YOM KIPPUR, the Day of Atonement

Yom Kippur (יוֹם כִּפּוּר, Day of Atonement) is the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. On this day, G-d seals our fate for the coming year. The Torah commands us to spend this day fasting and praying for G-d’s forgiveness and a good year.

In Israel, this day feels very special – the businesses are closed, there are no vehicles driving in the streets and no broadcasting on the radio or TV; many people, dressed in white walk to and from synagogues, and children enjoy the empty roads by riding bicycles. On Yom Kippur of the year 1973, it felt different. People walking to synagogues started noticing military vehicles driving in the streets, some reserve soldiers were called to their headquarters and some people tried to turn on the radio to hear if there was some explanation for the unusual events. At 2 PM sirens sounded all over Israel – Israel was under attack!

The Yom Kippur war came as a surprise to the state of Israel, which felt complacent after the great victory of the Six-Day-War of 1967. The Yom Kippur war began on October 6th 1973, with a joint attack against Israel by Egypt and Syria: Egyptian armored forces crossed the cease-fire lines in the Sinai, and Syrian tanks crossed the cease-fire lines along the Golan Heights. The thin Israeli defense lines were annihilated by massive Arab forces.

Unlike other armies, most of the Israeli Defense Forces depend mainly on reserve forces (milu’im, מִלּוּאִים). The everyday citizens of Israel (who work in the public and private sectors – those who went to synagogues on Yom Kippur) were called on to defend our country. The grocer immediately became a tank commander, the banker wore his flight suit, and the farmer replaced his sandals with heavy military boots and joined his paratrooper unit. They all left their loved ones and families in a hurry to form the barrier between the invading forces and the citizens of Israel.

After a few days of fierce fighting, the Israeli forces managed to stop the invaders and found ways to infiltrate behind their lines. In a surprise movement, Israeli forces under the command of Ariel Sharon (אֲרִיאֵל שָׁרוֹן) crossed the Suez Canal into Egypt, effectively cutting the supply lines to the invading Egyptian forces. Facing no opponents, the Israeli army stopped voluntarily 101 km from Cairo.

On the north, the Syrians met stubborn Israeli defense that was led by individuals and small units that slowed their advance. In one case, a single tank commander named Avigdor Kahalani, managed to destroy over 200 Syrian tanks, changing tanks time-after-time utilizing all their ammunition. In yet another case, a small tank unit called “Zvika Force” (כּוֹחַ צְבִיקָה) stopped a full Syrian division.

The Israeli Defense Forces pushed the Syrian army back into Syria and reached 35 km from Syria’s capital, Damascus. On October 22nd the Golani Brigade and Sayeret Matkal commandos recaptured the most strategic point in the Golan Heigts - Mount Hermon (הַר הַחֶרְמוֹן). In a famous broadcast, one of the warriors described the mountain peak as “the eyes of the country” (הָעֵינַיִם שֶׁל הַמְּדִינָה, ha’eynayim shel hamedina) – an expression that became the symbol of the Hermon as a place that scouts deep into the enemy’s zone.

The proximity of Israeli forces to the capitals of Egypt and Syria and the siege on the Egyptian army made the two superpowers of the world at that time, the USSR and the USA, massively intervene in a strict demand for an immediate cease-fire that took place on October 24th 1973.

In spite of the fast recovery and the military victory, Israel was left wounded with the loss of 2,656 soldiers and wounded national pride. The fact that Israel was surprised caused a loss of confidence in the ability of the country to protect and guard its citizens. After the war, the Prime minister of Israel, Golda Meir, and the Defense Minister, Moshe Dayan, assumed responsibility and resigned.

Every Yom Kippur, as we pray and ask for forgiveness, we remember the soldiers and the heroes of the war that changed our nation. This gives a special context to the prayer verse:

(וְכִתְּתוּ חַרְבוֹתָם לְאִתִּים, וַחֲנִיתוֹתֵיהֶם לְמַזְמֵרוֹת--לֹא-יִשָּׂא גוֹי אֶל-גּוֹי חֶרֶב, וְלֹא-יִלְמְדוּ עוֹד מִלְחָמָה. (יְשַׁעְיָה ב, ד
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. (Isaiah 2:4)

גְּמַר חֲתִימָה טוֹבָה,
Gmar Xatima Tova
May you be inscribed for Good

Israel looking like the new Leader of the Free World

Israel is looking like the new leader of the Free World. The previous leader, the United States, resigned this role last week at the United Nations to take the position of global community organizer. This was made plain by President Obama in his speech, titled "Responsibility for Our Common Future," in which he heralded "a new chapter of international cooperation." By contrast, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a blunt and forceful call to action in the central challenge facing free people today. This is the struggle of "civilization against barbarism" being fought by "those who sanctify life against those who glorify death."

Mr. Obama's address was the predictable mix of criticism of the past policies of the United States, self-praise for correcting said policies and vague calls to united action on matters of collective interest. It sought to ingratiate rather than offend. But Mr. Netanyahu chastised the United Nations for its "systematic assault on the truth." He spoke truths that Mr. Obama would never whisper regarding the regime in Iran, which is "fueled by an extreme fundamentalism" and an "unforgiving creed." Mr. Netanyahu rebuked those members who countenanced Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's diatribe before the same world body, rightly calling it a "disgrace."

Mr. Netanyahu repeatedly paid tribute to the blessings of liberty and "the allure of freedom." He marveled at the technological advances freedom made possible. He asked if the international community would support the Iranian people "as they bravely stand up for freedom." He envisioned a future of Israel and Palestine, "two free peoples living in peace, living in prosperity, living in dignity." Mr. Obama, meanwhile, touted the imperative of responding to global climate change and mentioned as an afterthought that democracy should not be an afterthought.

Israel stands out because it understands the central challenge faced by the civilized world and by its willingness to take action. Israel is readying to stem the tide of barbarism and stand up to the threat of a nuclear Iran. In return, it asks only for moral support. "If Israel is again asked to take more risk for peace," Mr. Netanyahu said, "we must know today that you will stand with us tomorrow." He challenged the countries of the world with a clear-cut test: "Will you stand with Israel? Or will you stand with the terrorists?"

Mr. Obama said in closing that "we call on all nations to join us in building the future that our people deserve." But people only deserve what they have earned. Mr. Netanyahu called on the civilized world to "confront this peril, secure our future, and, God willing, forge an enduring peace for generations to come." Sometimes the future doesn't come without a fight

Iran has revealed existence of second enrichment plant

Iran has told the UN nuclear agency that it is running a new, previously undeclared, facility to enrich uranium. Iran is under three sets of UN Security Council sanctions for refusing to freeze enrichment. The officials said that Iran revealed the existence of a second enrichment plant in a letter sent Monday to International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei.
It had previously said it was operating only one plant, which is being monitored by the IAEA.The Islamic Republic insists that it has the right to the activity to generate fuel for what it says will be a nationwide chain of nuclear reactors. The officials said that the letter contained no details about the location of the second facility, when it had started operations or the type and number of centrifuges it was running.

The government officials - one speaking from his European capital outside Vienna, the other a diplomat in Vienna from a country accredited to the IAEA - demanded anonymity because their information was confidential. One said he had seen the letter. The other told that he had been informed about it by a UN official who had seen it.

While Iran's mainstay P-1 centrifuge is a decades-old model based on Chinese technology, it has begun experimenting with state-of-the art prototypes that enrich more quickly and efficiently than its old model. UN officials familiar with the IAEA's attempts to monitor and probe Iran's nuclear activities have previously told that they suspected Iran might be running undeclared enrichment plants.

The existence of a secret Iranian enrichment programme built on black market technology was revealed seven years ago. Since then the country has continued to expand the programme with only a few interruptions as it works toward its aspirations of a 50,000-centrifuge enrichment facility at the southern city of Natanz.

The last IAEA report on Iran in August said Iran had set up more than 8,000 centrifuges to churn out enriched uranium at the cavernous underground Natanz facility, although the report said that only about 4,600 of those were fully active.

Pressure deepened against Iran on Thursday when the world's eight top economic powers gave Teheran until year's end to cease enriching uranium or face new sanctions, but resistance from China could undermine the effort.

Washington has been pushing for heavier sanctions if Iran does not agree to end enrichment, which many nations believe is part of Teheran's drive to build a nuclear weapon. Iran says its nuclear program is designed to generate electricity.
The US hand was strengthened Wednesday when Russian President Dmitry Medvedev suggested he could now back such sanctions if they became necessary.

But, the prospects of pushing a new sanctions resolution through the Security Council were undercut Thursday when China, one of the veto-wielding permanent members, rejected the idea. Instead, more diplomatic efforts are needed, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters in Beijing at a news conference, reiterating a long-held stance.

Current UN sanctions on Iran are meant to prohibit exports of sensitive nuclear material and technology. They also allow the inspection of cargo suspected of carrying prohibited goods, tighter monitoring of financial institutions and the extension of travel bans and asset freezes if linked to its nuclear programme.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in his Wednesday speech to the General Assembly, did not mention the nuclear matters issue and the push by the US, Britain and France for heavier sanctions.On Thursday, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said the Group of Eight nations had given Iran until the end of the year to commit to ending uranium enrichment if it wants to avoid new sanctions.

Frattini, whose nation holds the rotating chair of the club of wealthy nations known as the G-8, said that member foreign ministers agreed Wednesday night "to give Iran a chance."
But Frattini said that the informal agreement will be re-examined each month, "And after the end of December, I strongly hope we will have at that time practical moves from Iran."

"That's why together we decided - while not excluding further measures, as even Russia apparently said - we have to give Iran a serious chance," he said. "If we give a chance, let's give a chance. Don't, I would say, immediately put another option on the table. This would be counterproductive to the eyes of our counterpart. This is our strategy for the moment."

The maneuvering comes ahead an Oct. 1 meeting of diplomats from Iran, the US, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany on Teheran's nuclear program. The key to new sanctions would require agreement among all five permanent Security Council members. The United States, Britain and France lean toward more sanctions. Russia now appears open to the measure, but China still is refusing.

Beijing is heavily reliant on Iranian oil imports. "We believe we need to help Iran to take a right decision," Medvedev said Wednesday night after he met President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

The US, Britain and France all mentioned Iran, along with North Korea, as obstacles to a safer world during a Security Council meeting Thursday that approved a US-drafted resolution that commits all nations to achieving a nuclear weapons-free world. The resolution does not mention any country by name but it reaffirms previous resolutions that imposed sanctions on Iran and North Korea for their nuclear activities. It did not call for any new sanctions.

Since Iran's nuclear programme was discovered seven years ago, it has put thousands of centrifuges online to churn out enriched uranium. But the International Atomic Energy Agency says the more than a ton of enriched material it has amassed is all below the 5 percent level and well below the 20 percent highly enriched mark. Still Iran's accumulation of well over 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) of low-enriched uranium gives it more than enough material to produce enough weapons-grade uranium through further enrichment for one nuclear weapon.

Arabs offer flyover rights for freeze settlements to Israel

A number of North African and Persian Gulf states have promised to give Israeli airliners flyover rights in their airspace, as well as other concessions, if Israel freezes settlement construction, according to a report on Tuesday in the Washington Times.

An unnamed US official said that US Mideast envoy George Mitchell has received private assurances from representatives of unspecified Arab countries that they would also open interest sections in Israel and end a travel ban against Israeli citizens if Israel completely halts the building of Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

Saudi Arabia, according to the Times, will not offer flyover rights if a comprehensive peace agreement is not reached between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

The report came against the backdrop of a much-awaited trilateral meeting between US President Barak Obama, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and PA President Mahmoud Abbas in New York on Tuesday. Jewish settlement activity in the West Bank is expected to be a key point in the talks, with Netanyahu reportedly have offered a temporary freeze of six to nine months as a concession.

Currently, Israeli airliners flying to destinations in the Far East must make a wide detour to avoid flying over countries such as Saudia Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Afghanistan, adding hours to flight times and heavy fuel costs to Israeli carriers.

The much awaiting meeting

After holding separate meetings with the Palestinian and Israeli leaders, US President Barack Obama held a tripartite meeting with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York on Tuesday afternoon.

In a statement to the press at the opening of the tripartite meeting, the US president stressed that "despite all the obstacles, and history," Washington believes "permanent status negotiations must begin, and begin soon."

Obama urges the sides to make efforts to achieve a peace agreement. "It's time to show the flexibility, common sense and compromise which is necessary to achieve our goals," he said. Obama reiterated that "the United States is committed to a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, which will result in two states living side by side - Palestine and Israel," adding that "it remains important for the Arab states to take steps to promote peace in the region."

Promising that US special Mideast envoy George Mitchell would yet again head to the region next week, the president added that leaders in the Middle East could not continue "the same patterns, taking tentative steps forward, then taking steps back."

Following his remarks, both Netanyahu and Abbas shook hands - the first time the gesture was made between the two leaders. Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, National Security Council head Uzi Arad, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Mitchell also took part in the meeting.

Netanyahu's 40-minute meeting with Obama was delayed due to traffic jams in the city, possibly related to FBI reports on terror threats. After meeting Netanyahu, Obama met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Earlier on Tuesday, President Shimon Peres expressed hope that the tripartite meeting between Netanyahu, Abbas and Obama would lead to the resumption of Middle East peace talks. "All sides have tried to lower expectations from the meeting, but the expectations for peace are always high - I hope the meeting will lead to continued negotiations," Peres said.

The White House on Monday tamped down expectations about the tripartite meeting.
"We have no grand expectations out of one meeting," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs Monday, saying only that it would be an important way to continue "the hard work, day-to-day diplomacy that has to be done to seek a lasting peace."

source: JP

Yoga helps cancer survivors breathe easier

Gale McCombie was sitting in a hospital waiting room when she spotted a brochure offering free yoga classes for cancer patients. But zapped of strength and confidence after undergoing grueling treatments for breast cancer, McCombie found the thought of entering any exercise class intimidating.

"Chemo left me in a pretty bad state as far as my physical ability. But everybody talked about the importance of physical activity, and yoga seemed to be a good start," the 50-year-old Canadian said in an interview"I took my mom with me for comfort. I didn't know what to expect. But the others had cancer, too. And the facilitator made sure everyone was comfortable with props, modifications, whatever it took. After the first class I was fine."

McCombie joined Yoga Thrive, a community-based program created specifically for cancer survivors that is spreading throughout Canada and parts of the United States.
The brainchild of Dr. Nicole Culos-Reed, a cancer and exercise researcher at the University of Calgary, and Susi Hately, a yoga instructor, Yoga Thrive provides gentle, therapeutic yoga to people at all stages of cancer treatment.

"Our instructors know both cancer and yoga," Culos-Reed explained. "They not only learn the seven- week yoga program, they also learn about cancer treatments and side-effects."Culos-Reed, herself a yogi for seven years, believes the 5,000-year-old practice, which strives to align breath with movement, is particularly suited to cancer patients.

"They learn to reconnect with their breath and their body again," she said. "There's that unique body-mind connection. When someone's going through cancer, everything seems out of control."That includes one's finances. Cancer can cost a patient upwards of $100,000, so Yoga Thrive classes are offered free or for a nominal fee, and there is a DVD that sells at cost.

Culos-Reed says studies indicate that exercise improves the strength, flexibility and general quality of life of cancer survivors."There is research that colorectal cancer patients who exercise regularly have a greater survival rate," she said. "We don't know the mechanism, but there's a definite link."

That connection inspired entrepreneur Halle Tecco to create Yoga Bear, a San Francisco-based non-profit that offers cancer survivors free yoga classes by partnering with yoga studios and hospitals.Tecco founded Yoga Bear in 2006, after reading a paper on yoga and cancer. Today more than 180 yoga studios across the United States have donated passes to her organization."We also send trained instructors to hospitals to teach classes to those undergoing treatment," she said in an interview.

Because 70 percent of participants are new to yoga, Yoga Bear provides a handbook with detailed tips on what to wear, bring, and expect."We recognize that they may experience nervousness prior to their first class," Tecco said.McCombie is now back at her job as an executive assistant for an oil company.

"When I started yoga I couldn't even get off the floor by myself. I needed help," she said, referring to her lack of strength . "Now I can do (climb) stairs." And just as important, she says, yoga helped her to relax. "When you're going through cancer, you've got all these treatments and doctors' appointments. You've got to calm yourself. I try constantly to bring myself back to the moment."

source: AP and Reuters

Happy Rosh Hashana

Chaverim Yedidim:(Dearest Friends)
Sheyihiye l'cha bishana habaa: (May this coming year be for you):
shnat Aohr (A year of Light)
shnat Bracha (A year of Blessing)
shnat Gemilut chasadim (A year of Acts of Kindness)
shnat Ditza v'Dilug (A year of Joy and Quantum Leaps)
shnat Hod v'Hadar (A year of Magnificence and Splendor)
shnat Vatikut (A year of Maturity)
shnat Zman (A year of Timeliness)
shnat Chesed v'Chen(A year of Kindness and Grace)
shant Tova (A year of Goodness)
shnat Yididut (A year of Belovedness)
shnat Kavod (A year of Honor)
shnat Limud (A year of Learning)
shnat Malchut (A year of Revealed G-dliness)
shnat Netzach, v'Niflaot, v'Noi (A year of Victories, Wonder and Beauty)
shnat Sof Sof (A year of Utter Completeness)shnat 'Ayin tova, v''Anivut (A year of Good Fortune and Humility)shnat P'er,uParnoso (A year of Loveliness and Wealth) shnat Tzedek v'Tzedakah(A year of Righteousness and Charity)shnat Kedusha, v'Kol masoor (a year of Holiness and Devoted Voice)
shnat Rina, v' Rosh (A year of Song and Leadership)
shnat Shalom, v'Sheket, vShalva, v'Shana Tova uMituka (A year of Peace and Quiet and Tranquility; and A Good and Sweet Year)
shnat Torah, v'Temimut, v'Tikva! (A year of Torah, and Wholeness, and Hope!)
'Kativa v'Chatima Tovah,

May you be inscribed and sealed for the good,

Shana Tova. Happy Rosh Hashana 5770