Cancelled!

I just got an email from Yoni that tonight's demonstration against General Yair Navei
protesting the expulsion orders he signed against the 20 Jews from the
Maachazim, hilltop communities is cancelled. It should be on next week, as scheduled, unless the moshiach comes and gets the crooks out of office!

Don't sit home kvetching!

From a recent poll by IMRA of Kadima voters, the majority wouldn't vote for them again.

If elections were held today what party would you vote
for?
Kadima 39.4%
Likud 4.5%
Labor 1.5%
Yisrael
Beiteinu 6.1%
Won't vote/white slip 6.1%
Haven't decided 42.4%

Remember that Kadima is a new political party, established before last year's elections, and it quickly filled its slots with opportunists from various existing parties. It has no unifying ideology besides riding the "coattails" of the now comatose Arik Sharon after he showed his stuff by expelling thousands of innocent, law-abiding citizens from their homes and destroying their businesses and social structure. This was the 21st century version of "cutting off the payot" of the very religious new immigrants, as was done in the early days of the state.

One of the tools Sharon used to enforce his Disengagement policy was to fire cabinet ministers who strongly opposed it and to jail Israelis who demonstrated against it. Some of those jailed for months on end were teens who did nothing illegal. Read about Chaya's terrible legal quagmire.

Olmert has continued utilizing totalitarian laws against his opponents. Over twenty innocent citizens have been banished from their homes without the government proving that they've broken laws. It's harassment, plain and simple.

Demonstrate
Every Saturday evening at 20:00 there is a demonstration

against General Yair Navei
protesting the expulsion orders he signed against the 20 Jews from the
Maachazim, hilltop communities,
-get people to come!

Place: 28
Yehuda Halevi St, Givat Shmuel.
Drive into the Delek petrol station on the
north-bound carriageway of the Geha 4 road,
after the Givat Shmuel interchange
and before the Petah Tikva interchange.
Then drive out of the 'rear' side of the
petrol station into a square. Yehuda Halevi St is opposite you - it is a one-way
street with the traffic direction against you.

thanks yoni

I saw it! I heard it!

Today when I was leaving work, I heard the word "smoke" and saw some students looking to the sky and pointing.

High up, over the school building, in the direction of Ramallah, we could see a tiny image of a helicopter and grey smoke coming out of it. I figured that it was too small for my camera to do justice, though maybe I underestimated its zoom. So I don't have any pictures.

The students told me that the junior high had been warned about problems with the Arabs tomorrow. All I knew was that, Baruch Hashem, Shiloh is not so close to any Arab city. The old road to Beit El passed by the refugee camp from the north and went straight through Ramallah-El Bireh to the south. There's an Israeli Army Base on the other side of Beit El, and the firing range is just across from the elementary school, right near the main bus stop. Maybe people who live there have gotten used to the sound of gun fire, but over the 24 years I've been visiting and 9 years I've been working in Beit El, I find it unnerving.

When I got home and turned on the computer, I found out about what I had witnessed.

Here are three early reports:

One Soldier Lightly Injured in Ramallah 18:59 Jan 04, '07 / 14 Tevet 5767

(IsraelNN.com) One IDF soldier was lightly wounded in fierce battles against terrorists in Ramallah late Thursday afternoon. Four terrorists were killed in the battle, which began when soldiers met resistance after they surrounded the house where a terrorist was hiding.

Caterpillar bulldozers and an Air Force helicopter armed with machine guns were called in to back up the ground troops, who arrested four terrorists in the house.

Mubarak condemns Israeli raid in Ramallah
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak firmly condemned Israel's raid into the Palestinian territories on Thursday as he met with Premier Ehud Olmert to revive the long-stalled Mideast peace process, Egypt's news agency said.

Ramallah: 4 civilians killed by IDF

During operation to locate wanted Palestinians, special IDF force surrounds building in Ramallah. One wanted man manages to escape after being injured by IDF, four others arrested. Intense battle rages between Palestinians, soldiers in city. Four Palestinians killed, 18 others wounded. IDF soldier very lightly wounded. President Abbas condemns army raid

Excuses! Excuses!

Yes-Men Only!
Critics Need Not Apply

In order to whitewash the disastrous "second Lebanese War," the Israeli military arranged a very well-tailored conference about "what happened last summer."

Postmortem Gathering on the War In and Outside Conference Hall
14:58 Jan 03, '07 / 13 Tevet 5767
by Hana Levi Julian

IDF top brass begin the second day of a two-day Senior Command Conference at the Israel Air Force base in Hatzor pondering the confidence crisis among the rank-and-file.

Some 600 officers from the rank of Colonel and up spent almost 12 hours on Monday listening to commanders present their edited analyses of last summerÂ’s war with Hizbullah guerrillas in southern Lebanon.

One of those hours was devoted solely to a long speech by the IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz, in which he made an effort to minimize the damage caused by the mismanagement of the war.

Halutz acknowledged that mistakes were made, but quickly added that the lessons had been learned and corrections were already underway.

The Chief of StaffÂ’s speech was preceded by a presentation of the initial findings of the various internal probes conducted by reserve officers into the IDFÂ’s performance during the war.

Officers who were willing to speak with news reporters on condition of anonymity, however, expressed their dismay at what they heard. “They only showed what was convenient; they did not approach the difficult questions, the important findings,” said one.

The important findings, he said, included the lack of the “After me!” attitude that characterized past IDF leadership. A report by IDF Personnel Corps Chief Maj.-Gen. Elazar Stern was not presented. It dealt with "values of war, which inspected how the senior commanders acted, those reports which claimed that they settled for sitting in front of the plasma screen instead of being on the field with the soldiers,” the unidentified officer said. Stern’s brief presentation was limited to his recommendation that the specific findings be discussed in a forum at general headquarters.

Hand-picked active commanders made the presentations, instead of the reserve officers who headed the various internal investigations into the IDFÂ’s performance during the war.

As a result, the real analyses of the mistakes made by the IDF leadership during the war ended up taking place outside the hall, where inconvenient truths were discussed without encountering the threat of retribution from the top.

“There were two conferences,” said one unnamed officer quoted by the Ynet news service. “One with the IDF Chief in the hall, where only words of praise were spoken without a drop of criticism, and another one outside the hall during recess, where we talked amongst ourselves about the failures of the war and the fact that firmer steps should have been taken against those who failed, for the lack of self-criticism and for the IDF Chief’s attempting to leave all the occurred behind.”

Many participants also took note of who was not present. The no-shows included Maj.-Gen. Udi Adam, who was the Northern Command Chief during the war and later stepped down, and Maj. Eyal Ben-Reuven, who served as his deputy.

Col. Boaz Cohen, the Operations Officer of the IDF Northern District, was also missing. He is now on leave from the military.

Also not present was Brig.-Gen. Gal Hirsch, who resigned as Commander of the Galilee Division after the Almog report was published, blaming him for much of the mismanagement.

“Any officer opposed to the Chief of Staff was asked to leave the conference hall,” said another participant.

Response to War-Time Missile Hit on Ship
Chief of Staff Halutz announced at the conference the steps he was taking against Navy officers who allegedly relayed sensitive information to the media. He began a process of filing criminal charges against one of the officers, and dismissed another from his post for the same reason: talking to journalists.

However, Halutz only reprimanded the commanders of the Navy vessel that sustained a direct hit by a missile fired by the Hizbullah guerrillas during the war. The anti-missile system on the ship was not activated prior to the attack which killed four men. The officer responsible for deactivating the system was removed from his post.

A Different Dawn

Last night I caught one of those Israeli "talk shows." In it the IDF Director of Operations, Tal Russo, faced a small panel of journalists, military experts, and he attempted to defend the conduct and competence of the army. It was a difficult task, and he didn't do very well.

The most vociferous of the journalists was Carmela Menashe, Military Correspondent of Israel Radio, who is a well-known leftist, but I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed her interrogation of Russo. She didn't give him an inch, and he was definitely out of his league.

It was clear from her words that there were many and major mistakes by the army during last summer's war. Russo was well-rehearsed, reciting:

"There were successes and failures."

Menashe didn't miss a beat:

"OK, so could you tell us about one of the successes?"

Russo quickly started on another track. This continued. Menashe asked tough questions, and Russo avoided them.

Menashe also scored points when demanding to know why the army ceased its traditional "Acharai!" "After me!" philosophy/method. Officers used to lead, not follow or track via technology. This, too, was ignored by Russo, who kept denying that there had been any changes.

Considering Russo's track record, and his incapability to adjust his thinking, it's clear that his promotions are a potent example of mixing "yes-men" with "Peter's Principle," that "in a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence."

I just wish that she'd use her obvious talents to defend our country, rather than just attack the incompetent army operations.

photo credit

Dissatisfaction is stewing

In a democracy, the majority is supposed to have power, and the majority of Israelis are not satisfied with Olmert's rule.

Poll: Most Israelis unsatisfied with Olmert's performance

Poll conducted by Dahaf Institute for Knesset Channel shows public's dissatisfaction with prime minister; 69 percent of Israelis think Olmert's leadership capabilities aren't good; 45 percent say if Olmert fires to Amir Peretz, their opinion of him will improve; 80 responded that not all elements were considered before going to war in Lebanon
Ynet

More bad news is coming out of the army about the recent war in the north.

The average time it took to evacuate wounded soldiers during the second war in Lebanon was roughly 3.5 hours, according to data issued Wednesday at the national conference for Aerospace Medicine at the Fisher Institute in Herzliya.

According to Colonel Erez Birenboim, the air force medical commander, the standard time for an evacuation is typically less than one hour.

It looks like The New York Times is preparing its readers for the fall of the Olmert Government.

Israeli Admits Big Errors in Lebanon War, but Won’t Resign

By STEVEN ERLANGER
Published: January 3, 2007
JERUSALEM, Jan. 2 — The Israeli chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, conceded Tuesday that the military had made serious errors during last summer’s war against Hezbollah in Lebanon but said he would not resign his post.

The Israeli chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, said in Tel Aviv on Tuesday that Israel had badly damaged Hezbollah during the war in Lebanon.
General Halutz said Israel had badly damaged Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and killed “hundreds of terrorists.” But he said Israel was “not successful in reducing the short-range rocket fire on Israel’s north until the cease-fire,” which came after 34 days of fighting.

What we need in Israel is a "Gerald Ford," a politician who can take over the reigns and heal the nation.

Not Quite the Boston Tea Party, But…

The Boston Tea Party

International influence
The Boston Tea Party is known around the world and has been inspirational to other rebels. For example, Erik H. Erikson records in his book "Gandhi's Truths" that when Mahatma Gandhi met with the British viceroy in 1930 after the Indian salt protest campaign, Gandhi took some duty-free salt from his shawl and said, with a smile, that the salt was "to remind us of the famous Boston Tea Party."

Yesterday’s news, quoted by Batya below, of Sderot suing for security, has potentially broad implications for the future of the State of Israel and Israeli society. Yes, as she writes, “Jews all over the world were once supremely proud of the IDF, Israel Defense Forces. Unfortunately things have changed…,” but I see this as having tremendous potential, if you’ll but read on.

Nitsana Darshan-Leitner

Darshan-Leitner [of the Israeli Law Center, Shurat HaDin] said bluntly, "If the IDF won’t fight, Sderot residents aren’t going to pay."

This is the essence of what the Boston Tea Party set out to do. Those of us who remember our American history [and if not, check out the Wikipedia link] recall that the Boston Tea Party was all about “taxation without representation.”

Now while it’s true that this protest was in the form of a District Court petition filed by 50 Sderot residents on Monday [which] challenged the government’s right to levy taxes on a population it has not effectively defended against rocket attacks, and certainly lacks the defiance demonstrated by the Americans in 1773, it’s certainly something that is relatively new in Israel of 2007. [Hey, we’re only 234 years behind the times!]

And this action: The court brief filed on behalf of the city’s residents by attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner also requested a tax refund retroactive to June 2004, the month in which the first civilian was killed by a Kassam rocket attack on Sderot. "From this date the State of Israel was on notice that the Kassam rockets began to seriously endanger the lives of the Sderot residents, and nevertheless refused to provide the appropriate military response to the terrorists," the brief stated
is certainly an indication of an added Israeli element – good ole chutzpa, or what Chassidim would call ‘azut d’kedusha’ [holy brazenness].

And finally, while we have absolutely no faith in Israel’s corrupt, biased legal system, we can wish Nitsana Darshan-Leitner the best of success, and thank the people of Sderot for [perhaps] starting the Revolution!!!

Getting closer

The hands of the law are getting closer to Olmert, with the investigations of Shula Zaken and Finance Minister Abraham Hirchson among others.

I'm in no position to know exactly who and when, but someone will break.

There are so many different allegations against Olmert, his apartments, pens, bank shares, etc.

It's like a balloon, getting bigger and bigger. Someday it will burst, and he'll drown in disgrace.

The Tattered Flag Flies in Sderot

Jews all over the world were once supremely proud of the IDF, Israel Defense Forces. Unfortunately things have changed, and the politicians are guilty.

Sderot Sues for Security
07:38 Jan 02, '07 / 12 Tevet 5767
by Hana Levi Julian

A District Court petition filed by 50 Sderot residents on Monday challenged the government’s right to levy taxes on a population it has not effectively defended against rocket attacks.

The petition specifically targeted Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s policy of restraint, which has prevented the Israel Defense Forces from responding with military force to the constant rocket attacks on the besieged western Negev city.

The petition, filed by the director of the Israel Law Center (Shurat HaDin) asked the court to declare Sderot residents exempt from having to pay taxes to the State “in light of the government’s refusal to provide adequate military protection to their community.”

The court brief filed on behalf of the city’s residents by attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner also requested a tax refund retroactive to June 2004, the month in which the first civilian was killed by a Kassam rocket attack on Sderot.

“From this date the State of Israel was on notice that the Kassam rockets began to seriously endanger the lives of the Sderot residents, and nevertheless refused to provide the appropriate military response to the terrorists,” the brief stated.

Referring to the largely unwritten social contract that exists between a nation and its government, Darshan-Leitner spelled out the State’s obligation to protect its citizens in return for the taxes they pay.

“The plaintiffs claim that the Government’s policy of restraint against the ongoing Palestinian rocket attacks has endangered their families’ lives and encouraged the terrorist organizations to escalate their attacks. They are demanding that until Sderot is given the same level of military protection provided by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to all other cities in the Jewish State, that they not be obligated to pay taxes to the Israeli government,” said the statement issued by the Israel Law Center.

Darshan-Leitner said bluntly, “If the IDF won’t fight, Sderot residents aren’t going to pay.”

Meanwhile, the head of the Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Council is making other plans. Alon Shuster said Monday that military officials are expecting a massive escalation in Kassam rocket attacks on the Negev.

Communities in the area have begun to make plans to leave, based on the reports that have reached the leadership. Shuster said the Council is making preparations for a mass evacuation of the region’s residents.

“We have no choice but to protect our lives without waiting for government instructions,” he said.

The government is making plans of its own, according to the Health Ministry. Salaries for three workers will be paid, enabling the Hosen Trauma Center in Sderot to keep its doors open, at least temporarily.

The ministry said the workers will be paid until a new center is opened as part of a government aid package for the besieged city.

The new center is expected to open this month and will be used as a model for similar centers in other communities near the Gaza border.

The Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon, which is responsible for the center, welcomed the move but said it has yet to receive the necessary funds from the ministry.

500 by Moshe Belogorodsky

This was written by Moshe Belogorodsky of Shiloh. He has raised a wonderful daughter who definitely makes him very proud. Too bad our country doesn't appreciate such high quality.


500 SHEKEL FINE

Israel's criminal "justice" System continues its persecution of Teenage Girls

copyright (c) 2006 by Mr. Moshe Belogorodsky
mailto:ydf@013.net.il
www.honenu.org.il
www.honenu.org.il/english1.htm


YERUSHALIYIM, Israelite Tribal Territories of Judah and Benjamin, Kingdom of David and Solomon, United Israelite Kingdom of Judah and Joseph, Eleventh Day, Tenth Month ("Tevet"), 5767; Yom Sheini (Second Day of the Week/"Mon"-day, January 1, 2007), Root & Branch Information Services mailto:rb@rb.org.il
www.rb.org.il


The travesty of justice in my daughter Chaya's case has finally come to an end.

On Sunday, December 3, 2006, the "trial" came to an end. Being pretty certain that the judge would convict Chaya on at least one of four counts in the indictment, I prepared some remarks regarding our case, which I was going to deliver in "court" during the closing arguments. At that point, parents are given the opportunity to plead for reduction of the punishment which the child faces.

What follows is the translation of these remarks from Hebrew:

I hoped for justice, but instead behold iniquity; for righteousness, but instead behold oppression" (Isaiah 5:7).

Thus does Isaiah the Prophet describes the judicial system of his time. Indeed, there is nothing new under the sun.

Clearly, Chaya was not the one standing trial in our case. It was rather the State of Israel in general, and its judicial system in particular, which had to prove themselves innocent. The test was simple and clear: Will the judicial system remain true to those very values which it itself proclaimed as sacred, or will it willingly become a tool and an aide to political persecution of the opponents of "disengagement" [August, 2005 Gush Katif Expulsion].

To my great dismay the system failed miserably in this test. It brutally trod upon all those enlightened values it itself sanctified: Civil rights of its citizens, the rights of children, freedom to protest, and most important -- equality before law. Our case is a classic example of outright judicial discrimination, based on the political needs of the Israeli "government".

The Israeli "justice" system made a complete mockery of its own judicial precedents. My 14-year-old daughter was arrested until the end of judicial proceedings against her. She spent 40 days in jail, under arrest for the very same "crimes" that the Israeli Left commits almost daily. They are never treated in the way my daughter was treated. Here is just one example of this outrageous discrimination:

On July 10th, 2006, Ms. Dana Olmert -- none other than the daughter of our Prime Minister -- together with a number of Left-wing activists -- organized a demonstration against the I.D.F. in front of the Chief of Staff Halutz's home. They carried signs saying "Halutz is a murderer -- Intifada will prevail!" and shouted out to the residents: "Beware -- a murderer lives next to you". Why did not any of the more than 30 policemen at the scene arrest Dana for insulting a public official and supporting terror?

What about the case of two Left-wing radicals -- Netta Golan and Shelly Nativ? In April, 2001, at the height of the Arab riots, Netta & Co. decided to protest against the uprooting of Arab trees near the village of Dir Istyah. Hundreds of Arab attacks against Jewish motorists were carried out from this orchard. That fact did not bother Netta and her friends, who chained themselves to the trees to prevent the I.D.F. from uprooting them.

Netta and Shelly were arrested for "preventing a police officer from carrying out his duties". They were prosecuted and convicted of this crime (which is more serious than Chaya's "insulting a police officer") by "Judge" Maimon-Shaashua in a Kfar Saba "court".

The "judge" sent them to be interviewed by a probation "officer" (just as Chaya was) to determine their punishment. The probation "officer" recommended being very lenient with Ms. Golan and Ms. Nativ, as "their actions were motivated by a positive humanitarian ideology".

"Judge" Maimon-Shaashua was so touched by this that she overturned her own previous decision to convict Golan and Nativ, and acquitted them because they were motivated by "positive humanitarian ideology". Maybe you can explain to me why protesting the uprooting of Arab trees is more positive and humanitarian than protesting the uprooting of Jews from the Land of Israel?!

You said in your "decision" to convict Chaya that "the criminal conviction causes a permanent stain on the accused, a stain that will follow him wherever he goes". Sometimes the opposite is true. Sometimes, a criminal conviction causes a permanent moral stain on the "judicial" system itself.

This was the case with the "judicial" system in Soviet Russia when it used criminal law to persecute refuseniks. What of such famous "criminals" as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King? They too were convicted when they protested against unjust laws. It took decades for the American "justice" system to recognize its own injustice towards these people, and the moral stain that their criminal prosecution left on the system. Today, these "criminals" are considered national heroes and all of America celebrates Martin Luther King day.

The time is near when the current Israeli "justice" system, too, will be replaced by a truly just system -- one based on our Holy Torah. Until that day, you should know that it is you -- all the "judges" involved in this case -- who have put the last nail in the coffin of our trust in this current system. After going through this mockery of justice we have come to realize that those teenage girls who refused to recognize your moral right to judge them were indeed absolutely correct. We cannot hope to get justice in your courts.

Needless to say I was cut off early on and not allowed to say all of the above for the "court" protocol. The reason? In the words of the "judge": "This court is not a political rally". No, it's not. At least not for Right-wingers.

Chaya was acquitted, as I expected from the very beginning, of two of the more serious charges in her indictment -- rioting and interfering with police work. None of the prosecutions' witnesses -- police officers present at the scene -- made any claims in their testimony that Chaya rioted. It will be interesting to find out how and why the State Persecutor's (prosecutor's) office decided to indict Chaya for this crime, without having any facts at all on which to base this accusation.

As for interfering with police work, the only one who made this accusation was the policewoman who claimed that Chaya "insulted" her. During her testimony, however, this policewoman could not explain or demonstrate in any way exactly how Chaya interfered with her police work. The "judge", therefore, had no choice but to acquit Chaya of that charge.

I was fairly certain that the "judge" would convict Chaya on the charge of "insulting" the policewoman. It was the officer's word against Chaya's, and even though the officer was forced to admit a number of times that she did not remember many details of the event, the "judge" accepted her version of the events over Chaya's.

If everything was so clear to us from the start, why did we go through with this farce of a "trial"? The truth is, I had a very faint glimmer of hope that the "judge" would have enough courage to throw this case out of "court". Our case was so clearly political and discriminatory that any "judge" with an ounce of guts should have thrown it out of "court". The guts, unfortunately, were nowhere to be found.

So Chaya was convicted. The punishment? 500 shekels fine. Even though Chaya had already spent 40 days in jail before her trial began. Even though, according to their own "rules", she should not have spent even 40 seconds there.

Why the fine? It is clear to me that the "judge" wanted to add insult to injury. Throughout the duration of our "trial" none of the "judges" involved made even the smallest effort to pretend that they were interested in justice. To the contrary. Their message was crystal clear: We are at war with you, we want to break you and your child, and none of the rules we created for the "justice" system apply to you. What I saw was a vicious, brutal determination to break us, to show us our place -- at the back of the proverbial bus.

Many of you will find the above rather disturbing. Please consider that I arrived at these conclusions based on my experience with no less than 6 "judges", a year-and-a-half spent in "courts", and statements made regarding our case by numerous lawyers and law professors (including those from the Left).

What can we do to protect ourselves? We must organize and unite behind our own civil rights organization -- Honenu. Strong Honenu is the only way to stand up and fight these types of abuses. Honenu was there for us every step of the way.

Just as Honenu has been "there" for hundreds of other Jews, young and old, who are persecuted by the injustice system for being Right.

May we live to see the restoration of our judges "as in former times"

Shalom from Shilo,

Mr. Moshe Belogorodsky
mailto:ydf@013.net.il
www.honenu.org.il
www.honenu.org.il/english1.htm

The dead ringer!

I wasn't going to mention the execution of Saddam Hussein, but since so many people "celebrate" the Christian New Year, using the term "ring in the new year," it seemed just too irresistible, so I've dubbed him:

The dead ringer!

I hate to be a "kill joy," but I don't think his execution is of any great significance. The factors which brought him to power still exist in Iraq and other countries in the middle east. Saddam Hussein was in hiding before his capture and hadn't been running Iraq. He was just "running," figuratively at least.

It was a major mistake to have him buried in a his family plot, easily accessible for worshippers. Saddam Hussein's grave will become a shrine, for sure.

The execution of Saddam Hussein sent many Palestinians into deep mourning Saturday as they struggled to come to terms with the demise of perhaps their most steadfast ally.

Saddam Hussein's execution will certainly increase the anti-war calls in the United States, since for many, they entered to "get" him, and now he's dead. Most Americans do not like using their own sons to police the world. The only thing limiting their influence is that the sons in Iraq aren't those of the ruling elite. But at some point, and don't forget that 2007 is the main electioneering time for the 2008 presidential elections, and as the hopefuls jostle for votes, they'll quickly realize that the voters want their boys and girls back home already.

I don't celebrate this date as a new year; it's just a time to get used to writing different numbers on checks and various documents. As a Jew, I have Rosh Hashannah, when we reflect on our deeds and pray to G-d to accept our prayers of repentance. It would be a good idea if instead of partying and getting drunk, the world would adopt the Jewish concept of ringing in the new year. It would be better to hear the shofar, than the headaches of a hangover.

picture credit