Messianic Jewish Congress

FYI - Here are some of the Jews accused of being members of "The Occupation" - the supposedly "white-colonialist, dispossessionist, invaders" whose Caucasian presence is so wrong, it justifies "of-color natives" like Gaza Hamas (who actually invaded in great number from Crete or from the Arabian nomad-lands) to mass-murder and mass-rape and mass-kidnap the "white colonialist" Jews): all Hamas crimes punishable in In international law by death or life in prison.

With Beth El of Manhattan's Rabbi and our Livestream Team core out of town last weekend, we had to record the service for later broadcast ... like, now! 🙂 Here is a link to enable you to see last week's Service for the Parasha "Ekev" via recorded video.

Shabbat082424Svc725MB.mp4

31 years ago tonight, around this time of evening, Debi and I were leaving this apartment on East 70th Street in Manhattan's Upper East Side, after holding the 1st formative meeting of "Congregation Beth El of Manhattan" with 9 people to whom we gave 500 brochures for a synagogue that did not yet exist. Three decades and one year later – see at bethelnyc.org what fruit sprang from that by-faith-planted seed – and why. :-) Kadima!

Now passing three decades of our Manhattan flagship Congregation Beth El's influence past counting – in Manhattan and greater New York, all across America, and in Israel, South Africa, Russia, Europe, Peru, Morocco ... and more recently, all across Italy! "To the ends of the earth." May the next 30 years be even more fruitful! Kadima! (Forward!)

"People who did not internalize 'love of the truth' so as to be rescued ..." 2Thessalonians 2:10

It seems a direct answer to my and our prayers: we prayed all weapons intended to harm Israelis would blow up before deployment, killing only their intending users – whether IEDs or missiles stored underground in Gaza or Lebanon, Iran - etc.

And today, on a busy street in Tel Aviv, a Hamas su***de bomber's IED, intended to mass-murder Israeli civilians, blew up prematurely, killing only the Hamas Bomber himself (and lightly injuring with shrapnel only one Israeli).

"The who rolls a stone, it will roll back upon him," says Proverbs. So may it be with every weapon Hamas and Hizballah and Iran turn toward Israel. "No weapon formed against you shall prosper," says the Lord. Ameyn v'ameyn!

I sent this note to my congregants today via our listserve. I share it with you as Tisha B'Av is upon us this year. May sound conscience lead you in this season. - Bruce
–––––––––––––––––––––––––
Congregation Beth El of Manhattan
_________________________

Dear Beth El,

Shalom as Erev Tisha B’Av begins at sundown tonight.

I thought it appropriate in this particular year’s Tisha B’Av to *do* something rather than just contemplate.

In the wee hours this morning, I penned the blog at the attached link.

http://brucecohenwordsmusic.com/?p=2442

If, after reading, you agree with this moral assessment, please disseminate this link to any and everyone you can, with a call to pressure their congressmen and senators to pressure the US Government to put it’s all into defending Israel from the kinds of devastating attacks Iran is planning via coordinated attacks from the North (Hizb’Allah), West (Gaza), and East (Iran).

You can contact them at:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/share/

https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

https://www.congress.gov/contact-us

Here is an already-written note you can either edit, or feel free to use:

----PRE-WRITTEN NOTE BEGINS ----

Dear President Biden, Senator (NAME), or Representative (NAME),

I write to say the following with great emphasis.

It seems to me morally unconscionable that we, the world’s only “superpower” Democracy, would do other than throw our full support behind Israel in the present crisis of imminent attack by Iran ––– in the manner President Kennedy protected the Western Hemisphere in 1962 by telling Russia, “It shall be the policy of the United States to consider any attack from Cuba upon any target in the western hemisphere as a ‘first strike’ by Russia, against The United States (itself), requiring a FULL RETALIATORY RESPONSE.” President Kennedy’s firm resolve quickly put an end to Russia’s adventuring against peace with its missile installments in Cuba.

In 1973, President Nixon backed off the Soviet Union from supporting the Arab attack on Israel during Yom Kippur by using his Presidential authority to put every American soldier in the world on highest alert. Russia got the message and stayed out of the conflict. American needs to USE its gravitas to protect our ally, the only Democracy in the Middle East, and the Jewish People’s natural, rightful homeland, from possible destruction.

Any US Official of any party in the White House or Congress who sits silently, or dares to support the genocidal and hemogenist maniacs in Hamas during this crisis can be assured of loss of voter support in any coming election for the rest of their lives.

Sincerely, [NAME & ID INFO HERE]

----PRE-WRITTEN NOTE ENDS ----

“What does the Lord expect from you, o Human Being?
To do [not admire] justice …” – Micah 6:8

We God-followers need to heed Scripture and “speak on behalf of the championless.”
Israel must not be left an orphan among the nations to defend itself.
We must speak up for her.

So it seems to your rabbi on this Erev Tisha B’Av.

May it be for shalom.

למען ציון
For Zion’s sake,

Rabbi Bruce
_________________
Rabbi Bruce L. Cohen
[email protected]
www.bethelnyc.org

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The irony was too painful to bypass. The original, and next to it, my corrections in red. Here's to education taken seriously.

Throwback Thursday - my synagogue, Beth El of Manhattan's rock band for Purim 2011 (we did the full arrangements of rock classics with rewritten "spiritual" lyrics) doing Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" as "Hear From Above" – with my son Ari trading-off lead guitar riffs with me during the bridge - and my other son, Levi on the drums! A musical-Dad's dream. :-) (FYI - the banner and the t-shirt I was wearing (I'm under the Van Halen wig playing the blonde guitar) ... were from the actual Woodstock in Bethel, NY.) Shout-outs to the entire band shown here for creating great memories!

I can't imagine anything getting a louder "Ah-mayn!" from me than this ...

Jeff goldblum inspiring George bernard shaw

The Weather Channel says the temperature "real feel" by 1pm today in Manhattan will be 99ºF‼️ So - summer light dress code is encouraged at Congregation Beth El on 86th & Park Ave. today - and please be sure to stay hydrated! :-) See you at services, we hope! 11am-1pm. Shabbat Shalom!

National Whistleblower's Day - honoring the truth of Leviticus 5:1 - if you see or become aware of crime/harm, and do not call out crime/harm so as to bring about prevention, accountability, and repair of harm ...then you are as guilty of the crime/harm as the perps, themselves. Here's to all who have summoned the conscience and courage to step up and "speak truth to (or about corrupt) power!

“Admiring courage is not the same thing as having it; and admiring truth is not the same thing as following it.”

In case you've never had the chance to hear or acquire Beth El of Manhattan's own Rabbi Bruce's "front lines" catalogue of music output as composer/performer/recording artist ... (reviewed by The Messianic Times as among the founding influences of the entire Messianic Jewish worship musical genre) ... the QR code below is a direct path to it on Apple Music! The website provides all his creative material in every genre, print, video, and audio ... including Live "bootleg" performances! :-) Enjoy!

Saw this on the web, and it seemed worth sharing in our high-Othering era. 🙂.

Sermon yesterday at Congregation Beth El of Manhattan on the Haftarah for "Balak" went to the heart of current Antisemitism's causes: jealous rage among nations at being consistently and massively outdone by Jews living in their midst – or now, by the Jewish Nation-State of Israel on the world stage. Like Cain. Like Joseph's brothers. Like King Saul. "Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood, but who can stand before jealousy?" (Prov, 27:3)

FYI below is for for all attending Congregation Beth El of Manhattan either in person or virtually via our livestream to YouTube or FacebookLIVE ... and, also ... we will end the Shabbat service today at 12:20pm so we can have "Palmakh Prayer" again 12:30 to 1:15pm. Kadima! - And Shabbat shalom!

A "Shavuah Tov" laugh to start the week:

URGENT: Beth El of Manhattan Services from 6 July 2024 onward will run from 11am to 1pm. Shalom!

Since "The Conference" is going on right now ... a little memory-jogger for those who know ... you know. !השם ירחם

Why Israelis call the U.N. "The United Nothing." UN Resolution 1701 orders Hizb'Allah to withdraw to north of the Litani River in Lebanon. Hizb'Allah totally ignores this U.N. resolution and has entrenched in the forbidden zone next to Israel's border ... and fires anti-tank missiles at civilian homes all across Israel's north, with the aim of making civilian life impossible, and burning as much of the North's agricultural and industrial production locations as possible. And - the UN does NOTHING.