Eurovision Fever Sweeps Tel Aviv Despite BDS Efforts, Gaza Rockets

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05/06/2019

New York - Michael Cohen article — shutterstock

Free-flowing matzo ball soup and gefilte fish, a full-time personal rabbi and an occasional visit home. An expensive resort? No.

It’s jail.

By Howard M. Riell

At least it is for Michael Cohen, comfortably ensconced in a luxury resort at which he will do hard time for the next three years is unique in the federal system. Forbes once called it one of America’s 10 Cushiest Prisons.

President Trump’s former attorney turned squealer will be reporting to the Federal Correctional Institute in Otisville, New York, about 70 miles northwest of New York City, on Monday. When he gets there, he will be ushered into his new and decidedly comfortable dorm-like accommodations inside the minimum-security camp. Prison consultants – yes, there is such a thing – say Otisville has earned a reputation as the in place for Jewish criminals.

“He’s going to what I like to refer to as ‘Jewish heaven,’” said Larry Levine, founder of Wall Street Prison Consultants, who served a 10-year prison sentence that ended in 2007 for racketeering and other crimes, in an interview with Reuters. Celebrity bunkmates will include Jersey Shore star Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino and Fyre Festival founder Billy McFarland.

Cohen, of course, was sentenced in December for orchestrating payments to pornographic film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal shortly before the 2016 U.S. presidential election,” Reuters notes.

The nearly posh accommodations came at the request of Cohen’s then-attorney, Guy Petrillo.

According to the Otisville facility’s web site, the menu offers matzo ball soup, gefilte fish and rugelach, along with Doritos tortilla chips and Diet Sprite soda – all of it, of course, meeting the highest standards of kashrus. No word yet on whether or not chocolate is left on the pillows.

Jack Donson, a former manager at the prison who now runs a prison consulting firm, told Reuters that the camp was “a great place for white-collar Jewish guys.” The institution also provides “contract rabbis” over and above its regular, full-time rabbi.

Otisville’s newest inmate “spent his final weekend of freedom trying to maintain a semblance of normalcy — leaving his Manhattan apartment building on Saturday with his son to go to a coffee shop and then to a barbershop,” Fox News reports. “They both got haircuts. Cohen’s next stop was the pricy store Barneys New York, where he told journalists that he plans to hold a news conference Monday before heading to prison.”

In March, Cohen’s lawyers reportedly contacted prosecutors about meeting to reduce his sentence. They never got together, however. “That snub,” noted voanews.com, “might be the best evidence yet that Cohen’s months-long campaign to sell himself as a potential witness hasn’t paid off.”

Israeli Death Toll Rises to 4 from Continuous Hamas Rocket Onslaught

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05/06/2019

Gaza terrorists fired rockets at the southern city of Arad on Sunday, the first such attack since Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014.

By: TPS Staff

The terrorist groups have been broadening their scope of fire since commencing their attack on Israel on Saturday morning. The range to Arad from Gaza is greater than that from Gaza to Tel Aviv.

Ahmad Khudri, responsible for transferring money from Iran to terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, was killed in an Israeli Air Force (IAF) Strike on Sunday, the IDF announced.

New information emerging in the last hours casts serious doubt on Hamas’ claim that a Gazan woman and her baby daughter were killed in an Israeli Air Force strike in Gaza city on Saturday night.

A woman in the Gaza Strip on Saturday night and her toddler baby were reportedly killed, with Gazan sources identifying the victims as 14-month-old Saba Mahmoud Abu ‘Arar and her pregnant mother Falastin.

Hamas claims she was killed by an Israeli strike, but the IDF is saying she was killed by terrorist activity in the area.

However, as the hours pass it is becoming clear that Hamas may be lying about the entire incident.

The Hamas-controlled Minister of Health in Gaza is now saying that it misstated that a mother and daughter had been killed, and instead a toddler has in fact died, but her mother is alive.

The Health Ministry told TPS that another woman named Falastin Abu ‘Arar was killed in the attack, and that she too was pregnant.

The woman killed may have been the baby’s aunt and not her mother.

The Hamas’ confused statement generated rumors on social media, including one that says that the baby died of chemicals and not by an explosion.

The IDF stated Sunday afternoon that “Palestinian weapons caused the tragic death of a mother in Gaza and her baby.”

“Hamas blamed Israel. Journalists amplified the lie. Our assessment indicates that the incident had nothing to do with IDF strikes,” it underscored.

Earlier on, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee stated on Twitter that “according to indications the baby and her mother died as a result of the terrorist activities of Palestinian terrorists and not as a result of an Israeli strike.”

Pictures “clearly show the launching of rockets from crowded areas,” he said.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry stated that Islamic Jihad and Hamas are committing a double war crime by intentionally targeting Israeli civilians while hiding behind the local civilian population.

Ahmad Khudri, responsible for transferring money from Iran to terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, was killed in an Israeli Air Force (IAF) Strike on Sunday, the IDF announced.

The IDF stated that Khudri, 34, was a money changer who transferred large sums of money from the Islamic Republic of Iran to Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.

Iran provides vast support to Palestinian terror organizations, including Hamas which rules Gaza, as part of its support of a global Islamic terror network.

Islamic Jihad’s Quds Brigades receives some $70 million directly from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC). The Quds Brigade was reorganized by Qassem Suleimani, commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force.

Khudri’s company was previously been designated as a terror entity.

“Khudari’s financial activity, which spearheaded Iran’s activity in the Gaza Strip, has contributed significantly to the promotion of terrorist activity and the military buildup of terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip,” the IDF stated.

“The IDF and the General Security Service will continue to operate to thwart and disrupt Iran’s attempts to promote terrorist activity from the Gaza Strip by funding terrorist organizations such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the other terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip,” it added.

At least 14 terrorists have been killed in IAF strikes in the past 24 hours, while Khudri’s elimination appears to the first targeted assassination.

Israeli residents throughout the south have been under constant attack by Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists who have been launching rockets at cities and towns since Saturday morning.

Schools have been shut down, work has been limited, and Israel’s citizens are again facing a reality in which their homes have become a battleground.

Shimon Salomon, director of the Kfar Silver Youth Village and a former Member of Knesset, described a frightening situation in which explosions are continuously heard, caused by incoming rockets and their interception by the Iron Dome defense system.

“It’s unbearable, the house is shaking,” Salomon told TPS.

Some 200 students were present at the youth village on Saturday morning when the Gaza-based terrorists fired the first barrage at Israel. A rocket exploded at the entrance of the village, just dozens of yards away from the students, who had just finished their breakfast.

The students, many of whom had experienced previous attacks, ran for shelter.

“It’s not a simple situation, there is a lot of stress,” Salomon shared, noting that several of the students are new immigrants and are not used to such extreme incidents.

He said that the students have yet to exhibit anomalous or irregular behavior following the latest attacks, but that previous incidents did see students fainting or showing other signs of distress.

The students undergo training for such situations and receive counsel and treatment when needed to address the strain they experience during these traumatizing events.

The majority of the students were sent home Sunday morning, while some 80, who do not have families in Israel, stayed behind, close to shelters.

“It’s a maddening thought,” Salomon said. Israel will mark its Memorial Day on Wednesday and celebrate its Independence Day on Thursday, and yet “we sit here like ducks, waiting at home. This thought does not leave me.”

He called on the government to deal the terror groups a significant blow.

“My children are constantly crying, it’s an intolerable situation. Why should the children grow up shadowed by such a threat?” he said.

Sapir Daddon, a university student from Kiryat Gat, encountered the rocket fire late on Saturday. She said she had heard the rocket explosions earlier in the day, but the rockets fell in her city only later on.

Two rockets hit the city, seriously wounding an 80-year-old woman and hitting another house, in which no one was injured. She lives only three minutes away from that home.

She said she took shelter in the building stairway during the attacks because her house does not have a safe-room. The family whose home took a direct hit was not sure if to heed the alarm, but the mother urged the family to enter the shelter and saved their lives.

Daddon, 25 years old, has essentially grown up into this reality of violence. She has been experiencing such attacks from Gaza since 2012. She says this has conditioned her to develop a sort of callousness, while the constant fear still remains.

Relating to the upcoming holidays, she said it was an “inconceivable” situation, a sense of collision between the holidays’ solemnity and the insanity generated by the rocket fire.

“I hope everything settles beforehand,” she said. (Tazpit Press Service)

Israel, Start Targeted Killings Again!

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05/06/2019

By: Ariel Natan Pasko

I couldn’t say it any plainer, KILL the leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza, NOW!

Start cutting off the heads of the snakes. Don’t worry if they grow new heads, cut them off too, if they grow back. Keep KILLING their leaders and operatives, until they’re frightened to death, and no one volunteers for the job anymore.

Targeted killings, assassinating the terrorist leadership in Gaza, worked well in the Sharon era. Take a look at my article, “Happy Yassin Day,” from that period, after Israel sent then Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmad Yassin and his wheel chair, to find his 72 year old virgin, down under. And he wasn’t the only one, we sent to early retirement, at the time.

Even Benny Gantz, from the losing Blue and White party, during the recent election campaign, threatened that the leaders of the Palestinian terror group should remember that Israel assassinated one of its most senior officials during the Gaza conflict of 2012, and was capable of doing the same again. “The heads of Hamas have forgotten what happened to Ahmed Jabari – their chief of staff. They will get a personal reminder if they continue targeting our population, as will all terrorists.”

And he lost the election; i.e. the Israeli public chose Netanyahu to lead, thinking he would be tougher and better able to maintain security and safety (one of the only purposes of government), for the Israeli public.

“The reality in the south, as we unfortunately saw today, where Israeli children spend their nights in bomb shelters, while the heads of Hamas celebrate must end now – and it will,” Gantz told a conference during the campaign.

Well nothing has changed, and that should still be Israel’s goal. Better that Hamas people learn by heart all their funeral prayers, than songs of joy. Islamic Jihad should load up on mourning meals instead of handing out sweets in the street, celebrating.

Let’s force King Solomon’s sage advice onto terror leaders in Gaza, “It’s better to go to a House of Mourning than to a Party…’ (Ecclesiastes 7:2).

And while they are mourning, giving speeches of support and encouragement, to carry out the next atrocity against Israeli civilians, and burying their dead; Israel should also bomb, strafe, and disperse those political rally terror supporting funerals, as I’ve called for since 2003. See my article, “The Call of the Israeli Apache.”

Since the latest round of Gazan rocket attacks on Israel started, so far, Israel has killed exactly one top leader. According to Gazan sources, Hamad Ahmad Al-Khudari of Hamas’ military wing has been eliminated, by the Israel Defense Forces attacking his vehicle. But he’s small fry, now fish fillet.

Israel needs to take down their political leadership too. Ismail Haniyeh, and his ilk have GOT TO GO.

In desperation, MK Ofir Sofer (Union of Right-wing Parties) has said, “The reactions that Israel has taken so far are only a kind of Tylenol; the State of Israel must preserve its initiative and not let Hamas dictate the pace. The Israeli response should be asymmetrical and disproportionate so that the terror organizations will feel the bitter taste well and over time. There’s no choice but to enter on the ground and initiate a long-term military action, and the sooner the better. The fighting in Gaza must be decided.”

I strongly disagree, it is not yet time for a full ground liberation…

Israel has not yet exhausted by far, its air-power advantage. Taking out terrorists, their leadership, and supporters, without concern for collateral damage, is the way to go. Why risk any more Israeli lives?

It’s time to really unleash the Israeli Air Force. Bring back the 500 pound bombs. And, maybe time to introduce the modern equivalent of the Gatling gun, the M61 Vulcan, GAU-8/A Avenger, or The GAU-12/U Equalizer.

Its time to start targeted killings again!

Ariel Natan Pasko, an independent analyst and consultant, has a Master’s Degree specializing in International Relations, Political Economy & Policy Analysis. His articles appear regularly on numerous news/views and think-tank websites and in newspapers. His latest articles can also be read on his archive: The Think Tank by Ariel Natan Pasko.

A How-to-Guide on Navigating the Epic Costume Institute Gala

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05/06/2019

IMG_0833 (1) — Josh Kushner, Kevin Systrom and Jared Kushner

Everybody knows the first Monday in May is when New York gets taken over by hundreds of celebrities in what is referred to as “the Oscars of the East Coast” or the Costume Institute Gala.

This annual extravaganza is so massive that dozens of blocks get cordoned off and hundreds of make-up artists and stylists get flown from Los Angeles to help their clients one-up each other in the high stakes celebrity fashion game.

It also marks the opening of the annual fashion exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The first gala in 1948 cost $50 a ticket and was organized by fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert in venues such as the Waldorf, Central Park and the Rainbow Room.

In 1972 Vogue editor-in-chief Diana Vreeland took over and morphed it into a more celebrity-oriented affair with guests Andy Warhol, Diana Ross and Cher fraternizing with the high society of New York. It was during that year that the Gala’s permanent residence became the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 1995 the “Queen Bee” of Vogue, Anna Wintour, took over and made it the over-the-top event it is today. Not only do tickets start at $30,000 with tables going for $300,000, but Empress Wintour, who will most likely be wearing Chanel, has to approve you for the guest list.

Katie Holmes with Marchesa designers photo by Lieba Nesis

Nnamdi Asomugha and Kerry Washington photo by Lieba Nesis

eese Witherspoon, Kate Bosworth, Cara Delevingne and Stella McCartney photo by Lieba Nesis

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian photo by Lieba Nesis

Jennifer Lopez with Michael Kors photo by Lieba Nesus

Josh Kushner, Kevin Systrom and Jared Kushner

A major socialite friend of mine offered to pay $60,000 for two tickets and was ultimately rejected despite her husband running an $8 billion hedge fund. How a charity can turn down hundreds of thousands of dollars in ticket sales is unfathomable. Wintour is the only person who could get 300 celebrities salivating to schlep to New York to do a red carpet they are not getting paid for without receiving a corresponding award-they are usually invited gratis by a designer that Wintour handpicks.

Wintour’s influence is so staggering, having raised over $186 million to date and more than $12 million last year, that the wing of the Museum that houses the collection was renamed the “Anna Wintour Costume Center” in 2014 with Michelle Obama presiding over the ribbon cutting.

Last year the gala was sponsored by Steve and Christine Schwarzman who donated $5 million for the most heavily attended exhibit which covered the influence of Catholicism on fashion.

2019’s theme was chosen by curator of the Costume Institute, Andrew Bolton, who chose “Camp: Notes on Fashion,” declaring the inspiration being Susan Sontag’s 1964 essay “Notes on Camp” which documents the frivolity, parody, and artifice inherent in fashion as a means of expression.

The interpretation of this theme is so open-ended that is certain costumes will be all over the map-literally.

Undoubtably, there will be a celebrity dressed as a globe (probably Katy Perry who always gets it wrong), and dozens of other luminaries who will wear feathers, ribbons, ruffles, puffy skirts, dresses with writing, and Trompe-l l’oeil attire.

Speaking of Trump “the Donald” proposed to Melania at the 2004 event with a $1.5 million ring. That happenstance has little chance of recurring as the rift between Wintour and the Trumps’ continues to widen with Wintour supporting Hillary’s campaign in 2016 and declaring in 2017 on James Corden’s Late Show that she would never be inviting Trump again.
Moreover, Melania recently called Wintour small-minded and insecure when Wintour confirmed she would not be putting Melania on a Vogue cover.

It is safe to say a Trump will not grace the red carpet although it is a near certainty that brother-in-law to Ivanka Trump, Josh Kushner, will be attending with his newly converted wife- Karlie Kloss.
Some other guaranteed couples include JLo and ARod, Tom and Gisele, and Kylie and Travis.

The event begins at 6 PM with most A-listers arriving closer to 7:30 PM and will be broadcast Live on E! with Vogue and Entertainment Tonight livestreaming the event with more than 1 billion people worldwide tuning in for the red carpet.

This event has become bigger than the Academy Awards in terms of fashion with standout looks such as Rihanna’s Dolce and Gabbana tuxedo worn in 2009 and Princess Diana’s lingerie inspired John Galliano dress worn in 1996 referenced years later.

Wintour recently gave an interview declaring that her dream guest duo would be Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton-good luck with that. There are some celebrities who would never attend as it falls out of sync with their image and that includes Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Julia Robert, and Jennifer Aniston. This evening caters to millennials with social media stars such as the Kardashians and Hadids recently taking over the red carpet.

For a long time Wintour banned the Kardashians: it wasn’t until 2013 that Kim was extended an invite with Kanye, Kris, Kendall and Kylie following close behind-no pun intended (I am curious as to whether Kourtney and Khloe have similarly been extended an olive branch.)

With nearly half-a-billion Instagram followers between the Kardashians it is no surprise Wintour relented.

Paris and Nicky Hilton and “The Real Housewives” of anywhere are another story as they continue to be uninvited (I am unsure if the Hilton sisters have attended without receiving press.) However, this year there will be some shocking no-shows as Bravo’s Andy Cohen revealed that he and the ubiquitous Sarah Jessica Parker would be absent as Sarah has to fly somewhere and he had a work commitment.

I smell a major rift in the air as longtime friends Parker and Wintour have been collaborating on this night for years.
It is rumored that regulars Beyonce, Rihanna and Blake Lively might also be AWOL which would be astounding-to say the least.

Who can forget the infamous “Elevatorgate” in 2014 between Solange, Jay-Z and Beyonce where tough guy Jay almost got his teeth knocked out as Beyonce stood passively nearby. This year’s co-chairs include Harry Styles, Lady Gaga, Serena Williams and Gucci’s Alessandro Michele.

Moreover, Gucci will be the corporate underwriter of the exhibit so expect to see dozens of attendees in Gucci including Harry Styles, Dakota Johnson, Jared Leto, ASAP Rocky, and Lana del Rey.
Ralph Lauren, Dior, and Calvin Klein have opted out of spending on big tables this year. As for entertainment it is likely that Cher, Lady Gaga, Cindy Lauper or Kings of Pop, BTS, will wow the crowd.
As if all that wasn’t enough stimulation the official after-party will be taking place at the Boom Boom Room with Travis Scott and Kim Kardashian holding their own party as well as Gucci (at an unmentionable College in New York City)-stay tuned for an update on all the late night happenings.

There is no room for hate on Staten Island’: DA, religious leaders, officials take a stand against hate

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05/06/2019

Staten Island’s District Attorney, religious leaders, political representatives and officials took a stand against hate at a press conference Thursday in front of the Young Israel of Staten Island synagogue in Willowbrook.

The press conference came five days after the shooting at a Southern California synagogue that killed a woman and left an 8-year-old girl and two men wounded.

Left to Right COJO CEO and Executive Vice President Scott Maurer; Staten Island District Attorney Michael E. McMahon and COJO President Mendy Mirocznik.

“There is no room for hate in New York City,” said Chief Kenneth Corey, the borough commanding officer. “If you commit a hate crime in Staten Island we will investigate. We will find you, we will arrest you. You will be prosecuted to the full extent that the law allows.”

The way the four Staten Island precincts approach hate crimes effectively decreased hate crimes by 12.5% from 2017 to 2018, while New York City as a whole saw an 8% increase.

In 2019, the number of hate crimes keep skyrocketing in the city. New data released on Thursday by the NYPD indicates a 67% increase in hate crimes just in the first four months of 2019.

“We are saying clearly with one voice: Not on Staten Island. We will not tolerate hate crimes of any type,” said Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon.

The message sent on Thursday was strong and clear as religious leaders from different religious affiliations stood together.

Pct. 121 Crime Safety Officer John Sibal; COJO President Mendy Mirocznik and Pct. 121 Community Affairs Officer Michael Jacobsen.

“This is the beautiful part of this country,” said Rabbi Yaakov Lehrfield.

COJO President Mendy Mirocznik and Assemblyman Charles Fall.

Mendy Mirocznik, president of the Staten Island Council of Jewish Organizations (COJO), said standing united is what makes today different than 76 years ago, a reference to the Holocaust that killed six million Jews.

“Unlike 76 years ago, we are not going to tolerate it,” said Mirocznik.

Mirocznik said more and more people are reaching out to COJO sharing fear, concern and uncertainty.

Representatives from the mayor’s office, the JCC, the United Federation of Teachers and the city comptroller’s office also attended the press conference.

COJO President Mendy Mirocznik; NYPD PBSI Commanding Officer Chief Kenneth Corey and Staten Island District Attorney Michael E. McMahon.

District Attorney McMahon concluded the press conference by thanking COJO CEO and Executive Vice-President Scott Maurer who also serves as the Co-Chair of the District Attorneys Hate Crimes Task Force for coordinating and helping to organizing the press conference, McMahon stated, “COJO’s leadership, partnership and relationship that it has with the broader communities of Staten Island and its ability to communicate effectively with them is the key in winning the war on hate. I thank Scott Maurer and Mendy Mirocznik for working with my office around the clock in helping to constantly improve the quality of life on Staten Island.”

WJC President Ronald S. Lauder urges international condemnation as three people killed in Israel under siege of rockets

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05/06/2019

– Terrorists in the Gaza Strip have fired some 600 rockets at Israel in the last two days, killing three people and wounding several others. Israelis have been asked not to attend the funerals of the victims amid the dangerous escalation in the south. Israel has responded to the intensive barrage with retaliatory air strikes, resulting in the deaths of eight Palestinians.

World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder said in response to the attacks: “Hamas and its accomplices in the Gaza Strip have laid siege to the State of Israel, indiscriminately terrorizing its citizens and snuffing out innocent lives in an unprovoked attempt to destroy the Jewish state and subvert any efforts to live in peace and coexistence.”

“We call on the international community to face the murderous reality on the ground caused by Hamas and not be taken in by Hamas’ perverted bid to draw international sympathy for its own tyrannical cause and contemptuous disregard for human life. It is beyond time for the UN Security Council and the entire international community to unequivocally condemn Hamas in the strongest terms possible and hold it completely responsible for the loss of life and continued provocation in the territory under its control,” Lauder said. “Every second that passes without such condemnation gives Hamas carte blanche to persist with its cynical violence, threatening and exploiting the lives of both Israelis and Palestinians. This is terror, plain and simple, and must be not be tolerated or condoned in any way.”

From Oy to Joy: A Call for Positivity in Jewish Engagement

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05/06/2019

There is a dissonance between the Jewish story and narrative. We are a people who have demonstrated an inverse relationship between numbers and impact for thousands of years and represent an unparalleled catalyst for curiosity and growth. As we celebrate the 71st year since our rebirth, the State of Israel, has achieved mind-boggling feats, against seemingly insurmountable odds and this is just part of the incredible story we have to tell.

Still, with ongoing anti-Semitism at heights unseen in ages, victimization and crisis are deeply ingrained within our national narrative. Too many seem to focus on reactively extinguishing fires rather than proactively sowing seeds and planting trees.

Having grown up in Sydney, Australia, where so many in the community are descendants of “survivors,” the Holocaust has always been a core component of the community’s Jewish identity. The Gen17 Australian Jewish Community Survey found that 95% of participants saw remembering the Holocaust as important to their personal Jewish identity, marking it as the highest factor. Similarly, the 2013 Pew Report revealed that a staggering 73% of U.S. Jews see remembering the Holocaust as essential to their sense of Jewishness, and there are many other studies that reflect the same global trend.

Threats to one’s Jewish identity often provoke an instinctive reaction of protectiveness, but just as the current generation feels less relevance to the destruction of the Temples or the Spanish Inquisition, this approach is becoming less effective as the distance from events such as the Holocaust widens as time marches on.

The establishment of the State of Israel has been coupled with significant general improvements for global Jewry, and many Jews have not been directly exposed to anti-Semitism and the powerfully emotional tribalism it can induce. Instead, as Jewish millennials are welcomed with open arms into Western societies, they have become increasingly disengaged from a heritage with which they struggle to relate.

Desperately attempting to re-establish these stirrings of Jewish pride, I have seen many Jewish educators double down on Jewish victimhood, limiting their educational impact by focusing on instilling a responsibility to lead Jewish lives purely because the victims of prior generations could not. To me this underscores a lack of confidence in our ability to inspire positivity and pride.

When teaching Jewish history, the Holocaust must, of course, be given due attention, but it should not become an emotional crutch alone. The most effective Jewish teachers also focus on the incredible array of Jewish cultures and traditions that emerged over the last 2,000 years, helping young Jews realize that traditions have continued relevance and can be built upon in modern Jewish practice.

While this narrative continues to inspire a sense of Jewishness, it has generally not been strong enough to translate emotion into action in a consistent and pervasive way. As such, this negative narrative is becoming increasingly ineffective and yet crisis remains the dominant narrative for Israel as well.

The Israeli timeline, as taught and discussed, is often dotted with wars. The years 1948, 1967, and 1973 are, in the Jewish psyche, some of the most powerful dates in modern Jewish history and often synonymous with Israel, despite its many other achievements.

As we stand between Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), Yom HaZikaron (Israeli Memorial Day) and Yom HaAtzmaut (Israel Independence Day), three days that embody the complex duality of tragedy and triumph, we must consider how to shift this balance towards the positive. We must stand tall and say that we are proud to be Jews, not because of terrorism, violence in places like Pittsburgh of Poway, or Israel’s enemies, but in spite of them.

One of my favorite scientific studies shows why this positive approach, in which Judaism’s life-affirming, beneficial value becomes the standard, is more crucial now than ever before.

In the late 1960s, Stanford psychology professor Walter Mischel conducted a series of experiments on delayed gratification known as The Marshmallow Test. Mischel was trying to understand how age and cognitive development affect one’s ability to delay gratification in order to receive a greater reward. Particularly fascinating for psychologists today are the follow-up studies, decades later, which found that childhood ability to delay gratification correlated with higher SAT scores, professional success and better physical health.

Writing for Forbes, Justin Daab, President of Magnani Continuum Marketing, an experience design and strategy firm in Chicago, challenges the notion that delayed gratification results in increased success in life, stating that “Millennials are rationally maximizing their long-term value by sampling a bit of marshmallow today.” As Millennials grow up, they are witnessing the collapse of the long-term security once offered by traditional institutions, older generations losing their entire accumulated wealth, debts rising and job prospects and job security declining. As a result (whether consciously or not), they assign greater social value to experiences – memories that are guaranteed to last.

Hence, when sharing Judaism with young Jewish women and men, positive, transformative experiences are vital and, therefore, serve as a guiding principle of Mosaic United. As Daab explains, “for Millennials, past performance is no guarantee of future performance.”

Judaism, when lived fully, includes enriching, positive substance that can make a far more enduring impact on the individual than the declining sense of obligation to marry Jewish and the uninspired schlep to a synagogue on the High Holidays. On the other hand, exposure to the Shabbat experience, for example, can lead to an appreciation that supposedly disruptive restrictions can grant the freedom and headspace to value the truly important things in life.

Jewish teachings about charity and hospitality allow one to appreciate how an ancient moral compass can enhance quality of life for the most vulnerable members of modern society. And a deeper understanding of the vibrant, nuanced, multi-faceted reality of Israel can allow one to acknowledge its issues while seeing past its falsified reputation and appreciate the truth of its inclusivity and flourishing democracy.

A healthy Jewish communal body cannot thrive on a diet of tragedy alone. It cannot devolve into a skeleton devoid of bone marrow based on external threats, and instead must celebrate the inner beauty of Jewish life. To move from oy to joy, we need a paradigm shift in our pedagogy. The impetus for Jewish living must come from inside the Jewish world, being proactive rather than reactive. We must begin by truly believing that the Jewish story is worth telling and then reconsider how we tell that story.

After all, our children no longer want to hear how not to leave. They need to experience why they must stay.

Rabbi Benji Levy is the CEO of Mosaic United, a partnership between the State of Israel and the global Jewish community dedicated to mapping the broad spectrum of Jewish experiential opportunities and creating seamlessly accessible routes to meaningful Jewish connections for millennials ages 12-35. A recent Oleh from Australia, he previously served as the Dean of one of the largest Jewish schools in the world, Moriah College.

Agudath Israel of America Statement Commending the US Support of Israel’s Right to Defend Itself

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05/06/2019

Hamas has fired 600 rockets into Israel from Gaza since the start of the Jewish Sabbath. Three Israelis have been killed and 131 Israeli civilians are being treated for injuries. The rockets have hit a kindergarten, a factory, and homes. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis are in shelters.

The Israeli airstrikes to defend its citizenry from indiscriminate aggression by bloodthirsty sworn enemies is the legitimate response of any responsible government.

We mourn the loss of life and offer our prayers for the injured and the traumatized.

We commend the Trump Administration’s support of Israel’s right, and duty, to defend its territory and its populace.

We call on all civilized nations of the world to support Israel’s sovereignty and demand an end to the Palestinian escalation and aggression towards Israel and its people.

Everything You Wanted To Know About Facebook But Were Afraid to Ask. Why Facebook is EVIL

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05/06/2019

Learn more about the constant controversy that swirls around the social media giant.

With the latest round of conservatives (and Louis Farrakhan) being purged from Facebook, and the newly announced attack on average users who may write something supportive of one of the banned personalities such as Alex Jones, Paul Joseph Watson or Laura Loomer; Facebook has reached a new level of bias and “thought control”.

Facebook censorship is the hot topic everyone is talking about. Facebook literally wants to suspend users who may post something positive about a person Facebook does not like such as Alex Jones.

Facebook seems to be operating as a publisher as opposed to an open platform.

The Jewish Voice has been covering this topic for the last year. Here is a list of all the reporting we have done on Facebook’s censorship and bias. Click on the links.

Shame on Facebook for Silencing “The Jewish Voice”

Is Facebook Intentionally Blocking Viewer Engagement on the Jewish Voice Page?

Don’t Get Zucked! End Facebook Censorship of Conservatives!

Facebook, Censorship & Ideology in the Information Age

An Immediate Call for Congress to Step Up to the Plate and Monitor Facebook

Facebook Anticipates FTC Privacy Fine Of Up To $5 Billion

Facebook’s Full Frontal Assault on Conservative Media

Car Bomb in Haifa Seriously Wounds Two; Gang Related Violence Blamed

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05/05/2019

In what appears to be gang related violence, a car bomb seriously injured two people in Haifa, Israel on Friday.

Edited by: JV Staff

According to a TOI report, witnesses at the scene of the heinous attack said that the powerful explosion was heard from several blocks away. Video footage of the arrack showed the car erupting in a large orange fireball.

TOI has reported that a 33-year-old man and his 35-year-old girlfriend were taken to the city’s Rambam Medical Center after the explosive device blew up their vehicle as they drove down Haifa’s busy Hanasi Street just before 1 p.m.

Police have opened an investigation into the blast, but investigators believe it is mob-related and not a terror attack, according to published reports.

The Hebrew-language media has reported that the male victim is known to police and was the target of a car bombing in Eilat last month. His most recent criminal conviction, linked to a stabbing in a Haifa nightclub, came earlier this year.

Drive-by shootings and car bombs as part of underworld gang wars have long wracked Israeli cities, with law enforcement authorities struggling to stem the phenomenon, according to the TOI report.

New York City Ballet Gala Season “Springs” into Action

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05/05/2019

Arts & Culture - New York City Ballet article - pic 1 — Dancers from Balanchine’s Theme and Variations. (Credit for all photos: Lieba Nesis)

Two noticeable trends have been predominant in the gala circuit for the last year: Firstly, every time you pick up a drink or admire a centerpiece it seems to be subsidized by a sponsor who receives mention in the dinner program; and secondly, and more importantly despite celebrities attestations of their love for the arts they are rarely seen at a ballet or opera gala. Having a red carpet at the New York City Ballet (NYCB) Spring Gala surely draws philanthropists and patrons to the flashbulbs but when even a Katie Holmes or a “Game of Thrones” actor is nowhere to be found it is a near certainty this event will receive scant publicity.

By: Lieba Nesis

Thankfully, the socialites came out in droves in their best attire including Jean Shafiroff in a show-stopping Victor de Souza, Joanna Fisher in a feathery whimsical Peter Hidalgo, Michele Herbert in a divine Monique Lhuillier and Patricia Shiah in a lilac Gucci confection. The evening was also about welcoming the new artistic leadership of Jonathan Stafford and Wendy Whelan who will have to work tirelessly to fill the shoes of former Director Peter Martins. While it becomes more evident with each passing month that Martins played favorites and his draconian manner led to the firing of some very worthy candidates including former prima ballerina Suzanne Farrell who was unexpectedly banished from NYCB for no apparent reason, the legend of Martins expertise in all things ballet is undeniable.

Yet, there is a certain relaxed energy pervasive through the Lincoln Center Halls as the domineering Martins no longer towers over every ballet and dancer. While the program stated the night was in celebration of the Company’s rich history and bright future it is evident they were seeking to erase a significant part of that history by obliterating any mention of Martins tenure from the program. The ballet which was held at the David H Koch Theater on a balmy Thursday evening began with cocktails at 5:30 PM as guests gathered on the second floor terrace.

Angela Ismailos, Tommy Dunn, Tiler Peck and Carlos Souza

Joanna Fisher, Jean Shafiroff in a dE Souza gown and Victor dE Souza

Christian Zimmermann, Diana Vishneva and Richard Kielar

Pauline and Stefan Reyniak, Wendy Whelan and Ginny Milhiser

Sheila and Jody Grant with Michele Herbert

There were numerous competing events on May 2nd including the El Museo Gala, The DKMS Blood Cancer Gala and a Prada resort show being held at The Piano Factory. Nonetheless the $2,500 per ticket evening was nearly sold-out with more than $2.3 million raised. The evening began with Stafford and Whelan welcoming guests to the gala and remarking on how they had both been dancers during the same period without ever sharing a stage. These two are clearly in sync with Stafford holding more of an administrative position while Whelan represents the artsy side of the collaboration. The evening had no major surprises or gimmicks with lovely predictable costumes and choreography that failed to shock or awe.

The first piece “Bright” produced by Justin Peck and danced beautifully by Sara Mearns and Russell Janzen left the audience frustrated due to the brevity of the piece. Contrastingly, the next movement choreographed by Pam Tanowitz was overly long as this modern piece received little love from the audience despite the star power of principal Miriam Miller and the wow factor of Kennard Henson. After a ten-minute intermission ballet lovers were treated to Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3 which was choreographed by Balanchine and has become a staple of classical technique in ballet repertory. Megan Fairchild danced Part 4 with an alacrity belying the fact that she gave birth six months ago-despite being slightly wobbly.

The evening concluded at 9:15 PM with dinner guests heading to the second floor for a vegetarian dinner of fish and asparagus-very politically correct. The opulent room filled with flowers and lanterns was inviting and exciting as Whelan spoke of her admiration for the talented dancers and her enthusiasm for the future. The room was also replete with ballet legends including Baryshnikov, Ed Villella, and Diana Vishneva. Vishneva has been an obsession of mine as I have endlessly pored over videos of her dancing. Tonight, she stood humbly in an ornate white dress as guests came to pay homage to one of the greatest dancers of this generation. When the DJ finally began playing tunes at 11:30 PM dancers Ashley Bouder and Kennard Henson took to the dance floor-a happenstance that only occurs in the cultural center of the world otherwise known as New York.

Tensions Run High in Venezuela as Maduro & Guaido Continue Vying for Military Support

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05/05/2019

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido says he thought more troops would turn against President Nicolas Maduro during Tuesday’s attempt to oust the embattled leader.

Edited by: JV Staff

In an interview with The Washington Post, Guaido said he expected Maduro to step down following major defections of members of the military. But, as Maduro and Guaido were vying for military support, there were no mass breakaways in the ranks.

Tension continues to run high in Venezuela since the failed effort to oust Maduro. The Lima Group, a 12-nation body formed in 2017 to help establish a peaceful end to the Venezuelan crisis, met Friday in Peru’s capital and decided to enlist Cuba in brokering a solution to the turmoil.

On Saturday, Maduro appealed to the military on state television.

“We’re not a weak country but one with strong armed forces that has to show itself as united and cohesive as ever. Say no to traitors! Out, traitors! Unity and supreme loyalty to the constitution, the fatherland, the revolution and to its legitimate commander-in-chief!” he said, asking soldiers to raise their weapons in the air.

Later, Maduro visited a military base for a third straight day, hoping to garner support from troops. State television showed him walking with hundreds of uniformed soldiers after commanders briefed him on military issues. There were 3,500 soldiers at the site, according to state television.

Maduro wrote on Twitter Friday night that he’d met with generals and admirals who vowed to defend “national sovereignty with loyalty and patriotism.”

Guaido is considered Venezuela’s legitimate leader by the U.S. and 50 other countries. On Friday, he said supporters would hand out a letter to members of the military at a nationwide protest on Saturday, calling on them to support Maduro’s ouster. But that did not appear to be a successful effort. One soldier took the memo handed to him and burned it.

A plot for some of Maduro’s top aides to defect this week to the opposition appeared to have come apart at the last minute, according to several news reports.

Weeks of secret talks between the top aides and opposition leaders — including recently freed Leopoldo Lopez — culminated in a document that guaranteed Maduro loyalists like Gen. Ivan Hernandez, chief of military counterintelligence; Defense Minister Vladamir Padrino Lopez; and Supreme Court Chief Justice Maikel Moreno places in a post-Maduro interim government and a promise that they wouldn’t be prosecuted, the Associated Press reported Saturday.

All three officials have remained publicly loyal to Maduro. A fourth top aide, who heads Venezuela’s intelligence agency, Gen. Manuel Figuera, did break ranks and has since disappeared, according to the AP.

Lopez, a Guaido mentor who had been detained since 2014 and under house arrest since 2017 for organizing marches against Maduro, told the AP that he had been secretly speaking with top Maduro loyalists about their possible defection to the opposition for weeks.

One former U.S. official who spoke to the AP on background suggested that distrust between Trump administration officials and Maduro’s inner circle contributed to top Maduro aides’ reluctance to abandon the embattled Venezuelan leader. (VOA News)

Trump: Strong US-Russia Alliance Could Make World ‘Better and Safer’

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05/05/2019

President Donald Trump said Saturday a strong U.S.-Russia alliance could result in a better global community.

By: Steve Herman

“Tremendous potential for a good/great relationship with Russia,” Trump tweeted one day after he had what he described as a very positive phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “The World can be a better and safer place. Nice!” Trump added.

In the conversation, which exceeded an hour, Trump said Venezuela was among the issues he discussed with Putin.

“He is not looking at all to get involved in Venezuela other than he’d like to see something positive happen for Venezuela. I feel the same way,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday afternoon.

Trump, speaking alongside Slovak Republic Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini, described his discussion with Putin on Venezuela as “very positive.”

Tension has grown in recent days between Washington and Moscow over the increasingly destabilizing events in Caracas. The Trump administration has accused the Russians of preventing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from giving up power and fleeing the country.

“This is our hemisphere,” national security adviser John Bolton said Wednesday. “It’s not where the Russians ought to be interfering.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in a phone call earlier this week, told Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of “grave consequences” should there be further aggressive steps in Venezuela, interpreted as a warning to Washington not to intervene militarily.

Pompeo and Lavrov are scheduled to talk on the sidelines of an Arctic Council ministerial session in Finland next week, and Venezuela is almost certainly to be discussed.

“They will have an opportunity, obviously, to meet and review whatever topics they choose to,” a senior State Department official told reporters on a conference call previewing Pompeo’s trip.

The president’s national security team, including Bolton, acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy John Rood and the commander of the U.S. Southern Command, Navy Adm. Craig Faller, met Friday in a secure Pentagon room that is reserved for top-level discussions of sensitive issues and military operations.

Defense officials said they discussed options on Venezuela.

“The president is going to do what’s necessary,” Sanders replied to a question from VOA about whether that meeting had moved the ball on U.S. military intervention in Venezuela.

She repeated that “all options continue to be on the table,” something administration officials have stressed for weeks.

Trump issued a couple of tweets Friday afternoon about the call with Putin:

Shanahan told reporters that the meeting reviewed the situation in Venezuela and was to ensure there is alignment within the administration on the South American country.

The U.S. and most other Western countries no longer recognize Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate leader, having switched interim recognition to Juan Guaido, the president of Venezuela’s democratically-elected national assembly.

Also discussed was the possibility of a “nuclear deal of some kind” involving the United States and Russia, as well as possibly China.

“We’re talking about a nuclear agreement where we make less and they make less and maybe even where we get rid some of the tremendous firepower that we have right now,” explained Trump. “China, I’ve already spoken to them. They would very much like to be a part of that deal.”

Trump said he also discussed with Putin on Friday the Mueller Report into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

“He actually sort of smiled when he said something to the effect that it started off as a mountain and it ended up being a mouse.”

Repeatedly asked if he told Putin not to meddle in the 2020 presidential election, Trump finally said: “We didn’t discuss that.”

Queried by VOA about what he could do to improve his relationship and communication with the news media, as Friday was being marked as World Press Freedom Day, Trump responded that he has a very good relationship with some reporters.

“Unfortunately, some of the press doesn’t cover me accurately,” Trump contended. “They go out of their way to cover me inaccurately. So, I don’t think that’s a free press, I think that’s a dishonest press. And I want to see a free press.” (VOA)

250 Rockets fired from Gaza at Israel; Netanyahu Tells Army to “Give a Hard Blow” to Hamas Terrorists

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05/05/2019

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with his security cabinet Saturday afternoon and instructed the army “to give a hard blow” to terror groups in the Gaza Strip amid a fresh escalation of violence.

By: Adina Katz

At least 250 rockets were fired into Israel throughout the day on Saturday, beginning at around 10 a.m. Israel responded with airstrikes on more than one hundred targets across the coastal enclave, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The escalation began on Friday when two IDF soldiers were shot and wounded by Gaza gunfire near the Gaza border.
Saturday’s rocket barrage comes less than a day after two militants from Hamas’ armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, were killed in an Israeli strike on Hamas posts in Gaza.
The IDF said that its Iron Dome aerial defense system had intercepted dozens of the incoming rockets.
“Hundreds of Gazans rioted on Israel’s border. Our soldiers stood between the rioters and Israeli families living a short distance away. Using civilians as cover, a sniper fired at our soldiers, wounding two,” the IDF stated on Friday.
Air-raid sirens sounded throughout the south on Saturday and as far north as Bet Shemesh, a central Israeli city near Jerusalem.
Israeli medical officials said an 80-year-old woman was severely wounded by the rocket fire, a 50-year-old man was moderately wounded by shrapnel and a teenage boy was mildly hurt as he ran for cover.

United Hatzalah volunteers in the south treated numerous people who were injured over the course of the day. Some of those injured were in serious condition while others were moderately or lightly injured, the emergency medical services organization said.
In response to the Gaza rocket fire on Saturday, Israel’s military said, IDF began aerial strikes on Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets (PIJ) at about 2 p.m., including: four Hamas training and weapons manufacturing compounds. Hamas naval compound and a PIJ-Hamas joint military compound.
The Israeli military reportedly hit a six-story commercial and residential structure Saturday evening.
The flare-up occurs just ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins on Sunday, and Israeli Independence Day.
Under orders from the IDF, schools in the cities and towns near the Gaza Strip were canceled for Sunday. With no imminent end to the hostilities in sight, workplaces will only be permitted to open only if they have access to a bomb shelter, and gatherings of more than 300 people also will not be allowed, including in shopping centers, Times of Israel reported.
Hamas has threatened to disrupt the Eurovision song contest slated to be held in Tel Aviv next month.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with his security cabinet Saturday.
“As a tense and worrying Shabbat ends, I am praying for those injured and thinking of those sheltering from rockets in their safe spaces. We will continue to stand against this dreadful terror and will respond forcefully and unwaveringly to any attack on the security of our people. I ask you all, please, to listen carefully to the instructions of the DF Homefront Command which save lives time after time, and take good care of yourselves,” President Reuven Rivlin stated.
“The State of Israel has the duty and the full right to do all that is necessary to protect our people and our sovereignty, and we will continue do so at all times,” Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said, calling on the Security Council to “take this opportunity to finally condemn terrorism against Israel, designate Hamas as a terrorist organization and support the fundamental right of Israel to self-defense.”
The delegation of UN ambassadors currently visiting Israel, at the initiative of Ambassador Danon, is scheduled to visit the south, Israel’s mission to the U.N. said.
CNN reported that the UN says it is working with Egypt to try to restore a ceasefire and says both sides are putting at risk efforts to relieve the suffering of people in Gaza.
The UN’s Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, announcing renewed efforts with Egypt to restore calm, called on all parties to immediately de-escalate or risk a conflict with “grave consequences for all.”
Turkey has condemned a strike on a building housing the office of its state-run Anadolu news agency, a building which Israel says is also used by Hamas’s military intelligence, according to a CNN report.
Israel announced that it is closing the two border crossings between Israel and Gaza, as well as closing the Gaza fishing zone.
The fishing zone was restricted to 6 nautical miles earlier this week following a rocket fired from Gaza that landed off the coast of Israel.
There was no specific date for when the crossings and the fishing zone would reopen, according to the CNN report. (World Israel News)
Read more at: worldisraelnews.com

MARCH OF THE LIVING FOUNDER: “THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN AUSCHWITZ IS THE WORLD FORGETTING ABOUT AUSCHWITZ”

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05/03/2019