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Jerusalem 2018 Elections & Some Other Thoughts

By Erik Zimerman On October 30, 2018 · Add Comment · In Against the Wind, Avvisi, Joab's Men

A few short hours separate us from the start of municipal elections across Israel. As always, the outcome of the election in Jerusalem is of supreme importance, not only for our ancient and holy capital, but for Israel and even the Western World at large. First let us remember what happened last election. It was a clear race between Nir Barkat (the current mayor, who chose not to run again for a third term since) and Moshe Lion. Lion was a successful accountant from Givataym (Tel-Aviv area), and was not very well familiar with nor prepared for the intricacies of a mayoral election in Jerusalem (not to mention an actual administration). He was “drafted” by current Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s group to support a right-wing municipal administration in our capital. The strategy was pretty plain and simple. Lion was Sefaradi, like the majority of Jersualem’s population, and observant, also like the majority of Jerusalem. Lion has close ties with many Likud and Ysrael Beiteinu power-brokers (the Likud itself was a client of Lion’s accounting firm in the 90’s), and seemed to everyone as good as a Mizrahi candidate as any other. Nir Barkat was neither observant nor Sefaradi, and the [...]

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Jews and modern Idol Worship – For the “Holiday” Season

By Erik Zimerman On November 28, 2014 · Add Comment · In Joab's Men

(Note: This article may be of interest only to Jewish readership, and is likely not of interest to others. Though all are welcome to read, the message is one Yidishkeit for Jews.) A great deal of the Chumash, deals with the central and revolutionary message of Judaism, that there is but one gd (arguably), and that Jews (more correctly Hebrews or Israelites) must worship him and not idols as was accustomed in Biblical times. Israel’s difficulty with this task is one of the central if not the central theme of many of the writings of the prophets. Reading our ancients texts today, it seems almost ridiculous that these Jews, brought out of bondage in Egypt, led to their promised land, continued to worship absurd little wood, stone and clay figurines. Not Moses nor Aaron and his holy descendants (the cohanim – priests), nor the Judges, King David and the prophets could wipe out this stain from the Jewish people. The scriptures tell us clearly how this often led to calamity, but certainly we know that it led many Jews throughout the centuries to assimilation and being cast out from “the tribe” – a people that have remained small in number [...]

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“Never Again” We keep saying, as we already Forget

By Erik Zimerman On April 30, 2014 · Add Comment · In Joab's Men

The very connotation this piece’s title probably brought to you mind, illustrates perfectly the point it is meant to make. You expect another article complaining that we have forgotten the horrors, the unspeakable depths of depravity that man, more specifically the Germans, reached and inflicted on his fellow man, more specifically the Jews. That we should watch more Holocaust films, make sure we can still cry when we watch them (lest we doubt our own humanity), campaign more strongly against Holocaust deniers, decry with outrage at the first sight of intolerance and even nationalism and/or religious pride (since only “gay” pride is acceptable in modern society), make sure every gentile is taught continuously about the Holocaust, send more and more people on trips like the “March of the Living”, and of course keep shoving guilt in everyone’s face. Nothing could be further from the truth. Jewry today, and specifically American Jewry, have reduced the immensely rich heritage that is Judaism, and what it means to be a Jew, to the Holocaust. Being a Jew means that we were slaughtered during WWII, and being a good Jew means remembering it (or at least watching Schindler’s List). Furthermore, while trading thousands of [...]

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Dear Russians

By Erik Zimerman On January 5, 2012 · 1 Comment · In Joab's Men, The Farbrengen

Dear Russian Jews Having seen this for the millionth time in 3 countries I can’t take it anymore… Please understand. Its NOT a “New Year’s” Tree or a yule tree, or a novigod tree or a fir tree, or a chestnut tree, its called a Christmas tree!! It is not a Russian tradition (even though you have everyone convinced)… it’s a Christian tradition. It’s as Russian as breathing is Russian. Christians all over the world, celebrate the Christmas season with a Christmas tree. Britts, Americans, Germans, Mexicans, etc usually are not ignorant enough to call it their national tradition (well, maybe some Americans would be), they realize its a Christian tradition. A Christmas tree is as Russian as Jesus is Russian (even if you call it a New Year’s tree). New Years and Christmas are inextricably related as part of Jesus’s bday season (Announcement, birth, circumcision, etc). The modern Gregorian Calendar of course, divides all time as BC and AD (before birth and after death, and sets Christmas as Dec 25, and New years as Jan 1, while the Julian or old Christian calendar (still followed by some Greek Orthodox churches) sets them Jan 7 and [...]

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Jerusalem 2018 Elections & Some Other Thoughts

Jews and modern Idol Worship – For the “Holiday” Season

“Never Again” We keep saying, as we already Forget

Dear Russians

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