While a conviction in cases of sexual abuse is not always easy to come by, and it seems that more often than not there is not enough evidence to get the conviction, this time it worked. Maybe because the abused was a 16 year old kid and not a young kid - the 16 year old probably was able to supply evidence a little kid could not.

NY Post reports..

A Brooklyn jury today convicted an orthodox rabbi of repeatedly sexually abusing a 16-year-old classmate of his son.

The panel of 10 women and two men deliberated less than half a day before finding the rabbi, Baruch Lebovits, 58, guilty of eight counts of sexual abuse.

The jury acquitted him of two counts.

"Justice was served," said the father of the abused boy, whose name is being withheld by The Post.

The teen said the rabbi lured him into his car by offering to let him drive, then unzipped his fly and performed oral sex on him.

Lebovits had no reaction as the jury forewoman read the verdict, but sniffles and gasps were heard from the roughly 30 assembled friends and relatives.

Justice Patricia DiMango ordered the rabbi remanded pending sentence. He faces up to 32 years behind bars.

"I understand that there are a significant number of Jewish holidays coming up, and I am sorry," she said.

Kenayna Hara, pooh pooh pooh. I would wish this fellow "until 120", but that seems "kattan alav" - like thinking small mindedly. "until 120" would only give him 5 more years, so let's wish him a long and happy life.

INN has the report...

He has trouble seeing, but as one who has repeated the prayers for more than a century, he knows them by heart. David Pur, age 115, continues to learn Torah and to pray every day, now in the nursing home to where he moved just three months ago.

Pur will soon be visited by an envoy of the Guinness Book of World Records – an event much anticipated by the rest of his family. Three of his nine children are still alive, as are 18 grandchildren and 56 great-grandchildren, all of whom are waiting with excitement for the envoy to formalize his title.

“I have had plenty of time to memorize the Biblical writings,” he said. He prays every morning while standing next to Moshe, who has just turned 100, and who Pur says sometimes seems lost – but is guided by his older friend.

Born in 1895 in what was then Persia and today is Iran, Pur became an adviser to the Shah, who admired his mastery of languages, including Persian, Hebrew, Arabic, Aramaic and French. He later added Tagalog, a language spoke in the Philippines, while learning to care for Filipinos. He and his family made aliyah to Israel in 1948.

[...]

He rejected a potential remarriage ten years ago, when the 80-year-old doctor with whom he was close tried to suggest a new wife for him. Politely apologizing, Pur told his friend, “Sorry, no woman can replace my deceased wife.”

For nearly 110 years he smoked, but he says the damage was minimized because he “never swallowed the smoke.” At breakfast, he drinks a glass of brandy and eats nuts. “It is best not to eat on [from on-the-street establishments],” he advises, “because who knows when they change the oil, and you could unknowingly swallow poison. I avoid meat and fried foods, and eat as many fruits and vegetables as possible."

I am happy to announce that the "Israeli" movie Ajami lost its bid for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film to some other film.

Why am I happy that Ajami lost? I don't even know anything about it (though IMDB says it is about a mixed community of Muslims and Christians in Tel Aviv), so why should I care, let alone be happy for the loss?

Well, the producer, Scandar Copti, made a statement that he and his film are not representing Israel. He said this despite the massive support the Israeli government had given him in financing and promoting his film.

So I am happy he lost, and I hope Israel stops giving money to people who reject Israel as an entity and State.

They reported on Radio Kol Chai last night that President Shimon Peres, who almost always had good relations with the Haredi community, will be visiting Ponevesz Yeshiva on Wednesday, and then touring one of the Haredi hi-tech centers that employs 70 haredi women.

During his visit in Ponevesz, Peres will be given a tour of the yeshiva and will speak with students. He will be "taught" the history of the flagship yeshiva of the Haredi community.

I like how Ponevesz still hangs the flag on Yom Ha'atzmaut and has State visits like this one form the President, and can still be considered the flagship of the Haredi yeshiva system. Yet no other yeshiva would dare emulate them and do anything that looks so Zionistic...

Ron Artest, NBA bad-boy star had his hair cut and painted (in purple for the Lakers colors) to say "Haganah" - defense - in Hebrew.

I have been at some simchas recently (including last night) where the band used a shofar to accent the music at various points. It was used as a very hip instrument.

It was one of those long Yemenite shofars (like in the picture).

Who wouldda thought the shofar could be considered hip and cool?

I am not sure why Abdullah Barghouti gets to talk to the press, about anything let alone about Gilad Shalit or his possible future release as part of a prisoner swap, while he is in prison.

Gilad Shalit doesn't get to talk to anyone, yet we give this terrorist free access to get his opinion out.

It is not just tit for tat - if Shalit can't talk so we should not let terrorists talk. It is that, but also we don't let our own prisoners talk to the press either. Even Yigal Amir was punished when he leaked a tiny release out to the press. Yet we have no problem giving access to the terrorists.

One of the unfortunate results of the recent dispute between Mayor Moshe Abutbol and the Haredi council members with Minister of Education Gideon Saar is the way Saar is now being painted in the haredi press as being anti-Haredi and simply out to get them.

Until now he has been considered a friend, relatively at least, and sympathetic to the needs of the Haredi community. It is a shame that anyone who does not automatically give in to a demand is considered anti, no matter what else he may have done or in what other ways he may have tried to help that same community.

There can be other reasons, other than hatred for Haredim, to oppose a demand.

It is especially a shame because making this dispute over the school building into such a major fight could have had dangerous repercussions. The way Abutbol escalated the fight, I believe after being pushed by his buddies in Degel who made this seem like the most important of all battles to take over this building, didn't really deserve to be fought at that level.

The building, even if it had been transferred to a Haredi school, would have hardly solved the crisis in the Haredi school system. This building houses in the range of about 400 students. The Haredi reps are saying their shortage is of 250 classrooms and close to 3000 students who suffer because of the classroom shortage - this school building would have been a drop in the bucket compared to the needs of the community. Definitely not worth escalating the fight to the level it was escalated to.

Hopefully nothing bad will come out of it, but that remains to be seen. Tensions were calmed, Saar made some promises for classrooms to be built which is far better than taking over this one school building (if he actually follows through and approves the construction of the classes and buildings) and life goes one, hopefully for the better.

That is, if the actual gain for classrooms was actually the objective. if the objective was something else, the taking over of the building just to have more control in the neighborhood, then maybe it was worth the fight. But then it is a shame that the kids were being used as pawns in a stupid fight.

As of right now, assuming the classrooms actually get built as per the promises, the real winners are the kids.

Bechadrei is reporting on a scam that happened in Yerushalayim on Purim and is looking for other people that might have fallen prey to this guy.

The report is of a guy dressed impeccably fine with an impressive shtreimel adorning his head. This avreich who sometimes needs to collect money to help himself get by bumps into this impressive looking fellow. After saying hello, he realizes this fellow in the shtreimel is from America and he thinks that perhaps he can ask him for a donation on Purim.

After explaining his financial situation to the American fellow, he asked if he would be able to help him with some tzedaka.

The fellow responded that he has $1600 for the purpose of tzedaka that he brought with him from America. The only thing is, he says, is that he finds himself in an uncomfortable situation. he just landed and finds himself with no cash. He needs to borrow some money - and the number kept rising during the conversation to a final total of $800 - and then will soon pay back the loan plus he will give him the full $1600 donation in addition to the loan repayment.

The avreich felt confident enough in this impressive looking fellow, with the enticement of the $1600 donation, that he agreed to lend him the money.

To be brief, he never heard from the guy again and could not locate him with the little contact information he had.

Lesson learned? Doubtful. Perhaps by this individual, but not by people in general in the Haredi community. The community is far too trusting of anybody who looks Haredi. This is how those poor kids in a Japanese jail were conned into carrying drugs into Japan, this is how the past few months we have heard of numerous cases of financial shenanigans in the haredi community of people calling themselves financial experts and consultants promising amazing returns on investment and swindling people out of their money, this is how people get duped into lending large somes of money to people whom they have no idea who they are.

Just because a guy is wearing a shtreimel you can trust him? Just because he has a black hat? You have no idea who he is, don't give him your money. A guy comes collecting tzedaka at your door, it works the same way - they all have a sob story. Don't trust him just because he has a black hat, and don't give him large sums of money because of it. Either give him a small donation, or if you feel bad and want to donate more, check out his story and make sure you know who he is and that his sob story is legitimate.

Just because he dresses a certain way does not make him trustworthy.

Bechadrei hosted this video, though I don't understand a word of it, with the introduction that it ran on Iranian TV and is an investigative report about Haredi life in Israel, and recommended adopting some of the practices of the Haredi community - such as kosher cell phones, Machon Tzomet and more...

1. How to wait in line like an Israeli

2. Yeranen Yaakov on the restoration of the Rambam Synagogue in Cairo

3. Temple Mount Updates describes the importance of an event in which 8 secular and religious Jews toured Temple Mount together. Seems nice, but 8 people doesn't seem like such a monumental event....

4. Rationalist Judaism talks about the kidneys role and what seems to be an ongoing argument with someone....

5. Job Mob with true stories about being outstanding

6. With Purim behind us, Pesach cleaning is getting into gear. MOI asks 4 pre-pesach questions...

So now they pray there 24 hours a day, let them stop for one hour.

--- Chief Justice Dorit Beinish

Beinish said this regarding a debate about a protest by the residents of Shiekh Jarrah that has been rejected by the police, due to the danger and lack of control. The police believe the situation in the neighborhood is very sensitive, and they have regular events of violent protests and stone throwings, and one of the issues the polcie are concerned about is the Jewish worshipers in the complex of the grave of SHimon HaTzaddik.

I wonder if Beinish would say the same about Muslim or Christian worshipers as a way of solving a logistical problem....

Furthermore, regarding Temple Mount, the Supreme Court has decided in the past that Jews have a right to pray there. They have left it up to the discretion of the police to decide n the ground based on the dangers and issues they consider at any given moment.

So in Sheikh Jarrah the police say the situation is sensitive and we cannot allow the protest, but the court says too bad, deal with it, find a way to allow the protest to happen safely.

On Temple Mount, the Court says prayer is allowed but it is up to the police to decide if it is safe or not. The police say it is not safe, and the court doesn't tell them they have to find a way to deal with it, but the court says the police have the final decision....

---- Walla News

Right, Sure.. That is why you had no idea he was there (so the article says - had they know he was trying to get into the country they would not have allowed him in, as they dont allow Hamas militants in, only political leaders), and that is why they still have not been able to find any actual evidence indicating who did it.

Here is something I would like to hear a response to from the government...

MK Uri Ariel (National Union) initiated a Knesset debate Wednesday on the Palestinian Authority's investment in a boycott of Israeli goods made in Judea and Samaria communities. “While [Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu is building heaps of hope with his plan for economic peace,” he said, “the Palestinian Authority is also building heaps – except these are heaps of Israeli goods that are being publicly burned in the PA.

"If a photograph of [PA Prime Minister Salam] Fayyad burning Israeli goods is not a formal enough statement, I do not know what is,” he stated. “Does Fayyad have to come to the Knesset and burn the goods here on the podium?”

Fayyad was photographed in January throwing Israeli products into a burning heap, in a public display held at the Arab village of Salfit.

MK Ariel said that if the government fails to respond to the PA boycott, he will “make every effort so that Israeli citizens boycott all Palestinian merchandise and fire [Arab] workers. Then we will see who has the upper hand.

“Not only does the PA abstain from condemning the boycott of Israeli goods – it even backs and supports it,” Ariel noted. “The supposedly moderate Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad partook in a ceremony in which such goods were burned and the PA itself appointed a person who is responsible for the campaign to stop using Israeli goods. The PA boycotts goods openly and we prefer to shut our eyes.”

MK Ariel told the Knesset that he has repeatedly inquired with Israeli government officials – including the Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor – as to what they intend to do about the matter, but that they avoided the issue, saying only that the PA had never made an official announcement on the subject.

I like the concept. If the PA supports boycotting Israeli goods, we should, in return, boycott the PA goods and services.

The Cubs got the go-ahead Wednesday to hold a nighttime concert at Wrigley Field on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, but they’ll bend over backwards to minimize conflict.

Mike Lufrano, Cubs senior vice-president of community affairs, said the time of the Saturday, Sept. 18 concert — by either the Dave Matthews Band, Paul McCartney or Phish — will be pushed back until after sundown, when Yom Kippur ends.

Because the Sept. 17 concert coincides with Kol Nidre, the start of Yom Kippur, the Cubs have reached out to all three synagogues in the area: Anshe Emet, 3751 N. Broadway; Anshe Sholom, 540 W. Melrose and Temple Sholom, 3480 N. Lake Shore Drive.

“It’s really parking that they’re most concerned about. You won’t hear it because they’re far enough away. But, it’s fans coming to hear the concert at the same time people are going to worship,” said Lufrano, who is Jewish and plans to miss his first Wrigley concert to celebrate the holiday.

It is nice of them to be sensitive like this, but I find it totally unnecessary and even ridiculous. They can't have their party because the Jews have to go to synagogue and need parking spaces?

At least the article doesn't say the Jews demanded it. This is simply a public relations move on the part of Wrigley management.

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.