El Al to try out inflight COVID-19 testing

 

Israel’s national carrier El Al will hold a trial for inflight COVID-19 testing on Thursday, in a plan that will enable passengers to skip the mandatory tests that all arrivals are required to undergo when they land at Ben Gurion Airport.

There have been numerous complaints about long and crowded lines at the airport, as arriving passengers wait to take their tests. These have sparked concerns that the conditions could facilitate the spread of the virus among the crowds.

The voluntary pilot program will be tried on an El Al flight leaving New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport at 2 p.m. local time, carrying about 280 passengers. It is being done in coordination with the Health Ministry and the Femi Premium company, which operates COVID-19 testing facilities at Ben Gurion, as well as XpresCheck, a US company that carries out testing at JFK.

XpresCheck will perform virus tests on passengers at the boarding gate before they get on the plane. Passengers who do not undergo tests before the flight can be tested on the plane.

Specially qualified personnel will perform throat and nose swabs while wearing personal protection outfits and disposable gloves — the latter replaced between passengers.

The tests will be placed in a culture used for transporting samples and stored in special refrigerated coolers during the flight. Each sample will be marked with a barcode to identify the passenger it came from. Passengers will be asked to provide details such as name, passport number, address, and telephone number, in order to inform them of the test results.

Tests will cost NIS 80 ($25) each for passengers who sign up for the program before the flight.

All travelers, including those who are vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19, are required to self-isolate for 24 hours upon arrival in Israel, or for a shorter period if they receive a negative test result (starting August 11, arrivals from many countries, including the US, will need to isolate for a week, even if vaccinated).

Though the program enables travelers to avoid being tested at the airport, El Al stressed that the tests are not a replacement for the virus test all arrivals must undergo up to 72 hours before their flight.

In a statement Wednesday announcing the pilot, El Al said the method could be “a breakthrough for the entry of tourists into Israel in the future.”

“The aim of the project is to bring the flight experience back to one somewhat similar to the one we knew before the eruption of the coronavirus,” the statement said.

El Al CEO Avigal Soreq added: “It is clear to everyone that the virus is here to stay in one form or another and we must not put life on hold.

“El Al will continue to do everything in its power to develop creative and effective solutions for its customers” in order to open the country for foreign tourism that is a critical part of the economy, Soreq said.

Israel has seen a strong resurgence of COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, which officials have blamed on the Delta variant of the virus brought back to the country by travelers who did not properly quarantine on arrival.

In recent days new daily virus cases have passed 3,000. As of Thursday morning there were 24,463 active cases in the county, of which 241 were in serious condition. In mid-June, there were just a few dozen being cases found each day.

Israel has begun reintroducing restrictions on public life to curb the outbreak while also urging people to get vaccinated under the national inoculation drive that has already given shots to over 55 percent of the population.

It has also started giving third booster shots to people over age 60, in a world-first.

On Wednesday Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said that a lockdown over the coming Jewish holidays is “a last resort” but could be implemented if coronavirus cases continue to rise.

Twenty-six Israelis have died of COVID-19 since the beginning of August, with 10 people dying on Sunday, the highest one-day figure since early April. The death toll since the start of the pandemic is at 6,503.

What is going on with the Lakewood Hashgacha KCL?

 

Catering Standards Questioned?

Invited to an affair under the supervision of Lakewood's yeshiva’s established  “Hashgocha” Kosher Council of Lakewood, aka “KCL” , but which was being held in a non-kosher facility, we went into the kitchen to look around and to compare notes with the Mashgiach. we were not prepared for what we found.

More disappointing was it to learn that the “Rabbonim” who certified the  KCL  never visited any of their certified establishments. The affair under their certification was being held in a non-kosher facility.

KASHRUS experts  recently discovered a number of such organizations where the “Rabbonim” themselves have never seen the operation which they certify, but instead rely totally on the head “Mashgiach” or on their Kashrus Administrator to make all “halachic” decisions.

This letter, basically unchanged, was mailed to all of the “Rabbonim” in the Lakewood Yeshiva’s KCL kashrus organization. To date, “we have not received any reply”. 

'Do You Need An ID To Rent An Apartment?': Nancy Mace Asks Witness Rapid-Fire Questions About ID

 

Evidence of the Earthquake Mentioned in Amos & Zacharyia Discovered

 

Archaeological excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority in the City of David National Park revealed a layer of destruction, including a row of shattered vessels, including bowls, lamps, cooking utensils, storage and storage jars, which were smashed as the building's walls collapsed.

According to the researchers, since no signs of fire were found, this was not a deliberate event and the reason for the collapse of the building is the earthquake that occurred in Israel during the eighth century BCE, during the period of the Kingdom of Judah.

According to Dr. Joe Uziel and Ortal Chalaf, excavation directors on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority: "When we excavated the structure and uncovered an 8th century BCE layer of destruction, we were very surprised, because we know that Jerusalem continued to exist in succession until the Babylonian destruction, which occurred about 200 years later."

"We asked ourselves what could have caused that dramatic layer of destruction we uncovered. Examining the excavation findings, we tried to check if there is a reference to it in the biblical text. Interestingly, the earthquake that appears in the Bible in the books of Amos and Zechariah, occurred at the time when the building we excavated in the City of David collapsed."

"The combination of the finds in the field together with the biblical description, led us to the conclusion that the earthquake that struck the Land of Israel during the reign of Uzziah king of Judah, also hit the capital of the kingdom - Jerusalem."

According to the researchers: "The earthquake that occurred in the middle of the 8th century BCE was probably one of the strongest and most damaging earthquakes in ancient times, and evidence of its occurrence has been discovered in the past in excavations conducted at a variety of sites throughout Israel, such as Hazor, Gezer, Tel Agol, and Tell es-Safi/Gath.

"" Hamodia'' encourages Chareidim to Fly With "goyishe" Airlines, despite that El Al is owned by a Frum Jew

The world's Jewish population is less than the population of all of the kindergarten classes in China. 

You would think that Jews especially "Torah Jews'' would want to support businesses that are owned by their fellow Jews. 

Not a chance.

The Gerer Rebbe flew ''Delta"" this week on his visit to New York, despite the fact that El Al is now owned by a shomer Torah Umitvois.

The Gerer Rebbe is a multi-millionaire, so his decision to support ''Goyim" was not a financial one, this was not a question of the price of the ticket.

To make matters worse, the Israeli  Hamodia, a Gerer backed newspaper, encouraged its readers to fly an airline owned by goyim, instead of encouraging Jews to support their own.

This post is not about someone who has a limited budget and must fly the cheapest way.

 

Joel Landau, Owner Of Nearly 400 Nursing Homes, Tells 70,000 Employees To Get Vaccine Or Lose Your Job

 

The U.S. nursing home industry’s resistance to forcing workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 for fear that too many of them might quit began to crack this week when its biggest player announced its employees must get the shot to keep their jobs.

The new requirement at Genesis Healthcare, which has 70,000 employees at nearly 400 nursing homes and senior communities, is the clearest sign yet that owners may be willing to risk an exodus at already dangerously understaffed facilities to quickly vaccinate the 40% of workers still resisting shots and fend off the surging delta variant.

Some experts are calling for mandatory vaccinations at nursing homes, warning that unprotected staff members are endangering residents. Even residents who have been inoculated are vulnerable because many are elderly and frail, with weak immune systems.

NY Times called out for anti-semitism in full street billboard

 

The New York Times was confronted on its home turf on Friday by a giant billboard in plain view of its Times Square, New York City, headquarters that accuses the media group of slanting its news against Israel.

The billboard was put up by CAMERA, the  Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America, and will be up for the next six months.

It reads: “Would a great newspaper slant the news against Israel? The New York Times does.”

In the ad, CAMERA accuses the newspaper of “Misrepresenting facts, omitting key information, skewing headlines and photos” and exhorts it to “Stop the bias.”

The billboard includes a link to a section on the CAMERA websitethat provides backup for the argument, as well as linking to a six-month study published as a monograph that makes the same case.

In an exclusive interview with The Algemeiner, CAMERA Senior Research Analyst Gilead Ini said he has yet to learn of a reaction from the newspaper about the billboard, which went up on Friday morning, but he said, “I assume they’re not happy.”

Trump-backed congressional candidate Mike Carey wins Ohio Republican primary

 A congressional candidate endorsed by former President Trump won the Republican primary for a vacant house seat in Ohio Tuesday.

The candidate, Mike Carey, said his win was evidence of the ex-president’s dominant sway over the GOP, days after Trump-backed candidate Susan Wright lost a run-off congressional race in Texas.

Carey won 36 percent of the vote in the district south of Columbus, more than twice as much as his nearest opponent.

“Great Republican win for Mike Carey,” Trump wrote in a statement issued Tuesday night.

“Big numbers! Thank you to Ohio and all of our wonderful American patriots. Congratulations to Mike and his family. He will never let you down!”

Carey played up Trump’s support during the campaign, touting his endorsement and “America first” policies on his website.

The former coal lobbyist was the beneficiary of a eleventh hour Trump tele-rally on his behalf, and an infusion of $350,000 on digital campaign ads from a pro-Trump PAC, as the former president sought to avoid a second straight loss from a candidate he backed, according to Politico.

Carey and 10 other GOP candidates were vying to replace Rep. Steve Stivers, who stepped down in May to head the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, the outlet said.

Carey is reportedly favored to win the seat in the conservative district this November.

Pro Israel Candidate Defeats AOC-backed Sanders ally in Ohio House primary

 

Shontel  Brown

Far-left Democrats were dealt a big blow Tuesday as former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner, a co-chair of Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, was defeated by Cuyahoga County Councilwoman Shontel Brown in a much-anticipated special US House primary election.

With 96.5 percent of precincts reporting, Brown led Turner by 4,380 votes out of more than 71,000 votes cast. Turner conceded the race soon after 10 p.m. local time, telling supports: “On this night, we will not cross the river.”

The contest in Ohio’s 11th District, a deep-blue constituency that includes most of Cleveland, parts of Akron and several majority-black precincts in between the two cities, was widely seen as a referendum on the future direction of the Democratic Party.

Brown received crucial backing from a pair of Democratic pro-Israel organizations: the Pro-Israel America PAC and the Democratic Majority for Israel PAC, the latter of which plowed nearly $2 million into the race.

“I am going to work hard to ensure that something like this doesn’t happen to another progressive candidate again,” Turner vowed in her concession speech. “We didn’t lose this race, evil money manipulated and maligned this election.”

By contrast, Brown thanked “my Jewish brothers and sisters” for their support in her victory remarks

Endorsements poured in accordingly, with Hillary Clinton, House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC), the political arm of the Congressional Black Caucus, and major unions backing Brown. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her fellow members of the progressive “Squad” swung behind Turner, while Sanders headlined a get-out-the-vote rally in Cleveland for his onetime surrogate over the weekend.

“I need her alongside me in Congress in the fight for racial, economic, social, and environmental justice,” said Ocasio-Cortez when she endorsed Turner in March.

“I want to roll up my sleeves and get to work to make sure we are delivering results for the people, relief for the people who need it the most,” Brown said. “We are celebrating today. I’m grateful for all the love and support, but I want to get up and do what I’ve always done and that’s work, work, work.”

Brown is heavily favored to defeat Republican primary winner Laverne Gore, a business owner, consultant, trainer and community activist, in the November general election. Barring a shocking upset, Brown would then succeed Marcia Fudge, who resigned from the House in March to become Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

Horav Osher Lemel (Oscar) Ehrenreich zt"l Longtime Principal of Bais Yaakov of Boro Park

 

HaRav Osher (Oscar) Lemel Ehrenreich ZT”L, the Dean of Bais Yaakov of Boro Park for more than sixty years who was in hs nineties, passed away in Maimonides Hospital today.

Bais Yaakov of Boro Park has for decades been looked at by countless people as the flagship school for Chinuch Habanos, thanks to the incredible Mesiras Nefesh and dedication by Rav Ehrenreich.

Rav Ehrenreich was an incomparable master Mechanech, known as “the principal of all principals”, to whom Menahalim always looked for advice and help. There are thousands upon thousands of girls whos Chinuch he was responsible for over the decades.

The Levaya will be on Wednesday morning at 11:30AM at Bais Yaakov of Boro Park, 1371 46th Street.