Gala, also known as ptcha, and some other names I think, is made from the feet of cows/oxen, and in a pinch can also be made from the feet of chickens. it is a gelatinous food item made after cooking the feet for a very long time. It is popular among some Jews of Polish and of Hungarian ancestry.

According to Datilicious, the Ministry of Health is fighting with the slaughterhouses to put an end to the sale and distribution of the feet of these animals. The article does not say why, but I guess it is a health concern of some sort. Maybe they consider the feet not fit for human consumption.

While the restaurant and delicatessen owners are worried of a coming shortage due to the Ministry of Health issue, they say they have enough supply now for the upcoming holiday.

Honestly it seems that this isn't that popular of a food item as it is, with dwindling interest around the world for a long time already, from what I've heard. 

maybe this will spur some sort of ptcha/gala black market. 

 

The Cabinet released a statement to the public with its decision. 

Regarding the plan for prayers at the Kotel:

 - up to 8000 people allowed

 - dividing the people present into 18 capsules

 - masks, enforced by ushers\

 - a psak haacha enabling participation in selichot services via a screen - under the auspices of the Western Wall heritage Foundation

 - PR, recommending only recovered and vaccinated attend, promoting the psak halacha (above) with listed times, publicizing restrictions

 - police directing the crowds through the Old City

Partial video of the arrest was publicized and spread initially via Whatsapp:

My initial reaction upon seeing this video was mixed. 

On the one hand, it is sad that the situation has gotten to this. arrests over masks (though I know the arrest is really because she refused to identify herself and cooperate with the police, not because she wasn't wearing a mask).

On the other hand, the arrest was not violent. they seemed to treat her decently, only pushing her when she tried pulling away. they had female police officers handling her, obviously being sensitive to her religious sensibilities. the police didn't beat her up or anything like that. The violence was surrounding the arrest - the people around were screaming and eventually pushing ands threatening, but the arrest itself seems ok. 

Most people don't resist arrest. They commit a crime, fine, but once the police catch them they either take the fine or go with the police. People who resist arrest are either repeat criminals who are used to this, or people who are trained to do so. This is a community where resisting the national authority and the police is ingrained in them. She resisted the demands of the police (for identification) so she was arrested, and then she resisted going peacefully with the police, so she was pushed toward the car. She was not an innocent woman being beaten up by the police.

Many are shocked by the police actions in the video but I don't see anything so shocking. The situation was escalating quickly, the police wanted to get out of there quickly before it would get really bad. This is a neighborhood that regularly fights, physically, with the police and refuses to have the law apply to them. Sometimes we scream that the police need to go in and stop the lawlessness - so now that it is a woman we should tell the police to let lawlessness reign?

The police in Israel have a reputation of being overly violent and abusive. Maybe that is true and maybe police reform is needed. That is entirely possible. In this case I don't see them as having been abusive. I am not sure what they should have done in this situation beyond what they tried to do - detain the woman and get out of there quickly. they ultimately failed, but I think they tried to do the right thing. They can't just walk away when the citizen breaks the law right in front of them and they refuse to comply. Those who are shocked and angry over this - what would they have the police do? 

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this might give me nightmares... they look to me like w lynch mob until he gets enough of a guilty conscience to do what they demanded...

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Interestingly, the Ministry of Health has reportedly instructed the kupot cholim to expand the 3rd dose booster shots to be made available to everybody over the age of 12 as of tomorrow.

Now that makes no sense to me. Even if the 3rd dose is just as safe as the first and second, as I believe it is (as it is the same exact dose), what benefit could there possibly be to a 12-17 year old to getting the 3rd shot now? The first dose of the vaccine was only made available to them in mid-June, so the earliest any 12-17 year old could have been considered fully vaccinated was about mid-July, just 5-6 weeks ago. Why would they possibly need the 3rd dose booster now, and what benefit could it possibly provide to them? They are already fully vaccinated and the vaccine has not yet begun wearing off.

unless the new theory is that we all need 3 doses immediately (with x number of weeks in between them) and then the 3rd dose is not really a booster, as it has been called, but part of the initial dosage plan, but I have not heard it explained that way.

As it is, opening the 3rd dose to 12 year olds right now makes no sense to me.

The Foreign ministry is generally responsible for appointing ambassadors and consuls around the world to represent the interests of the Israeli government and to provide services for citizens scattered throughout.

Tzippi Hotovely had been appointed in August 2020 as Ambassador to the United Kingdom by then Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

Since then the Israeli government has changed hands, and it is normal for new regimes to appoint new people, the ones they owe favors to, rather than the ones the previous administration owed favors to. It makes total sense, and it would be completely normal, for Yair Lapid, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and/or for Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, to recall Hotovely and appoint one of their own people in her place as Ambassador.

Yet when Lapid let Hotovely know that she should start packing her bags as she will soon be replaced, Hotovely stamped her feet and said no way, she is not leaving. Hotovely said her appointment as Ambassador to the United Kingdom is for 3 years, and she has a contract, and will not leave before that. 

According to Walla News, Lapid has now decided that he will let Hotovely finish her term as Ambassador and only replace her in two more years, at the end of the 3 year term. Lapid said that Hotovely is fulfilling her role properly and there is no need to replace her with a political appointment.

Have you ever heard anything more Israeli than that? The Ambassador stamps her feet so she won't be replaced and the Foreign Minister says ok?

It turns out the story gets even more interesting, heroic, and ironic. All in one.

According to TOI, Moshe Margaretten, an Ultra-Orthodox "fixer" from Williamsburg, who has a hobby of getting Jews out of danger, funded the efforts through Moti Kahana by raising $80,000.

When Simantov refused to leave, Margaretten put together an alternate plan. Realizing that with the Taliban taking over control of Afghanistan, many women would be in danger, along with other people who had ties to the previous government. When Simantov refused to be extracted, Margaretten moved forward with the extraction plan of 23 other people, including women, judges and prosecutors, and among the women were members of the Afghan national women's soccer team. And he plans on raising more money to rescue more people and get them out of Afghanistan.

You can get more of the interesting story of Margaretten, and Kahana's heroic rescue efforts, from the TOI article (linked above). The irony is noted by Margaretten himself in noting that he failed in rescuing a recalcitrant husband and that resulted in rescuing a group of women from a repressive society.

This was totally unexpected. As much as you know there are all types of people everywhere and in every group, you read a story like this and it is still a surprise to see it in action.

The staff of the Israeli Embassy in Washington converted a hotel room in the Willard Intercontinental Hotel into a shul for PM Naftali Bennett, being that the delay in his meeting with President Joe Biden had been delayed (due to the terrorist attack in Kabul) and he had to stay in Washington DC for Shabbos.

or maybe, based on the below picture, they were actually going to a bar mitzva....

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it would have been better had they gotten it on the video, but still...

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On the one hand, everyone is upset that the government is leaving everything open, but at the same time a large majority polled is saying they would not adhere to any lockdown rules. Mask mandates are being ignored as much as possible. People are upset that the government is letting corona run wild, so to speak, but they refuse to follow the rules (unless forced to, and then they complain non-stop). they scream why isn't the government doing anything? Bennett wrote a book - look how much of an expert he is! etc but then they scream at even the slightest thought of a possible lockdown (that never got mentioned from official sources), scream bloody murder about having to wear masks, compare Israel to the Nazis for using the green passport. People are forging corona tests and green passports to be able to travel and to be able to get into events and vacation spots. People are reportedly breaking quarantine - anyone who considers keeping it properly seems to be a freier. People want to travel and gather and vacation in busy vacation spots, but then they want to question why the government has not been able to get Corona under control.

It is not surprising that we've broken the 10k threshold of daily positive corona tests. Just look around and see how little the rules are being followed.

   -- Rav Avraham Freuilich, one of the Committee of Five members, testifying before the investigative committee for the Meron tragedy

Rav Kanievsky said, in response to Professor Zarka's request for a bracha for success along with his own call for people to vaccinate, and 3rd dose if relevant, that we have the vaccines due to heavenly assistance and everyone should take them to prevent sickness and bittul torah. Additionally Rav Kanievsky said that every person should do everything possible to avoid getting infected and to avoid infecting others and to adhere to the guidance and rules of the Ministry of Health.

Professor Zalka asked Rav Kanievsky about the school system, with many teachers and other staff  - estimated at about 3500 people in the Haredi school system - still unvaccinated while coming into contact with children that cannot yet be vaccinated. Rav Kaniebsky issued a psak that all men and women, all teachers in the schools must get vaccinated, and principals of schools should suspend teachers who will not vaccinate.

source: Kikar

The sign Boyanjo Matza stumbled across was posted by an elderly lady looking for friendship.

the sign posted is of an older, independent woman looking for a friend to get together with a few mornings each week, even for pay, with her phone number for contact.

Boyanjo Matza was shocked and posted it online, encouraging people to befriend others, how difficult the lockdowns and corona has been, causing people to feel alone, asking that anyone who knows older people in Jerusalem should put them in touch with each other. this is a sickness with a medicine that is really free.

I hope she and others in her situation find a friend, find someone to talk to, a companion, someone to spend time with. This is very sad. Sad that she is so lonely she has to offer people money to spend some time with her, to talk with her.

Boyanjo Matza is 100% right. This situation is sad. If you have the ability to, befriend someone who might be alone. The people suffering from loneliness and mental health issues are really the worst victims of Corona, as nobody knows about them..

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Well, today the FDA has announced that it has granted full approval of the Pfizer vaccine against CoronaVirus (for people ages 16 and older - for children between 12-15 years it is still approved as emergency use).

From the press release:

So will all those who have refused to take it until now because of the emergency use status now take it because of the full approval?

I don't know if Moderna will be fully approved very soon after, but Netanyahu bet on Pfizer and it worked out.

A woman in Ranaana is an anti-vaxxer. I have no problem with anti-vaxxers. Even if I think they are wrong, as long as the law does not require them to take the vaccine, they don't have to take it if they don't want to. This anti-vaxxer, who blames her children's special needs on vaccines administered to them when younger, not only refused to vaccinate, but contracted CoronaVirus and spread it around and sent her special needs child to the special needs kindergarten and she infected a whole slew of people. It was discovered, according to Ynetnews, when parents were discussions the infections and quarantine in a parents whatsapp group, and they realized that this mother is at fault for the entire outbreak in the class.

As I said, I have no problem with anti-vaxxers, as long as the government has not made a specific vaccine mandatory, people can choose not to take it. Contracting the virus and then knowingly spreading it because you refuse to quarantine and follow the rules, that is criminal. She claims someone else infected them, but regardless of who infected them she should have kept them home and away form the other kids. I hope she will be forced to pay the price for this criminal act and I hope that none of those other kids or teachers get seriously ill because of her.

the following sign has been seen around town...

enjoy!

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Michaeli announced that she and her life partner, Lior Schlein, have had a baby together, via surrogacy, which is what she recently traveled for - to meet and bring back her baby from abroad. As a brief introduction, Michaeli came under some strong criticism when she left Israel as it was against government recommendations and everyone assumed she was traveling for a not very good reason, against recommendations of the government she is a member of.  

Back to the story, Michaeli says she is still of the opinion that she does not see it necessary to bring a child into the world but she saw how much her partner wanted it and therefore she felt it important to join him on that path, even though she herself did not feel it necessary. 

Michaeli briefly refers to painful attempts and fertility treatments, and eventually they landed on surrogacy and now have beautiful baby Uri (Ori?), etc etc etc

A lot of people are criticizing her as being a hypocrite. She was famously opposed to surrogacy, in the past even derisively calling it "renting a uterus". Now she needs one and suddenly she finds a way to justify it?

First, many of the people (that I am seeing) screaming about her are people that should be lauding her for the change - these are people that value building a Jewish family and having children. They should be praising her that despite her past beliefs, she did not let that "hump" get in her way but decided it was time to build her own family and have her own child. 

Second, we don't always have to be so angry at our political opponents. Be happy for her. She brought her baby back to Israel and is starting her Jewish family. 

Third, she shared a very personal journey in what most people who go through it find it very personal, very secret, very private and often very painful. She had a good ending, but she shared publicly what was surely a very difficult period of her life. Have a little empathy, and share a little in her joy.

And fourth, last but not least, we are all humans. None of live pure black and white lives with our ideals and morals laid out and following them to a T. Life is complicated. We all come across experiences and situations that cause conflicts, emotions, difficulties, challenges. Sometimes we have to choose between conflicting ideals. She lays out very clearly that her partner wanted this so badly she put aside her own preferences to share the journey with him. All she is saying is that she is human, just like the rest of us. She at least explained herself.

Is Merav Michaeli a hypocrite because she did something she used to criticize? Maybe, but mostly she is human, a gray human, like most of us. 

Even when draft laws were previously passed into law in various forms, the Supreme Court eventually struck them down, generally as being unequal to society and therefore unconstitutional, even though we have no constitution.

PM Bennett has for years already been touting a new plan that would grant the Haredi community an automatic exemption at age 21. Bennett has always said that he knows it is not fair, but it is what is necessary. Bennett's goal is to forget about Haredim in the army, which is less important, but to give the Haredi young men a future and have them join the workforce and help Israel grow its economy, which is more important. Releasing them from any army obligations at age 21 will let them leave yeshiva, should any want to, and go to study for vocational training or academics, or work, at a reasonable age, and get them educated and into the workforce.

Others have focused on other aspects of the Draft law, such as quotas, penalties, etc. Some fought the dropping of the exemption age saying that at 21 the law won't stand up to the scrutiny of the Supreme Court. For years this has dragged on with no solution. The Draft Law  was one of the factors, or possibly THE factor that led to Avigdor Lieberman breaking away from Netanyahu and eventually leading the country into eventually four rounds of elections until the current government was formed.

The government members came to a compromise and passed an initial Draft Law.

Bennett got his way, but only temporarily.

The new draft law that was just passed will lower the exemption age for Haredi men to the age of 21 years. However, this age will only stand as the exemption age for 2 years. After 2 years, it will bump up to the age of 22 for 1 year. And the year after that it will be bumped up again to the age of 23, where it will stay.

The age will go up, but any Haredi young man who registers for academic or vocational training at the age of 21 (even when exemption age is 22-23), or for training to work in the security forces (fire, security, and some others), they will be allowed to without getting tossed into the army first They will only have to wait until 22-23 if they just want to leave yeshiva but not sign up for vocational training. 

The new Draft Law will still have to pass the voting in Knesset, but so far it has passed its first hurdle by being passed by the government. 

source: Kikar

This is a weird compromise and I am not quite sure what it is for, though I suspect it is to make it easier to defend against challenges in the Supreme Court. 

While theoretically it makes sense if the goal is to give people who want it an opportunity to start studying for a career at a reasonable age, it is going to upset many people (and I am not even talking about Haredi leadership who always opposed letting the yeshiva guys out so young) - secular and religious are stuck in the army until 21,22 and then often take a break (travel or work usually) and often only start studying at 23 or 24. People are going to be upset that these young men who did not serve in the army are being given the opportunity not just to not serve, which is difficult enough on its own for several reasons, but then also get somewhat of a head start on their future careers over the people who did serve the country in the IDF?

I am not sure I see how this will be defended, even with raising the age after the first two years as fair and constitutional.

Because we got there early, it only took us 1 hour and 15 minutes until we finally got to the front of the line and got tested. The line was very long behind us when we left.

Technical glitches happen, and I won't complain about that. But they were very slow. And with the massive crowds of people wanting to get tested, with similar reports from cities all around Israel, they should have moved faster, and they should especially have opened more lines with more testing agents instead of just two rows of cars. If they want people to get tested, you can't make them wait in line for 2 hours or more. Find a way to make it more efficient.

PM Bennett sold himself as a better manager/administrator than Netanyahu, with his experience from the army and hi tech. As a CEO he would be fired if he ran his company like this. Take some of that great managerial experience you claim to have and do this better. 

 

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Litzman is almost always interesting... interview starts at about the 10:40 mark

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interesting.... good shabbos

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After government approval, the campaign to vaccinate children in school has begun. the first school to begin vaccinating is Bais Yaakov in RBS. 

Mayor of Bet Shemesh Dr Aliza Boch said:

Bet Shemesh is a trailblazer!

People are unsure about this, if it is the right thing to get the schools involved or not. Personally I think it is ok - in Israel all vaccinations and some other medical examinations (for school age children) are done through the schools, so this is really no different. It seems as reasonable as any other vaccine being administered in school, though I do think it is better that the policy is not to force but to encourage. If it were a mandatory vaccine that would be different but as long as the vaccine is not mandatory in the general public, it should not be forced on children either.

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An avreich found a a nice stash of money - $5000. He also noticed clear simanim indicating ownership, realizing it would be fairly simple to find the owner. It seems the simanim also made it clear the owner is not Jewish, and according to halacha there is no need to returnt eh lost object of a non-Jew 9and according to some opinions it might not even be allowed at all, unless returning it would cause a kiddush hashem). 

This fellow sent his question to some of the gedolim for uidance - he asked if he should return it to make a kiddush hashem or should he keep it considering he needs money desperately and is in debt and his needs take priority over the benefit of making a kiddush hashem?

Rav Meir Stern paskened that the only situation in which the person should return a lost item to make a kiddush hashem is when he is completely confident in the decision and completely happy in using the lost object to create a kiddush hashem and is happier doing this than he would be keeping it for his own needs and paying his debts. Rav Stern says this is rare today as most people would not be that happy, and then the benefit of returning the money would be lost  in the deficiency of the kiddush hashem being lower quality. 

Rabbis Mordechai Gross and Shamai Gross paskened that if the avreich is needy he should not return it as his life comes first before making a kiddush hashem, especially if he has debts that he needs to pay back. he has debts and suddenly came across this money sent from Heaven - he takes priority over a mitzva he is not really obligated in anyway..

Rav Chaim Kanievsky paskened differently, saying he should return the money. Rav Kanievsly said nobody loses when making a kiddush hashem. If he would return the money to make a kiddush hashem, it is guaranteed that he won't lose.

Back then he though the Taliban were done with so it would be ok to stay in Kabul. Little did he know that in 2021 the Taliban would take over once again, with the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.

Just a few months ago Simantov was talking about immigrating to Israel. He especially stressed that if the Taliban would take over he would need to leave and got o Israel.

A group of influential Jews from around the world worked to get Simantov out to Israel. They used all their connections, as high up as the US government, to coordinate with the Taliban to let him out on a corporate plane that was sent to extricate employees of Moti Kahane (one of the leading members of this group).

It turns out that there is a different problem and because of SImantov refused to leave. Zevulun Simantov is a "sarvan get" - a get refuser. His wife wants a divorce and he refuses to give her the get. If he goes to Israel, continuing to refuse the get, he will be arrested upon arrival. 

source: Makor Rishon and Zvika Klein on Twitter

1. It is astounding that he would prefer to stay in Afghanistan with the Taliban, people who have already arrested and beaten him multiple times, rather than give his wife a get.

2. He reminds me of the story of Rabbi Akiva Eiger who called ina  get refuser and warned him. When the fellow continued to refuse, Rabbi Eiger supposedly warned him that there are two ways for a man to free his wife - either by divorce or by death. Upon leaving Rabbi Eiger's home, the story goes, the fellow collapsed and died. This guy can continue to refuse, but perhaps living under the Taliban will actually bring about her freedom, should they kill him. Maybe that can even be coordinated.

3. I dont know if abusers, and in my eyes a get refuser is an abusive person, prefer abusive regimes, but maybe he'll get exactly what he deserves, living in a place that befits him.

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The best part is the opening that accuses Ichud Hatzala of turning into Yichud Hatzala - ie accusing Hatzala volunteers of transgressing the prohibitions of yichud - men and women being alone together in secluded places. That is some really good word play, regardless of whether or not it is true.

Regarding the truth, I have no way of knowing - Hatzala is mostly a first responder organization, so for the most part this cannot be true, as each responder is coming separately to the scene and leaving separately and at the scene there are usually other people as well. I guess there could be some scenarios where it does happen (ie they do have some ambulances, and maybe in the offices, etc), in addition to the fact that not everyone in Hatzala is religious (or even Jewish) and some just won't know about or care about the laws of yichud. 

In the second half of the pashkevil, the broadside, they complain explain that this is a result of Hatzala having opened a course for females to become EMTs.

Hatzala has been accepting and training female EMTs in he organization for several years already, so these guys are late to the game. 

They then say female EMTs is a double aveira - 1 for being involved in sherut leumi (which most are not) and the second for being a secondary level of prohibited intimacy or sexual exposure. As mentioned, most are not herut leumi - most female EMTs, I think, are volunteers. Additionally, as far as I know, people can do sherut leumi in Hatzala but not as an EMT. The office work can be done as sherut leumi, so this accusation just seems wrong to me. Regarding the "secondary level of gilui arayis", I am not sure why. If they are dressed and careful, what are they doing wrong? Anyways they are saving lives which takes precedence. Maybe they mean just the communication between male and female EMTs. I guess you can decide if that is a form of gilui arayis.

They conclude announcing an upcoming campaign (watch this space for details) against Hatzala and against the "srugi rabbis" who support them. Well, according to the website, the official rabbinic board of Hatzala (though surely other rabbonim are involved in different capacities as well) are: Rav Ezriel Auerbach, Rav Sariel Rosenberg, Rav Aryeh Dvir and Rav Yehuda Silman. Far from a group of "srugi rabbis. These are super Haredi rabbis.

One big difference is the number of sheep in each country. That's not the one I am referring to.

The difference I am talking about is a news report that the government of New Zealand is locking down the entire country for 3 days because one case (1!) of COVID-19 was discovered. the city this person lives in plus another city he traveled to will be locked down for 7 days. 

And in Israel we have surpassed the 8000 number of positives per day....

full lockdown of the entire country due to 1 case! Wow!

The organization has recommended that the indoor area of the shul should be accessible only to people who have had the 3rd booster shot. Everyone else, including people fully vaccinated (2 doses), recovered and others, should daven in an outdoor area.

Additionally, masks should be worn properly during the entire services. the gabbaim should take care to ensure good airflow and social distancing. Set up a disinfecting station for people to clean their hands. No kissing the Torah or shaking hands. And some more technical matters such as starting early, ensuring proper lighting, etc.

sources: Kipa and Actualic

Are they an organization that shuls are members of and beholden to, such as the RCA or the United Synagogue or Federation of Synagogues, and other similar organizations? Is this just a nice suggestion and advance planning on their part but nobody has to listen to them? 

firefighters sleeping on the sidewalk, many having spent 24+ hours fighting the forest fires in the Jerusalem Hills over the past couple of days..

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Translation:

Honestly, I think he is taking it a  little too far. People got vaccinated because they trust the vaccines to work and be safe, as they were after the first two doses and they want to be able to live their lives as normally as possible. This was so far only offered to the elderly and high risk, and they agreed to take it. Maybe it is trust in Pfizer. I don't think he needed to take it quite as far as he did and make into a show of support for his government.

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