Parsha Yisro is always
the Parsha before my father's Yahrzeit it is already 53 years since he passed.
I have about 5 or 6
miracle stories that should be told from the million to one TV series my
problem is finding time to write them to do justice to my readers. Hopefully,
over the next few weeks. - Rabbi Pauli
Parsha Yisro
Last week the people
attacked Moshe and Aaron but by attacking the Shaliach, they were going against
HASHEM.
18:1 Now Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard
of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel His people, how that the
LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt.
From Rabbi Beryl Wein Shlita: (Torah.org) A literal reading of
the Parsha tells us that Yitro, who was the high priest of Midian and the
father-in-law of Moshe, saw of the events of the Exodus from Egypt and,
according to Rashi based on Midrash, saw the battle the Jewish people fought
against Amalek.
The Torah implies, and Rashi states openly, that upon hearing of these
events, Yitro was propelled to leave his home, and to come into the desert to
accompany the Jewish people, at least initially, on their travels through the
Sinai desert. The Torah does not tell us how he heard about these events, but,
apparently, they were of such earth-shattering proportions, that the news
spread rapidly throughout the Middle East.
From the verses in the song of Moshe and the Jewish people, at the
splitting of the waters of Yam Suf, it is obvious that Yitro was not alone in
hearing about these wonderous events. The verse says that all the nations of
the area were also astounded to hear of these miracles, and to realize that a
new nation had been born from the slavery of Egypt. Yet, the reaction of the
people in those countries and especially that of Amalek certainly differed
greatly from the response of Yitro to the very same news.
The nations of the world chose either to oppose the news by attacking the
Jewish people, or, mostly, to simply ignore it as not being worthy of their
concern. People are so confirmed in their inertia that even when there is an
event that obviously is historic and earth-shattering, but which would, at the
same time, cause a reassessment of their own lives, attitudes, and policies,
they will, in the main, either deny the news, besmirch the miracle, or ignore
the matter completely.
It is to the credit of Yitro that he chose to act positively upon hearing
of the events that occurred to the Jewish people in their exodus from Egypt. Of
course, being the father-in-law of Moshe, he also had a personal vested
interest in visiting his family, but, nevertheless, it must be recorded to his
credit, that he uprooted himself to join the Jewish people in their travels
through the desert.
2 And Jethro, Moses'
father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her
away, 3 and her two sons; of whom the name of the one was Gershom;
for he said: 'I have been a stranger in a strange land'; 4 and the
name of the other was Eliezer: 'for the God of my father was my help, and
delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.'
Once upon a time names had important
meanings. Just like the Tribes were given special names so too the children of
Moshe. Nowadays some of the names are after people from a past generation.
5 And Jethro, Moses'
father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness
where he was encamped, at the mount of God; 6 and he said unto Moses:
'I thy father-in-law Jethro am coming unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons
with her.'
I assume that there were guards surrounding
the camp especially after the war with Amalek. Thus this announcement and
message unto Moshe.
7 And Moses went out to meet his
father-in-law, and bowed down and kissed him; and they asked each other of
their welfare; and they came into the tent. 8 And Moses told his
father-in-law all that the LORD had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for
Israel's sake, all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the
LORD delivered them. 9 And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which
the LORD had done to Israel, in that He had delivered them out of the hand of
the Egyptians. 10 And Jethro said: 'Blessed be the LORD, who hath
delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh;
who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the
Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods; yea,
for that they dealt proudly against them.'
Our Sages of blessed memory tell us
that Yisro was very religious. He worshipped all he gods to be correct. But now
after the miracles, he was certain of one G-D.
12 And Jethro, Moses'
father-in-law, took a burnt-offering and sacrifices for God; and Aaron came,
and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before
God.
Since he was from Avraham, he observed
slaughter and removing blood like Avraham did so the Sanhedrin eat from his
sacrifices as they were done before the Sages.
13 And it came to pass on the
morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood about Moses
from the morning unto the evening.
Moshe was judging the people from the
crack of dawn (or after prayers) until the afternoon-evening prayers.
14 And when Moses' father-in-law
saw all that he did to the people, he said: 'What is this thing that thou doest
to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand about
thee from morning unto even?' 15 And Moses said unto his
father-in-law: 'Because the people come unto me to inquire of God; 16 when
they have a matter, it cometh unto me; and I judge between a man and his neighbor,
and I make them know the statutes of God, and His laws.' 17 And
Moses' father-in-law said unto him: 'The thing that thou doest is not
good. 18 Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that
is with thee; for the thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform
it thyself alone.
You can judge for a day or two or even
a week, but eventually you will be worn out from this process.
19 Hearken now unto my voice, I
will give thee counsel, and God be with thee: be thou for the people before
God, and bring thou the causes unto God. 20 And thou shalt teach them
the statutes and the laws, and shalt show them the way wherein they must walk,
and the work that they must do. 21 Moreover thou shalt provide out of
all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating unjust gain;
and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers
of fifties, and rulers of tens. 22 And let them judge the people at
all seasons; and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto
thee, but every small matter they shall judge themselves; so shall they make it
easier for thee and bear the burden with thee.
The smaller judges and teachers of
Torah will relieve you of most of the burdens and only the major cases like
that of the daughters of Zelaphad but other cases the lesser judges should
know.
23 If thou shalt do this thing,
and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people
also shall go to their place in peace.' 24 So Moses hearkened to the
voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said. 25 And
Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people,
rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of
tens. 26 And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes
they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged
themselves. 27 And Moses let his father-in-law depart; and he went
his way into his own land.
Moshe wanted Yisro to
stay and help, but Yisro wanted to Kadesh his people and make them believers.
19:1 In the third month after the children of Israel were gone
forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of
Sinai. 2 And when they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to
the wilderness of Sinai, they encamped in the wilderness; and there Israel
encamped before the mount.
Yisro was given a golden opportunity
to convert and help lead, but he preferred to move his own people to a
Monotheistic life. Once he departs, the Bnei Yisrael reach Mt. Sinai and are
ready to receive the Torah.
3 And Moses went up unto God, and
the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying: 'Thus shalt thou say to
the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: 4 Ye have seen
what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought
you unto Myself.
The Eagle carries its young on its
wings and fears no attack from the air while other birds are afraid of the
Eagle on high. So HASHEM protected us when we left Mitzrayim.
5 Now therefore, if ye will
hearken unto My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be Mine own
treasure from among all peoples; for all the earth is Mine;
Am Yisrael is the personal treasure of
HASHEM.
6 and ye shall be unto Me a
kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt
speak unto the children of Israel.'
You people have seen MY Miracles and
now you will be a holy nation and light unto the peoples. You will hear MY
Voice.
7 And Moses came and called for
the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the LORD
commanded him. 8 And all the people answered together, and said: 'All
that the LORD hath spoken we will do.' And Moses reported the words of the
people unto the LORD.
After what happened the people are
ready to do the things that the L-RD Commands.
9 And the LORD said unto Moses:
'Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak
with thee, and may also believe you forever.'
The people will believe in Moshe but
hunger or thirst could destroy them when blinded by the physical world.
And Moses told the words of the people
unto the LORD. 10 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Go unto the people,
and sanctify them to-day and to-morrow, and let them wash their
garments, 11 and be ready against the third day; for the third day
the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount
Sinai. 12 And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about,
saying: Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the
border of it; whosoever touches the mount shall be surely put to
death; 13 no hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned, or
shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live; when the ram's
horn sounded long, they shall come up to the mount.'
Stay back lest you become consumed by
the holiness and your soul reject your body.
14 And Moses went down from the
mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their
garments. 15 And he said unto the people: 'Be ready against the third
day; come not near a woman.'
Neither you could become accidently
impure nor the woman eject seed from you as your seed only lasts three days within
one's wife unless a pregnancy occur.
…20:1 And God spoke all these words, saying: 2 I am
the LORD thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house
of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
This is the fundamental principle
of monotheism. One G-D and no other. This is perhaps the most important
commandment but I find this so basic that I believe this needs no further
commentary and for this one would have to go to people like Rabbi Amnon
Yitzchak who can convince people philosophically on the existence of the L-RD
and only one Creator. Google Rabbi Amnon Yitzchak Logos, Ethos, Pathos, etc.
Hebrew with English Subtitles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkK7vwjchRM
3 Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image,
nor any manner of likeness, of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in
the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
The idolatry was based on physical
images of objects or people. In fact, the original Christians did not have
statues of Yeshu. They were more a sect or cult within Judaism observing
Kashrus, putting on Tallis and Tephillin and observance of Shabbos. Paul aka
Shaul tries to uproot them and they go further underground. He then gets a
Hetir from Rabban Gamliel to transform the religion from a Jewish Cult to an
entirely different religion. Paul has a dream about eating pork and violating
Shabbos, the image of Yeshu nailed to the cross is introduced. Some people
return to Judaism but a lot of non-Jews go for this trinity religion with the
statue of the son, non-kosher and non-Shabbos. It becomes a religion of the
masses and true Jews are turned off by the images, trafe food and no Shabbos
observance.
4 thou shalt not bow down unto them, nor serve
them; for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the
fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that
hate Me;
On the Carl Bridge in the Czech
Republic, one can see people bowing and kissing a statue in the middle of the
bridge. Those who violate the commandments will wreak havoc on the children,
grandchildren and perhaps great grandchildren for their behavior.
5 and showing mercy unto the thousandth generation
of them that love Me and keep My commandments.
Those who love HASHEM will have
mercy for a 1000 generations.
6 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God
in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in
vain.
You can imagine what a dictator
like Kim of N. Korea would do if you took his name in vain in his country. All
the more so the creator of all.
You shall not take the name of the Lord,
your God, in vain: You
shall not swear in vain by the name of the Lord, your God. — [Onkelos] לַֹשָוְא -[This word appears twice in this verse.]
(The second [mention of לַֹשָוְא is an expression of
falsehood, as the Targum [Onkelos] renders: לְֹשִיקְרָא,
as it says [in Shavuos 21a]: "What constitutes a vain oath? If one swears
contrary to what is known, [for example, saying] about a stone pillar that it
is [made of] gold. (The first [mention of לַֹשָוְא
is an expression of vanity, as the Targum [Onkelos] renders: [לְמַגָּנָא].) This [refers to] one who swears for no
reason and in vain, [for example making an oath] concerning [a pillar] of wood,
[saying] that it is wood, and concerning [a pillar] of stone, [saying] that it
is stone. — [from Shevuoth 29a, Mechilta]
7 Remember
the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Remember: Heb. זָכוֹר [The words] “remember
(זָכוֹר)” and “keep (שָׁמוֹר)”
(Deut. 5:12) were pronounced with one utterance. Similarly [the
statements], “Those who profane it shall be put to death” (Exod. 31:14) and
“And on the Sabbath day, two lambs” (Num. 28:9) [were
said in one utterance], and similarly, “You shall not wear shaatnez,” and “You
shall make tzitzith for yourself” (Deut. 22:11,
12). Similarly, [the phrases] “The nakedness of your brother’s wife [you shall
not uncover]” (Lev. 18:16), [and] “Her brother-in-law shall come in to her” (Deut. 25:5) [were
said in one utterance]. This [occurrence of God saying two phrases
simultaneously in one utterance] is the meaning of what is said: “God spoke one
thing, I heard two” (Ps. 62:12) (Mechilta).
[The word] זָכוֹר is in the פָּעוֹל form, an expression of ongoing action,
like “[Let us engage in] eating and drinking אָכוֹל
וְשָׁתוֹ) )” (Isa. 22:13),
[and] “walking and weeping הָלוֹ וָּבָכֹה) )” (II Sam. 3:16),
and this is its interpretation: Pay attention to always remember the Sabbath
day, so that if you chance upon a beautiful thing, you shall prepare it for the
Sabbath (Mechilta).
8 Six
days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; 9 but the seventh day is
a sabbath unto the LORD thy God, in it thou shalt not do any manner of work,
thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant,
nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates;
Since this is part of the Kiddush
for Shabbos my wife noticed that the man's wife is missing. This is because a
wife is considered part of he man's body going back all the way to Creation of
Man where a woman was physically a Siamese Twin of her man.
Neither you, your son, your
daughter: These
are young children. Or perhaps it refers to adult children? You must admit that
they have already been warned [to observe the Sabbath]. Rather, [this word]
comes only to warn adults concerning young children resting [from work]
(Mechilta). This is the meaning of what we learned [in the Mishnah]: If a young
child comes to extinguish [a fire on the Sabbath], you may not allow him [to do
so] since you are responsible for his resting [from work] (Shab. 121a).
Rabbi Mimran Shlita told me this
interpretation from the Rashi: A man and his wife and grown children are
required to observe Shabbos. However, the younger than the age of 13 boys or
younger than 12 girls, slaves, your animals and potent converts can be exempt
from punishment. It is up to you to educate them.
The stranger, Ger, potential
convert is mentioned last as we are required to teach them the basics of
Judaism prior to conversion but since they are not yet converted they must
violate the Shabbos on one Melacha until the Beis Din tells them to get a Bris
and go to Mikveh for a man or just Mikveh for a woman. When we convert the Ger
we teach what a Melacha is and what is forbidden Melachos of Shabbos but upon
the completion of Conversion we do not expect them to know all 39 by heart just
to avoid doing them and their derivatives with their heart and soul even if
they will err sometime.
10 for
in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is,
and rested on the seventh day; wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and
hallowed it.
In the six days of creation from
nothing, for six days G-D worked and on Shabbos he rested as he created a day
for the Nefesh for up until now the days were for the physical world. So if the
L-RD rests, all the more so us.
And He rested on the seventh day: As if [it were] possible, He ascribed rest [even] to Himself
to teach (as an example) from Him of kal vachomer [a fortiori] reasoning for
man, whose work is with toil and fatigue, that he must rest on the Sabbath.
[I.e., although God does not and did not actually rest, He had His cessation of
creating recorded as rest, so that humans would learn that if God, Whose work
is accomplished without any toil or fatigue, rested on the Sabbath, surely
people, whose work is accomplished only with hard work and fatigue, must rest
on the Sabbath.]-[from Mechilta] Blessed…and sanctified
it: He blessed it with manna to double it on
the sixth day-"double bread"-and He sanctified it with manna, that it
did not fall then [on the Sabbath]. — [from Mechilta]
11 Honor
thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the
LORD thy God giveth thee.
Don't even in your wildest dreams
think of dishonoring a parent who made a mistake with your education or
anything for one dishonor will give your children permission to dishonor you.
[And this was written before the WOKE generation and other perverted propaganda
being drummed into our kids or grandkid's heads.]
12 Thou
shalt not murder.
It is not You should not kill for
soldiers kill the enemy in war nor does the man who kills the mass murderer
suffer as he represents either his nation or the humane society. But to commit
a planned murder is horrible.
Thou
shalt not commit adultery.
You shall not commit adultery: Adultery applies only [to relations] with a married woman, as
it is said: "[And a man who commits adultery with the wife of a[nother]
man, who commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor,] [both] the adulterer
and the adulteress shall be put to death" (Lev. 20:10);
[and it says,] “[You are] the adulterous wife, who, instead of her husband,
takes strangers” (Ezek. 16:32). [In both these verses, the term “adultery” is used in
reference to the extramarital relations of a married woman.]
Thou
shalt not steal.
You shall not steal: The text refers to kidnapping. [The verse] “You shall not
steal” (Lev.
19:11) refers to stealing money. Or perhaps
this one [verse] refers only to stealing money and the one written further (in
Lev.) refers to kidnapping? You must admit that [the meaning of] a statement is
derived from its context. Just as [the former two commandments] “You shall not
murder” [and] “You shall not commit adultery” refer to capital sins, “You shall
not steal” also refers to a capital sin [i.e., a sin punishable by death]. —
[from Sanh. 86a]
Thou
shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
What is between you and the Beis
Din in this world will come back to haunt you in the next.
13 Thou
shalt not covet thy neighbor's house; thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's
wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor
any thing that is thy neighbor's.
This is a disease of jealousy. It
might be the story of 'keeping up with the Jones's' known in wealthy suburbia
USA where A has a Cadillac, B has a Lincoln Continental, C must have a Mercedes,
BMW, Ferrari just to show off. Or it is the grass is greener on the other side.
This is why in Perkei Avos the following is stated: Who is wealthy? One who is
content with his lot.
14 And all the people
perceived the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the voice of the horn, and
the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled, and stood afar
off. 15 And they said unto Moses: 'Speak thou with us, and we will
hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.'
Tractate Shabbos 88A says that
every time the L-RD spoke, their souls went out and returned. They became so
scared that they asked Moshe to receive the Torah instead of them but two
Mitzvos they heard directly. The Gemara phrases it as follows that their souls
would depart upon hearing the L-RD and had to be restored each time.
16 And
Moses said unto the people: 'Fear not; for God is come to prove you, and that
His fear may be before you, that ye sin not.'
Essentially,
had the people heard all 10 sayings, they would not have sinned with the Egel
HaZahav (golden calf) and probably would never have went into exile.
17 And
the people stood afar off; but Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where
God was. 18 And the LORD said unto Moses: Thus thou shalt say unto
the children of Israel: Ye yourselves have seen that I have talked with you
from heaven. 19 Ye shall not make with Me--gods of silver, or gods of
gold, ye shall not make unto you.
And
after the Asherah Dibros (10 sayings), combined with this command, a mob of
3000 made a golden calf. I don't know what they were thinking and why the rest
of the nation stood afar off and let it happen?
20 An
altar of earth thou shalt make unto Me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy
burnt-offerings, and thy peace-offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen; in every
place where I cause My name to be mentioned I will come unto thee and bless
thee.
It
is best to sacrifice on a Mizbayach of earth but if you have stones they shall
not be hewn.
21 And
if thou make Me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stones; for
if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast profaned it. 22 Neither
shalt thou go up by steps unto Mine altar, that thy nakedness be not uncovered
thereon.
If you serve me on the altar, you
must be wearing pants (underpants) that your privates will not be seen by the
Mizbayach.
How Germany's most diabolical SS Officer avoid justice. By
Matt Lebovic
Based on Dean Reuter's "Hidden
Nazi"
https://www.timesofisrael.com/how-nazi-germanys-most-diabolical-ss-officer-evaded-postwar-justice/
One of Nazi
Germany’s top Holocaust perpetrators traded rocket-making secrets for freedom,
according to an investigator who researched the postwar trail of SS general
Hans Kammler for more than a decade.
During the
Third Reich, Kammler oversaw construction of the concentration camp system,
including the killing facilities at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Later in the war, he
took over Germany’s “secret weapons” program, forcing tens of thousands of
laborers to construct and live in underground factories.
“The Holocaust would not have been as ‘efficient’ were it
not for Kammler,” said Dean Reuter, author of “The Hidden Nazi: The Untold Story of America’s Deal with the Devil,” recently published in paperback. “He was integral to the evolution of
mass murder.”
For decades, it was assumed Kammler died by suicide or was
killed shortly after liberation in April 1945. Reuter’s book, however,
demonstrates that Kammler was “delivered” to US authorities by rocket scientist
Wernher von Braun, who feared Kammler’s secrets — and
colleagues — would fall into Russian hands.
“Kammler
and the Americans created the deal wherein he gave them the rocket team and
they erased his past,” Reuter told The Times of Israel. “As part of that deal,
we covered up his death and the world accepted that he died,” said Reuter,
whose book was published in hardcover in 2019.
Opening
with the hypothesis that Kammler did not commit suicide but relocated to South
America, Reuter examined records showing Kammler was questioned by top American
investigators in November 1945. Although von Braun possessed scientific
know-how, Kammler — as von Braun’s direct superior — knew a lot more about
stashed-away personnel, supplies, and documents.
“[Kammler’s]
knowledge is probably only second hand, but he knows what fields have been
covered and where documents, stocks and pilot plants are hidden,” read a British intelligence report. “Some of these were secreted in the Russian Zone. It would
be dangerous for us if he revealed this to the Russians.”
Kammler
began his Nazi career modestly, working on construction projects for the air
ministry. Having joined the party in 1931, however, he was a rigid ideologue.
In 1934,
Kammler wrote a treatise about the expansion of Germany eastward, where the
population would need to be dominated by ethnic German colonists. Holding a
doctorate in civil engineering, Kammler believed the “subjugation” would
require the murder of 20-30 million people.
To help
bring the Holocaust to scale, Kammler shifted from traditional building
projects to implementing the architecture of genocide. Specifically, he oversaw
Auschwitz-Birkenau’s transition into a death camp where 1 million Jews were
murdered.
While
building the death camp Birkenau next to Auschwitz, Kammler — whose signature
appears on preserved work orders — demonstrated stunning efficiency. For
example, he decided to turn underground morgues into gas chambers, adding a
small freight elevator to transport corpses up to the crematoria.
No detail
at Birkenau was too small for Kammler’s input, from the size of prisoner
barracks to perimeter fences. The SS officer was nicknamed “dust cloud” for his
frequent visits to the camp and unforgiving pace.
“His work
was carried everywhere and duplicated throughout the Reich,” said Reuter. “He
was the most diabolical.”
After he transformed Auschwitz-Birkenau into the Reich’s largest death
camp, Kammler partnered with SS head Heinrich Himmler on the construction of
“secret weapons.” Eventually, the so-called “Vengeance-2” (V-2) rocket program
became the crown jewel in Kammler’s slave labor empire.
“The V-2
rockets were massively important,” said Reuter “They were so advanced they did
not look like they belonged on the World War II battlefield.”
At 46 feet
long each, the V-2 rockets built by Kammler’s laborers reached 55 miles into
the atmosphere of northern France and landed in London with terrifying
explosions. Supersonic in speed, the rockets were churned out in massive
quantities and could travel up to 300 miles.
Fortunately
for the Allies, Germany’s V-2 rockets were not ready for use until October
1944, four months after the D-Day invasion. The Nazi system prioritized too
many disparate projects simultaneously, ensuring that relatively few of them
took off.
“We knew
the Germans were testing these rockets,” said Reuter. “If they had gotten these
to the launchpads in time, we might have had a different outcome in the war.”
As part of “Operation Paperclip,” US
authorities sought to capture German technical experts to use in the space
program. Beginning in 1945, an estimated 5,000 German scientists and
technicians were brought to the US, including “severely tainted men who were
involved in the Holocaust and the use of slave labor,” said Reuter.
Despite the
“taint” attached to Nazi scientists, bringing rocket experts like Wernher von
Braun to the US was considered vital as tensions with the Soviet Union
escalated. German scientists helped the US build an intercontinental ballistic
missile (ICBM) and — eventually — outpace Russia to land on the moon.
With his record of building death camps and operating slave
labor, Kammler was never a candidate for “rehabilitation” in the US. Instead,
believes Reuter, Kammler gave US forces what they wanted and the former SS
general was allowed to flee Germany along the notorious “ratline” out of Europe, through which thousands of Nazi war criminals fled to
Argentina and other countries.
In addition
to Reuter’s hypothesis that Kammler fled to South America, “there is also a
possibility he was used as an intelligence asset in Europe, like Klaus Barbie
or the other people we used and shipped off,” said Reuter, adding that not even
Israel’s Mossad or the Simon Wiesenthal Center hunted for Kammler.
In 2012,
the US Department of Justice responded to a request from Reuter to view records
on Kammler by sending the author a set of “highly redacted” documents. Seven
years later, before “Hidden Nazi” went to press, Reuter made another Freedom of
Information Act request and was told the government had no records about
Kammler.
Growing up Catholic in my grandmother's hidden past by Donna Pellar
https://www.aish.com/sp/so/Growing-Up-Catholic-and-My-Grandmothers-Hidden-Past.html?s=hp1
When I first learned of the monstrosities of the Holocaust in my
Roman Catholic grade school, I had to rush to the bathroom and vomit.
While the rest of my class were upset, they recovered by recess. I
did not. I went home after school that day and began questioning my mom about
our family's role in the war. I knew my grandfather had served, but I wanted to
learn more.
A devout Catholic, my grandfather felt it was his duty to fight
against evil.
In her thick Luxembourg native tongue, she detailed how her father
had joined the Resistance to fight along with Americans and civilians as part
of the American Underground in an effort to defeat the Nazis. Living in the
small village of Koetschette, Luxembourg, my grandfather was the only man who
could speak English, a language he learned while traveling to Canada some 20
years earlier. He was able to secretly gather information which he’d relay to
the Americans. A devout Catholic, he felt it was his duty to fight against
evil.
My grandmother, alone most of the time with her three young
children, would hide Jewish families in the cellar of their home in
Koetschette. A series of raps on the back door would signal more people were
coming. Tapping in rapid succession on the living room window meant everybody
needs to quickly get to the woods. Each night, she would put her children to
bed in their warmest clothes, in case they would have to quickly run in the
middle of the night.
She spoke about the fateful day the sound of motorcycles on the
cobblestone streets outside their home broke the midday silence. Nobody in
their tiny Luxembourg village had motorized vehicles. They must be Nazis.
There was a loud pounding on the front door. My grandmother bravely
opened the door just a crack. There stood two Nazi soldiers, demanding to speak
to my grandfather. No doubt they had received information that he was working
with the Americans, a crime punishable by death. Clinging to my grandmother's
long skirt, my mother watched in sheer terror.
In a firm voice, my grandmother informed them that my grandfather
was not home and they would have to come back another day. As she began to
close the door, one of the soldiers put his boot in the door. He insisted they
come in and look for themselves.
With a shooing motion, my grandmother replied that by doing laundry
of the German soldiers (forcibly) and caring for her own children, she had no
time to entertain such foolery. With that, they unexpectedly turned and left.
Days later, frantic tapping on the window let my grandmother know
they were in danger. She got her children and those hidden in the cellar out in
the nick of time. Running under the cover of night, they made it safely to the
secret bunker in the woods where they stayed for two nights. They had another
near miss when Nazi soldiers could be heard talking just near the hatch of the
bunker. My grandmother held her hand over her baby's mouth to prevent her from
making even the slightest sound. Nobody breathed until they were gone.
That night, my grandmother led their escape to the home of distant
relatives where they hid in the cellar. My grandmother then learned that the
Nazis had burned their house to the ground. My grandfather was a wanted man and
her family was in grave danger.
My grandfather, receiving word of what had taken place, continued
his fight with the Resistance and sent letters to my grandmother in code. He
was unable to visit for fear of his entire family being killed. Their time in
the cellar felt endless. The ever-present sound of bombs exploding made sleep
impossible. With only burlap bags to cover themselves with, it was cold, dark,
damp, and musty. My mother recalls thinking about her dolly, her only toy,
burned up in the house. People would come and go, but she never knew where they
came from or where they were going. Sometimes there were many others and
sometimes it was just the three of them, and the mice.
After the war ended, the entire family immigrated to America. They
traveled third class on the Queen Elizabeth. They settled in Mt. Vernon, as
this is where my grandfather had a sponsor, a requirement to come to America at
that time. This was the small town that I grew up in.
Attending a private Catholic school as a child, we held a Passover Seder
every year in commemoration of The Last Supper.
Time passed and I became a wife and mother. While most of my
friends were deciding what they wanted to do with their lives, I was busy
raising a family.
We were Catholic and we sent our kids to the same Catholic school I
went to as a child. In fact, it was the first school my mother and one of her
sisters attended upon their arrival in America. It was at this school I had the
honor of meeting Naomi Ban, a Holocaust survivor. She came to speak at my son's
class. Parents were offered the opportunity to attend and I did.
When she spoke, the hairs on my arms stood on end. The silent tears
fell without stop and my soul cried out in grief. She impacted me in a way I
will never forget.
At the time my marriage began to crumble, and I too felt like I was
crumbling. Not just because my marriage was over – I realized that needed to
happen.
But because I was beginning to listen to a tiny voice inside of me,
a voice that was questioning the very center of my faith. Silently I prayed and
asked the Almighty for guidance.
As if my Divine intervention, I found Aish.com. I was like a
sponge, soaking up every bit of Jewish wisdom, history, and tradition I could.
I read stories, incredible stories of survival, bravery and unending love.
Stories proving that by simply existing, the Jewish people defeated those who
would seek to destroy them.
I also read stories that contained surprising bits of familiarity.
I learned how observant married women covered their hair in public – something
my grandmother used to do. I learned about latkes. My grandmother taught me how
to make latkes. I learned about kosher foods and realized that my grandmother
had taught me how to separate meat from milk. She also made matzah ball soup,
an old family recipe.
How could this be? It hardly seemed possible that she had learned
these things from the people she encountered during the war.
The voice inside of me grew louder. I even made a Jewish friend.
She had come to America to date more seriously a man she had met online, and
that man just happened to be my regular haircut client at the salon and day spa
I owned and operated. We became fast friends. I asked her to teach me about her
religion. Seeing her hesitation, I told her that my feelings were deeply rooted
and not merely superficial. And for the first time in my life, I put words to
my inexplicable yearning and told her I could not shake the inner desire to
convert.
I'd actually said it: I wanted to convert to Judaism.
She told me that I needed to dig deep and seek my truth, that the
decision to become a Jew cannot be taken lightly.
I mulled over my feelings. How could something that felt so right
be so complicated? How would this impact my family? My life?
Arriving at the clarity that I did indeed want to convert, I
announced my intentions to my friends and family. My mother was shocked –
horrified might be a better way to describe it. She protested that our family
was Catholic and always had been, that this was the equivalent to betraying our
ancestors.
At that moment, I realized that by converting I was not betraying
my ancestors – I was honoring them! I thought of my grandfather, a man I'd
never had the honor of knowing, who risked his life to fight for freedom. I thought
of my grandmother who risked her very life to hide Jewish families. At that
moment, I realized that by converting I was not betraying my ancestors – I was
honoring them!
Without support, and without my dear Jewish friend, who had since
moved back to Israel, I embarked on my journey.
I ordered a copy of the Jewish bible and began reading. Many of
these stories I already knew, but they were also different in a way. They rang
true to me, and I felt the connection grow deeper. I knew I was making the right
decision.
Time passed, and my son, seeking information for a family history
report at school, requested my mother to give a DNA sample to further explore
our family tree. As many families do, we had stories about our ancestors and
knew they had fled their native Austria in the 1800's to avoid persecution. The
reason had been lost to history; we only knew that they had settled in
Luxembourg.
Surprisingly, she agreed. When the results were not what anyone was
expecting. The test revealed our Ashkenazi Jewish heritage! Immediately, I
recalled all the Jewish things my grandmother had taught me. I remembered
reading stories about Jewish people who, in fear of their lives, converted to
Catholicism, at least outwardly in the hopes of survival.
It occurred to me that perhaps this was the very reason our
ancestors had fled Austria – they were fleeing religious persecution, and
perhaps as a ruse at first, they had converted to Catholicism. As the danger
persisted, the truth of our family's Jewish lineage became hidden, and all that
remained was a few precious traditions.
That moment solidified what my heart already knew: we were, in
fact, Jewish. I will never know where along the way we lost ourselves, but I am
beyond thankful to have found my way back.
I continued my online conversion classes, desperate to somehow
connect to my roots. My father, who had moved back to his home state of Alabama
after my parents divorced, accepted my news with love. He told me that all that
mattered to him was that I believed in God. My mother, who refused to believe
the DNA results and the fact that my grandmother's family name is listed under
Jewish families living in Austria during the time our ancestors fled, met me
with open hostility.
Since then, my father has passed away and my mother has come to
accept my decision, though she still does not support it. Fast forward eight
years, I am now happily remarried and our family has grown. My children have
embraced their Jewish identities, and one of my sons even works at the Catholic
school we all once attended proudly wearing his yarmulke!
Living in a small community, we are definitely the minority, we are
proud to be part of the Jewish people, an eternal nation that cannot be
extinguished. As we light the Shabbat candles and recite the prayers of our
ancestors, I feel truly blessed.
Recently I read a pamphlet on how to avoid
intermarriage. This is to show you the State of our youth today. Growing up a
Reform Jew I was not much better than the kids answering this. Over the
years, I’ve distributed different versions of a (tongue-in-cheek) “Jewish I.Q.
Test” to Jewish university students to drive home this point. The results are
always unsettling:
1) What was the name of Jesus’ mother? What was the name of
Moses’ mother?
2) Who is Madonna? Who was Chanah?
3) Name a book in the New Testament. Name a book
in the Talmud.
4) Who wrote Das Kapital ? Who wrote A Guide
to the Perplexed ?
5) Who was Nostradamus? Who was Onkelos?
6) What is the traditional birthday of Jesus? What is the
birthday of Moses?
7) What is a Hat Trick? What is a Siyum HaShas?
8) What does Trinity refer to? What does Taryag refer to?
9) Who wrote most of the Beatles’ songs? Who wrote most of
the Psalms? - Rabbi Michael Skobac Shlita.
https://jewsforjudaism.ca/intermarriage-pdf/
Printing fish products. https://www.ynetnews.com/business/article/b1hlrt003k
Effort to restore Bahrain Graveyard. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/skezqvony
Milestone: Rabbi Zushe Posner, 85, a Chabad-Lubavitch emissary to
Israel and a senior educator, has passed away one of the founders of Kfar
Chabad. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320523
Milestone: Cecile Klein, 114, oldest
Canadian Woman oldest Jew. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320529
Milestone: Tova Berlinski,106,
painter of the pain of Auschwitz. https://www.timesofisrael.com/tova-berlinski-artist-who-painted-the-pain-of-auschwitz-dies-at-106/
Milestone: Rabbi Israel 'Sy'
Dresner, 92, freedom rider. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-sy-dresner-most-arrested-rabbi-who-marched-with-mlk-jr-dies-at-92/
Milestone: Steve Shapiro, 87,
photographer of Selma and Godfather. https://www.timesofisrael.com/prize-winning-photographer-steve-schapiro-dies-at-87/
Milestone: Rabbi Tuvia Peles, 73,
founder Dvar Malchus Mag. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320684
Inyanay Diyoma
Synagogue hostage situation in TX ends with
terrorist dead. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320527
Chance of Netanyahu making a plea deal 50% or
more. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320507
New right wing TV in Israel. https://www.now14.co.il/
Man stabbed to death, his car motor still
running. https://www.timesofisrael.com/man-with-stab-wound-found-dead-by-roadside-with-abandoned-cars-engine-still-running/
Israel to supply natural gas to Lebanon via
Jordan. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-said-to-ink-secret-deal-to-supply-natural-gas-to-lebanon-via-jordan/
Six CUNY Professors sue union over
antisemitism. https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/01/14/six-cuny-professors-sue-faculty-union-to-dissociate-over-antisemitic-anti-israel-positions/
Fishman – IDF substandard equipment endangers
soldiers. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/h1crbzunt
American threatens Iran and Europe is
optimistic.
State Inquiry into Submarine Affair delayed
until next week. https://www.timesofisrael.com/vote-on-state-inquiry-into-murky-submarine-deal-said-delayed-at-least-a-week/
Professor from Hospital calls on Gov. to loosen
Covid Policy. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320553
Rioters hurl firebombs at police. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320531
Top health official tests positive. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320538
Finance Min. contacts Covid along with MKs. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320533
OH U. Holocaust Center in jeopardy. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320514
From last week – 5 Israelis duped into spying
for Iran. https://www.debka.com/five-israelis-caught-serving-iran-as-paid-spies-over-long-period/
FedEx wants missile defense on cargo planes. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320524
Haifa, Yafo, Lod, etc. belong to Palestine per
Arabs. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320534
4th dose too much of a good thing? https://www.ynetnews.com/magazine/article/hj1jrsbtt
It seems that Trump will run in 2024. https://rumble.com/vsojv1-watch-full-president-trump-save-america-speech-from-florence-az-11522.html?mref=7ju1&mrefc=2
Hostages were not rescued but escaped. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320655
Rabbi of Synagogue threw a chair at hostage
taker. https://www.timesofisrael.com/texas-rabbi-i-threw-a-chair-at-the-gunman-and-we-headed-for-the-door/
At least 10 died by refusing therapeutics maybe
120 died. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320659
N. Korea fired two tactical missiles.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320653
Female Arab votes against military draft law
because she hates Charedim. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320656
UAE wants Houthis designated as a terrorist in
USA. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320660
Netanyahu plea deal for corruption. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320643
IDF will allow married soldiers return home on
Mikveh night immersion. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320637
Ed-Op Ben Dror plea deal is the lesser of two
evils. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/b15ioqzaf
The return of Aaron Barak. https://www.debka.com/netanyahu-may-use-plea-bargain-promoted-by-retired-justice-barak-as-launchpad-for-comeback/
Arrow 3 system working well. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-carries-out-test-of-arrow-anti-balistic-missile-system/
Because of the propaganda that Jews run America
and the world, hostage taker attacked Synagogue. https://www.timesofisrael.com/hostage-attacker-chose-synagogue-thinking-jews-powerful-enough-to-free-sister/
Jewish Notary may have betrayed Anne Frank. https://www.timesofisrael.com/anne-frank-may-have-been-betrayed-by-jewish-notary-new-book-claims/
Shachid tried stabbing soldiers at bus stop
made a sign of V. before going to hell. https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinian-reportedly-tries-to-stab-troops-at-west-bank-bus-stop-is-shot/
High fat diet may restore injured brain. https://www.timesofisrael.com/high-fat-diet-may-restore-cognitive-function-lost-in-brain-injury-israeli-study/
State Comptroller to check on police use of NSO
on civilian phones. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/syqhzkvak
If Netanyahu signs a plea deal, there will be a
new government by April. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320707 and https://www.debka.com/netanyahu-may-use-plea-bargain-promoted-by-retired-justice-barak-as-launchpad-for-comeback/
This time a gas fire in the Bronx. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320712
Two soldiers injured in grenade explosion. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320701
Sanctions against 3 Hezballah supporters. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320725
US to distribute N95 masks for free. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320724
Ed-Op Bederman time to charge the CBC with
crimes against Israel. https://dianebederman.com/is-it-time-to-charge-the-cbc-with-hate-crimes-against-the-jews-and-israel/
Milestone: Rabbi Tuvia Peles, 73,
founder Dvar Malchus Mag. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320684
An article explaining the origins of Halacha
that we use today (at least two sections out of four) https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/01/18/israels-national-library-obtains-90-pages-from-one-of-oldest-hebrew-texts-ever-printed/
Chip maker expanding Israeli Facility. https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-chip-giant-nvidia-expands-rd-operations-in-israel/
4th booster is bad news
but not as bad as it seems. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-study-on-4th-shots-for-covid-is-bad-news-but-not-as-bad-as-it-seems/
SCOTUS to
decide fate of stolen art work. https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-high-court-to-rule-in-case-involving-pissarro-painting-looted-by-nazis/
No Covid
crises center. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bkp1ikphy
Two killed when private car hits bus. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320718
Resubmitting Draft Law. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320720
Israel logs 65,000 known cases of Corona. https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/bkamd94ty
Cannabis prevents Covid entering cells. https://www.timesofisrael.com/study-cannabis-compounds-prevent-coronavirus-entering-cells/
Man who set cop car afire next to Schul
arrested. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320506
Tonga hit hard by Tsunami. https://www.timesofisrael.com/tonga-issues-tsunami-warning-after-giant-undersea-volcano-eruption/
Russian-Israeli player wins tournament. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-russian-tennis-player-karatsev-beats-murray-to-win-sydney-tournament/
Channel 14 presents a right wing view. https://www.timesofisrael.com/repositioned-news-channel-14-aims-for-mainstream-while-keeping-pro-netanyahu-script/
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has announced the death
of one of its commanders in a US air strike in Yemen, Reuters reported
on Thursday. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320872
Israel number one in the world for Covid. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-world-1-in-daily-covid-cases-per-capita-exposed-schoolkids-wont-quarantine/
Biden's approval rating goes lower. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320865
Turkish FM calls Lapid. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320853
Anti-boycott legislation. https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/01/20/new-york-senate-considers-bill-to-ensure-public-funds-dont-support-israel-boycott/
Discrimination in Divorce Courts against
fathers. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/309500
Divorced men risk earlier death. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320474
M4 rifles to replace Israeli made. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/313041
Israeli submarine in Gulf sent a msg to Iran. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/293509
Texas Gunman ranted about the Jews. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320866
Asian Community upset by killing on Subway. https://www.aol.com/news/nyc-subway-station-death-michelle-184237375.html
Catastrophe in IDF Kashrus. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320858
I want to add that in field units individual soldiers
made grilled cheese sandwiches coffee cooked with milk it cannot be stopped but
the Kashrus in the field was bad.
Antisemitic incidents in Tampa FL. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320848
Iranian terroris5 a guest in Niagara. https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/01/20/us-and-argentina-condemn-nicaraguan-invite-to-top-iranian-official-wanted-for-amia-terror-atrocity/
Maxwell wants new trial. https://www.timesofisrael.com/ghislaine-maxwell-requests-new-trial-after-juror-tells-media-he-was-abused-as-child/
TN adoption agency refuses Jewish Couple. https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/01/20/tennessee-adoption-agency-sued-for-allegedly-refusing-service-to-jewish-couple-on-basis-of-religion/
Israeli film archive available to public. https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/01/20/israel-film-archive-makes-thousands-of-titles-accessible-through-new-website/
The waning effect of Russian Rule. https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/01/19/kazakhstan-like-ukraine-spotlights-the-waning-effect-of-the-rule-of-law/
Trivialization of Holocaust. https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/01/19/nothing-compares-to-this-survivors-denounce-online-trivialization-of-holocaust-found-in-study/
CTech raises $100,000,000. https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/01/19/the-mysterious-israeli-cybersecurity-startup-that-has-raised-100-million-under-the-radar/
FB supporting Taliban. https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/01/18/facebook-threatens-to-ban-head-of-un-watchdog-for-post-critical-of-taliban-bds-movement/
Iran portrays Trump assassination. https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/01/14/bizarre-iranian-video-imagines-trumps-assassination/
Need Shin Bet to stop Bedouin Riots. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320439
Prosecutors would be wise to forego Netanyahu
deal. https://www.timesofisrael.com/why-israels-prosecutors-would-be-wise-to-forgo-a-plea-bargain-with-netanyahu/
Ben Dror opinion on a deal with Netanyahu is
best for all. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/b15ioqzaf
NJ Yeshiva abuse scandal. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320444
Boston Professor gives Nazi Salute. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320446
Hillary for Pres. Again! https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320429
Aid for Meron Victims. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320843
93% of US Jews concerned with antisemitism. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320838
Biden babbles of Russian intrusion. https://www.debka.com/biden-nods-to-minor-russian-incursion-of-ukraine-blinken-hastens-to-clarify/
Booster for children. https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/sjcqelpay
Thousands of poor Israelis without Electricity.
https://www.ynetnews.com/magazine/article/h1rixnf6y
IAF has refueling drill. https://www.ynetnews.com/magazine/article/h1rixnf6y
Iran Double Dealing. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320830
Liberman opposes anything Charedi. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320826
7 car accident one dead. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320825
Dozens of graves damaged in Turkey. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320813
Have a healthy and pleasant Shabbos
rest,
Rachamim Pauli
