Reb Meir Baal-Haness presents...

Full page advertisement in a recent issue of the Mishpacha. Forwarded to us by a reader, with the comment: "So Reb Meir Baal-Haness now does comedy and dance productions...?"

A Xmas card that you won't see

Chutzpah of the UK legal system

Following in the steps of Israel - secular judges ruling on "Who is a Jew". An absolute disgrace!

And for once, we can agree with the sentiments expressed by the AJN's new editor Zeddy Lawrence:

More Chanukah stuff that the Chashmonaim never dreamed of...

More submissions by "Weird Stuff Collector"

Looks a bit fishy...

The story behind this one.

World's First Single Malt Menorah

Published: December 16 2009 By Yaacov Behrman for Lubavitch.com
Two hundred people showed up at Buckhurst Hill Chabad to watch the lightning of a 7 foot menorah built out of clear piping filled with 65 Litres of Single Malt Scotch.

Rabbi Odom Brandman, director of the Buckhurst Hill Chabad Centre ,together with his community have previously built a six-foot chocolate menorah and a menorah out of food cans. But this year, they were looking for something unique.

The menorah was built by Desmond Solomon but they needed good Scotch. So on a recent trip to Scotland, Rabbi Brandman offered a number of distilleries the opportunity to partner with the building of the menorah.

The Tullibardine Distillery, in the famous Scottish Highlands, donated the Single Malt Scotch to fill the menorah. The Scotch arrived in a large drum and was poured straight into the Menorah. The Menorah was designed with a tap on the main stem and L’chaim’s were “on the house” for the night.

“It was an amazing event” said Rabbi Brandman. “The Whisky itself is really nice. It's smooth, mellow and has a slightly fruity flavor”.

Guests took home miniature souvenir bottles filled with Scotch from the Menorah.


Chanukah or Purim????

Lego on Chanukah? More suitable for Pesach...as in "Lego of my people..."

HELP!!!

As you may have noticed recently, the extremely useful  "Recent Comments" and "Recent Posts" function on our blog is out of order. We have done some research into this and find that many other bloggers are having the same problem. They too have been asking for help and advice, but - "ve'ein poser osom leParoy" - nobody seems to have a solution.

If you can be of assistance please contact us via the comments section or by email to: ajnwatch@gmail.com

Thanks.

Is this TRULY what Chanukah is about?

Guest Post by "Weird Stuff Collector"

Celebrate Chanukah with indigenous dancing and didgeridoo playing? Really! Methinks not.
Those "Spiriters" should have a read of Rabbi Kahana's article http://tinyurl.com/yby4scp and maybe they'll learn what Chanukah is really all about.

Also from my "weird stuff" collection, take a gander at these innocent and naive Jerusalemites - totally oblivious as to what their bright red "Purim" costumes are.

Aussie Echo - Alav Hashalom

Guest Post from Melbourne Chabadnik

AUSSIE ECHO - GONE

http://aussieecho.blogspot.com/2009/12/so-long-and-thanks-for-all-fish.html

Originally, we, especially Chabadniks, expected Aussie Echo to develop into a strong voice in the community. However, except for a few posts which got the crowd out and involved, it was pretty lame and simply served up material which it copied and pasted from other sites.

So, no great loss, but really a pity that it didn't bloom. Heaven knows that the Frum community neds every single 'voice' it can raise..

There is definitely room for another enterprising blogger to establish noisy and clear Shofar for the community. (I doubt that AJN Watch would have any objection.)

So where are all those chaps who have opinions on everything every Shabbos in Shul? Here's your chance to be heard on the other 6 days of the week.

Ruckus about professional Zionists assisting Yeridah

This item in the current edition of the AJN caught our eye.


And here is the original Haaretz article that triggered this scandal:

In reverse, ex-Zionist leader helping Israelis go Down Under
By Raphael Ahren - HAARETZ

Months after quitting her post as executive director of the Zionist Federation of Australia, Lorraine Abraham was in Israel last week in her new capacity as co-owner of a company assisting Israelis who wish to relocate to Australia.

"Have you ever thought of working or living in Australia? Now you can," reads an ad in Hebrew which Abraham's company, Ivan Chait & Associates, recently placed in Kav LaMoshav, the national newspaper of Israeli moshavim. "With more than 20 years experience in the field of immigration, we offer a complete immigration package including consultations, preparation of applications for temporary or permanent residence and work permits in Australia."

Abraham, who left her position at the ZFA in April, did not respond to several e-mails asking for comment.

The Melbourne-based ZFA states on its Web site that it officially represents Australian Jewry "in carrying out the goals and Zionism" and that it "aliyah is the highest ideal of Zionism."

ZFA President Philip Chester told Anglo File that Abraham's career choices are her prerogative and that his organization had no further comment. He did say the ad did not encourage people to leave Israel but merely offered assistance to those who had already decided to do so. "Lorraine and her husband are still very committed to Israel," said Chester, who is currently in Israel for his son's bar mitzvah. "I see them all the time and I can assure you that they are not bitter about Israel or Zionism."

Born and raised in South Africa, Abraham and her husband Simmy were staunch Zionists who immigrated in the early 1990s, according to a professional in the immigration field who has known them a long time. The Abrahams lived in Ra'anana, where they had four children and Simmy owned a real estate company. After about 10 years, Simmy sold his business and the family moved to Melbourne.

"Simmy got up one morning and said: I had enough of the fighting, of the pushing around here. I need some quiet," the immigration worker said. "Then Lorraine became the director of the ZFA [in Melbourne], which I thought was a very strange choice, but whatever, she's a Zionist, perhaps she can get some people to move here. But that she's now using the connections she made in Israel and Australia to help people make yeridah [emigrate from Israel], that is really more than ironic."

Lorraine is not the only emigre who served as ZFA executive director. Her predecessor Haya Mond held the post for 15 years, until 2002, after having left Israel. Robbie Franco, the ZFA's current executive director, had made aliyah from South Africa before he moved to New Zealand and then Australia.

"It may look like [the ZFA is] trying to recruit people who have left Israel and that we're trying to make some statement, but that's not the case," Chester asserted, adding that his organization's leaders are simply the best people for the job. "These are all people who still love Israel but for whatever reason their life changed and they made a decision to leave. The truth is: We live in a global village and people move," Chester continued. "The idea of stigmatizing someone because they leave Israel is not really part of the Zionist approach anymore."

And from the Haaretz comments section:
You can be an armchair Zionist and a observant Jew but many English speakers such as Lorraine Abrahams the former Australian Zionist Director who made yerida have the same experience about residing in Israel. Why does not the President of Z.F.A make aliyah instead of a two week junket for his sons bar mitzvah? It's only the heroes and masochists that need to face the oppressive Levantine mentality inherent here.

And from the Glen Eira Council Annual Report (for 2004-5):

The Abraham family were among 117 people to become citizens in a ceremony in February 2005. Simon and Lorraine Abraham and their four children moved from Israel to Australia
three years ago because they saw it as a place of opportunity and congenial community life.
“We have family all over the world but chose Australia as our home because of the friendly people and access to public services,” Lorraine said.
“This is our home now and we love living in Glen Eira because of its open space and community feel and our children love the sports that are available to them.”

Reminds us of that well-known statement by David Ben Gurion: "I prefer the Neturei Karta who live in Jerusalem to the Zionists who stay in Los Angeles..."

GUEST POST BY SHUL GABAI

PRESS RELEASE

COUNCIL OF ORTHODOX SYNAGOGUES OF VICTORIA LTD

NEW COSV PRESIDENT TAKES HELM PROMISING TO RAISE PROFILE OF ORGANISATION

“It is time that the COSV raised its profile and took its rightful place in the Community as a strong and effective voice of modern Orthodox Judaism” stated incoming President Paul Korbl, elected at the Annual General Meeting held last Monday evening at Kew Hebrew Congregation.
“The Council of Orthodox Synagogues of Victoria, Paul noted in his acceptance address,does some very good work in the Community much of which goes unnoticed and is taken for granted including management and supervision of the Melbourne Eruv, funding the operation of the Melbourne Beth Din, running subsidised Hebrew Reading Programs, the annual Scholar in Residence Program, and the hosting of Communal Prayer events commemorating Yom Haatzmaut and Yom Yerushalayim”.
Paul noted that Melbourne can now boast supporting over 40 mainstream and satellite
Synagogues and looks forward to the challenge of providing the necessary facilities and infrastructure required by the Orthodox Community in the forthcoming year..... The meeting also heard from guest speaker Mr Philip Chester, President of the Zionist
Federation of Australia who spoke about the issues currently facing Israel and the need for Shules to support Israel by encouraging visits.....
www.cosv.org.au/dlpdf.php?document=press_release_cosv_agm


First of all, a word of thanks AJNWatch for establishing this new forum which allows us to comments on happenings in our city. I don’t know where else I could or would have felt comfortable writing these words. Aside from that, it is good to read a local critical POV on what goes on in our shtetteleh.

Paul Korbl is a good bloke – but absolutely full of it. The COSV is an organization that has done very little to improve matters for synagogues or orthodox Judaism. Very little. As for innovation…nix, zilch, nada.

Let’s have a look at Paul’s claims – one-by-one…

Eruv? It was established by the Mizrachi, who would have been quite happy to have continued managing it (and the kudos). The mashgichim are mostly from Beth Hatalmud and Adass – neither members of the COSV. The senior rav hamachshir is Rabbi Beck – whose shul is a non-member.

Beth Din? It was there before COSV took it over who actually couldn’t wait to get their hands on it. And as with the Eruv, Rabbi Sholem Gutnick and Caulfield Shul would’ve had no problem to continue operating it. Gutnick too, could’ve appointed the very same rabbis that COSV did (including his nephew and other Chabadniks). Besides possibly some transparency into its affairs - nothing earth-shattering deserving loud cheers.

Hebrew Reading Programs and Scholar in Residence? Really BIG deal, No? Paul, why not check out even the tiniest Chabad House in town? They do all this with at least as much success as the COSV without the need for ‘raised profiling’. And not only Chabad, but most of the new “shteebels” and outreach groups that we now have, engage in this activity in far bigger numbers.

Communal Prayer for YH and YY? These events are Mizrachi Shul stuff and always were. Nearly all attendees have Mizrachi or Mizrachi-like allegiances. Why do you think it was and is usually held in Mizrachi? Because no one else is interested! The so-called “mainstream Orthodox” shuls of your membership have enough trouble shlepping in the punters on a regular Shabos and Yom Tov. While the ‘frum’ ones are not interested. That leaves only Mizrachi and that is why it stays in Mizrachi – with or without “COSV hosting”.

Talking of which, maybe you don’t know, but your predecessor sure did, that these recently (post-Israel independence) invented celebrations were not approved nor accepted by the Lubavitcher rebbe zt’l and his Chassidim. (Let alone the rest of the Charedi/Chassidic world). So the question is, should a Orthodox Synagogue Council which aims to represent the entire community, be hosting this? Debatable. I personally don’t think so. But you do, and see that you also claim to be the “voice of MODERN Orthodox Judaism”. Is that what COSV was under the Trebish regime? I can’t recall.
But having giveng yourself the MO tag, don’t be surprised when true Chabad shuls as well as the entire spectrum of Charedi communities in Melbourne will continue to shun your organization.

Seeing that you Paul are all revved up to and demanding to have your voice heard, why not take over one of the campaigns of our host - AJN Watch. (I am sure that they won’t mind.)
Get stuck into the Jewish News. Never have I heard (at least since the retirement of Rabbi Zaichyk) the COSV or any of your members Shuls or their rabbis publicly speaking about the continuous advertising of Treif establishments and products. Even Chometz on Pesach. Shouldn’t it be the COSV who is campaigning hard against this? (Yes, I realise that the RCV too should be doing their part, but just because they fail doesn’t mean that you too should be sitting there quietly accepting the status-quo. Raise your profile? Sure. You can do that by raising your voice.

I look forward following the achievements of the Korbl regime.

How Sad. Excluded by Ovdei Avodah Zara!

The REAL disappointment and shame is that some representatives of Orthodox Jewry (and of course a couple of far-far-left Israeli rabbis) couldn't resist the temptation of squeezing themselves into this gathering of Avodah Zara.

Rabbis and lay-leaders, you still have plenty of work in your own communities before trying to sermonise and offer "blessings" to heathens. Remember the lessons of Baal Peor!
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Can you spot the odd man out?