Yudeline

Friday, May 14, 1999

Israel Votes on Monday: Latest opinion polls show Barak ahead (PeaceWatch)

+++ Dahaf Poll

The 23 May 1996 figures for Dahaf are presented in a box in Yediot Aharonot without comment: Peres 50.3% Netanyahu 45.8%

The following are the results of a survey carried out by 'Dahaf' the week of May 14, 1999 of a representative sample of 1,100 Israeli adults. Survey error +/- 3 percentage points

1. First round:

May14  Netanyahu 38% Barak 44% Mordechai  6% Begin 3% Bashara 3% 
May 7  Netanyahu 37% Barak 42% Mordechai  7% Begin 3% Bashara 4% 

2. Second round
a. Barak/Netanyahu

May 14,1999 Netanyahu 41% Barak 51%
May 7, 1999 Netanyahu 42% Barak 50%
Apr.30,1999 Netanyahu 42% Barak 50%

God Polls Every Day: Top Haredi rabbis back Netanyahu (Ha'aretz)

" The Council of Torah Sages of the Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox Agudat Israel and Degel Hatorah parties are to endorse the candidacy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this morning - but without actually naming him. The announcement will instruct the party's followers to vote for the candidate "whose party is closer to acting in the spirit of religion."

In addition to the members of the two councils, the statement is signed by two prominent Degel Hatorah rabbis, Yosef Shalom Eliashiv and Chaim Kanievsky. Shas's version of a supreme rabbinical authority endorsed Netanyahu by name earlier this week."

Yudel's Line: The spirit of religion? I thought that was Reform turf. Note that the endorsement is to the "party"... because Hashem knows that Bibi's actions don't touch the spirit of religion.

Now, if only Bibi could convince all his disgruntled former ministers that he has been acting in the spirit of his party....

Messiahs We Love: Ilgaz Zorlu, a 30-year-old accountant from Istanbul, has written a tell-all about the Sabbateans (Salon)

Tickets to Space (1) The company that launched the remains of Timothy Leary wants to send a lock of your hair hurtling into space. (Wired News)

Tickets to Space (2) 'Phantom Menace' Bores, Annoys (Wired News)

Annals of Jewish Journalism: Jewish paper, community fixture, goes to paid subscriptions (Cincinnatti Post)

"The American Israelite, under new ownership since December, recently informed its readers in a full-page house ad that effective immediately all subscribers must pay for their subscriptions.

Founded in 1854 by Reform Jewish patriarch Isaac M. Wise, it is the oldest English-Jewish weekly newspaper in the United States and the second oldest in the world."

Thursday, May 13, 1999

Cuyahoga.com? Customer Servitude at Buy.com (Fortune)

Shopping at buy.com, I've saved on books -- and discovered just how well Amazon does what it does. Turns out that Fortune's Melanie Warner had a similar experience

Making Book: Barak makes play for religious Zionists (Ha'aretz)

"In a two-page letter, Barak appeals to religious nationalists and the ultra-Orthodox to join in a dialogue based on "the marriage of justice and law, benevolence and charity," a reference to this Shabbat's Haftorah portion from the prophet Hosea."

Empty Chair, Empty PM: Aguda amulet scheme goes on unchecked (Ha'aretz)

"The law forbids distributing amulets during an election campaign or conditioning blessings or curses on votes for a specific party. Despite this, members of the Bratslav Hassidic movement began distributing amulets on behalf of United Torah Judaism (UTJ) shortly after Pesach. They have reportedly handed out over 100,000 amulets in return for pledges to vote for UTJ and Netanyahu."

Takes One to Know One: PM counting on 'the liars' (Ha'aretz)

"Constantly reminding associates that polls in the 1996 campaign predicted that Shimon Peres would win by seven points, Netanyahu appears to be alone in his outright optimism, with senior Likud officials saying that they can tell Netanyahu is worried by the polls, which have consistently shown One Israel's Ehud Barak climbing and Netanyahu falling behind.

Netanyahu's personal pollster, Bar-Ilan University professor Yaakov Katz, is bolstering the Likud leader's claims, saying that some 22 percent of those who take part in public-opinion surveys here are deliberately lying to the pollsters. Katz cites the ultra-Orthodox, Arabs and new immigrants as most likely to lie when questioned by a pollster."

Nero Hour: Fiddling while the city burns (Ha'aretz)

"The position taken by Ehud Olmert, who warned Benjamin Netanyahu that closing the Orient House could start a fire between Jews and Palestinians in the heart of Jerusalem, was reinforced by the remarks of Public Security Minister Avigdor Kahalani.Kahalani said "someone" - that is, Benjamin Netanyahu - wanted pictures of Israeli police bursting into the center of the Palestinian headquarters. Such pictures could assist Netanyahu in the Likud election campaign. "

Messianic Moment: Habad decides against political involvement (JPost)

"During the 1996 campaign, many Habad institutions and rabbis came out in favor of Binyamin Netanyahu. "It was a mistake," said court chairman Shlomo Maidncik. "It caused us damage because people said we are political."

Frum Film Forum: The ultra-Orthodox go to Cannes (Ha'aretz)

"The film "Kadosh," set entirely in Mea She'arim, opens at the ultra-liberal French film festival tonight. It's the first Israeli entry to shoot for a Palme d'Or since 1974 "

Safety First? Hard Times for Curious Minds, a Too-Safe Childhood? (Oliver Sacks, NYTimes)

"One wonders whether the present atmosphere, with its nervous, insurance-driven restrictions, its precluding of hands-on chemistry, may not have dire effects on upcoming young scientists, and indeed on all of us. "

Tuesday, May 4, 1999

Babe Watch: It's vacation time again, as your editor heads off to Los Angeles to visit his new-born niece, her older sister , and their proud parents. Look for a new Yudeline on Monday!

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