Work vs. Family for Israeli Women

Today, I read an article about how Israeli women can sometimes have trouble balancing their work and their life.  It also said that they sometimes feel underestimated in the workplace, which can sometimes lead to people not listening to them.  And this is in one of the best countries for women in the workplace.  Both of these come from the traditional view that men are the "breadwinner" of the household and women are the "caretakers" of the household.  This often leads to men immediately dismissing them as executives or as colleagues.  It is important for us to do our best to separate our perceptions based on this stereotype from what we actually think.  If we realize that this is no longer a realistic world view, then maybe women will get the respect they need.  This way, everyone can feel that they have an equal share of the business world, and everyone can treat each other as equals.

http://www.jewishjournal.com/opinion/article/israeli_women_lean_in_or_cant_have_it_all

Caesarea and The Chasidim

This weekend, a friend of mine invited me to go off kibbutz with his family (shoutout to Aaron Mckay).  One of the places we went was Caesarea, which was built by King Herod in order to both increase trade into Judea and also to help Judea flourish with the help of Roman culture.  However, in order to build Caesarea, he had to get the resources, and where would he get the resources but from the citizens.  Taxes were increased, some people were forced to work as slaves, and many had to support the project using their resources.  So it really decreased his popularity in Judea, despite its intention to help them out and make their lives better.  Sometimes people in power can do this to themselves as well.  They do something with a somewhat good intention, and later on that action ends up causing the exact opposite.
One example of this in today's society is the fact that the Ultra-Orthodox jews don't have to work, in order to increase their time to study torah.  This was probably instituted as a rule in order to further Judaism within Israel.  However, all it has done is drawn a wedge between different groups of Israeli jews.  The fact that the Chasidim don't have to work outrages many non-Chasidim, myself included.  It makes me angry at them, and when we're angry at them, they get angry at us for wanting to take away their "right to study Torah."  Maybe both Herod and the government could've used a little more thinking about their actions before they committed to them.

Local View vs. News View

Today I read an article about an opinion that is not usually expressed in today's world.  It was about a Muslim doctor expressing her positive thoughts on Israel.  She said that, if it were not for Israel, she would not have had a chance to be where she is today.  Of course, then the author's Jewish mother stated that she wanted to live in an exclusively Jewish community, saying that would make her feel safer.  If you look at most mainstream news sources reporting of the Israeli-Palestine conflict, you will find that almost all of them (excluding FOX news) are anti-Israel.  Yet here is a member of the Muslim side of the conflict stating that Israel is great and gave her all this opportunity.  Sometimes it feels like (and this applies to every single news outlet) the news is just reporting exactly what it wants us to hear.  In today's world, it is hard to know who is telling the truth and who is lying, and often people get very caught up in the cloud of confusion.  It is important for us to remember to look into every single possible angle in a conflict and not just assume something to be true if we hear it.

http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/what-israel-is-giving-me-the-voice-of-an-arab-doctor/

Hillel vs. Shamay

Today in Jewish History, we learned about two famous rabbis, Rabbi Hillel and Rabbi Shamay.  One particular story was about a cynic who went up to each of them and said "If you can teach me the entirety of the Torah while I stand on one foot I'll convert."  Shamay has a fairly normal reaction and tells him to get out.  Hillel, however, says "Don't treat others as you wouldn't have them treat you."  Now, while Shamay's reaction was perfectly reasonable, I think we can all learn something from Hillel's reaction.  When someone is being very rude and he had every right to be rude back, he used it as a teaching opportunity.  Sometimes I believe that we need to do this more often, take a moment that seems very impossible to be productive in and turn it around.  By doing so, we can not only possibly gain new members of Judaism, but also maybe de-alienate other religions who may feel isolated.  If every rabbi and every Jew acted like Hillel, Judaism may be a bit bigger today.  It is also important to just be nice to other people simply because that's human decency, and if you don't give any respect, you can't expect to get any in return.  The world owes you nothing until you try to help it.

Udi Aloni vs. Benjamin Netanyahu

Today I read an article about an Israeli film maker and his statements about Israel's government.  Director Udi Aloni won the top audience awards in Berlin for his recent movie (congratulations to him), but just before winning the award, footage surfaced of him making statements about Israel's government, including calling it "fascist" and also urging Germany to stop sending military aid.  Now, while he is allowed to have his own opinion, the fact that his movie received money from the government would suggest that he supports the government, and yet these statements say the exact opposite.  If he does not like the government, he should not take money from them.  He is, in a sense, slapping the hand that feeds him.  A recent example of refusing someone's support if you don't agree with them has to do with who else but Donald Trump.  Recently, David Duke, former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, endorsed Trump and suggested that other members of the KKK vote for Trump.  When asked, Trump didn't agree with Duke, but he didn't reject him either.  If you do not agree with what someone is saying or someone's message, don't take support from them.  Don't just take because you need something, take if you are okay with what the giver endorses.