The Cloister of Pater Noster – Jerusalem

(Click to access site)

this day in the yesteryear: Six-Day War Begins (1967)

Six-Day War Begins (1967)

After a period of relative calm, border incidents between Israel and Syria, Egypt, and Jordan increased during the early 1960s. Palestinian guerrilla attacks on Israel from bases in Syria led to increased hostility between the two countries. After Egypt signed a defense treaty with Jordan, Israel launched a preemptive air strike against the three Arab states, capturing the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip, West Bank, Old City of Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights. How many were killed in the fighting? More… Discuss

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today’s birthday: Francis Younghusband (1863)

Francis Younghusband (1863)

Younghusband was a British Army officer and explorer remembered for his travels in the Far East and Central Asia. In 1887, he journeyed from China to India, crossing the Gobi desert and the Mustagh Pass of the Karakorum range. In 1904, he led a military expedition that participated in the massacring of Tibetan troops and forced a treaty upon Tibet that opened it to Western trade. Apparently, he later regretted his role in these events. What changed his mind? More… Discuss

Hannah Szenes

Hannah Szenes

During World War II, Hannah Szenes was one of 17 Jews living in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine who were trained by the British army to parachute into Yugoslavia to help save the Jews of Hungary. She was arrested at the Hungarian border, imprisoned, tortured, and eventually executed. Szenes is regarded as a national heroine in Israel, where streets are named after her and her poetry is widely known. One of her songs was used to close versions of what film? More… Discuss

Vatican decision to recognize Palestine upsets Israeli government, Jewish advocacy groups – Religion News Service

JERUSALEM (RNS) The Vatican’s decision to recognize Palestine as a sovereign state on Wednesday (May 13) angered Israeli officials.

The move comes four days before the first-ever canonization of two Palestinian nuns and it solidifies the standing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is scheduled to meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Saturday.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon told The Times of Israel that the government is “disappointed by the decision. We believe that such a decision is not conducive to bringing the Palestinians back to the negotiating table.”

Israel insists that for the Palestinians to achieve statehood, they must first end their armed struggle against Israel and recognize its right to exist as the homeland of the Jewish people.

Although the treaty codifies the Holy See’s relations with the Palestinian Authority, the Vatican has already referred to the “State of Palestine” in some official documents, including the official program handed out during Pope Francis’ Holy Land pilgrimage last year.

In recent years, the Vatican has stepped up its efforts to support Palestinian Christians in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza as their numbers have dwindled due to emigration spurred by wars and economic hardships.

A majority of Christians in the Holy Land — including Israel — are either ethnic Palestinians or live alongside them in the same towns and villages. Sisters Maria Baouardy and Mary Alphonsine Danil Ghattas, who were both Christian Arabs, are due to be canonized by Pope Francis on Sunday.

William Shomali, the auxiliary bishop of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, said the Vatican’s announcement “was not a surprise” because “the pope called President Abbas the president of the State of Palestine” during his 2014 pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

But David Harris, executive director of the AJC, the leading global Jewish advocacy organization, said the decision was “regrettable“ and “counterproductive to all who seek true peace between Israel and the Palestinians.”

“We are fully cognizant of the pope’s goodwill and desire to be a voice for peaceful coexistence, which is best served, we believe, by encouraging a resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, rather than unilateral gestures outside the framework of the negotiating table,” Harris concluded.

Abraham H. Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, said the action was “premature” and would “undermine the only real solution to the decades-old conflict, which is engaging in direct negotiations.”

YS/MG END CHABIN

Categories: Institutions, Politics

Tags: AJC, Foreign Ministry, Israel, Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Palestine, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Vatican

via Vatican decision to recognize Palestine upsets Israeli government, Jewish advocacy groups – Religion News Service.

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Merkava

The Merkava series of main battle tanks is developed and manufactured by Israel Military Industries, Ltd for the Israel Defense Forces. It is designed to ensure crew survival, battle perseverance, and quick revival in case of bad damage, though it is still is vulnerable to remotely operated land mines. The heavily shielded engine is placed at the front of the tank, while the crew is able to escape through doors at the rear. When and why did Israel decide to develop the Merkava? More… Discuss

today’s birthday: Golda Meir (1898)

Golda Meir (1898)

Meir was Israel‘s first female prime minister and the third woman in the world to hold such an office, after Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka and Indira Gandhi of India. A signer of Israel’s declaration of independence in 1948, she served in the fledgling nation’s parliament and held posts as minister of labor and foreign minister before becoming Israel’s fourth prime minister in 1969. During her tenure, she sought to ease tensions in the region through diplomacy. Why did she resign in 1974? More… Discuss

today’s holiday: The Game of St. Evermaire

The Game of St. Evermaire

The Spel van Sint Evermarus, or the Game of St. Evermaire, is a dramatic reenactment of the slaying of eight pilgrims in Rousson (Rutten), Belgium, on their way to the Holy Land in 699. This event is portrayed by the townspeople of Rousson each year on the first day of May in the meadow near the Chapel of St. Evermaire. Following a procession around the casket believed to contain the saint’s bones, costumed villagers representing St. Evermaire and his companions are attacked by 50 “brigands” led by Hacco, the legendary assailant. By the end of the drama, the saint and the seven pilgrims lie dead. More… Discuss

Yitzhak Rabin (1922)

Rabin was an Israeli military leader, politician, and Nobel Peace Prize winner. He rose in rank from brigade commander in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War to chief of staff in 1964 and was credited with Israel’s military success in the Six Day War. After retiring to pursue a diplomatic post, Rabin succeeded Golda Meir as Prime Minister of Israel in 1974. He served two terms before his political career was cut short when he was assassinated in 1995. What event was he attending when he was killed? More… Discuss

Antonín Dvořák – Slavonic Dances, Op. 46

Wolfgang Amadé Mozart

Published on Sep 22, 2012

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, John Farrer

Antonín Dvořák – Slavonic Dances, Op. 46
1. No.1 in C major 4’00
2. No.2 in E minor 6’00
3. No.3 in A flat major 5’22
4. No.4 in F major 7’59
5. No.5 in A major 3’16
6. No.6 in D major 5’15
7. No.7 in C minor 3’34
8. No.8 in G minot 4’05

31,637

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Sergei Rachmaninoff – Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43

Wolfgang Amadé Mozart

Published on Sep 23, 2012

Earl Wild – Jascha Horenstein – Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

• Music

  • “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43” by Wild, Earl, Earl Wild (Google Play • AmazonMP3 • eMusic)

today’s birthday: Mark Spitz (1950)

Mark Spitz (1950)

During the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, Jewish-American swimmer Mark Spitz shot to sporting fame when he captured seven gold medals, a feat unequaled by any other athlete in a single Olympiad until 2008. Spitz also set new world records for each of the events in which he took the gold. Having thus brought his total Olympic medal count up to 11—he had won two gold, one silver, and one bronze in 1968—Spitz retired from competition. What other historic event marked the 1972 Games? More… Discuss

Access Mark Spitz’s official website    HERE

Franz Schubert – “Andantino con variazioni” – Klavierduo Burshtin/Kharmats

Helmut Goldschmidt

Piano Michael Burshtin & Faina Kharmats, Israel
Franz Schubert: Andantino con variazioni op 84/1 D823 / 2 for piano four hands..
Recorded live piano concert at Miel Castle, NRW on 14/09/2012
Photo show of photos from the Tanzbrunnen / Rhine park in spring

Michael Burshtin:
1964 – winner of the II Pianist Competition of the creative artist Artist Central Asia and Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic in Tashkent..
1966-1967 – graduated from the Conservatory Tashkent as a pianist and composer
1966-1968 – Professor of Piano special technique Conservatory Tashkent
1968-1993 – Professor of piano technique at the Kyrgyz Art Institute Frunze (Bishkek)
1975 – In-depth studies at the Tchaikovsky Konservatoriom, Moscow
1981 – completion of the training courses as a pianist at Mussorgsky Conservatory, Sverdlovsk
1993- Moved to Israel
1993 -… – Freelance pianist and composer in Israel

Faina Kharmats:
1968 – graduated from the Conservatory Tashkent
1968-1971 – teacher for piano special technology at the Music High School in Frunze (Bishkek)
1971-1993 – Lecturer in Piano special technique on Kyrgyz Art Institute in Frunze (Bishkek)
1972 – completion of the training courses on Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory, St. Petersburg
1983-1991 – Incoming studies at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Moscow
1993 – Moved to Israel

About 50 of his works are in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kiev, Alma-Ata, Frunze and published in New York. His own works were put on the international music festival in Riga, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod and Sverdlovsk performed and interpreted by famous artists. Numerous concerts, radio broadcasts in Bishkek, Tashkent, Alma-Ata and Jerusalem, in which Michael Burshtin has performed as a soloist and orchestral pianist, Ensemblist and companion, complete the picture of this great artist. Numerous concert recordings have been released on CD.
For over 40 years, live music and the couple Michael Burshtin and Faina Kharmats together. The result of this long-time play and concert experience as a piano duo comes with every interpretation of the performed works expressed. The piano Burshtin / Kharmats can, without exaggeration, fit into the class of these genres.
More Videos: twopianisten / Pioanotrio

Israeli rights group claims IDF violated rules of war with Gaza strikes — Info 24 US

Israeli rights group claims IDF violated rules of war with Gaza strikes http://t.co/GTVDuGr3VO

— Info 24 US (@Info24US) January 28, 2015

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today’s picture: Abdication of Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani

Abdication of Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani

Royal Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Hawaii (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hawaii’s Queen Liliuokalani stepped down from the throne on January 24, 1893, to avoid any bloodshed and to pardon her supporters who had been jailed by the Provisional Government, which had asked her to abdicate. After becoming queen in 1891, Liliuokalani fought against making Hawaii a part of the United States, making her unpopular among those Hawaiians who felt they had more to gain from annexation. She believed in ‘Hawaii

Queen Liliuokalani license (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

for Hawaiians,’ and conceded less to foreign businesses and governments than her predecessors had. Five years later the U.S. Congress annexed Hawaii–without a vote from the Hawaiian people.

Image: Library of Congress

 

picture of the day: Gulf War Patriot Missiles Intercept Iraqi Scuds (Image: Raytheon Company)

Gulf War Patriot Missiles Intercept Iraqi Scuds

On January 17, 1991, the first Iraqi Scud missile attacks on Israel were launched. There were reports of death and injury, and possibly even chemical weapons being used. For a few tense hours, it looked as though Israel would retaliate against Iraq, causing the allied coalition to break up. Six months of preparation and diplomacy might be undone by a few poorly aimed, 1950s-vintage ballistic missiles. Later that evening, U.S. Patriot surface-to-air missiles were launched against the incoming Scuds, and for the first time in history, a ballistic missile was shot down by another missile. The use of Patriot missiles in Israel’s defense helped to keep that country out of the Gulf War, thereby safeguarding the integrity of the American-European-Arab coalition.

Image: Raytheon Company

– See more at: http://www.historynet.com/picture-of-the-day#sthash.wNE92dha.dpuf

Today In History. What Happened This Day In History

A chronological timetable of historical events that occurred on this day in history. Historical facts of the day in the areas of military, politics, science, music, sports, arts, entertainment and more. Discover what happened today in history.

Today in History
January 16

1547		Ivan IV crowns himself the new Czar of Russia in Assumption Cathedral in Moscow.
1786		The Council of Virginia guarantees religious freedom.
1847		John C. Fremont, the famed “Pathfinder” of Western exploration, is appointed governor of California.
1865		General William T. Sherman begins a march through the Carolinas.
1900		The U.S. Senate recognizes the Anglo-German Treaty of 1899 by which the UK renounced its rights to the Samoan Islands.
1909		One of Ernest Shackleton‘s polar exploration teams reaches the Magnetic South Pole.
1914		Maxim Gorky is authorized to return to Russia after an eight year exile for political dissidence.
1920		The League of Nations holds its first meeting in Paris.
1920		Allies lift the blockade on trade with Russia.
1939		Franklin D. Roosevelt asks for an extension of the Social Security Act to include more women and children.
1940		Hitler cancels an attack in the West due to bad weather and the capture of German attack plans in Belgium.
1942		Japan’s advance into Burma begins.
1944		Eisenhower assumes supreme command of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe.
1945		The U.S. First and Third armies link up at Houffalize, effectively ending the Battle of the Bulge.
1956		The Egyptian government makes Islam the state religion.
1965		Eighteen are arrested in Mississippi for the murder of three civil rights workers.
1975		The Irish Republican Army calls an end to a 25-day cease fire in Belfast.
1979		The Shah leaves Iran.
1991		The Persian Gulf War begins. The massive U.S.-led offensive against Iraq — Operation Desert Storm — ended on February 28, 1991, when President George Bush declared a cease-fire, and Iraq pledged to honor future coalition and U.N. peace terms.
Born on January 16
1757		Samuel McIntire, architect of Salem, Massachusetts.
1749		Vittorio Alfieri, Italian tragic poet (Cleopatra, Parigi shastigliata).
1821		John C. Breckinridge, 14th U.S. Vice President, Confederate Secretary of War.
1909		Ethel Merman, U.S. singer and actress, the “Queen of Broadway.”

– See more at: http://www.historynet.com/today-in-history#sthash.jAbTuryQ.dpuf

Saint of the Day for Wednesday, January 14th, 2015 Image of St. Felix of Nola

Saint of the Day for Wednesday, January 14th, 2015

St. Felix of Nola

Felix was the son of Hermias, a Syrian who had been a Roman soldier. He was born on his father’s estate at Nola near Naples, Italy. On the death of his father, Felix distributed his inheritance to … continue reading

More Saints of the Day

St. Felix of Nola St. Barbasymas St. Dacius St. Deusdedit St. Euphrasius St. Felix

St. Fulgentius of Cartagena St. Macrina the Elder Martyrs of Mount Sinai Martyrs of Raithu Bl. Peter Donders St. Sava

this pressed: Israeli premier Netanyahu offers French Jews to migrate to Israel following deadly attack

Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, stands next to French Ambassador to Israel, Patrick Maisonnave, as he presents his condolences following Wednesday’s deadly attack on French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo’s offices, at the prime minister’s residence in Jerusalem on Friday, Jan. 9, 2015. Brothers suspected in the newspaper terror attack were cornered with a hostage inside a printing house on Friday, after they hijacked a car and police followed them to a village near Paris’ main airport. (AP Photo/Thomas Coex, Pool) (The Associated Press)

JERUSALEM – Israel’s prime minister says he will try to increase immigration of French Jews and others in Europe suffering from a “rising tide of anti-Semitism.”

via Israeli premier Netanyahu offers French Jews to migrate to Israel following deadly attack.

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Special Feature: Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points

Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points
On January 8, 1918, President Woodrow Wilson addressed a hastily convened joint session of Congress, publicly stating the Fourteen Points–his idealistic plan for a world forever free from conflict. Most of Wilson’s Fourteen Points addressed specific European territorial concerns, but he also called for fair and generous treatment of Germany, absolute freedom of the seas, national boundaries determined on the basis of language, and the establishment of a general assembly of nations. When World War I ended in November 1918, Wilson personally attended the peace negotiations, believing that with his guidance, ‘peace without victory’ was possible and a new world order was at hand. What he had not counted on was the bitterness and cynicism of his allies, who had lost much. As the negotiations progressed, more and more of the Fourteen Points were sacrificed to vengeance and a grab for land. The German magazine Simplicissimus remarked on Wilson’s betrayal of his principles in June 1919 with God asking, ‘Woodrow Wilson, where are your 14 Points?’ Wilson responds, ‘Don’t get excited, Lord, we didn’t keep your Ten Commandments either!’ – See more at: http://www.historynet.com/picture-of-the-day#sthash.8Ilgr56s.dpuf

United Nations News Centre – UN: Palestine moves to join International Criminal Court, numerous global treaties

English: The building of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands Deutsch: Das Gebäude des Internationalen Strafgerichtshofes in Den Haag, Niederlande (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the UN Riyad Mansour (right) speaks to the press. UN Photo/Evan Schneider

 UN: Palestine moves to join International Criminal Court, numerous global treaties

Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the UN Riyad Mansour (right) speaks to the press. UN Photo/Evan Schneider

More information here:  http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=49723#.VKb6RnuWxL9

2 January 2015 – Palestinian Authority officials today presented to the United Nations documents for accession to 16 international conventions and treaties, including the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the world body has confirmed.

The documents – for accession to conventions and treaties for which the UN Secretary-General performs depositary functions – are being reviewed with a view to determining the appropriate next steps, according to a note issued to the media by a UN spokesperson.

via United Nations News Centre – UN: Palestine moves to join International Criminal Court, numerous global treaties.

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Edvard Grieg – Peer Gynt Suite, Åse’s Death | Limburgs Symfonie Orkest, Otto Tausk: great compositions/performances

Edvard Grieg – Peer Gynt Suite, Åse’s Death | Limburgs Symfonie Orkest, Otto Tausk (2/4)

Adagietto

Published on Jan 14, 2013

Edvard Grieg – Peer Gynt Suite for Orchestra N.º 1 Op. 46, excerpts:
I. Morning Mood, Morgenstemning http://youtu.be/HdF988wIgUM
II. Åse’s Death http://youtu.be/fV0qfPuPKZ4
III. Anitra’s Dance http://youtu.be/K5M247MIarw
IV. In The Hall of the Mountain King http://youtu.be/hDi8Smb4KeI
Limburgs Symfonie Orkest. Otto Tausk

Complete Playlist: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdF988…

By common consent, the music itself achieved far more for Ibsen’s vast and bewildering dramatic poem than any mere stage performance alone could have done, and therein lies a problem. For as Ibsen’s English biographer Michael Meyer writes, Grieg’s music “turns the play into a jolly Hans Andersen fairy tale,” one thing its author would certainly never have wished for. And the critic and playwright George Bernard Shaw, a fervent advocate of Ibsen’s works, similarly concluded that in his music Grieg “could only catch a few superficial points in the play instead of getting to the very heart and brain of it.”
Edvard Grieg waited better than a dozen years to draw up a concert suite from the body of incidental music to Ibsen’s Peer Gynt that he had composed in 1874 and 1875; but this Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46 (1888) was such a great success that everybody involved clamored for more and a second suite followed just a few years later (Op. 55, in 1891 – 1892). While the Peer Gynt Suite No. 2 failed to reach the commercial and popular heights that the first reached, some argue that the music in it is actually superior to that in its predecessor. Ibsen’s play puts a new and, to some, disturbing spin on the classic hero-drama. Peer Gynt himself is a rough-and-tumble Norwegian peasant; he dreams of power and glory but is very nearly a common rogue — a real anti-hero. Ibsen tells us of his colorful adventures and not altogether wholesome or moral adventures over the course of five acts.

The first Peer Gynt Suite opens with the famous “Morning Mood”, originally played at the beginning of the fourth act. A lovely E major melody is announced by the flutes and then taken through a sparkling palette of gentle inflections; bright flute trills chime in as “Morning Mood” comes to a gentle close. “Äse’s Death” (Op. 46, No. 2) is number 11 in the original score, and originally served as the prelude to the third act. Peer Gynt has returned home to his mother Äse, only to find her dying. No. 3, “Anitra’s Dance” is originally the 16th number of incidental music. “In the Hall of the Mountain King” (Op. 46, No. 4), written to accompany the gnomes’ taunting and chasing of Peer Gynt after he has refused to marry the Mountain King’s daughter, is perhaps the most famous of the Peer Gynt pieces. The whirlwind-like music is built from a small thematic fragment that grows wilder and wilder until Peer Gynt — and the poor orchestra — can take no more.
“Ingrid’s Lament” No. 1 of the second suite, originally accompanied Peer Gynt’s abduction of the maiden Ingrid on her wedding day. There is real drama in this four-minute work; it surges and pulses, starts and stops, sobs and then shrieks — and is utterly unlike the pastoral mood-paintings that have made the first suite so famous. Grieg follows it with a lively “Arabian Dance” (Op. 55, No. 2), colorfully employing tambourine and piccolo. At the end of Ibsen’s tale, Peer Gynt makes his way back to Norway and finally arrives on the shores of his homeland as his ship is demolished by a violent storm. No. 3, “Peer Gynt’s Homecoming” is a powerful rendering of this chaotic scene. The piece makes its way, quietly, directly into the next and final number, an orchestral arrangement of the song sung by Solvejg, Peer Gynt’s patient and devoted wife, when he finally returns to her and dies (Op. 55, No. 4).

Peer Gynt Suite – The Death of Åse, Åse’s Death, Åses Død.

BBC News – The Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem reflects on 2014: Must see video! IS the least we can do for our Christian Brothers and sisters in Syria, Gaza and elsewhere: Find out what is going on, from the source of their pain!

The Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem reflects on 2014

21 December 2014 Last updated at 00:44 GMT

In recent months, Church leaders have expressed concern about the departure of a rising number of Christians from the Middle East.

The civil war in Syria and the advance of so-called Islamic State militants in Iraq have led to appeals for greater support for some of the world’s oldest Christian communities.

In the holy land, the continuing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians has also shown increasing signs of turning into a religious dispute, with a row over holy sites in the Old City of Jerusalem.

The Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem, Suheil Dawani, is head of a diocese that covers much of the troubled region. As he prepares to celebrate Christmas this week he gave BBC News his reflections.

via BBC News – The Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem reflects on 2014.

quotation: The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read. Mark Twain

The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.

Mark Twain (1835-1910) Discuss

Relic Looters Caught Red-Handed Near Dead Sea Site

A group of thieves in Israel was recently caught while leaving a site known as the “Cave of Skulls,” not far from where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. This area still contains many artifacts—such as tools, shoes, and papyrus documents—from Jewish rebels who hid there in the days of the Roman Empire. The dry desert climate has kept many of these relics intact, and they are often sold for high prices on the black market. This most recent band of thieves nearly made off with a 2,000-year-old comb used to remove hair lice before becoming the first group in decades to be caught in the act. More… Discuss

Video: Ramallah welcomes French vote on Palestinian statehood

http://f24.my/1yaHU01

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Beta Israel

The Beta Israel, or “House of Israel,” are Jews of Ethiopian origin. Long isolated from mainstream Judaism, they do not use the Talmud but adhere strictly to the Mosaic law and observe some festivals of Judaism. In 1975, the Israeli rabbinate legally recognized them as Jews, and during the Ethiopian civil war, about 10,000 were airlifted to Israel in an effort to save them from persecution. A second airlift of more than 14,000 occurred in 1991. What were these secret operations called? More… Discuss

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Netanyahu lashes out at moves to recognize an independent Palestine – CSMonitor.com

World Security Watch Terrorism & Security

Netanyahu lashes out at moves to recognize an independent Palestine

csmonitor

Editors’ Picks

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu called the European initiatives a ‘big mistake for peace.’ Meanwhile, a bill to codify Israel’s identity as a ‘Jewish state’ is drawing fire.

By Dan Murphy, Staff writer November 26, 2014

Jim Hollander/AP

A daily roundup of terrorism and security issues.

For years, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has paid lip service to the idea of two states for two peoples in the Holy Land. But recently, he and members of his government have been lashing out at recognition of independent Palestine, with one senior diplomat saying that a Palestinian state would be a “terror-ocracy.”

In October, Sweden recognized an independent Palestine, and the European Union postponed a vote on the question yesterday. MPs in the UK, Ireland, and Spain have also voted for recognition of Palestine in the past six weeks, and it appears that the rest of Western Europe is not far behind.

via Netanyahu lashes out at moves to recognize an independent Palestine – CSMonitor.com.

this day in the yesteryear: Battle of Montgisard (1177)

Battle of Montgisard (1177)

The Kingdom of Jerusalem—a feudal state created by the leaders of the First Crusade in the areas they had wrested from the Muslims in Syria and Palestine—came under attack in the Battle of Montgisard. Although heavily outnumbered, sickly king Baldwin IV and his troops defeated renowned Kurdish military general Saladin by surprising his army en route. The kingdom enjoyed a brief truce before Saladin renewed his attacks. What powerful Christian military order participated in the battle? More… Discuss

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Sharm el-Sheikh

Sharm el-Sheikh is a resort city overlooking the Strait of Tiran, near the southern tip of Sinai at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba. Strategically important, it was captured by Israel during the Sinai conflict of 1956 and restored to Egypt in 1957. During the 1967 Six Day War, Israel recaptured the city, returning it in 1982. Today, Sharm el-Sheikh’s major industry is tourism, due to the city’s dramatic landscape, pleasant climate, and beautiful beaches. What shocked the town in December 2010? More… Discuss

This pressed for your right to know: In U.N. Speech, Noam Chomsky Blasts United States for Supporting Israel, Blocking Palestinian State | Democracy Now!

In U.N. Speech, Noam Chomsky Blasts United States for Supporting Israel, Blocking Palestinian State | Democracy Now!.

AMY GOODMAN: Professor Noam Chomsky, speaking last Tuesday in the hall of the U.N. General Assembly before about 800 people, ambassadors and the public alike. The event was hosted by the U.N. Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. After he spoke, I interviewed him in front of the audience. We’ll play highlights after break.

********* Video Interview and  Full Transcript  >>>>   here

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today’s birthday: David Ben-Gurion (1886)

David Ben-Gurion (1886)

Ben-Gurion was one of the founders of the state of Israel and its first prime minister. Born in Russian Poland, he immigrated to Palestine—then part of the Ottoman Empire—at the age of 20 hoping to fulfill the Zionist aspiration of building a Jewish state in historic Israel. He was a founder and leader of the Mapai labor party and an early leader of the trade union Histadrut. What was Ben-Gurion’s stance on the King David hotel bombing perpetrated by the Irgun Zionist group? More… Discuss

this pressed- for your right to know: United Nations|Noam Chomsky Addresses the Press Ahead of Lecture at UN

“identifer:607/607266” : Noam Chomsky Addresses the Press Ahead of Lecture at UNUN Photo/Yubi Hoffmann

 

Noam Chomsky Addresses the Press Ahead of Lecture at UN

Noam Chomsky, Professor Emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), addresses a press conference before his lecture on the prospects for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, organized by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.

14 October 2014

United Nations, New York

Photo # 607266

 

 

 

 

via United Nations Photo.

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this day in the yesteryear: Massacre in Qibya (1953)

Massacre in Qibya (1953)

In 1953, in response to escalating border clashes with Palestinians, Israeli forces raided the Jordanian West Bank village of Qibya, which was believed to be harboring militants. Codenamed “Operation Shoshana,” the attacks led to the deaths of more than 60 Palestinians and the demolition of numerous houses, as well as a school and a mosque. The United Nations condemned Israel’s actions. What future prime minister of Israel was the commander of the special forces unit that carried out the attack? More… Discuss

No Apology, But Acknowledgement of Failings from Facebook (facebook Q: on a scale from 1-10… how emotional are you today?

No Apology, But Acknowledgement of Failings from Facebook

Facebook faced widespread backlash earlier this year, after admitting that it had, without consent, manipulated the news feeds of hundreds of thousands of users in an experiment on human emotion. It has since been several months, and Facebook has apparently ruminated on the matter. While stopping short of apologizing for its actions, the social media giant has acknowledged failings in the way it carried out the research and released the results. More… Discuss

today’s holiday: Egypt’s Armed Forces Day

Egypt’s Armed Forces Day

Armed Forces Day in Egypt is an important national holiday marking the surprise attack on Israel that began the October War of 1973 (also known as the Yom Kippur War). The war ended with a cease-fire secured by the US and was declared a victory by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, enabling him to seek an honorable peace with Israel. The holiday is celebrated with grand parades, speeches by government officials, and fireworks. It was while reviewing a military parade on this day in 1981 that Anwar Sadat was assassinated by opponents of peace with Israel. More… Discuss

this pressed: Flash – Israel chides Swedish PM over Palestinian state – France 24

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks following a meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem on July 16, 2014

via Flash – Israel chides Swedish PM over Palestinian state – France 24.

this pressed: Netanyahu: US criticism of Israeli settlements ‘against the American values’. (via Reporte. US)

Netanyahu: US criticism of Israeli settlements ‘against the American values’..

Franz Schubert – “Andantino with Variations” – Klavierduo Burshtin / Kharmats: make music part of your life series

Franz Schubert – “Andantino with Variations” – Klavierduo Burshtin / Kharmats

  Helmut Goldschmidt

Piano Michael Burshtin & Faina Kharmats, Israel
Franz Schubert:.. Andantino con variazioni op 84/1 D823 / 2 for piano four hands .
Live recording piano concert at Schloss Miel, NRW on 14/09/2012
Photo exhibition with photos from the Cologne Dance Fountain / Rhine Park in Spring

Michael Burshtin:
1964 – winner of the II Pianist Competition of the creative artist Artist Central Asia and Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic in Tashkent..
1966 to 1967 – graduated from the Conservatory of Tashkent as a pianist and composer :
from 1966 to 1968 – Professor of Piano special technique Conservatory Tashkent
1968 -1993 – Professor of Piano Technology at the Kyrgyz Art Institute Frunze (Bishkek)
1975 – In-depth studies at the Tchaikovsky Konservatoriom, Moscow
1981 – completion of the training courses as a pianist at the Mussorgsky Conservatory, Sverdlovsk
1993 to move to Israel
in 1993 -… – Freelance pianist and composer in Israel

Faina Kharmats:
1968 – graduated from the Tashkent Conservatory
from 1968 to 1971 – for piano pedagogue special technique at the music high school in Frunze (Bishkek)
1971-1993 – Lecturer in Piano special technique on Kyrgyz Art Institute in Frunze (Bishkek)
1972 – completion of the training courses at the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in St. Petersburg
from 1983 to 1991 – Detailed studies at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Moscow
1993 – Moved to Israel

About 50 of his works are in Moscow, St. Petersburg , Kiev, Alma-Ata, Frunze and published in New York. His own works were put on the international music festival in Riga, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod and Sverdlovsk for performance and were interpreted by well-known artists. Numerous concerts, radio broadcasts in Bishkek, Tashkent, Alma-Ata and Jerusalem, in which Michael Burshtin occurred as a soloist and orchestral pianist, Ensemblist and companion, complete the picture of this great artist. Numerous concert recordings have been released on CD.
than 40 years and live music, the couple Michael Burshtin and Faina Kharmats together. The result of this long-time play and concert experience as a piano duo comes with every interpretation of the performed works expressed. The piano Burshtin / Kharmats can, without exaggeration, fit into the class of these genres.
More Videos: twopianisten / Pioanotrio

today’s birthday: Jimmy Carter (1924)

Jimmy Carter (1924)

Carter served as US President from 1977 to 1981. His foreign policy had some success—he mediated the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt and signed a treaty with Panama regarding control of the Panama Canal—but his domestic policy was less effective, and oil-related inflation and unemployment hurt his bid for re-election. He has since been active in human-rights causes and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. In 2007, Carter earned a Grammy Award for best album in what category? More… Discuss

word: recalcitrant

recalcitrant 

Definition:	(adjective) Marked by stubborn resistance to and defiance of authority or guidance.
Synonyms:	refractory
Usage:	Neither could he mobilize his army to go forth to war, nor could he punish his recalcitrant subjects. Discuss.

Felix Mendelssohn – Piano Concerto in A Minor (13 year old Mendelssohn): make music part of your life series

Felix Mendelssohn – Piano Concerto in A Minor (13 year old Mendelssohn)

   bartje11

Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (German born, and generally known in English-speaking countries, as Felix Mendelssohn (3 February 1809 — 4 November 1847) was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period.

Piano Concerto in A Minor (1822):

1. Allegro
2. Adagio (13:32)
3. Finale: Allegro ma non troppo (22:10)

Cyprien Katsarsis piano and the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra conducted by Janos Rolla

paintings and drawings by Felix Mendelssohn (except his images and his wife’s)

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• Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy – Violin Concerto in E minor, op. 64 ( one of the most romantic violin concertos ever! Once you hear the theme…it will stay with you forever!)
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Palestinian Christians

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Palestinian Christians are Palestinians who belong to one of a number of Christian denominations in Israel and the Palestinian territories, including Oriental Orthodoxy, Anglican, Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholic (Eastern and Western rites), Protestant, and others. In both the local dialect of Palestinian Arabic and in classical or modern standard Arabic, Christians are called Nasrani (a derivative of the Arabic word for Nazareth, al-Nasira) or Masihi (a derivative of Arabic word Masih, meaning “Messiah“).^[1] In Hebrew, they are called Notzri (also spelt Notsri), which means “Nazarene”.

Today, Christians comprise less than 4% of the Palestinian population of Israel and the Palestinian territories – approximately 8% of the Arab population of the West Bank, less than 1% in the Gaza Strip, and nearly 10% of the Arab population in Israel.^[2] According to official British Mandatory estimates, Palestine’s Christian population in 1922 comprised 9.5% of the total population (10.8% of the Palestinian population), and 7.9% in 1946.^[3] The Palestinian Christian population greatly decreased from 1948 to 1967. A large number fled or were expelled from the area during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and a small number left during Jordanian control of the West Bank for economic reasons. Since 1967, the Palestinian Christian population has increased in excess of the continued emigration.^[4]

Worldwide, there are nearly one million Palestinian Christians in these territories as well as in the Palestinian diaspora, comprising over 10% of the world’s total Palestinian population. Palestinian Christians live primarily in Arab states surrounding historic Palestine and in the diaspora, particularly in South America, Europe and North America.

Demographics and denominations

In 2009, there were an estimated 50,000 Christians in the Palestinian territories, mostly in the West Bank, with about 3,000 in the Gaza Strip.^[5] Of the total Christian population of 154,000 in Israel, about 80% are Arabs, many of whom also self-identify as Palestinian.^[5] The majority (56%) of Palestinian Christians live in the Palestinian diaspora.^[6]

According to the CIA World Factbook, as of 2013, the population statistics on Palestinian and related Arab-Israeli Christians are as follows:^[7][8][9]

Population group	Christian population	% Christian
West Bank*	214,000	8
Gaza Strip	12,000	0.7
Arab Christians in Israel**	123,000	10
Non-Arab Christians in Israel	29,000	0.4
Total Arab Christians	349,000	6.0
Total Christians (including non-Arabs)	378,000	3.0
* The figure includes Samaritans and other unspecified minorities.[dubious – discuss]**Arab Christians in Israel do not necessarily identify as Palestinian.

Around 50% of Palestinian Christians belong to the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, one of the 16 churches of Eastern Orthodoxy. This community has also been known as the Arab Orthodox Christians. There are also Maronites, Melkite-Eastern Catholics, Jacobites, Chaldeans, Roman Catholics (locally known as Latins), Syriac Catholics, Orthodox Copts, Catholic Copts, Armenian Orthodox, Armenian Catholic, Quakers (Friends Society), Methodists, Presbyterians, Anglicans (Episcopal), Lutherans, Evangelicals, Pentecostals, Nazarene, Assemblies of God, Baptists and other Protestants; in addition to small groups of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons and others.

The Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theófilos III, is the leader of the Palestinian and Jordanian Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, but Israel has refused to recognize his appointment.^[10] If confirmed, he would replace Patriarch Irenaios (in office from 2001), whose status within the church became disputed after a term surrounded by controversy and scandal given that he sold Palestinian property to Israeli Orthodox Jews.^[11] Archbishop Theodosios (Hanna) of Sebastia is the highest ranking Palestinian clergyman in the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal, is the leader of the Roman Catholics in Jerusalem, Palestine, Jordan, Israel and Cyprus. The Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem is Suheil Dawani,^[12] who replaced Bishop Riah Abou Al Assal. Elias Chacour, a Palestinian refugee, of the Melkite Eastern Catholic Church is Archbishop of Haifa, Acre and the Galilee. Bishop Dr. Munib Younan is the president of the Lutheran World Federation and the Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL).

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this day in the yesteryear: The Munich Massacre (1972)

The Munich Massacre (1972)

During the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, Palestinian terrorists from the group Black September infiltrated the Olympic Village and took a number of members of the Israeli Olympic team hostage. Two of the athletes were killed during the initial assault, and nine others lost their lives in the course of a failed rescue attempt, during which a German police officer and five of the eight kidnappers were killed as well. What went wrong during the rescue attempt at Fürstenfeldbruck airbase? More… Discuss

this pressed: Flash – Egypt slams Israel plan to seize Palestinian land – France 24

The Israeli West Bank settlement of Efrat on September 1, 2014The Israeli West Bank settlement of Efrat on September 1, 2014

Flash – Egypt slams Israel plan to seize Palestinian land – France 24.

Flash – Israel plan to seize West Bank land ‘alarms’ UN’s Ban – France 24

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Tunnel (according to Farlex) not to be mistaken for other definitions)

Noun	1.	tunnel – a passageway through or under something, usually underground (especially one for trains or cars); “the tunnel reduced congestion at that intersection” auto, automobile, car, motorcar, machine – a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine; “he needs a car to get to work”   catacomb – an underground tunnel with recesses where bodies were buried (as in ancient Rome)   passageway – a passage between rooms or between buildings   railroad tunnel – a tunnel through which the railroad track runs   shaft – a long vertical passage sunk into the earth, as for a mine or tunnel   underpass, subway – an underground tunnel or passage enabling pedestrians to cross a road or railway
	2.	tunnel – a hole made by an animal, usually for shelter burrow hollow, hole – a depression hollowed out of solid matter   rabbit warren, warren – a series of connected underground tunnels occupied by rabbits
Verb	1.	tunnel – move through by or as by digging; “burrow through the forest” burrow cut into, delve, dig, turn over – turn up, loosen, or remove earth; “Dig we must”; “turn over the soil for aeration”
	2.	tunnel – force a way through                   penetrate, perforate – pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance; “The bullet penetrated her chest”

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

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Security Council: The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question

United Nations Webcast- webtv.un.org (Click to access)

I will never forget the utter shock on these kids faces – they thought they were safe in a UN school #Gazapic.twitter.com/0YRHVc6pxz — Dan Rivers (@danieljerivers) July 24, 2014

I will never forget the utter shock on these kids faces – they thought they were safe in a UN school #Gazapic.twitter.com/0YRHVc6pxz

— Dan Rivers (@danieljerivers) July 24, 2014

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this pressed: United Nations News Centre – ‘Appalled’ by attack on UN-run school in Gaza, Ban urges halt to all fighting

United Nations News Centre – ‘Appalled’ by attack on UN-run school in Gaza, Ban urges halt to all fighting.

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