Stuff to Smile About

...before you hit the hay for the night.

• Via my Mom, some of the coolest low-tech fixes for hi-tech objects, like using your head as a conductor to expand the wireless reach on your car keys.
• Via Scraps, a fun cartoon for the bloggers and tweeters. (I hate Twitter, btw.)
• Via Batya, a hilarious but accurate take on how screwy the Israeli political system is. (...and you think a two-party system and Electoral College is bad.)
• This Indexed is great:
• And finally, this xkcd is a classic for anyone who gets vile while arguing online.
  

Enjoy!

Following Rules While Ignoring Them

This story is really inspiring on all sides. The short version: Johntell Franklin's mother tragically passed away from cervical cancer. That night, not only did he show up in the middle of his school's basketball game (which he'd insisted should go on despite the tragedy, when his coach suggested cancellation), but he asked to play. From there, you have to read the story itself.

I especially liked how the teams correctly followed the rules (his team was assessed a technical foul since he was officially not available for the game), then ignored them within the rules themselves. There are countless classy acts on both sides; read it.

Ezzie's Blog Roundup, 2/18

Some pieces to make you feel on this fine Wednesday morning...

• Pearl talks about her recent vacation to Buffalo... and just how different a tragic news story is up close.
• Parshablog on what happens when you make up a quote for fun.
• A great story on a shidduch made by a deceased soldier from Treppenwitz and Chabad.
• My mom sent over this great piece on what is viewed in Cleveland as a specialty - chocolate coconut bars. You won't find them in any other kosher bakeries, typically, and people will often buy them when they're in Cleveland. Except the specialty is Australian, apparently, and is called Speckled Lamington.
• A few other posts that I meant to put up recently... Ariella has something you can do this week for free in New York. (What, it's only Wednesday!)
• An amazing piece on a new way of approaching NBA players and their impact on the court, starting with Shane Battier. Think Moneyball hits PER that you can't see.
• JoeSettler links to a piece about a new discovery (in Israel, of course) that can find cancer at extremely early stages, and figure out what kind - just by sniffing people. Obviously, the more this is developed the more amazing the impact will be.
• I enjoyed this piece by NMF#7 on chesed and neighbors.
• Finally, an interesting short piece on just how Godly people are in the US, even if they aren't religious. (Thanks Mom)
  

Enjoy!

The Declining Gadol?

In a rather interesting and well presented piece that appeared in the Yated and on Cross-Currents, Jonathan Rosenblum (in a wider discussion about the Israeli elections and the Charedi voter) touches on an interesting subject. While first noting a number of reasons Charedim increasingly feel disenfranchised by the Charedi party of United Torah Judaism, he then goes on to make a curious argument that jumps out when reading the piece:

In recent years, we have witnessed the creation in a number of localities of splinter parties of those who identify themselves as chareidim. And in most of these cases, the major impetus for the creation of the new party was a sense of being rejected or treated as second class members of the community.

But one concern stands out above all others in connection to the declining fortunes of United Torah Judaism. No principle is more central to chareidi education than that of fealty to gedolei Torah. Loyalty to the gedolim remains as strong as ever today. That means, however, that if calls issued in the name of the gedolim are no longer as effective as in the past, then it must be that there is a perception among many that major decisions concerning the elections – e.g., whether to run as one party or two, who should be on the list – were not made in the way that the chareidi public has been educated to expect – i.e., with the gedolim sitting together and various askanim present only to the extent that they were needed to provide relevant information.

Hopefully, that perception, to the extent it exists, is completely wrong...

Earlier in the piece, Rosenblum himself had noted

The party is the province of a few askanim, and the rest of the chareidi public is consigned to the role of voters. And no more.

so it is odd that he then treats it as a perception that hopefully is completely wrong. But beyond that, it is strange that he does not consider the possibility that the Charedi public is in fact less loyal to the gedolim when it comes to certain issues than they were in the past.

If the responsibility of a gadol in terms of the klal (community) is to not only lead, but help create a community where all feel the people's needs are being properly addressed both in the short-term and the long-term, Rosenblum has already listed in his piece numerous reasons why people may feel less inclined to trust that the current crop of gedolim is either best equipped or able to do so:

• No one asks them for their opinions
• No one takes polls of their major concerns
• They do not participate in primaries to determine whom they think would best represent them
• Rotation agreements convey the message that competence and expertise do not matter
• How well a particular mayor or representative serves his constituents is irrelevant, and those constituents’ interests are of no concern
• The party is the province of a few askanim
• Children from English-speaking homes cannot get their children into Bais Yaakov seminaries in one Jerusalem neighborhood
• Children of Chevron graduates are considered too “modern” in some other city
• A sense of being rejected or treated as second class members of the community

With all of that and plenty more - a seeming focus on blocking off any technological tool due to its danger despite its great potential for the positive, an increasingly restrictive approach to education, women, daily life, many aspects of what had become part of the Charedi lifestyle, and a disconnect between what is desirable and what is practical, it is understandable why Charedim may be less likely to hold gedolim in the same regard they have in the past. While there is certainly still a respect for the concept of da'as Torah and for their wisdom in particular fields and on particular issues, it is not surprising that when it comes to day-to-day living that the average person may be less inclined to listen to a gadol whom they don't feel fully appreciates a situation and more inclined to follow their own understanding of what must be done practically.

The primary difference between politics and other aspects of life is that in the political realm, the decreasing loyalty to the gedolim is far more measurable - votes are counted. Despite, as Rosenblum noted, "tens of thousands of potential chareidi voters who have reached the voting age since the last elections", despite higher turnout overall throughout the country, despite the sorry economic state of the Charedi world, UTJ garnered just 863 more votes than it did in the last election [147,091 - 147,954]. (To compare to other parties, there was a 236,326 increase in total votes over the last election; Arab parties with similar population growth rates had about a 77 thousand vote increase [252k to 329k].)

It seems that either a small but growing portion of the Charedi electorate is turning away from the gedolim or that the younger generation is simply not falling into the same voting line. Either way, it does not require much of a leap to assume that this is not limited whatsoever to politics. There will need to be fundamental changes in the Charedi leadership's approach to dealing with the community, whether it start with a dismissal of the askanim who (positive intentions or not) seem to filter that which comes to the gedolim and that which comes from them, to a demonstrable understanding of the lifestyle, needs, and difficulties that face the community, to a more refined and practical approach to technologies and their uses. Perhaps this would lead to a revitalization of the Charedi community and its respect for da'as Torah; until that happens, however, we will most likely continue to see this slow but steady trickle away from it.

Coca-Cola Yiddishkeit

Rabbi Yaakov Horowitz has a fantastic piece on how Judaism has changed and how it must change back, using the best product in the world to make the point. He directed a speech at members of The Greatest Generation - but to teach our generation - and here are a couple of the points he said: (emphasis mine)

You kept things simple. In fact, I could probably fit all the instructions you gave us on the back of an index card. Be a mentch. [...] Get an education, be self-sufficient, and give something back to the community...

At our Pesach sedarim, you didn’t distribute ‘matzoh cards’ to make sure that we had the proper shiurim or share profound divrei Torah with us, but your eyes brimmed with tears when you spoke to us about our glorious mesorah. [...] You didn’t deal much with segulos for parnasa like ‘chai rotel’ and ‘shlissel challah’ but always stressed the importance of ehrlichkeit in our financial dealings, living below one’s means, and scrupulously giving tzedaka.

On April 23, 1985, with much fanfare, Coca-Cola, the largest beverage manufacturer in the world, launched a sweeter version of the soft drink named 'New Coke,' withdrawing its traditional 99-year old formula. [...]

My yeshiva-educated generation, for all the right reasons, and with the best of intentions, introduced a ‘new and improved’ brand of chinuch – with longer hours and progressively elevated standards (read: pressure) in academics, dress codes, and social norms for our children, with increasingly more and more emphasis on gemarah b’iyun at the expense of other limudim, general studies, hobbies, and exercise.

... You prepared us for secular culture whereas we shelter our children from it. You played offense; we play defense. You celebrated the enrollment of each and every Jewish child to a Mesivta or Bais Yaakov; we send rejection letters. You raised children; we tried to raise gedolim.

It's a very meaningful piece that is quite the lesson to learn. Please read the whole thing.

Whose Fine Face

(to the tune of London Bridge is Falling Down, this is what we've been hearing the past few days)

Whose fine face is on the penny,
on the penny, on the penny,
whose fine face is on the penny,
Abraham Lincoln.

Whose fine face is on the quarter,
on the quarter, on the quarter,
whose fine face is on the quarter,
George Washington.

Elianna loves playing with her pushka (charity box) and will point to Washington and say "Daddy, that's George Washington!" before putting it in. It's really cute.

It should be a busy President's Day - for those who have off, enjoy!

How To Act

Via Neil Harris' Sunday Sparks of Mussar:

Rav Nosson Zvi Finkel, the Alter of Slabodka

The first resolution that R' Nosson Zvi wrote down in his diary was "to try to be extremely careful of my fellowman's honor, with patience, with a soft answer, never once to get excited... not to embarrass anyone in public... to find ways daily, at the very least weekly, of benefiting my friends."

Road Rage

Though, as I told Chana recently, I'd prefer laser cannons mounted all over my vehicle (or my own KITT), this is a pretty good idea too:

Charedim Sue Israir Over Glatt

Via Rafi, this is interesting:

An interesting lawsuit - a rav and his wife flew from Israel to the US and back on Israir Airlines. They ordered the "special kosher" glatt meal for their trip On the return trip, they were told that their names were not on the glatt meal list and therefore there were no meals for them.

When they got off the plane, the rebbetzin fainted, fell backwards hurting herself in the process, her sheitel fell off, and her dress became disheveled in a way that revealed her immodestly.

For their pain, embarrassment and discomfort, they sued the airline for 17,800 NIS.

I'm actually surprised they sued for only that amount; but, happily and rightfully, they won (though only 3,000 NIS). Whether someone thinks people "need" Glatt or not, and whether they could have "made do" with food that wasn't, the point was clearly that they felt otherwise and had been promised Glatt meals which were not served to them. As Rafi sums it up:

It is a ridiculous claim that they were not obligated to provide the requested meal - if they agreed to it as part of the flight, they have to provide it, and that they should have eaten the other food. If they do not eat it for religious reasons, that is their right to choose, and Israir has no right to say otherwise.

Good News and Medicaid

Often, once periods or events in life have passed, it is far easier to look back on them and discuss them in ways you wouldn't think to while they were happening. Today, I'm going to talk about Medicaid, after last night's (not so serious, relax Mom) fun with Kayla.

I was laid off in the middle of July, and was informed that my health insurance would end at the end of the month. I had an option to go on COBRA to retain that insurance, and one of the wiser and more interesting aspects of COBRA is that it lets you take a few months to decide whether you'd have wanted it retroactively. As Serach was also not working at the time, having just had a baby and not wishing to return to her job as a full-time special education teacher, we went on Medicaid instead.

Last night, Kayla had a high fever and was coughing very harshly. She'd had a mild cold for a couple of days, and hadn't been particularly interested in drinking that morning, but she'd overall been happy and smiling until late in the evening. We'd gone on a walk with the girls earlier, gotten pizza much to the delight of both, and Kayla fell asleep on the way home. (Scary Elianna memory story: There was a young woman waiting to buy a headband from Serach at our apartment, who had stopped by once before for a few minutes. Elianna saw her and said "That's Elisheva, right? Remember when she came to our house?") We called the doctor after her fever came up as 103.0 and 102.9 over a couple hours, and after hearing her cough over the phone, he recommended not waiting until the morning and to take her to LIJ (and he gave us directions!).

Pobody's Nerfect did us a huge favor, leaving her (birthday boy!) husband Shake to come stay with Elianna, while we drove to LIJ's pediatric emergency room. I parked while Serach registered at the desk, and after a short wait, we were asked to come in. The details aren't particularly important, but essentially, despite overcrowding and a lack of rooms, we were extremely well taken care of, got fantastic care, and were actually home in less than 3-1/2 hours from when we left. It helps obviously that what she had is rather common and easy to take care of (croup - steroids to reduce the swollen area in the back of her throat and cool mist to breathe... total A-Rod jokes: Two in the ER, three since). The total cost to us: $0. It seems almost hard to believe, and it's great - we now know that should we ever have another problem, we can make a quick trip to the ER to get it taken care of.

This is also one primary reason why universal health care for the country is a horrible idea. Our ER trip probably cost the United States government a few hundred dollars. One can argue whether or not it is fair or a good idea for Medicaid to exist, and personally, I can argue both sides of that. But the statistics from Medicaid show just how much more likely someone getting something for free is to take advantage of what's there than someone who has to pay nominally for the same. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation:

Among the uninsured who would have been without coverage for the entire year, health spending would more than double, growing from $1,686 to $3,673 per person in 2008.

Better yet:

The visit rate for Medicaid patients (82 per 100 persons with Medicaid) was higher than the rate for those with Medicare (48 per 100 persons with Medicare), no insurance (48 per 100 persons with no insurance), and private insurance (21 per 100 persons with private insurance.

Now, there are some reasons why Medicare is so much higher (more likely to have more children on it, etc.), but 4x those with private insurance is astounding. It's especially so when you figure that a large percentage of those with private insurance are not exactly spending a fortune on the service itself: Most people either have a small co-pay or pay 10-20% of the cost of service. It is important to note that the argument is not necessarily that the people did not need the care at all; but people will seek out greater levels of care than necessary when they are not the ones footing the bill.

Now factor in the wait time - we were lucky and had a short wait time, but other people there were waiting longer. Even so, we and two other families were being serviced in an inner wait area while they waited for rooms to open up - and this at 11:00 at night. If the number of people were doubled, hospitals would go from never really catching up to simply not being able to care for patients. (In Canada, wait times and inabilities to get an appointment continually rank as the highest difficulties.)

Just two of the reasons why universal health care is a bad idea in the US, clear from just a single observation.

Muslims Going Off the Derech

SIL sent this in; sorry I can't embed. It's great, though.

Milk But NOT Sugar

From SIL:

Shen (newly 2) likes to make herself clear by saying something and then by ruling out the opposite. For example, she'll say her food is "hot, NOT cold". She woke me up today at 5 AM and wanted a drink. I told her I would go get her sippy cup. She replied "Get sippy cup, NOT coffee."

Skip This Post

If you have no interest in politics, please skip this post. :)

(Alternatively, why I need a radio show of my own; it's so much easier and faster to just say all this stuff!)

The following are numerous reasons why President Obama will either break many of his campaign promises or slowly but surely push this country toward a future that will be hard to reverse and horrible to try and keep. It's also worth noting how the same actions are analyzed depending on who is carrying them out - President Bush or President Obama. I suggest to anyone to take a few minutes and read the last few posts on Best of the Web, which is the Wall Street Journal's James Taranto's daily commentary. He sums up a few of the same points perfectly.

Before getting to the stimulus, which is obviously most important, it's worth discussing a few other issues.

Torture: While campaigning, Obama promised, with much support from the hard left, banning torture of terrorist suspects to find out information. Claims of how US soldiers waterboards countless prisoners and other horrible techniques became rallying cries. In reality, however, the US only waterboarded 3 Al Qaeda members in 2003, and learned credible information from each; in total, less than 100 prisoners were subjected to any harsh techniques (sleep deprivation, cold). Recently, President Obama signed into law a piece of paper banning such practices and limiting the CIA to use only what is in the Field Manual (which is what is done to almost all prisoners already). At the same time, he appointed a task force to determine if the Field Manual does not allow them to go far enough in situations where more information might be gathered. In other words, Obama is merely changing the law to a higher level of allowance for torture while decrying the same practices under the Bush administration.

Wiretapping:

Remember those "illegal" wiretaps that so many complained about, and the Bush administration argued were perfectly legal (and limited solely to people contacted from overseas by known combatants)? Well, the same court that supposedly would have a problem with it ruled that Bush was completely within his rights. Whoops. Meanwhile, President Obama now gets to do the same thing without criticism. This is good for America, but it's sad that it was another false drop in the bucket poured over Bush's tenure in office.

Speaking of Bush hatred: This piece on Bush hatred and Obama euphoria is fascinating in its approach.

It is not that our universities invest the fundamental principles of liberalism with religious meaning -- after all the Declaration of Independence identifies a religious root of our freedom and equality. Rather, they infuse a certain progressive interpretation of our freedom and equality with sacred significance, zealously requiring not only outward obedience to its policy dictates but inner persuasion of the heart and mind. This transforms dissenters into apostates or heretics, and leaders into redeemers. Consequently, though Bush hatred may weaken as the 43rd president minds his business back home in Texas, and while Obama euphoria may fade as the 44th president is compelled to immerse himself in the daunting ambiguities of power, our universities will continue to educate students to believe that hatred and euphoria reflect political wisdom.

World opinion was supposed to be a great Obama strength. But... eh, not so much:

• Iran. Since President Obama's inauguration, Iran has launched a satellite into space and declared (with an assist from Russia, which is providing the nuclear fuel) that it would complete its long-delayed reactor at Bushehr later this year.
• Afghanistan. This is the war Mr. Obama has said "we have to win" [...] Germany will not, and probably cannot, commit more than 4,500 soldiers to Afghanistan [...] The French have no plans to increase their troop commitment beyond the 3,300 now there. Mr. Obama, by contrast, may double the U.S. commitment to 60,000 troops.
• North Korea. [...] In late January, Pyongyang announced it was unilaterally withdrawing from its 1991 nonaggression pact with the South.
• Pakistan. Perhaps the most unambiguous of the Bush administration's successes was rolling up the nuclear proliferation network of Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan, who was kept under house arrest for five years. [...] Mr. Khan was released last week, ostensibly by order of a Pakistani court, plainly with the consent of the government.
• Russia. [...] Russia will continue to build military bases in Georgia's breakaway republics. It will press ahead with the fueling of the Bushehr reactor.
• The Arab street. [...] so far his efforts at outreach have been met with derision from Arab hard-liners and "liberals" alike.

Of course, at least Obama's White House would be transparent and cooperate more with the press... oh, wait:

But Ben LaBolt immediately bristles when asked to spell his name, refuses to give his job title, and says he is going “off the record” until I stop him to explain that the reporter grants that privilege, not the other way around—a basic journalistic standard that LaBolt seems unaware of. He soon hangs up without even hearing what I called to ask about. [...]

During our brief conversation, Shapiro, like LaBolt (whose name Shapiro did not recognize), started one sentence with “off the record.” Told that the journalist grants the privilege, and that none would be granted here, Shapiro expressed surprise. His surprise was double-barreled, at both the idea that the reporter issues any privilege and that any reporter would decline to talk “off the record.” [...]

Then there's capping executive salaries. Sure, it might make sense if you can cap every single executive salary in the country... but you can't. So... if you're smart and talented, and you know that in Bank A you can make a maximum of $500,000, but in Banks B or C you can make $40 million, where are you going to work? This is particularly important when one consideres the lifestyles of such people, and how far half a million doesn't really get them.

...and that, ladies and gentlemen, is yet another reason why government never competes well with private business, and shouldn't be in the business of private business. Idiots, indeed.

Finally, there's the census. Why, oh why, would a President wish to control the census of the United States of America? Why should a President even be involved in something that should be completely disassociated with the political machine? But the White House now is involved - in the census that will determine the rearrangement of representative districts for Congress, or the way government spends money. Hmm.

I think I'll save the stimulus for another time. Y'all can start reading again. :)

Israeli Polls Close

The polls have closed in Israel, and voting has ended.

Preliminary exit polls suggest the following breakdown: (via Muqata, IsraellyCool, and Haaretz) Hit expand to see polls.

Channel 1:

• 30 Kadima
• 28 Likud
• 14 Yisrael Beiteinu
• 13 Labor
• 9 Shas
• 5 Agudah
• 5 Meretz
• 5 Arabs (Balad, Ra'am Tal)
• 4 Hadash
• 4 Bayit Yehudi
• 3 Ichud Leumi
  

Channel 2:

• 29 Kadima
• 27 Likud
  
• 15 Yisrael Beiteinu
• 13 Labor
• 10 Shas
• 6 Arabs (Balad, Ra'am Tal)
• 5 Agudah
• 4 Meretz
• 4 Hadash
• 4 Bayit Yehudi
• 3 Ichud Leumi
  

Channel 10:

• 30 Kadima
• 28 Likud
• 15 Yisrael Beiteinu
• 13 Labor
• 9 Shas
• 6 Arabs (Balad, Ra'am Tal)
• 5 Agudah
  
• 4 Meretz
• 4 Hadash
• 3 Bayit Yehudi
• 3 Ichud Leumi
  

Ynet:

• 28 Kadima
• 26 Likud
  
• 16 Yisrael Beiteinu
• 14 Labor
• 10 Shas
• 6 Agudah
• 5 Hadash
• 4 Arabs (Balad, Ra'am Tal)
• 4 Meretz
• 4 Bayit Yehudi
• 3 Ichud Leumi

All in all, it sounds to be about 65-55 Right, which means that Kadima's Tzipi Livni may not get the first chance at forming a government. That might go to Bibi Netanyahu of the Likud even though Kadima has 1-2 more seats, and even that could change as the actual results come in.

Ezzie's Blog Roundup II, 2/10

'Tis a busy day today, and I'd really love to comment on the current political landscape, but do not have the time. Instead, here are some good links that have nothing to do with that and are actually of interest to y'all: :)

• You'd never take steroids or substances banned by organizations like the NCAA, right? You're not like that, of course! But... do you drink Vitamin Water?
  
• Harry has a pair of posts on gedolim, one about how they are all too often manipulated, one about why they fail and what we as a community can do about it. While it's certainly interesting, I think that as with many issues, it will take someone actually standing up and saying it from the gadol end before people will listen. And yes, that's a bit of a catch-22.
• This story is sickening, and is likely going to be (properly) used as fodder for anti-abortion activists. I think R' Menken's take on Cross-Currents is absolutely spot-on. Warning - you will be sickened by the story, whatever your politics.
• I enjoyed this post on "Meeting Dad" on dates by Bad4.
• Ironically, I've been meaning to post this piece on procrastination by NorthernLight for a while.
• NoyG is supressing his urge to fight after the latest shift to extremism in the Charedi community in Israel hits stores - sex segregation.
  

Enjoy!

Israel Votes

Today is Election Day in Israel, and as is easy to imagine, it is as always a crucial election for the future of the State. It will determine what approaches the country will take in the battle against terror, the quest for a lasting peace, and to a lesser level, how the country approaches its economic future. I obviously do not have a vote in Israel; if I had one, it would be for the Likud as things stand now, and likely for Yisrael Beiteinu [scratch that, I wouldn't after reading more on Lieberman] {perhaps Ichud Leumi, though doubtful...} if I were sure that the Likud would have the most seats by a comfortable margin. Then again, I don't know nearly as much about Israeli politics as others, and am relying a little bit on the results I got from the Israeli Electoral Compass.

The best roundup of posts on the election is at Baila's; she links to many of the J-bloggers' posts on the subject. I found Jameel's and WestBankMama's to be the best of them so far, but then again, they said what I think makes the most sense, so it could just be because I agree with their approaches.

As for today, Jameel and Dave will of course be live-blogging all day; Dave will even utilize a very cool live streaming pane for lack of a better description after 4pm or so Israel time all day, he decided in the end, to keep it going even smoother. They are your best sources for information.

May things go safely, smoothly, honestly, and turn out well.

Jewish Economics Survey Notes II

Firstly, an important announcement. If you filled out the survey, when you hit submit, you should have been automatically taken to a Thank You screen. If you were not taken to this screen, then your answers were unfortunately, and very frustratingly, not submitted.

The bad news is that this happened to at least one person.

The good news is that I know why it didn't submit, and how to easily avoid the problem for anyone taking the survey. It didn't submit because a required question was left blank or while filling out an "other" box, the radio button (dot or circle to most of you) next to it wasn't clicked. This is a slightly annoying Google glitch; it doesn't automatically dot the Other radio button even if a person is filling out the Other box.

On the other hand, Google has a very nice feature in that if it does not go through, it takes you back to the beginning of the survey, but with all your answers filled in. You can quickly scroll down and any questions it wants you to fill in are highlighted in a faint red box. It takes about 2 seconds to correct any such questions and re-submit.

So, when filling out the survey, make sure to fill every required question in. Then, hit submit. You should be taken to a short Thank You screen, and that way you will know that is has been submitted. I hope nobody else had this problem; if you didn't see a Thank You screen, then if you don't mind quickly filling it out again that would be amazing, and I'm sorry for the difficulty.

On to the survey itself...

The response so far has been fantastic, and the feedback quite helpful. The spread and a few interesting tidbits so far that are more measurable:

• Israel, UK, Canada, 19 US states, 37 cities, and 50 neighborhoods (plus a handful who wrote "New York", not specifying what area).
• While most of the respondents have been on the younger side, over 15% of the responses have been from people 40 and above.
• Singles make up 15% of the respondents as well, and perhaps unsurprisingly, have little to no debt except perhaps minimal student loan debt; were more likely to have savings; all gave at least some charity; and all either had no car or owned their car outright.
  
• 52% of respondents own their houses or apartments.
  
• 44% do not have life insurance. About 2/3 of those are married, and about 1/3 of those have kids.
• 3% do not have health insurance.
  

Please pass the survey along to friends, family, neighbors, shuls, etc. If anyone has a way or person to contact to help get it placed on major Orthodox Jewish websites and media to further its spread, that would be amazing as well. My early estimate is that 2,000 responses would be needed to be able to seriously rely on the data, though I certainly wouldn't mind getting more than that. Thanks so much to all who have taken it and passed it along.

On a totally separate note, my mother just informed me that our old neighbor, Lipman Rabinowitz, has passed away. He was a really sweet, quieter man who I remember thinking growing up was incredibly classy. I always thought he was the type of man that should be painted sitting in a chair holding a pipe, if that makes sense. Baruch Dayan Emes.

How To Deal With Unemployed People

Jewboy has a fantastic post about unemployment and the assumptions people make about those who have graduated law school. First, let me excerpt a bit:

First example of people being out of touch with reality: "Oh, is your wife going to stop working now that you finished law school?" Well, number one, I don't have a full time job. Number two, do you know what kind of costs a frum family faces? I have bills to pay that I don't even want to talk about, and I haven't even hit the big tuitions yet. G-d help me when that happens. So no, even when I get a full time job, my wife will not be retiring from the workplace. I'd give anything if she could, but that is simply not a reality, not if my family wants to be self sufficient.

Secondly, it's rather annoying when I tell people I'm applying for a certain job, and they respond by saying things like, "Oh, but doesn't pay very well." People seem to assume that because you went to law school you can automatically make a lot of money. Yes, some lawyers can make a good living right out of school. But especially in the worst economy since the Depression, several of my colleagues and I are struggling just to find hourly pay that pays more than a grocery clerk.

While there are a couple of caveats to what he's pointed out, all in all he's right on point. There is a very common, unrealistic idea of what different jobs make, what things cost, and how much people need to live within the Orthodox community. (Easy survey plug!) Far too often, the assumptions people make include but are not limited to:

• People are always able to pay their bills... and often, someone else helps pay those bills.
• Even if a family pays their own bills, if they couldn't for some reason, someone else will help them do so.
• Certain jobs are immune from economic downturns.
• That a person is better off taking a lower-paying job than remaining unemployed.
• That a person is better off remaining unemployed than taking a lower-paying job.
  

There seems to be an all too often lack of sensitivity in the Orthodox community to any number of people: Singles; childless couples; people who are depressed; people who are sick; poor people; etc. etc. Add unemployed people to the list. I am certainly not saying that we should all go walking around on eggshells around everyone to avoid being insensitive - in fact, please don't, it's far more annoying. Just use your brain. Much like all the other examples, being unemployed is not a badge of shame to the person, and they'd rather not be treated as such.

Certainly, everyone is different in their approach. I'm of the more "open" type; I'll openly discuss certain aspects of our situation with friends and family, if not others. Many people are less open, and that's obviously understandable. Perhaps one of the reasons I've actually not faced most of what I described above, and have not heard many insensitive comments, is because I've given people a better understanding of our situation; this does not mean that others should do the same, but it does mean that if you are going to comment on someone's unemployment or job search, you should know whether or not what you're about to say makes any sense. As an easy example, before you say something like "is your wife going to quit her job now that you've finished law school", think if that makes sense. Perhaps ask if she is going to be able to stop working once the lawyer finds a job. Before you comment on a job not paying so well, perhaps it's worthwhile to ask if the person has the luxury of waiting it out for a better job - not to mention gauging what they think of the job in the first place.

I will be quick to admit that I've probably messed up the above on occasion. We all make assumptions, and sometimes those assumptions are wrong. Nevertheless, this is something I need to improve upon, and something to think about.

Bushfire Crisis, Victoria, Australia

As you may know from the news, the state of Victoria is dealing with the worst bushfires in history after record temperatures on Saturday (over 46º C) and such dry conditions due to drought. I am posting the bulletin I received from one of the shul newsletters (Mizrachi) I received today with information on how to help out:

"Dear Reader,
 
Impact
Yesterday, Victorians woke up to a new reality. The figures of loss of life and property loss are staggering. I dare not write statistics for fear that by the time you read the email they may be grossly underestimated.
 
As a member of the Emergency services during the Ash Wednesday bushfires, I have seen firsthand the devastation following these horrific bushfires.
 
While there may have been an impact on the Jewish community (and, in the last 24 hours, I have become aware of the loss of a number of Jewish properties, the loss of Marysville - almost a pesach Mecca for hundreds of Jews, and concerns that we have for an elderly Jewish person whose car has been found abandoned), as proud, grateful and contributing members of the Australian community we need not find personal connections. We are already personally connected with our fellow Australians in their time of loss.
 
The Rabbi and President join with fellow Australians in expressing their deepest sympathies to the families of those who lost loved ones, their sincerest expression of refuah shlemah and speedy recovery to those who have been injured and their wishes of chazak ve'ematz (be strong of good courage) to those who lost property. They also express their gratitude to the countless heroic volunteers of the emergency services and others who put their lives at peril for the benefit of fellow Australians.
 
What you can do
Prayers: Yesterday, Rabbi MS Kluwgant issued a statement on behalf of the Rabbinical Council of Victoria expressing its profound sorrow and dismay at the massive destruction of life and property brought about by the firestorm which has engulfed much of our State. He called on all Congregations to recite prayers that this devastation be brought to a speedy end and that those in danger be delivered home in health and safety. Already last night, during a shloshim service I conducted we commenced saying Tehillim and prayers of refuah shlemah for those who have been injured. Mizrachi's Rabbi Sprung has, likewise, commenced prayers in our Shule for those suffering as a result of the bushfires. I invite you, all, to also add your prayers for those who so desperately need them.
 
Tzedakah: The Mizrachi Charity Fund will immediately commence a Bushfire Relief Fund to continue for the next two weeks. The Mizrachi Charity Fund has kicked off the appeal with a $1000 donation and we invite you all to contribute generously. This is NOT the only Bushfire Appeal, nor could there ever be competition. If you would like to do an online donation, please go to http://www.jewishaid.org.au/donate-2.html and click on the donate button. Any queries regarding Jewish Aid should be addressed to lisa (at) jewishaid.org.au. Indeed, over coming days other Jewish organisations may be starting similar Bushfire Appeals and feel free to choose whichever avenue you prefer, but DO make a donation according to your ability.
 
Material goods: A number of Mizrachi members have already taken the initiative to coordinate donations of materials goods. Please donate: Blankets, Pillows, Linen, Adults & Kids Clothes, Household Items, Packaged Foods – Ready to eat, Only Clean Items Accepted. Please drop off these items to...
• The Hatzolah Centre 320 Orrong Road Caulfield North 3161 (Mon 9 Feb Midday-3.00pm; Tue 10th Feb 10.00am-2.00pm; Sun 15 Feb - To Be Advised). The items can also be delivered directly into the 18 Red Cross Centers setup around Victoria.
• Magen David Adom is also coordinating the donations of Clothing, Shoes, Children's Toys, Linen. For any queries please contact G Lipson glynislipson (at) gmail.com, M Spektor info (at) midali.com.au or E Lipson emmlipson (at) gmail.com. Goods can be dropped off at...
• Midali Espresso, 261 Carlisle St, Balaclava (7:00am-6:00pm only, 7 days a week)
Moorabbin Hebrew Congregation is also coordinating the donations of material goods. Goods can be dropped off at...Moorabbin Hebrew Congregation, 960 Nepean Hwy (Mon 9 Feb 3:30-6:00pm; Tue 10 Feb 9:00-10:00am, 2:00-4:00pm; Wed 11 Feb 9:00-10:00am, 8:00-9:30pm; Thu 12 Feb 8:00-9:30pm). If you are unable to drop anything off during these times, but would like to donate to these families, you can ring the Red Cross Appeal on 1800 811 700.
• Yeshivah College is also coordinating the donations of non perishable food item such as a package of pasta or rice or a can of soup, canned vegetables or tinned fruit. Goods can be dropped off at... Yeshivah College, 92 Hotham St, St Kilda East."

To anyone that can help in any way, please do. The stories I have been hearing on the radio and TV are devastating and heart-wrenching. (For the email containing full contact details of appeals etc, I can forward by email.)

The Adventures of Elianna

Erachet joined us for Shabbos, and hung out for a while today. Over the course of the weekend, Elianna (almost 3) has continually wowed her with her charm, wit, and most of all, memory. Here are a few stories for your enjoyment:

Erachet: I have to do homework because I'm in college. When you're in college, you'll also have homework.

Elianna: Okay. I don't have a computer so I have to buy me.

Elianna: I want more wine!
Daddy: You want more wine? Are you an alcoholic?
Elianna: I'm NOT an alcholic! I'm Elianna Rachel Goldish!!
Elianna: [...] Avi is an alcoholic.

Elianna: Can I have a cookie? (Actually a tea biscuit, but she thinks it's a cookie)
Daddy: Can you put this book on Daddy's bed and then I'll give you one?
Elianna: (takes book, starts walking toward room) [to Serach, Pobody's Nerfect] I'm behaving, right?

Elianna (standing behind Erachet, taking apart her hair): I need to give you a pony in your hair. Do you like it?
Erachet: Er...
(hours later) Erachet: Do I even want to know what my hair looks like?

These are just cool, not funny (from least impressive to most):

Elianna: Remember when I came to your house?
Elianna has been to Erachet's house twice, both times for just a few minutes.

Elianna to my brother OD: Remember when we went bowling? Yeah?
Elianna has been bowling once, in Cleveland with my parents and brother's family over Sukkos.

Elianna: I have a sticker! *Malka gave it to me!
Erachet: [skeptically, knowing a Malka that Elianna knows and that they could not have given the sticker] Malka gave it to you?
Elianna: No [not your Malka], a different Malka! *name has been changed

Elianna: [looking at Erachet's phone] Where's the elephant?
Erachet has a string of charms hanging off her phone; one of the charms used to be an elephant. It has been missing for almost a YEAR.