Today, I said a prayer for my country in the oldest synagogue in continuous use in the Western Hemisphere, in Curaçao (it has a sand floor). The first Jew prayed here in 1732, the year that George Washington was born, and 44 years before the birth of America.
Today, Kevin McCarthy met with the antisemite Paul Gosar. What do you call someone who seeks power with the aid of antisemites?
It's a beautiful synagogue, I have been there. Membership is open to anyone in the world. Anti-Semites are a curse on our world, but McCarthy is so desperate he will engage with anyone, even Gosar - Pathetic piece of shit.
If not for collaborating with an antisemite, I would call him feckless, pathetic, weak willed and lame. Now, I would add desperate, unprincipled, repulsive and just plain stupid.
Bless you and yours, Steve. Was just writing a scene in Rome's "Jewish Ghetto" for my next book. Don't do what I did the last time my family's cruise ship stopped in Curacao: watched a (amateur) baseball game at a ballpark near the port. Made it back to the ship but cut it a little close!
Your "dumpster fire" characterization of this Congress is playing out. So is McCarthy's public demise. He and his fellow Republicans are about to break the 1923 record for failed ballots in electing a Speaker. Be safe and enjoy!
***I stand corrected. I should have said the previous (1923) record since the post-Civil War period. Apparently, in 1855, it took the 34th Congress 133 attempts to elect a speaker!***
I have visited this synagogue. I think about my Jewish American father-in-law who fought the Nazis, drove a tank at Battle of Remagen and then had dozens of nazis surrender to him. Then he became a guard at the Nuremberg trials seeing what these monsters did to Jewish people and humanity. I abhor what is going on and I pray for my children. He would be so upset how the future that he fought for is threatened by scum.
Beautiful, thank you for sharing. We are certainly in the midst of troubling times. I'm even more fearful, as we are losing some good Democrats in 2024. Precarious all around.
Kevin McCarthy is one of many who are a clear and present danger to the United States..his alliance with the antisemitic traitors occupying the Congress makes him one of them..Washington et al took action when the threat was the British, Lincoln took action when the threat was the South..In this moment those seeking to protect our Democratic Republic have yet to take the action necessary to crush the threat that is happening in this moment..But this does not answer your question..
Wow! Was it somewhat hidden away and visible to only those who knew where to enter? That's how I found the Sienna synagogue formerly in the ghetto. A 7-foot door in a blank brick wall, some passageways, and suddenly in a green and white rococo gem with chandeliers. Kevin McCarthy is a less interesting topic.
When I was 12, my Mother said you must watch this PBS show. It was a documentary on the Holocaust. I doubt most Mom’s would have thought that documentary appropriate for a 12 year old. But I was a very mature 12. I am now 73. I still watch movies and documentaries that tell about the atrocities that took place. I have always thought that hate mongers, bigots and monsters were just the beginning of the problem. The Ill informed, and weak minded had to support such atrocities. It is the same today. We must educate our children. And while we fill their minds with information, fortify their hearts with kindness and compassion. Without this, we will lose our great nation. That is a beautiful Synagogue. May it always be filled with peace and love. May we overcome the weak minded that have infiltrated our government.
Thank you, Steve. I am in tears - good ones for the beauty of this synagogue and your goodness in saying a prayer - probably like the one that often sticks in my throat at services - and posting the photos and your actions. And tears of fear and anger for McCarthy's lack of any principles, and especially consorting with antisemites.
We learned everything we needed to know about McCarthy and his integrity and values (if such a lesson was needed) in 2021 when he made a swift 180 from his angry denunciation of 45 the night of the insurrection and then kissing Trump's ring (and perhaps more) when he was summoned to Florida a short time later. Perhaps his karmic payoff for that was the tepid endorsement Trump gave him this week. Hardly worth selling ones soul off in front of the whole world.
We are all learning one thing is not the other and we must call it what it is.
Terrorist is the word I use for anyone who chooses to deny another their right to exist.
IMO, there's no difference between the person who strips dignity from another human being using their words when those same words can incite an act of violence - regardless of your nationality.
And, yes, by my definition, Piers Morgan is a terrorist.
Steve, Steve, we are all supplicating that America is restored to a place of peace, where ethnic hate is repudiated by all the races that are America and those who will continue to expand her ethnic magnificence and democracy. Steve, do not let those spiteful, low men and women bring our hearts sorrow. They never will, Steve. They will not live in our heads. I have repeatedly said that I am aghast at what has been happening. I do not know if now there has been some change, for I am not watching the latest. I will tell you this. I really want one Republican who loves him/herself in the same manner that he/she loves his/her own family and/or America, the America that has given her all to place him/her in the House of the People so that he or she may restore order and accountability for America, her Constitution, her Liberty and her Justice For All, to stand up as a free American. To stand up for you, Steve, and for all of us who are now supplicating for Trust in America again, where seditionists and their supporters will never have power over law-abiding citizens, because the former, under the rule of the twice impeached President of the United States, did all to violate the Rule of Law. And Kevin McCarthy and all the ones nominating him for the position of Speaker of the House, and the twenty disgraceful and toxic members of the House, if given the power, will continue to erode American democracy. In Boebert's words, her president and that of all who stand by her side and Kevin McCarthy's side, Donald Trump, was not the one lawfully elected by the American people in 2020, President Joe Biden. They repudiate the electoral process, and they repudiated the transition and transfer of power with a criminal Insurrection and an attempted coup d'état. They violated their oaths, every one of them.
The party of “Values”? McCarthy is a desert inside instead of a spectrum of emotions. Do you notice his normal affect is flat? My delusional hope is for the right amount of sane Republicans who will crossover and vote for Hakeem. I use the word “sane” loosely.
Democrats are missing an important opportunity. Suppose they proposed John Kasich, for example, as Speaker, and use their 212 votes on his behalf. Kasich would need an additional 6 votes from Republicans. Could he get them? I would not bet against it.
People of different religion may differ in many ways, but they all share the fact that we all are from the human race. I have pity for those who resent others who do not share their faith, beliefs or any other aspect of their being. Let's hope we can persuade everyone to respect each other regardless.
Thank you Steve. A prayer is a prayer, wherever it is offered. What a beautiful and spiritual place. Now we must hope that the “powers” of life will respond.
Steve. Nidhe Israel Synagogue in Bridgetown Barbados is 1654. https://www.jewishbarbados.org/who-we-are/nidhe-israel-synagogue/ - we lived on the island for years; rebuilt EASY HALL in St. Joseph. Note: continuous use is another question. I doubt continuous. Paul Altman supported the synagogue. Few Jews in Barbados today. It’s a tourist attraction. The slave trade was worked by Dutch Jews working with the British. Barbados was a pivotal point on the way from Africa to Jamaica and the British Colonies in America. The Garrison on the East Coast was used to sort the slaves. The most peaceful were retained on the island and later buried in unmarked graves on plantations where they were enslaved - as they died. Slaves were not permitted to roam the island. The least peaceful were sold in Jamaica. America received the rest.
That’s a beautiful synagogue. Our country needs all the help it can get and there are fresh warnings on this Eve of the Insurrection that is neither recognised nor acknowledged in the visitors’ tour of the Capital.
Right!! I had forgotten that Jews were blamed for spreading plague because they were not getting sick like others. Good point. Must have been the sand. Thanks
Paul Gosar is hated by his family. He is match for would be Speaker Kevin McCarthy, President Trump, his wives and family. The Republicans have decayed beyond recognition. President Abraham Lincoln’s Grand Old Party is no longer. The Dixiecrats are no longer. Racism and xenophobia are GOP political issues. Millions of Americans are prejudiced, ignorant and intolerant and afraid of people that are different. Republicans are dangerous today. Tolerance has vacated the party of Lincoln. Intolerance tops the domestic violence agenda of the intolerant so-called Conservative. True Liberals and true traditional Conservatives are tolerant and well informed and well educated. Our prejudiced are fearful and ignorant and intolerant. Paul Gosar is observably disturbed and disgusting. Kevin McCarthy is unfit to govern - as are the January 6 insurrectionists and the sedition crowd.
What to call a fellow traveler with the worst humanity has to offer? Evil? Morally bankrupt? An empty vessel willing to be filled by anyone who makes him feel momentarily important.
Stunning. Thank you for sharing, Steve. There is no predicting where chaos will lead, nor end up. It’s very existence is the refusal of rational thought. Looking desperately for and making deals to attain an undeserved position, ironically to lead, puts us all in peril. What do we call McCarthy? Useless, desperate, and pathetic, come to mind. But when a large number of congressmen and women are insurrectionists and are able to go into positions directly adverse to the perimeters our constitution allows (serving after insurrection) what exactly are we to expect?
McCarthy has traipsed way beyond the pale and has forsaken even tattered remnants of any lingering honor or integrity but as fixedly beholden to this perverse beast demanding sacrifice after sacrifice.
Kevin McCarthy is a blight on the American people. His amorality enables his tendency to associate with those who foment hatred of Jews, minorities, and all measure of people who recognize the importance of our democracy. He is unable to stand up for what is right, as proven by his post-Jan. 6 statement condemning the insurrection, which he then reversed by visiting and affirming his unholy alliance with Trump!
According to Wikipedia McCarthy’s parents were both democrats. Maybe they are no longer alive to see the POS son they had, I think that might be easier than having to live through watching his utter and complete debasement along with his vile immorality.
On another note, looking at this gorgeous synagogue made my day and is reminder of great and beautiful houses of worship.
McCarthy is a terrible and flaccid man. It also says terrible things about this country that antisemites have the kind of influence that McCarthy would beg to align with while he is in trouble.
DISPICABLE, is what I would call him, without using every swear word in my extensive vocabulary, as much as I loathe the scum that are breaking his balls, I loathe him even more, so the fact that they are breaking his balls makes me smile.
What a beautiful, historic synagogue. There have been people with dark hearts and evil mouths throughout the ages. To see this in our own country is beyond disgusting. Anyone who validates the hatred of any people does not deserve respect. Shame on Kevin McCarthy, who is only interested in quest and will not call out anybody
I read somewhere that during the time of the Plague that Jewish homes had floors covered with sand while others including the royals had dirt, stone or wood floors.
This is a remarkable discovery to me, and is a stunning synagogue. I doubt I'll get there in my lifetime (I've yet to make Aliyah, which kind of has priority).
In answer to your question, what do you call someone who seeks power with the aid of antisemites? You call them a Republican, as this is what they've become. I fear my future here.
I have very fond memories of walking on a Shabbat to participate in the services in 1968, as a 16 year old. The rabbi invited me for lunch after services. My family was staying at the Curacao Hilton, and it was quite a long walk. Services began very early in the morning so local residents could open their shops. It's a beautiful synagogue.
Steve, Remember that the sand floors are a reminder of the need to shield the sounds of prayer from local non-Jews to avoid detection as practicing Jews and suffer the fate of other Jews in the Inquisition. The practice went from Spain and Portugal to Brazil and from Recife Brazil back into the Caribbean as Jews escaped the Inquisitions' crossing of the Atlantic and left Brazil. All of this is recounted in the beautiful Museum next to the synagogue in Barbados.
It's a beautiful synagogue, I have been there. Membership is open to anyone in the world. Anti-Semites are a curse on our world, but McCarthy is so desperate he will engage with anyone, even Gosar - Pathetic piece of shit.
There is no deal that McCarthy will not make to attain his dream job. He has no principles, no ideals, no conscience.
My contempt for the execrable Kevin McCarthy just grows by the day.
If not for collaborating with an antisemite, I would call him feckless, pathetic, weak willed and lame. Now, I would add desperate, unprincipled, repulsive and just plain stupid.
They soil their ancestors with their actions. These people are truly vile and reprehensible.
Bless you and yours, Steve. Was just writing a scene in Rome's "Jewish Ghetto" for my next book. Don't do what I did the last time my family's cruise ship stopped in Curacao: watched a (amateur) baseball game at a ballpark near the port. Made it back to the ship but cut it a little close!
Your "dumpster fire" characterization of this Congress is playing out. So is McCarthy's public demise. He and his fellow Republicans are about to break the 1923 record for failed ballots in electing a Speaker. Be safe and enjoy!
***I stand corrected. I should have said the previous (1923) record since the post-Civil War period. Apparently, in 1855, it took the 34th Congress 133 attempts to elect a speaker!***
From your lips to God’s ears
I have visited this synagogue. I think about my Jewish American father-in-law who fought the Nazis, drove a tank at Battle of Remagen and then had dozens of nazis surrender to him. Then he became a guard at the Nuremberg trials seeing what these monsters did to Jewish people and humanity. I abhor what is going on and I pray for my children. He would be so upset how the future that he fought for is threatened by scum.
Beautiful, thank you for sharing. We are certainly in the midst of troubling times. I'm even more fearful, as we are losing some good Democrats in 2024. Precarious all around.
Kevin McCarthy is one of many who are a clear and present danger to the United States..his alliance with the antisemitic traitors occupying the Congress makes him one of them..Washington et al took action when the threat was the British, Lincoln took action when the threat was the South..In this moment those seeking to protect our Democratic Republic have yet to take the action necessary to crush the threat that is happening in this moment..But this does not answer your question..
You call him an Antisemitic Traitorous Scumbag..
Wow! Was it somewhat hidden away and visible to only those who knew where to enter? That's how I found the Sienna synagogue formerly in the ghetto. A 7-foot door in a blank brick wall, some passageways, and suddenly in a green and white rococo gem with chandeliers. Kevin McCarthy is a less interesting topic.
When I was 12, my Mother said you must watch this PBS show. It was a documentary on the Holocaust. I doubt most Mom’s would have thought that documentary appropriate for a 12 year old. But I was a very mature 12. I am now 73. I still watch movies and documentaries that tell about the atrocities that took place. I have always thought that hate mongers, bigots and monsters were just the beginning of the problem. The Ill informed, and weak minded had to support such atrocities. It is the same today. We must educate our children. And while we fill their minds with information, fortify their hearts with kindness and compassion. Without this, we will lose our great nation. That is a beautiful Synagogue. May it always be filled with peace and love. May we overcome the weak minded that have infiltrated our government.
Thank you, Steve. I am in tears - good ones for the beauty of this synagogue and your goodness in saying a prayer - probably like the one that often sticks in my throat at services - and posting the photos and your actions. And tears of fear and anger for McCarthy's lack of any principles, and especially consorting with antisemites.
prayers are powerful, collective prayer more so, IMHO
We learned everything we needed to know about McCarthy and his integrity and values (if such a lesson was needed) in 2021 when he made a swift 180 from his angry denunciation of 45 the night of the insurrection and then kissing Trump's ring (and perhaps more) when he was summoned to Florida a short time later. Perhaps his karmic payoff for that was the tepid endorsement Trump gave him this week. Hardly worth selling ones soul off in front of the whole world.
We are all learning one thing is not the other and we must call it what it is.
Terrorist is the word I use for anyone who chooses to deny another their right to exist.
IMO, there's no difference between the person who strips dignity from another human being using their words when those same words can incite an act of violence - regardless of your nationality.
And, yes, by my definition, Piers Morgan is a terrorist.
Abhorrent. We’re we expecting any different in a man who has already shown that he will promise anything for power?
Thank you
Steve, Steve, we are all supplicating that America is restored to a place of peace, where ethnic hate is repudiated by all the races that are America and those who will continue to expand her ethnic magnificence and democracy. Steve, do not let those spiteful, low men and women bring our hearts sorrow. They never will, Steve. They will not live in our heads. I have repeatedly said that I am aghast at what has been happening. I do not know if now there has been some change, for I am not watching the latest. I will tell you this. I really want one Republican who loves him/herself in the same manner that he/she loves his/her own family and/or America, the America that has given her all to place him/her in the House of the People so that he or she may restore order and accountability for America, her Constitution, her Liberty and her Justice For All, to stand up as a free American. To stand up for you, Steve, and for all of us who are now supplicating for Trust in America again, where seditionists and their supporters will never have power over law-abiding citizens, because the former, under the rule of the twice impeached President of the United States, did all to violate the Rule of Law. And Kevin McCarthy and all the ones nominating him for the position of Speaker of the House, and the twenty disgraceful and toxic members of the House, if given the power, will continue to erode American democracy. In Boebert's words, her president and that of all who stand by her side and Kevin McCarthy's side, Donald Trump, was not the one lawfully elected by the American people in 2020, President Joe Biden. They repudiate the electoral process, and they repudiated the transition and transfer of power with a criminal Insurrection and an attempted coup d'état. They violated their oaths, every one of them.
A reprehensible political leader; one who will put his personal self-interest before everything else, country, decency, and morality.
The party of “Values”? McCarthy is a desert inside instead of a spectrum of emotions. Do you notice his normal affect is flat? My delusional hope is for the right amount of sane Republicans who will crossover and vote for Hakeem. I use the word “sane” loosely.
Thank you for this!🙏🪬🕊✊🏽
Democrats are missing an important opportunity. Suppose they proposed John Kasich, for example, as Speaker, and use their 212 votes on his behalf. Kasich would need an additional 6 votes from Republicans. Could he get them? I would not bet against it.
Thank you. It is a mitzvah to share this beauty and another to pray for us getting out of the nightmare
Such a beautiful place.
People of different religion may differ in many ways, but they all share the fact that we all are from the human race. I have pity for those who resent others who do not share their faith, beliefs or any other aspect of their being. Let's hope we can persuade everyone to respect each other regardless.
I've been there. Fantastic and especially meaningful for a Jewish individual like myself.
I think of Hitler.
Thank you Steve. A prayer is a prayer, wherever it is offered. What a beautiful and spiritual place. Now we must hope that the “powers” of life will respond.
Steve. Nidhe Israel Synagogue in Bridgetown Barbados is 1654. https://www.jewishbarbados.org/who-we-are/nidhe-israel-synagogue/ - we lived on the island for years; rebuilt EASY HALL in St. Joseph. Note: continuous use is another question. I doubt continuous. Paul Altman supported the synagogue. Few Jews in Barbados today. It’s a tourist attraction. The slave trade was worked by Dutch Jews working with the British. Barbados was a pivotal point on the way from Africa to Jamaica and the British Colonies in America. The Garrison on the East Coast was used to sort the slaves. The most peaceful were retained on the island and later buried in unmarked graves on plantations where they were enslaved - as they died. Slaves were not permitted to roam the island. The least peaceful were sold in Jamaica. America received the rest.
That’s a beautiful synagogue. Our country needs all the help it can get and there are fresh warnings on this Eve of the Insurrection that is neither recognised nor acknowledged in the visitors’ tour of the Capital.
Right!! I had forgotten that Jews were blamed for spreading plague because they were not getting sick like others. Good point. Must have been the sand. Thanks
Paul Gosar is hated by his family. He is match for would be Speaker Kevin McCarthy, President Trump, his wives and family. The Republicans have decayed beyond recognition. President Abraham Lincoln’s Grand Old Party is no longer. The Dixiecrats are no longer. Racism and xenophobia are GOP political issues. Millions of Americans are prejudiced, ignorant and intolerant and afraid of people that are different. Republicans are dangerous today. Tolerance has vacated the party of Lincoln. Intolerance tops the domestic violence agenda of the intolerant so-called Conservative. True Liberals and true traditional Conservatives are tolerant and well informed and well educated. Our prejudiced are fearful and ignorant and intolerant. Paul Gosar is observably disturbed and disgusting. Kevin McCarthy is unfit to govern - as are the January 6 insurrectionists and the sedition crowd.
What to call a fellow traveler with the worst humanity has to offer? Evil? Morally bankrupt? An empty vessel willing to be filled by anyone who makes him feel momentarily important.
Thank you for a reminder of spiritual beauty.
Stunning. Thank you for sharing, Steve. There is no predicting where chaos will lead, nor end up. It’s very existence is the refusal of rational thought. Looking desperately for and making deals to attain an undeserved position, ironically to lead, puts us all in peril. What do we call McCarthy? Useless, desperate, and pathetic, come to mind. But when a large number of congressmen and women are insurrectionists and are able to go into positions directly adverse to the perimeters our constitution allows (serving after insurrection) what exactly are we to expect?
Lovely pics.
McCarthy has traipsed way beyond the pale and has forsaken even tattered remnants of any lingering honor or integrity but as fixedly beholden to this perverse beast demanding sacrifice after sacrifice.
- it doesn't get much nastier than Paul Gosar....
Kevin McCarthy is a blight on the American people. His amorality enables his tendency to associate with those who foment hatred of Jews, minorities, and all measure of people who recognize the importance of our democracy. He is unable to stand up for what is right, as proven by his post-Jan. 6 statement condemning the insurrection, which he then reversed by visiting and affirming his unholy alliance with Trump!
According to Wikipedia McCarthy’s parents were both democrats. Maybe they are no longer alive to see the POS son they had, I think that might be easier than having to live through watching his utter and complete debasement along with his vile immorality.
On another note, looking at this gorgeous synagogue made my day and is reminder of great and beautiful houses of worship.
an antisemite
McCarthy is a terrible and flaccid man. It also says terrible things about this country that antisemites have the kind of influence that McCarthy would beg to align with while he is in trouble.
What a lovely way to start the new year. Thank you for reminding me that we are all one.
DISPICABLE, is what I would call him, without using every swear word in my extensive vocabulary, as much as I loathe the scum that are breaking his balls, I loathe him even more, so the fact that they are breaking his balls makes me smile.
If you ever go to St. Thomas they also have a very old synagogue with a sand floor.
What a beautiful, historic synagogue. There have been people with dark hearts and evil mouths throughout the ages. To see this in our own country is beyond disgusting. Anyone who validates the hatred of any people does not deserve respect. Shame on Kevin McCarthy, who is only interested in quest and will not call out anybody
I read somewhere that during the time of the Plague that Jewish homes had floors covered with sand while others including the royals had dirt, stone or wood floors.
This is a remarkable discovery to me, and is a stunning synagogue. I doubt I'll get there in my lifetime (I've yet to make Aliyah, which kind of has priority).
In answer to your question, what do you call someone who seeks power with the aid of antisemites? You call them a Republican, as this is what they've become. I fear my future here.
I have attend Friday night services in the sand
Very inspiring
I have very fond memories of walking on a Shabbat to participate in the services in 1968, as a 16 year old. The rabbi invited me for lunch after services. My family was staying at the Curacao Hilton, and it was quite a long walk. Services began very early in the morning so local residents could open their shops. It's a beautiful synagogue.
Steve, Remember that the sand floors are a reminder of the need to shield the sounds of prayer from local non-Jews to avoid detection as practicing Jews and suffer the fate of other Jews in the Inquisition. The practice went from Spain and Portugal to Brazil and from Recife Brazil back into the Caribbean as Jews escaped the Inquisitions' crossing of the Atlantic and left Brazil. All of this is recounted in the beautiful Museum next to the synagogue in Barbados.
A Nazi!
When I see McCarthy speak and act, all I can think of is spineless, classless nincompoop.