Can you imagine a world without Israel? by Johnathan Tobin and Israeli Scientists Reform Coral Reefs With New 3D Printing Method and forgive me but here are Rabbi Schwartz's bathroom jokes and High Court rejects petitions against controversial Jerusalem cable car By Sue Surkes and Happy July 4th to my American friends and last Shabbos, the 2nd of July, Is The REAL Independence DayBy Jeff Dunetz
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.
The Three are Rabbi Yehuda Glick, famous temple mount activist, and former Israel Mk, and then Robert Weinger, the world's greatest shofar blower and seller of Shofars, and myself after we had gone to the 12 gates of the Temple Mount in 2020 to blow the shofar to ask G-d to heal the world from the Pandemic. It was a highlight to my experience in living in Israel and I put it on my blog each day to remember.
The articles that I include each day are those that I find interesting, so I feel you will find them interesting as well. I don't always agree with all the points of each article but found them interesting or important to share with you, my readers, and friends. It is cathartic for me to share my thoughts and frustrations with you about life in general and in Israel. As a Rabbi, I try to teach and share the Torah of the G-d of Israel as a modern Orthodox Rabbi. I never intend to offend anyone but sometimes people are offended and I apologize in advance for any mistakes. The most important psychological principle I have learned is that once someone's mind is made up, they don't want to be bothered with the facts, so, like Rabbi Akiva, I drip water (Torah is compared to water) on their made-up minds and hope that some of what I have share sinks in. Love Rabbi Yehuda Lave.
High Court rejects petitions against Jerusalem cable car By Sue Surkes
The planned cable car to Jerusalem's Old City. (Screenshot/Emek Shaveh)
The High Court of Justice has rejected rejects four petitions against a controversial plan to build a cable car to Jerusalem's historic Old City, ending the legal route for those who are opposed.
Writing on behalf of a three-judge bench, Yosef Elron says today that the court's job is to intervene in planning decisions only if they can be proved to have been defective and that the planners made the decisions on the basis of irrelevant considerations or acted beyond their briefs.
This was not the case with the planning of the cable car.
Editor's note: I have been to the new fabulous Cable Car in Haifa talking you on a beautiful ride up the mountain. It is extremely safe and an engineering marvel. Before people criticize the idea of a cable car here in Jerusalem, they should ride the cable car in Haifa and they will be convinced it will be a great idea here.
Can you imagine a world without Israel? by Johnathan Tobin
Islamists, Palestinians and leftist peddlers of intersectional ideology and critical race theory dream of destroying the Jewish state. These are not harmless f
It was in 1896 that Theodor Herzl published his groundbreaking book, The Jewish State, which launched the modern Zionist movement. Though his project was, as he noted in his book, "very old" and indeed rooted in the prayers of Jews for nearly 2,000 years, it would only be 52 years later that his vision was brought to life with the birth of modern-day Israel in May 1948.
That state turned 74 years old this week, and as Israelis observe Yom Ha'atzmaut—Israel Independence Day—they have much to celebrate. The country that came to life in 1948 had few assets and had to fight a bloody war of survival in which it lost 1% of its population fending off five invading Arab armies. Despite long odds and predictions of its doom—and never enjoying a day of peace in its history—the genius, and the blood, sweat, tears and toil, of the Jewish people allowed the state to prevail and ultimately thrive. Today, it is home to nearly half of the Jews in the world with a booming economy and a military that makes it a regional superpower. While, like any other country, it has plenty of problems, the journey from Herzl's dream to the reality of contemporary Israel is one of the greatest human achievements of modern history.
Yet just as Jews once dreamed of a Jewish state, others dream of its disappearance.
These dreamers are an odd collection of Arab fanatics, Islamists, leftist ideologues and far-right crackpots. While the notion of erasing a powerful modern nation from the map is an absurd goal, they insist that their objective is no more unrealistic than Herzl's. They're right about that. In 1896, Herzl's idea was seen by most sensible people as even more of a fantasy than the schemes of those who are currently plotting Israel's demise.
During the remaining eight years of Herzl's short life, Zionism was a project supported by only a tiny minority of Jews, who were themselves a tiny fraction of the world's population. By contrast, anti-Zionism is now supported by most Muslims, many intersectional leftists around the world and every variety of anti-Semites, a category of persons that embraces a broad spectrum of political and religious beliefs.
Advocates for Israel's destruction don't always openly speak of that objective the way the leaders of the Iranian government or Hamas terrorists routinely do. Some, like the editorial board of The Harvard Crimson, just talk about their desire for a "free Palestine" and their backing for the anti-Semitic BDS movement without mentioning that the goal of that effort is the end of the Jewish state. Others in the international community, like many so-called human-rights groups or the U.N. Human Rights Council, which has launched an open-ended Commission of Inquiry designed to back up the lie that Israel is an "apartheid state," obfuscate their ultimate goal while doing everything they can to isolate Israel in the hope that it will collapse.
In the United States, the intersectional left embraces BDS discrimination against Israel and the Jews while pretending to be for coexistence even though their stands help to make peace impossible. This is rooted in an ideology that falsely compares the war against Israel to the struggle for civil rights in the United States, and claims that Jews and Israel are oppressors that benefit from, as critical race theory teaches, "white privilege."
Some Jews join them. Groups like Jewish Voices for Peace and IfNotNow embrace measures that would doom Israel while backing blood libels against Jews that are no different than traditional tropes of right-wing anti-Semites. Others, like writer Peter Beinart, pretend that a binational state that would end Jewish sovereignty and self-defense is a more just solution to the problem of a conflict that one side—the Palestinians—doesn't want to resolve.
Most Americans still back Israel and Zionism. But as support for intersectional myths grows within the left-wing of the Democratic Party and anti-Semitism becomes normalized, it's clear that the battle to defend Zionism in American public forums has only just begun.
Yet on this 74th anniversary of Israel's independence, it's worth it to stop and imagine—for just a moment—what the world would look like if the dreams of the anti-Zionists came true and Israel disappeared.
Thankfully, any scenario by which this evil goal might be accomplished is highly unlikely, if not completely impossible to enact. Still, history is full of unlikely nightmares that few believed could happen.
Diving into this counterfactual world in which the Jews of Israel somehow lost the ability to defend their state, it's not difficult to imagine what would ensure.
Contrary to those who predict that a binational state would bring peace and justice to the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, the Jews of Israel would be in the gravest possible danger without a Jewish government and an army to defend them. Some leftist Jews have made a fetish of powerlessness. But the lessons of 20 centuries of Jewish history prior to Israel's founding tell us exactly what happens when Jews allow their safety to depend on the kindness of strangers.
Left at the mercy of Palestinian terror organizations, in addition to Islamist and nationalist Arab and Muslims who have never stopped preaching revenge for their past defeats at the hands of the Zionists, the Jews in the land of Israel (approximately 7 million souls today) would be decimated and subjected to pogroms and discrimination. The descendants of Jews who had survived the Holocaust in Europe or had been driven out of their homes in Arab and Muslim lands would again be forced to again flee for their lives.
As Dara Horn wrote in her recent book, the world loves dead Jews. A new generation of Jewish victims—as if the 6 million dead of the Holocaust and the many others who have been killed, wounded or otherwise traumatized by anti-Semitic attacks and terrorism since the end of the Nazi regime were not enough—might be viewed sympathetically by the world. But if the Jews lose the ability to defend themselves, it's a stretch to think that even the friendliest of foreign powers would do it for them.
Nor would the suffering be confined to the Jews of Israel. If there is anything we should have learned from the last century of Jewish history, it is that the establishment of a Jewish state allowed every Jew in the world—whether or not they were Zionists, religious or in any way affiliated with the Jewish community—to stand up taller and be more respected by their neighbors. The collapse or destruction of Israel would have a devastating impact on the security of Jews elsewhere, leaving them more vulnerable than ever to a rising tide of anti-Semitic hate. Even those who are indifferent to or unaware of how much Israel has strengthened their position and pumped life into Jewish communities would soon understand that this would strip them of the pride and the security that a Jewish state had offered them. The end of Israel would set off a new dark age for world Jewry whose consequences are unimaginable to those who grew up in the last 74 years when Jews no longer thought of themselves primarily as victims or the objects of hate and scorn.
That is a nightmare scenario and one that will hopefully never come to pass. But we should keep it in mind whenever we encounter those who speak up for Israel's elimination or for a BDS movement that seeks that end. Those who preach the end of Israel may think they are supporting human rights, but a proper understanding of their goal would force us to see that what they are doing is advocating for mass murder and the dispossession of the largest Jewish community in the world. A world without Israel would be one of Jewish suffering and victimhood and anyone who seeks that objective—be they on the left or the right, non-Jewish or Jewish—should be labeled as a would-be accomplice to genocide.
Jonathan S. Tobin is editor-in-chief of JNS (Jewish News Syndicate). Follow him on Twitter at: @jonathans_tobin.
Israeli Scientists Reform Coral Reefs With New 3D Printing Method
Coral reefs are important for more than just their beauty. They contribute to the fishing and tourism industries, support the livelihoods of millions through jobs, help scientists develop drugs for the treatment of cancers and arthritis, and sustain 25 percent of marine life. The ocean has absorbed 29 percent of excess carbon dioxide emissions and coral reefs have taken in the bulk of it, playing an important role in removing carbon dioxide from our atmosphere.
But corals are being threatened by pollution, climate change, and other human and environmental impacts. And global warming, accelerated urbanization in coastal areas, and coral bleaching – among other threats – are causing the decline and extinction of the world's coral reefs.
Scientists from four leading universities in Israel have found an innovative way to combine technology and science to help preserve coral reefs. In a joint research project, the researchers from Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Bar Ilan University, Tel Aviv University, and the University of Haifa have developed a new 3D printing method based on the natural structure of coral reefs off the southern coastal city of Eilat.
The joint research was led by Prof. Oren Levy and Ph.D. student Natalie Levy, of the Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences at Bar-Ilan University, Prof. Ezri Tarazi and Ph.D. student Ofer Berman, from the Technion's Architecture and Town Planning Faculty, Prof. Tali Treibitz and Ph.D. student Matan Yuval from the University of Haifa, and Prof. Yossi Loya of Tel Aviv University.
A paper on their method and findings was published in the journal Science of the Total Environment. While the method was based on coral near the coast of Eilat, the model is adaptable to other marine environments, a statement from the universities said.
"What's really interesting about this study is that it's kind of a combination of three different types of technologies," Natalie Levy, a PhD candidate in Prof. Oren Levy's Laboratory for Molecular Marine Ecology at Bar-Ilan University., tells NoCamels.
The process combines 3D scanning algorithms, with environmental DNA sampling, and a 3D printing algorithm that allows in-depth and accurate examination of the data from each reef as well as tailoring the printed model to a specific reef environment. In addition, data can be re-fed into the algorithm to check the level of effectiveness and efficiency of the design after it has been implemented, based on information collected in the process. "
"So you have the 3d technology, which includes 3d printing, as well as 3d imaging and modeling. And then you have the kind of molecular aspect and molecular techniques, which are not very old, it's recent technology that can be used to basically just take a sample from the environment, like from the water and structures and be able to figure out exactly what is growing or what is inhabiting the structures using environmental DNA. These three components have been combined together in this, what we call a 3D interface, which is basically just a platform or an algorithm of these different technologies. It's called 3D interface because the models that we produce are 3d models of coral reefs."
The 3D process begins by scanning underwater photographs of coral reefs. From this visual information, a three-dimensional model of the reef is assembled with maximum accuracy. Thousands of images are photographed and sent to the laboratory to calculate the complex form of the reef and how that form encourages the evolution of reef species diversity.
"We have the idea that you can take data that you collect from a reef environment using the photography, the 3D imaging — and this is basically where you take thousands of pictures of coral reef, and you can produce an actual replicable 3D model of that exact reef with very fine precision and detail. And you can take out the core characteristics of that reef that you're interested in replicating and create an artificial reef for your model. So, that can be the complexity of the reef, the shape, the design, all these factors," Levy explains.
According to Levy, 3D printing and imaging can help researchers understand the type of biodiversity — the type of reef animals and corals — that this reef can support, which also helps them create an artificial structure or model they can put back into the water with the other reefs.
"You take out that information and you apply molecular techniques so you can use the environmental DNA. You can also take a sample of the environment from that reef to help understand the exact biodiversity present," she adds.
The final stage is the translation and production of a ceramic reef in 3D printing. The reefs are made of a unique ceramic that is naturally porous underwater and provides the most ideal construction and restoration needs to the affected area, or for the establishment of a new reef structure as a foundation for the continuation of life.
Why make a 3D coral reef model?
There are a few reasons why this method of making a 3D artificial model of a coral reef is so important, according to Levy. "For one, when coral reefs degrade, they lose their structure complexity — the complexity of the reef declines. So the coral may be reduced to rubble. You might have very little structure left. [Real] corals make this kind of 3D shape and complexity of the reef and animals depend on this for feeding, hiding, everything. This whole structure is the life of the reef and a reef declines, you have a reduced structure of the reef and you don't have a place for new corals to start to regenerate the reef," she explains, "So sometimes the reef needs a little help. And by printing the 3D models that are from the photographs, the 3D imaging, we can bring back this complexity to the reef, so we can provide the reef with a blank foundation of the original reef or a nearby reef that will do just as well in its environment."
There are different artificial structures put under the water that are very large, but nothing the researchers have seen yet is the exact model of the coral reef, adds Levy. It's important that the model is as natural and holistic as possible because "we want natural processes to take place and we want the reef to naturally rebuild and colonize itself on the structure."
"We're just giving a little support to help reefs rebuild and reform," she adds.
According to Levy, the importance of the study is "that there's a lot of possibilities."
"I think that's why it's exciting — there's a lot that you can do with the concept of being able to take the data from a natural coral reef and be able to print a model," she says, "You can do a lot with our technology. And I think that's why so much potential in this. I would urge people, governments, and people that are in charge of maintaining reefs, to explore and look at our technology and see how it can be applicable to them. There's a lot you can do with it. And I think that's why it's so versatile."
RABBI SCHWARTZ'S TERRIBLE TOILET JOKES OF THE WEEK
(I've really reached a new low today...)
Why do people fall asleep in the bathroom? Because it's also called a restroom!
Why did the toilet paper roll down the hill? To make it to the bottom!
Why were there candles on a toilet seat? Because there was a surprise birthday potty!
What do you call a dog that you find in your bathroom? A poodle!
Why couldn't the police officers find the toilet thief? Because they had nothing to go on!
If you're an American in the sitting room, what are you in the bathroom? Euro-pee-an!
A man turns to a toilet paper and says "You look awful. What's wrong?". The toilet paper replies "Nothing really, I'm just feeling wiped today."
There are two reasons that you should never ever drink toilet water. They're called number one and number two.
Did you hear about that film called constipated? It never came out!
A Frenchman was asked if he'd like to use the bathroom. He said, "oui, oui!"
A boy asked his teacher if he could go to the bathroom. She said yes of course, but only if you can tell me the entire alphabet. So he said, "abcdefghijklmnoqrstuvwxyz".
"Where's the p?" She asked. "
Halfway down my leg!" He answered.
What is the toilet's favorite sport? Bowl-ing!
What does superman call his toilet? The Superbowl!
Where do bees go to the bathroom? At the BP gas station!
I've got a book in my bathroom that I write my feelings and personal thoughts into while on the toilet. I call it my diarrhea!
What do you call a fairy that uses the toilet? Stinker Bell!
Why did the baby put quarters in its diaper? It needed to be changed!
.What happens if you fall into the toilet? Well, you either stink or swim!
Where do sheep like to play? In the baaa-throom.
How many people does it take to make the bathroom smell? Just a phew
And Finally… Pooping jokes are not my favorite, but they're definitely a solid number two.
Last Shabbos, the 2nd of July, Is The REAL Independence Day
On July 4th many Americans will have a tear in their eyes as they see the American Flags being carried past them as part of their town's Independence Day parade, they wear patriotic-looking clothing as they toss, burgers on their barbeque., and after the sun dips below the horizon they watch an incredible fireworks display. A beautiful sight, but it's two days late. You see,, America's real independence day is July 2nd.-
"The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty." Letter from John Adams to Abigail Adams, July 3rd, 1776,
Saturday, July 2nd, is the 246th anniversary of the Continental Congress voting to secede from the British Crown. That's right, July 2nd is America's real Independence Day.
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The Declaration of Independence was approved/signed on July 4th. But it was two days earlier, on July 2nd, the Continental Congress passed the resolution submitted by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, declaring that the thirteen colonies were independent of Britain. This simple resolution was a stirring call to throw off the bonds of tyranny.
Resolved, That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.
That it is expedient forthwith to take the most effectual measures for forming foreign Alliances.
That a plan of confederation be prepared and transmitted to the respective Colonies for their consideration and approbation.
The resolution was initially presented to Congress on June 7th, but New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and South Carolina weren't ready to break with England. So they tabled the action until July 1st to allow time for those states to be convinced. Also it was agreed that it would take just one no vote to veto the resolution.
In the meantime, while waiting for the final vote, Congress appointed a committee to write a formal declaration of independence. The committee members were John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Robert R. Livingston of New York, and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia. Jefferson, the best writer in the group, was the primary author of the document. Jefferson's document read like a mission statement for the revolution and explained how this federation of nations would differ from others: people's rights don't come from the government. They come from God.
On July 2nd, twelve of the thirteen colonies approved Richard Henry Lee's resolution of independence. Delegates from New York still lacked instructions from the legislature to vote for independence, so they abstained. Even back then, the NY State legislature was a joke.
With their yes votes, the members of the Continental Congress became traitors to Great Britain and wanted criminals. That is why Ben Franklyn uttered his famous line, "We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately."
On the evening of July 2nd, the Pennsylvania Evening Post wrote, "This day the Continental Congress declared the United Colonies Free and the Independent States."
Notice that it says "Free and the Independent States" that's because initially, they were not creating a new country, they were creating 13 new nations.
After voting for independence on July 2nd, Congress turned its attention to finalizing the declaration. Over several days of debate, Congress made some alterations to the text, including adding the wording of Lee's resolution of independence to the conclusion. The text of the declaration was approved by Congress on July 4th and sent off to be printed.
From the outset, Americans celebrated Independence Day on July 4th, the date the much-publicized Declaration of Independence was approved, rather than on July 2nd, the day the resolution of independence was adopted in a closed session of Congress.
When telling the story of America's independence, we are told about Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, etc., but it is Richard Henry Lee who went to the legislature of the largest colony, Virginia, and sold them on independence. He came back and introduced the resolution for the 13 colonies' independence. He should be counted among the key players of our historic bid for freedom. No other colony had the influence to present such a resolution.
The video below is from the Musical 1776. Richard Henry Lee is sent off to Virginia by Adams and Franklin to get his legislature to agree to present a resolution on independence.
Whether you celebrate on the 2nd like John Adams predicted or the 4th like everyone else, this new country became the best, most free land on this earth. While America isn't perfect, I challenge anyone to come up with a country that is closer to perfection. The United States is the only country on this spinning ball of dirt and water that says your rights come from God. That doesn't mean the United States is a theocracy. It means that our rights cannot be taken away by a human being or a government. A point all Americans should remember when they go to the ballot box.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
