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Why is Anthony Scaramucci going with Dr. Joseph Frager and Mr. Duvi Honig as part of the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce (OJC) on a VIP Trip to Israel? OP ED by Robin Ticker
Let me preface by saying that Dr. Joe Frager has served in a leadership capacity with Ateret Cohanim with much distinction for many years and is probably among the greatest activists and advocates for Eretz Yisroel Hashleima, Judea and Samaria, that you will ever find. Mr. Duvi Honig is the Founder and CEO of the OJC.
Life is complicated and when it comes to reconciling Jewish values and business we often need to make difficult choices.
For the record, many, including myself are opposed to this trip. The following letter is directed to both Dr. Frager and Mr. Honig who are both Orthodox Jews, but primarily relevant to Dr. Frager who is the Chairman of the Executive Council of Ateret Cohanim.
Dear Dr. Frager and (Mr. Duvi Honig), amv"shAteret Cohanim literally means "Crown of the Priests". If Ateret Cohanim stays true to its name, it must stay true to being Holy which by its very essence is the Work of the Cohanim, the work of the Priests. Not only does the name Ateret Cohanim identify with holiness, it identifies with the Crown of Holiness!Not everyone is meant to be a Cohen. Not everyone is cut out for Priesthood. Most of us are not. A Cohen has stringencies in his lifestyle that others do not have, in order that he maintain a higher standard of holiness. When the Chairman of the Executive Council of Ateret Cohanim picks an individual for a VIP tour of Israel, it makes sense that the individual appreciates and is on the same page as the aspirations of Ateret Cohanim. If an individual's focus and lifestyle choices clash and diametrically oppose those of holiness and the teachings of the Torah, the encounter is doomed to short circuit.The VIP will be slighted by the Leadership in Israel of the institutions whose very essence embody Holiness. - These Leaders will not see any reason to stop their daily routine to entertain a VIP whose advocacy directly opposes their own. Alternatively, they would feel demeaned if they are forced to negate their own values by honoring someone who actively advocates a lifestyle contrary to holiness. This would lower their self-esteem and cause them to lose respect from their staff, students and supporters.As Chairman of the Executive Council of Ateret Cohanim, surely you too will feel out of your element if and when Mr. Scaramucci hooks up in Israel with those he feels comfortable with, namely those who advocate for Gay Marriage and/or for Pro Choice.In addition, Jerusalem is not known for being the Fiscal Capital of the World. Jerusalem is the Spiritual Capital of the World, the embodiment of Holiness and Sanctity.Perhaps, a VIP tour with Anthony Scaramucci to a Maccabi Tel Aviv game, and the Tech industry makes some sense. However, as Executive Director of Ateret Cohanim, if you plan to bring him to Maarat HaMachpela, the Kotel and Kever Rochel, it only would serve to confuse him at best, and he probably would not relate to the the deep religious significance of the Holy Sites. Be true to your Shomer Eretz Yisroel Award, by continuing to stand for the essence of Eretz Yisroel which is Holiness.You will have to choose which agenda is most important for you. You can not sit on the fence.Sincerely, Robin Ticker,
From the perspective of the organizers of this trip, Duvi Honig and Dr. Frager, Anthony Scaramucci is an accomplished and talented entrepreneur who organized the SALT Convention, a conference of 2,500 attendees. He has bought and sold business numbering in 9 digits, yes that's billions of dollars. He says he is a Zionist and wants to invest in Israel startups with venture capital. He comes from modest beginnings and has a good work ethic which he learned from his father. He does not have a sense of entitlement. He says he is authentic and non conventional. He went to Harvard so presumably he is very smart. He professes genuine respect and admiration for Israel.
On the down side, from the perspective of an Orthodox Jew, Anthony Scaramucci is an openly pro-gay, pro-abortion activist and engages in profanity, Nivul Peh in Hebrew. This surely comes from an unholy source, a place of impurity. Due to this profanity, reported in the New Yorker, Scaramucci was dismissed after 10 days from his position in the Trump Administration as Communications Director.
Analysis:
Scaramucci needs to restore his good name, and OJC needs to draw in business partners and venture capitalists.
Given: OJC is an Orthodox Jewish Organization, which does not endorse homosexuality or Pro Choice. Quite the opposite!
Given: We are all members of the human race. By definition....We are all imperfect.
Given: We all want pleasure.
Allow me to sidetrack, paraphrase and draw conclusions from the teachings of Rabbi Alon Anava. Rabbi Anava, once a devout secular athiest, is a fascinating lecturer who experienced a NDE, Near Death Experience. His lectures, CD's, podcasts and youtubes have reached hundreds of thousands.
A Jew's ultimate pleasure comes from a Spiritual, Holy source. Money and physical pleasures are all short- lived. Only being consistent with G-d's will, brings us eternal pleasure. Tapping into impure sources will ultimately be a source of great aggravation and headache. Abortions? Homosexuality? These contradict a Torah lifestyle. Making money? Also transient, empty. Our Yetzer Hara will try its best to convince us that our motivations come from a pure source. One needs to be very honest with oneself and analyze whether one's actions are coming from the will of the Yetzer Hara, desire for fame, money and/or power, or from G-d's will. One needs to see the unborn (Ro'eh HaNolad) before it is too late.
Jerusalem, the Capital of Israel, the site of the Holy Temple and the entire Land of Israel can not tolerate abominations. The Torah is quite explicit about its preferences. It is for these reasons that the 7 Canaanite Nations were incompatible with the Land and had to be eliminated. The Holy Land will vomit and expel those who commit abominations. Mr. Scaramucci should know that one is held to a much higher standard in the Holy Land. Things that may be tolerated outside the Holy Land is vomited and expelled from the Land of Israel. The Land itself literally can't tolerate it.
ולא תקיא הארץ אתכם
מעמדה המיוחד של הארץ מטילה על יושביה רמה מוסרית גבוהה יותר ממה שנדרש מהם אילו היה בחוץ לארץ.
And the earth shall not vomit you..
The special status of the Land of Israel imposes on its inhabitants a higher moral standard than what was required of them if they were abroad.
Vayikra - Leviticus - Chapter 18
| 22You shall not lie down with a male, as with a woman: this is an abomination. | כב וְאֶ֨ת־זָכָ֔ר לֹ֥א תִשְׁכַּ֖ב מִשְׁכְּבֵ֣י אִשָּׁ֑ה תּֽוֹעֵבָ֖ה הִֽוא: | |
| 23And with no animal shall you cohabit, to become defiled by it. And a woman shall not stand in front of an animal to cohabit with it; this is depravity. | כגוּבְכָל־בְּהֵמָ֛ה לֹֽא־תִתֵּ֥ן שְׁכָבְתְּךָ֖ לְטָמְאָה־בָ֑הּ וְאִשָּׁ֗ה לֹא־תַֽעֲמֹ֞ד לִפְנֵ֧י בְהֵמָ֛ה לְרִבְעָ֖הּ תֶּ֥בֶל הֽוּא: | |
| 24You shall not defile yourselves by any of these things, for the nations, whom I am sending away from before you, have defiled themselves with all these things. | כדאַל־תִּטַּמְּא֖וּ בְּכָל־אֵ֑לֶּה כִּ֤י בְכָל־אֵ֨לֶּה֙ נִטְמְא֣וּ הַגּוֹיִ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־אֲנִ֥י מְשַׁלֵּ֖חַ מִפְּנֵיכֶֽם: | |
| 25And the land became defiled, and I visited its sin upon it, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. | כהוַתִּטְמָ֣א הָאָ֔רֶץ וָֽאֶפְקֹ֥ד עֲוֹנָ֖הּ עָלֶ֑יהָ וַתָּקִ֥א הָאָ֖רֶץ אֶת־יֽשְׁבֶֽיהָ: | |
The G-dly light is probably too much for such individuals.
On the other hand if one humbles one's own pleasures and desires to be in sync with the Almighty's agenda and His commandments, than that is a true sign of greatness. Moses, for example was the most humble of all men from time in memorial, and was able to put G-d's Will over his own at an extraordinary level.
MEDIA PUBLICITY
Why is it that many of the Jewish Media reports of this upcoming VIP business trip whitewash Scaramucci's advocacy. If you open, the links themselves, you will see that they are almost carbon copies of each other as they probably originated from the same source, the OJC.
Our message to Dr. Frager and Mr. Honig, about to embark on this venture, is not to be driven by the temporary pleasures that can blind ones vision, but rather, stay true to Torah values.
Media that presents a positive image for Anthony Sacramucci
Duvi Honig's OJC Business Podcast with Rabbi Jacob Rupp. Achieving The American Dream and Having Fun Doing It with Anthony Scaramucci
OJC VIP Tour with Duvi Honig, Dr. Joseph Frager and Anthony ScaramucciOJC Announces Executive VIP Tour of Israel with Wall Street Mogul Anthony ScaramucciOJC Announces Executive VIP Tour of Israel with Wall Street Mogul Anthony ScaramucciFormer WH aide coming to Israel with Orthodox groupFormer White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci coming to Israel with Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce.Trump's Communications Director for 10 Days, 'The Mooch,' to Join Orthodox Chamber of Commerce Israel TripScaramucci to Visit Israel on Investment Trip Run by Orthodox GroupFormer White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci is coming to Israel with the Orthodox Chamber of Commerce at the end of NovemberGet Ready, Israel: The Mooch Is ComingAnthony Scaramucci to join Jewish group's investment trip to Israel
Press showing a negative side on Anthony Scaramucci
The Mooch: 'I'm A Very Active Gay Rights Supporter'Said Scaramucci:
"I have been an active – for the last decade – gay rights, gay marriage equality supporter. Particularly here in New York and New York City but around the world. And I think that 'life, liberty , and the pursuit of happiness' when they wrote that, I don't think it was just meant for straight people, and so for me, I'm a very active gay rights supporter. In addition to that – even though I'm a Roman Catholic and I believe in a right to life I would never impose those values on other people. So for me I'm actually very socially inclusive as a human being, and I'm a Republican because I believe that you need free market principles to create class mobility.
Meet Trump's new pro-gay, pro-abortion communications director https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/meet-trumps-new-pro-gay-pr o-abortion-communications-dire ctor
(Profanity that got him fired highlighted and emphasized)Subject: "I Want to F*cking Kill All the Leakers": Scaramucci Explodes in Unhinged Late-Night RantAnthony Scaramucci Called Me to Unload About White House Leakers, Reince Priebus, and Steve Bannon by Ryan Lizza
Sincerely,
Robin Ticker
Robin Ticker
Activist emails sent to my list are L'Ilui Nishmat Yisrael ben David Aryeh ob"m (Izzy - Kaplan) and Howard Chaim Grief great activists and lovers of Eretz Yisroel, Am Yisroel and the Torah. Yehi Zichronum Baruch. May their memories serve as a blessing.
Most of these emails are posted on Shemittahrediscovered.blogspot
Personal emails to individuals will not be posted to my blog.
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