Labels: Avi Ben Yisrael, Mi Yoreh Lanu Deah, overnight music video, Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:35 AM
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Labels: Ariel Sharon, Gaza expulsion, Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:54 AM
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All of us with even the slightest sense of Jewishness should feel pained by the loss of the incomparable Torah scholar, leader and Rabbinical figure Rabbi Ovadia Yosef zt"l today. His favorable and intense impact on literally hundreds of issues of Jewish life in every aspect of the spectrum of life is possibly beyond compare. With a photographic memory, his knowledge was truly encyclopedic. His warm, intense personal concern for each person that came to him for council, bracha, or p'sak (halachic decision) was legendary.... All this pales in contrast to his keen political insight in guiding Shas as a political/religious movement that has for more than 2 generations formed an admirable coalition of so many different Sfardi groups.... May his memory not only be a blessing, but may it also instill within all our hearts the same selfless spirit of forging unity despite the present generation's special "yetzer hara" of divisiveness.Indeed.
Labels: Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:59 PM
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Some perspective on size on Rav Ovadia's funeral. 560,000 people, or 9% of the Jewish population -- & that is pretty much only men #Jpost
— Herb Keinon (@HerbKeinon) October 7, 2013
Labels: Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:45 PM
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In 1979, amid peace negotiations between Israel and Egypt, Rabbi Yosef ruled that pikuach nefesh granted Israel authority to return the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt.
Shas, however, abstained in a vote on the first Oslo agreement with the Palestinians, and voted against the second. Furthermore, as relations between Israel and the Palestinians began to deteriorate, and specifically following the outbreak of the Second Intifada in 2001, Rabbi Yosef and Shas pulled toward the rightwing of the Israeli political spectrum, supporting the Likud. In 2005, Rabbi Yosef condemned the Gaza disengagement plan spearheaded by then-prime minister Ariel Sharon, saying that he was opposed to unilateral action outside the framework of a peace agreement. Yosef instructed the Shas MKs to vote against the plan in the Knesset.
Yosef has also made several controversial comments regarding Israeli politicians as well as world leaders. During Purim 2000, he said that then-education minister Yossi Sarid was cursed as was Haman. In 2005, Yosef commented that Ariel Sharon was “torturing” the people of Israel with his plan to disengage from the Gaza Strip. “Let God strike him down,” Yosef was quoted in a BBC article as saying at the time. However, after Sharon suffered a stroke and fell into a coma, Yosef led prayer services for his recovery, explaining that he was opposed to the disengagement plan and not to Sharon himself.
Rav Ovadiah was no fool, and he was not afraid to speak his mind.Following Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005, Rabi Yosef blamed the natural disaster on then-U.S. President Bush's support of the Gaza disengagement, as well as on the lack of Torah study among Katrina's victims, who suffered “because they have no God.”
Labels: Ariel Sharon, Gaza expulsion, George W. Bush, Middle East peace process, Oslo accords, Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:59 PM
1 comments
The spiritual leader of the influential religious-Sephardic Shas movement, suffered a general collapse of his bodily systems earlier on Monday morning and was in immediate danger of death at Jerusalem’s Hadassah University Medical Center for several hours prior to his death.
Medical officials elected to place Yosef on life support after he began to experience breathing difficulties early on Monday. He was defined as being in critical condition as doctors worked to stabilize his condition.Details of the funeral, which will take place later Monday, have not yet been made public.
Yosef's funeral procession was set to begin at 6 p.m.at the Porat Yosef Yeshiva in Jerusalem's Geula neighborhood and continue to the Sanhedria Cemetery. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat instructed the director-general of the municipality to help with the funeral procession.
Labels: Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 1:38 PM
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“The haredi parties will be partners in the peace process,” Hatnua MK Amram Mitzna told the haredi radio station Kol Chai this week.
“A majority can be created in the Knesset for evacuating settlements.”
Mitzna said haredi MKs have told him they cannot wait to take revenge against Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett for blocking their parties from entering the coalition. He said he could also see a scenario whereby haredi parties join the current coalition at Bayit Yehudi’s expense when the diplomatic talks with the Palestinians progress.
“The priorities of the haredim have changed,” Mitzna said. “They say they aren’t in anyone’s pocket anymore. They know the Right has always betrayed them.”I would not believe everything Mitzna says, but it is known that the Haredim were furious at being excluded from the coalition and they (correctly) place the blame for that on the deal between Bennett and Yair Lapid. While they expected that kind of behavior from Lapid, they did not expect it from Bennett, and that's why most of the fury is directed at him and his party (that's also playing out in the current mayoral campaign in Beit Shemesh by the way).
The Right also understands the importance of the haredim and their votes in the Knesset. Construction and Housing Minister Uri Ariel (Bayit Yehudi) said Wednesday that he would advance building projects for the haredi sector not only in Betar Illit and Modi’in Illit on the Green Line but also in Tel Zion, a haredi neighborhood of the Kochav Ya’acov settlement north of Jerusalem that is not considered part of a settlement bloc.
“It is wrong to look at haredim as second-class citizens,” Ariel said. “They deserve building, too.”But not, apparently, the same funding for their yeshivoth and schools and other educational institutions that the rest of the country gets, and certainly not special concessions from the army. At least in the view of Ariel and his party. While the Haredim have the advantage that the vast majority of their constituents who live in Judea and Samaria live along the green line, something tells me that their votes won't be sold for housing starts that may never be completed. But they might be sold for something better than has been offered to them on the 'sharing the burden' front.
Labels: Aryeh Deri, Beitar Ilit, Eli Yishai, Haredim, IDF, Israeli Knesset, Kiryat Sefer (Modi'in Illit), Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, settlement blocs, Uri Ariel
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:36 AM
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Rabbi Yaakov Yossef, the eldest son of Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, passed away at the age of 66 on Friday afternoon, succumbing to a long struggle with cancer, Israel Radio reported.For those who have forgotten Torat Hamelech, I wrote about it here.
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His funeral will leave from the Borchov Synagogue in the Bukharim quarter in Jerusalem at 4:30 p.m. Friday.
Though the two have had their differences over the years, notably Rabbi Yaakov's endorsement for the controversial book Torat Hamelech, which his father spoke out against as it may be construed by some as racist, Rabbi Ovadia lead thousands of followers and supporters in prayer all week in hopes of a miraculous recovery for his son.
Labels: Haredim, Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 5:20 PM
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Sources who attended Netanyahu’s meeting with Likud ministers said he spoke of Lapid and Bennett with contempt, complaining that “their strategy is not to reach solutions on key issues, only to push out the haredi parties.”
Ministers quoted Netanyahu as saying that Lapid and Bennett cared only about advancing themselves politically rather than the good of the country.
Mocking Lapid’s plan for equalizing the burden of IDF service, Netanyahu said that “it will neither bring equality nor ease anyone’s burden.”
Sources close to the prime minister went further, alleging that Lapid and Bennett were aiming to break the 36-yearold bond between Likud and the haredi parties, so that following the next election, they will not recommend that Netanyahu form the government.So far, at least, the Haredi parties have shown much more willingness to compromise than have Bennett and Lapid. JPost called this story a 'ploy' on Sunday, but the way it's being reported in the Haredi papers on Monday, it's for real.
A UTJ official told the Post that the party was considering supporting a raft of measures such as a settlement freeze, the evacuation of unauthorized settlement outposts and the reopening of peace negotiations with the Palestinians.
Such a move, he said, would allow the prime minister to form a coalition with left leaning parties including The Tzipi Livni Party and even Meretz, and leave Bayit Yehudi outside of the government.
The source noted that the upcoming visit of US President Barak Obama would likely bring new pressure from the White House to make concessions to the Palestinians, something that his party is now considering supporting.
The UTJ official said that the preservation of military service exemptions for haredi yeshiva students was the single most important issue on the party’s agenda and that UTJ would be willing to compromise on other issues in order to maintain the status quo on haredi enlistment.
“The haredi public thinks that Bennett has gone to war against them,” the UTJ official said. “We want to remind him that Netanyahu can build a coalition without Bayit Yehudi and remind the national religious community that Bennett ran a campaign on strengthening the national bloc and the settlements, not on forming agreements with Yesh Atid.”
According to the Council of Jewish Communities of Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip, 17% of voters in their region gave their support to the United Torah Judaism, as opposed to Shas, which garnered only 10% of their vote.Yes, but if you broke down those numbers by community, you would discover that there is likely just one town outside the security fence route (Emanuel) where there was significant support for UTJ. The two big Haredi cities (Kiryat Sefer and Beitar - mentioned later in the article) are close to the 'green line' and are part of the 'settlement blocs.' They would not be affected.
Channel 2 reported that Netanyahu intended to build a coalition with the 57 MKs of Likud Beytenu, Shas, UTJ, The Tzipi Livni Party and Kadima, and then give Bennett a choice between joining the coalition without Lapid or initiating an election in which the Left could come to power.
Livni denied a Channel 10 report that she had accepted the justice portfolio.I understand Lapid, but Bennett seems to forget that most of his mandates come from national religious revenants and not from the secular population. At least one 'settlement leader' agrees with me.
One settler leader told Yishai, “Bennett is making a mistake if he is seeking a momentary deal with Lapid rather than a stable bond with Shas.”
Yishai warned the settler leaders that “if there will be a diplomatic process, Lapid will throw Bennett out of the government.
We [in Shas], however, are not a spare tire for the Left.”
Sources close to Bennett denied that his party sought a coalition without haredim.Read the whole thing.
Labels: Binyamin Netanyahu, Jewish Home party, Judea and Samaria, Likud party, Naftali Bennett, Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, Shas, United Torah Judaism party, Yair Lapid
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:48 AM
1 comments
One cannot help but wonder what Shimon really thinks of the pleas he is getting on behalf of Jonathan Pollard. Peres, who may have been responsible for Pollard's imprisonment, was already being asked to use the opportunity of a trip to the White House in June to Esther Pollard, the wife of the convicted American Naval Intelligence analyst who has spent 27 years in prison for spying for Israel, on Sunday entreated President Shimon Peres to act immediately to try to secure her husband's freedom before it is too late.In this administration, it's because the Cuban is a Cuban and Pollard is an Israeli. Isn't that obvious?
Esther was accompanied by MKs Uri Ariel and Ronit Tirosh who head the Knesset lobby for the release of Jonathan Pollard, along with members of The Committee for the Release of Jonathan Pollard. "I am the wife of Jonathan Pollard. I do not want to be the widow of Jonathan Pollard," she said her voice trembling with emotion and her face crumpling with anxiety.
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Peres, who sat grave-faced as she spoke, told her that he can imagine the agony that she is currently undergoing, and reminded her that it was Casper Weinberger, the late US Secretary for Defense who had insisted on a life sentence for Pollard for what Weinberger had claimed to be security reasons.. It was Weinberger who posed the greatest problem, said Peres. "But he retracted," came the chorus from those who had accompanied Esther Pollard to the meeting.
Peres said that at this stage it was important to focus on the humanitarian aspect of the Pollard case, and promised to make it a top priority.
Esther apologized for being slightly repetitious, saying that because she was so concerned about her husband, she found it difficult to concentrate on anything else and she was also sleep deprived as a result of worry.
She implored Peres to do everything in his power to bring Pollard to Israel. No other Israeli has as much influence and respect in Washington as Peres said Pollard, which was the main reason that she was begging him to act immediately. It was time to end the nightmare, she said, adding that 27 years was a long time in which to live in a hostile, anti-Semitic environment to be without proper food, without proper rest, without proper medical care and without family and friends.
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Ariel presented Peres with a letter to Obama that has been signed by 80 MKs who ask the US president to grant Pollard clemency. The letter was to have been presented in June when Peres is due to fly to the US to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, but Ariel realized that an appeal to Obama could not wait that long and said that he joined in Esther's plea. Esther said that she had received a telephone call from Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger on Saturday night, who prior to the start of Pessah had called on the public to pray for Jonathan Pollard. Metzger had contacted her in order to give her moral strength and to tell her that the season represented a time of grace, a holiday of freedom, a symbol which the Americans understand.
Coming from America herself, Esther is well aware of this and told Peres of the case of a Cuban who had been released from prison and allowed to go home because his brother was dangerously ill. Under such circumstances, she could not understand why her husband who is severely ill should still be incarcerated.
Peres pledged to explore every possibility and said that he would consult with others, but promised to take action not later than Monday. "We don’t want to make any mistakes at this stage," he said.The fact that the Pollards are now dependent on the graces of Shimon Peres to bring him out alive is outrageous. But waiting for the holiday in the US to end on Monday night isn't likely to help much: American Jewry is largely afraid to speak up for Pollard.
It was important for him to also convey that he had seen and spoken to Esther because this was yet another dimension of the humanitarian side of the case.
Speaking to reporters after emerging from the meeting with Peres, Esther said that she had no doubt that he was "very sympathetic and very committed to doing whatever he can as quickly as possible." She was also convinced that he understood that time is of the essence and that he must act now. "It's very clear that he's very devoted to bringing Jonathan home," she said.
Asked by The Jerusalem Post if she had been given more reason for hope this time around than on previous occasions, Esther's reply was "Jonathan is alive."
During a meeting with Jonathan Pollard's wife on Sunday, President Shimon Peres said he may file an official request later this evening with his American counterpart Barack Obama to pardon the convicted spy.If Peres is actually responsible for Pollard's imprisonment, this is his chance for atonement. Let's hope he at least uses it.
Pollard was admitted to a hospital in North Carolina after his condition deteriorated over the weekend.
Peres is expected to receive the presidential Medal of Freedom from Obama in June, but a petition signed by more than 10,000 Israeli citizens, including artists and political figures, urged the president to work towards securing Pollard's release beforehand.
Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Jonathan Pollard, Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, Rabbi Shlomo Amar, Rabbi Yona Metzger, Shimon Peres
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:51 PM
3 comments
Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef says that he is praying for ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Revered Rabbi Ovadia Yosef revealed Saturday night that he is praying for a verdict of innocence for Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who asked him to bless him when the rabbi visited him in Cairo with several requests 28 years ago.Hmmm.
"It is a mitzvah to pray for those who love Israel,” the rabbi said in his weekly sermon broadcast Saturday night.
The rabbi revealed that Mubarak asked for his blessing in a private meeting after he promised the spiritual leader that a planned highway would be re-routed in order not to desecrate Jewish graves.
“I am not a politician, but I will tell you something,’ Rabbi Ovadia said in his weekly address. “When I was [Sephardi] Chief Rabbi 28 years ago, I was told that Egyptian engineers were planning a highway that would plow through a Jewish cemetery where rabbinic sages are buried.
“I immediately packed my bags and told our ambassador to Egypt I wanted to meet the president, who received me like a king."
Mubarak told the rabbi that changing the route would cost a lot of money but that he would so. “There are other secret matters that I cannot reveal, but he agreed to all of my requests,” Rabbi Ovadia said in his sermon. At the end of the meeting, Mubarak ordered everyone out of the room and told the rabbi, “Please bless me. I believe in your blessings.”
The rabbi said he placed his hand on the president’s head and said, “May it be the will of G-d that your days as president should be lengthened.
“That was 28 years ago, and he was president for more than 30 years,” Rabbi Yosef told listeners. “Baruch HaShem, the blessing was fulfilled.
“Mubarak brought great honor to Egypt, heads of state praised him, and he prevented wars. He is a man of peace and loves Israel. Now that he has been deposed, “I pray to G-d to save him from those who hate him and that his judges will act with wisdom and understanding, recognize his goodness and declare him innocent.”
Rabbi Ovadia said that afterwards, he will pray for a complete recovery from Mubarak’s illnesses. The ousted president is facing a possible death sentence for his army and police forces’ murdering more than 800 protesters in the Arab Spring rebellion last year that led to his ouster.
Labels: Hosni Mubarak, Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:37 PM
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Former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef has ripped the Turkish government, saying God has no respect for Turkey. In his weekly sermon Saturday night, Shas' spiritual leader dismissed the escalating crisis between Ankara and Jerusalem and expressed his hope that the fate of "Israel's enemies" will be similar to that of their predecessors throughout history.Maybe Rav Yosef would consider doing a pulsa d'nura for Erdogan. Heh.
The rabbi concluded the sermon, which dealt with the "Ki Teitzei" Torah portion and matters relating to Elul – the month of mercy and Selichot, with the following statement: "Turkey, Burkey, God Almighty couldn't care less about them.
"It's all nonsense. If God lays his hands on them for one moment – they'll be made miserable in a minute. We believe in the salvation of God Almighty. We have God Almighty and we are his sons. The one who defeated Pharaoh, Egypt and Haman – will defeat all of Israel's enemies."
Labels: pulsa d'nura, Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, Turkish obsession with Israel
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 1:05 AM
2 comments
US State Department spokesman PJ Crowley refused on Monday to confirm that the United States has offered Israel a squadron of 20 F-35 fighter jets in return for a three-month extension of the 'settlement freeze' in Judea and Samaria. But when quizzed about the weapons offer, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said, “We are committed to maintaining Israel’s qualitative edge in the region – but beyond that, I’m not going to comment."This has made some people who are disposed to supporting the extension demand that the United States put its commitment in writing.
"I would just always caution that any time you have reports about specific things, some details may be right, some details may be wrong,” Crowley said.
Earlier in the day, Defense Minister Ehud Barak [pictured. CiJ] told Army Radio that the US had made such an offer.
These jets, Barak said, have more long-term significance than the temporary friction, which exists between Netanyahu and the politicians in his party who oppose the deal.
In past talks with the US, Barak said, Israel had wanted to purchase 40 of them planes, but due to budget cuts could only afford 20.
The security cabinet will not vote on a US proposal for a three-month settlement freeze until the Obama administration's promises are officially delivered to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in writing, Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor said in an interview with Army Radio on Tuesday.You all know what Yogi (Berra) says: It ain't over 'til it's over.
The comments came after reticence by Likud ministers about the US keeping its promises, and Shas saying it would not make a decision on the freeze until such a written proposal was received.
Meridor stated that there were four major promises that he expected the US to fulfill in exchange for the freeze extension. Firstly, that the three month freeze would not be followed by any additional US requests for further moratoriums in the future. Secondly, that the US would use its position as a permanent member of the UN Security Council to block Palestinian attempts to unilaterally declare a Palestinian state in the international body. Third, a military package provided to Israel by the US that would allow Israel to maintain a military advantage over its neighbors. And lastly, an assurance that the issue of borders would not be discussed independently of other core issues such as security and the right of return.
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On Tuesday, Construction and Housing Minister Ariel Attias said that Shas will either vote against a proposed 90-day extension of the moratorium on settlement construction or they will abstain from such a vote, depending on the opinion of the faction's spiritual leader. Attias's comments came in an interview with Israel Radio.
"We will not support the proposal. We will either oppose it or abstain from voting, depending upon the decision of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef," said Attias.
Attias said that Shas is interested in building in Jerusalem and ensuring that any freeze would not include a moratorium on construction of homes in the capital.
Attias told Army Radio on Tuesday that Rabbi Yosef had not made his final decision because the US had not given Israel its final proposal, laying out benefits the US would give Israel in return for an extension of the freeze.
Labels: Ariel Atias, Ehud Barak, F-35, Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, settlement freeze extension
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 5:10 PM
2 comments
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
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