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Likud candidate Ariel Sharon won a landslide victory
according to both independent television exit polls that
were announced at 10 p.m. Tuesday night with the closing of
voting. Both polls gave Sharon a lead of 19 percent, close
to the results that the sample polls had been showing prior
to the elections. Note: By the time this issue of the paper is published,
the elections will already be history. Nevertheless, we are
publishing these letters from the gedolim discussing
the elections because of the enduring value that they have. Palestinian Violence as Usual as the Nation Goes to the
Polls Palestinian attacks continued without a letup as the nation
went to the polls on Tuesday to elect a prime minister, the
first national election that did not involve voting for the
Knesset. Chareidi voters in particular had an unpleasant
choice between two secular candidates. Despite intense efforts by activists to avoid it, this past
Monday (12 Shevat) the Antiquities Authority conducted
excavations on Yaffo Road in Haifa, while desecrating human
remains. Starting in the small hours of the morning, many
demonstrators against the desecration of the bones arrived
at the site.
Observant Jews Urged to Participate in Population Survey A long-delayed survey of American Jews is now underway and
observant Jews are being asked to consent to being
interviewed should they be among the 5000 households who are
called by representatives of the current National Jewish
Population Survey, or "NJPS 2000." Remembering the Holocaust in London "The Holocaust didn't start with the Gas Chambers of
Auschwitz. Auschwitz was the culmination of years of
institutionalized hatred, racism and prejudice," said
Hackney's Mayor, Councilor Joe Lobenstein at the
commencement of last week's full Council meeting. Bone Marrow Donations: Four-Year-Old Israeli Girl Hopes for
Second Chance When Israelis go to the polls this week to elect a new prime
minister, at least one little girl in Eretz Yisroel is going
to be sitting on the edge of her seat -- but not because
she's pulling for one of the candidates.
Water Crisis Worst in Nation's History The nation is facing the most severe water crisis in its
history and "even from before then," Water Commissioner
Shimon Tal announced last week. The level of Lake Kinneret
will continue to drop steeply this year to about 214.3
meters below sea level, more than a meter below the "red
line" level where continued pumping jeopardizes water
quality, according to recent forecasts by the national
Mekorot Water Company. Lake Kinneret has received less than
one-quarter of the normal influx up to this time of year. Ofek to Invade Bezeq's Home Turf Last week, the Israel Government awarded the Ofek company a
license to set up a phone network to compete with government-
owned Bezeq in providing phone service for private homes and
businesses. The new venture, backed by Eurocom and Arison
Investments, holds out the promise of reducing the costs of
local communications and improving available services.
The new Israeli prime minister still has to contend with the
Palestinians. Since the process of dealing with them was
started by President Clinton over seven years ago, every
prime minister, Right or Left, has been forced to deal with
them by the press of world opinion and the momentum of the
events that has made the Israeli dialogue with the
Palestinians take on a tremendous, virtually irresistible,
force in today's world. Warning on Tu BeShevat Fruit Rabbi Eliezer Tzvi T. sent us an urgent letter in advance of
Tu BeShevat. "We will never forget Tu BeShevat 5760, and I
would like to tell Yated Ne'eman why, in order to
make it clear to the public how great the danger is. The Facts, the Law and the Judgment of Nochum Korman
The earliest time of Kiddush Levonoh -- Adar
The time of Kiddush Levonoh everywhere in the world
begins on Monday morning, 3 Adar (Feb. 26), at 4:51 A.M., in
Eretz Yisroel. In west U.S.A. and Canada we can make
Kiddush Levonoh on Sunday night, the eve of 3 Adar,
from 6:51 P.M., but in most of the world and also most of
the U.S.A. and Canada it is impossible at all to make a
berochoh on this night since either the moon sets
before the earliest time or day has already begun, and their
actual time is Monday night.
The astronomical new moon follows the molad this
month by more than five and a half hours and is at 10:22
A.M., Friday morning, 30 Shevat (Feb. 23). Furthermore
during the three days after the molad the moon
approaches its apogee (highest point) and advances slowly
and an additional regression takes place. This information
is significant for those who act according to the Chazon Ish
and do not make a berochoh on the moon until it is
big and high in the sky.
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