חדשות 2: פרסום ראשון: אוניברסיטת בר אילן סילקה סטודנט מהמעונות כי לא חבש כיפה No Kippah - No dorm room - Bar Ilan U. evicts student who goes kippahless

כתבה שפורסמה בחדשות 2 ועשויה לעניין אותך.

פרסום ראשון: אוניברסיטת בר אילן סילקה סטודנט מהמעונות כי לא חבש כיפה

סטודנט בפקולטה למשפטים באוניברסיטת בר אילן לא יוכל להמשיך להתגורר במעונות בתוך הקמפוס לאחר שאב הבית הבחין בו כשהוא ללא כיפה, כך נודע לחדשות 2 Online. "הוא ראה אותי פעם אחת ממש מזמן", הדגיש הסטודנט, אך באוניברסיטה מתעקשים: "הוא התהלך מספר פעמים ללא כיפה, יוכל להתגורר במעונות מחוץ לקמפוס"
מתן חצרוני

י', סטודנט למשפטים שהתגורר במעונות הדתיים באוניברסיטת בר אילן, התבשר אתמול (ראשון) כי לא יוכל להמשיך להתגורר במעונות בשנת הלימודים הקרבה, כך נודע לחדשות 2 Online. הסיבה: אב הבית ראה אותו מסתובב במעונות כשהוא לא חובש כיפה.

רוצים לקבל עדכונים נוספים? הצטרפו לחדשות 2 בפייסבוק

"מדור מעונות הודיע לי שאני לא מתקבל למעונות של בר אילן מכיוון שלאורך השנה החולפת לא הקפדתי לשים כיפה בשטח הקמפוס. אב הבית אחראי על ההחלטה הזו", סיפר. י' הוא סטודנט שבא ממשפחה דתית, למד בישיבה ושומר על כשרות ועל שבת.

"אב הבית ראה אותי פעם אחת יחידה ללא כיפה וזה היה ממש מזמן", סיפר. "אני גר בנהריה אז אין לי פריבילגיה לנסוע מהבית וגם לא להשכיר דירה". זמן קצר לפני תחילת שנת הלימודים האקדמית ייאלץ כעת י' למצוא מקום מגורים חלופי.

"מצהיר בזה כי אני מנהל אורח חיים דתי"

מי שזכאי להגיש בקשה לדיור במעונות סטודנטים באוניברסיטה חייב לעמוד בתנאים הבאים: בוגרי בית ספר תיכון דתי המנהלים אורח חיים דתי, סטודנטים מן המניין לתואר ראשון, ועליהם לעמוד במינימום שעות לימוד אקדמיות. לדבריו, אין לו אפשרות להירשם למעונות שמפעילה האגודה כי ההרשמה תמה.

בנוסף, בזמן ההרשמה על הסטודנטים לחתום על טופס שבו נכתב בין היתר: "אני מבקש להגיש מועמדות למעונות המיועדים לשומרי אורח חיים דתי ומצהיר בזה כי אני מנהל אורח חיים דתי. ידוע לי שבאם לא אנהל אורח חיים כזה, שבו יש בין השאר הקפדה של שמירת כשרות, שמירת שבת ומועדים, לבוש צנוע והתנהגות צנועה לא אוכל להמשיך להתגורר במעונות אלה".

מאוניברסיטת בר אילן נמסר בתגובה: "מעונות הסטודנטים בתחומי הקמפוס מיועדים לסטודנטים השומרים על אורחות חיים על פי ההלכה. כל סטודנט המבקש להתגורר במעונות של האוניברסיטה חותם על התחייבות לשמור על אורח חיים דתי - וכיפה היא חלק מאורח החיים הדתי. בנוסף להתחייבות בכתב, המחויבות הזאת גם מובהרת לסטודנטים במהלך הריאיון עם אחראית המעונות לגבי הנהלים.

האוניברסיטה לא מעירה ובוודאי שלא מסלקת סטודנט לאחר פעם אחת שהלך ללא כיפה. במקרה הזה, למרות ההתחייבות שעליה חתם, הסטודנט התהלך מספר פעמים ללא כיפה ולא פעם אחת כפי שטען ולא שעה לפניות של אב הבית בעניין.

לנוכח זאת הוחלט השנה שלא לאפשר לו לשוב למעונות המיועדים למי ששומרים על אורח חיים דתי. הסטודנט יוכל להתגורר, אם ירצה בכך, במעונות מחוץ לקמפוס שבהם אין התחייבות כזאת".

יש לציין שבשיחה עם חדשות 2 Online הכחיש י' את טענות האוניברסיטה והדגיש כי מדובר היה במקרה חד פעמי.

לפניות לכתב: MatanH@Ch2news.tv

הצטרפו לעמוד הפייסבוק של מתן חצרוני

חדשות 2 - איתכם בכל מקום

Haaretz Op Ed: Iran Deal on Nukes is Good - I agree

Amazing how American Jews have become experts in Iranian Nuclear politics. Truly it is a miracle.

A Haaretz writer explains why Obama is right on Iran. I agree with him:

Jewish Americans are going through a harrowing dilemma. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been calling the nuclear deal with Iran a mistake of historical proportions. He has made opposing it the shibboleth of whether you are a good Jew and a true friend of Israel, or whether you let Barack Obama throw Israel under the bus. So Netanyahu keeps repeating it: By cranking up sanctions even more, a better deal with Iran can be reached, but Obama and the P5+1 group have been weak and defeatist.

Netanyahu's tactic has created enormous problems. He has dealt further blows to Israel's relations with the United States, created deep rifts in the U.S. Jewish community, and worst of all, he has turned the discussion into whether you are for Israel or against it. He has turned it into good versus evil: Care about the Jewish people or be willing to let them perish in the next Holocaust.

The shrillness of the debate has made many forget that dealing with Iran is not a matter of ideology but rather carefully balanced probabilities. Get the best deal under the given circumstances, and the best deal isn't a matter of rhetoric but careful calculation.

This is my call to U.S. Jewry. Turning the Iran deal into a partisan issue is about as wrongheaded as checking your doctor's political convictions rather than credentials and experience. This is why it's best to listen to top Israeli security officials, who have both the professional competence and dedication to care about what serves Israel best.

U.S. Jews might therefore wonder: Why are there no prominent Israeli voices supporting the Iran deal? Well, the noise has drowned out the fact that a phalanx of security chiefs has publicly supported the deal.

To my Jeremiad preaching colleagues: I am grateful to Barack Obama for completing an agreement with Iran to prevent them from developing nuclear weapons

Hey all my Jeremiad preaching friends: I am grateful to Barack Obama for completing an agreement with Iran to prevent them from developing nuclear weapons.

Let's hear your long, mournful complaints and lamentations and your list of woes, oh you Jeremiahs. This is the season preceding Tisha B'Av and it is a religious obligation to recall the woes of the ancient prophets, to lament and to mourn.

However, I'm not joining your moaning and groaning. I am rejoicing.

This deal with Iran is a major step forward towards the stabilization of the middle East and a good thing for peace in our the world. Here's some of the news from the NY Times.



Deal Reached on Iran Nuclear Program; Limits on Fuel Would Lessen With Time

VIENNA — Iran and a group of six nations led by the United States reached a historic accord on Tuesday to significantly limit Tehran’s nuclear ability for more than a decade in return for lifting international oil and financial sanctions.

The deal culminates 20 months of negotiations on an agreement that President Obama had long sought as the biggest diplomatic achievement of his presidency. Whether it portends a new relationship between the United States and Iran — after decades of coups, hostage-taking, terrorism and sanctions — remains a bigger question.

Mr. Obama, in an early morning appearance at the White House that was broadcast live in Iran, began what promised to be an arduous effort to sell the deal to Congress and the American public, saying the agreement is “not built on trust — it is built on verification.”

He made it abundantly clear he would fight to preserve the deal from critics in Congress who are beginning a 60-day review, declaring, “I will veto any legislation that prevents the successful implementation of this deal.”...

Preview of the Jewish Standard Partnership with the Times of Israel

It's coming! The Jewish Standard has entered into a partnership with the Times of Israel. Here's how it looks so far. Stay tuned for fine tuning.

Buy these books!

Yitzhak Zahavy's fantastic book, "Archaeology, Stamps and Coins of the State of Israel"

Preview

A brilliant book. Available in Teaneck and worldwide on Amazon!

Archaeology, Stamps and Coins of the State of Israel

by Yitzhak Zahavy

This book explains how archaeology is used in the politics and nationalism of the State of Israel through its stamps, coins and currency. Taking the reader from the pre-state years to the modern day, Archaeology, Stamps and Coins of the State of Israel catalogs and analyzes the Israeli government issued materials that employ archaeological motifs.


Purchase this excellent book online or pick yours up today at the Judaica House on Cedar Lane in Teaneck, NJ.

Are Buses Kosher on the Sabbath in Israel?

Amazing as it may seem, under the right circumstances, the operation of buses in Israel may be Kosher on the Sabbath.

The Times has a report from its Jerusalem Bureau on Israelis who are lobbying for the easing of the restriction on public buses running on Shabbat in Israel.

There are many Israelis who oppose Shabbat bus service, including non-Orthodox Israelis who appreciate the special nature of one day a week without bus congestion on their streets.

Orthodox Israelis on the whole approve of the ban on buses. But some Orthodox have started to realize that limited public bus service, where non-Jews drive on fixed routes, could be a great asset to them and could cut down on the non-religious Jews' driving, considered by the Orthodox to be violations of the Sabbath.

Changes ordinarily don't happen fast in Israeli public services. But I suspect that in this case, the winds have shifted after 67 years of rigorous bans. Pressure groups have been organized. Kosher or not, Shabbos buses may be on their way in.

Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, great Torah Sage and the Quintessential Scribe, has died.

My teacher and rebbe Rav Aharon Lichtenstein has passed away.

He was awarded the Israel Prize 2014 in Jewish religious literature.

He was one of the finest teachers that I studied with in college - a genius as an educator and a sincere and compassionate human being. He is the person that I chose to personify the quintessential scribe personality of prayer in my book "God's Favorite Prayers (p. 71 ff)."

The Scribe’s Prayers

I had the privilege of studying in Rav Aharon Lichtenstein’s Talmud shiur (class) for two years, 1966-1968. Each December, he invited us talmidim (disciples) to his house for latkes (potato pancakes) on Hanukkah. There, in his apartment, we sat with his little kids and his wife Tovah, daughter of Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik. The latkes were good and the Lichtensteins appeared to be a regular family. For some reason, that surprised me.

Once, during the years that I was in his shiur, while I was out with some of the guys playing basketball on the courts between the Yeshiva College dorms, Rav Aharon, a lanky, thin and tall man, came walking by. One of us had the chutzpah to ask him to join the ball game. He said okay and he played aggressively—and just like a regular guy. For some reason, that blew my mind.

And, one year, in our student play, the Yeshiva College Purim shpiel, a satiric revue for the holiday, I played the role of Rav Aharon. In my performance, I hemmed and hawed and exaggerated my rebbe’s mannerisms much more than I should have. And there in the audience sat my rebbe, laughing heartily along with us. For some reason, that really blew my mind.

A Brilliant Account of Zionism - Arthur Hertzberg's, The Zionist Idea

Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg passed away in 2006 at age 84. One example of Hertzberg's intellectual legacy is his reader on Zionism -- is a brilliant statement of Jewish thought in its choices and its sensitive and sharply developed contextualizations.

In the introduction to The Zionist Idea, Hertzberg placed Zionism in its historical and cultural milieu:

Zionism exists, and it has had important consequences, but historical theory does not really know what to do with it. Though modern Zionism arose within the milieu of European nationalism in the nineteenth century, the historians of that era usually content themselves with briefly noticing the movement, for the sake of "completeness." The root cause of their difficulty (the relatively few members involved and the partial inaccessibility of the source material are quite secondary reasons) is that Zionism cannot be typed, and therefore easily explained, as a "normal" kind of national risorgimento. To mention only one important difference, all of the other nineteenth century nationalisms based their struggle for political sovereignty on an already existing national land or language (generally, there were both). Zionism alone proposed to acquire both of these usual preconditions of national identity by the ... of its nationalist will. It is, therefore, a maverick in the history of modern nationalism, and it simplifies the task of general historians to regard it, at least by implication, as belonging only on the more parochial stage of the inner history of the Jewish community.

The Geniuses of Zionism: Pinsker to Herzl

The great genius founders of modern Israel wrote astounding essays and books. From The Zionist Idea by Arthur Hertzberg - introductions by Hertzberg and primary texts by the Zionist writers, here is another installment.

Part 2: Outcry in Russia -- the 1870's and 1880's. Page 141.

PERETZ SMOLENSKIN 1842-1885. Page 142.
IT IS TIME TO PLANT (1875-1877). Page 145.
LET US SEARCH OUR WAYS (1881). Page 146.
THE HASKALAH OF BERLIN (1883). Page 154.
ELIEZER BEN-YEHUDAH 1858-1923. Page 158.
A LETTER OF BEN-YEHUDAH (1880). Page 160.
MOSHE LEIB LILIENBLUM 1843-1910. Page 166.
THE WAY OF RETURN (1881). Page 168.
LET US NOT CONFUSE THE ISSUES (1882). Page 170.
THE FUTURE OF OUR PEOPLE (1883). Page 173.
LEO PINSKER 1821-1891. Page 178.
AUTO-EMANCIPATION: AN APPEAL TO HIS PEOPLE BY A RUSSIAN JEW (1882). Page 181.
Summary. Page 198.

Part 3: Headlong into the World Arena -- Theodor Herzl Appears. Page 199.

THEODOR HERZL 1860-1904. Page 200.
FIRST ENTRY IN HIS DIARY (1895). Page 204.
THE JEWISH STATE (1896). Page 204.
Preface. Page 204.
Chapter 1: Introduction. Page 207.
Chapter 2: The Jewish Question. Page 215.
PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS AT A SOLUTION. Page 217.
CAUSES OF ANTI-SEMITISM. Page 218.
EFFECTS OF ANTI-SEMITISM. Page 219.
THE PLAN. Page 220.
PALESTINE OR ARGENTINA? Page 222.
Conclusion. Page 223.
FIRST CONGRESS ADDRESS (1897). Page 226.
AFTER A MASS MEETING IN THE EAST END (1896). Page 231.

MAX NORDAU 1849-1923. Page 232.
SPEECH TO THE FIRST ZIONIST CONGRESS (1897). Page 235.
ZIONISM (1902). Page 242.

Hertzberg provides this penetrating analysis of the work of Pinsker:
The most significant reaction to the events of 1881 was the pamphlet Auto-Emancipation by Leo Pinsker. Like Lilienblum, he could not avoid the knowledge that the persecution of the Jew in Russia "is...not a result of the low cultural status of the Russian people; we have found our bitterest opponents, indeed, in a large part of the press, which ought to be intelligent." Pinsker, therefore, did not pretend to himself that Jew-hatred was merely a hang-over from the medieval past. On the contrary, the historic importance of his essay is in its assertion that anti-Semitism is a thoroughly modern phenomenon, beyond the reach of any future triumphs of "humanity and enlightenment" in society as a whole. Pinsker defined three causes of anti-Semitism: the Jews are a "ghost people," unlike any other in the world, and therefore feared as a thing apart; they are everywhere foreigners and nowhere hosts in their own national right; and they are in economic competition with every majority within which they live. To hope for better days in Russia, or wherever else the Jews were under serious attack, was, therefore, a delusion, and piecemeal emigration to a variety of underdeveloped lands which might be hospitable for a moment meant merely to export and to exacerbate the problem. There was only one workable solution: the Jews must organize all their strength and, with whatever help they could muster from the world as a whole, they must find a country of their own (if possible, their ancestral home in the Holy Land) where the bulk of Jewry would at last come to rest.

Zionism's Earliest Writers - Brilliant and Controversial

One of the best books on the subject is -- The Zionist Idea by the late Arthur Hertzberg, a great scholar who passed away in 2006. He presents in this book excerpts from the greatest Zionist writers.

Part 1: Precursors
RABBI YEHUDAH ALKALAI 1798-1878
THE THIRD REDEMPTION (1843)

RABBI ZVI HIRSCH KALISCHER 1795-1874
SEEKING ZION (1862)
A Natural Beginning of the Redemption
The Holiness of Labor on the Land

MOSES HESS 1812-1875
ROME AND JERUSALEM (1862)
MY Way of Return
German Anti-Semitism and Jewish Assimilation
The Reawakening of the Nations
What is Judaism?
The Mission of Israel
The Nation as Part of Humanity
The Sabbath of History
Toward the Jewish Restoration

In the introduction, Hertzberg brilliantly placed Zionism in its historical and cultural context:

ZIONISM EXISTS, and it has had important consequences, but historical theory does not really know what to do with it. Though modern Zionism arose within the milieu of European nationalism in the nineteenth century, the historians of that era usually content themselves with briefly noticing the movement, for the sake of "completeness." The root cause of their difficulty (the relatively few members involved and the partial inaccessibility of the source material are quite secondary reasons) is that Zionism cannot be typed, and therefore easily explained, as a "normal" kind of national risorgimento. To mention only one important difference, all of the other nineteenth century nationalisms based their struggle for political sovereignty on an already existing national land or language (generally, there were both). Zionism alone proposed to acquire both of these usual preconditions of national identity by the elan of its nationalist will. It is, therefore, a maverick in the history of modern nationalism, and it simplifies the task of general historians to regard it, at least by implication, as belonging only on the more parochial stage of the inner history of the Jewish community.

It's a Good Time to Review the basics of Zionist Religious Nationalism, Zionist Mysticism and Zionist Philosophers

It's a good time (after an election) to recall some basics about Zionist Religious Nationalists, Zionist Mystics and Zionist Philosophers.

I recommend The Zionist Idea by Arthur Hertzberg.

-Part 7: Religious Nationalists, Old and New -397

-RABBI SAMUEL MOHILEVER 1824-1898 -398

-MESSAGE TO THE FIRST ZIONIST CONGRESS (1897) -401

-YEHIEL MICHAEL PINES 1842-1912 -406

-ON RELIGIOUS REFORMS (1868-1871) -409

-The Religious Idea -409

-Methods in Reforms -410

-JEWISH NATIONALISM CANNOT BE SECULAR (1895) -411

-RELIGION IS THE SOURCE OF JEWISH NATIONALISM (1895) -412

-JEWS WILL ACCEPT HARDSHIP ONLY IN THE HOLY LAND (1892) -414

-RABBI ABRAHAM ISAAC KOOK 1865-1935 -416

-THE LAND OF ISRAEL (1910-1930) -419

-THE WAR (1910-1930) -422

-THE REBIRTH OF ISRAEL (1910-1930) -424

-LIGHTS FOR REBIRTH (1910-1930) -427

-SAMUEL HAYYIM LANDAU 1892-1928 -432

-TOWARD AN EXPLANATION OF OUR IDEOLOGY (1924) -434

-JUDAH LEON MAGNES 1877-1948 -440

-"LIKE ALL THE NATIONS?" (1930) -443

-MARTIN BUBER 1887-1965 -450

-THE JEW IN THE WORLD (1934) -453

-HEBREW HUMANISM (1942) -457

-FROM AN OPEN LETTER TO MAHATMA GANDHI (1939) -463

The early forms of religious Zionism beginning with Mohilever and continuing with Pines, Kook, Buber and others -- which led to the organization called Mizrachi and other religious arms of the movement - were peripheral to the success of Zionism overall, but important for its ultimate inclusiveness and definition.

Hertzberg summarizes Mohilever as follows:

SO FAR the selections in this reader and the biographical sketches at the head of each selection have seemed to tell the story of the Zionist idea in a straight line: it began with certain stirrings in the minds of men of religion (e.g., Alkalai and Kalischer) and went on to express itself as a secular nationalism, though Zionism always more or less assumed, and was in tension with, emotions derived from religion. This impression needs to be qualified. Religious Zionism -- that is, not mere traditional piety about the Holy Land but a conscious blending of orthodoxy in religion with modern Jewish nationalism -- has been an important, albeit minority, trend throughout the history of the modern movement.

Bergen County Philanthropist Angelica Berrie Profiled in Forbes

Bergen County Philanthropist Angelica Berrie was profiled in Forbes magazine in an article by Ashlea Ebeling. Berrie is a major donor to Israel and Jewish causes.

Cross-Pollinator Angelica Berrie Tells How To Give Away A Fortune

They met in Manila in 1989. Angelica Urra was 33, a convent-educated Filipino of Spanish and Chinese descent who had built a little business manufacturing and exporting papier-mache jewelry from her home country. Russ Berrie was 55, a Bronx-born secular Jew who started out selling Fuzzy Wuzzies (tiny creatures bearing greeting card messages) from a rented New Jersey garage in the 1960s and had taken his burgeoning business in tchotchkes and teddy bears public in 1984. At their wedding in 1992 (her first, his fourth) their cake was topped with pink- and blue-haired rubber trolls, then among Russ Berrie and Co.’s biggest sellers.

For the next decade Russ and Angelica worked together building up both his business and his charitable giving. The company even made the 2001 FORBES list of the Best Small Companies, with revenues of $302 million and net profits of $44 million. But on Christmas Day 2002 Russ, a type 2 diabetic, died of a massive stroke, leaving the Russell Berrie Foundation assets valued at $420 million, including 43% of the company’s stock, then worth $340 million.

At first Angelica, who had headed up strategic planning, took over as CEO of the company, as well as president of the foundation. But running the business without Russ wasn’t as much fun, and there were problems as the company digested its 2002 acquisition of the Sassy baby products line. So in May 2004 she relinquished the CEO job to a former Toys “R” Us exec and turned to a bucket list (she had made it when Russ died) of things she wanted to do by 60. Among its entries: convert to Judaism, meet the Pope, learn to drive and skydive. “How cool is that, to pursue what you want?” asks Berrie, who at 59 has checked off all those goals and keeps adding new ones.

שווה צפייה: לא תרקוד - "Thou Shall Not Dance" - a 2011 documentary about Religious Jewish men who study modern dance in Jerusalem

I subscribed to MAKO TV on my tablet and have discovered many TV shows and films in Hebrew from Israel. Through Chrome Cast I can watch the shows on TV in New Jersey as if I am in Israel.

"Thou Shall Not Dance" - is a 2011 documentary that I stumbled across on MAKO about Religious Jews who study modern dance in Jerusalem.

The premise of the film is that this is daring because religious Jews are not permitted to dance. To be technical about this, if you have ever been at a Jewish wedding you know that's not true. Men dance, women dance, not together, but there is a lot of dancing. Maybe not great quality. Also on Simchat Torah Jews dance.

Still there is a lot of struggle depicted in the film since these men decided to take up dance as an art for its own sake.

And yes, there is the big issue of Orthodox gender segregation that gets put on the table by telling this story about three men. They take as a given that they will not mix genders in their dancing because they are holding on to their Orthodox premises - paramount among those is the separation of the sexes. It was uncomfortable to me and odd to watch the struggle of these individuals within narrow constraints of their religion and culture as they grappled with their natural inherent needs to be artistic and expressive and to perform.

Israel 2011, Documentary 50 min
Directors: Eyal Sela, Yochai Shalom Hadad
Producers: Zafrir Kochanovsky , Miri Ezra
Synopsis
This illuminating documentary explores the obstacles faced by three Orthodox men who establish a dance school for religious males. The sensual nature of dance, particularly in a public forum, poses a unique challenge to those who live in a community where modesty is valued as the highest virtue. The film chronicles the struggles experienced by three dancers, as they try to reconcile their desire to express themselves physically while still maintaining an Orthodox life.



"Thou Shall Not Dance" is a heartfelt documentary about Religious Jews living in Jerusalem, who choose - despite a personal and social price they pay - to express themselves through dance. This is the 4 minute official trailer for the film.

רציתי לשתף אותך:  קבוצה של דתיים אדוקים מקימה בית ספר למחול
See the whole 50 minute film (with random ads) on MAKO TV.

Is Sigourney Weaver Jewish?

Now it is far-fetched that anybody would think that actress Sigourney Weaver is Jewish. No, Sigourney Weaver is not a Jew.

The tall actress whom we know and love from Alien, to Working Girl to Avatar, and whom we once met, and told her how much we liked her work, is a Christian of Scottish-English extraction.

But it is noteworthy that IMDB reported that when she was young after graduating from high school in 1967, she spent several months on a kibbutz in Israel.

/repost from 7/16/10/

NYTimes: Gil Marks, Historian of Jewish Food and Culture, Dies at 62

My friend has passed away. 

I am grateful to have known Gil for so many years and to have considered him to be a friend. He was a great person, sincere and sensitive and positive in every way. He was meticulous in his cooking, in his writing and in his relationships, always seeking the right ingredients and ever particular about all of the recipes of his life.

He accomplished a great deal, and still I feel he was taken before his time and that we will sorely miss his voice in our communities.

From The New York Times
Gil Marks, Historian of Jewish Food and Culture, Dies at 62

Mr. Marks wrote five books that chronicled kosher menus through the centuries and examined the role of food in the establishment and growth of cultural traditions.

By BRUCE WEBER

Gil Marks, a culinary historian who wrote widely on the relationship between Jewish food and Jewish culture in a manner that was both scholarly and friendly, died on Friday in Jerusalem. He was 62.

The cause was lung cancer, his niece Efrat Altshul Schorr said, adding that Mr. Marks was not a smoker.

Mr. Marks studied for the rabbinate at Yeshiva University in New York, but he burrowed into the history and culture of the Jews more through the recipe book than the Talmud. Still, some would argue that his work was, in its way, Talmudic — full of information and interpretive wisdom on the foods of Jewish tradition and the governing principles of cooking and eating them.

He was the author of five books, an oeuvre that not only provided a recipe-by-recipe chronicle of kosher menus through the centuries but also examined the role of food in the establishment and growth of cultural traditions.

My Dear Rabbi Column for December 2014: Facebook Political Blamer

Dear Rabbi,

After the recent attack in Jerusalem, where terrorists killed four men in a synagogue, I saw posts on my Facebook newsfeed blaming the policies of President Obama for the terrible incident. That disturbs me because I don’t see how someone can connect him to violence in another country.

Baffled by the Blamers

Dear Baffled,

Hmm. I stubbed my toe the other night while I was walking in a dark room and I exclaimed, “Oh Jesus” even though I’m a good Jew and Jesus had nothing to do with my mishap.

Seriously, let’s be clear. First of all Obama is the president of the United States, not the prime minister of Israel. His job is to take care of Americans, not protect Israelis from terrorists. And second, he is in no way responsible for causing attacks anywhere in the world. Those who heap blame on Obama for the ills of our globe do that because they don’t like him to begin with. They think they can besmirch him by arbitrarily piling fault upon him. It is bad rhetoric and nothing more.

Benjamin Netanyahu is the prime minister of Israel and is much more the right person to charge for bad policies that lead to terrorist attacks in his country. But in reality, terrorism is not at all a result of flawed strategies of our leaders or of our governments. It is evil activity planned and carried out by those of our enemies who want to harm us and disrupt our lives. So if you must, blame our enemies, not our leaders.

But if you insist on blaming our own leaders, then you might argue that the ultimate questions about the death of those four innocent people in synagogue remains primarily a theological issue that you ought to direct to the leader of leaders — God. For those of us who believe that God cares about our everyday lives, it is fair to ask how a just God allows terrorists to kill saintly Jews who devoted their lives to Torah and, on top of it, while they were engaged in prayer in the synagogue.

Hence I agree with you that it makes no sense for people on Facebook or anywhere else to blame Obama for terrorist murders in Jerusalem. My advice for you is as follows. On Facebook, if you don’t want to see nonsensical posts, you can unfriend the people who send them, or suppress their posts from your news feed.

In real life, however, I’m sorry to say I have no bright advice for you. We have no way to pull down a menu and turn off or suppress from confronting every day the age-old baffling questions of theodicy, of why God lets such bad things happen to such good people.

There is a story in the Talmud (Menahot 29b) that depicts Moses asking God why he allowed the Romans to torture the great Torah scholar Rabbi Akiva. In that narrative Moses demanded to know from God, “This is the Torah and this is its reward!?” And in that text God gave Moses no effective answer or explanation.

I can advise you not to tolerate those who blame Obama for terrorist evil. But, sorry if this disappoints you, I can’t offer in this column any better response than the Talmud does about the accountability of God.

The Dear Rabbi column offers timely advice based on timeless Talmudic wisdom. It aspires to be equally respectful and meaningful to all varieties and denominations of Judaism. You can find it here on the first Friday of the month. Send your questions to DearRabbi@jewishmediagroup.com.


Tzvee Zahavy earned his Ph.D. from Brown University and rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University. He is the author of “The Book of Jewish Prayers in English,” “Rashi: The Greatest Exegete,” “God’s Favorite Prayers” and “Dear Rabbi: The Greatest Talmudic Advice” — which includes his past columns from the Jewish Standard and other essays — all available as Kindle Edition books at Amazon.com.

הרב ריסקין: החרדים הם הרפורמים Rabbi Riskin: the Haredi Jews are the Real Reform Jews

Rabbi Riskin: "The Haredim are the greatest reformers" (translated by Google)

Rabbi of Efrat criticizes opposition to the ultra-Orthodox conversion law: "There is a commandment to love the stranger, the Chief Rabbinate did not know until today to accept the stranger with love and embrace"

Jonathan Urich | 04/11/2014 12:36

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, Rabbi of Efrat and founder of institutions, "Ohr Torah Stone", valid today (Tuesday) criticized the conduct of the haredi community in relation Conversion Act and claims that they are the greatest reformers in history.

In an interview to the radio "waves Israel" tzaddik Rabbi Riskin the conversion bill and strongly opposed the ultra-orthodox and the claims against the law: "I do not understand the whole thing. Yes, I think there is a commandment of" love the stranger. "Yes, I think that the Chief Rabbinate have not know what it is to get someone who wants to convert properly love and care. How has the audacity to say my conversions will not be under Jewish law? ".

Resistance conversion law, Rabbi Riskin argues, contrary to the theory and approach of Judaism: "Unfortunately, the Haredim are the greatest reformers, many many things. Including raising the IDF, because there was no Talmud, who says there is no study of Torah protects the interests of people. There is room for dissenting opinions in Judaism. There is no just one way and whoever says it one way and the only way, it does not Judaism, Catholicism and the Pope it. "

Eran Zahavi of Maccabi Tel Aviv Attacked During Match by a Fan

Eran Zahavi of Maccabi Tel Aviv fought off a Fan and the match was canceled. Is he my cousin? I wish we were related but, as far as I know, we are not.

Pitch Invader Attacks Football Player: Video

Daily Mail: Referee sends off Maccabi Tel Aviv star Eran Zahavi after he kicks out at a fan who attacked him as Israeli match is abandoned

·         Maccabi Tel Aviv were drawing with Hapoel Tel Aviv in Tel Aviv derby
·         Eran Zahavi, a Maccabi player formerly of Hapoel, had scored a penalty
·         A fan invaded the pitch to attack Zahavi, player kicks him
·         Repeated pitch invasions cause game to be abandoned
·         Hapoel coach Eyal Berkovic calls for league to be suspended

By Jonny Singer

An Israeli league match had to be called off on Monday night after a fan broke onto the pitch and attacked an opposing player.

With the score at 1-1 in the Tel Aviv derby, between Hapoel Tel Aviv and their rivals Maccabi, the match was abandoned after a Hapoel fan ran onto the pitch and tried to kick visitors' star Eran Zahavi.

Zahavi, an Israel international, is a controversial figure in the heated derby. The 27-year-old began his career at Hapoel before joining Maccabi after a two-year stay at Palermo.

Six Israeli swimmers set world record for 236 Mile longest open-water swim

From Israel Hayom...

6 Israelis break world record for longest open-water swim

Israeli relay team swims over 236 miles from Cyprus to Israel to raise awareness about marine pollution • Environmental Protection Minister Amir Peretz: The fact that the swimmers could tell when they entered Israeli water shows there is work to be done. 

A year and a half of training came to an impressive end Saturday morning when six Israeli swimmers -- coach Ori Sela, Oded Rahav, Udi Erel, Ben Enosh, Doron Amosi, and Luc Chetboun -- broke the Guinness World Record for the longest open-water relay distance swim.

The six swam 380 kilometers (236 miles) from Paphos port in Cyprus to Herzliya Marina in Israel. The event, titled the Cyprus Israel Swim for Clean Seas, was held in cooperation with Zalul, an Israeli NGO devoted to keeping the sea clean, and dedicated to raising awareness about marine pollution. The six are also members of Zalul's Sea Guardians group. 

"We've made history. A total of 124 hours of swimming, 14,000 strokes in the water for each of us," the swimmers said.

The swimmers said that on Monday, they encountered a "horrible" current. "But suddenly at sunset 12 dolphins appeared and it boosted our morale."

The swimmers set off last Sunday afternoon. Erel was the first in the water, followed by each team member in a predetermined order with no alternates. Each man swam for an hour at a time, averaging 2 to 4 kilometers (1.2 to 2.5 miles) by the time he was relieved.

Is Israel's National bird the Hoopoe - Duchifat - Hud Hud Kosher?

No, in fact Israel's National bird, the Hoopoe - Duchifat - Hud Hud, is not kosher. It is "an unclean animal that may not be eaten."

The Times had an editorial in June 2008 that talked about the newly designated Israeli National bird, the Hoopoe - Duchifat (Hebrew) - Hud Hud (Arabic). The writer proposed that this decision on the bird would help Israel achieve peace with its neighbors.

In June 2008 Stephen Colbert quipped caustically that the bird is not a valiant eagle, "May you (Israel) emulate the noble long-billed hoopoe by squirting fecal matter at intruders."

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Here is the Times op-ed from 2008.