The Biden White House, the Oath of God to the Jewish People at Shavu’ot along with the Progressives who seek to define that . . .
‘the progressive’s new and old antisemitism / and their awoke friends in high places . . . ‘a pox on both their houses . . . . ‘
As we begin to celebrate Shavu’ot . . . . a Holiday of peoplehood and of religion (while often overlapping, not exactly the same).
“The road to peace requires courage, truth, and an understanding of reality. Denying the Jewish people historical rights within their ancestral homeland will never lead to peace. It is a fool’s errand, fraught with endless strife and continued defeat for those who pursue it.”
Jason Greenblatt, former White House advisor — Newsweek Link: https://www.newsweek.com/palestinian-leader-abbas-no-partner-peace-israel-opinion-1801954
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This shouldn’t have been translated as a ‘feast’ / it is first and foremost a ‘pilgrimage’ and only secondarily a ‘sacrifice.’
Only then a ‘feast’ . . .
The festival of Shavuot, in both Classical and in Mizrahi Hebrew Hebrew is: שבועות, lit. “Weeks” — implying 7 weeks (or even 50 days). That being said . . . perhaps we can stretch its meaning to: “Oaths.” while I know this to be a stretch, some might even say, its simply a matter of “Lashon sh’Nofayle al Lashon” or “Language which falls on Language.” Tangent perhaps, even overlapping, maybe even meaningful here and in our own times.
Shavuot commemorates the time in which Gd gave the Torah to the People of Israel assembled at the base of Mount Sinai. The relationship between ‘the giving of the Torah’ (Zman Matan Torahteinu) and ‘an in the land’ harvest festival of Shavuot is not made explicit in the Torah. It is one of the ‘Shalosh Regalim,’ (see verse 23 above), or one of the three most significant Biblical pilgrimage festivals commanded to the Israelite people — and connected directly to the Land of Israel.
While the connecting of the ‘Counting of the Omer’ from Passover (Slavery) to Shavu’ot (The Laws by which we live) does come to an end, ‘the journey home’ (read: our homeland) remains ongoing . . . .
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Attention: Biden Whitehouse Beware
There is an Antisemitism crossfire afoot in the Biden White House — Here’s the Rub: who gets to define what is and what is not antisemitism and what constitutes this ancient scourge of Jew-hate — this should not be the province of a ‘progressive constituency’
Note to the the Biden Whitehouse, pay attention now, or pay later.
as the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps . . .
| ד הִנֵּה לֹא-יָנוּם, וְלֹא יִישָׁן — שׁוֹמֵר, יִשְׂרָאֵל. | Psalm 121:4 Behold, He that keepeth Israel doth neither slumber nor sleep. |
Let us not forget that Israel is an ancient Covenant, a Birthright, sworn to us on Oath by Gd, and inscribed to us both religiously and historically as the fulfillment of our historical rights as a people (i.e. the Jewish RIghts to Self Determination). Any definition of who we are, leaving out the health and welfare of the Jewish State of Israel and the Jewish people is, in and of itself, antisemitism and it is currently being waged against the Jewish people.
Here below pertinent information excerpted from the Daily Briefing:
When it comes to the release of the long-awaited White House national strategy on antisemitism, it’s not just the substance of what’s in it that matters. The timing matters, too.
The strategy is expected to be released this week. But if it’s released during the day on Thursday, hours before the Jewish holiday of Shavuot and just before Memorial Day weekend, it likely won’t receive as much attention as on a normal day. Major Jewish organizations, many of which are closed starting sundown on Thursday through Friday for Shavuot, would have little time to examine and support — or criticize — the strategy so close to the holiday.
If the White House releases the strategy today (or next week, after the holidays), Jewish organizations will have time to react and show that they’re serious about promoting the plan.
However, if the White House drops the report similar to a Friday afternoon news dump, it could undermine the administration’s goal of raising awareness of antisemitism. The report, designed to showcase the White House’s seriousness regarding tackling antisemitism, has been mired in internal debates over how precisely to define antisemitism.
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, backed by mainstream Jewish organizations including the Anti-Defamation League and American Jewish Committee, labels some extreme forms of anti-Israel rhetoric — like holding Israel to a separate standard than other democracies — as antisemitism. Progressive groups want to limit such characterizations.
Earlier this week, we reported that the latest draft of the antisemitism report highlights the widely accepted IHRA definition of antisemitism, but also references an alternative definition — referred to as Nexus — embraced by some groups on the left.
The White House may think that adopting both is an acceptable compromise, but a pre-holiday release would suggest the administration is already worried about backlash it may receive from leading Jewish organizations, and may be attempting preemptive damage control.
For a Further Journalistic Reading from the JTA:
https://www.jta.org/2023/05/23/opinion/the-white-house-intends-to-fight-antisemitism-that-starts-with-a-sensible-definition#.ZG07DLWJkUk.twitter
Hag Same’ach to everyone — great and small alike . . .
Seth
