Monthly Archives: October 2024

October 31, 2024

I don’t often get political, but, Bad Bunny….

By davidgroen1

For over 25 years I have enjoyed saying that there is nothing cooler than a cool Puerto Rican. So when I tell you that I did not like Tony Hinchcliffe’s joke about Puerto Rico being floating garbage, I am speaking the truth. But if speaking the truth is what we are doing here, the direction this issue went after Sunday evening needs to be addressed. I am not referring to the comment made by President Biden, I am going back to something that happened before the current President went rogue on a laptop. I am referring to the importance put on the opinion of Puerto Rican recording artist Bad Bunny.

If you had told me 10-20 years ago that I would be doing something in defense of Israel and the Jewish people in regard to actions by someone named Bad Bunny, I would have chuckled and thought you were crazy. Yet here we are in 2024 when that very person is not only seen as a critical spokesperson and defender of Puerto Ricans, he is also seen as someone the Harris campaign wants to have in their camp. I do not blame him or anyone for being offended by the joke, but if you are going to extrapolate that a bad joke at a Donald Trump rally is a reason to call him a fascist, hateful or another Hitler, dangerous and irresponsible wording, you must look at the other side as well.

I could write 1000 words about why the comparisons to Hitler being thrown around is an issue almost to the point of being a crisis, but instead I will take you to a recent Bad Bunny concert. At this concert, Bad Bunny who mixes with people who have made a point of always being on the side against Israel, displayed a Palestinian flag with blood red hands at a recent concert. In my searches I found no evidence that Bad Bunny even supports Israel’s right to exist. All I found is his unwavering support for the Palestinians at a time when Israel is fighting for its very survival. So I think it’s rather obvious whose hands he believes that blood is on.

Let me be very clear. So clear that I will designate this comment to a stand alone paragraph. To my fellow Jews who refuse to face this important truth, the survival of the Jewish people everywhere in the world, including the United States of America, is dependent on the survival of the State of Israel.

Your vote is your choice. But if you were all up in arms over Tony Hinchcliffe’s joke about Puerto Rico and attach it to Donald Trump, but choose to revere Bad Bunny and put importance on his endorsement of Kamala Harris, you are being naive at best, disingenuous at worst. As a proud Jew and Zionist, I have stood by long enough watching people get all up in arms over attacks against other groups that pale in comparison to the attacks against the Jews. And when I say attacks against the Jews, I am including attacks against Israel, for they are one in the same. If you support Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, that does not mean that you should accept hateful behavior by any supporter of theirs, no matter how powerful or how entertaining they may be in your estimation. And if you are Jewish or Pro-Israel, if you are not putting the safety and existence of the State of Israel at the forefront of your decision, you are making a tragic mistake.

Am Yisrael Chai

Never Again is Now!

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October 23, 2024

My message to the Jew Haters of the world

By davidgroen1

Dear Jew Haters,

You know who you are. You masquerade as humanitarians, social justice warriors, educators and public servants. Some of you whose job is to act or make music think that you have a better understanding of right and wrong than the rest of us. You opine and preach about how much you care about your fellow man and the injustices committed against women and children but pick and choose which women and children to protect. You are ignorant hypocrites at best, evil servants of the devil at worst. Your shortsightedness blinds you from seeing how on the wrong side of history your stances have placed you. But you will not come out ahead, and this is why.

You are merely an insignificant speck of dust in the global scheme. You have made the choice to pick the chosen people as the target of your hatred. Last year in Israel, on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, the holiday coinciding with October 7th in the Gregorian calendar, you watched and learned of a massacre unparalleled in recent history. One would have thought that your credibility would have been unquestioned after learning of 1200 people being slaughtered, babies being purposely murdered, and young women being raped. But rather than seeing this as the horror that it was, your hatred of the Jewish people combined in many cases with personal financial gain, caused you to support the perpetrator, and chastise the victim. You jumped at the opportunity to attack Israel for protecting its people and conveniently ignored the acts of terror committed against them, in favor of those who committed or supported these atrocities. And you did this for one reason above all others. You hate the Jewish people.

Jews have been persecuted, expelled and murdered more than any other people throughout history. Empires and mighty nations have found themselves obsessed with our very existence. They have made their attacks on Jews more than just a policy, they have made it a priority. You feebleminded, hypocritical, self-serving pieces of garbage have spent the last year criticizing every action Israel has taken in the name of their safety and that of the Jewish people. You have chosen to ignore the restraint Israel has shown, the caution it has taken, and the well thought out methods it has chosen to prosecute a war they did not start. You refuse to admit that there is not another country on the planet that would have shown the mercy Israel has shown over this past year.

But when all is said and done, you will lose. This is not a warning or a threat. This is very simply a reference to the past and an understanding of reality. Before so many evil nations or empires crumbled, one of the last things they did was persecute, expel, or kill their Jewish population. The Spanish Inquisition, Russian pogroms and Nazi Germany all lead to defeat of evil governments, to a large part because they were consumed by their hatred for the Jews, but to an even greater part because they picked the wrong people to mess with. They may have had the power and military might to inflict devastation on Jewish communities, but ultimately they could not and never would have overcome the spiritual power of the Jewish people. That is why, and read this carefully all you determined to see us wiped off the planet, they are gone and we remain standing.

So to all of you Jew haters who are ignoring history, know this. No one has been able to extinguish our light till now, and no one ever will. You are on the wrong side of history, a side that sees darkness, chaos, death and destruction, every thing the Jewish people are not. If you choose to remain on that wrong side of history, your world will ultimately crumble around you like so many worlds before you.

I have never been more proud or more happy to be a Jew than I am today. In the past year the Jewish people have rallied militarily, thanks to the amazing IDF, financially, thanks to donors both large and small, and last, but not least, spiritually. The prayers of Jew and non-Jew alike for the safety and continued existence of the Jewish people has never been stronger. So to those of you who still choose to hate us, do so at your own peril, because ultimately it will be your demise, not ours.

May God Bless the souls of those murdered last Simchat Torah, October 7th, and all the amazingly heroic members of the IDF who have made the ultimate sacrifice. And may strength and peace be the blessing bestowed on all those who have suffered pain and anguish from the events of a year ago. This year on Simchat Torah, while the Jew haters will drown in their evil desires, we will dance for all those who can not, and for all those whose souls we hope to uplift. That is how we as Jews spend our time. You might want to learn from that.

Sincerely and proudly,

David Groen

Am Yisrael Chai

Never Again is Now!

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October 7, 2024

The light that shines through the darkness

By davidgroen1

There are 2 impending anniversaries that weigh heavy on the hearts of Jews across the world.  One is today October 7th, and the other is October 24th.  A year ago, October 7th coincided with the celebration of the holiday of Simchat Torah in the State of Israel.  As we know, the events of that day were devastating.  This year October 24th is the day that coincides with Simchat Torah in Israel.  The mention of these 2 days is important and relevant in the discussion when we not only look back, but maybe more importantly, we look forward.

Remembering is part of the core values for every Jew with any degree of connection to the faith.  As Jews, we remember because we mourn, we remember because we honor, but maybe most importantly, we remember because we have no choice.  The joy of being Jewish goes hand in hand with the burden of being persecuted, often hunted, and far too often in history, expelled or killed.  And yet what might very well be the most amazing thing about our people, is that while empires have crumbled around us, often shortly after they came after us, we have endured for centuries. If we do not remember, we risk not seeing the signs of impending doom, and ultimate preventing devastation striking within our midst all over again.  On the surface it seems ominous and gloomy.  So why is it that I have never been more happy or proud to be Jewish than any other time in my life?

Last year on Simchat Torah in my synagogue here in America, we celebrated the holiday knowing part of what had taken place the day before in Israel.  Most of us were either deeply saddened, angrier than ever before, or both.  And yet in following the leadership, we danced.  We did so with heavy hearts, and at least speaking for myself I can say, I forced myself to do so, but we did so, nonetheless.  At that moment I not only did not know the reason why it was important, I had very little desire to do so whatsoever.  However, when I look back, and think of the months that followed, and the recovery of our collective psyche, I realize that reacting in one way above all, a Jewish way, was the one thing that would restore our optimism, and for those who may have lost it, our faith.

It is my belief that the root cause of anti-Semitism is the fact that as the Chosen People, Jews are the light of the world.  This by no means that every Jew is good, and it certainly does not mean that you have be Jewish to be good, but it means that the light that brightens and strengthens mankind, emanates from the Jewish people.  Those who wish to share in the light are welcome, and subsequently live in peace and friendship with Jews around the world. Those who do not wish to share in this light are mired in darkness.  A darkness that breeds hate, violence and destruction. It would explain why the empires that have fallen have done so without wiping the Jewish people off the planet.  Simply put, you can diminish the light to some degree, but when all is said and done, nothing can distinguish the flame that was lit by the Almighty.

So, this year when October 7th arrives, it might be most appropriate to remember with solemnity the horrors and tragedies that took place on that day, and then, 17 days later, when Simchat Torah falls, to celebrate with hope and promise. “Simchat Torah” is the “Joy of the Torah”, and it is meant to be celebrated with happiness and enthusiasm.  We see our brave soldiers as fighting and sacrificing for all the Jewish people around the world, and we have faith in their ultimate victory.  It will be our job to fight and win the spiritual battle.  By praying and atoning on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, and celebrating on Simchat Torah, we do our part in ensuring the enemy never achieves its goal of wiping us out.  We do our part in keeping that flame lit and using our light to illuminate the world.

Wishing all of you a good and sweet year.

Am Yisrael Chai

Never Again is Now!

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