Parking Tickets, anti semitic?

I was browsing vosisneias.com, when I found the following article: Brooklyn, NY - Council Candidates Fire Off Letter To NYC Officials To Stop Ticket Blitz Erev Shabbos.

The article said that:

New York City Council Candidates in the 44th District Joe Lazar, And David Greenfiled have fired off a letter to NYC officials, asking them to halt the mass parking ticket blitz that has been targeted unfairly in the Brooklyn Orthodox community Erev Shabbos.

The Parking meters throughout Boro Park and Brooklyn areas are in effect until 7pm on Friday, even though in the winter months, Shabbos goes into effect as early as 4pm. Once the 25 hour Shabbos goes into effect, observant drivers are prohibited by Jewish Law from feeding the meter. Even if they feed the meter at 5pm (the approximate current start of Shabbos), they are only allowed to pay for one hour, resulting in parking tickets that they are unable to prevent.

I’m curious how meters “unfairly” target the Brooklyn Orthodox Community? I don’t live in a super frummy neighborhood, and I see parking patrol cops *all* over the place, giving tickets to people who do *not* feed their meters… they’re *not* necessarily Jewish.

I also fail to see how the time that shabbos begins is a factor in parking regulation? My husband *knows* shabbos starts early, and therefore *doesn’t* park by a meter on a Friday, knowing full well he’ll be unable to feed it. So no matter what time shabbos starts, a meter still needs to be fed, and a FRUM person *knows* that, because it’s the LAW!

If anyone comes on the comments defending this wacko letter, claiming that cops target orthodox Jews in general when it comes to ticketing, I’ll just laugh. Think about the last time you drove on ave J or in Boro Park and you didn’t think you were going to die in a crash? SUPER FRUMMIES CAN’T DRIVE!!!!! They TRIPPLE PARK IN BORO PARK, and the U-TURN ON 13th ave!!!

THEY DESERVE THE TICKETS!!!!! Its *not* anti-Semitism!

buy it yourself

“However, this does not mean that you should not buy your future daughter in law a ring that is possibly more than you would have wanted to spend. I don't mean exorbitantly, maybe another $1000.”

That quote is one I found in the comments of one of Orthonomics post about dependency of today’s couples on their parents…

I personally got completely agitated by that comment right there.

I understand a MIL, a sister, or a SIL asking to accompany a guy when he goes to purchase his girlfriend (dating partner) her ring, but for someone other than the chosson to pay for it? Seriously? Didn’t the guy ever work?

No, I forgot… guys these days are so holy that they don’t need to work!

I’m not on the madraga to constantly know that “Hashem provides” (by making parents/inlaws sick from overwork, and lack of retirement funds)

Seriously? Wtf?

Cursed

A friend of mine emailed me the other day, clearly hysterical (we communicate via email *all* the time, so I can tell by the "tone") to say that a Rabbi (also happens to be the shadchan who made her shidduch) cursed her marraige.

That's right. The Rabbi CURSED her marriage.

At first I started cracking up hysterically, because, why the hell would a Rabbi curse a marraige, and even if he did, who really cares? Any man with the ability to give a "real" curse (if there even is one), wouldn't be an a$$ enough to actually do it.

Anyway, I asked her "so, whats this about?"

Here goes:
A few months before she and her chatan met, her chatan knew the Rabbi/shadchan very well and agreed to help him out with something. He (the chatan) spent hours researching information, free of charge. After a few months the Rabbi/Shadchan got what he needed, and said to chatan "thank you soooo very much, you're such a nice boy, I will now make it a big deal to find you a nice girl to marry"

A month or so later, my friend (Kallah) walked into the Rabbi's life, by joining a group he had, where he gave speeches and led discussions. He got to know my friend, and he realized that she would make a good match with the guy who helped him. He set them up... 2 months later, they're engaged!

During the engagment period, the chatan walked into the Rabbi/Shadchan's office, and handed him a shadchan gift of $500... Rabbi through the envelope back in chatan's face, and said "I charge $2000 from the grooms side and $1000 from the brides, what you gave me is pathetic. He who doesn't pay his shadchan is he who has a cursed marraige"

and so... my friend was totally flipping out, becuase seh was totally superstitious, and generally, as a soon-to-be married person, that's something completely unpleasant to hear.

I told my friend "the rabbi is an a$$, ignore him. He's a Rabbi not a magician"

And so...she see's a curse in everything now. The apt is roach infested, people keep declining the wedding and that up's the price per plate (yes, I know, she shouldn't have guaranteed so many people), and so many other things...

I can't help but think that this guy is such an a$$ to go and curse the couple. Even if he were upfront about the fee's (which he wasn't), and even if the chatan never helped him with anything, one has to be an a$$ of a Rabbi to throw money back at the couple and CURSE them as well...

Dumb Gemach

I was looking through the Jewish Press Classifieds when I got up to the part about "Gemachs". Most of them are decent, but one was just laugh out-loud funny. Here goes:

Beautiful business-size cards with Kiruv websites on them, are available for free (o to give to not-yet Frum people).

Can anyone explain to me why frummies think their religion is so cheap that a few fluffed up websites (on a "beautiful" business card) is enough to turn someone frum?
Heck, why do frummies think EVERYONE is cut out for the frum lifestyle?

what the ad should say

If anyone is ever bored, I highly recommend reading the classified's of the Torah Times... its ridiculously humurous (specifically the lost & found). But I'm not going into that...

I'm gonna make fun of the ads... I call it the
"What the ad's SHOULD say..." and then write the actual ad- as is- in the Times.

Should say:

Tzedaka

Emergency Campaign. Two-incapable "adults" getting married, with no job and lack of any practical job-related skills, as well as the lack of any life-skills. Please buy a raffle ticket for two to Florida.

What ad says:

Emergency Campaign. Hachnases Kallah Raffle, Ticket for 2 to Florida 1-for $5- 3 for $12- 5 for $18- Please mail to...

Should say:

Shadchan

Shidduch Organization looking to set your adult-child up. Please send us their height and weight, so we can update our database and begin to set people up!

What ad says:

Zivug4u Shidduch Organization is now updating our Data Base send email to request form.

Crazy hours

I was speaking to someone I know who recently left Lakewood. She had been living there for about 9 years and has recently moved out.

She was telling me the typical day of the average kollel guy or Rabbi (her husband) in kollel community...
- Wakes up early, runs to catch minyan.
- comes home, has breakfast, runs to morning shuir.
- comes home for dinner time, stays for about an hour, and then goes for maariv and night shuir.
- comes home about 11 (depending on who he speaks with etc)

She gave me exact hours, but I'd be lying if I told you I remembered them (which is why I didnt post them). But I do remember that she pretty much just sees her husband that one hour for dinner, and then from 11 till they go to bed (which varies on the night of the week), and then fully on shabbos.

This lady who was telling me, has spent her entire married life, seeing her husband with these teeny amount of hours... meaning their first year of marraige.

I cannot fathom how a marraige can possibly function properly, if the couple sees each other soooo seldomly. Especially the first year of marraige... how in the hell can they possibly get to know each other, with hours like that? Can one even say they're living with each other, or just AROUND each other like roommates?

Normal Frummy

I was given a ride home from a coworker of mine. He's a very nice, succesful frummy. He's your typical do-gooder (and I mean this in a good way).

In the car he was telling me about how his first year of marraige he was in kollel. He said he couldn't handle it. He was unable to bear the burden, knowing his (and her) parents were supporting him. He said he couldn't handle it for more than one year. He wasn't able to go out to eat, or buy a soda from a local bodega knowing that it was a luxury his parents had to work hard to provide for. So he didn't do things like that. He said rent he was able to accept because he told himself they were providing for the Torah Learning. But he couldn't bear anything other than that. He couldn't justify it to himself.

Imagine if all learners (and many non-full-time learners as well) had that kind of regard for other people's money... Maybe the economic crisis wouldn't have hit as hard as it did in the community...