Yonatan Razel is really something special, in Jewish music...

I really enjoyed this clip...


This video is a project that I've been super excited to create for sometime and eternally grateful to all those who came together to bring it to life. The purpose of this video is to pay tribute to the singers and performers from the 20th century until today highlighting well known songs, concerts and music videos.
So get ready to dance, sing along and enjoy this nostalgic journey through the evoluton of Jewish music.

MK Michael Malkieli (Shas) has proposed a law that would obligate kablanim building homes on the outskirts of the city to repair eruv wires and poles that they destroy, whether intentionally or inadvertently. According to the law proposal, any building permits requested would only be granted with a condition that the kablanim accept this responsibility and perform repairs to the eruv as necessary.

According to Malkieli, the expense of all the repairs ends up falling on the Ministry of Religious Affairs and on local religious councils around the country - to the tune of tens of thousands of shekels each year. Sometimes they don't have the necessary funds available and it causes delays in the repairs, and it sometimes means people carry outside on Shabbos without realizing there is no functioning eruv.

The Ministerial Legislative Committee has approved the proposal.
source: Kol Hai News

Perhaps I do not understand how this works, but it seems to me a law should not be required for this. A kablan damaging eruv poles and strings should be obligated to pay for the repairs just like any damages caused to anybody's private property or municipal property. I am unclear as to why damage caused by kablanim requires a special law to be passed. The Ministry of Religious Affairs and local municipalities should force kablanim to pay up, sue them, take legal action and recoup all that money. Maybe freeze assets, rescind building permits and other similar actions should be taken when necessary.

What might need to be dealt with in law would be damage caused to private eruvin. Besides for municipal eruvin, in many areas private eruvin are built, sometimes with permits and/or permission from City Hall and sometimes without. If a kablan causes damage to a private eruv pole or string, the private eruvin can also sue, but they do have less methods of recourse available to them than City Hall has. Suing might even be a problem for them if they installed an eruv pole without permission or permits. I don't know that they should be protected in law - maybe they should need to get permits as well - but they should be able to recoup the damages they incur caused by kablanim or others.

So, MK Yisrael Eichler called sefardim by the derogatory slang name "frenkim", saying the frenkim go to the army because they are weaker (i.e. weaker in torah and spirituality than the ashkenazim).

Eichler said this in conversation with "internal' Belz media contacts, but it was a "hot mic" and leaked.

Now there is a debate raging about whether not Eichler is a racist because of his referring to Sefardim as "frenkim". His office denies it saying there was not a hint of condescension in his voice or tone. He called it "fake news" and apologized to anyone hurt by what he said. He was supposedly opposing the claims of the "Peleg" people that there is a draft decree in Israel and more Sefardim get drafted as cover for the ashkenazim. According to Eichler he was saying there is no draft decree but there is a problem with people dropping out of yeshiva, ashkenazim and sefardim, in Israel and abroad, and many of them end up in the army.

Whatever he said, and whatever he meant, and in whatever context he actually said it, a public figure like Yisrael Eichler would do well do banish such slang and derogatory names from his lexicon. Eichler builds his persona on his sharp tongue and character but nowadays using such derogatory names is not acceptable in society. He can easily show his concern for the sefardi yeshiva boys without calling them "frenkim". It is even a bit surprising that a seasoned politician like Eichler would use such a term, even on "internal"media, knowing that there is nothing really internal about it.

It might not be my place to express outrage on behalf of the sefardim, but I can at least suggest that Eichler wisen up about such things.

UNESCO says Hebron is a Palestinian heritage site. And, it is one "in danger".

I am surprised that any Israeli is surprised with this decision.

This is just another in a long string of UN votes against Israel, and even if you just limit it to UNESCO, it follows other similar UNESCO decisions to turn Israeli sites into Palestinian sites.

There is nothing new or unexpected in this decision, as stupid and dishonest as it is.

Minister of Transportation Yisrael Katz posted online a statement about such UN decisions not affecting Jewish history and rights... and he posted a picture of himself davening in Mearat HaMachpela.


Something I found interesting about this is that Katz is a kohen and cannot go into grave sites. The thing is, Mearat HaMachpela is different. They have birkat kohanim, the priestly blessings, every day there, despite the fact that it is over the caves of graves. There are different opinions as to whether a kohen can go there or not - I personally know some who do go and some who do not. Those who do go refer to rabbonim who pasken that either the configuration of the building over the graves does not allow tumah to go up and enter the structure or that the tzaddikim buried there are not "metamei".

That's PM Netanyahu with the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi..

I think this gets a caption contest..

I guess the jellyfish have moved on..

An item about a swimming pool made a splash yesterday in the Haredi media...

Management of the pool "Mehadrin-Men" in the town of Emannuel posted a new set of rules of conduct in the area of the pool.

The rules include what some consider pretty extreme rules of tzniyus. Among them are items such as:
 - no swimming in underwear, even long underwear
 - no loud music and no non-Jewish music
 - no smartphones in the area of the pool
 - no tight swimsuits and no swimsuits that are too short
 - no girls in the mens pool, even babies. Up to age 3 will be allowed but only fully dressed




Residents of Emannuel are complaining about the new rules and are even calling it Hassidic Coercion, similar to the complaints of Secular Coercion and Religious Coercion in other sectors.
source: Kikar

Personally I don't find any of these rules posted as so extreme. Perhaps not allowing smartphones in the area, but that isn't a surprise, considering the public attitude of Haredim to smartphones. Speedos should be banned around the world anyway. As should swimming in underwear.

What I find most interesting, and extreme, is that they have separate pools for men and women instead of just separate hours in the same pool.

It is always interesting to get a peek behind the scenes, and, personally, specifically, behind the scenes in UTJ.

Behadrei posted a short interview with Minster of Health Yaakov Litzman about some of the issues he is dealing with, current events and some of the internal UTJ squabbling.

The one question and answer I found most interesting in the interview was the question if he supports the law proposed by Uri Maklev of the Degel faction of UTJ to increase the size of the Knesset to 140 MKs.

Litzman responded that really we should be decreasing the size of the Knesset to 100 MKs instead. Litzman explains - ask the public what they think - if we need more or less MKs.

To the follow up question, that perhaps the public does not really know how hard the MKs work, Litzman responded that the public knows everything. We cry over the ones that already exist, and you want us to add more?

Jump on a skateboard for the best vlogging adventure of the summer. These two guys are road trip-ing across Israel at breakneck speed! And this vlog is a mad dash across the Jewish state to visit some of the most ancient and interesting places in the country. 

The guys road trip from 3,000 year old underground tunnels in Jerusalem’s City of David (national capital of the real ancient King David!) to the romantic sea at the old Jaffe port; from the place where all Jewish prayer ascends at the Temple Mount to the renowned Baha’i Gardens in Haifa; from looking out on Lebanon to snacking on pomegranates. 

This is a trip that ties historic Israel to the modern state and shows that good times can happen in ancient places when you’re young at heart.

These two friends show that Israel is lit - the place where mayhem and meaning come together in one magical place.