America's oldests Jewish residence.

The Mill House, located just off 9W, five miles north of Newburgh, NY, on the Hudson River, is the oldest house on the National Register of Historic Places in Orange County and the earliest surviving Jewish residence in North America. It has been continuously inhabited for more than 280 years.

It would indeed be difficult to find a landmark more richly intertwined with our complex history, or complex fate: site of an ancient Indian ceremonial ground; frontier trading post; earliest extant Jewish residence in North America; center of patriot activity in the American Revolution; home of writers and artists and men of affairs; the Mill House symbolizes and sums up our regional and national history. It is a most dramatic and absolutely irreplaceable incarnation of American history.

In 1714 Luis Moses Gomez, who had fled from the Spanish inquisition, purchased 6,000 acres of land along the Hudson Highlands where several Indian trails converged. Here he built a fieldstone block house into the side of a hill and by a stream that became known as Jews Creek.
The great walls of the house which are about three feet thick still stand today. Native Americans came to hold ceremonial rites at their campground at the Duyfils Danskammer (Devils Dance Chamber) on the shores of the Hudson on Gomezs property. For some thirty years Luis Gomez and his sons conducted a thriving fur trade from the fortress like house. Luis Moses Gomez became the first parnas (president) when the synagogue of New Yorks Spanish and Portuguese congregation was built. Among the family connections were poetess Emma Lazarus and Supreme Court Justice Benjamin Cardozo.

Before the Revolutionary War, Mill House was purchased Wolfert Acker, a Dutch-American who added a second storey and attic to Mill House with bricks made from clay found nearby. Acker served as a lieutenant in the New Marlborough Company of Minute Men and chairman of the Committee of Safety while General Washingtons army was camped close by in Newburgh. The house became a center for meetings of the new American patriots. After the war, Acker established a landing on the Hudson with a ferry to cross the river and a packet line to carry freight.

In the 19th century, gentleman farmer and William Henry Armstrong with his family made Mill House their home for five decades. They added the kitchen wing and walls to the property. At the Danskammer, painter, statesman and brother D. Maitland Armstrong lived.
The most famous owner in the 20th century was Dard Hunter, renowned craftsman and paper maker who, just before World War I, built a paper mill on the creek in the shape of a Devonshire cottage complete with a thatched roof. Students from all over the world came to learn from him as he made paper by hand, cut and cast type and handprinted his own books. The Gomez Foundation for Mill House has restored Hunters Mill and completed in 1997 the mill dam and bridge.

After World War II, the Starin family purchased the house with a G.I. loan. They raised their children here while Mildred Starin enriched the house, furnishings and garden and placed the site on the National Register.

Shalom TV

That's the message Comcast digital customers will hear when a new network called Shalom TV enters the airways nationwide on Friday.

The network features Jewish foreign films — most in Hebrew with English subtitles — as well as children's shows, lectures and breaking news out of Israel. Also spotlighted are Jewish authors, poets, artists and celebrities, along with an ongoing Israeli television series.

"This is American Jewish history in the making," said Rabbi Mark Golub, the CEO of Shalom TV. "In America there has never been a Jewish television network offered by a cable provider."
Until now, Jewish programming appeared on public-access channels or when somebody "bought the time," he said.

Shalom TV made its debut in Philadelphia, parts of Delaware and the Poconos in 2006. Last year it added Washington, D.C., Baltimore and northern Virginia.

Now the station goes national. On Monday, Comcast confirmed the deal.

Golub is particularly happy that Comcast serves South Florida because it is home to about 600,000 Jews, making the region the third-largest Jewish community in the United States.
Most of the Unites States' 6.4 million Jews live in just a dozen metropolitan areas, Golub said. Among them are Boston, Detroit, San Francisco, portions of New Jersey and Chicago — all served by Comcast, the nation's biggest cable company.

Shalom TV executives, based in New Jersey, said they are in talks with Time Warner Cable, which serves New York City and parts of New Jersey, to pick up the station in February.
Programming will include the kiddie show "Adventures of Agent Emes" about a student-by-day, secret-agent-by-night male student. The youngster wears a trench coat and fedora and teaches Jewish values.

There's the grown-ups movie "Pesya's Necklace," about an 80-year-old woman who travels with her teenage granddaughter to Europe, determined to find a golden necklace she and her sister hid before they were taken to Auschwitz. Also, "Children By Remote Control," about Thai workers living on a kibbutz who maintain loving bonds with their children back home through phone calls and letters.

Golub said he expects the network will attract evangelical Christians, "an enormous non-Jewish population interested in Israel."

He said Shalom TV will not have a religious slant.

"This is a mainstream Jewish cultural channel dealing with the panorama of Jewish life," Golub said. "We represent every movement of Judaism, we are not affiliated with any movement. This is not the equivalent of a Christian evangelical channel."
http://shalomtv.org/

Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman was born on Tuesday, June 9th 1981 in Jerusalem, actually on her mother's birthday. A vacuum was used to get her out, so she had a cone-head during the first days of her life. She was the first and only child of her parents. Her Israeli father is an infertility specialist and works as a doctor. Her American mother is a full-time homemaker.

Don't get confused by all the biographies saying she's an artist. In fact, Natalie used to call her an artist for juggling the household and upbringing stuff. I hope the following statement from Natalie about her mother makes it clear: "She always gets mad at me if I say she's, like, a housewife because she says it sounds like... [...] she says it sounds as though she's married to a house. [...] And that doesn't work because, like, that doesn't reflect well on her personality. And so then, I was like, well what should I say. So I started saying, like, she was an artist because that's what she studied in college. So then everyone was asking me, like, oh, what kind of art does she do? And does she paint, what kind of paints? [...] And I was like, I don't know! [...] So then now I just say she's a mom. It works." (The Late Show with David Letterman 2/1996)

This blog will keep up with her movies.

Hamagshimim

Hamagshimim is the University Zionist Movement sponsored by Hadassah. We are a pluralistic student-led organization that works to strengthen students' connection to Israel through a variety of social, cultural and political programs. This connection is cultivated through education, advocacy training, leadership development, long-term Israel programs and facilitation of aliyah. We work in concert with our sibling movement Young Judaea. Hamagshimim's student leaders (Rakazim) currently operate on approximately 25 campuses. The national events and major programs run and supported by Hamagshimim include: Va'ad Hamagshimim - a leadership training seminar for our Rakazim run by the Hamagshimim staff. Kinus Hamagshimim - our annual conference, a 3-day educational seminar facilitated by shlichim and outside speakers and educators. birthright israel - through our special partnership with Hillel, we operate birthright trips for several hundred students each year. Hadassah-Hillel-Hamagshimim Steinhardt JCSC Fellowship - another wonderful partnership with Hillel, we help augment the "engagement programming" carried out by JCSC Fellows with our special brand of Israel programs and resources. Hamagshimim Israel Fellowships - a 6-week Israel Advocacy Seminar peer-led by Hamagshimim students. The Fellows assume leadership roles within the campus pro-Israel community and take seats on the student paper's editorial board.

In the Yahoo Group site with 1245 members its first group message ........

Dear Members,

On Tuesday, December 22, [ 1998 ] at eight p.m., Merkaz Hamagshimim will receive OferBen Dov, a representative of Greenpeace Mediterranean. There will be a lecturegiven by Mr. Dov marking the start of Merkaz Hamagshimim's environmentalinitiative. This will not only be a listener/listened to event. It is also acall to action. After Mr. Dov's speech there will be a community dialoguecentered around all of our environmental concerns and how we might translatethese beliefs into action. We are looking forward in future years to thecommemoration of this event as what might be the beginning of Merkaz Hamagshimimas a hub for environmental action here in Israel.

Subscribe to HamagshimimJERUSALEM
Powered by groups.yahoo.com

Arad Ltd

Arad specializes in the design, development and manufacture of top quality precision water meters for applications such as domestic, waterworks, irrigation and water management throughout the world. Arad Metering Technology is a sister company of the well known water meter company - Arad Ltd. Dalia.

Technology: Environmental (Water & Wastewater).

WebSite.

The Sword of Judith

Announcing a call for papers for the spring 2008 multi-disciplinary academic conference The Sword of Judith:

Female Agency and the Aesthetics of Terror for art historians, literary critics and italian renaissance and biblical scholars. A conference on the iconography and sacred traditions of the Biblical heroine Judith funded by the Brine Family Charitable Trust.

This multidisciplinary scholarly conference and publication is designed to promote collaboration and exchange between scholars, writers, and critics working on Judith in biblical studies, literary criticism, feminist and psychoanalytical theory, art history, Italian Renaissance, English, and Hellenistic studies.

The biblical heroine Judith is one of the most challenging and provocative figures in the Judeo-Christian tradition and Western art. Why does Judith continue to receive so much scholarly and critical attention For over 2,200 years the canonicity of The Book of Judith, the historical basis of the narrative, and its authorship has been challenged and disputed. Donatello's sculpture Judith and Holofernes is studied as a metaphor for the de Medici rule of Florence; Artemisia Gentileschi's painting Judith and Holofernes is studied as a metaphor for female resistance to male dominance.

The powerful appeal to the visual imagination of the Judith narrative has inspired and challenged Western scribes, illustrators, draftsman, painters, and sculptors for two millennia. The Judith text is part of the earliest and most complete manuscript of Beowulf. Judith was portrayed by both Dante in The Divine Comedy and Chaucer in The Canterbury Tales. The intellectually influential Lucrezia Tornabuoi de Medici wrote an important religious poem titled "Judith" in the fifteenth century. Donatello, Mantegna, Giorgione, Michelangelo, Artemisia Gentileschi, Caravaggio, Botticelli, Johann Liss, Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka, Mozart, Scarlatti, Martha Graham, and Lope de Vegas have all presented us with creative interpretations of Judith. Judith's beheading of Holofernes is a paradigm for female agency; its depiction invokes the aesthetic of sublime terror.

The figure of Judith is kept alive in the Jewish tradition on the festival of Chanukah. Pope John Paul's homily on Judith and Mary reaffirmed Judith's traditional parallel to the mother of Christ. Roman Catholics still chant Judith's liturgy as part of the triennial lectionary on appointed days. Submissions to the Judith conference and publication are encouraged from scholars working from within the Jewish and Christian traditions.

Up to ten university- or operating foundation-administered grants are available from $6,000 to $11,000 for research on the Judith theme. Submissions should include the scholar's CV and a proposal limited to 1,500 words. Grant request submissions must include the administering institution's name, address, federal tax identification number, nonprofit designation, the name of acting department/program chair or director, a detailed pro forma budget request, and the e-mail address of the institution's administrative contact. Grant requests require the signature of the department chair/program director. The budget can include up to 20 percent department allocation. Direct all submissions to Judith2008@rarewildflower.org .

Eva Mendes & Calvin Klein

Calvin Klein, Inc., a wholly ownedsubsidiary of Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation (NYSE: PVH) and Calvin KleinFragrances, a division of Coty, Inc., today announced that actress EvaMendes will be featured in an upcoming Calvin Klein Fragrances advertisingcampaign, which will debut Fall 2008. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080201/NYF048 )

The acclaimed actress first captured the attention of moviegoers in"Training Day," and is best known for her work in the hit movie "Hitch"opposite Will Smith, the film adaptation of the Marvel Comic "Ghost Rider"opposite Nicolas Cage, and most recently "We Own the Night" with JoaquinPhoenix, Mark Wahlberg and Robert Duvall. This fall Ms. Mendes will star inthe highly anticipated all-star remake of "The Women" with Meg Ryan,Annette Bening, Debra Messing and Jada Pinkett-Smith and has completed thefantasy thriller, "The Spirit," directed by "Sin City" and "300" creatorFrank Miller, out in early 2009.

Ms. Mendes has a long-standing relationship with the house of CalvinKlein and has been wardrobed by Calvin Klein Collection and worked with theline's award-winning Creative Director, Francisco Costa, for events such asThe CFDA Fashion Awards, The Whitney Art Party, and Fashion Rocks as wellas other personal appearances and premieres. Ms. Mendes joins a memorable group of well-known Calvin Klein Fragrancemodels and actresses who have starred in the brand's legendary and iconicadvertising campaigns, including Kate Moss, Scarlett Johansson, ChristyTurlington, and Natalia Vodianova.

Calvin Klein's renowned advertisingcampaigns have become indelible, pop culture images, provoked controversyand captured the public's imagination the world over. The company'sunparalleled ability to discover new talent has propelled the careers of amyriad of actors and models over the past four decades. Catherine Walsh, Senior Vice President -- American Fragrances, CotyPrestige said, "Eva Mendes is a striking beauty, with a sultry appeal thatresonates globally. She embodies the sexy, provocative essence of theCalvin Klein brand and we are thrilled that she will be the newest iconicbeauty to represent Calvin Klein Fragrances." Said Tom Murry, President & COO, Calvin Klein, Inc., "Eva exudes aneffortless and unpretentious sensuality which is perfectly in line with theCalvin Klein brand DNA."

Coty was created in Paris in 1904 by Francois Coty who is credited withfounding the modern fragrance industry. Today, Coty Inc. is the world'slargest fragrance company and a recognized leader in global beauty withannual net sales of $3.8 billion. Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit,passion, innovation and creativity, Coty Inc. has developed an unrivaledportfolio of notable brands and delivers its innovative products toconsumers in 91 markets worldwide.

The Coty Prestige brand portfolio isdistributed in prestige and ultra-prestige stores and includes Baby Phat,Calvin Klein, Cerruti, Chloe, Chopard, Davidoff, Jennifer Lopez, JetteJoop, Jil Sander, JOOP!, Karl Lagerfeld, Kenneth Cole, L.A.M.B. fragranceby Gwen Stefani, Lancaster, Marc Jacobs, Nautica, Nikos, Phat Farm, SarahJessica Parker, Vera Wang and Vivienne Westwood. Coty and Puig have astrategic partnership for the distribution of the perfume lines of NinaRicci, Carolina Herrera, Prada, Paco Rabanne, and Comme des Garcons in theU.S. and Canada. For additional information about Coty Inc., please visithttp://www.coty.com/. On December 7, 2007 Coty Inc. acquired Del Laboratories, Inc. Cotyended the 2007 fiscal year exceeding $3.2 billion in net sales (July 1,2006-June 30, 2007).

Calvin Klein, Inc., Calvin Klein, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary ofPhillips-Van Heusen Corporation (NYSE: PVH), is one of the leading fashiondesign and marketing studios in the world. It designs and markets women'sand men's designer collection apparel and a range of other products thatare manufactured and marketed through an extensive network of licensingagreements and other arrangements worldwide. Brands/lifestyles includeCalvin Klein Collection, ck Calvin Klein, Calvin Klein, Calvin Klein Jeans,and Calvin Klein Underwear. Product lines under the various Calvin Kleinbrands include apparel, accessories, shoes, sleepwear, hosiery, socks,swimwear, belts, eyewear, watches, jewelry, coats, suits, cosmetics, andfragrances, as well as products for the home.

For additional informationabout Calvin Klein, Inc., please visit http://www.calvinklein.com/.

Telecom Israel 2008

SummaryTelecom Israel 2002 will include all aspects of the current telecommunications and information technologies in the sector. Telecommunications companies in Israel continue to expand, developing products and services for the growing telecommunications industry, strengthening Israel's position as one of the leaders in the field worldwide. Our competitive telecommunications market has enabled Israeli companies to flourish, leading the way in innovation and high-tech entrepreneurship, keeping Israel on the cutting edge of emerging technologies and creating a favorable environment for attracting international investments. Next year marks the new millenium, and Telecom Israel 2000 will be the primary event in the local telecommunications industry, and one of the most high profile events ushering in the new century in Israel.

To be held on Nov 04, 2008 - Nov 06, 2008. Where Tel Aviv. Average attendence 150000

We look forward to seeing you at Telecom Israel 2000 and having you witness the new and innovative developments taking place in the telecommunications industry in general and more specifically in Israel.

General InformationTelecom Israel 2008 will include all aspects of the current telecommunications and information technologies in the sector. Telecommunications companies in Israel continue to expand developing products and services for the growing telecommunications industry strengthening Israel's position as one of the leaders in the field worldwide. Our competitive telecommunications market has enabled Israeli companies to flourish leading the way in innovation and high-tech entrepreneurship keeping Israel on the cutting edge of emerging technologies and creating a favorable environment for attracting international investments.

Attendee Information

Exhibitor InformationAs an exhibitor your company will be among some of the leading telecommunications companies in the world.

Crocker Israeli Fashions

Eti and David Levy, the founders and the spirit of Crocker Jeans, are recognized in today's global jeans industry even more than they are in their own Tel Aviv neighborhood.

The Levy's created Crocker in Paris in 1984, and since the day these sassy jeans were born, they knew exactly what they wanted. All cuts and accessories have always been designed by the industry's top fabric, sewing and trimming professionals and manufacturing was handled worldwide (in Japan, USA, Italy, France and more). Crocker's proud parents have made it a point to always be a part of the process, down to the last button. As David Levy says, "If it's only 99%, it's not Crocker!".

Check out their exciting Web Site .

Israeli Electric Cars

Most of us are familiar with how mobile phone plans work.

You get a subsidised handset and sign a contract to pay a monthly fee for a certain number of minutes of talk time and other services. Now apply that model to electric cars, except that instead of a handset you get a subsidised car and instead of minutes you buy kilometres of driving distance. This bold venture is taking place in Israel right now and it has big backers including two global auto makers, a software entrepreneur, an Israeli billionaire and the Israeli Government.

The brains behind the venture is none other than Israeli American Shai Agassi, former president of the product & technology group and executive board member of German business software giant SAP. While the venture is using Israel as its test bed to build an electric car infrastructure, the ideas are coming out of Palo Alto in the heart of Silicon Valley where Agassi's company Project Better Place is based.Under the joint venture arrangement, car makers Nissan and Renault will supply the electric cars, while Project Better Place will supply Lithium Ion batteries and build a ubiquitous electric car infrastructure throughout Israel, which will include 500,000 parking-meter-like charging points on Israeli streets and service stations where spent battery packs will be replaced with freshly charged packs within minutes.

The Project Better Place venture is not unlike the way the mobile telecommunications industry is run today. A carrier provides the base stations and network while through its channels it sells handsets made by Nokia, Motorola, Samsung and others together with usage plans.The battery packs provided by Project Better Place, which are claimed to have a range of about 200km, will not be owned by subscribers to the scheme but will be part of the service infrastructure where users pay for the number of kilometers driven. Users who charge batteries from their home will be given a credit for the kilometers they put back into batteries, not unlike the way electricity users with solar panels are given credit when they supply energy to the grid.Agassi's vision of getting the first electric cars on the road in Israel by 2009 and 100,000 by 2010 is being given plenty of backing in high places. Israeli industrial mogul Idan Ofer is reported to have invested $100 million in Project Better Place and is chairman of the company, while the Israeli Government has promised to keep taxes on electric vehicles at a low 10%.

Travel Grants

When Leah Golberstein’s son was a student at IC, she came to South Hill often and “fell in love with Ithaca College.” Rafi Golberstein graduated in 2006, but Leah is continuing her relationship with Ithaca by establishing the Golberstein Jewish Studies Travel Endowment.

Leah's visits to Rafi always seemed to include spending time with his professors. As she soon discovered, when Rafi’s teachers learned that one of his parents would be on campus, they made themselves available to meet. A former faculty member at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Leah could see that “the level of involvement Ithaca faculty have with their students is exceptional. No student is just a number.”Through Rafi’s involvement as a resident assistant, Hillel board member, and student trustee on the IC Board of Trustees, as well as his activities with student government and the Park School, Leah was aware of the opportunities her son was given to develop and mature, both in and out of the classroom.

“Mostly, I fell in love with Ithaca College,” she says, “and the level of dedication to teaching.” During Rafi’s tenure as a student trustee, Leah met President Peggy R. Williams, and she was extremely impressed by the strong role model President Williams is for women of all ages. She was also inspired by the dedication of Craig Evans ’84, associate vice president for institutional advancement, and Park School dean Dianne Lynch. “With such capable and dedicated administrators and teachers, I wanted to know how I could help them in their endeavors.”Following Rafi’s graduation from the Park School, Leah found that she wanted to continue to support the College and, more specifically, the Jewish studies program. Last October she established the Golberstein Jewish Studies Travel Endowment.

This award grants $1,250 to Ithaca College students minoring in Jewish studies who want to broaden their understanding of the history and survival of the Jewish people through formal study involving travel. Students are encouraged to travel to communities they have never before visited that have historical significance for Jews. Among the topics of study are Inquisition studies in Spain or Portugal; Central and Eastern European Jewish studies at Charles University in Prague, the summer Vilnius Yiddish Institute at Vilnius University in Lithuania, or the Lorenzo de’Medici Institute in Florence; and the history of the Jews in Greece in Thessaloníki or Crete. “Travel enables students to challenge themselves and their personal world in a powerful way.

When it is combined with study, it can revolutionize a student’s life,” Leah says. “I wanted to make that opportunity available for Ithaca College students.”The establishment of the Golberstein Jewish Studies Travel Endowment is one of many educational enhancements included in the $115 million Campaign for Ithaca College: Making a World of Difference. For more information about the campaign, visit www.ithaca.edu/campaign.

Bagir - Israeli Fashions

It's All from recycling.

Bagir specializes in the development, manufacture and marketing of high quality men and women's tailored fashions. Bagir leverages its global presence and vertical structure to provide consumers with the ultimate fashion experience which combines innovation, comfort, performance and value. Bagir's latest fashion concepts include flexible and stretchable clothing, machine-washable suits and light all-climate garments, all stylishly designed. The company's innovation stems from exploring how consumers can better utilize, maintain, and wear the suit.

Bagir Ltd.Address: Head Office: Pollack Rd. Kiryat Gat, 82101, Israel UK: 99 Baker Street London W1U 6FF, UKUSA: 350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2525 New York, NY 10118Tel: 972-8-687-3888, USA:1-212-560-9650, UK: 44-20-7486-7833Fax: 972-8-687-3878 USA 1-212-560-9652 UK: 44-20-7486-2950E-mail: Sales@bagir.co.il

West Bank's, Israeli Jewish Population Grows

The Jewish population in Judea and Samaria is rising steadily despite Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's stated freeze on building in the expanding Jewish communities in the stony green hills that carpet the region.

The latest figures released by the Interior Ministry show that the Jewish population growth in Judea and Samaria is triple the 1.7 percent increase in the entire Israeli population.
Efforts by the Olmert government to stifle Jewish growth in the region have proved fruitless. Repeated evictions of young activists from new communities and neighborhoods have not discouraged the pioneers from returning to the sites to rebuild demolished structures as often as necessary.
Harassment and even incarceration of minor teenage activists who help established the new communities has only served to strengthen the resolve of the nationalists who are committed to deepen the Jewish connection to the Biblical region.

Prime Minister Olmert’s promise to the United States and the Palestinian Authority to eliminate "illegal" outposts has also done little to stem the tide of Israelis moving to the region and of a rising birthrate among its residents.

The American-backed edict forbidding new construction, including any addition to existing homes, in Judea and Samaria towns has been equally ineffective. The Jewish population in Judea and Samaria grew by 5.2 percent, rising by 14,000 residents from 268,000 at the end of 2006 to 282,000 at the end of 2007.

The figures do not include citizens who reside in communities that the government has deemed illegal. Nor do the statistics include approximately 250,000 Jewish residents of the Jerusalem suburbs built after the 1967 Six-Day War.

All together, over half a million Jews live in the areas of Judea and Samaria liberated in the 1967 Six Day War.

Birthrates rose significantly in the communities of Beitar Illit, Modi’in Illit and Emmanuel, with major increases also noted in Maale Adumim, Givat Ze’ev and Ariel.