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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) -------------------------------...

Jan 31, 2022

burning gas to fill up

The news is reporting that due to the increase in gas prices tonight at midnight there are long lines of cars at the gas stations waiting to fill up their gas tanks before the price increase.



They are probably burning more gas/money waiting to fill up than the few shekels they will be saving by filling up tonight rather than tomorrow.

We should all be striking though, not running to fill up ours cars. Instead of rushing to fill up and save a few shekels one time before the price hike, we should all not use our cars for a week or two and pressure the government to cut the gasoline taxes. I read once that 60% of the price of gas in Israel is the taxes.




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Deri's exorbitant vacation and bad timing

I am not sure exactly why now, but Shas has decided to put out a cute election campaign style video ad. The ad is cute, and seems to be an attempt to start rallying the masses against the government from the perspective of the various taxes recently increased. But the timing is really bad.

Let's start off with the video itself:



We can discuss the content of the video itself, but I prefer not to. I only want to talk about the timing of it.

Just the other day, after Aryeh Deri agreed to the plea bargain in his legal case and the courts approved it, Deri and his wife went on vacation. To Switzerland. The news reported, with pictures, that Deri is staying in a hotel in St Moritz that costs more than $1000 per night. 

I am not one to comment on how people choose to spend their hard earned money. Nobody owes anybody else an explanation. He earned his money, he is welcome to spend it however he wants. Though, admittedly, I do regularly wonder how career politicians become millionaires, but that is beside the point.

Aryeh Deri earned his wealth, it is not for me to comment on how he spends it.

That being said, the timing of Deri spending that much money on a luxurious vacation while publishing a video crying about how poor some people are and how the government is making it too expensive for them is just weird and maybe insensitive. I dont get why this had to happen now.

People got upset and made a bit of a ruckus criticizing Deri. His son put out a statement saying he and his siblings sponsored the vacation for his parents and they deserved it. How they can afford to pay for this vacation is their business (though the son got a high paying job in KKL thanks to his father, sponsoring a $5k+ vacation - and that's just the hotel - is still seemingly a head scratcher). 

And all this is irrelevant. Who paid for the vacation does not matter, and is not the point. Aryeh Deri deserves a vacation just as anyone else does, and he is, or his kids are, welcome to pay for however exorbitant a vacation he wants. Going on an expensive vacation while publishing a video about how poor his constituents are is strange.




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Q&A With Rabbi Efrem Goldberg (Hosted by Nachi Gordon) - Part 11 (video)








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Palestinians: What should happen to someone who leaves Islam? (video)








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Israeli anthem at the royal palace of Abu Dhabi (video)








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SNOWFALL in JERUSALEM. Unforgettable Walk through the SNOWY CITY (video)







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YONI Z - Boee [Official Music Video]







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Jan 30, 2022

Quote of the Day

The Jewish Ukrainians will stand united with their Ukrainian brothers against the Russian invasion..

  -- Rabbi Meir Stembler, Chabad rabbi in Ukraine and head of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Ukraine

calling the Ukrainians brothers? Rabbi Stembler did not forget the history of hos cruel and brutal the Ukrainians were to the Jews, so it is strange that he calls them brothers. unless it is just pandering fpr the future. Stembler himself also said that while Jews have been in Ukraine a long time and have had good relations for many years with the Ukrainian neighbors, the land is soaked in Jewish blood, yet they feel part of the Ukrainian population. It is complex. They dont want to instigate more hatred but they cant forget the past. Calling them brothers is pretty sad though. I hope the Russians and the Ukrainians destroy each other.




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Haredi community irked by Doritos ad supporting alternative lifestyles

An ad published by Doritos in honor of Family Day has stirred some controversy that might even lead to a boycott.

The Haredi community is upset about the Doritos ad and some are calling for a boycott. In the ad for Family Day, Doritos depicted several families, some of which are various types of LGBT families, saying who said there is only one type of family? and wishing all types of families a  happy Family Day.

We know that many in the Haredi have already refused to donate blood via MDA after MDA changed forms from saying Father and Mother to Parent 1 and Parent 2, as per government instruction. They resumed donating through MDA after MDA changed the forms back for the specific yeshivas and communities.

Here is the Doritos ad:



Interestingly, a question was posed to Rav Baruch Efrati, head of Derech Emuna and a rav in Efrat, about this. The question posed was if one is halachically obligated to stop buying this company's products until the put an end to such advertisements?

Srugim reports that Rav Efrati has paskened one should definitely refrain from supporting "acts of Egyt", which is defined in halacha as lesbianism and definitely must avoid supporting male homosexuality which is prohibited in the Torah. Rav Efrati expands on this referring to the impurity of Egypt and that we left Egypt behind and the importance of separating ourselves from behavior associated with the Egyptians...

However, Rav Efrati adds, that even without the ad supporting homosexual lifestyles one should not eat Doritos as bnei and bnos torah should refrain from eating unhealthy foods such as these chips that are full of fats and oils and sugars and harm our health. A person should not everything his palette desires, like a dog or a donkey, but should eat foods that help him and are good for his body.

Ironically, the Haredi community might really need to see this Doritos ad as supportive instead of as combative. The Haredi community puts out very similar ads for all sorts of services, such as the following one for a health care clinic for the Haredi family depicting a family of two men with some children:








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Olympic medals from Ali Express

According to Israel Hayom, Israeli bronze medalist from the Tokyo Olympics Sagi Muki has had to send back his medal.

No, Muki has not bee found to have been using steroids or anything like that.

It looks like the Japanese made their medals for the Tokyo Olympics at makeamedal.com or something like that. 


According to Muki, the medal has started peeling and discoloring. And Muki's medal is not the only one. It seems a trampoline champion from China has also experienced the same with her medal.

Honestly this is surprising coming out of Japan, a country seemingly imbued with a tradition of integrity. This seems more like a Russian or Chinese or Israeli problem than Japanese. Yet it is a Japanese problem.

Hopefully the replacement medal will be better quality and not bought on Ali Express!

Get Muki the medal he deserves!






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Headlines Podcast: 1/29/22 – Show 356 – Who owns a yeshivah? Who owns a Shul? (audio)







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Reacting to some (Smart) Anti-Israel Comments (video)







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Wittenstein Moves to Israel (video)




Mr Wittenstein worked for NASA in a very significant way for many years and now upon retirement instead of moving to space he has moved to Israel...




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Lenny Solomon Live (video)







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Moshe Klein - Boee Beshalom (Official Music Video)








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Jan 28, 2022

moti weiss - Lichvod Shabbat Kodesh (video)







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Jan 27, 2022

kaddish in the Budenstag

powerful

the Speaker of the Knesset, Miki Levi, spoke in the Budenstag, the German parliament, for International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Levi concluded his speech by opening a siddur that Yad VaShem lent him that had originally been used by a German lad at his bar mitzva, and from that siddur he read and cried the kaddish, for the Jews murdered in the Holocaust.




Upon conclusion, the German Members of Parliament gave a standing ovation.

As I always say (and now there is even a book about it), the world loves dead Jews and shows them great honor.. (Jews do too, but that's not for now)




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Jan 26, 2022

Picture of the Day








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Belz mainstreaming Haredi public schools

The news is reporting that the Belz people (educational committee, representatives of the Admor and whoever else is important there) have been negotiating with the government to convert the Belz educational system and all, or most of, its schools, into joining the public school system. They would become what has become known as "MaMaCh" - Mamlachti Haredi schools. That is the public school system for the Haredi community.

If the negotiations succeed, Belz would benefit by possibly increasing the government support of their schools to up to 100%. As a private school now they get only 55% max of government support, and they always claim much less in reality. It seems they are in a bit of a financial bind and recent fundraising efforts have fallen short, along with efforts to increase support from Chinuch Atzmai also failing.

As part of the MaMaCh system Belz would commit to implementing full secular studies into their school systems with the bagrut testing as well. They would focus on bagrut in the fields of mathematics, English language and Hebrew language. the government would likely have to agree on no external supervision and inspections and would instead limit the supervision to reviewing the semi-annual testing. The level of support would also depend on the level of success in the testing, as that would indicate that they are actually teaching and studying the material and taking it seriously.

This is a major shift. The institutional Haredi community has vehemently opposed the MaMaCh system. Even if it does not work out in the end, though right now it looks like it is nearly a done deal, the fact that they have been negotiating, and seriously negotiating, is itself a big deal and a monumental shift in Haredi society. I dont know if it will lead to other communities adjusting attitudes as well and consider joining the MaMaCh system, or at least not opposing it as strongly they have until now, but a major community like Belz joining it is definitely going to go a long way to kashering it in the minds of many.

The Haredi community always claimed, especially about the educational system, that they cannot be bought for money - they will never change just for increased budgets. It looks like that is just a myth.





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seventy faces to the Torah

The Jewish social media world is hot right now discussing Miriam Anzovin's reviews of the pages of daf yomi she is learning.

Here is one example, though this one is on the "low key" end of the spectrum of her video reviews:



Miriam's irreverence doesn't bother me. I personally have a distaste for foul language (except in perhaps small amounts and appropriately placed) so this bothered me a bit (this clip does not have any foul language but some are riddled with it) but not because it was foul language on a holy topic but because I just cringe at foul language. I think her style is mostly fine and if her audience learns something from it in that style, great. Everyone has their own approach to Torah study and whatever does it for her and her audience and because of that they study more and become more knowledgeable in Torah and Judaism, great. There are seventy faces to the Torah. She is exposing one we haven't really seen before.






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Quote of the Day

Ahron Barak is not a stupid person. He understands what is happening here and is worried about what could happen in the State because of a decision in the Netanyahu case. He prefers things calm down and that is why he supports a plea deal. I am not interested in the situation calming down, I want there to be a decision. It is time, once and for all, to establish who rules in this State, the Knesset or the courts. In my opinion, we are on the way to a revolution. The public will not remain silent and will not let this continue.

  -- MK Moshe Gafni (UTJ)

them's some fighting words...sounds like he is hoping for some sort of civil war. 





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The price of Milky Extra

Just several years back an entire protest industry went wild over the price of cottage cheese and milky (a brand of pudding made in Israel). People were comparing how high the price of products is in Israel to the price of the same products in other countries around the world, and for most things it was significantly higher in Israel, even on products made in Israel - like cottage cheese and milky. The protests had some effect at the time, pressuring companies to drop some prices slightly or to at least curtail further increases, but I think most people realistically knew that as soon as people stopped looking and things cooled down the prices would eventually go back up. And they did, here and there, things got back to normal and everyone moved on.

Now Israel is going through another period of prices increasing. I am not talking about the new taxes on specific items like soft drinks, but in general, the main companies have been pushing to increase prices on most food products. They officially blame the known problems in the supply chain that have been causing problems all around the world, along with shipping problems as well , both making the raw materials go up significantly in price. People are upset, but so far no protest movement.

I want to go back to Milky - one of the original items that was regularly talked about back then.

I sometimes buy Milky as a treat. They have a couple of types, more basic ones in different flavors and fancier ones with all sorts of toppings that are a little bit more expensive. I usually get the basic ones when I get it. 

I noticed in the store that the basic ones and some of the fancy flavors went up in price. The price of the basic flavors is now what the expensive ones used to cost. Fair enough. Then I noticed that a couple of the fancier flavors stayed the same price. The "extra chocolate" and the "extra cream" flavors. I decided to buy a couple of those, as I usually dont.

And then I began to wonder...



I am not going to compare them to other flavors, but to each other.

Presumably either the extra cream or the extra chocolate is more expensive. If they are adding mroe chocolate it means they are cutting down on some of the cream. If they are adding more cream they are cutting down ont he chocolate. The containers are the same sizes and they are the same sizes as all the other regular Milky containers - 170ml. 

So, with one of them, and I dont know which, you are getting more of the cheaper portion at the higher price.

I know, I know. First world problems. It just struck me as interesting.

Of course I might be wrong and maybe the chocolate and the cream are both worth about the same so switching which has more included is no difference.

In practice, both taste great, and that's the important thing!






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Jan 25, 2022

Jerusalem in White

Israeli forecasters love to predict, errrrr forecast, snow for Jerusalem. They are almost always wrong, but every now and then it actually happens. Last week they missed on it, but now they are predicting 20cm, that is 7 inches, of snow in Jerusalem tomorrow night.

That is a nice snowstorm no matter where you are.

Will it happen? Even when snow falls in Jerusalem and accumulates, it generally is only an inch or two, and then melts quickly as the sun rises. 7 inches sounds like a pipe dream. But maybe forecasting 7 inches, 20 cm, is a way to be more confident that at least 2 or 3cm will fall and accumulate..

Jerusalem in anything is beautiful, but the rare or infrequent pictures of Jerusalem in white are really special..



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Eida protection money

According to Hamechadesh, the owner of the cell phone store in Geula-Mea Shearim that has been the site of many protests, some violent, might be giving in.

According to the report, he has gone to the Eida Hachareidis offices and told them that he is giving in and will get the kashrut certificate for his store from the Eida or shut down entirely.

That is called protection money. Let's not forget, this store owner claims he only sells kosher phones and kosher certified filtered smartphones. The protests against him were for his unwillingness to adhere to the demands of local askanim (that he get the store certified with supervision, and maybe other demands). He is selling only kosher phones, but that is not good enough - the protests will only stop when he hires them to supervise his store. 

Might makes right and the police allow it to happen. Though the police are often guilty of the same - of might makes right, not of protection money, so maybe that is why they are ok with it. 


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Six athletes will represent Israel at winter Olympics (video)







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Reacting to some (Smart) Anti-Israel Comments (video)







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Busting Myths about Jerusalem: The Real Tower of David? (video)








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Walk through the Ancient Jewish Streets of Jerusalem (video)







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Hanan Ben Ari: Makom, from the viewers camera (video)

this clip was built from viewers clips sent in to Hanan Ben Ari







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Jan 24, 2022

Tweet of the Day







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#78: Behind the Bima - R' Yitzchak Adlerstein (video)











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Jews: Why do you pray at the Wailing Wall? (video)








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Kosher in Bahrain (video)







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Lenny Solomon Live (video)









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Easy on Me Adele -Violin Cover Ariella Zeitlin (video)








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Jan 23, 2022

helping Israelis get in to the USA


I know the issue is far more complicated than my initial take, but my initial take is still what it is.

A few days ago the news reported the Minister of Interior Ayelet Shaked announced that the Ministry of Interior will publish guides for Israelis applying for visas to visit the United States. Many applications get rejected due to being filled out incorrectly or not clearly, leaving the Americans to believe that the applicant might be looking for a way in so they can then overstay the visa, so they reject it outright. Shaked will offer this guidance so more Israelis can get their visa applications approved.

This comes in light of efforts being made n the diplomatic front to get Israel on the no-visa list for America. That would let Israelis visit the USA with no need for applying for a visa. The USA has refused it for a long time, due to many who overstay their welcome, among other reasons, but now it looks like that day might be getting closer.

My initial thought when I read about this guidance to be offered, besides being silly (ie if an Israeli wants to travel to a foreign country the least he or she should be able to do is fill out a form) was that it seems weird to me that the State of Israel will put forth effort to help its citizens get into another country. Anyone wanting to travel should be on their own. Why should the State of Israel take it upon themselves to help people travel? They dont have to make it harder, but why make it easier? Let them figure it out on their own!

It is far more complex than that though. Israel wants its citizens to be happy, and part of that, for some people at least, is easing travel for them. Pretty much anybody who wants to get in and stay probably already can, so the government helping them increase their chances for an approved visa is not likely to raise those numbers in any significant way. 

Also, having properly filled out forms probably will increase the number/percentage of approved requests. If the US government sees the citizens of Israel want to come visit without suspecting Israelis are trying to sneak in en masse and stay, the efforts toward the no-visa list will probably also be more successful.

And it is also probably a good thing to help the citizens look like good regular people who know how to fill out a form and not look like bumbling idiots.




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standing up to THE MAN gets them nowhere but jail

Knowing nothing about who these people were other than generic "Israelis" I can say ahhh, Israelis.

On a recent United Airlines flight from Newark to Tel Aviv, a couple of unruly Israeli passengers made a ruckus insisting on self-upgrading their seats to some empty seats in business class, against the instructions of the flight attendants. Refusing to back down while insisting on staying in the business class seats, the crew made a decision to turn the flight around and head back to Newark. The unruly passengers were supposedly arrested upon arrival in Newark. By that time the flight could not continue, and supposedly the rest of the passengers were to be taken care by being put in hotels with food and arrangements made for continuing the trip on alternate flights.

Just the day before this incident an American Airlines flight to London had been turned around due to a passenger refusing to comply with the mask mandate. 
sources: TOICNNDans Deals

There is no indication that this passenger on the American Airlines flight was an Israeli or a Jew so it seems safe to say that there are idiots and inconsiderate people from a variety of communities and societies who are willing to inconvenience an entire plane-full of passengers for the point they want to make..

I dont know what any of these people are thinking when they do this? As important they think the demand they are making is, have they been living under a rock for the past 2 years, or 20 years (since September 11, 2021)? How do they think they can get away with such behavior on airplanes nowadays? What do they think is going to happen - they are going to be the one person who gets away with it and stands up to THE MAN successfully on an airplane and wins?



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Quote of the Day

Today we will approve a compensation package of half a million shekels for each family that lost a loved one in the Meron tragedy. This is a very serious humanitarian situation, and the government of Israel is offering a hand. The State should take responsibility, even before the conclusions of the investigative committee, which can still take a lot of time... this year the celebration in Meron will look different. We will allow it to take place in a safe manner. Whoever goes to Meron - does not need to endanger his life. I rely on the Minister of Religious Affairs and on the rest of the ministers involved in this. The compensation will not bring back the 45 people who died there but at least it will help the families get through such a difficult period.

  -- Prime Minister Naftali Bennett




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Headlines Podcast: 1/22/22 – Show 355 – Hashkafic Outlooks ; Tackling Literacy and Mental Health in our High Schools (audio)








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We Counted Palestinian Luxury Cars | (UNEXPECTED ENDING) (video)







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The Karate Kid: Part Jew [Interview with Martin Kove (Sensei John Kreese)] (video)

I had no idea...






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JERUSALEM, OLD CITY. Hurva Synagogue Square at Night (video)







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Shir Htzdaka I Shuki Salomon & Benny Friedman (video)








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Jan 21, 2022

CHABAD RELIGION - Full Album (audio)

some Jewish classics, as you've probably never heard before... Jewish punk rock






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Jan 20, 2022

Quote of the Day

Even if Avigdor Lieberman comes crawling on his knees we have no intention of becoming his partners  and not with this failure of a government

  -- MK Moshe Gafni (UTJ)

Gafni was asked about joining the government in response to PM Naftali Bennett earlier today expressing regret that the Haredi parties are not part of the government, and Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman commenting that the Haredim have no joined because they are unwilling to compromise at all but expect everyone else to take their stance 100%.

I get that this is in response to something other people said, but I dont see the point in asking Gafni and the other Haredi MKs every other day if there is a chance they will join the government. They have been very consistent in saying an emphatic no to the suggestion, every single time they are asked. Just stop asking already. Even if there is a glimmer of a possibility that they might, they won't announce it.




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Rabbi Pini Dunner - Judaism on Trial (video)











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Shachar Adawi - Quarter Finals Performance - Man in the Mirror (video)

SPOILER ALERT below


SPOIER ALERT.....


.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Adawi knocked it out of the park. The judges and the crowd loved the performance. This was a head to head competition and he beat his competitor by a lot. Shachar Adawi has advanced to the semi-finals




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Tomb of Abraham in HEBRON. Virtual Tour of Biblical Places (video)







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Devorah Schwartz & Esty Morelle (LIVE from the A TIME TO SING Concert) l Kol Isha (video)







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Jan 19, 2022

Sexual molesters on alert!

An "Admor", around 70 years old, was recently arrested in Bet Shemesh (just announced in the news) for child abuse and sexual molestation of minors. Details of his identity are not yet available to the public as there is currently a gag order on it. 

From what I hear, the only thing new about this is that he was arrested but he has been bouncing around from Haredi community to Haredi community for a few decades already with rumors and allegations about him all along.

After the Chaim Walder case came to light there was a lot of talk if the Haredi community will change. That seems to be the discussion any time anything monumental happens to society, such as elections, such as Corona, etc.

I dont know about sweeping changes to the way Haredi lifestyle is but I do know, and it seems clear, that the younger generation has turned a corner at least on this issue and will no longer continue just sweeping it under the rug. people are speaking up. The tipping point on sexual molestation has been reached. This genie won't be put back into the bottle. All molesters or potential molesters should be aware of that - the people wont be easily silenced any longer. You likely wont get away with it the way you used to.



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Let's not lose our humanity

Last night at 3am Israeli forces evicted a family from their home in the Shimon Hatzaddik, aka Sheikh Jarrah, neighborhood of Jerusalem. 

This is an old story, unrelated to the ownership fight happening in the courts right now regarding other homes in the same neighborhood. The courts actually ordered it to be evicted over a year ago after a long fight in the courts in which the courts determined several years ago that this family was there illegally. The City of Jerusalem had plans to use this structure for a special needs children school but, until now, had not been able to because of this family's illegal occupation of the home.

So after a long fight, last night Israeli forces evicted the family.
source: Ynet

I am good with all that. Actually, almost all that. This eviction was fair and just and the right thing to do.

The rule of law is important and this was purely a legal fight, not one of Israeli occupation and all that. People can't just steal property and then claim they have been wronged and play the sympathy card. I wish Israel would do more about that in other parts of the country.

That being said, I am not sure this had to be done in the middle of the night, and on the coldest, most dismal, night of the year. It could have been done a week or a month ago, or it could have waited a week, or a month. It could have been done by day (though I do understand the benefit of doing it at night to avoid protests and whatnot). While it needed to be done, it could have been done with some more humanity and decency. 

Let's not lose our humanity in the process of doing what must be done.




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chessed on the road

The new[ish] road in Bet Shemesh from RBS to Bet Shemesh, avoiding RBS B and shortening the trip by several good minutes is Nehar Dan. It is a nice big wide road with great views and good driving.

With the road touching the bottom of Nahal Arugot no one side and the Ramat Avraham (Goloventzitz) area on the other side makes the one bus stop right there relatively popular. 

Unfortunately for the people using it, the bus stop there is nothing but a pole with a sign but not yet an actual structure. That means people waiting there for a bus have to stand there in the sun, heat, rain, wind, etc. I am sure that eventually a real structure will be installed there, and I have no idea who is responsible for that or how long it takes but I am confident it will eventually get done, for now though bus riders at that bus stop just need to brave the elements.

Due to the kindness of some person or people, they will have be just slightly less brave now.

Someone put up some sun shade structures next to the bus stop there. People now will still suffer the wind and rain and sun but just a little bit less.




 very thoughtful and kind of whoever did that. I am sure the riders appreciate the protection from the elements. chessed ont he road


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Jan 18, 2022

Proposed Law: Term Limits for Judges

MK Betzalel Smotritch (Hatzionut Hadatit) has proposed a law to limit the term of Supreme Court justices.

the law has always been that Supreme Court justices have a lifetime term. They retire when they feel like it, if they feel like it, but never get forced out by age or by length of service. Smotritch is proposing that Minister Gideon Saar's proposal to limit the term of a Prime Minister should apply equally to Supreme Court justices, for the same reasoning. Saar's proposal to limit PM terms was based on the idea that too much power for too long corrupts. A Prime Minister in place for too long has too much power for too long. Smotritch suggests that the same problem applies equally to Supreme Court justices and with them the people never have the ability to replace them, unlike with the Prime Minister. To that end, their terms should be limited with the same parameters as those being set for the PM limits.

From what I read this has no chance of passing because it is an amendment to a Basic Law and that requires unanimous approval of the Coalition. This is basically an impossibility. Even if some parties in the Coalition would agree to it.



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Quote of the Day

You cannot sustain a Jewish army without a division of Torah learners. This is how it was by King David as well - half the nation learned Torah and half served in the army, and then they switched places. I am prepared for such an arrangement today - the problem is that the State youth are disconnected from Judaism.

  -- MK Moshe Gafni (UTJ)




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Headline of the Day

University president fired after trying to lure subordinate to his office with a knish

  -- The JC



I didnt know that knishes could be so seductive... maybe I just haven't had the right knish...




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Boca Raton Synagogue Hosts a Night for Israel - With Ambassador David Friedman, Ben Shapiro and More (video)







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Take 2 with Yossi Gestetner (video)








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Bridge Over Troubled Water (Official Video from ‘Be The Light’)







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Wandering Synagogue 6 (video)







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The Shira Choir x The Kiffness - Im Hashem Lo Yivneh Bayis (Psalm 127 DANCE REMIX) (video)

not quite sure what this is...






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Jan 17, 2022

the lawmkers role in Israeli society

MK Uri Maklev (UTJ) raises an interesting question (though this is not the first time it has ever been raised).

The government is working to pass the new Haredi IDF Draft bill. The government has a slim majority, and that majority includes the potential votes of the members of the RAAM party.

MK Maklev said to the RAAM Mks that they have no moral right to get involved in the draft law and vote in favor of it.

Presumably his problem with the government relying on RAAM to pass this law is that the Arabs also mostly do not serve in the army, so how dare they get involved in telling other people that they must serve!

I do think that any law setting the rules of service for Haredim should also have set the laws of service for Arabs. It is a similar problem for Israeli society. The only difference is that the State might not want most of the Arabs to serve due to potential questions and concerns of dual loyalties. Some surely can, and do, serve but passing a law requiring all Arabs to serve has always been a recipe for disaster. It is wrong to solve one problem and let the other linger, when they are very similar problems. If not in the same law, another law should be worked on to solve that problem at the same time. 

And let's not forget, this law (whatever the final version of it might be) is really for the benefit of the Haredi community. Right now they are obligated by law to serve just like everybody else. The fact that they do not is by the grace of goodwill, not by law. The draft law will finalize into law the granting exemptions and deferrals based on Torah learning. 

The question raised by Maklev is twofold, I think.

1. can or should members of Israeli society butt in on issues not directly relevant to them? Should Arab MKs participate in the passage of laws regarding other sectors not relevant to them? Should Haredi MKs participate in the passage of laws to sectors of Israeli, Jewish or Arab, society not relevant to them? Should secular MKs not participate in laws relevant to the Haredi or Arab community? 

Can the Arab MKs vote on the kashrut reform that is not relevant to them? can they vote on the conversion reform that is not relevant to them? at least in these other reforms they are not plagued by the same unresolved issue, but it still is not relevant to them. 

I personally think it is the responsibility of the Knesset Member, the lawmaker, to be involved in shaping all of Israeli society. They have to be careful to not be hypocritical and and not pass laws for other sectors that they would refuse to have passed for their own sectors, but it is the responsibility of all lawmakers to be involved in the shaping of Israeli society.

Additionally, when the Haredi MKs try to get Arab MKs to vote alongside them, their involvement is ok, but when the Arabs plan to vote against them then they must stay out? When do they have the right to participate and when not?

2. The question of the Arabs voting on something they themselves are derelict on is a problem. How can they vote on Israeli Jews going to the IDF when they themselves do the same? Is it somewhat hypocritical to vote in favor? Perhaps, but being hypocritical is no rarity in politics - sometimes parties are required to vote according to party and/or coalition discipline even if the issue is one they independently think different about. 

These are questions Israeli society needs to discuss and answer. It isn't something to be determined just by the person looking to gain from it. 


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Maklev won't let women serve but demands others do

the Knesset today selected a new person to be head of the Knesset Secretary- the Secretary General of the Knesset.

From the Knesset page on this role:
The Secretary General of the Knesset oversees and manages the parliamentary functions of the Knesset. In this capacity, the Secretary General prepares and organizes the sittings of the Knesset Plenum, advises the Speaker of the Knesset on matters related to procedure and custom, and oversees the implementation of the Plenum’s decisions. The Secretary General, or Deputy Secretary General, are present during the Knesset Plenum’s sittings.

The Knesset Secretary General is in charge of the Knesset Secretariat, which coordinates the agenda for the meetings of the Knesset Plenum with the Members of Knesset, parliamentary groups, committees, the Government Secretariat and the Government ministries. The activity of the Knesset Secretariat is a reflection of the parliamentary activity in the Knesset Plenum and the committees, as it maneuvers the various parliamentary items (motions of no-confidence, motions for the agenda, motions for a quick debate, Questions Hour in the Plenum, bills and parliamentary questions) between the Knesset Plenum, the Knesset committees and the various Government ministries, in accordance with the decisions of the Plenum. In general, the Knesset Secretariat monitors and supervises the parliamentary procedures.
Four candidates had thrown their hats into the ring for this position, including Haredi woman Rivka Ravitz (famously mother of 12, as this gets mentioned every time she does) who formerly served as Chief of Staff for President Reuven Rivlin. 

The Knesset today voted and selected Dan Merzouk (sp?) for the role of Secretary General of the Knesset.

Interestingly, MK Uri Maklev (UTJ) criticized the vote saying that the only reason Ravitz was not selected, despite being eminently qualified, is because she is Haredi. People who talk about women's rights are silent when it is a Haredi woman involved.

1. more than 1 person can be qualified for a position. I would assume all four candidates were qualified. Only one person can win an election - it does not mean the other 3 were discriminated against. If Maklev is going to claim discrimination, he is going to have give more information than just the fact that one is Haredi.

2. Maklev himself, along with the rest of his party, would never allow Rivka Ravitz to be elected and serve for them, so it is ironic that he is criticizing others for the same thing (even if true) that he himself would do and does. Maybe it is ok because the position is called "secretary" and in his mind that is appropriate for women :-) 





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Upselling the shtreimel

Jeff Goldblum modeled a new outfit in Milan at the Prada fashion show for men.




I think this outfit goes great with a shtreimel. The designer should have included one for the ensemble. 

And it even comes in other colors!











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Chumus in Space

I don't remember hearing this before but a little while back it was announced that  in early 2022, I think near the end of February 2022, there will be a Spacex mission to the International Space Station that will include an Israeli.

That it will include an Israeli is not the interesting part of this. The Israeli though will be bringing with him Chumus - chickpeas. His mission will be to try to row chickpeas in space to be able to make chumus so astronauts will have this high protein food available to them up there, locally sourced.

Yonatan Winetraub, an Israeli scientist, has designed a miniature greenhouse that uses LED lighting in which to grow the chickpeas.

From Arutz7:

Winetraub designed a project that will test the outer space potential of chickpea plants on the International Space Station in a tiny device he termed a “miniaturized greenhouse.” Special LEDs will be used to control plant growth.

“We don’t know if chickpeas can grow in space. This is something that has actually never been done before,” he said.

Other plants have been grown in space but never with a device to control their growth.

He explained that the technique, once perfected, will be important to growing crops on a space station, the moon, or another planet. The need for plants to sprout or fruit on command will be necessary as these will be essential food sources.

He picked chickpeas because of their high nutrient content and because they grow fast.

And also – most importantly – because you can make hummus from them.

“It’s, like — OK, let’s grow hummus! Let’s get it up there,” he said.


The biggest problem might be that they will have grown plenty of chumus but might not have any pita to eat it with. Maybe making pita in space should be the next project. And then shawarma.


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#77: Behind the Bima - Bob Diener (video)








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Palestinians: Does the Quran teach you to love or hate Israelis? (video)







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Bardak: The Police (video)







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ISRAEL TODAY. Walking in the Rain. The City of Rishon LeZion (video)







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KudshaBrichu - Shlepping Nachas - song by Dov Shurin (video)







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Jan 16, 2022

Tu beShvat in the Shomron: a simcha medley in honor of Eretz Yisrael and Yosef Hatzaddik (video)







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supporting the Netanyahus

Many "on the right" are upset with Netanyahu seemingly ready to sign the plea deal on offer (maybe some details still need to be worked out, plus while it looks like he is going to agree, no official agreement has yet been reached). People are very loudly thinking that Netanyahu should refuse the agreement, and prove his innocence in court. He might or might not be able to do that even in the best of circumstances, but his followers believe he is innocent without even the slightest doubt.

With the news of the plea deal seemingly a done deal being announced, Yinon Magal created a crowdfunding page in Givechak for Netanyahu's court case. People are donating lots of money and the numbers are flying. I saw it earlier and checked now and it is up to nearly 840,000nis, with the numbers constantly jumping with both large and small donations

Besides for the irony of many people who probably don't have much money themselves (among many who do) and regularly complaining about the economic situation - don't forget, Netanyahu's supporters are considered to be "second Israel', the lower socio-economic rung of society,  donating to support the court case of one of the richest people in Israel, I am not even sure what they are donating for.

Had the donations poured in a few months ago, I would get it. The case will cost the Netanyahus a lot of money and his supporters want to help out. If he does not sign the plea deal and decides to fight in court, having a crowdfunding campaign in a few weeks - I get it. But right now? as it looks like he is abut to sign the deal? What are they raising the money for right now when it looks like there very well might not be a court case? 






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Bowling will survive Israelis, and maybe evolve

We went bowling last night.

I was horrified by what I saw.

At the same time I am happy to see Israelis out bowling for fun, enjoying themselves, and seeing bowling as a real form of entertainment and recreation.

Yet I was horrified for bowling. Maybe I just like bowling too much and take it too seriously.

Here are most of the examples I saw last night. With pictures.

Nobody was sitting. Everybody was standing, and in the bowling lanes. There was parties of 4 or 5 people in a few lanes, and every person in the party was standing in the bowling area while the person was taking his/her turn to bowl. The problem with this is really being dangerous, in addition to making it difficult to bowl. The approach area in Israel (in every bowling alley I have been to here) is significantly shorter than in the USA. When crowding in the approach area it makes it more difficult for the bowler to bowl. Additionally, when he swings his arm back, he can hit someone with the bowling ball, not even taking into account the possibility of the ball slipping loose on the backswing and it hitting someone standing there.


BTW, the young woman in brown was only standing further back in this picture because she is taking a picture herself. Most of the time she was further up with the rest of them.



I saw a group sitting on the side chatting. they were not bowling. I dont know if they had finished bowling, were waiting to bowl or were just hanging out. One of the fellows in the group was bouncing a bowling ball on the ground. He was dribbling it like a basketball while chatting. Ouch. Sorry, no picture.

Then there was the young lady who walked more than halfway down the actual bowling lane in order to bowl. I dont know why she didnt walk all the way to the end and bowl from right in front of the pins, or even knock them down with her hands and feet. I guess she wanted a little bit of a challenge.




The party in the lane next to ours got rambunctious at some point. In the last few frames of their game, they started double and triple bowling and even more than that. Sometimes it was the bowler throwing two balls (one after the other or simultaneously), other times it was the bowler bowling one ball with others in the party immediately following with more balls. At one point they had five balls in the lane at the same time.


At one point I said to my wife that they are going to break it with too many balls clogging up the ball-return machine, and that if they dont time it right they will also likely hit the machine that comes down to clear the fallen pins. And sure enough they did. Both. They hit the machine several times.  After a few turns like this the machine got stuck and it took a few minutes for the technician to get it working again.




Then there was the group of  four Yersuhalmim who came in late (late meaning we were nearly finished) to bowl. The fellow in this picture was tossing the ball pretty far in the air. None of them had any bowling form, but they were having a good time and were not really doing anything wrong, besides for all standing in the approach area the entire time.



Nothing to do with bowling but I was amused when he took out a smartphone (possibly filtered, I dont know) to take selfies and pictures




Everyone was having fun so all is good. Bowling will survive. I am not that worried about it.




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