Military Police launch probe after soldier reports rape, then dies by suicide

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/military-police-launch-probe-after-soldier-reports-rape-then-dies-by-suicide/

The Military Police on Tuesday confirmed it had opened an investigation into the suicide of a female soldier a day after a failed attempt to kill herself and several days after she reported being raped, the Haaretz daily reported.

Ten days before the soldier died in April of this year, she told an officer at her base that she was raped at a party during the Purim holiday, and complained about her mental condition, the report said.

Despite the complaint, she was not taken to be examined at a hospital, nor did representatives of the military chief’s gender affairs adviser unit — who were notified of the incident — meet with the soldier, the report said.

Soldier Kills Herself After Reporting She Was Raped. Now Israeli Army Probes Suspicions of Negligence

 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2022-07-12/ty-article/.highlight/a-soldier-killed-herself-after-reporting-her-rape-the-army-did-little-to-help-her/00000181-eef2-daef-a79b-fef6754c0000?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=Marketing&utm_campaign=the_best_of_haaretz&utm_content=095c741dfb

Despite reporting the rape on the night it happened, the soldier was not taken to get treatment, her complaint was not passed on, and her access to a weapon was not limited

The Myth of Average: Todd Rose at TEDxSonomaCounty

Former Oath Keeper: ‘We came very, very close to having a civil war kick off on Jan. 6’

 https://thehill.com/homenews/media/3557330-former-oath-keeper-we-came-very-very-close-to-having-a-civil-war-kick-off-on-jan-6/

Former Oath Keepers spokesperson Jason Van Tatenhove on Wednesday said American came “very, very close” to a civil war when pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in an attempt to prevent the certification of the 2020 election results.

Van Tatenhove, who testified Tuesday to the House committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol, told CNN’s Brianna Keilar that far-right militias like the Oath Keepers and other rioters had a “military mindset” on Jan. 6.

Trump’s Lawyers Think Mark Meadows Is Going Down

 https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/mark-meadows-jan6-trump-cheney-1382261/

Trump’s inner circle increasingly views Meadows as a likely fall guy for the former president’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Members of Trump’s legal team are actively planning certain strategies around Meadows’ downfall — including possible criminal charges. Trump has himself begun the process of distancing himself from some of his onetime senior aide’s alleged actions around Jan. 6.

Anderson Cooper struggles after seeing Uvalde surveillance video

Leaving Kollel is dangerous

 Tanis (21a) Ilfa and R. Johanan studied together the Torah and they found themselves in great want and they said one to another, Let us go and engage in commerce so that of us may be fulfilled the verse, Howbeit there shall be no need among you. They went and sat down under a ruinous wall and while they were having their meal two ministering angels came and R. Johanan overheard one saying to the other, Let us throw this wall upon these people and kill them, because they forsake life eternal and occupy themselves with life temporal. The other angel replied: Leave them alone because one of them has still much to achieve.

Yad Moshe Hebrew being reprinted

 After many months of waiting my printer just said he will be able to reprint my sefer

Not clear when it will be available again in the stores. The English version is still available from Amazon in paperback.

Steamed bread – mezonot or hamotzi?

 https://dinonline.org/2018/11/02/steamed-bread-mezonot-or-hamotzi/

There’s a certain type of bread roll made in Asian cuisines called Bao, also known as steamed buns or baozi. They can either be stuffed with something, usually meat or sliced and used like a sandwich.

I’ve asked my Ashkenazi chavruta, who then asked another Rav about this and they could not come up with a reason why it could be considered mezonot. And when dining in kosher restaurants that serve such items at least one has told people it’s mezonot and others have said it’s hamotzi and one should wash.

Top Rabbi Says Rumors Are False, He DOES Oppose Rabbi Melamed’s “Peninei Halacha” Seforim

 https://vinnews.com/2022/02/07/top-rabbi-says-rumors-are-false-he-does-oppose-rabbi-melameds-peninei-halacha-seforim/

In a video, Rabbi Ariel clarified that the letter that he signed last week was in fact referring to Rabbi Melamed, and contrary to the rumors, he is against not only the new writings of the Rabbi but also the Peninei Halacha series.

In the video Rabbi Ariel said, “My position is that even with new issues that arise [in halacha], there is an established tradition in Klal Yisrael, which is accepted from generation to generation. And one must follow those who use the ‘Derech Hamelech’ of accepted psak.”

Rabbi Eliezer Melamed: Understanding the 'Heter' of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/356288

Before Pesach, an evening of study and a siyyum of the books ‘Peninei Halakha’ took place in Efrat. I was privileged to have Rabbi Riskin shlita, the rabbi of the city for decades and the founder of Ohr Torah Stone participate in the evening, wishing to strengthen my halakhic position,

Israel might be about to recognise virtual weddings instead of civil marriage

 https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/israel-might-be-about-to-recognise-virtual-weddings-instead-of-civil-marriage/

A district court in Lod, an Israeli city, ruled Friday that Israel’s Interior Ministry is required to recognise the marriages of couples who use a virtual wedding service provided by Utah County in Utah.

If the decision stands, it would mean that couples who do not want to or cannot have an Orthodox Jewish wedding could get the benefits of marriage without leaving Israel, as they are currently required to do.

Those include LGBT+ couples, interfaith couples, and couples in which one partner is not recognised by one of the established religious authorities and couples who are committed to non-Orthodox Judaism.

Israeli court recognizes online civil marriages as valid

 https://www.israelhayom.com/2022/07/11/israeli-court-recognizes-online-civil-marriages-as-valid/

MK Avi Maoz, head the Noam faction – an extremist faction known for its hardline anti-LGBTQ, anti-Reform positions – slammed the ruling, telling Kan 11 News that the court is "ignoring policy that has been in effect for decades. It's unthinkable that judges in Israel undermine the Jewish state and carry out a quiet coup to make Israel a people's state. God willing, this will be rectified soon," he said, alluding to the Nov. 1 general elections.

The concept of "a people's state" negates Israel's character as a Jewish state, stresses the need for absolute equality for all ethnic groups and denominations and advocates said equality be expressed by all state symbols, institutions and laws, in a way meant to create a unified national identity for all Israeli citizens.

Outsider status?

 The Seforim blog just publish their list of sources including blogs

https://seforimblog.com/?lctg=77901787

Blogs

Blogs are generally not formally peer-reviewed and are generally written more informally and conversationally, but are often a great resource. With the shift from blogs to social media, many blogs have shifted to Facebook, and to a lesser extent Twitter and Reddit. (E.g., Mississippi Fred McDowel no longer posts on “On the Main Line”, but does on Facebook..) Blogs are far less active than they were. There are a lot of Facebook groups, which I’m less familiar with, and technically have to be added to and aren’t indexed by Google unfortunately (“walled gardens“, vs. “open platforms”).

1. The Seforim Blog
2. The Talmud Blog. Focuses on Talmud.
3. Rationalist Judaism. Focuses on relationship of science and Judaism, besides for contemporary politics and hashkafa.
4. Kavvanah.blog- The Book of Doctrines and Opinions
5. Jewish Studies @ CUL . A blog affiliated with Columbia University, focused on Hebrew Bibliography.
6. Footprints Blog – Tracing Jewish Books Through Time and Place . A blog affiliated with Columbia University, focused on Hebrew Bibliography.
7. Safranim .
8. Am Hasefer (עם הספר). The blog of Rambam Library of Tel Aviv, focused on Hebrew Bibliography.
9. Hagahot. Active 2005 – 2013.
10. Giluy Milta B’alma (גילוי מילתא בעלמא). Masthead: “We present here new and interesting findings in Hebrew Manuscripts, and Genizah- We welcome posts in Hebrew or English.”
11. On the Main Line. Blog of “Shimon Steinmetz/ Mississippi Fred MacDowell”.
12. English Hebraica . Another blog of “Mississippi Fred MacDowell”. Masthead: “Chronicling Jewish and Jewish themed writing in the English language prior to the 19th century. interesting biographies, diagrams, translations, transliterations and descriptions of Jewish learning and theology from primary sources.” Active 2006 – 2007. Since then posts on Facebook and Twitter.
13. What’s Bothering Artscroll? . Another blog of “Mississippi Fred MacDowell”.  Active 2006 – 2008.
14. Hollander Books Blog. Masthead: “A bookseller and his books, his very many books. And a few ideas.”
15. Kol Safran. Masthead: “A librarian’s comments on books, copyright, management, librarianship, and libraries that don’t get the full article treatment.” Many posts on topics in Jewish bibliography, as well as visits to Jewish libraries.
16. Musings of a Jewish Bookseller. Masthead: “On Jewish Books, Jewish Bookselling and Jewish Booksellers”
17. Notrikon (נוטריקון). In Modern Hebrew. Masthead: ”A journey through the space of the written word, between books, periods and people … stops at different stations, who knows where we will end up.”
18. Oneg Shabbat (עונג שבת). Blog of Prof. David Assaf. Many interesting posts on modern Jewish history, and on history of Hasidut.
19. HaSafranim – Blog of Israel National Library (הספרנים – בלוג הספרייה הלאומית). In Modern Hebrew. Focuses on Hebrew bibliography, and topics related to Modern Israel.
20. 7minim (מינים). Masthead: “This blog is intended to allow me, Tomer Persico, to comment briefly on this and that”. Has a number of posts on recent scholarly books on history of Kabbalah (though the blog mostly focuses on contemporary issues).
21. HaZirah HaLeshonit – Ruvik Rozental (הזירה הלשונית – רוביק רוזנטל). Many posts on history of individual Hebew words, by a well-known and popular Hebrew linguist.
22. Leshoniada (לשוניאדה). In Modern Hebrew. Focuses on Hebrew linguistics.
23. Safa Ivrit (השפה העברית). In Modern Hebrew. Focuses on Hebrew linguistics. Not quite a blog, rather a wide range of short articles on sources of sayings and words.