A Word of Torah: Standing Together

This week we begin the fourth of the five books of the Torah, the book of BaMidbar. BaMidbar means ‘In the Desert.’ It is also called Sefer HaPikudim, which translates as the Book of Numbers. The portion has the same name as the book itself. It is telling that this portion is read before the holiday of Shavuot, which comes out this year Sunday night through Tuesday night. [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]

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Jewish Religion, Middle East, Yeruchem Eilfort-Rabbi

Ukraine Announces Stipends for Life for Holocaust Rescuers

At a ceremony hosted by the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center (BYHMC), Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmygal, the Head of the Presidential Office of Ukraine Andrii Yermak and Ukraine’s Minister of Culture and Information Policy Oleksandr Tkachenko honored Ukrainians who saved Jews during the Holocaust and announced that those still alive will receive a lifelong monthly state stipend, in recognition of their heroism. [News Release from Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center]

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International, Jewish History

Fully vaccinated people can shed their masks in most places -U.S. CDC

Published by Reuters By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday advised that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks outdoors and can avoid wearing them indoors in most places, updated guidance the agency said will allow life to begin to return to normal. The

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USA

Commentary: As my family shelters in Tel Aviv, I’m unsettled that progressive Americans aren’t speaking up for Palestinians

Published by The Philadelphia Inquirer PHILADELPHIA – I spent Monday between rage and a sense of loss. I watched the Israeli government and security forces make one decision after another to escalate an already bloody situation. My family’s WhatsApp text thread pinged again and again: – They are talking about red alert alarms and sirens

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Middle East

Biden says effort to restore calm in Middle East is a ‘work in progress’

Published by Reuters By Steve Holland and Michelle Nichols WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – President Joe Biden said on Thursday he is pressing for a halt to violence between Israelis and Palestinians, but U.S. officials say they are resigned to the conflict continuing for some days to come. Since taking office in January, Biden’s foreign policy

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USA

Yay Kosher Website Offers Recipes for All

Yay Kosher began on the advice of a friend of my wife, Caryn Padowitz. The friend, who is a professional chef and successful blogger, had seen the way that others reacted to Caryn’s cooking and noticed that she had gained a certain amount of culinary respect among our peers. In simpler terms, everyone wanted to eat at our table because they knew Caryn would have cooked a delicious meal. [Ben Schneider]

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Travel and Food

Frightening sectarian violence within Israel

“Here we go again!”  That was the heading of a post I wrote a few weeks ago about the general election, but heck, it works just as well for what I’m writing about today, the escalation of violence in Israel and Gaza.
The first time I realized that things were getting serious was when I was in my German lesson at the community centre near my house in Mevasseret Zion. “What’s that noise?” I asked the lady sitting next to me. “It’s the siren,” she said, whereupon we and the other participants (all elderly ladies like myself) got up and moved to the shelter, which happened also to house the toilets. We heard (and saw) fire trucks and ambulances racing past, and after hanging around for a while, we all packed up our things and went home to watch the news on TV. A rocket fired from Gaza had landed on a nearby hill, causing very little damage and no injuries, thank goodness. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East

George W. Bush’s Warm Embrace for Immigrants to U.S.

If this book’s title, Out of the Many, One  sounds familiar, it is the English translation of the Latin expression  E pluribus unum, the unofficial motto of the United States, which can be found on the back of the $1 bill above the wings of the eagle.  Former President George W. Bush decided to include 43 portraits within this book, a number that was not happenstance.  He was the 43rd President of the United States. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, USA