Weekly Torah Portion~Parashat Pekudei (Exodus 38:21~40:38)

Parshat Pekudei~The Tabernacle: Back to The Garden of Eden by Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger

What If Dictatorships Judged the World on Human Rights?

Here is More "Food For Thought" on the UN~Why Do We Put Up With This??

The Truth About the UN (United Nations)

Danny Ayalon, Israeli Ambassador, Presents the Facts (They're Ugly)

Alice Herz-Sommer~Oldest Known Holocaust Survivor Has Died

She Lived Her Entire Life (110 Years) With Optimism and A Positive Attitude

Syrian Father~He's All I Have...

Israeli Dr.'s & Syrian Boy~ Photo by Pyotr Paliter

Again and again we hear that Israel is the worst of the worst. We listen to those who call for our total destruction and we see videos and pictures that claim we are blood-thirsty, violent, abuse women and torture  children.

Oh Really?? Here is something that you will NOT hear about in your local media.

Since the civil war in Syria began, there have been many unspeakable atrocities. Israel's northern border is right next door to Syria. In fact, Meridel visited the towns on the border in September and you could hear the guns in the background at one point. So where do the working class people, those without money and resources go for help?

Many times, they try to cross into Israel and are met by the IDF, who have setup a medical facility to treat casualties. Some patients even arrive with notes from Syrian doctors describing the injuries. **Remember, these people are raised to hate Israel and think of Jews as the "small satan". At all times the wounded are treated with respect and great sensitivity. Imagine their surprise when they see and experience the real truth!

Treating A Wounded Syrian Fighter in Israel

One of the many stories is that of the six year old boy in the picture above. He was seriously injured in a blast that had killed his mother and sister and wounded his older brother (who later died). Six weeks after the father pleaded the doctors to "save the boy~he's all I have left", it looks like Israeli doctors have been able to do just that!

Arriving near death, in a coma, the child was transferred to Rambam hospital in Haifa. There doctors performed complex surgeries which included removing, then replacing sections of his scull.

Weeks later he received treatment from a speech therapist, a physical therapist, and others, who helped him to regain as much of his previous function as possible. 

Women, children, fighters, there is no discrimination. According to the IDF Blog, the commander, Col. Bader states:

“There has not been a single case in which an injured Syrian was denied medical treatment by the IDF or by a civilian hospital...I’m sure of that.”

Those of us who live here, and see our troops on a daily basis, are also sure of that. The people of Israel's Defense Forces do their utmost to provide aid wherever and whenever they can~their actions speak louder than any words. 

You could ignore stories like this and opt to go with the more popular "Boycott Israel" crowd, but we hope you will look beneath the surface of their lies and see the truth. Nobody claims Israel is perfect, but with all our problems, and being surrounded by millions who scream for our destruction on a daily basis, we do try to do the very best we can.

 

Please Pray for the young people of the IDF as they man the front lines in these very troubled times.

Chloé Simone Valdary~This is An Amazing Young Woman!

The Pro-Israel Festival in New Orleans is this Spring~Here is The LINK

Israeli Innovation Brings 3D Holograms to Operating Rooms!

Doctors Can Interact With 3D Holograms of Your Organs~Simply Amazing!

Weekly Torah Portion~Vayakel with Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger

Parashat Vayakel~Exodus (35:1~38:20) Structure and Freedom in the Service of God

Rebuttal: The Real Truth About "Palestine"

Danny Ayalon's Rebuttal to "2 palestinian ladies" Claims of "Actual Truth"

Child Prodigy~Musical Genius~Gifted by God (All of the Above!)

It happens all over the world, and when it does, we are amazed, and thrilled. What are we referring to? The amazing musical gift that God gives to very special children. Child prodigy, genius, and many other descriptions are used. We like to think of it as a gift, a blessing from our Lord and Creator. 

Whatever your personal views are, this young girl is nothing short of amazing. Her "CV" is taken from  Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, and the video below is from Intermezzo with Arik, a classical music program of the Israel Educational Television.

Do take the time to watch the video below. They begin in Hebrew with English Sub-Titles, but switch to English~Yes, she also speaks Hebrew!

Alma Elizabeth Deutscher (born 2005) is a composer, pianist and violinist who lives with her parents in Dorking, Surrey, England. Only eight years old, she has completed her first major composition, the opera The Sweeper of Dreams, which has been highly commended by the English National Opera.

Life and Work
Alma is the daughter of Janie (née Steen), an organ scholar, and Guy Deutscher, an Israeli-born linguist and amateur flautist. According to her father, she could name the notes on a piano when she was two. "For her third birthday I bought her a little violin as a toy," he explains. "She was so excited by it and tried playing on it for days on end, so we decided to try and find her a teacher. Within less than a year she was playing Handel sonatas."  At the age of six she composed her first sonata and in 2012, an opera, The Sweeper of Dreams. Alma explains: "The music comes to me when I’m relaxing. I go and sit down on a seat or lie down. I like thinking about fairies a lot, and princesses, and beautiful dresses."

Her short opera is based on the Neil Gaiman story "The Sweeper of Dreams". The text was adapted from The Calling by Elizabeth Adlington.  It was submitted to a contest run by the English National Opera but missed out on a place in the final.

Compositions
 *   Sonata in E-flat for piano by Alma Deutscher, aged 6 (composed October 2011).
 *  Andante for Violin by Alma Deutscher (aged 6).
 *   Rondino (trio) in Eb for violin, viola and piano (aged 7).
 *   The Sweeper of Dreams, an opera by Alma Deutscher, aged 7 (composed July 2012).
 *   Quartet movement in A major, aged 7 .
 *  Sonata for viola and piano in C minor (1st movement), aged 8.
 *   Quartet movement in G major, Rondo, aged 8.
 *   The Night Before Christmas, song to words by C. Moore, aged 8.
 *   Two songs from Cinderella: If I believe in love, and Reverie, aged 8.
 *   Sonata for violin and piano (1st movement), aged 8.

* You can see more of Alma's work by Googling Alma Deutscher

Alma Deutscher~Gifted Composer and Musician~Isn't Our God Wonderful!

Israel's Prime Minister Speaks on Boycotts

 Ir's a Disgrace to Have People on the Soil of Europe Boycotting the Jews~Only the Jews!

Are Christians Living in Israel Persecuted?

Listen Carefully and Pray for Israeli Christians~This is Their Truth!

Israel~Sunshine~People = A Great Video!

Living in Israel has always been a family affair. We now have children and grandchildren who have become a part of life in this incredible country.

For those of you who have never been here we can only encourage you to come and see for yourselves. We are so much more than the news of the world tells you!

The video below will give you a peek into what "everyday" Israel is like. We are proud that "our family" took part in the making of this film. 

Our oldest son, David, and his two children appear in the video, and the choreography, movement direction and casting was done by David's wife, Adi Gordon Rawlings. 

Sit back, take a few minutes and enjoy Sunshine Across Israel~The Israel we love!

* Created by Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

* Music is  Matisyahu's hit "Sunshine" from his album "Spark Seeker" (2012)

Sunshine Across Israel~Add a Bit of Sunshine To Your Day!

Weekly Torah Portion~Ki Tisa (Exodus 30:11 to 34:35)

Parashat Ki Tisa~Seeking Gd with Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger

Olympic Gold for Israeli Technology

For those following the Sochi Olympic Games, there is often a challenge with the language. Now a company in Israeli has stepped in to lend a hand.

The name of the company is One Hour Translation, and they are offering Twitter users Free Translations in Seventy Languages~within one hour~for the duration of the Sochi games.

The App was on the top five list at the Telegraph UK, and is drawing attention from many sources around the world. Arutz 7 online states:

To gain real-time translations, users simply need to tweet @OHT with an image or phrase to be translated~eg. "Where is the skating rink? English->Russian @OHT"~and the company will reply instantly with a translation from a professional translator. 

 Once again, Israel steps up to make things just a bit easier! This is Our Israel~This is What We Do!

One Brave Woman in Germany...

Many people are sold on "inter-faith" groups. On the surface it sounds like a great way to bring people together, and in many instances there have been positive results.

But~What happens when this "sharing" turns into one group trying to "take over". Sadly, in these days, the answer is "not much". All over the Middle East, Christians are persecuted by Muslims~Where is the Outcry? When Christians are discriminated against in Europe, North America or Australia~Why do people remain silent?

One woman, living in Germany decided she must take a stand! She felt that it was just wrong to have an imam give the Muslim Call to Prayer (proclaiming their god as the only true god) in a German church. When the imam began his call to prayer, this brave woman, who was seated in the balcony stood up proclaiming that “Jesus Christ alone is Lord of Germany,” and shouting, “I break this curse.” She also warned the audience that what was happening was “a lie.” Watch this brave woman and learn!

Where is the Christian World? One woman stood up for the Truth~Where Are the Rest??

One Brave German Woman Rebukes the Lie of Islam

Ilan Ramon Remembered 11 Years After His Death

This is a re-post as the original "vanished"~sorry...

On 01 February 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated on re-entry to earth~killing all seven astronauts on board. On board the shuttle was one of Israel's brightest stars, Colonel Ilan Ramon.

Israel Air Force (IAF) Colonel Ilan Ramon (20 June 1954~01 February 2003) was an engineer (electronics and computers), a pilot, a husband and father of four children. His Polish mother and grandmother were survivors of Auschwitz. 

As a combat pilot in the Israel Defense Forces, Ilan Ramon was awarded for his service in the Yom Kippur War, the 1982 Lebanon War, and was the youngest participant (flying in the last, and most dangerous position) in the 1981 raid on the Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak. He was also the only foreign recipient of the United States Congressional Space Medal of Honor, which was awarded posthumously.

When he was selected as payload specialist on the shuttle, Ilan Ramon said he considered himself to be "the representative of all Jews and Israelis". He recognized the importance of maintaining Jewish identity, cultivating unity, and remembering the history of the Jewish people, and the impact of the fact that he~the child of a Holocaust survivor~was the first Israeli astronaut.

Ramon was the first astronaut to ask for "Kosher" food for the trip and consulted a rabbi on "Observing Shabbat in Space" (the period between sunrises in orbit is only 90 minutes). The personal items he took into space were also a thoughtful reflection of his heritage, and the effect his choices might have on future generations.

 

Among the personal items that Ramon brought with him, was a miniature Torah scroll saved from the Holocaust and in a way it became his "mission within his mission".  As the shuttle passed over Israel, Ilan spoke to the Prime Minister of Israel, and displaying the tiny parchment he repeated the story of how the tiny scroll had risen “From the Depths of Hell~Rose to the Heights of Space.”

Other items included a pencil sketch from Yad Vashem, "Moon Landscape", drawn in the Terezín concentration camp by 14-year-old Petr Ginz (who later died in Auschwitz), a barbed wire Mezuzah by artist Aimee Golant commissioned by the 1939 Club~a group of Holocaust survivors and their families, a microfiche copy of the Torah given to him by the president of Israel, and a dollar of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

This movie, "Space Shuttle Columbia: Mission of Hope" follows the lives of the crew of the shuttle as they prepare for their mission, and gives a personal insight into the man who was Ilan Ramon. I strongly recommend it to everyone.

 * If you can not view the video below, do click on this link

Space Shuttle Columbia: Mission of Hope

Weekly Torah Portion~Tetzaveh (Exodus 27:20 to 30:10)

Parashat Tetzaveh~Good Habits Make Good People with Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger

She's An Arab Christian~And A Fighter in the IDF!

"I Came to Serve My Country and My Home"~Please Pray For This Brave Young Woman!