Who’s Afraid of Itamar Ben Gvir?

by David Israel

 Everything you didn’t know about Itamar Ben Gvir because nobody told you.

First, a necessary disclosure: on November 1 this year, after much deliberation, I intend to vote for Otzma Yehudit Chairman Itamar Ben Gvir and his partner, Religious Zionism Chairman Bezalel Smotrich.

As a liberal Orthodox Jew, I am aware that their platform is not a perfect match to my views, and there are even some positions I disagree with (just as I disagree with some of the positions on all the other lists), and yet I will vote for them because I see them as great reformers of the Zionist enterprise.

Based on media reports, most of you are aware that Itamar Ben Gvir is a vehement advocate of law and order everywhere in Israel, including in Jewish and Arab communities. You also know that he is a strong advocate of an iron fist policy against terrorists, including the deportation of terrorists, and of MKs who deny Israel’s right to survive as a Jewish State.

But did you know that Ben Gvir is a successful civil liberties attorney? That he advocates for freedom of worship in Israel? That he has expressed warmth and empathy for homosexuals?

I’ll explain.

The Jerusalem Post’s Editor-in-Chief Yaakov Katz warned a week ago:

“A government in which the leader is focused on evading trial and top ministers are messianic, anti-Arab, anti-progressive Jews and anti-LGBTQ, anti-women and anti-religious freedom is a government that will not advance Israel.”

First, Katz is absolutely right in his assertion. Second, every single part of his paragraph is false and misleading. But it’s thanks to that paragraph that I can clear up these mistaken notions, one by one. Here goes:

Adidas, which has refused to cut ties with Kanye West over his antisemitic comments, was founded by brothers who later joined the Nazi party

 

As rap star Kanye West continually refuses to back down from his antisemitic rants, some of the many institutions he has ties with have begun to jump ship. The fashion tastemakers Balenciaga and Vogue have announced they will no longer be working with him. Hollywood talent giant CAA has dropped him, and a planned documentary about him has been scrapped.

But one formidable company remains, for now, in West’s corner: Adidas.

United Torah Judaism at risk of losing Knesset seat due to indifference and quarreling among its leadership.

 

While politicians are focused on the Arab vote and what percentage of that community will go to the polls, and the Likud party focuses on bringing more of its supporters to the polls, a potentially deadly blow may be coming to the right-wing bloc from one of its own: The haredi United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party may lose a seat due to infighting.

According to Israel Hayom, even though UTJ has enough potential voters to win nine or even ten Knesset seats, this time there is great concern that not only will the party not grow, but that it may even lose a seat. The greatest threat, from the perspective of the right-wing bloc, is not that UTJ will lose seats to Religious Zionism, but the complacency and lack of enthusiasm in the haredi streets, which may lead potential voters to remain at home on election day.

IDF destroys 'Terrorist Den' infrastructure in Shechem

 

DF, Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and Yamam counterterrorist forces raided overnight Monday a hideout apartment in the Kasbah of Shechem (Nablus) that was used as a headquarters and explosives manufacturing site. The site was used by the main operatives of the “Lion’s Den” terrorist group. The forces detonated the explosive manufacturing site.

During the activity, multiple armed suspects were hit and Palestinian Arab reports indicate that were multiple injuries.

During the operation, dozens of Palestinian Arabs burned tires and hurled rocks at the troops. The troops responded with live fire toward the armed suspects who were shooting at them.

The “Lion’s Den” terrorist group is responsible for carrying out the shooting attack that killed IDF soldier Staff-Sargent Ido Baruch, as well as attempting to carry out a terrorist attack in Tel Aviv (an attack that was thwarted by the Israel Police) and the planting of an explosive device in the Kedumim gas station.

They also attempted to carry out a shooting attack in Har Bracha and hurled a grenade towards IDF soldiers who were adjacent to Havat Gilad.

The terrorist group is also in charge of multiple shooting attacks throughout the city of Shechem.

Over the last period of time the terrorist group continued to recruit, plan, and carry out attacks aimed against innocent Israeli civilians.

According to Palestinian Arab reports, four terrorists were killed and 19 wounded in the gun battle between the Israeli forces and the terrorists.

Early Sunday morning, Tamer Kilani, a senior member of the Lion’s Den, was killed in a motorcycle explosion in Shechem.

According to the Palestinian Arabs, the explosion occurred after an explosive device was planted in Kilani’s motorcycle and activated by a Palestinian Arab who cooperated with Israel. The reports also claimed that the operative was recorded on security cameras activating the device.

Other reports said the explosion was caused by a "mishap" after Kilani tried to mount an explosive device on his own motorcycle and failed.

The IDF and Shin Bet did not comment on the incident, but the Lion's Den blamed Israel and threatened, "We promise [IDF Chief of Staff] Kochavi a hard and painful response."

Getting Kids Into School Should NOT Be Hard

 

Rabbi Poupko

by Rabbi Poupko

When calling out the double standards of Shraying Givalt about New York State’s crackdown on some Chassidishe Yeshivas while ignoring the crisis of girls and bochrim who do not get into any school and are left on the sidelines, there was one common response I got from several people: “How dare you speak that way, do you know how much time other Askanim and I dedicate to getting kids into schools.”

Incidentally, this is exactly the problem I was talking about. Unfortunately, our current system is built to fail a percentage of our children–a situation we cannot remain silent about.

Whatever Happened to Bruria Rav Meir's Wife?

 

When I was a teenager, I came across a very strange Rashi in Mesactas Avoda Zara (18b). My Yeshivah wasn't learning this Mesachta but to make some side pocket money, I tutored a kid from a different Yeshiva that was learning Avoda Zara as a project for his Bar-Mitzvah. 

This was before Artscroll, before google and Wikipedia, so to understand the text of the gemarrah I had to learn every single Rashi coupled with the Jastrow dictionary which was a monumental task in itself.

Today I attended a daf yoimi shiur by a very famous "maggid shiur" and I noticed that not only didn't he read even one single Rashi but never even quoted him. I understand that for the sake of brevity and time constraints, the maggid shiur must summarize instead of really delving into the nuances of every Rashi, though the shiur is given to retirees who have nothing better to do for the entire day.

At any rate the gemarrah relates that R' Meir was being pursued by the Romans so he ran to Babylonia for safety. The gemarrah goes on to give two reasons why R' Meir had to flee, one because of the reason I just gave, that the Romans were after him, but then the gemarrah gives another reason without any explanation, assuming that we in the year 2022 would know what the gemarrah is referring to, and that is that he had to flee because of "the incident with Bruriah."

Woe! Hold on just one minute! 

What "incident with Bruriah?"

Rabbi Dovid Abenson Wants an "Asifa" Declaring that Students Cannot be Rejected

 

I have been working with a set of parents whose child has been rejected from Yeshiva in his final year and has now unfortunately moved to a non-Jewish school. 

I discussed this trend of rejection with a friend who has been an Asken in our community for 50 years. I told him about the feedback I had received from the published article “Accept the with Love” and consequent calls from parents who have reached out to me, looking for mosdos for their children without success, and asking for my help. We lamented that so many boys and girls are being rejected or expelled, and parents having sleepless nights about their child’s future, ultimately scared their child will leave the fold.

Sex Pervert Berland 's Chassidim Attack Jerusalem Deputy Mayor

 

Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Aryeh King was lightly injured Sunday evening after being attacked by Hasidic supporters of convicted sex offender Rabbi Eliezer Berland in East Jerusalem.

The incident took place during public celebrations at the Tomb of Simeon the Just as King and Chief Rabbi of Safed Shmuel Eliyahu arrived at the site within the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

According to a police report, rioters began throwing rocks toward King and Eliyahu, while shouting toward Eliyahu: “He incarcerated the rabbi [Berland].”

Eliyahu was not injured in the incident.

Police said two rioters were arrested and that police forces were at the scene to restore public order.

“Unfortunately, some lawbreakers are trying to sabotage the event and hurt other participants. We won’t allow these extremists to disturb the public order and will show zero tolerance toward any kind of violence,” police said in a statement.

Eliyahu, who is considered one of Berland’s harshest critics, accused Berland of inciting his followers.

“Jerusalem’s deputy mayor has been injured by supporters of the criminal named Berland. A real criminal whose advocates nearly killed a person. I think those people require real repentance and that person [Berland] should be jailed immediately because he incites people to do terrible things,” the rabbi said.

Berland, the leader of the Shuvu Bonim religious cult, has served separate prison sentences in the past for sex offenses and fraud, and last year was implicated but not charged in the decades-old murder of a teenager.

Berland fled Israel in 2013 amid allegations he had sexually assaulted several female followers. After evading arrest for three years and slipping through various countries, he returned to Israel and was sentenced to 18 months in prison in November 2016 on two counts of indecent acts and one case of assault, as part of a plea deal that included seven months of time served.

He was freed just five months later, in part due to ill health.

He was arrested again, this time for fraud, in February 2020 after hundreds of people filed police complaints saying that he had sold prayers and pills to desperate members of his community, promised families of individuals with disabilities that their loved ones would be able to walk, and told families of convicted felons that their relatives would be freed from prison.

Berland was convicted last year under a plea bargain and given an 18-month sentence, but was released in December.

In November 2021 police investigating the murder of a teenage boy in the 1980s told a court that Berland had ordered the killing. Police said Berland allegedly sent the suspects who kidnapped and killed 17-year-old Nissim Shitrit, but that he was not present at the time of the murder.

Berland is linked to three suspects arrested for their involvement in the crime, which went unsolved for 35 years.

The SONG OF KESUVOS

 

Download PDF to see the lyrics of the Song of Kesuvos.

Genes Link Bipolar, Schizophrenia, Once Thought Unrelated

 

When Chastity Murry had her first psychotic break, she went into her bathroom and downed a whole bottle of pills, hoping to die. Her teenage daughter had to perform CPR to save her life.

Around that same time more than a decade ago, the man who would become her husband, Dante Murry, also lost touch with reality and considered suicide.

Different illnesses led them down similar paths – bipolar disorder in her case and schizoaffective disorder in his – conditions long considered by many to be distinct and unrelated.