Hanukkah

 

Hanukkah
A Hanukkiya or Hanukkah Menorah
Official name	Hebrew: חֲנֻכָּה or חנוכה English translation: "Establishing" or "Dedication" (of the Temple in Jerusalem)
Also called	Festival of Lights, Festival of Dedication
Observed by	Jews
Type	Jewish
Significance	The Maccabees successfully rebelled against Antiochus IV Epiphanes. According to the Talmud, a late text, the Temple was purified and the wicks of the menorah miraculously burned for eight days, even though there was only enough sacred oil for one day's lighting.
Begins	25 Kislev
Ends	2 Tevet or 3 Tevet
2012 date	Sunset, December 8 to nightfall, December 16
Celebrations	Lighting candles each night. Singing special songs, such as Ma'oz Tzur. Reciting Hallel prayer. Eating foods fried in oil, such as latkes and sufganiyot, and dairy foods. Playing the dreidel game, and giving Hanukkah gelt
Related to	Purim, as a rabbinically decreed holiday.

Hanukkah (Hebrew: חֲנֻכָּה, Tiberian: Ḥănukkāh, usually spelled חנוכה, pronounced [χanuˈka] in Modern Hebrew; a transliteration also romanized as Chanukah, Chanukkah or Chanuka), also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE.

 Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar.

The festival is observed by the kindling of the lights of a unique candelabrum, the nine-branched Menorah or Hanukiah, one additional light on each night of the holiday, progressing to eight on the final night. The typical Menorah consists of eight branches with an additional raised branch. The extra light is called a shamash (Hebrew: שמש‎, "attendant")^[1] and is given a distinct location, usually above or below the rest. The purpose of the shamash is to have a light available for use, as using the Hanukkah lights themselves is forbidden.^[2]

Boy lighting Hanukkah candles

The name "Hanukkah" derives from the Hebrew verb "חנך", meaning "to dedicate". On Hanukkah, the Jews regained control of Jerusalem and rededicated the Temple.^[3]

Many homiletical explanations have been given for the name:^[4]

• The name can be broken down into חנו כ"ה, "they rested on the twenty-fifth", referring to the fact that the Jews ceased fighting on the 25th day of Kislev, the day on which the holiday begins.^[5]

חנוכה (Hanukkah) is also the Hebrew acronym for ח נרות והלכה כבית הלל — "Eight candles, and the halakha is like the House of Hillel". This is a reference to the disagreement between two rabbinical schools of thought — the House of Hillel and the House of Shammai — on the proper order in which to light the Hanukkah flames. Shammai opined that eight candles should be lit on the first night, seven on the second night, and so on down to one on the last night. Hillel argued in favor of starting with one candle and lighting an additional one every night, up to eight on the eighth night. Jewish law adopted the position of Hilleldit] Historical sources

Maccabees, Mishna and Talmud

The story of Hanukkah, along with its laws and customs, is entirely missing from the Mishna apart from several passing references (Bikkurim 1:6, Rosh HaShanah 1:3, Taanit 2:10, Megillah 3:4 and 3:6, Moed Katan 3:9, and Bava Kama 6:6). Rav Nissim Gaon postulates in his Hakdamah Le'mafteach Hatalmud that information on the holiday was so commonplace that the Mishna felt no need to explain it. Reuvein Margolies^[6] suggests that as the Mishnah was redacted after the Bar Kochba revolt, its editors were reluctant to include explicit discussion of a holiday celebrating another relatively recent revolt against a foreign ruler, for fear of antagonizing the Romans.

Hanukkah lamp unearthed near Jerusalem about 1900

The story of Hanukkah is preserved in the books of the First and Second Maccabees. These books are not part of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible); they are apocryphal books instead. The miracle of the one-day supply of oil miraculously lasting eight days is first described in the Talmud, written about 600 years after the events described in the books of Maccabees. ^[7]

The Gemara, in tractate Shabbat 21, focuses on Shabbat candles and moves to Hanukkah candles and says that after the forces of Antiochus IV had been driven from the Temple, the Maccabees discovered that almost all of the ritual olive oil had been profaned. They found only a single container that was still sealed by the High Priest, with enough oil to keep the menorah in the Temple lit for a single day. They used this, yet it burned for eight days (the time it took to have new oil pressed and made ready).^[8]

The Talmud presents three options:

1. The law requires only one light each night per household,
2. A better practice is to light one light each night for each member of the household
3. The most preferred practice is to vary the number of lights each night.

Except in times of danger, the lights were to be placed outside one's door, on the opposite side of the Mezuza, or in the window closest to the street. Rashi, in a note to Shabbat 21b, says their purpose is to publicize the miracle.

[edit] Narrative of Josephus

Various menorot used for Hanukkah. 12th through 19th century, CE

The ancient Jewish Historian Flavius Josephus narrates in his book Jewish Antiquities XII, how the victorious Judas Maccabeus ordered lavish yearly eight-day festivities after rededicating the Temple in Jerusalem that had been profaned by Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Josephus does not say the festival was called Hannukkah but rather the "Festival of Lights":

"Now Judas celebrated the festival of the restoration of the sacrifices of the temple for eight days, and omitted no sort of pleasures thereon; but he feasted them upon very rich and splendid sacrifices; and he honored God, and delighted them by hymns and psalms. Nay, they were so very glad at the revival of their customs, when, after a long time of intermission, they unexpectedly had regained the freedom of their worship, that they made it a law for their posterity, that they should keep a festival, on account of the restoration of their temple worship, for eight days. And from that time to this we celebrate this festival, and call it Lights. I suppose the reason was, because this liberty beyond our hopes appeared to us; and that thence was the name given to that festival. Judas also rebuilt the walls round about the city, and reared towers of great height against the incursions of enemies, and set guards therein. He also fortified the city Bethsura, that it might serve as a citadel against any distresses that might come from our enemies."^[9]

Other ancient sources

The story of Hanukkah is alluded to in the book of 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees. The eight-day rededication of the temple is described in 1 Maccabees 4:36 et seq, though the name of the festival and the miracle of the lights do not appear here. A story similar in character, and obviously older in date, is the one alluded to in 2 Maccabees 1:18 et seq according to which the relighting of the altar fire by Nehemiah was due to a miracle which occurred on the 25th of Kislev, and which appears to be given as the reason for the selection of the same date for the rededication of the altar by Judah Maccabee.



Another source is the Megillat Antiochus. This work (also known as "Megillat HaHasmonaim", "Megillat Hanukkah" or "Megillat Yevanit") is in both Aramaic and Hebrew; the Hebrew version is a literal translation from the Aramaic original. Recent scholarship dates it to somewhere between the 2nd and 5th Centuries, probably in the 2nd century,^[10] with the Hebrew dating to the 7th century.^[11] It was published for the first time in Mantua in 1557. Saadia Gaon, who translated it into Arabic in the 9th century, ascribed it to the Maccabees themselves, disputed by some, since it gives dates as so many years before the destruction of the second temple in 70 CE.^[12] The Hebrew text with an English translation can be found in the Siddur of Philip Birnbaum.

The Christian Bible refers to Jesus being at the Jerusalem Temple during "the Feast of Dedication and it was winter" in John 10:22-23, the Greek term used is "the renewals" (Greek ta engkainia τὰ ἐγκαίνια).^[13] Josephus refers to the festival as "lights."^[14]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah

Congressman says Israel is America's only true friend

Wednesday, December 05, 2012 |  Israel Today Staff  

 

 

They say that a friend in need is a friend indeed. If that's the case, then US Congressman Ted Poe (Texas) considers Israel to be America's only true "friend indeed" in the world today.

At a recent House of Representatives session to remember the victims of Hurricane Sandy, Poe noted that of all the nations to which the US provides aid, Israel was the only one to turn around and return the favor in America's time of need.

"As waves crashed across the east coast...taxpayer dollars were still being funneled as foreign aid around the globe," said Poe. "While families watched...Sandy [wash] away their homes and livelihoods...over 158 countries were still busy cashing checks from America."

Poe continued: "Out of all the countries we give aid to, I understand Israel was the only country to send a lifeboat in the wind and rain and flood to help our victims in America. ...The Israel Flying Aid organization [provided] gas to hospitals and batteries, food, and generators to [the] victims."

The congressman pointed out that while American has done much to aid peoples around the world, "many of them hate us."

Poe concluded by suggesting that "the United States needs to re-evaluate giving foreign aid to nations that hate us," while ensuring that thanks "be given to our faithful ally Israel."

Israel Flying Aid is an independent Israeli humanitarian aid network that operates under the auspices of the government-run IsraAID organization.

The bulk of the funds needed to help the Hurricane Sandy victims were reportedly donated by Israelis living in America.

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23546/Default.aspx

Israel digs in as international community goes on the offensive

Tuesday, December 04, 2012 |  Ryan Jones, Israel Today 

 

 

 

Israel on Monday responded to international condemnation over its earlier approval of more Jewish apartments in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria by announcing that an additional 1,600 housing units will now be constructed.

In addition to the 3,000 units approved on Sunday, Israel will now add another 1,600 apartments to the northern Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo, which was at the center of a previous major dispute between Israel and the US over Israel's right to build anywhere in its own capital.

The uncharacteristic hardening of Israel's position in the face of international pressure was sparked by last week's UN vote recognizing "Palestine" as a sovereign state outside the framework of a negotiated peace settlement.

Israel feels that the world's response to that stunt, which most agree was unhelpful in achieving peace, has been grossly hypocritical.

While the Palestinian motion at the UN was a clear violation of its signed agreements with the Jewish state, Israel's punitive approval of more Jewish housing in areas claimed by the Palestinians is not prohibited by those same documents.

Nevertheless, the world immediately backed off criticizing the Palestinian leadership, while accusing Israel of having dealt a "death blow" to all hopes of peace. (That despite the fact that the peace process had been conducted for over 10 years while the Jewish population in Judea and Samaria was growing.)

All major Western European countries summoned the Israeli ambassadors stationed there for rebuke, and Britain and France were reportedly considering sanctions of some sort against the Jewish state.

Though most of the negative response came from Europe, Israeli officials were convinced the Obama Administration was behind it.

"This is a masked threat orchestrated by Washington," a senior Israeli diplomat told Israel's Yediot Ahronot newspaper.

Following Sunday's decision to build new Jewish housing in response to the Palestinian statehood bid, Chicago Mayor and former Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel has launched a serious of vicious verbal attacks against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

First Emanuel called Netanyahu's behavior "unfathomable," then he accused the Israeli leader of repeatedly "betraying" Obama.

There is growing concern in Israel that Obama, via Emanuel, will attempt to influence Israel's upcoming election in order to oust Netanyahu from office. While that is a long-shot, the White House could succeed in making it nearly impossible for Netanyahu to form a stable coalition following the election.

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23544/Default.aspx

Why did the Czechs, Palau and half-a-dozen others stand with Israel in the vote on ‘Palestine’?

Along with the US, Canada, Panama and the Czech Republic, four tiny Pacific island nations — with a combined population that’s less than that of Petah Tikva — spared Israel still greater ignominy last Thursday. Could it be that they simply like us?

By Raphael Ahren December 2, 2012, Times of Israel

 

PA President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the UN General Assembly on Thursday, November, 29 (photo credit: courtesy MFA)

 

The fact that the overwhelming majority of nations voted on Thursday in favor of a resolution granting the Palestinians nonmember observer state status at the United Nations General Assembly was widely and accurately seen as proof of Israel’s international isolation — on the issue, at least. Still, there were eight countries that voted with Israel in the 138-9 diplomatic drubbing (with 41 abstentions).

Who are these nations that dared to oppose China, France, Italy, Russia, Japan, Switzerland and 132 other nations? And why did they back the lost cause?

Washington and Ottawa are Israel’s staunchest supporters in the international arena, so the no votes from the US and Canada came as no surprise. But they were joined by Panama and the Czech Republic, as well as four countries most people would have difficulty finding on a map: the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru and Palau.

These four remote island nations, combined, have a population of about 205,000; that’s a bit less than the population of Petah Tikva. But in the UN General Assembly, every vote is equal, whether it belongs to China or to a 459-square-kilometer group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, such as Palau.

The Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru and Palau have a long history of voting similarly to the US. In 2010, for example, Micronesia echoed Washington’s vote at the US 47 times and only contradicted it three times. Palau followed the US lead in 96.5% of all votes.

Some observers suggest that “checkbook diplomacy” is at work here, and that Israel or the US bought the tiny island states’ votes for cash.

The Marshall Islands and Micronesia are states “in free association” with the US and are set to receive $3.5 billion from Washington in the next 10 years, the International Business Times reported last week. “Palau is also in free association with the US, having received $18 million annually from the US until 2009.”

Checkbook diplomacy certainly exists — in 2008, Nauru received $10 million from Russia for voting in favor of the breakaway nation of Abkhazia — but Israeli officials denied it was at play during Thursday’s vote.

“We don’t have money to pour on the other states for their votes,” a diplomatic official told The Times of Israel on Sunday. Neither Jerusalem nor Washington put “a single cent or even half a cent on the table” in exchange for a pro-Israel vote, the official said.

It was actually the other side that bought pro-Palestine votes, this official claimed, hinting that “some Gulf states” paid for the support of “a few poor Pacific states and governments in Africa.”

Guatemala, meanwhile, gave Israel a “solemn promise” to vote against the Palestinian resolution, but ended up abstaining, the official said.

Panama is consistently pro-Israeli and pro-American, he added. The Central American nation of 3.5 million, which is slightly smaller than South Carolina, said it believed that Palestine had the right to be recognized as a state and regretted not being able to vote for the resolution.

“However,” the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement, Palestine “first needs to settle the differences with its neighbor, the State of Israel, which, like Palestine, is entitled to a life in peace and harmonious coexistence with Palestine and other states in the region.”

The electronic screen at the UN General Assembly showing the votes according to country (photo credit: screen capture UNGA livestream)

The Czech Republic’s vote delighted and surprised Israeli officials: It was the only European country to vote against the Palestinian statehood bid. “They have been consistently one of our best friends in the EU,” the official told The Times of Israel.

Berlin actually tried to pressure Prague to at least abstain in Thursday’s vote, to present a more-or-less unified European position. “But they don’t care what anyone else says; they’re ballsy,” the official said.

“We do not agree with any unilateral steps that may hamper or jeopardize the peace process leading to the two-state solution,” the Czech Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Prague voted against the resolution “because we are afraid that it might result in a further delay in the resumption of the negotiating process.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promptly called his Czech counterpart, Petr Necas, and thanked him for his country’s “courageous” stance. He promised to stop by in Prague on his way to a state visit to Germany this week to personally thank him for “standing up for the truth and for peace.”

“The history of Israel and the Czech Republic has taught us that one must cling to the truth, even if the majority is not with you,” Netanyahu told Necas. “Your vote must serve as an example for all those who support peace, which can be achieved only via direct negotiations without preconditions.”

Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman are also expected to call the leaders of the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru and Palau in the coming days to thank them personally for their support. Soon after Thursday’s vote, Netanyahu said that these nations deserve praise and that “history will judge them favorably.”

“The Pacific Island nations actually surprised us last week,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told The Times of Israel on Sunday. “They usually side with us because of the very strong emotional ties we have, but this time round we thought only Micronesia was with us.”

The “no” votes were the more surprising given that even many of Israel’s allies voted for the proposal, arguing that the Palestinians deserve a state and that this upgrade could reenergize the peace process.

“It is no mystery that many world leaders and many nations feel very strongly about, and have very deep emotional bonds with, Israel and the Jewish people. That is not something so exceptional and sometimes it translates into actual votes at the UN,” Palmor said by way of explanation. “Voting at the UN General Assembly is always the result of complex and intricate sets of pressures and interests. Whoever takes a country’s vote at face value and thinks that a vote accurately reflects a country’s true opinion on the issue at hand doesn’t know much about international diplomacy.”

Benjamin Netanyahu (right) with Palau’s president Johnson Toribiong, November 24, 2011 (photo credit: Avi Ohayon/GPO/Flash90)

But the support of the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru and Palau did not come out of nowhere, said Michael Ronen, Israel’s non-resident ambassador to 13 Pacific Islands, including the Marshall Islands and Micronesia, adding that he spent a lot of time lobbying before Thursday’s vote.

“We weren’t surprised that these four countries voted against a Palestinian state,” Ronen told Yedioth Ahronoth. “We’ve been working there in an orderly and continuous fashion for 30 years. We don’t tell them that we’re sending them an Israeli doctor in exchange for their vote. Other countries discover the Pacific only when they need it. A nation suddenly needs votes at the UN and instantly embraces these countries, offering them assistance, only to forget about them afterwards. We don’t work like that.”

Israel doesn’t buy votes, but it does send aid to the Pacific. Medical and agricultural experts have traveled to the South Pacific from Israel, and in the 1990s an Israeli coach trained a Micronesian national team. In addition, the leaders of these tiny island nations receive royal welcomes whenever they come to Israel, which adds to the warm feelings they feel toward the Jewish state.

“Whenever somebody likes us, it feels strange to us, almost like it’s against the laws of nature. But I don’t agree with that,” Ronen opined. “Their knowledge of us is based on the Bible and on Christianity… They really value the Jewish people and the State of Israel, what we’ve achieved and what we represent.”

http://www.timesofisrael.com/eight-men-out-why-did-the-czechs-palau-and-half-a-dozen-others-stand-with-israel-in-the-vote-on-palestine/

A Collection of 150-Year-Old Pictures of Jerusalem

A Collection of 150-Year-Old Pictures of Jerusalem
Thanks to British Explorers and the New York Public Library

Cover of the Ordinance Survey
(1865)

The photographic archives in the New York Public Library is the surprising repository for hundreds of historic photographs of Palestine. Some of the pictures date back to the 1850s and 1860s.

We provide here a selection of some of the amazing photographs. Future postings will focus on particular pictures and the photographers.


Survey photo of the "Wailing Place of the Jews"
(1865). The photo was taken by Peter Bergheim who
established a photographic studio in the Christian
Quarter of the Old City. The Survey team had its
own photographer, but, apparently, Bergheim was
subcontracted by the Survey team. (Source: New
York Public Library) See here for similar photos.

Many of the photos were taken from the British Ordinance Survey of Jerusalem of 1865 led by Captain Charles W. Wilson. He and Captain Charles Warren led extensive archaeological excavations near the Temple Mount ("Wilson's Arch" and "Warren's Shaft" are well-known to visitors to Jerusalem). Warren would go on to become the head of London's police during the "Jack the Ripper" murder spree.

We thank staffers at the Library of Congress who steered us to the Survey and officials at the New York Public Library who granted permission to publish the photos.

The sealed Golden Gate, also known as Shaar
Harachamim (1865), is located on the eastern wall
of the Old City and closest to the site of the Jewish
Temple and the Dome of the Rock. The photo was
taken by the Survey's official photographer, James
McDonald. (Source: New York Public Library)
See here for similar photos.

The 1865 Survey contained measurements, maps and descriptions of the city of Jerusalem which was almost all contained within the Old City walls. The explorers sank shafts along the Old City walls, explored underground tunnels, cisterns and caverns, and recorded their findings.

In 1871,Wilson and Warren published The Recovery of Jerusalem, a Narrative of Exploration and Discovery in the City and the Holy Land, a memoir of their experiences in Jerusalem, including dealing with rapacious Ottoman officials, impassible roads, and local workers.

Interestingly, the Wilson-Warren book did not include photographs; it was illustrated with woodcuts such as this one possibly copied from the Bergheim photo above. And note how similar the woodcut is to the one illustrating William Seward's travelogue. Seward was Abraham Lincoln's Secretary of State who visited the Holy Land in 1859 and 1871. Both books, both published in 1871, describe Jewish prayer at the Western Wall as restricted to Friday evening.

Woodcut in Seward's book

The woodcut in Wilson's book


http://www.israeldailypicture.com/
 

Only 8 stood with Israel

Israel, Canada, Panama, the Czech Republic and four tiny Pacific island states were the only ones in the 193-member U.N. General Assembly siding with the U.S. in its quixotic vote against the Palestinian Authority’s request for nonmember observer state status. France, Italy, Spain, Norway, Denmark and Turkey were among the U.S. allies joining the majority in the 138-9 vote, with 41 abstentions.

'Canada will not let the Jews or Israel stand alone'

By HERB KEINON

11/30/2012, Jerusalem Post

Canadian foreign minister says Abbas should have used the support he received to reach out to Israel for peace talks.

Photo: Courtesy of Herzliya Conference

Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird, who delivered a supportive speech of Israel at the UN before its vote Thursday on the Palestinian statehood, said Friday "the bottom line is we will not let the Jewish people and the State of Israel stand alone when the going gets tough."

Baird, in a phone interview from New York, said he had "absolutely no hesitation" about taking the podium and opposing the Palestinian bid, something he knew was not a popular position in the hall.

The Canadian foreign minister criticized Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for the hostile tenor of his speech.

"Knowing that he had such overwhelming support, this would have been an occasion for him to reach out to the government and people of Israel, to embrace the Jewish people, to talk about his hopes for peace and be magnanimous," he said. "Unfortunately it was a rather aggressive speech that will really do nothing to advance the cause of peace or the peace process."

Baird said he was "disappointed with some countries in Europe for failing to stand up. I thought the Czech Republic was courageous to take the position it did and stand alone in the European Union. I certainly admire their leadership."

The Czech Republic was the only EU country to vote against the Palestinian resolution, and – along with Israel and Canada – made up a group of nine countries that opposed the bid.

http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=294114

Historic synagogue to rise anew in Jerusalem

Tiferet Yisrael, which was destroyed by the Jordanian Army in 1948, will dominate Old City’s skyline

By Gabe Fisher November 29, 2012, Times of Israel

The ruins of the Tiferet Yisrael Synagogue in the Old City of Jerusalem, on November 28, 2012 (photo credit: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

 

 

The Jerusalem Municipality on Wednesday announced plans to rebuild the historic Tiferet Yisrael Synagogue in the Old City.

 

The iconic three-story domed structure, which once dominated the skyline of the Jewish Quarter, was dedicated in 1872 but destroyed by the Jordanian Army after it captured the Old City during Israel’s 1948 War of Independence.

 

The Tiferet Yisrael Synagogue, circa 1940

(photo credit: CC BY Jerusalem Municipality, Wikipedia)

The synagogue is currently in ruins, with only one wall remaining. The rebuilding will take three years and cost NIS 50 million (about $13 million), with most of the funding coming from private donors. Due to its elevation, when completed the synagogue will be the highest structure in the Old City.

“The municipality sees great importance in preserving and rebuilding Jerusalem’s heritage sites. The Tiferet Yisrael synagogue was a symbol of the Jewish Yishuv [pre-state settlement] in Jerusalem and we are proud to bring it back and rebuild it anew,” said Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat in a statement.

Model of the Tiferet Yisrael after the proposed reconstruction (photo credit: courtesy Jerusalem Municipality)

Although the municipality has approved the construction, the project still needs to be green-lighted by the Interior Ministry.

Another iconic Old City synagogue destroyed in 1948, the Hurva, was rededicated in 2010, amid protests by Palestinian factions objecting to Israeli construction in the Old City.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/historic-synagogue-to-rise-anew-in-jerusalem/

Israel braces for Palestinian statehood bid at UN

Wednesday, November 28, 2012 |  Ryan Jones, Israel Today  

 

 

Israel on Wednesday was bracing itself, diplomatically, for the scheduled UN General Assembly vote a day later on recognizing "Palestine" as a non-member observer state, and the impact it could have on the peace process.

Israel had originally threatened to respond to the unilateral motion, which is a violation of the Palestinian Authority's signed agreements with Israel, by nullifying the so-called "Oslo Accords" and launching negotiations with other groups claiming to represent the Palestinian Arabs.

But on Tuesday Israeli officials said it had been decided to instead take a "low profile" approach to the vote in the hopes that the Palestinian Authority's abandonment of bilateral negotiations would speak for itself.
Considering the international community's track record when it comes to the Israeli-Arab peace process, that seemed a foolishly optimistic approach.

Meanwhile, the vote was resolution to recognize "Palestine" was expected to pass by a large margin, despite spirited opposition from Israel, the US, Canada and several other nations.

Among those nations supporting the motion were France, Spain and Switzerland. Britain was considering voting in favor, too.

General Assembly votes are non-binding, so the resolution would have little directly legal meaning. However, it would allow the Palestinian Authority to apply for membership at the International Criminal Court and at the International Court of Justice, where the Palestinians would be certain to file regular lawsuits against Israel.

Having "Palestine" recognized by the UN would also complicate the peace process, as it would put even more leverage in the hands of the Palestinian Authority, and would present a major obstacle to Israel acting against terrorist threats in Palestinian-controlled territories.


http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23533/Default.aspx

Seventy years after the Donau, what has Norway learned?

On the anniversary of the country’s largest transport of Jews to Auschwitz, a Norwegian journalist ponders the history and future of a tiny, endangered minority

By Leif Knutsen November 26, 2012, Times of Israel

Oslo and Trondheim’s synagogues and Jewish community centers are among the most heavily fortified buildings in Norway

In the cold, dark mist of the afternoon of Nov. 26, 1942, the SS Donau sailed out of the Oslofjord with 532 unwilling passengers.

 They were Jews, robbed of all their earthly possessions, kidnapped and imprisoned, on their way to the Polish port of Stettin, from which they would be transported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. All but nine were murdered there.

There were other such deadly transports before and after, but the Donau was the largest.

In the early fall of 1942, there were about 2,100 Jews in Norway. Of these, about 780 were killed in the Holocaust. Norway’s Nazi occupiers initiated the genocidal program as directed by the Wannsee Conference, but it was the country’s Quisling regime, aided by Norwegian ”security police,” that implemented it: Only after the Jews had been brought to the pier in Oslo were they delivered into German custody.

With a few brave exceptions, most Norwegians stood by as their Jewish neighbors disappeared.

Those Jews who had the means fled and found temporary homes, primarily in Sweden, but also in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. A disproportionately high number of Norwegian Jews volunteered for military and clandestine work for the Allied war effort, which they served with distinction.

Following the war, it took several years for Norwegian Jews to return to their country.

The much-heralded White Buses program did not compile or present a list of Jewish Norwegians to Himmler or camp commanders, and those few Jews from Norway who walked out of the camps had to find their own way home.

Many of the stateless Jewish refugees who fled to Sweden in the 1930s were refused re-entry into Norway after the war. Others were reluctant to attempt to reclaim stolen property or rebuild a community in shambles. Many families have yet to return, and probably never will.

Much has happened in Norway since World War II. The small kingdom has in full measure adopted social welfare reforms and financed them with abundant fossil fuel production in the North Sea.

Norway now consistently ranks in the global top five for GDP per capita, human development, political stability, democracy and other indexes.

But on the 70th anniversary of the departure of the Donau, it is time to ask: How far has Norway come in developing the ability to prevent such an act from happening again?

There is no lack of good intentions. The Holocaust is a mandatory subject in all primary schools, and political parties across the entire spectrum categorically denounce anti-Semitism.

But the Jewish community is struggling. There are about 800 members of the country’s two prominent Jewish congregations (in Oslo and Trondheim), and probably fewer than 2,000 self-identified Jews in Norway. Several hundred Norwegian Jews have made aliya, and others have emigrated to the United States and elsewhere.

The two synagogues and adjacent community centers are among the most heavily fortified buildings in Norway, and a large number of Jews have chosen to keep their Jewish background secret to all but their closest family, or to abandon it altogether.

Norway takes pride in promoting an open, inclusive democracy, but is clearly unable to nurture a vibrant, growing Jewish community.

Until recently, Norwegian politicians, journalists and academics were in denial about this. The Jewish community was small, individuals were by and large well-integrated and productive members of society, and it seemed inconceivable that a country with such high ideals could have an anti-Semitism problem.

But facts have become difficult to ignore.

A survey among primary school students in Oslo found that the system’s handful of Jewish students were by far the most bullied and maligned of any group. The term ”Jew” has been widely adopted as a derogatory term, and concerned teachers choose to stay anonymous in the media for fear of reprisals. School authorities tell Jewish students that wearing a Star of David constitutes a provocation.

For the completion of this article:  http://www.timesofisrael.com/seventy-years-after-the-donau-what-has-norway-learned/

Australian Prime Minister Gillard reassures Israel of backing despite UN vote

 

Gillard reassures Israel of backing despite UN vote

Date: November 29, 2012, Israel News Now

 

"We all want to wake up in a world where Israel can live behind secure borders" ... Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Photo: Andrew Meares

THE Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, has sought to placate an angry Jewish lobby with strong words of support in Parliament for Israel after Australia backed Palestine at the United Nations.

Ms Gillard's leadership is bruised but intact after she was forced to abandon her support for Israel to avoid being rolled by her own caucus.

Senior colleagues acknowledged that had Ms Gillard not backed down on the issue, it could have spelt the end of her leadership.

''This has weakened her leadership but had she lost [in caucus] it would have been worse,'' said one senior source.

Another said: ''She could have got it through the caucus but it would have come at a cost.''

At the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, Australia will abstain from a vote on a resolution to give Palestine observer status at the UN.

Ms Gillard had wanted Australia to join the United States, Israel, Canada and a handful of smaller nations in voting no but faced stiff resistance led by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Bob Carr, and supported by MPs from the Left and Right factions, most notably the usually pro-Israel NSW Right.

During a heated cabinet meeting on Monday night, only two ministers backed Ms Gillard while 10 argued for a abstention or a yes vote.

Ms Gillard insisted on a no vote and cabinet had no choice but to back her. But she was warned subsequently by factional bosses the Right would not be supporting her in the caucus on Tuesday morning when MPs were set to vote on a motion to back Palestine.

Behind the scenes, the former prime minister Bob Hawke and the former foreign minister Gareth Evans were agitating among the backbench against Ms Gillard's position.

Ms Gillard agreed to an abstention just before caucus met, avoiding a defeat.

The push against her straddled the divide between Gillard supporters and Kevin Rudd supporters. There was a general frustration in the ALP that Ms Gillard took so long to cede to the majority view.

One factor driving the NSW Right was Labor's poor stock in western Sydney, where MPs and ministers are being lobbied by voters with a Middle-Eastern background.

But while this was a factor in the revolt, it was not the the only one.

The Israeli embassy and the Jewish lobby are angry at the decision and members of the lobby are seeking a meeting with the Prime Minister.

In Parliament, Ms Gillard said the decision to abstain was not a reflection on Australia's support for Israel and a two-state solution in the Middle East.

She said, ''we all want to wake up in a world where Israel can live behind secure borders'' and where Israelis no longer had to fear random rocket attacks.

The US Ambassador to Australia, Jeffrey Bleich, said the decision would not effect Australia's strong relationship with Washington.

Senator Carr defended Ms Gillard, saying it was not about her leadership.

Senator Carr is a founder of the group, Labor friends of Israel. One of his colleagues said Senator Carr believes that ''as a friend of Israel, at times you've got to save it from itself''.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/gillard-reassures-israel-of-backing-despite-un-vote-20121128-2ae77.html

 

Tens of Thousands of Jewish Books Damaged in Hurricane Buried

Tens of Thousands of Jewish Books Damaged in Hurricane Buried

A mass funeral was held this week for Jewish holy books destroyed and damaged by Hurricane Sandy last month.

 

By David Lev

First Publish: 11/28/2012, Israel National News

Sandy Hits NY

Ze'evi Fried, New York

 

A mass funeral was held this week for Jewish holy books destroyed and damaged by Hurricane Sandy last month. The funeral was held in the Far Rockaway area of Queens, which experienced some of the worst damage from the storm.

The funeral – in which a caravan of three trucks carrying prayer books, bibles, Talmud volumes, and other holy books damaged in the storm in New York and Long Island – was a mass genizah burial. Holy books that can no longer be used are buried in a special area of a Jewish cemetery, given the honor of a funeral due to their holiness.

The procession left from Yeshiva Mercaz HaTorah in Far Rockaway. Tens of thousands of books had been collected by organizations and individuals for the event. Students of the Yeshiva and other educational institutions, as well as residents of the neighborhood and visitors from around the New York area, participated in the event. Jewish-owned businesses in the area closed for the period of the funeral.

After prayers and speeches discussing the Jewish point of view on the events experienced by residents of the New York area last month, the books were taken to a Jewish cemetery in New Jersey for burial.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/162603

19th and early 20th century photographs from the Holy Land

Updates to Previous Posts
with Pictures from the New York Public Library. Yes, the NYPL

 

"Shepherd and sheep." Where? South on Nablus Road in Jerusalem (circa 1900)
The mosque and minaret are still there today. Credit: New York Public Library

The Library of Congress archives of 19th and early 20th century photographs from the Holy Land still has more veins of treasures to be mined by Israel Daily Picture.

But we would like to add two more American Colony pictures which we found in the New York Public Library archives to our previous postings. We thank the NYPL for granting permission to present them here.



Turkish soldiers marching on Nablus
Road past the same minaret
(circa 1900)

The first is a picture of shepherds and sheep. What drew our attention were the buildings and mosque, easily identified in our feature "Jerusalem's Nablus Road -- Where History Marched." The original caption to the photograph of the soldiers notes that they were passing the American Colony residence, located on Nablus Road.

Emperor Wilhelm passing the Colony's
residence. Note the minaret above the
ultra-Orthodox Jew's hat on the left.
(1898)

The Colony's location gave the photographers a front row seat for the arrival of the German Emperor Wilhelm II in 1898.

The second photo found in the New York Public Library is a picture of farming practices in Palestine over 100 years ago. The American Colony photographers frequently shot pictures of mismatched plowing animals.

Peasant plowing (circa 1900)
Credit: New York Public Library

We theorize that the American Colony members, who were well versed in the Old Testament, focused on agricultural prohibitions found in the Bible.

In this particular case, they illustrated the prohibition "Thou shall not plow with an ox and an ass together." (Deuteronomy 20)

They also provided pictures of the prohibition "Thou shall not muzzle an ox in its threshing"
(Deuteronomy 25)

http://www.israeldailypicture.com/2012/11/updates-to-previous-posts-with-pictures.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IsraelsHistory-APictureADaybeta+%28Israel%27s+History+-+a+Picture+a+Day+%28Beta%29%29
 

Messianic village in spotlight after gay rights legal battle

Messianic village in spotlight after gay rights legal battle

Tuesday, November 27, 2012 | Ryan Jones, Israel Today 

            

         Yad Hashmona (Photo by Steve Martin)



A court ruling penalizing the Israeli Messianic village of Yad Hashmonah for refusing to host a lesbian wedding has severely damaged the community's main source of income, but has also opened the door to be an even greater witness to the Israeli public.

Founded by Finnish Christian Zionists in the 1960s, Yad Hashmonah is today a focal point of the Israeli Messianic movement. It is also home to a beautiful guest house, event hall and biblical garden that are frequented by Israeli visitors.

That is, they were frequented by Israeli visitors until earlier this year, when a Jerusalem court slapped the village with a large fine after it turned down a lesbian couple that tried to get married there three years earlier.

At the time, Yad Hashmonah explained to the couple that the biblical faith of the village prevented them from hosting such an event. The Jerusalem court said this amounted to harassment and discrimination, and Israel's homosexual community rejoiced in their victory over Bible-believers.

Meanwhile, Yad Hashmonah has had to all but shut down its booming business for fear that gay and lesbian weddings would be booked on a weekly basis in an effort to finish off the village.

"Our business is suffering badly," spokeswoman Ayelet Ronen told Israel Today. "We are firing people and cutting every expense possible."

But that's not the end of the story.

At the same time, Ronen exclaimed, "God is really using this!"

Since the court decision, and the initial negative press coverage it spawned, Ronen has been interviewed by three newspapers, two radio programs, and Israel's leading morning TV news show. And then there have been the phone calls from random Israelis.

"I have been flooded with calls from people wanting to know more about the situation, asking about our faith and offering moral support," said Ronen.

This new wave of positive coverage, which has afforded Ronen numerous opportunities to witness directly to Israelis, started with a lengthy article in Makor Rishon, Israel's leading religious newspaper.

The Makor Rishon piece was very positive, giving a bit of background on the Christian Zionist beginnings of Yad Hashmonah and fully siding with the village in its decision to turn down homosexual events on biblical grounds. Perhaps more importantly, however, this religious newspaper clearly identified Messianic Jews like Ronen and the residents of Yad Hashmonah as belonging firmly in the camp of Bible-believing, conservative Jews.

Israeli Messianics have struggled for decades with widespread accusations that their faith in Yeshua means they are no longer Jews. The reactions to the Yad Hashmonah issue are further evidence that this attitude is changing.

As for the village and the future of its primary business, Ronen said the recent media coverage had gotten the attention of a senior Israeli judge who feels that justice was not done in Yad Hashmonah's case.

In the meantime, Yad Hashmonah is hoping to replace the loss of Israeli visitors with Christian groups visiting the country. Nestled in the hills just outside Jerusalem, Yad Hashmonah certainly offers a unique experience for Christians.

To learn more about Yad Hashmonah, visit their website: www.yad8.com

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23530/Default.aspx?ref=newsletter-20121127
 

Muslim ruler hires Israeli silversmiths to adorn his palace

Sunday, November 25, 2012 |  Yossi Aloni, Israel Today magazine  

There might be a general Muslim boycott on all Israeli-made goods, but that didn't stop a Muslim ruler from commissioning Israeli silversmiths to craft a stunning diamond-studded candelabrum for his palace.

With a price tag of USD $400,000, the beautifully crafted piece was accompanied by an armed guard all the way from Israel to its new home in one of the nations from the former Soviet Union.

Standing at nearly six feet tall, the candelabrum was carved from pure silver, and includes two flamingos intricately carved from solid gold at its base. Not to mention the 4-carat diamond embedded in the stem. It took eight silversmiths from the Israeli jeweler Hazorfim over four months to craft the work of art.

Since direct contact between Muslim heads of state and Israeli producers is taboo, the deal was brokered by a Russian intermediary, who has already helped the buyer purchase three pieces from Hazorfim, with a fourth in the works.

The buyer reportedly originally commissioned Italian, Russian and Turkish craftsmen to produce the piece. But the level of craftsmanship and care demonstrated by the Israelis eventually won them the contract.

Hazorfim included with the candelabrum a book chronicling the entire process of its creation.

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23521/Default.aspx