Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
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Wednesday, Jan. 16 '19, י' בשבט תשע"ט
HEADLINES:
1. SEXUAL FAVORS IN EXCHANGE FOR JUDICIAL APPOINTMENT
2. JERUSALEM PREPARES FOR SNOW: CLASSES TO END EARLY
3. STATEMENT FILED AGAINST BOY ARRESTED BY SHIN BET
4. AMERICAN JEW WHO SURVIVED 9/11 ATTACKS KILLED IN NAIROBI
5. ARTSCROLL'S DOMINANCE COMING TO AN END?
6. 46 YEARS AFTER ROE, AMERICANS BACK GREATER LIMITS ON ABORTION
7. REPORT: INFILTRATION INTO LEBANON FROM ISRAEL
8. LIKUD CENTRAL COMMITTEE APPROVES NETANYAHU'S PROPOSAL
1. SEXUAL FAVORS IN EXCHANGE FOR JUDICIAL APPOINTMENT
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Israeli police are investigating serious allegations of bribery and sexual misconduct connected with the selection of judges, authorities revealed Wednesday morning.
According to a police spokesperson, the special anti-corruption division, Lahav 433, is investigating allegations that sexual favors were traded in exchange for the advancement of a judicial appointment.
The current investigation was launched two weeks ago, after police received information in the matter.
The case involves the appointment of a female judge court several years ago and the attempted appointment of a female judge in a magistrate's court.
On Wednesday, police arrested a lawyer in connection with the case, and called two other individuals of interest in for questioning. The suspect have been identified lawyer, while the two individuals called in for questioning are a female judge and a lawyer.
Police carried out a search and seized documents as part of the ongoing investigation.
The probe is being carried in coordination with the Central District prosecutor's office and is being supervised by the State Attorney, Avichai Mandelblit.
There is a gag order on all further details.
2. JERUSALEM PREPARES FOR SNOW: CLASSES TO END EARLY
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon has decided that schools in the capital will end early on Wednesday in light of forecasts of inclement weather.
According to the forecasts, there is a possibility of snowfall beginning Wednesday afternoon. All schools will therefore end at 3 PM.
The directive applies to studies in grade schools, kindergartens, day care centers, and special education institutions. Special transportation will be provided to bring students home.
The decision was made during an assessment of the situation held by the municipality together with all the relevant emergency and professional bodies, including the Israel Police and the Home Front Command.
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3. STATEMENT FILED AGAINST BOY ARRESTED BY SHIN BET
by Mordechai Sones
The police filed a statement today against a 16-year-old Jewish youth on suspicion of committing serious security offenses.
The boy was arrested as part of the investigation into the death of Aisha Rabi from Badi, who was killed on October 12 near the town of Rechelim in Shomron.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the Israel Police and the Shin Bet. The investigation material was transferred to the Central District Attorney's Office for review and decision regarding prosecution.
The suspect's remand was extended by the court until next Sunday. In the coming days, the prosecution is expected to indict the minor. A gag order is in effect on all details of the investigation.
4. AMERICAN JEW WHO SURVIVED 9/11 ATTACKS KILLED IN NAIROBI
by David Rosenberg
The American State Department has confirmed the identity of the US citizen killed in the terror attack in Nairobi, Kenya on Tuesday.
Jason Spindler, a member of the American Jewish community and CEO of a consulting company, was killed in the attack Tuesday, while working at an office inside the hotel complex, according to the Washington Post.
Spindler was in a meeting when terrorists burst into the office and opened fire. Spindler was fatally wounded.
"He was trying to make positive change in the third world in emerging markets. We all miss him so much. And it's so sad that such a bright young person is taken away by terrorism," his mother, Sarah Spindler said, according to NBC News.
His family noted in a statement that Spindler was a survivor of the September 11th 2001 terror attacks.
"It's with a heavy heart that I announce that my brother, Jason Spindler passed away this morning during a terror attack in Nairobi. Jason was a survivor of 9/11 and a fighter. I am sure he gave them hell," the victim's brother, Jonathan Spindler said.
Kenya's president, Uhuru Kenyatta confirmed Wednesday morning that the attack on the DusitD2 hotel complex in Nairobi was over, following 12 hours of carnage.
"The security operation at Dusit complex is over, and all the terrorists eliminated," Kenyatta said Wednesday.
The Kenyan government said that 14 victims were killed in the attack, along with all of the terrorists.
Some 700 people were evacuated from DusitD2 during the siege.
The Somali Al-Shabaab Islamic terror organization claimed responsibility for the attack.
Of the 14 victims, 11 have been identified as Kenyans, one, Spindler, an American, and one more has been identified as a British national. The remaining victim has yet to be identified.
📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257705
5. ARTSCROLL'S DOMINANCE COMING TO AN END?
by Ben Sales, JTA
For decades, one name dominated the bookshelves and pews of American Orthodox synagogues: ArtScroll.
The Brooklyn-based publisher of Jewish books put out the most widely used Orthodox prayer book, or siddur, as well as a popular text and translation of the Torah, or chumash.
But that dominance appears to be fading.
In 2009, Koren Publishers Jerusalem, an Israeli label, published a competing Hebrew-English prayer book with commentary by Jonathan Sacks, the former chief rabbi of the United Kingdom. Now another prayer book has entered the fray.
Since the 1980s, the Rabbinical Council of America, the umbrella group for Orthodox rabbis, had put its seal of approval on a version of the ArtScroll prayerbook. But the RCA has ended that partnership and in October released its own prayer book, called Siddur Avodat Halev, published through Koren. The printing of the ArtScroll-RCA siddur will mostly end.
Koren also just released a new chumash, or Torah book, in September, with a translation and commentary based on the teachings of Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, a leading Jewish scholar who also has translated the entire Talmud from Aramaic to Hebrew. The chumash, like ArtScroll's, is meant for use in synagogues on Shabbat.
The new prayer and Torah books, published independently of each other, reflect a shift in the priorities and profile of today's American Jewish Orthodox community, their creators say. ArtScroll revolutionized Jewish books by providing an accessible translation of prayers and clear instructions on Jewish ritual. The new books also try to do that, but also have many more prayers and other content focused on the State of Israel and Zionism.
The new RCA siddur also has broken barriers by including more prayers geared toward women than either the ArtScroll or Koren-Sacks prayer books. In Hebrew, nearly all the words are gendered, and in Orthodox Judaism, men traditionally lead major prayers. The new siddur aims to be inclusive by printing prayers in the two genders, as well as by adding specific prayers to be recited by women.
"It's not just about embracing Israel," Yehudit Singer, Koren's marketing manager, wrote JTA in an email. "There are big ideological differences that manifest in a variety of ways. … It's different and people appreciate having the opportunity to choose between high-quality prayer books depending on their worldview."
When it was first printed in 1984, ArtScroll's siddur was itself revolutionary as a user-friendly and cleanly laid-out alternative to stodgier prayer books. But its language is geared toward men — using the word "he" at times in explaining how to pray, including only masculine language for some personal prayers and without any ceremony for a bat mitzvah or the birth of a baby girl.
It also includes no prayers for or about the State of Israel, in deference to more traditionalist Orthodox Jews whose attitudes toward Zionism vary. (The RCA edition of the same prayer book, released soon afterward, does include traditional prayers for the state as well as the Israel Defense Forces.)
But the RCA wanted more than that when composing Avodat Halev (Hebrew for "Worship of the Heart"), so the three-decade relationship ended.
"There was a mutual agreement that this was not the usual ArtScroll type of fare," said Rabbi Basil Herring, the editor of the new RCA prayer book and a former executive vice president of the RCA. "ArtScroll caters or projects itself as being very loyal to 'tradition' … and the haredi community. It would never encroach in those areas outside of what the haredi community would embrace."
Rabbi Gedaliah Zlotowitz, ArtScroll's president, said his publishing house continues to put out new editions of the chumash, including one with corresponding teachings of the Talmud and another that focuses on a traditional Aramaic translation.
He said that ArtScroll does not plan to focus immediately on the women's prayer experience because it released a women's prayer book in 2005. That book does not denote ways that women can lead prayers and omits prayers that women are not obligated to say under traditional Jewish law.
"The RCA went with their own siddur and we wish them a lot of hatzlochoh," Zlotowitz said, using the Hebrew word for "success." "We feel we did a wonderful women's siddur. We feel it's very well received. It helps people. It gives women very clear direction. There's no reason to do something over and to spend a lot of time and effort if we can spend time and effort opening up Torah to Jews around the world."
More than any previous major Orthodox prayer book, the new RCA version's language includes women in the prayer experience. It provides feminine alternatives in Hebrew to the masculine texts, makes more of the instructions gender-neutral, and includes prayers for a bat mitzvah and a ceremony for the birth of a girl.
It is also the only major Orthodox prayer book to include a Birkat Hamazon, or grace after meals, led by women. Traditionally, in Orthodox settings, only men would lead Birkat Hamazon, but Herring explained that Jewish law provides the option for women to lead the prayer in certain circumstances.
Still, the prayer book is not gender-egalitarian: Orthodox Judaism maintains that daily prayers must be led by men, and language about leading those prayers uses the word "he."
"Our community should recognize … and has recognized that women today are getting an advanced Jewish education, much more so than in previous ages," Herring said. "Women are rightfully demanding that they take their place in the synagogue and Jewish communal life. Therefore this siddur seeks to be sensitive to women's prayer experiences, to encourage women to pray on a regular basis in the synagogue or at home."
Rabbanit Leah Sarna, one of a growing number of Orthodox women clergy, said the new RCA prayer book's inclusion of women is "awesome" and that the Chicago synagogue where she works, Anshe Sholom B'nai Israel, may order it for use by the congregation. But Sarna adds that the book could have done more to highlight women. Of the 18 essays in the back of the book, 17 are by men.
"I've never seen the pronoun 'one' used more in a document," said Sarna, her congregation's director of religious engagement. "I'm sure that took a lot of work to make that happen, and it's very much appreciated. The assumption that the user of this siddur is not a man is a wonderful thing."
The new RCA prayer book, like the Koren version a decade ago, also includes prayers relating to Israel throughout its pages. In addition to traditional prayers for the state and its army, there is a section with prayers for Israeli holidays like Memorial Day, Independence Day, Holocaust Remembrance Day and Jerusalem Day.
Herring said that those prayers reflect the increasing centrality of Israel to American Orthodox life. Many Orthodox families send their children for a year of study in Israel after high school, and Herring said many RCA members are moving there.
"For our community, the connection with Israel has become very strong over the years and is only growing stronger and stronger," Herring said. "In terms of our community and our constituency, there's a recognition that Israel — it has to be a central part of our religious life."
Herring is proud as well of the prayer book's new translation and commentary, which draws on an array of sources and is based on historical research into the evolution of Jewish prayer. It shares that with the Steinsaltz Torah book, which aims to draw on a range of commentaries to provide an easy reading experience for Jews across the spectrum.
"My father's emphasis was for years to make as transparent a commentary as possible," said Rabbi Meni Even-Israel, Steinsaltz's son, who oversaw the chumash translation. "It's very fluid and it doesn't stop you from asking questions — very clear. There's no agenda. The agenda is your understanding."
The book has an unordinary format: Alongside the Hebrew is a mix of literal translation (in bold) and commentary (in regular print). Below that is more commentary. The book is also full of illustrations and diagrams, as well as maps and photographs of Israel. Even-Israel hopes that reading it will be like reading a regular book aimed at a mass audience.
"Our dream is that you're going to have a teacher in your pocket," he said. "From here you can go anywhere you want. Secondly, you can go to sleep with this book. This is the people's book."
The question, of course, is how many synagogues will adopt these books. The Koren prayer book with Sacks commentary has sold hundreds of thousands of copies, and already provides a popular alternative to ArtScroll. A wealth of Koren books provides a religious ritual focus on Israel and Zionism. And countless other new prayer and Torah book offerings have come out in recent years, though not all with the imprimatur of a major Orthodox rabbinical association or Jewish scholar.
Herring is confident that as time passes and synagogues look to replace their siddur stock, they will turn to Avodat Halev. The book is already on its second printing, and about 5,000 copies have been sold. ArtScroll does not release its sales figures.
One Orthodox congregation, the Boca Raton Synagogue in South Florida, has ordered a thousand copies for its 900-member families to use every week. It had used ArtScroll — and will keep a few in stock.
"We decided to switch because it's more aligned with the values and practices of the community," said the synagogue's rabbi, Efrem Goldberg. "It's more sensitive to some of the prayers we recite and practices that we have. It enables us to practice our observance more fully."
6. 46 YEARS AFTER ROE, AMERICANS BACK GREATER LIMITS ON ABORTION
by David Rosenberg
Next week marks the 46th anniversary of the Supreme Court's controversial landmark ruling on abortion in the Roe v. Wade case, a 7 - 2 decision which established a constitutional right to abortions, citing the 14th Amendment's Due Process Clause.
Now, a poll shows that while a majority of Americans define themselves as generally pro-choice on the issue of abortion, the vast majority also favor wide-ranging restrictions on the right to terminate pregnancy.
The poll, conducted by Marist and published on Tuesday, surveyed 1,066 adults from January 8th to the 10th.
According to the Marist poll, an absolute majority (55%) of Americans identity as pro-choice.
Yet 75% of Americans also say abortion should be banned after the first trimester. Even 60% of Democrats believe abortions after the first trimester should be barred, along with 78% of independents and 92% of Republicans.
Three-quarters of Americans also say the US should not fund abortions abroad, with just 19% supporting funding for abortions overseas. More than half (56%) of Democrats oppose funding of abortions abroad, along with 94% of Republicans and 80% of independents.
A smaller majority opposes any funding for abortions domestically (54% opposed to 39% in favor).
Nearly two-thirds (65%) of Americans also believe the Supreme Court should either overturn the Roe v. Wade ruling or significantly alter its interpretation of the Constitution, allowing either for the outright banning of abortion, or for significantly stricter limitations.
Americans also are more likely to accept one of the key arguments put forth by opponents of abortion, that a fetus is a unique life, rather than a part of the mother's body.
Only 35% of Americans believe a fetus is "a part of a woman's body", while 56% say an unborn child is a "unique life".
Forty-two percent of Americans say life begins at conception, compared to 13% who say it begins at birth.
7. REPORT: INFILTRATION INTO LEBANON FROM ISRAEL
by Gary Willig
A breach was discovered in the fence along the border with Lebanon, the IDF reported Tuesday evening.
According to the IDF, the nature of the breach indicates that someone infiltrated into Lebanon from Israel.
The discovery comes as the army wraps up Operation Northern Shield, which uncovered six attack tunnels dug by the Hezbollah terrorist organization to penetrate Israeli territory and attack communities near the northern border.
8. LIKUD CENTRAL COMMITTEE APPROVES NETANYAHU'S PROPOSAL
by Elad Benari
The Likud Central Committee on Tuesday evening approved Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's proposal regarding the make-up of the party's list for the 21st Knesset.
Netanyahu's proposal, which provoked unrest among some of the members, won the support of 63 percent of the participants in the vote.
The voter turnout in the secret ballot was 42.5 percent of the members of the Central Committee who had the right to vote. The polling stations closed at 10:00 p.m. Israel time.
According to the proposal, the Likud's current Knesset members will be able to compete for only 21 realistic spots on the party's list for the 21st Knesset.
The Prime Minister received the authority to reserve the 21st spot on the list for a candidate of his choice. An additional proposal for a reserved spot will be submitted for approval, if necessary, before the elections. Four places on the list will be secured for women - the 10th spot, 20th spot, 25th spot and 31st spot. The final two spots among them will be reserved for a new woman who has not yet been elected to the Knesset.
The representatives of the districts in Israel will be placed in the following spots on the list: 19th, 21st, 22nd, 26th, 29th, 34th, 36th, 38th, 41nd and 42nd. A spot reserved for a new immigrant will be in the 28th spot, the spot reserved for a non-Jew will be the 30th spot, and the spot for young people will be in the 32nd post. The spot reserved for a representative of the haredi sector will be in the 43rd spot on the list.
Minister of Communications Ayoob Kara will have to run with his colleagues on the national list, after having entered the Knesset in the previous elections through the spot on the list that is reserved for a non-Jew, which he will unable to use as long as he is a serving MK.
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