Haveil Havalim #304 - The Blog Carnival Went Bust edition

Welcome to Haveil Havalim #304, the Blog Carnival Went Bust edition!

Yes, that’s right; I received none of the posts submitted via Blog Carnival this week. It's true - you faithfully filled out their form, chose categories, even added thoughtful notes in the Comments box, sent your data off into cyberspace and gullibly believed their automatic confirmation email... and I received bupkis.

On the down side, that meant a lot of work for me this week. On the other hand, it means I ranged far and wide - even farther and wider than I usually go for HH - to bring you the best of this week's Jewish and Israeli blogosphere, including many writers who have never submitted posts to HH. [And to all of you who didn't submit - please don't make me go looking for you next time! When Blog Carnival works, you can submit here.]

Then, late tonight, the incredible Jack evaded Blog Carnival security and rappeled into their digital vault to send me the top-secret file of submissions, so I received those as well. As usual, I included all submissions, regardless of point-of-view, although I did exclude posts that were published prior to this past week. You know who you are.

I hope you’ll enjoy!

First, the boilerplate:
Founded by Soccer Dad, Haveil Havalim is a carnival of Jewish blogs -- a weekly collection of Jewish and Israeli blog highlights, tidbits and points of interest collected from blogs all around the world. It's hosted by different bloggers each week and coordinated by the formidable Jack. And this week, Jack does what Jack does best in They Paid Me $500 For This Post.


PLEASE READ THIS FIRST
Everyone Needs Therapy talks about treatment for abuse victims in Treating Bill Zeller. It won't put you in the mood for HH, but please read it anyway. And then read Bill Zeller’s last words.


EGYPT
Risa links to a Song Worth 1,000 words!, as did David Betbender here, on the dangers of Egypt’s revolution (Note: kol isha in the Youtube video), presenting an interesting counterpoint to Rachel Barenblat’s more optimistic On Egypt, protest, and liberation.

Treppenwitz notes that Tzippi Livni is optimistic, too, although her optimism is about her own opportunities. And then there's Rabbi Michael Lemming's universe.


ISRAEL
Rutimizrachi rallies support for a project to start a homeless shelter in Yerushalayim, calling for votes in the Dell Social Innovation Competition - which ends February 14th – in While all the earth's foundations shake.

Davebender remembers the explosion of Space Shuttle Columbia in Elegy For Columbia (A Meditation).

Ben-Yehudah asks some hard-but-necessary questions about Jewish/Israeli partnerships with evangelicals in Mt. Carmel Blaze Breaks Firewall Between Faiths, while Rickismom highlights the need for building more partnerships for Jews with other Jews in “Y” and the Wedding / “They Won’t Lynch You….”.

Rutimizrachi calls attention to the difficult state of a Bedouin who is protesting on behalf of Gilad Shalit in A breath of hope in a sea of anxiety.

Jameel salutes Lt. Aliza Landes, part of the IDF’s New Media unit. And speaking of new media and Israel, Seraphic Secret calls our attention to Iranium, The Movie.

Cosmic-X has the latest letters in the campaign to free Jonathan Pollard, here and here.

Matityahu Ben-Yosef lectures on the true meaning of Zionism in Taking back Zionism?

Ben-Yehudah writes about the government’s investigation of Rabbi Dov Lior in The State Continues Its Battle Against The Torah. For some serious scholarly material related to the topic, see Menachem Butler’s outstanding Robert Eisen, The Peace and Violence of Judaism, and Rabbis Aharon Shmuel Tameres, Shlomo Goren, and Shaul Yisraeli.

Ever hear of Marrickville? Me neither - but Snoopy the Goon did... and perhaps those kind Marrickvillians (Marrickvilloons? Marrickvillains?) should see this post at Or Am I? to find out about more things they should be boycotting.

Yisrael Medad appeared on Russian RT Television's CrossTalk, wrote on Schoenberg's Jabotinsky music, and was certain you wouldn't see tzitzit on a player at the Super Bowl. [Guess he didn't see this ubiquitously plugged video, huh?]

Joel Katz presents Religion and State in Israel - February 7, 2011 (Section 1) and Religion and State in Israel - February 7, 2011 (Section 2).

Nothing new here, but worth reading Wake Up Hollywood: Sitcoms Won’t End Jihad. (I especially enjoyed the first comment.)

As always, Harry keeps us posted on the lighter side of Israeli society, this time with Jesse James meets the Hebrew Anvil, Israeli Anti-Chef Super Bowl meal [which may address Benji Lovitt's question about a certain Israeli company's Super Bowl party] and Stay-home Israeli dads…

…and while we’re on the lighter side, David Betbender covers the purported UFO sighting over Har haBayit.

Finally, Jacob Richman offers views of New Israeli Educational Stamps.


RANDOM
Who better to offer Random Thoughts? JackB takes on the bullies and their parents in When Mean Girls Grow Up.

I’m not weighing in on the Is Starbucks Kosher question – but Arbitribe does, and with some great cartoons. Maybe she should illustrate FrumSatire's Getting Stoned at a Bar Mitzvah next.

Frume Sarah has an interview with the author of Hush, silver-prize winner of the Sydney Taylor Book Award.

Have an idea for a shidduch for a woman from Baltimore? Great – Do it by Purim, and you’ll gain $2500 for your efforts! For more, see Shades of Grey’s post here.

Frum Female offers thoughts on the Chinese Rosh HaShanah Parade in New York, and I found Chana’s brief Policemen, Priests and Psych Wards worth mulling.

This is truly remarkable: Mississippi Fred MacDowell offers the story of the 18th century Swedish Graanboom family – who moved to Amsterdam to convert to Judaism.

Modern Uberdox reflects on life, Judaism and being alone on an airplane in Reflections of a chassunah.

Does living at home mean you’re immature, and does living independently mean you have evolved into an adult? Bad for Shidduchim isn’t so sure.

I’m pretty sure I didn’t get what was going on in this post at A Blob of Something Different, but I liked it anyway, so here it is.


JUDAISM
I totally missed the first-ever Jewish Identity Day; glad I read about it at Thinking Jew Girl.

This isn’t a blog post, but take a look at the New York Times on the annual SOY Seforim Sale at Yeshiva University. And if it really needs a blog post in order to count, then see Tzvee’s sardonic take here.

Hirhurim hosts the thoughts of a giant talmid chacham, Rabbi Michael Broyde, on Brain Death and Organ Donation.

Are rabbis too strict about birth control and abortion? A Mother in Israel wants to know.

Kochava compares conversion and falling in love, at Crazy Jewish Convert, and Elle describes her own current state in Honesty, at On Becoming Devoted.

Susan Barnes answers the Judaism-related questions that bring people to her blog, at Your Questions Answered.

Hey, Susan, Chavi wants answers to some questions, too. (By the way, Chavi: Both are addressed in Shulchan Aruch, believe it or not…)

And speaking of rabbis, Parshablog looks at the alleged prediction by the Lubavitcher Rebbe z”l that Gulf War I would end on Purim. (Yes, I know not everyone agrees with the “z”l” I included – witness those cited in this post at An Aspiring Mekubal!)

On the Torah side of things, Parshablog asks, "How does Rav Yosef translate tachash?"

I had some thoughts on things that synagogues should be noticing, in Lesson from the Super Bowl: Hidden Yardage. Orthonomics, in the meantime, has some thoughts about a new way to teach which, perhaps, the Jewish community should be noticing.

Life in Israel offers an interesting discussion on having female teachers for male students here, and Harry Maryles adds his own thoughts here.

ProfK asks why some people believe life was better for Jews in der heim.

A Chabad House in Florida goes bankrupt, and Wolfish Musings offers commentary on the Chabad business model.

The incomparable Menachem Butler offers scholarship tied to the yahrtzeit of Moshe Rabbeinu (observed last week and next month), at his Michtavim blog. I posted my own thoughts on the yahrtzeit, too.

Israel News presents What is "Jewish" in the Diaspora?

Thinking about prayer? Allison Josephs emphasizes the communicative elements of prayer in I Just Called to Say I Love You: Why Orthodox Jews Pray Every Day, while Ben Slobodkin offers A Tallit Poem by Yehuda Amichai.

And Daniel ben Shmuel weighs in against segulot in The Amuqah Idolatry.


FOOD
Our Shiputzim hosts the Kosher Cooking Carnival for Adar!

Yosefa Huber offers a remarkable post, Sending Food, on the ins-and-outs of Chesed Meals

Daniela debuts on HH with reviews of Osem's Flat Salt Pretzel and Ben & Jerry's Cubby Hubby Ice Cream…

… and pretzels must be in the air this week, as Home Shuling presents some tasty-looking Pretzel Challah...

...And what are pretzels without beer? My brother reviews Blue Moon Spring Blonde Wheat Ale at the Kosher Beers blog. [Yes, that was January, but I love the name of that beer.]

But if it’s healthy food you seek, you might try Yosefa Huber’s Bulgur Bulgur Pilaf: The Instant Whole Grain instead. Or Mrs. S's advice on Eight Easy Steps for eating a Pomelo.


FOR KIDS (Jay3fer, you get your wish…)
I'm not sure there is a "good" way to introduce children to the Shoah; see Midianite Manna's note on the topic here.

Jay3fer offers a Free Printable Foldable Shabbat Micro-Book (with folding tutorial), Jewish Homeschooling Blog Carnival #5 and a Parshah Overview for kids for Parshat Tetzaveh [part of an on-going series].

And Jacob Richman adds more than 1000 questions to his free, online Bible Quiz – which is really for adults, too!

BATYA’S BLOGS
And in what may be my favorite part of doing HH, the prolific Batya presents
Over $100,000 to Defend a Pro-Arab Jew?

and

And Who Really Is That Jordanian King Abdullah? And Whose Land is This?

and

Romantic? Hah!

and

Ehud Barak vs The IDF

and

Outgoing COS Gabi Ashkenazi at Tel Shiloh

and

Does Mubarak want to die in the saddle?

And that’s it for this week; tune in next time at To Kiss a Mezuzah for Haveil Havalim #305! And in case Blog Carnival is back up and running, submit your posts here.