Our Independence (Yom Hatzmaut) Day with what events are happening TODAY !! and Kaliver Rebbe passes away and Sholom Rothman on whether to go to Petra or not

Can't see images? Click here... Yehuda Lave, Spiritual Advisor and Counselor Yehuda Lave is an author, journalist, psychologist, rabbi, spiritual teacher and coach, with degrees in business, psychology and Jewish Law. He works  with people from all walks of life and helps them in their search for greater happiness, meaning, business advice on saving money,  and spiritual engagement Never Give Up Hope "Even if you are in the midst of great suffering, do not give up hope" (Pirkei Avos 1:7; Rashi). Life situations might at times seem so bleak and desperate that you see no hope for the future. You might tell yourself things like, "My life is a terrible mess, and I don't think it will ever improve." Such thinking leads to very painful feelings. The Sages advised us never to give up hope. Ask yourself, "What proof do I have that things will never improve?" While you might not have a guarantee that things will be better, you can never be certain that they will not improve. Don't give up hope when in a very short time your whole situation might change dramatically for the better. Official: Yom Haatzmaut Celebrations In Jerusalem The Jerusalem Municipality has completed its preparations for the city's Independence Day events. Independence Day celebrations in Jerusalem, May 8-9, 2019 Following Mayor Moshe Leon's decision, the capital's budget for Independence Day events was increased by NIS 700,000, and now stands at NIS 1.5 million. The municipality will employ the same work model used during the last Purim, and is the largest ever for the capital. Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon: "This year's Independence Day events will be the largest ever in Jerusalem. A wide range of artists will perform on the various stages throughout the neighborhoods, around the city center and in the Mahane Yehuda market, for the benefit of the city's residents and free of charge.  I wish everyone a Happy Independence Day."   Independence Day celebrations in Jerusalem, May 8: Atzmauta Independence Day prayer service and public singing opposite the walls of the Old City 18:30 | Park Teddy Hutzot Hayotzer 18:30 Singing songs between Memorial Day and Independence Day 19:00 Independence Day prayer service with the Haverim LeNigun band 20:30 Public singing with the Sharim BaGina band After party Dr. Balaboosta Free admission, subject to available space | Disabled-accessible event   Festive prayer service at the Western Wall The Western Wall 20:00 – Dancing accompanied by musicians and singing   The Alrov Promenade 23:00 | Mamilla Boulevard Students celebrate by the walls of the Old City A birthday celebration for the country with the Students Association Paid entrance   Tower of David | 20:00 Tower of David, Culture Division and Market Group 1, Nefesh Homiah. Workshops, party and performance by Tiny Fingers with Shai Ben Tzur Paid entrance   Central Stage 21:30 | Independence Park Host: Elad Amadi Michael Grailsamer, Or Ben Atar, Moti Taka, Hatikva 6, Dudu Aharon and Sarit Hadad 22:30, 24:00 Fireworks above Independence Park   21:30 | Zion Square Hosted by DJ Yinon Shazo Etti Levi, Regev Hod, Raphael Dahan with the Eden Band and Pritzat Disc   22:00 | Street Parties 23 Jaffa Street Techno house: DJ Noya, DJ Maor Reuven, DJ Elior Elimelech 32 Jaffa Street Freestyle: DJ Shlomi, DJ Yael Blau, DJ Roy Bracha Ben Yehuda Promenade Israeli Dance: DJ Barak Kapikuto, DJ Tamix, DJ Yuval Zach   VIDEOART@SOUND Screening of video and sound in the city center A wandering sensory experience.  Historic buildings are given life, color and sound   Singing Independence 21:30 | Safra Square Host: Moti Frances With: Inbal Gershkovitz, Danny Sanderson   Dancing Independence 24:00 – 03:30 Public dancing with dance instructors: Ilan Suissa, Hila Mokdasi, Osi Meira   Mahane Yehuda Market – Street Parties 23:00 – 04:00   World music       Shikma Armonim – Maayan Itzkovitz, Noa Brodetzky Freestyle Party    Shikma Beit Yaakov – DJ Pnina, Ram Shpinoza, Baba Gazumba Techno Trance      Beit Eini – Raz Yosef, Bar Levi, Dor Lo   Independence Day Evening celebrations at Community Councils 19:30 | Givat Mordechai The Givat Mordechai state-religious school, 2 Sarna Street Dancing, balloon show, band show with the gam with singers Shmulik Yeshurun and Aharon Razel Pyrotechnics and laser show throughout the evening   22:00 – Beit HaKerem – At the council sports field Children's activities, relaxation areas, mats and pillows, food stands, DJ At the end of Independence Day – at 20:00 – public singing, Israeli songs at the Council entrance hall   20:30 | Yuvalim Denia Park Local shows, performance by Diwan El Banat, Yishai Levi 23:00 Fireworks   20:30 | Ross House HaRav Maimon Street Juggler Meri Atedgi, stands, characters, balloons, singer Aharon Razel, Bini Landau, the Kanfei Ruach band 22:30 Fireworks   20:30 | Samuel's Wall Super-Pharm plaza Local bands, Loli's Show, inflatables and amusement park, singer Or Ben-Atar and Avi Motro 22:30 Fireworks   20:30 East Talpiot Armon HaNaziv Promenade Local shows, the Shitrit Brothers, the Shalva band 22:15 Fireworks   20:30 |Ramot Alon Community Council plaza Independence celebration: Relaxing reception, DJ and multimedia stations, characters, free ice cream and crepes Public singing in the hall   20:30 | Pisgat Ze'ev Tunik Square Independence party with Yaron Ilan and Osim Sameach, singer Louis Ali, DJ Elad Galili 21:45, 22:45 Fireworks   20:30 | French Hill Community Council courtyard Independence carnival, community grill, dancing 21:30 Fireworks   20:30 | The Jewish Quarter The Hurva Synagogue Square Festive prayer service, dancing with Nose'ei Hakelim Band   20:30 | Katamon 8 – 9 Community Council courtyard Colorful independence event   20:45 | Gilo Zeydenberg Park Flags parade, Zooz Gilo dance goup, Regev Hod, Sapir Saban, DJ for youth 23:00 Fireworks   21:00 | Ganim Givat Masua extension Festive reception, refreshments, performance by the Black Dimona band     Independence Day at Educational Institutions - Thursday, May 9   Confederation House – Piyyutim and Independence 21:00 | Elad Gabai and the Jerusalem Ethnica band with a rhythmic, happy celebration of new and old songs and piyyutim, a fusion of new and old, East and West. Free admission. First Station Compound, 4 David Remez Street | Tel. 02-6245206   Agnon House The Kingdom of Stories – a Hebrew celebration at Agnon House for the whole family 10:30 Dramatized tours following characters from books 12:00 Meeting with author Avirama Golan and illustrator Roni Fahima 13:00 Writing, illustration and comicbook workshops 13:30 Children's show – Why the Fish Cried Opening hours 10:00 – 16:00 Free admission. Agnon House, 16 Klausner Street | Tel. 02-6714876   The Bible Lands Museum – Dreaming Reality 10:15 – 13:00 – 6 tours of the museum's galleries 11:00 – 12:30 – Public singing with Saraleh Sharon Tickets will be distributed with the opening of the museum Free admission to the museum and events The museum is open from 10:00 to 14:00. 21 Stephan Weisz Street, Museum Complex | Tel. 02-5611066   Hechal Shlomo Museum 10:30 Activities for the general public – spectacular view of the Air Force aerial flyover from the roof of the building 11:15 Tour of the Story of a State in the Making exhibition 12:30 – 13:45 Yossi Alfie and friends – Stories About the Dream for an Israeli Identity Free admission. 58 King George Street | Tel. 02-5889004   Old Yishuv Court Museum Live Theater – The Days of Tzena (Austerity) – Tribute to the changing exhibition From Crisis to Resurrection, the Story of the Jewish Quarter Evacuees 5 guided tours of the exhibitions every hour between 10:00 and 15:00 – Interactive game for the entire family Free admission. 5 Or HaChaim Street, the Jewish Quarter | Tel. 02-6276319   Tower of David Museum 10:00 – 16:00 Independence Celebration: training stations, independent family activities following the symbols of the state and the capital city 16:30 – 17:45 Jerusalem in the Heart – Golan Azulay performing songs and stories about Jerusalem Admission and activities free of charge.  Entrance to the museum will be possible until 16:30. Jaffa Gate | Tel. *2884   A Place for Poetry In cooperation with the Literary Woodstock factory, celebrating the values of liberation and freedom 12:00 – 15:45 – 16 poets and 4 musical performances 12:00 – 17:00 in the factory courtyard – book sale, book publishing workshop, literary event for children and parents with Akut band. Free admission. 9 HaMa'avarim Street complex, from 12:00 to 17:00 | Tel. 02-6524601   Cinematheque – Public singing (singalong) with the movie The Band. 19:30 Open-air screening on a huge screen on the Cinematheque lawn.  The movie will be accompanied by humorist drag queens Yossele and Moksha before and during the screening. Free admission, but you must pre-register at the box office, online or at tel. *9377.  1 Dereh Hebron | Tel. 052-5654333   The Jerusalem Theater Group 17:00 – Musical production of Namer Havarvurot, an Israeli story by Yaakov Shabtai 21:00 – Back-to-Back – Hadar Galron meets Micha Biton.  He's a musician, she's a comedienne. She was born in London, he was born in Ma'abarot. A fascinating encounter between to artists. Free admission.  Beit Mazia, 18 Mesilat Yesharim Street | Tel. 02-6244584/6   The Incubator Theater 15:00 Big People in a Small Country – A tale of the establishment of the State of Israel for children with humor, movement and imagination 20:30 Beaujoulais 13 intertwining autobiographies of young artists alongside a collage of humorous cabaret Free admission.  Beit Mazia, 18 Mesilat Yesharim Street | Tel. 02-6543004   The Train Theater 10:00 – 16:00 Large festive event for families at the Liberty Bell Garden: outdoor musical performance, Israeli characters, creative workshop – Israeli dolls. 11:00 | 12:30 Play – The Hungry Sandwich, in the theater hall. 16:00 – 17:00 Main performance – Tzlilei HaKeshet Choir, in the garden amphitheater. 17:00 – 18:00 Circus Free admission.  Performances in the theater hall and the amphitheater require pre-registration on the theater website.  Liberty Bell Garden | Tel. 02-5618514, ext. 111   Psik Theater 11:00 – Two Are Better Than The Friendship of Two Clowns 12:30 | 16:00 In Golda's Shoes – About the life of Golda Meir, her struggles for social justice, her love of books, her courage and her feminine personality. Zionism, feminism, leadership and more.  For the entire family. Beit Mazia, 18 Mesilat Yesharim. Free admission to all performances, but pre-registration on the theater website or at tel. 02-6513663 is required   Kumkum Theater in the Jerusalem Nature Museum courtyard 11:00 – 15:00 – The Teapot aerial flyover: puppet theater, clowns, music, acrobatics, mask theater and more on the Nature Museum grounds, including a theatrical tour of the community garden Free admission. Courtyard of the Nature Museum, 6 Rabbi Mohilever Shmuel Street | Tel. 050-7705389   Israel Museum An Israeli celebration at the Israel Museum 11:00 – 14:00 Groups from the Hora Yerushalaim production house with original Israeli folk dancing with a variety of costumes and public dancing, led by Mimi Kogan. The museum opens its doors and each visitor decides how much to pay for entrance. Any amount allows admission to the museum. Opening hours: 10:30 – 16:00, 11 Rupin Blvd, Museum Complex | Tel. 02-6708811   Science Museum Plasticology A springtime event for families and children that deals with plastic as a raw material that changed the world, including demonstrations, construction workshop, art installations, an exhibition of soccer balls made by children in Kenya, a 3D movie – Journey to Space, an original play – Plastictiva – 5 performances between 11:30 and 15:30. NIS 10 admission, children under 5 enter free; 3D movie – NIS 5. Opening hours: 10:00 – 18:00, 3 Museum Avenue, Givat Ram, Jerusalem | Tel. 02-6544888   Ammunition Hill An experience for the entire family: guided tours, audiovisual display, heritage films, an exhibition of photographs of Jerusalem, an exhibition of weapons used by the Paratroopers recon unit and more. Free admission. Open from 10:00 to 16:00, Zalman Shragai Street | Tel. *2967, 02-5829393   Menachem Begin Museum at the Begin Center An experiential and emotional audiovisual journey following the life of Menachem Begin 21 guided tours from 9:00 to 19:00, in cooperation with the Council for the Preservation of Sites and the Ministry of Culture and Sport. Free admission, but pre-registration is required.  6 Sh.A. Nachon Street, Jerusalem | Tel. 02-5652011 Full Story (Jerusalem Municipality) Kaliver Rebbe passes away Eldest of the 'Admorim,' Rabbi Menachem Mendel Taub, passes away at 96 at his home in Jerusalem The Kaliver Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Taub, the eldest of the "Admorim," passed away Sunday afternoon at his home in Jerusalem after undergoing extensive resuscitation efforts. About two weeks ago, the Rebbe tripped in his home and since then had been very weak and unable to leave his home. Close associates of the 96-year-old Rebbe say that until a few weeks ago he functioned as usual, but before Passover, his medical condition deteriorated. MDA Paramedics were summoned during the last hour to the Rebbe's residence, and administered protracted CPR operations after he lost consciousness, but were forced to declare his passing. A Holocaust survivor who suffered at the hands of the infamous SS officer Josef Mengele during his captivity in the Auschwitz concentration camp, the Rebbe later immigrated to the United States, gaining US citizenship before moving to Israel. Active in Jewish outreach, the Rebbe was also known as one of the greatest commentators on the Holocaust and encouraged saying the Shema prayer in commemoration of martyrs of the Holocaust at the end of religious events. One of the Rebbe's hallmarks was the song Solo Kokos Mar ('the rooster crows' in Hungarian), a song passed on by the founder of the Kaliv dynasty, Reb Isaac Taub, who heard a shepherd singing it and changed it to an allegory about the longing for the Messiah..The Kaliver Rebbe would sing it at hassidic events and Holocaust memorials, incuding at the banks of the Danube, and listeners would join in the last line, sung in Hebrew, "May the Beit Hamikdash be rebuilt and the City of Zion filled with Jews.". Following President Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the Rebbe issued a special message in which he thanked Trump and urged him not to worry in the face of critics. "President Trump, after God saved me from Auschwitz, they wanted to throw me in a fire. And I said to the Almighty, "Help me. Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeynu, Hashem Ehad" [Hear, O Israel, The Lord is our God, the Lord is One]. My God, let me live. "After miracles upon miracles, the Almighty helped me… and I came to the United States. But then I said 'I must come to Jerusalem.' "I want to wish you from the depths of my heart that you should have great success. Don't worry if people are talking bad about you. The Almighty is with you and He should help you and the world should know that the US helps everybody, anytime. Thank you very much and a lot of blessings to you." Grand Rebbe of Kaliv Congratulates President Donald J. Trump on Embassy Move to Jerusalem Grand Rabbi Menachem M. Taub, The Kaliver Rebbe, is a father figure to hundreds of thousands of Jews and a respected Hasidic Leader. A 90+ years old survivor of the horrors of Auschwitz and the Warsaw Ghetto, he lost his family in the Holocaust. (In this video, he also asks me, Issamar Ginzberg, to personally visit Washington and meet with the president on his behalf. I am his great-great-nephew, being a great grandson of his brother-in-law, the Kechnia Rebbe, of blessed memory.) To Petra or not to Petra? by my friend Rabbi Sholom Rothman Each of us needs to draw a red line and say to ourselves 'Beyond this I will not cross 'APR 14, 2019,   Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its partners assume any responsibility for them. Please contact us in case of abuse. In case of abuse,  Daily life is full of challenges. How will you react to someone cutting the line in front of you at the bus stop, the supermarket cashier obviously giving you back too much change, or a friend of yours throwing trash out of his car window? Most of these challenges are innocuous. But this past week I found myself challenged by institutionalized antisemitism. Living in Israel, I never thought I would be confronted by a direct assault against my religious practices. And I had to decide what to do on a moment's notice. The week started on a high note. After my having completed a long six months of demanding yeshiva studies, my wife and I took advantage of Bein Hazemanim (intersession) to take a two-day bus trip from Jerusalem to Eilat and from there on to Petra. She had always been fascinated by Petra and we were looking forward to visiting there and seeing its amazing sights. We booked the trip with Tanach Tiyulim, headed by veteran tour guide Ezra Rosenfeld, assisted on this trip by Shani Taragin, an erudite Torah scholar of Scriptural lore and especially well prepared to tell us all about Jewish history in Southern Israel and nearby Jordan. Our first stop was at Tel Arad where we viewed the remains of a fortress that was garrisoned thousands of years ago by King David's forces. From there we made our way to the hotel in Eilat where we were to spend the night before entering Jordan in the morning for our bus drive to Petra. That night we were given an orientation by Ezra of what to expect at the Jordanian border crossing. There exists a cold peace between Israel and Jordan, and while Israeli Jewish tourists are welcomed in Jordan, there are elements of the population that aren't overwhelmingly friendly towards their neighbors to the west. Rather than possibly incite any anti-Jewish feelings, we were told that the men should wear baseball caps rather than kippot (skullcaps) and that anyone who wears tzitzit (ritual prayer garments) under their shirts should make sure to keep the fringes of those garments in their pants and not to let them hang out (as some, including me, normally do). We were bused early the next morning to the Israeli side of the border crossing, where we passed through quickly and without incident. On the Jordanian side we, and our bags, passed through airport-type scanners and then individually approached passport control counters to enable them to match our countenances to our passport pictures. One man was instructed to remove his cap so that the computer camera could better scan his visage. But when he took his cap off, the kippa he had inadvertently left underneath was exposed. The Jordanian security officer appeared angry and asked him to step away and follow the officer to another room. As he started walking, I said, "nice knowing you, Steve," and he nervously laughed in reply. Nothing untoward happened to Steve for his 'infraction'. However, the security personnel decided that they needed to check us all again. But first Ezra circulated among us and asked us for our kippot from our bags so that he could keep them away from outside hands. We were all marched back through the scanners and our bags were searched again for religious 'contraband'. The first few men through were asked to raise their shirts and when tzitzit were found beneath them, they were told to take them off and they were confiscated. I approached the security person and when he made a motion towards my shirt, I notified him that I indeed was wearing tzitzit, but that I would not take them off and would rather return to Israel instead. He was surprised and asked, "But don't you want to visit Petra?" I answered "I do wish to visit Petra, but if I have to take off my tzitzit in order to visit Petra, then I would rather not go, but will return instead to Israel". He went back to consult with the other border personnel. One came back and apologized, saying "We don't mean any disrespect, but these are our rules". I answered "I understand, and I am not angry with you, but I have rules in my life as well, and I would rather return to Israel than disobey the rules I live by." He went back for further consultations. Meanwhile the women were also having their bags checked again and prayer books and religious items were taken from them. My wife made as if she didn't hear them asking for her bag to be checked and was able to walk by without them searching her bag and finding her prayer book. At one point the women were told that they would be patted down by female security personnel, but thankfully that never happened. Finally, I was asked to go through the scanner by myself for a third time, and my bag was checked very carefully by hand. The border officer said "I am looking for your small cap (i.e. my kippa)", but I replied "I don't have one" (as Ezra had already taken all the kippot and sent them with an associate back to the Israeli side). The officer was skeptical, but after an intensive search turned up nothing of interest to him, he said "You are free to continue on to Petra as you are". I shook his hand and thanked him as the security man glowered at me and stalked away. I'm not sure why the border officer let me go unimpeded. Behind the scenes, Ezra was in contact with an Israeli official who said he would try to reach his Jordanian counterpart to press for a termination of our harassment. And perhaps that is what eventually did the trick. In any event, we had a wonderful trip to Petra, reveling in its wonders without further incident, and all confiscated materials were returned to us as we left Jordan later that night. I don't consider myself a hero of any sort, and more likely my stubborn nature played a considerable role in my actions that day. But I do know that each of us needs to draw a red line and say to ourselves "Beyond this I will not cross". Each of us needs to determine for ourselves where that red line lies. I am not trying to be overly dramatic, but when I saw the border officials lifting Jewish mens' shirts searching for religious items, I had a vision of the infamous 'selections' of defenseless Jews during WWII, and the airline passengers hijacked to Entebbe being divided into Jewish and gentile groupings, and I instinctively knew that my red line was in front of me, and crossing it in order to visit Petra just wasn't worth it. I'm glad I made the decision I did, and I hope that in the future I will continue to act with the courage of my convictions. ABOUT THE AUTHOR I studied in Jerusalem for a year when I was 19 years old, and developed a love for Israel and especially Jerusalem. It took me over 40 years to finally fulfill my life's dream and make Aliyah to Jerusalem. I had been a computer programmer for 37 years, but now, after retirement, study full time in yeshiva, and was granted Semicha two years ago. Creation of food And then GOD Created.....  1. In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth and populated the Earth with broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow and red vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives.  2. Then using God's great gifts, Satan created Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and Krispy Creme Donuts. And Satan said, "You want chocolate with that?" And Man said, "Yes!" and Woman said, "and as long as you're at it, add some sprinkles." And they gained 10 pounds. And Satan smiled.  3. And God created the healthful yogurt that Woman might keep the figure that Man found so fair. And Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat, and sugar from the cane and combined them. And Woman went from size 6 to size 14.  4. So God said, "Try my fresh green salad." And Satan presented Thousand-Island Dressing, buttery croutons and garlic toast on the side. And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following the repast.  5. God then said, "I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive oil in which to cook them." And Satan brought forth deep fried fish and chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man gained more weight and his cholesterol went through the roof. God then created a light, fluffy white cake, named it "Angel Food Cake" and said, "It is good." Satan then created chocolate cake and named it "Devil's Food."  6. God then brought forth running shoes so that His children might lose those extra pounds. And Satan gave cable TV with a remote control so Man would not have to toil changing the channels. And Man and Woman laughed and cried before the flickering blue light and gained pounds.  7. Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat an brimming with nutrition. And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy centre into chips and deep-fried them. And Man gained pounds .  8. God then gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and smmtill satisfy his appetite. And Satan created McDonald's and its 99-cent double cheeseburger. Then said, "You want fries with that?" Man replied, "Yes! And super-size them!" And Satan said, "It is good." And Man went into cardiac arrest.  9. God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery.  10. Then Satan created Cuts to the Health Care System. Amen  "We are all born ignorant but one must work hard to remain stupid."  Attributed to Benjamin Franklin This part is not a joke-you can't make this stuff up from my friend Shalom Pollack You can't make this stuff up. Yesterday as the Jewish nation was remembering their loved ones who were slain by the Arab enemy the hitherto unimaginable occurred. A group of Israelis, some of whom lost loved ones to Arab killers, stood together with the families of the killers sharing the hurt and losses on both sides.The Israeli government had wanted to bar the families of the terrorists from entering Israel. It was felt that it was inappropriate to publicly equate the pain of the killers' families with those of the victims - especially on Memorial Day.Of course, this antiquated thinking predates the higher ideal of moral relativism and equivalency.The "choose your narrative" philosophy leaves no room for right or wrong, good or evil.The Israel supreme court ruled that it is indeed  their right to enter Israel and publicly conduct their "alternative memorial ceremony" Imagine for a moment a memorial service for the  US sailors drowned at Pearle harbor together with the families of the kamikaze pilots.Or imagine a ceremony for Auschwitz victims with families of SS guards who were shot by the Russian liberating forces.Hey, pain is a pain. Loss is a loss. Who can determine whose narrative and whose pain is more worthy? I'm reminded;Some years ago I guided a group of German tourists.The tour leader(their Pastor) was a  nice man and we hit it off. One evening after dinner, as the group sat on the shores of the Kinneret we got to talking.Of course, the conversation eventually led to that permanent silent elephant in the room - the Holocaust. After a long moment of quiet, one of the group decided to get something off her chest. She blurted out" but we all suffered. "Members of my own family were killed by Russian planes as they were fleeing the approaching front.Why is our suffering any less? It is all the same."There was a long uncomfortable silence. I was trying to form my response in proper German sentences when the Pastor saved me the trouble.He stood up staring at her in disdain and said, "are you really that stupid? Have you learned nothing?" Have we learned nothing? Today is Independence Day. We are celebrating our Independence after two thousand years of exile and suffering. We will be celebrating our victory in the war of Independence. Just as a reminder; this was a fight of survival against our Arab neighbors who announced they were going to kill us all. Their genocidal plans were foiled by a hand full of Jews and they have not gotten over that failure to this very day. They refer to our Independence day as "Naksa" or tragedy. Our escape from genocide is their tragedy. I get it. Haters have their own values. What is harder to fathom is how some Israelis identify with the pain and frustration of those who want to kill us all.It is harder to understand how they advocate making room for their "narrative" as part of the true Israeli experience. As I said, you can't make this stuff up.  Have a spiritual Yom Haatzmuat--Remember our sacrifices in order to have this great country. On Tuesday the OU center played all of the 1960 movie Exodus. It should be required watching for every Jew  See you tomorrow, bli-neder--Remember the joke about food above if you have a Barbeque Love Yehuda Lave Rabbi Yehuda Lave 2850 Womble Road, Suite 100-619, San Diego United States LIKE TWEET FORWARD You received this email because you signed up on our website or made purchase from us. Unsubscribe