I dont understand the news so I guess nothing is happening
I am a news junky. In the USA I read at least one paper a day ( two on the weekends) 3 weekly magazines and a few monthlies. This does not include daily blogs, posts on the internet and fake news my daughter sends me ( convinced its real). I like to stay informed so when the opportunity arises I can argue politics with the best of them.
One of the problems with my Aliyah is my rudimentary grasp of the Hebrew Language. This is shocking to some Israeli's who wonder how a person who is Orthodox and goes to shul most days does not understand what he is saying all the time in prayer. Those of us who went through the Yeshivah day school world understand completely.
So I find myself frustrated when I watch morning TV( which will get its own post one day ) and only grasping the outline of the story. It seems there is a lot going on. For example , Netanyahu, when not sipping champagne and smoking Cuban cigars has decided, with as little tact as possible , to announce more construction in the west bank. Don't get me wrong, I support that move until a finalized agreement is made, but it could be done a little more skillfully . Counting on Trump is not something I would do the first three days of his presidency. I say lets see how it goes first. Netanyahu even pissed off Australia which has been one our staunchest supporters ( I can say our now) .
also in the news the daily threats of unleashing hell upon us by our neighbors for:
building new settlements
moving the embassy
claiming Humus is Israeli
etc...
I read The Times of Israel http://www.timesofisrael.com/first thing in the morning so when I watch TV I have a basic idea what is going on. One subject which seems to be of no interest to most people is the continuing disregard of the Supreme Court and the Law by the leaders of the Haredi ( ultra orthodox) or as we say in my house , fanatic, community.
Today's news is that Shas is sponsoring a bill to forbid anyone from praying at the kottel in anyway that does not respect their sensibilities. This law is directed at the Woman of the Wall group and non orthodox denominations who meet once a month to try to pray with a Torah at the wall. This was a right given to them by the supreme court. This right has been flaunted and ignored by the so called Rabbi of the wall. These groups were willing to forgo their right to pray at the Kottel and move to a spot out of site sound and mind, a spiritual twilight zone. This accommodation was first accepted by the Haredi leaders and then rejected. So the Supreme court told WOW and the others they don't need to compromise as the law is with you. You see Israel is a free and democratic society .
The obvious response was for Shas, the party originally funded by my buddies in Brooklyn, and that took the worst of what Ashkenazy Judaism has to offer, to pass a law forbidding it.
Some of you may say that this is necessary other wise all kinds of things will be done at the wall. I have a few thoughts on that.
I am not the most learned of people but I am pretty sure that no one knows for sure what god wants. For one group to impose its beliefs on another is not what should be the imperative. The unity of the Jewish people should. If a group wants to go off to the side with men and woman together away from the main area, is that the worst thing? Seeing Haredim call these people Nazi's seems much worse to me. What actual halacha is being broken by the former group. I can name several for the latter.
Who decides how a person connects to his creator. We have a path from the torah . Is it the only one? Perhaps it is the best but isn't the point that people should recognize god, our role in creation and the UNITY of that creation.
I don't go to the Kottel much anymore. When I first came to Israel as a 10 year old I was old I was going to the holiest place on earth for the Jewish people. I have since learned it is not. The holiest place for the Jewish people is the Temple Mount ( another post). The kottel is a wall. There are four of them surrounding the temple mount. As far as levels of holiness the entire old city is of one level the temple mount another. It means unless you are praying on Har Habayit , you can pray at the falafel stand at the top of the stairs and it is the same as the Kottel.
So please explain why we are fighting.
I apologize if you thought your were going to get a lot of my witty observations about Israel. I want to assure you that they will continue but this blog will also include current events, politics and other things that are a big part of life here. As I mentioned in the beginning, this blog is for my catharsis and I am a very messed up person
shabbat shalom from the holy land
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