1. Reb Akiva has Cell Tower art..

2. A Blob of Something Different met somebody who was happy to meet an orthodox jew!

3. Frum n' Flipped gives us the guide to recognizing the different types of frum women in Israel...

4. Mimi went cherry picking. We used to go every year, but it became a bit too much for us the past couple of years...

5. Hadassah posts part 3 of "Why I moved to Israel"..

6. Dry Bones has Obama's phone call at 3am..

7. I am going to #7 today because this is a very useful post by MominIsrael - Free and Inexpensive Family Trips for the summer in Israel.

8. Shearim has a post and video about Jews in Iran today...

9. DovBear has a clip from an old Yiddish movie about a Jewish wedding.

Here is an interesting situation...

We have all heard of the hetter mei'ah rabbonim - because Rabbeinu Gershom put a ban on marrying a second wife, and divorce can no longer be done against the will of the wife, if the husband wishes to dissolve a marriage, he can be held "hostage" by the wife's demands, just like she can be held hostage to his demands.

The hetter mei'ah rabbonim resolves the problem for the husband, because really he is allowed to marry a second wife, but we don't allow it by rabbinic decree. If the beis din can get 100 rabbis to agree, from countries spread out over three continents, the hetter will allow him to marry again, despite still being technically married to the first wife.

The hetter is used, though only rarely and in extreme cases.

It is famously known that the decrees of Rabbeinu Gershom only applied among Ashkenazic Jewry, and were never accepted in the Sefardic countries. That means there is no ban on marrying a second wife for sefardim, and no need for the hetter mei'ah rabbonim.

That leads to a recent case in which a husband in his seventies wanted to divorce his wife claiming she never took care of him and was mean to him, and was turning their kids against him.

She refuses to accept a divorce, claiming she loves him. This is despite the fact that they have been living separately for a number of years, have already divided up and split all possessions, and beis dins marriage counselor has established that there is no chance they will get back together. Yet she refuses the get.

because they are sefardic, Yemenites actually (note: some old Yemenites still have multiple wives, but I don't think any new marriages of multiple wives are allowed), they had no need to obtain a hetter mei'ah rabbonim. Rather all they needed was a decision by beis din to allow him to marry again.

And so they decided, based on the wife's adamant refusal to accept a get, to give the husband a hetter, without the need for 100 rabbis signatures, to marry another wife. (source: NRG)

So now it is up to the shadchanim to find him a [second] wife. get working!

They are making me feel as though I am a murderer. In the hospital, her parents said to me that I killed her. True, I was driving the motorcycle, but everything is from heaven. Maybe because I was driving on shabbat God decided to take her to Him. I don't know what to think.

------Shai Kaldron, the driver of the motorcycle who hit a tree when going out for the day with his friend Danit. She was killed, and he was injured lightly.

In the wake of the protests in Iran that will hopefully lead to the demise of the regime of terror there led by the Ayatollahs, an interesting discussion is raised about the efficacy and validity, more validity actually, of protests.

When is it ok to protest and when is it not ok? When is it ok to protest violently and when is it not ok?

In Israel, whenever people protest for what they believe in, whether it is the haredim protesting chillul shabbos, or settlers protesting the disengagement (examples that come to mind), we (as a public, not as individuals) tend to reject their right to protest, at least to allow the protests to turn violent.

Yet we see from Iran that the only way to succeed in change is often to protest even violently. If they had not gotten violent, the whole thing would have been put down in a day. Not only that, but the whole world is suddenly supporting violent protest.

So is it ok to support violence? Why do we not condemn the Iranian protesters that they are breaking the law and they should figure out how to protest within the law in a non-violent fashion?

Clearly there is a tipping point somewhere where the protests turn violent and break the law that is acceptable. perhaps it is dependent upon the trampling of human rights, but that would make it very subjective - why is this ok in iran because their rights are being trampled, but for example it was not ok for the expellees of Gush Katif even though their rights were being trampled, and the right to protest was quashed?

Somewhere there is a disconnet and we have become, as they say in Hebrew, yefei nefesh, and automatically reject the right to seriously protest. It is clear that the only way, maybe not the only way but the most effective way perhaps, major change can be effected is with serious protest

The following "Letter to the Editor" was published in the Jerusalem Post in response to the Jonathan Rosenblum article:

Sir, - Jonathan Rosenblum, shame on you! (“Those primitive haredim – yet again,” June 12, JPost)

As a product of haredi yeshivot, I have always viewed your insistence on defending all things haredi with cynicism and a chuckle.

However, how can I remain silent in the face of your attack on David Morris and Lema’an Achai? Yes, you tried to veil the attack with some form of praise; but it was an attack nonetheless. Morris, the other workers of Lema’an Achai and their esteemed rabbinic leadership are the righteous of the righteous. They devote their days and nights to helping all Jews without trying to promote one sect over another. If they have concluded that there are rabbis who are not helping to deal properly with suspicions of molestation, then this is the reality. End of story.

As for the rabbis you mention by name, can you also defend their refusal to publicly condemn some of the recent acts by extremist hareidim in Beit Shemesh and Ramat Beit Shemesh – such as the Friday night kicking assault on a teenage girl in December, the constant spitting upon women deemed dressed not up to their standards , and the spray painting of rebukes on our walls and sidewalks? Is this silence also “a considered philosophy about what is best for the victims?”.

You are so correct in stating that the hareidi community is “much more complicated…than the stereotypes which abound”. Perhaps you should redirect your efforts towards helping fix those “complications.”

Rabbi Dov Lipman
Bet Shemesh

What I find interesting in the letter is the connection between the response and working method employed in the cases of RBS, to the responses mentioned regarding the attacks in RBS B. This despite the fact that they are 2 different crowds, different sets of rabbis, with seemingly no real connection. Yet Rabbi Lipman shows that the response is the same.

perhaps it is simply the preferred method of Haredi rabbonim - to work in quiet. Though the truth is, I think, that in the case of RBS B it was not a situation of working quietly behind the scenes, but of ignoring the issue completely.

1. The Real Shliach has Haveil Havalim #221 The The The The Edition...

2. Jacob sent a letter to the Jewish Press about a disturbing image on the front page...

3. Wolf has an interesting question about whether you can listen to secular music that is "Bible-based" while in the bathroom...

4. Not Brisker Yeshivish discusses different types of biographies..

5. Yaak has a theory why they canceled the "i before e" rule in England.

6. LOZ has a couple of Jewish themed clips from the old Archie Bunker show. I grew up watching Archie Bunker, but don't seem to remember seeing these....

"You never know what will disappear in Iran first - their enriched uranium or the wretched government. we hope it's the government,"

-----President Shimon Peres

In today's newspaper, Yisrael HaYom, there was a short article about how Shari Arrison, the owner of Bank HaPoalim, claims to have some sort of level of prophecy.

She said that she receives messages in her sleep via messages, images and words, and they have always come true. An example she gave was the global economic meltdown, claiming she received messages about it in advance and knew it was coming.

Arrison says regarding the future that she has seen that people will go crazy (?), and planes will fall from the sky. Her words of wisdom are that there is nothing to fear from these messages - before anything good happens, bad things happen. We are in the days preceding the "geulah". Right now we are in the days of dark, and the days of light are coming.

She also seems to have some delusion of grandeur, as she says she is not interested in. money and physical possessions... These are not things you can take to the grave. She is interested in issues of the heart (spirituality). Arrison says she could have sold everything and sat on the beach all day every day. Yet she did not because she knows that her "job" is to ensure continued human existence.

1. If she does not care about her money and physical possessions, I would be happy to take some of it off her hands. Even if she does not want to give me any, I would be happy even if she just covered my overdraft and loans!

2. Even if you reject her prophecy and consider her a nutcase, she gives a good mussar shmooze talking about impending geulah and physical possessions not being important!

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I received the following by email from a fellow in England who has taken the initiative to try to arrange worldwide prayers for Gilad Shalit.

I would like to inform you about a very important event I am trying to promote throughout the Jewish world but am struggling as I am only 1 person with limited connections!!!

Almost 3 years ago the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was captured by Hamas. We do not know his situation today. One can only imagine the conditions in which this young man subsists. His parents trauma cannot be described. What can WE do to help ?

We would like communities across the world to have an International Yom Tefilla the 3rd anniversary of his capture, 29 Sivan (Sunday 21 June) and recite some prayers from Yom Kippur Koton or Tehilim for Gilad Ben Aviva in each kehilla or town. This is the ONLY way he can be released.

Please spread this request (a nonpolitical one) to all Jewish communities to pray to the One above for Gilad's release.

May Hashem answer our Tefilos and bring Moshiach speedily!

1. Yaak comments on the blabbering buffoon Shiekh Salah, and Bibi's supposed plan to build the Beis HaMikdash

2. Our Bs, eh sent a letter to Senator Menendez about his speech to the Senate.

3. Michael Seldey announces the new mehadrin transportation in Japan, of all places...

4. Michel's Thoughts has a couple cute pictures...

5. Israel in the Making reminds us of a historic shofar blowing at the Kotel..

US Foreign Minister Hillary Clinton fell and broke her right arm yesterday. The same day she was telling Israel, yet again, how they will accept nothing less than a complete cessation of construction in the settlements.

If I forget thee O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither... אם אשכחך ירושלים תשכח ימיני

(HatTip: dafneighbor)

I believe that haredi settlement in the Golan will minimize the chances of a disengagement. If we would have done that in Gush Katif, the picture would have been very different. The haredi public has very strong political power.

----- MK Haim Amaslem (Shas)


Amaslem is recommending haredim consider moving to the Golan as a solution to the lack of appropriate housing for young haredi couple.

Last night was the first time I had ever been to a wedding at Me'arat HaMachpela in Hebron. I have heard such weddings are beautiful, but I had never before been at one.

Last night, I finally merited to be at such a wedding, and it was amazing. The setting was beautiful in all regards; physically, the atmosphere, spiritually, it was meaningful, and it was fun (and the food was great!).

The pix I snapped are not great, as they were on my cellphone camera, but this is what I got...




The music was by Sinai Tor who was absolutely amazing. he was entertaining, he was rocking, he was leibedik, and it was great quality music.

If you should have an opportunity to go to a wedding there, don't miss it!

And tonight I have another wedding, this one in the Old City of Jerusalem!

1. Lion of Zion has the music video of a popular song, and points out that the singer is seemingly wearing tzitzis that can be spotted at a certain point in the clip. That is aside from the quality of the song about inner beauty.

2. Danny Brothers describes his masa kumta.

3. Rabbi Horowitz describes a recent molestation case in Queens where the system actually worked. (see - it is not just RBS where this stuff happens. it happens everywhere!)

4. Reb Akiva says, "Welcome Back, Carter"

5. Michael Sedley talks about maps and hypocrisy..

I have always been a "fan" of Yossi Sarid. He came off as anti-religious, but I never really found him to be so. I found him to be more "super-liberal". I always found Sarid to be a worthy adversary in the political scene. He is intelligent and always fought for what he believed in based on intelligence and belief, and not just because he was anti-religious or anti-settler or anti whatever.

His articles are a pleasure to read, even though I often do not agree with his opinion, and he is always a pleasure to listen to.

here is an interview, 45 minutes, Sarid gave to the Bechadrei Charedim news site. In it he discusses his relations with haredim, his friends, the parking lot protests, and more.

שריד from elimand on Vimeo.