"The Knesset dissolved itself overnight between Thursday and Friday, setting Israel’s next election for October 27 after lawmakers approved an amendment to the Party Financing Law in its second and third readings."

Hi,

I am 1.5 generation living in US and I Believe in self-determination for both side of the land. I believe Israel has every right to self-defense, and self-protect.

:)

MAGA Secr Rubio With The Most Powerful Remarks AGAINST THE LEFT You'll Hear Today!

I made aliya from Russia a few years ago. Due to the recent raise in antisemitism in the world I usually say that I’m from Russia when I travel to western Europe or muslim countries just to be safe. Do such precautions make sense when traveling to the US as well?

"The Knesset votes 53-48 to pass Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi’s sweeping media overhaul, in the final part of the coalition’s legislative blitz before the Knesset dissolves tomorrow ahead of the October 27 election.

The law will significantly expand government control over Israel’s broadcast media and news sector by overhauling media regulation, removing longstanding oversight mechanisms, minimum journalistic standards, obligations to invest in original Israeli productions and restrictions on cross-ownership, while giving the government greater influence over television ratings and state advertising allocation.

Critics argue the legislation is designed to dismantle existing safeguards and benefit broadcasters aligned with the current government.

The current version of the bill is the product of repeated revisions following resistance from coalition partners. Earlier proposals included a government-run streaming app allowing the public to watch television channels and sports broadcasts free of charge, but the provision was dropped after opposition from the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties, which objected because the service would operate on Shabbat.

It also includes new provisions reportedly demanded by Noam MK Avi Maoz, restricting cable and satellite providers from broadcasting content involving violence, sexuality or religious conversion.

The legislation has drawn sharp criticism from the Knesset’s professional legal staff, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and opposition lawmakers, who argue that it would undermine press freedom and enable political interference in the media while decrying what they describe as a rushed legislative process that repeatedly bypassed normal parliamentary procedure.

They accuse the coalition of ignoring legal advice, introducing substantial last-minute changes and new provisions throughout the committee process, and giving lawmakers only hours to review revised versions of the legislation before voting.

The coalition is advancing the bill as one of a series of controversial measures it is seeking to enact before the Knesset dissolves, after securing the support of its ultra-Orthodox partners in exchange for passing legislation they had demanded, including a Basic Law declaring Torah study a foundational value of the state and a temporary law freezing the arrests of Haredi draft dodgers."

Hey, guys! My boyfriend and I are staying in Israel until September and we were wondering about some chill and nice places to hike. We are NOT professionals, but we still want to get some kind of adventure. We already planned to go to the Haifa Red Canyon, any other places we should visit?

"Senior officials in Likud Transportation Minister Miri Regev’s office are reportedly discussing ways to limit the number of flights coming into Ben Gurion Airport in the days leading up to the October 27 elections in order to thwart the arrival of voters for parties opposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The effort comes against the backdrop of several initiatives working to help fly Israelis in for the election. The initiatives are nonpartisan, but Regev’s associates believe that those seeking to take advantage of the opportunity are overwhelmingly opposed to Netanyahu and could number in the tens of thousands.

The politically motivated conversations have disturbed Transportation Ministry bureaucrats, a source closely familiar with the matter tells Haaretz.

Ideas discussed have included preventing charter flights from landing at Ben Gurion — or at least limited the number of them, two senior sources say.

Regev’s associates have also noted the continued presence of US military refueling planes at Ben Gurion Airport, which have taken parking spots away from other planes.

While Israel has managed to limit the number of planes to 20, they may well still be parked at Ben Gurion Airport in October, given that US President Donald Trump could decide to wait to authorize a major strike against Iran until after the November 3 midterms.

Parking spots are prioritized for Israeli airlines, followed by foreign airlines and only then charter flights, which are expected to be the main method of transportation used by those seeking to help Israelis fly back for the election. Those flights are not slated to be free, though.

The Transportation Ministry did not respond to Haaretz’s request for comment on the matter."

As it was mentioned in the recent post, there may be some charted flights offered to bring people to vote in the upcoming elections from abroad.

Does anyone have more information about those charters, who organizes them and how to sign up ( East coast/Eastern Canada)?

EDITED:
Thank you, user asinantenna:
https://www.aid-coalition.org/flyvote-heb

We made aliyah and live in israel but i travel to the US for work and make my full salary in the US. I file taxes in the US.
Do i still need to file taxes in israel?

"The Knesset voted 52-43 early Thursday morning to pass a law to expand gender segregation in higher education by permitting universities and colleges to offer segregated master’s and doctoral degree programs subject to approval by the Council for Higher Education.

The law builds upon a 2021 High Court ruling that upheld the Council for Higher Education’s policy permitting limited and specific gender-segregated undergraduate programs aimed at integrating ultra-Orthodox students into higher education and, ultimately, the workforce.

The court stressed that the arrangement was specifically intended for the Haredi community and imposed safeguards, including limiting segregation to classrooms in mixed institutions and prohibiting discrimination against female lecturers.

The new legislation would extend that framework to master’s and doctoral programs and make it available to all students, not only the Haredi community, while a proposed amendment by Shas MK Yossi Taieb to expand segregation to additional areas of campuses was rejected.

Proponents frame the law as increasing educational opportunities for religious women, with the legislation’s sponsor Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Son Har-Melech arguing the legislation will “advance women from sectors that have not received the opportunities they deserve,” while committee chair and Religious Zionism Zvi Sukkot has said it would “expand freedom of choice.”

Opposition lawmakers and academic representatives, who campaigned intensely against the law’s passage, argue that it unnecessarily expands gender segregation beyond existing arrangements, prioritizing religious rights over the rights of female students and lecturers to equality, dignity and freedom of movement while harming academic freedom and the quality of teaching and research.

The law was among several pieces of legislation that Haredi parties demanded be passed in exchange for supporting key coalition bills before the Knesset dissolves on Friday ahead of elections in late October, with MKs earlier this week approving laws restoring the Chief Rabbinate’s exclusive control over kosher certification, banning the arrest and prosecution of ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers and declaring Torah study a foundational value."

Hi! My mom and I made aliyah 9 days ago and we're about to sign our first rental contract in Haifa. Since we're new to Israel, we'd love to know if this looks like a standard lease or if there are any red flags. It's just so hard to know if we are being taken advantage of as olot.

Main terms:

- ₪3,300/month for 1 year

- ₪3,300 security deposit

- 12 post-dated rent checks

- 4 blank checks for arnona, water, gas and electricity

- Promissory note (shtar hov) and 2 guarantors

- 90 days' notice if we leave early, and we have to find a replacement tenant approved by the landlord

- Landlord can also terminate with 90 days' notice

- We have to repaint the apartment and repair nail holes before moving out

- Apartment is rented "as is"

Does this sound pretty standard in Israel, or would you try to negotiate any of these terms? Anything here that seems unusual or unfair?

Thanks!

For the first time in Israel, gender-separated sidewalks have reportedly been introduced in the Israeli city of Bnei Brak following a new directive issued by senior rabbis and supported by the Bnei Brak Municipality. The arrangement applies to sections of Shlomo HaMelech Street and Ezra Street, where men and women are instructed to walk on opposite sides of the road.

Limited gender segregation has existed in Israel for years in a variety of settings, including some ultra-Orthodox bus routes, within certain religious institutions and other buildings, and at some public events held under separate arrangements. Over the years, there have also been attempts by governments to expand gender segregation into additional public spaces, though many of these initiatives have faced legal challenges or public opposition.

The introduction of separate sidewalks for men and women on ordinary public streets in Bnei Brak has been widely reported as a first-of-its-kind development in Israel, marking a significant expansion of gender-segregated public space into everyday pedestrian areas.

לא סגור על האם להעלות את השאלה כאן אבל אני מניח שזה קשור להגבלות אזוריות