Is Gilad Shalit a Hero?

Please welcome Hadassah Levy for today's guest post. Gilad Shalit has been called a hero by many in the days coming up to his release and the days following. Israeli President Shimon Peres visited Shalit on Monday, Oct. 24, and told him that he is a real hero for surviving captivity for 5 years. On … [Read more...]

Exclusive Account of Gaza Flotilla Violence

The following account came via my husband's former boss: I am disgusted and dismayed. Not by the actions of the Israeli Navy, but by the silence (so far) of our leaders who are supposed to explain to the world what is going on. The information below comes from my son who serves in the Navy and has … [Read more...]

Pashkevilim: Anti-Establishment Jerusalem Wall Posters Part II

In honor of Jerusalem Day our synagogue hosted Tzuriel Rashi, professor of political science and communications and expert on pashkevilim, political and religious wall posters found on the streets of large haredi neighborhoods. This is Part II. See Part I and Part III. In the pre-State period, … [Read more...]

Pashkvilim: Anti-Establishment Posters in Jerusalem, Part I

Pashkevilim hold up the buidings of Jerusalem. Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum, Former Satmar Rebbe Today marks Jerusalem Day, commemorating the unification of Jerusalem and the restoration of its Old City to Israel's control. As part of the celebration our synagogue hosted a talk called "Al Homotayich … [Read more...]

Petach Tikva: Election Issues

In light of my previous post, Lion of Zion asked about the issues in the upcoming municipal elections.We will cast two ballots this Tuesday, one for the local council (27 seats) and another for mayor. This year 159,000 residents have voting rights, beginning at age 17. The incumbent mayor, Itzik … [Read more...]

Municipal Elections: Update

You don't need to register in order to vote in Israel--you just need to bring your teudat zehut (identity card) to the voting location. Usually, we get a notice listing the location and precinct number. So far we haven't, so I called the number of the Interior Ministry listed in the AACI … [Read more...]

Rabbi Yigal Ariel: We are cutting ourselves off from the Israeli public

Rabbi Yigal Ariel of Moshav Nov in the Golan Heights published a book about haredi trends in religious Zionist circles. Here are some comments from a Ynet interview:“While everyone else spoke of ‘disengagement’ we (Religious Zionists) spoke of ‘expulsion’. Instead of the ‘Amona evacuation’ we … [Read more...]

Where Are the Parents?

Seven teenage girls have been arrested for settling an illegal outpost, and held in jail for over two weeks. Yitzhak Kadman, the director of the National Council for the Child, has called for their release. The girls, most of whom are only 14 years old, broke the law but did not commit a serious … [Read more...]

The real reason Israeli soldiers don’t rape Palestinian women

We take a break for a rare political post. (Update: Link now included.) Update: Israel Satire Laboratory's take on it--it's almost too easy. The newspaper Makor Rishon writes about a recent study by researcher Tal Nitzan and published by the Hebrew University's Shein Center for Social Studies. … [Read more...]