More Democracy In Action

Shiloh is a small town. Last night we had our local elections. I've been on the election committee for well over twenty years. Or more accurately said, I've been appointed to each election committee with the exception of once for well over twenty years


We're not a "permanent" committee. An Election Committee must be appointed by a "Town Meeting" before each local election, and then it has a "life span" of twenty-one (21) days, which can be extended by the Rasham Agudot, a government official in charge of "rural communities" like Shiloh

I've sat with various neighbors on the committee over the years. For some once was enough, and others worked with me a number of times and then for their own reasons declined to continue. I truly enjoy being on the Election Committee. Without a doubt it is my favorite way of contributing to community life in Shiloh.

Nowadays there is almost no other event, except the Yom Ha'atzmaut, Independence Day festivities where I can see so many neighbors. At least at elections, the volume is low, no noise and music blasting away damaging my precarious hearing.

Local elections are my great opportunity to meet and get to know the newer and younger Shiloh residents, not the kids, the adults who are my children's ages and younger. I'm not only referring to the voters; I'm referring to members of the committee. I have few opportunities to meet and work with these neighbors. This year in particular, there were enough committee members, including "repeats" for me to train and observe. Besides the "clerical" preparation, I didn't have to do "everything."



I'm glad to say that we managed to run a very complicated multiple-elections relatively quickly and efficiently. And now, just like after national elections, we don't know how well the winners will do their jobs. I guess we'll have to add them to our prayers. May G-d gift wisdom to our elected officials.

And here's the "lighter" side of the elections.

We're Still Here!

Israel is a thriving country, so why have various map-makers wiped us off? Beware before buying globes and maps. Check carefully and boycott those which don't include Israel.

Rahel was surprised to discover "Palestine" on a globe in place of Israel at the International Book Fair.

Newsweek, never Israel's fan has also eliminated us from their map.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry should be working hard to protest these "slights." It seems like Rebranding's "Bimbos on the Beach" have drowned.

Missionary U. in the heart of Jerusalem

Posted by Ellen W. Horowitz

I warned you all about this one a year ago

On March 24, Southeastern University will hold its grand opening ceremony for the Jerusalem Studies Center - a satellite campus for Ministerial students.

The self-described "Christ-centered University" was founded in 1935 as a Bible Institute to train pastors and missionaries.

The deal for the 13,500 foot five-story building in the heart of Jerusalem, was most likely orchestrated by messianic attorney Calev Myers, who was the featured commencement speaker at Southeastern U. last year, His remarks reportedly focused "on the need...for further action to spread knowledge of Jesus. Southeastern graduates can help Israeli believers in Jesus by educating their congregations, praying for Israel and aligning themselves with Messianic Jewish congregations…He urged Jewish believers from around the world to relocate to Israel, as his family did when he was 18. ‘We believe the day is coming, friends, when Jesus once again will reveal himself to Israel, to the Jewish people,’ he said.”

Will keep you posted on developments.

A Lack of FACTS You Can Gag On

Posted by Ellen W. Horowitz

“Uvda” means "facts" in Hebrew, and it's the name of a highly popular television program hosted by investigative reporter extraordinaire Ilana Dayan. It was anticipated that Monday evening’s program would shed some light on an explosion which occurred last Purim in the Israeli town of Ariel, seriously wounding a messianic pastor’s son.

But Uvda failed to live up to its brand name, as it was sorely lacking in anything of substance concerning the unresolved case.

Dayan started out the show by claiming that the incident, which severely injured a messianic pastor’s son, was most likely carried out by Jewish terrorists. But for slightly less than 30 minutes we were treated to high school basketball footage, hospital footage, footage of surveillance cameras (the actual cameras, not what they surveyed), some personal interviews, some speculation, and a few hallelujahs - all accompanied by ominous background music.

Rather than a serious piece of investigative journalism, in the end we were left with yet another public relations piece for the evangelical/messianic community – whose members are portrayed as a benign, spiritual and persecuted people. And, of course, the villains are painted in ultra-Orthodox black - although it should be noted that while representatives from the counter-missionary organization Yad l’achim were featured throughout the program, the organization was cleared of any involvement in the Ariel incident.

Dayan’s handling of the case was mild when compared with other reports, yet she still managed to implicate Orthodox Jews without a shred of evidence (there has been a police gag order in place on this case since day one).

The overall shoddy treatment of the entire Ami Ortiz case by the media, legal experts, and evangelists with an agenda, teeters terribly close to the border of blood libel territory.

In the coming days, I’ll be reviewing the few facts we do know, and what Ilana Dayan chose to ignore.

While you’re waiting for me, you can start with the initial report which was issued immediately after the blast from the Bethlehem office of the Palestinian Ma’an news network.

They reported on an “ambiguous explosion” and that “Israeli police said the cause of the explosion is unclear and could have been caused by a firecracker during the Purim celebrations”. But there was something more in that inital 5:27pm report:

Fatah's Al-Aqsa Brigades claimed responsibility for sending a parcel bomb to an Israeli settler in Ariel near Nablus.They said in a statement, "Fighters of the Al-Aqsa Brigades – Struggle and Return Battalion - detonated a new kind of explosive device through a parcel mailed to the Ariel settlement near Nablus."The statement added that the explosion came in retaliation for the assassination of Hizbullah's military leader Imad Mughniyya and the ongoing Israeli atrocities against the Palestinian people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

to be continued...

There Was A Reason I Got Up Yesterday

Yesterday started early. I had to get up at 4am before going to Jerusalem for a class. It's not that I left all that early in the morning. I caught the 6:30 bus, but I need time home before I can travel.

Traffic wasn't bad. OK, there were sections it crawled, but we didn't just sit and wait. I ate my breakfast in the bus, just caught the Jerusalem bus I wanted. I got to where I needed to go early. Yes, a good way to start the day.

It was nice seeing my friends. We sat around the auditorium talking, waiting for the lecturer. And we waited.

"She's usually late."

Because of that, we weren't terribly concerned.

"It's more than a half hour late. That's a lot, even for her."
"Yesterday, she came 35 minutes late."

I crocheted and caught up with friends.

Suddenly, "I just came down from the office. She can't be reached. Let's hope she's OK."

Then one of the office workers came in:

"I don't know what's going on. I suggest that you just go home. Go on with your day. I'm sorry."

I sat there in shock. For that I woke up at 4am and traveled to Jerusalem? What should I do? I called a couple of friends who live in Jerusalem, but they couldn't see me. To one of them I said:

"Why did I get up today? Why did I travel all the way here?"

So I took a bus to downtown Jerusalem and did some errands. Then I walked to the Central Bus Station. I had time before the bus, so I did my monthly sign in for Unemployment Insurance. Then I went to wait for my bus and eat my yogurt. After eating I realized that I still had a lot of time, so I decided to check prices of something I'm going to have to buy soon.

As soon as I began to walk, I saw a friend. I asked her how she is:

"The bank machine just ate my card. I have no cash and have to travel to work. I don't know what to do. Maybe you have NS50- to lend me?"

"Actually, I have exactly that much money. Here it is. I had a crazy wasted day and was sure that I had gotten up and gone to Jerusalem for nothing. Now I know why I'm here. It was all to give you that NS50."

True story!

Refuah Shleimah, Keep Praying for Moshe Rafael ben Aliza A'isha

Here's the latest report about Moshe Rafael ben Aliza A'isha, who was very seriously wounded when an Arab terrorist shot at him and his wife less than two months ago. The letter was sent to me by his mother-in-law. He was shot in the head, and although his recovery is miraculous, he is now visually handicapped.

Dear Relatives and Friends,

I decided to wait until tonight to send out my report as I could then do so after seeing at first hand how Moshe is. This morning I, six of my daughters and two little grandchildren went on a trip to Shevut Rachel, where Moshe and Sarah live.

It has been some time since I have sent out an update on Moshe's condition. This is mainly because there hasn't really been anything new to report. Life has been a long round of checkups and therapy (both physical and emotional). He has had the support packing removed from under his left eye - an extremely painful process, thankfully over. Sarah and Moshe are following up on a lot of advice that they have been given but, as I told you all in my previous mail, the conventional doctors say that at the moment there is nothing that can be done to improve Moshe's vision. I know that many of you have given advice on both conventional doctors and alternative therapy. For this, Sarah and Moshe are most grateful and they are exploring all avenues, but it all takes time.

The doctors are also concerned that Moshe can't open his mouth as much as they think he should be able to. He has been given a sort of spatula to help him to do exercises for his jaw. Hopefully these will work. If not, he may need surgery for this.

Sarah went back to her work as an English teacher yesterday and the men in their village take it in turns to stay with Moshe whilst she is at work. The men also take turns in learning Talmud with Moshe. For those of you who may not know this, learning Talmud is an extremely important part of the life of an orthodox Jewish man and although Moshe now cannot read the books, his friends help him with the learning.

Moshe is taken into his office (he is a partner in a building company) for a few hours most days. He finds that what he can do there is extremely limited. Yet, in spite of all the above, we found them in good spirits. They are learning to adjust to this new reality.

Please keep on praying for Moshe's recovery and that the scientists will come up with new technology that can help Moshe.

All the best and thanks for your continued concern,

Ruth

"There Must Be Another Way"

No doubt it's part of the rebranding, that Israel is sending extreme Left singer, Achinoam NOA Nini and Arab-Israeli Mira Awad as a duo to Eurovision. Apparently, they're good friends, off-stage, too. I wonder if Nini could find room in her heart for a YESHA Jew... just curious.

Both women are extremely talented. I wouldn't deny that. Awad doesn't look Arab, but If I'm not mistaken, I caught on one of the TV promos that her mother is Bulgarian.

Israel's latest way of choosing its entry to Eurovision is for a "committee" to choose the performer/s and then the performer/s present/s a choice of songs on TV for live voting. This year everything about the choice was political to paint us as lovey-dovey Left, and that includes the songs themselves. Nini and Awad, apparently, were involved in the writing.

The last time Israel won Eurovision was when the formerly male Dana International represented us. Let me suffice to say that when I taught my male Israeli students high school EFL students the linguistic meaning of "it," they understood perfectly when I used that performer as an example.

There are lots of youtubes of Achinoam Nini and Mira Awad singing; I took this one from Israellycool.

Why Are People So Surprised?

When I wrote/composed the title I was thinking of Bibi Netanyahu's quest to form a Center, not Right wing coalition, but when I clicked the Jerusalem Post I saw a picture of a livingroom in Ashkelon destroyed by Arab-terrorist launched rockets. We shouldn't be surprised by that either. The recent war/operation/campaign was just "show." It didn't finish the job.

It was like a cancer operation which only took out some of the tumor and then didn't treat the patient with the most aggressive chemotherapy, radiation etc. Aspirin and antibiotics don't work against cancer and food and medical aid don't work against terrorists.

Back to Bibi... Last August at the International Jewish Blogger Convention I saw, heard and photographed him predicting, promising, to do what he is doing now, make every effort to form a Centrist coalition and woo back former Likudniks from Kadima. During the campaign there were many hints that he'd give Ehud Barak, former Reign of Terror, Prime Minister, the Defense portfolio.

Honestly, I'd feel safer with Bibi in the opposition. That's when he'd act more "Right."

Where Was I Twenty-Eight Years Ago?

I've been reading the Targum book, Once in 28 Years, about The Blessing of the Sun, Birkat Hachamah.

It's an amazing mitzvah. Last night I caught something on television about it. The interviewer was asking how these complicated calculations could have been done over the millennium.

In the past I've written about the Jewish Calendar, how it alone of all the ancient and modern calendars, takes into account/calculation both the lunar and solar years. Birkat Hachama brings us into an additional dimension.

About my question in this post's title, where was I twenty-eight years ago? I was in Bayit Vegan, Jerusalem, pregnant with my fourth child and first son. I don't remember hearing anything about the mitzvah. Maybe I was just in a less Torani environment and of course, in those days, there weren't internet, email and home computers. As a busy working mother of young children, I didn't have the luxury of shiurim, Torah classes.

Now, before I'm going to write more about the mitzvah, I'll check out the book in more detail. It's a small book, easy to carry and enjoyable and informative to read.

And since G-d sends us all sorts of surprises and gifts, I shouldn't be all that amazed to discovered that the next Birkat Hachama will be on my grandmother's fifty-seventh Yartzeit, April 8, 2009, the 14th of Nissan, 5769. So my learning of this mitzvah should be in her memory, Chaya Raisia, whose parents' names are unknown to me and my mother. She was Ida Vishnefsky Finkelstein Shankman.

A Little Local Government

I've been getting ready to reprise my role as Chair of the Election Committee. I've been involved in running elections here in Shiloh for over twenty years.

Shiloh is a "community-town," a yishuv. There's a legal interdependence between us. Not "just anybody" can become a member; though in recent years, because there are now private homes to rent, sometimes people move to Shiloh without going through official procedures.

Official procedures means meeting the "absorption committee" and being vetted for economic "reliability," suitable for our general level of religious observance etc. In the days when we came and later when I was on the committee, interested people had to go through a graphology test and a meeting with the rural department of the Jewish Agency. It's easier now, and a community of three hundred isn't the same as the thirty who checked us out. The summer we arrived, 1981, Shiloh more than doubled to over sixty families!

Why am I getting into all this? We're having local elections this week. There are seven people running for the two places out if the five of our "town council" being voted for this year. It has been years since so many people have taken the challenge to run for office. I'm very happy about it, though it is a lot of work.

More after elections.

David Forman Finally Admits The Truth

David Forman:

Counterpoint: Let's declare ourselves a separate religion

It was one thing many, many decades ago, when Reform and Conservative Judaisms began, and they only rationalized/made excuses for not keeping the Laws of Judaism. If they had just remainded at that stage, they would have remained just Jews who aren't observing all the Mitzvot. That's something that had always been and will always be.

Later, in their institutionalizing-making into official institution their version of Judaism, they began converting non-Jews and defining Judaism, and that's when things began to get very complicated. I'm sorry to say that their Judaism is no more connected to Judaism than Christianity is. It denies too many basic tenets. When they convert someone they owe it to the serious convert to explain that the ceremony only makes them a Reform Jew, not a generic Jew. Otherwise it's misleading advertising. When they tell a Jewish man that his children from a non-Jewish woman are Jewish, they should make it clear that only Reform Jews will accept them and their decedents as Jews.

Forman says:

IN LIGHT of all the above, if, together, the Reform and Conservative movements were to declare themselves a separate religion from Orthodoxy, which in fact they are - perhaps not in some of their ritual and liturgical traditions, but most certainly in their ethical moorings regarding their respectful tolerance and concern for the "other" - the state would have no choice but to grant them the rights and privileges enjoyed by other religions in the country, which would necessarily include control over life-cycle events for their own constituency.
Such a dramatic move would most likely marginalize Orthodoxy. Free of the shackles of Orthodox domination, Reform and Conservative conversion classes would soar...

I disagree with his predictions. Once potential converts realize that they're buying rhinestones rather than diamonds, they'll lose interest in the cheap glass and plastic. Those seriously interested in Judaism and/or being part of the the Jewish People will go for the genuine article.

I'm very glad that Forman admits that Reform Judaism is a separate religion. Finally the truth.