Only "In" Israel, Keeping Shabbat as Official Israeli Abroad

American public life has its Joe Lieberman Shabbat stories, like Al Gore as Shabbos goy.  There aren't too many fully Torah observant Jews in high and difficult public positions in America.

But in Israel, it has become more and more common for Shomer Shabbat, strictly Sabbath observing people to have the sort of jobs one wouldn't dare to attempt even a decade or so ago.  Maybe all over the world, feminists are admitting that women can't do everything without something cracking, but here in Israel it's more and more common to see kippot of all sizes on men in positions that once seemed impossible if you didn't want to compromise your observance.  In the IDF there are a number of female officers in skirts and "kissu'i rosh," covered hair--meaning they are married and Torah observant.

The prime ministerial motorcade in

New York’s JFK airport

photo credit: Raphael Ahren/Times of Israel

Times of Israel writer, Raphael Ahren, reported how he managed to cover Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's United Nations trip in New York without breaking Shabbat.  According to Ahren, on Shabbat there was a supply of ready-made kosher food taking up two rooms, one for meat and one for dairy, in the hotel where Bibi was staying.  My guess is that the large order his office placed Friday afternoon to the strictly kosher, Pomegranate kosher supermarket made up either all or some of that food.

IMHO, that's  a nice way to start the new year, 5773.  Let's just look for some good stories, not bad ones, ok?