Rabbi Joshua Hammerman TBE Shabbat-O-Gram, Yom Kippur-Sukkot, 2007

September 21-October 5, 2007

Tishrei 9-23, 5768

Covering the festive weeks of Yom Kippur – Sukkot

Rabbi Joshua Hammerman, Temple Beth El, Stamford, Connecticut

A Good and Sweet New year to All

Send your friends and relatives the gift of Jewish awareness -- a Shabbat-O-Gram each week, by signing them up at www.tbe.org. To be removed from this mailing list, sent e-mail request to office@tbe.org. If you have signed up and are not receiving our e-mails, check your spam filter to make sure that TBE is not being “spammed out.”

Please give generously to our High Holy Day Appeal!

Contents of the Shabbat O Gram:

(Click to scroll down)

Just the Facts (service schedule)

The (Occasionally) Ranting Rabbi

Mitzvah/Tzedakkah Opportunities

Ask the Rabbi

Spiritual Journey on the Web

The Beth El Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary

Required Reading and Action Items (links to key articles on Israel and Jewish life)

Announcements (goings on in and around TBE)

Joke for the Week

Quote for the Week

On the first of Tishrei [Rosh haShanah] the moon [the Shekhinah] is covered, and it does not shine until the tenth day [Yom Kippur], when Israel turn with a perfect repentance, so that the supernal Mother [Binah, the womb of souls and creator of the world] gives light to Her. Hence this day is called the day of atonements (kippurim).... For on this day the Moon receives illumination from the supernal Light [Binah]….

—Zohar III, 100b

JUST THE FACTS

Candle lighting: 6:35 pm on Friday, 21 September 2007. For Havdalah times, other Jewish calendar information, and to download a Jewish calendar to your PDA, click on http://www.hebcal.com/. To see the festivals of other faiths as well, go to http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/. The United Synagogue has updated its candlelighting information. To learn more, click here.

The Full Yom Kippur and Sukkot Schedules are on our website, www.tbe.org, & in our bulletin

Morning Minyan - 7:30 Weekdays, 9:30 Sundays

TO ENSURE A “GUARANTEED MINYAN” FOR THE DAY OF YOUR YAHRZEIT – GO TO THE ROSNER MINYAN MAKER AT WWW.TBE.ORG AND ALSO CONTACT ME AT RABBI@TBE.ORG.

Torah Readings

Yom Kippur (on Shabbat)

Torah Portion: Leviticus 16:1 - 16:34 & Numbers 29:7 - 29:11

1: Leviticus 16:1-3
2: Leviticus 16:4-6
3: Leviticus 16:7-11
4: Leviticus 16:12-17
5: Leviticus 16:18-24
6: Leviticus 16:25-30
7: Leviticus 16:31-34
maf: Numbers 29:7-11 (5 p'sukim)

Haftarah: Isaiah 57:14 - 58:14

Yom Kippur (Mincha)

Torah Portion: Leviticus 18:1 - 18:30

1: Leviticus 18:1-5
2: Leviticus 18:6-21
3: Leviticus 18:22-30

Haftarah: Jonah 1:1-4:11; Micah 7:18-20

Sukkot I - סוכות יום א

Torah Portion: Leviticus 22:26 - 23:44 & Numbers 29:12 - 29:16

Haftarah: Zechariah 14:1-21

Sukkot II - סוכות יום ב׳

Torah Portion: Leviticus 22:26 - 23:44 & Numbers 29:12 - 29:16

Haftarah: I Kings 8:2 - 8:21

The

(occasionally)

Ranting Rabbi

The hours grow short. We are down to the final few moments before the Most Awesome Day begins. As we each conclude our preparations and head to services our gait betrays an edginess, a concern that we are about to leap into the unknown. Yet, we come with a strange sense of assurance and calm. At least we are going into this venture together.

As we begin Kol Nidre on Friday evening, the people holding Torahs on the bima will be those who have suffered great losses this past year. They who are most worthy, they who are also the most vulnerable, will be the first to usher our prayers into the celestial heights. Then we will continue to pray, and to think and to chat and to reflect late into the following day.

My best wishes to you and yours for a year of good health, meaningful moments and peace.

Rabbi Joshua Hammerman

PS – after Yom Kippur comes the unbridled joy of Sukkot – join us on each of the festival days (day school kids, who are out of school, are especially encouraged to be here). Help us decorate our congregational Sukkah this Sunday and do visit mine the following Sunday at our open house (sponsored by the Schwartz family) honoring the Landers. Send your kids to many youth events this weekend, including the ice cream break-the-fast for USY, the car wash and Barbecue on Sunday (and leave us your car to wash!) – and check our website next week for pictures from a very, very busy Sunday morning.

Because of all the holidays upcoming, the Shabbat O Gram will be on hiatus until October 12 (by which time this mess will be resolved in the American League East – and on that day, Frank Rosner turns 95!!!). We’ll be sending out e-mails as needed.

Happy Holiday – Hag Sameach!

And now, a word from the new chancellor of JTS…

See especially the sections I have put in bold

a major theme of his this year is to re-explore the concept of mitzvah.

Rabbis across the movement have been asked to touch upon these themes in their sermons.

Dr. Arnold Eisen’s High Holy Day Message 5768

The New Year greets us with a combination of joy and solemnity that, in my experience at least, is unmatched at any other point in the Jewish calendar.

Joy: because we are here to celebrate together with family and friends, because we have the precious opportunity to begin again and do things better this time, because we enjoy beloved tastes and melodies. We say the sheheheyanu with special fervor. Hope is abundant and expectancy keen.

Solemnity: because we know at this season of the year, even if we at other times forget or deny it, that life is serious. The world remains unjust and broken. It is still in need of repair. So are we. All too many of our resolutions from new years past remain unfulfilled. But we can turn to them this year. The shofar's blast assures us that turning and return are possible, if only we rouse ourselves to hear its call. As I sit in shul each Rosh Hashanah, the shofar seems to be calling out to me with one question above all: am I using my time correctly? We don't know how much of it we have. The liturgy insistently reminds us of this. It urges us to consider whether the time we do have is well-spent. We for our part crave assurance that we are walking on a path that leads to good and blessing. Jewish tradition calls that path to good and blessing, that assurance of right living, mitzvah. In this message I hope to begin a conversation with you about mitzvah. The subject has always been a major focus of Jewish reflection. It has loomed large in my own mind ever since I ventured into adulthood. I believe that discussion of what mitzvah means to us and why may prove of great importance to the vitality and direction of Conservative Judaism. Three sets of experiences in recent years have propelled the matter of mitzvah to the forefront of my consciousness.

First, while teaching Judaism to undergraduates at Stanford, I was made aware of the degree to which Jews and Christians alike have internalized the age-old dichotomy of law versus love. Their God, according to this way of seeing things, instructs humanity, and does so out of love and elicits love in return. Our God sets forth laws in anger and we obey these commandments in fear of God’s wrath. The Torah (and the gospels!) are of course more complicated than that. But the complexities are lost on all too many Jews who, I fear, are distanced from the life of mitzvah because they see it as mere servitude. Their loss and ours is immense.

Second, while interviewing American Jews along with sociologist Steven M. Cohen for our book The Jew Within, I was confronted time after time with Jews jealously protecting their autonomy, preserving their freedom of movement, defending "the sovereign self." The philosopher Immanuel Kant conceived of our situation two centuries ago in just this dichotomous fashion. Either you are free, adult, autonomous—or you are obedient, childlike, commanded. All of us carry around notions of this sort to some degree. I know I do. They challenge our commitment to a "pattern for living" (Abraham Joshua Heschel's phrase) such as mitzvah that is not of our invention. How can we at once be autonomous modern individuals and embrace the do's and don'ts of a tradition that has been around for three millennia? The challenge posed to Jewish commitment by this dichotomy is real. It must be squarely faced.

Third, however, discussions I have had with Jews about this matter over the past few years have made it clear to me that many Jews do embrace this tradition and its path of mitzvoth, and do so joyfully. Like the Torah and the sages, they do not conceive of mitzvah merely as "commandment" but engagement; to embrace a broader, nuanced meaning: responsibility, obligation, instruction, discipline, love.

Are we going to shul this year; or listening to the shofar; or fasting on Yom Kippur, or resolving to be better parents to our children or children to our parents; or getting involved in campaigns to stop genocide in Africa; or helping to bring peace to the Middle East; or giving tzedakah to disaster relief efforts; or volunteering at the local homeless shelter; or supporting our local federation? Are we doing these things and others like them, because or only because we believe that God commanded us to do them at Sinai?

For some of us, God does figure as commander of the commandments, whether by means of the revelation to the Israelites at Sinai or through more personal revelations that come to us via conscience, or in the faces of human beings whom we meet and who require our assistance. For others of us, God may figure only marginally in our sense of commandedness or obligation or responsibility. Other factors are more immediate and consequential.

We may feel responsible to our community, for example. Or to our ancestors. Or to the tradition that the ancestors transmitted to us. We may be heeding the voice of conscience, trying to do the right thing, to live the right way. We may have accepted Jewish tradition—or our particular way of living and learning it, as Conservative Jews — as a "package deal,” in the same way that marriage and parenting are package deals. We are grateful for the life as a whole that these afford us. Not every detail or duty pleases us equally. Yet we accept these nonetheless as part of the package, grateful for this life, this responsibility, this love.

And, yes, there are moments when we act in ways that "we are supposed to" not because of that duty but because we love these actions, or love the people who benefit from them, or love life, love the world, love God. I suspect that upon reflection all of these examples will resonate with each of you to some extent, some more than others, some of them more on certain occasions than on other occasions. That is certainly the case with me, as it has been for Jews throughout the ages.

That, I think, is why the Torah and the sages bequeathed to us a liturgy and holiday cycle that affect heart and soul as well as mind. They address all our senses, lead us to sing and sway, to eat and refrain from eating, to think of God and life and duty in multiple metaphors. The Days of Awe meet us in the solitude of our deepest reflection as well as in the joy and solemnity of family, congregation, and community. The tradition wants to bring us face to face with the key questions and challenges facing us as human beings, and it wants to encourage us to answer these questions and challenges with the complexity required. No one mood or metaphor will do.

We are commanded, to be sure. At this time more than at any other time of year we know that. In case we have forgotten, the liturgy is there to powerfully remind us. But we are far more than commanded. We are obligated, responsible, instructed, engaged, in love. We are Jewish human beings. We learn what is required of us by drawing on all our faculties, our experience, and our communities.

This is a challenging moment for our Movement, for our people, for our country, for the world. May we help one another at this holiday season to ask and answer the questions facing us with honesty and wisdom.

Shanah tovah u-metukah,

STAR Announces Results of Second Annual National Rabbinic Leadership Survey

American rabbis express less anxiety over Israel, but more concern over synagogue engagement.

The cross-denominational survey of almost 200 rabbis was conducted during the summer of 2007. It reveals High Holiday goals, offers a pulse on Jewish community concerns and uncovers initial thoughts regarding support for Presidential candidates. (The majority of rabbis who responded were Conservative and Reform, so the findings apply primarily to the "liberal" denominations and may not be applicable to Orthodoxy.)

Synagogue Growth
65% of rabbis surveyed believe that synagogue membership will remain the same or decline over the next three years, which represents a 10% drop over last year. They also registered a 7% drop in their satisfaction with expectations about future recruitment. "While synagogue growth is always on the minds of rabbis, this year's survey reveals a heightened concern," says Rabbi Hayim Herring, Executive Director of STAR. "Shifting denominational affiliations and larger numbers of interfaith families are challenging synagogue growth, and rabbis are starting to recognize that their role is not just about increasing ongoing membership participation, but reaching out beyond current congregants by attracting a more diverse community."

Read Executive Summary.

Israel @ 60

celebrating Israel’s 60^th year

January 10-18, 2008

On this unforgettable journey, we’ll:

Explore Jerusalem’s latest finds with a noted archeologist
Bring ancient texts to life with faculty of the renowned Hartman Institute
Be briefed by experts on the news behind the headlines
Meet with representatives of Israel’s thriving hi-tech industry
Learn about the latest ideas in Jewish environmentalism
Hear first hand about the latest efforts in Arab-Jewish and interfaith relations
Learn about early Zionism and meet a hero from Israel’s founding
Hear about the growth of Masorti (Conservative) Judaism
Bring care packages to soldiers on the northern border
Meet the brave firefighters of Kiryat Shemona
Discuss art and Kabbalah with an expert in Safed
Spend a glorious Shabbat in Jerusalem
And much more!

For the full itinerary and registration form, click on

http://www.tbe.org/site/sog/TBEIsraelSeminar2008.htm

Mitzvah/Tzedakkah Opportunties

Beth El Cares:

Inreach and Outreach

I received this urgent request from TBE and Stamford native Wendy Skigen daughter of long time members George Skigen of blessed memory, and Estelle Skigen). She can be contacted directly at joyskeets@yahoo.com

“My name is Wendy Skigen and I'm 55 years young, n/s, needing an affordable place to live in the Fairfield County, CT area. To be honest I am unemployed at the moment and have been looking for a permanent or temp to perm position as an administrative assistant. I am collecting unemployment at the moment that is less than $200 wkly. I do have two well behaved 8 year old female indoor cats whom I adore (they're like my babies). I can't afford much (0 - $700) at least not until I find a job that pays more than what I'm making now. Would like to have private bathroom and kitchenette with stove (L-Shaped or Alcove apt.). I have been living with my cousin Randy, his wife and two children for about 4 years. They now need the space I'm living in that is the reason I'm looking for a place to live.

***********************

HIGH HOLY DAY FOOD DRIVE - SEPTEMBER 21-22, 2007

Please give generously to the High Holy Day Food Drive.

 Bring your filled bags to the Temple on Yom Kippur.

Your donation will be delivered to Person to Person and appreciated by many people.

Volunteers are needed to unload the food and stock the pantry at Person to Person

on Monday, September 24th at 9:00 a.m.

The more people who help, the less time it takes.

Please call Cathy Satz at 968-9191 if you can help.

Come for an hour, come for two.

***********************

From Mark and Jenna Plotzky

This years’ MS Bike Tour was indeed a very special. For the first time, I was joined by my daughter Jenna and together we both rode 12 miles to raise money in the fight against MS. Jenna was very excited as we arrived at Sherwood Island State Park early Sunday morning and was able to complete the ride in less than 2 hours. She has already showed interest in riding with me at next year’s MS Bike Tour. I think that knowing that we had everyone’s support behind us really made a difference for both of us. We want to thank everyone who sponsored and supported us. Also, we want to remind people that you can still sponsor us over the next few weeks. It is unfortunate but true that many of us have friends and family with MS and we really hope that this helps. Any donation that you or your company can provide would be greatly appreciated. Simply click on the links at the bottom of this message to sponsor me or Jenna.

Alternatively, if anyone would also like to join us next year, we could have a team ride if we have at least 4 people. If you have any questions about the donations, the team ride or anything else, please feel free to contact me at 203.359.2290.

Thank you again for all your support! Together we have raised almost $700!

P.S. If you would like more information about the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, how proceeds from the MS Bike Tour are used, or the other ways you can get involved in the fight against MS, please visit nationalmssociety.org.

Click here to visit Jenna's personal page.
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=3861201&pg=personal&fr_id=7020&s_tafId=57583

Click here to visit Mark's personal page.
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=2150852&pg=personal&fr_id=7020&s_tafId=57583

Bar Mitzvahn Students’ Mitzvah Projects

Hi! I’m Mike Sosnick and my Bar Mitzvah is on October 13^th. I am collecting used cell phones in any condition for a nonprofit organization called the CTIA (www.ctia.org and www.calltoprotect.org) Their Call to Protect initiative repurposes the working ones and gives them to people in dangerous domestic violence situations. The nonworking ones will be taken apart and recycled in a way that is safe for the environment. A box will be placed in the building for this collection. Thank you for your help.

Sincerely,

Mike Sosnick

Hello. My name is Eloise Hyman.

My Bat Mitzvah

is coming up soon, so I am starting to work on my Bat Mitzvah project. A Bat Mitzvah project is something kids do to help the community when they come of age to have a bar or bat mitzvah. For my project, I am gathering books to donate for kids in juvenile residential treatment centers.

I am now asking for your help. I am collecting books in good condition for boys and girls aged 14-18. Could you please look through your rooms, bookshelves, and closets for any spare books that you think kids might enjoy. You could also tell your friends, and I could collect books from them as well.

The books that are allowed are fantasy, romance & teen books, history, novels, mysteries, sci-fi, science, poetry and anything else you can think of (but no sex please)!

How will you get me the books? You can:

- give them to me at school,

- have me pick them up at your house,

- send them to me,

- Or bring them to Temple Beth El the day of my Bat Mitzvah (October 27)

I will be collecting books from September to November. The books for the boys will be going to the Abraxas Academy just north of Philadelphia and the girls books will go to the Abraxas Center for Adolescent Females in Pittsburgh. My address, e-mail, phone number, and Aim are: address: 755 Westover Rd. Stamford CT. 06902, email: eloisehyman@yahoo.com, phone: 203.316.8228, AIM: pandaluvr106

Thank you, for reading this and I hope you will be able to help.

See you in October.

Eloise

Hello my name is Nick Hyman.

My Bar Mitzvah is coming up soon, so I’m starting my Bar Mitzvah project.

A Bar Mitzvah project is something bat/bar mitzvah kids do for their bar/bat mitzvah to help the community.

For my project I am collecting books to donate for adult inmates in prison.  I ask for your help.

Could you look through your closets, bookshelves, and rooms

for any spare books that you think adults might enjoy reading.

I am collecting books for men and women ranging in age from 20-80.

What types of books are allowed? History, Thrillers, Mysteries, Romance, Poetry, Sci-Fi, Science, and even Math.

How can you get me the books?  You can:

·                  give them to me at school,

·                  have me pick them up at your house,

·                  send them to me,

·                  or bring them to Temple Beth El the day of my Bar Mitzvah ( October 27)

I will be collecting books from September to November.  The books do need to be in good condition.

I will be giving the books to the Moshannon Valley Correctional Center in Pennsylvania.

My address, e-mail, phone number, and AIM: 755 Westover Rd. Stamford CT. 06902,

nhyman@klht.org, 203-316-8228, or nickthekiwi106

Thank you, for reading this and I hope you will be able to help me.

If you have friends with spare books, pass this note on and I’ll collect their books as well.

Nick

Thanks to Jon Durica for forwarding this one:

Subject: help remove JewWatch from Google - When you Google the word "Jew", one of the first websites that pops up is http://www.jewwatch.com/ -- an anti-Semitic, hate-filled harangue masquerating as "scholarly, factual, informational".
Add your name to the petition to remove www.jewwatch.com from Google's search engine. (Check out the site and you will understand why.)
In order for Google to remove this, they would need a petition of over 500,000 requests.... so let's make it 1,000,000!
P.S. Current total signatures approx. 272,000
Go to: http://www.petitiononline.com/rjw23/petition.html to sign the petition.

The Highest Level of Tzedakkah

Helping someone to find a Job

Let me know if you can help in either of these situations –

both involve congregants who are extremely talented and dedicated workers…

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Do "Repentance, Prayer and Tzedakah Avert the Severe Decree"?

For the full article, including the fascinating history of the Unetane Tokef prayer, go to http://www.schechter.edu/pubs/insight48.htm

The Theology of Unetane Tokef

by Prof. David Golinkin, President of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem

The main challenge of this poem for a modern Jew is the theology of the climactic sentence as usually translated: "but repentance, prayer and tzedakah avert the severe decree ". As we all know, this is frequently not the case. A young mother with children lies in the hospital with cancer. Her friends recite Tehillim (Psalms) and the Mee Shebeirakh prayer for her recovery and give tzedakah , yet she does not recover. The same holds true for current events. Tens of thousands of Israelis opposed to the disengagement from Gaza prayed to God "to cancel the decree" and gave tzedakah , yet the disengagement took place nonetheless. Similarly, we are now witnessing the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. There must have been many people who prayed to God to stop the hurricane or lessen its devastation, yet their prayers do not seem to have been answered.

Rabbi Marc Saperstein, a Reform rabbi and a scholar, dealt with this problem in an article published in 1981. (16) He points out that the standard translation of the problematic sentence is not accurate and that the poet changed the wording of the Yerushalmi . The Yerushalmi says: Sheloshah devarim mevatlin et hagezeirah - "three things annul the evil decree", whereas the poem says that three things ma'avirin et ro'a hagezeirah - "make the evil of the decree pass".

Rabbi Saperstein explains:

Death, sickness, impoverishment, tragic as they may be, are not identical with evil. They do bear a potential for truly evil consequences. They can poison, embitter, fill us with self-pity, destroy a marriage, blind us to the needs of others, turn us away from God. But the evil consequences of even the most fearsome decree are not inevitable. If penitence, prayer and charity cannot change the external reality, if they cannot arrest the malignant cancer, they can indeed ensure that the evil potential in that reality will not become actual and enduring, but will pass. They can enable us to transcend the evil of the decree. This, I believe, is the simple meaning of the Hebrew words. And this is a meaning which I can, in conscience, share with that eleven year old girl [whose mother died of cancer]. (17)

In other words, the Yerushalmi (and the Bavli too) had a very simple yet problematic theology: if you do X, Y, and Z you will annul the severe decree. The author of Unetaneh Tokef , who lived in the Land of Israel at the time of the Yerushalmi , did not agree with that theology. In his opinion, repentance, prayer and tzedakah cannot annul or eliminate evil, but by searching our souls through teshuvah, praying to God through tefillah and helping other people through tzedakah we help ourselves and others cope with evil and "make the evil of the decree pass". This is the peshat (simple meaning) of Unetane Tokef which, I believe, most modern Jews can relate to.

What is Sukkot About?

Here’s part of the answer, taken from the “Guide to Jewish Religious Practice,” by Rabbi Isaac Klein, long considered the authoritative Conservative work on Jewish Law (halakha).

1. Introduction

The festival of Sukkot is the third of the Pilgrimage Festivals. It begins on the fifteenth of Tishre and continues for seven days. The first two of these are celebrated as full holidays with all the prescriptions already mentioned. The five days that follow are Hol Hamo'ed--weekdays which retain some aspects of the festival. The seventh day (the fifth of the Intermediate Days) is Hosha'nah Rabbah, with special observances of its own. There follow two concluding days which are separate festivals () (B. Suk. 47a) and bear individual names: Shemini 'Atseret and Simhat Torah.

Like the other two Pilgrimage Festivals, Sukkot commemorates an event or period in the history of the Jewish people, has an agricultural connotation, and teaches a number of religious truths.

The Bible stresses the historical aspect: "You shall live in booths seven days; all citizens in Israel shall live in booths, in order that future generations may know that I made the Israelite people live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God" (Lev, 23:42, 43). The agricultural theme is indicated earlier: "when you have gathered in the yield of your land, you shall observe the festival of the Lord [to last] seven days" (Lev. 23:29). Sukkot is thus a harvest festival during which we rejoice over the bounty of the harvest and are given an opportunity to thank God for his blessings.

While the Sukkah symbolizes the historical aspect of the festival, the Four Species bring to mind the agricultural, "on the first day you shall take the product of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days" (Lev. 23:40).

The names of the festival also reflect these various themes. The name used most often is Sukkot, (the Feast of Booths, or Tabernacles); it is also called (the Feast of Ingathering) and simply , the festival par excellence. While rejoicing is enjoined for all festivals, in the case of Sukkot an extra measure of enjoyment was prescribed: "And thou shalt rejoice in thy festival . . . and thou shalt be altogether joyful" (Deut. 16:14-16). Hence in the 'Amidah the descriptive phrase for this particular festival is .

The three names are also indicative of the religious truths that the festival seeks to impart. We noted that the reason for the Sukkah is: "that I made the Israelite people live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt" (Lev. 23:43). The rabbis were not satisfied with the obvious meaning of this verse. While Rabbi Akiva says , i.e., that the booths mentioned in the Bible were real booths in which the children of Israel dwelt while in the desert, Rabbi Eliezer suggests that they were , or clouds of glory with which God surrounded the children of Israel to protect them while they wondered in the desert (B. Suk. 11b).

The interpretation of Rabbi Eliezer is expanded in the Pesiqta deRav Kahana, "Why do the children of Israel make a Sukkah? For the miracles that God wrought for them when they went out of Egypt, surrounding them with clouds of glory and shielding them, as it is said: 'For I make the children of Israel dwell in booths' [Lev. 23:431. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: 'My children, make ye booths and dwell in them seven days that ye may be, reminded of the miracles I wrought for you in the desert'" (Pesiqta deRav Kahana, ed. Buber, p. 188b). The building of the Sukkah was thus a means of infusing faith in God, particularly in time of distress.

Rabbi Akiva's interpretation, , is obviously more suitable to the modern temper, and it, too, suggests a significant truth. The reminder of the period when the children of Israel sojourned in the desert is a motif that occurs again and again in the Bible. In the Talmud the is usually mentioned pejoratively, but in the Bible, particularly in the Prophets, the desert period was considered an ideal time in Jewish history, a time when life was simple but noble. With longing the prophet Jeremiah recalls: "I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride. how you followed me in the wilderness in a land not sown" (Jer. 2:2). When the children of Israel entered Canaan and encountered the vices and corruption of urban civilization, they looked back with nostalgia to the nomadic period of their history, when they were free of these corrupting influences. They saw in this nomadic period a set of standards by which they could purify the civilization of their day. They looked with admiration at the sect known as the Rechabites, who wanted to reproduce the life of the nomads in Canaan itself (Jer. 35-6, 1 Kings 10:15). In our day Sukkot should become a call to the ethical life, free from the corruption and vices of the affluent society.

Maimonides also gives the historical aspect a moral and ethical turn when he says that the purpose of remembering the days of the wilderness is 1, "to teach man to remember his evil days, in his days of prosperity. he will thereby be induced to thank God repeatedly and to lead a modest and humble life" (Maimonides, Moreh Nevukhim III:47).

A more pietistic tone is struck by the well-known medieval moralist Isaac Aboab, who said; "The Sukkah is designed to warn us that man is not to put his trust in the size or strength or beauty of his home, though it be filled with all precious things; nor must he rely upon the help of any human being, however powerful. But let him put his trust in the great God whose word called the universe into being, for He alone is mighty, and His promises alone are sure" (Isaac Aboab, Menorat Hama'or III, 4:6; ed. Mossad Harav Kook, p. 315).

Rightly does Dr. Mordecai Kaplan conclude: "From the foregoing circumstances [that life in the wilderness was purer and freer than life in the civilization of Canaan] it follows that having the Israelites relive their Wilderness experience on the festival of Sukkot [by living in a Sukkah] was bound to place them in a frame of mind which enabled them to detach themselves from the order of life which they had come to accept as normal and to view it critically" (The Meaning of God in Modern Jewish Religion, p. 208).

The agricultural theme of the festival is called to mind by its other name: . The crops of the field having been gathered, the people rejoiced before the Lord in gratitude for the blessings which He bestowed upon them. When agriculture ceased to be the main occupation of the people, the theme of gratitude to God was still valid. Consequently, the symbolic expression of the agricultural theme through the Four Species received a new meaning.

The Midrash thus made the four species symbolize the need for the unity of the Jewish people that comes when each segment of the people receives due consideration. Therefore the Midrash says: "Just as the Etrog has taste and fragrance, so there are in Israel men who are both learned and doers of good deeds; as the Lulav, whose fruit is palatable but is without fragrance, so there are those who are learned but without good deeds; as the myrtle has a Pleasant odor but is tasteless, so there are men of good deeds, but who possess no scholarship; as the willow is neither edible nor of agreeable fragrance, so there are those who are neither learned nor possessed of good deeds" (Wayiqra Rabbah 30:12). In binding the species together and pronouncing the benediction over them, we assert that the unity must include all segments of the community; only when each has its proper place, can there be a benediction.

Another comment of the Midrash stresses the unity of the human personality necessary for the moral life. On the verse "all my bones shall proclaim, '0 Lord who is like unto thee?'" (Ps. 35-10) the Midrash comments: "This verse refers to the Lulav. The back of the Lulav is like the backbone of man, the myrtle like the eye, the willow, the mouth, and the Etrog, the heart. Thus David said: 'There are no limbs greater than these for they equal the entire body in importance; hence: all my bones will proclaim . . . '" (Wayiqra Rabbah 30:14).

This psychological insight suggests that the entire personality must be involved in the search for happiness. Happiness is experienced whenever the human being, in all his relationships, participates in the fulfillment of some specific need, or needs, and there is no inner conflict of the type which might lead to the disintegration of personality (Kaplan, The Meaning of God, p. 226).

The unity of the human personality and of the Jewish people leads our thoughts to the unity and interdependence of all humanity--i.e., to the Messianic ideal. The Messianic ideal is symbolized, according to the rabbis, by the sacrifice of seventy oxen (Num. 29:13-34), corresponding to the proverbial seventy nations of the world, for whose welfare these were offered on the altar of the Temple in Jerusalem (B. Suk. 52b). In this connection the prophet Zechariah invited all the nations of the world to "So up to Jerusalem from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles" (Zech. 14.16).

Samson Raphael Hirsch also saw in the Sukkah a symbol of universal peace and brotherhood. The Ma'ariv service on Sabbaths and festivals contains the prayer . The term sukkah is used in the prayer to symbolize peace and brotherhood, which shall be based not on common economic and political interests, but on the prophetic vision: "On that day the Lord shall be one and His name one" (Horeb, pp. 126 f.).

The festival has a third name, --or the festival par excellence. Hence we add the description , "the time of our rejoicing," when we mention the festival in the 'Amidah and in the Qiddush. The rabbis said: "The Divine presence is not made manifest to man through melancholy . . . but rather joy" (B. Shab. 30b). In the Jewish tradition, happiness is requisite to entering into a conscious relationship with God (Kaplan, The Meaning Of God, p. 225).

This happiness is best expressed through gratitude to God. The Midrash says: "in the millennium all other sacrifices will be abolished, but not the thanksgiving offering; all other prayers will be abolished, but not the prayer of thanksgiving" (Wayiqra Rabbah 9:7). Thus gratitude and thankfulness have supreme value as the essence of religion.

Going, Going, Gone (The Jewish Week)

Rising costs, shrinking rosters are pinching shuls and forcing dues hikes — driving away more members.

The offer on eBay sounded enticing: Two lifetime memberships at a Conservative Miami Beach synagogue coupled with reserved front row seats, two custom-made Israeli yarmulkes and tallises, free parking and admission to all services. The starting bid: $1.8 million. The offer by the historic Temple Emanu-El was withdrawn Monday without a single bid.

“I don’t think we really expected takers,” said Bruce Rubin, a synagogue spokesman. “The purpose was to raise awareness about the synagogue and the upcoming High Holy Days.”

That it did. The Associated Press carried a story on it that was picked up by television stations and newspapers around the world.

“It was a goofy thing,” said Harry Silverman, executive director of the Southeast Region of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. “Most people thought of it as a joke. I can’t imagine anyone paying that kind of money — certainly not for front-row seats.”

But Silverman said the offer highlighted a serious issue: the rising costs of operating a synagogue.

“Fixed costs like salaries and mortgages and insurance keep rising, and if the number of members remains the same, the cost per person goes up,” he said. “It may reach the point where you can’t raise dues anymore.”

Gary Tobin, president of the Institute for Jewish and Community Research in San Francisco, said that day is closer than many believe.

“There is no way that synagogues are going to be financially solvent as we go forward in the next 25 years if they just depend on dues,” he said. “They have to find different ways of raising money. Of all the Jewish philanthropic structures, synagogue dues are the most backwards and behind the times.”

That concern is one that is troubling rabbis, according to a newly released cross-denominational survey of 200 rabbis conducted by STAR (Synagogues: Transformation and Renewal).

“While synagogue growth is always on the minds of rabbis, this year’s survey reveals a heightened concern,” said Rabbi Hayim Herring, the group’s executive director. “Shifting denominational affiliations and larger numbers of interfaith families are challenging synagogue growth, and rabbis keenly recognize their role is not just about increasing ongoing membership participation, but reaching out beyond current congregants by attracting a more diverse community.”

For the complete article, see

http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/newscontent.php3?artid=14525

More On Sukkot and Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur: A Personal Journey http://www.forward.com/articles/11582/ Jay Michaelson

Yom Kippur is a day different from all others. It, alone in the Jewish calendar, is a “Day of Death,” a time when all the normal teachings about honoring the body are, for one day, reversed. On this day, the sanctification of ordinary life and the celebration of the body and the world are undone, so that layers of self can be meticulously scrubbed away.

The Jewish New Year is Sukkot?! http://telshemesh.org/hp/the_jewish_new_year_is_sukkot.html If one reads the Bible, it becomes clear that Sukkot—the harvest festival that falls on the full moon two weeks after Rosh haShanah, also known as Chag haAsif, the Ingathering Festival— was the new year.

Sabbatical Year 2007: How to Celebrate (Tel Shemesh)

For Sukkot, check out How to build a sukkah; How to buy a lulav (palm branch) and etrog (citron); Themes & theology of sukkot, also at MyJewishLearning.com.

http://learn.jtsa.edu/sukkot/ -- from the Jewish Theological Seminary – features for all ages

http://www.karaite-korner.org/sukkot.shtml - a different view of Sukkot customs

http://www.nishmas.org.il/minhagim/sukkah.htm - traditional perspective, background on the Sukkah and the 4 species

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/citron.html - What is an etrog, really?

http://www.jajz-ed.org.il/festivls/tish/30.html - Sukkot through the ages. Nice historical overview from WZO – indicating why Sukkot was known as the premier festival (simply known as THE festival) in ancient times.

The Beth El Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary

Skyler Ross on Netzavim-Vayelech

The parshah of Nitzavim-Vayelech, which we just read, includes some of the most fundamental principles of the Jewish faith: the unity of Israel, the redemption and return to the Promised Land, the freedom of choice and living life guided by the Torah, but above all stands the concept of education. Education id so important that dots are placed in the text of my Torah Portion to emphasize that these teachings need to be passed on to the next generation. It is this Torah which Moses delivers before he dies that educates the Jewish people.

The word education triggers so many impressions. As a child, my first thought is of school. As a young adult, I realize that education is so much more than that. Education is an ongoing process; it is a lifelong exercise in reflecting upon from our experiences, good and bad, coupled with facts derived from reading, listening, observing and using our sensory inputs. Everyone and everything around us helps us to become educated…as long as we are willing to be responsive, accepting and adaptive.

Long ago, HG Wells wrote “human history more and more becomes a race between education and catastrophe.” His words have a resounding impact today. Look, for example, at our environment. There is a Midrash: When G-d created the first man, he showed him all the trees in the Garden of Eden and said: “See how beautiful and perfect are my works! All that I have created, I have created for you. Therefore, be ever mindful: Do not abuse or desolate my world. For if you abuse or desolate it, there is no one to repair it after you.” Everyday we read about global warming, greenhouse gases and the effect on the ozone and our weather, the destruction of the rainforest and the extinction of animals. A recent study proved that there is no place on this earth where there is no air pollution; maybe that is why there are more asthmatics today than ever before, and I and my sister are two of them! But we can reverse this trend. Now that we are aware of the problems industrialized societies have created, we must take responsibility for them.

History teaches us that if we don’t learn from our mistakes, the next generation will have to face the consequences. Maimonides and other Jewish scholars have taught that the world’s fate is in our hands. Today’s Torah portion tells us that the choice to do good or evil is ours. Man was not created perfect, but we can attempt to perfect ourselves and our world. My mom and dad have always encouraged Taylor and I to take hold of possibilities, find a purpose and use our energies to fulfill it. We have been encouraged to explore and to learn. We may never achieve greatness, but everyday, in everything we do we have the opportunity to do our best, to do something in a great way.

If you know my family, you know that my sister Taylor and I are close, and that, believe it or not, we actually like each other. But it’s so much more that. I am so proud of her. Taylor is a member of the performance troupe “No Hate But Harmony.” Through original dramatic scenes and hip hop dances, this group of high school students provides insights about bullying: how to recognize it, how to deal with it, and how to counteract it. The audiences are primarily middle and high school students, but the message is universal. They have performed here at Temple Beth El twice. Not only have others learned about the effects of bullying, but victims have been empowered to speak out, take charge and regain their self-esteem. Education can foster tolerance, fight ignorance, and make the world a more harmonious place for everyone.

Our formal and informal education is the foundation of who we are and the society we live in. Having the proper tools is critical to making the most of educational opportunities presented. Notice the school supplies on the bimah. These will be delivered to the Stamford Public Schools, most notably Roxbury Elementary School and Scofield Magnet Middle School. With the budget cuts public education is facing, there is little if any money to provide even the basics, and many students do not have the means to buy all that is required. These donations will hopefully help all students have the necessary supplies to aid in their academic success.

From the time I was born, I suffered from chronic ear infections. I had a tumor in my ear that caused me to have a substantial hearing loss. I compensated for this by learning to read lips. As a result of constant severe infections, I was unable to participate in many activities with my friends, such as swimming and contact sports.

Following numerous surgeries in several different hospitals, it was discovered that a cholesteotoma was growing in my right ear which had escaped detection. This benign growth was removed on two separate occasions. My inner ear was rebuilt with artificial bones. Thanks to the perseverance of my parents and Dr. David Karas, I now have almost perfect hearing.

I am one of the lucky ones. Not every child who suffers from a developmental disability or has a physical or mental challenge can overcome it. Because of my ear problems and my sister’s allergies, I have experienced first–hand what it is like to be different, and to want to be like everyone else. Every child deserves the opportunity to celebrate life’s milestones, and every Jewish child should have the opportunity to feel the sense of joy and accomplishment, and take their place in the Jewish community as I am doing today. As part of my mitzvah project, I am participating in Operation Mazal Tov. This is a project sponsored by the Masorti Foundation for Conservative Judaism in Israel and the Cantors Assembly. Israeli children with special needs who attend Israeli public special needs schools receive Jewish education and training to become a bar or bat mitzvah. The degree of study may vary from reciting a bracha to reading Torah to signing a speech. These students are welcomed into the congregation in collective ceremonies surrounded by family and friends. Donations aid the purchase of equipment, communication devices, and scholarships and the purchase of Judaica such as Kiddush cups and tallitot. I have already made an individual contribution to sponsor an Israeli peer, and will give a portion of my gifts as well. Contributions are welcome, and I am happy to share the contact information with anyone who wants it.

Unity, education, inclusiveness and the importance of protecting our world and helping others. These are the themes I hope you take away from today. Then next week, as we celebrate Rosh Hashonah, we each have the opportunity for new beginnings. We can make the choice to do good and to be a blessing.

My Torah Portion begins with Moses’ ringing words “Atem Nitzavim Hayom,” “You stand this day…” And so today as I stand before you, I challenge you, each and every one of you here today, to try and make a difference in someone’s life, in our community, and on our planet.

Listen to the words of G-d, of Moses and of the Torah. Support education, do a mitzvah and practice tzedakah. Try to teach someone something, and learn something yourself everyday. Remember tolerance, feel compassion, know how fortunate you are and that there is always someone who could use a helping hand. This is our future. If we choose to journey along this path, it will be blessed.

Brandon Pomerance on Ha-Azinu

I think I was about 4 ½ the first time I picked up a racket. It was the summer, I was at the country club it was an orange Penn racket. My dad tossed a ball to me and I hit it over the net on the first try. I knew right away that this was going to be something I would love. Back then I couldn’t have imagined that I would someday be number one in the ten and unders and then number 8 in the 12 and unders in all of New England.

One thing that I’ve loved as much as tennis is the fact that I am Jewish. “So I was really amazed to discover that there are many similarities between tennis and what Jews do at this time of year, on the High Holidays.

The main theme of the High Holidays is teshuvah, a word often translated as “repentance” but it literally means “return.”

In tennis, returns are very important – it’s about returning the ball to a place that will put me in a better position to win the point. For Jews on the holidays it’s about returning to a better place, undoing the mistakes of the past year.

Another example is the serve…. Unlike a good service in tennis, services on the holidays rarely go 130 miles an hour. But the goal of both kinds of service is the same thing… In tennis – the service starts the action and helps you to plan the entire give and take of the point. You hit it out wide to open up the court more, so that when the serve is returned, you can put it away.

On the high holidays, services only point us in the right direction. There are a lot of back and forth rallies between the cantor, rabbi and congregation, but in the end, the point can be won only after the service is over. We go home and try to live better lives and make the world a better place and that’s how we win the point.

In my portion, Ha’azinu, Moses instructs the people, “Zechor y’mote olam…beenu shnote dor va dor.” “Regard the days of ages past, understand the experiences of previous generations.”

The word shnote literally means “years,” but also can mean “changes”: “Understand the changes of previous generations.” In tennis also, you think about changes…. You have to be able to adjust to changes…and learn lessons of the past or of the opponent. You also need to learn from the lessons of great players of the past and present.

On the holidays we are glad that God lets us have another chance. It’s nice that in tennis, we use the expression “let” when the ball hits the net but rolls to the other side, and you get to serve again. The “let” gives you another chance.

When you holds a racket, it’s like shaking a lulav, the palm branch waved during the festival that comes later in the month, Sukkot. And with a good overhead, backhand, forehand and drop shot, the racket gets waved in all directions too. It may not be saying that God is everywhere, the way it does with the lulav, but it is saying that you never lose faith in your chances of hitting a winner!

Finally – the highest goal in any tennis match is to defeat the opponent completely – to keep the opponent at love in every game. In Judaism, love is also the highest goal. On the High Holidays, we remember how much we love our families and also how much we are loved by others and by God. The more you love, the more you succeed.

I’ve tried to show that kind of love though my mitzvah project. I am giving tennis rackets and shirts to Grassroots in Norwalk so that less fortunate kids will have a chance to play tennis, like me. I’ve also been involved in planting flowers to beautify the temple grounds.

This week, when I hear the shofar at the very end of Yom Kippur, it will me the same kind of feeling I get when I win a tournament. A combination of a relief and accomplishment.

In fact, it’s sort of how I feel right now!

Israel Broadcasting Authority’s Daily English News

Some GOOD NEWS from Israel 21c, www.isrealli.org,

and other sources

Health | Treating Alzheimer's - through the nose
Israeli scientist Prof. Beka Solomon used her brain when coming up with a treatment for Alzheimer's Disease, which affects over five million Americans. Or, rather she used the nose to get to the brain. Solomon found in mouse trials that a harmless bacterial virus can be an effective treatment against Alzheimer's disease when carried to the brain through the nose. There the bacteria locks onto the extracellular plaques associated with Alzheimer's and dissolve them, reducing inflammation in the brain without any side effects. Solomon's research is on the verge of being commercialized and licensed to a startup company. More...

Technology | Israeli astrophysicists help find oldest-known planet outside solar system
Researchers from Tel Aviv University were part of an international team to discover the oldest planet yet identified outside our solar system. The 23 members of the Whole Earth Telescope Project discovered the planet V391b Pegasi which revolves around a "pulsating" star that is mutating from its "red giant" status to a shrunken "white dwarf." The discovery, just announced in the prestigious journal Nature - illustrates the process that is likely to lead to the sun burning out in approximately five billion years. More...

Israeli study raises questions about prenatal genetic testing
A newly released Israeli study that shows that some couples choose to terminate pregnancies even though the mutation carried by their fetus probably will not result in serious health problems, has raised questions about the use of certain types of genetic screenings. While doctors often use genetic tests to screen for diseases such as cystic fibrosis to allow parents to end a pregnancy that would lead to a severely disabled child, the issue is far less clear when it comes to potentially less severe conditions like Gaucher disease and raises a debate over whether such tests should be given. More...

An economic miracle in Israel
Amotz Asael
How Israel has rebounded from its worst recession, and what the rest of the Middle East can learn from it.

Reasons to be thankful in Israel
David Brinn
As we launch Israel's 60th birthday year, the glass is much more full than empty.

now for the rest

Prime source: Daily Alert of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs

Iran's President Ahmadinejad is coming to the UN -

Will you?

—He funds and supports terror around the world.
—He wants a world without the US and Israel.
—He is developing nuclear weapons.
—He denies the Holocaust.

YOU can send a different message!
Monday, September 24th
12 noon, rain or shine
2nd Avenue at 47th Street
Subways: 4,5,6, or 7 to Grand Central Station
Join the National Rally To Stop Iran Now.
Dag Hammarskjold Plaza
across from the United Nations

Sponsored by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations Jewish Community Relations Council of New York in cooperation with the United Jewish Communities, UJA-Federation of New York and Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Simon Wiesenthal Center.

For more information contact:
Conference of Presidents at 212-318-6111 or info@conferenceofpresidents.org
JCRC at 212-983-4800 x 161 or info@jcrcny.org

Ahmadinejad at the UN - Editorial
It is a disgrace to the founding principles and mission of the UN that Iranian President Ahmadinejad will be allowed to speak before the body next week during the gathering of its General Assembly. Ahmadinejad, who is slated to speak next Tuesday, has openly called for the destruction of Israel, a UN member-state. Under the shadow of the Holocaust, the UN was founded in 1945 by a war-torn world weary of conflict and ready to embrace peace, social progress and human rights. Ahmadinejad has chosen to call for another genocide - and of the same original victims. This is in flagrant disregard of the UN's mission. (Washington Times)

Syria's Role in Regional Destabilization: An American View - David Schenker (Institute for Contemporary Affairs/Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)

In the aftermath of Israel's air operation over Syria, Dr. Andrew Semmel, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy and Negotiations, warned that Syria might have a number of "secret suppliers" for a covert nuclear program. Syria is reported to have thousands of rockets with ranges of up to 56 miles positioned along Syria's southern border with Israel, while longer-range missiles armed with chemical warheads are believed to be positioned further from the border. At the Sixth Biological Weapons Convention Review Conference in November 2006, John C. Rood, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation, specifically cited Syria as being engaged in research and development "for an offensive BW program."
During his testimony to Congress on September 10, 2007, General David H. Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq, presented maps illustrating Syria's pivotal role as the source of foreign fighters entering Iraq. One of his maps showed three arrows that illustrated infiltration routes from Syria into Iraq; they were labeled "Foreign Fighter Flow." A week earlier, in an interview with al-Watan al-Arabi, Petraeus described how Syria allows thousands of these insurgents to arrive at Damascus International Airport and then cross the Iraqi border.
Syria has sponsored terrorist organizations for decades. The U.S. Department of Defense determined that Syria and Iran were involved in the October 1983 attack on the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut that killed 241 U.S. military personnel. In 2001, a U.S. grand jury pointed out that Saudi Hizbullah, which had been responsible for the 1996 Khobar Towers attack killing 19 U.S. Air Force personnel, used Syrian territory for training; indeed, the planners of the attack met at the Sayyeda Zeinab shrine in Damascus.
During last summer's war, Damascus not only transshipped Iranian weapons to Hizbullah, but also provided its own top-of-the-line, Russian-made military equipment - the Kornet anti-tank missile - and its own 220mm anti-personnel rockets. Likewise, in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, Syrian rearmament of Hizbullah continues unabated. On March 24, 2007, the Security Council adopted Resolution 1747 that specifically called on all states to refrain from the procurement of "any arms or related material" from Iran. The resolution was adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, and thus constitutes binding international law. Nonetheless, Syria persisted in receiving Iranian weaponry and transferring these prohibited materials to Hizbullah.

The writer, a senior fellow in Arab politics at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, served from 2002 to 2006 in the Office of the Secretary of Defense as country director for Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and the Palestinian territories.

Israel Declares Gaza "Hostile Territory" - What Does It Mean? - Dan Izenberg
The Israeli government on Wednesday declared Gaza as "hostile territory," though there is no such concept in international law. A source explained that the term was not a legal concept but rather the description of a practical fact. The government is saying that Gaza has been hijacked by terrorists. It was essentially a warning notice to the world that Israel intends to treat Gaza differently than it has until now and to apply measures it has not used before. The government will apply three restraining principles to its decision. It won't carry out any measures immediately, it will give due consideration to the legality of every measure it wants to take, and it will not take measures that would lead to a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. (Jerusalem Post)

See also Gaza on War Footing after Israel Declares It "Enemy Entity" - Nidal al-Mughrabi
Hamas-run Gaza is bracing for a major incursion by Israeli forces after Israel labeled the territory an "enemy entity" on Wednesday. Masked gunmen crouch behind piles of sand, fingers on the triggers of their rifles, while others rig explosives along the streets of Gaza. Wearing brightly colored headbands, hundreds of militants have taken up positions along the border fence with Israel and in Gaza City, while ordinary people shovel sand into bags to use as barriers to block any invading troops. (Reuters)

Iran's Expanding War Strategy - Alireza Jafarzadeh
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei's sudden decree early this month to place Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) General Mohammad Ali Jaafari, an expert in strategic and asymmetric warfare, at the head of the IRGC represents a significant strengthening of the ayatollahs' war party. Since 2003, Khamenei has methodically placed the top brass of the IRGC in key political and security positions. President Ahmadinejad himself is a former senior IRGC commander who has staffed the top tiers of his cabinet and diplomatic corps with veteran IRGC commanders. Nearly one-third of the parliament is comprised of IRGC members. The IRGC has taken full control of the nuclear program and has evolved into the most powerful financial conglomerate in Iran. (FOX News)

Muslim Anti-Semitism - Eboo Patel
Muslim anti-Semitism exists and it is ugly and it is vile. I have heard it from the minbars of mosques, and I have heard it from the mouths of Muslim teenagers. I believe it is a violation of the ethos of Islam. There is never justification for transforming an entire people into an object of ridicule and hate.
But there are more and more Muslim voices who are loudly condemning anti-Semitism. Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, perhaps the most prominent Muslim scholar in the West, told National Public Radio in 2006 that Muslims have to drive anti-Semitism from their mosques and living rooms: "I say that with utter conviction...I don't want to be a part of it." (Washington Post)

Reckoning with Syria - Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (New York Sun)

Recent reports that the regime in Damascus has been developing its nuclear facilities with the assistance of North Korea are only the latest manifestations of Syria's increasing belligerent stance.
The Syrian regime remains actively engaged in dangerous and destructive policies that threaten America, our allies, and our interests in the region. Make no mistake. Syria poses a growing threat that must be confronted.
Syria remains a hub for Hizbullah and Hamas and a gateway for jihadists to infiltrate Iraq.
Given its past history, possible unconventional Syrian weapons transfers to Islamist terrorists are an ever-present danger. America cannot vacillate in the face of Syria's ominous behavior.
The U.S. and its allies must act promptly and effectively to neutralize the Syrian menace and target Syria's wherewithal to continue such destructive polices.

Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida serves as the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

From the Jewish Week:

Mukasey A Blank Slate On Pivotal Issues
First Orthodox attorney general nominee hailed, but record unclear on church-state, abortion, civil rights.
James D. Besser - Washington Correspondent ... Read more

War Fears Rise On Syria Border
Debate on impact of Israeli air strike ratchets up.
Stewart Ain And Larry Cohler Esse ... Read more

The Ghosts Of Upper Broadway
Judaica Treasures, gone. Morris Brothers, gone. Makor, gone. The slow erosion of Jewish character on the Upper West Side.
Tamar Snyder - Staff Writer ... Read more

The ‘Half -Jewish’ Conundrum
A rabbi with unique family credentials weighs in on the charged issues of intermarriage and religious identity.
Beth Nichols - Special To The Jewish Week ... Read more

Cutting off Gaza's Electricity: A Double Edged Sword?
Questions regarding US Withdrawal from Iraq?

Understanding the U.S.-Israel Alliance:
An Israeli Response to the Walt-Mearsheimer Claim - Dore Gold

Contrary to the assertions of Professors Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer, who claim that no compelling strategic argument can explain American support for Israel, the two countries have, in fact, developed strong strategic ties over the years that have evolved into a unique alliance. USEUCOM commander General Bantz J. Craddock stated on March 15, 2007, that Israel was America’s “closest ally” in the Middle East and that it “consistently and directly” supported U.S. interests.

MYTHS AND FACTS

Fact Sheet

Hizballah – One Year After The War

On the first anniversary of the end of the 2006 Israel-Hizballah War, Hizballah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel of a “big surprise.” While the nature of the promised surprise is unclear, analysts agree that Hizballah is preparing for another confrontation.

Though Hizballah appeared to have been weakened politically and militarily by the war, the group’s survival was viewed as an achievement and, for some, a victory.

Israel had limited success in eliminating Hizballah’s arsenal of short-range Katyusha rockets, which were still hitting Israel in large numbers at the end of the war. The group’s long-range rockets were successfully destroyed, however, which represented one of the major achievements of the IDF.

A year later, despite the presence of a much larger UNIFIL contingent in Southern Lebanon tasked with preventing Hizballah from rebuilding its forces, reports indicate that Hizballah has replaced the weapons it lost and may now have an even larger arsenal than before the war.

Hizballah leaders have boasted that their arms stocks have grown since last summer’s war and Israeli sources suggest the terrorists may have nearly twice the number of rockets they had a year ago. According to Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Hizballah now possesses approximately 20,000 short and long range rockets and is receiving advanced anti-tank missiles from Syria. Iran and Syria have also transferred new rockets to Hizballah capable of reaching central Israel

Iran is also aiding Hizballah organized reconstruction projects aimed, in part, at demonstrating that the Shiite organization, rather than the Lebanese government, can best respond to the needs of the people.

Part of the rebuilding effort is taking place beyond the jurisdiction of UNIFIL. It is designed to establish a defensive line north of the Litani River, behind which Hizballah can prepare for the next round against Israel.

The UN reported that the Syrian-Lebanese border is wide open to weapons transports. Although 8,000 Lebanese soldiers are deployed along the border with Syria, they all lack the training and equipment to successfully thwart arms smuggling.

Meanwhile, the International Lebanese Committee for UN Security Council Resolution 1559 revealed that Syria is still occupying at least 177 square miles (about 4%) of Lebanese soil.

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Dr. Bard is available for media interviews and speaking engagements on this and other topics.

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