The Welfare State.  I remember my mother telling me that for an assignment in her college class, she was supposed to go to the welfare office in Chicago and watch what happened there, and then to record it.  What my mother saw astounded her.  She would see 3 generations of family coming in to collect their welfare check.  The (young-before her time) grandmother, the (too young to be a mother) mother, and her little kids tagging along who took their - what looked to be 'usual' places, sitting on the floor and playing games that they brought.  These kids were tacitly being taught that their future too, would be the 'norm' where they would come with their mothers and collect their checks as well one day.

Watch this video clip from a Judge Judy show, it makes you shake your head and cry.  This is who we created.

If you can't see this video below, then click here:  

Couldn't pass this up!  I want you to watch this short video clip.  

If you were a parent, and you had a few children, and each child had his own talents, challenges and personality, would you not want them to get along and love each other anyway?  Of course you would!  This is what G-d wants from us.  He wants His children to love each other.  He wants them to love each other, work together, and compliment each other.  Yes, they may be different, but they must still work on themselves to LOVE EACH OTHER.  

We lost the Holy Temple because of sinat chinam (baseless hatred).  And it is said, that every day that we do not have the Temple, it is because we are still committing this sin - no matter how justified we feel in 'hating' the other.  

Tomorrow is the the holiday of Tu B'Shvat.  It is the holiday of the new year for trees,  the re-birth of life, the sign of the soon coming spring when one sees their nut and cherry trees all bare of leaves, but filled with budding flowers.  Let us re-birth ourselves and start anew, loving our brothers who may be different.   ---And all Mankind can learn from this. All of us, Jew and Gentile, Black and White, Tall and short, brown or blue eyed, are all brothers and sisters in that we all stem from Noah, and before that, from our mother and father, Adam & Eve.

Let's break the cycle of what we think is 'justified' hatred, and learn to respect and love each other.  The word 'love' being used as a verb, not an adjective.  The feelings come, after we do the hard work.

Like it or not, we are all one family.  Watch this video.  Happy Tu B'Shvat!

Guest post by Jean Krainik

I ask the residents of Tel Aviv to wonder who it is that is looking down on their beautiful city. It is your family, your brothers and sisters. This last line of defense is where your brothers choose to live with their families in the most austere and difficult circumstances.

When I first saw the title and blurb on this documentary, I scoffed, and said, "Oh no, not another conspiracy theory!"  But then after watching this, I must say, it makes a lot of sense.  If indeed we're talking about a multi-million dollar loss for a ruthless elite(s), and a British government that wants to stay in power, then it makes sense that they would have no problem with making a switch, and playing with people's lives - and belongings.  Let's remember, in those days, most poor people who were coming to America never saw their family in Europe again.  They would have taken all their most precious possessions, family sentiments, etc. with them on the ship.  All of it would end up at the bottom of the sea, along with hoards of bodies, ....but millions of dollars is millions of dollars, ....and business is business, and politicians are easily bought.

If what this documentary alludes to is true, it is dastardly indeed!

Watch it, it will open your mind, and let you into a world you and I don't often get a peak into.