Dec 29, 2022

look away

Had I not alreadys elected a picture of the day, this would have gotten it..

despite voting in favor of Amir Ochana's appoitnment to Director of the Knesset, MKs Moshe Gafni and Meir Porush (both UTJ) put their heads down when Ochana gave his inaugural speech. Seems a little hypocritical to vote for him but then to publicly turn away during his speech, but that's what they did...I am waiting to see if Avi Maoz did the same or not





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Maoz isnt as extreme as suggested

In case anyone was worried about how extreme anti-LGBTQ Avi Maoz is rumored to be, calm down. Today he voted in favor of Amir Ochana's appointment as Director of the Knesset. 

Maoz can't be quote as extreme as his reputation suggests if he didn't at minimum walk out during that vote.


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Picture of the Day



PM Netanyahu put on a kipa and said the bracha of Shehechyanu during hsi speech at the inauguration of the new government




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Mazel tov

Mazel tov and wishes of success to the new government sworn in, led by PM Benjamin Netanyahu.

May you all work diligently and faithfully on behalf of the people of Israel and the Jewish nation and be successful in effecting improvements and good in our country.


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Sets In The City: Elon Gold’s Favorite People - FULL SPECIAL (video)

I hesitated because of a couple of less than kosher jokes, and I was surprised because Elon Gold is generally completely clean, but it is mostly ok. I think this is Elon Gold's first time posting a full set online..





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Palestinians: What do you think of the Druze? (video)







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Chanukah Night Walkthrough of Williamsburg, Brooklyn (video)







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Jerusalem. Lighting Hanukkah Candles at The Western Wall. Happy Hanukkah (video)







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PIECES by Devorah Schwartz | For Women and Girls Only (video)







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Dec 28, 2022

Quote of the Day

The secular population in Jerusalem lives off the Haredim, not the other way around. The big money comes form rich people abroad. The young neighborhoods and the secular neighborhoods are exempt from property value increase taxes because they need to be strengthened. Where do the monies come from? from the dossim, the religious people, in America, my uncles, that come from America and raise the value of the property.
For the good of the general public, we need to make separate cities. If the general population does not want to feel conquered, and rightly so, in places like Kiryat Yovel, Bet Shemesh, Gilo, and certainly between Haredi and Secular, separate cities is the right way to go. The Haredi interest has leanings in both directions.
If one is placed opposite the other: first of all, torah learning, as that has sustained the Jewish nation for 2000 years. The army has sustained us for 74 years. I would put 2000 opposite 74 and that would be the weight. I give more weight to the future of the Jewish nation via Torah learning

  -- former MK (and likely soon to be future MK) Yitzchak Pindrus (UTJ), at a conference discussing the Haredi population and a variety of issues affecting them


Pindrus said a lot there. The debate over mixing cities with varying populations versus building separate cities for secular and Haredi has been raging for a long time. Pindrus's position is not agreed to by everyone even in the Haredi leadership, but it would likely lower tensions in many places.

I am surprised he said the army has sustained us for 74 years, and not that the Torah learning has given the army the power and success to do so, negating the army's effect on its own. 

There is big money, and a lot of it, coming from abroad to Jerusalem and other areas, but I am not convinced it is as significant as he says it is, that it is the bulk of the money supporting the city. He would have to prove that.  





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The great Milki scam of 2022

I fell for what might be the biggest scam ever. If you are thinking Madoff level scams, think bigger.



That would be the Milki scam.
I had heard of this new flavor of Milki, but hadn't seen it around in the various stores I shop in. Recently I saw it in the shop and decided to by to try.

Background: Milki is a delightful Israeli pudding type thing that claasicly has chocolate pudding topped with whipped cream. In recent years they have expanded the line to include a variety of flavors like strawberry, vanilla, blondie, Pesek Zman and Mousse,  double chocolate, double cream puddings with cream on top. They also have other things like puddings topped with those different types of candy balls and whatnot and probably some other flavors I am not aware of.

They now have this new flavor, pictured above, which is purely a cup of whipped cream with these chocolatey puffed rice balls to throw in for some flavorful crunch.

I didnt take out a subscription to this, so I didnt fully fall for this scam, but even a one time buy to try is falling for the scam. It would have been much cheaper to buy a can of whipped cream and spray it directly into my mouth. A can of Rich's whipped cream is also better tasting than this, though this was fine. It was fine, but not worth the 3.9nis it cost.




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LibsOfTikTok on Tucker Carlson - Full interview 12/27 (video)

Chaya Raichik, an Orthodox Jewish woman, is the person behind the twitter account @libsoftiktok. She was anonymous until she was recently "doxed" by a hater. This interview is her first public appearance and first interview





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Special: Real Talk with Rabbi YY Jacobson (video)







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RYAN TURELL DROPS G-League CAREER HIGH 21 POINTS in JUST 17 MINUTES!!! (video)

go Turell!





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Meilech Kohn - Eish Tamid (video)







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Dec 27, 2022

Touring Eretz Yisrael: North for Chanukah

Last week on Chanukah we went up north for a few days. Here is a synopsis of what we did while up north.

To introduce, we had decided in advance we would do basically two activities each day, one free and one paid. We broke the rule on the third day.

We rented an apartment in Tiberias via AirBNB. That worked out great. The apartment was fine for what we needed, it was clean, fairly new, and it had an amazing view overlooking the Kinneret, and it was very close to the Kinneret as well.

On the way up to Tiberias we stopped at one of our favorite spots in Israel - the Turtle Bridge of Nahal Alexander, where you can see the soft shell sea turtles population. This actually used to be a much better activity than it is today - it used to just be a river you could go right up to, even go into if you wanted, and throw food in and see the turtles. Several years ago they turned it into a national park, free entry, but they fenced off the river so you cant go down and it is illegal to feed the turtles (though some people do anyway). You now no longer see nearly as many turtles as you used to (though maybe that is seasonal as well), as the food used to draw them out of the water. It is a very calm and serene place and the turtles are great. There is a park and open grassy area, great place for a picnic lunch.

From there we went to a horse ranch outside of Hadera, called (I think) the Cactus Ranch, or something like that. We went horseback riding along the Mediterranean with the water lapping up at our horses hooves. This was a lot of fun, the guides were very active and interacting with us and everyone had fun.

After dinner we went up to Tiberias, found our apartment, settled in, lit the Chanukah candles.

In the morning I went for a run along the Kinneret, including a section on the marathon route. After everyone else got up and did what they needed to do and all that we drove up to the Golan for the morning activities before the rain would hit. We headed out to a site near Merom Golan called מפקדת הכוחות הסורים - the Syrian Forces Headquarters (if you plan to go, that's what you would put into Waze). On the way up, just a few minutes before rriving we saw a nice lookout point that also had some sort of military memorial site so we stopped to take a look. It was called "Koach Nati" - Nati's Forces -  and it was a memorial to a platoon that fought in that area in the Yom Kippur War and many died. It is a beautiful site with a great view. Each tree planted there has a name with a qr code so you can scan it and hear the story of that specific soldier. There is also a tank you can climb into (I didnt but kids did) and move the turret up and down.

Moving on from there we continued on our way and went to the Syrian forces headquarters. Waze was going a little crazy at that point between Koach Nati and the Syrian Forces Headquarters, I assume due to the volcanic rock in the area. Getting there a few minutes later you pull up to a massive shell of a building covered in graffiti. This is where the Syrian army headquarters for the area was before Israel recaptured the Golan Heights in 1967. Eli Cohen, the Israeli spy in Syria who reached high ranks in the Syrian government, had been in this building in 1965. The building is massive, though I said that already, with a fabulous spiral staircase in the middle. The spiral staircase is blown out at the 2nd floor. You can walk up it or via the stairs on each side of the wings of the building and go to each floor or to the roof. There are sort of escape room puzzles set up in some rooms. 



From there we went to Amuka - it has been many years since we were there and some of the kids have never been there. They did change it around a lot form what I remember including making it a full separation between men and women, and the women's side has a little marketplace to buy tchachkes and other stuff they scam you into buying for made up segulas. From there we went to Meron to visit Kever Rashbi, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. 

From Meron we went to Tzfat. We had arranged an activiity in the Puzzle Room there. We have been there before but they had a new puzzle customized for Chanukah so we went again and had a good time trying to solve that. We had some other plans for Tzfat but because of the rain and by then everyone was tired we decided to head back to Tiberias for shawarma, Chanukah lighting and the boardwalk.
Then back to Tiberias for shawarma, Chanukah candle-lighting and the boardwalk.  It was already too late for the Chabad candle-lighting event on the boardwalk, which we have been to before and enjoy, but we walked around a little. It was pretty dead by then so we didnt hang out there much.

Day three we got up and packed up. We went down to the Kinneret and had some ice cream sitting by the water for a while. We then went in to Tiberias to visit the Donna Gracia Museum. This is in the lobby of the Donna Gracia Hotel and is a fascinating piece of history. We have been there before but wanted to take the kids to hear the story. Unfortunately there was no guided tour that day, so we took the self-guided tour using the app or website but it was not the same and not as good of an experience.

From there we changed our plans and went to meet up with some friends who invited us at the last minute to join them for paintball. We drove out to Kalanit for that and had a lot of fun, and a little bit of pain, playing paintball. 


From there we headed back with a planned stop in Holon for the Israel Children's Museum to see the exhibit called "Dialogue in the Dark" where you experience what it would be like to be blind.  Traffic was absolutely horrible but they were very forthcoming in letting us come late - many others were also late for their appointments. Some of us have been there before and some had not. It was an interesting and enlightening experience for all, and the kids asked some good questions at the end during the dialogue portion.

and then we went home to crash and get ready for Shabbos.

















.






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Tweet of the Day



this could also have gone in as troll of the day

PM Elect Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted:
Lapid, losing an election is not the end of democracy, it is the essence of democracy.
I call upon you to act responsibly.. accept the decision of the people, have an orderly transfer of authority, so that we can repair all that you damaged in the past year and a half...

Besides for the last line which is a cite troll, Netanyahu is telling Lapid to do exactly what he didn't do. I don't know why he thinks or claims Lapid isnt going to transfer power in an orderly fashion. I havent seen Lapid threaten to do so, but if he has said he wont, he should. Whatever Lapid is planning to do, a year and a half ago Netanyahu refused to accept the results of the elections and refused to accept his loss. He refused to meet with Bennett to transfer authority.

This reminds of another time he did the same - make demands of one PM when he himself refused to act in that manner. When Olmert was set to be indicted, Netanyahu demanded he resign so a sitting Prime Minister should not be indicted. Olmert did end up resigning his position and was later indicted. Netanyahu refused to resign before he was indicted and when faced with his words from the Olmert days he said I am different because I know I am innocent, so what I said does not apply to me.

basically, Netanyahu is perfectly fine making demands of others that he himself never intends to abide by.


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Quote of the Day

You can't establish a government that does not have Zionist parties in it or one that is dependent on non-Zionist parties... yes, the Haredim are not Zionists. Did you ask Litzman if he is a Zionist? I am telling you that it is belief in a national homeland, a Jewish home, settlement of the land, absorption and defense of the homeland... I do not think you do not love the land of Israel but to be a Zionist is to defend the homeland, to serve the State of Israel. There is no other Zionism. 

  -- Minister of Communications (outgoing) Yoaz Hendel, in an interview to Kikar Shabbos

I would note, Hendel was part of a government that established itself as dependent on a non-Zionist party (RAAM). I like Hendel but he is either being disingenuous and maybe hypocritical about this, or he has changed his opinion based on the experiences of the last government.

Hendel sounds like he discovered America, saying the Haredim are not Zonists. They never claimed to be, and they have only always said otherwise. Even though they have joined Zionist institutions where they even had to declare themselves Zionists (like WZO), and serve as full members of government, some of them even takign ministerial positions.







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Netanyahu's internal puzzle

As the new government is about to be sworn in, Netanyahu's last hurdle is the internal division of positions, internal within the Likud. 

Several Likud MKs have been making noise of trouble for Netanyahu, demanding senior positions "or else".

The Likud has primaries, and the MKs are positioned in the Likud according to the results of the primaries. Yes, Netanyahu has a lot of leeway and wiggle room, but in general the primaries are supposed to be the guide for who gets what assignmentss.

It is very nice that Yisrael Katz is extremely senior in the Likud with a lot of ministerial experience, but he only came in at number 12 in the primaries. It is nice that Danny Danon has been around a long time and has seniority with experience, but he only came in at number 15 in the primaries. Others as well, each in whatever slot they landed.

The top slots in the primaries were achieved by Yariv Levin, Eli Cohen, Yoav Galant, Dudi Amsalem, Amir Ochana, Yoav Kish, Nir Barkat, Miri Regev and Miki Zohar (in that order, after Netanyahu).

With all due respect to the more senior Likudniks like Katz, Edelstein, Danon and some others, plenty of other Likudniks came in higher in the primaries. It is not that I don't think they are worthy of the more important assignments that they are demanding - they are. But, they came in much lower than many others in the primaries, and the people who placed higher deserve the more important assignments. That is the point of having primaries.

They might be making some trouble for Netanyahu, but they should not be. They should accept the results of the primaries and their positioning and accept assignments relative to that. Netanyahu should stand strong and tell them they failed in the primaries so the more senior tasks need to go to the people who placed higher.


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#110: Behind the Bima: Special Guest - Rav Rimon (video)







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Israelis: Why didn't Jews come before Zionism? (video)








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Gafni wishes the Christian population a Happy New Year and Happy Holidays (video)





this is interesting that Gafni, of all people, would do this, considering the halachic debate surrounding this issue, and as several news outlets pointed out, Gafni has never done this before..


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Hanan Ben Ari - Ella Bee (video)







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Dec 26, 2022

Picture of the Day




Bennett and Netanyahu sat together chatting at the funeral of Rav Chaim Drukman today. They havent been seen together and supposedly have not spoken to each other directly for the past year and a half since Bennett became Prime Minister. I havent seen any reports of what they chatted about but would really like to know... 



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ISRAEL’S DEFENSE AND WEAPONS INDUSTRY ENSURES SURVIVAL

Dr. Harold Goldmeier is a business consultant and co-manages a small investment firm. He worked for US governors and taught at Harvard and in Tel Aviv.

Capitalism came early to Israel’s strategic defense and weapons industry. In the 1930s, entrepreneurs were delegated responsibility by national leaders for keeping arms and weapons flowing into the hands of Jewish freedom fighters. Their companies designed, manufactured, and supplied the nascent citizen army with small arms, ammunition, and explosives.

This month, Israel allowed the sale of a publicly-owned defense and weapons company to foreign nationals. It comes on the heels of a rising trend of foreign nationals acquiring Israeli companies. This sale is fraught with potentially ominous implications for the national economy and security.  

The defense and weapons industry evolved into an intimately intertwined tenacious web of private, public, and state-owned companies in partnership with domestic security agencies, Knesset committees, and the foreign service. Our military-industrial complex dominates the economy, influences public policy, and budget choices, and affects hasbara. It prospers from annual sales worth tens of billions of dollars in defense products and weapons systems for commercial, military, and homeland security to Israel and other nations. The partnership has spurred innovation keeping Israel ahead of the defense technology curve. Weapon superiority clearly deters enemies from war and promotes peace evidenced by the Abraham Accords. But the industry has had more than its share of corruption scandals in a Gilded Age of greed, amorality, and corruption in Israel's politics and business.

On October 19, 2022, RADA Electronic Industries, headquartered in Netanya, approved an Agreement and Plan of Merger with privately held, American-based Leonardo DRS. The latter was a subsidiary of Italy-headquartered Leonardo S.p.a. The merger created an opportunity for DRS to become a public company assuming RADA’s place on the NASDAQ exchange. There is a dearth of information about control and business plans foretelling management’s intentions for the Israeli employees and operations. This is consequential if not an earth-shattering event for the business trajectory of Israel’s security business.

None of the three governments publicly objected to the merger. This is probably because Israel, Italy, and the U. S. are strategic allies.

Strategic Defense

The strategic principle of war and football is, the best offense is a good defense. It seared into Israel’s memory keepers from past lessons taught to the Jews.

Defending the Warsaw ghetto was heroic but futile. The Polish Home Army sent 2 heavy machine guns, 4 light machine guns, 21 submachine guns, 30 rifles, 50 pistols, and 400 grenades to the 460,000 Warsaw Ghetto Jews. The Allies boycotted the uprising.

The anti-Israel cabal in Britain refused to arm the Jews of Palestine. President Truman’s administration and the U. N. embargoed weapons shipments to the fledgling State. Sanctions lasted in some form into the 1960s. France put a weapons embargo on Israel in 1967, blaming Israel’s preemptive attack. President Johnson changed the relationship with Israel. By 1968, the government signed deals with Israel to send Skyhawks, Hawk Missiles, and Phantom Jets and made loan guarantees to purchase them. The turning point came in 1973.

The Yom Kippur War was the signature event that sparked the explosive growth of Israel’s domestic defense and weapons industry. Henry Kissinger and James Schlesinger were disseisors in the Nixon administration. They self-enforced an arms embargo on Israel while the Soviets supplied and re-supplied Arab forces. Never again, Israeli leaders swore, will the State be held hostage and without its own arms and weapons. By 1988, JStor, an academic journal, reported Israel as “home to an impressive military-industrial sector which ranks in the top ten in total exports.”

From Pauper to Piper

The defense and weapons industry is led by privately held companies like Israel Weapon Industries. Its subsequent owner, the behemoth SK Group, and Israel Aerospace Industries,  complement state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and public companies Elbit Systems and RADA Electronic Industries. Three are listed among the top 50 companies worldwide in defense and aerospace, according to Globes (August 2022).

In 1970, former Israeli military officers founded RADA Electronic Industries. Theirs is a typical story in Israel about innovation and entrepreneurship.

RADA’s products are combat proven. The company developed high-definition digital video, audio, and recording devices for training craft, fighter jets, drones, and land-based, tactical, multi-mission radars. Radar products are compact. They can secure them to lightweight platforms. They can detect and track land vehicles like tanks hiding in deep forests, camouflaged sea-going vessels, and people on foot. The products can be land-based, or mounted to mobile vehicles, and ships.

RADA is pioneering technology to protect militaries and civilians from high-speed and slow-moving drones. They already installed their Ground Debriefing System on aircraft transferring data for debriefing and flight performance improvements.

By the 2022 year’s end, before the merger, management forecasted revenue to top $140 million. This followed a  54% increase in 2021 revenue over 2020. RADA’s takeover is more symbolically significant than financially impactful on Israel. Elbit systems sport a $7.65 billion market cap. Leonardo S.p.a. has a $4 billion market cap. DRS has a $2.9 billion market cap. RADA brought a $493 million market cap to the merger. For more information, see my articles about the companies on Seeking Alpha.  

Prosperity and Security

National survival depends on defense and weapons capabilities. People have the will to survive. Soldiers have the training, resourcefulness, and fortitude. Without a plethora of superior arms and weapons, all else is but existential angst. Selling off an innovative though the minor player in the defense and weapons industry to foreign nationals raises my hackles about the future of the narrow domain and supply chain. America did it in the 1940s. At Willow Run, Ford went from manufacturing cars to building B-24 Liberator bomber airplanes every 63 minutes. Israel with Iron Dome. Techno-centric defensive weapons protect our civilian population, allows the military time to select targets that minimize enemy civilian deaths, and keep a lid on escalations.

Israel’s balancing act for survival is tenuously bound by sensitive dependence on chaotic situations. Military preeminence secures survival. A healthy and innovative defense and weapons industry contributes to the nation’s prosperity. The trend of selling Israel’s companies and their proprietary technologies is worrisome. Haaretz (November 22, 2020) warned about the privatization of Israel Aerospace Industries in order to take it public leaving the company susceptible to any foreign national.


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Tweet of the Day






Haredi journalist (sefardi and loosely associated with Shas) Ishay Cohen discovered, because of an article form another reporter, that one small clause in the coalition negotiations between UTJ and Likud has UTJ demanding an adjustment to a current law against schools that discriminate and dont accept other potential students based on race and ethnicity. UTJ wants it adjusted to remove any penalties that are set in law (even though it is not enforced at this time anyway). Cohen's tweet says that this is nothing less than criminal and Shas cannot sit in a government that will allow discrimination against sefardi girls.

To note, this is a screenshot of the tweet and not the tweet itself because Cohen later erased the tweet. He hasnt explained yet, as of this writing, why he deleted the tweet, but he says he will.

Besides for the fact that Shas has not done anything to prevent the discrimination that has gone on for years, other than talk about how bad it is, and they thwarted all efforts to put an end to it (they think they can only support their own initiatives in this matter, and not when it upsets UTJ), I see another point worth making.

After yesterday's comment by Orit Struk (minister-to-be for Hatzionut Hadatit) that she is going to pass a law that will allow discrimination based on religious sensitivities (she was talking about the medical field, a doctor will be able to claim religious sensitivities in order to refuse to perform a medical procedure the doctor is opposed to), this clause actually becomes irrelevant. Once Struk passes her law, discrimination based on religious sensibilities will be legal, so UTJ affiliated schools will be allowed to say we wont take Sefardi girls "for religious reasons".

UPDATE: Cohen says he deleted the tweet because the journalist who initially reported the information misunderstood what the clause was referring to, and it is not referring to amending the law of discriminating in schools to take away punishments for such discrimination but for something else that I didnt understand. When I asked him on Twitter for explanation of the difference he didnt answer and another journalist retweeting responded that he said he didnt understand the educational budgeting details so doesnt know what ti is  (so I am not sure why he thinks the initial assumption is wrong when it might very well be right since he doesnt know what it is)

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Chanukah Trivia With Strangers (For A Donut) (video)








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World's Largest Menorah Erected in Manhattan's Fifth Avenue (video)








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HANUKKAH. Israel and All the Jewish People Light Candles (video)







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Al Hanisim | Torah Tech V5 (Chanukah Music Video)








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Chanukkah Rock - an Elvis inspired Jewish a cappela Chanukkah medley (video)







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Dec 25, 2022

coalition imploding already?


wow, the news the past couple of days has been insane with what looks like an implosion in the coalition "negotiations" (in quotes because they should have been finished already and supposedly were but keep being sort of reopened). Specifically with UTJ, and more specifically with the Degel Hatorah faction.

First, I get that they are at a bit of a loggerheads with their partners in Agudat Israel. Ok, they disagree on some points, want to share power and influence as equally as possible and have some things to work out. What does all that have to do with Netanyahu and the coalition agreements? work that out between yourselves. Netanyahu agreed to all your demands, for the most part, largely, and now Degel doesnt like that Aguda is doing x, y and z - instead of complaining to Netanyahu and demanding more, creating yet another conflict in demands they should just work it out with Aguda.

Second, for everyone who was looking forward to the coalition of a "full right wing" government, if this goes through and they dont implode before they even begin, dont forget that this is what you wished for. Nobody can seem to keep their mouths shut and before they even get sworn in they are already chasing one crisis with the next. Each MK/Minister-elect is seemingly trying to outdo the one who said something before and be more extreme.

Third, I dont know how this happened. The political parties that swore by Netanyahu and went with him through thick and thin in the Opposition and elections despite some probably pretty attractive offers to defect and support others are now doing nothing b7ut making it difficult to form a government. I think they realize Netanyahu needs them, giving them all the ability to make, sometimes outrageous, demands, but it still looks like they do not yet realize that they need Netanyahu just as much as he needs them. At some point he wont just not be able to continue meeting their ever-increasing demands, but he also wont want to, the way they are making him crazy. Will he go to Lapid and/Gantz at some point? I dont know if he is there just yet, but he has to be regretting the bedfellows he has chosen.

Fourth, I see nothing technically wrong with Goldknopf serving in the security cabinet. he is a politician just like the rest of them and he seems pretty smart and can learn the materials and contribute. I get that Degel doesnt want him in (though it might not be their choice), and I get that he said he only demanded it to show that UTJ is equally deserving as all other parties but he wont fill the slot given to him in the cabinet, but I think he can justifiably take it and fill the position and probably do a decent job of it (though he would probably just be a yes-man for Netanyahu). The moral issue is fair, that he represents a community that mostly does not serve so he should not be involved in making decisions to send other people out to war, when his own community is largely unaffected, but technically he is as worthy as anyone else.

Fifth, and last for now, Degel has once again expressed their opposition to taking ministerial positions so as to not share the responsibility of the government when making decisions that are in opposition to halacha. They brought it up again to criticize Aguda for seemingly planning to take a seat in the security cabinet and adding to the level of responsibility. 
Besides for the fact that Aguda does take ministerial positions now based on the decision of their rabbonim, so they should have no problem with it and Degel should accept this just as they already accepted the ministerial issue, this is a prime example of when there is a halachic will there is a halachic way. I havent understood how they differentiate in the level of responsibility of a full minister and of a deputy minister, especially when they negotiate that the deputy should have the authority to the level of a full minister. They are pulling a scam, and now they are using that scam to fight with Aguda who stopped using that scam a few years ago. I dont care about their fight with Aguda, but the concept of being a member of government and taking authority while supposedly not taking responsibility is a sham and a scam. 






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Quote of the Day

The Reform Rabbi once again used his immunity and like the last of the criminals is trampling the regulations of the Kotel Rav, via desecration the holiness of the site and desecrating a sefer torah. Soon this will come to an end.

  -- MK Meir Porush (UTJ), commenting on the actions today of MK Gilad Kariv (Labor) who went to the Kotel this morning to daven with the Women of the Wall and used his immunity to bring in a Torah scroll, which he also raised open (hagba or out of the blue?) (see pic below)

1. how will this soon come to an end? Kariv will remain an MK even after the new government is sworn in and will continue to have immunity. What can they do to stop it? I am curious

2. According to Orthodox opinion and according to halacha, it seems that Reform Torah scrolls do not have holiness (I have heard this over the years many times in shiurim and from rabbis talking about these laws) so how did Kariv desecrate a Torah scroll according to Porush? Unless Porush says Reform torah scrolls do have holiness...







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Headlines Podcast: 12/24/22 – Shiur 400 – Drug and alcohol use in our high schools – how big a problem is it? What can be done? (audio)







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Rabbis upset after Jewish inmates not allowed to light menorah as Chanukah approaches (video)







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Ana Hashem- Dobby Baum (Feat. Chana Ruchy) Chanuka MUSIC VIDEO Cover originally by Mordechai Shapiro (video)







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Bardak: The Sufganiya war, Part 2 (video)







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Ner Li | New Chanukah Music Video | Boys Town Jerusalem Choir (video)







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Dec 23, 2022

Bushy Shul Chanukah Kippalive Performance (video)







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Dec 22, 2022

how a yeshiva bochur's song became the biggest hit of Chanukah (video)

wow. I had no idea of its history!






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Bardak: the classic sufganiya, part 1 (video)







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Yoely Weiss - Haneiros Haluli | (Official Music Video)







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Dec 21, 2022

Hanukkah - New York Boys Choir - The Message Of The Candles (video)







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Dec 20, 2022

#109: Behind the Bima - Ambassador David Friedman (video)







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Peter, Paul and Mary - Light One Candle (25th Anniversary Concert) (video)







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Al HaNisim (All The Small Things by Blink182) (video)







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Dec 19, 2022

artifacts on the move

According to CNN, the Pope, Pope Francis, has decided to return three pieces form the Parthenon that have been in the papal collections for over a century. These pieces are dated to be 2500 years old. The Pope said he is giving these pieces to Greece, specifically to the head of the Greek Orthodox Church as a gesture of ecumenical dialogue. 

Rome didn't sack the Parthenon and destroy it. I think that was the Persians. But over time at different points different countries and governments looted it, including Rome.

Regardless of the history, if the Pope is in the business of giving back old ransacked historical artifacts int he name of religious dialogue, I can think of some other artifacts some people might like to get back, in the name of religious (though not ecumenical) dialogue, of course.

Feel free to reach out, Pope Francis.


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Quote of the Day

Our partners to the new government need to understand that we do not work for them, we are working with them. I expect everyone now to be more flexible and allow for the establishment of the government within a week. The public has no more patience for this procrastination

  -- MK Danny Danon (Likud)



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Does Israel have the right to exist? | PM-Elect Benjamin Netanyahu | #311 (Jordan Peterson) (video)







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King Charles dances with Holocaust survivors during Jewish community centre visit (video)

the lady he is dancing with is the 93 year old step sister of Anne Frank ...









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Israel’s Most INSANE Special Forces Unit? (video)








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Bardak: Doing it for the kids (video)







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Sruli Kletzkin - Haneirot Halalu (video)







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Dec 18, 2022

move the Kotel menorah

Behadrei is reporting that the Women of the Wall have submitted a complaint about the menorah lighting ceremony at the Kotel

According to the report, their complaint is that the menorah lighting ceremony takes place every year on Chanukah in the mens section, lighting the menorah set up on a small platform there. Doing the lighting ceremony there, with public figures, excludes women from actively participating in the event.


In their complaint they say this excludes them and discriminates against them base don gender, in a public place managed by a representative of the State of Israel. It is especially egregious considering the fact that there is a very simple solution - putting the menorah for the ceremony out in the plaza outside the prayer area where both men and women can access it.

I would suggest the complaint actually be that the women cannot even see the ceremony because of the way the sections are set up with a high mechitza, but they complained about participation which has zero chance of succeeding




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the greatest kiddush hashem happening tonight!

and once we are talking about sports and Chanukah, I will point to this week's Chabad Shabbos paper called Living Jewish that has the story of a Chanukah menora lighting set to take place at tonight's football game, American Football this time, between the Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Chargers




It may very well be one of the largest venues for pirsumei nissa, but I think people use the term "kiddush hashem" a bit too flippantly. I am not sure it is the greatest kiddush hashem as he says it is, and I just have no idea what hakhel has to do with anything that supposedly makes it an even greater kiddush hashem

Due to the timing of the game I definitely wont be watching it live, but I will look for video of the event tomorrow, after the fact.



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Interesting Psak: watch the World Cup or light Chanukah candles

The World Cup, aka Mondial, being played now in Qatar has presented an interesting question. Today's game will be the final, the premier, the biggest match of the tournament. Millions of people, some say over a billion people, have been watching the games until now and will watch today's game. The game is set to begin at 5pm, which is right about when we in Israel will be lighting Chanukah candles (some light at sunset which is 4:38 or so, and others light at tzeis which is 5:05). The dilemma many people seem to have is if they should light on time and miss the beginning of the game, should they delay lighting until a break in the game, should they light while watching - major problems. People just don't want to miss a nice portion of the game, a game that happens once every 4 years.

I have collected a variety of rabbinic statements with psak halacha relating to this issue, giving guidance and instruction (in no particular order).

1. Rav Dovid Karhi, rav of Moshav Zohar, along with the rav of Netivot Rav Pinchas Hacohen, and Rav Meir Mazuz, issued a letter stating that the worst thing people can do is delay lighting candles because of this game. It will also be pretty bad if people light the Chanukah candles with the television on and while watching the game. It will also be pretty bad for people to light quickly to get it out of the ay so they can rush to the game. 

The best thing to do, the rabbonim say, is to light candles at 4:55pm, with the television off, hang out with the family by the candles explaining that the mitzvos are much more important than the vanities of this world, and the longer you sit by the candles before turning on the game the personal example set for the family will be that much stronger.





2. Kikar brings from Rav Meir Mazuz, who seems to have related to the issue independently from the letter above the same resolution of lighting at 4:55. Rav Mazuz explains that the Chanukah candle symbolizes our  overpowering the Greeks, and Chanukah must come before the Mondial, at 4:55 lighting the candles and singing the songs calmly and with patience. The sufganiyot can be eaten later, even while watching the game - but the Chanukah lights and singing the songs that comes first.. He also speaks with derision about the sport itself and watching it, but we'll leave that as it is irrelevant for the discussion.

3. Kipa brings an interesting approach from Rav Chaim Navon in which he compares the situation to the beauty of the sport itself, saying that just like in the sport the players cannot just do whatever they want but have to compete within the boundaries of the time limitations and the rules such as not hitting each other and no using hands, so people of halacha also the beauty in the limitations within which we can act, such as when candle lighting time is rather than watching the game at that very moment, making it not just truth and faithfulness, but also beauty.

4. Rav Aviner says that lighting on time offers a broad swath of time in which it is allowed, as one can light as long as people in the house are awake and people are outside. But, it is better to light at the correct time and do it quickly rather than wait until later. Rav Aviner does think the Mondial is a waste of time but despite that, the rules of lighting apply.

5. Rav Avraham Stav says people should light at the correct time (tzeis) even if it means missing a few minutes of the game. If it is really difficult for someone he can light a few minutes earlier, as some light from the time of sunset anyway. Someone who will be leaving his house earlier to watch the game in a group at a different location should make sure to get home in time to light while people are still out and about in the area where he lives.

6. a rav asked Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi what to tell people - should people watch the game at home and light or should people watch with friends as they might prefer?
Rabbanit Mizrachi said that people should watch the game at home if possible and light the menora. Using a play on words from a Chanukah term about candle lighting she said, "Mondial Ish Ubeito". People are going to watch the game anyway, no matter what we say so better to at least tell them to watch at home rather than to tell them not to watch which they wont listen to

7.. Rav Ilai Ofran, rav of Kvutzat Yavneh, said this is a question he prefers not to answer, as it might be a social question or an educational matter, but it is not a halachic question. In halacha there is no such thing as an "important game". Not every question needs to be answered by a rabbi and a rabbi does not need to get involved in everything. Sometimes a rav can say, this isnt a question for me, you decide for yourself - leave me out of it.
source: Kipa,. for the last few)

Honestly, of all the answers I read (and there were others that I didnt bring because they were similar to approaches I did quote above), and they are all interesting, I happen to like Rav Ofran's approach the best. This isn't even really a question, and people can decide for themselves what they are going to do. A rav doesnt need to get involved in everything.






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Headlines Podcast: 12/17/22 – Shiur 399 – Chasunah Halachos & Minhagim in all Kehilos | Eight Chanukah Riddles - Win a Chanukah gift !!!!!! (audio)







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Israelis: Who is the most important Jew in history? (video)








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The Greatest Painter in Israel - I AM ISRAEL Movie Clip (video)








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Jerusalem. Walk from The Old City to The Tram Stop Through the Christian Quarter (video)








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Sevivon Sov Sov - A Bam Bam Hanukkah - Listen Up! Jewish Vocal Band (video)







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Dec 16, 2022

Yonina- Anim Zmirot (video)







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Dec 15, 2022

RACING from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem | Uber TAXI vs high-speed TRAIN (video)

fun clip






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They Asked WHAT?! Mental Health and it’s Real Life Implications on Psak Halacha (video)







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STREET SIGHTINGS: 'The unusual Torah ceremony' (video)







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The World's First Jewish Country Singer (video)







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Six13 - Elton Johnukah (video)







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Dec 14, 2022

Interesting Psak: Recycling Complaints

Kikar is reporting on an interesting psak from Rav Yitzchak Zilbershtein, rav of Ramat Elchanan neighborhood of Bnei Braq. 

The question posed to Rav Zilbershtein was regarding the recycling law. The law requires any store selling bottles that include a recycling deposit to also take the returns of bottling, returning the deposit to the customer. 

Someone asked Rav Zilbershtein if he is allowed to file a complaint against a store owner who regularly refuses to take back the bottle returns. This person collected tens of bottles over some time form what he bought and used and every time he goes to the store to get the recycling deposit back the store owner gives different excuses why he cant take back the bottles (only certain times, only certain days, etc). Filing an official complaint would incur upon the store owner a fine of 1800nis (for each customer that files a complaint) that will get paid to the customer. 

So, the question is, if one is allowed to file an official complaint against a store owner in this situation..

Rav Zilbershtein responded explaining that going into business has benefits, such as profits and whatnot, but it also includes obligations. The store owner collects money from the customers as a deposit for the bottles, and his obligation is to return the money when the bottles are returned. Even though the store owner is not anything more than a pipeline between the customer and the organization responsible for the recycling, he is still collecting the customers money and holding it until the bottles are returned.

Even though collecting the bottle returns might be a pain in the neck for the store owner, in addition to profiting form the store he also has to fulfill his obligations the come with it. He cannot just do what is good for him but has to stand by his commitments even if they do not give him profits directly, such as the bottle returns.

So, the store owner should be brought to beis din to be warned that if he continues to refuse to accept the bottle returns a complaint will be filed. And then, if he continues to avoid taking the bottles, one is allowed to complain and get the fine. The threat of the fine is for the benefit of the customers, to ensure they get the service promised to them. The store owner cannot just do whatever he wants but has to fulfill his obligations, and this ensures that.




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no smoking

Here is a law Israel should consider in some form or another.

New Zealand just passed a law banning the sale of tobacco to anyone younger than 14 years old. Anyone born on or after January 1 2009 cannot purchase cigarettes. Selling to anyone born after January 1 2009 is punishable by a fine of nearly $100,000. Additionally, fewer retailers will be granted licenses to sell tobacco, with the number decreasing to 600 throughout the country by the end of the coming year.

New Zealand is trying to make the country smoke-free by 2025, and this is an effort to prevent the younger generation from taking up smoking and getting addicted now. The point of all this is to improve the health of their nation as people will need less healthcare as they wont suffer form all the diseases caused by, or exacerbated by, smoking.

I dont know how things work in New Zealand, but in western countries like the USA and Israel this would create a thriving black market. Still, even with a thriving black market this will probably help so many people stop smoking, or at least not start.



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