericho to its rightful owners.

Dayan’s manner of speaking is authoritative and deliberate, likely a product of his years of service in the military. His spiritual and nationalistic connection to the land is obvious. And his knowledge of its history and geography is impressive. This is a man who wanted to impress upon us the historical and spiritual nexus of Jericho to the Jewish people and the Land of Israel. He succeeded beyond expectation.

Jericho is located in Judea & Samaria near the strategic Jordan Valley, about 70km south of the Israeli city of Bet She’an. We approached the city from the north driving along Route 5, which cuts across part of the breathtaking Samarian landscape and then took a number of smaller roads until reaching Route 90. At Route 90, we traversed southward toward Jericho.

In 1994, the Israeli government handed the city over to the entity known as the Palestinian Authority as part of the calamitous Oslo Accords. The Accords, which were supposed to usher in an era of peace, instead resulted in an orgy of Palestinian terrorism and the dismemberment of parts of ancient Israel.

Judea & Samaria is currently divided into three distinct districts – Areas A, B and C. Area C is currently under full Israeli control and constitutes some 40% of Judea & Samaria. Area B is under PA civilian control and Israeli military control. Area A is under full Palestinian civilian and security control. Together, Area A and B constitute 60% of the landmass of Judea & Samaria.

Jericho is situated in Area A so naturally, our tour had an armed IDF escort and our vehicle’s windows were rock-resistant though I’m not certain it was bulletproof. As we entered Area A, we were greeted by a large red menacing sign which stated that entry of Israeli citizens into Area A was strictly forbidden under the law and that such entry would pose grave danger to our very lives. Anti-Israel activists have for years, and with little success, attempted to propagate the vile calumny that Israel practices Apartheid. But the reality is quite the opposite. Israel is a vibrant democracy where all persons of various religious and ethnic backgrounds are afforded the same opportunities. Yet Area A, a jurisdiction under full Palestinian control remains Judenrein – cleansed of Jews! It’s pretty obvious which side practices Apartheid.

Our first destination in Jericho was Tel Yericho; an ancient, sprawling archaeological mound just on the outskirts of the city. I was quickly struck by how rundown this important site was and how it had been completely neglected by the Palestinian Authority. Israeli antiquity sites are meticulously maintained. They are considered national treasures that connect Israelis to their heritage and are an important source of education and national pride. But the site maintained by the PA’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities looked like an earthen garbage dump. Signs and fencing were torn down and there was little by way of amenities. The only thing the Palestinians seemed interested in doing was giving us paid camel rides on chained, tortured animals exposed to searing temperatures. I passed.

I did not see a single Palestinian during my entire time on the Tel. It is clear that the PA and its citizens have no interest in this very important and historically significant place. Perhaps it is because they are cognizant of the fact that they maintain little if any historical nexus to Jericho. Our guide pointed out the telling fact that the only Arab city in Israel possessing an Arab root name is the city of Ramle, which is derived from the Arab word “sand.” All other Arab cities derive their names from Hebrew names or Latin, testament to the Roman conquest and its lengthy occupation of the Land of Israel.

From Tel Yericho we moved on to the Shalom Al Yisrael (Peace unto Israel) Synagogue, so named after the ancient mosaic found on its floors. The synagogue dates to the Byzantine era, a time where Jews were regulated to second class citizenship in their own land. The mosaic bears Jewish symbols such as a Menorah (lit during the holiday of Chanukah) a Shofar or ram’s horn blown during the Jewish New Year, and a Lulav, a closed frond of the date palm tree, and one of the Four Species used during the Jewish festival of Sukkot (left image).

In October 2,000, Palestinian vandals attacked the site and destroyed parts of the priceless mosaic. Under the Oslo Accords, the PA was charged with securing and protecting the holy site and was clearly derelict in carrying out this minimal function. Indeed, some speculate that they were complicit in the vandalism.

From there, we moved on to Na’aran, an ancient Jewish village dating back to the 5th century CE. A synagogue with a large and spectacular mosaic (lower right image) was discovered there as well. In 2012, Palestinian vandals defaced the site with Swastikas.

The repeated attempts by Palestinians to vandalize and destroy priceless antiquities reminds me of similar barbaric behavior carried out by ISIS at Palmyra, Nineveh, Hatra and Nimrud and by the Taliban at Bamiyan, where irreplaceable archaeological treasures were destroyed under the banner of religion.

On our way out of the city, I witnessed a surreal scene that provides me with greater appreciation for what the IDF must endure on a daily basis. A number of Palestinians approached some soldiers at a checkpoint with video cameras and began filming them at close range, sort of the way your annoying kid brother puts his finger in your face and says, “I’m not touching you so you can’t do anything to me.” The soldiers weren’t doing anything out of the ordinary to garner attention. The goal of course was to provoke a violent response which would then be captured on film and sold or given to various media outlets. The soldiers however, didn’t take the bait. They were true professionals who focused on the task at hand and regarded the Palestinians provocateurs as nothing more than nuisances who were to be ignored.

Conceding Jericho to the Palestinian Authority was a colossal blunder of the first order. Nonetheless, continued Israeli excursions to the region, in coordination with the IDF maintain a semblance of continuity and signal to the PA that Israelis and Jews worldwide will never break their bonds with this historically and spiritually significant place.

By: Ari Lieberman
(Front Page Mag)

The post Jericho, We Have Not Forsaken You! appeared first on Jewish Voice.

Hundreds of supporters of the Jewish state gather to note 70 years of progress in all aspects of the nation at a gala evening hosted by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. While Trump could not be there, a number of dignitaries addressed the crowd

As many as 500 evangelical Christians and Jews from around the world gathered on Sunday night at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla.—otherwise known as the “Winter White House”—for a one-of-a-kind event celebrating Israel’s upcoming 70th anniversary, as well as the unity of Christians and Jews supporting the Jewish state.

Hosted by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (also known as “The Fellowship”), the “Together In Fellowship” gala on Palm Sunday raised $1.67 million that will be put towards two causes: a new educational campaign for the next generation of Christians and Jews to help deepen their bonds with Israel and the Jewish people; and helping elderly Holocaust survivors living in poverty by providing them with food, medicine, heating fuel and personal visits they desperately need in their final years. The latter is already one of the more than 400 global initiatives undertaken by The Fellowship.

“It’s a great honor to have everybody at Mar-a-Lago, a special place for a special group of people,” Trump told the gathering in a video message recorded shortly before the gala. The president left his weekend retreat several hours before the start of the event to head back to Washington, D.C. “I wanted to be there so badly. I had to leave—we have some pretty big things going on with our country, but our country is doing really well. Your taxes are down, your regulations are down, a lot of good things are happening, we’re appointing a lot of fantastic federal judges, and I think you are all very happy with the results. So I’ll see you next time. I hope you have a fantastic evening.”

Guests hailed from throughout the United States, Canada, Israel, the Netherlands, Jamaica and Brazil. Half were Christian, half were Jewish. The evening began with a VIP poolside reception, with hors d’oeuvres and drinks, followed by a general sit-down reception and three-course meal inside Mar-a-Lago’s exquisite ballroom.

The Fellowship’s founder and president, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, started off the evening speaking about the gala’s distinctiveness. He told the crowd: “Tonight is the first time I believe in history where Christians together with Jews are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the state of Israel. It’s not Christians inviting Jews and Jews inviting Christians; it’s Christians and Jews, and that is the theme for us tonight . . . there were those who were dubious, there was those who said no it cannot be done, and here we are together.”

Eckstein also talked about the organization’s new headquarters, “The Fellowship House,” which will be, as he said, a “home away from home” for the 1.5 million Christians who visit Israel each year. The rabbi said it will be located “right next door” to the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem—an announcement that drew loud applause from the crowd. He noted that Israeli American billionaire Haim Saban is one of the Fellowship’s “greatest supporters,” who has contributed $1 million towards the new headquarters.

The decision to hold the event at Trump’s South Florida property was likely a strategic decision by Eckstein. His organization draws heavily from support by evangelical Christians, who also overwhelmingly support Trump and have applauded his policies towards Israel, such as his recognition of Jerusalem as its capital. It also comes as last year many charities and other organized canceled event plans at Mar-a-Lago following Trump’s controversial remarks after a white-supremacist rally that turned violent in Charlottesville, Va.

‘A new era where Israel wins’

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon received The Fellowship’s “Defender of Israel Award” at the gala and told JNS that in representing Israel at the United Nations, “sometimes I feel that I am alone, but I know that I am not. I know that we have millions of Christians and Jews who support Israel. And tonight is a sign of the great support that we have from different countries around the world.”

The ambassador also talked about Israel’s upcoming seven-decade anniversary, saying he believes it’s a “miracle” that Israel has come so far and accomplished so much in such a short period of time. He told JNS.org “we are very proud of what we have achieved in the short 70 years,” adding that he will be celebrating the landmark by taking 70 ambassadors from the world body on a trip to Israel.

On stage at the gala, Danon talked about U.S.-Israel relations, especially at the United Nations. He said U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley once told him that as long as she is around, America “will always have Israel’s back.”

“[It’s] the strongest alley we have,” said Danon. “Seventy years later, the U.S. remains the first country to stand by Israel through thick and thin, and there is nowhere I feel that more than what I feel at the U.N. … Me and Ambassador Haley, we play defense and offense.”

He also addressed the five resolutions against Israel passed at the United Nations on Friday, saying, “I’m telling you now, [the] U.S. will take action and Israel will take action [against them].”

Danon’s late father taught him about speaking up and “standing strong” in support of Israel, he told the audience. He said, “Nowhere have I felt the importance of my father’s words more than at the U.N. It’s why I came to the U.N. I heard stories about this place. I didn’t realize how bad it was until I arrived, but let me tell you, today we are shaking things up at the U.N. We are bringing a new future for Israel at the U.N. A new era where Israel wins.”

The Fellowship also honored Museum of the Bible Chairman and Hobby Lobby President Steve Green, and VitaQuest Founder Edward Frankel with a Bridge Builder Award. The event’s keynote speaker was former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

‘Where religious freedom and religious tolerance flourishes’

During his speech, Harper said Trump “deserves enormous credit and congratulations” for recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. “That was one of the rare times I actually wish I was back in office, and I could’ve stood and done that with President Trump,” he said.

The former premier additionally spoke of his “clear” and “very consistent” defense of Israel, and his “special admiration” for the Jewish state. He said his ancestors have always been pro-Jewish, and told the audience that his father was a “life-longer admirer of the Jewish people,” and a “strong and vocal opponent” of anti-Semitism in Canada.

Harper discussed radical Islam and the Iranian regime, particularly the Iranian nuclear program that threatens both Israel and Western nations. He then talked about the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and urged pro-Israel supporters that “whenever we encounter [BDS], we should denounce it vocally, loudly and with every fiber of our being.”

He concluded his speech by insisting that Israel is not at fault for the lack of peace in the Middle East. “It is not because of anything Israel had done or not done,” he said in his final remarks. “It is not because of Israel’s failures or imperfections, Israel’s existence or policies. … In too many countries, it is still easier to scapegoat Israel then copy its success, and it’s only in Israel where religious freedom and religious toleration flourishes in the Middle East.

“I tell my friends in politics around the world, never be afraid to take the right position on Israel. And I also tell organizations like this, never be reluctant to be proud of Israel. … [It is] an oasis of wealth, freedom, culture, technology and security in the most dangerous and troubled part of the world. I think Israel may be the most remarkable country that has ever been created.”

By: Shiryn Solny
(JNS.org)

The post At Mar-a-Lago, Christians and Jews Celebrate Israel, Unity and a Strong Partnership appeared first on Jewish Voice.

Arab terrorists operating in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip used riots on the Israel-Gaza frontier last Friday to prepare for attacks on IDF forces patrolling the border, an IDF spokesperson revealed on Tuesday.

According to the spokesperson, on Monday, IDF soldiers discovered a backpack left near the security fence separating Israel and Gaza. The bag contained a number of firebombs ready for use against Israeli forces, according to an INN report.

IDF spokesman and Brigadier General Ronen Manelis said the discovery proved yet again that last week’s mass protests on the Israel-Gaza border were used by Gaza terrorists to carry out attacks on Israeli forces.

On Friday, some 30,000 Arab rioters gathered on the border as part of what organizers dubbed the “March of Return”. Rioters hurled firebombs and threw stones at Israeli security forces. Seventeen rioters, including 11 Hamas terrorists, were killed after IDF snipers opened fire on those attacking Israeli soldiers or attempting to scale the security fence into Israel, according to the INN report. The terrorists were known members of of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and global jihad groups

The protest kicked off six weeks of demonstrations against the planned relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem. The protests will culminate in a mass demonstration on May 15th, a day after Israel’s 70th Independence Day and the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem.

On Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman toured the Gaza envelope and was briefed on the deployment of IDF forces in the area, as was reported by INN.

“I think that the other side understood that it was not worth its while to continue, and I warn them against the continuation of the provocation,” Liberman said of the mass riots.

“Anyone who comes close to the fence endangers his life and I suggest that the people of Gaza invest their efforts not in protests against Israel, but in changing the leadership within the Strip. The same leadership that instead of focusing on the development of electricity, water and education infrastructure is investing $260 million in terrorist infrastructure, tunneling and manufacturing rockets,” Liberman said.

The defense minister noted that most of the Arabs killed by IDF fire during the riots last Friday were Hamas terrorists. “Most of those killed are terrorists whom we know well, activists in the military wing of Hamas, and also from Islamic Jihad, not innocent civilians who came as part of a civil protest.”

“It was a well-organized provocation by the military wing of Hamas in an attempt to harm our sovereignty, violate our daily routine, disturb the Jewish people on the Seder night which we celebrate with confidence and optimism, and we did what is incumbent upon us … We are not initiating any provocation against the residents of Gaza. We protect our residents, that’s all the difference,” he said.

Meanwhile, dozens of Palestinians engaged in vicious stone throwing at IDF forces along the Gaza border Tuesday afternoon as clashes erupted for the first time since last week’s mass demonstrations. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that a 25 year old man from Dir al-Balah was shot dead by IDF forces.

Tuesday’s incident followed a warning by Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman that Israel has no intention of changing its method of operation in regards to the protestors.

On Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan began an acrimonious war of words when he spuriously accused Israel of being a ‘terrorist state’ and called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a ‘terrorist’, after IDF forces opened fire on infiltrators during the Gaza riots on Friday.

That evening, the IDF thwarted an attempted shooting attack by a terror cell in northern Gaza.

The verbal salvo began on Friday when Turkey blasted Israel for its use of what a Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman termed “disproportionate force” against the Hamas-led protest.

“We strongly condemn Israel’s use of disproportionate force against Palestinians during the peaceful protests today in Gaza,” the foreign ministry in Ankara said in a statement quoted by AFP.

On Saturday, Turkish President Erdogan slammed Israel for the “inhumane attack”.

Prime Minister Netanyahu mocked Erdogan in a tweet Sunday, calling Erdogan’s attack an April Fool’s Day joke. “The most moral army in the world will not be lectured to on morality from someone who for years has been bombing civilians indiscriminately,” Netanyahu wrote.

He added, referring to April Fool’s Day: “Apparently this is how they mark April 1 in Ankara.”

Erdogan blasted Netanyahu following the tweet, calling the Israeli premier an “occupier” and a “terrorist”.

“Hey Netanyahu! You are occupier. And it is as an occupier that are you are on those lands. At the same time, you are a terrorist,” Erdogan said in a televised speech in Adana, southern Turkey, as was reported by the AFP.

During his speech, Erdogan also dubbed Israel a “terror state”.

“I do not need to tell the world how cruel the Israeli army is. We can see what this terror state is doing by looking at the situation in Gaza and Jerusalem,” Turkey’s Daily Sabah reported Erdogan as saying.

“Israel has carried out a massacre in Gaza and Netanyahu is a terrorist,” Erdoğan said, according to an INN report.

Israel and Turkey signed a comprehensive reconciliation deal in 2016, ending a six-year diplomatic standoff following a violent encounter between Israeli soldiers and Islamist radicals on a ship attempting to break through the security blockade on Gaza.

However, Turkish officials, and particularly Erdogan, have continued to verbally attack and launch scathing attacks on Israel despite the fact that the agreement was signed.

Last year, Erdogan described Israel as a “terrorist state” that kills children, to which Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu responded, “I am not used to receiving lectures about morality from a leader who bombs Kurdish villagers in his native Turkey, who jails journalists, who helps Iran go around international sanctions, and who helps terrorists, including in Gaza, kill innocent people.”

In December, Turkey’s foreign ministry condemned what it called Israel’s “excessive” and “disproportionate” use of force against Palestinian Arabs who protested the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, according.

IDF and Shin Bet Investigation

An investigation carried out by the IDF and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) has found that at least 11 of the 17 Gazans killed in Friday’s march were terror operatives. The findings came hours after Hamas admitted that five of those killed were members of the terror organization’s military wing.

Those identified as terrorists are: Hamdan Abu Amshe (25) – an active Hamas operative, Ahmad Odeh (19) – a resident of Gaza city and an active member of Hamas’ Shati Battalion, Jihad Frina (35) – a company commander in Hamas’ military wing, Sari Abu Odeh (28) – active operative in Hamas’ Beit Hanoun Battalion, Jihad Zuhier Salman Abu Jamo (30) – active operative in al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, Ebraheem Abu Sha’er (29) – active operative for the Islamic Jihad organization in Gaza, Abed Elraham Abed (20) – active member of Hamas’ military wing Muhammad Abu Amro (27) – active operative of Hamas’ tunnel digging unit, and Muhammad Rahmi (33) – an active Hamas operative.

The tenth terror operative was identified as Mosa’ab Salol (23) – an active member of Hamas’ military wing, who, along with another operative, opened fire on Israeli forces on the border on Friday before being neutralized.

At the end of the first days of the Passover holiday, Israel’s Foreign Minstry said that Hamas holds full responsibility for events during the rioting on Friday.

On Saturday, thousands took part in the funerals of those killed, with clashes on the border resulting in an additional 35 injured Gazans, according to Palestinian reports.

“The fence between Israel and Gaza separates a sovereign state and a terror organization,” the Foreign Ministry said. “ It separates a country which protects its citizens from murderers who send their own people into harm’s way. The fence separates a military that applies force for self defense and in a targeted and proportional manner, and Hamas, which, for years, has been trying to harm millions of Israelis, including yesterday, and which sanctifies murder and death.

Those who wrongfully misconstrue this murderous demonstration for freedom of speech, are blind to the threats with which the State of Israel is dealing with,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu wrote a Facebook post Saturday night thanking the IDF soldiers positioned on the border for allowing the citizens of Israeli to celebrate the Passover holiday in peace.

“Well done to our soldiers who are guarding the country’s borders and are allowing the citizens of Israel to celebrate the holiday peacefully. Israel is acting firmly and resolutely to protect its sovereignty and the security of its citizens,” Netanyahu wrote.

By: David Rosenberg

The post Hamas Riots Continue on Israeli-Gaza Border; “Butcher of Turkey” Calls Netanyahu a “Terrorist” appeared first on Jewish Voice.

Chelsea Football Club is leading the way in raising awareness about anti-Semitism in football after launching an initiative focusing on the issue and its impact on the Jewish community and society as a whole.

Launched ahead of the Premier League game against Bournemouth on 31 January, the long-term initiative is a clear demonstration that the club is welcoming to all and is supported by owner, Roman Abramovich. It forms part of the club’s on-going inclusion work, through the Chelsea Foundation’s Building Bridges campaign.

During the launch, a number of high-profile guests were invited for a formal ceremony to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, which included a candle lighting by Chief Rabbi Marvis and Holocaust survivor, Harry Spiro.

On the pitch, the centre circle was covered by a banner calling for an end to anti-Semitism and on the stadium screens, a video was shown, launching the new campaign, which includes supporters, politicians and leaders from Jewish communities around the globe.

Through the campaign, Chelsea are working with organizations and individuals in the UK and abroad, including the Holocaust Educational Trust, the Jewish Museum, the Community Security Trust, Kick It Out, the World Jewish Congress, the Anne Frank House and Maccabi GB.

Speaking in his program notes prior to the game with Bournemouth Mr. Abramovich said: ‘When I first came to Chelsea, I had two ambitions: to create world-class teams on the pitch; and to ensure the club plays a positive role in all its communities, using football as a vehicle to inspire and engage.

‘It has always been important to me to create a club that is welcoming to everyone. We actively celebrate our cultural and religious diversity and, through the work of the Chelsea Foundation, deliver programs to promote equality and tackle discrimination all over the world. However, we are all too often reminded there is more to be done.

‘Tonight’s game is an important one. On 27 January, the world observed Holocaust Memorial Day. The Holocaust was a crime without parallel in history. We must never forget such atrocities and must do our utmost to prevent them from ever happening again. It is my honor to dedicate this match to the victims of the Holocaust and to the Jewish community.

‘This evening I am proud to launch an initiative to raise awareness of and to tackle anti-Semitism in all its forms, and hope to have your support for this work.

‘This is the start of an important journey and we all have a part to play. We can all do something to challenge discrimination at our club as well as within the world around us. With your help, Chelsea can play a leading role in this vital area of work and demonstrate to everybody that we are a club open to all.’

As part of the launch night, the club also developed and distributed a steward’s guide, in partnership with the Community Security Trust and Kick It Out, to educate security staff on how to identify and react to any incidents of discriminatory behavior. The guide will be redesigned and redistributed throughout Premier League and English Football League clubs, with an additional guide for grass roots clubs also under consideration.

Fans are also encouraged to report any anti-Semitic words or actions through the distribution of 27,000 phone wallets, highlighting reporting hotlines and LED banners around the ground and asking fans to report any incidents they witnessed.

In the build-up to the launch, the Chelsea’s head coach, players and backroom staff also welcomed Holocaust survivor Harry Spiro BEM to Cobham to share the story of his experiences.

Chelsea has also established a steering committee of leading experts who are supporting the campaign, led by club Chairman, Bruce Buck.

As part of its work, the Chelsea Foundation’s equality and diversity workshops in primary schools will be extended to talk specifically about Jewish faith and culture, and the club will develop an education program to rehabilitate supporters banned for anti-Semitic behavior.

Additional activities taking place throughout the year will include educational visits to former concentration camps for staff, fans and stewards, as well as a staff training program in partnership with the Jewish Museum London focusing on Jewish faith culture and the Holocaust.

There are also plans for an exhibition at the Chelsea Museum on football and the Jewish community, and screenings of Liga Terezin – a documentary about a football league run from a concentration camp during the Holocaust.

The club’s commitment to the initiative remains ongoing and last week Stamford Bridge welcomed Mala Tribich MBE, a Holocaust survivor, to discuss her experiences in front of a gathering of supporters.

By: Jacob Fishbein

The post UK’s Chelsea Football Club to Participate in 2018 “March of the Living” appeared first on Jewish Voice.