Rare, Stinky, and Possibly Illegal: Six of the World’s Most Unforgettable Cheeses by Tim McKirdy and Daylight saving time could be our permanent time — and there are good reasons it should be and In Spite of Everything, the World Has Never Been So Free by Vincent Geloso and Rabbi Shmuley Boteach Slams Singer Dua Lipa for Anti-Israel Lies By David Israel and MK removed from Knesset podium while holding burned Bible

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 The Three Musketeers at the Kotel Rabbi Shmuley Boteach Slams Singer Dua Lipa for Anti-Israel Lies By David Israel On Saturday, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach ran a full-page ad in The New York Times condemning part-Arab super-models Gigi and Bella Hadid, and part-Albanian pop star Dua Lipa for telling vicious lies about the State of Israel. Dua Lipa, an award-winning British singer/songwriter, said on social media: "The ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people must come to an end. NO MORE!! This is a human rights issue!!!! WAKE UP PEOPLE." Rabbi Shmuley Boteach's full page NY Times ad, May 22, 2021 Advertisement "Bella, Gigi, and Dua, Hamas calls for a second holocaust. Condemn them now," read the ad headline, alongside a citation from Article 7 of the Hamas charter that reads: "The Day of Judgment will not come about until Moslems fight Jews and kill them. Then, the Jews will hide behind rocks and trees, and the rocks and trees will cry out: 'O Moslem, there is a Jew hiding behind me, come and kill him." The ad is an open letter to the three privileged women who have "accused Israel of ethnic cleansing" and "vilified the Jewish State." On Sunday, Boteach carried a remarkably effective and touching speech which I enclose here. It's a little over 7 minutes long, but totally worth it: Dua, who is dating Anwar Hadid, the Hadid sisters' younger brother, was not amused. She posted: "I utterly reject the false and appalling allegations that were published in The New York Times advertisement taken out by the World Values Network." And with the kind of self-pity befitting a star, she noted: "This is the price you pay for defending Palestinian human rights against an Israeli government whose actions in Palestine both Human Rights Watch and the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem accuse of persecution and discrimination." Boteach posted on Facebook on Saturday night: I couldn't be more proud of our ad today which called out Dua Lipa for her inexcusable and unforgivable hatred toward Israel, the Middle East's only democracy. It seems Dua can dish out the anti-Semitic hatred but freaks out when called out for her bias and bigotry." MK removed from Knesset podium while holding burned Bible I guess a bible is not allowed in the Knesset! MK May Golan holds up Chumash taken from synagogue torched in Lod in Knesset, says Jews will remember what happened. MK May Golan (Likud) was removed from the Knesset podium Monday afternoon after she held up a burned Chumash (Five books of Moses) which was taken from a synagogue which was set on fire in Lod. MK Golan called out to the Arab MKs: "This burning smell will constantly remind us how strong our ancestors' right to this land is, it is an eternal testimony to the events of this year." Golan was removed from the podium due to the presentation of the Chumash being against the Knesset's bylaws. About a dozen synagogues were burned in Arab riots which took place in Lod over the last two weeks. To watch the video of it happening go to this link https://www.israelnationalnews... Crowns, crusaders and murder: On Jerusalem's ramparts, tales of love and lust A walk atop the Old City's walls gives visitors a glimpse into the passions of past rulers, including a Christian king, a Turkish sultan, an Armenian princess, and King Herod By Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am Two thousand years ago or so, an impoverished shepherd fell in love with the daughter of a rich aristocratic Jewish family. His name was Akiva; hers was Rachel. And although her family disowned her, Rachel refused to abandon Akiva. So poor were the two young lovers that Rachel sold her beautiful hair to keep them from starving. Saddened, Akiva promised that one day he would buy her a "golden Jerusalem." Rachel sent her then illiterate husband off to school, from which he returned many years later as a renowned scholar. Somewhere along the line, he carried out his promise and bought her a tiara that featured miniature walls of a golden city. It was so dazzling that the wife of the head of the Sanhedrin (Jewish court) at the time complained bitterly to her husband because she didn't have a crown like Rachel's Golden Jerusalem. Over time the story was forgotten and perhaps dismissed as a Talmudic legend. Then, during excavations of ancient Beit Shean, archeologists uncovered a Byzantine mosaic depicting a wealthy woman wearing a headdress made of golden city walls. We can't know what the walls around Jerusalem looked like in Akiva's time, but surrounding the Old City today are walls that were restored by Turkish sultan Suleiman the Great in 1538. Over four kilometers in length and 12-25 meters (yards) high, they are topped by ramparts (fortified walkways) that offer wonderful views both into the Old City and outside it as well. Suleiman possessed a large harem. But one day he got a glimpse of a Ukrainian woman who had been captured in a raid and was on sale at a Turkish slave market. It was love at first sight, the rest of the harem was dismissed, and the woman, Roskelana, became the Imperial consort. Suleiman was so smitten that he wrote touching love letters, saying that Roskelana was the essence of his existence, his lover, his rose, his confidante, and even his "Constantinople" – the highest compliment of all. Last week we took a walk on Suleiman's southern ramparts. A popular Jerusalem attraction, they had been closed for months because of the pandemic and had just reopened. Accompanying us was Gura Berger, spokesperson for the East Jerusalem Development Company (PAMI) that is responsible for the ramparts. And while she could have talked about the endless wars and devastation that are an integral part of Jerusalem history, she regaled us, instead, with tales of love and passion that are related to sights along the way. The southern portion of Jerusalem's Old City ramparts are open to the public seven days a week. (Shmuel Bar-Am) Our jaunt began at the massive Jerusalem fortress, or citadel, that we know today as the Tower of David Museum. For the next year or so, while the museum is undergoing renovations, its entrance is through part of the dry Crusader moat that once surrounded the 2,000-year-old citadel. And, yes, dry, for while the moats in Crusader Europe were filled with water, Jerusalem sadly lacked that precious commodity. King Herod built a fortress 2,000 years ago on Hasmonean (Maccabee) ruins. Located at the highest point in the city, it boasted three heavily fortified protective towers. One remaining base was incorporated into the Tower of David Museum — perhaps the tower he named for Mariamne. The most beloved of his wives, Mariamne was the granddaughter of a High Priest and one of the last of the royal Hasmonean line. A very smart woman, she was very possibly also the most beautiful woman of her time. And Herod was obsessed with Mariamne — totally, absolutely, head over heels in love, but his love was unrequited. Mariamne despised her husband, who had murdered her little brother, her grandfather (and who would later kill off several of their sons). Herod loved Mariamne so much that he couldn't bear the idea of her being with any other man, and before he left the country for Rome and Egypt he made arrangements for her to be killed if he couldn't return. Later, Herod heard a rumor that his wife had had an affair. Mad with jealousy, he murdered her, and then went crazy with remorse, constantly crying out for her and looking for her everywhere. The Talmud relates that he kept Mariamne preserved for seven years by covering her corpse with honey. Besides a model of the citadel as it looks today, our walk featured two quarries, monumental steps down to a mikveh, or Jewish ritual bath, and two stone bases, the bottoms of tall pillars that had formed part of a colonnade. The colonnade surrounded a royal pool, and stood inside the spectacular palace that Herod constructed next to the citadel. It stretched from this area next to the citadel all the way to somewhere near today's Zion gate. You need to be in pretty good shape to climb the metal steps up to the ramparts, where you come to the first of the walls' several dozen fortified towers. Below your feet is the Turkish-built kishle, or barracks, first for a military base, then a British prison that confined members of the pre-state Jewish underground. Many years ago, the museum carried out extensive excavations in a portion of the kishle. Beneath immense masses of dirt, and to everyone's delight, archeologists headed by Amit Re'em of the Israel Antiquities Authority discovered thousands of years of history — from arches dating back to the Crusaders, pools left by two or three Jewish dyers in the 12th-century, and remains from Herod's palace, to part of the city wall built by King Hezekiah in the late 8th-century BCE. Archaeological excavations under a Turkish-built military structure called the kishle in Jerusalem. (Shmuel Bar-Am) From the ramparts, you can see right into the Armenian Quarter — a walled compound within the walled city. Armenia was the first nation in the world to officially accept Christianity in the year 301 and there have been Armenians in Jerusalem ever since. Some years ago, renovations in the compound revealed a mosaic from an early church named after the Jewish high priest Caiaphas. The New Testament relates that Jesus was held captive at Caiaphas's house on Mount Zion the night before the crucifixion and, according to Armenian tradition, this was that very site. At the very beginning of the 12th-century, Armenian princess Morphia married Baldwin II, a crusader who was heir to the Jerusalem throne. Because the couple had four daughters and no sons, Baldwin was repeatedly advised to divorce his wife — counsel that he vehemently refused. Indeed, Baldwin was so devoted to Morphia that he postponed his coronation in 1119 until Morphia, who was out of the country, could reach Jerusalem to be crowned alongside him. Their oldest daughter Melisende, who would later rule alone as queen of Jerusalem, was wed to the wealthy Templar crusader Count Fulk V of Anjou. Here was another man besotted by his wife, and also intensely jealous. After he accused Melisende of infidelity, she became furious and refused to speak to him. As a peace offering he had a book of psalms and New Testament scenes created just for her: an exquisite, illuminated manuscript called the Melisende Psalter. On the opposite side of the ramparts, there is an excellent view of Mishkenot Sha'anamim, the first housing project to go up outside the Old City Walls and initiated by English philanthropist Sir Moses Montefiore. Montefiore laid the cornerstone in 1857 — probably on his wedding anniversary. For Montefiore and his wife Judith had the perfect marriage. In his diary he sings Judith's praises and blesses the day of their union. From that time on, he did everything of real importance on the anniversary of his wedding day. Many Christian traditions arose during the Byzantine era in the 4th to 7th centuries, among them the belief that Mary fell into eternal sleep on Mount Zion. Imposing Dormition Abbey, to the right of the ramparts, was inaugurated in 1910 over an early church that contained Mary's crypt. When seen from afar, it often appears as if the bell tower at Dormition Abbey is adjacent to the church. From the ramparts, however, it becomes clear that they are not. That's because the Turks ordered that the tower be constructed at a distance from the church, in order not to block the way to David's Tomb, traditionally located on Mount Zion. No matter where you stand, whether close to the Abbey or at a distance, the bell tower is reminiscent of the German emperor wearing the characteristic Prussian helmet: an upside-down bowl with a bell-bottomed spike. Perhaps the architect wanted to immortalize the emperor's face — or maybe it is all in the mind of the beholder. Instead of continuing another 10 minutes or so to the end of the ramparts walk, we descended at Zion Gate. In the olden days, matchmakers sent young men and women to an area nearby for their first (and sometimes only) meeting before their wedding. And who knows? At least one of these lucky couples may have experienced the greatest love story of all time. — The southern and Northern ramparts are open: Sunday-Thursday and Saturday: 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Friday: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Cost: NIS 20 for a regular ticket, NIS 10 for a senior, child or soldier Phone: 02-627-7550 Note: Do this only if you can climb steps easily! For up-to-date information on museum hours and kishle tours call *2884. A special thanks to Jerusalem district archeologist Amit Re'em, for his tour of the kishle and assistance in preparing this article. Aviva Bar-Am is the author of seven English-language guides to Israel. Shmuel Bar-Am is a licensed tour guide who provides private, customized tours in Israel for individuals, families and small groups. Daylight saving time could be our permanent time — and there are good reasons it should be We only spend a third of the year in standard time now anyway. What's a few late sunrises compared to always having light in the evening? By Mikki Kendall, author, "Hood Feminism" and "Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists" In the wee hours of Sunday morning, (most) American clocks "sprung forward" due to our yearly adoption of daylight saving time; it's likely that most of us are still adjusting to the change. In Israel it didn't happen until March 26, 2021 The intended result is not, however, a nation of yawning workers and schoolchildren on Monday morning, feeling as though they got up at the 6 a.m. their bodies still believe it is instead of the 7 a.m. reflected on their wailing alarm clocks. Instead, daylight saving time is designed to give us more hours of daylight in the evening when we're all home and would ostensibly use it, which presumably makes most of us happier than a 4:30 a.m. sunrise on June 14 (the earliest sunrise of the year) would. That's one reason that, every year, there's an increasingly popular push on the federal level to make "daylight saving time" the permanent time across the United States — or, rather, shift every time zone ahead one hour. Already, 15 states have passed some sort of legislation to make daylight saving time the permanent time in their state. As someone who loves getting off work and then going out to sit in the sunlight at the end of a long day, I'm all-in on maximizing year-round the hours of light available when I'm awake and not working. So I'm generally in favor of more daylight saving time, even if it has a bit of a strange backstory. One reason we probably are so tied to switching back and forth is the simple fact that it makes us feel in control of the one thing we absolutely cannot dictate: time. Historically in the United States, daylight saving time started as a World War I energy- and cost-savings measure — with the added value of giving people more daylight hours during which to go shopping. (It's a myth that the practice meets the needs of farmers during growing and harvest seasons; actual farmers tend to hate it.) Nowadays, a whole variety of special interests are on the pro-daylight-saving-time gravy train, from golf course owners (more late tee times) to candy manufacturers (more daylight hours during which to go trick-or-treating). According to some research, it still offers some of its original benefits: A 2008 report from U.S. Department of Energy analysts showed that daylight saving time reduces electricity usage by about 0.5 percent each day. That sounds small, but it is significant across time, especially when you consider current concerns about climate change and the stability of the three major power grids in the U.S. Other data suggests daylight saving time increases public safety, as robbery rates drop significantly every spring when the clocks are adjusted. The speculation is that criminals prefer working evenings to mornings, even though there's an equally excellent argument to be made that once the winter chills recede in northern states, more people are outside to enjoy the weather, so crimes of opportunity decrease as a result of the increased traffic on the streets. But we do all feel safer in daylight. Beyond that, there are apparently negative side effects of the clock switching, suggesting that despite the fact that moving every time zone ahead one hour would make for some very late sunrises in winter, we might be better off. Research suggests that the hour switch necessitated by using daylight time for two-thirds of the year and standard time for one-third of it may, as a result of the circadian rhythm disruptions, increase car accidents, increase the risk of heart problems and have long-term negative impacts on sleep habits, which can lead to other health issues. So why are we so attached to switching the clocks? Habit? Not wanting to go to work or school in the dark? Or is it just a general human resistance to change? As for deciding whether we can really get up and go to work in the dark if we stayed shifted ahead all winter, perhaps we should think about it differently after the past year. One reason we probably are so tied to switching back and forth is the simple fact that it makes us feel in control of the one thing we absolutely cannot dictate: time. Think about how much you enjoy feeling like you got that extra hour of sleep, even though you know deep down that it is not true that there is an "extra" hour. Or sit, even for a moment, with the fond memories you have of staying outside until the streetlights came on, and the summer evenings when the sun setting seemed to take forever and you got to wallow in that hazy golden light instead of being driven indoors by a chill in the air as soon as the sun's light started to fade. Memories drive attachment for many of us, so we cling to this idea of "daylight saving" time that is relatively new and not even that popular. I would probably be fine if we picked either daylight saving or standard time and stuck to it all year, rather than switching back and forth. While the "extra hour" is a fun mental trick to play on myself in the fall, I am always miserable for a few days in the spring as my body struggles to adjust to the shift, even though I like more sun. But as for deciding whether we can really get up and go to work in the dark if we stayed shifted ahead all winter, perhaps we should think about it this way. After a year during which a huge proportion of us worked from home, and many parents had to find creative ways or creative hours to do so, most of us know we are not working in industries that depend on daylight being available. Be honest, how many times have you absolutely had to answer an email before sundown? Or needed sunlight instead of electric light to make a spreadsheet? For the few people who do their work based on the position of the sun, it is not the clock that matters anyway: They work when the sun's out (or it definitively isn't), and the time on the clock makes no difference. The rest of us have already been on a kind of flex time for the last 12 months anyway. So if we worked flexible hours when the sun came up really late, what would it matter? We could simply stop being obsessed with the proverbial early bird getting the worm and adopt a system of work that allows for everyone's circadian rhythms to be respected, even if we cannot manage to make them all match. We can't turn back time, but we can give ourselves more reasonable relationships with the clock. Mikki Kendall Rare, Stinky, and Possibly Illegal: Six of the World's Most Unforgettable Cheeses words: Tim McKirdy As with most things, when it comes to buying cheese, it's all relative. One person's splurge is another's weeknight go-to. Similarly, what certain shoppers deem a rarity might be ho-hum elsewhere. We scanned the world to find the cheeses that struck us as most unusual, distinctive, extreme, or otherwise memorable. From donkey milk delicacies to larvae invested luxuries, here are six of the world's most unforgettable cheeses. The Smelliest Vieux Boulogne, France A washed-rind cheese — a category which itself is notoriously stinky — Vieux Boulogne is made from unpasteurized cow milk in the French town of Boulogne-sur-Mer. During production, the pre-salted, square-shaped cheese is washed with beer, which develops its characteristic wet earth and rotting leaves odor. Vieux Boulogne's stench is so strong, the cheese has been scientifically proven to be the world's smelliest(on multiple occasions). Limburger, Belgium (the unofficial runner-up) A semi-soft cheese made using cow's milk, Limburger's characteristic odor comes from the Brevibacterium linensused to ferment the cheese. This bacterium also happens to be present on human skin, and is partially responsible for body and foot odor. Why Every Cheese Lover Needs Great Cheese Knives The Most Controversial Casu Marzu, Italy A traditional Sardinian sheep's milk cheese that's served infested with larvae, casu marzu is not for the faint-hearted. The maggots aren't just there for novelty, however; they process the cheese, giving casu marzu its distinct texture and flavor, which some describeas being like a particularly ripe gorgonzola. Locals consider it unsafe to eat the cheese once the translucent maggots have died, but you can consume it with the wriggling larvae still inside, if you so choose. Due to the (obvious) health concerns surrounding larvae-ridden cheese, commercial production and sale of casu marzu have been banned since the 1990s. But there are ongoing efforts to have the cheese declared a traditional food, therefore exempting it from E.U. law. Milbenkäse, Germany Dating back to the Middle Ages and produced exclusively in the village of Würchwitz, Milbenkäse is Germany's answer to casu marzu. Its name roughly translates to "mite cheese," and it's made with a quark base, which is flavored with salt and caraway, shaped into small wheels, then left to dry for a number of weeks. The wheels are then placed in a wooden box containing rye flour and cheese mites, which are left to do their thing for a period ranging between a few months to one year. Milbenkäse is produced under a special permit granted by the local food safety office. Strict HACCP compliance is enforced. While still not technically 100 percent legal, this allows the cheese to fall into a relative legal gray area under E.U. regulations. The Oldest Bitto Storico, Italy A rare Italian cheese produced in the Valtellina Valley in Lombardy, Bitto Storico is the world's oldest commercially available cheese. The Denominazione di Origine Protetta (DOP) cheese takes its name from the valley's Bitto river, and is produced during summer using a mixture of cow's milk and Orobica goat's milk (a species found exclusively in the Northern Italian Alps). Bitto Storico can be aged for anywhere up to two decades, but is typically consumed between five and 10 years of age. In its youth, the cheese is soft, sweet, and delicate. As it ages, it takes on spicier, bitter notes. The higher the percentage of goat's milk used in production, the longer the cheese can age. The Most Expensive Pule, Serbia Pule is made exclusively at Serbia's Zasavica Special Nature Reserve, located 30 miles outside of Belgrade. At roughly $576 a pound, it is the world's most expensive cheese, and its extreme price tag is made all the more surprising when you discover it's made using donkey milk. Donkey milk contains 60 times more vitamin C than cow's, so it's extremely healthy, but production is far from cost-effective. Around 25 liters are required to make just one kilogram of cheese, and each donkey typically produces just 200 milliliters per day. P In Spite of Everything, the World Has Never Been So Free Vincent Geloso During the pandemic lockdowns, the range of emergency government powers (regardless of whether one believes them to be justifiable) gave way to a concern that these powers will not be fully abandoned once the crisis fades in the rearview mirror. That is an understandable concern. However, a quick glance in the rear-view mirror actually gives room for great optimism. From the late 19th century to the eve of the pandemic, there were multiple crises that could have permanently eroded economic, political and civil liberties. Yet, on the net, these liberties have actually expanded since the 19th century. At least, that is what one can observe upon consulting a recent article by Leandro Prados de la Escosura in the Economic History Review. Prados de la Escosura starts by taking the frequently used human development index (HDI) – a statistical composition of income, education and health – which is meant to measure the span of choices that are available to individuals. The idea is that a rich, healthy and educated individual has a greater span of possible choices than a poor, sick, and illiterate individual. In other words, the HDI is meant to capture the "amount" of agency and volition that people can actually exert. The problem with the HDI, Prados de la Escosura points out, is not the philosophy it is meant to reflect but rather the way it is being measured. If what we care about is the realm of agency, then the index should be composed of more indicators than income, education, and health. It should include civil and political liberties – which is what Prados de la Escosura does for 162 countries from 1870 onwards by creating an augmented measure of the HDI. The augmented HDI shows considerable improvement from 1870 onwards. While the health component of the index is the main driving force, political and civil liberties contribute a sizable share of the progress in the augmented index. In fact, after 1970, the progress of political and civil liberties is the main driving force. Such findings fit with other findings regarding the progress of human liberties such as that of upward convergence in terms of certain (not all) components of economic freedom indexes. Prados de la Escosura himself, in earlier work published in the Economic History Review, measuring economic liberty in developed countries since 1850, confirms this. Indeed, he finds that economic liberty has progressed for 22 OECD countries since the late 19th century. This is a surprising finding. After all, the time span from 1870 is littered with crises that would have permanently eroded human liberty: two world wars, the Cold War, six influenza pandemics, several important recessions. And yet, human liberty has flourished. This is reassuring as it confirms some econometric work suggesting that there is evidence to state that crises do not systematically lead to permanent increases in the size and scope of governments. Yet there is reason to emphasize the "systematically" in the previous sentence. There is evidence that certain specific crises led to erosions in different types of liberty. There is also evidence that certain types of economic changes can lead to institutional decay. Taken together, these pieces of evidence give room for optimism. Indeed, it suggests that it is not a foregone conclusion that a crisis leads to permanent increases in government powers. There are ways that rollbacks can occur. Unfortunately, this has not been an object of discussion of late. In fact, it has been strangely ignored in current debates and discussions. The evidence from Prados de la Escosura's work should give us the motivation necessary to rectify this oversight. See you tomorrow bli neder We need Moshiach now Love Yehuda Lave Yehuda Lave, Spirtiual Advisor and Counselor Jerusalem, Jerusalem  Israel 972-585043210 YehudaLave@gmail.com You received this email because you signed up on our website or made a purchase from us. Unsubscribe