The Jewish community in Seattle stills feels the pain from the attack at the Jewish Federation building which killed. This weekend the have organized a massive Jewish Community Festival as part of the healing. Featuring live music by the likes of David Broza.
In addition to the Festival atmosphere, I will be speaking on the Spoken Word stage around 2pm. I will also be speaking on Monday to a group from the YLD of the Jewish Federation. That information is below.
Peace and good Shabbos!
Israel: Truth vs. Propaganda
I will be discussing the surge in serious anti-Israel and anti-Semitic incidents, most notably at University of California-Irvine; Jewish communal responses/mistakes, and empowering the Jewish community to effectively advocate for Israel. I am planning a dynamic evening – dealing a very serious and important issue. Please join us for this great program.
When: Monday, August 20, 2007; 7 – 9 pm
Where: Montlake Community Center
RSVP: RSVP Required by August 16 to
Rachel (206) 774-2216 or [email protected]
A kosher dinner will be served.
You’re right, in the sense that some people think of dog fighting as a sport and others, many of whom attend Cal State – Irvine, think of anti-semitism as hip and liberal.
As coincidence would have it, that text from Ecclesiastes was the OT reading at Mass a week back….
We may be off-topic, but I know this all relates to Michael Vick somehow.
I’d let an intern take out my appendix if it were an emergency. My hope would be that intern would then gain the confidence in his/hers skills, while at the same time remembering they are, indeed, interns and have much to learn from the higher authorities… I mean resident doctors.
We’re talking about appendixes here, not coronary bypass operations. I’d leave those to the pros. And you can apply that to my views on veterinarians.
As much as I like to quote from the Five Books, I still have a problem spelling Pentateuch. Without a spell checker. But to continue the theme of the limits of our own wisdom (from Ecclesiates):
“Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.” ch.1 v.2
Apologies to Rabbi Yonah for going sooo far off topic.
Thanks and right back at you.
Anyway, peace and stuff.
Yes…. but it was a qualified person who told you to limit your cholesterol and taught you what a vitamin was.
I tol’ you and tol’ you. There is common ground, and, there also isn’t common ground. Different pews. We can say ‘hi’ in the hall, and chat by the water cooler, but then we have to go home to our own pew. Many gates to the City.
I’d rely on doctors to remove my appendix, but when it comes to limiting my cholesterol or taking my vitamins, I’m on my own, for better or worse.
“behavior” sounds like bunny rabbits, butterfies or people. They have, or do, “behavior”. “Will” is better here, I think; just quibbling. But a discrete, definable, even mechanical, word like “behavior” sets my nerves off, saving your presence.
Sure but we should all bet at our own window, imho.
We don’t read Matthew, but we are glad you do.
The bit from Job was well chosen.
But somebody ordained is qualified in a different and higher way to quote this stuff than somebody who is not ordained no matter how smart or well read. That includes even me, JM.
You wouldn’t let a very advanced medical student, who was not an MD, take out your appendix, would you? There is a difference. As I am sure you know.
You type very fast. How did you find all that, word for word so quickly?
You betcha.
Sure, Jewish Mother, we’ll stipulate that God is involved in the world He created.
Identifying or predicting His behavior is another matter: ‘if this person/Jews/Christians did virtue X, then reward Y will follow’, or, ‘unless they do X, then Z punishment will be visited upon them.’
Hopefully, ‘competent authority’ will remind us of how little we know…. how, like Socrates, we are wise to the extent we acknowlege our ignorance; to quote Isaiah (55:8-9), “[f]or my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts.” Or, “[j]udge not, that you be not judged.” [Matthew 7:1]
You can bring Eric to Chabad, nobody will care.
Well, we don’t think G-d is not involved in this world. We don’t think G-d is a prime mover, who, having started things, doesn’t get involved in the day-to-day operations.
This is very complicated and subtle stuff. You can’t wing this; it is a rabbinic question, of why something happens, if that can be known. Even to what extent it can be known is not to be winged.
Consult competent authority. I mean, you wouldn’t take out your own appendix, would you? You would consult someone who had been to school for that. So ask a rabbi to discuss this with you. The discussion will be lifelong. If you want a neat answer, forget it.
My hunch, ramon, is that the Torah (or their view of it) provides fodder for evangelicals who believe that obeying God means reward, and iniquity, punishment– not in the hereafter, but (more satisfyingly) in the here and now. Jesus withholds satisfaction in this regard. But a cartoonish view of the OT seems to them to support that point of view.
They’d have Rabbi Kushner do a book on why bad things happen exclusively to bad people.
Tom, no worries, as I’m pretty involved in various animal rescue groups. Yeah, we’ve discussed that issue so much the cows actually came home, and I’m in no way equating the views of these two guys with Evangelicals in general (you’ve always done a good job of putting that in perspective for Jewilicious commenters). But when I start hearing guys like that trying to suck up by claiming Torah knowledge it makes me laugh. Next thing you know Mitt Romney’s gonna start rapping. 🙂
When we get the dogs together there tends to be fights. Issues need to be settled. They usually end when one yelps and comes running to mommy or daddy. Five minutes later the combatants are running around playing with each other. Beit Sohar Vick, time to think on that.
(ramon, on the off-chance you’re a foot soldier in the ‘Free Mike Vick’ campaign, my apologies for the tasteless metaphor in para. 1 above.)
The issue of the Xian evanglical-Jewish alliance has been much discussed here, of course; as a Catholic with no dog in that fight, it seems to me to benefit Israel on balance. But you gotta take the bitter with the sweet. Including people who fancy themselves newfound ‘Torah’ experts, with prophetic powers to tell Israel what to do.
(I’m inclined to think their Torah scholarship ranks with their, uh, less-than-sterling New Testament scholarship, but that’s neither here nor there.)
Tom, I think you are correct and Kirk’s last comment pretty much verifies that. But I was just wondering where they got that approach. This invocation of Torah as opposed to the New Testament seems like a new and exciting thing for them. I was just thinking about it after reading this:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/08/17/jews.christians/index.html
ramon, my guess is they’re both non-Jewish cranks, but having said that– they take an approach to scriptural interpretation which is not unfamiliar on this site (see, e.g., some of the posts invoking God’s assistance during last summer’s war with Hezbollah).
I read it in the Bible but of course it is in the Torah as well.
Abandon G-d and he will deliver you to your enemies. For that is what happens time and time again. But Honor Thy Covenant and the Jews will be Blessed one thousand times over.
I meant to say Greg and Kirk, of course… as Eric is lying by my side…
“But if you read the Torah…”
Greg and Eric, I’m just wondering, and honestly without judgment or bias… and please answer truthfully… are either of you or both Jewish?
I think, in light of both your comments, and in today’s Christian Evangelical/Zionist alliance, that’s a valid question. And please, I’m not being judgmental – far from it. I’m simply curious. It will help in my understanding where you’re both coming from in continuing this thread.
“Also Israel doesn’t have any more or less gays than any country in the world.”
Yeah, but it’s Israel that G-d has a special relationship with. It’s Israel that G-d made the covenant with. Jews are the Chosen People.
And it was to Israel that G-d gave the protection of the Holy City, and what did they allow to happen on those holy streets? An abomination.
I am not saying that other countries won’t pay for their own decadence for they will but G-d expected more from the Jews.
And Israel is the “Impossible Country”. Looking at it practically, Israel shouldn’t exist. A small country surrounded on all sides by enemies whose whole focus and desire in life is to annihilate the Jews. There is no way that Israel should have won the wars it did. From a military standpoint ask any military tactician and you will here the same thing. On paper, Israel didn’t have a chance.
But they did win, and Israel does still exist and quite literally its a miracle that it does. Israel’s mere existence in face of everything shows that they are G-d’s chosen people. It proves that G-d is on their side.
But if you read the Torah, you see a common theme. G-d intervenes on behave of the Chosen people, and they rejoice, but then after awhile they forget their obligations under the covenant and in effect reject G-d. When that happens G-d abandons the Jews for a time and they are delivered into the hands of their enemies.
So, homosexuality isn’t only a social problem in Israel it is a National Defense problem as well.
sorry to bust your bubble Kirk, but God doesn’t love homosexuals any less. And there are plenty of them in both the US and Israeli military.
Also Israel doesn’t have any more or less gays than any country in the world.
What Israel should do is to deport the leaders of the homosexual movement in the country, pray to G-d, and then launch an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Ramon when was the last war Israel has won?
Israel needs to clean up its society and then G-d will start allowing Israel to kick butt again.
It is extremely important now that it looks like Israel might have to go up against Iran. You are going to need as much G-d power as possible when you do that.
Kirk, everyone lost the war last year. And gays were fighting on both sides. Not to burst your bubble or anything.
I mean you are going to lose the support of G-d.
Why do you think you lost the war last year. It is because G-d abandoned you due to all the homosexuality in your society.
Kirk’s right. Hamas are a bunch of pussies compared to a rainbow-toting parade of homos. Personally, I’d rather take on a battalion of Islamic Jihadists than get in a fight with three lesbians at some Tel Aviv bar over who’s got next at the pool table.
do they really grow homos in Israel now ???
maybe my mother will order me one so she can stop complaining about my gentile boyfriend
do they come in Turkish Jew flavour ??
Not to mention the self-esteem of the country.
“Did you SEE the shoes he was wearing with those pants?”
“And that HAIR…”
Capt. Kirk..that is quite a wild premise you got there.
It’s not going to be so funny when due to the homosexuals you lose support of your most important military ally and and therefore are destroyed by your enemies.
Try decorating then.
The homosexuals in Israel pose the greatest threat to the national security of the country.
They grow homosexuals in Israel?? And then what? Is there a shuk where one can purchase fresh homos? I’d like to know because I am in desperate need of fashion and interior decorator advice.
I meant the growing homosexual movement in Israel.
It could cost you the support of your most important military ally and lead you wide open to attack.
People in the Puget Sound area are very concerned to see what is happening over in Israel.
And, yeah, people in Israel should be concerned about what is happening over in the Puget Sound area. We are getting pretty anti-Jewish here. We haven’t even convicted anyone on that shooting last year.
I hope you can address the concern that many Americans have about the growing homosexual movement and how that might bring about an attack, even a nuclear one.
If you don’t crack down on the public displays of homosexuality, especially in Jerusalem, you will lose the support of your most important ally and you simply will be unable to survive without that support.
Here is Sytman’s Blog
http://www.rhetoricalammo.com/
Both KVI and KTTH are strong supporters of Israel.
Kirby Wilbur would be a great show to go on.
http://www.kvi.com/onair/kirby
And
“The Sytman and Boze Show”
http://www.ktth.com/article.asp?id=206412
You do know that no one has been convicted of that murder yet!