On vacation in a peaceful Galilee village, the writer is awakened by deafening music emanating from the neighbors. He tries to persuade them to reduce the volume, to no avail. He says that every society has rules of civilized behavior to ensure safeguarding the personal freedom of citizens, but what does one do when insensitivity gives way to blatant aggression.

The Netzak Yehuda battalion was established for Haredi Youth in 1999. Starting with 30 soldiers it has now grown to a fully functioning combat unit of over 1,000 young men. The soldiers all volunteer for a full army life knowing that all the religious laws will be followed. It is helping to bridge the gap between haredi and non-religious Israeli youth.

The Mondial comes round every four years and Ilan Shachar refuses to miss any of the games, so social invitations are a problem. Read how he deals with these invites until his wife teases him with a very important occasion that just can’t be missed!

Why travel abroad – why spend the money and go through all the hassle at the airport and the strain of traveling. Ilan Shachar thinks that he could stay at home, invite his friends to visit him, go out for a few good meals, buy some alcohol and relax here in Israel in the comfort of his own home.

Two fascinating and creatively stimulating programs designed for students with learning disabilities or from disadvantaged backgrounds, are described by Ilan Shachar in Feeling Good and Fluent English. These programs, separately and together, combine learning English as a second language in tandem with improving body-mind coordination.

Two reports of incidents familiar to many illustrating the unacceptable bad manners and timid management, in the supermarket and in the bank, forming the catalyst for Israeli reactions at every level.

Since Madonna is coming to Israel in May, her fans have implored the PM not to attack Iran before the concert so that it woudn’t be cancelled. Yes, Strategic Planning is called for when important events like that are to be considered! Ilan Shachar suggests a few other such urgent matters that give pause for thought in this satiric article.

The new development of the Tahana in Tel Aviv is a popular center of tourist interest. This story tells the history of the first railway lines between Jaffa/Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and the early railway connections in Israel.