Some Chol HaMoed Pics/Video in Jerusalem

Free Matzot for those visiting the Old City coutesy of Ateret Cohanim:

Some pics from King David's tomb.

Nice threads:

Outside the Old City near Jaffa Gate:

Old Passover Posts

Browsing through the archives I found the following which may be of interest:

What to say, and what not to say at the seder table: Pesach=Peh-Sach

Gratitiude: Hakarat Hatov

Getting ready: Preparing For Passover

Some things never change: Blogger's Pre-Passover Guilt Trip

I would like to hear Yaakov Shwekey and Yonatan Razel sing this one: A New Song For the Passover Seder

Have a happy and Kosher Passover!

American Jews and Israel

I have been known to bemoan the state of American Jewry on this blog. This impending decline of non-Orthodox Jewry was well evident many years ago. There were those who spoke up about it, but they were ignored by the masses and villified by the establishment, much like Jeremiah the prophet before the destruction of the First Temple.

The decay of American Jewry has of course had an effect on its relation with the State of Israel, I recommend reading a series of essays at Mosaic Magazine that deal with the topic:

If American Jews and Israel Are Drifting Apart, What's the Reason?

How American Jews Have Detached Themselves from Jewish Memory

Unspoken Reasons for the American Jewish Distancing from Israel

Israel: The Canvas on Which American Jews Project Their Hopes and Fears

Dear American Jews:

"The Holy One Blessed Be He gave three good gifts to Israel, and all of them He did not give except through affliction, and they are: Torah, and the Land Of Israel, and the World To Come.(Berachot 5A)"

The time has come! You have been given three special gifts! Come and claim them!

Update: Rabbi Alderstein also took notice.

What Happens When Nati Rom Joins a Tour of "Breaking the Silence" in Hebron?

This is just so good!