June 15, 2009 (Section 1) (continues in Section 2)
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Editor – Joel Katz
Religion and State in Israel is not affiliated with any organization or movement.
By Yair Ettinger www.haaretz.com June 14, 2009
Eda Haredit spokesmen, Shmuel Pappenheim:
"The Haredi politicians are surprised and shocked at the great power of the Eda Haredit. They thought we were a dead item, only a few 'sicarii' [fanatics], but they saw how the declaration of one rabbi, Rabbi Weiss, brings thousands into the streets.
The Eda Haredit shocked the secular Jerusalem public last Shabbat, but it considers its greatest achievement the embarrassment it caused its ultra-Orthodox partners in the coalition of the secular mayor, Nir Barkat.
The relatively moderate United Torah Judaism knew about the plans to open parking lots on Shabbat, and upon its request, Barkat decided to open only one parking lot, the Safra lot, to have it operated by a non-Jewish worker, and to charge no money for parking."
Jerusalem: Seculars protest decision to close parking lot on Shabbat
By Ronen Medzini www.ynetnews.com June 13, 2009
Protestors held signs saying:
'Barkat don't give in', 'Nir has no balls – he is afraid of the haredim', and 'Don't give in to haredi violence'.
Hundreds protest Shabbat closure of J'lem parking lot
By Nir Hasson www.haaretz.com June 14, 2009
One possible alternative is to open a private parking garage near Jaffa Gate that belongs to Alfred Akirov.
However, Akirov is expected to ask the city for assurances that the ultra-Orthodox will not damage his business if he agrees to open his garage.
By Peggy Cidor www.jpost.com June 11, 2009
Haredi affairs specialist Shahar Ilan writes in his blog that the agitation should be regarded as a result of the economic crisis.
According to Ilan, the outburst is the only way available for the Eda Haredit to prepare for its annual fund-raising campaign.
Since this community doesn't accept any money from the state, their financial situation is difficult and the poverty among the families in the community is unbearable.
In order to get the expected financial support from their communities abroad, they need to present some achievements, such as media images of their members ready to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the sanctity of Shabbat.
Jerusalemites protest car park closure
www.jpost.com June 14, 2009
Following Barkat's reversal Friday, rabbis from the Eda Haredit, the haredi sect that organized last weekend's protests, called off a protest prayer that had been planned for Friday evening.
Spokesmen for the Eda Haredit and other haredi activists have vowed that there will be "no surrender" over the issue.
The quiet organizer behind the new haredi riots vows: We won't surrender
By Abe Selig www.jpost.com June 12, 2009
[Yoel "Yoelish" Kraus'] unofficial, yet widely accepted role is the kambatz, or operations director, for the Eda Haharedit.
While he shies from the title, the slender, 36-year-old father of 11 is indeed the man behind the men - the coordinator of the Eda's meticulously coordinated protests and behind-the-scenes deal-brokering that brings leading rabbis into its fold on various issues.
He can set the haredi street on fire, often literally, with a telephone call or even a word.
…A member of the anti-Zionist Toldot Aharon Hassidic sect, Kraus refuses to buy government-subsidized bread, has never set foot on an Egged bus, and avoids taking part in anything that bears even the fingerprints of "the state."
The Eda Haredit is also quite scrupulous when it comes to refraining from connections with the state, but Kraus explains the seeming contradiction quite simply.
"When it comes to preserving the sanctity of Jerusalem, and especially with regards to the holy Shabbat, we will fight the state when it endorses its desecration in such a public manner."
Haredim plan more Shabbat protests
By Abe Selig www.jpost.com June 11, 2009
"Barkat has been in office for half a year now, and after the elections, which were really a referendum on the character of the city, and in which [ultra-Orthodox candidate Meir] Porush lost, the haredi street has been quietly brewing. The parking lot is simply what has set it off."
Meshi-Zahav explained that while numerous private businesses operate on Shabbat in Jerusalem, the fact that it was the municipality operating the parking lot - essentially lending it an official stamp - had caused members of the ultra-Orthodox community to break their silence.
"And Barkat is between a rock and a hard place," he said. "The Haredim are not going to back down, and the secular [residents] won't let Barkat back down."
By Haim Be'er www.haaretz.com Opinion June 10, 2009
As someone who reported on Haredi affairs in Jerusalem in the 1980s, I believe I can contribute some insights to the discourse that will clarify the underlying motives for the regular outbreak of summer protests.
First, in the summer Shabbat is almost unbearably long, ending only at 8:30 P.M.
…Second, the admorim, the yeshiva heads, the rabbis and the operators are worried about the erosion of their communities' commitment to the Haredi isolationist ideology. The bonds holding together Shlomei Emunei Yisrael have loosened, creating an excellent opportunity to restore social cohesion.
The most important reason of all - the dwindling coffers of Haredi institutions.
…One picture is worth a thousand words, a legendary Haredi "operations officers" told me once in a moment of great candor. The real product of the protests are the news photos.
By Abe Selig www.jpost.com June 11, 2009
"The message is that Barkat should not break or surrender," one of the "secular pashkevil" participants told reporters.
"It's not just that we're secular, we're Zionist residents of Jerusalem who pay taxes, and we chose Barkat and the secular parties to work for us.
We want them to keep the promises they made during their campaign and not fold under this pressure."
Five gay couples tie the knot at Tel Aviv Pride 2009
By Ricky Ben-David www.jpost.com June 14, 2009
Five gay couples exchanged wedding vow and rings in front of thousands of people at Gordon Beach during the Tel Aviv Pride Parade 2009 on Friday.
Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai was also on hand to show his support for the gay community in their pursuit for marriage rights.
"I am so honored to be here," he said. "I want to stress that a solution must be found for people who wish to get married in Israel outside the bounds of the Orthodox framework" which controls all Jewish wedding ceremonies.
Each bride/groom received a "Certificate of Union" prepared and signed by Israeli advocate, human rights activist and founder of New Family Organization, Irit Rosenblum, a champion of civil marriage rights in Israel.
The certificates look like photo ID cards and contain the name of the cardholder, the partner's name, ID number and a short declaration signed by the owner of the card and Irit Rosenblum herself.
The certificates, according to the New Family Organization, are an expression of the commitment made by the couple and testify that they "have the same rights as any other married couple. The card… provides for legal and public recognition of the union."
The certificates are recognized by Tel Aviv, Lod and Mevasseret Zion, according to the New Family Organization.
TA mayor: Pride Parade is example of tolerance
By Eli Senyor www.ynetnews.com June 11, 2009
Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai stressed Thursday that he would not let any outsiders break the city's tradition of holding an annual Pride Parade. He said this in response to Shas Chairman Eli Yishai's demands to have the parade, scheduled for Friday, cancelled.
"The values of tolerance and pluralism, that have been engraved in the first Hebrew city's banner for many years now, are not just nice words to boast of, but are a true belief that every group and community in the city should be given the place, space and option of expressing itself."
Yishai urges Netanyahu to cancel Tel Aviv gay parade
www.haaretz.com June 10, 2009
Interior Minister Eli Yishai has called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai to cancel the city's upcoming Gay Pride Parade, Channel 10 reported on Wednesday.
The Shas Chairman sent a letter, signed by a number of Tel Aviv rabbis and religious members of Knesset, urging the city to rethink its decision to hold the parade on Friday.
The day Shas let secular mayor pick a rabbi
By Yair Ettinger www.haaretz.com June 11, 2009
The race to become one of Jerusalem's two chief rabbis is shifting into high gear, with the parties in various sectors of the community working to have their favored candidate installed.
The Shas party, which is directing the process, is determined to have Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef (the son of the party's spiritual leader, Ovadia Yosef) named chief Sephardi rabbi in the capital.
His appointment is a high priority for Religious Affairs Minister Yaakov Margi of Shas. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat is trying to come to an agreement with Shas in which the mayor would support the candidacy of Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, who is a significant figure in the religious world in his own right, on the condition that Shas agree to the appointment of a religious Zionist candidate as the city's Ashkenazi chief rabbi.
Jerusalem’s Rabbinical Race in Full Swing
By Yechiel Spira www.theyeshivaworld.com June 15, 2009
It appears the race for Jerusalem’s new chief rabbi is far from over, and in the Ashkenazi camp, the candidates appear to be Rav Moshe Chaim Lau, Rav Eliyahu Schlesinger, Rav Yaakov Shapira and Rav Yosef Carmel. It was believed that Rav Schlesinger was not in the race, but there are now signs to the contrary.
Dozens of Policemen Charged With Falsifying Yeshiva Studies
By Nissan Ratzlav-Katz www.israelnationalnews.com June 9, 2009
The national police force's Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) filed charges Tuesday against 47 policemen or former policemen accused of taking part in a scheme to falsify records indicating extensive yeshiva studies that never took place.
The allegedly illegally-obtained certificates of higher education in Jewish studies cost the State hundreds of thousands of shekels in additional pay benefits.
…Charges in the case have already been filed against the leading conspirators, including the "college" directors, members of the Chief Rabbinate and even a high-ranking police rabbi. Had the plot not been interrupted by the arrests, the total monies obtained illegally could have reached hundreds of millions of shekels over the course of the officers' regular service on the police force.
Social workers, psychologists to aid religious courts in divorce
By Ruth Eglash www.jpost.com June 14, 2009
Social workers and psychologists could soon become an integral part of the country's religious legal system, with the goal of streamlining and improving the divorce process.
Susan Weiss, founding director of the Center for Women's Justice, which is an advocate for change within the religious legal system, said that if such a unit is formed it would be essential for "the state to insist that the professionals are appointed on merit and to ensure that women and secular professionals were not discriminated against.
"It is also important to make sure that any psychiatric opinions or interventions are not prejudiced by religious doctrine," she said.
Tel Aviv denies refugee request to operate store on Shabbat
By Noah Kosharek www.haaretz.com June 11, 2009
The Tel Aviv-Jaffa city council on Sunday ruled against granting a permit to a Sudanese refugee seeking to operate a clothing store during Shabbat. Although city bylaws allow the council to grant such authorization, members present at the hearing said they ruled to withhold permission to avoid setting a precedent for other shopkeepers, and to preserve the city's "status quo."
…In response to the ruling, Duka told Haaretz,
"All of my buyers are foreign workers who come during days off on Fridays and Saturdays. On Sunday they return to work and the street is empty."
Shabbos Comes to the Mini-Market
Source: www.col.org.il http://shmais.com June 14, 2009
Over the past four years, Rabbi Shimon Eisenbach, Chief Rabbi and shliach of the Shachmon neighborhood in Eilat, has been trying to persuade Avraham Abergel, owner of the local mini-market, to close his store on Shabbos and Yom Tov.
By Eliezer Hayon www.ynetnews.com Opinion June 11, 2009
For a long time, more than 50 years, haredim traveled in buses where men and women sat at the same section of the bus.
The only strict rule, which did not need to be explicitly uttered, was the tendency of a man not to sit next to a woman.
This sane arrangement was maintained for years. During those long years, distinguished religious students and today’s leading religious figures traveled by public transportation, yet none of them ever thought that being in the same radius as members of the opposite sex could undermine their sanctity or purity.
Yet in recent months, all of us, the haredim, have become a bunch of lustful people who are unable to see a woman sitting at the front of the bus, as though only complete separation may save us from hell.
How did that happen?...
By Yehudit Rotem www.haaretz.com Opinion June 12, 2009
As a self-appointed sociologist of the Haredi community, I discern two contradictory but parallel trends:
On the one hand, you have the "new balabatim" ["landlords"] (as I called them in my book "Ahot Rehoka" ["Distant Sister"] some 18 years ago).
The term refers to a gradually growing social strata that, while belonging to the religious-Haredi society, is rooted in the general world, engages in a wide array of professions, uses the media, has a high standard of living, makes frequent trips abroad and seeks entertainment.
Yet, on the other hand, there is a central strata of Haredim who cling to traditional ultra-Orthodox characteristics, sharpening and making them more extreme.
Think Again: Those primitive haredim - yet again
By Jonathan Rosenblum www.jpost.com Opinion June 14, 2009
The story fit a little too neatly into familiar stereotypes of the haredi world.
First, the portrayal of the community and its rabbinic leaders as hopelessly backward, with no knowledge of psychology or awareness of the darker side of human nature.
Second, the idea of a community so insular that it would rather let its children be traumatized for life than address its problems or seek outside help.
The skewed portrayal of the rabbinic leadership of Ramat Beit Shemesh provides one more example of how much more complicated is the reality of the haredi community than the stereotypes which abound.
Hotel Ads Require ‘Vaad’ Approval
By Yechiel Spira www.theyeshivaworld.com June 14, 2009
The Vaad L’Shmiras Tzivion Yehuda (The Committee to Preserve the Jewish Character) has scored a victory, announcing both Yated Ne’eman and Hamodia will refrain from publishing ads for hotels and resorts that have not obtained the stamp of approval from the Vaad. At present, the new arrangement applies only to hotels in Eretz Yisrael.
Shtreimels Exempt from Fur Law
By Yechiel Spira www.theyeshivaworld.com June 15, 2009
Chassidim can breathe a sigh of relief since the new Fur Bill introduced by MK (Kadima) Ronit Tirosh, seeking to prevent the importation of certain furs, does not apply to shtreimalach.
A Knesset ministerial committee approved the ban on importing fur, news that definitely was not greeted with a smile among the manufacturers and distributors of shtreimalach.
Interestingly, the law is not at all related to shtreimalach, and not intended to target the frum population, but it is intended to prevent importing rabbit, dog and cat fur/skins from eastern Asia including China due to reports of cruelty to those animals.
The bill has yet to be voted upon in Knesset.
Rising age of religious singles 'cause for concern'
By Tzofia Hirschfeld www.ynetnews.com June 10, 2009
As the average age of unmarried people in Israel is rising, both in the religious and secular sectors, concern among religious leaders is growing. They warn that this phenomenon could have a devastating effect on the national-religious society.
"The national religious society is plagued with late marriages just like the secular society," Ze'ira told Ynet.
"This has a dramatic effect on the national religious society as a whole. Late marriages lead to secularization, because Western life is riddled with temptations. How long can you ask a bachelor to keep his purity for?"
Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman Takes Time with Chabad on his Birthday
By Zalman Nelson http://lubavitch.com June 10, 2009
Israel’s foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman, met with U.S. envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, on Tuesday.
It was also Lieberman's birthday, so despite his intense schedule, he took time out to visit with Chabad Rabbi Levy Edry, a personal friend, and ponder the spiritual meaning of a birthday.
Lieberman wrapped tefillin and accepted a leather bound chitas book embossed with his name, as a gift from the Chabad rabbi which will now remain in his office.
Who goes to holy men's graves in Israel?
By Alon Hilu www.haaretz.com Opinion June 10, 2009
Playwright and novelist Alon Hilu was born in Jaffa in 1972. His first novel "Death of a Monk" (2004), published in English in 2006, is a retelling of the Damascus Blood Libel of 1840. The most recent book by Hilu, who is also a lawyer, "The House of Dajani," a saga of the First Aliyah from the Palestinian perspective published in 2008, has been shortlisted for the 2009 Sapir Prize for Literature.
The stories full of inner conviction about dreams and holy men, about vows and prohibitions, about prophecy and destruction, in the end do their work on my irresolute soul, and I submit wholly to Ami's exhortations and ask to perform the ritual of prostrating myself on the grave in the worker's housing project apartment at number 172 Canaan neighborhood, Safed.
www.israelnationalnews.com June 15, 2009
One of the handful of government authorized ascents to the tombs of Yehoshua and Calev (Joshua and Caleb) that take place each year happened just before the reading of the Torah portion, "Shlach" last Sabbath, with Jews ascending to visit holy places.
June 15, 2009 (Section 1) (continues in Section 2)
If you are reading in email or RSS feed, please click here to read ONLINE
Editor – Joel Katz
Religion and State in Israel is not affiliated with any organization or movement.
All rights reserved.
