preoccupied St Thomas Aquinas and worried Thomas Malthus This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Don’t stop believin’” Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents Her wit and style, brought to life by these directors, make for a most enjoyable evening in Ryan Coogler’s hit film is a riff on the uses and abuses of genre Two books trace the extraordinary rise and rapid fall of Yevgeny Prigozhin Robert Macfarlane and James Scott seek to understand the ways of water The greatest civilisations of the past 3,000 years were the opposite of MAGA Join us at the Akustika Fair at the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre from April 4-6 Meet The Strad team at stand F08 and pick up a free copy of the magazine The Strad Directory Jobs The winner of the 2021 Windsor Festival International String Competition shares how personal tragedy emphasises his connection Bloch’s Baal Shem Discover more Featured Stories like this in The Strad Playing Hub  It’s a very difficult moment when one of the closest and dearest people in your life passes away. Bloch dedicated his suite Baal Shem to the death of his mother. My father passed away in November 2021, which was a month after I won the Windsor Festival International String Competition When I found out that I would have the opportunity to record a CD I initially planned that the programme would comprise rare works that are not recorded and performed as often as the ‘golden’ violin and chamber music repertoire I didn’t plan to record this particular Bloch cycle at first It is very difficult and full of different emotions and it seemed to me that it was too early for me to work on it The disc recording was postponed until November 2023 I had already thought about numerous versions of the album programme but because of all the situations in the world moments and thoughts from my personal life during this time feel what it is like when you lose a loved one because of my current family situation many aspects of the musical language of this work were already clear I realise that now I would have played a lot differently because I’ve grown up and my life views have adjusted slightly but this recording captures my feelings and experiences in that moment I hope to return to this work and constantly feel something new and very different situations in life occur with separate emotions and feeling for each piece Ysaÿe’s Poeme elegiaque is a kind of love story which could be for a person life or for the world. This is the ’flight’ of emotions; the feeling when the soul is breaking by the moment that something cannot be as we would like but at the same time resembles heavy metal a waltz of some slightly crazy images and a huge drive all the works are united by one emotion – love Bloch’s Baal Shem is very spiritual – on the one hand all classical music is ‘spiritual’ in some way because music is also called ‘spiritual’ food the Bloch refers to such a list of works that are directly related to God each requiring a separate understanding and approach because I felt an understanding of what emotions and experiences were written in the piece I am also of Jewish origin and these motifs and melodies were immediately clear to me I am extremely glad and grateful to my colleague Maxim Tanichev for the work we have done together I have been playing with him for more than four years and I feel that we understand and hear each other perfectly to play in the same direction I am also incredibly grateful to the soloists of my Davinspiro Camerata Chamber Orchestra each of the musicians has an interesting personality Everyone sees or feels something different musically but at the same time we all breathe together before the beginning of a piece or a new phrase and all get great pleasure from playing music together When you can do this in a large friendly group of musicians playing together inspiration and a desire to learn new works Ysaÿe will be released on Champs Hill Records on 17 January 2025 Read: Bryony Gibson-Cornish: How I acquired my dream Amati viola Read: Music for our time: violinist Paul Huang on his new album ‘Mirrors’ In The Best of Technique you’ll discover the top playing tips of the world’s leading string players and teachers It’s packed full of exercises for students plus examples from the standard repertoire to show you how to integrate the technique into your playing The Strad’s Masterclass series brings together the finest string players with some of the greatest string works ever written Masterclass has been an invaluable aid to aspiring soloists chamber musicians and string teachers since the 1990s The Canada Council of the Arts’ Musical Instrument Bank is 40 years old in 2025 This year’s calendar celebrates some its treasures including four instruments by Antonio Stradivari and priceless works by Montagnana Tully Potter explores the rich and colourful life of George Enescu A striking debut from a 20-year-old Latvian violinist Peter Mallinson examines the history and challenges of writing repertoire for two violas ahead of the release of the album Two Violas: Regeneration versatility and modernity of the viola duo as an ensemble Artists sometimes use multiple instruments on an album Violinist Nancy Zhou shares details about the three different bows employed on her upcoming album of solo works What has Hans Christian Aavik been up to since winning the Carl Nielsen Competition in 2022 The Estonian violinist speaks about his new album release of two contrasting concertos which comprised part of his competition victory package 18 duos for violin and viola make up Melia Watras’s latest project Site powered by Webvision Cloud Metrics details Rekindled passions and revival of indigenous beliefs and practices have become one of the emerging conversations on African Religions (AR) This paper draws upon an ethnographic study of the Nsukka-Igbo communities to negotiate the impetus for the increasing dibia (broadly defined as medicine man/priest/diviner/healer) practices among the Igbo of Nigeria Despite the informed school of thought contemplating African Religions and their attendant agencies as being in retreat evidence from this study portrays a rejuvenation of indigenous knowledge and practices dealing with health concerns particularly as found in dibia practices is shaped by the youth’s reawakening trust in local knowledge systems This account maps into the discourse on the resurgence of indigenous health agencies in the midst of the dominant Western medium of seeking wellness in postcolonial conditions the reference to the rebirth of African religious practices fits neatly within the context of how minority cultures survive the overwhelming influence of Eurocentrism in post-colonial environments It is evident from literature that methods or impetus for reviving dibia practices in post-colonial Igbo setting have not been given enough empirical attention The present study aims at fulfilling a knowledge gap by examining the factors that are leading to the revitalization of dibia practices and the continued rise in popularity among patrons of local therapy in Igbo society of Nigeria from the turn of the 21st century to the present Although Asadu’s claim may be fiercely resisted and criticized I construe this belief as part of the primary reasons behind the resurgence of dibia practices the coinage of the title of this article: who will re-fix the contest of Baal and the true God the conceptualization of dibia was explicated the young dibia declined that his image be taken and incantations were made before the photo was taken This figure is covered by the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License Reproduced with permission of Onah Tochi copyright © Onah tochi has framed the resolve to probe further into the veracity of Nnadi’s claim affecting the quality of the study’s result Ugwoke Amankwo was asked to swear by the deities so as to uphold a number of professional ethics It is a highly regarded practice which could be compared to the conventional Hippocratic oath that is obtainable in Western medical professions during graduation ceremonies a well-known member of oha (council of traditional lawmakers) reaffirms that “inwuma (oath taking) for the initiates is aimed at ethical regulations; the fear of the impending calamity from Idenyi helps the dibia in our area to use their ogwu only in curing the sick and rendering other positive services” When reminded that some dibia accused of evil machinations against innocent persons in the community performed their inwuma Ozioko responded: “we cannot entirely rid society of evil every immoral action must have consequences lays a curse on such dibia and their generations.” Beside him on the white polo shirt is the author who participated in the cultural display many dibia and omabe masquerades show off their ‘mystical power’ & Ike Ishiwu Copyright © Ejike Asadu,& Ike Ishiwu The initiation of Uche Nwa Idoko at Ógèlèm’nyi Ámúbé Énúgú-Èzìkè into the dibia profession was much similar to the one organized for Ugwoke Amankwo guests and displays of affluence at Ógèlèm’nyi Uche appears more of a socialite or charming personality than Ugwoke Amankwo 2021) maintains that apart from other regular African traditional healers and onye ishi (a blind person) could become a successful dibia The concept dibia a di agwo onwenye (a doctor does not treat his own sickness) explains the reason a dibia with disabilities could as well perform creditably and without resentment from the patrons of his services The explanation for this inclination was hardly available suggests how special/endearing they are to Chukwu Dibia practice is unquestionably both indigenous and ancient Their re-enactment in contemporary Nsukka-Igbo society demonstrates its significance in addressing people’s health needs in those communities despite the prevailing Western form of seeking wellness Indigenous knowledge systems and beliefs are used in interpreting every aspect of human experience in pre-contact African societies colonial and imperial experiences in Africa have contributed to instances of outright abandonment or a trail of decline in the traditional beliefs and practices The focus of this section is to unravel the causes of a significant increase in the demography and activities related to dibia practices in Nsukka-Igbo communities the Christian missionaries’ clandestine efforts toward the colonization of Africa is well known… it was the same missionaries that originally introduced European-styled hospitals as a tool for converting the locales to their religion Even though I know there are great advancements and benefits in that medical system it does not also mean that our traditional medical practices should be abandoned explains how he was cured of peptic ulcer by Dibia Chukwudi Onah after several failed diagnoses and treatment in an orthodox Hospital in Nsukka Mr Omeje had studied Pharmacognosy at a Nigerian University and had shown a great understanding of natural drugs obtained from plants Inferential observations how show Omeje’s informed knowledge of herbs rekindled his trust in indigenous medicine BBC journalist Peter Macjob in his autobiographic account adopted African traditional beliefs and practices after years of being a Christian Macjob’s description correlates with the reasons given by O as the motivation for their conversion from Christianity to African Religions was a Christian pastor before his conversion to Igbo Religion Dibia Anezi Ugwuoke (personal communication I was a member of the Christian mission Church I started hearing voices from my ancestors to become a dibia the name of my village is Amankwo oha ebia/dibia (the village of dibia) no one had become a dibia in the last century or so.As you know the overriding Western influence through colonialism and cultural domination has led to the abandonment of Igbo Religion and its numerous agencies… Currently I am the first dibia in my village since the White manipulated my forebears into believing that our religion is evil… As a dibia I will continue to defend our (Igbo) culture and tradition… The resentment or umbrage toward foreign religious elements is common among the majority of Nsukka-Igbo youth who have been increasingly returning from Christianity to the Igbo religion A good number of these youth are educated and aware of the history of Christianity in their communities this group of converts and the remnants who sustained the traditional religious practices form the growing number of dibia and the patrons of the local system of medical care 2022) insightful response gives a glimpse of the perception of conventional medical practices in Nigeria I fear being sick whenever I remember the nature of hospitals in Nigeria; poor equipment conflicting laboratory results and diagnoses are well-known after a series of initial tests and supposedly treatment suggested the tumour was benign and not malignant as previously thought I was very scared and depressed owing to the conflicting diagnoses 2) there is the high cost of allopathic medical healthcare and the expensive pharmaceutical products have become unavailable to a majority of people” A good number of the patrons of the local system of health care in Nsukka-Igbo are resorting to an affordable alternative Many individuals in Nsukka-Igbo are becoming dibia as a result of the willing public who desire to patronize them even before my official declaration and initiation as a dibia I had many patients that sought my assistance… A greater number of these people is suffering from malaria and typhoid many of these patients trust the local herbs more than orthodox medicine… confirm a growing drug resistance among people attacked by malaria (J this resistance is fuelling an unprecedented trust in local medicine and dibia practices This belief, which is firm in African religions (cf. Gyekye, 1995) is drawing people to patronize indigenous health practitioners It was dibia Ugwuoke Amankwo who revealed through eha/afa (divination) that I should appease Idenyi-Nkwo deity I did as he had instructed … He subsequently prescribed some local herbs and concoctions which I routinely used and drank… I am now cured of the malaria … economic interest is shaping cultural revival in many societies This is also true of the impetus for the growing dibia practices in the Nsukka-Igbo communities a good number of dibia are those who were previously doing menial jobs Others are those whose businesses passed through glitches after a series of unsuccessful business ventures in Lagos and no success was recorded in any of them When I inquired about the reason for the persistent failure onye eha (diviner) revealed how some sort of esoteric machinations was instrumental to my condition I was convinced that the business challenges I was facing were ways my ancestors who is currently the councillor of Owerre Umoyo ward describes the “celebrity dibia” as a man who drives different cars and is respected in the community The elevated socio-economic status of dibia in recent times is driving an influx of mainly young people into the dibia profession in the Nsukka-Igbo communities This observation is largely an inferential construction as the responses of the dibias that were interviewed revolve around selfless services and divine providence Another important impetus for the resurging dibia practices and associated concerns is the reassuring belief in mystical powers in African religion as well as some members of Christianity in Nsukka-Igbo ekwa ma are becoming more reliable sources of social control than the Christian God and paraphernalia (chaplet 2022) are of the view that chukwu is not as merciful as the Christian God or Jesus His punishment is commensurate with the severity of the abomination committed or sin of an individual Amandioha (god of thunder) could strike someone dead because of stealing Jesus is shown as a very merciful and forgiving being He could forgive the worst of atrocities committed by someone shapes how people react in social situations I reported a case of car hijacking to the parish priest in my community The car was snatched as I was returning from Sunday Mass and prayed that they either return the car or face God’s wrath; they would be disgraced or killed I personally booked Mass and prayed the chaplet that the car be returned My faith was stretched when I was informed how dibia Uwakwe Abugu had assisted people to recover their stolen vehicles With few ritual performances and the insistence that the car would be returned in 7 days The town-criers announced on the streets of our community about the impending calamity that would befall the thieves if they failed to return the car within 7 days… They mentioned Adoro deity and Idenyinkwo deity as media of vengeance … Surprisingly the thieves returned the car even though they had repainted it… There is no systematic way to situate the role of Dibia Abugu or the deities mentioned in the recovery of the vehicle It is possible that the belief in the impersonal powers of the Chukwu (God) above those found in other religions influenced the hijackers’ action in returning the vehicle this thought is influencing a good number of people in the Nsukka-Igbo communities into accepting African Religious practices Dibia Ejike Asadu’s response to the reason for the revival of dibia practice is insightful the Igbo dibia are more powerful than the Christian priests in terms of manipulation anduse of impersonal powers The Igbo nation is one of the lost tribes of Israel The Igbo dibia is as powerful as the prophets of the Bible… I am happy that many people in our area are understanding this truth and trusting the dibia… Do you know that Christians are not respected in Israel… We are the Igbo-Jews … who can refix the contest of baal and the true God?… the Dibia will be victorious (personal communication as a good number of Igbo liken their spiritual as well as socio-political life to the Jewish experiences a number of people interviewed in this study (D 2022) believe that a dibia has the ability to manipulate esoteric powers like the Old Testament prophets is influencing many people to trust the dibia and seek his services The results of the study imply that there is an improved awareness of traditionalism among a spectrum of the people which could be the implicit force for the resurging dibia practices in the selected communities of Nsukka-Igbo the renaissance in dibia practices is partly evidence of the way in which the people in these communities react to the dominant Western form of seeking wellness Given the crucial role dibias play in Nigeria’s rural health understanding the motivation for their revival seems essential The focus of this study is particularly on the reinvigoration of dibia practices and other associated concerns related to African religions further research on the revival of other African cultural elements is imperative Such elements are the dibia ad’gboloja (quack dibia) iru ga riulomma (remoulding of masquerade houses) the earlier predictions of some scholars on the bleak future of African religious beliefs and practices contrast with the conscious revival of dibia practices This development is consistent with the pattern of cultural revival in post-colonial environments issues related to unsatisfactory diagnosis and treatment and firm belief in traditional health agencies are driving an unprecedented increase in dibia practices Data for this research is available on request This controversial proposition increasingly frames the people’s beliefs and practices Agbo PO (2024) We shall triumph link the Jews: unveiling the implicit side of IPOB’ armed separatism in Southeast Nigeria. 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Retrieved from https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/364715/9789240063303-eng.pdf?sequence=1 Williams O (2021) The politics of labels: Imperial categorizations and the marginalisation of ethnomedicine in Nigeria during the twentieth century Wilson W (2004) Introduction:IndigenousKnowledgeRecoveryIsIndigenousEmpowerment Download references Many thanks to the research assistants; Nnameka Ugwuokwor for taking the photographs and Agbo Charles Ekwutosi a graduate student of the University of Nigeria for the transcription of data The research was solely carried out by the author with minor contributions from 2 research assistants The author declares no competing interests ethical approval was not necessarily required for this study given that it did not involve human or animal participants in a way that might cause harm (p the ethical procedures for conducting the study were strictly guided by the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki The informed consent of the participants was sought and obtained before data collection The protocols of the consent included information about the objective and purpose of the research potential risks and benefit of participation in the research were clearly communicated to the participants prior to the collection of data All participants are over the age of 18 and willingly accepted to take part in the study their confidentiality and anonymity were also strictly considered Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04141-8 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article In his first at-bat as a professional, @baal_austin25 goes yard!The @SHIPUBaseball product's solo shot to right (100.2 mph EV) ties it up for @SCSpikes in the 2nd. pic.twitter.com/trUenRO50M Thanks for visiting ! The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Over 30 years ago, a young Chaim Tovshteyn emigrated from the Soviet Union to Crown Heights and took a part-time job with R’ Sholom Bruchshtat’s rental service. Each Yud Alef Nissan, he tried composing niggunim without success. Thirty years later, after losing both parents, something shifted. Over 30 years ago, a young bochur named Chaim Tovshteyn emigrated to Crown Heights from the former Soviet Union with his family. Starting over from nothing, his family worked hard to rebuild their lives. While studying at Hadar HaTorah, Chaim took a part-time job with R’ Sholom Bruchshtat’s chair and mattress rental service.  Though the work was difficult, it felt like a dream. R’ Sholom was constantly composing new niggunim for Yud Alef Nissan, singing and sharing both his latest compositions and the older ones. His melodies filled the van as they worked, creating an atmosphere that warmed Chaim’s neshama and made him feel truly at home. As the Rebbe’s birthday approached each year, Chaim was inspired to compose his own niggunim, eager to learn from R’ Sholom. Though his early attempts didn’t come out as he had hoped, sitting beside R’ Sholom in his van was an experience that left a lasting impact. Life moved on, Chaim got married and pursued a career in programming, but the warmth of those moments in the van never faded. Then, during COVID, he suffered the heartbreaking loss of both his parents, A”H. In the midst of grief, something shifted. Perhaps it was the endless support of his parents that had always pushed him forward, but suddenly, the door to composing niggunim miraculously opened. What began as a source of comfort in his time of loss eventually led Chaim to finally join as one of the creators of a new niggun for Yud Alef Nissan this year. Credits to musical arranger Israel Edelson and a singer who is an amazing mench and a chosid that wishes to be unknown. Does anyone know when the picture is from? Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Notify me via e-mail if anyone answers my comment. Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Fem van Empel has won the X2O Badkamers Trofee race in Baal for the third year in a row. After a crash in the opening lap, the Brabant native had to chase for the entire race. In the ultimate finale, the world champion finally managed to pass Lucinda Brand. Traditionally, the GP Sven Nys in Baal is on the calendar on New Year's Day. Van Empel started the first race of 2025 alertly, but after a small crash on the opening lap, the world champion had to chase Brand and Puck Pieterse.   In the subsequent laps, Van Empel systematically worked her way to the front. On the penultimate lap, the world champion passed Pieterse. Only in the ultimate closing stages, the 22-year-old Dutchwoman managed to close the gap to Brand. Van Empel eventually beat her compatriot after an exciting sprint.   Dit bericht op Instagram bekijken Een bericht gedeeld door Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women (@teamvisma_leaseabike_women) “This was one of the most beautiful duels I rode” I had a small slip after choosing the wrong track but at that point the belief in a win was rather small “I noticed that I got closer and closer to Brand in the final lap” “I was able to close the gap after the bars which made me fully believe in the victory again After that it was all out until the finish line I'm very happy to have won the first race of the new year.”  Subscribe yourself for the Team Visma | Lease a Bike newsletter and receive previews for races Well, that’s not the best way to ring in the New Year. According to a release on X from his Alpecin-Deceuninck team world champion Mathieu van der Poel won’t be starting at the X2O Trofee Baal – GP Sven Nys named for former world champion Sven Nys (and father of top ‘cross rider Thibau Nys) World champion Mathieu van der Poel will not be participating in Baal today,” a statement from Alpecin-Deceuninck read “Mathieu is experiencing significant rib pain a lingering effect of his crash in Loenhout where he struck a pole The discomfort has worsened over the past few days and after consulting with the medical team this morning Mathieu made the difficult decision to withdraw from today’s race.” Although Wout van Aert has raced against him it’s fair to say the Dutch rider has been unrivalled in every outing Van der Poel was planning to compete again in the X2O Trofee in Koksijde on Jan before heading to the World Cup in Dendermonde on Jan His schedule continues with the World Cup in Maasmechelen on Jan followed by the World Cup in Hoogerheide on Jan He’ll cap off his cyclocross season at the world championships in Lièvin on Feb As far as when Van Aert and MVDP will square off again There is no world championships for Van Aert this year as the Belgian is focusing on his Classics season Get the digital edition of Canadian Cycling Magazine Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" We finally got some points for the new 40K Blood Angels army – so lets see just mean of a Herohammer “Boys From Baal” list we can make! Goatboy here and thankfully we finally got some points for the new Blood Angels army  It feels like forever since we got the rules complained about all the arms we had to break off models and how much of an edge lord Mephiston actually wise  This time around I started doing some basic list ideas before we got the points and thought – let’s add all the special character into one list and see what we can do with the Boys From Baal Right now I have built out two Death Company squads and I am just waiting on my Sanginuor to come in  Every time I build a new Marine list I always think – man I should have really stuck going hardcore into the Space Goat theme or making everything Chaos  I went to far into this Primaris build and have to stick to it The age of Counts As armies is just not the same with so many different index  Thus my Marine army is an actual Marine army even though its colors are not the normal “Blood Angel” colors This is full of all the things I want to play and mostly have painted  Sure I could throw in some Baal Predators and giggle at the name like a twelve-year old but then I would have to get some and just play things that don’t smash things in close combat  I have almost all of this painted except for Sanguinor and the Sanguinary Guard (Combat Patrol pending)  I get the feeling the Dreadnoughts will make me sad and I will end up looking at other options but for right now this feels right  At the very least in my gold black heart it feels right Warhammer 40K: The Best Armies in 10th Edition - Post Munitorum Field Manual About Us | Contact Us Names, trademarks, and images copyright theirrespective owner. 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in the server logs Shri Narendra Modi remembers the unparalleled bravery and sacrifice of the Sahibzades on Veer Baal Diwas Prime Minister Shri Modi remarked that their sacrifice is a shining example of valour and a commitment to one’s values Shri Narendra Modi also remembers the bravery of Mata Gujri Ji and Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji we remember the unparalleled bravery and sacrifice of the Sahibzades they stood firm in their faith and principles Their sacrifice is a shining example of valour and a commitment to one’s values We also remember the bravery of Mata Gujri Ji and Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji May they always guide us towards building a more just and compassionate society.” Their sacrifice is a shining example of valour and a commitment to one’s… World Bank-UNHCR Joint Data Center on Forced Displacement Natalia Krynsky Baal is a Senior Strategy and Policy Officer with the Center She has been working for the last ten years to strengthen available data and analysis in forced displacement situations she worked with the Joint IDP Profiling Service (JIPS) and has developed specific expertise on urban displacement Her work has focused on enhancing collaboration with local actors to strengthen sustainable response and to integrate displacement into development plans She also led the development of International Recommendations on IDP Statistics Natalia is a visiting fellow with the Feinstein International Center and has studied politics and theology at Edinburgh University and has an M.Sc in Human Rights from the London School of Economics Elul also brings the stress of drasha writing High Holiday programming and designing their accompanying flyers classes to prepare and invitations for meals to issue In this busy month which we sometimes dub as “tax season for Rabbis/Rebbetzins” it sometimes seems like our own personal teshuva efforts get bumped to the bottom of the list with other shul matters vying for our attention But the month of Elul also two marks two special anniversaries in our community- one of a yahrzeit and one of a wedding- both which serve as reminders of all that the yamim noraim can and should be I hope that by sharing this story with you it will offer the same inspiration it brings to us: It’s been two years since the night that I walked up to the sweaty but radiant chattan and kallah and asked each of them for a bracha I had accomplished nothing in my life as compared to the spiritual upheaval they had just undergone Didn’t they understand they were my role models The Gemara teaches: Makom she’baalei teshuva omdim ein tzadikim gemurim yecholim la’amod bo a completely righteous person cannot stand Words I had learned and taught and thought I understood until I truly experienced them I looked with wet eyes into the tear-filled eyes of the chattan as he blessed me with beautiful and touching words as his father who had witnessed our relationship develop I looked at the glowing face of the beautiful kallah as she offered her own words of blessing Her words were exactly what I needed to hear No one could ever truly know the full extent of their journey I stood with her in the mikva room when she officially accepted the mitzvot and converted I attended her again when she dipped to become a kallah I was the first to hug her the moment after her new husband stepped on the glass and the frustrations that could easily have pushed a strong person away their devotion to each other and their unbelievable joy a redhead who had  been known as a wild-child had been somewhat tamed by his very-head-on-straight and beautiful (also redheaded) girlfriend She was not Jewish and the two were far removed from a religious life “If anyone would have suggested I should even try a shabbat But something happened to them the night his grandfather passed away was a man in the community who was well-respected for his patience commitment to Judaism and his close relationship with his family wanting to learn how she could undergo an Orthodox conversion I don’t know if at that initial meeting they had any idea of how difficult it would be or how different their lives would start to look after that conversation they had to move into the Jewish community and they had to engage in hours of studying the laws that they would both have to agree to keep for the rest of their lives They had to agree to embark on the journey together They already owned a large property that they loved They found a small house within the boundaries of the local eruv through all the challenges this sometimes proved to be and which would ultimately cost him his job She became an expert challah-baker and as a lineman he became an eruv expert and one of the key builders of our community eruv They became closer than family with many families in our shul I would come home and find them learning with my husband with a burning curiosity and desire to know more She and I went to Israel together with an amazing group of non-observant women I watched as she fell in love with the land that would soon become her birthright as a Jewish woman I watched the eyes of the other women as they talked with her and laughed with her and observed this amazingly normal woman who was changing her entire life to become Jewish I saw them take a deeper look at Jewish tradition and see it all through the excitement and newness that was in her eyes; that sentiment was familiar to me as I felt the same awareness in my own eyes having gained a new appreciation for my own Jewish lifestyle after befriending her The whole community waited with bated breath for the administrative details of the conversion to be worked out Almost two years to the day of his grandfather’s funeral that started this couple on their journey we finally got the call and with an hour’s notice likely contemplating the tremendous step she was about to take The rabbis asked her if she would keep kosher if she would send her children to a Jewish day school Questions I take for granted in my own life searched her soul for answers over the course of two years She answered in the affirmative with strong clarity They asked her if she would take challah from her dough and the expert challah-baker who had instructed me on how much dough to take when she baked challah with my children She came out of the waters with the Hebrew name Her face was aglow with a spirituality I could never have imagined Her first “real” time taking challah from her dough We were all afraid to “contaminate” her by speaking lashon hara or saying anything negative in her presence They planned their wedding with three weeks’ notice and the place where his grandparents and great-grandparents had devoted so much time I had played “L’maancha” for them in the car they decided they wanted Eitan Katz to play at their wedding; by some miracle he was available with three weeks’ notice on Labor Day Weekend The upcoming wedding was all anyone in the community could talk about My husband and I spent an unbelievable aufruf with the chattan and his family We listened as each of them spoke about this unbelievable man who had come so far his commitment to doing the right thing and the love that turned his whole life around They spoke about the peace and happiness that his commitment to Judaism has brought to his life They spoke about how proud his grandfather would have been and how he we all knew how proud he was now The look of profound joy on the faces of this couple when they saw each other for the first time after spending the emotional days leading up the wedding The palpable sense of unbelievable simcha that everyone in that room felt our sense of awe of all they had gone through together and the sense of completion that this long-awaited marriage brought Seeing the happiness on their faces was tasting a bit from the World to Come At the end of one of the most special weddings I had ever attended I looked back into the eyes of this chattan and the kallah who had taught me so much who had brought such inspiration to my life and I felt a sense of utter humility I told them the truth that it was such a merit to receive a blessing from them To have been through this experience with them That I was in awe of them and of their journey It’s been two years since that story took place She has since left her job working in home health care to work in Admissions and Development at our Jewish Day School to share her passion about educating children Jewishly He started a successful business after his previous job refused to accommodate his observant lifestyle They are the parents of the most adorable little (redheaded) boy named after the grandfather whose passing set their whole process of growth in motion in honor of his grandfather’s yahrzeit they have inspired and brought in a group of young couples into our community They have also inspired the kids of our community and taught them that Judaism is worth sacrificing for My daughter recently made the difficult choice to give up a solo in the school play because it was after her bat-mitzvah and it would mean singing in front of a mixed audience She told me that while it was really hard for her she found the strength to give up something she really wanted to do because she saw how this man was willing to give up his job to be Shomer Shabbos When I think of Elul and what it means to become a new person more or less the same people we were the year before Watching this couple has reminded me that true growth is not for the faint of heart That inspiration can be fleeting if we do not follow it up with sweat in our efforts That the measure of success is not necessarily how high we climb but the struggle and the effort that goes into each small step As someone who has always been an observant Jew my experience with them is a reminder that life is not about what rung of the ladder we were born on or how many mitzvot we already do it is about what direction we are going on the ladder And Elul is our month to kick start the process The words of this author reflect his/her own opinions and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Orthodox Union My children have been in Christian school all of their lives save for just a couple of years when they were very young This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Chattanooga Times Free Press Material from the Associated Press is Copyright © 2025 audio and/or video material shall not be published rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use The AP will not be held liable for any delays errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing Rain can be a real pain to ongoing archaeological work—but it can also bring with it new discoveries Such was the case with a new discovery released from Greece last week: Following a heavy downpour at the ancient site of Olympia a sharp-eyed archaeologist discovered a blue-green horn sticking out of the ground—the tell-tale color of an ancient bronze artifact cleaned and revealed to be a bronze bull statuette Dating to somewhere within the Geometric Period (around 1000–700 b.c.e.) the burned artifact had evidently served as a “sacrificial offering” to the god Zeus whose temple and grove it was discovered alongside While such votive offerings of small statuettes are well-known to the Greek world (a large number have been discovered at this altar to Zeus) what is particularly unique about this artifact is that it is bronze—a more expensive commodity The bull was a valuable physical animal to Greece and was religiously symbolic—particularly in the worship of Zeus It is one of the symbols of the god (the Myth of Europa relates Zeus’s transformation into a bull) The Zeus-bull connection goes even further to one of the most infamous deities in the Bible: Baal That’s because Zeus is the Greek equivalent of the Canaanite-Phoenician god Baal (in the same way that the Roman Jupiter is the later equivalent of Zeus) The pantheons of the Mediterranean and Middle East are indelibly linked we see names including Zeus Belus (“Zeus Baal”) and Jupiter Belus Zeus and Baal were respected in their various regions as “thunder god,” and were often depicted armed with a fiery “thunderbolt.” Bull-worship and sacrifice related to Baal features throughout the Bible Judges 6 describes Gideon destroying an altar and grove of Baal and capturing the bulls at the site 1 Kings 12-13 describe the official establishment of pagan Israelite worship before calves (also note Exodus 32) An especially famous episode is the showdown between the Prophet Elijah and the 450 priests of Baal to establish the identity of the true God: Both sides prepared a bull on an altar to see which sacrifice would be divinely ignited (1 Kings 18) “And they took the bullock which was given them and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon and said: ‘Cry aloud; for he is a god; either he is musing the common symbol of Zeus-Baal is his fiery bolt of lightning: It is interesting that here in this biblical account it is the God of Elijah who lights his sacrifice with a literal bolt of fire from heaven—not Baal for his priests (verse 38) The symbolism would surely not have been lost on the Baal-worshiping audience gathered to witness the event It was during this same Israelite Iron ii/Geometric period that a worshiper at Olympia presented his or her own “bull offering” (a rather more metallic one) to the god of thunder Discoveries such as the Olympia bronze bull highlight how even the most miniature of finds speak volumes of the ancient world—a devout belief a sacrifice frozen in time—and help bring to life the stories of the Bible Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the third Veer Baal Diwas at the Bharat Mandapam in the national capital paying tribute to the bravery and sacrifices of the Sahibzades the PM launched the “Suposhit Gram Panchayat Abhiyan” a new initiative aimed at promoting a competition among village panchayats to eliminate malnutrition and foster community health Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a programme organised to celebrate Veer Baal Diwas at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Thursday Modi recalled the courage of the Sahibzades — Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh — who sacrificed their lives at a young age more than three centuries ago adding that how they rejected the “temptations of the Mughal Sultanate and chose to embrace death instead of compromising their faith” The PM also spoke about the significance of this day in strengthening national unity “Every act done for the country is an act of bravery and every child and youth living for the country is a Veer Balak,” he added PM Modi also acknowledged the role of the youngsters in India’s progress youth energy has always played a big role in India’s progress,” he said adding that the government’s focus on youth-centric policies is aimed at empowering young people across various sectors The “Suposhit Gram Panchayat Abhiyan” aims to engage village panchayats in a healthy competition to address malnutrition “This campaign will focus on improving nutritional outcomes and well-being by strengthening the implementation of nutrition-related services,” the PM said stressing the importance of community participation in achieving these goals archaeologist Lorenzo Nigro of Sapienza proves 2022Get email notification for articles from Ruth Schuster FollowMar 20 2022Would you like us to summarize articles for you?And Elijah waxed sarcastic with the prophets of Baal after the god disdained their pleading to light a fire beneath an unfortunate sacrificial bullock: “Cry aloud; for he is a god; either he is musing He wrote about the nature of the structure as a pool and not a harbor in 2014 but now Nigro explains that the pool likely served an astronomical role and new finds associated with it underscore the city’s multicultural nature In fact the freshwater pool was the center of a monumental religious complex with three temples Open gallery viewA plan of the sacred area.Credit: Antiquity Publication Ltd / Sapienza University of Rome Expedition to MotyaThe site of Motya (or Motye or Mozzia) has been occupied since prehistory as befits a lovely place on the Mediterranean The city arose on the western shore of the island of San Pantaleo about 2,800 years ago after Phoenicians sailing out of Lebanon discovered the island and cohabited with the prehistoric inhabitants distinctive “West Phoenician” cultural identity The Phoenician city at Motya was founded about a century after the establishment of the great and terrible Phoenician-Canaanite city of Carthage in Tunisia As Motya’s influence in the Mediterranean region grew envious Carthage would wipe the upstart city and its defensive wall off the map Yet this “West Phoenician” city would arise anew with a new outer defensive wall and monumental religious compounds one in the north of the island (honoring the god Melqart) and one in the south Open gallery viewAn ancient stele known as 'Baal with thunderbolt,' on display at the Louvre Museum.Credit: Jastrow/ Louvre Museum This story is about the southern religious complex during the Phoenician phase of the city It is clear in hindsight why the purpose of the monumental rectangular basin was misinterpreted when first discovered in 1906 by the Anglo-Sicilian archaeologist Joseph Whitaker who thought it was an artificial harbor called a kothon Kothon (or cothon) is a Greek word for a round-mouthed clay or metal drinking vessel used by Spartan soldiers and in classical records came to indicate the name of the giant ring-shaped artificial harbor in Carthage Whitaker dubbed the rectangular basin in Motya “cothon.” In honor of Whitaker the first person to investigate the basin of Motya Nigro continued to call the rectangular structure a kothon even though it isn’t one Back to Whitaker in the early 20th century: He had noticed a channel between the basin and the sea and assumed it had been dug for boats to sail through He therefore posited that the structure was an artificial harbor for military purposes Open gallery viewCredit: Vikarna & Kalicine730 / YeletsIn 1971, Benedikt Isserlin of Leeds University (at the time), also writing in the journal Antiquity, described excavation of a dry-dock at Motya that structure didn’t involve the basin itself the Mediterranean was 80 centimeters lower than it is today (climate change at work) the pool is on the wee side for a harbor; The Carthaginian kothon with an external area slated for merchants and an internal area for military boats the Romans used the kothos of Motya to farm fish; and centuries later the sacred pool of Motya was fed by not one but at least three groundwater springs originating in a subterranean aquifer These freshwater sources were discovered after the kothos had been drained for purposes of excavation That is when it was demonstrated that at no point in the Phoenician period had the kothos been connected with the sea being 80 centimeters to 1.5 meters in depth hardly the ticket for war boats to maneuver smack in the middle of this freshwater sacred pool stood a stone statue of Baal that would have towered 2.4 meters in height though it isn’t there anymore – we will get back to this point the team set up a replica of the Baal statue in the pool which made “everything clearer” and also excavated more of the “temenos,” the circular wall surrounding the religious compound with the three temples Open gallery viewSouthern wall of the kothonCredit: Antiquity Publication Ltd / Sapienza University of Rome Expedition to Motya Open gallery viewCredit: Mark A Wilson / Wilson44691Excavations from 2009 to 2021 unveiled the “temenos” wall that had surrounded the sacred compound and once stood about three meters high The archaeologists also found a temple to the goddess Astarte and a cultic building that Nigro dubbed the “Sanctuary of the Holy Waters” because of its hydraulic and cultic structures: among other things the sanctuary includes a shrine and an area for animal sacrifices Open gallery viewA sandstone statue of male deity found in 1933 in Sicily's Marsala Lagoon.Credit: Antiquity Publication Ltd / Museo Archeologico Regionale A he believes the pool at the center of the complex may have also served as a surface to observe and map the stars The water surface would have mirrored the sky as water does – none other than Leonardo da Vinci pointed out the attributes of inert standing water when studying the night sky whether as gods or deceased ancestors; and the position of the constellations was of keen interest to the sailors among them for navigation purposes The constellations’ positions in the night sky on significant dates are mirrored in the alignments of the main structures at the compound Steles were “carefully placed within the temenos to mark the rising or setting of the stars over the horizon,” he writes its propylaea (gateway) and a number of aligned stelae are all orientated towards the point on the horizon where Orion rises immediately after sunset at the winter solstice,” he specifies The orientations are based on archaeo-astronomical reconstruction of the night sky when the temple was built Which brings us back to Baal and the missing statue in the middle of the sacred pool If the statue is gone (all but one carved foot on a stone block) the archaeologists discovered an inscription with a Greek dedication to “Belios” in a votive pit beside the pool’s south-eastern corner Open gallery viewAn excavated site at Motya.Credit: David HoltGreek Motya was a multi-cultural city and this Greek inscription is fundamentally important adding: “It is dated to the middle of the sixth century B.C.E. on paleographic grounds and also thanks to the small aryballos where it is inscribed.” but apparently of a god with the head of dog-eared baboon lending credence to the astronomical theory of the pool’s function The Phoenicians worshiped not only Baal and Thoth, but also cosmic elements. Baal, for instance, was represented by the constellation Orion the gates and several aligned steles are oriented towards the point on the horizon where Orion rises immediately after sunset at the winter based on archaeo-astronomical reconstruction of the sky in about 550 B.C.E Baal was also worshipped by the Canaanites and became the bugbear of the Yahweh followers, though early Israelites were clearly not the diehard monotheists that modern Jews tend to assume. They apparently adored quite the pantheon it seems; his name appears dozens of times in the Bible Yet prevail, Baal did not; towns in biblical Israel named after him are gone, while towns named after other gods, including Shamash, the moon god Yarekh, and El, are everywhere The turning point may have been the reported drive by Queen Jezebel (daughter of King Ithobaal of Tyre!) to force Israel to worship Baal by purging the prophets of Yahweh Article by Rabbi Motti Wilhelm of Chabad SW Portland: “I was thinking…really But then I recalled a 300-year-old story…” I then remembered the story of how this all began and realized the awesomeness of the moment This week the central Chabad library completed a years long project of uploading its rarest and most precious manuscripts for online public access Each of the 3,000 manuscripts share secrets of Torah and tell an incredible story of the survival of Torah & the Jewish People perhaps none more than the library’s “crown jewel” the Siddur of the Baal Shem Tov Handwritten by the Baal Shem Tov’s brother in law in the early 17th century this prayerbook contains the mystical kavanot (meditations) of the 16th century Arizal In its margins one finds inscriptions of the Baal Shem Tov’s students asking their master to pray for their wellbeing Its pages are literally soaked and stained with the blood stained tears of the Baal Shem Tov.  fires and all is  a miracle unto itself.  For hundreds of years its access was restricted to a select few who spiritually prepared and purified themselves The Rebbe himself shared that he experienced trepidation approaching this holy artefact.    I’m thinking to myself: is all this access appropriate Should one be able to have the Beijing Olympics open in one tab a debate about whether we should be watching Olympics in China in another and the Baal Shem Tov’s Siddur in a third I then recalled that this very story played itself out over 300 years ago when early students of Chassidus transcribed and distributed teachings that had been taught secretly to a select few a critic noticed a page of these teachings languishing in a mound of garbage and with distress expressed his dismay that they had gone too far Look what happens when you unrestrict access The Alter Rebbe (the first Rebbe of Chabad), responded with a parable: When the prince is ill, the king will even grind the jewel in his crown, if that is what it takes to heal him. The Jewish people need this energy, and Hashem, the King of all Kings wants us to do whatever it takes to infuse them with it.  Click here for the entire story. Today, we are inundated with messages of all types. We live in a world full of confusion. There is unrestricted access to everything.  Thus in times such as these, the crown jewels are freely given to energize and support us. As the Chief Chabad Librarian said “the decision to release this was extremely difficult, but ultimately we realized we are not authorized to hide these treasures in boxes. What purpose would that serve?” Let’s use the incredible energy we are given  to change the world for the good.  Can it eventually become available in English translation? Parts were released years ago thru heichel Menachem In fact, whenever the library exhibition presented the Baal Shemtovs siddur or I think the Alter Rebbe’s tefillin, it was always in picture form. “We realized we are not authorized to hide these treasures in boxes. What purpose would that serve?” I believe the Rebbe himself answered this question: the purpose of the library is to provide access specifically to reseachers. Thank you for superbly explaining what the rare gem of the crown is all about and justification for it’s release. Our rebeyim have bled out the last of their treasures for all to trod in hopes that just maybe it will compel a yid to do a favor to a sinner. The shluchim need to understand that Klal Yisroel is now going through the great נסיון to determine whether or not they live up to the standard of Ahavas Yisroel taught during the last 200 years of their stay in galus. The Geula depends on this. But it’s not an easy choice, because we are faced with an Other Side who portrays a very strong scientifically valid reason to exclude our Ahavas Yisroel from certain individuals. There’s no shephard to interfare with our בחירה. The choices are fair. The pixelated tear stains perserve the Bal Shem Tov’s plea that his people pass the test. May we cup our ear to the messege this siddur brings. Hello, Login Hello, LoginLog-inor Sign-UpMy Account Follow us on: invest and get updated what's happening in the crypto market India's Largest Regional Retail Option Traders Summit (BOTS) is a prestigious options trading event organized by Traders Gurukul Held on the 2nd OR 3rd Sunday of every month This functionality will provide users with ease of access navigation and enable create a new revenue line by generating leads of potential customers for brokers in a more integrated manner ${res.must_watch_article[0].headline} Stock Markets Copyright © Network18 Media & Investments Limited videos or any other content in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of moneycontrol.com is prohibited *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue As improbable as it sounds, the Baal Shem Tov has made his screen debut as a character in a new costume drama set in 18th-century Ukraine. Rabbi Israel Ben Eliezer, the founder of Hasidic Judaism, appears in the movie Dovbush aiding Oleksa Dovbush a sort of Ukrainian Robin Hood who battled the Polish nobility from his base in the Carpathian Mountains The film was shot in Ukraine in the summer of 2021 and is replete with battle scenes filmed before the battle with Russia began. It was released there in August, much to the delight of Ukrainian soldiers at the Russian front. And in case you were thinking things couldn’t get any stranger, the Baal Shem Tov is played by an American actor named Luzer Twersky a former Hasid who lives in an RV in Los Angeles Twersky himself happens to be a descendant of the Baal Shem Tov He knew the nigun from his days as a Hasid If actors auditioning for the role asked what a nigun was “I think that the love I have for your country is nothing compared to the love you have for your country,” Twersky told a packed movie theater in Bay Ridge where a screening for Ukrainian ex-pats was held last month He posed for photos with a couple of audience members from Ukraine eight years ago and whose father is currently fighting in the war She spent last summer in Ukraine and saw the film twice there first with a friend and then with her mother and brother “This story is very close to me because my mom told me the story of Oleksa Dovbush,” said Khudchak “This movie shows the braveness of those people wanted to release the film in May 2022 but after the Russian invasion According to a publicist Dovbush is now the third highest grossing film in Ukrainian history and is poised to surpass the second highest grossing motion picture, Me. You. He. She., a comedy starring a comedian named Volodymyr Zelenskyy Twersky went to Kyiv for the film’s premiere in August and extended his stay for five weeks accompanying the film’s production team at screenings in a military hospital in Kyiv and in Zaporizhzhia “It smells like war,” Twersky said of Zaporizhzhia where he encountered a soldier about his size (5’7” 120 lbs.) who still had dried blood on his body He looked like he came directly from the front line And that tells you everything you need to know about what this film means for the people and for the country It tells you everything you need to know about what kind of country Ukraine is.” Twersky gets less than five minutes of screen time in the nearly two-hour film — he appears in three scenes he encounters Dovbush who is in chains and assures the Besht who had been submerging himself in a stream that served as a mikveh “Who could ever think that?” replies the Besht Dovbush asks for directions and the Besht warns that calamity awaits Dovbush on one particular road and advises the fugitive to take to the mountains: “That’s where your destiny calls you the Besht pulls an unconscious Dovbush from the river and recites a prayer of healing over the unconscious outlaw The Besht suggests that Dovbush abandon his quest to avenge his oppressed compatriots “There is no justice without mercy,” he declares Dovbush presents his pipe to the Besht as a gift when Polish officials display a corpse they wrongly assume to be that of  Dovbush the Besht is visible in the crowd of onlookers Few reliable historical sources exist on the relationship between Dovbush and the Bal Shem Tov Most of what we know comes from a combination of Ukrainian and Jewish legends in the form of short stories a professor of Hebrew and Comparative Literature at the University of Haifa who wrote a 2011 academic paper titled Oleksa Dovbush: An Alternative Biography of the Ukrainian Hero Based on Jewish Sources said that there are about 20 or 30 legends about Dovbush and the Besht One includes a Jewish innkeeper who is said to have given Dovbush his nickname after observing that the infant was hairy like a bear (The Hebrew word for bear is dov.) Legend has it that the innkeeper also provided Dovbush’s widowed mother with financial assistance Some of the lore claims that when Dovbush saw a poor Jew But Dovbush was also known for robbing rich Jews — anyone who was rich One legend mentions an unsuccessful attempt by Dovbush and his compatriots to lead the Baal Shem Tov to the Land of Israel through caves and tunnels “He tried to go to the land of Israel with them but then he saw some sign from God which made him understand that the time for the journey didn’t come yet,” Fialkova said of the legend Twersky told me he has many relatives buried in Ukraine and great grandparents in Kyiv to pray for his father’s recovery from surgery “because it felt better than doing nothing and I knew it would make my mom very happy.”  The film’s co-producer Bilak spent five days with Twersky driving 1,200 miles around Ukraine at film screenings “I got the best education on the Hasidim that any goy could possibly dream of,” he said Asked what he thought the Dovbush film might do for the war effort Bilak replied: “People needed a movie that made them feel good about what they’re doing And that is fighting for our very existence the body of Oleksa Dovbush was hacked up into a dozen pieces and hung along the roads as a cautionary tale could only be killed with pure silver bullets that had been sanctified by a priest and only after the assassin fasted and prayed for three days And he certainly lives on with the 68th Separate Jaeger Brigade in Ukraine which is also known as the Oleksa Dovbush Brigade Formed at the start of the war with Russia the brigade specializes in combat in forest and swamps which is fitting given that Dovbush and his men were known as “the boys of the forest.” The Dovbush Brigade was one of the first military units to see the film Its logo is a bear carrying a long axe like the one Dovbush used in battle another tale has it that Dovbush never died but instead entered a cave where he’s been sleeping and waiting for the right time to wake up take his axe and continue his struggle for Ukraine,” Fialkova said this is a time when it would be very good if he can wake up and go out of the cave and help the fighters.” Jon Kalish is a Manhattan-based writer and radio journalist I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward American Jews need independent news they can trust At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S rising antisemitism and polarized discourse This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs Copyright © 2025 The Forward Association, Inc. All rights reserved. Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site. many on the Right have gained new respect for that talented lecher Alabama insisted that gentlemanly conduct matters HOUSE REPUBLICANS MOVING SWIFTLY TO START MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT ON JAN. 10 What hasn’t changed is the average voter’s hopeless befuddlement where the U.S Is the officeholder a creature of politics shaped by grubby coalitions and ideologies we may or may not share proclaiming upon the housetops the greatness of our land by his very being both executive authority and headship of the state the American founders instituted a tug of war that has never been entirely won or lost Is it the man we’ll be proudest to see representing us or the one whose policies are most likely to improve our lives It is not (quite) the position of this essay that the founders erred by designing the presidency as they did It is the article’s contention that we and postmodernity have made a hash of their work appending to the chief executive all manner of senseless idolatry The reality of contemporary America is that we have no need for a mascot The very notion of a symbolic head of state is an anachronism in a society as advanced and pluralistic as our own we dream of a unifying figure of another kind Such a person must be not only wise but good — a reflection of our “best selves” and a captain whom it is our privilege to serve “Now make us a king to judge us,” said the Israelites to Samuel in one of the Old Testament’s clearest illustrations of national folly Americans want a ruler “with all the duties and none of the rights of kingship.” (The quote is Paul Johnson’s and exceedingly wise.) We want the spiritual majesty without the secular wrangling when presidents reveal themselves to be mere politicians to the officeholder himself but increasingly Take, for instance, the candidacy and first term of Barack Obama Perhaps some small fraction of the crowds that hailed him as messiah wanted only a 4% rise in the average tax rate for high-income people The rest sought the consolations of earthly worship the Left finally understood that the Right would never share its veneration of racialist poison in the form of “progressive” wokeness Democrats thought they had found a symbol of American identity to rival Washington and Lincoln What they got instead was a smug and hectoring fool who worsened nearly every foreign and domestic crisis of his time and was duly opposed by his political opponents Where the 44th president is concerned, a 2009 remark by actor Sean Penn rather gives away the game: “I’m very proud to live in a country that is willing to elect an elegant man.” Yes Certainly he looked better in a suit than sour was King Saul the “handsomest” man of all the children of Israel That we choose alluring idols makes them no less deaf and dumb It seems obvious to me that the atheistic Left is more vulnerable to these temptations than is the residually Christian Right Though Trump is a difficult man to worship he has given rise to his own neo-religious cult the distressingly unironic paintings of Jon McNaughton the Atlantic– and Guardian-featured artist whose scenes include Trump riding steeds and crossing Revolutionary War battlefields It is in this context that Trump’s famous boast about “stand[ing] in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot[ing] somebody” makes the greatest sense the former president moves in mysterious ways To abandon him because his behavior is irrational would be an act not only of political caprice but of bad faith Might we as a nation have had the best of both worlds I am surely not the only right-of-center voter who has occasionally wished to borrow a political settlement from the Old World Grant me a Trumpian brawler as prime minister and you may have Obama and his descendants as constitutional monarchs forever producing the occasional Netflix series but otherwise remaining blessedly silent I will take my deranged and canny operator in the Oval Office We all know who’s getting the better end of the deal to ward off the realization that “there’s no one there but us.” Is there a way out of this mess besides a 28th Amendment (“The office of the president shall be political not sacred.”) Two possibilities come to mind to adapt a phrase from the Right’s rowdier precincts is that voters will recognize what time it is Having invented social media and the 24-hour news cycle will never again have a leader who transcends the muck of politics and bands the nation together That Biden campaigned on just such a promise merely proves how laughable it is Perhaps in previous eras a president could maintain his personal standing irrespective of policy The tools of disdain are (literally) at our fingers The second prospect is related but distinct American presidents will begin to dismantle the excesses of office Gone will be as much of the pomp as we can legally dispense with Gone will be the retinue of hundreds when the head of the executive branch so much as crosses the street Discarded most quickly will be the absurd monarchical flourishes: the honorific (“Mr It’s not for nothing the State of the Union address has become a locus of conservative complaint in recent years To cheer a politician whose policies one loathes is deeply and irremediably un-American But greet the man himself with a measure of restraint CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Many years ago, as a guileless undergraduate, I remarked to a professor how pleasant it was to think of the gentlemanly George W. Bush in the White House. His reply — “You actually care about that?” — has stayed with me. Yes, sir, I did. But then something of which you’d approve began to happen. I grew up. Graham Hillard is editor at the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal and a Washington Examinermagazine contributing writer. Not the Only Avenue: Pinchas WolhendlerThere was one aspect of your article on chassidic revival and the follow-up this past week that bothered me and Rabbi Weinberger’s rebuttal of Rabbi Shafran give one the impression that chassidus is all Yiddishkeit has to offer Anyone not learning sifrei chassidus and “pnimiyus” is a cold dry Litvak doing mitzvas anashim melumadah Rav Hershele Spinka ztz”l once said: “Everything that you’ll find in all of the chassidishe seforim can be found in the Chovos Halevavos.” It is true that many people are inspired from learning chassidus but to say that there is nothing out there for a spiritual seeker other than chassidus is going a bit far in my opinion There are hundreds of chassidish bochurim in litvish yeshivos Are you saying that it’s a yeridah for them that they’re abandoning places of avodas Hashem for spiritual deserts I once heard a powerful story from a chassidish mashpia He said that the Baal Shem Tov was a tzaddik yesod olam and a baal ruach hakodesh So how can it be that the Baal Shem Tov felt chassidus is so important The mashpia answered: Both the Baal Shem Tov and the Gra had a vision of the future generations The Besht was shown a modern world without chassidus and immediately hastened to establish the chassidic movement The Gra was shown the future with chassidus and immediately hastened to oppose the new movement I do not mean to chas v’shalom disparage the chassidic movement I myself am a born-and-bred chassid and learn chassidishe seforim seriously But the article seemed a little bit too over-dramatized and I heard a tone of condescension toward our heilige yeshivish brothers As an avreich who enjoys Rav Moshe Weinberger’s shiurim on the seforim hakedoshim I cannot help but express my thoughts on the recent article “Meeting the Baal Shem Tov in 2018.” While this new movement that is sweeping the Jewish world seems to be reason for excitement is it unreasonable to be nervous for those boys who are not yet committed to the struggle of Gemara as they may confuse the icing with the cake and settle for less — claiming to have found a cheilek in Torah that does not involve Ravina and Rav Ashi Of course there are those who by first tasting the icing will be led to the cake But we should not turn a blind eye to those who will eat only the icing and be left bewildered as to why they suffer stomachaches and are still hungry Won’t teaching the seforim hakedoshim for an almost instant spiritual lift before enforcing the primary importance of Shas only reinforce the negative notion that many boys hold — that Gemara is “bad” for them and if they involve themselves with it they will surely be “failing” Because the neshamah’s desire for deveikus is so real and because the yetzer often “fakes us out,” won’t statements like “Do you know how much ameilus is needed to truly understand a piece of Likutei Moharan?” and “feeling spiritual is better than feeling bad,” although possibly true confuse these boys and give them the excuse they have been waiting for to close their Gemara instead of embracing its challenge the “spirituality” they will find will not be the real My friend Rav Moshe Soloveitchik told me his uncle Rav Yoshe Ber ztz”l had said that in order to understand Nefesh HaChaim one must learn Tanya as it was written as a counterbalance to Tanya I became enamored with Tanya but realized that it would lead me to become further attached to limud chassidus “If it will strengthen your Gemara learning Subsequently when I would go into New York for fabrengens I would feel an achrayus to stop in the Mirrer Yeshivah to talk in learning with the rosh yeshivah the Rosh Yeshivah was my guest on Chol Hamoed Succos and I’d watch him looking through some sifrei chassidus I guarantee that the Rosh Yeshivah was not a proponent of darchei chassidus He was permeated with Gemara and his shmuessen in yeshivah were based on Chazal and Gemara — and believe me they lit a fire in those that had the privilege to hear them It’s just that he recognized that for some I attended a typical litvish-style yeshivah about three decades ago Then and now I thirst for the waters of Torah but a void in my heart was left unattended in the mesorah of that learning How I wish that my rebbeim had tools in their repository to impart their teachings in a manner that went from their hearts into mine and my growth then could have been made greater had feeling and warmth been infused into the mesorah of the sugyos we learned together and with less of a robotic transmission Thirty years later I still miss not receiving any impact beyond the integral impact of the Torah I learned together with my rebbeim in yeshivah As an adult I’ve added that impact on my own but my first choice still would have been to receive it back then Rabbi Shafran writes: “We must find ways to awaken them.” “Them” also applies to top bochurim like I was what is your plan to provide that to your talmidim I found the exchange between Rabbi Shafran and Rabbi Weinberger mesmerizing Talmidei chachamim going on record and sharing perspectives is how we’re still here as perhaps they are indicative of the struggles of others I learned in the classic yeshivos and did nicely really — could sit down and learn Noam Elimelech after coming out of the mikveh Erev Shabbos I saw people grasping onto the final minutes of Shabbos like a child parting from his parents at the airport I saw relatively ordinary people get tears in their eyes as they lifted the daled minim for the first time I was drawn into the world of Rav Tzvi Meir I danced in Tzfas and my soul came alive at the Vizhnitzer minyan on Leil Shabbos at the Kosel a heat wave — was a cause for joy in Hashem’s will we built a home that is not outwardly chassidish but retains the important elements of this approach But I discovered that once the novelty wore off and it became more formal more institutionalized — where do you daven empty of that liberating exuberance I’d felt in Yerushalayim Menorah and Shabbos and daled minim are crucial parts of Yiddishkeit but so is the Ketzos on yiush and the Minchas Chinuch on the melachos and the Brisker Rav on lishmah To not know them is to live a deprived existence To be unaware of where and how to locate the halachos on borer on Shabbos is to be an am ha’aretz and no matter how much purity the mikveh makes you feel it’s still no great honor to be an am ha’aretz I rue the long days in Tzfas swaying at a holy kever What good is a flaming heart if the body isn’t whole I thoroughly enjoyed Rachel Ginsberg’s “Meeting the Baal Shem Tov in 2018” and agree that chassidus and its worldview has been finding its way into the litvish/yeshivish world but sometimes go to lectures at a local Chabad shul and have started listening to online shiurim on the Tanya As to the question raised in the article of whether dabbling in chassidus is a good thing my answer is a resounding “yes.” More and more I have been finding that at key moments in my life bits and pieces of every shiur or piece of Torah that I have ever heard or read will bubble up into my consciousness and provide me with an insight Just as there is no time order to the Torah so those of us who come to the Baal Shem Tov’s lessons in a seemingly haphazard way can still gain meaningful information from them Mishpacha ReadersYiddishe Gelt: The conversation continues"The discrepancy between the rebbeim and teachers’ gifts is definitely not warranted" Mishpacha ReadersAll Our Children: The conversation continues"When parents stop sacrificing their children upon the altars of self-image Mishpacha ReadersLonely at the Top: The conversation continues, part 2   "Does chinuch add up to support a frum lifestyle Mishpacha ReadersLonely at the Top: The conversation continuesLast week’s panel discussing the vacuum in the vital fields of education and askanus touched on practical concerns and lack of motivation Mishpacha ReadersShidduch Photos: the conversation continues "A person might actually miss out on their bashert and years of happiness because they said no based on a picture" PM to launch ‘Suposhit Gram Panchayat Abhiyan’ Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will participate in Veer Baal Diwas a nationwide celebration honouring children as the foundation of India’s future on 26 December 2024 at around 12 Noon at Bharat Mandapam He will also address the gathering on the occasion Prime Minister will launch ‘Suposhit Gram Panchayat Abhiyan’ It aims at improving the nutritional outcomes and well-being by strengthening implementation of nutrition related services and by ensuring active community participation Various initiatives will also be run across the nation to engage young minds promote awareness about the significance of the day and foster a culture of courage and dedication to the nation will be organized through the MyGov and MyBharat Portals poster-making among others will be undertaken in schools Child Care Institutions and Anganwadi centres Awardees of Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMRBP) will also be present during the programme Prometheus here with our next installment of FRIGHT FIGHT FRIDAY Today is the first fight of the EVIL SPIRIT bracket considering this will be demons fighting each other others are fictional and only exist in the film world.  If you’re new to the series, click here for a rundown of the rules! Click here to catch up on past fights Today I have two extraordinarily strong demons for you guys in cases where the characters are based on real demons I will be taking their mythology into account Especially if the movie is rooted in that mythology Valak is an immensely powerful entity who is loosely based on the demon Valac He appears in the films the Conjuring 2 and The Nun as a creepy ass nun and also in the form of The Crooked Man from an actual old-time urban legend that you are NEVER supposed to read aloud.  Valac manifests as a small boy child with angel wings Valak is powerful enough to hide its presence from the clairvoyant Lorraine Not much is known about Baal in the film the Rite if not the most powerful demons in mythology It’s said he is the Great President of Hell and right hand to Lucifer himself He manifests as a human-like figure but with the head of a man Some depictions show him with the legs of a spider.  One thing about Baal is that he commands more legions of demons that basically any other ruler in hell They pull into the driveway at about 12:30 PM The sun is shining and bird's sing valiantly as a slight breeze sways the branches on the ancient oak tree in the front yard a rusted swing moves back and forth unattended; like a pendulum slowly winding down before coming to a stop.  “Well,” asks the man driving as he turns to his daughter “What do you think?” It’s a much larger house than their one-story flat in the city “It’s all ours.” He points to the name on the mailbox. “The Murphy’s.” and nowhere to go.” She opens the door and steps out of the car though.” She shuts the door and walks off into the large yard “Samantha,” calls her mother as she steps out “don’t be fresh.” She turns to her husband “I’m just hoping we didn’t make a mistake This is the best thing for us.” She looks John in his eyes and at the large three-story home she continues Her parents head inside the home while Samantha hangs back in the yard Maybe now her father would finally let her get a puppy.  As her mind drifts to thoughts of what kind of puppy she would actually want her feet autonomously lead her to the swing. A Chocolate Lab? Maybe a Golden Retriever? She sits down and her feet begin to leave the ground as these thoughts swirl through her mind preoccupying her. A Pitbull! She thinks as the swing reaches higher and higher with each oscillation little Samantha is propelled from the seat Her mother hears her scream from inside and rushes out to the yard.  Tears are welling in her eyes as she brushes herself off Wiping her nose with her sleeve she replies honey.” She kisses her daughter’s forehead “Stay off the swing until we can make sure it’s safe OK They head inside together for some lunch and as they reach the front door Samantha glances back at the swing Samantha didn’t know what woke her up but now that she was awake; she really had to pee Her parents were asleep in their bedroom across the hall and the house was completely dark and unfamiliar to this creepy old house away from all of her friends She didn’t care if it was bigger.  She turns on the light and sits on the cold porcelain toilette when suddenly “Mom?” The footsteps were too loud to be her mother They finally reach the door and stop right in front of it is that you?” Her voice is audibly shaken and higher than normal it’s not funny.” She stands up and opens the door expecting to see her father grinning at her She turns back toward the sink to wash her hands.  The water is warm and soothing as she rubs her hands together under it Her eyes glance up to the slightly tarnished mirror her eyes black and sunken in appears behind her Her mouth opens wide as if to swallow her whole Samantha lets out a blood-curdling scream as she flees toward her parents’ room there’s an evil lady in there!”  She shakes her head yes and he opens the door “In the mirror?” He looks into it his hand over his eyes as if he were gazing at something far off in the distance “Can I sleep with you and mom?” He looks at her like he’s going to say no but sees the fear in her eyes The next day Samantha is bringing some of her outdated toys down to the basement when she stumbles across an old chest in the back corner It’s covered in dust and looks like it hasn’t been opened in quite a long time.  on it are pictures of “The Crooked Man” in various grotesque poses Underneath the zoetrope is a handwritten note that reads: He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile And they all lived together in a little crooked house.” She reads it aloud and places it back inside the chest along with the zoetrope as her mother comes down the stairs Her voice is that of a full-grown man’s as she speaks in Latin The laundry basket and several yet to be unpacked boxes rise into the air Samantha begins to levitate off the ground.  John looks at his wife as he stands over his daughter “What the hell just happened?” It had been three days since his return to the states his head hurt worse by the day and he was always hungry he just chalked it up to exorcism being tough work  He wasn’t ready to perform an exorcism He arrives at the Murphy’s home expecting to find what he usually finds He feels it as soon as he steps over the threshold “She’s up in her bedroom.” She leads Father Kovak up the stairs.  It comes and it goes…” She opens the bedroom door gesturing Father Kovak in John is sitting in a chair next to the bed and he stands up to shake the priest’s hand “I hope so.” His head is throbbing “She threw me across the room like I weighed nothing.” He brushes his hair back Along with this.” He hands the zoetrope to the priest “The night before that she said she saw an evil nun in the bathroom mirror upstairs.”  ‘Interesting.” Father Kovak looks at the cross hanging on her wall The priest puts his black duffle bag on the bed and unzips it “Samantha?” The priest's bag falls to the floor The glass in the windows shatter as the bed levitates in the air.  The pictures on the wall fall to the ground and the bedroom door slams shut The bed shakes harder and the walls begin to crack “It’s not working!” John yells as his heart beats out of his chest Samantha jumps off the bed and runs to her father as the priest falls to his knees “Father Kovak?” Samantha’s mother walks over to him his skin is turning hard and scaly in spots Take your daughter and get out of here!” His back arches unnaturally and his body jerks as he screams in pain Murphy grabs Samantha and runs for the exit Two bent and disfigured hands grab on to the side of the doorway lanky figure lowers itself down from the ceiling The Crooked Man rushes toward the possessed priest but is blown back into the wall with such force that it shakes the house He motions his hands and the dresser flies toward Baal but disintegrates before connecting me?” Baal surges with power as the walls in the home begin to crumble Valak lets out a scream as his physical body begins to fade laughs in several voices as flames ignite around him via GIPHY not only in their respective film worlds but in actual mythology Although we know more about Valak in the films Baal is one of the most powerful demons in all of demonology and commands more legions of demons than Volac; the demon Valak is based on Being that we know less about Baal in the film I had to fall back on who Baal is in mythology Looks like this is a wrong url or this page has been taken down Pinkvilla Home » Major British sporting event accused of Baal worship in opening ceremony Idolatry went mainstream at the Commonwealth Games at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham. last week in an opening ceremony that even its supporters described as “quirky.” The sporting event became a political platform four years ago when diving gold medallist Tom Daley  used his platform to strongly condemn his platform to condemn anti-gay laws in 37 Commonwealth countries strongly Daley was chosen again to open the games by carrying the Queen’s Baton into the stadium surrounded by rainbow pride flags and joined by runners from Commonwealth nations where homosexuality is banned Promotion for the event featured a comical Perry the Bull The cartoon character has a dark back story as the town has hosted bull baitings since the 12th century and dogs would be set on it; this was thought to improve the quality of the meat and make it ‘softer in digestion as well as provide ‘sport’ for the spectators in the market But the centerpiece of the opening ceremony was a 10-meter tall mechanical bull Fifty people spent more than five months building the monstrosity dubbed “Raging Bull.” This stood in stark contrast to the games themselves which were heavily promoted as “The Friendly Games.”  The dramatic display, directed by Steven Knight, had the bull led into the Stadium by dancers in a dramatic production with a politicized presentation of history, as described by Wales Online: The bull is led into the Stadium by underpaid overworked female chain-makers of the Industrial Revolution trapped by their own circumstances as they produce the bonds that hold others in the slave trade The women break free via a minimum wage strike of 1910 The bull itself breaks free because of its huge stature calms it down by offering it love and light The emotive section ends with the bull eventually moving towards mutual tolerance after it is riled up once again and cries in pain the female athletes gather around and embrace the bull A creepy element was added at the last minute when the names of the 21 victims killed in the 1974 Mulberry Bush and Tavern in the Town bombings by the Irish Republican Army were inscribed on its headpiece The organizers failed to inform the families of the victims who expressed annoyment in the media The bull is massive, requiring a 17-ton vehicle to move it around the stadium. Due to its size, the bull cannot be stored away, so the organizers plan to dismantle it. But the bull has a devoted following, and a petition has been set up to save it The popular attraction for the creation could be rooted in the bull being one of the oldest forms of idolatry When Moses delayed in coming down from Sinai the Children of Israel resorted to creating a golden calf a form of idolatry they had witnessed in Egypt Apis was a sacred bull worshiped in the Memphis region and was later adopted by Alexander the Great The Canaanites worshipped a bull as the depiction of the fertility god Baal Jereboam erected two golden bulls in the northern kingdom of Israel © ISRAEL365NEWS 2025 Privacy Policy Prophecy from the Bible is revealing itself as we speak Israel365 News is the only media outlet reporting on it Sign up to our free daily newsletter today to get all the most important stories directly to your inbox See how the latest updates in Jerusalem and the world are connected to the prophecies we read in the Bible