
	View in browser

Yehuda Lave is an author, journalist, psychologist, rabbi, spiritual teacher, and coach, with degrees in business, psychology and Jewish Law. He works with people from all walks of life and helps them in their search for greater happiness, meaning, business advice on saving money, and spiritual engagement.

Love Yehuda Lave

Join my blog by sending me an email to YehudaLave@gmail.com

"As of now, not a single one" of those who received the third dose
"became ill with Delta, with coronavirus, that's definitely proof of the
safety, which we are sure of, and after three weeks from the start of
the vaccination campaign there are no unusual side effects, when
compared to what we saw after the second dose."

These are the guidelines for High Holiday prayers

World Synagogue Organization issues guidelines for safe prayers during High Holidays. Among the guidelines: Entry only for those thrice-vaccinated.

The World Synagogue Organization (WSO) has recommended that synagogue sextons, rabbis, and community leaders prepare in advance for the Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) prayer gatherings, in light of the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Since the prayer services on these holidays are significantly longer than usual, the World Synagogue Organization suggests taking extra precautions in order to protect worshipers' health, and especially the health of those who are older or are in high-risk groups.

In their recommendations, the Organization suggested that only those who have received the third dose of the coronavirus vaccine, are recovered and have a Green Pass, and those who present a recent negative coronavirus test be allowed to enter the synagogue. All other worshipers, including those of any age who received just two doses of the vaccine, should pray in an open area.

It is recommended that worshipers avoid kissing the Torah scroll and shaking hands with each other.

WSO emphasized that masks should be properly worn throughout the prayer services, and that sextons must ensure there is proper ventilation and enough space between worshipers. There should also be a set location in the synagogue where worshipers can sanitize their hands.

WSO also urged that places for prayer be set up in open areas, for those who are not included in the above or who would prefer not to attend prayers in enclosed areas. These services should preferably be held near the synagogue in order to preserve the connection to the regular prayer services and to the community, the organization added. In addition, the locations should be safe and properly shaded, and include comfortable seating appropriate for lengthy services. As much as possible, care should be taken to avoid disturbing neighbors, and this should also factor into the decision of where to hold the prayers.

Prayers during the High Holidays should begin as early as possible, and be shortened as much as possible, in order to ease the difficulties faced when praying outdoors in intense heat.

A "coronavirus manager" should be appointed both in synagogues and for prayers held in open areas. This person should ensure the coronavirus precautions are kept.

In a statement, WSO said: "Safe prayers, with intentions straight from the heart, will reach the Throne of Glory and G-d willing it will be 'a time of mercy and a time of desire before G-d.' May we merit to see complete recovery, good news, salvation, and comfort.

The Three Musketeers at the Kotel

Converts' Judaism upheld despite conversion under false identities

Rabbinic Supreme Court, in precedent-setting ruling, finds conversion of people who falsely claimed to be bothers and sisters to be valid.

A precedent-setting ruling by the Rabbinic Supreme Court recognized the Judaism of two couples from Ethiopia who converted to Judaism under a false identity after presenting themselves as if they were brothers and sisters and the children of a single individual from the Beta Israel community.

After the scam became known, the conversion court decided to cancel their conversion, arguing that the converts were not entitled to aliyah under the Law of Return and were not entitled to come to the court in their true identity. Also since the threshold conditions of a conversion request include sincerity - a false identity fraudulently disqualifies the conversion. In addition, the couples introduced themselves as unmarried brothers and sisters and continued to live after the conversion without a halakhic marriage.

The four disqualified people petitioned the Rabbinic Supreme Court and asked to confirm their conversion. The judges, Rabbi Eliezer Igra, Rabbi Shlomo Shapira and Rabbi Zvi Ben Yaakov, sat on the bench and wrote a verdict with far-reaching implications.

The ruling deviates from the framework of the discussion regarding the specific case that is the subject of the appeal and it reviews the halakhic history on the subject of conversion and the issue of false identity starting from the Torah and the prophets, such as the Prophet Samuel, which relates that the Gibeonites who came to convert presented themselves with a false identity according to which they were not from the seven nations which were forbidden to convert to Judaism. The ruling also reviews the laws of the country from the Ottoman period to the present day on the subject of conversion, as well as the history of immigration from Ethiopia.

The decision also addresses the issue of conversion applications submitted for the purpose of obtaining citizenship or for the purpose of marriage. At the same time, it was stated that "we do not take lightly the findings. The appellants' serious fraud was and still is a reason for which criminal sanctions should be taken against them, perhaps severe, both in the context of the fraud against state authorities in general and in the conversion court deception in particular." The judges asked the tribunal to update the Israel Police and the State Attorney's Office on the matter "for the purpose of conducting an investigation and prosecuting the perpetrators."

This Day in Jewish History: El Al Plane Shot Down Over Bulgaria, 58 Dead

Israeli plane had erroneously strayed into the Eastern European state and was gunned down by two Bulgarian air force fighter jets

On July 27, 1955, an El Al plane carrying 51 passengers and seven crew was shot down by two fighter jets belonging to the Bulgarian air force, after it had gone off course and strayed across the border into western Bulgaria. Everyone on board was killed.

LY-402, the Israeli carrier's weekly flight from London to Tel Aviv, departed Heathrow Airport on the evening of Tuesday, July 26, 1955, en route to Lod (today Ben-Gurion International Airport), via Vienna and Istanbul. After a layover at the Austrian capital, the Lockheed Constellation – a four-engine propeller plane – took off for Istanbul shortly before 3 A.M. on July 27.

Soon after takeoff, the flight encountered a thunderstorm, something that was known to cause distortions in the old-fashioned NDR navigation system then in use. In the case of LY-402, which was flying along the "Amber 10" air lane, it appears that the pilot changed course after concluding incorrectly that he had passed over the Skopje (Macedonia) navigation beacon. This change of direction caused the aircraft to cross from Yugoslavia into Bulgaria, near the border village of Tran.

Detecting the violation of its airspace, the Bulgarian air force scrambled two MiG-15 jets from the Dobroslavtsi airfield to intercept the intruder, with the sequence of events that followed a subject of debate – at least initially. What's clear is that, as the civilian plane neared the country's southern border and was about to cross into Greek airspace, the MiGs fired at it. The Constellation exploded at an altitude of 2,000 feet, with its pieces falling to earth near Petrich, Bulgaria. Everyone on board was killed.

Bulgaria quickly acknowledged that it had shot down the plane, and Israel did not dispute that its plane had crossed into Bulgaria without authorization. But the initial Bulgarian version of events had the two air force pilots claiming that they had gone through standard procedure for such cases, including firing warning shots across the front of the plane. The pilots also testified that the Israeli plane had initially moved its wing flaps, indicating its intention to follow the Bulgarian instructions, before breaking away and heading south for the border, as if intending to escape.

According to a history of Bulgarian aviation by Zahari Zahariev, the deputy commander of Bulgarian air defense, Gen. Velitchko Georgiev, told the two pilots, named Petrov and Sankiisky, "If the plane is leaving our territory, disobeying orders, and there is no time left for more warnings, then shoot it down."

Bulgaria quickly backed away from its version of events, issued an apology for the disaster, and eventually paid compensation for the loss of life. Payment to the families of the 22 Israelis on board was set, in 1963, at the maximum allowed by the Warsaw Convention – $8,236 per passenger. Previous to that, Israel had applied to the World Court to decide on the question of compensation, but the court ruled, for technical reasons, that it did not have jurisdiction over the case.

Ukraine, Israel, Agree on Corona Certificates to Facilitate Free Travel Come Rosh Hashanah

By David Israel

Representatives of the Governments of Ukraine and Israel held a regular meeting on the issue of mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certificates, the Embassy of Ukraine in Israel reported on Monday.

An online meeting was held on Monday by the professional staff of the relevant ministries and departments of Ukraine and Israel involved in the implementation of "COVID Certificates" for traveling between the two countries. The meeting was facilitated by the Embassy of Ukraine in Tel Aviv.

The two parties exchanged information on the status of the measure, in particular the technical aspects of the certificates which must be in line with the health regulations in both countries as well as the norms of the World Health Organization.

During the meetings with the Israeli side, Ambassador of Ukraine Yevgen Korniychuk stressed the importance of signing an intergovernmental agreement on mutual recognition of vaccination passports for COVID-19 as soon as possible. He noted that this would help to organize a safe visit to Ukraine by Israeli pilgrims during the Jewish New Year.

"The draft agreement was submitted by the Israeli side for approval in May and is in fact fully processed," the ambassador said.

The Embassy of Ukraine maintains close contacts with representatives of religious communities to discuss and agree on issues related to this year's pilgrimage to the tomb of Reb Nachman of Breslov in Uman.

The Rosh Hashana Kibbutz-ingathering is a large prayer assemblage of Breslover Hasidim held on the Rosh Hashanah when thousands of Chassidim come to the city of Uman, Ukraine (at least 40,000 Jewish men each year). In recent years the pilgrimage to Uman has been attracting Jews from every facet of religious observance and affiliation, including Sephardic Jews.