Yosef Zev Braver, who is not only an exceptional singer and performer but a certified youth and parent coach, has teamed up with arranger Yanki Cohen to produce this breathtaking clip that was filmed in the Judean Desert, entitled "Ki Lo Yidach" - Hashem will leave no one behind. This is an especially important message before Yom Kippur, to tell us all that here's no despair in the world for Hashem is our ever-most loving and forgiving Father in Heaven.

from here:

We are not able to describe it. Thsi is the actual Beis Hamikdash. This is the Beis Hanmikdash of our generation. This house where Maran (Rav Ovadia Yosef) sat to write his divrei Torah and produce from there seforim.

  -- Rav Bentzion Mutzafi, about the establishment of Bet Maor Yisrael (a shul? a yeshiva? a kollel?) in the home/office of Rav Ovadia Yosef zt"l

As great as Rav Ovadia was in Torah, as much as he learned and published seforim, as great as he was as a leader - religious and social and political, and as significant as the opening of this institution might be.... this reminds of the statement that was always so criticized that expressed "Berlin is the new Jerusalem"... this is sometimes also said about Monsey and Lakewood and possibly other places, but when the it was said about Berlin it was met with strong criticism from the religious public.

In the latest change to the airline industry, El Al has announced they will be charging a new fee for passengers wanting to reserve a seat on a flight.

They even say there is no guarantee that families (or others travelling together) will be able to sit together - meaning, this will "force" such travelers to pay extra for seats near each other.

Also, this fee is non-refundable. So, if the traveler cancels his flight, he will still lose the price paid for the reserved seats, even if he gets the ticket price refunded.

El Al explains that this is necessary due to the drop in the price of oil in addition to increased competition from low-fare carriers.
source: Globes

My thoughts:
1. instead of people paying to reserve seats near each other, I suspect many people will choose to fly other airlines.
2. how does a drop in oil prices, reducing the costs of the airline, require them to raise prices? They should have more profit because their expenses are lower.
3. I would fly without paying for reserved seats and hope that my kids get seated next to other people. Let them take care of my kids, while I enjoy a nice, quiet, flight. Though I might have to suffer sitting next to someone else's kids.
4. How will this effect the regular activity of people trying to change seats on El Al flights to avoid sitting next to women? If someone paid for a reserved seat and a woman is seated next to him, can he demand a switch? What if the woman is in a reserved seat and a Hassid is seated next to her - can he "force" her to be moved, as what commonly happens, if she paid extra for that specific seat?

An Eritrean employee of the Bet Shemesh branch of Osher Ad lost all the money he had saved up for his eventual wedding.

Barak Tofsei had saved up $4700 from his job at Osher Ad over the course of 3 years.

I don't know why he walks around with all his life's savings in an envelope in his pocket, but he was and at some point he realized that his packet of money was no longer in his pocket.

A customer in Osher Ad found the packet of money, and turned it in to the officer in charge of security and together they used the security cameras to discover that Tofsei had lost the money. They then went and returned the money to him..

Tofsei was overjoyed to have his money returned to him. He explained that he works long hours to save money to send back to his family and to save up for his wedding, to his girlfriend he has not seen in 3 years because he is in Israel working. He offered a $50 reward to the person who found it, but it was refused.

Tofsei said that he has only good memories of Israel. He says his managers treat him well, as do customers in the store. While he is happy to be going home soon, he says he will remember Israel and the good people of Israel fondly.
source: Ynet

There are good people in Bet Shemesh. He/She could have easily just kept it for himself/herself. Instead s/he turned it in and caused a kiddush hashem.

Sudden changes have been made in two law proposals that were expected to advance:

1. The Law proposal of Shuli Moallem Refaeli that would require ISPs to filter "adult content" by default and only open it to those explicitly requesting it. Refaeli has changed her proposal under pressure to not require the filtering by default and having people request it be opened, but the ISPs will have to offer the option of filtering more explicitly.

Opponents were worried about the limitation to people's freedoms, and who would decide what is considered hurtful content that should be included in the filtering, among other things.

that was a quick recapitulation.

source: Srugim

2. The long weekend law that would [start out] giving Israelis a long weekend once every two months. We are going to have to wait longer for it to happen, if it ever will.

The law was scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2017, but that has been pushed further back, until next summer.

The results of the committees that have been looking into the issue to prepare the legalese for the final proposal have decided that the damage to industry will be greater than previously expected, to the tune of 9 billion shekels, by implementing a long weekend once every two months.

The presidents of the various industry organizations claim to be in favor of the law but insist on first figuring out a way to ensure that they won't lose all that money and that the lost work-hours will somehow be returned somewhere else. Another issue is the coordination with the school schedules of vacations for the kids.

Figuring out a solution and preparing the law for it cannot be done in time for January 1, so the expectations are being pushed off to the summer for implementation.
source: Yediot

I'm Jewish and Nuseir Yassin is Muslim. In this video, we went around New York City and shared our cultures with each other. From food, language, and wardrobe we covered it all and I learned a thing or two along the way! Yes, of course, there's a dancing segment! 

this is strange. I always wonder why not-religious Jews, or non-Jews (I do not know what these people are other than Messianic), pick religious Jewish music to dance to...

I have no idea if this story really happened or not, but it sounds good and like Golda Meier..

I had not heard any specific plans about the Bet Shemesh train line for the future when the express Tel Aviv - Jerusalem train line will open, but I had expected it to continue operating as it has been, with perhaps an altered schedule.

The new express train line does not really help residents of Bet Shemesh and the environs, as the new line doe snot come anywhere near Bet Shemesh - it is out near Highway 1. For Bet Shemesh people to use that train line, we would have to go to Modiin or Jerusalem (for thos traveling to Tel Aviv) first, thus extending our trip considerably, along with making us sit in traffic on Highway 38, which most people who take the train do so to avoid in the first place.

There was talk about possibly establishing a shuttle between Bet Shemesh and the trian line, possibly adding a Shaar Hagay station and train stop, establishing a light rail or other set of train tracks between the express train and Bet Shemesh. This was all talk and I have yet to see anything official about this, let alone any decision or work to that end. So, as far as I know, besides for possibly lightening the load of the Bet Shemesh route a bit, as many of the Jerusalem passengers would presumably switch to taking the express train, the express train is not really expected to change anything for Bet Shemesh area commuters.

Or maybe not.

Minister of Transportation Yisrael Katz is looking into a variety of possibilities for what to do with the Jerusalem - Bet Shemesh - Tel Aviv train line after the express Tel Aviv - Jerusalem line comes into operation.

Among the options are:
 - cancel the commuter line and change it to a line transporting refuse from Jerusalem and other areas to the various disposal centers in Ramat Hovav and Dudaim. This would take hundreds of trucks off the main highways and increase road safety.
 - the line could be turned into a cargo line, especially for construction materials being transported to southern Israel.
 - create a tourist line, including the creation of tourist attractions along the route that people could enjoy via use of the train. This would also be an attraction for hikers and bikers looking to do their things in areas along the route.
 - preserve the commuter line, at least in part. It currently transports 6000 commuters each day. This line could be used during rush hour along with other special occasions.

They could possibly choose any combination of, or even all of, these options for the future of this train line.
source: Yediot

Hopefully they will keep it, at least in part, as a commuter train, otherwise the people of Bet Shemesh and its environs will suffer from the changes and make it more difficult to get to Tel Aviv for work or whatever.

 

The Ministerial Legislative Committee has approved a law proposal submitted by MK Shuli Moallem-Refaeli that would require Internet Service Providers to block pornography by default. Customers of the ISPs wishing to access blocked content will be able to specifically request it to be unblocked.

The law proposal will now be prepared for voting in the Knesset.

There are challenges to the implementation of this law. Such as, important content that might get inadvertently blocked, such as websites about biology and medical conditions and treatments. Other issues are dealing with issues of freedom and censorship. Another issue is what would be classified as porn to be filtered out and what would be allowed through.
source: TOI

I have found it interesting to see some people who are feminists and enlightened people arguing against this law. In essence, they are defending porn and the rights of pornography-distributors to send us and our children unrequested pornographic content. I would expect such people to oppose that and support such a law, especially protecting our children. Again, it is not making pornography illegal, but just something you have to request access to, so the liberty to choose is not at stake.

According to a report in Yediot, Minister of Transportation Yisrael Katz has given instructions to advance plans to extend the high speed train route from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem to include a stop by the Old City of Jerusalem near the Kotel. The plan will include an underground station in the area that will be named "Tachanat HaKotel".

Katz explained that by building this route extension the load will be significantly lightened form the main station by Binyanei Hauma, and it will allow tourists, students, and all citizens in general to easily arrive at and visit the Kotel from the center of the country..

This is awesome. Not only will it make it easier to get through Jerusalem to the Kotel area, and not only will it perhaps encourage more people to go - people who don't want to go to Jerusalem thinking it is either unsafe or a difficult trip due to traffic and the amount of time it takes - to the Old City and the Kotel area, but one day, hopefully in the near future, it will also perhaps be used to bring the masses of "olei regel" to the Beis Hamikdash...