Jewish Preppers?

Some people finding our website may be wondering what is a Prepper and why does it have a religious affiliation? Well the short answer is...A Prepper is the modern day survivalist. It's not (necessarily) a right-wing militiaman preparing for Armageddon in the boondocks of Montana. But better represented by a normal, educated, middle class individual perhaps living in the most urban of cities, preparing themselves physically and mentally for any upcoming disaster, natural or man-made. This could include anything from earthquakes to volcanic eruptions, social unrest to an act of terrorism. Preparations include: food supply, medical supply, weapons supply etc. and the knowledge and skills to use them. Of course, a Jewish Prepper is just a designation for a small niche of the Prepper Community that is of the Jewish Faith. We are non-profit and nonpartisan. Enjoy!

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Purim thoughts

Jews in the Persian Empire faced genocide instigated by the chief minister to Emperor Xerxes (born about 519 B.C.E. and died in 465 B.C.E.). On finding out they were to be murdered, the Jews at once prayed intensively for Divine help. Their prayers were heard: Xerxes learned his chief minister had betrayed him, and so decreed that Jews should defend themselves if they were attacked. The Jews killed some 30,000 of their attackers, and so saved themselves (see the Book of Esther). Each year, Jews celebrate on Purim - a holiday that usually occurs in March - to commemorate this deliverance.

The above synopsis is from http://www.gunownersalliance.com/Rabbi_0029.htm. Take a moment to think about Purim, about the ability to defend yourself as an unalienable right in the Bill of Rights. The Jews needed the permission of the government to defend themselves. We do not need that permission in the USA. The Torah and Talmud give examples of defending yourself as a mitzvah.

People have died throughout the ages to gain this right, and most Jews – at least the ones I know in NY—ignore this right or are fearful of it rather than exercise their right to bear arms.

When do things begin to go horribly wrong for minority Jews in a country? Besides the ‘whenever’ answer, economic turmoil is a good bet.

When I learned about the Holocaust at Hebrew School, I kept wondering how the Jews couldn’t see what was coming. I guess they didn’t have 20-20 hindsight. I do not know what is in store for Jews, let alone the USA over the next 10 or 20 years. I have put myself in debt to get educated in the hopes that the times I live in will be peaceful and I can make a living as a physician, but I am also becoming increasingly prepared for tougher times.

In a practical way, many of my preparations where used, or ready to be used during the latest blizzard. I checked on my emergency candles, verified the location of the stash of batteries, flashlights, radio and sleeping bags in case the power went out. A few days earlier I bought an extra bag of dog food for my guys, and bought some extra groceries in case the roads were bad for a week or so. I had even stopped at the library and got extra books to read.

As the snow was blowing sideways outside, I put on my gators, gortex pants and coat to walk my dogs (who love the snow and the extra blocks we trekked to avoid downed power lines in my suburb). In short, it was a mini dry run for a short ‘contingency’. If the power did go out or if the roads were impassable, I would have zero panic as I was prepared.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Hakarat Hatov - Gratitude and Prepping

Being prepared has many advantages. Among the obvious ones is being able to save/protect yourself, family and community in case of a real disaster. Besides the physical, there are psychological benefits as well. Being a prepper gives one an entirely different attitude towards life. For example, knowing that one can survive a terrible situation, knowing that they are in control of the situation, boosts ones self esteem.

What I want to concentrate on here is that no longer does one take everything that one gets during the day for granted. In order to be a "prepper" it requires a mindset of, "what would I do if I didn't have this?" "How would I survive without that?" When one wakes up in the morning and their home is heated, there is running water in his/her sink, you have ample toilet paper, the toilet flushes and their is plenty of food in the refrigerator/freezer and it is cold/frozen, it causes one to think, "Isn't it great that all this stuff works!". One recognizes that health isn't to be taken for granted and that if one needs a doctor or medicine, they are not far away, it is extremely comforting.

In other words, "every time one ponders how to survive without, one begins to realize how lucky they are with".

I think that this is especially important to the Jewish Prepper who has a religious obligation to realize the good that God has bestowed on him/her. When one prays, it gives them specific things to concentrate on. I believe that when a Jew says a blessing on food or a Shehechiyanu on a new garment they can have an intense understanding of how great it is to be in that predicament. This will continue throughout the day, everyday and makes you, the Jewish Prepper into a better Jew and a truly unique individual.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010



This is an advertisement for a cell phone company in Israel, "If the end of the world were to come tomorrow, what would you like to tell me?"

Perhaps the answer is, "You should have paid more attention to JewishPreppers.com!" ;-)

Contribute to Jewish Preppers

We are always looking for new and innovative material that would compliment our site. If you have an idea or would like to contribute an article please feel free to contact us (contact email is located at the bottom of the 'about us' section at the bottom of the page)!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

The Vitality of Salt

The Vitality of Salt

by Kellene Bishop

salt with flower 300x199 The Vitality of Salt

Salt, the base of society

Dare we ignore something that so valuable it even overshadows the Texas oil industry? Throughout the world’s history salt has been taxed exorbitantly, wars have been fought for control of salt, and it has been used as a medium of exchange EQUAL to gold. In fact, in desert areas all over the world, the people are well aware of it lifesaving value. In such environments, wars are likely to break out over salt mining rights just as easily as gold or oil.

Throughout history a civilization was considered as good as dead if it did not have sufficient salt for curing and preserving of meats. Having access to a good salt lick was also critical to attract sufficient game for hunting. Salt is also critical for treating leather, stabilizing dyes, and to mine silver. (Boy does that put salt in its proper place of pecking order or what?) In fact, salt mining is the backbone of several of the long roads we now have in our country. Yet in the American culture, we’ve missed a bit of education when it comes to embracing salt for our commerce and our bodies.

In order for your body to prevent dehydration it NEEDS salt. In fact, most persons should consume a ½ teaspoon of salt per day in order to maintain bodily functions. When the body becomes dehydrated and thus increases that amount of water it needs to hold in reserves, it can only do so IF salt is available. During dehydration, the body seeks salt which is why you may get strong cravings for salt foods. Salt is also critical to the proper operation of our blood, nerves, muscles, digestive, and our lymphatic systems.

Real Sea Salt The Vitality of SaltWater, salt and potassium together regulate the water content of the body. The salt and potassium are required in order to hold the water in the cells. It also balances the amount of water that’s held outside of the cells as well. The problem though is that our diet contains plenty of potassium resources, but not salt. Thus it needs to be added into our diet. And may I also suggest not adding in anything that’s labeled as “salt.” There is a big difference between the highly processed stuff, and real sea salt.

When determining what kind of salt to have in your pantry I wholeheartedly recommend getting a non-processed sea salt. Regular table salt has been stripped of all of its valuable minerals which then get sold off for profit. But those minerals are a great resource for the body. Sea salt that has been processed does not contain enough iodine to maintain healthy levels for the thyroid functions. A quality sea salt will have about 50 different minerals in it including iodine. (I religiously store the brand RealSalt as it’s the only sea salt that I’ve found that is actually mined from a sea bed and is Kosher certified. I might as well cover all of my bases, right? While you can cut corners at a feed store, you won’t get ALL that you need which comes from the RealSalt, including the iodine, and the lack of additives.)

A stark white salt like most of us are accustomed to seeing is such because it has undergone a bleaching process. It also gets “refined” and I don’t mean that in a good way. It’s mixed with some anti-caking agents and with some iodine added back in—no where near what it originally contained, but at least now they can label the salt as containing iodine, right? Whereas beautifully raw sea salt will have flecks of color in it as a result of the minerals that are still present. Additionally, you don’t have to use as much sea salt to satisfy your cravings and body functions as you would need to use of the processed stuff. I’m also a big fan of not spending hard-earned money on real food only to season it with processed garbage.

In an emergency, salt can be used to stave off an asthma attack. Drink a glass of water and then put a pinch of salt on the tongue. It can be as effective as an inhaler but without any toxic side affects. A bit of salt on the tongue can also help stop persistent dry coughs.

Salt is also a strong anti-stress element for the body—yet another reason why folks crave salty foods when they are stressed.

An excess of acidity in the brain is blamed for bringing on Alzheimer’s disease. Maintaining a balance of quality salt in your diet will definitely help.

sleeping 299x300 The Vitality of Salt

Balance your body's melatonin and seratonin levels photo c/o www.dietsinreview.com/.../

Were you aware that Lithium is a salt substitute that is used to treat depression and emotional disorders? A balanced diet with appropriate salt can prevent one from needing such chemical intervention. Salt is also critical to the production of appropriate levels of serotonin and melatonin levels in the brain. Water and salt together are critical for a healthy “coping mechanism” and sleep patterns.

Salt is also vital to balancing sugar levels in the body. So consider being conscientious of its use now as well as if you are a person battling diabetes.

Some folks mistakenly believe that salt creates water retention. Here are the facts. While extra salt in our body will retain extra water in the tissues, it only does so when there is insufficient hydration in the body. In other words, regular water intake balances all fluid retention in your body. Thus enabling any excess salt in your body will be passed in your urine.

I find it kind of amazing personally to note that our bodies need two different kinds of water–salted and unsalted water in order to be properly balanced. Isn’t it neat to notice that the earth has these two kinds of water sources as well?

glass of water 240x300 The Vitality of Salt

The body needs unsalted and salted water

If you’re going to plan on having a reserve of salt to get you through a year, you will want a minimum of 5 pounds of salt, per person and that’s simply for consumption. That does not include pickling, preserving, cooking, etc. In fact, I just increased my salt reserves recently after watching a fish be cooked in a salt dome. The fish turned out super tender and was flavored beautifully, not salty. I just had to try it. Although it required about 3 cups of salt, it is well worth the cooking technique. Salt has also been a proven asset for a wide variety of medical care, curing of meats, sanitation, and as a vital asset to any community. All told, I would actually recommend more like 25 pounds of quality salt, per person, per year. The nice thing is salt has got a very, very long shelf life. And if you purchase it with the minerals intact then you won’t need to worry about bacteria developing since bacteria cannot survive among minerals.

I encourage you all to be mindful of this overlooked commodity. Remember, I earnestly place salt as one of the vital four items you must have in your pantry—wheat, powdered milk, honey, and SALT. It’s not just for food, it’s for survival.

Copyright 2010 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved. You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to www.PreparednessPro.com & Kellene Bishop

Jewish Martial Arts

I started to do some research on 'Jewish' Martial Arts and this is what I came up with...


The coolest Jewish martial art that I found was called ABIR and here is a clip about it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV8S1jw9VN4&feature=related

Krav Maga is probably the most well known Jewish martial art from Israel:

http://www.krav-maga.com/

and

http://www.kravmaga.com/


and finally Tora Dojo:





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tora_Dojo




Check them out and feel free to add more if you know of them. The important thing is to stay in shape and to be prepared!

Here's another one...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vv22BfPOOOY

Thursday, February 11, 2010

‘2012’ Film, Apocalyptic Times and Jewish Wisdom

‘2012’ Film, Apocalyptic Times and Jewish Wisdom

by Mark Pearlman of JInsider
The big box office winner for this past weekend was the
apocalyptic film “2012.” The highly produced doomsday plot is based on an interpretation of a Mayan calendar that points to an earthly catastrophe in 2012 – specifically on 12-21-12.

Irrespective of Hollywood-tastic prophecies, what does Jewish wisdom suggest about the years ahead? We asked a number of leading scholars and teachers whether our final days are right around the corner.

Blessings or Bloodshed

The world was created in six days and every day was 1,000 years. Right now we are in the year 5770. Right now is Erev Shabbos in time – Friday noon. There is no way of knowing when this Shabbos will come. But one thing is for
Jewish Theological Seminary
certain; we are the generation when the footsteps [of the Messiah] can be heard.

All the signs are here. It says in the Torah that this last generation will see all the icons collapse so people can come to understand that God is one and his name is one. If someone had told you that the giants of industry, the giants of Wall Street would collapse overnight, you would have thought they were crazy.

There have been natural disasters one after another. Despite all of our scientific discoveries, there is terrible illness. Governments will collapse; there will be chaos in the world. Arrogance and impudence and audacity will increase. Young people will war against their elders, and people will have no respect for one another.

Are we seeing it? Absolutely. So it’s in our hands now. The Messiah can come either through blessing, or God forbid, through bloodshed. He is coming – how he will come is dependent on us. Let us hope he will come through blessing.

Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis, prolific author, world-class lecturer and founder of Hineni (www.hineni.org)

No Speculation

Judaism does not deal with an apocalypse but rather deals in Messianic times. The Messianic time is always present and always a potential. We are really not interested in speculating on any of these things. Maimonides says, “When it happens, we will know about it.” Speculation leads to all sorts of problems because expectations will not be fulfilled or occur. We just don’t deal with it.

Rabbi Berel Wein, founder and director of The Destiny Foundation (www.rabbiwein.com)

A Different Apocalypse

As a Jew, I too believe we are now in “the end of days” – and that makes me very happy. You see, one of the most fundamental beliefs of our faith is the Messianic concept, the idea that mankind someday will finally realize its potential and re-create the world as God originally intended it to be when He placed Adam and Eve into Paradise.

The rabbis teach us we must hope for this to occur at any moment. But we are also given some clues as to when we might most expect it. It will happen after a cataclysmic and horrible age of disaster for the world and the Jewish people. I take that to mean the Holocaust. Then will come the beginning of redemption as Jews return to the Holy Land. I see that as the creation of the State of Israel. Next we will get back the sacred city of Jerusalem. For me that was the moment in 1967 when we liberated the site of the ancient Temple.

And what’s next? The tragedies are in our past. The good news is that the Jewish apocalypse is coming soon – and everything about it is only blessing.

Rabbi Benjamin Blech, prolific author and professor at Yeshiva University.

Man-made Apocalypse

If there is any “apocalypse” around the corner, it will be of our own making. Although Judaism has certainly speculated about an End Time, the precise date of such a period and a clear portrait of what it might look like have always been murky. Will it involve, as the Scriptures forecast, a cataclysmic battle between wicked and divine forces leaving in its wake an era of sanctity and peace? Or, as Maimonides wrote in the 12th century, will the end of days simply be an extension of the many and varied conflicts of human history, but that take place under the guiding hand of God’s sovereignty – and ultimate deliverance?

I don’t really buy any of these classic, often fantastical Jewish ideas. Doomsday won’t arrive in 2012. Still, if we continue down the current path of social injustice, war, terrorism, famine, global warming, and all of the other human-constructed problems, our world will continue to degrade itself – physically, morally, and spiritually – and, in the end, self-destruct. If that happens, it won’t be the fault of God, the Devil, or an ancient Mayan tablet, but rather our own narcissism, materialism, and heartlessness.

Niles Elliot Goldstein is a prolific author and rabbi emeritus of The New Shul in Manhattan. His most recent book is “The Challenge of the Soul: A Guide for the Spiritual Warrior.” www.nilesgoldstein.com

Also, a must see video on the subject...http://www.torahohr.net/gogumagog/

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A SURVIVALIST?

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A SURVIVALIST?

Source: http://www.ezonline.com/ditto/texts/reality.html

Realities of Being a Survivalist

(Getting Past the "Bug Out" Mentality)

Written by Benjamin T. Moore

Those of us who've figured things out to various and lessor degrees, realize the need to prepare for a time in the not to distant future when the society we've become accustom to will no longer be functional. Let's pause a moment and savor the meaning of what I just said. Some people who have not really paused to consider the true ramifications of a societal collapse, look forward to these times with an almost naive glee. Visions of "Red Dawn," fire fights with well armed but incompetent troops, camping out and feasting on venison seem to figure heavily in these ill conceived fantasies.

Let's explore some of these myths. Anyone who has spent anytime in the bush or in actual combat knows that running and gunning is the option of *LAST* resort!!! When things get down to running and gunning your prospects for long term survival have just become tragically thin. Even elite forces such as the Navy Seals, try to avoid "running and gunning." They operate from a base. They are inserted, do their jobs and are extracted back to the safety of their base. In the scenario so often fantasized, it would be like being permanently behind enemy lines with no support, no hope of extraction and no supplies. Could you survive? Some could, but they are few and far between. Even they could not survive for long.

Let's explore the notion of living off the land. The reality is, there isn't enough game except in a few places out west, to support a group of any size for any length of time. By the way, you've got to figure you're not going to be the *ONLY* person or group out there fighting for the limited resources. Small game? How many rabbits will you have to kill to feed your self per day? Per week? How about your family? You're going to run out of rabbits pretty quick in whatever area you happen to be in.

Fishing? That's a good plan if you're near a body of water. But again, you're not going to be the only one with that idea. Suppose you have a good day and harvest a deer, or twenty or thirty fish, how are you going to preserve the meat? You're probably aren't going to be lugging around a refrigerator or a freezer.

What about items you take for granted, like toilet paper? How much are you going to carry with you on a bug-out? There are many things to consider. The closest description of the bug-out experience is the Mountain Man life style. However, it's important to note, even the "Mountain Men" had to come back to society for supplies every so often. When you begin to consider all the ramifications of "bugging-out," the magnitude of what you're attempting begins to become clear. Of course all this becomes a moot point if you become stuck in a traffic jam trying to leave the city, or if you get rounded up at an unexpected road block. A simple rule for survival in these circumstances is, look at what everybody else is doing, and don't do it!

Let's be smart. The best place to be at in a survival situation is your home. Your home should be your survival retreat! If it's not, make it into your survival retreat. If it's not suitably located, buy one or build one that is. Even a well conceived and located apartment or condominum can become a survival retreat with some work and planning. The two most powerful assets you can have are storage and concealment. If you want to understand survival, study the masters. The animal kingdom is without exception the best place to learn survival. Almost all animals, as a first line of defense use concealment or camouflage. Even predators such as tigers, cheetahs and lepoards use camouflage to assist in their survival. How can we profit from this strategy? The most important thing we can do as survivalist is to *NOT* draw attention to ourselves. A friend of mine once suggested we join an "intentional" community of like minded people and live in a rural communal setting. Visions of Waco and Ruby Ridge immediately sprang into my mind. I told this friend I'd rather live next door to the Governor. The likelihood of them taking tanks through the Governor's yard to get to me would be extremely slim. Not to mention being able to keep the News Media five miles away! In essence, "bugging-out" is like leaving the safety of the herd. If you've ever seen predators hunt animals in the wild, the first thing they do is cut them off from the protection of the herd. Then they descend on them and rip them to pieces, while the rest of the herd looks on grateful that it's not them being ripped to pieces. Do you see the anology between Waco and Ruby Ridge?

These were people who were cut off from the herd by the government predators and savaged. The rest of society has gone back to grazing, thanking their god it wasn't them. They've even gone so far as to justify what happened by saying these people were extremist. This is very much like what happens in the animal kingdom. Only the sickly and diseased fall prey to the lion. Hence, if people are attacked by our government... they must be politically sick. But enough of this. It is not my intent to give you my political exigesis.

Being a Survivalist is a way of life! It's not just storing away supplies for a rainy day. I'm intrigued by people who spend thousands of dollars on camping equipment, semi-automatic rifles and hand guns, and who don't spend money where it counts. Let me give you some examples. Are you physically fit? How many miles can you run? How many miles can you run with a full pack on your back? Take an honest assessment of your self. Would you feel safe as the cruise ship pulled away from the dock knowing you had brought along your scuba tank, mask and fins, but had never had a swimming lesson and couldnt swim? If so, you'd better check the ship you're sailing on... It might be the Titanic.

The other thing that fascinates me, is the number of arm chair survivalist that spend great time carefully assembling a firearms battery, but don't take the time to become truly proficient with the firearms of their choice. Too many times we trade the illusion of security for reality. The reality is, everything is governed by chance and probability. Our goal should be to turn a low probability of survival into a high probability of survival. I can only shake my head in disbelief at those who spend hundreds of dollars on the finest handgun they can afford - as well they should, how much is your life worth - but then spend $9.95 on a little suede inside the pants holster for it. That holster will most likely get you killed! I practice quick drawing each of my primary pieces at least 100 times per day. I go to the range regularly. I practice quick draw with carry ammunition, that's the ammo I carry for survival and defense at 100 yards. I can draw, fire and *keep* all shots in the kill zone at 100 yards quicker than most of the hollywood enhanced draws you see in the movies.

Does this make me the baddest thing walking? Nope! Because nobody's shooting back! What it does is increase the probability of my chances for survival against someone who's got their nice, shiney, new-in-the-box looking pistol in a 9.95 brown suede inside the pants holster. I'm not worried about the chap who carries an almost new looking pistol in a holster that looks like he just took it out of the plastic. I'm worried about that chap who's pistol has the fine patina of holster wear, the chap who's pistol is scratched and worn. To me he's a far more dangerous foe. It's been said and it's true, beware the man that owns one gun... and shoots it!

Being a survivalist is a way of life. Is your home hardened? Is it stocked and supplied? Are you constantly thinking of ways to manufacture more of the things you go to the store and purchase? If your mate doesn't sew, do you? Could you make a serviceable out fit out of cloth or fabric? Or will you be reduced to foraging for garments if TEOTWAWKI comes in our life time? It certainly looks like it's just around the corner... Being able to "Bug-Out" is good, but it should never become your primary survival strategy!

If you don't have a hardened place to "Bug-Out" to, you're probably wasteing your time. Your best bet is to harden your home. Don't blow your cover by bragging about your supplies, in fact be extremely cautious about who you allow into your home. If things blow up, you don't want someone who's seen and noted your food stores, showing up on your door step with their family asking to share what you've set aside through your hard labor and sacrifice. The best neighbors are those that mind their own business. Mind yours and insist they mind theirs. You want to develop a support network of people who not only believe the way you do... but who believe strongly enough to act on their beliefs. In a survival situation everyone must pull their own weight.

Benjamin T. Moore, Jr. (Jian #BlackTech IRC Chat - Efnet)

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

The Gun Rabbi and Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership

I would just like to put in two plugs. One is for "The Gun Rabbi"(http://www.gunrabbi.com/). He has a very worthwhile site, which we are providing an RSS feed to. We are also compiling a national list of Jewish certified gun instructors for those interested in learning more about gun safety and home defense.

The second plug is for the "Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership"(http://www.jpfo.org/). It is an organization targeting the advancement of second amendment rights in general and for Jews in specific. Its a wonderful resource and we hope to soon offer memberships via our website.

Here's another great clip that I just found about 'gun toting rabbis', AKA "The God Squad"...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGiyQSeDroo

and...http://www.gunownersalliance.com/

and...http://koshertorah.com/PDF/Haredi%20Neighbor.pdf

Enjoy and stay tuned!

Monday, February 8, 2010

State of Emergency? Cerfew? No purchasing of food or alcohol? In America?

This happened two days ago in the city of King, NC!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6JsT12ITQs

Is this just a glimpse of what's to come?

Scary!

Reminds me of the illegal firearm confiscations during Katrina...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-taU9d26wT4

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Colonial Williamsburg, Snowmaggedon and Sat Phones

Well, I just returned from Williamsburg, VA and brought back a lot of great information for the prepper community. I highly recommend a trip down to Colonial Williamsburg to see how life was in the 18th century before all the advents of modern technology. I've added YouTube links to some of the colonial trades shops below.

As destiny would have it, I returned to one of the largest snow storms in the region. we so far have more than 21 inches and Pennsylvania has declared a disaster emergency! Good thing we are all prepared, right?

YouTube Links:

Blacksmith: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgRieFmubM0

Kitchen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u19htrDefrY

Printing Press, Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5u9O9ruGXg0

Printing Press, Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTz9yFOuoyQ

Music, Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0b9gqDmlEs

Music, Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZA4hlobVvo

Music, Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbZcV58TSPo

Firearms: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wlPB5FExwI

Transportation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B5sR2FyjEU

Weaving, Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLcj0vZhonU

Weaving, Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix-4ua57I4I

Sewing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3uAj6gHlQU

While on the trip, and in order to keep me grounded in the 21st century, I also got to try out the Globalstar sat phone, which if you can manage to make your calls and/or upload your data within their several windows of up time for the day, it is an amazing deal!

$35 a month for unlimited calls within the 'home' area. That's cheaper than most comparable cell phone plans! But hurry, this deal (called the evolution plan) is only available until they get their new set of satellites up at the end of the year. (only 10 of 40 are currently functional)

Also, I learned that Globalstar works through, what they call, gateways on the ground, so if the entire electric grid falls, so does their service. (There is another company called, Iridium, which is much more reliable and expensive that claims to work directly sat phone to sat phone without any assistance with ground stations.

I should also mention another company that is not fully operational as of yet, but has great promise, called TerreStar. They have recently sent up the largest commercial satellite and have a contract with AT&T. The cool thing about them, is their device looks and works like a regular cell phone/PDA until it goes out of range and then seamlessly transitions to satellite!

Stay Tuned...

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

A life worth knowing about

From: http://www.jsonline.com/news/obituaries/79700487.html


Porter-Arenzon escaped Nazi massacre in Ukraine

After she moved to Milwaukee, she raised a family, lived to 100

By Amy Rabideau Silvers of the Journal Sentinel

Posted: Dec. 18, 2009

enlarge photo

Faye and Irving Porter are shown with their infant son Jack in the Ukraine in 1945. They settled in Milwaukee in 1946.
more photos

Everything in Faye Porter-Arenzon's life was measured by what happened Sept. 24, 1942.

She could not save her family - two young daughters, her parents, all her siblings, other relatives - from massacre by Nazi SS officers and local Ukrainian police.

But she survived, later rescued by her husband, a partisan with the resistance movement in the Ukraine. Together they lived in a partisan community in the forests of their homeland and began a family again. Together they came to America.

And she became the matriarch of a new family in a new land.

"It was a miracle," said her son, Jack Nusan Porter, a Holocaust and genocide scholar. "She survived to produce all these generations."

Porter-Arenzon - she married again after the death of her first husband - died of natural causes Dec. 1. She was 100. She last lived in St. Louis Park, Minn., where she moved to be near her daughter after the death of her second husband. Services have been held.

Born Faygeh Merin, she married Srulik Puchtik in 1937. They lived in Maniewicz, a small town in northwestern Ukraine. Later, they took the more American names Faye and Irving Porter.

By 1941, however, the Nazis had taken away most of the town's Jewish men.

"Luckily, a good Polish man gave my father a rifle and 150 bullets," Jack said. "My father started the nucleus of a mostly Jewish fighting group - the majority were Russian Jews - with other Polish and Ukrainian and Russian fighters."

On Sept. 23, 1942, the Nazis and police began rounding up all the remaining Jewish residents of the town.

"They took us out, put us in the middle of a road and counted everyone," she later recalled in a news article. She was then a 32-year-old mother, holding the hands of her daughters, ages 4 and 2.

The situation was still fluid. She tried to get people to do something, anything, saying they should burn the town and run for the forests. People were too afraid to try.

"So she told her mother and sisters and daughters, 'Let me try to find a place for us to hide,' " Jack said.

A policeman stopped her as she left the area. "Why waste a bullet on me now?" she argued. "You're going to kill us all tomorrow."

He let her leave.

She found a barn and tried to go back for her family, but by then there were too many guards. Even if she managed to get back to her family, there was no way they could escape together.

"She went back to the barn," her son said. "And the next morning she heard the shots."

Twenty-five members of her family and her husband's family were killed.

"Three-hundred-eighty Jews were rounded up and taken to the edge of town, shot and buried in a mass grave," said daughter Bella Smith.

Nazis began searching the countryside, including the barn where she was hiding. She was grazed by a bayonet as a Nazi stabbed the hay pile. That night, she crawled into the forest, alone for months.

"She didn't know my father was alive," her daughter said. "He didn't know she was alive. He heard there may have been survivors and found her. She was down to 80 pounds and he carried her back to the partisan unit."

The partisan group, which became known as the Kruk-Max Otryad, grew to include 150 fighters and more than 250 civilians in a family camp, the third-largest such group in Europe, Jack said.

"Mom was the nurse and a cook with the fighter group," Jack said. "Theirs is like the story of the movie, 'Defiance,' about the Bielski Otryad."

After liberation by the Russians in 1944, they lived at the Bindermichel displaced persons camp near Linz, Austria. There they were a rare married couple who survived the war, becoming surrogate parents to young people who had lost their own.

"They would walk these girls down the aisle when they married," Jack said.

His father's brother, in the U.S. since the 1920s, heard they were alive. He sent $100, enough for steerage tickets for the couple and son Jack. They first lived in Chicago, but soon settled in Milwaukee in 1946.

Irving Porter became a scrap dealer. Faye Porter took care of her family, becoming the mother of another son, Shlomo, and daughter Bella, and later a grandmother and great-grandmother.

Her husband died in 1979. Porter took in young women boarders, always interested in trying to find everyone a marriage partner.

She also played matchmaker for herself.

"Do you know someone who wants to get married?" she asked a nice man at a neighborhood senior center.

"Yes," said Yehuda "Judah" Arenzon. "Me."

They married in 1980. He died in 1986.

She remained warm and giving, hopeful and kind.

"She was a tzadakis, a righteous person," Jack said. "People actually came up to her and asked her to bless their children and themselves."

"Don't be stingy with a blessing," she would say. "It doesn't cost anything."

As Porter-Arenzon got older, her blessings took on special meaning.

"She would say, 'God should bless you that you should come in my age and be healthy,' " her daughter said.