November 9, 2009 (Section 2) (see also Section 1)
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Editor – Joel Katz
Religion and State in Israel is not affiliated with any organization or movement.
Chabad campaign: Messages from Rebbe at basketball court
By Kobi Nahshoni www.ynetnews.com November 6, 2009
The Chabad movement and the Hapoel Jerusalem basketball club have launched an advertising campaign to disseminate Jewish and Hassidic messages at the team's home court in Malha. Famous sayings attributed to the Lubavitcher Rebbe will appear on the large billboards that line the court.
Since last week's game against French club Roanne during Eurocup qualifiers, messages such as "Your one good deed does good for everyone" and "You want to change the world? The power is in your hands" will be shown during home games at Malha.
The messages are projected on a 32-meter long digital billboard before the eyes of tends of thousands of spectators at the court and watching at home.
In addition, the messages will also be printed in the team's pamphlets distributed in the thousands as well as on a banner on the team's internet site. The objective: "to encourage love of Israel and to increase Jewish identity."
Netanya Residents Protest Chabad Yeshiva Move
Source: www.col.org.il http://shmais.com November 5, 2009
The residents’ main concern, however, is that the new yeshiva is a sign that the area is on its way to becoming Chareidi.
“In Netanya, there are certain religious streets that became closed to traffic on Shabbos, and the secular residents sold their apartments and moved out,” said one resident.
“But our street has been secular for decades, and we have no intention of changing things.
We want to appeal to the Netanya Municipality and find out if there was any official agreement to open a yeshiva on our street, whether this yeshiva has a permit, and if things have been done according to the law.”
Distinctly Religious Offerings Earn Praise at Israeli Film Festival
By Chana Kroll www.chabad.org October 29, 2009
The sixth annual Jewish Eye, which bills itself as a World Jewish Film Festival, marked a cinematic milestone this week when it served as the venue for the official Israeli premiere of “A Light for Greytowers,” a full-length strictly by-women, for-women production developed under the guidance of rabbinical authorities.
By Yael Brygel www.jpost.com November 7, 2009
The three programs [Midreshet Lindenbaum, Beit Morasha, Nishmat] – each of which provides a select group of exceptional women scholars with the opportunity to reach the highest level of Jewish scholarship, often with the same curriculum as rabbinical schools - were created to address different needs within the modern Orthodox world and, arguably, are unprecedented in their attention to training women for involvement in Halachic discourse and the application of Jewish law.
What is the future of women's leadership and the likelihood of Orthodox women receiving rabbinic ordination?
Orthodox Women & Religious Leadership
By Sarah Breger www.myjewishlearning.com November 2009
Though the Orthodox rabbinate remains all-male, some Orthodox women have assumed para-rabbinic roles.
Bat Melech Marks 10 Years since Founding of First Shelter for Charedi Battered Women
By Benjamin Slobodkin www.ynet.co.il (Hebrew article) www.vosizneias.com November 8, 2009
Noah Korman started Bat Melech ten years ago shortly after encountering three cases of violence in Charedi families. Today Charedi women of every description arrive at the shelter he set up, generally bringing their children as well.
Gafni reaches deal to reduce yeshiva cuts
By Zvi Zrahiya www.haaretz.com November 8, 2009
The proposed NIS 314 million cut to yeshiva budgets, will be reduced, and will not affect state allowances for full-time yeshiva students.
These were part of NIS 2 billion in budget cuts approved by the cabinet. The budget cuts still will apply to some of the funds promised to Shas, United Torah Judaism and Habayit Hayehudi.
J'lem to get 2 additional deputy mayors
By Matthew Wagner www.jpost.com November 5, 2009
The Knesset passed in a preliminary reading Wednesday a legislative amendment that would pave the way for two Haredi members of the Jerusalem Municipality's Council to receive salaries as deputy mayors.
If the present amendment passes in the Knesset plenum, remains unchanged after discussions in the Knesset Interior Affairs Committee and passes another final vote in the Knesset, Shas and United Torah Judaism will each be allowed to appoint one of their municipal representatives as a deputy mayor.
Rabbis petition for 'kosher' internet on cell phones
By Kobi Nahshoni www.ynetnews.com November 3, 2009
Dozens of rabbis and educators from the Religious Zionism stream have recently signed on a petition demanding cellular companies to offer "kosher" internet packages to its customers. In exchange, they promise to support whichever company encourages the public to use this service exclusively.
Among those signed on the petition are rabbis spanning the whole spectrum of Religious Zionism, from Rabbi David Stav, chairman of Tzohar, all the way to Rabbi Yehoshua Shapira and Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, both associated with the nationalist haredi stream.
Source: www.col.org.il http://shmais.com November 1, 2009
Deputy Mayor Yisrael Porush, who represents the Chassidic communities, raised during a council session the possibility of changing Elad’s official emblem so that it will be called “the city of Torah and Chassidus.”
'Taliban mother' jailed for 4 years
Ultra-Orthodox followers remain faithful to convicted woman
By Tamar Rotem www.haaretz.com November 5, 2009
"The whole trial was one long string of lies," declared A., a disciple of the so-called "Taliban mom," yesterday.
"What did she do wrong? She never did any harm to anyone. Me, she taught only good things. To love God, is that bad?"
10,000 guests attend massive Hasidic wedding
By Kobi Nahshoni www.ynetnews.com November 6, 2009
It was the wedding of the year in the Hasidic world. More than 10,000 guests arrived at the Sanz Hasidic headquarters in Netanya to celebrate the wedding of Meir Meshulam, son of Sanz Grand Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech Halberstam, the Klausenberger Rebbe of Netanya, to his cousin, Bracha Unsdorfer.
Experts: Ultra-Orthodox market growing
By Tani Goldstein www.ynetnews.com November 6, 2009
The ultra-Orthodox community is considered relatively poor, but according to data presented at an Israeli Management Center conference on sector-specific marketing, haredim have greater purchasing power than is generally assumed.
According to Geocartography, there are currently 715,000 haredim living in Israel and the community doubles in numbers every 22 years, meaning that by 2020 it is likely to exceed one million.
The ultra-Orthodox community makes up 7% of Israel's adult population and 9% of its overall population, and the national-religion sector adds 10%.
Intel Announces that Employees at its Jerusalem Facility Won't Work on Shabbos After All
By Yechiel Sever http://chareidi.shemayisrael.com November 5, 2009
According to a report in Yated Ne'eman last Wednesday, Intel had plans in place to open its Jerusalem facility on Shabbos, which would not only have caused dozens of workers to violate Shabbos, but may well have brought other Har Hotzvim companies to follow suit, despite the industrial park's proximity to several chareidi neighborhoods.
…the Intel Israel CEO announced last Thursday that the company would not open its doors in Jerusalem on Shabbos.
Synagogue Dedicated at IDF Officers' School
www.israelnationalnews.com November 5, 2009
The IDF Officers' School, Bahad 1, dedicated a new synagogue this week at an investment of NIS 5 million. The seats at the synagogue have a unique feature: special contraptions for holding one's weapon while praying.
The synagogue is an architecturally impressive concrete structure reminiscent of the burning bush in which G-d appeared before Moses. There are 208 seats in the men's section and 60 seats in the women's section.
By Yair Lapid Opinion www.ynetnews.com November 3, 2009
An anonymous rightist donor announced last week that he will hand over NIS 22,000 (roughly $6,000) as a reward for the two Shimshon Battalion soldiers who held up signs against the evacuation of a West Bank outpost during their pledge-of-allegiance ceremony at Jerusalem’s Western Wall.
…right now there is a small sideways glance, a cautious one, which every secular platoon commander is currently directing at any religious soldiers arriving in his unit. Can they be trusted? The glance says. Can I be certain that they will obey my orders?
Will they embarrass me during the pledge-of-allegiance ceremony? The commander will be thinking.
Will they not put an end to my military career at the next charged incident? Are we truly part of the same army, or are they also serving under the command of some rabbi unfamiliar to me? Are they truly my soldiers, or are they only my soldiers as long as some conditions are met?
A peek into Western Wall Tunnel area excavations
By Ronen Medzini www.ynetnews.com November 8, 2009
The digs begin on al-Waad Street in the Old City's Muslim Quarter and connect to the Western Wall tunnels under the ground.
The works began more than four years ago, and have since caused angry responses in the Muslim world, which is finding it difficult to receive a clear picture of the dig, due to the discrete manner in which it is are being led by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation.
The tour's participants included the Foundation's executive director Mordechai (Sullie) Eliav, Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, Jerusalem Council Members Meir Margalit (Meretz) and Rabbi Yossi Deutsch (United Torah Judaism), and representatives of left-wing organizations.
Ethiopian community celebrates Sig'd at Beit Hanassi
By Greer Fay Cashman www.jpost.com November 2, 2009
For decades, all roads for Israel's Ethiopian community have led to Jerusalem on the festival of Sig'd, marked 50 days after Yom Kippur. Until this year, their destination was the Haas Promenade, where they congregated to chant prayers led by Kessim, the community's spiritual leaders.
As of this year, Sig'd has become a legislated state holiday, which was marked on Monday at the President's Residence…
Ethiopian Jewish Festival of Sig’d Goes Mainstream
By Nathan Jeffay www.forward.com November 2, 2009
For the first time today, President Shimon Peres played host to leaders of the community in honor of the festival. This follows the passing of a law in August 2008 declaring the day a national religious holiday, which means that people have the right to a day off work (unpaid) if they want it, and requiring a state ceremony to mark the day.
Almost 250 people were invited to the event today — community leaders, youth, and Ethiopian figures involved in public life. There was music from a band of the scouts and a passionate speech from Peres in which he called Israelis of all backgrounds, not just Ethiopians, to get involved in celebrations for the festival.
Perhaps more significant in the long-run than the President’s reception, as a result of the law children of all backgrounds will learn about the holiday as part of the compulsory government-set curriculum.
Arab and Jewish medics bridge the divide saying 'let's save some lives'
By Ben Lynfield http://news.scotsman.com November 7, 2009
At the same time that Israeli police and Palestinian youths were battling each other at the Temple Mount holy site in Jerusalem last week, a life was being saved nearby by a new emergency rescue project that brings together ultra-Orthodox Jews and Arabs.
As the clashes were going on at the site, known to Moslems as al-Haram al-Sharif, two Arab medics from the new east Jerusalem branch of the ultra- orthodox Jewish Ihud Hatzolah rescue service were arriving at the scene of a heart attack of a 45-year-old Arab woman in the Ras al-Amud neighborhood.
Missionary Event for Teenagers in Ashdod
By Hillel Fendel www.israelnationalnews.com November 4, 2009
A missionary seminar was held for teenagers in Ashdod ten days ago, teaching them how to “witness” to their friends…
“If you want to change the world for Jesus, this meeting is for you,” states the invitation to the seminar…
At the seminar itself, close to 200 teenagers received instruction on how to approach and persuade youngsters their age to believe in Jesus as the Messiah. The event was held on Thursday, Oct. 22, and included various musical performances. It was organized by the local Beth Hillel congregation.
November 9, 2009 (Section 2) (see also Section 1)
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.
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