Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel » Elli Fischer

Don’t vote for the ‘Anglo’ candidate

Elli Fischer — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 00:29:50 +0000

This election cycle, several parties have actively tried to court English-speaking voters by suggesting that they are most in line with bona fide “Anglo” values and traditions. Several parties are posting, or considering posting, Anglo candidates in realistic or quasi-realistic slots on their Knesset lists in the hopes that it will attract Anglo voters. As [...]

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Munich to be commemorated at Jerusalem 2032 Summer Olympics

Elli Fischer — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 14:09:18 +0000

JERUSALEM | Times of Israel News Service | March 5, 2032 A joint press release from the Israeli Olympic Committee Chairman Omri Casspi and his Palestinian counterpart, Nader al-Masri outlined how the 60th anniversary of the Munich Massacre will be commemorated at the 2032 Summer Olympics opening ceremony later this summer. We have decided to [...]

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Embracing immigranthood in the Israeli ‘cholent pot’

Elli Fischer — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 14:04:11 +0000

Certain features are common to the experience of virtually every immigrant. Immigration is almost always motivated by persecution or economic distress, always seeks lands of greater opportunity and freedom, and always entails a process of dislocation, disorientation, readjustment, and eventual integration. Because immigration is one of the most traumatic human experiences, immigrants tend to stick [...]

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NYT misses a big part of Battir’s cultural heritage

Elli Fischer — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 08:38:29 +0000

Yesterday’s New York Times had an article by Isabel Kershner on the efforts to get the village and area around Battir recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Battir is an Arab village southwest of Jerusalem that is home to an ancient irrigation and terracing system. Petitioners claim that this ancient system is worth preserving [...]

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Yehuda, Tzvi, and Zachary: MIA for 30 Years

Elli Fischer — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 00:19:26 +0000

Exactly 30 years ago, during the night between the 10th and 11th of June, 1982 (the 20th of Sivan – a date commemorating other historical Jewish tragedies), the IDF fought Syrian forces in the Battle of Sultan Yacoub, in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Considered one of Israel’s worst failures in the First Lebanon War, 30 Israeli [...]

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We Remember the Ice Cream, and the Fish…

Elli Fischer — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 18:27:27 +0000

Unlike Yehuda Ha-levi, the great Medieval Jewish poet, I found it difficult to leave behind the bounty of Spain for the dust of God’s ruined shrine. When we lived in the States, our freezer nearly always had ice cream in it. I’d go to the supermarket, and buy a half-gallon of whatever was on sale, [...]

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On Being a Baseball Fan in Israel

Elli Fischer — Fri, 18 May 2012 08:50:51 +0000

Yesterday was bracketed by baseball. My kids and I watched the last few innings of the Orioles’ 15-inning win over the Royals over breakfast, and then I caught the second half of their 5-3 win over KC late in the evening. The 8-hour time difference between Israel and Missouri created a bizarre sort of day-night [...]

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Same-sex unions and intermarriage: Against as a Jew, for as a citizen

Elli Fischer — Tue, 15 May 2012 04:51:04 +0000

Though it is not a new dilemma, the issue of same-sex marriage became a larger topic of public conversation just this week, in the wake of President Obama’s endorsement of same-sex marriage. The dilemma had taken a personal dimension just a few weeks earlier, when I was invited to the same-sex wedding of two former [...]

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An ironic observation on freedom of religion at Judaism’s holiest site

Elli Fischer — Sun, 06 May 2012 21:39:51 +0000

Last week, on this site, Rabbi Joshua Hammerman wrote about a group that “has been denied the basic right that every Jewish group should have: the opportunity to pray peacefully at Judaism’s holiest site.” After quoting a letter of complaint from a congregant in full, he asks rhetorically: What craziness guides the thinking of supposedly sane [...]

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Ben & Jerry’s Haroset Flavored Ice Cream

Elli Fischer — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 20:48:44 +0000

Remember the seasonal flavors that would appear at the local ice cream shoppe at various points during the year? Like peppermint stick in December, pumpkin pie in November, or America’s Birthday Cake in July? Wouldn’t it be great if there were seasonal flavors based on the Jewish calendar? Since buying an ice-cream maker a few [...]

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“Profiling” the Toulouse Killer

Elli Fischer — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 21:45:05 +0000

As the manhunt for the Toulouse killer continues, it is apparent that French law enforcement authorities are trying to build a “profile” of the murderer – a term generally used for serial killers and lone-wolf terrorists. In other words, they’re looking for a psychopath, but one whose worldview is internally consistent. His victims – first [...]

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This year, let’s get rid of our hametz at Levinsky Park

Elli Fischer — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 12:43:54 +0000

This year, instead of burning our hametz in a bonfire or selling it to a non-Jew, let’s deliver it to those who really need it: refugees, asylum seekers, and the indigent non-Jewish population that lives among us. As is well known, it is a mitzva to dispose of all hametz and leaven from our homes [...]

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The Acceptance Speech Joseph Cedar Could Have Made

Elli Fischer — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 10:38:40 +0000

Israelis are understandably disappointed that their dark-horse entry for the Best Foreign Film Oscar, Joseph Cedar’s Footnote, did not win the award. In addition to national pride, many would love to see the kippa-wearing, Sabbath-observant Cedar, who is fast becoming a Jewish cultural hero, step up to the stage to claim the prize. Perhaps another [...]

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