Daniel Lubetzky

"On Rosh Hashana, it is written
And on Yom Kippur it is sealed:

Who will find fulfillment in life, and who will live a live in a constant state of longing; who will heal and who will harm; who will lay blame and who will share the burden; who will bend and who will break; who will use his power when he should, not just because he can; who will succeed and willingly risk failure and who will shine only when success is guaranteed, who will cry out for those who have no voice and who will scream louder only to hear the sound of his own; who will turn and face a broken world to see how he can mend it and who will look away because all he can see is a world beyond repair. "

This month, on October 13th, The 99, a movie featuring superheroes based on Islamic culture and values, is coming to a PBS channel near you.  The 99 is a movie that is the first of its kind, and was created by Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, a Kuwaiti clinical psychologist and good friend of Daniel.  Keep an eye out for local listings, as this film is one that you will surely not want to miss.

Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Adeena Schlussel

This New York Times article about the effects of Hamas and Fatah’s recent union is worth reading:

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It is especially fitting that the following OneVoice music video aired repeatedly in Times Square, the capital of diversity and entertainment in NYC.  Check out this great video by clicking on the photo below, to see the humorous message of peace and hope that thousands of New Yorkers got a chance to see:

It is incredibly saddening and disappointing to see the intolerance that is terrorizing civilians in the Netherlands today.  This article in the Brussels Journal introduces the term “Decoy Jew,” or policemen dressed in traditional Jewish garb who are looking to arrest attackers who accost them, assuming they are Jews.  It is horrible that Jews are still encountering this needless hatred and bias and a sad fact that these “Decoy Jews” need exist.

Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, redacted by Adeena Schlussel.

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The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Ahmadinejad believes he has a line of communication with the Hidden Imam, a Messiah for the Muslim Shiia. Read more below.

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According to an article in the New York Times, a 600 page government report was recently released from secrecy, revealing that at times, the US Nazi hunting effort simultaneously harbored Nazi’s on American soil, creating a safe haven of sorts. The shocking details of the report reveal that in many ways the post wart effort to prosecute Nazis was very successful, but in many ways it was a huge failure as it was undermined by opposing efforts to provide for the very people the country was supposedly hunting.

Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, redacted by Adeena Schlussel

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Judd Apatow recently produced a hysterical, “unapproved” PSA about AJWS (American Jewish World Service), conveying the organization’s tremendous scope beyond traditional Jewish causes.  More importantly it will be sure to give you a good laugh! Check it out here:

This week’s quote of the week is an excerpt that I came across in the Yizkor Service on Yom Kippur and found particularly moving :

When I die give what’s left of me away

to children and old men that wait to die.

And if you need to cry,

cry for your brother walking the street beside you.

And when you need me, put your arms around anyone

and give them what you need to give me.

I want to leave you something,

something better than words or sounds.

Look for me in the people I’ve known or loved,

and if you cannot give me away,

at least let me live in your eyes and not in your mind.

You can love me best by letting hands touch hands,

and by letting go of children that need to be free.

Love doesn’t die, people do.

So, when all that’s left of me is love,

give me away.

                                                              – Meritt Malloy

I also appreciated another concept from the prayer book that speaks of the power of generations, and provides an element of comfort when thinking of those who are deceased:

If some messenger were to come to us with the offer that death should be overthrown, but with the one inseparable condition that birth should also cease; if the existing generation were given the chance to live forever, but on the clear understanding that never again would there be a child,or a  youth, or first love, never again new persons with new hopes, new ideas, new achievements; ourselves for always and never any others- could the answer be in doubt?