Yeshiva World News

In an unusual step that comes on the heels of Iran’s threats and warnings to the US and Israel over the consequences of a possible strike on its nuclear facilities, the official website of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei published an analysis written by Dr. Amir Mohebian, a senior political commentator.

The article details three possible war scenarios Iran could be faced with if Israel or the US proceed with a strike:

1. An all out war of attrition that would combine aerial and ground forces attack.

2. Limited war as a preparatory action for political proceedings. This would include hitting Iran’s control centers for the purpose of disrupting the stability of the Islamic regime. The best case scenario here would be that war leads to the regime’s fall; the worst case would see Iran surrendering at the negotiating table.

3. A war on specific targets with the aim of destroying the regime’s assault capabilities, especially against the “Zionist regime.”

The Iranian commentator goes on to assess the possibility of likelihood of each scenario. He believes the feasibility of the first option is due, among other things to the fact that “the western countries’ capabilities to carry out such a complex operation are very limited and nearly nonexistent.”

Mohebian also mentioned the upcoming US presidential elections and the fact that the west doesn’t have sufficient intelligence on Iran. In light of these problems Mohebian believes that the chances of an all out war against Iran are close to nothing.

He goes on to point out the main problems of the second and third scenarios: The Iranian regime is prepared for an attack on its centers of power, the Iranian response to such an attack could be unexpected, the attack could turn the regime to an even more extreme path and encourage it to set the Middle East on fire, which would endanger the western world.

Mohebian claims that even the third and most likely scenario has a relatively small likelihood of happening. He notes that the scenario’s execution would be complicated. It would be impossible to attack all of the country’s nuclear facilities due to its size; a limited war could develop into a regional war.

For example, an attack on Bushehr could lead to harsh ecological consequences for the region. Attacking only certain nuclear sites would not lead to a complete shutdown of Iran’s technological nuclear capabilities.

Meanwhile, it would seem that Israel is also preparing for every possible scenario. Yedioth Ahronoth on Friday revealed that “a friendly country” has in the past few weeks secretly sent Israel anti-aircraft Patriot missile batteries that also serve as a missile defense system.

The new battery arrived at the Ashdod Port, the first Patriot missile battery to arrive in Israel in eight years. Nevertheless, the IDF claims there is no connection between the current shipment and recent talk of the possibility of a strike against Iran’s nuclear sites.

(Source: Ynet)

You’d expect George W. Bush’s library to be Texas-sized, and 43’s monument to his eight years as President won’t disappoint when it opens in the spring of 2013.

But a solitary jagged, twisted reminder of New York City’s worst day will unquestionably become the centerpiece of the 43,000 artifacts available for display at the library and its adjoining institute.

The 16.7-foot, 1.85-ton piece of mangled steel isn’t just any relic from America’s hallowed ground — experts say it’s “impact steel,” struck directly by one of the hijacked jets that slammed into the Twin Towers on 9/11.

Engineers who have studied the steel — known as a C-11 panel — say it’s the remnant of a triple-beam and crossbeam section from three upper floors.

“Their analysis shows that it appears this piece of steel was affected by fire before a structural collapse, and that the torques and twists of the steel appear to have been caused by impact versus collapse,” a library official said.

Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush recently were visibly affected when they saw the relic for the first time, according to officials who were there.

“The President and Mrs. Bush were really moved by the sight of the twisted steel, which really for them evoked both the carnage and courage of that day,” Bush spokesman Freddy Ford told the Daily News.

The steel will be on permanent display in the main exhibition hall, anchored in a vertical position. Curators expect it to be a powerful magnet for visitors, who can touch it.

“People have so many emotions of that troubling day that we thought it was critical to the experience to make it accessible,” said Alan Lowe, who runs the library for the National Archives and Records Administration.

Library officials saw the steel last December during a tour of the Port Authority’s Hangar 17 at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The PA enthusiastically agreed to donate the piece to the library, and it arrived in Texas earlier this year.

It will share top billing with another 9/11 icon — the famous bullhorn Bush used when speaking to rescue workers from Ground Zero three days after the attacks. Several other mementos will also be on display, including Bush’s handwritten notes from his first public statement on the tragedy.

The library and institute are the repository for 70 million pieces of paper and 80 terabytes of electronic data, including 200 million emails. A full-scale reproduction of the Bush Oval Office will be featured, and Laura Bush has created a Texas rose garden and a North Texas native prairie.

But they all pale by comparison to an ugly piece of steel salvaged from the moment that changed a nation, a President, and all of us forever.

(Source: NY Daily News)

Prague – Seventy years ago this week, the Nazis began deporting Czech Jews to the garrison town of Terezín (Theresienstadt) in nothern Bohemia; the oldest known survivor of that Gestapo “show camp” — and of the Holocaust — this Friday marks her 108th birthday.

Alice Herz-Sommer was born in Prague on Nov. 26, 1903, along with her twin sister, Mariana. Her family, non-practising Jews, moved in Prague’s cultural circles.

By her mid-teens, Alice was touring as a pianist and met her husband to be, Leopold Sommer, in 1931, marrying him just two weeks later. She gave birth to their son, Raphael, in 1937, two years before, the Germans occupied Czechoslovakia; though most of her family and friends immigrated to Palestine via Romania, including Max Brod (Franz Kafka’s friend and biographer), she stayed in Prague, and, like some 150,000 other Jews, was sent to the ghetto in Terezín.

The Nazis made it into a “show camp” for Red Cross inspections and simultaneously a staging post for tens of thousands of Jewish inmates who were shipped off to their deaths in other camps. It operated for three-and-a-half years, serving as a transit station especially for Czech Jews who were artistically and culturally talented but in reality, it served as a concentration camp for Jews before their deportation to death camps elsewhere in Eastern Europe.

(Source: Czech Position)

The following is a Washington Post article:

On a September afternoon, as the strains of Pachelbel’s Canon filled a flower-laden hotel ballroom, Melanie Lo and her father slowly proceeded past family and friends toward a huppah, the Jewish wedding canopy.

Rabbi Kenneth Block stood waiting under the white canopy with Melanie’s husband-to-be, Michael Pezzula. Next to them were a decorated ketubah (a Jewish marriage contract) and a tall, white table that held a wine glass for the Kiddush, a blessing over the wine that would be recited as Melanie, 28, and Michael, 32, drank from the same cup to symbolize the sharing of their life together.

In many ways, it looked like a typical Jewish wedding ceremony. Yet neither bride nor groom is Jewish.

The inclusion of so many Jewish traditions in the ceremony uniting Melanie, raised Episcopalian, and Michael, raised Catholic, was their way of making their wedding special, they said.

A Jewish wedding was “a refreshing departure from what everybody that is close to us is used to,” Melanie said.

Drawn to symbols

It all started with the huppah.

Melanie came across a picture of a wedding canopy while she and Michael, who were introduced by friends, were looking through photographs of other ceremonies that had been held at the Washington Marriott at Metro Center. “It was the most beautiful huppah I’ve ever seen,” she said. “I thought, ‘What am I going to do to set up the front of the room? A huppah would be perfect.’ ”

Adding Block to the ceremony also happened by chance after Michael, who was searching for an officiant online, came across Block’s site, rabbionthego.com. He was pleased by Block’s philosophy that a wedding should be about the couple, no matter their faith, sexuality or background. The rabbi even did themed ceremonies, such as a Dr. Seuss wedding.

“I showed Mel the site, and we were like, ‘This guy is awesome!’ ” Michael said.

“So, now, at this point, we have a huppah and a rabbi,” Melanie said. It seemed only natural to add other Jewish elements: the ketubah, the Kiddush, the seven blessings and the breaking of a glass at the end of the ceremony.

What had begun as a question about room decorations had evolved into a way to incorporate meaningful symbols into their wedding and create a more community-centric ceremony. “I’ve . . . been to a Catholic wedding, and they just seem boring. It’s just like church,” Michael said.

The couple considered including some traditional Chinese wedding traditions, such as a tea ceremony, but that would have been primarily for Melanie’s Chinese grandparents. “My parents raised my immediate family and [me] pretty Anglicized,” Melanie said. Besides, she added, a Jewish wedding was neutral territory.

The Pezzulas were already open to Jewish traditions. Michael, a computer software consultant, had been in the Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi, which accepts members of all faiths, at the University of Virginia. Melanie, a technical writer, hadn’t encountered Jewish culture until moving from the South to attend the University of Maryland. She became intrigued and had even considered converting.

The Pezzulas, who now live in Crystal City, say their family and friends were initially puzzled by the wedding plans but came around quickly. The couple consulted books, Block, their wedding planner and Google to incorporate the symbols and traditions. Melanie also turned to a Jewish college friend, Andrea Cohen, for advice. “It was fun teaching her what the huppah symbolized, and I was touched when she said she was painting her own ketubah,” Cohen said.

Block said the Pezzulas aren’t the only non-Jewish couple he has married who have incorporated Jewish customs into their ceremony. “This is a new generation with open minds that sees no one has a monopoly on God,” he said.

But Jonathan Stein, president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, expressed some concerns. While the practice “speaks to the acceptances of Jews and Jewish traditions in American society,” he said, it might be offensive to Jews who believe that a wedding ceremony signifies the union of two people who intend to establish a Jewish life.”

Stein added, “People incorporate all kinds of rituals into their ceremony. . . . But the question becomes: Do you understand what you’re doing?”

“I hope we didn’t offend anyone,” Melanie said. “It just seemed like a beautiful way to celebrate a marriage.”

Traditions explained

After Melanie took her place next to Michael under the huppah, Block explained the symbolism of the canopy to the predominantly non-Jewish guests, who had also picked up brochures outlining the Jewish traditions.

“This is the home that you two are creating together,” he said. “A house is a house, but a home is a place where family and friends gather.”

Two friends came up to witness the signing of the ketubah, which bore an image of two birds together on a tree branch.

Melanie and Michael recited the vows they had written, exchanged rings and listened to Block read their adaptation of the seven blessings, which included a prayer that they be better together than apart.

At the end of the ceremony, Block placed a glass wrapped in a white cloth on the ground under the huppah. The groom would step on the glass to remind the couple and their guests that love is fragile and must be protected.

Keeping the tone light, Block said, “When the glass is broken, we shout ‘Mazel tov!’ and that means the ceremony is over and the bar is open.”

Michael paused for a second, preparing himself for the moment in the ceremony he had most looked forward to, then stomped on the glass. A resounding boom echoed throughout the hall.

The crowd jumped to its feet and cheered, shouting “Mazel tov!”

(Source: Washington Post)

Republican presidential candidates are joining New Hampshire’s intensifying same-gender marriage debate — whether they like it or not.

State lawmakers plan to take up a measure to repeal the law allowing same-gender couples to wed and a vote is expected at some point in January — the same month as New Hampshire holds the nation’s first Republican presidential primary contest. Already, candidates have been put on the spot over the divisive social issue when most, if not all, would rather be talking about the economy, voters’ No. 1 concern.

The impending focus on sae-gender marriage carries risk for several of White House contenders — including former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former businessman Herman Cain — whose inconsistencies on the topic are well documented.

Recent polls have shown former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at or near the top of the field, along with Romney. With a little less than six weeks to go until the lead-off Iowa caucuses, people are listening to the former nemesis of Bill Clinton and would-be challenger to President Barack Obama.

But this issue may cause Gingrich problems. Earlier in the fall, he told an Iowa audience that same-gender marriage is a “temporary aberration” likely to go away because it defies convention. Gingrich, who has been married three times, has a half-sister in a same-gender marriage.

“The truth is that you’re living in a world that no longer exists,” Candace Gingrich-Jones wrote the former speaker in a letter posted on the Huffington Post in 2008: “In other words, stop being a hater, big bro.”

The Republican candidates’ increasingly vocal support for “traditional marriage” also threatens to alienate a growing number of younger Republicans and independents here who support legal recognition of same-gender couples. That note of divisiveness could bode poorly for the eventual Republican challenger to Obama in the general election.

Even so, the Republican candidates aren’t shying away from the topic as they run for the nomination of a party dominated by conservatives and pushed further to the right by the tea party over the last few years.

“As conservatives, we believe in the sanctity of life, we believe in the sanctity of traditional marriage, and I applaud those legislators in New Hampshire who are working to defend marriage between one man and one woman realizing that children need to be raised in a loving home by a mother and a father,” Perry told a New Hampshire audience recently, becoming the latest contender to address gay marriage directly.

Although the issue hasn’t yet become a regular talking point on the campaign trail, most Republican candidates declare support for the effort to repeal the law. And groups like the National Organization for Marriage hope to force the presidential contenders to publicly embrace the repeal.

Romney was the Massachusetts governor when his state legalized same-gender marriage. The Romney administration, as directed by the courts, granted nearly 200 same-gender marriage requests in 2005.

But Romney has reversed himself on whether it should be addressed at the state or federal level.

This past June, he said during a debate that he favors a federal constitutional amendment banning the practice. That’s been his position at least since the beginning of his 2008 presidential bid, when he was the only major Republican candidate to support such an amendment.

But as a Massachusetts Senate candidate back in 1994, Romney told a Boston-area Toeiva newspaper that same-gender marriage is “a state issue as you know — the authorization of marriage on a same-gender basis falls under state jurisdiction.” Aides say it’s unfair to scrutinize

Romney’s position in 1994 — when there was virtually no discussion of a federal amendment. And they suggest Romney’s rivals have far more blatant inconsistencies in recent months.

Both Perry and Cain have drawn conservative criticism for recent comments related to same-gender marriage.

Asked in mid-October whether he supports a federal marriage amendment, Cain told the Christian Broadcasting Network that federal legislation is necessary to protect traditional marriage. That seemed to be a direct contradiction from his statement of just six days earlier, when he told “Meet the Press” host David Gregory that states should be allowed to make up their own minds.

“I wouldn’t seek a constitutional ban for same gender marriage, but I am pro traditional marriage,” Cain told Gregory.

In Perry’s case, the Texas governor says he supports the New Hampshire repeal. But in July he said that New York’s move to legalize same-gender marriage was “fine by me.” A week later, facing social conservative criticism, he walked back the comments.

“It’s fine with me that the state is using their sovereign right to decide an issue. Obviously same-gender marriage is not fine with me,” he said then.

(Source: Fox News)

The following is from the Patriot News:

Sometime around midnight, deep inside Kesher Israel Congregation’s big old South Bend industrial gas stove, the fire went out.

More than 130 pounds of turkey stopped roasting.

About 20 volunteers had spent the evening before Thanksgiving cutting 40 pounds of sweet potatoes, baking dozens of pumpkin pies and plucking stray feathers from the turkeys.

They were preparing for the Orthodox Jewish synagogue’s 10th annual feast for Harrisburg city firemen and police officers.

The tradition began after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C.

“Everyone was feeling aware of the sacrifice our firefighters were willing to go through for us,” explained Rabbi Akiva Males. “They said, ‘We’ve got to find some time during the year to thank our local firefighters.’ Everyone felt Thanksgiving was the most appropriate time to do that — a way to really put the ‘thanks’ in Thanksgiving.”

Originally just for city firemen, last year the program was expanded to include city police officers.

“They’re keeping our communities safe. It’s a great way to express our thanks,” said Males.

He is quick to note the idea originated with Rabbi Chaim Schertz and congregation member Mark Powers.

Schertz has since retired.

Powers, a former volunteer fireman and manager of the kosher food program at Franklin & Marshall College, continues to lead the project.

Powers — a stout, no-nonsense presence in the kitchen — was pleased that the 10th anniversary of the feast brought out more volunteers than ever before, but he also knew those old stoves were temperamental.

Around 1 a.m., he went back to check on them, and was glad he did.

He relit the stoves and then settled in for a long night.

There was no way he was going to find himself “birdless” this Thanksgiving.

Powers stayed in the kitchen until 4:30 a.m., when the turkeys’ slow roasting was complete.

He went home, slept for a couple of hours and was back in the kitchen with water boiling and sweet potatoes roasting when the second wave of volunteers arrived just before 9 a.m.

Powers, dressed in his professional whites, coordinated them as they arrived.

Most of the work was already done, he said. “We’re just putting the finishing touches on it.”

Ten slow-roasted kosher turkeys were lined up in pans on the kitchen’s stainless steel island.

A number of them had been donated by the Giant Foods store on Linglestown Road.

Beth Voystock and Jack Ogun helped Powers cut apart the birds and separate the white and dark meat into portions.

Powers kept an eye on his help, and instructed them how to do better.

“At home you do things your own way,” said Voystock. “Here, I want to do it the professional way.”

One of the unintended benefits of helping in the kitchen, noted Rabbi Males, is learning tricks of the trade from a professional chef.

“Last year, my wife learned to carve a turkey from Mark,” he said.

As the noon hour approached, the feast came together.

The aroma of sweet potatoes filled the kitchen.

Pound after pound of broccoli was dropped into swift boiling water.

Pies and dinner rolls and cranberry sauce were packed for transport.

By noon, everything was on its way to the men and women who leave their families at home on Thanksgiving to be where they are needed if a fire — or a fight — breaks out anywhere in the city.

“It’s a great thank you,” said Battalion Chief Jeff Snyder as firefighters at Fire Station No. 1 on North Sixth Street received plates heaped with food.

Some of the members of Kesher Israel Congregation sat down with them to eat.

“We’re here away from our families,” said Snyder. “We have the opportunity to have some fellowship with [the congregation]. It’s just a good feeling. We really appreciate it.”

Across town at Police Headquarters on Walnut Street, there was no convivial atmosphere.

Officers came in now and then, and ate alone or in pairs.

“Our officers are going from call to call to call, and they’re jumping in here between calls,” explained Sgt. Kelly Wetzel. “It’s very difficult for them to get a good meal in, anyway.”

That doesn’t mean the feast was any less appreciated.

“Our officers really do not get a lot of public accolades and positive outreach toward us,” Wetzel said. “Usually when we’re dealing with people, bad things are happening to them or they’re doing bad things.

“This is a very considerate gesture,” he said. “It’s a very nice thing for them to do.”

As Powers watched the firefighters sit down to eat, he considered the program he began 10 years ago and counted the blessings.

“I’m happy we are able to do it,” he said. “I’m happy it’s continuing. I’m pleased we have so many volunteers. I’m pleased they haven’t forgotten the people who are protecting us. I’m pleased to say we haven’t forgotten. It’s real gratifying.”

But his work was not yet done.

“I have to go home and make my own turkey,” he said. “I’ve got company coming.”

(Source: PennLive)

Students at St Andrews University in Scotland will reportedly write a letter of apology to President Obama after an incident last week in which they burned  him in effigy.

The incident occurred the evening of Nov. 18, when members of the university’s conservative student association burned images of Obama on a beach bonfire, according to local news reports.

On Thursday, Matthew Marshall, president of St Andrews Conservative and Unionist Association, told the press that the incident was “undoubtedly stupid” and “deeply regretted.”

Marshall was reportedly made aware of the university’s concerns surrounding the matter, and pledged that the society would write to Obama to apologize.

“The U.S. and President Obama are important allies of the United Kingdom and, on behalf of the whole association, I apologize unreservedly,” he said, as reported by The Telegraph.

“This is undoubtedly a stupid act and it is deeply regretted by all of us in the St Andrews Conservative Association,” Marshall added. “I will make sure this never happens again.”

The university led an inquiry into the incident. While critical of the conservative association’s actions, St Andrews determined that they were not intentionally racist.

“The University of St Andrews holds a firm belief in the value of political debate and free expression but we expect our students to always treat others with respect,” a university spokesman told the press in Great Britain.

“The burning of any figure in effigy is an act of violence and intolerance and has no place in our modern, international university,” he added.

(Source: The Hill)

The internal-affairs honcho who headed the NYPD’s explosive ticket-fix investigation filed for retirement yesterday, The Post has learned.

Internal Affairs Bureau Deputy Inspector John McDermott, 46 — in charge of a probe that led to the indictment last month of 16 cops for crimes including official misconduct and conspiracy — earned $146,364 in 2010, records show.

“People don’t understand why now,” one puzzled source told The Post. “It doesn’t make sense.”

The shocking ticket-fix case is far from over, insiders note, and McDermott’s participation will be crucial.

As The Post reported last May, McDermott himself allegedly arranged for a speeding ticket to disappear. The NYPD denied the accusation.

A woman answering the phone at McDermott’s home last night declined to comment.

(Source: NY Post)

The former New York City mayor — who said in September that he’s “on board” with Barack Obama’s reelection campaign — tells Maggie in our story on the homepage that he hopes Michael Bloomberg will enter the 2012 race:

Koch – a Democrat who endorsed George W. Bush in 2004 and has backed Obama for reelection – said he believes Bloomberg should mount a presidential bid to address the “lack of leadership” in Washington.

“I believe there is a major chance of a third party winning and I would like to see him pursue it for 2012,” Koch said. “What I believe he offers is independence and money to finance a campaign and to be president.”

Bloomberg has ruled out a campaign about as definitively as possible, but as we write in our piece, he’s also moving to reclaim the sensible-D.C.-outsider niche in national politics that he has used to substantial effect in the past.

(Source: Politico)

The Ministry of Tourism has increased its marketing efforts worldwide in preparation of the winter season in the United States, Canada and Brazil, investing over 10 million NIS. The winter campaign, totaling 40 million NIS, is aimed at continuing existing marketing efforts while promoting Israel this season as an attractive tourism destination to potential tourists. The annual marketing budget for 2011 is 260 million NIS.

The winter campaign in America includes advertising in print media as well as trade publications, industry magazines, billboard advertising, radio and television advertising campaigns and various internet and social media initiatives. Advertising will focus on attracting tourists from destination countries in America including the United States, Canada and Brazil. Within the framework of the winter campaign, Israel will be presented as a destination offering various forms of activities, leisure and entertainment, as well as the central positioning of Israel as the Holy Land with Jerusalem at its center.

The campaign is aimed at those seeking a vacation with elements of religion, history and culture, highlighting various sites in Israel such as Jerusalem, the Dead Sea, Tel Aviv and Eilat, as well as sites in the Galilee and the Negev. The campaign is also aimed at other various groups including religious and niche tourism such as gourmet wine, spa, extreme sports and more.

Additional marketing efforts include working with the local tourism industries to promote Israel in fairs and seminars, public relations activities, recruiting new tour operators and expanding existing local marketing sources, expanding flight capacities and more.

Minister of Tourism, Stas Misezhnikov: “The Fall-Winter season is the most attractive time of year for tourism to Israel and the Israel Government Tourism Offices abroad are maximizing resources in order to increase demand. The stability of incoming tourism to Israel, despite regional and international economic and political events, is a significant achievement, serving as an important economic anchor for the economy providing sources of income, employment and a positive image for Israel abroad.”

Since the beginning of the year and through October, 2.8 million visitors arrived in Israel, 600,000 from the United States, Canada and Brazil (approximately half a million from the United States alone – the largest source country for incoming tourism to Israel).

Revenue from incoming tourism (not including domestic or outbound tourism) since the beginning of the year through October, has reached 12 billion NIS – a 10% increase compared to the same period last year (not including flights(

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)