Cool Creatures Discovered in Underground Cave!

Photo Credit: Sasson Tiram

The headline in Yediot Achronot's Erev Chag edition said something about a "mystery cave," but the pictures and actual story were a lot cooler.

In a subterranean cave never before explored or touched by man, a new ecosystem exists -- a food chain ranging from 1 milimeter beings to 7 centimeters; and most of these creatures are brand new speciees never before discovered.

Researchers were amazed to discover eight species of previously unknown invertebrates, bacteria and single-cell organisms in the heart of an active quarry in the southern city of Ramle. Factory administrators vowed to give researchers free access to the cave and to keep it intact.

The cave, which spans across 2.5 kilometers (roughly 1.5 miles) and is 100-meter (roughly 30 feet) deep, is the second largest lime cave in Israel. In order to explore the cave researchers are required to climb ropes and crawl through most of it. Due to its scientific significance and the fact it is located inside an active quarry, the cave is currently closed to visitors.

Read the whole article here on YNetnews.

Before you leave (and I'll have a few more interesting posts up today) I just wanted to mention something else about YNETnews. While they sometimes have fascinating stories it's unfortunately a rather low-brow newspaper. It's a tough competition between YNET and Maariv/NRG to see who can stoop lower. YNET has a pros and cons article about infidelity (link NOT provided), so Maariv/NRG countered with their headline, "Naaseh Vnishma? Its all *&^%$"

One can argue whether midrashim are literal or not as DovBear does all the time -- he even examines the same midrash. But sensationalist headlines that lump the message of midrashim together with inappropriate language is just immature, crass, and typical of these newspapers.

I wonder what the midrash-bashing-author's requirements are to convert to secularism (item #3)?

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael

Olmert: One More Suicide Bombing and I'll give them whatever they want!

When I see a headline like this in YNet, Haaretz, and the JPost newspapers, I usually just roll my eyes knowing that just when I thought we couldn't go any lower, we usually do.

Truth be told, this headline and story are from "The Onion" -- a satire newspaper/webzine I used to read all the time, till I started blogging.

Now I have to rely on hat-tips from my friends...thanks ADM :)

Chag Sameach!



Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael

Jameel’s Excellent Aliya Adventure. Part 73.

WestBankMama organized a great initiative of collecting stories from bloggers about their Israel experiences and why they made aliya. Instead of posting (today) about why I decided specificially to move to Israel, I’ll enclose chapter 73 from my upcoming book, Jameel’s Excellent Aliya Adventure.

I don’t think there was one singular event which made me decide, “That’s it – this where I belong, this is where I have to live,” rather it was the result of a long chain of events that transpired over the course of 2 years…

This chapter recounts the historic first few days of my arrival in Israel in the mid 1980’s – the start of my stay in Israel, to study in yeshiva as a teenager for 2 years.

We flew on the EL-AL sochnut flight, the one chartered exclusively for Yeshiva students by the Jewish Agency (though now I’m told this flight doesn’t exist anymore; everyone comes however it’s cheapest). Almost every yeshiva was represented -- Har Etzion, Shaalvim, Kerem B’Yavneh, Shilo, Beit-El, Brisk, Mir, Hevron, Toras Moshe, Itri (and it’s numerous split-offs, split-three, etc.), Brovenders, HaKotel, Shappels, Ohr Sameach, Nir-Kiryat Arba and many others I had never heard of.

Almost the entire plane was dressed in nice yeshivish clothes; dark pants, button-down shirts, shoes, some wore jackets & hats, most wore black suede kippot – there were a few knitted kippot sprinkled throughout the crowd. I honestly don’t think that anyone was wearing jeans, even though many normally would – if even just to fly in comfortable clothes.

Our plane touched down in mid-August, mid-1980’s, at 6:00 AM at Ben-Gurion Airport. Wearing our nice clothes we didn't count on Israel being in the middle of a brutal chamsin heat wave. Forget the ultra-modern Terminal 3 of today -- back then, there was no fancy terminal 3, or even an arrivals lounge in Terminal 2...you exited straight from the meches/duty-tax lines to a passage along the wall.

On the other side of the narrow exit passage, facing the outside was a metal fence -- everyone from outside was hanging on, smushed against it hoping to get a view of those lucky people coming back from an airplane flight.

The unexpected heat and humidity was overwhelming...within a minute beads of sweat were dropping down off our foreheads...the nicely pressed yeshivish shirts didn’t look so fine anymore.

All the yeshivot had buses waiting for them...except for us. For us, for our yeshiva, there was no bus...no representative, no one waiting...not a soul.

As all our friends and co-passengers left the airport in their buses, our stomachs started growling. The appetizing and hearty ELAL bagel breakfast from a few hours ago was long forgotten, and we started hunting around the airport for something to eat. We found the airport makolet -- but to buy anything we needed to change money from dollars...to Old Shekels. (or just "Shekels"...no one knew at the time they would be replaced so soon.)

I changed $10...and became an instant millionaire -- 15,000 shekels! Was this a joke or a jackpot? Fifteen Thousand shekels for only ten dollars? Whooping for joy as only naive American yeshiva students know how to...I walked over to buy a Coke and a Kit Kat chocolate bar. Reality set in quickly enough -- 1,500 shekels for a coke and a chocolate bar. We would need to earn our fortunes another way.

So there we were, 70-something American yeshiva guys wandering around the airport in "yeshiva" clothes, melting in the unbearably hot, humid Ben-Gurion sun...waiting...waiting….

After close to 2 hours, someone purchased some "asimonim" (phone tokens from yester-year) and courageously called our yeshiva to find out why we were dying from the heat at the aiport, while all the other yeshivot picked up their students.

The yeshiva was in shock – apparently, they hadn't been expecting us!

Hello??

This was an organized flight!

Turns out that since it was Wednesday morning, and rosh chodesh Elul would be the upcoming Sunday, they only expected us on Sunday.

I guess someone there did some rather quick thinking and realized it would be a bad political move to keep 70 students from chutz la'aretz stranded at the airport, and quickly dispatched two ancient buses to pick us up.

Close to 2 hours later when the buses arrived, we were totally soaked, uncomfortable, exhausted, and antsy.

We had to load the bus with all our duffle bags and suitcases - pushing and shoving them into the bus, almost collapsing from overpowering humidity.

Finally, with everything aboard we took off in the direction of our yeshiva. These were old buses…rickety…no air conditioning…and the windows didn’t open either. Totally disregarding safety rules – I think the driver kept the bus door open for there to be some ventilation. We didn’t care as long as some air flowed into the bus.

Pulling up to our yeshiva's campus after noon, we were all rather self-conscious of how bad we looked. We had planned on showing up neat and yeshivish, presenting a good first impression. Instead, we arrived looking like we had just run up and down Masada a few times (maybe carrying some cinder blocks for good measure as well.)

The yeshiva’s "minahel" met us as we tumbled out of the bus, and he greeted us warmly. He smiled broadly when he informed us,

"What a surprise! We weren't expecting you till next week...But I’ve got bad news and good news. The bad news is that the yeshiva is closed till Sunday. You can’t stay here at all. The bus stop to Jerusalem is that way, and to Tel-Aviv...in that direction.... The good news is that you can leave your suitcases and duffle bags – we’ll lock them up for you, so all you need to do is take out some clothes for a few days and Shabbat, put them in a knapsack and off you go!

Welcome to Israel!"

Huh?

That would have been a great time for a group photo of 70 dumbstruck guys. Most of us had no clue what to do now...we were exhausted, starving, and confused. Someone mentioned to the minahel that we hadn't eaten since the flight, and he arranged "lunch" for us.

Our first yeshiva lunch consisted of: cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh bread, and some bags of milk. Since we'd never seen bags of milk before, different groups went off creatively figuring out the best way to open them. One pair held the bag while a third stabbed the bag in the center with a knife.

Pow! Splat.

Everyone in a 3 meter radius got soaked with grainy milk (no Homogination back then either – you had to shake bags of milk to keep the grains evenly spread throughout all the milk…yuck.)

After some experimentation, someone figured out that cutting off the top corner would be the easiest way to coax the milk out of the bag into the orange yeshiva-standard-issue hard plastic cups. But this was lunch? Where was the food?! Americans need real food! What sort of yeshiva was this? (Years later, I look back in horror at our behavior and expectations, but that’s a different chapter)

As panic slowly washed over our group, I took 2 friends aside, and told them that whatever plan I would come up with, they were welcome to join me. Not that I had any real idea for a plan but it sounded convincing to them…(and most importantly, I wouldn’t be left alone!)

Deciding that Jerusalem sounded like a friendlier place than Tel-Aviv, we headed off towards the Jerusalem-bound bus stop, along with about half our group. More of our shekel fortune now disappeared as we forked over our fares to the bus driver. We slept on the bus...not very restfully...but it was some much needed sleep. We were jarred awake by the side to side swaying of the bus as it climbed up the windy road along the Jerusalem mountainside.

At the central bus station 4 from our group announced they would try their luck in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. Not that they actually knew anyone there, but the Old City sounded like a good place to meet a friendly family that would put up 4 yeshiva guys from Wednesday to Sunday, with no advance warning. Right? We wished them luck, hoping to see them again in one piece on Sunday.

We found out later that they did manage to make it to the Jewish Quarter...and knocked on random doors: "Hi, we're a bunch of American yeshiva students in Israel for the year, and our yeshiva is closed. Can we stay with you for a few days?" After only 3 or 4 doors, they all found somewhere to stay…

I took out a handwritten list from my parents -- a list of their friends who made aliya -- I has been instructed to call them during the year and send them regards.

Taking out the list, we did the fateful, "eenie meenie miney moe" – choosing a family at random. I put an asimon into a payphone, dialed the number, and then in my best possible Hebrew said, "Shalom! My name is Jameel...I just landed in Israel this morning…"

A pleasant sounding girl replied, "It’s OK, you can speak in English"

I was shocked and crestfallen, "What?! How did you know I wasn't Israeli?"

She laughed back at me, "Well, you certainly don't sound Israeli on the phone."

Trying to regain my wounded pride, I restarted the conversation, "Well, Hi! My name is Jameel, and I'm studying in Yeshiva this year..."

"...and you want to come for Shabbat?" the girl interrupted me.

"How did you know I was going to ask that!?" This girl was waaaay too psychic for me. Heh, I'd show her:

"Well, actually, yes, I'd love to come for Shabbat, but its ALSO from now till Sunday, and with 2 of my friends!" (Let’s see if you can match that.).

Pausing for a second, she said, "Well, it should be ok...my mom's not home, but we'll manage."

She gave me directions to her home by bus, my asimon dropped and our conversation abruptly ended.

Assuring my friends that everything would work out, we found the right bus in the right direction, got off at the wrong stop but still managed to find the apartment.

Greeting us warmly at the door, a teenage girl invited us in. Shuffling into the apartment, we looked around -- 70’s furniture…a black and white TV…a couch…books on the shelves…everything seemed normal enough. She offered us some food, but we were all too sleepy to eat. Thanking her for her hospitality, we just wanted to sleep…sleep…sleep….and we dozed off on the couch

Sometime during the night, (evening, night, day, I had lost track of time), I sensed a face close to mine…examining me.

“Baby Jameel, is THAT you?? We haven’t seen you in ages – it’s been years since we made aliya...and now you show up -- what a nice surprise!”

Huh?

I drifted back into a deep sleep.

Next thing I knew the bright morning Jerusalem sunlight streamed through the window and the door opened with a bang. In marched a scruffy looking IDF soldier (our host's son), schlepping a huge green duffle bag, and an even scarier looking rifle of some sort. When he saw me, he broke out into a huge grin and said in perfect English, “Hey – Good Morning! Looks like you’re one of those American Yeshiva guys just off the boat, right?” (How the heck did people keep figuring that out so fast?!)

Our newfound soldier-friend took us around Jerusalem, explaining the bus routes, the little ins-and-outs of the city, places to get good food in the center of town – our own personal tour guide and contemporary (plus, he was Israeli AND American). He also had twin sisters in 12th grade which made our stay there friendly – and it helped break the ice for us 3 yeshiva guys showing up there unexpectedly.

I’ll never forget the discussion I had with our host over Shabbat.

Host: So….this stay in Israel, learning in yeshiva for you…it’s a precursor for your aliya, right?

Jameel: Excuse me?

Host: Well, you do think about aliya, right?

Jameel: [laughing] I’m just here for the year to learn. After that, I’m going back to the US, study at YU, build my life there. Why would I want to live here in Israel?

Host: Well…maybe you’ll end up loving the land here.

Jameel: I doubt it…I don’t see myself living here.

Host: I fell in love with the land, the country…its more than just love, it’s a passion…

Jameel: [feeling a bit uncomfortable] Well, I don’t have any plans to stay...

(switching back to the present)

That conversation was a long time ago…and now I find myself having similar ones with American Yeshiva people, with the roles reversed as I encourage them to move here as well.

I’ll have to post many more chapters of this ongoing saga to paint all the hues and colors of my decision to move here and build my life in Israel.

Sometimes the brush strokes are bold – with definitive, strong feelings of ideology, a passion to settle the land and help make this great country even better.

And sometimes the brush gently meanders along, filling in background details with the gentle, softer colors of the usual day to day Israel experiences.

Oh, so how does this chapter end?

One of my 2 friends who came for that Shabbat ended up marrying one of the twin daughters.

And unbeknownst to me, my future wife was also a high school classmate of those twins as well…

Chag Sameach! (And read about out the Shabbat Parasha difference between Israel and Chutz La'Aretz if you haven't done so already: Synchronicity Lost)

And everywhere I may be, this blog will always turn towards Eretz Yisrael.

Reuters Worker Issues "Zionist Pig" Death Threat to American Blogger...and other news.

With my blog careening wildly in all directions, I had to take a break and share the following tidbits with you.

1. Reuters (our favorite objective pro-Israel news agency) employee issues 'Zionist pig' death threat to an American Blogger: 'I look forward to day when you pigs get your throats cut'. (hattip: Ynet)

Well, I'm glad he didn't write that to me. As Jameel @ The Muqata (of American decent) I would have been able to riot and burn down Reuters Corporate Headquarters, since Moslems (or their God) are not allowed to be called pigs. Period.

2. Pathetic Proteczia -- How Olmert helps out the Hamas Prime Minister's 18 year old daughter who was arrested for illegally entering Israel to visit her fiance in jail (she used someone else's ID). Olmert's office is doing its best to prevent unneccessary escalation of the issue and she's already been let free to return to Gaza.

Can't we just let love and peace reign free? I guess there's nothing like young love...which overcomes all. Oh yeah, her fiance is in jail for 15 years for attempted murder.

3. Secular Zionism as the Authentic Jewish Idea? Ha'Aretz has an Op/Ed piece about secular zionist conversions. Bottom Line of his article:

"If secular people are the real continuation of the continuum of Jewish existence, then they have a responsibility toward those who are knocking on the door of their nation. They must not forfeit conversion."

Secular Zionism is not a religion and neither is secular Judaisim. Secularism is the absense of religion and not a "denomination" (while Conservative and Reform are.) Just found this interesting blog analyis by Bari ViShema. Or for something more uplifting for Shavuot, read about this conversation he transcribed.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael

Guest Post: Can a Baal Teshuva with doubts remain Frum?

Important Preface to Readers by Jameel: One of the first blogs I was introduced to was the "godolhador" blog. I was fascinated by frank discussions I rarely heard elsewhere and eagerly followed them daily. My personal emuna was never really bothered by the questions or the skeptics, but it was very refreshing to be hashkafically challenged by the different viewpoints raised. One of the frequent commenters there, The Holy Hyrax is personally troubled by doubts... skepticism... and questions... yet what makes him different (so he claims) is that as a Ba'al Teshuva, he lacks the basis to "remain in the fold" since he did not grow up "frum from birth" -- and therefore poses his question, "Can a Baal Teshuva with doubts remain Frum?"

My blog The Muqata, is probably not the best of blogs for this guest posting for a variety of reasons, most importantly I lack the overly diverse readership as the GodolHador blog and this posting will probably not receive as wide ranging feedback on the subject as The Holy Hyrax deserves. However, since he asked if he could guest post it here and he doesn't have a blog of his own, it's the least I can do. I can say that reading his post caused me to think about my own hashkafa and my own children's education -- and I sincerely hope someone can provide answers for The Holy Hyrax to sooth his anguish.

Can a Baal Teshuva with doubts remain Frum?
A Guest Post by The Holy Hyrax.

That question has been haunting me for quite a while now. Can I, as a BT, lead some sort of normal existence within Judaism, with doubts? This past Shabbat gave me time to reflect on my present situation, as well as paint myself some sort of portrait of my future. Of course, no one knows what’s in store for me in the future, but I do know something about my present situation.

I am utterly miserable.

How does one remove these doubts from his head and build himself some sort of ideal Judaism? I don't know if other people can, but I can't. I have talked to many wonderful people here on the blogs, many of them with doubts, but none of them, BT's. All the bloggers here that are able to somehow appreciate Shabbat or some good niggun, are those that are FFB. Whether they have doubt or not, they are basically indoctrinated with a love for Judaism and a love to keep halacha (different people at different degrees). Me, I just don't care anymore. I was not raised with a Jewish upbringing, so it’s not in me to say Modeah Ani in the morning, or put tzitzis, or tfillin or just say a regular bracha. These things are not important to me because it was never a part of me, and let’s not forget the part of the doubts.

Now I have two things working against me.

My kids will be attending orthodox elementary schools soon. When my kid asks me why I don't say birkat hamazon, what should I tell her? What do I tell her when she lifts up some electronic device on Shabbat? Do I quickly run to her and ask her to put it down because it is muktzeh? I don't think so. How can I have any appreciation to keep all these halachot if it’s not inside me? Will I honestly care about the size of my son’s Peyot? Should I just let the school raise my child when it comes to religious matters? There have been posts every-now and then critiquing modern teaching -- comparing it to a time long gone when things were done differently. Will I know what good religious teaching will be? Will I know how to fix it? How can I?

I used to be a happy person. I never did drugs, or gotten drunk. I always felt sorry for those that were picked on. I have tried to tend to those that really need help. This is just part of my character. It has nothing to do with Judaism. Since Judaism came along, I have been depressed. Judaism has offered me little except for grief and tears. I ask God what’s the point of all this? Could it be so that we have come almost 3000 years only to discover we are not what we believed we were? Is the real essence of "Continuous Revelation," that we discover the truth about our Torah? Perhaps the beauty of Torah is that we DID make it up. That through our own devises, we tried to connect to you, as best as we could, because we are, after all, only human, and the system that we developed would ultimately have flaws. But I am only human too. And there is so much mental anguish that I can take. Having this hashkafa may be a way to look at it, but its definitely a lonely hashkafa. I am not part of the Reform community. My wife is orthodox, and as I see it, my children’s future will be going to orthodox schools. So how on earth can I continue like this? Not much longer. It is getting very lonely. How will I deal with my orthodox community? How will I deal with going to relatives during the holidays, pretending that I am having a good time.

Over Shabbat, I was reading the book "Off the Derech." I got to the part of where children are exposed to the "atmosphere" of the home, and how they pick up behaviors from their parents, even the most subtle ones. Then I started to think of my home. How on earth am I going to raise healthy children, when their father is always depressed? How can I fulfill my potential to be a good father and husband, when my mind is always pre-occupied by doubts and questions. This is no ideal to raising children. Children need good homes. Sometimes they have very religious fathers, but yet he abuses them. So what good is the religion? The same thing goes on now in my home. I may not be physically abusing them, but the mental abuse that they will receive from a father that is always done about religion, will be great as well. They do not deserve this. My wife deserves the husband she once new -- a happy, caring one. So if Judaism is causing me such great misery, why should I keep up with it? I just don't know anymore. All I know is that I wanted to be frum, I really did. Anyone that knows me can testify to that. But how can I go on any longer.

So my question remains. Can a BT with doubt remain frum?

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael

Synchronicity Lost: Eretz Yisrael and The Diaspora

The coming Shabbat, Israel and the Disaspora (Chutz-La'Aretz) will lose their weekly Torah reading synchronicity.

It will be a special Shabbat combined with the second day of Shavuot in the Diaspora, but will only be a regular Shabbat in Eretz Yisrael, since we only observe one day of Shavuot.

Therefore, in Israel we will read the regular Shabbat Parashat HaShavua Torah-reading of "Naso", while outside Israel they will read the Torah portion for chag.

Israel and Chutz-La'Aretz will then be 1 week off from each other.

If you visit Israel, you will be missing a parasha... (you will have skipped one)

If you leave Israel to Chutz La'Aretz, and your Shabbat hosts ask you for a Dvar Torah, you'll have the opportunity to use any of last week's and you'll come out looking decent (provided you didn't fall asleep during the rav's drasha in shul).

We'll resync-up on July 8th (Tammuz 12 -- thanks trn), when Israel is reading Balak, and Chutz La'Aretz will be reading the double Parasha, Chukat-Balak.

What better time is there for those in Chutz La'Aretz to ponder the RCA resolution calling for a renewed passion for Israel?

Reminder: WestBankBlog will be hosting a list of aliya inspirational story links this Thursday, Erev Shavuot.

Don't miss it!







Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael

The Fantastic Voyage!

GodolHador (tm) Hashkafic Cruiselines is now offering the most Fantastic Voyage of a Lifetime. ('cause the kannoim are trying to sink this ship at all costs).

Finally, you too can see why chapter's 1-12 of Breishit are a myth/moshol.

See what the GodolHador has to say:

I have set out on a voyage across the sea, yet (perhaps somewhat surprisingly) still find myself pretty much right back where I started. A little older, a little wiser, but still glad to be home. This doesn't mean I won't set out on any further voyages, there is still much to explore. But family and friends, waving me off at the dockside, can be comforted to know that the yacht will return, sometimes laden with interesting and thought provoking artifacts and philosophies gathered from distant lands, sometimes a little scarred or damaged from encounters with hostile foreigners, but always back home.

Join us as we visit all sorts of exotic locations including:

The Garden of Eden Featured in detail in Chapter 2 of Breishit, we travel to Saudi Arabia to see this amazing biblical location. Using LANDSAT images from space, we see why this has to be the original Garden of Eden. Accept no imitations.


Har Ararat We journey to Turkey to see the mountain where Noah's Ark landed after the global flood. Again, aided by clever satellite imaging it's proven beyond a doubt. We can also scoff at those spending mega-bucks to see pseudo-science claim it this is where the Ark landed. Wanna buy a bridge?


Tower of Babble Now that the US has liberated Iraq from Saddam Hussein, we embed ourselves with the Marines 101 airborne unit to visit the famous Tower of Babble in Iraq! Relive chapter 11 of Breishit, as we toss bricks, hammers and cement at each other, with everyone speaking a different language.
In addition to visiting all sorts of exciting locations of historical importance, there will be daily shiurim from the best and brightest of the JBlogosphere.

Challenge your intellect! Refine your emunah!

Atheist? Sorry, you don't exist.

Agnostic? Some of the proceeds will go towards feeding the poor and other moral/social causes, so you can feel good about this cruise regardless if you definitely believe in G-d's existance. Or Not.

Skeptical? Even the people on Yonah's boat were eventually convinced.

Orthoprax? Religiously observe the laws of gravity while shooting at clay-pigeon-chumras.

Fanatical? Daily shuffleboard should chill you out.

Security? Despite some run-ins on previous cruises, where we ended up a little scarred or damaged from encounters with hostile foreigners -- we always managed to make it back home in one piece. (And we never got stuck on Giligan's Island either)**

Souvenirs? On previous tours we have returned laden with interesting and thought provoking artifacts and philosophies gathered from distant lands.**

Seasick? We've been known to go round and around in circles before...please consult your doctor (provided he didn't learn at the Zoboomafoo School of Holistic Medicine)

Bonus: Returns to the exact same point of departure.**

Uh-oh. I just realized this entire cruise vacation was meant as a myth/moshol for reading J-blogs every day and not to be taken literally.

sigh

**Past Performance Does Not Guarantee Similar Results.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael

Torn in Israel. Secular Kids in Religious Schools - part 2.

Without a doubt, "torn" is the way I feel about this entire issue and many of you used this exact word. I'd like to address some of your comments in this followup posting. I apologize in advance for not including them all -- I'll try to relate to them in the comments section from the previous posting.

Steg: Why are Israeli dati­ schools so maqpid/mahhmir on separation of sexes? Is this just another statistic to add to the "why Israeli Dati Le'umi and Diasporan Modern Orthodoxy are not the same thing" chart?

The same way Modern Orthodoxy in the US runs the gamut from LWMO to LW Yeshivish, you can't really map Dati Leumi onto Modern Orthodoxy. It means different things here...and alot of the pressing issues for US Modern Orthodoxy are dwarfed by much larger issues. Well, issues of more concern to your average Israeli.


Ra'anana Ramblings:
Raise the level of the secular school so the secular parents will prefer it to the religious school.

This is a good solution and the responsibility first and foremost of the municipality. Education should be everyone's number or two priority...not somewhere further down the list.

WestBankMama:
Your responsibility is to your children first.

Now I'm glad this came from WBM. Playing Devil's Advocate for a second, where does personal security come in to play at the expense of ideology? If your responsibility for children has to come first, wouldn't it be a safer place to live in the Galil than in the Shomron? Have you projected your own personal ideology onto your children, when your first responsibility should be having them in the safest environment possible? Obviously I have my own answers to this but I'm curious as to yours.

Jack:
If you want to bring more kids to the derech than I would argue to keep them in school.

The question is, what is the point of the school? To educate kids already on the derech (and try and keep them there), to bring more kids to the derech, or to find the happy medium. An important note: Israel's Ministry of Education isn't funding the school to reach out to secular students about Judaism.

Sabzi Aash

Keep extra kipot and tzitziyot in the classroom. Educate the kids to feel that they're something special. Have them make their own.

And if they come to school every day forgetting their own at home -- how do you think religious kids will view this? You can forget once or twice, but to "forget" every single day may impart the message that it's not important to these kids or their parents. As an FYI, the school already has extras in every classroom.

Ben-David

Remedial program would be a disaster - it would attach a "second-best" stigma to the irreligious, and undo any possible kiruv. It recalls the worst aspects of American "Sunday School" programs - condescending teachers spoon-feeding uninterested and increasingly resentful kids.

I think it would be difficult but not for the reasons you mentioned. The teachers are very caring and committed, and I don't think they would be condescending and spoon-feeding. The kids still want to go to this school because of the other advantages it has over the alternative secular school.

Ezzie:

I think blocking the secular kids out is a poor idea, for a variety of reasons, most having to do with chillul Hashem and how anti-religious this will make families who obviously are not at this point (or they wouldn't be willing to send their kid there no matter the education).

If parents are trying to send their kids to a religious school just to benefit from the higher academic quality and extcurricularlar activities, is it a Chilul Hashem if refused entry? Maybe if they really wanted to become religious... It's a difficult situation. I'm torn.

R' Gil Student:

How do the Shas schools handle this type of problem?

Shas schools are in a different situation lichatchila -- as their purpose is specifically outreach. I don't think there's an 80/20 ratio as there is in the school I'm describing. Additional important factors that cause parents to send their kids to Shas schools include:

- Free Hot Lunch (there are many families who can't afford hot lunches)

- Longer hours (more time for parents to work)

Shas specifically addresses lower income families with these enticements to get them to send their children to Shas schools. It is important to note that Shas then receives the electoral votes from the parents as a "thank you."

(And thank you R' Gil for dropping by!)

Yori Yanover
In any event, it's a delight to read about religious folks taking so seriously their roles as educators of their brothers and sister. 'shkoyach.

This was a very serious meeting and the issue was one of grave responsibility. I'm glad you appreciate our situation - your feedback (and everyone else's) is very much appreciated as it helps me formulate my position on this sensitive topic.

Ari K:
As far as what I think of the situation in Israel: A few years ago I sat next to a young woman from Ramat Aviv on a flight to Israel. She told me that in her entire life she had never seen Shabbat candles being lit until her visit to America! Something is wrong in Israel. I am by no means a Shasnick, but at least they are doing some real large-scale outreach among chiloni children.

The glass can be half full or half empty (and don't forget the RCA's recent resolution to foster a passion for Israel among US Jewry)

Anti-religious sentiment has been prevalent in some aspects of political Zionism since the State's inception. Cutting off the peyot of Yemenite Jewry in the 1950's is one example, integrating religious Ethiopian Jewry into totally secular Israeli communities is another, providing ZERO religious background to new immigrants from the ex-Soviet Union is yet another. A work colleague of mine from the Soviet Union has been in Israel for 10 years, and had never been taught any Jewish history that predated the 1880s. She has no knowledge whatsoever of why the State of Israel is located in Eretz Yisrael and not Uganda, had never heard the story of Purim, and has no clue of any stories from the Tanach.

On the other hand, despite the above, over 80% of Jewish Israelis observe some level of Kashrut, hold a seder on Pesach and fast on Yom Kippur. They know when all the Jewish holidays are, know how to read and speak Hebrew, and the majority of them are involved in day to day mitzvot for the benefit of Klal Yisrael; even if it's just by paying taxes, which provides security and social benefits for the Jewish people living in Israel today.

Compare that to the majority of Jews living in the US today -- what percentage of Reform Jewry know of the above?

Shas is far from the only group attempting to reach out to secular and masorti Israelis.

I could go on and on about the positive things in Israel, but we'll leave that for another posting.

Chodesh Tov!

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael

Secular Kids in Religious Schools

The other night was mentally exhausting. I attended a meeting concerning the admissions policy of one of our local religious schools. My wife volunteered me onto the va'ad horim (which loosely translates into parental overseeing committee), so I attend meetings like this once a month or so. Last night's meeting was different - it also included our municipal mayor, teachers, and rabbanim.

I'm not sure what the particular trigger was for this critical meeting, but many of the participants came very prepared.

A bit of background:

This school is considered "mamlachti dati" - an Israeli religious public school (first through third grades). There are separate classes for boys and girls and they have recess at separate times. The only "mixed" aspect about the school is the bus kids take... The principal is a powerhouse of energy and a spectacular person, educator, administrator and role model. This is one school where the principal knows exactly what is going on at all times, in every class, what is being taught, and how each of the school's 300 students are progressing.

Alumni of the school, such as my fourth grade daughter, return to the school from time to time to say hi to the principal and their previous teachers. This school has won many prizes from Israel's Ministry of Education and is a top quality school. Our older sons went to the alternative "mamlachti torani" school (supposedly more yeshivish) but decided that our next son would attend the "mamlachti dati" one, since we felt the "mamlachti dati" was better for many reasons (religious education, middot taught, and secular studies were all far better).

So onto the meeting.

First the principal: The official policy (and it's enforceable) is that only families that are not mechalel shabbat publicly can send their kids to the school. Family backgrounds are checked through a variety of means. Approximately 20% of the families do not meet this criteria, and deliberately lie in order to get their kids into the school. (It’s a far better school than the secular alternative).

Rabbi #1 (teaches in school): So, you don't want to accept secular students? I grew up in Kiryat Malachi in a secular family. We weren't shomer shabbat. However, since I went to a mamlachti dati school, I went to a yeshiva high school, and then hesder, and then I received smicha, and now I teach here. Are you trying to prevent people from becoming dati?? That's terrible!

Rabbi #2 (also teaches in school): I must disagree! I'm ALSO from Kiryat Malachi, and I can tell you that the secular kids in First Grade cause many problems for the entire class:

- Bad Language
- No Tzitziyot to class
- Forget kippot all the time
- Do not connect to what’s being taught if they aren't shomer shabbat
- Haircuts without "peyot"

How am I supposed to teach a class, when we go around the room asking student about their Rosh HaShana, and the secular kid say he went to Greece and has a deep suntan? When he doesn't go to shul? When his parents can't study with him? And then, when its his turn to be chazan for davening, and he has no tzitziyot. And then, when I teach about hilchot shabbat, and he says; "My parents do that on shabbat...are they wrong?" Any situation that makes the parents wrong is bad, and any situation that makes the teacher wrong is ALSO bad. The extra effort I put into helping this kid is coming at the expense of the other children who could be much stronger...

Parent: My kids came home from school with terrible language which they DID NOT learn at home! It's all from the bad influence from these other kids at school. We don't have a TV, so he didn't get it from there.

Parent; Bad Language can come from all sorts of homes, religious, secular and in-between.

Teacher: Secular boys are much more of a problem in terms of bad language than secular girls. I dont think that secular girls in the class are as bad an influence over the class...

Board Member: I moved here because of the plurality, so I'm torn between outreach and offering everyone a religious education, and the negative influences you are describing.

Principal: The problem is the percentages. Twenty percent is too much. Maybe 10% is better? Maybe we need different standards? The problem is that its very difficult to make a child leave if he can't make the grade.

Municipal Mayor: Could we make the parents sign a contract about their outwardly religous behavior -- for the good of their own child AND the good of the school?

Teacher: I heard the following conversation today:

Second grade students talking at the makolet; one religious, one secular.

Secular: You know, next year I'm going to your school! My parents signed me up and told me what a great school you guys have.

Religious: (thinking for a minute) Are you SURE you want to come to my school? I mean, I think its great, but you would have to do so many things you don't do now.

Secular: Really? My parents didn't tell me about that...like what?

Religious: Well, you need to wear a kippa in school, Tzitziyot, and you would need to go to davening.

Secular: Hmmm...I guess I could do those things.

Religious: And, there's class every day on halacha, chumash, navi...

Secular: Oh...I hadn't thought about that.

Religious: And we have tests in all these topics as well.

Secular; Well, my parents told me its a great school: you have special fun classes, swimming lessons, extra tiyulim, extra curricular activities...

So you see how the secular kid's parents are selling it to him.

Letter is read from rav in the yishuv, with lots of experience with secular/religious interaction. The main point was:

"Attempting to teach children from a secular lifestyle which goes against the way they are being raised (in the present), goes against the lifestyle of their parents and the children themselves...inevitably leads to the children developing an intolerance and dislike for their religious studies..."

Another Person: Listen to yourselves! You should be ashamed of yourselves! How can you prevent religious education for children regardless of their background??? You are the majority! (please note, this person doesn't send his kids to the school...very convenient to be frum when it doesn't affect him personally).

The bottom line. Everyone WISHES we could provide religious education for all. No one wants a negative influence on the school. No one wants repercussions for the secular children who are caught in the conflict of learning one thing in school and seeing the other at home.

The outcome? Subcommittee was formed to come up with recommendations...

How do YOU deal with this?



Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael