Yitzchak Baruch Fishel

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Sep 11, 2014, 8:57 PM

Caught in a Demonstration

I was visiting a tailor shop yesterday in the Meah Shaarim section of chareidi Jerusalem. Neighborhoods here are known for their individuality, but Meah Shaarim is far beyond that. I once had a scion of the ultra-Orthodox in my...

Jul 29, 2014, 3:52 PM

The Gaza War: What You Don’t Know, But Should

As an unhappy bystander in the Gaza War, I have rather a privileged position to share with the outside world. With the ground and aerial battles raging for the most part out of earshot, from my vantage point I can...

May 15, 2014, 6:40 AM

The Chareidi/Zionist Divide

For the sake of sanity, if nothing else, the Am Yisroel is entitled to a redefinition of Chareidi/Zionist divide. The Chareidim -- as the ultra-Orthodox prefer to call themselves -- have, for the most part, been grossly misunderstood on both sides of the Great Water....

Aug 1, 2012, 12:45 PM

A Modest Proposal

You may or may not be familiar with the above screen shot, but I got it straight off the ToI site from an article entitled 'Concerned citizen’ sparks flame war on Netanyahu’s Facebook, datelined July 26th, 9:31 p.m. where...

Jul 25, 2012, 8:48 PM

The Haredim and the Zionist Failure

Don't let the headline fool you. I only put the word "haredim" in to get you to click on my post. And thank you. 'Cause the only other way to accomplish that is by inserting the name of a...

Jul 23, 2012, 10:31 PM

Jew or Just Jewish?

Do you consider yourself a Jew or just Jewish? One of my few early Israel culture shocks was to hear myself being called a Jew. One of my best friends -- an Israeli -- was speaking up for me and...

Jul 17, 2012, 9:14 PM

An Olfactory Assault

A recent post in The Wall Street Journal awakened me to the fact that my sense of smell is under attack at nearly every street corner. What's more, sharing it with The Wellness Bitch elicited the following response: "We are all brainwashed...

Mar 27, 2012, 5:23 AM

Toulouse – Beit Shemesh on the 49a Via the Tal Overpass

Dissention is a hallmark of the Jewish nation. We know how to grieve together, but not live together. This may be because we are hardwired to have beliefs that run strong but, as in those cases sited in the title...

Mar 4, 2012, 12:14 PM

Towards a Solution to the Chareidi Problem

Given the drift of local news, it would seem that Israeli society, as represented ideologically by the present government, is seeking a solution to the chareidi problem, which it perceives as a millstone hanging on its proverbial neck. Over 30...

Feb 27, 2012, 5:50 PM

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose

The above adage, attributed to the little known, 19th century French literary literary critic, novelist and journalist Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr is said to have first appeared in the Jan 1849 issue of his Les Guêpes (“The Wasps”). Literally, it means “The more it changes,...

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About Me

Y.B. Fishel holds cum laude degrees from Princeton and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, as well as written ordinations from members of Israel's highest, ultra-Orthodox authorities. His reason for being around ToI is to provide a chareidi insider's view of what's happening in Israel.