Poll: Israel not an important partner for US Democrats

A recent Pew Research poll indicates an overwhelming divide between American Republicans and Democrats over perceptions of the importance of the US-Israel relationship.

The poll primarily dealt with comparing American and German perceptions of one another, but also touched tangentially on American perceptions of other countries.

According to the poll, 12% of Americans said that Israel was the “first or second most important partner for American foreign policy.” Israel tied in third place with Germany, also at 12%, coming behind China at 24% and chart topper Great Britain at 33%.

Dividing responses to the same question along party lines, the poll found that 24% of Republicans found Israel to be a top foreign policy partner out of eight countries listed, in second place behind Great Britain at 42% and ahead of China at 18%. Russia closed the list for Republicans, at 5%.

On the other hand, Israel did not make the eight-country list for Democrats, for whom Great Britain topped the list at 32%, China came in second at 26%, and Canada closed the list at 6%.

צפייה בתמונה בטוויטר

A Pew poll published at the beginning of the year indicated that 79% of Republicans defined themselves as pro-Israel while 6% said they were pro-Palestinian. In contrast, 27% of Democrats said they were pro-Israel and 25% pro-Palestinia

Next stop: Jerusalem

As part of the run-up to the opening of the express railroad between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, a full train (locomotive and train) arrived for the first time on Monday to the nation's capital..

On its way to the city, the train passed on the new bridges built for it until it reached Ha'uma Station in Jerusalem, which is about 90 meters underground.

צילום: באדיבות דף הפייסבוק "שבתשתיות"

Chareidie Mother of 10 held for injecting 5 kids with insulin to get welfare benefits

A Chareidie mother of 10 was arrested on suspicion that for years she regularly injected some of her children with insulin so that they appeared to have diabetes in order to fraudulently claim hundreds of thousands of shekels in welfare benefits, police said Thursday.

Details of the case were cleared for publication following a months-long police investigation and the arrest earlier this month of the woman and her husband, both in their 30s, who live in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem.

They were receiving some NIS 15,000 ($4,100) each month in payments  from the National Insurance Institute for five of their children who authorities believed were suffering from diabetes. They received some NIS 800,000 ($220,000) in total.

“I’ve been in the police force for 30 years. I have seen many difficult, serious things. This is one of the most shocking and difficult cases that I have seen,” said Doron Ben Amo, the investigation officer.

Lakewood Yeshivois Refuse To Accept Chabad Child In Their Schools

Letter from the Chabad parent:

Here Is What I Am Thinking About This Tisha Bav

It was two and a half years ago when Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz addressed a dinner in Lakewood and gave a speech that no one was expecting.

“L’tzaareynu harav, we have a machala in Lakewood,” said Rechnitz. “No other out of town community would ever allow a child to be left without a school. In LA if a child wouldn’t have a school , the first day the whole community would be all over it. The same thing would happen in Baltimore, Chicago, Toronto or anywhere else. This is basically a Lakewood machala. Yes, there a few kids in Monsey, more than a few kids in Brooklyn, but nowhere else and at no other time in history was this problem close to the magnitude it is in Lakewood.”

Rechnitz ultimately retracted his words and the firestorm that shook Lakewood to its core slowly settled down with everyone saying that, Baruch Hashem, the situation had changed.

"International Presence" Guy Slashes Tires of Chevron Settler ... Caught on Video

Israel has summoned Brigadier General Einar Johnsen, who heads the Temporary International Presence in Hebron. to the Foreign Ministry over the publication of a video allegedly showing one of his staff members slashing the tire of a Jewish owned vehicle in the city.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Foreign Ministry to act after the incident, which occurred a year ago, was published on Channel 2.

It follows the release earlier this month of a video of TIPH’s legal counsel slapping a 10-year Jewish child in Hebron.

TIPH could not be reached for comment. It’s 64 member observer force has operated in Hebron since 1997, when the Hebron agreement split the city. It placed 80% of the city of over 200,000 residents under the auspices of the Palestinian Authority, and the remaining 20% under IDF rule. Hebron’s Jewish community of some 1,000 people, lives solely in the part of the city under IDF control. 

Watch the Grand Opening Of the Lincoln Tunnel In 1938

Shelly Silver Says He Fears Death in Prison, Says He’s Sorry

Too bad that Shelly didn't wear  a shtreimel and have a beard. If he had, he would have had more sympathy  from the heimishe public .... now nobody gives a damn! 

Sheldon Silver, fearing he will spend the rest of his days behind bars, said he’s sorry for what he did in one of NY State government’s most powerful jobs – and said he’s worried about his well-being.

“I worry about my own age and health. I pray I will not die in prison,” the 74-year-old former Assembly speaker wrote in the July 19th letter to Manhattan federal Judge Valerie Caproni, according to a New York Daily News report.

Caproni is expected to sentence Silver to prison on corruption charges next Friday.

“The only confidence I have left is thanks to the strength and support of my wife, who is my rock,” Silver wrote. “[B]ut we are both crumbling. I worry about my grandchildren and how they will be treated because of me. I worry that my wife will be destitute. I worry about her trying to visit me while continuing to be a full-time helper for her 93 year old mother.”

He later writes, “Everything I ever accomplished has become a joke and a spectacle.”

Chareidi Visitors To Davos Creating A Major Chilul Hashem

Thousands of chareidi families are currently and will be visiting throughout Europe during bein hazmanim, mainly in region of the Alps in Switzerland or France, as well as Austria and Italy. Unfortunately, some are leaving a bad taste with their local hosts.

One of the most prestigious resorts in the country is Davos, Switzerland, where admorim, rabbonim and public figures visit, along with ‘amcha’ – regular Israelis. According to vacationers staying in the area, the streets of Davos during bein hazmanim appear similar to Meah Shearim and Bnei Brak due to the large presence of chareidim.

Anti-Trump "New York Daily News" Going Down the Drain

The New York Daily News – which has become infamous for over-the-top covers mocking the president – laid off half of its newsroom staff on Monday 

Employees received an email on Monday explaining that the Tronc-owned paper is “fundamentally restructuring” to focus on its digital audience.

“We are reducing today the size of the editorial team by approximately 50 percent and re-focusing much of our talent on breaking news – especially in areas of crime, civil justice and public responsibility,” the memo, which was obtained by Fox News, stated.

“I know this is difficult news to hear and want to assure you we are working hard to treat each employee with respect and to make the transition as smooth as possible,” the memo stated.

The tabloid’s human resources department promised to reach out to all affected employees by the end of the day on Monday and layoffs are effective immediately, but exiting staffers will be paid for the next 90 days.

“The decisions being announced today reflect the realities of our business and the need to adapt an ever-changing media environment,” the memo continued. “They are not a reflection on the significant talent that is leaving today.

The paper’s now-former editor in chief Jim Rich and managing editor Kristen Lee were among the cuts, with Robert York taking over as the tabloid’s top editor. Rich returned to the role earlier this year after first splitting with the paper in 2016. He has now removed all mention of the Daily News from his Twitter bio, replacing it with “Just a guy sitting at home watching journalism being choked into extinction.”

The Daily News has become known for its outlandish, anti-Trump cover images. The paper recently featured an illustration depicting Trump as a Supreme Court justice with the headline, "We Are F*#%’d.” The paper has also depicted Trump as numerous variations of a clown, a racist, “nuts,” the “anti-Christ” and even the poop emoji.  

The tabloid called Trump voters “mindless zombies” and categorized Trump a “Dead Clown Walking” when he failed to win the Iowa caucus in 2016.

The Daily News was criticized for referring to Ivanka Trump as “Daddy’s Little Ghoul,” mocking the first daughter. Political commentator Britt McHenry told Fox News that the cover was “reprehensible” and lacked “any sort of decency.”

Politico reported in 2017 that some members of management felt the anti-Trump direction of the paper was having a negative impact on the paper’s bottom line by “costing the News subscriptions in places like Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island.”

Tronc acquired the paper from Mort Zuckerman in 2017 for only $1, assuming liabilities and debt in the process.

IDF Soldier Killed With Armor-Piercing Rifle Made in Iran

Sgt Aviv Levi

The Palestinian sniper who shot and killed IDF Sgt. Aviv Levi on Friday used an Iranian gun with the ability to penetrate ceramic bulletproof vests, an initial investigation by the military concluded.

The armor-piercing gun was said to be an Iranian replica of an Austrian Steyr rifle, a report by Israel’s Channel 2 said.

Despite the fact that the IDF was aware that Hamas is in possession of such weapons, the soldier was wearing the standard ceramic vest when shot and not the heavier vest that could have protected against the sniper’s bullets. The reason for that was the low chances of such a rifle being used.

Hundreds attended the funeral of Levi, 21, an infantry soldier in the Givati Brigade, who was laid to rest in Petah Tikva.