torah and common sense

I Used To Call For Boycotts Of Israel — Until I Spoke With Holocaust Survivors

 forward

I singled out Israel as the source of the problem. And my conscience did not hurt. Ironically, I had submitted a term paper discussing the Holocaust in media from 1950 to 1960 only two days ago. In my paper, I had made references to Anne Frank, my childhood hero.

that was two years ago. I am a journalist today. I don’t buy diamonds.

I also don’t boycott Israel.

Some of my friends would call me a hypocrite. How could I have gone back on my own words? How can I boycott chocolate brands like Nestlé for their bad trade practices while eating Sabra hummus which is owned by an Israeli company? How can I be so sensitive to the sufferings of Syrian refugees while ignoring those of the Palestinians?

And as someone did ask me, “How could you abandon your principles and become a Zionist?”I understand their disbelief and anger. I used to be one of them. They are not anti-Semites. Neither was I. It is just that I gained perspective over the last two years while they continue to see only what social media shows them. Most of them have never met a Jew, let alone an Israeli. And many in South Asia are emotionally invested in the fate of Palestine because of Jerusalem’s religious significance. Personally, I haven’t stopped caring about the Palestinians. I have simply started caring about the Israelis as well. To boycott Israel seemed like a good idea two years ago. Afterall, the boycott had worked in South Africa. There was no reason to think it wouldn’t work in Israel. It took me a while to realize that the story in the Middle East is not one of white supremacy vs. People of Color and that the boycott called for total economic, cultural, and academic isolation of Israel, civil society included.

How Junk Food Can End Obesity

Demonizing processed food may be dooming many to obesity and 
food-can-end-obesity/309396/e. Could embracing the drive-thru make us all healthier?
atlantic

Homeopathy, quackery and fraud- James Randi | TED2007

James Randi

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TED2007

החרדית שבחרה ללדת בבית חולים פלסטיני

kikar

בתופעה שהולכת ומתפתחת בבית החולים, ניתן לראות גם אשה חרדית, שבחרה ללדת את בנה דווקא בבית החולים הפלסטיני, אחרי שלדבריה נפגעה מיחס פוגעני בבתי החולים בירושלים. 

על פי הדיווח של יוסי אלי בחדשות 10, בית החולים הקטן, שבבעלות הכנסיה הצרפתית, מקבל בזרועות פתוחות גם את הפציינטים היהודים וגם את הפלסטינים שחלקם בכלל נפצעו במהלך הלחימה ברצועת עזה.

Can Bad Men Change? What It’s Like Inside Sex Offender Therapy

time

Someone has shoved a workout bike into the corner to make room for a circle of overstuffed chairs dug up at the local Goodwill. The men jockey for a coveted recliner and settle in. They are complaining about co-workers and debating the relative merits of various trucks when a faint beeping interrupts the conversation. One man picks up a throw pillow and tries to muffle the sound of the battery running low on his ankle bracelet, a reminder of why they are all there.

Every one of the eight men in the room has been convicted of a sex crime and mandated by a court to see a therapist. Depending on the offense, their treatment can last several months or several years. (TIME has given both the men and the therapists pseudonyms in this story.)

They sit in the circle, the man who exposed himself to at least 100 women, next to the man who molested his stepdaughter, across from the man who sexually assaulted his neighbor. The group includes Matt, whose online chats led to prison; Rob, who was arrested for statutory rape; and Kevin, who spent decades masturbating next to women in movie theaters.

Some of the men’s crimes aren’t all that different from the allegations against public figures such as Kevin Spacey, Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein and Roy Moore. Unlike the famous men, they cannot afford lawyers to draft nondisclosure agreements, or arrange hush-money payments, or appeal guilty verdicts, as Cosby’s attorneys are planning to do following his conviction on sexual assault in April. (Cosby could also be ordered to seek therapy.) Nor can they attempt to stage professional comebacks or publish mea culpa memoirs.

Instead, these men were all found guilty and had their names added to a state sex-offender registry. They will remain on that list for decades and, in some cases, the rest of their lives. Anyone can search online for the ugly details of their crimes, including employers, partners and their own children. A judge has limited where most of the men in this room can live, work and socialize–and whether they can access the Internet. Some are unemployed, and many live paycheck to paycheck, dependent on the few employers who are willing to tolerate their criminal history.

The more than 800,000 registered sex offenders in the U.S. may feel that their parole restrictions are onerous, but the mere presence of a known offender in almost any community precipitates clashes of competing interests and legal battles that have only intensified in the wake of the #MeToo movement. In at least 10 recent lawsuits filed in states from Pennsylvania to Colorado, civil rights proponents argue that sex offenders face unconstitutional punishments that other criminals do not, and they note that there are no government registries for murderers or other violent felons in most states. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a case challenging the limits of the registry in its October term.

In October, the Supreme Court will consider a complicated case challenging the federal laws that govern some sex offenders. The decision could allow hundreds of thousands of convicted offenders to move more easily across state lines and eventually remove their names from the sex-offender registry.

Even if that suit fails, civil rights proponents and victim advocates will likely confront each other again in the nation’s highest court. A Colorado federal judge recently ruled that the state’s sex-offender registry is unconstitutional. He said the list constitutes cruel and unusual punishment because it can subject these men to ostracism and violence at the hands of the public and that it fails to properly distinguish between different types of offenses.

The Colorado judge’s decision ignited outrage. In response, attorneys general from six states wrote a joint amicus brief to overturn the ruling on appeal. In their brief, the attorneys general quote a judge from a separate case regarding sex offenders in Wisconsin: “Parents of young children should ask themselves whether they should worry that there are people in their community who have ‘only’ a 16% or an 8% probability of molesting young children.”

Jerusalem Welcomes New Embassy

Putting Haredi Men on the Path to Financial Stability

Thought this might resonate with your readers. Vote to give $70K to one of 4 projects, one of which is "Putting Haredi Men on the Path to Financial Stability" - https://www.ujafedny.org/israel70-shape-whats-next/
uja

The Issue: Basic math, English, and science skills are critical to forging a successful career path and achieving financial independence. While Haredi women are exposed to secular studies in high school with the expectation that they’ll be their family’s primary breadwinner, Haredi boys only learn religious subjects. It’s no surprise then that only 50.9% of Haredi men participate in the workforce and more than 50% of Haredi men drop out of college. As the population grows, the poor state of education for Haredi men is an issue that is impacting the national economy.

The Solution: Cutting edge schools that combine secular and Torah learning.

A small group of brave educators are challenging the status quo — and two schools are gaining traction. The first, Hachmey Lev, just graduated its inaugural class. The other, Torah Academy, is one of the first of its kind in the Hassidic community. These start-up schools are creating a new model of education that is empowering the next generation of Haredi citizens to become agents of change in Israeli society.

Most Inspirational Ninja Warrior Ever - Zach Gowen"

youtube

Report: Some haredi travelers duped into smuggling drugs

arutz7

קריאת ה'מועצות': "חללים רבים; להתחזק בתפילה"

kikar hashabbat

מועצות גדולי וחכמי התורה פרסמו היום קריאה מיוחדת לקראת ראש חודש סיוון, וביקשו מהציבור להתחזק מתפילה להצלת ילדי ישראל. "חללים רבים כבר נפלו בגלל הטכנולוגיה" (חרדים)

קוראים לציבור לקראת זמן קבלת התורה "להוסיף ברוחניות ובקבלות טובות לרפואת הגוף והנפש".

בקריאה נאמר: "נקודת הלב של כשרי ישראל, דאגתם וחרדת עולמם - לראות את בניהם ובנותיהם אחריהם, ממשיכים בדרכי אבות וצועדים בנתיבותיהם מדור לדור; לעשות רצון הבורא יתברך באמונה שלימה, באהבה וביראה, מבלי שיהא חלילה, כל פרץ וכל יוצאת וכל צווחה".

"לדאבת כל לב, גבר בדורנו נסיון פגעי הטכנולוגיה, והיצר הרע השקט לא יוכל, ומתחדש בכל יום באופנים שונים, להוריד נפשות אלי שחת על ידי האינטרנט והמכשירים האסורים. ואמנם, חלה התעוררות גדולה בציבור החרדים לדבר השי"ת להתרחק ולהישמר מכל אלו, אך עדיין יש מי שנלכדים ברשת האיו

ERIC SCHNEIDERMAN RESIGNS HOURS AFTER FOUR WOMEN ACCUSE HIM OF VIOLENCE

nytimes.l



Newsweek

In a statement to the New Yorker, Schneiderman called his behavior consensual role-playing. “In the privacy of intimate relationships, I have engaged in role-playing and other consensual sexual activity. I have not assaulted anyone," he said. "I have never engaged in non-consensual sex, which is a line I would not cross.”

But the women who spoke to the New Yorker did not see it that way. Another woman, Michelle Manning Barish, also said that Schneiderman habitually hit her after drinking, in bed and without her consent. The article quoted two other women who were not named, describing the same pattern of behavior.

The story was published less than a week after reports that Schneiderman, at the urging of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, will appoint a special deputy to investigate Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr.’s handling of allegations against Harvey Weinstein.

Also last week, Schneiderman was named a “Champion of Choice” by the New York-based National Institute for Reproductive Health. "We are appalled and horrified to learn about the violent behavior ascribed to Eric Schneiderman. This is especially disappointing given his long history of advocacy and action in support of women’s rights," the NIRH said in a statement Monday night. "We believe it is our collective duty to trust women. It takes extraordinary courage to come forward with allegations of this magnitude — we hope they are taken seriously and that justice is served."

Schneiderman has also been a vocal and active anti-Trump attorney general, and his office has repeatedly filed legal challeges to Trump administration activities, from the travel ban to the Environmental Protection Agency. He has also often been regarded as a legal backup to Special Counsel Robert Mueller in case Trump pardons campaign staff, friends or possibly family for federal charges. The president cannot pardon state charges.

After the story was published, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand called for him to resign.

“In the last several hours, serious allegations, which I strongly contest, have been made against me,” Schneiderman said in a statement tonight. “While these allegations are unrelated to my professional conduct or the operations of the office, they will effectively prevent me from leading the office’s work at this critical time. I therefore resign my office, effective at the close of business on May 8, 2018.”

understanding the sins of Gedolim - Rav Tzadok

ר' צדוק הכהן מלובלין - מחשבות חרוץ אות א
המחשבה היא עיקר האדם כידוע, אבל כמה מחשבות אינון כמו שמובא בתיקוני זוהר (סוף תיקון י"ט מ"א ב) עיין שם חשיב ארבע, ובתיקון ס"ט (קט"ו א) איתא בין שלוש לארבע וכמה מחשבין אינון דא לעילא מן דא וכו' ולעילא מכולהו מחשבה סתימא וכו' וכמה מחשבין אינון לבושא דא לדא עיין שם, וידוע דכל מה שלמעלה כן הוא למטה בנפש האדם שהוא כצלמינו כדמותינו, וכל השגות בני אדם הוא בדמות אדם כי מבשרי אחזה אלוה כנודע, וגם במחשבת האדם יש כמה מדריגות ויש עומק ראשית דמחשבה שממנו המשכת כל המחשבות הסתום ונעלם מהאדם וזהו המחשבה סתימא, והלבוש התחתון שהוא התגלות המחשבה בפועל כפי מה שהם ההרהורים והמחשבות העוברים במוח האדם גם זה אינו עיקר המחשבה שהוא החכמה בכל מקום שזהו עיקר האדם כח מה כמו שמובא בתיקון כ"ב (ס"ז א) בגימטריא אדם כנודע והיא המחשבה העושית רושם במוח להתפשט מיד ללב וממנה לכל הגוף, כי אבא ואימא תרין רעין דלא מתפרשין כי מחשבה הנוגעת עד שורש אבא הרומז לחכמה שבמוח כנודע היא מחוברת עם הבינה שבלב שהם כח הרגשת אדם, ומיד הוא מרגישה בלב וגורמין הולדה לכוחות המעשה כענין עין רואה ולב חומד וכלי המעשה גומרים (עיין רש"י במדבר ט"ו, ל"ט) דמצינו ראייה בחכמה כמו שנאמר (קהלת א', ט"ז) ולבי ראה הרבה חכמה:
וגם בזה יש כמה מדריגות והיינו דגם בהרגשה שבלב יש גם כן הרבה מדריגות וגם בה יש הרגשה חיצונית שאינה במעמקי הלב ופנימיותו כלל כי הלב ממנו תוצאות חיים, והרגשה גמורה הוא מה שנוגע לעומק חיותו זהו שורש הבינה שבלב הנמשך מעומק החכמה שבמוח. ומחשבה כזו שעיקר נקודת החיות שבלב נתלה בה זהו עיקר האדם לא שאר מחשבות חיצוניות שהם לבושי המחשבה הפנימיית והעיקריית, וכמעט אין אדם שיהיה נקי לגמרי גם בלבוש החיצוני מהמחשבה שיהיה בלתי לה' לבדו ולא יעלה כל ימיו על מחשבתו רגע אחד הרהור אחר:
וחטא אדם הראשון היה במחשבה כמו שמובא בתיקוני זוהר שם ושם, וזהו הדמיון שהכניס בו הנחש במה שאמר (בראשית ג', ה') והייתם כאלקים וגו' כי זהו שורש של כל המחשבות של תוהו והבלים ודמיונות שבאדם לדמות עצמו שיהיה באיזה מעלה וענין שהוא למעלה ממנו ושאין ראוי לה כל אחד כפי השגתו, ואדם הראשון שהיה בתכלית השלימות על דרך (תהלים פ"ב, ו') אני אמרתי אלקים אתם וגו' הכניס בו דמיון שיהיה ממש כן:
ועל זה הוצרכה תורה להזהיר קדושים תהיו יכול כמוני תלמוד לומר וכו' (ויקרא רבה סוף פרשה כ"ד, ט') כי כשהוא בתכלית המדריגה מקדושה עד שידמה למלאכי השרת הוא בכח הבחירה שבו אין היצר הרע מניחו לעולם כלל ומסיתו שיוכל להתקדש כביכול כמוהו ממש, ומזה יוכל להפילו מאגרא רמה לבירא עמיקתא חס ושלום כמו שקרה להאיש ולשבתי צבי שם רשעים ירקב על ידי ריבוי פרישותם גבר כח הדמיון שבהם לחשוב שיוכלו לדמות לעליון ובא להם על ידי שחשבו עצמם תחילה קדושים, וזהו שורש הסתת הנחש שמתחיל במועט עד וכו' ותחילתו במחשבה ודמיון ובלבוש החיצוני של מחשבה אלא שנוגע לכל מדריגות שבמחשבה כדאיתא שם:
וכל זמן שלא נתקן חטא אדם הראשון לגמרי שיהיה על ידי משיח המקווה במהרה בימינו אין המחשבה נקיה לגמרי עדיין מדמיונות כל אחד כפי מדריגתו, והקדוש בקדושתו יוכל לטעות גם כן בדמיונות שונות שנחשבות למחשבת הבל ותוהו אשר מזה נגרם גם למעשה דאין אדם צדיק בארץ אשר יעשה טוב ולא יחטא, דהצדיק הוא העושה רק טוב אך היצר מתלבש גם בו לדמות לו שהוא טוב והוא חוטא בהטוב כי אינו טוב אלא כפי הדמיון של היצר המתעהו, וזה מצד הדמיונות שבמחשבה אבל כל זה אינו ענין למחשבה שהוא עיקר האדם דזהו החכמה שבמוח שהוא נשמה שנתת בי טהורה כידוע דנפש רוח נשמה הנשמה היא במוח והיא מה' יתברך כמו שנאמר (בראשית ב', ז') ויפח באפיו וגו' מאן דנפח וכו' חלק אלוה על כן היא טהורה: 

ABBAS SAYS EUROPEAN JEWS WERE MASSACRED BECAUSE OF ‘THEIR BEHAVIOR’

jpost


Jews in Europe were massacred for centuries because of their “social behavior related to interest and banks,” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said on Monday.

Abbas made the statement in a speech at the beginning of a meeting of the Palestinian National Council, a top PLO body that is convening in Ramallah this week to elect members to two other PLO institutions.



The comments marked the second time in several months that the 83-year-old Palestinian leader spoke about his take on Jewish and Zionist history. In a speech in January at a meeting of the PLO Central Council, Abbas discussed his perspective on Jewish and Zionist history, arguing Israel is a “colonial project with no relationship to Judaism.”

His comments in January were met with a highly critical response and accusations of antisemitism by Israeli government officials and Jewish organizations and overshadowed other remarks he made about coexistence and nonviolence.

Abbas’s remarks on Monday appear to reflect that the PA president has become less concerned with the ramifications of making comments that Israel and much of the international community likely reject.

“From the 11th century until the Holocaust that took place in Germany, the Jews – who moved to Western and Eastern Europe – were subjected to a massacre every 10 to 15 years. But why did this happen?” Abbas said on Monday, before interjecting, “The Jewish issue that was widespread in all European countries... was not because of their religion, but rather their social behavior related to interest and banks.”

He said his comments were based on the writings of Karl Marx and two other Jewish authors.

Esther Webman, an expert on Arab perspectives of the Holocaust, said Abbas’s remarks on the persecution of Jews are inaccurate.

“[His statement] certainly is not accurate, because Nazism wanted to annihilate Jewish people wherever it is,” she said in a phone call. “An ideology, such as Nazism, that wants to erase all Jews is against Jews. The argument that Jews were killed for their social behavior is nothing more than an excuse that was used to justify the annihilation of Jews.”

During the Holocaust, the Nazis and their collaborators murdered some six million Jews.

Abbas also cited a theory that Ashkenazi Jews do not hail from what is modern-day Israel, but rather Khazaria, an empire that was located between Eastern Europe and the Middle East hundreds of years ago.

“Arthur Koestler, an American-Jewish Zionist, wrote a book about the 13th tribe... Where did you get the 13th from? They invented them. Where? In the Khazar Kingdom. When? In the ninth century,” Abbas said. “This kingdom was not religious and then it became Jewish... It later broke up, and all of its residents moved to Europe. These people are the Ashkenazi Jews. They have no relationship to Semitic culture, Abraham, Jacob and others.”