Passover in Israel

Afshine Emrani
This morning, in Jerusalem, someone’s daughter, a twenty year old girl was stabbed and is critical. Why terrorist attacks won’t stop in Israel. Think about it: A Palestinian terrorist who has no status, no education, no money under Hamas rule, 1- suddenly becomes a hero when he stabs or kills a Jew. 2- The more Jews he kills and the bigger the crime, the more money his family receives. They are moved to a better home, in a better neighborhood, all paid for, by guess who... Yup, you- the American taxpayer. The money America pays to PA never builds schools or hospitals or infrastructure. Nope, it funds terror. 3- If the guy lives and is captured by Isareli police and is placed in jail, then he receives medical care, food, and highest education from the Israeli government, paid by the Israeli taxpayers. I know it’s a harsh thought, but we Jews, Americans, Israelis who speak up against terror in Israel, are actually paying for it to continue. Let that sink in. Meanwhile a twenty year old woman is stabbed in Jerusalem and is in critical condition.
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Alan Silver‎ 
The young British girl that was stabbed in the terrorist attack in Jerusalem this morning has died of her wounds.
The story behind the attack worries me a lot. Apparently he has been called crazy (like all the liberal press and authorities in the western world). 
It is reported that he raped a family member and was jailed for that until they found him insane. So the authorities release him.
Now he has one way to clear his name according to Islam, and that is to kill Jews and be a Shahid. He did not died in the attack, but was arrested. But still, when he dies (may it be soon), then he will still have the Shahid status and he has cleaned his soul and name (according to Islamic laws).
This makes me totally sick. There has to be some type of protective areas or institutions that keep these type of people under lock and key, to protect the general Jewish or non-Muslim public.
I’m tired of hearing that a person has been stabbed by a Muslim and then calling him mental. This cannot carry on.

On one hand there is a beautiful celebration of Passover, which signifies the Jewish people going from slavery and headed to Israel with the guidance and direction of God.  On the other hand all over the world propaganda and anti-Semitism are rampant, and in Israel attacks like the one above are encouraged and celebrated.  The freedom of speech in Israel allows a newspaper to compare extremism in other religions to terrorism, and this was the response, http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/228113.

Thank God no matter what the world throws at the Jewish people, we persevere,

The sad part is when our own Jewish people are attacking their own family,

We are raised to question and debate,

We teach our children our history,

Guide them to a future of hope, faith, and shining their light in our world,

We can only look forward,

Shine our light for good,

Shine a light on darkness, hate, violence, and negativity,

In awe of how the Passover story is relevant in modern times,

The learning never stops,

Chag Sameach,

Shabbat Shalom,

Coach Yulia

The annual Passover ‘Birkat Kohanim’ service (priestly blessing) which just took place at the Kotel.

Video feed The Western Wall Foundation

 

 

Alan Silver
I’m on the bus to the Kotel.
So exciting.
Such an honour to be able to go there. All our generations have prayed for the privilege to go pray there and here I am, a bus ride away.
Living here in Israel we tend to loose the proportions of what we take for granted today. Our ancestors died for this place and we still are being murdered for this Holy land of ours.
What a privilege it is to be here and to go to the Kotel especially on the festivals
Just returned from my tiyul to the Kotel.
I arrived early and sat down in the visitors tents and made Hamotze (breaking bread blessing) with the idea of eating at the Kotel, saying to Hashem, that I came to Jerusalem to the Temple Mount to participate in the sacrifices of the Pesach festival, but the Temple is still not there.
I blessed the Birkat Hamazon with very special feelings. While I sat there, there was something very special going on. I noticed that people were bringing cold drinks to the table with disposable cups, and when finished drinking and not finishing the bottle/s, they would leave it on the table with the cups upside down on top of them, allowing anyone afterwards to pour themselves a cold drink for themselves and it being done in a way that no-one thought of it being ‘used or dirty’ having been opened by someone else. Another beautiful idea in uniting our nation of Israel.
I then went to the Kotel in the Arch are (as it is known to be the closest point we Jews can get to the Holy of Holies without being in forbidden halachic areas and sat down. and said several Tehillim (Psalms) before slowly going through all the names submitted to me for davening. I took my time over the names and tried to be personal to each name. I then said some more Tehillim, before moving on..
I was then picked up by Joshua Wander, a truly very special person. I am so impressed by the work he and his family and small community are doing for our nation of Israel. They live in a very hostile area in Arab occupied East Jerusalem, having Fatah members and others as neighbours. not a very inviting thought, but I should tell you, I was not for one moment scared or apprehensive in his company, even though we were surrounded by tens of thousands of Arabs that had just left their Friday prayers at the Al Aqsa mosque, and I kept saying to myself, “I wander what they had been told in their Friday sermons in their Mosques. Joshua, also showed me the bus stop where hundreds of Arabs every week come from Gaza to pray at the Al Aqsa mosque and where they catch the buses back to Gaza.
I can say one thing, if you have ANY questions about East Jerusalem or the old city, Joshua Wander is the guy to ask. Not much he does not know, and in his modest way, will tell you if he did not know. He is a very special man and I cannot say enough good words about him.
I them returned home after returning to the Kotel area to get my number 1 bus to start my trip back home.
Thank you all those people that sent me on that Holy mission of praying of our nation of Israel, and trying to help getting people what they need to be corrected, It was an honour doing it for all of you.
I am going into this Shabbos charged up and really looking forward to it.
A good Shabbos to everyone.

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