The Nationalist Camp Election Complications

By Hillel Fendel

Edited by Dena Udren

Smotrich, Bennett, and Shaked

The next election for the Knesset is set for this coming March 2nd, just seven weeks from now – less than a half-year after the last one, which itself was held only five months before that.

The previous two elections led to deadlocks between the rightwing-religious bloc and the leftwing -Arab sector – such that a new government was unable to be formed, and the Netanyahu government continued in office.

New Developments for the Bet El IDF Preparatory Academy

By Dena Udren

We spoke to Yaakov Harnik from the Bet El institutions development team to find out how the construction is progressing at the IDF Prepatory Academy.

In the photos below you can see two buildings, the one in the foreground is the beit midrash, and the larger building in the background houses the dormitory, dining hall, gym, and martial arts room. What remains now is to finish the upper story and build the roofs of both buildings, finish the outer walls, build support walls, and put the finishing touches on the outside of the buildings. We are excited to share these photos with you, and let you get a close look at what's literally happening on the ground in Bet El.

Click on the Video Above

View from above of the IDF Preparatory Academy

Not to Worry: Family Values will Ultimately Defeat Techno-Post-Genderism

By Hillel Fendel 

Edited by Dena Udren

Dr. Einat Ramon, a former Conservative "Rabbah" and spokesperson for Israel's Conservative Movement, now defines herself as Orthodox, together with her two children – in contrast with her husband: Reform Rabbi Arik Ascherman. She speaks of the existential obligation to publicly sharpen, both scientifically and educationally, the differences between men and women. She is optimistic that society will soon return to its formative family-based value system.

Speaking to Ro'i Aharoni of Olam Katan, Dr. Ramon explained that she grew up in a secular household, joined the Conservative movement, and is now Orthodox. "I guess I actually am a baalat t'shuvah, returnee to observant to Judaism." 

Dr. Einat Ramon

She said that she left the Conservative movement when it became "too liberal," and no longer uses her title of "Rabbah" – a term she herself helped found in 1993 to describe a female rabbi. 

Meet Michal Erlich, "House Mother" at Bnei Tzvi Yeshiva High School

Interview by Dena Udren
Translated by Hillel Fendel

Michal (third from left) and her family

Q. Where did you grow up and what was your childhood like?

A. I grew up in Or Akiva, between Tel Aviv and Haifa, not on the Mediterranean coast but just off it. I had a fun childhood. My parents immigrated to Israel from Libya, and I'm the youngest of eight children. My father was a public official – at different points he was the mayor of Or Akiva and the head of the Religious Council – and my mother supported him from behind. Our home was a true home of kindness, although I believe that the true greatness of my parents was that the kindness took place in the home as well.

My father's "thing" was to try to get families out of the poverty cycle. He would often identify a talent or ability in a child, and then send him to study in high school or college or wherever that would help him develop that skill. He would find him scholarships, and then the student would develop a profession, thus sweeping along with him the entire family. He tried hard to help people who "fell off" and get them honorable jobs so that they would not return to crime. He also focused his efforts on parents of large families.

Bet El, Jacob, and the Story of Hanukkah: Hagi Ben Artzi Reveals Historic Secrets

What do Hanukkah, the Patriarch Jacob, and Bet El have to do with each other? Practically everything, says long-time Bet El resident Professor Hagi Ben-Artzi. Walking and talking atop Bet El's highest mountain, where Jacob is said to have dreamt his famous dream, Hagi reveals some historic secrets, talks of the Hasmonean battles with the Greeks atop these hills and in these valleys, shows the archaeological discoveries here, and connects the dots to form a picture of the eternal vision of the Nation of Israel returning home.

by Uziel Sabato, editor of Bet El's local periodic magazine

Abridged and translated by Hillel Fendel, edited by Dena Udren

Hagi Ben-Artzi standing next to the Sheikh's Tomb

We begin in an ancient structure popularly known as the Sheikh's Tomb, which sports a sign saying, "Danger of Collapse," and Hagi – an expert in Biblical verses, local archaeology, and story-telling – begins with one of the hundreds of incidents he has experienced here over the past 40 years: 

"Well-known Israeli TV personality Ilana Dayan, not exactly known for her right-wing views, was here to get to know the 'Jacob's Dream' site. I brought her up to the observation tower here, and she was able to see Ramallah and the many Arab villages nearby. 'Tell me, Hagi', she said. 'Why are you here? Why do you need this, surrounded by all these Arabs?'  I answered her briefly: 'Ilana, do me a favor: Wait until the end of the tour and then ask me again.'"