The Columbia Student Article & Thread

Ahmadinejad to Speak on Campus

Ahmadinejad at Ground Zero: Who Said It?

"It is unacceptable for Iranian President Ahmadinejad, who refuses to renounce and end his own country’s support of terrorism, to visit the site of the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil in our nation’s history."

A) Fred Thompson
B) Ban Ki Moon
C) Dick Cheney
D) Hillary Clinton

Rabbinical Decree: OK To Wear Crocs on Yom Kippur

In case you were worried about wearing Croc for Yom Kippur as it is forbidden to wear leather shoes, Rabbi Yonah Metzger has issued a psak that indeed it is ok and just case you didn't get the memo, the prohibition against "Naalei Sandal" applies to leather only.

Former Chief Rabbi Critically Ill

Former Israeli Chief Rabbi and Rosh Yeshiva of the Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva, Rabbi Avraham Shapira is in critical condition. A mass prayer gathering in his merit took place yesterday at the western wall.
הרב הגאון אברהם אלקנה הכהן בן הענע רייזיל (כהנא שפירא) שליט"א

Blind Psychologist bids to be first Rabbi Elected to Congress

He's blind, he's a psychologist with a Harvard Phd and a busy bio/cv; taught, published and practiced for 30 years; received "private" semicha (rabbinic ordination) a mere 4 years ago and serves as Rabbinical Associate at a reform congregation in Alpine, NJ. Who is democrat Rabbi Dr. Dennis Shulman?

http://www.shulmanforcongress.com/

http://www.dennisshulman.com/
[ CV ]

http://www.mychavurah.org

(Hat-tip)

Update, More Media coverage of candidacy:
The Forward: New Jersey Rabbi Aims for Pulpit on Capitol Hill
Paramus Post: Democrat Dennis Shulman Forms Committee to explore U.S. Congress run
Blue Jersey: New Challenge to Garrett in NJ-5

After growing up in a close-knit Reform community in Worcester, Mass., Shulman said, he arrived at Brandeis University as an undergraduate interested in a career in the rabbinate but switched gears after a crisis of faith prompted by the loss of a girlfriend to leukemia during his freshman year. More than 30 years later, after completing coursework at New York’s Academy for Jewish Religion, Shulman was privately ordained by a panel of rabbis led by Rabbi Jack Bemporad, spiritual leader of Chavurah Beth Shalom in Alpine, N.J. Shulman long attended the synagogue with his wife and his two grown daughters and now serves as its rabbinical associate.

UPDATE: Here's a new article with a full-length interview - Dennis Shulman: Psychologist, Rabbi and Congressional Candidate

Huh? U2's IRISH BONO IS JEWISH?

Maariv: Bono of U2 fame is a Bonofide member of the Tribe

For the hebrew impaired, according to the Maariv article, (recounting from the Chabad website Col Chabad) the rock star encountered an emissary of Chabad Lubavitch on a Manhattan street who obviously had no clue who he was. According to the account they made small talk, and Bono (born in Ireland as Paul David Hewson) explained that he was 'half Jewish' since his mother is Jewish. According to Jewish tradition, having a Jewish mother makes a person a full fledged Jew according to the Halacha (jewish law). The emissary then gave Bono a picture of the grand rabbi of Lubavitch, helped him don a Yarmulka and Teffilin (prayer philacteries) and proceeded to help the celebrity recite the Shema Yosroel prayer before the larged crowd that gathered to observe. Bono requested if he may keep the yarmulka as he has an upcoming performance in Israel.

According to all available accounts, Bono's Irish mother and father were Protestant and Roman Catholic respectively. There are also no available photographs of the supposed incident.

NYC Firefighters, 9/11 Rescuer Families Rip Rudy, Debunk Giuliani Deity Myth

CBS: Firefighters Rip Giuliani, Call Him 'Urban Legend'
New DVD Criticizes Former NYC Mayor; Giuliani's Campaign Calls Video 'Mockumentary'
NYTimes: BiPartisan Firefighters Take On Giuliani
Urban Legend Website
The actual Video Itself:

US INtelligence Classified Report: War On Terror A Resounding Success!

After 7 Years, Al Qaida Has Rebuilt Itself to Pre-9/11 Levels!

Former First Lady; Leading Environmentalist Dies at 94

Former first lady and environmentalist leader, Lady Bird Johnson, the wife of former US President Lyndon Baines Johnson has died at the age of 94. Mrs. Johnsons was said to have had more involvement and more influence on her husband's presidency than any other in US history.

Pushing Israel to Pre 1967 Borders

"And we're working toward the goal of a Palestinian state living side by side with Israel in peace. Prime Minister Sharon's plan to remove all settlements from Gaza and several from the West Bank is a courageous step toward peace. His decision provides an historic moment of opportunity to begin building a future Palestinian state. This initiative can stimulate progress toward peace by setting the parties back on the road map, the most reliable guide to ending the occupation that began in 1967. "

Who said it?

A) John Kerry
B) Hillary Clinton
C) Bill Clinton
D) George W. Bush

Republican Jewish Coalition Seeks New Mascot

Not that it was ever a legitimate claim, when they constantly maligned the Democratic party with Cindy Sheehan, who now made her ideas official, as she will now take on another prominent Democrat, Nancy Pelosi for her congressional seat. Bet the RJC would rather have Sheehan in congress than Pelosi.

Fred Thompson's "Terror Threat"

Fred Thompson is a buffoon.

Rally Demonstration Against Forgetting Israeli MIAs, Ironically Forgets Israeli MIAs

I don't understand this. The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations together with the Jewish Community Relactions Council of New York are holding a "Free them now" rally on July 16th to demonstrate on behalf of Israeli soldiers missing in action, specifically the 3 kidnapped last summer as it will be one year since their capture. The bill for the event, as advertised by The Conference of Presidents, The Orthodox Union, and the World Zionist Organization all use the same billing and script with the tagline "Show the world we have not forgotten and will not forget them" which seems a little ironic, considering the omission of at least 5 other soldiers missing in action, 3 of which just this month passed their 25th year anniversary in captivity. What does this mean for the new captives? Will they too become irrelevant in a few years? What message does this send to the families of both the old and new captives? Anyone attending this rally should be there to support all of the MIAs and their respective families and demonstrate for the release of all of them.

Israel's Missing Children - Please Read

Sadly, you won't find anything like this of informative and detailed historic quality in any of our illustrious anglo Jewish Weeklies. Leave it to a British Christian...very thorough and worth reading, even if you know the stories. Patrick Reilly traveled to Israel and met with some of the families of Israeli Soldiers missing in action. From the aging Baumel and Katz families, to the young Shalits.
Israel’s Missing Children - 25 years of faith, hope, and love

I can't choose which parts to blockquote...just read the whole thing...

Rally Demonstration Against Forgetting Israeli MIAs, Ironically Forgets Israeli MIAs

I don't understand this. The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations together with the Jewish Community Relactions Council of New York are holding a "Free them now" rally on July 16th to demonstrate on behalf of Israeli soldiers missing in action, specifically the 3 kidnapped last summer as it will be one year since their capture. The bill for the event, as advertised by The Conference of Presidents, The Orthodox Union, and the World Zionist Organization all use the same billing and script with the tagline "Show the world we have not forgotten and will not forget them" which seems a little ironic, considering the omission of at least 5 other soldiers missing in action, 3 of which just this month passed their 25th year anniversary in captivity. What does this mean for the new captives? Will they too become irrelevant in a few years? What message does this send to the families of both the old and new captives? Anyone attending this rally should be there to support all of the MIAs and their respective families and demonstrate for the release of all of them.