Life in Israel

Tweet of the Day

2026-11-09T16:51:00.000+02:00

Hamas found the money, manpower and engineering expertise for over 700km of terror tunnels, but drainage wasn't in the budget.
— Driftwood (@buc97552) November 9, 2026

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Trump confirms Vance's explanation

2026-11-09T15:21:00.000+02:00

The other day, after the "Blue Wave" swept through the USA and the Democrats took over the Senate and House of Representatives from the Republicans, Vice President JD Vance explained why the Republicans lost and one of the reasons was the US relationship with Israel..

After Vance said that The Jewish community at large, especially in Israel, got upset and looked at Vance as an enemy of Israel and of the Jews, an antisemite. Vance has been suspect in many's eyes all along, ever since he became Vice President (eg he is friends with Tucker and has distanced himself from Israel in many ways), and I am not here to debunk that - maybe he is, maybe he is not. I do think that even if perhaps Vance could have worded thigns differently, essentially he said the truth. As I wrote then, the narrative in the USA was that Israel dragged the US into a war they did not want that caused inflation and especially high gas prices and they were being forced to pay for Israel's genocide. Right or wrong, that was the narrative in the USA and almost nothing was done, at least not effectively, to rewrite that. So even if that claim is not accurate or true, JD Vance was correct when he said that this was [one of] the reason[s] for the midterm results.

Now, President Trump has confirmed Vance's statement and also sayid, in his interview with 60 Minutes, that one of the reasons for the Republican midterm losses was that people in the USA really don't like Israel.

so now do we get upset at President Trump for blaming Israel for the Republican midterm losses? Trump is an antisemite, anti-Israel? I don't think he is, just the opposite. He has been very good to Israel (even if in other ways he allowed antisemites to flourish) overall. Maybe he just worded it slightly better, or maybe he mentioned it but focused on it less than the other reasons....calling people antisemites when they say things we don't like is the easy way out but it is not always true.

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Quote of the Day

2026-11-09T14:04:00.000+02:00

At the end of this whole thing, those countries that we’ve protected are going to pay us back any and all costs that we’ve had for the war.... We’re gonna get all that money back. Because without us, they wouldn’t exist. Without us, Israel wouldn’t exist...... I want to have it for the long term, not for the short term. We decapitated their nuclear arsenal. If I didn’t do that, there would be no Israel right now. Israel would be gone. They would use a nuclear weapon in 24 hours

-- President of the USA Donald Trump, in an interview with 60 Minutes

Are we about to owe the USA an estimated 47 billion dollars? The 4 billion in aid we are giving up next year seems like peanuts compared to this....

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Is Israel Safer Than America? Hillel Fuld | Behind the Bima (video)

2026-11-09T12:28:00.000+02:00

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Jerusalem, November 2. The city’s atmosphere. A walk starting from Tzahal Square. (video)

2026-11-09T09:37:00.000+02:00

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Shmuel - Adraba (video)

2026-11-09T08:15:00.000+02:00

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Get ready to pay more

2026-11-08T16:09:53.443+02:00

The Israel Tax Authority annoucned a short while ago that it has proposed adding a new tax to the 2027 budget.

The proposed tax would seemingly, if I understand it correctly, be levied on the airlines per flight, and the exact fee would depend on the type of flight and airplane with small planes on domestic routes being taxed 1300nis and and long haul flights being taxed about 100,000nis.

The airlines would then pass the cost on to the passengers by dividing that tax charge among the passengers booked on the flight. Passengers on dmoestic flights would pay an additional 12nis (estimated) per flight, international short to medium haul passengers (such as on flights to Europe or other nearby locations) would pay about 58nis, and [assengers on long haul flights would pay an additional 274nis.

Get ready to pay more. All these long wars and defense spending cost money, the 4 billion in military aid from the US is going away, and they have to find more things to tax to raise the money.

This is just a proposal for now, and has not yet been accepted or rejected. They are looking at other tax alternatives as well. And they will probably choose all the options!

source: Ynet

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Halacha Headlines: 11/7/26 – Shiur 582 – SELF DRIVING CARS ON SHABBOS?! (audio)

2026-11-08T12:26:00.000+02:00

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The Midterm Disaster: What It Means for American Jews (video)

2026-11-08T10:57:00.000+02:00

I am not so apocalyptic.. but it is an interesting debate I am hearing all over now...what do you think?

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Nahariya, Israel 🇮🇱 | History, Beautiful Beaches & Mediterranean Life | 4K HDR (video)

2026-11-08T09:38:00.000+02:00

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Jala: Shir Chadash (video)

2026-11-08T08:07:00.000+02:00

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Shuli Rand and Shrek: Oneg Shabbos (video)

2026-11-06T11:43:00.000+02:00

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Vance blames Israel

2026-11-04T19:50:18.041+02:00

VP Vance said a short while ago that the Rpeublicans lost the elections yesterday because of the Iran war and because of the relationship with Israel. One of President Trump's sons retweeted the annoucnement, ostensibly agreeing with the announcement.

I am hearing some criticism of Vance and even of Trump that they are blaming it on Israel, he's no friend of ours, etc.

One does not need to be a big talmid chochom or world renown political analyst to know that what he said is true, even if it is superficial (not of Vance but of the voters).

Ever since October 7 2023, and especially since the Iran wars/operations, the American people have increasingly been blaming their problems (gas prices, inflation, etc) on the Iran War (probably fairly) and on Trump/USA being beholden to Israel (more complicated and nuanced than the claim that America is fighting Israel's war for Israel and paying them too much money, but that's the way it has been). Whether it is fair or not, Israel and the war has increasingly been the friction point in the USA, and around much of the world. There has been basically no other talking point or agenda, and everything gets turned back o the war and Israel.

I know Trump said every now and then that he is not fighting for Israel, that it is Iran's fault, Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb, that gas prices are not so bad, but he did not really do anything significant to change the messaging. And Netanyahu also did not do anything to change the messaging from Israel's side.

And announcing on election day that the military aid for Israel will soon stop was a nice attempt to get some voters back but it was way too little way too late.

While Vance might or might not be anti-Israel, this statement is 100% true and is not specifically anti-Israel sentiment, just a breakdown of what happened. I would not say it is Israel's fault, and I dont think Vance said that either, but it is because of how Trump and the USA handled Iran and Israel.

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Quote of the Day

2026-11-03T16:18:00.000+02:00

I'm at 99% approval in Israel. If people ever got tired of me in the US, I'll move to Israel and become Prime Minister.

-- President of the USA Donald J Trump

he is popular here but not quite as popular as he used to be.... definitely not 99%

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Har Habayit B'Yadeinu

2026-11-03T15:28:00.000+02:00

while I used to go to Har Habayit regularly (I have posted about it many times in the past), it has now been a few years since I went up - for a variety of reasons. Today I finally got myself going and went back to the Har.

So this extreme leftist, Kaplanist even according to some, is also an extreme messianic (though without the qualifying long unkempt peyos) rightist, maybe even a Bengvirist. I will note, one of the reaosns I went today is because my daughter who serves in Mishmar Hagvul (which is why I said maybe even a Bengvirist), aka Magav, is stationed this week on Har Habayit.

Obviously I have heard of the changes on Har Habayit over the past few years. I still have sort of kept up and stayed in My Har Habayit whatsapp groups and I always follow Har Habayit in the news, so none of it was a surprise to me, but seeing the changes with my own eyes, and all at once after a period of time rather than seeing it incrementally as it happens, was significant.

Going in had a minimal security check, just the metal detector - no iterrogation and body search for a siddur or other religious materials.

Being that I did not go up with a group, the police gathered the several individuals going at that time together on the Mugrabim Bridge and turned us into a group. On the bridge was a box with a sheaf of laminated papers of prayers. During the police instructions he told us that we cannot use our own siddurim or anything else other than the sheet of tefillot prepared and available. He also said we can daven openly on the eastern side and only on the eastern side. While I am not sure what the difference is, if they are letting people pray publicly there and even with a source sheet, why nto also allow siddurim? but ok, they used to arrest people for moving their lips silently on Har Habayit, so offering a limited prayer sheet that you can hold and walk around with is a massive change.

Also, some people were wearing colorful shawls turned into a tallis, and one person from Yeshivat Har Habayit and had turned his jacked into a begged of tztzis. There are some black shawl tallitot that have become popular recently by Yeshivat Har Habayit people that I have seen pictures of but nobody in my group today was wearing them.

Once we went up it was pretty basic for the first section, but what was noticeably different was no Waqf guards following us around - just the police and Magav.

Once we hit the eastern side, pretty much everyone did hishtachavaya, full prostration. Right there, out in the open, not hiding behind other people or trying to catch the moment the plice office is looking in the other direction...Continuing on we went to the center of the eastern side where the path directly to the mikdash area is and everyone did prostration again, and people settled in and davened, each doing their own thing. The police did not rush anyone or try to move us along. Interestingly enough, a few people sat down theer at one point and started learning somethign (I think hilchot har habayit but not sure). At some point the police asked who wants to continue on and who wants to stay with the kollel.

Just then another group approached us, which also would have never happened before - it used to be only one group at a time, and if you took too long you were holding up other people waiting to go up. Also, it turned out one of the kids there (ascending with his father) was just turning bar miztva, so at that point many joined in to sing and dance with the bar mitzva boy. Also somethign that would never have been allowed before.

the next group approaching

mazel tov!

part of the kollel learning while others daven

The rest of the way around was uneventful. Near the end I saw my daughter as she came over for a moment from where she was stationed, we exited the Har, and I walked over to Shaar Kutna where she was stationed to see her for a few minutes (Jewish exit off Har Habayit is Shaar Hashalshelet) and then headed out for my car.

Crossing the Kotel plaza I thought for a moment to go down and pray but then caught myself and thought that this would be sacreligious after praying on Har Habayit on the other side of the wall. What do you think - is it appropriate to pray at the Kotel after praying on Har Habayit or is it sacrilegious and maybe a bizayon to Har Habayit?

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historic times once again

2026-11-03T14:04:00.000+02:00

The price of gasoline in Israel is adjusted once a month and changes accordingly at the pumps the 1st of every month at midnight. It is extremely rare for the price to change mid-month - it has only happened a few times in the history of Israel, from what I could find. And in that regard we are about to experience gasoline history once again!

Due to the recent [global] sharp increases in the price of gasoline, along with it coinciding with Smotritch's electoral campaign, the Finance Minister cut the "blu tax" on gasoline by 1nis per liter. Smotritch did this in October after the month had already begun (which was one of the other few times in history the price changed mid-month).

On the night of November 5, as it turns to November 6 at midnight, that tax discount will expire so the price will automatically adjust upward. The FInance Ministry announced though that the discount will be lessened to 50ag per liter and extended until the end of November. Meaning, the tax discount partially expires on november 6 so will go up at the pump by 50ag per liter, and the balance will expire at the end of the month when it will go up by another 50ag per liter (along with whatever else happens to the price at the end of the month, up or down).

Living in historic times is getting both expensive and tiring...

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A Biblical Road Trip Through The Promised Land (video)

2026-11-03T12:23:00.000+02:00

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'The old boy George no longer exists': Singer opens up in Israel (video)

2026-11-03T11:01:00.000+02:00

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Jerusalem. This is what the city’s streets look like in the evening—unvarnished and unembellished. (video)

2026-11-03T09:36:00.000+02:00

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Ari Hill & Neshama Choir- Me'id Ani (video)

2026-11-03T08:04:00.000+02:00

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‘The Messiah Will Have to DRAG Them to Israel’ – Ex-New Yorkers Expose the Exile Illusion (video)

2026-11-02T12:32:00.000+02:00

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🔴 Dead Sea, Israel. Nature's Greatest Wonder (video)

2026-11-02T09:41:00.000+02:00

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Mazel Tov on your Bar Mitzvah | TYH Boys (video)

2026-11-02T07:50:00.000+02:00

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Quote of the Day

2026-11-01T16:45:00.000+02:00

We tried to bring something different to the table, but we made a mistake. We are people of the Right so naturally we said we would recommend Netanyahu [for PM], but by doing that we played the old game. We should have simply not spoken about it at all. People would have understood on their own which camp we are part of.

-- Lali Deri, former candidate for Knesset on the Amcha Yisrael slate

A moment after they annoucned their plan to recommend Netanyahu for PM after the elections I said exactly the above and called it a fatal mistake that would lose them support. They copuld not withstand the pressure coming from Netanyahu to drop out and they thought publicly saying they support him would get him off their backs...

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Tweet of the Day

2026-11-01T15:29:00.000+02:00

So, basically, 500 million Europeans expect 300 million Americans to protect them from 120 million Russians who can’t even defeat 40 million Ukrainians while those 500 million Europeans don’t even realize they are being conquered by 2 billion Muslims who claim they are being persecuted by 8 million Israelis. Is that about right? 1
— Ernest Bledsoe (@PincheOgro1) October 30, 2026

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