Dec 31, 2023

Hamas Kidnapped My Son 83 Days Ago (video)








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Israel-Palestine War: "We Need Arabs To Speak Up!" Piers Morgan vs Jewish Actress Noa Tishby (video)







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street survey with Dudu Erez: why do they hate us around the world? (video)








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Lenny Solomon Live (video)









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HOMELAND CONCERT (video)







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Dec 28, 2023

Picture of the Day






The above is 30 million shekels (in various currencies) captured by the IDF in Judea and Samaria from the Hamas Treasury coffers...

Honestly, this is a bit underwhelming. In the movies and tv shows, this amount of money would fill a big overstuffed duffel bag, maybe even two. This doesnt even fill the desktop.



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Norman Finkelstein vs Alan Dershowitz On Israel-Palestine War With Piers Morgan | The Full Debate (video)







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'Wake-Up Call': Israeli-American Noa Tishby Warns US What Happened Oct. 7 Can Happen Here (video)







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"Released For Publication" - Rav Baruch Rosenblum goes out of his mind from these words (video)







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son of Matisyahu, learns in yeshiva by day, makes music at night (video)







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Daniel Elisha - Jerusalem (video)







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Am Yisrael U - Rutgers University | TYH Nation (video)







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Dec 27, 2023

kicking the can down the road

After much back and forth with different parties weighing in on whether or not the municipal elections, scheduled for the end of January, should be postponed again due to the war, looks like it is coming towards a final decision.

The news is reporting now that Minister of Interior Moshe Arbel is changing his position on the matter and is supporting postponing the elections to the end of February. His change of heart is tagged to the opinion submitted by the IDF stating that fair elections cannot be held at this time with nearly 3000 candidates serving in reserve duty. 

Postponing to February is smart. It requires no change of law as the original postponement from October to January also left open the option for another postponement to February. If it needs to be postponed again because of the situation with the war, that will require further legislation, but postponing to February does not as it was already taken into account and included in the last law passed.

It is the easy way out of this conflict and mess in the government. Unless the war is over by the end of January, the fighting over the election date will happen again, but for now it is easy to kick the can down the road and calm everyone's frayed nerves.




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coalition crisis over change during war

There is a coalition crisis at the moment regarding Minister of Internal Security Itamar Ben Gvir's decision to not extend to the term of the Commissioner of the Prison Services. Ben Gvir says he wont extend her term because she has refused to implement his policy decisions.

Ben Gvir says as the responsible minister it is his right and responsibility to make this decision. Minister of something I am not sure what Benny Gantz is going to bat for Katy Perry saying his entry into the coalition for the unity government was conducted under condition that her term be extended. Does Netanyahu give Ben Gvir the leeway to make this decision as part of the responsibility of his office while breaking another agreement with Gantz or does he put a stop on Ben Gvir to placate Gantz. Either way, this could develop poorly for the stability of the coalition, though Netanyahu will probably solve it by paying one of them off with some other benefit to give in on this. If it matter, MK Aryeh Deri is saying agreements must be kept so the agreement with Gantz's party is primary and Ben Gvir must take a step back. I am not sure why that agreement takes greater priority over the coalition agreement with Ben Gvir himself that gives the right to make this decision.

I have no idea why keeping Katy Perry in this position is so important to Benny Gantz that he conditioned entry into the government on this and is standing by it now. I guess he does not want Ben Gvir to have the ability to appoint one of his people to the position, rather than it being specific support for Perry. 

In general I think Ben Gvir as responsible minister should have the right to make this decision and appointment. Not only that but Katy Perry should have resigned form the position back in 2021 after 6 Hamas prisoners escaped form the Gilboa prison - not right away, but after they were recaptured and the crisis was resolved she should have taken responsibility and resigned. As well, if she disagrees with the responsible minister and refuses to implement his policy, as he claims, she should have resigned a while ago as well (the same way the head of the gun licensing department resigned because of Ben Gvir's policy of easing requirements for gun access).

That being said, we are in the middle of a war and I thought the public policy we are working with is not to change leadership at this time, and to not even talk about the possibility. if we can change such an important position in the middle of the war with security ramifications, why not also change, or talk about changing, who holds other positions and whether they should or shouldnt be replaced?


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Israel-Palestine War: "There Is No Deal With The Devil!" Cenk Uygur vs Mosab Hassan Yousef On Hamas (video)







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Michael Rapaport with Guri Alfi: I am troubled by the situation in America (video)








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Was the Yale logo stolen from the Jews? A prank call to Yale University (video)







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Lenny Solomon Live (video)








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Sarel Sofer - Rak Bikashti (video)







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Silent Cries by Amudim Feat. Alex Clare and Shulem Lemmer (video)







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Dec 26, 2023

Picture of the Day



even the President of Israel, Yitzchak Herzog, is getting in on the action signing a bomb and sending a message to Hamas.. Herzog wrote "סומכים עליכם" - we rely on you.




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#140: Behind the Bima - Volunteering Efforts in Israel (video)







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Piers Morgan vs Sam Harris On Israel-Palestine War And Islam's Impact | The Full Interview (video)







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Unusually hostile BBC HardTalk interview of Bennett on Gaza War (video)







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Rachel from Ofakim reveals her cookie recipe (video)







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Lior Narkis: In the end it will all be ok (video)







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Dec 25, 2023

Is Sinwar desperate or delusional?

I guess today we saw the first sign of life from Yahya Sinwar, leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

From deep in the hole in which the scaredy cat is hiding from the IDF, the big brave Yahya Sinwar sent a message the Hamas leadership abroad. Sinwar claims in his message to be leading Hamas to crushing the IDF as they have already killed over 1500 IDF soldiers with another 3500+ seriously wounded.

Sinwar also reported to Hamas leadership that they had destroyed over 750 Israeli military vehicles.

We are still looking for Sinwr, so the one thing he is definitely good at, other than at lying, is hiding like a coward while he keeps his people in the line of fire. He is not the type of leader that leads from the front. Sinwar leads from the back, and from 50 meters under the ground.

Obviously we know this is not true. Today we have the Internet and instant broadcast of images and activity from pretty much anywhere in the world, including from Gaza. We can see how Gaza has been destroyed. We know how many IDF soldiers have been killed. We can see how northern Gaza is now a pile of rubble. At this point they can hardly even shoot more than the occasional salvo of rockets at Israel. 

The days of the 1960s and 1970s where they could start a war with Israel and broadcast victory announcement about how they are decimating the Israelis and be believed are well behind us. That world does not exist any longer. Sinwar can say what he wants but his people know that Hamas is not destroying the Israelis. They had one day of success on October 7, but once Israel mobilized, it has been all downhill for Sinwar and Gaza since.

I wonder if Sinwar thinks he can fool the entire world with such messages, or if he thinks he can maybe at least fool the rest of Hamas leadership. Or maybe he is just fooling himself. Whatever it is, I doubt he is actually fooling anyone. He even sounds somewhat desperate. Or delusional.





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Tweet of the Day



continued by...







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More tunnels discovered!

And speaking of tunnels....

Over in Crown Heights, a tunnel was discovered burrowed under 770 Eastern Parkway, Chabad Lubavitch Headquarters.

A resident on Union Street got concerned upon repeatedly hearing strange noises at night. The resident eventually reported it to "someone". 

I am not sure who that "someone" is - was it the police? a city inspector? his wife or her husband? to the neighbor?


Construction workers near 770 were then surprised to discover a tunnel while they were laying a new waterline. Some further investigation led tot he discovery of the tunnel burrowed from the mikva on Union Street to the mikva under the womens section of 770. Not overly familiar with the area I looked on Google Maps and it seems to be about two blocks between the two ends of the tunnel.

The women's section of 770 has now been sealed off as being considered unsafe. It seems the tunnel has made the area unstable.


It seems to still be unknown exactly who is responsible for the tunnels and why they dug them.

Obviously this was done at a fraction of the cost of the tunnels built by Hamas in Gaza. They should have applied to Qatar for a grant. In the meantime, Qatar is cutting back funding to Hamas telling them to go learn from Crown Heights how to dig tunnels at wholesale prices.

Nobody thought it was strange these people were frequently going in and out of a womens mikva (on both sides)? They dug at night while women were using the mikva?




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Picture of the Day




look at that! Wolt operates in Gaza, but not in Bet Shemesh! I wonder what that IDF soldier is delivering and to whom...



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"You're A MONSTER!" Cenk Uygur vs Douglas Murray On Israel-Palestine War With Piers Morgan (video)







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AMUDIM: Israel 101 with Hillel Fuld (video)







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A Detailed Look Into Hamas' Massive Terrorist Tunnel (video)







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Jerusalem. A Vibrant Journey from the Market to King David's Tomb (video)







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Jewish community schools in Australia supports Israel with medley of Israeli songs (video)








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Dec 24, 2023

Quote of the Day

Israel knows about, more or less, where Sinwar is and from where he is operating..

  -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, when asked in government meeting if Israel is close to getting him..

yalla, you know more or less where he is? go get him! take him out!




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Headline of the Day

Gaza Deaths Surpass Any Arab War Losses in 40 Years


  -- The New York Times




Wow. It is clear they did some serious research for this article over at The New York Times. Real comprehensive study. I wonder if they research all their articles with as much care to detail as they did this article...



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Interesting Psak: Davening for Israel

Rav Ahron Feldman, Rosh Yeshiva of Ner Israel in Baltimore, is in Israel and paid a visit to Rav Moshe Shternbuch, Raavad of the Eida Hachareidis.

Rav Feldman asked Rav Shternbuch how to daven in these times - should we daven for the success of the State of Israel - what nusach should be used?

Rav Shternbuch answered that we should daven that the name of Hashem will be sanctified across the world and that no Jew should suffer.

Rav Shternbuch mused - it would seem the two are a contradiction, and how can they exist together? We are not the guardians of that - that is not our problem and do not need to explain it or figure out how they go together.
source: Haredim10



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Book Review: My Israel: Seventy Faces of the Land


Triggers

Dr. Harold Goldmeier is a free public speaker for community groups and consults businesses and NGOs on management and marketing. He manages an investment company and writes about business, social, and political issues. He can be reached a harold.goldmeier@gmail.com

Triggers, those fleeting moments when a sound, a smell, a word reminds us of a happy or sad time. Living in Israel, my wife and I are triggered daily with memories of our youngest son in uniform and soldiers everywhere now. He was taken by demons and Dybbuks three years ago. We smile when we see a soldier with his girlfriend or boyfriend and an M-16 slung over their shoulder.  Or, we hear the breaking news stories about the murders of young kidnapped hostages by Hamas captors and their bodies left alone and unfound for multiple days. We wince and tear up. It was four days before his brother found our boy’s body.

We are triggered by the spirit of the Mom of a Hamas-taken hostage killed by “friendly fire;” she forgives the soldiers while demonstrating grace and empathy. We think about our youngest son. He was a sergeant in the IDF. We wonder if the young man might have gone on with his life to become a biochemist, construction worker, songwriter, and author like ours? Jews say the memorial prayer for a year after a parent or sibling dies because their faces and voices fade with time. You never forget a lost child, so Kaddish is 30 days long; his face never fades, and we hear his laugh even now. His smile lasts forever. 


I picked up a book last week by Nechemia J. Peres and Ilan Greenfield. MyIsrael: Seventy Faces of the Land (Gefen Publishing House, 2023, 213 pages). It triggers memories of the old land of Israel we came to know and love before Black Sabbath, October 7th. It is a beautiful picture book and stories from 70 individual Israelis sharing “what they consider to be My Israel.”

They are memory keepers focusing on the land, not the politics, on the vibrant life, not the dissension endemic in a vibrant democracy, on the peace in rural Israel, not the constant din of war and terrorist attacks at bus stops and synagogues. When there are no rocket attacks from Gaza or raids into the West Bank. Pictures and their 70 stories about the land and its olive trees, monuments, parks, farms, and urban development settle the soul in days of anguish.

Peres makes a prophetic observation in the Preface about the collection: “It is a story of human spirit… We had neither mountains nor wide rivers that could slow down potential invaders.” Only people rising to the heights of storybook heroes, only their keen minds and willpower kept invading barbarians at bay. Israeli identities are nourished by diversity, as one contributor reports, who are Black and white and brown,  “Druze, soldier, intelligence agent, IDF officer, businessman, and more. In every role…” comprise this country.

Now, death triggers us every day. We pretend everything is ok. We try to “thrive and grow strong, from one generation to another,” as Peres claims we must. Hope is in the triggers of a hostage’s widow who births and coddles a newborn and the sweet face of a blond four-year-old hostage returning to friends at school after the barbarians kidnapped her for trade. I linger over the full-page picture of children at Bustan Thom’s Orchard slugging a stone wheel to crush pomegranate seeds for juice on a summer desert day. 

The book is an escape from the grisliness of daily life. Our building rumbles, closed doors shiver and windows shake when warning sirens blare and the Iron Dome intercepts Hamas rockets above. Blast waves from mass explosions in Gaza fly across miles of land and hit our building. My Israel reminds me of what living was like. The book inspires us to think about what could be for us and our neighbors again. The book provides moments of sanctuary and should be read during wartime to keep one’s triggers from unhinging our minds.   


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Picture of the Day





That is Yisrael Dovid Weiss of the Neturei Karta from Monsey participating in a conference supporting Hamas in Tehran, Iran on Shabbos


This normally would have been an image I would just pass over but just yesterday I read an article in Mishpacha magazine (Hebrew edition) that reviewed the history of Neturei Karta (including interviews of people involved), how it was formed and what they do and the like and how they have changed over the years so this struck me as interesting at the moment I saw it.



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Halacha Headlines: 12/23/23 – Shiur 448 – Is Israel an “occupier” of Palestinian land? Who owns “from the River to the Sea”? (audio)








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Israel-Palestine War: "These Justifications Are WEAK!" Dr. Cornel West Slams Israel Supporter (video)







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Would College Students Donate to Support the Killing of Jews (video)







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Lenny Solomon Live (video)








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URI DAVIDI - The Connection Is YOU (video)







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Shir Lamaalot - Hila Ben David | Psalm 121 (video)







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Dec 23, 2023

Moti Weiss - Shavua Tov Yoter (video)







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Dec 22, 2023

Mass-Singing event for IDF soldiers and displaced citizens: Mee Shebeirach, Maoz Tzur, Eretz Tzvi and Lo Tenatzchu Oti (video)







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Dec 21, 2023

Noa Tishby: How dare you Greta Thunberg? (video)








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"Israel Are Fighting For Survival!" Piers Morgan Debates Hamas' Threat To Israel With Niall Ferguson (video)









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what will the Haredim do after the war? Shaul Amsterdamski interviews Rav Yonatan Rice (video)








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Moshe Korsia: There will be no more war (video)







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The Solomon Brothers-שבורי לב (BROKEN HEARTS) COVER OF חנן בן ארי (video)

Honored to have been asked, once again, in collaboration with Yehuda Solomon to participate in Amudim #UniteToHeal campaign, raising funds and awareness for those struggling with mental health, abuse and addiction. Following last year’s hit for the event ft. our collaboration with ישי ריבו - Ishay Ribo, we, once again, decided to take another hit Israel song and bring it to life for English-speaking fans. It’s my pleasure to present our version of Hanan Ben Ari - חנן בן ארי ‘Shvurei Lev.’ May god heal all broken hearts.







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Dec 20, 2023

fighting like kids

There is a little bit of a spat going on in the government. It may be nothing and lead to nothing, because they both know they need each other, or it may become a coalition crisis.

The War Cabinet announced that it has approved the advances of the head of the Mossad to talk with Hamas and negotiate the release of more hostages in exchange for prisoners in Israeli prisons including heavy terrorists - terrorists with real blood on their hands, not just people guilty of stabbing attempts and the like as were previously released. They would consider releasing big guns for a further hostage release, if the conditions are right and an agreement can be reached.

In response, Betzalel Smotritch, who has several times been refused his demand to be added to the War Cabinet, commented with a sharp statement saying the War Cabinet should be sending the Mossad out to find and kill the heads of Hamas, not to talk and negotiate with them. 

Boom! Nice

In response, the Likud commented saying it is upsetting that the Finance Minister tweeted things that have no basis. PM Netanyahu has already instructed the Mossad to assassinate the heads of Hamas wherever they may be, just as he instructed the Finance Minister to open the faucets and take care that money will get to our citizens, to businesses, to the evacuees, to the soldiers and to the Reservists.

Weak, but ok. 

And in response, Smotritch commented back that the only faucets the Prime Minister pressured the Finance Minister to open with all sorts of trickery are the ones meant to send money to the Palestinians to pass on to Hamas in Gaza. It is a good thing the Finance Minister is standing in the breach and setting a red line.

Ok, but also weak.

A better, sharper, response, in my opinion, for Smotritch to say would have been the only faucets the Prime Minister is instructing to open are the water and fuel faucets in Gaza.

Will this fizzle out because they can't let it turn into a real crisis or will they get fed up with each other and decide they can no longer work together and break up the coalition? Time will tell but infighting between coalition members is never good (for the coalition)...







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Interesting Psak: Overcrowded buses

According to Kikar, Rav Yitzchak Zilbershtein, rav of Ramat Elchonon neighbrohood of Bnei Braq, was asked an old question that was famously discussed by Rav Moshe Feinstein.

A teacher in a Haredi seminar asked Rav Zilbershtein about how to handle the bus situation. The buses are very crowded in the morning and evening when men go to kollel, yeshiva and seminary students go to learn, kids go to school, teachers go to teach.. There are not enough buses on the lines, so the ones that do run are very crowded at the busy hours of the day.

The issue with this is, it is so crowded it can lead to breaches of tzniyus, men and women touching as the bus hurtles forward, brakes, jerks around turns, etc. 

While they have approached the askanim to arrange more buses at the busy hours, until then, what should one do about this situation? As long as the situation stays the same is one even allowed to travel on these buses?

Rav Zilbershtein responded that Rav Moshe Feinstein related to a similar question in New York on public transportation and had paskened that such contact is not intentional and is not categorized as touching of any intimacy or desire and is not even prohibited on a rabbinic level, so one could ride on a crowded subway train or bus, even knowing that at times it will cause people to touch.

Rav Zilbershtein continues and says that today's situation is different than the one Rav Moshe related to back then. In Rav Moshe's time he was talking about married men going to work, they were not interested in the other women. Additionally they were traveling distances that could not be accomplished by walking as an alternative. Today's situation being asked about is different as it involved young men and women going to yeshiva and seminary. At such a young age they have desires and their "yetzer" burns inside like a fire, and it will definitely cause improper thoughts.

Ergo, Rav Zilbershtein paskened, if a bus is overcrowded and one cannot travel with men and women separated as would be proper, even Rav Moshe would agree that one cannot alight such a bus - neither men nor women. How can one begin his or her day and succeed in learning when he or she travels without kedusha! Additionally, usually the distance involved is not so great and walking is a viable alternative, so the bus in such a situation is unacceptable.

Rav Zilbershtein added that nowadays with a situation of danger, it is even worse, because the care for tzniyus protects us. Lessening the kedusha leaves us exposed to the dangers.

I guess that is one way to relieve the buses of being overcrowded.. if the other methods dont work...

I do wonder about the statement that married men have no yetzer and do not have such thoughts or interests in the women around them. I wonder if Rav Moshe would have agreed to such a distinction.






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Troll of the Day

I promise you I have served more days of miluim, reserve duty in the army, than the head of your party [Betzalel Smotritch]. I do not accept this preaching..

  -- Minister of Interior Moshe Arbel responding to the attack on Arbel by MK Michal Waldiger for insisting on holding the municipal elections at the end of January during a war and not agreeing to postpone it. Smotritch served an abbreviated army service at age 28.

Arbel is cute and that's a wicked troll but the story isnt Smotritch. Smotritch has a valid complaint that many of the candidates in the upcoming municipal elections, along with staff and campaigners and whatnot, are serving in miluim now and unable to campaign for the elections.




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New Rule: From the River to the Sea | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO) (video)








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Israel-Hamas War: Piers Morgan Asks Mark Regev About IDF Killing Hostages And Names On Bombs (video)







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Fox News Hannity Interviews Noa Tishby on removal of CAIR from White House strategy on Antisemitism (video)







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PRAYER FOR THE IDF - Yaakov Lemmer | Chai Lifeline Evening of Unity (video)








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Shalva Band: Shalom Aleichem (video)







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Dec 19, 2023

Tweet of the Day






lol


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Quote of the Day

Whoever has a treif telephone - he should know he is responsible for the current situation, for the murders. There are secular Jews who are mistaken and don't know, but this sin has creeped in to the Haredi community as well, and that distances the shchina..

  -- Rav Moshe Tzadka, Rosh Yeshiva of Porat Yosef.

At least he isnt blaming it on the women and lack of tzniyut. I guess. That's novel.



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making fun of who?

I was in Jerusalem recently and saw the following sign advertised on a bus. I thought it was creative and cute, if a bit offensive...



The advertisement reads:
Custom wig? Transparent lace top wig?
Pull a fast one over on somebody else,
Not on God

Now I have been sent another ad in a similar style also on Jerusalem buses..



is this sign in response to the previous ad - dont make fun of people with wigs, make fun of someone else -  or is this a follow up ad supprting the original, saying - don't laugh at God, dont pull a fast one over on Him, make fun of someone else... ? 

Why is one in English? 

And are there other signs in the series that I might have missed?

It seems t me, from the style, besides for the English, it looks to be from the same people and likely in support of the original... maybe it is in English because they think the people who wear custom or lace top wigs are mostly women from the English-speaking communities so they posted it in English to target them. . Personally, even if that is what some people think, I do not think it is true and Israeli women wear the fancier sheitels just as much as anyone else. 




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Interesting Psak: fasting while fighting

This year, this week, we get to experience the relatively rare Friday fast day, with Asara B'Teves falling out this Friday. 

The IDF Rabbinate has paskened that IDF soldiers who are in combat must eat rather than fast this Friday. Soldiers in combat have to be battle fit, ready for any military ops at all times and cant be worn out, tired, sick, from fasting. 

The above applies to combat soldiers and equally to soldiers who are not yet in combat but could be sent into combat at any moment. Additionally, it applies to soldiers in other security roles including guard duty on various bases not on the front lines.

And additionally, the above applies to mechanics who must keep vehicles and planes ready and in combat shape - anybody who must be ready for physical activity for the war effort. 

The IDF Rabbinate explained further that anyone who needs to eat on the fast for combat reasons must eat regularly and normally without hiding the food from others. Anyone who must eat for combat purposes and then at some point during the day no longer needs to, should fast the rest of the day. 

Soldiers serving in non-combat roles but in combat support roles, such as in control rooms and other support roles should do their work on 10 Teves without eating but anyone who feels his functioning is slacking because of the fast should ask the rav of his unit to weigh the requirements and capabilities of any specific role and may be able to eat and drink. 

There are a lot of soldiers not in combat but waiting to be given orders. In the meantime they are hanging out in the staging areas near the Gaza border and active in training to prepare for possible entry. The IDF Rabbinate paskened for these soldiers to continue training as normal and as needed even if that means they wont be able to fast. 
source: Kipa, Srugim




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Dec 18, 2023

UTJ clarifications

UTJ issued two clarifications a short while ago:
1. regarding municipal elections, they are in favor of postponing the elections until the end of February because of the war
2. Regarding the issue of taxing the sugary drinks - they are in favor of an educational campaign to teach people about the dangers of consuming too much sugar, but they are against doing it via a tax which is only damaging (ie costs people money)

Thoughts:
 Regarding #1 - interesting. I wonder why. At most they should not care or take a position,  and at least they should be in favor of keeping it as scheduled by law as it seemingly helps them. I wonder why they are in favor of postponing.

Regarding #2 - this morning it was reported that the Aguda faction of UTJ led by Minister Goldknopf is against the tax. Yesterday it was reported that Gafni was ok with it. Now UTJ is saying no tax. I wonder if Gafni wasnt really in favor and the report yesterday was premature or if Goldknopf's veto is simply overriding. Additionally, it will be interesting to see what happens next - my assumption is that if UTJ doesnt get on board this idea will be dropped as per coalition agreements rather than making a coalition crisis. It was be especially interesting if Smotritch tries to keep it alive for a while, strengthening my initial thought I mentioned yesterday that this might be revenge for Arbel's insistence on keeping the election date for the end of January



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Picture of the Day


Israeli forces in Gaza found a suitcase of cash containing 5 million shekels, next to a cache of weapons in the home of a senior Hamas terrorist.

No wiring money or dealing in crypto currencies for Hamas. As they say, cash is king.

What should Israel do with the money? Spend it on some Iron Dome rockets? Spend it on munitions that will be used to destroy Hamas facilities in Gaza? Use it to rebuild communities destroyed by Gaza? Treat every Israeli soldier and evacuee to a free ice cream cone from Katzefet or Golda?






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#139: Behind the Bima - Reflections on Recent Missions to Israel (video)








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The Full History of Hamas (video)







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IDF Rabbinate: and what is the small pocket for? (video)







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The Travelling Jew (video)







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Shuli Rand: Ani Maamin (video)

 





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Dec 17, 2023

Quote of the Day

Candidates who desecrate the holiness if the IDF uniform and deal in politics while wearing the uniform are breaking the law, damaging the national resilience, and strengthening the need to not postpone the elections. I call on all candidates to preserve the honor of the IDF as an apolitical and stately body

  -- Minister of Interior Moshe Arbel, commenting on a candidate for municipal elections in Herzliya (Yariv Fisher of Yesh Atid) campaigning while in uniform and discussing politics and also posting his campaign topics with a picture of himself from the battlefield

yes, it is against the law and candidates need to be careful about not campaigning in uniform and not using the IDF as part of their campaigns. but. But we are in the middle of a war and many of the candidates are involved in one way or another, and it is difficult to expect them to run from the battlefield to the campaign trail and to be able to leave that behind. 

I am also not sure how this "strengthens the need to not postpone elections" - if anything it seems to strengthen the need to postpone elections because right now everything is mixed up and focused on the war in Gaza and it is difficult to separate that from active politics. 



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The Biggest Hamas Tunnel Ever Exposed (video)

Israel has just discovered and exposed the largest of the Hamas tunnels.. at least so far (ie they might at some point find one even bigger, who knows!)..






Israel should have hired Hamas to dig the tunnels for our various highways and Tel Aviv rail at a fraction of the cost!

Let's not forget, the money for this was mostly taken from humanitarian aid and from money donated by Qatar and was used instead for terror tunnels like this.........



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sugary drink tax is back

I was honestly surprised when I first saw this news item.

According to Ynet, Minister of Finance Betzalel Smotritch has decided to "unfreeze", or renew, bring back, the tax on sweetened drinks. Smotritch will do it slightly differently than before, as it was introduced under Lieberman's instruction - it will only be on sugary drinks and will not include diet drinks like Coke Zero, and it will also not be applied to sweet drinks such as grape juice that is used for religious ceremonies (ie kiddush on shabbos and holidays).

In my opinion diet drinks should be included as the sweeteners and chemicals used to make it drinkable in place of the sugar are probably equally or more dangerous from a health perspective (from what I have read, may not be accurate). 

Why was I surprised? Because they made such a big deal about canceling the tax on drinks that Leiberman had imposed, turning it into an anti-haredi tax, as if only Haredim would be affected by it because only Haredim drink sweet drinks. Clearly not true but that is what it was turned into, and the Haredi parties made this a central part of their campaign before the last elections and added it to coalition agreements. So now Smotritch is bringing it back? Wow. 

I suspected initially this might be revenge, somewhat, for Minister of Interior Moshe Arbel's insistence on holding municipal elections on January 30, against the requests of Smotritch due to the negative impact it will have on National Zionist candidates (among others) with a high percentage of candidates and staff fighting in Gaza or drafted to other areas for reserve duty.

Another option that crossed my mind was simply the need for money due to the adjusted budget for the war and the expected significant shortfall.

Now I see, according to Kikar, this was actually done in coordination with the Haredi parties.

According to the article, the Haredi parties were ok with adding the tax on the drinks as long as it wouldnt include grape juice and diet drinks, and that it would include an informational/educational campaign targeting the Haredi community to explain the damage caused by the sugary drinks.

I am not sure why the educational campaign needs to only target the Haredi community, but that seems to be the agreement. Plenty of people who have access to information on their own, such as via the internet, do not bother looking for it. I think everyone would benefit from an educational campaign about this, just like they always did from campaigns regarding smoking, drugs, alcohol and the like.

It is noted that if the talks with the Haredi representatives do not pan out and they decide to oppose the tax, Smotritch will have to reconsider because of the coalition agreements. As of now they are justifying this by saying they initially had to get rid of Lieberman's anti-haredi tax but now that this was accomplished done they can talk about finding a way to get the community to consume less sugary drinks.

So the same tax is back, with some adjustments (which probably could have been accomplished back then too had they been willing to talk) but now it is not anti-haredi.

Whatever gets you through the day, as they say.




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Picture of the Day



While by now the above type of picture is not uncommon, it still gets POTD because of the context (thank you Harvard and Penn and MIT).

The above is Avi (Avromie) Linshe, a soldier in Netzach Yehuda, serving in Miluim and has been in action since the war began. Someone, or some people, sponsored Shabbos in a Tel Aviv hotel for wives of Netzach Yehuda (Nahal Haredi) soldiers in a Tel Aviv hotel. Linshe was granted an "after", a day off to go home from the battlefield and went home for Shabbos, and joined his wife and child at the hotel. While the initial post of this picture online seems to have been benign (an "only in israel" type post), it did generate some heat and Linshe himself writes about it on Twitter/X (and in comments elsewhere such as FB and Instagram) saying they went out for a walk on the boardwalk and were stared at and someone screamed at him for being Haredi in Tel Aviv and wanting to turn Israel into a halachic state...

way to go, idiot people, who think they own the place and know what everyone else thinks about anything just because of how they dress. Linshe doesnt need my kol hakavod for doing what he believes is right for him and his family, but he like everyone else deserves to be treated with basic respect, whether you agree with his choices or not, especially when they are only assumed choices, not reality. Nobody personally owns the streets of Tel Aviv or those of any other and nobody has the right to tell someone where they can or cannot walk because of assumed political stances. It is not like he was actively trying to promotes a halachic state or to do kiruv on the streets of Tel Aviv or stopping cars from driving on Shabbos or whatnot. he was just present.

To be fair, secular people walking through Beitar or Modiin Ilit or Bnei Braq or parts of Bet Shemesh and Jerusalem dressed in secular ways, with or without guns, would also sometimes be made to feel uncomfortable in the same way and would also sometimes be screamed at for their assumed beliefs or actions and that is just as wrong.

Just be decent to other people, even if you don't approve of what you think their life choices might be. 







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