by Rabbi Shraga Simmons
The most important time of the Jewish year is often the most misunderstood. Here's all the basics you need to know.
The High Holiday period actually begins in Elul, the Hebrew month preceding Rosh Hashana. Elul is an important period of introspection, of clarifying life's goals, and of coming closer to God. Because when the big day of Rosh Hashana comes, and each individual stands before the Almighty to ask for another year, we'll want to know what we're asking for!
During Elul, many people perform a daily cheshbon - a spiritual accounting -- where we step back and look at ourselves critically and honestly, with the intention of improving.
In order to arouse us to this task, it is the Ashkenazi custom to blow the shofar every morning after prayers during the month of Elul.
Original Source
   more »

EPHRAIM ASCULAI , THE JERUSALEM POST
In some old gangster films, as well as probably in real life, there is the scene where the victim is thrown into a building construction mold and drowned in a thick layer of cement. A tell-tale shoe that fell off in the old movies - and more recently the hidden security camera - provides the clues that bring the culprit to justice, even though the body has not been found. The case of Syria's bombed Al-Kibar site holds many similarities to these gangster movie scenarios.
The photographic evidence of the existence of a nuclear reactor under construction at the site was overwhelming: pictures of the reactor under construction, with great similarities to a North Korean plutonium production reactor, and its later camouflage by the construction of a surrounding building that completely enclosed the structure; the intake of water from the Euphrates River and the outlet of returning water from the building back into the downstream of the river, which indicated the existence of a strong energy source at the site. The most damning piece of evidence probably is the way the Syrians razed the site, poured concrete over it and claimed that it was ...   more »

Socially Bookmark this Story BlinkList Blogmarks del.icio.us Digg it Earthlink Furl Linkroll ma.gnolia Netvouz Newsvine RawSugar reddit Shadows Simpy Spurl TalkDigger Yahoo MyWeb
As the conflict between Russia and Georgia unfolded, it became clear that there was an "Israeli factor" in the conflict. This was evidenced by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) training of the Georgian military and much of the armament used by Georgia being purchased from Israel.
There was a large Jewish community in Georgia that was airlifted by Israel's national airline El Al out of the war-zone and into Israel - somewhat of a forced immigration to the Jewish state.
Original Source
   more »

Top Israeli security officials on Monday expressed frustration at the decision by the government of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to unilaterally release an additional 200 jailed Palestinian terrorists without taking into account the concerns of the defense community.
Olmert brought the proposed release to a cabinet vote on Sunday, but did not allow security officials a chance to speak before asking for a show of hands in favor of the "goodwill gesture."
One official said that part of the cabinet meeting took no more than three minutes, with the vast majority of ministers giving no thought whatsoever to the consequences of the move.
Said a senior Israel Security Agency (ISA) official to The Jerusalem Post: "You have to hear the responses [of ISA agents] to the release. They work day and night to capture and neutralize terrorists, and all of it is gone in an instant."
Original Source
   more »