Amazing story!

A homeless woman, a Jewish Holocaust survivor who lived out of a shopping cart in Manhattan, left in her will $100.000 to the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and $100.000 to her latest ‘employer’, whom she helped move his car around Manhattan so that he could avoid getting parking tickets, in exchange for a bed and a hot meal once a day.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1249418543913&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Why Won’t Obama Talk to Israel?

The article appeared in the New York Times, written by Aluf Benn, editor of Israeli news paper Haaretz; Benn brings up several important points while trying to understand what has been President's Obama's aproach towards Israel.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/28/opinion/28benn.html?_r=2

Israel in Song...Remembering our Soldiers.

Songs, are written with one idea in mind, yet the original one could change to serve another purpose. Israeli soldiers are never forgotten, and as is common in Israel, where music plays a vital role, they are remembered in song.
Shlomo Artzi turned one of his songs called “Anajnu Lo Tzrijim”, ‘More than this we do not need’, in an outcry for the safely return of soldier Gilat Shalit. The song pleads for “his return”, for “the tears have dried from our eyes”, “let him return so we could meet him, more than this we do not ask”.
At his concerts, Artzi plays this song while a picture of Shalit is displayed in the screens at the show.

Sarit Haddad’s hit theme Shema Israel, was played to remember Shalit and soldiers Regev and Goldwasser who were then returned to Israel in July of last year, in a coffin, as part of a prisoner exchange.


Shlomo Artzi
When opening this link, click on the green tag to listen to the song(with English subtitles)
http://www.shiron.net/artist?type=lyrics&wrkid=376&prfid=975&lang=1


Sarit Haddad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roc2QORAhKw

Israel in Song… Ha Ish HaHu, 'That Man'

This song written by poet Natan Yonatan and composed and sang by the very famous Israeli Singer Shlomo Artzi, became one of the many tribute songs to Prime Minister Rabin after his assassination. The song tells the story of “That Man”, and asks “where are other men like him, where could they be found?”, “a man who was like the weeping willows”. It appealed to Rabin’s “uniqueness” as a leader and as a humble person, a warrior who understood the call of the people for peace, and who proved, with his life, that violence and extremism leads nowhere.
The following link(which English subtitles) presents Shlomo Artzi at one of the annual rallies held in Tel Aviv’s ‘Kikar Rabin’ to mark the date of Rabin assassination.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVGKaxzy_-Y

The President Takes a Hard Line on Israel Yet he doesn’t want to be seen as ‘meddling’ in Iran.

This article brings to mind important historic facts, easily forgotten and the issue of the double standard taken by most of the countries of the world, including the US, against Israel.
The ‘disengagement’ from Gaza, even though it was a unilateral move in which no agreement was achieved with the Palestinians, could have been a trial on the ‘land for peace’ initiative; yet, the removal of about 9.000 residents (some of whom haven’t found a permanent residence yet), proved what many in the Israeli community felt: Gaza became a terror State ruled by Hamas who continued to attack Israel; the only difference, it was just from a closer range.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204886304574308172135404080.html

Can secular host TV show about Jewish tradition?

Channel 1, which is the Public Channel in Israel, airs a show called “Mekablim Shabbat” (Receiving the Sabbath),hosted by Dov Elboim, in which several personalities from the Israeli spectrum, writers, comedians, singers, professors, etc, are invited to discuss the weekly Parasha portion.
I view the show almost every week, and I have always liked the fact that each one of the guests, provides his own interpretation to the text, some based on Rabbinic interpretation, some on personal studies or experiences, bringing a “modern” view into the Bible reading, allowing for viewers, especially those who feel these are “ancient” texts with no relevance into their lives, to make this connection, to understand and view the text in a different light, one from which the Bible is meaningful to every Jew, ancient or Modern, religious or secular.
Meir Porush, deputy Education Minister form the Ultra Orthodox party United Torah Judaism, does not share this view, and believes, that a secular host, who does not wear a kippah, has no place meddling in religious issues; from his complain I would say that he doesn’t even watch the show since he recalls what “ a viewer” told him about it: “Moreover, a viewer who wrote to me said that the host's interpretations do not fall in line with the accepted interpretations in Judaism, and constitute a desecration of what Judaism holds sacred."
In his response, Israel broadcasting Authority head Motti Shklar claims rightfully that: “ the host has the utmost love and respect for the tradition and its content, but surely people who do not wear a kippah also have the right and the obligation to be part of the Jewish tradition, in their own way."
There are several reasons that have kept the secular public to distance themselves from studying traditional texts; the importance of resuming this practice is central to the survival of Jewish tradition and life in Israel and the Diaspora. Openness and tolerance from both parts is central to accomplish this matter.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3750406,00.html

Zionist ship in danger

Yaron London,a recognized Israeli journalist and TV host of the channel 10program "London et Kirshembaum"(as well as a recognized songwriter), argues in this article that both the Arab and Ultra-Ortodox minorities, whom together comprise one third of the population of the State,are being joined by a large group of the Israeli society, who are not part of the vision of having a "democratic, secular, modern, liberal, and open republic with a Jewish majority". The Zionist enterprise was, in its begginigs, the dream of a few, well educated Jews from Easter Europe, who succeded in bringing about this daring enterprise. Nowadays, they remain a tiny group as well amongst a divided society wishing to sail each in its own direction.


http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3750488,00.html