Amare Stoudamire at the Ministry of Interior offices applying for Israeli citizenship... According to the media, his forms are expected to be approved in time for him to play for Hapoel Jerusalem tomorrow..


Now let's juxtapose that with this report in Kipa of a young Ethiopian man, grandson of an Ethiopan "Kess" (what they call their rabbi or priest in Ethiopian) - when he arrived with his family in Israel at the age of 5, the entire family underwent a "giyur lechumra" - a conversion just to remove any doubt - as they are from the Beta Israel sect, though this young fellow did his conversion 3 years later, separate from his family. The article does not say why he did not do it with his family, but I am not sure it matters.

When he was in the army he discovered he was still listed as Christian in the Ministry of Interior records, as he was invited to the IDF conversion course, called Netiv. This fellow went to the Rabbanut beis din in Ashkelom to clarify his status and they confirmed him as Jewish and gave him documentation to that effect.

A few years later this fellow wants to get married only to discover that the Ministry of Interior still lists him as Christian and the beis din's confirmation of his Jewishness is inadequate.

After some appeals and loopholes, it turned out he was approved to marry, as the letter form beis din was deemed enough for that purpose, though he continued to be listed as a Christian in the official State records. Later that decision was reversed as well, and the State refused to register his marriage.

The State of Israel offices do not recognize each others decisions and this poor kid can't get himself properly registered because of it. Too bad he cant dunk a basketball.

While sad and disappointed to see the trend of increased public chilul shabbos, I find it fascinating to follow. Tibrias with its new mayor, Ron Kubi, is already easy to keep track of, as he is loud and outspoken about it and promotes it all on social media and has been interviewed regularly in the news, on probably all the various channels. Besides for Tiberias, there are kiosks opening on Shabbos in Ashdod, while Tel Aviv has been talking about increasing the chilul shabbos for a long time, along with fighting for permits for public transportation,  though I am not aware of them doing so as of yet, though the road works (such as with the Yehudit Bridge) and rail works have very publicly gone Shabbos...

I find it fascinating and intriguing that while the religious and Haredi representation in government has gotten increasingly powerful, the level of chilul shabbos has increased as well. While the numbers of Haredi and religious MKs and mayors and city councilpeople across the country have increased (the number of MKs hasnt really increased but representation in city councils has), their power and influence has actually increased tremendously. Yet with all the more power and influence the religious and Haredi communities have in the public sphere, the opposition to them increases and the activities to oppose the religious positions do as well.

It does not take a brain surgeon or a rocket scientist to figure out that it is, at least in part, a response to the increased religious legislation (and this can also be seen in other religious state issues not relevant to this topic), the people not wanting to be told how to live their lives, how to behave on their day off. Especially fascinating is that survey after survey over the years has shown Israel to be overwhelmingly traditional and not anti-religious yet the public movement to chilul shabbos continues to increase.

I suspect Shabbos, in this case, is a victim in the story and struggle for power in Israel. Israel is not a religious state and people seem to not appreciate being told by religious people what to do. It seems to me that this is another example of the need for a separation between shul and state. Religious legislation in Israel almost never improves society and its approach to religion - it generally increases the animosity to religion. As I have said before, I do not know how separation of shul and state can work in Israel while still calling it a Jewish country, but there seems to be a need for some separation at some level.

Specifically regarding Tiberias, while the mayor is encouraging the chilul shabbos in general and the new bus line in particular, it is all really private. They are not running Egged (or whichever company operates the public lines in Tiberias) buses, but private vehicles at no charge. They are using Arab drivers, according to reports, and the bus stops at pre-determined bus stops at specific time and it is free of charge. It seems to me that this is far less of a problem frםm a Shabbos perspective than having residents who wish to get to the boardwalk to call taxis or drive their private cars. Based on what Shmiras Shabbos Khilchaso says in 30:55, this seems to hardly be a Shabbos problem at all at an individual level, though the public appearance of buses running on Shabbos is still a visual problem for the public sphere in a Jewish state..

Bamba in the USA sounds like a recipe for disaster, as the stigma against peanuts and peanut-based foods is strong and the fear of peanuts is dominant. That is not stopping Osem from aggressively attempting to ramp up the marketing of bamba in the USA and step up the distribution to a much wider public.
source: Algemeiner

Osem points to opinions that show the incorporation of bamba as what might be considered a staple of the diet of Israeli children is responsible for keeping the peanut allergy rate in Israel very low. I have never seen any studies quoted that prove or strongly indicate this as fact, but people in the health industry are of the opinion that early consumption of bamba, from the ages of 4 to 6 months, can generally take the credit, at least partially, as a form of inoculation against the peanut allergy.

All will be good and dandy until the first lawsuit against Osem, unless they can produce studies and not just opinions. While I don't eat bamba, it seems to be so well liked in Israel that it is a shame the kids elsewhere can't really enjoy it, and its possible powers against a peanut allergy would be an added bonus if real.

they can hold their heads high - they nothing to feel bad about. They have made everyone proud and have changed the face of Israeli society.

very cool

someone sent me a letter written by Rav Moshe Yehuda Leib Landau, head of the Landau hechsher in Bnei Braq. It was also published on Yudel Shain's blog, though I do not know where it was originally published, but I will translate it here.

Rav Moshe Yehuda Leib Landau 
Regarding beef "Kosher-Glatt" sold in stores in our city..
In advance of Pesach, meat will begin to be sold in our town marked as "kosher glatt". This meat is appropriate for Ashkenazim following the opinion of the Rama. In order for people to understand what this is about and to prevent confusion, I will explain the main points of the issue.

It is well known that the Mechaber and the Rama argue in Shulchan Aruch about the checking fo lesions on the lung of an animal. The Mechaber does nto allow any checking of any lesions at all. The Rama says that some allow checking lesions by rubbing and pressing them and he says that even though it is a big leniency, it has been the custom in our countries to do so. All Ashkenazic communities have accepted this custom.

Despite that, throughout the generation there were always some individuals who were stringent and careful to not eat meat that had lesions, even lesions that underwent the process of feeling and pressing. As time went on such meat became called "chalak" and meat that underwent pressing and feeling of possible lesions was called "kosher". However, even with such meat that undergoes the feeling and pressing, there are different levels - there are some lesions that come off easily without any effort and there are other lesions that are difficult to remove and need a lot of rubbing and pressing and even forcibly peeling it off. Being that animals without lesions are an uncommon minority everywhere, many communities have become accustomed to allowing lesions removed by rubbing and even lesions removed by peeling, based on the Rama. There were even places that out of necessity were accustomed to calling such meat "chalak" as long as there were no more than 3 lesions peeled off.

Thank God our generation is worthy and God Fearing, and if 50 years ago most people ate "kosher" meat and those stringent about "chalak" were just individuals, today most Haredim are careful about eating only "chalak" meat. So much so that good hechshers today only supply chalak meat. However, the high demand for chalak meat has forced them to bring down the level of chalak and include within it even meat that has some types of lesions and up to 3 actual lesions.

However, my father was very stringent, despite the difficulty, to not change an iota from the opinion of the Beis Yosef and would always say "Chalak is like a newborn calf, without any issues" and that is what we did all the years, with chalak under our certification being real chalak with no negative issues. In recent years, after merchants from abroad have already become accustomed by the different kashrus organizations to attain very high percentages of chalak they do not want to deal with us any longer due to lower profit margins so there has become a shortage of meat. With no alternative, and so as not to deviate from the custom of the stringent, I have decided that we can market in stores meat that is appropriate for those following the Rama called "kosher glatt". Meaning, "Chalak" will remain actual chalak as it always has been, and meat that his the minor lesions that required no major effort to remove will be marketed under the name "kkosher glatt". This meat can be eaten by those accustomed like the Rama and as Ashkenazic communities have followed throughout the generations. In all the other hechshers, this meat is included under the name "chalak". If someone tries to find the "chalak" according to the custom of the Beis Yosef, he will have to work very hard to find it. 

So that this will be easily identifiable, and as a sign for understanding: meat called "kosher glatt" in Yiddish will be designated for Ashkenazim only eating in line with the custom of the Rama, while meat called "chalak" - in lashon hakodesh, will be appropriate also for Sefardim who follow the opinion of the Beis Yosef. 

Therefore, the Ashkenazim following the Rama can buy from the kosher glatt and eat and enjoy.

In wedding halls and restaurants only chalak meat will be allowed as has been the case until today and this is appropriate for Sefardim following the Beis Yosef as well with no concern.


the original:

הרב משה יהודה ליב לנדא
אודות בשר בהמה "כשר-גלאט" המשווק החנויות בעירנו.
לקראת חג הפסח, יתחילו לשווק בעירנו בשר שיסומן בשם "כשר-גלאט", בשר זה מתאים לאשכנזים הנוהגים כהרמ"א. בכדי שהציבור יבין במה המדובר וכדי למנוע מבוכה ובלבול, אבאר את עיקרי הדברים:                                 
ידוע ומפורסם, שהמחבר והרמ"א נחלקו בשו"ע אודות בדיקת סרכות הריאות בבקר, שהמחבר אינו מתיר בדיקת הסרכות כלל וכלל. והרמ"א הביא שיש מתירים כל סכרא שעוברת ע"י מיעוך ומשמוש, וכתב. "ויש מתירין למשמש בסרכות ולמעך בהם.. ע"פ שהוא קולא גדולה כבר נהגו כל בני מדינות אלו..". ובמנהג זה החזיקו בכל קהילות אשכנז.               
אם זאת, בכל הדורות, היו יחידים שהחמירו שלא לאכול מבהמה שהיו בה סרכות. ואפילו סרכות שעברו ע"י מיעוך ומשמוש, במשך הזמן אף נקראו בשמות – בשר שלא היו בו סרכות כלל נקרא "חלק", ובשר שהוכשר ע"י מיעוך ומשמוש נקרא "כשר". אולם, גם בסרכות שעוברות ע"י מיעוך ומשמוש יש דרגות שונות זו למעלה מזו, יש סרכות שיורדות בנקל ללא כח של הבודק כלל וישנן סרכות שבכדי להסירם צריך למעך ולמשמש הרבה, ועד כדי קליפה בכח. והיות שבהמות ללא סרכות הם מיעוט שאינו מצוי בכל מקום, הנהיגו בהרבה קהילות להכשיר את כל הסרכות העוברות ע"י מיעוך, ואף התירו סרכות שיורדות ע"י קליפה, וזאת על יסוד דברי הרמ"א הנ"ל. היו גם מקומות כאלו, שמתוך הדחק הנהיגו להחשיב כ"חלק" עד ג' סרכות שנקלפות.
ב"ה אכשור דרא, ואם לפני יובל שנים היה רוב הציבור אוכל בשר "כשר" והמקפידים על בשר "חלק" היו יחידים ממש. כהיום,  רוב  החרדים לדבר ה' מקפידים על בשר "חלק". עד כדי שהשגחות מיוחסות מספקות בשר "חלק" בלבד. אולם, הדרישה המרובה לבשר "חלק" הכריחה אותם לרדת ברמת החלק ולהכליל בהגדרת "חלק" גם סרכות לפי סוגים שונים. ועד ג' סרכות ממש. 
אולם אבי הגה"ח זללה"ה הקפיד מאד, למרות הקושי, שלא לשנות מדעת ה"בית יוסף", והיה אומר תמיד: "חלק הוא כמו שהעגל נולד, בלי שום ריעותא", וכך אנו נוהגים כל השנים, כאשר החלק שתחת השגחתי הוא "חלק" ממש, לא שום ריעותא. בשנים האחרונות, לאחר שהסוחרים בחו"ל הורגלו ע"י גופי כשרות שונים להגיע לאחוזים גבוהים של "חלק", הם אינם רוצים עוד לעסוק עמנו מחמת מניעת הרווח, וממילא נוצר מחסור בבשר בקר.בלית ברירה, ובכדי שלא לשנות ח"ו ממנהג המחמירים, החלטתי לאפשר לשווק בחנויות גם בשר המתאים רק לנוהגים ע"פ הרמ"א, שיקרא "כשר-גלאט". כלומר, ה"חלק" יישאר "חלק" כמו שהיה כל השנים. והבשר שהיתה בהם סרכה קלה ממש, שלא היה צריך כח הבודק כלל בהסרתם, (שאצל רבים הם מוגדרות כ"רירים"), ישווקו תחת השם "כשר-גלאט". בשר זה מתאים לנוהגים ע"פ מנהג הרמ"א, וכמו שנהגו בקהילות אשכנז בכל הדורות. ובכל ההכשרים הנפוצים בשר זה הוא בכלל "חלק" גמור. מי שינסה לחפש שם "חלק" ממש כפי שיטת ה"בית יוסף", יצטרך להרבות בחיפושים, וכולי האי ואולי.
כדי שההיכר יהיה ברור ולסימנא מילתא: הבשר הקרוי "כשר-גלאט" – באידיש, מיועד לאשכנזים בלבד הנוהגים כמנהג הרמ"א, ואילו הבשר שנקרא "חלק" – בלשון הקודש, מתאים גם לספרדים ההולכים בשיטת ה"בית יוסף".           
ולכן, האשכנזים הנוהגים כהרמ"א יכולים לקנות גם מן ה"כשר-גלאט" ויאכלו ענוים וישבעו.
באולמות ובמסעדות יכנס רק בשר "חלק" כמו שהיה עד היום, ומתאים גם לנוהגים כחומרות ה"בית יוסף" ללא חשש.

ghjghj

PA Chairman's Mahmous Abbas's spokesman announced yesterday that he is encouraged by things Benny Gantz has said during his campaign regarding the possibility of future withdrawals from the West Bank, as long as Gantz sticks to these opinions in the future and does not change his mind.
source: Haaretz, Jewish Press

It is almost as if the Palestinian Authority is trying intentionally to thwart Benny Gantz's chances in the upcoming election and ruin any future prospects for peace. By making such statements they are handing the Likud and Netanyahu the best possible weapon against Gantz.. I can already see the Likud signs declaring the PA or abbas supports Benny Gantz for Prime Minister...

Yoelish Krausz can be pretty funny...

this is about signs in Jerusalem (in Mea Shearim) near a shul that directs men and women to different sides and entrances...it has now become a fight betwene City Hall and local extremist residents similar to the issue in Bet Shemesh in RBS B with the signs there..

to think we grew up together, were neighbors, shul mates, friends, etc.. congrats!

- לנשים ובנות בלבד! חיה קוגן- הכל ממך
for women and girls only