Shishi Tarbut is, sort of, a spinoff of ShabbaTarbut which has been running for a long time in cities around the country. It is a cultural event where the host interviews politicians or other people in leadership positions and they discuss various issues of current events. Shishi Tarbut is a spinoff in the sense that some places wanted to be more inclusive and include the religiosu public, and religious politicians and other leaders who would not or could not participate on Shabbos, so they moved it to Friday.

Aliza Bloch brought Shishi Tarbut to Bet Shemesh, in her attempt to improve the level, and amount, of cultural events happening in the city.

I missed the first one a few weeks ago, but decided I wanted to go to the one scheduled for this past Friday, especially considering the powerhouse lineup. The event was scheduled for interviews with Moshe Gafni, Gideon Saar, Moshe Kachlon, and local city councilman Moshe Shitreet.

I was a little disappointed that the hall was relatively empty. I expected with such a lineup of interviews the place would be filled to capacity. It was only about 25%-30% full, and some people were coming and going. I get that it is a new event and many possibly do not yet know about it. Perhaps it needs to be marketed better.

Regarding the interviews, they were as interesting as expected. Moshe Gafni is extremely sharp and witty. Gideon Saar is very measured with his words, very thoughtful and stately. Moshe Kachlon is very down to earth and straightforward. Moshe Shitreet spoke about local affairs and is very open and thinks very broadly in scope. Aliza Bloch opened the event with an introduction, and all the interviewees mentioned during their talks about having met with her and working to improve Bet Shemesh and spoke, briefly, about specific issues they would be helping the city with in the future due to her efforts.







The plan is to have these regularly, though I do not know how frequently. It was mentioned that the next one will be in two weeks, but I originally thought this was mean to be once per month. I guess pay attention to the announcements around town...

Today was National Hot Dog Day.

It is a tragedy, and a travesty, that National Hot Dog Day is scheduled during the "Nine Days" when observant Jews cannot eat hot dogs.

to think that some people say anti-semitism is no longer...

a few years ago it was reported that the Italian hatmaker, Borsalino, had gone bankrupt. I don't care, personally, one way or the other, as I have no money in that game and don't stand to win or lose if they do or don't go the way of the dodo bird, but it is a slice of Jewish life and history and culture, so it is a bit melancholy, as any other cultural icon that disappears.

It is now being reported that the Borsalino company was put up for sale at auction, and a group of investors has submitted a bid and purchased the company. The company of investors to rescue Borsalino is called Haeres Equita.
source: Reuters

I have no idea what percentage of Borsalino hats manufactured and sold are in the frum "black hat" community, nor do I know how they will restructure and what divisions they will keep and what they will cut, but it seems very possible that along with seeing the iconic Borsalino hats in general, we very well may continue to see the Borsalino black hats in our shuls and yeshivas...

the gedolim of Eretz Yisrael have come out many times with statements that concerts and the like are prohibited, even with separate seating and even if the event is only for men.

Kikar reports about a "dinner" on behalf of the Gerrer institutions of Eretz Yisrael set to take place in the USA next week with the main attraction being a performance by Mordechai Ben David, along with some other performers.

Now, they could have explained it away saying that the Gerrer Rebbe never signed on any ban or prohibition but that would not be true as he did sign on such a ban a number of years ago...

So, with the Gerrer Rebbe against such performances (arvei Shira and the like), why is it ok for the Gur institutions to hold such an event with such a performance?

The answer given by the relevant askanim is that the culture in the USA is different so it is ok (even though it is on behalf of the Israeli institutions.

Sounds good to me. Whenever there is a self-defined cultural difference we are now able to ignore the psak of the gedolim and even our own rebbe... many people have said similarly in the past - that a given psak isn't relevant because of x, y or z differences - but now the response has the hechsher of one of the gedolim saying my psak can be ignored for those reasons.

Iryat Yerushalayim has put together an initiative to build a Charedi cultural center...

This cultural center will have some rooms for showing movies, a gallery for displays of art and whatnot, studio rooms for activities and workshops, and more. The center will be located in the "Shneller complex".

The initiative was promoted and advanced by Ofer Berkovitz, a secular deputy mayor, and is supported by the Hared councilmen.
source: Mynet

While this Haredi movie theater will definitely be closed on Shabbos (at least for the movies), and despite the fact that it has the support of the Haredi councilmen - and by extension that means they have been given ok by the gedolim with whom they consult, I am pretty sure the complex will still draw the ire of some more extreme Haredi elements and will still be the target of hafganot. Just because of the very nature of the existence of a Haredi movie theater (even if called by another name), it will be a target.

And what I wonder about is what the first movie to be shown will be...  suggestions welcome in the comments :-)

The latest brouhaha in the government is the decision by Ministers Naftali Bennet and Miri Regev to not provide funding for a movie that looks at the life of a terrorist.

Supposedly, the movie does not glorify terrorism, nor does it, supposedly, incite to terror or anything like that.

In my opinion, even if everything stated within is relatively neutral or pareve, by its very existence it is glorifying the subject of the movie and giving him and his beliefs a platform. Unless the purpose of the movie is to denounce the lifestyle of the terrorist, but I have not yet heard that claim. So in my opinion, the State should not be funding such movies.

People are upset. Freedom of speech, and all that jazz.

The State did not say this movie cannot be shown. The State did not ban the movie and say theaters cannot show it. The State did say that it would not provide cultural funding for this movie. The State should have right to choose to not support movies that by their very nature are against the government.

We have this absurdity in Israel, in many aspects of life here, by which the government funds and supports forces that are anti-Israel in nature. Families of terrorists continue to be paid Bituach Leumi, MKs who are openly anti-Israel are allowed to serve in Knesset, funding for cultural events that are anti-Israel in nature.. this happens all the time, and often it makes no sense.  Finally, it might be coming to an end. This is at least a good first step. Maybe it is just a litmus test, and if it is I hope it succeeds.

Let them go get funding from the Palestinians or from the Iranians to make their pro-terrorist movie.

Back in the day, when I was turning bar mitzvah and getting my first black hat, I got a Stetson. It was a great hat, as hats go. It lasted a while and it had the feather in the band, as was the style back then.

Back then I think the choices, at least in Chicago, were only Stetson and Borsalino. And Borsalino was too expensive for a bar mitzva boy.

I think my next hat, or maybe the one after that, was a Borsalino. As far as I can remember, I only once had a Borsalino.

After leaving Chicago and moving to Israel, there were so many different brands of hats, and Borsalino had gotten so expensive, I never again got a Borsalino hat, though they were considered the premier hat for a yeshiva guy.

It is a bit sad, on that note, to see that Borsalino is in financial trouble and we may be seeing the end of Borsalino as they go bankrupt. Even though sales are up, financial mismanagement may do them in.

They hold an important place in modern Jewish culture and history.

And their hats, not necessarily the ones for the religious Jewish market, are so cool.

this is a video put out as part of a campaign of a private organization called Shishi Israeli that is trying to promote some sort of Israeli culture that includes Jewish traditional things among Israeli cultural things. They have billboards up around the country merging a soccer ball with a challa - saying Friday soccer (football) is an Israeli tradition, and kiddush is an Israeli tradition. According to the Shishisraeli website, the people behind this are secular businessmen trying to promote family values and unity. Needless to say, some people are upset about this promotion.

Arik Einstein was definitely one of the great Israeli singers. Many of his songs are classics in the Israeli music scene and accompany the history of Israel. Surely he was one of the greats.

That being said, I was a bit surprised to see how the Haredi news websites, bar none, all announced his death. The Haredi websites do not usually give time and space to celebrities and Israeli culture, yet Arik Einstein's death was featured on every single Haredi news website. Surprising.

What does it indicate?

Maybe nothing. Or, maybe it says something about Arik Einstein how he was beloved by all, even by those who normally eschew the general Israeli culture and he was able to cross those barriers. Or, maybe it says something about Haredi society that it does not really eschew general culture, but embraces it as long as it does not counter them and their lifestyle.

After a couple years of Iryat Yerushalayim sponsoring a summer event called Baale-Basta in the shuk of Mahane Yehuda, it looks like the program might now expand.

For the past two years the haredim, both the "regular" haredim represented by the haredi political parties along with the haredim represented by the Eida, have protested, in one way or another, the Baale-Basta events. They were immodest, female singers, caused drunkenness which eventually spilled over into the nearby haredi neighborhoods, and whatever else they could come up with, they now are overjoyed to be getting their own version of the Baale-Basta.

According to this report on Mynet, the Iryah has suggested a program that is being embraced by the community representatives of Geula. The city has been revamping the neighborhood of Geula, and bringing in  a haredi version of the Baale-Basta should bring a big boost to the local businesses. Obviously instead of female performers, all will be male and Haredi (Avraham Fried's name is mentioned, but I doubt all performers will be such major names), and crowds performed to will be segregated.

They might have protested the event until now, but they can't argue with the results. And hopefully they will replicate those results into Geula.

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It is looking like the Burqa ladies are about to get their day in court.

Some strange incident just occurred where a family of Burqas sent two daughters to Montreal just before Rosh Hashana to join a group of Burqa people called "Lev Tahor", and the family was planning to join them there after the holidays.

According to Haaretz, many Burqa people, also known as the Taliban Cult, have been relocating to the complex in Canada due to the rejection the greater haredi community has shown to them here in Israel.

These two Burqa girls got to Canada only to find themselves detained by Canadian authorities. After Rosh Hashana they were deported back to Israel. The incident involved Interpol, Social Welfare authorities and the Foreign ministry. It turns out there is a case pending against the Burqa people, and the courts issued the orders to bring the girls back to Israel.

The pending court case is going to decide whether there is an actual impairment in raising children under such a lifestyle, which would allow, if passed, social welfare authorities to remove children from homes of parents living such a lifestyle. As well, the court is going to consider whether to consider this group an actual cult. that would make it illegal to be a part of.

I don't know all the legal mumbo jumbo, but it is going to get interesting. i wonder if anyone outside of the Burqa people group will come to their defense and call it a legitimate lifestyle choice.

The City of Jerusalem has ramped up it's support for cultural events in the city, for all sectors, with a large variety of events in different parts of the city.

The Eida HaChareidis is calling for a large demonstration this evening on Haneviim St. to protest some of these cultural events.

There are a variety of events, such as street fairs, concerts, cultural events, educational events, light shows, festivals and more. You can find them all, in Hebrew and English, at the City of Jerusalem municipal site. The Eida is upset about some street fairs that will be taking place on the upcoming Friday afternoons on Haneviim St. According to their claim, the events will be immodest and will cause chillul shabbos. They are probably right on both claims. They are upset because Haneviim St. is so close to haredi neighborhoods, including their own headquarters, and they don't want such events happening so close to their home territory.

In addition, Haneviim St. is already the site of much strife as the Eida protests against the opening of the Karta parking lot have largely been moved to Haneviim St. The protests have heated up recently, not just because of haredi vacation schedules, but also because the secular have come out to counter-protest, often dressed provocatively to annoy and anger the haredi protesters.

Unusual as it might be, I think the Eida is right on this one. I don't think their style of protest is what I support, but I think the cultural events of this nature need not be held so provocatively close to the haredi neighborhoods, where it is sure to raise the temperatures of the local residents. These events can be moved, even just another street or two over, or further away to other neighborhoods, and people would be able to enjoy themselves harmoniously, on both sides of Haneviim.

Of course the City has a right to hold the event on Haneviim. I don't dispute that. They have a right to, but is it smart to have it there? Just move it elsewhere. better yet, next time when planning these things, plan them in advance in ways that won't cause fights.

However, I question what the protests are really about. I took a look at the municipal site where they detail all the various events. And there are a lot of events! I could not find a single event listed as taking place on Haneviim St. I looked at all the categories, all the locations, and all the events. Granted, I might have missed something - there are a lot of events - but I could not find anything happening on Haneviim. There are events not too far away from that area, such as at Kikar Safra, city hall, and other areas nearby, but I could not find anything on Haneviim.

They probably should not be having such street fairs in such areas, where the tensions are already high, and the Eida should probably not get so worked up about every little thing the secular residents of Jerusalem do.

And life goes on.

It is nice to see Israelis successful, though I doubt this is what was meant when God expected us to be a light unto the nations..

From The Wall Street Journal:

The Israeli TV series "Hatufim" traces what happens when two soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces return after being held captive by Syria for 17 years. Their wives and families become household names, and their ordeal sparks national debate about how Israel should handle prisoners of war.


Could this be the next hit show?


Showtime thinks so. The pay-cable channel is currently developing "Homeland," a psychological thriller based on "Hatufim," starring Claire Danes as a globe-trotting Central Intelligence Agency agent. It's one of several Israeli series being adapted for U.S. audiences. Last month Fox launched "Traffic Light," a sitcom based on "Ramzor," about a group of guys in various stages of relationships and their urges to revert to primordial guydom.


HBO and Lionsgate are developing "The Naked Truth," based on an Israeli drama about police officers investigating the disappearance of a teenager girl from a powerful family. Showtime also has "The Arbitrator," a "Sopranos"-like crime saga, which it plans to make into a pilot. HBO's much-praised "In Treatment," with Gabriel Byrne, finished its third season in December.


Other Countries Heard From


Britain has long been a major exporter of comedies and dramas to the U.S.; reality shows later joined the fray. Next up: a Danish crime drama.




AMC
'The Killing'


''The Killing,' AMC: Premiering April 3, this mystery is based on Danish crime drama "Forbrydelsen.


Showtime
'Shameless'


'Shameless,' Showtime: It omits the racial slurs of the U.K. show, but features plenty of sex and booze.


CBS
'Survivor'


'Survivor,' CBS: A reality show on Swedish TV spawned this juggernaut, now in its 22nd season.
American television floods the world, but more and more, clever TV ideas also travel in the other direction. Reality shows in particular import well. "American Idol" and "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" originated in England; "Survivor" started in Sweden, and "Big Brother" came from the Netherlands. With few exceptions, however, only the U.K. has managed to produce dramatic shows and comedies which translate—from "All in the Family" to "Masterpiece Theatre" to "The Office."


But as the world gets smaller, and original ideas harder to come by, Hollywood producers and agents are looking elsewhere, and they say they've found signs of a Promised Land. Israel, though faraway, isolated and war-weary, is culturally more aligned to American TV tastes than almost any other country. The nation's small, but highly educated, technologically advanced work force largely speaks English and has grown up on U.S. shows and movies, even if their own shows are in Hebrew.


"It feels very much like a 51st state," says Ben Silverman, former co-chairman of NBC Universal, whose Electus production company bought the rights to adapt the Israeli drama "Blue Natali" and "Cuckoo's Nest," an interactive game show.


"Israel is becoming Hollywood's cheat sheet," says Noa Tishby, a celebrity actress and producer in Israel who was born in Tel Aviv and now splits her time between there and Los Angeles. She first took "Be Tipul," an Israeli drama about weekly therapy sessions, to a U.S. production company and helped broker a deal to sell it to HBO. The result: "In Treatment."


Israeli producers credit the nation's hypercritical audience for its high-quality TV. "Socially speaking, Israelis are very, very judgmental," says Avi Nir, chief executive of Keshet Broadcasting Ltd., one of the country's biggest broadcasting and production companies. Viewers quickly reject mediocre shows, prompting networks to pull them and try something else. "You either win the jackpot or you get thrown out of town very quickly."


Five years ago Mr. Nir became one of the first entertainment executives to aggressively pitch Israeli series in the U.S. He had to do something—the domestic market is limited. The country's population is 7.7 million (about the same as Virginia), and the TV audience is even smaller when one excludes ultra-Orthodox Jews who mostly eschew TV and Palestinians who prefer programs in Arabic.


Budgets are correspondingly low. "In Treatment" became the country's top-rated drama despite being cheap to produce—little more than two actors sitting in a room talking. Even the biggest-budget Israeli TV shows cost less than 10% of the roughly $2.5 million per episode of a U.S. cable drama. Concepts must lean on characters and story rather than car chases or other expensive gimmicks, says Daniel Lappin, creator of Israel's long-running sitcom "Life Isn't Everything."


"The thought in Israel is, we're never going to make millions, so let's do something different," Mr. Lappin says. "I could fund 140 episodes of my show on what two episodes of the final season of 'Seinfeld' cost, and still have change for falafel on my way home."


Producers can take more risks because regulations on language and nudity are fairly lax. "In Israel there are bigger battles to fight than whether I should use the f-word on national TV," Ms. Tishby says. "Jews and Israelis have a macabre sense of humor. As a result, nothing is off limits."


Another explanation for the close relationship between Hollywood and Israel is cultural and religious. Producers in both countries point to Judaism as a link between Israeli TV creators and prominent Hollywood executives. The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles has a partnership with Tel Aviv and has brought TV executives on trips to Israel in recent years.


"Whatever culture of storytelling that might be specific to Jews and made them prominent in Hollywood makes it understandable that 8,000 or 9,000 miles away a lot of Jews in a small place would be good storytellers," says "24" veteran Howard Gordon, who co-wrote Showtime's "Homeland" pilot.


For U.S. studios, acquiring an existing "format" is cheaper and safer than developing a series from scratch. The practice dates back to 1955, when Britain's "The Adventures of Robin Hood" drew big ratings for CBS, says TV historian Tim Brooks. More recently, adaptations include MTV's "Skins" and Showtime's "Shameless," both from the U.K. NBC's "Ugly Betty," which aired for four years, came from Colombia, and a Danish crime series led to AMC's upcoming "The Killing."


"We're hedging our bets with international formats," says Dana Walden, chairman of 20th Century Fox Television, which produces "Traffic Light" and whose cable unit Fox 21 produces "Homeland." (Like The Wall Street Journal, 20th Century Fox is owned by News Corp.) "If we can introduce a creator to a distinctive idea that has a bold element and has already been proven, we're ahead of the game."


In the past decade, the U.K. has become so popular for producing TV formats, both scripted and reality, that Hollywood producers enter bidding wars for the rights to adapt shows. The practice of butchering a hit British show to make it palatable to a mainstream American audience is expertly satirized in the Showtime sitcom "Episodes" with Matt LeBlanc starring as himself, cast in the U.S. version of an award-winning English show: He plays an erudite headmaster—which he and the network turn into a goof-off hockey coach.


Call it butchering or adapting, TV executives agree that cultural tweaks must be made if a show is to go beyond a limited audience watching the likes of "Downton Abbey," the recent PBS success from ITV in Britain. "Homeland" is such a project. Keshet, the Israeli broadcaster, had a compelling story in the Rip Van Winkle-like series in which two prisoners-of-war return home from Syria after 17 years. When Mr. Gordon signed on, as he was wrapping up the final season of "24," he knew the Israeli show had to be fundamentally reconceived.


He and his "24" writing partner Alex Gansa added Ms. Danes's CIA agent, who believes the returning war hero may be involved in a terrorist plot to attack the U.S. They also created a prisoner of war who, rather than being held for 17 years in Syria, was taken captive in 2003 in Iraq.


"In Israel these people are huge national figures in everyone's consciousness. The country, for all intents and purposes, is at war," Mr. Gansa says. "We felt we had to introduce a plausible threat to the U.S. to make it feel as if this guy's return is worthy of a narrative."


In the Israeli version of "Traffic Light," a husband lives in constant fear of his successful wife. In one episode, he goes to the supermarket to buy laundry detergent. He can't find her preferred brand, so he decides to pick up the closest thing. "You are not authorized to make that decision!" she snaps.


"The new man is the man who does everything his wife tells him to do," says the show's creator, stand-up comedian Adir Miller. "A guy who doesn't do what his wife tells him to do is a divorced man."


Mr. Miller says he doesn't mean to single out Israeli men as more henpecked than others, but this was a little abrasive for the U.S. writers, who made the relationship more equitable. "We wanted to create a fundamentally happy marriage," says co-executive producer Bob Fisher. They also gave the happily single guy, who is often unemployed in the Israeli version, a job as a paramedic. "Americans don't like characters who don't have jobs," Mr. Fisher says.


In 2008, when "In Treatment" creator Hagai Levi explained a storyline in his show about a 40-something woman who sees a therapist because she does not have children, he says the U.S. producers shrugged.


"In Israel if you're 40 and don't have kids, that's a big problem. In New York, people said 'So, what's the problem?'" Mr. Levi says. "As a Jew in Israel, I imagine Condoleezza Rice's mother would say 'That's nice, Condi, but what about kids'?"


HBO played down the importance of kids in therapy sessions between Mia, played by Hope Davis, and Mr. Byrne's Dr. Paul Weston.


The Israeli TV industry is still relatively young. In the years after Israel's 1948 founding, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion opposed TV out of fear the new medium would negatively impact Israelis' "pioneer ethic." A single, state-run channel was launched in 1968 when leaders wanted to combat Arab propaganda during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.


It wasn't until Channel 2 in 1993 and Channel 10 in 2002 that commercial, for-profit channels came into being, mostly airing subtitled episodes of "Seinfeld," "Friends" and "Everybody Loves Raymond." Such repeats didn't employ many of the country's struggling, writers and directors.


After 2000 the government began imposing requirements that 40% to 50% of all broadcast operators' offerings be produced locally, up from 30% in the 1990s. A portion of all local shows must be scripted comedies or dramas, not reality or game shows.


As Israel's media industry opened up, its filmmakers gained prominence at international film festivals. Israeli movies have earned nine Oscar nominations for best foreign language film, with three consecutive nominations from 2007 to 2009. Many of those filmmakers migrated to TV, which provided creative freedom and a steady income. Ari Folman was writing for "Be Tipul," departed to write and direct "Waltz with Bashir," which was nominated for an Oscar, then went back to writing for TV.


The 10 or so shows produced domestically each year quickly began to draw bigger audiences than imported shows. Not everyone is thrilled with the influx of attention. Mr. Levi says he worries local shows could lose their unique Israeli feel as more TV creators try to catch Hollywood's eye. "Suddenly people are acting more like businessmen and less like artists," he says.


The whirlwind of interest has turned Tel Aviv's historic district, with its modernist Bauhaus buildings and graffiti art, into a mini-version of Hollywood (Middle) East. At the bustling Orna and Ella bistro on Shenkin Street—synonymous with Tel Aviv bohemia—celebrities and entertainment executives nosh on pastries and sip espresso, not unlike at L.A.'s Toast. The media elite or "brancha" roll out of bed to sandwich kiosks on leafy Rothschild Boulevard and hobnob over dinner at trendy Italian restaurant Cantina.


Over a swig of post-dinner whisky before shooting a scene in the Israeli show "Pillars of Smoke," actor Rani Blair says the daily uncertainty of life is what drives the country's TV productivity. "When you live in a place that is isolated, and you are alone, it seeps into your soul. It makes you want to shout."

The Arabs like to make a big deal about everything Israeli. They have attacked Israel for "stealing" their chumus, and their falafel. Any time Israel discovers the possibility of anything, like natural gas off the coast, any fresh water source, or anything historical they claim it as being theirs. And of course they regularly lay claim to our land.

The latest claim of outrage is regarding the keffiyeh - the israeli Keffiyeh that is.


The ZFA, the Zonist Freedom Alliance, has designed a keffiyeh with Stars of David in the design, and others have since designed similar keffiyehs, such as with the words Am Yisrael Chai along the side. They call it the "Israeli Keffiyeh".

The Israeli Keffiyeh seems to have become popular enough to draw the ire of the Palestinians. They are claiming that the Israeli Keffiyeh is a theft of the Palestinian heritage.

From INN:

”Palestinian culture must be preserved by organizing exhibitions and festivals to show that heritage claimed by Israel is actually Palestinian!” Bargouthi claimed in an interview with Ma’an Radio. "Palestinians" have often been asked to show what they claim their non pan-Arab heritage, since before the declaration of the state of Israe, the word "Palestine" or "Palestinian" referred to Jewish institutions, such as the "Palestine Post" and the "Palestine Philharmonic" and there was no Arab group calling itself by that name.

Barghouthi specifically mentioned the blue and white “Israeli keffiyeh” with a Stars of David pattern worn in Israel and on American university campuses by activists from the Zionist Freedom Alliance. The PA minister called the scarf a “Palestinian national symbol” and attacked Zionists for usurping the keffiyeh and replacing its traditional pattern with Zionist symbols.

Benny Katz of the Zionist Freedom Alliance responded:

the ZFA headscarf carries a strong Zionist message. “In ancient times, it was common for Hebrews to wear keffiyot, but the rise of Islam brought with it a series of laws that gave non-Muslims an inferior position in society. Synagogues could not be built higher than mosques and Jews could not ride atop animals for fear that they would appear higher than Muslims. As the keffiyeh came to be seen as the crown of the Arabs and its wearer was attributed an honorable status, non-Muslims were forbidden from wearing such garments.”

“With the rebirth of the Jewish nation in our homeland, there are voices calling Israel back to our authentic national culture. The Israeli keffiyeh is part of this trend. Its wearer is making a clear statement that – like the Arab, Kurd and Druze – the Jew is a Middle Easterner and is indigenous to this region. The Israeli keffiyeh is a proud symbol of Jewish nationalism but also a statement of solidarity with the other peoples of the Middle East.”

“By wearing it, we proclaim a desire for peace with our neighbors balanced with an equally strong proclamation that our people have a legitimate right to sovereignty in our entire country. In today’s post-exile Jewish reality, we will no longer allow foreign antagonists to rob us of our homeland or of our national culture.”

Shemspeed, a Jewish music label and promotional company in the United States, recently released their own version of the ZFA’s Israeli keffiyeh, embroidered with the Hebrew words Am Yisrael Hai (The Nation of Israel Lives). According to Shemspeed founder and director Erez Safar, who also produces music under the alias of DJ Diwon, Jews have just as much right as Arabs to wear the keffiyeh.

“Jews indigenous to the [Middle East], such as my family, have worn some variation of the kefyah [cap/kippa] and keffiyeh for thousands of years… The original purpose of the scarves was to provide protection from the sun and sand. When it comes to religious observance, the Muslim tradition of head covering originates from the Jewish tradition.”

So I went to this sfardi bar mitzva last night. I had a blast.

There was one point where they played mizrachi music for a while. My friend, the father of the bar mitzva boy, wanted me to dance sfardi style. unfortunately, I have no idea how. The little I knew from my yeshiva days has been long forgotten.

I said I would be happy to join in, but I need some instruction - I need someone else to show me a few moves and then I could jump around and make a fool of myself happily. So, I asked around, among all the sfardim, but everybody said they don't know how to dance sfardi style. A room full of sfardim, I was one of the only ashkenazim there, and not a single one would admit to knowing how to dance sfardi style.

It was kind of hard to believe, so i kept looking. I found one 13 year old boy who knew a few moves. He agreed to show me a few sfardi dance moves and we got the mizrachi groove on. I made a fool of myself, but we all had fun.

I was wondering how it was possible that in a room full of sfardim I could hardly find one who knew the moves, and the one I did find only knew one basic shake.

I came up with two theories:

1. They really did know some sfardi dance styles, but don't like to admit it as they would look too sfardi. Sure, they daven sfardi (most of them), but to actually publicly display sfardi culture? Many prefer to look as ashkenaz as possible. Many send their kids to ashkenazy schools, some even change their names to sound more ahskenazy, etc. To dance sfardi style, even though the event is clearly sfardi style, might be too much of a burden for them ruining their whole image.
2. Perhaps they really did not know sfardi dance. They have spent so long concentrating on integrating into ashkenazy society that they have not bee keeping up with their own heritage and culture. They knew all the ashkenazy dance moves, and that is why they did not know the sfardi ones.
3. They knew how to dance sfardi style but were too shy to display them. Also possible.

I don't know which is the correct reason, but it sure was strange to not be able to find anybody to dance sfardi style. No matter, I did it for them and had fun in the process.

What can be better than a good Corned Beef on Rye with mustard and a half sour pickle, and a tub of potato salad on the side?

We used to go to Wrigley Field to watch the Cubs play ball fairly regularly during the summers (yes, even my turncoat brother who is now a White Sox fan). We would stop off at the deli on the way to the game and pick up a slew of sandwiches to wolf down at the game. Corned Beef, Pastrami, (chicken) Drumettes, Potator Salad, Cole Slaw, Pickles, the works. We were walking heart attacks.

What can be more Jewish than a good corned beef on rye sandwich! My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

The Food Editor of the Jewish Chronicle decided to compare our eating habits of today to those of about 100 years ago. For two weeks he ate only "heimishe" food and see the affect on his health.

My challenge was to follow the diet of an Ashkenazi Jew of 100 years ago. In my mind’s eye, I imagined I was someone like my paternal grandfather, Harry Roundstein. He was born in the early 1890s in the East End of London and ultimately owned his own jeweller’s shop. He would therefore have been able to afford a decent variety of foods, and his diet would have been not dissimilar to the one I was to embark upon.

So what would I be eating? The staples of the diet were what Eastern European Jews would have had in the shtetl, formed from a fairly small range of ingredients, which would be as available in Britain as in Poland or Russia. Vegetables were largely limited to cabbage, potatoes, beetroot and carrots. There would be a chicken for Friday-night dinner and meat for the Shabbat cholent.

Otherwise, there was a profusion of meat in the form of sausages and salamis, as well as pickled products such as salt beef. Pulses such as lentils and beans would have been important, and there were plenty of heavy breads, often made with rye flour. Fruit was available in season but often eaten stewed rather than fresh. Fat was highly prized by a population for whom calories were friends rather than enemies. The average adult had a far more active lifestyle than we do today, and needed a good dollop of shmaltz to keep going.

That sounds like a great two week culinary experience.

And the results?

On the day the diet finishes, I present myself to Dr Garry Savin at the Preventicum clinic in west London, one of Europe’s most advanced centres of preventive medicine. I am weighed and measured, blood tests taken again and my body fat checked. Having previously assured me that I would not see many changes over such a short period, he is shocked by the results. My weight has increased from 69kg to 69.8kg, my waist has expanded by 2.5cms, and my body fat has increased from 20 to 21.8 per cent.

My cholesterol has increased from 6.2 to 6.9 mmol, which is alarming, especially as LDL or bad cholesterol accounts for all the increase. There has also been a rise in my triglyceride levels (a heart-disease indicator).

On the upside, my blood pressure has remained constant, despite the salty food, and my liver is coping magnificently. But from being in the top 16 per cent of the population two weeks a go, healthwise, I now barely make it into the top 25 per cent. Dr Savin recommends I change my diet back. “I won’t be going on it,” he assures me.

So what could a nutritionist extrapolate from my two weeks of haimishe stodge? I give a copy of my food diary to dietician Joan Wides to analyse. She is worried about several things — the high fat content of many of my meals, the lack of fresh fruit and vegetables and the amount of pickled and salted foods. If I were to stay on this diet, I would be at a higher risk of stomach and bowel cancers, as well as heart disease, she says. But she also points to a good level of fibre and plenty of oily fish, which could be the reason that many Jews from this era did not suffer high levels of heart disease.

So what happened to my grandfather, the model for the diet? His porridge and herring breakfast obviously stood him in good stead, as did the amount of energy he expended through walking everywhere. His weight was the same at 80 as it was at 20 and he was nearly 90 when he died. However, on this diet, I fear I may not make it to 50. Bring on the salad.

I am not convinced itis as bad as the doc says. As he said, his zeidy lived to 90.

Avishai Ben-Chaim, an Israeli journalist, was on Israeli Channel 2 the other day explaining the modesty of Haredi leaders. He described how they live simple lifestyles when they have the opportunity to live in comfort and even luxury if they would so desire. The modesty and simplicity of the Haredi Rabbonim and (most of their) leaders can be compared with the lifestyles of the general public's leaders. Ben-Chaim briefly details as examples the various recent prime ministers and the money they have taken from supporters to support extravagant lifestyles.

In a very tight competition, today a winner was announced. Israel now has an official National Bird.

The Red Falcon, the Hoopoe, the Warbler, and the Hoplopterus Spinosus all ran a tough battle as finalists for the coveted title.

The competition ran for 6 months, and 155,00 Israelis took part in the voting and narrowing down the various rounds of competition.

And the winner is..... (drumroll please)... the Hoopoe (Doochifas in Hebrew)!!!!

I personally think the Turkey would have been a more fitting selection, but I was not on the panel... :-)