Florida Maintains Status with Lowest Coronavirus Cases Per Capita in U.S.

 

The Sunshine State is maintaining its status as having the lowest average of daily coronavirus cases per capita in the United States — a feat achieved without intrusive mandates.

According to the New York Times’ daily coronavirus tracker and case count last updated Saturday, Florida has the lowest number of daily cases per 100,000 in the nation — eight. Hawaii, which Florida tied with this week, is maintaining its average at nine, tying with Louisiana and Connecticut. Florida’s daily average of cases as of Friday sat at 1,736 — a decrease of 35 percent over the past two weeks. 

Meanwhile, blue states, many of which embraced stringent lockdown orders and mandates throughout the pandemic, are not faring as well as the Sunshine State. 

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s (D) Michigan, for example, is reporting 40 cases per capita, and the daily average of cases sits at 4,006. Pennsylvania, under the leadership of Gov. Tom Wolf (D), who earned the nickname “Commie Tommy” during the pandemic and extended shutdowns last year, is reporting an average of 30 cases per capita, while the daily average of cases sits at 3,879. Similarly, New York, once the U.S. epicenter of the virus under former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) leadership, is reporting 19 cases per capita — a 3,744 per day average. 

California, which had major cities such as San Francisco reimplement mask mandates, is currently experiencing a surge, reporting 17 cases per capita, with the daily average sitting at 6,878. That reflects a 25 percent increase in cases over the last 14 days. 

“Without mandates or lockdowns, COVID-19 cases in Florida have decreased 90 percent since August,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said in a statement this week, celebrating Florida reaching the lowest case rate in the nation.

“In addition to cases, hospitalizations have plummeted in our state. This has been accomplished by making monoclonal antibody treatments and vaccines widely available throughout our state while protecting Floridians from government overreach,” he added.

State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo said it is crucial for Florida officials to “continue focusing on data and evidence to make public health decisions and not allow such decisions to be politicized” as they move forward — something DeSantis has continued to demonstrate throughout the pandemic in the wake of constant criticisms from the establishment media.

Rabbi Goldschmidt Defends Himself against the "Alte Kockers" of Park East Synagogue

 

Rabbi Goldschmidt and his family 

 In his first public comments since being fired from Park East Synagogue two weeks ago, Rabbi Benjamin Goldschmidt defended himself against charges of an “insurrection” and illegal activity and raised concerns about his former congregation’s future.

Goldschmidt was abruptly fired from Park East, the wealthy Orthodox synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, by the congregation’s senior rabbi, Arthur Schneier. Schneier’s allies accused Goldschmidt of inappropriately sharing synagogue members’ email addresses and of orchestrating a coup to replace Schneier, 91, who has led the synagogue for nearly 60 years.

Goldschmidt, 34, had been at the synagogue for a decade.

In an email to Park East members sent Friday afternoon, shortly before the onset of Shabbat, Goldschmidt rebuffed the accusations against him. Claims that he acted inappropriately by giving members the email list, he wrote, were false. Nor did he seek to depose Schneier, he wrote.

He referred to an email sent by four synagogue members to the congregation on Oct. 8. The signatories had written, “we are concerned about the state of our beloved synagogue and what the future holds.”

Goldschmidt wrote in his letter Friday that that email “was not designed to hurt Rabbi Schneier; it was merely a jumping-off point to discuss the future of Park East.”

“Given these public attacks, I feel that I have no choice but to defend not just my reputation, but also the reputations of the signatories of the October 8th email,” Goldschmidt wrote. “The charge leveled against me that I led an ‘insurrection’ to remove Rabbi Schneier is completely unfounded, and personally hurtful given my ten years of loyal service to the Rabbi and the Synagogue.”

Goldschmidt also denied a previously unreported accusation, which he dubbed a “wild conspiracy theory,” that younger members of the synagogue planned to sell the synagogue’s real estate. And he shot back at allegations that the signatories to the email weren’t heavily involved in the synagogue.

“Each one of those signatories is a blessing in his own right for our community; they are role models and leaders, committed to community, Torah, and continuity,” he wrote. “Their only motive was to help build a growing, thriving, vibrant, and young community.”

Goldschmidt also echoed concerns about the future of the synagogue in his Friday email, though like the signatories of the Oct. 8 email, he didn’t elaborate.

“For a while, there has been concern over a lack of engagement with young people, the synagogue’s financial situation, and an absence of transparency between leadership and membership,” he wrote. “To begin to rectify the situation, some members took it upon themselves to communicate and start a conversation.”

Hank Sheinkopf, a veteran political consultant who has acted as a spokesperson for the Schneier family, rejected Goldschmidt’s narrative.

“This is his attempt to explain away his insubordination and the use of confidential synagogue information to support himself and the disruption and insurrection he created,” Sheinkopf told JTA Friday afternoon, adding that the email was “dropped right before Shabbat so no one can respond, which shows you that this is an orchestrated, well-thought-through public relations campaign to support his efforts.”

Goldschmidt wrote that the man who fired him “deserves every accolade and commendation.” But later, he wrote that his ultimate responsibility is not to Schneier.

“One important thing I have learned from my dear parents and my years in the Rabbinate is that a rabbi works for the members of his shul,” Goldschmidt wrote. “He does not merely work for a senior rabbi, the synagogue president, or the board. It is you, the membership, that I serve and have tried my best for ten years.”

Goldschmidt did not detail any future plans beyond vowing to continue working in New York City. But he called on his readers to remain at Park East.

“I hope to continue serving our beloved Jewish community in New York City one way or another,” he wrote. “More importantly, I care a great deal about the future of Park East. I hope that you — its members — will remain engaged with the shul to ensure it is a place that is warm and welcoming, one that understands your spiritual needs as Jews and your desires to have your concerns heard and acted upon.”

Brisker boy on a date wouldn't help girl get up after she fell and couldn't get up

 In Brisk they learn the four sections of the Shulchan Aruch, but what they don't teach the boys is the "fifter shulchan Aruch" which in Yiddish is called "seichel"

This Brisker needs to go back and learn for another 10 years before he dates. 

He still can't figure out why the girl dropped the shidduch. 

Question: What do they teach in Brisk? Do they ever learn plain chumash? The very first sentence in parshas Noach is.... "Noach ISH tzaddik" before you strive to be a tzaddik, you need to be an "Ish" a "mentch"....

I was wondering if this guy has a mother? Would he want someone leaving his mother on the street if she G-d forbid fell and there is no one around to help her except for a "Brisker?"

What a "Shoiteh!"

Facebook’s new name "Meta" means ‘dead’ in Hebrew

 

Facebook’s announcement on Thursday that the company would henceforth be called Meta was widely ridiculed on social media. But in Israel, the renaming caused quite a stir, as the new company name is similar to the Hebrew word for “dead.”

“In Hebrew, *Meta* means *Dead*,” tweeted Nirit Weiss-Blatt, a tech expert, in response to the company’s announcement. “The Jewish community will ridicule this name for years to come,” she added.

The ZAKA emergency service, which specializes in collecting body parts following accidents or attacks to ensure a proper Jewish burial, tweeted: “Don’t worry, we’re on it.”

ZAKA added the Hebrew hashtag פייסבוק_מתה#, meaning Facebook_Dead, but pronounced Facebook_Meta.

Others who caught on to the humorous translation tweeted the hashtag #FacebookDead.

The new handle comes as the social media giant tries to fend off one of its worst crises yet and pivot to its ambitions for the “metaverse” virtual reality version of the internet that the tech giant sees as the future.

In explaining the rebrand, Zuckerberg said the name “Facebook” just doesn’t encompass “everything we do” anymore. Zuckerberg’s network includes Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, its Quest VR headset, its Horizon VR platform and more — all in addition to Facebook.

Zuckerberg has described the metaverse as a “virtual environment” you can go inside of — instead of just looking at on a screen. Essentially, it’s a world of endless, interconnected virtual communities where people can meet, work and play, using virtual reality headsets, augmented reality glasses, smartphone apps or other devices.

17 year old Stabs his 47 year old Chareidie father to death in Beit Shemesh

 

A Chareide man, a father of 10, was stabbed to death on Shabbos morning in  Beit Shemesh Ramat Gimmel on Rav Chavakuk Street, and his 17-year-old son was arrested on suspicion of murder.

There was an argument at the Shabbos Seuda table.

Medics arrived on the scene and tried to resuscitate the 47-year-old man but were forced to declare his death.

Police said that an initial investigation found an argument had broken out between the man and teen, and at some point the son stabbed his father in the upper torso.

Police said the son fled but was quickly arrested in a nearby building.

The incident was the second time this month an individual was arrested in Beit Shemesh on suspicion of stabbing a parent to death.

Ellen Greenberg was stabbed 20 times but Medical Examiner Ruled it was a "suicide"?

 

The parents of a Pennsylvania woman who died of 20 stab wounds are taking the medical examiner’s office to court for declaring her death a suicide.

Ellen Greenberg’s parents have been granted a non-jury trial in their lawsuit against the coroner’s office over her January 2011 death in her Philadelphia apartment, CBS Philly reported.

“We look forward to the trial in hopes of obtaining justice for Ellen,” Sandra Greenberg, Ellen’s mother, told the outlet.

On the day of her death, Ellen, 27, had returned home to her apartment early from her first-grade teaching job on account of a snowstorm.

She was later discovered dead on the kitchen floor by her fiance, Sam Goldberg, when he returned home from the gym.

She had suffered stabbing wounds to her chest, neck, head and torso, police said.

Police initially suspected her death was a suicide, noting the lack of forced entry, defensive wounds or DNA on her body that wasn’t hers, the Washington Post reported.

Medical examiner Marlon Osbourne, however, determined her death to be a homicide before reversing course and amending the ruling to suicide more than a month later, according to the lawsuit.

“It makes no sense,” the Greenbergs’ attorney, Joseph Podraza, told the newspaper.

Greenberg’s family hired a team of experts in the aftermath of her death who pointed out that a knife in her apartment was overturned, possibly suggesting that she had been involved in a struggle, and a gash on the back of her head may have rendered her unconscious and unable to defend herself, the newspaper reported.

Her family has also questioned why she filled up her gas tank before coming home and didn’t leave a note indicating that she planned to take her own life.

Podraza said the family is taking action now to get to the bottom of her death.

“They want to know what happened to their daughter,” he told the newspaper.

An attorney for the city argued that the medical examiner’s office came to its conclusions based on years of experience — and noted that the death certificate does not prevent local authorities from probing her death as a homicide.

“The medical examiner’s determination is binding on no one. … If a prosecuting authority were convinced that Ellen Greenberg was murdered, there is no statute of limitations on homicide and they could pursue it,” the city argued in court filings, the paper reported.

Zera Shimshon Parshas Chaya Sara

 

"Greedy" Afghanistan's last Jew stuck in limbo in Turkish hotel room

 

Afghanistan’s last Jew Zebulon Simentov, who was rescued in a humanitarian mission from the country last month after the Taliban took over Kabul, is staying put in an Istanbul hotel for now instead of joining relatives in Israel.

According to a report in the Jewish Chronicle, Simentov told Israeli businessman and humanitarian Moti Kahana, who had helped him leave Afghanistan and was rumored to be arranging for the 62-year old to immigrate to New York City, that he would not move to Israel unless he was paid $10 million and given money to buy a winter coat.

Otherwise, he was prepared to go back to Afghanistan. One of the reasons he cited was that he has “lost a lot of money” by leaving Afghanistan.

In late September, it was reported that Simentov was preparing to move to New York and that he was excited about the prospects of landing in America.

"I like everything in New York. Everything is exciting. I would like to be a U.S. citizen,” he told the New York Post.

In previous statements, Simentov had said he would not move to Israel because he would not grant his wife, who has lived there since 1998 with his daughters, a divorce. Recently, though, he granted his wife a divorce over Zoom.

Simentov has family in Israel, including a brother and sister. Reportedly, he is still intent on moving to New York, where he has an uncle.

His immigration to New York is far from assured, with Kahana recently stating that “Zebulon is a long way down the priorities list for getting into America, behind people who worked for the US in Afghanistan, or who hold green cards. I told him it could take six months to two years, and that it would be much easier for him to go to Israel. He refused and said he would prefer to return to Kabul rather than go to Israel – but I do not know why.”

Kahana asked Simentov’s brother and sister to fly at her expense to Turkey to convince their brother to move to Israel, but they were unwilling.

Simentov reportedly believes that he was tricked into leaving Kabul with assurances that he would go to the United States.

When he was informed that his U.S. immigration was not possible at present, he asked for $10 million and said he was going to stay in Turkey for the next three months.

“I’m not a babysitter. I can’t go on funding and supporting Zebulon in Istanbul for an unlimited time, and I told him I won’t take him back to Kabul," Kahana replied, according to the Jewish Chronicle.

Simentov moved out of a Sheraton Hotel room and into cheaper accommodations earlier in the week.

Kahana paid for the new room for one month but said after that he would not pay any further.

He also said he thought that Simentov would stay permanently in Turkey.

Going bananas: Turkey deports Syrians who shared images of them eating bananas

 

Turkey is deporting at least seven Syrians for “provocatively” eating bananas in images shared on social media, Bloomberg reports.

The alleged “provocation” came after a Turkish citizen complained that he can’t afford bananas while refugees can.

“You’re living more comfortably. I can’t eat banana, you are buying kilograms of banana,” said a Turkish man as he chided a female Syrian student in an October 17 video taken in Istanbul.

A Turkish woman then joined in, accusing the Syrians of enjoying lavish lifestyles in Turkey rather than going back home to fight, dismissing the student’s explanation that she has nowhere to return to.

Following the incident, a trend on social media began in which Syrian refugees posted photos and videos of themselves eating bananas in a move intended on mocking the Turkish citizen's complaint.

“Seven foreign nationals have been rounded up in a probe over the provocative social media posts and they will be processed for deportation,” Turkey’s migration authority said in a statement quoted by Bloomberg.

Some four million Syrians who fled their country’s civil war have for the most part lived peacefully side by side with Turks for several years. The government, however, is trying to contain an anti-immigrant sentiment that has been rising nationwide.

Mesachtes Zoom