That’s Odd

that the halachic advisers in question are “yoatzot halacha” trained by Nishmat – The Jeanie Schottenstein Center for Advanced Torah Study for Women.

“Yoatzot Halachah programs are offered in a number of midrashot and seminaries, most notably at Nishmat – The Jeanie Schottenstein Center for Advanced Torah Study for Women. Their positions will be to give halachic advice to women in fields where they have received training, such as taharat hamishpacha, within the communities in which they have been appointed to serve. Much like communal rabbis in Israel, they will go through testing to assess their knowledge and expertise,” the spokesman said.

He further clarified, “Yoatzot function within communities around Israel, specifically around issues of family purity. As of today, Deputy Minister Kahana is recognizing this reality, subsidizing their activity, and encouraging other communities to join.”

Rabbi Uri Zohar Passes Away

Rabbi Uri Zohar, at one point one of Israel’s most famous performers and one of the world’s most prominent figures to become religious, passed away at the age of 86 last week.

Rabbi Zohar was born in 1935 in Tel Aviv to immigrants from Poland. After studying philosophy in Hebrew University, Rabbi Zohar began a wildly successful career in the performing arts, becoming famous as an actor, comedian, screenwriter and film director. He was known for his big personality and starred in many slapstick roles that poked fun at the Israeli culture and in Israel’s treatment of new immigrants.

Rabbi Zohar became religious in the late 1970s and later joined the charedi community, in a process which the Israeli public watched with a mix of shock, admiration, and sometimes horror as well. He later wrote a book chronicling this period of his life. Rabbi Zohar became active in the baal teshuva movement, as those who were not yet religious were able to relate to him and he was able to understand the struggles and challenges they were going through.

Around a year prior to becoming religious, Zohar won the Israel Prize but refused to accept it.

In 2021, Rabbi Zohar dedicated a Torah scroll – financed by real estate developer Alon Amram – to a synagogue in Zichron Yaakov, in memory of fellow artist Arik Einstein.

On Thursday morning last week, Rabbi Zohar suffered a heart attack and passed away.

Zohar’s son Ephraim eulogized his father at the levaya and described the “loving” relationship he had with G-d.

“Last night, you went to prepare for the prayer as you’ve done for the past 45 years. You were going to talk to G-d, and He gave you a great hug, a hug of two lovers… You didn’t shy away because you’re honest and loyal, as you’ve always been. From the moment you met your love, He was the only thing you cared about.

“What do we have to cry about? You have finally found peace,” Ephraim said.

Underwater

Pete Dixon’s many boats are putting him underwater.

The former fisherman in the UK has collected more than 600 radio-controlled boats. They fill his house, and, according to the local council, are creating a fire hazard. The council recently told the 75-year-old that he needs to sell his toy vessels.

Dixon notes that his boats are expected to sell for £40,000 and £60,000 ($50,218- $75,327). He intends to use all that money to buy himself a real boat.

Pete said, “I was thinking about knocking a hole in the wall and renting next door to store them all, but I’ve decided to get rid of them all.

“It is sad in a way to see them go, but it has to happen sometime.”

Ironically, the company that will be selling Pete’s boat is Prestige, the auction house where he bought many of his collection.

Pete had spent 40 years at sea before he started collecting.

“When I finished fishing, I bought a couple of boats, and I got the bug and started collecting them,” he explains.

“I was married for 19 years and when we split up, that’s when I started buying boats as a hobby and doing them up.

“I’d see a boat and I’d buy it if I liked it. I would buy boats, repair them and motorize them. It was like a production line, it was all good fun.

“I wouldn’t like to guess how much money I’ve spent over the years, but it must be tens of thousands. It was more of less every penny I had.”

Pete’s three-bedroom home is awash with the mini boats.

Let’s hope that he’ll make enough money to keep himself afloat.

Going Solo

It took 69 days, but on Saturday, Kenichi Horie arrived at Kii Strait off of Japan’s western coast, completing his latest trans-Pacific voyage.

The 83-year-old adventurer had left San Francisco in March. His return made him the oldest person to complete the nonstop trip solo.

This is not the first milestone for the Japanese man. In 1962, Horie became the first person in the world to successfully complete a solo nonstop voyage across the Pacific from Japan to San Francisco.

Sixty years later, he traveled the opposite route.

“I just crossed the finish line. I’m tired,” he wrote in his blog after reaching Japan in the early hours of Saturday. He had been struggling with a strong tide days before he reached terra firma.

His sailing boat, Suntory Mermaid III, was towed to his hometown port. Celebrations are sure to follow.

Uber Forgetful

We’ve all left things behind in a cab, but have you ever lost your grandmother’s teeth?

Last Friday, Uber released its sixth annual Lost and Found Index. Most of the items left behind were obvious: phones/cameras, wallets, keys, backpacks/purses, headphones/speakers, glasses, clothing, vaping devices, jewelry and IDs.

But some of the most “unique” items reported lost by passengers included tater tots, a fingernail, “my grandma’s teeth,” 500 grams of caviar, a pizza costume, “a [crazy] painting of a moose,” a Billie Eilish ukulele, an employee of the month plaque, a Bernie Sanders fanny pack, a crochet strawberry, a bucket of slime, and a brown tortoise.

Uber said more than 40 riders lost their CPAP machines, more than 30 reported lost retainers, and five people reported lost dentures.

Where do you people lose the most items? The “most forgetful” cities on the list were Austin, Texas; Charlotte, N.C.; Houston; Indianapolis; Dallas; Kansas City, Kan.; Atlanta; Tampa, Fla. Columbus, Ohio; and Phoenix.

They are uber forgetful.