Here’s my retrospective review for Mel Gibson’s controversial 2004 film The Passion of the Christ:
https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2528...hrist.html
 
Mark

Shalom, everyone!
I’m thrilled to share a project close to my heart: Tanakh Today. This book is my humble attempt to reimagine the prophetic wisdom of the Tanakh, bringing timeless themes of justice, mercy, and redemption into a modern context.
I grew up in Argentina in a secular Jewish family, but my teenage discovery of the Nevi'im ignited a deep passion for understanding the Prophets and their relevance today. Over the years, I’ve poured my heart into this book, aiming to create something meaningful for our community and beyond.
Tanakh Today offers:

• A fresh perspective on the Nevi'im, connecting ancient prophecy to today’s challenges.
  
• Thought-provoking insights into justice, compassion, and redemption.
  
• A free resource for anyone looking to deepen their connection with Tanakh teachings.
  

Any Star Wars fans here? If so, you might enjoy these retrospective reviews I wrote for the prequels.
 
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2519...enace.html
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones  
https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2519...lones.html
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith    
https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2519..._sith.html
 
Mark

The destruction of the first temple and Jerusalem and the first exile were accompanied by detailed warnings, starting in Leviticus 26, even giving the exact number of years of the exile as being associated with the land not resting for 490 years, to complete 70 years of rest (2 Chronicles 36:21).

By contrast, the destruction of the second temple and Jerusalem, accompanied by the second exile, has only one reference in the Hebrew Bible, Hosea 3:4-5. No reasons given, except the hint that it has some relation to an unfaithful wife, no length of time given, the destruction not mentioned.  Yet, Amos 3:7 tells us that God does nothing unless He reveals it to His prophets. And the land rested for almost 2000 years, largely turning into a desert.  Are we to understand that God left the much longer second catastrophe and exile for the rabbis to ponder and analyze? When a rabbi gave a commentary about a temple destruction, people wondered whether he was referring to the first or second. The answer was that we know he was referring to the first temple because he included Bible references. This was a tacit admission that the second destruction has none.

If one searches for illegal structures built by the Palestinian Arabs in Area C of Judah and Samaria ("West Bank"), the information returned is mostly about alleged Israeli "illegal" settlements.

I have discussed Israeli alleged "illegal" settlements, here: 
"Why are Israeli homes (“settlements”) on the “West Bank” allegedly “illegal”?":
https://www.thehebrewcafe.com/forum/show...hp?tid=784

I have also discussed "How to Immediately end the alleged-Illegality of Israeli "settlements" ", here: 
https://www.thehebrewcafe.com/forum/show...p?tid=1410


Here, I seek to provide the reader with the "drowned-out" information about Palestinian Arab illegal construction in Area C: 

Palestinian Arab illegal-construction in Area C of the "West Bank" is part of a Palestinian Arab Plan to impose a Palestinian State on Israel, in accordance with the "Fayyad Plan", 2009. 

The "European Union" funds Palestinian Arab illegal-construction in Area C of the "West Bank".


Palestinian Arab Illegal-Structures that pursue their "Fayyad Plan", in Area C of Judah and Samaria ("West Bank"):

Quote:'[...] According to the [Regavim] report [December 2024], “The Palestinian Authority has now constructed 97,581 illegal structures in Area C of Judea and Samaria, an area fully governed by Israeli civil and security forces. Aerial imagery clearly shows that the PA has prioritized building, agricultural, and infrastructure projects in Area C instead of developing Areas A and B, aligning with the 2009 Fayyad Plan’s aim to establish a Palestinian state across all of Judea and Samaria.” [...]'

Extract source:
https://www.jns.org/regavim-report-shows...-strategy/

Quote:'[...] Put forth in 2009 by Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, the plan was to create a de facto Palestinian state, not through negotiations with Israel, but by establishing facts on the ground—such as [illegally-constructed] houses, farms and schools—in strategic areas throughout Area C. [...]'

Extract source:
https://www.jns.org/the-ongoing-battle-o...d-samaria/

Quote:'[...] Rather than developing in Area A, Arab construction has continued to seep into the open spaces of Area C. Additionally, these same aerial photos leave no room for doubt: Arab construction is neither random nor haphazard. Construction is strategically placed, in accordance with the Fayyad Plan, according to pre-established criteria and objectives: Creating contiguous Arab settlement – a pattern that is particularly pronounced in northern Samaria; isolation and strangulation of Jewish communities; construction on the route of planned traffic arteries such as the Funduk Bypass Road and the Tekoa – Ibei HaNachal Access Road in eastern Gush Etzion; construction alongside existing highways, including Route 55 and Route 60, the main roads of Samaria and Judea respectively. [...]'

Extract source:
https://www.jewishpress.com/news/eye-on-...022/10/09/

Quote:'[...] The EU ["European Union"] is acting illegally by funding unauthorised Palestinian building in areas placed under Israeli control by the Oslo Accords, say an NGO [Regavim], international lawyers and MEPs.

More than 400 EU-funded Palestinian homes have been erected in Area C of the West Bank, which was placed under Israeli jurisdiction by the international agreement, to which the EU is a signatory.

The Palestinian buildings, which have no Israeli permits, come at a cost of tens of millions of Euros in public money, a proportion of which comes from the British taxpayer.

This has raised concerns that the EU is using valuable resources to take sides in a foreign territorial dispute. [...]'

Extract source:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...eport.html

Here’s my retrospective review for the largely forgotten 1988 movie thriller Betrayed. If you’re unfamiliar with it, Betrayed is about a female undercover FBI agent who infiltrates a Far-Right White Supremacist, anti-Semitic organization. The move is fictional but was inspired by real people and events.
https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2525...rayed.html
 
Mark

Here’s a retrospective movie review I wrote for the controversial 2001 film The Believer. If you’re unfamiliar with The Believer, it’s about a young Jewish man who becomes a neo-Nazi skinhead. It was loosely based on a true story.
https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2523...iever.html
 
Mark

Have any of you guys ever read the Holocaust novel Jacob the Liar, written by the German-Jewish author Jurek Becker? I recently read it for the time, and it was fantastic. When I was reading it, I was repeatedly reminded of the movie Life is Beautiful. In both stories, the Jewish protagonist employs a great lie to protect others from a hideous truth, and there are moments of humor in each. I didn’t dislike Life is Beautiful, but I thought that movie was silly and overrated. In contrast, the book Jacob the Liar was devastating.
 
Mark

Have any of guys ever read Daniel Heller’s 2017 book Jabotinsky's Children: Polish Jews and the Rise of Right-Wing Zionism? I read it recently, and it is one of the most fascinating books I’ve ever read on Jewish history. As the title suggests, Heller discusses the rapid growth of Zionist Revisionism and Betar, its youth movement, in Poland in the period between the world wars and the factors (such as the virulent anti-Semitism of Polish gentiles) that explain why that country was fertile ground for such growth.
One of the most striking things about this book is that, despite dealing with events and people from nearly a century ago, it is incredibly relevant for our own times. In recent years, there has been a rise of Populism and Nationalism (from Left and Right) around the world along with a corresponding rise of anti-Semitism which bears some similarities with these trends in the 1930’s. It’s impossible to read in Heller’s book about the attacks on Jewish students in Polish universities during this time and not be reminded of the attacks Jewish students have faced in America universities since the Oct. 7 massacre and the start of the recent Israel-Hamas War. Or to read about anti-Jewish riots in Poland and not be reminded of the recent synagogue shootings and anti-Jewish riots in Europe and North America.
So I urge all of you to read this book if you’re interested in the history of Zionism and Jews. Ze’ev Jabotinsky is my Jewish leader of modern times. During the interwar period, he warned Europe’s Jews of imminent catastrophe and urged them to get out and go to Palestine and create a Jewish state and meet violence with violence while many Jewish leaders in Europe called him an alarmist and a Fascist and even compared him to Mussolini and Hitler. But Jabotinsky was right then, and he is right now.
 
Mark

I wish everyone a good, healthy and blessed year 2025!