Israel
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On may 26,1992,Israel’s President Chaim Herzog unveiled a rock from Jerusalem, at Auschwitz. The rock serves as a permanent memorial to the 1.65 million Jews who were murdered there. Visibly anguished and tearful, President Herzog said the following words during the unveiling. “In this dread place, I stand here brokenhearted. This ground on which we…
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Blood libel—the false accusation that Jews kidnapped and murdered Christian children to use their blood for ritual purposes—was a centuries-old anti-Semitic myth. Though it originated in medieval Europe, this pernicious belief persisted into modern times. It was revived during the Third Reich by the Nazi regime. Medieval Origins of Blood Libel The blood libel first…
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A look at the historical facts for anyone questioning Jewish indigeneity to Israel and Jerusalem. The Siege of Jerusalem, 587 BC The Siege of Jerusalem in 587 BC was one of the decisive events in the history of the ancient Kingdom of Judah. It marked the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian Empire under King…
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The Olympic Games are meant to represent peace, unity and international friendship. In 1972, however, the Munich Olympics became the scene of one of the most shocking terrorist attacks in modern history. On September 5, eight members of the Palestinian terrorist group, Black September, entered the Olympic Village and attacked the Israeli delegation. By the…
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(Repost from 09 August 2024) Today, I had the privilege to interview Aziz Abu Sarah. Aziz Abu Sarah is a peace builder, cultural educator, entrepreneur, author, and international speaker. He is a Palestinian peace activist, journalist, and tourism entrepreneur who founded MEJDI Tours and is a resident of East Jerusalem. When Aziz was nine years…
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Forgotten History-The Hardaga & the Kabiljo families:Holocaust and Bosnian Muslim Genocide survivors
(originally posted in April 2016) There really isn’t such a thing as a happy Holocaust story but I think this is probably could be seen as a ‘happy’ story. It doesn’t only portray extreme bravery but also that deep down, good people are the same, regardless of what religious differences they have. Especially in the…
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Suicide: A Difficult but Important Topic in the Context of the Holocaust Suicide can be a controversial topic, but in the context of the Holocaust, I believe it’s an important subject to address. I’ve said before that I don’t believe the often-cited number of six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust is entirely accurate. I…
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אנחנו נרקוד שוב Wir werden wieder tanzen. Beidh muid ag damhsa arís Vi vil danse igen We zullen weer dansen. Nous danserons à nouveau mir veln nakhamal tantsn Ons sal weer dans Við munum dansa aftur เราจะเต้นรำกันอีกครั้ง 我們將再次起舞 Ми знову будемо танцювати
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Eighty-four years ago today, Edie (Elias) van Biene and Sara (Sonja) Rood were married in The Hague. Just a few days ago, I celebrated my own 31st wedding anniversary. It was a hot day, and I still vividly remember our first dance, the kiss, and our first night of passionate sex as a married couple—each…
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I once painted skies.Vast, open, careless heavens that dripped sunlight and hope.My brush danced with joy, my palette a chorus of life.But then came the grey. It was not the grey of morning mist or soft winter clouds—It was the grey of silence,of smoke that climbed like prayerfrom chimneys built to erase names. I was…
