Ezra USA

OUR VISION...

To strengthen your love for Judaism and the land and people of Israel, while you deepen your personal commitment to Jewish life.


WRITE TO US AT : opinions@ezraus.org and tell us what you'd like to hear from us about!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Washington Cemetery Vandalized

By: Talia Shligold

Sometime between December 17th and December 19th a Jewish cemetery in our backyard was vandalized.  The perpetrators, who are yet unknown and quite possibly will never be found, toppled over an estimate of 200 tombstones and smeared them with graffiti in Washington cemetery that is located in Borough Park area in Brooklyn.  

The authorities have not proclaimed this to be a hate crime while all the evidence are quite clear that that’s exactly what it was.  This was no on the whim crime, this was a well thought out hate crime.   The perpetrators chose a time to convict this crime during Sabbath, a time when there is no security and a traditional day for the Jewish people to rest.  In other words the best time to find the cemetery devoid of any kind of human presence.  The graffiti that was found on the tombstones had dollar signs all over them which is sadly a popular anti-Semitic slur when used in this kind of context.  Even the location of the cemetery points to this being a thought out hate crime.  As mentioned in the beginning, Washington cemetery is located in Borough Park area, an area that is full of vibrant Jewish presence.  Most of the population there has family members who are buried in that cemetery or are Jews themselves.  Most likely the criminals had to go out of their way to arrive at a very Jewish location.  

I will also not fail to mention the 2 biggest grievances that I have heard from the family members whose loved ones are buried there.  Where was the security?  There should be security there 24 hours, 7 days a week.  Vandals do not take time off and strike at the most opportune time, therefore one of the most sacred grounds has to be protected at all times.  Not just protected but well protected, so that not one area of Washington cemetery is ever susceptible to such horrific vandalism.  Another more alarming grievance is the lack of media coverage.  Yes, the Jewish media devoted their time to expose this story, such as virtualjerusalem.com or theyeshivaworld.com and we’re very grateful.  However the bigger newspapers that enjoy a much larger traffic on their sites and whose physical newspapers have a far greater reach, did not cover the story, or at best devoted a few lines to this hate crime. They definitely did  not giving this story the exposure that it deserves.  If these kind of anti-Semitic hate crimes continue to be ignored by the larger press than it can slowly become the norm as history has shown.  Not to mention that apparently this has been the 2nd assault on this Jewish cemetery in 2 weeks.

Unfortunately attacks on Jewish cemeteries are not infrequent.  A Chicago based Jewish cemetery was just vandalized by a 25 year old Polish immigrant/Neo-Nazi.  He was able to topple over 499 tombstones and graffiti them with swastikas and other anti-Semitic slurs.  One of the most aggravating parts of this incident is that this Neo-Nazi was able to get off with no jail time but rather community service.  What a slap in the face to the Chicago based Jewish community!  

Lastly, I would like to extend my condolences to all the Jewish families who have been affected by this hate crime.  Luckily, the tombstones of my grandparents were left untouched.  However I can just imagine the pain of those families who were touched by this despicable crime.  We must stay together and strong as a community and help each other out first and foremost.  We must remember to never take anti-Semitic crimes lightly.  Take pride in our community!

Click here to view pictures provided by theyeshivaworld.com

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Everyone is proud to be Jewish, even the Pagans!

Here are one Pagan's 13 favorite things about Judaism:

http://www.patheos.com/community/paganportal/2010/10/05/13-things-i-like-about-judaism/

Tell us what you like most about being a JEW.

'Tis the season

With Christmas just around the corner those radio-stations just wont quit playing those damn old Christmas songs! As Jews, should we be enjoying these songs? One Orthodox Jew argues that Christmas music is just "American". All the things we love about winter, the snow, the gifts, the love, the white, IS JUST VERY AMERICAN! It signifies the religious freedom granted to everyone especially the Jews by the United States of America.

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/255422/why-orthodox-jew-loves-christmas-music-michael-m-rosen?page=2

To E-read or not to E-read?

To E-read or not to E-read?

That is the question, on the minds of many observant Jews. Should reading from an e-book be allowed on the Sabbath, many different religious scholars have many different opinions.

"So how are Jews responding? Some are thinking of ways to accommodate emerging technology within the structure of traditional Sabbath observance while others wrestle with the implications of the shifting media landscape for Jewish law and observance. A number stress that, regardless of legal considerations, the Sabbath's rules and spirit have never been more important they are today, when technology saturates our lives."

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2010/12/people-of-the-e-book-observant-jews-struggle-with-sabbath-in-a-digital-age/68289

"Ad Mea v'Esrim," "Дo 120," "May you live until 120"

What's so special about living to be 120 years old?

Moses Did!

According to the Jewish tradition, we wish someone to live to 120 "Ad mea v'esrim" or as we say in Russian "Дo 120." But, this is not because Moses was perfect and we strive for that perfection. Actually, Moses never even made it into the land of Israel before he died. While a great leader, he too had his flaws. When Moses was told to speak to a rock to get water from it, he hit it instead with a rod, showing improper anger and a lack of faith. Still, we wish others to have as full and meaningful a life as he.

The number 120 even exists in humor.

A man says to his noisy neighbor "May you live until 119" and then said to the wife "May you live until 120." When asked by the husband "why only until 119," the man who was seeking a bit of quiet said "she deserves one good year."

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

The Jews Did It

There is that old stereotype, where the Jews are oft associated with money and greed and the destruction of society. Does this sound a little like the anti-Semitsm of Medieval Europe?

It's actually happening today. AGAIN.

A leading priest in Greece, the Metropolite of Piraeus Seraphim said that Jews such as "Rockefeller, Rotchschild and Soros control the international banking system that controls globalization." He also added that "Adolf Hitler was an instrument of world Zionism and was financed from the renowned Rothschild family with the sole purpose of convincing the Jews to leave the shores of Europe and go to Israel to establish the new Empire." He is blaming the Jews for all the financial problems that Greece is having.

Does history repeat itself?

Read more: http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/senior-greek-priest-blames-jews-for-greece-s-financial-problems-1.332131

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

And the Jewish Nominees Are....

Movie awards season is upon us; the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild and the mother of all awards shows, the Oscars.

The Golden Globe Nominees have been announced and it seems many of the nominees, scattered through out all the categories are Jewish. There is Israeli born Natalie Portman, Darren Aronofsky, Jesse Eisenberg, David Seidler, Aaron Sorkin, Andrew Garfield amongst others.

Up for best actor in a musical or comedy is Paul Giamatti of “Barney’s Version,” based on a novel by Canadian-Jewish author Mordecai Richler.

David Seidler who Directed the "The Kings Speech," is up for Best Film and has seven nominations all together. The film was partly inspired by the flight of his family from the Nazis, his personal family trauma. Seidler stated in a interview that he "believes viewers relate to the film because “It’s not just about being a king or a stutterer.  It’s about any kind of marginalization. And when we’re talking about marginalization from society,” he added, “this is something that certainly resonates with the Jewish community.” 


Read more: http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/golden-globes-2011-nominees-list-stars-more-than-a-few-jews-1.331662

A Nazi Patient

Imagine this....


You are a doctor. You scrub in for surgery. You walk into your operating room. You see your patient lying on the table with a swastika tattoo and other Nazi symbols. You are a Jew. What do you do? You took the Hippocratic Oath to your patients. Do you put your views aside and operate or do you walk out on your patient?


This was one doctor's reality.


A Jewish Doctor in Germany was faced with exactly this dilemma and refused to perform the surgery after seeing a swastika on his patient's arm. "I cannot operate on this man, I am Jewish," the doctor told the medical staff. The German physicians association sided with the doctor and noted that in Germany any display of Nazi symbols or the Nazi salute is punishable by up to 3 years in jail.


What would you have done?

For more about this story go to : http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3999229,00.html

Love Is In The Air

Israeli warplanes aren't just there to defend and protect the people, they also provide a stimulant for Crocodiles. Each time warplanes break the sound barrier over a crocodile breeding farm in the Golan Heights, the crocodiles begin emitting their ritual mating cry.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101219/wl_mideast_afp/israelanimalcrocodileoffbeat_20101219094447

Monday, December 20, 2010

“A Yellow Cab To Red Square”


In the early 1990s, when America appeared as the true city on a shining hill, many anecdotes were told about the old country.  The intrinsic difficulty that came with being a Soviet citizen was only outdone by the humorous sequence of events which inevitably developed if one found themselves in the unfortunate position of having to deal with government authorities. 

Many jokes about the “sovok” and the indignities of daily Soviet life were thrown around, as politically correct amusement relevant to the times.  A family member of mine remarked “An American would never submit to being treated like the lemmings in the USSR.”

He was wrong.

Forward not even 20 years, and American airports have become a collective graveyard of not only every right we were taught in school, but also of logic and pragmatism.  As God did not officially exist in the Soviet Union, nor does common sense exist in American airports. 

Rafi Sela, an Israeli security expert, compares his country’s approach with that of ours and offers some tips on how to fix this mess.


http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/744426

"Israeli War Crimes. You're Tax Dollars at Work"



Freedom of speech is a constitutional right that all Americans have and sometimes this freedom leads to one sided propaganda. In Seattle, Washington a group who calls itself the Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign has paid King County $1,794 so that 12 public buses that will carry the message "Israeli War Crimes. Your tax dollars at work",  through downtown Seattle starting December 27, 2010, to commemorate the two year anniversary of the Israeli attacks on Gaza. Ed Mast, a Seattle man who is a spokesperson for the group, says it’s not meant to be an anti-Israel message, but a message designed to generate discussion and awareness. Along, with the text there is an image of a group of children standing amongst the ruins of a demolished building.

What would you think if you saw this campaign? What image of Israel would you have if you knew nothing?

Link to read more: http://www.king5.com/news/local/Israeli-War-Crimes-signs-to-go-on-Metro-buses-112108154.html

How Israel is Fighting Terrorism at the Airport

Israeli Device to Detect Terrorists, Even If Unarmed 

 

 

Click here : http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/141228 to read about how WeCu Technologies (as in - "We see you") has worked with top psychologists to create a system that detects the small, involuntary physical response a person will have to something they know. 

 

They claim that even the best trained terrorists will be betrayed by their bodily reactions!


Israeli Device Lets Paralyzed People Stand & Walk

Check out another great Israeli contribution to the medical world!

www.foxnews.com/health/2010/12/03/israeli-device-lets-paralyzed-people-stand-walk/?test=latestnews

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Operation "Cast Lead" (Oferet Yetzuka):



December 29, 2008
Elad Arnon JAFI Emissary, Montgomery Alabama.


Written by Elad Arnon during his brother's army service in Gaza

Between the News Flashes
About Terror and battles
Our hearts asking for break
Give us raindrops of comfort
And showers of strength
We didn't ask to destroy
Neither to wave our swords
Just to settle safe in our homeland
Take care for our heroes
Like father to his sons
Send them our blessings
On their way to the battlefields
because we still yearn
Deep in our hearts
For two thousands and sixty years
To be a free nation in Zion
And to know no more wars.

SHARKS! Egypt blames the Jews

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/368130/december-09-2010/israel-shark-conspiracy?xrs=share_copy

Did you Know?

Albert Einstein was offered to be the 2nd President of Israel!

After the death of Chaim Weizmann in 1952, David Ben Gurion - then Prime Minister of Israel, wrote a letter to Albert Einstein in Princeton asking him to consider moving to Israel and taking on the role as the Second President of the State of Israel.

Albert Einstein declined the offer, saying:

"I am deeply moved by the offer from our State of Israel, and at once saddened and ashamed that I cannot accept it. All my life I have dealt with objective matters, hence I lack both the natural aptitude and the experience to deal properly with people and to exercise official functions. Therefore I would also be an inappropriate candidate for this high task, even when my old age didn't interfere with my forces more and more."

Albert Einstein died three years later.

What would have happened if Albert Einstein said yes to the Presidency? On the one hand he was a phenomenal Jewish genius well known in the whole world. On the other, he was a strong socialist with no experience working with other people? Sometimes it is thought provoking to wonder how such a decision could've changed the course of Jewish history.

Hacked By Turkish Extremists

By: Amanda Elk

Think about, on a small scale, how the words or actions of one person have the ability to impact many people around them. A kind gesture, an insult; even an impulse to protect someone at another's expense, they all have their impacts on others. Now what happens if we transfer this to a larger scale, even a global scale? What if a kind word had the ability to save hundreds, or even thousands of people? What if a seemingly harmless act had the ability to kill hundreds, or even thousands? Most importantly, what impact is created by the media when portraying the actions taken by individuals and/or countries? Consider these things as you read this article.

Recently, Ezra USA's website was hacked by Turkish Extremists who posted a strong anti-Israeli message for all to see. Unfortunately, the actions of a select few have the ability to impact many. Seemingly this is a harmless act that does not directly hurt anyone. All it does is portrays an opinion about Israel and supporters of it...or does it? Is it possible that messages like this can be indirectly responsible for the loss of people's lives?

Tensions between Israel and Turkey have become increasingly worse over some time. Let us examine the situation that happened earlier this year with the Turkish flotilla that was stopped from entering Gaza. Prior to the incident, Turkey was considered "Israel's closest friend in the Muslim world". It is no secret that Turkey was unhappy with the way issues were progressing in Gaza, and when eight Turkish humanitarians were killed in the flotilla incident, relations did not get any better.

Media spins regarding this incident only succeeded in making matters worse. Additionally, Turkey's government has become more Muslim oriented over the last few years, and has made no attempt to cover up anti-Israeli feelings. Despite the two planes Turkey sent to aid Israel during the recent fires in Carmel, anti-Israeli sentiments are still alive and well. The Turkish government is still waiting not only for Israel to apologize for the flotilla incident, but to pay reparations to the families impacted by the incident.

The purpose here is not to determine who is right or wrong in the conflict, but simply to point out that there are already tensions that exist between Israel and Turkey. People have already suffered and will continue to suffer as long as the conflict escalates. Yes, there are attempts being made to quiet the problems, such as the meeting in Geneva between Yosef Ciechanover (U.N. representative to Israel) and Feridun Sinirlioglu (foreign ministry undersecretary) on December 5, 2010. The question raised then is; are media exploitations such as Turkish extremists hacking into pro-Israeli Jewish youth movements' websites helping create peaceful relations?

The obvious answer is NO. It does not do any good to publicly spew hate messages when the situation is already bad to begin with. Granted, hacking of Ezra's website was not done by the Turkish government, but people need to be made aware that their actions affect others. Spewing hate messages cannot possibly do anything good, in this case or any other one. The only thing that the message posted on Ezra's website can hope to accomplish is promoting hate. Innocent people continue to have to deal with the ramifications of the hateful feelings of a select few. We as a community have to ask ourselves two things: (1) is this the kind of world we want to live in; and (2) what can we do to counteract this kind of social indignation without stooping to the same level as they did? I will leave you to decide the answers on your own.

Forest Fires - How Israel is Different...

When California brush fires raged, neighboring Arizona residents didn't do celebratory dances. It was simply a natural disaster evoking human sympathy. But the case of Israel is and always will be different. Even when it is the worst fire in Israel's history, religion and political resentment is at the front line. Not much to our surprise, immediately after the fire engulfed our little country, articles and allegations that the fire is God's way of punishing Israel for Occupying Arab Lands were all over the media. It is easy to get upset, even angry at Arab commentary such as ""May Allah punish all Arabs who helped put down the fire. We pray to Allah that the fire will grow and spread to oil wells in the Arab world."  This is Israel's struggle. But this should not be it's weakness. Instead of focusing on negative media reports, it's much more meaningful in these times of national disaster to focus on the strengths of our people. Israel has often been brought to its knees- with rocket attacks, suicide bombings, and political isolation to name a few. But this is the beauty of our country and of our people. We are resilient. We are willing to help each other and our homeland out at the slightest outcry. And this is exactly what the Jewish worldwide community did after hearing of the devastation of the Carmel fires. In fact, aid did come from the international community - such as the US, Turkey, Russian, Egypt and Jordan. Monetary donations flowed in to the JNF and the government. This is where our pride lies. Let's hope and pray that Israel can rest on the comfort that it has support from us. In that way, together, we will get through anything.


To help the JNF Please Donate at :
http://www.jnf.org/work-we-do/our-projects/forestry-ecology/operation-carmel-renewal.html

Before 007...

Eli Cohen - the man who gave Mossad the reputation as the best intelligence service in the world and helped Israel win the Six Day's War.

By: Victoria Reyz

The most famous spy in the world is a fiction; and that is as it should be. Espionage is not a business that usually leads to fame. Eli Cohen is an exception to the rule. In 1965, this Egyptian-born Israeli spy was third in line to the Syrian presidency. His story is as tragic as it is heroic.

Eli Cohen was a secretive man; he had to be. In 1938, at 17, he was already working with the Zionist Underground in Alexandria. He was rejected from the Egyptian military service on the grounds of questionable loyalty. In 1948, after the declaration of the establishment of the state of Israel, the situation became significantly more dangerous for Jews living in Arab countries. Cohen was now involved with the Haganah (a predecessor to the IDF). So perilous was his position in Egypt, that when his brother asked for help with documents to move the family to Israel, Eli feigned ignorance.

By 1956, Eli was thrown out of Egypt. He was suspected of Zionist activities. Indeed, it was solely the lack of evidence that saved him from being sentenced to hang in 1953, when Egyptian authorities discovered a Jewish spy ring (of which Eli was a member) in their midst.

He made aliyah, got work as a private citizen and married Nadia Magled in 1959. Soon, he was being courted by Israeli intelligence. After the mysterious loss of his civilian job, he joined the IDF and then the Mossad. He was soon dispatched to Argentina where he established himself as Kamel Amin Sa'bet, a rich Syrian émigré. His parents' Syrian roots gave him just the right sort of knowledge to pull off his charade. He was sucessful and by 1961, with the support of the Argentinean Syrian community, he traveled to Damascus and settled in as an integral member of the Ba'ath Party (the ruling political party of Syria at the time).

He was a very good spy. He derailed a plan by Syria to cut off Israel's water supply and was thereby directly responsible for saving several Israeli settlements from overt destruction. He toured and photographed the Golan Heights stronghold. In fact, it is said that on one particular tour of the Golan, he encouraged a Syrian army officer to plant eucalytus trees along the line of fortifications to deceive the Israelis into thinking the area to be unfortified and to offer shade and beauty for soldiers. Serving as a marker, the trees planted at Eli's suggestion gave Israel the exact location of Syrian fortifications. During the Six Day War of 1967, Israel took two days to conquer the Golan Heights based on Eli Cohen's intellegence.

His 1965 trip to Syria was to be his last (he had promised his wife). At this point, Syrian officials knew there was a top level leak somewhere in theirs government. Using Soviet tracking equipment, Eli was caught sending an illegal transmission. With his cover blown, he was imprisoned, tortured and interrogated. He was denied any defense at a military tribunal and was sentenced to hang despite an international campaign spearheaded by then Israeli Foreign Minister Golda Meir to spare him.


On May 18, 1965, Eli Cohen was hanged in front of a crowd of 10,000 jeering onlookers. His execution was televised; his family watched him die. Forty five years later, his remains are still in Syria, never having received a proper Jewish burial. To this day, his family calls for his return.


Eli Cohen was a man who fought for Israel and the Jewish nation. He is remembered as one of the great heroes of Israel.