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1. Arutz Sheva & Beit El to Hold Annual Gala Dinner
by IsraelNN Staff
Arutz Sheva (Israel National News) will hold its fundraising gala dinner together with its parent organization, The Beit El Yeshiva Center, on Sunday, Dec. 6th, 2009, in New York City. The keynote speaker will be Israeli Minister of Public Affairs and the Diaspora Yuli-Yoel Edelstein.
The annual event is the largest of its kind for any organization from Judea and Samaria, drawing some 1,500 supporters. The focus of the evening is The Beit El Yeshiva Center, which founded and operates Arutz Sheva.
About Beit El and Arutz Sheva
The Jewish People returned to establish the ancient town of Beit El in 1978 with the Beit El Yeshiva Center at the forefront of the initiative. Under the spiritual guidance of the Yeshiva Dean, Rabbi Zalman Melamed, and the administrative direction of Yom Kippur War hero Yaakov "Ketzaleh" Katz (now a Knesset Member), the dream of rebuilding Beit El was actualized despite intense international pressure and internal political opposition.
When the first Intifada (Arab rioting) was launched in Dec. 1987, Israel's government-owned radio and TV portrayed the Jewish victims of Arab violence in Judea and Samaria as warmongers and aggressors. In response, Rabbi Melamed and Ketzaleh established an offshore, private national radio station – Arutz Sheva - to broadcast a message of optimism and hope, and promote Israel's territorial integrity.
The station - Arutz Sheva Israel National Radio - filled a vacuum in the Israeli media and quickly gained popularity becoming Israel's third largest commercial radio station. In stark contrast to the predominantly foreign rock music played on the government-run channels, Arutz Sheva declared itself a platform solely for authentic Israeli, Chassidic and Sepharic music.
Large segments of the populace, including Kibbutz factories and Tel Aviv cab drivers, rushed to patronize Israel's first home grown music station. In between hours of music, the station management scheduled audio segments explaining Jewish values and providing political analysis from a fresh pro-Israel perspective.
In 2003, the Beit El Yeshiva launched BeSheva, a national Hebrew weekly newspaper, which boasts feature articles on Israeli society and politics.
Other Beit El Yeshiva institutions include a pre-military academy, separate boys and girls high schools, a teachers institute, and outreach projects run by graduates in the Greater Tel Aviv area. The most famous of the outreach projects is the HaMakom Theater and Coffee Shop, strategically located right off Shenken street in Tel Aviv, which offers secular Israelis cultural events and lectures celebrating the Jewish nation's rich spiritual heritage.
The 27th Annual Dinner
On December 6, 2009 at 5:00 pm, Beit El institutions and Arutz Sheva will hold their 27th annual dinner at the Marriott Marquis, Broadway at 46th st., New York City.
With years of experience, Honorary Dinner Chairman Eugene Gluck leads the preparations to ensure an inspiring evening with a fast-paced program that will not exceed one hour.
This year's honorees include: Guests of Honor Rabbi Ely and Chani Rosenzveig of Congregation Anshe Shalom in New Rochelle, New York. Shomer Bet El Awardee Shmuel (Sam) Goldstein of Brooklyn, New York who with his son, Benjy Goldstein of Lawrence, New York, runs the family business and together they have been pillars of support for Beit El and many other important Israel projects Aishet Chayil Awardee Susan Rosenbluth, Editor and Publisher of The Jewish Voice and Opinion Young Leadership Awardees Shalom & Amy Schwartz of Kew Garden Hills, New York and President of Kehilas Ishei Yisrael.
The gala smorgasbord begins at 5:00 pm, followed by the dinner and program.
Couvert $500 per couple R.S.V.P.
Both dinner attendees and friends from afar can further show their support by purchasing an ad in the dinner journal to salute the Beit El Yeshiva Center and Arutz Sheva. You submit the ad text that you want in various sizes and placements ranging from $100 to $25,000.
To receive an invitation and for more information, contact Baruch at: baruch@IsraelNationalNews.com or (516) 515-1539.
2. Netanyahu Denies Arab Media Report, Says No Golan Surrender
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s office denied a report in the Arabic-language newspaper al-Arabiya that he will inform Syria, through French channels, that Israel would agree to surrender the strategic Golan Heights in return for a peace treaty.
The platform of the Prime Minister’s Likud party specifically states that his government will not withdraw from the area.
The office of the Prime Minister stated Thursday morning, “The subject of the negotiations with Syria came up during a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy,” with whom he met in France on Wednesday. “The Prime Minister said he is prepared to begin negotiations immediately at any place and at anytime but without any preconditions” by Israel or Syria.
The journalist for al-Arabiya insisted that Prime Minister Netanyahu specifically informed Assad he would agree to withdraw from the Golan but only after official meetings. French media reported that the information of the Israeli leader’s promise came from aides to the Prime Minister and not from French officials.
Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Sarkozy met Wednesday night in Paris and discussed several international issues, including the threat from Iran that it will be able to produce uranium that can be used for a nuclear weapon.
The subject of the Golan Heights, where 50 percent of the residents are Jewish and living in most of the area, has periodically been raised in Israel, often by mainstream media. Israel officially annexed the area as part of the country, and it would take an absolute majority of 61 Knesset Members to approve any surrender and expulsion of its residents.
Arab Affairs expert Professor Moshe Sharon told Arutz Sheva that Syria is interested in water and not peace. “We need not take seriously Assad’s threats to ‘resume resistance’ in the Golan,” he said. Sharon emphasized that Israel must always remember that Syria is its perpetual enemy who might one day help Iran in a war against Israel, and that their only interest is in taking over the Golan and taking water from the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee).
3. Despite Kiryat Arba Housing Crisis, Demolitions Continue
by Hillel Fendel
MK Yariv Levine (Likud), Chairman of the Knesset House Committee, has directed a Knesset query to Defense Minister Ehud Barak, asking why families in Kiryat Arba face housing discrimination.
“The housing shortage in Kiryat Arba is constantly getting worse,” Levine said from the Knesset floor. “I have been informed that parents in Kiryat Arba built a hut [in Mitzpeh Avichai, three weeks a to provide a roof for their three-year-old daughter – and the authorities demolished it. I would like to ask the Defense Minister these questions:
1. Why are the residents’ basic rights to live in the town in which they were born and raised not being respected?
2. Why are the people of Kiryat Arba being discriminated against in comparison with those of other towns in Israel?
3. Why does the Defense Ministry not allow the necessary housing to be built immediately?”
The background of the query is a growing amount of discontent in Kiryat Arba, and outside of it, with the city’s housing crisis. Some say the problem has been 20 years in the making.
Kiryat Arba was founded in 1968 just outside Hevron, as a “compromise” between the government and a group of pioneers who wished to start a Jewish presence in the City of the Patriarchs. Its population currently stands at 7,300 (300 more than three years ago), but is unable to grow substantially because of the housing crunch.
Likud Activist: No More Choking!
Likud party activist Gideon Ariel wrote recently to several Likud MKs about the fact that Kiryat Arba is not allowed to expand into areas officially designated for expansion, and the resultant harm caused to young couples who wish to live there.
“The choking of Kiryat Arba must come to an end,” wrote Ariel, a resident of Maaleh Adumim. “Free up the ring of suffocation around the city, and allow its residents to lead normal lives – for otherwise, this precious town will become an enclave that could be destroyed in a week, just as occurred in Gush Katif to our great sorrow.”
“It’s been 20 years that new construction has not been allowed in Kiryat Arba,” Ariel continued, “and the situation is totally abnormal. The only ray of light is that some pioneering young couples have taken the first step, trying to settle the hills of Kiryat Arba. So please – grant them construction permits. We need a public struggle that will strengthen their spirit and solve this acute problem.”
Click here to see before-and-after photos of the attempt to expand Kiryat Arba
Young Mother: Use Your Strengths!
At least one family and several bachelors have taken up residence on a hill called Givah 18, which is located within the municipal borders of Kiryat Arba. The young mother living there, named Zeviyah, wrote to the MKs as well: “I’m just a young mother and a student, but I know that everyone has his own strengths! I ask you to you use yours, prevent future demolitions, and say yes! to normal life and housing for the young generation in the hills of Kiryat Arba.”
Mattot Arim: Just Like When New Jerusalem was First Built
Grass-roots organization Mattot Arim (Cities of Israel), headquartered in Rehovot, has taken up the cause as well. “Just like when the first pioneers decided to leave the walls of Jerusalem over 100 years ago and begin to build outside, this is what is needed in Kiryat Arba as well,” the organization writes. “One woman told us that though she had been born and raised in Kiryat Arba, she had never set foot outside the fence that surrounds its built-up areas. One day she decided to step outside and take a look – and now she and her family are trying to live there.”
“The situation is absurd,” Mattot Arim quotes a resident as saying. “In some neighborhoods there are caravans that are just a few feet away from each other; you can hear the neighbors not only when they yell, but even when they just talk! We have large land reserves in the city’s zoning plan, but no one is allowed to build. No new lots have been distributed for 20 years, and the apartment prices are sky-high. It has to change!”
MK Levine can be faxed at 02-6496600 (from abroad: +9722-6496600), and emailed at . Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s fax is 02-6496117 and email is ehudb@knesset.gov.il.
4. Hevron Children Clean Up City for Sabbath Celebration
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Tens of thousands of visitors expected in the Jewish community of Hevron this Sabbath will be walking on streets cleaned up by children in preparations for the annual Torah reading that recounts the forefather Abraham’s purchase of the Patriarchs’ Cave for the burial of his wife, Sarah. The Torah reading is called “The Life of Sarah," named after the first two significant words of the portion that is read by Jews around the world.
Students of yeshiva high schools for boys and for girls in Kiryat Arba, adjacent to Hevron, led the clean-up campaign that included the “Worshippers’ Path” from Kiryat Arba, adjacent to Hevron, to the entranceway to the Patriarch’s Cave. The path passes Arab houses, whose residents routinely throw trash and garbage on the passageway but are pleased with the clean-up.
The forefathers of Abraham, Isaac (Yitzchak) and Jacob (Yaakov) are buried at the Cave, along with their wives, except for Rachel, who died when she gave birth to Benjamin (Binyamin) at Bethlehem and was buried there.
Known as the Sabbath of The Life of Sarah (Chayey Sarah in Hebrew), it attracts large crowds every year from all over Israel. The IDF and police tighten up security on the main roads to Hevron as well as in the city itself.
5. Redemption Bonanza: Baby Leads the Way
by Hillel Fendel
A young father returned to his home kibbutz to redeem his first-born son - and two other never-redeemed first-borns joined in as well. Residents don't remember ever seeing a Torah-mandated redemption ceremony, known as a Pidyon HaBen, in their kibbutz since it was founded in 1942.
The idea was that of Rabbi Shlomo Ra'anan, head of the Ayelet HaShachar (Morning Star) outreach organization. "I had been studying with a young man named Noam, a resident of Kiryat Sefer who had just become the father of his first child, a son," Rabbi Ra'anan recounted. "Noam grew up in the very secular Kibbutz HaHotrim, near Haifa, and he was wondering where to hold the festive Redemption of the First-Born and perform the special commandment of redeeming his baby."
Rabbi Ra'anan, no stranger to imaginative initiatives that bring Judaism and Jews closer together, had an idea for Noam: "Why don't you have it in your secular kibbutz - and not only that, let's see if there are other first-born boys there who might never have had a pidyon (redemption), and they can do it as well! And don't worry: I'll bring the Kohen - and the music!"The idea took off, and Tuesday evening, Jews of various stripes and persuasions from all over the country began streaming into the kibbutz dining hall: hareidi-religious, knitted-yarmulke, and many for whom it was their first time at a Pidyon HaBen.
After the strictly kosher meal began, it was the baby's turn first. The Kohen (descendant of Aaron the High Priest, brother of Moses), a young man from the hareidi-religious community in Zichron Yaakov, explained clearly and with good humor what was about to transpire: "The tribe of Levi, which is the tribe of Kohanim, was the only tribe that did not take part in the Sin of the Golden Calf - and so, the Kohanim were designated to carry out the Temple service from then on. However, the original plan had been for the first-born in each family to serve this function - so it became necessary for each first-born to 'redeem' his status by paying five silver coins to a Kohen and, in a sense, buy himself back."
He continued: "It is a Torah commandment for a father to redeem his wife's first-born son in this manner [provided neither of the parents are themselves Kohanim or Levites, and that the baby was born naturall after the baby is 30 days old. I hope I won't have to pay Re'ut [the mothe for the babysitting she has so kindly provided for 'my' son over the past month," he jokingly added. "Hmmm, let me see. I myself have five daughters and no sons, so maybe I won't actually redeem this one..."
Israel news photo: Rabbi Ra'anan, at right, with his eager assistant Yossi Siton
The Kohen had brought with him five silver coins for the occasion, which he sold to the young father for a nominal price. The father then recited the appropriate blessings and gave the coins to the Kohen, who passed him back the baby. Noam then watched proudly as the Kohen waved the coins over the baby's head and pronounced him "redeemed."
After a round of singing, led by guitarist Ephraim Tov, brought in for the occasion from Bnei Brak by Rabbi Ra'anan, the father announced that the ceremony was not over yet. To the happy surprise of those present, he announced that an old friend of his, the oldest in his family, had never been redeemed according to Torah law, and that he was anxious to do so now. The ceremony then repeated itself, but this time the place of the baby was taken by a strapping young man in his 20's. His father recited the blessings, handed over the coins that he had acquired just minutes earlier (at no cost), and the newly-redeemed son recited the blessing on the wine. Once again, Ephraim led the guests in a round of familiar Hassidic tunes.
But that was still not all. Another father-son pair from the secular kibbutz also wanted to take part, and once again the ceremony was repeated - and a young teenage Jewish boy suddenly found himself "redeemed" according to Torah law and tradition.
The Start of Something Big
Proudest of all, it appeared, was the "father" of the ceremony, Rabbi Ra'anan. "This is the start of an amazing project," he bubbled, "that we plan to do in many other places around the country."
Interestingly, Rabbi Ra'anan was less focused on "fixing" the unredeemed state of first-borns, and more on the effect the happy ceremony would have on the participants and their guests. "This is a great way of bringing Judaism into people's lives," he said. "They'll taste it and realize it's good!"
Rabbi Ra'anan has much experience with sparking Jewish interest where there has been no Judaism before. He and his organization have built synagogues in secular communities, organized literally thousands of telephone study-pairs (chavrutot) between religious and secular Jews, and sponsors Torah programming and classes in places that have never seen the likes of it before. But he was particularly enthusiastic about the triple Pidyon HaBen event he had just orchestrated: "There used to be a suspicious, 'anti' approach to Judaism in these places, but did you see what happened here? They were all interested and happy. It's really a beautiful thing, and I hope to continue it elsewhere, very soon."
6. Synagogues to Go Green?
by Hillel Fendel
The growing environmental problem caused by the burgeoning quantity of Sabbath Torah sheets and pamphlets may soon find its solution – if the publishers agree to a newly proposed “Green Now” initiative.
In any given synagogue on Friday evening, one can find up to five, 10 or even 15 piles of newly-printed, colorful pamphlets replete with Torah thoughts on the weekly reading, Jewish law and outlook, the Land of Israel, national-religious politics, and more.
Some say that the problem begins right there, when too often worshipers spend their synagogue time “learning” the pages instead of taking active part in the prayer service. But all agree that the problem emerges in full force once the papers are read: What shall be done with them?
It is common knowledge that words of Torah are not to be thrown in the trash, but must be placed in special “genizah” bins, from where they are taken for burial. However, what was traditionally a free service provided by synagogue sextons and municipalities has now become a luxury. Some cities no longer provide the service; the municipal genizah in Jerusalem, for instance, was recently closed down, and has been replaced by small genizah bins placed throughout the city – chiefly in religious neighborhoods. The charge is generally five shekels for a small bag, and twice as much for a very large one.
The Green Now organization has a different idea. Yish’i Tzviel, the group’s activities coordinator, asked several rabbis for their opinion on the matter, and learned from Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, the Chief Rabbi of Ramat Gan, that not every written Torah thought needs to be placed in genizah. Only if there is a complete verse, or one of the Names of G-d, written on a paper must it be placed in genizah, Rabbi Ariel explained.
Armed with this ruling, Tzviel plans to go to the various publishers of the weekly sheets and pamphlets, and ask them to make sure to adhere to this limitation: No complete verses and no Divine Names. Any publication that commits itself to this rule will be marked by a special Green Now stamp, rendering it “genizah-free.”
But That's Not All
This does not, however, exempt readers from treating the pages with respect, Rabbi Ariel added. “It is not appropriate that words of Torah should be tossed out in the garbage,” he said, “and therefore they must be placed in special recycling bins. The recycling process is effective enough that there is no fear that words of Torah will find themselves ‘replaced’ or over-written; no trace of them remains.”
Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, the rabbi of Har Brachah and Dean of the yeshiva there, is slightly more stringent. "The papers must be placed in special recycling bins to be used again only for Torah literature," he has ruled.
In either event, the environment will thus gain twice: No added bulk to the genizah loads, and more recycled paper. “If everyone takes care of his own pamphlets and sheets and does the simple action of placing them in a recycling bin,” says Tzviel, “tens of thousands more pages can be recycled every week.”
7. Israeli Scientist Finds 'Love Hormone' Also Triggers Jealousy
by Hana Levi Julian
A researcher at the University of Haifa has discovered that the hormone oxytocin, also known as the "love hormone," can trigger negative emotions such as jealousy as well.
Oxytocin is released naturally in the body during childbirth, lactation and when engaging in intimate relations. Participants in a previous experiment who inhaled a synthetic form of the hormone displayed higher levels of altruistic feelings. However, it was also discovered in earlier studies on rodents that the hormone may be linked to higher levels of aggression as well.
"Following the earlier results of experiments with oxytocin, we began to examine the possible use of the hormone as a medication for various disorders, such as autism," explained Dr. Simone Shamay-Tsoory, who led the study. However, "The results of the present study show that the hormone's undesirable effects on behavior must be examined before moving ahead."
The study, published in the professional journal Biological Psychiatry, included 56 subjects, half of whom inhaled the synthetic form of oxytocin in the first session and were given a placebo the second time around. The other 28 participants were given a placebo the first time and the real hormone in the second session.
Following administration of the hormone, each participant was asked to play a game of luck together with another competitor, one who, without their knowledge, was a computer. Sometimes the participant won more money than the other player, sometimes less, creating conditions in which a player could develop feelings of envy or gloating.
The findings showed that participants who inhaled the "love hormone" exhibited higher levels of envy when their opponent won more money and gloated more when they were ahead. But as soon as the game was over, no differences were noted between the participants' emotional levels, indicating that the negative feelings were empowered only during the activity.
Shamay-Tsoory, who led the study, said that the findings have led her team to assume that oxytocin is an overall trigger for social sentiments. "When the person's association is positive, oxytocin bolsters pro-social behaviors; when the association is negative, the hormone increases negative sentiments," she said.
