Tikkun Olam

There is a concept in Judaism called "hakarat hatov," which means recognizing the good that someone or some group has done you.  The JDC, Joint Distribution Committee which is one of the greatest humanitarian organizations globally, aiding Jews as well as non-Jews in need all over the world, is fulfilling this important Jewish ethical concept after the devastating typhoon which decimated the Philippines, by sending emergency relief supplies : food, materials for shelter, medical supplies as well as provisions to ensure clean water and sanitation supplies to where they are needed most in the Islands. So how is this disaster aid "hakarat hatov," recognizing the good someone has done? Because there is a historical connection between the Jewish people and the Philippines and Filipinos: around 70 years ago, Philippine president Manuel Quezon together with the Jewish Frieder family which owned cigar factories in Manila, saved one thousand Jewish refugees from Nazi Eur...

Contrast this with the subject of my previous post.  Thank G-d we Jews have real humanitarians out there who do not hurt , but selflessly help others in need--regardless of whether they are co-religionists or not. See what Chabad is doing to help the victims of the devastating F5 tornado which hit and devastated the town of Moore, Oklahoma yesterday, as published in The Jewish Press .  For the entire story, click on the link above. Chabad to the Rescue for Oklahoma Residents There are only about 5000 Jews in the Greater Oklahoma City area, but the Chabad of Oklahoma City is working around the clock to provide assistance to anyone in need. By: Lori Lowenthal Marcus Published: May 21st, 2013 print tell a friend Entire neighborhoods were flattened by the tornado that struck outside Oklahoma City, OK on May 20, 2013 The devastating tornado that struck just outside of Oklahoma...

An alien landing somewhere on Earth and listening to the news blasting Israel would come to the conclusion that that country must be a huge land containing billions of people, which controls the world and is the cause of all evil in it. This is the way it comes across, to hear or read about the lambasting of Israel--while countries whose regimes are truly guilty of piracy or rape, or murder and even genocide are written about, but without a hue-and-cry for de-ligitimization as is done with Israel. Cases in point include Darfur in the western Sudan, Somalia , and Indonesia , where our illustrious President just visited and towards which he gushed U. S. friendship. Meanwhile, what are these failed regions and states doing to help humanity? Because Extremely-Evil-Israel-Which-Should-Not-Exist has just sent an aid shipment with a hundred thousand doses of medicine to Haiti to help alleviate the cholera epidemic which is ravaging that unfortunate country.  That tiny Jewish home...

 (nablopomo day 30) What humanitarian crisis? What lack of material goods? What poverty and starvation? I'm certain that is going on, but it is not caused by the Israeli embargo.  It is caused by the current rulers of Gaza, Hamas, and their extremely uneven distribution of goods, services and money.  Gaza is now Hamastan, folks. Here is a current example of what is going on in Gaza, told to us by none other than Ashraf Abu al-Houl, an Egyptian journalist (what? you've never heard of him? How about Tom Gross . Heard of him? ), who was surprised to discover (GASP!) that Gaza is rich with abundant goods at low prices.   Wow. Who woulda thunk it. If you'd like, you can even buy Zionist clothes (-and who wouldn't want to be seen wearing those? ) at really affordable prices, in the new luxury mall. Then, after you bought all your cool Jew-clothes, go cool off at a water park . Oh, but wait--although "supply is greater than demand," you may not be able to ...

(nablopomo day 21) Look at this "nice, new mall" which just opened in Gaza.  It looks like any new, modern mall with stores laden with merchandise.  So where is this "humanitarian crisis" in Gaza, where there is " no concrete to build anything because Israel isn't letting anything in? " ( hat tip, my friend M. in Israel ) Baloney. As usual, they are lying through their teeth (it's an Arab mentality thing.  Go to my labels and read everything I've written about "Arabs."), because it suits their purposes.  It's an Arab custom. Read what Tom Gross has to say about it. Aside from not having any discretionary funds, by the looks of these pics, I would love to shop in a mall like that.  Wouldn't be able to eat in their food court, though; doubt if they'd have any kosher food emporia . . . See the whole story and all the photos here .  Happy shopping!

(nablopomo day 2) Thanks to Arlene Kushner for this alert to PMW 's release of the Al Jazeera video report. So who are these "humanitarian" activists? Supporters of terrorists and terrorism, with a planned agenda not to bring aid to the Gazans--who are already receiving aid from Egypt and Israel-- but rather to provoke and murder the Jews.  But we knew that already, didn't we? (Read more about the Khaibar Jews, their murders, and the significance of this in history, on Infidel Blogger .) And here are their stupidly naive (but potentially very, very dangerous) Los Angeles supporters.  And one lone young Jewish high school student.  Very, very symbolic...

Since I had written much on the efficiency of the Israeli field hospital in Haiti and the great disaster relief and humanitarian work that they had been doing, I feel it is fitting to post this video of the closing ceremony: after two weeks, the Israelis are going home, halfway across the world (hat tip Rafi ). *(nablopomo day# 27)

I received a comment to my last post which incensed me, and after writing a long rebuttal comment I decided just to run it as a post. Here it is (read that comment first). You say I think that Jews are not capable of 'Run of the mill buffoonery? Lust? Depression? Drug use? A penchant for petty thievery? Adultery?' Unfortunately, Jews are not immune from any of these sins you mentioned in your comment. If what you got out of my post that was that Jews are always innocent of the above, you seriously misread it and missed my point entirely. What I am averse to is not necessarily depicting Jews committing crimes (I say "necessarily" for a reason, which I will address in a moment); rather I am opposed to the Coen brothers pernicious depiction of Jews in the manner of classic Antisemitism and Antisemitic cartoons, as utilized (among others) by the Nazis. In addition, they created an amalgam of nefarious and ridiculous characters which are exaggerated stereotypes, right...

I recently began training for a new job, just a few days after my last post—which is why I have not been able to sit down, collect my thoughts, and post anew since the 8 th of the month. The job involves learning an entirely new area for me (a little real estate, business, etc.) — with a little IT work thrown in for good measure, which I already love doing--I guess being married to a geek has rubbed off--all of which is creating interesting new synapses in my brain . By the time I get home, however, I just want to relax, maybe read—not research topics to blog on my s-l-o-w, maxed-out 512 MB of RAM computer (-which sometimes itself decides to relax and freezes , right in the middle of an operation.) In the interim, between my last post and now, I’ve been following the war; last week I downloaded an Israeli toolbar with direct access to all the radio stations, TV, etc. – with even an ‘emergency’ four way split-screen dealie where I can see several TV stations, including Al-...

Get your own Menorah at ChaiSpace ! I wish I had seen this when Chanukah began. Now it will only be up for a day and a half, as I am writing this at 4:40 p.m. my time, the end of the seventh day of Chanukah. Our radio is set to automatically turn on every day, including Shabbat. We heard first the BBC and then at 6:30 a.m. the NPR report about Operation Oferet Yetzukah *, that the IDF launched a massive air strike into Gaza. It's about time. I am tired of the negative, accusatory questions posed to Israeli representatives, such as 'why is Israel launching an aggresive strike, why isn't Israel concerned about civilian casualties, how will Israel answer world condemnation,' and blah, blah, blah. It makes me sick. The responsibility for the so-called Palestinians (anyone living in the region before the State of Israel was also a Palestinian, Jews included; there is no "Arab" state called Palestine, never has been, and such a state should NOT be created) in G...