Recently, I saw the Passion movie. I went, because I spoke about the movie in my sermon this past Shabbat. The movie was very very violent and quite troubling to me for a number of reasons. (I think it is important to say that non-Christians and believing Christians see different movies from one another, especially those of us who are Jewish.)

No offense to those of you who are Christian who find value in the movie, but I found it deeply disturbing.

Many resources and websites have been collected and put together on the movie. A great place to start is the Commission on Interreligious Affairs.

In case you missed it, Arafat’s Al-Aksa Brigade has murdered again. Today’s attack on bus #14 (Jerusalem Post article) killed at least 8.

This makes it 101 successful suicide attacks since September 2000, the beginning of the current violence, and another 149 that failed. Failed attacks refer to terrorists who either blew only themselves up or were apprehended while on the way to carrying out a suicide attack. 584 people have been killed by suicide bombers in the past 41 months. (statistics from Jerusalem Post article)

Shabbat Shalom to you. I hope that this is a shabbat of rest, family, friends and learning for you.

This week’s Torah portion commentary link is at My Jewish Learning, specifically a page of various commentaries from which you can choose – go study!

(By the way, a new feature of this blog will be a weekly link to parashat hashavuah.)

Thanks to Mike, you can see some powerful posters which speak about Israeli society and values. Look at BlueStar PR Gallery for posters about unionized labor, asylum, environmentalism and the health care system in Israel along with many others. (for example, there is a poster there asking, “In what Middle East country do Arab women have the right to vote? Israel.” Even I, left winger that I am, am moved by these posters and I find them to ring true and show a side of Israel that the world doesn’t often see. Go and take a look.

I applaud the efforts throughout this country to support and endorse equal marriage rights and privileges for everyone in a monogamous, committed relationship, regardless of sexual orientation. I look forward to the day when I can be in any city in this country standing under the huppah before two Jewish men or two Jewish women and say “by the power vested in me by the state of….” at the end of their Jewish wedding.

This has, of course, been in the news a great deal lately. Here are some resources within the Jewish community on the issue.

The Jewish Telegraph Agency has a news story on some of the same sex Jewish couples getting married in San Francisco. The CCAR, the rabbinic organization of the Union of Reform Judaism, endorses equal marriage rights for all Jews whether in same-sex or opposite-sex couples. The Northeast Region of the CCAR unanimously passed a resolution supporting equal marriage rights for same-sex couples. The resolution voices support for the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’’s ruling in Goodridge v. Dep’t. of Public Health. You can find the text of the resolution here.

Rabbi Stuart Federow has an incredible web site on What Jews Believe which answers questions on Judaism and on the differences between Judaism and Christianity. Well worth a look and a bookmark/favorite!

Shavuah tov. I hope this is the beginning of a good week for you and yours. I like to start my week with a bit of good humor when I come across it. This week’s humor is courtesy of Baraita who links to what to do when encountering a stop sign, a funny and close-to-real look at denominationalism and halacha in terms of a stop sign. Go, look, read and laugh at yourself and other Jews.

Wishing you a good start to the week.

President Bush’s family money is connected to the WWII actions of his grandfather, Prescott Bush, who (against the orders of the US Govt) invested in factories in the Auschwitz Death Camp where Jews and others were forced to work themselves to death or near death – without wages, without food (except for one tiny cup of dirty water with some potato peals per day) and in deplorable conditions. This is our president, folks. It’s time to wake up.

You can read more about this in Clamor Magazine which discusses this horror as found in “The Secret War Against the Jews,” a book I am currently reading.

[Hat tip to Michelle at Vacuity]

Aron’s Israel Peace Weblog has a post on the refuser movement in Israel.

Shalom. While preparing a lesson plan for an upcoming History of Israel class, I found a place where you can take a narrated Virtual Tour of Israel. A sister site also has a plethora of information you need if you are planning an actual trip to Israel. Go, learn and enjoy!