Please welcome Hadassah Levy for today's guest post. Gilad Shalit has been called a hero by many in the days coming up to his release and the days following. Israeli President Shimon Peres visited Shalit on Monday, Oct. 24, and told him that he is a real hero for surviving captivity for 5 years. On … [Read more...]
When Should Babies Start Solid Foods?
October 25, 2011 by
A reader writes: So Tipat Chalav is now advising to give all babies tastes of food beginning at *4* *months*, because if we "wait" until 6 months some babies get more attached to the bottle and might resist integrating solids into their diet.Isn't there some statistic about breastmilk-only for 6 … [Read more...]
Separate-Sex Sidewalks and Civil Rights
October 24, 2011 by
This year, like last year, the neighborhood of Meah Shearim posted signs indicating that during the Sukkot celebrations, men and women would be directed to separate sidewalks. Civil rights or anti-haredi activists, depending on your perspective, petitioned the court, which ruled that the sidewalks … [Read more...]
Family Trip: Bat Yam Promenade
October 21, 2011 by
On Tuesday, our last full day of chol hamoed Sukkot, a morning appointment left us only a few hours of daylight. I said, "Let's go to the beach!" We wanted something fairly close. I searched for information about the Bat Yam beach and found a glowing description of the tayelet, or … [Read more...]
Do Israelis Send to Too Many Hugim?
October 9, 2011 by
When my older children were small, I avoided sending them to hugim (extracurricular activities). Part of it was expense, and part was that I did not want to have to wake up the baby or toddler when it was time to do dropoff or pickup. They weren't completely deprived—I often arranged something at … [Read more...]
Erev Yom Kippur Links: Why Fast?
October 7, 2011 by
The Canadian newspaper Globe and Mail reported on the two girls sent back to Israel to avoid being married off. The article refers to Bruria Keren as "the woman leader of the sect in Israel" and amusingly notes that Beit Shemesh is near where the battle of David and Goliath took … [Read more...]
Court to Rule on "Taliban" (Hyper-Modest) Sect
October 5, 2011 by
Haaretz reports this morning about a court case involving two young veiled girls from Beit Shemesh. The article contains many details about the group they belong to, which is known internally as "Lev Tahor" (pure heart). Maybe the press will finally stop calling them Taliban women. The two girls … [Read more...]
Is Hyper-Modesty about Female Empowerment?
October 3, 2011 by
NRG published a story about a pamphlet distributed to homes in Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh, urging women to wear shalim, or cloaks. If you have a copy of the pamphlet, please let me know. According to the pamphlet, the purpose of wearing a shal is "to cover the outline and shape of the body and … [Read more...]
(Mostly) Inspiring Links for Rosh Hashanah
September 26, 2011 by
I'm pleased to present a great list of links for your reading and viewing pleasure. Mekubal has been bravely reporting details about the pedophile ring in the Nachlaot neighborhood of Jerusalem. The Ministry of Public Diplomacy start a website for sending new year greetings to Jews across the … [Read more...]
Veiled Women Called Apikorsim, Told to Wash Dishes
September 25, 2011 by
Rafi recently posted about a pashkevil (wall poster-reproduced and translated below) against the sect, or cult, of veiled women. The pashkevil is signed by the "War Council against the Cult of Cruel Women." Ynet published the picture above, taken in Jerusalem, of young girls in capes and … [Read more...]
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