At the 2013 AIPAC convention, Edwin Black of the IBC Channel interviewed Juda Engelmayer on Israel’s politics and the world view on the Jewish State.
Category: Religion
Charlton Heston was Moses to me until I was able to appreciate my studies a bit more. What a disappointment that turned out to be. When I finally learned of the Exodus in school, I kept seeing the film in my head as we reached each scene in the Chumash (Five Books). I heard Dathan sneer the name Moses, and I heard God call in his deep voice, “Moses.” Alas, it was all an act. I was told many times in shiur that the TV version was wrong. So I stopped watching it, figuring at least for this part of my education I did not want to be totally misinformed.
Zimmerman himself likely does not have a lot of money, but there was enough money raised through public defense campaign established for him by outside groups to use for bail. Zimmerman either did not think of it as belonging to him per se, or thought it was for defense and not bail, or maybe he truly just did not even consider it. Either way, he kept quiet, and in public relations and crisis communications the one thing you cannot have happen happened to Zimmerman — his carelessness over an issue that would normally be chalked up to a minor misinterpretation of the court’s question as to his ability to post bail, became the “big lie”.
The true lesson of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza, and the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, is that consequences must be considered. If God was the ultimate author of the calamities of 70 C.E., then it was God Himself who rejected following a strict interpretation of halachah in the face of impending disaster. It was He who punished His people for not allowing a more liberal interpretation of the law to hold sway long enough to avert disaster.
Sometimes, God was saying, religious authorities must set aside their aversion to compromise. When the fate of the People Israel is at stake, they must be more accepting of other views and must be more honest in admitting that their views may not be the only ones that will please God. They can hold to their views, but they must neither demonize nor delegitimate those who think differently.
We would applaud even louder if the deputy minister of education — a representative of the charedi Agudath Israel party — would join the parents in protecting the schoolchildren and condemning the violence. He will not do so, however, because charedi leaders say they do not want to identify with what they see as anti-charedi elements. Translated, that means the modern Orthodo
The parade is the largest gathering of Jews outside of Israel to celebrate the forming of the Jewish state. In the past, it was arranged by the Israel Tribute Committee with respect and dignity. This year, however, some of that respect and dignity may be diminished. Not only will school groups, Jewish organizations, synagogues of all stripes, Zionism-inspired artists and the like proudly proclaim their love for Israel, but this year’s parade will also see people marching who stand accused by some of actively working to undermine Israel. It matters little whether the accusation is a false one. This is a case in which perception counts more than reality.
Categories
Bolivian Bondage
For eleven months now an American man from Borough Park, Brooklyn, has been in Palmasola prison. Jacob Ostreicher, a 53 year old father of five and grandfather of 11, was arrested in June 2011 on suspicion of money laundering. Unlike in the United States, where one is innocent until proven guilty, the Bolivian prosecutor claims that Ostreicher was jailed because he failed to prove the money Ostreicher used for a land deal was obtained legally. The Bolivian government cannot prove that it was illegal, and after more than 25 hearings, no evidence can be found, nor has any been delivered to the court.
At some point, the public that cares, but is not invested–namely non-Jews or non-Christian Zionists who just see Israel as a democracy where disorder is common, will just get bored or worn on the subject.Some claim that the endless nature of these difficult cycles calls for a different approach by the parties, yet few really expect anything different from the Arabs. Look at the world today; most of the Arab world operates as if it is still in the Dark Ages. It maintains laws that most Westerners deem antiquated, treats women as chattel and keeps the masses uneducated and desperate. There are only Palestinian refugees because their leadership has consistently refused to allow anyone to build up and move in order to maintain the status of poverty and pain for anti-Israel positioning purposes.
In June 0f 2003, the United States Department of Homeland Security initiated The National Cyber Security Division (NCSD), to monitor terrorist traffic. Then the Combating Child Exploitation Act, (S. 1738), and the Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual Predators (KIDS) Act of 2008, (S. 431) were signed into law to fight online and in person sexual exploitation of children.
I am not a Talmud Chacham and I have made mistakes, but I grew up, went on to college and have been doing well. God gave me a nice family and really good kids who are respectful, courteous good people and good Jews. Perhaps had I been hit more, I might have been the next gadol hador (greatest Judaic scholar/leader in one’s lifetime), but we will never know.
Juda Engelmayer's Blog 