We got an advertising brochure for the large charity organization Kupat Hair, the City Fund, operating in haredi communities throughout Israel.

Normally they include stories of people who get into trouble, then catch a taxi/find the housekey/make the plane after promising to donate to Kupat Hair. Often the protagonists are (presumably wealthy) Americans or Europeans.

In this issue the front cover shows a picture of Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky “praying for all of the children.” He’s praying that they will be accepted into the yeshiva that is best for them, and that they will pass the days of summer safely.

This appeared on Rabbi Yehonatan Chipman’s blog today:

Appeal for Blood Donations

July 29 2009. My infant grandson must undergo a major life-saving medical procedure—bone-marrow transplant—in the coming days, and there is urgent need for blood donations, from which short-lived white blood cells will be extracted. Healthy donors with types A+, A-, O+ and O- are asked to report in person at the Blood Bank at Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikvah: Sun-Thurs: 8 am – 7pm; Fri: 8 am – 1 pm. The initial visit is to give a blood sample for screening and testing; those found suitable will be asked to return one evening for an injection to stimulate production of white blood cells, and will return the following morning. Important: please tell the nurse on duty that the blood is for Erez Chipman.

Read more on Appeal for Blood Donations in Tel Aviv Area…

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Tonight Jews commemorate the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. We observe all mourning rituals, and fast from before sunset on Wednesday until after dark on Thursday.

Here are two posts from previous years on breastfeeding and fasting:

Many Israelis are distressed to realize that they will be paying a lot of tax on excess water, maybe several hundred shekel a month. In my last post on the water crisis in Israel, I asked readers for suggestions. I’m going to compile the replies here, and add a few comments of my own.

The standard allocation for each family should be more than enough for a family’s normal washing, cooking, and laundry needs. Every drop counts, and saving water saves you money on the water, the sewage, and wear and tear on your water heater even if it’s solar. I don’t think that a few long showers by teens would be enough to make a difference. If you are way over the limit I think that one of these is the most likely cause:

Major Sources of Excess Water Usage

Elana Sztokman’s response to Yael Mishali contains a beautiful description of motherhood.

Sztokman then reports on the Kolech discussion of birth control that offended Mishali:

Petrekovsky described severe mental and emotional anguish that results from all of this reproductive pressure. It should be obvious. The numbers are hard to come by, but it is clear that the system is going to eventually crash. Petrekovsky talked about her fear that many will leave religion. [MiI: Emphasis mine.] We have no statistics whatsoever on women leaving religion because all the studies on the “datlash” (formerly religious) phenomenon in Israel were done on men. Shraga Fisherman’s well-known Noar Ha-Kipot Hazrukot (Youth of the Strewn Skullcaps) research study about the 20-25% of religious youth leaving religion is all about men and not women (hence the title).

I know many women who have raised large families, and to me they seem as frum as ever if not more so. But I am intrigued. Is there anything to this concern? Do you know any mothers of many who have left yiddishkeit?

Read more on Are Mature Religious Women Leaving the Fold?…

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I’ve been recovering from jetlag, getting my apartment painted, and planning my son’s Bar Mitzvah. It looks like we are down to 35 for Shabbat.

Rabbi Cherlow wants to make Orthodox synagogues more female-friendly.

Read more on Friday Links: Women and Shul, Bar Mitzvahs, KCC, and More…

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The trial of Bruria Keren, the face-covering mother of 12 who started a movement encouraging hyper-tzniut (extreme modesty), has been convicted of abusing six of her twelve children.

Keren attracted the attention of the press in December 2007 because she covered her face, wore multiple layers of clothes, refused to speak while men were present, and persuaded other women to do likewise. Shortly after this “movement” became known in the press, she was arrested for severe child abuse.

Here you can find photographs and links to more posts on the subject.

Late pre-term (LP) babies are those born after 34 weeks and before 37 full weeks of gestation. After 37 weeks, a baby is considered full-term. LP babies look normal and may weigh within the normal range. Yet they have underlying issues that affect breastfeeding.

Keeping the kitchen cool on Shabbat can be a challenge. Hot food has to be set up before Shabbat and kept warm, in a kitchen that may have seen a lot of cooking that day. And most people like to have warm food for Shabbat lunch too–most rabbis agree that it’s a halachic requirement. Here are some tips for keeping the kitchen cool over Shabbat. As a bonus, keeping the kitchen cool usually means saving on your energy bill.

A reader comments:
I saw your post about getting rid of our Maytag, and peeked at your Purim mask, but can someone show me a way to cut my usage by two thirds?