Last Week's Best Seller Was...

...No surprise here, Israel Strikes: War of the Red Sea.

An interesting week in Israeli/Jewish news, filled with items that are surprising and items that are not so surprising.

Netanyahu surprisingly cobbled together a coalition.

Benny Gantz surprised Israel by blowing up the Blue and Whites.

Speaking of surprises, polls show that if the Israeli's went to a 4th election, Likud would clean up. So maybe Gantz's move isn't so surprising after all.

The Israelis keep breaking up Haredi parties, and half an hour away from here, authorities in Lakewood broke up three Hasidic weddings. This is no surprise to anyone who's ever had to deal with these people.

Haredi et al

Carmichael asks about Haredi Jews.

These are the guys you see in the long coats, funny hats and prayer curls. Usually they come from Western Europe.

In America we have a similar community, Hasidic Jews, usually coming from Eastern Europe.

These are all subsects of Orthodox Judaism, practiced by former Senator and veep candidate Joe Lieberman, who was Modern Orthodox. Example:

Their beliefs may be summed up as 'all Torah, all the time.'

Right now we have measles outbreaks in New York and New Jersey because these people don't trust doctors and vaccines.

This blog does not have many good things to say about Haredi/Hasidic Jews.

Brinked Bibi

So Netanyahu can't quite get a government formed.

The hang up is Avigdor Liberman and his Ysrael Biteynu party. They won't join the collation unless Bibi promises to propose a draft law for Haredi Jews.

Naturally the Haredis oppose this with every fiber of their gefilta fish.

What, reader(s) you didn't know that Haredi Jews are exempt from the draft?

There's a reason why they're the bad guys in Too Survive the Earth.