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 | | "And I (God) will bless those who bless you, and him that curses you I will curse; and in you shall all the families of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 12:3). When the Torah states that God will bless "those who bless you" it refers not only to someone who blesses Avraham, but also to someone who blesses a descendant of Avraham (Talmud Bavli, Chulin 49a). Rabbi Yechezkail Levenstein cited this verse in a letter he wrote to show that blessing one's friend is a very worthwhile action. When you bless another person, you merely offer a few words, in return for which the Almighty gives you his bountiful blessings. Love Yehuda Lave | | There Was No Place Like Grossinger's by Tobi Rubinstein The excitement around Grossinger's was the idea that you could be in a glamorous hotel adorned with photos of famous guests such as Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie Onassis, President John F. Kennedy, and Joan Rivers while dining on flanken with a side of chopped liver and another side of kishka. The beautiful resort was the ideal world where you were able to ski, golf, and swim without compromising your religious practices. While eating lox and bagels at the Sunday breakfast extravaganza you were assured that the mashgiach was watching the food preparations in the massive kitchen. It's hard to believe the humble beginnings of the Grossinger family. They immigrated to the United States in the early 1900s from a shtetl in Poland. The (Jewish) religious family finally settled in Ferndale, New York. Since the Grossinger family were dairy farmers and practiced Orthodox Judaism, they quickly became an important member of the otherwise established Jewish farming community. They purchased property with the plan to grow crops, but the soil was not properly suited for farming purposes. They recouped their losses quickly after "taking in boarders" on the same business model as Airbnb .The first summer they had nine guests, and the next year so many guests arrived that the overflow camped outdoors. In 1919, the Grossinger family purchased the Nicolas Farm and renamed it the Grossinger's Hotel, which boasted updated plumbing and electricity. Jennie Grossinger was the leading lady behind the hotel's growing empire of hospitality. They continued to expand the hotel's features with expensive sports facilities such as their boxing center and golf course (Big G Course). The Borsht Belt hot spot was where the "it" crowd would vacation, with an airport and post office, almost becoming a city of their own. Grossinger's in-house tummler entertainer (pronounced toom-ler), the iconic Lou Goldstein, was a combination of social director, shadchan, therapist, trainer, and comedian. His famous Simon Says programs became a world-renowned sports category used by professional basketball and cheerleading teams throughout the world. The job titles for tummler derives from a Yiddish word for someone who stirs up tumult. All this happened while lounging at the pool, emerging from a gigantic lunch, or headed to the spa. Perhaps the classic illustration was given by Mel Brooks, himself a former tummler, for The New York Times. "A tummler wakes up the Jews when they fall asleep around the pool after lunch," Mr. Brooks said. "One of the things I had to do as the pool tummler was I used to do an act. I wore a derby and an alpaca coat, and I would carry two rock-laden cardboard suitcases and go to the edge of the diving board and say, 'Business is no good!' and jump off." In 1952, Sports Illustrated covered the story of the first artificial snow made for the Grossinger's ski resort. Many celebrity athletes trained there, including GOATs, Jackie Robinson, Yogi Berra, and Rocky Marciano. The spa boasted an indoor Olympic-size pool with a fabulous "shvitz," also known as steam room and sauna. Spending Shabbos along with comedian Jackie Mason was a TV sitcom unto itself. If you were fortunate enough to be seated at his table (I won't even try to explain the shenanigans around the dining room seating arrangements!) you were treated to a soft opening of his wildly popular Saturday night performances. It's hard to write about Grossinger's without addressing the food. If you thought that cruise ships with midnight buffets or elaborate Passover programs were the only ones that have food in all its splendiferous varieties, you never spent a week in this hotel. Breakfast was served as early golfers' breakfast and regular breakfast, lunch was served inside, at the ninth hole clubhouse, or at the barbecue at the pool. Dinner was served in the main dining room followed by dessert and snacks in the tearoom. Shabbos and Yom Tov were a cornucopia of Jewish delicacies. You could gain 10 pounds just trying to keep up with all the meal services that were going on every day. When planning your wardrobe you needed to pack three different sizes: one to start, one in the middle, and the largest for the end. Grossinger's was just big. Everything was presented opulently, generously, and joyfully. It was a "living large" vacation in every sense of the word. A frum and curious young man texted me with a question: "Why was Grossinger's so cherished among so many? What's up with that?" I thought about it and texted him back, "Because it was a place of pure Jewish unity. All denominations of Jews sat in one dining room on any given Shabbos during a spectacular and entertaining vacation. This is what is desperately lacking today." Tobi Rubinstein is a retired fashion and marketing executive of 35 years who currently produces runway and lifestyle events for NYFW, specializing in Israel's leading artists and designers. She is the founder of The House of Faith N Fashion, fusing culture and Torah. Tobi was a fashion collaboration and guest expert for ABC, Geraldo Rivera, Huffington Post, Lifetime, NBC, Bravo, and Arise. She hosted her own radio and reality TV series. Tobi is a mother, wife, dog owner, and shoe lover. | | Demo: The magic of AI neural TTS and holograms at Microsoft Inspire 2019 What if neither distance nor language mattered? What if technology could help you be anywhere you need to be and speak any language? Using AI technology and holographic experiences this is possible, and it is revolutionary. Audio Description Version: https://youtu.be/JPPTfqIwfnE | | America, Google, and Me By Dennis Prager Last week, at the invitation of Sen. Ted Cruz, I spoke to the Senate Judiciary Committee about Google placing more than 60 Prager University videos on its restricted list. Any family that filters out pornography and violence can't see those particular videos on YouTube (which is owned by Google); nor can any school or library. This statement is as much about what I and PragerU stand for as it is about Google. Those interested in viewing the presentation can do so online. Here is what I said: It is an honor to be invited to speak in the United States Senate. But I wish I were not so honored. Because the subject of this hearing – Google and YouTube's (and for that matter, Twitter and Facebook's) suppression of Internet content on ideological grounds – threatens the future of America more than any external enemy. In fact, never in American history has there been as strong a threat to freedom of speech as there is today. Before addressing this, however, I think it important that you know a bit about me and the organization I co-founded, Prager University – PragerU, as it often referred to. I was born in Brooklyn, New York. My late father, Max Prager, was a CPA and an Orthodox Jew who volunteered to serve in the U.S. Navy at the start of World War II. My father's senior class thesis at the City College of New York was on anti-Semitism in America. Yet, despite his keen awareness of the subject, he believed that Jews living in America were the luckiest Jews to have ever lived. He was right. Having taught Jewish history at Brooklyn College, written a book on anti-Semitism and fought Jew-hatred my whole life, I thank G-d for living in America. It breaks my heart that a vast number of young Americans have not only not been taught how lucky they are to be Americans but have been taught either how unlucky they are or how ashamed they should be. It breaks my heart for them because contempt for one's country leaves a terrible hole in one's soul and because ungrateful people always become unhappy and angry people. And it breaks my heart for America because no good country can survive when its people have contempt for it. I have been communicating this appreciation of America for 35 years as a radio talk show host, the last 20 in national syndication with the Salem Radio Network – an organization that is a blessing in American life. One reason I started PragerU was to communicate America's moral purpose and moral achievements, both to young Americans and to young people around the world. With a billion views a year, and with more than half of the viewers under age 35, PragerU has achieved some success. My philosophy of life is easily summarized: G-d wants us to be good. Period. G-d without goodness is fanaticism and goodness without G-d will not long endure. Everything I and PragerU do emanates from belief in the importance of being a good person. That some label us extreme or "haters" only reflects on the character and the broken moral compass of those making such accusations. They are the haters and extremists. PragerU releases a five-minute video every week. Our presenters include three former prime ministers, four Pulitzer Prize winners, liberals, conservatives, gays, blacks, Latinos, atheists, believers, Jews, Christians, Muslims, and professors and scientists from MIT, Harvard, Stanford, and a dozen other universities. Do you think the secretary-general of NATO; or the former prime ministers of Norway, Canada or Spain; or the late Charles Krauthammer; or Philip Hamburger, distinguished professor of law at Columbia Law School, would make a video for an extreme or hate-filled site? The idea is not only preposterous; it is a smear. Yet, Google, which owns YouTube, has restricted access to 56 of our 320 five-minute videos and to other videos we produce. "Restricted" means families that have a filter to avoid pornography and violence cannot see that video. It also means that no school or library can show that video. Google has even restricted access to a video on the Ten Commandments… Yes, the Ten Commandments! We have repeatedly asked Google why our videos are restricted. No explanation is ever given. But of course, we know why: because they come from a conservative perspective. Liberals and conservatives differ on many issues. But they have always agreed that free speech must be preserved. While the left has never supported free speech, liberals always have. I therefore appeal to liberals to join us in fighting on behalf of America's crowning glory – free speech. Otherwise, I promise you, one day you will say, "First they came after conservatives, and I said nothing. And then they came after me. And there was no one left to speak up for me." Thank you. | | Tom Jones, Elvis Presley, Matt Monro, Engelbert, The Cascades, Paul Anka, Neil Young, Don McLean Song(It Looks Like) I'll Never Fall In Love AgainArtistTom JonesLicensed to YouTube byUMG (on behalf of Decca); Sony ATV Publishing, LatinAutor, Warner Chappell, BMI - Broadcast Music Inc., LatinAutor - PeerMusic, ARESA, EMI Music Publishing, LatinAutor - SonyATV, UMPI, UNIAO BRASILEIRA DE EDITORAS DE MUSICA - UBEM, BMG Rights Management, PEDL, and 17 Music Rights SocietiesBuy it now on Google PlaySongThe Music Played (English Version/Remastered 2010)ArtistMatt MonroAlbumThe Complete Singles CollectionWritersJoachim Fuchsberger, Udo Jürgens, Mike HawkerLicensed to YouTube byUMG (on behalf of EMI); EMI Music Publishing, ARESA, BMI - Broadcast Music Inc., BMG Rights Management, LatinAutor, and 13 Music Rights SocietiesSongA Man Without LoveArtistEngelbert HumperdinckLicensed to YouTube byUMG (on behalf of Decca); EMI Music Publishing, SODRAC, UMPI, UNIAO BRASILEIRA DE EDITORAS DE MUSICA - UBEM, UMPG Publishing, ASCAP, LatinAutor - UMPG, Abramus Digital, LatinAutor, Muserk Rights Management, LatinAutor - SonyATV, União Brasileira de Compositores, and 12 Music Rights SocietiesBuy it now on Google PlaySongGreen Green Grass Of HomeArtistTom JonesAlbumThe OriginsWritersCurly PutmanLicensed to YouTube byUMG (on behalf of The Web Engine Records); UNIAO BRASILEIRA DE EDITORAS DE MUSICA - UBEM, SOLAR Music Rights Management, CMRRA, LatinAutor, PEDL, Warner Chappell, Sony ATV Publishing, LatinAutor - SonyATV, and 9 Music Rights SocietiesBuy it now on Google PlaySongSpanish EyesArtistEngelbert HumperdinckLicensed to YouTube byUMG; EMI Music Publishing, UNIAO BRASILEIRA DE EDITORAS DE MUSICA - UBEM, CMRRA, SOLAR Music Rights Management, Reel Muzik Werks (music publishing), LatinAutor - SonyATV, SODRAC, BMI - Broadcast Music Inc., LatinAutor, and 24 Music Rights SocietiesBuy it now on Google PlaySongLove Is A Many Splendored ThingArtistChris LloydsLicensed to YouTube byUMG (on behalf of EMI); EMI Music Publishing, LatinAutor - SonyATV, UNIAO BRASILEIRA DE EDITORAS DE MUSICA - UBEM, LatinAutor, Warner Chappell, and 5 Music Rights SocietiesSongLast WaltzArtistEngelbert HumperdinckAlbumThe Very Best of Engelbert HumperdinckLicensed to YouTube byUMG (on behalf of Heartland Music); EMI Music Publishing, ASCAP, UNIAO BRASILEIRA DE EDITORAS DE MUSICA - UBEM, LatinAutor - SonyATV, SOLAR Music Rights Management, Warner Chappell, LatinAutor, CMRRA, and 11 Music Rights SocietiesBuy it now on Google PlaySongAm I That Easy to ForgetArtistEngelbert HumperdinckAlbumGreatest Hits and MoreWritersCarl Belew, W StevensonLicensed to YouTube byUMG (on behalf of EMI Music Netherlands); Sony ATV Publishing, CMRRA, SOLAR Music Rights Management, UNIAO BRASILEIRA DE EDITORAS DE MUSICA - UBEM, LatinAutor - SonyATV, LatinAutor, and 9 Music Rights SocietiesBuy it now on Google PlaySongIf I Never Sing Another SongArtistMatt MonroAlbumThe Singer's SingerLicensed to YouTube byWMG (on behalf of EMI Catalogue); SODRAC, UMPG Publishing, CMRRA, Abramus Digital, LatinAutor, BMG Rights Management, ARESA, BMI - Broadcast Music Inc., and 16 Music Rights SocietiesBuy it now on Google PlaySongFunny Familiar Forgotten FeelingsArtistTom JonesWritersMickey Newbury | | See you tomorrow bli neder Love Yehuda Lave | | | |
