Asteroid could strike Earth day prior to election

 That’s one way to rock the vote.

An asteroid with a diameter the size of a refrigerator could strike the Earth the day before the November election, according to celebrity scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson — but it’s not large enough to do any serious damage.

The famed astrophysicist said the space rock, known as 2018VP1, is hurtling towards Earth at a speed of 25,000 miles per hour and may clip the planet on Nov. 2.

“It may buzz-cut Earth on Nov. 2, the day before the Presidential Election,” he wrote on Instagram.

But he added that the flying object is nothing to lose sleep over since “it’s not big enough to cause harm.”⠀⠀⠀

“So if the World ends in 2020, it won’t be the fault of the Universe,” he said.

NASA had previously identified the asteroid rocketing toward Earth, but put its chances of actually striking at less than 1 percent.

“It currently has a 0.41% chance of entering our planet’s atmosphere, but if it did, it would disintegrate due to its extremely small size,” the space agency said.

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Batel Peretz Frum Girl in Bulgarian Prison

Hi,

My name is Shimon Peretz. My daughter Batel was offered an “all expenses paid” trip to Bulgaria by a member of our community, in exchange for bringing a suitcase with items perfectly legal in Israel. Growing up sheltered, she had no idea she was being tricked. Upon arrival, she was arrested and brought to prison. 

She has been subjected to harsh conditions unheard of in the Israeli or US penal system. She is allowed only one phone call a day with us. When I visit her, I am not allowed to hug her. She cannot communicate with her jailers. Even something as simple as asking for a glass of water or letting the nurse know she is feeling ill is usually impossible. Her health and spirit is deteriorating rapidly. This young girl from a loving home is being housed together with murders and violent criminals, many of whom don’t like Jews. Her life is in grave danger and I want her to come home.

Our whole family is suffering. My son, a sensitive young boy with no history of mental illness, recently became institutionalized in a psychiatric hospital. The “unknown” regarding his sister has been too much for him to bear.

We are spending a lot on lawyers. Because of language issues, we have had to hire translators and other professionals at a high price. She is not being provided with Kosher food, so my wife and I rented an apartment in Bulgaria to cook food for her and her friends. We are being offered a plea bargain in exchange for expensive“fines”. We don’t have that kind of money, but without it, she may spend 15 years in prison and who knows if she will make it out alive.

My dear fellow Jews, I am begging you for your help. Without you, I will lose my precious daughter. While all mitzvahs are great, the Gemara singles out Pidyon Shvuyim as a “Mitzvah Rabbah”. Because the Talmud says “captivity” is worse than starving to death, the Rambam rules redeeming a captive takes precedence over charity for the poor. The Shulchon Aruch says one who delays in redeeming a captive is considered a murderer. Because Batel is a girl, halacha gives her precedence for redemption. The reward and bracha you will receive for helping is unimaginable. Hashem listens to the tefillah of the broken hearted and I daven that Hashem grant you wealth in abundance, health and nachas from your kids.

We are trying to raise money for Pidyon Shvuyim. Our goal is for 500 people to donate $390. The reward for this Mitzvah will surely stand you in good stead.

Senior PA official Saeb Erekat Transferred To Israel For Covid-19 Treatment

 

The condition of senior Palestinian Authority official Saeb Erekat, 65, who is ill with coronavirus, has deteriorated in recent hours.

The Palestinian Authority has submitted a request to Israel to transfer him for examination from Jericho to urgent care at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Israeli territory. Israel complied with the request and will try to save his life.

Erekat is in a high risk group after having previously contracted pulmonary fibrosis and even underwent a lung transplant in the United States in 2017.

In November 2010, Erekat wrote a letter of praise to Ahmad Saadat, the planner of the murder of Minister Rehavam Zeevi, for whom a state memorial service will be held on Tuesday.

"I am writing to you my dear brother to express the most courageous feelings of solidarity and fraternity ... The occupation is pursuing a policy of defeat and humiliation towards you (the prisoners) through the abolition of your achievements. You have exhibited a great stand which has become a legend in which many shahids have fallen.”

After praising Saadat, Erekat wrote to him "Our beloved, the darkness of the prison will come to an end. We believe we will meet soon and celebrate the victory and the liberation and freedom, for all the prisoners."

In December 2015, he paid a condolence visit to the family of a terrorist who carried out a shooting attack against IDF forces and belonged to Palestinian Authority intelligence.

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In the UK.... London Charedi housing association wins landmark Supreme Court case

 A Charedi Jewish housing association has won a landmark case at the Supreme Court after its decision not to offer one of its London apartments to a non-Jewish mother was challenged through the courts.

The case concerned Agudas Israel Housing Association (AIHA), a charity based in Hackney providing housing to members of the Orthodox Jewish community which owns 470 properties across the borough – about one percent of all social housing.

Its practice of allocating social housing only to strictly-Orthodox Jews was by challenged by a single non-Jewish mother of four children, one of whom has severe autism, after she was promised the next available apartment, which at the time was AIHA property.

Despite her having been assessed by Hackney as “having the highest possible need”, she came up against AIHA’s practice of offering housing “only to members of the Orthodox Jewish community,” which Hackney Council adheres to.

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Ten iconic Holocaust films to watch now on Netflix and Amazon

 

Defiance (2008)

Directed by Edward Zwick, Defiance tells the true-life story of the Bielski partisans, a group led by Belarusian Jewish brothers, who saved and recruited Jews in Belarus during the Second World War. The film stars Daniel Craig as Tuvia Bielski, Liev Schreiber as Zus Bielski, Jamie Bell as Asael Bielski, and George MacKay as Aron Bielski. Available to rent or buy on Amazon.

Schindler’s List (1993)

One of the greatest Holocaust films of all time and recipient of seven Academy Awards, Steven Spielberg’s sweeping epic Schindler’s List follows the real-life story of Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), a German businessman who saved the lives of more than 1,000 mostly Polish Jews by employing them in his factories during the Second World War. The stellar cast includes Ralph Fiennes as sadistic SS officer Amon Goeth and Ben Kingsley as Schindler’s Jewish accountant Itzhak Stern. Available on Netflix, and to rent or buy on Amazon

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Well-wishers hope for recovery after Rabbi Sacks announces cancer diagnosis

Messages from across the community and around wished a speedy recovery to former Chief Rabbi, Lord Jonathan Sacks, after has announced he has been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing treatment.

In a statement posted to his Twitter feed on Thursday, Sacks’ office said he had been “recently diagnosed” with an unspecified cancer and hoped to return to work “as soon as possible.”

“He remains positive and upbeat and will now spend a period of time focused on the treatment he is receiving from his excellent medical team,” the statement said. “He is looking forward to returning to his work as soon as possible.”

Sacks, 72, has been treated for cancer twice before, in his 30s and again in his 50s, a fact that wasn’t widely known until it was disclosed in a 2012 book.

He served as chief rabbi of the British Commonwealth from 1991 until 2013 and is among the most prominent expositors of Orthodox Judaism in the world, having authored dozens of books addressing contemporary spiritual and moral issues.

A translation and commentary on a Jewish prayer book that he wrote has become enormously popular worldwide. His most recent book, “Morality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times,” came out last month.

Incumbent, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis took to Twitter, saying: “To my illustrious predecessor, Rabbi Lord Sacks, may Hashem bless you with a Refuah Sheleima – a swift and complete return to good health. My heartfelt prayers are with you, Elaine and the whole family.”

Well-wishers sent support from across the community around the world, with Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin “wishing my dear friend @rabbisacks  Refuah Shlema, a full and speedy recovery. Get well soon, we need your voice now more than ever.”

The European Jewish Congress also hoped for a swift recovery, saying: “He is one of the most important and inspiring spiritual leaders and thinkers of our day. Our thoughts and prayers are with him.

Israel’s new ambassador to London, Tzipi Hotovely, hoped for his recovery, saying: “Now more than ever our world needs his remarkable wisdom, intellect and foresight.”

Meanwhile, the Board of Deputies tweeted: “Wishing you a full and speedy recovery from all of us”, and the Community Security Trust wished their “great friend and supporter” well, calling him a “tireless campaigner against antisemitism” who has “contributed so much to Jewish life in this country.” 

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Twitter Still Blocking NY Post from Tweeting Because They Told the Truth about the Bidens

 The NY Times reported on Friday that Twitter is no longer blocking the sharing of tweets by the NYPost exposing the emails of presidential candidate Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden. Twitter had banned the NY Post link and even went as far as blocking users who shared those links.

But, according to Georgett Roberts of the NY Post, “The Post’s Twitter account remains frozen in the wake of our exclusive report on Hunter Biden’s e-mails.” As of Sunday morning, the NY Post has not tweeted anything new on Twitter since the October 14, 2020 ban.

If that isn’t enough censorship for you, Mary Kay Linge and Jon Levine report that, “Twitter has refused to unlock The Post’s account unless the news organization deletes tweets about its own reporting on Hunter Biden’s emails.”

In another article by Jon Levine of the Post, he states that a review of tweets by senior executives and employees at Twitter indicate a “a long history of anti-Trump hatred,” and then provides a list of examples.

GOP leaders are calling Twitter’s censorship of the NY Post expose on Hunter Biden and his father Joe Biden “election interference.” The Republican National Committee filed a complain with the Federal Election Commission.

The emails have also raised new allegations about the Biden families business dealings with China.

Politically conservative news outlets, websites and bloggers have long complained of censorship, shadow-banning and outright banning by the Big Tech companies which include Google, Facebook and Twitter.

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What is a ‘moser’? The ugly, complicated history of Judaism’s most dangerous accusation

by Henry Abramson

 The intermediate days of Sukkot in the holy city of Brooklyn are normally a time of singing, prayer and communal fellowship. This year the celebrations were marred by violence. 

Egged on by a rabble-rousing individual who literally wore a political bumper sticker on his chest, a crowd of angry haredi Orthodox Jews protested coronavirus restrictions, burning masks and denouncing government authorities. Police, wary of this summer’s Black Lives Matter protests but unaccustomed to angry mobs of Hasidim in their Yom Tov finery, were unprepared for the melee. 

Scenes of the demonstrations were widely circulated on social media, including sporadic episodes of shameful violence. In one notorious bit of cellphone footage, a Yiddish-inflected curse was repeatedly thrown at Jacob Kornbluh, a Hasidic reporter for Jewish Insider. With his back to a wall and surrounded by Hasidim, the threatening crowd chanted “moser, moser, moser!” as jarring, festive holiday music blared incongruously in the background. Barely protected by a handful of police officers, Kornbluh fled the scene, chased away by a surging mass of kaftans and stiff-brimmed black hats.

Incredible.

What, exactly, is a moser? The term “snitch” was also thrown at the hapless writer, but the translation doesn’t come close. 

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The traditional Jewish prayer Gal Gadot says every day

 

As an Israeli, Gadot is very open about her Jewish identity, speaking out against anti-Semitism, sharing pictures of her family celebrating Jewish holidays, and talking about how her grandfather, an Auschwitz survivor, impacted her life. And, at the end of the Vanity Fair piece, she talks about how one Jewish prayer in particular helps keep her grounded.

“I say thank you every morning. In the Jewish culture, there’s a prayer that you’re supposed to say every time you wake up in the morning to thank God for, you know, keeping you alive and dadadada. You say “modeh ani,” which means ‘I give thanks,’” she told Vanity Fair’s Nancy Jo Sales. “So every morning I wake up and step out of bed and I say, ‘Thank you for everything, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.’ Nothing is to be taken for granted.”

Modeh Ani is, of course, the traditional Jewish prayer recited upon waking up each day. It offers thanks to God for letting us regain consciousness after a long night’s sleep.

“I thank You, living and enduring King, for You have graciously returned my soul within me. Great is Your faithfulness,” is one translation of prayer’s Hebrew text.

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France Killer Asked Pupils to Point Out Teacher Before Beheading

Samuel Paty 

The animal suspected of beheading a French history teacher who showed his students cartoons of the prophet Mohammed was identified as an 18-year-old Chechen, who had been granted a 10-year residency in France as a refugee in March. The murder was described by President Emmanuel Macron as an “Islamist terror attack.”

The attack took place late Friday afternoon near the middle school where the teacher worked in Conflans Saint-Honorine, a northwestern suburb around 30 kilometers (20 miles) from central Paris.

According to anti-terror prosecutor Jean-Francois Ricard, initial evidence suggests that the perpetrator loitered outside the school and asked pupils where he could find the victim. He then attacked teacher Samuel Paty when he was walking home from school.

Paty “had numerous wounds to the head … and he had been decapitated,” Ricard said. The weapon was discarded nearby.

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