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Israel Matters!

Israel Matters! – April 2022

Israel is not Russia, Gaza is not Ukraine

At the time of writing this column, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is in full force with unbridled attacks on civilian populations in Ukraine’s major cities. With the exception of such noble countries as Syria, Belarus, North Korea, and Eritrea (known as the North Korea of Africa), the world recognizes Russia’s invasion for what it is: an undisguised power grab meant to throttle the aspirations of the Ukrainian population to remain a democracy and bond more closely with Europe. Indeed, as of this writing, Russia has threatened “Ukrainian statehood” exposing Russia’s intent to force Ukraine back into Russia’s sphere of influence. (more…)

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Odds & Ends / Webmaster's Odds & Ends

Is there new evidence of Jewish Temple treasures in the Vatican?

Pretend for a moment that the Vatican has in its possession some sacred and precious relics that were originally in the Herodian Jewish Temple located in Jerusalem 1,950 years ago.

If you were the pope living in the 14th century and could verify this fact, would you not ask yourself how indeed such Jewish artifacts had come to your residence in the first place?

After some digging around (no pun intended), you would have found that your new Vatican residence was actually built over sections of Caesar’s Palace – the Vatican, including St. Peter’s Basilica, was constructed over Emperor Vespasian’s Roman palace approximately 200 years after the sacking of Rome in 455 AD. Indeed, there are excavations going on there right now, even as you read this magazine. (more…)

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Israel Matters!

Israel Matters! – March 2022

Fill in the Blanks with Israeli Cities and Towns!

We are going to play a little game in this installment of Israel Matters. Below are a bunch of statements which require you to fill in the blank. In the column across are the names of Israeli cities, towns, and villages. You need to fill in the blanks using these names. Warning – while all the locations are real Israeli places, you might need some creativity to fill in the blanks! (more…)

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Social Action

Social Action – February 2022

We have taken on Columbus House as a new partner!

Please continue to make donations to the Diane Kaplan Social Action Committee!!

Your financial donations allows us to support all our partners throughout the year, with gift cards and items they request.

  (more…)

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Rabbi's Corner

Judith Edidin Scolnic II

Last month, our website Editor, George Alexander, was kind enough to place my eulogy for my mother in this space. That was very meaningful for me personally, and it allowed me to share my feelings with the congregation. I always have found that the most personal is the most universal, and that my experiences and feelings relate in different ways to different people. (more…)

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President's Message

March 2022: President’s Message

I hope everyone has managed well through this unusual, but not drastic winter.  Our Pandemic Committee has worked hard to keep everyone safe when in the Temple.  We now have air purifiers in all the rooms.  Throughout this year, we will continue to wear masks. Also, we will continue to modify and adjust our protocols per CDC and appropriate guidelines, as we have throughout this Pandemic. (more…)

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Odds & Ends

The Holocaust: Who are the missing million?

The Holocaust: Who are the missing million?

By Raffi Berg – BBC News, Jerusalem

Faces on section of wall in Hall of Names

Two-thirds of European Jewry was murdered by the Nazis

Giselle Cycowicz (born Friedman) remembers her father, Wolf, as a warm, kind and religious man. “He was a scholar,” she says, “he always had a book open, studying Talmud [compendium of Jewish law], but he was also a businessman and he looked after his family.”

Before the war, the Friedmans lived a happy, comfortable life in Khust, a Czechoslovak town with a large Jewish population on the fringes of Hungary. All that changed after 1939, (more…)

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Israel Matters!

Israel Matters! – February 2022

Israeli Weird Science

When reading or hearing about Israel in the news these days, it seems that there are only two stories repeated over and over again – the latest round of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or Israel’s leading edge in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. While aspects of both of these have been addressed here, we at Israel Matters pledged broader coverage of Israel the land and stuff that happens there. (more…)

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