Eretz Yisrael Time

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Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Aryeh Deri (“Hu Zakai”) is considering running for mayor of Jerusalem. Deri would be the only serious opposition for the job that Gaydamak is also considering. Meanwhile Lupolianski is showing that he is a mensch and is honoring by his (stupid) agreement with the Chareidi parties not to run again. Sorry guys, but I think he has been one of the best mayors Jerusalem has seen in a long, long time, and it’s a shame that he won’t be running.

Meanwhile, anti-Chareidi sentiment is running high in some neighborhoods. Some secular Jerusalem residents are complaining that the Chareidim are moving in, or their students are using their classrooms (many of which are sitting empty in these secular neighborhoods). Now the war has been taken to a new level. Over 200 Eruv wires have been cut on Shabbat over the past 3 months. This happening in parallel to the Chareidi family that was assaulted in a public park a few weeks ago, “because they were taking over the park”.

How long before we see a murderer arise from the secular community and kill a Chareidi Jew for walking down the wrong street. It’s time they stop this incitement, and its time the police do their job and protect this community.


Egypt (our cold-war enemy) with whom Israel stupidly agreed to purchase most of our natural gas from, has stopped supplying gas to Israel. This comes from various causes, including that Egypt is so backwards, they don’t have the infrastructure to properly deliver on their agreements, and there is a lot of political opposition to supply gas to their enemy. When will Israel learn?

Apparently soon enough as a member of Moshav Moledet has installed the first private Solar Energy Station on his roof, to sell back electricity to the Electric Company. This was allowed due to an important change in the law (which I discussed earlier this year), that allows private individuals to generate electricity and sell it back to the IEC. The technology needs to be priced better, but we should all get started doing this and cut down on our energy reliance from foreign sources and the IEC.

And in a very important change, citizens are now allowed to visit Rachel’s tomb for the first time in years – by private car. You’ll recall that during the original Oslo talks Rabin actually initially gave Rachel’s tomb away to the Palestinians, as he didn’t understand its importance or relevance to the Jewish people. Some rabbis (I don’t remember who) convinced him otherwise. Since then, Rachel’s Tomb was turned into Rachel’s Fortress.

And of course, the police (“we have no resources to evict Arab squatters from private land in Jerusalem”) have arrested attempted protester Nadia Matar and friends before they even had a chance to go protest. The protest was against the expulsion of 3 Jews from their homes (huh, they have resources for that?) for no reason other than as punitive, vindictive measure.

And finally, Netanyahu is trying to stick well-known Leftys into high Likud list positions. Hell, he should just get Yair Lapid if he wants left-wing celebrities. One thought is that he is trying to neutralize Feiglin. I say boo Netanyahu. Kadima, Meretz and Labor are far enough Left – give the nation an alternative.

20 comments:

Rafi G. said...

if I remember correctly, the rabbi/politician who convinced rabin not to give away kever rachel was rabbi menachem Porush (father of Meier Porush running for mayor of JM).

Anonymous said...

Correct you are. I remember reading an interview with him where that was mentioned.

Cosmic X said...

About the Eruv in Kiryat Yovel:

I know a secular guy from the neighborhood. He showed me the letter from Shlomit Rubin, the city comptroller. The eruv is being put up without the proper permits. He told me that a Hareidi councilman (not from Shas) told him that they can remove the posts as they were put up illegally. The councilman would not put this in writing however.

Anonymous said...

"How long before we see a murderer arise from the secular community and kill a Chareidi Jew for walking down the wrong street."

Well, we already have murderers arising from the dati leumi community and killing secular Jews for having the "wrong" policies as prime minister. Why not in the other direction too?

Anonymous said...

Excluding Arab honor killings and terror attacks, the majority of homicides in Israel are by secular Israelis. In fact it seems that Israelis can only name two murderers from the religious sector - and they constantly repeat their names.

It would certainly be a change if secular Israelis started murdering people for something more than a bar fight, road rage, mafia hit, or a cheap thrill against a taxi driver.

Anonymous said...

Why, Joe, did you mention the eruv controversy so briefly in a "they're after us" context? Did you even READ an article in full in the non-Charedi press on the developments? I did, and it would seem that things are a good deal more involved than your two lines make it seem. Please, though I'm only an occasional reader of your blog, I have enjoyed and been enlightened by a number of your posts in the past. Don't become The Jewish Press - soog bet - by trawling for every scrap of non-evidence that it's "us" against "them" at every turn. Stick with the areas of your expertise and first-hand experience, for the benefit of us all.

Anonymous said...

My primary source here is the Jerusalem Post, which has regularly reported this past year the openly virulant anti-Chareidi attitudes of some of the residents of some of the neighborhoods discussed (in at least 3 different articles I can recall).

The neighborhoods where the Eruvs are being cut are the neighborhoods where there is currently a war being raged by the secular residents to prevent Chareidim from moving in or using their empty schools buildings.

Whether or not the Eruv was put up legally is irrelevant to the discussion because (a) legal authority for these issues in Israel always tend to be murky for some reason so it is not clear who may or may not install it, and (b) it would be up to the city to remove an illegal structure, not some vigilantes, but most importantly because (c) anytime a community blocks the "construction" of an Eruv (anywhere in the world), it is because they want to prevent the influx of religious Jews.

That davka the Eruv is cut on Shabbat is further indicative of the maliciousness and hatred of the individuals involved.

Commenter Abbi said...

I guess you missed this important piece of info in Ynet: According to one of the area’s residents, the whole story began two years ago when haredim began placing eruv posts inside the neighborhoods in addition to those already placed by the religious council .

The only vigilantes in this story are the charedim who are violating pple's private property because the existing eruv is not good enough for them. Sorry, there's no religious discrimination going on here, only refusal to be cowed by religious fanatics.

Anonymous said...

"to one of the area’s residents" - "one" being the key word of that sentence.

Could that one resident that made that claim be one of those driving the anti-Chareidi campaign in the neighborhood?

If you follow the JPost series on the neighborhood, the story began when local secular residents objected to the Chareidim moving into their neighborhood with their large families, changing the "balance" of the neighborhood.

To quote Danny in the YNET article, “an eruv is definitely a haredi symbol and we don’t want an influx of haredim in southwest Jerusalem." - Plain and Simple.

While the YNET article claims the eruv dispute began 2 years ago, the secular residents only began cutting and burning down the eruv 3 months ago.

In the past year, the JP never mentioned the eruv once - yet if it was such a major point of contention, you would think it would have had even had a mention there, alongside everything else.

Commenter Abbi said...

Joe, I wouldn't hold the jpost to be the paragon of journalism. If they missed the eruv angle, I wouldn't assume it didn't exist. Also, once again, a kosher eruv already exists in the neighborhood . So, how are religious people being "officially" prevented from moving in?

I'm not sure what your point is- you're shocked that chilonim want to protect their neighborhood from a charedi influx? You're shocked that different types of Jews don't want to live together? This has been an Israeli trend for years- separate neighborhoods for different demographics. It's sad but it's a fact of life here.

As for charedim- if they didn't have a habit of breeding extremists who throw bleach on women whom they think aren't dressing appropriately or setting fires to stores they don't approve of, i'm sure many people wouldn't have a problem living with them.

The charedim here in ranaana are very friendly and seem to get along very well with the rest of the community, so I think co-existence is possible. I also think jerusalem charedim have yet to learn how to do this.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of miscellaneous news,

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1220526713663&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter

the mitnachlim who are used to beating up Arabs in Drom Har Hevron are now beating up Jews as well.

Sounds like the con man who starts out only conning strangers, but eventually finds it so satisfying that he can't keep himself from treating his friends and family the same way.

JoeSettler said...

abbi: In all my years of living in and visiting Jerusalem, including in Chareidi neighborhoods (and I am not Chareidi), I have never seen the behavior you described.

Why?

Because it is the exception that makes the news.

(Jerusalem isn't Beit Shemesh.)

Anonymous said...

I'm just wondering how many police and soldier the Left-wingers attacked today near Modiin.

Talk about a group of people who hurt their own and are running a con job on the nation.

Anonymous said...

So Joesettler, you aspire to the same moral level the "anarchists" are on?

Anonymous said...

No eric, you are just on the wrong blog to be trying to trash settlers.

JoeSettler said...

Oh, and I'm waiting for the rest of the facts of this story to come to light.

There is clearly something more to this story involving someone who has been described as a "zany and idealistic self-described utopian farmer" and "is trying to increase awareness of the need to preserve areas where there are plans for expanding construction" and has "a personal interest in preserving the area he now uses for farming".

Anonymous said...

"No eric, you are just on the wrong blog to be trying to trash settlers."

Is that like saying "you're right, but you're not allowed to mention it here"?

"There is clearly something more to this story "

If it goes against your preconceptions then there "clearly" must be more to the story... I'd like to once see you be that charitable to the government or anyone else you criticize on this blog.

Anonymous said...

This blog is not the forum for insulting or attacking settlers in any way. You don't like it? Too bad and go away.

Anonymous said...

Gosh, someone doesn't know how to take criticism.

Anonymous said...

Gosh, there are plenty of blogs out there that love and enjoy constantly attacking Settlers. You'll be more than welcome there.

Never on my blog. Period.

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