Apr29
I still love this song.
Higher and Higher by Moshav Band
Comment
Holy Exposures
Commentary and Photos of Israel
Jul15
As seen in Herzlya Pituach Israel…
The sign reads: “No Motorcycle Parking Allowed”
The sign seems to be a magnet for motorcycle parkers 
Jun21
Osher Ad in Bet Shemesh – The New Haredi Battlefront
on June 21, 2012 at 9:08 pmPosted In: Bet Shemesh, Judaism
Posters have been slapped up all over town with a rabbinic ruling, signed by five haredi rabbis, forbidding their communities from shopping at the new Osher Ad supermarket. A little background is in order… This new supermarket, Osher Ad, opened three weeks ago to much fanfare in Bet Shemesh. There is a price and turf war raging throughout Israel with supermarket chains gobbling up real estate and new mall space to place their stores in strategic locations. Osher Ad is one of the newer discount chains that has had great success in Ashdod and recently in Maaleh Adumim. They are expanding greatly with their aggressive discount pricing in each new location. The established chains, most notably ShuferSal, has lowered their prices in Bet Shemesh to match and compete with Osher Ad’s rollout. This price war has even made it to the Knesset and trade ministry as the regulator is checking to ensure that there are no monopolistic practices here. Smaller chains, are having a hard time matching these deep discount prices. Likewise, larger discount chains, such as Rami Levy, who is planning to open stores in Bet Shemesh this year, are crying foul. One thing for sure is that the consumer is benefiting greatly during this price war.
Back to the haredim… The event that weighed heavily on this rabbinic ruling.
Three weeks ago, when the Osher Ad store was opened (in the Migdal Hamayim neighborhood, a mixed neighborhood mostly inhabited by Russians and Sephardim, a sign was placed at the entrance requesting all women to dress modestly (as is common practiced in the haredi sections of Bet Shemesh). When non-religious neighbors said that the sign offended them, it was removed. Enter the haredi rabbis and their boycott edict. (Note: Osher Ad is owned by two Gur Hasidim, ultra orthodox hasidim, The rabbis signing this edict represent the Lithuanian ultra-orthodox camp).
Haredi boycott of Bet Shemesh Supermarket
Feb06
I grew up watching the Flintstones reruns. It put a twinkle in my eye when I recently read that Alan Reed, the voice of Fred Flinstone, was a Jew.
Reed, born in 1907 as Edward Bergman, grew up in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan in New York City. He learned quickly how to mimic any of the neighboring nationalities. He even landed his first job in show business cast as a typical Italian wise guy. According to an article in Tablet Magazine, Alan pulled much of his Flintstone voice from the mannerisms of his Galitzianer grandfather, and the quarrels he would have with this Litvak father (mixed marriages didn’t go well in those days…).
There was something ephemeral about Fred Flintsone’s voice. It had pathos and empathy but joyful, loyal, and with authority when needed. It’s no wonder the Flintstone’s where the first animated series prime-time television success. With great story-telling, interspersed with spice from current events (Cary Granite…), there was always something to see. It was good family fun, without curses, inuendo, or failed parent-child relationships.
Alan Reed had the perfect voice for his character. The deep baritone was reassuring and comforting, allowing the story to develop naturally.
You can buy the complete seasons of the Flintstones on DVD.