The Religious Are Taking Over!

There he was, lying in the middle of the road, bloody and unconscious.  His bike was under the front left wheel of a white sedan.  The driver of the car was also bloodied and mangled in the front seat behind the steering wheel.

About a week ago, I attended the goodbye party for the volunteers of the emergency medical ambulance organization called MaDA, Magen David Adom.

My 18 year old daughter (left) is a volunteer there and has been riding in the ambulance and arriving on the scene to take care of those who needed emergency medical care.  The party's organizers which handed out certificates of thanks, and a small gift of appreciation to the many hours the volunteers worked that year, also had a simulation, a road accident involving a bicyclist and a car.  The re-enactment was  realistic.  A 'body' was lying on the pavement in the parking lot of the MaDA building, all bloodied up  with red paint make-up.  A bicycle was placed purposely under the front tire of the car and another 'actor' played an injured driver, with moaning sounds and all.   One of the head medic teachers announced a play by play, how their rescue crews arrive at the scene of an accident. He explained each step the paramedics and MaDA volunteers were performing to get the accident victims to the hospital as soon as possible, after administering the first aid that is given on the scene.

Short video clip I took of the simulated accident at Jerusalem's Magen David Adom Emergency Ambulance end of year party for the volunteers.

What struck me was the amount of kippot (yarmulkes) at the party.  At least half of the volunteers were religious.  Young men and women, Haredi as well as Knitted Kippah / National Religious.  My daughter was also among the number of religious girls, and me being a Jewish mother, well, I was very proud of her.

Kippaot and Payot (sidelocks)

I thought about the overflowing amount of religious people there and thought I would do some research.  In a country where only 20% - 30% of the population is religious (with around 40% identifying themselves as 'traditional' {meaning that they may light Shabbat candles and celebrate the holidays in some way} the religious are taking over many of the institutions in Israel.

Knitted Kippah Jew with Haredi friend with sidelocks (payot) - MaDA volunteer.

According to a report on the current birth rate in Israel, Haredi women are having three times as many children as their secular counterparts.  That's three Haredi children for every secular child born today.

TzitTzit, the ritual fringes, here worn under the MaDA uniform shirt

Another news item that came out reports that the IDF, Israel's army, has a representation which far outweigh's it's numbers in civilian life.  Approximately half of all officers in the IDF are religious.  "They are becoming the IDF's backbone" says Ben Caspit, the writer of the news story.  "Their presence in the army is several times larger than it is in the general population."

The new branch instituted in the IDF, the Nachal Haredi, now has it's own place in the respected ranks of the Israeli army.  The Netzach Yehuda battalion ( Nachal Haredi) has just received their own 'sticker' proclaiming the merits of their branch.  Their slogan is "The most combatant, the most Hareidi."

Posing with one of the actors who played an accident victim.

The 'Hesder' program which combines Torah study and army service, is seeing a steady increase in it's numbers as well.  In the mean time, more and more secular Israelis are choosing NOT to serve in the IDF, even going so far as to submit fake marriage certificates to get them out of their service. Called, 'draft dodging', they are coming out of the closet more and more, ending the tale that only religious Jews don't serve.  Statistics today in this post-Zionist state scream something different.

Religious soldiers in the Hesder program.

In the field of education, it seems that secular teachers are opting OUT. Non-religious Israelis today are abandoning the teaching profession. This is the arm which shapes the minds of our children, into tomorrow's adults. 

According to a survey from the prestigious Guttman Institute of Applied Social Research, published in 1993, more than half the Jews in Israel light Shabbat candles.  Approximately 70% keep a kosher home. Almost 80% celebrate the Passover Seder. Over 80% of Jewish males have a Bar Mitzvah, 92% have a brit milah (circumcision) and 98% go to the trouble of putting up a mezuzah on their front doors.

The birth rate - three to one, the armed forces filled with relgious officers, the education branch filling with more religiously identifying Jews, are all now in the hands of the religious.  So, the Seculars, the Post Zionists, and the Self-hating Jews, can all go home. Perhaps they should open the Good Book and learn their history and the prophesies in store. The future is almost here, and it looks like it's going to be a Jewish one!

Why Isn't G-d Cool?

Why Isn't G-d Cool?  Why is G-d considered a Square? I mean, what could be cooler than G-d?  He's the ultimate artist, the ultimate scientist, the ultimate everything. Just look at a mountain, a molecule, a flower, a galaxy. What could be cooler than the physics, the system, the energy and vibes that this universe runs on?  The smartest men in the world couldn't come up with such a  perfect creation.

And yet, I'm sitting here reading an article in the news paper about the newest hip thing our youth are swarming to, -a new grass-roots open air bar and dance 'club' for Tel Aviv's youth. It's Friday night in Tel Aviv. The soldiers are home for Shabbat, and they want to 'party'. 
This outside nightclub is free.  No one cards you, and drinks don't cost an arm and a leg.  The people at this outdoor impromptu nightclub are friendly, not snooty like at the expensive night clubs in Tel Aviv. This is becoming the new haven for our youth who want to find a new oasis for 'fun'.

Clubbing and trance dancing. Does it get us anywhere we really want to go?

My question is, if people are looking to 'get away' from the daily grind of work and life's challenges, and meet friendly people where they can find stimulation, why is it in a night club/dancing/drinking atmosphere?  Because even in these places, you are judged on how you look, and what clothes you wear.  Are you sexy and will you give out, or are you a dork?  People at nigth clubs see only the facade. It isn't the real thing.  So why do our youth put energies towards things that are fake and won't last?

When I first came to Israel in the late 70's, it was a lot more wholesome.  If people wanted to dance and drink, they usually had to go to the big hotels to do that.  And hotels were expensive, -too expensive for the average Israeli.  Mostly you'd find tourists in the hotel's bars and discos.  In those days, if you were an Israeli, you went to an outdoor cafe for ice cream together, and if you wanted to dance, you went Israeli folk dancing.  Why is it different today? What happened to our youth? To our culture?

Israeli Folk Dancing - once a past time to express patriotic pride and fun.

I was raised that on Friday nights, it was family night.  We all gathered around the table and had our Shabbat meal. Sometimes, when we were older, we'd have big 'Shabbatonim', -where you joined your youth group and  celebrated Shabbat together.  People sat at long tables and sang songs, had a great meal, and then had a great Dvar Torah, a lesson from the Bible.  People were judged on who they were as a person, because we shared the same values... belief in G-d.  If you gave a good Dvar Torah, you were respected even more. People were valued for their personalities, their talents, their kindness, and midot (character traits). 

I used to live on Kibbutz for a time.  One of the things that I remember was attending a wedding there.  The groom was a burn victim.  His face was terribly scarred and I hate to say it, but he looked like a monster.  I remember thinking as I watched him standing under the Chuppah with his bride, how did he get a girl to marry him?  I'm from Southern California, and growing up, it was very materialistic.  Everything there was how you looked, what clothes you wore, what label you had on, what kind of car you drove, even your home address. I couldn't imagine this kibbutznik being able to find a girl from California to marry him, with his face scarred so grotesquely. On Kibbutz, people work together, eat together, and socialize together in the evenings, so people can get to know the REAL you, and accept you for who you are.

Believing in something higher than oursleves - ushering in the Shabbat. 

I don't think that night clubs are the place to be appreciated for the 'real you'. Even though the free outdoor night club is more relaxed, it's still a meat market. It doesn't fill the emptiness that people are feeling... If someone is looking for friendship, companionship, and an escape from the 9-5 work jungle, the emptiness will just return as soon as the sun comes up in the morning, and the beer wears off.  So then why is spending your Friday nights together at a table in wholesome,  friendly, worthwhile pursuits not the 'IN' thing to do today?
Why isn't G-d cool? Why is G-d considered a square?  Why does society, any society, Jewish or not, run to something that is false, which values the 'facade', and doesn't fill the hole we try to stuff with beer, music and make up?

Gathering together at a Shabbat table.

Seems to me, that we need to redirect our society to more truth, and less falsity and let downs.  People who have had a real Shabbat experience, with good food, good people, songs, dancing and intellectual stimulating conversations at the Shabbat table want more and more of it. The 'feel' of Shabbos is exhilerating!  

So many people who are secular, who have tasted what a real Shabbat is like, have become religious.  They have felt the wonderful, joyous atmosphere of this day of rest, of rising above the material, and feeding the spiritual side of our souls. They feel the peace of Shabbat, they feel G-d and His love for us, in giving us the Sabbath day to disconnect from the rat race and phoney masks of life. People can feel valued for who they are, engage in real dialogue, and know that when they meet that 'someone special', that that person won't throw in the towel and look for comfort elsewhere when life gets a little rocky.  They will know that that someone will be committed and stick to their morals see the situation through, until the good times come again.  - Because they believe that Torah is G-d given, that it's a gift to mankind, and that though we won't be fulfilling our animal desires whenever we want to, we know that holding to the Laws of the Torah will ultimately be the best thing for us, as well as for society at large.  Keeping the Torah and embracing the values it gives us offers so much to make our lives happier and more content.  It has a lot more to offer than beer and trance dancing.

G-d, the 'Ultimate Artist' and His cool creations

Yes, Hollywood offers the glitz, but it isn't the bread and butter of life.  Hollywood may LOOK cool, but G-d really IS cool, and the world that He created really isn't square.  It's a scientific wonder, a mathematical miracle, an artist's masterpiece, a gourmet' chef's banquet.  It's time we focused on these intellectual and fascinating gifts.  Want trance?  Mediate on the wonders of G-d. Share your feelings with another who can appreciate you for YOU.      Invite someone to your Shabbos table. Sing, dance and discuss creation and the Torah. Laugh and enjoy the wholesome atmosphere. It's about time we told the world how cool G-d is, and that He is anything but 'square'.

Square Watermelons and Other Cool Things

Thanks to my listeners from all over the world who send me interesting emails.  These are just fun cool things I thought I would post, just in case someone missed some of these news pieces.

1) Square Watermelons

A round watermelon can take up a lot of room in a refrigerater and the usually round fruit often sits awkwardly on refrigerator shelves. 
Smart Japanese Farmers have forced their watermelons to grow into a square shape by inserting the melons into square, tempered glass cases while the fruit is still growing on the vine.

2) Salt Water Fuel - Simply amazing!

This could put the Arabs out of business.

Plus, a possible cure for cancer? Click the PLAY button on the video below.

3)  Bishop Urges Christians to Call G-d 'Allah'

"Catholic churches in the Netherlands should use the name Allah for God to ease tensions between Muslims and Christians, says a Dutch bishop.

Tiny Muskens, the bishop of Breda, told the Dutch TV program "Network" Monday night he believes God doesn't mind what he is called, Radio Netherlands Worldwide reported.

Catholic churches in the Netherlands should use the name Allah for God to ease tensions between Muslims and Christians, says a Dutch bishop.

Tiny Muskens, (photo above and to the left) the bishop of Breda, told the Dutch TV program "Network" Monday night he believes God doesn't mind what he is called, Radio Netherlands Worldwide reported." Click HERE for article from World Net Daily.

So, does it matter what we call G-d?  When you pray, do you pray to 'baal', 'moloch', 'buddha', 'jesus-yeshua', 'allah moon god' -- or do you pray to the ONE, the Master of the Universe, the G-d of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov?  Maybe it doesn't matter to this Catholic Bishop, but it should. I think a good re-reading of the first two, of the Ten Commandments is in order for anyone who prays to ANY other entity.  Do you remember what the first two commandments are?  Test yourself.  If you don't know them, you might want to review the most basic of laws.

4)  An ONLY IN ISRAEL Story

Someone from Neve Daniel sent the following delightful story, that happened in their own community on Shabbat.

Here's what happened:
Share your own ONLY IN ISRAEL stories with me. The best story wins a prize!

Friday afternoon, Adler flew back to Israel from abroad. The plane was a little delayed, but he had just about enough time to get from Lod Airport back to Neve Daniel. He jumped in the first cab and flew off. On the way, the cabbie turned round to him and said, "It's getting late! I'm a Sabbath-observing Jew. With all best intentions, it doesn't look like I'm going to be able to take you as far as Gush Etzion and then make it back to my house before Shabbat sets in. Tell you what: I'll drive past my house in Bet Shemesh, jump out, and give you the keys. You drive the cab to Neve Daniel and I'll pick it upafter Shabbat."