COVID-19 and the Courtyard Minyans

Not long after the COVID-19 pandemic started it became known that the virus spreads quickly when there are a lot of people gathered in a closed space. For those of us who attend synagogue, davening became a potential "superpreading event". In Israel the government has put various limitations on public prayer, sometimes entirely forbidding worship inside buildings. These government regulations were the impetus for the creation of "courtyard minyans".

One can find at least one of these minyans on almost every street in Jerusalem. They may be taking place in the courtyard of a synagogue or an apartment building, in a parking lot, on a dead end street, or even on the median dividing a boulevard. Special canopies, tents, plastic "keter" chairs, and tables, in places where you would not expect to see them, were all signs that here is a courtyard minayn.

An interesting byproduct of these minyans was the creation of new congregations, based on geographical location more than on the religious rite or the style of the congregants. Asheknazim, Sefardim, Hasidim, National-religious Jews, each of which would usually prefer to daven in their own synagogues, were now davening together. Not that we needed any proof, but this once again showed that we really are one.

Now that the rainy season has begun, it will be interesting to see what will happen to these minyans.

Birkat HaIlanot - Blessing the Trees in Israel in the Month of Nissan

It's that time of year again! So long winter, hello spring! I prefer to make this blessing on the trees that Shalom Sherki hy"d planted:

Here is a nice clip that explains this blessing:

Shulamit Kishik-Cohen z"l

Today an Israeli hero was laid to rest. Shulamit Kishik-Cohen z"l, after a long and blessed life of almost 100 years, was buried in the soil of Jerusalem which she loved. Here's a little about this most remarkable woman:

Shulamit Cohen (b. 1920) was born in Argentina and raised in Jerusalem with her twelve brothers and sisters. Her father was from a wealthy Egyptian-Jewish merchant family, and her mother was the daughter of a prominent rabbi in Jerusalem. In 1936, the family experienced severe financial strain, and Shulamit’s father arranged her to marry Joseph Kishak-Cohen, a wealthy businessman from Beirut. Shula moved to Lebanon, and had five kids by the time she was 24. One day in 1947, she overheard people discussing military activities against Israel. Shula recorded the information in a letter to the Haganah, which was fighting for a Jewish state in Israel, addressing it to her brother in Jerusalem. Five weeks later, an agent of the Haganah’s secret service contacted her. For the next 14 years, Shula worked as an Israeli spy in Lebanon. Her work consisted of two major goals. The first was to gather intelligence about Arab military activities, which she was able to do by getting herself into Lebanon’s high society, including the home of the prime minister, who considered her like one of his own daughters. The second was to help smuggle Jewish families fleeing persecution in the Arab world, particularly from Syria. Over the years, she helped countless families find safe passage to Israel. Shula communicated with the secret service using invisible ink, under the code name “Pearl”. She was first caught for smuggling in 1952. Pregnant at the time, Shula was taken to jail just three weeks after giving birth, and spent 36 days in confinement. She continued her clandestine activities for another 9 years before things got too dangerous and she moved to Rome for three months. Upon her return in 1961, she was immediately arrested for espionage. The trial went on for several months during which she was brutally tortured. She was initially sentenced to death by hanging, but the verdict was softened because she was a mother of seven. Her sentence was reduced to 20 years of hard labour. During the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel captured Lebanese citizens, and used them in a prisoner exchange for Shula and a captured Israeli pilot. Shula has lived in Israel ever since, and still volunteers at schools and IDF bases, despite her advanced age. Two of her sons have high-ranking roles in the Israeli government. A book about her story has been published, called “Shula: Code Name The Pearl”.

I had the privilege of attending the funeral. May her soul be bound in the bundle of life, and may her family be comforted with the builing of Zion.

Etrogim After Sukkot

The Holy City of Ashdod

What a beautiful city!

Enlarging the Tents

The most amazing thing is happening, but not everyone is worthy of seeing it:

"Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations, spare not; lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes."

Some Chol HaMoed Pics/Video in Jerusalem

Free Matzot for those visiting the Old City coutesy of Ateret Cohanim:

Some pics from King David's tomb.

Nice threads:

Outside the Old City near Jaffa Gate:

Terror Will Not Prevent the Redemption of the Jewish People

That's the story. The Arabs, with every act of barbarity here in the land of Israel against the Jewish People, are really harming themselves more than anybody else:

And in the fourth generation they shall come back hither; for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.

The iniquity of the Arabs grows from day to day. They are on the way out, slowly but surely.

I was at the kotel today. The People of Israel Live! Here's a pic:

The Redemption Comes Little By Little

This is a good thing to remember today, the 48th anniversary of the liberation of East Jerusalem and the reunification of our holy city. Things are happening here, but one needs to be sensitive to notice. Here is an example:

This a picture I took not too long ago of the Romema neighborhood near the western entrance to Jerusalem. Do you see what I see? Two new apartment buildings being built where previously smaller structures previously existed, if my memory is correct. Jerusalem's population continues to grow. The old vessels are simply too small to contain the blessing! Bigger ones are being built all over. Little by little the redemption is taking place before our eyes. But to see it, your eyes have to be open.

Happy Jerusalem Day!

A Yellow-vented Bulbul in a Loquat Tree

Did you ever see a yellow-vented bulbul in a loquat tree? This bird is enjoying the holy fruit of the land of Israel. How about you?

Thank God Soon the Elections Will Be Behind Us

There are only a few days left. We've been flooded with polls, text messages, surveys and opinion pieces. Soon it will all be over. Then the agonizing process of building a coaltion and government. Let's hope that it will be a good one.

And now for some exclusive Cosmic X pics! (Click to enlarge)

Yachad headquarters in Giv'at Shaul with piles of the first issue of their newspaper, "HaNe'eman".

A defaced Shas poster. The sign read, "Father is looking from above". Someone changed it to, "The army is looking from above."

The defacers couldn't touch this one!

A few older pics:

The Zionist Camp: Herzog is a responsible, deliberate leader.

Kahlon for the Minister of Finance.

Bibi: It's us or them.

Some Snow Pics

I don't associate the month of Adar with snow. But here we are in Jerusalem, Rosh Chodesh Adar, covered with the white stuff.

Zot Channuka

Some pics from the last day of Channuka in Jerusalem. Click on them to zoom in:

Count the Sukkahs

Today is the last day of Sukkot, Hoshana Rabba. Soon we will be parting from the precious Mitzvah of dwelling in the Sukkah.

"Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are home-born in Israel shall dwell in booths; that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God."

I was in Ramat Beit Shemesh B the other day and took this picture after Minchah. Click on the pic and count the Sukkahs that you see:

The Lost Ark?

On my way to the Western Wall today I saw this just outside of Jaffa Gate:

No, it is not the Holy Ark, just a reproduction. In any case it caused a lot of excitement. Many people gathered around it, snapping pictures. I was one of them.

May it be Your will, O my God and God of my fathers, that the Temple be rebuilt speedily in our days.

This is Howard Cosell from the Kosel

Not really, just some pics from shacharit this morning:

I love the caper bush in bloom:

Free advert for Tova Embroidery:

Good Shabbos, Shabbat Shalom, have a good Sabbath!

Dealing With the Snow

Today, the fast day of Asara BeTevet (the 10th of Tevet), a perhaps unprecedented amount of snow has fallen in Jerusalem. The web is full of beautiful pictures of the holy city covered with snow. Here is a different kind of Jerusalem snow picture:

So what is the story behind the picture?

My neighborhood was blacked out from about 12:30 AM last night. These snow storms have a way of causing blackouts! Many times the snow weighs down tree branches which eventually break and fall to the ground. On the way down, if there is a power line on the way, the branch takes it down with it.

It was great going to daven this morning and seeing all the tzadikim that in spite of the inclement weather made it to the synagogue. There too there was no power but with the help of the breaking dawn and a few candles we were able to daven.

After davening I saw this devoted worker from the Israeli Electric Company (the guy in yellow) on Najara Street. He came to fix whatever was wrong. God bless him! I asked him when the electricity would be back and he replied, "Soon".

And so it was.

Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef in Merkaz HaRav

Kahane Memorial: 23 Years

It's hard to believe but it has been 23 years since Rabbi Meir Kahane was murdered. Last night I had the privilege of attending the annual memorial. The place was packed! There were many young people there who were born long after the rabbi was murdered. Here are a few pics.

Adv. Itamar Ben-Gvir:

Baruch Marzel:

South Tel Aviv activist May Golan:

Recently elected Jerusalem City Councilman Arye King:

Dr. Michael Ben-Ari:

Among other things, Dr. Ben-Ari requested from Arye King that King George Street in Jerusalem be renamed Rabbi Meir Kahane Street. Let's see what happens.

The Yosef Family Mourning Tent in Har Nof

I have made a lot of shiva calls, but I have never seen anything like this:

In the end I was not able to comfort the mourners. In fact, I did not even see them. It was just too crowded. However,it is as if I comforted them for

מחשבה טובה הקב"ה מצרפה למעשה

The Holy One Blessed Be He considers a good thought as if you actually carried it out (Kiddushin 40A).

45 Kablan Street will never be the same: