In the Haredi neighborhood of Bnei Brak in Israel, Twisted, an advertising agency, thought up a wily way to promote the movement to end violence against women. Twisted put up a poster that prominently showed an attractive model, knowing that it would get vandalized. Unsurprisingly, when it was torn down, a second layer of the poster was revealed with a message that read, “International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women 25.11.03.” Haaretz reports:

In a campaign coinciding with the United Nations’ International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, marked on November 25, Israeli advertising firm Twisted tackled the issue of excluding women from the public sphere, Ice.co.il reported.

Check out the before and after:

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Walt Disney Animation Studios has bought the rights to the beautiful Israeli documentary Dolphin Boy—the story of Morad, an Israeli Arab teenager, who was beaten so viciously he lost his ability to communicate. Morad’s recovery was slow, and doctors wanted to put him in a mental institution. But instead, Morad’s father took him to Eilat where he could swim with dolphins, a process that taught him how to communicate again. The Times of Israel reports:

The purchase is the first that Burbank, California studio has made in Israel. It intends to turn the story into a feature film.

The award-winning documentary was produced by Dani Menkin, Yonatan Nir and Judith Manassen Ramon, who worked on it for four years after hearing Morad’s story.

It’ll be interesting to see what Disney does with the film. Watch a trailer for the original:

(Photo by dolphinboyfilm.com)

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For years, foreigners have watched perplexing news footage of turkey-stuffed Americans fighting one another for a Tickle Me Elmo at their local Walmart. And while they used to laugh superiorly at the discount insanity, many other countries are now joining in— namely, Israel. Yes, the Holy Land has taken a liking to our Black Friday and Cyber Monday ways. The times they are a-changin’, the Jerusalem Post reports.

“Cyber Monday started in America, but Israeli consumers see the opportunity and want to participate in shopping holidays, so they were looking for great deals online,” said Elad Goldenberg, the Israel manager for eBay, which offers special shipping rates and discounts.

“The rates of purchasing are doubling year after year.”

For the holiday spree, Israeli newspapers are publishing top 10 lists for the best deals around. Online shipping services are providing Israelis with special rates for deliveries. Sorry, America. No longer can you hog all the holiday shopping mania. Cheaper MacBooks for all! It’s what the pilgrims, and the chalutzim, would have wanted.

Though Israel is not alone in its Cyber Monday madness, it is one of the strongest adopters. According to Business News Daily, in 2012 Israelis spent seven times their average daily purchases over Black Friday weekend, tied with Ireland, and behind Colombia, where shopping ballooned to 11 times normal spending. Mexico, South Korea, Russia and China all showed inflated spending as well. All in all, international sales from US retailers tripled from the previous year.

Happy Thanksgiving.

(Photo by K2 images/Shutterstock)

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Rumor has it that X Factor creator Simon Cowell is exploring Judaism as he and his girlfriend, Lauren Silverman, await the arrival of their baby. In October, we found out that Cowell donated $150,000 (yes, you read that number correctly) to the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces. Now, the Mirror reports that Cowell is planning a trip to the Holy Land.

“He really is embracing fatherhood and wants to be the first person to cradle his new-born son. He is open to reason on the subject of religion and the faith in which his son is brought up.

“But he is naturally inquisitive and really wants to visit Israel so that he can make a more informed decision.”

While the tabloids are generally unreliable, we’ll have some fun with this story. There is, in fact, $150,000 making it seem believable. Then again, what’s $150,000 to a multi-millionaire?

We’ll continue to keep you posted on Cowell’s Judaism tour.

Previous: Simon Cowell Donated a Ton of Money to the IDF

(Photo by John Phillips/Getty)

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Hearing problems can be prevented the earlier they’re diagnosed. But a new study by Tel Aviv University researcher, Dr. Sarah Ingber, shows that six out of 10 ultra-Orthodox Israeli women do not bring their babies to the doctor for free hearing checks, Haaretz reports. Members of the Knesset are forming a campaign in order to raise awareness within the ultra-Orthodox community.

Deputy Education Minister MK Avraham Wortzman (Bayit Yehudi) announced the opening of a publicity campaign to promote awareness among the public and in state institutions of the need to take babies for hearing tests. “A child who is not diagnosed when young will face 10 times the problems of other children,” he said.

Apparently, in the Negev, the wait to get into clinics can be quite long, preventing mothers from getting their child the tests they need.

Dr. Orly Hertzberg, the ministry’s head of clinical communications, said that the wait at Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba is “no longer than three months.” She promised, however, that the ministry would act to shorten it.

Hopefully, with campaigning and new efforts, the frequency of testing will increase and the waits for clinics will decrease.

(Photo by nikkos/Shutterstock)

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It’s not often that there’s reason to care about the Guinness World Records. The largest recorded breast size is not, technically, need-to-know or even want-to-know information. But just last week, Israel set the world record for hair donation for children battling cancer. Some 250 women gathered in Jerusalem’s Malha Mall, headed to the barber, and donated 117 lbs. of their locks. The drive was organized by Pantene Israel and Zichron Menachem Cancer Support Center in Israel, the Times of Israel reports.

“In order to make a child with cancer feel as normal and beautiful as possible, the goal is to fashion a wig that looks exactly like his/her hair,” Zichron Menachem’s website explains. “The child’s head is measured, and the wig is constructed from hair that is the closest match to his own. A curly-topped kid wants curls. A girl with red braids wants red braids. A teen with frizzy brown hair still wants… frizzy brown hair, even if she’s always complained about it!”

For those who couldn’t make it to Malha Mall, the drive is set for all of November at salons throughout the country—there’s even a DIY option for those who trust themselves enough to cut their own hair (you brave, brave souls).

Mazel tov, Israel! A record that’s certainly worth setting.

(Photo from Zichron Menachem)

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With Homeland plotlines twisting and turning with no end in sight, it’s about time we got a brand new show from its creator Gideon Raff. Working with Heroes’ Tim Kring, the two have brokered a deal with USA Network for Dig, an archeological thriller set and filmed in Jerusalem, Variety reports.

“Dig” returns to Raff’s trademark formula of suspense, Middle Eastern intrigue and razor-sharp plot twists. The program will follow a U.S. agent named Peter stationed in Jerusalem. While investigating the murder of a woman, he stumbles into a 2,000-year-old conspiracy embedded in the archeological mysteries of the ancient city.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat has granted the crew access to the city, and he seems pretty excited about it.

“When Hollywood and the Holy City meet, the sky is the limit,” said Barkat.

The show is set to come out in 2014. Next year in Jerusalem.

(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty)

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Helloooooo, Israel! Miley Cyrus is apparently coming your way. But you’ll have to wait until next summer to enjoy the madness. We know that’s a long way off, but don’t worry, you might not even like her music by then. The Jerusalem Post reports:

Apparently still in the discussion stages, the television station that broke the story says Cyrus’s “people” are in advanced planning stages for the show. They say the performance will be on a smaller scale than Rihanna’s October performance, but there is no doubt it will stir some controversy.

Controversy, no doubt! She’ll hop on a plane to TLV with a dream and her cardigan. She’ll come in like a wrecking ball. She can’t stop, and she won’t stop. You understand.

We’re looking forward to the show, Cyrus. You better shock us. Until then, we have this.

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Justice Minister Tzipi Livni has initiated the process to introduce an updated civil marriage bill in Israel, which could potentially legalize intermarriage and same-sex marriage throughout the country, Israel National News reports. The bill was released to the Knesset and the public on Sunday, and for the next three weeks is open to comments before being formulated into a formal bill.

In Israel, a bill like this remains controversial:

Hopes remain high that the civil marriage bill will be rejected by the ministerial committee on legislation, where Bayit Yehudi (Jewish Home) MKs, including Housing Minister Uri Ariel, have already vowed to prevent the bill from passing preliminary stages. The issue of civil marriage has already reportedly threatened the critical alliance between Yesh Atid and Bayit Yehudi, which provides the foundation of the current coalition.

Surprisingly, Rabbi Binyamin Lau, a respected public figure and biographer of Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, has reportedly made a statement supporting the civil union proposal, suggesting that the change could cause “much of the hatred of religion by secular Israelis to disappear.”

Livni’s move comes after last week’s proposal of the “Tzoharbill,” which allows couples to choose which municipal rabbinate will process the marriage license. Currently, Jewish marriage in Israel is under the jurisdiction of the Chief Rabbinate and if a couple does not wish to marry under the rabbinate, they often travel to Cyprus for a recognized marriage certificate.

The bill would update the civil marriage option that already exists in Israel. The current bill is limited to people defined as “without religion,” which is usually Russian immigrants who become citizens according to the Right of Return, but are not formally recognized as Jews by the Interior Ministry.

(Photo by Ilia Yefimovich/Getty)

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Simon Cowell, you sneaky little sweetheart. This guy might be mean on prime time television, but in civilian clothing, he’s one philanthropic guy. Cowell attended an event for the Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday and donated a bunch of his own money to the well being of men and women in Israeli uniform, the Times of Israel reports.

Cowell, best known for his acid-tongued judgments on “American Idol” and “The X Factor,” attended a fundraiser for Israeli soldiers on Wednesday and shelled out $150,000 of his own money for the cause. The event was hosted by billionaire Haim Saban, the Israeli creator of “Power Rangers.”

The event was put together by Haim Saban, the Israeli billionaire and creator of the ’90s hit kids TV show, Power Rangers. Saban offered to donate $1 million if Cowell sang the Power Rangers theme song. And, supposedly, Cowell sang away. What we’d give for video of that event.

“Go Go Power Rangers” will likely be stuck in all of our heads for the weekend.

(Photo by John Phillips/Getty)

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