------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel

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

------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel

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

------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel

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

Yom Kippur eve in shul. In this shul they sell the rights to open the aron for Kol Nidre rather than just giving the honor to the synagogue elders or wise men, as is common in some shuls. 

The gabbai is auctioning off the honors, including the honor of opening the aron kodesh for Kol Nidre and the bidders are doing what they do and things are getting exciting as they often do. Suddenly a voice calls out from the women's section of the shul with a high bid of 17000nis.

The bid was offered by Yelena Trufanova. Yelena had been a hostage held by Hamas who was released in one of the early rounds of hostage deals. Her son Sasha Trufanova is still being held hostage in Gaza. 

People started saying, let her win, leave her alone, her son is a hostage, she's the mother of a hostage, let her be, let her have it. people were stunned. Besides for the unusual site of a woman bidding for one of the honors (at least in many shuls it is unusual), now it is also a situation connected to the hostages. People were stunned momentarily into silence. After a moment the crowd recovered and got back to the bidding. 

The show must go on, and the top bid is now 17k, but with money going to the shul for covering a years worth of operating expenses, it was not just going to stop there. People continued to bid until someone won the auction for opening the aron kodesh to the tune of 21000nis.

As they prepared to start the services, the chazan was going to say a  blessing announcing the buyer, but instead of taking it for himself he dedicated it to the mother of the hostage who had bid against him - Yelena. Presumably he was still opening the Ark but on behalf of Yelena. The chazan then turned to Yelena to bless her, and she dedicated it to her son Sasha.

The shul and congregants then dedicated the entire set of Yom Kippur services to Sasha Alexander ben Leah Yelena to come home safe and healthy, in body and mentally. Amen

Call me a freier, but not every provocation needs to become a war.

There was a video going around of someone (I think he is a Professor at Weizmann Institute)  walking around the women's section of the Yom Kippur services at Gan Meir (where the courts said the separate outdoor services could be held in Tel Aviv - but didnt they say they were going to forgo the services and only daven in shul and not outdoors to avoid provocations?) in Tel Aviv munching on a popsicle. Participants in the service reacted with a range of saying things like "Labriut" (enjoy, to good health) to calling out angry things to him.

Not every stupid provocation needs to be responded to, and that was a stupid provocation.

Personally, my feelings dont get insulted when I see people eating on Yom Kippur, not that I see it often. My kids used to eat when they were younger, and I saw it and it did not make me hungry or angry. I had someone in my house who had to eat for medical reasons this year, and in some years past, and it did not upset me or anger me or insult my sensitivities. I even give out candy in shul to the kids on Yom Kippur and I have seen plenty of them pop the candy right into their mouths in shul. 

If one must to assuage their sentivities, one can even think to himself or herself that the fellow with the popsicle was not well and had to eat for his health. Perhaps he was having heat stroke and needed the popsicle to cool down his core temperature. 

Yes, what he did was not cool. Yes, what he did was provocative. Yes, what he did was childish. Even as bad as what he did, the popsicle probably had a hechsher, and from the amount of daylight I saw in the clip it might have been bein hashmashos - during the twilight hours when it is only a question of being day or night, so even far as provocations go, I can think of much worse things he could have done to create a more significant provocation. 

Let it go. not every provocation needs to be responded to.

I am happy the Yom Kippur services in Gan Meir were almost uneventful. I honestly did not even know they ended up having services there until I saw the video clip - the court said they could then the organizers said they wouldnt. I hadnt heard anything of it until this. Each provocation is bad and is an attempt to increase the anger and hatred and fighting. Responding to the provocations are just as bad and just as much increase the anger and hatred and fighting. Had someone gotten hurt, had their been physical fighting or verbal abuse, maybe then it would be a different story, but someone eating a popsicle - no need to go into a tizzy.

Fair enough.

The City of Tel Aviv reportedly has said no public prayer will be allowed. Go to shul if you want to pray. From what I understand they said that in years past it was only because of CoronaVirus issues and attempts to keep indoor gatherings small, if at all, so they allowed prayer gatherings outside, but before that and after that it is not and was not allowed.

Fair enough.

While I have no specific desire for them to allow prayer in the streets, I think they should be davening in shul in general and not int eh streets unless there are extenuating circumstances, I do think the person who made the request should either appeal the decision or appeal to the courts.  The City of Tel Aviv recently allowed public prayer for Muslims in public areas outdoors for a recent holiday (Chag HaKorban). If outdoor prayer can be allowed for Muslims, it should also be allowed for Jews.

Whatever is decided, I hope people can respect the final decisions and not have/cause a repeat of last years terrible situation.

------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel

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

According to the report an Arab showed up offering to take on people's sins in exchange for money. Prices I saw earlier indicated 20 shekels for a sin, and 30 for multiple. Kikar doesn't specify but does say another Arab showed up as competition and the two got into an altercation over this. He may have been "over" hasagas gvul, but I guess he didnt care.

The Arab collected the money in exchange for taking the sins, and also performed a kinyan sudar with each seller/buyer (I am not sure if the Jew is a seller or buyer - he is selling his aveiros but he is paying so he is really buying the clearance of his sins..)

Yes, it sounds ridiculous and crazy, but is it any stranger than kaparos or tashlich? Maybe if they had waved the Arab over their heads people would scoff less. And maybe then he could have charged more! 

In today's environment, the large leftist groups in Tel Aviv are saying "not in my backyard". You want services, go do them by you, here we won't allow it, not while separating men and women in the public sphere.

Last night Rav Yigal Levenstein, head of the military prep yeshiva located in Eli and considered by many to be fairly extreme (rightly or wrongly, but he has spoken out publicly on sensitive topics in ways that anger many not in his camp), went to Tel Aviv to express his support for Rosh Yehudi and its leadership in light of the protests. Rabbi Levenstein was attacked by some protestors, who were held at bay by his students who surrounded him and by police as he was whisked off to a waiting car.

MK Merav Michaeli (Labor) justified, or defended, the attack on Rabbi Levenstein. She said that it is justified to protest against Rav Levenstein. He is someone who fights against women in the public sphere and against women serving in the IDF. When he works against the IDF, against women and against liberalism in a democratic country from his yeshiva that gets a lot of money from the State and there nobody protests against him.... a mechitza at services in Dizengoff is like a "tzelem bheichal" - like bringing an idol right into the Holy of Holies. The Kotel has been turned into an extreme Haredi shul, and that is a badge of shame as to what is happening in Israel.

First, anybody can protest against anything and anyone and they definitely had and have the right to protest against Rav Levenstein (assuming coordination with police and obtaining the necessary permits).

That does not give the right to get violent and attack the target of the protests.

Protest yes, violence no. Speak out against him, protest his visit, protest outside his house every time he says something provocative, whatever. Attack him, no.

Second, if they don't want the organization's services in Dizengoff, they should pressure their municipal representatives to refuse permission. They can tell him go have your services in a shul, not in the street. They do what they do, Tel Aviv does not have to give permission. Rosh Yehudi will not (at least I do not believe they will) going to conduct services any other way, even if they technically could run services that are mixed with self segregation on the sides (as has been suggested)

These may be the extremists (I am less familiar with the players on that side of the map) and not the average person, but from what I am seeing, they are generally saying what was will be no longer. We demand equal respect and consideration. This is our home court, you cannot come in here and do what you want, try to make us religious, discriminate against our women, tell us to keep Shabbos, etc. It is not really a hate fest and antisemitism (though there might be some of that as well) as much as it being, we are no longer going to allow you to do whatever you want in the name of religion. This is just another point in a long list of things over the past months that they have started to say no more. 

but with all that, violence should not be acceptable. That is already crossing the line.

------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel

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

As I walked into Shul this morning on Yom Kippur, I overheard someone ask the non Jewish security guard (who is a huge @Yankees fan) if Aaron Judge hit 62, and the security guard responded “You know, Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year for you.” pic.twitter.com/fIHRMOYx7h

— Akiva Ackerman (@AkivaAckerman) October 6, 2022

and who is to say that it was not someone's High Holiday prayers on Judge's behalf that gave him that extra nudge....

Among a series of questions, Rav Edelstein was asked if it is appropriate to daven for good results of the upcoming elections.

Rav Edelstein responded that yes, one should daven for the elections, as many Torah institutions are dependent upon the results.

I dont see a big chiddush in that, as we daven for all sorts of physical and personal needs beyond just forgiveness and life/death. Also it is a long day in shul and there is plenty of time to focus on all sorts of things, including a few minutes for elections, if that is your thing. 

funny reporting on a difficult situation...

------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel

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

Not surprisingly, the announcement was being shared with heavy criticism of this shul putting people in danger and for using a reckless policy.

Personally, I don't think it was a bad thing, not that it should have been done. But the fact that it was, gives people an opportunity to take precautions. A lot of Covid positive people were surely going to be going to services without telling anyone they are Covid positive - this has been happening in every other venue and there is no reason to think it would not happen with Yom Kippur services. That is besides for the people who violate and flout the rules openly and publicly just because they can or because they don't believe in the seriousness of the entire matter.

Having a shul announce that it is welcoming Covid positive people to pray with them would give others who do not want to be in the presence of someone Covid positive to find a different place to pray. It was almost definitely going to happen anyway, and this way it happened in a way that would allow other people who so desired to take any necessary precautions. And maybe all the Covid positive people who would feel uncomfortable and unwelcome elsewhere would see this type of a shul as a solution and all concentrate there to daven in a welcoming atmosphere.

I would like to know after the fact what happened - was the minyan full of Covid positive (and recovered) people? Did covid negative people attend as well? If they did, did the virus spread? How many people from that minyan got sick and/or seriously ill? I doubt we will get any such information.

the Rosh Yehudi organization organizes Yom Kippur services every year in Tel Aviv by Dizengoff. This is the conclusion of Neila and you can see how it is attended by thousands of people of all types. This year at the last minute they invited Yedidya Meir and Sivan Rahav Meir to participate and they decided to go.

------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel

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

cute

------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel

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

You surely must have seen it at some point. it is often used in many references to Yom Kippur services. Here is an image of the painting:

There is a lot of story behind this. The artist was a Polish Jew named Maurycio Gottleib in 1878. The painting is supposedly a scene of the shul from his memory after he davened in a shul in Vienna and then decided to immortalize the scene in a painting due to an antisemitic attack. Gottleib painted himself into the scene a few times, plus one of the women is his fiancée (who broke up with him) depicted twice. The Torah scroll is embroidered with a memoriam to himself, depicting himself further after death. There is a lot more and you are welcome to research different explanations of the art.

Another interesting aspect of this painting is the edited version of it, which is also popularly used. I suspect many are not even aware they are not looking at the original. The edited version of the painting has removed the women, or blurred them, surprise surprise, from the balcony. "The Jewish Encyclopedia" posted the following edited image on their page explaining Yom Kippur:

I guess everyone can write the history as they want it, so here is the explanation from Kikar, specifically about the edited version. I found the assumptions entertaining.

First of all, Gottleib was not frum, not God fearing, so he painted women, rachmana litzlan, into the painting! GEVALT! Not only that but he depicted the seen with the women in the ezrat nashim being visible with no curtain blocking the mens view of them.

According to Kikar, this being a hassidic "kloiz" in Galicia it makes no sense and Gottleib must have painted the curtain a couple of meters back form where it actually was so that he could include women in the depiction. 

Michlol is something of an attempt at being a frum version of Jewish Wikipedia for frum people who don't want to use Wikipedia (for tzniyus and apikorsus reasons, ostensibly).

There you have the story

------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel

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

------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel

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

------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel

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