long before the world has awoken and the phone starts buzzing Yehuda: Getting the column done consistently on a weekly basis Dovi: Us being awarded eight Simon Rockower Awards for Excellence in Jewish Journalism over the past three years by the AJPA Dovi: The rosh yeshivah of Yeshiva of Far Rockaway But the most important thing you can do is to try and make history.” That perspective reshaped the way I approach my work — not just as a historian but as someone striving to contribute to the ongoing story of Klal Yisrael Yehuda: “Don’t write what you think is interesting or important Write what you imagine the readers will enjoy” — from Dovi in the early years of our collaboration Yehuda: Dovi would share interesting Jewish history finds from books His engaging posts caught the attention of Yisroel Besser who suggested that Mishpacha ask Dovi to write a column I had launched the Jewish History Soundbites podcast around the same time — May 2019 — and it was gaining popularity for its relevant take on modern Jewish history Dovi and I have been close friends and chavrusas since our days in the Mir (we still learn together at the annual Yarchei Kallah) The format aligned well with my research and in some ways mirrored the style of the podcast Our first column was commissioned for Pesach 2020 my tour business in Eretz Yisrael and Europe shut down overnight and the column kept me busy and relevant in an uncertain time I found myself busier than ever — turns out everyone wants a tour guide who’s also a Mishpacha columnist typically defined as the era beginning in the 18th century and continuing to the present — though we joke that Dovi insists it’s limited to the years between the opening of the Volozhin Yeshiva in 1803 and the passing of Rav Aharon Kotler in 1962 There have been some exceptions where the column reached back further into history The centerpiece of every For the Record column is the exhibit — an artifact or another tangible piece of history — while the text provides the commentary and context Sometimes we start with a topic and track down an exhibit to match an extraordinary exhibit catches our attention and the column becomes a deep dive into the story behind it but a typical For the Record piece takes several hours of research Some articles require combing through a dozen sources others lead us down a weeks-long path of interviews and historical cross-checking to ensure that our facts are correct The goal isn’t just to retell a story or profile an individual but to add something new — to uncover an overlooked detail or provide fresh context to a well-known episode Dovi: We are extremely proud that For the Record is just weeks away from its 250th consecutive week in print — a milestone that speaks to the strength of our partnership it requires recognizing each other’s strengths and being open to differing perspectives and has an encyclopedic knowledge of our subject matter I’d like to think my strength lies in research — digging up the obscure documents It’s not uncommon for me to chase a lead so deep into a rabbit hole that Yehuda has to remind me we have an actual column to write and sometimes completely reworking an idea it’s been dissected and reassembled more times than we can count Yehuda: It’s testimony to Dovi’s good nature that our distinct roles in this process are delineated based on our respective strengths and limitations He also is the master researcher of exhibits and great finds from all sorts of digital archives of newspapers and other artifacts I try to provide the broader historical context and give the writing its flavor and essence Dovi is also gracious about filling in for me when I’m on tour and in general we are somewhat flexible about our roles as we proceed through the weekly process of the four steps of writing the column: 1 Yehuda: Books and articles primarily provide the background and/or directly inspire topics for our columns we often consult knowledgeable scholars for advice One such scholar is the renowned talmid chacham and researcher Rav Dovid Kamenetsky Rabbeinu Chaim Ozer: Rabban Shel Kol Bnei Hagolah (privately published in 2021) has emerged as one of the classic Jewish history works of the 21st century a leading historian of Lithuanian yeshivos whose personal story is nearly as fascinating as his research he immigrated to Israel as a child and later gave up a high-ranking military engineering career to dedicate himself to the study of the Lithuanian yeshivah world a dear friend from Baltimore with a seemingly endless knowledge on a wide range of subjects we’d be lying if we didn’t include Wikipedia on this list it’s often an important starting point — especially the citations which frequently lead us to critical books Dovi: I love immersing myself in libraries and archives I’ve had the privilege of benefiting from two of the legendary archivists in the Orthodox world — Rabbi Moshe Kolodny who ran Agudath Israel’s American Orthodox Archives for 45 years longtime curator of Special Collections at Yeshiva University which houses some of the most critical primary sources on American Orthodoxy Both of them have made themselves available — way beyond their call of duty whether it’s answering an email or phone call late one night to verify an obscure fact or track down an elusive document or book I’ve been fortunate to benefit from the knowledge kindness (and patience) of some of the real giants in the field of Jewish History — Professor Shnayer Leiman and Beth Medrash Govoha archivist Moishe Dembitzer one of the 20th century’s most important rabbinic leaders and activists I profiled him for the Shavuos 2022 issue and still get approached by people from across the spectrum thanking me for giving them the opportunity to learn about such an underappreciated giant among men The sheer scope of his work on behalf of the Jewish people is staggering secured vital funds for starving yeshivah students in interwar Europe and helped Sarah Schenirer transform Bais Yaakov into a movement His hatzalah efforts during the war were equally remarkable — personally securing 1,200 affidavits that saved over 9,000 Jews He also trained young leaders like Rav Gedalia Schorr and Mike Tress in the complex visa process Yet what struck me most wasn’t just his activism but his profound sensitivity to the dignity of those he helped he and his wife sought out struggling Torah scholars discreetly sending badly needed funds before Yom Tov and even ensuring that a rebbi in Brownsville received a new set of teeth insisted on meeting Rabbi Jung at a neutral location to receive his check as the article barely scratched the surface way back in the beginning of our For the Record journey and Dovi found something about his attempt to alleviate the plight of agunos which we included as a one paragraph “Did you know.” But that ultimately sent me down a rabbit hole and I ended up researching the agunah question among the American immigrant community at the turn of the 20th century I learned a lot about immigration during that time period and the role of Jewish leadership in attempting to help alleviate the challenges of individual immigrants during that time I later wrote up my findings as a paper submitted at Hebrew University Dovi: While researching the history of the pilgrimage to the kever of Rav Elimelech of Lizhensk I discovered an unexpected personal connection Boruch Safier — a Lizhensk native who returned in 1959 from the Soviet gulag — was the one who rediscovered the original matzeivah in a local marketplace and became the caretaker of the newly restored tziyun I grew up hearing my grandfather’s memories of his childhood in Lizhensk but I never imagined that a family member had played a role in ensuring that generations to come would still have a place to daven and connect to the great tzaddik Yehuda: Perhaps it was discovering the historic letter that led to the column “Don’t Talk In what is likely the earliest detailed account of a Jewish wedding on American soil attended the 1787 chuppah of Rachel Phillips and Michael Levy the men in the room suddenly covered their heads with hats and began to pray (Minchah) “The freedom with which some of them conversed with each other during the whole time of this part of their worship.” And just like that a signer of the Declaration of Independence had unwittingly documented one of the few “minhagim” that had crossed the Atlantic intact: talking during davening One of the most fascinating connections we made through For the Record was with a Polish researcher named Piotr Nazaruk which mentioned Rav Meir Shapiro’s pushke campaign he reached out via our editors to inform us of his project — an effort to catalog the remnants of the legendary library of Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin His work immediately intrigued us and led to “The Legend of the Lost Library of Lublin” (Issue 939) a feature on the history of the library and the ongoing efforts to trace its scattered volumes prompted several readers to reach out with details about seforim they owned that had once belonged to the yeshivah’s vast library Another tip from Piotr led to “Voices from a Vanished World” (Issue 1009) a column about a remarkable find — a long-lost archive of letters written by Jews around Poland to the yeshivah which were recently returned to the Lublin Jewish community by the daughter of a German soldier who had been holding onto them for 80 years The letters provided a rare glimpse into the mindset of yeshivah students in interwar Poland and unwavering commitment to Torah learning Piotr was also extremely helpful in the research for Dovi’s major feature “A Light From Lublin: Rav Meir Shapiro’s Quest To Build Chachmei Lublin” (Issue 980) which focused on a letter discovered in the archives of Agudah leader Mike Tress a 15-year-old Torah Vodaath student named Leo Rubin proposed a daring plan to Mike Tress whom he assumed had regular access to President Franklin D Roosevelt: air-dropping weapons and paratroopers into Nazi concentration camps to help prisoners revolt While the idea was unfeasible considering Agudath Israel’s resources and Roosevelt’s unwillingness to meet with Orthodox leaders His willingness to listen and explore every possible avenue underscored his relentless determination to save Jewish lives in the worst of times We were able to fill in the missing gaps in the story with the help of lots of genealogical research and a grandson of Mike Tress the well-known Lakewood askan Moishe Tress — who helped us get in touch with Sabrina Silverman where we wrote about the industry of importing dirt from Eretz Yisrael and selling it in European communities for local chevra kaddishas to use in burials The ideal role for me is be a conduit for all the great research and stories out there in various academic books (mostly in Hebrew) My other priority is to convey a message of social history and not just lives of gedolei Yisrael and otherwise well-known individuals There’s no question that knowing how much the story meant to the manhig hador Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky and his rebbetzin Tema gave me the push to work harder on it than anything I’d ever done before and after three years of research (and ongoing work on a full-length book) I had a feeling the article might generate some buzz But I never imagined it would add a new name to our collective lexicon yeshivos reerected plaques honoring her legacy and Torah Umesorah began sending out an annual yahrtzeit email encouraging schools across the country to dedicate Torah learning in her memory once forgotten — has become a makom tefillah where people now come to pour out their hearts a woman who had been almost completely erased from memory — and didn’t leave behind a single descendant — is now I set out to tell the story of a forgotten patron of Torah Jennie Miller Faggen has become part of the world she helped build Dovi: A reader once sent us a detailed critique of a 15,000-word Yom Tov article we’d written because he’d noticed a missing comma and a misspelled word his letter included a lot more than two grammatical errors as well as several misspelled words the most important feedback comes from our editor who goes way beyond the call of duty to ensure that our columns always shine — especially the Yom Tov articles which inevitably lead to her working ungodly hours to ensure perfection Nothing we’ve written would have achieved the gold standard without her professionalism and expertise Yehuda: A participant on one of my Europe tours told me he grew up in Massapequa which isn’t known for its robust Torah community He was never proud of his hometown in any spiritual or Jewish sense until he read our column on “Sabbathville Dovi had discovered this fascinating story of Rav Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz’s attempt at building a shomer Shabbos suburban community which ultimately fell through due to lack of funding The site of Sabbathville is today’s Massapequa and that simple column had made this special Yid finally feel proud of his hometown I’ve never been able to write a tribute piece about someone I was related to or very close with after their passing — it’s just too painful took the lead on that project and encouraged me to join him in the endeavor — something for which I am eternally grateful Yehuda: The basis of the column is an artifact All text is commentary and context surrounding the exhibit There are many fascinating topics we’d like to write about but since we’ve never found an exhibit on that particular topic we’ll have to save it for another platform One topic which I’ve researched and comes to mind is interwar Polish Jewish political parties Though a fascinating and relevant topic — many modern-day political parties in Israel have roots in interwar Poland’s Jewish parties — the context of the time and the challenges facing Jewish political parties and leaders make it an incredibly challenging project to convey to a modern-day audience The nuance of the political platforms and disputes must be understood within the dynamic of that time and it would take lots of effort to get the story right Dovi: An Ivy League professor of European History read our article on Rav Leib Malin and invited me to address his class over Zoom His students were fascinated by why Torah study was so central to yeshivah students that they risked their lives to flee Soviet-controlled Lithuania simply to avoid living under Communist rule Yehuda: There’s lots of crossover between our For the Record column and my podcast; many readers of the column get interested in the podcast and vice versa I recently did an episode on the podcast about the Tiferes Yisrael/Nisan Bak shul in the Old City of Yerushalayim and I had mentioned the 19th century Yemenite neighborhood of Kfar Shiloach on the foothills of Har Hazeisim in that context We followed up that episode with a column in Mishpacha on the same topic A listener who resides in that very neighborhood reached out and described the flourishing community offering a guided tour to anyone who wants to observe this fascinating story up close “Since the beginning of the war and different rounds of miluim (reserves) listening to your podcast has been a source of pleasure and tranquility Between Shabbos cleaning at home and taking care of our tanks your podcast has been listened to in all places and situations.” I was really touched that the podcast is accompanying the Jewish People on the battlefield and at home We once wrote about a great rabbinic figure and mentioned a well-known grandson we received a letter from another descendant — a noted talmid chacham — asking why we had omitted his name but it made me realize how much these stories mean to people you’re also writing about people’s families It was a reminder to always be meticulous and sensitive We often get asked to write about Rav Chaim Avraham Dov Ber Levine (1860–1938) yet enigmatic figure in American-Jewish history a disciple of the Rebbe Rashab of Lubavitch who brought a radical asceticism and uncompromising spiritual vision to the New World His small but devoted group of followers in New York saw him as a living link to the purity of old-world chassidus but his approach set him apart from the mainstream chassidic world It would be difficult to write about him in a way that properly conveys the complex background and delicate nuances that led to his and his followers’ estrangement from the small American Torah world of the time while maintaining the appropriate reverence for all involved it’s not a story that can be told responsibly within the scope of a single article; it would require a book I realized that many people who were generally too busy for long conversations were stuck at home and would likely appreciate a good phone or Zoom discussion That realization led me down a path of almost nightly conversations with some of the most storied figures in American Orthodoxy I will always cherish the many hours I spent talking to Rav Yechiel Perr and Rav Elazar Meir Teitz two great men with tremendous insight and an incredible appreciation for the type of historical anecdotes I love Their recent passing has been a personal loss for me as well as obviously a significant loss for Klal Yisrael We’ve also had the opportunity to engage in deep conversations with several members of the greater Soloveitchik family Rav Yankel Schiff — who regaled us with stories of his rebbi and how his shidduch with the daughter of the Brisker Rav came to be I had the privilege of serving as an interviewer for Yad Vashem traveling to survivors’ homes with a camera crew to record their stories for the archives Some of the most memorable interviews I conducted included a Hungarian survivor from Miskolc whose grandfather was a chassid of Rav Shayale of Kerestir a woman from Zhetl (birthplace of the Chofetz Chaim) who took part in the legendary Novardok tunnel escape and later joined the Bielski partisans a 98-year-old Danish Jew who lived in Bnei Brak and was the last surviving organizer of the rescue of Danish Jewry during the Holocaust and had coordinated efforts with the heroic members of the Danish resistance one of the most fascinating interviews I conducted was with Rav David Attiah He shared remarkable memories of his father and the early years of the flagship yeshivah of Sephardic Jewry in Yerushalayim which we featured in our article “Eyes That Saw Angels” (Issue 854) We enjoy being nostalgic and occasionally use classic song titles or lyrics that fit the theme for our titles Whether it’s Yerachmiel Begun and The Miami Boys Choir (“The Torah’s Only Defender,” “Don’t Talk “They Called Him Reb Shmuel,” “Mama Rochel Cries for Boro Park”) Country Yossi (“Cholent Is Its Name,” “Every Heart Was Broken That Yom Kippur”) Shmuel Kunda (“When Zaidy Was No Longer Young”) Suki & Ding’s classic Uncle Moishy songs (“Ain’t Gonna Work on Saturday” and “Big Gedaliah Bublick”) But really anything that allows us to exercise our creativity and gives readers a reason to smile so writing a weekly column is more of a passion than a profession There are times that we both think the column has run its course but the constant feedback from both Mishpacha staff and our devoted readers (keep it coming!) has kept us from throwing in the towel we both would like to finish writing our respective upcoming books and work on other projects We’re also toying with a different concept for our Mishpacha column which may appear over several weeks this summer Dovi: Yehuda and I are fortunate to know many talented and knowledgeable people who assist us in our research One of them is the renowned genealogist Mrs with whom we’ve collaborated on numerous projects including tracking down passport photos of gedolei Yisrael from archives across Europe when Reb Shimon Glick informed me that Rav Dov Landau was visiting my neighborhood during his first trip to America I wondered if there was something meaningful we could bring him she could locate the Lithuanian passport photo of Rav Dov’s father-in-law who was murdered in the Holocaust — a man Rav Dov had never met he had only seen a single grainy photo of his father-in-law at a much younger age someone forwarded me a photo of Rav Dov visiting Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky I noticed something — Rav Dov was clutching the very same photo I had given him the day before Since Rav Dov had only ever seen one other photo of his father-in-law he wasn’t 100 percent certain that this was truly him He couldn’t bring himself to show it to his rebbetzin — who had been separated from her father as a young girl — until he was absolutely sure And so he brought it to Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky who had learned in the Slabodka yeshivah ketanah Rav Shmuel examined it and confirmed its authenticity but you’ll have to wait for a future column for the rest of the story.) Riki Goldstein20 Questions for Cindy Scarr"I love writing and I also love that it’s not part of my job which means I can write only when I feel like I have something to say" 20 Questions for Ariella SchillerAriella Schiller’s irresistible serials keep readers coming right back for the next installment of realism 20 Questions for Libby Livshin“While a lot of my workload is technical Riki Goldstein20 Questions for Rachel BachrachDeputy editor Rachel Bachrach pulls the strings from her home in Cincinnati 20 Questions for… Chava LipszycChava works as Production Manager making the magic happen weekly for eager readers 20 Questions for Bracha Stein & Chani Judowitz“It’s such a great feeling to hear about its impact or to hear readers casually reference having a ‘Kichels moment’ or saying ‘we are the Kichels’” Second-hand apartments sold Tel Aviv and central region Tel Aviv: A 86 square meter fifth apartment on Shlonsky Street in Neot Afekim was sold for NIS 3.64 million second floor apartment on Kehilat Canada Street in Jaffa was sold for NIS 2.04 million fourth floor apartment on Shik Street in Neve Ofer was sold for NIS 2.16 million first floor apartment on Cordebiro Street in Florentin was sold for NIS 2.48 million first floor apartment Ramon Street was sold for NIS 1.59 million second floor apartment on Szold Street was sold for NIS 1.8 million sixth floor apartment with parking on Yoseftal Street was sold for NIS 3.2 million first floor apartment with parking on Katznelson Street was sold for NIS 1.9 million third floor apartment on Pinkas Street was sold for NIS 2.74 million third floor apartment on Katznelson Street in the city center was sold for NIS 1.9 million first floor apartment with a 186 square meter roof area in the Ayalon Hahadasha neighborhood was sold for NIS 4.45 million first floor apartment with a 90 square meter yard and parking on Ophira Street was sold for NIS 2.59 million Modi’in-Maccabim-Reut: A 93 square meter garden apartment with two gardens of 30 square meters and 18 square meters on Dvora Haneviah Street in the Haleviim neighborhood was sold for NIS 2.4 million (Lahav Modi'in) Haifa and the north Yokneam Illit: A 113 square meter first floor apartment with parking on Nof Yokneam Street was sold for NIS 2.05 million first floor apartment on Haradofim Street in Moshava Hahadasha was sold for NIS 1.41 million second floor apartment with parking on Ortal Street in Givat Alonim was sold for NIS 1.64 million third floor apartment was sold for NIS 4.4 million first floor apartment was sold for NIS 1.14 million All deals were reported on the Israel Tax Authority website Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on December 29 © Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2025Get email notification for articles from Gideon Levy FollowJan 5 2025Etzel Haturki (At the Turk's) is a well-known shawarma place in the central Israeli city of Or Yehuda and there is nothing Turkish about it: It looks simple with a host at the entrance and long lines of customers who've come from near and far to partake in their food My son's army service brought him to the restaurant at the time '#' : 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\/idf-announces-staff-sgt-amit-friedman-19-killed-fighting-in-southern-gaza\/?__cf_chl_rt_tk=tnkK0PpqK57yHUgAZ4KBtylGYmn_CfMLkQOVkW0AFHk-1746497360-1.0.1.1-S2iiuJ2fueYh4njPXPsWCnahKoQfxEZLium6pCsteZY" + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash);cpo.onload = function() {history.replaceState(null ogU);}}document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(cpo);}()); Expansion of Ben Gurion Airport will severely damage the economy of Or Yehuda drive economically prosperous people away from it and detract from its residents' quality of life an objection recently submitted by the Or Yehuda municipality asserts The objections concern the development plan for the northern part of Ben Gurion Airport initiated by the Israel Airports Authority which also includes a northern entry gate to the site The airport expansion plan was submitted to the District Planning and Building Commission The plan applies to an area of over 1,200 dunam (300 acres) in the northern part of Ben Gurion Airport bordering Or Yehuda and Yehud-Monosson some of which is zoned for expanded parking for airplanes which includes varied uses related to the airport applies to a total of two million square meters "Construction of a new northern entrance to Ben Gurion Airport has considerable economic potential for local authorities to the north the plan in its current form threatens the future economic vigor of the city and its residents' quality of life Construction of the northern entry gate to Ben Gurion Airport is liable to cause noise pollution and traffic jams in the vicinity," the objection filed through Adv The municipality alleges that the traffic and environmental analysis ignored the volume of traffic that will be created in the area and the noise pollution caused by construction of new terminal "at a distance of 600 meters from the homes of Or Yehuda's residents." the municipality expresses concern that if the northern entry to Ben Gurion Airport facilitates access for passengers on commercial flights to Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 the passengers might park their cars in Or Yehuda and use the city as a "long-term parking lot." The municipality argues "This is liable to impose enormous burdens on all of Or Yehuda and paralyze the city." The municipality is therefore asking to District Planning and Building Commission to rule that passengers cannot use the northern entry gate and that access not be allowed from the gate to Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 The municipality states that the new plan will drive economically prosperous people away from the city "Because of the worsening acoustic nuisance a large proportion of the city's veteran resident have been abandoning the southern neighborhoods in recent years They have been replaced by people of low economic status due to the fall in housing prices in these neighborhoods caused by the noise which has been increasing with the rising number of takeoffs and landings at Ben Gurion Airport." the municipality is therefore demanding that the plan not be approved without an assessment of an acoustic appendix attached to it that includes the impact on the residents' homes and acoustic protection that should be built if airplane engines are run close to the homes of residents in Or Yehuda The municipality expresses anxiety about the city's economy because of the proposed plan which will lead to direct competition for sources of municipal revenue by "allowing construction of two million square meters of office and logistics space to be put on the open market on the site of the airport This will deal a devastating blow to Or Yehuda's ability to fully utilize its business and commercial space… The result is liable to be substantial damage to the city which is in the midst of a residential development boom The municipality relies on income-producing space to provide services to its residents." The Or Yehuda municipality claims that the volume of income-producing space in the proposed plan obligates the District Planning and Building Commission to assess the demand for income-producing space and the needs the local authorities in the vicinity of the plan The municipality is also asking that distributive justice with respect to the revenue expected from the plan be taken into account "The construction rights in the plan are disproportionate without any regional economic examination of the resulting damage to the nearby local authorities… In view of the many residential plans being promoted in the area which will double the population in the next decade as part of the national effort to increase the supply of housing in central Israel an additional 1.2 million square meters of income-producing space is needed in order to maintain a balanced budget for a 20-year period Allowing the Airports Authority to market such large amounts of business space exempt from municipal taxes while the bordering local authorities are bearing the burden of increasing the supply of housing and providing services to their residents amounts to an unfair economic advantage and contravenes principles of distributive justice," the objection states "Or Yehuda objects to both the excessively generous construction percentages set forth in the plan and to the lack of clarity concerning uses mentioned in the plan which will allow use of the space for offices not merely for airport employees and the airport." The municipality claims that a large proportion of the space is currently zoned under National Outline Plan 2 for "a parking lot for airplanes," which the plans seeks to rezone to "general airport and regional service." In its objection the municipality argues that the District Planning and Building Commission lacks authority to rezone land set aside under National Outline Plan 2 for an airplane parking lot and this zoning should therefore be left unchanged in addition to the operational and aviation functions needed to operate the terminal the plan permits a huge volume of construction for office and commercial uses in the vicinity of the plan The municipality accordingly demands in its objection that the District Planning and Building Commission make it clear in the documents for the plan that all of the space in the plan be used solely for the airport's needs and that the uses be allowed only as passenger service for those going through passport control "Completion of the detailed plan for the northern part of Ben Gurion Airport on the last land reserves for development of Israel's international airport is needed to streamline operations and improve the level of passenger service The Or Yehuda municipality's objection is inconsistent with the welfare of the millions of passengers passing through Ben Gurion Airport each year The Airport Authority's response to the objection will be brought to a discussion of the matter in the District Planning and Building Commission." Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on November 22 © Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd holding company Kardan NV (TASE: KRNV) came close to selling engineering company Tahal to private equity firm Fortissimo for $120 million at the end of a prolonged period of deterioration in its results Tahal reached what looks like the end of the road with a petition for protection from its creditors for the purposes of putting together a debt settlement which is active in water infrastructure in Israel and around the world reached this nadir after many attempts to sell it to Israeli and overseas buyers who is also CEO of the controlling shareholder in the company which itself has gone from one debt settlement to another in recent years Tahal is now asking for 60 days to formulate a settlement with its creditors The remainder of its debt (over NIS 22 million) is to employees the court approved a second debt settlement for Kardan NV in which its bondholders received 90% of its shares against a haircut amounting to half of its NIS 1.5 billion debt which was considered to be one of the sources for repaying the debt could mean that this was not the last settlement for Kardan NV’s creditors before the foundation of the State of Israel to plan transportation of water in the Jewish settlement in what was then Palestine who pushed the company into rapid expansion through ambitious projects overseas This turned out to be a loss-making adventure that left Tahal with large debts and liquidity difficulties among them to private equity form FIMI and Shikun & Binui (at a valuation of just $12 million a tenth of what Fortissimo had offered two years earlier) after the banks thwarted the sale to Shikun & Binui and later refused new guarantees for Tahal where the liquidity problems were worsening Tahal Consulting Engineers states in its court petition its subsidiaries failed to meet their financial covenants and so their credit lines were not extended The company also cites high wage costs as a result of collective agreements signed in 2014 awarding extra severance pay to employees who left Kardan NV’s financials show that water infrastructure (Tahal Group) which represents the activity of Tahal Consulting Engineers in water in Israel and globally generated revenue of €62 million in the first nine months of 2022 and incurred a gross loss of €5.9 million an improvement on the gross loss of €12.3 million in the corresponding period of 2021 The company posted a net loss of €22.7 million in the period versus a net loss of €30.7 million in the corresponding period of 2021 Tahal had negative shareholders’ equity of €100 million and €5.9 million cash Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on January 17 Site developed by     Copyright © Yedioth Internet has set a new world record as the oldest active player in a professional soccer match after tending the goal for Ironi Or Yehuda in an April 5 game against Maccabi Ramat Gan was officially recognized with a Guinness World Records certificate after the game presented by a Guinness representative from London Hayik had written to the organization inviting them to the game thinking he would break a record as the world’s oldest goalie the organization informed him that he broke the record for oldest overall footballer in a pro game previously held by Robert Carmona of Uruguay “This is not only a source of pride for me but also to Israeli sports in general,” Hayik told reporters He noted on his Facebook page that some his teammates that day were the grandsons of players with whom he’d kicked around a soccer ball 50 or 60 years ago Hayik was born in Iraq and emigrated to Israel with is parents when he was four years old after the creation of the state prompted anti-Jewish actions in Middle Eastern and North African countries a business that handles all the logistics for events Although Ironi Or Yehuda did not win the Friday afternoon match the after-game ceremony for Hayik was jubilant said that when he played soccer with his father as a child Hayik wrote on his Facebook page Friday afternoon: “Age is just a number Always know that you can realize every dream the oldest active footballer in the world.” celebrates as he breaks the Guinness World Record for oldest living football player after a game with Israel's Ironi Or Yehuda soccer club With striking white hair and darting between the goal posts an Israeli athlete on Friday became the oldest person in history to play in a professional soccer match who celebrates his 74th birthday next week broke the Guinness World Record for the oldest living soccer player after playing goalww in an afternoon game with Israel's Ironi Or Yehuda soccer club Hayik managed to make some good saves on Friday The Iraqi-born sportsman received the formal title in an award ceremony attended by representatives from the Guinness World Record organization following the match whose family immigrated to Israel when he was four years old "This is not only a pride for me but also [for] Israeli sports in general." His family was among the tens of thousands of Iraqi Jews who fled in the mid-20th century to Israel whose creation in 1948 and successive defeats of Arab armies caused bursts of popular anger and violence against Jews Hayik's children voiced pride in their father's achievement One of his sons said they used to play in semiofficial matches together In an exclusive interview with Israel Hayom Oren Smadja announced he will leave his position as coach of Israel's men's judo.. Sami Zayn removes controversial social media post only after media inquiry following months of documented complaints from Jewish organizations 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”] "\/two-huge-reasons-to-readjust-our-thinking\/?__cf_chl_rt_tk=0uSbK37crKvSyl2WPnvwxpgh9r1se8DTOj26lOmE3gk-1746497452-1.0.1.1-dpEZVXWYpFWYiOXjgTJ1KEPJySEscXz5CbbC7G5G2yg" + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash);cpo.onload = function() {history.replaceState(null Crown Heights philanthropist Rabbi Yossi Michelashvili inaugurated the new mikvah "Mei Eliyahu" in the Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim Chabad in Or Yehuda, a city in central Israel. Two special mementos were given. Full Story, Photos Crown Heights philanthropist Rabbi Yossi Michelashvili inaugurated the new mikvah “Mei Eliyahu” in the Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim Chabad in Or Yehuda his wife Yael Michelashvili and children Yocheved Batya and Yitzchok Meir dedicated the mikvah in memory of his grandfather and cousin R’ Eliyahu ben Moshe and Eliyahu ben Yitzchok Remarks were shared by the Head of Beis Din Rabbonei Chabad in Israel Rabbi Yitzchok Yehuda Yaroslavsky Rabbi of the Sharet-Ramet neighborhood in Lod Speaking in the name of the students and the hanhala the Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Sholom Ber Hendel thanked the Yossi Michelashvili for his generous dedication to allow the bochurim to purify themselves every morning before davening Participants were given as a memento Toras Menachem – Vol a compilation of the Rebbe‘s sichos and maamarim from 12th of Tammuz Also distributed was the new book Hamazkir about the dedication of Rabbi Leibel Groner OBM as the secretary of the Rebbe for over 40 years Mashpia at the Chabad Yeshiva in Kiryat Gat Sign up for the COLlive Daily News Roundup and never miss a story Δdocument.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()) Δdocument.getElementById("ak_js_2").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()) Your request appears similar to malicious requests sent by robots Please make sure JavaScript is enabled and then try loading this page again. If you continue to be blocked, please send an email to secruxurity@sizetedistrict.cVmwom with: Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Chasidic singer Simche Friedman has released a new single in which he hosts his brother Yehuda Friedman “This is very exciting for us,” Simche says “Yehuda and I have been singing together since we were kids and we always dreamed about recording a duet We hope that the song will touch many hearts and move many people” Mayim Rabim is performed in a catchy Kumzitz-Chasidic style with the combination of the two different voices adding a special touch Composed by Choni Tzucker and arranged by Eliya Netaneli and David Taub Mayim Rabim won’t stop playing in your head The lyrics of the song describe our love for Hashem and His desire to hear us davven and learn and see us doing Mitzvos Listening to the duet while watching the lively video clip one can detect an additional love -‘brotherly love’… Hashem see the love of your children and bring us home again although not sure what all the Hebrews words mean Notify me via e-mail if anyone answers my comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" One of Israeli education's most prestigious prizes Jaime Constantiner Prize in Jewish Education awarded annually by Tel Aviv University at its international Board of Governors Meeting was presented on May 16 to the Department of Education of Or Yehuda and its director The educators were recognized for developing and implementing unique programs for the children of the town of Or Yehuda advancing their academic achievements and consolidating their Jewish identity Jaime Constantiner for his contributions to Jewish education in the Diaspora This year it was presented by TAU Rector Prof Aron Shai in a ceremony held at the Trubowicz Building of Law and their daughter Claudia; Or Yehuda Mayor David Yosef; Head of the Jaime and Joan Constantiner School of Education Prof Rafi Nachmias; many Tel Aviv University Board of Governors members; and a large delegation of educators and administrators from Or Yehuda and Israel's Education Ministry is a long-time supporter of Israel and Tel Aviv University part of a vibrant familial legacy spanning three generations and to Jewish education in the Diaspora." commending the Or Yehuda educators for "advancing the children of Or Yehuda while addressing their special difficulties and socioeconomic status supporting high school students and improving their matriculation performance successfully reducing educational gaps with regard to written and spoken language and implementing an extensive curriculum that enhances Jewish identity and knowledge." Hakimi spoke passionately about her organization which encompasses eight elementary schools and three high schools with immigrants from all over the world," she said "The Jewish heritage is the bridge that connects them all Our mission as educators is to strengthen the children's roots and give them a sense of belonging — to make them feel that they are part of the nation in a state that is both Jewish and democratic The children of today are the leaders of tomorrow." The Constantiner-Sourasky family's decades-long commitment has produced a number of major university projects Tel Aviv University's Central Library is named for his grandfather whom TAU awarded an honorary doctorate in 1971 was a leader in the movement to spread Jewish education throughout the diaspora and served as Vice Chair of TAU's Board of Governors; he was made an honorary doctor by TAU in 1980 played an important role in spreading Jewish culture throughout Latin America and Leon — contributed to the School of Education naming it The Jaime and Joan Constantiner School of Education The Constantiner brothers are actively involved with the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov) and continue to build on their family's passionate legacy of support for Jewish continuity and Jewish identity American Friends of Tel Aviv University (www.aftau.org) supports Israel's leading most comprehensive and most sought-after center of higher learning Independently ranked 94th among the world's top universities for the impact of its research TAU's innovations and discoveries are cited more often by the global scientific community than all but 10 other universities Internationally recognized for the scope and groundbreaking nature of its research and scholarship Tel Aviv University consistently produces work with profound implications for the future are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system Copyright © 2025 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Summer began with the news that the creator of “Cyanide & Happiness” the webcomics with the biggest number of followers worldwide another announcement reached the Baltics – probably the most famous couple of webcomic creators Maya and Yehuda Devir will be meeting fans in autumn The Israeli-based creators of “One of Those Days” comics are coming to the annual pop culture event “Comic Con Baltics” which will take place on 21-22 of September 2019 “We are very pleased to confirm that world-wide known couple of webcomic artists Maya and Yehuda Devir will be visiting Lithuania this autumn With the audience of nearly 5 million followers on Instagram alone creators are famous for their comic series called “One of Those Days” In the series husband and wife creatively portrays their everyday life with all the funny sometimes sad or even deeply emotional moments,” says Darius Krasauskas organizer of “Comic Con Baltics” The first Maya and Yehuda Devir webcomic story came out in 2016 the couple had just graduated from the Bezalel University of Art and Design in Jerusalem where they both were studying visual communication “The first comic was created by the Devir family as a referral request on Facebook who decided to move from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv sought housing advice from their friends on the social network Instead of sharing a boring selfie with their question couple decided to create a webcomic that would illustrate their current state of life” says the organizer of “Comic Con Baltics” After receiving a lot of their follower attention Devir family decided to continue sharing their stories through the webcomics Yehuda Devir's Instagram account caught the attention of editors from the Lithuania-based and world-leading entertainment website “Bored Panda” It was the first and probably the most significant step that led to their fame and success “Just half a year after the first comic was created and their content shared by “Bored Panda” Devir's Instagram account was followed by hundreds of thousands of new followers and in just a week it went over 1.5 million they thought that their profile was experiencing some technical issues it quickly became clear that it wasn’t a mistake and it took only one publication for them to go viral,” says D Today Maya and Yehuda Devir are named as the creators of one of the most famous and successful webcomic around the world Their social network accounts are followed by nearly 7 million people and comic books and merchandise are being sold daily Followers can feel like close friends “The success of the Devir family is determined by the truly unique content which reflects their daily lives and experiences everything they publish has happened to them in real life These are not stories told or experienced by other people The story they share include not only funny everyday situations but also serious and sensitive family experiences,” says the organizer of the pop culture event Determined to share both fun and challenging moments of their lives Maya and Yehuda Devir have also documented their journey to getting pregnant Today Devir's daughter Ariel is already 3 months old but her family and followers have been looking forward to meeting her since last summer “From the moment artists decided to share all the emotions they experience during the getting pregnant phase their comics became more mature – filled not only with funny moments This allowed followers to feel even closer to them than before Like if they would be true friends,” says D The ideas of the comics we can see on Devir family social media accounts are created by both artists his work is inspired by the American style of comics take photos or get a signature from Devir family on 21-22 of September at the annual pop culture event “Comic Con Baltics 2019” at the “Litexpo” Exhibition Center in Vilnius Visitors will also be able to meet world-wide famous actors and creators from famous movies and TV series hear about the ongoing new Lithuanian movie projects enjoy family space and experience much more A subscription to The Baltic Times is a cost-effective way of staying in touch with the latest Baltic news and views enabling you full access from anywhere with an Internet connection. Subscribe Now! 2025 © The Baltic Times /Cookies Policy Privacy Policy Some of the toys included in the “baby band” made by Israeli firm Halilit My 11-month-old daughter has impeccable taste in music. When I played the Motown Christmas album on Spotify, she starting bobbing her head to some vintage Stevie Wonder that she received a bag of small instruments as an early Christmas present That was before I picked up one of them and saw the dreaded words “Made in Israel.” I’m sure there are many shoppers who have bought Halilit goods without being aware they are Israeli It would be easy to do so: I checked the entries for some Halilit products on the Amazon website and didn’t see any information about where they were made let’s not undermine our efforts by inadvertently putting Israeli goods in our shopping baskets I recall a speech given by Nelson Mandela to a concert held in London not long after his release. Business leaders were evidently eager for the West to lift the sanctions its governments had imposed (reluctantly) on South Africa But Mandela insisted that it was not yet the right time for the pressure to be eased even if the legislation that would have put into effect has been withdrawn For tactical reasons, some human rights campaigners have concentrated on advocating a boycott of goods produced on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank Yet it overlooks how Palestinian citizens of Israel also live under an apartheid system That’s why we should not hesitate to urge a boycott of companies like Halilit that are based inside Israel the movement against apartheid South Africa did not draw distinctions between goods based on what part of the country they were produced in; it sought a boycott of all South African goods Halilit’s promotional material is replete with photographs of smiling infants The images tell us nothing about how Israel treats Palestinian children And we do not learn about Wajih Wajdi al-Ramahi, a 15-year-old boy murdered by Israeli forces near the West Bank city of Ramallah last Saturday there are Zionist advocates with a ready-made response to my plea for a boycott of Israeli toys The most likely argument they will use is that Israel has higher labor standards than some Asian countries where so many of the items in the West’s shopping malls are made with the exception of some fair trade products the range of “ethical” toys available is limited the captains of industry will put profit maximization ahead of all other concerns by any crocodile tears Israel supporters shed for sweatshop workers The fact remains that Palestinians have asked people of conscience to boycott Israel It is a call that should be heeded this Christmas — and at every other time of the year David Cronin is an associate editor of The Electronic Intifada. His books include Balfour’s Shadow: A Century of British Support for Zionism and Israel and Europe’s Alliance with Israel: Aiding the Occupation The requested content cannot be loaded.Please try again later It is a piece of information that might be stored away by an enthusiastic pub quiz team member or possibly by mildly aggrieved women journalists Certainly it wasn't Rebekah Brooks – so maybe it was Eve Pollard along with the name of the first Briton in space it is a bit of feminine history which has been strangely underplayed the answer is Helen Sharman (who was 48 last week) But it was the redoubtable Rachel Sassoon Beer who really upset convention by taking up the reins of a national newspaper – the Observer Now biographers Eilat Negev and Yehuda Koren have handsomely made up for the information deficit Their book is a comprehensive study of Beer's life covering her glamorous days as a Mayfair socialite and concluding in the sad and unjust official declaration that she was "of unsound mind" Since journalists are not normally reluctant to memorialise themselves or to celebrate their profession it is odd that this is the first look at the extraordinary Beer not just the only woman to edit a Fleet Street broadsheet until Rosie Boycott in 1996 to have edited two rival Sunday titles at the same time When the Observer's owner Julius Beer died in 1880 She turned out to be far more interested in the paper than him and by 1891 was listed as "sometime editor" in Who's Who In 1893 she bought the Sunday Times too and controlled both for a short time The Observer's stance on Suez in 1956 is often regarded as the paper's finest hour but Beer's efforts to reveal that the French army officer Alfred Dreyfus was the victim of an anti-semitic campaign probably rival that moral apogee When Emile Zola published his famous open letter about the case and she and her Paris correspondent extracted a key confession from an army officer that would later prove Dreyfus to be innocent of treason Beer's leader column proclaimed: "To pardon the innocent is an eccentric proceeding Especially after a trial that was a mockery of justice but any sign of returning grace in France is welcome for nobody could seriously believe that a pardon will end the Affaire Dreyfus will still be under a legal stigma; moreover he will be deprived of all civil and political rights." The authors tell us that Beer "admired Zola for his literary genius and for being a devoted champion of truth" but they add that she disapproved of his histrionics "M Zola must necessarily stand his trial the last vestige of belief in the present regime in France must surely vanish." Negev and Koren argue that this undermines Beer's nephew who suggested his aunt had been involved in Zola's stratagem her natural shrewdness gave place to inattention in managing her affairs," said her famous nephew Beer was examined by the doctor who subsequently treated Virginia Woolf and she seems to have fallen victim to a practice she had once described as the popular tendency for head doctors "to imprison those from whom they differ in opinion" when the judge finally approved the application for Beer's brother to take over her financial affairs because she was "a person of unsound mind" I thought she had been editing the Observer." This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025 The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media The president made the appointments official Thursday night via Truth Social Trump took a moment to officially name Walker a former West Virginia police officer and a businessman and rabbi Walker served six years in the House of Representatives for the sixth congressional district of North Carolina where he cemented himself as one of the president's allies on Capitol Hill He subsequently ran unsuccessfully for senator in 2022 which led him to join Trump's 2024 campaign Mark was elected unanimously to House Leadership and did an incredible job as Ranking Member on the House Homeland Security’s Counterterrorism and Intelligence Subcommittee As Chairman of the Republican Study Committee Mark will work incredibly hard to expose Human Rights Violations and help us secure Life Saving Results," the president wrote on Truth Social Thank you @realDonaldTrump for the honor of being selected to serve as Ambassador at Large Nomination of International Religious Freedom. As a former minister, along with serving in Congressional leadership, I'm open-eyed to the bad actors and regions committing these atrocities… pic.twitter.com/yANMbbI0dI Walker thanked the president on his X account and pledged to work to expand religious freedom around the world "Religious expression is the foundation of human rights and whether it's a college campus in New York or Sub-Saharan Africa I'll be relentless in fighting for those targeted who dare to live out their faith I'm grateful to my beautiful wife and family for their support May God provide the path and may we have the courage to follow," he said The second announcement was that of Marshall who has an extensive career in law enforcement He is a former West Virginia police officer and currently serves as commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation "Billy has a distinguished Law Enforcement career rising from the ranks of the West Virginia State Police to serving as the current Commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation Billy is a Strong Advocate for LAW AND ORDER He understands the struggles of our prisons better than anyone and will help fix our broken Criminal Justice System former governor and current senator from West Virginia This is an absolutely terrific pick from @POTUS. I was proud to put Billy in charge of our Department of Corrections in West Virginia and we were able to turn it around after decades of decay. I have full confidence in him & know he will do a great job. pic.twitter.com/ErZNBb2uQ9 The latest announcement was that of Kaploun He will officiate as a special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism and staunch advocate for the Jewish Faith and the Rights of his people to live and worship free from persecution With Anti-Semitism dangerously on the rise Yehuda will be the strongest Representative for Americans and Jews across the Globe Kaploun co-founded the company RussKap Water specializing in the development of generators that produce potable water from atmospheric moisture I am proud to nominate Yehuda Kaploun as the United States Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism and staunch advocate for the Jewish Faith and the Rights of his people to live and worship free from persecution.… New feature: Check out news exactly for YOU ➡️ find “Recommended for you” block and enjoy chef Yair Yosefi adds a magic ingredient to his signature cake: Israel's first commercially produced vanilla providing what devotees claim is perhaps the strongest ever flavour a new food-industry player that says its computer-guided curing process along with other high-tech cultivation methods can scientifically craft each batch of vanilla to a specific taste producing what has become the world's most precious spice after saffron are usually flavoured with artificial vanilla -- but the real organic stuff is still very expensive and sought-after PAY ATTENTION: Never miss breaking news – join Briefly News' Telegram channel! Read also Philippine bakeries shrink 'poor man's bread' as inflation bites Vanilla Vida has also developed greenhouses to recreate conditions the vanilla needs to flourish, but until the plants there achieve full size, the company imports fresh vanilla to its processing plant in Or Yehuda, a Tel Aviv suburb. Co-founder and CEO Oren Zilberman told AFP his company subjects the raw product to a highly-monitored ageing process. This, he said, allows it to draw out desired flavours, accelerating the drying process and eliminating the various risks that come with open air drying in tropical environments like Indonesia or Madagascar, two major vanilla producers. "We know how, through drying processes with varying temperatures, humidity and other elements to get the raw material to go a certain way, to create slightly different aromas -- the same way you roast coffee differently to create different aromas," Zilberman said. "If you understand the metabolism, you can create chocolatey vanilla, carameley vanilla, smokey woody vanilla like the French prefer, or very sweet vanilla for Americans," he added. Read also Rhino orphans get new South African home   Asked about the quality of the Israeli-aged vanilla chef Yosefi said the proof was in the pudding given the flurry of orders for his dacquoise cake and his bistro "People ask for 'the dish with the fruit and vanilla'," he told AFP The difference between other commercially available vanilla and the highly-concentrated Vanilla Vida product is "day and night," he said New feature: check out news exactly for YOU ➡️ find "Recommended for you" block and enjoy