7 Sivan 5779
10 June 2019
The News on the Israeli Street
Palestinian terror in the last 24 hours . . .
On the Gaza border:
Remember how IDF Chief of Staff Kochavi bragged three days ago about how there has been a “reduction” in explosive balloons launched from Gaza and therefore a “reduction” in fires?
Today, there have been at least 8 major fires: two at Kissufim, 1 in the Simhoni Forest, 1 in the Magen Forest, 1 at Kfar Aza, 1 at Kibbutz Alumim, 1 at Be’eri, and another at Sha’ar Hanegev.
A photo of the fire at Kfar Aza:
This fire is still out of control.
A photo of the fire at Sha’ar Hanagev:
More forest and agricultural land torched. KAF and KKL firefighters are fighting the blaze.
In Judea and Samaria:
*A Palestinian terrorist carrying a pipe bomb attempted to blow up the military court in Salem. The terrorist was captured and the bomb defused.
*Palestinian terrorists throwing Molotovs and “rocks” attacked Israelis at Kharmala, the Jordan Valley Checkpoint, Hirbat Safa, Adam, near Karmei Tzur and at a dozen more locations.
Three more cheers for Ateret Cohanim . . .
A few days ago, your humble servant reported on the new “Ari Fuld” house in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City, and encouraged you to donate money to the organization to buy more Jewish homes there.
Almost two years ago, back in 2017, your humble servant penned these words:
———-
One of the most important groups that works diligently to establish a Jewish presence in Jerusalem is Ateret Cohanim.
Yesterday, a Jerusalem District Judge ruled that the organization has legally purchased the lease rights to two landmark buildings just inside the Jaffa Gate. Those buildings are the Imperial Hotel and the four-story building next to it on Omar Ben el-Hatab Square.
The Jaffa Gate at the left of the picture: the Hotel Imperial at the right (picture: streetview GoogleEarth).
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The buildings belong to the Greek Patriarchiate which had leased them for 99 years to the current Arab lessees. There are 86 years left on the leases.
Who knows what Ateret Cohanim will do with the buildings, but whatever it is will represent a dramatic change to the Old Jerusalem landscape because the Jaffa Gate is the Gate through which most non-Muslims enter the Old City.
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Of course, the Jerusalem District Judge’s ruling was not the final step in the process. Today, the Israel Supreme Court concluded a 15 year legal battle over the buildings by ruling (suprisingly) in favor of Ateret Cohanim. It ruled that the ownership of the hotel and building at the Jaffa Gate will be transferred from the Patriarchate immediately.
Three more cheers for Ateret Cohanim!
Wow (cynically!), more Jews to the Temple Mount . . .
The Israel police patted themselves on the back again today. Why?
Because they allowed 404 Jews to go up to the Mount yesterday for Shavuot–-109 more than they allowed for Shavuot last year.
Before they pat themselves too much, 404 is 250,000 less than the number of Muslims that were allowed on the Mount on the last day of Ramadan.
TODAY’S BLOG:
The Answers To The Shavuot Trivia Quiz
Your humble servant hopes that you are eating your cheese for Shavuot. Here are the answers to yesterday’s Shavuot Trivia Quiz. Let’s see how you did:
1. The festival of Shavuot commemorates:
A. the day that the Israelites left Egypt
B. the day that God gave the Torah to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai
C. the day that the Israelites first entered the Holy Land after 40 years of wandering in the desert
The answer is B.
2. The holiday of Shavuot, known in the Torah as the “Feast of Weeks” (Chag ha-Shavuot”) was a harvest festival at which time Jews made a pilgrimmage to Jerusalem to offer agricultural products at the Temple. What “weeks” are referred to by Shavuot?
A. the weeks between Pesach (Passover) and Shavuot
B. the weeks between Shavuot and Rosh Hashana (the New Year)
C. all of the weeks of the year
The answer is A. Shavuot occurs 49 days, seven weeks, following the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt.
3. What is the other name of Shavuot that is mentioned in the Torah?
A. Yom ha-Bikkurim (“The Day of First Fruits”)
B. Yom ha-Taanim (“The Day of Figs”)
C. Yom ha-Tapuachim (“The Day of Apples”)
The answer is A.
4. According to the Torah, what is the exact date on which Shavuot is to be celebrated?
A. the 5th of Sivan
B. the 6th of Sivan
C. no date is given
The answer is C. Because there are two new moons between Passover and Shavuot, the holiday can fall on the 5th or 6th of Sivan.
5. According to Jewish tradition, what happens exactly at midnight (but only for half a second) on Shavuot?
A. God forgives all sins.
B. Heaven opens.
C. All first born are blessed.
The answer is B. Tradition has it that heaven momentarily opens and that God will answer any prayer made at that moment.
6. What Jewish historical figure was said to have been born and died on Shavuot?
A. Abraham
B. Moses
C. David
The answer is C. King David.
7. The Shavuot that was celebrated on June 15, 1967 has been described as “one of those rare, euphoric moments” in Jewish history. Why?
A. It marked the first Jewish pilgrimmage, en masse, in a Jewish Jerusalem to the Temple Mount on a Jewish holiday in 2000 years.
B. It marked the first Shavuot in Jewish history in which Jews came from around the world to celebrate the holiday.
C. It marked the first Shavuot in which men and women were able to worship together at the Western Wall in 2000 years.
The answer is A. Here is a moving account of the event:
From the late hours of the night, thousands of Jerusalem residents streamed toward the Zion gate, eagerly awaiting entry into the Old City. At 4 a.m., the accumulating crowds were finally allowed to enter the area of the Western Wall. As the sun continued to rise, there was a steady flow of thousands who made their way to the Old City.
Every section of the population was represented. Kibbutz members and soldiers rubbing shoulders with Neturei Karta. Mothers came with children in prams, and old men trudged steeply up Mount Zion, supported by youngsters on either side, to see the wall of the Temple before the end of their days.
Some wept, but most faces were wreathed in smiles. For 13 continuous hours, a colorful variety of all peoples trudged along in perfect order, stepping patiently when told to do so at each of six successive barriers set up by the police to regulate the flow.
In total, 200,000 visited the Western Wall that day.”
8. One Jewish tradition is that one is supposed to stay up all night studying Torah. Who was the person that started this tradition?
A. Rabbi Hillel
B. Rabbi Luria
C. Rabbi Akiva
The answer is B. The great Kabbalist, Isaac Luria, lived in Tzfat (Safed) during the 16th century.
9. One Shavuot law is that everyone is required to hear _____ read aloud.
A. the kosher dietary laws
B. the first chapter of Exodus
C. the ten commandments
Obviously, based on the answer to question one, the answer to this question is C.
10. We all stuff our faces with cheese on Shavuot. Why? What is the connection of cheese with the holiday?
A. Jews like cheese–especially blintzes and cheesecake.
B. In Kabbala, the numerical value of the Hebrew word for milk is 40. We eat cheese to remember the 40 days that Moses spent on Mt. Sinai.
C. Another name for Mt. Sinai is “Har Gav’nunim”, the mountain of magnificent peaks. It is etymologically related to the Hebrew word for cheese “gevina”.
This was a trick question; all three answers are correct.
11. In monetary terms, how much money do Israelis spend on cheese each year?
A. 750 million shekels
B. 1.5 billion shekels
C. 2.25 billion shekels
Israelis love our cheese. The answer is C.
12. In terms of preference of cheese type, what % of yellow and white cheese do Israelis consume?
A. 32% yellow and 68% white
B. 44% yellow and 56% white
C. 56% yellow and 44% white
Israelis really love our white cheese though the proportion of yellow cheese has been increasing in recent years. The answer is A.
I hope you did well on the quiz and are enjoying the holiday!
A student from Malawi, who had worked with an Israeli health volunteer in his country battling AIDS, came up to us as we walked down the street in the UC-Davis Picnic Day Parade and wanted to carry the Israeli flag.