"Making Jew-Hatred Great Again"

BS"D

20 Kislev, 5780 °° Dec. 18, '19

Making Jew-Hatred Great Again:

Anti-Religious Coercion by the Israeli Army, Targeting Yet Another Ba'alat Teshuvah.

By Binyomin Feinberg, Contributor to The Jewish Press*

FeinbergBinyomin@gmail.com

* The perspectives and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the ownership or management of The Jewish Press.

~~~~~~~~~~~

To check for updates throughout the week please visit ("Updates for Kislev" at: )

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_UDTjX9fB6CORv5KjwI04HP4qMI5ZgRdKNcsp4YHohg

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Israeli government officials are known for being outspoken in their criticism of Diaspora Jew-haters - real, imagined, and/or exacerbated, from England to Turkey, and beyond. But the domestic, home-grown variety seems to evade their eagle-eyes. Moreover, our Sages exhort us that those who cause us to sin pose a graver danger than those who threatened our physical survival, "Gadol hamachatiyoh yosair min ha'horgoh." The actively antireligious elements in Israel - intent on drawing Jews away from Torah - are thus more of a concern than those bonafide Jew-haters who pose only a physical danger.

As a policy, an official decision by the Israeli government was made in the Summer (Av) of 2013 CE, making it an official priority to draft religious girls into the Military. It is absolutely prohibited according to all leading Torah authorities, across the spectrum, for women - religious or otherwise - to serve in the military. It is likewise prohibited to seek to convince girls, religious or not, to enlist. How much more wicked is it to FORCE girls, religious or not, into the military.

Besides being prohibited, it's also inhumane, for obvious reasons. To quote one victim of sexual abuse (who B"H escaped the military), it's known within the Army that "Ha'Banot ba'Tzavah hain Mizron Tzahali." (We will leave that untranslated here.)

The women are not needed in the Army to serve the country, but rather to serve the men running the Army. None of this is rocket science.

This background perspective accentuates the rish'us (evil) of persecuting girls and women who refuse to be forced to serve in the Army. But as a policy, the Israeli government does exactly that; it's persecutes those girls, including girls who articulate specific religious objections, objections incontrovertibly rooted in Torah Law. This is undeniably "antireligious persecution." If it would be perpetrated by non-Jews, abroad, Israeli officials would be tripping over themselves to grandstand in front of microphones against antisemitism. But over their own strains of Jew-hatred, the silence is deafening.

Case in point: Dana B., who lives in northern Israel, was recently required to enlist in the Army, despite being a recent Baalat Teshuva (returnee to observance of Judaism, aka "BT"). Her parents have been observant for about four years. They are similarly, and rightfully adamant against her enlistment in the military. She presented her religious certification in January ('19). Being only recently observant, and of course having studied in a non-religious school, the Army summoned her immediately to a "Rayon Dat," a religious interrogation, without allowing her the much-needed time to prepare - and without any legal counsel, advocate, or any accompanying party altogether. The latter protocol is standard Army policy, in defiance of common sense and deference to religious liberty (apparently a concept somewhat foreign to them). Predictably, she failed her religious test. Her application for a standard religious exemption was thus denied.

Since then, she has been harassed by the Army to follow enlistment procedures, and she's refused, with the strong support of her parents, who've hired their own attorney. However, the attorney has apparently not seen much success ("fighting City Hall"). She's recently reached out to activists to help her. Her case may not be an easy one. Her draft date has been set by the Army, and she needs our support and tefillos.

This neo-"Jihadist" sentiment against baalot teshuva, the recently observant, reveals a deep seated antipathy towards practicing, committed Jews. Judaism is like a marriage, it requires commitment. Once committed to follow the Torah, one is "Torah observant," even if at the moment still ignorant of the laws. Learning the practical laws is a process. Thus, demanding knowledge at the initial stages of commitment is unreasonable. Denying her religiosity is cruel. And denying her religious exemption is inexcusably biased. Even from a secular perspective, her position is fully understandable, and acceptable. But the perspective of the Army brass is not merely secular, but rather antireligious.

~~~

Netanyahu waxes eloquent about pidyon shevuyim - while his own government (or what passes for such) is tormenting untold numbers of unquestionably innocent Israeli girls in military prisons for their refusal to serve in the Israeli military.

On Tues., Netanyahu "vowed to secure the release of an Israeli-American backpacker who is serving a seven-year-plus prison sentence in Russia for a minor drug offense," according to an article in the Times of Israel.

“I am not a magician, but one thing I assure you. I will bring Naama Issachar home,” Netanyahu told supporters at a rally in Haifa where he was campaigning ahead of a leadership primary within his Likud party. Issachar, who’s been held in Russia since April, was arrested over a small amount of marijuana found in her luggage during a stopover in Moscow."

"Issachar was sentenced in October to seven and a half years in prison for drug smuggling after authorities in April found nine grams of marijuana in her luggage before she boarded a connecting flight on her way from India to Israel. She had not planned to enter Russia during the stopover," according to the TOI.

We are not commenting on the case of the young lady in Russian prison, or critiquing any legitimate efforts to free her. We're pointing out the rank hypocrisy of Netanyahu, to say: while grandstanding as a savior, clean your own house, as well.

The human rights atrocities committed by the Israeli government against undeniably innocent Israeli girls (religious or otherwise) remind us of the tyrannical regimes of the past, regimes whose Socialist mentality reverberates through contemporary Israeli "rightwing" (sic) leftists, channeling Stalin in their abuse of innocent girls, girls who refuse to submit to the hopelessness of mandatory exploitation under IDF officers.

Why the secret to success is setting the right goals | John Doerr

Rabbi Akiva Tatz - Euthanasia & Withholding The Therapy

100 Jewish graves were desecrated in France

https://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2019/12/13/anti-semitism-rising-french-german-border-melissa-bell-intl-ldn-vpx.cnn

For now, 42 attacks -- on graveyards, town halls, schools and cultural centers -- remain unpunished and the threat of more remains. While the hunt for the culprits continued on the ground, CNN began to investigate who might be influencing them from afar. What we found was a trail that led us from Alsace, through the Bahamas and Panama, and on to the United States.

 https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2019/12/14/europe/france-anti-semitic-attacks-intl/index.html

Trump boasted that his polls are “through the roof.” Fox News quickly proved him wrong.

https://www.vox.com/2019/12/16/21024071/trump-fox-news-impeachment-poll-biden

 A Fox News poll released Sunday morning shows that a majority of registered voters think Trump should be impeached (54 percent). Half of the survey’s respondents (50 percent) not only think Trump should be impeached, but that he should also be removed from office. By contrast, only 41 percent don’t think Trump should be impeached at all.

מותר לפרסום: פרשה חמורה במגזר החרדי

 https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-5642311,00.html

כתב אישום הוגש נגד גורם טיפולי במגזר החרדי, בגין עבירות מין שביצע במטופליו. בית המשפט המחוזי בירושלים אסר לפרסם את שאר פרטי החקירה. בפרשת הסגרת מלכה לייפר הנאשמת בפדופיליה באוסטרליה נמשכים העיכובים והדחיות

 "

Shul holding a shiur in the Fleischer home

With a shul in Philadelphia hosting a program for a visiting rav in

the home of Tamar and Adam, it seems pretty absurd to pretend that the Philadelphia rabbonim, especially Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky, oppose the annulment and remarriage.

https://images.shulcloud.com/6201/uploads/December7.pdf

Young Israel of the Mainline

Rabbi Avraham Steinberg

...

Upcoming YIML Events Scholars-In-Residence Rabbi Dovid Gottlieb—Next

Shabbos, Parshas Vayishlach, December 13th & 14th Between Kabbalas

Shabbos & Maariv Welcome and Introduction 8:00 PM Oneg—Hosted By Adam & Tamar Fleischer  “Talking to the Shepherd" - What Does Being “Frum"Really Mean?

Washington Watch: Why do some cheer Trump’s Jewish tropes?

https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Washington-Watch-Why-do-some-cheer-Trumps-Jewish-tropes-610658

More disturbing than Trump’s usual antisemitic slurs was the cheering response of the Jewish audience, including those he’d just called “brutal killers.” Not only did they seem unbothered, but many actually cheered his bigotry. One has to wonder how they’d have responded if a Democrat said the same thing. (Note to readers: all references to laughter and applause come from the White House transcript.)

Facilitating Suicide?

The Army's Life-Threatening Persecution of (yet another) Israeli Girl Struggling to Protect Herself

14 Kislev, 5780 °° Dec. 12, '19

Parshas Vayishlach, ver. 3

By Binyomin Feinberg, Contributor to The Jewish Press*

FeinbergBinyomin@gmail.com

* The perspectives and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the ownership or management of The Jewish Press.

~~~~~~~~~~~

To check for updates throughout the week please visit ("Updates for Kislev" at: )

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_UDTjX9fB6CORv5KjwI04HP4qMI5ZgRdKNcsp4YHohg

~~~~~~~~~~

What happens when the Army takes in a girl with pre-existing emotional health challenges, neglects her confirmable medical needs - to the extent of essentially compelling her to flee, then (of course) arrests her for "deserting," incarcerates her in Military Prison -- and then proceeds to illegally deny her the ability to seek a bonafide mental health exemption - all the while submitting her to a regimen of unrelenting psychological abuse and tormet in prison, at the hands of a coterie of irreverent 18-19 year-old professional bullies employed by the prison?

They've created a suicide threat.

And they're essentially enabling suicidal acts on her part.

Reportedly, in a case now at hand, that is precisely what happened, according to a reliable source who has been in direct contact with the Israeli girl in question, Shir. Moreover, if that tragic saga wasn't all one massive, unintentional series of concatenated goofs, then we can declare "Mission Accomplished:" That's because, as was recently learned, Shir was recently found in her cell, in Military Prison number Four (in Rishon LeTzion area), unconscious, apparently suffering from the effects of what was described as an "attempted suicide." If that's what it was, then, to be technically correct, it would be more accurately identified as a "Facilitated Suicide" attempt. But, first, some background is in order.

°°°°

1. A female IDF conscript, Shir, has been languishing in an Israeli military prison (#4) for almost four weeks, for leaving the Army without permission.

2. Shir clarifies that she was actually compelled to flee the Army -- by the Army itself - in the wake of acute and unbearable mistreatment. Although military life is incompatible with women in general, in Shir's case, the incompatibility was crystal clear. The Army reportedly refused to pay heed to her documented medical needs. Consequently, Shir had no choice but to escape that toxic military environment, simply to protect her health ("Chaye'hah kod'min").

3. However, for the Army, self-preservation is apparently not a sufficient excuse. After a period of time seeking refuge at home, on Nov.15, Shira was arrested and incarcerated.

4. Shir had her first hearing on Nov.17. At the hearing itself, she suffered an attack and collapsed, requiring hospitalization for about 10 hours.

5. Despite her manifestly weak condition, she was subsequently transferred to Military Prison #4 on Nov. 18.

6. Shir seeks a bonafide "petur nafshi," exemption for emotional health reasons - to which she is fully and clearly entitled.

7. However, in order to obtain such an exemption, she needs an appointment with a psychologist. The Judge has heretofore refused to enable her to see one. (Initially, Shir even had to rely on a government public defender, although now B"H she has a private attorney.)

8. The Justice system keeps stalling, forcing Shir to indefinitely endure ongoing emotional abuse in prison from prison staff, which is composed of 18-19 year olds, unfortunately inclined towards ruthlessness to Shir and other incarcerated conscripts.

9. Additionally, Shir has no recourse to complain about mistreatment. Whenever she does, the offending officer exacts vengeance by consigning her to solitary confinement (for "disobedience," etc.). Shir was also threatened that no one will take care of her if she collapses in Solitary.

10. Furthermore, solitary confinement is excruciatingly difficult, even for girls in perfect health, how much more so for the health-compromised.

11. And it's not clear when this will end. It appears that the proverbially open-ended "Justice Delayed is Justice Denied" treatment is aimed at breaking her will to secure her legal and human rights in obtaining the military exemption which she needs, and to which she is unambiguously entitled.

~~~

12. Thus, the aforementioned attempted "suicide" didn't just happen by accident. It was foreseeable, if not predictable.

13. Further confirmation of that observation is that even now, well over a week later, she's still being held in the same purgatory that almost killed her. It's almost as if the military's "punishment" for mental health challenges is Instigated Suicide (a.k.a. "Surrogate Homicide").

14. Any lucid system of Justice would have not only allowed but ordered Shir to see a psychologist, provide her a psychological exemption without further delay, and get her out of the toxic military and prison environment as quickly as possible.

15. But no... it's not done that way. Why not? Is it perhaps because then other girls might flee the overstaffed Army, where they are vitally needed to watch videos, and to provide unspecified services to elements of the male sector?

16. Clearly, the military has absolutely no need for such emotionally encumbered conscripts, and has every basis and means to end this case without fanfare or futher delay. So why prolong her torment?

17. This obstinate attitude on the part of the military leadership may "make sense" if the intent here may be to showcase another Facilitated Suicide attempt to any other girls who would consider fleeing mistreatment within the military.

18. Given all of the immorality rampant throughout the secularist- dominated Army, and the consequent, pervasive exploitation of females therein, that option may be seen by elements of the military brass as a much needed expedient.

19. What we do know is that women in the Army are considered - by Army officers - as "miz'ron Tzahali." (We will not translate that here. But we will state that whatever that is, it stands in diametric opposition to the Torah and what the Jewish People have stood for, for four thousand years. One girl, who successfully escaped alleged mistreatment within the Army, reported that the Army simultaneously (1) denied the occurrence of the mistreatment, (2) encouraged her to participate in it, and (3) described it as part and parcel of Army protocol: "Ha'banos ba'Tzava hain miz'ron Tzahali...")

20. Thus, to impede a literal Exodus of mistreated women and girls from the notoriously exploitive Army, deterrence (in the form of instilling terror in the female conscripts) is "needed." This provides insight into the pattern of persecution of girls who were compelled to flee the Army - by the Army itself - in the wake of unbearable abuse.

21. One case in point is Rinat bat Chedva. She enlisted in Dec. '17, was badly mistreated in the IAF, fled home Aug. 29, '18, was dragged out of her home 2:30 in the morning on about Jan.22, '19. She was incarcerated in Military Prison Four until her final release on Mar. 1, '19, after repeated demonstrations and extensive reportage in The Jewish Press (Winter-Spring '19) and elsewhere online. Rinat endured about two weeks of her incarceration in solitary confinement, in an obvious attempt to break her and deter others. B"H, she persevered and broke free, getting her formal exemption mailed to her home Erev Pesach, having braved all odds.

°°°

22. Shir describes her conditions, and those of other jailed conscripts, as brutal and intolerable. But she is not the only one. Her depiction of persecution - often by the ruthless college-age "kids" staffing the jail - echoes those of numerous female survivors of Military Prison, e.g.: Yuval bas Tamar (2018), Rinat bat Chedva (Jan.-Feb.'19, reported on in the Jewish Press about five times); Orah Chaya and Moriah Leah bas Bruria, and Lidar Shira Levy (JP June 28 '19, p.70 (cf. Aug.9, p.66)), and Miriam Natan (JP Dec.6, p.18).

23. Unless there's an elaborate, "vast rightwing conspiracy" to badmouth IDF military jails - Israelis are - without a trace of exaggeration - contending with a systemic human rights crisis, pervasive throughout the military prison system, including Prison Four, Six, and Tel HaShomer.

24. Whether the particular abuse is a denial of religious, civil, or human rights - and whether the victim is National Religious, Chareidi, Mesorati, Secular, or not Jewish altogether - it's intolerable for any government, how much more so for a government so loudly claiming to represent the Jewish People.

25. As believing Jews we know that ultimately, no one gets away with anything. As our Sages exhort us, Ma'arich Apei ve'Govei Di'Lei ("He (G-d) extends His Wrath -- (but ultimately) He collects His Dues.").

~~~

26. Shir must be acutely disillusioned. When she enlisted in the IDF, she hoped the experience would enable her to strengthen herself in overcoming her emotional challenges. However, not only did the Army neglect her health needs, they're now actively taking advantage of her emotional health issues in persecuting her while in prison.

27. However, Shir should not feel alone, because other girls have endured particularly trying tribulations due to health issues of their own, or of their parents. In fact, this writer knows of about a half a dozen cases of girls who've been hounded by the Draft Offices despite - or perhaps precisely because - they had a parent in very poor health.

28. Such a girl tends to be far more subject to government pressure. Where her parents have a very serious condition, she's thrust into an apparently impossible dilemma: compromise on Halacha and her own personal purity and security - and her very future as a Jewish mother - or risk the life of her parent, with all that spectre entails. Such terrible choices raise up memories of the worst periods of our history.

29. Unfortunately, the Draft Office has demonstrated a pattern of persecution of seriously ill parents, via an irrational vendetta against their draft-age [religious] children, or, vice versa.

Examples include: Yuval bas Tamar (a sefardi baalas Teshuva), Avigaiyil bas R.Ester (Chabad), Orah Chaya & Moriah Leah bas Bruria (Chareidi), Moriah bas Leah (national religious), Ziva bas Mazal (Ethiopian). All share a common denominator: a pursuit of indisputably religious girls by the IDF Draft Office, clearly endangering the health and even lives of their seriously ill parents.

30. How likely is it that this apparent pattern of targeting the most vulnerable is coincidental? If indeed it's not, what does that say about how the justice system and the Army treats Israeli citizens?

31. Most importantly, how many of us can honestly claim that (as the Elders are to declare in the process of bringing an Eglah Arufah) "our hands have not spilled this innocent blood, nor have our eyes overlooked it..."? Have we done our fair share in considering how we may be of some humble assistance in the epic war on behalf of innocent Bnos Yisroel?

32. Ultimately, the wicked conduct of the Army/Government towards innocent girls and women is our responsibility. It would not continue like it is if even a small minority would vibrantly, intelligently, and sufficiently protest these atrocities internationally.

33. How much more so when they're clearly endangering the life of a girl who already suffered so much in the military.

34. During the Destruction of the Bayis Shani, Chazal inform us, the pirchei Kehunah (junior Kohanim) gathered and threw up the keys of the Bais HaMikdash heavenward, recognizing their failure as faithful custodians of the keys to His House. The Gemara relates that, miraculously, an image of a heavenly hand appeared to extend to grasp those keys (G-d has no physicality whatsoever; the image was representative, apparently of His Hanhagah/ Actions in this world).

Have we considered that when HaShem will soon restore His Holy House in Jerusalem (Shel-Mattah) (independent of the location of the US Embassy...) - He may restore those very keys to those worthy thereof? Perhaps HaShem is similarly "extending" His figurative "Hand" to each of us - every day - by offering even average and unworthy Jews monumental opportunities to accumulate untold merit, prior to the advent of Moshiach, opportunities we dare not miss?

PP Payback& Kyrgyzstan Pushback

BS"D

Culture Wars Update Online:

Parshas Vayishlach, 10 Kislev, 5780 °° Dec. 12, '19


By Binyomin Feinberg, Contributor to The Jewish Press*

FeinbergBinyomin@gmail.com

* The perspectives and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the ownership or management of The Jewish Press.

~~~~~~~~~~~

To check for updates throughout the week please visit ("Updates for Kislev" at: )

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_UDTjX9fB6CORv5KjwI04HP4qMI5ZgRdKNcsp4YHohg
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Apparent Planned Parenthood Payback in NJ:


The NJ Senate is expected to vote on two morally objectionable measures this coming Monday, Dec. 16, both of which passed through the Assembly in MarCheshvan. One bill, A5802 (s4301), is a special appropriations funding measure, gifting Planned Parenthood 9.5 million dollars. It unfortunately passed the Assembly, but very narrowly. That narrow margin is surprisingly encouraging. That fact obliges us to leverage any influence Orthodox communities have with State Senators to actively oppose this bill.


It should be emphasized that we would oppose this funding even if it were part of a broader budget package. In this case, it's not. Thankfully, that fact removes an argument some legislators may have used to support it. Now they have no such excuse. Please contact your state senator before Monday urging them to actively speak out against and vote NO on giving Planned Parenthood any funding whatsoever.


If your legislator doesn't care about morality, consider asking him how a fiscally faltering state like NJ can afford to provide another entitlement program for a multi-billion dollar company, especially with taxdollars of the morally opposed.


Greg Quinlan, a long time profamily NJ activist with the Center for Garden State Families (who has also worked with grassroots Orthodox askonim for years) observed the timing of this appropriations bill. It immediately follows the November election, in which the Planned Parenthood Political Action Committee funded multiple proabortion candidates, as always. It appears to be a "quid pro quo," "payback," in the vernacular. The appropriations money doesn't go directly back to the PP PAC, but would ensure that the PAC election money was well spent, from their perspective. It may not be illegal, "but it's by no means kosher," Mr. Quinlan explained.


Another objectionable bill expected in the Senate Monday is the Senate version of Assembly bill A5508 (which passed the Assembly). It would require even religious employers to pay for abortion inducing drugs in health care plans, regardless of their religious beliefs. It's important for those who represent us to both vote and speak up against these measures.


NJ Legislative Info For Senate & Assembly:

v: 609.847.3905 or (800) 792-8630

w: www.NJLeg.state.nj.us

or email: LegInfo@NJLeg.org

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kyrgyzstan Standing Against Moral Evils


Ozonnia Ojielo, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kyrgyzstan, recently made some statements seen as morally subversive by many local residents of that former Russian Republic.

These are excerpts from a recent UN statement:

"The UN encourages Kyrgyzstan to foster public debate on gender equality {a primary form of moral turpitude - BF}
and womens human rights, free of intolerance and hatred. {These latter terms are often employed as euphemisms for moral subversion as well.}

The United Nations in the Kyrgyz Republic takes note of current debates on gender equality in the country, coinciding with the worldwide 16-days campaign calling for the elimination of all forms of gender-based violence against women. Under the leadership of the UN Secretary-General and supported by all UN Member States, the campaign raises awareness about gender equality and gender-based violence as a core human rights issue.

Against this backdrop, the United Nations expresses concern about alarming incidents of intolerance, hate speech and calls to violence, in the wake of the Bishkek-based art exhibition Feminnale. The art event sparked polarizing discussions, which regrettably descended into numerous instances of deplorable verbal abuse and death threats against artists, women activists and rights defenders."

"... States carry an overriding obligation to ensure that such debate is free from incitement to hatred and violence against women and all groups in society, said Ozonnia Ojielo, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kyrgyzstan..."

°°°

In reality, that aforementioned "art" (sic) exhibit was an extremely obscene performance too indecent to even describe here. Thankfully, the decadence of the performance evoked vocal opposition from local residents. That opposition is referred to above as "polarizing discussions," discussion which definitely should be polarizing - in the constructive sense of "those who love G-D shall despise evil" (Ps. 97)

Apparently, the aforementioned UN official seeks to whitewash moral subversion of a country retaining a pro-morality orientation despite the western surge into the immorality milieu.

To this UN interference, there was a vibrant local protest by a profamily activist, from Bolotbek Batilov, Chairman of Public Association "WORLD LEAGUE OF CITIZENS AND CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS."

He responded to Ozonnia Ojielo, UN Resident Coordinator in Kyrgyzstan, stating:


"Your statement on issues related to public processes in the Kyrgyz Republic goes beyond the scope of the declared and defined by the protocol of your legal, legal and political status!"

He argues that it's unacceptable to make statements that would be regarded as "lobbying for unlawful claims and interests of certain groups of dubious direction! It offends the feelings and unshakable values of the people of Kyrgyzstan!"


He added: "We do not want to qualify this as interference in the internal affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic!

"But we want to ask you to show due respect for our People and the State and continue to refrain from unreasoned statements that may be misunderstood and cause social destabilization and adversely affect the image of a country (member of the UN) in the international arena!"

"To infringe upon the rights of a multinational and multiconfessional people, in favor of satisfying unlawful, radical claims and unreasonably expanding their rights to be above the generally accepted legal relations, above the legal norms, above the laws and above the principles of legal relations laid down in the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic ... is unacceptable and unacceptable according to the same UN standards, the observance of which is your direct responsibility!" (ie., le'shito'soh he's inconsistent, BF)

It's about time we in the western world put our foot down, and stop apologizing for Torah morality. If non-Jews in Kyrgyzstan can speak up, unapologetically, then Jews in America, England, and Israel should do so with all the more vibrancy, irrespective of how few we number relative to the broader population.

Trump Signs Order Aimed at Anti-Semitism on College Campuses

https://time.com/5748668/trump-order-anti-semitism-college/The order comes as the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against the Israeli government for its treatment of Palestinians becomes more prominent on some college campuses.

The Israeli government has urged allies to rein in the boycott movement, while its backers deny anti-Semitism charges and describe themselves as critical of Israeli decision-making, not Jews.

“My administration will not stand for these malicious attacks upon the state of Israel,” Trump said in describing the boycott movement.

The Anti-Defamation League, which has been critical of Trump in the past for comments the group has described as echoing “racist talking points” welcomed the executive order. The group’s CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, said it would give law enforcement and campus officials an important tool in fighting anti-Semitism.

But critics said the order is based on stalled legislation and is designed less to combat anti-Semitism than to have a chilling effect on free speech and to crack down on campus critics of Israel.

Are female mohels halachically okay?

https://www.jta.org/2006/01/17/lifestyle/are-female-mohels-halachically-okay

Jewish law does not forbid a woman from serving as mohel, although it seems to be discouraged. Rabbi Daniel Korobkin of Kehillat Yavneh in Los Angeles points to Yoreh De’ah 264:1 in the Shulchan Aruch. “Two opinions are brought,” he says, one that says a bris done by a woman is kosher, and one that says it’s not. “But both agree that whenever a Jewish male is available, a woman should not be used,” he concludes. That preference for a male has, over time, become custom that assumed the force of law. It’s the way things are done: In Orthodox circles, a brit milah takes place in the presence of a minyan, or group of 10 Jewish men. Women often stay in a separate room during the ceremony, or in a part of the main room separated by a mechitzah, and join the men afterwards. Throughout history, however, when a male mohel was not available women have stepped in. One prominent Orthodox rabbi, who declined to be named, spoke of an Orthodox woman physician who circumcised boys while visiting the former Soviet Union, and of a nurse who performed ritual circumcisions in post-World War II Europe. There are many other such cases, he added. Mohels are accepted by popular acclaim of the community, not by admission into any professional organization.

LIVE UPDATES AS IG MICHAEL HOROWITZ TESTIFIES ON ALLEGED FISA ABUSE IN TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE

https://www.newsweek.com/horowitz-live-updates-trump-russia-fisa-hearing-1476743480

The 480-page report, released Monday, had the following takeaways:

• The FBI's Russia probe was justified and not biased.
• There was no evidence of "political bias or improper motivation" when a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant was obtained to surveil Trump campaign aide Carter Page, or when investigating campaign chairman Paul Manafort, campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos and national security adviser Michael Flynn.
• However, the FBI's surveillance program, and how it obtains FISA warrants, is peppered with errors, the report stated, including "17 significant errors or omissions in the Carter Page FISA applications."
• The controversial "Steele dossier" was not used to open the FBI's probe into several former Trump campaign officials.
• Christopher Steele, the dossier's author and a former British intelligence officer, had a personal relationship with a Trump family member, reportedly Ivanka Trump.

Democrats and Republicans were both quick to declare the report a victory for their respective positions on the matter. Democrats asserted that the report debunked theories touted by Trump and Republicans that the FBI probe was an attempt to undermine his candidacy—or an attempted "coup," as Trump has characterized it.

IDF FAKING CHAREI BOYS, while denying dati religious girls

Charedim in the IDF? An Insider's Perspective

As a sequel to yesterday's post about the IDF massively overstating the numbers of charedim in the IDF, here is an eye-opening account from a friend of mine who served in Nachal Charedi. Please note that the point of this is not that Nachal Charedi is not valuable; it is tremendously valuable. The point is that Nachal Charedi does not indicate that charedi society is more accepting of army service.


Don't let the IDF's spin fool you. The talk of "mistakes", of "an unfortunate mishap", it's all false.

I know. I served for three years in Netzach Yehuda/ Nahal Haredi and can testify that what we have here is nothing less than a systematic campaign by the military to fool the government and the public.

In August 2013, I transferred from the Border Police to Netzach Yehuda. The August draft cycle was the first since then-Finance Minister Yair Lapid passed the Draft Law, and everyone involved had an interest in showing that haredi enlistment was on the rise.

As part of this propaganda effort, Netzach drafted two companies. As IDF veterans know, every combat battalion only drafts one company per tri-yearly draft cycle. But officially, so many haredim were begging to wear army green that they had to establish a second company, probably the first time this happened in the military's history.

The reality, of course, was considerably different. In fact, there were barely enough haredim for one company. So what did they do to maintain the fiction?

They simply went to the IDF's recruitment center in Tel Hashomer, found everyone who refused to serve in non-glamorous units such as tanks and artillery, conscripted them into Netzach, and sold them to the public as 'haredim'.

This brings me to the ultimate policy of dishonesty that was only exposed this morning. The IDF officially counts anyone serving in its ultra-Orthodox units as haredi.

This includes foreign soldiers trying to evade a mandatory three month Hebrew course ("I'm haredi and can't have female teachers"), married Religious Zionist troops who wanted more time at home with their wives, Chabadnikim, and Religious Zionists who didn't want to serve with women.

All of these people were counted in the official statistics. And when we were told that haredi enlistment is on the rise, it didn't mean that more haredim chose to fight for God and country, but that these units simply accepted more people.

Yet even the haredim themselves were not actually haredi. During my service, I saw people in my unit visiting brothels and eating bread on Passover. Shabbat desecration was rampant, daily minyanim were not a thing, and even officers were completely secular. When serving as a commander in the training base, I would often be forced to visit other companies to find a minyan for Mincha because I knew there was no chance I would find it with Netzach guys.

This wasn't a secret. Everyone knew, both in the IDF and out. Yet the official story went on. Journalists would arrive on base, speak to the three actual haredim, and then file a story about "the Ultra Orthodox combat battalions". I even remember how the soldiers selected to visit Defense Minister Bogie Ya'alon in his Sukkah were ordered to replace their knitted kipa with a black velvet one. As the old Canon ad went, "Image is Everything".

You can't fool all of the people all of the time, and the fact that the IDF was exposed cooking the books means we need to do some real thinking. The myth that haredim are running to the military is now demonstrably false, and the stats about their integration in the workforce are also problematic.

This means that the two fastest growing populations in Israel, the haredim and the Arabs, are not serving in the military, live in poverty, are not highly educated, and do not identify with the state.

These two populations already comprise 35% of Israel's total population. What will happen in 2040? Who will work, serve in the IDF, pay taxes, and be doctors?

As the saying goes, a third of the country pays taxes, a third works, and a third serves in the army. The problem is, is that it's always the same third.

If nothing changes, Israel could very well deteriorate into a failed state that cannot take care of its citizenry.

at December 05, 2019

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2 comments:

1. 
   DFDecember 5, 2019 at 7:55 PM

   This post seems like a hasty patch to cover up the fundamental error of the previous post, in which you cited and linked to the Jerusalem Post to breathlessly trumpet that the IDF has been "deliberately falsifying" (your words) the number of charedi recruits. It said nothing of the sort. At most, there is a rethinking or difference of opinion in how to define "charedi." That doesn't even mean the previous designation was wrong, let alone "deliberately false" - its just a different method. Everyone knows these things are impossible to define. That your "friend" here thinks otherwise is meaningless. As a Friend of the Show, I hope you are more careful of your words. In other contexts that could be actionable. And in all events it doesn't help your credibility.
   
   As for your closing comment, that Israel could deteriorate into a failed state - in 2019, I thought everyone had learned to stay away from predictions.
   
   (Having said all this, yes, I agree with central point. It would be nice if more Charedim served.)
   
   2. In your update you fret about the
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2. 
   waterman613December 5, 2019 at 8:18 PM

   Well, if Nahal Haredi is so full of chilul shabbos, treif, and brothels, and they don't have a minchah, then I guess it's a good thing so many Haredim don't go.
   
   I know everyone will say that it's that way *because* the Hare

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