There is Nothing Like Our Dames

On Monday night, I had the pleasure and fun of attending the Light Opera Group of the Negev production of Roger's and Hammerstein's South Pacific. Fabulous. Amazing. Really terrific!!!!

The music, the direction, the leads, the sets, the costumes. A superb production!

When the servicemen launched into the song, "There is nothing like a dame," http://www.negevlightopera.com/, I really felt like they were singing to me.

For the fourth year in a row, I am producing, DAMES of the DANCE. Dames 4 - The Promised Land tells the story of the Land of Israel from Abraham until present day.

We've got 100 women rehearsing all over Efrat and Gush Etzion just about every night of the week. Some are rehearsing during the day too (like me). It's a lot of work, but we volunteer to do it, because the money from DAMES goes to kimcha d'pischa (that's money for Passover food). Passover is a very expensive holiday, and especially those who are needy have a real difficult time paying those bills. DAMES helps out in that department!

Over the past three years, we've donated 120,000 to kimcha d'pischa. I hope this year will be even better!!

So, it's true. There is nothing like our dames. To enjoy our tribute to our DAMES of the DANCE, click here. And if you live in Israel, please join us.

Arza Purchased by Polystar

HaModiah 11-04-10

Hershey Friedman of Montreal, Canada, a leading Torah supporter in Eretz Yisrael, purchased the Arza site in Motza, which more than 100 years ago, attracted the elite of the Zionist movement, who saw it as an alternative to chareidi Jerusalem.
Friedman owns Polystar Group in Canada, which turns over $2.5 billion a year. It plans to develop the site into one of the most exclusve residential projects in israel.
He paid 150 million shekels for the 55 dunams. There are going to be 218 three-story garden apartments.

Histadrut Strike Averted

HaModiah 11-04-10

Histadrut Labor Federation came to an agreement with the Finance Ministry. No Strike.
Under the terms of the agreement, 750,000 public-sector workers will receive a 6.25% increase over the next three and a half years.

PA PM Barred from Jerusalem Ceremony

11-04-10

PA Prime Minister Salam Fayad cancelled plans to visit Al-Salam near the Shuafat refugee camp, which is considered part of Jerusalem.
Israel cancelled his visit. He is trying to visit Easter Jerusalem sites, so he went to Northern Jerusalem instead - Al Barid.
In Al-Barid, Fayad applauded the efforts of the Palestinians to stand up to Israeli settlements. He called Jerusalem the "heart of the future Palestinian State and its eternal capital."

(He used the same term Jews use for Jerusalem. This is a lesson. We should start following in their example, with their kind of rhetoric.)

Turkey Travel Down

HaModiah 11-04-10

A report published in Aguust showed the number of Israelis traveling to Turkey in July was down 90%, reaching a measly 4,500 vacationers - compared to 43,000 in July 2009 and 78,000 in July 2008.

UNESCO: Me'arat HaMachpela and Kever Rachel are Arab

HaModiah 11-04-10

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)...dub Me'arat HaMachpelah and Kever Rachel "Palestinian".
In a 44-1 vote with 12 abstentions, the Paris based UNESCO Executive Board declared the "Haram al-Ibraham/Cave of the Patriarchs and Bilal bin Rabah Mosque/Rachel's Tomb" to be "an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territories."
The move is seen in some quarters as a response to Israel's decision in February 2010 to include these sites on a list of national heritage sites that would receive additional funding for refurbishing and for the development of educational tours.
"If the places where the fathers and mothers of the Jewish nation - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rivkah, Leah and Rachel - were buried some 4,000 years ago are not part of the Jewish heritage, then what is?" asked Netanyahu.

10,000 Migrants since 2010

HaModiah 11-04-10

Some 10,000 people have infiltrated Israel's borders looking for work since the beginning of 2010...
"These numbers include only those who were caught," said Justice Ministry Director General Guy Rothkopf.
Israel has prepared to renew its offer to pay millions of dollars to any African or Wetern country willing to absorb the influx of illegal migrants.
PM wants: Construction of a barrier on the egyptian border.
"The problem of illegal infiltrators in the south presents a threat to the Jewish and democratic character of Israel," Netanyahu said.
The work was due to start in July, but following disagreements on budgeting it has been delayed by over three months. (Has it started even now???)