Friday, February 6, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
The Great Sanhedrin
The Great Sanhedrin
In ancient times, the court system of Israel was dominated by two forms of large courts. The smaller courts, known as “small sanhedrins,” were composed of 23 sages each and were located throughout the land of Israel. The large court, composed of 71 of the greatest sages of Israel, known as the Great Sanhedrin, served as both a judicial court and a legislative body and sat in the semi-circular "Chamber of Hewn Stones" in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
As a legislative body, the Great Sanhedrin played a critical role in interpreting Jewish law. In fact, the Torah scholarship of the 71 sages was considered so great that the members of the Great Sanhedrin were empowered to enact new laws, if necessary.
The judicial system of ancient Israel revolved around the testimony of witnesses. In order to convict a person of theft or of a physical crime, a minimum of two witnesses was necessary. To disprove his accusers, the defendant could also bring witnesses.
In capital cases, the Sanhedrin appointed different judges to investigate the evidence of both sides and report their findings to the assemblage. One interesting provision of the Sanhedrin's procedures was that if a person in a capital case was convicted unanimously, the conviction was overturned and the person was acquitted on the grounds that the defense had not been properly and thoroughly presented, as evidenced by the unanimous guilty verdict.
After the destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E., the Great Sanhedrin reconvened in Yavneh and afterwards in various cities in the Galilee, before being disbanded in 425 C.E.
In ancient times, the court system of Israel was dominated by two forms of large courts. The smaller courts, known as “small sanhedrins,” were composed of 23 sages each and were located throughout the land of Israel. The large court, composed of 71 of the greatest sages of Israel, known as the Great Sanhedrin, served as both a judicial court and a legislative body and sat in the semi-circular "Chamber of Hewn Stones" in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
As a legislative body, the Great Sanhedrin played a critical role in interpreting Jewish law. In fact, the Torah scholarship of the 71 sages was considered so great that the members of the Great Sanhedrin were empowered to enact new laws, if necessary.
The judicial system of ancient Israel revolved around the testimony of witnesses. In order to convict a person of theft or of a physical crime, a minimum of two witnesses was necessary. To disprove his accusers, the defendant could also bring witnesses.
In capital cases, the Sanhedrin appointed different judges to investigate the evidence of both sides and report their findings to the assemblage. One interesting provision of the Sanhedrin's procedures was that if a person in a capital case was convicted unanimously, the conviction was overturned and the person was acquitted on the grounds that the defense had not been properly and thoroughly presented, as evidenced by the unanimous guilty verdict.
After the destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E., the Great Sanhedrin reconvened in Yavneh and afterwards in various cities in the Galilee, before being disbanded in 425 C.E.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Ukrainian Jews honored
KIEV, Ukraine (JTA) -- The Ukrainian government cited several Jews for their "extraordinary" contributions to society.
They were among a group of Ukrainians to receive national honors Wednesday from President Victor Yuschenko on National Reunion Day in the town of Baturyn.
Among the Jews recognized were Yevgeny Chervonenko, the first deputy mayor of Kiev and a prominent Jewish leader; Yliya Levitas, the president of the Jewish Council of Ukraine and the Council of National Associations of Ukraine; and Aleksandr Feldman, the director general of the Industrial and Scientific Center Trubostal and vice president of the Jewish Council of Ukraine.
Yuschenko’s decree, dated Jan.16, said the honorees were honored for their “extraordinary contribution to consolidation of Ukrainian society, establishment and development of the democratic, social and law state on the occasion of National Reunion Day.”
Chervonenko was presented with the Order of Yaroslav the Wise, fifth degree; Levitas received the Order for Merit, first degree; Feldman received the Order for Merit, the second degree; singer Tatyana Liberman, also known as Tina Karol, received Honored Artist of Ukraine; Semyon Tzydelkovsky, director of the Chernovtzy House of Aesthetics, received the Honored Worker of Art; and Yuriy Vaysberg, a head physician of the Zhytomyr Regional Medical Center, was given the Order for Merit, third degree.
Speaking at the celebration, Yuschenko noted the contributions of the recipients.
"Each of you made in your own sphere what we can call now a unique contribution into the establishment and development of the Ukrainian independence, the strengthening of democracy and law, the development of science, culture, spirituality, strengthening of economy," he said.
They were among a group of Ukrainians to receive national honors Wednesday from President Victor Yuschenko on National Reunion Day in the town of Baturyn.
Among the Jews recognized were Yevgeny Chervonenko, the first deputy mayor of Kiev and a prominent Jewish leader; Yliya Levitas, the president of the Jewish Council of Ukraine and the Council of National Associations of Ukraine; and Aleksandr Feldman, the director general of the Industrial and Scientific Center Trubostal and vice president of the Jewish Council of Ukraine.
Yuschenko’s decree, dated Jan.16, said the honorees were honored for their “extraordinary contribution to consolidation of Ukrainian society, establishment and development of the democratic, social and law state on the occasion of National Reunion Day.”
Chervonenko was presented with the Order of Yaroslav the Wise, fifth degree; Levitas received the Order for Merit, first degree; Feldman received the Order for Merit, the second degree; singer Tatyana Liberman, also known as Tina Karol, received Honored Artist of Ukraine; Semyon Tzydelkovsky, director of the Chernovtzy House of Aesthetics, received the Honored Worker of Art; and Yuriy Vaysberg, a head physician of the Zhytomyr Regional Medical Center, was given the Order for Merit, third degree.
Speaking at the celebration, Yuschenko noted the contributions of the recipients.
"Each of you made in your own sphere what we can call now a unique contribution into the establishment and development of the Ukrainian independence, the strengthening of democracy and law, the development of science, culture, spirituality, strengthening of economy," he said.
Sixteen Jews among Chronicle of Philanthropy’s top 50 donors
Sixteen Jews among Chronicle of Philanthropy’s top 50 donors
By Jacob Berkman · February 3, 2009
The Chronicle of Philanthropy just came out with its annual list of the country’s top givers, and somewhat surprisingly found that the country’s most generous citizens gave almost double in 2008 than they did in 2007.
(You can check out the complete list here. Thank you to the Chronicle of Philanthropy for making the subscription-only story available for free to Fundermentalist readers.)
In 2008, even as the economy started to tank, those on the Chronicle’s top 50 list gave $15.5 billion, compared to $7.3 billion in 2007.
Granted, that number was bolstered by Leona Helmsley’s $5.2 billion bequest to her foundation – and only three of the top 10 givers are still living, compared with all 10 in 2007.
Those on the list said that 2009 could be tight, as they might hold back on giving for now.
"We'll all bounce back," Mr. [T. Boone] Pickens wrote, "but it's going to be tough for businesses and nonprofits for a while."
Other big donors echo that sentiment.
"2009 is going to be a year of sitting back and protecting capital," says Lorry I. Lokey (No. 37), founder of Business Wire, who in October announced a $42-million gift to a donor-advised fund at Stanford University.
The Chronicle singled out casino mogul Sheldon Adelson for having a particularly tough year.
The Birthright Israel Foundation benefited from $30-million in support from the real-estate mogul Sheldon Adelson (No. 40) last year, but because of other fund-raising losses, the New York group still must cut back on the number of young people it can send to Israel this year.
The Adelson Family Charitable Foundation, meanwhile, posted an announcement on its Web site last year that it would not accept new requests for support until June. Mr. Adelson lost an estimated $24-billion last year, according to Forbes magazine.
As usual, the top 50 list was made up of a fair number of Jews, including the top giver Helmsley and Adelson.
While last year Adelson was expected to become the Jewish commmunity’s most significant benefactor, he was only the 14th most generous Jew we found on the list.
Here are the Jewish givers that I found on the list. I’ve included their overall ranking in the top-50, as well as the amount they pledged and the amount they actually paid up in 2008.
THE PHILANTHROPY 50: AMERICA'S MOST-GENEROUS DONORS IN 2008
1) Leona M. Helmsley -- $5.2-billion (bequest) $5.2-billion
9) Michael R. Bloomberg -- $235-million $235-million
12) Helen L. Kimmel -- $156.5-million $6.5-million
15) Jeffrey S. Skoll -- $110.8-million $110.8-million
16) Stephen A. Schwarzman -- $105-million n/a
18) Eli and Edythe L. Broad -- $100-million $33.2
20) David H. Koch $100-million -- $15-million
26) Ronald O. Perelman -- $63.5-million $16-million
31) Stewart A. and Lynda R. Resnick -- $55.3-million $9.5-million
32) Donald J. and Ruth Weber Goodman -- $52.7-million (bequest) $52.7-million
33) Jerome and Anne Fisher -- $50-million n/a
34) Michael Moritz and Harriet Hayman -- $50-million n/a
37) Lorry I. Lokey -- $46.7-million $4.7-million
40) Sheldon G. and Miriam Adelson -- $41.9-million $6.9-million
42) Lawrence J. Ellison -- $40.3-million $40.3-million
48) Andrew H. and Ann Rubenstein Tisch -- $35-million
By Jacob Berkman · February 3, 2009
The Chronicle of Philanthropy just came out with its annual list of the country’s top givers, and somewhat surprisingly found that the country’s most generous citizens gave almost double in 2008 than they did in 2007.
(You can check out the complete list here. Thank you to the Chronicle of Philanthropy for making the subscription-only story available for free to Fundermentalist readers.)
In 2008, even as the economy started to tank, those on the Chronicle’s top 50 list gave $15.5 billion, compared to $7.3 billion in 2007.
Granted, that number was bolstered by Leona Helmsley’s $5.2 billion bequest to her foundation – and only three of the top 10 givers are still living, compared with all 10 in 2007.
Those on the list said that 2009 could be tight, as they might hold back on giving for now.
"We'll all bounce back," Mr. [T. Boone] Pickens wrote, "but it's going to be tough for businesses and nonprofits for a while."
Other big donors echo that sentiment.
"2009 is going to be a year of sitting back and protecting capital," says Lorry I. Lokey (No. 37), founder of Business Wire, who in October announced a $42-million gift to a donor-advised fund at Stanford University.
The Chronicle singled out casino mogul Sheldon Adelson for having a particularly tough year.
The Birthright Israel Foundation benefited from $30-million in support from the real-estate mogul Sheldon Adelson (No. 40) last year, but because of other fund-raising losses, the New York group still must cut back on the number of young people it can send to Israel this year.
The Adelson Family Charitable Foundation, meanwhile, posted an announcement on its Web site last year that it would not accept new requests for support until June. Mr. Adelson lost an estimated $24-billion last year, according to Forbes magazine.
As usual, the top 50 list was made up of a fair number of Jews, including the top giver Helmsley and Adelson.
While last year Adelson was expected to become the Jewish commmunity’s most significant benefactor, he was only the 14th most generous Jew we found on the list.
Here are the Jewish givers that I found on the list. I’ve included their overall ranking in the top-50, as well as the amount they pledged and the amount they actually paid up in 2008.
THE PHILANTHROPY 50: AMERICA'S MOST-GENEROUS DONORS IN 2008
1) Leona M. Helmsley -- $5.2-billion (bequest) $5.2-billion
9) Michael R. Bloomberg -- $235-million $235-million
12) Helen L. Kimmel -- $156.5-million $6.5-million
15) Jeffrey S. Skoll -- $110.8-million $110.8-million
16) Stephen A. Schwarzman -- $105-million n/a
18) Eli and Edythe L. Broad -- $100-million $33.2
20) David H. Koch $100-million -- $15-million
26) Ronald O. Perelman -- $63.5-million $16-million
31) Stewart A. and Lynda R. Resnick -- $55.3-million $9.5-million
32) Donald J. and Ruth Weber Goodman -- $52.7-million (bequest) $52.7-million
33) Jerome and Anne Fisher -- $50-million n/a
34) Michael Moritz and Harriet Hayman -- $50-million n/a
37) Lorry I. Lokey -- $46.7-million $4.7-million
40) Sheldon G. and Miriam Adelson -- $41.9-million $6.9-million
42) Lawrence J. Ellison -- $40.3-million $40.3-million
48) Andrew H. and Ann Rubenstein Tisch -- $35-million
Developers destroy Sholom Aleichem house in Kiev
February 2, 2009
KIEV, Ukraine (JTA) -- One of Sholom Aleichem's homes in Kiev was demolished
on the eve of the anniversary of his birth.
A building in Kiev where the famed Yiddish writer, born Solomon Rabinovich
on Feb. 18, 1859, lived in 1905 was destroyed over the weekend by the
private company KievZhytloInvestManagement, despite instructions by city
authorities to the company to suspend the demolition in order to clarify the
case.
The site is being prepared for a new hotel for the Euro-2012 soccer
tournament, according to reports.
"This is a disgraceful act to destroy that building," said Ilya Levitas, a
president of the Jewish Council of Ukraine, who addressed a petition to the
deputy prime minister of Ukraine and Kiev authorities on Jan. 21, requesting
that the city order a stop or suspension of the demolition.
"Activities of KievZhytloInvestManagement Company, that is an owner of the
building, shocked the public this past weekend," Irina Zalyuzhenkova, an
inspector for the Association for the Protection of Monuments of History and
Culture, told JTA. "In spite of city authority instructions and a visit to
the site, the company destroyed the building. They could find no other site.
"Now we can see that money is more important than the memory of a famous
Yiddish writer," added Zalyuzhenkova, a native Ukrainian who earlier had
sent a petition to city authorities.
Mikhail Kalnitzky, a historian of Kiev, said Sholom Aleichem lived at 35
Bolshaya Vasylkivska St., apartment 1 in Kiev.
"The local authorities' fault is that they didn't put the building on the
register list of state or municipal monuments of architecture," he said.
"That is why the private company is destroying the building."
Evgeny Chervonenko, a first deputy of the Kiev mayor and a prominent Jewish
leader, told JTA that the Kiev authority will establish a committee to
clarify the case properly.
KIEV, Ukraine (JTA) -- One of Sholom Aleichem's homes in Kiev was demolished
on the eve of the anniversary of his birth.
A building in Kiev where the famed Yiddish writer, born Solomon Rabinovich
on Feb. 18, 1859, lived in 1905 was destroyed over the weekend by the
private company KievZhytloInvestManagement, despite instructions by city
authorities to the company to suspend the demolition in order to clarify the
case.
The site is being prepared for a new hotel for the Euro-2012 soccer
tournament, according to reports.
"This is a disgraceful act to destroy that building," said Ilya Levitas, a
president of the Jewish Council of Ukraine, who addressed a petition to the
deputy prime minister of Ukraine and Kiev authorities on Jan. 21, requesting
that the city order a stop or suspension of the demolition.
"Activities of KievZhytloInvestManagement Company, that is an owner of the
building, shocked the public this past weekend," Irina Zalyuzhenkova, an
inspector for the Association for the Protection of Monuments of History and
Culture, told JTA. "In spite of city authority instructions and a visit to
the site, the company destroyed the building. They could find no other site.
"Now we can see that money is more important than the memory of a famous
Yiddish writer," added Zalyuzhenkova, a native Ukrainian who earlier had
sent a petition to city authorities.
Mikhail Kalnitzky, a historian of Kiev, said Sholom Aleichem lived at 35
Bolshaya Vasylkivska St., apartment 1 in Kiev.
"The local authorities' fault is that they didn't put the building on the
register list of state or municipal monuments of architecture," he said.
"That is why the private company is destroying the building."
Evgeny Chervonenko, a first deputy of the Kiev mayor and a prominent Jewish
leader, told JTA that the Kiev authority will establish a committee to
clarify the case properly.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
What Happens to Enemies of Israel
http://plancksconstant.org/blog1/2009/01/what_happens_to_enemies_of_israel.html
In response to my article Hamas Military Handbook, reader Amr commented: "Armies can be built, arms can be bought, soldiers can be trained, imagine the will of 1.5 Billion people if we had the right leadership, and if big states and empires were removed or collapsed . . what make you think that the so called Israel is eternal?"
My dear sweet, misinformed Amr, I am not the only one who thinks Israel is eternal, so does one of the greatest writers in history - from the book Beyond a Reasonable Doubt by Shmuel Waldman, quoting Leo Nikolaivitch Tolstoy who wrote this in 1908:
Page 146
"The Jew is the emblem of eternity. He who neither slaughter nor torture of thousands of years could destroy, he who neither fire, nor sword, nor Inquisition was able to wipe off the face of the earth. He who was the first to produce the Oracles of God. He who has been for so long the Guardian of Prophecy and has transmitted it to the rest of the world. Such a nation cannot be destroyed. The Jew is as everlasting as Eternity itself."
How about Blaise Pascal, French mathematician, physicist, and religious philosopher and one of the greatest minds in history:
AISH, Crash Course in Jewish History Part 4
In the 17th century when Blaise Pascal, the great French enlightenment philosopher, was asked by Louis XIV for proof of the supernatural, he answered, "The Jewish people, your Majesty."
Why? Because he knew Jewish history and he realized that for the Jewish people to survive to the 17th century, violated all the laws of history. Can you imagine what he'd say seeing the Jews made it to the 20th century?! Jewish history is a supernatural phenomenon.
And this from Mark Twain:
Wikiquotes, Jewish quotes
"...If statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous dim puff of stardust lost in the blaze of the Milky way. properly, the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his commercial importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk. His contributions to the world's list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine, and abstruse learning are also away out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers. He has made a marvelous fight in this world, in all the ages; and had done it with his hands tied behind him. He could be vain of himself, and be excused for it.
The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed; and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other people have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished. The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?"
- Mark Twain ("Concerning The Jews," Harper's Magazine, 1899, see The Complete Essays of Mark Twain, Doubleday [1963] pg. 249)
Mark Twain was on the right track: all other empires have disappeared but the Jew is with us forever. I'd like to expand on his theme a bit more: here are nations that warred against the Jews with the most powerful armies of the known world at the time and what happened to them:
* The Egyptian Empire - gone.
* The Amalekites - gone.
* The Assyrian Empire - gone.
* The Hittite Empire - gone.
* The Chaldean Empire - gone.
* The Philistines - gone.
* The Babylonian Empire - gone.
* The Persian Empire - gone.
* The Greek Empire - gone.
* The Roman Empire - gone.
* The Byzantine Empire - gone.
* The Ottoman Turkish Empire - gone.
* The Soviet Empire - gone.
* The Nazi Empire - gone.
There is something to learn from this list, Amr - and that is: anyone who has ever even looked funny at Jews has disappeared from the face of the Earth. There is a lesson there for Hamas and Hezbollah and Iran and other enemies of Jews everywhere. Take heed or disappear from the face of the Earth. Muslims may be one-fourth of mankind now but they rule over very weak and small kingdoms. Previous empires that ruled more than half the globe and a hundred times mightier than Islam have all disappeared - their only crime - hating the Jews. So pardon me Amr, if I laugh at your 1.5 billion pipsqueak Muslims whose total gross domestic product among the 57 Islamic nations (including Russia) combined is barely more than half of the GDP of the United States (1). All the Muslims in the world combined do not amount to even one great power so I doubt that America will collapse from force of Islamic arms. The only way for Islam to conquer America is through immigration. Now you know why I do not worry about Islamic terrorists but do fear moderate Muslims.
That Jews have outlived all their enemies seems nothing short of a miracle.
Deut. 30:3-5
"And the Lord, your God, shall return you from your captivity, and have compassion upon you. He shall return and gather you from amongst all the nations. And the Lord, your God will bring you back into the land your fathers inherited. He will make you even more prosperous and numerous than your fathers".
Sigmund, Carl and Alfred, Jews, Christians, Muslims And Time.
For the Jews, empire was never a defining characteristic. Jews did not need a homeland or any specific piece of geography to be identified as Jews or possessing a culture. In fact, Jews had many diverse cultures defined by geographical location. There were Ashkenazi Jews, Sephardic Jews, Mizrahi Jews and derivatives thereof. What tied these disparate groups together were values. Geography played no role in their identity, save for the desire to someday return to Zion. The idea of time was important in that it was in how we spent time relating to each other in the here and now and in reinforcing community values.
Nations that were to embrace democracy and allow for religious freedom saw no need for empire. Those nations came to understand that relationships with other democracies were far more advantageous than relationships defined by colonial rule. Social, economic and political alliances forged with shared values are more enduring and productive than forced social, economic and political alliances. Time was to be used to improve the lives of all, in the here and now.
In much of the Arab and Islamic world, how time and empire are defined account for much of their failure as nation states. It must also be said that these definitions have been authored by dysfunctional leaders driven by corruption, for whom Islam is no more than a tool to be employed as a hammer.
In response to my article Hamas Military Handbook, reader Amr commented: "Armies can be built, arms can be bought, soldiers can be trained, imagine the will of 1.5 Billion people if we had the right leadership, and if big states and empires were removed or collapsed . . what make you think that the so called Israel is eternal?"
My dear sweet, misinformed Amr, I am not the only one who thinks Israel is eternal, so does one of the greatest writers in history - from the book Beyond a Reasonable Doubt by Shmuel Waldman, quoting Leo Nikolaivitch Tolstoy who wrote this in 1908:
Page 146
"The Jew is the emblem of eternity. He who neither slaughter nor torture of thousands of years could destroy, he who neither fire, nor sword, nor Inquisition was able to wipe off the face of the earth. He who was the first to produce the Oracles of God. He who has been for so long the Guardian of Prophecy and has transmitted it to the rest of the world. Such a nation cannot be destroyed. The Jew is as everlasting as Eternity itself."
How about Blaise Pascal, French mathematician, physicist, and religious philosopher and one of the greatest minds in history:
AISH, Crash Course in Jewish History Part 4
In the 17th century when Blaise Pascal, the great French enlightenment philosopher, was asked by Louis XIV for proof of the supernatural, he answered, "The Jewish people, your Majesty."
Why? Because he knew Jewish history and he realized that for the Jewish people to survive to the 17th century, violated all the laws of history. Can you imagine what he'd say seeing the Jews made it to the 20th century?! Jewish history is a supernatural phenomenon.
And this from Mark Twain:
Wikiquotes, Jewish quotes
"...If statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous dim puff of stardust lost in the blaze of the Milky way. properly, the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his commercial importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk. His contributions to the world's list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine, and abstruse learning are also away out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers. He has made a marvelous fight in this world, in all the ages; and had done it with his hands tied behind him. He could be vain of himself, and be excused for it.
The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed; and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other people have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished. The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?"
- Mark Twain ("Concerning The Jews," Harper's Magazine, 1899, see The Complete Essays of Mark Twain, Doubleday [1963] pg. 249)
Mark Twain was on the right track: all other empires have disappeared but the Jew is with us forever. I'd like to expand on his theme a bit more: here are nations that warred against the Jews with the most powerful armies of the known world at the time and what happened to them:
* The Egyptian Empire - gone.
* The Amalekites - gone.
* The Assyrian Empire - gone.
* The Hittite Empire - gone.
* The Chaldean Empire - gone.
* The Philistines - gone.
* The Babylonian Empire - gone.
* The Persian Empire - gone.
* The Greek Empire - gone.
* The Roman Empire - gone.
* The Byzantine Empire - gone.
* The Ottoman Turkish Empire - gone.
* The Soviet Empire - gone.
* The Nazi Empire - gone.
There is something to learn from this list, Amr - and that is: anyone who has ever even looked funny at Jews has disappeared from the face of the Earth. There is a lesson there for Hamas and Hezbollah and Iran and other enemies of Jews everywhere. Take heed or disappear from the face of the Earth. Muslims may be one-fourth of mankind now but they rule over very weak and small kingdoms. Previous empires that ruled more than half the globe and a hundred times mightier than Islam have all disappeared - their only crime - hating the Jews. So pardon me Amr, if I laugh at your 1.5 billion pipsqueak Muslims whose total gross domestic product among the 57 Islamic nations (including Russia) combined is barely more than half of the GDP of the United States (1). All the Muslims in the world combined do not amount to even one great power so I doubt that America will collapse from force of Islamic arms. The only way for Islam to conquer America is through immigration. Now you know why I do not worry about Islamic terrorists but do fear moderate Muslims.
That Jews have outlived all their enemies seems nothing short of a miracle.
Deut. 30:3-5
"And the Lord, your God, shall return you from your captivity, and have compassion upon you. He shall return and gather you from amongst all the nations. And the Lord, your God will bring you back into the land your fathers inherited. He will make you even more prosperous and numerous than your fathers".
Sigmund, Carl and Alfred, Jews, Christians, Muslims And Time.
For the Jews, empire was never a defining characteristic. Jews did not need a homeland or any specific piece of geography to be identified as Jews or possessing a culture. In fact, Jews had many diverse cultures defined by geographical location. There were Ashkenazi Jews, Sephardic Jews, Mizrahi Jews and derivatives thereof. What tied these disparate groups together were values. Geography played no role in their identity, save for the desire to someday return to Zion. The idea of time was important in that it was in how we spent time relating to each other in the here and now and in reinforcing community values.
Nations that were to embrace democracy and allow for religious freedom saw no need for empire. Those nations came to understand that relationships with other democracies were far more advantageous than relationships defined by colonial rule. Social, economic and political alliances forged with shared values are more enduring and productive than forced social, economic and political alliances. Time was to be used to improve the lives of all, in the here and now.
In much of the Arab and Islamic world, how time and empire are defined account for much of their failure as nation states. It must also be said that these definitions have been authored by dysfunctional leaders driven by corruption, for whom Islam is no more than a tool to be employed as a hammer.
Monday, February 2, 2009
For such a small country, Israel is doing amazing things in the world of science
New Developments In Israeli Research
by Amy Spiro
Editorial Intern
• Researchers at Hebrew University and the University of California, Berkeley have developed a process to transmit medical images via cellular phones. This development has the potential to allow for sophisticated radiological diagnoses and treatments to the three-quarters of the world’s population that has no access to ultrasounds, X-rays, MRIs and other medical imaging technology. The technology allows smaller, more streamlined data acquisition machines to be used in Third-World countries; the information is then transmitted elsewhere and an image is received back, thus reducing the cost and widening the accessibility of medical imaging.
• Man’s best friend may be more than just a loyal companion, according to a study by Dr. Michael Balaish of Israel’s Agriculture Ministry. The study revealed that in homes
that had dogs, children maintained lower blood pressure than in homes without them. Previous studies expressed this link in adults, but this was the first time the effect was tracked among children. The study was conducted in cooperation with the Gertner Institute for Epidemiology, the children’s ward at the Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
• New research at the University of Haifa could one day help develop medications and treatments to slow the memory loss of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients. A research team led by Professor Kobi Rosenblum was able to identify a specific protein that is essential in the transformation of short-term memories into long term ones.
• Brushing your teeth may actually provide more benefits than just removing plaque, according to a new study from Tel Aviv University. Brushing three times a day can cut the risk of developing hospital-borne pneumonia, a lung infection that develops in about 15 percent of people who are ventilated. Contamination can occur two to three days after the tube is removed, but having the teeth of patients brushed three times a day can reduce the risk of pneumonia by as much as 50 percent.
• We may be feeling the benefits of robots in our daily lives sooner than we think, courtesy of the new Autonomous Systems Center at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. The Center, which is one of only five in the world, includes performance-enhanced unmanned aerial vehicles, swimming medical micro-robots that can travel through the human body, unmanned submarine, land-based, and space exploration, environmental disaster cleanup operations, weapons and explosive detectors and a wealth of other implementations that will drive progress in defense, medicine, and industry.
• Soot, long assumed to have a cooling effect on the climate, could actually be doing the opposite, according to scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science, the University of Maryland and NASA. Airbone particles of soot rise into the atmosphere and may actually either heat or cool the clouds depending on the reaction that takes place. Dr. Ilan Koren and Hila Afargan of the Weizmann Institute have developed an analytical model that shows when each occurrence takes place and how we can predict it. This research may be crucial in further studies of global warming and its effects.
• Nano-sized “bullets” that seek out cancerous cells, non-toxic rechargeable batteries, conversion of light into consumable energy and anti-bacterial bandages and hospital clothing are among the innovations to be pursued at Israel’s largest nanotechnology complex opening in the spring at Bar-Ilan University. It is to house 40 laboratories and more than 250 chemists, biologists, physicists and engineers.
• Renewable fuels may be just around the corner, if Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has its way. The university just signed a multi-year and multimillion dollar deal with Primafuel Inc., to focus on developing renewable fuels from algae.
by Amy Spiro
Editorial Intern
• Researchers at Hebrew University and the University of California, Berkeley have developed a process to transmit medical images via cellular phones. This development has the potential to allow for sophisticated radiological diagnoses and treatments to the three-quarters of the world’s population that has no access to ultrasounds, X-rays, MRIs and other medical imaging technology. The technology allows smaller, more streamlined data acquisition machines to be used in Third-World countries; the information is then transmitted elsewhere and an image is received back, thus reducing the cost and widening the accessibility of medical imaging.
• Man’s best friend may be more than just a loyal companion, according to a study by Dr. Michael Balaish of Israel’s Agriculture Ministry. The study revealed that in homes
that had dogs, children maintained lower blood pressure than in homes without them. Previous studies expressed this link in adults, but this was the first time the effect was tracked among children. The study was conducted in cooperation with the Gertner Institute for Epidemiology, the children’s ward at the Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
• New research at the University of Haifa could one day help develop medications and treatments to slow the memory loss of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients. A research team led by Professor Kobi Rosenblum was able to identify a specific protein that is essential in the transformation of short-term memories into long term ones.
• Brushing your teeth may actually provide more benefits than just removing plaque, according to a new study from Tel Aviv University. Brushing three times a day can cut the risk of developing hospital-borne pneumonia, a lung infection that develops in about 15 percent of people who are ventilated. Contamination can occur two to three days after the tube is removed, but having the teeth of patients brushed three times a day can reduce the risk of pneumonia by as much as 50 percent.
• We may be feeling the benefits of robots in our daily lives sooner than we think, courtesy of the new Autonomous Systems Center at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. The Center, which is one of only five in the world, includes performance-enhanced unmanned aerial vehicles, swimming medical micro-robots that can travel through the human body, unmanned submarine, land-based, and space exploration, environmental disaster cleanup operations, weapons and explosive detectors and a wealth of other implementations that will drive progress in defense, medicine, and industry.
• Soot, long assumed to have a cooling effect on the climate, could actually be doing the opposite, according to scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science, the University of Maryland and NASA. Airbone particles of soot rise into the atmosphere and may actually either heat or cool the clouds depending on the reaction that takes place. Dr. Ilan Koren and Hila Afargan of the Weizmann Institute have developed an analytical model that shows when each occurrence takes place and how we can predict it. This research may be crucial in further studies of global warming and its effects.
• Nano-sized “bullets” that seek out cancerous cells, non-toxic rechargeable batteries, conversion of light into consumable energy and anti-bacterial bandages and hospital clothing are among the innovations to be pursued at Israel’s largest nanotechnology complex opening in the spring at Bar-Ilan University. It is to house 40 laboratories and more than 250 chemists, biologists, physicists and engineers.
• Renewable fuels may be just around the corner, if Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has its way. The university just signed a multi-year and multimillion dollar deal with Primafuel Inc., to focus on developing renewable fuels from algae.
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