--- Haaretz

I am still not rushing out to get one, but at least they took their heads out of the sand and decided to allow them into the country...

This is a strange story.

A guy and a gal get married in 2002, and live happily ever after. At least for a few years. 3 years later, she heads to beis din and ask for them to start divorce proceedings -she wants a get.

4 years later, in 2009, she has still not received a get, meaning they are still married.

Eventually Mr. Guy finds a rabbi who agrees to marry him off to his new-found love, despite the fact that he is still married to Mrs. Gal. (I wonder how much he paid the rabbi)

In 2009 they get married in a full wedding ceremony with friends and family present.

Mrs. Gal, the first wife, calls the police and turns in Mr. Guy for bigamy, who is subsequently arrested.
(source: mynet)

I wonder; why he has not given his first wife her get... why the rabbi agreed to marry him off despite his situation...and how often arrests occur nowadays for bigamy...

"Horror!" "Shock!" - The headlines in the Haredi press, both local and national, a few weeks ago, and any time a similar incident occurs, carried those words regarding a horrible attack by some secular youth against some Haredi men including the Rav of one of the neighborhoods in BS.

Any time there is an attack it is, or should be, "shocking" and the like.

Yet the Haredi press and community is only shocked when people attack them. When the attack is perpetrated by Haredim against others, secular or Dati Leumi, it never even gets mentioned, let alone with dramatic headlines.

On Yom Ha'Atzmaut night a group of teens were walking through RBS and were brutally attacked by a group of Haredim. These kids were attacked with rocks, potatoes, metal pots, metal belt buckles, and more, for the crime of walking through the street near the houses of these thugs while carrying Israeli flags, on their way home after a party. (source: Arutz 7)

Will we see dramatic headlines? Will the haredi press be calling for investigations and arrests? Will we display "shock" and "horror" at who is part of our community and what they can do?

Or will the Haredi media ignore it?

The Hebrew forums are talking about a segula. I never heard of this one before, and by the time I saw it it was already too late for me... Not that I needed it anyway, as they are saying it is a segula for a refuah, and I am B'H healthy.

The segula supposedly comes from the Chida, b way of the ben Ish Chai (he is quoted as confirming it). The segula says that when it rains in Iyyar, one should open his mouth and drink the rainwater as it falls.

I don't know if this segula is only for Israel, where rain in Iyyar is rare, or if this works in countries where it rains regularly as well.

The reason given that this is supposed to work is because of the passuk that says "Kee Ani Hashem Rofecha" כי אני ה' רופאך - which when you take the first letter of Aleph, Yud, and Resh spell out Iyyar (with a missing yud).

If it is still raining out by you, drink up a mouthful. Some are saying it is a segula for parnassa....

It has been a while since my last roundup, so welcome back. Let's see how regular it can become again..

1. Wolfish Musings comments on MK Moshe Gafni's opinion about there no point in men leaving kollel and going to work...

2. The Way to No-Thing comments on a point that struck him in an article I linked to regarding Haredim celebrating Yom Ha'Atzmaut. And this joke is a bit racy, but I enjoyed it...

3. Parshablog's son got hold of Avraham Avinu's kipa...

4. Nusach Freak has a humorous commentary on overdoing the display of Zionism. "hummus flavored shnapps"? Really?

5. Lost in Kollel performed an unscientific, informal, study of kollel guys being supported by parents/inlaws. According to his findings, neither side is happy with the arrangement...

6. Guess Who is Coming to Dinner has a great post about a community changing its minhagim...

7. Life in Mitzpe Ramon has a funny satirical piece announcing the Barak Obama has converted and become a Satmar Hassid...

8. Rabbi Fink has a post about somebody who wants people to stop having kids - for the sake of the environment...

9. A Mother in Israel has a couple of posts on the situation in a school in Bet Shemesh in segregating out sfardic girls, and was caught on tape threatening the girl with isolation if the parents would push to get her in to the school.

After he served as a mouthpiece for every possible grievance and complaint, Hitler is now leaving YouTube, and ranting about it.

The German film Der Untergang (Downfall), in which Adolf Hitler is seen going off on a tirade against betrayal, has lent itself to hundreds of online parodies where Hitler expresses severe anger over anything from parking spaces to the iPad.

However the company that made the 2004 movie, Constantin Films, has set out to put a stop to the countless parodies and have demanded that YouTube remove the films, citing copyright infringement.

Oh well. I hated that clip, in all its variations, anyway. I thought they were all stupid.

Remember the pashkevil about the gematriya of the word (in Hebrew) "internet" being the same as that of "cancer"? And therefore it was obvious (to someone) that Internet is the source of cancer and must therefore be eradicated...

Well, a new poster going up is saying that the gematriya of the (Hebrew) word "lettuce" is the same as that of "autism". It is clear that eating lettuce is the cause of autism, and should therefore be avoided.. The sign calls for removing the cursed lettuce, in all its forms, from our midst. Lettuce - the #1 enemy of the Jewish Nation!

Somebody has a sense of humor.

(picture credit to Mizbala)

Failed Messiah broke a story the other day producing a list of yeshivas and charities that were recipients of Troppers philanthropy.

The 2nd page of the document is just a list of rabbis names. As you can see from the list, many of the names are local Bet Shemesh residents. 12 of the names, by my count.

If you look closely you will see that Tropper gave money to many members of the Kopshitz family, along with other extremists such as Waldenberg (a Kopshitz son-in-law) who has gotten himself active in fighting against the new Haredi newspaper and regularly steals and destroys batches of newspapers.

I wonder what Tropper's criteria were when he was deciding to whom he would give his money....

So many of the local extremists are being funded by money whose source is the likes of Tropper. How much more unkosher can it get?

I am not sure exactly what the Arab states want the UN to do to Israel, but it doesn't sound pleasant....

I wonder what the late fees of 220 years would be????

If George Washington were alive today, he might face a hefty overdue library fine.

New York City's oldest library says one of its ledgers shows that the president has racked up 220 years' worth of late fees on two books he borrowed, but never returned.

One of the books was the "Law of Nations," which deals with international relations. The other was a volume of debates from Britain's House of Commons.

Both books were due on Nov. 2, 1789.

New York Society Library head librarian Mark Bartlett says the institution isn't seeking payment of the fines, but would love to get the books back.

The ledger also lists books being taken out by other founding fathers, including Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr and John Jay.

The entry on Washington simply lists the borrower as "president."

If Israel should decide to go it alone and send planes to bomb the Iranian nuclear reactors, would the US interfere and shoot at the Israeli planes as they cross over Iraq, a no-fly zone, on the way to Iran?

That is basically the question a young cadet asked the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen.

Mullen twice finagled his way out of answering the question.

It might simply have been a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation, so he avoided it...

In a town hall on the campus of the University of West Virginia, a young Air Force ROTC cadet asked Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen to respond to a “rumor.” If Israel decided to attack Iran, the speculation went, those jet would need to fly through Iraqi airspace to reach their targets. That airspace is considered a “no-fly” zone by the American military. So might U.S. troops shoot down the Israeli jets, the airmen asked the chairman, if they breached that airspace?

Mullen tried to sidestep the question. “We have an exceptionally strong relationship with Israel. I’ve spent a lot of time with my counterpart in Israel. So we also have a very clear understanding of where we are. And beyond that, I just wouldn’t get into the speculation of what might happen and who might do what. I don’t think it serves a purpose, frankly,” he said. “I am hopeful that this will be resolved in a way where we never have to answer a question like that.”

The cadet followed-up: “Would an airmen like me ever be ordered to fire on an Israeli – aircraft or personnel?”

Mullen’s second answer was much the same as his first. “Again, I wouldn’t move out into the future very far from here. They’re an extraordinarily close ally, have been for a long time, and will be in the future,” the admiral said.

Does this represent a shift in American policy towards Israel? Some signal that the U.S. would stop an Israeli first strike at the final moment? Probably not. I’d guess this is Mullen trying not to wade further into treacherous waters. But it was interesting to hear America’s top military officer decline to knock down the idea that U.S. troops might fire on America’s closest ally in the Middle East.

How ironic would that situation be, that the US would defend the enemy against the ally???

Today I stand before you in Jerusalem, and confirm Begin's words: the city will remain our capital and will never be divided...any attempt to force a solution on us without building a foundation of trust between the two sides will only deepen the conflict. Peace can't be forced - it must be built.

--- Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman

About to head out to a nephew's bris. What are the chances they will name the baby "Yisrael"?

Minutes after David Ben-Gurion declared Israel’s independence, realizing the dream of a state for the Jewish people in their historic homeland, the United States became the first country to recognize Israel. To this day, we continue to share a strong, unbreakable bond of friendship between our two nations, anchored by the United States’ enduring commitment to Israel’s security.

Israel remains our important partner and key strategic ally in the Middle East, and I am confident that our special relationship will only be strengthened in the months and years to come.

I look forward to continuing our efforts with Israel to achieve comprehensive peace and security in the region, including a two-state solution, and to working together to counter the forces that threaten Israel, the United States, and the world.

On this day, we once again honor the extraordinary achievements of the people of Israel, and their deep and abiding friendship with the American people. I offer my best wishes to President Peres, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and the people of Israel as they celebrate this happy occasion.

I am always humbled by the International Bible Quiz (being held right now). They know so much and I realize how little I know...

If you want to watch it live....