A Small Correction to an Old Passover Post

It has now been over six years since I last posted. Alas, this is not a post where I announce my glorious return (I've long since moved to Twitter) but rather a short reappearance due to an email I received today.

All the way back in 2012 I shared the story of the "Kosher L'Pesach" tombstone as chronicled in The Washington Jewish Week. Though the link to the Washington Jewish Week appears to be dead, you can read the story in my original post.

Imagine my surprise when I got the following email today:

Good day,

I hope this email finds you well.
This email is with regards to your blog post on the Kosher L’Pesach as I am the Great Granddaughter of the late Walter Galler.

I have posted a comment on the post, but would also like to contact you personally as this is something dear to mine and my grandfathers heart.
I would like to clarify a few points that are incorrect.
The inscription "kasher l'Pesach" was in fact not chosen by my Great Grandmother (Anna Galler), but rather done by a family friend named Lotte Thompson, who offered to engrave the tombstone for her as she did not have the finances to do so herself-this also gives reason to why the tombstone was made out of different materials to the others. Lotte took it upon herself to engrave the inscription and unfortunately with my Great Grandmother being German and unable to understand Hebrew, she did not know what the inscription meant.
Years later my Great Uncle sent a copy of the South Africa Jewish Times to my Grandfather in Johannesburg which contained a photo of the tombstone as it was causing quite the stir amongst the Jewish community. My Grandfather finding this inscription to be a mockery and embarrassment to the family, felt that it was not deserving to his father and his mother, which led to him removing the inscription himself when he visited Swakopmund between 1976-1977.
It would be greatly appreciated if the information about the late Walter Galler could be corrected as my grandfather would like his fathers name to not be a mockery as he felt all of this has caused it to be.

I hope this clears up any misunderstandings and of course I apologize if the original post offended. Obviously I can't fact-check the story, but presented the article as is - and now similarly present this email.

Happy  (forthcoming) Purim!

Rav Aviner Needs A Good Wake Up Call From Reality

I've kind of stopped blogging, but every so often someone does something annoying enough, that you kind of want to share your anger with everyone. This week's culprit is Rav Aviner. Rav Aviner, is not my cup of tea. To be honest, he's not even my choice for a second rate biscuit to dip in my tea. However, he has over the years, never quite managed to cross my line for "bad" rabbis, and just stayed in my "not cup of tea" rabbis. Well he's now in my "bad" rabbi list.

This weekend I picked up "Olam Katan" for the first time in weeks. I used to read it every week (yes, during davening) but I've been fed up with them after the whole incessant anti Rav Stav campaign that they launched, succeeded, and then failed to apologise to the Dati-Leumi public for. So what did we see this week?

As reported by Ynet, Rav Aviner has come out in support of convicted sexual predator Harav Motti Alon. The "question" he was asked was:

 "In the trial Rabbi Morechai Alon confessed that he hugged and kisseed, but said it was out of love (!-Bot), The Judge ruled based on her impression that it was out of lust.  Who should we believe?"

Rav Aviner's response:

If it is as you say, you can not convict a person based on impressions and not proof, because what is in his heart is known only to himself and to god. More so, Harav Alon hugged and kissed hundreds, and thousands, of people with great warmth, and that was his way, and no one felt that it was wrong, except in a few single instances.

COME ON. lets ignore the fact that it wasn't only the judge who thought Rav Alon was a little "lusty", it was a whole room of top tier rabbis. But really, even if it was only the Judge, how can you possibly dismiss the court as "having no proof"? Are witnesses no longer considered proof? does halacha not use witnesses? and seriously...so it was only a few instances...so it wasn't wrong? lets just blame the victims who misunderstood everything..

 Rav Aviner and his best pal Rav Druckman (who also supports Alon) have seriously failed their public. Please now leave us alone.

Why would anyone want to use their phone to make a call?

Oh those funny little Haredim. "The Marker" has a story today about a new "kosher" phone being sold in Rami-Levi. Rami Levi did not receive the endorsment of some rabbis, because he refused their demand that the new phone won't actually allow people to call one another. Luckily some other Haredi group is already producing a smartphone that won't allow you to "text" or "call" anyone. In other words they are producing a crappy machine to check your email on.

And while I'm nitpicking. The new Rami Levi phone will apparently be loaded with "Jewish Apps" including one called - שניים מקרא ואחד תורה. Erm yes...

Ouch

Saw this making the rounds on Facebook:

The Jewish MALE Burqa Cult?

Israel Hayom had this picture in their print edition, explaining that many Breslov Haredim are making their way to Uman (Ukraine) for Rosh Hashana. What the photographer seems to have missed was the better question of what are these Hasidim wearing? it looks like a male veil! Guess we just discovered the Jewish male Burqa cult...

Update: @gdlmeir  pointed me to this Kikar Hashabat article on the same topic. It has more photos of our Hassidic veiled fools.

I especially liked this photo because my thoughts are "It works! I can see that trouser wearing woman in the back, and that Hasid can't!".

No Haaretz, tradition does not mean we are all crazy...

In the weekend editiono of Haaretz I found this little gem:

We should remind people that where "masoret" (lit tradition) - things will often end in fantascism. 

So what great crime do you think they were fighting? What great intolerance by the religious? You'll be shocked. The article was against having Rabbis (who were also qualified teachers) come to schools to talk about the meaning of festivals. Because if a Rabbi talks to kids...who knows what fanatics they might become! 

The True Story of The Ring

Brilliant, though there is no way of explaining this to anyone not living in Israel.

I Love You Israel, But...

So...today my kids are going to get their Polio inocculation as well as new Gas Masks (Syria etc). Seriously, this isn't normal.

An Understandable Mistake To Make...