Tikkun Olam

When the three Israeli boys, Gil'Ad Shaar, Eyal Yifrach and Naftali Fraenkel were kidnapped, everyone went into a frenzy. They (we all) needed to "do something." This is very normal.  Most of us, far removed from the situation--even those in Israel who are not connected by family or close friends to the victims--felt helpless in the face of this atrocity.  So I can understand the call to prayer or to say Tehillim.  For people who don't have any other option, it's better than sitting and doing nothing.  I, for one, called my congressperson, in addition to saying Tehillim.  I wrote about it in a blog post and sent it out to everybody. But do I really believe that saying Tehillim or praying specific tefillot from a siddur will bring them back? Doubtful. There have been "studies" - not controlled, double-blind scientific ones however - which seem to indicate that mass prayer often helps to alleviate a situation, such as helping to heal someone. We say ...

The Hareidim *, in Israel as well as the United States apparently, have no understanding of the proposed new law drafting the Ultra-Orthodox into the IDF (Israeli Defense Force). In their thinking, it will mean a cancellation of Torah study and a secularization of their bochurim *. They seem to forget, ignore--or are totally ignorant of--the current system which includes what is know as " Hesder Yeshivot ," which combine Yeshiva Torah and Talmud learning with service in the IDF. But that system was for the Dati Leumi - the "National Religious" Israelis, or the "Modern Orthodox." It wasn't for the so-called "Ultra-Orthodox," who learned Torah full-time, excluding army service and even working for a living. The way it stood until now was that the Hareidim were exempt from military service until the expiration of the Tal Law. This exemption dated back almost to the founding of the State of Israel, when then Defense Minister David Ben Gurion ...

 A few tidbits and pieces of information from surfing the Web.  Perhaps they'll peek your interest... Just read about a young Hareidi woman who insisted on serving in the IDF .  She apparently impressed others with the courage of her convictions, and was a role model for others, some of whom became interested in being more observant.  And to top that off--read the article--someone said about this girl that she should have died instead.  What is Judaism coming to??!   Sharia law, that's what.  We must nip it in the bud. Have researched the issue of " Kol Isha " (the voice of a woman), and here is something interesting relating to this so-called 'halacha.'  The opinions have moved very far to the right from even when I was growing up.  I totally disagree with the machmir (stringent) view, as you can well imagine.  The 'rabbanim' have sexualized everything about women-- everything , to the point where we must wonder why G-d created us ...

After two angry posts I needed a lift.  My friend Yossi K. sent me this video.  Brought tears to my eyes.  Especially the part about how much he received when he entered the IDF, and how much his sister got when she joined the U.S. Army...Israel, pay attention!

My daughter Rambo is a special person.  Well, all my kids are special.  But she has developed a quality that has been drawing perfect strangers to help her, and bringing out the best in these strangers.  Let me explain: she is twenty-three years old, and suddenly, for almost a year now, she finds herself in a wheelchair, in constant pain, and unable to support her own weight--or any weight whatsoever--on her feet and legs, thus unable to stand up, and of course, walk. She has been on her own since age 15, when she left for Israel after one year of high school here on her own, without her family, through a program called Na'aleh .  At the completion of three more years of high school in Israel and in two different schools, she was one of the few students on the program who stayed and stuck it through: most of the teenagers went back to the States and to their families.  She went on, after graduating, to enlist in the Israeli army (the IDF, or Israel Defense F...

I am making an emergency visit to Israel to tend to my daughter, who has severe RSDS/CRPS (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, sometimes known as Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome).  My Rabbi is trying to raise money to help fund the trip, as it is the worst possible time for us to do this: my husband is still looking for work while waiting to hear about his disability rating appeal from the VA, and I will be losing two months salary by leaving.  But something has to be done, as my sons are stressed to the gills, taking the part of their parents-- in loco parentis-- so it's time this parent came to care for her daughter. I am asking for a chesed--a kindness--from anyone who can do this--please help support this trip by donating to my PayPal account on my blog.  Small amounts help too.  I am also looking for a free place to stay very near my son (close walking distance), where his sister is staying. Just a room with access to a bathroom, as my plan is to leave mornings and g...

What we have known all along about Israel's actions being self-defense in the incident of the Gaza "Peace" Flotilla has now been confirmed, by a surprisingly very balanced report by the BBC's  documentary show, Panorama, as written on Honest Reporting UK .  This BBC report indicates, from videos, radio transmissions and interviews of members of the Turkish IHH (-who openly stated that they wished to be martyrs and that the Israelis should "go back to Auschwitz"), of other passengers on board, and of soldiers in the elite Israeli Naval Commando 13 who boarded the ship--what really happened on the Mavi Marmara on 31 May, 2010.

(nablopomo day 27) “there is no reason that my daughters are required to do national service and someone else’s aren’t.” Those were the words of  Brig.-Gen. Orna Barbivai , who is only one of three women in Israel to hold such a high rank in the IDF .  She stated that because of "demographic challenges" and lower immigration, the Israel Defense Forces should start cracking down on draft-dodgers.  She was partially referring to the ultra-Orthodox who receive a religious exemption from serving in the armed forces, and have twice the birth rate of the regular population, or higher. The ultra-Orthodox receive an exemption in order to study Torah, which is fine, for scholars--but it is now out of all proportion.  Even those who do not have an inclination nor an aptitude for studying and learning Torah get this exemption.  Initially, it was a reaction to the decimation of Judaism in Eastern Europe because of the Holocaust, when six million men, women and chil...

(nablopomo day 26) It seems that at long last, there is an official call for every Israeli teen, including the ultra-Orthodox or Hareidim , to serve to help defend the state of Israel.  Chief of Staff of the IDF (Israel Defense Force) Lt. General Gabi Ashkenazi said recently that all youth eighteen years old should serve Israel in some capacity, if not in the Israeli armed forces, then in the police, firefighters, Magen David Adom (the Israeli Red Cross) or in Zaka. He said that they should follow the current Sherut Le'umi , or national service model, which is that those youngsters--young men as well as young women--who do not want to bear arms for religious reasons, or are not able to join the armed forces after high school, would be required to do at least a year or two of "national service" in another capacity.  Examples of this service could be volunteering in hospitals, working with disadvantaged youth, aiding the elderly,assisting in special education, interna...

(nablopomo day 19) (Thank you again to Arlene Kushner for the links to these videos.) A prayer for our wonderful Israel Defense Forces, the IDF.  May G-d protect them. "For it is the Lord your G-d who goes with you to battle your enemies for you to save you." And now, for the Jewish People, chosen by G-d, and their accomplishments in their Alt Neu land.

 (nablopomo day 2)  Why is it so hard for people to be honest about what they see?  Why are we Jews afraid to admit that there is a serious, serious problem with Hareidi* Judaism? We experienced this ourselves, in our own family, when our daughter (Rambo) first went to Israel in 2004.  She was fifteen years old, and had completed her first year in high school here in the States. For her next three years of high school, she was in Israel, on the Na'aleh program, first attending high school at Kvutzat Yavneh .  One of their first class trips to Jerusalem took them to the Me'ah She'arim neighborhood, an old  ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in the north-central part of the city.  The class was small, consisting of 7 or 8 girls and 3 boys.  Although it was a modern-religious school, they knew where they were going and were dressed modestly, wearing long skirts and long or three-quarter length sleeves, and walked through the neighborhood quietly ...

(nablopomo day 16) I hate to say "As If," but now the Israeli government's investigative commission on the 2005 Gush Katif disengagement has just been revealed, and lo--wonder of wonders--it concludes that the evacuation of approximately 9,000 people from the Gush Katif communities in Gaza was a total governmental failure . The state’s official investigative committee regarding the country’s treatment of the Gush Katif expellees has been issued, giving failing grades to the government. Gush Katif residents say they hope the report will lead to change, The so-called "disengagement," which was really a total evacuation and expulsion of citizens of Israel from territory that was captured in a defensive war which was completely built up by these citizens from merely sand dunes to thriving towns, with a thriving economy and successful, closely-knit communities.  I will NOT use the term "settlers," because the truth is that the entire country of Israe...

 (nablopomo day 7) This was apparently published in the English language Turkish newspaper Hurriyet on Sunday.  The video shows that the IDF was viciously attacked and three commandos seriously wounded by the Islamist terrorists who were among the passengers--most of which passengers were not involved, but in their stupidity and naive ideology were there with the terrorists, probably believing their lies about Israel. It is terrible that possibly some innocents were killed in the IDF retaliatory attack.  But you need to remember this: If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.  And sometimes, you might not get up .  So choose carefully...

(nablopomo day 4) Please pray for the IDF commandos who were injured.  Go to Arutz Sheva (INN) for their names. Here is a prayer for the welfare of IDF soldiers translated into English by the Council of Young Israel which Jews can say: He Who blessed our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - may He bless the fighters of the Israel Defense Force, who stand guard over our land and the cities of our G-d from the border of the Lebanon to the desert of Egypt, and from the Great Sea unto the approach of the Aravah, on the land, in the air, and on the sea. May the Almight cause the enemies who rise up against us to be struck down before them. May the Holy One, Blessed is He, preserve and rescue our fighting men from every trouble and distress and from every plague and illness, and may He send blessing and success in their every endeavor. May He lead our enemies under their sway and may He grant them salvation and crown them with victory. And may the...

In addition to being there to protect the Jewish People, another reason for Israel's existence--for those who have the audacity to question it--is that it serves as the the world's conscience. Hat tip, A Soldier's Mother .

Since I had written much on the efficiency of the Israeli field hospital in Haiti and the great disaster relief and humanitarian work that they had been doing, I feel it is fitting to post this video of the closing ceremony: after two weeks, the Israelis are going home, halfway across the world (hat tip Rafi ). *(nablopomo day# 27)

This was posted on The Muqata , and I am cross-posting it here. It is an account of exactly what the Israelis are doing at their field hospital to help the injured Haitians. Did you know that the Israeli contingent has an ethics committee to evaluate difficult medical procedures and their outcomes? As I've stated and documented in previous posts such as this one , the IDF has one of the highest ethical standards in the world. (This following was translated by Jameel from the original Hebrew letter sent by the IDF soldier in Haiti to his parents.) The Delegation to Haiti - Sent by an IDF soldier in Haiti to his parents. In the lifesaving IDF Medical Corps Delegation to Haiti which is housed in tents, doctors prevent disabilities. They administer aid to the sick, provide warmth, love, and a human touch. They love the wounded. In the IDF Medical Corps Delegation to Haiti which is housed in tents located in the middle of a hell, every complex medical case has an ethics review boar...

By now most of you have probably seen or heard of the full-functioning, efficient Israeli field hospital run by the IDF in Haiti, leaving the other nations which sent rescue teams (including the United States's) behind in the dust. I first saw the video below on A Soldier's Mother and Arlene From Israel . It is now all over the blogosphere (especially the JBlogosphere), but I am reproducing it here specifically for my readers, many of whom are not that familiar with Jewish blogging or blogging in general. It is a sight to see: CNN, no lover of Israel, praising her for speedily setting up a full-functioning, efficient hospital capable of medical imaging and surgery. What's in it for Israel, you might ask? First of all, would you ask that of the United States in its humanitarian efforts? All countries should be held by the same standard. However, if that question were asked, hypothetically, the answer would be: what's "in it" for Israel is doing good and sav...

I wrote about Israel's rescue efforts in Haiti here , but Arlene Kushner expands upon it in her post " With Great Pride " (scroll down to her January 17th post). As Arlene mentions, this might be a 'first' for the Haitians, to see Israeli Jews helping people in need, not because they are "Jewish" and in need, but because they are. . . human beings, and because their G-d-- my G-d--to whom we pray, commands us to do so. ( Remember, folks, to compare and contrast. . . ). Go view a video of the Israeli rescue team at work here . This is the best kind of PR Israel can do to market itself in the Third World (and perhaps in the First World, as well): showing how the Jewish Nation is supposed to live, and what a Jew is supposed to be. Did I mention before that I am proud to be a Jew? Oh. Well, I'm saying it again.

Israel's Magen David Adom is taking part in the international rescue mission and helping the IDF send a 220-man paramedics team to help the Haitians recover from the devastating 7.0 on-the-richter-scale-earthquake which hit and all but destroyed Port-au-Prince, its capital and killing an expected tens-of-thousands. The team includes dogs from the Israeli Oketz Dog Unit who are trained to find people buried under rubble. We have a philosophy that "saving one life is like saving the world." I am proud to be a Jew.