Israel infos : Actualites Israel, Presse monde juif, Informations communauté juive francophone Revue de Presse No 733 du 31 mars 2009 6 Nisan 5769 Gérez ICI votre abonnement
De l'enquête minutieuse réalisée par Tsahal suite aux témoignages de plusieurs militaires ayant accusé leurs supérieurs d'avoir librement permis de porter atteinte à des civils palestiniens, il ressort que tous ceux-ci ont été émis sur la base de fausses rumeurs, entendues indirectement, et qui ont été amplifiées. Aucun des soldats n'étaient présents lors des supposés incidents qu'ils ont relatés, et qui n'ont finalement pu être étayés d'aucune sorte de preuve.
Deux hauts responsables sécuritaires israéliens ont confirmé à des journalistes du Times, qu'Israël était bien l'auteur de l'attaque en territoire soudanais d'un convoi d'armes iraniennes destinées au Hamas de la bande de Gaza, et que celle-ci avait été réalisée par de nombreux avions de combat.
Hormis Sylvan Shalom qui doit rencontrer Benjamin Nethanyahou, ce mardi en fin de matinée, l'attribution aux responsables politiques du Likoud des portefeuilles ministériels et autres postes au sein du futur gouvernement - qui sera le plus important qu'ait compté Israël, avec trente ministres - s'est terminée tard dans la nuit.
Kadima, le groupe parlementaire actuellement au pouvoir, et qui, dès mardi, conduira l'opposition politique au nouveau gouvernement, a annoncé son intention de demander au secrétariat de la Knesset que le vote de confiance à la nouvelle administration Netanyahou se fasse "à découvert", et non électroniquement, de manière anonyme.
A la demande du parti Israël Beitenou d'Avigdor Lieberman, le Likoud a accepté de compléter l'accord de coalition entre les deux formation par un engagement de faire adopter par le gouvernement une loi de protection sociale pour les travailleurs indépendants.
Selon le journal libanais al-Akhbar, le président Hosni Moubarak n'assistera pas au sommet de la Ligue arabe qui s'ouvre ce lundi au Qatar, principalement à cause des tentatives de la diplomatie de l'Emirat d'intervenir dans les négociations pour la libération de Guilad Shalit.
Le principal actionnaire du consortium Africa-Israël, dont il détient 75% des parts, le milliardaire Lev Levaïev, a annoncé que son groupe avait perdu au cours de l'année 2008, 4,9 milliards de shekels, ce qui représente un record historique absolu de contreperformance d'une entreprise israélienne.
GUILAD SHALIT : Un responsable du Hamas a affirmé que la liste des prisonniers palestiniens à relâcher en contrepartie de la libération de Guilad Shalit, qui sera présentée à Netanyahou, ne changera pas d'un iota par rapport à celle transmise au gouvernement Olmert.
SOUDAN : Le secrétaire général de l'ONU, Ban Ki-Moon, a demandé au Soudan, lors du congrès de la Ligue arabe qui se tient au Qatar, de revenir sur sa décision d'expulser du pays toutes les organisations humanitaires de la bande du Darfour.
Toute l'équipe d'Israel-infos.net vous souhaite une excellente journée, et vous invite à vous rendre sur notre site pour y retrouver les actualités diffusées en continu.
Le Père Boulad, chrétien d'Egypte, nous met en garde
AGENDA (France)
Café Politique d'Avril sur l' humanitaire: les femmes du Darfour
La Fédération de Paris de la Gauche Moderne a le plaisir de vous inviter à son prochain café politique qui aura pour thème: "Femmes et enfants, premières victimes des drames humanitaires: le cas du Darfour", Mercredi 1er avril 2009, à 20h.
L'analyse politique de Maitre Bertrand Ramas-Muhlbach
LE DOUBLE LANGAGE DE BACHAR EL ASSAD
par Me B. RAMAS-MUHLBACH
Ce 27 mars 2009, les présidents iraniens et syriens ont échangé leur vision à court terme concernant la situation au Moyen Orient. Pour ce qu'il en est de Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, la position s'inscrit dans la droite ligne de sa doctrine classique avec toutefois des précisions apportées sur les méthodes à employer pour obtenir le résultat escompté. Ainsi, le Président iranien a tout d'abord avancé « qu'il fallait exploiter les possibilités et occasions de la meilleure façon et le plus intelligemment possible », puis confirmé que le « front irano-syrien était sur la voie de la victoire » et enfin rassuré car « les ennemis, Israël et les Etats-Unis, s'affaiblissent de jour en jour ». Dans sa réponse, le Président syrien a confirmé être en harmonie avec son homologue perse et a lancé : « Les conditions dans la région sont propices aux Etats islamistes au détriment du régime sioniste et de ses alliés ».
Israel's New Government Washington Post - United States The new prime minister leans heavily toward military solutions, at least rhetorically: He has promised to "smash" Hamas in Gaza and suggested that Israel... See all stories on this topic
Israel can get away with anything Arab News - Jeddah,Saudi Arabia THE bombings of truck convoys passing through Sudan that robbed the lives of over 50 people are thought to have been implemented by Israel using unmanned ... See all stories on this topic
JWR TODAY: Prager: New Broadway play about hero who is ... religious!; A Divine Comedy? (video); The making of a suicide bomber (report from Kabul); Applebaum, Gaffney, Greenberg, Sowell + MUCH more --- March 31, 2009
From about 2 pm til 5 am this morning (Eastern), the site was down. Our hosting company passed the blame onto another (larger) firm.
All I can do is apologize.
Despite being a "one-man-show", I strive for professionalism. I spent much of the weekend putting together yesterday's issue. (My wife put me to work preparing for Passover during the rest of the time).
We had some very good content yesterday. I sincerely hope that those of you who were unable to access the site, use yesterday's issue to do so.
I've been up all night waiting for the site -- and my ability to update -- to return. I've just finished. I hope you enjoy today's issue.
In gratitude and friendship, Binyamin L. Jolkovsky Editor in Chief
~~~
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"By benevolence, man rises to a height where he meets the Creator. Therefore, do a good deed before you begin your prayers." --- Rabbi Hai Gaaon
**<>**<>**<>**<>****<>**<>**<>**<>**
[ J E W I S H L I V I N G ]
---> a & e New Broadway Play About Hero Who Is ... Religious! By Dennis Prager
It is much easier to depict evil in a riveting manner than to so depict goodness. Stephen Spielberg achieved the latter in Schindler's List, but that was the exception that proves the rule. Now, however, another exception has come along. Playwright Dan Gordon and director Michael Parva have made goodness riveting in the new Broadway play, "Irena's Vow."
"The Sun Will Shine Again" by Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski
What does a person do when he loses his job after years of faithful service? How do we deal with shattered retirement funds --- and broken dreams? Rabbi Dr. Twerski shows us practical strategies to keep our marriages, our families, and our own sense of self worth intact, despite today's economic woes.
We cannot control a stock market on a rollercoaster ride or a pension plan that's simply vanished, but we can control how we react. We can listen to the financial news and hear a death knell --- or a wakeup call. We can wallow in blame and despair, or harness the incredible power of prayer and kindness to others.
Yes, times are tough, but Rabbi Twerski assures us that the sun will shine again -- and he shows us how to keep ourselves calm and smiling until it does.
* 1774, during the American Revolutionary War: The Kingdom of Great Britain orders the port of Boston, Massachusetts closed in the Boston Port Act
* 1880, Wabash, Ind., became the first town in the world to be illuminated by electrical lighting
* 1889, French engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel unfurled the French tricolor from atop the Eiffel Tower, officially marking its completion
* 1917, the United States took possession of the Virgin Islands from Denmark
* 1918, Daylight Saving Time goes into effect in the United States for the first time
* 1966, the Soviet Union launches Luna 10 which later becomes the first spaceprobe to enter orbit around the Moon
* 1968, President Johnson stunned the country by announcing he would not seek another term in office
* 1976, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that coma patient Karen Anne Quinlan could be disconnected from her respirator (Quinlan, who remained comatose, died in 1985.)
* 1980, the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific railroad operates its final train after being ordered to liquidate its assets due to bankruptcy and debt owed to creditors
* 1996, Russian President Boris Yeltsin announced a halt to combat operations in Chechnya, limited troop withdrawals and a willingness to hold indirect talks with the rebels' leader
* 2001, riot police laid siege to Slobodan Milosevic's villa in an attempt to bring the former Yugoslav president to justice. But a defiant Milosevic rejected a warrant, reportedly telling police he wouldn't "go to jail alive." (He was taken into custody the next day.)
* 2005, a damning report by a presidential commission concluded the United States knew "disturbingly little" about nuclear and biological threats from dangerous adversaries. ALSO: Terri Schiavo, 41, died at a hospice in Pinellas Park, Fla., 13 days after her feeding tube was removed in a wrenching right-to-die dispute that engulfed the courts, Congress and the White House and divided the country
* 2007, President Bush called for the release of 15 British sailors and marines held by Iran, calling their capture by Tehran "inexcusable behavior." (The crew members were released on April 4.)
The Reluctant Globocop: What Is NATO's Role? NATO is celebrating its 60th birthday this week at a summit co-hosted by Germany and France. But the ceremonies cannot disguise the fact that the alliance, despite its successes, is facing huge challenges in Afghanistan and its dispute with Russia. mehr...
US Economist Adam Posen: 'Merkel Does Not Get Basic Economics' For weeks, Berlin has been insisting that no further economic stimulus packages are needed. Leading US economist Adam Posen told SPIEGEL ONLINE that Merkel's approach is a mistake. Yet he is also critical of Obama's strategy. mehr...
The World From Berlin: 'Tragic Hero' Mehdorn Leaves Difficult Legacy Hartmut Mehdorn's resignation as German railway boss had less to do with the snooping scandal that triggered his departure than with his abrasive style and the government's lack of commitment to rail privatization, write commentators. mehr...
Dating maze #280 - The Wild Boys Club by Rosie Einhorn, L.C.S.W. and Sherry Zimmerman, J.D., M.Sc. Mom is worried about her son who shows no signs of settling down.
As you may know, the GLORIA Center has launched its new website http://www.gloria-center.org, which includes a new blog. The GLORIA Center provides not only opinions but original analysis from experts with many years of experience dealing with the Middle East, following media coverage in all languages, and working on this issue close to 24 hours a day.
We hope that you have benefited as our readers, including those of you who have reprinted our articles in the past.
We are asking you to please publicize our new website and, if you are willing, our new blog.
We value your opinion and are happy to hear any suggestions for improvements or feedback regarding our ongoing stories.
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Please do let us know your reactions and if you could post something about our site or simply list it in your recommended sites. We would be most grateful.
Today's ATorahMinute is in memory of Victor Chouah Moche Sponsored by Nancy, David, Elsie and Ma'yan Moche
Victor Chouah Moche (1908 - 2007) TEACHER AND COMMUNITY BUILDER His love of Torah - Yisrael - Tefillah - Tehillim - touched many lives. BAGHDAD, Iraq - KOBE, Japan - BROOKLYN, New York
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Can you fulfill your obligation with stolen Massa (matzah)?
by Rabbi Ya'aqob Menashe
(Links to the audio appear after the text)
If one performs a commandment through a sin, it is as if he hs not performed that commandment.
A typical case is where a person steals a Lulab on Sukkoth and uses it for the Na'anu'im, it is considered that he has not fulfilled his obligation. The Shulhan 'Arukh also says that if someone eats stolen Massa (matzah) on Pesah, he has not fulfilled his obligation.
A question is asked in Torah Lishmah about a guest at a Seder who was given Massa which was stolen. The guest had no reason to suspect this and ate it. Has he fulfilled his obligation?
The answer is based on the laws of reading Shema' Yisrael. One may not read the Shema' in an unclean place. If one reads the Shema' in a place which one can reasonably expect to be unclean and later on finds that it was, indeed, unclean, he has to repeat the Shema' because he did not fulfill his obligation. However, if the person had no reason to suspect that the place was unclean and later on found that it was, in fact, an inapproriate place in which to read the Shema', he does not have to repeat it since he had no reason to suspect that it was unclean.
So, therefore, in our case, since the guest had no reason to suspect that the host had stolen the Massa, he has fulfilled his obligation and does not have to eat more again.
For the first year, ending with the 100th Hillula of the Ben Ish Hai on 13th Elul 5769 (September '09), Rabbi Ya'aqob Menashe will be giving Halakhoth and pearls of Torah from the Ben Ish Hai, Hakham Yoseph Hayyim, 'a"h. After that the daily bulletins will include a wide variety of sources.
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President Obama got it wrong in answering a question about Israel-Palestinian issues in his press conference, March 25. But his mistakes are different from those everyone noticed. The reporter asked: “Mr. President, you came into office pledging to work for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. How realistic do you think those hopes are now, given the likelihood of a prime minister who's not fully signed up to a two-state solution and a foreign minister who has been accused of insulting Arabs?” The reporter’s wording betrays typical aspects of many mainstream media messages: --Any fault must be Israel’s and Israel is the sole focus of why there’s a problem. At least he formulated terms carefully. Benjamin Netanyahu is said to be “not fully signed up to a two-state solution,” instead of being labeled as opposed; Avigdor Lieberman is merely “accused” of insulting Arabs rather than being an evil racist. --Palestinians only exist as victims so their politics aren’t worth studying or analyzing. After all, the PA’s prime minister just resigned, there’s a Hamas-Fatahn civil war, the PA announced elections in a year, and the current leader is ailing. As if that isn’t enough, the Palestinian leaders are really “not fully signed up to a two-state solution” and constantly insulting Jews. What should Obama have said? If he were really professional something like this: "It isn’t for me to characterize Israel’s new government. We'll have to wait to see. But whatever it is we will keep trying and I’m sure we can count on Israel’s cooperation.....” Here’s what he said: “It's not easier than it was, but I think it's just as necessary. We don't yet know what the Israeli government is going to look like and we don't yet know what the future shape of Palestinian leadership is going to be comprised of. What we do know is this: that the status quo is unsustainable; that it is critical for us to advance a two-state solution where Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in their own states with peace and security.” The first half-dozen words, could be taken as hostile to Israel’s leaders. He shouldn’t have said it but not that big a deal. He even balanced by saying the Palestinian leadership’s future is also unclear. The problem is not in the first but the third sentence: “What we do know is this: that the status quo is unsustainable….” Whenever someone says that, short of outright anarchy, they’re naïve. All status quos are unsustainable in a sense since time brings change. On the other hand, this status quo can continue for years. In fact, a serious study of underlying forces and factors indicates this is likely, probably inevitable. Obama’s statement, like thousands in recent decades, basically says: things are so horrible change is vital no matter what the risk or cost. Things can’t possibly get worse. He adds, “We're going to be serious from day one in trying to move the parties in a direction that acknowledges that reality.” To some extent, this is just rhetoric, a promise to work real hard. In practice, the policy is closer to saying: sure we’ll pretend to be serious but this looks tough and we have more urgent priorities on domestic and even foreign policy. Yet to a considerable extent Obama—though not Secretary of State Hillary Clinson--thinks he understands true reality and the parties don’t. In fact they know far better than him. Back in the 1990s U.S. and European leaders would say: The status quo is unsustainable and Palestinians are desperate for a state so we have to move real fast? Today some of the same people—including Bill Clinton--say their big mistake was trying to force a resolution to the conflict when Yasir Arafat really didn’t want one. Today, the PA believes the status quo is sustainable (at least if they can make a deal to reunite with Hamas) because they’re unwilling to make the compromises and concessions required for peace (full recognition of Israel, end of conflict, resettling Palestinian refugees in Palestine, security guarantees, stopping incitement, and so on). Israel—no matter who leads it—believes the status quo is sustainable (at least if it can stop rocket firing from the Gaza Strip) because it won’t make any more concessions to a side that can’t and won’t deliver anything serious toward full and lasting peace. So, no, Obama will not persuade anybody that very bad change is better than a bad status quo. And because he doesn’t comprehend that all his efforts are doomed to failure. There’s one other feature to his answer that went unnoticed. He mentioned a recent St. Patrick’s Day meeting with “previously sworn enemies celebrating here in this very room,” people who, “even a decade ago, people would have said could never achieve peace.” Well, he did have the St. Patrick’s day event but, leaving aside the huge differences between the two conflict, his answer shows how detached he is from the continuity of U.S. policy and Middle East history, things he had no role in and knows nothing about. One might expect an American president to recall his predecessors’ brokering of Egypt-Israel, Israel-PLO, and Israel-Jordan agreements. They didn’t solve everything but made progress for which America can claim credit. By citing them Obama might have also shown some understanding of the reasons they fell short. But that, too, is part of the problem. He’s coming into office thinking that a solution is easy and nothing can go wrong. In dealing with the Middle East, that’s the direct path to, at best, miserable failure and, at worst, outright catastrophe.
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Israel infos : Actualites Israel, Presse monde juif, Informations communauté juive francophone Revue de Presse No 732 du 30 mars 2009 5 Nisan 5769 Gérez ICI votre abonnement
"Nous sommes effectivement la seule démocratie du Moyen-Orient, ce qui n'est pas une raison pour que nous en soyons les seules bonnes 'poires'" a déclaré le ministre de la Justice sortant, le Pr. Daniel Friedman, qui a présenté au gouvernement, avec les représentants des services pénitenciers, leurs recommandations concernant le durcissement des conditions de détention des prisonniers sécuritaires palestiniens.
Le Hamas réussit à faire rentrer des roquettes et des explosifs de qualité et en grande quantité dans la bande de Gaza. C'est ce qu'a affirmé ce dimanche le chef des services israéliens de la sécurité intérieure (Shabak), devant le conseil des ministres. Youval Diskin a précisé que depuis la fin de l'opération « plomb durci » 22 tonnes de poudre explosive, et 45 tonnes de matériau brut servant à la fabrication de munitions, ont été acheminées vers les territoires administrés par les islamistes.
Le futur Premier ministre, Benjamin Netanyahou, recevra aujourd'hui les hauts responsables de son parti à qui il distribuera les portefeuilles restés vacants après les négociations coalitionnaires avec les autres formations politiques, dernière étape avant le vote de confiance de la Knesset au nouveau gouvernement israélien.
L'affaire du raid aérien lancé par Israël en territoire soudanais, contre un convoi d'armes en provenance de Téhéran et à destination du Hamas dans la bande de Gaza, pendant l'opération «plomb durci», dévoilée la semaine passé par CBS (cf. notre article du 26/03/09) continue de faire couler l'encre de la presse internationale.
Le magistrat Georges Kara a été choisi pour présider le tribunal chargé de juger l'ancien président de l'Etat, Moshé Katzav, et il sera assisté par les juges Yehoudit Shevah et Myriam Sokolov. Kara, qui est sous surveillance policière 24 heures sur 24, notamment suite à son verdit sans clémence contre la famille Hairiri, une des principales cellules de la pègre israélienne, est considéré par ses pairs comme un juge strict et minutieux.
Une cérémonie de lancement des travaux de construction d'une nouvelle artère centrale à Ramallah, qui portera le nom de l'ancien président de la république française, Jacques Chirac, s'est tenue en fin de semaine dans la ville de Cisjordanie.
Malgré un début de match fulgurant de l'israélienne, qui menait par 3 jeux à rien au premier set, contre la championne américaine, Venus Williams, actuellement classée 6e mondiale a repris le dessus et remporté ce match du deuxième tour des internationaux de Miami (doté de 4,5 millions de dollars de prix) en 88 minutes , sur le score de 6:3, 6:3.
Nouvelles brèves
Israël, le 29/03/09
AUTORITE PALESTINIENNE : Un orchestre de jeunes musiciens palestiniens de Djénine, a été démantelé pour avoir joué devant des rescapés de la Shoah, à Holon.
Toute l'équipe d'Israel-infos.net vous souhaite une excellente semaine, et vous invite à vous rendre sur notre site tout au long de la journée, pour y consulter les nouvelles diffusées en continu. Shavouah Tov.
Le Père Boulad, chrétien d'Egypte, nous met en garde
AGENDA (France)
Café Politique d'Avril sur l' humanitaire: les femmes du Darfour
La Fédération de Paris de la Gauche Moderne a le plaisir de vous inviter à son prochain café politique qui aura pour thème: "Femmes et enfants, premières victimes des drames humanitaires: le cas du Darfour", Mercredi 1er avril 2009, à 20h.
L'analyse politique de Maitre Bertrand Ramas-Muhlbach
LE DOUBLE LANGAGE DE BACHAR EL ASSAD
par Me B. RAMAS-MUHLBACH
Ce 27 mars 2009, les présidents iraniens et syriens ont échangé leur vision à court terme concernant la situation au Moyen Orient. Pour ce qu'il en est de Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, la position s'inscrit dans la droite ligne de sa doctrine classique avec toutefois des précisions apportées sur les méthodes à employer pour obtenir le résultat escompté. Ainsi, le Président iranien a tout d'abord avancé « qu'il fallait exploiter les possibilités et occasions de la meilleure façon et le plus intelligemment possible », puis confirmé que le « front irano-syrien était sur la voie de la victoire » et enfin rassuré car « les ennemis, Israël et les Etats-Unis, s'affaiblissent de jour en jour ». Dans sa réponse, le Président syrien a confirmé être en harmonie avec son homologue perse et a lancé : « Les conditions dans la région sont propices aux Etats islamistes au détriment du régime sioniste et de ses alliés ».
La position du Président syrien n'en reste pas moins contradictoire avec les intentions pacifistes qu'il avait exprimées en décembre 2008 à l'occasion d'une conférence de presse tenue avec le Président croate Stipe Mesic. En effet, le 22 décembre 2008, le président syrien avait affirmé que son pays pouvait engager des négociations directes de paix avec Israël compte tenu de la qualité des entretiens informels qu'il avait eus avec le Premier Ministre démissionnaire Ehud Olmert. Plus précisément, il était normal que la Syrie et Israël passent ultérieurement au stade des négociations directes car la paix ne pouvait se réaliser par des négociations indirectes uniquement : « Si les négociations indirectes réussissent, les discussions directes réussiront elles aussi et la paix se réalisera naturellement ». D'ailleurs, et dans une stature d'homme de paix, Bashar al-Assad était allé plus loin en formulant l'espoir qu'il n'y ait pas de guerre à l'échelle mondiale sous la nouvelle administration américaine après l'entrée en fonction du président élu Barack Obama en janvier 2009.
2. Le veritable nettoyage de Pessa'h: celui de la plaie de l'orgueil et de l'obstination, elle detruit tout: le monde, les autres et soi-meme. Comment la piloter et ameliorer http://www.modia.org/infos/etudes/orgueil.html
3. Retrouver la force de la sortie de l'Egypte, c'est celle de la Création. Une etude que vous ne trouverez pas ailleurs aussi precise. Avant Pessah, cette annee et une fois tous les 28 ans: Le renouvellement de la Creation de soi et du monde par la BENEDICTION DU SOLEIL http://www.modia.org/infos/etudes/birkat-ha-hama.html
4. Commentaire de la nouvelle paracha: Tsav Comment nous rapprocher, toujours et en cas de conflit. La strategie du sacrifice, le qorbane, le rapprochement. http://www.modia.org/tora/vayiqra/tsav.html
JWR TODAY: Ethicist: Should I Snitch to the Boss?; The Divine's Video Game?; What Britain can teach the West about dealing with Islamism; Steyn, Keillor, Broder warning about Dems, Barone + MUCH more --- March 30, 2009
---> war on terror What Britain can teach the West about dealing with Islamism By Barry Rubin
Almost unnoticed in North America, three major victories have been won in the United Kingdom against radical Islamist forces. Collectively, they represent the biggest successes on this front in a decade and may constitute a turning point
"The Sun Will Shine Again" by Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski
What does a person do when he loses his job after years of faithful service? How do we deal with shattered retirement funds --- and broken dreams? Rabbi Dr. Twerski shows us practical strategies to keep our marriages, our families, and our own sense of self worth intact, despite today's economic woes.
We cannot control a stock market on a rollercoaster ride or a pension plan that's simply vanished, but we can control how we react. We can listen to the financial news and hear a death knell --- or a wakeup call. We can wallow in blame and despair, or harness the incredible power of prayer and kindness to others.
Yes, times are tough, but Rabbi Twerski assures us that the sun will shine again -- and he shows us how to keep ourselves calm and smiling until it does.
* 1842, Dr. Crawford W. Long of Jefferson, Ga., first used ether as an anesthetic during a minor operation
* 1858, Chaim Lipman patents a pencil with an attached eraser
* 1867, Alaska is purchased for $7.2 million, about 2 cent/acre ($4.19/km²), by United States Secretary of State William H. Seward. The news media call this Seward's Folly
* 1870, the 15th amendment to the Constitution, giving all citizens the right to vote regardless of race, was declared in effect by Secretary of State Hamilton Fish. ALSO: Texas was readmitted to the Union. AND: Florida territorial government established
* 1945, the Soviet Union invaded Austria during World War II
* 1959, a narrowly divided U.S. Supreme Court, in Bartkus v. Illinois, ruled that a conviction in state court following an acquittal in federal court for the same crime did not violate the Constitution's protection against double jeopardy
* 1961, the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, an international treaty to prohibit production and supply of specific (nominally narcotic) drugs and of drugs with similar effects except under licence for specific purposes, such as medical treatment and research, is signed at New York
* 1964, John Glenn withdrew from the Ohio race for U.S. Senate because of injuries suffered in a fall
* 1972, during the Vietnam War: The Easter Offensive begins after North Vietnamese forces cross into the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) of South Vietnam
* 1981, President Ronald Reagan was shot and seriously injured outside a Washington hotel by John W. Hinckley Jr. Also wounded were White House press secretary James Brady, Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy and District of Columbia police officer Thomas Delahanty
* 1999, a jury in Portland, Ore., ordered Philip Morris to pay $81 million to the family of a man who died of lung cancer after smoking Marlboros for four decades. (The U.S. Supreme Court twice struck down the punitive damages part of the award, which was repeatedly upheld by Oregon courts; the high court agreed in June 2008 to review the judgment a third time.)
* 2002, the Queen Mother, Elizabeth, died in her sleep at Royal Lodge, Windsor, outside London; she was 101 years old
* 2006, American reporter Jill Carroll, a freelancer for The Christian Science Monitor, was released after 82 days as a hostage in Iraq by practitioners of that "religion of peace". ALSO: Major League Baseball began its investigation into alleged steroid use by Barry Bonds and others
Today's ATorahMinute is in memory of Victor Chouah Moche Sponsored by Nancy, David, Elsie and Ma'yan Moche
Victor Chouah Moche (1908 - 2007) TEACHER AND COMMUNITY BUILDER His love of Torah - Yisrael - Tefillah - Tehillim - touched many lives. BAGHDAD, Iraq - KOBE, Japan - BROOKLYN, New York
To sponsor ATorahMinute
please call 516 487 6676 x123 or visit the link after the Torah Minute.
Afiqomen: It's purpose and minimum quantities
by Rabbi Ya'aqob Menashe
(Links to the audio appear after the text)
The Afiqomen has to be eaten at the end of the meal because it is in memory of the Qorban Pesah (the Passover sacrifice) which was eaten when they were satisfied at the end of the meal.
The Afiqomen is supposed to be eaten with happiness and with a good appetite. The danger that we have is that it is all too easy to overeat during the meal, especially in view of the quantities of Massa (Matza) that we need to eat, plus the Maror and Haroseth, apart from the meal itself. We must be careful, therefore, to make sure that we do not overindulge, so that we will, in fact, be able to eat the Afiqomen with a good appetite.
Each person should endeavor to eat two Kezethoth (2 oz./58 grams) of Massa for the Afiqomen. However, someone who is unable to do so may eat just one Kezayith, which is one ounce or 29 grams.
(See Ben Ish Hai, Shanah Rishonah, Parashat Saw, Oth Lamad Heh)
For the first year, ending with the 100th Hillula of the Ben Ish Hai on 13th Elul 5769 (September '09), Rabbi Ya'aqob Menashe will be giving Halakhoth and pearls of Torah from the Ben Ish Hai, Hakham Yoseph Hayyim, 'a"h. After that the daily bulletins will include a wide variety of sources.
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A six-year-old girl who eats in one of our Children's Centers every day was asked what she does at home when she is hungry. She replied (and I quote): "my Mommy tells me if I go to sleep, I won't feel hungry." Click here to see Israel TV News clip of 6-year-old girl.
No one wants to see Jewish children go hungry -- especially on Pesach. This little girl and thousands like her depend on us for basic sustenance during the upcoming holiday. Yad Ezra V'Shulamit has received requests for 14,000 Pesach food baskets - enough to feed more than 80,000 poor people - but we only have enough funds to fill half the requests.
If everyone who reads this letter donates $80 for one basket, we will be able to send a Pesach food basket to every family on our list!
Can you spare $80 from your Pesach food shopping to feed a hungry child and her family? Please give like you did last year, and when you sit down to your Seder table and read, "Whoever is hungry, let him come and eat," you can be proud that you fed a family in Israel.
Yad Ezra V'Shulamit Call toll free to 1.866.978.5049 Tel: 972-2-540 0058 Fax: 972-2-532 1882 Email: feedisrael@yadezra.net Check out our website at www.yadezra.net. Yad Ezra V'Shulamit is a registered charity in the United States, United Kingdom and Israel. Or mail to:
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Israel Office: PO Box 5885, Jerusalem amuta #: 58-031-364-1
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UK Address: British Friends of Yad Ezra V'Shulamit P. O. Box 57716 London, NW11 1DP registered charity # 1115518
Canada Address: Checks made out to Mizrachi Organization of Canada, 296 Wilson Avenue, Toronto ON M3H 1S8 with attached note that it's designated for Yad Ezra V'Shulamit
As Iran continues to race toward a nuclear weapons capability, the United States must take all economic, diplomatic and political steps to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran.
Toward that end, House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA) and Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) have introduced the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act (H.R.1327).
The bill authorizes state and local governments to divest the assets of their pension funds from companies investing more than $20 million in Iran's energy sector.
We need your help today to CONTACT YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESSto ask them to cosponsor and support this important divestment legislation.
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Recent IAEA reports show Iran has accumulated significantly more low-enriched uranium (LEU) than previously reported. Many experts believe that with further enrichment, Iran’s stockpile of LEU would be enough to produce the needed fuel for a nuclear weapon.
Please join 100,000+ members of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in sending a message to your Representative that this new legislation is an important way to impede Iran’s progress toward acquiring nuclear weapons.
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No one wants to see Jewish children go hungry -- especially on Pesach. This little girl and thousands like her depend on us for basic sustenance during the upcoming holiday. Yad Ezra V'Shulamit has received requests for 14,000 Pesach food baskets - enough to feed more than 80,000 poor people - but we only have enough funds to fill half the requests.
