Sons of Abraham: Arab & Israeli: How Does It Work? with Ms. Ghaida Rinawie-Zoabi

1/5 of the population of Israel is Arab, yet most Israelis do not really know about their communities, their culture and their role in Israeli society which we will uncover.  We will also discuss the question of the integration of Israeli Arabs into larger Israeli society, from the workplace to education to governance, and the allocation of resources for that sector.  We will hear first-hand about the range of outlooks and feelings and experiences of Israeli Arabs being part of Israel and its society.    

Ms. Ghaida Rinawie-Zoabi is the new Head of the Friends Association for the Baruch Padeh Medical Center Poriya. Previously she was the founding Executive Director of Injaz Center for Professional Arab Local Governance, the leading Non -profit organization today on issues of municipal economic development and equal governmental budget allocation for Arab minority in Israel. She is also a member of the General Assembly for the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, a board member at Ropin college in Natanya,and  Biet Izi Shapira for disabled children.

She has an MBA in Impact investment from the OXFORD Said Buisness School Impact measurement program. She also holds an MA in literature from Haifa University and a Bachelor of Psychology from Hebrew University.  Ms. Rinawie-Zoabi is married and a mother of two.  In 2015 she was the first Arab woman to be awarded the “Israeli Good Governance” prize. In 2018 she was included at the Forbes- Israel list of "50 most influential women in Israel".

Was the Reunion of Joseph and HIs Brothers a Reuniting?  Overview & Insights on the Parshat Vayigash with Rabbi Jonathan Feldman on Jewish Matters Podcast.

After Benjamin is framed by the Egyptian viceroy who is Joseph, Yehuda steps forward and offers himself in place of his brother.  This leads to Joseph revealing his true identity and the family being reunited.  Jacob and the entire family will come down to Egypt during the famine.  Joseph will forgive his brothers, but have they completed their process of reconciliation?  Joseph consolidates Pharoh’s power over Egypt, but how do we view the sons of Israel settling in exile?

From Africa to Israel: The Hebrew Israelite Community -Sons of Abraham with Sar Ahmadiel Ben Yehuda

About the topic:  Currently numbering nearly 3,000 men, women and children based in Israel, and with satellite communities of thousands across the US, the Caribbean and Africa, the African Hebrew Israelites easily comprise the largest organized repatriation movement of African Americans in history. Ben Yehuda has documented the migration patterns and cultural parallels to the ancient Israelites found among the Ashanti, Fante, Ewe, Ga and other West African ethnic groups.  As a member of the International Society for the Study of African Judaism (ISSAJ), he has argued the case for Israel’s authentic African roots

 About our speaker:   Ahmadiel Ben Yehuda is the Minister of Information and National Spokesman of the African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem.  Minister Ben Yehuda did his undergraduate work at Virginia Wesleyan College and American University.  He interned and later worked as a legislative assistant on Capitol Hill on both sides of the partisan aisle before answering to his spiritual calling and relocating to Israel in 1978.  He has since dedicated his life to the spiritual, but practical, uplifting of all who desire to live according to Truth.  He received his Masters and Doctorate degrees in history and diplomacy at the School of the Prophets Institute at Jerusalem.  Minister Ben Yehuda is a devoted husband and the very proud father of 22 children, most of whom reside in Israel.  He enjoys basketball and bicycling is also an accomplished drummer, organic gardener and carpenter.

Why Didn’t Joseph Tell His Father He Was Alive?  In-Depth Insights on the Parshat Miketz with Rabbi Jonathan Feldman

The glaring question asked by Nahmanides is why didn’t Joseph let Jacob know he was alive when he was viceroy over Egypt for seven years of plenty. We will explore the four possible answers which will lead us to a deeper understanding of the meaning of the story.

The Challenge of Jewish Power: Lessons From the Maccabean Revolt For Today with Rabbi Yehuda HaCohen, West Bank Jewish Peace Activist and Educator

For 2,000 years the Jewish people were in a state of powerless. What can the story of the Maccabean Revolt teach us to help us become more comfortable with the power we’ve managed to obtain in the modern age, how Jewish values can inform our use of that power and what it really means ‘to live as a free people in our land’?

We will be hearing a first hand description from Rabbi Yehuda HaKohen who lives on the very mountain where the Maccabees hid, trained their forces and launched their guerrilla campaign against foreign rule.

From Prison to Viceroy: Joseph’s Master Plan Overview and Insights on the Parshat Miketz with Rabbi Jonathan Feldman

Jacob’s favoritism for Joseph, and Joseph’s presumptuous dreams, end badly when his brothers’ jealousy leads them to sell him off into slavery. Joseph recovers by becoming chief steward of an aristocrat’s house in Egypt, only to be accused of sexual assault by the mistress of the home and be thrown in jail.  The parsha ends with Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s butler and baker’s dreams. 

Holiday Series  -Chanukah: Kindling Our Inner Lights & the Light of the Jewish People with Rabbi Jonathan Feldman on Jewish Matters Podcast

Chanukah is a commemoration of a Jewish victory over religious oppression, and a time a spiritual rededication.  What is the history behind the story of the Maccabee victory, and why do we celebrate it by lighting the Menorah?  What is message for us today in our contemporary world?  

The Struggles of Joseph: A Family Torn Apart.  Overview and Insights on the Parshat Vayeshev with Rabbi Jonathan Feldman on Jewish Matters Podcast.

Jacob’s favoritism for Joseph, and Joseph’s presumptuous dreams, end badly when his brothers’ jealousy leads them to sell him off into slavery. Joseph recovers by becoming chief steward of an aristocrat’s house in Egypt, only to be accused of sexual assault by the mistress of the home and be thrown in jail.  The parsha ends with Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s butler and baker’s dreams. 

Sons of Abraham # 3 Lost Jews? The Origins of the Ancient Samaritans with Guy Yehoshua, Samartian Spokesperson and Scribe.  The Sunset Series on Jewish Matters Podcast 

The Samaritans live in Samaria, North of Jerusalem. They have been a distinct people practicing Samaritanism for thousands of years.  Their center of worship is on Mount Gerizim in Samaria, not Jerusalem.  They have a Torah scroll written in biblical Hebrew script, and their prayer is done in Hebrew, Aramaic and Arabic. Are they descendants of an ancient Jewish community, or did they come from somewhere else? What is their origin and why have they remained a separate community? Are they Jews or a distinct people and religion?

Great Jews # 14 Rav Shlomo Goren “ The Rabbi of the IDF on Jewish Matters Podcast with Rabbi Jonathan Feldman

Rav Shlomo Goren was the first Chief Rabbi of the IDF (Israel Defence Forces).  From his family’s Aliyah to a farm in the Galilee to his clandestine work with the Hagana and Lehi to Talmudic genius, Rabbi Goren’s life embodied the birth of the State of Israel.  In 1967 during the 6 day war he was one of the first to liberate of the Kottel (Western Wall) where he blew the Shofar, as well as the Tomb of Rachel and Hebron.