What a pain in the neck. Just because to prevent alcoholism and the like the law bans purchase of alcohol late at night.

Even though this law can be a pain in the neck, I am not sure it should be changed, if it has been proven to accomplish the goal it sets out to accomplish.

MK Uri Maklev (UTJ) has proposed a law that would make an exception to the above law and allow the sale of wine on erev shabbos (Thursday night) and erev chag even after 11pm. The limit on Thursday nights and erev chag would be moved to 1am.

Maklev says the law in its current state is a major bother for consumers going at night to make their Shabbos purchases. They are not buying this wine to drink now, late at night, maybe drive drunk, maybe get into fights or become public nuisances, and the like - they are buying it now for the upcoming Shabbos or holiday. 

The Ministerial Legislative Committee has approved the proposal to move forward in the process for voting.

source: Hamechadesh

Maklev is 100% right. But. But even if he is right, not everyone buying the wine or beer or liquor on Thursday nights is buying it for Shabbos and not going to drink it and get drunk on Thursday night. The original law is to prevent that, and if it does, maybe it should be kept, even though some people are inconvenienced by it. Personally I think it should be entirely scrapped unless it had can shown to having a significant effect in the prevention of alcoholism, but if this law is deemed necessary and beneficial in achieving its goals, then Maklev's exception should be denied. If we make the exception, people buying for reasons other than Shabbos will take advantage of it. 

 

  -- Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs Matan Kahane, speaking to students in Efrat

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  -- Quentin Tarantino, Hollywood movie director and resident of Tel Aviv

It isnt in this article but I read elsewhere that the train people defended themselves saying that they did not tell her to move but when she complained about the noise and commotion of the minyan they suggested that they could help her find a seat somewhere else. I guess the courts either did not believe them or felt that this too is problematic.

I have not davened in the Bet Shemesh train minyan in ages, but I do remember that when it first started there was a common decency rule (my name) stating that nobody davening in the minyan is allowed to ask any other passenger in the rail car to move. And plenty of people enjoyed sitting there, both men and women who were not part of the minyan but either enjoyed the atmosphere, used it to daven along quietly themselves, or even some who just couldnt find other seats in other cars on busy days with overcrowding. I am not aware of anyone having asked or encouraged non-minyan people to move. 

If the train attendant really asked her to move, they deserve to be fined. The train isnt anyone's personal fiefdom. If they were just being helpful because she expressed her annoyance, then she achieved her goals (as stated in the article, as rejecting the possibility of any woman being asked to move because she disturbs a man) in an underhanded manner.

.

According to the new regulations just approved, and going into effect immediately, 1000nis fines will be levied on anyone under 16 using these devices, 1000nis fines for riding these devices without a helmet, and 1000nis fines for using devices that do not meet the standards required.

Additionally, other, smaller, fines were also approved, such as 750nis for (16+) riders who have not completed appropriate training, 250nis for blocking a parking spot, and a 1000nis fine for blocking a handicapped parking spot. The existing fine of 250nis for riding a bike not up to standard is being expanded to the other devices as well.

source: JDN

These things have really become a hazard and the authorities are trying to deal with them. I just dont know how the enforcement can be effective. Without license plates, how do they keep track of what is what? and without licenses how do they keep track of who was trained and who was not?. Obviously fines for riding without a helmet are easier to manage and should be pretty straightforward, but when they stop a kid for riding, how are they going to identify the kid - kids under 16 dont have teudat zehut cards! If a scooter is blocking a parking spot, how will they know who to fine? 

Only kids over 16 will be able to ride hoverboards? there goes the entire industry!

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  -- MK Yuval Steinitz (Likud)

it is weird, but there is nothing technically wrong with it in the type of electoral and parliamentary system we use in Israel. It is one of the quirks of our lousy electoral and parliamentary system. Maybe this will  prompt some to work on electoral reform that has been promised for a long time...

remember Eli Hawila, the Lebanese avreich that got married and then his wife's family discovered he was not even Jewish? And then he discovered he had been Jewish all along but did a conversion lchumra?

There is a new development in his situation.

According to Kikar, Hawila appeared before the beis din of the Rabbanut in Israel. Hawila insisted he is Jewish and has been Jewish all along, descended from Jewish women, and that after the incident with his wife he performed a conversion lchumra in the USA.

The Rabbanut beis din proposed that he divorce his wife lchumra - just in case, just in case he really was Jewish all along.

Hawila reportedly refused saying he was and is Jewish and his conversion is only lchumra, so he was and remains married to his wife.

It looks like we might have an aguna situation developing before our eyes. Hopefully it wont become that.

Hawila says that his wife has agreed to remain married to him if he could prove he is Jewish, even though her family disagrees.

The Rabbanut left him with two options for now - either divorce her or have another wedding lchumra (if she agrees) just in case he was not Jewish and the conversion is good.

I wonder how that works as the Syrian comunity has ane dict against marrying converts. This wedding, should it happen, would be in case he is a convert, but if he is, she would not be allowed to marry him. I wonder if this is a situation in which the community rabbis would allow it despite the edict or if they would disallow it unless he is considered born-a-jew and not a convert.

We wait for further updates

He is being replaced by Gur chassid Yitzchak Goldknopf, so I am not sure if before too long we will be pining for the days of Yaakov Litzman as MK or if this will work out well.

Either way. what he did to assist Malka Leifer avoid justice and trials (which he admitted to as part of the plea bargain) was pretty horrendous

Litzman was like a yoyo throughout his ministerial career seeing heights  in public surveys as the most popular minister and also seeing lows as among the most reviled. Litzman claims the Left did not like his spodik when he famously appeared at a Corona press conference on a Saturday night in full Gur regalia including the spodik and turned on him. He does not talk about the tough regulations he was imposing on the Israeli public with tight lockdowns and tough mask mandates, and he himself breaking his own rules, as alternative reasons for the turn in public opinion. Like all ministers, or at least like most, Litzman surely did some positive things, especially in his roles as Health Minister (and Deputy Minister) increasing MRis, surprise hospital evaluation visits, free dental care for kids, etc... and some less so. He himself likes to focus on how much he helped individuals, whoever asked no matter from which sector of Israeli society. The Haredi MKs like to treat the position of MK as a vaad bayit of sorts,. where they can help individuals more than helping the public with improving policy, and Litzman did a lot of that, and couches his assistance to Leifer as just helping someone in need, as if it was so innocent even though it entailed pressuring a psychiatrist to change his medical opinion on her ability to stand trial.

I doubt we have seen the last of Yaakov Litzman. He is too accomplished and capable to just ride away into the sunset.