Year: 2023

Temech: Charity or Investment?

From the campaign page:

You can give Tzedakah dollars. 

Or, you can invest your Tzedakah dollars. 

Temech was founded in 2006 on one simple yet powerful belief:

Every Chareidi woman in Israel should get the chance to have a meaningful professional life and fair compensation for her work, without compromising Torah values. 

It’s been 17 years.

68,000 women.

15,000 seminary student workshop attendees

27 cities.

12 conferences for women in business

139 business networking groups.

217 courses.

6,217 newly created jobs.

$142,250,909 of increased income

700% A=annual ROI

And our mission remains unchanged:

Overcoming obstacles to professional advancement together.

All our services are heavily subsidized to make them accessible to every chareidi woman who wants to succeed.

We plant seeds of potential – and reap trees of prosperity.

But we can’t do it alone.

When you join Temech in expanding opportunities for parnassah and enabling women to be self-sufficient in supporting their families, you are sending them so much more than a generous check –

You are sowing seeds that will flourish for years to come. 

Go here…

Please Help the Yeshiva of My Rebbi, Rav Aharon Lopiansky Shlita

Hello,

Anything that I have managed to accomplish is due in very, very large part to the Yeshiva of Greater Washington and my rebbi, Rav Aharon Lopiansky shlita.

https://www.rayze.it/ygw/yehoshuaberman

Please help Rav Lopiansky’s yeshiva by making a donation for their yeshiva building campaign which is extremely necessary because, baruch Hashem, the yeshiva has grown beyond its current facility.

You can donate here on my personal page and help me achieve my fundraising goal for the Yeshiva of Greater Washington and be a part of one of the most influential mekomos Torah:
https://www.rayze.it/ygw/yehoshuaberman

Thank you,
Yehoshua Berman (a.k.a “Mechaber Kuntreisim”)

[Communicated]

USA: Home of the (very very) BRAVE (?)

America Is Once More Safe for Democracy After ‘Terrorist’ Balloon Shot Down!

By 

February 6, 2023

“Did I miss?” you asked. “You didn’t exactly miss,” said Pooh, “But you missed the balloon.” “I’m so sorry,” you said, and you fired again, and this time you hit the balloon and the air came slowly out, and Winnie-the-Pooh floated down to the ground.”

 ~ A. A. Milne

Imagine the angst of the people, especially the politicians, when a balloon floated slowly for everyone to see across these United States, gaining more and more press all the time. Of course it was a killer Chinese balloon; what else could it be? The news anchors at every mainstream media outlet in the country had the exact same story as it floated over my home state of Montana, and it was of course completely wrong. Airports were shut down, politicians were screaming, as the dire threat of a balloon filled the skies. The puppet pontificators, along with the military heads were very perplexed, and said there was an ‘indication’ that a balloon possibly from China was traveling across the country, spying on us. What a coup!

Yes, in this extremely advanced technological age, China had perpetrated the perfect covert mission to get all the U.S. military secrets, by sending a balloon that could be seen by everyone floating across the most sensitive sites in America. It maneuvered across oceans, across Alaska, through Canada, and on to the east coast off the Carolinas, while the Joint Chiefs of Staff hurriedly attempted to gather intelligence to decide how to squelch such a massive threat as this. The Chinese could have used Google earth, spy planes, drones, or any number of techniques, but decided on this groundbreaking balloon technology instead. What kind of monsters are these?

But worry not, for the politicians and the military only think of the safety of foreign civilians, and Americans, and that is why they have only slaughtered and murdered tens of millions since World War II. They said that if they shot down this state-of-the-art weaponry down over land, people might be injured by balloon debris. Thank God they care so much about us, as many could have been covered in latex had they chanced a shot at this elusive craft. I guess they missed their opportunity when it breezed over eastern Montana and Kansas, where there is only sagebrush and prairie.

Risk of this nature brings home the reasoning for the United States to have the largest and most advanced military in the world. If this does not justify a trillion dollar a year military budget, nothing could. Just imagine if they had not been there, what horrible destruction could have been the result. What carnage could have occurred? Americans everywhere were holding their breath, awaiting the final moment when the entire defensive forces could swing into action to stop this balloon threat.

But fear not my countrymen, as Top Gun fighter jets were put on notice, so that missiles could be prepared to take out this gigantic balloon. Only the best would be suited for such a dangerous mission. An F-22 Raptor fighter jet was dispatched from Langley Air Base, and was able to take out this balloon with but one single missile. Joe Biden cheered loudly, as he was once again safe, and told reporters, “I ordered the Pentagon to shoot it down on Wednesday as soon as possible … and I want to compliment our aviators who did it.”

This terrible ordeal is now over, as the multi-million dollar missile popped the balloon, and sent its surveillance payload plummeting into the ocean off Myrtle Beach. Locals were stunned by this display of bravery and honor, as they watched from the coast as the balloon floated slowly into the murky depths of the ocean. Of course this was televised, and will likely become a reality series very soon, so all can watch this Osama bin Laden-like operation over and over again. Just like bin Laden, the balloon was buried at sea to protect and respect the Chinese traditions.

This is one American who stands proud, as knowing the resolve and the tough decisions made by our great leader Biden, and the outstanding bravery of the Top Gun Pilot will help me sleep at night, knowing that this top notch military machine can take out a balloon with such precision, even though they could not even get a plane in the air on 9/11. Improvement at this level, taking out such a threat, should give pause to any who decide to ever attack us with a balloon again!

How far we have come: “The idea of aerial military surveillance dates back to the Civil War, when both the Union and the Confederacy used hot-air balloons to spy on the other side, tracking troop movements and helping to direct artillery fire.” ~ Michael Hastings

From LRC, here.

The Threat Isn’t Arab Terror but the State Itself!

Arrested Because of My T-Shirt

In the mid-90’s I went to a lot of demonstrations in Israel. Together with hundreds of thousands of others, we were protesting the signing of the Oslo Accords. We were desperately trying to warn our brothers and sisters what would happen if those agreements became reality. Unfortunately, the deal was signed, and – exactly as predicted – the streets of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Netanya, Afula and more… became filled with Jewish blood. Busses and cafes blew up and listening to the news became a traumatic event.

At a demonstration in Tel Aviv, after a bus exploded a few days before Purim, 20,000 people came to scream. Political leaders from the right side of the spectrum delivered fiery speeches and the crowd was angry… yet only one protestor was arrested. Who was that lone wolf who spent the night behind bars? It was none other than… me. Why was I arrested, you ask? Because I wore a Kahane t-shirt with the famous star and fist logo and I was charged with supporting a terrorist organization! Thankfully, I was released in the morning but was promised that “an indictment was on the way.” While this sounds amusing, it was quite serious. The charge of “supporting a terrorist organization” carries an average prison sentence of at least 10 years. Baruch HaShem, after a few months of discussions with one of Israel’s leading prosecutors, the decision was made to drop the case… although the guy insisted on keeping my t-shirt as evidence.

I am telling you this now because I want you to keep that episode in your mind as you read the following lines: Less than 2 weeks ago, an Arab brutally murdered 7 Jews on Leil Shabbat (Friday night) near a shul in Neve Yaakov. When his neighbors heard about what he did, they started handing out candies/sweets in celebration. Nobody was arrested for supporting a terrorist. In Tel Aviv university, Arab students held a protest… in support of the murderer! Nobody was arrested for supporting a terrorist. Israeli TV interviewed people coming to comfort the family of the murderer (since he was killed during his reign of terror). One by one – with no exception – they expressed support for his actions and said how proud the family should be of him. These interviews were shown on television with no censorship and no blurring out the faces of the people who spoke yet nobody was arrested for supporting a terrorist. Finally, the father of the murderer – on his way to burying his son – stated that this was not his son’s funeral but his son’s wedding! He expressed joy over his son’s actions, said that the boy brought honor to the family and wished that his other children would follow in that son’s footsteps. Needless to say, he was not arrested for supporting a terrorist. That was only me… for wearing a yellow t-shirt…

What should be done to someone who openly supports murdering Jews in Israel? I agree that they should not be arrested, since it’s not nearly enough. The Israeli government must take a much harder stance and deal with this in a serious and extreme manner. Let me offer my suggestion in very clear terms: Arabs who support acts of terror in Eretz Yisrael must be immediately and permanently removed from the land. Think it’s too radical of a position? It’s not and here’s why.

During the final plague in Egypt – the killing of the firstborn – the Torah says; “Every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the firstborn of the slave-woman who is behind the millstone…” (Sh’mot 11:5) Then, when the plague started, the Torah states that every firstborn was killed, including “the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon” (Sh’mot 12:29). In both cases, Rashi asks why those firstborns died? The firstborn of an Egyptian slave-woman? His mother was also a slave… she certainly did not harm or enslave any Jews… so why did her son die during that plague? And the firstborn of a guy sitting in the dungeon for 30 years? What did he do? He’s been a prisoner, languishing and rotting in the filth of an Egyptian prison… yet his firstborn son also died that night. Rashi asks: Why?

His answer to both questions is the same: “For they rejoiced at the downfall of Israel.” Yes, you read that correctly. Rashi states – very clearly – that the reason the slave-woman and prisoner’s sons were killed during that final plague was because “they rejoiced at the downfall of Israel.” Even though things were difficult in their own lives and they were not free, nevertheless when they heard that bad things happened to the Jews… they were happy and that happiness made them guilty! As a result of their actions, their sons were killed on the night before we left Egypt.

The time has come for us to stop just learning Rashi and start living Rashi. The reason we mention Yetziat Mitzrayim so many times each day is because we need to start learning what happened and begin applying those rules – here and now!

Arabs across the land need to know that if they rejoice after hearing about Jews being killed or support terror – in any way – they will be immediately and permanently evicted from Israel. Their homes will be confiscated, and they will never be allowed to return.

Will this end the reign of terror in Israel by those who seek to destroy her? No, it will not. A lot more needs to be done – and with help of HaShem, will be done – but it’s a good place to start.

From Am Yisrael Chai, here.