Yom Yerushalayim

Today is the 28th day of the Month of Iyar in the Hebrew calendar.  It is Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day, which commemorates the reunification of the Holy City of Jerusalem in 1967.  The Holy City came back into Jewish hands for the first time in nearly 2000 years.

My wife and I spent Shabbat with some friends in the City and saw some of the festivities last night.  My wife got out before the worst of the traffic and came home so that she could go to work today.  I stayed because I had a meeting scheduled in the Holy City today.  I'm done with that gig but am still here, waiting to meet my son for dinner.

The world cannot hack it when the Holy City of Jerusalem is in Jewish hands.  UNESCO is now trying to deny the Holy City's Jewish past, and would prefer to destroy it than to allow it to remain in Jewish hands.

UNESCO is not in charge.  Obama is not in charge.  The EU is not in charge.  G-d is in charge, running things.  The Holy City will remain in Jewish hands if G-d wants it to (and I do believe that He does). 

אִם אֶשְׁכָּחֵךְ יְרוּשָׁלִָם תִּשְׁכַּח יְמִינִי
תִּדְבַּק לְשׁוֹנִי לְחִכִּי אִם לֹא אֶזְכְּרֵכִי,
אִם לֹא אַעֲלֶה אֶת יְרוּשָׁלִַם עַל רֹאשׁ שִׂמְחָתִי

"I forget thee, O Jerusalem,
Let my right hand forget her cunning.
Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth,
If I remember thee not;
If I set not Jerusalem
above my chiefest joy.

  -- Psalm 137

THIS Year in Jerusalem

Posting on this Blog from 14 April 2015:  "And while our planned residence is not in direct proximity to the Holy City of Jerusalem, there is a good chance that one or more of our friends there will invite us for the Passover Seder next year.  If so, then the aspiration of Next Year in Jerusalem will become a reality for us."

I am pleased, and most grateful, to report that such seems now to be in the making.  Some old friends of my wife's family, who came to Israel almost 30 years ago, have invited us to stay with them for the first day (which begins at sundown the night before of Pesach (it is celebrated only one day inside the Land of Israel, but that's a whole separate ball of wax).  They live in the Holy City of Jerusalem.

We obviously are looking forward to it.

As mentioned in the posting from last year, "Next Year in Jerusalem" are the concluding words of the Passover Seder meal  ("L'Shana HaBa'a B'Yerushalayim" in Hebrew). 

We will still say "L'Shana HaBa'a B'Yerushalayim" on behalf of those who have yet to physically present themselves in the Holy City of Jerusalem this year, but for us it will be This Year in Jerusalem.

"HaShana HaZot B'Yerushalayim."

Though our seder invite spares me and (mostly) my wife from lots of holiday preparations, there still is much to be done for the entire holiday, inasmuch as the other days we plan to be based out of our apartment, and need to remove all the fermented grain from the premises (including, but not limited to, bread, beer, and whiskey).  Aside from such matters, this week promises to be quite busy, what with some scheduled meetings in Tel Aviv, plus at least one locally in my own town.

In case I don't get around to posting before, we wish everyone a Happy and Kosher Passover, including the obligatory "L'Shana HaBa'a B'Yerushalayim"

לשנה הבאה בירושלים

Our Pesach Seders, 5773

I would say that our Passover Seders this year were uneventful, EXCEPT ...

Except that EVERY Passover seder that is, was or ever will be is a major league, big time event.  This is true of the 30+ guests my mother-in-law used to have each night, back when she still was up to doing it (and of course I was tasked with moving and setting up the furniture, etc.).  And it is true of the little seder, just me and my wife, the first night (we had another couple over the second night).

The story of our redemption from slavery in Egypt is a key event in world history, to be told over and over again each year from the older generation to the younger generation.  G-d commanded us to tell and retell the story, and to remember it all the days or our lives (which, as the Rabbis of the Talmud explained, means night-time and day-time alike).  If there are no children, then we read the Haggadah to one another.  And, if one finds himself or herself alone for the seder night, then one reads it aloud to oneself.

Maybe one of these years we will do a seder with more guests (including a few who have not yet heard all of my seder jokes, clean and otherwise -- after almost 30 years, my wife already knows them so they are not that fun to tell anymore).  But until then, the twosome seder will just have to do.

But whether a twosome, a solo, or a rent some tables and chairs production, EVERY Pesach seder is a big time affair and a noteworthy event.

And, as we say at the very end of each seder:

L'Shana HaBaah B'Yerushalayim!   Next Year in the Holy City of Jerusalem!

Chag Sameach Pesach, 5773

Been extraordinarily occupied, and in a few hours the sun will set and the Festival of Passover will be upon us.

Nothing fancy planned, but my wife and I, individually and collectively, are looking forward to some time away from the demands of our respective professions.  Obviously, I have been quite busy with my usual holiday preparations, including going up into the attic to get the Pesach dishes; my wife has likewise been very preoccupied with the rearrangement of the kitchen, cooking and setting the table.  Even when we keep it simple it is very involved.

But we enjoy it.

And we will have a few guests.

I have nothing profound to post which has not been expressed by others elsewhere.  I have lots of papers to grade, and a few deadlines coming up.  And so, I will wish all a Chag Sameach Pesach, and L'Shanah HaBaah B'Yerushalayim  -- A happy Passover festival, and Next Year in the Holy City of Jerusalem!

A Window into Prayer

My calendar schedule has suddenly become robust. There's a meeting tomorrow, I'm due in court soon, and someone wants to do lunch with me to discuss a possible gig. In another week-and-a-half, there seems to be an excursion to our Nation's Capital in my future -- I am now attempting to work in so that I can get some personal in along with the business. Accordingly, the next posting after this may be tomorrow, or in a month, or something in between.

We are now also in the first nine days of the month of Av, which have certain restrictions which my household observes. This includes no swimming (I've been doing bicycling and running for my workouts) and we don't eat meat (except for Shabbat), so my wife is now having fun with the various vegetarian and vegan recipes. Last night she made some Ma-Po Tofu, which was delicious. Not that I plan to become strictly vegetarian any time soon, but a vegetarian or vegan diet need not be dull, drab or boring.

As mentioned or alluded to in various prior postings, the insular religious Jewish community is now faced with several crises and issues, all of which somehow, directly or indirectly, tie in to the cultural effects of modern technology and communication.

Information can now be conveyed more quickly and efficiently. This has implications for politics, business and social relationships. America's economic greatness is due, in no small part, to the healthy independent press dating back to Colonial times. And I also hasten to note that the fall of the former Soviet Union had much to do with the Politburo's loss of its ability to completely control the flow of information.

Modern technology has made information far more difficult to control than in yesteryear. This has implications for the insularity which many of these social groups within the religious Jewish community have long strived to maintain. And it presents some significant cultural issues in the way the leadership of these insular groups conduct themselves. They nominally ban the use of the Internet (but make so many exceptions that the "ban" is meaningless).

The Agudath Israel of America, the leading insular community Rabbis, their social welfare organizations, their Yeshivas -- all are interconnected (though not without their differences and factions). One social welfare organization for the insular religious Jewish community in Israel is Kupat Ha'Ir, which has an American (and Canadian, for that matter) support group. They aid widows, orphans, and others in impecunious situations. I myself have occasion, from time to time, to modestly contribute to Kupat Ha'Ir.

The typical Kupat Ha'Ir solicitation brochure (from the American Friends of Kupat Ha'Ir) is usually received in multiplicate in our household, what with the various mailing lists upon which my my wife and I have, through not affirmative wishes of our own, had our names inscribed, and also as blow-ins to the various Jewish newspapers to which we subscribe. They all have the same themes: (A) G-d helps those who contribute to Kupat Ha'Ir; and (B) the great sages and Rabbis and students of Torah will beseech G-d in their prayers to confer blessings upon those who contribute to Kupat Ha'Ir (including, frequently, healing for the sick and infirm).

[For the record, I myself pray daily for the healing and recovery of various sick individuals, as does my wife, who is a physician. Taking it a step further, I have had occasion to see some of those individuals recover, and yes, I do believe that my prayers play a role in that recovery. But everyone, including and especially the physicians, must do their part; prayer, while necessary, is no substitute for skillful medical practice.].

Consistent with usual patterns and practices, the latest Kupat Ha'Ir solicitation promises contributors that, in organized shifts, various Rabbis and Torah scholars will recite the Book of Psalms ("T'hillim" in Hebrew) at the Western Wall (the "Kotel") in Jerusalem for 40 days and nights, for a total of 516 cycles culminating with the end of Yom Kippur, and that those who contribute will have their names specifically mentioned 516 times (never mind the significance of the number 516).

I certainly endorse the project, and will likely throw a few of my own dollars at it.

Against that verbose background, I note that the leatest solicitation piece from Kupat Ha'Ir contains a few paragraphs under the subheading "Complete Transparency," which tells the prospective contributor of all the meticulous preparations and precautions instituted by Kupat Ha'Ir in the project to ensure that everyone's name is included, spelled correctly, and spoken by someone who is concentrating wholeheartedly on his prayers. The solicitation brochure says, "Everything is transparent; there are no secrets and no loopholes."

For centuries, the Rabbis have operated covertly, and kept their counsel on even the most minute matters. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but trying to play both sides against the middle can backfire big time (as it seems to have with the Agudath Israel and its political posturing in the New York City election contests). Transparency is not part of the culture of these insular religious communities and their leaders. But now, they speak of "transparency" (and "Complete Transparency" at that).

[It is also noted that the word "transparency" is frequently bandied about in terms of the regulation of securities, tax-exempt organizations, and government.].

Praying at the Kotel is a very moving experience, and, as emotionally-laded as my first Kotel experience thirty-something years ago was, my awe, in many respects, increases each time I return. You just know that G-d is watching you when you go to the Kotel.

But nowadays, it is not just G-d who watches you. The Aish HaTorah Yeshiva, located next to the Kotel plaza, has a camera trained on the Kotel and now, effectively, the whole world can see you there!

Transparency at the Kotel is already a fait accompli. The whole world can see you there!

And so, the Kupat Ha'Ir has implicitly conceded that it not only fears G-d, but also fears the scrutiny of mortal human beings! Whether and when they begin to conduct their affairs with true transparency remains to be seen.

Pesach Greetings, Next Year in Jerusalem

I'm busy with prepping for the Passover holiday (Pesach in Hebrew), and am not in any position to make anything more than this perfunctory posting to convey my Pesach greetings to the world.

The Passover meal, the Seder, ends with the words "L'Shanah HaBa'ah B'Yerushalayim," which means "Next Year in Jerusalem!"

And so, to all, I say "L'Shanah HaBa'ah B'Yerushalayim!" Next Year in the Holy City of Jerusalem!

Because Jerusalem is our Holy City, given to us by G-d. And we have a G-d-given right to settle there, and to build our homes there. And Barack Hussein Obama cannot change that! And we will remain there, whether Obama or Bin Laden or any other enemy of the Jewish people likes it or not!

"L'Shanah HaBa'ah B'Yerushalayim!"

Tisha B'Av 5769

Today's date per the Hebrew calendar is 9 Av 5769. The 9th day of Av (Tisha B'Av in Hebrew) commemorates the destruction of both the First Temple and the Second Temple in the Holy City of Jerusalem. Other calamities, large and small, have occurred to the Jewish people on the 9th of Av. Accordingly, it is a very sad day. I have been fasting since last evening, and will not break the fast until after sunset tonight.

From the 1st day of the month of Av, it has been no meat or wine (except Shabbat). The no wine part does not particularly affect me, inasmuch as my preferred beverage is beer, which IS permissible, and which I usually have with dinner unless I plan to drive somewhere afterward. As much as I like to eat meat, the no meat part has not particularly been difficult for me. I do well with fish or yogurt (and, when I travel to locales without much in the way of kosher restaurants, subsist quite well with such foods).

For a while I was going beyond vegetarian and into vegan (to oversimplify, the difference between a vegetarian and a vegan is that vegans don't eat fish or animal products such as milk, while some vegetarians do). For the first time in a number of years, I actually cooked some tempeh (though I ended up with a slight agita afterwards) and, all told, did without even the yogurt or eggs for a few days (N.B. I usually put tofu into my salad at least 6 days out of 7 anyway). The tempeh, tofu, nuts, fruits, and TVP and veggies did me fine. Polly over at Veggywood would be proud of me.

[Yes, I know that Polly leans quite far towards the Left. But at least she understands that veganism and vegetarianism are not for everyone, and does not attempt to impose her views on the matter upon the rest of us. And while she thinks that PETA is basically a good organization, she does admit that they wax extreme from time to time. It is reassuring that there are some rational animal rights activists out there. Having encountered plenty of spoiled rotten, irresponsible, narcissistic, far far leftist and irrational brats from Beverly Hills, Hollywood, The Hamptons, Westchester, the Main Line, Greenwich, Monte Carlo and other locales where the glitterati dwell and propagate, oblivious to the realities of the world, I have to respect Polly for her sincerity and for her grasp of reality. If her Weltanschauung differs from mine, then so be it. Maybe the next time she's back East we can do lunch or dinner at a kosher vegan dining establishment (and no, I'm not trying to score -- Twenty-something years ago I serendipitously scored with a woman, and the two of us are still playing that one out, big time, through thick and thin.).].

I, of course, did not schedule any professional activity for today. Not good to work on an empty stomach, especially when others, such as clients, depend upon your sound functioning. And, of course, my disposition is not at its best, so I have avoided major encounters with others (which is just as well, because one is not really supposed to greet others on Tisha B'Av). But who was I kidding when I thought that I might get some productive paperwork done today? It's almost 7:00 PM and I have accomplished precious little, except for a few much-need additional hours of sleep.

Oh, well! Maybe that's the way it should be. After all, I should be bothered by the destruction of the Holy Temple, and the Holy City of Jerusalem. I am adversely affected by the memory of the Holy City's destruction, then my heart aches over it. And those who mourn the destruction of the Holy City of Jerusalem will, one day, rejoice when it is rebuilt.

Benedict's Travels & Travails

As Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Israel was approaching, I became attuned to some of the controversies that came up within the Jewish community. For various reasons, I decided at the time to sit this one out. But this evening I found myself participating in a very charged conversation with several acquaintances, and realized that the whole matter has been obsessing me, whether I admitted it or not. I need to vent!

And so, I will, of sorts, weigh in with this posting. There is no expectation that this posting will win or lose me any friends or enemies, nor change anyone's viewpoints, nor resolve any of the controversies. And I make no pretensions whatsoever of being neutral or objective. What I do purport to do is to identify some of the complicating issues that serve to make the controversies complex if not intractable.

First and foremost, the Pope's constituency is not the Jewish people. The Pope's constituency is the Catholic Church and its adherents (and the Catholic Church is in no way a monolith). It is unrealistic to expect the Pope to be a champion of the Jewish agenda (if such indeed is susceptible to definition).

The very establishment of the State of Israel had theological repercussions within the Catholic Church. A people whom the Church had always viewed as accursed Untermenschen had achieved statehood. It was -- and still is -- theologically simpler for the Church if the Jewish people would simply be eliminated. But there was a practical side, because the Church's holy sites in the Holy Land stood a better chance under a regime of the Jews than under a regime of the Muslim Arabs.

There is no denying that Jewish people have long suffered at the hands of the Catholic Church. We are not just talking the Crusades and the Inquisition, but it goes all the way down to the personal in the present day. Specifically, many if not most Jewish people in America have had negative childhood experiences of one kind or another involving kids from Catholic schools. From my conversations with many, many other Jewish people, I have concluded that I lucked out in this regard, for while my own negative experiences with the Catholic school kids were not particularly remarkable (and in fact I had many positive childhood experiences with Catholic schoolboys), many other Jewish kids of my generation were not so fortunate.

[Disclosure: My higher education includes a degree from an institution run by an order of the Catholic Church. Never for even a fleeting moment did I ever regret the decision to attend that fine school.]

And just as the Catholic Church has its history with the Jewish people, it has caused no less offense towards the Muslims.

And, in addition to the Jews and the Muslims, there are significant elements of the Eastern Church who are present in the area, who also have historical gripes with the Catholic Church (and with one another).

Any visit to the region by any pope, therefore, inherently presses against lots of sore spots. Accordingly, the Pope has had to tread very carefully during his visit. And there were bound to be instances when whatever he would or would not say would be offensive to either Jews or Muslims (or, perhaps, both). He was damned if he did, and damned if he didn't.

Take, for example, the Pope's visit to the Kotel (Western Wall) in the Holy City of Jerusalem: For various political and practical reasons, the Kotel is, administratively and legally speaking, a synagogue. Benedict's visit to the Western Wall had been scheduled for Lag B'Omer, a day of significance on the Jewish calendar. The security people in the Israeli government, who, for the most part, do not place a high priority upon religious observance, had made a decision to exclude the public from the Kotel during Benedict's visit. This, of course, was like stirring up a hornet's nest (and, for the record, I firmly believe that Jewish people should never be precluded from praying at the Kotel -- We've been kept away from there for too, too long).

Okay, so they modified the plans in a manner to provide for the Pope's security without making the Wall judenrein. But then the Rabbi of the Kotel declared that Benedict shouldn't have his crucifix exposed when he visited the Kotel.

In a perfect world, I would agree with the Rabbi. But this is not a perfect world, and the last time I was in Israel, on one of the occasions I visited the Kotel I saw some Filipino Catholic priests whose crucifixes were visible. Nobody seemed to be upset (they were, after all, Catholic priests). But then, again, the paparazzi weren't there at the time to record anyone making a big affair of it.

And, speaking of removing religious symbols, the Vatican had requested that Jewish symbols be removed from the ambulance that would be part of the Pope's entourage.

It is clear, then, that there was no way of avoiding controversy when the Pope visited the Holy Land.

Another factor that is playing into the mix: Benedict XVI, before he became Benedict XVI, was Joseph Alois Ratzinger. He is the first German pope in nearly half a millenium. And Israel's relationship with Germany is a very complex and paradoxical one. While there remains, since the founding of the State of Israel, an expressed revulsion to Germany and all things German, the fact is that Israel is a country created in the image of Germany. German architecture (Bauhaus and post-Bauhaus), German engineered infrastructure, and, before the Japanese and Korean automobiles came, the cars, trucks and busses were German.

Much is being made over the fact that Joseph Alois Ratzinger served in the Hitlerjugend and the Wehrmacht. My take on it: Just as Israel has compulsory military service (with some exceptions for religious individuals, but that's a whole other can of worms), so, too, did Nazi Germany. The young Ratzinger actually deserted the Wehrmacht, the German army. This shows that he either (A) was a coward; or (B) had principles. I never met the man, but nobody, not even his detractors, characterize him as a coward.

In any event, the fact that he is German is a further complication to the controversies. It is quite possible (read "highly probable") that a double standard is being applied to Benedict XVI because of his German background.

And so, whatever your take may be on the controversies anent to Benedict's visit to the Holy Land, understand that controversy was unavoidable.

Tisha B'Av

It is after sundown, and accordingly, by the Hebrew Calendar it is the 9th day of the month of Av (Tisha B'Av in Hebrew), the day both the First and the Second Temples were destroyed. I, of course, will be fasting until tomorrow evening, which wouldn't be quite so bad, except that in a few hours I will be traveling out of town on an empty stomach. Fortunately, the excursion will be via train, so at least I will not be driving.

But those who mourn the destruction of the Holy City of Jerusalem will, likewise, share in the great joy when the Temple is rebuilt. Accordingly, many synagogues (my own included) are hosting study sessions, seminars, and the like about what the destruction of the Temple means, and how and why we can hasten its rebuilding by returning to our faith.

Niels Bohr reportedly said, regarding the practice of nailing horseshoes over doorways to ensure good luck, that it works whether you believe in them or not. Similarly, for those of you who doubt the power of prayer, fasting and repentance, consider that the various Muslim groups are intimidated by such study programs. If it rankles them, that is proof positive that such study programs are productive.

May you all have an easy fast, and may we see the rebuilding of Jerusalem, speedily in our day!

The Obama Kvittel

This has not been an indolent summer for me. I have been quite involved in lots of activities with lots of deadlines, and have 2 out-of-town excursions slated for the next 4 weeks. It has, of course, distracted me from many leisure activities, including postings on this Blog.


It has been reported that Barack Hussein Obama placed a note in the Western Wall when he was in the Holy City of Jerusalem, and that the note was retrieved and given to an Israeli newspaper, which published its contents (and indeed, a photo image of it).

My take on it:


A. The news media reports perpetuate The Big Lie that the Western Wall is the holiest site in Judaism. This is incorrect! The Western Wall is NOT "the holiest site in Judaism." The holiest site in Judaism is the Foundation Stone, Mt. Moriah, currently in Muslim captivity beneath the Dome of the Rock (May we all live to see G-d restore it to us!).

B. It has become a popular practice to place personal notes to G-d in the recesses and nooks and crannies of the Western Wall. These written notes are popularly known in Yiddish as "kvitlach" ("kvittel" in the singular). I myself have not chosen to do the kvittel thing; I am quite content to direct my supplications and queries and protestations to G-d in my daily prayers [Though on one occasion, having misplaced the kvittel entrusted to me by a friend in America, I wrote my own kvittel that referred G-d to the lost kvittel, and requesting Him to grant the supplication of my friend.].

C. These kvitlach are, by their very nature, very personal communications. It is wrong (and contrary to Jewish law) to read other people's mail without their explicit permission; all the more so in the case of such a personal communication to G-d.

D. There are many, myself included, who believe that the publication of Barack Hussein Obama's kvittel was intentionally effected by Barack Hussein himself, in order to cash in the obvious political dividends. I am not sure whether the one who retrieved it and leaked it to the Israeli newspaper was directly engaged as a confederate, or whether Barack Hussein correctly guessed that some useful idiot would do his bidding for him. But Obama is too much of a political animal for me to believe that he hadn't considered the very, very strong possibility that his kvittel would somehow go public.

E. And so, the Israeli newspaper was party to a very grave unwarranted invasion of a person's privacy, and/ or it was an instrumentality in Obama's political machinations.

F. And just about every newspaper which reports the incident includes the text of the Obama Kvittel. Which is why this post has no hyperlinks to any of the stories: While I do not care to boost Obama's political capital, neither do I wish to invade his personal privacy if indeed the kvittel was sincere.

In Appreciation

During our current visit to Israel, we have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly; but above all, we have seen the beautiful! One genre of experiences which collectively can be filed in the "beautiful" category is the many instances of encounters with Christians, American and otherwise, who support Israel against those who would destroy it.

I do not in any way negate or ignore my various profound theological differences with the Christian doctrines, or the gross historical abuses done to the Jewish people in the name of Christianity. At such time as the Messiah comes or returns, we will then know whether we all are Christians or whether we all are Jews. Such matters aside, I wish to express my gratitude and appreciation to the Christian supporters of Israel in general, and to those who have chosen to visit Israel in particular.

Unfortunately, many so-called Jewish leaders have not been so emphatic in their backing of the Jewish people.

Tomorrow, we are scheduled to return to the Holy City of Jerusalem. We will, in all likelihood, have further occasion to meet more of our Christian friends who are visiting the holy soil of the Land of Israel.

To all our Christian friends whom we have met (or will meet) here, I say "thanks."

Valor of Israel

This blog was never intended to be a "me, too" type instrumentality. Everyone seems to love to talk about their trip to Israel, and my wife and I are no exception. Without in any way detracting from anyone's "I had/am having a great time in Israel" blog, this posting will not dwell upon the minute details of our great time in Israel, other than to definitively and unequivocally state that our excursion here has been, and continues to be, enjoyable, meaningful and inspiring (and physically draining as well).

Instead, this posting will spotlight the Israeli people with whom we have been most privileged to meet.

Imprimis, on 15 April 1942, King George VI collectively bestowed the “George Cross” upon the people of Malta for their bravery under siege by the German forces. The valor of the Maltese people is certainly beyond question, but the people of Israel have been under siege for more than half a century. The missiles directed towards Israel are not only Kassem rockets or rocks thrown by unruly Arabs, but also diplomatic diktats by world leaders and, not the least, the attitudes of the news media.

It is one thing for an American or Canadian farmer to plant a field along the US-Canadian border (as many do). But for an Israeli farmer to cultivate a field up to Israel's border with any one of its neighbors -- that takes real bravery and dedication! So we can only admire – and support – the Israeli people we have met who not only farm their fields up to the border, and not only live in communities there, but live normal lives, despite the prospects of the Kassem rockets coming from over the fence.

As for the people now living in the Holy City of Jerusalem (to which we expect to revisit before returning to America), that they can live normal lives is quite amazing. Yet, they do, year in and year out, despite the 60 year barrage of bombs and missiles and diplomatic diktats. The people of Israel warrant our support.

[Disclosure: Our own backing for Israel is more than verbal or financial – Our son is currently studying in the Holy City of Jerusalem (and, though other factors play into the mix, the opportunity to visit him has been a major consideration behind our trip here).].

The Holy City

THE HOLY CITY
.

In covering the Middle East events, the MSM, in their fawning rush to kowtow to the Islamofacists, use names such as "Holy City of Najaf" or "Holy City of Karbala" or "Holy City of Mecca."

The one Holy City the MSM hardly ever qualifies as such is Jerusalem!

Yerushalayim 'Ir Ha Kodesh! Jerusalem the Holy City! We remember Jerusalem the Holy City when we say the blessings for our holidays, for Rosh Chodesh, and our every day blessing after partaking in a meal.

Jerusalem is the Holy City for the Jewish People, and to the world!

As King David wrote in Psalm 137:

If I forget you, O Jerusalem, Let my right hand fail me! Let my tongue cleave to my palate, If I do not remember you!



Before the 1967 war, the Holy City of Jerusalem was divided. Worship at holy sites was severely restricted to Jews (and Christian holy sites were also disrespected).

Now, President Bush is pressuring once again for the division of the Holy City of Jerusalem. And Prime Minister Olmert, who has totally lost whatever sense of identification with Torah values he may have once possessed, is all too eager to go along!


We must not allow those who would wear the shoes of Titus to divide the Holy City of Jerusalem! We must speak up to keep Jerusalem united!

We must not forget Jerusalem!


This posting was made from the Holy City of Jerusalem. We are in Israel for business and pleasure. So far, very enjoyable.

Greetings from the Holy City of Jerusalem!!!!