The Socialite (The PiRo Social Coffee Club Blog)

URGENT | P L E A S E, Avraham Needs Your Help

2013-05-21T20:56:00.001-07:00

Please please read, contribute, and promote.

Received the following message from our dear friend Mr. Dan Altshuler (the attorney with a heart of gold!). If this is not the very essence of being loving and charitable towards your fellow man, and the key to improving our community, I don’t know what is.

Hello Friends,

An elderly man 80+ named Avraham who lives around the corner, was just evicted from his rent-controlled apartment of roughly 20 years, a few days ago, and is basically destitute. I know him personally and can vouch for his situation. This scenario happened very quickly and we just found out about it.

A close friend of mine named Eli, who has been sending him food and other items for months, if not years, and another fellow have found a place for Avraham to live on Holt. Avraham is receiving Social Security but it's not enough to cover his expenses, particularly with the need for essentially three (3) months rent up front in cash (including the deposit), for instance. In addition, virtually all of Avraham's peronal belongings (fridge, furniture, clothing, kitchen utensils, etc.) had to be thrown away due to insect infestation, poor condition and/or filth.

Once he's settled, we're hoping to find a roommate for Avraham, to pay a reduced rent in return for checking in on him and assisting with some errands (grocery shopping, perhaps a medical appointment, etc.).

We have contacted some government organizations and charities, but more help is needed. If you can spare some funds please know that 100% of the donations go to assist Avraham. We found a wonderful charity that can likely donate some used furniture and related items, however, they informed me we need to rent a truck and hire some laborers since they don't have the resources.

I myself have donated a substantial sum to Avraham and have fronted additional funds on behalf of friends who have kindly pleadged their support.

Whatever you can spare is greatly welcome and is a wonderful opportunity for you to substantially improve a person's life! Wouldn't that be nice is this crazy, beautiful incomprehensible world. Don't worry about the amount, just send what you can and what will make you happy. No judgments here. I'm sure everyone has numerous other wonderful causes that y'all support.

If you are so inclined and wish to send a check please make it out to him, Avraham Drory, and send it to me: Dan Altshuler c/o Avraham Drory, 1482 Shenandoah Street, # 201, LA, CA 90035.

In the event you wish to contact Eli directly just message me and I'll provide his telephone number. If you'd like a list of some of the people who have pledged support I'm happy to provide that, too.

Thanks a ton for your attention and your support is greatly appreciated! Hasta la vista.

Your Friend,

Dan Altshuler

Community-Wide Event | Ranch Day Lag B’Omer Celebration

2013-04-07T21:51:00.001-07:00

Please please help….. Very URGENT | By Minde Ornelas

2013-01-07T19:19:00.001-08:00

Recently, the parents whose kids attend the school my daughters do received the heartbreaking news that one of the student, a 9 year old in the fourth grade, has been diagnosed with a particularly horrid type of cancer. She has been in chemotherapy, with the the awful consequences that usually result, but which are even more heartrending in one at so tender an age.

We also got word that she will be going through a pivotal and important surgical procedure this week. BIKUR CHOLIM of Los Angeles (www.facebook.com/bikurcholim.losangeles; www.twitter.com/bikur_cholim) is organizing and scheduling blood donors.

If your blood type is O+ or O-, and you are available Mon – Fri, please call (323) 852-1900 or email info@bikurcholim.net with your contact information. Please include your first and last name, home address, home/cell numbers, blood type, and date of birth.
Additionally, the family, specially the mother of the child, have requested that everyone to please add in Torah, Tefilla, Tzedaka, for the child’s merit, specially at the following times: Tuesday, Jan 8th - 7:15 pm, and Thursday, Jan 10th - 1:45 pm.
The child’s Hebrew name is Chaya Mushka bat Hadassah Sheina.
Thank you.

Jews consume blood of children... | Posted by PiRoSCC

2012-08-16T23:21:00.001-07:00

Please pass this on

A prominent Saudi Arabian religious cleric declared that the Holocaust is an “exaggeration” and that Jewish people consume the blood of children during a wide-ranging interview with an Arabic television station.

Saudi cleric Salman Al-Odeh, a well-known scholar revered by millions globally, went on a lengthy tirade against the Jews during an interview Monday in which he stated that “the role of the Jews is to wreak destruction, to wage war, and to practice deception and extortion,” according to a translation of his remarks by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

Al-Odeh ranted about the use of human blood in Jewish religious rituals, a notorious anti-Semitic smear commonly referred to as a “blood libel.”

“It is well known that the Jews celebrate several holidays, one of which is the Passover, or the matzos holiday,” he said.

“I read once about a doctor who was working in a laboratory. This doctor lived with a Jewish family. One day, they said to him: ‘We want blood. Get us some human blood,’” Al-Odeh explained.

“He was confused. He didn’t know what this was all about,” Al-Odeh says as the interviewer nods along. “He found that they were making matzos with human blood. They eat it, believing that this brings them close to their false god, Yahweh.”

Jewish people “would lure a child in order to sacrifice him in the religious rite that they perform during that holiday,” Al-Odeh adds.

The prominent Saudi Cleric also believes that the Holocaust “has been turned into a myth of tremendous proportions.”

Jewish people across the globe now use the Holocaust to extort governments, Al-Odeh claimed.

“The Holocaust has become a source for extortion. Through this Holocaust, the Jews began to extort many governments worldwide—in Europe and in the U.S.,” he says before stating that Israelis are now waging a “Holocaust” against Palestinian people.

“The Jews even began to perpetrate the same thing themselves against the Palestinian people, carrying out a Holocaust in Gaza and the occupied land,” he said. “They attack children, women, and the elderly under the pretext of the Holocaust that they are trying to substantiate.”

Jewish people “believe that have the right to kill anyone who does not adhere to their religion,” Al-Odeh adds.

The Obama administration has gone out of its way to maintain stellar relations with the Saudi government, which is known to oppress its people. The president famously took heat early in his presidency for bowing to Saudi King Abdullah.

Beauty is Vital, For Women | Posted for Discussion

2012-04-03T10:49:00.001-07:00

Click here for the original article by Rabbi Levi Brackman, which appeared on April 3, 2012 on ynetnews.com

Is beauty really in the eye of the beholder or should young Orthodox women enhance their appearance to improve their chances of attracting a husband?

In an article that recently appeared in an Orthodox Jewish newspaper the writer, Yitta Halberstam, herself and Orthodox Jewish woman and mother, suggested that girls of marriageable age do whatever they can to augment their physical appearances. She made it clear that if necessary young Orthodox Jewish women should undergo cosmetic surgery to improve their chances of attracting a husband. This of course has garnered much debate within the community.

My initial response to this point of view was outrage. In fact I felt offended. I have a young daughter. Is this what will be expected of her as she grows up? I asked indignantly. Have Yeshiva boys become so shallow that they can only perceive that which is skin deep?

But then I remembered an incident that took place about thirteen years ago in Gush Katif. We were a group of Yeshiva boys of marriageable age spending a wonderful and meaningful Shabbat together at what used to be a beautiful seaside resort. During that Shabbat we met a large family that had come together to celebrate their family matriarch’s ninety eighth birthday. We approached this charming old lady and asked her to offer us some life wisdom. She said: “It may say in the Proverbs that ‘charm is false and beauty is futile,’ but you should make sure you marry a beautiful girl.”

Here was a women who had lived a long and full life and had brought up a large family that obviously greatly respected and adored her. Yet this was her only piece of advice to us. King Solomon, at the end of his life came to the conclusion that ‘beauty is futile.’ This old lady, however, was saying that from her perspective, having lived a full life, feminine beauty is extremely valuable.

The male and female perspectives could not be more polarized. According to the Proverbs a man should say that beauty is futile. From a female point of view, however, beauty should be important. This is demonstrated in the Torah (Exodus 38:8) when mirrors were brought by the Israelites to create the basin for the Tabernacle. Moses felt that the mirrors were an inappropriate donation because they were used by Israelite women to beautify themselves in order to arouse and entice their exhausted slave-driven husbands in Egypt.

The great medieval commentator, Rashi, explains that God instructed Moses to accept them saying that these mirrors are, “More precious to me than anything else because through them the women established many generations in Egypt.”

In other words from the perspective of the divine, when a women beautifies herself for her husband she is doing something holy. The rational is clear. Physical attraction is the glue that holds a marriage together making it more than just a deep friendship. Solid marriages create functional families. And cohesive families are the building blocks necessary for the creation of decent, civilized societies. Thus, from a female perspective it is important to be attractive in the eyes of her husband for reasons beyond her own desire for carnal pleasure. She is able to see the big picture in this regard.

Nonetheless men need to have a different perspective. King Solomon is warning the man that he needs to look beyond charm and beauty. He says the “a woman who fears God is the one that is to be truly praised.” In other words King Solomon is telling men to look on the inside of the person rather than on the externalities. It is character and spiritual allure that counts. This was also Moses perspective. As a man of God he felt it unnecessary for women to spend so much time making themselves beautiful for their husbands--it was what was on the inside that mattered to him.

The suggestion that young women undergo cosmetic surgery may be extreme. The larger point made by Yitta Halberstam, however, is valid when comes from a woman’s perspective. Jewish women from time immemorial have seen it their holy duty to beautify themselves for their husbands. At the same time Jewish men have always been encouraged to look deeper and recognize that beauty is only skin deep. The wisdom inherent in the balance of these two perspectives on beauty is striking. It occurs to me that this maybe one of the keys to the traditional high rate of successful marriages within the Orthodox communities.

2012-03-27T07:37:00.001-07:00

Have You Invited Anger Into Your Life?

7 Simple Strategies for Controlling Your Unwanted Guest

By Bethie Kohanchi M.A.LMFT

Anger strikes everyone, without exception. What will differentiate you from others is how you deal with it. If you find yourself become angry more often than you'd like, or letting anger dominate your behavior, there are some easy steps you can start following right now that will begin the process of getting your anger under control.

Research reveals several common characteristics among the chronically angry. The primary ones being a heightened emotional sensitivity, a greater than normal likelihood of being emotionally hurt, and a tendency to abruptly feel insulted where others would not.

We are surround by opportunities to invite anger into our lives on a daily basis. A child's temper tantrum, getting cut off by an inconsiderate driver, or a simple disagreement with a loved one or partner. As we travel through our daily lives and notice each of these incidents we become aware that anger is as much a part of those days as any other feeling. It's how we deal with it that counts.

The key to dealing with those moments is flexibility. Being able to adapt to unfamiliar and unpredictable circumstances allows us to manage our stress levels. Another way to manage stress, and therefore anger, is integrating the necessary skills to cope with stressful situations before they escalate. Again, to cope with them, not to control the situation, or try to manage and guide it to the outcome you desire.

Here are some things to consider the next time you invite anger into your life:

When you are angry you need to accept and acknowledge your anger. Recognize that you are the person with the problem.
Sincerely promise yourself that you will change, and that you will learn ways to deal with your feelings. This is a long term commitment.
Remember to give yourself some time to think when you're angry instead of reacting immediately. Go for a walk, take a bike ride, do some quick grocery shopping or low-stress errands. Anything that will give you some time away from directly interacting with the external trigger of your anger.
Stop trying to control others, and the situations that you find yourself in.
Accept that there are differences between how you may be perceiving a situation, and how someone else might. It is not about who is right or wrong. It is about finding a way to accept the other person for who they are, while simultaneously accepting that you may simply be different than them.
Always use “I” statements when you're angry or when you're trying to communicate your feelings to another person. Instead of saying, “You made me angry when you . . .” use an “I” statement like, “I feel angry . . .” or “I feel sad when I hear you say . . . .” When you use “I” statements you are already taking responsibility for your feelings, and the situation so that the person you are speaking to does not have a reason to become defensive. If they don't have a need to defend their actions or what they said, the likelihood of confrontation is immediately lowered.
Last but not least, you need to clearly express what's bothering you. Be specific and direct about what's making you upset (With a touch of tact and politeness, of course!). Remember, it's not what you say, it's how you say it!

Ms. Bethie Kohanchi, M.A. L.M.F.T., is a licensed Marriage, Child and Family psychotherapist as well as a qualified Hypnotherapist. She is also the Founder of The Kohan Foundation.

She specializes in couples and children work, and has special training credentials in sexual addiction. She also has intense training in working with drug addiction and mental illness.

In her past Ms. Kohanchi created mental assessments in the LA County jail system and the Woman’s county jail in Lynnwood California. She worked with psychotic disorders in a community based clinic, and continues this work in her own private practice and with the Department of Mental Health.She has counseled victims of women of domestic violence, facilitated anger management groups for court mandated clients and facilitated parenting groups.She received her Bachelor’s Degree from UCLA where she did research in the Psychology Department and received her Master Degree in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University.

http://kohanfoundation.org/

310-968-6648

THANK YOU | Posted by Joseph

2012-02-21T22:59:00.001-08:00

I came across this prayer a few weeks ago. I don’t know how to describe it, but it affects me in a positive way when I read it. I was compelled to share it with you all. It was put out by the Mill Basin Sepharadic Congregation Under the leadership of Rabbi Yirmi Levy. (anyone know where that is?)
I didn’t have an easy time translating it from Hebrew; I hope I didn’t make any big mistakes. If you would like the original Hebrew please contact me.
In the handout where I found it, it states that whomever says this prayer with sincerity will witness miracles…For me, the way it affects me was enough. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

King of Kings, Blessed Be Your Name, Master Of Universe, THANK YOU!

THANK YOU for the thousands upon thousands of instances when you helped me, supported me, saved me, delivered me, made me happy, healed me, protected me, and inspired me.

THANK YOU for always being with me!

THANK YOU for giving me the power to fulfill your commandments, power to do good deeds, the power to pray to you.

THANK YOU for all the times that you helped me and I didn’t know how to say THANK YOU.

THANK YOU for your grace and kindness that you impart on me each and every second.

THANK YOU for each and every breath that I breathe.

And THANK YOU, King of Kings, for all the things that I don’t have too! THANK YOU for the occasions I find hard and challenging. THANK YOU that sometimes things may end seemingly sad for me, because all that you do is for my good, even though it may not always seem so to me…

Deep in my heart I know that whatever that may reach from you to me, that is indeed what is best for me, that you made it especially for me, with your exact and perfect divine providence, only as the king of kings can do.

THANK YOU for the hard times, because only thus may I learn to appreciate the good times, just as one appreciates the light after having been in darkness.

THANK YOU for the wonderful life you have granted me.

THANK YOU for even for the very smallest of objects you have granted me, because you gave me everything, and no one else.

THANK YOU for always hearing and listening to my prayers.

Creator of the universe, from the very bottom of my heart I beg forgiveness if there have been times when I failed to appreciate what you have given me, and instead of saying THANK YOU I only complained.

I am dust and ashes and you are all that there is.

Please don’t ever distance yourself from me.

Action Alert | Your Protest is Needed Right Now : 'Palestine' Voted Full Membership in UNESCO!

2011-11-01T14:15:00.001-07:00

From the Simon Wiesenthal Center:

Yesterday in Paris, 'Palestine' was voted in as a member of UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) - the first UN agency to bestow full membership upon the not-yet defined 'Palestine'.

As a result of the vote, the United States, as required by law passed during the Clinton Administration, will cut off some $70 million in funding to UNESCO, or more than 20% of its annual budget.

Tens of thousands of concerned Simon Wiesenthal Center supporters have already joined the protest to UNESCO's Director-General Irina Bokova. If you have not signed the petition, we urge you to do so immediately and to forward to your family and friends.

As a full member of UNESCO, we expect the Palestinian leadership to step up their campaign to erase the history of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel by seeking to have historic and religious sites held sacred by Jews, as well as Christians, and Muslims, to be declared by UNESCO as wholly Palestinian Heritage sites. Last year, UNESCO adopted proposals by Arab states classifying Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem as a mosque and stating that the Cave of the Patriarchs was "an integral part of the occupied Palestinian Territories".

Clearly, UNESCO's admittance of 'Palestine' is also a serious blow to the United States and others who have urged face-to-face negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Emergency Action Needed | Please help Chabad of Beverlywood, prevent closing down of a an important center in our community!!

2011-10-27T16:54:00.001-07:00

Please read the Message from Rabbi Dov Newman, the Rabbi of Chabad of Beverlywood, appearing below. PLEASE HELP HOWEVER YOU ARE ABLE TO.

From: Rabbi Dov Newman
Subject: Urgent
Date: Thursday, October 27, 2011, 4:18 PM

Dear friends,

I am sad to announce that this week our Shul property was foreclosed on by the bank we had tried to intervene but it was beyond our control.

We began Chabad of Beverlywood approximately 10 years ago with a small minyan and a comfortable facility. Chabad of California was a generous landlord and provided our facility for most of the last 10 years virtually rent-free as we continued to grow into the stronger community that we are today.

We are now in a very dire situation. However together with this difficult situation there is also a unique opportunity.

We are currently in negotiations with the bank to purchase the Shul to continue ours and our children’s community center, but we need everyone’s help.

There are two critical ways you can help now!

Capital Campaign: We will need to raise the necessary funds to provide for a down payment for our Shul. We need to raise at least $250,000. This will allow us to maintain a reasonable mortgage and get a reasonable loan.

Operating Expense Campaign: We need to increase our current monthly support. We need to raise a minimum of $8,000 a month which will include the mortgage and this comes out to a $150 per family. We understand that not every family will be able to contribute $150 but please give what you can and if you afford more please give more to help offset for these families.

Our books are open and we are glad to show anyone where the money is being spent. We are a community Shul and we need to be supported by the community.

Our Shul functions as a community center and there are costs involved. Please see us not as additional luxury but as a necessary requirement to uphold the pillar of Yiddishkeit in our neighborhood.

Before I close this e-mail, I would like to invite each one of you to please stop for a moment, close your eyes and reflect on the times that we have spent together at our Shul; The High Holidays, Simchas Torah, Chanukah, Purim and Shavuos Celebrations, our weekly Shabbos program, Shabbos Dinners, Bat Mitzvah Club and Tzivos Hashem Club Meetings, Mommy and Me, the Bris's, Upshernish's and baby naming's - in short the beautiful community atmosphere at our Shul.

Please answer when the Shul calls you and be ready to give so we can keep our Shul. I am confident that with the support of each member of our community, we will not have to even think about what would be if we didn't have the necessary funds...

If you would like more information or would like to discuss this further please call me (310) 836-6770 or email me rabbidov@chabad.com.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Dov Newman

The Holy Land….Judenfrei!!! | Posted by Barkochva Hamakabi

2011-09-14T17:29:00.001-07:00

Click here to read the original article on haaretz.com.

PLO official: Palestinians, Israelis must be totally separated

Commenting on the subject of minority rights in the potential Palestinian state, PLO envoy to the U.S. says past experience shows the two people should be 'totally separated.'

The future independent Palestinian state will not include a Jewish minority, a top Palestinian official told USA Today on Wednesday, adding that it was in the best interest of both peoples to "be separated."

Maen Areikat, PLO Ambassador to the United States, made the comment just as the Palestinian Authority, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, was preparing to offer up Palestinian statehood to a vote in the United Nations General Assembly later this month.

Answering a question about the legal status of a Jewish minority in the future state, Areikat apprently rejected the issue, saying: "I believe, I still believe that as a first step we need to be totally separated," adding "I think we can contemplate these issues in the future."

"After the experience of the last 44 years, of military occupation and all the conflict and friction, I think it will be in the best interest that the two peoples should be separated," Areikat added.

Former U.S. National Security Council official Elliot Abrams responded to the Palestinian official's comment, saying to USA Today that the Palestinian demand was "a despicable form of anti-Semitism," adding: "No civilized country would act this way."

The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama had been openly opposing the planned Palestinian statehood bid at the United Nations, arguing that a unilateral recognition of Palestinian independence would severely injure attempts at a comprehensive peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.

Speaking in an interview on Tuesday, Obama indicated that Washington did not feel "think that it would actually lead to the outcome that we want, which is a two-state solution."

Last week, the State Department said the U.S. would veto a resolution for Palestinian statehood in the council, but Obama had yet to comment directly on the matter.

"What we've said is that going to the UN is a distraction, does not solve the problem," he said. "This issue is only going to be resolved by Israelis and Palestinians agreeing to something."

S.T.A.R. Rosh Hashanah Live | for ages 7 to 12

2011-09-14T11:08:00.001-07:00

Click here for more information.

A Free Webinar by The American Islamic Forum for Democracy

2011-08-24T13:01:00.001-07:00

a Free Webinar: Dealing with Radical Islam in the U.S.

A solutions driven approach to Muslim radicalization in the U.S. and the upheavals in the Arab world.

Thursday, August 25th, 2011
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EDT

Featured Guest from the film 'THE THIRD JIHAD':

M. ZUHDI JASSER, MD
President and Founder, American Islamic Forum for Democracy

ACTION ALERT | New Congressional District Lines

2011-07-28T16:29:00.001-07:00

Once Every Ten Years

Once every ten years, new district lines are drawn for our representatives in Sacramento and Washington. For decades, Orthodox Jewish voting power has been diluted because our two largest neighborhoods - Hancock Park/Beverly-LaBrea/Fairfax and Pico-Robertson/Beverlywood/Beverly Hills - have been placed in separate Assembly Districts.

The Opportunity . . .

A new Commission has been created to draw fair district lines without backroom deals. We finally have an opportunity to unite our community into a single Assembly District - and to increase our influence with our representatives in Sacramento. That would mean more respect and assistance for our unique community. In the first few draft maps, our two largest neighborhoods were placed in separate districts. After receiving testimony and documentation by Agudath Israel, and letters from organizations such as the Orthodox Union, the Simon Wiesenthal Center and Hatzalah, the Commission adjusted the lines to unify parts of our community.

But the current draft map chops Pico-Robertson/Beverlywood in half, with Beverlywood and South-of-Pico placed in a District with Culver City, Baldwin Hills and the Crenshaw area. We want to unite our community in a single district, BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP!

The Commission resumes work soon, so please act quickly!

Please email them your opinion through [votersfirstact@crc.ca.gov], and…

What to say . . .

1. Tell them where you live - Pico-Robertson, Beverlywood, Hancock Park, Beverly-Fairfax, Beverly Hills, Century City, Westwood, Santa Monica, the Valley. Emails from Beverlywood and South-of-Pico are especially important. (We are blessed to have significant communities in the Valley and the far Westside. Geography prevents placing all in a single district. But even those areas will benefit if our two large City neighborhoods are in a single district.)

2. Tell them: The Fairfax/Hancock Park neighborhood and Pico-Robertson/Beverlywood neighborhood constitute a single, integrated community-of-interest (COI) with many shared institutions. The only way that the Orthodox community will have a voice in the Assembly is if Fairfax/Hancock Park and Pico-Robertson/Beverlywood are all in the "LAMWS" district.

3. Tell them your personal connections between these communities. Do you live in one neighborhood and send your children to school in the other? Shop in the other? Use a hospital in the other? Community activities? Tomchei Shabbos? Hatzolah? Classes? Be specific. We need to show that the neighborhoods interact and form a single community!

4. Tell them: Uniting our community in a single district will not weaken the representation of any other minority group or community of interest.

5. Thank them for putting some of Pico-Robertson into the "LAMWS" district, but ask that they not divide Pico-Robertson/Beverlywood in half. All of Pico-Robertson/Beverlywood should be in the "LAMWS" district, along with Beverly-Fairfax, Hancock Park and Beverly Hills

6. Be respectful and appreciative. The 14 Commissioners must divide the whole state, and none of them live in our neighborhoods. They do not know us, so we need to educate them.

Supported by concerned Orthodox Jewish organizations in the Los Angeles Area.

I am Thankful

2011-07-22T12:40:00.001-07:00

I am thankful that I don't already have everything I desire ... if I did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when I don't know something ... for it gives me the opportunity to learn.

I am thankful for the difficult times ... because during those times I grow.

I am thankful for my limitations ... they give me opportunities for improvement.

I am thankful for each new challenge ... which will build my strength and character.

I am thankful for my mistakes ... they will teach me valuable lessons.

I am thankful when I am tired and weary ... because it means I have given my all.

It's easy to be thankful for the 'good' things ... yet, a life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are thankful for the setbacks.

Gratitude will turn a negative into a positive ... find a way to be thankful for your troubles and they can become your blessings.

Let My Nation...Breathe | By Yitzkhok Sakhai

2011-06-15T10:49:00.000-07:00

Shalom,

I would like to introduce myself before writing the next blog. My name is Yitzkhok Sakhai and no I’m not Chinese, I was born in Iran and raised in the United States. My Parents and I moved here when I was about 11 years old to join the rest of the Persian refugees in the land of opportunities. After elementary school I attended the Mirrer Yeshiva in New York from which I received my diploma. A while after I pursued the business life and realized it was not for me. My passion rested at a completely different corner of the word. So I went to Ohr Somayach Yeshiva in Israel and received my Rabbinical Semicha and a degree in leadership and outreach. I am currently employed by S.T.A.R. (Sephardic Tradition and Recreation) and Nessah synagogue. My life, my work and passion is to reach out to the Jewish community especially the younger generation and, Go-d willing, reignite that Jewish spark in their souls and through that build a brighter future for Jews wherever we may be. If you would like to know more about what our organization does please visit us at www.lastar.org

I thank the founders of the PiRo club and all that help it run and I am truly honored to have been asked to contribute to the Blog. Tizke Lemitzvot and Chazzak Ubaruch!!!

The Torah commands us "Betezedek Tishpot Et Amitecha," meaning"you shall judge your fellow man righteously." There is a discussion among the Jewish sages as to what and to whom this passage is referring to. Some rabbis point out that this is directed towards Jewish judges as a warning to prevent bribery. But most Rabbis agree that it is a commandment and a warning to every single Jew. Each Jew is presented daily with the opportunity to judge another Jew, but we tend not to see it that way.

As a Rabbi in the PiRo community, working in the outreach field, I see this happening every day, especially targeting the younger generation.

I often find myself in the same situation, when I ask a seemingly routine question from teens like, “why don't you come to synagogue on Shabbat or the holidays,” or “why don't you come to the recent lecture that was held locally?” The answer is always the same: "PEOPLE JUDGE ME." And when I ask them to clarify, that is when they pour their heart out.

And i quote: The other day I came to the synagogue for Shabbat services and someone, (usually one of the "moreorthodox") came over to me and asked why I have come to Shul with a mohawk or why I even have such a haircut". Another example: "why would you come to Shul wearing jeans? don't you own a suit?

To me this is one of the greatest problems that our community is facing today. For the past 35 years, the thirst for Jewish knowledge has been growing rapidly. The only thing that is holding more people from getting more involved in their heritage is the judgmental attitude that some people hold, because of exhasted ideas such as that there needs to be a dress code and without it everything else is meaningless. Don't get me wrong. There is definitely a need for a certain decorum when going in to a holy sanctuary, but it should not be on the top 5 things a person is approached about when they are taking a step towards growth. Instead, why not reach out with a simple invitation to coffee, or a Shabbat meal, or just a friendly talk just to let the other person feel and KNOW that he belongs! One of my rabbis, the world famous author and Jewish historian, Rabbi Berrel Wein once told us “if you want to look Jewish, wear a turban and a long coat, because that is what Jews wore for thousands of years.”

Before we judge anyone negatively, let us take a moment and think about what it means to be one nation. When we received the Torah at mount Sinai the Rabbis tell us that we gathered there "KeIsh Echad Belev Echad," "like One Man with One Heart." No one criticized, no one judged!

May we merit the patience and the vigilance it takes to be simply good people, and more importantly, good Jews.

--By: Rabbi Yitzkhok Sakhai

I LOVE YOU! | Posted by Minde

2011-06-06T22:51:00.001-07:00

My Dearest,

I just had to sit down and write to remind you of something very important to me.

I LOVE YOU.

I saw you talking with your friends yesterday, and I so wanted you to talk to me also. I waited all day, but you never called. I hoped we could find the time to talk in the evening, but I know you had a lot of other things on your mind.

As your day drew to a close, I sent a cool breeze to make you feel refreshed after a long hard day. I put a special scent in the air from the flowers near the driveway, but I guess you didn't notice as you hurried ·by. I'm sad to see you rush so.

I saw you fall asleep last night and I so wanted to touch your face or stroke your hair, so I spilled a little moonlight on your face and Pillow.

When you awoke this morning, I hoped we could have a little time together. I so wanted to rush down and talk with you, but you had to hurry off to work; my tears were in the rain.

I have so many gifts for you, so much to tell you, so many wonderful things for you to experience because I love you so much. My nature is like that, you know.

Please call me, talk with me-- ask me for help.

I know the deepest desires of your heart and I so want to be close to you. My love for you is deeper than the oceans, greater than you can imagine. I long for us to share some time together; JUST THE TWO OF US.

It hurts me to see you look so sad today. I really understand what it's like for friends to let you down. I know your heart aches.

I'll Close for now because I know you are very busy, and I certainly don't want to bother you. You know you are always free to choose me, my way…… or not. It’s really your decision, because I have already chosen you.

So please, don't be too long.

And remember: I LOVE YOU!

Your friend,

HASHEM

No, I didn’t write this. My daughter came home from school with this and I just had to share it with you all.

HASHEM calls out to us, “Open up for Me the size of the head of a pin, and I will open for you the size of a great hall!”

The One State Solution | Just Brilliant!

2011-06-04T22:22:00.001-07:00

Focus on the carrot not the Stick | Posted by: Rabbi Y. Sakhai

2011-05-10T16:43:00.000-07:00

Shalom to all,

I thought I should start my first post on this blog by speaking about the most recent news that seems to have everyone in tangles. Yes i am talking about everything that has happened in the Middle East in the course of the past two years and ending with the death of our worst enemy known since Hitler: Bin L. Some people are excited others simply on a high and a small fraction of people are just too busy to care. Which of these groups should we, as Jews, identify ourselves with?

I, personally, believe in the “none of the above” category. We, as Jews, have way too much responsibility towards the world to just sit around and think to ourselves "well what happens in the Middle East has nothing to do with me. why worry about something so out of our comfort zone?" the prophet Daniel saw this day coming thousands of years ago, and his advice about the matter is just golden. The prophet says that there will be a day when the eastern nations of the world will start to implode, and just when all the Jews feel "safe," all eyes will turn on them! And then there will be no refuge but from the G-d above.

So, I have this to say, to all those sitting and thinking that the Jews are finally out of the spotlight and that we are finally being understood: The only thing that we should NOT be doing is sitting idle and letting things run their course. We need prayer more than ever. We need a unified Jewish Nation, with a unified voice and that voice is prayer. It is one weapon that can never be taken from a Jew.

So, NO, I am not excited and happy about what the Middle East is going through. Don't be mistaken, I thank Go-d every single day that murderers like Bin L. have been brought to justice, but to sit back and laugh it off and think that the ultimate goal was reached, THAT I won't do. There is a much bigger goal here at hand and that is ultimate world peace and we the Jews are smack in the middle of it all. Hashem calls the Jews "a nation of priests and a holly people." Have we ever asked ourselves if we are the priests, then who are the laymen?? Who are the regular folk that we are sent to lead??? Rabbi Asher Wade says it beautifully, "The nations of the world are the Laymen."

We have been given a tremendous responsibility and to sit back and not use the only weapon that has worked for us for thousands of years is nothing more than pure selfish.

PRAYER

I pray that all of Am Yisrael's prayers should be answered so that we may merit the coming of Moshiyach, Amen.

Dinner Event for Israel - Honoring Daryl Temkin and Pat Boone | Posted by Daryl Temkin PhD

2011-05-10T11:31:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends,

A week from this Wednesday, at Sinai Temple in Westwood, there will be the fundraising dinner event to help build the needed bomb proof underground emergency room in Haifa at the Bnai Zion Hospital, located on Mount Carmel. 6:00 P.M. is the opening reception followed by a 7:00 P.M. dinner.

As you may know, over 40,000 missiles have been brought into Southern Lebanon and are in the hands of the Hizbollah. Israel needs to be prepared to withstand the potential damage to their civilians and soldiers from these missiles. This hospital emergency room will be essential and it is our opportunity to assist in the building effort.

Pat Boone, myself and two other Los Angeles leaders are featured to help make this effort to save future lives a success.

I will be speaking and Pat Boone will make a unique presentation. There will also be an innovative and fast paced auction to help buy the hospital's needed emergency medicine equipment.

If there is a chance for you to be available to attend this event, please set the date in your calendar.

For reservations, please call the Bnai Zion office at: 818.716.2722.

The dinner donation is $200 per person. Contributions to the cause is also a welcomed option.

Looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday, May 18th.

__________________________________________________________________
Daryl Temkin, Ph.D. is the founder of the Israel Institute for the Advancement of Alternative Energy, which is devoted to teaching the world about the “clean energy” innovations that have come forth from Israel to free humankind from global oil dependency. The Israel Institute is a not for profit, 501c3 organization. Tax deductible contributions can be given through the website: Israel-Institute.org, or call: 310.508.0950.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ISRAEL!!!!! :) Always Always in Our Hearts.

2011-05-10T09:39:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Aish.com for the video. Israel, Wave Your Flag.

“Listen World Listen Jew” Introduction | Posted by Barkochva Hamakabi

2011-04-28T16:32:00.001-07:00

I sit here, in the Land of Israel: Jerusalem; Home. It is night and the stars twinkle with fierceness and a multitude of heavenly lights such as I have not remembered for many years. Across the valley sleep the hills of Benjamin and the lights of Ramalla shine directly across from me as to the left I strain to see Nebi Samuel, the grave of the Prophet Samuel. The night is totally quiet, carrying with it a stillness not born of the fear of other urban areas where people cling to their dwellings in the concrete jungle, but rather the gentle, peaceful quiet that affords tranquility to the soul and pause for thought to the mind.

I am home in Jerusalem and inside sleep my children who have returned with me. Tomorrow they will go to school, climbing the hills that forever bear the footprints of those who preceded them here so many years ago–their ancestors. They will walk the hills of Jerusalem, tread its streets, mingle with their brothers and sisters from Riga and Casablanca, pray at the wall and shyly–and then not so timidly–touch its craggy surface, add their lip prints to those who preceded them for twenty centuries and then joke in Hebrew with the bus drivers, drink their Jewish grapefruit juice as they read their Jewish newspaper and exult in their Jewish city.

“Our feet are standing within thy gates O Jerusalem,” and they will never leave. This is Zionism, and the United Gentiles call it “Racist” and debate how to take my city away from me. Foolish world; sooner will the sun fail to rise tomorrow. The Jews have come home to their Zion and have welded their city together with a fierce tightness that none-least of all the humor that is the United Nations-can sunder. A people which patiently bides its time for millennia will not easily-ever-give up its state and capital. A nation stubborn enough to awaken for centuries at midnight to weep for Zion and so obstinate as to pray in the North, the South, East and West, three times daily, four times on Sabbaths and holidays and five times on Atonement for the day when the Divine Presence will return to the Holy City, will surely do little more than yawn when the haters thunder about “Zionist hooligans.”

For two thousand years we wept for the Zion they tore from us with blood and fire; today it is returned to us and never again will it leave our possession. For centuries we were forced to visit as strangers at the sufferance of those who mocked and reviled us; today we sit as balel-batim, possessors and holders of title to our possession and never again will that title be effectively challenged. For a score of years no Jew could tread on the doorstep to the Holy Mount and place his slips of pleadings in the crevices of the Wall because Jordan was busy keeping the area Judenrein even as it was using the Jewish tombstones on the Mount of Olives to line latrines. Today a thousand Jews and more will pray at the Wall even as all others can pursue their own faiths with no one to prevent them. Never again will all the haters with all their lackeys and running dogs of Jew-hating imperialism, return us to the horrors that once were.

My first Sabbath in Jerusalem was the occasion for the reading in the Law of the words of the Prophet Isaiah: “For the sake of Zion I will not be quiet and for the sake of Jerusalem I will not hold my peace.” Let the world hear and the politicians remember. A people whose G-d keeps His word is not to be trifled with; a L-rd whose people is so determined is not to be taken lightly. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem,” for if an alien hand attempts to seize it again it will surely be cut off. Pray for the peace of Zion because if there will be war over it, the whole world will be plunged into a holocaust-and in the end it will remain Jewish. In blood and fire did Zion rise again-never again to sink to its knees. This is surely the promise we give the world, and the guarantors whom we bring as surety are the same ones our ancestors once brought before the Almighty at Sinai-our children. They walk the streets of Zion and their Jerusalem and with the strength of their young and mighty arms will they assure that those streets and stones and hills and homes will continue to be Jewish ever more.

A certain resolution on Zionism has been passed at the United Nations. In reality, it is a resolution on Judaism. It is important that a reply be given. It is important that the world know precisely what Zionism is and what the Jewish people are.

It is important that the nations hear our proclamation: “Listen world; I am a Zionist, I am a Jew!”

And listen, too, Jew. Listen so that you will understand yourself who you are and what and why. For there is no escape from it even if one should be so foolish as to desire to flee, the greatness and majesty of the Jewish destiny. Listen so that you will be able to stand proud and tall and know what to reply-with dignity and not hesitant defensiveness. So that you will know from where you came and to where you go, since without the former it is impossible to know the latter.

And so, listen Jew as we speak to a world that understands as little as you about the eternity of the Jewish people. Listen, as the Jewish Idea is proclaimed. Listen, and learn. Listen and return.

Listen world, listen Jews.

Muslim on the Side of Israel?!!

2011-04-14T17:47:00.001-07:00

“Everyone Is Entitled to Their Memory, Except Israel” | Posted by PiRo SCC

2011-04-14T09:29:00.001-07:00

Rabbi Marvin Hier, Dean and Founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center

From the New York Times: Rabbis Sound an Alarm Over Eating Disorders | Posted by PiRo SCC

2011-04-11T21:55:00.001-07:00

The following article appeared in the health section of the New York Times on April 11, 2011. While it is not necessarily written from a Jewish point of view, it raises issues that some consider worth discussing and bringing to fore. We welcome your participation and comments.

___________________________________________________________________

By RONI CARYN RABIN

In the large and growing Orthodox Jewish communities around New York and elsewhere, rabbinic leaders are sounding an alarm about an unexpected problem: a wave of anorexia and other eating disorders among teenage girls.

While no one knows whether such disorders are more prevalent among Orthodox Jews than in society at large, they may be more baffling to outsiders. Orthodox women are famously expected to dress modestly, yet matchmakers feel no qualms in asking about a prospective bride’s dress size — and her mother’s — and the preferred answer is 0 to 4, extra small.

Rabbis say the problem is especially hard to treat because of the shame that has long surrounded mental illness among Orthodox Jews.

“There is an amazing stigma attached to eating disorders — this is the real problem,” said Rabbi Saul Zucker, educational director for the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, or O.U., the organization that issues the all-important kashrut stamp for food. “But hiding it is not going to make it go away. If we don’t confront it, it’s going to get worse.”

Referring to the high risk of death from heart problems and suicide in patients with anorexia, he said: “This isn’t a luxury type of disease, where, O.K., someone is a little underweight. People die.”

As a teenager, Naomi Feigenbaum developed bizarre eating habits that had nothing to do with Jewish dietary laws: Cocoa Puffs and milk in the morning, when she figured she had all day to burn off the calories, and nothing but Crystal Light and chewing gum the rest of the day.

At the kosher dinner table in her home near Cleveland, she said she would start arguments with her parents so she could stomp off and avoid eating. She lost weight so rapidly in high school that she used safety pins to cinch her long skirts around her waist.

By the time her rabbi came to visit her, she was emaciated. He told her that she must attend a treatment program that met on Saturday, the Jewish day of rest, even if she had to violate religious rules by riding in a car to get there. She could even eat food that wasn’t kosher.

“That’s when I realized it was a matter of life and death,” Ms. Feigenbaum said in an interview. “My rabbi does not take Jewish law lightly. But he told me the Jewish laws are things God wanted us to live by, not die by, and that saving a life takes precedence over all of them.”

Now 24, she has written a memoir, “One Life” (Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2009), about her recovery from anorexia after treatment at the Florida branch of the Renfrew Center, the nationwide eating-disorders clinic.

There is little research to indicate how many women are in a similar position. Israeli studies consistently find high rates of disordered eating among Jewish adolescents but not Arab ones, and Israel’s rate of dieting is among the highest in the world — more than one woman in four — though obesity rates are relatively low.

Data about American Jews is limited, but two small studies have reported high rates of disordered eating in certain communities. One of those, a 1996 study of an Orthodox high school in Brooklyn, found 1 in 19 girls had an eating disorder — about 50 percent higher than in the general population at the time. The 1996 study was done with the agreement that it would not be published. The other study, done in 2008, looked at 868 Jewish and non-Jewish high school students in Toronto and found that 25 percent of the Jewish girls suffered from eating disorders that merited treatment, compared with 18 percent of the non-Jewish girls.

Demand for treatment programs that accommodate Orthodox teenagers prompted the Renfrew Center to start offering kosher food at its clinics in Philadelphia, New York, Dallas and Florida, while a new residential facility catering to young women from the United States opened last year in Jerusalem. It is not affiliated with Renfrew.

Relief Resources, a mental health referral agency that serves Orthodox communities, runs an eating disorders hot line, and last year the O.U. teamed with a social worker to make “Hungry to be Heard,” a documentary about eating disorders among the Orthodox.

Most of the young women interviewed for this article said they did not blame the culture for their health problems and said they derived support from their religious faith. But they spoke openly about the enormous pressure they feel to marry young and immediately start families , and the challenges of balancing professional careers with the imperative to be consummate homemakers who prepare elaborate Sabbath meals.

Experts say that eating disorders usually emerge during adolescence and other times of transition. And in large Orthodox families, the girls are often expected to help care for their younger siblings, leaving them little time to pursue their own interests. Experts suspect that anorexia may provide a way to stall adult responsibilities by literally stopping the biological clock: the drastic weight loss can halt menstruation.

Young Orthodox women are also expected to conform to a rigorous code of conduct, with few outlets for rebellion. They are expected to be chaste until marriage and do not date until they start looking for a husband. Even gossip is considered a sin.

Once matchmaking starts, they may be expected to choose a life partner after only a brief courtship. Known mental illness in a family can affect the chances of a successful match, not just for the individual but for siblings as well, so young women may well avoid psychiatric treatment.

In addition to fulfilling the traditional roles of caregiver and homemaker, many Orthodox women also assume the role of primary breadwinner so their husbands can pursue religious studies full time.

“It’s too much,” said a 23-year-old woman from the New York area who is recovering from an eating disorder and asked not to be identified by name to protect her privacy. She is married and a full-time student, but has postponed having a baby.

“A lot of my friends are going to work and support their husbands,” she continued, “but part of my recovery is to say that I can’t do everything — I’m not superwoman.”

Food plays a central role in Jewish family and religious life, and both the Friday night dinner and the midday Sabbath meal, as well as holiday meals, can be multicourse affairs. But fast days — when no food or water is consumed for 25 hours — are also sprinkled throughout the year, often preceded or followed by a large meal.

Next week’s Passover Seders, which traditionally include matzo and four cups of wine, along with soup, gefilte fish, brisket and potato kugel, are a particular challenge, experts say. For women who struggle with eating disorders, they can be an invitation to purging.

“There are a lot of mixed messages,” said a 27-year-old woman from a strict Orthodox community in Brooklyn, who once carried less than 100 pounds on her 5-foot-6 frame. “My grandmother would see me and say, ‘You look so good, you’re so skinny — come eat, eat.’ ”

Many rabbis find themselves being asked to resolve conflicts between religious obligations — like the requirement to fast on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement — and doctors’ orders that patients not restrict food intake under any circumstances.

“A patient will call and tell me their weight is down to 82 pounds, and they have weaknesses in their body, and I’ll tell them there is no question they must eat during a fast — not that they can eat, but that they must eat,” said Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser of the Bais Yitzchak Synagogue in Flatbush, Brooklyn, who has become known in the Orthodox world as an expert on eating disorders and counsels women from all over the world.

“They have great difficulty with that,” Rabbi Goldwasser went on, “and they say to me, ‘But isn’t it true that by fasting you get atonement for your sins?’

“I try to answer the spiritual conflict and say that no, God wants you to eat. Your eating on that day is considered as if you fasted.”

Itbach al Yahood….Kill the Jews | by PiRo SCC

2011-04-11T16:55:00.001-07:00