Jewy News

Oh, the Irony! (part 2)

admin — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 13:02:09 +0000

The Israeli Supreme Court has authorized construction of a new building on the site of a Muslim Cemetery. Muslims who fought the case were backed by Haredi Jews who were opposed to disturbing graves.

Are you ready for the irony?

The building to be erected on the Muslim Cemetary: The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Museum of Tolerance.

Hat-tip: The LA Times’ Culture Monster blog.

Pray for Victims in Mumbai

admin — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 07:26:36 +0000

The terrorist attacks in Mumbai have received widespread coverage, and we can’t add anything beyond what’s already been reported.

As we see it, there are two things our readers can do to help alleviate the suffering: Pray for the victims & survivors, and donate to organizations that are helping them.

One of the targets was the Nariman Jewish Center, where Rabbi Gavriel and Rivkah Holtzberg (among others) were murdered. A fund has been established to benefit their two children. Click here to learn how to donate.

Oh, the irony!

admin — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:59:33 +0000

Jewy News readers are familiar with CUFI—Christians United for Israel. Recently the LA Times reported on a group which might be called “Christians United Against Israel.” They recently held a conference at which Haim Beliak, a Reform Rabbi, spoke about CUFI.

“My religion and my Zionism have been hijacked by Christian Zionists and their Jewish friends,”

We don’t mean to offend adherents of Reform Judaism. But in this context it’s important to note that the when the Reform movement split off from mainstream Judaism a little over 150 years ago, they tossed overboard 3,000-year-old Jewish traditions like kashrut and Sabbath observance. Somemight say Reform leaders hijacked Judaism.

Pot, meet kettle.

Bazooka Joe in Hebrew

admin — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 00:13:47 +0000

Found wrapped around a piece of Israeli-made Bazooka bubblegum:

If anyone would like to post a translation, click the word “comments” in blue, below.

Stay Off Our Side: Christopher Hitchens

admin — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 07:33:41 +0000

Perhaps that’s an inappropriate headline. It seems that Mr. Hitchens, an avowed atheist perhaps best known for his book “God is Not Great,” is already on our side. It seems that he discovered he was Jewish when he was 38 years old, as The Guardian explains:

It happened when his brother Peter took his new bride to meet their maternal grandmother, Dodo, who was then in her nineties, and Dodo said, ‘She’s Jewish, isn’t she?’ and then announced: ‘Well, I’ve got something to tell you. So are you.’ She said that her real surname was Levin, not Lynn, and that her ancestors were Blumenthals from Poland.

Christopher was thrilled when Peter told him. By then he was living in Washington and most of his friends were Jewish. Moreover, he felt that he had somehow known all along. He remembers an odd dream in which he was on the deck of a ship and a group of men approached him and said they needed a 10th man to make up a minyan (Jewish prayer group) and he calmly strolled across the deck and joined them. them. He insists that he is Jewish…

We can’t help but wonder what Freud (also Jewish) would make of Mr. Hitchen’s dream. And we fervently hope that Hitchens will one day come to praise G-d not just in dreams, but also during his waking hours.

Stay Off Our Side: Ivanka Trump

admin — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:02:51 +0000

Once again, quoting from the Page Six column in the New York Post:

IVANKA Trump and Jared Kushner have selected [a] rabbi to convert her to Judaism for their upcoming nuptials, a source tells us… Trump’s conversion is going nicely. “She and Jared were in shul during all the holidays and ate in the sukkah every night,” our spy says.

Maybe Mr. Kushner, who lives in New York, could have tried harder to find a Jewish girl. Rumor has it there are a few Jewish girls in New York.

Stay Off Our Side: Colin Farrell

admin — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 05:57:39 +0000

From the Page Six column in the New York Post:

IS Colin Farrell so in love with British novelist Emma Forrestthat he’s converting to Judaism for her? The two, who have been dating since June, stopped by the Heeb magazine storytelling event at MBar in West Hollywood last week where Forrest proceeded to “do a striptease burlesque act to traditional Jewish music,” said our spy. Farrell, who didn’t take his eyes off her, was wearing a Star of David around his neck.

Stay Off Our Side: Lindsay Lohan

admin — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 05:30:53 +0000

According to ShowbizSpy.com, “Lindsay Lohan is reportedly set to convert to Judaism.” Why is she interested in converting?

Lohan’s rumored girlfriend Samantah [sic] Ronson — and her family — are practicing Jews.

A source close to the pair tells America’s Life & Style magazine, “Sam’s family is Jewish. Lindsay has learned a lot about Judaism from Sam and admires its beliefs.”

Marriage is probably the most common reason people have for converting from one religion to another, but we’ve never heard of conversion for a Lesbian relationship, which in any case isn’t sanctioned by Judaism. And we question the sincerity of any conversion motivated by romance.

Puzzle: Break the Blockade!

admin — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:16:09 +0000

Many recent news stories (like this one by Don Nissenbaum for McClatchy Newspapers) have been written about the Israeli blockade of Gaza. They all blame Israel for blocking imports to the Hamas-controlled territory.

We think Jewy News readers are smart enough to figure out a way to get into Gaza without having to cross the Israeli blockade lines. The map below shows all of Gaza, with the Israeli blockade lines marked in red. Your challenge: Break the blockade!

Hint: Carefully examine the southwestern border of Gaza to see if you can find a gap in the blockade.

Unfortunately, it seems that Egypt is also blockading Gaza. If you didn’t know that, perhaps the reason is that virtually none of the news stories about the blockade documents this fact.

Likud Expected to Gain 20 Seats

admin — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:14:06 +0000

Israeli elections are coming up in early February, and according tothe International Herald Tribune, the Likud party is expected to make some stunning gains:

A poll published in the Haaretz daily on Thursday showed Likud garnering 34 seats in the 120-seat parliament, up from its current 12, followed by Kadima with 28. Kadima, the ruling party, currently has 29 seats…

A poll in the Yediot Ahronot daily had similar results…

Thursday’s polls also showed increased power for other hawkish parties, which would allow Netanyahu to easily form a right-wing coalition government.