Israel News for July 15, 2016

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Gaza Post
If you’re planning to mail something to Gaza, forget about it. Israel is halting postal services to Gaza because people have been trying to smuggle weapons, drones and other illegal equipment into the zone. Just this year there have been 315 attempts at smuggling in contraband via postal packages.

Does Amazon deliver to Gaza?

For further reading click here.

Parade Cancelled
Organizers of the Gay Pride parade in Beersheva have cancelled the parade in the city, after the Supreme Court upheld the decision of the police to divert the parade from the city’s main street because of security concerns. The parade organizers apparently felt that it was main street or no street. So instead, they will hold a protest rally outside of the Beersheva municipality building.

Beersheva mayor Ruvik Danilovich said, “I regret their decision to cancel the parade, I hope to work together to expand cooperation with the LGBT community. The gay community is in integral part of the social fabric of Beersheba, as such the community has the freedom to act in accordance with its world view.”

The Gay Pride parade in Jerusalem will take place next Friday and is estimated to draw over 10,000 marchers and spectators. The parade was marred last year by the murder of Shira Banki and the wounding of 6 others. The parade route will be extended this year.

For further reading click here.

Foreign Engineers
The Israeli “startup nation” high-tech industry is suffering from a severe shortage of at least 10,000 engineers. To help alleviate the shortage, the Prime Minister’s Office has authorized a special team to recommend a solution which would allow companies to hire foreign workers.

Sources say that according to the plan, foreign employees will receive “specialist visas” enabling them to move to Israel for two years, with the possibility of a further extension of up to three more years. Children and spouses of the holders of specialist visas will receive permission from the Immigration Authority to work in Israel.

The Immigration Authority would create a database of 1,500 Israeli companies who would submit requests that would be expedited by the authority, cutting out much of the existing bureaucracy. No quota for foreign tech workers will be set.

In order to maintain the average salary level of Israeli tech workers, the foreign workers will receive a minimum gross salary of 20,000 shekels per month.

Netanyahu, who is also Minister of the Economy and Industry, will endorse the team’s recommendations.

For further reading click here.

Flags on Temple Mount
Dozens of people have begun posting photoshopped images of themselves holding Israeli flags on the Temple Mount. The trend is gaining momentum on Facebook. Some of the images contain famous video game characters, butterflies and other funny things.

The trend began after an Israeli named Haim Brosh shared a photoshopped picture of himself holding a flag in front of the Dome of the Rock, under the words “Carry a flag to Zion.” He was detained by police, who thought the image was real. It is illegal to have an Israeli flag on the Temple Mount (at least for Jews). Brosh was released with a warning, although it’s unclear what the warning was for.

For further reading click here.

Soccer Diplomacy
During his recent visit to Israel, the Egyptian foreign minister met with PM Netanyahu in the PM’s residence in Jerusalem. After their meeting they apparently watched part of the Euro Cup Finals match on TV. Netanyahu posted a photo on Facebook and Twitter with the caption, “Tonight Sara 7 I hosted Egyptian FM Sameh Shoukry in our Jerusalem home. We made time to watch the #Euro2016Final.”

The posts sparked outrage from the Egyptian public, condemning the fraternization with the Israeli leader. Yesterday the Egyptian government denied that the foreign minister watched the game with Netanyahu, saying that he just stumbled into the room where the game happened to have been on. “The Egyptian foreign minister doesn’t watch soccer games during a formal and important visit such as this.”

Imad ad-Din Hussein, an editor from the Egyptian in the daily newspaper al-Shorouk, wrote, “I would understand if our foreign minister would watch a game, a movie or a play with an Arab official, who is a friend… But not an Israeli official.”

For further reading click here.

Israel News for July 14, 2016

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Rabbinic Court Rules
The Supreme Rabbinic Court of the Chief Rabbinate issued a ruling in the much publicized case of an American immigrant woman who was converted to Judaism by Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, a prominent Modern Orthodox rabbi in the US. When the woman tried to register for her upcoming marriage in the Petach Tikva rabbinate, the local rabbinic court ruled that her conversion was invalid, since Rabbi Lookstein was not on the list of rabbis approved by the Chief Rabbinate to perform conversions.

The case was appealed to the Supreme Rabbinic Court, which upheld the ruling of the lower court and ordered the woman to proclaim her acceptance of the Mitzvoth (commandments). This acceptance would serve as a backup conversion, which is done when the validity of the initial conversion is thought to be questionable. The woman at first refused to make the declaration, but eventually relented in the interest of being allowed to register for her marriage.

The court’s ruling is viewed by many as an attack on all of the conversions of Rabbi Lookstein. But that’s not so clear. The Chief Rabbis praised the courts ruling while also confirming that Rabbi Lookstein’s conversions are absolutely “kosher”. The court also said that their ruling has no bearing on any other of the rabbis conversions.

The entire question came down to whether R. Lookstein was on an approved list of rabbis or not. But the court couldn’t just refer to the official list, because there really isn’t one master list. There apparently are several versions of the list, depending on who you ask for a judgment.

So it seems as though, in the absence of a list, the court had no hard evidence to either confirm or deny R. Lookstein’s conversion. So they took what they considered to be the safe route and made the woman convert again, sort of (she did not have to immerse in a mikvah, which is a primary requirement for conversion, although they did say that the woman’s standard pre-wedding immersion will also serve the purpose of acting as a conversion immersion).

Since the Chief Rabbis have now publicly confirmed that R. Lookstein is on the approved list, there should be no further issues regarding his conversions in Israel. We hope.

However, the fact that the judges of the court didn’t rely on the approval of the Chief Rabbis is disturbing and confusing. Were they trying to make a point of displaying their judicial independence?

Does this mean that other rabbinical courts can decide to deny conversions by rabbis even though those rabbis are approved by the Chief Rabbinate?

The only way to assure that something like this doesn’t happen in the future is for the Chief Rabbinate to publish one official list of approved rabbis and mandate that all rabbinical courts and marriage registrars abide by it.

And btw, shame on all the “journalists” who keep referring to Ivanka Trump in their headlines of how the Israeli Rabbinate is nullifying her conversion. It’s just not true. They’re just trying to get clicks (they call it click bait). One ruling by three judges doesn’t change or effect anything beyond the specific case they’re ruling on.

Another Ruling
Since we’re on the topic, the Supreme Rabbinical Court has handed down a five year prison sentence to man who refuses to give his wife a Get (Jewish divorce document). The court gave the husband 10 days to reconsider before heading to prison.

Yup, the rabbinical court has the power to send people to prison in cases of Get refusal.

For further reading click here.

IDF Chief Rabbi
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot confirmed yesterday that Rabbi Col. Eyal Karim will be appointed as the Chief Rabbi of the IDF, despite the public controversy surrounding some of the rabbi’s past statements, including permitting soldiers to disobey orders they consider to be contrary to Torah and prohibiting women from serving in the IDF.

A statement by the Chief of Staff’s office said, “Col. Karim made clarified during the conversation on all the matters that have come up in recent days, and he clarified beyond any doubt that he and all IDF soldiers are completely subject to IDF orders and the IDF Code of Ethics. The rabbi promised that he personally and the rabbinate headed by him will respect every single person, regardless of religion, sex and sexual preference, and because he sees the IDF as an army of the people absorbing of its recruits, no matter who they are. The chief of staff spoke with Col. Karim about the chief rabbinate’s tasks and how he envisages the rabbinate under his command, and he felt that he and the rabbi see eye to eye on these issues.”

Last night Karim publicized a letter to all IDF soldiers. In it, he stated, “It is inconceivable that any soldier or commander would act contrary to orders.” He also wrote, “I understand the diversity and variety that exists amongst IDF soldiers and the important contribution that every soldier makes without regard to their sexual orientation. We will continue being everybody’s rabbinate.”

For further reading click here.

El Al Pilots
El Al pilots have been involved in legal battles with management, demanding improvements in working conditions. Management is claiming that the average salary of an El AL pilot is high enough to compensate for any hardships. The average salary of a pilot is currently around 96,000 shekels per month. Not too bad. But I guess it’s all relative. Do you want the pilot on your flight to be disgruntled?

For further reading click here.

Israel News for July 13, 2016

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Terror Ramming
Three Palestinian men tried to ram their car into security forces who were dismantling an illegal weapons production facility in the village of a-Ram. Security forces shot and killed one of the men and wounded the other. The third man was arrested. No Israelis were hurt.

The IDF closed down a total of 16 weapons factories in the West Bank in a major crackdown yesterday.

For further reading click here.

Chief Rabbi Clarifies
Rabbi Col. Eval Karim, who was appointed as the next IDF Chief Rabbi, responded to critics by clarifying his positions in a meeting with the head of the Manpower Directorate Maj. Gen. Hagi Topolanski yesterday.

Karim confirmed that he in no way sanctions wartime rape by soldiers, and that the statement he once made permitting it was made exclusively in a theoretical context. He also clearly stated that he was in favor of drafting women into the IDF, as opposed to a statement he once made prohibiting women from serving.

He also claimed that he permits soldiers from being present at events where women are singing, which seems to contradict a 28 page legal opinion he offered which prohibited women singers from performing at IDF events and permitted male soldiers from being excused from such an event.

It’s still unclear whether the rabbi’s clarifications will be enough to placate his critics, as more controversial statements of his come to light. Most of those statement were made in the context of responses to questions on the website kipa.co.il.

Examples of Karim’s controversial statements include his position that soldiers may refuse an order that goes against Jewish law, that wounded suicide bombers should be killed, and that the Torah prohibits women from testifying in a Bet Din (Jewish legal court) because “a woman’s sentimental nature does not allow her to withstand a cross examination at court.”

For further reading click here.

Republican Platform
The Republican Party’s Platform Committee has unanimously agreed to omit references to a two-sate solution in its new platform.

The two-state solution has long been accepted by both the Democratic and Republican parties as well as by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). When the Republicans tried to omit the two-sate solution from their platform in 2012, AIPAC opposed the move. This time they didn’t.

The new platform says, “The U.S. seeks to assist in the establishment of comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East, to be negotiated among those living in the region. We oppose any measures intended to impose an agreement or to dictate borders or other terms, and call for the immediate termination of all U.S. funding of any entity that attempts to do so. Our party is proud to stand with Israel now and always.”

Other language on Israel “reject(s) the false notion that Israel is an occupier” and describes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and “indivisible,” both changes from the 2012 platform.

AIPAC spokesman Marshall Wittmann said, “We appreciate that both parties’ platforms have now included strong pro-Israel language which is reflective of the broad bipartisan consensus in support of the Jewish state.”

J Street called the new Republican platform language, “dangerous and irresponsible.” The left-leaning Jewish group said, “It breaks with over half a century of bipartisan US consensus on Middle East policy and disavows the important achievements of previous Republican presidents in seeking peace between Israel and the Palestinians. It would place the Republican Party to the right of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who continues to maintain that he supports the two-state solution.”

The Democratic platform, which was recently approved, does include the two-state solution saying, “We will continue to work toward a two-state solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict negotiated directly by the parties that guarantees Israel’s future as a secure and democratic Jewish state with recognized borders and provides the Palestinians with independence, sovereignty, and dignity.”

The Republican platform will still need to be approved by the full Republican National Committee ahead of the convention in Cleveland next week.

For further reading click here.

Hezbollah Missiles
Addressing a UN Security Council discussion relating to the security situation in Lebanon 10 years after the Second Lebanon War, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon presented evidence of how south Lebanon has turned into a Hezbollah stronghold.

Danon said the Hezbollah currently has 120,000 missiles pointed at Israel. That’s a larger missile stockpile than all of the European NATO countries combined. At the end of the Second Lebanon War Hezbollah only had 7,000.

Damon said, “Hezbollah hasn’t been stopped. They chose to establish their firing positions next to schools and other public buildings, thereby endangering the innocent civilian population. It is the responsibility of the UN security council to get Hezbollah out of south Lebanon.”

For further reading click here.

Israeli in Gaza
A bedouin Israeli citizen has crossed the border fence into Gaza yesterday and is now missing. The man is a shepherd who lives with his family a few miles from the border. He is considered to be mentally unstable.

Security forces were alerted of the breach in the fence and raced to the scene but were too late to stop the man. He is thought to have been captured by Hamas. He is the third Israeli civilian to cross the border and be held by Hamas. The other two are a bedouin and an Ethiopian, both mentally unstable.

For further reading click here.

Saudi Rankings
The Saudi Arabian based Center for World University Rankings has ranked theHebrew University of Jerusalem as the best university in the Middle East and #26th in the world (out of 25,000). Other Israeli universities to finish in the top 100 were the Weizmann Institute of Science, at 41, and Tel Aviv University, at 81.

Yes, the ratings agency is based in Saudi Arabia, and still…

For further reading click here.

Do the New IDF Chief Rabbi’s Personal Opinions Matter?

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Rabbi Col. Eyal Karim has been appointed by IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eiznkot as the next IDF Chief Rabbi, replacing the outgoing rabbi Gen. Rafi Peretz, who is retiring after six years in the position.

Karim currently serves as the head of the Rabbinate Department in the Military Rabbinate. He previously served as an officer and then commander of the elite paratrooper Sayeret commando unit, and fought in two of the Lebanon wars (pretty cool for a rabbi). He studied in the Merkaz Harav Yeshiva and headed up the pre-military academy of Ateret Kohanim, before returning to the IDF Rabbinate.

Karim has come under fire for statements he made implying that woman are prohibited from serving in the IDF and that soldiers can rape gentile women during war. He made the statements in responses to questions he received on the website Kipa.co.il. The rabbi has clearly stated that his statements were made in response to purely theoretical questions of Jewish law and were not meant to be applied in practice.

In response to the claims that Karim sanctioned rape in wartime by IDF soldiers, the IDF Spokesperson’s Office issued a statement saying: “Col. Karim asks to clarify that his statement was issued as the answer to a theoretical question and not in any way whatsoever a question of practical Jewish law. Rabbi Karim has never written, said or even thought that and IDF soldier is permitted to sexually assault a woman in war—anyone who interprets his words otherwise is completely mistaken. Rabbi Karim’s moral approach is attested by his years of military service in command, combat, and rabbinical positions in which he displayed complete loyalty to the values and spirit of the IDF, in particular the dignity of the person.”

But that hasn’t stopped the attacks against him. Why? Because there apparently is a fundamental misunderstanding in how to differentiate between theory and practice in Jewish law and scholarship.

The Torah sanctions certain actions that are considered to be no longer applicable in practice. Examples of these are slavery, the killing of Amalek and the rape of gentile women during war. But these concepts are still “on the books” and are studied and analyzed as part of Jewish law. They also contain valuable homiletical messages and lessons that go far beyond their literal readings.

There’s not a rabbi in the world who would say that slavery is permitted today. No one would permit killing someone on the basis of them being from Amalek. The same is true regarding the Torah law of permissible wartime rape, which happens to have many conditions and caveats attached to it to dissuade soldiers from committing rape and was infinitely more progressive than the norm in the ancient (and not so ancient) world.

When a rabbi is asked a question relating to the intricacies of the laws of these types of issues, he must respond within the context of the question even though he doesn’t intend his answer to be taken as practical law. The entire discussion is clearly within the theoretical realm of intellectual scholarship.

Taking these theoretical statements as reflecting a rabbi’s practical stance is a mistake, and shows a lack of understanding of the concept of theoretical discussion and scholarship.

The statement of the IDF spokesman clearly explains this.

But Rabbi Karim’s opinion regarding the prohibition against women serving in the IDF, particularly in combat roles, might not be so theoretical. Karim might be agreeing with most Haredi rabbi and those on the extreme right wing of the National Religious sector that in fact do prohibit women from serving in the IDF due to modesty concerns. As a result of this, the IDF has traditionally provided religious exemptions for women who choose to not to be drafted. Many of those women volunteer for national service (Sherut Leumi) instead.

Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid has called on Karim to clearly declare that he approves of women being drafted and serving in the IDF. If he doesn’t believe in the right for women to serve in the IDF, then Lapid feels that Karim cannot be appointed as Chief Rabbi, for how can someone be a rabbi for soldiers that he does not believe should be serving?

While Karim should absolutely state his opinion publicly, whether his views on women serving or not should effect his ability to serve as the rabbi of the entire army is not so clear. Isn’t it possible for a person to have personal beliefs that are not in sync with those of his employer?

Just because a rabbi believes that women shouldn’t be drafted doesn’t mean that he cannot effectively serve their religious needs.

Or perhaps personal opinions of public servants, especially Chief Rabbis, do matter?

Israel News for July 12, 2016

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Temple Mount Hallel
Hundreds gathered at the entrance to the Temple Mount today to participate in a memorial service for 13 year old Hallel Ariel, who was brutally murdered by a terrorist in her bed in Kiryat Arba two weeks ago.

Hallel’s family was joined by several MKs, including Yehuda Glick and Oren Hazan from the Likud party and Bezalel Smotrich and Minister Uri Ariel from Bayit Yehudi. The Knesset members were prohibited from entering the Temple Mount by order of the Prime Minister.

There were speeches and dancing and Hallel’s father, Amichai, blew the shofar and said, “The world needs this heart (Temple Mount), otherwise blood will continue to spill. The world is waiting for us to bring the light and banish the darkness.”

Hallel’s aunt said, “This isn’t a day of sadness, this is a day of joy. Not a day of mourning and destruction, but of rebuilding and expectation for the redemption.”

Hallel’s mother Rina thanked those who came saying, “We didn’t come here this morning to cry, we came to strengthen our hearts.”

Around fifty people ascended to the Temple Mount along with the Ariel family, under heavy police protection. Ignoring the regulations against praying on the mount, the Jews recited prayers and blessings out loud. They were confronted by angry Muslims shouting, “Allah Akbar.”

For further reading click here.

Controversial Law Passes
Yesterday the Knesset passed the controversial “transparency law”, which requires NGOs to disclose details of overseas donations if more than half their funding comes from foreign governments or organizations such as the European Union. The NGO’s must disclose these funding sources in Knesset committee meetings and in all communications with public officials, the media and in ads to the public. Representatives of the NGO’s will not have to wear ID tags identifying their status while in the Knesset, as was first proposed in the earlier version of the law.

Around 27 NGO’s that receive funding from the EU or individual European governments will be directly effected by the new law, which has been categorized as anti-left by opponents, since right-wing organizations are usually funded by private donors and therefore exempt from the mandated disclosures. Almost all of the NGO’s effected by the law are left-wing human rights groups.

The law has been publicly criticized by the US and EU as being undemocratic. Peace Now has promised to challenge the law in the Supreme Court saying, “While the law will delegitimize left-wing organizations, pro-settler NGOs who receive millions of dollars in foreign donations without any transparency will remain unaffected. It is a law whose only aim is to silence and mark those who dare to voice criticism of the government or against settlements.”

Supporters of the law, led by its sponsor Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, claim that the law is necessary to prevent foreign governments from using funds to influence Israel’s domestic policies.

PM Netanyahu praised the new law, saying that it would “prevent an absurd situation in which foreign countries meddle in the internal affairs of Israel by funding NGOs and without the Israeli public’s knowledge. Contrary to claims on the left, the bill’s approval will increase transparency, will encourage the creation of a debate which truly reflects public opinion in Israel and will strengthen democracy.”

The new law will only apply to donations made after January 1, 2017 and the first report to the registrar of nonprofits will have to be made only eighteen months thereafter. The fine for non-disclosure is 29,200 shekels ($7,500).

Can the Europeans simply cover the fine and allow the NGO’s to remain silent?

For further reading click here.

IDF Rabbi
Rabbi Col. Eval Karim has been appointed by IDF Chief of Staff as the next IDF Chief Rabbi to replace the outgoing rabbi Gen. Rafi Peretz, who is retiring after six years in the position.

Karim currently serves as the head of the Rabbinate Department in the Military Rabbinate. He previously served as an officer and then commander of the elite paratrooper commando unit, and fought in two of the Lebanon wars. He studied in the Merkaz Harav Yeshiva and headed up the pre-military academy of Ateret Kohanim, before returning to the IDF Rabbinate.

Karim has come under fire for statements he made implying that woman are prohibited from serving in the IDF and that soldiers can rape gentile women during war. But the rabbi has clearly stated that his statements were made in response to purely theoretical questions of Jewish law.

Yeah Atid head Yair Lapid has called on Karim to clearly declare that he approves of women being drafted and serving in the IDF.

In response to the claims that Karim sanctioned rape in wartime by IDF soldiers, the IDF Spokesperson’s Office issued a statement saying: “Col. Karim asks to clarify that his statement was issued as the answer to a theoretical question and not in any way whatsoever a question of practical Jewish law. Rabbi Karim has never written, said or even thought that and IDF soldier is permitted to sexually assault a woman in war—anyone who interprets his words otherwise is completely mistaken. Rabbi Karim’s moral approach is attested by his years of military service in command, combat, and rabbinical positions in which he displayed complete loyalty to the values and spirit of the IDF, in particular the dignity of the person.”

Commentary
The Torah sanctions certain actions that are considered to be no longer applicable in practice. Examples of these are slavery, the killing of Amalek and the rape of gentile women during war. But these concepts are still “on the books” and are studied and analyzed as part of Jewish law. They also contain valuable homiletical messages and lessons that go far beyond their literal readings.

When a rabbi is asked a question relating to the intricacies of the laws of slavery or wartime rape, he must respond within the context of the question even though he doesn’t intend his answer to be taken as practical law. The entire discussion is clearly within the theoretical realm of intellectual scholarship.

Taken these theoretical statements as reflecting a rabbi’s practical stance is a mistake, and shows a lack of understanding of the concept of theoretical discussion and scholarship.

I think the statement of the IDF spokesman says it all.

For further reading click here.

Druze Chief MD
The IDF has appointed Colonel Dr. Badar Tarif as its new Chief Medical Officer. He will be promoted to Brigadier General. Thousands of Druze serve in the IDF, including many who serve in elite combat units and as high ranking officers. As an example, the commander of the Golani infantry brigade is also Druze.

Go Druze!

For further reading click here.

Israel News for July 11, 2016

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Terror Attack
A terrorist waiting in ambush at the side of the road near the settlement of Tekoa, in Gush Etzion, opened fire at a vehicle containing a Jewish couple with six children in the back seat.

Eitan and Tamar Finkel were returning home with their kids on Saturday night, after visiting Tamar’s parents in the nearby settlement of Metzad, when they spotted a terrorist at the junction aiming a machine gun at them. Then they heard gunfire and their windshield exploded. Eitan managed to continue driving and find a military jeep. That’s when he realized that his leg was bleeding. He had been hit in the leg, but his wife and children were unharmed.

Finkel later said, “I was hit by one and the rest of the family came out without a scratch on them, it was a miracle. If the terrorist hit me, he could’ve hit everyone. That was his plan, to hit the driver, or the wheel to stop the car and then shoot everyone.”

For further reading click here.

Hamas Soccer
The parents of Oron Shaul, whose body is being held by Hamas in Gaza, petitioned the Supreme Court to prohibit Hamas prisoners in Israel from being allowed to watch the Sunday night Euro Soccer final. The petition was filed against the Israel Prison Service, the Internal Security Ministry, the Office of the Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister himself. It claimed that permitting Hamas prisoners to watch the game “is a decision which the public can not accept… there is no rational to this, it’s illogical, and it hurts the sensibilities of the general public. The decision is disgusting and repulsive.”

The Court rejected the petition. Justice Ori Shahem wrote in his ruling:

“There is no legal way to prevent security prisoners from watching the Euro Cup final on Channel 2, which is a public station. The petitioners didn’t use any factual or legal basis in their request to restrict the prisoners from watching the game. The court is not under the impression that preventing the prisoners from watching the Euro Cup final will put pressure on Hamas to release our soldiers and citizens held in captivity. Therefore, we do not see it fit to prevent the prisoners from watching the game. The conclusion is reinforced by the timing of the request. The date and time of the final game has been well known for a long time, while the request was filed on the day of the game.”

I assume they’ll be allowed to watch the Olympics too. Can’t no TV be part of their punishment? I hope they don’t get cable.

For further reading click here.

Crowdfunding Success
The family of Sgt. Elor Azaria, the ID soldier on trial for shooting to death an already-neutralized terrorist in Hebron, raised over NIS 400,000 last night through a crowdfunding campaign on the Israeli website Headstart.co.il, to fund Azaria’s legal expenses. The campaign was organized and launched by former right-wing MK and journalist Sharon Gal.

Likud Transportation and Intelligence Minister Israel Katz said in a radio interview that he and his wife would seriously consider donating to the fund.

Azaria is facing manslaughter charges and is being defended by a team of expert attorneys. The trail has been ongoing for several weeks in a military court. The IDF offers all soldiers free legal defense, but the family chose to hire their own team.

For further reading click here.

Democratic Platform
Supporters of Hillary Clinton voted down a proposed amendment to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) platform by Bernie Sanders supporters, which would call for “an end to occupation and illegal settlements.” The proposal was voted down 95-73.

The committee also rejected an amendment to “rebuild Gaza which the UN warns could be uninhabitable by 2020, and where poverty and hopelessness undermine peace and security for both Palestinians and Israelis”. Another amendment to remove the military option from the Iran non-compliance language failed 67-98.

So while the “cooler heads” of the Clinton camp have prevailed, the Sanders camp has displayed significant strength and influence in the party.

A draft of the approved 2016 DNC platform released last week said, “We will continue to work toward a two-state solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict negotiated directly by the parties that guarantees Israel’s future as a secure and democratic Jewish state with recognized borders and provides the Palestinians with independence, sovereignty, and dignity. Israelis deserve security, recognition, and a normal life free from terror and incitement. Palestinians should be free to govern themselves in their own viable state, in peace and dignity.”

On the Republican side, Trump adviser David Friedman has stated that Trump would consider the two-state solution as one option in the search for a solution to the conflict — not the only option.

For further reading click here.

Polish Massacre Site
About 150 people commemorated the 75th anniversary of the massacre of the Jewish community of Jedwabne, Poland by their Polish neighbors. Most of the towns 1,500 Jews were brutally murdered in a pogrom launched by the local Polish population, with over 300 being burned alive in a barn. The story of the massacre was brought to light in a 2001 book by historian Jan Gross called, “Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland”.

The commemoration at Jedwabne was led by Poland’s Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich and attended by Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League. The mayor of Jedwabne did not attend the event, nor did any of the townspeople.

Polish Undersecretary of State Wojciech Kolarski represented Polish President Andrzej Duda at the event and laid a wreath at the monument for the victims. He said, “To be clear about what happened here: Polish citizens killed their own Polish compatriots of Jewish origin in a way that damaged a long tradition of living side-by-side. There can be no justification for that.”

The fact that many Poles played an active role in the persecution and murder of Polish Jewry during the Holocaust is widely denied by Poles today. Deniers include government official, intellectuals — the kind of folks you’d expect to know better. Regarding the ordinary people…well, you can figure that out for yourself.

May the memory of the victims be a blessing for us and may we never forget them, and how they died.

For further reading click here.

Israel News for July 8, 2016

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Terror Attack
A 23 year old Israeli woman was driving on highway 90 between two Kibbutzim near the Kinneret when an Arab man hurled a large rock at her car, smashing her windshield and causing her to lose control and hit the side rail. The Arab then ran to her car, opened her door and tried to drag her out while yelling in Arabic.

The woman, Rotem Aharoni, from the village of Had Nes in the Golan, fought back and managed to push the attacker away. He then ran to another vehicle and unsuccessfully tried to open the door before fleeing.

About an hour later the Arab was seen running in the fields of nearby Kibbutz Degania Bet by a Kibbutz security officer. The officer shot him in the legs and neutralized him.

A preliminary police investigation has determined that the Arab man is a Jordanian citizen who is believed to have infiltrated into Israel and wanted to hijack a vehicle on Highway 90. The highway runs alongside the Jordanian border.

For further reading click here.

IDF Training
The IDF is planning to introduce a computerized training program designed to prevent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in soldiers. The Israeli developed program will be used in advanced training of infantry troops.

According to research conducted on veterans of the 2014 Gaza War, the risk of combat troops developing PTSD in battle declined by 70 percent for soldiers who had been trained with the program compared to those who had not.

Training consists of four, 10-minute sessions over a month. Participants are asked to complete a fairly simple and technical computer task – striking a certain key whenever a certain symbol appears on the computer screen. However, while that task is under way, the subject is also shown various figures on the screen, some threatening and some neutral. According to the researchers, these figures may have angry faces or words might appear such as “wounded” or “explosions,” which are associated with PTSD.

Researchers say the training sessions change the way the brain processes traumatic events in the battlefield and thus has a major impact on the development of PTSD.

The US Army, which helped fund the project, is also testing the program.

For further reading click here.

Flight Wreckage
Pieces of wreckage thought to be from Egypt Air 804, that mysteriously crashed into the Mediterranean in May killing all 66 people on board, were found along the coast of Netanya yesterday.

According to data recovered from a cockpit voice recorder, the pilots tried to extinguish a fire in the plane. While Egyptian investigators have not found evidence linking the cause of the fire to terrorism, they are leaning towards that possibility since large fires suddenly breaking out on planes is rare.

For further reading click here.

Yemenite Report
In 2001 a report was release by the Kedmi Committee, which investigated the disappearance of the children of Yemenite immigrants between 1948 and 1954. Now the report has been made public and posted on the National Library website.

Background
Between 1949 and 1950, Israel airlifted 50,000 Yemenite Jews to Israel in an operation called Magic Carpet. Most of them were initially housed in tent camps called Ma’abarot. Illness was rampant. Children were hospitalized without informing their parents or without any documentation or identification. Many died and were buried without their parents being informed until after the fact.

Accusations have been made that hundreds of Yemenite children were given up for adoption to childless Israeli couples by camp officials, while their parents were told that their children had died in hospital. When parents asked to see the bodies of their children they were either told that the bodies were already buried or were simply shown the bodies of other children, which were clearly not those of their children.

While the committee, headed by Judge Jacob Kedmi, did not find a factual basis to verify the systematic and organized kidnapping of the children, it did document several cases where children were given up for adoption without the parents’ knowledge or consent. The committee also described how many children were buried without the notification of their parents and “the ease with which infants were hospitalized without supervision, documentation and at times without allowing family members to visit.”

One case cited by the report says, “A mother who had made aliyah while eight months pregnant, who gave birth to her son in a tent for fear that he would be kidnapped. At the request of the father, the boy, named Yair, was brought to the nursery at camp to be circumcised, where he disappeared. The parents were told that he had died, and when they insisted on being shown the body, they were presented with the body of a 16-year-old. They never got to see their son’s body.”

The issue of the disappearance of Yemenite children is still an open wound for the Yemenite and Mizrahi community in Israel. It reinforces the perception of discrimination against Mizrahim by the Ashkenazic so called “elite”, who were pretty much in control of the state until recent years. Many would claim that they still are in control and that the discrimination continues, albeit not as blatantly.

To read the report click here.

New Railway
As part of the project to construct an electrified railway line between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv (24 miles), Israeli Railways will also link Modiin to the route, reducing travel time between Modiin and Jerusalem to just 17 minutes. Travel between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, set to begin in less than 2 years, will be less than 30 minutes. Much better than sitting in traffic for an hour and a half during rush hour.

Does that mean Modiin housing prices are going up even more? It that even possible?? [An attached house in Modiin currently goes for close to a million bucks. And you thought the 5 Towns was expensive?]

For further reading click here.

Israel News for July 7, 2016

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Terror Attack
Yesterday afternoon, a Palestinian terrorist rammed his car into an IDF vehicle on Rt. 60 in Gush Etzion, causing it to overturn. Three soldiers were lightly wounded and the terrorist was taken to hospital in serious condition. Rout 60 is the same highway where Rabbi Miki Mark and his family were attacked on Friday. Security forces are on alert throughout the highway.

PM Responds to US
In a press conference in Rwanda, where he is visiting as part of his African diplomatic tour, PM Netanyahu responded to the US State Department condemnation of Israel’s decision to approve the construction of 800 new housing units in East Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim.

The PM said, “we recognize that American position, it isn’t new to us, and it is not acceptable to us. The construction in Jerusalem and in Ma’ale Adumim is not what is preventing peace. What is preventing peace is the constant incitement against Israel’s right to exist within any borders. And the time has come for the nations of the world to recognize this simple truth.”

For further reading click here.

Abbas Rejects Quartet
Palestinian President Abbas called on the UN Security Council to reject the report recently issued by the Middle East Quartet, which called on Israel to cease settlement construction and on the Palestinians to halt violence and incitement. He was apparently disappointed that the report didn’t blame the failure of the peace process on the settlements and that it didn’t call for Israel to return to its pre-1967 borders.

Surprisingly, the report was actually pretty even handed, listing Israeli settlements as only one of ten issues relating to the ongoing conflict. That was probably due to US pressure. The Quartet is comprised of the US, Russia, EU and UN.

Mohammad Shtayyeh, a top Palestinian official, reacted to the report saying, “The Quartet has lost its credibility” and has become “totally useless when it comes to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.”

Maybe now the Palestinians will actually have to work directly with Israel to make peace?

For further reading click here.

Rabbinic Court Deliberate
The Supreme Rabbinical Court of the Chief Rabbinate is in the midst of deliberating whether to overturn or accept the ruling of a Petah Tikva rabbinical court that rejected the validity of the conversion of a woman who was converted by Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, a prominent US Modern Orthodox rabbinic leader.

What is the issue?
The case revolves around the question of whether or not Rabbi Lookstein is on a Chief Rabbinate list of approved rabbis. The Petah Tikva court claims that it checked with Rabbi Yitzhak Peretz, the head of the state conversion system, who said that Lookstein was not on the list. But the Chief Rabbis themselves have said that he is on the list. So why not just check the “list”? Apparently, there isn’t one central list that can be accessed by everyone.

In my own experience, when I went to the Rabbinate offices in Tel Aviv to register for marriage, I presented the rabbinic registrar with a copy of my parents’ Ketubah (religious marriage document), which was signed by the officiating rabbi, a prominent Modern Orthodox rabbi from Lakewood (before Lakewood was “Lakewood”). The registrar, a distinguish looking rabbi with a grey beard, examined the document and then took out a small, old, worn black book filled with names. It was “the list”, or at least “a list” of approved rabbis in the US. Luckily, the rabbi who married my parents was on the list. Relief.

Unfortunately, the process doesn’t always go as smoothly for immigrants who try to register for marriage with the Israeli rabbinate, especially if they come from non Orthodox homes and don’t have the required documentation to present. One of the documents you need to present is a letter from an Orthodox rabbi attesting that you are Jewish. Of course, the rabbi has to be on “the list”. What if you don’t have an Orthodox rabbi, because you aren’t Orthodox? You got trouble.

I know one female Olah from Germany, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, who presented a letter from her Orthodox rabbi in Germany when she registered for marriage. Unfortunately, the rabbi was not in good standing with the Chief Rabbinate, for matters relating to some kosher supervision dispute. So they refused to register her. The fact that she has blonde hair and doesn’t have a particularly “Jewish look” probably didn’t help her case. She ended up registering in another town, run by a more “enlightened” Chief Rabbi.

So the case of the Lookstein convert should be a simple matter of breaking out the official list and checking for his name, which according to the Chief Rabbis should be there. But it’s obviously not simple. That situation needs to be changed. Just put the “official” list online for all to see, and fight about.

Strange Karma
On February 14th, a bus traveling from Jerusalem to Beni Brak on Route 1 collided with a truck. Six passengers were killed and numerous others were injured including Sarah Sperling, who was supposed to be married several weeks later. The wedding was postponed until the bride could recover, which still has not happened.

Last night, Sperling’s fiancé, Yaakov Kestelnitz, was hit by a bus on a busy street and suffered a head injury. He was treated at the scene and is in moderate condition.

So it looks like the wedding will be postponed for a bit longer. Go figure.

Wishing them both a full and speedy recovery.

For further reading click here.

Israel News for July 6, 2016

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Attack Video
Netanel Peretz was driving by a bus stop at the Gitai Evyashar junction just outside of the city of Ariel with his dashboard camera on, when he witnessed an attempted stabbing attack. A Palestinian woman holding a knife above her head, ready to strike, approached two Israeli soldiers. They apparently ordered her to stop, but she continued at them. They shot her in the chest and neutralized her. She was taken to hospital in critical condition.

When you watch the video you can make your own judgement as to whether the soldiers could have stopped the attacker by non lethal means or whether they should have attempted to shoot her in the legs instead of in the chest. Then again, who are we to judge what soldiers do under attack?

To watch the video of the attack, click here.

US Slams Construction
Responding to Israel’s decision to approve the building of hundreds of new homes in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, US State Department Spokesman John Kirby said, “If true, this report would be the latest step in what seems to be a systematic process of land seizures, settlement expansions and legalizations of outposts that is fundamentally undermining the prospects for a two-state solution.”

UN chief Ban Ki-moon also questioned Israel’s commitment to reaching peace with the Palestinians, saying, “This raises legitimate questions about Israel’s long-term intentions, which are compounded by continuing statements of some Israeli ministers calling for the annexation of the West Bank.”

There apparently was no comment regarding the 600 new Arab housing units approved by the government for East Jerusalem.

For further reading click here.

Rabbinate Protest
Dozens of protesters, including Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky and Likud MK Yehuda Glick, demonstrated outside of the offices of the Chief Rabbinate in Jerusalem today, accusing the Rabbinate of violating the Torah command to “love the convert,” over its refusal to recognize conversions by a prominent US rabbi.

The Rabbinate High Court of Appeals is hearing the case of a female American immigrant whose conversion was rejected by a Rabbinate court in Petah Tikvah, when she attempted to register for marriage. The only way a Jew can marry in Israel is via the official rabbinate of their locale. It is during this registration process that the rabbinate gets the opportunity to question the Jewish credentials of people born outside of Israel.

This sort of thing happens quite often in Israel, but the fact that the woman was converted by Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, one of the most prominent senior rabbinic figures in the US has brought the case into the spotlight. The story has been widely covered in the Israeli and Jewish press, as well as in the New York Times.

The case goes way beyond the particular woman in the case, since it calls into question all of the people converted by Rabbi Lookstein, including Ivanka Kushner, the daughter of Donald Trump. It also has raised an outcry of protest from just about everyone, across the political and religious spectrum. It seems that everyone accepts R. Lookstein’s Orthodoxy, except for the Israeli Rabbinical Court.

Speaker of the Knesset MK Yuli Edelstein and opposition leader MK Issac Herzog sent an joint letter to the Chief Rabbis urging them to quickly resolve the matter.

In response, Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi David Lau said that while the Chief Rabbinate absolutely recognizes the validity of R. Lookstein’s conversions, the case must be decided by the Rabbinical High Court.

Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef sent a letter to Edelstein in which he also reaffirmed that the Chief Rabbinate accepts R. Lookstein’s conversion, but he added that since each Rabbinical Court has the independence to rule as it sees fit, the only way to overturn the lower court’s decision is to bring the case before the Rabbinical High Court.

So the ball is in the High Court. Let’s see how they rule.

For further reading click here.

Reparations
The Claims Conference, which represents Holocaust survivors in negotiations with the German and Austrian governments and manages and disburses reparation payments to survivors, has secured nearly $312 million in home-care funding for survivors in 2016, $350 million for 2017 and more than $380 million for 2018.

The newly negotiated agreement also removes the cap on the number of home-care hours many survivors can receive. Previously, survivors were entitled to a maximum of 25 hours per week of home-care. Now, survivors of ghettos and concentration camps may receive unlimited homecare. Other survivors may receive a maximum of 40 hours per week.

Including social services and direct payments to survivors, the Claims Conference will distribute some $835 million this year. The group provides aid to 121,000 survivors, including home-care aid to 67,000.

Claims Conference President Julius Berman said, “We have been fighting for the rights of survivors for 65 years and this new agreement will have a huge impact on the most vulnerable, poor and disabled of survivors.”

The new agreement is subject to approval by the German Parliament.

For further reading click here.

For the Birds
Every year hundreds of thousands of birds, comprising over 400 different species, stop over in Israel on their migration route from between Europe and Africa. As a result, certain areas of the country, particularly the Hula Valley in the north, have become havens for bird watchers from all over the world. According to Yossi Lessem, director of the International Center for the Study of Bird Migration, every year the Hula Valley’s Agamon bird sanctuary attracts 398 bird species, more than 400,000 visitors and 50,000 hardcore bird watchers.

What about the birds that arrive injured and in need of medical attention? Not a problem. Israel’s Wildlife Hospital has decided to open a blood bank for birds.

The project, which the hospital says is the first of its kind in the world, is being led by Dr. Elad Smit. He explained, “We already have 16 samples in our blood bank. And now we’re considering taking a blood sample from every bird we treat, to aid in the saving of the next bird that would come.”

The blood bank has already helped save a common buzzard that was brought to the hospital in serious condition. The blood transfusion the bird received helped it recover, and it has already been released back to nature.

For further reading click here.

Israel News for July 5, 2016

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Palestinian MD
The first medical professional to treat the victims of Friday afternoon’s terror attack on a West Bank highway that killed Rabbi Miki Mark and wounded his wife and two children was a Palestinian doctor in private practice.

Dr. Ali abu Sharkh was driving to Jerusalem for Friday prayers at Al Aqsa with his wife and brother when he spotted the overturned car on the side of the road.

Dr. Abu Sharkh recounted, “We immediately stopped. There was a young Palestinian man with his wife who were trying to help the wounded. The first thing I saw was that Tehila (Mark’s daughter) was in a state of shock. I began to speak to her in English and she didn’t understand me. Then my brother began to speak to her in Hebrew and said to her ‘don’t be afraid, this is my brother, and he’s a doctor. He wants to help you.'”

Moments later a Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance along with an IDF jeep arrived at the scene. The paramedics assisted the doctor while the soldiers called for an ambulance. After the Magen David Adom ambulance arrived, the doctor continued treating the wounded until one of the Palestinian paramedics told him that he should probably leave the scene since his presence there might provoke a hostile reaction.

The doctor explained, ”I carried out my duty. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about a Palestinian or a settler. My job is to save people because they are people.” When asked if he was criticized by his community he said, “Quite the opposite. All of my friends told me that I carried out my duties with honor. We are doctors, we don’t get involved with politics.”
 
Abu Sharkh also sent a personal message to Tehila, saying “I send her my condolences and am praying that her mother will get better soon.”

Tehila has subsequently been released from the hospital.

For further reading click here.

Arab Housing
Following a court decision, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced a plan to build about 600 residential units for Palestinians in East Jerusalem’s Givat Hamatos neighborhood. The government had previously tried to prevent building Arab housing in the neighborhood.

Approval for additional Jewish housing in the neighborhood had not been approved, as a result of diplomatic pressure, since the new Jewish neighborhood would complete the surrounding of the Arab neighborhood of Beit Safafa, which would complicate any potential division of Jerusalem in a future peace agreement.

The minister for Jerusalem affairs, Ze’ev Elkin, criticized the plans saying that the 600 units for the Arab population must be balanced with construction for Jews on the same site.

He said, ”Anyone who cares about a Jewish majority in the capital of Israel can’t promote construction for the Arab population alone. I call on the prime minister to also approve construction in the Givat Hamatos neighborhood for Jews. Jerusalem needs this neighborhood and over 2,000 housing units urgently.”

Meanwhile, the PM and DM also approved a program for building 560 residential units in the settlement of Maale Adumim, outside Jerusalem, and 240 units in the Jerusalem neighborhoods of Ramot, Gilo and Har Homa. They also reopened a tender, that was previously frozen, to build 42 housing units in Kiryat Arba.

For further reading click here.

Terrorist Graveyard
According to sources in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Israel will set up a graveyard exclusively for the bodies of terrorists, in order to avoid returning the bodies to their families and the subsequent funerals, which lead to incitement and violence.

The PMO also announced, in response to the terror attacks last week, that Israel will immediately deduct the amount of money paid monthly by the Palestinian Authority to terrorists and their families from tax proceeds it collects on behalf of the Palestinians.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett criticized the moves as not being sufficient.

For further reading click here.

Land Deal
A 6,000 square meter plot of land in the middle of Rishon Le’tzion that was purchased back in the late 1800’s was sold recently for 45 million shekels. The land is zoned for 22 homes with gardens. That equals NIS 2.045 million per lot. The sellers are undoubtedly thanking their ancestor for his wise real estate investment.

For further reading click here.

General’s Driver
When Max, who served as the personal driver for former IDF Chief of Staff Benny Ganz, prepared to travel to the office where he would receive his official discharge from the IDF after four years of service, he got a surprise. Waiting to drive him there in a car outside of the Kirya (military headquarters in Tel Aviv) was General Ganz himself.

Ganz drove Max to the discharge center and presented him with a T-shirt that said, “End of the road” and “Thank you for proving there are good people with whom you can walk.” He also congratulated other soldiers on their releases and wish them success in their lives as civilians.

For further reading click here.