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Sunday, December 30, 2007
Abandoned By The Jblogosphere?
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael
Murder in Hevron Hills
"Two IDF soldiers on leave were killed on Friday in an apparent drive-by shooting south of Hebron. Cpl. Ahikam Amihai (20) and Sgt. David Ruben (21), both residents of the neighboring settlement of Kiryat Arba, were hiking through the Telem Creek area with an unnamed female companion when a group of four Palestinians drove up towards them and opened fire.The third hiker in the group managed to take cover as the first gunshots were heard and called the Kiryat Arba security headquarters to alert them of the incident. "We've been hit, there are two critically wounded Israelis here," she reported. However the female hiker had difficulty giving rescue services the party's exact location and the searches took over an hour.Amihai and Ruben were seriously injured and died of their wounds shortly afterwards, they were pronounced dead at the scene by a military doctor. They will be brought to rest Saturday evening, after Shabbat.
Eli Rosenberg, a volunteer with the regional MDA rescue services told Ynet that the third hiker was crying hysterically when the search party reached the scene after a 1.5 mile walk from the central path.
"She said they had been walking near the creek and noticed a car driving back and forth near them several times. At some point the car left the path and began driving towards them, as its occupants pulled out their weapons," said Rosenberg. YNET
** Since the JPost link keeps breaking, here is the entire article before it's not available in the google cache.
Dec 27, 2007 21:45 | Updated Dec 28, 2007 9:25
Ha'aretz editor: Israel wants to be raped
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Ha'aretz editor David Landau told US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at a recent private dinner that Israel "wants to be raped by the US" and needed more vigorous American intervention to resolve Middle East conflicts, according to a report in the New York Jewish Week.
Landau made the remarks at a confidential gathering of Israeli guests at the home of US Ambassador to Israel Richard Jones on September 10, the Jewish Week reported on its Web site Thursday.
The paper said that Landau, who was seated next to Rice, reportedly referred to Israel as a "failed state" politically that needed a US-imposed settlement. It added that Landau reportedly "implored Rice to intervene, asserting that the Israeli government wanted 'to be raped' and that it would be like a 'wet dream' for him to see this happen."
In response, Landau told the New York weekly that this description was "inaccurate" and "a perversion of what I said," and that he had expressed his views with "much more sophistication."
But, he went on, "I did say that in general, Israel wants to be raped - I did use that word - by the US, and I myself have long felt Israel needed more vigorous US intervention in the affairs of the Middle East."
He explained to the paper that each of the participants at the dinner spoke of Israel's challenges, and he chose to point out that since 1967, Israel had failed to resolve its territorial conflicts with the Palestinians. "I told [Rice] that it had always been my wet dream to address the secretary of state" on this critical issue, Landau told the Jewish Week.
Rice was "fantastic" and "completely unfazed" by his comments, he said, and remained "urbane and diplomatic."
Landau said he had no regrets about what he had said, and that he was later congratulated by several professors in the room who felt "I articulated what many Israelis feel."
Other participants said Rice told the guests that the US had no intention of imposing a settlement on the Israelis and Palestinians.
Channel 2's Arab affairs expert Ehud Ya'ari briefly reported the incident some weeks ago, but did not name Landau. Ya'ari called the incident "embarrassing."
Adding Insult to Injury
It turns out that besides the rising cost of electricity, gas, and bread, the price on yet another basic commodity will be going up.
Water.
That's right. The price for water, the most basic of necessities will be raised by 10%.
Now, I know I usually say the government is heartless and cruel.
They don’t care about how these rising costs of living affect those living on fixed incomes.
But that’s not true.
In response, the government decided this week to raise the salaries of various sectors to account for the increase in their cost of living due to the removal of bread subsidies, the rising cost of electricity, gas, and water.
The following is a partial list of salary hikes go into effect this week:
So, who says the Israeli government doesn’t take care of its own?
I am truly at a loss for words.
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael
Friday, December 28, 2007
Happy Birthday Muqata Man
Attention everybody. Though he may not have any superpowers, I am nonetheless required to announce that Jameel will be turning 40 this saturday. That is all
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Smack Olmert with a Hammer, win a prize.
The ad would probably be run for a few minutes to get the attention of the police, so they could file charges against the advertiser, the ad would be removed quickly, the right wing would be lambasted with claims of incitement to violence and murder, Yitzchak Rabin's name would be invoked, and experts would bemoan the depths of education in the country.
And yet, in today's YNET on-line Hebrew edition, the following flash animation appears, with Ehud Olmert, Education Minister Yuli Tamir and Finance Minister Roni Bar-On sleeping in bed together -- and a hammer is available for you to whack them on their heads (complete with causing cartoon stylized black eyes) to "wake them up"...
The ad is part of the campaign to end the Staff strike at Israeli Universities with a warning, "the semester is in danger" (of not happening, because of the strike).
I see nothing wrong with the ad and I find it funny.
Unfortunately, if you modify it just a tiny bit to suit an alternative (right wing) cause, it's automatically a criminal offense with dire repercussions.
So, if you find the ad on YNET -- enjoy it. At least we can whack Olmert legally under the guise of "Education."
(Thanks to JoeSettler for the assist).
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael
Zeh Katan...Godol Yihiyeh.
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli scientists have inscribed the entire Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible onto a space less than half the size of a grain of sugar.
The nanotechnology experts at the Technion institute in Haifa say the book was etched on a surface that measures less than 0.01 square inch. They chose the Jewish Bible to highlight how vast quantities of information can be stored on minimum amounts of space.
Lots to blog...not much time though."It took us about an hour to etch the 300,000 words of the Bible onto a tiny silicon surface," Ohad Zohar, the university's scientific adviser for educational programs, told the Associated Press.
The Technion's microscopic bible was created by blasting tiny particles called gallium ions at an object that then rebounded, causing an etching affect.
"When a particle beam is directed toward a point on the surface, the gold atoms bounce off and expose the silicon layer underneath just like a hammer and chisel," Zohar said.
He said the technology will in the future be used as a way to store vast amounts of data on bio-molecules and DNA.
The tiny Bible appears to be the world's smallest.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Birth in Jerusalem's Old City
At that MDA seminar, one of the topics we concentrated on was birth.
My new/old friend sent me this incredible video clip about a Magen David Adom assisted birth in the old city of Jerusalem (nothing graphic). The video's in Hebrew, but is easy to follow...
Nothing beats an MDA EMT announcing "Mazal Tov" to the MDA dispatcher by radio...after a successful birth.
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael
Monday, December 17, 2007
Haveil Havalim #145
Sunday, December 16, 2007
All it takes is a 100 Shekels and a Dream
After years of not being able to play the "lotto" because the drawing was on shabbat, the entry form was based on games played on shabbat, or simply because it didn't have the right backing, the new "Goralot" chareidi lottery is taking off here in Israel.
Complete with the rabbinical backing of Rabbi Rafael Wint and Rabbi Yaakov Zonenfeld, the proceeds from this lottery go to "Tiferet Rechesim" fund, which provides aid for families in need and young charedi dropouts.
The grand prize winner will only receive 100 thousand shekels ($25,500); 10 runners-up will win 4,000 shekels ($1,020), 20 will win 200 shekels ($50), and 769 people will win back the price of the ticket, 100 shekels...meaning (according to Goralot) that 1 in every 10 tickets is a winner.
It's a far cry from a dollar to enter...its a 100 NIS investment per ticket (about 26 dollars)...though since some of the money goes to tzedaka, it justifies the high price.
The first lottery drawing is planned for Rosh Chodesh Adar (February 5th), and more drawings will take place each month with tickets costing 100 shekels (about $26). The staff of Goralot suggests that participants can buy tickets with their money set aside for charity (ma'aser). "This way, they can donate to charity as well as personally gain and keep donating from the same money they earn," explained Elisha Cohen, one of the project founders.
The haredi initiators of the project tell Ynet that the growing need for charity funds caused them to ponder how to support the public and funnel money into this organization, when there are so many others out there.
The project's founders are calling Goralot "the next big thing in the haredi community." To sell cards, ticket agents will operate in haredi population centers and, according to reports, have already sold more than 3,500 tickets. Next week, Goralot will begin advertising in haredi media and street billboards. YNET
"What more do you want from me?" asked G-d. "I sent you two boats and a helicopter."
You want extra money, you have to buy a ticket....(but that means only ONE ticket. It would be a shame for people to get addicted to this)
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Muslim Subway Rider Aids Attacked Jews
A suspected bias attack on four Jewish subway riders has resulted in a friendship between the Jewish victims and the Muslim college student who came to their aid.
Walter Adler is calling Hassan Askari a hero for intervening when Adler and three friends were assaulted on a subway train in lower Manhattan on Friday night.
The altercation erupted when Adler and his friends said "Happy Hanukkah" to a group yelling "Merry Christmas" on the Brooklyn-bound train.
The 20-year-old Askari said he tried to fight off the 10 attackers, giving Adler a chance to summon police by pulling an emergency brake.
"I did what I thought was right," said Askari, a student at Berkeley College in Manhattan, who was allegedly punched and beaten. "I did the best that I could to help."
Eight men and two women have pleaded not guilty to assault, menacing and other charges in the case. Prosecutors have said the charges could be upgraded to hate crimes.
"That a random Muslim kid helped some Jewish kids, that's what's positive about New York," said Adler, 23, who suffered a broken nose and a lip wound.
The Anti Defamation League applauded the New York City Police Wednesday for the arrests of 10 individuals suspected in the "vicious, unprovoked, and prolonged" anti-Semitic attack on the students.
'We were shocked and saddened to hear of the vicious, unprovoked and prolonged anti-Semitic attack perpetrated against four Jewish students celebrating Hanukkah.
"We applaud the speed and efficiency of the NYPD and its Hate Crimes Task Force in treating this bias incident seriously, and look forward to seeing the perpetrators prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," the grouo said in a statement.
"We recognize the courage of the fellow subway rider who attempted to defend the victims from their attackers. It is heartening that there are good people who are willing to stand up when they witness racism, prejudice or bigotry," ADL concluded.
Maybe I should bring this guy as backup next time I go to Kever Yosef.
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael
No one in Israel needs an appendix
According to research, the appendix stores up important, healthy gut bacteria.
In case of serious diseases like cholera or dysentery, where the intestines lose all its bacteria, the appendix serves as a system backup to reinstall the good bacteria.
This was especially important for when people lived remotely from one another and the opportunity to replenish gut bacteria from human interaction and contact was very limited.
Yesterday I bought a shawarma.
As I watched the storekeeper stick his ungloved hand into the pita to spread it open, and the various shoppers freely pick and dip from the free salads and sauces on display, I realized that, in Israel at least, the appendix might really be a vestigial organ.
(But I’d still like to keep mine anyway).
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael
Life in Israel...compare and contrast
Following is a snippit. See the rest on his blog here.
Secular Israeli child speaking with his father...
Dad, in the encyclopedia it says it was because the Maccabees did not want to eat pork.
Could be.
And for that there was such a war?
See, pork has a ton of cholesterol. Maybe the Maccabees were into a health thing.
and for that there was a war?
These Maccabees could be very extremist.
Why did the Greeks make them eat pork?
Because the religious make a big deal out of everything.
The Maccabees were religious?
No way. The religious people do not go to the army.
So how did they defeat the Greeks?
God helped them
But you told me there is no God?
There isn't?
I do not understand - there is or is not?
There is not but they thought there is.
I do not understand.
What?
Is there a God?
Ask your mother.
Every time you do not know something you send me to mother!
I know important things. If there is a God is not important.
It says Judah Maccabee defeated the Greeks at Bet Horon.
If that is what it says, that is what it says.
Where is Bet Choron?
Far away. Not in Israel. In America.
Dad, Columbus discovered America only in 1492!
You are a nudnik. It is in the Occupied Territories.
The Maccabees were Settlers?
I know that. Maybe go play with Sean?
Religious child speaking to his father...
So Judah Maccabee was secular or a non-Jew?
God forbid. Why would he be a secular or non-Jew?
only seculars and non-Jews go to the army!
there was a time when even the religious went to the army.
Why did the Maccabees go to the army and we do not?
Today the Torah protects us.
Then the Torah did not protect them?
Maybe go with Moishi and learn some Mishnayos!
Did the Maccabees learn Mishnayos?
They learned Torah. A lot of Torah.
They did not work?
God Forbid!
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Chanuka Legend Deconstructed
Ask any kid in your vicinity, "who said ?מי לה' אלי" and I bet that they will answer 99% of the time, "Matityahu" or "Yehuda HaMaccabi". If your kids have a better than average education they may also answer, "Moshe Rabbeinu."
Today being the last day of Chanuka, I wanted to share an article my father-in-law showed me this past Shabbat from the Makor Rishon newspaper. Unfortunately, this article isn't available on-line, so I scanned it in.
Aryeh Olman presents a fascinating research article on the origin of the Chanuka related phrase "מי לה' אלי" and deduces that the famous phrase said by Moshe Rabbeinu after Chait HaEgel was not said by Matityahu...or even Yehuda HaMaccabi (unless of course, they leined parshat Ki-Tisa at some point).
Olman reviews Modern Jewish and Israeli history books and all include Matityahu saying, "מי לה' אלי" after killing a Hellenistic Jew and a Greek officer.
All the authors of the modern history books are respectable historians, so where did this "mistake" originate?
Olman then scours the all the apocrypha relating to Chanuka:
Sefer Chashmonaim I (also known as Sefer HaMakabim); Chapter 2...
In Josephus Flavius, "History of the Jewish War", he describes the bravery of Matityahu, but no quote.When he had finished speaking these words, a Jew came forward in the sight of all to offer sacrifice upon the altar in Mode'in, according to the king's command. When Mattathias saw it, be burned with zeal and his heart was stirred. He gave vent to righteous anger; he ran and killed him upon the altar. At the same time he killed the king's officer who was forcing them to sacrifice, and he tore down the altar. Thus he burned with zeal for the law, as Phinehas did against Zimri the son of Salu.[1]
Then Mattathias cried out in the city with a loud voice, saying: "Let every one who is zealous for the law and supports the covenant come out with me!" And he and his sons fled to the hills and left all that they had in the city.
Megillat Antiochus brings a different story altogether, but no mention of a quote from Matityahu.
Midrash Chanuka versions 1 and 2...nothing. Olman notes that in Chashmonaim 1, Matityahu imitates Pinchas, and not Moshe.
In the 19th century, Chanuka became a new Zionist holiday...and curiously, the Hellenstic "arts" in the form of Boris Shatz's sculpture, plays and books adopted the legend of Matityahu saying "מי לה' אלי."
The source seems to be based on Zeev Yaavetz's book "Toldot Yisrael" who uses that phrase explicitly. Olman checked Sefer HaDorot, Dor Dor Dorshov, Tzemach David, Sefer Yuchsin, The Meiri, Pachad Yitzchak Sdei Chemed, and other classical Jewish history books, but none attribute this quote to Matityahu (or mention it at all).
It appears that Zeev Yaaevtz based his source on "Sefer Yosifun (Josippon)" -- a historical source of questionable authenticity which first appeared in the 10th century in Italy. Sefer Yosifun has many different versions, each with a different type of quote attributed to Matityahu, but with nothing to do with killing a Hellenistic Jew or Greek officer. Rather, Matityahu sent his son Yehuda HaMaccabi throughout the cities of Judea with the message...
"מי בכם עמי ומי לה' אלי"
"מי בכם מי ומי לה' אלי"
"מי בכם ירא ה' ומי לה' אלי"
So...Yaavetz combined the 2 images together; of Moshe rallying the Levi'im to kill the Jews who worshipped the Golden Calf, and that of Matityahu killing the Hellenized Jew.
And while it's taught to every Jewish child today...its origin is factually incorrect.
The rallying call of מי לה' אלי has galvanized itself into the ethos of religious Zionism, and there are worse things in life that a bit of artistic license.
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael
My Return to Kever Yosef.
For years I have been trying to return, but it never worked out. I drove twice to Itamar, only to be told that due to security threats, the planned incursion was cancelled.
No formal method ever works to get to Kever Yosef; it's a combination of proteciza, luck, being at the right place at the right time, and siyata dishmaya (help from heaven).
But it never worked out. I drove at midnight once to the Tapuach junction, only to face a mass of Bresolver Chassidim pushing and shoving to get on the only bus. Rather than push and shove, I went home.
But Monday night, things worked out differently.
Not willing to push through the throng of chassidim, my group of friends arranged via a friend some "special" treatment. Parking at Tapuach junction, a high ranking IDF officer ran over to us and gave a hug. He invited me and 3 others to join him in HIS car, and he personally drove us through all he IDF checkpoints. North from Tapuach...going on road 60 through Chawara...up till the Har Bracha intersection.
He stopped his car, and we got out -- only to be introduced to an ever higher ranking officer. He smiled and introduced himself as the commander of the roadblock, and asked us our names. He repeated over and over again how lucky we were to be going to Kever Yosef, and how wonderful it is for the Jewish people to have representatives going to pray there.
Soldier after soldier smiled at us, shook our hands, and asked us to pray on their behalf as well.
After a few minutes, a packed bus showed up and was stopped at the roadblock. Our smiling commander told the bus driver he had 4 additional guest passengers, and we managed to get on the bus...
5 minutes later, we were stopped at a checkpoint going into Shechem, where we waited for our military escort. Trust me, going into Shechem makes my trip to Hevron last summer with Treppenwitz and Psychotoddler look like a stroll in the park. Forget Beirut...Shechem is a whole different universe.
IDF APCs, armored Hummers, Jeeps, military ambulances, and even tanks were part of the security detail for our entrance to Kever Yosef.
Snaking through the deserted 1:30 AM streets of Shechem, my heart was racing with excitement at the thought of finally returning to Kever Yosef.
We arrived, and were quickly ordered into the remains of the compound. Soldiers were everywhere, aiming their rifles up high, ready to shoot at any danger.
To get the jist of the experience, I put together the following video clip.
Enjoy!
The video can also be seen on youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZn1JHHxQJI
Chanuka Sameach!
Jameel.
PS: Later today I'll explain about my previous question, of מי לה' אלי...
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Chanuka Question: Who said מי לה' אלי?
Monday, December 10, 2007
Haveil Havalim #144- Too Many Latkes Edition
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael
Saturday, December 08, 2007
The Secret is Out
Jack hinted at the secret when he asked what is Jameel really doing during "Miluim", but it's time the truth gets revealed.
For the past year Jack and Jameel have been secretly opening up Waffle Bars throughout Jerusalem.
Here's their latest one - on Derech Beit Lechem.
Now you know.
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael
Friday, December 07, 2007
Facing up at the sky
We were simulating combat with tactical paintball rifles, and we rotated being unit commander.
I was told to advance and find the terrorist.
Slowly moving forward, I heard the noise to the left. Turning around, the person watching my back...wasn't.
Whoosh.
Shot by a paintball, the rules state that I had to stay out till the next round (about 10 minutes)...and I had to lie on the ground.
Brushing the dirt off my uniform, I took a picture of the spot I was killed, and where I spent 10 minutes looking up at the sky.
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Ezzie's List of Great Cleveland Sports Heroes
I did you the favor and compiled the list for you. It took hours and hours to do so. Give me some time and I'll list the Superbowl, World Series and NBA championships below.
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Warm the Needy
As Jameel will tell you, in Israel, Milluim in the winter is cold, Milluim in the winter is wet, but most of all, it’s cold outside.
If you’re lucky enough to be on a base in a group tent, your tent might have a kerosene heater. But, if you’re out in the field, its winter jackets, long johns, and two pairs of socks every night.
But imagine for a second this isn’t milluim. It’s Israel, it’s your home, it’s winter and it’s cold inside your house.
Thousands of Israeli families can’t afford to heat their homes in the winter. Many of them can’t afford heaters and radiators. Those that do, can’t afford to pay the electric bill that goes along with it.
In 2005, 7,200 families had their electricity cut off in the winter when they couldn’t pay the electric bill.
So instead, they sleep at night in their jackets and winter clothing.
A few years ago (in 2003), a young American Chassid (Hershel Puretz) living in Jerusalem saw a few families in this bad situation and decided to do something about it.
At first it started quite simply, he got heaters for those needy families.
He helped a few families that first year.
But then it grew larger, so he found donors and an electrical appliance store happy to help subsidize part of the cost of the heaters. Those that needed a heater could buy with pride a subsidized heater to warm their home.
Then he saw that this problem was bigger than he imagined.
He formed “WarmTheNeedy.org”, and started helping even more poor families.
Suddenly he came across a new problem. The electric bills for running the heaters in the winter were far beyond the means of many of these families to pay.
So, he worked out a deal with the Israeli Electric Company (IEC) where he directly subsidizes the bills for these poor families. The IEC now directs cases to WarmTheNeedy.org when the IEC thinks they need external help.
What started off as a few families, grew to over 1000 families in 2006 receiving heaters! And nearly 1500 families having their electric bill directly subsidized!
In fact, with the help of donors, WarmTheNeedy.org has subsidized electric bills for some 2000 families to a tune of $100,000!
This organization is staffed completely by volunteers and 100% of the money goes to helping the families. It is registered 501(c)(3) in the United States.
WarmTheNeedy.org expects to help 2000 families this winter, but they need your help to keep these families warm.
Please visit their site, learn more about what they are doing, and how you can help.
And please help. It’s going to be a very cold winter this year.
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael
Monday, December 03, 2007
What Does Jameel Do During Miluim
A) Searches high and low for new locations for Jameel's Waffle House.
B) Spends hours researching the long history of cleveland sports heroes. (Oops, that is about a five minute exercise. Sorry Ezzie.)
C) Plays three rounds of golf with Joe Settler.
D) Works as a game warden at Hamat Gader.
The floor is open.
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael
Breaking News: IDF captures terrorists from last week's attack.
Surprise, surprise.
The IDF arrested members of a cell responsible for the murder of Ido Zoldan two weeks ago close to the northern West Bank settlement of Kedumim, it was cleared for publication on Sunday.
According to army officials, the arrested men are Palestinian policemen from the nearby village of Qadum. YNET
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Off to Milluim...
Are those phylacteries, or are you just happy to see me?
YNET reports...
Isn't that special?A Jewish passenger on a Chicago train was arrested after fellow passengers accused him of being a suicide bomber.
The incident took place on a train that left Chicago early in the morning – when Jewish men are obligated to put on tefillin (phylacteries). The passenger began strapping the head-tefillin to his forehead and passengers unfamiliar with the custom rushed to the conductor and told him there was a man on board who was fastening a box to his head with wires dangling from it."
The conductor approached the passenger but the latter refused to answer him as he was in the middle of the prayer, heightening the conductor's suspicions.
Meanwhile, the passengers grew even more frantic when they noticed that the passenger sitting next to the Jewish man had a Middle-Eastern appearance and wore a turban.
"That was too much," said the Bob Byrd, NICTD chief of security.
The passengers panicked and the engine driver stopped the train. Police officers rushed into the train with a bomb-sniffing dog.
Police investigators soon realized their mistake and apologized to the passenger.
"This incident has given us all an opportunity to learn about other religions and their customs," said the chief of security.
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael
This Ain't Your Bubby's Burka
Kabul arrives in Beit Shemesh Bet -- and manages to even surpass the Beit Shemesh Bet "Tznius Patrol."
A group of Ultra-Orthodox chareidi women in Ramat Beit Shemesh have hyperbolated tznius to the extreme and now wear burkas whenever they go outside their home. Not advocated by any known rabbi, the burka fad is apparently radical chareidi feminist "invention", and many are wary if this custom should be adopted or repudiated. The radical Beit Shemesh tznius patrol is even scratching it's head whether someone managed to out do them, and leave them in the dust with the liberal left.
The husband of one such woman took his wife to Beit Din (religious court) to request from her to remove the burka due to shalom bayit (a peaceful home). The court ordered a religious divorce even though the husband didn't even request one -- because the court found her behaviour to be so bizarre.
The women in Ramat Beit Shemesh receive their instruction from Rabbanit Bruria Keren, who advises about 20 women in the 20s and 30s how to dress, pray and conduct their lives.
The burka dress fashion has spead to Elad, Beitar Elite, Teverya, Tzefat and even the Beit Yisrael neighborhood of Jerusalem.
"I don't want men to look at me. I'm happy being modest. In the past, I felt uncomfortable to walk around [sans-burka], in such a wanton fashion. At first, I just wore a wig. Now, when I see a woman with a wig, I pray to G-d to forgive her for wearing that "thing" on her head. It's difficult. We get humiliated. What haven't they said to me? My neighbors yelled at me, "Leave us alone, you smelly arab." I was pushed. But this is a test from G-d. At the Central Bus Station I undergo security checks and am asked for identification. I don't want men seeing my ID picture, so I just show them my children to prove I'm not an Arab."
--Quote from a Burka and Hijab wearing Jewish woman in her late 20s, who lives in Jerusalem.
**The top picture above was taken in the Bet Yisrael neighborhood of Jerusalem of a Chareidi woman walking around in a Burka. Credit: Alex Libeck, Haaretz.
Hattip: Lurker!
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael