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Expect to be both inspired and entertained by our modern Friday Evening services as we proceed through Shabbat Ma'ariv. Sermons are designed to integrate the current Torah portion with modern life situations, making the ancient relevant with the modern. We will now be conducting services live in the synagogue, and also via Zoom with Temple Sholom. Services will start on Friday (4/23) evening at 7:30 pm PT until 08:30 pm PT.  We will use the Siddur Hadash and you can also follow along with the Zoom link.

Designed for ages 10 - 13 for students preparing for their Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Improving Hebrew reading skills, studying Torah. https://us04web.zoom.us/j/73337554944?pwd=aS81dEJyb3Y4KzhYNThzUUlGT2xXdz09

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10-Minute Torah on YouTube Parashat Matot-Masei is the 42nd and 43rd weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Torah Portion:  Numbers 30:2-36:13 ,  28:9-15 Matot (“Tribes”) opens with laws about vows, and continues to describe the Israelites’ war against the Midianites and the allocation of spoils. The tribes of Reuben and Gad request to dwell outside of the Land of Israel, and Moses acquiesces on the condition that they help conquer it. Masei (“Travels”), the final Torah portion in the Book of Numbers, opens with a list of places that the Israelites traveled in the desert. God commands the Israelites to destroy idolatry in the Land of Israel, outlines Israel’s boundaries, and details the laws of cities of refuge for accidental killers.  [1] Triennial year 3 1:  33:50-34:15  · 22 p’sukim   2:  34:16-29  · 14 p’sukim   3:  35:1-8  · 8 p’sukim   4:  35:9-15  · 7 p’sukim   5:  35:16-29  · 14 p’sukim   6:  35:30-34  · 5 p’sukim   7:  36:1-13  · 13 p’sukim   maf*:  28:9-15  · 7 p’sukim  *Matot-Masei on Shabbat Rosh Chodesh Haftarah for Ashkenazim * :  Jeremiah 2:4-28 ,  3:4   · 26 p’sukim  *Matot-Masei on Shabbat Rosh Chodesh Commentary and Divrei Torah   Sefaria    OU Torah    Rabbi Sacks z”l    Jewish Theological Seminary   Our triennial portion starts with Hashem defining the boundaries of our new land and the mandate to dispossess the current inhabitants. It is interesting that we read this portion and yet no one with whom I’ve discussed this has ever raised the ethical issues in displacing the native inhabitants.  So, is this a moral issue?   To understand the issue, we have to look at the context.  Rabbi Dr. Hertz in his Chumash has discussed the archeological finds of these indigenous peoples in Canaan.  They have discovered that these people were very barbaric and their pagan practices involved human sacrifices, many times children.  They honored superstitious beliefs worshipping acts of Nature more than human life.   This is a very special land.  It is a land flowing with milk and honey; in other words, a land that will reward honest, G-d-fearing workers with bountiful crops and herds.  This was also the center of the known world at the time, which one can readily see by looking at a map.  What better place to settle a people whose morality and laws were based on Divine justice that respected human life above all? As an honorable people, this location showcased our ethical behavior to the world.   Immediately thereafter, another issue is addressed that contradicted how the rest of the ancient world viewed women.  Israel is the first nation in the world to allow women to own property and thus have the rights that men have.  Consider that since the issue of the daughters of Zelophhad, who were the sole heirs of their father, petitioned to inherit their father’s land since he had no sons.     Still today, we continue that legacy of showing the world a true ethical system of justice.   Parashat Matot-Masei 5785 / פָּרָשַׁת מַּטּוֹת־מַסְעֵי 26 de julio de 2025 / 1 de Av de 5785   Parashat Matot-Masei es la 42.ª y 43.ª porción semanal de la Torá en el ciclo anual judío de lectura de la Torá. Parashat Matot-Masei: Números 30:2-36:13, 28:9-15 Matot (“Tribus”) comienza con leyes sobre los votos y continúa describiendo la guerra de los israelitas contra los madianitas y el reparto del botín. Las tribus de Rubén y Gad solicitan vivir fuera de la Tierra de Israel, y Moisés accede con la condición de que ayuden a conquistarla. Masei (“Viajes”), la última porción de la Torá en el Libro de los Números, comienza con una lista de lugares que los israelitas recorrieron en el desierto. Dios les ordena destruir la idolatría en la Tierra de Israel, define sus límites y detalla las leyes de las ciudades de refugio para los asesinos accidentales. [1]   Tercer año trienal 1: 33:50-34:15 · 22 p’sukim 2: 34:16-29 · 14 p’sukim 3: 35:1-8 · 8 p’sukim 4: 35:9-15 · 7 p’sukim 5: 35:16-29 · 14 p’sukim 6: 35:30-34 · 5 p’sukim 7: 36:1-13 · 13 p’sukim maf*: 28:9-15 · 7 p’sukim *Matot-Masei en Shabat Rosh Jodesh   Haftará para los ashkenazíes*: Jeremías 2:4-28, 3:4 · 26 p’sukim *Matot-Masei en Shabat Rosh Jodesh   Comentario y Divrei Torá Sefaria OU Torá, Rabino Sacks z”l, Seminario Teológico Judío Nuestra porción trienal comienza con Hashem definiendo los límites de nuestra nueva tierra y el mandato de despojar a los habitantes actuales. Es interesante que leamos esta porción y, sin embargo, nadie con quien la haya discutido haya planteado las cuestiones éticas del desplazamiento de los habitantes nativos. Entonces, ¿es esto una cuestión moral? Para comprender el tema, debemos analizar el contexto. El Rabino Dr. Hertz, en su Jumash, analizó los hallazgos arqueológicos de estos pueblos indígenas en Canaán. Descubrieron que eran muy bárbaros y que sus prácticas paganas incluían sacrificios humanos, a menudo de niños. Honraban creencias supersticiosas, venerando los actos de la naturaleza por encima de la vida humana. Esta es una tierra muy especial. Es una tierra que mana leche y miel; en otras palabras, una tierra que recompensará a los trabajadores honestos y temerosos de Dios con abundantes cosechas y Rebaños. Este también era el centro del mundo conocido en aquella época, como se puede apreciar fácilmente en un mapa. ¿Qué mejor lugar para asentar a un pueblo cuya moral y leyes se basaban en la justicia divina, que respetaba la vida humana por encima de todo? Como pueblo honorable, este lugar mostró nuestro comportamiento ético al mundo. Inmediatamente después, se aborda otro tema que contradecía la visión que el resto del mundo antiguo tenía de las mujeres. Israel es la primera nación del mundo en permitir que las mujeres posean propiedades y, por lo tanto, tengan los mismos derechos que los hombres. Consideremos que, desde el caso de las hijas de Zelofhad, quienes eran las únicas herederas de su padre, solicitaron heredar las tierras de este, ya que este no tenía hijos varones. Aún hoy, continuamos con ese legado de mostrar al mundo un verdadero sistema ético de justicia.

10-Minute Torah on YouTube Parashat Pinchas is the 41st weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Torah Portion:  Numbers 25:10-30:1 Pinchas opens with God’s promise of a “covenant of peace” for the zealot Pinchas, followed by a census. The daughters of Tzelofchad request and receive new laws regarding inheritance. God instructs Moses to prepare Joshua for leadership, and God describes sacrifices brought daily and on special occasions.  [1] Triennial year 3 1:  28:16-25  · 10 p’sukim   2:  28:26-31  · 6 p’sukim   3:  29:1-6  · 6 p’sukim   4:  29:7-11  · 5 p’sukim   5:  29:12-16  · 5 p’sukim   6:  29:17-28  · 12 p’sukim   7:  29:29-30:1  · 12 p’sukim   maf:  29:35-30:1  · 6 p’sukim   Haftarah * :  Jeremiah 1:1-2:3   · 22 p’sukim *Pinchas occurring after 17 Tammuz Commentary and Divrei Torah   Sefaria    OU Torah    Rabbi Sacks z”l    Jewish Theological Seminary   Hertz Chumash: pp. 695 – 698 Triennial Year 3 (Full Kriyah pp. 686 – 682) Artscroll Chumash: pp. 892 – 899 Triennial Year 3 (Full Kriyah pp. 876 – 899)   Our triennial portion addresses the mitzvoth in the last part of the full portion for the mussaf offerings for the three pilgrimage festivals and high holidays. While the commandment to perform a twice daily offering each and every day, these mussaf offerings are specific to that festival and holiday.  In this way, these special days are set aside from our regular, mundane lives. In modern, current times, we have the challenge of adapting these specific mitzvoth to Judaism without our Temple.  These mitzvoth are fulfilled by the extra prayer service following our Torah service, which in some way honors those days that Hashem has mandated.  We focus on the festival/holiday during the appropriate Torah reading and then focus on them with that extra service. Some have eliminated the mussaf service for Shabbat and perhaps for those special days as well. Is that appropriate?  Traditional Jews would argue against that.  Hashem has mandated that we set aside those times for the special attention that the respective holiday represents.  And that is the key.  When we devote time and attention away from our mundane, secular lives, we not only honor the holiday, but also the meaning of that holiday.  Our holidays are mandated to mark specific agricultural events, but really for take time during the course of the year to remember that our blessings come from Hashem.  Let’s not forget that.     Parashá Pinjás 5785 / פָּרָשַׁת פִּינְחָס 19 de julio de 2025 / 23 de Tamuz de 5785   Parashá Pinjás es la 41.ª porción semanal de la Torá en el ciclo anual judío de lectura de la Torá. Parashá: Números 25:10-30:1   Pinjás comienza con la promesa divina de un "pacto de paz" para el zelote Pinjás, seguido de un censo. Las hijas de Tzelofjad solicitan y reciben nuevas leyes sobre la herencia. Dios instruye a Moisés a preparar a Josué para el liderazgo, y describe los sacrificios que se ofrecen diariamente y en ocasiones especiales. [1]   Tercer año trienal 1: 28:16-25 · 10 p'sukim 2: 28:26-31 · 6 p'sukim 3: 29:1-6 · 6 p'sukim 4: 29:7-11 · 5 p'sukim 5: 29:12-16 · 5 p'sukim 6: 29:17-28 · 12 p'sukim 7: 29:29-30:1 · 12 p'sukim maf: 29:35-30:1 · 6 p'sukim Haftará*: Jeremías 1:1-2:3 · 22 p'sukim *Pinjás ocurre después del 17 de Tamuz Comentario y Divrei Torá Sefaria OU Torá Rabino Sacks Seminario Teológico Judío z”l   Hertz Jumash: págs. 695-698 Año Trienal 3 (Kriyah completa, págs. 686-682) Artscroll Jumash: págs. 892-899 Año Trienal 3 (Kriyah completa, págs. 876-899)   Nuestra porción trienal aborda las mitzvot en la última parte de la porción completa para las ofrendas de musaf para las tres festividades de peregrinación y las festividades principales. Si bien el mandamiento es realizar una ofrenda dos veces al día, estas ofrendas de musaf son específicas para esa festividad. De esta manera, estos días especiales se apartan de nuestra vida cotidiana. En la actualidad, tenemos el desafío de adaptar estas mitzvot específicas al judaísmo sin nuestro Templo. Estas mitzvot se cumplen mediante el servicio de oración adicional después de nuestro servicio de la Torá, que de alguna manera honra esos días que Hashem ha... Nos centramos en la festividad durante la lectura apropiada de la Torá y luego nos centramos en ella con ese servicio adicional. Algunos han eliminado el servicio de musaf para Shabat y quizás también para esos días especiales. ¿Es apropiado? Los judíos tradicionales argumentarían en contra. Hashem nos ha ordenado que reservemos esos momentos para la atención especial que representa la festividad respectiva. Y esa es la clave. Cuando dedicamos tiempo y atención fuera de nuestra vida mundana y secular, no solo honramos la festividad, sino también su significado. Nuestras festividades están destinadas a conmemorar eventos agrícolas específicos, pero en realidad, a tomarnos un tiempo durante el año para recordar que nuestras bendiciones provienen de Hashem. No lo olvidemos.

10-Minute Torah on YouTube Parashat Balak is the 40th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. This page displays the Diaspora Torah reading for Balak 5785. The  Israel schedule  is used by Jews living in modern Israel. Torah Portion:  Numbers 22:2-25:9 Balak tells the story of the Moabite king Balak, who hires Balaam to curse the Israelites. Balaam’s donkey speaks along the way, and Balaam ends up blessing the Israelites. The portion ends with a story about Israelite men sinning with Moabite women and the stabbing of an Israelite and a Midianite.  [1] Triennial year 3 N.B. the following is read in  the Diaspora  for 5785.See also  Balak 5785 Israel 1:  22:39-23:5  · 8 p’sukim   2:  23:6-12  · 7 p’sukim   3:  23:13-26  · 14 p’sukim   4:  23:27-30  · 4 p’sukim   5:  24:1-13  · 13 p’sukim   6:  24:14-25  · 12 p’sukim   7:  25:1-9  · 9 p’sukim   maf:  25:7-9  · 3 p’sukim   Haftarah:  Micah 5:6-6:8  · 17 p’sukim Commentary and Divrei Torah   Sefaria    OU Torah    Rabbi Sacks z”l    Jewish Theological Seminary Hertz Chumash: pp. 673 – 682 Triennial Year 3 (Full Kriyah pp. 669 – 682) Artscroll Chumash: pp. 862 – 875 Triennial Year 3 (Full Kriyah pp. 856 – 875)   Israel's military prowess is now well known as they make their way towards Canaan to conquer and settle the land promised to us by Hashem. Some of the Canaanite tribes become so worried that they are looking for a way to stop Israel. It would seem that confronting them on the battlefield is not a  viable option.   It is a fairly well-known passage about how Balak, a warrior-king conscripted by the Moabite and Midianite tribes, hired Balaam to try a different tactic. Balaam was a prophet/wizard/magician who allegedly knew the time of day Hashem sat in judgement of humankind and thus vulnerable to curses. Hashem has mandated that since Israel had a prophet, so should all other nations. However, when it came time, Hashem put words of blessings in Balaam’s mouth instead of curses. The most famous is the prayer we use to start our services, “Ma Tovu” (third blessing, Numbers 24:7).   Consider the first blessing (Numbers 23:9), “...It is a nation that dwells in solitude and not be reckoned among the nations”. Israel has always been apart from other peoples. Part of this is because of the oppression from other nations more powerful than us. Even when other minority cultures were recognized, we weren't.   This, however, has reinforced our strength as a people and we have continued to fulfill ourselves even as the world has reinforced us standing apart.     Parashá Balak 5785 / פָּרָשַׁת בָּלָק 12 de julio de 2025 / 16 de Tamuz de 5785 (Diáspora) La Parashá Balak es la 40.ª porción semanal de la Torá en el ciclo anual judío de lectura de la Torá. Esta página muestra la lectura de la Torá de la Diáspora correspondiente a Balak 5785. El calendario de Israel es el que utilizan los judíos que viven en el Israel moderno. Parashá Balak cuenta la historia del rey moabita Balak, quien contrató a Balaam para maldecir a los israelitas. El burro de Balaam habló durante el camino, y Balaam terminó bendiciendo a los israelitas.  La porción termina con una historia sobre hombres israelitas que pecaron con mujeres moabitas y el apuñalamiento de un israelita y un madianita. [1]   Trienal 3N.B.  Lo siguiente se lee en la diáspora para el año 5785.Véase también Balac 5785 Israel 1: 22:39-23:5 · 8 p’sukim  2: 23:6-12 · 7 p’sukim  3: 23:13-26 · 14 p’sukim  4: 23:27-30 · 4 p’sukim  5: 24:1-13 · 13 p’sukim  6: 24:14-25 · 12 p’sukim  7: 25:1-9 · 9  p’sukim maf: 25:7-9 · 3 p’sukim Haftará: Miqueas 5:6-6:8 · 17 p’sukim Comentario y Divrei Torá Sefaria OU Torá Rabino Sacks z”l Seminario Teológico Judío Hertz Jumash: págs. 673 – 682 Año Trienal 3 (Kriyah completa págs. 669 – 682) Artscroll Jumash: págs. 862 – 875 Año Trienal 3 (Kriyah completa págs. 856 – 875)   La destreza militar de Israel es bien conocida ahora en su camino hacia Canaán para conquistar y asentarse en la tierra que Hashem nos prometió. Algunos de  Las tribus cananeas se preocuparon tanto que buscaron la manera de detener a Israel. Parecería que enfrentarse a ellos en el campo de batalla no era una opción viable.   Es un pasaje bastante conocido sobre cómo Balac, un rey guerrero reclutado por las tribus moabitas y madianitas, contrató a Balaam para intentar una táctica diferente. Balaam era un profeta/mago/hechicero que supuestamente conocía la hora del día en que Hashem juzgaba a la humanidad y, por lo tanto, era vulnerable a las maldiciones. Hashem ordenó que, dado que Israel tenía un profeta, también debían tenerlo todas las demás naciones. Sin embargo, cuando llegó el momento, Hashem puso palabras de bendición en la boca de Balaam en lugar de maldiciones. La más famosa es la oración que usamos para comenzar nuestros servicios, “Ma Tovu” (tercera bendición, Números 24:7).   Consideremos la primera bendición (Números 23:9): “...Es una nación que habita en soledad y no es contada entre las naciones”. Israel siempre ha estado apartado de los demás.  Pueblos. Parte de esto se debe a la opresión de otras naciones más poderosas que nosotros. Incluso cuando se reconocieron otras culturas minoritarias, a nosotros no.   Esto, sin embargo, ha reforzado nuestra fuerza como pueblo y hemos seguido realzándonos, incluso cuando el mundo nos ha reforzado, manteniéndonos distintos.

As a modern rabbi, I apply classic, traditional Jewish principles to modern times, focusing on spiritual inspiration. Background RABBI August 2020 - Present Rabbi Temple Sholom of Ontario , Ontario, CA Serving as the religious leader of this Conservative synagogue affiliated with United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. The beginning of my practice was during the COVID epidemic. I continue to lead my congregation in the midst of the worst anitsemitism since the Holocaust. I led services mostly via Zoom. As the membership had shrunk over the years, I worked to ke ep the synagogue engaged w ith activities and growing. I organized and teach weekly Hebrew school on Sundays via Zoom with an in-person class of activities one Sunday each month. I conduct B’nai Mitzvot training and now conduct live services each Shabbat. I have conducted the Miller Course , Introduction to Judaism once or twice a year, and arrange conversion ceremonies with the local Rabbinical Assembly members at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles. I have participated in events with other local synagogues and am active in community outreach, giving invocations at various local government functions. In conducting live services, I read directly from Torah and usually chant the Haftorah. I also officiate at wedding ceremonies, many of which were "mixed" and interfaith, and funerals for both congregants and non-congregants. This past High Holidays, I also served as cantor for Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur using the appropriate nusach. Ordained Rabbi Independent Congregation/"Shteibel" Lake Elsinore, CA September 2019 – August 2020 Leading independent, non-affiliated Conservative congregation. Conducting High Holiday and Shabbat services. Serving the community conducting Life Events for affiliated and non-affiliated, traditional and inter-faith couples. Ordained Rabbi Congregation B’nai Chaim Murrieta, CA July, 2017 – August, 2019 Lay Rabbi/Religious Leader Congregation B’nai Chaim Murrieta, CA July, 2014 – June, 2017 Conducting regular Friday night and Saturday morning services for Conservative Congregation. Services are accompanied by my guitar playing which has lead to other congregants accompanying me playing violin and guitar as well. I officiate Family Services once a month in which our students from our school lead the service. Leading High Holiday services chanting appropriate nusach. Conduct holiday services that fall on New Moon and other holidays. Able to read directly from Torah scroll. Familiarity with both Torah and Haftorah cantillations. Trained four adults in Hebrew and Torah chanting for first all-adult B’nai Mitzvot conducted for Saturday Shabbat Mincha-Ma’ariv. Have trained numerous B’nai Mitzvot for both traditional Haftorah and Maftir Torah. Taught Hebrew and Prayers & Torah Classes for Adults. Currently teaching Hebrew school class for B’nai Mitzvot students. Have organized many events for synagogue including NJOP’s Shabbat Across America 2019 with Rebbetzin. Active in fund raising for the synagogue. Since I became rabbi two years ago, membership has more than doubled. -Continuously studying Artscroll (Orthodox) and Soncino (Conservative) Chumashes. -Studying Talmud for 15 years as part of “Daf Yomi” program using the Artscroll Talmud Series -Studied Kabbalah reading Zohar edited by David Matt -Consistently pray all three services daily including tefillin during secular mornings. PART OF "BEIT DIN"/RABBINICAL TEAM September 2007 – June 2012 Canyon Lake, CA Co-lead lay congregation for "Conservadox" congregation. Participated in leading Shabbat and High Holiday services, including reading Torah and Haftorah. Also conducted periodic Sunday morning themed Talmud studies on various topics such as the Role of Women in Judaism and Astrology. CONGREGATION MEMBER J une 1999 - June 2007 Murrieta, CA Served on board for seven years including President of the congregation for two years. Also assisted rabbi’s in conducting services and substituting during their absences. Conducted Torah study for adults. Instituted and led once-a-month Shabbat Shachrit junior congregation. PSYCHIATRIC TECHNICIAN February, 1986 -December, 1991 Served on Nursing staff of psychiatric facility. Individual and group counseling activities; assistant charge nurse. Worked with variety of demographics: adolescent behavior and chemical dependency; adult chemical dependency; eating disorders; personality disorders including multiple personality disorders; psychotic and delusional disorders. EDUCATION Rabbinical Ordination, Rabbinical Seminary International, New York, NY June 2017 MBA, Business Management University of Redlands, Redlands, CA BA, Psychology State University of New York, College at Oswego AS, Psychiatric Technology Saddleback Community College, Mission Viejo, CA

To test this feature, visit your live site. Categories All Posts My Posts Forum Explore your forum below to see what you can do, or head to Settings to start managing your Categories. Create New Post General Discussions Share stories, ideas, pictures and more! subcategory-list-item.views subcategory-list-item.posts 3 Follow Israel Media Media that gives an accurate and true story of what's happening in Israel subcategory-list-item.views subcategory-list-item.posts 11 Follow New Posts Gene Trosper Sep 03, 2021 Conversion question: acceptable activities? General Discussions When seeking conversion what is and is not acceptable? I know some say that non-Jews cannot fully participate in Shabbat, while others are less stringent. How would this apply to Sukkot or other observances? Speaking for myself, there is the desire to act, but on the other hand, there is a hesitancy for fear of doing something prohibited or "pretending" to be someone you are not by virtue of being a non-Jew doing "Jewish things." Due to a variety of viewpoints/approaches on this matter, I'm looking for clarification. Like 2 comments 2 Rabbi Stephen Epstein Jun 07, 2021 I Worked on the Abraham Accords. It's Time to Free the Palestinians from Hamas—and Iran | Opinion Israel Media DR. ALI AL NUAIMI , CHAIRMAN OF THE DEFENSE AFFAIRS, INTERIOR AND FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE OF THE UAE'S FEDERAL NATIONAL COUNCIL ON 6/7/21 AT 12:06 PM EDT https://www.newsweek.com/i-helped-broker-abraham-accords-its-time-free-palestinians-hamas-iran-opinion-1598198 Last August, we entered a new era: A 70-year stalemate was exchanged for an era of greater coexistence. The signing of the Abraham Accords between the United Arab Emirates and Israel that I helped broker was a bold, courageous move which promised to finally make progress where everything else had failed. After the recent conflict with Gaza, though, many thought the Abraham Accords was dead. Where was the promised peace, with rockets flying? To these skeptics, I would say, look at the bigger picture. The Abraham Accords are not about an Emirati and Israeli future but the whole region's future. The truth is, the Middle East conflict isn't between the Israelis and Palestinians but between Israel and Iran. Ask yourself who benefits from this conflict? The Palestinian people's rights and hopes have been hijacked by Hamas to serve an Iranian agenda. And it is against Iran's extremism that we must continue to fight. When the UAE leadership decided to move forward with the Abraham Accords, it was done with a strategic vision not only for the UAE but for the whole region. Skeptics thought the agreement was tied to the Trump administration, as if it might just fade away with the new administration. But there is no going back. We move forward with full speed and have already seen the added value of having such initiatives, not only for the UAE and Israel but for the whole region. Since the announcement of the Abraham Accords, we have seen that we can build bridges of trust and respect. We in the UAE had laid the foundations; we had already changed the education system and the narrative of the religious figures, readying our people for the path to peace. But it's not just about us. The people of the region are craving change, not least among them the Palestinian people, who are desperate for fresh leaders, leaders who can move beyond a rigid regime with an agenda that abuses the very people it rules. For this to happen, we also have to fight the war of propaganda—one that the Israelis lost in this last round of fighting between Israel and Hamas. I saw narratives coming from not only the Middle East but the West too, which represented a shift. One of the biggest errors in this narrative, which I saw repeated over and over in the media, was the way they speak about Gaza as if it's occupied by the Israelis. It's not: It's occupied by Hamas. And the Palestinian people in Gaza are suffering because of Hamas, not the Israelis. Unfortunately, though the propaganda of Hamas and Iran is not true, to the world, it is now dominant. Still, there is reason for hope. Twenty years ago, the Palestinian cause was priority number one in the region. Now, people in the Gulf see things differently. We still care. We still support support the Palestinians. We believe in the two-state solution. But people in the Gulf no longer believe that this should come at the expense of our national interest. Many activists responded to Hamas- and Jihad- influenced media and social media posts to say, we do care about the Palestinians—but we don't care about these terrorist organizations. What the public doesn't understand is who is behind so much of the media they read—who is funding this misguided narrative, which only serves to protect Hamas, and ultimately, Iran. This past conflict with Gaza should be the last war. We should all learn to speak one language: the language of peace. Now is the time to not just talk the talk, but for us all to walk the walk. Hamas and the Palestinian leadership have hijacked the minds of 2 million Palestinians to sell their political and terrorist agendas. We want the Palestinian people to enjoy what we enjoy, to have what we have and create a better future for a new generation. But we have to do this together, with all the stakeholders in the region, from NGOs to schools, religious leaders and governments. We cannot do this alone. Dr. Ali al Nuaimi is chairman of the Defense Affairs, Interior and Foreign Relations Committee of the UAE's Federal National Council, a representative legislature whose 40 members, half elected indirectly and half appointed, serve in an advisory role to the emirates' leadership. Like 0 comments 0 Rabbi Stephen Epstein Jun 01, 2021 Bill Maher: Hamas negotiation demands are, 'You all die' Israel Media https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/307095 https://www.jta.org/quick-reads/bill-maher-defends-israel-on-his-hbo-show-you-cant-learn-history-from-instagram Comedian Bill Maher hits back after Israel is accused of 'apartheid,' 'war crimes.' 'Hamas's charter just says they want to wipe out Israel.' https://youtu.be/qONHQ_ePIB4 https://youtu.be/4wFQB-oeKGs https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=306607757763548 https://youtu.be/YIbXJsgKU3Q Comedian Bill Maher REUTERS/Danny Moloshok "Real Time" host Bill Maher on Friday night defended Israel's actions during the recent Operation Guardian of the Walls, Fox News reported. "One of the frustrations I had while I was off is that I was watching this war go on in Israel … and it was frustrating to me because there was no one on liberal media to defend Israel, really," Maher, 65, said at a panel discussion. "We've become this country now that we're kind of one-sided on this issue. And I'd also like to say off the bat I don't think kids understand -- and when I say kids I mean the younger generations – you can't learn history from Instagram. "There's just not enough space." Responding to The New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof's claim that Israel committed "possible war crimes," Maher said: "Well, Gaza fired 4,000 rockets into Israel. What would you say Israel should have done instead of what they did?" Hamas, Maher pointed out, "purposely put the rockets in civilian places. That's their strategy." Maher also added that, "The Jews have been in that area of the world since about 1200 B.C., way before the first Muslim or Arab walked the earth." "I mean, Jerusalem was their capital. So if it's who got there first, it's not even close. The Jews were the ones who were occupied by everybody; the Romans took over at some point and then the Persians and the Byzantines and then the Ottomans. So yes, there was colonization going on there. Beginning in the 19th century, they started to return to Palestine, which was never an Arab country. There was never a country called Palestine that was a distinct Arab country." According to Fox News, Maher then pointed out that under the proposed 1947 plan, the Arabs would have had a "good part of the country," calling the Arabs "the people who rejected the half a loaf and continue to attack." "Hamas's charter says they just want to wipe out Israel. Their negotiation position is 'You all die.' The two-state solution has been on the table a number of times. There could be an Arab capital in East Jerusalem now if Yasser Arafat had accepted that in 2003. He did not. "I mean, they have rejected this and went to war time and time again," he emphasized, "And, you know, as far as Gaza goes, it's amazing to me that the progressives think that they're being progressive by taking that side of it, the Bella Hadids of the world, these influencers. "I just want to say in February of this year, a Hamas court ruled that a unmarried woman cannot travel in Gaza without the permission of a male guardian. Really? That's where the progressives are? Bella Hadid and her friends would run screaming to Tel Aviv if they had to live in Gaza for one day." Maher also noted that neither Britain nor Holland had any claim to South Africa, while in Israel the situation is different, Fox News said. "The Israelis, they have made mistakes, but it's an ‘apartheid’ state because they keep getting attacked! If they don't keep a tight lid on this s---, they get killed! That seems like something different!" he said. Like 0 comments 0 Forum - Frameless