Sunday, April 23, 2006

Haveil Havelim #66

For those of you who are just wandering by and are seeing this for the first time, Haveil Havelim is a carnival of Jewish and Israeli bloggers that reports once weekly on some of the best posts in the Jewish blogosphere. Havelim is organized by Soccer Dad, but it is hosted at a different blog each week, giving constant glimpses into this very diverse community.

I’m not sure what I expected when I asked to host the carnival this week, but there were two definite realizations: 1) this is a lot more work than I expected, and 2) it was worth every minute of it! If you have the chance, I truly encourage you to give it a try.

As we didn’t have as many submissions this week as in other weeks, I went hunting for interesting posts on other Jewish blogs. As a result I skimmed nearly 300 posts, read fully about 100, and have about 50 posts that I think you will really enjoy listed here. Included are pictures by Dzeni which blew me away, and three will be posted here, including this one for >Yom Hazikaron.



I couldn’t help walking away from this project with a feeling of how similar the Jewish blogosphere is in what we blog about, yet how diverse our opinions are and how many great Jewish writers there are out there. So enjoy these posts, the posts of your peers, and comment to reward them for their hard work in providing you with quality content to read. But also add a Jewish blogger to your blogroll (I added about 20 this week), and read these bloggers regularly, to support this growing and thriving community.

Without further ado, Haveil Havelim:

The Holidays

Nearly every Jewish blog I went to includes a post or two about Pesach or the days of Omer, so you would think that would provide an easy source of material for this Haveil Havelim. But not so easy, grasshopper, either you have a million posts, or you have to find some way to select the better posts. Well, admittedly, some holiday posts stood out!

Me-ander provided a very descriptive post of holiday food, and completed it with a recipe for horse radish that looks awesome…I’ll try it, me-ander, I promise! She also adds a post on Passive Solar Cleaning that is short but sweet, and I’m sure you’ll dig it. Plus, add in a cinematic view to counting Omer that I’m sure I’ll use in the future. And in a similar vein, Jerusalem Wanderings talks about Pesach finally being over, and looking back on the holiday. Check out the cute picture that went along with this post!

The Wandering Jew created a modern-day version of the Passover story as if it were written in the New York Times. In Epicurean Ecumenical, Concurring Opinions speaks about the ethics of Passover Coke, and it’s a great post! Mutliple Mentality experienced an abbreviated Seder this year, much as I did, and may have turned out better for it. While Life in Israel picks on a theme revisited from past years, eating Kosher vs eating Kosher for Pesach. And A Simple Jew speaks of family and the holidays, as his wife is pregnant with their third child, due in May; Mazel Tov SJ!

I guess this is a good location for the second Dzeni picture, this one more somber but equally touching as it commemorates Yom Hashoah.

Religion

We had a couple of posts from Reb Chaim HaQoton this week. In Songs of Ascent, we get an in depth look at the roll of song in Jewish tradition. I’ll be sure to show that one to the gf, who hates that I’m always singing. And in Freedom and Toray Supremacy, he explores Jewish natural selection towards higher intellect. West Bank Blog posted a very special post about a misprinted torah which I am going to share with my Hebrew school class, since they are meeting with a sofer in May.

Inside Israel

There were quite a few interesting posts on events inside of Israel. Yes, more occurred in Israel this week then the holiday and the terror attack. For example, Israel Matzav writes about a report issued in Israel Thursday documenting police reactions to riots, and the propensity towards escalating violence. This topic is dear to my heart, since I was Billy clubbed in the Two Nations/Two States rallies in Jerusalem in 1987.

Isreal Matsav also posted a piece on the Israeli government halting and demanding tax on the importing of some stuffed Teddy Bears. The bears were a charity donation, and the post is brilliant. Sustainable Apple Pie wrote a piece on Israeli hospitals and failure to follow clean air standards. And Greetings from the French Hill talks about the push for the Haredi to support a very abusive Haredi father in Justice.

All the news from inside Israel doesn’t have to be so serious. My Urban Kvetch reports on the Meditech sci-fi conference, which includes fans of Tolkien and Buffy the Vampire Slayer as well. Life in Israel focuses on a Briss, in a heartwarming story that will make you feel like you’re inside the room. And everyboyd wrote abotu the arrival of Will Smith in the Holy Land (He's from my hometown!).

Terror Attack

I didn’t write on the terror attacks, and I noticed that most Jewish bloggers didn’t, save a few who documented the events while they were occurring. Perhaps people didn’t want to give additional coverage to the attackers. But I did spot a few very poignant pieces on the bust station attack that deserve reprinting.

For example, Israel, Zionism, Politics, and Aliya wrote on the media’s coverage of the attacks, and how quickly the major media outlets moved from covering the attacks themselves to covering the Israeli retaliation. Israel Rules posted on the smartest and dumbest sound bites from the media’s coverage of the attacks. Daled Amos considers the West’s perception of these latest attacks, and whether Ehud Olmet is prepared to fight terrorism without its chief ally. And Israel Matsav examines the new challenges faced by Olmert in fighting terrorism.

The Ignoble Experiment, who I owe serious props to for support during my crash this week, wrote a piece on the aftermath of the attacks that really captured my sentiments entirely. Knockin’ on the Golden Door normally doesn’t write politically, but had to write after the terrorist attack in Tel Aviv.

And if you read no other posts on the terror attack from last week, you need to read the tribute to the nine victims posted by Jewish Nation, called Nine Dead, Nine Butterflies. I consider myself a man’s man, but if this post doesn’t bring a tear to the eye, you have no heart!

Hamas

In the wake of the Tel Aviv attack, Hamas came out in solidarity with the attackers, which met with a great deal of criticism from Jewish bloggers. Tel-Chai Nation believes that the 3 Arab MKs that met with Hamas should be expelled from the Knesset. Jewlicious is upset to see British foreign minister Jack Straw making overtures towards Hamas after the attack. And while you’re there, check out Jewlicious’ views on The Jerusalem Post. Definitely a good read!

As for the future of our relations with Hamas, Boker Tov, Boulder! wrote about the naming of Jamal Abu Samhadana to a top security post (actually, a few of you wrote about that). Meryl Yourish has written many posts on Hamas of late, but I chose No Recognition of Israel In Sight to repost here. Meryl’s was the first blog I ever saw, and she inspired me to find my own voice. If you’ve never read her, take a look, you’ll be shocked out how insightful she is (am I allowed to say that?).

The History News Network commented on a New York Times section calling for the restoring of aid to Hamas and the Palestinian people. Soccer Dad wrote a post on this as well called MILKing and disHONEstY, and you really have to read it, I was blown away. And InContext wrote, as did others, about Israel’s plans to reoccupy the Gaza strip. A note that nearly everyone who wrote about this was Israeli, and I saw very little about it in the United States press. This is a big deal, folks, so find your favorite Israeli blogger and start looking into a very serious move by Israel.

Israel and the World

The Hashmonean reports that the US and Israel have been working together on a mobile missile defense system. The Sunken Synagogue notes that defining principle of both Israel and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran is pride. And AbbaGav compares the international reaction to Saudi human rights violations with reactions to Israel holding a Saudi prisoner; I promise, this one will clench your fists in rage.


Politics

I am a political junkie, so I could have done this whole thing on just the great political posts I read, but that would bore all of you to death. However a few had to be pointed out. Like Desert Peace’s post In Your Face! He questions the line between national pride and antagonizing the enemy, and before long you’ll be analyzing your own actions. Desert Peace is one of the best Jewish writers out there, but gets very little play from the Jewish community. Check him out, he looks at things differently than most, but will have you thinking 100% of the time.

The Atheist Jew talks about the hatred of Israel by most leftist Athiests in the world. It’s a long article, but really worth it, with much food for thought. Am Echad does a great piece comparing Hong Kong and Israel which is definitely worth a read. And Shiloh Musings made an impassioned plea against disengagement. Plus, Israel Matsav reports that the US may return Jonathan Pollard to Israel in a prisoner swap.

Other Stuff

OK, I have no idea where to categorize this, but I was rolling on the floor when I read this dramatization of the Dating Game, as Condi Rice is wooed by three classic suitors: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Bashar al-Assad, and Muamar Gaddafi. Need a laugh, check it out!

Simply Jews had a couple of really funny posts this week. In the first, he notes a disinformation campaign occurring in Afghanistan, with pamphlets being dropped inside the borders; so he provides his own, rather funny, pamphlets to support the cause. Next, he puts a spotlight on Iranian exaltation over their successful Uranium Enrichment with the Ballet for Nuclear Shahids. The guy obviously has a bit too much time on his hands, but who’s talking? This is funny stuff!

Israelly Cool tells the story of Ehud Olmert naming the 1990 hit movie “Pretty Woman”. Me-ander talks about a Kosher Cooking Carnival that made my mouth water. And Concurring Opinions wrote a magnificent piece on the early judges and their rulings on matters of economy.

To conclude this Haveil Havelim, let’s take one more look at some beautiful artwork by Dzeni, this one a celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut, and it’s sure to keep you up at night. Thanks for joining me for Haveil Havelim, and have I hope this is a great week for Israel, Judaism, and the members of our little community.


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Please send you submissions for the April 30 edition of Haveil Havalim (#67) to Hashmonean You can e-mail him at saus at hashmonean dot com.

Posted by Scottage at 11:52 AM / | |