In addition to the incredible Holtzbergs, HY”D, four more special Jews were murdered in the Mumbai Chabad House. Herein follows a profile – courtesy of the Yeshiva World News website. Norma Schwartzblatt-Rabinowitz HY”D, Norma Schwartzblatt-Rabinowitz HY”D, Reb Bentzion Chroman HY”D, and Rav Aryeh Leibish Teitlebaum HY”D. They left behind at least 13 orphaned children under 13 as I can tell.

Norma Schwartzblatt-Rabinowitz HY”D

Norma Schwartzblatt-Rabinowitz was planning to make aliyah to Israel on Monday. The 70-year-old member of the Mexico Jewish community was volunteering during recent months in the Mumbai Chabad House.

This week, Mrs. Rabinowitz was planning to move to Eretz Yisrael to join her son and his family, who live in Bnei Brak. It was Norma who phoned Israeli consular officials in Delhi on Thursday, with a gun pointed to her head. She told consular officials there were four bodies, including Rabbi and Mrs. Holtzberg.

Because she is a Mexican national, a request was made via Interpol to inform her son and family in Eretz Yisrael as well as family members in Mexico.

Foreign Ministry and consular officials have not succeeded in locating her son, who they believe is not currently in Israel. (Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel) (more…)

Usually, I read something interesting, I make a comment and cite a relevant paragraph with a link to the story. Now however, words fail me. I can go on and on about barbarity and inhumanity, but what the fuck… I have no words in response to this article about the particular torture that was reserved for Israelis and Jews by the Mumbai terrorists:

“Bombay has a long history of terror. I have seen bodies of riot victims, gang war and previous terror attacks like bomb blasts. But this was entirely different. It was shocking and disturbing,” a doctor said… The other doctor, who had also conducted the post-mortem of the victims, said: “Of all the bodies, the Israeli victims bore the maximum torture marks. It was clear that they were killed on the 26th itself. It was obvious that they were tied up and tortured before they were killed. It was so bad that I do not want to go over the details even in my head again,” he said… Corroborating the doctors’ claims about torture was the information that the Intelligence Bureau had about the terror plan. “During his interrogation, Ajmal Kamal said they were specifically asked to target the foreigners, especially the Israelis,” an IB source said… It is also said that the Israeli hostages were killed on the first day as keeping them hostage for too long would have focused too much international attention. “They also might have feared the chances of Israeli security agencies taking over the operations at the Nariman House,” he reasoned.

I feel sick to my stomach.

Last call for Presenters
Want to be an integral part of Jewlicious Festival 5.0 this year? You have this week to get that idea from concept into proposal – and submit it on our site. Its a snap.

Is there a program that you want to be on the schedule!? Do you have a movie that you want others to view? Do you have a special talent that other people would enjoy learning? No matter what you have to share with us, we’d love to hear from you.

Our program committee will be picking the best proposals and putting them into this year’s festival. Incorporating content and programming generated from students and young professionals, is something we are very excited about and we look forward to hearing your ideas!

Click Here to take Presenter Survey

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KEN LIBERMAN: Yoga & Surfing as Spiritual Resources
Meet Ken Liberman – Professor, Surfer, Yogi, Scholar of Tibetan Buddhism. What is a guy like that going to do at this year’s Jewlicious Festival (beside maybe a bit of crowd surfing)?

To find out, Jewlicious got in touch with Ken to ask about his interests and new book called “Yoga for Surfers,” and how that all ties into Reggae performances and Jews.

This is a week where our focus is not on comedy. Wherever we are, we’re still reeling from the international tragedy of loss in Mumbai, and although we feel conflicted about where to go from here, we are beginning to do that thing we do whenever there is pain. We keep moving forward.

Though separate in every way from this week’s events, the Koby Mandell Foundation is an organization devoted to moving on after terror. And there’s a great American comedy tour in town this week that’s raising funds to benefit the Foundation.

Stand Up For Israel presents Comedy for Koby, to benefit the Koby Mandell Foundation, which works on behalf of the families affected by terror.

Featuring top-level Hollywood comics Chris Spencer, Mike Loftus, Modi and Avi Liberman. For more about the comics, see here.

* Wednesday, December 3- Jerusalem- The Maabeda- Derech Hebron 28

* Saturday, December 6- Tel Aviv- ZOA House- Even Gevirol 26, corner of Daniel Frisch

* Sunday, December 7- Raanana- Yad Labanim- 147 Ahuza Street
* Monday, December 8 – Modiin- Modiin Cultural Center – Emek Dotan 49

* Thursday, December 11- Beit Shemesh- Matnas Eshkol Hapayis, Aliyat Hanoar Street, Migdal Hamayim

All shows begin at 8:30 PM with doors opening at 8:00. Individual Tickets are 100 NIS or 75 NIS for soldiers or b’not sherut. Got 10 people or more? Call them about a discount. Buy online, by emailing tickets@djwconsult.com, or calling 054-627-2867.

And tell them you read about it on Jewlicious.

As soon as Shabbat was over in Jerusalem, I rushed to my computer to see what the updates were from Mumbai. It didn’t take long for me to realize that my prayers over Shabbat had not been answered and that Rabbi Holtzberg and his wife Rivka were already dead. I didn’t know them personally but I’ve known others like them – in Montreal and Park Slope, in Toronto, Thailand, New Orleans, Los Angeles – pretty much anywhere I have ever traveled, there was a Chabad Shaliach, doors open, friendly and hospitable, never asking or anything in return and representing the very best of what Judaism is all about. Sure, we’ve all poked fun at these guys. I mean they are Hassidic Jews after all, with their funny hats and beards, and their odd ideas about the Messiah. We’d take advantage of their hospitality and kindness while always asserting “I am not a Chabadnik.”

But all that’s changed now. Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg were targeted solely because they were Jewish. Had any of us been in Mumbai the day of the attack, we too would have been similarly targeted by mere dint of our religious affiliation. It wouldn’t have mattered in the least to the cowardly terrorists if we were atheist Jews, or cultural Jews, or left wing peacenick Jews, or secular, LWMO, Reform, Conservative or Reconstructionist. If they called out for Jews and you had the balls to raise your hand, they wouldn’t have asked if your Mom was Jewish or if the Rabbi that performed your conversion was on the approved list of Rabbis put out by the Rabbinate in Israel. They would have targeted you without further question. Now I am not saying that we ought to allow our enemies to define who is a Jew, but what I am saying is that however we define ourselves, at least for the next little while, we are all Chabadniks.

Those of you wishing to contribute to a fund that will help rebuild the Chabad of Mumbai and benefit the surviving children of Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, may do so by clicking here. It’s not much, but it’s the least we can do. You can read more about Gabi and Rivky at Chabad.org.

Hat tip to Talya for the link and the inspiration to not be angry.

Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg – aleihem hashalom

I am heartbroken.

The Jewish world weeps over the brutal murders of Jews, Indians, and others in Mumbai. News of the tragedy spread around the globe in minutes. We are all truly connected.

The response to the tragedy cannot be depression, but hard work.

The way for us to avenge the blood of the murdered is to erect pillars of loving kindness and charity.

Let our own efforts on behalf of the Jewish people be increased to honor the memory of the slain selfless Jews serving the Jewish community.

Shabbat Shalom

In a recent study conducted by NATAL (Israel Trauma Center for Victims of Terror and War), researchers discovered that close to 56% of Sderot residents have suffered in some way from Palestinian rocket attacks. According to the report, presented by Natal Community Staff Director, Dr. Roni Berger in Beersheva on November 24, nearly half of Sderot’s population has been either physically or emotionally damaged by Palestinian rocket fire.

Over 4, 000 Sderot residents are suffering from symptoms of post-traumatic-stress disorder (PTSD) while one third of Sderot children, ages 13 to 18, have trauma-related learning disorders.

PTSD is a severe and ongoing reaction to a terrifying ordeal that involved physical harm or the threat of physical harm to the person, according to the National Institute for Mental Health. People who develop PTSD may have witnessed a loved one who was harmed in a traumatic event or were victims themselves.

Symptoms of PTSD usually begin three months after the ordeal but can also emerge years afterward. Some people can recover within 6 months while others have symptoms that last for much longer. For some people, the condition becomes chronic.

“The initial symptoms of shock include an accelerated heart rate, dry mouth, limbs ‘falling asleep,’ a sense of fainting, seeming paralyzed or even emotionally detached,” says Gabi Schreiber chief of psychiatry at Ashkelon’s Barzilai hospital.

Dr. Adrianne Katz, head of the Sderot Mental Health Center says that the shock impacts the victim’s ability to function for months after the experiencing a Palestinian rocket explosion. “Many rocket terror victims suffer from depression, sleepless nights, severe anxiety, and have trouble going back to a regular routine,” she says. (more…)

By AP via Yahoo News:

Masked Indian commandos dropped from helicopters Friday onto the roof of a Jewish center in Mumbai where suspected Muslim militants were holed up, possibly with hostages, as sharpshooters kept up a steady stream of fire at the five-story building.

The assault came as commandos freed nearly two dozen captives from the nearby Oberoi hotel as they searched the building for attackers still holed up more than a day after a chain of attacks across India’s financial center by the militants left at least 119 people dead.

Security officials insisted their operations, which had been going on for nearly two days, were almost over.

“It’s just a matter of a few hours that we’ll be able to wrap up things,” Lt. Gen. N. Thamburaj told reporters.

The commando attack on the headquarters of the ultra-orthodox Jewish outreach group Chabad Lubavitch was punctuated by gunshots and explosions from within the building as forces cleared it floor by floor, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene.

[Full article]

Like many of you, I spent most of my Thanksgiving eve following the developments of the situation in Mumbai from my PC. I do not have TV in my apt (anymore) and I wanted to get up to the minute coverage of the situation. It is now Thanksgiving morning, and I am still in bed, following everything online.

I’ve been visiting CNN, FoxNews, Jpost, Chabad.org, and most importantly search.twitter.com. Like my previous post about Twitter suggests, it is a website involving conversations — real time. People are taking information from the aforementioned websites and reposting the important stuff on Twitter, using keywords such as #mumbai, #nariman, #chabad, etc. (The Nariman House is the Chabad House where terrorists are currently holding numerous Jewish hostages, including the Chabad Rabbi and his wife). 

I learned not long ago that the Chabad couple’s baby, Moshe, was saved by the cook earlier this morning. We have been urging everyone to say prayers / Psalms (Tehillim) for the Chabad couple: Gavriel Noach ben Freida Bluma and Rivka Bat Yehudis. 

Let’s pray that all of the Jews, Israelis, and all other victims in Mumbai come out safely from this horrific situation.

I will continue to post updates on this situation on Twitter: http://twitter.com/yeahthatskosher

Denmark, the tiny little country that saved thousands of jews during the Holocaust, may backhandedly kick them all out.

“Proposal to raise circumcision age to 15 causes storm among Jewish community. ‘If law is passed, Jews will have to leave place they’ve been living in for hundreds of years,’ says Denmark’s Chief Rabbi” — Ynetnews.com

Being that I just visited Denmark in June, I feel compelled to let people know about this issue. It would really be a smack in the face the Jewish, and even Muslim, communities in Denmark as circumcision is an integral part of both religions.

All I have to say is.. Oy.

http://theamericansentinel.com/2008/11/24/denmark-contemplating-circumcision-ban/

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3625859,00.html

Five months free in Israel? That’s crazy! I mean 10-days is audacious enough as it is, but 5 months? Crazy or not I spoke to Momo Lifshitz, founder and owner of Oranim Educational Initiatives who claims that thanks to a partnership with Masa (an initiative that helps subsidize long term study for young diaspora Jews in Israel) and some private philanthropists, he can help you weather the economic storm as you spend time in Israel learning, traveling and doing service work on a program called Israel Service Corps (ISC). For free. That’s nuts right? No. As you’ll see, it’s just Momo. As usual, my questions are in italics.

So Momo… what’s the deal here?

Momo: We are going to have at least 200 people participating in ISC through Masa. We are going to be the biggest Masa organizers thanks to this awesome, long term, service oriented Israel program – that is free!

You want to tell us what ISC is?

ISC is my dream. To bring young Jews for a significant experience in Israel, to give back, to do tikun olam, to grow up, to learn Hebrew. Basically it’s a 5-month Masa sponsored program that focuses on education and community service. It began as a pilot program based out of Ramleh and now we will have it in other smaller towns like Netivot, Acco, Arad, Haifa, Yokne’am – in as many cities as we can in Israel. On top of all that, this coming January we have an internship-based program based out of Tel Aviv that already has 50 participants working in exciting areas like high tech, business, education, hospitalty, non-profit management etc.

(more…)

I don’t usually follow Shmuel Rosner. I’m not sure why, it’s more a lack of chemistry with his writing style and ideas than any ill feelings about him. Today he published an interesting essay in Slate where he claims that only wishful thinking accepts that Hillary as Secretary of State in Obama’s Presidency will work. He says there are so many obstacles to a successful working relationship that it’s unlikely that they will succeed in working together effectively. He concludes by noting that perhaps they each believe that the can drive forward together pragmatically to success.

I guess I’m one of those with rose-colored glasses. It seems to me these two people were among two of the finest candidates for President who we’ve seen run for this office in a very long time. They are intelligent, knowledgeable and clearly able to read other people and find ways to work with them. They are also both driven by a sense of mission to help the United States. I can’t imagine that they won’t act in a mature way and as a team. In fact, I bet they have already discussed how this relationship was going to work and my supposition is that Hillary accepted that Obama has the last word.

Rather than be afraid at having strong people at the top, it is precisely the confidence Obama is showing in putting in strong people into critical slots in his administration, that makes me believe his objectives are positive and that he intends to succeed at working with these people as partners not as underlings.

Everybody recognizes just how much repair work has to be done to undo some of the massive errors of the last few years. Having a strong President with weak underlings is not the recipe for success when the challenges are so great and so many in number.

I think Obama and Hillary will work swimmingly well together.

Two Israeli men are looking at a death sentence for possession of 23,000 (!) hits of Ecstasy in Thailand. Muffti’s advice: slip the judge a few at the appeal court and give him a massage. From Jpost

A Thai court sentenced two Israel citizens convicted of drug dealing to death on Tuesday.

Alon Mahluf, 37, and Vladimir Agronik, 34, were arrested a year ago in a drug bust on Bangkok’s Kao San Road, a destination popular with Israeli tourists. They were charged and later convicted of possessing some 23,000 ecstasy pills which Thai police said were destined for Italy and the US.

During the large-scale operation, coordinated with US police, a number of other Israeli citizens were arrested, but most were subsequently released once it was established that they had no connection to the drug ring.

The Foreign Ministry said that it was “aware” of the developments and was taking the necessary steps in the matter.

The pair said that they would appeal the grave sentence. The Foreign Ministry further added that in a similar case involving foreign nationals, the sentence was changed in a court of appeals.

Israel’s apparent love affair with President elect Barack Obama (and vice versa?) continues unabated. It started modestly enough with a Falafel/Shwarma joint called Mifgash Obama in Hell Aviv, but now it’s gone totally out of control as President Obama’s love child graces the bag of new chocolaty nougat flavored version of Israel’s beloved national treat “Bamba.” Bamba is a nutritious peanut flavored snack that sustained Israel’s forces during the 6-day war and then went on to become a huge success all across Israel – it was even used by my good friend Amber Sutherland to lure Jewish men in to her web of depravity… Now Obamba celebrates America’s first African American President and the Jewish votes that helped get him there. No idea how the stuff tastes, but better grab them as they are sure to become collector’s items! Oh and for our Haredi readers, the Kosher certification is Badatz – black hat, black President, it’s all good.

Hat tip to my old friend Jack Buzaglo. See? Moroccans can be funny.

Parshat Chayei Sarah from g-dcast on Vimeo.

I had a nice email chat with Sarah Lefton and Matthue Roth of G-dcast. I remember seeing the first episode of G-dcast that Sarah had put together at the first ROI120 conference in Jerusalem in 2006. The assembled audience of young Jewish innovators was very impressed by what Sarah had put together and I have to say that I am pleased that Sarah had the fortitude to make her vision come to fruition. My questions are in italics. Enjoy!

First of all, mazel tov on finally getting G-DCast out there. I know Sarah, that you went through a number of trials and tribulations getting the resources together to make this happen. Was it worth it?

Sarah: Oh hells yes. It is a relief to have it living OUTSIDE of my head.

One thing that is definitely interesting is watching the response – so far – play out exactly as expected. We are getting a lot of intense interest from educators who want to use the curriculum in their classrooms. We am seeing enthusiasm from fairly well educated Jews. What remains to be seen is if it is interesting to people who don’t know these stories already. Actually, an ex-Mormon friend of mine who,
in her own words, “hates God,” agreed to put it on her Facebook page, which is sort of a small triumph maybe?!

(more…)

[Facebook Event]

FRIDAY NOV 21: SHABBOS WITH MATISYAHU!
Come join one of the most famous American Jewish musicians for a FREE SHABBAT DINNER.
Join us for a brief, private service at 6pm, followed by dinner at 6:30.

LOCATION: Chabad at 1261 S Arville St, Las Vegas 89102

SAT NOV 22: MATISYAHU IN CONCERT!
Shavua Tov! Shabbat’s over and it’s time to celebrate the new week by seeing Matisyahu in Concert! Hillel will be subsidizing tickets, but the amount will be dependent upon student interest.

House of Blues – Mandalay Bay
3950 Las Vegas Blvd South
Doors open at 6pm. on Sat. Night. Nov 22

Does Israeli hip-hop artist BooSkills make shakshouka correctly? I can tell you right now, CK’s answer will be “no frickin’ way, my mother makes the best shakshouka.”

But if you’d like to see if the word “Shakshouka” rhymes with enough Hebrew words to be the featured player in a new Israeli hip-hop video, click, play and enjoy.

According to JpostPresident Shimon Peres became a Knight recently along with such luminaries as George H.W. Bush, Bono and Reagan. The particular award was the Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George. Mazel tov from Jewlicious, Sir Peres!

I know you may be thinking of coming. But I want to make sure you buy your tickets early. Last year the Festival sold-out! When the tickets are gone, they are gone.

Students from all over the country are planning to attend. This magical Festival and Matisyahu’s private concert last year are famous.

All Advance Student Tickets ($46+) include:

• All meals fromFriday until Sunday dinner, plus a 24hr cafe.
• Music . Mind-blowing Saturday night concert, Sunday acoustic stage, as well as Jazz and drum circles throughout the weekend
• 24-hour program with more than you ever thought possible in 3-days
• Presentations, discussions with world-class speakers.
• Lodging – Either ‘camping’ at the JCC or for a few more dollars, staying in one of the nearby hotels.
• Access to the Jewlicious Shuk Vendor Fair on Sunday with loads of cool stuff to buy.

Want to find other students or alumni from your school going to Jewlicious? Every School has their own Facebook Affinity Group.

Keep up-to-date with all the latest Festival news by joining our Facebook Page, sign up for our Festival News, and check out our brand-new website.

December 19 is a significant day for Israelis civilians living on the other side of the Gaza Strip.

It is the day where the Hamas-Israel ceasefire officially comes to an end and the question to whether Palestinian rocket fire will resume on Israelis civilians living in the south, will officially be answered.

The question has been answered–to some degree–a little earlier than expected. After Israel entered the Gaza Strip to blow up a Hamas dug tunnel intended for the killing or kidnapping of Israeli soldiers, Hamas fired a massive barrage of rockets-over 60–upon Israeli civilians through November 4-5.
Several more Palestinian rockets were fired at Israel throughout the past week, with a barrage of Qassam rockets fired at Sderot and the Eshkol region on Sunday, November 16 and Monday, November 17. The ceasefire to this effect has been violated, two and a half weeks into November, more than 80 times by Hamas with the firing of over 80 Qassam and mortar rockets at Israelis civilians living in the Negev.

Hamas’s Ceasefire Violations
(more…)

Even the Jews are gettin’ a slice of the action. The new minority whip for the republicans is none other that the only Republican jew in the house, Eric Cantor. And Lieberman proved that the Dems are too spineless to kick a jew out of his position no matter how badly he acts. Rahm Emmanuel is chief of staff.

For those a little behind the social media eight-ball, tweeters are users of Twitter.com, an innovative way for people to connect and share information. I’ve been trying to get my co-workers to use Twitter in the way we use Facebook. It is such a great way for us to speak to the world about what our organization (StandWithUs) does (Israel advocacy). Thus far, I still remain the lone Twitter using ranger in my office.

After being inspired by amazing Jewish networkers, including Jewlicious’s ck, I’m getting my tweet on day and night. I mainly post on issues relating to my blog: yeahthatskosher.com which discusses Kosher & Jewish related Travel, Social Media Marketing, and travel in general. If you’re not sure what Twitter is about, check out my posts here: http://twitter.com/yeahthatskosher. StandWithUs’s feed on Israel and advocacy can be found here: http://twitter.com/standwithus.

You can also follow Jewlicious’s Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/jewlicious.

For those seasoned Jewish Tweeters, I’ve come up with a new networking opportunity… a “Jewish Tweeters” group on Facebook. I couldn’t believe it didn’t exist until this point, but it does now, and I recommend you connect with the ever growing online Jewish community using Twitter: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=35807732885

Looking forward to many more Jewlicious posts.

DK ~~ YeahThatsKosher

Aw come on Israel. You’re better than that!

The unrecognized village of Wadi Na’am is home to nearly 8,000 Bedouins. Located adjacent to Ramat Chovav, one of Israel’s largest chemical industrial areas and chemical dumps, Wadi Na’am isn’t exactly Shangri La. Children born there have a very high incidence of asthma and cancer rates are through the roof. The Bedouins, after much struggle, have been offered a new piece of land to move to that is in keeping with their rural lifestyle – but the infrastructure for such a move hasn’t been built and there’s no telling when any construction will actually begin.

So along comes this guy Mahmod Jarbeau. He’s a former officer and 9-year veteran of the IDF and a resident of Wadi Na’am. He’s director of a project that along with groups like the Regional Council for Unrecognized Villages, Bustan and a slew of volunteers from around the world, have built what can be best described as an eco-Mosque, community center and showcase of Bedouin culture.

Josh Berer described the Mosque as follows:

It is a relatively large mosque, easily enough to fit 200-300 worshippers, made of straw-bale construction. For those unfamiliar with this method of building, it involves stacking straw bales one on top of the other as the core of the walls, and then covering the bales with thick clay-like mud, and finally covering the mud with plaster, which is often then water-sealed. This creates a structure that is earthquake proof, waterproof, and mostly fireproof. It is also completely green, and has a very low environmental footprint. In this case, the only non-natural materials were the rebar used to hold the bales in place, the cement floor, and the metal roof and its supports. No drywall, no tyvec, no pvc.

So now guess what? Through some remarkably inept Israeli bureaucratic myopia or what have you, a demolition order has been made against the Mosque and it is set to be destroyed tomorrow!! No offense to the powers that be, but seriously guys – are you retarded? All us residents of Israel have experienced this kind of stupidity – but it’s one thing to stand in lines, or provide endless documentation or whatever bureaucratic inconvenience we’ve all shared – it’s quite another thing to destroy an inoffensive building erected under the directorship of an IDF veteran and citizen meant to serve an impoverished and embattled group.

Devorah Brous, former Director of Bustan had this to say:

This land is holy – for all its peoples, and demolishing a house of worship no matter who built it, who prays in it, is an unholy, political tool. The people in these villages rank at the bottom of all socio-economic indicators and don’t have commercial, educational, or health facilities – basically ANY other infrastructure in their villages aside from prayer houses.

Bustan was involved in the construction of a similarly built, environmentally friendly medical clinic at Wadi Na’am.

So yeah. Hear Ye O Israel. Don’t embarrass me and don’t embarrass yourself. Don’t tear down Mahmoud Jarbeau’s Mosque. Don’t deprive the citizens of Wadi Na’am of their community center. Don’t be muddled in stupid and senseless bureaucracy. This is such a dumb move that words fail me. I wish I could be more eloquent.

Oy.

Thanks to Ra’ed Al Mickawi, current director of Bustan and Dr. Yeela Livnat Ra’anan of the Regional Council for Unrecognized Villages for taking the time to update me on this mess.

Last night’s Shemspeed Anniversary Party, I have to say, was the most fun I have ever had at a show. So thank you all for making that vibe so incredible. It felt like a house party! Chabad boys break dancing and crowd surfing. A skunk dressed man doing the cabbage patch…70% of the crowd dacing all night to all 8 bands and the mix of Yiddish Ska-Reggae, Yemenite Hip Hop and the return of rock n’ roll made for an onslaught of goodness. The line up of bands was also something that almost never happens. DeScribe, who joined Y-Love and Diwon on stage to debut their song “Change” which comes out early next year, really lit the place on fire. The only other time I saw Jews get that riled up at a show was when we threw Matisyahu and Y-Love on stage at our show with Idan Raichel(scroll down to click to the video). I can’t even go into how great the performances of each band were, cuz it was just spot on, so check the band section above to listen to music, or click the myspaces by clicking the bands names below…..

Electro Morocco, Piamenta, King Django’s Roots & Culture, Diwon feat. Smadar, Y-Love, DeScribe, Avi Fox-Rosen, Aaron Ein, Blanket Statementstein, Blue Fringe

To view all photos go to flickr.com/shemspeed

To watch the DeScribe/Y-Love “Change” video live, visit youtube.com/shemspeed

thanks to Yossi for them photos Yossi Belkin

The Jew Spot site was there and wrote, “If The Jew Spot had to pick a crazier Jewish concert, I’m not sure we could. Between the dancing skunk, the Christmas songs, and the soul train line of Yeshiva boys, this was by far a true mix of the tribe.”

next up – Sephardic Music Festival!