23 Iyar 5780
17 May 2020
Photo of the Day:
Gilgal Refaim is often referred to as Israel’s Stonehenge.
Also referred to as Rujum el-Hiri, it is located between the Kineret and the Syrian border, about 3 miles from Gamla:
Gilgal Refaim, circled in purple, is also known as Rujum Al-Hiri.
So why do we have a photo of the ever-mysterious Gilgal today? Because on a day when temperatures soared across Israel, the hottest temperature–48 C (118 F)— was recorded there yesterday.
In case you have never been to Gilgal, you should make the journey. Only reached by foot across an IDF firing range, you must first contact the IDF and find out what is happening that day.
It is thought to be the place referred to in the Torah as “the remnant of the giants.” Dated to 3000 BCE, it is only fully visible from the air, consisting of more than 42,000 large basalt rocks aligned in 5 concentric circles with a diameter of 155 meters and with a 15 foot tall mound in the center.
Some archaeologists believe that it was a gigantic burial ground. Some theologists associate the site with Genesis 6:1-4 which refers to the Nephilim. Could this be the place where the offspring of the sons of God (aka fallen angels) and the daughters of men were buried?
Translated, “Gilgal Refaim” means the “Wheel of the Spirits” or the “Wheel of the Ghosts.”
Quote of the Day
“We see the saga of creepiness, humiliation, and betrayal continue in Netanyahu with his . . . unprofessional appointments and the invention of fake ministries . . . [We also have now] Gantz’s audacity to set up an “alternative prime minister’s office” which will rob the state treasury of tens of millions of shekels. I am thankful we are not a part of this.”
Outgoing Transport Minister Bezalel Smutrich of the Yamina Party, commenting on the incoming government with its farcical ministerial appointments and on the fact that the ever-loyal-to-Netanyahu Yamina Party has been specifically excluded by Netanyahu from the new Coalition.
The News on the Israeli Street
Soaring temperatures scorch Israel . . .
Perhaps two photos tell the story from yesterday:
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A wild boar drinking from a child’s wading pool in the backyard of a home in Haifa. Minutes later, this female was joined by her babies in the pool.
Yes, it was so hot that wild animals were coming out of the hills and so hot that thousands of Israelis broke all social distancing regulations and headed to the beach to escape the heat:
On the beach at Tel Aviv yesterday (photo JPost).
Palestinian terror in the last 24 hours . . .
Using the scorching temperatures to their advantage, Palestinians launched dozens of explosive balloons from the Khan Younis area of Gaza yesterday.
A major fire at Kibbutz Tze’elem yesterday.
The daily Corona update . . .
*5 am Sunday: There are now 16,608 confirmed cases of Corona in Israel. 49 people are on ventilators. 268 Israelis have died. 12,855 have recovered.
*People are beginning to break Corona restrictions. Yesterday, more than a dozen restaurants opened around the country despite orders not to.
*It was announced that Israel’s Premier Soccer League will return to activity on May 31.
TODAY’S BLOG:
The New Government To Be Sworn In Today
Apparently.
The ever expanding list of those on Netanyahu’s blacklist has already delayed the swearing in for three days, and as of this hour (5 am Sunday), a number of ministerial positions remain unfilled.
We have long known that Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked, for reasons related to the whims of Sara Netanyahu, have long been on Netanyahu’s blacklist. This, despite the fact that Shaked was perhaps the best Justice Minister that Israel ever had, and the fact that Bennett is widely perceived to have been a wonderful Defense Minister for the last few months.
Likud favorite Gideon Sa’ar is another long-time blacklist member–only because his popularity represents a challenge to Netanyahu within Likud. And then there are others who are also popular within Likud such as Avi Dichter who seem to be on the outs.
And now we come to find out that such old-time Netanyahu stalwarts as Yuval Steinetz and Tzahi Hanegbi have been put on the list. In Steinetz’s case, he is judged to not have been as supportive of Netanyahu through the prime minister’s legal troubles as others. As for Hanegbi, no one quite understands what he has done to antagonize the Netanyahus.
In the end, both Steinetz and Hanegbi will both probably receive a government post—just not one of the “senior posts.”
All of which brings us back to Smotrich’s comment today about Netanyahu’s “creepiness, humiliation, and betrayal.”
Even those who kneel to kiss Netanyahu’s ring, can no longer be sure where they stand with the prime minister.
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.