Tefilla Notebook 8-27-15 - beverly hills synagogue

14 Elul ● Ki Tetze
SHABBAT SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, August 28
7:06 pm
CANDLE LIGHTING
6:30 pm
KABBALAT SHABBAT
SHABBAT, August 29
8:30 am
RABBI’S GEMARA SHIUR
9:15 am
SHACHARIT
7:05 pm
MINCHA
7:25 pm
SEUDAH SHLISHIT
8:05 pm
MAARIV
8:08 pm
SHABBAT ENDS
Weekday Services
Sun., August 30
Mon., August 31
Tues., September 1
Wed., September 2
Thurs., September 3
Fri., September 4
8:00 am & 7:05 pm
6:20 am & 7:05 pm
6:30 am & 7:05 pm
6:30 am & 7:05 pm
6:20 am & 7:05 pm
6:30 am & 6:30 pm
SHABBAT SCHEDULE FOR KIDS
.
10:00 Welcome - free play, games & books.
10:50 Parsha story & questions review
11:10 Into shul to kiss the Torah
11:15 Circle time - davening, singing, shabbat
.
songs & games. Ends at 12:00
Dalia Dunner & Gedaliah Nektalov
were appointed as the
new Co-Youth Directors
for our kids program
to contact them email
[email protected]
[email protected]
This week’s message by
Rabbi Dunner was also
published by the Jewish Journal
http://www.jewishjournal.com/
opinion/article/
bds_is_not_pro_palestinian_its_an
ti_semitic
August 28 - 29, 2015
Dearest Members and Friends,
You probably heard about the storm over reggae singer Matisyahu’s on, off, and then on
again invitation to sing at the Rototom Sunsplash music festival in Spain last weekend.
Matisyahu is a talented Jewish reggae singer from Los Angeles, whose 2006 song
‘Jerusalem’ and 2008 song ‘One Day’ captured the hearts of millions of teenagers across the
globe. In those days Matisyahu was hasidic in lifestyle and appearance, although since then
the beard and peyot have come off. The invitation for him to perform at this obscure Spanish
reggae festival would hardly have been newsworthy had it not been for the interference of
the BDS movement.
Just in case you are wondering if you misread that last sentence, let me confirm that, yes, the Boycott,
Divest and Sanctions movement, whose stated aim is ‘to increase economic and political pressure on Israel
to [ensure] the end of Israeli occupation and colonization of Palestinian land, full equality for
Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, and respect for the right of return of Palestinian refugees’, applied
pressure on a bunch of Spanish music lovers to either force an apolitical American Jewish singer to sign a
declaration in favor of their non-music related political agenda, or face protest demonstrations and a
coordinated boycott. Matisyahu understandably refused to sign any such declaration, so the festival
organizers decided to disinvite him rather than deal with the bad publicity.
But rather than prevent bad publicity, the move backfired badly and attracted international condemnation.
Following phenomenal pressure from multiple sources, including various governments, European Jewish
leaders, and ELNET, which is a European version of AIPAC, the festival decided to re-invite him, and
Matisyahu performed in front of an enthusiastic audience. Meanwhile the local BDS group that precipitated
this outrage was unrepentant, claiming spuriously that the gentle singer was someone who was guilty of
‘incitement to racial hatred and connections to extremist and violent fundamentalist groups.’ More
incredibly, the group accused the media of misrepresenting the incident ‘as part of the global BDS
movement’, which compelled them to make clear that their efforts were ‘outside the remit of the cultural
boycott of Israel.’
It is this last statement that I would like to focus on, because it exposes BDS activists for what they are –
virulent anti-Semites who target Jews, even though that is not officially part of their agenda. And not just
Israeli Jews, but all Jews. American Jews. British Jews. Spanish Jews. If you are a Jew, know that you are a
BDS target. You are assumed to support every aspect of Israel’s policies and military strategy. Your only ‘get
out of jail’ card is to publicly sign up to the repugnant BDS campaign, an agenda that hides under a mask
of humanitarian concern for Palestinian Arab suffering, but which is in fact intent on destroying the State
of Israel by creating one state between the Jordan and the Mediterranean, and repatriating any Arab
descended from Arabs who became refugees in 1948. In other words, BDS is not interested in a peaceful
solution or prosperity for Palestinian Arabs, only in ensuring that Jewish statehood is no longer viable. Even
if the Jewish State complied with every ridiculous UN resolution, they would still hate it – because it is
Jewish, and it exists.
I am going to say something now that may shock you, but it is important to put it on the record. If you
support Israel and are against BDS, please please stop defending Israel to BDS supporters. You are wasting
your time. No one in the BDS camp is interested in complex defenses of Israel’s right to exist and right to
defend itself. Because they are anti-Semites. I don’t care if they are Jews or non-Jews – they are
anti-Semites. If Jews irrationally hate other Jews, they are anti-Semites, pure and simple. We must stop
using the definition ‘self-hating Jew’. It is meaningless to the wider world. If a former Catholic criticizes the
Pope, no one calls him a self-hating Catholic, they call him anti-Catholic. If someone born a Jew hates other
Jews for being proud of their heritage and their history, and demands that they reject that heritage and
history in order to be accepted, they are not self-hating Jews, they are anti-Semites. It’s that simple.
Now that BDS has been exposed – correction: has exposed itself - as a group that targets all Jews, it is
obviously pointless to discuss or debate with them on the issues. If they are blackmailing music festivals to
boycott American Jewish singers with loose connections to Israel and no political history, then we need to
start calling them what they are: anti-Semites and racists. BDS is no different than the Nazis of the 1920s
and 1930s who created a myth that all Jews were guilty of insidious crimes against the international
community, and were intent on world domination. When people spread malicious lies about you, don’t
waste time refuting their lies – expose them for what they are: vicious liars motivated by hatred.
The Torah portion this week ends with the famous commandment to destroy Amalek, the nation that
attempted to exterminate the nascent Jewish nation as it emerged from Egypt. The instruction from Moshe
is unequivocal: ‫זֵ ֶכר עֲמָ לֵק ִמתַ חַ ת הַ ָשמָ יִ ם ֹלא ִת ְש ָכח‬-‫ ִת ְמחֶ ה אֶ ת‬- ‘don’t ever forget your duty to obliterate any
memory of Amalek from beneath the heavens.’ If it is a choice between them or us, make sure it is them,
not us. My friends, our battle with BDS is a fight for the survival of the Jewish nation, not a gentlemanly
discussion over coffee about the rights and wrongs of Israel’s actions and policies. BDS is a relentless and
vicious
campaign against Jews. That this makes you a target – in Los Angeles, or in New York, or in
London – is not an accident. BDS must be uprooted and destroyed. Your life could depend on it.
Wishing you Shabbat Shalom and a wonderful week ahead,
Rabbi Pini Dunner
Shiur for Ladies
on the engagement of
Rocky Salomon to Pinchus Polack
Mazel Tov to
Joanne Sacks & Tuvia Ganz!!!
Join Rabbi Dunner
for his Gemara shiur
at 8:30 every
Shabbat morning.
Challenge your
mind, and
familiarize yourself
with the Talmudic
underpinnings of
Jewish knowledge.
Join Rabbi Dunner
each Wednesday
morning, 8:30 - 9:30,
as he explores the
weekly Torah portion
trough the eyes of the
classic commentators .
There will not be an auction for
Rosh Hashana & Yom Kippur Aliyot and
Kibudim. If you are interested in buying an
Aliya or Kibud for you or a family member,
please talk to the rabbi or Steve Rothman.
Shiur Recording Online
Sarah, Ilana & Aliza
Kellerman
Emil Kestenbaum
Harrison Kestenbaum
Aviva Marshak
Dana Silver
Sean & Jaden Silver
You can hear Rabbi Dunner’s Parshat
Hashavua shiur online by logging onto
the shul’s SoundCloud website:
https://soundcloud.com/user985613197
Lawrence & Sara Richards
on the birth of a baby boy
To return your
2015 Membership Renewal Forms
with the payment to office!!!
Seating reservations for High Holydays must be
received as soon as possible!
Richard & Shawney Fine
Michael & Susan Baum
In memory of
Clara Kest a”h
Mother of Ezra Kest
Yahrtzeit — 18 Elul
In memory of
Avraham
Mordechai Tepper z”l
father of Foster Tepper
Yahrtzeit — 26 Elul
In memory of
Golda Ruchel
bat Haim a”h
Mother of Alan Liker
Yahrtzeit — 30 Elul