Is Israel becoming a theocracy?

Israel is a thriving democracy that has been the source medical and computer technology. Israel’s primary exports are Cut diamonds, refined petroleum, pharmaceuticals, machinery and equipment, medical instruments, computer hardware and software, agricultural products, chemicals, textiles and apparel.

The ultraorthodox Jews in Israel want to impose their views of social behavior on the entire population. To achieve that goal they want to take control of the country’s judicial system. Large demonstrations against the take over have developed over the past week. However there have also been large demonstrations supporting the government’s plan to impose religious law on everyone.

In other words it is a battle between a secular society similar to the United States or a society similar to Iran. Iran’s formal name is Islamic Republic of Iran. Israel might then be titled the Jewish State of Israel.

CNN reports

Israel’s contentious judicial overhaul legislation will be put on hold until the next session of the Knesset, after the Passover recess in April, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday.
His statement followed a nationwide protest that brought Israel to a standstill. The strikes and mass protests were sparked by Netanyahu’s decision to fire his defense minister after he spoke out against the far-reaching legislation.
The nation’s largest labor union called an end to the strike after Netanyahu’s announcement, but warned there would be more if the “prime minister returns to aggressive legislation.”
Under the proposals, the government would have control over the appointment of judges, and parliament would gain the power to override Supreme Court decisions. Opponents say the plan threatens the foundations of Israeli democracy.

American Jews are becoming appalled over the impact that the ultraorthodox in Israel are having on how the country functions.

The best example of the orthodox interference with the lives of its citizens is marriage law. The issue of civil marriages is a major issue for secular and non-Orthodox Jews, as they are required to follow Orthodox practice to marry in Israel.

As an American Jew I am appalled but what ever the majority want that is what they will have.

The Royal Soap Opera

The British royal family must love the non-stop news stories about the king (Charles), his wife (Camilla), his children (Harry and William), his children’s spouses (Megan and Kate), and aunts and uncles (Andrew and Margaret). If they wanted that news to stop they would stop writing books about the family and stop doing interviews. Below is a list of the more scandalous postings I have seen on news web sites. None can be verified. It is all part of a never ending soap opera that is better than the real soaps like Days of Our Lives. News items about the family are usually under the category of Entertainment.

A prerecorded interview with Britain’s ITV is scheduled to air Sunday evening. CBS show “60 Minutes” is set to run a conversation with the prince later, and he is appearing on “Good Morning America” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”

1. When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were blissfully planning their 2018 wedding, one person was prohibited from the guest list — Princess Diana‘s ex-lover, James Hewitt, the man long suspected of being Harry’s biological dad, RadarOnline.com has learned. “The prince doesn’t want the other guests looking at Hewitt and then at Harry and whispering about how much they look alike,” spilled the insider.

2. Britain’s Prince Harry spent 10 years in the British army. He served two tours in Afghanistan, the first in 2007 and 2008 and the second in 2012 and 2013. Though he in 2013 revealed he’d killed Afghan insurgents during attacks against the Taliban when he was an Apache attack helicopter co-pilot gunner, in his January 2023 memoir, “Spare,” the Duke of Sussex disclosed — for the first time — that he killed 25 people during his second tour of duty. As reported by The Telegraph, Harry writes in his memoir that he flew on six missions that resulted in “the taking of human lives.” He felt neither proud nor ashamed, explaining that during combat, he thought of those who died not as “people” but as “chess pieces” that had been taken off the board. Harry has long been a terrorist target because of his two deployments, but in the wake of the revelations in his book, reports indicate there are increased concerts for his safety.

3. Prince Harry says King Charles was concerned Meghan Markle would take the limelight from him and Camilla in his upcoming memoir.

4. Prince Harry hasn’t revealed whether he and Meghan Markle will attend King Charles’ coronation. During the ITV interview promo, when asked by Tom Bradby if he will attend, Harry says, “There’s a lot can happen between now and then.” Harry goes on to say it’s up to his family to make the next move. “But the door is always open” he continues. “The ball is in their court. There’s a lot to be discussed and I really hope that they’re willing to talk about it.” Harry also says that while he still believes in the monarchy, he doesn’t know if he will be part of it in the future.

5. Prince Harry ‘Written Out’ Of King Charles III’s Coronation Ceremony As Memoir Excerpts Leave Prince William ‘Burning With Anger’: Source

6. William allegedly specifically feels betrayed after Harry talked about their physical confrontation back in 2019.

7. LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry is expected to lob more criticism at the U.K. royal family in broadcast interviews to promote his soul-baring new memoir, which has generated incendiary headlines even before its official release.

Thousands of menorahs in Billings, Montana

Billings, Montana is not the home of a large Jewish population. I found there are estimates of 5,000 Jews in all of Montana.

Jews light the menorah during Hanukkah to remember the miraculous triumph of the Maccabee in ancient times, lighting one candle each night for eight nights. Classical Jewish texts recommend placing menorahs in windows of homes to publicize the celebration of a miracle.

“In that way, in a sense, the light will be spread,” says Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism. “The light of understanding, the light of tolerance, the light of Jewish identity, all of those.”

But will a menorah in a window really make a difference in the fight against antisemitism?

It can – and has.

Look no further than the town of Billings, Montana, whose citizens fought back in 1993 after someone launched a brick through the window of then 5-year-old Isaac Schnitzer’s bedroom. A menorah in the window sparked the attack, according to The New York Times. The Billings Gazette published a menorah drawing in response, and thousands hung these makeshift menorahs on their windows. Jews and non-Jews alike.

The Billings Gazette is recreating the full-page menorah ad this year and will ask the community to repeat history and place them in their windows. The move comes after swastikas and threatening messages recently appeared at a local high school.

“It’s important to mark this anniversary because we don’t ever want to forget the power of love,” Cole says. “Common decency is more powerful than hate.”

Billings is working with Shine A Light, a coalition of organizations raising awareness about antisemitism. In addition to engaging several local communities like Billings, the group has partnered with corporations like Google, iHeart Media and Airbnb.

All this begs the question, about 30 years later, “what’s the wider community able to do to make Jewish families and the Jewish community feel more secure, at a very insecure moment?” asks Jacobs.

Menorahs in public spaces this time of year suggests solidarity.

“It’s a statement against antisemitism broadly given what has been happening,” Neufeld says. “It’s a sign of allyship to Jews, that they are not alone, and that these attacks affect everyone. It’s also a deep recognition that antisemitism doesn’t just affect Jews, but affects everybody, that it is part of the conspiratorial glue, that is key to so much of hate in society today.”