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More United Nations Chicanery

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In Britain, the rage over Muslim rape gangs and Theresa May’s Brexit foul-up is spreading. In Germany, anger about Merkel’s recklessly transformative refugee policies is mounting. In France, the growing cost of immigrant freeloaders to taxpayers has sparked the most sensational public demonstrations since 1968. In Italy and Austria, opponents of the Islamization of Europe now hold the reins of power. Elsewhere in Western Europe, more and more citizens are standing up to their masters’ open-borders dhimmitude.

Yet much of this principled and patriotic resistance may turn out to be for naught, thanks to the so-called Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, which is scheduled to be signed by representatives of the UN member states at a December 10-11 conference. Supporters of the compact are quick to reassure its critics that it is not a binding treaty and that it reaffirms the concept of national sovereignty. Nevertheless, when you come right down to it, it is nothing more or less than a dangerous effort to weaken national borders, to normalize mass migration, to blur the line between legal and illegal immigration, and to bolster the idea that people claiming to be refugees enjoy a panoply of rights in countries where they have never before set foot.

As for the 34-page-long document itself, it is written in the kind of numbing, abstraction-heavy prose that will be familiar to anyone who has ever read anything issued by the UN. It declares that “migration is a defining feature of our globalized world, connecting societies within and across all regions, making us all countries of origin, transit and destination.” It states that the goal of the Global Compact is “to create conducive conditions that enable all [!] migrants to enrich our societies through their human, economic and social capacities, and thus facilitate their contributions to sustainable development at the local, national, regional and global levels.” It also affirms that:

“[w]e must save lives and keep migrants out of harm’s way. We must empower migrants to become full members of our societies, highlight their positive contributions, and promote inclusion and social cohesion. We must generate greater predictability and certainty for States, communities and migrants alike. To achieve this, we commit to facilitate and ensure safe, orderly and regular migration for the benefit of all.”

There is a lot more where this came from, and it is not entirely clear what most of it means. Is it just a load of empty, feel-good rhetoric, or is it meant to commit signatories to specific action? What does it mean to say that the Global Compact “mainstreams a gender perspective” or that “a whole-of-government approach is needed to ensure horizontal and vertical policy coherence across all sectors and levels of government”? On the other hand, the document certainly does appear to encourage illegal migration. It unambiguously urges governments to feed their citizens propaganda about the delights of migrants and migration and to “sensitize and educate media professionals on migration-related issues and terminology” and, in effect, to strong-arm journalists who refuse to play ball. Some readers of the document say that it calls for the criminalization of any criticism of migration, although its backers deny this.

One thing about the agreement, in any event, is irrefutable: almost nobody in the Western world has been clamoring for this. It is, quite simply, a project of the globalist elites. It is a UN power-grab. As the Guardian reported last year, Louise Arbour, the hack put in charge of this project, “regards the global compact as a chance to shift world opinion on the need to address future migration, in the same way that the UN had managed to persuade the world it needed to address climate change.” In short, this is yet another reminder that the UN is run by power-hungry busybodies who see it as their job not to respond to and act upon world opinion but to shape it and, if necessary, punish it.

It is something else, too: it is an effort to enhance the clout of the UN’s largest and most influential power bloc – namely, the Arab and Muslim states. Just check out the UN website devoted to this Global Compact — it’s illustrated by a picture of a young man and woman holding their index fingers and thumbs together to form a heart. She is in hijab. Repeat: she is in hijab. Briefly put, whatever this deal is or is not, it is definitely not good news for the West, for freedom, or for national identity and security. It seems fitting that the December 10-11 signing ceremony will take place in Marrakesh, Morocco.

President Donald J. Trump, to his credit, saw through this mischievous piece of work last December, when he announced that the U.S. wanted nothing to do with it. He got flak for that move. In a UN vote this past July, the Global Compact was approved by every member nation except for the U.S. But then at least some media starting paying attention and a resistance formed. In recent weeks, more and more governments have said that they are not going to sign the deal after all. So far, the list includes Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Poland, Slovakia, and Switzerland.

In several other Western European countries, the issue is still being debated. I suspect the situation in Norway, where I live, is not unique. Most of the political parties here ardently support the Global Compact and, in the run-up to the signing ceremony, have striven — with the collaboration of the country’s mainstream media — to keep this potentially controversial agreement out of the public eye in the run-up to the signing ceremony. After a handful of alternative news and opinion websites sounded the alarm about the deal, however, it was reported on December 5 that the Progress Party had forced the government to allow a parliamentary discussion of the proposed accord.

Alas, the Big Three countries of Western Europe are all in. Theresa May has committed her government to the deal. Ditto Angela Merkel. Emmanuel Macron has stuck to his line that the Global Compact is “admirable.” What’s more, thanks to Justin Trudeau, whose mantra continues to be “diversity is a source of strength,” Canada is on board as well.

So while there is no need to worry that the Global Compact will supersede the U.S. Constitution any time soon, there is legitimate reason for concern that this devious deal will constitute yet another obstacle to citizens of the free world who care about protecting and preserving their countries — but whose elites are dead set on thwarting their will.

(Gatestone Institute)

Bruce Bawer is the author of the new novel The Alhambra (Swamp Fox Editions). His book While Europe Slept (2006) was a New York Times bestseller and National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. His other books include A Place at the Table (1993), Stealing Jesus (1997), Surrender (2009), and The Victims’ Revolution (2012). A native New Yorker, he has lived in Europe since 1998.

Trump-Haters Smell Blood Over Michael Cohen Charges

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The chorus of Trump-haters rushing to brand President Trump a criminal has gotten considerably louder since last Friday. That was the day prosecutors in the Southern District of New York and from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office separately filed their sentencing recommendations against ex-Trump personal lawyer Michael Cohen. Cohen had pleaded guilty to a variety of charges, including of lying to Congress. The Mueller sentencing memo contained some teasers on the Russian collusion investigation.

However, the teasers seem to have fallen flat, including the Moscow tower project promoted by Cohen, which never got off the ground, and a cryptic reference to “political synergy” offered by a Russian official as early as 2015 that Cohen apparently did not pursue. Instead, the Trump-haters have turned their attention to the portion of the New York prosecutors’ sentencing memorandum regarding Cohen’s admitted federal election campaign finance law violations, which the Trump-haters are counting on to spell trouble for the president.

The prosecutors in New York accepted as true in their sentencing memorandum Cohen’s claim that he had arranged for the payment of hush money to two past alleged Trump paramours in violation of federal election campaign finance laws, doing so “in coordination with and at the direction of” President Trump (referred to as “Individual #1” in their sentencing memo). That is all the Trump-haters had to hear before declaring that it was curtains for the president. Smelling blood in the water, they are looking beyond impeachment to possible jail time once the president leaves office.

On Sunday morning’s edition of CNN’s Reliable Sources, for example, Watergate reporter Carl Bernstein, still living on his reputation from that decades-old scandal, said, “There’s something much more important than just impeachment going on, and that is the fact that Donald Trump for the first time in his life is cornered.”

The Obama administration’s former acting solicitor general Neal Katyal said on CNN: “Even if a sitting president can’t be indicted, he’s got to know his future looks like it’s behind bars unless he cuts some sort of deal with the prosecutors.”

Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), likely to become the next chairman of the House Intelligence Committee when the Democrats assume control of the House in January, painted his own grim picture for President Trump once he leaves office. “There’s a very real prospect that on the day Donald Trump leaves office, the Justice Department may indict him. That he may be the first president in quite some time to face the real prospect of jail time,” he said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

Former CIA Director John Brennan, an avowed enemy of President Trump, tweeted that he took “great solace” in knowing “how impossible it will be” for the president “to escape American justice.”

Former FBI Director James Comey, another avowed enemy of President Trump who has his own legal problems stemming from his possible perjury before Congress and his leaking of government documents, declared that the president was in serious legal jeopardy of being named an unindicted co-conspirator. “The government wouldn’t make that sponsoring allegation if they weren’t seriously contemplating going forward with criminal charges,” he told Nicolle Wallace, host of MSNBC’s “Deadline White House,” during a discussion at the 92nd Street Y in New York Sunday night.

Ironically, under the criminal “specific intent” standard that Comey himself applied in evaluating whether Hillary Clinton’s e-mail transgressions were worthy of criminal prosecution, federal prosecutors will have a very hard time proving that President Trump criminally violated the federal election campaign finance laws. They will need credible corroborating evidence proving beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump had specific criminal intent to direct Cohen to violate the contribution and disclosure provisions of the federal election campaign finance laws, or that he persuaded Cohen to perjure himself under oath. Just proving Cohen’s claim that the president directed Cohen to make the arrangements for paying off his two alleged paramours means nothing in and of itself.

            (Front Page Mag)

EJA Head ‘Not Shocked’ at ‘Shocking’ EU Anti-Semitism Report

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Rabbi Menachem Margolin says anyone shocked at latest EU report on anti-Semitism is ‘disconnected from reality.’

Rabbi Menachem Margolin, Chairman of the European Jewish Association (EJA), on Monday said that anyone who is shocked at the latest EU Report on discrimination and hate crime against Jews in the EU is ‘”disconnected from the reality on the ground.”

He also urged Member States to adopt the EJA’s Jewish Red Lines as a concrete sign that they are committed to making a difference.

The headline figures in the latest report make for stark reading

  • 89% of Jews think Antisemitism is most problematic on the internet and on social media
  • 28% of respondents have been harassed at least once in the past year;
  • 79% of Jews who experienced antisemitic harassment in the past five years did not report this to the police or another organization;
  • 34% avoid visiting Jewish events or sites because they do not feel safe;
  • 38% have considered emigrating because they did not feel safe as Jews in Europe;
  • 70% consider that efforts by Member States to combat Antisemitism are not effective.

In a statement from Brussels where the EJA attended the launch of the report at the Council of the European Union, Rabbi Margolin said,

“We thank the EU and the Fundamental Rights agency for confirming what we already knew, Europe as a whole is failing in its fight against antisemitism, and failing in ensuring the safety and security of the Jewish people that live on the continent.

Anybody who is shocked at this report must have their head in the ground or else is badly disconnected from the reality on the ground. This news is not a lightning bolt out of the blue, but instead is a confirmation of everything that our association members and people who approach us have been reporting to us on their daily experiences.”

Rabbi Margolin urged Europe’s leaders to immediately sign up to the “Jewish red lines” ratified by the members of the European Jewish Association at their conference in Brussels in November. The red lines are:

  • Political parties and their leadership must sign up to the fullI HRA definition of Anti-semitism.
  • Every European Country must appoint a dedicated Special Representative to combat anti-Semitism where one already doesn’t exist
  • All political parties pledge to exclude from government parties or politicians that espouse anti-Semitism as defined by the IHRA definition.
  • All political parties to pass, in accordance with their respective rules of procedure, binding resolutions that reject BDS activities as fundamentally anti-Semitic.
  • All political parties to support in writing and in party documents their support for freedom of religion and freedom of practice at Member State level and EU level.

“These red lines are the base camp, the bare minimum that is needed to make a real difference. Europe’s principal leaders and parties were sent them, will be aware of them, and should adopt them immediately if they are serious about tackling the unshockingly ‘shocking’ figures in this sad report on European Jewry”, concluded Rabbi Margolin.

(INN)

Stars Shine as 2019 Jewish Golden Globe Nominees Take Center Stage

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Timothee Chalamet played a meth-addicted teen in “Beautiful Boy” and is nominated for best supporting actor. Photo Credit: Shutterstock

The Golden Globes are almost here, and there’s no shortage of Jewish actors and culture that will be represented this year. The New York Post highlighted some of the most notable Jewish actors up for awards and Jewish representations in films featured this year.

Timothee Chalamet played a meth-addicted teen in “Beautiful Boy” and is nominated for best supporting actor.

Troye Sivan’s song “Revelation,” featured in “Boy Erased” is up for best original song. Mark Ronson also made the category with his song “Shallow” from “A Star Is Born.”

Adam Driver, probably best known as Kylo Ren from the new Star Wars movies, isn’t Jewish himself but is nominated for playing a Jewish cop in “BlacKkKlansman.” The Spike Lee movie is based off of the real-life story in which Driver’s character works with a black law enforcement official to secretly get into and expose the Ku Klux Klan, the notorious American white supremacist organization that traffics heavily in anti-Semitism and racism. The film itself is one of the best film category nominations.

Composers Justin Hurwitz and Marc Shaiman’s musical work got them nominations too. Shaiman composed a score for the “Mary Poppins” sequel, and “First Man” has Hurwitz to thank for its original score.

“The Kominsky Method” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” both got nominations for best musical or comedy television series. Rachel Brosnahan portrays a Jewish character in Amazon’s “Maisel,” although she isn’t Jewish herself. Her work as the protagonist in this series was good enough to put her in the category for best actress. Alex Borstein, the veteran comedienne from “Mad TV” and the voice of Lois from “Family Guy” got a nomination for best supporting actress. She’s the sidekick to Brosnahan Jewish character in the Amazon series. Brosnahan will face competition in her category from two well-known Jewish actresses, Alison Brie for her work in “Glow” and Debra Messing for playing “Grace” in the reboot of the popular 90s sitcom “Will & Grace.”

Henry Winkler, who played “The Fonz” on “Happy Days” and the bumbling lawyer for the Bluths on “Arrested Development” is up for a nomination in the best supporting actor category for his role on the HBO series “Barry.” Winkler is particularly active within the Jewish community.

Sacha Baron Cohen, a satirist who performed in the Habonim Dror Jewish theater during his time at Cambridge University, turned heads with his jaw-dropping satirical character bits on his show “Who Is America.” He duped a number of prominent American politicians to be interviewed by the various characters he portrays, posing as real people, with some of the video clips like the “Kinderguardians” segment going viral. His work on the show got him a nomination for best musical or comedy television actor.

Tune into NBC on Jan. 6 at night to watch the awards shows, cheer on your favorite people and films, and see who actually wins.

New Age & The Nazis; Compelling Book Offers Much to Civilizational Debate – Part I

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Nazis play a major role in the culture wars. Anyone arguing for the value of Western Civilization, the Judeo-Christian tradition, the Enlightenment, and the heritage of the Ancient Greeks will eventually be confronted with the Nazis. If cultural relativism is wrong, if it is wrong to say that Islam or Communism or New Age are not all equally valuable options on the cultural menu, then what about the Nazis? After all, the Nazis were Christians, weren’t they? Wasn’t the Holocaust informed by Christian theology? How dare Western Christians criticize jihad or communism’s purges? You have the worst crime in history on your team’s scorecard.

About that claim that the Nazis were the worst. The Nazis were compulsive record keepers. Hollywood directors and Soviet cameramen participated in the liberation of concentration camps. Their films have been required viewing for generations of students. We lack comparable documentation for others’ crimes. When I inform students of the cost of the establishment of communism or the advance of jihad, they indicate to me that they have never been exposed to these facts before. Historian Stephen Kotkin’s conservative estimate is that communism cost 65 million lives, while historian David Satter estimates that “the greatest catastrophe in human history,” killed 100 million. Bill Warner estimates that the death toll from jihad is 270 million.

His figure is controversial, but supported with citations. Any other honest estimate will be similarly overwhelmingly vast. Tamerlane, the fourteenth century “Sword of Islam,” is estimated to have killed five percent of the entire population of the world. There are two hundred million untouchables, or Dalits in India, and, even as India modernizes, their victimization continues. Hinduism mandates that Dalits must suffer to pay for their sins in their past lives. On November 17, 2018, The New York Times ran an account of a Dalit scalped by higher caste Hindus. Yes, worldviews besides Nazism have resulted in mass graves. We are less aware of those mass graves. So we assume that Nazism’s mass graves are the worst.

Without understanding this relationship between Nazism and the supernatural, one cannot fully understand the history of the Third Reich … Hitler’s Monsters is the first book to address this rich, fascinating, often extraordinary relationship from the party’s origins to the end of the Second World War … the Third Reich would have been highly improbable without a widespread penchant for supernatural thinking.»

If the Nazis did not carry out their crimes as integral and predictable expressions of Western Civilization and Christian theology, what did ground them? What were their guiding beliefs and principles? The extent to which Nazism was informed by neo-paganism is made clear in Eric Kurlander’s 2017 book Hitler’s Monsters: A Supernatural History of the Third Reich, published by Yale University Press. Hitler’s Monsters is a dense, ambitious, scholarly tome. There are over one hundred pages of footnotes and bibliography. Kurlander acknowledges that previous authors have documented Nazism’s involvement with New Age ideas and practices, and he draws on these authors’ work. Kurlander also acknowledges that without the perfect storm of historical circumstances exploited by Hitler, including Germany’s defeat in WW I, the punitive Versailles Treaty, and the Depression, Nazism probably never would have risen to power. And Kurlander notes that New Age beliefs don’t cause a believer to become a Nazi.

But Kurlander is unafraid to state the importance of his research. “No mass political movement drew as consciously or consistently as the Nazis on … occultism and … pagan, New Age, and Eastern religions, folklore, mythology … Without understanding this relationship between Nazism and the supernatural, one cannot fully understand the history of the Third Reich … Hitler’s Monsters is the first book to address this rich, fascinating, often extraordinary relationship from the party’s origins to the end of the Second World War … the Third Reich would have been highly improbable without a widespread penchant for supernatural thinking.”

You can get a sense of what the Nazis believed by walking through any given New Age store. On such a visit, you will encounter astrology, reincarnation, hypnotism, Chinese massage, and yoga how-to books, next to homeopathic flower “cures,” vegetarian recipes, and magical gardening manuals advising you to harvest your crops in tune with the movement of celestial bodies. There will be alternative histories of the universe and planet Earth, including books about the lost city of Atlantis. For teens, there will be lurid witch, vampire and werewolf novels.

Allegedly “non-fiction” books will inform you of your secret, spiritual Tibetan or Indian ancestry or past lives. The Bhagavad Gita, a Hindu classic, will be in an honored place. There will be books by or about Madame Blavatsky and Nostradamus, as well as Zoroastrian, Zen, Shinto, and Buddhist scriptures. Friendly pamphlets will extol the virtues of Islam in contrast to degenerate, oppressive Christianity. There will be a “serious,” “scholarly” tome insisting that witches were descendants of a pagan nature religion, and that the witch trials were really the Catholic Inquisition’s efforts to wipe out paganism.

Gurus will promise that Enlightenment concepts like objective reality and the scientific method are mere dogma created and exercised by lesser minds. These gurus will insist that you are somebody special, with a special destiny, and you need not be hidebound by conventional reality, science, or religion. Only lowly people believe in objective reality. You can use the power of your will to create any reality you want. Gravity is for lesser mortals. You can levitate.

Continuing your stroll through the New Age shop, you will encounter invitations to worship Satan. Satan is misrepresented by those stuffy, Christian prudes. Why should you, as special as you are, obey a God who orders you to rein in your appetites? Satan will strengthen your wildest urges. You’ll find materials on ley lines, special magical places exuding special geographic magic known only to a privileged few. You’ll find out how to use ancient runes in divination, and how to dowse, that is, how to find water, lost objects, and magical energies using only a forked stick.

Now imagine yourself a top Nazi, a Hitler, Himmler, Goebbels or Hess. You’d buy every single one of these products. Himmler “carried around with him” the Norse Edda, the Hindu Vedas and Bhagavad Gita, and the speeches of Buddha. Nazis participated in orgies aboard a yacht named after “The Indian goddess of love” the “Aryan Schakti [Shakti].” Nazi yoga. Nazi Buddha. Yes. The Nazis were that nuts. And they were that New Age.

An eclectic mélange of New Age beliefs and practices were in the roots that vomited up Nazism’s toxic tree. These beliefs and practices were harnessed to support Nazism’s most consequential, and most evil, acts. These beliefs and practices inspired daily life in concentration camps, human medical experimentation that violated every tenet of ethics and reason, weapons research and development, and military decisions. New Age beliefs and practices influenced Nazism’s bloody demise. Any understanding of Nazism that does not include New Age’s influence on Nazism is incomplete. Any understanding of New Age that does not take into consideration its influence on Nazism is incomplete.

Not all Nazis were interested in New Age beliefs, and not all Nazis were interested in all expressions of New Age. Some might prefer astrology; others homeopathy. On May 10, 1941, Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess, known as “The Yogi from Egypt,” after consulting an astrologer and inspired by a supernatural dream, flew to Scotland in an attempt to make peace with the British. He was captured and imprisoned. Less than a month later, beginning on June 4, 1941, Reinhard Heydrich, head of the Reich Main Security Office, launched the “Hess Action.” Heydrich wanted to purge the occult from the Nazi party as well as the general public. Heydrich’s timing of the Hess Action indicates how seriously he took the issue. Heydrich initiated the Hess Action two weeks before Germany’s ultimately disastrous invasion of the Soviet Union. As a result of Heydrich’s action, some astrologers ended up in concentration camps. Some of those same practitioners were later released and went to work for top Nazis. Curt Munch was released from Sachsenhausen in order that he could use his psychic powers to locate Mussolini.

Hitler himself, Kurlander argues, didn’t want to restrain the occult because it was meaningless; he wanted to limit and control common people’s access to the occult because of its power. Goebbels exemplified this power-centric approach to the occult. Goebbels used Nostradamus for propaganda purposes.

Decades before Hitler arrived on the historical scene, many German seekers had partially or completely rejected Judeo-Christian cosmology, morality and worldview. They also rejected Enlightenment values and the scientific method’s insistence on objective facts. Many chose to find meaning and structure in pre-Christian paganism, Eastern religions, and new gurus like Madame Blavatsky. The Brothers Grimm, Wagner’s folklore-inspired operas, Nietzsche’s philosophy, and Herder’s writing on nationalism are partial expressions of, and, in turn, inspirations for, these trends. Kurlander writes, “Folklore, mythology, and neo-paganism rushed to fill an important gap in the German spiritual landscape, helping to occupy ‘the transcendental realm of mystic life’ vacated by Judeo-Christian traditions … Folklore and mythology facilitated fascism.” “By the end of the nineteenth century, folklore, mythology, and Ario-Germanic religiosity was etched into the consciousness of millions of ordinary Germans.” In this search for new paradigms, universal values were rejected in favor of moralities based on identity, place, and race. “I am a German, therefore I should or I can …” might be the preface to any moral statement.

The senseless mass destruction and humiliating defeat of WW I, and rapid modernization and upheaval, helped the previous century’s turn to nationalism, magic, myth, and folklore take center stage. Nazis saw a ripe opportunity to jettison the past, adopt a scorched earth mentality, and impose their new paradigm. In his 1930 book The Myth of the Twentieth Century, Nazi theorist Alfred Rosenberg declared the “collapse” of all that had come before and a “new dawn” and a “new faith” a “new light” a “new mission:” “blood and blood, race and race, folk and folk.” “That is the task of our century; to create a new human type out of a new view of life.”

Social Darwinism and biological racism were interwoven with New Age spiritual beliefs. Not only would old, impure ideas be jettisoned. Human beings deemed racially unfit to participate in superior souls’ upward thrust to perfection also had to be eliminated. “‘One could insist that the race to which one belonged had primarily to do with one’s degree of spiritual maturity’ … the lost civilization of Atlantis was considered to be the prehistoric source of divine (possibly extraterrestrial) racial and spiritual perfection,” writes Kurlander, quoting another author about Theosophy, a New Age belief system that predated, and influenced, Nazism’s rise. “Cosmic eugenics” blessed the destruction of that “‘which is unworthy to take part in the ascent of humanity … Humanity has risen by throwing out the lower forms in order to purify itself … dark skin is due to demonic interference’ … Luciferian remnants’ must be elevated ‘as a wise guiding force left behind for the evolution of mankind in general’ … Nazi religious theorists would make nearly identical arguments,” Kurlander says, quoting another New Age author who also wrote decades before Nazism’s rise. Other New Age thinkers, again, decades before Nazism, advocated selective breeding, and the elimination of inferior races and the handicapped. This culling was supported by a New Age theory that humanity was the result of breeding between angels and animals. Nordic people contained a higher percentage of angel. Indeed, New Age thinkers (and Friedrich Nietzsche) adopted a Hindu caste system term, chandala, for “untouchable” to talk about “lower races.”

A weakening of the influence of Judeo-Christian morality and a return to pagan norms appeared to be foreseen by at least one concerned observer. German poet Heinrich Heine, who was born Jewish but converted to Lutheranism, wrote in 1834 that “When once the taming talisman, the Cross, breaks in two, the savagery of the old fighters, the senseless Berserker fury of which the Northern poets sing … will gush up anew … the old stone god will rise from the silent ruins and … Thor, with his giant’s hammer, will at last spring up and shatter to bits the Gothic cathedrals.”

Hermann Rauschning, a former Nazi, diagnosed Hitler’s success. “Every German has one foot in Atlantis [and one in Tibet], where he seeks a better fatherland.” Pre-Nazi New Age societies and thinkers sometimes voiced their awareness that Hitler was mining and benefitting from the paths they had paved.

The Thule Society, or Study Group for Germanic Antiquity, was founded in 1918. Its purpose was an unsavory mix of biological racism and flakey, folkloric concepts of German origins. The Thule Society symbol was a swastika, an ancient, pagan symbol often found in Hindu and Buddhist art. Thule Society member and fan of Nordic folklore and “the wisdom of India,” Dietrich Eckart, argued that the “racially superior ‘Indo-European people’ had been corrupted by the ‘Jewish desert spirit’ embedded in mainstream Christianity.” Eckhart said on his deathbed that “Hitler will dance, but it is I who will call the tune.” In other words, Eckart and other New Age Germans saw Hitler as fulfilling their goals. Germany’s occult magazines supported Hitler, even before he took power. They lent whatever legitimacy they had to his seizure of power by predicting a “‘world turning'” “‘Third Reich'” lead by “‘a single prophet who preserved the German essence against all odds.'”

Top Nazis were not only not believing Christians, they were anti-Christian and determined to extirpate Christianity from their Reich. As Hitler Youth leader Baldur von Schirach said, “the destruction of Christianity was explicitly recognized as a purpose of the National Socialist movement.” Alfred Rosenberg dreamed of a day when “Nordic sagas and fairy tales will take the place of the Old Testament stories of pimps and cattle dealers.” Nazism’s anti-Christian, pagan worldview was obvious to contemporaries. Christopher Dawson, “the greatest English-speaking Catholic historian of the twentieth century,” warned in 1935 that Nazism could “develop a mythology and ethic” that may “take the place of Christian theology and Christian ethics.” On January 13, 2002, Joe Sharkey, writing in The New York Times, reported on then-recently released documents outlining “How Hitler’s Forces Planned to Destroy German Christianity.”

In addition to rejecting, and hoping to overturn, Christianity, Nazis also rejected the Enlightenment ideal of objective reality. Konrad Heiden, a historian of Nazism, said that Nazism incorporated a hodgepodge of political theories. (To Be Continued Next Week) –

            (Front Page Mag)

Danusha Goska is the author of Save Send Delete, Bieganski, and God through Binoculars.

Danon: ‘We Don’t Play Defense Anymore at the UN’

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The fruits of this labor were on display this week when the U.N. General Assembly considered a U.S.-sponsored resolution condemning the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas for the first time. The resolution received strong support, especially from Israel’s allies in Europe and elsewhere

It is no secret that the United Nations has long been viewed as a hotbed of anti-Israel sentiment. However, there has been a remarkable shift in recent years as a result of efforts by the United States under outgoing U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon to build new partnerships while singling bias, as well as anti-Semitism towards the Jewish state.

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon addresses the U.N. Security Council meeting on the situation in the Mideast. Credit: U.N. Photo/Loey Felipe.

The fruits of this labor were on display this week when the U.N. General Assembly considered a U.S.-sponsored resolution condemning the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas for the first time. The resolution, which gained a simple majority in voting, received strong support, especially from Israel’s allies in Europe and elsewhere.

While ultimately the United Nations failed to adopt the resolution, as a result of a last-minute amendment by Kuwait to force a two-thirds majority, Danon is optimistic about Israel’s prospects in the world body going forward.

JNS spoke with Danon by phone. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Q: What is your reaction to President Donald Trump nominating Heather Nauert to replace Nikki Haley as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations?

A: We continue to receive the full support of the U.S. at the U.N. We know Heather Nauert is a friend of Israel, and, no doubt, we will continue with the momentum that we created together with Ambassador Haley. We thank Haley for the partnership and friendship, and we know she will truly continue to support Israel in the future.

Q: Do you plan to meet with Nauert in the near future?

A: Usually, we wait until after the nomination in accordance with protocol. But we are looking forward to working with her.

Q: If Nauert is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, do you plan to meet with her on day one?

Ambassador Danon: “We know Heather Nauert is a friend of Israel, and, no doubt, we will continue with the momentum that we created together with Ambassador Haley.”

A: We are here waiting; whenever she arrives, we will do our best to introduce her to the right people. I know now she’s in a very demanding position, but in coming to the U.N., it’s a completely different ballgame.

Q: Speaking of the demanding position, what are your expectations for Nauert in what will be big shoes to fill?

A: As I’ve said, we have the momentum, and we don’t play defense anymore at the U.N. We had the vote condemning Hamas that got the support of 87 member states. It was very impressive. We are not only defending, but we’re also initiating. And that should be the approach of Israel, for sure, and I believe also for the U.S.

Q: You mentioned Thursday’s resolution. What is your overall reaction to the United Nations acting in the first place to even consider it?

A: We have a lot of hypocrisies at the U.N. It’s unfortunate we have countries that are not able to condemn a terrorist organization. They will pay the price for it because if you cannot condemn terrorism in Israel, no one will condemn terrorism when it will arrive in those countries. We are happy with the result, but I think those countries not supportive of the resolution should be ashamed of themselves.

Q: Kuwait changed the voting requirements for the resolution to have a two-thirds majority for passage. Would the U.S. or Israel have been able to file a motion for the vote to switch back from a two-thirds majority to a simple majority for adoption?

A: There was a preliminary vote, and on that vote, the numbers were very close—74 against 72—so it was very close to dropping the two-thirds requirement. It shows the hypocrisy of the U.N.: When you had resolutions condemning Israel—and we had too many of those in the last few days—no one required a two-thirds majority. But when it comes to condemning Hamas, that’s when you see the so-called great countries coming together and putting out different procedural maneuvers to defeat the resolution.

Q: With what Kuwait did, how will that affect Israel’s approach to that country?

A: It’s not Kuwait because Kuwait is part of the Arab League. When I speak with Arab ambassadors, the way they talk about Hamas is not the way we think about Hamas. So it’s unfortunate that they cannot stand up and condemn terrorism because those same radical groups threaten their countries as well. I know exactly what they think or what they believe, but when it comes to Israel, they fail to see Hamas and the Palestinian Authority working together against the resolution. It was a shocking because we know what relationships they have between them.

Q: Guatemala voted for the two-thirds requirement. Considering it moved its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, what is your reaction to Guatemala voting for the Kuwait motion?

A: Guatemala is a good friend of Israel. I haven’t spoken yet with the ambassador, so we need to understand whether there was an ideology behind it, or sometimes, a mistake. Sometimes, because you have amendments and resolutions, people don’t vote exactly the way they should have. But they supported the resolution, and they support Israel.

Q: You mention the Arab League. How receptive have the rest of the U.N. members been to the resolution?

A: When you look at the numbers, go the E.U. united on this resolution; it was very impressive and required a lot of work for the U.S. mission. You see countries in Latin America, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, supporting the resolution. I think it’s impressive to see so many countries condemn terrorism.

Q: With the E.U. voting in favor of the resolution, will we see a shift in their approach to terrorism, considering their continued support for the 2015 Iran deal?

A: I think countries condemn terrorism, no matter what. We appreciated the support of the E.U. to vote altogether for the resolution. I can speak separately on the Iran deal, but I think yesterday we saw that you can disagree on one thing, but when it comes to condemning Hamas terrorism, you had the full support of the E.U.

Q: But Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. Isn’t there an inconsistency here?

A: We are grateful for the support we saw yesterday, and we will continue to present our position regarding the Iran deal. We do believe the E.U. should be supporting the U.S. sanctions, and they should apply more sanctions. When you have a change, you should be thankful for that, which happened yesterday. There were some resolutions which passed last week about the Temple Mount. The E.U. commented that it will not support the resolution in the future if the language does not include the Hebrew name of the Temple Mount because the Palestinians refer to it only by their Arabic name.

Q: With the European Union voting against the resolution, do you think it is making progress in its relationship with Israel, despite its support for BDS?

A: Yesterday, we saw progress. It’s not in all forms, so we still have a lot of work to do. But we know the E.U. You have to work with each member state individually.

Q: What is your take on Israel’s trying to forge relationships with African countries, such as Oman?

A: We think it’s very important, and that’s how it starts. We have strong bilateral relationships, and we have a lot of support in the things we do together, but we want to see it publicly. That’s something we are working on, and we’re starting to see results.

Q: Is there any chance of reform at the United Nations?

A: Yes. I’m optimistic. We proved in the last two years with the work we did with Ambassador Haley. We will see changes at the U.N., and we will see that the atmosphere is different.

Q: Do you plan to reintroduce Thursday’s resolution in the near future?

A: We’ll come back to that. I don’t know if it’ll be in the near future. But we will continue to expose Hamas and, after much support, we can push the resolution forward.

Q: What about a resolution condemning Hezbollah, especially with the group digging tunnels to infiltrate and attack Israel?

A: With Hezbollah, we are pushing for a resolution on that in the Security Council. I think there will be a debate, probably next week about that. We think it’s about time that the U.N. will designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.

Q: What’s your reaction to incoming Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro announcing he will move the Brazilian embassy in Israel to Jerusalem?

A: We are looking forward to welcoming him in Jerusalem. When they move their embassy, it will be a great sign for other countries in Latin America.

Q: Have you been in touch with Bolsonaro?

A: Not yet. But I have a good friend who is close to him. I spoke yesterday with the Brazilian ambassador at the U.N., and Prime Minister Netanyahu is scheduled to fly to the inauguration in the beginning of next month.

Q: Do you know when he Bolsonaro plans to move the embassy?

A: No. I don’t know. But during the campaign he made a commitment and from our experiences with another president who made a commitment during his own campaign, we are very optimistic.

Q: Is there anything you wish to add?

A: We will continue with the momentum we created with Ambassador Haley with the new incoming ambassador. They know we were able to change the atmosphere in the U.N., and we are determined to continue with that momentum.

(JNS.org)

NYP’s Morgan Stanley Bombshell Roils Wall St; Frantic Search For Leaker Ongoing

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A leak that led to a New York Post exclusive has Wall Street running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to find the source of the leak, according to The New York Post. The original report exposed that Morgan Stanley made bank by trading chunks of stock after normal trading hours in a special side deal.

The New York Post described exchange officials being on a “witch hunt” to find the leaker because of the anger and frustration about the leaked information.

“NYSE is freaking out,” said one of the New York Post’s sources, adding that “they are going crazy looking for who told.”

Morgan Stanley’s side deal allowed them to avoid certain risks and uncertainties that it could have faced in an after-hours auction or waiting until the weekend and G-20 meeting end, guaranteeing them an ideal profit instead. Naturally, such an advantage, and one that would otherwise have been kept secret from the public, brings accusations of insiders having unfair advantages over the little guy.

“If this has occurred recurrently, it is a BIG (emphasis originally added by The Post) story because it suggests systematic favoritism,” John C. Coffee Jr., a Columbia law school professor and former member of NYSE’s legal advisory board, said to The New York Post in an interview. He even went on to suggest possible fines if the actions rose to a “misdemeanor level in terms of securities violations,” in isolation. Internal regulators for the NYSE told The New York Post they are examining the side deal, though the idea on Wall Street of shifting the rules to produce financial gains by any means possible isn’t a new concept.

“If this exchange doesn’t do it, the exchange down the block will do it,” Joe Saluzzi, co-founder and co-head of equity trading at Themis Trading, said. Clients will take their money to whichever firm can yield them the biggest return on their investment.

“Are there other special deals? Based on history, I’d say so,” Saluzzi also said.

Wall Street has had enough to deal with already as stocks continue sliding and giving up the gains from 2018, creating worry of an emerging bear market and maybe even a recession.

The Jewish Voice reported on some of the recent stock woes as companies like Netflix and Facebook haven’t given investors as much confidence as they showed below average results, and Facebook had some of its worst trading days ever this year. Worries of tariffs and a continuing trade war with China also have investors and markets shaky. News about tariffs sent stocks plunging most days of trading in the past week. The trade war between America and China seems to be cooling off for now at least, but the president continues to tout himself as a “tariff man.”

Ocasio-Cortez Tells Crowd at NY Hanukkah Party that She is Jewish

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It came as a real jaw-dropper when Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told a group at a Hanukkah event in New York on Sunday that she is descended from Jews.

“After lighting the Hanukkah candles, the incoming Democratic congresswoman from New York said members of her family had been looking into their background in recent weeks and they discovered that some of their descendants were among a group of Jews who were persecuted during the Spanish Inquisition,” reported USA Today.

“One of the things a lot of people don’t know about Puerto Rico, and something we discovered ourselves, is that a long time ago, many generations ago, my family consisted of Sephardic Jews,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

“The story goes that during the Spanish Inquisition, Jews were forced, on the exterior, to convert to Catholicism, but on the interior they continued to be who they were, continued to practice their faith,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “A strong group of people, who wanted to continue living life the way they wanted to live it, decided to get on a boat and leave Spain. Some of these people ended up in Puerto Rico.”

Ocasio-Cortez recently said John Kelly, President Donald Trump’s outgoing chief of staff, lied about Representative Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) and owes her an apology before leaving at the end of the year.

“Kelly claimed that Wilson boasted about securing millions in funding for a Florida FBI office at its dedication ceremony in 2015. However, video of her speech posted by the Sun Sentinel in October proved that Kelly’s statements were inaccurate. Asked at the time if he felt the need to apologize to Wilson, Kelly refused, according to CNN. He said: “No. Never. Well, I’ll apologize if I need to. But for something like that, absolutely not. I stand by my comments,” Newsweek reports.

“Ocasio-Cortez made her call for an apology in response to a tweet from Representative Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), who urged Kelly to change his tune before leaving his post. Lee posted: “Before General Kelly steps down, I hope he will offer a long overdue apology to Congresswoman Frederica Wilson for lying about her in the press,” Newsweek added.

Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway called Ocasio-Cortez out on Fox News Tuesday, calling her a “29-year-old congresswoman who doesn’t seem to know much about anything.”

Kelly “is in his fifth decade of public service and this country owes his a debt of gratitude, not the nonsense that has been spewed about him recently from the left and from this 29-year-old congresswoman who doesn’t seem to know much about anything when you ask her basic concepts about the economy, or the Middle East, military funding,” Conway said, referring to Kelly and Ocasio-Cortez. “Really embarrassing, and for her to even use a slur against him yesterday—and I won’t repeat her name or the slur.”

Yanks President Randy Levine Says “No” to WH Chief of Staff Job

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Scratch Yankees president Randy Levine from the line-up of candidates for the job of President Trump’s chief of staff.

According to a broadcast on MSNBC yesterday, Levine had been considered to being the running for the job in the wake of John Kelly’s exit and his rumored successor, Nick Ayers, turning down the position.

“No one spoke to me about the White House chief of staff job. I respect the president but I’m happy being president of the Yankees,” Levine said in an official statement.

Rep, Mark Meadows (R-NC), the chairman of the conservative Freedom Caucus, also issued a statement – this one saying that he would take the job if it were offered. “Serving as Chief of Staff would be an incredible honor. The President has a long list of qualified candidates and I know he’ll make the best selection for his administration and for the country,” Meadows said.

“Meadows has been a staunch defender of the president in the Russia probe as a member of the House Oversight Committee and has a sense of what Democrats will try to throw at Trump when they control the House next year,” noted the New York Post.

Others candidates include David Bossie, Trump’s former deputy campaign manager, head of Citizens United and author of the book “Let Trump Be Trump.” He also boasts Capitol Hill experience as chief investigator at the House Oversight Committee that unearthed dirt on then-President Bill Clinton.

Trump’s Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, a former congressman, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, are also in the running, as is top advisor Kellyanne Conway. Conway said Tuesday that Kelly would be staying on “at least” through Jan. 2 — longer than the timeframe Trump had originally provided when he announced the departure news Saturday. “There are people vying for it. There are people under consideration. And it’s a personal decision for the president,” she told AP.

“Fake News has it purposely wrong,” the president wrote on Twitter. “Many, over ten, are vying for and wanting the White House Chief of Staff position. Why wouldn’t someone want one of the truly great and meaningful jobs in Washington.”

Trump announced on Saturday that Kelly would leave his role as chief of staff at the end of the year, marking the end of a 17-month tenure that was marked by frequent reports of tensions with the president, the Hill reported. “Kelly’s replacement will become Trump’s third chief of staff during his less than two years in the White House. Kelly replaced the president’s first top aide, Reince Priebus, in July 2017.”

New Miami Beach Penthouse Coming on the Market for a Record $68M

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Get out your checkbooks. A Miami Beach penthouse at the 66-unit Eighty Seven Park in Miami, Florida, is set to go to market this week for the bargain-basement price of just $68 million.

The duplex home, which boasts 12,410 square feet of interior space and 18,247 square feet of private outdoor space, will presumably go to the highest bidder.

According to The Wall Street Journal, if the six-bedroom spread sells for close to that asking price, it would be the most expensive apartment ever sold in the state of Florida. “The current record belongs to hedge fund titan Ken Griffin, who in 2015 shelled out $60 million for a penthouse at Faena House.”

“I don’t think there’s ever been an apartment that can, in my opinion, compete or even excel [living] in a mansion,” David Martin, president of Miami-based Terra, tells the New Yok Post.

Given the huge asking price, the Post explained, “it’s no surprise the unit, which also has eight bathrooms and three powder rooms, comes packed with its own amenities. There’s a private gym and a home theater on the inside, but the crown jewel penthouse’s best features are on the roof. Up there, there’s a private Turkish hammam spa, an outdoor theater, two outdoor kitchens and two 45-foot-long infinity pools.”

Antoine Chaaya, a Paris-based partner at Renzo Piano Building Workshop — who led Eighty Seven Park’s design efforts alongside Piano — told the paper that one of the pools faces east for the sunrise, and the other looks west at the sunset. “You have possibilities,” says Chaaya. “In the morning you can swim on one side and in the afternoon on the other.”

The asking price easily eclipsed the one paid by TV producer Shonda Rhimes, of “Scandal” and “Grey’s Anatomy” fame – a penthouse at 765 Park Ave., according to property records quietly filed last Friday. The celebrity reportedly paid $11.75 million for the two-bedroom co-op, which it turns out was much less than its original $14.75 million asking price.

The two-story penthouse will feature six bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a service suite, a private gym and home theater and a rooftop terrace with two 45-foot long infinity pools, summer kitchens and an outdoor theater, according to a release, according to TheRealDeal.com. “When it sells, it could set a new record for residential sales in the county, blowing past the $60 million purchase by billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin of two penthouses at Faena House in 2015.”

Terra is developing the 66-unit, 18-story condo building at 8701 Collins Avenue in Miami Beach along with its partners, Bizzi & Partners Development, New Valley and Pacific Eagle, the web site reported. Douglas Elliman is handling sales of the building, which is expected to be delivered next year. Buyers include tennis pro Novak Djokovic.

“Other features of the penthouse include a putting green and a Turkish hammam, and a design package by RDAI with furnishings by Hermes, Giorgetti, and Christopher Delcourt.”

Will Les Moonves Sue CBS Over Leaks On Sex Misconduct Probe?

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Amorous media mogul Les Moonves says he might sue CBS over recent leaks of lurid inside information about his alleged sexual misconduct.

“In what’s expected to amount to a breach of contract suit, Moonves’ lawyers are preparing to allege that leaks to the New York Times this week about CBS’ pending investigation into Moonves broke a confidentiality agreement and sullied the exec’s reputation, sources close to Moonves said,” reported the New York Post. “At stake is a $120 million exit package for Moonves, which could get slashed or wiped out entirely if the board finds that CBS’ ex-chairman and chief executive violated the company’s harassment policies.”

According to the Associated Press, CBS shareholders quickly elected a revamped 11-member board before their annual meeting adjourned without discussion of an investigation into sexual-misconduct claims against Moonves.

“The first task for the new board: deciding by the end of January whether Moonves receives his $120 million severance package. The board will also have to chart a path for CBS to recover from the scandal,” the news service said. “The meeting wrapped up in less than 30 minutes. About a dozen protesters gathered outside, holding such signs as “CBS don’t reward sexual abuse” and “$120M?! Les doesn’t deserve more.”

“The board of directors has all the information they need to fire him with cause and to deny him the $120 million golden parachute,” said Natalie Green of the UltraViolet, an online organization dedicated to fighting sexism in the public and private sectors.

The New York Times reported that a draft report on that investigation found Moonves committed “multiple acts of serious nonconsensual sexual misconduct.” Citing the report, the Times said he deleted numerous text messages and was “evasive and untruthful at times.” The investigators issued a statement saying their work was still in progress, and a lawyer for Moonves denied any wrongdoing.

Moonves had been, in the words of the Chicago Tribune, “one of the most admired powerbrokers in the entertainment industry. He was hailed for turning around the fortunes of CBS when he took over as entertainment chief in 1995, as he churned out such hits as “Two and a Half Men” and “Survivor.” He was also one of the highest-paid executives in the nation, making about $70 million in each of the past two years.

“The official agenda for Tuesday’s meeting had glowing praise for Moonves’ 2017 performance, his last full year as CEO,” the Tribune continued. “The board lauded Moonves for positioning CBS “for the digital future,” growing its direct-to-consumer streaming business and lessening its dependence on traditional advertising.”

Prosecutors Say Seagram Heiress Wanted to Keep Members in Line with “Loyalty” Defense Fund

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A judge said that he will investigate further a Nxivm defense fund that prosecutors say was arranged by Seagram heiress Clare Bronfman to keep her fellow cult members obedient.

Brooklyn federal court Judge Nicholas Garaufis Thursday said he would order a series of hearings to determine whether or not the irrevocable trust — whose primary donor is allegedly Bronfman — created any conflicts of interest, according to the New York Post.

“Garaufis said he wanted to probe if the trust “might create some sort of unwanted influence” and force a defendant to choose between defending themselves or remaining loyal to Nxivm,” the Post added.

Less than a week ago, a federal judge rejected NXIVM founder Keith Raniere’s latest request to be released on $1 million bond while his criminal case is pending. The order, handed down by Garaufis, cited Raniere’s continued flight risk, noting again that he had traveled to Mexico in the fall of 2017 when a federal investigation of his organization was intensifying.

The sensational story has been fodder for the media for a long time. In October, Britain’s Daily Mail reported that rare audio of Raniere telling members of Nxivm about how men need constant sex and will ‘do it with anything’ had come out in the wake of his arrest of federal sex trafficking charges. The audio was featured in the CBC podcast Escaping Nxivm and offers a glimpse into the man who went on to command at least 150 ‘slaves’ in the cult’s sex group DOS.

“In that same series, former DOS members have shared what they were forced to hand over as collateral to become the slave to their masters,” said the Daily Mail. “Sarah Edmondson reveals that she was asked to sign the deed to her house over to Lauren Salzman and later record herself as she claimed her husband was physically abusive. Another young woman says that she had to hand over a photo in which both her face and inner labia could be clearly seen in the same frame.”

“From a Smallville actress turned alleged top recruiter to heiresses and billionaires, the cult Nxivm has cycled through a host of famous and influential followers,” is how The Daily Beast reported the story. “Formerly known as Executive Success Programs, Nxivm is the brainchild of Keith Raniere, who was just arrested in Mexico on sex trafficking charges. As The Daily Beast previously reported, Raniere has been accused of creating DOS, a “sorority” in which female “masters” recruited “slaves” who were reportedly branded with Raniere’s initials and, according to FBI official William Sweeney, “considered [Raniere’s] sex slaves.”

By: George Albertson

Google’s CEO Grilled on Privacy, Data Collection & China During Congressional Hearing

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Internal Google docs detailed prototype that complied with Beijing’s internet restrictions

Google’s chief executive assured lawmakers Tuesday the company has “no plans” to return to China, despite reports that the tech giant intends to build a censored search engine in the country.

“Right now, we have no plans to launch search in China,” Sundar Pichai told the House Judiciary Committee, adding that “access to information is an important human right.”

Pichai did not altogether rule out future dealings with Beijing and told the committee he would inform Congress about any developments concerning re-entry into the Chinese market.

His comments came in response to concerns raised by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D., Texas) that Google would aid the Chinese Communist Party in repressing citizens “seeking a lifeline of democracy and freedom.”

Pichai in October acknowledged a company proposal to develop a censored search app for China, but said it was still in the “very early” stages. The Intercept was the first to reveal the plans, reporting in August the company was working on a censored search engine to comply with Beijing’s internet restrictions.

This is the first time Pichai has appeared before Congress since Google declined to send him or Alphabet CEO Larry Page to a hearing on foreign election meddling earlier this year. That slight sparked anger among senators who portrayed Google as trying to skirt scrutiny.

Internal documents detailed a prototype of the plan, code-named “Project Dragonfly,” which blacklisted specific search terms about human rights, religion, and protest, according to the Intercept. Lawmakers, human rights groups, and hundreds of Google employees have also raised concerns that the app would enable the Chinese government to surveil citizens and political opponents.

Both Democrats and Republicans on Tuesday criticized the plans, with GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) saying it “raises a troubling possibility that Google is being used to strengthen China’s system of surveillance, repression, and control.”

Pichai later defended a potential return to Beijing as a move that would have a “positive impact” on Chinese citizens seeking greater access to information. He said the company has not engaged in discussions with Chinese officials regarding the launch of search engine.

Google pulled services from China in 2010 amid increased concerns about censorship and cyberattacks, abandoning a market comprised of 772 million internet users. The move garnered bipartisan praise from Congress as a win for human rights.

(Washington Free Beacon)

Tickets to Clintons’ Speaking Tour Sold for Triple-Digit Discounts on Groupon

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Bill and Hillary Clinton are selling discount tickets on Groupon in an attempt to improve upon the feeble opening crowd they had on their speaking tour. Photo Credit: www.aneveningwiththeclintons.com

Bill and Hillary Clinton are selling discount tickets on Groupon in an attempt to improve upon the feeble opening crowd they had on their speaking tour.

Tickets for nine of the “Evening With the Clintons” tour stops have gone up on Groupon at heavy discounts, Fox News reports. The first stop in Toronto had “vast swathes” of empty seats, while the second stop in Houston had to be delayed because of George H.W. Bush’s funeral.

Even in heavily Democratic parts of the country, the former first couple appear to be having difficulty selling people on their latest speaking tour. Philadelphia, New York, Detroit, and Boston are among the venues where tickets are available at a steep discount.

Among the deals: Tickets to an April 11 talk at the Beacon Theatre in New York – normally priced $287 – are going for $145 on Monday. Tickets to an April 12 Detroit talk, originally listed for $220.70, are going for $95. And tickets in Philadelphia for an April 12 talk have been reduced from $208.20 to $85.

The Groupon is apparently working: Tickets to a May 4 appearance in Inglewood, Calif., that were normally priced $77 and reduced to $35 a pop were sold out by Monday.

The tour contrasts unflatteringly with Michelle Obama’s Becoming book tour, which has sold out venues and drawn the former first lady reams of positive media attention. Ticket packages for Obama’s tour have sold for as much as $3,000. The least-expensive single tickets, priced at $30, quickly sold out and are now only available at a markup through third-party sellers.

Third-party ticket sellers have listed “Evening With the Clintons” tickets for as low as $7.

While the box office numbers look bad for the Clinton’s tour, it hasn’t exactly been critically acclaimed either. New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd questioned why the Clintons are even trying to bring in more money.

What is the point? It’s not inspirational. It’s not for charity. They’re not raising awareness about a cause, like Al Gore with global warming. They’re only raising awareness about the Clintons.

It can’t be the money at this point. Have they even spent all the Goldman gold yet? Do they want to swim in their cash like Scrooge McDuck?

The Clintons’ tin cup is worthy of the Smithsonian.

             (Washington Free Beacon)

Paris Riots Didn’t Stop Thousands at Eiffel Tower Menorah-Lighting

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Celebrating Chanukah hours after most violent protests in years

As many as 5,000 people gathered near the Eiffel Tower for Chabad-Lubavitch’s main public menorah-lighting just hours after violent riots took place in the center of Paris. While largely peaceful protests had been taking place in Paris for two weeks, on Dec. 1 those protests turned violent, with more than 400 arrested and 133 injured in the city’s worst rioting in a decade.

Lighting the Chanukah menorah in Paris (Photo: Thierry Guez)

Despite the unrest, Chabad of Paris was determined to move forward with the planned lighting on Sunday night.

“It wasn’t simple; the riots took place not far from where we light the menorah on Champ de Mars at the Eiffel Tower,” said Rabbi Mendel Azimov, director of Beit Loubavitch Centre Siège, the central headquarters of Chabad in Paris. “But we never had a doubt we would receive permission to hold the event.”

Chabad worked closely with Paris police and SPCJ, the French Jewish Security Service, to implement additional security measures in light of the riots. Police closed off a larger-than-usual perimeter to ensure participants’ safety during the event, and extra officers were on hand.

Jewish leaders in Paris. (Photo: Thierry Guez)

The heightened tension did not place a damper on the event, with Parisian Jews singing, dancing and celebrating with the joy and enthusiasm for which they are known. Participating in the menorah-lighting was Paris Chief Rabbi Isaac (Michel) Guggenheim, as well as Israeli Consul Michel Lugassy-Harel. The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, sent her wishes for a Happy Chanukah. A live orchestra played joyous tunes, and Israeli singer Nemouel Harroch performed.

Thousands more watched the event live via Chabad.org/live, which streamed menorah-lightings across the globe, including in Israel and in Washington D.C. The event was synchronized with lightings at the Western Wall in Israel and at Lubavitch World Headquarters in New York, which were shown in Paris during the lighting.

Lighting the Chanukah menorah in Paris (Photo: Thierry Guez)

Parisian Jews are no strangers to adversity and anti-Semitism, as less than four years have elapsed since four Jews were brutally murdered in a terrorist attack in a Jewish grocery store in Paris. This year, following the horrific Pittsburgh massacre that claimed the lives of 11 Jews, record crowds are expected at menorah-lightings worldwide as Jews respond to the recent rise in anti-Semitism with displays of Jewish pride and resilience.

“Life has to continue, and light has to continue,” said Azimov. “And light will ultimately push aside darkness. Nothing will stop us from celebrating Chanukah.”

            (Chabad.org)

Is J Street U Attempting to ‘Hijack’ the Birthright Experience?

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Young Jewish adults from all over the world participating in the Taglit Birthright program celebrate 10 years of its operation at an event held at the International Conference Center in Jerusalem, Jan. 7, 2013. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90.

J Street U, the student organizing arm of J Street, is pushing to have Palestinians present their view of Israel to Birthright groups run by campus Hillel centers. But Jewish students and leaders argue that the effort is contrary to Birthright’ mission, which is to unify and strengthen the next generation

Taylor King during her 2012 Birthright Israel trip. Credit: Courtesy.

When Taylor King boarded the airplane in 2012, she was a newly minted college graduate who, like most of her fellow Birthright Israel travelers, had never been to Israel.

“I didn’t really know what Israel was,” she says six years later. “All I ever heard was it’s a war zone, but when you get there, you’re totally surprised it’s such a normal place.”

In fact, it was on her Birthright trip, high atop Masada, that King underwent the bat mitzvah she’d never had. “I never expected to have such a spiritual experience as I did there,” she says.

Back in Boston, King was determined to do something with her newfound connection to the Jewish state. “I knew then that to understand what Israel is about, you have to be there; it’s nothing you can get from a book,” she says.

“I was beginning to understand that, for the first time in thousands of years, we have a safe place for any Jew to seek sanctuary.”

In the years since, she’s donated to Birthright and staffed trips herself, “so kids like me can have this amazing opportunity to connect with Israel and the Jewish people.”

So when King, who’s now in a graduate program for communications at Suffolk University in Boston—working towards a degree she’s planning to utilize on Israeli causes—heard that J Street U (JSU) is collecting student signatures on petitions at 30 American campuses (so far) to influence Hillels to include Palestinians speaking to their Birthright travelers about “the realities of the occupation,” she was “really perturbed.”

“If these people had been on the trip, they’d know that Birthright is honest about the conflict, but that’s not what it’s about,” she says. “Birthright has just 10 days to strengthen our Jewish selves—many of us didn’t get much of it growing up—and introduce us to Israel and Israelis so we can appreciate them and how we’re all connected.”

 

‘Formulate their own views’

Participants of Taglit Birthright enjoy one of many refreshing waterfalls at the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve in the Dead Sea Valley. Birthright is a philanthropic effort spearheaded by billionaires Charles and Edgar Bronfman to give every Jewish child in the world a free trip to Israel ages 18-26 marking a turning point in relations between Israel and Jews in the Diaspora.
Photo by Melanie Fidler /Flash90

Indeed, Birthright’s website puts that vision succinctly: “To ensure the vibrant future of the Jewish people by strengthening Jewish identity, Jewish communities and connection with Israel.”

In the last 19 years since it was founded by the likes of mega-philanthropists Charles Bronfman and Michael Steinhardt, Birthright Israel has taken nearly 650,000 Jewish young adults on free trips to experience Israel up close and personal, most of them for the first time.

Today, the founders have good company; some 30,000 donors make these 10-day trips possible for some 40,000 young adults each year, with support from the State of Israel, the Jewish Federation system and Keren Hayesod, the Jewish Agency for Israel.

But J Street U, the student organizing arm of J Street that calls itself “the political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans,” is pushing to have Palestinians present their view of Israel to all Birthright groups run by campus Hillel centers.

The Brandeis University version of the JSU petition, for instance, argues that “meeting with these individuals is essential to students’ ability to engage meaningfully with Israel and Palestine,” and includes a list of Palestinians and pro-Palestinian organizations happy to meet the groups to present their point of view.

“We’ve got close to 1,000 students signing the petitions so far, and we’re just getting started,” says Shira Wolkenfeld, a George Washington University student and member of the J Street U national board.

In the last 19 years since it was founded by the likes of mega-philanthropists Charles Bronfman and Michael Steinhardt, (pictured above) Birthright Israel has taken nearly 650,000 Jewish young adults on free trips to experience Israel up close and personal, most of them for the first time.

When she went on Birthright in 2015, “they talked to us about Israeli security, but I didn’t feel we were hearing the full conversation—not like on campuses where these conversations are vigorous,” she says. “I think the Hillel representatives are going to see this as something students want.”

Trip organizers currently include a briefing on the geopolitics of the region among other Birthright basics: visits to Jewish heritage sites, discovering the dramatic 70-year story of the Jewish state, as well as a taste of Israel’s natural wonders, arts and culture, innovation and entrepreneurship, the joys of Shabbat and getting to know their Israeli peers who join them on the trip. Not to mention consuming vast quantities of falafel and pita.

It seems that both Hillel and Birthright are trying to keep this latest JSU pressure in proportion.

Birthright said in a statement to JNS.org that “all our participants attend a geopolitics module where the complex issues of the Middle East are addressed without endorsing any specific agendas, opinions or beliefs. We encourage all eligible Jewish young adults to attend our trips, and we respect the ability of our participants to formulate their own views and ask questions in a constructive and respectful manner.”

And for its part, “Hillel is proud to be one of the largest operators of Birthright Israel and other immersive travel opportunities for students,” says its spokesman, Matt Berger.

Is J Street U attempting to ‘hijack’ the Birthright experience? Photo Credit: JNS

Though he says that trip organizers “always appreciate hearing our students’ perspectives and work continuously with Birthright Israel to plan programs that meet our shared educational objectives and students’ interests,” he adds that “these programs are focused on building Jewish identity and community for participants by connecting students with Israel’s history, people and cult.

Indeed, an in-depth study of the conflict is not Birthright’s mission, says Leonard Saxe, who in his role as Jewish-studies professor at Brandeis University, and director of its Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies and Steinhardt Social Research Institute, has studied Birthright and its impact closely over the years. (He’s also written a book on the subject: Ten Days of Birthright Israel, published by Brandeis University Press.) “Birthright does deal with the conflict on its trips—they don’t need J Street U to tell them to do that—but it’s primarily a program designed to engage Jews from around the world with their Jewish identity, with Israel, Israelis and each other. Participants come back feeling they learned important things—about Israel, about Jewish peoplehood and about themselves.”

 

‘Politicizing the trip, polarizing the community’

Barry Shrage, president of Combined Jewish Philanthropies in Boston for three decades, now at Brandeis University. Summer 2018. Credit: CJP.

On the same campus, but coming from a very different background than researcher Saxe is Barry Shrage, who spent more than three decades at the helm of one of the nation’s large-scale Jewish federations, Boston’s Combined Jewish Philanthropies, before joining the faculty of the Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program at Brandeis.

Calling the JSU campaign “a destructive effort which does nothing to further their stated goal of ‘pro-Israel, pro-peace” Shrage adds that “having Palestinians come onto the trip to complain about the so-called ‘occupation’ is just politicizing the trip and polarizing the community—the opposite of Birthright’s purpose, which is to unify and strengthen our people’s next generation. Birthright is transformative; it’s an amazing opportunity to see Israel as it really is and look their fellow Jews in Israel in the eye. J Street wanting to poison this well is bound to be destructive.”

David Brog, executive director of Maccabee Task Force, an organization determined to “combat the disturbing spread of anti-Semitism on America’s college campuses,” puts it this way: “Birthright is not meant to be an introduction to Palestinian nationalism or Middle Eastern geo-politics. If J Street has different priorities, they should pursue them on their own time and with their own dime. But they should keep their hands off—and their politics out of—this wonderfully successful effort to build Jewish identity in the Diaspora.”

David Brog, executive director of Maccabee Task Force, an organization determined to “combat the disturbing spread of anti-Semitism on America’s college campuses,” puts it this way: “Birthright is not meant to be an introduction to Palestinian nationalism or Middle Eastern geo-politics. If J Street has different priorities, they should pursue them on their own time and with their own dime. But they should keep their hands off—and their politics out of—this wonderfully successful effort to build Jewish identity in the Diaspora.”

Historian and researcher Gil Troy, author of his newest book, The Zionist Ideas, and chair of an advisory committee for Birthright, warns that “what people are forgetting is the danger of muddying Birthright’s mission. I respect J Street’s slogan of ‘pro-Israel and pro-peace,’ but I want them to live up to it, instead of allowing their pro-Palestinian position to overwhelm it. You want your pro-Palestinian message broadcast to these young Jews? Pay for your own trip; don’t try to hijack this one.”

But when asked, JSU’s Wolkenfeld says she knows of no Birthright-esque trip designed to immerse young Jews in the Palestinian narrative.

Which is just fine by Morton Klein, national president of Zionist Organization of America, who has some advice for both Birthright and Hillel: “You need to ignore J Street’s malicious attempts to turn Birthright trips into anti-Israel propaganda trips by giving a podium to Israel-haters. Jewish students are regularly exposed to this sort of anti-Israel propaganda on their campuses; the last thing they need to hear is more of it on their Birthright trip.”

And yet, the appeal of the Palestinian claim to underdog status is strong, points out King.

“They’re 18 and they don’t want their friends to accuse them of Islamophobia and racism,” she says. “So they’re going to drink the anti-Israel Kool-Aid. Having grown up in an assimilated culture, they don’t see the need for a Jewish state. Neither did I until I met Israeli soldiers on Birthright. Suddenly, I got it: It’s thanks to them that we were able to walk on that beach. But you have to be there to get it, and to bond with our land and our people.”

(JNS.org)