In a dramatic statement, the union of hotels in Israel has made an announcement that they are considering switching from kashrut supervision under the authority of the Rabbanut to kashrut supervision under the authority of Tzohar.

The Rabbanut has announced they are considering calling for an investigation, as it is illegal to obtain kasrut certification with any organization other than the Rabbanut.

Tzohar says they have nothing to do with the hotel unions announcement and have not opened a kashrut division and will not do so as long as it is illegal.
source: Kipa

1. being that Tzohar does not have a kashrut division, what are the hoteliers threatening to do? are they trying to encourage Tzohar, by promising Tzohar a lot of business to make it worthwhile, to open one and then they'll switch?

2. is it illegal to say one is considering switching? it is illegal to state kashrut without the rabbanut. Have they done that? what would the Rabbanut have them investigated for?

3. why does Tzohar not have a kashut division? what does it mean they won't open one as long as it is illegal? There are a dozen, or more, Badatzim out there and they are not illegal because they are providing a service using the backbone of the Rabbanut - Tzohar could do the same.

4. If the hotel union wanted to levy a threat, they would do better using a kashrut organization that already exists and has as its stated goal the breaking of the Rabbanut kashrut monopoly - like Hashgacha Pratit of Rabbi Aaron Leibowitz.

5. the hotel union has been in a long fight with the Rabbanut about the expense of their kashrut supervision. They took the Rabbanut to court and, while they lost the case, the courts gave the Rabbanut a period of two years to rework their system and come up with solutions. They recently reopened the case to a broader panel of judges to revaluate the Rabbanut's monopoly. This is another stage in that fight.

Without understanding everything mentioned or the missing background to it, this article based on the authors doctoral work has some interesting points. Whether his conclusions are accurate or not I don't know, but that is besides the point.

Based on studies and analysis into the numbers of Haredim going to acquire a higher education for a more successful entry into the workforce, the author has found that Haredim joining the workforce with academic degrees earn 80% more than Haredim in the workforce without academic degrees - and, Haredim with academic degrees enter the workforce at the same percentages as from among the general sector.

The proposal being that acquiring an academic degree for Haredim should be encouraged and promoted in order to achieve higher percentages joining the workforce, and doing so successfully, studies have shown that Haredim with a weaker societal identity as Haredim need less monetary encouragement to decide to study for academic degrees while those who have stronger Haredi identities require much higher monetary stimuli to go for academic education. Basically the study shows that a subsidy of 100,000nis (spread over 3 years) to each Haredi student would increase the number of Haredi students by 3000 consistently. Each student is evaluated, on average, to put 1.5million nis back into the market once in the workforce.

The point being, invest in Haredim by giving large subsidies to encourage them to go study for a degree and it will help the workforce significantly more and prove worthwhile, and will be more successful than the bartering with the meager subsidies giving to yeshivas(I.e. trying to push students into academic studies by lowering the subsidies to yeshivas is far less effective than giving strong subsidies to Haredim who go to study for a degree).

Is he right or wrong? I dont know. He does seem to be saying though that Haredim are ideologically strong, unless you offer them a lot of money to buck the system.

Simon Brodkin (Lee Nelson) sets up an epic prank for Britain's Got Talent as he sets out to impress judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams with his rapping rabbi!

MK Hazzan recalled the days he ran a successful shawarma stand (#2 in the country!) and how difficult it was to run a small business with all the difficulties imposed on small businesses by the government...

and the original master blaster from Stevie Wonder...

I learned a new Hebrew word today.

High Society. That's right. High Society. Or, in the colloquial, היי-סוסייטי.

According to Kikar, Beis Yaakov Hayashan has decided to open a new seminary as a way of avoiding the problem of girls registering for their school and not getting accepted and it leading to girls being left out of school and then trouble with the authorities. They are targeting, with this new school, more "modern", "high society", Haredim.

Mind you, high society and modern do not refer to Haredim from working families, who might wear colored shirts. Rather, it is going to be modern and high scoiety in the sense that it will target the daughters of Haredim from the "shpitz" yeshivas like Chevron Yeshiva and Beit Matisyahu. That is, regular Haredim who are snobby in a different way. Their goal will be to have a better education in this school, though that has yet to be defined. I would assume it means better education in the sense of secular studies, otherwise the concept doesn't make sense.

High Society.

it may have just been a marketing ploy making up a feel good story to sell more tickets...

In celebration of Purim 2017 and the Jewish National Month of happiness, Dudi presents this foot-happy, fast-paced dance song composed by contemporary hitmaker, Boruch Sholom Blesofsky. Set to the words of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, the song highlights his innovative interpretation of the words “Ki B’simcha Seitzei’u” i.e. happiness is the key to extricate oneself from pain, ache and worry.