Is Israel becoming a theocracy?

Israel is a thriving democracy that has been the source medical and computer technology. Israel’s primary exports are Cut diamonds, refined petroleum, pharmaceuticals, machinery and equipment, medical instruments, computer hardware and software, agricultural products, chemicals, textiles and apparel.

The ultraorthodox Jews in Israel want to impose their views of social behavior on the entire population. To achieve that goal they want to take control of the country’s judicial system. Large demonstrations against the take over have developed over the past week. However there have also been large demonstrations supporting the government’s plan to impose religious law on everyone.

In other words it is a battle between a secular society similar to the United States or a society similar to Iran. Iran’s formal name is Islamic Republic of Iran. Israel might then be titled the Jewish State of Israel.

CNN reports

Israel’s contentious judicial overhaul legislation will be put on hold until the next session of the Knesset, after the Passover recess in April, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday.
His statement followed a nationwide protest that brought Israel to a standstill. The strikes and mass protests were sparked by Netanyahu’s decision to fire his defense minister after he spoke out against the far-reaching legislation.
The nation’s largest labor union called an end to the strike after Netanyahu’s announcement, but warned there would be more if the “prime minister returns to aggressive legislation.”
Under the proposals, the government would have control over the appointment of judges, and parliament would gain the power to override Supreme Court decisions. Opponents say the plan threatens the foundations of Israeli democracy.

American Jews are becoming appalled over the impact that the ultraorthodox in Israel are having on how the country functions.

The best example of the orthodox interference with the lives of its citizens is marriage law. The issue of civil marriages is a major issue for secular and non-Orthodox Jews, as they are required to follow Orthodox practice to marry in Israel.

As an American Jew I am appalled but what ever the majority want that is what they will have.

Does Freedom of Religion Exist in the United States?

There is only one religious holiday a national holiday in the United States. Christmas Day. If that isn’t sponsoring a religion then what is it?

Up to the age of nine I attended Philadelphia public schools. Every morning all the children attended an assembly. After reciting the Pledge of Allegiance someone at the front of the auditorium read from the Christian bible. There was a Christian song that all the children sang. The problem was that I was not a Christian. I kept my mouth shut unless someone came by my seat prompting me to sing. My solution to that was to move my lips but not sing a single word.

Happily none of that happened in Los Angeles in the 4^th grade.

I remember this like it was yesterday.

Now the Supreme Court sees nothing wrong with conducting prayers on school grounds. The Supreme Court ruled on June 27 that a high school football coach had a constitutional right to pray at the 50-yard line after his team’s games, the latest step by the court in expanding the place of religion in public life. The vote was 6 to 3, with the court’s three liberal members in dissent.

Is it any wonder that some Americans have chosen to migrate to countries that respect the religious rights of all citizens?

Sofia Ali-Khan wrote an opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times relating how she, a child of immigrant parents, could no longer live with the hate of minorities perpetrated by President Donald Trump. She believes that to live in the States she would have to hide her Muslim identity.

The number of Americans seeking residency in Canada has grown exponentially. No wonder. Canada is a country that welcomes people of all faiths and races.

I can’t fight the system. Perhaps it is time to follow Sofia Ali-Khan to Canada.

7 Classic Christmas Songs Written By Jews

From ‘White Christmas’ to ‘Winter Wonderland,’ some of the most famous songs of the season are by members of the Tribe. Yes Jews call themselves part of a tribe. That is a significant difference between Christians and Jews.

American Jews were prominent in the songwriting business of the 20th century, and even if they didn’t celebrate Christmas, they were happy to write for the popular Christmas market. Below are some of the most famous Christmas songs written by Jews. The link will enable to see the singers and her the songs on Youtube.

By the way have you noticed that orthodox Jews have Santa Claus like beards. Could it be that Santa Claus is really a religious Jew?

“White Christmas”

Irving Berlin

“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”

Johnny Marks

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”

Johnny Marks

“Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow”

Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne

“Silver Bells”

Jay Livingston and Ray Evans

“The Christmas Song” (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)

Mel Torme

“Walkin’ In a Winter Wonderland”

Felix Bernard and Richard B. Smith

How can the Democratic Party Retain Control of the House of Representatives?

Unless the Democratic Party has a magic potion we will be seeing a Republican Party majority in the House of Representatives beginning in January 2023. There are two reasons to reach this conclusion.

Historically the president’s party has lost control of the House in mid-term elections. Although not all the time. The Democrats won the House of Representatives in 2018. The Republicans won control in 2010 (Obama’s first mid-term election).

The second reason is the results of the 2010 census. Three of the states gaining additional House seats are Republican strongholds. It is reasonable to expect their legislatures to ensure the seats they gain have majority Republican registrations. Florida gained one seat. Montana gained one seat. North Carolina gained one seat. Texas gained two seats. Those five seats will give the Republicans control of the House. So assuming they hold on to all the seats they currently control the results are obvious.

NPR reports that New York Democrat, and chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney, told them that the party is hopeful that an ambitious, multitrillion-dollar economic agenda trumpeted by the Biden administration will resonate with voters when it’s time to head to the polls next fall. I don’t agree.

It will take a nationwide multi-million-dollar funded campaign to retain control of the House.

Rosh Hashana

Rosh Hashana starts tonight at sundown.

Rosh Hashanah, literally meaning “head [of] the year”, is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah, literally “day of shouting or blasting.” It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days specified by Leviticus 23:23–32 that occur in the early autumn of the Northern Hemisphere.

It is Hebrew Year 5782.

Being a Pastor is Big Business

Evangelist Franklin Graham: Net Worth $25 Million

How do you feel about pastors making so much money that some of them have accumulated wealth in the million of dollars?

Pastor Joyce Hutchison, from St. Louis has an estimated net worth of $8 million. Rick Warren of Orange County California Saddle Back Church has an estimated wealth of $25 million. Joel Osteen – Net Worth $40 Million.

Pastor Kenneth Max Copeland hails from Lubbock, Texas. He is the founder and owner of Kenneth Copeland Ministries, located on an estate of more than 1,500 acres, equipped with a church, a private airstrip, and a hangar for the ministry’s $17.5 million jet and other aircraft. A televangelist, he hosts a live television show called Kenneth Copeland and You. Pastor Copeland has seven ministry offices around the world to spread his beliefs through a variety of channels. Those channels include television program Believer’s Voice of Victory, radio broadcasts, a podcast, a magazine, a ton of books and various social media platforms, to name a few. His estimated wealth is $760 million.

Perhaps I am wrong but I always thought men and women of the cloth worked to better mankind. It appears being a pastor is just a business. Give me your money and you will be saved is just a sales pitch and millions of Americans and people around the world have bought into that pitch.