Our Boys from Japan -- בחורים שלנו מיפן

Our redemption must be near!  Here are great and inspiring news about Yaakov Yosef.

Japan Saga Closed

 

Dear Yidden,

The sad saga of three Yeshiva Bochurim Jailed in Japan finally came to an end today with Yaakov Yosef's homecoming.

After a painfully long four and a half years, the last of the three bochurim, Yakov Yosef ben Reisel, who was recently transferred to Eretz Yisroel, was finally released from custody today, after serving 1,734 days, most of which were spent in isolation in Chiba, Japan.

Last month Yakov Yosef was brought before a parole board, and bechasdei H-ashem he was granted a full and final release on 1st January.

He was also allowed a taste of freedom on the first day of Chanuka when he was able to spend 12 hours with his family and friends.

Shortly after noon, earlier today 19th Teves 5773 (01 January '13), Yakov Yosef was met by his family at the Nitzan prison, who accompanied him and his few belongings on his trip home.

During the short time that Yakov Yosef spent at the Nitzan prison, fellow prisoners who got to know him were overwhelmed with his conduct and said that they would greatly miss him.

Yakov Yosef arranged a minyan twice daily, and delivered a shiur to the prisoners every evening after maariv. The prison shul hadn't functioned for over three years, with the exception of services on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kipur. However, after Yakov Yosef's arrival to the facility, yiddishkeit behind bars was revived. Many prisoners were inspired by Yakov Yosef, who bechasdei H-ashem, during the short time spent there, managed to change the atmosphere in the jail.

Yakov Yosef's grandfather is making a s'eudas hodoah for the whole family and close friends.

At this junction, we thank H-ashem for the great chasodim that He has done during these difficult years. Yakov Yosef has b"H unbelievably managed to sustain all the way through this difficult exile. He managed to complete several mesechtos of gemora and various sidrei halocha with many meforshim in addition to being mechazek his and our emuna and bitochon.

Yakov Yosef always managed to look at the bright side. When a threat of a sentence in excess of 20 years was looming, he rejoiced that the prosecution ultimately requested 13 years.
And when the judges handed him a verdict of six years, he rejoiced that it wasn't less, so that the prosecution shouldn't appeal.

We wish Yakov Yosef that from now on he and his dear family should see H-shems kindness in an obvious manner, and may he be zoche to bring nachas to his parents and Klal Yisroel who davened and toiled on his behalf.

Aron Nezri & Meilech Bindinger

Mussar of Rabbi Mizrachi to the Jews in EY -- מוסר של רב מזרחי ליהודים בארץ הקדוש

Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi delivers mussar to the Jews in Eretz HaKadosh.

Also read the post,

Emergency Alert: Bnei Yishmael to rule over EY for 9 months, חירום התראה: בני ישמעאל לשלוט על ארץ ישראל במשך 9 חודשים

More on current events and our getting closer to Gog uMagog.

We cannot rely on anyone but Hashem -- אנחנו לא יכולים לסמוך על אף אחד, אבל קב"ה

The Obama re-election is good for Jews.  Obviously, this is what Hashem has planned, and according to His Will.  Who among us lowly creatures knows, maybe he will fit the role of Gog (of Magog) very well and hasten the coming of Moshiach.

Hurricane Sandy is good spiritually for the Jews.  There is so much soul searching to be done.   We may have over-indulged in gashmius (materialism) in our lives.  All the gashmius we have taken years to accumulate can be gone in a day or less.  Do we need such a big house?  Do we need so much Jewish entertainment?  Do we need so much money, when we only need the basic sustainence (food, water, clothing, heat and Torah) to survive, especially in an emergency?

Obama and Israel. When is Israel going to learn?

“Obama’s victory demonstrates that the state of Israel must take care of its own interests,” Danon said. “We cannot rely on anyone but ourselves.  (WND)

The above statement could have been written this way.  "WE CANNOT RELY ON ANYONE BUT HASHEM."  But it wasn't.  Until then, Obama and Ahmedinejad and all our Moslem brothers who want to kill us are good for us, the Jews.  Because we have yet to learn the lesson.  Hashem is very patient.  He is still waiting for us to do teshuva -- and in the meantime, He brings us anti-semitism, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, fire, kassams, rockets, nuclear bomb.

There are many shiurim related to Sandy.  Go to TorahAnytime,com and LearnTorah.com and you will find them.  Sandy happened in the same parshas Vayera, where the Jews are compared to the stars of the heavens and the sands of the seashore.  (Verse 22:17) What perfect timing!

You are the Target -- אתה היעד

This could happen to you or another Jew you know.  Please spread the word.



You are the Target from JEWS FOR JUDAISM on Vimeo.

Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, zt"l, wrote an excellent book titled " You take J---s, I take G-d".  You can read about it here.

Rabbi Eidensohn talks about it more openly here, about the difference between Jew and Israel, according to the Xians.





Visit JewHaters.com.

Yakov Yosef ben Reizel will be finally arriving home to Eretz Yisroel, יעקב יוסף בן רייזל יהיה סוף הסוף שהגיע הביתה לארץ ישראל

תכלה שנה וקללותיה

After four and a half years of trials and tribulations, isolated in his prison cell in Japan, Yakov Yosef ben Reizel is finally on his way home.

Unimaginable mountains of red tape, that until recently seemed insurmountable, hindered and delayed the prisoner transfer procedure for what seemed like eternity. Reb Aron Nezri stood at the forefront of this painstaking campaign, that has now with great siyaate dishamye come to a close. Details of the transfer were for obvious reasons kept under wraps.

As usual, Yakov Yosef has with great mesirus nefesh continued his shiurei torah diligently, and completed gomoroh masechta Shabbos just yesterday, Tuesday, when local shliach Rabbi Binyamin Edery and his family, came to pay farewell to Yakov Yosef at the Chiba Prison. Rabbi Binyamin Edery and his family have devoted unlimited care and attention to the welfare of Yakov Yosef ever since his detention.

Words cannot describe the emotions. Finally, after so many years of pain and suffering, Yakov Yosef arrived at the airport to depart from Japan.

Reb Aron Nezri (London) and Reb Meilech Bindinger (Antwerp) were on the phone with Yakov Yosef’s father (Bnei Brak), monitoring in real-time Yakov Yosef’s release from his jail compound and transfer to the immigration centre where procedures start for his transfer to Eretz Yisroel.

During the conference call whilst Yakov Yosef was at immigration, we were alerted that Yakov Yosef now had the opportunity to speak to his father for just half a minute.

For the first time in four and a half years, Yakov Yosef held a telephone to his ear, and with fervor said “Boruch Matir Asurim” to which his father emotionally answered “Amen”, whilst we shed tears of gratitude and relief.

The multitudes of concerned yiden across the globe who davened for Yakov Yosef and never ceased to forget his suffering; the thousands of our dear brethren who contributed towards the efforts to gain Yakov Yosef’s release, wrote letters of chizuk to Yakov Yosef, accepted upon themselves resolutions in Yakov Yosef’s merit, now rejoice along side his dear family.

In conformity to Japan’s stipulations, Yakov Yosef will soon be transferred to an Israeli correctional facility. He and his family will be comforted that he is now close by, and in an environment that respects his religion and speaks his tongue.

At this junction in time, we can only ask that people continue to bear Yakov Yosef ben Reizel in mind in their prayers that he should be soon unconditionally free to rejoin his family.

In the best interest of Yakov Yosef, and to avoid possible negative consequences, the team of Rabonim and askonim involved, endeavoured to keep the transfer process as low profile as possible. We apologise for not updating the tzibur on this procedure, however, our opting to confirm the good news only after Yakov Yosef was released from his cell in preparation to come home, was to circumvent damaging repercussions that past media exposure have caused.

The family of Yakov Yosef, and the askonim involved, request that respect should be given to the required discretion, and they not be contacted for further details or interviews.

כתיבה וחתימה טובה.

Israeli Looking for His Lost Brother, הישראלי מחפש האח האבוד

My name is Hanan Shomrony and I’m searching for my brother.

He was born in 1946 , his parents’ first born, in Europe after the Second World War. In 1949, when he was two and a half years old, he and his parents made aliya to Zfat in Israel. He was hospitalized a month later in the Emek Hospital in Afula because of dysentery. Two days later my father was informed that he had passed away. ( Parents were not allowed to stay with their sick children so my father was obliged to leave him there.)

There was no funeral and of course there is no grave.

My parents were new immigrants, survivors of the holocaust, who had arrived only one month prior to this. They accepted this news without question and didn’t make any further inquiries.

The Ministry of the Interior informed me, years later, that in 1963 someone with his ID number had left the country. However, in the Death Registry of the Religious Council in Afula he is registered as having died in 17.04.1949 and was buried in a common grave.

His first name was Israel, the son of Hava and Yosef Heiventreager (sp) I.D. nr 0203317-3. It is possible that his first name stayed with him as he was already two and a half years old at the time.

I was born six months later and know of him only from what my parents had told me. Unfortunately, my parents have passed away and the searches that I have been carrying on during the years have never provided any answers. I still hope that this story will awaken a spark of a memory in someone of a baby that was adopted at the age of two and a half, blond with bright eyes that spoke only Yiddish. He or those who adopted him were probably told that he was an orphan brought from Europe. He would be 65 or 66 years old today.

I enclose pictures of him as an infant with our parents before coming to Israel. I regret that I don’t have any pictures of a later period. Perhaps this mail will, by some stroke of luck , be received by someone who will recognize or will find similarities in the faces of our parents and that of Israel.

Please forward to this mail to anyone you can. Perhaps a miracle will happen and I’ll be reunited with my long lost brother.

Thank you

Hanan Shomrony

shomronys@gmail.com

Do You Care If Moshiach Comes? אכפת לך אם המשיח מגיע?

"Do You Care if Moshiach Comes" is the title of the shiur given by Rabbi Joey Haber of LearnTorah.com. It is an excellent shiur.  The Rabbi tries to answer a series of questions he compiled from his followers in the past how many years ago and brings answers from different sources. The Rabbi quotes the Rambam that Moshiach doesn't have to prove himself by doing miracles, as well as quotes other sources that say otherwise. The Rabbi also covers a little bit of history on Bar Kochba, whom Rabbi Akiva himself was certain he was Moshiach. (In one of my earlier posts, I stated a source that Rabbi Akiva thought that BK was Moshiach ben Yosef, not MBD).

The Rabbi also states that throughout history false messiahs appear before the real Moshiach, so that it would rile up the Jews to think about redemption. The false messiahs include JC, Shabtai Tzvi, Bar Kochba and others.  Interestingly, the article that CNN published concerning Christopher Columbus on his yahrzeit was mentioned as well.  This article, probably written by non-Jews, brought proofs that Columbus was a secret Jew (maranos).  These proofs were based on his last will and testament as well as his correspondence to his son and his financiers as follows:

Two of his wishes -- tithe one-tenth of his income to the poor and provide an anonymous dowry for poor girls -- are part of Jewish customs. He also decreed to give money to a Jew who lived at the entrance of the Lisbon Jewish Quarter.

On those documents, Columbus used a triangular signature of dots and letters that resembled inscriptions found on gravestones of Jewish cemeteries in Spain. He ordered his heirs to use the signature in perpetuity.

 At the top left-hand corner of all but one of the 13 letters written by Columbus to his son Diego contained the handwritten Hebrew letters bet-hei, meaning b'ezrat Hashem (with God's help). Observant Jews have for centuries customarily added this blessing to their letters. No letters to outsiders bear this mark, and the one letter to Diego in which this was omitted was one meant for King Ferdinand.

Scholars point to the date on which Columbus set sail as further evidence of his true motives. He was originally going to sail on August 2, 1492, a day that happened to coincide with the Jewish holiday of Tisha B'Av, marking the destruction of the First and Second Holy Temples of Jerusalem. Columbus postponed this original sail date by one day to avoid embarking on the holiday, which would have been considered by Jews to be an unlucky day to set sail. (Coincidentally or significantly, the day he set forth was the very day that Jews were, by law, given the choice of converting, leaving Spain, or being killed.)

Columbus' voyage was not, as is commonly believed, funded by the deep pockets of Queen Isabella, but rather by two Jewish Conversos and another prominent Jew. Louis de Santangel and Gabriel Sanchez advanced an interest free loan of 17,000 ducats from their own pockets to help pay for the voyage, as did Don Isaac Abrabanel, rabbi and Jewish statesman.

Indeed, the first two letters Columbus sent back from his journey were not to Ferdinand and Isabella, but to Santangel and Sanchez, thanking them for their support and telling them what he had found.

 The Rabbi does mention the war of Gog uMagog and hopes that it has already occurred as in the 2nd World War, and that we will merit no more wars before Moshiach. The Rabbi also mentions the Internet Asifa and how we are all "lost" to this situation of controlling our access to it.  The whole world needs a wakeup call and we need Moshiach desperately to change our way of life and our way of connecting to Hashem. 

Rabbi speaks out for religious freedom in USA? הרב מדבר על חופש הדת בארה"ב?

Even though the USA is founded under religious principles, and Jewish immigrants have made USA their "home" in galus for hundreds of years, however, TODAY, we have to fight for our religious freedom, AGAIN. Hear Rabbi Yehuda Levin speak out for religious freedom, in his support for Xian co-religionists.

 

Please daven for Aharon ben Leah from the Toulouse tragedy, נא להתפלל עבור אהרון בן לאה מן הטרגדיה טולוז

Please pray for the recovery of Aharon ben Leah, the 15-year old boy who was injured in the Toulouse attack, and undergoing surgery.  Thanks.

Troubles before Moshiach,הצרות לפני משיח

It is with a heavy heart that while mourning for the loss of so many tzadikim this week alone, I try to gain chizuk from divrei Chazal.  The Rambam writes:

And now, brothers, you must pay attention and listen carefullly to what I am going to lay out before you. Teach it to children and women so that any questions of belief they may have will be answered, so that the truth will become so firmly lodged in their souls that they cannot budge from it. And you, brothers, be strong and courageous, and be supported by these true verses.

Let not the strength of the enemy's hand and our own nations' weakness frighten you. For this entire situation is no more than a trial and a test so that you can demonstrate your belief and your chosenness to the world.

The Chofetz Chaim elaborates on this point:

Before the coming of Moshiach, Hashem will act in a hurried manner so wondrous that even all who are wise of heart will be unable to fathom it. The troubles and persecutions [of the Jewish people] will follow each other so closely that there will be no space between them. Just as for an expectant woman who is about to give birth, the closer she comes to the moment of birth, the more intense her contractions and her pain, and this is her most reliable indication that the birth is nearing, so too, the wheels of the era will turn fast at the time of the birth pangs of Moshiach.  

Toward the end of the sixth millenium, the heavenly tribunal will wish to settle all accounts opened since the world's creation.  Hashem will want to prepare His world for its new state, the state of redemption.

Rabbi Elchanan Wasserman states:

Since the world will be in a perfected, flawless state during the time of Moshiach, it is necessary for all old accounts to be settled in the period that precedes it.  For piles of accounts have accumulated in heaven from the time of Creation to the present [ that is, sins that man has not yet rectified], and they must be put in order before Moshiach comes.  IT is therefore the duty of every individual to pay what he still owes to heaven -- Ikvesa di Meshicha 18.

The Chessed l'Avaraham expounds:

All those who are stubborn and do not repent will perish.  But anyone who bears the yoke of repentance and accepts the troubles without complaint, putting his shoulder to the task, will be purified and become worthy. HKBH, is an honest and perfectly just Judge, and there is no injustice.  Therefore, He will refine the person time and time again until he is pure and clean silver.  This process will be carried out by the strictest standards of judgment.  In those days, one nation will pulverize another. Israel will be among them in great suffering.  Each nation will want to shear this sheep and eat its meat.  But HKBH will have mercy on His people through the merit of the three Avos and they will become purified and cleansed as a result of these troubles and this judgment. 

Source: The Ishmaelite Exile

Our Boy in Japan Update, בן שלנו ביפן

On Purim day, I davened to Hashem that Yaakov Yosef ben Raizel be released into freedom by Pesach 2012, I hope Hashem will answer my prayers.


Pesach, the time of redemption and freedom.

The last remaining boy in Japan, Yakov Yosef ben Reisel is hoping that he can finally celebrate his release from a Japanese prison which has been his home for almost four years.

As previously reported, there's been much correspondence between Japan and Israel, where the Japanese have been continuously raising questions on the younger boy Yossi Banda, together with many inquiries on various prisoners who were transferred from Japan in the past. The Japanese also questioned Israel’s policies regarding early release and parole proceedings and other issues regarding prisoner transfers. After the Japanese sent Israel their last official correspondence, the Israeli Ministry Of Justice sent back their response which was acknowledged by the Japanese Ministry Of Justice in mid-January. At the end of January, the Japanese wrote back to Israel; it is based on this letter that we are pinning our hopes for a Pesach release. In the letter, the Japanese wrote that they do not have any further inquiries into all matters and they are satisfied that they can now expedite the transfer of Yakov Yosef. While they did voice their displeasure at the way Israel handled the release of the younger boy Yossi, they were satisfied with the proceedings concerning Yakov Yosef's transfer which was already completed in September. They wrote that they will be working to close the file and will notify Israel when they can come and collect Yakov Yosef. Such a letter is very rare to be written by the Japanese and it is only due to internal and external pressure that they acquiesced to pen these words.

Yakov Yosef will finish serving two thirds of his sentence on 2nd April. This is an important date because according to Israeli law a prisoner is eligible for parole after he has served 2/3rds of his sentence. Due to the misunderstanding / turmoil surrounding the early release of Banda, the Japanese wanted to ensure that Yakov Yosef will at least serve 2/3rds before releasing him to Israeli hands. To be clear, the Japanese have no problem with Israel releasing Yakov Yosef or any prisoner on parole once he arrives in Israel; it is part of the international prisoner transfer treaty between Japan and many different countries and is standard procedure. The controversy that surrounded Banda was that the Japanese felt that his sentence was commuted in Israel to enable him to have already served 2/3rds of his sentence and be eligible for parole earlier than originally agreed. In Yakov Yosef's case this is now no longer applicable, as he has almost completed his two thirds and, thus, they have no problem with him being released on parole once he arrives in Israel.

Yakov Yosef is aware of his potential release and his spirits have been lifted because of it. He has had a difficult winter with freezing temperatures and I wouldn't like to say the rest! He has visitors who keep him aware of the situation. His father, who has visitation right, has been visiting him every month for the past few months and is actually there now. Yakov Yosef's spirits are B"H fine, though his spirits have been shattered from time to time. Six months ago, he thought he was going home and it didn't happen. Every day is a struggle as he deals with the potential possibility “Will I get the good news today?” .

Yakov Yosef will now not have to serve in prison in Eretz Yisroel. Even if he were to arrive in Eretz Yisroel tomorrow, the process of accepting and evaluating a prisoner takes around three weeks, by which time he would be eligible for parole and therefore will no longer enter a prison. When Yakov Yosef arrives in Eretz Yisroel, he will immediately be interviewed and go before a parole board, with a plan implemented in agreement with his family and he will be released on his parole date April 2nd.

Pesach now plays a big role and the Japanese are aware of the tense situation that lies upon all of us. An official letter was sent and we made them aware of Pesach and its significance. While every year we send Yakov Yosef matzos for Pesach, this year if it would cholila become necessary to buy matzos it would look like Erev Tisha B’Av rather than Erev Pesach. He has been there for four years in a row for Pesach already; four is enough, more than enough. If we were to have to buy him matzohs this year it would be very, very sad.

While Purim is now over and everyone is focusing on Pesach preparations, for Yakov Yosef and his family, every day is difficult. It’s a very intense, scary matzav for them, not knowing what will come and what the new day will bring. If any news occurs, we will be notified immediately and we will in turn notify the public.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO DAVEN FOR YAKOV YOSEF BEN REISEL!!

Be'Nissan nigalu ubeNissan asidim lehigoel, may H-shem redeem all of us very soon.

Regards, Aron Nezri

Jews in the eyes of a Japanese, היהודים בעיני היפנית

I just read a very inspiring article from a Japanese woman who spent her life exploring Jewish history and she has a message to say about Jews:

Asked what she admired most about Jews and their survival instinct, Muraoka said, “It’s the concept of peoplehood — that all Jews are responsibly for one another. It’s a loyalty that goes beyond country, or family history, or specific religious practice. All of Israel is one. I find that extremely special.”

Even though Ms. Muraoka experienced discrimination as a lone Oriental in a waspy Anglo country like New Zealand and identified with anti-Semitism through this, well, unfortunately, she is not aware that there is also anti-Oriental sentiments against Jewish converts and their children who are Asian/Oriental in a country like Israel, as experienced by some olim, not to mention discrimination among Sephardi and Ashkenazi, Chiloni and Charedim, and what have you.  This discrimination is much less so in the Diaspora where Jews of all stripes identify with each other, since it is a battle against anti-semitism "It's us or them (anti-semitic gentiles)." However, in Israel, we have too many Jews who instead of embracing one another, turn against one another.  Only terrorism unites the Israeli Jews (among themselves) and between Israeli and Diaspora Jews (because down deep inside, we do care about each other!).   Go figure!

US Jewish Population, האוכלוסייה היהודית ארה"ב

A conflict in the Jewish population of the US:

Two new independent studies have found that there are between 6.4 million and 6.6 million Jews living in the United States today, representing about 1.8% of the population. Though the studies used drastically different methodologies, they appear to point to a growing consensus on the number of Jews in America, a figure that has been elusive in recent decades.

“It seems we have different methods that are pointing to somewhat over 6 million Jews,” said Steven M. Cohen, a sociologist of American Jewry at the Berman Jewish Policy Archive at New York University’s Wagner School. “You consider the reliability of each study, and it seems that many are pointing in the same direction.” The most recent figure of between 6.4 million and 6.6 million is about 20 percent higher than the previous estimate of 5.2 million proposed by the 2000 National Jewish Population Survey, which was sponsored by the Jewish Federations of North America. That study has since been widely criticized as flawed, an assessment now accepted by the survey’s sponsor.

Read more: http://www.forward.com/articles/149492

I sincerely hope that every Jew is worthy to be redeemed, because it's pointless to brag how many Jews are in the world, if they don't all end up getting redeemed.

Charedi and Modern Orthodoxy, החרדי ואת האורתודוקסיה המודרנית

Why Charedi Judaism will last, and the threat it plays to the Zionists in Israel.

 

The rise and fall of Modern Orthodox Judaism.

The Lone Jew in Afghanistan, היהודי היחיג באפגניסטן

A Malaysian journalist did an interview with the only Jew in Afghanistan, Zevulun Siman Tov, and published his findings on YouTube as well as in a local media website.

The product of Zionism, תוצר של הציונות

You probably are now aware of the civil war resulting from the years of tension between the Zionists and Chareidim in Eretz Yisrael. This is unfortunately the results of being subjugated to living under Zionists rule.  Strangely, this has also brought up more fractions between the already polarized sects of Orthodox Jews.  Some support what the Chareidim are doing and others denounce them.

The Vilna Gaon writes that the periods of return to the Land of Israel in the time before Moshiach will parallel the order of arrangements that Yaakov Avinu made for his family before their encounter with Esav, when they escaped Lavan. וַיָּשֶׂם אֶת-הַשְּׁפָחוֹת וְאֶת-יַלְדֵיהֶן רִאשֹׁנָה וְאֶת-לֵאָה וִילָדֶיהָ אַחֲרֹנִים וְאֶת-רָחֵל וְאֶת-יוֹסֵף אַחֲרֹנִים And he placed the maidservants and their children first and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph last. (Bereishis 33:2)

The Gaon explains the phrase 'and he placed the maidservants and their children first' as the Erev Rav who are the leaders of the people. The immigrants of the 1st and 2nd Aliyah hailed from Russia and the rest of Europe without religion or faith. 'And Leah and her children after' is explained as the ignorant but virtuous people who are subjects of the Erev Rav. Unfortunately, Israel is attracted to them because of their success, and this is the reason why the exile is so long (Even Shelaima, chapter 11). 'And Rachel and Yosef last' refers to the Torah scholars, who are in the lowest position of all. Source: Erev Rav Among Us

It looks like history is taking place just like this.  The majority of the "modern pro-Zionist religious Jews" (it's easy to identify them) are taking the side of the government -- they criticize the Charedim right and left. You have to understand where these Charedim are coming from, they live under Zionist rule. The Charedim in Chutz La'aretz have little memory of what it's like to live like this.  The American Charedim who have not lived in EY under Zionist rule do not understand, nor do they want to understand -- they are easily influenced by the Zionist media and of course, take the side of anti-Chareidim.   I don't want to name names -- but you will know right away by the names of the Rabbis who sign their support away against the Charedim, and prefer to let things be the way they are -- they still believe kiruv is possible for these Erev Rav.  So, while they are sitting "comfortably" in America, England, wherever they are trying to combat growing anti-semitism, they hurl their support towards the Zionists in Israel.

When asked: aren't we to pray for them, in order they should repent from their evil ways? He replied: three times a day in the prayer against the atheists we pray that they should be destroyed.
Source:  Rabbi Yitzchock Zev Soloveitchik, zt"l

Moriya's Place supports the Chareidim in Israel -- they have a point, they don't have good PR, but they have a point.  How much longer are you going to tolerate the sheker in this world?

Other sources to read: Rabbi Avigdor Miller, zt'l,  Rabbi Aharon Kotler, zt"l, Rabbi Yitchok Hutner Zt"L, Rabbi Mordechai Gifter, zt"l

4/5 of the Jews will not be redeemed, 4 / 5 לא ייפרעו

According to the shiur delivered by Rav Eli Mansour on Yosef and Shoes, the latest intermarriage statistics is like 80% among Jews in USA.  Which means 4 out of every 5 Jews marry out.  It is not clear if they mean Jewish men marry out or Jewish women marry out.  Le't say it's the worst case scenario -- Jewish men marrying shiksas.

The following is from an old statistic:

Currently 72% of the Jewish people today are intermarrying We lose approximately 100 Jews everyday to intermarriage and assimilation. *amongst non-orthodox American Jews 50% of all Jewish college students have one Jewish parent Source: SimpleToRemember.com

The startling rate of growth of intermarriage to 80% today is not surprising. I started to think about the Rashi which talks about only 4/5th of the Jews were redeemed from Egypt and many Rabbis say that the final redemption will repeat itself with the same statistics. If 80% of Jews (4/5th) are voluntarily marrying out so that they want to separate from the nation of G-d and be cut off, then it would not surprise me that this Rashi is playing out to fulfill this prophecy.

The following is an old advertisement from the Jewish Agency regarding warning Israelis against intermarriage:



This is from my favorite Reb Gutman Lock's outreach to Jews visiting the Kotel to remind them to marry Jewish.  Well, Reb Lock, you don't need a thank you from Jews, Hashem thanks you for doing your job!



And this problem is not limited to the Americans.  Jewish intermarriage is all across the world.  Here is news from Australia.




And now, why not intermarry?

The letter that 100 Rabbis signed against homosexuality, המכתב שנחתם ע"י מאה רבנים נגד תועבה

Recently, an American Jewish clergyman officiated at a matrimonial ceremony that is incorrectly being reported by some in the media as “the first time that an ordained Orthodox Rabbi has officiated at a same-sex marriage in the United States.”

We, as rabbis from a broad spectrum of the Orthodox community around the world, wish to correct the false impression that an Orthodox-approved same-gender wedding took place. By definition, a union that is not sanctioned by Torah law is not an Orthodox wedding, and by definition a person who conducts such a ceremony is not an Orthodox rabbi.

Jewish tradition unequivocally teaches that marriage can only exist as a union between a man and a woman, to the exclusion of a homosexual relationship. It is a distortion of Torah to confound that sacred principle. We strongly object to this desecration of Torah values and to the subsequent misleading reportage.

We appreciate the sensitive nature of intimacy. We, as rabbis, lovingly play a crucial role in helping Jews who may be facing great personal challenges to feel comfortable and welcome in our communities. Rabbis are always available to discuss congregants’ personal issues, including intimacy. We understand from our experiences in offering pastoral care that some individuals experience deep inner conflict as they seek a holy path to serve G-d and to fulfill their spiritual needs. As rabbis, we devote our lives towards helping all those in our broader community achieve their loftiest spiritual potential, while fully upholding the timeless values expressed in our Holy Torah.

The public should not be misled into thinking that Orthodox Jewish views on this issue can change, are changing, or might someday change. The Rabbinical Council of America recently declared that “the Torah, which forbids homosexual activity, sanctions only the union of a man and a woman in matrimony.” This is the only statement on this matter that can reflect Orthodox Judaism. Any claims or statements to the contrary are inaccurate and false.



SIGNED:

Rabbi Elie Abadie - New York, NY
Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein - Los Angeles, CA
Rabbi Eitan Allen - Fairfield, CT
Rabbi Sol Appleman - Woodsburgh, NY
Rabbi Moshe Averick - Chicago, IL
Rabbi Ian Bailey - Silver Spring, MD
Rabbi Yisroel Bendelstein - Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Etan Berman - New York, NY
Rabbi Azriel Blumberg - Brighton, MA
Rabbi Heshy Blumstein - Hewlett, NY
Rabbi Avram Bogopulsky - San Diego, CA
Rabbi Kenneth Brodkin - Portland, OR
Rabbi Zev Cinamon - West Hempstead, NY
Rabbi J. Simcha Cohen - West Palm Beach, FL
Rabbi Judah Z. Cohen - Hewlett, NY
Rabbi Yitzchok Cohen, New York, NY
Rabbi Mordechai Cohen - Milwaukee, WI
Rabbi Yosef Cohen - West Hartford, CT
Rabbi Nissim Davidi - Los Angeles, CA
Rabbi Eliezer Eidlitz - Valley Village, CA
Rabbi Ari Enkin - Ramat Bet Shemesh, Israel
Rabbi Ephraim Epstein - Cherry Hill, NJ
Rabbi Aaron Feigenbaum - Memphis, TN
Rabbi Dovid Feinberg - Ramat Bet Shemesh, Israel
Rabbi Emanuel Feldman - Jerusalem, Israel
Rabbi Ilan Feldman - Atlanta, GA
Rabbi Eliyahu Ferrell - Passaic, NJ
Rabbi Yitzchok Fingerer - Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Shmuel Fink - Lawrence, NY
Rabbi Dov Fischer - Orange County, CA
Rabbi Arie Folger - Munich, Germany
Rabbi Barry Freundel - Washington, DC
Rabbi Zvi Friedlander - New York, NY
Rabbi Cary Friedman - Passaic, NJ
Rabbi Zev Friedman - Lawrence, NY
Rabbi Mallen Galinsky - Jerusalem, Israel
Rabbi Benjamin Geiger - Forest Hills, NY
Rabbi Avraham Ginzburg - Forest Hills, NY
Rabbi Saul Gold - Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Jay H. Goldberg - Far Rockaway, NY
Rabbi Chaim Goldberger - Minneapolis, MN
Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer - New York, NY
Rabbi Shlomo Grafstein - New York, NY
Rabbi Alan Greenspan - Jerusalem, Israel
Rabbi Yonah Gross - Wynnewood, PA
Rabbi Yosef Grossman - Monsey, NY
Rabbi Ben Hecht - Toronto, Canada
Rabbi Ari Jacobson - Monsey, NY
Rabbi Ari Kahn - Givat Ze’ev, Israel
Rabbi Howard Katzenstein - Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Joseph Kolakowski - Richmond, VA
Rabbi Ira Kronenberg - Passaic, NJ
Rabbi Pinchas L. Landis - Cincinnati, OH
Rabbi Eliezer Langer - Austin, TX
Rabbi Levi Langer - Pittsburgh, PA
Rabbi Avi Lebowitz - Palo Alto, CA
Rabbi Yonah Levant - Queens, NY
Rabbi Menachem Levine - San Jose, CA
Rabbi Philip Lefkowitz - Chicago, IL
Rabbi Yaakov Luban - Highland Park, NJ
Rabbi Avraham Maimon - Sunnyvale, CA
Rabbi Reuven Mann - Phoenix, AZ
Rabbi Harry Maryles - Chicago, IL
Rabbi Baruch Pesach Mendelson - Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Jacob B. Mendelson - Bridgeport, CT
Rabbi Yossi Mendelson - Queens, NY
Rabbi Lester Miller - Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Yerachmiel Morrison - Lakewood, NJ
Rabbi Jonathan Muskat - Oceanside, NY
Rabbi Yehuda L. Oppenheimer - Forest Hills, NY
Rabbi Gavriel Price - Passaic, NJ
Rabbi Steven Pruzansky - Teaneck, NJ
Rabbi Aharon Rakeffet - Jerusalem, Israel
Rabbi Michael Rapps - Far Rockaway, NY
Rabbi Hershel Reichman - New York, NY
Rabbi Rachmiel Rothberger - New York, NY
Rabbi Gidon Rothstein - Riverdale, NY
Rabbi Lawrence Rothwachs - Teaneck, NJ
Rabbi Yackov Saacks - Dix Hills, NY
Rabbi Nosson Sachs - Pittsburgh, PA
Rabbi Nachum Sauer - Los Angeles, CA
Rabbi Hershel Schachter - New York, NY
Rabbi Moshe Schapiro - Bergenfield, NJ
Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld - Queens, NY
Rabbi Zev Schostak - Queens, NY
Rabbi Tsvi G. Schur - Baltimore, MD
Rabbi David Shabtai - New York, NY
Rabbi Dov Shapiro - Spring Valley, NY
Rabbi Jay C. Shoulson - Long Island City, NY
Rabbi Zecharia Sionit - Dallas, TX
Rabbi Ze’ev Smason - St. Louis, MO
Rabbi Aryeh Sokoloff - Queens, NY
Rabbi Aryeh Spero - Great Neck, NY
Rabbi Reuven Spolter -Yad Binyamin, Israel
Rabbi Leonard Steinberg - Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Gil Student - Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Michael Taubes - Teaneck, NJ
Rabbi Moses David Tendler - Monsey, NY
Rabbi Benzion Twerski - Milwaukee, WI
Rabbi Michel Twerski - Milwaukee, WI
Rabbi Avrohom Union - Los Angeles, CA
Rabbi Noach Vogel - San Jose, CA
Rabbi Gedalia Walls - Potomac, MD
Rabbi Yaakov Wasser - East Brunswick, NJ
Rabbi Philip Weinberger - Teaneck, NJ
Rabbi Matan Wexler - New York, NY
Rabbi Ari Zahtz - Teaneck, NJ
Rabbi Asher Zeilingold - St. Paul, MN
Rabbi Aharon Ziegler - Jerusalem, Israel

World Jewish Population, אוכלוסייה היהודי בעולם

On the eve of the Jewish New Year 5772, the Central Bureau of Statistics reports that Israel's population has risen by 1.9% over the past year to 7,797,400 including 5,874,300 Jews and 1,600,100 Arabs. In addition, there are an estimated 217,000 foreign workers residing in the country, taking the total number of people living in Israel above 8 million.

Over the past year, the Jewish population grew by 1.7%, and the Arab population grew by 2.5%.

Israel's population is relatively young with 28% of Israelis aged 0-14 compared with 17% in other Western countries. 10% of Israelis are aged over 65 compared with 15% of the population in other western countries.

40% of the population live in Central Israel - 24% in the Central District and 17% in the Tel Aviv District. 17% of the population lives in the Northern District and 14% of the population lives in the Southern District. 12% of the population lives in the Jerusalem District and 12% in the Haifa District, and 4% in Judea and Samaria.

Israel's most densely populated city is Bnei Brak with 21,636 residents per square kilometer, while Tel Aviv has 7,803 residents per square kilometer and Jerusalem has 6,296 residents per square kilometer. Bat Yam has 15,962 residents per square kilometer, Givatayim has 16,647 residents per square kilometer, and Elad has 13,921 residents per square kilometer.

Published by Globes, Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on September 26, 2011

To get an idea of the world Jewish population, here is a snapshot of a pie chart found at the Jewish Data Bank based on data in 2010.

The USA continues to trail behind Israel according to the above diagram.  These numbers are of course just estimates. Here is the logic that goes behind estimating "contemporary Jewish population" according to the report:

The enlarged Jewish population includes the sum of (a) the core Jewish population; (b) all other persons of Jewish parentage who—by core Jewish population criteria—are not currently Jewish (non-Jews with Jewish background); and (c) all respective non-Jewish household members (spouses, children, etc.).

Non-Jews with Jewish background, as far as they can be ascertained, include:
(a) persons who have adopted another religion, or otherwise opted out, although they may claim to be also Jewish by ethnicity or in some other way—with the caveat just mentioned for recent United States and Canadian data; and (b) other persons with Jewish parentage who disclaim being Jewish. As noted, most PJBs who are not part of the core Jewish population naturally belong under the enlarged definition

Intermarriage data for USA based on cities can be found here.  Surprisingly, South Palm Beach (Florida) reports the lowest percentage of intermarriage couples, of 9%, reported in 2005.  The highest being Portland, Maine, followed by San Francisco, Seattle, Denver/Boulder and Atlanta.

Hurricane Irene and Jews, הוריקן איירין ויהודים

The recent Hurricane Irene claimed the lives of three Jews, Baruch Dayan HaEmes.

NEW YORK (JTA) -- For some in the Jewish community, Hurricane Irene was a soggy inconvenience.

But for others it became a moment to extend a helping hand -- in at least three cases, tragically.

David Reichenberg, a 50-year-old father of four from Spring Valley, N.Y., died while saving a father and his 6-year-old son from a downed power line. He contacted the live wire and was electrocuted.

Reichenberg, an Orthodox Jew, was one of three Jews reportedly killed Sunday in the storm.

Michael Kenwood, 39, also died while attempting to help others.

A volunteer first aid worker from Princeton, N.J., Kenwood was checking a submerged car that rescuers thought was occupied when he became untethered and slipped. Kenwood was swept away by the current and later was pulled unconscious from the waters. He died the same night, reported the Trenton Times. The car was found to be abandoned.

Rozalia Gluck, 82, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was trapped in a Catskills motel that had become unmoored during the storm and floated away. Authorities recovered her body late Sunday. Isaac Abraham, a leader in the Brooklyn Chasidic community, told the New York Daily News that Gluck was a Holocaust survivor originally from Russia.

"She survived Hitler," Abraham said, "but she couldn't survive Irene."

By Tuesday afternoon, 40 deaths in 10 states were attributed to Hurricane Irene, The Associated Press reported.

In the Reichenberg tragedy, he had stopped to help the father and son, who were outside viewing the damage to their home in Rockland County when the boy touched a metal fence electrified by a fallen wire. Reichenberg pulled the two from the fence but could not escape himself, witness Moishe Lichtenstein told the New York Daily News.

"When I got there the victim was on the ground and he was touching the wire, which was in the water," Lichtenstein said. "When emergency officials got there, they couldn't touch him. We were standing there for like five or 10 minutes. We were just praying, 'God help this man.' "

Reichenberg was pronounced dead at the scene and was buried Sunday night. The injured boy, Reuven Herbst, was reported to be in critical but stable condition as of Monday night. His father, whose name was not released, suffered only minor injuries.

In an interview with JTA, a longtime friend of Reichenberg, Rabbi Avrohom Braun, described him as an “upbeat person with unshakable faith." Braun is director of admissions and education at Ohr Somayach yeshiva, which Reichenberg attended 25 years ago.

Reichenberg, who ran a sign-making shop, would attend 6 a.m. classes each day before opening his store, Braun said. He also said Reichenberg regularly volunteered to help coordinate Shabbat meals for impoverished families in Rockland County, which has a large population of Orthodox Jews.

As the cleanup effort began late Sunday and the East Coast began to return to some semblance of normality on Monday -- in many areas, public transportation was still unavailable -- the major denominational synagogue groups were still trying to make contact with constituent congregations in areas without power or telephone lines. They were hindered by staff members unable to get to work due to lack of train service and impassable roads.

Except for power outages and some minor flooding, no shuls reported much damage. Congregations moved Torah scrolls and historical documents to safe buildings at high ground, said Rabbi Elliott Kleinman, chief program director for the Union for Reform Judaism.

Even before the storm struck, the Jewish community attempted to prepare for the worst.

Some New York neighborhoods that are home to large Jewish communities were evacuated by order of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, including Brighton Beach and portions of Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn and Far Rockaway in Queens.

In Baltimore, the Rosenbloom Jewish Community Center opened its doors to 395 foreign workers, mostly Eastern European college students who had been evacuated from Ocean City, Md., the Baltimore Jewish Times reported. Although the JCC, located in the Baltimore suburb of Owings Mills, Md., had been designated an emergency evacuation center three years ago, it was the first time the building had been used for that purpose.

"As a Jewish organization, the JCC has the privilege of stepping up to uphold the Jewish value of 'hachnasat orchim' -- welcoming of guests into one's homes,” the JCC’s leadership wrote in an e-mail, according to the report.

Before the storm, Jewish officials offered both practical and religious counsel in preparation for the hurricane. The Union for Reform Judaism issued hurricane preparation guides.

The Orthodox website Vos Iz Neias posted halachic guidelines issued years ago by the Orthodox Union, Agudath Israel of America and others for what to do on the Sabbath in the event of a hurricane. Among other things, the guidelines specified that one may leave a radio on in a room of the house that is not generally used if there is concern for safety.

"The rabbis are getting a lot of calls today," Dov Hikind, an Orthodox New York State assemblyman from Brooklyn, told Reuters last Friday.

Lindsay Goldman, the director of UJA-Federation of New York's J-11 Information Referral Center, reported that UJA-Federation had advised its partner agencies to activate their emergency protocols. As of Monday morning, she said, all agencies had reported that they were open.

The URJ and B’nai B’rith International both opened hurricane relief funds to collect donations for hurricane aid. As of Monday, neither organization could say how much they had collected or had decided exactly how the money would be spent or distributed.

Rhonda Love, the director of B’nai B’rith’s Center for Community Action, said that even though the disaster occurred in the densely Jewish East Coast, aid will remain consistent with past natural disaster relief efforts -- based on need, not creed.

“We’ll work where there’s any opportunity to help,” Love said.

The committee that will allocate the URJ funds is reviewing damage reports from congregations but will give according to the needs of "congregations, Jewish communities or larger communities," Kleinman said. Those decisions will be made in the next week or two, he said; as of Monday there had been no immediate requests for funds.

"Being there right away is great," Kleinman said. "But sticking with them in the future is just as important."

Source: http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/08/29/3089161/irene-wounds-inspires-jewish-community