| MP3 Radio | Website News Briefs: | |||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
 |
 |
1. Lieberman Warns PA Ready for 'Bloodshed' in September
by Chana Ya'ar
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has announced he is advocating that Israel sever all ties with the Palestinian Authority.
Lieberman told reporters Sunday that he would ask the “forum of eight” – a subgroup of ministers within the Cabinet – to end Israel's relations with Ramallah.
The foreign minister explained the reason for the move stemmed from the PA's attempt to prosecute IDF officers at the International Criminal Court at The Hague.
“No Finance Ministry officials, not the Water Authority and no Foreign Ministry officials [will maintain ties],” he said. “You cannot have security coordination [with Israel] while you are also trying IDF soldiers at The Hague.”
Lieberman said the PA is making preparations to carry out wholesale bloodshed in September. At that time, the PA plans to ask the United Nations to officially recognize it as an independent country, and to grant it membership status within the international body.
The foreign minister said PA officials, despite claims of “non-violent action,” are instead preparing to flood checkpoints with tens of thousands of PA Arabs who might then force their way past IDF soldiers and into Israel's major cities.
“The Palestinian Authority is getting ready for bloodshed on a scale we haven't seen,” he warned. “The more they speak about non-violent action, the more they are preparing for bloodshed.”
Comment on this story
by Chana Ya'ar
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has announced he is advocating that Israel sever all ties with the Palestinian Authority.
Lieberman told reporters Sunday that he would ask the “forum of eight” – a subgroup of ministers within the Cabinet – to end Israel's relations with Ramallah.
The foreign minister explained the reason for the move stemmed from the PA's attempt to prosecute IDF officers at the International Criminal Court at The Hague.
“No Finance Ministry officials, not the Water Authority and no Foreign Ministry officials [will maintain ties],” he said. “You cannot have security coordination [with Israel] while you are also trying IDF soldiers at The Hague.”
Lieberman said the PA is making preparations to carry out wholesale bloodshed in September. At that time, the PA plans to ask the United Nations to officially recognize it as an independent country, and to grant it membership status within the international body.
The foreign minister said PA officials, despite claims of “non-violent action,” are instead preparing to flood checkpoints with tens of thousands of PA Arabs who might then force their way past IDF soldiers and into Israel's major cities.
“The Palestinian Authority is getting ready for bloodshed on a scale we haven't seen,” he warned. “The more they speak about non-violent action, the more they are preparing for bloodshed.”
Comment on this story
2. Wall Street Has a Cold, Tel Aviv Has Pneumonia
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Tel Aviv and Saudi Arabia stock exchanges were the first ones to open after last week’s New York market plunge and Standard & Poor's cut in the credit rating of the United States government, and they sank by 6 percent.
The sharp drop was expected. Israel’s stock exchange closed Thursday afternoon as New York began a sharp selloff that drove prices down five percent, causing a severe gap between prices in Israel and in New York on dual-traded shares of Israeli companies. Shares gained slightly on Friday in roller-coaster trading.
The gap alone was enough to drive the popular Tel Aviv-25 index down by more than 5 percent, but the cut in the credit rating spilled oil on the fire, and the indices in Tel Aviv midday in Israel were down between 6 and 8 percent.
The market in Saudi Arabia opened on Saturday and plunged 5.5 percent.
The Tel Aviv exchanges suspended operations for more than half an hour Sunday morning after an initial drop of six percent set off an automatic halt in trading to give traders time to get their bearings. The market recovered a significant part of its losses before the suspension but dropped again after trading was resumed.
A greater fear in Tel Aviv is a worse version of the old adage that when the United States coughs, Israel catches a cold. If a “”double-dip” recession hits the United States, its “cold” could cause pneumonia in Israel.
With Israeli exports making up approximately 40 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, a recession overseas would cut short Israel’s economic growth and stability, which has outdistanced most of the Western world the past several years.
Many analysts think that no matter what happens to the economies, Israel’s high-tech industry will be in good shape. After the United States and Canada, Israel has the highest number of companies on the NASDAQ exchange. Nice and Elbit are two companies that analysts insist will not suffer in the near-term because of bookings for the next several months.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Tel Aviv and Saudi Arabia stock exchanges were the first ones to open after last week’s New York market plunge and Standard & Poor's cut in the credit rating of the United States government, and they sank by 6 percent.
The sharp drop was expected. Israel’s stock exchange closed Thursday afternoon as New York began a sharp selloff that drove prices down five percent, causing a severe gap between prices in Israel and in New York on dual-traded shares of Israeli companies. Shares gained slightly on Friday in roller-coaster trading.
The gap alone was enough to drive the popular Tel Aviv-25 index down by more than 5 percent, but the cut in the credit rating spilled oil on the fire, and the indices in Tel Aviv midday in Israel were down between 6 and 8 percent.
The market in Saudi Arabia opened on Saturday and plunged 5.5 percent.
The Tel Aviv exchanges suspended operations for more than half an hour Sunday morning after an initial drop of six percent set off an automatic halt in trading to give traders time to get their bearings. The market recovered a significant part of its losses before the suspension but dropped again after trading was resumed.
A greater fear in Tel Aviv is a worse version of the old adage that when the United States coughs, Israel catches a cold. If a “”double-dip” recession hits the United States, its “cold” could cause pneumonia in Israel.
With Israeli exports making up approximately 40 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, a recession overseas would cut short Israel’s economic growth and stability, which has outdistanced most of the Western world the past several years.
Many analysts think that no matter what happens to the economies, Israel’s high-tech industry will be in good shape. After the United States and Canada, Israel has the highest number of companies on the NASDAQ exchange. Nice and Elbit are two companies that analysts insist will not suffer in the near-term because of bookings for the next several months.
Comment on this story
3. Rare Quake Rocks Israel’s Coast
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
An unusual and rare earthquake struck Israel’s central coast Sunday, and tremors were felt as far south as Gaza. The earthquake registered 4.3 on the Richter scale, and no one was injured.
“We have no trace of any historic important earthquakes in the past” in the area, earthquake-report.com reported.
One Haifa resident wrote to the site, Haifa, “I felt a light shaking from side to side" at about 11:55 Sunday morning,
The quake was 10 miles deep and was traced from 44 miles northwest of Tel Aviv to 49 miles west-southwest of Haifa.
One Petach Tikva resident told Arutz Sheva, “The table began to move for about 10 seconds.”
Another earthquake, which registered 5.9 on the Richter scale on a Greek island, shook up hundreds of thousands of Israelis four months ago between Tzfat, in the Galilee, and Nahariya, on the northwestern cost.
Two major earthquakes have struck Tzfat (Safed) in the past two centuries, the worst one striking in 1837, killing 4,000 people, destroying the city and nearby Arab villages.
A smaller quake in 1927 caused damage as far south as Shechem in Samaria.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
An unusual and rare earthquake struck Israel’s central coast Sunday, and tremors were felt as far south as Gaza. The earthquake registered 4.3 on the Richter scale, and no one was injured.
“We have no trace of any historic important earthquakes in the past” in the area, earthquake-report.com reported.
One Haifa resident wrote to the site, Haifa, “I felt a light shaking from side to side" at about 11:55 Sunday morning,
The quake was 10 miles deep and was traced from 44 miles northwest of Tel Aviv to 49 miles west-southwest of Haifa.
One Petach Tikva resident told Arutz Sheva, “The table began to move for about 10 seconds.”
Another earthquake, which registered 5.9 on the Richter scale on a Greek island, shook up hundreds of thousands of Israelis four months ago between Tzfat, in the Galilee, and Nahariya, on the northwestern cost.
Two major earthquakes have struck Tzfat (Safed) in the past two centuries, the worst one striking in 1837, killing 4,000 people, destroying the city and nearby Arab villages.
A smaller quake in 1927 caused damage as far south as Shechem in Samaria.
Comment on this story
4. ‘How Goodly Art Thou Protest Tents of Jacob’
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Religious Zionists are distributing to ‘tent city” protesters a new version of the traditional “Blessing of the Home” with a prayer for unity.
Millions of Jewish homes around the world have the blessing for a peaceful home hanging on an inner wall, and the “My Israel” movement, in cooperation with students and youth groups, are bringing the blessing, after changing the word "home" to "tent", into thousands of tents, set up as part of the new protest movement in Israel.
The version of the ”Blessing of the Tent” reads: "In these tents, there shall be no division. In this dwelling, all of the People of Israel are invited.
“Every man, woman and child is invited to participate in this protest.
“This place carries a blessing of love and peace.”
"How goodly art thou, protest tents of Jacob, the temporary dwelling places of Israel."
Leaders of the project noted that since their call to participate in the peaceful demonstrations, several extreme left-wing groups tried to expel them from the rallies, often threatening them and setting their tents on fire.
“The ‘Blessing of the Tent’ is our means of delivering a message that the protest belongs to everyone and is above politics,” said leaders of the forum.
“The government must listen carefully to the public protests and come up with immediate and honest solutions for the growing distress of people.”
National Religious groups sponsoring the “Blessing of the Tent” said they did not add their groups’ logos to the blessing in order to maintain unity and encourage everyone to adopt it and hang it in their tents.
The closing words are a paraphrase of a verse from the Biblical recounting of the words of Balaam, a non-Jewish prophet who was asked by a Moabite king to curse the Jews as they travelled through the deserrt after the Exodus from Egypt (Numbers, 22). He looked over at their encampment from a high point and said instead "How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, thy dwelling places, Israel", words that begin the morning prayers in synagogues ever since.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Religious Zionists are distributing to ‘tent city” protesters a new version of the traditional “Blessing of the Home” with a prayer for unity.
Millions of Jewish homes around the world have the blessing for a peaceful home hanging on an inner wall, and the “My Israel” movement, in cooperation with students and youth groups, are bringing the blessing, after changing the word "home" to "tent", into thousands of tents, set up as part of the new protest movement in Israel.
The version of the ”Blessing of the Tent” reads: "In these tents, there shall be no division. In this dwelling, all of the People of Israel are invited.
“Every man, woman and child is invited to participate in this protest.
“This place carries a blessing of love and peace.”
"How goodly art thou, protest tents of Jacob, the temporary dwelling places of Israel."
Leaders of the project noted that since their call to participate in the peaceful demonstrations, several extreme left-wing groups tried to expel them from the rallies, often threatening them and setting their tents on fire.
“The ‘Blessing of the Tent’ is our means of delivering a message that the protest belongs to everyone and is above politics,” said leaders of the forum.
“The government must listen carefully to the public protests and come up with immediate and honest solutions for the growing distress of people.”
National Religious groups sponsoring the “Blessing of the Tent” said they did not add their groups’ logos to the blessing in order to maintain unity and encourage everyone to adopt it and hang it in their tents.
The closing words are a paraphrase of a verse from the Biblical recounting of the words of Balaam, a non-Jewish prophet who was asked by a Moabite king to curse the Jews as they travelled through the deserrt after the Exodus from Egypt (Numbers, 22). He looked over at their encampment from a high point and said instead "How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, thy dwelling places, Israel", words that begin the morning prayers in synagogues ever since.
Comment on this story
5. Remember Me? Finding the Hidden Jewish Children of the Holocaust
by Hana Levi Julian
They were a generation of young fugitives, hiding from the Nazi hunters intent on murdering their families.
Their nameless faces stare out at the numerous photographers who captured the awful moments in time – and now an effort is being made to find them.
“Remember Me?” is a project launched by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. to find the children in the photos, collect their stories and videotape an interview with the now-grown survivors. On the website, next to each photograph, a brief paragraph appeals to the reader: “This child was one of millions whose lives were disrupted as a result of the Holocaust and Nazi persecution. If you have any information about this person, please click the “I remember this child!” button [below] and share with us what you know.”
Tens of thousands of the long-lost children exist, although more than one million of their peers died in the Holocaust. But at least 1,100 children who survived were photographed by social service agencies across Europe after the war.
Now Twitter and Facebook campaigns along with newspaper ads targeting Jewish and Polish readers in major American cities are reaching out, asking the public for information about the children in the photos. They can be seen by clicking here.
Many of those photographed do not necessarily remember the details of their past – which is why the photos themselves are so important.
Children were uprooted from their homes, wrenched from their parents and forced to flee on a journey they could not understand. Some learned to survive in the forests, others in the sewers and on the streets. Some were placed with Christian families and took on new identities, and a few hid in the convents of the Roman Catholic Church. A precious few even made it on to the lifesaving Kinder Transport that brought them all the way to the Land of Israel.
The older ones, who didn't flee, or who were caught and deemed strong enough to survive, were transported to the concentration camps. There they were put to work as Nazi slaves.
It was a nightmare that most chose to lock away from the light of day-to-day memory.
Many of the photos were taken from 1945 to 1947 and drawn from the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives. Others are from Kloster Indersdorf (a displaced Jewish children's home in Bavaria), and are part of the collection at the Holocaust Memorial Museum itself. The latter pictures children holding placards with their names, ostensibly in the hope they might be able to reconnect with loved ones.
So far, at least 180 children have been identified through the project. Some of them live today all over the world, in the U.S., Canada, Israel, and in various countries in Europe and Australia. Ten are dead, according to the Associated Press, including author Jerzy Kosinski (“The Painted Bird”) who committed suicide in 1991.
More than 61,500 people from 150 countries have visited the website, including many who offer to help track others down.
Interviews are conducted by five specially-trained museum workers in English, Hebrew and French. Michlean Amir, a reference coordinator, is the staffer who conducts the interviews in Hebrew.
She, too, lost relatives to the Nazi genocide. Amir told the AP, “The amazing thing for me is most of them established normal lives. They managed to marry, have healthy relations, have children and grandchildren. People go through much lesser trauma and are unable to function in society. I don't know – maybe it's to prove they were not defeated.”
Jude Richter, historian for the museum's Holocaust Survivors and Victims Resource Center, underscored the importance of the project, and pointed out that its title has a many-layered meaning. “Instead of being a question, it's more of an imperative: 'You WILL remember me. You WILL remember what happened to me, and tell it to other people when I'm gone,” he said.
Comment on this story
by Hana Levi Julian
They were a generation of young fugitives, hiding from the Nazi hunters intent on murdering their families.
Their nameless faces stare out at the numerous photographers who captured the awful moments in time – and now an effort is being made to find them.
“Remember Me?” is a project launched by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. to find the children in the photos, collect their stories and videotape an interview with the now-grown survivors. On the website, next to each photograph, a brief paragraph appeals to the reader: “This child was one of millions whose lives were disrupted as a result of the Holocaust and Nazi persecution. If you have any information about this person, please click the “I remember this child!” button [below] and share with us what you know.”
Tens of thousands of the long-lost children exist, although more than one million of their peers died in the Holocaust. But at least 1,100 children who survived were photographed by social service agencies across Europe after the war.
Now Twitter and Facebook campaigns along with newspaper ads targeting Jewish and Polish readers in major American cities are reaching out, asking the public for information about the children in the photos. They can be seen by clicking here.
Many of those photographed do not necessarily remember the details of their past – which is why the photos themselves are so important.
Children were uprooted from their homes, wrenched from their parents and forced to flee on a journey they could not understand. Some learned to survive in the forests, others in the sewers and on the streets. Some were placed with Christian families and took on new identities, and a few hid in the convents of the Roman Catholic Church. A precious few even made it on to the lifesaving Kinder Transport that brought them all the way to the Land of Israel.
The older ones, who didn't flee, or who were caught and deemed strong enough to survive, were transported to the concentration camps. There they were put to work as Nazi slaves.
It was a nightmare that most chose to lock away from the light of day-to-day memory.
Many of the photos were taken from 1945 to 1947 and drawn from the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives. Others are from Kloster Indersdorf (a displaced Jewish children's home in Bavaria), and are part of the collection at the Holocaust Memorial Museum itself. The latter pictures children holding placards with their names, ostensibly in the hope they might be able to reconnect with loved ones.
So far, at least 180 children have been identified through the project. Some of them live today all over the world, in the U.S., Canada, Israel, and in various countries in Europe and Australia. Ten are dead, according to the Associated Press, including author Jerzy Kosinski (“The Painted Bird”) who committed suicide in 1991.
More than 61,500 people from 150 countries have visited the website, including many who offer to help track others down.
Interviews are conducted by five specially-trained museum workers in English, Hebrew and French. Michlean Amir, a reference coordinator, is the staffer who conducts the interviews in Hebrew.
She, too, lost relatives to the Nazi genocide. Amir told the AP, “The amazing thing for me is most of them established normal lives. They managed to marry, have healthy relations, have children and grandchildren. People go through much lesser trauma and are unable to function in society. I don't know – maybe it's to prove they were not defeated.”
Jude Richter, historian for the museum's Holocaust Survivors and Victims Resource Center, underscored the importance of the project, and pointed out that its title has a many-layered meaning. “Instead of being a question, it's more of an imperative: 'You WILL remember me. You WILL remember what happened to me, and tell it to other people when I'm gone,” he said.
Comment on this story
6. "Tonight We Do Not Learn Torah": 9th of Av Programs
by Arutz Sheva Staff![]()
Tisha B'Av, the Fast of the Ninth [of the Hebrew month] of Av, will begin on Monday night, August 8th, before sundown (at appr. 19:30 in Israel) and end the following night. The fast is the end of the "Three Weeks" period of mourning for the destruction of the two Holy Temples in Jerusalem.
The Sabbath preceding the fast is called Shabbat "Chazon," after the first word of Isaiah I, the chapter read in the synagogue that morning to the mournful tune of Megillat Eicha, the elegy written by the prophet Jeremiah as he witnessed the First Temple's destruction.
According to the Talmud and in the words of the Prophets who exhorted the Jews to repent, the First Temple was destroyed because the Jewish people did not keep the most basic tenets of Judaism and continued to woship idols, shed innocent blood and behave immorally.
The Second Temple however, say theTalmudic sages, was destroyed because of baseless hatred between one Jew and another. Israel's first Chief Rabbi, Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook, wrote that unconditional love of Israel and its people, can rebuild it and the nation as a whole.
Programs planned for the fast day, in Israel and in the United States, reflect internalization of Rabbi Kook's credo.
Arutz Sheva brings you a sample from both sides of the ocean:
The Women in Green:
The Women in Green have been walking around the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem for 17 years on the night of the 9th of Av. This year, Jerusalem police tried to convince them to change their traditional route in order not to walk near the Damascus Gate and Sultan Suleiman Street because it is the month of Ramadan, when Arabs fill the streets at nightfall in those spots.
Women in Green leaders Nadia Matar and Yehudit Katsover insisted on keeping the yearly tradition and declared that they were not willing to change the route. In the compromise that was reached, the police will allow the walk to take place as usual, but later in the evening (starting at 11:00 p.m.), after the Arabs will have finished their Ramadan festivities in Sultan Suleiman street.
The Women in Green call upon all to come Monday night to the prayer and march, with their families and friends, despite the change in time, thereby showing loyalty to a united Jerusalem and to the Land of Israel and a yearning for the building of the Third Temple
At 9:45 p.m. there will be a reading of the Scroll of Eicha opposite the American Consulate in Jerusalem, on Agron Street, followed by speakers Rabbi Mordechai Rabinovitch, MK Professor Arieh Eldad, MK Dr Michael Ben Ari, Prof. Paul Eidelberg and publicist-writer Ezra Yachin of Lehi.
At 11:00 p.m. the walk will begin from the US Consulate passing by the New Gate, Damascus Gate, Herod's Gate, Lion's Gate and concluding at the Dung Gate, near the Kotel.
Participants are urged to bring family and friends along with a Megillat Eicha, flashlight and Israeli flag. Egged buses will be available all through the night to bring people back to Jaffa Gate.
Tel Aviv and 25 Centers: "On This Night We do not Study Torah"
It is traditional not to study Torah texts on Tish'a B'Av, as that study is joyful and the day is one of deep mourning. Restaurants and places of entertainment are closed in Israel. This makes it a perfect opportunity for encouraging discussion between groups that seldom meet.
And so, as they have for the past twelve years, Tel Aviv residents, secular and religious, will meet at Rabin Square for a program named for that rabbinic injunction, that starts with the Eicha reading and continues with discussions of the meaning of the destruction of the Temples and the implications for Jewish history, nationalism, and unity.
Begun as an effort to bring Israelis closer together after the shock of Prime Minister Yitschak Rabin's murder, the program now takes place in 25 spots around the country, with hundreds filling each event - secular, national-religious and hareidi-religious.
"Hineni" for Gilad Shalit
The Hineni Tisha B'Av program will begin on Monday evening at 8:20 p.m. with Maariv services, followed by a reading of Megillat Eicha at the Hineni Heritage Center, 232 West End Avenue, between West 70th and 71st Streets on Manhattan's upper West Side.
On Tuesday evening, August 9th, the new film, "Family in Captivity" will be screened at 6:30.
The documentary focuses on the efforts of Israeli Staff Sargeant Gilad Shalit's family to publicize his plight and secure his release.
Directed by Tal Goren, the film has been released in conjunction with the 5th anniversary of the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit by Hamas terrorists. As a 19-year old corporal in the Israel Defense Forces Armor Corps, Gilad was abducted on June 25, 2006 in a cross-border raid near the Kerem Shalom crossing, and has been held as a hostage by Hamas at an unknown location in the Gaza Strip ever since.
This film reflects the powerful narrative of Gilad Shalit's family as they cope with the emotional vicissitudes of their personal lives in the absence of their son. Transcending the political realm, it affords the viewer a unique perspective on the human angle of this difficult ordeal.
Following the film's conclusion, Rebbetzin Jungreis will speak on the meaning of Tisha B'Av in our generation. Maariv services will be held at 8:40 pm, followed by a full break-fast meal at 8:55 p.m. These events will be held at the Hineni Heritage Center, 232 West End Avenue, between West 70th and 71st Streets on Manhattan's upper West Side.
Said Rebbetzin Jungreis, "I welcome every Jew to attend our Tisha B'Av programs. As we remember and pray for our holy temples in Jerusalem, we must keep in mind that he who mourns for Jerusalem will be there for her time of rejoicing."
AFSI: Outdoor Prayer Service for Jews in Danger Worldwide
On Tuesday, August 9th, at 2 p.m., the proactive Zionist organization will hold its 34th annual outdoor traditional mincha [afternoon] prayer service, complete with Torah reading, led by Rabbi Avi Weiss, across from the United Nations, at 1st Avenue and 43rd Street, at the Isaiah Peace Wall.
The event is jointly sponsored by Amcha-Coalition for Jewish Concerns, Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry and Americans for a Safe Israel.
AFSI published the following invitation: "Hamas, Hizbullah and their terror rockets. Iran and the Bomb. Flotillas, Flytillas. Anti-Israel boycotts. The UN on the verge of endorsing a PLO-Hamas state. The sixth anniversary of the expulsion of Jews from Gush Katif. Attacks on and threats against Jews in Europe, the former USSR and Latin America. Jews in Ethiopia still yearning to reach Israel. Vulnerable children in our own Jewish community.
"There's much to pray for this Tisha B'Av.
"For those outside the NY area, please alert your NY friends and family about this opportunity to join with other concerned Jews in expressing your concern for Israel, America and world Jewry. Also, those who are unable to join us because of geographical distances might consider holding a similar prayer service in your community."
Participants are asked to bring a prayerbook; and men are requested to bring tallit and tefilin, which are worn in the afternoon service rather than in the morning of the fast.
Arutz Sheva adds: May these plans be interrupted by the coming of the Mashiach!
Comment on this story
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Tisha B'Av, the Fast of the Ninth [of the Hebrew month] of Av, will begin on Monday night, August 8th, before sundown (at appr. 19:30 in Israel) and end the following night. The fast is the end of the "Three Weeks" period of mourning for the destruction of the two Holy Temples in Jerusalem.
The Sabbath preceding the fast is called Shabbat "Chazon," after the first word of Isaiah I, the chapter read in the synagogue that morning to the mournful tune of Megillat Eicha, the elegy written by the prophet Jeremiah as he witnessed the First Temple's destruction.
According to the Talmud and in the words of the Prophets who exhorted the Jews to repent, the First Temple was destroyed because the Jewish people did not keep the most basic tenets of Judaism and continued to woship idols, shed innocent blood and behave immorally.
The Second Temple however, say theTalmudic sages, was destroyed because of baseless hatred between one Jew and another. Israel's first Chief Rabbi, Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook, wrote that unconditional love of Israel and its people, can rebuild it and the nation as a whole.
Programs planned for the fast day, in Israel and in the United States, reflect internalization of Rabbi Kook's credo.
Arutz Sheva brings you a sample from both sides of the ocean:
The Women in Green:
The Women in Green have been walking around the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem for 17 years on the night of the 9th of Av. This year, Jerusalem police tried to convince them to change their traditional route in order not to walk near the Damascus Gate and Sultan Suleiman Street because it is the month of Ramadan, when Arabs fill the streets at nightfall in those spots.
Women in Green leaders Nadia Matar and Yehudit Katsover insisted on keeping the yearly tradition and declared that they were not willing to change the route. In the compromise that was reached, the police will allow the walk to take place as usual, but later in the evening (starting at 11:00 p.m.), after the Arabs will have finished their Ramadan festivities in Sultan Suleiman street.
The Women in Green call upon all to come Monday night to the prayer and march, with their families and friends, despite the change in time, thereby showing loyalty to a united Jerusalem and to the Land of Israel and a yearning for the building of the Third Temple
At 9:45 p.m. there will be a reading of the Scroll of Eicha opposite the American Consulate in Jerusalem, on Agron Street, followed by speakers Rabbi Mordechai Rabinovitch, MK Professor Arieh Eldad, MK Dr Michael Ben Ari, Prof. Paul Eidelberg and publicist-writer Ezra Yachin of Lehi.
At 11:00 p.m. the walk will begin from the US Consulate passing by the New Gate, Damascus Gate, Herod's Gate, Lion's Gate and concluding at the Dung Gate, near the Kotel.
Participants are urged to bring family and friends along with a Megillat Eicha, flashlight and Israeli flag. Egged buses will be available all through the night to bring people back to Jaffa Gate.
Tel Aviv and 25 Centers: "On This Night We do not Study Torah"
It is traditional not to study Torah texts on Tish'a B'Av, as that study is joyful and the day is one of deep mourning. Restaurants and places of entertainment are closed in Israel. This makes it a perfect opportunity for encouraging discussion between groups that seldom meet.
And so, as they have for the past twelve years, Tel Aviv residents, secular and religious, will meet at Rabin Square for a program named for that rabbinic injunction, that starts with the Eicha reading and continues with discussions of the meaning of the destruction of the Temples and the implications for Jewish history, nationalism, and unity.
Begun as an effort to bring Israelis closer together after the shock of Prime Minister Yitschak Rabin's murder, the program now takes place in 25 spots around the country, with hundreds filling each event - secular, national-religious and hareidi-religious.
"Hineni" for Gilad Shalit
The Hineni Tisha B'Av program will begin on Monday evening at 8:20 p.m. with Maariv services, followed by a reading of Megillat Eicha at the Hineni Heritage Center, 232 West End Avenue, between West 70th and 71st Streets on Manhattan's upper West Side.
On Tuesday evening, August 9th, the new film, "Family in Captivity" will be screened at 6:30.
The documentary focuses on the efforts of Israeli Staff Sargeant Gilad Shalit's family to publicize his plight and secure his release.
Directed by Tal Goren, the film has been released in conjunction with the 5th anniversary of the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit by Hamas terrorists. As a 19-year old corporal in the Israel Defense Forces Armor Corps, Gilad was abducted on June 25, 2006 in a cross-border raid near the Kerem Shalom crossing, and has been held as a hostage by Hamas at an unknown location in the Gaza Strip ever since.
This film reflects the powerful narrative of Gilad Shalit's family as they cope with the emotional vicissitudes of their personal lives in the absence of their son. Transcending the political realm, it affords the viewer a unique perspective on the human angle of this difficult ordeal.
Following the film's conclusion, Rebbetzin Jungreis will speak on the meaning of Tisha B'Av in our generation. Maariv services will be held at 8:40 pm, followed by a full break-fast meal at 8:55 p.m. These events will be held at the Hineni Heritage Center, 232 West End Avenue, between West 70th and 71st Streets on Manhattan's upper West Side.
Said Rebbetzin Jungreis, "I welcome every Jew to attend our Tisha B'Av programs. As we remember and pray for our holy temples in Jerusalem, we must keep in mind that he who mourns for Jerusalem will be there for her time of rejoicing."
AFSI: Outdoor Prayer Service for Jews in Danger Worldwide
On Tuesday, August 9th, at 2 p.m., the proactive Zionist organization will hold its 34th annual outdoor traditional mincha [afternoon] prayer service, complete with Torah reading, led by Rabbi Avi Weiss, across from the United Nations, at 1st Avenue and 43rd Street, at the Isaiah Peace Wall.
The event is jointly sponsored by Amcha-Coalition for Jewish Concerns, Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry and Americans for a Safe Israel.
AFSI published the following invitation: "Hamas, Hizbullah and their terror rockets. Iran and the Bomb. Flotillas, Flytillas. Anti-Israel boycotts. The UN on the verge of endorsing a PLO-Hamas state. The sixth anniversary of the expulsion of Jews from Gush Katif. Attacks on and threats against Jews in Europe, the former USSR and Latin America. Jews in Ethiopia still yearning to reach Israel. Vulnerable children in our own Jewish community.
"There's much to pray for this Tisha B'Av.
"For those outside the NY area, please alert your NY friends and family about this opportunity to join with other concerned Jews in expressing your concern for Israel, America and world Jewry. Also, those who are unable to join us because of geographical distances might consider holding a similar prayer service in your community."
Participants are asked to bring a prayerbook; and men are requested to bring tallit and tefilin, which are worn in the afternoon service rather than in the morning of the fast.
Arutz Sheva adds: May these plans be interrupted by the coming of the Mashiach!
Comment on this story
7. Iran Loves Protests in ‘Disintegrating Zionist Regime’
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The ”truth” from Iran: The protest movement in Israel is ‘anti-Zionist” and further proof that the “Zionist regime is coming apart at the seams".
Iranian news agencies, controlled or under the influence of the regime headed by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, are informing Iranians that the social protest movement actually is a Facebook-inspired ”revolution” that parallels the Arab Spring uprisings and is against the “occupation.”
“Jewish protesters, who themselves are occupying Palestinian land, are a new problem for the Zionist enemy,” proclaimed the official Iranian news agency IRNA.
It also reported that the demonstrations against corruption, discrimination and a host of other issues that are “in addition to Hizbullah, which is expected to accelerate the elimination of the Zionist regime.”
A site connected with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards headlined, “The wave of revolutions reaches Israel” and said that the cause of the demonstration is “the Israeli policy of occupation.”
The Fars News Agency reported that that the IDF and the government are worried that Arabs will join the protest movement and start a third intifada.
Two years ago, Iranian forces killed hundreds of protesters and thousands of others were arrested "or disappeared" in the brutal crackdown of rallies against the re-election of Ahmedinajad.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The ”truth” from Iran: The protest movement in Israel is ‘anti-Zionist” and further proof that the “Zionist regime is coming apart at the seams".
Iranian news agencies, controlled or under the influence of the regime headed by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, are informing Iranians that the social protest movement actually is a Facebook-inspired ”revolution” that parallels the Arab Spring uprisings and is against the “occupation.”
“Jewish protesters, who themselves are occupying Palestinian land, are a new problem for the Zionist enemy,” proclaimed the official Iranian news agency IRNA.
It also reported that the demonstrations against corruption, discrimination and a host of other issues that are “in addition to Hizbullah, which is expected to accelerate the elimination of the Zionist regime.”
A site connected with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards headlined, “The wave of revolutions reaches Israel” and said that the cause of the demonstration is “the Israeli policy of occupation.”
The Fars News Agency reported that that the IDF and the government are worried that Arabs will join the protest movement and start a third intifada.
Two years ago, Iranian forces killed hundreds of protesters and thousands of others were arrested "or disappeared" in the brutal crackdown of rallies against the re-election of Ahmedinajad.
Comment on this story
8. Bank of Israel Confident Despite US Finance Woes
by Gil Ronen
Senior officials of the Ministry of Finance, the Bank of Israel, and the Securities Authority held what they called "an update meeting" Saturday evening, to discuss the recent financial woes in the United States.
The officials conferred regarding the volatility of the financial markets in Israel and around the world, and the implications of the downgrading of the US long-term sovereign credit rating. The point was made that the possibility of such a downgrading of the US rating had been taken into account for some time in Israel's macroeconomic policy, and recently had also been priced in by the markets to some extent.
Against this background the Ministry of Finance, the Bank of Israel and the Securities Authority had held several meetings in the last few months.
It was noted that the implications of events in the global markets are not clear at this stage, but the Bank of Israel and the Ministry of Finance monitor developments constantly, and are ready to use the tools available to them as necessary.
The officials said that Israel's macroeconomic situation is good, and so far the debt crises abroad have had a limited impact on Israel, due to its macroeconomic strength, achieved by means of adherence to fiscal discipline, among other things, in the last few years.
Participants in the meeting included the Minister of Finance, Dr. Yuval Steinitz; the Deputy Minister of Finance, Rabbi Yitzchak Cohen; the Deputy Governor of the Bank of Israel, Dr. Karnit Plog; Professor Shmuel Hauser, Chairman of the Securities Authority; and other senior Ministry of Finance and Bank of Israel officials.
Comment on this story
by Gil Ronen
Senior officials of the Ministry of Finance, the Bank of Israel, and the Securities Authority held what they called "an update meeting" Saturday evening, to discuss the recent financial woes in the United States.
The officials conferred regarding the volatility of the financial markets in Israel and around the world, and the implications of the downgrading of the US long-term sovereign credit rating. The point was made that the possibility of such a downgrading of the US rating had been taken into account for some time in Israel's macroeconomic policy, and recently had also been priced in by the markets to some extent.
Against this background the Ministry of Finance, the Bank of Israel and the Securities Authority had held several meetings in the last few months.
It was noted that the implications of events in the global markets are not clear at this stage, but the Bank of Israel and the Ministry of Finance monitor developments constantly, and are ready to use the tools available to them as necessary.
The officials said that Israel's macroeconomic situation is good, and so far the debt crises abroad have had a limited impact on Israel, due to its macroeconomic strength, achieved by means of adherence to fiscal discipline, among other things, in the last few years.
Participants in the meeting included the Minister of Finance, Dr. Yuval Steinitz; the Deputy Minister of Finance, Rabbi Yitzchak Cohen; the Deputy Governor of the Bank of Israel, Dr. Karnit Plog; Professor Shmuel Hauser, Chairman of the Securities Authority; and other senior Ministry of Finance and Bank of Israel officials.
Comment on this story
More Website News:
 |
Rabbi: Want a Home? Repent for Gush Katif  |
|
Newly Discovered Pictures of Hevron Massacre Aftermath  |
|
Cabinet Approves Marijuana for Medical Purposes |
|
Gov't Gives Go-Green for Cyber Crime Unit |
|
Syria: Army Accused of Killing 8 Preemie Babies |
