For first time, UN condemns anti-Semitic terror, use of human shields and Eight famous quotes from US Presidents and What's My Line? - Frank Sinatra, Mia Farrow; PANEL: Phyllis Newman, Mark Goodson (Nov 27, 1966) and 25 lithographs of Salvador Dali on display for free at Sheri Zedick Hospital
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.
For first time, UN condemns anti-Semitic terror, use of human shields
UN's biennial Global Counterterrorism Strategy includes first-ever recognition of anti-Semitic terrorism.
Israel's Ambassador to the United States and the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, addressed the General Assembly on Tuesday after the adoption of the UN's biennial Global Counterterrorism Strategy. He said, "For Israel, the adoption of the GCTS is, unfortunately, not a theoretical or academic exercise. During the weeks we sat here debating this resolution, Israeli civilians from our capital in Jerusalem to Tel Aviv and Ashkelon, sat in bomb shelters because of Hamas's relentless terror attacks."
Following many diplomatic efforts by Ambassador Erdan and the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations, the resolution determining the UN's strategy to combat terrorism included a number of important items that are significant achievements for Israel. At Israel's request, and only one month after Operation Guardian of the Walls, the UN condemned the use of human shields by terrorist organizations, a well-known method of operation by Hamas and Hezbollah.
Inaddition, the UN condemned, for the first time, anti-Semitic terrorism and recognized its existence. This important and significant decision comes against the backdrop of the current wave of global anti-Semitism.
TheUN resolution also condemned the use of the Internet as a tool to encourage and recruit terrorist operatives and called on Internet companies to take responsibility for misuses of the technology, a goal Ambassador Erdan has worked for since his time as Israel's Minister of Public Security and in the international arena at the UN.
Ambassador Erdan said in his speech, "Israel was glad to see the important language condemning the use of human shields retained in the resolution. Terrorists must not be allowed to use schools, homes and hospitals to shield their murderous activities. The use of such horrific tactics epitomize the flagrant disregard for international law and human life that characterizes groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. These tactics also pose great challenges for law-abiding states trying to defend their own citizens. The unambiguous stance on this issue adopted by the international community underlines the challenges posed by modern, asymmetric warfare in which democratic states face off against terrorist organizations."
He also said, "We welcome the GCTS' acknowledgment of the upswing in hate speech and terrorist attacks targeting religious and ethnic communities, which included an explicit condemnation of antisemitism, in line with the findings of the Secretary General's report on global terrorism. We have all witnessed anti-Semitic attacks against Jewish communities around the world, including here in the streets of New York, in recent weeks. It is critical that the international community take a clear stance against these attacks and develop additional tools to combat such appalling assaults against Jewish and other groups."
The Ambassador concluded, "As I have said before, terrorism is terrorism is terrorism, and can never - and should never – be explained away, justified, or excused - no matter what."
What's My Line? - Frank Sinatra, Mia Farrow; PANEL: Phyllis Newman, Mark Goodson (Nov 27, 1966)
MYSTERY GUEST: Frank Sinatra; Mia Farrow PANEL: Phyllis Newman, Mark Goodson, Arlene Francis, Bennett Cerf
Little-Known Zionist Series by Salvador Dalí Goes On Private Display in New York
A selection of paintings from Salvador Dalí's "Aliyah" series on private display by New York art dealer Hillel Philip. Photo: Hillel Philip.
A series of biblical and Zionist-themed paintings by Salvador Dalí has gone on private display in the heart of New York City in an effort to showcase through art the historical connection of the Jewish people to the land of Israel, the collection's owner told The Algemeiner.
Art dealer Hillel Philip, who owns one of 250 sets of prints of Dalí's little-known "Aliyah, the Rebirth of Israel" series, told The Algemeiner, "You have all of Jewish history, all the dreams of the Jews for 2,000 years, in these paintings."
The paintings were commissioned by Shorewood Publishers in 1967 for the 20th anniversary of the state of Israel. The set is comprised of 25 mixed-media paintings highlighting important religious, historic and political moments in Jewish history. The series received a special endorsement from Israel's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion.
"The distinguished artist Salvador Dalí has succeeded through the power of his great artistry in embodying in a number of prints the marvel of aliyah, which in a short time fashioned a renewed people, a renewed country and a renewed — as well as renewing — state," Ben-Gurion wrote in a letter on display with the collection. Shorewood exhibited the original series in a New York museum, but each piece was eventually sold to private collectors. Their locations remain unknown to this day.
Philip told The Algemeiner that a large number of the roughly 300 people — including top art collectors, Jewish leaders and political officials — who came to view "Dalí's Israel: From Past to Present" expressed their marvel over the artist's connection to Judaism. "Many people have said to me, 'I didn't know Dalí was Jewish.' I would tell them that no, he wasn't Jewish and everyone would respond, 'But I've never heard of Dalí doing something like this.' Everyone just loved it. They are blown away that he did such a thing," Philip said.
Philip organized the series into five themes: the covenant between God and the Jewish people, embracing life despite tragedies in Jewish history, war, aliyah and the founding of modern Israel. "A lot of Jews have something that connects them to Israel, whether it be the land, technology, history or culture. That's why the whole series together shows the dreams of the Jewish people," said Philip.
Each painting is accompanied by a biblical verse originally ascribed to each work by the artist. According to the website of the Salvador Dalí Foundation, "In order to illustrate the various meanings of the Hebrew word 'aliyah,' which means literally 'migration to the land of Israel,' the artist took inspiration from the Old Testament as well as contemporary history."
The verse for the painting entitled "Covenant Eternal: Circumcision," for example, is taken from Deuteronomy 30:9: "This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live."
The "Covenant Eternal: Circumcision" painting, part of the "Aliyah" series by Salvador Dalí. Photo: TIJS at Emory University.
In one of several paintings in the series that depicts the Holocaust, the artist quotes Psalms 88:7 — "Thou hast laid me in the nethermost pit, in dark place, in the deeps."
The "Thou hast laid me" painting, part of the "Aliyah" series by Salvador Dalí. Photo: TIJS at Emory University.
Philip called Dalí's ability to connect so intimately to Jewish history "fascinating."
"Here is an example of a world-renowned artist who is not Jewish and was able to understand the Jewish connection so well. Although he was a brilliant guy, Dalí's Jewish education is probably equal to that of most American Jews today, or even less," Philip claimed. "It is quite incredible that he was able to depict such an amazing and deep understanding of Jewish history and is something we can learn from, too."
Philip noted that, according to some scholars, Dalí "was an antisemite, due to his involvement with Franco in Spain, who collaborated with Hitler. It's my understanding that in the end, Dalí bet on the right horse, so to speak, on the Jews, when he saw in the 1960s biblical prophecies coming to life. Israel came into existence, the Jews were victorious and he decided to 'change sides.'"
Calling Dalí's series "a representation of the legitimacy of the Jews and their right to Israel," Philip, who is Jewish, said he had decided to exhibit it "to remind the world, especially the Jews, that we belong in Israel and, more importantly, that the land belongs to us."
As Israel faces an ongoing terror wave, he said, "It is important to defend and support it during a time of crisis."
The Story Behind 8 Famous Presidential Quotes
05 | 12 | 2020
Sometimes, a President's words continue to echo long after they were first uttered, and some become a permanent part of our cultural fabric. Here's a look at eight noteworthy presidential quotations — and the oft-forgotten story behind each one.
1. "Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder." — George Washington
At the height of the Revolutionary War, General George Washington was worried about spies. He was especially suspicious of double agents enlisted among his own ranks — particularly one named Elijah Hunter, a prominent farmer who had first been recruited as a British spy by a Loyalist governor and then convinced to play both sides by patriot leaders. In August 1779, Washington wrote a letter to Major General Robert Howe, explaining why he didn't trust the young spy. The British, Washington explained, possessed significantly more money than the Americans and could corrupt the agents to favor their side. He advised Howe that he thought it "necessary to be very guarded, with those who are professedly acting as double characters."
2. "Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence." — John Adams
In March 1770, a group of British soldiers fired into a rebellious crowd of Boston colonists, killing five civilians. John Adams, a lawyer who steadfastly believed in the right to counsel, was asked to defend the redcoats when everyone else refused. In the trial, Adams claimed that the soldiers were victims of a mob — "if an assault was made to endanger their lives, the law is clear, they had a right to kill in their own defence [sic]" — and had fired their muskets in self defense. He uttered the quote "facts are stubborn things …" while making his case to the jury, and the strategy worked: The Captain and six of his soldiers were found innocent, with only two convicted of manslaughter.
3. "If I were two-faced, would I be showing you this one?" — Abraham Lincoln
Today, lacking a sense of humor in politics can be a liability. But back in the 19th century, the opposite was true: humor could be considered a sign that the office holder was not taking the gravity of elected office seriously. That problem rang true for Abraham Lincoln, who loved getting a laugh. A journalist once said of Lincoln: "I could not take a real personal liking to the man, owing to an inborn weakness for … jokes, anecdotes, and stories." Lincoln didn't care. The quip above — or some variant of it — reportedly came to his mind when Stephen A. Douglas called him a "two-faced man."
4. "Speak softly, and carry a big stick." — Theodore Roosevelt
Roosevelt "Big Stick Diplomacy" policy was a mainstay during his career. When he was New York's governor, he credited the phrase as a South African proverb, according to a 1900 article in the Brooklyn Eagle. The following year, as Vice President, he gave a speech at the 1901 Minnesota State Fair that touted his approach to American power, metaphorically explaining how the soft-power of diplomacy was best bolstered by the lingering presence of military might. (Roosevelt became President just two weeks later, when President William McKinley was assassinated.) The rest of Teddy's quotation, however, is worth hearing: "If a man continually blusters, if he lacks civility, a big stick will not save him from trouble, and neither will speaking softly avail, if back of the softness there does not lie strength, power. In private life there are few beings more obnoxious than the man who is always loudly boasting, and if the boaster is not prepared to back up his words, his position becomes absolutely contemptible."
5. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." — Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in 1933 when the Great Depression was arguably at its worst. In the months between his election and inauguration, unemployment had exploded and anxieties were high. Franklin tried to soothe matters during a solemn inaugural address, saying, "This Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Within hours, his administration would shut down the country's banking system in the hopes of resetting it — the move is regarded as having helped to set the nation's banking system right after years of losses.
6. "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed." — Dwight D. Eisenhower
It was March 1953, and Josef Stalin had just died. Seeing an opportunity to end Cold War hostilities, President Eisenhower wanted to give a speech that would do more than just indict the Soviet regime — he wanted to call an end to the growing arms race. Eisenhower, formerly a five-star general and Supreme Commander of NATO, sincerely believed that war-fighting nations were bound to be derelict of their duties at home and needed to shift priorities. He presented the speech, called "The Chance for Peace," to the American Society of Newspaper Editors. He considered these words so important, they'd later be engraved over his tomb.
7. "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." — John F. Kennedy
This brilliant chiasmus appeared during Kennedy's inaugural address on a cold January day in 1961. At the time, the Cold War was still roaring and many Americans were worried. Kennedy decided to transform his speech into a challenge, a plea for Americans to honor a duty to help the greater good. Kennedy's speechwriting team employed material from an abundance of sources, with his most famous line echoing the words of President Warren G. Harding, who once said, "We must have a citizenship less concerned about what the government can do for it and more anxious about what it can do for the nation." (But Harding didn't originate it, either. Variations existed as early as 1884.)
8. "We did get something — a gift — a gift after the election. A man down in Texas heard Pat on the radio mention the fact that our two youngsters would like to have a dog." — Richard Nixon
These might not be the most famous words uttered by President Richard Nixon — that title probably belongs to "I am not a crook" — but they're arguably the most consequential. In 1952, Nixon was running for Vice President when allegations appeared that he had improperly taken $18,000 from a secret campaign fund. To counter the charges, Nixon gave America's first nationally televised address, openly discussing his family's financial history before an audience of 60 million people. But what resonated most with viewers was Nixon's story about a supporter who mailed his family a dog named Checkers. The so-called "Checkers Speech" would not only save Nixon's career, it also demonstrated to politicians how, in the words of Nixon's speechwriter, "television was a way to do an end-run around the press." Politics hasn't been the same since.
