Velvel Pasternak Jewish Music Publisher Dies At 86

Musicologist and publisher Velvel Pasternak, who published more than 150 volumes of Jewish music, has died.

Pasternak, who also conducted and arranged music, died on Tuesday in New York City at the age of 86.

He founded Tara Publications in 1971. The goal of the company was the publication, preservation and dissemination of the heritage of Jewish music, the company’s website says.

The earliest publications were collections of Chasidic songs based on recordings arranged and conducted by Pasternak. These were followed by Israeli, Yiddish, Klezmer, Choral, Cantorial and Instrumental music collections. He also published anthologies of Sephardic music, including Ladino, Spanish-Portuguese, and music from Bosnia, Sarajevo, and Calcutta. He also published a volume of Holocaust music.

Entrance to Jerusalem closing to cars for 3 years in July

The entrance to Jerusalem will be blocked to private vehicles starting July 14, likely exacerbating traffic jams leading into the capital, as the government constructs a new entryway into the city.

The thoroughfare will remain closed for three years, although public transportation will continue to function as normal, according to a Monday report by Channel 12.

The construction project will shutter the area between the Chords Bridge and the International Convention Center. An alternative route will open that will pass through Herzl Boulevard and go around the government offices on its way to the city center.

Work began this week on the new road into Jerusalem, touted as one that will “free up the bottleneck” of traffic at the main entrance to the city and significantly mitigate congestion.

Mary Max, wife of famed artist Peter Max, kills herself in Upper West Side apartment

Peter & Mary Max

Mary Max, the wife of world-renowned psychedelic artist Peter Max, killed herself in her Upper West Side apartment over the weekend, police said Monday.

Mary Max, 52, died of nitrogen asphyxiation and was discovered in her apartment on Riverside Drive near West 84th Street on Sunday evening, cops said.

She had been involved in an ugly legal battle with other members of the family over her dementia-afflicted, 81-year-old husband’s artwork.

In a 2015 lawsuit, Max’s stepson, Adam Max, accused Mary of attempting to kill her husband so she could take control of his multimillion-dollar art collection.

In response, Mary accused her stepson — who is three years younger than she is — of stealing $4.3 million worth of artwork that her husband gave her in a prenuptial agreement.

Peter, who married Mary in the late 1990s, grew old and frail in recent years and grew ill during the court cases over his fortune.

Peter Max rose to fame in the art world during the pop art era of the 1960s and 1970s.

He drew extremely wealthy paintings for private organizations, including the NFL, FIFA and cereal companies.

Author of "Making of A Gadol" Passes On

HaGaon HaRav Nosson Kamenetzky ZT”L, son of HaGaon HaRav Yaakov Kamenetzky ZT”L, one of the Gedolei Hador of the previous generation in the United States, was niftar in Yerushalayim on Shabbos.

Rav Kamenetzky was niftar at his home on Sorotzkin Street. The Rav was hospitalized on numerous occasions during recent months.

The rav was born 89 years ago to Rav Yaakov Kamenetzky in Europe, and immigrated with the family to Brooklyn, NY and learned in Yeshivas Torah Vodaas. He made aliyah to Eretz Yisrael at the age of 40, and he was among the founders of Yeshiva Itri in Yerushalayim.

His sefer ‘Making of a Godol’ “גידולו של גדול” was published about 17 years ago, dealing with Gedolei Torah over a period of 150 years from Rav Yisrael Salanter until the beginning of World War I.

The Sefer was banned and placed in Cheirim by Chareidie Gedolim because Rav Kamenetzky wrote the naked truth,  didn't cover up or censor any of his stories about the gedoilim of the previous generation. 

Nine out of ten  Gedoilim who signed the Cheirim couldn’t read English, and and the remaining signature who could read English (Rav Scheinberg zt”l) didn’t read it. 
They all signed after  Rav Elyashiv signed it, who listened to the  askanims version which was based on testimony of a pack of liars. 

The niftar was a brother of HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Kamenetzky Shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of Philadelphia, and a member of the Moetzas Gedolei Hatorah.

The levaya took place on motzei Shavuos at 11:30PM from Yeshivas Torah Ohr to Har Menuchos.

תהא נשמתו צרורה בצרור החיים

Published on Isru Chag Shavuos from Jerusalem.

Chag Samaich Shavuot

Knesset Member to American Jewish Palestinian Terror Lover " Protecting Israel’s Security Is More Important Than Pleasing You"

Watch a video of the entire town hall meeting below (the final exchange

 begins at the 14:15 remaining mark):

As Goethe stated,
 "There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action." 
This cretin wanted to show her fellow lowlifes how liberal, understanding and multicultural she could be. An 
embarrassment to all Jews and to our country.

During a town hall meeting near Boston on Wednesday,

 four Israeli Knesset members — from across the political spectrum — each gave powerful responses to an audience member who questioned the Jewish state’s commitment

 to making peace with the Palestinians.

At the conclusion of the discussion — which was organized by 

the Ruderman Family Foundation and moderated by The Algemeiner editor-in-chief Dovid Efune — an American Jewish woman named Shifra came to the microphone in the 

sanctuary of Congregation Kehillath Israel in Brookline and

 warned the Israeli guests, 

“You are losing me and you are losing many, many, many people

 in the Jewish community…I cannot look the other way when

 three Israeli teenagers are brutally murdered, and the response

 is to kill 2,300 Palestinians” —  a reference to Operation 

Protective Edge in the summer of 2014 and the events that 

preceded it.

“I want to know what you are doing to make peace with the Palestinians,” she continued. “I want to know what the 

government is doing to make peace.”

Ohana was the last to speak. “War is horrible. I lost friends, 

I lost family, Mickey lost two brothers. But to say that the

 response to the murder of the three youngsters was the

 killing of 2,300 [Palestinians] is to ignore the thousands and thousands of rockets thrown from Gaza to Israeli citizens. 

Each and every one of them [was] targeted to kill us. 

And if I will have to choose between losing more lives of 

Israelis, whether they are civilians or soldiers, or losing 

you, I will sadly, sorrily, rather lose you.”

Rabbanim's New Rule! "No Goyishe Music At Weddings!"

A new list of rules for weddings was recently released, and undersigned by prominent Rabbonim. The rules are regarding the music at wedding. 

The text below has been transcribed by YWN.

Dear Choson,

You are, with Hashem’s help, planning to build your new home, a בית that will be לכבוד ה’ ולתפארתו, a בית נאמן בישראל – בית שמגדלים בו תורה ויראת שמים.

The חתונה is the foundation of, and an integral component, of your future home. It is therefore crucial to ensure that the chasuna be imbued with a spirit of kedusha and be a Yiddishe simcha – and not chas v’shalom the opposite.

Unfortunately, in recent times – even at frum and ehrlicha chasunos – it has become accepted to compromise the kedusha of this special occasion with inappropriate music, coming from non-Jewish sources.

There was a time when a chasuna was a truly uplifting occasion, as is befitting of a Yiddishe simcha – permeated with kedusha and simcha. Tragically, today, a Jewish wedding can sometimes appear to be no different from a disco party. What should be an opportunity for the choson and kallah to start off this bayis ne’eman appropriately, complete with uplifting Yiddishe music, has been lost, due to goyisha music and inappropriate dancing. These influences only cause destruction of the yesodos of kedusha of Am Yisroel. This is the opposite of what should be seen and heard at a Yiddishe chasuna.

Our dear choson, at this seminal point of your life – as you prepare for this auspicious day – do what you can to ensure that you are laying the foundation of your bayis ne’eman on yesodos of kedusha, and not chas v’shalom the opposite.

We therefore appeal to you to adhere to the following guidelines:

1. No non-Jewish songs or intros may be used, either from the original online sound track or played manually.
2. The bass level should be kept at a medium level.
3. No beats should be used with loud electronic sound effects, or electric guitar and synth sounds at high volume.
4. There should be no flashing, moving, or color changing lights.
5. One should be very careful which singer they hire. The singer should not be dancing in an inappropriate fashion. The חתן should only hire a singer that will sing in a proper Yiddishe fashion.
6. It is important to bear in mind that the band is solely in the employment of the חתן, therefore, the choson’s friends may not request anything of the band without permission from the חתן.

We sign on this with an emphatic plea: Please be vigilant about the בית הגדול you are attempting to build, and lay the יסודות with חכמה ודעת.

HaRav Matisyahu Solomon, Mashgiach Lakewood
HaRav Yisroel Neuman, Rosh Yeshiva, Lakewood
HaRav Dovid Schustal, Rosh Yeshiva, Lakewood
HaRav Shmuel Kaminetzky, Rosh Yeshiva, Philadelphia
HaRav Elya Ber Wachtfogel, Rosh Yeshiva South Fallsburg
HaRav Yitzchok Sorotzkin, Rosh Yeshiva, Lakewood Mesivta
HaRav Eliezer Lieff, Rosh Yeshiva, SOuth Monsey
HaRav Yaakov Forchheimer, Dayan, Lakewood
HaRav Ahron Zuckerman, Rav, Zichron Pinchas
HaRav Yaakov Landau, Rav, Chanichei Hayeshivos
HaRav Yisroel Brog, Rosh Yeshiva, Cleveland
HaRav Chaim Meyer Roth, Rav, Sterling Forest
HaRav Yosef Dovid Neuschloss, Rav, Agudas Achim
HaRav Avrohom Spitzer, Skverrer Dayan
HaRav Tzvi Noach Portugal, Admor Skulen, Lakewood

Beit Shemesh Inaugurates New Railway Park & Ride

 

After many efforts by Beit Shemesh Mayor Dr. Aliza Bloch and Deputy Mayor Rabbi Shmuel Greenberg, they inaugurated the new park & ride stations – Next week, the new train station park & ride will open with 120 parking spaces for the train’s passengers.

As part of the work to expand the service in all areas of public transport for the benefit of the residents of Beit Shemesh, intensive work took place over two years towards the completion of the parking lot. The parking lot will open next week and will join the adjacent parking lot, which opened 18 months ago with 55 parking spots, with a total of 175 parking spaces.

Officials explained this is another milestone towards relieving commuter accessibility and improving public transportation in the city of Beit Shemesh, thanks to Rabbi Shmuel Greenberg, who is credited with pushing the project along with Shalom Edri, as they worked with the Ministry of Transport and the Railways Administration.

Deputy Mayor Greenberg said that he was pleased to applaud the completion of the project and that it was a great satisfaction for him on this day when the parking lot was inaugurated, as they had to navigate many potholes towards obtaining the budget from the Israel Railways and at all stages of planning and execution.

Greenberg thanked the mayor for her extensive assistance along the way, to the Ministry of Transport and Railways, to the engineering and transportation and transportation departments, and to Mr. Shalom Edri, who assisted in dealing with the Israel Railways.

22 Year-Old Yonoson Shipper From Chevron Yeshiva Falls Off Roof From Yeshiva

On wednesday afternoon, a 21 year-old bachur fell off the roof of the Chevron Yeshivah.

He was rushed to Sharai Tzek Hospital in critical condition,

22-year-old Yonoson Shipper Z”L was tragically Niftar on Thursday, after falling from an upper floor window of Yeshivas Chevron on Chaim Heller Street in Yerushalayim.

The incident occurred close to 2:00PM, and EMS personnel found the young man in critical condition.

He was rushed by MDA paramedics to the trauma unit of Shaare Zedek Hospital in the city, intubated and sedated, and listed in critical condition.

Tragically, he succumbed to his massive injuries and was Niftar.

Satmar Shvantz With Flag