A great post by Adam Ragil. There have been so much quality blogging about YK.

In addition to all the YK audio visual effects there is the goat and believe it or not a dance by virgins. As described in Mishna 15 of AV and YK where the happiest days when daughters of Israel would dance in white dresses, men would watch and chose their �basherts�. Correct this joyous aspect of the holidays have been lost.

Unlike many bloggers I like the fast. One day fasting is really nothing. I know people who fast routinely. In India it is part of the religion. The fast allows me personally to reach an unmatched high right before the Neila. I also like the day of YK because it is a day that unites the Jews like no other. And in this regard it does not matter what we do in Shule. It is a time that becomes space. You enter that space and you feel liberated from mundane. But I grief about our inability to share this joy with other Jews, about inaccessibly of the holiday for many. I grief about boisterous joy that this holiday supposed to be. We have two thousand years of preservationist religion behind us. Change was sin. We have to keep on blogging about our true feelings.

Opting Out of Orthodoxy by Anonymous

I'd Rather Be Adored Than Ignored

Jewish Population Survey Reveals

Survey Says:
*More than one-half of Jewish men and more than one-third of Jewish women among American Jews ages 25-34 are not married.
* While Orthodox Jews marry somewhat earlier than non-Orthodox Jews, numbers of unmarried Orthodox adults today are far higher than they were several decades ago.
* Proportionally fewer Jews than Americans have ever been married.
* Jews tend to marry later than Americans.
* Proportionally more Jewish women than US women remain childless in every age group.
* Fertility is lower among Jewish women than among US women.
* 42% of the Jewish adult population is single.
* 30% of Jewish households are single-dwellings.
* Rates of intermarriage have increased from 13% in 1970 to 47% in 2001.
2001-2004 United Jewish Communities. All rights reserved.
The Israel Bureau of Statistics released figures in August 2004 showing a dramatic increase in the percentage of single Israelis:
* In 2002, 90% of Israeli men 20-24 years old were single compared to 77% in the 1970's.
* The percentage of single 25-29 year-old men grew from 28 in the 1970's to 58 in 2002.
* In the 1970's, 46% of 20-24 year old women were single as opposed to 75% in 2002. For women aged 25-29, the figures rose from 15% to 37%.
2004 The State of Israel. All rights reserved

Yom Kippur Notes

OxBlog on Kol Nidre Watch

Dennis Prager on Yom Kippur in Miami in Protocols

A new blog by the Renegade Rebbetzin on Yom Kippur blues

Out of Step Jew on the morning after in Israel

Psycho Toddler writes on Yom Kippur at the Shteeble. Well, a little humor helps the day go by. Wouldn't trade it for anything.

Eurabia

Out of Step Jew writes about a visit from the Anglican Church to Israel to judge whether they should follow their Presbyterian brothers and recommend "divestment" from Israel.

Miriam publishes a background letter revealing the natural reaction of most "educated Europeans" to Israel.

To put this map in perspective a must read enlightening interview of Bat Ye'or by Jamie Glazov in the Front Page Magazine. Is Eurabia indeed the future of the continent? Substance alert!

Fasting For Yom Kippur (from a Medical Perspective)

Wishing everyone a Gmar Chatima Tova and an easy fast. The Segal Guide to Fasting For Yom Kippur (from a Medical Perspective)

Cathy Seipp describes a funny episode with Sieinfeld writer and producer Larry David:
An infuriated neighbor berates Mr. David for whistling a Wagner tune outside a movie theater ("You wanna know what you are? You're a self-loathing Jew!"); Mr. David hires an orchestra to play Wagner on the man's front lawn in the middle of the night.

"I do hate myself," Mr. David protests angrily to the neighbor, "but it has nothing to do with being Jewish, okay?"

Appalling encounters with gentiles, on the other hand, are excruciating moments of mutual misunderstanding. In an upcoming episode, Mr. David meets a charity donor named John Tyler, a pale, humorless guy who's driven up from Fullerton (a particularly bland Southern California suburb) to claim his auctioned lunch-with-the-celebrity. The scene is basically an object lesson of the mutual irritation that can happen when a mile-a-minute Jewish brain encounters an I-don't-get-it gentile from Squaresville, USA.

Shmarya Rosenberg site http://failedmessiah.com have been hacked.
I never linked to his site and found that I disagreed with Shmarya's tone and his comments. Yet he was the only voice openly and articulately challenging the status quo. To judge how popular his site was, he started to advertise Amazon Lubavitch books. It was definitely read by thousands of Lubavitcherts. The cowards and censors hacked all three sites. Here is what he writes:

My site has been hacked. All the content has been removed. My home address is up in its place. Because of the constant threats and then this, I've had to contact the police. Blogger seems to have given out my personal information. My Alzheimer's blog (for caregivers) is also gone, as is my book blog. It took them 6 months, but they finally got me. It appears to me to be an inside job. They might have gotten to someone at Blogger.

Rather Reuters Now

Incredibly Reuters admits that it doesn't use the term "terrorist" because of the fear for it's reporters. Is that journalism? The New York Times: Reuters Asks a Chain to Remove Its Bylines

Yesterday Luke Ford posted a spot on observation and a challenge to his readers. The response was dismal. Luke presented one of the burning questions in today's Jewish life, The result - it can't even master a semblance of interests. The post is overwhelmed on the same page by Luke's own links to mundane drivel. Which brings us to the question. What is a blog post? What is an ultimate post? Perhaps this is it?

Artist Monica Bonvicini has created a minimalist glass cube containing a usable toilet to stand opposite the Tate Britain gallery in London. The work is made out of one-way glass which means you can see out but not in. The public sculpture will sit at the former Royal Army Medical College in Millbank, and is meant for public use.
Bonvicini's toilet will be free to use:
Weekdays from 6 pm to 8 pm
Saturdays from 2pm to 6pm
Sundays from 10am to 6pm
It can also be opened by appointment.

Ok, figure Madonna in Israel wants to visit Rachel's tomb in Bethlehem. What's more inappropriate than Madonna in Bethlehem, heh? So now figure a group of Jewish women gets all worked up. Take a look at the marvelous statement sign on the left of the pic.
Sun Sep 19,12:52 PM ET Reuters /Nir Elias

The Fight in Vilno

The Baltic Times reports on the fight for the Jewish property in Lithuania. "Chabad Lubavitch does not obey the maxims of the synagogue. The young people stamp their feet during the service and insult Chief Rabbi Burstein with unquotable words," said Simonas Alperavicius, chairman of the community. For generations, members of the Vilnius Jewish community were known not only as followers of Gaon, the renowned commentator of the Talmud and the Torah, but also as strictly opposing the Chassidic movement. Therefore, during the interwar period, Chassidic followers had almost no property in Vilnius that they could nowadays reclaim.

In Memory of Isaac de Castro

Emanuel de Witte, Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam, 1675, Rijksmuseum. Published today in memory of Isaac de Castro and his life story.

Memories of Radauti

Photos of Radauti by Cippi and Yitzhak Gilat. The days when the lost world comes knocking at my heart.

As you get to the south of Europe like in this town in Romania you get to see some architectural influences that are better not mentioned before Yom Kippur. In any case look at this great Shule. It is full of air, the walls are wonderfully textured in dreamy colors. It is a place where you can fly at night looking out through the upper windows. You can also cover under the tightly spaced wooden benches where you can cry, sleep or hide sugar candies. Life is good.

Le Shonoh Toiva Tikoseyvu!

You can't make this up even if you try: Israeli and Palestinian Children Force Plan For Peace in Israel Announces The Kabbalah Centre

How to spend your Tzom Gedaliah:

NEW YORK, Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- September 19, 2004 will be an historic day for peace and unity. For the first time in history Palestinian and Israeli children, who have spent years separated by hate, prejudice, and fear, are coming together in Israel to say, "STOP, we've had enough, now it is OUR turn to be HEARD!"

These children are emerging from the darkness and embracing the light of peace in an event hosted by Spirituality For Kids, a not-for-profit program supported by Michael Berg, Kabbalist scholar and the author of Becoming Like God. In a region devastated by years of war and extreme prejudice the Spirituality For Kids Israel event will mark the beginning of a peace movement that will show children and adults around the world that the road towards peace begins with embracing your voice and others with compassion, respect, and acceptance.

Joining Michael Berg for this monumental event will include political and social leaders: Shimon Peres, Silvan Shalom, Sachi Hanegbi, and Eaud Olmart as well as high-profile celebrities such as Madonna, Guy Ritchie, and Donna Karen and many others. Hosted by Dan Shilon, the evening will include speeches from Madonna; Elies Jabol, a Christian Arab who is the head of House and Hope and peace agreement leader in the Middle East; Shiek Manasra, a Soufe Sheik and Sheik Abulrocan, a Drues Sheik.

Berg says, "We need to honor these heroic and courageous children. A gathering of this magnitude can have the power to diminish the volatile gap between Israeli and Arab communities to help the people recognize that love is stronger than hate and that peace is the focus for the future." These children have learned, through the Spirituality For Kids programs and the spiritual tools of Becoming Like God, to take control of their own negativity and use their power to create a world not lead by hatred and adversity but a world of positive resolve and dedication to an optimistic humanity.

Children are breaking the cultural barriers that prevent true growth and global acceptance to create better lives for themselves and their communities; they have become the teachers towards peace and the world has become their pupil.

The Kabbalah Centre is a place for people of all cultures and religions to come together to learn the divine wisdom of Kabbalah and to use this wisdom to improve their lives and the world for the better.

Joe Gandelman observes the return of the totalitarian rule in RussiaThe Moderate Voice: The Draconian Snarl From Russia

Kerry-Edwards Spend $50M to Prove They're 'Regular Folks'

ScrappleFace: Kerry-Edwards Spend $50M to Prove They're 'Regular Folks'

(2004-09-02) -- The Kerry-Edwards presidential campaign today announced it will spend $50 million in the next few days on advertising to prove John Forbes Kerry and John Edwards understand the concerns of middle Americans.

"We're regular folks, just like all you ordinary people, and we're going to burn through $50 million in about a week just to prove it," said Mr. Kerry, a Vietnam veteran and distinguished anti-war protestor who is also a U.S. Senator. "Sen. Edwards and I got this $50 million the old fashioned way--by asking generous friends in Hollywood, at union headquarters and at the trial lawyers association to give it to us. You should see our callouses."

Before a crowd of cheering supporters, Mr. Kerry shouted, "We have been oppressed by those fatcat Republicans for too long."

Mr. Kerry and Mr. Edwards then led the crowd in chanting: "Down with The Man. Power to the people."

Summer Fading...

Instapundit on Darfur Rally

The WJC Imbroglio

The following letter was received today via email from Isi Leibler:

I am attaching a copy of an article which appeared this weekend in the New York Jewish Week, one of the most important and widely read Jewish publications in the United States.

The article deals with a matter that I had hoped would never become public, especially not on the eve of Rosh Hashana. Similar articles have appeared and in all probability there will be more. Hence this letter.

The Jewish Week article refers to a lengthy confidential memorandum I was preparing for the Executive of the World Jewish Congress. It was disclosed to the editor of the Jewish Week by Israel Singer, chairman of the Governing Board, for reasons unbeknown to me. He presented it before I had even had an opportunity to distribute it amongst members of the Steering Committee and Executive.

The issues are sensitive and it was my intention to deal with them internally. For this reason I had written to the President of the WJC conveying my concern and expressing the need to handle these matters urgently to avoid a public scandal.

I have no idea how Mr. Singer obtained a copy of my memorandum which I had only shown or discussed in draft form in the strictest of confidence with a handful of confidantes whose advice I had sought. He declined to explain how he obtained this and other private letters and documents from my computer which he also released to the media. (see Jewish Week interview with him). Investigations are underway to identify how the information was obtained.

If you regard this dispute as ugly you are absolutely right � but not in the usual personal or political sense. True, back in May there was an effort by Bronfman and Singer to employ Avram Burg as Secretary General of the WJC without consultation with other officers. But once exposed, this offer was withdrawn. In fact there has not been a single political issue over the past year in which the Operations Committee was divided, in contrast to last year, when Mr. Bronfman made some personal statements that aroused controversy throughout the Jewish world.

Nor in preparing my internal memorandum was I seeking, as has been alleged, to position myself to become the next WJC President. I was elected as Senior Vice President by the Plenary Assembly and have always stated that when Bronfman retired he should be succeeded by a Diaspora Jew, preferably an American. As you know, I am now an Israeli citizen living in Jerusalem.

The sole issue in dispute is the implementation of fiscal transparency, accountability and corporate governance.

My difficulties with the WJC are on the level of its administrative integrity. In this regard a three-man Operations Committee was established to which Bronfman and Singer invited me to participate. In that capacity I considered it my fiduciary duty to ensure that irrespective as to what may have prevailed in the past, checks and balances and transparency had to apply during this interim period even prior to a new constitution being endorsed.

However in pursuing this effort, I found myself blocked at every turn. I have been unable to gain detailed access to how funds are being disbursed and expenses undertaken. The Jewish Week article to which I referred above makes reference to this and some of the other problems I have encountered.

Two months ago matters came to a head when we were appraised by outside parties of a bank account in Switzerland that had not been disclosed. In addition, allegations were conveyed to us by the head of the Swiss Jewish community and a Swiss former WJC executive of possible financial irregularities by Head Office. Explanations provided to us on this and other issues were unclear. I therefore endorsed the call from the head of the Swiss Jewish community for an independent audit. And this call for an independent audit and demands for fiscal transparency is what the matter is all about.

There was frenzied opposition culminating in the dissolution of the Operations Committee by Bronfman who appointed a larger Steering Committee in its stead. I had no reservations about this because it meant that fiduciary responsibilities were now being extended to a wider group. However, Bronfman then appointed Stephen Herbits, who he himself described as his former Seagram "right-hand man" to take control of the WJC administration and overview financial affairs..True, Herbits might be a talented administrator but has virtually no direct background with the WJC.

I am therefore continuing to insist upon an independent audit especially with regard to the alleged financial irregularities drawn to our attention by Swiss Jewish parties. Equally I maintain that were Herbits in any way to be involved in an internal audit it would be widely perceived, rightly or wrongly, as an attempted "cover up".

I reiterate, I make no accusations but I do demand for the health of the organization that an independent audit be initiated forthwith.

Two weeks ago I was warned by people of goodwill, that if I pursued this issue I would be jumping off a precipice. They suggest that the majority of people associated with Bronfman are conditioned to approve his virtual every wish and will. I was told that taking on billionaires is a lost cause. Maybe. We shall see.

I decided to proceed because I still remain a firm believer in Jewish integrity and in the people power that this engenders. There are in excess of 400,000 American donors who provide the bulk of the WJC income and I am confident that the vast majority of them will endorse my demands. I also believe with all my heart that the independent audit is mandatory under the circumstances and that nobody can morally object to this. The World Jewish Congress is an American non-profit body and the principals of governance, accountability and transparency must apply.

I have always lived by the principal that if an officer feels that questions being directed towards him could tarnish his reputation, he should be the first to demand an audit in order to exonerate himself.

No other major Jewish organization that I know of has defied its elementary public duty of sharing with its Executive or finance committee a detailed breakdown on expenditure and enabled some sort of review as to how expenses are controlled. No non-profit body relying on the donations of 400,000 donors can behave in this manner.

I reiterate that it was always my desire that these troublesome matters be handled and settled internally. But this was not to be. Mr. Singer saw fit to release my confidential memorandum to the press, undoubtedly providing grist for the mills of anti Semites. But now that the cat is out of the bag, expeditious measures must be taken to clear up the whole unfortunate affair and guarantee in the most transparent manner the administration of one of the Jewish people's greatest organizations.

Isi Leibler

May the Almighty grant Klal Yisrael a better year and help us to overcome the issues which divide us.
May Hashem provide Israel and all people of goodwill with wisdom, courage and strength to overcome the forces of evil and achieve peace and tranquility.
Shana Tova uMetuka to you and all your family.
Isi Leibler

Rembrandt, Saul and David, 1655-60, Mauritshuis, The Hague

Tribal Ecstasy

A healthy culture is sustained in meeting points. Places where people come together to reflect, to emote and to experience friendships. A pub in Brittan, a coffee house in Vienna, a street in Italy, etc. There is no equivalent in America. Paper cup coffee culture encourages caffeine not conversation. Jewish subculture in particular is a place where people ONLY congregate in Shules and Temples and then they are insistently discouraged from talking. A worship entombed in the induced silence is a social calamity. We have lost the art of conversation. People who�s religious legacy - Talmud is a record of aggressive intellectual discourse succumbed to terminal calmness. There is no outlet to nurture our thinking except for the internet. We urgently crave electrifying emotional intensity. In the suburbs the situation is even worse. No wonder kids pierce, mutilate, tattoo and rave in desperation, dreaming of tribal ecstasy and closeness.

Rathergate by Mark Steyn

INDC Journal: Boston Globe Busted: Dr. Bouffard Speaks

Bush To Undecided Voters: Choose Kerry

ScrappleFace: Bush To Undecided Voters: Choose Kerry

Putin to Guardian:

"Why don't you meet Osama bin Laden, invite him to Brussels or to the White House and engage in talks, ask him what he wants and give it to him so he leaves you in peace? Why don't you do that?" he said with searing sarcasm.

"You find it possible to set some limitations in your dealings with these bastards, so why should we talk to people who are childkillers?

"No one has a moral right to tell us to talk to childkillers," he added.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but Margaret Thatcher, whom I've met more than once said: 'A man who comes out into the street to kill other people must himself be killed'," he told the Guardian.

But that was not what Putin and other peace loving nations demanded from Israel. For example before Arafat got holed up in Ramallah Putin instructed him that Russia believes "the Palestinians should continue negotiations with Israel on a peace deal".

3 out of 6 NYU students who intentionaly jumped to death from the university buildings appear to have Jewish last names:
Joann Mitchell Levy, 23
Jeff Skolnik, 19
Michelle Gluckman, 18

REMBRANDT, David and Uriah 1665 The Hermitage, St. Petersburg

Terrorism, anti-Terrorism and anti-anti-Terrorism

Out of Step Jew writes:

We saw it clear as day in the international media's coverage of the latest terrorist attack in Russia. Even where over 150 children were killed after being starved and left without water by their captives for two days (the children were forced to drink their own urine !), even after blowing up the school building and forcing children to plant explosive devices � after all of that neither the BBC, nor Sky nor CNN, nor even Fox (when they covered it at all) called these people what they were - terrorists. They continued to refer to them as "hostage takers", rebels and fighters, as people who were "highly motivated" and believed in a "cause".

It became clear to me that the news-people and the chattering classes have decided that the only people they refuse to be associated with are the anti-Terrorists. It's as if by admitting that there was terrorism in the world that their entire world-view would come crashing down, since they have spent the last three years insisting that "one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter". It would mean that at least some of the things that Bush, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Sharon, Netanyahu et al have said and done over the years might even be correct. And they know that that cannot be the case.

The Corner on National Review Online: "RNC by Michael Ledeen"

Before moving on from blogging about the convention, let's all say hooray for the NYPD. Aren't they great? And are the various wusses now prepared to say that maybe the American people really loved Zell Miller? There is still room in American political life for honest passion, and I was frankly very discouraged to see so many of our people openly wondering whether it was a mistake to permit the unwashed to see a man who was angry about seeing his party go down the rathole. This in turn made me reflect on "television," and I wonder if this convention didn't mark a watershed in American cultural history. In this sense: McCluhan saw that television was going to be an enormous force in creating political consensus, both in America and globally. He stressed that tv was "cool," and that "hot" personalities would do badly on it. If you wanted to succeed on tv, you had to be relaxed, laid back, wear cool colors etc. etc. otherwise you'd turn off the audience and the audience would turn you off. But I think that era is over now. First of all, because of the net, which has diversified our sources of information so dramatically. We no longer need the networks or the various Post's and Times's. We can just log on. And secondly, tv has gotten a lot hotter. Probably a lot of that is due to MTV and other such, but in any case the screen is now a much less antiseptic thing than it was a generation ago. People now argue and fight on tv, the decibels are higher, and the broadcasters are changing their style. They are competing for audience rather than monopolizing it. And so they change. I suspect that when the cultural history of this period is written, the two big names will be Rush and Drudge, both of whom dramatically undercut the power of the Old Media, and gave the American people something they desperately wanted: the information that the Old Media monopolists didn't want to reach us. I don't think we'd have seen the rise of Fox News without Drudge and Rush. And when Fox outpulled the old networks during the Convention, the revolution was official. And those who had gotten used to thinking in McLuhanesque terms missed it, which is why they ran from Zell. Even those whose own success was due to blogs, and talk radio. Finally, I believe that for many years the American people knew they were being deceived by the "major media," but they didn't know where to go to get good information. Now they know. And they're getting it. So they recognized Zell, not as a throwback to an earlier era, but as one of us, a modern communicator, who really does Bring It On.

In the name of Islam

The Incident in the Great Synagogue in Vilno

A dispute that has been building up gradually in Vilnius, Lithuania, has grown out of all proportion, with the shliach Rabbi Sholom Ber Krinsky being thrown physically out of the local shul. The dispute centers on anti-Chabad elements trying to elbow the Lubavitch presence out of the city. It is their desire to obtain government compensation for what went on during the Holocaust, which is to be paid out to the Jewish community, for themselves. Matters took on a more violent and humiliating turn yesterday (Wednesday), when Rabbi Krinsky, speaking to overseas visitors in Vilnius's Great Synagogue, was thrown out of the building by thugs hired by his opponents Simon Alperovitch and the JDC-appointed Rabbi Chaim Burstein.

This incident was captured on video and can be viewed on dial up, medium speed, and high speed.

Communists for Kerry

Listing the weapon systems that Kerry tried to shut down

Zell Miller's Speech at RNC

Listing all the weapon systems that Senator Kerry tried his best to shut down sounds like an auctioneer selling off our national security but Americans need to know the facts.
The B-1 bomber, that Senator Kerry opposed, dropped 40 percent of the bombs in the first six months of Operation Enduring Freedom.
The B-2 bomber, that Senator Kerry opposed, delivered air strikes against the Taliban in Afghanistan and Hussein's command post in Iraq.
The F-14A Tomcats, that Senator Kerry opposed, shot down Khadifi's Libyan MIGs over the Gulf of Sidra.
The modernized F-14D, that Senator Kerry opposed, delivered missile strikes against Tora Bora.
The Apache helicopter, that Senator Kerry opposed, took out those Republican Guard tanks in Kuwait in the Gulf War.
The F-15 Eagles, that Senator Kerry opposed, flew cover over our Nation's Capital and this very city after 9/11.
I could go on and on and on: against the Patriot Missile that shot down Saddam Hussein's scud missiles over Israel; against the Aegis air-defense cruiser; against the Strategic Defense Initiative; against the Trident missile; against, against, against.
This is the man who wants to be the Commander in Chief of our U.S. Armed Forces?
U.S. forces armed with what? Spitballs?