Dermer has turned out to be a great spokesperson...

amazing that she would speak up like this, so strongly for Israel

another war miracle:

as reported on the Radio Kol Hai program, by the people involved.

The article was already translated by JewishMom.com so I am just ripping it from there, instead of translating it myself..


when you eat your matza next Pesach, think about how the matza might just be bigger than just a piece of matza, and how thigns we do have effects on so many other things, even without us necessarily knowing about it

Last night a "burqa lady" was shot.

This burqa lady was walking towards the entrance to the Kotel, when police called to her to stop. They were unable to identify her as not a terrorist, as a Jew, from afar due to being completely covered, and wanted her to stop so they could identify her.

When she continued walking towards them and did not heed their warnings, they shot her in the leg to stop her, suspecting this person might be a terrorist with nefarious intentions. It is unclear why she did not heed the warnigns to stop.
sources: Jerusalem.net and Srugim

I hope she is ok and healing.

It seems like now is not a good time to refuse to identify yourself and do things that might be considered suspicious. Everybody is on alert everywhere. The security situation everywhere is very sensitive.




And, now Ladaat is also reporting on another incident with a burqa lady in Mea Shearim. She was detained. The article does not say why or what the police wanted from her. I don't know why she did not identify herself, even after being stopped by the police that she needed to be taken away.

some of Joan Rivers PR tips for Israel:

Israel should show dead puppies!
nose jobs for all Palestinans will bring about peace in the Middle East

I love it!

A city councilman in the City of Jerusalem, deputy mayor actually, Meir Turjeman, has suggested the city change the name of a local street, due to the war in Gaza.

Turjeman wants the name of Azza St. changed to Tzuk Eitan St. Turjeman says that the name "Azza" right now has negative connotations for people and should be changed.

Mynet gives some history about the street and says that it has been called Azza St. for 66 years and historically was part of the original route from Jaffa Gate to the southern coast that included Azza. Mynet also says that in 2009 another city councilman suggested changing the name to Sderot, saying that the name of that cursed city (Azza) should be uprooted from the heart of our capital. As well, in 2005 others wanted to change the street name to Gush Katif, and yet someone else suggested changing it to be named after Dr. Yosef Burg, who had lived there for many years..

Right now it seems like Turjeman doesn't have the votes to get it changed. Opponents say that Azza is a part of Greater Israel.

Personally, I think it is a bad idea. Azza has a "glorious", or at least, very long history with the jews. For a couple of thousand years it has been a strong part of local history. Jewish communities lived there for large blocks of time, until 2005. Just because right now we don't get along with the people controlling Azza does not mean we should do away with the entire long history of Azza.

Kikar is reporting a really interesting story, worth breaking in on the regular schedule of posts...

A group of avreichim learning in Kolels has decided they want to join the IDF and fight no the front lines.

Supposedly there are tens of such avreichim. They prefer to stay anonymous and not talk about it, under the guidance of "say little and do a lot". They say that after they join the reserves and actually accomplish things in the field, they will then be happy to talk about it.

The one person willing to talk is somebody who seems to be the representative of the group. He says he is Haredi, did army service and reserve duty, and wants to stay anonymous. He says there is no problem with an avreich who previously received an exemption from army service to now volunteer to perform a variety of duties for the army, and even to serve on the front lines. He says there are many initiatives to allow people to volunteer for duty, and even for people from abroad who have no obligation of army service at all, so why not also an initiative for avreichim to volunteer?

The way he says it makes it sound like the most natural thing in the world.

This commander of Givati, Ofer Vinter, who got criticized for his pre-battle letter to his soldiers in which he said they will be fighting God's battle and should say Shema Yisrael when going out to battle, is something special.

NRG excerpts part of an interview Vinter has given to Mishpacha magazine (I assume the Hebrew edition - you probably should go out and buy this week's edition to see the whole thing). As well, Ynet has some video talking to Vinter and more of his comments on the battle.

Vinter said that now, during this time of war, when the desire to join the armed forces is strong, now it must be stressed that what is really needed for the nation is that the yeshiva students should be learning Torah even more and with more force. It is the Torah that protects the nation of Israel more than anything else. Whoever can sit and learn - must do so now.

Vinter also describes how his forces have seen miracles in their battles. One story he relates is when they were fighting in Hirbat Hizaah, Vniter says he saw something he had not seen during his entire career in the army to date. Vinter describes that they had decided to attack the area in the week hours of the morning, before daybreak, so the enemy would not notice them. The extraction team arrived at the location on time, but the fighters arrived late. Vinter says they did not know what to do, as the sky was already starting to light up and the soldiers were becomign visible, yet they needed to attack. Suddenly, Vinter says, a cloud cover came over them and protected them. Clouds of glory (ananei kavod). Suddenly it covered us, the fighters, a heavy fog, that stayed there throughout the attack.Nobody saw us. Only after the houses targeted were destroyed and there was no longer any danger to the soldiers did the fog disperse. Exactly as it says "For Hashem will go with you to save you".

There is more on NRG, and I assume there will be more in the full interview in Mishpacha.

It is with the increasing number of people like Ofer Vinter in command positions in the Israeli army that they IDF will become not just Israeli but more Jewish in nature.

Zeev calls Tibi a terror tunnel from Gaza right into the Knesset

these are Bet Shemesh people!

a few days ago, pashkevilim were put up around the Haredi neighborhoods of Bet Shemesh. The message on the pashkevil was a bit of a mystery, in an attempt to leave the public waiting for the sequel that would eventually provide the answer and relieve the suspense.

The original pashkevil was:


which simply makes a reference to the affiliates of cancer (metastases) in Haredi Bet Shemesh.

It does not explain what is the metastases or what about it. It made for some fun conversation in trying to guess what it was referring to, what was upsetting somebody so much that they had to scream it out on the walls of the city.

Most guesses I heard were along the lines of Haredi soldiers, non-kosher cellphones, unfiltered Internet (anybody know what happened to the Chaver people and program who seemed to have disappeared?), maybe haredi movies for bein hazmanim, and the like..

Today the mystery has been solved. Part 2 of the pashkevil sequence has gone up.

And I must say I am disappointed, though curious. It is a totally boring topic, though it is definitely unexpected, and I did not hear this as the suggestion of anybody.

Here are the latest pashkevils in the sequence:



They are publicizing a psak that it is prohibited to join Mishmar Ezrachi of the authorities, or any form of it under any naeme, such as Shomrim (a private form of neighborhood watch) that seems to be part of the Sherut Ezrachi system.

As I said - boring and disappointing, but unexpected.

I dont know what the problem is with these programs. It seems to be that its members are under the authority of the secular government, via the police or army officials. I cannot imagine what else would be wrong with volunteering to protect your own neighborhood.

I wonder if I now have to go sign up for mishmar ezrachi again (I used to serve on the mishmar ezrachi force, but haven't in a few good years), just so people shouldn't think I am following this psak...

Israel's tank battalion

This evening in RBS there will be a rally of solidarity with the soldiers who are out there on the front lines defending us.

The event will not be political. Everyone is invited.  Large attendance is important to show that all of Bet Shemesh is united in our hakarat hatov for the chayalim who are literally saving our lives on a daily basis..
Today, Wednesday, at 19.30 at the top of the Ayalon park in RBS.

Police permission has been obtained.

As an aside, prior to this, from 3pm (from 15:00 until 20:00), there will be a "fair" at the Matnas on Nahal Dolev to support businesses from the south. You can buy things directly from merchants who will be selling at the fair, and support the beleaguered businesses...

9 days music alert..

Anti-war protesters are being shot at on both sides of the border.

By the same people.

On the Israel side of the border,  antiwar protesters have been shot at by hamas with missiles,  making the protesters scatter and abandon the protest.

Today the news reported that on the gazan side of the border today hamas rounded up 20 Palestinian antiwar protesters and shot them dead.

It seems that Hamas really doesn't like antiwar people.

Last week we pointed to the Rabbanut psak allowing live performances and music for soldiers on duty in and around Gaza during the Nine Days, as it strengthens them and raises their morale.

In that vein we now have another interesting psak.

From INN:

Soldiers in Gaza could eat meat during the coming days, the IDF Rabbinate announced Monday.
The decision contravenes a widely-held Ashkenazi Jewish custom not to eat meat from the beginning of the Hebrew month of Av – which began Monday – until after the Fast of the Ninth of Av next week, during the period generally known as the "Nine Days." Sephardi Jews refrain from the start of the week in which the Ninth of Av occurs.
The ban on eating meat, except for Shabbat meals, is a long-standing one, instituted after the Destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of the Jewish people from the Land of Israel, as a sign of mourning for the Destruction.
Other customs prevalent during this period include not taking haircuts or shaving, not listening to music, and not attending parties or going to places of entertainment.
While soldiers are not exempted from the ban on haircuts or shaving – most don't have a chance to shave at the front anyway, said the Rabbinate – they could eat meat if they felt the need.
Meat supplies protein and vitamins that are very difficult to get otherwise, especially under battlefield conditions, the Rabbinate said – and since soldiers need their energy and strength to fight Hamas terrorists, they were permitted to eat meat.
However, those who felt they could manage without meat were certainly not obligated to do so, the Rabbinate added.

I will translate it after the status, though it won't have the flavor of the original.. as they say, lost in translation




my translation:
By chance, 3 young boys hitchhiked on a fatal ride
By chance, their mothers thanked the soldiers and members of the security forces every day, instead of coming with complaints.
By chance, the entire nation prayed and came together.
By chance, this happened in the territory of the Palestinian Authority
By chance, Abu Mazen, a month prior, gave Hamas permission to enter the areas of the PA.
By chance, the IDF collected a heavy price from hamas for its "business with the PA
By chance, Hamas got angry and started shooting missiles
By chance, nobody died from more than 2000 missiles
because By chance, we developed, specifically us and specifically now, the Iron dome
and By chance, such a unity developed that we were able to go into Gaza
and By chance, the world for the first time has stood behind us
and By chance, we are uncovering tunnels of hell that have been dug for the past 10 years
and By chance,  this is all happening 2 months before these tunnels would have been used to bring the entire country to its knees, in a detailed plan of evil Hamas.
That same "chance occurrences" were also present in Purim, in Persia.
By chance, the sea split
By chance, in the War of Independence a few underground organizations overpowered the forces of the Arab armies
and By chance, the Maccabees defeated.. and... how coincidental.. already about 3300 years and we benefit from the coincides.
So I, confess to these coincides daily, such as the return of my soul, with great mercy because By chance I got up.and I pray 3 times a day to it, because anyway, if not for the coincidental, perhaps we'd be in Uganda.. or I would be a grain of ash on that in Auschwitz, or in some mass grave in Russia, but no, I am here, al

אז אני, מודה למקריות הזו כל בוקר , שהיא החזירה נשמתי , בחמלה רבה, כי במקרה קמתי .ומתפלל אליה 3 פעמים ביום , כי בכל זאת , אם לא המקריות , הינו אולי בכלל באוגנדה(מה שקורה עכשיו באוגנדה...) , או שהייתי גרגר אפר בהר המצמרר הזה באושוויץ, או באיזה קבר אחים ברוסיה, אבל לא , אני פה ,חי ונושם בארץ הקודש , ועכשיו בונים לי ,במקרה ,כביש דו מסלולי עד ירושלים , שיהיה לי נוח לנסוע להעלות איזה קורבן תודה , ל"יד המקרה " בבית המקדש שאני , במקרה ממש , אזכה להיות חלק בבנייתו.

One of the problems with the tremendous outpouring of solidarity and support from the people of Israel for the soldiers down in and around Gaza is the kashrut of the food sent to the soldiers.

The IDF Rabbinate has decided that they have to figure out how to keep track of the food that is being sent to soldiers to ensure that it is kosher. To that end they have turned to kashrut supervisors from around the country to assist in keeping track of the food donations sent to soldiers in the south.

Specifically they ask the mashgichim to inform them about businesses that donate food for the soldiers. This information, what business is donating what food and if they are supervised by a kashrut organization, will help the mashgichim in the field better control what food is brought to the soldiers and ensure that the food brought is kosher.
source: Ladaat

While the IDF Rabbinate letter to mashgichim refers to food donated by businesses, restaurants and catering halls around the country, it seems to me that that is a relatively controllable situation. The more difficult part is the food sent by private people. How do soldiers know if the food they receive is kosher or not, and how can the mashgichim and IDF Rabbinate know?

this must be a major task on the Rabbanut...

The various reports have slightly different details on this, but they all get the main point the same - a soldier (or maybe two) went to daven in the Rama shul (aka "the shteiblach") in RBS B last night and were attacked by local extremist thugs. They verbally attacked him and his sons outside of the shul and then smashed the windows of his car.

The soldier is a fellow from Netivot on reserve duty. When called up to service he brought his two boys to his parents in Bet Shemesh. When he was given a break for a few hours, he traveled to Bet Shemesh to see his family, and when he went to the shul to daven, the incident happened.

source: Bechadrei, Kikar

The mayor of Bet Shemesh, Moshe Abutbol, posted a condemnation pretty quickly. Abubtol spoke with the soldier and said he was shocked to hear of the serious incident and that he condemns it strongly, especially during this period where everybody, including the people of Bet Shemesh are united in support of the soldiers. Abubtol also said that in the Iryah they say tehillim every day for the soldiers, along with the "mi she'beirach" for their success, along with establishing a prayer hotline. Abutbol also added that such behavior is both illegal and against halacha, and he called upon the police to deal harshly with them.

In addition to Abutbol's comments, MK Aryeh Dery (Shas) also publicized a condemnation of the attack. Dery wrote that they have crossed all lines, this is an act of terror and they must be dealt with the same way we deal with terrorists. The hand that is raised against a soldier should be cut off!

Other responses to the incident include MK Litzman (UTJ) who said that no person in a right mind wouldn't condemn such an attack. It is a serious incident, it is a public crime and is a terrible injustice that is meant to blacken the reputation of an entire sector. The police should deal with them seriously.
MK Moshe Gafni (UTJ) said it is a serious incident both for the actual act and also the chillul hashem it causes. These people put the entire Haredi community in danger and cause tremendous amount of damage.
source: Bechadrei







------------------------------------------------------

and for the same price, here are the recent statements by PM Netanyahu, DM Yaalon and COS Benny Gantz

When will the third Holy Temple be rebuilt? The old school thinks that will only happen in the distant future, when everyone is united by unconditional love. But that future is now. Today’s youth are already linking arms together and putting aside all differences, ready to rebuild. It is the inspiration of the Holy Temple itself, with its promise of hope and peace that brings together all people in unity. This is the generation that will rebuild the Holy Temple.

Viewed best in HD! Please watch and share! 

JOIN OUR INDIEGOGO CAMPAIGN http://goo.gl/bLF7tY
Make the future. Build the Holy Temple!



the first two editions of this, from previous years, can be found here:
The Children Are Ready part 1
The Children Are Ready part 2

9 days music alert.. only listen if you are Sefardi?

wow!
I actually think that despite being less than eloquent in English, this soldier is far more effective and seemingly honest than having an English speaking spokesperson talk about these things...

It seems, from the various news reports, that heavy pressure is being placed in PM Netanyahu by President Obama and the United Nations to accept an unconditional ceasefire.

There has been talk about refusal on Israel's part, there has been talk of an unofficial acceptance, and all sorts of other ideas. One thing that seems pretty clear is that Obama is putting a lot of pressure, directly and through Secretary of State John Kerry, on Israel.

I don't get it though. Israel has already shown its willingness to accept a ceasefire agreement. a few times. It is Hamas who regularly refuses, and then breaks it even when they do agree.

At some point shouldn't the pressure be put on the people of Hamas, not Israel?

What's the point of pressuring Israel? We all know that when push comes to shove Israel will accept any semi-decent ceasefire agreement. Israel will probably even accept many versions of lousy ceasefire agreements.

Pressure Israel all you want. At the end of the day, you know they will accept. Yet that will still get us nowhere, because Hamas isn't playing along.

It is time to pressure Hamas.

This is just too strange..

The Hamas spokesman, Sammy Abu Zohari, said that Israel, the Occupation, has opposed a humanitarian ceasefire on their holiday of Eid Al-Fitr, and this shows contempt to the sensitivities of Muslims, and therefore Israel will bear responsibility for the escalation..

thoughts:
1. we are at war. we have to be concerned about their sensitivities?
2. we are killing Muslims, as part of the war, including tragically children, but it is the lack of agreement on a ceasefire on Eid Al-Fitr that is showing contempt for their sensitivities? Is that really worse than the killing of people?
3. They are trying to kill us. Can we demand they be sensitive to our sensitivities and stop? If that is how war works, I hereby call upon Hamas to stop all of this, as it shows contempt to my sensitivities.
4. With all the arrests of terrorists, information has been uncovered that the purpose of many of the tunnels was to carry out a massive terror attack on Rosh Hashana. Terrorists would have popped out of the tunnels in Israeli towns, Kibbutzim and Moshavim and slaughtered people and taken hostages. I repeat - on Rosh Hashana. So, no ceasefire on Eid Al-Fitr is contempt to sensitivities, but planning a massive terror attack scheduled for Rosh Hashana is ok?

Are they insane?

And people fall for this stuff?

A Guest Post by Joshua Cadoch

originally posted on The Ignorant Interpreter

his tone is so anti-Israeli, without actually saying anything against Israel. The worst thing he actually says about Israel here is that the Israelis have developed the most brilliant defensive shield, with American funding, and that's why we have so few dead and injured.

His actual stated point is very true. It is a terrible tragedy what is happening. It is a human tragedy. The number of children (and non-children) injured and killed is terrible. Halevai we should find the right way to end this. This is a point I think most Israelis agree with. The ambassador Ron Dermer, Minister Naftali Bennet, PM Benjamin Netanyahu, and others, have all made the very same points on various news stations multiple times...

local RBS school Darchei Noam's choir went to sing for wounded soldiers...

Regev gives as good as, or better than, he gets...




though I must say she asked him much tougher questions than this Channel 4 reporter asked the Hamas guy..

 Photo taken this morning at Petach Tikva's Schneider Children's Hospital during a Gaza rocket attack. Hospital staff holding newborn babies in the stairwell during a rocket alert siren.

Photo: Dr. Vigler, Schneider Children's Hospital

Israel refuses invitation to commit suicide, snubs the irrelevant Kerry

  -- Washington Post

There have been a number of initiatives, all great initiatives, by the public on behalf of the soldiers.

Every day I see new posts on social media about groups of people who put together loads of packages to send to the soldiers in or near Gaza, or recuperating in hospitals, or people in communities that are affected more seriously, or families of soldiers and reservists. People, organizations, etc.

If somebody posts to the public that he is going to be heading down south with something, he ends up traveling with a car full of  goodies  because everyone who saw the notice quickly prepares packages to send with him.

Then there are the good deeds, the prayers, the kindness.

There is one project I want to point out in particular. It is not unique. I don't think so, at least. I want to point it out because it is from Bet Shemesh. The town that has gotten so much bad press should also get some good press.

Bet Shemesh people have done a ton for the soldiers. Tefilla, packages, support,  money, solidarity, rallies, etc. Every day one can find new ideas and old ideas being fulfilled. This specific project is similar to the Shmira Project and to Elef Lamateh. As I said, it doesn't seem to be unique, but it is from Bet Shemesh.

Some fellow named Chaim, speaking on Galei Tzahal Radio, from the haredi community of Bet Shemesh, created a similar program, by which people will daven on behalf of soldiers fighting in Gaza. He calls it "Moked HaTefillot HaOlami" - The world prayers hotline. Just like the others, you can get a name to daven for, and/or you can give a name of a relative fighting to be davened for.

Chaim said on the radio  which you can hear in the link above, that on the first day 4000 people signed up!

Kol hakavod Bet Shemesh!

A few weeks ago I wrote about the situation in RBS C in  which local residents were complaining about the city, led by Haredi authorities, not providing a mikva for the neighborhood in a timely fashion. The only thing the Irya could say is 3 years. No provision for a temporary solution, no looking for a quicker solution.

Currently the residents need to use mikvaot in other neighborhoods. That is ok, albeit inconvenient, for weekdays, but Shabbos is a problem. It is a long walk from RBS C to the closest mikva in RBS A. Also, much of the road is dark, and dangerous.

A couple of residents contacted me after that post. We bounced ideas back and forth, along with some griping about the lack of a solution.

Since then I have come up with a quick,, temporary, solution, that shouldn't be expensive or difficult to implement. It would obviously have to be coordinated with a rav who can deal with the halachot of mikva construction, as well as a kablan, engineer, and an askan who can get it done, as well as, I imagine, representatives of the Iryah who will approve it, even just temporarily, and allocate a small piece of land for it.

This would just be a temporary solution, until a better mikva could be built. It would only be for use on Friday nights, holiday nights, and in cases of "emergency". I do think that this type of a mikva is better than putting oneself in danger, walking in a dangerous area in the dark, and better than pushing off "mikva night" due to lack of a solution.

Here is my idea, which I sent to the residents I had been in contact with, and it is based on the Shulchan Aruch, hilchot Mikvaot, which I am currently learning:

Again, the purpose of this is to just be a temporary solution.

Now we need askanim who can get this done. We need rabbonim, to supervise or authorize the halachic aspects of it. And, it seems to me, we need the Iryah to allow it and maybe even subsidize it.

so how do we get this done?

CNN asks if the American investment in Iron Dome was worth it...


it seems like  the answer to the question is obvious... unless the premise of the question is that now that we have seen how many Jewish lives it has saved, is it worth it

this is just too funny..

he really should let him talk,, if he invited him on air, but I like how he doesn't let Yousef waffle..

Hillel Neuer does a great job, but their method is just lies, lies and more lies, and when you call them on a lie they say thats not what they want to talk about..

Al Jazeera tries to silence UN Watch's Hillel Neuer, but even a bit of truth managed to throw ex-PLO lawyer Diana Buttu & Human Rights Watch's Bill van Esveld on the defensive.

Yes, that is a picture of a bullet stuck in a hand grenade.

An IDF soldier was shot at from a terrorist with a Kalshnikov rifle. The bullet lodged itself in the grenade that was in the vest on the soldier.

The soldier was not killed by either the bullet, or by the expected explosion of the hand grenade that you would expect to happen in such a situation...
source: Mako news

these soldiers took the letters and pictures received from children around the country, and decorated their tank (armored vehicle?) with them!

The Palestinians are reporting that Israel destroyed a building of UNRWA and 15 people were killed in the strike. The IDF says it is looking into it.

While normally UNRWA buildings should not be legitimate targets, I think we are well past that point here.

With Hamas regularly using civilian locations as their headquarters and as missile storage sites, every site is really a military target. With the UNRWA already being caught with its pants down at least 3 times, as having Hamas missiles stored within their buildings, I think UNRWA sites should all be considered military targets. With UNRWA handing missiles over to Hamas, instead of to international bodies, or Israel, or even the PA, they should be considered just another part of Hamas, and therefore also a target.

If UNRWA wants to assist Hamas, they have to accept the consequences of that. Just like Hamas and any of its sites and buildings are targets, UNRWA should be exactly the same. The IDF has nothing to look into, unless it is looking into it to declare a successful mission.