Rabbi Kaduri Said Jesus is the Messiah ...

At least that's what an article in Israel Today would like to imply. Supposedly Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri famed kabbalist master, wrote a note that was not to be revealed until a year after his death. The note is to contain the name of Moshiach which when looking at the initials spells at Yehoshua. The Christian's would like to say it spells Yeshua only problem with that is one of the words has a "hay". Clearly that's not the name if he had any in mind.

Brooklyn Kashrus: A Fantastic New Developement

A fantastic new development has been made in Brooklyn in regards to Kashrus. The KIC ( Kashrus information center) is an independent party that checks into the standards of kosher supervision at kosher stores throughout the Brooklyn area. It then reports it's findings to the Rabbis of the community. They do not give supervision and therefore have no agenda, you can read more about this organization here. There was an advertisement in the Hamodia that if a store had it's supervision pulled ( like the Junior cheesecake situation (except it's not a store)) another hashgocha would have to contact the KIC before issuing it's supervision. For example if the OK Labs withdrew it's hashgocha from a pizza shop, another company such as Star-K could not give supervision there without meeting with the KIC to discuss things first. This way there would be higher kashrus standards across the board. The lisiting of Hasgchos that agreed to this program included: star-k, kehila kashus, ARK, Tartikor Rav, OK, OU, Rabbi Gornish. I might be missing some but the chof k was absent perhaps because they don't really give all that many hashgochas in the area. It will be interesting to see how it effects kashrus standards.

Haveil Havalim #114 Is UP!

Haveil Havalim #114 is up and running at it's creators page Soccerdad! If you haven't seen it yet, you are really missing on a fantastic collage of many different Jblogs.

Paper Airplanes: How To Make One...

Came across this very cool site on paper airplanes. Next time your kid wants to nail their teacher in the back of the head, they'll know how it's done.

Upcoming Jewish Music Releases...

Here are a few new Jewish Music releases expected this Lag B'omer:

Shabbos Get Ready is an album that was actually expected to come out a while ago. The album features Miami Alumni: Ari Goldwag, Nochum Stark, Yitzy Spinner, Oded Kariti, Nachman Seltzer, Eric Stern and Yitzchok Rubin. I find the two tiers of names interesting. I'm wondering if it was done on purpose.

Next is a new release by guitarist extraordinare, C Lanzbom. This CD entitled Strings of the Soul features your favorite chassidic and Israeli songs. I'm really looking forward to this album since I played with C at weddings for several years.

Last but not least is a release produced by Jeff Horovitch entitled "Elyon": featuring Eliezer Kosoy and Yonason Hill. For those of you who are not familiar with Yonason Hill he is the son of Steven Hill. Which would mean that he is most likely half brother to famous drummer Matt Hill.

Junior Cheescake Loses Supervision ll

The JPost has an article on Junior's Cheesecake which as I discussed earlier has lost it's supervision by the OU. The reason suspected for the label-pull was a non-Jewish foreman who whipped up a batch over Passover for a long time customer. This article is bit annoying since they decided the person who should give you the inside scoop to kashrus is Joel Roth, professor of Talmud and Jewish Law at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Let's say I don't see I to eye with his views on Judaism, that's almost beside the point. This guy got into some serious trouble back in 93' and had to resign as Dean of the Jewish Theological Seminary's rabbinical school. He is also not an authority on the laws of Kashrus so honestly why would I care what he has to say? As the article points out this kashrus issue will now effect some people's holiday plans with regard to their shavous , although I can't imagine it would be all that difficult to find a good substitute.

JIB Awards......

Well the JIB Awards are now well underway. I was voted in under 2 categories: Best Jewish Music blog and Best Religious Blog. Right now only the "Best Religious Blog" category is available for a vote. Feel free to vote for this blog by clicking here. For all who vote for me, I thank you.

Want a flight for $10 Bucks? SkyBus

Vosizneis has a great post on a new airline offering flights for just $10. Now empty your piggy bank and hop on an airplane.

Mayor Bloomberg Plays HardBall With JP Morgan

JP Morgan has been threatening to move it's location out of the city if it does not receive larger tax breaks. They have been negotiating on a lease of the new offices of the skyscraper planned to go up at ground zero for several weeks. The Mayor is standing firm on his position but is not being unreasonable and that impresses me. The article explains:

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Wednesday that "the city's always willing to negotiate," but said that city dollars would be better spent on clean streets, education, public safety and culture.That, he said, is a better way "to spend the city's dollars rather than giving companies tax breaks."

Go Bloomberg!

Obama and the Jews

Democratic Presidential hopeful Sen. Obama has Jewish voters concerned about his connection with Muslims. He attempted to assure Jewish voters that his support of Israel is unwavering. Obama has seemingly switched his position on Israel and does not seem to want to discuss that flip flop, as the article suggests:

Obama said while he is committed to protecting Israel's security, he would also reach out to Arab leaders who are committed to recognizing Israel and renouncing violence. He did not repeat the position he took last month while campaigning in Iowa - that he supports relaxing restrictions on aid to the Palestinian people because "nobody is suffering more than the Palestinian people."

When a reporter who followed Obama out of the building asked him about his previous statement, Obama did not answer but closed the door of the car he was getting into to head back to Congress.

J Blogger Whole Wheat Wrap Up...

Well I'm trying to think healthier so welcome to our J Blogger whole wheat wrap up edition. To start off the day we have a fantastic chaptzem story courtesy of Life-of-Rubin. A Simple Jew brings us a story about the Baal Shem Tov's grandson.SerandEz fills us in on the Israeli boycott.In Australia it's Anzac day, find out more about it atBalaboosteh. MOC is looking for sponsors for his new CD project. Mentalblog brings an odd story to your attention. Cosmic X has lessons for you. Daled Amos speaks of Only in Israel tales. Soccerdad has his own roundup to check out. Shiloh Musings discusses the highs and lows of 59th Independence Day. Jack's Shack attempts to pick out a Best Post. Jameel@the Muquata takes on Joesettler. Israellycool brings you immorality and the Vatican. In case you were wondering AbbaGav really did write a post, believe him, please.

Olive Oil...Why It's So Great..

As you have read, I'm really cooking with gas, now that I have my grill up and running. One of my favorite things to do is grill chicken and brush with olive oil. I take the olive oil and mix it with pepper, salt and garlic and a bit of parsley (my wife made up this combo) and brush it on. It tastes fantastic and doesn't make a huge mess on the grill. Another great benefit is that olive oil is really good for you. Get out that olive oil and feel better today.

Coolest Chair On The Planet....

Anyone own one of these?

Junior's Cheesecake Loses It's Supervision....

To be certain, I don't believe I ever had the honor of trying the famous Junior's Most Fabulous Cheesecake. They have however lost their kosher supervision label from the OU. The reason for the Orthodox Union pulling their supervision:They are owned by Jews and they baked a batch of cheesecake over Passover.

“The whole thing was a mistake,” Junior’s co-owner Alan Rosen told The Brooklyn Paper. “One of our customers ran out of cheesecake, so our shop foreman made some. I didn’t know about it at the time, and it’s a violation. We know we’re not supposed to bake during Passover, but what can I say? The company said it would search for Kosher certification from another kosher supervision company. Can you say Chof-K?

The Rimanover Rebbe Comes To Woodmere....

This just in:

The Rimanov Rebbe (Admo'r Rimanover Rebbe of Brooklyn Grand Rabbi Chaim Eluzer Wassertheil, shlita) will be hosted at the Weinstein residence 660 Emerson Street, Woodmere, NY Sunday, April 29, 2007 4:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.

This unique opportunity will enable you to discuss personal issues with the Rebbe Shlita such as directions to a true fulfilling Torah life, Zivog, Shidduchim (finding your soulmate), your Health or Legal Issues concerning you, Matrimonial, Shalom Bayit, saving your marriage in times of crisis or Business consultation or removal of Ayin Hara (evil eye) for which the Rimanover Rebbe is well known.

The Rimanov Rebbe is one of the great and prominent Jewish leaders of our time who has already touched the heart of thousands of people by inspiring their soul and directing them to a happy life with light and confidence.

This event will benefit the Rebbe's institutions and endeavors. For personal appointments please call 917-604-7380. For questions, please email rimanovrebbeinfo@ yahoo.com.

Haveil Havalim #113 Is UP!

Haveil Havalim #113 is available for your viewing pleasure at Soccerdad. Once again he does another fantastic job hosting it.

Bagel Island: Yet Another Store W/ Kashrut Issues!

It seems that the Kashrus world in NY is making a lot of headlines. From Le Marais to Gourmet Glatt and now for the most recent addition: Bagel Island of Lawrence, NY. This Five Towns establishment was caught red handed according to a report by the Jewish Star with non-cholov yisroel cream cheese. The trouble started when they ran out of cream cheese and one of the partners who was non-observant (David Perez) decided to purchase non-cholov yisroel since they could not get the regular shipment in. No actual traife was involved here, however the honesty ( and reliability) of the owner is now brought into question. As a slap on the wrist the Vaad of the 5 Towns had shut the store down for a day. David Perez is no longer allowed on the premises of the store and frum partner Joe Elbaz is considered trustworthy as per the vaad's analysis. Hopefully Joe's business will not be hurt because his partner did something stupid.

Not sure how that blessing goes? Now You Do!

Brought to you in part by A Simple Jew, just when you thought you needed nothing else comes a long a new peice of Judaica. The device is called "Say-A-blessing" ( pic left). Now you too can say the brochos properly. Simply press the button and hear the appropriate bracha of your choice such as hamotzei or shehakol. Since the prayers are not written down there is no problem with carrying it into a bathroom. This device is obviously geared more toward baalay teshuva who will certainly find this very useful. It would make a great gift no doubt.

Ever See A Donkey Tesitify?

Well now you have!Dallas attorney Gregory Shamoun, was sick and tired of complaints logged against his pet donkey, Buddy. He decided the best route was to have the donkey speak for itself. I kid you not, he brought his donkey into the courthouse to show the judge it was indeed a well behaved creature. In the end it was all a waste of time since while jury was deliberating, he cut a deal with the plaintiff.

VA Tech Killer: Mails Confession To NBC!!!

There is new information on the horrible Va Tech massacre by psycho student, Cho Seung-Hui. Evidently in middle of his killing rampage he mailed his video manifesto to NBC. In this video, Cho outlines some of his very disturbed thoughts and reasons behind the killings. Seeing all this, it's hard to see how his troubled mind went unnoticed. The sad truth is, it certainly did not go totally undiscovered. He had a history of stalking and writings which by his own teacher's account were very disturbing indeed. Unfortunately no action was taken to stop this tragedy from occurring because perhaps legally there was no grounds to take action. The liability of the school remains to be seen but surely our prayers are with those who have lost loved ones and hopefully they will find closure very soon during this truly difficult time.

Solved!:Gas Grill Problem: Finally!

Well I'm glad to announce that my gas grill dilemma has been solved. After exhaustively searching the web for information I finally found (what will hopefully be) the best grill for the money (without killing my piggy bank). I opted for the BBQ Grillware from Lowes at just$169.00 (pic left). This review is what pushed me out to buy it and even if he's wrong for the price I'm not losing too much sleep. I also managed to find a 10% coupon online for further savings. You can sign up for the coupon here. I didn't feel like waiting for it so I used this printable one. Here was the funny part: even though it came up as "already redeemed", they brought over a manager and he overrode the system and let me use it, no problem.It might be because of something I found on a post regarding someone who never got the coupon via mail after registering:I didn't get my coupon so I called 1-800-44-LOWES. They told me to just go to the store, get the store manager and have them call the 800# and they'd give them a barcode for me to use my coupon instantly without ever having received it! Either way I was happy with my result, I'll let you know how it goes.

Le Marais IV: A Closer look at the Mashgiach..

The NY Post has an interesting article on the life of Izzac ( Yitzchak) Bitton former mashgiach of Le Marais of which I have written about extensively. For those of you who are not familiar with his background, it's a real eye opener. I had already read about his former life as a musician but what I really was surprised to find was a settlement he got from the city:1991 Crown Heights riots, Bitton and one of his young sons were attacked by an angry black mob as police stood nearby in riot gear; Bitton said the cops did nothing to help him. The city settled Bitton's lawsuit over the incident for $200,000.

Update:It seems that Mr. Bitton himself was the injured party in 1991 Crown Heights riot. The suggestion is that perhaps this has effected him mentally.

Just Made IT... Last Day To File Taxes: Tonight!

I'm not sure why this happens every year. Once again I just made the tax deadline and mailed my taxes this morning. It's pretty sad since my wife's side is full of accountants and she herself is one as well. Our taxes are a bit complicated so we prefer a tax expert which my wife is not. anyone else under the gun out there? Get it in today!

A Capella Interview with Bitachon Alumni: Jordan Gorfinkel

Sameach Music has a very interesting interview with Jordan Gorfinkel AKA Gorf. Gorf is a founding member of Beat'achon and a A Capella master/producer. It's definitely worth a read click here to view it. If you missed my latest review on the latest A Capella releases click here.

Jewish A Capella: A.K.A .Pella 2 Review

Ok So I just recently reviewed six13's latest A Capella album and it's time to move on to yet another: AKA Pella #2. This group has certainly stirred up a lot of controversy from copying American Idol on the album cover to using intros from well known American songs such as "Larger than Life" on their opening song L'cha ( The Chevra) and so many others. I'm sure they could have managed to release the album without these intros but perhaps the controversy increases album sales. If I had to compare it to six13, I would say the singers on this album have better voices but this album doesn't have as much as an A Capella feel to it.The guitar sounds a bit to real to me ( although you can tell perhaps it's not the real deal). The album covers songs from The Chevra (Eli Gerstner), Shalsheles, Lev Tahor, Yehuda and others and there is some original material as well. Overall it's a decent album but I wasn't blown away. I did not hear the first album but my understanding from one of my associates was the first album is better. They picked some good songs to cover such as songs from Lev Tahor but they fell short vocally and they didn't do much to make these songs thier own. The album is certainly pleasant to listen to but some people seem to have an issue with it, saying the album sounds too real to be considered sefira-kosher.

Becoming An Illegal: How To Do It...

Becoming Illegal

(Actual letter from an Iowa resident and sent to his senator)

The Honorable Tom Harkin
731 Hart Senate Office Building
Phone (202) 224 3254
Washington DC , 20510

Dear Senator Harkin,

As a native Iowan and excellent customer of the Internal Revenue Service, I am writing to ask for your assistance. I have contactedthe Department of Homeland Security in an effort to determine the process for becoming an illegal alien and they referred me to you.

My primary reason for wishing to change my status from U.S. Citizen to illegal alien stems from the bill which was recently passed by the Senate and for which you voted. If my understanding of this bill's provisions is accurate, as an illegal alien who has been in the United States for five years, all I need to do to become a citizen is to pay a $2,000 fine and income taxes for three of the last five years. I know a good deal when I see one and I am anxious to get.The process started before everyone

Simply put, those of us who have been here legally have had to pay taxes every year so I'm excited about the prospect of avoiding two years of taxes in return for paying a $2,000 fine. Is there any way that I can apply to be illegal retroactively? This would yield an excellent result for me and my family because we paid heavy taxes in 2004 and 2005.

Additionally, as an illegal alien, I could begin using the local emergency room as my primary health care provider. Once I have stopped paying premiums for medical insurance, my accountant figures I could save almost $10,000 a year.

Another benefit in gaining illegal status would be that my daughter would receive preferential treatment relative to her law school applications, as well as "in-state" tuition rates for many colleges throughout the United States for my son.

Lastly, I understand that illegal status would relieve me of the burden of renewing my driver's license and making those burdensome car insurance premiums. This is very important to me given that I still have college age children driving my car.

If you would provide me with an outline of the process to become illegal (retroactively if possible) and copies of the necessary forms, I would be most appreciative.Thank you for your assistance.

Your Loyal Constituent,
Donald Ruppert


Burlington , IA

Get your Forms (NOW)!! Call your Internal Revenue Service 1-800-289-1040.

The Shlissel Challah Story.....

As some of you may have been aware this past shabbos there was a custom to bake Shlissel Challah. Shlissel Challah is a Challah which is baked with a key inside or on top of it. The main reason being it is a segulah (special property or sign) for livelihood. Shlissel Challah may have some adverse effects on your life if your not careful. Fri morning my sister-in-law was fast asleep when she hears someone banging on the door. Not expecting anyone she simply ignored it. The banging however did not cease and became exceedingly more insistent. Finally throwing something on, she ran to the door and yelled "whose there"! It was her husband. "Don't you have key?", She growled. Yes but I left it in the challah.....

Six 13 Volume 2: Jewish Acapella Review

As sefira is upon us many people are running for those A Capella albums.I picked up Six13's latest A Capella album to see what all the hype is about. I did not hear the first one so I can't actually compare them. The album is a mix of covers and original material. I was pretty impressed with the Miami Boys Choir mix which features a string of songs:Yaleh vyavoh, Adon olam and We need you. There was a comic element that was mixed in to this medley, with phrases such as "this song is 6 hrs. long" The first song is an original by Mike Boxer " Al Hanissim also caught my attention with it's digitized vocals ala Lev Tahor style ( since it's an encore album they could not resist having all that fake fan noise in the background). The third song entitled " Son" is very contemporary and would not be mistaken for a Jewish song. The vocals in this song actually remind me of Rob Thomas( stylistically any way). The album also covers an old Bitachon (which is probably one of their best songs) Gadlu. Although it's cool to hear a new updated version it doesn't necessarily beat the old one but it's certainly a more polished sound and was done well. Overall the album is very professional and has a nice variety of sounds. If you like A Capella you will most likely enjoy this release.

Listerine Recall....

Some people are mighty blue to find out that their kids favorite mouthwash is being recalled. Agent Cool Blue is a alcohol free mouthwash that's marketed towards children, as it helps them detect were the tartar builds up is, now has showed up contamination by microorganisms. This is despite the use of preservatives. If you know anyone who is or may be using this product spread the word.

Gas Grill Dilemas....

As the Summer approaches us, it brings homeowners like me new worries: I don't have a grill! I finally put in a deck but there is still no grill to speak of. The other problem is the financial end of it. I'd love to go and buy a nice $400 grill but my wife would have my head. The truth to be told, finding a quality gas grill for under $300 seems to be next to impossible. Any price you find online is offset by the ridiculous shipping charge you will have to pay ( not to mention the fact that you have to assemble it to boot). If you would like to read some reviews on gas grills, click here. It seems that a lot of the cheap grills you would find in Walmart and the like are exactly that, cheap! Here is one model that I believe was rated well by consumer reports but after reading some of the comments it makes you think twice.

Banning The Bag: NY Ban?

You know the grocery bags you love so much. The one that seconds as a garbage bag or water bomb (ok maybe that's just me). Well if an Assemb. William Colton has his way they will be gone! You see the plastic bag is filling up our landfills and they float around causing lots of havoc (picture left). You might be wondering what inspired this man to send such legislation our way. Believe it or not it was not the garbage that perhaps they are producing but rather the fact that one of his staffer's dogs choked on a plastic bag and required surgery.