Obama - lead slipping

Fox news reports:

As the candidates make their closing arguments before the election, therace has tightened with Barack Obama now leading John McCain by 47percent to 44 percent among likely voters, according to a FOX News pollreleased Thursday. Last week Obama led by 49-40 percent among likelyvoters.

Child Abuse - Tzemach Tzedek/a Chabad view

There has been much puzzlement concerning the teshuva of the Tzemach Tzedak that I posted recently. A clear act of sexual abuse was dismissed based on an amasla which simply isn't convincing. Various suggestions have been offered such as 1) child abuse was unknown in the 1800's and in that context the amasla made sense 2) TT was viewing it as a normal person

I just spoke with a Chabad rav [who does not want his name revealed] - one who is intimately knowledgeable with Chabad chassidus. He offered the following which he said I could post "in the name of a Lubavitcher rav".

"You have to understand that it was Purim. During Purim a person's fantasies and thoughts which he keeps in check the whole year get released. There are many homosexual pedophiles out there who don't act on their desires. This rav expressed his repressed sexual desires. The question the Tzemach Tzedak faced was how to respond to this clear breach of halacha by someone who was a major talmid chacham. The major consideration was whether this was a one time event because of Purim or whether he represented a danger in the future. As a **Rebbe** the Tzemach Tzedek knew that this was a one time aberration and it would not happen again. Therefore the amasla is acceptable as representing his repressed fantasies that were temporarily released by Purim. Only a Rebbe could make such an evaluation. Without this explanation that it was as a Rebbe that the Tzemach Tzedek poskened - the teshuva makes no sense."

Child Abuse - Dov Hikind's progress

Jewish Star reports: Issue of Oct. 31, 2008 / 2 Cheshvan 5769

Assemblyman Dov Hikind says he has selected a new leader for his task force to combat sexual abuse in the orthodox Jewish community.While Hikind said the name would only be available later this week, he elaborated that the new leader’s responsibilities will consist of gathering and organizing the information about sexual abuse that Hikind intends to present to the national Rabbinical leaders.

The new leader’s role seems different from that of Rabbi BentzionTwerski, the task force’s high profile initial leader, who resigned after a week because of family pressure.

On his radio program last Saturday night, Hikind gave a deadline of January for the end of “Phase 1” of his campaign, which consists of creating a dossier of information about sexual abuse in the OrthodoxJewish community, in particular the Chareidi community, culled from interviews with abuse victims, therapists and even accused pedophiles.Hikind is convinced that once he presents the information to the Rabbinical leadership, they will act.

“People are skeptical about the Rabbis,” Hikind said. “I prefer not to believe that, but we’ll find out soon enough. I’m committed to this.The more I listen, [the more] I can’t imagine anyone not being committed.”

Hikind intends to create multi-faceted approach to the sexual abuse problem including prevention aspects for schools and parents as well as the creation of a network so other schools would know when a teacher was fired for sexual misconduct.

Hikind said that he spoke to the Agudath Israel of America, to take up the issue, but was declined. Rabbi David Zweibel, Agudath Israel’s Executive Vice President for Government and Public Affairs, said thatthe characterization was not correct, but did confirm a preliminary discussion with Hikind.

Hikind also stressed that his office has been covertly dealing with the sexual abuse problem, by meeting with accused pedophiles and getting them into therapy.

“I have one pedophile that calls me every single day to say ‘am I okay?’ ‘Have you heard anything?’” Hikind said

The issue of sexual abuse has always been a difficult topic in the Chassidic community. High social pressure to conform, social stigmatization and a fear of secular authorities has made identifying and stopping sexual abuse difficult. While all information about sexual abuse in the Orthodox community is anecdotal, Hikind called the issue“a disaster”.Hikind also said that nearly everyone who comes to his office is not willing to press charges. [...]

Obama - "Tell me what is right - I'll sell it!"

Fox News reports:

Barack Obama cultivated the image of a cool and collected leader during the height of the economic crisis last month, when lawmakers on Capitol Hill scrambled to draft a workable bailout package after a meltdown on Wall Street. And when John McCain suspended his campaign to dive head first into the fray, Obama's campaign accused the Republican of being "unsteady."But to hear Bill Clinton tell it, the Democratic nominee didn't quite have a handle on the situation himself.

"I haven't cleared this with him and he may even be mad at me for saying this so close to the election, but I know what else he said to his economic advisers (during the crisis)," Clinton told the crowd at a Wednesday night rally with Obama in Florida. "He said, 'Tell me what the right thing to do is. What's the right thing for America? Don't tell me what's popular. You tell me what's right -- I'll figure out how to sell it.'" Clinton said when the crisis broke, Obama called his own advisers as well as those of the former two-term president, Hillary Clinton, Warren Buffet and others. "He called those people. You know why? Because he knew it was complicated and before he said anything he wanted to understand," Clinton said."That's what a president does in a crisis."

The seeming praise may come off as a backhanded compliment, especially since Obama repeatedly accuses McCain of admitting he doesn't know much about the economy. McCain's campaign said Clinton's remark shows Obama was uncertain when Wall Street seemed to be on the verge of crumbling. "Barack Obama had no idea what the right thing to do is or at least that's Bill Clinton's impression," McCain spokesman Michael Goldfarb said.

"It's disturbing that ... Barack Obama's response to this is 'Tell me what to do and I will sell it,'" Goldfarb added. "That's been Barack Obama's entire campaign -- is one big sales job."

Oldest Hebrew inscription found?

Haaretz reported:
An Israeli archaeologist digging at a hilltop south of Jerusalem believes a ceramic shard found in the ruins of an ancient town bears the oldest Hebrew inscription ever discovered, a find that could provide an important glimpse into the culture and language of the Holy Land at the time of the Bible.

The five lines of faded characters written 3,000 years ago, and the ruins of the fortified settlement where they were found, are indications that a powerful Israelite kingdom existed at the time of the Old Testament's King David, says Yossi Garfinkel, the Hebrew University archaeologist in charge of the new dig at Hirbet Qeiyafa.

Other scholars are hesitant to embrace Garfinkel's interpretation of the finds, made public on Thursday. The discoveries are already being wielded in a vigorous and ongoing argument over whether the Bible's account of events and geography is meant to be taken literally.

Hirbet Qeiyafa sits near the city of Beit Shemesh in the Judean foothills, an area that was once the frontier between the hill-dwelling Israelites and their enemies, the coastal Philistines. The site overlooks the Elah Valley, said to be the scene of the slingshot showdown between David and the Philistine giant Goliath, and lies near the ruins of Goliath's hometown in the Philistine metropolis of Gath.

A teenage volunteer found the curved pottery shard, 15 centimeters by 15 centimeters, in July near the stairs and stone washtub of an excavated home. It was later discovered to bear five lines of characters known as proto-Canaanite, a precursor of the Hebrew alphabet.

Carbon-14 analysis of burnt olive pits found in the same layer of the site dated them to between 1,000 and 975 B.C., the same time as the Biblical golden age of David's rule in Jerusalem.

Scholars have identified other, smaller Hebrew fragments from the 10th century B.C., but the script, which Garfinkel suggests might be part of a letter,
predates the next significant Hebrew inscription by between 100 and 200 years. History's best-known Hebrew texts, the Dead Sea scrolls, were penned on parchment beginning 850 years later.[...]

Child abuse - Historical Background

In dealling with the issue of child abuse it is important to understand that society wasn't always concerned about the welfare of children. The following indicates that child rights were derivative of animals rights. It would seem that there was a major change in society in the 1800's regarding not just the abolition of slavery but also concerns for the welfare of animals and then children. There seems to be a parallel in the Jewish worlds also as the first two teshuvos dealing with abuse are both from the mid 1800's.

American Humane society - Protecting Children & Animals since 1877

Mary Ellen Wilson

How One Girl's Plight Started the Child-Protection Movement

The sufferings of the little girl, Mary Ellen, led to the founding of the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, the first organization of its kind, in 1874. In 1877, the New York SPCC and several Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals from throughout the country joined together to form the American Humane Association.

Mary Ellen’s story marked the beginning of a world-wide crusade to save children. Over the years, in the re-telling of Mary Ellen Wilson’s story, myth has often been confused with fact. Some of the inaccuracies stem from colorful but erroneous journalism, others from simple misunderstanding of the facts, and still others from the complex history of the child protection movement in the United States and Great Britain and its link to the animal welfare movement. While it is true that Henry Bergh, president of the American Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), was instrumental in ensuring Mary Ellen’s removal from an abusive home, it is not true that her attorney—who also worked for the ASPCA—argued that she deserved help because she was “a member of the animal kingdom.”

The real story—which can be pieced together from court documents, newspaper articles, and personal accounts—is quite compelling, and it illustrates the impact that a caring and committed individual can have on the life of a child.

Mary Ellen Wilson was born in 1864 to Francis and Thomas Wilson of New York City. Soon thereafter, Thomas died, and his widow took a job. No longer able to stay at home and care for her infant daughter, Francis boarded Mary Ellen (a common practice at the time) with a woman named Mary Score. As Francis’s economic situation deteriorated, she slipped further into poverty, falling behind in payments for and missing visits with her daughter. As a result, Mary Score turned two-year-old Mary Ellen over to the city’s Department of Charities.

The Department made a decision that would have grave consequences for little Mary Ellen; it placed her illegally, without proper documentation of the relationship, and with inadequate oversight in the home of Mary and Thomas McCormack, who claimed to be the child’s biological father. In an eerie repetition of events, Thomas died shortly thereafter. His widow married Francis Connolly, and the new family moved to a tenement on West 41st Street.

Mary McCormack Connolly badly mistreated Mary Ellen, and neighbors in the apartment building were aware of the child’s plight. The Connollys soon moved to another tenement, but in 1874, one of their original neighbors asked Etta Angell Wheeler, a caring Methodist mission worker who visited the impoverished residents of the tenements regularly, to check on the child. At the new address, Etta encountered a chronically ill and homebound tenant, Mary Smitt, who confirmed that she often heard the cries of a child across the hall. Under the pretext of asking for help for Mrs. Smitt, Etta Wheeler introduced herself to Mary Connolly. She saw Mary Ellen’s condition for herself. The 10-year-old appeared dirty and thin, was dressed in threadbare clothing, and had bruises and scars along her bare arms and legs. Ms. Wheeler began to explore how to seek legal redress and protection for Mary Ellen. Click here to read Etta Wheeler’s account of Mary Ellen.

At that time, some jurisdictions in the United States had laws that prohibited excessive physical discipline of children. New York, in fact, had a law that permitted the state to remove children who were neglected by their caregivers. Based on their interpretation of the laws and Mary Ellen’s circumstances, however, New York City authorities were reluctant to intervene. Etta Wheeler continued her efforts to rescue Mary Ellen and, after much deliberation, turned to Henry Bergh, a leader of the animal humane movement in the United States and founder of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). It was Ms. Wheeler’s niece who convinced her to contact Mr. Bergh by stating, “You are so troubled over that abused child, why not go to Mr. Bergh? She is a little animal surely” (p. 3 Wheeler in Watkins, 1990).[...]

High Court - rightists' rally in Arab city permitted

YNet reports:

The High Court of Justice on Wednesday ruled in favor of extreme right-wingers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Baruch Marzel's petition to hold a rally in the Arab city of Umm al-Fahm.

According to the ruling, the procession will take place some time after the municipal elections, scheduled for November 11.

Police said it would allow the rightists to march providing that they refrain from entering center of the Arab-Israeli city. The Shin Bit recommended that the rally be called off altogether for fear of Jewish-Arab clashes in Umm al-Fahm and other cities across Israel.

Ben-Gvir said prior to the hearing "we must not surrender to threats of terror and violence, and just as thousands of police officers were deployed to secure the gay parade (in Jerusalem), it should be the same in this case as well.

During the hearing Justice Edmond Levy asked the prosecution to "keep in mind that Umm al-Fahm is under Israel's jurisdiction."

Following the hearing Ben-Gvir told Ynet, "We are very pleased. In its ruling the court stated very clearly that rightists are entitled to the same rights the Leftists enjoy.

Palestinians are really Jews!

Haaretz reports:
Four Palestinians from the Hebron Hills contacted a group of rabbis on Tuesday and claimed to be the descendents of Jews who were forced to convert to Islam.

The Palestinians were accompanied by Zvi Mesini, a researcher who wrote a book on the subject and assisted them in learning more about Judaism. According to the Palestinians, their families had removed mezuzahs from their doors in order to avoid harassment by their neighbors.

One of the Palestinians said he kept a tefillin he received from his father's uncle and another told the rabbis that his family had once secretly lit candles on the Sabbath and for Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights.

Mesini told the rabbis, members of a group called the New Sanhedrin, that he believes hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are descended from Jews.

"Such evidence renders the conflict redundant," Mesini said. "It proves that Judea and Samaria belongs to both the recognized Jews and the unrecognized Jews."

Mesini accused authorities of being indifferent to his findings.

The New Sanhedrin is known as a right-wing organization that claims to be the rightful successors of the supreme Jewish court of antiquity. Its goal is to create a state based upon Jewish law that will replace the current State of Israel.

Obama - Broke his promise

CNN - Campbell Brown said:

You may have heard that Wednesday night Barack Obamawill be on five different TV networks speaking directly to the Americanpeople. He bought 30 minutes of airtime from the differentnetworks, a very expensive purchase. But hey, he can afford it. BarackObama is loaded, way more loaded than John McCain, way more loaded thanany presidential candidate has ever been at this stage of the campaign. Justto throw a number out: He has raised well over $600 million since thestart of his campaign, close to what George Bush and John Kerry raisedcombined in 2004. Without question, Obama has set the bar at newheight with a truly staggering sum of cash. And that is why as weapproach this November, it is worth reminding ourselves what BarackObama said last November.

One year ago, he made a promise. Hepledged to accept public financing and to work with the Republicannominee to ensure that they both operated within those limits.Then it became clear to Sen. Obamaand his campaign that he was going to be able to raise on his own farmore cash than he would get with public financing. So Obama went backon his word.

He broke his promise and he explained it by arguingthat the system is broken and that Republicans know how to work thesystem to their advantage. He argued he would need all that cash tofight the ruthless attacks of 527s, those independent groups like theSwift Boat Veterans. It's funny though, those attacks never reallymaterialized.[...]

The courageous among Obama's ownsupporters concede this decision was really made for one reason, simplybecause it was to Obama's financial advantage. On this issuetoday, former Sen. Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, an Obama supporter, writesin The New York Post, "a hypocrite is a person who puts on a falseappearance of virtue -- who acts in contradiction to his or her statedbeliefs or feelings. And that, it seems to me, is what we are doingnow."

For this last week, Sen. Obama will be rolling in dough.His commercials, his get-out-the-vote effort will, as the pundits havesaid, dwarf the McCain campaign's final push. But in fairness, you haveto admit, he is getting there in part on a broken promise.

Obama - Stance on Iran "utterly immature"

Haaretz reprots:
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is very critical of U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama's positions on Iran, according to reports that have reached Israel's government.

Sarkozy has made his criticisms only in closed forums in France. But according to a senior Israeli government source, the reports reaching Israel indicate that Sarkozy views the Democratic candidate's stance on Iran as "utterly immature" and comprised of "formulations empty of all content."

Obama visited Paris in July, and the Iranian issue was at the heart of his meeting with Sarkozy. At a joint press conference afterward, Obama urged Iran to accept the West's proposal on its nuclear program, saying that Iran was creating a serious situation that endangered both Israel and the West.

According to the reports reaching Israel, Sarkozy told Obama at that meeting that if the new American president elected in November changed his country's policy toward Iran, that would be "very problematic."

Until now, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany have tried to maintain a united front on Iran. But according to the senior Israeli source, Sarkozy fears that Obama might "arrogantly" ignore the other members of this front and open a direct dialogue with Iran without preconditions.

Following their July meeting, Sarkozy repeatedly expressed disappointment with Obama's positions on Iran, concluding that they were "not crystallized, and therefore many issues remain open," the Israeli source said. Advisors to the French president who held separate meetings with Obama's advisors came away with similar impressions and expressed similar disappointment. [...]

King Solomon's mines found? Bible & History

Newsweek reports:

King Solomon, who assumed the throne of the kingdom of Israel after the death of his father King David, was renowned for his great wealth no less than for his great wisdom. But as always with the Bible, scholars have a field day arguing over the account’s historical accuracy. On one count, at least—the story of King Solomon’s mines—archaeologists think they have evidence that the story was more than a legend.

An excavation led by Thomas Levy of the University of California, San Diego, and Mohammad Najjar of Jordan’s Friends of Archaeology has unearthed what they identify as an ancient center for copper production at Khirbat en-Nahas. Located in the lowlands of a desolate, arid region south of the Dead Sea in what was once the Kingdom of Edom, which the Old Testament describes as a foe of Israel, it is now the Faynan district of Jordan. As they are reporting in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, radiocarbon analysis dates the site as from the 10th century BCE, when David and Solomon would have ruled and about 300 years earlier than scholars thought. It is by no means certain that Solomon (or David) controlled the mines, but at least the dates now match.

Earlier work by Levy and Najjar, The New York Times reported in 2006, “len[t] credence to biblical accounts of the rivalry between Edom and the Israelites in what was then known as Judah. . . . [T]his supported the tradition that Judah itself had by the time of David and Solomon, in the early 10th century, emerged as a kingdom with ambition and the means of fighting off the Edomites.” [...]