Israel News for April 7, 2016

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Sanders Stumble
Looks like US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders might need to brush up on foreign policy matters, especially relating to Israel. In an interview with the NY Daily News, Sanders estimated that 10,000 Palestinian civilians were killed during Operation Protective Edge in 2014. He said, “I’m just telling you that I happen to believe…anybody help me out here, because I don’t remember the figures, but my recollection is over 10,000 innocent people were killed in Gaza. Does that sound right?”

No Bernie, it doesn’t. The actual number of casualties in Operation Protective Edge is about 2,125, of which lost half were armed terrorists.

He added, “My understanding is that a whole lot of apartment houses were leveled. Hospitals, I think, were bombed. So yeah, I do believe and I don’t think I’m alone in believing that Israel’s force was more indiscriminate than it should have been.” Well, he’s right about not being alone in his beliefs.

Where does Bernie get his information about Israel from? He should subscribe to this email :)

In any case Sanders did say that he lived in Israel, has family there, and believes in Israel’s right to exist without being threatened by terror. But…

To listen to the entire interview click here.

Terror in Disguise
Security guards in the Beersheva central bus station got suspicious when they saw a 17 year old and a 19 year old trying to enter the station. Both were wearing kippot and tzizit (Jewish religious garments). They were also speaking Arabic. Big mistake. The guards alerted nearby police who took the teens in for questioning. Why do you think two Arab teens were trying to enter the bus station wearing kippot and tzizit? Any ideas?

For further reading click here.

Terrorist Garden
Yesterday Jerusalem police destroyed a garden in the Ras al-Amud neighborhood that had been planted in memory of 47 terrorists killed during the recent wave of terror. An olive tree sapling was planted for every one of the 47 terrorists commemorated in the garden, alongside a placard with a picture and the name of the terrorist, as well as graffiti on a nearby wall praising these terrorists’ actions.
 
A ceremony to establish the “martyrs’ garden” took place three weeks ago, whereby members of the community were invited to bless the memory of these terrorists and plant an olive tree sapling in their name.

Police destroyed the garden after confirming that it was built on public land without the required permits (the terrorist angle wasn’t sufficient cause?). The police is now searching for those responsible for planting the garden.

For further reading click here.

More Gas
Despite Israel’s substantial gas reserves, the Israel Electric Company (IEC) has just signed a deal with British Petroleum (BP) to import liquified natural gas to help the electric utility cope with excess demand for gas during peak periods. Why aren’t they just using gas from the local Tamar gas reserves? Because it’s cheaper to import.

The IEC pays $5.70 per BTU for Tamar gas. The BP gas, which originates in the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago costs $4.80 per BTU. You do the math.

For further reading click here.

Knesset Safety
Last week a group of Knesset members (MKs) went on an official visit to Georgia and Armenia. However, Deputy Prime Minister Yaron Mazuz (Likud) refused to cross the border into Armenia following reports of war in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which is an ethnically Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan. Although the fighting was happening far from the minister and the delegation’s location, Mazuz still requested to be returned to Israel.

Mazuz claimed that he wasn’t feeling well. Then his office released a statement that he was advised by the Security Directorate of the Prime Minister’s office not to cross the border due to the security situation in the region. Apparently, non of the other MKs got the warning.

Maybe Mazuz is in the wrong line of work?

For further reading click here.

Health News
According to a study released yesterday by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Israelis are generally getting healthier. The life expectancy of Israeli men has gone up 3.6 years since 2000 to 80.3 and the life expectancy for women has risen 3.2 years to 84.1.

The mental health picture is a bit less cheery. Almost a third of Jewish Israelis suffer from depression, with men more likely to suffer than women (39% vs 27%). Almost half of all Israeli Arabs admitted to suffering from depression.

So people are living longer, but are not happy about it?

For further reading click here.

Israel News for April 6, 2016

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IDF Kosher
The IDF is taking unusual measures to make sure that those who avoid the draft because of religious exemptions are being totally “kosher”.

In one case the army saw a social media post in which a girl described having a sexual relationship with an Israeli Haredi man, saying that he broke her heart. She posted a photo of him. It turns out that he had an exemption from military service because he was listed as a full time yeshiva student.

In response, the army summoned the yeshiva student to an induction center to enlist, maintaining that the student was merely keeping up a guise of religious observance — the grounds for his deferment request — and therefore should not be exempt from service.

The IDF is even considering opening a special cyber unit to track ultra-Orthodox students on social media, monitoring those who were openly eschewing ultra-Orthodox practice and drafting them, according to a Channel 10 report. The unit would be tasked with verifying that the Haredi yeshiva students were living in accordance with Jewish religious observance.

So basically the IDF will be inline with the Yeshiva heads and rabbis. They’ll both be making sure that students are strictly following religious law. Who can argue with that?

For further reading click here.

Left Behind
In 1961 Eli Cohen, an Israel of Sephardic decent, was sent to spy on Syria by the Mossad. For the next four years Cohen succeeded in penetrated the highest levels of the Syrian government and sending Israel a steady stream of reliable intelligence, which ended up saving countless lives in the 1967 Six Day War. Cohen was captured in 1965 and executed. For the last 50 years Israel has tried to get Cohen’s remains back so that they can receive a proper burial in Israel. Cohen’s widow Nadia has spearheaded the effort.

In 2007, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert asked Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was very close to Assad, to help in the matter. In 2010 PM Netanyahu sent asocial Ronald Lauder to Assad to ask for the remains. Now President Rivlin has asked Russian President Putin to help. Given their large military presence in the country and their role in saving Assad from defeat, Rivlin hopes that the Russians can persuade Assad to finally return Cohen’s remains.

Putin has promised that he will look into the matter.

For further reading click here.

Blood Money
The family of Muhannad Halabi, the terrorist who murdered Rabbi Nehemia Lavi and Aharon Banita in Jerusalem’s Old City last October, has purchased a new villa after the IDF demolished their home in January. The purchase of the massive mansion was made with money donated by the Palestinian public.

Speaking in the Knesset today, Deputy Knesset Speaker MK Oren Hazan (Likud) responded to the news saying, “It appears that the Palestinian Authority has found a creative solution to the housing crisis – a family that sends a representative to murder a Jew will be awarded with a luxurious villa, in addition to the honor that the family receives.”

He added, “I have said in the past and say again, the demolition of the homes of terrorists is an effective punishment, but it requires followup and accompanying steps! We have to take off the kid gloves and start acting with a hard hand against these murderers who benefit at our expense, including the expulsion of families.We must negate the stipends, negate their residency and send them to Gaza, Syria or any other attractive destination.”

For further reading click here.

Kotel Compromise
Moshe Gafni, the senior Knesset Member of the United Torah Judaism (UTJ) haredi party, implied yesterday that his party would accept the government’s compromise agreement allowing a non-Orthodox prayer area at the southern end of the Kotel, under one condition: that there will be a separate entrance for the new area.

A joint entrance is apparently one of the critical demands of the Reform and Conservative movements and the Women of the Wall organization, and it is unlikely they will agree to concede on this point.

Referring to the issue Gafni said, “They can go wherever they want, they can do whatever they want but not together with us. We will not allow them to be with us in any way. Not at the entrance to the Kotel, not at the exit, we won’t allow in any way recognition of the Reform, and not those similar to them.”

Gafni added that if this change is accepted then further deliberations would be needed to decide on who will manage the non-Orthodox site, but indicated that an agreement on this would be possible.

For further reading click here.

Good Reading
If you enjoy reading this newsletter you should check out my books:

Deep Waters: Insights Into the Torah and the Jewish Holidays contains deep and meaningful original insights and explanations that can be easily digested and communicated. 

Each lesson is usually no longer than a page or two, so you can absorb it minutes. You can read a section every week or at the Shabbat table, and before each major holiday. Deep Waters can be appreciated by readers with a Judaic studies background as well as by readers with hardly any Jewish knowledge. BTW, it’s got lots of good stuff about Pesach, so get it soon!

Click here to get it on amazon (prime).

The Outsider’s Guide To Orthodox Judaism is a handbook (that means it’s brief and to the point) that explains Orthodox Judaism’s basic beliefs, rituals (like Sabbath and Kosher), lifestyle, lifecycle events, holidays, and more. Also included is a list of holidays and time-line of Jewish history.
Whether you’re an “outsider” looking to learn more about Orthodox Jews or an “insider” looking to explain what you do to your employer or coworkers, this book is perfect for you. Give a copy to your boss and save the awkward questions and conversations!

Click here to get it on amazon (prime).

Goodbye, Mom: A Memoir of Prayer, Jewish Mourning, and Healing is a practical and spiritual guide embedded within the true story of a son’s struggle to deal with his mother’s passing. It is a moving story of hope and prayer, love and respect, mourning and grieving, and healing. 

The first part of the book describes how I dealt with my mother’s terminal illness, specifically her final days. Several chapters are dedicated to explain how prayer can be used as a healing tool (based on Jewish sources). I also describe the proper way to deal with a loved one who is dying. 

The second part of Goodbye Mom describes the entire Jewish mourning process including tahara, funeral, burial, shiva, shloshim, kaddish, and unveiling, through the author’s personal experience. While there are many wonderful guides to Jewish mourning, learning from someone’s personal experiences is the most powerful and effective way.

The appendix contains a practical guide to the entire Jewish mourning process.

Click here to get it on amazon (prime).

Israel News for April 5, 2016

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Electric Bill
Have you paid your electric bill? Well, the Palestinian Authority hasn’t paid its for a while. Israel provides electricity to the West Bank through several Palestinian distribution companies. The PA currently owes the Israel Electric Company close to $460 million. So yesterday the company cut power to Bethlehem by 50% after doing the same in Jericho a few days earlier. Last year, it briefly cut off power to parts of the West Bank several times. It has also deducted money from regular tax transfers to the Palestinians to help cover the debts.

The PA gets hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign aid every year in addition to the taxes it collects domestically. Now they need to pay their electric bills.

For further reading click here.

Jordanian Workers
If you’re planning a vacation in Eilat, there’s a good chance you’ll here Arabic spoken by the hotel staff. No, they won’t be Palestinians. Israel has just authorized 500 Jordanians to work in hotels in Eilat ahead of vacation season. They will join the 400 Jordanians already working there. The workers will go home to Jordan every night.

According to the Tourism Ministry the Jordanians will primarily be employed in cleaning, dishwashing and room service. The Ministry said that efforts have been made to encourage Israeli workers to fill the jobs in Eilat including giving them bonuses, free lodging and day care. But “surprisingly”, Israelis aren’t interested in the jobs.

Lucky we made peace with Jordan.

For further reading click here.

Affirmative Action
While discrimination against Sephardim is alive and well in the Ashkenazi Haredi community in Israel, there now seems to be a solution, at least for some Sephardim.

Rav Chaim Kanievsky, recognized as the premiere posek (halachic authority) in the hared community, received a question that read as follows: “Can a man whose children are not being accepted into an Ashkenazi yeshiva change his Sephardi family name to an Ashkenazi sounding name so that his kids will be accepted?”

Rav Kanievsky answered, “This is not considered trickery. The main thing is that the kids get into yeshiva.” Problem solved, as long as you don’t look Sephardi.

For further reading click here.

Meat Bust
After an investigation by the Israel Police, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Health, nine people were arrested yesterday for smuggling meat from the Palestinian territories into Israel.

Here’s how it worked. A Palestinian importer bought meat in South America that was intended for the Palestinian Authority and imported it via Haifa’s port. From Haifa the meat was stored in the Palestinian town of A-Ram outside of Jerusalem, and from there it was smuggled into Israel through various checkpoints under substandard conditions that are contrary to Ministry of Health regulations. The meat was brought to a storage area in Atarot, where it was repackaged with forgeries of kosher certifications, expiration dates and veterinary authorizations. From there it was distributed to popular restaurants and shops throughout the country.

The investigators will now try to determine whether restaurant owners were involved in the fraud.

For further reading click here.

Deja Vu
If your stomach is feeling particular strong today, you might be able to handle this story about the “kosher” restaurant in Lviv, Ukraine (formerly known as Lviv and Lemberg – depending on who ruled the city). Before WWII the Jewish population of the city numbered 110,000, which was one third of the entire population. Then the Nazis took over in 1941 and, with the enthusiastic encouragement and assistance of the local Ukrainians, murdered almost all of them. There are currently 1,200 Jews living in Lviv, but the memory of the Jews seems to still be on the minds of the locals.

One of the ways that they commemorate their city’s Jewish past is with a small restaurant called The Golden Rose, named after a 16th century synagogue that stood next door until it was blown up by the Nazis in 1943. The restaurant has Jewish art and symbols on its walls. The waiters wear Hasidic hats with peyos attached and joke about Jewish stereotypes. The menus have no prices, because Jews like to bargain. You get the picture. You can also find these types of eateries in Krakow and Kiev, and probably other places in the blood-soaked “Old Country”.

Is it politically incorrect to say that I hope they all finally get what they deserve? Oh well.

To read more about one reporters experience in this Lviv restaurant, click here.

War Against Toys
Toys R’ Us, the iconic US based toy store chain, is under attack in Jerusalem by, guess who — the Haredim. The toy store chain is implementing a global campaign to do away with gender categories of toys. In other words, no more grouping or categorizing of toys based on gender. The Jerusalem branch has come under fire from elements in the Haredi community who are threatening to boycott the store and “excommunicate” it, claiming that the new policy threatens modesty and is a bad influence on its youth. According to one boycott proponent, “Toys R Us is trying to change creation, confuse the genders, and go against human nature as God created it.”

Personally, I always found the super heroes in tights thing extremely confusing. Would making them wear pants solve this whole gender dilemma?

For further reading click here.

Israel News for April 4, 2016

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Meir Ettinger
Meir Ettinger, the grandson of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, has been held in administrative detention by the Shin Bet for seven months for allegedly leading the “Price Tag” acts of violence perpetrated by settler youth against Palestinians in the West Bank. No official chargers have yet been brought against him.

Ettinger’s wife gave birth to a son last week, but the Supreme Court ruled yesterday that he will not be permitted to attend the bris. The court upheld the ruling of a Beersheba district court that prohibited Ettinger from leaving prison to attend the event, claiming that there is a security risk to releasing him.

Ettinger’s wife refuses to hold the bris in the prison, but the family has offered to hold the event near the prison and follow any security guidelines ordered by the Israel Prison Service (IPS).

The Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Israel David Lau sent a letter to the director of the IPS asking that he do everything possible to allow Ettinger to attend his son’s bris. But the courts have ruled.

The IPS routinely releases prisoners serving sentences for violent crimes on weekend furloughs. Why is releasing Ettinger, who has not even been charged for a crime, to attend his only son’s bris, such a problem?

For further reading click here.

Ryan in Israel
US Speaker of the House Paul Ryan is visiting Israel, as part of a bipartisan delegation, on his first official trip abroad as Speaker. He denied the possibility that he would run for president if chosen as the republican nominee in a contested convention. Regarding Israel he said, “I’m proud that my first trip as speaker is a return to Israel. At this critical moment, it is essential that we reaffirm the historic alliance between our two nations and work together to address the mutual security threats that we face.”

You never know.

For further reading click here.

Tsunami Threat
As if Israel didn’t have enough problems, you can add Tsunamis to the list. Apparently, the Mediterranean Sea is a vulnerable region for tsunamis. Around 25% of all recorded tsunamis in human history have taken place in the Mediterranean. About every 100 years a significant tsunami takes place in the sea, and around every 250 years a tsunami strikes the shoreline of Israel. Tsunami warnings are received in Israel once every three months on average. The last such warning was received on April 15, 2015, due to an earthquake off Cyprus that measured 6.1 on the Richter scale. Another warning was received the day after, due to an earthquake near Crete of the same magnitude.

But don’t worry. This morning Israeli emergency crews participated in the country’s first tsunami simulation to practice effective responses in case a monster wave ever hits. The exercise, named “Nachshol Kachol” (Blue Tidal Wave), included evacuating people from the beaches of Ashdod and Ashkelon to safe gathering points.

Still want that beachfront villa?

For further reading click here.

Pot Meetup
You might be surprised to hear (or not) that the first international conference of the marijuana industry is being held in Tel Aviv. That’s probably because while personal use of cannabis without a prescription is forbidden by law in Israel, cannabis research in the Holy Land is among the most advanced in the world. In fact, since 2014, US companies have invested $50 million in Israeli companies engaged in research and development of the cannabis plant. That’s not that much, considering that the legal marijuana market in the US is projected to reach $23 billion annually by 2020.

Could this be Israel’s new technology cash crop? Will the start up nation become the light up nation? It could, at the very least, reduce the sky high stress level of most Israelis. Nothing wrong with that.

For further reading click here.

Single Malt
Whiskey aficionados will now be able to turn to Israel for their single malts. And of course, it’ll all be certified kosher. The new distillery, called Milk and Honey, is located in Tel Aviv and will be exporting over a million bottles very soon.

To watch a video report about this, click here.

Trump Bris
Donald Trump’s grandson had his bris on Sunday without having his grandpa at his side. Trump was busy campaigning in Wisconsin. In any case he likes to be the center of attention, which would have been difficult at the Orthodox bris. In any case, Mazal Tov to the Trumps and Kushners! We couldn’t find the Hebrew name of the young prince, but if you want to see photos of the royal family heading to the bris, click here.

Israel News for April 1, 2016

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Conversions Sanctioned
Israel’s Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the State must recognize Orthodox conversions performed outside of Israel as valid under the Law of Return and that the converts must be registered by the Interior Ministry in the population registry as Jews.

Prior to the ruling the Chief Rabbinate had complete control over determining what conversions, performed abroad, to accept as valid. Only conversions by Orthodox rabbis approved by the Rabbinate (they have a list) were recognized. While those converted by rabbis not on the “list”, including non Orthodox rabbis, were eligible for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return, they were not registered as Jewish. As a result, they could not marry in Israel, since all marriages must be registered by the Chief Rabbinate (although, as we reported a while back, the rabbinic court of the Haredi community – Edah Haredit – can also register marriages).

The Supreme Court ruling seems to wrest total control over conversions from the hands of the Chief Rabbinate. But the Court made it clear that its ruling only refers to conversions performed by Orthodox rabbis in Orthodox communities outside of Israel. That didn’t make the Chief Rabbinate feel any better about the ruling. It wants to be the sole determiner of “who is a Jew” in Israel, and has fought vehemently against an alternative rabbinic court established by National Religious Orthodox rabbis in Israel to perform conversions. The Supreme Court’s ruling does not apply to conversions performed in Israel.

Rabbi Seth Farber, the director of ITIM, an organization that helps converts deal with the Chief Rabbinate, said, “This is a game changer for conversion in Israel, because it says black and white that the Chief Rabbinate does not have a monopoly on conversion in the Jewish state. This paves the way for hundreds of converts who converted through Giyur Kahalacha [the alternative rabbinic court in Israe] to be registered as full Jews in Israel. Over the coming months we hope to engage both the government and the Chief Rabbinate to address how Giyur Kahlacha’s conversions can be recognized by it for the purposes of marriage.”

The Chief Rabbis along with ultra-Orthodox government ministers and Knesset members attacked the court’s ruling and pledged to pass legislation to circumvent. They claim that the court has no right to meddle in religious issues that are protected by the “status quo.” Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau stated, “The Supreme Court and its justices will not decide who is a Jew; only the torah of Israel will.”

Will the Supreme Courts ruling really have a practical effect? Yes, converts who convert outside of Israel by Orthodox rabbis will have to be registered as Jews by the Interior Ministry. But the rabbinate still controls marriage registration. So when the convert goes to register for marriage with their local rabbinate, the rabbis can still refuse to register them, claiming that their conversion was invalid. Just because they are registered as Jews by the government does not preclude the rabbinate from finding a reason not to register them for marriage.

So while the court’s ruling certainly puts pressure on the rabbinate and sets a precedent for further action to take full control over conversion from the Chief Rabbinate, it remains to be seen whether the ruling will have any practical effect.

For further reading click here.

Abbas Speaks
In an apparent bid to boost his image with the West and counter claims by PM Netanyahu that he refuses to meet with him to discuss peace, PA President Abbas told Channel 2 News that he is working hard to fight terror. He said, “Our security forces go into the schools to search pupils’ bags and see if they have knives. You don’t know this. In one school, we found 70 boys and girls who were carrying knives. We took the knives and spoke to them and said: ‘This is a mistake. We do not want you to kill and be killed. We want you to live, and for the other side to live as well.'”

Regarding meeting the PM Abbas said, “I will meet with him, at any time. And I suggested, by the way, for him to meet.” He declined to reveal why his suggestion didn’t come to fruition.

Abbas said he was willing to take action against Palestinians that Israeli intelligence deems a threat. “If he (Netanyahu) gives me responsibility and tells me that he believes in (the) two-state solution and we sit around the table to talk about (the) two-state solution, this will give my people hope, and nobody dares to go and stab or shoot or do anything here or there.”

Do you believe him?

For further reading click here.

Tank Hit
In an IDF training exercise on the Golan Heights yesterday, a tank was struck by a shell fired from another tank. Miraculously, despite receiving a direct hit and sustaining serious damage, the second tank’s crew was unharmed. On inspection, it was revealed that the tank’s armor had prevented the shell from penetrating, though the tank itself was severely damaged. But I’ll stick with the miracle theory.

For further reading click here.

Dubai Baby
A pregnant woman from Dubai was entering the West Bank from Jordan via the Allenby border crossing when she began feeling contractions. An IDF officer who was present at the scene gave her initial medical treatment at the border crossing, after which he accompanied her to a hospital in Jericho.

The woman was so thankful to the officer, that she named her baby after him – Hadi. The officer was Druze. But still…

The Palestinian media is trying to deny the story. Of course.

For further reading click here.