Saturday, January 31, 2015

Yoely Greenfeld & Shira Choir - Ani Mamin

Yoely Greenfeld and Shira Choir singing at a recent wedding Ani Mamin first recorderd by Dedi on the album Bitchu Bashem 1997 (originally נגינה בית אבא)

Yeedle Kahan / keys
Shlome Cohen / saxophone
Chaim Bokchin / guitar

Friday, January 30, 2015

The Nigun Shamiel

In honor of Yud Shevat, the Yahrtzeit of the Rebbe Rayatz of Lubavitch, a song has been written to one of the Lubavitcher Rebbe's Nigunim.

After Tzivos Hashem produced the “Tiku Bachodesh” video for the Elul rally, and it went viral, it proved to be something that adults and children liked and listen to over and over again. There was one unanimous request: “we want more.”

So Tzivos Hashem approached Rabbi Shloime Sternberg the writer of the “Tiku” song with the request, to write another song.

It took many long hours, but for the very first time young children (and children at heart) can know understand the meaning of the soulful niggun.

The song is song three times. The first time tells the story Shamiel, a King who lived high up in mountains, from where he ruled his kingdom with pride. He defeated his enemies in fight after fight, none could even come close because of his height. However that changed when they tricked him into a false call for peace, to which he agreed to come down, and when he did he was enslaved and imprisoned. Sitting in prison his pain knew no bounds, yet his spirit is high for he is confident and sure that he'll be more victorious than before.

The second time the song is the Nimshul that Chassidim compared this story, to the story of the Neshoma, who was once standing as one with her father on high, serving him with fear and with love. The Neshama was safe and secure. Till it was sent down to the lowest of low, where countless distractions are drowning the soul. From there the Neshoma cries, how she longs for her source up on high. Yet she knows that this Yerida will bring her closer to Hashem than before.

The third time the song tells the story, how it relates to today. Describing the times of the past, when children had the zechus to participate in farbrengens and rallies, they would see and hear their Rebbe whose devotion to them was so easy to feel, and it made their hiskashrus so deep and so real. But then their connection was challenged by a darkness so strong, "Ad mosai, Hashem, this is it taking so long," they cry.

Click Here for more info.

Sung by the Kapelle Choir, featuring Chony Tzuker.

Yitzchak Meir & Malchus - Shabbos Medley - Music Video

לכבוד צאת מארז השבת שלו, מפתיע יצחק מאיר בקליפ מושקע של הפיוט החסידי המזוהה ביותר עם יצירתו: י-ה אכסוף.
הפעם, מאיר לא שר את השיר במנגינה המסורתית הידועה, אלא בחר לאגד את מיטב הלחנים שיצאו במהלך השנים לפיוט נפלא זה. הבית הפותח מושר בלחנו של הרב יוסף צבי ברייער, מלחין חצר חסידות בעלזא. הבית השני בלחנו של יהודה גרין. הבית השלישי בלחן הפופולארי של אלי ביר והבית החותם בלחנו העליז של פינקי וובר שלרגל ההפקה הולבש כאן במילים חדשות.

ביצירה החדשה מארח יצחק מאיר לראשונה את מקהלת 'מלכות' החסידית, תחת שרביטו וניצוחו של המעבד פנחס ביכלר, העוטפת את היצירה בצלילים. בשיאה הוא חובר לדואט אל מי שביצע במקור את י-ה אכסוף המפורסם בגירסת 'לחיים-טיש', ילד הפלא אהרון הלוי הוא הזמר מוטי ויזל (בילדתו שמו האמיתי נשמר בסוד. השם אהרון הלוי ניתן לו כשם כיסוי). על העיבוד והתזמור הופקד מעבד-הפלא בני לאופר בנו הצעיר של משה לאופר.

קרדיטים:
שירה: יצחק מאיר
עיבוד מוזיקאלי ופסתנר: בני לאופר
אמן אורח: מוטי ויזל
קולות: מקהלת 'מלכות'

קרדיט לחנים:
י-ה אכסוף - הרב יוסף צבי ברייער, בעלזא
הצל מאחרי – יהודה גרין
ויהיו רחמיך – אלי ביר
השבת – פנחס מרדכי (פינקי) וובר / התאמה למילים – פנחס ביכלר

Ice Climber Scales Frozen Niagara Falls

Canadian climber Will Gadd has become the first man to ever climb the frozen ice of Niagara Falls.  As the popular tourist area experiences such heavy ice in winter, it is closed to the public. Gadd, 47, already world-renowned for his feats, used the opportunity to take on the ice of the iconic 180-foot high wonder of nature, working his way up just feet away from the Horseshoe Falls.

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Streit's Matzo Factory Closing After 90 Years

Earlier this month, Streit’s matzo factory announced it is selling its four converted tenement buildings and leaving New York City’s Lower East Side, 90 years after it opened in 1925. The neighborhood was once home to hundreds of thousands of Jews, not far from the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory and other large Manhattan manufacturers. Now, the area around Streit’s on Rivington Street is home to stores like Teany, the health food cafe owned by electronica DJ Moby.

Today, Streit’s is still owned and operated by the descendants of founder Aron Streit. The family expected to stay forever. For years, they resisted offers of tens of millions of dollars to sell the buildings. When the Jewish community left the Lower East Side and Streit’s stayed, the brand gained legitimacy from its continued association with the old neighborhood. With time, it became one of the most prominent matzo makers in the country.

Walking around the 80-year-old ovens, it seems miraculous the factory lasted so long. The smell of toast and smoke hangs in the factory air, where the same employees worked for many decades on increasingly ancient machines. “I thought we would be here a lifetime,” says Aron Yagoda, executive vice president of Streit’s, and Aron Streit’s great grandson.

The family won’t say what they received for their buildings, but they nearly agreed to sell for $25m in 2008, and Lower East Side real estate has only grown pricier since. Streit’s is not, however, merely cashing out. “I’d rather be the generation that moved Streit’s than the last generation of Streit’s,” says Yagoda.  The money from the sale will be spent largely on making Streit’s a stronger company. “Our goal is to go from the most inefficient, out-of-date facility to the most efficient, state-of-the-art facility in the world” says Gross. As Streit’s decides not to turn into a charming old museum, it will, at least, retain the vitality of a business that wants to survive.


Kiryas Joel to Lead Proposed Monroe Annexation

The Department of Environmental Conservation's commissioner has determined that Kiryas Joel will be the lead agency for the proposed annexation of more than 500 acres of Monroe land.  The news comes after months of delays from the state on who will lead the proposed land deal, which will double the size of the Hasidic community of Kiryas Joel.  Kiryas Joel will now be overseeing the state's environmental review process on the proposal. 

Dog Saves Cat From Cup

When this cat found himself in a spot of bother, help was on hand from an unlikely source.

As the cat frantically tried to pull a paper cup off its head by wheeling round in circles, a dog trotted on to the scene and came to the rescue.

The dog approached the distressed cat and removed the cup with its jaw, setting it free.

Curious Boy Goes Through Chinese Auction Catalog

From the author: "Watch my nephew, Nachi, and his reaction to viewing prizes in a Chinese auction catalog."

Funerals of IDF Soldiers Killed in Hezbollah Ambush

Maj. Yochai Kalangel, 25, who was killed in Wednesday's Hezbollah attack against IDF soldiers near the Lebanese border was laid to rest at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem on Thursday.

Thousands of people arrived to honor Kalangel who was killed along with St.-Sgt. Dor Haim Nini when Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon attacked IDF vehicles traveling in the village of Ghajar in the Galilee panhandle with Russian-made Kornet anti-tank missiles. Kalangel grew up in the West Bank settlement of Elazar in Gush Etzion, and leaves behind a wife, Tali, and their one-year-old child. He is one of six siblings, and on Independence Day this year he was awarded a General Staff commendation for excellence.


Nemouel Harroch‎‏ V'Ata Kadosh

Singer Nemouel Harroch‎‏ sings Adi Ran's "V'Ata Kadosh" on a Motzei Shabbos radio show with Menachem Toker.

Police to Google: Disable Cop Tracking in Waze

A law enforcement campaign to compel Google Inc. to disable a feature in its popular Waze traffic app that lets drivers warn others about nearby police activity shifted Wednesday when a sheriffs’ organization openly complained that the app not only puts officers’ lives at risk, it also interferes with the ability to write speeding tickets.

The National Sheriffs’ Association, which had focused its complaints about Waze on police safety after the fatal shootings of two New York City police officers in December, expanded its campaign in a new statement criticizing Google’s software as hampering the use of speed traps.

Waze app, which operates like a free GPS navigation tool, users can tag the locations of parked police vehicles, accidents, congestion, traffic cameras, potholes and more, so that other drivers using Waze are warned as they approach the same location.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

No Howling

Howling is strictly prohibited

WWII Vet. Recalls Liberation of Camps & Other Videos

Marking 70 Years Since Liberating Auschwitz.

The Scale of Auschwitz - Auschwitz wasn't just a concentration camp set in one location, it was a network of horrifying labor and death camps.CNN's Atika Shubert explains.


WWII veteran recalls liberation of Buchenwald - World War II veteran Rick Carrier describes being the first American to discover Nazi Germany's Buchenwald concentration camp.


8th Day with Impromptu CH Concert

After being stranded in New York due to cancelled flights, 8th Day's Shmuel and Bentzi Marcus and their brother Eli Marcus performed an impromptu unplugged concert at the Levi Yitzchok Library in Crown Heights.

Click Here for photos.

Singing a new song "Why Wait to Celebrate"


Hezbollah Hits Israeli Convoy Killing 2 Soldiers

The Lebanese Hezbollah group struck an Israeli military convoy on Wednesday, killing two Israeli soldiers. The attack was an apparent retaliation for an airstrike that killed six Hezbollah fighters in Syria earlier this month.

Man Sees for the First Time in 20 Years

He may have been blind for 20 years, but a pair of electronic glasses has enabled a US veteran to see again.

Mark Cornell shed a tear when he saw faces clearly, describing the experience as 'eye-opening' and poignantly telling his friend Yvonne that she was 'pretty'. The Buffalo-born veteran, who served in the US Air Force for 18 years before he lost his sight, is the President of the US Blinded Veterans Association.


Cornell lost much of his sight as the result of a rare reaction to Lyme’s Disease caused by a tick bite that went unnoticed. He was left with very blurry vision and is unable to see details, but after putting on a pair of eSight smart spectacles, could see his friend’s faces clearly.

"מִי יִתֶּן לִּי אֵבֶר כַּיּוֹנָה אָעוּפָה וְאֶשְׁכֹּנָה"

A pastor releases a dove at a funeral, by throwing it like a football, trying to quote Tehilim 55:7,  but instead gave new meaning to the words "be at rest" of that verse.

Tehilim chapter 55, verse 7: "And I said: 'Oh that I had wings like a dove! then would I fly away, and be at rest."

Breslov Wedding in Yerushalayim


Cyclist Miraculously Survives Collision with a Car

A Taiwanese woman is incredibly lucky to be alive after her bicycle was hit by a car on a crosswalk…

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Yitzy Rosinger & Mezamrim Choir - Racheim Na

Child soloist Yitzy Rosinger sings Racheim Na with the Mezamrim Choir, at the Satmar Kollel dinner in Borough Park

Terrifying Looking Machine Mows Ditches

This thing looks like it’s straight out of a dystopian horror movie, but if you watch, it does a pretty good job mowing this ditch, which is a notoriously difficult part of land to keep trim.

"Its Not Easy Being Fiveish" - Fiveish and Friends

Oorah presents "Fiveish and Friends - It's Not that Easy Being Fiveish." Join Fiveish as his friends help teach him an important lesson in life!

Also, be sure to get the latest from Oorah, Shmorg7, available now at www.oorahauction.org

Motty Steinmetz at Tomchei Shabbos Lakewood


Driver Narrowly Avoids Falling Trees

Luck and a quick reaction probably saved this driver from severe injuries.

An intense windstorm on Dec. 29, 2014 recorded by one driver's dashboard camera, wreaked havoc on trees lining the Maroondah Highway in Australia.

The storm, which registered wind speeds of more than 50 miles per hour, caused dozens of trees to fall onto the road almost simultaneously.

Lipa Schmeltzer & Sympinny - Shema

BH Productions Presents: Lipa Schmeltzer & Sympinny Accompanied by the zemiros choir, at the Following The Stars Concert on Chanukah Sunday, December 21, 2014. Video Produced by: Benhesh Studios

Remembering Auschwitz: 70 Years After Liberation

Tuesday marks 70 years since the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated by Soviet forces during WW2. 300 holocaust survivors are expected to travel to Poland to visit the site of the former Nazi death camp for commemorations. The Nazis killed more than 1.1 million people at Auschwitz, most of whom were Jewish.

Chilling drone footage has been released showing the sheer scale of Auschwitz concentration camp ahead of Tuesday’s 70th anniversary marking the liberation of the Nazi regime’s largest death camp. The eerie video taken over the weekend shows an aerial view of the 40 square kilometers of inter-connected camps that imprisoned millions in southern Poland during the Second World War.

Included in the video are the 28 brick buildings that housed between 700 and 1000 prisoners at any one time, as well as the large villa that was the home of notorious camp commandant Rudolf Höss and his family during the four years he spent as the camp’s chief.

Also featured, is a bird’s eye view of Birkenau or Auschwitz ii, the extension in Auschwitz that was constructed from scratch in 1941 to facilitate mass murder.

Over one million people are said to have been killed at Auschwitz from the day it opened in May 1940, until the time it was liberated on 27 January 1945.

An estimated 90 percent of these victims were Jews, with Poles, Romani gypsies, Soviet Prisoners, and others deemed “undesirable” making up the hundreds of thousands of non-Jewish victims that were killed at the hands of the Nazis


Survivors say Kaddish in Auschwitz Monday, January 26 2015

Kinderlach Medley

Pilot Runs Out of Fuel, Ditches Plane in Ocean

The pilot of a single engine Cirrus SR-22 aircraft was rescued after he ditched his plane 253 miles northeast of Maui, Hawaii. The pilot deployed the plane’s parachute system after the aircraft ran out of fuel Sunday afternoon.

The pilot was able to climb out of the plane and into a life raft, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The pilot was picked up by a nearby cruise ship and is said to be in good condition.

50 million Americans Face Record-Breaking Blizzard

Record-Breaking Blizzard: 50 million Americans Face Snow Storm - NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio has ordered that streets and subways be shut down at 11 p.m. as snow descends on the Northeast.


Update: NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio: Better safe than sorry - New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says the subway system and roads will reopen soon after snowfall wasn't as large as predicted.


New Yorkers Take on the Blizzard That Wasn’t - Residents took a snow day on Tuesday after a massive blizzard blew over New York City.

Monday, January 26, 2015

"הנרות הללו" - Blue Melody Group - Daskal - Mezamrim

The origins of this Chabad Masterpiece is uncertain. It is believed to have been composed by the Chasidim of the "Maharash", the 4th Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch. The Rebbe was not well. He would come out for Neiros Chanukah. The Chasdim composed a long song for Hanieros Halalu so that he would stay out longer and enable them to be together with him for that much longer!

 Dec 23rd, Zos Chanukah, at a wedding  performing was, Shloime Daskal and The Mezamrim Choir led by Chilu Posen accompanied by Blue Melody. Arranged by Eli Lax.

Audio by Shy Clyman & Eli Lishinsky.
Video Production: Motty Engel.

Lingering Stigma of the Holocaust in Poland 70 Years On

Decades After Auschwitz, Past Horrors Haunt A Polish Town

The 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, to be attended by world leaders and survivors, raises painful questions for residents of Oswiecim where Nazi occupiers created one of the most relentless extermination machines in history, claiming the lives of an estimated 1.5 million people.

Seven decades on, Oswiecim is trying to put the bleak past behind it, a giant “City of Peace” banner displayed next to the main railway hub, which once saw hundreds of thousands transported in cattle wagons into the camp’s gas chambers.

Shlomo Katz "Upeduyei Hashem" in Yitzhar

Motzei Shabbos January 17, 2015.

Yitzhar is an Israeli settlement located in the West Bank south of the city of Nablus just off Route 60, north of the Tapuach Junction.

Dogs Wait for Feeding Time

A pack of well-trained dogs patiently wait before their human gives them an okay to eat from their food bowls…

Judaism Vs. Buddhism - Hinduism

The differences between Judaism and these religions are not just social. There are major structural differences between these teachings.

Reb Gutman Locks – also affectionately known as "Guru Gil" – has been a fixture in the Old City of Jerusalem for two decades. He is the author of several books and musical tapes.

Reporter Ice Scraper News Blooper

Reporter fail on how to use an ice scraper during an ice scraper demonstration.

Rechnitz Family Sukkos Kumzitz in Jerusalem

מתוך קומזיץ מוזיקלי שנערך בסוכת משפחת רכניץ במלון מצודת דוד בליל הושענא רבה תשע"ה. בהשתתפות: מרדכי בן דוד, הרב ברוך חייט, חיים ישראל, איציק דדיה, יידל וורדיגר, מוטי שטיינמץ, להקת קינדרלעך ועוזיה צדוק

Mordechai Ben David & Uziya Tzadok - Shema Beni


Mordechai Ben David & Motty Steinmetz - Eitz Chaim


Itzik Dadya & Uziya Tzadok - Ki Besimcho

Dovid Hamelech by Eli Marcus - Album Sampler

Album sampler for the upcoming release of Dovid Hamelech by Eli Marcus. Songs Composed by Yossi Green. Click Here to order the album.

You Shall Not Pass


Sunday, January 25, 2015

Tracking Down MBD - Promo

Shmuly Brashevitzky and Dovi Minkowicz go out looking for Chasidic Jewish Music star Mordechai Ben David to perform at the KSCVK (Keren Simchas Chosson V'Kallah) annual auction event.

Inside a Hamster's Cheeks

The BBC's "Pets - Wild at Heart" series is featuring in-depth looks at animals ranging from cats to dogs to hamsters using high-tech photographic methods. A sneak peek at the first episode shows a particularly interesting sequence involving a hungry hamster combined with X-ray imagery. The result is a fascinating inside view of how the industrious rodent is able to pack an obscene amount of food into its cheek pouches.

When faced with a bowl full of nuts and other edible goodies, the golden hamster starts shoving the morsels into its mouth and down the sides. A closeup shows every little strand of fur on its hairy hands. Speeded-up X-ray footage then shows just how much food he can fit down the cheek pouches. "His pouches extend all the way to his hips," explains the narrator.

Driving in Yerushalayim


Inside Poland's only Jewish school

CNN's Ivan Watson visits the only Jewish school in Poland.

52 Skydivers Set World Record With Choreographed Jump

An amazing video has emerged of 52 skydivers setting a new world record for a 'Head Up' flight formation over Phoenix, AZ, US. The footage is shot by participant Zachary R Sabel using a helmet-mounted camera. 

"Head Up body flight is the most difficult position to balance while being able to build formations"

The challenge, which took place on 22 November 2014, involved around 60 skydivers occupying three separate planes.  Their nationalities range from British to American, Russian, Australian, Canadian, Mexican and German.

As they pour out of their aircraft, one after the other and glide through the sky, 52 of them manage to grab each other's hands.Together, they form a remarkable upright display.

Shapiro & Yedidim "First Dance Set" - AT Production

Mordechai Shapiro & Yedidim Choir "First Dance Set" - At a Wedding In Marina Del rey On December 1 2014 Conducted By Yisroel Lamm An Aaron Teitelbaum Production

Chainsaw Demolition Fail


Isaac Honig, Yedidim Choir and Yedidim Junior - Ke'ayol

Yad Efraim Fundraiser Event, At the Dyker Heights Golf Course.

The Yedidim Choir with Isaac Honig singing 'Keayol Taarog' together with the all new 'Yedidim Junior' kids choir

This song was originally sung by Motty Steinmetz in Israel at The Kumtantz event by Hamenagnim.

Accompanied with music by Moishe Glick

Choir:
Tzvi Blumenfeld
Yoel Hersh Fuchs
Mendy Ornstein
Dovid Feder
Yanky Orlansky

Yedidim Junior conducted by: Shmily Spira

Sound: Yossi Rosenberg

Monkey Consoling It's Sad Friend

When they're not swinging from the trees some monkeys can find themselves down in the dumps.

That was clearly the case for little Angelica this week. The monkey was filmed in her enclosure at the Zoological Wildlife Foundation in Miami, Florida, sorrowfully putting one hand to her eyes. But thankfully she had someone to console her, Toby her friend coming to save the day with a bit of loving. The male primate gently puts an arm around his pal. He then proceeds to give her shoulders a massage.

It's not known why Angelica had hit such a low, but maybe it was something to do with the outfit she was wearing. She and Toby appear dressed in miniature summer ensembles.