US Rejects Palestinian claim of no Jewish connection to Western Wall

And a Happy Hanukkah to you! It is nice to hear that the Obama administration called them out on this. All holy places need to be protected.

The United States...condemned claims by a senior Palestinian official that the Western Wall of Jerusalem's Temple Mount holds no significance for Jews.

Al-Mutawakil Taha, the Palestinian Authority' deputy minister of information, had said Wednesday that the wall, regarded as Judaism's holiest site, was part of an Islamic waqf, or religious endowment, and that only "Islamic tolerance" allowed Jews to pray there.

	Jews praying at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City, December 25, 2009
	Photo by: Emil Salman

"We strongly condemn these comments and fully reject them as factually incorrect, insensitive and highly provocative," a U.S. State Department spokesman said.His claims drew immediate anger in Israel, which on Tuesday was echoed by the U.S.

"We have repeatedly raised with the Palestinian Authority leadership the need to consistently combat all forms of de-legitimization of Israel including denying historic Jewish connections to the land."

via Haaretz.

Hanukkah

I got a new menorah this year. An electric one. Tonight is the last night of Hanukkah. Here is a picture taken from my front yard, looking at the window.

May the peace of the season be with all of you.

Hanukkah, A Wonderful World

The biggest shock came this morning. I woke up at 7am, realizing that I had just slept another 5 hour stretch. Baby A slept 5 hours, fed, then slept another 5 hours. The most he had slept before this had been 4 hours then 3 hours then 2 then 1, 1, 1. I was so much more rested this morning. The really surprising thing was that we had gone out last night to the Hanukkah party at the local synagogue and he had slept for 2 hours in the Moby wrap. I thought that was great, but I was going to be in for a busy night since he slept so well just prior to bedtime. The party turned out to be fun. We lit this giant menorah that is on a main street near me. The kids got "gelt", which was actually real money. A lizard man came to entertain the kids with a presentation of lizards and snakes. And there was a little video of the story of Hanukkah for the children. And there was food. The best part was seeing a wonderful group of the kindest people you could ever imagine. This is not my regular synagogue, and that is why it is so nice to pop in there occasionally for parties and such, because I don't get to see them all that often.

I got tears in my eyes driving in my car today when a nice version of "A Wonderful World" came on the radio, sung by Louis Armstrong. I listened to the words closely and I found them moving.

I see trees of green........ red roses too
I see em bloom..... for me and for you
And I think to myself.... what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue..... clouds of white
Bright blessed days....dark sacred nights
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world.

The colors of a rainbow.....so pretty ..in the sky
Are also on the faces.....of people ..going by
I see friends shaking hands.....sayin.. how do you do
Theyre really sayin......i love you.

I hear babies cry...... I watch them grow
Theyll learn much more.....than Ill never know
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world