by Joe Velarde
"Get the Spanish boy, and hurry." That was me.
Snow came early in the winter of 1933 when our extended Cuban family moved into the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. I was ten years old. We were the first Spanish speakers to arrive, yet we fit more or less easily into that crowded, multicultural neighborhood. Soon we began learning a little Italian, a few Greek and Polish words, lots of Yiddish and some heavily accented English.
I first heard the expression "Shabbos is falling" when Mr. Rosenthal refused to open the door of his dry goods store on Bedford Avenue. My mother had sent me with a dime to buy a pair of black socks for my father. In those days, men wore mostly black and Navy blue. Brown and gray were somehow special and cost more. Mr. Rosenthal stood inside the locked door, arms folded, glaring at me through the thick glass while a heavy snow and darkness began to fall on a Friday evening. "We're closed, already," Mr. Rosenthal had said, shaking his head, "can't you see that Shabbos is falling? Don't be a nudnik! Go home." I could feel the cold wetness covering my head ...   more »

Syrian foreign minister says Damascus is ready to renew peace talks with Israel without preconditions, al-Hayat newspaper reports
Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Moallem reiterated his country's interest in renewing peace talks with Israel without preconditions, the London-based al-Hayat newspaper reported Wednesday.  
"Syria is more than ready to renew peace talks with Israel, without preconditions by either side," Moallem was quoted as telling a senior European diplomat.
Changed Atmosphere   
UN Mideast envoy: Israeli attitude towards Syria changed / Associated Press  
Special coordinator Michael Williams visits Damascus, says atmosphere in Israel changed regarding possible peace with Syria
Moallem also said that Israel would find in Syria a serious "peace partner" should it chose to revive peace talks with Damascus.
Israel shunned repeated peace overtures by Syria in recent years, calling on Damascus to stop supporting Hizbullah and Hamas and to sever its ties with Iran to prove it is serious about peace.  
The paper quoted Moallem as saying the his country expects the newly appointed Defense Minister Ehud Barak to press Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to renew peace talks with Syria.  
"With Barak we will not start from zero because he is familiar with the details of ...   more »

By Aaron Klein

Arab squatters are living illegally in this strategic Jewish-owned apartment complex
JERUSALEM – Arab squatters are living illegally in a strategic Jewish-owned apartment complex accessing an entrance leading to Jerusalem's Western Wall and Temple Mount, WND has learned.
The apartment in question was purchased by a Jewish organization that collects hundreds of millions of dollars in Jewish donor funds for the stated purpose of Jewish settlement.
The Jewish National Fund, or JNF, seemingly has done little to boot the Arab squatters from its property and has turned down offers from other Jewish groups to purchase the strategic apartment for Jews to live in.
The apartment in question is located just inside Herod's Gate, one of eight gates that access Jerusalem's Old City and the walkways to the Western Wall and Temple Mount. The property is about 3,300 square feet and is considered strategic since it comprises the archway accessing the path in the area to the Temple Mount.
The apartment is in the Old City neighborhood known as the Muslim Quarter, which was once a Jewish and Muslim neighborhood but became mostly Muslim after deadly anti-Jewish riots broke out in 1929 over access to the Western Wall. ...   more »

Kobi Nahshoni
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has been gearing up for an Israeli offensive in recent months, is bound to be surprised by the peace feelers he is set to receive from Jerusalem soon.  
Animal Sacrifice  
'Renew animal sacrifices on Mount' says radical rabbi / Yaakov Lappin  
Member of Sanhedrin says sacrifices 'were not possible when the people of Israel were in the Diaspora, but now they are.' Adds: Jerusalem Temple should be rebuilt, Israeli government standing in our way    
Without Saudi mediation or diplomatic procedures, the president will get a “Letter of Love and Peace”, accompanied by a historic invitation to visit Jerusalem, from The Supreme Judicial Court of the Jewish People, better known as the Sanhedrin.  
After having tried their luck with the High Court of Justice and the government, the members of the Jewish group have set out on a new track in their struggle for the Temple Mount, aimed at rebuilding the Temple in the Jewish capital.  
In recent days, the group members have drafted a letter that will be translated into 70 languages and sent to all government institutions in the world, including “the sons of Esau and ...   more »

JERUSALEM: Thousands of police deployed across Jerusalem on Thursday to head off violence as a tiny Gay Pride parade began, sparking a counter-demonstration by ultra-Orthodox Jews and denunciations by Muslim and Christian leaders.
The annual gay rally highlights the deep divide between the city's secular and religious communities, with marchers demanding to exercise their civil rights and opponents claiming the march debases the Holy City. Opposition to the march has generated violence in the past, and the 7,000 police far outnumbered the several hundred marchers.
Carrying multicolored balloons, the gay marchers set off for their short trek, a few hundred meters (yards) along a street that passes in front of the historic King David hotel. A gathering at the end of the truncated route was canceled, Channel 10 TV reported.
"I am demanding my civil rights, including the right get married and have children," said marcher Guy Frishman, 27. "I want to have rights like every other person."
Several hundred ultra-Orthodox protesters held their demonstration in another part of Jerusalem, bringing traffic to a standstill at the entrance to the city. Trash bins were set on fire, and smoke and the stench of burning garbage wafted through the air.
Today ...   more »