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15 Av 5759 - July 28, 1999 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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NEWS


Moroccan King Hassan Dies on Friday; Widespread Israeli Government Activity on Shabbos
by Betzalel Kahn and Mordecai Plaut

The death of Hassan, the king of Morocco, close to the onset of Shabbos, resulted in widespread activity in the offices of Prime Minister Barak and President Weizman on Shabbos kodesh parshas Voeschanan.

Morocco's King Hassan, longest reigning Arab monarch after 38 years of rule, having ascended to his throne in 1961, died of a heart attack in Friday in the Moroccan capital of Rabat. He was succeeded by his son, Crown Prince Sidi who assumed the name Mohammed VI, who is accomplished in his own right.

Missionaries Offer Converts Illegal Payments
by E. Rauchberger

Religious Affairs Minister Yitzchak Cohen demanded of Internal Affairs Minister Shlomo ben Ami, that the Police Department enforce the laws against missionary activity. Offering material inducements to change one's religious is totally against Israeli law, though no one has ever been prosecuted under that law.

A Shocking Anti-religious Precedent
Stef Wertheimer Forbids His Workers to Daven in his Factories

by Betzalel Kahn

Prominent businessman Stef Wertheimer has recently forbidden workers to daven on the premises of the four Yiskar factories he owns. These factories are located the Tefen industrial region in the country's north.

This interdiction pertains particularly to a few score workers who, until the issuing of this order, held mincha services every day, at 1 p.m. on the factories' grounds. As a result of Wertheimer's order, the workers have found it very difficult to fulfill their religious duty.

Yom Iyun -- the Annual Yerushalayim Shemiras Haloshon Rally
by Yated Ne'eman Staff

"The Ribono Shel Olom loves this day," says one of the organizers of the annual Shemiras Haloshon Yom Iyun. With very little publicity outside of word of mouth, with no backing from any organization, group or affiliation, outside of the 42,000 invitations printed by the organizers, this endeavor draws ten thousand women to the climactic evening rally alone.

12 Menachem Av, 5759
A Message from the Vaad Lema'an Tohar Machaneinu

Dear Parents:

Now that bein hazmanim has officially begun, we appeal to you urgently:

Have pity on your most priceless possession -- your beloved children. Be careful to maintain the following guidelines.

Nine Centuries Since the Crusaders Conquered Jerusalem
by Yated Ne'eman Staff

It was just another day in Jerusalem's Old City, with tourists wending their way among Arab shops as they sought out one historic site after another.

But few people realized that July 15 marked a historic anniversary: On that date, 900 years ago, the first Crusaders conquered the city, plunging Jerusalem into a bloodbath.

50th Anniversary of the Founding of Kfar Chassidim's Yeshivas Knesses Chizkiyohu
by Y. Ariel

The northern town of Rechasim decked itself out on Monday, the 28th of Tammuz, as it hosted generations of the extended Yeshivas Knesses Chizkiyohu family. The alumni gathered to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of this illustrious Torah kingdom.

A Demonstration Against Allowing Wholesale Non-Jewish Immigration
by Betzalel Kahn

Last week, the members of the Federation for the Preservation of the Jewish Character of the Nation (known in Hebrew as "Shai"), held a number of demonstrations in various places throughout Jerusalem, protesting the appointment of Nathan Sharansky as Interior Minister. These protests were sparked by the organization's fear that now that Sharansky and his party have gained control of the Interior Ministry, which controls the supervision of Israel's borders, masses of non- Jews would be permitted to enter the country as immigrants.

47th Annual Yarchei Kallah Yeshiva Began this Sunday in the Ponevezh Yeshiva
by A. Cohen

This Sunday night marked the beginning of the 47th annual cycle of the Yarchei Kallah yeshiva. The yeshiva, which is situated in the main heichal of the Ponovezh yeshiva of Bnei Brak, will last for two weeks during which shiurim will be delivered to its many participants.

Tomb of Reish Lokish Revisited
by Yated Ne'eman Staff

Near a town called Katzion, not far from Amuka, lies a cluster of long-forgotten caves. In a semi-arid region bearing a single sign of civilization -- a rocky jeep track -- the caves are an interesting diversion in an otherwise barren landscape.

As one comes closer, one can discern rectangular entrances and window-like openings hewn out of the stone. Inside, manmade shelves in the walls served as burial places during Talmudic times. Here, in a location which has remained virtually unknown for hundreds if not thousands of years, lie buried a number of our forebears whose identity has been lost.

The Justice Minister Continues His Anti-religious Remarks
by E. Rauchberger

Justice Minister Yossi Beilin once more attacked the matrimony laws of the State, but this time with added acerbity. "In the 21st century, it is inconceivable that our lives here should be governed only by religious laws. This cannot be! Whoever wants to live that way is welcome to do so. But they won't force my grandchildren, or those of Minister Sarid or those of MK Lipkin to live that way," cried Beilin.

Beit Shemesh Business
by Betzalel Kahn

Chadash, the Beit Shemesh weekly, reports that protests are intensifying against the mayor of Beit Shemesh, Dani Vaknin. Vaknin is all doing everything in his power to restrict the city's chareidi community. The battle being waged by UTJ representatives in the municipality, Rabbi Eliezer Greenbaum and Rabbi Avrohom Berger, who are in the opposition, received reinforcements last week by the representatives of Shas, who are members of the coalition and hold a broad range of senior positions.

Rabbi Gafni: For Every Proposed Anti-religious Law, I'll Present a Counter-Proposal
by E. Rauchberger

MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni told the chairman of the coalition's administration MK Ofir Pines, that for every anti-religious proposal which the members of the coalition present, he will present a counter-proposal.

Bar Association Elections: Choter-Yishai Out
by B. Rabinowitz

The Israel Bar Association received a powerful jolt following its recent elections.

Dror Choter-Yishai, Chairman of the Association for the past few years as well as focus of a number of public legal storms, resigned his position even before the final election results were in.

Acheinu Launches Extensive Enrollment Campaign
by Betzalel Kahn

Acheinu, the well known kiruv organization, is currently busy with an all-out campaign to locate families interested in drawing closer to Yiddishkeit. It has distributed tens of thousands of pamphlets among traditional families in order to identify those interested in increasing their religious commitment and in transferring their children to Torah schools.

Ezras Cholim Sponsors Shabbos Motel in Rechovot Kaplan Hospital
by Yated Ne'eman Staff

The shomrei Shabbos "motel" in the yard of Rechovot's Kaplan Hospital was dedicated four months ago at an impressive ceremony.

The pavilion serves as a hospitality house for those who have accompanied patients to the hospital and must remain in its vicinity on Shabbos. It also accommodates expectant mothers who have come to the hospital, and were subsequently released -- either on Shabbos or close to sunset -- and cannot return home.

Hundreds Attend the Manchester Kollel Dinner
by Yated Ne'eman Staff

Approximately 400 people crowded into the Hilton Suite in Manchester on a Monday evening several weeks ago, for a dinner celebrating the 35th anniversary of the Manchester Kollel in conjunction with the 10th yahrtzeit of HaRav Yitzchok Yaakov Weiss, rav of Eida Chareidis of Yerushalayim and former av beis din of Manchester.


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