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Obama, Bibi and Iran: the Liberal Jew Dilemma.

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I don’t know for certain, but I am pretty sure that the Irish-Americans, who have long been away from the green fields of Ire, would be very irate if United States signed an accord with England that nearly all but guaranteed the destruction of Ireland. I don’t think we would guess and wonder about the loyalties of the Irish-Americans, we would simply understand that all non-Native Americans (except the ex-slaves) have some ties to their country of origin, no matter how far removed. This is no different for American Jews. For American Jews, Israel the country of origin remains in our DNA as all countries of origin for all people. A Jews is a bit more complicated, as Jews may also feel affinity for Morocco, Iran, or ex-Soviet Union due to the centuries spent there as well, although those ties falls off by the second and third generation.

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Union City Tzedek

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He was 33, gaunt to point of bones. His long, thin fingers, raw, as if washed over and over trying to get something. Long coarse black beard with silver strands and thick glasses dominated his eyes. His eyes have a piercing black look that is attentive, kind and completely disarming. When he prays, he bows maniacally and words are wails of a man not praying but begging while others around him murmur mechanically without thought or feeling. In this man there is genius and suffering at the same time.  Had Jesus been a Chassid, he’d look just like Jeshua from New Jersey.

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Isolation is followed by dehumanization followed by annihilation.

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My physics teacher Mr. Stimson said a wise thing: a fight turns to punches when the two sides run out of words. Thus to cut off all words is to ensure that there will be punches.

It took a long time for Hitler to condition Germans to hate Jews.  Because Germans and Jews lived and worked together side by side, since the enlightenment allowed equal rights to all Jews, Germans now considered Jews to be as one of them and for conditioning to dehumanize had to take a long time and a lot of effort.

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Obituary for Abraham

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It has come to my attention that Abraham, one of the founding members of Kechene community in Ethiopia passed away this week. He was large part of the Kechene community, a radiologist and electrical engineer. May his memory be a blessing.

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Re-thinking Tikun Olam

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The longest pier

A photo posted by seomka08 (@seomka08) on

 

Tikun Olam, repair the world,  a saying in the Talmud that many Jews and Jewish organizations take to heart. It is a noble cause, a great thing to say but as I was out there surfing in the Pacific Ocean, I pondered: what does it mean?

To repair means that something is broken. It means it broke on its own or someone could broke it. But the world by itself is perfect. Whatever suffering is in it, whatever is broken is not the fault of the world, but of humans. Meaning humans broke it.

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Jewish Children in Ukraine Go Hungry, But Refuse To Bend To Putin’s Will

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Monument to the Jewish children massacred in Kiev's Babiy Yar. Kiev

Monument to the Jewish children massacred in Kiev’s Babiy Yar. Kiev

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATE: I am sad to report that Chabad suspended the campaign. I apologize profusely and hope that in the near future we will be able to take up the issue again.   Thank you.

 

Two bucks. What’s two bucks? Well, that’s how much my lunch cost: two fish tacos. I’m working on a start-up which means I don’t eat great; but that’s by choice. On Shabbat, I’ll go to schul and I’ll probably give tzedaka. I’ll also do that on June 22nd, I’ll give to Chabad. Because Chabad is going to give my two bucks to feed a Ukrainian Jewish kid for a day. A kid just like me, because 23 years ago, I was a Ukrainian Jewish kid.

 

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Jews and Restitution

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Restitution is taking things to the way they were. During World War II, millions of lives were destroyed, their possessions looted and appropriated by thieves pretending to be upstanding citizens. In Nazi Europe Jewish people were not humans, they were no longer people and as such they had no rights to their belongings or even their life. That is why people felt no qualms about taking away their things, the the law upheld them. The movie “Woman In Gold” is the first movie I have seen which truly humanized the Holocaust victims, the mark left on them years later and the difficulty of being equal under the law, even today and when they do, just how amazing it feels to be recognized as a human, as a person with equal rights with ability to work and own things and have society see to it that you are able to do that just as a non-Jew.

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