Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Jerusalem Court Sides With Ateret Cohanim Vs. Greek Church On 3 Major Purchases

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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

When to Upgrade Your Level of Trust

How can you tell when you need to upgrade your level of emunah and bitochon?

Your nervous system gives you feedback. View anxiety and nervousness as a message, "Time to elevate your level of emunah and bitochon." Don't become upset about this. That's not very helpful. Rather, be appreciative of the feedback. The message you are receiving is immensely valuable.

Love Yehuda Lave

Jerusalem Court Sides With Ateret Cohanim Vs. Greek Church On 3 Major Purchases

By David Israel 

The Jerusalem District Court on Monday ruled that the Ateret Cohanim association has legal rights over three large areas in strategic locations in the Old City of Jerusalem, currently populated by Arab residents, Maariv reported.

Three foreign real estate companies in 2004 signed under a veil of great secrecy three different contracts with the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate which owned the assets.

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In the first transaction, Berisford Investments Limited purchased a lease for the Petra Hotel, a four-story building located at Omar Ibn al-Hatab Square, between the Jaffa Gate and the Arab market. It is a 99-year lease, with an option for another 99 years.

The second transaction, under similar lease terms, Richards Marketing Corporation acquired the adjacent two-story Imperial Hotel, with the stores below.

In the third transaction, Gallow Global Limited acquired the rights to a structure called Beit Azmiya, in the Bab a-Khuta neighborhood of the Old City.

Ateret Cohanim, which deals with the redemption of land in Jerusalem, is credited with locating the assets and negotiating for their purchase.

Most of the buildings on the street, which stretches across the area between the entrance to the Old City at the Jaffa Gate and the Arab market, were owned for many years by the Greek Orthodox Church.

The Church, which was humiliated by the revelations of the three spectacular purchases, initially denied they had ever been signed by Patriarch Irenaios Skopelitis and that any monetary consideration was received in exchange for them.

Then the same church claimed the director of its finance department had acted without authorization when he made the sale.

Judge Gila Kanfi-Steinitz, deputy head of the Jerusalem district court, ruled that there is no dispute that Irenaios had the authority to enter into agreements on behalf of the Church, and that there is no doubt that the director of the church's finance department who signed the agreements acted as his proxy.

Judge Knafi-Steinitz rejected the claim that its saintly leader had received bribes, which the other side denied. She ruled that "the defendants did not provide sufficient proof on the required level to their claims of bribery or corruption that underlie the transactions. Therefore, the result is that it is necessary to determine that the three transactions are valid," she concluded.

The judge also ruled that "there is no disputing the fact that the plaintiffs were paid the full consideration for the transactions."

And so, starting this week, the three companies affiliated with the Ateret Cohanim association are the proud holders of a large portion of the entrance to the Old City from the direction of Jaffa Gate, as well as in another area in the Bab a-Khuta neighborhood.

The office of Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem (who replaced the deposed Irenaios in 2005), stated that he intended to appeal the ruling.

 

I Stand by What I Wrote on "Palestine"

Op-Ed I Stand by What I Wrote on "Palestine"

Phyllis Chesler writes: "I dare to say, at the risk of being shamed and shunned for telling the truth, that "Palestine" is a fiction, a concept that refers to an imaginary entity, not real but socially constructed.

By: Phyllis Chesler

I dare to say, at the risk of being shamed and shunned for telling the truth, that "Palestine" is a fiction, a concept that refers to an imaginary entity, not real but socially constructed.

Even as barbarians terrorize civilians everywhere, (if not, the UK and Australia would have granted Pakistani Christian woman Asia Bibi asylum), the world remains divinely diverted, even obsessed by the alleged "occupation" of a country that does not exist.

I am talking about "Palestine" aka the disputed territories. And yes, I dare to surround this word with quote marks because it is a fiction, a concept that refers to an imaginary entity, an entity desired by the world, the more so because it is not real but is, rather, socially constructed.

The world's honor is now bound up with this falsity. And why? Because this is an idea that allows Jew haters the world over to continue their genocidal lust towards Jews, both in Israel and around the world.

Although non-existent, "Palestine" is so sacred a concept that one risks being shamed and shunned for saying so. The world's honor is now bound up with this falsity. And why? Because this is an idea that allows Jew haters the world over to continue their genocidal lust towards Jews, both in Israel and around the world.

It is the way European Christian and non-Western Muslims can continue their gruesome history of pogroms, massacres, and the industrial-scale slaughter of Jews—and still virtue-signal their compassion for the other Semites: displaced Arab Muslims, a compassion they sadly lack for persecuted Arab and African Christians.

This imaginary Palestine is similar to other imagined and socially constructed realities. For example, Caucasian Rachel Dolezal believed she was an African-American. An increasing number of men believe they are, in truth, women trapped in men's bodies; as such, they are seen as both victim and hero for embracing this destiny. A smaller number of women believe that they are really men trapped in women's bodies. They, too, are seen as victim/heroes.

Arab "Palestinian" style Intifada and Jihad has gone global. Antifa activists in America are also face-masked, aggressive, verbally vulgar, and violent. They shout down anything and anyone with which they disagree and operate as a mob both on campuses and at demonstrations. No matter what their real issues are (Wall Street, police anti-Black racism, climate apocalypse, the prison system, women's rights), "Palestine" is often signaled by the wearing of checkered Arafat-style keffiyehs and Hamas-style face masks.

Often, they also chant "Palestine will be free, from the river to the sea" which is the same as saying "Let's ethnically cleanse all the Jews, not only those who live in the 'West Bank' but also those in Haifa, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem." It is a call to genocide which has been misunderstood as a call to righteous resistance.

The above article by renowned scholar, author and human rights advocate Prof. Phyllis Chesler was posted last week on Fundies say the Darndest Things without permission or knowledge of the writer and received a slew of insults which we will not post here.  Note the hashtags provided: #racist#wingnut#transphobia. Prof. Chesler commented only: 'I stand by what I wrote.'.

One of the talkbackers on Israel National News however, added these maps and wrote: 

I am aware of Israel's stance that it's not an occupation strictly speaking, due to the Palestinian territories not being claimed by any sovereign state recognized by Israel as legitimate (like Jordan or Egypt), thus being "just" a disputed area. Regardless of that, just about the entire rest of the world considers the West Bank to be occupied territory, and Israel to be an occupying power with all the obligations that entails. I doubt you're saying this due to understanding the legal intricacies of the issue and wanting an educated discussion, though. Nah, more likely, you're just prejudiced and cheering for one side (Israel).

Another reader answered:

The leftmost, 1917 map – what does it show? Palestinian land? Not really… since the territory at that time belonged to the Ottoman Empire. There was no such thing as Palestinian sovereignty.

It doesn't even show private land, since Palestinian Arabs* at that time did not own all the land – privately or otherwise.

In other words, that map doesn't show any discernible reality.

The next map, from 1946, shows land privately owned by Jews, in green. What is the yellow land, though? It wasn't land that was privately owned by Palestinian Arabs. It wasn't state land, either – the territory of Mandate Palestine was under British management, not Palestinian Arab or Jewish. So how was all of that "Palestinian land"?

The king of Jordan handed it out to his friends.

 

The map compares privately owned Jewish land with… err… all the land, including uninhabited desert areas, that wasn't owned by Jews? How is this relevant for anything?

That said, I'll give kudos to the author of the image for mentioning that most of the Jewish-owned land back then was bought perfectly legally. That's true, and also not something pro-Palestinian people tend to admit or even seem to know.

I have no issues with the next three maps. The only problem is with the very last one and its accompanying text, which are… at best incomplete.
What does it show?

Firstly, the stated year of the map is 2012. The IDF's Gaza disengagement and the evacuation of Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip took place in 2005. Therefore, that green bit within the Gaza Strip and next to the Egyptian border had not existed for seven years by 2012.

Secondly, the distribution of areas in the West Bank is unexplained. The yellow areas here are a combination of Areas A and B of the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority has civil control (but full security control only in Area A, and even that not fully since Israeli forces do enter it regularly in order to control terror but do nothing else). The green one is Area C, where Israeli authorities exercise full control and where nearly all of their settlements are. Thus, while perhaps not precise enough, the map does somewhat accurately depict the areas of Israeli or Palestinian civil control. A summary of these finer points should have been given in the accompanying text, though.

The actual text the author included below the image is problematic as well.

Other than not mentioning the year of Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, it also gives almost nothing of the background of the Israeli operation in 2012. Nothing about thousands of Hamas rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, for instance. And while such a small text can't really do the job, I'd at least try to be a bit more informative (and, of course, avoid possible propaganda by omission).

So, to conclude: I'm sorry, Swede, but your post is a classic example of ignorant but well-meaning people parroting other (potentially malicious) people's talking points without really considering what they're about. And don't get me wrong, pro-Israel propagandists facilitate that as well, not just pro-Palestinian ones.
Such arguments don't help resolve the conflict at all; they only muddy the waters. Please take a closer look at what you use in the future, lest you become an unwitting pawn in somebody's propaganda machine.

*I use the term "Palestinian Arabs" since 'Palestinians' as a term for a nation only became popular and commonly used by the Palestinians themselves in the 1960s. Using it for the previous period isn't really accurate, but I'll grant you that using it as a shorthand won't really cause confusion. Still, I prefer to make the distinction.

(Israel National News)

 

100 Greatest country songs of all time

You may not agree with the list, but here are some great songs.

 

https://www.billboard.com/charts/greatest-country-songs

My favorite, you have to know when to hold them, isn't on the list so I provide it below.

 

DRIVE THEM OUT!

 

Written:  The Jewish Press 1981

 

(Rabbi Meir Kahane, may G-d avenge his blood, had the ONLY answer to exist in safety in our land.  Thousands of Jews were killed, because we didn't do what had to be done. bg)

 

The Torah states clearly:  "And you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you . . .  but if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those whom you allow to remain will be like thorns in your eyes and thistles in your sides and will torment you in the land in which you dwell" (Numbers 33.52.55).

 

The Biblical commentators are explicit  "And you shall drive out the inhabitants and then you shall inherit it and be able to exist in it.  And if you do not, you will not be able to exist in it" 

(Rashi).

 

"When you shall eliminate the inhabitants of the land, then you shall be privileged to inherit the land and pass it down to your children  But if you do not eliminate them, even though you will conquer the land, you will not be privileged to hand it down to your children" (Sforno).

 

"This verse refers to nations  other than the seven nations found there . . .  Not only will they hold that part of the land that you did not conquer, but even concerning that part which you did conquer and settle in, they will distress you and say, 'Rise and get out'" (Ohr HaChaim).

 

And so the Midrash tells us: "Joshua sent three messages to the inhabitants [of Canaan].  He who wishes to evacuate – let him evacuate; he who wishes to make peace – let him make peace, he who wishes to make war – let him make war" (Vayikra Rabba 17.6).

 

The choices are given.  Either leave, or prepare for war, or make peace.  The choice of "making peace" is explained by Rabbis as involving three things.  To begin with, the non-Jew must agree to adopt the seven basic Noahide Laws, which include the prohibitions against idolatry, blasphemy, immorality, bloodshed, robbery, eating flesh cut from a living animal, and a positive action – adherence to social laws. Once he has done this, he has the status of a resident stranger (ger toshav) who is allowed to live in Eretz Yisrael (Avoda Zara 64b) if he also accepts the conditions of tribute and servitude.

 

The Biblical commentator, the Radak, explains (in his commentary to Joshua 9:7):  "If they uproot idolatry and accept the seven Noahide laws, they must also pay tribute and serve Israel and be subject under them as it is written (Deuteronomy 20:11, 'All the people . . . shall be tributaries to you and shall serve you.'"

 

Maimonides (Hilchot Melachim 6:11) declares: "If they make peace and accept the seven Noahide laws, we do not kill them for they are tributary.  If they agreed to pay tribute but did not accept servitude or accepted servitude but not tribute, we do not acquiesce until they have accepted both.  And servitude means that they shall be humble and low and not raise their head in Israel.  Rather, they shall be subjects under us and not be appointed to any position over Jews ever."

 

Far better than foolish humans did the Almighty understand the dangers inherent in allowing a people that believes the land belongs to it free and unfettered residence, let alone ownership, proprietorship, citizenship.  What more natural thing than to ask to regain what it rightly believes to be its own land?  And this over and above the need to create a unique and distinctly separate Torah culture that will shape the Jewish people into a holy nation.  That uniqueness can only be guaranteed by the non-Jew having no sovereignty, ownership, or citizenship that could allow him to shape the state's destiny and character.

 

And so, concerning any non-Jew, Maimonides writes: "'You shall not place over yourself a stranger who is not of your brethren' (Deuteronomy 17:15).  Not only a king, but the prohibition is for any authority in Israel.  Not an officer in the armed forces. . .not even a public official in charge of the distribution of water to the fields .  And there is no need to mention that a judge or chieftain shall only be from the people of Israel. . .  Any authority that you appoint shall only be from the midst of your people" (Hilchot Melachim 1:4). 

 

The purpose is clear.  The non-Jew has no share in the land.  He has no ownership, citizenship or destiny in it.  The non-Jew who wishes to live in Israel must accept basic human obligations.  Then he may live in Israel as a resident stranger, but never as a citizen with any proprietary interest in the land or with any political say; never as one who can hold any public office which will give him domination over a Jew or a share in the authority of the country.  Accepting these conditions, he admits that the land is not his and therefore he may live in Israel quietly, separately, observing his own private life, with all religious, economic social and cultural rights.  Refusing this, he cannot remain.

 

This is Torah. This is Jewishness.  Not the dishonest pseudo-"Judaism" chanted by liberal secularists who pick and choose that "Judaism" that finds favor in their eyes and who reject that which their own gentilized concepts find unacceptable

Shabbat Shalom

Who's ruining the planet?

 

 

China has 19% of the world's population, but consumes ...

·         53% of the world's cement

·         48% of the world's iron ore

·         47% of the world's coal

·         ... and the majority of just about every other major commodity.

·         In 2010, China produced 11 times more steel than the United States.

·        
New World Record: China made and sold 18 million vehicles in 2010.

·         There are more pigs in China than in the next 43 pork producing nations combined

·         China currently has the world's fastest train and the world's largest high-speed rail network. China is currently the number one producer in the world of wind and solar power.

·         While they manufacture 80% of the world's solar panels, they install less than 5% and build a new coal fired power station every week.

·         In one year they turn on more new coal powered electricity than Australia's total output.

·        
China currently controls more than 90% of the total global supply of rare earth elements.

·         In the past 15 years, China has moved from 14th place to 2nd place in the world in published scientific research articles.-

·         China now possesses the fastest supercomputer on the entire globe.

·         At the end of March 2011 China accumulated US $3.04 trillion in foreign currency reserves - the largest stockpile on the entire globe.

·         Chinese people consume 50,000 cigarettes every second.

·         They are already the largest carbon dioxide emitter and their output will rise 70% by 2020.

~*~*~*~*~*~

And we think we can save the planet?!

It will not make one iota of difference what we do in Australia, Canada, the United States or anywhere else in the world; for that matter, all the politicians are doing is increasing our cost of living and making our manufacturers uncompetitive in the world market, with the carbon tax, when China is growing and consuming at these extraordinary rates.  And we are paying a carbon tax to save the World!  What a joke !!!

 

See you tomorrow

Love Yehuda Lave

Rabbi Yehuda Lave

PO Box 7335, Rehavia Jerusalem 9107202

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