this should really be a disqualified PotD..



This is a picture of Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, two Muslim Congresswomen who have been vocally anti-semitic and anti-Israel...this image was from President Donald Trump's State of the Union Address last night... the focus on these two by many on line is the fashion statement of them wearing Zionist "white and blue"... I say it should be disqualified because Israel does not own the white and blue colors and in an event that has absolutely nothing to do with Israel, wearing white and blue says nothing about their positions on Israel or Zionism. Had it been an AIPAC conference or an Israel Day Parade that would be a different story.

Mahane Yehuda will not be shut down. Neither will the First Station complex be shut down.  We will do everything possible so that in Jerusalem there will be as much recreational and fun opportunities as possible. Let's leave the myths behind. The Haredim want to have recreation in Jerusalem just like the secular. The Haredim are not the enemy and they want to live with the secular together, and so it shall be. We will preserve the status quo for the benefit of everyone.

  -- Mayor of Jerusalem Moshe Lion

According to the Lakewood Scoop, a local resident in Lakewood decided to turn in his smartphone for a simple kosher flip phone. When a fellow from Brooklyn heard about that decision, he called up the rabbi of the shul and sponsored a kiddush in the guy's honor, so as to encourage others to switch.

At the kiddush, the rav announced that several members had recently made the switch. One fellow was worried about being addicted to his phone, another gave his up despite using a filter so the kids would see him identifying with the bnei torah, and another to avoid lifnei iver...this particular fellow who the kiddush was honoring made the switch to set an example for his kids...

He turned in his Google and switched it for a kugel...

And it turns out that the Shalva Band will perform at Eurovision after all! Just not as part of the competition. The Shalva Band has dropped out of the competition to compete in Eurovision because of the requirement to participate in the full dress rehearsal recording on Shabbos, but the solution reached is that on Saturday night during the actual competition, during the semi-finals, the Shalva Band will put on a performance.

This decision was worked out between the Israeli and European relevant authorities and has been approved by all. They will be invited to perform, not compete, even though they will not participate in the dress rehearsal. That makes me wonder about Omer Adam who decided to not accept the invitation to perform because of the dress rehearsal requirement..

As the Kan Broadcasting Authority said, the Eurovision slogan is "Dare to Dream", and Shalva Band did just that.

I don't care for Eurovision at all, though I am always happy to see my brothers and sisters do well in this, and any other, competition, and I am happy the Shalva Band will have an opportunity to show the world what they are capable of. And I wish the best of luck to whichever other finalist will end up being the Israeli representative.

According to Mako, it is official. The Shalva Band is dropping out of the competition in "The Rising Star to Eurovision". After qualifying as one of the finalists, it seems they have already sung their final song in this forum.

The reason for dropping out is due to the requirement to perform a full dress rehearsal on Saturday, and with some of the members being Shabbos-observant, that is not possible. I suspect that even if they were not, with the "Shalva" organization at least having a religious face, even if not officially being a religious organization, I suspect they would not have been able to perform, using the Shalva name, regardless of the observance level of the participants (though that is just a guess).

Efforts were made, including by members of the government, to persuade the European broadcasting administration in charge of Eurovision to grant an exemption of some sort and arrange a work-around solution, but that has not happened.

While it is a shame they cannot compete and represent Israel, especially after showing everyone how talented they really are, they do not have to feel sorry for their decision or regret anything about this. The Shalva Band performed admirably throughout, at the highest level, and there is nothing not admirable about sticking to one's beliefs and ideals and putting that first before other things. The Shalva Band and the rest of the people involved can all hold their heads high and bask in their wonderful accomplishments, both in the success of their band and in their ability to tear down walls and show us all how people with disabilities and special needs can function as well as, or better than, anybody else.

As well, dropping out, after getting so far, in order to preserve the holiness of the Shabbos is a tremendous kiddush hashem and I am sure many non-observant and traditional Israelis will be proud of this and perhaps appreciate Shabbos observance just a little bit more because of it. Jews in America, even the non-Orthodox Jews, were so proud when Sandy Koufax refused to pitch in the first game of the 1965 World Series because it was to be played on Yom Kippur...This is no less powerful of a moment than that was.

They worked hard, they succeeded, and they changed the world. I think Israel is better off after this experience.

fascinating interview.. very touching, especially when he talks about his dear friend, and mechutan, Arik Einstein, when he talsk with his grandchildren, and when he shows Sivan Rahav Meir the list in his siddur for whom he says kaddish..

they performed the ceremony around the grave of Kobi's grandfather, Chacham Machlouf Kobi... due to Mayor of Tiberias Ron Kobi starting to operate free public transportation on Shabbos beginning this coming Shabbos..

What Minister Shaked said is racist and disconnected from reality. I have no recollection of her or her partner in Hayemin Hechadash ever dealing with the issue of Shabbos desecration or fighting for the Jewish character. Regarding the term "the working Haredim", that is a wretched expression, as many in the Haredi community have shown exceptional business success, despitwe being blocked out from many jobs in the workforce. And those that dedicate their lives to Torah learning are the ones ensuring our continued existence and the continued existence of Minister Shaked....it would be good if Minister Shaked would first study up on the Haredi community before inviting us to vote for her party," the Meretz of the Right" that she and Bennett established..

  -- MK Yoav Ben Tzur (Shas), commenting on Minister Ayelet Shaked's statement that Hayemin Hechdash can be the home for the "working Haredim" community..

I am not quite sure what he means by "Meretz of the Right"...

He made a 600,000nis goodbye party for himself from the taxpayers money when he left the army... you are talking as if the Chief of Staff is  autistic - he doesnt know anything, isn't interested in anything..

  -- Head of the Coalition MK Dudi Amsalem (Likud), about Benny Gantz

obviously Amsalem immediately took a big hit for using "autistic" as an insult. From the political side, the main attack came from Yair Lapid, who has an autistic daughter. Besides for that, in general he was attacked for using "autistic" as an insult from non-politicians as well..

Amsalem later apologized. He also took care to justify/explain his use of the word as no insult intended just that is how many people speak day to day saying things like "are you blind?", "are you deaf?" and "are you autistic?"..

I am not sure that Amsalem's justification makes him seem any better or if it makes him seem sincere. Just the opposite - he is saying that he insults people like that all the time just doing it publicly was a mistake. Anyways, whether people do actually speak that way or not is irrelevant - Amsalem is a public figure, not a private individual.

This is one of those examples of how Netanyahu surrounds himself with pit bulls who are willing to attack Netanyahu's political opponents with no limits. They are violent people and Netanyahu has turned the Likud leadership into his personal mafia. They do anything to protect Netanyahu and he keeps his hands clean.

The latest racket is coming out of Modiin Ilit and it has the local rabbis forcing all the local barber shops to obtain certification on their barber shops from the new supervisory committee for hair cutting and shaving issues.

The first step was the barber shops all closing for a few hours one day recently to go to a conference in which halachic issues related to the hair-cutting industry were discussed so they could learn the proper halachic way to give a haircut.

The next step is having every barbershop commit to following a list of guidelines with a commitment to only giving kosher haircuts. At that point the local rabbis will give every compliant barbershop certification.

The rabbis explain that just like one would not buy meat from a butcher with no hechsher, regardless of how God-fearing the butcher might be with a beard and peyos and praying every day at sunrise, so too with the barbershops...  sometimes the barber does not know all the relevant halachos of what can be cut and what cannot be cut, and even if he does know the rules, sometimes the clients put too much pressure on the barber...having certification will help as the barber will have committed to learning the relevant halachos and also he has the certification to point to in order to be able to stand up to the clients demands..
source: Behadrei

sounds like buying mafia "protection"... creating a new vaad, creating a new "hechsher" on something that never existed before, and forcing the local businesses to subscribe to it or else they'll basically be put out of business.. it is just a matter of time until it spreads to other neighborhoods and towns...