Prince William unveils statue of man who saved thousands of Jews

Can't see images? Click here... Yehuda Lave, Spiritual Advisor and Counselor One sign of maturity is the ability to distinguish between healthy shame and unhealthy shame. Excess shame is at the root of most anxiety and depression. But lack of shame is the basis of all immoral and criminal behavior. Like a powerful medication, you do not want to overdose. Healthy shame is appropriate if you have been deliberately irresponsible, cruel or done something illegal. It is not appropriate if you made an innocent mistake, were unable to fulfill others' impossible dreams or failed to live up to your own unreasonable expectations. If you go through the day with a lot of emotional turmoil, you will find that by recognizing and eliminating your self-shaming beliefs, you automatically begin to feel calmer and happier. Love Yehuda Lave Prince William unveils statue of man who saved thousands of Jews MI6 spy Frank Foley is often referred to as the 'British Oskar Schindler'. By Amy Spiro At a ceremony in the town of Stourbridge this week, the Duke of Cambridge unveiled a statue of Frank Foley, a British spy who helped save thousands of Jews during World War II. On Tuesday, Prince William took part in the ceremony alongside MP Ian Austin, who was raised in a family of Jewish refugees and spearheaded the movement to honor Foley, along with the Holocaust Educational Trust. "This message goes out from here about the bravery of Frank Foley, and about his stand against persecution," said Stephen Higgs, a great nephew of Foley, during the ceremony, "which is still a very valid message in the modern world today." Foley, who was named in 1999 as a Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem, was a British spy with MI6, who was stationed in Berlin in the 1930s and then in Norway when the war broke out. During the Holocaust, Foley worked to save more than 10,000 Jews, by hiding them in his home, helping people find false passports and even visiting concentration camps to rescue victims. He issued thousands of visas to German Jews fleeing Nazi persecution, bending British law and risking his own life by operating in Germany right under the nose of Nazi officials. After the statue's unveiling, Prince William met and spoke with family members of Foley, as well as some of those who had been saved by his bravery. Foley's work was never recognized in his lifetime. But earlier this year, MI6 honored Foley – who has been referred to as the British Oskar Schindler – by unveiling a bust at its London headquarters. "Foley went to remarkable lengths to save Jews, right under the nose of the Nazis, even visiting concentration camps to remove them," said Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, in a statement on Tuesday. "Foley is the ultimate role model. His heroic stand should be a source of pride and inspiration to us all. While antisemitism continues to be a blight on our society; this statue will serve as a permanent reminder to the next generation of the power one individual's actions. We are enormously grateful to His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge. His support sends a strong signal about the importance of keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive and fills us all with hope." Over the past year, Prince William has made several public visits related to Holocaust education. When he visited Jerusalem in June, the duke toured Yad Vashem, met with Holocaust survivors and took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the museum. Writing in the guest book, Prince William wrote that "it is almost impossible to comprehend this appalling event in history. Every name, photograph and memory recorded her is a tragic reminder of the unimaginable human cost of the Holocaust and the immense loss suffered by the Jewish people," he wrote. IS there a biblical requirement to visit Israel? Requirement to Visit Israel?   I know about the importance of Israel and its centrality to our national narrative. But does the Torah require a Jew to visit Israel at least once? The Aish Rabbi Replies:   I will answer your question regarding a "visit" to Israel. As for the issue of "living" in Israel, please see here for a discussion of the verse, "You shall possess the Land and dwell in it" (Numbers 33:53). The Talmud, Ketuvot 111a, states that " a person who walks 4 amot (about 7 feet) in Israel merits a special place in the world to come." And while there is no formal requirement for a Jew to visit Israel, it is one of the most important things a Jew can do. In the 18th century, the chassidic Rabbi Nachman from Breslov withstood life-threatening dangers to visit Israel. He said, "To approach the Holy Land, one must overcome many barriers." He was right. Along the way, while crossing through Turkey, he was suspected of being a spy and threatened with imprisonment. While in Turkey, he became deathly ill, and then a bloody war erupted. When he finally left Turkey by ship, a great storm broke out and threatened to capsize them. Eventually he arrived in Israel. Why did this rabbi, along with many others, risk his life to visit Israel? Said Rabbi Nachman: "The motive for making the journey is to draw closer to God. Merely by stepping foot on the Land he will merge with it and be transformed by its sacred character." In many ways a trip to Israel is an essential aspect of one's Jewish identity. Jews in the Diaspora are used to being the minority, and being in Israel completely changes that equation. Jews walk freely without any self-consciousness about their identity. Many times I've seen people who would never think of wearing a kippah on the streets of their hometown, suddenly don one during their stay in Israel, sensing a spirit of holiness that one might otherwise find only in a synagogue. The experience of being in that atmosphere is a liberating one and has a powerful effect on many, many Jews. It enables one to discover a deep part of oneself that was previously hidden and unknown. In this regard, each individual's experience in Israel is very personal and unique. There are a myriad of opportunities to visit – young people can come on a Birthright (www.birthrightisrael.com), Fellowships trip (www.goisrael.org), or introductory Torah study program (http://israel.aish.com/essentials/). Other can come on an Aish mission or Executive Learning program combined with touring (http://israel.aish.com/elc/). It is unfortunate that with the ease of travel today, such a large percentage of Diaspora Jews have never visited. An essential part of themselves is yet to be discovered. They don't know what they're missing! 10 Amazing bets you will always win http://www.ba-bamail.com/video.aspx?emailid=15867 Penn and Teller Fool us magic act. http://www.ba-bamail.com/video.aspx?emailid=30853 Rav Binyamin Kahane Sukkot Not Everyone Is Included In The Four Species   The Writings of Rav Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane HY"D- Dvar Torah in honor of Sukkot דבר תורה לכבוד חג הסוכות NOT EVERYONE IS INCLUDED IN THE FOUR SPECIES Organs of power at home joining the side of our enemy requires us to take another look at the known midrash about how the "four species" symbolize different levels in Am Yisrael. It is impossible to ignore the growing and obscene phenomenon, where Jews in the upper echelons of Israeli society mobilize time and time again to further the cause of our bitter enemies. Whenever possible, they rise from within us, under the orchestration of the media, to demoralize the nation during its fight for existence, while furthering the interests of the enemy. The question is: How should we relate to these people? Are they one of us, or are they "beyond the pale"? THE FOUR SPECIES: A PARABLE FOR THE JEWISH PEOPLE One of the famous midrashim in connection to Sukkot, compares the four species to the unity of Israel: Just as the Etrog has both taste and smell, so too do the Jewish People have within it people who have Torah and good deeds: Lulav...has taste and no smell, and so too there are those who have Torah and no good deeds... Just as the Hadas has smell and no taste...(there are those) with good deeds and no Torah... Just as the "Arava" has no smell and no taste, so (there are those) who have no Torah and no good deeds. And what does the Almighty do to them? To destroy them would be impossible! But rather the Almighty said that he will tie them all up in one unit and they will atone for one another". (Vayikra Raba, 30:12) In view of how we opened this article, this amazing midrash mentioning how the Aravot are held tightly together with the rest of Am Yisrael, seems to shed light on the subject, and must be further analyzed. WICKED, BUT WANT CONNECTION The worst kind of Jew spoken of here is the Arav, who is not destroyed, because the righteous atone for him. They are Jews "who have no Torah and no good deeds." True, we are not talking about the cream of the crop - but we are talking about Jews who are ready to be part of the union of Am Yisrael, connected to them so that the righteous can atone for them. We are not talking about Jews, who G-d forbid, sever themselves from the collective and detest their own Jewishness. We are not discussing Jews who the sages spoke of when they said that in the days of the Messiah, there will be Jews who will identify with and join forces with the enemy. About such Jews, the above midrash does not speak. On the contrary. The idea of the midrash is two-fold. On the one hand, G-d does not desire to see the wicked of Israel destroyed. One the other hand, the wicked mentioned here are those willing to join and be a part of Klal Yisrael. Only they merit this special atonement. It is an atonement reserved for one who feels belonging to the collective of the Jewish Nation. It must be known: Relatively speaking, there really are only a few Jews who seek to cut themselves off from Am Yisrael. In Israel today, this miniscule band of haters, though they wield tremendous control, are a tiny minority. Through all the generations, and especially in this final era before the complete redemption, there were always Jews who took themselves out of the collective, and deep inside of them, identify more with the goyim than with the Jews. SOME JEWS ARE BARRED And so, it is a great mistake to identify such people as the "Arava" described in the midrash. for while the Arava is still only an Arava, it still has a belonging to the Jewish collective. While it has no taste or smell, at least it does not give off a putrid or damaging smell. The Arava sees himself as part of the four species and does not nullify his Jewishness, nor does he want to be like a gentile. By this very fact, he is able to absorb within him the smell and taste of the others. We must also remember that there are certain things that disqualify the four species from being Kosher. And so, though we are never happy about disqualifying a Jew, there are those who are rejected, and not tied together with the rest of the four species. The nation is willing to absorb the individual sinners, and to cover and atone for them so that they will not perish with their sins. (Even though this causes us great suffering as a people). It is ready to hold on tightly to them with all its might in order to unite them, for we Jews are all guarantors for one another. But the nation is not ready to carry under its wing he who in his very essence is an aberrant traitor. Such people remove themselves from the Sukkah of Israel, and as much as it hurts to say, they are beyond the pale for us. Chag Sameach! See you tomorrow Love Yehuda Lave Rabbi Yehuda Lave 2850 Womble Road, Suite 100-619, San Diego United States LIKE TWEET FORWARD You received this email because you signed up on our website or made purchase from us. Unsubscribe