Bar Kochba – the ancient star of Israel (short instructive video)
Bar Kochba followed the same strategy that the Jews had followed in the first rebellion against Rome. He first reconquered the Galilee to cut the Romans off from the sea. Then he surrounded Jerusalem and forced them out. He had active support of most of the rabbis – in contradistinction to the first two revolts against Rome. In those instances the rabbis were at best neutral. In this war, the most influential rabbi lent his name to the cause, was Akiva ben Joseph. It was Rabbi Akiva who ascribed to Shimon bar Kochba the famous messianic verse: “A star will shoot forth from Jacob” (Numbers 24:17). That is how he got the name “Kochba,” which means “star.” In essence, Rabbi Akiva crowned him the Messiah. Rabbi Akiva was so widely respected among the people that if he saw in Shimon messianic qualities then the people immediately elevated him to the level of the Messiah.
AM heutigen Abend wurde in der Augsburger Synagoge der sog. “Reichskristallnacht” (die von fragwürdigen Deppen auch “Reichspogromnacht” genannt wird, ohne zu verstehen, dass Russ. погром in etwa “Unwetter” bedeutet, was historisch auch nicht so ganz dem gedachten Sachverhalt entspricht) … gedacht in rednerischer Anwesenheit des früheren, nun gleichfalls historischen Bundespräsidenten Joachim Gauck.
But as my grandmother told so often: Be it as it may …
בית הכנסת אוגסבורג – חצי אתר בנייה, חצי בית תפילה … או מוזאון
The German term “Gauck” historically refers to and equals English “gag”what can be understood as sort of a “joke” (Latin: iocus) or “joy” … but maybe also in the meaning of “gag order”. Depends on your criteria. You may see the very same building as a prayer hall (unnoticed without any prayer) as a construction site, as a museum, as a concert hall … as a “younameit”. As local Swabian put it somewhat Austrian: “Is ayh woorsht…”
Am heutigen Abend referierte Rabbiner Julian-Chaim Soussan aus Frankfurt am Main im Festsaal der Augsburger Synagoge kurz und kurzweilig im kleinen Kreis über den biblischen „Prophet Amos, seine Sozialkritik aus klassischer jüdischer Sicht und deren Aktualität“. Zu Beginn sind die beiden etwas unscharfen Schnappschüsse entstanden.
Posted by yehuda 
Jüdisch Historischer Verein Augsburg 