Gadi Pickholz writes: See HaAretz p. 7 this morning: Jerusalem district court judge Tamar bar Asher-Zaban issues an injunction against new mintsnum in Jerusalem neighborhood of kiryat hayovel, at the request of meretz secular political party and with approval of mayors office and city attorney yossi havilio. Argument is that it creates a slippery slope of permitting modern orthodox families to infiltrate a secular neighborhood. "each must be kept from the other" in the words of the court ruling
Anglo and American Jews have no concept of true Judaism in action as they are protected by a democratic state with hundreds of years of rule of law and multiculturalism. The reality here and the fantasy on the other side of the planet are often night and day.
In a related story, Israel railways has decided to fire all Israeli Arab citizens employed as guards, which is the vast majority of guards, despite the laws against bigotry against Arab citizens of the state. Most have medals of valor from service on the IDF and national service in their youth.
Very troubling, but not nearly as troubling as the complete news blackout in American Jewish media as it does not conform with blanket cheerleading for Israel and, of course, the attendant fundraising.
Totem starkman capital markets column
Here is the test case: shaya boymelgreen, whose group is slowly collapsing around him as it does not have enough cash to pay back the over nis 1 billion it owes banks and bondholders.
Like other Israeli tycoons, Boymelgreen bought real estate at the top of the market. But no one us doing anything to save him. No one cares about him because he is ultra orthodox American Jew who only recently moved his operations to Israel (Aliya). He has a foriegn accent and little presence here, he has no friends in the Israel Securities Authority, nor does he employ amy former senior officials; he is MOT connected to the court of netanyahu or Eini.
At the end of Hantke Street in Jerusalem there lives a monster, a huge, thorny monster, and from within its maw are three bright red tongues that for many years have been spewing little children into the sandbox below. The children are entertained by "Hamifletzet," the famed symbol of the Kiryat Hayovel neighborhood, but the adults are focused on other monsters, some real, others imagined.
One camp warns of "anti-Semitism," while the other of an "ultra-Orthodox takeover." Everyone is sure there will be a no-holds-barred battle, until one side emerges victorious and tranquility is restored.
The current war theater is a small, old house with cracked plaster walls and sealed shutters in the middle of the long, busy street. A few dozen young Haredim who recently moved into the area meet there in an apartment to pray on Shabbat. They have the permission of the apartment’s owner, who lives in the United States, and his Haredi tenant, and they follow the customs of the Lithuanian yeshivot.
What the worshippers describe as an innocent assembly has become another chapter in the bitter battle between ultra-Orthodox and secular. Now, for the first time, the dispute will be adjudicated in court.
It’s impossible to understand why the new prime minister and his swollen cabinet are even engaging with the stupid recommendation by the "100 days team" to save the tycoons using our money. It’s even harder to understand why Histadrut labor federation chairman Ofer Eini, supposedly the savior of savers, is promoting the cause of rescuing the tycoons.
Don’t believe the gobbledygook being pushed by some of the media: Rescuing the tycoons will not reduce poverty, stimulate the economy or save jobs.
The companies that are in desperate financial straits because of their bond repayments employ almost no one. And even if one tycoon is forced to sell off a company or give up shares, nothing will happen to those workers.
So why is the entire economic establishment busy day and night with the bailout plans? Because those who are pushing it are well-connected, in tight with the ruling powers, or think the ancien regime, where a few billionaires controlled everything, should continue. And how do we know that the good of the economy is not really the true desire of Ram Caspi, Eliezer Fishman, Zohar Goshen and all the others pushing the bailouts?
Here is a test case: Shaya Boymelgreen, whose group is slowly collapsing around him as it does not have enough cash to pay back the over NIS 1 billion it owes banks and bondholders.
