The Tribe For A Shabbot Morning!

Once more LatmaTV brings us The Tribe.  Hard hitting journalism, bringing the truth to us with a slant coming from satire.  Here is their latest:

Tribal Update 51

Have a good week!

A World Without The Torah

The Holiday of Shavu'ot celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, and is also known as Hag Matan Torateinu (the Festival of the Giving of Our Torah).  The Torah also known as the Pentateuch, refers to the Five Books of Moses—the entirety of Judaism's founding legal and ethical religious texts.  Thus defining what Judaism is and how Jews are to behave in this world.

Now imagine this:

From Aish.com by Sara Yoheved Rigler

What would the world look like if the Torah had never been given? Join me, if you will, for a tour of New York City in a hypothetical world where the revelation at Sinai never took place.

We drive across the Brooklyn Bridge, speed down the FDR Drive, and park our car in a massive concrete-and-steel garage. We walk through the streets of downtown Manhattan and crane our necks to gaze at the glittering tops of the skyscrapers. Knowing that the pagan civilizations of antiquity excelled in technological accomplishments, we're not surprised that technology forges ahead in a world devoid of Torah.

Next we meander through Lincoln Center. We hear the music of a concert in progress, pass a theater where a contemporary drama is being enacted, and see well-dressed people lined up to buy tickets for the ballet. Art does not need Torah to flourish.

From there we head to Wall Street. We peek into the Stock Exchange. Business and commerce are thriving. No difference here.

Our tour then takes us to residential neighborhoods crammed with high-rise apartment buildings. Here for the first time we notice something missing. There are no schools.

What happened to PS 132 and Woodrow Wilson High School and City College? Uptown, we are told, there is one lively academy for the wealthy and well-born, but education for the masses? Our guide snickers. "How ludicrous!"

As Rabbi Ken Spiro points out in his superb book, WorldPerfect education for all was an implausible notion in the pagan world (as in polytheistic societies today), where the literacy rate was generally 1/10 of 1%. Even ancient Rome, which needed a literate ruling class to administer its far-flung empire, boasted a literary rate of only 10-15%. Not only did Greece and Rome not deem it beneficial to educate the masses, but they viewed education as a potential danger to the stability of society.

The Torah innovated the idea of education for all. It specifically commanded parents to educate their children. [Deut. 6:7] In fact, a code of law as intricate as the Torah and as obligatory on all members of the society, inherently demanded study. If a Jew didn't know what all the commandments entailed, how could he fulfill them? Thus mass education was a Torah-mandated value throughout Jewish history, causing the medieval monk Peter Abelhard to write: "A Jew, however poor, even if he had ten sons, would put them all to letters, not for gain as the Christians do, but for understanding of God's law. And not only his sons, but his daughters."

As we continue our tour of New York City, we notice that we have not heard a single ambulance siren. When we ask, "Where are the hospitals?" we are met with a blank stare. "You must know what we mean," we persist, "the place where the sick are cared for and lives are saved."

A glint of understanding: "Oh, yes. We have a place which provides medical care… for those who can afford it, of course."

"And for the others?" we ask, appalled. "You can't just let them die."

"Why not?" is the puzzled retort.

No society before Torah or without Torah attributed intrinsic value to human life. It follows that for the government or society to spend its resources to heal or preserve life -- and to feel such urgency to save life that they would outfit ambulances -- would be considered a nonsensical enterprise. The right to life, which the American Declaration of Independence considered "self-evident," was not evident to any society in the world before or after Sinai, except where the Torah's influence penetrated.

On the contrary, infanticide of undesirable babies (such as girls and those with even minor disabilities) was universally practiced, and endorsed by such "enlightened" thinkers as Aristotle. Killing for entertainment was the most popular amusement in ancient Rome, where 50,000 people would crowd into the Coliseum to watch convicted criminals (for capital crimes such as professing Christianity), slaves, and POWs fed to the lions and gladiators fight to the death. In between these spectacular killings, lest the crowd get bored, routine executions by burning, beheading, and skinning people alive were offered for amusement during intermission.

Into a world where killing for convenience or sport was the universal norm, the Torah introduced the concept of the sacredness of life. "Do not murder," the sixth of the Ten Commandments revealed at Sinai, was not simply ethical pragmatism as it was in other ancient law codes, whose goal was to protect not the individual, but rather the stability of society. The Torah asserted that all human beings -- including infants, slaves, and convicted criminals -- were holy because they were created in the image of God. As the Talmud proclaimed: "He who saves one life is as if he had saved the whole world." The value of the individual -- and therefore his or her life -- is a Torah innovation.

In India in 1981, I knew a couple whose 22-year-old son had been injured in a traffic accident while riding his motor scooter through the streets of Calcutta. The young man lay on the crowded thoroughfare for seven hours, until he bled to death. This is a society where Torah has not penetrated.

Our tour of Manhattan-sans-Torah takes us to a small but stately building. We're informed that this is the courthouse for the entire city. "How can such a small courthouse serve millions of people?" we ask, perplexed.

"Millions of people?" is the astonished reply. "Only a few thousand people -- the elite -- have the right to bring lawsuits."

When the Torah laid down the principle of equal justice before the law, the rest of the world must have laughed. "You shall not commit a perversion of justice; you shall not favor the poor and you shall not honor the mighty" [Lev. 19:15] would have been regarded as outlandish had not God commanded it. According to the Torah, even a king is not above the law and even a slave is not below it. Jewish courts do -- and always have -- heard cases initiated by wronged workers, women, and foreigners. By contrast, ancient Athens, the so-called "cradle of democracy," extended full legal rights to only a few thousand men who owned land, leaving its other hundreds of thousands of residents (including women, artisans, peasants, and slaves) with no recourse to the law.

In the corridor of the courthouse, we notice something curious on the wall. It is a conglomeration of twelve lines of numbers. "This is a calendar," our guide explains. "It marks off the days, months, and years."

"What about the weeks?" we ask.

"What are weeks?" our guide inquires quizzically.

The division of time into seven-day units punctuated by the Sabbath, a day of rest, is an invention of the Torah. It corresponds to no natural cycle. Completely counter-productive of material goals, the Sabbath addresses the unique spiritual need for reconnection and re-creation. Even those denizens of the Western world for whom "the weekend" means not spiritual refreshment but shopping at the mall must appreciate the Torah's gift of one day off in seven.

Having lived in India, a society where every day resembles every other (except for the Sunday closing of schools and government offices, imposed by the British colonizers), I have seen how human beings are eroded by the tedium of a 365-day year of unremitting work. Now, in the small courthouse, I look around and notice the same exhausted expressions.

We head over to First Avenue and 46th Street only to discover that the familiar landmark of the United Nations headquarters is absent. Bewildered, we ask: "Isn't there some international body whose purpose, at least in principle, is to settle disputes between nations in a peaceful manner, without resort to war?"

Our guide is confused. "What would be the point of that? War is the noblest endeavor of man. War spawns heroes -- mighty warriors whose prowess vanquishes the enemy. And how else will a nation expand its borders and increase its power without the glorious enterprise of war?"

We despair of a meeting of minds, and begin to search for a curved wall where the antithetical vision of the Hebrew prophet Isaiah is emblazoned: "And they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks, nations shall not lift up sword against nations. Neither shall they learn war anymore."

We search in vain. There is no inscription, no wall, not even the ideal of peace in this world in which the Torah was never given.

We walk north, past the fashionable uptown, into a low-income neighborhood, and here the most conspicuous difference grips us. The streets are lined with unfortunates -- blind people, crippled people, starving children. They reach out their hands and plead with us for help. It reminds me of the cities of India. "Why are these people on the street?" we demand. "Where are the orphanages? The social service agencies? The institutions for the blind and the deaf? The soup kitchens? The rehabilitation centers for the handicapped?"

"What are you suggesting?" comes the outraged response. "There's nothing like that here, and why should there be? We didn't hurt these people. It's not our fault if they're hungry or handicapped. We bear no responsibility to help them."

As Ken Spiro points out in WorldPerfect, into a world where numerous law codes prohibited murder, theft, and various anti-social behaviors, the Torah burst into the scene with a completely novel concept: the obligation to proactively do good. "Love your neighbor as yourself," [Lev. 19:18] and "Do not stand by your neighbor's blood," [Lev. 19:16] charged humankind with social responsibility, an idea that sans-Torah societies never dreamed of.

The Torah, which Thomas Huxley called, "the Magna Carta of the poor and of the oppressed," drove this point home with a multitude of specific commandments aimed at providing aid to the impoverished, the widow, the orphan, and the alien. The Torah obligated human beings to take responsibility for the welfare of people outside their own clans and beyond the precincts of their own homes, not because it was salubrious for the body politic, but because a just and loving God demanded compassion from all His children for all His children. This planet has never known a more original idea.

Finish reading here.

No where in the Torah does it command a government to provide services for the people. In fact, the Torah imposes these very commandments to do.  Thus in Jewish families you will see Tzedakah boxes in the home (My family always placed ours in the kitchen.).  Every family gives. The rich to the poor, the poor to the poorer, even the poorest person will find a coin to give to another.  All this giving without the need to get a tax deduction.

Without G-d's gift to the Jews of the Torah, this world would be a poorer place to live in.  Our communities would be worse off with rampant disease, illness, death, crime and ignorance.

G-d's gift to Israel. Israel's gift to the world!

They're Back!!!

Just like bad food, a boomerang, or a stalker, this is the couple who just won't quit trying:  Tareq and Michaele Salahis.

I can't invent a story like this:

Oh, what a coincidence!!

I mean, can you imagine?

The reality-TV couple of 20 years ago (no, wait, it was last November...it only feels like 20 years ago in digital world), Tareq and Michaele (Mik-AY-luh, for those who forgot her required and most-arch pronunciation requirements) were stopped by the U.S. Secret Service last night near the White House.

And can you believethey were in a limo just tooling around President Obama's second State Dinner, this one feting Mexican President Felipe Calderon and wife Margarita Zavala.

I mean, what are the chances?

No WAY this was planned.

I mean, the Salahis, weren't they over-exposed. Oh, right, that's not possible anymore. Not genuinely, anyway.

The Salahis, remember, crashed the first State Dinner held for Indian Prime Minister Monmohan Singh (they insist they had some kind of an invite, but the security snafu cost then-Social Secretary and tight First Family pal Desiree Rogers her job). That gate-crasher caper, it is now reported, will be part of the first season of "Real Housewives of D.C." on a flat-screen near you later this year on the Bravo network.

How did the gate-crashers of yore find themselves on Secret Service radar screen again?

Their limo driver (doesn't everyone have one?) made a "wrong" turn near the White House. Prompting a traffic stop. Prompting their identities to be discovered. Prompting their names to be released to the press corps.

A million to one publicity shot, don't ya think?

Herewith, the official description of said event from Secret Service spokesman Edwin Donovan.

"Last night at approximately 2000hours (that's 8 p.m. EDT to you and me) a Secret Service Uniformed Division officer observed a stretch limousine pass through a red light at 15th and Constitution (streets).

The vehicle then signaled that it was turning into the Ellipse parking area at 16th and Constitution, a restricted area.

The vehicle was subsequently stopped at 17th and H Street and it was then learned that Tareq and Michaele Salahi were among the occupants of the vehicle. The driver and occupants of the vehicle were interviewed at this point. The driver was issued a notice of infraction for passing through a red light and all the subjects in the vehicle were released."

It might be worth noting that the "restricted area" near the Ellipse off of Constitution Avenue is among the best-known restricted driving areas near the National Mall. It's sort of the Washington Monument of restricted areas.

Must have been a brand-new "stretch limo" driver.

It has become a tradition in this nation to reward those with bad manners a television show.  In the case of the Salahis it is a spot on "The Real Whores Housewives of DC".  A reality show.

That is what they wanted last time they did this stunt.  What is it to be this time?  The replacement show for Law and Order?

What they should receive is a stiff prison sentence AND to be banned from every being on a TV show in their lifetime!

The Strangling Of American Hospitals

That is what is happening in many of the smaller Hospitals in the United States these days.  So it is being reported by Dr. Thomas M. Hamilton MD, better known as The Grouch.

We had staff meeting yesterday at the hospital. A topic of discussion was RAC audits and a specific case affecting our hospital.

If you don't know what RAC audits are, do a Google Search on it and read about it for yourself. I betcha most of you have never heard of such a thing.

Anyway, I felt compelled to write my Congresswoman, Marsha Blackburn, and my two Senators, Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander over this issue. I know I'll probably get the standard form reply, but it made me feel better anyway. Here it is:

Dear Senator/Congresswoman:

I feel the need to make you aware of the serious situation created for small hospitals under the RAC (Recovery Audit Contractor) program created by Medicare.

I am a physician at our local hospital. During staff meeting yesterday, we discussed a situation concerning a recent surgical case. A patient had a lesion surgically removed. The doctor’s note read as follows, “an eleven blade scalpel was used to remove the lesion”.

The RAC auditor reviewed this chart and stated that the note should have read, “an eleven blade scalpel was used to EXCISE the lesion”.

Because the word REMOVE was used instead of the word EXCISE, the RAC auditor declared that the hospital should refund Medicare an amount of $11,000. The hospital appealed and pointed out to the auditor that there was essentially no difference in the words EXCISE and REMOVE. To no avail, the auditor stated the hospital owed Medicare $11,000.

Senator/Congresswoman, these RAC audits are an exercise in pure lunacy. I hope you can see the obvious stupidity imposed on hospitals by the intrusion of the United States Government by this example above. I would also hope that you would take steps to relieve us of the burden of these nonsensical RAC audits. If you don’t, many hospitals like ours simply will not survive and will end up closing the doors.

It is my understanding that the bureaucrats involved in the RAC audits are entitled to a third of the funds they recover from hospitals. So out of that $11,000 dollars they are squeezing from our hospital over the definition of a single word, the auditors themselves stand to collect $3666.66 for themselves. Senator/Congresswoman, can you truly believe that hospitals will be treated fairly under such a system? If a private entity conducted itself in a manner similar to the RAC auditors, the people in that entity would be jailed.

Of course if Barack Obama has his way we will end up with single payer health care for all which will no doubt be broke like Social Security and Medicare. More and more hospitals will close. So much for universal health care.

Right now our hospital makes about 46 cents for every dollar billed to Medicare. We make 24 cents for every dollar billed to Tenncare (Tennessee Medicaid). I am told under the proposed Medicare cuts and RAC audits we can see our reimbursement fall to 32 cents for every dollar billed to Medicare. You can see we are slowly but surely being strangled by Uncle Sam. Our doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff work hard to provide health care to some very old and very sick people. We deserve honest payment for our efforts rather than a bunch of shenanigans invented by Medicare designed to avoid payment.

Senator/Congresswoman, I implore you to look into this thing called RAC audits. Talk to your constituents in the health care field. They will tell you the same thing I am telling you. We are being strangled by this government nonsense.

I am looking for a personal and thoughtful reply from you on this matter, not the usual form reply provided by a staffer.

Sincerely,

Thomas M. Hamilton MD.

Finish reading here.

I find it troubling that the "auditor" receives a "reward" of 1/3 of all monies collected, thus discouraging a true audit of books since it is in the auditor's best interest to "find" fault in every search.

Thus the word Excise, meaning to cut out or off, as a tumor. And the word Remove, meaning to take away, withdraw, or eliminate is not considered equal in intent.  This auditor has taken it upon his/herself to become the standard exemplary of the English Language.

This is only one example of what is happening now and will happen when Obamacare is implemented in its full force.

Is it no wonder that thousands of doctors are planning to leave the profession.  Where will the government find their replacements?

Will a doctor trained in one of those nations instill confidence in you?

Pass this along to others, this corruption has to be stopped!

Everybody Draw Muhammad Day

That is what today is. The day everyone who wants to is suppose to draw a picture of The Pedophile Prophet Muhammad in protest over Comedy Central's decision to censor an episode of "South Park" that depicted Muhammad in a bear costume.

What started out as a cartoonist's call to action against censorship -- an open invitation to submit caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad -- has led to death threats, a court order to temporarily block parts of the website in Pakistan and a call for a boycott of Facebook to protest what Muslims believe is blasphemy.

"Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!" began last month as the brainchild of a Seattle-based cartoonist named Molly Norris, who was appalled by Comedy Central's decision to censor an episode of "South Park" that depicted Muhammad in a bear costume.

As a way to protest the network's decision -- which came after an Islamic extremist website warned of retaliation against the show's creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker -- Norris created a poster with likenesses of Muhammad as a domino, a teacup and a box of pasta.

She declared May 20 "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!" -- and her efforts quickly went viral, spawning several Facebook pages with thousands of followers dedicated to the event.

Read the full story here.

Now I cannot draw, so I offer to you some of the original 12 Muhammad caricatures:

And now, all 12 at once:

I should be expecting my fatwa any day!

Wednesday's Hero: L/Cpl. Joshua M. Davis

L/Cpl. Joshua M. Davis
19 years old from Perry, Iowa
1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force
May 7, 2010


Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Davis of Perry, Iowa, was a 2009 Perry High School graduate. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in March 2009. Assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, from Camp Lejeune, N.C., he deployed to Afghanistan in March 2010 and was promoted to Lance Cpl. on May 1, 2010. He was killed in action on May 7, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. His awards include the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Afghanistan Campaign Medal. Also killed alongside L/Cpl. Davis were Cpl. Kurt S. Shea, 21, of Frederick, Maryland and Lance Cpl. Christopher Rangel, 22, of San Antonio, Texas.

All Information Was Found On And Copied From Here and Here

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Torah, Ten Commandments, And Blintzes!

Add to those King David and Ruth, you now have the makings of the Jewish Holiday of Shavu'ot!

From Judaism 101:

Shavu'ot, the Festival of Weeks, is the second of the three major festivals with both historical and agricultural significance (the other two are Passover and Sukkot). Agriculturally, it commemorates the time when the first fruits were harvested and brought to the Temple, and is known as Hag ha-Bikkurim (the Festival of the First Fruits). Historically, it celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, and is also known as Hag Matan Torateinu (the Festival of the Giving of Our Torah).

The period from Passover to Shavu'ot is a time of great anticipation. We count each of the days from the second day of Passover to the day before Shavu'ot, 49 days or 7 full weeks, hence the name of the festival. The counting reminds us of the important connection between Passover and Shavu'ot: Passover freed us physically from bondage, but the giving of the Torah on Shavu'ot redeemed us spiritually from our bondage to idolatry and immorality. Shavu'ot is also known as Pentecost, because it falls on the 50th day; however, Shavu'ot has no particular similarity to the Christian holiday of Pentecost, which occurs 50 days after their Spring holiday.

It is noteworthy that the holiday is called the time of the giving of the Torah, rather than the time of the receiving of the Torah. The sages point out that we are constantly in the process of receiving the Torah, that we receive it every day, but it was first given at this time. Thus it is the giving, not the receiving, that makes this holiday significant.

Shavu'ot is not tied to a particular calendar date, but to a counting from Passover. Because the length of the months used to be variable, determined by observation (see Jewish Calendar), and there are two new moons between Passover and Shavu'ot, Shavu'ot could occur on the 5th or 6th of Sivan. However, now that we have a mathematically determined calendar, and the months between Passover and Shavu'ot do not change length on the mathematical calendar, Shavu'ot is always on the 6th of Sivan (the 6th and 7th outside of Israel. See Extra Day of Holidays.)

Work is not permitted during Shavu'ot.

It is customary to eat a dairy meal at least once during Shavu'ot. There are varying opinions as to why this is done. Some say it is a reminder of the promise regarding the land of Israel, a land flowing with "milk and honey." According to another view, it is because our ancestors had just received the Torah (and the dietary laws therein), and did not have both meat and dairy dishes available. See Separation of Meat and Dairy.

The book of Ruth is read at this time.

It is told by the sages that the 10 Commandments were given to the People of Israel on this date. On the holiday of Shavuot, the entire Jewish nation heard from G‑d the Ten Commandments. The next day Moses went up to Mount Sinai where he was taught by G‑d the rest of the Torah -- both the Written and Oral Laws -- which he then transmitted to the entire nation.

Exodus 20:2-17


2 I am the Lord your G-d, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery;

3 Do not have any other gods before me.

4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your G-d am a jealous G-d, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me,

6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7 You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your G-d, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.

8 Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.

9 For six days you shall labor and do all your work.

10 But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your G-d; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns.

11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it.

12 Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your G-d is giving you.

13 You shall not murder.

14 You shall not commit adultery.

15 You shall not steal.

16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

These laws brought a strict moral code to the world.  A moral code the world has never forgiven the Jewish people for.

Thus the Law, and Torah are celebrated on Shavu'ot.

Some of the customs of Shavu'ot are:

• Women and girls light holiday candles to usher in the holiday, both on the first and second nights of the holidays.
• It is customary to stay up all night learning Torah on the first night of Shavuot.
• All men, women and children should go to the synagogue on the first day of Shavuot to hear the reading of the Ten Commandments.
• As on other holidays, special meals are eaten, and no "work" may be performed.
• It is customary to eat dairy foods on Shavuot. Among other reasons, this commemorates the fact that upon receiving the Torah, including the Kosher laws, the Jewish people could not cook meat in their pots which had yet to be rendered Kosher.
• On the second day of Shavuot, the Yizkor memorial service is recited.

One of the traditional foods of Shavu'ot is Blintzes

Here is a good recipe for them:

BATTER
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 package vanilla sugar
Pinch of salt
1 Tbsp. oil

CHEESE FILLING I
1/2 pound farmer cheese
4 ounces cream cheese
4 Tbsps. honey or
maple syrup
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 egg yolk

CHEESE FILLING II
1 pound cottage cheese,
strained
2 egg yolks
2 Tbsps. flour
2 Tbsps. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla sugar
1/4 cup raisins (optional)

USE: 7 inch skillet
YIELDS: 12 blintzes

BATTER: In a large mixer bowl combine eggs, milk, water and blend well. Gradually add flour, then both sugars, salt and oil. Beat well until there are no lumps in the batter.

FILLING I: Combine all ingredients in a bowl and beat well. Or combine all the ingredients in a blender container and blend until smooth.

FILLING II: Combine all ingredients, except raisins, in a bowl and beat well. Or all the ingredients can be combined in a blender container and blended until smooth. Then add raisins.

TO ASSEMBLE CREPES:

1. Prepare batter and filling of your choice. Using a paper towel or basting brush, apply a thin coating of oil to a 7 inch skillet. Place skillet over medium heat until skillet is hot but not smoking.

2. Ladle approximately 1/3 cup of batter into the skillet. Tilt pan to swirl the batter so it covers the bottom of the skillet.

3. Fry on one side until small air bubbles form, and top is set. Bottom should be golden brown. When done, carefully loosen edges of crepe and slip out of skillet onto a plate..

4. Repeat the above procedure until all the batter is used. Grease the skillet as needed..

5. Turn each crepe so that golden brown side is up. Place 3 tablespoons of filling on one edge in a 2 1/2 inch long by 1-inch wide mound..

6. Roll once to cover filling. Fold the sides into the center and continue rolling until completely closed..

7. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the skillet and place each crepe seam side down in the skillet and fry 2 minutes on each side, turning once.

VARIATION: Whole wheat pastry flour can be used instead of white flour.

Or you can buy the prepackaged blintzes found in your grocer's freezer section. They cook up wonderfully and taste great!

This day is also the Yahrtzeit (Anniversary of Death) of King David (ca. 907-837 BCE), a humble shepherd who became the second king of Israel. David was famous as a warrior, scholar and psalmist. He courageously battled the Philistine giant Goliath, killing him with a slingshot. David reigned for 40 years, during which he made Jerusalem the Jewish capital, purchased the future site of the Holy Temple, and made preparations for the Temple's construction. David composed the biblical Book of Psalms, songs of praise to G-d and poetic expressions of love, fear, triumph and disaster. David was promised an eternal dynasty of Jewish kingship; he was succeeded by his son Solomon, and according to tradition, the Messiah will ultimately be descended from David. His life story is recorded in the Book of Samuel.

David was the direct decedent of Ruth the Moabite and Boaz.  Her story is found in the Book of Ruth.  According to tradition, the Messiah is to be a descendant of David.

This is a wonderful holiday to celebrate (Good food, so the diet will have to go out the window again!).

Happy Shavu'ot!!!

Too Horrible To Contemplate!

I received this via an e-mail and did some checking up on the facts I am about to present to you.  Most of this I have been able to confirm through my own sources.

Earlier today I posted about the warning Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely issued about the grave danger Israel is in. Following that, I received this from a colleague who has close friends in Israel. Here’s what she wrote:

I have just received this: from my friend in Israel who moves in high circles there.

No attribution possible. It’s from a very trustworthy source who was himself the recipient and knows these people. They send him information clandestinely and they remain incognito, so that they can safely inform Americans of what is actually happening. I’m sure that they would be pleased to have the information disseminated.

Incidentally, in my opinion, this is what appears to be happening. Obama has made secret deals with the Iranian mullahcracy to facilitate the weakening of both the USA and Israel, even the planned destruction of Israel, in exchange for promises from Iran and now the Turkish leadership that ‘all they want’ – à la Munich, 1938 – is their individual MidEast Sudentenland, each of them.

Turkey and Iran have decided to split the ME between them – East and West. Turkey will recreate a new Sunni-controlled Ottoman Empire, and Iran will be allowed its own ‘greater Iran’ hegemony…i.e. a new Shiite Caliphate stretching beyond its current borders.

Obama, who is a Muslim, agrees with this plan and has pledged to help throw Israel – along with all American national security interests – to the wolves.

This appears to me to be what is currently happening, and Americans had better awaken to this reality long before November, 2012, or we won’t have a country, or an Israel, to save any longer.

***

Tonight Clive and I heard very disturbing information – we heard it from a consultant to the United States who meets once a month with the President in the White house. He is in the know. This is what actually has happened with the relationship with Israel and the USA and it is not pretty:

1. Israel during the Bush and Clinton Administrations – had landing rights in Turkey, and in the USA bases in the middle east and more recently under George Bush, in Iraq. This was in case they were invaded by Iran , or Saudi or any other Arab country. Obama has withdrawn those landing rights. Israel now has nowhere to refuel in the Middle East.

2. Netanyahu was instructed to come to the White House for a meeting. He was brought in through a servants entrance – the only head of state ever in US history to be given that disgraceful treatment. He was not offered even a cup of tea – but was lectured to by Obama who told him that he is not permitted to attack Iran and that he has to withdraw all forces from the West Bank and may not build any more settlements ( neighborhoods) in East Jerusalem.

3. Israel found out that there were four terrorists meeting in Dubai . As they have done for the past 62 years, they informed the US of that and said that these terrorists had to be dealt with. Obama said under no circumstances. Israel decided to go ahead. They killed the one terrorist who showed up. However the CIA was sent there to film the entire event by Obama – and then a concerted PR campaign was waged by the White house to discredit Israel and what they did – this kind of action has taken place with US support for the past 62 years since we have common enemies.

4. Obama has refused to oppose Syria’s rearming of Hezbollah and Hamas – Israel now sits in imminent danger from the amounts of missiles that can be sent into her territory.

5. Israel will never tell the US again of its plans – since they cannot trust us.

6. Israel intends to attack Iran –there are over 30 installations of which 4 have underground bunkers that contain nuclear weapons. Israel cannot wait any longer. The US is no longer supporting Israel ’s self defense.

7. This is the same man that gave the White House a full file on the 9.11 attack – his warnings and proof were laughed at.

8. He believes that the next attacks in the USA will be mass transportation – subways and malls – especially the largest malls where the most people can be killed – and that Vegas and wherever there are conventions of employees will be a huge target. We are not prepared and are naive in our lack thereof.

9. Once Israel attacks Iran , every Jew and Jewish institution will be at risk – temples, religious schools etc. We must be prepared.

10. This kept a room of 200 people spellbound. It is not fiction. It is fact.

What can be done?

It is essential that everyone who doesn’t know yet, now understands that the protection and survival of Israel is not on Obama’s list – and he is now taking ACTUAL steps to move all protections away – no more landing rights, negotiating with Iran and Syria, making nice to the Muslim World in the face of allies of long standing and he is no friend of the Jewish people and Israel.

We must be sure that we elect politicians who protect Israel as well as the USA – our interests are intertwined. Please forward to everyone you know.

I was able to verify through my own sources every one of the 10 points cited here. Yet Barack Hussein Obama is sending his Kapos

With this happening, no wonder Netanyahu is on edge!

Something for all of us to remember:

On this date, 5 Sivan 5741 (June 7, 1981), Israel bombed and destroyed the Iraqi nuclear reactor in Baghdad. Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had pronounced himself as the reincarnation of Babylonian tyrant Nebuchadnezzar, and named the nuclear reactor "Tammuz" -- the name of the calamitous Jewish month when Nebuchadnezzar's troops laid siege on Jerusalem 2,500 years earlier. Ilan Ramon (later to become Israel's first astronaut, who died in the explosion of the Space Shuttle Columbia) and seven other pilots executed the daring raid -- flying over enemy Arab territory for hours, and avoiding detection with their tight formation that emitted a radar signal resembling a commercial airliner. However, even as Israel celebrated the successful raid, condemnation was nearly universal. One prominent U.S. senator called it "one of the most provocative, ill-timed and internationally illegal actions taken in that nation's history." Two decades later, as the world feared Saddam's weapons of mass destruction, the Israeli action was vindicated.

Operation Opera

Israel will do what is necessary to survive regardless of what Barack Hussein Obama want them to do, even if it costs them funding and/or support.

London Muslim Newspaper Praises Obama For Not Tying Terrorism To Islam

Cross posted from Holger Awakens


Good grief. When an American President is praised by the likes of a publication like London's Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper, you know you are looking at jihad taking over America.

The following article is taken from MEMRI and showcases an editorial from the radical islamist paper in London that lauds President Barack Hussein Obama for the way he is keeping the whole discussion of Islam out of the upswing of terror going on in America. The editor is very adamant about the differences between Obama and George W. Bush - you get it, Bush was bad for islamists, Obama is good for islamists.

So, the hit parade continues - the praise for our President now includes a radical islamic newspaper from London joining the list that contains leaders from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the Taliban, the dictators of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaraugua and frankly, more than I can list right now. The evil in this world is very happy with our choice of Presidents.

'Al-Sharq Al-Awsat' Deputy Editor Praises: "The Obama Administration… [for Taking] the Initiative to Remove the Term 'Islamic Terrorism' From Its Documents and Official Transactions"


In a May 12, 2010 op-ed titled "Why Didn't Obama Mention Islam?" in the London daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, the paper's deputy editor-in-chief, Osman Mirghani, commented on how U.S. President Barack Obama's administration is dealing with recent terrorist operations in the U.S., contrasting it with his predecessor George W. Bush's handling of similar incidents. He notes the Obama administration's move to "remove the term 'Islamic terrorism' from its documents and official transactions," explained that the U.S. is "no longer responding to extremist voices" calling for targeting the terrorists' home countries, and enumerates other changes made by the administration.

He concludes by stating that Obama is definitely trying to "confront the negative stereotype of Islam' as he promised to do in his June 2009 speech at Cairo University.

Following is the article, in the original English.

Obama "Avoided Mentioning Islam in Discussing the Terrorist Operation"

"There is a huge difference between the way the Obama administration dealt with the recent terrorist operations and the way the administration of former president George W. Bush dealt with similar operations. Obama's administration, on all levels, was eager to deal with American-Pakistani Faisal Shahzad's attempt to blow up a car in Times Square in New York with a lot of deliberation and without hastily issuing statements, also avoiding any suggestions of a link between terrorism and Islam.

"After the failed terrorist attack, Obama said that his country would not be intimidated and that the investigations will seek to determine if the suspect in the case had links to 'foreign extremist organizations.' He did not once refer to the religion of Faisal Shahzad and avoided mentioning Islam in discussing the terrorist operation."

"Obama Spoke About [the Failed Christmas Day Bomber] As a Member of the Al-Qaeda Organization – But [Not] About Him Being a Muslim"

"A few months ago, following the botched attempt of Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmuttalib to blow up a U.S. airliner over America on Christmas Day, Obama spoke about the detained terrorist as a member of the Al-Qaeda organization but he did not speak about him being a Muslim. Even when he spoke about Al-Qaeda, Obama noted that it was not the first time that the network had targeted America, ignoring the links that were made in the past between the organization and Islam or when it was put in the context of 'Islamic extremism.'

"When Major Nidal Malik Hasan killed 13 people at the Fort Hood military base in Texas last November President Obama 'cautioned against jumping to conclusions.' In all of his statements after that crime was committed, President Obama focused on troop morale and the issue of psychological pressure as a result of the war, ignoring the fact that Nidal Malik Hasan is a Muslim and of Arab origin."

"The Obama Administration Took the Initiative to Remove the Term 'Islamic Terrorism' From Its Documents and Official Transactions"

"The Obama administration took the initiative to remove the term 'Islamic terrorism' from its documents and official transactions after the US President announced that he wanted to turn a new page with regards to the Islamic world. There is recognition today of the fact that terrorists are benefiting from the creation of an anti-Islamic and anti-Muslim atmosphere after any terrorist operation, and that issuing statements or taking steps that target Muslims employed by extremist groups further spreads hostility against the U.S., the West, and even moderate Islamic states.

"Moreover, the war on terror is a universal war; it cannot be won without international cooperation. Terrorism does not target the U.S. alone; the Islamic states were victims of terrorism long before it reached the American borders."

"The U.S. Is No Longer Responding To Extremist Voices That Call For Targeting the Countries To Which The Terrorists Belong"

"Because the policy of invading countries as a strategy to confront terrorism cannot be followed, as this policy has human, military, financial and moral costs, the U.S. is no longer responding to extremist voices that call for targeting the countries to which the terrorists belong. The identity of the terrorist does not necessarily implicate the country he belongs to, in the same way that other adherents of the religion the terrorist follows should not be condemned.

"The person who attempted the recent explosion in New York was Pakistani, and it is believed that he carried out his attempt with instruction and training from the Pakistani Taliban; this doesn't mean that Pakistan is involved in the case or that it must be subjected to U.S. strikes, which is what some extremist voices call for. Pakistan is engaged in a war against the Taliban and its cooperation in the war against terror is considered vital and necessary for fighting this disease."

"The Case Of Faisal Shahzad Destroys the Logic of Extremists... Because the Perpetrator Comes From America Itself"

"The paradox lies in the fact that the case of Faisal Shahzad destroys the logic of extremists from the core because the perpetrator comes from America itself, where he lived and worked and has U.S. citizenship. Moreover, the person who is said to have influenced his thinking is Sheikh Anwar Al-Awlaki, who also has U.S. citizenship. More importantly, it emerged that Major Nidal Malik Hasan and the Nigerian Omar Farouk Abdulmuttalib were also influenced by Al-Awlaki."

"Despite Numerous Attempts by Moderate Voices, The Bush Administration Remained Captive to the Big Stick Policy and Slogans Of 'You're Either With Us Or Against Us,' Which Caused The Popularity Of The U.S. To Wane"

"The Al-Qaeda organization used youngsters of different nationalities in terrorist operations, and at first it succeeded at having an impact on America's relations with the various countries that those operatives belonged to. The organization benefited from the atmosphere of suspicion that prevailed in America's relations with numerous Islamic countries, just as it exploited the anti-Islamic atmosphere in order to add fuel to the fire of anger and extremism.

"Despite numerous attempts by moderate voices, the Bush administration remained captive to the Big Stick policy and slogans of 'you're either with us or against us,' which caused the popularity of the U.S. to wane, not only in the Islamic world but in numerous countries around the world."

In His Cairo Speech, Obama "Pledged That He Would Confront the Negative Stereotype Of Islam... There Is No Doubt That He Is Trying To Do That"

"When Obama entered the White House, his election was not a message of hope and inspiration to America alone, but to the entire world, that welcomed the message of change. Since day one, the new president has extended his hand to the Islamic world; he delivered speeches from Ankara and Cairo and he appointed an envoy from the Organization of the Islamic Conference.

"More importantly, U.S. discourse has changed, and the tendency to link every terrorist operation to the religion of the perpetrator has disappeared. In the speech Obama made to the Islamic world from Cairo last year, he pledged that he would confront the negative stereotype of Islam... there is no doubt that he is trying to do that as demonstrated by the American discourse following the recent terrorist operations."

Music For A Shabbat Morning

Just a little ditty from Ray Stevens.

Come to the USA

I do hope you enjoyed this as much as I did.

Jewish Donors Outraged by 'Sociopath' Obama

It only took a year and a half from when Barack Hussein Obama took office, but American Jews are deserting not only President Obama, but the Democratic Party as well.

If senior journalist David Goldman is right, the correct word for describing the way a growing number of US Jews feel about President Barack Obama is not 'anger' but 'rage' – white-hot rage, at that, and a conviction that they have been swindled.

Goldman, Senior Editor of First Things magazine and 'Spengler' columnist for Asia Times Online, spoke last week at a convention on intellectuals and terror at Ariel University in Samaria. In his lecture, he quoted a top Jewish campaign donor who used the word 'sociopath' to describe Obama. In an interview with Israel National News, he predicted a possibly dramatic 'train wreck' for the Democrats in the November mid-term elections, with Jewish fundraising for Democrats drying up and a possibly high turnout of anti-Obama evangelical Christians.

When the American Jewish Committee conducted its annual poll of American Jewish opinion in February, just before Obama provoked the diplomatic crisis [over construction at Ramat Shlomo], 55% of respondents approved of Obama's handling of relations with Israel, slightly less than the 57% that approved of the Netanyahu government. American Jews were under the mistaken impression that Washington and Jerusalem were on the same track. But 61% opposed any compromise on Jerusalem, while 75% agreed with the statement, “The goal of the Arabs is not the return of occupied territories but rather the destruction of Israel.” Support for Obama, in short, was a mile wide and an inch deep before he provoked the diplomatic crisis with Israel.

The outrage among Obama's erstwhile Jewish supporters, reflected daily in Marty Peretz's 'The Spine' blog at the New Republic, is heightened by the sense of wounded self-esteem felt by clever people who have just been swindled. I have spoken privately to several large Jewish contributors to Democratic campaigns who express a sense of outrage that I never have heard before. Jewish contributors to Democratic campaigns are selectively funding Republicans, for example Mark Kirk in Illinois, who is running for Obama's Senate seat, as a warning. Democratic Congressmen trying to defend Obama have been booed off the dais of meetings at traditionally liberal Reform synagogues in several parts of the country. If the train wreck proceeds as programed, the change in attitude within the American Jewish community could be dramatic.

This also is reflected in the harsh tone with which centrist liberal Jews have criticized Obama--for example Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, Alan Dershowitz, and former New York Mayor Ed Koch.

Many observers are predicting a crushing defeat for the Democrats in November. Dick Morris, the former Clinton advisor and Fox News commentator, claims that the Republicans will take both Houses of Congress. The fact that Democratic fundraising among Jews will be a tough sell contributes to the problem, but is not a decisive factor; there are enough other reasons for the Democrats to lose, starting with high unemployment and the fact that Obama has failed to create any middle ground with the Republicans and is perceived as too far too the left to suit the national mood. Obama almost certainly has resigned himself to a bad interim election; his best play is to spend the next two years running against a 'do-nothing' Republican Congress in the hope of winning a second term in 2012.

If Obama attempts to impose a settlement on Israel prior to the November elections, it will give the Republicans a stick with which to hit him. American support for Israel is running at all-time highs, with 64% supporting Israel according to Gallup vs. 18% sympathy for the Palestinian Arabs. And if he forces a crisis in diplomatic relations with Israel, it will become a significant factor in 2012. Not only will Jewish fundraising dry up (with some going to Republicans), but evangelical Christian support for Israel may become a factor. The evangelicals are an amorphous movement without centralized leadership, and the big question regarding their weight in elections is turnout. If they are highly motivated by an issue close to their concerns – and Israel is such an issue – they can be an important factor. Evangelicals comprise roughly 28% of the electorate, and a big change in turnout could shift 2% to 3% of the national vote to the Republicans – probably a winning margin.

That is why many Democrats are warning Obama against pursuing a confrontational strategy with Israel. The degree of Obama's ideological fervor in support of conciliating the Muslim world surprised the political world, as did the ferocity of his diplomatic approach to Israel. It is hard to avoid the conclusion – which I have long believed – that Obama has a profound personal commitment to reconciling America with the Muslim world which will override the usual political calculus. Given that he had a Muslim father and stepfather, was raised for four years in Indonesia, and has written with passion about his sympathy for the traditional identity of Indonesian Muslims, this is not surprising.

Obama's personal impulses are in conflict with his evident political interests, and it is impossible to predict how things will work out. There are other considerations as well. American troops are supposed to start leaving Iraq in the summer, and the country well might explode. Iran will make progress towards acquiring nuclear weapons, and reinforce its presence in Iraq, Gaza, Lebanon and elsewhere. Obama's policy in the region may blow up in his face in the advent of the November elections. He has some incentive to make Israel the scapegoat for this failure, by arguing that if only Israel were reasonable in dealing with the Palestinians, the US could win Muslim support in other parts of the region. This is entirely specious, in my view, but the probability is that Obama will stick to his guns.

During the 2008 Presidential Campaign, this and countless other blogs tried to warn American Jews about Obama.  We were ridiculed, scorned and called racists.  Only now is the Jewish community starting to wake up to the truth.

A man who sits in an anti-Semitic church which praises terrorist and condemns the only democracy in the region, a church that praises Louis Farakhan (Who openly calls for the extermination of the 14 million Jews left in this world.), and a church that blames all the troubles in the Black Community on the Jews, has had a miraculous conversion to Zionism after 20 years of being a close disciple of Jeremiah Wright!

For too long the Democratic Party has taken the Jewish vote for granted.  They just might have to fight for those votes once again.  And with the way Obama's going, it just might be a fight they will not be able to win!!!

Wednesday's Hero: Sgt. Kristopher J. Battles

Sgt. Kristopher J. Battles

Photo Courtesy United States Marine Corps.

Sgt. Kristopher J. Battles, the combat artist with the National Museum of the Marine Corps, stands in front of his paintings, May 5, 2010, at the John F. Kennedy School of Government for Harvard University. Battles showed several paintings, sketches and portraits for residents and tourists to see the artwork of a combat artist, in Cambridge, Mass., to help tell the Marine Corps story during Marine Week.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Overnight Video

In honor of Yom Yerushalim:

Yerushalaim Shel Zahav (Jerusalem of Gold)

Sung by the late Ofra Haza



Lyrics in English:

Following is a literal translation from the Hebrew prepared by Yael Levine

JERUSALEM OF GOLD

by Naomi Shemer

The mountain air is clear as wine

And the scent of pines

Is carried on the breeze of twilight

With the sound of bells.

And in the slumber of tree and stone

Captured in her dream

The city that sits solitary

And in its midst is a wall.

Jerusalem of gold, and of bronze, and of light

Behold I am a violin for all your songs.

How the cisterns have dried

The market-place is empty

And no one frequents the Temple Mount

In the Old City.

And in the caves in the mountain

Winds are howling

And no one descends to the Dead Sea

By way of Jericho.

Jerusalem of gold, and of bronze, and of light

Behold I am a violin for all your songs.

But as I come to sing to you today,

And to adorn crowns to you (i.e. to tell your praise)

I am the smallest of the youngest of your children (i.e. the least worthy of doing so)

And of the last poet (i.e. of all the poets born).

For your name scorches the lips

Like the kiss of a seraph

If I forget thee, Jerusalem,

Which is all gold...

Jerusalem of gold, and of bronze, and of light

Behold I am a violin for all your songs.

We have returned to the cisterns
To the market and to the market-place
A ram's horn (shofar) calls out (i.e. is being heard) on the Temple Mount
In the Old City.

And in the caves in the mountain
Thousands of suns shine -
We will once again descend to the Dead Sea
By way of Jericho!

Jerusalem of gold, and of bronze and of light
Behold I am a violin for all your songs.

AM YISRAEL CHAI!

One City, Never Again To Be Divided!

In the 20th Century Judaism added 4 new holidays:  Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day), Yom HaZikaron (Israel's Memorial Day), Yom Ha-Atzmaut (Israeli Independence Day) and Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day).  The last one, Yom Yerushalayim celebrates the re-unification of Jerusalem. Yom Yerushalayim is celebrated on the 28th of the month of Iyar. The liberation of Jerusalem in 1967 marks the first time in thousands of years that the entire city of Jerusalem, the holiest city in Judaism, was under Jewish sovereignty. The destruction of Jerusalem was a watershed event in Jewish history that began thousands of years of mourning for Jerusalem, so, it follows, that the reunification of Jerusalem should be a joyous celebration that begins the process of reversing thousands of years of destruction and exile. Jerusalem is central to the Jewish tradition. Jews face in the direction of Jerusalem and all of the prayer services are filled with references to Jerusalem.

Now with that in mind, it is a wonder why Barack Hussein Obama, President of the United States, and supposed friend of Israel would try to force Israel to partition the city once more.

Recent days have seen conflicting reports on construction in Jerusalem. While Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu states that construction in Jerusalem will continue, reports indicate that in practice, Jews are barred from building in some parts of the capital city. Arutz Sheva's Hebrew news service spoke to Jerusalem Construction and Building Planning Committee member Yair Gabbai to clarify the situation.

According to Gabbai, there is definitely a distinction being made between “west” Jerusalem, meaning the territory that has been under Israeli sovereignty since 1948, and “east” Jerusalem, the lands that were under Jordanian control from 1948 until 1967. Recently, officials have begun making a distinction between Jews and Arabs, allowing Arabs to build in neighborhoods where Jews are turned down for construction permits, he said.

"The most recent meetings have taken on a certain apartheid-like quality,” he said. “Construction permits in eastern Jerusalem are given exclusively to Arabs, while in the western half of the city there's no discrimination.”

United States President Barack Obama is behind the de facto construction freeze, Gabbai believes. “[Obama] is the source of the pressure on the prime minister and the government to freeze construction in eastern Jerusalem, even though it's not good for Jerusalem,” he said.

Finish reading here.

When Jerusalem was cut in two, not one Jewish place of worship was allowed to stand erect under Jordanian rule.  Even the Kotel was turned into a latrine for the amusement of the degenerate Arabs.  And this was done even though the world assured Jews that their sacred places would be safe and Jews would have access to these places.

From Wikipedia:

The Hurva Synagogue, also known as Hurvat Rabbi Yehudah he-Hasid ("Ruin of Rabbi Judah the Pious"), is a historic synagogue located in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem.

The synagogue was founded in the early 1700s by followers of Judah he-Hasid, but it was destroyed a few years later in 1721. The plot lay in ruins for over 140 years and became known as the Ruin, or Hurva. In 1864, the Perushim rebuilt the synagogue, and although officially named the Beis Yaakov Synagogue, it retained its name as the Hurva. It became Jerusalem's main Ashkenazic synagogue, until it too was reduced to rubble by the Arab Legion during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

After the site came under Israeli control in 1967, a number of plans were submitted for the design of a new building. After years of deliberation and indecision, a commemorative arch was erected instead at the site in 1977, itself becoming a prominent landmark of the Jewish Quarter. The plan to rebuild the synagogue in its 19th century style received approval by the Israeli Government in 2000 and the newly rebuilt synagogue was dedicated on March 15, 2010. The company involved with its reconstruction believes that restoring the synagogue to its former glory will once again allow it to serve as a center for World Jewry.

Hurva Synagogue restored - 2010

I wonder if this will be the last year Yom Yerushalayim will be celebrated in a unified city.  Under Obama's proposal orders the city will once again be divided (I wonder what Germans would do if Berlin was divided again?).  Will we then see signs like these:

43 years have passed since Jerusalem, City of David, City of Gold, was divided.  Will it remain whole in the next 43 years, or will it be divided forever?

Let us pray that the answer is NO!

One city forever united!