The Vicious Babushka

President Barack Obama Arrives in Israel

Air Force One at Ben-Gurion Airport

Shalom.  President Peres, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and most of all, to the people of Israel, thank you for this incredibly warm welcome. This is my third visit to Israel so let me just say tov lihiyot shuv ba’aretz..

I’m so honored to be here as you prepare to celebrate the 65th anniversary of a free and independent State of Israel. Yet I know that in stepping foot on this land, I walk with you on the historic homeland of the Jewish people.

More than 3,000 years ago, the Jewish people lived here, tended the land here, prayed to God here. And after centuries of exile and persecution, unparalleled in the history of man, the founding of the Jewish State of Israel was a rebirth, a redemption unlike any in history.

Today, the sons of Abraham and the daughters of Sarah are fulfilling the dream of the ages — to be “masters of their own fate” in “their own sovereign state.” And just as we have for these past 65 years, the United States is proud to stand with you as your strongest ally and your greatest friend.

Read more at Haaretz.

No Bread for POTUS! Obama Will Keep Kosher-for-Passover on Israel Visit

It's Matzah!

The King David will roll out the carpet, but hold the rolls. With the hotel in a security lockdown, all the food necessary for the trip and the prosperous Pesach crowd to follow is being stored in containers out back.

When U.S. President Barack Obama said yes to a long-overdue visit next week, his first since becoming president in 2008, it’s not clear that he knew what he was getting himself into. Gastronomically, anyway. The entire King David Hotel, where he’ll be staying with an entourage that will fill all 233 rooms from Wednesday March 20 to Friday March 22, will be made kosher for Passover (Pesach) ahead of his visit.

Were the staff of Israel’s most famous hotel to have waited until Obama and his team departs next Friday, it simply wouldn’t have left the King David enough time to get ready for the holiday, which is an enormously important time for nearly every hotel in the Jewish state – especially in Jerusalem.

“We’re used to hosting heads of state and also American presidents, but this situation is very special for us because it’s so close to Pesach,” says hotel manager Dror Danino. “For us it will be double the preparations.” The additional security necessary for ensuring the president’s safety means that the entire hotel will be “under siege,” as he put it, meaning that everything necessary for servicing the hotel during the president’s visit must be there in advance of his arrival – from food to linens. As such, the hotel had to rent out huge refrigerated containers and park them out back, just to accommodate all the food and drink that won’t be able to be delivered during the visit – and which will be needed for the well-heeled Passover guests who will arrive straight after Obama and stay through the following week.

Read more at Haaretz.

Senate Confirms Jack Lew as Secretary of the Treasury

WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed Jacob Lew to be Treasury secretary, affirming President Barack Obama’s choice of a budget expert at a time when Congress and the White House are at odds over sharp government spending cuts.

The Senate voted 71-26 to support the nomination.

Lew, 57, had most recently served as Obama’s chief of staff. He succeeds Timothy Geithner, who completed a tumultuous four-year term in which he helped lead the administration’s response to the financial crisis and recession.

He takes over just before automatic spending cuts are set to take effect. He’s likely to take part in any negotiations to reverse the cuts, and also in key budget talks next month to continue funding the government.

Lew began his government service in the 1980s as an aide to House Speaker Tip O’Neill. He brings nearly three decades of government service to the job, including two stints as White House budget director.

“Mr. Lew is well-qualified to be the nation’s next Treasury secretary,” said Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus of Montana. “He has demonstrated time and again that he has the knowledge and expertise” to deal with the country’s budget problems.

But Republican Sen. Jeff Session of Alabama, who opposed the nomination, said Lew is the architect of the Obama’s administration’s budget. Sessions said that budget doesn’t reduce the deficit enough.

During his confirmation hearing, Lew signaled no major economic policy changes. He advocated a balanced approach to reducing the long-term budget deficit through spending cuts and additional tax revenue.

Read more at Washington Post.

Jack Lew is the first Orthodox Jew appointed as a Cabinet member.

President Obama to Receive Israel Presidential Medal

Bibi & Barack

Barack Obama will receive one of Israel's most prestigious honours during his upcoming visit to the Middle East. On Monday, the office of the Israeli president, Shimon Peres, announced that Obama will be given the presidential medal of distinction in March.

A statement said that the honour recognised Obama's "unique and significant contribution to strengthening the State of Israel and the security of its citizens".

Obama's political opponents have complained constantly that he has attempted to distance the US from its traditional support of Israel. In the lead up to the presidential election last year the Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, accused Obama of "repeated efforts" to "throw Israel under the bus". Obama's pick for defence secretary has also been criticised, due to comments allegedly made by Chuck Hagel regarding the power of the pro-Israeli lobby in Washington.

Obama's White House has always maintained its support for Israel, but the president has had a tense relationship with the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, particularly regarding West Bank settlements and the lack of a peace process with the Palestinians.

Peres and the committee behind the award noted Obama's overall friendship and backing of the Iron Dome missile defence system. Obama's visit to Israel will be his first as president.

Read more at Guardian.

World Leaders Mark Holocaust Memorial Day

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Holocaust survivors, politicians, religious leaders and others marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Sunday with solemn prayers and the now oft-repeated warnings to never let such horrors happen again.

Events took place at sites including Auschwitz-Birkenau, the former death camp where Hitler's Germany killed at least 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, in southern Poland. In Warsaw, prayers were also held at a monument to the fighters of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943.

Pope Benedict XVI, speaking from his window at St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, warned that humanity must always be on guard against a repeat of murderous racism.

"The memory of this immense tragedy, which above all struck so harshly the Jewish people, must represent for everyone a constant warning so that the horrors of the past are not repeated, so that every form of hatred and racism is overcome, and that respect for, and dignity of, every human person is encouraged," the German-born pontiff said.

Not all words spoken by dignitaries struck the right tone, however.

On the sidelines of a ceremony in Milan, former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi sparked outrage when he praised Benito Mussolini for "having done good" despite the Fascist dictator's anti-Jewish laws. Berlusconi also defended Mussolini for allying himself with Hitler, saying he likely reasoned that it would be better to be on the winning side.

The United Nations in 2005 designated Jan. 27 as a yearly memorial day for the victims of the Holocaust — 6 million Jews and millions of other victims of Nazi Germany during World War II. The day was chosen because it falls on the anniversary of the liberation in 1945 of Auschwitz, the Nazis' most notorious death camp and a symbol of the evil inflicted across the continent.

"Those who experienced the horrors of the cattle cars, ghettos, and concentration camps have witnessed humanity at its very worst and know too well the pain of losing loved ones to senseless violence," U.S. President Barack Obama said in a statement.

Obama went on to say that like those who resisted the Nazis, "we must commit ourselves to resisting hate and persecution in all its forms. The United States, along with the international community, resolves to stand in the way of any tyrant or dictator who commits crimes against humanity, and stay true to the principle of 'Never Again.'"

Read more at NPR.com.

Broad Jewish support for Obama’s gun proposals

Uniformity of Jewish response to gun control proposals contrast to Republican opposition to Obama's suggested measures.

WASHINGTON - US President Obama's new gun control proposals drew broad Jewish communal support.

The uniformity of the Jewish response to the proposals unveiled Wednesday stood in contrast to Republican opposition to many of the suggested measures, including a ban on assault weapons and tighter background checks on gun purchasers.

Supportive statements came from the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the umbrella for public policy groups, as well as Reform, Conservative and Orthodox umbrella groups.

Obama said he plans to issue 23 executive orders while his vice president, Joe Biden, attempts to shepherd parallel legislation through Congress in the wake of the massacre last month of 20 children and seven adults in Newtown, Connecticut.

A number of the proposals, including hiring security officials for schools, are not controversial. But most fall on the fault line of the gun control debate that has for decades exercised the American public.

"We recognize that this is a complex issue," Rabbi Steve Gutow, the JCPA's president, said in a statement. "The memory of Newtown is still fresh, and so is Aurora, Tucson, Fort Hood and other massacres that remind us that something must be done -- and that there isn’t a single solution to preventing mass violence.  We appreciate the administration’s understanding that there are multiple causes which must be addressed. It is crucial that passions not ebb nor our country return to complacency."

In its statement, the Orthodox Union said that it understood from conversations with White House officials that the security officials hired for schools would be available to parochial establishments as well.

"The Orthodox Union has been informed by the White House that the funding proposal may be used to place the new officers in Jewish and other nonpublic schools to provide security, counseling, and safety education," it said in a statement.

Other organizations welcoming the initiative included Jewish Women International, the National Council of Jewish Women, the Reform movement's Religious Action Center, B'nai B'rith International, the National Jewish Democratic Council, the Conservative movement's Rabbinical Assembly, Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice as well as leading Jewish lawmakers, including Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.).

Read more at Jerusalem Post.

Obama to Name Jack Lew for Secretary of the Treasury

Jack Lew and President Obama

President Obama plans to nominate White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew as his next Treasury secretary, choosing a trusted adviser with deep experience in the nation’s budget challenges and in the legislative warfare that will test Obama’s second term, according to people familiar with the matter.

The selection of Lew, 57, is an acknowledgment that at least the next several months will involve a sustained conflict with congressional Republicans over the nation’s finances. The government is likely to face a deadline to raise the federal debt ceiling no later than March 1 — as well as a series of deep and automatic spending cuts set to begin around the same time.

Lew’s appointment signals continuity between Obama’s first and second term and suggests that the president would not be taking a significantly different approach to governing. Lew has served as Obama’s budget director and the No. 2 State Department official. He also was budget director during the Clinton administration and has been negotiating compromises over taxes and spending since the 1980s, when he was a top aide to then-House Speaker Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill Jr. (D-Mass.).

Lew’s appointment would finally allow Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner to depart — something he has wanted to do for over a year. Geithner, the president’s longest-serving economic adviser, stayed on after a personal plea from the president.

The nomination is subject to confirmation by the Senate, where many Republicans do not like his negotiating style. But there has been no groundswell of opposition in recent weeks, since Lew was reported to be a candidate to lead the Treasury Department.

The White House on Wednesday did not confirm Lew’s nomination but did praise him.

“Jack Lew has been and continues to be an extremely valuable adviser to the president,” press secretary Jay Carney said. “Over the past quarter of a century, Jack Lew has been integral part some of most important budget and fiscal agreements in Washington.”

While Geithner came into office amid a financial crisis and recession, Lew’s challenges would be of a different type. He would start off as part of a team trying to lift the $16.4 trillion debt ceiling. He would also be trying to raise taxes to shrink budget deficits and avoid deep spending cuts that could crimp the nation’s economic growth or threaten the social safety net.

Read more at Washington Post.

Now what are all the people going to say who screamed that President Obama is an "Anti-Semite" because he named Chuck Hagel ("an Anti-Semite!" because he once said something about AIPAC or something) for Defense.

What could they say: "This proves he's an Anti-Semite because only an Anti-Semite thinks that Jews are good with money!1!")

When was the last time an Anti-Semite appointed a Jew as Treasurer? Oh yeah, Pharoah.

DOOFUS OF THE DAY: Columnist Blames Teh Eevil Jooz for the "War on Christmas"

Scary Jew Shadows and their Hanukkah Menorahs Everywhere!

Burt Prelutsky screeches in World Nut Daily:

I never thought I’d live to see the day that Christmas would become a dirty word. You think it hasn’t? Then why is it that people are being prevented from saying it in polite society for fear that it will offend?

Why, after 60 years, is the city of Santa Monica, Calif., no longer allowed to erect its traditional crèche in the palisades overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and why is the governor of Rhode Island insisting on calling the state’s Christmas tree a holiday tree?

Schools are being forced to replace “Christmas vacation” with “winter break” in their printed schedules. At some major retail chains, the word is verboten, replaced as a matter of policy by the generic Happy Holidays. Carols, even instrumental versions, are verboten in certain locales. All across the country, grammar schools are banning Christmas pageants.

How is it, one well might ask, that in a Christian nation this is happening? And in case you find that designation objectionable, would you deny that India is a Hindu country, that Turkey is Muslim, that Poland is Catholic? That doesn’t mean those nations are theocracies. But when the overwhelming majority of a country’s population believe Jesus to be their savior, only a darn fool would deny the obvious.

Although it seems a long time ago, it really wasn’t, that people who came here from other places made every attempt to fit in. Assimilation wasn’t a threat to anyone; it was what the Statue of Liberty represented. E pluribus unum, one out of many, was our motto. The world’s melting pot was our nickname. It didn’t mean that any group of people had to check their customs, culture or cuisine, at the door. It did mean that they, and especially their children, learned English, and that they learned to live and let live.

That has changed, as you may have noticed. And I lay a great deal of the blame at the feet of my fellow Jews. When it comes to pushing the multicultural, anti-Christian agenda, you find Jewish judges, Jewish journalists and the largely Jewish funded ACLU at the forefront. What makes them even more obnoxious is that, by and large, the Jews who are leading the crusade against what is, we should never forget, a national holiday, are secular. So it’s not even a question of their religion being shortchanged; they hate their own, as well. They’re the pinheads who pretend that “separation of church and state” appears in the Constitution.

THIS "GEM" STANDS OUT:

I am getting the idea that these self-righteous secular Jews won’t be happy until they pull off their own version of the Spanish Inquisition, forcing Christians to either deny their faith and convert to agnosticism or suffer the consequences.

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2012/12/the-jewish-grinch-who-stole-christmas/#Pwu70GKGg9rKAgyo.99 (WARNING: This link goes to a site that is run by delusional stupid crazy people. You may lose brain cells.)

The mind boggles. I thought it was supposed to be Muslims and their "stealth Sharia" who were leading the War Against Christmas! There is so much wrong with this diatribe that I don't even know where to begin. Let's begin with the hysterical claim that wishing somebody "Happy Holidays" is the equivalent of burning somebody to death in an auto-da-fe. Uh, no it's not.

Also, nobody is even being FORCED to say "Happy Holidays." It's just a generic greeting, like "How are you today?" People who say "How are you today?" are not expecting a full run-down of your medical condition.

Now is is possible that some people are concerned that public funds or public space are being designated for religious objects that are not inclusive of many citizens. At the same time, the same "conservatives" who are in such horror of a "War on Christmas" also complain that the White House is spending too much money of holiday decorations during a time of recession and unemployment and OMG a Blackity Black Man is President!

I can look all around and see Christmas symbols everywhere! My favorite TV shows are either pre-empted for Christmas specials, or else have a Christmas episode, but it is very rare to see a TV program that has a Hanukkah episode. Which reminds me, "South Park" has not done a Christmas Special since the infamous "Woodland Critters" episode. I haz a sad!

 

White House Hanukkah Reception

 

Menorah from Synagogue Damaged by Hurricane Sandy to be Lit at White House Hanukkah Party

Menorah from Temple Israel, Long Island

A 90-year-old menorah from a temple on Long Island that was ravaged by Hurricane Sandy will be displayed at a Hanukkah party hosted by President Obama as a symbol of perseverance and hope for the holidays.

The brass menorah survived a 10-foot storm surge that destroyed a chapel, a library, numerous religious books and six Torah scrolls at Temple Israel in Long Beach, according to the congregation’s rabbi, David S. Bauman.

Rabbi Bauman said the White House contacted him about two weeks ago seeking a menorah that survived the storm’s onslaught. He said he took a photograph of the menorah, one of two that were located on the upper floor of the temple’s sanctuary, and sent it to a White House official.

“The next thing I know I’m talking to the White House curator and the Secret Service,” he said. “It’s an incredibly humbling experience.”

The White House was led to Rabbi Bauman’s congregation by the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, an organization that helped communities in New York City and on Long Island in Hurricane Sandy’s aftermath. The group informed the White House about the menorah at Temple Israel.

Rabbi Bauman, 41, who is also a reserve chaplain in the Marine Corps, will travel with the menorah to Washington for the Hanukkah party, which will be held on Thursday.

The White House has a tradition of selecting menorahs with some kind of meaningful history. Last year, the menorah displayed at the Hanukkah party was one built at a displaced persons camp in Europe after World War II. In 2010, officials selected a menorah salvaged from a synagogue destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

Read more at NY Times.

President Obama Wishes Jews a Happy Hanukkah

President and Michele Obama at White House Hanukkah party in 2011.

Michelle and I send our warmest wishes to all those celebrating Hanukkah around the world. 

This Hanukkah season we remember the powerful story of the Maccabees who rose up to liberate their people from oppression. Upon discovering the desecration of their Temple, the believers found only enough oil to light the lamp for one night. And yet it lasted for eight. 

Hanukkah is a time to celebrate the faith and customs of the Jewish people, but it is also an opportunity for people of all faiths to recognize the common aspirations we share. This holiday season, let us give thanks for the blessings we enjoy, and remain mindful of those who are suffering. And let us reaffirm our commitment to building a better, more complete world for all.   

From our family to the Jewish Community around the world, Chag Sameach. 

From Whitehouse.gov.

The photo is from the White House Hanukkah party in 2011, where kosher food was served much to the chagrin of M.J. Rosenberg. (CORRECTION: MJ actually had a meltdown over the White House serving kosher food at a Passover seder which is actually even more of a sad FAIL) This was the first of many reasons that Babushka decided to vote for Barack Obama last Election Day.

Happy Hanukkah from Israel!

State Department Spokesperson Delivers Smackdown to Belligerent AP Reporter

This is the same Victoria Nuland who is being excoriated by certain "pro-Zionist" bloggers for not being sufficiently "pro-Israel." It's the State Department, folks!

President Obama: "Israel has the right to defend itself!"

 

Heads Explode as Orthodox Jews Vote Overwhelmingly for Obama

Scary Jew Shadow in Line to Vote

As election results have been confirmed and statistics from national polls emerge, showing that American Jews overwhelmingly supported Barack Obama - with 70% of the Jewish population voting for Obama - questions emerge about the the true sentiments of this population towards Israel and the disconnect between Jews in Israel and those abroad.

David Bedein, founder of the Israel Resource News Agency and Director of the Center for Near East Policy Research finds the disconnect between the religious in Israel and the U.S. particularly startling, saying many Republican supporters were shocked by the refusal of Orthodox leaders to throw their support behind the pro-Israel Mitt Romney.

“Those who think that orthodox Jews supported Romney and secular Jews supported Obama are wrong. This is simply not true,” said Bedein. “In New Jersey they established the organization ‘Rabbis for Romney,’ and they turned to all sectors of Orthodox Jews, and there are a million Jews like that, but their rabbis refused to join.”

In his opinion, Jewish support for Obama indicates a grave detachment from the land of Israel. “We approached the Young Israel organization, which represents hundreds of synagogues, we approached the Council of Rabbis in the U.S., the Chabad organization, Agudath Israel, all of them refused - they told us they wanted to protect their ties to the current government. We need to understand that the difference (in votes for) Obama and Romney was very slight in the key states, and if those rabbis and leaders would have done something, if they would have emphasized how dangerous Obama is for Israel, it would have changed the entire picture and Romney would have been put in the White House.”

More bitter, bitter tears at Arutz Sheva.

Hurricane Sandy Brings Two Worlds Together

 

New York City’s ultra-Orthodox Jews live in a world apart from the rest of the city. They have their own neighborhoods, send their kids to religious schools and wear a uniform of black hats and suits that makes them as distinct as an Amish farmer in Times Square. After the storm hit New York, hundreds of elderly and frail New Yorkers from the African-American and working-class neighborhoods of Far Rockaway and Coney Island had to be evacuated when their assisted-living facilities flooded or lost power. They were moved to the Park Slope Armory, where the only food available was Army rations—high-preservative, high-sodium ready-to-eat meals. So Brad Lander, a local city councilman, called Rabbi Alexander Rapaport, who runs the MASBIA soup kitchen in the ultra-orthodox neighborhood of Boro Park.

“We were supposed to be closed on Tuesday, what with the blackouts and the flooding,” Rapaport said. “But this food they had, it was a like a mix between cholent [a traditional Sabbath stew] and lasagna, and it came in this inner pouch that they somehow call ‘food.’”

Rapaport and Lander put out the message on Facebook and Twitter that the soup kitchen needed volunteers. Even as the city still struggled to slough off the effects of Sandy, nearly 100 showed up, peeling potatoes, dicing squash. They delivered 200 lunches of eggplant and pasta that day and made twice that many chicken and meatloaf dinners. By Wednesday, their stocks were depleted, so they put out another call on social media; more donations came in. At week’s end, they were still making hot meals for evacuees and volunteers all over the city, delivering hundreds of meals to a command post in the flood-ravaged Seagate neighborhood in Brooklyn. All of this while the regular lines at the soup kitchen are growing longer.

“A lot of people who would never eat in a soup kitchen are now staying with someone who let them in, a distant friend or a distant relative,” he said. “We have a lot more middle-class people who are at a loss, who don’t even know where to put their head down.”

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Obama is Good for Israel!

Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Obama

The outcome of the elections will be determined by the voters' decision as to which of the two candidates is good for America. But if any of them are vacillating in their vote over whether Obama has been a good president for Israel, the answer is yes.

Tens of millions of Americans will go to the polls on Tuesday to vote for a president and vice president. It will be an important day for American democracy. This will be the Americans' day, but the outcome of the elections will impact the entire world.

For Americans in general, and American Jews in particular, the United States' attitude toward Israel is just one of many factors to consider - among internal and foreign affairs, the economy and defense - when casting their vote.

But for various reasons, Republican candidate Mitt Romney has made incumbent President Barack Obama's policy toward Israel a hot-button issue in the campaign. One of those reasons is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's open support for Romney, who like him enjoys the patronage of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. Obama has been accused of taking a cool and hostile stance in relation to Israel on several issues, from Iran to Palestine. Romney promises a warmer, more supportive approach./p>

Indeed, one would hope the realization of Romney's wishes would further advance Washington-Jerusalem relations, in the tradition of all recent U.S. administrations, both Republican and Democrat. But a deeper examination of the core issues comprising the two countries' relations - devoid of political and personal interests - reveals no grounds for portraying Obama in a negative light.

Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, assisted Israel's defense by toppling Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq and deterring, albeit for a limited period, Iran's accelerated progress toward attaining nuclear weapons. Bush contributed to Israel's peace, even if partially, by being the first president to adopt the two-state solution. His support even enabled the evacuation of settlements from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank.

Obama continued this two-way track vis-a-vis Iran and the issue of Palestinian statehood. Under his pressure, Israel suspended for the first time - for a while - construction in the settlements. Relations between the two countries' armed forces have never been so close. Obama's challenge in his second term, if he wins the elections, is to lead the region to a stable arrangement of peace and security.

The outcome of the elections will be determined by the voters' decision as to which of the two candidates is good for America. But if any of them are vacillating in their vote over whether Obama has been a good president for Israel, the answer is yes.

Editorial from HAARETZ.

Babushka does not normally agree with many of the editorials published by Haaretz but in this case they are right on target, unlike many other Jewish and Israeli publications who have attacked the incumbent President for dubious reasons that have no basis in fact.

 

Obama Fine Art: The Cute, The Cool, The Kitschy, and the OMG This is Totally Freaking Creepy!

Also, GOP dog sweaters so your pet won't get cold on top of the car.

It's an election year, so we know that there are going to be a bunch of candidate-related souvenirs, tchotchkas and stuff from both sides. For example, you can get an Obamulka or a Romnulka.

Buy one or buy both!

However, there is also a genre of artwork that is specifically dedicated to either venerating or demonizing President Barack Obama. The most famous image of this sort is the iconic Shepard Fairey poster:

In addition to this poster, which is already a collector's item, other artists have devoted their work to portraying President Barack Obama. Lucas Ketner has created this adoring portrait of the President, bare-chested in a meadow, with a unicorn, farting roses:

Then there is Ron Keas, who has created ordinary Presidential portraits, like this one of Obama in the clouds:

Then there is the decidedly creepy fan art, like Dan Lacey's portraits of naked Obama riding a unicorn, which we link here but make sure you are not at work or around little children.

If you're not creeped out enough, Jon McNaughton will do it for you. McNaughton is a far-right extremist conspiracy Birther kook who has created apocalyptic hellscapes with President Obama officiating as Satan, kind of like a latter-day Hieronymous Bosch, but without the fun and the nudity. Here is "Obamanation":

McNaughton explains each and every little motif in this illustration, (notice Air Force One flying into the U.N. Building a la 9/11) every detail contains a crazed conspiracist's ranting screed. For example, this little diatribe against the "curly" light bulb:

Obama and his liberal friends were determined that all Americans switch to the CFL, eco-bulbs by 2014.  The cost was far more than the standard bulbs and it was not only ugly, but gives out less light.  Thank heavens Congress repealed another great liberal idea to control American’s lives. OMG OMG OMG !!!1!ty

McNaughton has another masterpiece of Obama burning the Constitution, and Americans in chains.

Some anonymous Internet artist has commemorated McNaughton's crowd scene style in this awesome spoof.

Rosh Hashanah Message from President Obama

  

At sundown this Sunday, the Jewish community here in the United States and all over the world will celebrate the start of the new year. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur mark a time of prayer and self-reflection, and offers Americans of all faiths an opportunity to focus on what unites us instead of what divides us, to work together to make this a more perfect union and to continue the work of repairing the world.

As we look forward to the beginning of the Jewish High Holidays Sunday night, I want to extend my warmest wishes to all those celebrating the New Year.

 This is a joyful time for millions of people around the world. But Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are also opportunities for reflection. They represent a chance to take stock of our lives and look forward to the coming year with clear eyes and renewed purpose.

 In that spirit, the Jewish Tradition teaches us that one of the most important duties we have during this period is the act of reconciliation. We’re called to seek each other out and make amends for those moments when we may not have lived up to our values as well as we should.

 At a time when our public discourse can too often seem harsh; when society too often focuses on what divides us instead of what unites us; I hope that Americans of all faiths can take this opportunity to reach out to those who are less fortunate; to be tolerant of our neighbors; and to recognize ourselves in one another. And as a nation, let us be mindful of those who are suffering, and renew the unbreakable bond we share with our friends and allies – including the State of Israel.

In that spirit, Michelle and I wish you and your families a sweet year full of health, happiness, and peace. L’Shana Tovah.

Whitehouse.gov.

Global Rabbi Meets an American Hero

Rabbi Avraham Berkowitz and Antonio Solorio

Guest post by Rabbi Avraham Berkowitz

Last year on 9/11, I was walking with my brother Yirmi Berkowitz near ground zero where tens of thousands of people came to the site to honor the victims on the tenth anniversary. As we walked thru the massive crowds, I was drawn to a group of wounded vets and in particular Antonio Solorio a US army vet who served in Afghanistan. This was the first seriously wounded US vet I had met. His good cheer and spirit drew me to him as I watched him engage others who came to pay their respects. We began to speak and he shared with me his remarkable story.

After 9/11 Antonio bravely answered the call of duty to serve our country and protect our security and quality of life in the US. While serving in Afghanistan, Antonio was responsible for defusing IED bombs that would target locals and American soldiers alike. A roadside bomb blew off his leg and nearly killed him, as he was laying in the triage dying, they presented him with a purple heart that he shouldn't die without the honor and recognition of our country.

Antonio fought back hard and made a long and strong recovery to return to his wife and two daughters in Rancho Cucamonga,California. He told me he was back in school pursuing a degree in computer science.

For a man who had every reason to complain and be angry at life and the world, Antonio was remarkably happy and filled with purpose.

As we spoke about his handicap he removed his prosthetic leg, and asked me to hold it, to make his reality a little more real to me. He then put it back on and we raced each other for a hundred feet and he beat me wearing his prosthetic leg.

As we come to the end of another 9/11, I want to salute and thank every vet and soldier who served and serve to protect us from those who want to destroy our life.

Thank you for your selflessness and bravery, thank you Antonio for making a soldiers sacrifice real to me.

You positive outlook on life helped me understand what I learned from my teacher and Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Schneerson of righteous memory. When he met a group of wounded Israeli soldiers, he objected the use of the word "disability" He comforted and encouraged those soldiers who had lost limbs, and told them 'If a person has been deprived of a limb or a faculty, 'this itself indicates that G-d has given them special powers to overcome the limitations this entails, and to surpass the achievements of ordinary people. You are not "disabled" or "handicapped," but special and unique, as you possess potentials that the rest of us do not.

Antonio, you don't need or want our sympathy, but you need our true empathy.
I encourage others to seek out wounded vets, or a vet who is going thru a difficult time to help at least one. They took bullets and bombs to shield us, we need to add at least one to our circle of support.

I hate war, death and evil, and wish every sword was turned into ploughshares... but as long as human conflict needs brave men like Antonio to protect the rest of us from those who venerate death. I stand with and support the vets and those who serve.

Tonight we have an opportunity with the click of a button on Facebook to help the organization that stood with Antonio and his family thru the thick and thin.

Go to Chase community giving and type in 9-11 help America Foundation if they get even 1,000 votes you can help them receive $10,000.

http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charity/view/ein/80-0115715?ref=1b97148697

In honor of Antonio I hope to help http://www.facebook.com/911HAF be in the top 100 charities leader-board by Sep 19.

Thank you for sharing with a friend!
@globalrabbi

Jews, Muslims Join Forces Against Intolerance and Hate Crimes

General Secretary of the European Jewish Council Serge Cwajgenbaum speaks during the "Gathering of European Jewish and Muslim Leaders" in Paris September 4, 2012. Jewish and Muslim religious leaders from 18 European countries gathered in Paris to discuss mutual issues of concern regarding religious practices in Europe, according to local media.

PARIS (Reuters)- Seventy European Muslim and Jewish leaders pledged on Wednesday to show "zero tolerance" to hate preachers of any faith including their own ranks, citing what they called rising religious intolerance on the continent.

Imams, rabbis and community leaders from 18 countries agreed to jointly counter bigotry against Jews and Muslims and combat legal threats to common religious practices such as circumcision of boys and the kosher and halal ritual slaughter of animals.

The two-day meeting brought together Muslim-Jewish teams from around Europe to compare experiences in fighting religious prejudice and report on recent trends against minority faiths.

There have been several attacks on Jews in Europe this year, some from radical Muslims. In the worst case, a French Islamist killed a rabbi and three children at a Jewish school in Toulouse last March.

Extreme right-wing political parties are also increasingly agitating against Jews and Muslims, participants in the meeting said.

"We must institute a 'zero tolerance' policy against religious leaders of any faith who misuse their pulpits to incite religious bigotry," they said in a declaration.

"We vow to each other to speak out loudly and forcefully against any religious leader who defames those of other faiths, and, if such bigots emerge from within our own communities, to condemn them loudly and clearly."

REAL COOPERATION

Among the organizers was the New York-based Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, whose co-founder Rabbi Marc Schneier has promoted Muslim-Jewish unity projects in the United States.

Schneier told Reuters that European Muslims and Jews had come together more this year to defend their common interest in protecting religious traditions from legal challenges.

That was not enough, he said: "Real cooperation is when you stand up for others even when it's not in your common interest."

Participants gave examples in their countries of interfaith harmony as well as tension, especially that arising from radical Islamism that has spread among some disaffected Muslim youths.

From Britain, Fiyaz Mughal of the non-profit group Faith Matters and Jewish Volunteering Network official Esmond Rosen presented a booklet on Muslims who saved Jews in the Holocaust.

Mughal accused far-right groups in Britain of trying to provoke anti-Semitism among Muslims, especially on the Internet. "A lot of these issues are happening online," he said. "This is where the real battle is."

Rabbi Michel Serfaty and Scheherazade Zerouala told how their French Judeo-Muslim Friendship group made bus tours around France to promote understanding in poor neighborhoods where the two minorities often live side-by-side and sometimes clash.

Noting that a rabbi had recently been attacked in Berlin, the secretary general of the Central Council of Jews in Germany said imams must condemn anti-Semitism among Muslims.

"We also have anti-Muslim sentiment among Jews, as we saw in the beating of a Palestinian by Jewish children in Israel," Stephan Kramer added. "We are condemning these acts strongly."

Read more at Reuters.