August 22, 2011 (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.
Why is Glenn Beck going to Israel?
By Zev Chafets www.washingtonpost.com August 19, 2011
Glenn Beck’s sojourn in Israel is not likely to stir much excitement on the streets of Jerusalem or Caesaria.
The country is engaged in a round of social upheaval centering on the high cost of living and, in any event, Israelis don’t need a reminder that the United Nations is fixed or that Israel is the target of an international jihad.
But Beck’s real audience is, as he says, the United States’ Christian evangelicals.
Not Jewish enough for Glenn Beck
By BradleyBurston Opinion www.haaretz.com August 19, 2011
But what is irony to a man for whom most Jews are not Orthodox enough and therefore not Jewish enough, for whom most Israelis are not hard-line enough and therefore not Israeli enough - to a man for whom some Holocaust survivors have not suffered enough, a man who knows better than the Jews what Auschwitz means, who Nazis are, what Israel needs, and how Jews figure in the greater plan of God and His Apostle Glenn?
Glenn Beck calls Israel social protesters 'communists'
By Elka Looks www.haaretz.com August 15, 2011
Beck then went on to suggest that the housing crisis could be solved by simply building up empty land in the West Bank.
The right-wing commentator emphasized that the area, biblically referred to as “Judea and Samaria”, is “Judea – like Jews”.
Glenn Beck Rally in Jerusalem: Bad for the Jews!
By Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater Opinion www.jewishjournal.com August 16, 2011
Glenn Beck is a fundamentalist-extremist. His upcoming rally, on Aug. 24, “Restoring Courage” in Jerusalem is nothing more than a media-driven, money-making, self-serving, end-of-times messianic-lunacy circus show, and that is the very last thing Jerusalem and Israel need at this moment.
Glenn Beck’s unwavering support for Israel
By Sammy Levine Opinion www.jewishjournal.com August 16, 2011
The truth is that if one wants to find consistent pro-Israel coverage, Beck is the person to listen to. The problem is that, for so many liberal Jews, hate of the right overwhelms their love for Israel.
As such, they marginalize Beck, even though he is without question the media’s most outspoken supporter of Israel.
This is unfortunate, as in this time when Israel is isolated internationally, decried as an apartheid state on college campuses and constantly threatened with annihilation, Beck’s voice is so necessary and precious.
One of the most popular political commentators in America is using his fame for great good — to bring awareness and respect to the Jewish state.
Beck says he is losing $1 million on Israel events
By Gil Hoffman www.jpost.com August 21, 2011
He urged both the Israelis and the Palestinians to “return to their original values, stop listening to voices other than God’s, remember how great He is, relay their values to their children, and obey the 10 commandments.”
By Amir Mizroch Opinion http://amirmizroch.com August 20, 2011
Do we, as Israelis, really need the vitriol, dogma, conspiracy and controversy this man brings with him?
Or is he a modern-day prophet, showing us the light and offering us his support, and the support of millions of Christian soldiers? Should we thank him for standing with us, take courage from him, see things as they really are – the way he sees them?
Sephardi girls not being placed in Haredi schools
By Talila Nesher www.haaretz.com August 18, 2011
With two weeks to go before the start of the new school year, some 100 girls in the country's largest ultra-Orthodox enclaves still have not been accepted to any high school. Most of the girls are of Sephardi origin.
The cities of Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Modi'in Ilit and Betar Ilit have not complied with a demand made by the Education Ministry's director general, Shimshon Shoshani, who earlier in the summer wrote to the mayors and city managers of all four cities, ordering them to submit their full list of high school placements by the end of July.
Sex segregation in school canceled
By Ari Galahar www.ynetnews.com August 19, 2011
The Court for Administrative Affairs in Petah Tikva ruled Thursday that in light of the State's declaration, that there will be no sex segregation at the city's "Morasha" elementary school in the upcoming school year, a parents' petition on the matter has become redundant.
Education Ministry folds on gender segregation at school
By Talila Nesher www.haaretz.com August 18, 2011
The Education Ministry has reneged on its intention to separate boys and girls in Petah Tikva's state religious school Morasha this school year, following a parents' petition against the move to the city's administrative affairs court.
Parents petition against gender separation at Petah Tikva school
By Talila Nesher www.haaretz.com August 16, 2011
Critics say the attempt to impose gender separation at Morasha is a reflection of growing religious extremism in religious state education in recent years, intended to draw rightist ultra-Orthodox students.
Parents appeal sex segregation in school
www.ynetnews.com August 16, 2011
According to the petition, mixed studies have been taking place in the "Morasha" elementary school for decades. From the third grade, the classrooms are separated according to gender.
Recently, however, the Religious Education Administration decided to split the school in two according to gender, with the aim of eventually creating two schools – one for boys and one for girls.
Jerusalem cultural calendar omits weekend activities
By Oz Rozenberg www.haaretz.com August 16, 2011
A promotional booklet distributed by the Jerusalem municipality omits any activities happening over Shabbat, in what some believe is a capitulation to ultra-Orthodox pressure.
By Allison Barlow Opinion www.jpost.com August 20, 2011
The writer immigrated to Israel two years ago and teaches English at an international school in Jerusalem.
“As I was driving slowly to avoid the trash, 200 Orthodox men surrounded my car. They began punching and kicking it, and then opened my door and started grabbing at me. I tried to close the door, but they wouldn’t let me.
So I got out of the car with them grabbing me and shouting, ‘Shmor Shabbat [keep Shabbat]!’ in my face, and in one big sweep, shoved them all away. I then got in my car, slammed the door shut, and sped off.”
Social justice begins with public integrity
By Greer Fay Cashman www.jpost.com August 16, 2011
There are people on both the Left and the Right of the political divide who believe that former Shas leader and former interior minister Arye Deri should not be permitted to return to public life, but some felt the need to express this opinion in a quarter-page, front-page advertisement in Haaretz on Tisha Be’av.
Headlined “Social justice begins with public integrity,” the advertisement, which is signed by some 40-plus people including Ometz chairman Arye Avneri, New Israel Fund chairwoman Naomi Chazan and Meretz MK Zehava Gal-On, calls on the protesters who are demanding social justice not to enter into any dealings with Deri.
Any effort to whitewash his deeds via the just and sincere citizens’ struggle will cast a blot on the battle, say the signatories, adding that they believe that no convicted felon has what to seek among the tent dwellers.
Unity, Social Justice and Tisha BeAv
“Ahavat Hinam” was the slogan of this year's Tisha BeAv, which stroke accord against the backdrop of waves of protests around the country.
TZAV PIUS, an organization promoting dialogue between religious and secular, organized the Tisha Be Av discussion panel in the middle of a tent city on Sderot Rothshild.
Areleh Harel: The Orthodox Rabbi Helping Gay Men to Marry Lesbians
By Cindy E. Rodriguez www.time.com August 16, 2011
Six years ago, Areleh Harel, an Orthodox rabbi from the West Bank, devised a plan to help an Orthodox Jewish gay man fulfill his dream of becoming a husband and father while keeping him in good standing with Jewish law and his community of believers.
The solution: marry him to a lesbian.
Praying for love at the Western Wall
By Eli Mandelbaum www.ynetnews.com August 18, 2011
Hundreds of single men and women and their relatives convened at Jerusalem's Western Wall this week for a mass prayer for love.
Single Israelis look for love in ancient cave
AP www.haaretz.com August 15, 2011
In an ancient stone quarry underneath Jerusalem's Old City, women tottered on stilettos down a dimly lit passage on their way to a very modern ritual: speed-dating.
Hoping the exotic setting would provide a conducive backdrop for romance, organizers brought about 60 Israeli singles to the subterranean quarry known as Zedekiah's Cave late Sunday for a unique speed-dating marathon to mark the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Av, the Jewish holiday of love.
Lulav imports from Egypt in danger?
By Ronen Medzini www.ynetnews.com August 19, 2011
Every year for the past three decades, ahead of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, Israel imports from Egypt some 700,000 lulavim (one of the Four Species mentioned in the Torah), originating in palm trees in the northern Sinai city of El Arish.
This year could see a shortage in the palm branches, however, as Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's downfall has created uncertainty in regards to the deal.
Israel affecting growing liberalism among Orthodox U.S. Jews, says sociologist
By Raphael Ahren www.haaretz.com August 19, 2011
Israeli institutions are playing a role in a tendency among some American Orthodox Jews to slide back to the left, according to the same scholar who 13 years ago observed a tendency among American Orthodox Jews to become religiously more stringent.
The assumed slide to the left can be witnessed in areas such as women’s equality in Orthodox synagogues, U.S.-Israeli sociologist Chaim Waxman told Anglo File this month.
Rami Levi, partner rescind offer for Religious Zionist Nof Zion/East Jerusalem project
By Lior Zeno www.haaretz.com August 16, 2011
Digal Investments and Holdings informed investors at the beginning of the week that its pending sale of an East Jerusalem development to supermarkets mogul Rami Levi and Australian investor Kevin Bermeister has been called off.
...The project, targeted toward the Jewish Orthodox public, is planned to include 400 apartment units. Of these, 91 have already been completed and 76 sold for cumulative revenues of NIS 140 million and at a gross loss of NIS 15 million.
Palestinian entrepreneur Al-Masri 'considering buying Nof Zion'
By Shay Pauzner, Calcalist www.ynetnews.com August 16, 2011
Digal has already built 91 luxury flats in the Nof Zion development in the Jabel Mukaber neighborhood.
The flats were initially built for Jewish foreign investors; however, the target audience was deterred by the project's location. Instead, buyers from the national-religious movement purchased some of the project's flats. An additional 300 units are planned for the projects second and third phases.
Argentina chief rabbi says son-in-law Pinto roped him into laundering scheme
By Tomer Zarchin www.haaretz.com August 16, 2011
Argentina's chief rabbi submitted a written deposition this week to the Jerusalem District Court saying he was exploited by his son in law, Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto, to launder money through the purchase of a Jerusalem apartment.
Miracle in synagogue: Grad fails to explode
www.ynetnews.com August 19, 2011
"No doubt our prayers saved us," one of the yeshiva students said. The synagogue was eventually demolished as security forces worked to clear the rocket parts. "This was a miracle," another yeshiva student said.
Worshippers belonging to the Ger Hasidic sect pray at the Ashdod synagogue daily.
Netanyahu celebrates grandson's brit
By Ari Galahar www.ynetnews.com August 19, 2011
The new grandson, David Roth, is the second son of Noa, 32, Netanyahu's oldest daughter from his first marriage, and her husband Daniel Roth. Noa became religious several years ago.
Rabbi Rafael Halperin, founder of Halperin Optical, dies at 87
By Ari Galahar www.ynetnews.com August 21, 2011
Rabbi Rafael Halperin died at his home in the central city of Bnei Brak on Saturday afternoon, following a serious illness. Halperin, 87, was a former professional wrestler and the founder of a chain of optical centers in Israel.
By Gidi Weitz www.haaretz.com August 19, 2011
Interview with Shelly Yachimovich
Q: Are you also in favor of the visits he wants schools to make to the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron?
"It depends on the context. If the tours are made with historians who explain our heritage - the tomb and its mention in the Jewish sources, the developments since then - and also talks about the present-day political context, that is legitimate. Heritage values do not belong only to the right wing in Israel."
Q: Does the Temple Mount speak to you, those archaeological ruins?
"Yes, definitely, it speaks to me. Our existence here is not a fleeting one, it has ongoing historical grounds, and I do feel all the layers, which include belonging to the Jewish people, with all its history, and yes, I identify with symbols."
New Torah Scroll Placed in Cave of Patriarchs
www.israelnationalnews.com August 16, 2011
Among the many guests who attended the special ceremony were the Georgian Jewish community’s chief rabbis in Israel and Moscow, MK Avraham Michaeli (Shas), deputy police commissioner Yisrael Yitzhak, and the IDF and Israeli police commanders in Hevron.
New Israeli research to explore relationship between science and Jewish law
By Asaf Shtull-Trauring www.haaretz.com August 16, 2011
The Science and Technology Ministry is this year investing NIS 1.2 million in research and education on the relationship between science and halakha.
Half the sum will be allocated to promoting enrichment courses on the subject, and the rest will be used to fund applied research on scientific and technological solutions to problems posed by Halakha.
IDF on 'Bible Alert' for September
By Gil Ronen www.israelnationalnews.com August 17, 2011
Lt. Col. Rav Yitzchak Ben-Yosef, Rabbi of the Ground Forces Command, hinted in a report on the Hebrew side of the IDF Website that the Rabbinate is stocking up on copies of Tanach, the Bible, in preparation for September.
Religious Zionism rabbis: Alternative medicine based on idolatry
By Kobi Nahshoni www.ynetnews.com August 17, 2011
Senior Religious Zionism rabbis have stated that some alternative medicine methods are "based on idolatry".
The religious leaders are calling on the public not to turn to holistic therapy or seek studies in that field without thoroughly examining the nature of the treatments through a person with knowledge in Halacha and medicine.
...The letter was signed by six senior rabbis from the Religious Zionism movement: Haim Drukman, Dov Lior, Yaakov Ariel, Elyakim Levanon, Shmuel Eliyahu and Yehoshua Shapira.
Rabbi Eliezer Melamed: Ideological Persecution Masquerading as the Law
http://revivimen.yhb.org.il August 16, 2011
Question: As a politically left-wing person who tries to honor everyone, I cannot understand why the religious public demands extra privileges for rabbis.
Why shouldn’t rabbis who have been summoned for police investigation show-up just like any other citizen? Even the Prime Minister and the President have been investigated, so why should the rabbis be dealt with ‘kid gloves’? Don’t you feel there should be equality before the law?!
Rabbi Eliezer Melamed: Had a rabbi been suspected of committing a crime, we wouldn’t maintain that he shouldn’t appear for questioning.
However, in this case, rabbis engaged themselves in the study of Torah, loyally fulfilling their duty towards the Torah and the public they represent. This cannot be investigated. In the field of Torah study, rabbis are indeed entitled to immunity from the law.
By Michael Freund www.ou.org August 16, 2011
Working alongside towering figures such as Menachem Begin and Golda Meir, the religiously observant Avner was intimately involved in Israel’s statecraft for three decades, taking part in policy meetings and sitting in on talks with heads of state.
- As an observant Jew, you must have faced situations in which there was a conflict between your religious obligations and the demands of your job. How did you deal with this?
- Did Rabbi Goren impose certain restrictions on how to go about violating Shabbat even in cases where it was deemed necessary?
- Were there times when your adherence to religious principles got you into hot water?
- You traveled with the prime ministers on their trips abroad. Was kashrut ever an issue?
August 22, 2011 (Section 2) (see also Section 1)
Editor – Joel Katz
Religion and State in Israel is not affiliated with any organization or movement.
All rights reserved.
