OlehGirl.com
Archive for February, 2009
Rabbinate endorses a civil marriage, indeed below civil marriage criteria
Feb 26th
It is all over the news today: The “marriage” of a 14 year old girl to a 17 year old boy and their subsequent “divorce” when the parents found out. The Rabbinate has ordered that the “marriage” and the “divorce” be considered valid and entered into the national registry. They issued a “get” (legally freeing the girl to marry again later in life). But here is the deal:
1) No Rabbi officiated at the ceremony. No Rabbi AT ALL. No ANYBODY officiated. The children said their vows and exchanged rings in front of friends. Then they went off and consummated the relationship.
2) More >
I hate 012
Feb 23rd
So I canceled my cable because it was too expensive. This means I have no tv to stare at when I need to take a break and zone. The obvious option is to watch dvds. So I signed up for a program called Graboid where you pay like $15 a month and can download and watch approximately 10 movies a month. Great. Except it seems that 012 takes exception to people downloading things. Theoretically I’m on the “super high download” plan with 012. However, it turns out that they a) lie like dogs and b) actually LIMIT your download in More >
stormy weather, selfish delight
Feb 21st
Winter it seems has finally arrived just as it should, in a normal year, be getting ready to leave. Tonight the wind is howling, bands of rain are slashing against pavement and building, my windows are shaking from the impact, and I am warm and toasty inside and thoroughly enjoying this rainy storm. It is one of the few we have had this year. The toilet room window (separate from the bath room, don’t you know) was open and the comet (we don’t have Comet here but any scrubby cleanser is “comet” to me, like any tissues, including the half-gone More >
seriously stressful week
Feb 20th
Starting with the root canal news last Sunday, the week has really gone downhill from there. I’m theoretically on semi “vacation” –the secretary at work keeps asking me “so how are you enjoying the vacation?” Well let me tell you, a vacation this is not. I’m working harder and more this week (and next) than I do in any two weeks combined during the regular semester. Not only am I having to give exams this week –3-4 hour marathons from hell running from one class to another (Last Tuesday I had eight different classrooms to sprint to repeatedly, spending 10-15 minutes More >
Ahmad and Kassem: A small step toward peace
Feb 19th
I’ve had an utterly crazy week this week with no time to even check the blog much less post. Thankfully we are now at the weekend and while it will be a working (like a dog) weekend, it will still be less stressful and I’ll definitely take time out to catch everyone up on what’s doing here in Tel Aviv.
In the meantime, here is a must-see video about one of the orphaned children, Ahmad, who was brought to Israel for two weeks of recuperation following the recent war. It will warm your heart and, if you are like me, make More >
Got 20 minutes? Insto root canal
Feb 15th
I completely forgot I had a meeting scheduled this morning and so I didn’t get to my dentist until this afternoon. I just walked in and said, yo, there seems to be a problem and gave a quick rundown to the receptionist.
“Sit down, he’ll fit you in to take a look in about 5 minutes.” Great. 5 minutes later I was in the chair. “Hmm” he says, scanning the situation, “this is definitely an abscess but it is not above the root of the operated-on tooth/bone but above the tooth next to it, it looks like. Let’s take some More >
good quip of the day
Feb 13th
Ok, actually it was yesterday that it was made. A reporter was interviewing Livni and discussing the fact that people on the Left abandoned the Left and voted for Kadima in droves:
When told that she wiped out the Israeli left, Livni is silent for a moment. “Is that a compliment or an insult?” she asks.
Aw kee-rap
Feb 13th
You know how I had that surgery done on the bone in my jaw back in November? This week I’ve been feeling a bit of pressure on the rootless tooth. I thought I was maybe getting a sinus infection. Last night not long after I’d got done eating my dinner of a veggie shnitzel and cheese sandwich stuffed with lovely things like olives, peppers and tomatoes and was thinking about some ice cream, I felt something on the really high gum area. It felt a great deal like a bit of bread or olive bit or something had got stuck More >
tangled politics
Feb 12th
So this whole coalition forming thing is really going to get complicated now. For Bibi to form a coalition he needs all the religious parties on his side plus Yisrael Beitenu. However, two of the major religious party players, Shas with 11 seats and United Torah Judaism with 5 have vowed to band together to form an obstructive bloc against Bibi’s needed partner Yisrael Beitenu. They’ve got 16 combined seats versus Leiberman’s 15 seats and so can effectively nullify anything Y.B. wants to do if they are sitting in the same bloc. Yisrael Beitenu has declared that they won’t coalition More >
So this whole “majority” thing, let’s break it down
Feb 11th
Both Livni and Bibi are claiming they have the “majority” behind them. Livni claims it because her party got the most votes. Bibi claims it because, while his party did not get the most votes, more people voted for farther-right leaning parties than the rightist Kadima. [People, Kadima is in no way, shape or form, a Leftist party --take it from the die(d)-hard leftist here]. There are problems with both of these claims but Bibi actually has a bigger problem with it. Here’s why. Examine the “right-leaning” party platforms –and their subtexts –and see can you spot the difficulties in More >
(Photo by Dani Machlis)
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