My blogging began over four years ago, when I discovered that there was an easy way to post my writing on the internet. A couple of years before that, I had begun sending out "musings" to various friends via email. They were my reactions to our deteriorating security situation and the rampant Arab terrorism, which was filling our small Shiloh Cemetery with innocent young children.
If I want my message to get across, I'm going to have to use every road and vehicle.

Over the years I've gotten used to blogging. It's easy, but, of late, I've begun to realize that not only has technology moved onwards, but many of those looking for real news via the internet find blogs staid and boring. They want quicker more interactive relationships.

For what feels like a long time, but is probably less than a year, I've declined all "be my friend on--" offers:

"I can't deal with more passwords, codes, sign-ins. Isn't blogging enough?"

Last night I attended Tachl!s 2Point Oh! I listened. Maybe I didn't understand everything. Maybe I couldn't relate to some of the mentality, but I did get the message. If I want my message to get across, I'm going to have to use every road and vehicle. So, that means that I'll have to facebook, twitter and whatever comes next. And to communicate with those who f2f, let's meet for a cup of coffee or glass of carrot juice.

There's a lot more to jblogging than you see on Arutz 7 and other Jewish or Israeli newspapers.  Blogging is the international cyber-Hyde Park, where everyone with internet access has a forum. 

Besides the obvious crackpots, there are some very serious and intelligent writers.  We get together for "carnivals," which are like floating internet magazines.  Various bloggers take turns "hosting" editions.  The main and most veteran jblog carnival is Havel Havelim.  It's a weekly carnival and I hosted this week's edition.  In it I also blog about the other jblog carnivals and introduce a few dozen, quite a few dozen, blog posts from Jewish Bloggers all over the world.

Enough with the introduction:

Click here for Havel Havelim!!

Teachers, and people in general, take too much for granted.  We presume...

I remember getting very angry with an 11th grade class which wouldn't write the compositions the books made me expect them to.  Later I discovered that they didn't know how to write proper compositions in Hebrew, so writing them in English would be doubly problematic.
But the truth is I'm glad that a generation is growing up more connected to Judaism.

Another thing I took for granted is that they know the months of the year.  Yes, they do, but the calendar they live by is in Hebrew, the Jewish Calendar.

In Israel, checks are legal tender if the dates are Jewish, rather than goyish.  My students weren't chareidi, who reject many non-Jewish things.  But my students live in a Jewish world, and that may have been frustrating when they had no idea that May comes after March.

But the truth is I'm glad that a generation is growing up more connected to Judaism.

Shabbat Shalom U'Mevorach-- Have a Peaceful and Blessed Shabbat

Hat tip, Jewlicious

Many American towns and cities are named for Biblical places. In those places, there are no laws preventing Jews from living and thriving. Not far from my parents is a Jericho, where unlike in the real article, there is a Jewish community.
Going to Alabama is like settling for rhinestones instead of diamonds.


As you know, I live in Shiloh, BibleLand, which bothers the American government. The American State Department doesn't want Jews living in our Holy City. I'm not interested in living in any of the imitation Shiloh's, like in California, Alabama, Florida, Georgia or more.

In Alabama, there's a small city named Dothan, which has a Jewish community that is trying to beef itself up by offering a $50,000 package for Jews to settle there. The original Dothan/Dotan is a Biblical site. It's where Joseph's brothers sold him.

Now, I think that Jews should live in Israel, the HolyLand, Bible Land, and I find it very ironic that davka, Dotan is offering money. If you're interested in Dotan, why settle for the imitation? There's a Jewish community in the Shomron, Mevo Dotan.

Going to Alabama is like settling for rhinestones instead of diamonds.