Ahead of Pulitzers, New York Times mum on alleged unethical yeshiva reporting

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/ahead-of-pulitzers-new-york-times-mum-on-alleged-unethical-yeshiva-reporting/

The reporting methods have also come under fire. An article in the conservative US outlet, The Daily Signal, last week said that The Times had misrepresented data, inappropriately granted sources anonymity, and failed to disclose sources’ conflicts of interest. Community representatives have in the past week also alerted the Times and the Pulitzer Prizes committee of alleged ethical lapses, but have not received a response.

Bill Barr’s Warning on Trump

 https://www.wsj.com/articles/bill-barrs-warning-on-trump-re-election-fed-soc-immigration-democrats-b2ab8b26?mod=hp_opin_pos_1

If you believe in his policies, what he’s advertising as his policies, he’s the last person who could actually execute them and achieve them,” Mr. Barr told the City Club of Cleveland on Friday.

Israel's Judicial Reckoning

 https://mosaicmagazine.com/essay/israel-zionism/2023/03/israels-judicial-reckoning/?utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=campaign&_kx=VidzD8hVQlQrrUYRGKqmcQf1Qkjcgncq0dlqhMRcmH47M7sTU1Zrm8liITMmCO7Q.L87CGh

As someone who has written about the need to restrain the court’s excessive activism for three decades now—long before this became a partisan voting issue for many Israelis—in several major essays and dozens of shorter pieces, I consider most of these reforms not only within the bounds of normal democratic practice but in fact essential to bolstering Israel’s democracy. The current situation, in which half the public profoundly distrusts the Supreme Court, is clearly untenable for any country that wants to remain a democracy; because courts are a crucial mechanism for resolving disputes peacefully rather than through force, if they are widely distrusted, resorting to force becomes more likely. Yet at the same time, some of the concerns raised by opponents are valid and deserve to be taken seriously. Given the universal conviction that Israeli society is at a breaking point, balancing these two imperatives is an urgent task.

Boycott of Angels

 It is interesting to note that the recent boycott of Angels originated and is sustained by politicians

Have not found any Rabbis calling for a boycott - even though there are severe consequences for all chareidim. 

Baal HaTanya going to rebbe for advice

 ב"ה

רוב שלום לאה' ידיד נפשי ה"ה וכו' כבוד מ' משה נ"י

מכתבו הארוך לאדומו"ר שי' וגם אלינו נתקבל לנכון, ודברתי בזה עם

כאדומו"ר שי', והנה קצרן של דברים.

היות ידוע לכל דרכו בקדש, לא להקפיד על הנוסע לזולתו, וגם לא

להשתדל שיסעו אליו דוקא, כידוע הנהגתו בקדש שמאל דוחה וימין

מקרבת7 את אשר קרבת אלקים יחפץ, להורות להם הדרך ילכו בה

ודרך ישרה שיבור לו, עפ"י תורה אור ודרך חיים הם למוצאיהם כחו"ח8

לפום שיעורא דילי' ולפום שכלו ודרכו ושרשו, כמבו' בהקדמת לק"א

יעו"ש9 ,אשר לכאו"א מישראל יש לו דרך פרטית לא ראי זה וכו', וע"ז

נאמר10 איש אשר רוח בו שיכול להלוך נגד רוחו של כאו"א11 .הגם

שלעיקר הדינא קסבר שלא רבים יחכמון בהנהגה הנ"ל, ליתן עצות

בנפשו של כאו"א השייך לו, ולפעמים יתחלפו אורחותיו וכו', ומה גם

מאמ'12 בראתי לו תורה תבלין, וכל הדברים ארוכי'. אעפ"כ מחמת טעם

זה לא נחית לדקדוקא כשארי הגדולים אשר בארץ מטעמם ונימוקם

מהתקשרות וכדומה לזה, אין זה דרך אתו ח"ו ורחוק מדרכו, וכאשר

יפרש שיחי בנו ידידי מוכ"ז שי'.

בכן אל יפול לבו דמעל' ח"ו, אשר מחמת זה בבואו יהי' איזה שינוי

בהתקרבות ח"ו, חלילה אל יעלה בלבו שום חשש ונדנוד, כי בודאי

לא ימנע טוב מאתו בכל אשר יחפוץ בקרבתו קרבת אלקים, וזה תלוי

בחפץ דמעלתו וד"ל. וגם אני הנני לקרבו כפי יכולתינו, להיות הדבור

של חבה מצוי בינינו.

את כל זאת הודעתי נאמנה ושלום כנפשו ונפש ידידו דו"ש מלו"נ13

אהרן סגל

Skver Hasidic movement bans use of artificial intelligence as window to ‘heresy’

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/skver-hasidic-movement-bans-use-of-artificial-intelligence-as-window-to-heresy/

“It is possible that at this point, not everyone knows the magnitude and scope of the danger, but it has become clear to us in our souls that this thing will be a trap for all of us, young and old,” the letter said. “Therefore, the use of ‘AI’ is strictly prohibited in any shape and form, even by phone.”

Haredim declare boycott of Angel bakery after Bar-Lev protests in Bnei Brak

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-742098

Haredi politicians called for a boycott of the Angel Bakery chain after its chairman, former public security minister Omer Bar Lev, took part in a protest outside the home of Ashkenazi Haredi leader Rabbi Gershon Edelstein in Bnei Brak on Thursday.

Bar Lev posted a photo of himself with the "Brothers in Arms" protest group on Twitter, writing "Beyond and in addition to the importance of military service to everyone, the law of "no equality in the burden" (a reference to the Draft Law) that the coalition intends to enact is the bribe of [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and [Finance Minister Yariv] Levin to the Haredi parties so that they will vote in favor of the coup d'état."

Enlightenment brought about Chassidus

 There is an interesting sefer written by an 18th century opponent of the Frankists who states that originally the people referred to as Bal Shem Tov served mainly a population who were superstitions and were worried about magic demons and witches. With the advance of Rationalism this market dried up so the Baalei Shem reinvented themselves as spiritual leaders which evolved into Chasidus

Americans caught trying to smuggle suitcases full of Fruit Roll-Ups into Israel

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/americans-caught-trying-to-smuggle-suitcases-full-of-fruit-roll-ups-into-israel/

At least two American couples have been caught by Israeli customs for attempting to smuggle a total of more than 650 pounds (295 kilograms) of Fruit Roll-Ups into Israel, as the country experiences a dire shortage of the snack due to a TikTok craze.

A psychologist shares 6 toxic phrases ‘highly narcissistic’ people always use—and how to deal with them

 https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/30/psychologist-shares-toxic-phrases-highly-narcissistic-people-always-use-and-how-to-respond.html

The world is full of difficult personalities, but the one that’s impossible to avoid is the narcissist. They are usually the most insecure people in the room, but have established a way of appearing ultra-confident.

As a psychologist who studies narcissism, I’ve found that, in most cases, highly narcissistic people are masters of gaslighting. Their primary goal in a relationship is to offset their insecurity by controlling and manipulating others.

Here are six phrases that they always use — and how to deal with them:

Israel is trying to legalize pedophilia - Avi Maoz

 https://www.jpost.com/

Israeli far-right lawmaker Avi Maoz accused the Justice Ministry of attempting to normalize pedophilia within the country by altering Israel's age of consent laws.

Currently, the age of consent in Israel is 16 for all genders. However, that age of consent can go as low as 14, provided the other sexual partner was no more than three years older and both parties consented.

But according to Maoz, the Justice Ministry is trying to change this to an age gap of five years. 

In Europe, Animal-Welfare Rulings Needlessly Threaten Jewish Ritual and Culture

 https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/in-europe-animal-welfare-rulings-needlessly-threaten-jewish-ritual-and-culture/

In an essay in Mosaic, Eric Mechoulan addresses the threat against European Jewish communities posed by debates over banning religious ritual slaughter for animal-welfare purposes. Noting that animal cruelty is forbidden by Jewish law, he gives a meaningful history of Jewish ritual slaughter (shechita), which has created a culture that demands the slaughterer (shochet) be learned and trustworthy. 

Idolatry - ridicule

 Rabbeinu Bachya (Devarim 07:12) “you shall surely abominate it.” The verse teaches that we must relate to idolatry with a very negative and disdainful attitude and when for some reason speaking about it always make plain how we detest it. We are not to refer to houses of pagan worship by the names they are usually referred to but by some name which belittles them, downgrades them.. We have a principle that unbecoming speech is forbidden unless such epithets are reserved for idolatry and places where such idolatry is 

Religious families cannot get priority in adoption of non-Jewish children, High Court rules

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-741685

After 20 years of legal dispute, non-Jewish children in the Israeli child services system will no longer be prioritized for Orthodox Jewish families over non-Orthodox families, so that they can undergo Orthodox conversion, the High Court of Justice ruled on Sunday.

Non-Orthodox families will be more able to adopt non-Jewish children, as adoption standards will be on a case-by-case basis “in the best interest of the child,” said the court. The state agreed to the new standard.

“The child’s best interests include their concrete needs, past, characteristics and difficulties,” read the statement.