Preventive welfare is preferable: Newsletter of Parashat Ekev ›

Protester holding a sign with the names of people who have taken their own life during a protest for social justice in Tel Aviv on August 4, 2012. Photo by: JC/Activestills.org

This week thousands demonstrated in protest against the economic cuts, but the government is continuing with its austerity programme.  It is not raising taxes for the upper class, instead it is continuing to increase the burden of taxation and the cost of living for the more vulnerable sectors.  Rabbis for Human Rights is continuing to fight for an expanded welfare state together with calling for security for Palestinian farmers in the territories.

 Opening Words - Rabbi Arik Ascherman

Rabbi Arik Ascherman uses the weekly parasha in order to show us that the out of ordinary situation in a daily situation in the Israeli reality. The out of ordinary is expressed by increasing violence of the security forces in the territories and continues with the increasing poverty. Rabbi Ascherman asks us to wake up and see both sides of the coin.

Weekly Parasha

Rabbi Kobi Weiss has written a dvar Torah for parashat Ekev.

Next week

Needed students for Everett program - This year we have the possibility to receive students who for working with us 8 hours a week participating in 4 Friday meetings will receive from Shatil a yearly scholarship of 9,000 NIS

On Thursday, 12.8.12 at 20:00, we will all meet at the Central Bus Station in Yavne and go to the place where a house is to be built for Rahel Levy.  There will be transport – details to follow. 

Last Week

Last Saturday evening (4.8), there were two mass demonstrations in Tel Aviv.  There were also demonstrations in Kiryat Gat against the economic cuts and against the turning of the periphery into a neglected back garden of the state of Israel. Druze, Arabs and Jews met at Daliat al-Carmel. 

The wounded from the harassments in the villages of Yanun and Akrabe filed, through us, complaints to the Israeli authorities.

The Ministry of Interior and the Emigration Authority continue the eviction of refugees from South Sudan. 40 Sudanese who filed requests for haven are not treated well, and sometimes are even arrested by the police. Three refugees from Eritrea were recently injured.

Palestinian rights in the occupied territories

Here is a small story that embodies the large mechanism of distortion – distortion for the purpose of eviction, displacement and denial of rights.

This is the time to send a letter and demand the cancel the destruction of the village of Susta and the eviction of its residents, to enable their return to the lands they have been evicted from in the past and stop land robbery. 

Rabbi Yehiel Grenimann: This week the volunteers from o.p. Canada went out to help dig out a water cistern (for watering flocks) in the South Hebron Hills. Here are a couple of photos from the first day out there.

We are in the News

• RHR’s newest rabbi, Sigal Asher, wrote about a welfare state in “Mako”

Shabat Shalom