Nathan Jeffay
By Nathan Jeffay
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The Schmooze Gaydamak Is Back in Israel
Talk about a disappearing act. Love him or (as many do) hate him, there’s no disputing that Russian oligarch Arcadi Gaydamak used to be a star in his adopted home, Israel. Famed for his generosity — or some would more cynically say his self-promotion — he aided northern Israeli towns damaged in 2006, during the…
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The Schmooze Palestinian Oktoberfest Entices Israeli Jews
The West Bank village of Taybeh is a hub of Christian Palestinian life. It is believed locally that Jesus dwelt there for a time. Today it is thought to be the last all-Christian locale in the West Bank. Which means it has a corner on a market — beer. This past weekend thousands of Palestinians,…
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The Schmooze Principal Gives Teachers A Time Out
There’s always something hilarious when teachers — and I write as the husband of a teacher — get a taste of their own medicine. Well, the local press in Ramat Gan, Israel, reports that teachers at the Ohel Shem High School have been told that they aren’t allowed in the staff room until they learn…
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The Schmooze New Poll Examines Attitudes On Intermarried Jews, Non-Orthodox Conversions
Israel’s Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Ministry has tried a new approach to healing the Israel-Diaspora rift left by the recent attempt to pass the so-called Conversion Bill: polling. It commissioned a poll on attitudes towards intermarried Jews and non-Orthodox conversions, and released the results to the Jerusalem Post with a whole lot of spin….
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The Schmooze Navigating Sprawling Israeli Cemeteries─with GPS?
Going to one of Israel’s cemeteries at this time of year is quite an experience. Around the chagim, many people visit the graves of dead forebears. Yet Israel’s cemeteries are commonly large and sprawling and people paying their respects often struggle to find the grave they are looking for. On any given day, in any…
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News NIF Grantees and Critics Uncertain About Group?s New Guidelines
Guidelines announced by the New Israel Fund detailing who can qualify for its grants have left the organization?s critics and grantees alike wondering exactly what they will mean. The confusion was compounded by NIF?s claim that the principles reflected in the new guidelines are not, in fact, new at all. That hardly satisfied the right-wing…
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The Schmooze More Lulav Fraud!
How naïve we were! Last week, we reported with some surprise, revelations that black market lulavs were being smuggled into Israel. Now, it seems that lulav fraud doesn’t stop with smuggling. The Chief Rabbinate has put out notices in synagogues and public locations warning people to beware of lulavs whose tips have become split and…
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The Schmooze Black-Market Lulavs On the Rise at Sukkot
In the Mishnah on the subject of lulav and etrog, the species blessed on the upcoming festival of Sukkot, there’s a statement that one may not fulfill the mitzva of the lulav with a stolen lulav (palm branch). Well that’s largely been academic, as there isn’t much of a black market for lulavs and etrogs…….
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