Chapter 4, Mishna 1(a)

Pirkei Avos

Rabino Dovid Rosenfeld
Chapter 4, Mishna 1(a)

Jewish Macho "Ben (the son of) Zoma said: Who is wise? He who learns from all people, as it is said: 'From all those who taught me I gained understanding' (Psalms 119:99). Who is strong? He who conquers his evil inclination, as it is said: 'Better is one slow to anger than a strong man, and one who rules over his spirit than a conqueror of a city' (Proverbs 16:32). Who is rich? He who is satisfied with his lot, as it is said: 'When you eat the toil of your hands you are fortunate and it is good for you' (Psalms 128:2). 'You are fortunate' -- in this world; 'and it is good for you' -- in the World to Come. Who is honored? He who honors others, as it is said: 'For those who honor Me will I honor, and those who scorn Me will be degraded' (I Samuel 2:30)."
This week's mishna contains such sound words of wisdom, profound in their simplicity, that it hardly needs Dovid Rosenfeld's embellishments. But I have to earn my weekly paycheck, so here goes... (Actually, I do this for free. :-) (But I try to be rich according to our Mishna's definition (sigh).)
The author of our mishna is Shimon ben Zoma. He is referred to by his father's name alone because he died at an early age or without having received rabbinical ordination (Rashi, see also Talmud Chagiga 14b).
"Who is wise? He who learns from all people:" At its simplest level, the message is that one who seeks wisdom wherever it may be found is the one most likely to acquire it. He or she is willing to ask anyone and everyone. He is not so conscious of his own reputation as to refuse to "lower" himself to seek knowledge from someone not as important or credentialed as he. The Talmud writes that the Torah student who humiliates himself before others in order to understand the Torah (by asking his rabbi "stupid" questions and the like) will eventually be elevated on account of his Torah knowledge (Brachos 63b).
(As an Internet teacher, I know how many people begin their e-mails with: "I'm sure this is a stupid question, but..." or "I'm sure I should know this already, but..." Those are the ones who will not so long be "stupid". It's the ones too ashamed to admit their ignorance who will be forced to wallow in it.)
The commentator Rabbeinu Yonah writes further that when a person inquires wisdom of everyone, it indicates that he or she has a love of knowledge. His thirst will take him to every person and every place; it will not be quenched until he has drunk his fill. Such a person may be considered wise even before he has studied, since his desire will soon lead him on the direct path towards scholarship.
There is a deeper insight into ben Zoma's words. Why is learning from *everyone* so crucial for accomplishment in Torah? Isn't it true that some people just don't know as much as others? Should we really be spending time trying to glean bits of information from the unlearned when we would make much better use of our time studying ourselves or from our teachers?
The answer lies in the true understanding of the Torah's definition of wisdom. When G-d commanded us to study His Torah, it was not just a matter of memorizing dry facts and information. That could be gained from texts and book knowledge alone. We would never need to bother interacting with anyone else (thereby interrupting our own study time). Rather, Torah study at its highest level is the understanding of the application of the Torah's principles to real people and real life situations -- how do the Torah's eternal truths apply to the human condition. G-d's wisdom is eternal, yet no two people are precisely alike and relate to the Torah in precisely the same manner. Every one of us has his own perspective, his own life story, and his own unique personality. Each of us will see a slightly different message in the Torah, and will have his or her own fresh insight into its beauty and relevance.
Therefore, the Torah scholar cannot really understand the Torah if he does not comprehend what it means to other human beings. By my very nature, I cannot understand the Torah in every sense it has to convey. I am bound by my own perspective, my own background, my own intellectual capacities, and my own way of thinking. And the Torah is far too profound and all-encompassing to be fully fathomed by any single individual, no matter how wise. I must therefore branch out, attempting to understand what the Torah means to my fellow -- what are the other equally-valid methods of relating to truth. I must grow out of my own shell. When I realize that truth is far more composite and multifaceted than it appears to me -- that black-and-white to me may be shades-of-gray to my fellow -- I am ready to truly become wise.
There is a Midrash which states that there is one letter in the Torah for every single Jew. Every one of us has his own unique understanding of the Torah and his own angle on truth. No one has the monopoly on the word of G-d. And only when the student of the Talmud is prepared to grow out of his own limited perspective and view the Big Picture has he truly embarked on the path of Wisdom.
"Who is strong? He who conquers his evil inclination:" Our mishna tells us that strength should not be measured in physical might and fighting ability, but in restraint and the controlling of one's passions. Rabbeinu Yonah observes that ben Zoma -- as seen from the verse he quotes -- does not even entertain that physical strength might be the determinant of a man's might. Human beings rate pretty low as far as that's concerned. Being one of the weakest, slowest (relative to our size), most delicate (in terms of what our stomachs can take, extreme temperature endurance, etc.), longest to mature of the animal kingdom, we have very little to brag about. G-d did not seem to invent us as His wondrous masterpieces of grace, strength or endurance. If we see ourselves as nothing more than physical specimens -- if our self-image is based on our macho -- we are trading in the far higher goals G-d has in mind for us for something which just does not fit the spec's.
The quoted verse does, however, contrast one who is slow to anger to a warrior. (R. Yonah understands the "strong man" of the quoted verse to mean a soldier.) Warriors at least exhibit some level of bravery and self-discipline. A soldier who can survive basic training and endure harsh battle conditions or a commander who can orchestrate a military campaign -- such individuals demonstrate true valor -- of character as well as of body.
(One cannot help but notice the high proportion of presidents and national leaders who preceded their political careers with successful military careers. My sense is that this is only in part due to the heroics associated with military distinction. The voting public may also have a sense that someone who has the necessary self-discipline and strength of character to run a battalion may just have the super-discipline required to run a country.)
To this ben Zoma states that nothing matches willpower. True strength is that of the spirit; that of the body is different in kind. "Passive" behavior -- not losing one's cool when the kids are infuriating, holding oneself back when insulted, resisting temptation -- may appear more as doing "nothing" than acting with strength. (What could be more "manly" than banging on the table, slamming the door, and yelling at the top of your lungs?) But as our Sages correctly observe, it often takes far greater strength to do nothing than to react and to overreact. Strength is controlling the animal that lurks within. Rashness, violence, thinking with one's muscles -- all of these are forms of losing one's control and one's humanity, and in the final analysis, are signs of weakness.
One final interesting observation is the universality of this law. As we know, there are Seven Noachide Laws -- seven fundamental laws which G-d commanded upon all mankind. Possibly, six of them are ones we'd "expect" to see -- do not kill, steal, commit adultery, etc. One, however, is a little off the beaten track -- not to eat a limb severed from a living animal. Somehow, that does not strike us as one of the fundamental tenets of human morality. What is so crucial about it? Why did G-d deem it so far-reaching as to command its observance on the entire world?
I once heard R. Noach Orlowek of Jerusalem explain as follows. What is the theme of this commandment? In a word, self-restraint. Don't just take whatever you want whenever you want it. You want to eat meat? You want to eat *raw* meat? Immediately? At least wait until the animal is dead. This is not a matter of religious ritual or living ascetically. That was not commanded on all of mankind. But one thing was: don't be an animal. This is universal; it is a simple matter of and a fact of our humanity. A person cannot live, nor can society function, if people do nothing more than satisfy their desires -- whenever they want and wherever they want. The Seven Laws do not tell us we must be Jews, but they do tell us we must be humans. Really not so much to ask of us, but above all else this is what distinguishes us -- what crowns us -- as G-d's creations.

An Orthodox woman rabbi by any other name

An Orthodox woman rabbi by any other name

By Anthony Weiss, The Forward

 

Plans for a new school to train Orthodox women as clergy are pushing the issue of the role of women in Orthodox Judaism to a new and untested frontier.

Avi Weiss, a leading advocate for a more liberal Orthodoxy, and Sara Hurwitz, a protege of Weiss, are now taking inquiries and applications for Yeshivat Maharat, a four-year program set to open this fall to train women as "full members of the Rabbinic Clergy," according to an e-mail announcement. But they will not, as of yet, be called rabbis.

"We're training women to be rabbis," Hurwitz told the Forward. "What they will be called is something we?re working out." The move appears to place Weiss and Hurwitz at the precipice of what is possible under traditional Orthodox law without actually jumping off. In striking that balance, they are risking the possibility of alienating those to the left who want an equal rabbinical role for women and those to the right who argue that spiritual leadership is incompatible with the place of women in Orthodox society.

 

"My best guess is that we are seeing further evidence of a coming division in Orthodoxy between left and right," said Jonathan Sarna, a professor of American Jewish history at Brandeis University. But, he noted, "Rabbi Weiss has not only been able to push the envelope, but to do so successfully."

Though the Reform, Reconstructionist and Conservative movements all have ordained women as rabbis for decades, and have long viewed men and women as having all the same rights in religious matters, the Orthodox world has continued to maintain limits on the communal functions women can perform. According to Halacha, traditional Jewish law, a woman cannot sign a marriage or divorce certificate, preside over a conversion or be counted as a member of a minyan.

Indeed, Orthodox rabbis note that it is not merely the title of "rabbi" that is controversial so much as the actual roles women can and cannot play in the community.

A number of advocates for the rights of Orthodox women have been steadily pushing for several decades to expand the education and role of women in Orthodoxy. One major trend in recent years has been a greater emphasis on Jewish education for Orthodox women through such programs as the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education, which has offered intensive programs in Talmud study for women. Women have also taken on more high-profile instructional roles at Jewish day schools and some have taken official spiritual roles within synagogues. Though there have been only a few reported instances, some women have even been privately ordained as Orthodox rabbis.

Indeed, the new program has already spurred criticism that it will make women?s roles in Judaism a more charged issue.

"I don't see how this promotes the growth of women's learning,' said Rabbi Yosef Blau, spiritual advisor of Yeshiva University's rabbinical seminary. "It makes it more controversial and more difficult for women who are ready and who are committed to learning."

 
He added: "There are already programs of advanced study for women. If any women showed interest, or if shuls showed interest, in something like this, they would be doing it."

But Weiss has experience in successfully pushing the boundaries of Orthodox liberalism while still remaining a respected, if controversial, member of the Orthodox world. His recently established Yeshivat Chovevei Torah has become an important training ground for progressive and social activist Orthodox rabbis who, despite resistance from a number of prominent leaders, have found jobs and roles in mainstream Orthodox institutions.

Weiss told the Forward that unlike existing institutions, the new women's yeshiva would be focused on the development of practical pastoral skills, including textual study on common communal issues, pastoral psychology and training, and internships at schools and synagogues. The program will be modeled after the five-year course of study that Hurwitz recently completed under Weiss?s tutelage, after which he conferred on her the newly invented title of "Maharat."

Weiss stressed that the halachic limitations on women would be observed, and thus some functions still would need to be performed by men. But that did not mean that women were fulfilling any less of a leadership role, he said.

"The Orthodox model is not the Conservative and Reform model, where the roles of men and women in general and in leadership are identical," Weiss told the Forward. "In Orthodoxy, the roles significantly overlap, but there are very clear distinctions."

Blu Greenberg, a leading Orthodox feminist, praised the yeshiva initiative as a "path-breaking and revolutionary" extension of long-standing efforts to advance the role of women in Orthodox society. She said that the title of "rabbi" might have been preferable, but added, "There's nothing like facts on ground. The power of one model or 10 models is worth more than a thousand discussions or arguments on the subject."

 

The school has already received "close to 10" inquiries, according to Weiss, and it will likely open with a small handful of students this fall at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, Weiss's synagogue in the Bronx. But it is unclear exactly, for what the women will be training. Weiss said that graduates could serve as leaders at schools and on campuses. But women already hold leadership roles both at Orthodox day schools and at Hillel Jewish student centers on campuses around the country. Meanwhile, the number of Orthodox congregations prepared to accept a woman as a member of the clergy, in the way that the HIR has accepted Hurwitz, appears, at present, to be extremely limited.

That practical reality might limit not only on what graduates can do, but also who may apply to the school in the first place.

"The fact of the matter is, if you have a situation where you can only go so far and you can't go to the top, what you're going to lose is the people who want to go to the top," said Rabbi David Silber, the founder and dean of the Drisha Institute.

Ultimately, Silber said, the limitations on the role that women can play as spiritual leaders are inseparable from the limitations on women in Orthodoxy in general.

"I think it's a much bigger question, which is the entire status of the woman," Silber said. Referring to the separate seating for the sexes in Orthodox synagogues, he asked: "What if she should be a rabbi in a big synagogue and she sat in the balcony. What would she do, slide down a fireman?s pole to give the sermon?

 

 

Inside the Jewish Home of Ioannina : the Multicultural Mirror.

Annette B. Fromm, Ph.D.

I would like to offer this paper in loving memory of Mrs. Nina Battinou who passed away gracefully in February 1999. You will hear Mrs. Battinou's voice in some of the sections of the paper. 

Introduction.

Many aspects of the traditional culture of the Jewish community of Ioannina, Greece, reflect the  multicultural nature of Northwestern Greece. After all, the Ottoman Turks governed this provincial capital for over 400 years. Throughout their rule, the Ottomans tolerated minority groups in their midst and allowed them to retain autonomous status. 

The origin of the Jewish community of Ioannina is lost in history. Local legend, still preserved in such places as Manhattan, Jerusalem, and Boynton Beach, recalls origins in ancient Palestine. Written Church documents from the 14th century record a definite Jewish presence in the city at that time. Regardless of their origins, Jews have been a significant element of the population since Byzantine times, hence, the current scholarly label for this community - Romaniote, of Byzantium or Rum. 

Ioannina, a provincial capital and trading entrepot, nestled on a peninsula on Lake Pamvotis and under the 7,000 foot peak Mt. Mitsekelis, drew a diverse mosaic of residents and traders from the region. Christian Greeks, Muslim Ottomans, Albanians, Vlachs, Jews and others lived in the city or did their business there. The city developed initially on a small rounded peninsula or spit of land jutting into the western shores of the lake. The easternmost side of the peninsula is formed into a rise or small acropolis. Preceding the Ottoman rule, the Byzantines had walled this area, thus it's name, the kastro. Here that the 19th century Ottoman despot, Ali Pasha Tepelini, built his mosque, serrai and barracks. 

Historically, the Jewish community of Ioannina lived in several distinct neighbourhoods, one in the kastro close to the main synagogue, the others outside of the kastro but close to its walls. Jews were not the only residents of these neighbourhoods. Muslim Turks also lived in houses lining the winding streets of the fortress. Some Muslims and Christian Greeks lived interspersed among the Jewish families in the other areas. Thus it is only logical that some architectural features of the homes reflected regional styles, while others were specific to the ethnic origins of the family residing there. 

The house in brief.

One of the houses in the kastro in which a Jewish family still lived in 1984 exemplifies many of these features even though it had just been remodelled and modernised. The Pitsirilo house is a modest two-storied stone building flush with the cobblestone street. 
The asymmetrical facade opens to a hallway (diava) leading directly to the garden at the rear of the house. Because there are only two rooms downstairs - the saloni and the kitchen - the broad hallway had been set up as a small sitting room complete with television. 

The well in the entry hall was covered during the renovation. Many houses in Ioannina, Jewish and Christian, had wells for fresh 
water. More often, they were located either in the basement or in the garden rather than in the house itself (see Nahman 1978). In 
the summer they served as natural coolers for fruit and beverages. 

"In the summer, when the men came from work. They had, all the mothers hung baskets and a big metal pitcher with wine in their wells. Then they didn't have freezers with ice or electricity. We pulled out the pitchers and the water was iced. We pulled out the basket and inside was watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes, pears, whatever, seasonal. And it was a pretty sight to see. One would call the other, `Hor, come and eat a melon.' `Samuel, come I'll give you a cucumber which is very tender.' And the others said, `There's lots, let's eat together.' It was very pretty, very nice" (interview, S. Koen, 17 November 1983). 

The formal living or reception room (saloni) was reserved for visits characterised by their brevity and the ritual serving of a sweet and coffee, the symbol of hospitality offered and received. Deep-set windows in the new kitchen of the Pitsirilo home overlook the street. Nahman (1978) described this feature as "Turkish, sticking-out window, something like a closed, small balcony." The deep sill allowed the women, who were often confined, to the home with housework, to sit in the window and gossip with their neighbours or passers-by. Finally, there is a garden behind the house, which until the remodelling had been paved with traditionally used slate paving stones. The toilet and bathing facilities and the kitchen had been located there. 
Traditionally, the cooking facility (magheros) was a separate cooking room in the garden with a wood burning oven (see Nahman 1978). Mrs. Moshe Levy told Joseph Matsas that it was specifically a kitchen separate from the house (personal communication, J. Matsas, 25 April 1984). 

"My house had four rooms ... Outside there was one small room that we called bathroom. There wasn't a bath ... And my mother put charcoal in it to warm up the room. And then put the water above ... and you put a stool there and we washed ourselves there. 

"The kitchen, it wasn't inside the house. It was very pretty to see all the benches, all white ... and all around were containers with flowers. And all of that was very pretty, very pretty. Every Sabbath, every Friday morning [my mother ] put on the [wood- burning] oven. And my mother said to her neighbours, because they didn't have an oven, `I'm going to put on the oven. So do you want me to bake anything for you?' `Yes, we always have.' they told us. It could be a pita; you can bake a chicken pie in the oven 
in the hour you put on the oven because we're making chickpeas. `We're making pastel,' `We're making caltsones, pie, boubanatsa.' According to the season. In the winter we made boubanatsas with raisins and squash, pastella. In the summer we made eggplant with cheese, pilaf, meat" (interview, S. Koen, 17 November 1983). 

The older Mrs. Battinou spoke of the magheros in her recollections of the family house in Ioannina. Through all of these narratives by community members about their former homes we catch a glimpse of the retention of archaic language in specialised usage by the Jews of Ioannina such as architectural features. 

"We lived here in the alley ... opposite Makis' [store] ... that house had two big rooms and it had a big one upstairs. In the summer we stayed upstairs ... it had a paved hall and a kitchen and a basement. Inside, all was inside the house. And the basement, bimsa, we called it bimsa ... Like we call the kitchen, the Ioanniotes, `Were is he?' `In the maghero.' We don't say kouzina [Demotic Greek for kitchen], we say maghero. `Where is that thing, what room?' `There, in the maghero you'll find it.' 
They didn't say kitchen ... in Ioannina ... Like we say run, [Demotic Greek, trexi], it's kosha ... like we say the cup with water. We call it siklo. You know how you get water from the well? ... 
[We had] simple [furniture], simple things. First, we had chairs, yes, but there was in the same houses ...basha, basha we called them ... It was in a place. Summer they were white, nice white ..." (interview, N. Battinou, July 1982). 

The basement mentioned by Mrs. Battinou was another feature found in the old homes in Ioannina. In the descriptive narrative 
about her home, she refers to it as the bimsa instead of the more standard Greek word, ipogheio. "We called it 
bimsa." The basement served a significant role in food storage, especially in the winter. 

"Every week my mother made food and we had a basement and in the basement we had cupboards where we kept the cooking pans. That cupboard had a covering all around. Do you know what's a covering? It's a light plastic that neither ants nor mosquitoes went into. And the basement was cool. And the food there remained fresh. We put our food there. Of course, that was our refrigerator" 

"There were benches like that all around any my mother had in one container, ashes. When you burn charcoal you get ashes. 
These ashes we cleaned in sieves to get all of that out. And the ashes were put in a large pan and inside of that pan they put eggs. 
I asked Mom, `My dear, why do you put the eggs in ashes?' `They don't spoil, the eggs.' And in truth, the eggs in the ashes, in the basement didn't spoil. The eggs stayed even a month. They didn't spoil! Can you believe it? We had beans and lentils. We didn't have nice things to go and buy, small things at the grocer. One time a year, there was the bazaar in September, like a framers market. And you passed by [it]. They had the beans, the lentils, the almonds, the walnuts, the lefto kara [hazelnuts]. 
They sold [all]. The chickpeas. The brooms. We didn't take one. We took ten, ten brooms. The garlic, the onions. They were fixed up [in a string]. And those we hung from a nail ... pomegranates, melons. And we put them in the basement and we had them all winter" (interview, S. Koen, 17 November 1983). 

Features of the saloni.

Several other features characterise the more affluent homes. Many of them were retained in another Jewish home still remaining in the kastro. The houses located inside of the fortress tend to be older than those found in the neighbourhoods outside of its walls because they were not damaged by the fires, which periodically destroyed sections of the city. They are more likely to retain the older features although some homes outside are known for their traditionally. The features detailed below mark both the traditional and upper class character of the home. 

First is the fireplace (tzaki) usually found in the saloni and often in the family sitting room. In the Matathias house on Filanthropinon Street, the whitewashed plaster fireplace was decorated with ornate moulded leaf figures. The firegrate was covered in the remodelling because portable gas stoves heated the house. Decorative, souvenir-type objects from Ioannina and other parts of Greece had been placed in the non-functional hearth. 

The second traditional feature of the room are the basha (Turkish), "permanent wooden sofas, usually placed near the fire- places" (Loukakis 1981:20). Basha were deep benches, covered with a variety of textiles, often spreading from corner to corner completely filling a wall. It was the one household feature, which appeared without fail in each personal narrative recalling the home. The fireplace and the basha had gone out of style by the late nineteenth century in favour of coal or wood stoves and European furniture. Nevertheless, they were retained in the Jewish homes, as reflected in the following recollections. 

"In our dining room we had basha ... in the winter we had them with pillows, with cut fabric embroidered by machine. My sister embroidered beautifully. And with very pretty white lace, starched. Below was hand woven and above coverlets. We had beautiful pillows. On the wall we had a large photo of my mother's mother and father. We had a beautiful buffet, a very pretty piece" (interview, S. Koen 17 November 1983). 

Deep-set storage closets with carved doors were set into the walls over the basha and flanked the fireplace. These are the misanderathes [Turkish or Arabic, built in closets], room-sized closets which were usually built in rooms on the upper floors of the houses. When Mary Meier moved to Ioannina from her childhood home of Volos, her new husband took her to live in the family house in Vakoufika. The old house presented her with many new experiences because, according to her, the houses in Volos weren't more than forty years old. 

"When I came here, what did I think of the old houses? Listen, Annetta, I didn't know old houses, Turkish houses, I didn't know. We didn't have attics, with mousanderathes. And they called them strange things. The houses seemed strange to me. I began to learn them. With paving stones. You've seen how the paving stones are? Square. I saw strange things. The toilets, toilets, a hole, horrible things. I suffered many years to learn these things" (interview, M. Meier, 13 November 1983). 

Janet Tsito also spoke of the built-in closets and that they were a feature of the Jewish homes. 

"And the house had closets in the walls, closed ... in the wall. All of the old Jewish houses had that. There was also a clean room ... that was the saloni" (interview, J. Tsito, July 1982). 

The wooden ceilings, tavania, are the fourth feature of all traditional Ioannina houses no matter the ethnicity of the homeowner. 
Lower class homes usually had simple wooden ceilings, board and batten style. The tavania (pl.) in the more elite homes are more elaborate and figurative with roundels in the centre and corner ornamentation, all often painted in gold leaf. 

Jewish features of the traditional houses. The fall festival of Sukkot is celebrated in open air by Jews world-wide. A temporary structure symbolising the booths or huts built by the Hebrews after they left Egypt is constructed of four walls and a loosely covered roof. Here the meals were eaten and family members would sleep for the duration of the holiday. A permanent, metal framework around which the sukkah was constructed was found in many of the gardens of the traditional Jewish house of Ioannina (Nahman 1978). 

""My house was at Kondouriotou 38, I think. You know where Kondouriotou is? ... It was the street next to the Hatzicosta Hospital. You know where the hospital is? ... There was the house of Elda, of the doctor, as they called it, on the corner. And opposite was the Alkalai house, the big building that they took down and built a big apartment building. But our own house is still standing. I have photographs ... Nearly all of the houses had a garden ... where the sukkah was made ... We had a well in the garden. At lots of houses the wells were in the basements. In our house it was in the garden. As I remember, in the winter we filled the basement with water, we filled it, and we put the wine. And in the basement it was, the refrigerator ... " (interview, L. Kambeli, 21 January 1984). 

One specific house in Kondouriotou is of particular historical interest, especially because of the reputation of its original owner. 
The house of David-John Levy was destroyed during the war. David-John Effendi, as he was better known and always referred to, was one of the major figures of the Jewish community of Ioannina in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His title, Effendi, was an honorary distinction awarded him by the Ottoman Sultan for services provided to the government (EE 2 May 1958). 

David-John Effendi's house is also of interest because of its sheer expanse. It was a two-storied stone building facing directly onto the street. Several gateways gave entry to the large walled garden located at the rear of the house. It was one of the few Jewish homes in Ioannina which had a mikvah (Hebrew, ritual bath) (see Levy, IJC 1975, #146; Nahman 1978). According to Dalven (1973:53), private homes did not have mikvahs until the twentieth century; "in olden times, the mikvah was in the synagogue courtyard." The women of Ioannina performed tevilah (Hebrew, ritual immersion) according to Jewish law just before marriage and every month thereafter. Because of their strict adherence to this and other Jewish laws, the Jewish community of Ioannina before the second World War was considered to be one of the most observant in Greece (Dalven 1973:53). 

"Ours, his, the two houses looked alike a lot ... It had a tevilah and a cistern. Ours didn't have that because my father was free, he went out on Shabbat and all. He wasn't religious. David-John Effendi had a tevilah, very nice. No one else had a tevilah. We put water to cool in it then, when there wasn't `frigidaire.' It had everything." (interview, E. Batish, 28 January 1984) 

Late twentieth century homes.

After the cataclysm of the Holocaust and Greek Civil War, the Jewish community of Ioannina was literally decimated. Homes, synagogues and businesses were damaged, destroyed or confiscated. Eventually in the intervening years, new lives and new homes were re-established. Several of the features of domestic architecture discussed above have been retained in a different form in the contemporary Jewish homes. 

The divani, or day bed, in the kitchen provides more comfortable seating for families with elderly members. It also allows more people to sit around the table to eat and visit. In form and function, the divani could be looked at as remnant of the basha found in the older homes. Balconies opening to the street from the kitchen and other rooms have taken the place of the traditional deep-set window. In the evening residents sit outside on their balconies talking with passers-by and neighbours. 

Four particular decorative features in the Jewish homes of the 1980s reveal that they are Jewish. Each home had a mezuzah (Hebrew, doorpost; see EJ 11) attached to the front doorframe and often on other doorways. During the autumn festival of Sukkot, small branches of myrtle were distributed at the end of the synagogue service. In many households, these were placed behind the mezuzah on the front door to bring good luck for the entire year. 

Each Jewish house traditionally had a doulapa ta livra (personal communication, J. Matsas, 27 March 1984), a cabinet of books. Only in this reference to religious books is the Spanish word used for books, livra, instead of the Greek, vivlia. One native of Ioannina who immigrated to Jerusalem in 1935 recalled this particular use of the Spanish word and the implications, which it carried. He was actually rambling about the present-day community and its leaders when he went off on a tangent on the origins and make-up of the community. His memories are interesting because they show the influence or lack of influence of Sephardic Jews in Ioannina from his point of view. The Jewish adherence to the Greek language is further supported in that in his recollection he uses the Greek article to rather than the Spanish El to modify the word, book. 

"Later a few [Jews] came [to Ioannina from Spain]. The difference is that 99% were Jews who were from [Ancient] Israel. 1% came from Spain or Sicily or from Spain straight away. Or others went East to Sicily. Because if you go to Ioannina, it doesn't have any relation, it's impossible [to realise that Sephardim settled there.] The Sephardim that came, went to the cities that were close to the sea, Thessaloniki, Volos, the islands, all over. So, in Ioannina they didn't come. Very few Sephardim 
arrived and we know that from their names - Koffina, Negrin. They however, forgot the Spanish and learned Greek. But some Spanish words stayed in the Jewish vocabulary ... to libro for the books they took to synagogue. Everyone knew to libro. They didn't call it in another language" (interview, I. Batish, 28 January 1984). 

The bookshelf in the Jewish homes of Ioannina in 1984 held both popular books and Judaica. Some books on Jewish subjects were distributed free by KIS, the Central Jewish Organisation. Others had been purchased or sent from Israel. 

The third distinguishing feature found in Jewish homes was gold-embroidered velvet cushion covers. Framed and hung in the formal saloni, these embroideries were a requisite part of a woman's dowry. In the past they were used in certain life cycle ceremonies, such as the brit millah. They continued to serve the ritual purpose of a dowry item, and were passed on to the daughter of the family or to the daughter-in-law in families with only sons (Nahman 1978). 

Decorative, souvenir items from special occasions and from Israel were the fourth item marking the Jewish home. Souvenirs of special events included family photos and favours from life cycle celebrations. At circumcisions, Bar Mitzvahs, and weddings, guests were given souvenir bonbonnières - a packet of sugarcoated almonds attached to a favour of some sort. At a recent Jewish wedding in Athens, attended by several families from Ioannina, the bonbonnières included a ballpoint pen inscribed with the names of the couple. This innovation caused quite a bit of talk across the mountains in Ioannina. Decorative items from Israel, which were either sent by family members living there or were souvenirs from a trip there, were another marker of identity found in the Jewish homes in Ioannina. 

Another type of object served both in this function and as a decorative souvenir. Upon their return, Jewish survivors of the Holocaust from Ioannina were given flatware and enamelled dishes by the Joint Distribution Committee to help set up a new home. Such plates were displayed in at least one kitchen. 

Conclusion.

As the smaller communities throughout Greece dwindle in size and significance, this article serves only as a document of the unique "Greek" expression of Judaism that characterised Ioannina. The Jewish community of Ioannina is one, which was integrated with neighbouring populations who lived in this off-some-beaten track commercial, governmental and military city.

 
The flavour of the community was uniquely Greek, as seen through the preservation of language to refer to certain features of architecture. It was also a melange as seen in the actual adaptation of specific elements of the house. Throughout, the community remained distinctly Jewish. 



1. This paper was presented at the 5th Annual Wester Jewish Studies Association, Seattle. Washington, U.S.A., March 1999. 

Research for this paper was undertaken during the 1983-84 academic year with funding from the Fulbright Commission in Greece and the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture. It is a portion of the doctoral dissertation, We Are Few: Folklore and Ethnic Identity of the Jewish Community of Ioannina, Greece, Bloomington: Indiana University, 1992. 

Annette B. Fromm is a folklorist and museum specialist. In over 20 years, she has worked in different capacities in museums including the Children's Museum in Indianapolis, the Cleveland Ethnographic Museum, a pioneering museum which emphasised the diversity of the city of Cleveland, Ohio; the Fenster Museum of Jewish Art in Tulsa, where she initiated the Oklahoma Jewish Archives Project; the Creek Council House Museum; and the Oklahoma Museum of Natural History where she developed new anthropology and archaeology exhibits. She taught anthropology and museum studies at the University of Tulsa for over seven years.

Shavuot

Em Rosh Chodesh Sivan - primeiro dia do mês de Sivan - os Bnei Israel chegaram ao deserto de Choreb.

Por que Deus não entregou a Torá ao povo de Israel quando eles abandonaram o Egito? Por que Ele aguarda sete semanas?

Na metade do ano escolar, um jovem ficou doente e foi obrigado a ficar em casa na cama por várias semanas. Quando, finalmente, lhe foi permitido se levantar, sentia-se cansado e pálido.

Passaram-se alguns dias, o telefone toca na casa do jovem; era o diretor da escola, que pergunta ao pai do jovem: "Escutei que seu filho já não esta mais doente, é hora de retornar ao colégio!"

"Impossível!" protestou o pai. "Meu filho não está pronto para isso. Ainda deve ficar em casa por mais dois ou três meses, ganhar força e assim estará pronto para retornar.

Similarmente, Deus não considera os Bnei Israel aptos para receber a Torá imediatamente após sua partida do Egito. Ele disse: "Eles ainda sofrem os efeitos posteriores do trabalho escravo em terras egípcias. Deixemos que permaneçam no deserto por alguns poucos meses, comam a maná e bebam a água do Manancial. Quando se recuperarem, Eu lhes entregarei a Torá."

Quando os Bnei Israel abandonaram o Egito, muita rivalidade e contenda havia entre o povo. Eles abandonaram a cidade de Sucot tendo discussões, e quando acamparam em Etam, a discórdia prevalecia.

Finalmente, ao chegar ao deserto do Sinai, eles puseram fim a todas as disputas e se uniram.

No terceiro dia daquela semana, Deus convocou Moshé a subir a montanha e lhe deu as instruções relativas ao método de preparar o povo de Israel para receber a Torá. Moshé retornou ao anoitecer e transmitiu as palavras de Deus aos Anciãos na presença do povo.

Subseqüentemente lhes descreveu o castigo por transgredir as mitzvot e a recompensa por cumpri-las. Todo Klal Israel aceita então a Torá e responde: “Naasé - tudo o que Deus diz, nós faremos”.

Após terem pronunciado a palavra "naasé" e se purificarem por três dias, alcançaram novamente o nível de Adam antes de pecar, e assim estavam prontos para receber a Torá. Ainda antes de "matán Tora" - entrega da Tora - Deus cura todos os defeitos físicos de Klal Israel.

Quando Deus escolhe a montanha para entregar a Tora, uma discussão acontece entre as montanhas. Cada uma insistia: "A Torá será entregue sobre mim." Har Sinai foi a montanha escolhida, por ser pequena e nunca ter servido como um lugar de adoração de ídolos. Por isso, era digna de receber a Torá.

Fiesta toda la noche de Shavuot.

El viernes/sábado, 29/30 mayo.

Pasar la noche de juerga espiritual es algo bastante normal
dado que la mayoría de los ciudadanos no se acuestan
antes de las 5 de la madrugada ni los viernes ni los sábados.
a) Empezamos con kabalat shaba
b) Leyeremos el Libro de Rut
c) Comeremos esaladas según la tradición de Shavuot,
todo el mundo trae una ensalada vegetal

Ensaladilla rusa vegetal, tortilla vegetal, zanahorias al comino,
Ensaladilla de espeguetis,
Ensalada de couscous, macedonia,
Natillas de soja, falafel, humus,
Ensalada de berejena,
Queso de "casar" con tostadas,
Tomates rellenas de queso amarillo y guisantes,
Sanguiches de té de pepino.
Hay un sin fin de recetas.
Trae el plato a la mesa de Shavuot para compartir

d) Pasearemos la noche charlando, comiendo y comentando textos
y
para los que prefieren volver a casa para dormir
pero todavía quiere una pequeña aventura a las 05'30h
e) nos encontraremos en la cabeza del Parque del Río PORVIR
en los albores del alba y subiremos a la atalaya
del Parque de la Cabecera para ver como
El Sol sale una vez más para alegrarnos.




-----Introducción al judaísmo: No hay Intro al Judaísmo, domingo por la mañana el 24 de mayo

David Pozo, Cintia Roodveldt y una servidora estaremos en París. Mientras tanto haz los deberes:

Tareas/Deberes
1) Comentario sobre la parashá ha-shavuá : Hay legiones de comentarios en el internet pero me gusta lo de rabi Shteinhendler porque es en el formato de youtube. Escucha y comenta.
http://www.beitemunah.com/bol239.htm
http://www.beitemunah.com/bol240.htm
2) Un hombre dedicado a ayudar a los patitos
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8058221.stm
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/may/17/ducks-make-splash-with-parade-of-their-own/?video
3) La yeshiva conservador en Jerusalén http://www.uscj.org.il/yeshiva/index.php edita cada semana un comentario redactado por rabi Mitchell Silverstein sobre la haftará. Lee y comenta.

a) Comentario sobre la Haftará B'har B'hukotai me hace pensar en los políticos que empiezan con grandes ideales....
De vez en cuando alteramos nuestras convicciones para aprovecharnos de una oportunidad que mejorará nuestra condición económica o social. A veces estos pequeños arreglos de comportamiento son bastante inocentes y a otras veces no tanto. Por desgracia a veces el éxito material de la modificación de comportamientos nos seduce y lo repetimos hasta que las convicciones que antes compartimos desaparecen y nos convertimos en precisamente lo que queríamos evitar. Los Judíos han tenido que considerar seriamente muchas formas distintas de idolatría tanto como en el pasado como en el presente. Algunas de ellas muy seductoras. Muchos han pensado equivocadamente que podrían mantener sus convicciones aunque obraban de una manera contraria. Pero se han encontrado en un ladera resbaladiza y sin querer han sustituido un comportamiento nuevo al viejo que no cuadra con el tipo de persona que antes querían ser.

b) Comentario sobre la Haftará B'Midbar. Este comentario me hace pensar en todas las broncas de todos los padres a todos sus hijos durante todos los tiempos....
Saul no quiere escuchar las excusas que Yonatan adelanta acerca de la falta de David en el banquete de Rosh Hodesh (nueva luna). Saul le echa una bronca que acaba en Saul tirando una lanza a Yonatan (sin dar en la diana afortunadamente). El Talmud cita Levítico 19:17 "...No albergarás odio contra tu hermano en tu corazón , pero reprenderás a tu compañero que haya pecado, para no cargar tú también con su pecado..." y pregunta, ¿cuáles son los límites del enfado detrás de una bronca? Rabi Elazar ben rabi Shimon comenta que (Yevamot 65b): Sólo tienes que echar una bronca a los que quieren escucharla y no despilfarrar palabras que nadie va a escuchar. Para que una bronca da resultados positivos has de echar una bronca que al final no sea contraproductivo.

Todah be emunah Alba
Moshe Prera

IOM YERUSHALAIM SAMEACH

MOADIM LESIMCHA !!!!!


IOM YERUSHALAIM SAMEACH !
Sexta 22/5
JAG A SHAVUOT SAMEAJ !
Sexta 29/5 (1er. Dia)

Malgré tout, la symbiose avec le peuple italien

LE TEMPS RETROUVE

Herbert Israël

A la suite d'un rencontre inopinée, j'ai par jeu échafaudé une hypothèse qui aurait pu être fantaisiste ou incongrue. Mon interprétation d'un ensemble de concordances jalonnant un entretien de toute une après-midi, comme autant de pistes, fut d'abord aléatoire puis progressivement logique. Ensuite, peu à peu le puzzle d'une vie entière se construisit en remplissant les dates et les espaces temps demeurés vides…

Le point de départ de cette confrontation avec un passé oublié a été mes bavardages avec les membres d'une famille italienne qui avait fui le fascisme des années 1925 pour se réfugier en France. Les années passées depuis avaient distendu leurs liens avec l'Italie. Près de la moitié de la jeune génération des Cavassa, c'est leur nom, née en France avait épousé des conjoints juifs. Le nom de Cavassa me parut phonétiquement familier par son homonymie avec celui d'amis égyptiens dont il avait les mêmes consonances et peut-être les mêmes lointaines origines. L'arbre généalogique de ces Cavassa et Cabasso égyptiens s'était-il ramifié de pays en pays avec une simple altération phonétique ? J'ai demandé, à celui des Cavassa pour qui je ressentais le plus d'amitié, s'il avait connaissance de l'existence en Italie de Cavassa juifs La réponse, un instant déconcertée, fut négative. L'Italie lui était maintenant lointaine et pour autant qu'il le sache, son grand-père avait été orphelin très jeune. De plus, sa seule famille italienne connue était ce Cavassa orphelin élevé par son père dans la maison sans hommes d'un village italien appelé Poggio Rematico. Je l'ai aussitôt localisé sur la carte. Il jouxtait la ville de Ferrare. Ce qui était plus qu'une intuition commençait à se matérialiser en probabilité. Je lui ai immédiatement parlé de la communauté juive de Ferrare installée dans cette ville depuis le 14ème siècle et parfaitement intégrée par sa population. Je me suis rappelé les dires de ces Egypto- italiens d'Egypte, comme les Vitali, Mieli, Terni ou Servadio qui en parlaient avec amour et nostalgie. J'ai ensuite poursuivi mon enquête avec d'autres Cavassa, détenteurs pour chacun d'eux, d'une partie de la mémoire familiale. Puis progressivement, ce qui avait été oublié, a spontanément fait surface, comme libéré des scories d'un refoulement inconscient. A Poggio Rematico il était arrivé que l'aïeul soit appelé l'ébreo.

Autre confidence, le père de celui-ci avait travaillé comme régisseur dans un des domaines des Finzi Contini. Il paraîtrait qu'ils étaient originaires d'une ville côtière d'Espagne dont un édifice public porte encore le nom. J'imagine parfaitement l'aïeul orphelin vivant dans son village à flanc de coteau, oublié de tous et grandissant parmi d'autres jeunes.

La greffe aurait dû prendre. Pourtant, l'enfant devenu adulte avait par défi, atavisme et fierté, rejeté les dérives du fascisme et s'était pris à trois fois pour franchir à pied la frontière française. Parmi ses enfants et petits-enfants aux conjoints juifs, il s'était produit un net clivage de comportement. Un quart choisit le non-choix identitaire, mais avec une sympathie marquée pour un judaïsme pressenti mais mal connu. Les plus nombreux sont maintenant des catholiques pratiquants qui ne se posent aucune question. Raccourci de cette histoire, deux petites filles Cavassa ont épousé à Paris deux garçons originaires, l'un du Maroc et l'autre d'Egypte, qui gardent tous deux en mémoire la tragédie de l'expulsion d'Espagne. Pour elles deux, la large boucle de l'itinéraire des Cavassa, faite de cinq siècles de tribulations, s'est refermée. Peut-être parmi la petite minorité des Cavassa qui se cherchent, il se trouvera quelqu'un qui aura la curiosité de reconstituer à son tour, ligne par ligne, ancêtre par ancêtre, sa généalogie. Il devrait retrouver la répétition statistique du même pourcentage des hébreux qui suivirent Moïse hors d'Egypte et celui des espagnols qui en 1391 et 1492 choisirent entre abjurer ou partir. A peine le quart d'entre eux, à chaque fois, sut et put prendre la décision de fuir et de partir ; les autres, les faibles et les traumatisés disparurent dans le grand creuset égalitaire des populations environnantes.

LORSQUE L'HISTOIRE DEBUTE A ROME

L'itinéraire probable des Cavassa me fut expliqué par une amie conservatrice bénévole d'un musée juif de Rome. Elle a pour ceci matérialisé sur un atlas les grands axes les grands axes empruntés par les juifs espagnols désireux de mettre une mer et une frontière entre eux et les bûchers de l'Inquisition, et, plus tard par les marranes portugais. Le nom de Cavassa lui était familier car une généalogiste avait récemment dépoussiéré des archives pour reconstituer la trame de vie de cette famille. Les Cavassa romains, les grands témoins, étaient sans nul doute apparentés aux Cavassa de France.

LES JUIFS DE LA PENINSULE

Il y a eu une présence juive continue en Italie à partir du 1er siècle de l'ère. La plus ancienne communauté d'Italie et peut être d'Europe est celle de Rome qui date de l'an 19 du règne de Tibere. Le rite liturgique des juifs romains prend en effet ses racines dans les traditions du Temple de Jérusalem. En l'an 500 a.J.C. il existait essentiellement trois grandes communautés en Italie, celles de Rome, Ravenne et Milan.

ROME LA VILLE DES PAPES

A partir de 1542 les juifs romains furent forcés d'écouter les prêches des moines. Pour s'en défendre, ils se bouchèrent les oreilles avec de la cire. Cette obligation prosélyte continua jusqu'en 1870.

1551 18 enfants juifs romains enlevés de force à leurs familles défilent en procession à Florence.

26 Juillet 1555 Promulgation de " Cun Nimus Absurdum "

Le Cardinal Pietro Caraffa, devenu pape sous le nom de Paul IV, décide par sa bulle la séparation physique des juifs et des catholiques. Sur son ordre les juifs de Rome sont regroupés dans un quartier insalubre de la rive droite du Tibre. Le ghetto du Trastevere, fait de deux seules rues et de six ruelles, sera le premier d'Europe.

1569 Le pape Paule V expulse les juifs de tous les états pontificaux à l'exception de ceux d'Ancone et de Rome.

1732 12 000 juifs habitent le quadrilatère exigu du ghetto Trastevere de Rome. Femmes et hommes ont l'obligation de porter des fichus et des chapeaux jaunes qui les différencient de leurs voisins.

1814 Un temps émancipés par Napoléon, les juifs de Rome réintègrent le ghetto.

1830 Lors de la 1ère révolution italienne les portes du ghetto sont démontées par la foule amie et remises sur gonds sur ordre du Vatican.

1848 Les portes du Ghetto enlevées sont, une fois, de plus cadenassées sur décision de Pie IX

1858 Dans Bologne, ville dont la communauté originaire de Rome et de Rhenanie remonte au 14ème siècle, le jeune enfant Mortera est enlevé par la police papale pour être baptisé.

1870 Le roi Victor Emmanuel, à la tête de ses troupes, rentre à Rome qui devient la capitale de l'Italie. Les juifs romains obtiennent la complète égalité civique et peuvent désormais vivre à l'extérieur de ghetto. Le Risorgimento, mouvement de libération national, compte un nombre important de juifs qui luttèrent aux côtés de Mazzini et de Cavour.

15 Octobre 1943 : 1007 juifs romains sont déportés à Auschwitz sur l'ordre de l'Obertubannführer Kappler.

Décembre 1943: Deux mois après les rafles des juifs romains, le pape Pie XII s'exprime en ces termes : "Notre sollicitude particulière va au peuple allemand si éprouvé plus qu'à toutes les autres nations."

Après la libération de Rome par les troupes alliées, la communauté prit le deuil et drapa la synagogue de draps noirs. La raison était la conversion au catholicisme de son grand rabbin.

1492 - Lorsque des Cavassa quittèrent l'Espagne pour l'Italie

Il est probable que, comme tant d'autres, l'ancêtre Cavassa quitta l'Espagne sur un bateau génois. Il s'établit à Rome où il travailla en tant qu'artisan ou chiffonnier. Le Cavassa inconnu, tête de lignée, vécut misérablement comme ses coreligionnaires romains, à peine toléré, et toujours humilié par les sbires de l'Eglise. Il a vraisemblablement croisé ou côtoyé son contemporain et mon lointain parent Rabbi Galante connu de l'entière communauté d'alors pour ses connaissances et son savoir religieux. Bien des années plus tard, des Cavassa quitteront Rome et ses contraintes pour aller vivre dans les deux villes hospitalières et généreuses d'Italie qu'étaient devenues Livourne et Ferrare.

Les Cavassa Livournais

Au 15ème siècle, les Médicis, désireux de faire prospérer le commerce dans leur état, accueillirent à Livourne les juifs et les nouveaux chrétiens. Pour mieux les attirer, ils les exemptèrent du paiement des taxes. Les nouveaux arrivants, choisirent d'habiter un quartier de la ville et non plus comme ailleurs en Italie un ghetto

1520 Livourne devient un port franc

1593 Ferdinand 1er accorde aux marranes venus du Portugal la liberté de culte et la protection contre les poursuites des inquisiteurs. Ces promesses sont inscrites dans une charte appelée "La Livourna" Les juifs sont autorisés à employer des domestiques et des nourrices catholiques. Jusqu'au 19ème siècle la langue officielle de la "Nazione Ebrea" Livournaise fut le portugais. Son enseignement aux élèves, ainsi que celui de l'espagnol, étaient gratuits. Les juifs de Livourne eurent le quasi- monopole du commerce des épices, du tabac et de l'or avec L'Amérique et l'Afrique, ils disposaient pour ce faire d'un large réseau de correspondants originaires du Portugal qui avait essaimé dans le monde entier. Ils travaillaient également le corail dont ils faisaient des bijoux fort appréciés. Le corail brut était acheté en Corse en échange d'armes destinées à combattre les Génois alliés à l'Espagne. La politique n'était jamais loin du commerce.

Un Cavassa de Livourne, brisant les frontières trop étroites de l'état, ouvrit un comptoir à Tunis. Il fit partie de cette communauté Grana dynamique et entreprenante.

Il paraîtrait qu'en 1900 des Cavassa étaient négociants en gros de céréales à Souk el Grana, situé dans la proche banlieue de Tunis. Après l'Indépendance de la Tunisie, une famille Cavassa partit en Israël où mère et fils vécurent de la pêche côtière pratiquée sur un cotre.

Les Cavassa de Ferrare

1492- Arrivée de la première famille juive d'Espagne.

1524 Les juifs de Ferrare sont reconnus en tant que communauté de plein droit par les autorités de la ville

1552 L'écrivain de Ferrare, Samuel Uusque, traduit la bible de l'hébreu en espagnol. Cet ouvrage par sa large diffusion, permit la rejudaïsation des anciens marranes qui ignoraient l'hébreu. L'autre écrivain de Ferrare, Azariah de Rossi, à l'oeuvre littéraire prolifique, est lu et commenté dans toutes les communautés italiennes de Venise, Ancone, Livourne, Padoue, Rome, Mantoue, Gênes et Florence.

1750- C'est à cette époque qu'une branche des Cavassa de Rome s'établit à Ferrare. Il est probable qu'ils assisteront aux offices de la synagogue en briques rouges de la Via Mazzini ou à ceux de petit oratoire proche. Les belles lampes à huile en argent et les grands sepharims faisaient la fierté des fidèles. Bien plus tard, en 1943 et après l'occupation de l'Italie par les nazis, tous les objets de culte furent pillés et vendus aux enchères. 183 juifs de Ferrare furent déportés à Buchenwald cette même année. Un seul survécut à l'enfer. Ces morts sans sépulture n'ont pas reposé comme leurs parents dans le cimetière paisible et bucolique qui avoisinait les hauts remparts de pierre de la ville. Les Cavassa de Ferrare peu nombreux, vécurent discrètement à l'ombre des grandes familles patriciennes qu'étaient les Herrera et les Finzi Contini. Le père de l'orphelin Cavassa, celui dont la mort soudaine cassa la transmission de la mémoire familiale avait été le régisseur d'un des domaines des Finzi Contini.

Lorsque la Sicile comptait une nombreuse population juive.

Une importante population juive vécut en Sicile au 6ème au 15ème siècle. Les grandes migrations suivirent la conquête arabe de Palerme en 831 A.J.C et de Syracuse en 878 A.J.C. De conditions modestes, la majorité des juifs siciliens furent pêcheurs et petits commerçants. Au 12ème siècle, pendant la domination allemande, les premières mesures discriminatoires furent prises à leur encontre. Lorsqu'après les Allemands succéda l'occupation française, l'Inquisition Papale menée par les pères dominicains se donna comme principale tâche de faire payer aux juifs un maximum d'amendes et d'impôts confiscatoires.

1282 : Le commencement de la fin des Communautés siciliennes

C'est en 1282 que le royaumed'Aragon conquit la Sicile qui comptait alors 57 communautés dont celles de Modica, Syracuse, Agrigente, Messine et de Taormina avec, comme juridiction suprême Palerme. Dans les décennies qui suivirent, plus de la moitié des juifs siciliens, par la menace et la terreur, fut convertie de force.

1840 Le Mariage d'un Cavassa à Ferrare

En l'an 1840 un Cavassa de Ferrare courtisa une jeune fille, belle disait-on comme un astre, de famille Sicilo Napolitaine. Elle habitait une maison de la vieille ville, irriguée par d'étroites ruelles pavées de pierres. Ils se donnaient journellement rendez-vous comme tous les amoureux de Ferrare dans la trattorie de la Piazza Della Certosa. Il y avait eu beaucoup de monde à leur mariage, tant à la synagogue qu'à la réception qui suivit. Dans la corbeille de la jeune mariée il y avait des souvenirs autobiographiques, vieux de plusieurs siècles, qui se racontaient de parents à enfants le soir à la veillée. De la Sicile lointaine, longtemps mère nourricière et jadis tant aimée, on disait qu'à la veille de l'expulsion des juifs de l'île ainsi que ceux de Malte, Gozzo et Pantelleria, les envoyés de Palerme, les jurés de Messine, les juges de la Magna Curia, le conseil royal sacré, ainsi que la population intercédèrent vainement auprès du vice-roi pour obtenir un assouplissement des mesures d'expulsion. Ils arguèrent que la présence des juifs dans l'île générait des richesses et du travail à l'entière population. Le seul résultat de ces protestations véhémentes fut que la cupidité du Roi Ferdinand s'accrut à l'encontre des malheureux perdants et qu'il fit réquisitionner leurs meubles, immeubles, marchandises et objets précieux. Les expulsés de Sicile, complètement ruinés quittèrent pour toujours leurs maisons et leur village. Ils ne devaient jamais plus revoir l'Etna désapprobateur cracher ses laves et ses flammes.

1487 L'Inquisition espagnole sévit en Sicile.

A partir de 1487 l'Inquisition espa gnole, encore plus féroce que l'In quisition Papale à laquelle elle suc cède, poursuivit à la fois les Juifs et les Hérétiques qu'elle rançonna. Ces habitudes de brigandage organisé étaient devenues tellement courantes à la population qu'elles furent naturellement reprises plus tard par la maffia. Le décret d'expulsion espagnol de 1492 eut force de loi également en Sicile et en Sardaigne. Le 12 janvier 1493, date limite butoir, la communauté résiduelle sicilienne avait quitté l'île, ou s'était convertie. Elle ne se reformera jamais plus. Les Juifs siciliens étaient partis majoritairement à Venise et à Naples ; En 1511 et 1516 dans une Sicile sans Juifs, les foules paysannes se soulevèrent contre les excès croissants de l'Inquisition.

Naples deviendra la ville sans juifs.

En 1494 Naples fut conquise par le Roi de France qui débuta son régime en confisquant les biens de ses sujets juifs. L'ancien ministre du Roi d'Espagne, Abravanel qui en un premier temps s'était réfugié à Naples, fut touché par ces mesures confiscatoires et dut repartir pour des cieux plus cléments. Les juifs de Naples furent expulsés partiellement en 1505 puis définitivement en 1539 par Charles Qunint successeur de Ferdinand le Catholique. Charles Qunint avait agi sur les conseils d'un moine qui lui avait prédit la naissance d'un héritier le jour où Naples ne compterait plus un seul juif parmi sa population. A Naples comme dans tout le Sud de l'Italie les conversions au catholicisme, par l'effet des menaces et des exactions, furent nombreuses. Le départ des Juifs de Naples fragilisa l'économie de la ville en raison du rôle important qu'ils tenaient dans la distribution et le courtage des produits agricoles. Ils avaient été également des artisans habiles et appréciés. En 1547 et en 1564, dans Naples devenu ville sans juifs, il y eut de violents soulèvements populaires contre l'Inquisition et ses excès.

Les tribulations des Sicilo Napolitains

En 1539 les Sicilo Napolitains expulsés se dispersèrent tant en Afrique et en Turquie, qu'à Rome, Venise, et Ferrare ; La nouvelle épousée Cavassa faisait partie de ces Juifs italiens sans cesse ballottée d'un état à un autre. Ferrare l'hospitalière leur parut être le havre auquel ils aspiraient. De la communauté disparue de Sicile, il subsiste à Rome une petite synagogue appelée la Sicilienne.

Lorsqu'à Naples les vieux démons resurgissent

En 1740 Charles III le Bourbon rappela les juifs dans son royaume. Il espérait ainsi enrichir son trésor personnel avec de nouvelles taxes. Il y eut peu de candidats à ce retour problématique et incertain. Les quelques-uns uns qui revinrent furent définitivement chassés de la ville en 1747. Le judaïsme napolitain, comme avant lui son grand frère sicilien, avait cessé d'être.

Les Juifs d'Italie dans l'Incertitude du lendemain

Milan. En 1559 dans la ville de Cremone le Gouverneur espagnol de Milan fait brûler sur la place publique 2000 exemplaires du Talmud Hitler n'avait rien inventé de ce point de vue

1563 Philippe II renonce à remplacer l'Inquisition épiscopale de Milan par l'Inquisition espagnole.

1597 Expulsion des juifs du Duché de Milan

Lorsque toute la population d'un village se convertit au Judaïsme.

Il est anecdotique de relever que les conversions ne se firent pas exclusivement à sens unique. A la fin de la dernière guerre à San Nicandro, l'entière population sous la conduite et l'impulsion messianique de Donato Monduzio, se convertit au judaïsme et partit vivre en Israël.

Pitigliano et la Toscane généreuse.

C'est dans cette ville de Toscane qu'en 1600 une petite communauté fuyant les persécutions de l'église se forma. Elle fut grandement renforcée en 1649 par d'autres réfugiés. Une belle synagogue, du plus pur style Renaissance fut édifiée en 1598. Son plafond blanc, comme tout l'intérieur, est orné d'une grande fresque bleue et or reproduisant les Dix Commandements. L'Intégration de la communauté de cette ville fut complète et parfaite, et cela jusqu'à ce jour.

Des Marranes italiens

J'ai eu l'occasion de rencontrer dans la région de Venise des fabricants de meubles qui me dirent d'être d'origine juive. Ils avaient gardé en mémoire quelques vagues traditions culinaires et une nostalgie confuse d'une identité mal définie. Pourtant ils ne se sentaient pas le courage de refaire surface. Ici l'Inquisition avait gagné la partie.

Le Noyau Dur des Marranes Siciliens

Il semble qu'il a existé pendant plusieurs siècles et depuis la conquête de l'île par le royaume d'Aragon, des marranes en Sicile. Les plus déterminés, et notamment les convertis de force des années 1300, s'organisèrent en groupes d'auto défense dans les villages de montagne. Ils furent les premiers mafiosi et les gardiens de la foi. Mais lorsque l'Inquisition fut supprimée en 1782, il ne subsistait d'un judaïsme qui avait été partie prenante de la population sicilienne pendant six siècles, que quelques ouvrages d'historiens racontent l'âge d'or d'une communauté disparue, ainsi que cette synagogue de Rome, détentrice de la mémoire de ces liens.

Malgré tout, la symbiose avec le peuple italien

Les Cavassa romains se souviennent-ils des affirmations des ambassadeurs de Venise au 16ème siècle décrivant l'Inquisition espagnole comme un organisme despotique commandant une nation hypocrite ainsi que de l'aide apportée pendant la guerre aux juifs dans les zones d'occupation italienne ? Cette famille qui fut jadis espagnole et dont la langue et la culture sont maintenant italiennes, s'est fragmentée en autant de branches que de villes et de pays d'accueil, tant en Italie, en France, en Tunisie et en Israël. Peu de leurs descendants connaissent aujourd'hui l'Histoire de leur passé mouvementé. C'est pour eux que j'ai transcrit avec mes mots et ma sensibilité propre, l'ensemble des confidences qui m'ont été faites.

Je lève une partie du voile et explique la raison de mon intérêt dans cette recherche, en révélant que mon fils a épousé une fille Cavassa, devenus aujourd'hui la mère d'un tout nouveau Bar Mitzva.

Fiestas y Tradiciones Judías

Fiestas y Tradiciones Judías

Fiestas y tradiciones Judías:144 páginas,con ilustraciones, 26x18 cm. Encuadernación blanda. Una compilación amena y completa de los orígenes, significado e importancia de las fiestas y tradiciones dentro de la religión y cultura judía. El precio en Israel incluye IVA y envío. El precio en el exterior incluye envío aéreo.

परशा एमोर

Esta semana nos dirigimos a la sección semanal que se llama "Emor"। La van a encontrar en el Libro de Levítico 21:1-24:23. La parashá nos da una vista completa del año bíblico y sus fiestas religiosas. Según la tradición también nos da 63 de los 613 mandamientos. Al leer esta parashá para la primera vez muchos lectores se encuentran aburridos y se pregunta en donde hay las partes inspiradoras. No obstante, si la leemos desde un punto de vista filosófica y abstracta entonces nos damos cuenta que contiene muchas lecciones importantes.


Por ejemplo, considera la proposición que las fiestas bíblicas existen solamente porque escogemos que ocurran. Es decir, puede ser que la Biblia nos las mandó pero es para la humanidad llevarlas a cabo y darles los toques finales. Visto así el calendario bíblico no nos ha sido impuesto sino representa la el hecho que el ser humano y D'os son socios.
Es verdad que muchos de las religiones derivadas del judaísmo han aceptado el concepto que D'os gobierna y que los seres humanos son simplemente Sus vasallos; el judaísmo sigue otro camino. Desde la perspectiva judía no es que D'os es el actor y el ser humano el actuado, sino que hay una relación entre los dos, los dos son socios en el acto continuo de creación. D'os nos necesita en la misma manera que necesitamos a D'os. Buscamos a D'os y Él nos busca.
El judaísmo nos enseña que hay un papel único para el ser humano en realizar los eventos de significado cósmico. La parashá para esta semana nos exige que meramente esperemos que D'os haga pasar los eventos de nuestra vida personal y colectiva. En vez de aguardar a D'os es para nosotros hacernos en el socio de D'os, discutir con D'os, y tener una relación viva con D'os. El rezo en el judaísmo no es la magia sino la búsqueda de una relación significativa con El que es más allá que nosotros, es una relación que es intima y creativa a la vez.
La sección semanal para esta semana también habla del Ner Tamid (La llama eterna) Otra vez la primera lectura nos deja con dudas y una falta de inspiración. Sin embargo, al leerla una segunda vez nos muestra lecciones importantes. No solamente somos en el acto de la creación los socios de D'os, pero una parte importante de la creación es la persistencia. Ser un genio es saber combinar la sabiduría con la tenacidad y el trabajo continuo de la creación ocurre cuando somos los socios de D'os en el trabajo cotidiano y no muy glorioso que es la vida. El desafío para esta semana es encontrar la tenacidad y la persistencia de transformar el cotidiano en lo sagrado, nada fácil pero esencial.
Rav Peter Tarlow es el rabino de Oneg Shabat, y director de la casa de Hillel de la Universidad de Texas A&M

Tazria-Metzorah

Rabbi Aron Tendler

Tazria-Metzorah

Summary of The Weekly Torah Reading:

Note: The Shabbos Torah Reading is divided into 7 sections. Each section is called an Aliya [literally: Go up] since for each Aliya, one person "goes up" to make a bracha [blessing] on the Torah Reading.

1st Aliya: The laws of purity and impurity as they pertain to child-birth are discussed. The basic laws of Tzaraat involving the diagnosis of the Kohain and possible quarantine, as well as the laws of Tzarrat as it relates to healthy skin and infection are stated.

2nd and 3rd Aliya:The laws of Tzaraat as it relates to burns, a bald patch, dull white spots, and the presence of a blemish on clothing is discussed.

4th Aliya: The purification process of the Mitzora involving two Kosher birds, a piece of cedar, some crimson wool, a hyssop branch, fresh spring water, s clay bowl, a Kohain, the Mikveh, seven days, a haircut and a Korban with its Mincha offering is detailed.

5th Aliya: The Korban of a Mitzorah who is poor is discussed.

6th and 7th Aliya:The laws dealing with blemishes that appear on a house are detailed. Following the laws of Tzaraat, the Torah turns is attention to various laws dealing with bodily discharges that render the individual Tameh. Male discharges, seminal discharges, menstruation, and other female discharges are detailed. Note that the basic laws of Family Purity are stated in verses 15:19-26.

 

Summary of The Haftorah:

Haftorah Rosh Chodesh

 

This week's Haftorah is from Yishayah Chap. 66 and reflects the fact that today is also Rosh Chodesh. Yishayah describes the ultimate downfall of all our enemies during the war of Gog and Magog. The Navi explains that this world is the manifestation of g-d's presence and glory. Yet, we are incapable and sometimes unwilling to properly recognize G-d's manifest presence. Even when the Bais Hamikdash stood the Bnai Yisroel did not appreciate their opportunity to be close to G-d and serve Him. The Navi forewarns that insincere expressions of devotion are tantamount to offering blemished sacrifices and G-d will punish those who lack sincerity and devotion.

 

Nevertheless, the institution of the Bais Hamikdash and prayer are our only means for communication love and devotion. Therefore, those who truly mourn for the absence of the Bais Hamikdash and the Temple services will also merit to rejoice in her redemption and reconstruction. When the Bais Hamikdash will be rebuilt the nation will again be able to witness the Rosh Chodesh offering and service, and fully participate in expressing their commitment.

Os Árabes como uma unidade contra Nós

Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center

at the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center (IICC)

 

April 13, 2009

 

http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/hezbollah_e010.htm

 

Egypt Confronts Hezbollah/Iran/Hamas Axis

 

Egypt exposes a Hezbollah network on its soil, claiming it not only smuggled weapons into the Gaza Strip and but also planned to carry out terrorist attacks and subversion activities. Hassan Nasrallah admitted a detained Hezbollah operative was involved in smuggling but denied other accusations.

 

 

 

Hassan Nasrallah as a Iranian windup toy pushing a cart with “We have no other branches

[in the Arab countries]” written on the side. The ticking bomb is inscribed “The Iranian project”

(Al-Nadwah, Saudi Arabia, April 12, 2009).

 

Overview

 

1. The Egyptian and Arab media reported that the Egyptian security services exposed a Hezbollah network which had been active in Egypt for a long time. So far several dozen Lebanese, Palestinian and Egyptians directed by Hezbollah have been detained. The network smuggled weapons (possibly from Iran ) through Sudan and from there to Egypt , and then through tunnels in Rafah into the Gaza Strip for Hamas . In addition, according to the reports, the network was involved in attempted terrorist attacks in Sinai and Cairo , including sites where Israeli tourists congregate, and in subversive activities against the Egyptian regime.

 

2. Egypt reacted angrily to the exposure of Hezbollah activity on its soil and accused the organization and Iran of interfering in Egyptian internal affairs and endangering its national security. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah , in an unprecedented statement, admitted that Egypt had indeed detained a Hezbollah operative and a number of others connected with him. He claimed that the detainee was a “logistical operative” who dealt with smuggling weapons and fighters into the Gaza Strip. However, he claimed that Hezbollah had no branches outside in Lebanon and that it was not involved in clandestine or subversive activities in any other Arab country ( a fabrication , since Hezbollah has been involved in subversive activity in both Iraq and Jordan ).

 

3. The Hezbollah network exposed by the Egyptians, apparently shortly before Operation Cast Lead, is more proof of the military support Iran gives Hamas in the Gaza Strip , either directly or through Hezbollah , which operates as a subcontractor to promote Iranian interests . During the period before Operation Cast Lead, Iran and Hezbollah provided Hamas with weapons , among them hundreds of standard 122mm Grad rockets with a range of 20-40 kilometers and advanced anti-tank missiles; technical know-how which enabled Hezbollah to manufacture lethal Shawaz EFPs, inspired by Hezbollah in Lebanon; advanced military training in Iran for hundreds of terrorist operatives belonging to Hamas and the other terrorist organizations; financial support for Hamas's political bureau and military-terrorist wing to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars a year; and political and propaganda support . All of the above were done to strengthen Hamas's military infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, encourage it to continue its terrorist attacks against Israel and sabotage any dialogue between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. 1

 Hezbollah network in Egypt exposed

(Updated to April 13, 2009 )

 

4. The Egyptian and Arab media gave broad coverage to the exposure of the Hezbollah network . It occurred several months ago, apparently before Operation Cast Lead, but the search for the network operatives is still continuing . According to the reports, Egyptian counterterrorism forces in Sinai are pursuing more than a dozen Lebanese suspected of ties to the Hezbollah network (Al-Jazeera TV, April 13, 2009 ; Al-Masri Al-Youm , April 12, 2009 ). According to the April 9 issue of the official Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram , the Hezbollah network began its activities in 2007, when a senior Lebanese operative (who lived in Dahiya, the southern Shi'ite suburb of Beirut and a Hezbollah stronghold) entered Egypt on a forged passport. In November 2008 the Egyptian security forces detained Hezbollah operative Sami Shihab, and it was apparently his detention that led to the exposure of most of the members of the terrorist network .

5. According to the Egyptian media, so far dozens of Lebanese, Palestinians and Egyptians with ties to Hezbollah have been detained. They were organized into a number of squads and were directed by a prominent Hezbollah figure in Lebanon ( Al-Masri Al-Youm , April 12, 2009 ). The central figure in Egypt was Sami Shihab 2, who was detained with two young Palestinians carrying Palestinian passports issued in Lebanon . Sami Shihab, who settled in El-Arish, was the only individual who maintained telephone contact with the Hezbollah figure in Lebanon running the network ( Al-Masri Al-Youm , April 12, 2009 ).

6. According to the Egyptian and Arab media, the network smuggled weapons and money for Hamas use, using tunnels in the Rafah region. The weapons came via Sudan to the Gaza Strip ( Al-Hayat , April 9, 2009 ). The network also planned to carry out a series of terrorist attacks in Cairo and Sinai, including places where Israeli tourists congregate . They established commercial ventures to cover their activities of collecting intelligence information needed to carry out terrorist attacks (including monitoring tourists sites in northern and southern Sinai). They bought safe apartments in Egyptian Rafah and in El-Arish, and observed the movement of ships through the Suez Canal . They also contacted criminal elements in Egypt to obtain forged Egyptian documents which would enable them to leave Egypt and to rent safe houses 3 (Egyptian TV, April 8, 2009 ). Some of them worked for the Hezbollah station Al-Manar TV as a cover for their activities 4 ( Al-Masri Al-Youm , April 10, 2009 ).

Responses to the affair

(As of April 13, 2009 )

Egypt

 

7. Following the exposure of the Hezbollah network Egypt initiated an anti-Hezbollah, anti-Iran political and media campaign. In a telephone conversation, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak told Lebanese president Fuad Siniora that the Egyptian judicial system would bring those responsible to trial ( Haaretz , April 13, 2009 ). Omar Suleiman, head of Egyptian intelligence , visited Saudi Arabia and told King Abdallah about Hezbollah's subversive activities in a number of Middle East countries, especially Egypt and Saudi Arabia ( Al-Qabas , April 12, 2009 ). Ahmed Nazif , Egyptian Prime Minister said that Egyptian security was a “red line” that could not be crossed or harmed. He said that Egypt was determined not to allow anyone inside or outside the country to endanger the lives of Egyptian citizens or Egypt 's national economy (Middle East News Agency, April 11, 2009 ). Safwat el-Sherif, head of the Shura Council , gave a speech in which he called Hezbollah “crooks and liars” and accused the organization of “exporting conflicts and destruction” while doing nothing to help the Palestinian people (Middle East News Agency, April 12, 2009).

 

 

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak: “We will not permit anyone to harm

Egyptian sovereignty or undermine its stability” (Muhit website, April 13, 2009).

 

8. The Egyptian media angrily attacked Hassan Nasrallah and accused him of planning to harm Egypt , its citizens and its regime. “An Egyptian source” said that Nasrallah's speech proved that Hezbollah wanted to implement its policy in Egypt and the entire region to advance Iranian interests (Note: For Nasrallah's speech see below). He was described by the establishment press and political figures as “the monkey sheikh,” “an Iranian agent,” “a Lebanese from [the Iranian city of] Qom ,” 5 and “leader of the militias in the Iranian party in Lebanon .” On April 12, the editor in chief of Al-Ahram lauded the Egyptian security services which had succeeded in “ exposing the extent of Iranian intervention in internal Egyptian affairs .” On the same day an editorial in Al-Gumhuriya stated that “we will not allow you, monkey sheikh , to make fools of the symbols of our judicial system. You are an experienced criminal who killed his own countrymen, we will not let you threaten the safety and security of Egypt .”

 

Egypt and Saudi Arabia threatened by Iranian subversion but intent on preventing it

( Al-Watan , Saudi Arabia, April 12, 2009).

9. Other Egyptian reactions:

 

i) Lawyers and members of the Egyptian Parliament demanded that a warrant be issued for Hassan Nasrallah and that his name be added to the list of the accused, because he had committed crimes which deserved the death penalty ( Al-Masri Al-Youm , Al-Arabia TV, April 12, 2009 ).

 

ii) Egyptian “security sources” said that the prosecution in the Egyptian high court for national security was investigating the possibility that a number of Muslim Brotherhood activists were involved in the affair ( Al-Jareeda , April 12, 2009 ). Egyptian lawyers also demanded that the Muslim Brotherhood's Supreme Guide, Mahdi Akef be investigated as well ( Al-Masri Al-Youm , April 12, 2009 ). On the other hand, Mahdi Akef defended Hezbollah, saying that “the resistance [i.e., terrorism] had to be supported at all costs” ( Al-Sharq Al-Awsat , April 13, 2009 ).

Hezbollah's reaction

 

10. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah admitted the involvement of his organization in smuggling operatives and weapons into the Gaza Strip from Egypt , although he denied the Egyptian allegations that Hezbollah was involved in subversion and terrorist attacks. In a strong speech broadcast by Al-Manar TV on April 10, he said the following:

 

i) The Lebanese citizen detained by Egypt was indeed a Hezbollah operative who dealt only with “logistic activity” along the Egypt-Gaza Strip border: “...Brother Sami [Shihab] is a member of Hezbollah. We do not deny that and are not embarrassed by him...” According to Nasrallah, his activities included transferring weapons and “fighters” [i.e., terrorist operatives]into the Gaza Strip for Hamas . 6 The number of operatives with whom Sami Shihab collaborated did not reach ten and the Egyptian claim that they exposed a complex network of fifty operatives was not true.

ii) The other allegations presented by the Egyptian prosecutor were “fictions” and Hezbollah operatives were not involved in subversion and attacks . Nasrallah “innocently” claimed that Hezbollah was “a Lebanese party” and had no branches in other Arab countries. He added that he was willing to investigate every report about the involvement of Hezbollah activists in political crises in the various Arab countries. 7

iii) He also claimed that the Egyptian regime had collaborated with Israel when it closed the Rafah crossing and destroyed the tunnels under the Egypt-Gaza Strip border. Therefore, the Egyptian regime was to be convicted and not Hezbollah. Nasrallah demanded that Egypt allow the tunnel activities to continue because besides arms and operatives, they make it possible for food and drugs to enter the Gaza Strip (“Day and night Egypt works to destroy the tunnels which are the only life-lines which bring the barest necessities into the Gaza Strip”). The accusations brought by the Egyptian regime against Hezbollah were meant to tarnish its image and that of Hamas, and were based on anger at the respect Hezbollah had gained in Egypt and other Arab countries following the second Lebanon war.

Hassan Nasrallah admitting Hezbollah operatives smuggled weapons

and “fighters” [i.e., terrorist operatives] (Al-Manar TV, April 11, 2009).

 

11. During Operation Cast Lead Hassan Nasrallah's attacks against the Egyptian regime were part of Iran 's propaganda campaign. On December 28, 2008, Nasrallah gave a speech in the southern suburb of Beirut , a Hezbollah stronghold, devoted mainly to attacks against the policies of the Arab countries, especially Egypt . He called on the Egyptian people to rise up against the regime , which he accused of responsibility for what was happening in the Gaza Strip. He claimed that the Egyptian regime was not required to fight against Israel, but only to open the Rafah crossing so that food, medicine, water and weapons could be brought to the men of the “resistance” [the terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza Strip]. Nasrallah, who at the time was probably aware that Hezbollah's network had been exposed, called on the millions of Egyptians to take to the streets so as not to be complicit in the “crimes” of the regime. Asking rhetorically whether the Egyptian regime would be able to kill millions of Egyptians, he answered that it would not. He called on the Egyptians to open the Rafah crossing by turning their chests [toward the gunfire of the Egyptian security forces] (Al-Manar TV, December 28, 2008 ).

 

Iran

12. So far, the Iranians are keeping a low media profile regarding the affair in Egypt Ali Larijani , chairman of the Iranian parliament, claimed that the “media storm” raised by Egypt was the result of its desire to influence the elections in Lebanon. He said that Hezbollah was committed to supporting the Palestinians, and claimed that Egypt and other Arab countries were spreading false propaganda against Hezbollah: “The governments are accused of collaborating with Israel in its war in the Gaza Strip [i.e., Operation Cast Lead]. They spread propaganda to restore their status [to what it was before the war]. (Al-Jazeera TV, April 13, 2009)

 

 

 

 

Ali Larijani, chairman of the Iranian parliament

(Al-Jazeera TV, April 13, 2009 ).

Syria

 

13. Syrian propaganda was enlisted into defending Hezbollah. In the April 12 issue of Al-Watan , Alwan Amin Al-Din claimed that the Egyptian prosecution and its intelligence were using accusations against Hezbollah which had been prepared in advance. The accusations, he said, quickly turned into political and media attacks which the Egyptian regime was waging against the “Lebanese resistance” (i.e., against Hezbollah and the other terrorist organizations operating in Lebanon ).

Hamas

 

14. Hamas has shown itself particularly inconvenienced by the exposure of its ties to Hezbollah, and its senior figures barely relate to the issue. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum denied any connections between Hamas and the affair. He said that Hamas had no information about it beyond what had been reported by the media, adding that no Egyptian official had spoken with Hamas about it (Al-Jazeera TV, April 9, 2009). He also said that Hamas was not involved in the affairs of any country and did not enlist activists or operatives outside the Palestinian territories 8 ( Felesteen , April 11, 2009). Usama Hamdan, Hamas representative in Lebanon , claimed that Hamas would never harm Egypt's national security 9 and that it focused on “resistance” to the occupation in order to “liberate Palestine” (QudsNews website, April 13, 2009).

1 For an analysis of Iran 's support for Hamas, see “ Iranian Support of Hamas” at http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/iran_e004.htm , or download the .pdf file at http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/pdf/iran_e004.pdf . For Arab and Western media reports about preventing Iran 's efforts to rebuild Hamas's military-terrorist infrastructure after Operation Cast Lead, see http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/pdf/ipc_e020.pdf .

 

2 According to the April 12 issue of Al-Ahram , his full name is Muhammad Yussuf Mansour Sami Shihab .

 

3 The integration of terrorist and criminal activities is characteristic of Hezbollah's modus operandi in Lebanon and further afield . See, for example, “ Iran increases its political and economic presence in Latin America, America 's back yard. It foments radical Shi'ite Islamization and exports the Iranian revolution, using Hezbollah to establish intelligence, terrorism and crime networks, liable to be exploited against the United States and Israel” available in Hebrew and soon available in Hebrew and English.

 

4 Egypt supports Al-Manar TV broadcasts in the Middle East and beyond by enabling the use of its Nilesat communications satellite.

 

5 The religious and spiritual center of the Iranian Ayatollas.

 

6 The “fighters” mentioned by Nasrallah are, in our assessment, Hamas operatives who received training in Iran or Lebanon and Syria and returned to the Gaza Strip with Hezbollah's logistic aid.

 

7 Nasrallah's attempts to represent Hezbollah as a purely Lebanese party are of course untrue. For example, in the past Jordan uncovered attempts by Hezbollah to recruit operatives, especially among Israeli Arabs, and to smuggle weapons to Judea and Samaria . For example, in June 2001 three Hezbollah operatives were captured and detained: they had planned to smuggle 25 Katyusha 107mm rockets into Judea and Samaria . Then as now Hassan Nasrallah represented the smuggling attempt as a justified, legal step taken by Hezbollah to support the Palestinian people. In addition, in recent years Hezbollah has been involved in supporting the Shi'ite militias fighting in Iraq against the United States and its allies, to serve Iranian interests.

 

8 Also a false claim. In the past Hamas operatives were detained in Jordan . Hamas maintains a presence in Syria and Lebanon , using them for its terrorist activities.

 

9 Hamas's contacts with the Muslim Brotherhood are regarded by the Egyptian regime as harmful to its national security.