Mahzor

New York Public Library

Churches

Sarajevo Haggadah

Mah Nishtanah

Sarajevo haggadah

Antaea Darom

Israeli women's art

Action

Torah as music

Ben Heine

Action

ceramic bowl

Mohammad Said Kalash, "Offering Reconciliation" exhibit (photo: Ilan Amihai)

Action

Punch and Judy/Pinchas and Jamila

Avi Katz

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David Grossman

Ben Heine

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Eldrige Street shul

Lower East Side

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Dove

Ben Heine

Action

Two birds

Hoda Jamal

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Israeli and Palestinian boys

from documentary, Promises

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Cat in the Hat

Yiddish version

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Daylight through the Wall

Banksy: graffiti art on Separation Wall

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Maurice Sendak's Brundibar set

New Victory Theater (photo: Nan Melville/NYT)

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Daniel Barenboim, West-Eastern Divan Orchestra

Palestinian-Israeli musical ensemble (photo: Kerstin Joensson/AP)

Action

Great Day on Eldrige Street

N.Y.'s klezmer greats celebrate shul rededication (photo: Leo Sorel)

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Joint Appeal for Peace

(Avi Katz)

Joint Appeal for Peace

Ketubah, Ancona, Italy (1772)

(Jewish Theological Seminary library)

Ancona ketubah

Archive for the ‘Humor’ Category

Abusisi: Hamas’ Nuclear Bombmaker

Saturday, August 13th, 2011
Abusisi's Hamas WMD

Abusisi's Hamas atom bomb design and signed confession. Caption: 'Atom bomb (very dangerous, to kill Jews!). I confess that I designed this. March 8 2011'

Haaretz, Maariv and Yediot all agree that Dirar Abusisi is Hamas’ chief rocket designer and the mastermind behind every missile that lands inside Israel.  He’s also responsible for hiding Gilad Shalit and knows where he’s imprisoned.

But that’s not all.  And I’ve got the (till now) secret documents to prove it.  The drawing you see is so sensitive that the Israel court, which released Abusisi’s Shabak interrogation transcript, refused to allow its publication.  But I have my sources and zey hav zehr vays (as Werner von Braun might’ve once said).

Now I can report without any doubt that Abusisi is not just a rocket designer, but that from his extensive online nuclear research he has designed a Hamas nuclear bomb; or as Shimon Peres would say: “a flying Holocaust.”

This man is a veritable devil incarnate and Shabak caught him in the nick of time.  Had it not nabbed him asleep on that Ukrainian railroad train, there’s no telling how much damage he might’ve done, not just to Israel, but the entire western world.

You thought Richard Reid, the shoe bomber was bad.  Pshaw.  Child’s play compared to the boom-boom Abusisi had designed for his good friend in Hamas, Mohammed Deif.  And you know where he meant to detonate it, right?  No, not on the prime minister’s office.  That would’ve been too obvious for our genius engineer.  No, he was going to wait till Eric Cantor and Aipac brought one-quarter of the U.S. Congress to Israel for their annual haj and drop the big one killing a ton of birds with one ‘stone,’ so to speak.

I am also trying to confirm a rumor that he was the 19th hijacker on 9/11.  If my source is correct–move over Mohammed Atta, you don’t hold a candle to terror mastermind, Dirar Abusisi.

On a slightly more sober note, my Israeli friend, Ed Mad X has created a hilarious spoof of the Dirar Abusisi “confession” published in the major Israeli papers yesterday.  An Israeli court released the transcript of Abusisi’s Shabak interrogation in which he confessed practically to being Hamas’ Werner von Braun (as an Israeli aerospace researcher put it in the Fresh discussion forum).

What’s most remarkable is that he developed these proficiencies, if Shabak is to be believed, entirely through The Internets!!  And also with a PhD he earned online from the Internet School of Aerospace and Rocket Technology (http://www.dropthebigonenow.com).

Edo’s image puts the absolutely Bozoness of the Shabak transcript into perfect context.  Here’s the original drawing which the artist used for his spoof.

Israel Announces Ten Year Ban on Hope

Saturday, July 2nd, 2011
bust of bibi

Bust of Bibi sculpted by Code Pink and destined for Greek Parthenon (UPI/Kevin Dietsch)

Israel, which recently threatened to ban for ten years any foreign journalist joining the Gaza flotilla, has announced that it also plans to ban the following words and phrases for ten years: Audacity, Hope, liberation, Tahrir, Nakba, Naksa, Al Quds, Occupation, BDS, boycott, divestment, sanctions, targeted assassination. It is also considering a ten year ban on any living organisms found on the Flotilla ships including various bacteria, rodents, barnacles, etc.

Greece is considering following suit.  It may ban the following words: bailout, bankruptcy, Merkel, complicity, collaborator, stooge, deadbeat, austerity, courage, bravery, spine.  If you have any suggestions for “dangerous” words for either country, please add them in the thread.

Prime Minister Papandreou has announced plans to place a bust of Bibi Netanyahu in the new Parthenon museum.  Bibi, in turn, is planning to drink a bottle of choice Greek retsina (if there is such a thing) until he can’t tell the difference (ad lo yada)* between the names Papandreou and Obama.

* A Purim custom of drinking until one can’t tell the difference between the names Mordechai and Haman.

Flotilla Welcomes New Passenger, Fire-Breathing Dragon

Thursday, June 30th, 2011
fire breathing dragon

Newest member of Gaza flotilla

Israel claims that flotilla passengers have stockpiled chemicals and flamethrowers on the ships for use against Israeli forces dispatched to intercept them…

Haaretz

Israeli Government Hand in Hoax Anti-Flotilla Video

Monday, June 27th, 2011

It’s beginning to appear that virtually every statement, every tweet, every Facebook Wall posting from the Israeli government about the Flotilla is either steeped in fraud or simply wrong.  Earlier today, I posted about what Dena Shunra has aptly called an IDF blood libel against the Flotilla activists, who are claimed to be preparing to “shed blood” of IDF soldiers who attempt to stop them.  Allegedly, they’re also bringing “sulfur” aboard the boats in order to attack the IDF in some unspecified way.

omer gershon aka marc pax

Omer Gershon, Israeli actor and hoaxster aka 'Marc Pax'

The latest piece of hoaxterism is a video which Max Blumenthal, Benjamin Doherty and Ali Abunimah have proven to be a fake.  It features an alleged gay man named “Marc Pax,” claiming that he was refused a place on the Flotilla because of his sexual preference.  Robert Mackey of the Lede now confirms that the video was a fraud and that three Israeli government officials tweeted about the video at virtually the same time and almost immediately after it was uploaded to the web.  The character in the video is in reality, Omer Gershon, an Israeli actor and marketer who has made at least one commercial with a director named Elad Magdasi.  You take one look at Gershon’s Groucho-like eyebrows and eyeglasses and you know this guy is a fake.  Mackey notes that Magdasi’s YouTube channel prominently flacks videos produced by…are you ready?  Stand With Us.  Now I wonder whether Magdasi himself has made videos for SWU before?

Would SWU fund such nonsense?  Of course not.  They’re far too classy a group to do that.  In truth, there are any number of equally scuzzy pro-Israel advocacy groups with the means and the will to produce this video, among them LATMA or Clarion Fund.  But the SWU connection is most intriguing.

UPDATE: Everything you’ll read about government denials of involvement below was also apparently a lie as no less than the prime minister’s office itself conceded, in effect, that the government was involved in production and dissemination of the video:

The premier’s office in response did not deny that that the government was involved in the video’s production, and admitted that government bodies had distributed the link.

“Various bodies dealing with international media campaigns continuously monitor and distribute internet content when they recognize content that can serve Israel’s campaigns,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement.

What this tells you is that the Israeli government doesn’t really give a crap whether they’re exposed or not.  They didn’t even try to be subtle.  It also indicates the utter cynicism of the government toward the international community and world media.  The ends, for Bibi & Co., are so much more important than the means.  Protecting Israel (as they see it) entitles them to lie and cheat, all in the name of the State.

* *

When the Israeli government was found to have its hand in the fake cookie jar it reacted with its best Claude Rains-expression of SHOCK, I say shock, that anyone could be so low as to create such a video.  It complained loudly: “We were duped.”  Yeah, I bet you were.  About as duped as the proverbial art forger discovered to have sold a fake Vermeer for millions.

It sternly reprimanded at least one its staff who tweeted about the video.  Though my impression is that it reprimanded him for being discovered, rather than for the fake that he acted on behalf of Israel in promoting the video:

“Mr. Seemann is a 25-year-old who is interning in our office. His tweet was a mistake on his part. It was done without authorization and without approval. His mistake has been pointed out to him.”

I’ll bet it was done without authorization or approval.  If you consider that the MFA’s Danny Ayalon has declared the Flotilla to be Israel’s Public Enemy #1 and that his sworn mission is to “delegitimize” it by any means necessary, the claim rings hollow.

Yigal Palmor, the MFA’s chief PR flack has dropped the claim that the video is truthful and now calls it a “mockumentary,” as if to say: “We were fooling you all along and did it on purpose.”  What the purpose might be is anybody’s guess.

UPDATE I: It’s starting to feel like everyone is coming around the the peace activists’ way of seeing the Gaza siege.  Even Allison Rowen Taylor supports the Gaza Flotilla!  Well, OK she only gave 1 cent.  But every little bit counts, Allison, and we appreciate your support.  It just shows you that even the misguided can find the true path and that teshuva is a godly thing.  Next thing you know the Flotilla’ll be receiving gifts from the Danny Boys, Dan Gordis and Dan Pipes.  Then you’ll really be able to say the leopard’s changed his spots!

There remain a few Israelis though who still are sour pusses as far as the Flotilla is concerned.  Those brave hearty souls of the Mossad for example.  They’ve been hard at work sabotaging the ships that they can.  It appears likely they broke the propeller shaft of one of the Greek boats.  H/t Paul Woodward.

Top Ten Fun Names for IDF Interdiction Operation Against Gaza Flotilla

Friday, June 17th, 2011

I offer the following in the spirit of hangman’s humor preceding what I hope will be a safe passage for all my friends on the various boats of the Gaza flotilla.

The IDF, like all military organizations gives names to every operation it executes.  Its planned piracy on the high seas against the upcoming Gaza flotilla is probably no exception.  I thought we’d tear a page from David Letterman’s book and suggest a list of Top Ten (actually it’s bar mitzvah 13, but who’s counting) suggested names for this high seas fiesta.  Here’s your chance to devise some new ones.  The winner will get to ride with the lead IDF zodiac intercepting the first flotilla ship:

Operation Bleeding Heart

Operation Don’t Menschen It

Operation Samaritan Smackdown

Operation Quick & the Dead

Operation Eternal Victim

Operation Let’s Get it Over With

Operation Finish the Job

Operation No Humanitarian Crisis

Operation Mavi Marmara-You’re So Over

Operation Let’s Talk Turkey

Operation IHH-I Hate Hamas

Operation Hot Lead

Operation Lead Balloon

And from Helena Cobban: Operation Ungrateful Dead (you’re showing your age, dear Helena).

Thanks to an anonymous reader for the concept.

IDF Planning for Syrian War

Thursday, June 16th, 2011

Perhaps in a move designed to warn the Syrian regime that it’s playing with fire if it continues allowing Nakba-Naksa style protests on the Golan Heights armistice line, the IDF website publicized an annual war game exercise which simulates war with Syria.  It’s armored and engineering forces massed to mimic a Golan Heights attack on Syria and, according to the canned army-speak “accomplished [a more precise, and telling translation would be "conquered"] their objectives.”  I don’t think a single soldier or commander asked himself what he would do once he reached Damascus, thus achieving his objective.  Would Israel then set up a puppet regime and create new settlements even closer to Damascus?  Perhaps Israel would bring a new democratic regime to Syria (à la Bush in Iraq), that is currently in the throes of rebellion?

A similar simulated war was conducted last year which I covered here.

What follows is a summary of the Hebrew version of the article, with but a small amount of “interpretation” interpolated by yours truly.

The story begins with a loving account of how the presence of an officer injured in the recent Nakba Day protests rallied the troops.  No, not shot, injured by stone throwers, those wicked assassins.  There was a chair for the wounded soldier’s resting foot and a worried doctor, but the officer treated it all as if nothing had happened.  And of course there’s the requisite heroics about how during the Nakba Day “fight” the injured commander refused a medic’s attentions and only when the storm of battle was ended did he consent to treatment.  And this dedication to the mission aroused nothing but admiration in the beating hearts of his men (of course).

Not a word about the 15 unarmed Syria-Palestinian demonstrators who were mowed down by IDF bullets.

IsraelinUSA's (Israeli Embassy) latest tweet...need we say more?

Another “lightly wounded” officer describes (erroneously I might add) being confronted by “thousands” of Syrian demonstrators and quickly feeling “surrounded.”  Of course he doesn’t mention that the IDF forces were quite distant from the victims when they opened fire.  Otherwise, you might think that this was hand-to-hand combat like Jim Bowie at the Alamo.  He continues (almost certainly exaggerating once more) that rocks rained down on his comrades for half an hour and that this tested their mettle as IDF soldiers, reminding them of why they trained.  Yessir, one of the world’s allegedly finest fighting forces lives to face down stone-throwing Syrians and perform other acts of national deliverance on behalf of Israel and the Jewish people.

In a similar development, the Israeli navy has been practicing as well for its planned abduction of the human rights activists aboard the Gaza flotilla boats soon to set sail for Gaza.  The military is telling the world media that every precaution will be taken to keep injuries to a minimum.  Why there should be any is beyond me.  Since nine were murdered last time, I suppose anything less would be a blessing (though given the mayhem in the Golan this may be wishful thinking).

In case any of you are wondering what the Israeli Embassy is tweeting just about now, of course they’re telling us about the stellar U.S. basketball talent that’s headed to…no, not Gaza, silly.  But to good old Israel, of course.

Guess Who Else is Thanking Congress for Standing By Him?

Monday, June 13th, 2011
qaddafi

Qaddafi (Platon)

Well, yes your first thought was Bibi Netanyahu, who received so many standing ovations from his rapturous Congressional audience (minus a sensible Ron Paul, who ducked the opportunity), that they might as well have remained on their feet the entire time.  But who else is lovin’ Congress to death?  Try Muamar Qaddafi, who wrote some very nice things to members of Congress like John Boehner for attacking U.S. policy toward Libya.  Qaddafi knows a friend when he sees one and Boehner is it:

Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi has written to members of Congress thanking them for criticizing President Obama last week over his involvement in the NATO-led military campaign in Libya.

“I want to express my sincere gratitude for your thoughtful discussion of the issues,” Colonel Qaddafi wrote in the letter, a copy of which was supplied to The New York Times by a person seeking to defend the administration’s policy. “We are confident that history will see the wisdom of your country in debating these issues.”

…“We are counting on the United States Congress to its continued investigation of military activities of NATO and its allies to confirm what we believe is a clear violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973…

What’s quite funny is that Boehner’s spokesperson calls Qaddafi’s letter “incoherent” (it’s anything but) and then spouts this nonsense:

…This incoherent letter only reinforces that Qaddafi must go. There’s no disagreement about that,” said the spokesman for Mr. Boehner, Brendan Buck. “That’s why so many Americans have questions — which the White House refuses to answer — about the administration committing U.S. resources to an operation that doesn’t make his removal a goal.”

So, the point of the Republican attack on U.S. policy toward Libya is to criticize our committing resources to the NATO attack on Qaddafi, which isn’t designed to remove him.  Got that?  I wonder if that’s what Qaddafi believes as he’s holed up in his bunker waiting for those NATO bombs to fall again on him and his entourage?

But let’s get back to my main point (I was having such a good time bashing John Boehner’s cluelessness I almost forgot why I wrote this post) which was Bibi.  He now joins the ranks of foreign potentates, dictators and Middle East strongmen who’ve cheered and been cheered by our jolly good fellows of the U.S. Congress.  With a record like this, Bibi may receive an honorary membership in the Middle East Tyrant’s Hall of Fame being established in the remains of Hosni Mubarak’s villa in Sharm.

Barak, Continuing March to Nowhere, Announces Launch of New Party

Friday, May 13th, 2011
sinking titanic

Ehud hit a political iceberg and is going down with the ship

Ehud Barak, like the Titanic in 1913, gave this second act in his political career a magnificent send-off as he launched his new political party, Atzmaut (Independence).  About the only thing it’s independent of is reality.  But even Barak seemed to accept his consignment to oblivion come the next election, when he told the (literally) dozens of supporters who came to watch the spectacle:

Barak addressed the dozens of supporters who attended the event, saying he had “good news and bad news”. The defense minister said the “bad news is that we are doing terribly in the polls.”

But, finding a silver lining in the party’s lack of popularity, Barak said “the good news is that we can only go up from here”.

…”There are only 80 people in this room,” Barak said, “but this is only the beginning. If each one of you brings another 80, we can get 20 seats…

By my quick calculation that gets him 6,400 votes, which is barely enough for a single seat, let alone 20.  Can you imagine a former Israeli prime minister and current defense minister declares the inauguration of a new political party and he can only draw 80 people?  Let us all wave a fond farewell to Ehud Barak who has just consigned himself to political irrelevance and a much deserved rest.

But don’t worry about Ehud.  He’ll resume his lucrative defense consulting business milking all those international companies which want to do business in Israel or with Israeli defense contractors.  He’ll be opening doors like crazy or seeming to promise that he can.