Yudeline

Tuesday, May 25

Studies in Shas: Shas plans to offer secular studies in new high school

"Until now, the Shas network of schools has offered only Torah studies in a yeshiva setting for high-school age boys. Shas does run high schools and seminars for teenage girls that include other subjects."

Political Prognoses Barak wants both Likud and Shas in coalition

"Barak will present Shas with a list of four demands:

1. Aryeh Deri may neither lead the party de jure nor de facto.
2. Shas will not be allowed to retain the Interior Ministry portfolio.
3. The party must show respect for the rule of law.
4. There must be full transparency and accountability in the running of Shas institutions."

Six Days to Eurovision: Getting ready to sing their hearts out (JPost)

" Israel's entry this year is "Happy Birthday," performed by the Eden group: two native-born Israelis, Doron Oren and Rafael Dahan, and African American brothers Gabriel and Eddy Butler - with a song penned by Moshe Datz. Their song is one of the lighter tunes in the contest, with a not-so-deep message promising that "Dreams will come true, if we'll party and dance till the morning."

Resource: The official Eurovision Web site

Global Warming: Temperatures soar to record May high (JPost)

A searing 49 degrees [That's 120 Farenheit!] in the shade was recorded near the Allenby Bridge yesterday, as temperatures throughout the country reached new peaks for this time of year.

Effect: AIPAC drops opposition to Palestinian state

"The pro-Israel lobbying group took the action in order to be seen as adopting a more mainstream position on the issue, given that the Labor Party no longer stands against it and Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon and other Likud politicians accept its inevitability, an official of the group said."

Cause: New leader sees AIPAC as partisan (Lawrence Cohler-Esses in the Jewish Week)

"Just one day after his landslide victory, aides to Israel’s newly elected prime minister put one of American Jewry’s key pro-Israel groups on notice."

Monday, May 24

Peace Today? Barak, Arafat in accord on Jerusalem (USA Today)

"Under terms of the agreement, Arafat is prepared to give up his claim to large parts of Arab East Jerusalem in exchange for control of the 150,000 Palestinians living in the city, as well as several religious sites, the officials said.

Israel's new Labor government also would not oppose Arafat's intention to declare a Palestinian state by the end of this year with its capital in Abu Dis, a village two miles east of the Old City, the officials said."

Standing Pat: Rabbi Aryeh Spero joins Buchanan campaign as senior advisor Another Orthodox rabbi reveals his true colors

Pat's Past: The Jewish Communication Network was responsible for getting a rambling conspiracy-theory article removed from Pat Buchanan's official campaign Web site Sunday. (Wired, February 20, 1996)

Mandatory Arbitration, Mafia Style: Shas forces teachers to use rabbis, not judges, in disputes

Shas is requiring all new teachers in its educational system to sign an affidavit promising that in case of a labor dispute with the school system, they will take it to a rabbinical court headed by Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, rather than to the labor courts.

Teachers in Shas schools have better conditions and teach in smaller classes than in the state religious schools.

"Ravitz, from United Torah Judaism, called on Shas representatives and Likud MKs to allocate NIS 19.6 million for Ariel College, NIS 33 million for UTJ's education system, and NIS 5 million for Shas's El Hama'ayan educational system.

Another NIS 4.5 million went to "special support" projects, while NIS 5 million was cut from the Education Ministry's values in education project, which focuses on citizenship, and NIS 5 million was cut from technology studies."

Oklahoma Silly: Tornado Violence: Are Tornadic Images in the Media to Blame? (The Onion)

Saturday, May 22

Bottle Torah: Haredim attack Conservatives at Wall, woman hurt (JPost)

"Under close police protection, members of the Masorti (Conservative) Movement on Friday held an early-morning prayer service at the Western Wall, while a small but vociferous group of haredim shouted abuse and pelted them with plastic water bottles.

Four of the attackers were caught in the act and arrested, police spokeswoman Linda Menuhin said. One woman was struck in the head by a bottle and lightly wounded."

And: Bottles fly at Jerusalem's Wailing Wall (Samuel G. Freedman in Salon)

"Through all the morning skirmish, it must be said, the overwhelming majority of the ultra-Orthodox worshipers on the plaza were in no way disturbing the Conservative service. Thousands had walked past the barricaded area while arriving and given the mixed congregation no more than a cursory glance. Yet virtually none of them -- these rabbis and teachers who guide so many aspects of their students' lives -- bothered to intercede in the abuse, to defuse the incipient violence."

And from Ha'aretz:

"In more extremist violence in Jerusalem, several dozens of ultra-Orthodox Jews pelted two cars occupied by Palestinians on Saturday. The windshield of one of the cars was shattered. One of the Palestinians was sprayed with tear gas and required treatment."

Good thing our black-hatted brethren are keeping alive those quaint Old World traditions.... but didn't it used to be the goyim who celebrated Jewish holidays by bashing heads?

Shavuot Special

Milk Dudes: Blintzes and sour cream, wherefore? (Jewish Heritage Online Magazine)

"In Psalm 68, which is read on Shavuot, the mountain on which the Divine Presence rested is called Har Gavnunim, a word akin to gevinah, the Hebrew for cheese."

Academic Akdamut: Timing is all (Ha'aretz)

"The Torah blessings and the reading of the Torah on Shavuot are introduced by a hymn, Akdamut Millin, written by the cantor of the congregation of Worms in Germany about 950 years ago. The bitter dispute that arose over the exact moment in the service for the chanting of the hymn reflected, even then, the struggle between Ashkenazim and Sephardim "

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