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KARMIEL ELECTIONS
On Tuesday, 31 October 2023 residents of Karmiel, along with citizens throughout the country, will have the opportunity to vote for a new city council and mayor for a five-year period. Election day is now a paid holiday for the working population.
All municipalities, local councils and regional councils will be up for election as will mayors. Top-two run-off elections will be held on Tuesday, 14 November where no leadership candidate won a minimum of 40% of votes cast in the first round.
Two ballot papers are used, colour-coded white for the council, yellow for the mayoral vote and blue for regional local committees where such exist (not Karmiel). All elected councilors and council leaders will assume office 21 days after the election. Unlike national elections where the minimum voter age is 18, the age of eligibility for local elections is 17. Voters must reside in the locality in which they are registered, a minimum of 40 days before the election.
The Feature
Article
LENTILS AND THE JEWISH CONNECTION
Why are Ashkenazim forbidden from eating lentils (and other legumes and rice for that matter) on Pesach when Sephardim and Mizrachim enjoy eating them with impunity? It’s a perennial and vexing question to which there appears to be no rational answer. “That’s just the way it is” seems as good an answer as any.
Since at least the 13th century, Ashkenazi Jews living outside of Israel have been prohibited from eating kitniyot during the Passover holiday. It may be that this group of foods was originally banned because it was often mixed with wheat, only eaten during Pesach when made into matzah. Another possible reason is that Ashkenazi Jews often viewed lentils with some disdain, dismissing them as a ‘food of the poor’ and only to be eaten in times of famine.
The Puzzle Corner
