Yom Kippur is tonight.
Last chance to say you're sorry with NJOP's Project Forgiveness

Have an easy, meaningful fast.
G'mar Chatimah Tova.
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
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My [Yom Kippur] daavening was awful. Simply awful. I don't remember ever experiencing less of an awareness of the fact that it was Yom Kippur.If only she still blogged...she would know that headaches on the the Day of Atonement are unnecessary, says Dr. Zev (Jeremy) Wimpfheimer, a senior physician in the emergency medicine department of Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek Medical Center. Wimpfheimer is testing a drug which, taken in pill form before the fast, will hopefully prevent those fasting from developing a headache. He wants about 200 people to try it before the onset of the 25-hour fast Wednesday evening. [source: JPost]
There was a moment - a quick succession of moments, actually - near the end of the silent Shmoneh Esrei of Neilah, wherein I suddenly began to feel That Connection forming, the Yom Kippur connection, the kind I used to feel. And just as the feeling began to slowly seep through me, and somewhere in the back of my head I began to think I may actually have one precious moment of true daavening - of real avoda she'ba-lev - just as I was beginning to flood with relief, and to open my heart to pour out whatever's been buried in there, just at that moment - wouldn't you know it - a pair of arms flings around my legs, and a dear little voice whispers "Why is everyone standing? Can I go to Daddy now? Is it still Yom Kippur? Why is that lady punching herself? Do you think Max has any more caramels?" And so forth.
Stupid kids.
Performed in cooperation with Dr. Michael Drescher, the associate director of emergency medicine of Hartford Hospital in Connecticut, the study is designed to determine the feasibility of applying a "commonly used and proven-safe drug" to help people fast without getting headaches.It's not too late!!!
The particular drug chosen for the study is a clinically effective anti-inflammatory pain-relief compound with a favorable side effect profile, whose particular qualities make it effective even long after being ingested.
"With Yom Kippur lasting for over 25 hours, the effects of this drug, which include headache prevention, remain even at the end of the fast," said Wimpfheimer.
While initial research seems to support the hypothesis that this drug will help fasters get through the day, this Yom Kippur will be the first time the drug will be available to the general public to provide real validation. Wimpfheimer said that while typically this pill is only provided to patients at a high cost, for the purposes of this study, healthy people living in Israel can get it for free. The single pill is taken orally just before the beginning of the fast and test participants will be asked to fill out a short questionnaire afterwards. Anyone who wants to participate in the study by Wednesday should e-mail ykheadache@gmail.com or call 054-627-2867.
This was unfortunately, so predictable.

Long Beach Press-Telegram:
Palin was introduced by Shelly Mandell, the president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Organization for Women. Mandell supported Sen. Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primary, but has now endorsed the McCain-Palin ticket.
In thanking Mandell, Palin cited a quotation from former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright that Palin had seen the day before on a Starbucks mocha cup: "There's a place in hell reserved for women who don't support other women."
(The quotation was slightly off. Albright used the word "help" instead of support.")
After the cheers died down, Palin made it a two-fer: "Let's see what a comment like I just made, how that is turned into whatever it'll be turned into tomorrow in the newspaper."
CBS:
Shelly Mandell, president of the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Organization for Women and a self-described lifelong Democrat, introduced Palin at the event.
In rarity for a Republican event, Mandell bragged about her efforts campaigning for the failed Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s and her support for Geraldine Ferraro, the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 1984.
"I know Sarah Palin cares about women's rights," Mandell said. "As vice president, she will fight for you. She cares about our children and she cares about women's lives."
In another rarity for a major party national candidate, Palin discussed a quotation she found on a cup of coffee from Starbucks Friday by former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, a Democrat who served in the Clinton Administration.
"'There's a place hell reserved for women who don't support other women,'" Palin quoted. "Let's see how that comment is turned into whatever it's turned into in tomorrow's papers."
A high school in the central city of Modiin forbade a student to bringing his tefillin onto school grounds, threatening to expel him.This past Friday, I took my 5 year old to buy new pairs of tzitzit -- at our local "moetza datit" (religious community council -- they also sell Judaica, books and religious items). Unfortunately, it was closed. While walking away, my 5 year old queried, "Where is the Moezta Chilonit" (the "secular community council" -- a non-existent concept...or so I thougt) I didn't have an answer for him till now -- it must be run by the Modiin high school principle, Nurit Zak.
"It started on the first day of school," says A, an 11th grader. "Two classmates of mine told me they wanted to put on teffilin every morning, and asked me to take them to a rabbi to have them checked. I did that, and the rabbi found the tefillin to be damaged and in need of repair."
For the time being, A. started bringing his phylacteries to school, and in their free time, during breaks and free periods, the three would gather at a small classroom which was not being used, and put on the phylacteries for a few minutes every day.
Other students heard about this and asked to join them, and they would all meet every morning. This went on uninterrupted until one day the students wanted to put on the phylacteries when a class was cancelled and their regular classroom was occupied.
Instead, the group entered the school library, where the librarian pointed them in the direction of the unoccupied photocopy room.
When the students returned to the same room the following day, the librarian told A. that the school principal, Nurit Zak, wanted to see him in her office.
A.'s mother was amazed by the decision. "I am shocked and astonished," she said. "We came from France, where such things happen on occasion, but we never imagined that they could happen here, in Israel. It hurts me that he was punished so severely, as if he had brought drugs or alcohol to school."
The high school principal refused to respond and directed us to the Modiin Municipality's spokesperson, who said that "nothing is stopping those who wish to put on teffilin at the school privately and personally. The student was asked not to bring his tefillin to school and to pursause others to join him." [source: ynetnews]
This past Shabbat, dozens of religious teenagers blocked cars on the "Sheshet HaYamim" street in Ra'anana. This is a very unusual event, as Raanana has always been seen as a city of good neighborly relations between the religious and secular communities. City officials are extremely concerned that this will inflame tensions in the city and degragde the relationship between the two sides.I can understand religious Raanana teenagers wanting to teach their fellow neighbors about the importance of Shabbat, but blocking the road? That will not win them any brownie points with their neighbors...let alone convince anyone to stop driving. Maybe give out leaflets, or even hold up banners at the side of the road about the holiness of Shabbat, but blocking the roads? What's going on in Raanana?
The event took placed on Friday evening, close to midnight, when approximately 60 teenagers took to the street and closed it to traffic. They reportedly told the shocked drivers, "It is forbidden drive on Shabbat"
When one motorist's vehicle was blocked from driving, she called the municipal hotline who sent the police and munipal security patrols to the scene -- they disperesed the crowd which was next to the Ariel religious school.
Despite this being a unique event, the Raanan education department will start a campaign among the religious students,"in order to ensure these events do not reccur in Raanana" [source: mynet (Hebrew)]
In a move that has shocked Israel's media, the IDF Shomron Brigade Commander, Itzik Bar awarded an IDF commendation to...a 9-year-old resident of the Yitzhar community, Tuvia Shtatman.
since it's Erev Rosh HaShana, and there are so many posts I wanted to write, emails to send, good wishes to convey, and yet, I found myself without enough time to do so.
And with that comes responsibility. Not so much the pressure to post quality, informative, and entertaining content -- but that people are actually reading what goes up here. Blogs can ruin lives and have all sorts of negative consequences -- and I hope that this blog still manages to convey something positive.
Six weeks ago, Gili Rossler was born with a rare defect, which causes severe tracheal constriction -- and only one lung.Tizku L'Mitzvot -- please pass this on.
The combination of these two conditions is extremely dangerous and causes a constant deterioration in her ability to breathe and to the supply of oxygen to her body.
A surgical procedure has been recently developed for the treatment of this condition.
Only two medical centers in the world have experience in the performance of this procedure:
One in London (where three procedures were performed with a 70% success rate) and one in Chicago (ten procedures with an 80% success rate).
Under the instructions of the treating physician Dr. Tommy M. Schonfeld, Director of Pediatric ICU, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, the procedure must be performed urgently!
The cost of this procedure, including the necessary ambulatory flight comes to about $600,000.
We welcome any and all contributions (before Hoshana Raba 5769 – the day Yom Kippur’s verdicts are ratified):
Please send cash or checks (even postdated) to “Save Gili”, or wire-transfers to Mizrachi Bank, Account No. 176373, Branch No. 483 (Karne Shomron).
Israeli donors please advise if you wish “Section 46” invoices for tax deduction purposes.
When transferring funds from the USA to the Mizrachi Bank account, please use the SWIFT Code: MIZBILIT
USA donors interested in eligibility for tax deductions, please make out checks to
"American Friends of Kedumim"
At the bottom of the check, note: Memo : Saving Gili
And please mail the checks to this address:
American Friends of Kedumim
P.O. BOX 55
UNION NJ
07083-0055
For further contact, please email Fern at peace4gen@aol.com
And write the telephone number where you can be reached if necessary
For further details, please contact:
Shani: 972-3-9089605, 972-57-81-51526, 972-50-74-66771 yosesh@smile.net.il
Rokach: 972-2-9605246, 972-52-5665117 052-5665117 anrokach@netvision.net.il
Please pray for: גילי צביה טובה בת רוית
The Calatravva Bridge is a bridge that has been trouble since day 1, with the main debate being whether it should ever have been built, considering the high cost.
Regardless of that, the newest issue to arise is one in which residents are complaining that in certain areas near the bridge, one can look up and catch a upskirt view of females above.
The newspaper article is comparing this to the fiasco of the dance troupe at the inaugural party of the bridge a few months ago in which women participants were forced to wear sacks and hats to cover their body shapes. That was a true fiasco, because that is something that should have never happened, and whatever solution was going to be implemented should have been dealt with in advance, not at the last minute.
The truth is though, that this problem has nothing in common with that fiasco. that fiasco was part of the battle of the extreme Haredi against the secular over the atmosphere and style of Jerusalem. This is just a problem. It is not just Haredi women who do not want men looking up their skirts. Any woman who wears a skirt would not want to be exposed like that. (read the rest here)
I’m coming out of hiding and admitting that I have been watching the show “Srugim”. While I’m not necessarily comfortable with everything shown on that show, I do believe it brings up a number of powerful serious issues in the religious community in Israel.Not surprisingly, his posting about the previous Srugim episode is very similar to what I had planned on writing, including creating the short video segment, as well as using the exact same video clip of the jam-packed shul in Neve Dekalim, hours before the Disengagement eviction.

At 10 PM last night, you could hear the glee in their voices on TV and Radio:
To David Horovitz [Jerusalem Post editor-in-chief]:
I am disappointed that you have chosen not to respond to my query below, regarding the Jerusalem Post's censorship of Edwin Bennatan's blog article.
Today, I found a new notice* posted on this same blog, which surprisingly acknowledged that "the Jerusalem Post found nothing improper in Mr. Bennatan's article itself". In spite of this, the notice says, the article "was removed from this site last week in resolution of a legal dispute concerning 'talkback' comments posted in response to his article".
If there were indeed defamatory or libelous talkback comments, then I can certainly understand why the Post would remove them. I can even understand why the Post might pay Mr. Freedman damages for libel. But what legitimate explanation can there possibly be for removing the article itself, which, according to Post's own statement, contained "nothing improper"?
It is painfully clear what happened here: Mr. Freedman obviously threatened legal action, and blackmailed the Post. Removal of the offending talkbacks along with an apology was not enough for him, and neither was an offer of a cash payment. No, Freedman wanted more, didn't he? He wanted the Post to censor an article that contained embarrassing criticism of his political opinions. And the Post cravenly complied.
The Post's capitulation to extortion raises serious questions about your paper's commitment to fundamental journalistic ethics: If a little-known two-bit extremist blogger is somehow capable of forcing the Post to completely censor an opinion piece that politely criticizes his opinions, then who is to say that powerful political figures cannot – and do not – force the Post to do the same thing, or worse? What reason is there to assume that the Post is not refraining from publication of criticism, or embarrassing information, regarding individuals far more important and powerful than Seth Freedman – people who might blackmail the Post into hiding things they don’t want the public to see, just as Freedman has?
If you have a legitimate explanation for your paper’s behavior in this matter, I’d certainly be interesting in hearing it.
In a related matter, I ask you once again: To which "charity", exactly, has the Jerusalem Post contributed money at Mr. Freedman's behest?
Want to let the Post know what you think, too? Send an e-mail to David Horovitz and/or their blog administrator.
UPDATE: This morning, the notice was at the top of this page. But apparently, the Post had second thoughts, and removed the notice a few hours later. However, they seem to have forgotten to remove it from this other page containing the same blog article. I changed the link above to use the page that still contains the notice. And I've saved a copy, of course, in case the Post removes the notice from the second page as well.
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד



The early bird gets the worm. Laizy Shapira, 32, spent his childhood in Philadelphia, where his father served as a shaliachof the Jewish Agency. After moving back to Karnei Shomron, he served in a Hesder programfor yeshiva studies combined with IDF service. Shapira graduated from Jerusalem's Ma'ale School of Television, Film and the Arts, the only communications production program in the country targeted towards observant Jews, when he was in his late 20s.
Professional doors began to open for Shapira in the years that followed, largely thanks to acclaim he received for two of his student projects, Eicha and Saving Private Finklestein,but he soon found himself struggling, with day jobs cleaning houses and giving tours at theKotel Tunnels and at the Davidson Archeological Park. But an association with producerYonatan Aroch eventually landed Shapira a deal to co-create, co-write (with long-time collaborator Chava Divon) and direct Srugim (literally, "knitted"), a surprise hit for Yes TV.
The show, which focuses on the lives of five central 30-something religious Jerusalemite bachelor and bachelorettes in a manner that is refreshing and clever, has taken Israeli pop culture by storm. When not attending screenings of episodes at the Jerusalem Cinematheque, Shapira is working on plans to hopefully export a translated version of the show to North America and to possibly air Season One on Israel's Channel 2 this winter – all while developing ideas for Season Two, which should air by the end of 2009.
Read it all, here
To David Horovitz:
Why has the Jerusalem Post censored this blog article by Edwin Bennatan? (The link is a snapshot from Google's cache.)
The entire article has disappeared, and has been replaced with this apology.
I understand from the apology that there were some user comments to the article that were deemed “defamatory, threatening, and inappropriate”, and I can certainly understand why the Post would delete such a comment.
But why was the article itself taken down? Did it contain something that you find to be “defamatory, threatening, and inappropriate”? If so, then what was it, exactly? And if it did not contain anything “defamatory, threatening, and inappropriate”, then why has it been deleted and replaced with an apology?
I would point out that the Post's censorship of this article has already become a subject of discussion in the blogosphere. (See here for an example.) This action calls into question the Post's journalistic standards, and its commitment to freedom of speech.
Mr. Horowitz: In the past, I have admired you for your defense of Israel against egregious media bias against Israel. The article by Bennatan was very similar to many such defenses that you yourself have presented in the past. His article was well-written, reasoned, and free of any ad hominem attacks or anything even remotely inappropriate. I am shocked that the newspaper under your editorship has chosen to censor it. I would not have expected this from you.
I (along with many others) am interested in an explanation of why the Post has done this.
P.S.: I am also quite curious to know which charity Mr. Freedman has selected for the Jerusalem Post to make a contribution to.
RABBI AVI WEISS Shabbat Forshpeis
This week's portion touches upon the controversial issue of spouses who refuse to grant a Jewish divorce (get).
The Torah states "and he [the husband] shall write her a bill of divorce and place it in her hands" (Deuteronomy 24:1). In other words, the giving of a get is the husband's exclusive domain. While it is difficult to pinpoint why the Torah so decreed, it could be suggested that since women in biblical times found it difficult and even impossible to fend for themselves socio-economically, they would never desire a get. Yet, as pointed out to me by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, the pendulum swung as time went on.
The unilateral right of the husband to divorce his wife was limited by the advent of the ketubah (marital contract) which details the many obligations that a husband has to his wife, including an amount of money that his wife would receive in case of divorce. In this way, a husband's absolute power to divorce his wife was severely restricted through this financial obligation.
The unilateral power of the husband to give the get totally disappeared one thousand years ago when Rabbenu Gershom declared that a get could not be given without the wife's consent. If the ketubah made it difficult for a husband to unilaterally divorce his wife, Rabbenu Gershom obviated that unilateral power in its entirety. The get became a bilateral process rather than a unilateral one.
With time, the get process entered yet a different stage, a stage in which women could initiate a get. In the middle ages, for example, central communities in Europe were governed by the Va'ad Arba Aratzot, the committee of the four major Jewish population centers. Jews there had their own political sovereignty and judicial autonomy. If the bet din found a wife's claim reason for divorce, it was powerful enough to order the husband to give the get. As long as the bet din was strong enough, the agunah matter was resolved.
The situation here in the United States is different. Because of the principle of separation of Church and State, the bet din has no legal power to implement its decisions. This has created a situation where a husband could blackmail his wife by demanding exorbitant sums of money or custody of their child(ren) before giving his wife a get, even when the bet din believes the get should be issued.
While America has seen an unprecedented amount of Jewish life and activity, it has not reached the level of the Va'ad Arba Aratzot. Both the leadership and the people are at fault. The population refuses to submit to the will of the Bet Din, and the Bet Din has not worked hard enough to earn the respect its constituents. Until this vicious circle is broken, the agunah problem, a problem that has been successfully addressed in the past, will remain one of the most painful issues we face today. © 2008 Hebrew Institute of Riverdale & CJC-AMCHA. Rabbi Avi Weiss is Founder and Dean of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, the Open Orthodox Rabbinical School, and Senior Rabbi of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale.
In particular, 33 year old son of Anglo immigrants to Israel, Meir Briskman has refused to grant his wife a divorce for the past five years -- and he may have fled Israel. He may live in your community! Have you seen him?"From our experiences, we believe that refusing a get [divorce] is a social problem," said Rabbi Eliyah Ben-Dahan, director of the rabbinic courts. "If we reveal the identity in a public forum of those men who refuse to grant their wives a get‚ then he will stop being accepted in his immediate environment."
Ben-Dahan added that even if the man in question has gone into hiding, it is likely that his close family may know his whereabouts. Publishing the man's name will bring shame upon his family, he said, hopefully prompting them to come forward with information that will ultimately free the woman in question."
Robyn Shames, director of the International Coalition of Agunah Rights, said she welcomed the move. "I think it's fantastic - any move by the rabbinic courts to find men in an unwanted marriage should be applauded. Efforts need to be made to encourage society to change how they relate to men who refuse to give divorces - they should be treated just like men who violently abuse their wives, because it is a form of abuse." (JPOST)