Second-hand apartments sold Tel Aviv and central region Kfar Saba: A 104 square meter first floor apartment with a 14 square meter balcony storage room and parking on Meir Ariel Street in the Zemer Ha'Ivri neighborhood was sold for NIS 3.35 million (Real Capital) fourth floor apartment with parking on Zavitan Street was sold for NIS 5 million fourth floor apartment with parking on Rambam Street was sold for NIS 1.83 million fourth floor apartment with an elevator and parking on Ophira Street was sold for NIS 2.22 million 20th floor apartment with two parking spaces on Hakommuna Hahdratit Street was sold for NIS 3.32 million second floor apartment with parking on Weizmann Street was sold for NIS 1.6 million third floor apartment with parking on Hakormim Street in Kiryat Hakramim was sold for NIS 2.6million third floor apartment with parking on Harav Goren Street in Neot Hashikma was sold for NIS 2.99 million seventh floor apartment on Wolfson Street in the city center was sold for NIS 1.83 million ninth floor apartment with two parking spaces on Abba Eban Street near the seafront was sold for NIS 3.63 million Haifa and the north Haifa:A 67 square meter third floor apartment on Tchernikovsky Street was sold for NIS 1.44 million ground floor apartment with parking on Lionel Watson Street in Ramat Begin was sold for NIS 2.69 million third floor apartment on Harav Ankua Street in the Shaar Aliyah neighborhood was sold for NIS 1.38 million second floor apartment on Deganya Street in Kiryat Haim West was sold for NIS 1.3 million 15th floor apartment with two parking spaces on Yigal Alon Street in Ramat Alon was sold for NIS 2.82 million fourth floor apartment on Lochamei Hagettaot Street was sold for NIS 1.25 million second floor apartment on David Remez Street was sold for NIS 1.63 million six-room house on Keren Hayesod Street was sold for NIS 2.98 million All deals were reported on the Israel Tax Authority website Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on February 23 © Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. '#' : location.hash;window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery = location.search === '' && location.href.slice(0 location.href.length - window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash.length).indexOf('?') !== -1 '?' : location.search;if (window.history && window.history.replaceState) {var ogU = location.pathname + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash;history.replaceState(null "\/liveblog_entry\/ahead-of-main-tel-aviv-rally-protesters-gather-around-the-country-demanding-hostage-deal-early-elections\/?__cf_chl_rt_tk=zguyLIu7Y1FiVEIHsD.8CG.G5O313HKcMung3cYQKUQ-1746537601-1.0.1.1-XMTWIwTGhmggI4sYL2a0R0qiOJ72f1Nc6F_NPit.Prc" + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash);cpo.onload = function() {history.replaceState(null ogU);}}document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(cpo);}()); Automotive journalist Ilan Faibish and his friend Tzachi Manshari are the victims of the fatal accident that occurred today (Saturday) near the Dead Sea Faibish was the owner and editor of the 'Turbo' automotive site specialized in the coverage of luxury cars and sports cars The site was established about 20 years ago and Faibish himself became a well-known figure in the automotive world A fatal accident occurred on Road 90 when a Ferrari lost control were killed in the accident and social media showed the car completely engulfed in flames MDA paramedic Sigalit Mizrahi reported: "It was a horrifying accident we saw a car on fire at the roadside and could not approach An eyewitness reported that there were two passengers who failed to escape we were forced to declare both passengers dead." The families share photos of Ilay, Matan and Addir | Photo: The Jewish Agency Addir Masika and Sela Maagan were four close childhood friends They grew up together in Even Yehuda in central Israel they were attending the Nova Music Festival near Kibbutz Re’im They had no idea they would soon experience a deadly tragedy One moment they were dancing and enjoying life at the Nova festival, and the next, they were fighting for their lives against murderous Hamas terrorists who infiltrated from Gaza early that Saturday morning. Addir, Ilay and Matan were murdered after saving the lives of their girlfriends and friends who were at the party; Sela was severely injured and faces a lengthy rehabilitation period “They saved my life,” recounted Yuli before bursting into tears as she described the final minutes of the group The shelters are supposed to protect you from rockets but not from shooting The boys didn’t have a weapon on them when they heard the terrorists coming towards us in the shelter they simply went outside with bare fists and stopped the terrorists from entering the shelters to look for victims I didn’t even have a chance to tell him not to leave; he left and he didn’t return.” “Because of what they did I’m still alive I can’t think about them without thinking about it They were my best friends and Addir was the love of my life And I think it’s important for you to know that they were the best of the best and I’m only sitting here because of them,” she added tearfully Yuli shared what happened at a recent meeting at the home of Shiri and Alon Masika Also present were the families of Ilay Nachman and Matan Eckstein Jewish Agency CEO and Director General Amira Ahronoviz CEO of the Fund for Victims of Terror Ayelet Nahmia-Verbin who came for a condolence visit to the town that has absorbed such a great loss “Every time I saw the group together I told them: ‘How great it is that you have each other in life.’ And they knew it They traveled from country to country to catch waves They all learned how to surf at summer camp They all did military service for the country,” said Miriam Eckstein Ilay Nachman traveled to the United States and worked as a Jewish Agency Shaliach (Israeli emissary) at a summer camp in Pennsylvania “We worried about him when he was in the army because he served in an elite unit The group were like big puppies – they went to one another’s house to eat together Their friends were all in mourning last week because they had lost their best friends Ilay, Matan, and Addir were good friends with dreams and plans for the future. Now their families, who mourn their loss, are receiving support from The Jewish Agency’s Fund for Victims of Terror (FVOT) often the first responder for families and individuals impacted by terror distributes immediate grants within 24-48 hours of a direct attack offering support for short-term needs and helping with long-term rehabilitation and post-trauma care Maj (res.) Dor Zimel | Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit Last week's Hezbollah drone and missile attack on the northern border community of Arab al-Aramshe has claimed the life of a reservist officer served as a deputy company commander in the Etzioni Brigade and hailed from Even Yehuda he succumbed to his injuries sustained during the attack Zimel and wounded another 13 soldiers and four civilians Hezbollah launched two anti-tank missiles and an explosive-laden drone from Lebanon targeting a community center in Arab al-Aramshe where soldiers had gathered This article was first published by i24NEWS the goals are that "Gaza will be completely destroyed All its residents concentrated south of the Morag.. The Diplomatic-Security Cabinet has approved a wide-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip dubbed "Gideon’s Chariots," aimed at defeating Hamas.. The plan includes conquering the Gaza Strip and holding territory moving the civilian population southward for its protection Analysis  Archaeology Blogpost Business & Finance Culture Exclusive Explainer Environment Features Health In Brief Jewish World Judea and Samaria Lifestyle Cyber & Internet Sports Diplomacy  Iran & The Gulf Gaza Strip Politics Shopping Terms of use Privacy Policy Submissions Contact Us The first issue of Israel Hayom appeared on July 30 Israel Hayom was founded on the belief that the Israeli public deserves better more balanced and more accurate journalism [contact-form-7 id=”508379″ html_id=”isrh_form_Newsletter_en” title=”newsletter_subscribe”] Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker There was never a bottle of wine on the family dinner table when Tal Tauber Gottesdiner Tauber, founder of HaShizra(The Stem) studied psychology and sociology in college she worked with Ethiopian Israeli teenagers and then worked in marketing for a large global accounting firm Tauber tells ISRAEL21c that she studied wine by herself and then signed up for a course through the Israeli branch of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust She became intrigued by the way that the scientific study of wine She realized that there were a lot of women “who knew about wine but not many women who were visible in the wine industry.” Tauber organized an event for women in the wine industry – and was surprised when 80 women showed up she felt “isolated and alone” and missed having women in her life reaching out to women in the wine industry Tauber’s goal is to widen the work – and presence – of women in the wine There are approximately 250 wineries in Israel Women are making inroads in the business; some own and operate wineries and liquor stores others work in the culinary and hospitality fields or are wine enthusiasts For a one-time registration fee of 365 shekels (“Yes women have the chance to connect with other women in the field but HaShizra events are open to both women and men “People think of the wine industry as sort of snobby but we want to make it diverse and broader,” Tauber said “We want people to participate with one another and not compete with one another.” Although Tauber runs HaShizra as a business she is committed to doing things that might not necessarily earn money such as providing a mentoring program that connects established women in the field with beginners She said the organization aims to give women the tools they need HaShizra also connects with other women’s organizations in the wine industry around the world and reaches out to internationally famous experts the first forum in the world aiming to empower women in the hospitality industry “We have lots to learn from other women,” Tauber said What has been most gratifying for her is that she is now able to give to other women what she was missing Tauber said that women who came to the Sommelier Exhibition in Tel Aviv in February said they felt less alone and isolated in the business Because of HaShizra’s presence in social media a lot of people now assume there’s no longer a problem for women in the spirits industry Research is needed to show the exact numbers of women in various roles in the industry her enthusiasm for wine has rubbed off on her family She told her father that if he likes history “There’s now wine on the table every Shabbat,” Gottesdiner said We competed with a group of very large men This could deter lots of women and cause some anxiety but if you understand you can do it all and you act with professionalism then there is nothing you cannot achieve.”Dayagi added: “We should give women their place that they can do these things along with the men to reach a high level gets first,” it doesn’t matter whether it is a man or a woman.Hochman noted that “the whole week we work on conditioning in a mixed group and running carrying heavy weights for drills You need almost super strength.”They explained that in some forums the training was separate.Hochman said there was “one episode I remember” where she passed a man in a race “We were doing the hike with heavy bags I felt I could do it despite the difficulties I could push forward even when the men felt it was hard something which neither of us was expecting to see so I always know I can do a lot more.” Asked what is next for them including using dogs.”Hochman responded after doing the IDF preparatory-year program My coach from Five Fingers was a company commander in Oketz But this is a chance to be a positive influence and example.”“Being a female combat soldier is an honorable form of service It doesn’t matter what your political views are – everyone believes in keeping the country safe from its enemies We all love the country and we need to protect it,” Our weekly email is chockful of interesting and relevant insights into Jewish history The weather outside was that unique Israeli blend of crisp winter air and warm sunshine My daughter and I were marveling at how quickly we’d completed the Shabbat cooking early that Friday afternoon But the peace was suddenly shattered by the sound of my son bursting through the front door and frantically exclaiming: “Yehuda fell!” Something about the urgency in his voice propelled my husband and me down our building’s four flights of stairs at top speed my boys had been building a clubhouse with some friends atop a flat-roofed shed adjacent to our building my husband and I discovered our seven-year-old son lying prone on the cold stone steps beside the shed a river of blood gushing from it and flowing down the cobblestones below Yehuda had lost his balance and fallen backward from a height of eight feet landing head-first on the unforgiving stone stairs Our neighbor was taking out his garbage at that exact moment so emergency services were summoned immediately By the time my husband and I arrived on the scene moments later a volunteer medic was already assessing Yehuda’s condition and an ambulance was on its way I was all too aware that even if Yehuda would survive I had no guarantee that he would ever walk again – or even be able to think normally again the following thoughts raced through my mind The name “Yehuda” is derived from “hoda’ah” the Hebrew word for gratitude my husband expressed that the name “Yehuda” is meant to serve as a constant reminder to us to thank God for the myriad gifts that He generously bestows upon us – and especially for the gift of this precious child Even when he wakes us in the middle of the night (again!) Even when we are telling him for the third (or thirteenth!) time to get into pajamas Even when we catch him scribbling on the walls (with permanent marker!) we should keep our focus on our appreciation for our precious child At that moment I was being scathingly honest I have fallen into the trap of pining for things that I feel I lack instead of focusing on my innumerable blessings and I will try my utmost to always thank You while the medic was still awaiting a brace to immobilize Yehuda’s neck He spent Shabbat in the hospital with my husband at his side and miraculously Yehuda’s most serious injury was the large gash to his head which required stitches and the following Shabbat we celebrated with a blessing party for the neighborhood children – to give thanks In the immediate aftermath I had but to glance at Yehuda’s head to remind myself healthy and whole – how could I ever want anything more?” Yet I knew that in order for this inspiration to truly take root within me I must carefully nurture the tender new shoots of gratitude that had so recently been planted Yehuda’s stitches came out… and my mind began to return to its habitual thought patterns daydreaming longingly about things I wished I had But I made a conscious effort to glance down at the bloodstains still discernible between the cobblestones and to remind myself to channel my thoughts in more positive – more honest – directions The sun and rain faded the stains on the ground and Yehuda’s scar was hidden by his hair But I noticed that my mind was gradually being trained to move on its own toward counting my blessings instead of just the items on my wish list and this is not a challenge I can mark off as “Done.” But I have reached a point where I feel like I can stand before God and honestly say  “And most importantly: Thank You Thank you for signing up for the aish.com free newsletter It was late at night,and Rabbi Yehuda Levin was just coming home after a vigorous seder with his chavrusa he overheard his wife on the phone with a close friend “What can I tell you — the salary they pay is just not working for me,” the voice on the speaker phone was confiding to Mrs I’m not blaming the school — it’s hard to raise a teacher’s salary But you would think that after all these years of giving it my all I would be able to actually cover my expenses….” The conversation continued Reb Yehuda was on the phone with the school’s administrator “Don’t worry — I’ll make sure to cover the difference the teacher never discovering the secret behind the school’s sudden plenitude of funds and Reb Yehuda never receiving any credit for his largesse — but that was exactly how he wanted it or even the simple thank-you; it was about enabling another Yid to live with dignity and peace of mind It’s quite an undertaking to write an article about this incredible who passed away after years of health challenges on 9 Adar II (March 19) He was a stalwart kollel yungerman and talmid chacham but also a magnanimous philanthropist like no other; he endured various forms of adversity but was simultaneously one of the happiest and most empowering people around; he was the successful CEO of a multimillion dollar company yet he lived a life of such simplicity and dedication to Torah values that some of his young children were totally unaware of his wealth; he cared intensely for others and fought for their success and serenity yet never allowed himself as much as a building name or even a photo in the paper if he could help it Yehuda Levin was born on 23 Adar 5709 (March 1949) in the Haifa suburb of Kiryat Chaim was a talmid of the Mirrer Yeshivah who had immigrated to Eretz Yisrael in the mid-1930s and eventually became the rav of the small municipality where Rav Levin was appointed as head of the city’s religious council and later as Netanya’s chief rabbi (today there is a street named after him) Yehuda and his two brothers attended the local Bnei Akiva school the only religious school network at the time relying heavily on their parents’ strong mesorah and chinuch Rav Moshe Levin was the right person to transmit untarnished Torah values to the next generation He was a paragon of the extreme dedication to limud haTorah and yiras Shamayim of prewar Europe His children would later relate that they never saw their father sleep in a bed during the week; he would always be learning and simply doze off at the table in between his learning sedorim These early influences at home served Yehuda well when he went to study at Beis HaTalmud in Jerusalem under the tutelage of Rosh Yeshivah Rav Dov Schwartzman It was there that Yehuda was influenced by some of the greatest maggidei shiur of the last generation including Rav Moshe Shapira and Rav Binyomin Zilber zichronam livrachah who spent six years as a maggid shiur in Beis HaTalmud before founding a yeshivah in Miami Beach How Reb Yehuda ended up in Lakewood was essentially due to his older brother one of Lakewood’s foremost talmidei chachamim and rosh kollel of Kollel Choshen Mishpat V’Even Ha’ezer Rav Eliyahu had been learning under Rav Berel Soloveitchik toiling through sugyos with the group of American talmidim that were with him in Brisk at that time and when they headed back to learn in Lakewood Yehuda came to America for the wedding — and it was on that trip that he met Rav Shneur Kotler who suggested he try out a zeman in Lakewood Yehuda heeded the Rosh Yeshivah’s advice — and Lakewood wound up being his hometown for the next five decades “Living in a new country can be challenging for anybody — but challenges never scared off my father,” says his son Reb Bentzi Levin “He didn’t speak English — but that didn’t matter and he spent some of his spare time leafing through the dictionary he had fully acclimated to Lakewood society.” it seemed as if Reb Yehuda’s stint as a kollel avreich was going to be short-lived The young couple’s financial situation wasn’t looking good — they barely had a dime to spare Reb Yehuda reached out to Rav Shach and asked him if Rav Shach’s response was rather straightforward: “If this is the situation Reb Yehuda began looking around for a way to make parnassah and he soon noticed that he had a knack for finding interesting and innovative items and predicting which ones had potential to become top-sellers He decided to launch a small mail-order business called New Horizons sending out catalogues featuring various fresh and eye-catching goods He eventually expanded his stock to include things like advanced alarm clocks New Horizons was rebranded as Lifestyle Fascination and various health-related products — and the company took off By the time Yehuda Levin was in his mid-30s Yet he never really left the walls of kollel Reb Yehuda was working part-time and learning the rest of the day; but once the company was a success He put in some hours at night and early in the morning and that was where he invested most of his energies a noted rosh chaburah in BMG’s Princeton location and son-in-law of the Levins “I heard that my future shver ran an exceedingly successful business Whenever I saw him interacting with others he was always discussing interesting sh’eilos in halachah or a new pshat in the Gemara I never heard him breathe a word about business “It wasn’t until my first summer bein hazmanim married into the family that I caught my shver doing some work I heard some shuffling in the office adjacent to our room I then realized that after a long day of learning and giving to the klal my shver was finally stopping by to check in on his business.” Rabbi Baruch Meir Levin relates that he and his siblings often asked their father why he didn’t build himself a private study at home; after all he loved to learn whenever he had a spare moment But Reb Yehuda didn’t need a study in his home; yeshivah was his makom kavua “Bais Shalom is my study,” he would often reply referring to the BMG location on Ninth Street that he helped establish by single-handedly supplying the down payment Bais Shalom had a special place in his heart; Reb Yehuda famously sat in the back-left corner of the beis medrash for years Reb Yehuda once chanced upon an old friend from his bochur years clearly oblivious to his old friend’s great prosperity Reb Yehuda took the call somewhat bashfully and quickly answered the questions coming from his secretary “I thought you said you were in kollel?” his friend asked after the call finished “I just do some business on the side.” Indeed that’s how he viewed himself: He was a yeshivahman Running a business was something that he also did From the moment Reb Yehuda started making serious money it was a basic formula: Hashem gave him what he needed for his family “My father gave 80 to 90 percent of his income to tzedakah,” says Bentzi Levin I personally know that one year he made about $4.7 million and he gave away a whopping $4 million of it People often asked him if it was advisable to give away more than a chomesh [a fifth] for tzedakah people from all walks of Jewish life would flock to his front door for donations he would hand out $360 checks to the hundreds of collectors flooding his dining room — even the young children collecting for their schools “There’s no question about it: In terms of relative wealth Yehuda gave more than anybody in the frum community in recent history,” says Rabbi Aaron Kotler president emeritus of Beth Medrash Govoha and Reb Yehuda’s longtime friend Reb Yehuda’s giving nature began at a young age His mother would often retell that when he was a child in Netanya one of the most coveted treats to receive from a teacher was a simple orange When ten-year-old Yehuda once earned this award he took the orange home — and divided it up for his family members He similarly used his bar mitzvah money to buy a new watch for his father and a necklace for his mother It is well-known that master mechanech Rav Kalman Krohn a”h was heavily involved in tzorchei tzibbur for many years Rebbetzin Krohn recounted at Reb Yehuda’s shivah how her husband worked hand-in-glove with him for decades to ensure that everyone’s needs were attended to Whenever Rav Kalman came across a person in dire straits and his tzedakah fund couldn’t sustain the expense “Reb Yehuda always sprang right into action He would write out large checks without thinking twice,” she said But he didn’t just give his money; he gave his time and wise counsel fastidiously dissecting the various communal needs and coming up with unique solutions Rebbetzin Krohn also revealed that at one point her husband questioned Reb Yehuda about his unparalleled benevolence maybe you should focus more on putting some money aside for yourself?” he asked Yehuda Levin smiled and answered with his trademark Israeli accent: “I have one account that I need to build up Reb Yehuda was indeed careful to save money for his family; it was just that the lifestyle he promoted at home wasn’t one that called for wealth or materialism He put aside what they needed to live comfortably and pursue their aspirations his lifestyle was practically indistinguishable from his Lakewood neighbors “The only thing he did differently was to buy a slightly newer car,” says Bentzi Levin “He really didn’t like spending time at the mechanic when he could be learning Sari (Levin) Weissberger relates that she was in fourth grade when one of her friends told her that her father was a millionaire One of Reb Yehuda’s primary motivations to live this way was that he was adamant about not raising the bar for what was considered “normal” or “standard” in the small yeshivah town He spurned the idea of living ostentatiously in an area that was mostly home to kollel yungeleit Why up the ante for people who can’t afford it And furthermore — why distract people from the purity and wholesomeness that they desperately craved for themselves and their families when Reb Yehuda had to redo the floors of his home he insisted on using the cheaper option of linoleum rather than hardwood or marble tiling and the husband took note of the new flooring even Yehuda Levin was willing to go for linoleum flooring!” he told his wife seemingly attempting to put a lid on an ongoing back-and-forth Reb Yehuda was thrilled when he heard those words and often cited this anecdote as testimony that the thoughtful considerate actions of the more comfortable members of society can subtly lower the standards and ease the burden on those surrounding them Along with his simplicity came his distaste for any form of kavod “He never hung up any of the various plaques that he was awarded,” says Baruch Meir “There were also times when he would conveniently ‘forget’ the plaque in the hall.” Reb Baruch Meir shares that on one occasion his father arrived home on Friday night and saw that one of his family members had hung up a new plaque Reb Yehuda summarily covered it with a towel and promptly took it down after Shabbos my father’s face ended up in one of the papers without him knowing,” says Mrs He would usually implore his various beneficiaries not to make any public mention of his donations but he quickly tore it out and discarded it He always wanted us to understand what was really important in life — not the fame or fortune.” A noteworthy component of Reb Yehuda’s nonpareil generosity was that it wasn’t just about handing out checks The driving force behind his kindness was that he genuinely cared about all people; he had a profound desire for them to succeed This meant that his main goal wasn’t just assisting them to cover their debt or wedding expenses “When my father saw that someone was struggling to hold down a decent job he would find other ways to grant him a consistent parnassah,” says Mrs “He would give them an easy job at his warehouse or musicians even if they were clearly novices or just incompetent number one was helping to get another Yid’s parnassah on solid footing.” Weissberger shares a striking story that attests to Reb Yehuda’s ungrudging a certain fellow double-crossed Reb Yehuda in a manner that caused him heavy losses it came to his attention that this fellow’s daughter had not been accepted to a high school I overheard him talking on the phone with a certain school literally pleading with them to accept this girl,” she relates but I asked him if he really had to go out of his way for someone who had wronged him so severely He had a look of total disapproval strewn across his face It was one of the only times in my life that I felt like he was disappointed with me.” Bentzi Levin relates that his father would invest large sums with people opening up a new store or restaurant even if their business sense was a bit shaky “He didn’t pay any attention to whether these were wise investments; and All he wanted to do was give another Yid a confidence boost and a leg up.” Reb Yehuda’s most unforgettable characteristic was his boundless simchas hachayim always saying a good word or sharing an interesting vort or sh’eilah If you would ever ask him how he was doing he would reply with his signature jocular refrain: “Better than yesterday!” Reb Yehuda’s immutable cheerfulness was eminently apparent when it came to Torah he was one of the only people in the community with a fax machine — and it was put to good use by being the kollel yungeleit’s direct conduit for sending sh’eilos to Rav Chaim Kanievsky and finally scrutinizing the answer Rav Chaim would send back The questions would be on his mind all day and he would enthusiastically share his insights about them with anybody he would meet longtime administrator of the Lakewood Cheder focuses on a different aspect of Reb Yehuda’s happiness “His greatest enjoyment was hearing that another Yid was doing better than before.” And this came along with another honorable attribute: “He would never talk about people There was simply zero talk about others.” Rabbi Manes explains that this was a direct result of his abounding love for others — he saw everyone as pure gold There was no negativity to be seen in anybody It was Reb Yehuda’s love and care that impelled him to upend the status quo for rebbeim in Lakewood “Schools weren’t really expected to pay their rebbeim on time back then,” says Rabbi Manes personally footing the bill when we fell short and it is now standard practice to pay rebbeim in a timely fashion across town Reb Yehuda Levin lived a life of perpetual simchah — even when the going got rough it became evident that the rise of the Internet and Amazon would inevitably render companies like Lifestyle Fascination obsolete and the prospects of the company’s future were looking bleak was present on the memorable day in 2004 that his uncle came to discuss the issue with Rav Chaim Kanievsky Reb Yehuda asked the gadol if he should try to transfer the company over to the Internet in order to maintain its relevance Reb Yehuda spent the next ten minutes educating the gadol on the basic workings of the Internet Rav Chaim mulled the matter over for a few minutes and finally said: “It’s better not to.” He then advised him to put some money away in real estate as an alternate form of income using what must have been superhuman strength and courage Rabbi Yehuda Levin followed the daas Torah he had received — as he had always done in the past — and promptly sold his business for a fraction of its original worth he eventually regained most of his mobility but he was considerably weaker than his younger One might assume that a person like Reb Yehuda — who was accustomed to a hefty income and thrived on doling out charity to thousands of people on a regular basis — would be a shell of himself in these conditions He would most likely be moping around and visibly crestfallen On the contrary — his superlative simchas hachayim was more infectious than ever even if it meant pushing himself to do the short walk to Bais Shalom — which now felt like an arduous trek up the side of a mountain He continued to share his hallmark humor liberally perhaps most inspiring of all — he continued to be a giver people often think that they need a brimming bank account in order to be givers But Rabbi Yehuda Levin showed us that you don’t need much to give of yourself The moment he arrived home from the rehab center following his stroke he began slicing and dicing vegetables with his shaky hands to prepare his wife her favorite salad “I haven’t been able to make it for her in so long,” he explained to his protesting daughter Rather than opening his pockets to everyone who knocked on the door he used his quivering hands to craft his choicest Israeli delicacies for everyone around to enjoy of course — he continued to spend hours at a time on the phone advocating on behalf of people who needed to get their child into school Reb Yehuda Levin returned his pure neshamah to his Creator just a few weeks shy of his 75th birthday He left behind a legacy of devout dedication to studying Torah of living modestly regardless of financial success and of extending himself to others in unfathomable ways And he did it all with his unshakeable simchas hachayim and he left us in Adar — perhaps to show us that following in his footsteps is the perfect recipe for the greatest joy of all Mishpacha ContributorsUnder FireAfter a year and a half of fighting Yisrael YoskowitzNo Regrets  “Anti-Semitism hasn’t disappeared Today it hides under the guise of ‘criticism of Israel,’ but it’s the same old poison” Yitzchok LandaLimited LiabilityShe can’t undo the insurance mess but Shuli Berger makes sure the system works for you Tzivia MethStill in the Story   Rabbi Marcus Lehmann's pen instilled Jewish confidence in his generation and beyond  Mishpacha StaffHalf the Battle For Rav Meir Mazuz every struggle was about the sanctity of the Jewish nation Binyamin RoseReady, Willing, and Able   Israel's US ambassador Yechiel Leiter relives his knock on history's door  "The Navy will not sail into a dictatorship," signs hung on the reservists' boats read The blockages were reported to be cleared by 10:15 a.m Israel Navy reservists protest the government's proposed judicial reform on Thursday 2023 (credit: ITAMAR GREENBERG)Israeli media reported on Thursday morning that IDF reservists attempted to open a military recruitment office in front of the B'nei Brak city hall as part of their judicial reform protest efforts The reservists were quoted by Maariv as saying "We came to transfer the burden of enlistment to the ultra-Orthodox population we will need to come here and enlist [soldiers] there is no 'People's Army.'"Also on Thursday morning approximately 150 military reservists including Lt.-Col Alon Even-Chen set up a "guard post" in front of the Rehovot Magistrate's Court according to Israeli media. Israeli children and parents also held a protest on Thursday morning at HaBima Square in Tel Aviv.  Children and parents protest at HaBima Square in Tel Aviv for the third ''Day of Disruption'' against the judicial reforms on March 16 (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)"The disruptions are being carried out by tens of thousands of Israeli men and women who are not ready to live in a dictatorship." 2023Get email notification for articles from Adi Cohen FollowFeb 15 2023When Noam (not his real name) got an email from the Housing Ministry a little over a year ago notifying him that he had won the lottery for an apartment in Ariel under the government’s subsidized home ownership program I’d never be able to afford my own apartment,” he says It Is Very Difficult to Give That Up'99-year-old Chaim Shilo survived the Nazis by escaping with his family He survived Hamas by hiding in a safe room at his home in Kibbutz Nirim 2024Get email notification for articles from Rachel Talshir FollowJun 19 99-year-old Chaim Shilo (Solow) from Nirim expressed a wish: "I want to be able to live out my remaining years in my home in my kibbutz that I founded and loved so much." Program: Charidy — online crowdfunding for non-profits Problem solved: Fundraisers weren’t making as much as they could Growth in numbers: From one-man office to 60 employees worldwide It seems we’ve been receiving — and been touched by — their attention-grabbing emails for years With $500 million of tzedakah raised so far whether it was raising $40 in second grade for his teacher’s surprise birthday party or eventually hundreds of thousands for kimcha d’pischa in his community of Crown Heights It seemed everything he touched turned to gold “I can’t help you fundraise,” he’d tell them “but I can help you become a better fundraiser.” One such fan was the head of one of Chabad’s largest institutions Yehuda pointed out names on the man’s donor list whose generosity he wasn’t maximising “He was a great fundraiser,” Gurwitz explains He was leaving a lot of money on the table.” Gurwitz coached him and two weeks later the man raised $70,000 more from two donors who each used to give him five grand It felt odd to Yehuda that this veteran fundraiser needed knowhow from a self-proclaimed “shnook.” But he realized that if he could help organizations fundraise more effectively they could raise more in a shorter period of time He studied traditional giving throughout history and identified a few core principles: People care about financial value Its concept of high-impact big-goal matching online campaigns in a short amount of time was the first of its kind The biggest compliment was when Facebook added a similar fundraising feature.” Gurwitz started out by experimenting on home turf raising funds for two Chabad Houses headed by his brothers-in-law “My vision is to transform the entire giving world so we work with every part of the world and every religion,” he explains “We want the whole world giving ‘maaser.’ ” Today Charidy boasts a global team with offices in New York and Australia and representatives in dozens of cities They have plans to localize in every big city “Nothing gets done without a great team,” Gurwitz points out and heading that team are Charidy’s cofounder Ari Schapiro with a 99 percent success rate for reaching goals And because the formula includes elements that really motivate people — impact recognition — Charidy has seen buildings built How was the novel idea received by the philanthropists Donors want to see that an organization is not dependent on them alone.” Convincing organizations was another story it was hard because organizations don’t like to take risks,” he explains we strategize what would be an ambitious attainable goal for an organization and we give them the confidence to achieve it.” There was no shortage of naysayers “It’ll only work for Chabad,” claimed someone else Even Yehuda’s close friend worried the venture would fail “I hope it doesn’t fall very hard on him.” That friend ended up becoming Charidy’s biggest advocate As for the “gimmick,” it has been commissioned by prominent establishments Gurwitz has been able to observe the differences between how Jews and non-Jews give charity “The sense of community in the Jewish world is insane,” he gushes “When the campaign is for a woman who is struggling and you get 10,000 people who donate to her cause Mi k’amcha Yisrael.” When a problem can be solved with money Gurwitz feels gratified that his innovation serves as the shaliach Charidy charges a small commission for each campaign He had been a friend of Moshe Hecht and the cousin of Ari Schapiro he had not been eligible for life insurance someone working in the company could help someone they cared about but fast!’ ” They ran a huge chesed campaign One can imagine their shock when a staggering $700,000 rolled in by the end of the 24-hour deadline “It was one of my proudest moments,” he recalls one of his workers had a daughter who required surgery They ran a campaign l’shem mitzvah and raised $70,000 in a jiffy Gurwitz recognizes how blessed he is to run a business that is so rewarding and makes him a virtual partner in so much tzedakah He was sitting in the back of an Uber car during our phone call and the conversation was on loudspeaker “Thank you for what you’re doing.” Thank you Esther Hamalkah reminds us of the strength that lies in silence Miriam BlochEverybody’s Looking at MeWhat triggers and exacerbates self-consciousness — and how can you overcome it Bluma GordonMake It Happen Discover the root of your procrastination so you can finally tackle that dreaded task Avigail RabinowitzMake Yourself at HomeWhat makes the experience of starting out married life in Eretz Yisrael so elevating and valuable for some couples and so disastrous and destructive for others Esther Ilana RabiLaws of SuccessThere’s a science to success — and it’s a science worth studying Gila ArnoldThe Savings CrunchYes, you can put away money for the future who referred to the accused soldiers as “our best heroes.” Yoav Gallant has called for an investigation into whether Ben-Gvir purposely delayed the police from responding to the riots; eventually military battalions were mobilized to help protect the base where the soldiers were being interrogated To talk about what occurred and what it means for Israel’s future I recently spoke by phone with Yehuda Shaul the co-founder of Ofek: The Israeli Center for Public Affairs an independent think tank based in Jerusalem He is also one of the co-founders of Breaking the Silence an organization made up of former Israeli soldiers dedicated to exposing what they see as the realities of Israeli treatment of Palestinians in the occupied territories which has been edited for length and clarity we discussed how the Israeli military has changed over time whether Israel proper is at risk of becoming more like the West Bank and what Benjamin Netanyahu really thinks of challenges to the state’s authority How does the storming of these bases fit into the history of right-wing attempts to undermine the rule of law in Israel we need to keep in mind that we have had settler violence in the West Bank for many years and it has been rising for years without enforcement So the settler community has been living for decades in a reality where they can break laws I’ll even take one step back and say the entire settlement project is a project that is drowning in criminality This can mean building settlements against the rules the construction of housing on private land It can also mean settlers beating up farmers or shepherds going into communities and attacking them either to displace Palestinians or to create such a headache for the state that the message is “It’s not worth it for you to actually enforce the law.” We have had decades of this kind of behavior in the West Bank and unchecked violence where soldiers were given orders to stand idly by When I was a soldier in the West Bank during the second intifada our orders were not to enforce law on the settlers Our job was not to protect the Palestinians But after October 7th things got even worse Now the settlers are the soldiers and the soldiers are the settlers told The New Yorker that “soldiers who encounter violent crimes committed by Israeli civilians against Palestinians are required to stop the incident and stall or detain the suspects until the police arrive at the scene.” In cases where soldiers do not obey these instructions “the incidents are thoroughly examined and actions are taken accordingly.”] So you’re saying that the biggest change is in the makeup of who the soldiers are It’s also what are called regional-defense units The West Bank is divided into several regional brigades Each of them has regional-defense battalions which are reservist units made of local settlers So settlers who live in the area of Hebron for example—many of them are mobilized in the area of Hebron Because the settlers host us for a Friday-night schnitzel But it’s also because they are completely integrated into the system their security officers sit in the briefings at the headquarters and get updates on what’s happening they go and use our shooting range to stay in good shape Lawlessness and violence was allowed because the relationship between the military and the settlers on the ground became so symbiotic It is now so symbiotic that it’s not clear any more where the military starts and ends One is the sociological change in the Army What we see is a significant shift within the Army—a change from the old-school Labor Party-oriented people to nationalist religious people and especially to the ultra-Orthodox nationalists only two and a half per cent of graduate officer cadets in the infantry were nationalist religious That’s about three times their size in society better educated military people going into cybersecurity and signal intelligence more into positions that can advance their status in the economy post-military service while the combat rank and file is being filled more with the ideologues two Palestinian attackers stabbed a soldier One of them was killed—the other one was neutralized a military medic called Elor Azaria arrived and he shot one bullet into the head of the Palestinian—basically executed him And it was all filmed by a Palestinian activist who was living nearby but there was outrage about the fact that he was indicted And it got to a place where even Netanyahu called the shooter’s parents to show support who was the minister of defense at the time—a right-winger and a former chief of staff of the I.D.F.—had to resign Azaria was sentenced to eighteen months for basically an execution that was filmed That was the moment where the rank and file within the Army plus the political base of the Likud Party and the Israeli right essentially rebelled against the old guard who want to say that the I.D.F who want to tell a story to the world of adherence to international law and we have a different idea of rule of law than you have And it’s unacceptable that a soldier will be indicted for this.” For me that’s the threshold where you understand that at least at the level of the rank and file How would you describe the current situation in the military We have this clash between the old guard and the institutionalists on the one hand and the rank and file and the nationalist-religious people on the other The latter want to change the nature and the spirit and the soul of the Army But I wouldn’t underestimate the importance of the International Criminal Court and international accountability mechanisms here You can hear this in the political debate in Israel Many people who are trying to defend the Military Advocate General—which oversees the investigations of soldiers—frame it as important because that’s how we are protecting our soldiers and commanders from the I.C.C We have to show the world that we have rule of law and we investigate alleged crimes And all these testimonies are coming out about the abuse of detainees and there’s pressure to actually investigate and look into this So the Military Advocate General sent the military police to go and detain a few soldiers for questioning And right away the call on the networks of the Israeli right is it’s the base of the Likud and the national-religious ideologues They want to change what’s acceptable in the I.D.F And you can see it from October onwards with the amount of videos of soldiers talking about rebuilding settlements The erosion of discipline within the I.D.F And suddenly there is this real clash between rule of law or the story the institution wants to tell the world which is hundreds of people breaking into military bases in Israel You could barely find ministers here who are actually criticizing it Netanyahu seems like an interesting case here it’s very clear what he’s been doing in Gaza and he has a long history of bigoted remarks and trying to make undemocratic changes to the judicial system But he also has some interest in being a leader on the world stage who has at least a certain level of respect When you hear him speak to Congress or wherever else he doesn’t sound like Smotrich or Ben-Gvir So I’m curious what his role is—because it seems like the tension you were describing in Israeli society is in some ways manifested within him I don’t think his politics are the politics of Smotrich or Ben-Gvir Smotrich represents the more ideological national religious shift in terms of demands of where the Army should be and what its value should be and Ben-Gvir really represents more the working-class rank and file And I think that Netanyahu is where he is not only because Smotrich and Ben-Gvir are holding his leash but because there is massive frustration from the lack of achievements of the war after the horrendous massacres of October 7th we were promised that we were going to wipe out Hamas We were going to bring all the hostages home We are months into the war and we haven’t wiped out Hamas you blame Netanyahu and his government because they’re not willing to talk about the day after because these goals are unachievable by force alone That’s part of why we see a growth in the protest movement against him weak generals who are not willing to do what it takes You say people in the military are playing a game with the Europeans Now the far right is channelling a lot of its frustration toward the old guard in the Army there are so many times where you have these leaks from cabinet discussions: ministers attacking the chief of staff All these attacks are part of where you channel the frustration of the Israeli right But actually the fact is that their program doesn’t work meaning we’ve almost wiped the Gaza Strip off the face of the earth So you need to blame someone for the failure Is there a point at which you think these forces could challenge the state and Netanyahu would fundamentally side with them I am talking about a challenge to the state within Israel proper Or are you afraid at some point there will be a breaking point The Israeli police are almost completely captured right now It is almost fully captured and fully political But you see it with the police in the West Bank You see it with the police versus the protests and you saw it when the police refused to show up to defend the military bases we had many cases where Israeli peace activists were threatened Extremist WhatsApp groups circulated the names and addresses of friends of mine to come and attack them We reached a point where we wouldn’t even contact the police because we didn’t trust the police And that was a microcosm of the bigger issue we saw this past week The police in the West Bank are almost completely settlers and militia This is the fight that is happening now in Israel—whether the institutions will prevail or not And if I zoom out and connect the West Bank to Israel I would say that we are in a place where Israel will have to decide whether we are a country that has a settlement project—a colonial project in the West Bank—or we are a colonial project that has a country And even if our institutions will not be defeated under this government I think the changes within the Army and those sociological developments are a threat down the road the national-religious ideologues are basically a dominant force up to about brigade-commander level the institution changes them more than they change the institution you reach a mass where they begin changing the institution more than the institution changes them You mentioned that there had been more pressure on the Army to look into allegations of abuse and misconduct after reports started appearing internationally in the New York Times and CNN Were these reports surprising to you or surprising to people who study this stuff in Israel the idea that bad things are happening in Gaza that bad things will happen in detention centers I fear that we’re just scratching the surface here And I fear the fact that the media is largely not yet in Gaza I fear that we’re going to discover that we’ve reached serious new lows in our behavior—in terms of rules of engagement that were extremely permissive in the amount of collateral damage allowed I fear that we still don’t have the full story I think there is a big chunk of Israeli society that the kind of assault that is alleged against detainees actually sounds reasonable It sounds reasonable to people in the Knesset today and for ministers in the government You saw thousands of Israelis standing and defending these soldiers even with what is alleged that they’ve done An entire section of Israeli society and the political class and government have actually stood up to defend these actions Why Bishop Mariann Budde wanted to speak to Donald Trump Lena Dunham’s change of pace Tim Walz might run for President in 2028 if you ask him nicely Maya Rudolph is ready to serve Sarah McBride wasn’t looking for a fight on trans rights The liberated life of Colman Domingo Support The New Yorker’s award-winning journalism. Subscribe today. 2011Get email notification for articles from Ranit Nahum-Halevy FollowFeb 7 2011 A storm is raging in Even Yehuda: At least seven municipal building plans which could add more than 3,000 housing units are currently on the table and could change the character of the locale from rural to urban Local council head Amos Azani says he has prepared strategies for narrowing down the building plans 2023Get email notification for articles from Yael Freidson FollowJan 16 2023The Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office filed indictments against two Jewish teens on Monday after they broke into the Protestant Christian cemetery on Mount Zion and desecrated more than 30 graves in early January Jenni Frazer 7 min readThere could scarcely be a bigger contrast between the role for which he is best known by the Jewish community — British ambassador to Israel — and Matthew Gould’s latest post as director-general of the Zoological Society of London Gone are the sharp suits of the career diplomat he once was: this incarnation of Gould is a man comfortable in his own skin and a giant rucksack accompanying him on his travels around the country Between being Britain’s first Jewish ambassador to Israel and his arrival at London Zoo Gould was initially the government’s first director-general for digital and media — in charge of cyber security — and then chief executive of NHSX leading the digital transformation of health and building the award-winning NHS Covid Pass Home life has always revolved around children and animals "So this is brilliant in that respect.” At home in Somerset he and his wife Celia have two daughters and “three dogs (including one failed Israeli guide dog) one cat (rescued as a kitten in Ramat Gan) was a Foreign Office high-flyer who served as principal private secretary to the former foreign secretary David Miliband Matthew Gould at London Zoo (Photo: Marc Morris) “First we went to Harrow and Wembley Liberal shul,” he says “then to Middlesex New Synagogue.” He took a degree in philosophy and divinity at Cambridge University then joined the Foreign Office in 1993.He once told the JC that “friends and family queued up to say that it (the Foreign Office) was a nest of antisemitism” Aged just 26 and working as a speechwriter for Robin Cook foreign secretary in Tony Blair’s first Cabinet Cook hosted and convened the first London Nazi gold conference in 1997 and Tehran where he was Britain’s deputy head of mission He “made a point of going to shul in Tehran It was both a means of expressing support to Jews there and putting down a marker to the Iranian government that there was a watching brief on how it treated its minorities.” But when he left the civil service “I was looking for a job which made a difference that we are genuinely helping to save species from extinction absolutely ticks that box.” There are clues in Gould’s earlier life that he and the zoo would become best friends he did ecological research in Tanzania and published research on the feeding preferences of termites and Whipsnade (which also falls under the ZSL umbrella) was a frequent destination for the Gould family when they lived in Hertfordshire he thought it would be “a fantastic job to run that organisation” Gould says his home life has always revolved around animals is an old friend who is also a former diplomat — he was British ambassador to Afghanistan before joining the zoo in 2017 Gould recounts a conversation that he had in London with Israel’s future prime minister telling him how much he would have liked the role Lapid advised his friend: “Jews don’t run zoos.” Gould did not agree — and so when Jermey decided to move on and the zoo was looking for a successor The mission is incredibly important for the planet and we have the opportunity to make a serious difference in the life of London and in the state of wildlife globally.” Though he was familiar with the zoo from the outside “the quality of the science and the impact that the conservation is having we are doing more than anyone in the world to receive different pangolin species or we are involved in the restoration of mangroves in the Philippines The impact is fantastic and has been a wonderful surprise by “the sense of mission” among the zoo’s 800 employees “I’ve never worked in an organisation with such a strong sense of purpose even down to discovering that the soft toys in the shop are made from recycled plastic and that most of them are co-created with the animal experts so the toys actually look like the animals they are supposed to represent ZSL is pleasantly surprising.” On the downside — well The Zoological Society of London is an independent charity under Royal Charter and receives no government funding The figures to maintain the two zoos and the research institute are eye-watering: a yearly total budget of £80 million £50 million of which comes from admission and purchases made (by the public) in the zoos a further ten million from grants for individual conservation and science projects and the last ten million needs to be raised from fund-raising and donations Gould is expected to be responsible for the fund-raising tranche of the budget “for having that particular combination of zoos and the Institute of Science.” ZSL also has the Institute of Zoology founded by Prince Philip and his great friend which has 140 scientists working in research on conservation biology because it means that what we do is science-driven and very focused on having an impact on nature — but it does mean we have high overheads.” Gould understands those who say that zoos are an anachronism But he is a strong believer in the work of the ZSL in conservation in pioneering breeding programmes and saving species “Every animal in the zoo is here for one of two reasons because having them here is helpful scientifically in understanding how we can best look after that species In our zoos we have 16 species now extinct in the wild and well over 100 species that are endangered in the wild So the importance of zoos is as a refuge for species that are deeply threatened in the wild the Sumatran tiger: there are only about 300 still in the wild One of our scientists co-ordinates their global breeding programmes and we had three Sumatra tiger cubs born here earlier this year They are wonderful for kids to see them play but more important those cubs are part of a global programme which ensures that Sumatran tigers continue to exist.” Gould is also deeply conscious of the education value of zoos A million visitors a year go to London Zoo and just under that number to Whipsnade.“Huge numbers of them are kids We know that coming here and seeing the animals for real has an enormous impact on the children And it would be a real shame if the only people who could see animals up close were those rich enough to go on safari.” The zoo doesn’t pay for the animals it houses Instead there is a sort of gigantic global swap shop in which zoos all over the world transfer animals in co-ordinated breeding programmes.Just recently London received a silverback gorilla from a zoo in Tenerife; and a baby giraffe was born in Whipsnade a London Zoo baby hippo went off to another collection Gould has not cut his connections with Israel completely We spoke on the eve of a long-desired family holiday in the country and he was planning to visit “old friends” at the Ramat Gan Safari Park “ZSL is a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums which means we work collaboratively with zoos across the world to preserve threatened species — through sharing our animal care expertise and taking part in vital global breeding programmes the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria so we have good working relationships with Haifa Zoo Zoological Centre in Ramat Gan and the Tisch Family Zoological Gardens Through EAZA we work on co-operative breeding programmes and critical conservation work.” In May 2019 London sent two female grey slender loris to the Tisch Gardens in Jerusalem part of a European Endangered Species Programme The zoo has also had good links with zoos in conflict zones providing support and advice wherever possible Gould has ambitious ideas for his zoo empire vowing to do as much as possible to put them on a firm financial footing and hoping to expand the use of the sites more effectively to have 36 acres of prime real estate in Central London means he has two remarkable platforms from which to broadcast the ZSL message on the restoration of species native to Britain “We can really help restore them to strength,” he says Gould is clear that the role of the zoo has changed “It used to be about animal stamp-collecting and we don’t have animals on a whim.” In fact there are a number of species that London doesn’t have because they are not needed in a conservation or breeding programme he admits that if he could have any animal not currently represented at London Zoo for which he retains a particular fondness And there is one last admission from the former ambassador Though he says he is “surrounded by vegans” — though it’s not clear whether that is at home or at work — the proximity to the animals has not led Matthew Gould to change his diet Science Family