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Israel News for May 12, 2017

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Moving Right
According to a study just published by a respected Israeli think tank, Israel’s younger population (aged 15-24) is moving to the Right. The study found that 67% of Jewish youth in Israel today define themselves as Right-Wing, while only 16% associate themselves with the Left. Only 40% categorized themselves as secular, while the rest claimed to be religious, including 15% who classified themselves as Haredi (ultra-orthodox).

Most of the young people believe that the number one problem the government must deal with is the cost of living issue. They also are losing trust in the courts, the police, the Knesset and even the IDF.

For further reading click here.

Soccer Vote
FIFA, the international soccer federation, decided to postpone until next year a vote on whether to prohibit Israeli teams based in the West Bank from competing in the international league. FIFA regulations prohibit a member’s association from holding competitions on the territory of another member’s association without the latter’s permission, and the PFA considers the West Bank to be Palestinian—not Israeli—territory.

PM Netanyahu reacted to the decision saying, “We won another victory in Israel’s battle for its international standing. We thwarted an attempt to undermine Israel’s standing in FIFA. This is an important achievement. We will continue to defend the State of Israel and will continue to strengthen our international standing.”

For further reading click here.

Ancient Pigs
Archeologists have recently determined that the ancient Philistines, who migrated to the Israeli coast from the Aegean (Cyprus, Turkey, Greece), brought pigs with them — herds of them. Pigs are easily transportable, as opposed to cows, are low maintenance and provide a tasty meal for those not bound by Jewish law — or Moslem law.

You won’t find many pig farms in the area today, but if you know where to look you can find your swine delights in specialty delis, usually in areas with large Russian immigrant populations.

For further reading click here.

Conversion Bill
The Interior Ministry, headed by former Shas leader Aryeh Deri, has submitted a bill to the Knesset that would require the State to recognize only conversions under the auspices of the Chief Rabbinate.

This would apply to conversions performed in Israel. Conversions performed by Reform, Conservative or Orthodox rabbis abroad are recognized by the State for purposes of the Law of Return. But in order to register for marriage with the Israeli Rabbinate (which is the only way to get married in Israel) the conversion must be performed by an Orthodox rabbi who is on an official Chief Rabbinate list of acceptable rabbis.

In 2016 the Supreme Court ruled that the State must recognize conversion performed in Israel by private Orthodox rabbis. The proposed bill would change that.

For further reading click here.

Kabbalistic Wedding
On Saturday night, hundreds of thousands of Jews will celebrate the “hilullah” of Rabi Shimon Bar Yochai (Rashbi), the second century sage who is believed to have authored the Zohar, the cornerstone text of the kabbala (Jewish mysticism), in Meron (near Tzfat), where he is buried. The Aramaic word “hillulah” literally means wedding, but it is used to commemorate the Rashbi’s day of death, during which he is believed to have revealed the deepest secrets of Kabbalah to his close circle of students (a good reason to celebrate).

The day is also Lag B’omer, the 33 day in the traditional counting of the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot. During that time period the 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva (the Rashbi’s teacher) were stricken by a plague and died as punishment for their lack of mutual respect and brotherly love. But on the 33rd day, Lag B’omer, the dying ceased.

The celebration at Meron is highlighted by the burning of a huge bonfire that is lit by many prominent Hassidic Rebbes, with the Boyaner Rebbe leading off the festivities. Thousands of smaller bonfires are also lit in the Meron area and throughout Israel — and barbecue, marshmallows and amores are often not far behind.

It’s also customary for young boys to get their first haircuts at Meron (after letting it grow until age 3), so barbers eagerly join the crowds and do a brisk business — as do vendors of all sorts of cabalistic amulets and charms.

Ten of thousands of people are camping out at Meron for Shabbat. Hundreds of buses carrying thousands more will be making the trek after Shabbat ends. Some rabbis have demanded that the celebration be moved to Sunday night so as to avoid potential desecration of Shabbat by people either traveling to or preparing for the event on Shabbat. But they were ignored. Tradition stands.

Any event that can bring together hundreds of thousands of Jews from different religious walks of life is something to celebrate. May the merit of Rashbi and the Jewish unity at Meron bless Israel and the Jewish People with peace and success.

Israel News for December 12, 2016

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Refusing Orders
With less than two weeks left until the scheduled date for the evacuation of the settlement of Amona security forces are training for the sensitive operation, which will undoubtedly be met with some form of resistance, hopefully nonviolent. But some soldiers are expressing their intentions to disobey the evacuation order and refuse to participate in the operation, which they believe is contrary to the Torah.

A Facebook group has been established for soldiers who plan to refuse to participate in the evacuation. Since disobeying orders in the IDF is a crime, the group does not display photos of soldiers but only photos of unit emblems, uniforms and written notes.

An IDF spokesman said, “The IDF condemns and prohibits any expression [in favor of] refusing orders and takes this very seriously. The IDF is the army of a democratic state and will obey the civilian leadership and carry out any mission given to it in accordance with the law.”

While most rabbis have clearly prohibited soldiers from disobeying orders to evacuate Jews from Amona, a small minority have not.

Meanwhile, Amona residents are holding demonstrations in a last ditch effort to avoid the evacuation.

For further reading click here.

Women in IDF
Israel’s Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef expressed his opposition to women serving in the IDF, even in non combat positions, in his weekly torah class on Saturday night. R. Yosef was simply echoing the official position of the Chief Rabbinate. He also spoke out against women doing National Service (Sherut Leumi), which the Chief Rabbinate does not oppose and which most National Religious rabbis recommend.

For further reading click here.

Police Warning
The Israel Police is opposed to the bill that’s making its way through the Knesset which would prohibit mosques from broadcasting their call to prayer through loudspeakers. The police is warning that the law, if passed, could instigate violent protests from Arab citizens throughout Israel.

According to a police report, “From a police perspective, it would be a mistake to legislate or otherwise focus on the muezzin. The issue of the muezzin is an extremely sensitive one, and we have decided not to make it into one of the foremost things we do in the Arab sector, since there are nationalistic priorities, such as razing terrorists’ homes.”

For further reading click here.

Hamas Missiles
A senior Hamas official told Al-Aqsa TV that Hamas is offering to share its missile arsenal with any Arab army that will use them against Israel. It’s unclear who that army might be or how Hamas would get the missiles to them, but it’s the thought that counts. The only “army” that would possibly be interested is Hezbollah, but they already are estimated to have over 100,000 missiles of their own.

For further reading click here.

Tragedy and Hope
On Friday a 10 year old boy and his father both fell of a cliff while hiking in the Judea desert. The father died later that day. The boy, Ilan Nir, survived until Sunday afternoon, when he succumbed to his injuries. But he went on to save lives after his death.

Ilan’s heart was transplanted into an 8 year old boy who needed an immediate heart transplant to save his life. The boy is currently in stable condition and recovering. Ilan’s liver was transplanted into a 4 year old girl from southern Israel and his lungs were transplanted into a 55 year old woman. Ilan’s kidneys will also be transplanted into a patient suffering from renal failure.

For further reading click here.

No Dougnuts
Israel’s Health Minister Yakov Litzman (UTJ) has urged the public to refrain from eating too many jelly doughnuts this Hanukkah. The doughnuts, called sufganiot, are a traditional Hanukkah food that represents the miracle of the oil. They are also usually at least 400 – 500 calories each. Litzman said, “It’s possible to find substitutes for everything today, and there is no need to stuff our children with sufganiyot, which don’t meet the standards of proper health and nutrition.” But Litzman did not say anything against potato latkes — so enjoy!

For further reading click here.

Israel News for November 29, 2016

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PM Warns Cabinet
PM Netanyahu warned cabinet ministers that passing the “regulations bill”, which would retroactively legalize settlements built on private Palestinian land, would possibly lead to Israel being taken before the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague. The bill is being spearheaded by the Bayit Yehudi party in order to prevent the evacuation of the Amona outpost, which is schedule to take place on December 25th.

The PM also warned that the bill could provoke outgoing US President Obama to act against Israel at the UN. The Attorney General has already warned that the bill, if passed, would be struck down by the Supreme Court. Instead he presented a compromise by which Amona would be moved to several nearby plots of land for eight months, during which time planning and construction officials would work alongside legal experts to find nearby available land to permanently move the outpost to. At the same time the AG would explore other solutions to deal with land ownership issues. But he stressed that the compromise agreement can only be implemented if the regulations bill does not pass. The compromise agreement will also need to be approved by the Supreme Court.

Bayit Yehudi leaders are pushing forward with the bill. The Amona residents rejected any sort of compromise and have pledged to resist the evacuation.

Meanwhile, 120 senior rabbis have issued a statement calling on the public to come to Amona to passively resist the upcoming evacuation. The rabbis include Rabbi Haim Druckman, head of the Bnei Akiva yeshivas, Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, the chief rabbi of Ramat Gan, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, the chief rabbi of Tzfat, Rabbi Dov Lior, the chief rabbi of Kiryat Arba, Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, the head of the Ateret Cohanim yeshiva, Tzohar chairman Rabbi David Stav, Rabbi Avigdor Nebenzahl, the chief rabbi of the Old City of Jerusalem, and Rabbi Nachum Rabinowitz, the head of the Maaleh Adumim yeshiva.

The rabbis wrote, “We call on all those who can to come and stay in the community. Our presences will give strength to the residents and be a clear declaration to the decision-makers that we are with the residents of Amona in every way during this difficult time, and we will continue to be with them until the Regulation Law is enacted, and Amona is saved. If, heaven forbid, the day comes for an expulsion, we urge the public to continue living in the community, and protesting vigorously the destruction of the community, through passive resistance and non-violence.”

The rabbis also called on the PM to assure that the law is passed.

For further reading click here.

Rabbi Cleared
Last week the Supreme Court ordered Rabbi Eyal Karim, the incoming IDF Chief Rabbi, to clarify controversial statements that he made in the past before being allowed to take on his new position. The court made its ruling based on a petition submitted by Meretz MKs who accused Karim of making discriminatory statements against homosexuals and women, including permitting rape during war.

Karim submitted an affidavit to the court in which he said that he never permitted rape and that he believed that all people should be treated equally, with dignity, regardless of their sexual orientation. Karim said, “Every rabbi, whether he be a teacher or a public official is required to be capable of retracting and admitting a mistake. I am not afraid to say that I was wrong. I was wrong in that I thought briefly about complicated questions which have more to them than just one halachic (Jewish legal) stance. I was wrong in that I didn’t clarify my words accurately and there were those who were hurt by them. I have already whole-heartedly apologized for this.”

Based on Karim’s statement, the court dismissed the ruling against him and permitted him to take his new position. The Meretz MKs praised the courts intervention saying, “We respect the High Court for standing by its promise to clarify Rabbi Karim’s words, and we respect the decision not to cancel the appointment. We are pleased the judges didn’t reject the petition without reason, and we are sure this ruling was justifiably detailed, and that the verdict will be quoted from in the future.”

For further reading click here.

Kotel Bill
Shas (the haredi sephardic party) has proposed a new bill in the Knesset that would place the southern area of the Kotel under the auspices of the Chief Rabbinate. The government has already agreed to turn the area in question into an egalitarian prayer space as part of a compromise agreement reached with leaders of the Reform and Conservative movements. The new bill would destroy that agreement, since the Chief Rabbinate would not permit any non orthodox forms of prayer.

The proposed bill prohibits mixed gender prayer services at the site. It also prohibits women from wearing prayer shawls or tefillin, and sets a fine of 10,000 shekels for violators.

Non orthodox leaders have attacked the bill and urged PM Netanyahu to defeat it and uphold the compromise agreement he approved.

For further reading click here.

Israel News for July 18, 2016

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Breaking News
Two Israeli soldiers were stabbed and wounded by a Palestinian on Route 60 between Hebron and Gush Etzion outside of El Arub Palestinian refugee camp. One soldier was stabbed in the head and the other in the head. Both were conscious was treated by paramedics. Soldiers in the area shot and neutralized the terrorist.

For further reading click here.

Terror Averted
A Palestinian man in his twenties was arrested yesterday morning at a light rail station on Jaffa Rd near Ben Yehuda Street in the heart of Jerusalem. After the man raised the suspicion of the rail guards and was questioned, he admitted that he was carrying explosives. The area was immediately evacuated and closed off, and a police bomb squad proceeded to find three pipe bombs in the man’s bag along with knives.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said, “At large attack was prevented this morning thanks to the vigilance of Jerusalem’s light rail guards. Our message to the public is to continue as normal, be alert and never give in to terror. We must hunt down terrorists everywhere without compromise and without restraint.”

For further reading and to watch a video of the arrest, click here.

Fight Against Terror
Shin Bet Chief Nadav Argaman reported to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committees that, between January and May of this year, the Shin Bet and security forces have prevented 240 major terror attacks including 11 suicide bombers, 10 kidnappings and over 60 shooting attacks, like the one at the Sarona Market in Tel Aviv.

He said that although the number of terror attacks have decreased recently due to preventative measures, the terror threats coming out of the West Bank are increasing. Argaman also highlighted the importance of giving Israeli work permits to Palestinians in the West Bank, and said that these permits help calm the situation and prevent attacks.

For further reading click here.

Drone Escapes
A drone from Syria penetrated four kilometers into Israeli airspace in the Golan yesterday. The IDF launched two patriot missiles at the drone. Both missed. Then a fighter jet fired a missile at the drone. It missed too. The drone made it safely back into Syria. Shrapnel from the Patriot missiles landed in a kibbutz, lightly injuring a girl and causing brush fires.

What happened there?

For further reading click here.

Divorce Mediation
A new law went into effect yesterday that’s meant to remove some of the contentiousness that often accompanies divorce proceedings. The law is called The Resolution of Family Disputes Law or the “divorce revolution”, and it mandates that couples seeking a divorce first attend four mediation sessions before proceeding with the process via legal channels. That means the lawyers stay out of the picture until after the mediation sessions are done. The hope is that couple can work out amicable arraignments, particularly regarding custody issues, through mediation instead of fighting it out through lawyers and in a courtroom.

Minister of Justice Ayelet Shaked, who sponsored the law, said, “The new situation will offer an efficient alternative to litigation meetings over such sensitive and complex matters as family disputes. The new proceedings will benefit both the citizens and the system by encouraging mutually agreed upon compromises to be reached. Parental conflict can mainly harm the children, and it is our obligation to protect them. I am confident that this is what parents want most. At the end of the day, they continue to be their parents, even if they are no longer a couple.”

I wonder how the divorce lawyers feel about this?

For further reading click here.

Conversion Ruling Explained
According to a reliable rabbinic source, the recent Supreme Rabbinical Court ruling that did not recognize a conversion by prominent US Orthodox Rabbi Haskel Lookstein had nothing to do with disparaging the rabbi.

The source explained that about ten years ago the Chief Rabbinate reached an agreement with the Rabbinical Council of America, the main Modern Orthodox rabbinic umbrella, that all conversion would have to be done by the RCA bet din (rabbinical court) in order to be accepted by the Chief Rabbinate. The RCA set up a system of regional conversion courts to perform conversions throughout the country. According to the agreement, the conversions of individual rabbis would no longer be accepted, unless they were done through one of the these courts.

Apparently, the woman whose conversion was questioned by the Israeli court was not converted through one of the RCA bet dins. So even though the Chief Rabbis verified the “kosherness” of Rabbi Lookstein, the court followed the technicalities of the agreement and did not accept the conversion since it was done outside of the RCA bet din system.

Could the court have made an exception, given Rabbi Lookstein’s prominence and sterling reputation? Sure, but then what about other rabbis who might also fall into that category. Would the court then be required to evaluate and rule on the personal reliability of individual rabbis? No, that solution wouldn’t scale well. So the court stuck to rules of the agreement and nullified a conversion that was performed outside of the bounds of that agreement. It wasn’t an attack against a rabbi, but rather a defense of a rabbinic system.

Does the Israeli Rabbinate accept the reliability of Rabbin Lookstein? Absolutely. Will it accept a conversion that he performs outside of the RCA Bet Din? No.

BTW, Ivanka Trump’s conversion was done via the RCA Bet Din. End of story.

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 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 June 7, 2016

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Rice Promise
In a speech before the American Jewish Committee Global Forum in Washington yesterday, U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice promised that the upcoming military aid agreement between the the US and Israel will constitute “the single largest military assistance package — with any country — in American history.” The new ten year package is estimated to be close to $40 billion.

Rice proclaimed that, “Israel’s security isn’t a Democratic interest or a Republican interest—it’s an enduring American interest.” She strongly condemned Palestinian terror attacks, but also said that settlement activity was detrimental to a two state solution, which the US supports.

Referring to the recent French sponsored peace summit in Paris that did not include Israel or the Palestinians, Rice said, “A solution cannot be imposed on the parties.” She added, “But, we continue to urge them [the Israelis and Palestinians] to undertake meaningful actions on the ground that are consistent with their rhetorical commitment to two states.”

For further reading click here.

Wall Women
Jerusalem Police detained Women of the Wall director Lesley Sachs for allegedly smuggling a Torah into the women’s section of the Kotel. The Torah was allegedly hidden under her skirt.

Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, the Chief Rabbi of the Kotel, complained to the police about the smuggling and pledged to fast because of the debasement of the Torah.

For further reading click here.

Kashrut Ruling
The Supreme Court yesterday upheld the law which grants the Chief Rabbinate the sole right to issue kashrut certificates (indicating that a food establishment is kosher).

Last May, the then Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein issued a ruling that permitted private organizations to issue kashrut certificates as long as the certificates did not actually use the word “kosher”. At least 25 businesses across Israel currently display kashrut certificates from organizations other than the Chief Rabbinate. Yesterday’s ruling puts them at risk of fines or other punitive measures.

The case was brought before the Supreme Court by two private businesses and the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC), who demanded to right to use the word “kosher”. The court decided that the former Attorney General had misinterpreted the law and ruled that any certificate that even “refers” to kashrut can only be issued by the Chief Rabbinate. The ruling said, “The correct interpretation of the law is the one presented by the Chief Rabbinate. In the absence of certification by one of the authorized agencies any reference to kashrut is prohibited.”

Despite their ruling, the Justices were critical of the current kashrut system, referring to deficiencies including, “supervisors not visiting premises for more than a few minutes a week, asking for under-the-table funds. Some of them lack the required Halachic knowledge or do their jobs superficially. Some members of the Chief Rabbinical Council don’t trust kashrut certification that they themselves authorize.”

Rabbi Aaron Leibowitz, who founded the alternative certification movement, said that despite the court’s decision, alternative certification would continue. “We continue to provide quality supervision for a public that’s lost its trust in the Rabbinate. We’re studying the ruling and are preparing to continue and grow. The justices also testified to the serious defects in the rabbinical apparatus. As a professional and value-driven group we won’t abandon the public to the Rabbinate and will continue to provide our services to Israel’s citizens.”

For further reading click here.

Health Wars
The Health Ministry, led by MK Yaakov Litzman (UTJ), recently launched a campaign against sugared drinks in which it claimed that 43% of people’s daily sugar intake comes from them.

In response, the beverage companies claim that the statistic relates to the population of the US and that the percentage in the study is really only 31%. They claim that they are being unfairly targeted by the ministry.

One industry source said, “On average, a person consumes 17 teaspoons of sugar a day, and there’s sugar everywhere, not just in drinks. There’s sugar in ketchup, in baked goods, in breakfast cereals, in sauces, in mayonnaise, in prepared salads, in dairy desserts, in frozen processed foods. According to our research, only 16% of added sugar comes from sweetened beverages. What about the remaining products that are responsible for the other 84%?”

The Health Minister is continuing with his crusade to make Israelis healthier. He has appointed a “Committee for Regulation to Promote Healthy Nutrition” headed by ministry director general Moshe Bar Siman Tov. In the appointment letter, Litzman wrote, “The rise in the extent of obesity, and the chronic ill-health connected with it, makes necessary significant action on the national policy level.”

Sales of processed foods and sugary beverages have been steadily declining in recent years, even without the Health Ministry’s assistance.

Good news for Israeli health. Bad news for the processed food companies.

For further reading 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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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Israel News for November 9, 2015

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More Terror
This morning a Palestinian woman brandishing a knife was shot and killed by security guards near Alfei Menashe when she failed to stop approaching them after being warned several times. Palestinian sources identified her as Rasha Awissi, 23, of Qalqilya. A note was found on her body that read, “I’m ending my path, and I’m reaching this end with my full mental capacity, in defense of my homeland and the young men and women. I can’t bear what I see any longer. All I know is that I can’t take it. To my mother and brothers, please forgive me.”

On Sunday, a 48 year old Israeli man was seriously wounded after being stabbed in his car near the West Bank Palestinian village of Nabi Elias and the Jewish settlement of Alfei Menashe. The man was returning home after shopping in the village when he was attacked. According to Palestinian sources, the 24 year old terrorist surrendered to Palestinian Authority security forces and is being held and interrogated by them. He is the third terrorist to have surrendered to Palestinian authorities, none of whom have been put on trial or extradited to Israel. Israeli security officials are not happy with the arrangement, to say the least.

For further reading click here.

A 33 year old Israeli security guard, Yishai Kreitenberg, was stabbed and lightly wounded by a female terrorist whom he stopped at the security gate of Betar Illit in the West Bank. The guard managed to shoot and seriously wound the attacker. It was Yishai’s birthday.

Hours earlier, a Palestinian rammed a car into people at a hitchhiking station at the Tapuach Junction (West Bank). Four Israelis were wounded, two critically. The terrorist was shot and killed by Border Police.

Palestinians threw rocks and firebombs at Israeli soldiers near Kever Rachel, in Hevron and in other locations throughout the West Bank.

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Wounded Policemen Dies
Binyamin Yakobowitz , a 20-year-old Israeli border policeman who was critically wounded on Wednesday in a car-ramming attack in the West Bank, died of his wounds Sunday. Upon his family’s request his organs will be donated, in their words, as “an act which could help save a life or significantly improve the life of a person in need.” The terrorist who rammed him was shot and killed at the scene.

According to Palestinian sources the terrorist’s family received his body after the attack. The IDF claims that a Red Crescent ambulance arrived at the scene of the attack and was able to remove the body from the scene undetected. An IDF spokesman said that it was not worth risking the lives of soldiers to recover the body.

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Bennett Warns
Reacting to a report in Haaretz, which said that PM Netanyahu will unveil a series of confidence-building “gestures” toward the Palestinians during his meeting today with US President Obama, Education Minister and Bayit Yehudi chairman Naftali Bennett pledged to oppose those “gestures” if they are brought to a cabinet vote.

According to Haaretz, the “gestures” will include the removal of checkpoints and easing movement restrictions on Palestinians. It will also include steps to improve the Palestinian economy – like approving infrastructure projects or approving master plans for Palestinian construction in parts of Judea and Samaria under full Israeli control.

“If the Palestinians see that terrorism will pay off, it will continue,” Bennett warned. He added, “Maybe for once the Palestinians will make gestures to Israel, such as to stop killing us?”

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Israeli Sources
CNN has reported that a US intelligence source and a diplomatic source have both indicated that at least some of the intelligence being assessed to determine the cause of the Russian passenger jet that broke up over Sinai killing 244 last week came from Israeli sources. The communications were captured by Israeli intelligence focused on the Sinai, and passed along to the United States and Britain, the sources said. There was no comment from Israeli officials.

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Cash for Kids
Yesterday the Knesset Finance Committee approved an increase in child support as part of the state budget and the coalition agreements with the ultra-Orthodox parties. The monthly allowance for a first child was increased from 140 Shekels to 150 Shekels, For second, third and fourth children it went up from 140 Shekels to 188 Shekels. From the fifth child and up there will be an allowance of 150 Shekels. This is the first increase in child support since Yesh Atid Chairman and then Finance Minister Yair Lapid slashed them in 2013 as part of his anti-ultra-Orthodox platform/policy. The ultra-Orthodox parties in Israel have always insisted on generous child support as part of their coalition agreement due to the large number of children among their constituents.

The committee also approved a savings fund for every child, where the state would deposit fifty shekel a month that could be matched by the parents until the age of 18.

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Kashrut Slap
Rabbi David Stav, Chief Rabbi of Shoham and the head of the Tzohar rabbinical organization, has been one of the most vocal critics of Israel’s Chief Rabbinate. He is one of the founders of the conversion court recently established to serve as an alternative to the Chief Rabbinate courts, which is a direct challenge to the Rabbinate’s authority.

In a move that seems a bit too coincidental, the Chief Rabbinate’s Kosher Enforcement Unit inspected an event hall in Shoham (R. Stav’s town) and found numerous kashrut violations, including non kosher food.

Chief Rabbinate officials told Arutz Sheva that, “Rav Stav is always talking about the systems for kashrut and marriage, claiming they are not properly supervised. We think that Rav Stav should carefully check what happens in his house and in areas that are under his authority before he speaks about the national kashrut system.”

Na, na, na na na….gottcha.

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Israel News for August 14, 2015

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New IDF Strategy
IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot yesterday published the new “IDF strategy” document, which maps out the various threats against the state of Israel and the IDF’s methods of confronting them. Part of the document was, for the first time ever, made public.

The document outlines necessary changes the IDF needs to make in light of future challenges and the changing face of the enemy. The changes include improving the effectiveness of ground force maneuvers, broadening the capacity of forces to mount military operations in non-wartime situations, improving cyber warfare capabilities, and generally preserving the IDF’s intelligence, aerial and naval superiority.

Eizenkot explained that the new document aims to prepare the IDF’s forces in the coming years to defend Israel in all scenarios, including simultaneous operations on several battlefronts and complex cyber warfare. “The IDF will prevail in every mission and challenge, and will achieve its goal – to defend and to win.” [source]

Upshot
The document recognizes that times are changing and that the IDF must change with them. These changes will likely result in a smaller IDF that is more focused on successfully fulfilling its mission to defend Israel.

New UN Ambassador
PM Netanyahu has announced that he will appoint Danny Danon, currently the Minister of Science, Technology and Space, as Ambassador to the UN. Danon, a Likud member, is considered to be a staunch right-winger who is opposed to any two state solution and the establishment of a Palestinian state. He has also been one of the most outspoken critics of US President Obama’s Middle East policies and has forged relationships with Republican Party conservatives. The opposition party Zionist Union called Danon’s appointment “another nail in the coffin of Israel’s foreign relations.” [source]

Opposition to Conversion Court
Hundreds of rabbis, including the two Chief Rabbis of Israel, gathered at the headquarters of the Rabbinate in Jerusalem yesterday to inaugurate a new organization (Noam) meant to strengthen and protect the power of the Chief Rabbinate.

Background
The impetus for Noam was the establishment of an independent conversion court by a group of prominent religious zionist rabbis who believe that the Chief Rabbinate is preventing the conversions of hundreds of thousands of Israelis who are considered non-Jewish according to Jewish law (Halacha).

Out of the 1 million immigrants that came to Israel from the former Soviet Union over the last 20 years, at least a third do not have Jewish mothers. They do have Jewish fathers or spouses, or at least one Jewish grandparent, and are fully integrated into Israeli society. In practice they are part of the Jewish people and the overwhelming majority want to make it official.

The problem is that most of them aren’t fully religiously observant which, according to the strict position of the Chief Rabbinate, invalidates them from converting. The founders of the independent court claim that since:
1) they have Jewish roots and are already fully part of the Jewish people in the land of Israel
and
2) if they aren’t converted they pose a grave danger of assimilation to the existing Jewish population
they can be treated leniently and converted within the bounds of Halacha.

The Chief Rabbinate and the majority of prominent rabbinic leaders from the religious zionist and the charedi camps disagree.

Upshot
Since all legal marriages in Israel must be registered by the Rabbinate, it has ultimate control in preventing “non-sanctioned” converts from marrying, at least in the eyes of Israeli law. That could lead the “break-away” rabbis to form their own marriage registration system, which would represent a complete and likely irreparable break from the Rabbinate.

Hebrew for Arab Kids
Education Minister Naftali Bennet has implemented a new elementary school curriculum which requires Hebrew language studies in Arab schools to begin in kindergarten. Until now required Hebrew language studies have begun in third grade. More hours of Hebrew language study will also be added to grades 3 to 12. Bennet claims that greater fluency in Hebrew will give Arabs greater economic and social opportunities. The changes will take effect in the coming school year and cost the government 30 million shekels. If Bennet is right, it will be money well spent. [source]

Army Radio
Ofir Akunis, the cabinet minister (Likud) in charge of the Israeli Broadcast Authority, told the Al-Monitor website that he believes public broadcasting should be balanced and that the opinions of those on the Right should get equal exposure with those on the Left. Except on Army Radio. “There I wouldn’t want balance,” he said. “There I would expect to see absolute support for the Israeli position and the position of the Israel Defense Forces. Army Radio is the station of the Israeli public and the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces, and I don’t think it should provide broad coverage of the Palestinian position, for instance, or the position of illegal infiltrators.”

When asked whether this is “muzzling freedom of speech” he replied, “Just the opposite. We’re allowing people to speak. But when it comes to Army Radio, which is funded by the Ministry of Defense, the station’s purpose is to be a station for soldiers.” Sounds reasonable enough.

Stand by Your Man
In a taped phone conversation with the Chief Rabbi of Safed (R. Shmuel Eliyahu), the wife of Ezra Sheinberg, the Safed rabbi accused of molesting and raping 13 women, told him that she was aware that her husband had slept with at least two women. She claimed that he told her that he slept with the women as part of his “healing treatments”, and that it was all part of his blessing to them. She accepted his explanation. Enough said.

Never too Late
Semion Simkin, a 91-year-old Israeli Holocaust survivor won the world championship for senior runners in Lyon, France on Monday. He ran 10 kilometers in 1 hour and 20 minutes. He beat out his only competitor in the race for men between the ages of 90 and 95, a 93 year old Argentinian, by just over 21 minutes. The day before the 10k race, Simkin won the silver medal in the 5 kilometers race, with a time of 39 minutes and 47 seconds, merely five seconds behind the winner, the Portuguese Jose Canelo, 90.
Not too shabby for a man in his 90’s. Can you run a 10k? [source]