In a few weeks the new Koren Talmud Bavli will be released. It looks nice and I am sure that it will enrich the study of Talmud. Update: I wanted to add a few words about the relationship between this edition and the volumes that were published by Random House a number of years [...]
This morning Galei Tzahal, Israel Army Radio, broadcast a segment that described how some non-Jews have managed to participate, or “infiltrate” as the original report described, on Birthright trips to Israel. These weren’t people who may not be halakhically Jewish but have a Jewish identity or affiliation, rather, 100% Gentile. The segment criticized how Birthright [...]
Hayyim Lapin has begun work on a “Digital Mishnah.” The website of the project is here. Below is an example of what a page of such an edition might look like.
The following is an interview with Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz from PBS. Around 2:00 you can see some pages of the new edition of the Steinsaltz Talmud in English from Koren Publishing that is going to be coming out very soon. For more on the interview see here. Watch Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz on PBS. See more [...]
Israel News 1 has an article (Heb.) (hat tip) that describes criticism by Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger of Hanan Porat’s funeral. The funeral included some songs that were sung by his children. Metzger did not like this and is quoted as saying: Rabbi Amar and myself looked at each other and didn’t understand what was [...]
A few weeks ago A.B. Yehoshua claimed that Jews who live outside of Israel are “partial Jews while I am a complete Jew.” In Haaretz Tom Segev reports that in the wake of Yehoshua’s comments a fruitful discussion has taken place on the Internet under the direction of Zeev Raz. In recent months Raz has [...]
This morning the song writer Haim Hefer was interviewed on Israel Radio. Hefer was a member of the Palmaḥ and composed many of the songs associated with the “Generation of 1948/the Pamlaḥ.” Hefer also participated in Aliyah Bet, the illegal immigration of Jews to Palestine after the White Paper of 1939. One of Hefer’s responsibilities [...]
Rafi Mann at his blog has two (Heb.) informative posts on the history of Yom ha-Zikaron and Yom ha-Atzmaut. (hat tip) Yom ha-Atzmaut Sameaḥ.
In his book A Tale of Love and Darkness, Amos Oz wrote about his memories after the UN decision to partition Palestine. (pp. 357-8) Then there was dancing and weeping on Amos Street, in the whole of Kerem Avraham and in all the Jewish neighborhoods; flags appeared, and slogans written on strips of cloth, car [...]
Last year I wrote about a new Havdalah ritual that was developed by Beit Tefillah Yisraeli to bridge between Yom ha-Zikaron and Yom ha-Atzmaut. A booklet containing the ritual can be found here. Below is a TV segment that discusses this ritual that was broadcast this morning on Israel TV. May all their memories be [...]
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