Featured Post

Free The Hostages! Bring Them Home!

(this is a featured post and will stay at the top for the foreseeable future.. scroll down for new posts) -------------------------------...

Aug 31, 2017

Israeli Football is stuck between a rock and a hard place

The never-ending saga of Israeli Football on Shabbos continues, at a not particularly opportune time.

Until now the Haredi politicians largely avoided picking a fight with Israeli sports enthusiasts. Despite the Supreme Court even declaring football on Shabbos to be illegal, the Haredi politicians never pressed the issue. They always allowed the temporary permits to be issued, even until today.

The tightest situation came when Aryeh Deri was the minister in charge of giving the permits. Instead of rejecting the permit, he passed the responsibility off to others and then changed his ministerial position..

Now, in the midst of the fights and pressure about working on the train line son Shabbos with the Haredi politicians increasing the pressure weekly, the issue of Israeli Football on Shabbos has returned. Bad timing for the Football people. The Haredi politicians almost cannot allow it to pass now, in the middle of the other fight.

According to Walla News, PM Netanyahu wants to give a permanent permit to the football league to play its games on Shabbos, instead of continuing the procedure of them needing to request a new permanent permit every year or two that has been automatically granted. A permanent permit for Shabbos activity would avoid the issue of the Supreme Court declaring the games illegal and prejudiced against religious athletes. The Haredi politicians oppose this change and even canceled a meeting with Netanyahu that had been scheduled for today because of this new issue. They consider it a serious breach in the Status Quo and say that they cannot allow a government in which they are a part of to grant official status to chilul shabbos.

I wait to see how this will be resolved. Netanyahu cannot afford to let Israeli Football be canceled, even temporarily, over religious issues, and the Haredi parties cannot afford, at this point, to continue ignoring the situation. Israeli Football is stuck between a rock and a hard place.





------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Cola Cures

This is amazing.

According to a report in Ynet, doctors in Shaarei Tzedek Hospital successfully dissolved a large growth with Coca Cola.

The 71 year old patient had a 7cm (diameter) growth in his stomach and it was causing a blockage and a deterioration of the stomach's ability to function properly.. The patient had already lost a lot of weight and was suffering from other problems caused as a result of this. Doctors had already tried to break up the growth unsuccessfully. He would now have needed a serious surgery to remove the growth.

The doctor then decided to try dissolving the growth using Coca Cola. There is a precedent for this, as a Greek doctor did something similar in 2002, and there have been other reports of success since then.

2 days after the patient began drinking the cola, the growth began breaking up. On the third day it disappeared completely. It is actually 3 years later now, and the patient is still clean.

Doctors do not often recommend drinking Coca Cola. It contains a lot of sugar. and this procedure requires the drinking of a lot of cola. It actually made me think of the stories people say of using coca cola to remove rust from pipes. While Coke might not be healthy in general, I guess it does have some benefits!

This also takes me back to the history of Coca Cola that was created by Dr Pemberton and was effective in curing a number of various ailments.. Coca Cola is still living true to its original intentions!


------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Interestign Psak: dreadlocks and the mikva

Rav Adiel Asyag of Kollel Eretz Chemda issued a psak by which under certain circumstances a woman who immersed in the mikva with "rastot", or dreadlocls, in her hair, the immersion could be considered valid.
Jack Sparrow can now go to the mikva!

Normally dreadlocks would be considered a chatzitza and would invalidate the tevila. The braids are tied very tightly and that is a problem. However, Rav Asyag says, that if the rabbi knows that if he says no she simply won't go to the mikva, or in a situation such as a baalas teshuva that might reconsider because of such a problem, there is room for leniency and to allow her to immerse even with her dreadlocks intact.

Rav Asyag qualifies it by saying that she must clean the braids very thoroughly and ensure nothing is stuck inside them. As well, such a woman should stay under the water for a bit longer than normal to give the water more of an opportunity to get though the tight braids.
sources: Kipa and Srugim






------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Saul Kaye, Founder & CEO, iCAN on medical cannabis (video)







------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Klezmer Festival in Tzfat - Aug. 28, 2017 (video)







------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Conan in Israel: trains with the IDF, and visits the Dead Sea (video)









------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Kipp Does Israel: Krav Maga (video)




------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Yamim Noraim Medley with Micha Gamerman (Official Animation Video)

Brazilian singer Micha Gamerman is back with his forth animated music video. He released the first this past Purim with a Purim Medley off his latest hit album Moadei Yisrael Im Micha Gamerman. In the four week’s since its release, the animated video garnered over 186,336 views on Youtube alone.

With the fast approaching holiday of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, Micha released his new video the “Yamim Noraim Medley” which is sure to thrill both kids and adults alike. The medley was arranged by the talented duo of Eli Klein and Yitzy Berry.

Moadei Yisrael Im Micha Gamerman consists of six medleys, one for each of the major chagim; Purim, Pessach, Shavuot, Yamim Noraim (Rosh Hashana/Yom Kipur), Sukot and Chanuka. This album has so much energy and flavor that the Chaguim come alive for everyone, both young and old. 





------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Aug 30, 2017

Back to School Buy 2 Get 1 Free

This Back to School sale, buy 2 and get 1 free, seems a bit strange..



unless it is the parents who are meant to enjoy the vodka in celebration of the kids finally going back to school!


------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Quote of the Day

My intention is that by the coming Hanukkah there will already be less vacation days. There is a great desire among the parents to lessen the number of vacation days and lessen the payments [for daycare during vacation]. We have done a lot this year and saved parents a lot...My intention is that by the coming Hanukkah already there will be less vacation days in Israel. That is the goal.

  -- Minister of Education Naftali Bennet

yay!


------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Shufersal Cola to compete with Coca Cola

Shufersal, or Supersol as they are commonly known, has come out with its own line of cola.

What is particularly interesting about it is what is being described as an attempt to compete with Coca Cola. To that end, Shufersal made their new line of drinks to appear very similar to Coca Cola drinks, product placement in the store will be very close to the shelves of Coca Cola, the price is significantly cheaper, and they are bearing a hechsher of Kehillos (a hassidic hechsher).
source: Behadrei

First of all, Coca Cola might not appreciate the attempt and might fight back - not by dropping prices but by lawsuits and pressure. If the packaging and appearance is similar to that of Coca Cola, they might sue for trademark or copyright infringement. If that does not work or they do not, they might pressure Shufersal to move the two drinks away from each other. I am sure Shufersal does not want to lose the Coca Cola account, and that can always be threatened.

Second, many before have tried competing with Coca Cola. Some have done very well for themselves, even if they did not become actual serious competition for Coca Cola. I have a hard time seeing how a supermarket thinks its private line can actually be competition for Coca Cola.

Third, if they think the hechsher Kehillos will give them a boost over Coca Cola's Rav Landau, they really do not get the marketplace. Kehillos is known as a good hechsher, but so is Rav Landau. And if Pepsi's Badatz Eida could not do it to Coca cola, and RCs Rav Rubin hechsher could not do it to Coca Cola, Shufersal's Kehillos does not stand a chance. At most they might do some decent business selling their cola as a low end cheap drink, similar to Crystal and other such cheap drink brands...


------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

JERUSALEM to SYRIA (video)



Syria does not recognize Israel as a state. So what happens when everyday Israelis see what's going on in the war in Syria? Find our what happens "Just Beyond Our Border" in this Israel Collective film.





------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Kipp in Israel: jail time just for getting married (video)




------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Conan O'Brien Generating Laughs During His First Israeli Trip (video)











------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Synagogues of New York (video)










------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

The Maccabeats - Despacito - דספסיטו (Amram Adar ft. Itzik Shamli Cover) (video)








------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Aug 29, 2017

The Braekel chicken as a drive to chumra

The continued fight over the kashrut status of the Braekel chicken continues to be very strange. The only part of it that makes any sense to me, and the only part of the debate that I really appreciated, is what was said by Rabbis Meir Mazuz and Moshe Mordechai Karp.

Both of these rabbis are of the opinion that the chicken is perfectly fine and kosher just like the "white" chickens. Rabbi Mazuz spoke about how this was the basic chicken and when they first came to Israel they had to rely on the Ashkenazim for a mesorah on white chickens, as they had never seen them before. Rav Mazuz brings some proofs as to the status of the chickens and added his comment that there is no need to keep adding unnecessary chumros and arguments.

Rav Karp, Rav in Kiryat Sefer, commented on a poster that claimed in the name of many gedolim, including Rav Elyashiv under whom Rav Karp studied, that one should preferably not eat the Braekel chicken but should eat Turkey instead. Rav Karp is disturbed by the claims, as a result of the Braekel debate, that eve regular chicken are problematic and he says that Rav Elyashiv and Rav Kanievsky ate, and still eat, chickens with no concern. Rav Karp says he has no knowledge specifically about the Braekel chicken but then criticizes all the time new halachic decisions are announced that were never discussed by the gedolim and definitely never issued public psak on the matter. He says someone who wants to be machmir for himself and not eat something is fine and good but should not go about announcing it and warning the public. Now they are prohibiting chickens that was always eaten by the gedolim and tomorrow they will prohibit eggs, and it is as if there is no torah and mesorah and there is nobody to protest this.
sources: Kikar, Haredim10

I particularly appreciate the railing against the searching for chumros and prohibitions...






------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Rabbanut considering revoking certification of Rav Metzger

Legal Counsel of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel has announced that it is going to be holding a disciplinary hearing against former Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger to deal with the question as to whether or not they should revoke his title of "Rav" because of his conviction for bribery. If they decide to revoke, they will be revoking his various titles and qualifications, including "neighborhood rav", "city rav", and his certification for officiating at weddings.

They plan to do the same for Rav Avraham Yosef, Chief Rabbi of Holon, because of his indictment, but will only do so after a conviction. There has already been a plea bargain announced in that case, so presumably, unless something changes drastically, that is going to happen at some point.

Regarding Rav Yoshiyahu Pinto, no action will be taken because he does not have any semicha certification from the Rabbanut.
source: Kikar

If they go down this road they will be pretty busy dealing with all the rabbis in the prisons, especially with the politicians from Shas. At least they will mostly only have to deal with one prison, as that is where most of the criminal rabbis get sent to.





------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Interesting Psak: facing the wrong direction at the Kotel

I have heard the claim that the direction in which most people pray by the Kotel, that is most people pray in front of the Kotel standing with their faces facing straight ahead, is some sort of proof that the area under the Dome of the Rock is not the actual site of the Kodesh Kodashim. If it were, we would be praying at an angle directing ourselves towards the Dome. Because we pray straight and not angled, clearly the actual site was further south, opposite the area of our Kotel.

I don't think that is much of a proof as naturally most people will always daven straight when facing a wall. I have seen it in shuls in which the angles are wrong and the aron kodesh is off to the side but people still daven straight ahead. It is natural positioning.

This has now turned into the subject a psak.

Rav Avraham Kahana, one of the rabbonim of The Temple Institute in Jerusalem, has issued a psak that the masses of Jews praying at the Kotel have been facing the wrong direction and should instead angle themselves more towards the Northeast and will thereby actually be facing the site of the Kodesh Kodashim.

Rav Kahan brings various proofs as to the necessity to daven in the correct direction and therefor concludes as to the importance of angling oneself properly when at the Kotel.

Rav Kahan is "melamed zchus" on the masses who daven facing straight ahead with two points:
1. the Yerushalmi says that in jerusalem one should direct himself towards Har Habayit (i.e. rather than specifically the Kodesh Kodashim)
2. bdiavad one can rely on the fact that the Divine Presence is everywhere no matter which direction one faces.
Source: Srugim

I am happy he found a way to be melamed zchus and qualified his psak with that. Personally I don't like it when any person or rabbi comes out and says everybody else is wrong.

Also, I think nowadays with almost everyone facing that direction, even if it is not accurate, it might be a problem of "poresh min hatzibbur" to face a different direction.

And, I must wonder when the opposing piskei halacha will be issued, with fights over whether or not we know where the actual site of the Kodesh Kodashim is and what direction we must face as a result of that knowledge or lack of knowledge.



.



------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

no kapparos with chickens in Petach Tikva

If you plan on doing your kapparos with a chicken, you had better plan to do it almost anywhere besides for Petach Tikva. Petach Tikva is once again joining Tel Aviv in banning the practice of kapparos with a chicken from its streets, due to the "tzaar baalei chaim" involved in the practice.

City Hall of Petach Tikva is actually only banning the slaughtering of the chickens, but the practice of kapparos with a chicken without slaughtering it will be allowed but only with a permit from the veterinary services. Permits for this should be requested no later than September 9. I am not sure what people with permits are going to do with the chickens after the kapparos if they will not be allowed to shecht them, but I guess they'll figure something out.

City Hall recommends changing your minhag to do the kapparos with a donation of money to tzedaka instead of using the chicken.
Source: Srugim

It must be Elul already....



------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Netanyahu at ceremony celebrating 50 years of settlement in the Shomron (video)







------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

PM Netanyahu meets with future Prime Minister of Israel (video)








------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Genesis Prize Presentation to Israeli Knesset Diaspora Committee (video)

The Knesset Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs held a meeting on June 5th, 2017 to learn about the important work and impact of the Genesis Prize (www.genesisprize.org), often referred to as the Jewish Nobel.






------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Herzl Goes Viral (video)

What if a trend-savvy PR company in 2017 had marketed the epic First Zionist Congress of 1897?

120 years ago, Theodor Herzl convened the Zionist Congress and transformed the 2000 year-old-dream of the Jewish people to regain sovereignty in their indigenous Land of Israel into a modern political movement.

What if it had today's technology? Spoiler: results may have included kittens, Snapchat filters, and the Harlem Shake...





------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

R' Yoel Roth - Rosh Hashuna In Uman (video)







------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Aug 28, 2017

Fighting Through Education: A Way to Beat the BDS



Fighting Through Education: A Way to Beat the BDS
With the increasing rise of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel activity across the world, the most notorious group being the BDS, it’s important to have the proper tools to fight these blatant lies. Unfortunately, many in the West have become accustomed to ‘fighting’ online, also known as being a ‘keyboard warrior.’ While many of these people have the right intentions, most don’t understand enough about Israel in order to properly engage these nefarious individuals. And, this is really a shame.
It’s 2017. Knowledge and education are at our fingertips. No, this doesn’t mean opening Google, finding the first blog, and reciting this as fact. Facts need to be credible. Anyone can have a blog. But, there is a wealth of information out there from reliable sources, such as Jerusalem U’s ‘Israel Inside/Out’ video series, that educate people about Israeli society, history, conflicts, and even innovations.
Why This is Important
If you’ve been paying attention to foreign politics, there has been a recent change in US attitude to Israel. However, this can change in a heartbeat and the majority of the world’s governments still seem eager to gang up on Israel. To make matters worse, the media on a whole is at best slightly anti-Israel and at worst heavily anti-Israel. Either way you look at it, Israel is largely portrayed in a negative light on TV screens worldwide. The icing on this (stale) piece of cake is the BDS on college campuses, thus completing the ultimate trifecta.
Changing government opinion and behavior toward Israel can happen through diplomacy. Changing the media’s opinion can happen with the help of Hasbara and articulate government officials who are invited onto the various media networks for interviews. But fighting the BDS, which is the single most underrated opponent of Israel? This is a serious issue.
Ask yourself this: how are we currently fighting the BDS, specifically on college campuses? The answer is that we aren’t really doing anything (useful). Standing and waving an Israeli flag, or marching through an anti-Israel rally with anti-BDS signs, only incites further hate. The only way to effectively fight the BDS is through education and knowledge of the history and conflict.
The bad news is that these college campuses are supposed to be a place for debate, and yet hate speech is often carried out by BDS supporters and/or members. The good news is that these college campuses are in fact a place for debate and dialogue, and we should use this to our benefit.

By understanding the situation in its entirety and having the appropriate education, we will be equipped with the necessary tools to fight the BDS and other anti-Israel groups. We already understand who’s right and who’s wrong. Let’s use the educational tools at our disposal to defeat our opponents once and for all.


------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Hi-Tech blessings

There is a new app called "Tikkun" (in Hebrew), by which one can request a bracha on a variety of issues from a selection of rabbis. The selection of a specific rabbi will affect the price of the bracha, as will the selection of how the bracha should be transmitted - by video message, by audio clip or by a simple written note.

The variety of issues for a blessing request includes issues such as for finding a spouse, for health, , for "the month f Elul", against Ayin Hara, a priestly blessing, parnassa, fertility, business success, and more.

The selection of rabbis is also broad, though it seems to be dependent on what your issue is. I installed the app and it seems each issue has a different selection of rabbis to choose form. I guess each has his own specialty. In the options on the various issues I saw names such as  Breslav messengers in Uman, rabbonim by the grave of Rashbi in Meron, Baba Baruch Abuchatzeiram rabbonim and Mekubalim from Shtefnesht, the rabbonim of Kupat Ha'Ir,  Rav Baruch Dov Povarski, Rav Baruch Mordechai Ezrachi, among others.

According to Kipa, the prices range from the cheapest bracha at 101nis all the way up to 1500nis.

It seems the idea was adopted from another system (I am not sure if this was via an app or via some other service) in which people were requesting blessings and good wishes from celebrities, such as receiving a video from Bar Rafaeli wishing congratulations for a birthday or whatnot.

The people behind it say this is far more popular than the wishes from celebrities was. And, they have 20 Haredi programmers working on the app - after they spend the morning hours learning Torah in Kollel, in the afternoon they work on developing the app.






------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Reform and Conservative to now fight for Kotel representation

The Conservative and Reform representatives are now saying that because the Haredi politicians backed out of the Kotel deal and had the entire thing canceled, from their perspective they are pulling back from the compromise as well and they will now demand equal representation on the administrative board of the entire Kotel area and an equal place of prayer for egalitarian services at the Kotel.

They explain that they only agreed to the Ezrat Israel area as a compromise, not as if it was an ideal situation. It did not satisfy their demands and it caused conflict within their own community. But they felt it was worth compromising to resolve the situation. Now that the government pulled back from it, they have no reason to agree to stick with the one minor aspect of it that the government left for them and they'll go back now to the original demands.

I am not quite sure what they are saying, as all along anyway they have continued to fight for services at the Kotel area, even at the height of the deal. Had the deal gone through maybe they would have stopped the conflict and used the Ezrat Yisrael, though we will never know, but because the deal did not go through it seems they are now threatening something they have been doing all along anyway.




------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Haredi units served non-mehadrin treif food

A major kashrut fiasco happened in the army with Haredi units (Netzach Yehuda and others) reportedly having been served food that was cooked with both meat and milk.

Spending a week in Latrun for coursework, the units ate in a local restaurant and were served a pasta dish that contained both chicken and cheese. Perhaps each individually were mehadrin, but together the dish was most definitely not! When the soldiers noticed the problem they stopped eating and left the restaurant.

Of course, according to the reports, everybody involved blames somebody else for the mistake.
sources: INN, Behadrei, Srugim

Weirdly enough, the problem as reported is twofold: 1. the were served non-kosher food and 2. they were served non-mehadrin food. As if the mehadrin issue is an issue when dealing with non-kosher.Sort of like, had the "treif" food been mehadrin, this would not have been so bad...

Also weirdly enough, the shocking report seems to only be shocking because this happened to a Haredi unit. Non Kosher food being served, by mistake, to anybody who wants to keep kosher, Haredi or not, should be equally shocking and upsetting.

Anyways, mistakes happen, and they happen to the best organizations and to the worst organizations, and kashrut mistakes are no different. Halevai they should never happen, to anybody, but they do. Whether you keep mehadrin or regular kashrut, whether you are Haredi or not. Hopefully lessons are learned so such mistakes do not repeat themselves.



------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Israeli Frenemies - Aug. 25, 2017 (video)







------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

JIMM WEBISODE 2 SEASON 1 - The Righteous Get Up (video)



Jewish Inspirational Musical Messages - The 4 Corners Project present the second webisode of season 1 hosted by Lenny Solomon. This episode is called The Righteous Get Up and focuses on Teshuva or Returning to God.





------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Meilech Zilbershlag on the importance of the environment in the Haredi community (video)







------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Conan O'Brien goes to Israel (video)

#ConanIsrael

we will try to follow COnan's antics here...







------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Ahron Razel: Im Yesh Et Nafshecha (official music video)







------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Aug 27, 2017

Our Children Left Israel

A Guest Post by Dr. Harold Goldmeier

Our Children Left Israel

By Dr. Harold Goldmeier August 27, 2017



A recent demographic report is sparking a spate of articles and a Jerusalem Post editorial (August 23, 2017, “Emigration worries,”). The data do not capture the pain of separation, but they highlight a drastic national security threat to the future of Israel.

My wife and I can describe the pain first hand but who else cares? Our younger son gave up last month after eight years hoping and struggling to build a life in the Jewish State. He, his wife and our grandchildren returned to live abroad. They join the 1.2 to 1.5 million Jewish Israelis (@15% of the Jewish population) already there and growing. Israeli ex-pats publish their Israeli newspapers, on line blogs, support their own synagogues, social welfare and Israel advocacy organizations. Our daughter-in-law is in touch with a former-Israeli-women’s network helping her assimilate.

Terrorism, wars and the prospect of sending their children off to the IDF, factored little into the decision. It’s all about the light in the attic, as Shel Silverstein put it, flickering and burning out. The “big fortune” he was warned to bring on aliyah exhausted after studying a year in ulpan learning to speak Hebrew followed by months of unemployment, and moldering underemployment, throughout the eight years. The family stressed out.

Concomitantly, they don’t blame Israel, however, our son remembers the better standard of living and demands for his skills in his hometown. He brought those memories with him. An inspiring single Mom, first generation immigrant of Mizrahi descent, the kind about which national activists tell stories and make movies, raised his Israeli-born wife and her siblings in public housing. His wife dreams about the opportunities overseas for her husband and children. They lived modestly in Israel but on the edge of an economic precipice compounded by the proverbial culture clash and frustrations of Israel’s bureaucracy.

Another son of ours and his family thrive in Israel. After some 20 years they have no intentions of moving anywhere else. But it hasn’t been easy. Both sons, as I reported on Life in Israel  (June 19, 2017), are poster boys for the consumer debt rising at a rapid pace approaching “out of control,” according to the Bank of Israel supervisor.

Our emigrant son had respectable jobs in Israel, several at the same time to make ends meet, but failed to unshackle himself from Israel’s immersive low wages and pitiable purchasing power. He was told not to put on his resume he is a graduate of Northwestern University fearing to appear too smart and high priced.

“Dad,” he told me when it came time, “I gave it my best shot. I tried to do everything right. I spent a full year in ulpan. I took low paying teaching jobs just to break into the world of work. I made eight good friends, and built a small but close social network. Every one of my friends returned home including the two doctors. I drained my American savings to support us. I have to do what’s best for my family.”



“I was paid a third of the money I made in America. There I worked forty hours a week here 60 or more. No complaints that’s the Israeli system. I just can’t save any money here. I’m just worn out. Exhausted and frustrated….”

“You don’t even realize that those of us who are secular have added expenses more than those in the religious communities like where you live. We pay six or eight times more a month for daycare, because the government doesn’t subsidize us like in designated religious cities. We pay higher arnona (property taxes). I drive twelve years old cars constantly needing repairs, because I don’t have nis200, 000 for a new one ($56,000). Everything costs me more: food, clothing, restaurants…and I make less money.”

He speaks admiringly about Mizrahi, Russian and Ethiopian immigrants and other Israelis. They come to Israel with nothing, make subsistence salaries, build lives and make do. He worships his brother and sister-in-law living in Israel raising their children with a sense of belonging raising eight kids in a tiny apartment.

Our polymath son is not an ingrate, by nature not a quitter or alone in his decision.  American ex-pats are 1% to 2% of the population living abroad for family, work and retirement. Israel government officials ought to worry that 36% of secular Israelis Jews would move abroad given the opportunity, according to Massa Israel.  I’ve read 30 percent of olim leave after three to five years. Numbers don’t matter to parents and family, but they ought to matter to the government. If the US lowers its corporate tax rate to 15% Israel’s business community will drain away in a country already needing a surgical remix.

Nearly every friend I painfully tell about our emigrant children has a similar story to tell. It’s like having a bad back. We are close to our older son and his family living in Israel, but now we understand what Alice said, “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” 

Dr. Goldmeier is University Instructor, Public Speaker, Businessman and Consultant
 





------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Picture of the Day



the fighter with the tzitzis is a boxer named Steve Cunningham. He fought an undercard match last night against Andrew Tabiti (Cunningham lost despite the tzitzis), leading up to the much more hyped Mayweather vs McGregor fight. He wears techelet too! I guess the "shmira" provided by wearing tzitzis doesn't apply during a boxing match, or maybe without the four cornered garment.....


------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

The Secret Fortune of American Jews by Rabbi Sholom Gold (video)







------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

One on One with Alan Dershowitz - Aug. 24, 2017 (video)







------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

the Haredi couple that fights against the abandonment of Downs Syndrome children (video)








------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Synagogues of New York (video)










------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Zusha - King (video)







------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Aug 24, 2017

Bet Shemesh to build Park Yarmuth with lake and more!

This week Iryat Bet Shemesh announced the advancement of the construction of "Park Yarmuth" to be located in between the neighborhoods RBS M3 and RBS G2.

The first level of the park will spread out over 200 dunam of land and will include an ecological lake! The cost just for the first stage will be 30,000,000nis. They claim it will be ready and open with a year.

The park will include a number of section of park equipment appropriate for various ages, each section separated from the others. There will be walking paths and bike paths, which will also connect the two neighborhoods together along with the upcoming RBS H and the shopping/business district being built below as well.. The lake will be based on underground water springs located in the area.

There will be areas of the park designated for picnics and barbecues and will be lit up at night. There will also be an area designated for a communal garden in which residents will be able to get individual small plots to grow vegetables and plants.

The park will also include a section for preserving some of the archaeology in the area. As well, there will be a petting zoo of some sort.
source: Shopping Bet Shemesh



------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Tweet of the Day

peek-a-jew at the ballgame







------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Discussion with a Jewish settler: Akiva from Yizhar (video)







------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

JIMM WEBISODE 1 SEASON 1 - Elul G-d Sent Us Email (video)



The premier episode of Jewish Inspirational Musical Messages! A New Webisode which will be airing weekly! In today's episode we explore the Jewish Month of Elul. 30 days to go before Rosh Hashana! Brought to you by the 4 Corners Project!





------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

PM Netanyahu Meets Russian President Putin (video)








------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Rapping Compliments To Random People (video)







------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Derech Achim - Mayim Rabim (video)







------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Aug 23, 2017

the Peleg is against kids brushing their teeth!

As the fighting and conflict between Degel and the "Peleg Yerushalmi" rages on, the Peleg people have opened a new school down south, in the town of Tifrach.

Without getting too involved in the differences and taking sides in this, the major difference between the two regarding the schooling issue is the taking of funding form the government and allowing the government to dictate even just a small amount of what happens in the schools. The Peleg people have moved very close to the positions of the Eida and Satmar in this regard, against what the classic Litvishe Haredi position has been historically.

Anyways, in this article in Kikar about the issue of the school, one activist in support of the school is quoted as having said that if he had children that age, he would send them to this school because "originally they thought the administrator of the local organizations was strong enough to oppose the temptations of the Ministry of Education in their attempts to influence the educational content in the schools, but recently he began teaching the children about brushing their teeth - and then we all understood that we can no longer rely even on him!"

I think this is hilarious. He wont send his kids to a school because they teach about brushing one's teeth. They think teaching about brushing one's teeth means government intervention.




------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Haredi Tinder


"looking for a young lady for a shidduch, a 30 year old good Haredi woman. The young man is full figured"..

how does one swipe right or left?

------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Chardakim in Lakewood

There is something funny about this, despite the main aspect that arouses anger and opposition.

The fight against Haredim and the army, with the attacks, verbal or otherwise, focusing on the chardak campaign, has already made its way to the USA, for the most part in Lakewood. Yesterday an avreich in Lakewood who has been vocal in saying Rav Shteinman must be supported and adhered to in his opinion on the matter was targeted by the thugs behinf the chardak campaign there.

They tossed piles of flyers with epithets against this guy outside his home.

The funny thing about this is that they just took a pack of paper and wrote some nasty things on each page and threw the pack outside his house. Talk about cheap. Put your money where your mouth is. They even got some lunch stains on the paper..

Behadrei has the pictures..

here are a few samples for your viewing pleasure...











so unprofessional


------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Renny unleashes the funny side of Tel Aviv’s dog devotion (video)








------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

discrimination against Sephardim in Jerusalem (video)








------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Synagogues of New York (video)










------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Yosef Kugler "Shira Chadasha" [Official Music Video]








------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Aug 22, 2017

Wanted: 65 year old woman!

The following advertisement was placed in an an advertising circular in Bnei Braq:


The ad is searching for a 65 year old woman and her 35 year old daughter.

why?

The ad says they were involved in an incident 13 years ago on the bus returning from the separate beach of Herzliya. The incident involved a dispute between these women and a group of ten year old girls. The woman said to one of the girls during the argument that she will later have a difficult time in shidduchim.

 Behadrei went looking for more details and reports that the age of the women is how old they were back then - though I am not sure ten year old girls can accurately asses age to know that this is true, but if correct today they would be about 78 and 48.

They were arguing about the seating on the bus and it expanded to fighting about other issues as well. At some point the lady said "if this is how you behave, you might have a problem with shidduchim. The young woman searching says that her sister to this day has still not found her soulmate, and she herself (the one who responded to Behadrei) has been married 8 years but has no children. They thought that maybe it is because of this lady's "kpeida" that they have had these issues and are looking to ask forgiveness and remove the kpeida. She says she knows where the woman lived and hopefully the woman will see the ad, as she is not sure if she would recognize her just by knocking on doors or walking up and down the street.

Crazy story!

I hope she finds the lady or her daughter and gets the closure she needs, and if she does that it should help them in their personal lives.



------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Quote of the Day

Also the "Kipot Srugot" today, in very large communities, mostly in the center of the country, are already borderline Reform. Anyone who knows how their shuls function and their prayer services - very drastic changes.. true, there are more with kippot, and they are more Israeli, but it is borderline Reform..

  -- Minister Aryeh Deri



------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Picture of the Day


I am not quite sure what is going on here besides this group of African Christians being in Ben Gurion Airport dressed "azoi"


------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

233 People Changed Their Lives Forever. (video)

There are moments in our lives that when we look back at them we say "that was when my life changed forever". To witness such a moment is a privilege and I was honored to be part of the experience with Nefesh B'Nefesh​. Thank you! 





------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Israelis: What do you think of Karaite Jews? (video)







------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Haredi vacation culture (video)




------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Underdos: Episode 2: Staff Meeting - Moshe the Gabbai (video)








------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

MORDECHAI SHAPIRO - Machar (Official Music Video)







------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Aug 21, 2017

Interesting Psak: telling Waze you are the passenger

Have you ever sat down in your car and used Waze, or even to put in an address while driving, maybe while sitting at a red light or while sitting in traffic, and got that annoying pop-up warning you not to use Waze if you are the driver and forcing you to confirm that you are the passenger, even if you are driving?

Rav Shmuel Eliyahu, Chief Rabbi of Tzfat, was asked if it is permitted to click on the button in Waze stating you are a passenger when you are the driver or is it considered lying.

Rav Eliyahu responded that this falls under the prohibition against lying just like any other time, even though you are not lying to another person and it is just clicking a button and in an app. Rav Eliyahu responded saying you are not allowed to lie because it is a lie. You cannot lie to Waze, you cannot lie on the computer, you cannot lie on the Internet. You cannot lie to yourself. Lying has nothing to do with anybody else. Not lying is for yourself. Don't teach yourself to lie.
source: Srugim




------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Picture of the Day



I hope his prayers were answered!

caption contest!


------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Palestinians: Is slavery allowed in Islam? (video)







------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Shaking in the Shuk! (video)







------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Rap war between African American vs. Hassidic kid (video)

wait for it..




------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Jewish Shark Tank' Helps Entrepreneurs Find Success (video)








------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Pinny Einhorn - V'emunatcha (video)








------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Aug 20, 2017

everyone needs a little R&R

 A chassidishe Rebbe vacationing in Italy tells his chassidim that the purpose of his travels is to gather that the sparks of tumah around the world and turn them into sparks of holiness. (source: Kikar)

Come on. Just say you need to get away for a bit and relax. There is nothing wrong with getting away for a little R&R...



------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Quote of the Day

In our generation there is a new phenomenon..a person goes to sleep at night, wakes up in the morning and suddenly he is a "Baba", a miracle worker... Then he oublicizes himself and everyone begins to go to him, some giving money and some not. Stupid people go and get blessings and pay money...

  -- Rav Dovid Yosef



------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Book Review: Rebels in the Holy Land

NOTE: I was not paid to review this book. It is an unbiased and objective review. If you have a book with Jewish or Israel related content and would like me to write a review, contact me for details of where to send me a review copy of the book.

Book Review: Rebels in the Holy Land, by Sam Finkel
 

The premise of Rebels in the Holy Land is that the history of the First Aliyah of Jews to the Land of Israel largely ignores the contribution and participation of the religious element. The First Aliyah took place during the late 19th century and was agricultural in nature as Jewish farmers from Russia immigrated to the Land of Israel (called Palestine at the time under the rule of the Ottoman Turks) and established agricultural communities. The First Aliyah was largely funded and supported by Baron Edmond de Rothschild.

Finkel explores the history of the religious element of the First Aliyah through the story of the establishment of the farming community of Ekron, later renamed Mazkeret Batya (in memory of the mother of Rothschild), and produces a fascinating story. Rebels in the Holy Land begins with the search in Russia for Jewish farmers willing to move to Palestine and establish a community there. 11 Jewish farmers made the cut and the book follows their arduous journey and challenging experiences on the way to Palestine, and in Palestine in the founding of the community.

Rebels in the Holy Land is chock full of pictures of the various people involved, along with ancient maps and images of the relevant people and places. All the main Jewish newspapers of the time are described and reports from those papers are included. The history is researched thoroughly and we are given much detail about the day to day life of the farmers and their struggles; their successes and their failures.

As you read through this piece of history you will be amazed by the names of famous personalities that were somehow involved in this experiment in one way or another - from Rothschild to Rabbi Mohilever to Rabbi Shmuel Salant, to Rabbi Yitzchak Elchonon Spektor to Eliezer Ben Yehuda to Ahad Ha'Am and on and on.

The second half of Rebels in the Holy Land focuses on the struggle the community had with the approach of the first shemitta they would experience. The struggle focused on if and how to keep shemitta. The religious farmers intended to keep shemitta to the fullest, but found their benefactor  to be less interested despite previous agreements. In this recounting we learn how the famous hetter mechira came about and who supported it and who opposed it. It seems to shed some light as to why the issue of hetter mechira is such a fractious and heated issue even to this day. The community of Mazkeret Batya insisted on keeping shemitta to the fullest despite the opposition and the challenges they knew they would face, and the community was nearly decimated because of it. As much as I thought I knew about the hetter mechira previously, after reading this I now realize how little I really know.

The fighting between the community members and the representatives of the Baron left me with questions, such as how much did the Baron really know what was going on? were the reports given to him skewed by his administrators or did he get reports from other sources as well? How could the Baron, who had found such favor in Mazkeret Batya until then - it seemed this was his favorite among all the communities he had supported - suddenly do a 180 degree turn and consider Mazkeret Batya such a problem? Were the people of Mazkeret Batya "double crossed" by both the Baron and his people and by the rabbonim they followed and nearly lost everything because of?

Regardless of my questions, reading Rebels in the Holy Land left me with a sense that I was reading about heroes. These were people who gave up everything to settle the Holy Land and got little more than heartache from everyone around them. There is a certain sense of tragedy as by the end of the book we learn from brief biographies of each of the founding members how things turned out for them. So many of the children became secular as they fell to the influences of the maskilim. This happens all over, but it is particularly tragic to see that after reading about how the parents gave up so much to keep religion involved int heir lives. Alas, this too is a part of the history.

Rebels in the Holy Land is an amazing piece of history that seems to have largely been left out of, or ignored, from the story of Israel and the immigration to it, and the foundations of Israel, as it is is normally told. People interested in learnign about Jewish Palestine and the history of Israel would do well to read this book. People interested in the history of shemitta observance and the hetter mechira would also do well to read this book.

You can buy Rebels in the Holy Land on Feldheim

You can buy Rebels in the Holy Land on Amazon.com

NOTE: I was not paid to review this book. It is an unbiased and objective review. If you have a book with Jewish or Israel related content and would like me to write a review, contact me for details of where to send me a review copy of the book.


-----------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------

Related Posts

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...