Bob Simon gets it wrong again

60 Minutes' Bob Simon did a segment on Tel Aviv on Sunday night. Simon got it all wrong again.Let's go to the videotape.A few comments.Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai is one of Israel's most leftist politicians, and Gideon Levy is one of Haaretz's most extreme writers.Yes, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem are like two different countries.And contrary to what Simon claims, many, many Israelis have contact with '

Ethnic cleansing for peace

Daniel Greenfield has a great comment in honor of Jerusalem Day.It would be absolutely inconceivable for the international community to denounce an ethnically cleansed group which survived attempted genocide for moving back into a city where they had lived. It is however standard policy at the State Department and the Foreign Office to denounce Jews living in those parts of Jerusalem that had

Siddurim Not Needed on Har HaBayit

I went this morning with a group going to Har HaBayi. the group was officially put together as the culmination of daf yomi having recently learned the tractates involved with the measurements and layout of the mikdash. The group was from Bet Shemesh, but not on the normal Bet Shemesh day (7th of every Hebrew month). When we got to the entrance, it was already packed with tourists. Of course, we religious Jews get to go in a separate line with unique rules and directions. After checking our identity cards, something that is technically no longer done but was done today as a result of some "trouble" they had yesterday with a group (MK Ben-Ari's group), and only disqualifying one person from ascending, we were on our way. The police combined us with another group - a group from Tekoa. There were some first-timers in the group, and that group was mostly older women, and the "guides" needed to say everything in both Hebrew and English, so we were moving pretty slowly, and the info was mostly basic. On the one hand that gave us plenty of time for prayer. On the other hand, it was a bit too slow. The trip was mostly uneventful. One of the Tekoa ladies got told off for trying to take a rock as a souvenir.Eventually, as we moved the eastern side to the northern side, by Shaar Rachamim, we split off from the other group, an act which needed special permission from the police officers following us, including head counts, so we could finish quicker. The guides, both Baruch Ben-Yosef and Yoni from Maaleh Adumim, were very knowledgeable and interesting. While I did not get to do "hishtachavaya" this time, as the police and the Waqf officials kept very close eyes on us, there was at least plenty of time for [silent] prayer. Despite their ridiculous rule of not allowing prayer books up, rendered completely pointless in the age of smartphones with both siddurim on them along with internet access that can load any prayer from any source in a matter of seconds, I was able to download the tefillah of the Shlah and say it while they probably thought I was taking pictures or sending a text message or whatever. Because I have been up on Har HaBayit so many times, and the place does not really change, I only took a few pictures... The local daf yomi group And, seemingly by chance, when leaving the Old City, we bumped into the Kalover Rebbe of Williamsburg �(a cousin of the Kaliver Rebbe of Jerusalem as explained in this Wikipedia entry ). He and his entourage chatted with us for a few moments and then he gave us a bracha as we parted ways.. ------------------------------------------------------ Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel ------------------------------------------------------

Young mother and daughter recall kidnapping attempt

Yael Shahak and her eight-year old daughter have been identified as the victims of an attempted kidnapping by 'Palestinian' terrorists in March. Here's part of their story. One night in March, Shahak and her daughter were on their way home from an event in central Israel. "We got onto the Beit El access road and a few minutes later, after one of the bends in the road, I noticed a car standing at

Where I said Tefillat Ha’Shloh, and What The Shlah Really Wanted From You

Today is the day of the segulah that is probably the most popular in terms of sending out email reminders. The only one that comes close to today's segulah is probably the segulah of "Parshat Ha'Mon" �for parnossa that is said on the Tuesday of Parshat B'Shalach. Today's segulah, I think tops that and is, by my count, the top segulah in the sense of how many email reminders and postings (such as this one) that are sent out. Today's segulah is to say the prayer written by the Shlah Hakadosh for parents on behalf of their children. The segulah is to say this prayer on erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan. I actually said the tefillat ha'Shlah today while on Har HaBayit - while one cannot bring prayer books up on Har HaBayit, cellphones are allowed, and I was able to access the "Tefillat HaShlah" easily with an Internet connection. Yes, there is reception on Har HaBayit. Take that, Asifa people! I think that this segulah is such a popular one, with so many email reminders being sent out, postings in shuls, on websites, downloads, announcements, etc. just shows how concerned we all are for our children. I hope it is not indicative that so many of us are having trouble raising our children on the path of Torah, rather we are concerned and aware that we can always do better and ask for that help and guidance. access the tefillah of the Shlah I just want to point out that while it is popular to say the prayer as it was composed by the Shlah, there is more to his instructions than just saying the prayer. The Shlah wrote: One should daven a lot that he should have children who are kosher, and all their needs and finding their soulmate should be from Hashem, and my heart tells me that the special time for this is on erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan. That is the month in which the Torah was given and that is when we were called "children of Hashem". It is appropriate to sit in fast on that day, both he and his wife, and arouse themselves to repentance and they should mend all the issues in the house that need mending - kashrus, impurity, etc. and they should give charity to proper poor people. And if possible, the husband should fast a "Taanis Hafsaka", but at least the fast should be a full fast with all the rules of a public fast day. (Note: a taanis hafsaka is a 6 day fast beginning on Saturday night immediately after Shabbos has concluded and continuing until the following Friday night) ------------------------------------------------------ Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel ------------------------------------------------------

Mabhouh’s family trying to block movie release

You might recall that two weeks ago, I reported that Bar Refaeli will be starring in a movie about the liquidation of 'Palestinian' terrorist Mahmoud al-Mabhouh. Now, Mabhouh's family is trying to block the movie's release. Al-Mabhouh’s cousin, Ahmed, told AP on Sunday that the Israeli movie is a “Zionist conspiracy” to defame his cousin. Ahmed, who lives in Gaza, added that details of the suit,

The ‘other’ refugees

The 'Palestinians' were not the only refugees of the 1948 war. And unlike the 'Palestinians,' these refugees did not leave to make way for advancing armies and did not expect to return to their homes. On November 30, 1947, a day after the United Nations voted to partition Palestine into two states, one for Arabs and one for Jews, Aleppo erupted. Mobs stalked Jewish neighborhoods, looting houses

Ariel Meets His "Gift of Life" Recipient, Marilyn. Hosted by Mayim Bialik (video)

Ariel Meets His "Gift of Life" Recipient, Marilyn. Hosted by Mayim Bialik This is a very powerful video and experience.. Ariel encourages everyone (especially young people 18+) to be "swabbed" into the registry. It can and does save lives. An amazing average of 1 out 250 registrants becomes a match (and potential life saving donor). It is extremely important for those of Sephardic descent to be "swabbed" since there is a shortage of them in the registry. Below are links to the website and donor registration/guidelines page. http://www.giftoflife.org/ default.aspx https://www.giftoflife.org/ Public/Online/Donor/ Guidelines.aspx I was "swabbed" many years ago... ------------------------------------------------------ Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel ------------------------------------------------------

Video: Indivisible Jerusalem

The division of Jerusalem into "East" and "West" imposed by the Jordanian occupation for a brief period of 19 years is no longer possible in a city which has dramatically grown and changed over the last 44 years. 270,000 Arabs and 200,000 Jews live in the mosaic of neighborhoods called "East Jerusalem." Dividing Jerusalem is not technically feasible due to the intermingling of populations,

Shomron Council Head Makes Historic Speech at EU Parliament (video)

Shomron Council Head Makes Historic Speech at EU Parliament ------------------------------------------------------ Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel ------------------------------------------------------