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Today's News
June 28, 2017
Ultra-Orthodox Lawmaker: Reform Jews Don't
Believe in Temple
By
VOA News & IsraelNationalNews.com
A
senior ultra-Orthodox Israeli lawmaker on Tuesday dismissed the protestations of
liberal Jews over alternative access to Jerusalem's Western Wall as
provocations, saying they don't even believe in the sanctity of the site. Deputy
Finance Minister Yitzhak Cohen of the Shas party said worship practices at the
site — a retaining wall of the compound where the biblical Jewish temples once
stood — have been in place for centuries and not everyone can "come and change
the rules.
"What are the Reform [Jews] claiming? That the Western Wall is theirs?" Cohen
asked. "Why do they need the Wall? Do they believe in what resides there? Why?
Let them go and build a wall wherever they want and pray there. They don't
believe in what they're doing, anyway."
Leaders of the Reform and Conservative movements have canceled meetings with
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to protest his government's decision to scrap
plans for an expanded mixed-gender prayer area. They're warning of an
unprecedented crisis between Israel and the Jewish diaspora over the issue. "The
Western Wall doesn't interest Reform Jews. They don't believe in the Holy
Temple," Cohen told Israel's Army Radio, expressing a view that many Reform Jews
would take issue with.
Most American Jews belong to the more liberal Reform and Conservative streams
and feel alienated by Israel's ultra-Orthodox authorities, who question their
faith and practices.
Sunday's Cabinet decision touched a raw nerve and sparked a rare display of
public anger from American Jewish groups, who hinted the move could undermine
their longstanding political, financial and emotional support for Israel.
Ultra-Orthodox leaders in turn ramped up their criticism and said diaspora Jews
would have no say in how religion was conducted in Israel.
The
plan to officially recognize the special mixed-gender prayer area at the Western
Wall was reached in January 2016, after three years of intense negotiations
between liberal Israeli and American Jewish groups and Israeli authorities. It
was seen at the time as a significant breakthrough in promoting religious
pluralism in Israel, where ultra-Orthodox authorities govern almost every facet
of Jewish life.
But
the program was never implemented, as powerful ultra-Orthodox members of
Netanyahu's coalition government raised objections. The about face, coupled with
another government decision to promote a bill that would enshrine the
ultra-Orthodox monopoly over conversions, provoked the ire of liberal Jews.
Netanyahu's office tried to deflect some of the criticism, noting that there are
already arrangements for egalitarian prayer and saying that construction to
expand that area would continue. The Western Wall, or Kotel, is the holiest site
where Jews can pray, and its main plaza is divided into separate men's and
women's prayer sections. Those attempting to hold egalitarian services in the
area are often heckled and harassed. Under the plan, the small egalitarian area
would be expanded and receive a more central entrance alongside entrances to the
current male and female prayer sites.
Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who also oversees diaspora affairs, said the
crisis was ill-timed and he was having intense negotiations to resolve it. "The
representatives of U.S. Jewry feel they were slapped in the face by the Israel
government and that they are apparently no longer welcome here. Of course, this
isn't true," he said. "Mistakes were made regarding timing and the way things
were done. Additionally, there is an apparent campaign of misinformation
claiming the Kotel is being closed to Diaspora Jews and that the status of
conversions is being changed. This is false."
Ultra-Orthodox rabbis strictly govern Jewish practices in Israel such as
weddings, divorces, burials and conversions. The ultra-Orthodox religious
establishment sees itself as responsible for maintaining traditions through
centuries of persecution and assimilation. It resists any inroads from liberals,
who it often considers to be second-class Jews who ordain women and gays and are
overly inclusive toward converts and interfaith marriages.
The
liberal streams have made some progress in recent years, but have encountered
ultra-Orthodox resistance when it comes to official state recognition and having
a say in religious practices.
Cohen said that "Reform Jews are ruining the Jewish religion and offending
everything that is sacred to us. How can we even be talking to them? Why are we
even discussing [this] with them? These people are faking Judaism. We will never
recognize them."
U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman on Tuesday evening criticized the
conduct of the Reform Movement in recent days, following the government's
decision to freeze the plan to establish a designated mixed-gender prayer area
at the Western Wall. “I want to speak to you to some extent not as the United
States Ambassador to Israel, but as a member of the Jewish faith and as the son
of a rabbi who practiced before his pulpit for at least 45 years and committed
his life to Jewish unity,” Friedman said at a B’nai Brith event.
“Three years ago, you all recall the tragedy that befell the three boys who were
kidnapped in Gush Etzion and for whom, for 18 days, the entire world prayed and
hoped, wishing for their safe return, and unfortunately it was not to be. On the
anniversary of their untimely passing, their parents began something called the
Unity Prize,” he continued.
“There are people who commit their lives to Jewish unity, but sadly we’re not
where we need to be. Yesterday I heard something that I once thought I would
never hear. I heard a major Jewish organization say that it needed to ‘rethink’
its support for the State of Israel. This is something unthinkable. We have to
do better. We must do better,” stated Friedman.
“There is plenty of room to cast blame, whether it’s on the issue of the Western
Wall or the issue of conversion. I’m not going to take sides tonight, but I can
tell you that we can only resolve these issues by mutual respect and
understanding. We have to get back to those basic principles of Jewish unity.”
The
key to Jewish unity, opined Friedman, “is that nobody ever has to win. This is
not a question of winning. This is a question of mutual understanding and
respect and co-existence. As soon as someone wants to win – everybody’s going to
lose.”
Prophecy? What Ben Gurion Said to the
Reform Movement
By
David Bedein (Commentary)
In
1970, during my first months in Israel, I lived with two fellows who were
learning at HUC, the Hebrew Union College. They very much wanted to live in
Israel, but they and their fellow Reform Rabbinic students were concerned about
their status in the Jewish State.
A
prominent Reform Rabbi, Ezra Spicehandler, arranged for HUC students to meet and
express their concerns to David Ben Gurion, the first Israeli Prime Minister. He
was an elder statesman by then, having just retired from the Knesset. After
hearing the concerns of the HUC students, Ben Gurion, known as BG in English,
responded with a healthy dose of reality.
BG
answered their concerns by saying that if American Reform Rabbis want
recognition, they should bring 300,000 Reform Jews with them to Israel. Ben
Gurion’s response envisioned the dilemma that Non-Orthodox Jews cope with in
Israel today.
An
estimated 20,000 Jews are active in all the 64 Reform, Conservative and
Reconstructionist synagogues around Israel. This is growth when compared with
1970, when you could count the amount of non-Orthodox synagogues on your
fingertips.
Yet
these numbers do not compare in numbers to the estimated two million Orthodox
Jews in Israel - of all stripes - who hold at least 40 seats in the current
Israeli Knesset, both in religious parties and in parties that do not define
themselves as religious.
Today, when an Israeli prime minister considers vital decisions, a constituency
of two million outweighs a community of 20,000, regardless of how many
supporters those 20,000 have who reside in the diaspora. And recent surveys in
the US show that the number of those flaunted supporters is decreasing by leaps
and bounds due to intermarriage.
Had
Reform Jews brought 300,000 Jews in 1970, their sheer numbers would have
catapulted them into a position where they could have shaken the balance of
Jewish religious power today. Decisions are made by leaders who live in the
Jewish state, not by those Jews who try to affect Israeli decisions from afar.
Ben
Gurion’s observations were all-too prophetic.
David Bedein is director of Israel Resource News Agency and heads
the Center for Near East Policy Research, author of Genesis of the Palestinian
Authority and Roadblock to Peace: How the UN Perpetuates the Arab-Israeli
Conflict: UNRWA Policies Reconsidered.
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The Neo-Nazi Who Converted to Judaism
By
YnetNews.com
For
most people only faith in reincarnation can explain such a story. But Yonatan
Langer, a kippah wearing Jew from West Berlin, is quite capable of recounting
his previous incarnation: it ended only a few years ago.
Yonatan, 33, or Lotz if you go by his original name, was a neo-Nazi. In the
neighborhood where he lived in Berlin, he spent time in Neo-Nazi clubs, used the
Nazi salute, and admired the SS. "Hitler, Himmler, Hess—they were heroes to me,
war heroes," said Langer in his interview for the newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung.
Just a few years ago he used to celebrate Hitler's birthday, but today he
celebrates the Jewish holidays and puts on tefillin every morning. This week, in
New York, he is set to complete his conversion to Judaism, after undergoing the
traditional circumcision.
Langer managed to get out of the very depths of the violent and racist scene. He
attributes his change mainly to the conversations he had with the director of
the group Exit. which helps neo-Nazis "get out of the extreme right and start a
new life. It's actually quite simple to convert extreme right-wingers, or
radical Islamists," Langer said. "You just need to allow them to take part in
life, and extremism is solved by itself."
Langer recalled having a dream, during a time in his life when he was starting
to distance himself from his friends. In it, he was standing in a warm cave,
when the word "Kabbalah" appeared on the wall. Langer awoke from the dream,
jumped out of bed and ran to his computer. From there he went to an introductory
course for Kabbalah. These days, he studies Hebrew, works at the Kabbalah
Studies Center in Berlin and tries to work through the vicissitudes he
underwent.
Gabe Pressman, Pioneer of TV Reporting, Dies
at 93
By
JTA
Gabe Pressman, a pioneering TV newsman who was a fixture in New York City
journalism for six decades, has died at 93. Pressman, who died Friday, was one
of the first reporters to take a camera crew into the streets for live coverage.
“All I know, I was alone out there. I was the only one holding the mike,” he
told The New York Times in 1998.
Pressman is survived by his wife, four children, eight grandchildren and one
great-grandson. He became a reliable and engaging source for many New Yorkers
who tuned into local stations like WNBC and WNEW.
(Your Israel News Faxx editor was privileged to be his NBC News
assistant film editor and then film editor between 1961 and 1966.)
He
was honored with many accolades — 11 Emmy Awards, a Peabody and the George Polk
Award — for his original reporting, uncovering topics like homelessness and the
mentally ill. He also served as president of the New York Press Club from 1997
to 2000.
The
Bronx native was the son of two Jewish immigrants who supported his deep
interest in reporting. Pressman showed promise at a young age, having started a
family newspaper at 8 or 9. He was known by family and friends for his love of
all things news and public affairs.
Pressman received his bachelor’s degree from New York University and his masters
from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. He served in the Navy
as a communications officer from 1943 to 1946. Following World War II, Pressman
toured Europe on the Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship to report for Overseas News
Agency, a subsidiary of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, and The New York Times.
Beginning in 1956, Pressman was a daily reporter for WRCA-TV, the predecessor of
WNBC, where he would serve for over half a century. Peers and colleagues
recognized Pressman for his ability to cover a wide range of issues, from subway
accidents to election scandals, in a thorough yet tenacious manner. Pressman
also interviewed many cultural and political icons throughout his career
including Fidel Castro, Marilyn Monroe, Malcolm X, and politicians on the local
and national level.
In
October 1982, during an interview from Jerusalem for WNBC-TV’s “News Forum,”
Pressman asked then-opposition Labor Party leader Shimon Peres if Israel was
guilty of “immorality” in the massacre of hundreds of Palestinian civilians by
Christian Phalangist forces in the Shatila and Sabra refugee camps of south
Lebanon.
Peres replied: “I would never imagine in my darkest dreams that there would be a
single Israeli that would ever give his hand to a massacre of innocent people. I
don’t buy it.”
Pressman did not retire — until his last few days he was active at WNBC.
“He was truly one of a kind and
represented the very best in television news reporting,” Eric Lerner, the New
York station’s president and general manager, said of Pressman’s legacy and
influence. “Gabe was still coming to work and thinking about the next story. He
was a treasured colleague and friend to all of us and he will be missed.”
The Holocaust in the Third Reich as Depicted in Hollywood Cartoons
Donald Duck: Der Fuehrer's Face
https://youtu.be/bn20oXFrxxg
Cubby Bear: https://youtu.be/8Tu1fkiPW1M
The Ducktators: https://youtu.be/KsBG34TSJJ4
Daffy Duck, The Commando https://youtu.be/xFdG8lZ4PJw
Bugs Bunny, Herr Meets Hare: https://youtu.be/2CHGG4grTZA
Donald Duck: Commando Duck: https://youtu.be/IWAf3dQxAfQ
3 Little Pigs: Blitz Wolf: https://youtu.be/6f8STwtqdeg
Popeye: Spinach fer Britain https://youtu.be/c7WYKJaCrg8
4,000 Years of Jerusalem
Glenn Beck Defends Israel
The Jews of Morocco
U.S. Television Loves to Use Hebrew Words
They Speak Hebrew
Erdogan: The Dumbbell
Israel Faxx Presents
The Three Terrors
We Con the World
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'I am Israel'
A new film by Aish.com
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Chad Gadya in the Middle East
Palestinian minister insists New York belongs to the Muslims
History of the Middle East in a couple of minutes
The Weekly Portion of Tanach
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Why Jews don't believe that Jesus is the Messiah YOU SAY YOU WANT CHANGE?By Frances Bernay-Cohen I can't speak for you, but my grandparents came to the United States to find a refuge from "change." They came to The United States where their basic freedoms were guaranteed by the Constitution; where they could build a future on this solid ground. Whether our forefathers and forI'm sure you will find some truth in this song. |
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Click Below to View Film
Air France flew from the U.S. to Israel during the early 1950s. They flew Lockheed Constellations and the flying time was 20 hours. This promotional film - in English for an American audience - shows Israel as it was three years after the War of Independence . Please click photo
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Paradise Regained, Paradise Lost By Don Canaan (Commentary) This year marked the 34th anniversary of the return of the Sinai by Israel to Egypt--a day of mourning by many of the 2,000 settlers who settled and later were forcibly evacuated by Israeli authorities under the command of Ariel Sharon, from the seaside city of Yamit on the Mediterranean. Yamit was former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan's dream--a projected seaport and city of 250,000 founded on the Sinai sand dunes overlooking date palm trees and the blue Mediterranean--a populated buffer between the Gaza Strip and Egypt on the other side of the Suez Canal. Some alternate historians say Moses and the children of Israel passed near the site of Yamit 3,500 years ago as they wandered for 40 years through the Sinai Desert on their way to the proverbial land of milk and honey. Since April 25, 1982 only the whine of the desert wind weaves its currents through the crevices of destroyed homes, businesses and monument--a memorial to the young men who died during the 1967 Six Day war. Christians, Jews and Muslims died during three Arab-Israeli wars and battles that took place in the Sinai in 1956, 1967 and 1973--Egyptian and Israeli--young people who fought and died in that desolate, forsaken desert wasteland. The modern-day chariot carrying Egyptian President Mohammed Anwar al-Sadat hugged the intermittently green coastline of Sinai on its historic mission to Jerusalem. Israelis glancing upward into the clear night sky saw merely a jet banking gently to the northwest. Official Israeli government policy was that the settlers had to be removed and the army came and forcibly removed the remaining diehard residents. The Jerusalem Post described the scene: Apocalypse had arrived in Yamit and in the dust and noise and destruction one could wander freely. Dozens of bulldozers and giant mobile air hammers were loose in the city like a pack of predatory beasts." April 25, 20011 marked the 29th anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from Yamit and Sinai and a cold peace between long-term enemies. That gift of peace silently glided overhead as the Sabbath disappeared and the stars appeared. At 8:01 p.m. Sadat's jetliner landed at Ben-Gurion Airport and the first minutes of a then potential peace came to the Middle East. Old enemies became new friends. The crowds roared its approval when Sadat shook hands with Moshe Dayan. A person standing nearby, according to the Jerusalem Post, said Sadat told Dayan, "Don't worry Moshe, it will be all right." The peace treaty between the two nations was signed on March 26, 1979 and on April 25, 1982; the events that had started on a November day at Camp David came to fruition. Sinai was returned to Egypt. Yamit was bulldozed to the ground. But Anwar Sadat did not live to see that day. He had been assassinated seven months before.
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Electronic World Communications Inc claims the copyright of all material and information written by Don Canaan. All rights reserved. Reproduction of Mr, Canaan's text for non-commercial purposes is permitted provided that both source and author are acknowledged and a request made to dcanaan at israelfaxx dot com.. All material on these web pages is (c) 1994-2016 by Electronic World Communications, Inc. Design by E-Carnate Web and Media. Website Monitoring by InternetSupervision.com |
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