I am very disappointed in Yesh Atid.. not because of the law they passed regarding the draft, despite my not agreeing with some aspects of it (and probably not even understanding much of it - it is a very major and complex bill), but for another reason. The law is something they had campaigned on, they had promised their voters, they had spoken loudly about - they did their job. They don't need my agreement or approval - they have the power now and they cashed in with their supporters.

The reason I am disappointed in Yesh Atid is because of their reaction to it passing.

Even though the residents of Gush Katif were basically trampled during the Disengagement process and could do very little - everything was imposed on them - the government at least, at least publicly that is, spoke of taking painful steps to do what was necessary, and kept promising that it had to be done but would be done with sensitivity. Even if it was not really all that sensitive, at least there was no gloating. People felt bad for them and sympathized with their plight, even if they felt the "settlers" needed to be evacuated.

Yesh Atid felt this was the solution to a number of ills in Israeli society. They felt this is what needed to be done to fix the problem. Ok. I can handle that, even if I disagree. But at least sympathize a bit with the people whose lives you are changing. All these people, thousands of people, a community comprising hundreds of thousands of people, are now going to be going through a lot of turbulence as their lives change. At least sympathize, while saying this needs to be done. Be sensitive to their concerns.

Celebrating the victory by passing out towelettes that say "when the Haredim go out to work you will have to sweat less", is just gloating. It is insensitive. It is unnecessary. It is downright nasty.

Also, I am not sure why people will work less once other people are working more. Will the work day be shortened to 6 or 7 hours? Are people's mortgages and expenses going to be easier to pay off? I am no economist but I never heard that taking some people off welfare allows for drastic cuts in taxes hat will allow other people to work less. It isn't even true, so why take that approach?

You passed the law. Mazel tov. Now be sensitive, even just a bit, to the people who will be affected and go through some trying times because of it.

We "Americans" in Israel (or all "Anglos" in general in Israel) often wonder how names like Moran, Dudu, Osnat and others can possibly be so common in Israel. Were the parents being abusive to their kids by giving them these names? Can you imagine Moran going abroad and telling someone her name is Moran? or Dudu?

Kids might no longer have to put up with it. MK Adi Kol (Yesh Atid) is proposing a law that would llow kids as young as 10 years old to register themselves for a name change. The child will be able to do so even if his or her parents are opposed to it. As well, parents will not be able to change a childs name without the agreement of the child. Kol's proposal passed its first reading in the Knesset yesterday by a vote of 45 in favor to 6 against.

Kol expllained that she proposed the law as a result of someone whose parents named her "Aveilut" - which means "mourning", in English. She obviously did not like that name. I wonder if perhaps her father was just hoping for a boy...
source: Israel Hayom

Yitzchak Rabin will be joining the IDF...

no, that is not a throwback headline... it is current.

According to NRG, shortly after the assassination of Yitzchak Rabin, 18 years ago, a new mother in Jordan named her baby after the slain Israeli prime minister - Yitzchak Rabin (I wonder - is that his last name or does he have a different last name?).. At some point they had to abandon their lives in Jordan after suffering much abuse due to his name.

Momma and little Yitzchak Rabin ended up living in Eilat, but still had Israeli bureaucracy to deal with. They wanted Israeli citizenship. Eventually, it would have been time for little Yitzchak to serve in the IDF, if he would be a citizen, but he never received his draft notice - because he is not a citizen. But that wasn't good enough for little Yitzchak. Yitzchak Rabin insisted on his right to serve his country.

This week Minister of Interior Gideon Saar personally went down to Eilat and granted Yitzchak Rabin and Momma Rabin their blue teudat zehut.

With a name like Yitzchak Rabin, I have to wonder if they qualified for citizenship based on the Law of Return...

MK Feiglin (Likud Beyteynu) was finally allowed back up on Har Habayit after a very long period of time in which he was banned. Feiglin went everywhere possible, including on the plaza on top - which is a very controversial move even among those who allow Jews to go on Har Habayit. Feiglin explains as a representative of the government, he is going up using the halachic status of "conquering", and is therefore allowed to go even on the upper plaza.

enjoy!
(kol isha near the end)

a lawyer (Michael Sfard) along with a Palestinian sued the Shomron Council for having planted olive trees on what they say was Palestinian property. The courts required the Shomron Council to pay 5,000 NIS in lawyers fees to the Palestinian's lawyer -Sfard.

The Council paid its debt, on time, but in 10 agura coins. 50,000 of them to be exact. Some kids were sent to bring over the 8 buckets of coins and they said they paid up their debt but at least he'd have to work hard to use the money.

.

The jails are full of graduates of the defective secular educational system, and it is specifically the talmidei chachomim of the Haredi community that are being designated for jail. Not even one percent of the haredi educational system [graduates] end up in jail!

  -- MK Menachem Eliezer Mozes (UTJ), on the final decision to impose criminal sanctions on haredim for avoiding army service by learning in yeshiva

1. Yasher Koach and Tizkeh lMitzvos to those who have sponsored me in the Lemaan Achai Bowl-A-Thon.. you can still register as a sponsor, for me or for other bowlers, and donate at http://www.smartchesed.org

2. business, politics, and disgracing torah scholars

3. Palestinians deprive their own people of clean water for propaganda

4. fighting smoking is a battle worth fighting

5. the parameters and paradoxes of being an orthodox jewish woman

6. dystopia

7. images of Jewish-Muslim unity

8. the end of the snow day is nigh

9. spiritual gentrification

10. who moved Abutbol's cheese?

11. products that are kosher only without a hechsher

12. interview with a MasterChef

13. What Israel means to Natalie Portman

It seems that PM Netanyahu is considering making changes to the Presidential system in Israel - specifically regarding how the President is elected.

Currently the President is elected by a vote among Knesset members. The elected President serves a 7 year term, and cannot run for a second term.

With President Shimon Peres approaching the end of his term, elections are nearing. There are many candidates vying for the position, with more  people regularly announcing candidacy.

According to reports, Netanyahu wants to change the law to move the vote from the Knesset and to the people. Doing this so close to the end of Peres's term can be a problem, so Netanyahu is considering to also adjust the law to extend Peres's term for an additional year, considering the circumstances.

For his part, Shimon Peres says he is leaving office in June, at the end of his term, and is not interested in an extension. I am sure, though, it would not be too hard to convince him to stay on for another year, if that's how things would play out.
source: Walla News

Moving the voting for president out of the Knesset and to the general public is a fairly good idea, I think. The current system politicizes a position that is supposedly meant to be apolitical. There is a lot of horsetrading going on to shore up support, and support is often divided between right and left. Candidates also only have to persuade a limited number of people, people who might owe him favors or to whom he might owe favors (before or after). Moving it to the people will make the position far more representative, and might even make it slightly less political. A candidate will really have to run on his achievements and good name.

Moving the elections to the people will also eventually require making election day into a vacation day. Elections for Knesset are a vacation day. Municipal elections are on the path to being made into a vacation day. It only makes sense to also do so for presidential elections.

The truth is though, in my opinion. that once changes are being made to the presidential system, we'd all be better off if they would just shut the doors on the entire thing. Get rid of the Presidents office and position. Cancel the whole thingIt is an extremely superfluous position. We really do not need two heads of state, with all the various expenses and budgets they require.

BUSTED! Jerusalem will now check DNA of dog droppings left on street and fine owners

  -- JPost

it is hard to believe this will be financially worthwhile for them.. unless they charge offending dog owners the fee for the DNA check in addition to the fine...

yes, Adi Kol is from Yesh Atid...

Ron Leshem ambushed by pro-Palestinian protesters simply because of his nationality (since he supports an end to "occupation"). Hear his brilliant response.(see below for more)

Ron Leshem, creator of original Homeland, gives apolitical film talk at UW-Milwaukee on 1/30/14 when ambushed by pro-Palestinian protesters simply because of his nationality. This form of anti-Israelism, where a person is attacked for simply being from a country is nothing short of Anti-Semitism and is anti-coexistence.

Had the protesters been listening to the speaker, they would have discovered that he supports Palestinian statehood (see third part of clip), is anti-war, and pro-peace. He loves traveling in Arab countries, and bridges cultures with stories. He has created television shows that feature Arabs. Nevertheless, he was interrupted by screaming protesters in the middle of a talk about film, and they leave as soon as he challenges them to engage in dialogue. Had they stayed, they may have found an ally; Instead, they just made people angry and distanced peace.

Though he may support elements of their position, Leshem, nevertheless, challenges the protesters hypocrisy in ignoring gross and unjustifiable human rights violations in Arab countries and Iran (including killing children for being gay, stoning women accused of adultery, and recent polls showing that a majority of Jordanian women support their husband's right to beat them!) 

By protesting an Israeli who supports a withdrawal from Gaza and the West Bank, these protesters revealed that their goal is an end to the "occupation" of all "Palestinian" land...that is, the complete destruction of the Jewish State. Their unwillingness to engage in meaningful dialogue shows they have no interest in peace. They represent extremism, divisiveness, and are against co-existence. 

Polls show that Israelis consistently and overwhelmingly support peace with their neighbors. Most Israelis also support the concession of land in exchange for guaranteed peace. Then why is there no Palestinian state? One reason of many is because people like this make it clear that peace must proceed the creation of a state lest it be used as a launching pad against major Israeli populations centers just 2 miles away.

It's admirable to take a stand against human rights violations. 
But the "racism" and hypocracy of the protesters and Leshem's response show that the root of the anti-Israel movement is anti-Semitism veiled in a "righteous" cause 
If we really care about human rights let's start with Syria, China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, etc...
If you really want a Palestinian state, advocate for peace rather than create confrontation.

(It should be noted that pro-Palestinian protesters on the UW-Milwaukee campus have used physical violence against Jewish students in the past. Thankfully, this protest was rude but non-violent. Ron Leshem should be applauded for his stand against human rights abuses, while maintaining composure and a desire for peace. He was able to continue his talk about film.)