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October 08, 2008
12:49
Last Chance for Forgiveness
» ‎ The Muqata

-- Advertisement –

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
October 07, 2008
19:15
Finally: A Solution to Yom Kippur Fast Headaches
» ‎ The Muqata

When the Renegade Rebbetzin used blog, she often mentioned how much she hated fasting...whether it also impacted her Yom Kippur davening is all too obvious...
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.

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.
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]
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.

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.
It's not too late!!!
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.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
16:41
Spice Up Yom Kippur Musaf!
» ‎ The Muqata

If your Yom Kippur davening is too slow and you find your thoughts meandering during Musaf, your shul could use the services of the Ray Chew Harlem Boys Choir.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
October 06, 2008
15:31
"Peace Now" Slams IDF for Commending 9 Year Old Terror Victim
» ‎ The Muqata

This was unfortunately, so predictable.

Peace Now's Director, Yariv Oppenheimer on the IDF awarding a citation to a 9 year old youth who fought off a knife wielding Palestinian terrorist:

"The job of a Brigade Commander is not to give out prizes, but to ensure the welfare of the residents of the area, Jews and Arabs, and enforce the law in the territories.

The subservient sycophancy of the army towards the Yitzhar residents is superfluous, and impacts the [army's] ability to enforce law and order in the area" [source in Hebrew]

I wonder if Peace Now has stated to bring charges of "crimes against humanity" against the IDF Commander in the Hague's World Court, for awarding the citation to the 9 year old Yitzhar resident.

Oops. Gave them an idea.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
13:47
Palin vs. Biden Debate
» ‎ The Muqata

10 minutes -- SNL opening sketch....

-->

Best Line (Palin): Global Warming is natural step...towards the end of days.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
October 05, 2008
20:02
Look who's backing McCain/Palin
» ‎ The Muqata

Guest post by Lurker:

From the Muqata U.S. election campaign bureau:

Here's something interesting that seems to be getting rather short shrift in the news media: Shelly Mandell, the president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW), is supporting and campaigning for McCain and Palin. No kidding.

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."

Can you imagine? A feminist leader daring to support a woman, instead of the men whom her own organization endorses?
I can't imagine that this departure from NOW's orthodox groupthink bodes well for Mandell's future in that organization...
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
17:54
Modiin and Raanana: Flipping out?
» ‎ The Muqata

Two Israeli cities, Modiin and Raanana have been in the news lately, due to 2 extremely strange news items. Since many bloggers live in these cities**, I'm interested in their feedback...(I guess Petach Tivkva should be lucky they didn't appear in this post.)

** Commenter Abbi posts here @ The Muqata too... Apologies if I forgot to give you a link...will gladly update the post :)

Story 1 -- Modi'in
A high school in the central city of Modiin forbade a student to bringing his tefillin onto school grounds, threatening to expel him.

"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 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.

Story 2 -- Raanana
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.
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)]
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?
It's almost Yom Kippur...can't we keep these sort of incidents to a minimum?

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
17:27
IDF Praises Yitzhar's Youth
» ‎ The Muqata

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.

Three weeks ago at 6 AM on a Saturday morning, a Palestinian terrorist infiltrated the Shalhevet community of Yitzhar and set fire to a home.
Nine year old Tuvia ran outside to see what was going on and began to alert people that there was a fire. The terrorist saw Tuvia, ran after him, attacked him, and stabbed him repeatedly with a knife.
Not losing his cool, Tuvia continued to yell for help, and bravely fought off the terrorist, breaking the knife and throwing it to the side. In response, the terrorist threw Tuvia off a 4 meter (12 foot) embankment, and fled.

Miraculously, Tuvia only suffered minor injuries.

This past Friday at the IDF Shomron headquarters, IDF Commander Itzik Bar presented an IDF commendation to Tuvia and stated, "I am astounded by the bravery and heroism of Yitzhar children -- despite [this young child's] slight build, he determinedly fought with the terrorist." [source]

For some reason, this story has not been picked up by Israel's mainstream media.
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
September 29, 2008
1:34
Man of the Year
» ‎ The Muqata

With the year winding down, and Rosh Hashana imminently approaching, we've decided to spend one of the remaining posts of the year to announce our choices for the "Man of the Year" award. As opposed to limiting it to one winner, we've chosen to announce our choices for these awards in a few different categories.

Men of the Year
There was no question as to who should be awarded the man of the year. Though with these candidates, we couldn't choose just one. Each candidate selflessly risked his life to save other Jews, ignoring the possible repercussions of being thrown in jail or killed for their actions.

These 5 are the heroes who lived up to the adage in Pirkei Avot "where there is no (police)men, strive to be a man.". They are Yitzhak Dadon, David Shapira, Yakki Asa-El, Moshe Plesser, and Elad Amar.

[Double Tapper raised a valid point. What about Rabbi Erez Bar-On, who killed the terrorist near Shiloh in April 08? And if we are including him, what about the school counselors who killed the 2 terrorists that tried to infiltrate the Makor Haim (Steinzaltz) High School in January 08?

I think we need to include them all.]

Legal Affairs:
One would hope that is a modern democratic state one can't be arrested and detained indefinitely for one's political views, but we unfortunately know that not to be the case.

This year a group of young girls (all minors in fact) had the temerity and will to stand up against a politicized judicial, legal, and prison system. They successfully fought back by simply not disclosing their names (even though, those in charge knew them already), and in return suffered weeks (and months) of physical abuse at the hands of the police and prison authorities, along with legal abuse and attempts of "reeducation" at the hand the judges. They withstood it all, and prevailed.

Human Rights:
There's a sector of society that is constantly under attack, whose basic civil and human rights are constantly ignored and dismissed, a sector that while suffering terrorist attacks is vilified.

There is a person who has consistently fought for their rights, and created an organization called "The Organization for Human Rights in Yesha" specifically for that purpose. While it was a close race with Nitzana Darsha-Leitner, In the human rights category this award goes to none other than Orit Struck.

Culture:
There's no question that the most revolutionary cultural event this year which has taken this country by storm is the show Srugim. Probably no other show has so many sectors of society watching and discussing it, and perhaps even influencing them, not to mention the number of comments each post gets on this blog. This award obviously goes to "Laizy" Shapiro for Srugim.

Criminal of the Year
With so many politicians and public figures to choose from, it was a tough choice. Between the Minister of Finance, the Vice-Prime Minister and former Minister of Justice, the Commissioner of the Police, the Director of the Prime Minister's Office, the Prime Minister, the Abutbul crime family, Boaz Yona, this list could go on for pages.In the end we've decided to award this one to "Peace Now", because unlike everyone else mentioned above, they've gotten away with it.

Peace Now has managed to implement a tax fraud scheme on an international level - and get away with it, Peace Now has managed to create standing in the courts, when it doesn't even exist as a legal entity - and get away with it, Peace Now is openly funded by foreign (and not necessarily friendly) governments looking to influence and manipulate Israeli society and policy - and get away with it, and Peace Now has managed to infiltrate into the highest levels of the government - and get with it. Clearly the winner.

Pollster of the Year
While all the media pollsters where giving completely wrong numbers regarding the Kadima primary, only one lone voice gave an accurate number. Despite being off by a mere few hundred votes (which can be explained by ballot stuffing and fraud) this award goes to Shaul Mofaz.

Event of the Year
None other than the First International Jewish Bloggers Convention, Hosted by Nefesh B'Nefesh and Powered by WebAds. No further explanation needed, it was simply awesome.

Blogger of the Year
This is a tough one. I'm biased, but as it's not nice to vote for myself, I'm awarding it to the Muqata.

Jameel adds: Joe, even if you nominate me as blogger of the year, its still not nice to bump down my posts...

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
September 28, 2008
20:00
Jameel's Personal Rosh HaShana Message
» ‎ The Muqata

Dear JBlogosphere and others, (**see below for special update)

I'm reminded of the "outatime" license plate from "Back to the Future" --

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.

Luckily, I did managed to accomplish a few important items over the past few days
- completed a pruzbul- allocated loan money not to be affected by the pruzbul- managed to get to the bank today so I can pay our HVAC installer before Rosh HaShana- posted about the opportunity to help save a life.- went on milluim.- studied over shabbat with son #2 for his gemara test.
On the other hand, I didn't get to post about milluim, didn't post what I wanted to about Rosh HaShana, didn't post about Nefesh b"Befesh, didn't do a Treppenwitz-type post where he links to many friends of his, which is really a great idea (and I would do it if I had the time...) -- Treppenwitz even calls from time to time, "just to say hi" -- which is truly heart-warming that blog people call sometimes just to say hi.
And therefore, there's something I needed to say. This past year was rather amazing for me on a personal level -- as I managed to meet many of you in person (whether at the JBlogger convention, or in the US, or simply around Israel). Without a doubt, there's something to be learned from everyone, their take on life, their contribution to society, whatever it is that makes them unqiue -- and I appreciate meeting each and everyone one of you.
This past milluim, while sitting around in between exercises I took some pictures of our unit. To my surprise, someone said to me, "Are you going to put that on your blog?" And then another said, "don't put a smiley face on me...put a frowny face on me...", and yet another said, "make my face green"...and yet another said, "don't put anything on my face at all". I guess my blogger identity is quickly becoming the worst kept secret in the JBlogosphere. So I turned to the guy next to me, and said, you really read my blog? He replied that he and his wife read it religiously...
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.

Some people think that the virtual blogosphere means ignoring "reality" -- and I sincerely apologize if reality took second seat to the virtualness of the blog world.

Additionally, I would like to apologize if you sent me an email to which I didn't reply, to those who sent me links to publish and I didn't, to those I should have linked to...but didn't, and to those commenters who I should have acknowledged with followup comments -- but didn't. It was never malice -- just lack of time...or even a bit of laziness on my part, for which I'm sorry. Not any less important -- is that I'm sorry to those who were upset or offended by anything I may have written (what comes to mind is my posting about shabbat guests).
As we welcome the new year, may we all be inscribed in the books of health, well-being, repentance...and the book redemption. Redemption on a personal level and a national one. May this be a year of increased Jewish unity instead of divisiveness, and may the JBlogosphere bring about positive change.
Shana Tova -- a good year to all of us,
Jameel.

PS: Obligatory Srugim comment: I spoke to Laizy Shapiro for a minute today, and his message to you all is that he appreciates your comments and insights about the Srugim show (they put alot of thought into he writing of it, and many of your comments are spot on.). He also added, "its only a TV show".

Shana Tova!

** Special Update:

Thanks to everyones help & generousity, we managed to raise the full ammount to cover the costs of Gili's surgery.

Gili flew this morning to London, where she is supposed to undergo surgery on this comming Tuesday (first day rosh hashana).

Her name for tefilot is: גילי חיה צביה טובה בת רוית

Shana tova & ktiva vechatima tova

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
September 25, 2008
15:45
Help Save a Life
» ‎ The Muqata

Ive received the following so many times in the past few days, both from local friends and neighbors...and now even from bloggers in the US, so I decided to post it and do what I can to help out.
While I don't know the family personally, I do know for a fact that this baby has this condition, and the people behind the campaign are serious and respected individuals.
Six weeks ago, Gili Rossler was born with a rare defect, which causes severe tracheal constriction -- and only one lung.

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
Tizku L'Mitzvot -- please pass this on.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
September 24, 2008
16:56
Bridge over troubled waters
» ‎ The Muqata

Rafi G, host of the notable LifeInIsrael blog uncovered another gem for us.

The newly opened Jerusalem "Calatravva" Bridge seems to be cursed with problems. Despite the immense pricetag for planning, architecture, building and planned maintenance (close to 10 millions dollars annually for maintenance alone), Rafi notes that the latest issue is that women are complaining that partially transparent areas of the bridge allow for people below to look up and see beneath the clothes of those walking above.
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)
Of course, the bridge has already been been sprayed with grafitti more than once -- so it can now also look like every other building and landmark in Jerusalem.

(click image to see what was spray painted on the bridge)
I wonder how long before this grafitti appears on the Kotel...

photo credit: Amshi.
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
2:56
Thought provoking video
» ‎ The Muqata

I found this video very thought provoking.

Its not preachy -- and its refreshingly apolitical.

Give yourself 6 minutes to watch it today before Rosh HaShana.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
September 23, 2008
19:20
Call it coincidence, or is that just Jewish Geography?
» ‎ The Muqata
Yes, after yesterday's terror attack at Kikar Tzahal, everyone was asking, "who is connected to who?"

Well, of course the terrorist came from the same neighborhood as the previous Jerusalem terrorists: Jabel Mukhaber.

And the IDF officer that killed him?

Hold on to your chairs.

Lt. Elad Amar who killed the terrorist is a graduate of the Pirchei Aaron Yeshiva High School in Haifa, and his former commander in the Paratrooper unit where he served before moving over to artillery was none other than... David Shapira - the hero of Mercaz Harav.

Source

Lurker adds:

For those not familiar with the details behind the last four major terror attacks in Jerusalem, the incredible nature of the coincidence that Joe is describing might not be entirely obvious. In each one of these four incidents, the bloodshed was ended by the brave action of a quick-thinking person who happened to be present at the scene of the attack. And in each case, the hero was a dati leumi (religious Zionist) person. That itself is a statistical improbabilty. But the full proportions the improbabilities here only start to become clear once one realizes the direct, single degree-of-separation connections beween each of these four people. Here is a brief connect-the-dots guide:
- David Shapira was a passer-by who, along with Yitzhak Dadon, shot the terrorist in the Merkaz HaRav massacre in Jerusalem on the night of March 6.
- Moshe Plesser, the passer-by who shot the first bulldozer terrorist in Jerusalem on July 2, is David Shapira's brother-in-law.
- Yakki Asa-el, the passer-by who shot the second bulldozer terrorist in Jerusalem on July 22, was Moshe Plesser's yeshiva high school teacher.
- And today, we find out that Elad Amar, who shot the terrorist in the attack last night, served in the Paratrooper unit commanded by David Shapira.
I'm not going to attempt to present an explanation of this incredible triple confluence. I will simply note the obvious: That the likelihood of it being random has got to be infintessimally miniscule.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
September 21, 2008
13:40
Haveil Havalim- Best of The Jewish/Israeli Blogosphere
» ‎ The Muqata

Hi Friends,

Haveil Havalim #183, the weekly carnival of The Jewish/Israeli Blogosphere is now live. You're invited to come take a look at what we have been speaking about the past week.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
September 18, 2008
16:58
Srugim Lurkers
» ‎ The Muqata

** Episode 13 spoiler alert **
Despite the bans, despite the prohibition of owning a TV in the first place, all sorts of people are watching the Srugim TV show.

One of those lurkers is Dan Illouz from the "Tzipiyah" blog. He admits he's a closet Srugim fan:
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.

Dan discusses the issue that "no is also an answer" -- when discussing the theological issue of why G-d didn't answer the prayers, that Israel does not evict and destroy the communities of Gush Katif and the Shomron. I thought the issue was well done, and found the acting of Hodaya's teenage cousin,"Shvut" to be a realistic and accurate portrayal of teenage angst, irresponsibility, rebellion and searching.
While Shvut rails against G-d for abandoning the "good people" and for ignoring their prayer, Hodaya chastises her, "there are worse things than the Disengagement"..."No is also an answer [from G-d]".

Shvut runs off that night, and Hodaya worries incessantly about her. When Shvut returns and Hodaya screams at her for going off to party, and Shvut locks herself in the bathroom, Shvut quiety reveals that she was at the Kotel...praying.
What Dan does not touch upon is that while Hodaya may have scolded Shvut, Shvut is still passionately enraged at G-d -- she still believes.

Hodaya's "no is also an answer" lecture comes from cynicism as she no longer cares enough -- or believes enough -- to be angry at G-d.

The show concludes with Ms. Hodaya...watching TV on Friday night...
But I'm not done.

More and more Israeli Chareidim are watching the show. Despite all the criticism of the show, including this rather scathing review in Maariv, Chareidim are watching the show (not on TV, G-d forbid, but by downloading the episodes from the web)

Popular sites are chock full of discussions about the show, despite it being the about "srugim". (Note: Srugim is definitely IMHO, referring to the crocheted kippot of the national religious crowd, not being interwoven into society or anything to do with bars on Jerusalem windows).

While we continue to discuss srugim, be aware that many eyes are lurking as well...

Lastly, I absolutely despise the Nitzan character. Here she is, playing the scared female to enable Nati to show his masculine bravado and kill a roach (jook). Personally, I would have stomped on it...even barefoot.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
14:27
Day of Judgement for Israel's Pollsters
» ‎ The Muqata

At 10 PM last night, you could hear the glee in their voices on TV and Radio:

The exit polls predict that Tzippi Livni is the new leader of Kadima!

Channel 10's Poll - 49%
Channel 1's Poll - 47%
Channel 2's Poll - 48%

It's becoming almost routine for Israel's pollsters and media pundits to get it wrong time after time. True, Tzippy Livni did win, but by 341 votes. The margin of error for a win by 341 votes makes it statistically impossible to have accurately predicted that Livni would win -- based on scientific statistical models.

One should tip their hat to the "Yisrael Hayom" (Israel Today) newspaper whose headline this morning read: "Ma'avak Tzamud" (or "neck and neck") and refused to print outright that Livni won. At one point last night during the count, Mofaz was even leading Livni by 40 votes.

So what happened? How does it happen that time after time, Israel's pollsters and media get it wrong? How did every single polling company predict that Livni would win by a double digit landslide, yet in reality she won by 1 percent?

The red-faced pollsters (and Israel's media pundits, like IDF radio host Razi Barkai) placed the blame this morning not upon themselves, but due to "the lying, conneiving Israeli."

Instead of looking at the pollsters for answers, one should be turning to sociologists and societal psychologists...or ask the pollsters why they skew results?

Everyone laughed at Shaul Mofaz when he made his "bombastic" announcement a few days ago, that he would win the primaries with a result of 43.7% of the vote -- after all, Haaretz 's poll predicted a landslide victory for Livni.

Of everyone who made predictions, Shaul Mofaz was the closest to reality! While he did lose -- Livni received 43% and himself 42%, he was closer than any other polster or pundit. Mofaz knew his people were showing up to vote, which is why he was so certain of his win. What is he secret -- perhaps he really should be the leader of Kadima?

Why would an Israeli "lie" to a pollster?

Perhaps because people enjoy getting egg on the face of the arrogant media outlets that try to run our lives on a daily basis.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
14:26
JPost acknowledges, defends censorship
» ‎ The Muqata

Guest post by Lurker:

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
September 16, 2008
23:18
The Line of the Week
» ‎ The Muqata

Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was just interviewed on Channel 2 Israel TV News.

He was questioned about the US financial crisis and what would he do if he were Prime Minister or Finance Minister.

Bibi's response:

1. Ensure that the Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer quickly examines what the state of Israel's banks are, and their exposure to the US financial crisis, in order to reassure and instill confidence in Israel's banking industry. This is being done already, as Fischer is meeting with all the heads of the banks tomorrow morning.

2. Lower taxes for both citizens and corporations.

3. Improve and invest in Israel's infrastructures and free up land for infrastructure investments, to encourage foreign investment in Israel.

The interviewer then asked about politics, and here comes the line.

Bibi was asked, "Tomorrow is Kadima's primaries, assuming you get a call to join an emergency unity government the day afterwords, what do you say?

Bibi replies, "There is no way I would join."

The interviewer queried, "Why not? This is for an issue of national importance. Why not?"

Bibi responded with this amazing line, "Asking me to join a government led by Kadima, is like asking me to join the board of directors of Lehman Brothers. Just like Lehman Brothers went bankrupt so has Kadima, which hasn't succeeded in anything, in any field."

As transcribed by Jameel in the field (on his way home from work).

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
12:00
Can you shoot better than this girl?
» ‎ The Muqata

-- Advertisement --

Thanks to the Caliber 3 Shooting Range this girl is a crack shot.

And so are the guys!

Even him! (Just Kidding)

What about you?

If you're visiting Israel (or live here) then learn to shoot at the Caliber 3 Shooting Range with top Israeli anti-Terror experts.

The basic package includes explanations of the security situations Israelis face, examples of different anti-Terrorist techniques, and of course the fun part - Shooting pistols and M-16s.

The program is open to individuals, groups, and families. As you can see from the photos on their site everyone is having a great time.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
September 14, 2008
14:47
Interview with Srugim's Laizy Shapiro
» ‎ The Muqata

The early bird gets the worm.
The Jerusalemite has an interesting interview with Srugim's director, Laizy Shapiro.

Don't worry -- the Muqata will be interviewing him soon as well (I think I'm going to do the interview with Lurker as well...maybe even this week)
In the meantime, see the interview over at the Jeruselamite. I'm copying the background info on Laizy because the links are fantastic (see other movie's he's done...including one of my favortie's, "Eicha")

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

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
13:32
Haveil Havalim #182
» ‎ The Muqata

Batya has done an outstanding job. You can follow the carnival here or here.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
4:18
Censorship in the Jerusalem Post
» ‎ The Muqata

Guest post by Lurker:

Thanks to JoeSettler for bringing to our attention the Jerusalem Post's recent outrageous act of censorship. I sent the following letter tonight to the Post's editor-in-chief, David Horovitz:

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.

If you are also disturbed by the Post's censorship of this article, why not tell them? Here is David Horovitz's e-mail address.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
September 13, 2008
23:24
A brief history of divorce halacha
» ‎ The Muqata

Shavua tov,

Being that one of the mitzvot in this weeks parsha is about divorce, I happened to see a few divrei torah related to the subject of divorce and agunot. Below is a dvar torah from Rabbi Avi Weiss of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale that I think gives a short history as to why we have the problem of agunot nowadays. This ties in very nicely with Jameel's post the other day.

Jcop

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.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
September 11, 2008
1:01
Muqata Wordle
» ‎ The Muqata

A Muqata wordle. Very fun toy.

Lurker, feel free to analyze and offer any deep insights.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
September 10, 2008
15:30
Getting Tough: Israel Most Wanted
» ‎ The Muqata

Have you seen these "men"?

All of these people shown above have one thing in common: they all refuse to give their wives a get, a religious divorce, leaving their wives stranded as agunot -- unable to remarry -- and these men have gone into hiding.

On the radio yesterday, I heard the interview of one woman as she bitterly explained her situation as an aguna. Surprisingly, (though very encouraging), when asked if she harbored any complaints against the Israeli Rabbinate, she alternatively praised their efforts to find her husband.

The Chief Rabbinate has gone on the offensive to help agunot, and is posting pictures on their website with descriptions of each individual recalcitrant husband; last know whereabouts, possible methods they used to change their appearances, and they provide the option to leave anonymous tips as to there where these people might be.

If you have seen any of them, PLEASE contact the Chief Rabbinate through their website (or email me and I'll send it to them).

The aguna on the radio asked for an additional minute on the radio station, to which the interviewer gladly granted. "The biggest problem is not the religious establishment -- I believe they are honestly doing their best to help me. The problem is the families of the men who help hide and protect them -- while our lives are held hostage [from remarrying]"

Do you know these people? Have you seen them? These moral and Jewish degenerates need to be found quickly, so their wives can be freed. If you've seen them, or have a clue where they are -- please contact the Israeli Chief Rabbinate via their website, their phone number 02-658-2822, or you can even contact the Israeli police (100).

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)
Let's use the JBlogosphere to find this guy...and bring him to justice.

Additional sources (in Hebrew) NRG

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
September 09, 2008
1:02
Live Blogging Srugim 12
» ‎ The Muqata

****Spoiler Alert******

Hmm, so Amir slept over. He's happily making breakfast, singing a tune while chopping salad. They go for a walk around the yishuv. They both look very happy, playing house.

Back to Nati at Ein Karem, where he's informed that he was chosen by a donor to represent the residents at a fundraising meeting.He doesn't want to go, but then is told that the last person chosen for this role was also sent to Mount Sinai hospital for an internship. He quickly accepts.

Back to Reut and Yochai. Yochai informs her that he's going into his uncle's office supply business. Reut is not happy. How can he stop learning? They get into an amazing discussion about learning vs. working. He's like "I'm almost thirty I have to start working". She's like "How can you go into sales and stop learning Torah?" Go Laizy for exploring the essence of modern Orthodoxy!

Then back to Nati and Amir. Amir is once again eating a salad- man he eats a lot of salad.

Nati tells him about how the daughter of donor who hosted the fundraising meeting hit on him and this starts a new storyline between him and the rich chick who drives a mercedes?!!! Whoa. She runs a Gemach of leftover rich people's clothes. They go on a date.

Yifat comes back for shabbat. Yay! At dinner the girls inform Nati that he was ambushed by the rich girl (She spotted him at Ohel Necahama, the singles shul and gather a lot of intel on him) He realizes that the fundraising meeting was kind of a set up for her father to check him out and he's upset about this. Yifat and Amir keep quiet about themselves, but Amir is upset about this. When Amir asks about this she says it's not you it's me.

Yifat and Hodaya are reading by the bathroom light (of course, Makor Rishon!)

Towards the end, Nati is anxious to make havdala because he wants to call Nitzan, the rich girl, to tell her off (he feels like she's using him, though it's not clear why?) He calls and Nizan kind of takes control of the conversation and tells him she'll pick him in an hour.

The show ends with Yifat back in the yishuv.

I missed a lot of details. Please feel free to fill them in in the comments.
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
September 08, 2008
17:53
Tachlis 2.0
» ‎ The Muqata

-- Advertisement --

Following in the footsteps of the NBN convention is none other than Tachlis 2.0.

Apparently Jewish bloggers were left hungry for a little more Tachlis, so here it is.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008 in the Old City of Jerusalem (clearly the center of the Jewish blogging world).

From the website: "Tachlis 2 Point Oh! has no agenda other than the effective dissemination of practical information based on real life examples and years of experience."

Register now for Tachlis 2.0.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

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