https://freerepublic.com/tag/by:chicagohebrew/ en-us Tue, 12 Jun 2012 03:19:22 GMT Focus Forum 15 https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2894264/posts Members of these Orthodox groups also have been known to be far more likely to adopt more conservative positions on matters like abortion, same-sex marriage and the Israeli approach to the Palestinians. . . . 40 percent of Jews in the city identify themselves as Orthodox, an increase from 33 percent in 2002; 74 percent of all Jewish children in the city are Orthodox. The New York Times https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2894264/posts#comment Tue, 12 Jun 2012 03:19:22 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2849178/posts Israel, under threat of war from its neighbors since being founded in 1948, produced better risk-adjusted returns than all other developed stock markets in the past decade as the technology-driven economy attracted global investors. The Bloomberg Riskless Return Ranking shows the Tel Aviv TA-25 Index (TA-25) returned 7.6 percent in the 10 years ended February 17, after adjusting for volatility, the highest among 24 developed- nation benchmark indexes. Israel beat Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index (HSI), the next-best market with a risk-adjusted gain of 6.7%, and Norway, which had the highest total return. Related: Steinitz: I can’t promise 5% growth... The Jerusalem Post https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2849178/posts#comment Tue, 21 Feb 2012 04:50:49 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2842542/posts Three Republicans, including an Englewood rabbi, are seeking the GOP nomination to run in the new 9th Congressional District. The three are vying for a chance to compete against Rep. Steve Rothman or Rep. Bill Pascrell, both Democrats, are engaged in a primary fight for the redrawn 9th District. Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, a talk show host and author of books including “Kosher Jesus” and “Kosher Sex,” told Bergen’s Republican Organization he wants to be the nominee, according to a report on politickernj.com. The congressional run is Boteach’s first bid for public office. Boteach and Rothman, a former Englewood mayor, were... Fort Lee Patch https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2842542/posts#comment Sat, 4 Feb 2012 23:38:22 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2811749/posts President George Washington proclaimed Thursday November 26, 1789 as a day of national thanksgiving to God "for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degreee of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;... Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2811749/posts#comment Thu, 24 Nov 2011 02:58:54 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2760839/posts There was a noticeably quieter atmosphere along the length of Tel Aviv’s Rothschild Boulevard on Monday evening, as Tisha Be’av came in after sunset. Trance parties and impromptu jazz parties were replaced by a series of lectures and a number of campsites where readings of the Book of Lamentations were held. At busier spots throughout the boulevard, such as the Student Union headquarters and the main kitchen at the corner of Rothschild and Marmorek, signs were posted calling on people to respect the fast, and notifying passersby that there would be no music parties, performances or entertainment scheduled for the... The Jerusalem Post https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2760839/posts#comment Tue, 9 Aug 2011 03:53:14 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2704514/posts Will US Christians settle in Samaria? About 1,000 Americans have signed a document requesting to convert to Judaism, move to Israel, and settle in Samaria. The group members are seeking to serve in the IDF and later establish communities based on the Kibbutz movement model. The document was presented to Yisrael Beiteinu Knesset Member Lia Shemtov, who met with the group's representative last week and promised to offer her help in facilitating the initiative. The Christian group's representative, Baruch Abramovich, said he was hopeful that MK Shemtov would be able to elicit the government's support for the initiative. Ironically, the... Yediot Ahronot https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2704514/posts#comment Thu, 14 Apr 2011 03:46:44 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2698431/posts [Excerpt] According to Dr. Vinegar, Israel has the second-biggest oil shale deposits in the world, outside the United States. “We estimate that there are the equivalent of 250 billion barrels of oil there. To put that in context, there are proven reserves of 260 billion barrels of oil in Saudi Arabia.” he told The Times. Once operational, IEI estimates that the cost of production of shale oil would be between $34-40 per barrel. This would make it comparable to the current price of $30-40 per barrel for deepwater oilfield and cheaper than Canadian sand oil and crude oil extracted from... Yediot Ahronot https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2698431/posts#comment Fri, 1 Apr 2011 23:25:10 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2643388/posts Lord Jacob Rothschild and Rupert Murdoch have invested in an Israeli venture to produce oil from bituminous-bearing rock (shale) in the Elah Valley in the Judean Hills. Last week, they acquired 11 percent in equal shares of Genie Energy Corporation unit Genie Oil and Gas Inc. for a total of $11 million. Genie Energy, a subsidiary of IDT Corporation, is the parent company (89%) of Israel Energy Initiatives Ltd., which holds an exclusive shale-oil exploration and production license covering 238 square miles in the Adulam district, which is between Beit Shemesh and Beit Guvrin. The company believes its shale-oil cracking... The Jerusalem Post https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2643388/posts#comment Thu, 16 Dec 2010 07:39:54 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2634732/posts Israel - Las Vegas gambling magnate Sheldon Adelson is a significant figure in Republican politics — the 13th richest man in America and one of the GOP’s biggest donors. But he’s an even bigger player in Israel, where he’s a key backer of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Yet Adelson’s sharpest transformation of the political landscape may be through his ownership of Israel Hayom (“Israel Today”), a three-year-old free daily newspaper that quietly became the most widely distributed daily in the country this summer. It stirs passions strong enough that legislators have sought to hobble it with laws banning foreign ownership... vosizneias.com https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2634732/posts#comment Tue, 30 Nov 2010 03:03:43 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2461170/posts Most people go to the Western Wall to pray, but now some will also head there to pay. The cabinet is set to approve a plan that would allow for sponsorship messages to be beamed onto the Western Wall, sources in the Prime Minister's Office told Haaretz Saturday. . . . "After thousands of years of just being there, the Western Wall will finally be able to fulfill its commercial potential," King said. "The religious and spiritual center of the Jewish people should reflect Jewish heritage - and thus be dedicated to bringing in a healthy profit." Haaretz https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2461170/posts#comment Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:01:03 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2304297/posts About two thirds of the public want the Temple rebuilt, including about half of secular Israelis, a new survey conducted for Ynet and the Gesher organization revealed. The survey was held by the Panels Institute among 516 respondents that are a representative sample of the adult Jewish population. The margin of error was 4.3%. Initially, the respondents were asked what happened on Tisha B'Av (Ninth of Av), and showed impressive knowledge. Ninety-seven percent responded that the Temple was destroyed, while only 2% said they did not know. The second question was whether respondents wanted to see the Temple rebuilt. Sixty-four... Ynetnews https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2304297/posts#comment Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:59:36 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2193297/posts The bubble of demographic fatalism is bursting, according to the most recent data, published by the Central Bureau of Statistics. The data should be leveraged by the new government to formulate a demographic policy aimed at increasing the current 67 percent Jewish majority west of the Jordan River (without Gaza). The road map would uproot demographic fatalism and advance demographic optimism, thus energizing aliya, the economy, overseas investments, diplomacy, national security, posture of deterrence and minimizing Jewish-Arab tension, which is fed by demographic fear. According to the CBS, the country's Jewish population is getting younger and the Arab population getting... The Jerusalem Post https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2193297/posts#comment Wed, 25 Feb 2009 01:56:49 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2138373/posts resident George Washington proclaimed Thursday November 26, 1789 as a day of national thanksgiving to God "for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degreee of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;... Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2138373/posts#comment Wed, 26 Nov 2008 00:31:12 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2122185/posts First it was camels. Now Saudi Arabia has held its first "beautiful goat" pageant. Owners of pedigree "Najdi" goats from around the Gulf region converged on Riyadh this week, hoping to win the prize for top male and female goat, following in the footsteps of lucrative camel competitions which have taken off in recent years. "The Najdi goat is a pure national product like nothing else in the world," said Sheikh Faisal al-Saadoun, a leading Saudi breeder who organized the show. "They are different in terms of beauty, shape and how eye-catching they are." Advertisement The goats are named after... Haaretz https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2122185/posts#comment Sun, 2 Nov 2008 01:41:50 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2052093/posts onatan Stern, the "Sgan Mefaked Hakita" (deputy squad commander) of Kitat Konenut New York, insists his "paramilitary emergency armed response team" is no "group of vigilantes or a JDL [Jewish Defense League]." Members of Kitat Konenut New... Members of Kitat Konenut New York pose in a photo posted on the group's Facebook page. Photo: Courtesy Slideshow: Pictures of the week "The goal of the organization is to have a competent and professional group of armed volunteers ready to respond to a threat at a moment's notice in any area where Jews reside," explains the Israeli combat veteran. "We do not... The Jerusalem Post https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2052093/posts#comment Sun, 27 Jul 2008 15:41:08 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2026272/posts BERLIN – Shall wolves dwell with lambs? Israel received an unexpected surprise for its 60th birthday in the form of a new group rooting for its prosperity. The twist? They are neo-Nazis. On May 15, the Gregorian date in which the State of Israel was established, a group called National Socialists for Israel launched its online manifest. Wanted Wiesenthal Center releases list of most wanted Nazis / Associated Press Mauthausen camp's doctor Aribert Heim tops list of notorious suspects; Demjanjuk comes second Full story "A strong nation is worthy of life; an ailing nation deserves death," it said, before detailing... Ynetnews.com https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2026272/posts#comment Thu, 5 Jun 2008 03:34:23 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1954440/posts Given the gas-guzzling behemoths that so many of us in the West feel entitled to, it would seem hypocritical to begrudge people in poor countries an affordable car. Much like the hypocrisy of the dealers who have resisted Tata’s bid for Jaguar on the grounds that Indian ownership would erode the brand’s prestige. The sad fact is that the world has changed since Americans celebrated the egalitarian breakthrough of the Ford Model T. We know now that gas-driven automobiles do terrible damage to the environment, and the notion of loosing millions upon millions of new carbon emitters on our planet... New York Times https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1954440/posts#comment Wed, 16 Jan 2008 05:56:59 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1932652/posts We ended the last century with America's economic might at its zenith, with Americans at their most optimistic, and with nearly all who endeavored to make the most of their opportunities and talents getting ahead in life. John F. Kennedy's declaration that a rising tide will lift all boats was alive and well. Middle-class Americans generate little or no national savings. We've had four straight years of rising productivity and falling incomes. Many Americans are earning less, while the costs of a middle-class life have soared: In the last five years, college costs are up 50 percent, health care up... The Washington Times https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1932652/posts#comment Fri, 30 Nov 2007 06:15:30 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1910511/posts I've seen a significant amount of support on this board for Ann Coulter's recent comments on CNBC. Let me explain why that support is misplaced: First, as an initial matter, I don't think Coulter's comments about Jews needing to be "perfected" are offensive at all. As an observant Jew, I obviously don't agree with Coulter. But Coulter's remarks here clearly represent standard Christian belief, and it's wrong and intolerant to condemn someone for her basic religious beliefs (provided, of course, that those beliefs don't cause one to do things like blow up Israeli school children or crash airplanes into buildings).... Vanity https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1910511/posts#comment Fri, 12 Oct 2007 22:26:26 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1900342/posts Madonna personifies celebrity. Google her name and you will get almost as many hits as "Jewish," meaning that she is roughly as famous as the religion she has come to admire. With other celebrities in tow, Madonna declared in Tel Aviv this week that she was an "ambassador for Judaism." Meanwhile, the head of a Kabbala-oriented yeshiva reacted: "It is a known fact in Kabbala that impurity and evil are inherently attracted to sanctity. That's why people of Hollywood, a place of iniquity and lasciviousness, are naturally attracted to the holiness of Kabbala." Is Madonna really "evil"? Or should we... The Jerusalem Post https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1900342/posts#comment Fri, 21 Sep 2007 21:22:28 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1884672/posts Eight Baghdad Jews who represent the remnants of that city's Jewish community are facing security threats so grave that they need to flee the country, the community's caretaker, Canon Andrew White, told The Jerusalem Post from London on Tuesday. Locals try to move wreckage from the scene of a massive car bomb attack in the Sadr City area of Baghdad. Photo: AP [file] According to White, who himself has fled from Baghdad due to terrorist threats, the situation has become dire for the 2,600-year-old community, which only 100 years ago made up a third of Baghdad's population. Ever since sectarian... The Jerusalem Post https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1884672/posts#comment Wed, 22 Aug 2007 06:01:15 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1839918/posts I'm not offended when Christians eat pork," says Jacob Neusner. At least not usually. The brilliant--and none too patient--Jewish scholar does recall a religion conference where so much of the other white meat was served that he was reduced to a diet of hard-boiled eggs. One day on the food line something snapped, and he rhymed aloud, "I hope you all get trichinosis/And come to believe in the God of Moses." A fellow conferee instantly replied, "And if we don't get such diseases/Will you believe in the God of Jesus?" Neusner cackles. "That's an example of the right way to... Time https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1839918/posts#comment Fri, 25 May 2007 22:32:18 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1838095/posts In a synagogue in a quiet area of Beersheba, a noticeboard encourages congregants to visit a Web site where they can become more involved in the community, an unexceptional sight in any shul. In the same room, framed biblical verses grace the walls. If not for the inconspicuous shoe-lined cubbyholes underneath the benches that line the small anteroom outside the sanctuary, one might easily mistake this for a traditional synagogue. As worshipers enter, they bow towards the ark, remove their shoes, wash their hands and proceed to the sanctuary, which contains beautiful carpets, but only a few chairs at the... The Jerusalem Post https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1838095/posts#comment Tue, 22 May 2007 23:24:02 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1811426/posts Court nixes Passover lamb sacrifice at Temple Mount By Nadav Shargai and Amiram Barkat In their efforts to sacrifice a live animal at the Temple Mount, the New Sanhedrin Council adopted an almost underground modus operandi. Rabbis Adin Steinsaltz, Israel Ariel, Yishai Baved and their associates secretly located a butcher, found a Cohen hailing from a lineage 1,000 years old and worked out a plan to quickly erect an alter on the Temple Mount. They tried to revive the customs of the ancient Sanhedrin tribunal, which was the highest judicial body for the Jewish people in Israel some 1,600 years... Haaretz https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1811426/posts#comment Tue, 3 Apr 2007 20:20:14 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1795012/posts Jews in Israel and throughout the world Saturday night began celebrating the thwarting of a genocidal decree in 356 BCE, which was followed by the two-day killing of tens of thousands of the Iranian anti-Semites who were poised to wipe out the Jews. The Festival of Purim celebrates the hidden hand of G-d working through a seemingly fortuitous sequence of events that brought a Jewess named Hadassah to the Persian King’s palace under the assumed name Esther (meaning “hidden”) and allowed her to use her position to thwart the genocidal plans of the monarch’s Jew-hating advisor Haman. The holiday, though... Arutz Sheva https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1795012/posts#comment Sun, 4 Mar 2007 16:12:43 GMT