It's Not Just About Converts

This also appears on Shiloh Musings, where there are comments.  You can comment on both sites.  This post isn't "chareidi bashing."
According to Jewish Law, we're not supposed to eat insects, but when checking food, we're not supposed to use anything stronger than our simple, everyday if you need them reading glasses. If you use a high-powered microscope, nothing will be clean enough to eat...

In a few hours we'll be celebrating/observing the Shavuot Holiday. The Story of Ruth, the most important of our many converts, is read on Shavuot. What's the connection? Most people translate "Shavuot" into "weeks," but it's also the Hebrew for "oaths." Ruth is most famous for her oath to commit/connect herself to her Jewish mother-in-law, Naomi.

Ruth Chapter 1 èæ åÇúÌÉàîÆø øåÌú àÇì-úÌÄôÀâÌÀòÄé-áÄé, ìÀòÈæÀáÅêÀ ìÈùÑåÌá îÅàÇçÂøÈéÄêÀ: ëÌÄé àÆì-àÂùÑÆø úÌÅìÀëÄé àÅìÅêÀ, åÌáÇàÂùÑÆø úÌÈìÄéðÄé àÈìÄéï--òÇîÌÅêÀ òÇîÌÄé, åÅàìÉäÇéÄêÀ àÁìÉäÈé. 16 And Ruth said: 'Entreat me not to leave thee, and to return from following after thee; for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God; éæ áÌÇàÂùÑÆø úÌÈîåÌúÄé àÈîåÌú, åÀùÑÈí àÆ÷ÌÈáÅø; ëÌÉä éÇòÂùÒÆä éÀäåÈä ìÄé, åÀëÉä éåÉñÄéó--ëÌÄé äÇîÌÈåÆú, éÇôÀøÄéã áÌÅéðÄé åÌáÅéðÅêÀ. 17 where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried; the LORD do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.'

éà åÇúÌÉàîÆø ðÈòÃîÄé ùÑÉáÀðÈä áÀðÉúÇé, ìÈîÌÈä úÅìÇëÀðÈä òÄîÌÄé: äÇòåÉã-ìÄé áÈðÄéí áÌÀîÅòÇé, åÀäÈéåÌ ìÈëÆí ìÇàÂðÈùÑÄéí. 11 And Naomi said: 'Turn back, my daughters; why will ye go with me? have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? éá ùÑÉáÀðÈä áÀðÉúÇé ìÅëÀïÈ, ëÌÄé æÈ÷ÇðÀúÌÄé îÄäÀéåÉú ìÀàÄéùÑ: ëÌÄé àÈîÇøÀúÌÄé, éÆùÑ-ìÄé úÄ÷ÀåÈä--âÌÇí äÈéÄéúÄé äÇìÌÇéÀìÈä ìÀàÄéùÑ, åÀâÇí éÈìÇãÀúÌÄé áÈðÄéí. 12 Turn back, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say: I have hope, should I even have an husband to-night, and also bear sons; éâ äÂìÈäÅï úÌÀùÒÇáÌÅøÀðÈä, òÇã àÂùÑÆø éÄâÀãÌÈìåÌ, äÂìÈäÅï úÌÅòÈâÅðÈä, ìÀáÄìÀúÌÄé äÁéåÉú ìÀàÄéùÑ; àÇì áÌÀðÉúÇé, ëÌÄé-îÇø-ìÄé îÀàÉã îÄëÌÆí--ëÌÄé-éÈöÀàÈä áÄé, éÇã-éÀäåÈä. 13 would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye shut yourselves off for them and have no husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes, for the hand of the LORD is gone forth against me.' éã åÇúÌÄùÌÒÆðÈä ÷åÉìÈï, åÇúÌÄáÀëÌÆéðÈä òåÉã; åÇúÌÄùÌÑÇ÷ òÈøÀôÌÈä ìÇçÂîåÉúÈäÌ, åÀøåÌú ãÌÈáÀ÷Èä áÌÈäÌ. 14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law; but Ruth cleaved unto her. èå åÇúÌÉàîÆø, äÄðÌÅä ùÑÈáÈä éÀáÄîÀúÌÅêÀ, àÆì-òÇîÌÈäÌ, åÀàÆì-àÁìÉäÆéäÈ; ùÑåÌáÄé, àÇçÂøÅé éÀáÄîÀúÌÅêÀ. 15 And she said: 'Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back unto her people, and unto her god; return thou after thy sister-in-law.'

But once someone does convert, his/her background isn't supposed to be mentioned. That's one of the anti-Halachik (Jewish Law) "ironies," or inconsistencies, with the blanket/mass cancelling of conversions by a chareidi court. But that's no surprise to me. I find a lot of inconsistencies with Chareidi Judaism. Now, some of you may really blow up when you read this, but please read through to the end. IMHO, it has copied foreign religions in one of its basic premises, that men should learn Torah full time and not work in a full variety of professions.

I also disagree with its refusal to recognize the validity of the State of Israel and the official Rabbinate. One of the great beauties and uniqueness of Judaism is its integration of the Holy and Profane, Kodesh v'Chol. We don't send our holy people, our learned rabbis to isolated monasteries, nor ban them from the physicality of married life. I have no doubt that the plague that killed 24,000 of Rabbi Akiva's students was caused by the idealizing of his marriage, that he lived for years without his wife Rachel.

Our wars, the fighting soldiers are doing great Mitzvot (Holy Commandments) and should be G-d fearing, Torah-knowledgeable people. Therefore the Chareidi custom of shirking this duty/mitzvah is also against the basic tenant of Judaism.

The State of Israel has a Rabbinate which has a department which give Kosher Certification to foods. The Chareidim don't recognize it and they have their own kashrut certification. So, I wasn't surprised that they insulted the Official Rabbinate's certification of converts. These poor Jews, yes, Jews, have been caught pressed between a rock and a hard place. Rabbi Sherman's "Beit Din," religious court, is trying to score anti-state points by destroying the lives of countless Jews.

According to Jewish Law, we're not supposed to eat insects, but when checking food, we're not supposed to use anything stronger than our simple, everyday if you need them reading glasses. If you use a high-powered microscope, nothing will be clean enough to eat, and you'll starve or die of malnutrition.

From All Over To Tel Shiloh!

Yesterday we went to Tel Shiloh. We were women from Rechovot, the Golan, Jerusalem, Eli and
Chana prayed for a son who would be dedicated to G-d, trained to lead the Jewish People. We, too, pray for a leader.
Shiloh. We were born in Israel, Europe, North and South America.

Our country, today, is in need of wisdom, leadership to take us out of our dangerous situation.

There will be another Women's Rosh Chodesh at Tel Shiloh for Tammuz, in another month. Details to follow.

You don't have to wait for a special time. Shiloh is open and available for visitors, tourists, pilgrims etc. The Tel is open for visitors, prayers and special events at all times. For more information, call the Tourist Office of Tel Shiloh, 02-994-4019.

There is now, also, a Coffee Shop--Gallery. Snacks, art work and souvenirs are for sale. Meals for groups can be arranged.

Jerusalem Day

This year Jerusalem Day feels different, sort of empty. I think making it a holiday was a mistake. It was
I'm willing to celebrate a SIX DAYS WAR VICTORY DAY, but not Jerusalem Day
established after the great, miraculous victory of the Six Days War.

Why a mistake? Because it established a ranking, a division of importance between the Old Walled City of Jerusalem and all of the other Holy Land we liberated as the result of that war, that war which the Arabs planned as a means to destroy us, throw us into the sea. That's a critical, tragic, potentially fatal mistake; and I wrote that in present tense for a reason.

Today we're suffering for that mistake.

Only the liberation of the Kotel area is celebrated, not the liberation of Hebron, Shiloh, Bethlehem, the Jordan Valley and Shechem. All the government wanted, at most, was the Kotel and enough of the Old City to give Jews access. That's why they are so confident that there's nothing wrong in offering our enemies our Land. The Zionist establishment never really wanted it. When perfectly healthy quadruplets are born to parents who wanted "just one," do they give the "extra three" to an orphanage?

I'm willing to celebrate a SIX DAYS WAR VICTORY DAY, but not Jerusalem Day. I'm willing to celebrate our survival.

An old friend whose son was murdered in a terror attack considers her children and grandchildren, ken yirbu--may there be many more, her revenge. This picture says it:

thanks to a.b.e

"Gaza Belt?"

When I hear or read the term "Gaza Belt," this is what I think of. Look at these pictures of Arab explosive belts, the types worn by suicide terrorists.

The Arab version of WWII Kamikaze pilots, who would ram their planes into their targets and then die in the crash. They flew solo, unlike the Bin Laden's Arab terrorists of 9-11 infamy.

Now, I've been trying to figure out who and when did Israel's south, the Sderot, Ashkelon area get that new name, "Gaza Belt." The term isn't used in a the media. For instance, when I did search of Ynet, the closest was:

Not Just Jerusalem Day

On the eve of the 26th of Iyyar*, the opening of the Six Days War, 41 years ago...

The Six Days War concluded with great miracles, including the liberation, return to Jewish sovereignty of our historic HomeLand, the Biblical Jewish Land, Judea, Samaria and all of Jerusalem. We celebrate Jerusalem Day, but we should also be celebrating, Hebron Day, Shechem Day, Shiloh Day, Bethlehem Day etc.

Having lived in Shiloh for almost 27 years, I know that part of the HolyLand well.  And just a reminder that we'll be having a "Rosh Chodesh Sivan Prayer-Psalms Gathering" at Tel Shiloh this Wed., the first of Sivan, June 4, 9:45am.   You can visit the Tel any time, but sometimes you need an "excuse."  

I'm also no stranger to Gush Etzion:

We live north of Jerusalem, in Shiloh. South of Jerusalem is Gush Etzion. Even though the earliest of the post Six Days War returnees to our precious Land were similar, whether moving to Ofra or Alon Shvut, today there are enormous differences between Gush Etzion and Mateh Binyamin (the Benjamin Regional Council, where Shiloh is.) There are many more Jews in Gush Etzion, and the housing values are tremendous. That's not just because the average home is larger.

Before I became an English teacher, over ten years ago, I worked "in advertising" for the regional phonebooks. There was no comparison. The Gush Etzion book was full of ads, large expensive ones, many from local businesses. My area's book was much tougher to fill, even though there were many more communities.

Gush Etzion is concentrated in a much smaller area, and most of the communities are just a few minutes from Jerusalem, while Mateh Binyamin is enormous, and the closest Jerusalem neighborhood, Pisgat Zeev is an outlying one, far from the city center, which can't be accessed by a simple sidewalk. Within minutes most residents of Gush Etzion can travel to a local shopping center and visit the various yishuvim. Mateh Binyamin is spread between Latrun, between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, the Jordan Valley and Samaria. Our "shopping center" is an isolated spot in southern Binyamin, north of Pisgat Zeev. There's a big discount supermarket, health clinic, clothing store and a few others.

Many of our Gush Etzion friends built their large homes rather cheaply with local Arabs, even in some of the more ideological communities. Quick, easy access to Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh mean that the simplest homes are worth more than ours. Egged bus company seems more "forgiving" than they are by us. When we were waiting for the bus to Jerusalem in Elazar, after the Bar Mitzvah, I was amazed to see the bus stop unlabeled and blocked off by a large garbage bin and cars.

 If we would dare do that, we'd get hell from Egged and no bus. All in all, I'm not sorry that we didn't move to Tekoa or Efrat, the first yishuvim we had seriously looked at. Shiloh is where I'm meant to be.

*Maybe next year I'll tell you what else happened on the 26th of Iyyar.