Rabbi Hammer in | |  |
January 6, 2012
Strangers in a strange land
By Shalom Hammer
The main problem with the haredi community is that, for the most part, it does not recognize the Israeli government. Haredim, extremists, radicalism: these have become the predominant issues and mainstay of conversation throughout Israel and the Jewish world over the past few weeks.
Keep reading...
October 28, 2011
Gilad & Beit Shemesh haredim
By Shalom Hammer
Over the last few months, when I've mentioned to people that I am from Beit Shemesh, I have consistently received the same reaction: "Isn't that the city where a group of extremist haredim [ultra-Orthodox] are aggressively disturbing the peace and causing problems?" Keep reading...
September 4, 2011
Back to school, Part II
By Shalom Hammer
To nurture future generations of leaders and visionaries, we must galvanize a loyal passion toward their country and their people. Keep reading...
August 22, 2011
Training Maj.-Gen. Avi Zamir
By Shalom Hammer
When Jewish soldiers are unaware of who the founding fathers were, it is difficult to protect the country's borders and citizens; for the knowledge of our past advances the resilience of our future…With the escalation of terror attacks in the Negev, it is vital during this challenging time that we recognize that the more we enrich our children and soldiers with Jewish heritage, the more they will comprehend what they are fighting for. Keep reading...
July 10, 2011
The identity crisis of Orthodox Jewry
By Shalom Hammer
We have to market Judaism in an appealing fashion so that young people will embrace tradition with a thirst for knowledge rather then reject standards of common practice in frustration. Keep reading...
October 25, 2010
Are hesder yeshivot accomplishing what they should?
By Shalom Hammer
Ideologically speaking, these institutions should be facilitating the steps their students have to take from its study halls to those of the university.Keep reading...
August 21, 2010
Reexamining support of Zionist ideals
By Shalom Hammer
Two weeks ago, this paper described in an editorial entitled “A wrong-headed change on IDF exemptions for haredim”
how the government succumbed to the haredi population by providing a military exemption for all yeshiva students who reached the age of 22…I strongly believe that once you start referencing Zionist ideals and contemplating the challenges of infusing ideology in a “me generation”, it is only fair to account for the many segments of the Israeli population where these same patterns are exhibited…Considering the full extent of these statistics and the far-reaching ramifications they have in all segments of our population, the challenge of preserving the Zionist ideal and motivating a “me generation” is far greater then we may have imagined. Keep reading...
February 22, 2010
Have we gone mad?
By Shalom Hammer
The ladies next to me looked confused and I could see by their expressions that they were uneasy with both the question that was posed and the reactions which followed. I was equally confused as I wondered if indeed the hassid was fulfilling God's mission.... However, the nonsensical would not go away, for the following day I read an article in The Jerusalem Post ("'Personal mehitzas' marketed for haredim," February 19) stating that haredi airline passengers are being advised to hang a new type of mehitza - a halachic barrier to separate the sexes - around the top of their airplane seats,… Surely this was not what God had in mind… God never asked us to live an ascetic existence, nor does He expect us to refrain from enjoying what the world has to offer. The Jewish community should invest more in this commodity by ridding itself of one-upmanship when it comes to religiosity. Keep reading...
January 3, 2010
Hesder leaders and the beginning of redemption
By Shalom Hammer
On my way home from teaching recently at Yeshiva Derech Haim, the hesder yeshiva in Kiryat Gat, I picked up two soldiers from a bus stop on the side of the road…"There is no one voice from the national religious rabbinic leaders to guide us through these challenges. Many of the soldiers feel this way." This final statement was the one that pained me the most, because it is one that I have known for a long time to be true…Every rabbi and rosh yeshiva has the right to express his opinion and guide his students accordingly. However, last month's meeting demonstrated that it is crucial that all yeshiva heads remember that they are bound by a common cause and joint purpose. Keep reading...
November 22, 2009
Loyal fan - committed soldier
By Shalom Hammer
...the New York fan is passionate about his sport but non committal towards its players and teams. His fickle fluctuation makes it challenging at times for him to declare allegiance to the organization. … Yet lately within the arena of the IDF there have been symptoms which have pointed in a similar direction…the Hesder Yeshiva student must remember that he is not only a soldier; he is a religious observant soldier who represents the moral order and outstanding values of the Jewish people and of the Torah itself … they must remember that the way in which they voice their concern is just as important and influential as the opinion expressed. Keep reading...
September 24, 2009
Guest columnist: New year, new pioneer
By Shalom Hammer
Over the span of 10 years, the percentage of students from regular religious high schools opting to attend these yeshivot has grown from 13 percent to 43%. …success is measured in our world by how much money we earn, not by our lofty ideological ambitions. The current hedonistic society we live in is founded upon self-indulgence, and yet ideology is preserved consistently (not exclusively) through religiosity … My students, and so many more, have found meaning in their lives through the hesder yeshiva because it encapsulates and institutes the service of God, country and nation. Keep reading...
August 30, 2009
Back to school - back to basics
By Shalom Hammer
How can citizens of a country so concerned with its ability to defend itself and so dependant upon its army, an institution which incidentally represents and thrives upon camaraderie and consideration, make such an unintelligible observation?... it all goes back to school … Schools in Israel do not promote exploration nor do they teach creative expression within a disciplined environment and the effect trickles down. Israeli education is predicated upon quantitative education as opposed to qualitative education. This system (or lack thereof) does not propagate sensitivity to intellectual or behavioral patterns and by default desensitizes a person to his surroundings. Keep reading...
March 10, 2009
Lacking the Purim spirit at Berkeley Hillel
By Shalom Hammer
Berkeley Hillel seeks a comfortable and formidable lifestyle; they are afraid of their own shadows and embarrassed of their ancestors' legacy, choosing to ignore the painful sacrifices they made to uphold it; Mordechai sought purpose and meaning as he displayed his ancestors' traditions and customs with pride and satisfaction. Keep reading...
|
