JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T
MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE
MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET
SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO
OTHER.
1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST
FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the
firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23
And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of
the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the
adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
Women’s prayer: A voice from the heart-February 7, 2016, 2:39 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
I understand that I’m not the typical Jew who prays at the Kotel. I’m not even sure I can label myself. In fact, I think it would be a lot easier for the rest of the world if there was such a label. My home is kosher, I keep laws of taharat ha-mishpachah (family purity), I am shomer Shabbat, I pray in an Orthodox shul in the Jewish suburbs of Detroit, Michigan and look forward to moving back to Israel in the future. Prayer is very important to me. Yet, I personally struggle with prayer and the lack of options available in my community.I am not Conservative or Reform. I believe a minyan consists of ten Jewish men. Yet, every morning when I daven, I wear a tallit and lay tefillin. Mostly, I daven at home because these practices simply wouldn’t be welcome in the shul I would attend. On Shabbat, it’s the most difficult. Women can’t kiss the Torah, touch it, or even get close. To be honest, I feel so far away from Torah sometimes I cry. But I feel like HaShem sent me here for a reason.I teach Talmud to students who have never been exposed to Jewish texts before. So, for now, I just bear the separation until I can go back to Israel. I understand that everyone, men and women, connect to HaShem, tefilla, and their Judaism in different ways. Some people love to pray and it comes naturally to them, some dive into Halakhah, some are blessed with an abundance of joy on Shabbat. I understand that many people may judge, criticize, or simply not understand the things that make/help me feel connected to HaShem, as my ways aren’t widely practiced in our tradition.Yet, despite the things or people that made me feel far from Torah, there is one place that always made me feel close. I had the Kotel. For years, I have loved going to the Kotel. Whether it was on the holiday of Shavuot, after studying all night, as a tour guide taking a group of American teens there for their first time, going to beg HaShem for healing because someone I loved was sick, supporting a friend being sworn into the IDF, crying on the stones the night before I had to fly to America because leaving Israel is never easy. Whatever the reason, the Kotel was always there to witness my happiness, struggles, pain, celebrations and to soak up my tears and prayers.After my first year back in the US, I returned to Israel for the summer. On Rosh Chodesh Tammuz, my birthday, HaShem gave me another blessing: surrounded by other women, in the women’s section, I read the day’s Torah reading from a Sefer Torah — the actual scroll — with tallit and tefillin. In the hopes of not sounding too much like one of my high school students, but for lack of a better phrase: it was AMAZING! For many years, I have loved davening — at the Kotel and other places — with women. The tefilla is an immensely fulfilling experience and I always leave feeling uplifted. Women’s tefilla provides a unique space that I haven’t found in other sacred spaces. That is true whether we are praying together once a month simply because we can, or if there is a special celebration, or if, God-forbid, someone is sick and we join our voices together for stronger prayer, or even if a woman who feels comfortable participating publicly only in an all-women service wants to read the Torah. I am able to be vulnerable when I daven with women, and share with them why I’m davening, what I need, and any personal struggles.Once, I remember saying in the middle of davening, “Ladies, please pray hard! I want to find my bashert (soulmate).” I truly felt them davening for me and I know I never would have shared that in a space with men. Why? As women, we simply have a special bond and we have similar experiences. After the service, one woman I didn’t know assured me that I would find him soon (it still took a couple of years to find him). I felt very uplifted, as the search had begun to feel never-ending at times. I have also been on the other side, where a co-worshiper asked me to daven for them. Praying next to her, for her, made my prayer even stronger.Women’s tefilla is not a new phenomenon. The earliest recorded women’s tefilla took place in New York City in 1969 (Read about the history, development and structure of halakic women’s tefilla here). It’s no wonder that women started praying together at the Kotel more than twenty-seven years ago.Why has HaShem placed yet another barrier in our way to praying peacefully together at the Kotel with a Sefer Torah, tallit and tefillin? I have no idea. A few things I know: I won’t go to Robinson’s Arch to pray. Not because I’m mad, but because the new deal simply doesn’t provide a space for me, a space for Orthodox (and non-Orthodox) women only to daven together.Also, I want to pray where my grandparents prayed. My grandmother didn’t weep at Robinson’s Arch; she lamented at the Kotel with all of the other Jews. The deal itself is disappointing. I may cry when the construction is over and there are signs for Jews to make a decision about where to pray instead of praying together. The sign that says “pluralistic area” that will be hidden behind the huge Mughrabi bridge and that won’t be visible from the current Kotel area might as well say “non-Jews” to the ultra-Orthodox.No matter what happens, I won’t stop davening at the Kotel with my tallit and tefillin (Please make donations when that happens to help bail me out of jail). Nor will I give up on our lawsuit against the government to let women use Sifrei Torah in the women’s section.Like most things in my life, I know this is part of a bigger plan that I simply cannot comprehend right now. I pray that at the end, when HaShem resolves this, the plan will be more unifying than dividing, no one’s rights will be given away, and no one will have to be hidden behind a bridge to be the kind of Jews they want to be, in order to pray at the Kotel.
Israeli leader calls on world to condemn arson of synagogue-Associated Press-feb 7,16-yahoonews
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called on the world to condemn a suspected arson attack against a makeshift synagogue in the West Bank where Jewish Torah scrolls were burned.The scrolls were stored inside a tent that was used as a synagogue near a West Bank outpost that overlooked the site where the bodies of three Jewish teenagers were found in June 2014. Their abduction and murder was carried out by Palestinians said by Israel to be members of the militant group Hamas and set off a series of events that ultimately led to that summer's 50-day war in Gaza.Netanyahu said this weekend's desecration of the makeshift synagogue that was named after the teenagers was a result of the type of Palestinian incitement that has fed the current five-month-long wave of Palestinian violence."We will do everything to find who did this and bring them to justice but I expect all those, here and around the world, who justifiably condemn any desecration of a mosque ... to equally cry out about this heinous act," he said at the start of his weekly Cabinet meeting.Israel has been coping for years with vandalism attacks against mosques and churches that have been blamed on Jewish extremists. But attacks on synagogues have been rare.The Anti-Defamation League, a U.S. group that battles anti-Semitism worldwide, called the incident "an act of anti-Semitism." Education Minister Naftali Bennett said that "the images of burnt holy books in a synagogue are taken straight out of the darkest nights of our people's history."The suspected attack comes amid five months of near-daily Palestinian assaults, mainly stabbings, against Israeli civilians and security personnel that have killed 27 Israelis. Some 155 Palestinians, the majority of whom Israel says were attackers, were killed by Israeli fire during that time. The rest died in clashes with Israeli security forces.Israel says the violence is fueled by a campaign of Palestinian incitement. Palestinians say it stems from frustration at decades of occupation.The violence continued Sunday with an Israeli soldier stabbed in the south of the country and his attacker shot dead.Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the soldier was standing near the central bus station in the southern city of Ashkelon when he was stabbed in his torso and lightly wounded. The stabber was shot and apprehended. He later died of his wounds. Police said the stabber was a Sudanese foreign national but they still believe the attack to be politically motivated.
Police say makeshift West Bank synagogue torched by arsonists-Netanyahu calls on world to condemn burning of holy books just as it condemns graffiti and desecration of mosques-By Times of Israel staff February 7, 2016, 3:26 pm
An investigative team of police officers and firefighters on Sunday concluded that a fire that consumed a makeshift synagogue in a West Bank outpost on Friday was the result of arson.According to an initial investigation, suspected attackers set fire to holy Jewish texts at an outpost next to the Karmei Tzur settlement in the West Bank.There were no injuries in the incident, but the books were badly damaged and the tent that housed them and served as a synagogue went up in flames.According to Karmei Tzur residents, the suspected arsonists piled up the holy books and set them alight.Police said that the footprints of the suspects were found leading to a Palestinian village near the town of Halhul, the Ynet news site reported.Earlier on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would “do everything to find [the perpetrators] and bring them to justice.”“We are in the midst of a hard battle between those who seek coexistence and peace and those who want war and blood,” Netanyahu said, saying the fire was the result of Palestinian incitement.He also called on the world to condemn the arson, pointing to international outrage following Jewish extremist attacks on Muslim and Christian holy places.“I expect all those who justifiably condemn every desecration of a mosque or graffiti or fire in mosques – I expect them to condemn with the same outrage and same condemnation this criminal act,” Netanyahu said.The tent, which was not being used at the time, overlooks the site where the bodies of three Israeli teens, Eyal Yifrach, Gil-ad Shaar and Naftali Fraenkel, were found after they had been abducted and murdered by Hamas-affiliated Palestinian terrorists in June 2014.“The sight of the burned Torah scrolls in the Etzion bloc is heartrending,” President Reuven Rivlin said Saturday.“The assault on our people’s holy items hurts all the more when it is done at the place that commemorates Eyal, Gil-ad and Naftali, who were murdered by a cruel hand… I am certain and confident that the security forces will bring the perpetrators to justice swiftly,” Rivlin said.The Anti-Defamation League, a US group that battles anti-Semitism worldwide, called the incident “an act of anti-Semitism.”Education Minister Naftali Bennett said that “the images of burnt holy books in a synagogue are taken straight out of the darkest nights of our people’s history.”The suspected attack comes amid over four months of near-daily Palestinian assaults, mainly stabbings, against Israeli civilians and security personnel that have killed 27 Israelis. Some 155 Palestinians, the majority of whom Israel says were attackers, were killed by Israeli fire during that time. The rest died in clashes with Israeli security forces.Israel says the violence is fueled by a campaign of Palestinian incitement. Palestinians say it stems from frustration at decades of occupation.In a statement, the media office of the Etzion regional council noted the short distance from the tent to the Karmei Tzur settlement.“The vandals piled up the books and set them on fire. There is a great deal of frustration in Karmei Tzur. This isn’t the first time that terrorists burned the place…. We must not forget that fewer than 100 meters separate the hill [where the arson took place] and the homes [of Karmei Tzur]. The attack in the former is a dangerous prelude for the future,” the statement read.
East Jerusalem teen indicted over plan to attack Jews-Prosecutor says 15-year-old from Shuafat set out from his home last week with his schoolbag and a concealed knife-By Sara Miller February 7, 2016, 2:15 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
The Times of Israel is liveblogging Sunday’s events as they unfold.17:47-UN chief meets parents of fallen IDF soldier whose body is held by Hamas-Ban Ki-moon meets with the parents of Lt. Hadar Goldin, an IDF officer who fell during the 2014 war in Gaza and whose body is still being held by Hamas.Simha and Hedva Goldin raise with Ban the issue of the return of their son’s body, as well as that of fellow soldier Oron Shaul, who died in an attack on an APC that killed seven IDF troops.17:46-New Hamas music video lauds suicide bombings-The Palestinian terror group Hamas publishes a new music video supporting suicide bombings inside Israel.The video shows planners of attacks, a would-be bomber boarding an Egged bus, and then a burning bus, presumably after an attack.The accompanying song praises those who carry out the explosions “so that Netanyahu will be humbled.”“To die as a martyr for Al-Aqsa [Mosque] gives the explosive device more and more force,” the song says. “The intifada is not an intifada if the bus roof doesn’t fly off.”17:16-Red Cross in Gaza closes office due to violent protests-The International Committee of the Red Cross says it is temporarily closing its Gaza office after protesters repeatedly tried to storm it.Spokeswoman Suhair Zakkout says the office will operate remotely until “local authorities in Gaza provide assurances that our premises, work and staff are respected.”Dozens of Gazans have protested daily at the office in recent weeks in solidarity with a Palestinian hunger striker detained by Israel, demanding that the Red Cross help bring about his release. They tried to enter the building forcefully on Sunday, smashing garage windows and causing other damage.— AP-17:12-Syrian army nearing rebel town on Turkey border — monitor-Syrian government troops are advancing toward a rebel town near the Turkish border, as they press on with a Russian-backed offensive that has prompted tens of thousands of civilians to flee, a monitor says.The town of Tal Rifaat is around 20 kilometers from the Turkish frontier, where Syrians who have fled fighting near Aleppo city have been gathering since the assault was launched Monday.It is one of the last rebel strongholds in the north of Aleppo province and government troops are just seven kilometers away, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman says regime troops want to push north to the border with Turkey to prevent rebels and weapons from entering Syrian territory.— AFP-16:58-PM unveils new bill to suspend MKs for ‘unseemly behavior’-PM Netanyahu announces new planned legislation that would allow MKs to be suspended from the Knesset for what he calls in a Twitter post “unseemly behavior.”-The legislation requires 90 MKs, three quarters of the 120-member house, to vote in favor of the suspension.It is unclear how long such a suspension would be in effect or who would replace the suspended MK during that period.The proposed bill comes after three Arab MKs were heavily criticized for meeting last week with the families of terrorists killed while carrying out attacks on Israelis.16:46-Israeli man crosses into Lebanon, UNIFIL brings him back-A gag order is lifted on the Israeli national who crossed the border into Lebanon and was handed back this weekend via UN troops in the area.The man is named as Oleg Gamerman from Jerusalem, who was declared missing last week. He was returned to Israel last night, after negotiations with Lebanon, via the crossing at Rosh Hanikra.The man is briefly questioned by security forces following his return, Haaretz says.-16:23-Minor earthquake causes small stir in south-An earthquake measuring 3.3 is recorded near Moshav Tsofar in southern Israel, some 50 kilometers south of the Dead Sea.Some local residents say they felt a slight tremor, while others registered no disturbances at all.16:22--Arab teen indicted for planning Jerusalem attack-A 15-year-old from the Shuafat neighborhood of East Jerusalem is indicted in juvenile court for allegedly planning to stab Jews in the capital’s Old City last week.The indictment states that the youth left the house with a school bag and a knife he hid under his trousers, Ynet says. He raised the suspicions of a policeman who searched the teen and found the knife.The youth is charged with attempted murder and possession of a knife.-15:34-US outlets name 2nd British member of Islamic State-A joint investigation by The Washington Post and Buzzfeed leads to the identification of a second British Islamic State member involved in beheading Western hostages in Syria.The Brit is named as 32-year-old Alexanda Kotey, a convert to Islam from West London. According to the Post, Kotey’s identity was confirmed by an American official and others familiar with British nationals in Syria.Both Kotey’s family in London and British security officials decline to comment on the report, the Post says.15:25-Erdogan furious at US official’s trip to Syrian town freed by Kurds-Turkey’s president lashes out at the United States a week after President Barack Obama’s envoy visits a northern Syrian town reclaimed from the Islamic State by Syrian Kurdish forces that Ankara considers terrorists.Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says in comments published today that Washington must choose between Turkey and the Kurdish Democratic Union Party, or PYD, as its partner.Brett McGurk last week visited Kobani, where the PYD’s military wing, aided by US-led airstrikes, drove back IS a year ago. Turkey considers PYD a terror group because of its affiliation with Turkey’s outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK.Erdogan says: “How can we trust you? Is it me that is your partner or is it the terrorists in Kobani?”— AP-15:08-Police confirm probing harassment claims against actor Ivgy-Police confirm they are examining claims that veteran actor Moshe Ivgy sexually harassed a series of women, the NRG website says.All six women say Ivgy harassed them while they were working together on various films, television shows and plays.Ivgy says he is “shocked” by the accusations, which he denies.15:03-Palestinians: Israel to return 2 more terrorists’ bodies-Israel has decided to return the bodies of more two East Jerusalem Arabs killed while carrying out terror attacks, Palestinian sources say.The Maariv website names the two as Ahmad Abu Shaaban and Musab al-Ghazali.Abu Shaaban was shot dead as he perpetrated a stabbing attack at Jerusalem’s Central Bus Station in October. Al-Ghazali was killed while trying to stab police officers near the Jaffa Gate entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem in December.14:44-Hamas, Fatah holding new reconciliation effort-Officials from rival Palestinian movements Fatah and Hamas are meeting today in Doha to discuss a new reconciliation agreement between the two.Both sides have sent high-ranking members, Ynet says, with Moussa Abu Marzouk attending for Hamas and Azzam al-Ahmad for Fatah.14:43-Police name Sudanese stabber in Ashkelon-Police identify the Sudanese national believed to have stabbed an IDF soldier in Ashkelon earlier today.He is named as Kamel Hassan, aged 32.— Judah Ari Gross-14:39-Hanegbi: Dani Dayan won’t be envoy to Brazil-Likud MK Tzachi Hanegbi, who heads the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, says that Dani Dayan will be reassigned to a new diplomatic posting after Brasilia refused to accept him as the next Israeli ambassador due to his former status as head of the settler movement.“He has to go somewhere no less important,” Hanegbi says, according to the Maariv website.14:29-Balad slams PM for legislation on meeting with terrorists’ families-The Balad party, which forms part of the Joint (Arab) List, hits back at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for planning legislation to disqualify lawmakers who follow in the footsteps of the MKs who met last week with the families of terrorists killed while carrying out attacks on Israelis.All three lawmakers who attended the meeting are from Balad.“Once Bibi (Netanyahu) realized that there is no ethical or criminal issue with the meeting MKs held on (Israel) releasing (terrorists’) bodies, he began trying to score political points by advancing legislation that would harm the political representation of the Arab minority, and and reduce the scope of political action,” Balad says, according to the Walla website.14:17-Bernie Sanders, Larry David sail the SNL seas together-Larry David and his political alter ego Bernie Sanders make a joint appearance on US comedy show “Saturday Night Live.”David has portrayed his Democratic doppelganger and fellow Brooklyn native multiple times on SNL.Sanders is the third presidential candidate to be a guest on the show this season. His rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Hillary Clinton, came on in October, while Republican front-runner Donald Trump appeared in November.14:16-Spain arrests 7 for suspected al-Qaeda, IS links-Spanish police say seven people are in detention over suspected links to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State jihadist groups.The arrests are carried out in the eastern cities of Valencia and Alicante and in Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta, the police say in a statement.“Four of those arrested are Spanish nationals of Syrian, Jordanian and Moroccan origin,” the statement says. A Syrian, a Moroccan and a seventh unidentified person are also taken into custody in the operation, which is still ongoing.— AFP-14:15-Investigators say fire at West Bank synagogue was arson-Fire investigators say last night’s blaze at the synagogue of the Givat Sorek outpost in the West Bank was started deliberately. The findings are based on evidence at the scene.The fire gutted the tent that served as a makeshift place of worship and burned the holy books inside.— Judah Ari Gross
EU calls on Israel to halt demolition of Palestinian housing-AFP-feb 6,16-yahoonews
Brussels (AFP) - The European Union on Saturday called on Israel to halt the demolition of Palestinian housing, some of which was EU-funded, and reiterated its opposition to expanding Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank."In the past weeks there have been a number of developments in Area C of the West Bank, which risk undermining the viability of a future Palestinian state and driving the parties yet further apart," the EU diplomatic service said in a statement.It referred to Israel's decision on January 25 to declare 154 hectares (380 acres) of land near Jericho in the West Bank as state land, with reported plans to build around 150 new residences for settlers.This was followed by the demolition of several Palestinian residences in the south Hebron hills on Wednesday."This is particularly concerning both because of the extent of the demolitions and also the number of vulnerable individuals affected, including children who need support," the EU said, adding that "demolitions included EU-funded structures.""We call on the Israeli authorities to reverse the decisions taken and to halt further demolitions," it said.Foreign ministers from the 28 EU nations had confirmed "the EU's firm opposition to Israel's settlement policy" and criticised the actions including demolitions, confiscation and forced transfers.UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday he was "ashamed" at a lack of progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which has been deadlocked since a US peace mission collapsed in April 2014.
Jewish Group Condemns Far-Right WWII Remembrance in Hungary-By The Associated Press-YAHOONEWS
BUDAPEST, Hungary — Feb 6, 2016, 3:57 PM ET-The Simon Wiesenthal Center has condemned a far-right commemoration in Hungary of a World War II battle in which speakers lauded a wartime pro-Nazi Hungarian leader.A report on the feol.hu website said a Waffen-SS veteran who was scheduled to speak at Saturday's memorial in the city of Szekesfehervar did not attend for health reasons. The Wiesenthal Center said the event was "another blatant attempt to honor and glorify the perpetrators of the Holocaust."Last year, international criticism caused a foundation to cancel plans to erect a statue in Szekesfehervar of a Holocaust-era minister who helped draft anti-Semitic laws.The Wiesenthal Center's Mark Weitzman said authorities' failure to condemn the event, considering that Hungary is currently chairing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, was "an exercise in political and historical hypocrisy."
I understand that I’m not the typical Jew who prays at the Kotel. I’m not even sure I can label myself. In fact, I think it would be a lot easier for the rest of the world if there was such a label. My home is kosher, I keep laws of taharat ha-mishpachah (family purity), I am shomer Shabbat, I pray in an Orthodox shul in the Jewish suburbs of Detroit, Michigan and look forward to moving back to Israel in the future. Prayer is very important to me. Yet, I personally struggle with prayer and the lack of options available in my community.I am not Conservative or Reform. I believe a minyan consists of ten Jewish men. Yet, every morning when I daven, I wear a tallit and lay tefillin. Mostly, I daven at home because these practices simply wouldn’t be welcome in the shul I would attend. On Shabbat, it’s the most difficult. Women can’t kiss the Torah, touch it, or even get close. To be honest, I feel so far away from Torah sometimes I cry. But I feel like HaShem sent me here for a reason.I teach Talmud to students who have never been exposed to Jewish texts before. So, for now, I just bear the separation until I can go back to Israel. I understand that everyone, men and women, connect to HaShem, tefilla, and their Judaism in different ways. Some people love to pray and it comes naturally to them, some dive into Halakhah, some are blessed with an abundance of joy on Shabbat. I understand that many people may judge, criticize, or simply not understand the things that make/help me feel connected to HaShem, as my ways aren’t widely practiced in our tradition.Yet, despite the things or people that made me feel far from Torah, there is one place that always made me feel close. I had the Kotel. For years, I have loved going to the Kotel. Whether it was on the holiday of Shavuot, after studying all night, as a tour guide taking a group of American teens there for their first time, going to beg HaShem for healing because someone I loved was sick, supporting a friend being sworn into the IDF, crying on the stones the night before I had to fly to America because leaving Israel is never easy. Whatever the reason, the Kotel was always there to witness my happiness, struggles, pain, celebrations and to soak up my tears and prayers.After my first year back in the US, I returned to Israel for the summer. On Rosh Chodesh Tammuz, my birthday, HaShem gave me another blessing: surrounded by other women, in the women’s section, I read the day’s Torah reading from a Sefer Torah — the actual scroll — with tallit and tefillin. In the hopes of not sounding too much like one of my high school students, but for lack of a better phrase: it was AMAZING! For many years, I have loved davening — at the Kotel and other places — with women. The tefilla is an immensely fulfilling experience and I always leave feeling uplifted. Women’s tefilla provides a unique space that I haven’t found in other sacred spaces. That is true whether we are praying together once a month simply because we can, or if there is a special celebration, or if, God-forbid, someone is sick and we join our voices together for stronger prayer, or even if a woman who feels comfortable participating publicly only in an all-women service wants to read the Torah. I am able to be vulnerable when I daven with women, and share with them why I’m davening, what I need, and any personal struggles.Once, I remember saying in the middle of davening, “Ladies, please pray hard! I want to find my bashert (soulmate).” I truly felt them davening for me and I know I never would have shared that in a space with men. Why? As women, we simply have a special bond and we have similar experiences. After the service, one woman I didn’t know assured me that I would find him soon (it still took a couple of years to find him). I felt very uplifted, as the search had begun to feel never-ending at times. I have also been on the other side, where a co-worshiper asked me to daven for them. Praying next to her, for her, made my prayer even stronger.Women’s tefilla is not a new phenomenon. The earliest recorded women’s tefilla took place in New York City in 1969 (Read about the history, development and structure of halakic women’s tefilla here). It’s no wonder that women started praying together at the Kotel more than twenty-seven years ago.Why has HaShem placed yet another barrier in our way to praying peacefully together at the Kotel with a Sefer Torah, tallit and tefillin? I have no idea. A few things I know: I won’t go to Robinson’s Arch to pray. Not because I’m mad, but because the new deal simply doesn’t provide a space for me, a space for Orthodox (and non-Orthodox) women only to daven together.Also, I want to pray where my grandparents prayed. My grandmother didn’t weep at Robinson’s Arch; she lamented at the Kotel with all of the other Jews. The deal itself is disappointing. I may cry when the construction is over and there are signs for Jews to make a decision about where to pray instead of praying together. The sign that says “pluralistic area” that will be hidden behind the huge Mughrabi bridge and that won’t be visible from the current Kotel area might as well say “non-Jews” to the ultra-Orthodox.No matter what happens, I won’t stop davening at the Kotel with my tallit and tefillin (Please make donations when that happens to help bail me out of jail). Nor will I give up on our lawsuit against the government to let women use Sifrei Torah in the women’s section.Like most things in my life, I know this is part of a bigger plan that I simply cannot comprehend right now. I pray that at the end, when HaShem resolves this, the plan will be more unifying than dividing, no one’s rights will be given away, and no one will have to be hidden behind a bridge to be the kind of Jews they want to be, in order to pray at the Kotel.
Israeli leader calls on world to condemn arson of synagogue-Associated Press-feb 7,16-yahoonews
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called on the world to condemn a suspected arson attack against a makeshift synagogue in the West Bank where Jewish Torah scrolls were burned.The scrolls were stored inside a tent that was used as a synagogue near a West Bank outpost that overlooked the site where the bodies of three Jewish teenagers were found in June 2014. Their abduction and murder was carried out by Palestinians said by Israel to be members of the militant group Hamas and set off a series of events that ultimately led to that summer's 50-day war in Gaza.Netanyahu said this weekend's desecration of the makeshift synagogue that was named after the teenagers was a result of the type of Palestinian incitement that has fed the current five-month-long wave of Palestinian violence."We will do everything to find who did this and bring them to justice but I expect all those, here and around the world, who justifiably condemn any desecration of a mosque ... to equally cry out about this heinous act," he said at the start of his weekly Cabinet meeting.Israel has been coping for years with vandalism attacks against mosques and churches that have been blamed on Jewish extremists. But attacks on synagogues have been rare.The Anti-Defamation League, a U.S. group that battles anti-Semitism worldwide, called the incident "an act of anti-Semitism." Education Minister Naftali Bennett said that "the images of burnt holy books in a synagogue are taken straight out of the darkest nights of our people's history."The suspected attack comes amid five months of near-daily Palestinian assaults, mainly stabbings, against Israeli civilians and security personnel that have killed 27 Israelis. Some 155 Palestinians, the majority of whom Israel says were attackers, were killed by Israeli fire during that time. The rest died in clashes with Israeli security forces.Israel says the violence is fueled by a campaign of Palestinian incitement. Palestinians say it stems from frustration at decades of occupation.The violence continued Sunday with an Israeli soldier stabbed in the south of the country and his attacker shot dead.Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the soldier was standing near the central bus station in the southern city of Ashkelon when he was stabbed in his torso and lightly wounded. The stabber was shot and apprehended. He later died of his wounds. Police said the stabber was a Sudanese foreign national but they still believe the attack to be politically motivated.
Police say makeshift West Bank synagogue torched by arsonists-Netanyahu calls on world to condemn burning of holy books just as it condemns graffiti and desecration of mosques-By Times of Israel staff February 7, 2016, 3:26 pm
An investigative team of police officers and firefighters on Sunday concluded that a fire that consumed a makeshift synagogue in a West Bank outpost on Friday was the result of arson.According to an initial investigation, suspected attackers set fire to holy Jewish texts at an outpost next to the Karmei Tzur settlement in the West Bank.There were no injuries in the incident, but the books were badly damaged and the tent that housed them and served as a synagogue went up in flames.According to Karmei Tzur residents, the suspected arsonists piled up the holy books and set them alight.Police said that the footprints of the suspects were found leading to a Palestinian village near the town of Halhul, the Ynet news site reported.Earlier on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would “do everything to find [the perpetrators] and bring them to justice.”“We are in the midst of a hard battle between those who seek coexistence and peace and those who want war and blood,” Netanyahu said, saying the fire was the result of Palestinian incitement.He also called on the world to condemn the arson, pointing to international outrage following Jewish extremist attacks on Muslim and Christian holy places.“I expect all those who justifiably condemn every desecration of a mosque or graffiti or fire in mosques – I expect them to condemn with the same outrage and same condemnation this criminal act,” Netanyahu said.The tent, which was not being used at the time, overlooks the site where the bodies of three Israeli teens, Eyal Yifrach, Gil-ad Shaar and Naftali Fraenkel, were found after they had been abducted and murdered by Hamas-affiliated Palestinian terrorists in June 2014.“The sight of the burned Torah scrolls in the Etzion bloc is heartrending,” President Reuven Rivlin said Saturday.“The assault on our people’s holy items hurts all the more when it is done at the place that commemorates Eyal, Gil-ad and Naftali, who were murdered by a cruel hand… I am certain and confident that the security forces will bring the perpetrators to justice swiftly,” Rivlin said.The Anti-Defamation League, a US group that battles anti-Semitism worldwide, called the incident “an act of anti-Semitism.”Education Minister Naftali Bennett said that “the images of burnt holy books in a synagogue are taken straight out of the darkest nights of our people’s history.”The suspected attack comes amid over four months of near-daily Palestinian assaults, mainly stabbings, against Israeli civilians and security personnel that have killed 27 Israelis. Some 155 Palestinians, the majority of whom Israel says were attackers, were killed by Israeli fire during that time. The rest died in clashes with Israeli security forces.Israel says the violence is fueled by a campaign of Palestinian incitement. Palestinians say it stems from frustration at decades of occupation.In a statement, the media office of the Etzion regional council noted the short distance from the tent to the Karmei Tzur settlement.“The vandals piled up the books and set them on fire. There is a great deal of frustration in Karmei Tzur. This isn’t the first time that terrorists burned the place…. We must not forget that fewer than 100 meters separate the hill [where the arson took place] and the homes [of Karmei Tzur]. The attack in the former is a dangerous prelude for the future,” the statement read.
East Jerusalem teen indicted over plan to attack Jews-Prosecutor says 15-year-old from Shuafat set out from his home last week with his schoolbag and a concealed knife-By Sara Miller February 7, 2016, 2:15 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
The Times of Israel is liveblogging Sunday’s events as they unfold.17:47-UN chief meets parents of fallen IDF soldier whose body is held by Hamas-Ban Ki-moon meets with the parents of Lt. Hadar Goldin, an IDF officer who fell during the 2014 war in Gaza and whose body is still being held by Hamas.Simha and Hedva Goldin raise with Ban the issue of the return of their son’s body, as well as that of fellow soldier Oron Shaul, who died in an attack on an APC that killed seven IDF troops.17:46-New Hamas music video lauds suicide bombings-The Palestinian terror group Hamas publishes a new music video supporting suicide bombings inside Israel.The video shows planners of attacks, a would-be bomber boarding an Egged bus, and then a burning bus, presumably after an attack.The accompanying song praises those who carry out the explosions “so that Netanyahu will be humbled.”“To die as a martyr for Al-Aqsa [Mosque] gives the explosive device more and more force,” the song says. “The intifada is not an intifada if the bus roof doesn’t fly off.”17:16-Red Cross in Gaza closes office due to violent protests-The International Committee of the Red Cross says it is temporarily closing its Gaza office after protesters repeatedly tried to storm it.Spokeswoman Suhair Zakkout says the office will operate remotely until “local authorities in Gaza provide assurances that our premises, work and staff are respected.”Dozens of Gazans have protested daily at the office in recent weeks in solidarity with a Palestinian hunger striker detained by Israel, demanding that the Red Cross help bring about his release. They tried to enter the building forcefully on Sunday, smashing garage windows and causing other damage.— AP-17:12-Syrian army nearing rebel town on Turkey border — monitor-Syrian government troops are advancing toward a rebel town near the Turkish border, as they press on with a Russian-backed offensive that has prompted tens of thousands of civilians to flee, a monitor says.The town of Tal Rifaat is around 20 kilometers from the Turkish frontier, where Syrians who have fled fighting near Aleppo city have been gathering since the assault was launched Monday.It is one of the last rebel strongholds in the north of Aleppo province and government troops are just seven kilometers away, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman says regime troops want to push north to the border with Turkey to prevent rebels and weapons from entering Syrian territory.— AFP-16:58-PM unveils new bill to suspend MKs for ‘unseemly behavior’-PM Netanyahu announces new planned legislation that would allow MKs to be suspended from the Knesset for what he calls in a Twitter post “unseemly behavior.”-The legislation requires 90 MKs, three quarters of the 120-member house, to vote in favor of the suspension.It is unclear how long such a suspension would be in effect or who would replace the suspended MK during that period.The proposed bill comes after three Arab MKs were heavily criticized for meeting last week with the families of terrorists killed while carrying out attacks on Israelis.16:46-Israeli man crosses into Lebanon, UNIFIL brings him back-A gag order is lifted on the Israeli national who crossed the border into Lebanon and was handed back this weekend via UN troops in the area.The man is named as Oleg Gamerman from Jerusalem, who was declared missing last week. He was returned to Israel last night, after negotiations with Lebanon, via the crossing at Rosh Hanikra.The man is briefly questioned by security forces following his return, Haaretz says.-16:23-Minor earthquake causes small stir in south-An earthquake measuring 3.3 is recorded near Moshav Tsofar in southern Israel, some 50 kilometers south of the Dead Sea.Some local residents say they felt a slight tremor, while others registered no disturbances at all.16:22--Arab teen indicted for planning Jerusalem attack-A 15-year-old from the Shuafat neighborhood of East Jerusalem is indicted in juvenile court for allegedly planning to stab Jews in the capital’s Old City last week.The indictment states that the youth left the house with a school bag and a knife he hid under his trousers, Ynet says. He raised the suspicions of a policeman who searched the teen and found the knife.The youth is charged with attempted murder and possession of a knife.-15:34-US outlets name 2nd British member of Islamic State-A joint investigation by The Washington Post and Buzzfeed leads to the identification of a second British Islamic State member involved in beheading Western hostages in Syria.The Brit is named as 32-year-old Alexanda Kotey, a convert to Islam from West London. According to the Post, Kotey’s identity was confirmed by an American official and others familiar with British nationals in Syria.Both Kotey’s family in London and British security officials decline to comment on the report, the Post says.15:25-Erdogan furious at US official’s trip to Syrian town freed by Kurds-Turkey’s president lashes out at the United States a week after President Barack Obama’s envoy visits a northern Syrian town reclaimed from the Islamic State by Syrian Kurdish forces that Ankara considers terrorists.Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says in comments published today that Washington must choose between Turkey and the Kurdish Democratic Union Party, or PYD, as its partner.Brett McGurk last week visited Kobani, where the PYD’s military wing, aided by US-led airstrikes, drove back IS a year ago. Turkey considers PYD a terror group because of its affiliation with Turkey’s outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK.Erdogan says: “How can we trust you? Is it me that is your partner or is it the terrorists in Kobani?”— AP-15:08-Police confirm probing harassment claims against actor Ivgy-Police confirm they are examining claims that veteran actor Moshe Ivgy sexually harassed a series of women, the NRG website says.All six women say Ivgy harassed them while they were working together on various films, television shows and plays.Ivgy says he is “shocked” by the accusations, which he denies.15:03-Palestinians: Israel to return 2 more terrorists’ bodies-Israel has decided to return the bodies of more two East Jerusalem Arabs killed while carrying out terror attacks, Palestinian sources say.The Maariv website names the two as Ahmad Abu Shaaban and Musab al-Ghazali.Abu Shaaban was shot dead as he perpetrated a stabbing attack at Jerusalem’s Central Bus Station in October. Al-Ghazali was killed while trying to stab police officers near the Jaffa Gate entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem in December.14:44-Hamas, Fatah holding new reconciliation effort-Officials from rival Palestinian movements Fatah and Hamas are meeting today in Doha to discuss a new reconciliation agreement between the two.Both sides have sent high-ranking members, Ynet says, with Moussa Abu Marzouk attending for Hamas and Azzam al-Ahmad for Fatah.14:43-Police name Sudanese stabber in Ashkelon-Police identify the Sudanese national believed to have stabbed an IDF soldier in Ashkelon earlier today.He is named as Kamel Hassan, aged 32.— Judah Ari Gross-14:39-Hanegbi: Dani Dayan won’t be envoy to Brazil-Likud MK Tzachi Hanegbi, who heads the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, says that Dani Dayan will be reassigned to a new diplomatic posting after Brasilia refused to accept him as the next Israeli ambassador due to his former status as head of the settler movement.“He has to go somewhere no less important,” Hanegbi says, according to the Maariv website.14:29-Balad slams PM for legislation on meeting with terrorists’ families-The Balad party, which forms part of the Joint (Arab) List, hits back at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for planning legislation to disqualify lawmakers who follow in the footsteps of the MKs who met last week with the families of terrorists killed while carrying out attacks on Israelis.All three lawmakers who attended the meeting are from Balad.“Once Bibi (Netanyahu) realized that there is no ethical or criminal issue with the meeting MKs held on (Israel) releasing (terrorists’) bodies, he began trying to score political points by advancing legislation that would harm the political representation of the Arab minority, and and reduce the scope of political action,” Balad says, according to the Walla website.14:17-Bernie Sanders, Larry David sail the SNL seas together-Larry David and his political alter ego Bernie Sanders make a joint appearance on US comedy show “Saturday Night Live.”David has portrayed his Democratic doppelganger and fellow Brooklyn native multiple times on SNL.Sanders is the third presidential candidate to be a guest on the show this season. His rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Hillary Clinton, came on in October, while Republican front-runner Donald Trump appeared in November.14:16-Spain arrests 7 for suspected al-Qaeda, IS links-Spanish police say seven people are in detention over suspected links to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State jihadist groups.The arrests are carried out in the eastern cities of Valencia and Alicante and in Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta, the police say in a statement.“Four of those arrested are Spanish nationals of Syrian, Jordanian and Moroccan origin,” the statement says. A Syrian, a Moroccan and a seventh unidentified person are also taken into custody in the operation, which is still ongoing.— AFP-14:15-Investigators say fire at West Bank synagogue was arson-Fire investigators say last night’s blaze at the synagogue of the Givat Sorek outpost in the West Bank was started deliberately. The findings are based on evidence at the scene.The fire gutted the tent that served as a makeshift place of worship and burned the holy books inside.— Judah Ari Gross
EU calls on Israel to halt demolition of Palestinian housing-AFP-feb 6,16-yahoonews
Brussels (AFP) - The European Union on Saturday called on Israel to halt the demolition of Palestinian housing, some of which was EU-funded, and reiterated its opposition to expanding Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank."In the past weeks there have been a number of developments in Area C of the West Bank, which risk undermining the viability of a future Palestinian state and driving the parties yet further apart," the EU diplomatic service said in a statement.It referred to Israel's decision on January 25 to declare 154 hectares (380 acres) of land near Jericho in the West Bank as state land, with reported plans to build around 150 new residences for settlers.This was followed by the demolition of several Palestinian residences in the south Hebron hills on Wednesday."This is particularly concerning both because of the extent of the demolitions and also the number of vulnerable individuals affected, including children who need support," the EU said, adding that "demolitions included EU-funded structures.""We call on the Israeli authorities to reverse the decisions taken and to halt further demolitions," it said.Foreign ministers from the 28 EU nations had confirmed "the EU's firm opposition to Israel's settlement policy" and criticised the actions including demolitions, confiscation and forced transfers.UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday he was "ashamed" at a lack of progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which has been deadlocked since a US peace mission collapsed in April 2014.
Jewish Group Condemns Far-Right WWII Remembrance in Hungary-By The Associated Press-YAHOONEWS
BUDAPEST, Hungary — Feb 6, 2016, 3:57 PM ET-The Simon Wiesenthal Center has condemned a far-right commemoration in Hungary of a World War II battle in which speakers lauded a wartime pro-Nazi Hungarian leader.A report on the feol.hu website said a Waffen-SS veteran who was scheduled to speak at Saturday's memorial in the city of Szekesfehervar did not attend for health reasons. The Wiesenthal Center said the event was "another blatant attempt to honor and glorify the perpetrators of the Holocaust."Last year, international criticism caused a foundation to cancel plans to erect a statue in Szekesfehervar of a Holocaust-era minister who helped draft anti-Semitic laws.The Wiesenthal Center's Mark Weitzman said authorities' failure to condemn the event, considering that Hungary is currently chairing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, was "an exercise in political and historical hypocrisy."
