The USA is celebrating its 250th national birthday this year...

Under the banner of Freedom 250, the USA is running all sorts of celebrations and initiatives. Under the banner of Rededicate 250, a program of national prayer, praise and thanksgiving, on Sunday May 17 the American people will come together at the National Mall to prepare for the 250th birthday with prayer, Scripture, thanksgiving and rededication of the country as One Nation Under God. You can see more about the program at the linked website. Rabbi Meir Soloveichik is listed among the faith leaders who will be participating in the program.

And to that end, President Trump, as posted on the White House website, has called on and encourages all Jewish Americans, with Jewish American Heritage Month being now (May is always Jewish American Heritage Month), to observe a "national Sabbath" - the Shabbos of May 15-16 from sundown  to nightfall, friends, families and communities should "come together in gratitude for our great nation", recognizing the sacre Jewish tradition of setting aside time for rest, reflection and gratitude to the Almighty. President Trump further calls " I call upon Americans to celebrate the heritage and contributions of Jewish Americans and to observe this month with appropriate programs, activities, and ceremonies.  I further call on all Americans to celebrate their faith and freedom throughout this year, during this month, and especially on Shabbat to celebrate our 250th year."

So, keep Shabbos for Trump on May 15... :-) .. He actually does not reference keep halachic shabbos, but rest, reflection and gratitude are great things as well....

I dont really care how this would affect Melania and Barron Trump as the American news media sites do, but if this passes it could affect a lot of people who have made aliya to Israel. And more so it could affect a lot of people who are thinking of or even in the stages of planning and applying for their aliya to Israel. People who make aliya don't necessarily want to give up their original citizenship. They usually want to keep it, either simply to make travel easier as olim often travel a lot (eg to visit family left behind or for work, etc), and then there is the old Jewish thing about having two passports just in case...

According to the proposal, an American citizen with dual citizenship would have one year to renounce the second citizenship. If by the end of the year one did not renounce, that person would automatically be stripped of their US citizenship.

The article linked above points out that this is in conflict with the 14th Amendmentso it has hurdles to overcome.

I also think President Trump, considering the ramifications to his family, will put forth some effort in getting this bill buried. 

I also think they wont do this considering how it would affect many other people and, probably more importantly, losing all that foreign tax money by American citizen expats who have moved to other countries and taken up citizenship where they live. Strip them of their citizenship and suddenly tens/hundreds of thousands of people no longer have to file, and [sometimes] pay, US taxes.

Still, it is a worrying trend that this si being proposed, and form the Republican no less!

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Besides for the fact that Israel is an ally of the USA and at war, there are American citizens being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.

According to the report, the USA has been holding concrete information regarding Hamas tunnels that Israel is supposedly not aware of, including information as to the whereabouts, in the tunnels, of Hamas leaders, and where hostages are being held. Not only has it been withholding this information but now it is willing to horse-trade with Israel for it.

Maybe had Israel been made aware of this information earlier the Rafah  offensive would never have been necessary in the first place. Maybe this war could have been over months ago. 

How long has the USA had this information and been keeping it to themselves? Does the USA really not care about finishing this war, getting rid of Hamas leadership and getting the hostages back? It seems the US government is more concerned about protecting Hamas than of Israel winning the war or keeping the hostages safe and bringing them home.

How dare you! Shame! Shame! How can keeping Hamas safe be your ultimate priority??!!

Netanyahu was not bluffing. Let's see where this goes next

For some reason the USA is expected to not use its veto power in today's United Nations session in which the UN will pass a ceasefire resolution against Israel. The US is suggesting its strategy is to pass a ceasefire resolution and also a "return the hostages" resolution, each to stand on its own. 

PM Benjamin Netanyahu is threatening, or maybe warning, the USA that if the US delegation does not veto the resolution, Israel will cancel sending the delegation to Washington for meetings and bring the delegation back to Israel. While I am not sure that is quite the threat Netanyahu thinks it is, it is still a significant threat on its own and a sign of the widening gap and deteriorating relations.

It will be interesting to see how it plays out over the next day or two (and in the grander scheme of things over the next several months). All we can do is hope that it turns out for the best and that Netanyahu is The Gambler, knowing when to hold em and knowing when to fold em..

Israel is an independent country. Israel does not appreciate political meddling by foreign powers, at least not when done so blatantly.

Netanyahu is a problem for the USA, but that is a problem they have to overcome via policy. Netanyahu is a problem for Israel, and Israelis have to overcome that problem politically. Israelis dont want [overt] help from the USA in the political arena.

Schumer might be right but it isnt his business to meddle into.

Municipal elections are slated to be held on October 31. Because of the war, which at this time is expected to continue for a while, and so many people away from their homes and unable to vote, the Ministry is recommending reorganization by delaying the elections to January 2024. Hopefully by well before then the situation will have changed and election campaigns will be able to get under way, it will be safe to campaign and vote, and Israel can get back to normal.

The news has reported the government has accepted the recommendation and will be passing this into law in the coming days. 

Additionally, I saw in the news somewhere but do not remember where, the Ministry is looking into the possibility of opening the election registrars for the communities down south that were just ravaged by terrorism so more people can submit candidacy for upcoming elections, in due time. Ofir Liebstein, a mayor (actually a regional council head) of Shaar Hanegev, was killed by terrorists last Shabbos, among all the others, so again, opening the registrars will assist in the reorganization of the communities.

On another note, but also an extension, the IRS has announced that Israeli citizens/residents who file federal taxes in the United States of America, have been granted an automatic extension from filing for the year 2022. The new date for filling for the year 2022 will be October 7, 2024. I said "Israeli citizens" but it really includes anyone whose place of residence is located in Israel, the West Bank, or Gaza, so Palestinians get this extension as well. Not that I am so fast or organized myself but it may take the Gazans some time to find their paperwork for filing taxes after the war is finished, so good on them!

Of course, if relevant, make sure you dont expect to get the complicated details of who this actually applies to from me. Speak to your account, check the details on the IRS website, and good luck.

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As of November 30, Israelis will be able to travel to the USA without first applying for a visa and going through that entire cumbersome process.

I wonder if that will mean simply more travel for Israelis or if it will mean more Israelis traveling to the USA and never leaving....

Israeli officials admit that they have filled all obligations but recently the USA has added more details and has been making it more difficult and it might not happen. The final decision is supposed to come sometime in August, and if qualified it will go into effect in October.

I must say, Netanyahu deserves it. While I feel bad for the Israelis who were looking forward to it (and it still might happen!), Netanyahu deserves it. Back when the Lapid-Bennett government was in power and they were close to finishing the deal with the USA, Netanyahu had the Likud vote against the program because he wanted to prevent them from such a major accomplishment and he wanted to keep it for himself. When Netanyahu thwarted the vote then he said that when he returns to power he will get it passed. 

Sorry, but he deserves it.

This construction freeze would be accompanied by some other goodwill measures on both sides, Israel and the Palestinian Authority, in an effort to lower tensions in the region. Some of those other goodwill measures would be Israel not dismantling illegal construction of Palestinians and Israel not evicting Palestinians from homes in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The Palestinians would have to agree to put an end to any motions filed in international courts against Israel and renew security coordination with Israel. 

According to Walla News, Israel has responded positively to the request in a general sense, being noncommittal on the specific requests but generally agreeing to taking steps to lower the tensions and minimize activities the Biden administration opposes, but they cannot be frozen completely, especially construction in Judea and Samaria.

Minister of Finance Betzalel Smotritch party today said in response to the news that there will be no building freeze in Judea and Samaria. The Prime Minister's Office has not yet responded publicly to the news report.

The only Prime Minister to ever agree to a full building freeze in Judea and Samaria was Netanyahu, when President Obama requested/demanded it. If he agrees to a similar request now with his current political partners it might be political suicide. We'll soon see what happens this time. No matter what he decides to do he is going to upset people he can't really afford to - either the Biden administration or Smotritch and Ben Gvir.

We are in a cold spell right now, but this isnt the type of freeze we were expecting.

Rosen and her group of senators have every right to not want to meet with those they find detestable or have strong disagreements with.

The Israeli government on the other hand should make it clear that they are senior members of the government and banning them is banning the entire Israeli government. The Israeli reps who are scheduled to meet with them should refuse to meet unless the ban on other members of the government is lifted.

The State Department and the Ambassador Tom Nides has been working with the Israeli government over the past year to help Israel qualify, as there are several requirements that always threw Israel for a loop. One of the main requirements is a low percentage of mistakes on visa applications - below 3%. Israeli applications seem to normally come back with much higher numbers than that, and that prevents, among other things, Israel for qualifying for the visa exemption. This year because of the past year's low travel rate, the Embassy has been able to help Israelis fill out the form properly and keep the mistakes to almost definitely below the cutoff line.

It seems the only thing holding up the arrangement is the Likud not wanting the current government to get this accomplishment, so they are opposing the arrangement and has voted and continues to vote against it. Nides has reportedly pleaded with Netanyahu to not hold up the legislation, saying cancelling it now could throw away the best, and maybe only, chance for this exemption to go through.

Be that as it may, the Likud put out a statement saying that they are opposing the legislation because the current legislation violates the privacy of Israelis, and when they form the government they will pass the legislation properly (though they didnt bother doing this over the 12 consecutive years they ran the government until last year).

That is funny considering how the Likud government sold the privacy (not really but probably about as much as this legislation does) of Israelis in 2020 when he gave it away as part of the deal to buy the COVID-19 vaccinations.

A few days ago the news reported the Minister of Interior Ayelet Shaked announced that the Ministry of Interior will publish guides for Israelis applying for visas to visit the United States. Many applications get rejected due to being filled out incorrectly or not clearly, leaving the Americans to believe that the applicant might be looking for a way in so they can then overstay the visa, so they reject it outright. Shaked will offer this guidance so more Israelis can get their visa applications approved.

This comes in light of efforts being made n the diplomatic front to get Israel on the no-visa list for America. That would let Israelis visit the USA with no need for applying for a visa. The USA has refused it for a long time, due to many who overstay their welcome, among other reasons, but now it looks like that day might be getting closer.

My initial thought when I read about this guidance to be offered, besides being silly (ie if an Israeli wants to travel to a foreign country the least he or she should be able to do is fill out a form) was that it seems weird to me that the State of Israel will put forth effort to help its citizens get into another country. Anyone wanting to travel should be on their own. Why should the State of Israel take it upon themselves to help people travel? They dont have to make it harder, but why make it easier? Let them figure it out on their own!

It is far more complex than that though. Israel wants its citizens to be happy, and part of that, for some people at least, is easing travel for them. Pretty much anybody who wants to get in and stay probably already can, so the government helping them increase their chances for an approved visa is not likely to raise those numbers in any significant way. 

Also, having properly filled out forms probably will increase the number/percentage of approved requests. If the US government sees the citizens of Israel want to come visit without suspecting Israelis are trying to sneak in en masse and stay, the efforts toward the no-visa list will probably also be more successful.

And it is also probably a good thing to help the citizens look like good regular people who know how to fill out a form and not look like bumbling idiots.

A movement was then formed against the parent company of Ben & Jerry's, Unilever. They gave Ben & Jerry's independence to make such moves, though as the owners of the Ben & Jerry's brand they are exposed to the fallout.

To that end, several states in the USA over the past few months have decided to act on laws passed that prevent them from doing business with or having investments in companies that participate in boycotts of Israel. Several states have decided to stop working with Unilever, with Illinois set to join the group now, planning to divest pension funds invested in Unilever.

This too is a weird situation, but this one doesnt have the same logic to justify it. With ben & Jerry's it made sense to support the local company in standing up to a boycott being imposed. With Unilever, they sell tremendous amount of product in Israel and have a major presence here. States in the USA are ending relations with them while in Israel we continue to support them. I am not calling for a boycott but if I was in the leadership of any of those states I would ask why Israel continues to allow them to do business with nary a word and why we have to divest from them while Israel lets them continue operating as normal...

Are these States more Zionist than the Israelis?

I do not think I even knew this but it seems that requirement to register was only for male citizens, not females.

It seems the US government is considering a bill that would require women to register for the draft as well. The bill has been in the works for a while now and it continues to move forward bit by bit to eventually be passed into law. The House Armed Services Committee just voted in favor.

To stress, this law, should it pass, does not mean women will be drafted into the armed forces, but they will have to register in case one day there will be a compulsory draft.

The move is based on the current law requiring registration of men to be discriminatory against women.

Haredi newspapers in Israel (Hamevaser, Hamodia) are reporting that Agudath Israel of America is working to put a stop to this before it becomes law and has requested the US government reconsider before it becomes law.

Obviously conservatives and religious groups will be opposed to this law. I don't see the US government right now backing down from this, as equality and non-discrimination is one of today's highest values. Perhaps they will agree to include some sort of religious exemption. Even though it is only an issue for a theoretical day in the future, Agudath Israel can't let it sit and wait until that day should actually happen. In Israel women can get a religious exemption almost automatically

I read somewhere, a few days ago, that the United States embassy in Israel is 19 months behind in services provided, meaning if they opened up fully right now to provide the services in full to the number of American citizens that need them, just in Israel, it would take 19 months to catch up. I have no idea how accurate that number is but it is true that they are way behind and American expats are stuck all over the world unable to renew expired passports, register new children as citizens and deal with other consular services. People all over the world are affected, including in Israel which is a small country with a lot of American citizens.

The US State Department just announced that if your US passport expired after January 1, 2020, you can travel on your expired passported back to the United States - until December 31, 2021. 

This allowance is limited and qualified. You can see the State Department statement (linked above) for the list of qualifications. It is also only in place for people travelling to the United States, not from the United States.

This issue does not just affect people from Israel, and the allowance is not an exception granted to citizens travelling from Israel. It is in general for citizens around the world. A search online shows that people in India, Russia, Germany, and many other places are struggling enough that their local media reported on this new allowance. 

Wherever you are, if you are a US citizen and have been unable to travel back to the USA due to an expired passport and you still cannot renew it, now is your chance.

You can read about the history and the back and forth between the sailor, Edmund De Liscia, his commanders and the courts in these military websites.

Interestingly, the court ordered a temporary restraining order until the end of the month. That means his commanders cannot force him right now to shave, and it seems a decision will be taken by the end of the month. 

Which means, that however this turns out for the long term, at least until after Lag B'Omer he won't have to shave, so at least he gets saved from shaving during Omer this year.

hmmmmm...

The Rebbe said, "Jews are drawn to US politics and have greatly breached the line between Yisrael and the nations. We need to understand that we’re in galus. We live here but we’re not Americans."