(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
February 11, 2022
Beautiful Shabbat Flowers
February 10, 2022
Oriental Glass Sculpture
February 9, 2022
Red Fish Blue Fish
February 8, 2022
Don't Be Chicken
February 7, 2022
Farmer Folk
February 5, 2022
Synagogue Politics
Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "Synagogue Politics."
Clearly, the mobile sanctuary and later the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and now our synagogues are “Houses of G-d,” where we go to pray, learn Torah, and worship Him, and where He resides among us. Sure, G-d is everywhere, but the synagogue/Temple is a unique, special, and spiritual place where we as community dedicate ourselves to G-d and worship Him. It should go without saying that the synagogue is not a place for petty politics, protests, or other antics.
As Jews, we are supposed to make a “Kiddush Hashem” (sanctification of G-d’s name) and not Chillul Hashem (desecration of G-d), and so my hope and prayer is that people in this synagogue and in every synagogue, can “let go” and instead “let G-d.”
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal, Image for Illustration Only)
February 4, 2022
Stop The Excuses
As they say, "adapt or die."
Of course, you can change when you stop:
- Procrastinating
- Being lazy
- Accepting the status quo
- Making excuses
Take control of your life: change yourself before life bites back at you (and maybe hard).
We've got to slay our own demons not only outside, but inside. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
February 3, 2022
"Whoopee" Goldberg Is Full Of It
Goldberg had the stupidity and audacity to bellow that the Holocaust was "not about race," after Hitler systematically murdered six million Jewish men, woman, and children just because they were Jews, which he believed was an inferior race to the Aryan nation.
"Hitler promoted a racial ideology that identified Whites (he called 'Aryans') as superior and everyone else as inferior. Since Jews in Europe were considered White he classified them as a different race – a race of people that he said was not only inferior but 'dangerous' and needed to be destroyed." - Museum of Tolerance
Instead of Goldberg being completely ashamed of herself for her racist, anti-Semitic remarks desecrating the memories of millions of innocent people genocidally murdered, the narcissistic Goldberg is angry that she got suspended for a measly two weeks.
Whoopi Goldberg is a disgrace and has-been, and should not only be wholly condemned, but fired and put into the trash-bin of Hollywood history! ;-)
(Credit Photo: Adapted by Andy Blumenthal from Sandra Fauconnier via Flickr)
February 2, 2022
Royal Tibetan Teapot
February 1, 2022
Drain The Swamp
January 31, 2022
Nike Polka Dots
January 30, 2022
People of Ukraine
It hit me today — with all the news about Russia preparing to invade Ukraine and devastate its people, unprovoked, there is nobody talking about the people of Ukraine.
Our leaders and news media are so misguided and focused on the geopolitics of the thing, all they talk about is what the U.S. and EU will do in terms of some measly sanctions.
But they have completely forgotten the innocent people there — 44 million of them — who face death and occupation.
Where is our leadership????
Where are the speeches about the innocent people? About freedom? About democracy? About human rights?
Where is the United Nations????
They are supposed to safeguard and maintain peace and security around the globe.
Where are the outspoken liberals who call out occupation, apartheid, and human rights abuses????
Not a word from anyone.
It’s incredible how prejudiced, biased, discriminatory and corrupt all these people can be. They can be brainwashed, bribed, and bought to speak out for those when it will somehow fit their agenda or benefit them!
But when the Russian or Chinese powerful aggressors are at the doorstep of Ukraine or Hong Kong/Taiwan — where is anybody to speak out?
Last night, I imagined the people of Ukraine sitting in fear, in worry about what will happen to them, their families, their homes.
Do the world leaders care anything about the lives of real people — men, women, and children — or only about how any conflict makes them look, and how they are polling, and the next election?
Morality and conscience — is it on life support or dead in this narcissist world of the powerful and elite. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
January 29, 2022
Goading The Bull In Ukraine
We need decisiveness, determination, not whining…no agreement will stop them. If you want to shoot, shoot, don’t talk.
These days, there is a similar situation with Russia and the U.S.’s threats over Ukraine: too much senseless political bantering and ultimatums that is only ratcheting up tension in the world. The result is that Russia’s ominous military machine including 100,000 troops have surrounded Ukraine (the 2nd largest country in Europe) on three sides and are poised to attack, yet there is a ridiculous song and dance being played out on the world stage In the end, the question is whose strategy will prove to be the winning one: Russia’s daunting finger on the trigger or even an actual devastating invasion of resource-rich Ukraine to try and safeguard their flank on Eastern Europe or the U.S. gambling that Russia will get mired in a no-win Afghan-like military foray that will bankrupt them financially and morally. As we await the answer to this, the world is learning to disregard and disrespect those that talk bull and goad the bull rather than decisively confronting the threat. We can’t afford the consequences to world peace and stability.
(Source Photo: https://pixabay.com/photos/trimmers-torero-bullfighters-sales-2314770/)
January 28, 2022
January 27, 2022
Fashion Hot and Cold
January 26, 2022
Mini Noah's Ark
January 25, 2022
iPhone Generation
Friends are all sitting on the boat together.
One is even getting married, a bride-to-be.
Sky is clear and water is blue.
Yet not one person is looking up from their screen.
Apparently the virtual world is so much more intriguing.
Soon everyone will be lost in the Metaverse.
The real world left to become a cesspool that perhaps no one cares much about anymore.
Is this really what we call progress?
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
January 24, 2022
Artist Expression x5
January 23, 2022
Not Terror But Hugs
While standing up for the Torah to be brought back to the ark, a little boy comes up to me and just gives me a big hug. I learned afterwards that the boy “makes the rounds” in shul giving everyone a beautiful Shabbat embrace. This simple symbolic act of caring and loving others, mainly many older people in synagogue, by this innocent child gave people an uncommon sense of happiness and even hope in our future despite the anti-Semitism and hate of too many others outside.The love of G-d is our secret for life and for our perseverance throughout history. G-d loves us as His children, but also punishes us as His children. As children, we are always learning and growing, but as adults we have to act in a way of righteousness and holiness, so that we will merit the former, and not the latter. With G-d's mercy and blessings, hopefully, we will have peace in our synagogues and our lives, wherever we reside in the world, to worship and live as Jewish people free of bigotry, hate, and terror, once and for all.
January 21, 2022
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