Why Bother To Keep Kosher, to Eat Kosher

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                        

                Myself and my brother back a few years, Dr. David Alan Goldfoot, psychologist, who I was very proud of.  He had also been the Jr.  Rose Festival Prime Minister at age 10, and I had him on our Lewis & Clark float for the parade as the future football player..I was the 8 years older big sister.

I'm a Conservative Jew, brought up in Conservatism at Neveh Zedek Synagogue in Portland, Oregon, a middle of the road type of Judaism, not really Orthodox to the letter nor only the barest of Jewish history and practice.  Conservatives have been known to lean either way.  Coming from only Sunday School education and very little from my mother who converted to Judaism since she had married a Jewish man who had a very Orthodox-immigrant from Lithuania mother and deceased father who died here in Portland, it's a wonder I even stayed Jewish in today's world, let alone follow kashrut or not.                          

Elements reminding us of our duty:  2 candles, Challah, grape wine, torah, kippah, apples, honey, pomegranates:Pomegranates are native to the region and are celebrated as one of the biblical Seven Species of the Land of Israel. Tradition teaches that a standard pomegranate contains 613 seeds, which matches the 613 mitzvot (commandments) in the Torah. When eating it during the holiday meal, it is customary to recite a prayer asking that "our merits increase like the seeds of a pomegranate." All ritualistic food is used to teach us a moral lesson. We have large seders (dinners) the lesson, soup to nuts.   

   Time to make sure you have asked others to forgive you for ???

Rosh Hashana is coming to us on the 11th of September. Being 92 on the 5th does have it's drawbacks and it's accomplishments, too.  I may not make it to a Synagogue, but there are things I can do otherwise, even find much on TV like a service or two, at least a Reformed one.  Here he is, blowing a code announcing to come to the Synagogue.                           

Shlomo Goren was a Polish-born Israeli rabbi and Talmudic scholar. An Orthodox Jew and Religious Zionist, he was considered a foremost rabbinical legal authority on matters of Jewish religious law.

                   from Rabbi Shlomo Goren:  Rabbi Shlomo Goren (1918–1994) was a leading Israeli Orthodox rabbi, Talmudic scholar, and the founder of the Israel Defense Forces Military Rabbinate. He served as the Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1973 to 1983 and is famously remembered for blowing the shofar at the Western Wall during the 1967 Six-Day War. 

I was fascinated with our religion, our history and our holidays.  I stayed in Sunday school until about age 15 when they decided to make me a teacher.  My father, Moses "Moshe" Goldfoot,  had been a kosher butcher before I was born, and then continued with this skill by opening his own slaughter house which led to his own business called Lincoln Wholesale Meats.  Dad had even become a boxer at the Neighborhood House in his early days, well known in the community for that and for meats.  For a man who only finished his junior year in high school, he had a fantastic head for business, so put me to work as his accountant as soon as I could drive at 16.  We never considered kosher food in our house;  my dad was not following the precepts, never was bar-mitzvahed since he had entered school at age 4, trailing his 6 year old brother, Charlie, and the teacher had kicked him out, both, I believe ! That's when their father, Natan, was killed in a horse-wagon accident.   Today that would not have happened. 

I finally had come to realize, while making my way as an Elementary School teacher, who I was and what I was to become, eventually.  I made aliyah to Israel and lived there for 5years and a few months, becoming  a dual citizen;  returning for personal reasons, and started blogging when I retired to defend Israel.  I researched and wrote of the deepest elements I could go into our great history, as well as modern day events and issues pertaining to Israel. That's been my life;  sharing with others the cool facts that I've found about our historic epic being on this planet that goes back so far, that was written by Moses himself, says our rabbis that is found as the Old Testament, the Bible, what we call the Tanakh.   

I realized how clever it was that Moses had us follow such kashrut laws about food;  how it kept us for over 2,000 years keep the the laws which kept us practicing Judaism and being Jewish, and when I say that, I think of the Golden rule, Don't do to others that which you don't want to happen to you, and all the rest is commentary.  

By giving up on the kosher laws, we let go of Judaism's morality.  That's how we differ from other religions;  we were given moral precepts to follow  that kept us mentally hooked into Judaism.  Let go of the first and you lose eventually the second, or your children will lose it.  Then they will see themselves as not being any different from others eating a hamburger with a milkshake or having a ham sandwich.  And hopefully there will not be much difference, but eventually, like in these days, I am seeing a lot of differences. So naturally, living in an Assisted Living Center and being the Jewish Bubba of Portland, I follow as best as I can and as much as I can humanely as I can do.  Yes, it does keep me on my toes!  

The proof is that most all immigrant Jews to the USA were Orthodox, but their descendants have a large number of Reform.  Reform Judaism is the largest denomination of American Jews, with roughly 33% to 37% of the estimated 7.5 million U.S. Jewish population identifying with the movement, translating to about 2.5 to 2.8 million people  .About 9% of U.S. Jews identify as Orthodox, equating to roughly 675,000 individuals out of an estimated total U.S. Jewish population of 7.5 million.  According to the Pew Research Center, approximately 1.5 million adults in the United States identify as Jews of "no religion" (unaffiliated with a specific religion, but identifying as Jewish ethnically, culturally, or by family background).

What I feel is that we were given these laws that had a long term affect on us and our mind and attitude toward people and life itself, the value of life, the purpose of life.   It also gives me a sense of accomplishment.  

So if there are any readers out there who I have slighted or hurt in any way, I am truly sorry. I will work on improving.   

Marine-educated Yale Lawyer Vance Meets Iran's President in Switzerland

 Nadene Goldfoot                                 

Vice President James David Vance, born August 2, 1984, only 42 years old,  in Middletown, Ohio,  takes the spotlight.  He's a former Marine that had deployment to Iraq.  Vance was educated at Ohio State University and has a law degree from Yale Law School.  He was well-known for his best selling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, which explored his Appalachian roots of his genealogy and the socioeconomic struggles of the American working class.  He's been a Roman Catholic since 2019.  JD Vance has no formal academic background, specialized coursework, or documented formal education specifically focused on Israeli history.

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance opened talks with Iranian officials in Switzerland on Sunday, September 6, 2026 so Trump wants nuclear progress, but Iran is pushing IDF withdrawal from southern Lebanon as Israel vows to hold the security zone.  Lebanon has been in on talks with Israel and understands the whys;  it's Hezbollah, the Iranian led terrorists, who have been shooting and not  willing to give up their arms in any  deal.  They have been given another span of time,  60 days to come to a conclusion.                            

 The present Ayatollah head acting as President, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian,  said the only American condition is that Iran not build an atomic bomb, something he said Iran is prepared to put in writing. But he also said Iran will not give up what it calls its right to uranium enrichment, claiming that Trump has effectively recognized those rights.  Pezeshkian has held the presidency since July 2024.  He was a former heart surgeon.  He is young, born September 29, 1954 so he's 72 years old, in Mahabad, Iran.  

Vice President JD Vance views the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon as a complex "chicken and egg problem" tied to broader U.S.-Iran diplomatic efforts. (To me, this is not good.  It's not a matter of who got there first;  it's a matter of Iran's goal to wipe out Israel with Hezbollah and Hamas !  They are terrorists !  Hezbollah is not wanted in Lebanon, either, but so far has taken it over.)  

Chain of Reactions: Vance has described border skirmishes as situations where a "junior guy who fires a drone that didn't have approval from the high command" triggers an Israeli response, leading to rapid escalation. 
Proportional Restraint: While explicitly affirming Israel's fundamental right to self-defense, he has simultaneously urged restraint to Israel, stating that Israel should not "go wild in Lebanon" or use excessive force in civilian areas like Beirut. ( Why is it that only Israel is expected to restrain themselves in a war of live or die, survive or have your country forcefully eliminated off the map?  Israel has restrained themselves for the past 57 years ever since the Six Day1969 war that they had won.  It was then that all the Arab countries involved with the war, lead by Egypt, held a meeting in Africa and swore on the 3 Nos, The "Three Noes" issued at the 1967 Arab League summit in Khartoum, Sudan, regarding Israel were no peace, no recognition, and no negotiations with Israel.  

The "Deconfliction Mechanism": Vance helped outline a U.S.-backed coordination channel involving regional mediators (such as Qatar and Pakistan) intended to facilitate direct communication between Israel, Lebanon, and Hezbollah-related interlocutors to manage flare-ups before they expand into a wider war.
Cease-fire Scope: Vance clarified that initial U.S.-Iran diplomatic understandings focused primarily on state-level actions rather than serving as an immediate, all-encompassing blanket cease-fire for Lebanon itself, creating occasional friction and strategic misunderstandings with regional players. 
Long-Term Goal: The administration's stated objective is empowering the official Lebanese government to police southern Lebanon to curtail Hezbollah's dominance and secure Israel's northern border.

       Campus of Ohio State
As for Ohio State U, Ohio State University has faced multiple reported antisemitic incidents, hate crimes, and formal civil rights complaints following tensions surrounding the Israel-Hamas war.
Off-Campus Assault: In November 2023, two students were physically assaulted near a bar after suspects asked if they were Jewish and used a derogatory slur. As reported by ABC News, “the suspects yelled a derogatory term and assaulted two students while asking if they were Jewish.”
On-Campus Spitting: The university documented an incident where a student reported being spit upon, which administrators classified as a hate crime under federal guidelines. 
Vandalism and Harassment: Jewish and Israeli advocacy groups documented cases of threatening graffiti, physical confrontations, verbal taunts, and the removal of hostage posters on campus. 
Federal Investigations-3 of them
Title VI Complaints: The Anti-Defamation League, StandWithUs, and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law filed a joint federal civil rights complaint against the university. 
Department of Education Inquiry: The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation into how Ohio State handled reports of antisemitic harassment.



Campus Protests: The Gaza war protests at Ohio State University involved ongoing student demonstrations, counter-protests, and heightened security measures that drew scrutiny from both student activists and federal officials. 
University Response
University leaders stated that they maintain a strict policy against discrimination or harassment based on religion or identity. Administration officials increased campus security and reiterated that hateful behavior violates university standards

The environment for a Jewish student today is not the same as those attending in the 1950's.  Anti-Semitism today in the USA has reached an all time high, compared with the 1930s in Germany, especially on the East Coast where more Jews live..  

 

Birth: September 29, 1954, in Mahabad, Iran.

The Copycat of Reagan, Donald Trump

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                

                                                                                    

                        Good looking playboy with a rich father

Donald Trump, President from  January 20, 2017, to January 20, 2021, and again from January 20, 2025, to the present. He shares several rhetorical and stylistic parallels with Ronald Reagan, including the use of populist messaging and the famous slogan. "Make America great again."Donald was married to Ivana (1977-1990), Marla Maples (1993-1999), Melania (2005- ).  

                                       

                                   1911-1984

 Trump adopted Reagan's 1980 campaign phrasing, including the "Make America great again" line and economic prompts regarding personal financial wellbeing. 

 President Ronald Reagan served as the 40th president of the United States from January 20, 1981, to January 20, 1989. 

Both Were Outsiders of Politics: Both men entered national politics as prominent cultural figures outside traditional political channels— Reagan was married to Jane Wyman from 1940-1949, the War Years and then Nancy from 1952 to 2004 when Reagan died.  

Reagan was on the radio that most of us listened to, while Trump had his own program on TV.  

      Good-looking Ronald Reagan of Hollywood

Ronald Reagan's Role: Ronald Reagan hosted and introduced the series from 1964 to 1966. Context: Hosting Death Valley Days and filming commercials for related products like Boraxo was Reagan's final professional acting job before he left to run for Governor of California.  The series was sponsored by the Pacific Coast Borax Company, makers of 20 Mule Team Borax and Boraxo, and hosted by Stanley Andrews ("The Old Ranger") (1952–1964), Ronald Reagan (1964–1966), Robert Taylor (1966–1969), and Dale Robertson (1969–1970).

Trump's TV program was The Apprentice, which ran on NBC from 2004 to 2017. The Premise: Billed as "The Ultimate Job Interview," contestants split into teams to complete business tasks, with Trump famously eliminating one person each week by saying, "You're fired". Trump's Role: He hosted the first 14 seasons of the main series and its spin-off, The Celebrity Apprentice, before leaving ahead of his 2016 presidential campaign. Impact: The show drew massive ratings and helped shape his public persona as a successful billionaire businessman before entering politics.

Reagan from Hollywood and Trump from business and reality television.  Both ran as Republicans which explains many of the similarities.  

It was Reagan who convinced NATO to plant nuclear-armed missiles all over Western Europe.  He then convinced Congress to fund General Graham's defense system designed to knock down Soviet missiles fired, called Star Wars, like the future fantasy world might have.  Now the USA was free from worry and had stabilized the deterrent of Mutually Assured Destruction.  The Russians now believed that our USA nukes would hit Russia first and their missiles would retaliate,  would be shot out of the sky before they entered our airspace.  That alone would take the safety off the American nuclear trigger.  They went on high alert.  

Their ambassador to the USA, Anatoly Dobrynin, told the Kremlin that Reagan was serious.  By 1983, fear in the Kremlin was at an all time high. America's CIA felt the tension.  Robert Gates , Deputy CIA Director, didn't realize how scared the Russians were of us.  One thing kept them in their seats.  They knew that the  Americans had to jump through a lot of hoops to start a war.  We had the War Powers Act to contend with.  Reagan faced Brezhnev, Chernenko, Gkorbachev knowing we could not make an unprovoked strike.  In 1983, Yuri Andropov, Soviet general secretary, who felt that living dangerously was not so sanguine.  "Reagan is unpredictable," they said.  

Donald Trump is unpredictable,  has been described as unpredictable by various analysts, foreign officials, political commentators, and even by Donald Trump himself.Donald Trump has openly stated that he wants to be unpredictable as a strategic tactic in negotiations. As noted by IMD business school, Trump remarked: “I'd rather not play my cards... I want to be unpredictable.”  

Shifting stances: Foreign officials note sudden reversals in U.S. policy, particularly in high-stakes negotiations involving Iran and regional security. 

Social media disconnect: A notable gap often exists between official administration doctrine and Trump's direct social media declarations. 

Strategic leverage: Some analysts view this behavior as a deliberate "madman theory" tactic designed to keep adversaries off balance and extract concessions. However, critics argue it often blurs into destabilizing unreliability.

              

President Ronald Reagan’s relationship with Israel was complex, marked by a deep commitment to its security alongside moments of intense friction and public use of American leverage.   Reagan viewed Israel as a vital strategic asset against Soviet influence in the Middle East. In 1983, he signed National Security Decision Directive 111, which formalized and upgraded bilateral ties. 

Economic and Military Aid: U.S. aid was converted into outright grants rather than project-specific loans.
Free Trade Agreement: In 1985, Reagan transmitted the Israel-United States Free Trade Area Agreement to Congress, establishing duty-free bilateral trade.

       Ethiopian Jews arrive in Israel, rescued from government  
The Mission: A follow-up to the halted Operation Moses, it used six U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules transport planes to rescue roughly 500 to 650 stranded Ethiopian Jews. 
The Location: Aircraft landed secretly near Al Qadarif, Sudan, flying evacuees to Ovda Airport in Israel, where they made their home.

Humanitarian Efforts: Reagan's administration supported the rescue of Ethiopian Jews during Operation Joshua and advocated for Soviet Jewry.  We had one friend put in jail in Russia for attempting to learn Hebrew and Sarah, our teacher,  communicated with him from our class in Haifa somehow in 1980.  Jews there wanted to get out.  

 US President Ronald Reagan interacted with two Israeli presidents during his time in office: Yitzhak Navon and Chaim Herzog. Three different prime ministers served in Israel during Ronald Reagan's presidency (1981–1989): Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Shamir, and Shimon Peres.

Reagan viewed Israel as a vital strategic asset against Soviet influence in the Middle East. In 1983, he signed National Security Decision Directive 111, which formalized and upgraded bilateral ties.

Economic and Military Aid: U.S. aid was converted into outright grants rather than project-specific loans.
Free Trade Agreement: In 1985, Reagan transmitted the Israel-United States Free Trade Area Agreement to Congress, establishing duty-free bilateral trade.
Humanitarian Efforts: His administration supported the rescue of Ethiopian Jews during Operation Joshua and advocated for Soviet Jewry.

Key Interactions

Yitzhak Navon: Served as Israel's president and met with Reagan at the White House on January 5, 1983, early in Reagan's presidency.

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The American Presidency Project

                                              Chaim Herzog

President Chaim Herzog made the first-ever state visit by an Israeli president to the White House to meet with President Ronald Reagan on November 10, 1987.   President Reagan and Israeli President Chaim Herzog met at the White House to celebrate shared democratic values and strengthen diplomatic ties. During the 1987 state visit, the leaders emphasized mutual commitments to peace and stability in the Middle East. 

Donald Trump is beloved in Israel.  

Jerusalem Embassy: Moved the United States embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital. (2 gigantic steps, moving to J. and recognition)

Golan Heights: Recognized Israeli sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights.  

Donald J. Trump (U.S. President)

Benjamin Netanyahu (Israeli Prime Minister)

Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani (Bahraini Foreign Minister)

Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (UAE Foreign Minister)

The Abraham Accords: Brokered normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab nations.

Iran Nuclear Deal: Withdrew the U.S. from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) 

Trump has been helpful in :  

Weapons and Arms Sales: Advanced billions in military assistance and major arms packages, including a proposed $8 billion arms sale and fast-tracked emergency military aid.

Defense Funding: Provided hundreds of millions in dedicated funding for missile defense systems and joint anti-tunneling technologies.  (AI)

UN Funding Cuts: Defunded the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and withdrew from UNESCO.

ICC Sanctions: Issued executive orders imposing sanctions against the International Criminal Court over its arrest warrants for Israeli leaders such as Benjamin Netanyahu.

Reagan had to have quick responses.  In his URGENT FURY-plan using force, planned from scratch in 72 hours or so, to help American citizens in danger on island of Grenada and needed to be rescued.  Reagan's  ambassador there was a former Nebraska highway commissioner with no experience in foreign affairs. (Sound like  Trump act?)  Hostages were being held-Med students.  The island was full of Russians, Cubans. 

During his second administration, President Donald Trump has frequently selected individuals for high-level government positions who lack traditional, sector-specific experience, prioritizing loyalty and perceived management capabilities over standard professional backgrounds. This hiring philosophy has sparked significant pushback from both Democrats and Republicans, who argue that bypassing domain expertise places critical federal operations and national security at risk.

VP George Herbert Walker Bush questioned the force and Reagan said as long as we have to go  in, we might as well  do everything that needs to be done. The invasion was for October 1983.  Now, Reagan had been preaching about Central American peril.  Congress was not moved.  Reagan lied to congress about Grenada's air force of which did not exist.  He called it the Soviet-Cuban militarization of Grenada.  Their only economics depended on bananas. 

President Donald Trump and Navy leadership presented plans Monday evening for a new class of modern battleships that would be armed with a variety of high-tech weapons and aided by artificial intelligence.  These vessels are planned to feature advanced weaponry like hypersonic weapons, electric railguns, and high-powered lasers.  In December 2025, Trump announced plans to develop a new "Trump class" of large battleships—part of a proposed "Golden Fleet". 

 Grenada's government was under the British Queen.  Our Tip O'Neill (In 1983, Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill Jr. was the powerful Democratic Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and the national face of the political opposition to President Ronald Reagan.) and was uncomfortable as Reagan kept going on about Lebanon in the middle of a meeting about Grenada.  ( isn't this just like Trump?)  Meeting Digressions & Confusions: During official meetings, Trump has historically been reported to veer off-script. Media fact-checkers frequently note instances where he conflates unrelated foreign policy operations or repeats unsubstantiated statistics not supported by official executive department findings.Public Verbal Slip-Ups: The narrative that Trump has appeared "confused" intensified following a NATO summit press briefing alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During that event, Trump mistakenly referred to Iran as the “Islamic Republic of Japan” and momentarily asked reporters if they had questions for “President Putin” before correcting himself. Critics of President Donald Trump mocked him mercilessly on social media after he referred to Iran as the “Islamic Republic of Japan,” and made several other stunning gaffes during press conferences at the NATO summit...

.Former President Ronald Reagan publicly announced his Alzheimer's disease diagnosis in a handwritten letter on November 5, 1994, five years after his presidency ended.

Over recent weeks, speculation has grown about US President Donald Trump’s erratic behaviour during the US-Israel war on Iran.

While questioning Trump’s mental fitness for office, various commentators have suggested he has malignant narcissism, Alzheimer’s disease or frontotemporal dementia, and is experiencing accelerating cognitive decline and a “profound psychological crisis”.

The claim of frontotemporal dementia in particular has stuck. This form of dementia can affect judgement, empathy, language skills and impulse control.

Trump’s critics say frontotemporal dementia explains his escalating threats, profanities and tendency to ramble.

But is frontotemporal dementia really the answer?

The differences between the 2 Presidents  are that everyone loved Ronald Reagan.  He was a gentleman.  He tried to follow Presidential rules.  

Optimistic: He always spoke about American greatness with a bright, hopeful tone.

Gentle and Polite: People called him the "Great Communicator" because he was warm, calm, and charming.

Unifying: He tried to bring citizens together and project a friendly image of the country.

Respectful of Norms: He honored traditional political rules and government institutions.

Humorous: He used light, self-deprecating jokes to disarm critics and ease tension.

Donald Trump, however, is:

Combative: He treats politics like a fight and attacks his rivals directly with sharp nicknames.

Disruptive: He challenges traditional government rules, media, and norms on purpose.

Unfiltered: He speaks bluntly and uses direct language to share fast, strong opinions.

Transactional: He views relationships, laws, and global deals as strict wins or losses.

Populist Fighter: He presents himself as a bold outsider fighting a corrupt system for regular people.

Edited: 9/2/26, addition of radio and TV work

Resource:

Book:  Drift, by Rachel Maddow, p.66-on

AI 

https://theconversation.com/we-cant-know-if-donald-trump-has-dementia-even-if-he-did-it-wouldnt-excuse-his-actions-281131                                          

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