Chabad parties it up with Bush and Schwarzenegger

Ynet correspondent Israel Bardugo heads to California for a Chabad-hosted Hanukkah party at Governor Schwarzenegger's residence. Take a look at the festivities that millions in America saw broadcasted live

After meeting with US President George W. Bush

After koshering a wing of the White House kitchen with US First Lady Laura Bush, Rabbi Levi Shemtov—dubbed the "Rabbi of Capital Hill"—sets out on his Hanukkah mission. Take a look as Attorney General Michael Mukasey lights Hanukkah candles, President Bush pays his respect to Chabad representatives... (Continued below)

WASHINGTON - The larger-than-life Hanukkiya towers over gathered onlookers on the Ellipse—a manicured field located near the White House. Crowds fill the carefully-groomed lawn bundled up with heavy jackets in an attempt to insulate themselves from the teeth-chattering cold.

President Bush honoring Chabad rabbis As Mukasey gets off the crane, he delivers a short and concise holiday message: "It's not easy to fight for freedom, the struggle of Hanukkah continues to this day. Today we have Iraq and Afghanistan, just like in the past (there were similar struggles for freedom)." Attorney General Mukasey, Shem Tov rabbis on crane The Attorney General, who happens to be an observant Jew, takes a moment to reflect on the origins of the perennial holiday and how the lessons from the Hanukkah story can be applied to contemporary events.

"Something very special is going on here," an elderly Jewish man says with a twinkle in his eye. "We are lighting the Hanukkiyah, one of many Jewish symbols, in one of the most symbolic places in all of America. Is there something a Jew can take more pride in than that?" he asks.

... and lighting Hanukkah candles with the Attorney General in Washington, Chabad representatives shared the holiday festivities with yet another influential US statesman—California "Governator" Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Rabbi Shlomo Konin, Chabad's chief envoy to California, hosted a Hanukkah candle-lighting celebration at the governor's residence in Sacramento in an event broadcast across the country via the major American television networks.

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Governor Schwarzenegger at the festivities Schwartzneggar with Abraham Buffet And Solomon Rothschild Schwarzenegger's 'Poppa' Was A Nazi The Simon Wiesenthal Center has confirmed that Arnold's Poppa served as a Nazi storm trooper, and now the center is investigating what his unit did. Arnold actually turned to the Wiesenthal Center to investigate his Poppa.		Israeli Billionaire Porn/News Media Magnate Backs Schwarzenegger "Arnie is terrific" Who Cares If Arnold Is A Crypto? You have to realize that 50% of the Congress is Cryptos, and that's the reason we are in Iraq, and there are 3,000 dead soldiers in Iraq. The other majority have the Zionist wife, or are just plain Shabbat Goys.

The Hanukkah event has turned into a annual tradition of sorts, with Chabad leading the efforts to bring their teachings to the Sunshine State.

Schwarzenegger handing out goodies

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Despite heavy rains, this year the festivities attracted Hollywood A-listers as well as soldiers and firefighters. A particular emphasis was placed on honoring the efforts of California's firefighters some two months after they battled to put out raging wildfires that plagued the state's south.

Lighting the candles with Rabbi Konin During the ceremony Governor Schwarzenegger and Chabad rabbis awarded outstanding firefighters with certificates of appreciation for their heroism in combating the blazes.

EPA Forced To Clean Up Former Rubashkin Mill Crown Heights Community Council President Rabbi Moshe Rubashkin's former Montex mill in Allentown, PA is back in the news again after a series of arson fires. Rubashkin owes the city hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes and fees. \ His "mortgage holder," Skyline Industries, Inc. of Brooklyn, NY now officially owns the property. Sources tell FailedMessiah.com that Skyline Industries is closely tied to the Rubashkin family and that at least two Rubashkins control Skyline's operations and sit on its executive. Rabbi Aaron Rubashkin, owner of AgriProcessors (Aaron's Best™, Rubashkin's™, Shor HaBor™, etc.), and his son Rabbi Moshe Rubashkin collected union dues from employees and pocketed the money themselves, rather than turning the funds over to the union as required by law. They got caught. The Forward reported this Friday. (Our report on this was posted 14.5 months ago, on March 13, 2005.) Here in PDF is the decision finding against the Rubashkins from the National Labor Relations Board, in case you missed it the first time around. The 41/2-story, shuttered textile factory was gutted in an April 19 blaze that took city firefighters two days to extinguish. The fire was determined to be an arson.

The ceremony also featured a live broadcast of a candle-lighting ceremony by US soldiers serving overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan who lit the menorah with the assistance of Chabad emissaries who traveled to the far-flung destinations.

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Actor Jon Voight spoke at the event and discussed his longtime involvement with Chabad. He urged people watching at home to support the Chabad organization and its undertakings.

Schwarzenegger thanked the organization for its charity work during the wildfire disaster.

Jon Voight

He also touched on Chabad's contribution to the state as a whole and shook the hands of the envoys that he said help spread the light of Hanukkah everywhere.

A few minutes before the broadcast ended, the Chabad envoys managed to drag Schwarzenegger and his entourage onto the dance floor for some Hasidc dancing.

Rabbi Konin spoke with Ynet about the event's unexpected turnout: "There were some doubts. We're talking about a live broadcast the size of which we have not seen until today for a similar Jewish event. In spite of the downpour, people still came and it was a big success."

Schwarzenegger to authorize release of 30 Israeli prisoners

Attorney says leaders of California's Jewish community behind governor's decision to allow prisoners to serve remainder of their sentences in Israel

Ahead of Israel's 60th Anniversary celebrations, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected authorized the release of some 30 Israelis from the state's prisons, thus allowing them to serve the remainder of their sentences in Israel, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Friday.

California's overcrowded prison system was cited as the official reason for the release of the prisoners. The state's prisons currently house 170,000 inmates, about 77,000 more than they can actually hold. The gesture marks a shift in the policy of the state's parole board, which has rejected numerous pleas by Israeli prisoners for an early release.

Mordehai Tzivlin, a defense attorney for the Israeli prisoners abroad and their families, said leaders of California's Jewish community were behind Schwarzenegger's decision.

According to Israeli Foreign Ministry data, 40 Israelis are currently being held in Los Angeles prisons, while 15 more are serving time in San Francisco for various offenses, including murder, money laundering, drug-trafficking and fraud.

It is estimated that the list of prisoners slated for release will not include Israelis who were indicted for murder or those who hold American citizenship. Israelis imprisoned in California's federal prisons will also be excluded.

The transfer of the prisoners to Israel is scheduled to begin in the beginning of June and will be concluded within a few months. The International Division at the State Prosecutor's Office has already drafted a list of 31 prisoners Israel is requesting that Californian authorities release as part of the gesture.

Various sources