We speak to Shane Granot, Hostages Families Forum

It’s been 111 days and unfortunately, our work isn’t over.

*Over the past couple of months, we realized our community is seeking one platform that gathers everything together – as such, we have created our website: https://www.hostagesforumny.com/*

Here, you will find everything you need to know about the Families Forum and our Bring Them Home campaign in the New York area. You will learn of the actions you can take, how to donate, and learn about past and future events.

Please feel free to visit, subscribe and share with your friends and family, *until they are all home*
We have a fantastic group of volunteers behind it, and if you have experience with the Wix platform, graphic designing, or marketing writing skills, please feel free to contact me to join us.

Holy See: ‘Unimaginable suffering’ in Gaza must end

In a speech to the United Nations Security Council, the Holy See’s UN representative says “it is essential to avoid an entire population paying the consequences of a heinous act of terrorism.”

By Joseph Tulloch

Pope Francis feels “deep concern” over the war in Gaza, and is renewing his call for a ceasefire.

That was the message delivered by Archbishop Gabriele Gaccia, the Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations, to the UN Security Council on Wednesday.

“Unimaginable” hardship in Gaza
The Archbishop underlined that “the humanitarian situation in Gaza is of extreme gravity” and causing “unimaginable suffering”.
Stressing Pope Francis’ repeated condemnations of the 7th October terrorist attack in Israel, the Italian Archbishop said that is is “essential to avoid an entire population paying the consequences of a heinous act of terrorism.”

“Any action taken in self-defense must be guided by the principles of distinction and proportionality,” he said, “and comply with international humanitarian law.”

“It is deplorable,” Archbishop Caccia added, “that hospitals, schools and places of worship, all of which are a last resort for those fleeing the violence in Gaza, are being used for military purposes and consequently attacked.”

“Such military activity by all parties must cease and these sites must be guaranteed the protection accorded to them under international humanitarian law.”

A ceasefire, Archbishop Caccia said, “would allow space for dialogue, however difficult it may be, in order to secure the release of the hostages still being held in Gaza and to facilitate the distribution of much-needed humanitarian aid.”

The Italian Archbishop drew his speech to a close by noting that “every human being, be they Christian, Jewish, Muslim, of any people or religion, is sacred, precious in the eyes of God, and has the right to live in peace.”

He reiterated the Holy See’s stance that the most viable method for achieving such peace remains the two-state solution, with an “internationally guaranteed special status for the City of Jerusalem.”

It is vital, Archbishop Caccia concluded, that the international community, “together with the leaders of the State of Palestine and the State of Israel”, pursue this solution with “renewed determination”, so that “humanity may prevail over hardness of heart.”

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2024-01/holy-see-united-nations-palestine-israel-gaza-ceasefire.html

#missingfamily #missingfamiliesforum #israelifamilies #israelifamily #gaza #freedom #shanegranot #hostages

The post MISSING FAMILIES FORUM ISRAELI FAMLIES HOSTAGES IN GAZA PLEA FOR FREEDOM – We speak to Shane Granot, a very smart and kind woman appeared first on Good News!.

Imagine! Comedians actually got through a routine without using the “F” word.

WHILE JEWISH PEOPLE MAKE UP ABOUT 2% OF THE U.S. POPULATION, THERE WAS A TIME WHEN THEY MADE UP 50% OF THE FAMOUS COMEDIANS

You may remember the old Jewish Comics:

Shecky Greene, Red Buttons, Totie Fields, Joey Bishop, Milton Berle, Jan Murray, Danny Kaye, Henny Youngman, Buddy Hackett, Sid Caesar, Groucho Marx, Jackie Mason, Woody Allen, Lenny Bruce, George Burns, Allan Sherman, Jerry Lewis, Carl Reiner, Shelley Berman, Gene Wilder, George Jessel, Alan King, Mel Brooks, Phil Silvers, Jack Carter, Rodney Dangerfield, Don Rickles, Jack Benny, Sid Caesar, and so many others.

There was not one single swear word in their comedy. Here are a few examples:

* I just got back from a pleasure trip.
I took my mother-in-law to the airport.

* I’ve been in love with the same woman for 49 years!
If my wife ever finds out, she’ll kill me!

* What are three words a woman never wants to hear when she’s making love?
“Honey, I’m home!”

* Someone stole all my credit cards, but I won’t be reporting it.
The thief spends less than my wife did.

* We always hold hands.
If I let go, she shops.

* My wife and I went back to the hotel where we spent our wedding night.
Only this time I stayed in the bathroom and cried.

* My wife and I went to a hotel where we got a waterbed.
My wife called it the Dead Sea.

* She was at the beauty shop for two hours.
That was only for the estimate.

* She got a mudpack and looked great for two days.
Then the mud fell off.

* The Doctor gave a man six months to live.
The man couldn’t pay his bill, so the doctor gave him another six months.

* The Doctor called Mrs. Cohen saying, “Mrs. Cohen, your check came back.”
Mrs. Cohen answered, “So did my arthritis!”

* Doctor: “You’ll live to be 60!”
Patient: “I am 60!”
Doctor: “See! What did I tell you?”

* Patient: “I have a ringing in my ears.”
Doctor: “Don’t answer it!”

* A drunk was in front of a judge.
The judge says, “You’ve been brought here for drinking.”
The drunk says “Okay, let’s get started.”

* Why do Jewish divorces cost so much?
They’re worth it.

* The Harvard School of Medicine did a study of why Jewish women like Chinese food so much. The study revealed that this is due to the fact that Won Ton spelled backward is Not Now.

*There is a big controversy on the Jewish view of when life begins.
In Jewish tradition, the fetus is not considered viable until it graduates from medical school.

Q: Why don’t Jewish mothers drink?

A: Alcohol interferes with their suffering.

Q: Why do Jewish mothers make great parole officers?
A: They never let anyone finish a sentence!

A man called his mother in Florida, “Mom, how are you?”
“Not too good,” said the mother. “I’ve been very weak.”
The son said, “Why are you so weak?”
She said, “Because I haven’t eaten in 38 days.”
The son said, “That’s terrible. Why haven’t you eaten in 38 days?”
The mother answered, “Because I didn’t want my mouth to be filled with food if you should call.”

A Jewish boy comes home from school and tells his mother he has a part in the play.
She asks, “What part is it?”
The boy says, “I play the part of the Jewish husband.”
The mother scowls and says, “Go back and tell the teacher you want a speaking part.”

Q: How many Jewish mothers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: (Sigh) “Don’t bother. I’ll sit in the dark. I don’t want to be a nuisance to anybody.”

Did you hear about the bum who walked up to a Jewish mother on the street and said, “Lady, I haven’t eaten in three days.”
“Force yourself,” she replied.

Q: What’s the difference between a Rottweiler and a Jewish mother?
A: Eventually, the Rottweiler lets go.

Q: Why are Jewish men circumcised?
A: Because Jewish women don’t like anything that isn’t 20% off.

#pleasure #trip #airport #stole #credit #reporting #thief #spends #wife #ringing #ears #drunk #judge #drinking #started #Jewish #divorces #cost #much #worth #controversy #tradition #fetus #considered #viable #graduates #medical #school #interferes #suffering #great #parole #officers #light bulb #sit #dark #nuisance #Rottweiler #men #circumcised

The post The comedy of our youth Submitted by Ellen Galick appeared first on Good News!.

“ Never have I seen
such a mess in life.

The air is pure but
wearing a mask is
mandatory.

Roads are empty
but it is impossible
to go on long drive.

People have clean
hands but there is a
ban on shaking hands.

Friends have time to
sit together but they
cannot get together.

The cook inside you
is crazy, but you cannot
call anyone for lunch or
dinner.

Every Monday,
the heart longs to go out, but the weekend does not seem to end.

Those who have money
have no way to spend it.

Those who don’t have
money have no way to
earn it.

There is enough time
on hand but you can’t
fulfill your dreams.

The culprit is all around
but cannot be seen.

A world full of irony!
Be positive but test negative.”

The post These thoughts are dedicated to our friends in India and around the world suffering from Covid appeared first on Good News!.

We are one human family, whether in the United States or in China or the rest of the world. As a member of this family, we have the responsibility and obligation to make our due contribution to our common home. Only when people all over the world get along with each other and unite together can we realize the good wish of world peace. Although there are many countries and different nationalities in the world, but we have only one Earth! Therefore, we must establish a community of shared future for mankind to truly treat all life is to treat yourself!

惟愿
The Prayer

男：街道空旷 夜色无常，
Male: The streets are desolate and the night obscures all,
一道道光逆风飞扬，
rays of light pierce through the wind,
天使与魔鬼相望，
Angels and Demons face one another,
前进的路上星光微茫。
Under the dime light the path forward is blurred

女： 生命蒙难 世界同殇，
Female: Life is cut short, and the world mourns,
一张张脸神 情绪高昂，
but their faces show relentless determination
希望和春天明朗，
Hope and spring are bright,
希望和春天明朗。
Hope and spring are bright.

男：天地玄黄 宇宙洪荒，
Male: Grand is the heaven and the earth, vast is the universe
众人报春 指手化霜，
People herald the spring as their fingertips warm away the frost.
唯愿家国无染 岁月绵长。
Praying for long lasting safety for both family and country.

女：天地玄黄 宇宙洪荒，
Female: Grand is the heaven and the earth, vast is the universe
众人报春 指手化霜，
People herald the spring as their fingertips warm away the frost.
唯愿灿烂笑容 如往昔 繁华缇裳。
Praying for brilliant smiles as before like beautiful embroidery

女：春怀暖阳 走出创伤，
Female: Wounds give way to the promised warmth of the spring sun.
黑色眼神 力量铿锵，
Black eyes show power and strength
雨过彩虹 涅槃凤凰，
like a rainbow after the rain,
like a Phoenix rising from the ashes.
唯愿紫气神州 日出东方。
Praying for the sun to continue rising in the East

男：山川异域 风月同天，
Male: The mountains and rivers maybe strangers, but the wind and the moon are the same,
一双双手 救死扶伤，
Many hands save the dying and heal the wounded
落英缤纷流水长，
fallen petals lie in profusion, as water flows,
古往今来多难兴邦。
Since olden times,
challenges make a nation strong.

女：山川异域 风月同天，
Female: The mountains and rivers maybe strangers, but the wind and the moon are the same,
天佑华夏 浩浩泱泱，
God bless this magnificent land,
唯愿紫气神州 日出东方。
Praying the sun continues to rise in the East
山川异域 风月同天，
The mountains and rivers maybe strangers, but the wind and the moon are the same,
一双双手 救死扶伤，
Many hands save the dying and heal the wounded.

男：落英缤纷流水长，
Male: fallen petals lie in profusion, water flows long
古往今来多难兴邦。
Since olden times,
challenges make a nation strong.

合：山川异域 风月同天，
Together: The mountains and rivers maybe strangers, but the wind and the moon are the same,
天佑华夏 浩浩泱泱，
God bless this magnificent land,
唯愿紫气神州 日出东方。
Praying the sun continues to rise in the East
唯愿世界大同， 前路无恙
Praying for the world to unite,
Praying the path forward is safe and sound.

The post The Sun Rises After Coronavirus… appeared first on Good News!.

Friend of Dalai Lama and Healer for All
Gaia Holistic Inc is a Not-for Profit Public Foundation under 501(c)(3), approved by the United State Federal Government. Its donations are tax deductible under the law. Gaia Holistic strives for the betterment and the happiness of all sentient beings on this planet, constantly working toward dispelling of suffering through various programs and teachings.

DR KAZUKO ONNETSU FAR INFRA-RED THERAPY AND TRAINING
Based on Ancient Japanese traditional healing coupled with modern science of Far Infra-Red, this modality helps to reduce stress and pain (shoulder ache, backache, stomach ache, headache, knee pain, joints pain, muscle pain, etc.) to improve conditions such as chronic fatigue, constipation, rheumatism, skin problems, sports injuries, diabetes, hepatitis, problems in various organs, cancer, stroke and depression. This therapy restores patient`s self-healing power.

The post Dr. Kazuko – ONNETSU FAR INFRA-RED THERAPY AND TRAINING updates us on how it can help Covid appeared first on Good News!.

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See the Faces and Listen to the Stories of Our Society’s Most Overlooked Outcasts:

The Mentally Ill and Homeless http://www.robertokinmd.com

From L.A. to Philly to Miami, they’re out there—pushing their carts, digging through garbage, sleeping on park benches, sometimes ranting about nonsense to no one. They often look and sound crazy, smell bad, and make us uneasy, so we avoid them. We know better intellectually, yet most of us shun people suffering from homelessness and mental illness because we view them as deeply flawed—somehow less human than the rest of us.

As part of his career devoted to the mentally disabled, Dr. Robert Okin decided to use a powerful artistic medium to advocate for these people. In SILENT VOICES: People with Mental Disorders on the Street (Golden Pine Press, October 2014), Dr. Okin invites all of us to get to know the people society treats like pariahs, people who, beneath their symptoms and rags, struggle with feelings and needs similar to those of the rest of us. He shares the striking and evocative photographs and stories—most often, in their own words—of more than 40 mentally ill people he met on the streets of San Francisco. “I wrote this book,” Dr. Okin reflects, “to contribute to making these people known as human beings.”

SILENT VOICES offers a glimpse of the dark pasts—marked by abuse, violation, tragedies, crime, drugs, and addiction—and everyday challenges of homeless men and women suffering from bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and other serious mental disabilities.

Based on his interviews, research, and decades of professional experience, Dr. Okin discusses:

 Staggering facts on how the mentally ill are neglected, mistreated, and discriminated against. In America today, over 200,000 people with mental disorders are abandoned in the streets and another 250,000 are locked up in jails and prisons.

 Measures needed to reduce the widespread, escalating problem of the homeless mentally ill, including increased government funding for affordable housing, partnerships between the public and private sector to provide job training, and legal reform.

 The critical need for well-trained, dedicated professional clinical case managers. “Without excellent clinical case managers, a mental health system will tend to be mechanistic, inaccessible, and exclusively focused on the management of symptoms with medication, rather than also on clients’ human development and rehabilitation,” Dr. Okin asserts.

 What everyone can do to overcome the stigma of mental illness and prevent homelessness, with the goal of not just social acceptance for people with mental illness but genuine inclusion in society. “Treatment cannot occur first and inclusion second,” stresses Dr. Okin.

Robert L. Okin, MD, served as chief of psychiatry at San Francisco General Hospital and professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, for 17 years. He is also a former state commissioner of mental health for both Vermont and Massachusetts. Throughout his career, he developed crucial services and clinical case management programs to enable mentally ill people to live with dignity in the community. A member of the board of advisors of Disabilities Rights International (DRI), he has provided psychiatric advocacy and consultation for missions to Mexico and Turkey, among many other countries, to investigate human rights violations in mental institutions. He lives in San Francisco.

I hope you will be moved, uplifted, and outraged by the stories in SILENT VOICES.

Dr. Robert Okin, Author of SILENT VOICES

1. You’ve forged relationships with the homeless, but you’re a trained psychiatrist. What can the average person do to help a homeless person they see on the street?

It is true that I was able to forge such relationships, but I don’t think this primarily resulted from any particular skill I had as a psychiatrist. It was more the result of my openness and expressed interest in the people I met. This may sound corny, but saying a simple “Hello, I hope you have a good day” or “I wish you well” is probably the best and easiest thing to do. It won’t change the actual living conditions of the homeless people, but at least it will make them feel that they’re not invisible. It would be great if you could follow up with an e-mail to your city supervisors and congressperson about the need for supportive housing for homeless people. And if you really want to move this project forward, get your friends to send e-mails as well.

2. What is the root of society’s fear and stigmatization of mental illness?

Some of society’s fear comes from the strangeness and unpredictability people associate, sometimes correctly, with mental illness. Because mentally ill people seem strange, it’s hard for us to empathize with them and to remember that they were once children with hopes and dreams like our own. At a deeper level, people have always projected the most feared and hated parts of themselves onto those who have mental illness. Mentally ill people become the living representation of the most disavowed parts of ourselves and thus become stigmatized. Not wanting to be reminded of these parts of ourselves, we, as a society, have burned these people, drowned them, isolated them in mental hospitals, and put them away in jails where we can’t see them. But those who become homeless and aren’t put out of sight evoke in us responses that cause us to avoid them in other ways: basically, we close our eyes to them.

3. Did you have any preconceived ideas about the homeless? What was your biggest misconception about them?

I expected to be dismissed and rejected when I reached out to them. I was a stranger, so I assumed they wouldn’t want to talk with me. I also assumed that if they did, they wouldn’t reveal their feelings. I was wrong on all counts. Most of the people I met genuinely welcomed my overtures and quickly warmed up to me. I was repeatedly surprised at how much grief these people were carrying just under the surface and how willing they were to reveal it to me. More than anything else, I was reminded of just how human and vulnerable these people are. I easily identified with and felt close to them. At the end of a day of talking with them, I felt sad, wrung out, and anxious about my grip on my own financial and emotional security.

4. How did your own opinions change after meeting and getting to know some of them?

I developed an abiding admiration for many of them—I respected how they were willing to continue living, despite the brutal conditions they were dealing with day after day. I often wondered if I would have the grit and the courage to stick it out if I were in their position. I don’t know if I could stand living their lives and dealing with the hopelessness most of them feel.

5. What percentage of the homeless suffer from mental illness?

Approximately 25 percent primarily have severe and chronic mental illness and another 15 percent have significant drug abuse disorders.

6. What can city and state governments do to help the homeless mentally ill integrate back into society?

First, these people need supportive, supervised housing and a sufficient income that allows them to escape the deprivations of poverty. Without housing, any other intervention is ineffective. Second, they need case management from a social worker with a relatively small caseload who has the time to meet them where they live, provide a loving human connection with them, help them with their daily tasks (laundry, shopping, budgeting), help them reduce their drug intake, and when indicated, help them to be evaluated by a psychiatrist to get them on psychiatric medications. These social workers also have to play a major advocacy role in helping their clients rejoin society. And third, the homeless mentally ill need something productive to do during the day—some sort of job.

The post Dr. Robert Okin appeared first on Good News!.

Learn more about the development of the college by reading the New Community College Concept Paper, the case study Rethinking Community College for the 21st Century and other college planning documents from 2008-2010.
In April 2013 The City University of New York received a $25 million gift from the Stella and Charles Guttman Foundation to support The New Community College at CUNY and two other community college initiatives to boost student retention and graduation rates. In honor of the $15 million endowment gift to the college, the foundation’s largest and the largest ever given to a New York State community college, the CUNY Board of Trustees passed a resolution to rename The New Community College Stella and Charles Guttman Community College. The gift will provide support for activities such as paid internships, community service and experiential learning and for scholarships and student emergency funds.
The Stella and Charles Guttman Foundation focuses much of its grantmaking on educational programs and social services to support low-income New York City children, youth and families. The son of immigrants, Charles Guttman was raised on the Lower East Side and attended public school until age 13, when he began working odd jobs to help support his family. In adulthood he built a successful business, The Paddington Corp. In 1959, he and his wife, Stella Rappaport Guttman, established the Guttman Foundation for the “improvement and benefit of mankind, and the alleviation of human suffering.” Upon their deaths in 1969, without leaving descendants, the Guttmans bequeathed substantially all of their assets to the Foundation.

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