Counter-campaign against ‘J for J’ starts

Despite an advertising blitz in Canadian community weeklies, including The CJN, only several dozen people attended the “Stand up for Judaism” weekend ahead of Jews for Jesus’ Montreal launch of its “Behold Your God” conversion campaign.

Still, Jews for Judaism has begun speaking to as many as 60 different Jewish groups and thousands of local Jews during the missionary drive, which began Sept. 18 and runs to Oct. 8, in an intensive effort to get its counter-missionary message across to as many Jews as possible.

“We have been extremely busy,” said Jews for Judaism education director Rabbi Michael Skobac.

Brooklyn Democratic leader convicted of financial wrongdoing

The longtime leader of the influential but weakening Brooklyn Democratic Party was convicted Tuesday of mishandling campaign contributions in the first of four cases stemming from a wide-ranging probe of judicial corruption.

After a nearly two-week trial, jurors convicted Assemblyman Clarence Norman Jr. of two felony counts of violating election law by taking excessive campaign donations, and two counts of falsifying business records.

The felony convictions force Norman out of his assembly seat and party position.

Kugel Unraveled

For many American Jews, kugel is the taste of childhood. They want exactly the kind of kugel their mother made, whether it is a weekly Sabbath treat or served only on holidays like Rosh Hashana, which starts on Monday night.

Shmelka Friedman, an owner of Hungarian Kosher Catering in Borough Park, Brooklyn, with oven-fresh kugel.

I didn’t know until recently, though, that this homey casserole of noodles or potatoes was credited with mystical powers.

Jewish memorial service honors 9/11 victims

With prayers, speeches and music, a group of Jewish men and women led a remembrance of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on Tuesday, the day in the Hebrew calendar corresponding to the attacks’ fourth anniversary.

The 30 mostly Orthodox Jews from Baruch College and Chabad of Downtown NYC used the memorial service to offer a hopeful message: Goodness could result, and has resulted, from the evil witnessed that day, from people giving blood to a renewal of charity work.

Such memorials “serve as inspiration to us, that we should never forget,” said Michael Gutmann, a 20-year-old Baruch student.

B’KLYN MAN IN ARIEL ‘SLAY PLOT’

Now they have taken it to a whole new level… Murder… LOL

An ultra-Orthodox Jew from Brooklyn has been busted in Israel on suspicion of plotting to assassinate Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Officials said yesterday that Shneor Zalman Hatzkolevitch would be the first Jew tossed out of Israel for security reasons.

Israeli police have been flooded with reports of threats by nationalists against Sharon because of his decision to have Israel withdraw from the Gaza Strip.

Mayor Lords It Over Freddy For G-D Claim

Mayor Bloomberg yesterday mocked Democratic opponent Fernando Ferrer for telling churchgoers that he will win because “God is on his side.”

“I don’t know that God makes political endorsements. I’ve never heard God do that,” Bloomberg joked during a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Brooklyn with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Bloomberg even revealed a bit of his campaign strategy, jesting that he plans to concentrate on getting his message out to “the people here on Earth.”

“I’m going to focus on that and stay away from the spiritual stuff…

A Brooklyn Breslever Terrorist – Blown Out Of Proportion

The Israeli police and GSS arrested an apparent orthodox Jewish man in the “Breslever” garb, for breach of national security concerns.

This man Answers to the name Shneur Zalman Chatzkelevitch [28] and is a Crown Heights Resident. He was arrested in Jerusalem wearing the Chasidishe garb and a search on his person revealed a Koran. He is scheduled to be deported back to the United States.

What Israel can learn from the Statue of Liberty…

The United States of America has always been known as a country that has welcomed immigrants from all over the world (In this post, I’m not going to discuss the times when the US seemingly closed her doors on those who needed her most).

In the harbor of New York, the gateway of immigrants to the United States, stands proudly the Statue of Liberty, upon which one finds the following words etched in stone (written by the Jewish Poetess Emma Lazarus):

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…

The time has come for the State of Israel to take these words to heart.

Israel’s Bleeding Wound

In the name of peace, an embattled nation declares war on itself.

In early September, news coverage got swamped with a nation-shaking disaster and a harrowing evacuation in the United States. The event overshadowed another evacuation—possibly just as nation-shaking—that had occurred not two weeks before on the other side of the world.

Israeli soldiers called it the most difficult mission they have ever been asked to carry out in service to the democracy they love. With few exceptions, they dutifully obeyed orders to evict all 9,000 Jewish residents from their homes in settlements throughout the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank—even as they withered inside.

‘Hachnosas Orchim’ Guests to Dine in 1414

The Tomchei Temimim administration and Eshel – Hachnosas Orchim, signed a contract for the month of Tishrei, stating that the guests would dine in 1414’s large lunch room while the 650 yeshiva bochrim will have their meals in the Getzel Shul, located in the lower level of 1414. The yeshiva bochrim will be served meals prepared by Eshel – Hachnosas Orchim.

Children craft instruments for Jewish holiday

The hiss of a saw, the buzz of a drill and the laughter of children filled the Chabad Lubavitch Center on Sunday afternoon.

The occasion? A chance for children to learn more about their Jewish faith by making their own shofar, a horn blown for Rosh Hashana, which begins at sundown Oct. 3.

“I think sometimes in order to understand faith and God, you have to have hands-on experience,” said Haleh Resnick, 33, a Cherry Hill mother who helped her four children make the ceremonial instruments. “When you’re making the shofar, you have the hands-on experience hopefully your heart will catch up with.”

Ceremonial horn reaches deep into the past

Local rabbi helps Jews observe Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur by producing shofars in his home

Rabbi Yaakov Weiss’ shofar factory looks a lot like his family room. That’s because Rabbi Yaakov Weiss’ shofar factory is his family room.

In a booming suburb with no synagogue, Weiss, barely a month in his Loudonville home, set up shop on his first floor Sunday afternoon.

Weiss, who adheres to the beliefs of a missionary branch of Judaism known as Chabad-Lubavitch, was giving a mostly younger audience a lesson about the significance of the shofar — a ceremonial horn that takes a central role in next month’s observance of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year (which begins Oct. 3). It also is used during mid-October’s observance of Yom Kippur.

Jewish Vet Gets Medal of Honor 55 Years On

A concentration camp survivor who joined the U.S. Army out of gratitude, fought in Korea and spent 2 1/2 years in a Chinese prisoner of war camp was awarded a Medal of Honor on Friday, 55 years after his heroism.

President Bush gave the nation’s highest military honor to Hungarian-born Tibor Rubin, 76, in the White House East Room. The medal recognizes him for overcoming dangers as an infantryman, trying to save fellow soldiers in battle and as a prisoner of war, even as he faced prejudice because he was Jewish and a foreigner.

Closing Arguments Begin in Dem Leader’s Trial

Closing arguments begin today in the trial of Brooklyn Democratic leader Clarence Norman. WNYC’s Fred Mogul has more.

In testimony last week, Norman admitted he made mistakes, but said they were oversights, not criminal activities. He is accused of letting a lobbyist pay for thousands of dollars worth of campaign expenses – well in excess of state limits. Norman never reported the transactions to his treasurer, but testified that he thought she knew about them.

Prosecutors produced several receipts Norman HAD submitted for reimbursement and tried to suggest he could be detail-oriented about expenses when he chose to. If convicted, the 54-year-old assemblyman from Crown Heights could face up to four years in jail.

And The Total Is – $6,216,675

Chabad Telethon 25

The annual Chabad Telethon is Being broadcasted now.

On TV its channel WLNY (10) and on the internet it’s @ www.ToLife.com. Enjoy.

Chabad of West Hempstead’s Slichot

For the first time ever Chabad of West Hempstead which is headed by Rabbi Yossi Lieberman has had a Minyan for Slichot, there were just above 2 Minyonim. R. Yossi Lifshitz was Chazzan.

More Pic’s in the extended article.