About five months ago Toys 'R Us announced it was going to be doing away with dividing its toys for sale by gender. No longer would there be sections of toys for boys and sections for girls. Rather, all toys would be together and each person could choose whatever toy he or she preferred without having to have an entire section of toys away from his or her likely discovery.

The purpose of this is to do away with sexism, protest gender inequality, and the like.

The announcement was by the UK division of Toys R Us,  and the UK website no longer differentiates between boys and girls, while the American division continues, for now, to separate the toys by gender.

It seems that the Israel branches are going to be implementing this change as well, as the Eida Hachareidis in Jerusalem is upset about the pritzus that will come of mixing genders like this. They say it will cause a serious problem with tzniyus and have a bad effect on youth.

Somehow mixing girls and boys toys on store shelves and in online shopping directories will have a negative effect on the kedusha of Jerusalem and Eretz Yisrael. Yoelish Krausz says they will find a way, but this is not going to happen - in New York and Tel Aviv the secular can do what they want, but not in Jerusalem. He says"we won't allow pride parades in Jerusalem, we won't allow the opening of Cinema City on Shabbos in Jerusalem, and we won't allow stores to open in Jerusalem that plan to change the creations, to confuse and mix between the genders and to oppose the human nature as created by God".

That statement alone by Krausz is rich in its comment-worthiness.

So, the Eida is considering announcing a cherem, a boycott, against Toys 'R Us over this.
source: Kikar

Interestingly, Toys 'R Us is not already in cherem despite the chain in Israel keeping [some of] its stores open on Shabbos, unlike some other businesses and chains that do get boycotted or quasi-boycotted over this issue.

I am not so sure what is so bad about this non-division of toy categories. Is it that in the stores both boys and girls will be mixed as they will now be looking at the same shelves for their preferred toys instead of in different parts of the store? Is it that getting rid of such a differentiation will cause people, kids, to wonder about differences in gender and think boys and girls are more similar than different and maybe can mix and socialize rather than stay apart? Something else? Are Eida followers major consumers of Toys 'R Us products anyway that this cherem might actually be considered a significant threat?

And regarding what Krausz said - he might say we won't allow this or that, but some of those are already fait accompli. The pride parade has been happening in Jerusalem for many years already. Other things the Eida has protested (the opening of Karta parking lot on Shabbos comes to mind) have come to be despite the Eida protests and threats. On some issues they will succeed, especially by getting the public behind them, and on some issues they will fail. This seems more like a failure issue, to me. Will people understand the problem and get behind them? I don't see it happening.

Radio Kol Hai's Menachem Toker has opened a front against Lipa Shmelzer.

Lipa's newest song, Buha Buha, which is not yet on Youtube but can be heard in this Kikar article, is creating quote a stir.

The song describes first how Lipa went to Rav Chaim Kanievsky for a bracha. Rav Kanievsky said "buha buha". Lipa asked the gabbai what buha buha means, and the gabbai explained it is an abbreviation of "bracha vhatzlacha" - בו"ה, and that Rav Kanievsky does not say the entire set of words out because he is busy learning and saying these words is bittul torah, so he minimizes his words. Lipa goes on to say how great it is that Rav kanievsky is so involved in his learning that even that little bit bothers him, yet he still sees and blesses all these people so they would not get insulted.

In the second part of the song, Lipa goes on to relate a story when he went t visit the Tosher Rebbe. After waiting for a long time, all night long, and it was about to be his turn, the gabbai came out and said the rebbe has to go eat before dawn.

Toker decided that this song is seriously disrespectful to the gedolim and he refuses to play it. Radio Kol Hai has reportedly backed him and gave instructions to all their show hosts to not play this song.

When I first listened to it, it truthfully sounded strange and disrespectful. As I listened though and paid attention to the words, it seemed to me to be very respectful and even expressed admiration - at least in the story with Rav Chaim Kanievsky. I still do not understand the point of the story with the Tosher Rebbe.

Lipa is a strange bird in general and seems to enjoy pushing the envelope...

What do you think about this song - is it respectful or disrespectful?

A few years ago there was an attempt to put some sort of ban or boycott on Lipa and many other frum singers. The claim was due to these performing in front of mixed crowds.

(as an aside, Mishpacha recently criticized frum people being seen at a Chutzt Hayotzer concert that was before a mixed crowd and it mentioned  that this prohibition is clear in Shulchan Aruch, though it did not give any reference. The only thing I know about Shulchan Aruch requiring a halachic separation between men and women is during tefilla, prayer. Any other situation can surely be debated on the merits of tzniyus and gender-segregation, but to say it is a violation of a clear halacha irks me).

you can look back to 3 years ago when Lipa was banned and even see that Rav Chaim Kanievsky is signed on a supposed ban.

Yet, Bechadrei is reporting that Lipa went to Rav Chaim Kanievsky for a bracha. He then offered to sing a song for Rav Kanievsky, but Rav Kanievsky turned him down saying learning torah is more important. Lipa then asked about composing a new song, and Rav Kanievsky told him to compose a song about shmitta - any topic of shmitta, but shmitta.

So, did Rav Chaim Kanievsky ban Lipa or not? Was he banned but the ban was lifted or did it expire? Or was the original a fraud?

This is just too rich to pass up... According to NRG, Hamodia today published a new ban - against gefilte fish.

Rav Shmuel Eliezer Stern has paskened that due to the price of carp being increased leading up to Pesach, it should not be purchased this year, so as to punish the suppliers. Rav Stern says we must prevent the unreasonable price gouging. Banning the purchase of the fish for a period of time is the only way to fix the situation and reverse the increase.

Get ready for Pesach sans gefilte fish...

Yated Neeman made a fashla, a mistake. A pretty bad one by their standards. In an ad for a weight loss rogram, one of the images in the ad bore the image of a significant portion of a womans body just clothed in a sports bra and shorts.

Mistakes happen, and that's life. Somehow it slipped through the censor. It was not the main part of the ad, so he clearly didn't notice it.

The haredi websites all ran editorials about the Yated's fashla, and the forums were ablaze (not really, but they did have some fun poking fun at the Yated) about it. And, despite the fact that mistakes happen, the Yated really deserves the criticism, considering their harsh and extreme stance on every topic, especially tzniyus and Internet.

My personal suggestion on the matter was that the time has come for the gedolim to ban the Yated, in light of the smutty advertising. Just as the Yated promotes, and the gedolim/askanim promote, banning the Internet due to the smut available that people inadvertently stumble across even if just by mistake, so too the Yated should now be banned for the very same reason. One can be innocently reading a kosher article in the Yated and inadvertently stumble across a smutty advertisement, even if just by mistake..

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The Lakewood Scoop has produced the newest ban by the rabbonim, this time the rabbonim of America. According to the pashkevil produced, they are banning the iPod.

The iPod is being banned because it has the ability to play mp4 files and DVD videos. They say it is prohibited to buy or rent such devices, even if only for temporary use. As well, it is also prohibited to use such devices even for Torah learning..
The pashkevil is regurgitated from 2008, and is being resigned in 2011.

The pashkevil:

According to The Lakewood Scoop, the source for the pashkevil, the pashkevil has not actually been seen hanging anywhere, such as in any shuls or public places.
Somehow, despite the fact that the pashkevil has not yet been distributed, TLS has a copy of it for distribution. Either they are making it up, distributing their own pashkevil at their own will, or they are the main distribution point for the real source and are simply playing dumb. How else did they get it when it has not been seen anywhere else?

Besides for that - banning the iPod? In 2011? They are like 5 or 6 years behind the times. Maybe more. In the US just about everybody is carrying an iPod. You can't go banning them now. It is a pointless exercise.

Nowadays, in almost any beit midrash you might walk into you will see any number of people sitting using a laptop to write their notes from the latest shiur, to compile the book he is writing, etc.

If some people get their way, that might go the way of the dodo bird, and these people will have to go back to writing their books using paper and pen.

But it is not likely to happen. Even if some people get their way, it is not likely someone writing a book is going to give up using a computer and writing it all out by pen.

On the heels of fighting some recent holy fights to save Haredi Judaism from the ills of society, such as weekly haredi newspapers, haredi websites and haredi news telephone services, they have defined the next target. The laptop. Specifically, the kollel avreichim who use laptops.

Bechadrei is reporting that a group of "avreichim" went to Rav Shteinman complaining that there are hundreds of avreichim using laptops to prepare their Torah material. Some of them work in research institutions that produce new books with better layouts, and some of them work to publish their own books. Either way, they are sitting in the beis medrash using a laptop to do their work.

These people finish their work and send it to the office/publisher by email. The laptops all have access to wireless connections, and this group of avreichim claims that many of these avriechim end up falling to the wiles of the Internet.

They asked Rav Shteinman to sign a letter calling upon rosh kollels to obligate all kollel members to disable any ability to connect to the Internet. Anybody who would not listen to the rules, would be tossed from the kollel.

Upon further questioning, they insisted that they know of many avreichim who have fallen in such a way and gone from simply working on Torah publications to suffering from the dangers of the Internet. They said they would bring proof to Rav Shteinman of such cases, and according to Bechadrei they have not yet done so.

Even if they get some signatures, in my opinion such a ban will be worthless. They are going to stop avreichim looking to earn a little extra money, to write a book, from doing so? None of them will give it up because there is no other way to do this work in the world we live in.

Rav Elyashiv Puts An Askan in His Place

Rav Yosef Chaim Kupshitz recently went to Rav Elyashiv recently asking him to sign a letter. He said there is a big problem today that seminary girls walk through the streets talking on their cellphones, and it is very inappropriate. He asked Rav Elyashiv to sign a letter saying he is opposed to this phenomenon.

Rav Elyashiv responded by telling him a story. The Emperor Joseph sent one of his aides to the Jewish community to find out what they were up to. The messenger gets to the Jewish community and finds them congregated in groups outside looking up to the sky.

The messenger went back to the emperor and related what he had seen. The emperor now wanted an explanation so he summoned the rabbi of the community to explain.

The rav explained the were performing kiddush levana - he said, every month we see the moon getting smaller. We pray to God that he should make the moon big again. Sure enough, the moon always gets bigger. God accepts our prayers.

The emperor laughed and said if that is what you are concerned with, your situation must be pretty good.

Rav Elyashiv continued and told R' Kupshitz, if the last problem remaining to be dealt with is the cellular phones of the girls, our situation must be excellent.

Rav Kupshitz took his unsigned letter and left. (source: Bechadrei)

Thoughts:

1. That is a great story
2. Why are the two things mutually exclusive? Just because there are other problems means the "smaller" problems should not be dealt with?
3. If Rav Elyashiv could refuse to sign a letter with this excuse, on a topic that has had letters and bans and pronouncements in the past (though I don't know if Rav Elyashiv put his name to them in the past on this issue), does that mean all those times he does agree to sign his name he really approves of the content and is not being duped?
4. It has seemed like these askanim have their way with all these rabbonim (example: see the way Rav Nissim karelitz was recently duped to sign the Yated letter against the Mishapach aand other newspapers, but when he found out he had been lied to and presented with information that was more than 2 years old he wrote a new letter pulling his approval from the original letter and supporting Mishpacha instead). Is that no longer the case? 

Lipa has upset the Rabbinic Committee For Holy Music and the one for Purity Of The Camp (or whatever they each call themselves).

The same week that Mordechai Ben David ignored their pashkevilim and bans and performed at a concert for women, Lipa came to israel as well to perform in a concert. Lipa performed in Eilat at a mehadrin vacation package for haredim.

They put up pashkevilim saying, in the name of various rabbonim/gedolim, that it is prohibited to listen to the music of "Klipa" Shmelczer because performs in front of mixed crowds, which is a very serious Torah prohibition.. (source: Kikar)

While perhaps it is easier to attack one person for going against them, they are ignoring the fact that at this performance for haredi families it was haredim who choose to sit together as families. Does that mean haredi families are ignoring the education they have received over the years that participation in such events is assur? Does it mean haredi families want to sit mixed, even though it is assur? Does it mean haredi families don't believe it is assur to sit together as a family?

It looks to me like the various committees ought to first be working on teaching the people what is assur and what is muttar (in their opinion obviously)... Either the people have no idea or they reject the askanim's definition of what is and is not allowed.

For those of us who were skeptical if the secular consumer boycott (cherem) against companies bearing the badat'z eida hechsher on its products would be effective, there are signs indicating that it has been noticed.

According to Globes, Nestle, who recently made a strategic decision to switch all of its products to be certified under the hechsher of the Eida, has started a new campaign for a line of ice cream and they don't mention the hechsher at all, unlike previous campaigns that mention, or point to, the Eida very boldly.

Those running the campaign are taking it to indicate that their boycott has been noticed and felt, and Nestle is trying to get around it by not being so open about who gives the hechsher.

I, for one, was skeptical that this boycott campaign would be effective, and the Eida dismissed it completely (at least publicly) as being nothing to be concerned about, but it looks like I was wrong about it...

On another, related, note, could this be part of the reason why the Eida changed its tune at the end of this past week and started calling for no hafganot in Jerusalem, no youth at hafganot, banning the "sikrikim" and other pronouncements to try to tone things down? Perhaps they are starting to feel the pressure, not just socially but also financially? hmmmm

ORRRRRRR, it could just be that this new line of products does not carry the Eida hechsher... who knows?

While the Haredi community are the experts in wielding consumer power and using the threat of boycott to influence the marketplace, it seems the until now inept secular community might finally be improving their ability to wield consumer power.

And this can be seen in the most recent ban. The haredim just put out a new ban on Electra because of their involvement with the digging up of graves in Yaffo. There have been immediate results, as the haredi community is mostly very disciplined in listening to such things and following suit. It was reported that one yeshiva immediately canceled a deal that was in the works with Electra that would have been a 500,000NIS job. Along with that there were the other smaller deals that were falling through as regular consumers began to look for alternatives.

At the same time, the group organizing the recent declaration of a ban on products bearing the hechsher of the Eida Haredis, so as not to support anti-Zionists and not to fund anti-Zionist activities, has changed tactics. Instead of calling on people to generally avoid any product that has the Eida hechsher, they now realize few people will bother themselves to play along. It takes too much effort to look for the hechsher and then look for an alternative product to buy instead.

Now, the group is going to focus on and publicize specific products that should be banned, and they will recommend alternatives, and they are going to ban them on specific dates during specific hours. They are not just banning the products, but they are trying to arrange meetings with the companies to explain what is going on and to get those companies to change the kashrus approach and switch to different hechshers. Even if they get people to be disciplined enough to play along, the ban is only for short periods of time.

For example, the first product announced to be banned is Nestle ice creams. They recently switched to the Eida hechsher, and there are other alternatives. The ban, however, is only going to be effective on a specific date for two hours in the middle of the day. They will have people outside of the large supermarkets telling them about the ban during those hours.

Very nice, but how much is the ice cream market going to be influenced by the 2 hour ban? I am skeptical, though it is a bit of an improvement over the haphazard way they banned things until now.

Because of deaf people, haredim might be doing a dumb cherem.

One would think that the public "fashla" the askanim caused when they signed the gedolim on the letter of support for Elior Chen would have been enough to shake the system up enough. One who would think that would be wrong.

Egged is running, in a number of cities, none of which have a strong haredi population (Tel Aviv and Hertzliya for example), a screen on the bus over which bus information (coming bus stops, routes, etc) is displayed, with running ads that cover the cost. This is done for the benefit of the deaf, to make it easier for them to know where they are going, the next stops, etc. as they obviously can't hear announcements and have a hard time asking for details and all that.

The haredi askanim have decided that these screens are problematic. I am not sure why, but I guess they don't like the possibility of the advertising, and who knows what advertisement might be run on any particular day. They have been trying to pressure Egged to remove these video screens and scrap the program. So far unsuccessfully. For their next step in the campaign, instead of giving up and leaving it alone, especially since it hardly affects anyone in the haredi community, they are now considering threatening to boycott Egged over this.

Israel's Channel 2 News ran a report on this last night, so the threat of boycott is already in the official stages.

Not only are they threatening this stupid boycott, but they are doing this against the will of the rabbonim.

Kikar Shabbos reports that there was a meeting between the askonim and some rabbonim over the issue, discussing the possibilities and options. The main rav in the meeting was Rav Shteinman. The askanim were pushing the boycott. Rav Shteinman and the other rabbonim said it should not be done.

It seems the askanim have decided to not listen to the rabbonim, and have decided to go ahead with increasing the pressure on Egged by threatening a boycott.

Some people are even saying that many of the recent issues raised and pushed by the askanim, this one included, are effecting a process of the anti-religious Shinui party coming back to life.

Yair Lapid, a journalist and the son of the head of the original Shinui party Tommy Lapid, has been talking about some of these issues and has been talking about the possibility of running for politics and possibly starting a new party. He is polling very well, and if polls are to be believed, if he starts such a party it would see tremendous popularity very quickly.

And I don't blame them. The haredi community is built on listening to the rabbonim, as they have daas torah and know what they are doing. When the community is not listening to daas torah, and possibly even going against daas torah, but is listening to daas askanim and doing every stupid thing the askanim feel like doing, that is not what the haredi community is meant to be, and that is a violation of the charter of the haredi community.

The newest ban is a ban on fish. Those common fish - salmon, halibut and flounder. It seems they have worms in them, and while the gemara allows such fish and their worms to be eaten, some say these worms are different worms than those the gemara allows and therefore they cannot be eaten. Supposedly Rabbis Kanievsky and Elyashiv supporting banning the affected fish. The ban is being pushed by a Rabbi Karp.

It seems to me this whole thing is a "Purim/Adar joke" of cynical use of a ban for personal gain, and Rabbi Karp is only trying to ban salmon and halibut because of competition. The more popular salmon becomes, the less popular carp becomes.

Anyway, I hate fish - everything about fish. The smell, the taste, the braininess associated with eating lots of fish. I support this ban becoming more widespread and banning even more fish - pretty much any fish that swim in the same body of water is these affected fish should also be banned on the off-chance that they too might eventually become infested.
And the next fish to be banned will definitely be Karp.

In yesterdays Yated ne'eman weekly chinamon edition, there was a clear move away from the extremely militant stance they have taken in recent weeks in the haredi fight against the Internet - that the Yated basically spearheaded and ran almost singlehandedly.

Instead of the announcements similar to those of previous weeks in which an issur was stated with threats and no exceptions allowed, this time it spoke about it being assur and like any other question of issur one should consult his rav to find out if and when and how he can use the Internet.

In addition, and perhaps this is the greatest hint as to what is really going on, they posted that the current filter solutions are unacceptable, and they have appointed a team to work on a new filter solution that will allow people who need internet access to have it in a proper and kosher way.

So at the end of the day, all they wanted was just to get into the business. By banning the internet and then releasing it only through them, they have guaranteed themselves a client base for whatever new program these askanim are going to create or support.

Among the fallout of the ban on haredi websites was the management of the popular haredi forum website, Bechadrei Chareidim. While the site decided to stay open despite the ban, the haredi managers resigned and turned it over to management by a secular fellow.

There was a big write-up in Maariv about the secular guy who is running a popular forum for haredim. In yesterday's Yated Neeman they decry the fact that a chiloni is running a haredi site. They mention it as proof of sorts how necessary such a ban is -

This one really makes me scratch my head. Do they not realize that this situation of a chiloni running a website for haredim is their own fault? They pressured the haredi managers to resign, and now they are complaining that chilonim are filling the void?

My response to the Yated, despite the absurdity of the complaint considering they pushed for this to happen, is that it should no longer be considered a haredi website, but should be considered a "plain" or "secular" website that just happens to have a lot of haredi (among other) people browsing to it and participating in its forums. Stop kvetching about it, as it is no longer an issue relevant to the ban. You were successful - the haredi website Bechadrei no longer exists. In its place a secular Bechadrei was formed that happens to be popular with haredi internet surfers. That has nothing to do with you anymore, as it is no longer a haredi site.

Oh yeah, and one more thing. They are quick to point out the other businesses this secular guy is involved in. He has some other websites that, to say the least, are not befitting a haredi lifestyle, and they claim in the Yated article that how can such a person involved in such disreputable businesses be a manager of a haredi site.

While they are quick to attack him for his other businesses, I have yet to see them attack a certain haredi Rav, someone who claimed to be a close talmid of Rav Elyashiv, who had a main business involving the haredi public (he ran a yeshiva along with a haredi organization for geirus), yet also was exposed as having been running a secondary business that was, to say the least, one promoting things that are not befitting a haredi lifestyle.

Only chilonim can be called out for such things, and not haredim?

A new ban is out. The gedolim have now banned the Haredi websites.

Recent trends indicating increasing numbers of haredim using the Internet has also caused for an increasing number of websites that cater to the haredim.

The websites contain mostly news of interest in the haredi world, forums discussing every nuance and movement in the haredi world, some lashon ha'ra and gossip as well, some criticism, some explaining the haredi position, etc.

This phenomenon irks the askanim and rabbonim and they have issued a ban on such websites.

I think this ban is silly and pointless, and here is why:

1. The gedolim in question (Ravs Elyashiv, Shteinman, Karelitz and Admorim of Belz, Tzanz and Vishnitz) have already banned the internet. Now they have to ban specific pages on the internet?
2. The gedolim in question have already banned the internet. Whoever listens to the ban, this new ban is not relevant. For whomever does not listen o the original ban, they will also not listen to this new ban.
3. For whomever uses the internet, what do the gedolim and askanim think will happen with this new ban? They prefer haredi internet users read not frum websites instead of frum ones? It doesn't make sense.
4. Perhaps they are just trying to intimidate the owners of these websites to shut them down, or maybe give the rabbonim more oversight and control about what gets published and publicized. Again, this will lead to people reading other sites that are "not frum".

It looks to me to be a classic case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater...

One of the latest issues in the news the past few days is the fight over an exhibit in a museum.

The science museum in Haifa is bringing in an exhibit of the human body. 2 cadavers will be on display.

The haredi rabbonim, and the Chief Rabbi of Israel, have called for the religious to boycott the museum and not go to the display. They are upset about "kavod hameis" - dignity/respect for the dead.

I am not really sure how that works. The cadavers donated themselves (during life) to science for the purpose of research. Once could make a case to say that kavod hameis would be to allow their benefit of the learning from these bodies that their display will offer. Also, these bodies are not those of Jews, so there should be no issue of insistence of burial and kavod due to being Jewish (not to say goyim deserve less kavod, but when the non-Jew requested his body be on display, I am not sure the same usage of the term "kavod" applies).

But I can accept it.

I do just want to mention that growing up in Chicago we had one of the best science museums in the world - the Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago). The place is amazing. We always enjoyed two exhibits the best - the Coal Mine exhibit where you go down in a cable car into a "real" coal mine. That is way cool. Even as an adult I enjoyed that.

The second exhibit, the one that is my favorite, is one they have had on display called "Body Slices". Body Slices is a display in a glass case of the human body. The bodies were sliced up at different parts to pieces 1/2 inch thick, so you see the different parts of the body from the angle of a slice of meat - with all the bone and other matter in place. So you see exactly what constructs each part of the body, no imagination required.

I was always fascinated by "Body Slices", and for some reason the gore of it never bothered me (even though I normally cannot look at human gore).

So, while I guess it is not kavod hameis for the museum to display this new exhibit, it is a shame because such exhibits can really be fascinating and educational.

The haredi ban on flying El Al is coming back.

In January it was announced that there would be special flights that would be considered mehadrin - no movies, separate seating, etc. for the haredi community. At the time many said it is not a big deal - those flights will simply be chartered flights. On a chartered flight, let them do what they want.

I agree. On a chartered flight, let them do what they want.

But now, the haredim are reintroducing the ban on El Al. Goldknopf and his Committee of Pure Travel are upset that the mehadrin flights have not yet been put into motion. As Pesach approaches, many yeshiva students, and haredim in general, will be flying and they could easily fill such planes.

because El Al has not yet developed the mehadrin airplane, Goldknopf is saying people should avoid flying El Al and pick other airlines that show films of scenery and not debauchary.

El Al's response - they were open to developing it. They say a travel agent tried to make such arrangements, but he was not able to fill a flight. They will do it if a group fills a plane.

In other words, if you would charter a flight, and fill the plane, they will agree to your request to not show movies and seat men in the seats and women in cargo. It turns out though that they are not trying to charter flights, but to turn regular commecial flights into mehadrin lines. And that is something El Al says that they cannot do.

So it seems like the haredi public, or the majority of it at least, realizes Goldknopf's stupidities are just that. Most people are not interested in his made up chumras.

Whew. There is still some sanity floating around.

I did not get a picture of it, but there is a new cherem being plastered around town. This one though is a retaliatory cherem.

The "settler" organizations Matot Arim, Komemiyut, and Eretz Yisrael She'Lanu are running a cherem against the media for their support of a cherem against products made over the Green line.

It is a complicated cherem, and that is probably why it will not uscceed, but here goes, if I understand it correctly. they cannot hit the media directly, so they are analyzing the advertising in the largest newspapers, and calculating the top 10 companies and products advertised, each month. They then will post signs and information declaring the top ten of the month and that those products should be banned.

The idea is that if those companies/products get hit by a decrease in sales by 5-10% because of the cherem, the companies will advertise in these specific media outlets much less, thus hurting the specific targeted media.

Sounds complicated to me. Also, if I have to follow every month to see which products are currently under boycott, it is extremely unrealistic (for me, and probably for many others)...

More info can be found on the cherem website. Acually, that is the best part of the whole issue - there is now a website declaring cherems. It is just a shame the haredim did not get the domain and idea first, as they would put this website to much heavier use.

I had just finished my weekly trip to the supermarket. This week I went to the local Shefa Shuk (sometimes I go there, and sometimes I go to Aleph).

I take my cart to the car and load up the bags. I head back to return the cart to the supermarket, and I see three Gerrer Hassidim walking towards Shefa Shuk with their hands full of flyers. They stood outside the door of Shefa and started handing them out to people who were approaching to go in and shop.

The flyers were calling on people to avoid shopping in Shefa because of the chillul shabbos of one of the other chains owned by the same owner.

They spotted me with a cart and came hustling over to tell me not to shop there. They hand me the flyers and explain not to shop there because the other store is mechalel shabbos, and there is Aleph across the way so one can shop there. I mentioned that the owners of Aleph also own companies that are mechalel shabbos, so I treat both stores equally. They started to argue and I said it does not matter and I understand....

So I am walking back to the car and I glance at the flyers they had handed me. One is the standard flyer saying not to shop in Shefa and not to help destroy the shabbos. The second was a letter signed by rabbonim. That got me curious because the whole cherem thing has been hinging on the threat of a pulling out a letter signed by rabbonim to officially declare a cherem, but that letter is supposedly still locked in a safe somewhere, leaving it at the threat level.

So I looked at the letter. It calls on the public to avoid Shefa, and the ownerdamages shabbos by forcing other people to work (they have to keep their stores open to compete or go out of business), blah blah blah...

I look at the signatures, and am surprised to see it signed by six rabbonim of the Dati Leumi community.

I found it ironic that Gerrer Hassidim are handing out kruzim signed by Dati Leumi rabbonim. I turned around and went back to them. They come over and I say, "I just want to say one thing - Mashiach must be coming! Here are three Gerrer Chassidim handing out kruzim signed by Dati Leumi rabbonim! Mashiach must be coming!"

One stammered and started to say no, they have other flyers but they ran out of them... he must have misunderstood and thought I was criticizing them. The second guy stepped in and said that yes, because we came to Ramah Aleph so we brought these...