The Minister

One of the ministers in our government is a young (41), handsome person.  He's got 17 (!) siblings and 8(!) kids. He looks well, considering his large family background.

He belongs to the  orthodox religious circles which emphasize studying text (Thorah, talmudic books), over physical and worldly activities. In his case. he has studied beyond religious subjects, and got a profession in accountancy and industrial management.

The state invests a lot in families of this sort - religious with many kids (by way of alowances, benefits, stipends) without getting much if anything in return, in terms of taxes and army service. That causes great and persistent tension between the secular and the orthodox communities, and nothing good is going to come out of it.

The logo "Shivion Banetel" (sharing equally the burden of both security and economy) is constantly on the lips of  the secular people of the israeli society. This will actually determine the future and stability of the country in the years to come. 

The Fall of the Rock

It was breaking news a week ago: a huge, ancient stone (about 100 kg!!) had fallen from the Wailing Wall (Jerusalem Western Wall) in the mixed gender prayer area. It almost hit a 79- year old woman who was praying there.

Man looking over the divider at the women's praying section

This unusual matter is under investigation. The mayor of Jerusalem, the chief of police, the chief archeologist, the city engineer  and other professionals have arrived fast at the scene of the fallen stone (according to the Media).

men's section 

The fall of the rock  could have been  caused by natural erosion and/ or lack of proper engineering supervision  (I opt for the second possibility). 
The ultra-orthodox, claim this is a red light, a message of warning from God regarding the area of mixed gender prayer established after heavy pressure from the Reform leaders. 

The Reformists , claim the opposite; the message of warning is addressed to the orthodox who practice 'sinat chinam' (senseless hatred). On T'isha b' Av, 'sinat chinam' is  the main topic of discussion and prayer, as according to talmudic sages this is what led to the destruction of the first and second temple.

mother, girl, and baby coming from the Wall

I don't belong to any religious camp. I'm not for organized religion anyway.  I believe in God and pray to God  as my heart, thoughts, and traditional background guide me.

Having said that , the  detachment of the stone from the Wall cannot and does not leave anyone indifferent. It  came as a big surprise, at a specific timing (on Tisha b'Av, just a few hours after the fast of the mourners at the Wall ended), and in a specific place - the controversial temporary platform of no segregation between men and women, in use since about 2013.
So, all that makes one ponder....or, as the rabbi of the Western Wall has put it- 'this calls for soul-searching'. It certainly does.


*  (the above photos were taken during my visit there in December. See the post on the visit by typing 'Wall' in the search box). 

"Osher Ad" and.. . Kugel for Sabbath

'Osher Ad' (in english, meaning 'eternal happiness') is a chain of supermarkets with branches in some 15 locations which targets especially the large orthodox families needing quantity buying. The products are kosher, and there's even a tiny synagogue at the back of the store. 

The motto of the chain  is "no tricks, no gimmicks" (that is, no coupons, no 1+1, no deals etc..).  To show their understanding and emphaty for the budget- conscious customers with big families, they even posted advice signs  such as Don't buy more than you need, Don't bring the children when food shopping (truth is I don't see these signs any longer). That's good advice, of course, but hard  to put into practice.

Once a week, usually on Thursday, I do my shopping at the 'Osher Ad' store which is closest to my hometown. I like it for its big size, great variety, clean space, low prices. What I do not like is the fact that one has to stand in line at the checkout counter for quite a long time; there is no express line.

I usually go to 'Osher Ad' late in the day, so chances are their apple kugel- my favorite product- is sold out.
Kugel is a  dish made of egg noodles and baked in a square pan. It's the most elevated traditional Sabbath food on the table.The cinnamon apple noodle kugel is "devastating", and as one might guess, it's not a low-calorie dessert. If it's there , I just have to buy it. I'm hooked. (The potato kugel or any of the other kugel versions is of no interest to me).

Behind The Black Veil

No, these are not Taliban women in Afganistan, Pakistan, Iran or any other muslim country. The above picture with the women and girls in black was taken in Israel, in the city of Beit Shemesh , near Jerusalem.

'Beit Shemesh' ('House of the Sun' or 'Temple of the Sun' in Hebrew) , named after the sun-goddess Shemesh worshipped here in antiquity, was founded in 1950 near the ruins of the ancient biblical town with the same name.

This city has besides secular residents, a large orthodox population which includes many streams of religious practice , and an ultra-orthodox sector (haredim), It also has... an impressive number of immigrants from english-speaking countries (USA, Great Britain, South Africa, Australia etc..).

The phenomenon of women and girls completely covered up in layers of cloth (with only a few unseen holes in the eye area) is called the Shalim Movement - 'shalim' meaning shawls, veils, cloak. It's strange, as it is not based on the bible, on tradition, or on some religious law; it is more likely a trend acquired from our muslim neighboring countries. The leader of this sect, Malka Benizri, comes indeed from a jewish family that has its origin in a muslim country, and so, I suppose, are most of the women that belong to it.

This sect is still a minority but it's spreading fast among neighborhoods.

The key word with these women is 'tzniut'(modesty). They meet once a week and talk about it. Well, they do take modesty to a level unknown to Judaism, perhaps known only to Islam. Some of them may even do it against their husbands' will. There were reports of girls being beaten up because they refused to wear shalim (the former leader of this movement, a mother of ten, is in prison on charges of child abuse).

I don't live in that area and don't have to stumble upon them, but it's worrying. I think this phenomenon should not be encouraged (to say the least) for several reasons: It's against Nature, it's exaggerated and extreme (extremity could lead to other forms of extremity), the shawls that also cover the whole face including eyes and ears create social barriers , may damage the eyes and physically endanger the wearer (especially the small girls).