MAH HADASH

We Are Back-2014

2014-01-26T15:32:00.000-08:00

Hi Everybody!

We have been really bad keeping you updated on all the new stuff going on! But don't worry we are coming back with event news, stories, pictures, and much more.
NOW, we are happy to introduce a new link to our blog called Special Posts In Russian, here you will be able to read and reflect on amazing and deep poems as well as short stories written in Russian!
Please continue checking Mah Hadash Periodically for special news, events, and more!

We Thank you for Reading Us!
~Mah Hadash Staff

АГНИ ЙОГА. НАЧАЛО.

2014-01-26T14:47:00.006-08:00

Коль научился радоваться жизни,
Вдыхая сладкий аромат цветов,
Не сетуя на горе и болезни,
Тревоги,и потери от врагов.

Здесь мудрость вечной жизни скрыта
В уменьи каждый миг ценить.
Всем что сейчас-- ты насладись открыто,
А отдавая ведь прекрасно жить.
Наступит миг когда всё это,
Предстанет в качестве ином.
Спадёт весь хлам земного света,
И Суть проявится во всём.

Быть одиноким в духе вечном,
Светить другим из темноты,
Вот плата в мире быстротечном-
Дели ответственность и ты.

Быть в гуще всех времён и обстоятельств
Найти себя в отдельном миге дня.
Прими же всё как должное приятель.
Буть светочем, магнитом, мир ценя.

Неси свой крест смиренно и свободно,
Не требуя взамен- дари любовь ,
Не видеть в этом счастье невозможно,
Коль выбор сделан значит -ты готов.

Ум светел , сердце пламенем объято-
Непонимание -со всех сторон.
Бур, режащий породу безвозвратно,
Скалы сопротивленьем сокрушён.

Чему грозит опасность, непременно
Противиться всегда и здесь, и там.
Подобен глыбе твердой , несогбенной-
Всё отрицающий, неверящий словам.

Неверящих не убеждай напрасно.
Ведь каждый должен сам пройти свой путь.
Дорогу слово, пробивая страстно,
Отыщет там Божественную суть.

И строго не судите неготовых,
Пусть те, кто не воспринял, отойдут.
Стену неверия пробьём мы снова–
Поможем каждому найти свой путь.

Не надо морщиться заметив повторенья,
Ведь это ключ к запоминанию идей.
Кто ждёт сенсации- далёк тот от ученья,
Буть терпелив и стоек , твёрд и смел.

Расширенным Сознанием внедряясь,
Вы, как сверлом, в суть тайны бытия,
Чтобы постичь всё сущее, стараясь
Взмыть до высот и распознать себя.

By: Igor Balzak

Не печалься

2014-01-26T14:32:00.001-08:00

Нет у нас ни рода ни племени,
Словно листья забытые осенью,
Мы с тобой, как два поколения,
Потерялись во времени с проседью.

Не суди - ведь неведомы тропы,
Ни тебе, ни даже Каинам.
Знать зачем-то раставлены стропы,
Чтоб в узде удержать неприкаянных.

Так зачем нам всё это надобно,
Так куда мы стремимся суетно,
Видно всё перепишет набело,
Время новое и рассудит нас.

Не печалься о том , что пройдено,
Не жалей об ушедшем времени,
Лишь одна у нас, у всех Родина,
Мы плоды с тобой её семени.

By: Igor Balzak

21 Июля, 2002

ПРИТЧА про ЛИСИЦУ

2014-01-26T14:20:00.004-08:00

Лисица потеряла хвост

В какой-то западне.

Решила так, что выход прост,

Чем жить с позором и на дне.

И чтобы скрыть увечье поскорей,

Ей нужно убедить других зверей

Что лучше так: нарядней, красивей

Жить без хвоста гораздо удобней.

Собрав вокруг себя зверей

Патаясь так и сяк подолгу,

Мол надобности нет в нем . хоть убей

И что с него нет никакого толку.

Мол мода там в иных краях,

Где лисы не хвостом виляют.

А ходят в шубах, в соболях

Друг перед другом щеголяют.

Но вышла вдруг одна лисица

Сказала смело ей в ответ

«Не будь здесь выгода, сестрица,

Ты б не дала такой совет».

By: Igor Balzak

Февраль 2002

My Jerusalem-In Russian

2014-01-25T17:24:00.001-08:00

Я видел мой Йерусалим

Наверное во сне иль наяву

Там Б-г конечно же ходил

Ступал стопами на траву

Он предложил любовь опять

Вернуть нам вместо злата

А люди не смогли понять

И выбрали плоды разврата

Он создал небо, звёзды и миры

И землю и зверей, моря и горы

И человек был создан с той поры

Когда рождались все просторы

А мы не приняли как есть

Предав и веру под сомненье

...........

By: Igor Balzak

декабрь 1996

2012-08-06T18:06:00.000-07:00

A grandiose experience:

Attending the Siyum Hashas
By Sergey Kadinsky

I am often asked about my personal path towards observance. When did it begin and what circumstances inspired it? Where do I see myself on the Orthodox spectrum? With ahavat Yisrael in mind, I feel as comfortable at a Drisha lecture filled with Orthodox feminists as I have at a Kuf Alef Kislev celebration in the heart of Williamsburg where Satmar hasidim commemorate their late rebbe’s liberation from a Nazi death camp.

Since moving to Kew Gardens Hills in January, I have committed to growing in my observance by attending shul daily and attending a shiur whenever possible. With so many opportunities to learn Torah in my neighborhood, that there are simply no excuses. In those early days, my close friend Yitzi Borenstein introduced me to the Talmud Bavli, a page with a paragraph of Aramaic wrapped in commentaries by Rashi, with the Mesorah, cross-references and notes from the Tosafot generation of medieval commentators. Feeling overwhelmed by the text, I politely deferred, focusing at the time on my professional and personal goals.

A couple of months later, tickets for the Siyum Hashas were being sold at Kehilas Ishei Yisrael, a congregation of mostly singles and young couples, where my friend Josh Goldsmith encouraged me. “You don’t need to be a Shas Yid to attend, go and get inspired.” I bought the ticket not knowing when I would begin formal learning, how much I would be able to cover and ultimately, the importance of the Oral Law.

I sought a non-judgmental learning setting and found it this past Shavuot at the home of Brooklyn couple Rena and Mark Goldstein. With their three sons Sam, Ben and Josh, we studied Tractate Middot overnight in the basement of Young Israel of Flatbush, returning for lunch to honor Rav Papa and his ten sons, who always threw a banquet upon the completion of a tractate. I am the first person in my family in at least four generations to complete a tractate and the lunch served by the Goldsteins was as much a tribute to Matan Torah as to my historic moment.

In Woodmere, there is a resident who personifies ahavat Yisrael through his philanthropy, volunteering and lecturing before thousands of people. And while Charlie Harary’s upbringing had more observance than mine, he also wondered about the importance of the Oral Law. Harary spoke to a group of mostly Russian-speaking baalei teshuva attendees at the Meadowlands Crowne Plaza ahead of the Siyum.

“Why does it have to be complicated? I finally got the answer I loved in law school,” Harary said. Growing up with legal shows such as Law and Order, Harary did not expect his education to be a thorough review of case law. “I wanted to see laws, but I was getting case after case, page after page and reading the testimony from the losing team. So I went to the dean.”

David W. Leebron, his dean at Columbia Law School, informed Harary that anyone could purchase a book of laws and quote them, but a law school’s purpose is to apply the statutes to specific situations. “Like a robot you can try to apply it. You’re paying us to understand the greatest minds of all time, how cases were lost on a point, how the law evolved, the principles behind the law and how to bring the law to the next phase,” Leebron told Harary, who then understood that the Talmud works in a similar fashion, with centuries of commentaries and specific examples that tested the application of biblical laws.

Harary said that the vagueness of many biblical laws was intentional and G-d wants the Jewish people to debate and struggle over their meaning rather than robotically following them. “Talk about it and struggle over it. It was lively and real.”

In the roughly 1,400 years between the codification of the Talmud and the historic 1923 Agudath Israel convention, the Oral Law was studied by only a few dedicated scholars, without a set schedule. That was when Rabbi Meir Shapiro, a relatively young member of the Agudah’s Council of Torah Sages and head of the Yeshiva Chachmei Lublin, proposed a ritualized study cycle for the Talmud. Daf Yomi- a page a day. In total, 2,711 total in a seven and a half year cycle. The Chofetz Chaim, the Gerrer Rebbe and Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, who were the leading European Torah scholars at the time, enthusiastically received the idea.

Surviving the devastation of the holocaust, each siyum has grown in attendance and venue, with the Met Life Stadium at the Meadowlands counting a sold-out crowd of 92,000 that included a wide spectrum of Orthodox Jews including a women’s section in the top section. All around the Meadowlands, traffic was choked, even by New Jersey standards. The $1.6 billion arena, still widely called Giants Stadium or Meadowlands by many attendees, opened in 2010 and in contrast to the traffic jams, has a very spacious feel, with every seat providing a sense of closeness to the field and an unexpected cleanliness. It felt very ironic to host a Torah convention in an arena better known for the Giants and Jets of football, Bon Jovi and Monster Jam.

The event was a mix of masterfully produced tribute videos and speeches by leading rabbinic figures. Alongside a tribute to Rabbi Shapiro was one for Jerome Schottenstein, namesake of the 38-volume Artscroll Talmud Bavli, launched in 2005 that has enabled readers who do not possess a command of Aramaic or Hebrew to learn in English.

Not having a command of Yiddish either, I struggled to comprehend Agudah chair Rabbi Yaakov Perlow, and Rabbi Aryeh Malkiel Kotler, who spoke in length before concluded the last passages of Tractate Niddah. As thousands of attendees dialed the phone number for a live translation of the speeches, I paused to appreciate the event, knowing that as I grow in my study of Torah law, I can always find myself on the same page as nearly 100,000 fellow Jews. No matter what type of hat or kippa we wear, we can always catch up to the Daf and find ourselves in the company of great scholars and commoners alike, examining insights on the Torah and with enough perspective, adding in our own two cents.

Switching to English, Rabbi Perlow used analogies to describe Daf Yomi. “Learning Torah is nutrition for the Jewish soul. The world does not understand us. When all the empires of the past have perished, the Torah will not be forgotten,” Rabbi Perlow said. “It is the secret ingredient, the only ingredient that makes Jewish continuity possible.”

DECEMBER ISSUE

2011-12-10T19:01:00.000-08:00

METAL IMPORT FROM ISRAEL

STAR FLAG

DATING?!

ALL ABOUT CHANUKAH

10 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT MEN & WOMEN

check out our new site: blahspot.com

Men & Women Want to Know!!!

2011-12-10T18:46:00.000-08:00

Aish.com

by Rabbi Dan Silverman
Ladies, it's not complicated. And guys feel free to add your additional points in the comment sections below.

1) Just like women, we need love. Even though women have the reputation of being more emotionally needy, we find ourselves longing for those words. Please say them often.

2) Additionally we crave respect and approval. Show us admiration and your wish will be our command. Nag us or attack us and we will retreat to our caves.

3) We are not mind readers. We can’t anticipate your needs and desires. Tell us what you want. Help us out. We want to give to you but you need to tell us how. Don’t be coy; be straight. The proof of our love is not in our clairvoyance but in our response to your clearly expressed wishes.

4) We respect what a good mother you are and how much you do for the community, but we do not want to be at the bottom of your to-do list. We want to feel like we are the most important person in your life. (Would you mind getting off the phone when we walk in the door?)

5) Our desire for physical intimacy is not some trivial biological need that we should just suppress until the kids are older. It is an expression of our desire for a deep and profound connection with you. When you rebuff it, it is hurtful and we feel rejected. Imagine if we are always too tired to talk to you…

6) Our jobs are important to us – for our self-worth, for a feeling of accomplishment, and because we want to provide for our families. Please try to understand that we work hard and are actually not on the golf course all day.

7) You seem to think we’re incompetent but we are actually capable of watching our children – and even doing a good job of it! If you want to have a break and get out of the house, please go – and trust us.

8) We are not another one of your children. Please don’t speak of us that way (we don’t think it’s cute) when talking with your friends, and please don’t treat us that way. It diminishes us and you.

9) We really wish we could give you all the material possessions your heart desires. It is painful to us that we can’t. Please don’t increase the pressure by constantly criticizing us about it.

10) We are simple creatures with simple needs. We don’t require elaborate dinners on fancy china. We just want the comfort of a warm home and the love of a good woman.

********************************************
TEN THINGS WOMEN WISH MEN KNEW!!!

by Emuna Braverman via aish.com

What, you say: Only 10?! Yes there are more. This is just a starting point. Add your additional points in the comment section below.

1) We want you to tell us you love us. Yes, we need to hear the actual words. We do not want to be like poor Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, begging his wife of 25 years to answer the question, “Do you love me?” We want you to tell us. Frequently.

2) And we want you to match your actions to your words. (Yes, we’re very demanding!) If you tell us you love us and then proceed to ignore all of our requests, needs and desires, your declaration will ring false. Not sure how? Ask us. We have a list.

3) We want to be more important than your job. We appreciate your (our) need for the fulfillment of your career ambitions but we want to feel like we are your first priority. This is usually manifested by calling during the day to check in, taking our calls and sounding like you are really interested in speaking to us, and treating us (at least) as nicely and with as much respect and sense of importance as you do your top client.

4) Time with you is much more valuable to us than more money. Yes, we appreciate the nice possessions but we’d rather go for a walk with you or spend a quiet evening together than receive a gift. Material goods do not and cannot compensate for not seeing you.

5) A few words of appreciation go a long way. “Thanks for dinner. It was delicious. I really liked the flavor” is certainly encouraging. Everyone wants to feel that their efforts are noticed and not taken for granted. Or: “I know you are also busy; thanks for going to the cleaners.” You get the picture.

6) Although you never get pregnant, our children are a shared responsibility. It is not “no big
deal” (your words) when I take care of them, nor is it “an extraordinary act of kindness” (your implied words) when you do. (Along these same lines, I’ve noticed that when I go out of town you are flooded with meals and offers of help; yet when you go out of town, no one offers anything….) We are on this journey together and we are both responsible for our family.

7) We do not grow and change through criticism (do you?). You may have convinced yourself that you are only telling us for our own good but 1) you’re wrong because it’s hurtful and ineffective and 2) you’re probably doing it to make your life easier. Like children (and plants) we grow best when nourished, nurtured and loved.

8) Just because we are capable doesn’t mean we want to do everything ourselves. Changing a light bulb or taking out the garbage are not uniquely male pursuits or skills. I am certainly capable of both (this is not a source of great pride) and frequently engage in these activities. But we want you to relieve our burden, to take care of us – in all respects. We feel emotionally tended to when you take over some of these responsibilities, mundane and otherwise.

9) Clothing costs a lot more than you realize! I’m only partially being tongue-in-cheek here. Especially for newly married men who have never walked through the women’s section of a department store, the prices of basic shoes, dresses and skirts may seem absurd. They probably are. But you need to be sensitive to our needs and to what a realistic (considering many factors) expenditure will be. This experience will stand you in good stead should you ever be the parent of teenage girls!

10) Do not ever comment on our weight except to say how thin and beautiful we look.

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The Story of Chanukkah

2011-12-10T18:38:00.000-08:00

The story of Chanukkah begins in the reign of Alexander the Great. Alexander conquered Syria, Egypt and Palestine, but allowed the lands under his control to continue observing their own religions and retain a certain degree of autonomy.
Under this relatively benevolent rule, many Jews assimilated much of Hellenistic culture, adopting the language, the customs and the dress of the Greeks, in much the same way that Jews in America today blend into the secular American society.

More than a century later, a successor of Alexander, Antiochus IV was in control of the region. He began to oppress the Jews severely, placing a Hellenistic priest in the Temple, massacring Jews, prohibiting the practice of the Jewish religion, and desecrating the Temple by requiring the sacrifice of pigs (a non-kosher animal) on the altar.

Two groups opposed Antiochus: a basically nationalistic group led by Mattathias the Hasmonean and his son Judah Maccabee, and a religious traditionalist group known as the Chasidim, the forerunners of the Pharisees (no direct connection to the modern movement known as Chasidism). They joined forces in a revolt against both the assimilation of the Hellenistic Jews and oppression by the Seleucid Greek government. The revolution succeeded and the Temple was rededicated.

According to tradition as recorded in the Talmud, at the time of the rededication, there was very little oil left that had not been defiled by the Greeks. Oil was needed for the menorah (candelabrum) in the Temple, which was supposed to burn throughout the night every night. There was only enough oil to burn for one day, yet miraculously, it burned for eight days, the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of oil for the menorah. An eight day festival was declared to commemorate this miracle. Note that the holiday commemorates the miracle of the oil, not the military victory: Jews do not glorify war.
*******************************************************************************
Chanukkah, the Jewish festival of rededication, also known as the festival of lights, is an eight day festival beginning on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev.

Chanukkah is probably one of the best known Jewish holidays, not because of any great religious significance, but because of its proximity to Christmas. Many non-Jews (and even many assimilated Jews!) think of this holiday as the Jewish Christmas, adopting many of the Christmas customs, such as elaborate gift-giving and decoration. It is bitterly ironic that this holiday, which has its roots in a revolution against assimilation and the suppression of Jewish religion, has become the most assimilated, secular holiday on our calendar.

Traditions

Our rabbis taught the rule of Chanukkah: ... on the first day one [candle] is lit and thereafter they are progressively increased ... [because] we increase in sanctity but do not reduce. -Shabbat 21b, Babylonian Talmud

Chanukkah is not a very important religious holiday. The holiday's religious significance is far less than that of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Passover, and Shavu'ot. It is roughly equivalent to Purim in significance, and you won't find many non-Jews who have even heard of Purim! Chanukkah is not mentioned in Jewish scripture; the story is related in the book of Maccabees, which Jews do not accept as scripture.

The only religious observance related to the holiday is the lighting of candles. The candles are arranged in a candelabrum called a menorah (or sometimes called a chanukkiah) that holds nine candles: one for each night, plus a shammus (servant) at a different height.

On the first night, one candle is placed at the far right. The shammus candle is lit and three berakhot(blessings) are recited: l'hadlik neir (a general prayer over candles), she-asah nisim (a prayer thanking G-d for performing miracles for our ancestors at this time), and she-hekhianu (a general prayer thanking G-d for allowing us to reach this time of year). See Chanukkah Candle Lighting Blessings for the full text of these blessings.

After reciting the blessings, the first candle is then lit using the shammus candle, and the shammus candle is placed in its holder. Candles can be lit any time after dark but before midnight. The candles are normally allowed to burn out on their own after a minimum of 1/2 hour, but if necessary they can be blown out at any time after that 1/2 hour.

On Shabbat, Chanukkah candles are normally lit before the Shabbat candles, but may be lit any time before candlelighting time (18 minutes before sunset). Candles cannot be blown out on Shabbat (it's a violation of the sabbath rule against igniting or extinguishing a flame). Because the Chanukkah candles must remain burning until a minimum of 1/2 hour after dark (about 90 minutes total burning time on Shabbat), some Chanukkah candles won't get the job done.

On one of the earlier nights, you might want to make sure your candles last long enough. If they don't, you might want to use something else for Chanukkah on Shabbat, such as tea lights or even Shabbat candles.

Each night, another candle is added from right to left (like the Hebrew language). Candles are lit from left to right (because you pay honor to the newer thing first). On the eighth night, all nine candles (the 8 Chanukkah candles and the shammus) are lit. See animation at right for the candlelighting procedure. On nights after the first, only the first two blessings are recited; the third blessing, she-hekhianu is only recited on the first night of holidays.

Why the shammus candle? The Chanukkah candles are for pleasure only; we are not allowed to use them for any productive purpose. We keep an extra one around (the shammus), so that if we need to do something useful with a candle, we don't accidentally use the Chanukkah candles. The shammus candle is at a different height so that it is easily identified as the shammus.

It is traditional to eat fried foods on Chanukkah because of the significance of oil to the holiday. Among Ashkenazic Jews, this usually includes latkes (pronounced "lot-kuhs" or "lot-keys" depending on where your grandmother comes from. Pronounced "potato pancakes" if you are a goy.) My recipe is included later in this page.

Gift-giving is not a traditional part of the holiday, but has been added in places where Jews have a lot of contact with Christians, as a way of dealing with our children's jealousy of their Christian friends. It is extremely unusual for Jews to give Chanukkah gifts to anyone other than their own young children. The only traditional gift of the holiday is "gelt," small amounts of money.

Another tradition of the holiday is playing dreidel, a gambling game played with a square top. Most people play for matchsticks, pennies, M&Ms or chocolate coins. The traditional explanation of this game is that during the time of Antiochus' oppression, those who wanted to study Torah (an illegal activity) would conceal their activity by playing gambling games with a top (a common and legal activity) whenever an official or inspector was within sight.

A dreidel is marked with four Hebrew letters: Nun, Gimel, Hei and Shin. These letters stand for the Hebrew phrase "Nes Gadol Hayah Sham", a great miracle happened there, referring to the miracle of the oil.

The letters also stand for the Yiddish words nit (nothing), gantz (all), halb (half) and shtell (put), which are the rules of the game!

There are some variations in the way people play the game, but the way I learned it, everyone puts in one coin. A person spins the dreidel. If it lands on Nun, nothing happens; on Gimel (or, as we called it as kids, "gimme!"), you get the whole pot; on Hei, you get half of the pot; and on Shin, you put one in. When the pot is empty, everybody puts one in. Keep playing until one person has everything. Then redivide it, because nobody likes a poor winner.

From Judaism101.com by: Tracey R Rich

How to avoid common dating legends.

2011-12-10T18:18:00.000-08:00

by Rabbi Tzvi Nightingale via aish.com

1.. The more you make yourself available, the better your chance to find the right one. Not really and actually maybe the opposite is true. People value something that isn't so readily available. Gold and diamonds are valued because they are scarce. So don't go out with every person your mother's hairdresser suggests. Do some homework to make sure this fellow or young lady is in the ball park. (And puleeze don't tell us what you are doing every moment of your day on Facebook. Most of us don't care and it just makes you look silly and/or insecure.) Date for quality, not quantity. Don't view yourself as a piece of merchandise where you have to get your name out there as much as possible to be bought.

2.The longer you date, the better you will get to know him/her. There comes a point where the economics idea of "law of diminishing returns" kicks in. It always pains me when I hear that a couple has been dating for two, three or more years. I recall the time that a couple told me they had been dating for a very lengthy time. I asked them, "What more information do the two of you need to have before you can make a decision?" They broke up soon after. (He ended up finding someone and is happily married; not sure what happened to her.)

Assuming you are not in a long-distance relationship, you can gather enough information about another in 3 - 6 months to know if you can make a happy life with this person or not. It does not mean you have to get married right away, but if you date properly - actively and not passively - you can get to know a person quite well pretty quickly. What I mean by actively dating is that your dates are not about fun or hanging in Starbucks but doing those things where you can see the person in real life situations so you can properly assess their personality and see what makes them tick.

The belief that living together to get a proper sense of another is falls into this myth. Your goal is not to examine every idiosyncrasy of another. Actually it will just give you plenty of reason not to marry another. As Rebbetzin Heller of Jerusalem remarks, given that every human being has faults and it is endemic to the human condition, deciding whom you are going to marry is just as much about deciding which faults you are willing to live with for the rest of your life.

So don't think you need years upon years to be a 1000% certain that this is the right one. Rather do those things necessary to allow you to see the true nature and personality of another person.

3. All Jewish men or women are ... (fill in the blank). Try not to succumb to this sour-grapes distraction in your moments of frustration. Too often I hear singles kvetch that all Jewish guys or girls are only interested in ... (looks, position, status, the car he drives etc.). You are not marrying an entire race, but just one person. So forget generalities and stereotypes and keep you focus on finding the right one for you.

4. The smartest, prettiest, most successful types get married first. Nope, just look around and you will see this is not so. I know of plenty of people who, for the life of me, I cannot understand why they are still single. They seem to have so much going for them - smart, successful, good looking, great personality. And then there are those folks who might be termed in popular culture as "losers", yet they have been happily married forever. For every pot there is a lid. So don't compare yourself with anyone; it's not a contest.

5. There is only one beshert (predestined one) for me. There is an idea in Judaism that states, "40 days before you are born, a heavenly voice proclaims, 'So and so will marry so and so.'" And indeed there may be a perfect person out there for you. But since there is no beshert app or beshert-o-meter, you may never know it. It always concerns me when I hear of couples telling me of the coincidences that make them lead to believe they are each other's beshert. Any coincidences are better to be viewed in retrospect once you are happily married and should not be used in the decision-making process before-hand.

Our Star

2011-12-10T18:04:00.000-08:00

The Israeli flag and its magen david is what cloaks and identifies Jews as an independent people worldwide. It became a Jewish symbol dating back to medievel Prague and was later adopted by the Zionist movement in late 19th century.

The blue stripes symbolize the stripes of the tlalit (the parayer shawl jews wrap themselves in) and the hexagram formed by two superposed triangles, the Magen Davin, represent the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

It is a work of art that we look to as though looking to the blue sky. Blue and White colors symbolize heaven, light, wisdom, and trust and when we look at it it we look to the peaceful blue sky.

The flag is simple and has only two colors and even the blue color has not been mandated in specifics and ranges from cyan to dark purple but the effect it has on us is undeniable and variations of it have been attempted by many creative visionaries.

A face painted flag; this photo is used to convey world peace, and children do it best. Another meaning of the photo is the return of Jews to their birth- land and their raising the seeds they have sown and this fruit is that Israeli boy.

Portrait of a boy with a flag painted on his face (artist unknown)

The symbol of right wing Zionist organization Kach, with an allusion to the yellow david star used to identify jews in the holocaust.

Clenched Fist. (Artist unknown)

A nice assortment of jewish emblems in the form of tiles. (A good idea if your redecorating a house) The flag projected unto the walls of Jerusalem. The dark blue hue adds to the solemness of the old walls.

Our new page is almost ready, check it out here: http://www.blahspot.com/

Michael Groisman: Metal Import from Israel

2011-12-10T17:52:00.000-08:00

In Mike’s guitar you will hear influences of classic rock, coupled with heavier metal; an interesting blend of carefully constructed riffs and fast playing. Watching him play you can tell he has an innate attachment to his instrument whose strums he tickles so effortlessly. His guitar soars, but his face stays cool and collected, creating a mysterious blend of fast sound and the calm vibe that emanates from Mike himself.

Michael Groisman, is a 26 year old electric guitar player. He immigrated two years ago to the United States from Israel to pursue his dreams and ambitions as a musician.

Groisman’s father wanted him to start playing guitar at an early age, but at the time Groisman thought that it wasn’t “cool” enough. When he was around 13 years old he first heard the scorpions play and began to appreciate their fast guitar and his love for metal began to form. “When I heard the rock bands, the electric… I knew I wanted to play” he said with a soft smile. Since then he worked on his guitar and developed a unique style of melodic heavy metal, and wrote numerous of his own songs.

As he took the guitar in his hands 13 years ago, he knew it was the beginning of a new prolonged relationship. For about a year he was tutored by a music teacher and he later requested “I want you to teach me how the best guitarists play” but “the teacher did not know how to train me metal…and I said forget about it, and began training myself.” Groisman listened to Scorpions, Santana and other bands “I learned from them, from other musicians, and now I play my stuff.”

Groisman knew he had a gift. He got so good in his art that in Israel he began appearing in music competitions. At one of the auditions with an Israeli reality TV show Kokhav Nolad –( “A Star Is Born”) he was told that he can’t play guitar because Kokhav Nolad is only for singers, the determined Groisman replied “Oh, I don’t care, I want you to see how I play” after the judges heard him play, he was told to fly to the United States, preferably to LA, and make music his career.

That is exactly what he did. Though it was painful and hard to leave Israel his ambitions needed to be realized and he made the decision to come to the states. “It was sad to leave my family behind …in the beginning it was hard, but I came for the music” he says. Grosiman ended up in NY where he has some family, “I came here with nothing."

Now his videos are on you-tube, some of which number in the tens of thousands in viewers, leave people impressed and sorry for his guitar which “he obviously rapes…”. Some people even accuse the tape of being sped up because the fast playing at times seems unreal, but it is clear that while mike’s hands are moving very rapidly the rest of his body is moving regularly.

You can check out Groisman’s music here:

“In America my kind of music is more recognized, then in Israel. It’s different music in Israel, more Mizrahi, and not like Metallica.” While rock is very much appreciated in modern Israel it is still far by a long shot to the opportunities presented in the states, where a much a bigger and more diverse listening audience exists.

Rightfully so, Mike came here searching for opportunities. But forming a band is complicated he explains; finding talent and consolidating partnership amongst people who are all creatively inclined in different directions may be challenging. “’Listen when you have a band we will be able to help you.. Without a band it’s a problem.”, music producers said. But “It’s hard to find high level singers and players my style, to make a band” Groisman said.

There is also the problem that Mike has not been allowed to participate in many contests or talent exhibitions because he lacks American citizenship. Well, apparently even in the world of rock and thrash culture there is a need for officialdom, which could only mean a loss for the music industry.

They did allow him to play in the Apollo Theatre, and Arctica bar in NY, where he made an impression on everyone who saw him, though in the former there were more hoppers then rockers.

Now Groisman lives in Brooklyn, NY with his girlfriend. Groisman writes his own songs and to date has composed more than 15 songs. With the right people investing in him, Mike’s reputation as a solid talent and brilliant instrumentalist is not far from realization.

NOVEMBER ISSUE

2011-11-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

Jewish Mikveh and Oprah

Gaza City - Egypt:

Israel Delaying Expanding Gaza Offensive

Oprah visits Brooklyn mikveh

2011-11-02T16:30:00.000-07:00

Omni-media queen visits Brooklyn Heights' mikveh, Crown Heights Hasidic families as part of research for new TV show

Will the mikveh ritual baths become a new Hollywood craze? Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey was spotted visiting a Brooklyn mikveh last week for a new television series.

Winfrey visited a Jewish ritual bath at Brooklyn Heights’ Congregation B’nai Avraham synagogue while filming an upcoming Hasidic-themed episode for her OWN network’s new show, Oprah’s Next Chapter.

The New York Post reported that Winfrey didn’t actually take a dip in the ritual bath, “She just wanted to see it and had the women give her a tour and explain the details of how it works," said Rabbi Aaron Raskin.
Raskin added that Winfrey’s camp contacted the synagogue a few weeks ago to ask about visiting the mikveh.
The rabbi said he did not need much convincing to open the synagogue’s doors to Winfrey’s cameras.
“Any opportunity that we have to make the Mitzvah of mikveh we’re happy to do so,” he noted.
“She did have security,” Raskin said, “And therefore, any room she was in, nobody was allowed to go into besides those who were doing the interview.”

Oprah Winfrey, drops in for mikveh visit

Raskin said that during his own chat with her, their discussion naturally turned to religion. “She told me that she tries to be a channel to do God’s will in the world,” the rabbi said.

In addition to the mikveh, Winfrey visited neighborhoods in Crown Heights and Borough Park to learn more about the daily life of Hasidic Jews, the Chabad site Chabad.org reported.

She sat down with two Hasidic families, ate a traditional meal and talked about community affairs with five local women.

In the new TV series Oprah's Next Chapter, Winfrey searches for interesting stories and reports on them. It is set to premiere in January on her OWN network.

By: Ynetnews.com
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4142829,00.html

Gaza City - Egypt: Israel Delaying Expanding Gaza Offensive

2011-11-01T07:43:00.000-07:00

Gaza City - An Egyptian official said Tuesday that Israel has agreed to briefly delay expanding its military operations in the Gaza Strip to give Egypt time to try to persuade Palestinian militant factions to halt rocket fire on southern Israel.

Israeli aircraft have targeted rocket squads in Gaza in recent days, but the Egyptian official says Israel has also planned a wider operation. The official says Egypt asked for 24 hours to try to bring all factions into an informal cease-fire and Israel agreed to give Cairo until around midnight Tuesday.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss Egyptian mediation.

The Israeli defense ministry had no immediate comment.

The military said there have been no Israeli airstrikes since around midnight Monday. Two rockets were fired from Gaza during that time.

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned from the podium of the Israeli parliament that Israel would operate “vigorously and resolutely” against those who would threaten its security.

“A security philosophy cannot rely on defense alone,” Netanyahu said. “It must also include offensive capabilities, the very foundation of deterrence.”

The recent flare in violence has been the worst in the area in months, killing at least 10 militants and an Israeli civilian.

The attacks have disrupted life in southern Israel, forcing schools to close. About 1 million Israelis live within range of rockets from Gaza.

The Islamic Jihad faction had led the rocket attacks that began last week, but on Sunday agreed to stop the violence if Israel also did. Rocket fire that drew retaliatory Israeli airstrikes persisted afterward, but it was claimed by a different militant group, the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Gaza’s ruling Hamas group, which has killed hundreds of Israelis in past violence, has not directly been involved in the attacks. But Israel holds Hamas responsible for all violence from the territory.

Hamas, meanwhile, said Tuesday that the Israeli military had arrested one of its leaders in the West Bank, Hassan Youssef, overnight in his Ramallah home. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri called the move “a dangerous Israeli escalation against Hamas and against one of the symbols of the elected Palestinian legitimacy.”

Youssef was released from an Israeli prison in August after serving six years.

The Israeli military had no immediate comment.

Hamas has controlled Gaza since taking it over in June 2007 during a civil war with its rival Fatah. The West Bank is governed by the Palestinian Authority, run by President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah, who unlike Hamas favors a negotiated settlement with Israel.

BY: http://www.vosizneias.com/93868/2011/11/01/gaza-city-egypt-israel-delaying-expanding-gaza-offensive

OCTOBER ISSUE

2011-10-22T22:16:00.000-07:00

THE RETURN

Before you Say "YES"

Thinking About Marriage? Ask First!

2011-10-22T22:05:00.000-07:00

When you start thinking that he/she may be the one, make sure you ask these ten questions before you tie the knot.

#1: Do We Care about Each Other as Good Friends Do?

When you’re getting serious about someone, don't ask: “Are we in love?” The question to first ask instead is: “Are we becoming good friends?”

“Being in love” often means infatuation, romance, and high chemistry – things that are essentially selfish. This type of “love” is not a good reason to get married, but friendship is. Friendship is not selfish. Real love is about giving to and caring about another person’s life. As Shaya Ostrov says in his book, The Inner Circle, “I’m watching you, hearing you, paying attention to you. I’ve put it all together and have arrived at the conclusion that you and your life means something to me." That’s why the essence of real love is friendship

In a Jewish wedding ceremony, the bride and groom are given seven blessings. Not once but twice, we bless the couple that they should become “beloved friends.” Make sure you’re friends first and then lovers. A lover who is not your friend can easily hurt you. A friend who is your lover will never hurt you. And if they do, they will make every effort to repair the hurt, just like you do with your best friends. Friends care about each others happiness and well-being.

RETURN

2011-10-22T22:01:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago I remember seeing an incredible contrast on YouTube. A very large and very old leatherback sea turtle (which is on the endangered species list) had been caught in a fisherman’s net off the coast of Gaza. The beautiful creature was hauled ashore and surrounded by a large crowd of Gazans. One of the men in the crowd explained to the reporter how the meat of the turtle would feed Gazan children, who were suffering due to the Israeli occupation, and the blood would help cure various ailments. The turtle was dragged behind a truck, flipped on its back and then slaughtered.

Further up the Mediterranean coast in Israel, a much younger and smaller sea turtle had been injured by a boat and lost one of its limbs. The turtle was rescued by some Israelis and then taken to a special turtle sanctuary where it was operated on, nurtured back to health and then released back into the sea.

The contrast couldn’t have been more extreme.

When I heard about the impending exchange of Gilad Shalit for over a thousand Palestinians prisoners, many with “blood on their hands,” I was reminded of those two turtles.

To me those two turtles represented a microcosm of the values of Israel and the Jewish people versus the enemies that surround us.

In the summer of 2006, after Israel had withdrawn from Gaza, Gilad Shalit was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists from an Israeli tank guarding Israel’s border with Gaza. The terrorists had tunneled under the security fence and after killing the other members of the crew, dragged Shalit back to Gaza. In violation of international law no one was allowed to have contact with him, not even the Red Cross.

Israel has thousands of Palestinian security prisoners. All are treated humanely according to international law. They have the right to legal representation, visitation from family and the Red Cross and even educational opportunities while they are in prison.

The most striking contrast is the attitude of the two sides towards freeing these captives. The Israeli government has worked tirelessly for the release of Gilad. So important is the life of one soldier that the government of Israel is about to repeat what it has done numerous times before: embark on controversial, lopsided prisoner exchanges in order to free a few or even one Israeli prisoner. These exchanges have proven to be very problematic; hundreds of Israelis have been killed or wounded by terrorist who were released in one of these exchanges and then returned to terrorism. Controversy aside, the concern for the life of one soldier is a powerful testament to the humanity and moral strength of Israel and the profound concern that Judaism has always held for the value of life, a value which the Jewish people taught the world.

The contrast with Israel’s adversaries in the Middle East couldn’t be more extreme. The first question the International community should really be asking is why does the Arab world have so little respect for its own people that it thinks the life of one Jew is worth a thousand plus Arabs? Aren’t these exchanges usually a one-for-one deal? Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised. These are the people who brought to the world hijackings and suicide bombings, who raise their children to want to be martyrs and who fire rockets from schools and hospitals. They have demonstrated time and time again that human life, even the life of their own people, has very little value.

Former Prime Minister Golda Meir once said, “We will only have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us.” Sadly the Arab world seems to moving further away from this goal and real peace still seems like a distant dream.

But let’s not end on a negative note. The Jewish people are about to celebrate the Holiday of Sukkot. A major theme of Sukkot is joy, to appreciate the beauty and wonder of God’s creation and focus on the specialness and the unique mission of the Jewish people.

As we celebrate Sukkot this year let us be aware that even though the Jewish people and Israel face many dangers and challenges, there is much to take pleasure in. Let us take particular pleasure in the values that we the Jewish people have not only taught the world but have lived by for centuries despite enduring great hardship at the hands of the nations of the world.

Despite living in the roughest “neighborhood” in the world-surround by hostility, war and terrorism, the Jews of Israel have not only maintained their dignity, but have a created a thriving, productive, free, democratic and technologically advanced country that is truly a testament to the power and humanity of the Jewish people, the Jewish spirit and the Jewish Faith.

For Shalit's parents and others who have worked so tirelessly for these 1900-plus days to secure his release, the level of joy at this moment is unfathomable. Yes, the deal is controversial, reasonable people have reason to be opposed. Irrespective, let us all give thanks for the reunification of a Jewish boy with his family and his people.

SEPTEMBER ISSUE

2011-09-26T12:17:00.000-07:00

Up-Lift-A Bamboo Tale

Surviving Heart-Break

10 Years Later

9/11...A Story

MEGA EZRA

SURVIVING HEART-BREAK

2011-09-26T12:12:00.001-07:00

Living well is the best revenge.by Melissa Groman, LCSW via aish.com

The English poet George Herbert popularized the saying “Living well is the best revenge.” If you’ve been jilted, betrayed or absolutely flattened by disappointment, you know that the emotional pain that comes with heartbreak can feel devastating, and the road to living well - to feeling well - can be anything but straight and smooth.

Heartbreak can knock over even the sturdiest of egos. Heartbreak can leave us feeling depressed, angry, defeated and deprived. It can make us believe that we are unworthy, unlovable and undesirable. When we lose someone we love, a future we were looking forward to, or a treasured relationship, the world can seem very dark. We run the gamut of difficult feelings, perhaps not wanting to feel what we feel, but not knowing how to move on. And it can feel like things will never change.

So how do we cope? How do we get through the pain to a place where we can truly find peace, acceptance and relief?

There is no direct path out of the pain. The hurt may sneak up at odd times, or be a constant ache. The passing of time helps; perspectives can change when we have some distance from the shock of the actual loss. Along the way, though, there are a few things that can help:

Take time to grieve. Sit with the feelings and notice them. Even create a designated time to be with the hurt. Resist the urge to fight the feelings or talk yourself out of having them.
Allow for some distraction time. Read, listen to music, attend a class or join an absorbing activity that gives your mind a chance to rest. If you can’t concentrate, do things in small increments until you can.
Talk to God. Even if you are not used to prayer, try it out. In your own words ask God for help in getting through your difficulties and for the strength to keep going.
Write. Write a journal. Write a list of all your positive traits. Write a list of your gratitudes, of what you “yes” have in your life. Write a list of your victories, your good qualities, your favorite things, the things that give you pleasure. Write a letter to the person who hurt you. Tell them everything you feel like telling them, but don’t send it. Put it in a box and tuck it away. Write a letter from that person to yourself. Say what you wish they would say. Explain things from their side. Add it to your box. Don’t send it.
Talk. Find someone, or a few someones who are willing to listen to you without giving advice (unless you want it). Talk to someone who likes you, supports you and will try to understand you. If you feel you are overtaxing that person, seek out a therapist and talk there.
Take a look at your role in things. This may be painful, but ultimately, looking at how you may have contributed to the breakup will help you. Think about what it will take to forgive yourself. Remind yourself that mistakes are human and part of relationships.
Exercise. Walk. Run. Get fit. It feels good and generates good biochemicals that will help your mood.
Create. Learn to draw, to write creatively, learn music, take up a hobby. You don’t have to dive in, but open a new door inside of yourself. You never know where it will lead. Find something that will engross you and require enough concentration that your mind will have to focus, even if it’s just for a short time.
Find things to look forward to. Simple things count, like meeting a friend or going for a walk in a beautiful place.
Take good care of your body. Eat well; take vitamins; drink plenty of water. Get a massage. Buy something soothing and comfortable, like soft socks or a new sweater.
Give service. Volunteer. Cook someone a meal. Take someone flowers. Call someone up and ask about their day and listen to their stuff.
Learn one new mitzvah or pick one that you have never focused on and learn how to best fulfill it.
Pick a prayer or a part of a prayer from a prayer book and learn it by heart.
Dedicate some of your suffering to the healing of someone who is sick or to someone who is in captivity.
Avoid triggers whenever possible. You may need to minimize going to places that bring on bad feelings or being with people who remind you of your pain. As time goes on, you will know when you are able to return to those places without getting set back.
Respect the hurt. Honor it. If the relationship meant enough to you that you are in such grief or feel such anger, don’t downplay it. Instead allow all your feelings and set out to live well anyway.

While some heartbreaks may never heal or go away entirely, we can learn to carry them tenderly with us while moving on to better times, ending up with a richer, deeper life, with new joys and the ability to pass on our resiliency to others who will need it.

Ground Zero-10 Years Later

2011-09-22T10:02:00.001-07:00

Exhibition at Islamic Center-Ground Zero

Fair or Not the center is almost ready!

A temporary community space and Islamic community centre at the Ground Zero site has had its grand opening today. A photo exhibition will be the first public programme.

The rest of the Park Place building has yet to be renovated. The developer has said it will be years before the project, envisioned with a mosque, health club and theatre, is fully realised.

The photographs, by artist Danny Goldfield, are of children from around the world now living in New York.

Park51 chief Katerina Lucas says the exhibit aimed to show opponents of the Islamic centre what kind of space it was meant to be.

A STORY

2011-09-10T20:12:00.000-07:00

Many of us recall the images of the area of the World Trade Centers looking incinerated, and the media footage instantly recalled doomsday movies we have all seen; ashen ghost towns, mushroom clouds, a sky on fire, and people running for their lives.

The attacks were staged for everyone to see. The reality of the day slowly settled together with the ash winds that covered street cars and roofs.

The day had brought down giants; the twin towers and giants of our families.

Arkady, a Jewish immigrant from Moldavia, was an established architect who loved art, loved his craft and loved his family. He had resolved to come to the States and loved New York for its architecture and never failed to appreciate the skyline views.

“He was a go-getter who pushed us to learn...explore and learn” Laura described her father Arkday and recalled her “educational” birthdays with her dad at the Brooklyn botanic gardens. Laura tells, that her father“was loved by all...He gave a bear handshake and a big hug”.

"How in fact do you come to terms

with something so tragic and so vague as death;

the only thing we know is that

this person won't cross our path anymore..."

On September 11th. Arkady had a meeting on floor 105 of the south tower; which is near its very summit. Laura says she did not know that her father was there and only found out when she came home to her mom who told her.

At first Laura did not take the attack seriously; “it was surreal to think that he could be on the brink of death so suddenly” she says.

After the difficult realization of her dad’s fate she still went to school and did her homework as usual and says: “I think only in years and years to come did I really continue processing what had happened. My father was a crucial force in my life, in shaping the young woman I was becoming. I missed him terribly and there is still a raw wound that I harbor with his passing”.
She says she dreams sometimes that he is about to drive her to school or that she is reprimanding him for not calling after a long absence. Laura says that if her dad was alive today he would probably expand his business, help others fulfill their dream homes, offices and showrooms and most definitely that they would live in the home he dreamed of designing for the family.

“ I rely on God to help me through many, many, things, including coming to terms with the passing of my father...”

Laura's mother, Zhanna spent going about numerous hospitals in the boroughs and new jersey and making copies of identifying photos of her missing husband to give out to local organizations who set up camps everywhere, but that she ultimately knew that he was irrevocably lost and that all these efforts were for naught.
Zhanna says that while she traveled from place to place she was only half conscious of what was taking place with her. It was probably like walking and seeing through layers; layers of fog or layers of tears. “But I never really cried…” Zhanna said “some people thought I was cold and unfeeling, and some even made remarks about it……” She continues saying that she was not sure what to feel and that she walked through it as in the haze of a dream.

"That day people started their lives as on any other day

thinking they will be home for dinner, not realizing

they were making their goodbyes."

Laura and Zhanna’s lives, though struck to the core, appeared, on the outside at least to have returned to normal. Laura began sleeping where her father had slept, next to her mother, and together they went on living. And I suppose when a person has nothing to materialize the loss with, no body, then it is hard to think of them as dead.

All of these years of withdrawn feelings are now making themselves felt and Zhanna says she is anxious these days.
Spurred by the tenth anniversary or not, she tells me of how sad she gets when a fire truck passes her by and how all those people went to their death. The trauma (a word she used) is resurfacing and reminding her that the past never really goes away.

How in fact do you come to terms with something so tragic and so vague as death; the only thing we know is that this person wont cross our path anymore, but some part of coping with death requires that we separate from the person and bid him goodbye.

Laura at her Wedding

But when there are no remains of a person, when there is nothing to hold on to, how do you let it go. Death is inevitable, but untimely death, when a person is at his prime, when he has a young daughter at home, when is leaving a wife to be a young widow, all because ignorance prevailed one September day is a hard thing to accept.

Laura has recently married, and as she builds her life she contemplates her fathers absence: “there are so many things I would have liked for him to be a part of, family meetings and gatherings, holidays, birthdays, meeting my husband, participating in my wedding, meeting his future grandchildren- all experiences that I was sadly robbed of”

On that horrible September day, fathers, mothers, sons and daughters, died in the worst of ways; the heat, the rubble, and an impetus of all of this swallowing people as they ran from those sites. That day people started their lives as on any other day thinking they will be home for dinner, not realizing they were making their goodbyes.
It is easy to think of the hijackers as the worst and lowliest of man, to harbor hate and anger and surely many of us have thought about what we would say or do them should we we have had a chance to cross their paths.
These "people" have no regard to the preciousness of human life and take it upon themselves to carry out God's will in the form of murder.
The families they shattered, the happiness they interrupted, and the rich relationships they have robbed people of, are not easily understood or forgiven. But Zhanna remains magnanimous and in the few times we have spoken about that September day, she always says that she forgives them (the terrorists), and bears no traces of hostilities towards them.

When Laura was asked about her feelings of the hijackers she said that though she feels sadness for these people who are brainwashed she is no longer angry at them and ultimately wishes them peace.
In answer to whether she believes in God or higher justice she said that she is unsure why some people have to leave so suddenly and that despite everything that happened she believes in God; “I have a relationship with God…I suppose there is some form of a higher justice, but I don’t know if it comes in the form of reincarnation, [or perhaps they] relive all the psychic and spiritual pain that they have caused to others”. She continues “ I rely on God to help me through many, many, things, including coming to terms with the passing of my father. Perhaps my lack of malice or anger is due to the fact that I believe in God and trust God and I do believe that even terrorist are God’s children who have taken a detour in their spiritual education”

By: Eli.I
Edited by: Galina. A

MEGA EZRA

2011-09-05T13:15:00.000-07:00

Ezra, an outbranch of Taglit-Birthright program is dedicated in reestablishing Jewish "Birthright", pride, as well as social and historical acquaintance with Israel. Ezra celebrated its 10th anniversary in a "Mega Event" this past Saturday at club B66.
It was meant to re-unite and to celebrate the people who went on these trips and who were thereafter going through "Israel withdrawal"
As I came across Rachel, a homeland addict, and we sat down for a talk she describes her trip like this "its like we become one family in there, in the states we pass each other by, but in Israel we become close and even closer after the trip is over...the trip and the country leaves us all with impressions, memories and new found friends which cannot be replaced".

Club B66 in Brooklyn

Nostalgia is a symptom of Israel withdrawal, reuniting those who share the same love for the land, is a good antidote. Organizations such as Ezra, help bring that unity among Russian speaking youth.

As always a huge crowd gathered and DJ John Koval kept the crowd on the dance floor.
MC Manashe and MC Julia respectively interrupted the dancing for a short while and took the stage to present the highlights of the night. People were taken aback,and again inspired by the videos projected on screen. A video showed pictures of EZRA birthright groups reminding everyone that free trips to Israel are a gift for every single Jew.

Shelly-The Associate Director on the NY chapter of FIDF

Presentation of the program continued as guest speaker Shelly an associate director of the NY chapter of "Friends of IDF" or FIDF was welcomed on stage. FIDF support the Israel Defense Forces who's job is to look after Israel.
Shelly said "What soldiers need in Israel is help..." regardless of the hard conditions, soldiers volunteer to fight for Israel, these young soldiers don't have money or any immediate family in Israel. FIDF helps support them.

Shelly continued "...lone soldier program helps soldiers visit their families" as well as support them with other basic necessities.
"Israel is the home to all of us, please keep supporting us and help us get donations for these soldiers."
FIDF is committed to providing these soldiers with love, support, and care in an effort to ease the burden they carry on behalf of the Jewish community worldwide. For more information about friends of the IDF log on to: http://www.fidf.org/

EZRA group leaders (Madrechim)

Noam Shumakh, the groups director of educational department of EZRA USA stole the stage. This will be the last Ezra USA event for Noam.

Noam finished her three years here in the States and is soon going back home to Israel,

"Why-Love" performing

The party is yet to start, but one more surprise lay ahead. A special guest was invited, a performer who preformed all over NY and Israel a Hasid Jew who keeps up with Reggie music. A live performance was given by Reggie singer 'why love' He called the Mega event "...a Jewish hip-hop party"
"we are all one nation" he said. Finally the DJ hit the music once more and the party was full force. Check out all the pictures here https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.274189409258553.76566.262784157065745 to see how wild some people got at the Mega Reunion.

By: GA

Photography by: Ilia Eli Isakov

AUGUST ISSUE

2011-08-31T18:42:00.000-07:00

CRAZY iPhone 5

NY on Shaky Grounds!

Astronomers Think They've Found a Planet Made of Diamond

Bang the "Single" Out of Me!

Dolls are Rushi'n for Disaster!

EZRA Gambling for our Soldiers, who are gambling with their lives!

Crazy iPhone 5

2011-08-31T16:51:00.000-07:00

The iPhone 5 won’t be half as thin, include a laser keyboard, or a holographic display, but this concept video is fun to watch nonetheless.
Bet the government already has this behind the sleeve.

This is closer to the iPhone 6 or 7.

Here’s the description:

Amazing Concept iPhone 5. This CG iPhone 5 has advanced iPhone features such as a sleeker iPhone design, a laser keyboard & holographic display all rolled into this iPhone 5 video. The computer generated Concept iPhone 5 features is an exponential leap to the iPhone 4 or iPhone 3gs of today.
We hope you enjoy this iPhone 5 video more than the current trend of iPhone 5 rumors such as iPhone 5 leaked and iPhone 5 unboxing videos. Apple is yet to make the iPhone 5 announcement. So have your fill of this new iPhone video before the iPhone 5 release.

But what would an iPhone 5 have to offer? The Apps experience is well in hand,
Perhaps an iPhone 5 will have video chat on 3g and 4g cell networks (currently it's restricted to WiFi only), face recognition and 'extreme downloading'.
A new chat service has been promised via iOS5, which allows direct messaging between Apple devices similar to the Blackberry messenger service.
An iPhone 5 will most likely be equipped with the speedier dual core A5 processor as deployed by iPad 2, along with a more powerful graphic chips that can deliver higher video resolutions.

Apple is said to be doubling production of iPhones, and is expected to unveil the iPhone 5 soon.
according to Apple's manufacturing partners overseas, with up to an estimated 58 million units expected to ship
So Apple has a lot to do to impress. The iPhone 4 is an excellent device but Apple needs to keep its progressive momentum going. It was originally expected Apple would 'need' to release a new model in the Northern Summer; now it looks like October.

Sources: News from the Mac World- Mark Webster via http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10748556
Crazy iPhone 5 concept video making the rounds-Jason D. O'Grady via http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/crazy-iphone-5-concept-video-making-the-rounds/10968