8 Days

When I told the lads at the office that my wife & I were expecting our 2nd child, one statement by Zak (of Parasha Thoughts fame) stuck with me. He mentioned how unlike the time period before their first child was born, they didn't really have a chance to focus on, or prepare themselves for, the arrival of their second child. Before they knew it, nine months had come n' gone and they had another healthy, crying baby to deal with.

It stuck with me ...I realized I was in the same exact predicament. So I tried to talk about it more with the wife & son, and just think about it more than I was doing beforehand. "You're going to be a father to two children b'h," I would say to myself and then let the mixed emotions - the happiness, the worries, the excitement, the nerves etc - take over.

I honestly thought I was doing a good job ... and then I looked at my calender yesterday. 30th of March? That means the due date is 8 days away. 8 days alek. Where have the last 8.5 months gone? Damnit, I really need to remember how to breathe properly. Breathe. Breathe. I kid, I kid.

Yalla, bring it on ... A healthy wife & baby be'ezrat Hashem.
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Dig Deep

Parashat Shemini contains the exact halfway mark of all the words in the Torah. It occurs in 10:15:

ואת שעיר החטאת דרש דרש משה והנה שרף ויקצף על אלעזר ועל איתמר בני אהרון הנותרם לאמור

The two words דרש דרש are the halfway mark, and they translate to 'inquired insistently.' Rabbi Moshe Chaim Ephraim comments in Degel Machane Ephraim that this teaches us that the entire Torah revolves around constant inquiry; one must never stop studying and seeking an ever deeper and broader understanding of the Torah.

(Ideas taken from The Stone Edition Chumash)
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Yonah z'l

When I first started attending the Kurdi shul near my home, an old man (Yonah), who seemed to be suffering from Parkison's, always caught my eye. I never spoke to the man, just shook his hand a few times. What caught my eye was what I thought was his intense dedication when praying or saying kaddish. It was important to him, and it showed.

During the past few 18-24 months, he no longer came to shul. I found out from a friend that he was in hospital as his health was detereorating rapidly with advanced Parkinson's & Alzheimer's. He had been in a coma the last few months.

Purim, in Jerusalem, was this past Sunday night. My wife told me that Yonah's wife was getting ready for the megillah reading when her daughter and daughter-in-law came in and said they have to go to the hospital, her husband was about to pass away. Yonah's wife looked at them and said, "If I go, I won't hear the megillah. I need to hear the megillah." Her daughter and daughter-in-law left, and the second the megillah reading was finished, she left too.

Yonah z'l passed away that night. When my wife told me the story, I didn't know what to say - I understand both the 'sides' of this story. I didn't really respond to the story ... but I couldn't help but just be in awe.
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Burnt Strength

The horrific murder of 5 members of the Fogel family in Itamar on March 11th really upset me. The parents (Udi & Ruth) and 3 (Yoav, 11, Elad 4 and Hadas, 3 months) of their 5 children were butchered while they slept by a knife wielding terrorist (or terrorists, no one really knows yet). What kind of hatred must it take to knife anyone, even your enemy's children? What astounded me more was the response to the murder by the family that was left behind.

Tamar Fogel, the 12 year old who walked into her home to find her butchered family, has been a ray of light to Israel. She commented on the tragic situation, "I will be strong and succeed in overcoming this. I understand the task that stands before me, and I will be a mother to my siblings." Days later, in an interview on Channel 2, Tamar showed the same maturity and resolve, "They want to break us, they won't succeed".

Another family member who made extremely powerful comments was Tamar's grandfather, the late Ruth Fogel's father. Rabbi Yehuda Ben Yishai was questioned by Estie Perez on the Voice of Israel radion station, "Where do you have the strength and restraint that you can talk now and strengthen us, without anger and without calling for vengeance – that is not in your voice? Where is the strength from?" R' Ben Yishai's response was incredible, "I have worked in education many years, and as an educator, I try to strengthen and teach people faith. I understand that I cannot be satisfied with words and that I also must implement the same principles on which I have educated others. This is a test of my faith." While R' Ben Yishai's quote is one of strength and determination, I can't help but think he's burnt inside. No parent should have to bury his children, or grandparent his grandchildren - it's just not natural. How can it not destroy one internally?

This past Shabbat, my mother-in-law mentioned how the twins went to the shiva house of R' Ben Yishai. She made some comment about the Rabbi, and I asked, "Is he the Rabbi of the French shul down the road?" She nodded, and I sat back in shock. I prayed at this man's Bet Knesset for over a year, and often discussed various subjects with him. I talk to him whenever I run into him in the street or in other synagogues in the area. I just wonder if I'll ever be able to look at him the same way ... Will he ever be the same man again?
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Hamas Sets the Record Straight

My latest article in Kaminando y Avlando, the Sephardi Hebrew Congregation of Cape Town's monthly publication:

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Spreading Lies About Israel: For Once, Hamas Sets the Record Straight

The damage Judge Richard Goldstone caused with his biased UN report about the Gaza War was predicable. Despite the many issues with the report raised by many prominent voices, not to mention Goldstone himself (“If this was a court of law, there would have been nothing proven”), far too many people and countries accepted the report as factually accurate. In the past two months however, one organization has come forward, revealing Goldstone’s dishonesty on two major points in his report: The opening strike of the Gaza War in December 2008, and the total civilian death count. Who’s the honest organization defending Israel’s take on the war? Believe it or not, it’s the terrorist organization, Hamas.

Hamas was caught off guard by Israel’s surprise air strike on December 27, 2008, which was the beginning of a war aimed at stopping the relentless rocket fire aimed at the towns and kibbutzim of Southern Israel. This attack, which killed 250 to 300 Hamas operatives, per the Israeli version, was covered in Goldstone’s report as follows:

417. Except for the statements of the police spokesperson, the Israel Government has presented no other basis on which a presumption can be made against the overall civilian nature of the police in Gaza. It is true that the police and the security forces created by Hamas in Gaza may have their origins in the Executive Force. However, while the Mission would not rule out the possibility that there might be individuals in the police force who retain their links to the armed groups, it believes that the assertion on the part of the Government of Israel that “an overwhelming majority of the police forces were also members of the Hamas military wing or activists of Hamas or other terrorist organizations” appears to be an overstatement that has led to prejudicial presumptions against the nature of the police force that may not be justified.

Goldstone’s lie (bolded) has finally been exposed by an anti-Israeli source: Hamas's Interior Minister Fathi Hamad, who admitted that during the first day of Operation Cast Lead, 250 Hamas fighters were killed. Hamad, who confirmed the figures in an interview with the London-based Arabic language daily Al-Hayat, said that the so-called "police officers" who were killed during the first day of the operation were actually 250 Hamas fighters, and that 150 additional "security personnel" were also killed. Goldstone’s twisted lies about this strike highlight a worrying trend within the report. It’s unfortunate that Goldstone’s lie was only revealed to most as a result of Hamad’s surprising honesty, and not through the IDF’s explanation of the strike.

Hamad continued to surprise by admitting that the civilian death count thrown around by many NGOs was grossly exaggerated. With the Gaza War’s conclusion, both Israeli and Palestinian NGOs began spreading the lie that the civilian death count in the war was 75%+ (for example, B’Tselem, an Israeli NGO, alleged that 75% of those killed were civilians, while PCHR, a Palestinian NGO, claimed 70-85% of the dead were civilians). Despite being confronted with a repeat of the ‘Jenin’ lie, the IDF acted slowly as they didn’t have all the information necessary to disprove the allegations. The damage was done: The anger on the streets, be it in Israel or outside of Israel, increased dramatically. Ambassadors were recalled. Countries berated Israel, and their courts threatened to charge Israeli leaders with war crimes. Israelis started to get concerned that their army had purposefully attacked civilians. However, one can only hope this damaged can begin to be repaired by Hamad’s interview with Al-Hayat. In this interview, Hamad acknowledged that 600 to 700 Hamas members were killed in the Gaza fighting – more than double the number of combatants published by the NGOs’ and Richard Goldstone’s unreliable version of events. 60%+ of the dead in the Gaza War were Hamas terrorists.

Israel, despite fighting in one of the most densely populated areas in the world, had managed to target terrorists with a reasonable level of success. Tragically, there were many civilians who lost their lives during the three weeks, but there were no “disproportionate” or “indiscriminate” Israeli attacks against the civilians of Gaza, as Goldstone alleged in his report.

Goldstone says that, since the report was published a few years ago, no one has actually challenged the ‘facts’ presented therein. Although this is yet another of Goldstone’s fabrications, perhaps the unlikely testimony from Hamad will be the final nail in the report’s coffin. Despite the unexpected ‘help’ from Hamas, the report has already caused tremendous damage to Israel internally and on the international stage. It is essential that Israel learn and internalize (yet again) the lesson that it will always be attacked - from within and without - with falsehoods. We do make our mistakes, and when we do, we need to acknowledge and learn from them. However, let's be entirely sure that the truth hasn't been deliberately ignored and swept under the rug in order to launch more disgraceful and hateful attacks on the Jewish State.

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In the News

The Jewish Chronicle's latest article on the JC Olim League:

With the JC Olim season in Israel coming to a low key end in the league, the teams attention turns to the cup.

This week paired Jaffa against Jerusalem in a repeat of last weeks league game in Jerusalem,

After last week’s goal-fest between these two sides in the league, Jerusalem and Jaffa FC met at the quarter final stage. The game started brightly with both teams pushing forward looking for opportunities.

Jaffa’s first break of the game ended with a dubious penalty awarded that caught even the Jaffa players off guard. After furious Jerusalem protests abated, Nir Ha'Cohen gave the keeper little chance with a powerful strike.

With the momentum on their side, Jaffa pushed forward looking for another goal and were duly rewarded within a few minutes when Rani Madmon buried a tight angled shot over Jerusalem's keeper.

2-0 down, Jerusalem dug deep and starting creating chances to score. Their breakthrough came from a corner, when a headed clearance landed at David Moccata's feet. His long-range shot found its way into the top left corner.

Both teams continued to look for goals but the score remained 2-1 until the half time.

Jerusalem poured attackers forward in search of an equaliser at the beginning of the second half. A shot by David Zackon was calmly dealt with by Avram Piha, before Jaffa managed to increase their lead. A beautifully weighted free kick by Simon Berkley was nodded back across goal by Daniel Berkeley, leaving Madmon with a simple header.

Berkeley's presence on the pitch galvanised Jaffa, who had only last week seen their charsimatic Scottish talisman on crutches. Despite the goal, Jerusalem continued looking for a breakthrough and thought they had it on a corner, until Seth Freedman powerfully cleared the ball off the line.

Another excellent counter attack by Jerusalem put David Preston through, but his goal-bound shot was brilliantly parried around the post by Piha, preserving Jaffa's two-goal cushion.

Despite Jerusalem's non-stop onslaught, every danger was neutralised by Jaffa's new centre-back partnership of Nir Madmon and Rob Pearl. With Jerusalem committing more men forward, another clever pass by Berkeley found Ha'Cohen free, and Jaffa's right-winger ended the tie with a powerful low finish.

The 4-1 scoreline sees Jaffa progress to the semi finals, where they will be facing Modi'in AFC

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8, Yerida, Racism, Protests, and more

I guess it's telling ... I had this whole idea of what I'd write for my 8th aliya'versary blog yesterday, and I just plainly forgot to write it. Too busy at work, too busy at home and Liverpool were playing too. Oh well, so now it's 8 years and 1 day now ... It's odd to look back at the sparks that created this dream for me, or the determination and motivation in the months leading up to the move. I've thoroughly enjoyed this journey - the ups and the downs - and have no regrets. I'm looking forward to every day and every adventure life here with my precious family brings.

Other aliya'versary blogs: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

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Aaron and I were both members of WUJS's February 2003 group. Last week, he told me that he was making yerida with his family due to various issues. Israel isn't for everyone (at least not now), and it's a difficult challenge at times to make it work here. It's tough to lose good people like Aaron & his family, but one can only wish them luck and hope that they return (and if not the parents, then the children!). I hope their new adventure in the US only brings them happiness and fulfillment.

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In the last two months, the Tunisian & Egyptian governments have been overthrown by massive internal unrest. In Lebanon, Hezbollah succeeded in a silent coup to rid the country of the democratically elected Said Hariri, the man who's father they murdered. These events have lit a fire in the Arab world - riots, protests, fatalities and hundreds of injuries have followed in Syria, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, Libya, Algeria & Iran. What does this mean for them? I really don't know. I am not very optimistic considering what we've seen happen in Gaza & Lebanon, or what has happened in Iran since the overthrow of the Shah in '79. I hope moderate, respectful leaders somehow get into power and usher in a new era for their people. I really do ... I'd rather not think about what happens if they don't ...

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I watched a documentary about Yossi Gispan yesterday. The man is responsible for writing most of the Mizrachi hits that have propelled this genre to the forefront of the Israeli music scene. It was really interesting until the end where a music analyst and various artists decided to take shots at Yossi's genre (No points for guessing what they all had in common):

"This music is destroying the Hebrew language"

"I see a direct correlation between the success of the Mizrachi genre and that the most watched shows in Israel are reality TV shows that don't require thought or 'deep thinking'" (Ivri Leader)

"There's no Israeli culture, they've ruined it" (Mati Caspi)

"Israeli Music is at a low point that's it's never seen before. There's no way back from this vulgarity. We won't be able to return the rock, the pop, or 'Israeli country music' (שירי ארץ ישראל) to their old, good place. The Mizrachi singers also sing our repertoire, the white people." (Chava Alberstein)

Wait a second ... Elitism? Racism? Naaaah, not in Israel.

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Should have probably blogged about this last month ... The King came back.

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Talya & I are expecting #2 b'h in early April ... The roller coaster ride continues! :)
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הערכה-עצמית מול ענווה

(העשיר לא ירבה והדל לא ימעיט..." (כי תשא ל,טו"

בסדר האלף-בית באות לפני אותיות "לב" - אותיות א"ך (אות כ' לפני אות ל', ואות א' לפני אות ב'), ואחרי ה"לב" באות האותיות ג"ם (אחרי ל' - מ', ואחרי ב' - ג'). מלת "אך" משמעותה כלשון 'מיעוט', לעומתה מלת "גם" מבטאת לשון ריבוי. להורות כיצד להנהיג את ליבנו: פעמים ייתן את ליבו לצד ה'אך' שבו - כלומר ישפיל וימעיט עצמו, ופעמים עלין לשים לב לצד ה'גם' שלידו - יחזק את עצמו עד שירבה את ערכו בעיני עצמו

This is taken from פניני הבן איש חי
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Channel 10's Documentary on R' Ovadia

I thought yesterday's Channel 10 documentary on R' Ovadia was extremely interesting. Here are some of the issues/facts that stood out during the documentary:

* R' Ovadia's family made aliyah to the Mandate from Iraq. All his brothers were members of the Etzel.

* R' Ovadia's father had his son work in his grocery store every weekday for a few hours. The Rosh Yeshiva of Porat Yosef (where R' Ovadia was learning) came to the store and told his father he'd work those hours every day as his son was extremely gifted and should focus on learning Torah. His father refused.

* R' Ovadia's father changed his tune when the store was robbed a few times and he realized his son wasn't a good 'store keeper.'

* From a young age, R' Ovadia always wanted to be Gadol Ha'Dor.

* He was awared the Israel Prize for literature in 1970.

* After the Yom Kippur War, he presided over all the cases of the agunot when all other Rabbis asked had refused the important task. He spent hours every day with the Army reviewing every case and ensuring each woman was given a status of a widow (and hence, could re-marry if so she choosed). His family say he cried for hours every night during the process.

* His view on Halacha is far less machmir than most realize (Kocha D'hetera Ad)

* He has 11 children.

* The idea of Shas was put in front of him after his great disappointment at being removed (political stunt?) from being the Chief Rabbi of Israel. Shas would not have come to be however if R' Shach had advised R' Ovadia against forming the party. The two fell out when R' Ovadia supported going into Rabin's government in 1992, while R' Shach disapproved.

* Most of the controversial comments in the media come after his weekly shiur on motza"sh (Saturday evening). Shulamit Aloni, one of those insulted, and others condemn the remarks despite acknowledging he at times does it for show. Most of the interviewees that one would assume are 'anti' R' Ovadia all acknowledge the tremendous good he's done to the country but express disappointment & disgust at the negative comments he's made.

* Lastly, is R' Ovadia anti-Zionist? ... "What is anti-Zionist? It is a lie, it is a term which they have concocted themselves. I served for ten years as a Chief Rabbi - a key public position in the State of Israel. In what way are we not Zionists? We pray for Zion, for Jerusalem and its inhabitants, for Israel and the Rabbis and their students. What is Zionist? By our understanding, a Zionist is a person who loves Zion and practices the commandment of settling the land. Whenever I am overseas I encourage Aliyah. In what way are they more Zionist than us?"

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7 Mistakes

This past Shabbat morning, a 14 year old kid read the haftarah at the synagogue I went to. As he read, one person (a family member) continually corrected him loudly with an aggressive tone when he made mistakes (This all happened while the ba'al koreh was next to the boy). A few corrections later, the kid stopped for a few seconds before continuing. The way he was being corrected was rattling him. I've known this kid for a few years and he always comes off as a kid with a healthy self-esteem, but he looked shaken yesterday when he came down from the bima. Later on, I went up to him and told him he did a good job and to not worry about the corrections, "You read well, and you'll only get better." "Don't worry, I'm used to it," he responded with a dejected frown.

This really bothered me most of Shabbat. It reminded me of my Bar Mitzvah experience - I was confident, and I thought I had read my parasha perfectly. When I asked my late Nonnou how I had done, he said something along the lines of "You did very well, but you made 7 mistakes." Despite this, Nonnou left the corrections to the ba'al koreh next to me and allowed me to read without any interruptions. While I'm rather certain my errors were minor (most likely 'small' pronunciation - where Nonnou was very strict - errors), I never found out where I erred ... so who knows!

While some may say Nonnou's handling of the situation put me in a worse position than the boy at synagogue yesterday, I feel exactly the opposite. I came off the bimah that day confident, happy with my performance, and eager to do it again. The boy yesterday was dejected and didn't enjoy the privilege he was given that much. Which youngster was given the necessary 'confidence booster'?
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The future of Shas ... hopefully

My latest article in Kaminando y Avlando, the Sephardi Hebrew Congregation of Cape Town's monthly publication:

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In the national crisis that followed the discrimination against Sephardi students in an Emmanuel (‘the Bnei Brak of the Shomron’) school in June, two opinions came out of Shas, the Sephardi Haredi (Haredi = Ultra Orthodox) party. The majority stance was that of R’ Ovadia Yosef, who opposed the discrimination but criticized the intervention of the Supreme Court. The minority voice came from one MK (Member of Parliament), R’ Chaim Amsalem, who declared, “We need to get out of our inferiority complex and be proud of being Sephardim.” Since the Emmanuel crisis, R’ Amsalem has continued in his vocal attempts to rehabilitate Shas’s warped Sephardi worldview and pull the party, its Haredi followers and Ashkenazi brothers away from the Israeli-Ashkenazi Haredi ‘way of life.’

In order to understand why R’ Amsalem’s stance is so critical to Israel, one must better understand Shas and its influences. Shas was founded by R’ Ovadia in 1984 prior to the elections of that year. As the party was being formed, R’ Ovadia received much guidance from R’ Elazar Shach, the leader of Israel's non-Hasidic Haredi Ashkenazi Jews. This undoubtedly played its part in Shas supporting, and at times mimicking, the Israeli-Asheknazi Haredi worldview in relation to yeshiva study, army, conversions, core studies in schools and employment. This stance negates the Sephardi worldview of yesteryear, which is why R’ Amsalem can play such a critical role in Israel’s future. As the anger and disenchantment directed at the Haredi – both Sephardi and Ashkenazi - world grows, R’ Amsalem’s moderate outlook can bridge the gaps within our society.

Army

In the early 1950s, David Ben Gurion exempted 400 yeshiva students from the army, so they could devote their time to Torah study, with the hope they’d replace the many sages we lost during the Holocaust. In 1977, Menachem Begin removed the 400-student cap and since then, Haredi students entering the yeshiva world have been able to get exemptions from the army if they so choose. While Shas has no issues with the IDF, they do not promote it for their Haredi followers (many of Shas’s voters are traditional or secular Sephardim – a dominant majority of this constituency serves in the IDF).

Unlike far too many in Shas, R’ Amsalem believes it’s the duty of every Jew to serve in the army – unless the person in question is a Torah prodigy (a student who is extremely advanced and learned relative to his age). These prodigies, a small minority, must continue to study Torah and Gemara all day, but the others must serve and protect the country. This would eliminate one of the most contentious issues in our country – why is one sector of our society exempt from this service?

Yeshiva

Before the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, few Jews who lived in the Arab world had the ability to study all day, mainly due to the need to pay taxes and take care of their families. Only the Torah prodigies were given that privilege. Unfortunately, far too many Haredim have decided they too are deserving of this privilege. Sadly, this trend has led to higher levels of poverty and greater reliance on tzedaka (charity). R’ Amsalem highlights this problem by quoting Rambam, who wrote that one who studies Torah, doesn’t work and lives from charity has desecrated Hashem and humiliated the Torah. Rambam was opposed to this lifestyle, and even went further by saying that studying Torah without pursuing a parnassa (livelihood) leads to idleness, crime and eventually theft. The continuing Haredi support for full-time yeshiva students needs to change – if not because of Rambam’s warnings, then because it is sentencing its followers to a life of poverty.

Conversions

With all the recent headlines about conversions in Israel (Rotem Law), R’ Amsalem’s recent book about the halachot (Jewish law) dealing with conversion issues has unfortunately received much criticism. R’ Amsalem believes that we need to seek ways still within the guidelines of halacha to make it easier for potential converts to join Am Yisrael. R’ Amsalem also thinks it is essential to help IDF soldiers who want to convert, as “the virtue of those who fight to protect the Jewish people is great.” Unlike the Shas leadership, R’ Amsalem criticizes the Rabbinate’s fantasy that all converts must maintain a Haredi lifestyle after their conversion. He blames this fantasy on the Ashkenazi Lithuanian Haredi branch, which has control in the Rabbinate and doesn’t practice “pragmatism in halacha.”

Core Studies in School

Within the Israeli Haredi curriculum, core studies like English, mathematics and science are very often not taught. R’ Amsalem believes teaching these subjects is essential to allow Haredim to integrate into all walks of life. By refusing to do so, Haredi youngsters cannot enter the job market (bar avodot kodesh - like a shochet, a scribe, a Rabbi etc) and are left dependent on their leaders for allowances and donations (no wonder they vote for parties like Shas and UTJ come election time!). As R’ Amsalem says, “Studies in English and math, what’s bad about it? What is this idiocy? How does it take away from Torah?”

Employment

In 1980, 21% of Haredi men didn’t work. Today, the number has risen to a staggering 65%. Some of the reasons for this increase have already been discussed above. R’ Amsalem believes that the Haredi community must use Yaakov Avinu or Rambam as examples of Torah sages who integrated Torah study with work (another great example from the many Rabbis who worked and studied is Chafetz Chaim, who kept his modest shop open until he had earned enough for his daily needs; he then closed his shop, and studied the rest of the day). R’ Amsalem is stating the sad but obvious truth: Poverty levels will continue to rise within the Haredi world if this move towards mass voluntary unemployment doesn’t change, and that will only lead to more unnecessary confrontations with the Jews who shoulder the burden of this poverty within Israel and abroad.

R’ Chaim Amsalem has taken a brave step within the Haredi world. The backlash has been fierce - his Shas career is essentially over (especially since he referred to it as a ‘Lithuanian-Sephardic party’), and he’s been labeled a ‘Hebrew Amalekite.’ Despite the expected hostility from parts of the Haredi world, R’ Amsalem has received an outpouring of support from all over Israel. His words have hit a chord with a majority of Israelis. This popularity has not changed R’ Amsalem reasons for stating why it’s imperative he speak up now. He feels that by not working and not serving in the army, Haredim are avoiding their duty and increasing the anger and hatred felt towards them. “There is a large Sephardi public,” Amsalem laments, “that needs to be rescued, that needs to be pushed to a course of parnassa and work, it’s urgent.”

Why the urgency? R’ Amsalem strongly believes that if the Haredi, be it Sephardi or Ashkenazi, community does its bit in the army and workforce, the face of the country will change dramatically for the better, the sinat chinam (baseless hatred) will drop and thousands will be drawn to the Torah of Israel.

May this man succeed in his mission, Amen.

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Pro-Israel Blog-off Results

Despite a surprising advantage from the fans, the judges were unfortunately not that impressed with my entry (73 rating out of 100).

Oh well, 'twas a fun ride and good exposure for this lil blog!

Congrats to the deserving winner, Elder of Ziyon.
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The Pro-Israel Blog-off begins - Round 1

A few weeks ago, I entered my Zionist Football article in a pro-Israel blog competition.

The competition starts today at Israellycool and I'm up against some great blogs in the 1st round. I will be up against Elder of Ziyon and Liberty's Spirit.

Check out the entries, decide who's best, and vote here.

The winner (by fan voting & a panel of 4 judges) will win an iPad, which I wouldn't mind winning ... so if you like my entry, help me out! ;)
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Help Them See

Rabbi Noah Weinberg zt"l was speaking to a group about judging people to the good. He was asked how to deal with people who seem so negative and evil. He replied: "Imagine you were at a corner ready to cross at a light. All of the sudden from behind someone shoves you into the street. You fall and get up scratched and dirty; you turn, ready to give the person who shoved you some of the angriest words you know. When you turn around, ready to pounce, you see that the person behind you is wearing dark glasses and holding a white cane. How do you feel now? Instantly you calm down, and your anger dissipates. He couldn't help it. he was blind."

"That", Rabbi Weinberg said is how we deal with people who appear to us to be evil and mean. "The person is blind. S/he doesn't wake up in the morning and decide to hurt people that day. The person literally doesn't know what they are doing. They are blind". "The next time your parent, in-law, coworker etc. does something to make you crazy, picture them wearing dark glasses and holding a white cane. They are blind. They can't see that they are doing wrong. Help them, guide them, and show them gently the error of their ways. But don't expect them to change. A blind person can't see overnight. It takes time, and sometimes they will never see."

Take from Gossip : Ten Pathways to Eliminate It from Your Life and Transform Your Soul by Lori Palatnik & Bob Burg.
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Breathing

A man once complained bitterly to R' Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev that his business was failing. He was completely absorbed with this and could not think of anything else. His life had come to a standstill.

R' Levi Yitzchok said, 'You cannot think of anything else? Come, let us go to the mikveh." The man assumed that R' Levi Yitzchok intended to enhance his prayers for him by purifying himself in the mikveh. Once they were in the mikveh, R' Levi Yitzchok submerged the man's head underwater, and the man struggled to break free. R' Levi Yitzchok then said, "What was in your mind when I held your head under water?" "I wanted to breathe," the man said. "Were you thinking about your business?" "No," the man said, "I just wanted to be able to breathe."

"Then there is something more important to you than your business, isn't there? You should think of all the other things that are actually more important than your business and direct proper attention to them. Then you will act more constructively, and a more positive attitude will help you in your business as well."

Taken from 'The Enemy Within' by Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski.
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Zionist Football

My latest article in Kaminando y Avlando, the Sephardi Hebrew Congregation of Cape Town's monthly publication:

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Israel, like many other countries in the world, is football (soccer) mad. Football’s the national sport and the country takes tremendous interest in games and leagues both domestic and international. Every Saturday or Sunday afternoon, thousands of Israelis can be found at the country’s various stadia cheering on their teams.

Although the Israeli league is considered to be rather weak, there is normally a yearly representative in the Champions League or the Europa League (formerly known as the UEFA cup). In the last ten years, Israel has seen Maccabi Haifa defeat Manchester United, Hapoel Tel Aviv defeat AC Milan and Maccabi Tel Aviv defeat Ajax in these competitions. These results, and the participation in these prestigious tournaments, are a source of great pride for Israelis.

The same feelings are often replicated when one of our own plays in one of the big European leagues. From past greats like Haim Revivo (Celta Vigo), Avi Nimni (Atletico Madrid), Tal Banin (Brescia) and Eyal Berkovic (Manchester City & Celtic) to today’s heroes like Yossi Benayoun (Liverpool & Chelsea), Tal Ben Haim (Chelsea & West Ham), Ben Sahar (Chelsea & Espanyol) and Gai Assulin (Barcelona & Manchester City), Israelis love to see their own succeed and represent Israel abroad.

The aforementioned individual and club successes have unfortunately yet to translate into any national team success. Having not been at any major tournament since the 1970 World Cup, most fans funnily enough still believe that the national team will qualify for the next Euro or the World Cup. (Until we actually do, we’ll have to be grateful for seeing our flag waved around as it was by then Hapoel Tel Aviv defender, Ghana’s John Pantsil – picture below).

It seems that most of us fans have internalized David Ben Gurion’s famous quote, “In Israel, in order to be a realist you must believe in miracles!” With football being such a passion for most Israelis, many of the youth dream of being the next Yossi Benayoun or Tal Ben Haim. However, not every kid follows through with these ‘dreams,’ be it due to ability, injuries or … Zionism.

Last year, I joined FC Jaffa, a team in the newly created Anglo Olim League. The 7-team league required all teams to field Anglo Olim, while also allowing two Israeli born players per squad. One of the Israeli players on our team was a 25 year old by the name of Rani Madmon. On the first ride from Jerusalem to our home pitch in Ramat Aviv, Rani and I struck up a conversation about how we played the game while growing up. Rani grew up in the youth system of Beitar Yerushalyaim, one of Israel’s top teams. Ever present in their youth squads from a young age, Rani started talking about all the players he’d grown up with - household names for anyone like me who’s followed Beitar the past few years.

As we discussed the subject more, I asked him why he wasn’t out there at Teddy (Beitar’s Stadium) every second weekend. “I turned down the contract they offered me when I was 18,” he explained. You work your whole life to accomplish a lifelong dream, and when you’re on the cusp of achieving it, you turn it down? “I wanted to defend my family, my friends, my country,” He explained. “I couldn’t stand by as Jerusalem was exploding and do nothing, “ he continued, “Serving in the army was more important than football.”

I was shocked.

You see, even though I feel I am a passionate Zionist, I don’t really know if I could have made that decision if I were in his boots. Rani served 4 years in the army, becoming an officer in combat engineering. He still does miluim (reserve duty) every year and has little regrets about his decision.

Rani is but one story like this. Many of Israel’s talented 18-year-old footballers (not to mention musicians, scientists etc) put their careers on hold, sometimes permanently, in order to join the army and contribute to the defense of Israel. This, and a poor football infrastructure, has continually dented the development of football in our country. However, it’s precisely this dedication and love of Israel, which I think is still prevalent among Israel’s youth, that ensures Israel will overcome the internal and external obstacles in its path.
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Hamas's Honesty

Two months ago, Hamas admitted that the Israeli strike on the 1st day of the Gaza War eliminated 250 of their fighters - a fact even Richard Goldstone refused to acknowledge.

This month, another dose of Hamas honesty has shown the rife dishonesty within NGOs when reporting about Israel. Many NGOs reported the civilian death count at 75%+ of the 1,100+ Palestinian deaths. Naturally, by the time Israel released her numbers (Sadly, 39% of the dead were civilians, with the remaining 709 Palestinians being militants), the world had already slammed Israel for this 'Jenin' like massacre.

The truth?

In a November 2010 interview given by Hamas Interior Minister Fathi Hamad to the Al-Hayat newspaper, Hamas acknowledged that 600-700 Hamas members were killed in the Gaza fighting – more than double the number of combatants published by the NGOs’ and Richard Goldstone’s unreliable version of events.

In the already linked article, Anne Herzberg made some important points:

In particular, NGOs and Goldstone used their unsupported casualty claims as the sole basis for charges of “disproportionate” or “indiscriminate” Israeli attacks against Gaza civilians, even though under international law, the number of casualties is not a dispositive factor in determining whether war crimes were committed.

Each NGO conveyed its version of events. B’Tselem alleged that 75% of those killed were civilians. PCHR originally claimed 70% and later increased to 85%, and DCI-PS alleged that Israel killed 352 “children” (PCHR claimed 313).

The damage has already been done. It is essential however that we learn and internalize (yet again) the lesson that our country will always be attacked - from within and without - with falsehoods. We do make our mistakes, and when we do, we need to acknowledge and learn from them. However, before we do so, let's make sure the truth hasn't been swept under the rug in order to allow more disgraceful and hateful attacks on Israel.
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Anfield Remembers Avi Cohen z'l

Click here to watch the applause to honor the late Avi Cohen & Bill Jones.

One of the banners displayed:

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Avi Cohen z'l

After fighting for his life for 8 days, Avi Cohen z'l passed away this morning at the age of 54.

Cohen z'l was the 1st Israeli to play for Liverpool (and the top flight in England), who at the time were one of the best teams in Europe (if not the best).

Click here for Haaretz's write up.

Click here for King Kenny's (as well as others) tribute.

Click here for Avi Cohen, the Road Sign

Click here for Liverpool's plan to honor Avi Cohen against Wolves (29.12.2010 vs Wolves)

May his soul rest in peace, Baruch Dayan Ha'Emet
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Eli's Last Words

נדיה יקרתי, משפחתי היקרה, אני כותב אליכם מילים אחרונות אלה בתקווה שתישארו תמיד מאוחדים. אני מבקש מאשתי שתסלח לי, שתדאג לעצמה ושתעניק השכלה טובה לילדינו ... נדיה יקירתי, ראשית את להינשא שנית, למאן יהיה אב לילדינו, בנושא זה את חופשיה לגמרי. אני מבקשך לא להתאבל על העבר אלא לפנות אל העתיד. אני שולח לכם נשיקות ארונות. התפללו לעליית נשמתי.
שלכם, אלי

Syria likes to go on and on about how Israel isn't serious about peace, while they naturally are.

Syria should show how serious they are to Israel and the world by simply returning the bones of Eli Cohen z'l to Israel. Put all the pressure on Israel to re-start peace talks with Syria, while allowing his family to bury his remains under this tombstone:


Sadly, they'll never show anyone how desperate for peace talks they really are ...
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