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Where was Sarah Palin last Friday night, before coming to Washington to speak at the Glenn Beck gathering Saturday? She was a guest speaker at a Jewish "Shabbaton"—a Sabbath gathering for prayer, meals, songs, study and conversation—in Hershey, PA. Benyamin Korn's account of it in the New York Sun is a must read. Here are a few highlights: By evening, the halls of the Hershey Lodge were filled with the aroma of chulent, the traditional Sabbath stew....My colleague Sheya, director of PalinTV, presented Mrs. Palin with the ArtScroll edition of Perek Shira, a commentary on the song of celebration sung...

VANCOUVER, Wash. – A bizarre attack sent a Vancouver woman to the hospital on Monday and police said they believe her attacker threw some kind of acid in her face. Bethany Storro had no idea who the woman was who attacked her and no idea why someone picked her for an attack. Storro, 28, doesn’t usually wear sunglasses but she bought a pair about an hour before the attack. Those glasses may have saved her eyesight. She had stopped to get a coffee at a Starbucks near Esther Short Park at 8th and Columbia and was getting something out...

One of the Bible's great statements about courage comes in chapter 5 of Esther. The Jewish queen of Persia has told Uncle Mordecai that she can't go before the king: If she does, she'll probably die. Mordecai responds with admonition—you won't escape by hiding—and then a line that has sent chills down my spine: "Who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" For such a time as this.In every generation moments of truth arise. Esther, early Christian martyrs, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and many more throughout the centuries have faced life-or-death decisions. In this...

I wrote this a year ago, and it seems worth repeating. Tonight we Jews read the Book of Esther, and we celebrate the battle our ancestors won against the antisemites in Persia more than two thousand years ago. It could not come at a more appropriate time, as Benjamin Netanyahu organizes an Israeli Government whose main task is the protection of the Jews against antisemites in Persia. Again. Anyone who wants to learn more about the Book of Esther–and its signal importance in the history of political thought–should read Yoram Hazony’s The Dawn. It is one of those stories that...

Miss California gets backing of lawmaker ... from Alabama Christians to beauty queen: 'Well done, thou good and faithful servant' While many in Hollywood ridicule her, scores of Americans are now applauding Miss California's stance against same-sex marriage – including one Alabama lawmaker who drafted a resolution supporting her.

APRIL 10, 2009 The Freedom to Choose a New Faith By ASHLEY SAMELSON At tomorrow's Easter Vigil, I and hundreds of thousands of other catechumens around the world -- converting from other churches and faiths -- will be baptized, confirmed and received into the Catholic Church. Each of us is invited to take the name of a saint or other biblical figure as our confirmation, or "Christian," name. This name represents a biblical or Christian historical figure of particular meaning to the convert's faith and prayer life. I will take the name Esther. Esther, one of the Bible's daredevils. As...

President John F. Kennedy once quipped that he was merely “the man who accompanied Jacqueline Kennedy to Paris.” This week, Barack Obama might find out how he felt. The first couple’s trip to Europe Tuesday takes Michelle Obama to a land that likes her husband but seems positively fascinated by her. The British press in particular has followed Michelle Obama’s every move breathlessly, from her dresses to the “kitchen garden” behind the White House. One London paper tracked down her high-school prom date. Another asked plaintively, “Why Doesn’t the UK Have a Michelle Obama?” So while the president has to...

A few months ago, the normally hostile Iranian regime took the rather unusual step of adding a Jewish holy site to its National Heritage List. On December 9, 2008, Iranian news outlets reported that the tomb of Mordechai and Esther, the heroes of the Purim saga, would now be under official government protection and responsibility. The purported tomb of Mordechai and Esther in Iran. Photo: Courtesy The move cast a brief spotlight on the site, which is well-known to Iranian Jews but largely unfamiliar to those outside the country. And with Purim being celebrated this week, it is worth taking...

The head of the Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Office has announced that the tomb of Esther and Mordecai has been added to the country's list of national monuments. Asadollah Bayat told the Iranian news service that the ancient tomb is an important Jewish shrine and one of the most historically important buildings in the Hamedan province of Iran. The monument bears Hebrew inscriptions, both on the plaster wall of the main hall as well as on the finely worked wooden tomb boxes. Bayat stressed the monument's importance to the Jewish community, adding that "Jews gather here in the...

This past Tuesday, the McCain/Palin Bus came through a little town called, Lebanon, Ohio. The LORD allowed me to go to the Rally giving them a message that He wanted personally delivered. [snip]It was at this moment that Sarah Palin reached out for me to help her up and as I was assisting her to stand I was now face to face with her and GOD said, 'Open up your Mouth and I will fill it.' Here is what came out... 'God wants you to know that you are a present day Esther! [She immediately began to cry]! God wants...

Discuss among yourselves.

Esther, a woman of deep faith, courage and patriotism. The Scriptures describe her as a woman raised up as an instrument God for a great purpose. I read the following email from my sister and wanted to pass it along to you: the incredible first person account of Mark Arnold from Lebanon, Ohio, and his encounter with John McCain and Sarah Palin. This past Tuesday, the McCain / Palin Bus came through a little town called, Lebanon , Ohio . The LORD allowed me to go to the Rally giving them a message that He wanted me to personally deliver....

Opinion September 10, 2008 Reading about Queen Esther helped guide Palin By Gov. Linda Lingle If there was any doubt that Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) will shake up Washington and institute real change, the selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential nominee has put that question to rest. Few people can match McCain's maverick spirit and bipartisan nature like Palin. I've known Sarah Palin since her election as governor in 2006. I am confident she will be a great friend of the Jewish community and Israel, as well as a terrific leader and great vice president....

This movie can now be watched on line. Each link has the download speed above it. 56K One Night with the King100K One Night with the King300K One Night with the King

DON'T get your hopes up for "One Night With the King." It isn't about a hot time in the sack with Elvis. No, it's a dull time in the theater with Esther. Esther (Tiffany Dupont) is a nice Jewish girl from ancient Babylon who becomes wife of Xerxes, king of Persia (an area now know as Iran), and prevents the slaughter of her race. (Nice going!) Director Michael O. Sajbel has gathered what is sometimes known as a "cast of thousands," as well as Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif. The cinematography and sets look great, but the script is a...

On October 13, the story of Esther comes to the movies! "One Night With The King" stars Tiffany Dupont, James Callis and Luke Goss. John Rhys-Davies plays Mordecai. If you don't know the story of Esther, it is a picture of tremendous courage. She faced execution by approaching her husband king without an invitation. But she was placed in a position to save her race, and she was willing to be used by God for a purpose higher than her own wealth and fame.I encourage all FREEPers to see this movie, especially on opening weekend--so the theater owners will...

Screen legends Peter O’Toole, Omar Sharif in all-star cast of One Night With The King Every Jewish child knows who Queen Esther was, now it's time for entire world to know: On October 13, Gener8Xion Entertainment’s One Night With the King opens in over 850 theatres in select cities across the United States. Starring silver screen legends Peter O’Toole and Omar Sharif, along with the renowned John Rhys-Davies (Lord of the Rings trilogy), Luke Goss (Blade II, ZigZag), John Noble (Lord of the Rings: Return of the King), Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister (Next Friday), James Callis (Bridget Jones Diary, Battlestar Galactica),...

Unmasking the Divine on Purim.Nineteen years ago, during my first month living in Israel, I was riding a bus up Jerusalem's main thoroughfare, Jaffa Road. The bus stopped for a red light, and I gazed out the window. I saw an elderly, overweight woman trudging up the hill, schlepping many large bags. A beggar was sitting on the pavement, his hand outstretched. The old woman stopped, set her bags down, one at a time, on the sidewalk, rummaged through her purse, took out her wallet, and handed a coin to the beggar. At that point, the light changed and my...

Though the holiday of Purim is celebrated by Jews worldwide, the story, based as it is in Persia, has special resonance for the Jews of Iran. Recent decades have proved difficult for Persian Jews, many of whom fled the country after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. From a community of about 100,000, an estimated 25,000 to 35,000 now remain. This month, Jews from across Iran will pray at a shrine in Hamadan, in northwestern Iran, dedicated to the heroes of the Purim story. They will likely be met upon arrival by Muslims and Christians, who pray year-round at the unusual shrine....