Crayons & Beat Downs

Brawl erupts at Calif. kindergarten graduation (FROM MSNBC)



School placed on lockdown after fight involving 20 adults; 2 women held

Updated 11:53 p.m. PT, Thurs., June 24, 2010


VICTORVILLE, Calif. - Two women have been arrested following a parents' brawl that interrupted a Southern California kindergarten graduation ceremony, authorities said.

School officials placed Puesta del Sol Elementary in the desert town of Victorville on lockdown Wednesday morning after a fight broke out among a group of parents.

The San Bernardino County sheriff's department says witnesses told deputies several mothers were involved in an argument and it got physical in a field near the ceremony. Several men then jumped into the fray and the incident turned into a brawl.


A deputy later arrested two people on suspicion of being a disruptive presence at a school. Witnesses said they were the main instigators. In all, 20 adults were identified in the brawl. A school district official said there could be more arrests.

No injuries were reported.
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FROM PARSHAT BALAK:


ה מַה-טֹּבוּ אֹהָלֶיךָ, יַעֲקֹב; מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶיךָ, יִשְׂרָאֵל.  How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, thy dwellings, O Israel!


As our communities get "frummer" we have to keep in mind the two extremes. On the positive side, an an enemy praising us for our family life, our modesty and our consideration for others. On the other hand, a world in which parents brawl at a kindergarten graduation. I'm afraid were losing sight of the intrinsic morality that lies inside of each human being.

We need to be "goodly" and not "frumly". Lately I have been seeing too much "frumly" and too little "goodly".

From the Haftorah:


 הִגִּיד לְךָ אָדָם, מַה-טּוֹב; וּמָה-ה" דּוֹרֵשׁ מִמְּךָ, כִּי אִם-עֲשׂוֹת מִשְׁפָּט וְאַהֲבַת חֶסֶד, וְהַצְנֵעַ לֶכֶת, עִם-אֱלֹ-יךָ. {ס} It hath been told thee, O man, what is good, and what the L-RD doth require of thee: only to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy G-d.

"HUMBLY"   I repeat "HUMBLY". Meaning, with humility and not arrogance. Cognizant of the fact that the person next to you, no matter who or what he/she is was made at the same factory by the same Creator as you and me.

With that said, What is your favorite Crayola color?

Shabbat Shalom....Catch you again soon...Ben Hashmashot 

And the Beat Goes On....

יוזמה לסילוק זרים מת"א: "מביאים זוהמה ופשע" The following is a Hebrew excerpt from Ynet.co.il
חבר מועצה מש"ס מוביל, בשיתוף רבנים, מאבק בדרום העיר נגד השכרת דירות למסתננים ופליטים. הוא מזכיר כי בגמרא נאסר על "השכרה לגויים", ומזהיר כי "אפריקנים מורידים את ערך הדירות".
http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3909709,00.html

The gist is that a Shaas Party member of the Knesset seems to think that the African refugees bring crime and infection to the area of south Tel-Aviv where they live and warns that they bring down land values.

I've heard that somewhere before in the past.

.....The beat goes on......

The Rule of Law - FUNNY

From Monty Python's, "The Life of Brian":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Erthun0Pauc


Enjoy and Comment

The Rule of Law

Below is a link to a letter written by the Rebbe of Slonim:

http://my.ynet.co.il/pic/judisem/1.PDF

The Rebbe of Slonim is reacting to the recent Israeli Supreme Court ruling regarding desegregation of a school in the town of Emanuel, Israel and the efforts taken to enforce the decision of the Court.

The Rebbe uses terms to describe the Court including "Sitra Achra" and calls the struggle something that he expected in the end of days.

Is his letter legitimate? Will this provoke violence?

The broader question that Israel must grapple with is that of the rule of law. There are vast segments of the population that consider the laws of the State to be secondary to their laws. in this case, Halacha.

Is the Admor of Slonim really promulgating a letter based on a legitimate Halachic ruling? Does this have to do more with power and politics than Halacha?

To add more to the mix, it seems evident that over the years, the Israeli Supreme Court has been insensitive to observant Jews, particularly to Charedei Jews. Was their ruling another poke in the eye?

Is there discrimination by Ashkenazi Charedeim towards Edot Mizrach? Yes there is. I can attest to that from first hand conversations that I have had with Ashkenazi Chareideim. So, why hasn't Shas come out forcefully in support of the Israeli Supreme Court ruling?

Where is the "rule of law" in all of this? The idea that everyone is the same under the law. Well, that's an American concept and ideal. While Israel has made great strides towards that ideal, when it comes to religion, law and politics, the concept of the "rule of law" takes a back seat.

For many American Jews who think that the democratic process and religion can coexist, incidents like this and pronouncements against the rule of law like those made by the Rebbe of Slonim make us feel uncomfortable. Can democracy, the "rule of law" and Halacha really coexist?

Confused? Welcome to Ben Hashmashot.

Love to hear your thoughts.



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As a compliment to the Ben Hashmashot Blog Radio Program, we have created this blog in order to exchange ideas on a wide variety of subjects that affect the Jewish Community in the U.S. and Israel.
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