The Legacy Of Islamic Antisemitism by Andrew G. Bostom VII

http://lukeford.net/blog/?p=3256 Andrew G. Bostom is the author of the highly acclaimed The Legacy of Jihad: Islamic Holy War and the Fate of Non-Muslims.

The Legacy Of Islamic Antisemitism by Andrew G. Bostom VI

http://lukeford.net/blog/?p=3256 Andrew G. Bostom is the author of the highly acclaimed The Legacy of Jihad: Islamic Holy War and the Fate of Non-Muslims.

The Legacy Of Islamic Antisemitism by Andrew G. Bostom V

http://lukeford.net/blog/?p=3256 Andrew G. Bostom is the author of the highly acclaimed The Legacy of Jihad: Islamic Holy War and the Fate of Non-Muslims.

The Legacy Of Islamic Antisemitism by Andrew G. Bostom IV

http://lukeford.net/blog/?p=3256 Andrew G. Bostom is the author of the highly acclaimed The Legacy of Jihad: Islamic Holy War and the Fate of Non-Muslims.

The Legacy Of Islamic Antisemitism by Andrew G. Bostom III

http://lukeford.net/blog/?p=3256 Andrew G. Bostom is the author of the highly acclaimed The Legacy of Jihad: Islamic Holy War and the Fate of Non-Muslims.

The Legacy Of Islamic Antisemitism by Andrew G. Bostom

http://lukeford.net/blog/?p=3256 Andrew G. Bostom is the author of the highly acclaimed The Legacy of Jihad: Islamic Holy War and the Fate of Non-Muslims.

The Legacy Of Islamic Antisemitism by Andrew G. Bostom

http://lukeford.net/blog/?p=3256 Andrew G. Bostom is the author of the highly acclaimed The Legacy of Jihad: Islamic Holy War and the Fate of Non-Muslims.

The Legacy Of Islamic Antisemitism by Andrew G. Bostom

http://lukeford.net/blog/?p=3256 Michael Finch, Janey Levy (from the Horowitz Freedom Center) introduce the night's speaker. Andrew G. Bostom is the author of the highly acclaimed The Legacy of Jihad: Islamic Holy War and the Fate of Non-Muslims.

Avi Davis of American Freedom Alliance IV

http://www.americanfreedomalliance.org AFA hosts an international conference on academic freedom at USC June 15 and June 16. Speakers include Victor Davis Hanson, Dennis Prager, Hugh Hewitt.

HintTV: Chasing Baja Premiere

http://www.drinkhint.com Drink water, not sugar!

HintTV: Chasing Baja Premiere - Jack Rio

http://www.drinkhint.com Drink water, not sugar! Interview with Sean Kanan and Matthew Borlenghi from the new movie Jack Rio.

HintTV: Chasing Baja Premiere - Judy Tenuta

http://www.drinkhint.com Drink water, not sugar! Interview with Judy Tenuta comedian. She's working on a reality show. She has a new album coming out, "Try this again pigs!"

HintTV: Chasing Baja Premiere - Carmen Perez

http://www.drinkhint.com Drink water, not sugar! Interview with singer/actress Carmen Perez.

HintTV: Chasing Baja Premiere - Leyla Milani

http://www.drinkhint.com Drink water, not sugar! Interview with Leyla Milani of Deal or No Deal.

HintTV: Chasing Baja Premiere - Eva LaRue

http://www.drinkhint.com Drink water, not sugar! Interview with Eva LaRue. Her friends produced this movie so she thought she'd tag along.

HintTV: Chasing Baja Premiere - Carmen Perez

http://www.drinkhint.com Drink water, not sugar! Actress Carmen Perez discusses Hint water in Spanish at the Chasing Baja premiere.

HintTV: Chasing Baja Premiere

http://www.drinkhint.com Drink water, not sugar! Interview with Hollywood Wolf and Justice from American Gladiators. They discuss season two. They're out of training. Top rated NBC TV show. Energy. Adrenalin.

Avi Davis of American Freedom Alliance III

http://www.americanfreedomalliance.org AFA hosts an international conference on academic freedom at USC June 15 and June 16. Speakers include Victor Davis Hanson, Dennis Prager, Hugh Hewitt.

Frozen River Is A Beautiful Movie

http://lukeford.net/blog/?p=3213 This is an honest portrayal of poor people trying to make do the best they can on the border between Canada and the United States. They’re lured by the money to get into smuggling, which makes for an exciting movie. If they’d just kept working at minimum wage conventional jobs, I’d have fallen asleep.

The Wackness Is Dope

http://lukeford.net/blog/?p=3198 Kurt Cobain has just died. Rudolph Giuliani is cleaning up the city. The protagonist is named Luke Shapiro. What kind of name is that? The Talmud says "Luke" is among the most goyish names imaginable. Anyone named Luke must be bad for the Jews.

Avi Davis of American Freedom Alliance

http://www.americanfreedomalliance.org AFA hosts an international conference on academic freedom at USC June 15 and June 16. Speakers include Victor Davis Hanson, Dennis Prager, Hugh Hewitt.

Avi Davis of American Freedom Alliance II

http://www.americanfreedomalliance.org AFA hosts an international conference on academic freedom at USC June 15 and June 16. Speakers include Victor Davis Hanson, Dennis Prager, Hugh Hewitt.

David Corn Writes On Phil Gramm, Subprime Mess

http://refinancemortgagenow.net/blog/?p=1094 Who's to blame for the biggest financial catastrophe of our time? Now a well-paid executive at a Swiss bank, Gramm cochairs Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign and advises the Republican candidate on economic matters. Talk about a market failure.

Credit Default Swaps

http://refinancemortgagenow.net/blog/?p=1094 Who's to blame for the biggest financial catastrophe of our time? Now a well-paid executive at a Swiss bank, Gramm cochairs Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign and advises the Republican candidate on economic matters. Talk about a market failure.

Subprime Refinance Mess

http://refinancemortgagenow.net/blog/?p=1094 Who's to blame for the biggest financial catastrophe of our time? Now a well-paid executive at a Swiss bank, Gramm cochairs Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign and advises the Republican candidate on economic matters. Talk about a market failure.

Phil Gramm & The Refinance Mess

http://refinancemortgagenow.net/blog/?p=1094 Who's to blame for the biggest financial catastrophe of our time? Now a well-paid executive at a Swiss bank, Gramm cochairs Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign and advises the Republican candidate on economic matters. Talk about a market failure.

Who's To Blame For Refinance Mess?

http://refinancemortgagenow.net/blog/?p=1094 Who's to blame for the biggest financial catastrophe of our time? Now a well-paid executive at a Swiss bank, Gramm cochairs Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign and advises the Republican candidate on economic matters. Talk about a market failure.

Avi Davis of American Freedom Alliance

http://www.americanfreedomalliance.org AFA hosts an international conference on academic freedom at USC June 15 and June 16. Speakers include Victor Davis Hanson, Dennis Prager, Hugh Hewitt.

Avi Davis of American Freedom Alliance III

http://www.americanfreedomalliance.org AFA hosts an international conference on academic freedom at USC June 15 and June 16. Speakers include Victor Davis Hanson, Dennis Prager, Hugh Hewitt.

Avi Davis of American Freedom Alliance II

http://www.americanfreedomalliance.org AFA hosts an international conference on academic freedom at USC June 15 and June 16. Speakers include Victor Davis Hanson, Dennis Prager, Hugh Hewitt.

Avi Davis of American Freedom Alliance

http://www.americanfreedomalliance.org AFA hosts an international conference on academic freedom at USC June 15 and June 16. Speakers include Victor Davis Hanson, Dennis Prager, Hugh Hewitt.

Holly Randall Live From Your Moral Leader's Hovel

http://lukeford.net/blog/?p=3178 I slip Holly Randall some extra-strong mint kosher chewing gum. She hates it. June 8, 2008. She'd just taken me to lunch at Milk N' Honey for my birthday. She reads and comments on the Jewish Journal's profile of me.

Holly Randall Builds Me Up, Buttercup

http://lukeford.net/blog/?p=3178 I slip Holly Randall some extra-strong mint kosher chewing gum. She sings with me, Build Me Up, Butter Cup.

Holly Randall Discovers She Hates Kosher Gum

http://lukeford.net/blog/?p=3178 I slip Holly Randall some extra-strong mint kosher chewing gum. She hates it. June 8, 2008. She'd just taken me to lunch at Milk N' Honey for my birthday.

Christina DeRosa Models For Hadaka Sushi III

http://www.hadakasushi.com “Sushi gone naughty” is the theme behind Hadaka Sushi. What does that mean exactly? The exotic menu includes rolls such as the G-Spot, as well as more intimate services where diners can literally eat the raw stuff off the body of a model.

Christina DeRosa Models For Hadaka Sushi III

http://www.hadakasushi.com “Sushi gone naughty” is the theme behind Hadaka Sushi. What does that mean exactly? The exotic menu includes rolls such as the G-Spot, as well as more intimate services where diners can literally eat the raw stuff off the body of a model.

Christina DeRosa Models For Hadaka Sushi II

http://www.hadakasushi.com “Sushi gone naughty” is the theme behind Hadaka Sushi. What does that mean exactly? The exotic menu includes rolls such as the G-Spot, as well as more intimate services where diners can literally eat the raw stuff off the body of a model.

Christina DeRosa Models For Hadaka Sushi

http://www.hadakasushi.com “Sushi gone naughty” is the theme behind Hadaka Sushi. What does that mean exactly? The exotic menu includes rolls such as the G-Spot, as well as more intimate services where diners can literally eat the raw stuff off the body of a model.

Hairdresser Frederic States IV

http://www.fredericstates.com After a stint at Prive, Frederic decided to create an environment where clients could actually relax while beautifying. The result: his home studio, a tranquil West Hollywood space, decorated with Moroccan and Indian elements (gauzy fabrics, big comfy pillows, and vibrant pinks, oranges, and reds).

Hairdresser Frederic States III

http://www.fredericstates.com After a stint at Prive, Frederic decided to create an environment where clients could actually relax while beautifying. The result: his home studio, a tranquil West Hollywood space, decorated with Moroccan and Indian elements (gauzy fabrics, big comfy pillows, and vibrant pinks, oranges, and reds).

Hairdresser Frederic States II

http://www.fredericstates.com After a stint at Prive, Frederic decided to create an environment where clients could actually relax while beautifying. The result: his home studio, a tranquil West Hollywood space, decorated with Moroccan and Indian elements (gauzy fabrics, big comfy pillows, and vibrant pinks, oranges, and reds).

Hairdresser Frederic States

http://www.fredericstates.com After a stint at Prive, Frederic decided to create an environment where clients could actually relax while beautifying. The result: his home studio, a tranquil West Hollywood space, decorated with Moroccan and Indian elements (gauzy fabrics, big comfy pillows, and vibrant pinks, oranges, and reds).

Carmody & Co Stationery Store In Pasadena

http://www.carmodynco.com/ I talk to store manager Marcie Pastre. "We are also happy to announce our new line of invitations, The Party Girl, by Karen Adams. Her creative style portrays unique designs for any special occasion!"

Carmody & Co Stationery Store In Pasadena

http://www.carmodynco.com/ I talk to store manager Marcie Pastre. Terry Clougherty, owner, is proud to display her store's new Truly Mom personal organizers and stationery, as pictured above.

I Died And Went To Clothes Heaven III

http://www.clothesheaven.com I interview Larayne L. Brannon at her Pasadena boutique Clothes Heaven, a designer resale clothing store. 626-440-0929 Chanel, Giorgio Armani, Escada, Jil Sander, Calvin Klein, Gautier, Prada, Gucci

I Died And Went To Clothes Heaven II

http://www.clothesheaven.com I interview Larayne L. Brannon at her Pasadena boutique Clothes Heaven, a designer resale clothing store. 626-440-0929 Chanel, Giorgio Armani, Escada, Jil Sander, Calvin Klein, Gautier, Prada, Gucci

I Died And Went To Clothes Heaven

http://www.clothesheaven.com I interview Larayne L. Brannon at her Pasadena boutique Clothes Heaven, a designer resale clothing store. 626-440-0929 Chanel, Giorgio Armani, Escada, Jil Sander, Calvin Klein, Gautier, Prada, Gucci

Who is Huma Abedin?

http://lukeford.net/blog/?p=3139 A 32-year old beauty of Indian and Pakistani parentage, better known as US presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton’s "body person", is being wooed by a US lawmaker known for his anti-Muslim views.

Huma Abedin - Anthony Weiner

http://www.lukeford.net/profiles/profiles/huma_abedin.htm Who is Hillary Clinton's mysterious body person Huma Abedin? Huma is Muslim. She's spent half of her life in Saudi Arabia. Now she's supposedly dating a Jewish congressman.

I Survived The Shul Banquet

http://lukeford.net/blog/?p=3133 I had a good time. How embarrassing? How nerdy? How Modern Orthodox. Moshav Band. I start slinging around the circle faster and faster. "Which part of my body will give out first?" I wonder. "Will it be my knees or my heart? I’m gonna have a heart attack right here on the dance and they’re going to call an ambulance and rush me to Kaiser and then we’ll find out it was just a panic attack."

I Prepare For The Shul Banquet

http://lukeford.net/blog/?p=3133 Should I wear my tzitzit in or out? Should I wear my tefillin? My Borat speedo? Should I book a room at the Beverly Hilton? Should I take a taxi or jog? Should I talk to people or stand apart and read a book?

Mortgage Villains

http://refinancemortgagenow.net/blog/?p=1025 Bad guys. Wall Street. President Bush. Reverse mortgage. Credit score, money in the bank, clean up your credit, pay the fees. Home equity loan, refinance mortgage rates, refinance house, homerefinance, debt consolidation, loan mortgages, home loans

Refinance Now

http://refinancemortgagenow.net/blog/?p=989 Wright says getting a fixed rate is a smart choice because, "Rates are good for one thing you can get 30 year fixed for approximately 6% very nominal fees most of us who follow rates are under the opinion rates can only go up from here."

UK Mortgage Crisis

http://refinancemortgagenow.net/blog/?p=991 Northern Rock is planning to more than double the number of people working in its debt management business in a move that will spark fresh fears of widespread repossessions over the coming year.

Mortgage Workouts

http://refinancemortgagenow.net/blog/?p=993 Students of that peerless chronicler of contemporary America, Tom Wolfe, would remember his modern epic, A Man in Full, which immortalised such "workout artistes" through Harry Zales, whose stock-in-trade is the art of deflating the ever-ballooning egos of big and mighty defaulters, like the protagonist Charlie Crocker, and making them eat out of his hands.

Refinance: Mortgages Rates Rise

http://refinancemortgagenow.net/blog/?p=990 Interest rates for long-term mortgages rose this week to their highest levels since March, pushed up by the threat of inflation. The national average interest rate for 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages increased to 6.08 percent for the week ending Thursday, up from 5.98 percent the week before, according to mortgage financing company Freddie Mac.

Kevin MacDonald - The Professor Anti-Semites Love

http://lukeford.net/blog/?p=3118 Historically, we have tended to benefit from niche businesses, such as banking during the primacy of Catholicism, when it was prohibited to Catholics, and entertainment during the primacy of Protestants, when they looked down on such businesses. We do tend to be far more visible, disproportionately to our numbers.

Rabbi Who Voided Druckman Conversions: Hearing And Speech Impaired Cannot Convert, Any Conversion Done Invalid

From FailedMessiah:

Basing himself of the halakhic idea that…

…deaf and dumb Jews are exempt from mitzvot, haredi Rabbi Avraham Sherman – a close follower of the haredi "gadol hador" Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv – ruled that people with severe hearing or speech problems cannot convert to Judaism.

In part, Rabbi Sherman's "logic" works like this:

1. A deaf or dumb person is exempt from mitzvah observance.
2. Converting to Judaism mean accepting on one's self the "yoke of the mitzvot" (commandments).
3. Since a deaf or dumb person is exempt from mitzvot, he cannot accept on himself the "yoke of mitzvot" he is exempt from observing.
4. Therefore, any conversion performed on a deaf or dumb individual is invalid.

Rabbi Sherman makes at least two clear errors:

1. He ignores modern Jewish legal decisions – including decisions from American haredi rabbis – that allow deaf Jews to be called to the Torah, and deaf and dumb Jews to be counted in a minyan, be married, and perform other mitzvot. (These rulings are based on several things, one of which is the ability – lacking in the pre-modern world – to educate and communicate with the deaf and dumb.
2. Secondly, "accepting the yoke of the commandments" does not mean a convert must observe every commandment. There are commandments few Jews will ever observe because the situation that calls for their observance does not exist for them. In other words, these commandments are situational – sending away the mother bird, for example or, for all of us today, offering sacrifices in the Jerusalem Temple. And women – who are also exempt from some mitzvot – can convert. They accept on themselves only the mitzvot women are required to keep. More fundamentally, there is no halakhic evidence that pre-haredi conversion meant observing every mitzvah that could be fulfilled. There was no concept of a convert observing every mitzvah from day one of his conversion.

A deaf or dumb person who converts does so because – like any true convert – he wants to join the Jewish people and share our common destiny.

In pre-haredi times, that meant walking away from idol worship and becoming a monotheist, accepting God and rejecting idols. Haredim have taken what was once a noble idea and trashed it.

Exempting deaf and dumb from mitzvot does not mean barring the deaf and dumb from Judaism.

The import of this ruling is much like the import of the ruling Sherman issued against Rabbi Druckman's conversions – and against Rabbi Druckman himself.

Because issues of personal status by Israeli law controlled by the Chief Rabbinate and the rabbinical courts, Jews who adopted babies only to find as the grew that the babies were deaf and dumb are now the adoptive parents of non-Jews. Deaf or dumb converts who married born Jews now must separate from their spouses, and, if the convert is a woman, their children are not Jewish.

Israel must immediately separate synagogue from state. There is simply no other choice.

Here is Rivkah Luvich's report:

Rabbi says deaf 'ineligible for conversion'
Those who cannot hear, cannot fulfill mitzvoth and therefore, believes rabbinical court in 2008, cannot convert to Judaism

Anyone inflicted with a severe hearing and speech impediment cannot undergo Jewish conversion. This harsh statement was recently made by Rabbi Avraham Sherman of the Chief Rabbinical Court, in a ruling now made public.

And so the story goes: Many years ago a deaf woman appeared before the Conversions Court and declared her desire to become a Jew so she could marry her Jewish love. The court ruled in the majority that there was no point in converting her, since the Halacha exempts the deaf from performing mitzvahs; and since the conversion would be rendered insignificant, there was no way to perform it.

The court's reasoning was that since the Halacha says that "one who is deaf, one who is young and one who is a simpleton shall be exempt form ordinance," the woman in deemed incapable of observing mitzvahs, thus incapable of accepting the burden of ordinance, which is the cornerstone of conversion.

Rabbi Shlomo Dichovsky, in the minority opinion, looked at the core issue of "accepting the burden of faith," and whether it should be considered a prerequisite for conversion or its essence. Dichovsky believes that the deaf can be converted. The woman's entitlement, he said, will not rest on the spiritual-practical plane of observing mitzvahs alone, but on the overall plane of being a part of the Jewish people.

"The appellant has every right to seek conversion since she resides and works among Jewish people," he wrote. "Conversion should be hers if she so wants it."

Rabbi Sherman, however, remained adamant: "Any conversion preformed on the deaf will have no spiritual bearing. Observing mitzvahs has nothing to do with the act of conversion, not should anyone refer to it as such. It is the impartation of being Jewish without the essence of Jewishness."

I was upset by his words. The thought that parts of Jewish law categorically prevent admission of the deaf into the flock sent shivers down my spine. What happens if a family wants to adopt a deaf child? The Rabbinical Court would not agree to convert the child. And what if a family wishes to convert and one of its sons is hearing impaired? Will the court convert all but one?

The thought that there are some among the nations who will not be able to become Jews because a physical impairment apparently renders them devoid of the spiritual capability to embrace Judaism's ordinance, shakes my Jewish world to its core.

This is not my Judaism.

Nor is it mine.