Nu, what type of Jew is Michaltastik?

I thought I'd take a minute or so to talk about the great divide we have in Orthodoxy. I am in a unique position as I really straddle this divide. I mean, my music tastes include the secular Israeli pop group, Hadag Nachash AND Lipa Schmeltzer, the chasidic/chareidi pop singer. Most of my friends (and two of my three rabbis) are yeshivish but, I consider myself Modern Orthodox. This past Shabbos, I was in Flatbush almost Boro Park with a family where the women wore turbans. I davened in one of those shuls where there's not even a balcony, the women are upstairs but it's not a balcony. They had a hole in the floor so that the women could hear the service. The week before, I was in Riverdale. Yes, Riverdale, famed for Avi Weiss, the controversial rabbi who's trying to sneak women rabbis into Orthodoxy. I even davened the two Maarivs at HIR. I mean, wow, talk about refusing to nail myself down Jewishly!

However, I'm happy with this vareity I have going on. Nu, where do I stand? Well, I consider myself Modern Orthodox. However, I don't think I'm a regular Modern Orthodox Jewish girl. I don't particularly identify with the Avi Weiss types. For example, I don't have a TV. I hold some really yeshivishah type chumrahs. I definitely don't dress Modern Orthodox. So, I call myself Modern Orthodox Machmir or Modern ORTHODOX, as opposed to MODERN Orthodox. I am often criticized by those to the right of me as if there is only ONE type of Modern Orthodox. No, no, no... Let me respond....

I don't have a TV, but I'll watch other people's TVs rather freely. I don't want it right there because then I would watch it all the time and I don't want that. I would go to the movies, but how often would I do that? Not very often. I definitely don't go out to clubs or push the limits of tznius, something that those to the left of me do. Those to the left of me are looking for every possible heter and lenient ruling to go by. I do not do this. Nu, you're yeshivish then, right? NOPERS! Why not? Well, let's see, I will listen to secular music if it's reasonably clean. I don't want to marry and support a kollel guy and I, in fact, do not agree with this whole thing, kolllel for an eternity not followed by becoming a rabbi as a profession. You see? I'm not so easily pinned down.

Ok, that being said, I"m going to have some breakfast and I'll be back to post: The Great Divide: that is, the great Jewish divide down the middle of Orthodoxy.

Nice little conversion story...

I just ran across this cute little conversion story. I see that she is from Western NY, which is where I am from. I wonder if she is also from Buffalo. It doesn't say if she is from Buffalo or Rochester, which are the two cities in "Western NY." However, there are a lot of Catholics in Buffalo. Actually, my mother had a strict Catholic upbringing, but if you've read this blog or you know me, you know that I was NOT raised as a strict Catholic, AT ALL. Hahahah, I saw my mother in church for maybe a wedding or a christening, not even the holidays.

Also, this woman is a cat lover and the girls in JCO (my group, Jewish Conversion Orthodox), we like cats. When an inquiry was put out by a meetup host on cat allergies, one of the women told one of the other girls, "I'm allergic to people who don't have cats!" Hehehe, I like that line.






http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?apage=2&cid=1249418599809&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Arrivals: Devorah Olam: From New York state to Ma'aleh Adumim

Nu, what has Michal been up to?

Nu, Michal hasn't posted since Thursday. Where, oh where could she be?

On Wednesday morning on the way to work, my bike tire went flat. The brakes were not so good and I had already decided that after the summer ended, I would throw the bike out. So, when the tire went flat, I wasn't going to fix it. I bought a new bike on Thursday. I had work on Friday, leaping into Shabbos in Brooklyn.

This morning, I got up earlier to fight crowds (the ones I thought I would beat at 8am) at the laundromat. Then I ran some erranda and I went to the Frum Satire show tonight. Then I came home and I've been catching up on my Facebook page, Email, blog comments from poop and well now you are up to speed.

Hillary Clinton is upset

Have you seen the headlines? Hillary apparently got upset because everyone kept asking what her husband thought of this and that. I can't say that I blame her but, I think she is forgetting that there is a time when Bill was in the spotlight and yet everyone talked about Hillary.

Anyhow, I saw the headlines at the newsstand and then came home to find it in the Hamodia on Tuesday and so, I thought that I would blog it.

Subcontractor airline inefficiency

I read about this in the Hamodia the other day. I meant to blog about it and then didn't get to it. So just now I saw someone's Facebook status where they were talkinga bout this.

Apparently, a subcontractor of Contintental airlines left people on an airline over night last Friday night. There was apparently some issue where they couldn't land and unload where they were supposed to. So, some other carriers resolved it by bussing people in from another airport and others just let their passengers off so they could wait in the airport. The article says that babies were crying and the mood was so eery that passengers could not just sleep the time away.

Vox Poopoli...

We're all arguing here with this self proclaimed respresentative of the populus... come on over, it'll be a blast.

This person says that he (or she?) is not an American... do tell where art thou?

It seems interesting this non-American should be stating how the Americans think and feel. Amongst the yeshivish Jews (my friends), most people are not in favor of Oh, bomb us! However, this person keeps bringing up that many Jews did vote for him. I don't dispute this but, really WHAT KIND of Jews? Certainly not people I know!

Anonymous on the Israel politics and Vox

I tried replying to one of the posts on your blog but it did not work.

Some people think that the two state solution will bring about peace. Most people logically know even after pulling out of Gaza, Gush Katif that it does not work. Syria won't commence talks ulness the Golan Heights are returned to them.

Egypt is doing nothing to prevent the ams smuggle into the Gaza Strip. I'm sure its medical supplies which are coming in!! Considering how much foreign aid Egpyt receives from USA. The UN keeps saying halt all building of settlements in the West Bank, how can you stop natural growth? Who actually listens let alones recognises the legitmacy of the UN anymore? They say go back to the pre 1967 borders, but then we could say the same for the British colonies to be returned to it's rightful owners, or giving the dutch back New York and calling it New Harlem once more. Or all the Spanish/Portguese colonies to be returned.

Why doesn't the World focus it's attention on Daruf? Shouldn't they be more concerned with that?

They (Palestinians, why not call them just Arabs) won't stop, and we all know it. They have no claim to this land, so how can anyone allow for any of it to be given away? I won't recognise a Palestinian State. If Arabs can live and some do under Israeli rule then why can't the rest of them? They talk about the land being stolen, then what about the 850,000 Jews from Arab countries whom were expelled? What about their land and possessions they left behind.

At the end of the day it comes down to simple, pure hatred. But I had a Muslim person tell me that Jews are people of the book?? Now they're blaming Israel for Arafat's death, whats next? What about Gilad Schalit?

No one is watching Iran at the moment, and as for US funding as Vox Populi goes on about, what about the funding the US gives to Pakistan? Most people know the States/Russia/China will invest money in a nation as most countries do with a clause it in it, what do they get in return? Military or strategic placement? And as for Vox, if Olmert was still in power I'm sure he'd be dismantling even more settlements. Then why if he is from the left, that more Yeshiva students are heading for combant IDF units, requesting elite units and why did the majority of Netanyahu's votes come from the 'settlements'. So what does that say? I call Vox one BIG bluff.