Marty Roberts
Staying Real in Israel
"The Marty Roberts Show"

Mike “The Grinder” Mizrachi is one American Jew who is proud of his heritage…and proud of Israel…

He won what is perhaps the most prestigious event at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, the $50,000 entry Players Championship, which tests the top poker players in the world in eight different forms of poker.

The final table consisted of two Jews (Mizrachi and his brother, Robert), a Russian, and a former Bible salesman…but Mike “The Grinder” came out on top, but only after personally knocking out his poker-playing sibling.

At the bracelet award ceremony following the event, Mizrachi chose to have the National Anthem of Israel, “HaTikvah” played…

Keep up the great work, Grinder…Israel is proud of you, too…

MICHAEL MIZRACHI CAPTURES WSOP POKER PLAYER’S CHAMPIONSHIP

The inaugural Poker Player’s Championship was won by Michael “the Grinder” Mizrachi

Reprinted from WSOP.com

He has been one of the most successful tournament pros over the last six years, now with nearly $9 million in accumulated tournament winnings.

“Grinding is the Mizrachi style, he said.”

Mizrachi had previously won just about every major title in poker except a WSOP gold bracelet. “If I was going to win a gold bracelet, I definitely wanted to win this event, said Mizrachi.” Today, he achieved that milestone by pulling off a masterful victory in the biggest buy-in tournament of the year.

The final table included Mizrachi playing against his brother Robert Mizrachi, who ended up finishing fifth. “There’s no competition between us. We root for each other all the time.” In an interesting turn, it was Michael who eliminated Robert in fifth place. “At least I put his chips to good use.”

This marked the highest finish by two family members in WSOP history. Three different nations were represented at the final table, including the United States, Sweden, and Russia. “The Grinder,” cheered on by much of the Mizrachi family, won $1,559,046. In addition to the coveted WSOP gold bracelet, Mizrachi was also presented with the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy.

“To win Chip Reese’s Trophy is really special to me. I hope to be able to honor him in the way he deserves.”

When asked about his previous status being listed near-universally as one of the top players never to have won a WSOP gold bracelet: “Well, take me off the list, then.”

About the newest WSOP bracelet winner:

“The Grinder” is from Miramar, FL. He is 29 and was born in Miami, FL. Mizrachi is a professional poker player. He has been playing full-time since 2004. Prior to playing poker, Mizrachi was a college student. He was studying to become a doctor, but decided instead to pursue a poker career.

Mizrachi is married. He has three children. Mizrachi’s father is of Iraqi-Jewish decent. Mizrachi and most of his family are fluent in Hebrew. Mirzrachi has requested the Israeli anthem for his bracelet ceremony, in part because today’s other bracelet honoree is from the U.S. he is choosing to honor his family heritage.

Although Mizrachi has been one of poker’s top tournament players over the past several years, he has run poorly during the past year or so. Mizrachi’s financial pressures were widely-documented in the media and in various social media networks. The personal setbacks created enormous tension coming into this year’s WSOP. However, Mizrachi remained focused and won what many consider to be not only the toughest competition in poker, but one of the most prestigious, as well.

Prior to this event, Mizrachi had won just about every major title in poker except a WSOP gold bracelet. Mizrachi was Card Player Magazine’s “Player of the Year” in 2006. Mizrachi’s first recorded tournament cash took place in March 2004.

Mizrachi collected $1,559,046 for first place in the 2010 Poker Player’s Championship. He was presented with his first WSOP gold bracelet.

According to official records, Mizrachi now has 20 cashes, four final table appearances, and one win. His career WSOP earnings now total $2,156,322. Mizrachi’s last WSOP-related cash took place more than a year ago in the WSOP Circuit Main Event championship held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. He finished second in that tournament.

Mizrachi is called “the Grinder” due to his never-give-up mentality. Mizrachi certainly does not fit the mold of the traditional poker grinder, however. The term is usually meant to describe a tight player. Mizrachi is actually one of poker’s most aggressive and unpredictable tournament pros.

Other members of the Mizrachi family have adopted the “Grinder” moniker. His is married to Mrs. Grinder. His mother is Mama Grinder. His children each have been called Baby Grinder at various times.

Mizrachi stated he followed the advice of some other poker pros — including J.C. Tran, Mike Matusow, and Robert Mizrachi. At one point when things were not going well at the final table and Mizrachi was on a break, Matusow encouraged Mizrachi to do jumping jacks in a back hallway to keep the blood flowing during the long tournament.

Mizrachi is the younger brother of fellow tournament pro Robert Mizrachi, a former WSOP gold bracelet winner.

Both Mizrachi brothers reached the final table. This was only the third time in WSOP history that two close family members had made it to a final table together. They become the highest-finishing family duo in history, eclipsing the 1995 feat by brother-sister combo Annie Duke (6th) and Howard Lederer (9th) in the Pot-Limit Hold’em event. The other duo to make a final table was brothers Ross Boatman (7th) and Barney Boatman in the 2002 Pot Limit Omaha competition.

The only other brothers to both hold WSOP gold bracelets are Grant and Blair Hinkle, from the Kansas City, MO area.

The final table consisted of three former WSOP gold bracelet winners: John Juanda (4 wins), Daniel Alaei (2 wins), and Robert Mizrachi (1 win). Three different nations were represented at the final table: the United States, Sweden, and Russia.

The final table began eight-handed. This was due to the mix of games played the previous four days, which necessitated an eight-player format. Final table participants ranged in age from 23 to 38. In what is believed to be his first time as a final table’s “senior” player, John Juanda fit the bill as the elder statesman. The youngest player at the final table was David Baker.

The runner up was Vladimir Schmelev, from St. Petersburg, Russia. Schmelev had previously cashed in several European tournaments. This was his best showing in a WSOP event to date.

The third-place finisher was David Oppenheim (Los Angeles, CA).

Another warning about the growing influence of Islam in the United States…this time Jewish students face the threat of violence on American University campuses.

As militant, anti-semitic, anti-Israel Moslem organizations gain strength on U.S. campuses, their ongoing incitement to violence against Jewish students becomes more and more dangerous for the Jews studying there.

What will it take for a wake-up call?

When will common-sense prevail over the need for “PC-political correctness” and so-called “religious tolerance” towards the “religion of peace”, which has, time after time, proven to be NOT!

If I were a Jew in America, I might read the handwriting on the wall…By the way, it’s really nice for Jews in Israel these days…

UCLA Campus..Dangerous for Jewish Students?

Caution: Growing Threat to Jews on California Campuses

Two University of California professors warn that Jewish students face greater dangers as Muslim extremist organizations grow in campus influence.

Reprinted from Israelnationalnews.com Hillel Fendel

In an article on AmericanThinker.com, Leila Beckwith and Tammi Rossman-Benjamin – Professor Emeritus at the UCLA and Lecturer at the University of California Santa Cruz, respectively – write of the growth of Al-Awda, the presence of the Muslim Students Association or Muslim Student Union in nearly 600 North American colleges and universities, the activities of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), and more.

“Many of the activities of these groups specifically harass and intimidate Jewish students,” they write, and “it is not inconceivable that these groups’ anti-Semitic discourse and hostility could escalate into incidents of physical violence. Nevertheless, California administrators have been unwilling to respond to, or even acknowledge, the threats that Jewish students face on their campuses.”

Al-Awda, for instance, is an organization that opposes Israel’s right to exist, supports foreign terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hizbullah, organizes strongly anti-Israel rallies and events, and often features virulently anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic speakers and films at its events.

“Al-Awda has also made significant inroads on college and university campuses in North America,” the professors write, “by partnering with dozens of Muslim and pro-Palestinian/anti-Israel student groups. The first four of Al-Awda’s seven annual international conventions were held on university campuses (University of Toronto, Hunter College, UCLA, and San Francisco State University),” and its conventions and regional conferences are invariably sponsored by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and the Muslim Student Association (MSA).

In California alone, SJP and MSA groups from more than ten California public colleges and universities have collaborated with Al Awda in hosting events.

Speaker Boasts at Success in Silencing Israeli
A sample Al-Awda event was reported on by undercover reporter Lee Kaplan this past February. One speaker, Dr. Jess Ghannam, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Global Health Sciences at UC San Francisco and Adjunct Professor of Ethnic Studies at SFSU, gloated at the successful disruption of Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren’s speech at UC Irvine MSU. “Now, every single Israeli military official and politician will be afraid to speak publicly,” Ghannam said. “It’s huge!”

The MSA, founded by the extremist Sunni Muslim Brotherhood, has had speakers on college campuses who justify suicide bombers and jihad and/or have acted in support of Hamas. Both the MSA and the SJP have repeatedly promoted anti-Israel events that at times become openly anti-Semitic and voice support for suicide bombers. At UC Irvine, for example, the professors write, “the MSA has been involved in acts of physical aggression, harassment, and intimidation of Jewish students; has produced posters equating the Star of David with the swastika; and hosts speakers who compare Jews to Nazis and praise terrorism.”

Chancellors Condemn – But Only in Principle
The response of university officials has been weak, to say the least. For example, Beckwith and Rossman-Benjamin write that “all ten University of California Chancellors recently signed a statement condemning ‘all acts of racism, intolerance and incivility’ … Nevertheless, not one UC Chancellor has condemned the MSA/MSU or SJP groups on his or her campus for the hateful, anti-Semitic programs they mount, or the hostile and intimidating environment they create for Jewish students.”

At a special three-hour UC Regents meeting last month devoted to addressing recent acts of intolerance and bigotry on UC campuses, the discussion focused almost entirely on African-American students and other under-represented minorities. The “longstanding and intolerable harassment and intimidation of Jewish students by members of the Muslim and pro-Palestinian/anti-Israel student groups were not mentioned even once,” the professors write.

In addition, the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) of the U.S. Department of Education has refused to afford Jewish students the same protections against harassment and intimidation as it grants to every African-American, Latino, and Arab student. This policy is an above-board feature of Obama administration policy, said Kenneth Marcus, former director of the OCR, who quoted Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights Russlynn Ali as indicating that the Obama administration would not pursue cases of harassment against Jewish students.

Raising the Alarm
“The MSA/MSU and SJP chapters on many California campuses are unlike other official student groups,” the two professors conclude. “Their affiliations with organizations that support terror and seek to wage Islamic jihad make them a threat to every member of the campus community, but especially to Jewish students. The refusal of university and government officials to afford protections to Jewish students on California campuses is absolutely unconscionable and should be protested loudly and clearly by parents, donors, and taxpayers across the state and across the nation.”

New Show/Podcast!!!

Bad for Israel, bad for the Arabs, bad for the Americans…Even bad for the palestinians…

Even Obama and Clinton seem to be finally getting the message, even backing off their previous stance of imposing an “agreement” on Israel, including retreat to the pre-1967 borders, division of Jerusalem and surrender of Israeli control of the Jordan Valley. Israelis and palestinians alike are massively against accepting the American initiative, obviously, for different reasons. And it’s a good thing, given America’s dismal past track-record of imposing defeat on Israel. The show explains just how terrible an American-imposed arrangement would be for everyone in the region…and just how terrible the outcome could be for the Americans…Plus…Why it is so strategically important to restore good relations between Israel and the U.S….Especially for the Americans…All this and more on “The Marty Roberts Show”…

Even America Cannot Force Peace Without Two Partners

The Israeli ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, says it best…So, how about it, friends?…

‘Support Israel at this crucial time’

In spite of differences, US Jews must defend Israelis, ambassador says.
Ambassador to the US Michael Oren urged a gathering of American Jews to support Israel despite any reservations or differences of opinion regarding Israeli policy.

Jerusalem Post

“In spite of some of the differences that sometimes divide you and in spite of the differences you may have with our decisions, respect them, for they have been made by the majority of Israelis, through one of the world’s most resilient democracies,” he said Sunday night, addressing the Jewish Council for Public Affairs annual plenum in Dallas, Texas.

In blunt words, he urged American Jews to support Israel while it is at a “crucial crossroads” in the peace process.

“Support us, too, if we decide the peace being offered us is not a real peace and does not warrant those sacrifices and risks,” he said. “Join us in fighting for Israel’s right to defend itself, in fighting for Israel’s right to exist.”

The comments, which seemed directed at the US administration’s frustration with the peace process, also come after Oren softened his view of J Street, the self-described “pro-peace, pro-Israel” lobby. The Netanyahu government has had an uneasy relationship with J Street, and this past fall Oren pointedly declined an invitation to attend the group’s kick-off policy conference in Washington.

But in a February 10 interview with the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, Oren said J Street had moved “much more into the mainstream.”

“The major concern with J Street was their position on security issues, not the peace process. J Street has now come and supported Congressman [Howard] Berman’s Iran sanction bill; it has condemned the Goldstone Report; it has denounced the British court’s decision to try Tzipi Livni for war crimes, which puts J Street much more into the mainstream,” Oren said.

The ambassador opened his talk on Sunday by discussing another speech, given on February 8 at the University of California, Irvine, where 11 students heckled him off the stage. He returned and finished his speech, and the students were later arrested.

“Their goal was to undermine the freedom of expression and at the same time to delegitimize the Jewish state,” he said.

“Civility, the ability to hear others’ opinions and be heard, is an essential weapon in Israel’s defense. We have a case to be made,” he said.

During his talk Sunday, Oren referenced “long-simmering issues” between American and Israeli Jews.

“While Israelis turned toward the center and right,” he said, “American Jews gravitated in the other direction, casting 80 percent of their ballots for Barack Obama.”

Mentioning issues of conversion, he also focused on the “Women of the Wall” incident at the Kotel earlier this month, when 200 women wearing tallit were heckled and called Nazis by haredi men.

“There are good solutions for the issues at the Kotel,” he said during a question-and-answer session. “It will require compromise on everyone’s behalf.”

AIPAC

Has AIPAC crossed the line?…Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has enough problems dealing with the Obama administration and the Iranian nuclear threat…The last thing he needs is an American-Israel lobby supporting positions contrary to the current Israeli government…Are there rough waters ahead for US/Israel relations?…Official American policy statements by Vice President Biden, Secretary of State Clinton and others are sending up warning flags…Will Washington wake up in time?…All this and more on “The Marty Roberts Show”…