The Road to the 19th Knesset

Fellow Jerusalmite Esser Agorot has posted Haveil Havalim #382 - The Dual Elections Edition  in honor of the interest generated by the US elections and the Israel elections to be held Tuesday, January 22, 2013.
In Israel voters go behind a partition and choose a piece of paper with the letters of the party they wish to vote for and put that in an official envelope which they were given.  When all the votes are counted the seats in the Knesset are divided among the parties proportionally.  If your party received 10% of the votes then you would get 12 Knesset seats.
But how do you know which 12 party members get the seats?  Each party submits a list of 120 names of would-be Knesset members.  Then in the order they are on that list, they take seats in the Knesset so in our example names 1-12 on the list become Knesset members.  If one of these 12 should happen to resign (or falls as in \bottles of beer on the wall') then the 13th name takes her place.  So the order on the lists submitted to the election board really matters.

The Likud party has primaries and anyone who becomes a member of the party can vote (after 16 months membership).  My favorite candidate on the Likud's list is Tzipi Hotovely.  At age 33 she is finishing up her first term in the Knesset with an impressive record as the Chairwoman of the Knesset Committee on the Status of Women as well as  some other important committee membership.  She is firmly planted in the nationalist wing of the party of the current Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.  She is an eloquent proponent of many important family issues as well an advocate for strengthening Jewish  settlements all over the country.
This week I answered a call to help out in her office as the primaries in the Likud are November 22.  I got there and joined a group of young people in stuffing envelopes (!) with flyers extolling her achievements in the 18th Knesset to be sent out to Likud members who will be voting in the primaries.
That brought back memories of the last time I stuffed envelopes in an election campaign.  It was 1966 and Bobby Kennedy was running for Senator from New York.  I went to a midtown New York City office with some friends and we were put to work stuffing envelopes with campaign material.
It was in that same election that I spent a Friday afternoon with some high school friends accompanying the candidate from one department store parking lot to another supermarket parking lot where he took to the platform and made a short speech to the cheering crowd and shook hands with anyone willing to step up.  Our 'job' was to go on the bus and arrive at each venue before Kennedy and hand out campaign material and lead the cheering when he showed up.  We were a very enthusiastic group of teenagers and did our job with gusto.
I was having a good time and thinking how nifty democracy is.  Then someone from the campaign came on the bus and said that since we had done such a great job we were all invited to have a fish dinner with Kennedy his staff at a nearby restaurant.  Remember it was 1966 and Kennedy was a Catholic and it was Friday.  It would be very exciting and really something to remember.  But it was Friday and I had to get home to light Shabbat candles with my mother.   It was a sunny breezy fall afternoon and I remember as if it were this morning the thought that went through my head a I got off the bus and headed in the opposite direction to my family and home.  No matter how integrated I might feel, in the end I would always be an outsider.

Peripheral Vision

This coin was found at the archaeological dig at Gamla in the Golan Heights,  often called the Massada of the north. The coin says "For the redemption of Jerusalem the (H)oly". It is from the Great Revolt against the Romans in the first century CE. The coin is one of six found at Gamla and it is said that they were cast there in Gamla as well. Its message is not lost on us. Even though these Jews were carrying on their battle in far away Gamla the aim of the revolt and the purpose of the battle was not merely survival but 'the redemption of Jerusalem'. Jerusalem's survival requires Jewish settlement in the rest of Land of Israel.

I won't be giving away any secret if I tell you that Jerusalem is my favorite place in the world. I spent some very happy years here. David and I were married overlooking the Old City. It is with great joy and an enormous sense of gratitude to God that we make our home here once again. I am certain that those of us who live here and all of us who bear witness to the miracle of the State of Israel with the united city of Jerusalem as its capital are aware of the magnitude of that privilege.

Since arriving in Jerusalem I have been having a wonderful time discovering what's changed and rediscovering the familiar in the city I used to call home. There are so many possibilities for learning and cultural events and so many new things to see and do. I don't think I'll ever be bored again. And of course if your want a centrally located place to get together with friends from all over the country Jerusalem would be a great choice. That happened last week. A Facebook group of ladies who coffee klatch virtually, which my good friend Batya Medad -- who has been my friend since before the Internet was even a gleam in Al Gore's eye -- added me to it. We got together for what we call F2F (Face to Face) right here in Jerusalem. It was a lovely day for connecting and connect we did. I think everyone knew someone in the group 'from real life' but no one knew everyone. The conversation flowed as we got to know each other and learned about the challenges and victories of life. Sharon Doubler Katz, described it nicely as did Rachel  and Ruti.

Three of my new friends live in or near Netivot and they shared their feelings about living and raising children under fire. Yes, while I enjoy my new life here in Jerusalem my friends in Netivot are exposed to this day in and day out: Take fifteen seconds to watch the clip below. Go ahead, but first turn down the volume, especially if you're reading this at work or there are children asleep in your house.

Now read what my friend Miriam says. And another gave her take on Batya's blog under the name Netivotgirl. Another woman, mother of 7 children all under 15, told of children afraid to go to sleep and younger ones not sleeping through the night because of the booms. 

It's important for all of us to keep in mind that while we are safe at night others in the south don't know if they will sleep through the night. It's important for us to keep these people in our thoughts and prayers. AND it's important to remind our leaders that this is not a situation we should get used to living with. 

First Day of School

This morning I began my studies at Matan, an institute for Torah studies, founded by Rabbanit Malka Bina in 1988. Rabbanit Bina is one of the pioneers of learning and teaching Torah to women, breaking ground by learning Talmud and teaching women to learn. Matan has a rich and varied schedule for both full time serious advanced students as well as part time students like Batya and me. There are dozens of classes given four days a week, both in English and Hebrew.  

Today I went to two classes. The first class I chose is a class in Talmud. tractate 'Brachot'. I have attended classes in Talmud before which were informal and we worked as a group along with the teacher to understand the materiel. So, it isn't like I've never see a page before. But in this class we are expected to do a bit more on our own in pairs. I was fortunate to be sitting next a very nice woman and we were able to figure out the work. Then our teacher, a relatively young (everything is relative) man, Rav Yitzhak Bazak, pulled it all together and we had an interesting discussion which included some practical conclusions and left me with as we say in Hebrew 'a taste for more'. I am so fortunate to be able to do this!

The second class is a comparison of several of the prophets and an exploration of the types of prophecy in Judaism given by a really gifted teacher Yael Schlossberg. I heard several of her lectures in the two weeks in September  when Matan held lectures by their scholars as well as others in preparation for the High Holidays and I was sold. She managed to create an intimate learning atmosphere, encourage participation and say everything she wanted in her allotted time in a packed auditorium with what I would estimate was about 150 women. 

I am looking forward to a fruitful and interesting year of learning. 

Jerusalem is the center of the world!

Beginnings*

A lot of water has flowed in the Jordan since the last time I wrote. That would give me an excuse to continue not writing, since there's no way I can make up for all the events I didn't post about. I am therefore faced with either giving up blogging altogether (continuing not to blog) or picking up and moving on.  I have chosen to move on, take the bull by the horns, get back in the saddle, batten down the hatches and full speed ahead and go at it once again.

*I would have written "New Beginnings" but David tells me that this is an oxymoron as all beginnings must be new and I don't like being called a moron, oxy or otherwise. 

Two major bits of news you may have missed if you are not my friend in real life or on FaceBook: 

The birth of Eitan Harari on 21 Iyyar 5772 in Sroka Hospital Be'er Sheva. Eytan is the long awaited brother of Tamar. He is named in honor of my father Abraham Rich. The connection is from the Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur service where we ask God to listen to pleas of our father Abraham - the first to advocate for God's mercy on sinners - to intercede for us with the Almighty. The words in Hebrew:  עוד יזכר לנו אהבת איתן אדוננו are translated (in my Birnbaum siddur) "O Lord, remember still the love of faithful Abraham". But in the Hebrew, Abraham is not named but instead called Eitan which can be translated as steadfast or strong or firm or sound or secure, you get the idea. It is, of course, our wish that our Eitan grow into the kind of man who will do justice to his namesakes, both my personal father and the father of our nation.

We moved to Jerusalem!

Welcome Ye'elah Tzohar!

Last Wednesday the country celebrated Tu B'shvat, the new year of the trees. The very  next morning my daughter-in-law and son were in the nearest hospital delivering a new baby girl to the world. They called from the delivery room to tell us about this little (actually not so little - over 4 kilo - 9 pounds!) miracle which God sent.  

Friday I went to visit the newbornYe'elah, barely a day old, in Sroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva. 

I joined big sister  Gali now 3 years old and big brother Eytam  who will be 5 in a few weeks. Ye'elah, who had not yet been named slept peacefully through the visit. 

 She was born the day after Tu B'Shvat, the new year of the trees, a time when the almond trees begin to bud. In Israel it has turned into a celebration of nature. 

We wouldn't have been surprised if she were named for a tree or a fruit. Her name reflects the family's love of nature and alludes to the graceful  Negev gazelle and is used poetically to allude to a graceful and gracious woman. 

Now I have to add a picture to my banner. I will wait till I can get a shot of her with her eyes open

Haveil Havalim #344 New Banner Edition

Well, there it is ~ my new banner! The kids grow so quickly, thank God, and the photos get outdated.

Haveil Havalim is meant to be a roundup of posts from the Jewish blogsphere. I didn't get many submissions so what you will be seeing here are the ones who did send their links along with a few links that I consider worth taking a look at. 

Wednesday marks the first day of the Jewish month of Shevat and Batya reminds us:

Women's Prayers at Tel Shiloh

Rosh Chodesh Sh'vat

Wednesday, January 25, 2011

8:30am

Shiur Torah, Short Tour & Torah Lesson

You're welcome to join our facebook page. Tel Shiloh is open to visitors daily. Tours can be arranged through the office. Email telshilo@gmail.com or phone 02-994-4019 

Kosher Cooking Carnival for Sh'vat (which I read but don't contribute to) will be up at This American Bite. so if you do blog about your cooking or anything kosher food related you should be submitting.

The holiday we are all looking forward to this month is Tu B'shvat, the new year for trees. The Velveteen Rabbi shares some nicely put together Haggadot to use for Tu B'Shvat worth looking at for ideas for your celebrations. 

Susan Esther Barnes shared a thoughtful take on how and what we pray for over at TCJewfolk.com, she regularly blogs at To Kiss a Mezuzah and speaking of praying, Batya gave her opinion on Talking in Shul. 

David has been studying Talmud Yerushalmi and posted his siyyum of Massechet Bikurim and Seder Z'raim (OK, not this week but I am taking the liberty of pointing you there.) 

Israel is on the cyber-maven's map as The Real Jerusalem Streets contrasted tweeting about the nifty stuff that was going on at SMX Israel last week with some less pleasant stuff going on outside. Anthony Reich, writing at The Israel Situation addresses what he terms Racism in Israel about challenges faced by immigrants from Ethiopia. We can only hope that next week brings good news inside and outside. 

Just to show us how the world has become a global village Ruti Mizrachi points us toward the intriguing blog of a young woman who has left Islam, but cannot come out in the open. Batya weighs in and defends our way of life in Israel, recounts a story of meeting famous people and lets us in on a new initiative involving China and Israel. In more news from Israel Mrs. S  shows us that new immigrants eventually acclimate and gives us 10 ways to measure progress. 

In these days of financial uncertainty both here in Israel and in the rest of the world I thought it would be interesting to point you toward this post In God We Trust: Your Money and a Higher Power written by an American (not Jewish, I believe agnostic) whose blog deals with money management. Rabbi Reuven Spolter (who did not submit but whose blog is a nice mix of Torah and commentary which I read often) shows us something about community expectations over at Chopping Wood and Batya has something to tell us about priorities and possesions as well. More on the economic front from the Velveteen Rabbi as she 'passes the hat' for a vandalized shul.

On my own blog I have set out to define those words under the banner. Meantime I wrote a bit about Feminism. In trying to define Jewish (all by itself, as Orthodox will have its own explanation) I was looking for a way to say that I feel akin to Jews of all stripes. There's a clip over at YouTube that puts it very nicely. 

For instructions on how to contribute to the next edition check out ourfacebook Havel Havelim page. HH comes out every Sunday on a different blog. Next week's Havel Havelim will be Beneath the Wings. If you don't have facebook, you can still contribute a link by sending it to me and I'll pass it on to the hostess.