Mussar: Bill Clinton on our Common Humanity

From an 0ld draft

How can we belong to a group or sect and still live beShalom with the world at large?
Similarly, how can Jews who belong to distinct group still have a sense of Eilu f'eilu towards their fellow Jews?

Years ago, I heard Bill Clinton express this on a late-night talk show. While I could not narrow him down to one solitary quote on this subject, it seems that he has expressed this again and again at various commencement exercises. I will cite remarks made at Harvard and University of Michigan as exemplars of this view:

And so I leave you with that thought. Be true to the tradition of the great people who have come here. Spend as much of your time and your heart and your spirit as you possibly can thinking about the 99.9 percent. See everyone and realize that everyone needs new beginnings. Enjoy your good fortune. Enjoy your differences, but realize that our common humanity matters much, much more.

- The entire article is available at the Harvard Gazette, here.

For the purposes of your being here today, what makes you a community? ... Because you think your differences are important. They matter. But on this special day, what you have in common matters more. That is the ultimate simple test of humanity's future. Are our important differences or our common humanity more important? You have to decide. You have to decide for our common humanity,

- Umich

Permit me to reduce and paraphrase this idea as follows:

While you should treasure the differences that make you and your Tradition unique, nevertheless, it is even MORE important to treasure Your Common Humanity
and to Transcend those differences.

 Now let's spin it regarding Jewish groups:

While you should treasure the differences that make you and your Tradition unique,
nevertheless, it is even MORE important to treasure Your Common Heritage
and to Transcend those differences.

Corollaries:

• If you think of fellow Jews as US vs.THEM, then your particularism is overcoming your ahavat israel. For instance, my rebbe is better than your rebbe, my way is better than your way, etc.
• If your ahavat israel is on target, then you will transcend your differences regarding others without losing respect for that which makes YOU unique

Kol Tuv / Best Regards,
RabbiRichWolpoe@Gmail.com, 
Please Visit:
http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/

Refusing Orders

Originally published 3/24/08, 2:17 PM, Eastern Daylight Time.

The following article seems to make the simple point that a soldier must refuse to follow an order when it contradicts Halacha. While that may seem pretty straightforward, the article actually ignores the complexity of such a situation and decision. Here are some questions that illustrate this complexity:

What if there is a machloket in Halacha and the commanding officer follows one opinion and the solider follows another? What if the army as a whole follows one opinion and the soldier another?

What if there are consequences in not following the order thereby initiating a halachic exempiton such as the case of piku'ach nefesh, when one's life is threatened? In the case of positive commandments, an exemption kicks in at a great monetary loss, as another example? What if there is a disagreement over the facts and causal understandings of what is happening?

There is also a reference in this article to the actions of Mordechai as a model for us today. Yet there was great controversy over Mordechai's behaviour in regards to Haman. While Mordechai was vindicated, there are attempts to show the uniqueness of that situation, thus limiting the story as an example for us.

Of course one must be devoted to Torah in the fact of external pressure but this in itself demands further analysis. First of all, the Torah itself defines the devotion necessary. Second, one must define the Torah demand. Third, one must be sensitive to unique situations in any case of this matter.

This is something to think about with a recognition of the complexity.

Rabbi Ben Hecht

For Some, Halacha Makes Conceiving Tough

A somewhat interesting article about something that most do not know about. See
http://forward.com/articles/157819/for-some-halacha-makes-conceiving-tough/?p=2

There is much to discuss on a variety of matters.  One should note, though, that the Halacha is not totally silent on this matter and there are other solutions offered by poskim including one from Rav Moshe Feinstein that lessens the necessary 5 day count from the start of menstruation prior to the counting of the seven clean days. As many women with this problem also have short periods this is viable solution.

Rabbi Ben Hecht 

Prostitution in Canada

From Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_in_Canada

Prostitution in Canada is legal as there are no laws prohibiting the exchange of sex for money. On the 20th December 2013, the Supreme Court of Canada found the laws prohibiting brothels, public communication for the purpose of prostitution, and living on the profits of prostitution to be unconstitutional...

I know, as a Canadian, the discussion continues as to what will be -- but this is the situation as it is today.  It is something to think about -- what does it say about the social fabric of North American society? On the other hand, Rambam does state, in the Moreh, that prostitution is not a violation of the Noachide Code.

Rabbi Ben Hecht

Jew in the Box

I am not sure how to respond to this -- on many levels. What do you think of this?
Please see:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2013/04/05/exp-lead-jew-in-a-box.cnn

Does this objectify the individual, personal Jew?
What do you think of these individuals Jews speaking for Jewry and/or Judaism?

Rabbi Ben Hecht

Rabbis and Others: Beware of Abuse!

Here is a tidbit of information on this vast subject, shared with me by a friend. Whatever we can do here at Nishma to clean this up, is a plus for our society and for our children
Re: Sexual Abuse -

«Rabbis in the United States should know the degree to which his state's laws categorize him as a mandated reporter -

EG see p. 4 of the Child Welfare Information Gateway which summarizes the various state requirements, with detailed statues on subsequent pages.

NB: While New York State clergy are not mandated reporters, nevertheless, the RCA's position IS to require reporting suspected cases of child abuse to the proper authorities -

http://www.rabbis.org/news/article.cfm?id=105641.»

May we all have a Genuine G'ulah - bimheirah b'yameinu
 
Best Regards,
RRW

Parents Shame Daughter with Sign

http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_c2#/video/us/2012/11/22/dnt-fl-parents-shame-daughter-with-sign.wesh

I saw this and wondered what to think. It would seem to me, at best, to be a gamble - could have a positive impact on the daughter but could also have a powerful negative one. My leaning is towards the latter -- but then what to do? What, of course, is not mentioned in the report -- as a factor in this process -- is that it is a step-father and not a father. I wonder what type of influence that has had on the family dynamic. This is not to say anything negative about the step-father -- he seems to be a caring person -- but there is always the question of where is the father.

Anyways, wanted to throw this out for your contemplation and, if you have any thoughts you would like to share, to hear what you think.

Take care
RBH

YouTube Debate on Messianism

With our thoughts on the recent passing of Rabbi Immanuel Schochet, in memorial, we direct you to one of his debates against a Jewish Christian.

Rabbi Imanuel Schochet Debates Dr. Brown, a Messianic Jew
"Is Jesus the Jewish Messiah"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xG26JPXZVx0


Best Regards,
RRW

Female Schindler Dies at 98

Eric William Ederer:
An important example of the cardinal virtues of courage, prudence, and justice.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1021048/Female-Schindler-Irena-Sendler-saved-2-500-Jewish-children-died-aged-98.html

She saved 2,500 Jewish children before the Nazis caught and tortured her. Yet Irena Sendler, who has died aged 98, insisted she was no heroine - and only wished she'd rescued more.


Best Regards,
RRW

Hobby Lobby Wins Preliminary Injunction -

«"The tide has turned against the HHS mandate," said Kyle Duncan, General Counsel with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, and lead attorney for Hobby Lobby.

In an opinion read from the bench, the court said, "There is a substantial public interest in ensuring that no individual or corporation has their legs cut out from under them while these difficult issues are resolved."»

- Hobby Lobby wins Preliminary Injunction



Best Regards,
RRW

Facing the TWO Fronts

We have highlighted two issues facing the Modern Orthodox or Centrist Orthodox world on Nishmablog over the past few weeks.

We have noted how, mostly in Israel, the world of the the Da'ati Leumi world is pitted against the world of the Haredim.
See such posts as:

• Koshertube: Interview with Rabbi Dov Lipman
• Jerusalem - Rabbi Dov Lipman: Time To Tell The Truth
• the entire Hareidism vs. Centrism series, with perhaps a focus on Part III

We have also noted that, mostly concentrated in the New York area of the United States, the greater population of this world in in conflict with those more to the left. See such posts as:

• UTJ, YCT, etc.
• From Open O to Neo-Cons 
• Just What is Orthodoxy Anyway?

Many people may not realize that these two conflicts may respect a larger war. Modern Orthodox seems caught between two opposing forces.  The comparison to a physical war with fronts on two opposite sides -- East-West or North-South -- may be very real. The Centrist World fights one battle in one direction. And then, it seems to fight a second battle in the exact opposite direction -- and the challenge of this battle is often times not even recognized. This is not to say that this two front war is inherently inappropriate or problematic. It, though, needs to be recognized and truly understood for what it is.

To be more explicit in this regard, notice how, in either one of the battles, those fighting against the Centrists on one side are their allies in the battle on the other side. In regards to the issue in Israel, for example, in the battle with the Haredim, those to the left are allies even to the extent that some of the issues in the very battle with the left can be ignored. Centrists take offense to the idea of inter-branch relations in the U.S. as expressed by, for example, Rabbi Asher Lopatin, but the statement of Rabbi Dov Lipman regarding generic Torah study in the Knesset is still met with applause -- even though this would include the involvement of Prof. Ruth Calderon whose theological leanings would be similar to the more non-traditional branches of Judaism. The focus on the battle with the Haredim may lead to Centrist Orthodoxy wavering in its battle with the left -- but is that acceptable? It must clearly force the Centrist world to reconsider the issue on the left.

The Haredim are the allies when it comes to the U.S. issue of how to relate to Yeshiva Chovivei Torah. Centrists even take Haredi arguments to bolster their own challenges against the left -- for example, also using the term Mesorah almost dogmatically -- even though they dismiss such usage in the argument in Israel. The focus on the battle with the left may lead to Centrist Orthodoxy wavering in its battle with the Haredim -- but is that, again, acceptable? It must also force us to reconsider the issue with the Haredim.

Clearly, there are differences between what is happening in Israel and what is happening in the U.S. Arguments can be made for the differences in approach on the two fronts. The challenge, though, is whether people even see the inherent issue of these two fronts.
Do we see the wavering? -- not that these waverings are inherently wrong but rather that they should really be forcing us to truly think about the overall issues.
Centrist Orthodoxy's is now truly caught in the middle. The two fronts are battles Centrism must wage to be true to its essential perspective.  It is time that we started to recognize the true challenge of this dialectic and challenge.


- Rabbi Ben Hecht

UTJ, YCT, etc.

A comment:

«Actually, if you look at the UTJ vs the now-defunct Edah, many will tell you that what doomed the UTJ from greater growth was its reluctance to embrace the "women's issue" as a cause celebre. that cost them hundreds of thousands, if not 7 digits in potential donations. the other reality was that since it was founded by non-Orthodox though halachicly-based disciples of R Saul Lieberman, tz'l, it would never have captured even the mainstream Left of Orthodoxy to fully embrace it.
over the years, many of its members have traveled comfortably between Edah, YCT, Drisha, JOFA, etc. Truth is they all approach halakha very similarly ...
in my view, UTJ will never receive the full credit it deserves for its Mi Yehudi proposal, its Pesach Hotline, Kosher Nexus, Lieberman yahrzeit program (hope they revive that one), and its interesting Tomeikh K'Halakha, which provided a more moderate halackicly-based responsa before there was YCT or the Inst for Jewish Ideas and Ideals. but it is equally clear that many of its ideas were embraced and more successfully marketed by others.»

Halachic Template For Women's Ordination Isn't New | The Jewish Week


Best Regards,
RRW

EU and the Proposed Boycott

«So, just how earth-shattering are these guidelines? Tablet has acquired the official document containing the regulations, published today by the European Union, and we've spoken to an EU diplomat with close knowledge of its contents and drafting. As it turns out, there's a lot less in these guidelines than most press coverage would have you believe. Here's why:

They do not bind EU member states in their bilateral relationships with Israel.»

"The EU's Not Quite Settlement Boycott."



Best Regards,
RRW

Agunah Prevention - Be Part of the Solution III

«Indifference, apathy or not wanting to get involved are not Jewish concepts, particularly as they relate to those suffering from injustice. In many places the Torah explicitly calls upon us to protect, defend, and support the almanah, the widow. Rabbi Yaakov Zvi Mecklenburg, author of the Ksav V'Kabbalah (Parshas Mishpatim) explains that the Torah doesn't limit this mitzvah to the widow, but expects it regarding all those who are vulnerable and tormented within our community. He explains that the world "almanah" comes from al-manah, missing a portion. The almanah is simply a symbol of those that are incomplete, missing something in their lives. Our mandate and our mission must be to protect and support them.

It is in this spirit that the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA), the professional organization of over 1,000 Orthodox Rabbis in North America, held a Yom Iyun this week, a day of study regarding the plight of Agunos. The day began with a talk by Rav Herschel Schachter on the Halachic parameters of applying social pressure to encourage a man to give his wife a Get. Rav Schachter serves as the Posek of ORA and has been courageously vocal and instrumental in advocating on behalf of women being held hostage by their husbands.»

Be Part of the Solution - Agunah Prevention



Best Regards,
RRW

Prime Minister Netanyahu: FB Remarks re: Tisha b'Av

The Prime Minister of Israel wrote:
PM Netanyahu's Remarks at the Start of the Weekly Cabinet Meeting
*****

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Negev and Galilee Development Minister Silvan Shalom, this morning (Sunday, 14 July 2013), made the following remarks at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting:

Prime Minister Netanyahu:

"This week we will mark the Ninth of the Hebrew month of Av, Tisha b'Av. We remember the disaster that befell our people – the destruction of the Temple, the destruction of Jerusalem, the destruction of our land. We remember that this destruction was accompanied, and even expedited, by gratuitous hatred among us. I think that the Jewish People has learned the lesson. We know the importance of unity among our people, a unity of forces, and such unity around central ideas. We have returned to the Land of Israel. We have built our state. We have built our capital Jerusalem and we have created one of the most prosperous, developed and advanced countries in the world. Today, this is very considerable given the background of what is happening in the region, from Morocco to Pakistan, and what is happening opposite an advanced continent such as Europe.

The State of Israel is prosperous, strong, united and developed and we must be united on the main goals that I will detail here – and stand together in the face of major challenges that threaten our security – regarding the implementation of the vision that we have here, especially the development of the Negev and the Galilee on a large scale.

A month has passed since the Iranian elections and Iran is continuing to press quickly forward on developing a military nuclear ability. It is expanding and advancing its enrichment facilities and, at the same time, its developing its ballistic missiles capability. Again, these are threats not only against us but against the entire West and the East as well.

We are determined to insist on our demands, which must be the demands of the international community. One, to stop all enrichment. Two, to remove all enriched material. Three, to close the illegal nuclear facility in Qom. We believe that now, more than ever, in light of Iran's progress, it is important to intensify the economic sanctions and place a credible military option before Iran.

Best Regards,
RRW

Elections vs. Democracy: Some Thoughts about Events in Egypt

Guest Blogger:
Douglas Aronin, Esq.
*****

The events in Egypt over the course of the past couple of weeks should be of concern to anyone who cares about Israel's well-being.  Although Israel's relationship with Egypt has been rocky at times, the Egyptian government has remained committed to the peace treaty between the two countries, and the durability of that treaty has been a cornerstone of Israeli security policy.  The now-deposed Egyptian President,  Mohammed Morsi, had reaffirmed that commitment as well, but considering his affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood, supporters of Israel were skeptical about his sincerity.

I doubt that many Israelis are feeling much ambivalence about Morsi's forced departure.  His hostility to Israel was never in doubt, and his supposed commitment to peace with Israel was widely assumed to be merely a show designed to keep American aid flowing. The relationship between the IDF and the Egyptian military, on the other hand, has been a constructive one, and the general who took the lead in effecting Morsi's ouster, Gen. Abdel Fatah Said Al-Sisi , is a known quantity. Israel is surely better off with the army controlling Egypt rather than  the Muslim Brotherhood, and Israelis across the political spectrum understand that.  No one expects Egypt's army to maintain control of the country for a lengthy period, but its willingness to intervene should make future civilian governments more hesitant to cross any of its red lines -- one of which is the country's commitment to its peace treaty with Israel.

The American reaction to the military intervention in Egypt reflects more ambivalence than the Israeli reaction.  That ambivalence does not signify a weakening of America's  commitment to Israel's security, nor does it suggest that anyone in Washington was enamored with Morsi or the Muslim Brotherhood. But the US necessarily sees episodes like this one from a broader perspective reflecting its national interests. One of those core interests, most Americans believe,  is the promotion of democracy around the world.

Historically, to be sure, United States foreign policy has been somewhat less idealistic than most of us would like to believe.  Like any major power, we have a multitude of national interests to protect, and we have on occasion subordinated the promotion of democracy to the pursuit of one or another of those interests.  The notion of an American mission to promote democracy is deeply ingrained in the American psyche, however, and the American people are usually reluctant to see their country acting in a manner that is inconsistent with that ideal.

It was to further that ideal, presumably, that Congress, beginning in 1986, adopted a statutory provision mandating the suspension of "any assistance to the government of any country whose duly elected head of government is deposed by military coup d'etat or decree or ... a coup d'etat or decree in which the military plays a decisive role."   Unlike many foreign policy-related statutes, this one does not permit a waiver by the President for reasons of national security.  It does provide, however, " [t]hat assistance may be resumed to such government if the President determines and certifies ... that subsequent to the termination of assistance a democratically elected government has taken office."

Because the statute gives the President no flexibility in responding to a coup, the White House has thus far refused to label the removal of Morsi a coup.  That has brought some criticism, most notably from Senator John McCain.  In a statement released shortly after Morsi's overthrow, McCain, though he appeared to be unhappy with the law's inflexibility, said that  "it is difficult for me to conclude that what happened was anything other than a coup in which the military played a decisive role. Current U.S. law is very clear about the implications for our foreign assistance in the aftermath of a military coup against an elected government ...."

It's hard to dispute McCain's assertion that Morsi's overthrow is a coup.  In insisting otherwise, the Obama administration is playing a word game.  That word game, however, is in America's national interest, and the inflexibility written into the statute is not.  Virtually no one, including McCain, is arguing that cutting off aid to Egypt at this point would be in the interests of the United States -- or of Israel, for that matter.

Does that mean that the United States shouldn't promote democracy abroad, that it should base its foreign policy on realpolitik without any pretense of principle?  In one of his recent op-ed columns, David Brooks the most thoughtful of the Times columnists, appears to be wrestling with that question.  He posits that "[t]he debate about Egypt has  been between those who emphasize process and those who emphasize substance."  The process crowd, according to Brooks, doesn't see beyond the fact that Morsi was "freely elected" while the "substance people" believe that "[w]hen you elect fanatics ... [y]ou have empowered people who are going to wind up subverting democracy.  The important thing is to get people like that out of power, even if it takes a coup."  The "substance people," unlike the process crowd, recognize that "elections are not a good thing when they lead to the elevation of people whose substantive beliefs fall outside the democratic orbit."

The process/substance dichotomy proposed by Brooks is tempting, but misses the mark.  It sounds too much like saying that sure, you can have an election, as long as we approve of the winner.  And to many ears, especially in developing countries, it sounds like a pretext for renewed colonialism. The principle of majority rule, after all, is not based on the assumption that the majority is always right but rather on the principle that the majority has the right to be wrong.

A better approach, it seems to me, is to recognize that majority rule is one of the foundations of democracy but not the only one. Voting alone does not establish democracy.  The old Soviet Union used to vote, after all, as does the present-day Iran. Dictators have frequently used plebiscites to provide a thin veneer of legitimacy to their authoritarian rule.

To be considered a democracy, a country needs more than an electoral system.  It needs a free press, an independent judiciary and an enforceable commitment to minority rights and the rule of law.  The fatal defect in Morsi's regime was not that the wrong man won the election, but rather that the country lacked the other institutions necessary to place realistic checks on governmental power, thus creating a stable democratic regime.  In some countries, where other such checks are lacking, the military is called upon to play that role.  It is far from optimal, but it may be better than the available alternatives, as developments in Turkey over the past few years make clear.

When does the democratic instability within a nominally democratic country justify intervention by that country's armed forces?  There's no simple answer to that question, which will depend on a hard-headed analysis of specific circumstances.   To the extent that the United States has leverage -- and in the case of Egypt, our substantial foreign assistance gives us considerable leverage -- we should use it not to mindlessly endorse election victors but to encourage the development of stable democratic institutions.  That seems to be what the Obama administration is trying to do in Egypt.  It's a shame that inflexible statutory language adds to the difficulty of that task.

Douglas Aronin
 

*****\
Best Regards,
RRW

Israeli Chief Rabbinate Election

History:

«First, the rabbinate. Israel has two chief rabbis, one Ashkenazi, the other Sephardi, elected for ten-year terms by a public council composed ostensibly (very ostensibly) of representatives of a wide swath of the public. How did this arrangement come to be?

The Chief Rabbinate was created in 1921, during the years of the British Mandate. Following established colonial practice and building on both the Ottoman system and traditional post-Napoleonic European practice, the British wanted a body to which they could farm out things like religion, charities and domestic relations. The Zionists wanted a respectable religious leadership to represent them in public and give religious sanction to their revolutionary enterprise.»

Mud-Slinging for the Sake of Heaven: Religion and Politics in Today's Israel - Yehudah Mirsky - The American Interest Magazine



Best Regards,
RRW

Support Those Who Support Israel

Pro-Israel companies.
Courtesy or R Elchanan Poupko
Here is a list of 18 companies that we should go out  of our way to support and the reasons why.
 
I ASK YOU TO SHOW THESE COMPANIES  SUPPORT. LET US SUPPORT THEM AND PLEASE PASS ON TO EVERYONE YOU DEEM FIT! THANK  YOU!
 
1. The Chairman and CEO of STARBUCKS , Howard Schultz, is an active Zionist. In 1998, he was  honoured by the Jerusalem Fund of Aish HaTorah with 'The Israel 50th Anniversary  Friend of Zion Tribute Award' for his services to the Zionist state in 'playing  a key role in promoting close alliance between the United States and Israel '.  At a time when other businesses were desperately pulling out of Israel,  Starbucks decided to help Israel 's floundering economy and invest in Israel .  It has been revealed that Starbucks still continues to support Israel by  sponsoring fund raisers for Israel .
 
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2. THE  LIMITED STORES , Express, Lerner New York , VICTORIAS SECRET and BATH  & BODY WORKS: The Limited, Inc. was founded by Leslie H. Wexner in 1963 in  Columbus , Ohio . Includes: THE LIMITED STORES, Express, Lerner New York ,  VICTORIAS SECRET and BATH & BODY WORKS, and employs over 115,000 people. Its  founder, president and CEO Les Wexner is a Zionist. He is on the board of  directors of Emet, the Pro-Israel Media 'War Room' whose function is to ensure  that all media in the US stays biased in favor of Israel . In 1984, Les Wexner  who is one of the world's 200 wealthiest people created the Wexner Foundation.  Its mission statement is 'strengthening Jewish Leadership in North America and  Israel .' One of the programs the Foundation runs is the Wexner Israel  Fellowship Program which annually brings up to ten Israeli have participated  thus far. The Wexner Foundation sponsors 'Birthright Israel ' - a program that  pays for young American Jews to take free indoctrination trips to Israel . It is  also a long-standing supporter of Hillel - the bastion of Zionism on  campus.
 
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3. THE  HOME DEPOT : Its founder and co-chairman of the Board is an active  Zionist. He created the board of directors of Emet, the Pro-Israel Media 'War  Room' whose function is to ensure that all media in the US stays biased in favor  of Israel .
 
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4. DISNEY : Walt Disneys Millennium exhibition at the Epcot Centre in Florida depicts Jerusalem as the capital of Israel . Of the 8 million dollars it cost to set up the exhibition, Israel contributed 1.8 million and worked with Disney to  develop its content.
 
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5. AOL/TIME WARNER : AOL ALLOCATES 30% OF ITS INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO IN ISRAEL . (Can you believe it?!)
 
The buy up of Israeli  company Mirabilis, creators of ICQ (internet chat program), for $287m in 1998  forms part of AOLs investment in Israel .
 
In 1998, Mr. Ted Leonsis, CEO  of AOL studios (a business unit of AOL) received the Jubilee Award by the  Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. This is the highest tribute ever awarded by  the 'State of Israel in recognition of those individuals and organizations that  through their investments and trade relationships have done the most to  strengthen the Israeli economy.
 
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6. COCA COLA : From 1966 onward Coca-Cola has been a staunch supporter  of Israel . In 1997 the Government of Israel Economic Mission honored Coca-Cola  at the Israel Trade Award Dinner for its continued support of Israel for the  last 30 years and for refusing to abide by the Arab League boycott of Israel .  In contrast, Pepsi abided by the Arab League boycott of Israel which ended in May 1991, after 1992 Pepsi is also trading in Israel . In 2001 <tel:2001> the Coca-Cola World  Headquarters hosted and was the main sponsor of the American-Israel Chamber of  Commerce Awards Gala. It has been revealed that Coca-Cola Israel sponsors  training programs for its workers on subjects including the Israeli-Arab  conflict. The course content is created by a company funded by the Jewish Agency  and the Israeli government. In July 2002 <tel:2002> , it has been announced that Coca-Cola  is to build a new plant at Kiryat  Gat.
 
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7. ESTEE  LAUDER : Estee Lauder's chairman, Ronald Lauder, also one time chairman of  the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, is the  current president of the Jewish National Fund (JNF) - Ronald Lauder is an ardent  Zionist.
 
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8. SARAH LEE . (Includes Hanes, Playtex, Leggs, Champion). This is  also not to be confused with the frozen snacks company. This is in regard to the  clothing giant. Sara Lee owns 30% of Israel 's leading textile company Delta Galil. Sara Lee is the world's largest clothing manufacturer, this opens the  worlds markets to Israel , with cloths originating in Israel and being sold around the world under one of the many famous Sara Lee brands.
 
In 1998,  Mr. Lucien Nessim of Sara Lee Personal Products received the Jubilee Award by  the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. This is the highest tribute ever awarded  by the 'State of Israel ' in recognition of those individuals and organizations,  that through their investments and trade relationships, have done the most to  strengthen the Israeli  economy.
 
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9. FOX  TELEVISION, FOX ENTERTAINMENT : The News Corporation Limite is one of the  world's largest media companies with total assets as of September 30, 2005 <tel:2005> of  approximately; US $58 billion and total annual revenues of approximately US $18  billion. News Corporation's diversified global operations include the production  and distribution of motion pictures and television programming; television,  satellite and cable broadcasting; the publication of newspapers, magazines and  books; the production and distribution of promotional and advertising products  and services; the development of digital broadcasting. News Corporation is the  world's leading publisher of English-language newspapers with operations  worldwide. The Company publishes more than 175 different newspapers, printing  more than 40 million papers a week.
 
Murdoch's News Corp. invests heavily  in Israel . Murdoch News Corporation was one of three US companies that was  lauded for their support of Israel at the America-Israel Friendship League  Partners for Democracy Awards dinner (25th June 2001 <tel:2001> );Murdoch himself co-chaired  the dinner. News Corp.'s digital technology company based in Jerusalem, called NDS, has grown from 20 to 600 employees in the past  decade.
 
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10. NESTLE : The Swiss company owns 50.1% of Israeli food maker Osem  Investments. In Dec. 2000 <tel:2000> , it announced it will invest millions of dollars to  operate the new R&D centre in Israel . In 1998, Mr. Peter Brabeck-Letmathe  on behalf of Nestle, received the Jubilee Award by the Israeli Prime Minister  Netanyahu. This is the highest tribute ever awarded by the 'State of Israel ' in  recognition of those individuals and organizations, that through their  investments and trade relationships, have done the most to strengthen the  Israeli economy.
 
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11. OVERSEAS ADVENTURE TRAVEL : Company is based in Massachusetts , is  known for their many world tours and relatively cheap group travel. The company  donates money to over 50 countries in which it operates in to help fund schools,  food aid, etc. and averages between $5,000 and $25,000 per country. However,  Israel received a flat $1,000,000 from Overseas Adventure Travel, as it's  president is a  Zionist.
 
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12. IBM : IBM invests heavily in Israel . IBM senior vice-president and  general counsel, Lawrence Ricciardi, who noted that his company employs 1,700  people in Israel, said in an interview with the Jerusalem Post, 'This wedge of  land and the huge ideals it represents are very important to IBM.' IBM was one  of three US companies that was lauded at the America-Israel Friendship League  Partners for Democracy Awards dinner ( 25th June 2001 <tel:2001> ) hosted by Sharon. In May  2002 <tel:2002> the Israel-America Chamber of Commerce awarded IBM the Ambassador's Award'  in recognition of its outstanding contribution to the development of the Israeli  high-tech industry and to advancing trade between the U.S.and Israel. IBM  established operations in 1949 and was the first large American company with a  wholly owned subsidiary in Israel , introducing computers to the  country.
 
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13. KIMBERLY-CLARK : (Huggies, Kotex, Kleenex) In 1998, Mr. Robert P.  Van der Merwe, chairman of Kimberly-Clark Europe received the Jubilee Award by  the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. This is the highest tribute ever awarded  by the 'State of Israel ' in recognition of those individuals and organizations,  that through their investments and trade relationships, have done the most to  strengthen the Israeli economy. Kimberly Clark Corp owns 49.9% interest in  Israeli company Hogla (6/96) through America-Israel PaperMills  $49.9m.
 
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14. RIVER  ISLAND clothing chain, ISROTEL and IBROTEL HOTELS in Spain and Portugal ,  BRITANNIA PACIFIC PROPERTIES. (This one probably relates least to any of us) - a  diversified international investment company, with headquarters in London ,  England . They said to be one of the largest real estate owners in the  Sacramento Metropolitan area. It appears that the British based Lewis Trust  Group is one of the companies developing hotels in the Aqaba Region. David  Lewis, the Chairman of the company, is a prominent supporter of Israel . Mr  Lewis's activities have included the raising of money for the Jewish National  Fund. He is also a member of the Israel-Britain Business Council. This  organization is dedicated to the development of the Zionist State , by  channelling British capital to the occupied territories for the benefit of the  Zionists and the exploitation of the Palestinians.
 
15. NOKIA : Nokia has started to invest heavily in Israel . Nokia  general manager Lars Wolf said in an interview with The Jerusalem Post (4 March  2001 <tel:2001> ): 'We are really focusing on Israel from all perspectives, because we have  an internal project called 'Project Israel ' which means we are looking at  Israel from a networks perspective, from the perspective of Nokia Ventures  Organization, and also from the perspective of Nokia Research Center.' Nokia  Venture Partners, a branch of Nokia Ventures Organization, launched a new $500  million fund in December 2000 <tel:2000> and allowed that a 'disproportionate' amount of it  would go into Israeli companies. Nokia Research Center is on the lookout for  Israeli start-ups with which it can  cooperate.
 
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16. TIMBERLAND : (clothing, shoes, boots, jackets, etc.) Timberlands is  a $1.1 billion footwear, apparel & accessories company. Its President and  CEO Jeffrey Swartz is an active Zionist. In a recent 'solidarity visit' to  Israel, where he made it clear he was speaking as the CEO of Timberland, he  suggested sending 100 IDF soldiers to the US for a week as ambassadors for  Israel. Although Timberland is a publicly traded company, his family holds  approximately 47% of the stock and has approximately 81% of the voting  power.
 
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17. DESERT EAGLE : Desert Eagles are the only firearms that Israel does not buy from the US or other countries. However, many of the parts of these  firearms are imported from other countries and they are merely assembled in  Israel . Regardless, Israel takes pride them as their own, and it is strictly an  Israeli company.
 
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18. CATERPILLAR : Caterpillar is a company based in Illinois that  manufactures large construction equipment such as bulldozers, tractors, various  demolition equipment and has a line of 'tough guy' clothing apparel. Caterpillar  happily supplies Israel with all of its current fleet of D9 and D10 bulldozers,  some of the largest armoured bulldozers in the  world.

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Best Regards,
RRW

Hacham Ovadyah Yosef, attacks R Stav

[Hacham Ovadyah] Yosef, in his weekly sermon on Saturday night, said that Stav was "a wicked man," someone "dangerous to Judaism" who had "no fear of God at all." Electing Stav would be like "bringing idolatry into the temple," Yosef added. "He is not worthy… this man is dangerous to Judaism, dangerous to the rabbinate and dangerous to the Torah."

[Hacham Ovadiah] Yosef, in his weekly sermon on Saturday night, said that Stav was "a wicked man"

Comment:
What would the Torah World look like if no Torah Jew demonized any fellow Torah Jew?
What would the Jewish World look like if no Jew demonized any fellow Jew?
What would the world look like if no human demonized any fellow human?

Best Regards,
RRW

Rallying to Defend R David Stav

«Jewish groups have called for civility in the campaign for chief rabbi of Israel after candidate Rabbi David Stav was harassed at a wedding and labeled "a wicked man" by Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef.

The American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League were among the groups this week that came out against violence and asked Israeli leaders of all stripes to promote respect among the factions.

The Rabbinical Council of America and the International Rabbinic Fellowship also supported Stav, the head of the Tzohar organization for religious Zionist rabbis in Israel.»

U.S. Jews call for civility in chief rabbi race after harassment of Tzohar's David Stav - Jewish World News - Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper


Best Regards,
RRW