A Soul-Stirring Holocaust Memorial

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called A Soul-Stirring Holocaust Memorial.

As we recently completed the Jewish high holidays between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, a time of Judgment, and we ask G-d to forgive us, so we are told that we are asked to forgive others. However, can we ever really forgive the magnitude and cruelty of this genocidal crime to the Jewish people? I don’t think that is really humanly possible to forgive the premeditated and scientifically executed, brutal murder of a third of all Jews in the entire world. However, I do thank the artist, Wolfgang Stiller for his sentiments with the Magen David to remember and never forget the Holocaust, and most importantly, to never let it happen again! Finally, my hope is that this artwork memorializing the Holocaust finds a suitable home in perhaps Yad Vashem or other major Holocaust museum or exhibition where people can broadly experience and benefit from the important sentiments conveyed.

(Photo provided by Chic Evolution in Art | Las Olas Blvd)

A Soul-Stirring Holocaust Memorial

True Self Is Helping Others

 

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "True Self is Helping Others."

The Rebbe’s message was that self-improvement was really about helping others! All the changes we commit to around the Jewish New Year and make in ourselves is not really about us, but rather about us being able to develop ourselves in order to “give it all away” to help others. Too often, people think in terms of self-help, self-improvement, where everything is sort of in terms, well, ourselves–my looks, my degrees, my career, my bank account, my family, and so on. However, people should not lose sight that everything that Hashem gives us is really for a higher spiritual purpose, for giving to others or “paying it forward.”

In this vein, we learn Torah not just for the sake of learning, but rather in order to actually do Mitzvot! Rabbi Kaplan explained that the Rebbe would make each and every person feel special and important. Why? Because by building up the individual, each could then go out and build up the world. And this is one of the reasons that I love and respect Chabad so much—from my experience, people like Rabbi Kaplan and Chabad in general, are all about living this life lesson from the Rebbe and giving, giving, and then giving some more in order to really improve the Jewish community globally and by extension the world.

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

True Self Is Helping Others

Ocean Relaxation By Andy Blumenthal

Ocean Relaxation By Andy Blumenthal

Taste Like Nothing

It's hot in the Florida sun, especially at the beach.

So, I was interested in ordering a cup of Thai bubble tea with Boba.

I ask the lady:

What does it taste like?

Lady answers:

The boba [taste] is like nothing!

I ask:

Can you put in a lot of boba?

She says:

Tea sweet, but no more boba.

I ask:

Why?

She tells me:

Because it's nothing.

I try again:

But if it's nothing, why can't you put in some more?

She says:

It's tapioca, but it taste like nothing and I can only put in a handful.

My final try:

Ok, give me some Thai tea with the boba in it.  

Lady:

Are you sure? It tastes like nothing.

Me: 

Yes, yes, yes.  I love boba with nothing taste, just make sure the tea is plenty sweet!   

Like my dear dad used to say: 

The food here is terrible, and on top of it the portions are too small!  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Taste Like Nothing

Chabad Downtown Fort Lauderdale Sukkot Carnival

(Credit Video: Andy Blumenthal)

Chabad Downtown Fort Lauderdale Sukkot Carnival

Turning Nakba to Babka

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called Turning Nabka to Babka. 

The term Nakba, in relation to Israel, was actually was first used in August 1948 by Syrian Professor Constantin Zureiq not to condemn anything Israel did to the Palestinians, but rather is a call for the Arabs themselves whereby:

We must admit our mistakes…and recognize the extent of our responsibility for the disaster that is our lot.

The displacement of the Palestinians and their refugee problem is attributed not primarily to Israel, but rather to the mistakes that the Palestinians and Arabs made themselves! So, while, the Arabs and Palestinians have tried to make Israel into the aggressor and blame them for their troubles, the truth of the matter is that the Palestinians Nakba is to a great extent caused by their own religious intolerance, gross hatred of the Jews, including the desire for their genocide, and that this has led them down a true disastrous path of Middle East recklessness and extremely bad decision making, over and over again.

The goods news is that in more recent times, the Arab nations are thank G-d changing their hostile approach to Israel and instead moving to make peace. Not only Egypt (1979) and Jordan (1993), but in the last year with the Abraham Accords with both the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, as well as with Sudan and Morocco normalizing relations with Israel. Even this morning, I was amazed once again to read an editorial in the Wall Street Journal calling for Iraq to join the Abraham Accords too! Of course, the hope is that more and more Arab countries as well as the Palestinians will choose the path of peace and collaboration with Israel, as Ben-Gurion had originally held out to them in 1948 (it’s never too late). The prophetic vision of swords turning to ploughshares is perhaps today’s turning of the shedding of tears and assigning blame over a perceived Nakba into sitting down together on Sukkot for a nice piece (peace) of chocolate babka!

(Credit Photo: Andrea via Flikr )

Turning Nakba to Babka

Gourds Everywhere

Gourds gourds everywhere. 

Colorful, plentiful, decorative, and some edible.

Pumpkin pie is an example! ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Gourds Everywhere

Two Flutes Are Better Than One

Beautiful architecture on the side of this building. 

Now, I know there are people that can play two flutes at once. 

The real trick would be to be able to play three! ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Two Flutes Are Better Than One

What She Smoking?

Is looks like a cigarette but it has red and blue wires hanging out the front of it. 

So is it a smoke or a ticking time bomb? 

Or maybe she's just trying to look cool.

Nope~Kaboom! ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

What She Smoking?

In Case Of Emergency

In case of emergency...

Break glass and eat chocolate. 

Always keep a large Hershey's Chocolate around just in case! ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

In Case Of Emergency

Happy Days

Wheaton Arts Festival 2021

(Credit Video: Andy Blumenthal)

Happy Days

Unstoppable Fear Meets Immovable Humiliation

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "Unstoppable Fear Meets Immovable Humiliation."

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is really about fear vs. humiliation. The Jews are fearful of the Palestinians and the Palestinians feel humiliated by the Jews. The Jewish people collectively suffer post-traumatic stress and anxiety disorders after millennia of persecution culminating in the Holocaust and multiple Wars in Israel against far greater Arab forces. Further, this has been perpetuated by decades of terrorism and Intifadas that have left the Jews feeling vulnerable in their own land of Israel. The net effect of this Jewish history and of being surrounded by hundreds of millions of Arabs, many resentful and angry, is that Jews are naturally afraid. At the same time, the Palestinians, as part of the greater Arabs, feel humiliated after the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the carving up of their lands by the West and the colonialism and occupation that followed by Britain and France. More recently, the Palestinians feel humiliated by the founding of the State of Israel amidst the multitude of Arab lands of the Middle of East, as well as by the barrier wall and regular checkpoints that protects Israel from terrorist intruders, by the West Bank settlements (and actually by Jews anywhere in Israel), and by general Israeli military control over the territories.

There is hope that in time and with G-d's help, the opposing forces of fear and humiliation will weaken and thereby become less oppositional. At that miraculous time, please G-d in the near future, the factors that prior resulted in a cosmic explosion of war, terror, Jihad, and Intifada will dissipate. Then instead of suicide bombers and terror tunnels and walls and checkpoints, we can have hope for the arrival of a beautiful white dove with an olive branch of peace that knows no bitter boundaries of Jew or Palestinian anymore.

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Unstoppable Fear Meets Immovable Humiliation

Watch Your Feet

Anyone trying to jump this fence had better watch their feet. 

Spikes, ouch! 

Luckily, I don't think they're sharp. 

But they could be.  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Watch Your Feet

Virtual Car Driving Into Garage

On the ramp into the garage is a cute wall mural of a car. 

With the wires, it's look like a plug-in electric vehicle. 

Go ahead, drive it on down.  

Good luck finding a spot. 

Take a ticket and stop to pay at the machine before you head out. 

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Virtual Car Driving Into Garage

That's Such Bull

A bull with large horns, a nose ring, and a pearl necklace. 

How gorgeous honey, simply gorgeous! ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

That's Such Bull

All The Presidents Men

Is the lady in the center going to be the first female president or who will it be?

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

All The Presidents Men

Introducing Nhi

(Credit Video: Andy Blumenthal)

Introducing Nhi

More Daring than a Prison Break

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "More Daring Than A Prison Break."

Unlike the Jews that came as refugees from the horrors of the concentration camps and expelled from a multitude of the Arab nations, the Palestinians have been supported all this time by the Arab League, the United Nations, and the West capitulating to Arab oil dependence and ongoing fight against an encroaching Russia in the Middle East. There is no question that the Palestinians have squandered billions of dollars in aid, spent decades engrossed in terror, maintained unrealistic goals to “have it all,” and passed over many chances for achieving their people’s autonomy. If only their efforts at building tunnels to escape from prison as well as to get into Israel and attack, murder, and kidnap innocents would be channeled instead toward building solid institutions to advance the governing of their people, educating and growing prosperity, and living in freedom and peace, side-by-side with their neighbor, Israel.

While I am sure that there are many good Palestinians who are deserving of autonomy and opportunity, unfortunately, their corrupt leaders and terrorists have been brainwashed by radical Islam and have used the Palestinian people as political pawns leaving many still languishing in refugee camps today. In stark contrast, the Jewish freedom fighters, who also endured incredible hardships, focused their efforts towards their independence, and even those taken prisoner managed to escape again and again until they made their way back to Israel to celebrate the achievement of the independence of their people. Like many things in life, setting the right goal is half the battle, and a goal of life and freedom is a much more compelling vision and driving force than ever hate and terror will be.

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

More Daring than a Prison Break

Georgetown View

Nice view in Georgetown in Washington, D.C. 

Like the stone and red brick, the neat little bridges, and the cool retaining wall. 

Have Pinstripes bowling on side, "Church" beer garden on the other, and across the street is an AMC movie theater and a promenade along the Potomac River. 

On M Street, of course, is all the shopping. Go crazy!  

Lot's of people. Tough to park.  Nice to visit.  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Georgetown View

Upside Down Car

Wow what an accident. 

Car ended up flipping over!

What was really weird was that the advertisement on the side of the car was for a personal injury lawyer. 

Hopefully, the person(s) in the car came out okay and didn't need to call the "hurtline" listed.  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy and Dannielle Blumenthal)

Upside Down Car

Deep In Meditation

Love this image of meditation and 7 chakras (energy centers of the body).

Mindfulness, centered, focused, clarity, connected. 

Also, some nice relaxing meditation music here: 

 (Credit Photo: Youtube)

Deep In Meditation

On a Wink and a Prayer

Thought this mug was perfect for Rosh Hashanah. 

Made me think of:

On a wink and prayer!  

Wink instead of wing. 

A time for divine forgiveness and help.  

G-d should have mercy. ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

On a Wink and a Prayer

The Last Kiss Goodnight

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "The Last Kiss Goodnight."

Certainly, every human being has the desire to live and goes about fighting for life. It’s part of our genetic makeup and our very survival instinct. Yet, we all know that the cycle of life brings us from the beginnings of infancy to growth, the maturity of adulthood, then decline, old age and ultimately death itself. Truly, we all know the end from the very beginning, and with that we can achieve a greater awareness that what’s good in living isn’t the materialism and chasing the next “high,” but rather the ability to choose to do good and to be on a higher spiritual plane.

Life is choice and having control over how we respond to life’s circumstances. Death is simply observing and being. Therefore, even if we merit being in the Divine presence in the afterlife, we still can’t actively help anyone, like those we love, any longer. This is why we want to merit life where we can continue to work on ourselves and help others. Thus, despite all the pain and suffering associated with life, it is more than offset by the opportunity to learn, grow, and transform our very essence in a purification process of our souls.

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

The Last Kiss Goodnight

Shabbat Shalom + Shana Tova

A peaceful, healthy, prosperous, sweet, and happy Shabbat Shalom and Jewish New Year! 

Please G-d let it all be great!  ;-)

(Credit Graphic: Andy Blumenthal)

Shabbat Shalom + Shana Tova

Join U.S. Space Force

War is coming to space. 

Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica here we come.  

We've got to protect our space!  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Join U.S. Space Force

Vase With Tongue Out

Never saw a flower vase with a face and the guys tongue hanging out. 

Very creative, but also a little gross. 

I remember some crazy elders who used to say to put that tongue away or you'll get it cut right off. 

At least the flowers will still remain and grow in the sunlight! ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Vase With Tongue Out