La comunidad judía en españa no gozó de paz ni con cristianos ni con musulmanes, a penas breves periodos de calma, más por intereses políticos de unos y otros dominadores que por un deseo real de convivencia. Perseguidos y acosados por cristianos y musulmanes, finalmente los judíos españoles fueron forzados a tomar una decisión, convertirse, aceptar el exilio, o morir en las hogueras de la inquisición. Los descendientes de aquellos judíos forzados a la conversión son hoy los Benei Anusim. Y han comenzado a recuperar sus raíces y su identidad robada.

En la Península Ibérica, cuando todavía estaba dividida en varios reinos, cientos, miles de judíos fueron forzados a convertirse al cristianismo. La iglesia cristiana incitaba al odio y los reyes cristianos los abrumaban con impuestos "especiales" , hasta que todo culminaría con el decreto de expulsión, la conversión forzada o la muerte. Los judíos que se quedaron, tuvieron que sobrevivir, muchas veces en silencio, ocultándose a cada instante de las miradas inquisitoriales de sus vecinos, las denuncias y finalmente los tribunales del "santo oficio". Y todo en nombre de jesus.

Pero la iglesia no contaba con que el espiritu del pueblo de Israel, siempre sobrevive a sus enemigos. Después de 500 años de infamia, miles de descendientes de aquellos judíos forzados a convertirse al cristianismo han renacido de sus cenizas. Ni la iglesia, ni la inquisición, ha podido con ellos. Israel vive, y vivirá siempre.

La Sangre siempre llama.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD80D5089CD4068CA

The Science of Homosexuality: “Well I was born this way – God created me this way – God made me a homosexual”

Due to the Fall of Mankind and sin entering the world it opened the door for physical degenerations, mutations, and physical and medical anomalies in the human genome as well as chemical imbalances and deficiencies in the brain. However, it’s not God’s fault, it’s ours. By our own free will to choose to sin, we made way for sin and corruption to enter and infest the world and thus we are living with the aftermath and repercussions. We are the ones who sinned and transgressed God’s commands and mandates and got ourselves into this mess. We are the one who opened Pandora’s Box and let the cat out of the bag. God was the one who was trying to protect us from all of this. So, because we live in an imperfect and sinful world some people are born with defects, cleft pallets and such, some are even born hermaphrodite, but surgery can take care of both of those conditions.

Spiritually, because of the Fall we are predisposed to sin, but we have the free will whether to give into it or not. It is now scientifically proven by certain genetic markers that some people are born predisposed to alcoholism, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, substance abuse, and yes, even homosexuality, violence and murder. So does this mean we let people self destruct with alcohol and drugs? Does that mean we allow people to be come like the HBO serial killer Dexter because he can help but kill and besides, he only kills bad guys, people that “deserve” to die!? Heck no! If substance abuse and murder is a sin and we will do whatever we can to save people from it, why not homosexuality? I clearly point out in my article “Homosexuality in the Buff” that homosexuality in God’s eyes is a divinely prohibited and an abominable sin. So in short God didn’t make you this way but allowed degeneration and sin to progress. We made the bed and we have to lie in it. But one day Moshiach will come and correct and restore all things and make things as they were before the Fall.

If substance abuse and murder is a sin and we will do whatever we can to save people from it, why not homosexuality? Because it is a, “lifestyle choice?” Or because someone claims they were born that way? Look, doing drugs is a lifestyle choice as well as an addiction but we try and help people who are addicted; that is if they want help. Before a sin becomes an addiction it begins as a choice (Yaacov – James 1:15). Granted, a choice perhaps due to influence whether cultural or genetically, but a controllable personal choice nonetheless. Corrupted genetics may have something to do with ones sexual preferences but does that excuse one from giving into, adopting, advocating, engaging in and living such a lifestyle? I think not. A test was done where a heroine addict’s brain was scanned as well as a guy who at the time was looking at pornography and the brain scans side by side were virtually identical. This shows that sex and even sexual preferences can become addictions.

Just as there is rehab for drug and alcohol abusers there is help for those caught in pornography and homosexuality. Do we force them to get help? No, you can lead a camel to water but you can not make him drink. Just as you cannot force a serial killer to get help, or a substance abuser to enter rehab, you cannot force a homosexual to get the help they need. If the person does not see the need for help and is forced to get help for themselves, no matter what the program might be for recovery, it will not work. Just as sin is a choice of ones free will, so is recovery.

Look, we all have our vices, for some it’s lying, stealing, anger, heterosexual pornography and alcoholism; and for some it just happens to be homosexuality. Yes, I know for those who have and are fighting homosexual tendencies, for those who are getting out of that lifestyle and wanting to walk by the Torah, it is not easy and a challenge to say the least. It is not to different from the path of a recovering drug addict or alcoholic. It’s all about the moment to moment, the day to day battle. And just because you struggle from time to time or even on a daily basis it does not mean it is an impossible fight or one that you are alone in.

If one is struggling with homosexuality and desires to be free from it, I suggest getting in contact with Exodus International: “The largest information and referral ministry in the world addressing homosexual issues.”

By Rabbi Yehudah ben Shomeyr

More: Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2972eZ_dAJ0

Yosef said to his brothers, "I am about to die and God will remember you (pakod yifkod) and bring you up from this land to the land which He swore about to Avraham, to Yitzchak, and to Ya’akov." (Bereishit 50:24)

The words "pakod yifkod" – God will remember you – were not only his parting words, but the very words that Moshe Rabbeinu later used to announce the redemption that Yosef had foretold. (Midrash HaGadol 50:24) This was a way of assuring that the Jewish people would know all that had happened in-between Yosef’s life and what would happen in the future redeemer’s life, were all part of the master plan, God’s master plan.

The whole story of Yosef is linked with an important concept regarding the Talmudic notion of Mashiach ben Yosef and Mashiach ben David. This notion of a Messiah having two special purposes, natures and serving at different times is a very common theme in Judaism. When we look back at Yosef’s earlier life up until he is honored in this week’s parasha, Yosef’s life is the emblem of the Mashiach ben Yosef, or the suffering Messiah. We see that in his earlier years he is spurned by his brothers. As Yosef is hated and betrayed by his brothers, so too was Yeshua our Rabbi, our teacher. Yosef has no favor with his brothers and is thrown into a pit – a grave – and sold for twenty pieces of silver. This is prophetic as we see also that Yeshua was sold for silver. Yosef’s tunic, his robe of honor, is stripped and the verdict of his day of "death" has come – his tunic is drenched in blood to be shown to his father that his life was taken. His rejection by his brothers and his ultimate "death" echoes into the future of what Yeshua our master would endure through his suffering and death and resurrection.

This suffering Yosef, like Yeshua our Mashiach, enters a dark or dormant time. He descends into Mitzrayim, a grave of sorts, and enters prison for twelve years after a false charge is rendered upon him. This false charge, mirrored in the charge brought upon Yeshua for claiming his authority, brings about his descent. He is torn from the known world and cast into a prison, or the bowels of the earth.

This corresponds with the Gemara when it talks about Mashiach ben Yosef dying in Tractate Sukkah. Talmud; tractate Sukkah 52a: “Messiah ben Yosef was slain as it is written: And they shall look upon me, because they have pierced him through, and they shall mourn for him as one mourns for his only son” (Zacharya 12:10).

Jewish tradition states that it is through descent into darkness that true light can be born. It is here in Yosef’s life, and Mashiach’s, that the light of salvation arrives and so begins the dawn of a new era.

It is within this time period that Yosef enters as Mashiach ben David: he is second only to Pharoah. This symbolism is very strong as we see the power of this anointed one, in goyish (gentile) garb, over the nations coming to Mitzrayim for sustenance.

But while Yosef is beginning his role of Mashiach ben David and those around him are benefiting from his shepherding, Yaacov and his family remain far away, starting to feel the effects of the famine.

Because the Mashiach of the generation wears goyish garb and has no family resemblance – all that they seek has been covered up. This mirrors not only the case in Yeshua’s history, but even today with how our people view Yeshua.

Mashiach wears a goyisha mask and is allowed to parade in a begged (garment) that is unrecognizable to many. For the sake of Heaven, just as in Yosef’s day, this is necessary so that someday our misphochah (family) will finally wander through the gates and find him. May our Mashiach continue to amass souls as grain, in whatever season, and place in them healing, consolation and restore them – just as Yosef did in his day.

Mashiach ben Yosef not only goes unrecognized, but Israel ridicules those who herald the truth of redemption and are fit to be Mashiach ben Yosef. If Israel only recognized him and his era, he would immediately begin complete redemption “in haste.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD29VJMa1sE

Every one who knows the problems of territory, religion, education, and simple racial hate and international involvement, knows that the greatest problem of all is related to the Bible. Jews have for the two thousand years of exile among the nations dreamed of returning to the land of their forefathers, the land of Israel, between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.

People who believe that the Bible is the Word of God give this ancient document the authority of an international contract between God and mankind. The Bible is for those who believe it a living Word that not only tells the story of past ancient history, but also predicts the future and makes a road map for the rest of man s days on this Earth. Those who believe that the promises of the Bible are to be understood literally are called, Fundamentalist.

What is in the Bible that relates to the Land of Israel and causes Jews and those who believe the Bible as Fundamentalist to reject any compromise with the Arabs on the Land of promise?  Here are some Biblical facts on this issue:

1.God s promise to give the land of Israel to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their seeds forever is repeated more times in the Bible than any other promise. In Genesis alone it is repeated close to twenty times.

2.The promise of God to give the Land of Israel (Canaan) to Israel is given to every one of the patriarchs, to Moses, to Joshua, and to the prophets of Israel.

3.Israel is the only nation that has been exiled for more than one hundred years that has returned home to the land of their forefathers. In fact Israel has returned to the land already three times. Our forefathers returned from Egypt to the Land of God s promise with Moses and Joshua.

After 70 years of exile in Babylon Ezra and Nehamiah returned with a large number of the Exiles back to Jerusalem and the Land of Israel. Modern Zionism is a third time that
God s promises of return to the Land and inheritance of His promises. We are actually living witnesses of this return and rebuilding and restoration of this land and all this is happening before our own eyes and the eyes of the whole world.

I believe that, although, the Biblical promises made by God seem unrealistic right now, they are the most realistic and since God has the power to change people and nations, we who believe Him and believe His Word, must hold on to God s promises and never stop hoping that He will keep His Word in the future as He has kept it in the past.  Who would have believed 150 years ago that there is going to be a Jewish State in the land of Israel and that it will have an army and Jewish farmers, and win wars against the whole and joint force of the Arab countries.

These promises of God to Israel bring a special rational to the people who believe that the Bible is God s Living Word and want to live according to what the Bible teaches. People stand on God’s Word and say to themselves the following:

How can we give this land that is promised to us by the Creator of the World as an inheritance forever to the Muslim/Arabs who have always opposed God and His Word. We read that the Arabs opposed the return of the Exiles from Babylon in the days of Nehemiah also just as they do today: "Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repair of the walls of Jerusalem went on, and that the breaches began to be closed, they were very angry. 8 All of them conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause a disturbance in it." (Nehemiah 4:7-8)

Our God is able and His Word is living and every one of His promises will be fulfilled. Our hope is in God and in His promises, and even if we at times misunderstand God s Word and misinterpret his promises, we know that not one word from God will fall empty.  What to us seems virtual and unreal for God is real and already accomplished.

By Joseph Shulam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MdsolNljD8

Weekly Sidra: Toledot (Generations)
Torah Portion: Bereshit / Genesis 25:19-28:9
Haftorah: Sh’muel Alef / I Samuel 20:18-20:42

Toledot, Toldot, or Tol’doth (תּוֹלְדֹת — Hebr "" for “line” or “Generations,” the second word and the first distinctive word in the parshah) is the sixth weekly Torah portion (parshah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. It constitutes Genesis 25:19–28:9. Jews in the Diaspora read it the sixth Sabbath after Simchat Torah, generally in November or early December. It is so named because the Torah portion begins with the words “Now these are the records of the generations of Isaac” (Genesis 25:19). Toldot tells us the story of the birth of Jacob and Esau and their struggle for the birthright and blessing of their father, Isaac. We also learn about Isaac’s trials and difficulties in the land of Canaan. The portion concludes with Jacob’s deception of Isaac in order to procure the family blessing.

Last week’s parsha was Chaya Sarah, which contained the wedding of Avraham Avinu’s son Yitzchak to Rivkah.

1st Aliya: Yitzchak is 40 years old (2088) when he marries Rivkah. After 20 years, Esav and Yakov are born. She had a very difficult pregnancy and eventually gave birth to twin boys: a hairy reddish boy named Esav, and a second boy, holding onto the first one’s heel, named Yakov. The Parsha jumps from their birth to Yakov’s purchase of the 1st born rights from Esav at the age of 15. (2123 – the day Avraham died) Our sages say that this was the day Avraham passed away and the food Yakov was cooking was to feed the bereaved, his father Yitzchak.

2nd Aliya: The Parsha returns to the story of Yitzchak and Rivkah and the famine which forces them to settle among the Plishtim (Yitzchak was tempted to go down to Egypt where his father, Avraham, had gone in similar circumstances. But God told him not to leave the land of Israel because he was sanctified as an offering to God, by being brought to the akaida, and therefore not fit to leave the Holy Land of Israel). Yitzchak, like his father before him, has a moral confrontation with Avimelech, after which his fields are uniquely prolific and financially successful.

3rd Aliya: Yitzchak’s financial success leads to jealousy with his Plishtim neighbors. He re-digs Avraham’s wells, resulting in a confrontation with the Plishtim over water rights. He moves back to Beer Sheva.

4th Aliya: Hashem, in a dream, confirms for Yitzchak the future of his children. Avimelech, the King of the Plishtim, and his General, Phicol, approach Yitzchak to make a peace treaty.

5th Aliya: The treaty between Yitzchak and the Plishtim is celebrated. The Parsha returns to the story of Yakov and Esav. Esav’s marriage to two Canaanite women at the age of 40 (2148) brings disappointment to Yitzchak and Rivkah. In 2171, when Yakov and Esav are 63 and Yitzchak is 123, Yitzchak blesses Yakov and Esav. Yitzchak asks his son Esav, his first-born son, to fetch some meat and cook it nicely, and Yitzchak will bless him. But Rivkah hears all this and wants Yakov, her slightly younger son, to get the blessing, so she prepares some meat the way Yitzchak likes it, and gives it to Yakov to take in, and dresses Yakov in Esav’s clothes. The Parsha details the duplicity of Yakov and Rivkah in fooling Yitzchak.

6th Aliya: Yitzchak blesses Yakov with spiritual and material gain, after which Esav returns to discover Yakov’s plot. He receives his own blessing for material gain, and is determined to kill Yakov. Rivkah, fearful for Yakov’s life, convinces Yitzchak to send Yakov to her brother Lavan in search of a shiduch – a wife. Yitzchak confirms on Yakov the future of the Jewish nation before his departure to Lavan.

7th Aliya: Yakov departs for Padan Aram, and Esav marries the daughter of Yishmael. (his 1/2 1st cousin)

Wearing of a head covering (yarmulka, skullcaps, kippah [pl. kippot]) for men was only instituted in Talmudic times (approximately the second century CE). The first mention of it is in Tractate Shabbat, which discusses respect and fear of God. Some sources likened it to the High Priest who wore a hat (Mitznefet) to remind him something was always between him and God. Thus, wearing a kippah makes us all like the high priest and turns us into a "holy nation." The head covering is also a sign of humility for men, acknowledging what’s "above" us (God).

Many Ashkenazi rabbis acknowledge that wearing a head covering at all times was once considered an optional midat chasidut (pious act), but, today, full­time head covering is the norm except under extenuating circumstances. Sephardic communities generally did not have the custom of wearing a kippah all the time.

Some diaspora Jews leave off the kippah at school, work, or when testifying in court, because of real danger or uneasiness in appearing in the secular world with an obvious symbol of Jewishness.

In Israel wearing a kippah also has a social significance. While wearing a kippah shows that you are somewhat religious, not­wearing one is like stating, "I’m not religious." The style of kippah in Israel can also indicate political and religious affiliations. Classical orthodoxy uses a large, smooth, black one shaped like a bowl. Many Hasidim use large black felt or satin, and a "rebellious son" may wear a slightly smaller black kippah to show his independence while remaining in the Classicist camp. Another play on this rebellion is to wear a knitted black kippah. This is also usually used to confuse people as to where you stand.

In Bukhara and the Caucasian Mountains the use of a large brightly woven kippah is common. It is similar in shape to a cantor’s kippah without the peak. This custom can also be found in other Sephardic communities.

Knitted kippot typically signify that you are part of the Nationalist Zionist camp. A larger full headed knitted kippah would signify the Mercaz Harav branch of the movement that produces many of the leading rabbis within the Religious Zionist section, although many rabbis who teach at these institutions wear the traditional large black kippot.

Also read: Keep your Kippah!

Yom Yerushalayim / Jerusalem Day – the Israeli government proclaimed the holiday of “Jerusalem Day” for the 28th of Iyar, corresponding to the date that the Israeli military liberated those parts of Jerusalem which had previously been in Arab possession.

In 1967 – 19 years after the establishment of the State in 1948 -
The Israelis captured Jerusalem in 1967.

On May 14, 1948, on the day in which the British Mandate over a Palestine expired, the Jewish People’s Council gathered at the Tel Aviv Museum, and approved the following proclamation, declaring the establishment of the State of Israel. The new state was recognized that night by the United States and three days later by the USSR.

For the first time in 2520 years she was independent.
That follows the destruction of the Jewish state 2520 years ago by the Babylonians in 606 BC followed by the destruction of Jerusalem and Solomon’s Temple on 9th of AV 587 BC exactly 19 years later. Jerusalem was never to be under Jewish rule until 1967.

“This will be a sign to the house of Israel. Lie also on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity. For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; so you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. And when you have completed them, lie again on your right side; then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days. I have laid on you a day for each year” (Ezekiel 4:3-6).

Each day represents one biblical year. 430 years (390 years plus another 40 years). “And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins” (Leviticus 26:18; see also Leviticus 26:21, 23-24,27-28). 430 years – first 70 years = 360 years x 7 = 2,520 biblical years x 360 day = 907,200 days

If we work backwards from May 14, 1948 and using this information the 907,200 days (2,520 years) prophecy, we arrive at 606 BC

Israel lost its independence in 606 B.C. but Jerusalem was left intact with the Second temple. The “desolations of Jerusalem” began with the annihilation of the city of Jerusalem and the Solomon’s Temple in 587 B.C. According to Jeremiah it was punishment for not yielding to the “Servitude of the Nation” which began in 606 B.C., with the first siege of Nebuchandnezzar – 19 years prior.

On the morning of Shavuot, June 15, 1967 — just six days after the liberation of the Old City of Jerusalem in the Six Day War — the Old City was officially opened to the Israeli public.

In total, 200,000 visited the Western Wall that day. It was the first pilgrimage, en masse, of Jews to Jewish-controlled Jerusalem on a Jewish festival in 2,000 years, since the pilgrimages for the festivals in Temple times Some wept, but most faces were wreathed in smiles. For 13 continuous hours, a colorful variety of all peoples trudged along in perfect order, stepping patiently when told to do so at each of six successive barriers set up by the police to regulate the flow

Enjoy the Day and ponder the fact that the generation that saw her restored would also see the end of the age.

I ponder the number 40 more so for it is a generation. Gods time piece in the end times is Israel and Jerusalem the “cup of trembling” handed the nations.

“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it… Zechariah 12:2-3

httpvp://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=7B15EF192D5CCC67

Italy is located centrally in the Mediterranean sea and served as an important crossroad and an intersection between North and South, East and West, Sephardic and Ashkenazi culture. That’s why Italy has a very important role in Jewish history and genealogy.

Italy contains some of the oldest Jewish Communities in Europe. Jews arrived in South Italy after the distruction of the First Temple and latter thousands of Jews lived in Rome already before the Christian era. At Roman  time there were ten-fifteen synagogues in Roma (Rome).

In 160 B.C. Simon Maccabeus sent an embassy to Rome to strengthen the alliance with the Romans against the Syrians. The ambassadors received a cordial welcome from the Senate and form the Jews who were already established in town.

Besides Roma, other Jewish communities were in Genova, Milano, Bologna, Ravenna, Napoli, Pompei, Siracusa. Messina and in other in forty places. 

Under the rule of the Emperor Claudius, a census was taken, which estimated the Jewish population of the empire the 7 or 9 percent of the total population.

With the establishment of Christianity as the official religion of the Roman empire by Constantine I in 313, the position of Jews in Italy and throughout the empire declined rapidly. From that time the oppression grew considerably. Until the fall of the Roman empire periods of persecution were followed by periods of quiescence. During the first Dark Ages there were flourishing communities of Jews in Rome, Milan, Genoa, Palermo, Messina, Agrigentum, and in Sardinia. When Italy came into the possession of the Lombards Jews lived in peace in the territories under their rule. Even after the Lombards embraced Catholicism, Jews were not persecuted. Pope Gregory I treated them with much consideration. Under succeeding popes the condition of the Jews did not grow worse; and the same was the case in the several smaller states into which Italy was divided. There was an expulsion of Jews from Bologna in 1172; but they were soon allowed to return. Under Norman rule the Jews of southern Italy and of Sicily enjoyed a great freedom.

When Benjamin of Tudela visited the country between 1160 and 1165 he found large communities "old of centuries" on his route. First he visited Genoa, Pisa and Lucca.
From other sources we know that at that time  Jews lived also in other towns of the North (Aquileia, Ferrara, Mantua, Padua).

By the end of the Middle Ages, Italy had been divided into fifteen different states. Each state had different influence of the Catholic Church, administrative structure and different restrictive laws on the Jews. After wars and annexations the number of these states was reduced to ten.

The position of Jews in Italy worsened considerably under Pope Innocent III (1198-1216). This pope first ordered that every Jew must always wear a special badge. In 1235 Pope Gregory IX published the first bull against the ritual murder accusation. Other popes followed his example.

Large towns such as Venice, Florence, Genoa, and Pisa, realized that their commercial interests were of more importance than politics of the Church and accordingly the Jews found their condition better than ever before. Jews became bankers and merchants, and obtained permissions to establish banks and to engage in monetary transactions.

When in 1492 Jews were expelled from Spain a great number of them took refuge in Italy. In the same year Jews were expelled from from Sicily. The Spanish Jews arrived in Tuscany, Naples, Ferrara and in some other towns. In Rome and Genoa they experienced hunger, plague, and poverty and in many cases were forced to accept baptism in order to escape starvation.

The Jewish communities of Naples and of Rome received the greatest number of accessions and  in some few cases the immigrants exceeded in number the Jews already domiciled.

Arriving from Spain many Conversos returned to Judaism, thus fallig under the jurisdiction of the Inquisition. In 1516 the first Ghetto was estabilished in Venezia (Venice).  Later other ghettos were established. The Church, deeply involved into the fight against Reformation, began a fanatic hunt of forbidden books and in 1553 in the principal cities of Italy were burned all the found copies of the Talmud. In 1541 Jews were expelled from South Italy (Kingdom of Naples).

The Italian Jewish community, with its 2,000 years of history, was formed also by the merger of several Jewish groups that arrived in Italy since Middle Ages:
– 14th century from France and Germany;
– 15th centuries from Spain and Portugal because of the expulsion;
– 16th century because of internal migrations;
– 17th century from East Europe;

Pius V brought into force all the anti-Jewish bulls of his predecessors. He decided to banish the Jews from all his dominions and in in 1555 the Jews were expelled from all the Papal States excepting Rome and Ancona. In these two towns Ghettos were established.

Thus in three phases the Jews were forced to moved

1) from Sicily,
2) from South peninsular Italy,
3) from the State of the Church

An important exception to these restrictions and persecution was the freedom given to Jews who moved to Livorno (Leghorn).

Under the influence of the liberal religious policy of Napoleon the Jews of Italy were emancipated. The new political ideas broke the power of the Church. After the Revolution of 1848 begun a political movement that lead to the political Unification of Italy (1860-1870). Jewish volunteers died in the cause of Italian liberty and the ghettos were opened. After the Unification, in the Italian Kingdom Italian Jews had full civil and political rights.

Italian Jews adopted family names since the 11th century, usually, they either translated their Hebrew names or adopted the name of their place of origin: that’s why  family names are a good resource for genealogy.

The Beta Israel, the Lemba, Igbo Jews, and more…

After the fall of the Kingdom of Israel (Northern Kingdom) in 720 B.C. and the Kingdom of Judea (Southern Kingdom) sixth century B.C., there have been several groups who have either fled the land of Israel, or who were captured and removed as slaves, which in turn commenced a diaspora that formed out of ancient Israeli tribes.

We know of course that not all Jews live in Israel and that various groups from all over the globe have made numerous claims of affiliation. In this literary exploration, the claims of some black people to include the Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews), the Lemba Tribe of South Africa and the the Igbo Jews of Nigeria.

The Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews)

We begin with the Black Jews of Ethiopia who according to Professor and writer Gadi Ben-Ezer, are said to number around 120,000 in Israel itself and around 22,000 to 50,000 in Ethiopia. Many of these Ethiopians were allowed to emigrate to Israel under its Law of Return, which states that all Jews can settle there and obtain Israeli citizenship. In exploring the Hebrew Biblical record, one finds that there are several references to a person named Sheba who is said to have become involved in the genealogical record of the twelve tribes of Judah, and some of their geographical settling locations in Ethiopia. There are actually different schools of thought on this matter due to two their being two different references in the Hebrew Bible. Further references to the actual but unnamed Queen of the land of Sheba can be found in the Hebrew text and seem to point to a possible union between the Queen and King Solomon. It is from this union that the origin of so-called Lost Tribes, like the Beta Israel, are said to have come from.

The Lemba of South Africa

The claims of Jewish origin related to the Lemba seem to wind their way through time and geography through a unique oral and physical history that spans several centuries. Beginning in an ancient city called Sena (located in modern-day Yemen), and winding their way down the entire continent of Africa. According to this oral tradition the Lemba are said to have made stops and interacted in trade and commerce with local tribes of indigenous Africans (with very little inter-marrying), from Ethiopia, to Malawi, to Zimbabwe, through to South Africa. The Lemba’s claims mostly come from their story and their cultural and religious practices, which are said to be non-European in nature and specifically Jewish in origin. They also claim direct lineage from priestly clan known as the Bhuba clan, and these people are said to be directly related to ancient Jews Arron and his brother Moses.

The Igbo Jews of Nigeria

They claim descent variously from the tribes of Ephraim, Naphtali, Menasseh, Levi, Zebulun and Gad. The Igbo, the third largest ethnic group in Nigeria, believe that they are descendants of Jews who had migrated to western Africa over many centuries. There are currently several Jewish communities across Nigeria and the structure is getting stronger. There are 26 synagogues across the country and the community is estimated at around 40,000 individuals, in a country with a population of 140,000,000.

Religious Practices. Many Igbo practices pose striking similarities with Jewish customs mentioned in the Torah and even in the present day. Such customs include: circumcision 8 days after the birth of a male child, a ban on eating un-kosher animals, separating men from women during the female cycle of menstruation, donning of the Tallit and Kippah, and the celebration of holidays such as Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah. In recent times, the communities have adopted holidays such as Hannukah and Purim, holidays that only were beginning to be observed after many of the tribes of Israel had already dispersed. For example, the Ethiopian Jews and the Benei Menashe had no knowledge of such holidays.

There are other communities in Nigeria that are not of the Igbo tribe that are practicing Judaism, such as those in Yorubaland. Thus, Jewish practice is not restricted to one ethnic group or location.

Go here learn more go about the African Jewish people in Africa

Weekly Sidra: Shemini (Eight)
Shabbat: Parah Adumah (Red Heifer)
Torah Portion: Vayikra / Leviticus 9:1 – 11:47
Special Maftir: Bamidbar / Numbers 19:1-19:22
Haftorah: Yechezkel / Ezekiel 36:16 – 36:38

"This is the decree of the Torah, which HaShem has commanded, saying: Speak to the Children of Israel, and they shall take to you a completely red cow, which is without blemish, and upon which a yoke has not come." (Bamidbar 19:2)

This is an example of Law of the Torah which is considered completely above human comprehension. The paradox is that those who are involved in the preparation of the ashes of the cow become ritually impure, while the sprinkling of water with those ashes is used to remove contamination! It is an example of a Law which must be accepted on faith alone.

On the Shabbat after Purim, two Torah Scrolls are removed from the Ark. The Sidrah of the week is read from the first, and from the second, the chapter of Parah Adumah, the Red Cow (or Red Heifer), is read. It gives the procedure through which people can purify themselves from the contamination caused by a human corpse.

The reading of this chapter was instituted for this time of the year because Jews were required to purify themselves before coming to Jerusalem for the pilgrimage festival of Passover.

The Haftarah read on the Sabbath of Parashat Parah contains the verse, "And I shall sprinkle pure water upon you, that you be cleansed. From all your contamination and from all your filth I will cleanse you" (Ezekiel 36:25). There are other parallels in the Haftarah between the concepts of sin represented by contamination, and atonement represented by purity.

This idea is discussed in the commentary to the ArtScroll Ezekiel (pp.534-5), as follows: Freedom of will in moral matters is the first and irreplaceable condition for living one’s life on the higher plane demanded by the Torah. Belief in man’s freedom of action, however, is endangered by the fact that man cannot avoid death and that he is subject to the superficial limitations imposed by the forces of nature.

This belief is particularly shaken by the sight of a dead human being. If the whole human being has succumbed to death, been overpowered by physical forces – If man, like all other organic beings, cannot escape the spell of an overpowering force – then there is no room for the moral "you shall" next to the physical "you must." Moral freedom of will would then be an illusion, and the Divine law of morality with its demand for total free-willed devotion to the illuminating, purifying fire of its sanctuary would be incomprehensible. (R’Hirsch, Numbers 19:22)

Thus, sin is related not only to death, but also to contamination, which is closely associated with death. Because the sinner is shackled by his desires, he loses spiritual control of actions. He is swept along by the physical lusts that have overpowered his spiritual self. Thus, the most meaningful part of life, the spiritual, has been killed. For this reason, when God forgives man’s sin and grants him a new heart and a new spirit, He is imbuing him with purity, the state of mind in which man is the sole master of his actions.

A living (and therefore a pure) person uses his body as he wills; it is his tool to use as he sees fit. The regenerate sinner, upon returning to the state of purity, joins once more the state of the living – and the free. (Chazon HaMikra)

As with the other of the Four Parshiyot, a boy who is not yet of Bar-Mitzvah age should not be called to the Torah for Maftir on Shabbat Parshat Parah, nor should he read the Parshah for others.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfnheQjsHhU

Although we are all familiar with the Rosh Hashanah, the "Head of the Year," which occurs in the Fall, there are actually four Rosh Hashanah’s which define, to an extent, the Hebrew calendar. They are as follows:

1. First of Nisan – This is the month about which Moshe was commanded in Egypt, "This month shall be considered by you as the First of the Months; it is the First for you of the months of the year." Historically, this was the month of the Exodus from Egypt, the beginning of Jewish national history.

It is considered the "first" for the purpose of counting the Festivals of the Hebrew Calendar, and reckoning of the years of reign of the Kings of Israel. Thus, the Festival occurring in Nisan, Passover, is considered the First Festival. With regard to the reign of kings, if a particular king began his reign in the month before Nisan, then in Nisan, he is considered to be in the second year of his reign.

2. First of Elul – Elul is considered the "first" of the months regarding the practice of "Maasrot," or tithing (the prescribed donations of one tenth of various totals) found in the Torah; this one, in particular, referring to cattle. The law is that cattle born before the first of Elul are considered separately from cattle born after the first of Elul, and the "tenth" for each year is determined on the basis of that year’s group alone.

Since this "tenth" of animals had the status of sacrifices in the Temple, in our time, since the Temple has not yet been rebuilt, this law has no practical application. Once the Temple is rebuilt in Yerushalayim, this Rosh Hashanah will regain its significance.

3. First of Tishrei – This is the Rosh Hashanah of the Fall, the one we are most familiar with. The reason we are most familiar with it is that it is on this day that Divine Justice is meted out to all individuals and to all nations. It is the date on which the cases of all of God’s creatures come up before the Heavenly Court for a ten-day "trial" beginning on Rosh Hashanah, which is the first day of the Ten Days of Repentance, and climaxing on the Tenth of Tishrei with the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, when the fate of each one is sealed.

This date also serves in determining the beginnings of two other innovations of the Hebrew Calendar: the Shemitah (Sabbatical) Year and the Yovel (Jubilee) Year.

4. Fifteenth of Shevat – "Tu B’Shevat"

First, as to the word "Tu," pronounced "too" in the name "Tu B’Shevat." "Tu" is constructed from the Hebrew letters "tet" and "vav." "Tet" is the ninth letter in the Hebrew alphabet; "vav" is the sixth. Nine + Six = Fifteen. Also, "tet" is a consonant, making the "te" sound; "vav" is a vowel, which when sounded with the "shoorook" vocalization, sounds like "oo."

This is the Rosh Hashanah for trees. Again, as mentioned above in connection with the "First of Elul" Rosh Hashanah, the significance is primarily in connection with "Maasrot," tithing, or taking tenths. The dates of ripening of different agricultural species, say wheat, on one hand, and apples and oranges representing the "fruit-of-the-tree" group, are different. Also, since one may not calculate the "tenth" for a given year using produce from a different year, it is important to know the calendar definitions of ripening which apply to the various species.

Our Sages have designated the 15th of Shevat as the boundary, for trees, between one year and another, since most of the rains of the previous year, in the Land of Israel, have already fallen. A certain percentage of the fruit has reached the stage of "begun to ripen." This is defined as from the time of blossoming until the fruit has reached one third of its full growth. Fruit which have reached this stage are attributed to the previous year. Any new blossoming of fruit after this day is a result of the blessings of the new year.

Special Note: The earliest-ripening fruit is the "shekadiah," the "almond," in honor of which the following famous song was composed:

"HaShekadiah Porachat,"
The Almond has blossomed
"VeShemesh Paz Zorachat"
And the Sun is Shining Brightly
"Tzipporim Me’Rosh kol Gag"
Birds from Every Roof-Top
"Mevasrot et Bo HaChag"
Welcome the Arrival of the Holiday

A Weekday Rosh Hashanah

Although the 15th of Shevat is called Rosh Hashanah, the designation applies only to the matter of tithes that are due from fruit of the trees. Work is not prohibited, and there are no required festive meals, and no special prayers added to the regular prayer services. Nevertheless, the day is invested with a festive sense. Tachanun is not said. Eulogies are not delivered for the dead, and if it falls on Shabbat, Av Harachamim is not said (since Av Harachamim recalls the souls of the dead.) It is customary to eat a new fruit from the Land of Israel of which one had not yet partaken the present year, so that the "bracha" or "blessing" of SheHecheyanu may be said.

The reason for the festive mood of the Rosh Hashanah of trees is that the 15th of Shevat recalls the praise of the Land of Israel, for on this day the strength of the soil of the land is renewed. With reference to the fruits of the trees and the produce of the soil, the Torah praises the Land of Israel: "A land of wheat and barley and vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey" (Devarim 8).

Another reason for the special observance of the 15th of Shevat is that the time of Rosh Hashanah for the trees is also a time of prayer and judgment concerning the trees. Whenever any of His creatures begins to grow, God surveys its entire future. So it is proper, at such a time, to pray that the new creature or being might prosper.

The Torah has compared Man to a tree of the field; hence this day also recalls the Divine judgment upon man. This is the character of the people of Israel that they rejoice on a day of judgment. Whatever the decision is, let all see that "there is a law and that there is a Judge." The Torah is the law, and God is the Judge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-k2u6NBlYc

Parochet (Hebrew: פרוכת) (also paroches, parokhet) is the curtain on the front of the Aron Kodesh (Torah Ark) in a synagogue that covers the Sifrei Torah (Torah scrolls). In most cases, behind the parochet is also a door. This curtain represents the covering that was on the original Ark of the Covenant. The term parochet is used in the Bible to describe the curtain that separated the Kodesh Hakodashim (Holy of Holies) from the main hall of the Temple in Jerusalem.

The parochet used in the Temple was made from wool and linen, and was exempt from the laws of Shatnez, which apply only to clothing worn on the body, not to furnishings in a building.

Shemot / Exodus 26:31-35 describes this curtain as it existed in the desert Tabernacle. It separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. Only the Cohen HaGadol was allowed to pass through it into the Holy of Holies; and that he could do only once a year, on Yom-Kippur, to make an atonement sacrifice for his sins and for the sins of all Israel. When it was ripped in two from top to bottom it symbolized the fact that HaShem was giving everyone access to the most holy place of all in heaven, as taught explicitly at Ivrim / Hebrews 9:3-9, 10:19-22.

The Talmud bears an amazing witness to the work of Maran Yeshua and the system of atonement. The background is that on Yom-Kippur, when the Cohen HaGadol sacrificed a bull (Vayikra / Leviticus 16); a piece of scarlet cloth was tied between its horns. If it later turned white, it meant that HaShem had forgiven Israel’s sin in accordance with Yeshayahu / Isaiah 1:18, "Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be white as snow."

The Talmud has this to say concerning such practice after Maran Yeshua’s atoning death, and resurrection: "Our Rabbis taught that throughout the forty years that Shim’on the Tzaddik served,… the scarlet cloth would become white. From then on it would sometimes become white and sometimes not…. Throughout the last forty years before the Temple was destroyed… the scarlet cloth never turned white." (Yoma 39a-39b) See also the JPS encyclopedia pages: 365-7

Thus in the days of Shim’on Tzaddik the sacrificial system established by HaShem in the Tanach was observed, and it was effective in so far they walked in His holy ways. But afterwards Israel’s spirituality declined, so that the sacrificial system was effective only sometimes (When they were obedient). Finally, forty years before the destruction of the Temple, it was never effective. The Talmud does not say it, and it does not connects the dots, but after Maran Yeshua left (Acts 1.9), there were 40 years left for the Holy Temple of HaShem. A true worshiper of HaShem would repent before HaShem before bringing a Korban (gift) before the Mizbeach (Altar), the red thread represented the true heart of the leadership in Israel, thus it did not turn white ever since….

Israel, do teshuva (repent), HaShem is revealing the Mashiach once more. It is time to do teshuva.

“Whoever does not await His coming, not only denies the other prophets, but the Torah and Moshe Rabbeinu.” The Rambam”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3lhp9O44ZE

Lo primero que hay que decir de esta trágica historia con un final previsible, es que es lamentable que un hecho del cual Israel tenia – o debería haber tenido – perfecto conocimiento, haya derivado en una nueva ola de anti-semistismo, anti-israelismo, anti-sionismo, o judeofobia, como quiera llamarse, ya que tanto se confunden estos términos en el mundo que nos mira y nos juzga, muchas veces, sin poder o sin querer conocernos.

No resulta nada difícil, pues, analizar a los participantes en este juego de poderes, bien sea para repartir culpas o, con una mirada más optimista, para aprender de los errores y asegurarnos de no cometerlos nuevamente; sobre todo, ante la inminente llegada del "MV Rachel Corrie", barco que lleva el nombre de una activista pro-palestina estadounidense que murió en Gaza, y que asegura dirigirse a tal destino para proporcionar ayuda humanitaria.

Comencemos por el principio: Israel impone un bloqueo terrestre y marítimo sobre la Franja de Gaza desde 2007, de donde se ha retirado en 2005. Desde entonces, Israel permite y facilita el ingreso de ayuda humanitaria a la zona controlada por Hamás.

Actualmente, unos 150 camiones diarios portando comida, medicamentos, y todo tipo de materiales, ingresan a la Franja. Normalmente, el destino de dichos camiones pende de la mano tirana de Hamás, que suele interceptarlos, lucrando con las necesidades del pueblo palestino.

La primera gran pregunta, entonces, es: ¿Por qué la IHH, organización no gubernamental turca que organizó el convoy de barcos, no se valió de las vías existentes para entregar la ayuda?

En vez de esto, el Mavi Marmara –único barco donde se produjo un enfrentamiento – que traía a casi 600 de los 700 "activistas humanitarios" que vinieron con la flotilla, hizo caso omiso de los pedidos de la Marina Israelí de anclar en el puerto de Ashdod. La clara meta era romper el bloqueo. Esa es la primera respuesta, si tenemos en cuenta que la IHH es una reconocida organización radical islámica.

Otra pregunta, que bien debería formularse todo el mundo, si dejara la hipocresía de lado, es ¿Qué hacen "activistas humanitarios", preparados con chalecos antibalas, mascaras de gas, cuchillos, hachas, barras de metal, bates de béisbol, hondas y cócteles molotov? El derramamiento de sangre estuvo planeado desde el principio.

Pero los grandes interrogantes, ante estos hechos, son dos: el primero es si no había otra manera de impedir que la nave turca siguiera su camino a Gaza; ¿no era más fácil desplazar buques de tamaño que le impidan el paso? ¿Cómo es posible que la apreciación del comandante de la Fuerza Naval, presente en la operación, haya sido que con un número pequeño de soldados se iba a poder tomar control de un barco que traía 581 pasajeros?

Los soldados fueron instruidos a dialogar con quien opusiera resistencia, que utilizaran balas de color ante el caso de violencia y que, como último recurso – algo que no iba a suceder, según sus comandantes – si sentían que sus vidas corrían peligro, utilizaran fuego vivo.

La realidad marcó, tal como muestran claramente los videos del Ejército, que nuestros soldados no tuvieron más que defender su propia vida, usando sus pistolas. Quien argumente que Israel planificó una matanza, es ciego; ya sea por idiotez o por conveniencia.

Por ultimo, debemos cuestionarnos, el pueblo de Israel, dónde están nuestros dirigentes ahora, que los hechos y las mentiras ya son titulares de la prensa: ¿Dónde está Lieberman, escondiéndose y mandando a su segundo a dar la cara en la primera respuesta mediática oficial?

¿Dónde esta Barak, revisando grietas operacionales en el Ejército?

¿Dónde Edelstein, gastando recientemente una millonada en la campaña de hasbará más ridícula de la historia de Israel, pero llegando tarde, siempre tarde, cuando Israel debe hacer el golpe de efecto y mostrarle al mundo los hechos?

Netanyahu, que acaba de regresar al país, ¿podrá poner orden?

The Gaza Flotilla participants explain how they can con the world.

Here comes a time
When we need to make a show
For the world, the Web and CNN
There’s no people dying,
so the best that we can do
Is create the greatest bluff of all

We must go on pretending day by day
That in Gaza, there’s crisis, hunger and plague
Coz the billion bucks in aid won’t buy their basic needs
Like some cheese and missiles for the kids

We’ll make the world
Abandon reason
We’ll make them all believe that the Hamas
Is Momma Theresa
We are peaceful travelers
With guns and our own knives
The truth will never find its way to your TV

Ooooh, we’ll stab them at heart
They are soldiers, no one cares
We are small, and we took some pictures with doves
As Allah showed us, for facts there’s no demand
So we will always gain the upper hand

We’ll make the world
Abandon reason
We’ll make them all believe that the Hamas
Is Momma Theresa
We are peaceful travelers
we’re waving our own knives
The truth will never find its way to your TV

If Islam and terror brighten up your mood
But you worry that it may not look so good
Well well well well don’t you realize
You just gotta call yourself
An activist for peace and human aid

We’ll make the world
Abandon reason
We’ll make them all believe that the Hamas
Is Momma Theresa
We are peaceful travelers
We’re waving our own knives
The truth will never find its way to your TV

We con the world
We con the people
We’ll make them all believe the IDF is Jack the Ripper
We are peaceful travelers
We’re waving our own knives
The truth will never find its way to your TV
We con the world (Bruce: we con the world…)
We con the people (Bruce: we con the people…)
We’ll make them all believe the IDF is Jack the Ripper
We are peaceful travelers
We’re waving our own knives
The truth will never find its way to your TV
The truth will never find its way to your TV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ui7i0jNhX8

Video taken by IDF naval boat shows the passengers of the Mavi Marmara, one of the ships in the ‘Free Gaza’ Flotilla, violently attacking IDF soldiers who were trying to board the ship after having sent repeated requests for the boat to change course.

Large groups of passengers surrounded soldiers and beat them with metal poles and chairs, and threw one soldier over the side of the ship. Some passengers grabbed pistols from the IDF soldiers and opened fire. As a result of the attacks, seven IDF soldiers were injured, and nine of the passengers were killed.

The ‘Free Gaza’ Flotilla had publicly insisted on their non-violent intentions, however their violent attack on the IDF soldiers was clearly premeditated. They had knives, metal rods, firebombs and other items ready to use.

The demonstrators had clearly prepared their weapons in advance for this specific purpose,” IDF spokesmen said.

The attackers assaulted the commandos as they descended on deck by rope from helicopters hovering above the flotilla. The Navy soldiers were virtually defenseless because of their orders as the attackers beat them with metal clubs and knives and fired at them with two pistols that had been snatched from the commandos.

The soldiers were under orders not to shoot, but the “open fire” command was given after stun grenades failed to disperse the attackers. At least 10 people were killed, most of them from Turkey, where the radical IHH group organized the flotilla.

The Navy ships initially requested the ships to change course peacefully from Gaza and head for Ashdod, where they would be able to unload their aid material, which would then be transferred over land to Gaza after undergoing security inspections.  

The IDF reports that the passengers on the Gaza-bound flotilla lay in wait for the IDF to board their vessel and then attacked IDF soldiers, opening fire on them. One IDF soldier was critically wounded. A crew member reportedly snatched a gun from an IDF soldier and then opened fire on the troops. Another soldier was stabbed in the stomach with a sharp object. The soldier is in moderate condition and was transferred for medical treatment by helicopter to Rambam Hospital in Haifa. Doctors there determined he would require surgery. At least fourteen soldiers were wounded and were transferred to  hospitals. Raad Salah, anti-Semitic head of northern branch of Israeli Islamic Movement, is reported to be severely injured.

In footage captured on the Gaza flotilla, a passenger describes how he has attempted in previous convoys to become a martyr and that “with god’s luck” he will succeed on this flotilla. While the Gaza flotilla passengers had presented themselves as peace activists who would not act violently towards Israeli forces, this provides further evidence to the contrary.

May HaKodesh Baruch Hu bless all those soldiers who worked towards Israel to bring shalom through their efforts. May He bring Refua Shelema too all those wonded of Israel. Amen