March 10, 2024
The Topsy Turvy World of Baby Killers and Nazis
For Israel, it's as if being barbarically attacked and victimized with the rape and mutilation of women, beheadings and burnings of babies, and murders and abductions of young and old aren't enough. But then to suffer the grotesque turning of reality on its head by having the perpetrators of these crimes call you out as the aggressor is beyond imagination.
As we approach the Jewish holiday of Purim, we have to maintain our ultimate faith in the Almighty that those corrupt evildoers who seek our destruction "by any means necessary" will ultimately themselves face justice like the evil Haman (perhaps the forefather of Hamas).
(AI generated Image from Designer)
January 26, 2024
June 25, 2023
Putin: Will He Stay or Go?
Putin: Will He Stay or Go?
November 16, 2022
From Outrage to Action on Anti-Semitism
What is striking to me is that when it comes to hate against the Jews as opposed to hate against other groups, we continually see that “their” rights are immediately supported, while we have to prove that it’s really hate.Hopefully, our community leaders, police, FBI, and Homeland Security are paying close attention and will take appropriate preventive action so that we can avoid another incident like the shooting just four years ago at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. We need more intelligence, surveillance, officers, patrols, data-driven policing, self-defense and emergency medical training, synagogue protection, community outreach, beefed-up reporting systems, and tougher penalties to start with. We can’t expect the people who hate to stop, but we do need to keep raising the bar on how to keep our communities safe and stop hate crimes.
(Credit Photo: Laura Rosenberg Hosid)
From Outrage to Action on Anti-Semitism
November 6, 2022
Monsters and Humans
Ultimately, the litmus test is whether there is a human in that being. If there is that spark of G-d, that soul, that inner conscience weighing right and wrong, that fear and love of G-d and his creations driving decision-making, then there is still hope for that person as well as for mankind.However, if we are dealing with those who are sadistic animals in human form, then we must be as soldiers of Hashem, taking a firm stand and decisive action, because true evil does not remain dormant for long.
(Source Photo: Aneesh Ans; https://www.pexels.com/photo/painted-face-of-person-portrait-photo-1211966/)
Monsters and Humans
September 24, 2022
The Hypocrisy of False Repentance
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
The Hypocrisy of False Repentance
August 19, 2022
From Judaism with love
Civilizations’ notion of a perfect world comes not from classical Greek and Roman society — where art, architecture, beauty, government, philosophy, and empirical science emanated — but rather directly through Judaism (i.e., from Hashem).One one hand, you have Greece and Rome with polytheism and paganism, where gods are in the image of man, beauty is holy, and morality is subjective and malleable. On the other hand, we have Judaism’s clear declaration of monotheism (with one omnipotent, benevolent, eternal, and invisible G-d), where man was created in the image of G-d, the holy is beautiful, and morality is objective and unchangeable. At the end of the day, there is no contest: G-d’s Torah, as transmitted through the Jewish people, is the absolute and enduring “light unto the nations” towards the perfect world.
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
From Judaism with love
July 12, 2022
Just One Jewish Nation
Every religion has their homeland(s).
Why can't the Jewish people?
(Source Photo: Facebook)Just One Jewish Nation
June 4, 2022
Testing Our Faith
In short, I think it’s healthy for us as human beings to ask questions, even the most difficult questions of why. We need to make sense of our world and the context in which we live. Questions like: Why do good people at times experience horrible loss and suffering? Why do atheists and sinners often seem to excel and succeed (my wife says, perhaps they sold their soul to the devil!)?While asking why to search for G-d and try to understand His ways is human, at the same time, we as mere mortal human beings can not ever fully know G-d’s ways or His plan for us. In short, Mendel, the Chabad rabbi, said today, don’t get fixated on the why. Instead focus on what you can do to make the world better. Actions speak louder than words.
Testing Our Faith
May 15, 2022
The Tragic Comedy of the “Anti-Zionist Synagogue”
Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "The Tragic Comedy of the 'Anti-Zionist Synagogue'."
"…the creation of an ethnic Jewish nation state in historic Palestine resulted in an injustice against the Palestinian people, an injustice that continues to this day."
However, the facts do not match the rhetoric. Anti-Zionism, regardless of the source is ultimately about Jew hatred.
The Tragic Comedy of the “Anti-Zionist Synagogue”
March 10, 2022
Stand Up!
All the greedy and corrupt power players at the table with their fancy suits, money, gold, and properties around the globe.
And their game is sustained up on the bent backs of the simple people with nothing (not even clothing).
But a Seeing Eye (and a Hearing Ear) in Heaven is watching the evil perpetrated.
Eventually, faith tells us that the game will be over and the simple hard-working people will be fully restored and the corrupt will suffer their just desserts. ;-)
(Source Photo: Facebook)
Stand Up!
February 1, 2022
Drain The Swamp
What happened with that?
It often still seems pretty dirty, dark, dank and swampy!
We need real democracy, freedom, human rights, and justice for all people. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Drain The Swamp
December 5, 2021
November 20, 2021
When Hypocrisy Leads To Abuse
As many of you, I have been following the news about sexual abuse allegations against Rabbi Chaim Walder and have been horrified and disgusted that this renowned ultra-orthodox Children’s book author and therapist is now accused of abusing the same. Like community Rabbis (e.g. Rabbi Barry Freundel) or Jewish educators (e.g. Stanley Rosenfeld), this phenomenon of using a privileged position to take advantage of women and children is certainly, by this time, not new and remains a stain on the Jewish community, no different than that of the Catholic Church or the Boy Scouts for the abuse by its priest and leaders on those that trusted them and the religious values and ideals they represent.
Truly, these horrible acts of hurting, abusing, and scarring for life women and children (including boys) are regrettably all around us, whether with domestic violence, rape, sexual abuse, and human trafficking. But fortunately now they are at least “out of the closet” where rather than have the community deny the possibility that such evil exists or even circle the wagons to wholly protect the perpetrators (before fully investigating the facts), we now have greater recognition and are working towards accountability of these wrongs, and hopefully, far greater protection for people in the future.
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
When Hypocrisy Leads To Abuse
April 25, 2021
Justice for Sarah Halimi
Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called, "Justice for Sarah Halimi."
The case of the Sarah Halimi is yet another example of the anti-Semitism taking deep root in France, where rather than ensuring Justice for her barbaric murder, a second French court has now absurdly affirmed a lower-court ruling that the alleged perpetrator Traore cannot be held criminally responsible simply because he was on marijuana! Incredibly, these French justices ruled in this completely nonsensical way even as cannabis is being ruled legal for medicinal and even recreational purposes in more and more countries around the world.It is inconceivable that a modern, western nation as France (part of the EU, NATO, the UN, etc.) would allow violent, racist, hate-mongers, and murders completely off the hook simply because they were high on some cannabis or for any other lame excuse like that. This is not rational. It is not human or civilized. And it is certainly not justice. Jewish blood is not cheap and Kolibi Traore cannot be allowed to go free. France needs to make this right because Sarah Halimi, a citizen of France, was butchered there because she was a Jew, and letting radical Islamists commit violence and terror like this is a danger not just to the French, but to everybody.
Justice for Sarah Halimi
February 13, 2021
A Reason For Everything
Reincarnation actually makes so much sense, especially when you see that G-d can and does bring people back to the world when they still have life lessons to learn and growth to be achieved. It’s part of our preparation and our soul’s purification process to go back to Hashem.Obviously, we are not G-d, and don’t have the time and event perspective of Hashem who was, is, and will be. However, if we understand that G-d has a plan, everything is connected, and there is a reason for everything, then we can go through life inspired to do the right thing ourselves even when we are challenged by our circumstances.
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
A Reason For Everything
November 10, 2020
Can Anyone Say Election Fraud?
- Vote rigging.
- Dumping of valid ballots.
- Counting invalid late ballots.
- Changing the postmark of ballots.
- Preparing phony ballots.
- Accepting unsigned ballots.
- Voters who voted multiple times.
- "Software glitches" switching votes
If this isn't considered fraud, then why are we even bothering to hold an election in the first place?
And moreover, why do we pretend that we're a democracy? ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Can Anyone Say Election Fraud?
August 24, 2020
90-10 Charity Rule
In Genesis 14:20:
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
In Genesis 28:22
[Jacob says] And in all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.
In Leviticus 27:30:
A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the L-rd, it is holy to the L-rd.
In general, G-d lets you keep 90% and he commands that you give 10% to charity.
I understand that some righteous people even give 20% of their income to charity.
I learned from Rabbi Yaron Reuven that:
For those that are miserly and not charitable and don't tithe, G-d reverses the equation, and He takes back the 90% and lets you keep the 10%.
Very ingenious and where the punishment fits "the crime" so to say.
So what do you want the 90% or the 10%--it's your choice to give or have it given for you! ;-)
(Credit Graphic: Andy Blumenthal)
90-10 Charity Rule
May 30, 2020
A Neck Is Not Something To Step On
Justice for George Floyd!
Murder is murder.
While I greatly respect and admire our law enforcement for the difficult jobs that they have, police brutality and racism is not something that can be tolerated.
Our law enforcement is better than that!
Hold the responsible officers accountable, but also bring peace and civility back to our cities and streets. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
A Neck Is Not Something To Step On
April 13, 2020
Three Sides (At Least) To Every Story
There are at least three sides to every story:
Yours
Mine
And the truth
Everyone sees the world through their personal filter.
And they present their side of things in a distorted way to make themselves look right and righteous.
Calls it what you will: a slant, bias, twist, falsification, or a distortion or perversion of the truth.
Sure, sometimes one person is right and the other is clearly wrong.
But more often than not, there are elements of truth and of lies in each person's story to greater and lessor degrees.
Hence, the truth often is it's own entity and exists independent of those presenting it.
It's not a bad mission to seek out and promote the truth in this world of many falsehoods. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Three Sides (At Least) To Every Story