Is Kosher meat Kosher?

PETA, yes the same vegan loonies who brought us "animal Holocaust" posters are now attacking Shechita. They have a powerful weapon in their possession, this video from Rubashkin plant in Postville, Iowa. (WARNING, for people with �good stomach� only). A short 5 min version of the same video.

Business pressures and greed turned a process meant "to elevate sparks" into most gruesome event. To be fare this needs to be compared to a conventional slaughter.

BLOGHEAD discussion:

After watching the tape with a rabbi and a British Shochet [he said] that he "felt queasy," and added, �I don't know what that is, but it's not shechita." The spokesman, Shimon Cohen, said that in Britain an animal must be restrained for 30 seconds to bleed, and no second cut is allowed. Done correctly, he said, a shochet's cut must produce instantaneous unconsciousness, so Agriprocessors' meat could not be considered kosher.

BACKGROUND by Binyamin Jolkovsky: Radical vegetarian group seeking to slaughter one of the world's largest kosher meat processors.

A Shoychet told me recently that he usually shechts around 900 chickens per hour, that's 15 per minute, or one chicken every 4 seconds. He told me proudly that "he really can do 1,200 but the slaughter house would not let them".

UPDATE: Paul Shaviv:

I hate to say this, but no-one should even comment on this issue, or on anyone else's comments on this issue, before viewing the video. This will be the biggest issue for frum people for DECADES. Drop everything else and apply your minds to this.

Steven I. Weiss: PETA Vs. Agriprocessors.

Miriam Shaviv: Shechita-gate - some further thoughts.

A reality check.

Ukraine Archives

Le Sabot Post-Moderne: Ukrainians are people, not geopolitical pawns. And they want to be free.

The events in Ukraine are about a people fighting free of the grayness, corruption, abuse and fatalism of the post-Soviet era. All of you, Right or Left, need to see them as people. Yes, there are geopolitical ramifications. But they should be so incredibly secondary to the humanity of the Ukrainian people -- these are flesh and blood human beings who are fighting to be free of a vicious, grinding system. People are proud to be Ukrainian, proud that their country is now known for something other than mafia, dead journalists, and corruption. People who a week ago were convinced of their own powerlessness are now standing fearlessly, singing together, "We are many, we are one, we can't be stopped!"

Holy Daze in Lubavitch

The Village Voice: The problems of young Lubavitcher Hasidim in a world without the Rebbe.

Rabbi Zvi Homnick, for instance, can sometimes be found in the back of clubs like Wetlands or the Knitting Factory discussing family problems and Moshiach (the Messiah) with stoned Lubavitcher teenagers.

Israelis Eager to Get Polish Passports

Deutsche Welle: Israelis stampede to get into EU. (Via Bloghead)

Synagogue jam session

If architecture is music in stone than synagogue architecture is jazz, a jam session of distant styles full of creative flashes. Not bound by an official look it is sparklingly unexpected.

Take a looks at this wonderful photo collection of synagogues in Russia.

A mini tour: We start at my adopted town of Kamenets-Podolsk in Baal Shem�s Podolia. The region kept moving from Turks to Poles. The architecture is a fusion of East and West. The tower on the left is a reminder that this town was always a frontline fortress. Even the Shule�s roof is reminiscent of the Kremlin-like fortress walls.

Some of the renovations are horrendous. As an example take a look at southern Kherson Synagogue before, elegant proportions with a touch of Polish baroque. And a disappointing after.

Northern Kastroma is a wonderfully cozy, homey and inviting. Jugendstil wrought iron entrance tastefully incorporated into traditional Russian style, once again hacked after renovation.

Kuba in Azerbaijan. Islamic overtones.

Oni in a superb Georgian style. These people knew how to work stone.

And finally my old stomping ground before it was burned down. I can still smell that herring served with vodka right behind the window above the entrance. Outch.

A great site to explore.

Lubavitch in Vilna

Dei'ah veDibur - IN-DEPTH FEATURES: Developments in Vilna's Jewish Community in the Past 15 Years. (via Protocols)

US Jewry must focus on local Jewish education

Alon Pincas in Jerusalem Post: "Rather than play foreign minister and go to the world's capitals and deal exclusively with anti-Semitism," he said, referring to globe-trotting American Jewish organizational officials, "they should focus on educating American Jews."
"What are you writing � the next chapter in The Protocols of the Elders of Zion? " he asked rhetorically.
"On the continuum of Jewish history, we have a modern-day version of Jerusalem and Babylon: Jerusalem and New York," he said, applying the metaphor to Israel and America. "All other communities are insignificant suburbs."
He writes about Abe Foxman of course.

As previously published Side-by-side comparison photos of Yushchenko. He ALREADY experienced poisoning/chemical-weapons attack. CNN reporst now Mystery surrounds Yushchenko ailment.

Bloghead on a chief Jubu How many other Jeff Millers are we still missing out on? A money quote:

JM: Many Forward readers will want to know why you "left" Judaism and became a Buddhist monk.
SD: Judaism never really answered my questions when I was growing up. I asked questions, they said: "Be quiet. Stop with the questions. What's wrong with you?" So I sought elsewhere: psychology, philosophy, consciousness expansion, radical politics and then spirituality � Eastern philosophy, including yoga, meditation, prayer, fasting and other practices. I had a dry suburban rabbi who was a nice person, but didn't light my fire. Judaism didn't do it for me. Now, in later years I met more enlightened rabbis � including Shlomo Carlebach, Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Art Green and others. I remember, Shlomo said: "Jeffrey, the goyim don't need you, your people need you." I said: "They have me, rabbi. They don't know what to do with me."

Hate 101 at Columbia U

New York Daily News - Special report
UPDATE: Haaretz - "Columbia vows swift action on anti-Israel professors"

A Yiddisher blog.

Lubavitcher Rebbe Rabbi Meachem Mendel Schneerson

Previously unseen photo of the Rebbe as student in Berlin circa 1928. Published by Shaul S. Deutsch in Larger Than Life: The Life and Times of the Lubavicher Rebbe Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Vol. 2. The author of the book writes that he found this photo after "dozens of trips to foreign countries". Awesome, beautiful intensity.

Bloghead: Russian anti-Semitism -- in Israel

Estelle Goldfarb

Estelle Goldfarb is the violinist from Matisyahu video. WOW! Take a listen here and here.

A sign in Israel. Via orthodoxanarchist

Matisyahu

Matisyahu on Jimmy Kimmel Video.

Concert Matisyahu � La Sc�ne Bastille. Estelle Goldfarb playing violin makes me feel like I have gone to heaven, WOW!!!




UPDATE #1: Matisyahu rocks B.B. King Blues Club.

UPDATE #2: JUMU site removed/exchanged the original Matisyahu with Estelle Goldfarb clip becase as they write: "We had to put another video on Jumu's website because people are asking for new stuff from the Paris show." Yeh, sure...

UPDATE #3: Who is Matt Miller AKA Matisyahu?

UPDATE #4: JUMU site put back Estelle Video and added this song.

UPDATE #5: Lord raise me up video.

UPDATE #6: Video of Matisyahu on Last Call with Carson Daly, performing "A King Without A Crown."



UPDATE #7: Aaron Dugan - guitarist with Matisyahu
Matisyahu at New Jew in Boston
Matisyahu in Chicago, music and blog media
Matisyahu CD, etc.
A Young Matisyahu music
Early Jewish music of Matisyahu
The first encounter: Matisyahu, 3rd candle in Boston

UPDATE #8: A message to Hasidic Musician from the JDub Records forum
Matisyahu signes with Or Music
Welcome to all the Matisyahu fans

UPDATE #9: Matisyahu is all set to tour this fall.

New Israel Fund Supports Anti-Israel School

This is the same New Israel Fund that once sponsored a touring theatrical group that performed anti-Israel, anti-Jewish skits in schools. Their skits inverted facts and turned history on its head, for example by portraying Jews committing terrorist acts against Arabs. A tipoff to the nature of the tour group was their request that all Jewish and Israeli symbols be removed from the auditorium of the Boston-area Jewish day school in which the performance was to be presented. (To his shame, the principal of the school acquiesced to this demand, stripping the room of its Israeli flag and Jewish articles.) It would appear that a common theme of New Israel Fund projects is a denial of the Jewish character of Israel and the assumption that Arab minority citizens should not have to identify with the State.

JAT Action.

The Revolution WILL be blogged - from Ukraine

Le Sabot Post-Moderne: : Behind the Scenes - How and Why the Ukrainian Election was Stolen.


Grammar.police: Side-by-side comparison photos of Yushchenko. He ALREADY experienced poisoning/chemical-weapons attack.

Gimmel Tammuz 5764

10 years after Rebbe's passing, worshiping TV in 770. Shmais
Montefiore Cemetery lit up on Rebbe's Yahrzait. Shmais

Israpundit: Jihad humor

A clip of a debate on Qatari TV (Via Memri) about wife beating, when and how...

The name of the Lubavitcher Rebbetzin

This book containing the phtograph published below is not the subject of our post.
On the picture are Rebbe Rayatz's daughter Sheina (in the middle) with her groom Mendel Horenstein and his sister Sonya. The couple perished in Holocaust. The tragic circumstances are described in the book reviewed this week. Horensteins could not escape because Rayatz and Rachag�s family hand Latvian citizenship, while Horensteins were Polish citizens.

Deutsch also published a note in Russian from the back of the photograph. It is written to Moussia, Sheina�s sister and future Lubavitcher Rebbetzin. It reads: To dear and lovely Mousenka.Otvozk, Feb. 5, 29.

(BTW, Deutsch erroneously translated part of the note on page 275). It is obvious that Sheina called her sister "Moussia" not "Mushka". Also there is a scan of the Rebbetzin's death certificate on page 5. Written by the Rebbe, or with his knowledge. Again her legal name is Moussia. I know the story about Mazeivah and Rebbe's Sicha. I still think this all a grand confusion. In Litvisher Loshen Koidesh and Yiddish Shin is pronounced Samech or Sin. So Mushka with Shin is really Muska. Thousands of Lubavitcher girls are going around with a wrong name.

P.S. Muska is a diminutive of Musia. A more gentle diminutive of this name is "Musenka", this is what in fact is written on the photograph. Mushka was never used as a diminutive of this name, in Russian it means a bug.

UPDATE #1 via Protocols comments:
Shmarya: According to Shmuel Gorr's "Jewish Personal Names," published by Avotaynu, both Mushka and Muska come from the earlier Old French name Muskat or Muscade, which means Nutmeg.

Tzemach: Musia is a common (mostly Jewish) name in Russia. Mushka is unheard of name (as I mentioned it means a bug in Russian, hardly an incentive to use it). A lot of Yiddish names spelled in transliteration according to the sound. So if you ask any Litvak (this inlcludes Lubavitchers) to spell it, he will spell it with a Shin or Samech. The references to the Old French name Muskat or Muscade only proves that point.

Shmarya: Except that Mushka would be the legal Jewish name according to Professor Esterson, who researched these names extensively and put together the JewishGen database.
It's interesting that Shmuel Gorr (mentioned above) was a Lubavitcher, and, as far as I can see, does NOT show Musia or Mushka or Muska to be female versions of Moshe. He only notes the Old French Muscade or Muskat, meaning nutmeg. Gorr's ommission of this definition in his work, and the fact that he was a Lubavitcher, may point to the Muskat origin of the Rebbetzin's name. Indeed, if the Rebbe saw Gorr's work before it was published and I believe this to be the case it may, in fact, prove it.
By the way Gorr was Australian. He made aliya in the 1960's and passed away suddenly in 1988 at the age of 57. He received special permission from the Rebbe to devote his life to research, rather than shlikhut or the rabbinate.

Tzemach: Muskat will point to the proper �S� sound in the name. By the way Alfred Kolatch's dictionary lists �Moshit� as a female version of Moshe, no pun intended :-) To clear it all up we need some Mashke.

UPDATE #2, you froced me to write this now:
MUSKA is from MUSCAT
Let's see what's in the dictionary. MUSKAT from Old French, from Old Proven�al MUSCAT, from MUSC, from Late Latin MUSCUS.

Late Latin MUSCUS, from Greek MOSKHOS, from Persian MUSK, probably from Sanskrit MUSKA, testicle.
We made a full cricle now.

10 Commandments for a wife

Reb Lazer's Shtibble: 10 Commandments for a wife.

Fallujah Zu Pumpedisa?

Any infromation on this? Google Groups: View Thread

The Central Database of Shoah Victims' Names

The Central Database of Shoah Victims' Names. 400,000 people have visited the site in its first 24 hours. I searched my family names in the database and immediately found definite relatives, based on geography and town origins. I did not hear about them, but they are in my thoughts now and forever..

"Remember, both of you, that which Amalek did to us; remember everything do not forget for the rest of your lives and pass on as a holy testament to the coming generations that the Germans killed, slaughtered and murdered us..." (from the Testament of Elkhanan Elkes, leader of the Kovno Jewish Council)

Visit it, support it, never forget.

Via Israpundit:
See Out of Step Jew on: Yad Vashem at the Start

Chakira has an amusing chatter on The Living Rebbe's Will

About time for this: israel-academia-monitor.

Book Review

Rescued from the Reich: How One of Hitler's Soldiers Saved the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
By Bryan Mark Rigg

The story about Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneerson flight from Nazi occupied Warsaw. Ernst Bloch, a decorated Nazi officer saved the Rebbe and his entourage including his mother, Rashags family and few others. Perhaps because of his Jewish father Bloch was assigned to this task by Admiral Wilhelm Canaris. Bloch had to find the Rebbe in the occupied Warsaw, and uneasy task for a German officer. He then secretly drove the Rebbe back to Berlin hiding from SS and on to Riga.

Te rescue was initiated by Rabbi Israel Jacobson in NY and executed mainly by a lawyer named Max Rohde. It is unclear if Max Rohde actually got compensated for his amazing efforts despite his frustratingly multiple request, typicall.

What is astounding is that despite the fact that people in high position in US government were involved, including Secretary of Sate Cordell Hull, the task of bringing the Rebbe Rayatz was unbelievable bureaucratic. My conclusion after reading this book is that any other European Jew with even above average resources had no chance to be saved by America.

I can not comprehend why Rebbe�s deliverance from Bolshevik prison is festively celebrated on each 12th of Tammuz while his deliverance from Nazis is never mentioned in Lubavitch. In fact one of the Rebbe�s first words when he came to the American shores was: �The suffering I endured in prison in Russia do not compare to the torments of the 12 weeks I spent under their (Nazi) rule.�

In one of the last chapters Rigg writes that frustrated with his inability to do anything for Jews in Europe despite his attempts to approach even President Roosevelt, Rebbe turned to messianic tone and in fact opposed demonstrations on behalf of Jews in Europe. A policy later assumed by his son in law in regards to the Soviet Jewry. Author questions this position particularly in light of Rebbe�s own rescue achieved through the political channels.

Interesting is the story of a beyond belief effort by the Rebbe to save his library during the war. Through all the �didan nozach� years I never heard any of the eye opening facts.

This is an important book for the history of Jews and Lubavitch. Well written, the book is easy to read.

Kevin Sites, the NBC reporter that shot the Mosque video in Fallujah has his own blog. And now he is going over the traditional media channels with an open letter to the marines. This is his story.

Weddings

A classic post by Psycho Toddler

Protest Warrior Holland Chapter has a nice e collection of posters.

Grigory Asmolov photobloging the skunk funeral in Ramallah.

Bloghead: Secular flight to Modi'in

Russian National Bolshevik Party (NPB)- far left revealing it's true far right nature... Here are some of the photos on their site.

Jury awards $434,000 to woman who met husband online

The former husband was not a defendant at the trial because of an earlier settlement, in which Nataliya Fox received $115,000. During the trial, he testified that he had never abused Nataliya, whom he described as "nutty" and "a fruitcake."

Chanukah and beheading by the brave Jewess

Did you know that the festive Chanukah latke is related to the apocryphal story of Judith beheading Holofornes?

But did you know that many significant artists dedicated their talents to the beheading by the brave Jewess? Collection of paintings and sculptures to put it all in perspective. Modern parallels are inescapable but the context and the purpose are incomparable. Some paintings are graphic.

Congratulations to Salita, 20-0!

Dmitriy 'Star of David' Salita trades punches in the third round with Paul Delgado, November 18, 2004 at the Manhattan Center in New York City. Salita, a native of Odessa, Ukraine, practices Orthodox Judaism and is an observant Jew. Salita strictly follow the Jewish law; if he has a fight on Saturday, it must begin after sundown, the end of the Sabbath. Salita remained undefeated, and raised his record to 20-0.
A movie about Dmitriy.

Power Line: A Marine Writes Home

Yahoo! News - Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese Back Up on EBay

Air Force is ready to microwave

Airforce has a ready "Active Denial System" beaming microwave rays to control crowds. Wave beam that penetrates a 64th of an inch beneath the skin That causes the water molecules there to bubble. And that hurts like hell; people tend to run -- fast -- in the other direction...

UJC Arafat incident

During the ongoing UJC convention in Cleveland, David Bedein remembers UJC Arafat incident. (background information by Charles Krauthammer.)

Out of Step Jew on change

Out of Step Jew reports on a "post-tephilla talk" On Change:

"only after Salladin defeated the Crusader state in the Holy Land did Ashkenazi Jewry even mention the Crusader successes. But it was these successes that led to the fear of letting Jewish children become Christianized and so threatened the theological future of Judaism that Jewish mothers and fathers killed their children rather than let them fall into the hands of those who would convert and raise them as Christians."

In Boston, one can�t find this level of discussion in "post-tephilla talk", "before-tephilla talk" or even "middle of-tephilla talk". In fact somebody challenged my statements regarding Rav Soloveitchik legacy in Boston. Whatever legacy it is, it is not one of thinking community where Jewish though struggles or thrives. But then again, witness a thinking Jew in Kfar Saba, hopelessly out of step...

A shocking experience for a Jew to observe Christian conquest of the Temple Mount. And now we find ourselves together with Christians facing the Saladin descendants, how tragically ironic.
A luminous blog!

Luke Ford has an interesting post on Yossi Klein Halevi.

Early snow in Boston today. Green and white together...

Plague of orthodox pimps aka shadchonim

We need to rid our communities from the plague of orthodox pimps AKA shadchonim. To fight this plague effectively we urge the following measures:

If you are in position to offer a job, offer it to a shadchan from a different state. During the interview decline because you are looking for someone �less experienced.� Casually mention that you are sorry for not having the time to read the resume. Wait three months and offer them the same job again� Try different excuse then. Say that they didn�t create a good impression because of lack of enthusiasm�

If you are a real estate agent do your community a favor, sell a house to a shadchan with hidden termites surfacing after the closing. If you sell them a car make sure to fix the speedometer.

If shadchonim want to matriculate kids in a community school tell them "the kids are not frum enough or too frum, etc". The key here is to make sure that you actually know nothing about the kids and use generalizations, prejudice and stereotypes as your sole criterion.

After each debacle hint through a mutual acquaintance that they need to �adjust life expectations�.

Hasidic Rebbele Tonight, another wedding not to be.

Arafat died of AIDS

Israelinsider: Hospital concealment strengthens suspicion: Arafat died of AIDS

Arafat's personal doctor calls for autopsy. "I demand an official inquiry and an autopsy ... so the Palestinian people can learn in all transparency what caused the death" of their leader, Dr Ashraf al-Kurdi said on Al-Jazeera television only hours before Arafat was due to be buried.

International Herald Tribune: Secrecy surrounds diagnosis.

Love in the Holy Land.

A Common Sentiment

Orthodox Jews Demonstrate Concern for Palestinian President

Our brothers from Neturey Karta gone wild:

We also wish to declare once again that the only solution to the impasse in Palestine is the total peaceful dismantling of the Zionist State.

THEREFORE Orthodox Jews wish to declare that the Zionists do not represent the Jews in any way and they have no mandate whatsoever to speak in the name of the Jewish People.

Generosity Index, Red or Blue?

Michelle Malkin published an interesting rendition of the Generosity Index. The index is computed by taking each state's average income rank and subtracting average charitable contribution rank. Michelle superimposed on the index blue and red according to the presidential vote. The result is more than revealing. Note position in the index of the "blue states" and particularly Massachusetts, mine and Kerry's home state.

So what is that democrat talk about saving the world and generosity to the unfortunate? Sorry that was about redistribution of others peoples money...