Charred coins my ass

While digging wantonly under Al Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s 3rd holiest religious site, the Zionists usurpers conveniently claim to have discovered a trove of approximately 70 allegedly Jewish coins dating from the time of the 2nd Temple – you know, the one that never really even existed?

NPR reports:

About 70 coins were found in an excavation at the foot of a key Jerusalem holy site. They give a rare glimpse into the period of the Jewish revolt that eventually led to the destruction of the Second Jewish Temple in A.D. 70, said Hava Katz, curator of the exhibition… The Jews rebelled against the Roman Empire and took over Jerusalem in A.D. 66. After laying siege to Jerusalem, the Romans breached the city walls and wiped out the rebellion, demolishing the Jewish Temple, the holiest site in Judaism… The coins sit inside a glass case, some melted down to unrecognizable chunks of pockmarked and carbonized bronze from the flames that destroyed the Temple.

Hava Katz is SUCH a liar! So she scorched up a bunch of coins. So what? Everyone knows that there was no temple in Jerusalem 2000 years ago because all the Jews where in Khazaria. And they weren’t even Jews yet. This is just another provocation by the Zionist Apartheid regime meant to justify their destructive digging under Haram Al Sharif which threatens the foundations of the mosques, and justifies the further dispossession of eternal Palestinian rights extant from time immemorial. Should you find yourself in the Zionist entity, and wish to witness this hoax for yourself, you may do so at the Davidson Center, adjacent to the entrance to the so called “Wailing Wall.” I’ll show you a wailing wall you rotten Zionists.

Nope. This isn’t about a free Birthright Israel trip (although registration for winter begins Sept. 8th and you can go with us – more info here), or any kind of flashy contest with cool prizes. The Ticket to Jerusalem Project is a simple concept, really. All you have to do is create any kind of artwork called “Ticket To Jerusalem”. Do it on a thick horizontal piece of paper, 8×3″ (20×8 cm), the size of conventional airplane ticket or boarding pass. Attach a stamp, add a return address and mail it WITHOUT an envelope to: Radik Shvarts, PO Box 245614, Brooklyn, NY, 11224, USA. The project deadline is January 1st, 2010 and all entries will posted online. Most of them will also be exhibited internationally and featured in a book titled “Ticket To Jerusalem” that will be published in 2010. Every person, whose artwork is featured in the book will get a free copy.

That’s it! So far the site features a pretty eclectic collection of 41 pieces of ticket art and, and… I don’t know what to say. It’s kind of sweet because there seems to be no underlying political message. No one’s trying to sell you anything, it’s just this very whimsical thing that is a pure celebration of creativity. OK so it is sponsored by the UJA Federation of New York, and COJECO (a central coordinating body in the Russian Jewish community of NY that works towards successul integration of Russian Jews into American Jewish life) but so what? Good on them for being involved in something that’s this much… fun!

So here’s the deal – If you’re in Israel this summer, pony up a mere 450 shekels (400 if you’re part of a non-profit) and you can enjoy a series of lectures focusing on entrepreneurial innovation and creativity by a pretty impressive line-up of speakers, culminating in a invite-only pitch night put on by the latest crop of PresenTense Fellows. In addition, you’ll also have full access to the PresenTense Hub from June 15-July 30 and half price access during the month of August. The Hub offers free Internet access, an otherwise comfy environment and the opportunity to network with a revolving cast of interesting people who make use of the facilities. Some of the speakers who will be imparting nuggets of wisdom include Michael Eisenberg, a partner in VC Firm Benchmark Capital’s Israel branch, our good friend Dan Brown from eJewish Philanthropy, Roi Carthy from the TechCruch blog, Sandy Cardin, President of the Schusterman Foundation noted commentator Yossi Klein-Halevi, Alisa Katz, Associate Producer of the film Defiance and more. You can get the whole schedule and registration at the PresenTense Web site. All that and regular access to Institute founders Ariel Beery and Aharon Horwitz?? Come on, who can say no!

It started innocently enough as we gathered to light the Menorah for the third day of Chanukah. Danielle Sheldon did the brachot inspiring us to goodness with her angelic voice. But then that saucy wench Talya Lev started in with her beat boxing, which inspired Rinat Guttman to bump up the tension a couple of notches with some freestyle hip hop. Sarah Weil, Iftachi the cat and Gal Feldman followed suit with back up dancing. If that was it, it’d be ok but then after the candles were lit, the Arak and the doughnuts came out and we all got really crazy – hopped up on sugar and carbs, things were crazy dude! Never a dull moment at Beit Jewlicious in Jerusalem. Check out the video which tonight is dedicated to Sasha Perry who went back to America after candle lighting – on her way to the Hazon Food Conference in California. Come back to us soon Sasha! We’ll see you soon at the Jewlicious Festival!

Join the Tachlis 2 Point Oh! and Jewlicious as we follow the results of the US Presidential Elections at the offices of Presentense at 64 Emek Refaim Street in Jerusalem. This will be a great Networking opportunity and we will be using a full suite of Web 2.0 tools as we broadcast the impressions of assembled Jerusalemites. Also on tap will be a fine selection of drinks and food, featuring Arack and Borekas from Machane Yehudah. Mabe I’ll even prepare some techina and pitas.

The event will take place on Tuesday, November 4, 2008 at 10:30pm and will go until… well, till no one’s left I suppose. Feel free to RSVP via our facebook event page. The event is free although given how scary this election is likely to be, you are strongly encouraged to bring more booze. Here’s a Google map of where it’ll take place and if you have any questions or if you’re a blogger who wants to participate, feel free to contact me. I can be reached at 054 673 5873 or from the US at 917 338 7570.

For the record, the only reason I used “Barack” in the title is because it rhymes with “Arack.” As a Canadian/Israeli, I don’t particularly endorse either candidate. Also you can read about this and other election related events happening in Israel in Haaretz!

This pattern might be attributable to short term memory loss. I’d recommend inhaling less frequently.

So Matisyahu’s in Jerusalem for the holidays. Saw him at a show two nights ago – Samuel Nelson’s new band Semantra was performing at Canaan on Shamai street (they were pretty good!) – all the usual Nachlaot suspects were in attendance. So Matisyahu ambles over and tells me about a show he put together at the last minute – just him, his guitarist who was in town and a couple of locals. The show was in a small retrofitted Cafe near the shuk – it barely fit 50 people and there was a huge overflow crowd outside – folks who didn’t heed the warning that the show would sell out in like… a minute. Hippies… what do you expect? So yeah. Great show.

Sasha, who shot this vid, and I know Matisyahu well from his time hangin’ at the Jewlicious Festival. The locals were all “how you know Matis?” after they saw him talking to us. Sasha lied and said they used to date and I told them that I met him in Jail. Anyhow the Festival is coming up at the end of February. One of the things we want to do to promote it is to put together a compilation CD of some of the artists who have appeared at Jewlicious. That’s why this post has the schnorrer box. We’re still a little short of the $2500 we’ll need to produce 1000 CDs. Now’s your chance to help us out and get some phat toonzes. Donate $18 or more and get a free CD! Yay!

As you can see from the photos – I’m being quite literal. Today was the first day of Machane Yehuda’s annual Kaparot Market. Every year, Jerusalem’s central market hosts this temporary slaughterhouse where those that follow the Kaparot ritual can go and kill them some chickens.

The ritual, which is performed between the end of Rosh Hashana and the beginning of Yom Kippur, involves reading Psalms, then buying a chicken, waving it around your head three times while saying 3 times “This is my exchange, this is my substitute, this is my atonement. This rooster chicken will go to its death, while I will enter and proceed to a good long life and to peace.” It’s kind of a controversial ritual and Rabbis are divided regarding whether or not one should do it with Maimonides saying no and the Arizal (Isaac Luria) saying yes.

But me? A dedicated vegetarian? Why do I do it? Well, I don’t eat the chicken. I give it to charity. That alone justifies Kaparot. But more importantly, if these images make you squeamish, then good! For those of you meat eaters who think this is barbaric, think about that next time you chow down on a plate of wings. As a society we eat so much meat and never think about where it comes from, how it gets to our plates – that a living creature was bred and killed so that you could enjoy a yummy meal. We think even less about the environmental impact of our meat consumption.

But not me. I saw that chicken die. I was there, and while it was kind of gross, I appreciated its sacrifice and was thankful that it gave up its life so that I could do a mitzvah and help a poor family eat a meal.

Gmar Chatimah Tova!

PS: Be thankful I didn’t bring a video camera

You can Google Art Kutcher. But you won’t find much. Right now Art, an architect, should be about 70 years old, more or less. I’ve never met the guy, I have no idea what he looks like but whenever I walk down the street in Jerusalem, what I see, or don’t see, is directly related to projects this native of Sioux City, Iowa prevented from happening.

Kutcher was part of a group of architects and planners – most from English-speaking countries – hired by the municipality of Jerusalem in 1971. The Mayor of Jerusalem, Teddy Kolleck decided that the municipality was going to play a more direct role in its own city planning, rather than leaving it to the government. In his short tenure, all Kutcher designed was a parking lot on Mt. Zion. However he did execute a number of before and after sketches of proposed developments like a 21 story hotel just outside the Jaffa Gate, or eight apartment towers and two-500 room hotels in an open field (known as the Omariya plot now Liberty Bell Park) just five hundred yards West of the Old City Walls.

While these developments would have brought in certain economic benefits, they would have ruined the skyline of Jerusalem for decades to come. Kutcher was ordered not to make the sketches public but they always somehow managed to get into the hands of reporters and activists, often eliciting indignation, horror and audible gasps followed by protests and a public outcry. Through his efforts, Kutcher effectively single-handedly prevented the ruination of Jerusalem’s skyline. For all his efforts, Kutcher, who was a tireless worker but still difficult to deal with, was not rehired by Kolleck at the end of his temporary contract, but his work was done and Jerusalem was saved from short sighted government planners and greedy developers.

Since then, his legacy has been chipped away at. New developments are going up all the time and already the view of the Old City Walls from Agron street has been obliterated by the construction of the extremely cheesy Mamila Mall just outside Jaffa Gate. New towers and developments are going up all the time – geared towards well moneyed tourists and part time residents, these are causing rents and property values to increase, making life in the city less affordable for students, artists, young couples and old-time residents. The residents of the city, beaten down by one unresponsive Municipal administration after another have lost the will to protest, surmising correctly that the municipality is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Jerusalem’s property developers who don’t give a rat’s ass about the interests and concerns of the hoi polloi.

So Art… if you’re out there, how about popping back to Jerusalem for a bit. We need a shit disturber like you more than ever before. Alternatively, whoever sits in the Mayor’s office after the November 11 municipal elections ought to be mindful of the fact that it takes just one similarly motivated shit disturber armed with nothing more than some sketches and some vision to obliterate otherwise carefully crafted plans.

PS: Tonight at 7 pm at 23 Yehoshua Bin Nun, Jewlicious is co-sponsoring a Meet and Greet with Jerusalem Mayoral candidate Nir Barkat. For more details check out the facebook event page.

Photo credit: chrislilleheim

Source: Jerusalem on Earth by Abraham Rabinovich (1988) – Whose essay The Spoiler: Preserving Jerusalem on pages 195-203 inspired this post.

Maybe. We’ll see. But for those of you who are residents of Jerusalem, Jewlicious, along with Jerusalemite.net and Tachlis.org are bringing you the opportunity to have some intimate time with Nir Barkat – Jerusalem Mayoral candidate in the upcoming municipal elections (November 11th). The polls have Barkat ahead in a field that includes Rabbi Meir Porush (the dude that made little dancing girls wear burqas at the opening of Jerusalem’s new light rail bridge) and former Shas leader Aryeh Deri (who was told today by the Jerusalem District Court that he can’t run for Mayor because less than 7 years had passed since he was tried and convicted of accepting bribes, fraud and breach of faith and receiving something by deceit in aggravated circumstances). Yeah.

Anyhow, since we here at Jewlicious love Jerusalem so much, we want those of our readers who are Jerusalem residents to make as informed a decision as possible regarding the upcoming election. That’s why, along with our friends at Jerusalemite.net and Tachlis.org, we helped organize this event. Nir Barakat will give a brief speech, then answer questions and yes… light refreshments will be served.

So this Sunday, October 5th at 7 pm, come on down to Yehoshua Bin Nun 23 in the German colony. See what this Nir Barkat fellow is all about. I’ll bring Arak and raise a toast to the totally pathetic campaign run by my boys in Shas. Seriously. A convicted felon?? I would have made a better mayoral candidate.

Update: Rabbi Porush now has a semi-functioning Web site. It’s a one pager with a video and now his creepy cartoon character persona is waving! Sometimes I hate Flash…

… and I hate dancing children! —>