According to Kipa, via Israel Hayom, a marketing firm specializing in the religious community has approached the heads of Facebook Israel with an unusual request.

So this marketing firm, Gil Group, has approached Facebook Israel with a request to develop a shomer shabbat profile. Gil Group is pushing this idea saying that resolving this issue would make religious people far more comfortable with using Facebook and more would join if this were resolved. This new
"shomer shabbat profile" status would" disable any activity on my page or profile on Shabbos.

The news has reported and made a big deal that Yair Netanyahu, the son of, has been suspended from facebook for his recent calls for expelling Arabs from Israel...

You aren't anybody until your Facebook account has been suspended, so maybe now he will have some authority behind is statements.

In the meantime, until Yair gets back online and in our faces, so many people are proud of him and of what he said and are saying he should be the future prime minister (next? in 20 years?)

Yair has never really done anything, besides for being the son of Bibi. He has not done anything for the public, he has not led organizations or movements. He really has been nothing but the son of Bibi. I am not sure why so many people think he is qualified to be a prime minister just because he said one thing they happen to like.  He seems to be more of an entitled loudmouth rather than someone with actual leadership qualities, though I admit I don't know him well or about him enough...

Anyways, if he takes after his father at all, he will probably say a lot of policy statements that he never intends to keep... Maybe that is really what right wingers actually like - just the appearance of being right wing, and not actually implementation of policy...

interesting..

Facebook chatting became a central issue in divorce proceedings in the Rabbanut beis din.

Srugim reports that a husband in divorce proceedings claimed that his wife was cheating on him via Facebook, as she was chatting with other males and not being intimate with him, in an attempt to get out of paying her the money he would owe her from the kesuba.

The wife was claiming the value of her kesuba, 55,555nis (there are those hamsa values again), while he claimed he owed her nothing due to her spending her nights chatting with other men on Facebook instead of spending them with him. He even presented a printout of her chats via Facebook and Messenger as proof, of both their existence and that they took place well into the nights and also showed that she had called some men, even past midnight.

She admitted to having used Facebook, but claimed it was not that much and only for searches but not actual chatting and was for the purpose of getting her husband to pay attention to her. She brought the mikva attendant as a witness that she dunked in her scheduled time and was not refusing that.

After deliberations, the beis din decided that she had only used it for searches and there was no proof of actual partners on Facebook chats, it is clear she was using it as she said - to get her husband to pay attention to her. They said that even though this is not proper behavior, it is not enough to qualify her as rebellious. And they ruled in her favor that he had to pay up.

I am not sure that the mikva lady testifying really proves anything. All she knows is that the woman went to the mikva. she does not know anything about what goes on at home. Just because she went to the mikva does not mean she is refusing her husband or that she isn't having an affair. Though, obviously, if she had refused to go to the mikva that would give her the status of a moredes baala, so this testimony avoids that.

The discussion itself is interesting, but even more so that it implies that had they discovered evidence of actual chatting, and not just searches, they would have considered her rebellious and stripped her of her kesuba, even without proof of her having an actual affair. Maybe I am reading into it incorrectly, but this is what looks implied to me.

Some idiot kid got himself arrested for a stupid post to Facebook.

The post itself was both funny and frightening.

Some kid wrote on Facebook that he would be celebrating Lag bOmer in his own unique way - he would ascend Har Habayit and light up the entire Middle East in flames.

Funny, as long as the joker was joking and not serious, but it is also a threat that must be checked out.

15 police went to his yeshiva and arrested this superman. 15 police to arrest a teenager!

After investigating, the police wanted to release him to house arrest, but he refused the condition of signing a commitment to stay away from har Habayit. He also insisted on being brought before a judge. So, he ended up staying in the slammer.
source: Srugim

idiot kid? maybe. funny? maybe. a serious threat? maybe. overzealous police? maybe.

Either way, some idiot kid just got himself arrested for writing something on Facebook.

This morning we read a troubling report about a woman who was an agunah. Her husband finally agreed to give her the gett, yet the Beis Din refused to take care of it and process what needed to be processed, and write what needed to be written. Their explanation was that they do not perform divorces on Rosh Chodesh.
source: NRG

The custom is generally to run to take care of a gett immediately when the husband finally agrees, in the case of an agunah, because there is always a chance he might change his mind quickly. We want to strike while the iron is hot.

For whatever reason this man finally agreed, delaying the gett gives him an opportunity to "sleep on it" and change his mind by the time Beis Din decides they can do it.

A quick campaign on Facebook and in the media, pushed the Beis Din into a tight corner. Even beis din cares a little bit about appearances and public relations. Haaretz reports that over the course of the day the beis din found a dayyan (Rav Abergil) who was willing to take care of the gett even though it is Rosh Chodesh. He did what he had to do and the gett was given.

Facebook and other social media platforms can be, and are, used for good. If Facebook was created just for this, dayyeinu.

this video is a resident of RBS B complaining about service by the people at the Bet Shemesh Water Authority, Mei Shemesh.

The content of the complaint does not interest me. It is a dispute. They charged an outrageous amount, he complained, they responded, they argue some more, blah blah blah... I dont know if there is corruption or just plain old bad service or if the residents are at fault, and I dont really care.

What I find interesting is that residents in RBS B, Haredi residents, are using "new media", Facebook and YouTube, to complain and get action....

As a result of Minister Livni's opposition to the affirmative action law for Haredim, as discussed in my previous post, an interesting campaign was formulated.

The campaign initiated was that Haredim, and supporters, on Facebook should change their profile picture. The protest picture is:

Feel free to change your profile picture if you want to, but I chose not to even though I think the law, or some form of it, should be passed.

What does it represent?

The logo and campaign was created by the website "Dossim", one of the many Haredi news websites on the Internet. The colors are the colors of the Dossim website. It seemed to me that this campaign is more likely to promote this specific website rather than the advancement of Haredi in general in the workforce. In my Facebook feed I have seen that a number of my friends have changed their profile picture to this logo, but I have chosen not to, though I have no problem with those that do.

I must say that the entire campaign is a bit humorous.  Haredim, though on Facebook aplenty, are technically not supposed to be on Facebook at all. People generally have a low profile, and those who are more prominent are really further out on the fringes of the Haredi community rather part of the mainstream. It is, however, a bit funny, or ironic perhaps, that there would be a Haredi campaign on Facebook in an attempt to influence social initiatives.

MK Carmel Shama-HaKohen (Likud) has come under fire for his approach to Shabbos.

Shama-HaKohen was in Budapest this past weekend. On Friday he was invited to a ceremony in which he was to be the guest of honor of the Jewish community, and they asked him to light the Hannukah candles. unfortunately, the lighting was to take place after Shabbos would have already begun. MK Shama-HaKohen turned down the invitation.

MK Carmel Shama-HaKohen then posted to his Facebook account saying that he had turned down the invitation despite not keeping all the mitzvos because he has red lines that include lighting fires on Shabbos and eating pork.

That itself is a tremendous kiddush Hashem, especially when coming from a Jew who is self-declared as not religious. Ashrecha, fortunate for you, Carmel Shama-HaKohen.

The ruckus started when he then posted about this, while it was Shabbos, on his Facebook page. One aspect of the ruckus was whether he made the right decision or not to refuse the invitation. When called out on that, he explained that so he was raised, and then explained further that it is important to have respect for one's parents and for the family traditions.

The second aspect of the ruckus was his posting on Facebook on Shabbos while talking about how he refused the invitation because he would have had to perform the lighting on Shabbos. When he was called out on that, he responded that he said straight out that he does not keep the mitzvot, but he "tries".

People and life are not black and white. People do contradictory things all the time. Sometimes one thing is important while the other is perceived as less so, even if the two contradict each other. Sometimes people are strong in one situation and fail, or are weak, in another. Perhaps the two decisions, to not light but to post, were contradictory, but does that mean he should not get credit for his good decision?

It is not for us to judge any specific person in what he does - that is between him (or her) and God. Does it matter to anyone if I accuse him of not keeping Shabbos, or if I praise him for keeping Shabbos? What about if I call anyone else out on their actions, or if someone calls me out on mine. A person only has to answer to God, not to anyone else. On this world each person must do what he perceives as right and good to the best of his ability, and the rest of us should not be judging. As long as the person is not harming others, as long as he is not demanding of others what he himself does not demand of himself, it is not for me to judge if he is shomer shabbos or not or partially.

A recent divorce in Israel was settled based on the spouse's Facebook activity.

Ynetnews is reporting on a divorce case in the Rabbanut in which 6 months after marriage the wife discovered that he was corresponding with women on dating sites and on Facebook to the extent that she insisted on a divorce.

After arguing back and forth with nasty accusations going each way, the wife's attorney brought out the Facebook straw. the straw that broke the camels back. The attorney pulled out correspondence the husband had been having with women on Facebook and these other sites proving his infidelity.

The rabbinical court saw that and accepted it as proof and admission on his part. They ruled that he had been caught with his pants down and ordered him to pay her damages to the tune of 150,000 NIS.

I imagine the correspondence must have included not just flirting or inappropriate chat, but must have discussed details of an actual physical relationship. I don't believe that just flirting would be enough to justify the rabbinical court decision.

2 lessons:

1. Facebook is not private. If there is something you don't want the world to know about, or even just one person, don't put it on Facebook!
2. Don't cheat on your spouse! (it's not really a lesson from this story specifically, but still..)

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The New IDF Facebook Commander

Srugim reports on an international rabbinic conference on various issues community rabbis have to deal with  in the modern world.

One of the interesting discussions and debates at the conference was whether or not community rabbis should be on Facebook.

This is not just a debate about community rabbis. Teachers have the same debates, and very similar concerns, as do parents and most authority figures. The question is whether it is more important to be using Facebook/twitter/G+ or any other social media network as a tool, a way to reach out to people, or if it is inappropriate in the sense of being "friends" with students or community members at that level, or even just sharing such personal information between the rabbi and others.

Most rabbis from chutz laaretz were of the opinion that Facebook is a reality, and therefore rabbonim should get on it and figure out how to make the most of it.

One rav from Manchester said that he is on Facebook but he is careful how he uses it, not putting up everything he would like, but he uses it to connect to people, including many he has not seen in many decades. The chief rabbi of England, Rabbi Yonatan Sacks, is on Facebook and uploads a weekly video on the parsha.

Another rabbi said that it can be used as a community tool, explaining that in his community one of the women had to go to the hospital. She wrote about what she was undergoing on facebook, and if the rav is not on Facebook, everybody but the rav knows what is happening with the member of the community.

A rav from Israel was more cautious, and skeptical, about the need for rabbonim to be on Facebook. Rav Reuven Spolter said that if you are following people on Facebook, you get every update they send, much of which is not appropriate or necessary for the rav, and it becomes a tremendous waste of time. The community rav does not need to know every stupid thing everyone is doing.


Interestingly, one rav said that he finds it interesting that in Israel using Facebook is such a big issue, while everywhere else it is completely accepted. It is used to stay up to date with the community, and to stay in touch with former students.

FaceGlat

A new social media site named FaceGlat was just launched yesterday. The unique idea behind FaceGlat is that it separates men and women. If you are a male you log in to one page, men to the right, and a female logs in to their own page, women to the left.

I went to it out of curiosity. These are my first impressions:

1. just another social media network to manage..
2. I clicked on the link. they let you log in with your facebook account. if you have a Facebook account, whats the point of this new one? It sounds like it is for people avoiding facebook.. unless maybe someone is on Facebook and wants to get off, but this is an easier way than building an account from scratch.
3. I started to create an account, and I see further in that they let you import details from all the main social networks, not just Facebook. Again, for someone active on the various social networks, this does not seem to be adding anything.
4. what's stopping me, a male, from going into the womens section? Just the honor system? Using the honor system I could just use Facebook and not do anything inappropriate. I thought these types of systems are so people don't have to test themselves with the honor system...

If this is what does it for these people, I have no problem with that. Enjoy!

The label, under the name, calls for people to get off the Internet, to go outside and relax. Then below that it says "find us on Facebook". ironic.

I'd say this is something that could happen only in Israel, but it would not be true. Yet this specific craziness just happened in Israel.

An Israeli couple named their newborn baby "Like". Like, as in, or should I say like, the ability to click the "Like" button in Facebook.

Yahoo News has the story:

Stumped for an original name for their newborn daughter, an Israeli couple took inspiration from social networking site Facebook and named her "Like," Israeli daily Maariv reported on Monday.
The parents lifted the name from the popular feature on the site, which allows Facebook users to click on the word "like" and give the thumbs-up to comments, links and pictures posted by other users.
"We named her Like because it's modern and innovative," father Lior Adler told the mass-circulation paper. "I checked that the name does not exist elsewhere in the country, that was the main condition for me," he said.
"In our opinion it's the modern equivalent of the name Ahava (Love) he added. "It's just my way of saying to my fantastic daughter, 'love.'"
Adler and his wife Vardit have in the past strayed into unusual territory in naming their offspring.
The pair share a love of cooking and so decided to name their other daughters "Pie," using the English word for the name, and "Vash," Hebrew for "Honey," Maariv reported.
As might be expected, the couple's newest arrival was quickly announced to their friends and family on Facebook, where she was an instant hit, her father told the paper.
"When I posted her picture and name on Facebook I got 40 'likes,'" he told Maariv. "Considering that I have only a little more than 100 friends on the network that's a lot."

Like, Vash and Pie. Talk about crazy. What is going to happen with this girl in 20 years, when Facebook is a thing of the past and she tries to explain her unusual name. They might think it is cool now, but later they will think of it as pretty stupid. I mean, what would you think if you ran into someone named a term from MySpace?

Though if they were so inspired by Facebook, "Like" seems like a better choice than naming the kid "Mark Zuckerberg"...

This is taking the title "the Facebook Generation" just a little too literally!

A friend has created a Facebook group asking that people commit to the following Purim Pledge:

In order to help ensure a safer Purim, I pledge that
1) I will not operate or attempt to operate a vehicle if I have consumed any alcoholic beverages whatsoever.
2) I will not get into a vehicle driven by anyone who has consumed any alcoholic beverages whatsoever.
3) If, in consultation with my parents and Rebbeim and while obeying all applicable laws, I choose to drink on Purim, I will make safe transportation arrangements before Purim.

For an additional raffle entry: I will encourage my friends to sign the Purim Pledge.
Eligibility:

Teenagers and young adults between 15-24.
Follow-Up:
National advertisement publishing the names of participants and winners. (include a disclaimer in Purim Pledge that notes that their names may be published), No Smoking Pledge.
For more information or questions, please contact Chaim Shapiro at chaimshapiro@aol.com or chaimshapiro.com

Sounds like a great pledge to stay safe on Purim. Head on over to the Facebook Group to join the pledge..

The following message (I lightly edited it for a reason I will mention later in the post) was sent to the local email list, by Rabbi Dov Lipman - the organizer of yesterday's demonstration...

Thank you to everyone who took the time to come to tonight's demonstration which was a smashing success by all definitions.  We raised the awareness level regarding the issue of Lemaan Achai and the city budget to level it has simply never reached.   

The fact that a not so well liked Deputy Mayor felt the need to come out to face the crowd and address the issue or was sent out by his boss showed that it was a tremendous success.  The Mayor absolutely took notice and the resulting heated discussion/debate in the city council meeting showed how the Lemaan Achai left out of the budget issue is one they cannot ignore.  

Thank you to those who wrote on the city's facebook page about this.  The city spokesman came over to me after the city council meeting and told me that they were in shock and that the Mayor was being updated with how many people wrote on there.  

Therefore, please please write a message on the following link:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/yryyt-byt-sms/171310776219215?ref=ts.   

You have to click on "like" in order to post a message.  (if you prefer, you can "unlike" yourself afterwards and your message will remain). Please try to write in Hebrew if you can.

I will continue to update the list as developments unfold in the coming days.

Thank you again to everyone who came, tried to come, or signed the page.

First of all, thank you all for caring. This protest was not about how much others should get or should not get. It was not about whether the city should be giving money out at all for such organizations. The protest was that with the city already giving money to subsidize organizations that provide certain welfare services it is inconceivable that they should give to various organizations and leave Lemaan Achai out in the cold without giving them even a single agura, while taking advantage of Lemaan Achai's services and referring those in need to have Lemaan Achai provide the care that the city welfare offices is meant to be providing. 

Thank you for going to the demonstration, if you did. 

Thank you for commenting on the city Facebook page, if you did. The page registered over 130 comments last time I counted (and they are still coming), and as you can see from Rabbi Lipman's email above, the mayor was regularly updated about the incoming comments and was shocked and surprised to see this medium used in this way and the level of support, between the FB comments and those who came out in the cold evening for the physical demonstration. That was the original intention behind the Facebook campaign - they are used to demonstrations, even if they don't like to be demonstrated against, but they could not have seen the Facebook campaign coming and had to take notice of it.

A few people wrote to me suggesting I inform people that now that they commented they can "unlike" the Iryah Facebook page, and the comments will remain on the page. I considered it and decided that I will not make such a recommendation. You already know the option is available, though I will not recommend it. I am a very patriotic person. I "LIKE" Bet Shemesh, and  I continue to like it even if it is not perfect or ideal. If I did not like it, I would have left. No place is perfect, and just because we have a doofus of a mayor is not a reason to be negative about the city. The Bet Shemesh residents are overall an amazingly diverse community, an amazingly caring community and an amazingly giving community. There is no reason, in my mind, to "unlike" Bet Shemesh.

On that note, I am also proud to say that the Facebook campaign also was noted to have made the mayor and the spokesman very pleased, as the city received close to 120 new "Likes" (as of last unofficial count by me). I say people should be proud to "Like" Bet Shemesh. 

Now we wait and see how successful the whole campaign was. The mayor is reconsidering, and we await a decision.

As announced, there is an important demonstration this evening at 5 PM outside of the Iryah building in Bet Shemesh. The purpose is to protest the lack of funding of Lemaan Achai despite promises made. Lemaan Achai does tremendous work, has been recognized nationally for their work, and is even used in many cases by the city welfare department itself to manage many welfare cases.

The demonstration will be a voice of protest, and as well a means of pressure on the Iryah, and encouragement to those city councilpeople to insist that the promise made to them be kept.

However, not every person will be able to go to the protest. For some it is at a bad time. Others just don't go to protests. Others won't want to take a bus out to get there. Others will see it as a waste of time. And a million other reasons why some people won't go.

In addition, the demonstration is pretty standard. We all know more or less what will happen. There will be some pictures of a decent sized crowd. There will be a few speakers. The city will have police and gaurds make sure nobody approaches the building. A couple of citycouncilmen will come out and speak, and some of the pro-iryah ones will come get their pictures taken being seen trying to make peace, there will be a few small articles in the Friday newspapers and life will go on. Maybe Lemaan Achai will get the funding, maybe not. The process fo what will happen is already mostly known.

Not to detract from the importance of participating, i thought of a way that will make the Iryah take notice. They are expecting the demonstration. They already have their plan what to do about it. There is a way to do something that will make them stand up and take notice. They probably do not yet have a plan how to react, and perhaps this will make an impression on them. And it will only take a minute or two of your time.

The City of Bet Shemesh has a Facebook page. If you have a Facebook account, go to the BS Facebook page and leave a comment expressing your disappointment. if they get a whole bunch of comments, that can be seen publicly, in this medium that has not yet been used in this way, they will take notice. To comment on the FB page, you will first have to "LIKE" the page. I don't see that as a problem - if we didn't all like living here, we'd either move away or at least simply not be interested in helping to improve the place.

So, head over to the BS FB page, LIKE it, and leave your comment about the issue. And then go this evening to the demonstration if you can.

And, then again, perhaps the ban on Facebook is appropriate.

A news item yesterday reported that in Rahat (an Arab town) someone shot and injured his sister after discovering that she had uploaded immodest pictures to her Facebook account. As they were arguing about it, he pulled out his gun and shot her.

Don't ban guns, ban Facebook. Guns don't kill, people do. Facebook doesn't destroy families, People do.

In what seems to indicate that the original haredi ban on the Internet has been abandoned and forgotten, the askanim are now working hard to get the rabbonim to put out a ban on Facebook.

Bechadrei reports on the coming ban saying that the askan they spoke to said that the beis din has been presented with numerous situations of families that have been damaged greatly [because of Facebook]. The askan said that because Facebook has absolutely no use for business purposes or for parnassa, therefore there is no hetter to use it. That along with the tremendous amount of time it causes people to waste.

While he is right about the tremendous amounts of time people waste on Facebook, he is wrong and clueless about the business and parnassa relevance of Facebook. Many companies use Facebook as a way of being in touch, at little or no cost at all, with their clients and customers, and with potential customers.

The haredi businessmen and people in advertising Bechadrei spoke to also said that such a statement by the askanim indicates more that they dont know what they are talking about than anything else, as much of their communication and business is done involving Facebook.

As one haredi social media manager responded, banning Facebook in 2011 is like the attempt to ban Google in 2004.

Kikar adds to the report by speaking with the askan Mottka Blau, the head of the committee for the holiness of facebook. Blau is leading the initiative to get Facebook banned. He says that Internet is needed for parnassa, but the ban on Facebook will work because it has nothing to do with parnassa and work. Another reason it will work is because he will redefine the word "haredi" to only include people who dont have Facebook. As Blau says, he who is haredi does not have Facebook. Someone who is not haredi, but a haredon (Haredi lite?) does have facebook. So that slves it - everyone with facebook is no longer haredi and therefore his fight was successful.

Blau lists 3 reasons why Facebook should be banned:

1. It is a tragedy that from a young age the haredi community is makpid on separation of the genders. It is incomprehensible that mixing of the genders should be ok in social media.
2. people are regularly transgressing issurim of lashon ha'ra and rechilus.
3. tzniyus issues in regards to pictures and other things that are shared.

Koritz, the fellow saying a ban would not work, responded by saying that at the end of the day it is a matter of self-discipline, like anything else. Somebody who uses snail mail can also have inappropriate materials sent to him in his mailbox.

Anyways, the ban might be coming, so be on the lookout for the latest haredi initiative called glattbook or chaverbook, or something else like that, that will be promoted as the Facebook alternative that will have been created by a friend of one of the askanim..

Oh yeah, feel free to "Like" and share this on Facebook by clicking the button below.