Jerusalem Consulate: A Nail in the Coffin of Peace

 

Only a few months ago, US President Joe Biden betrayed a US ally by withdrawing forces from Afghanistan, bringing down the government in Kabul and consigning the country to the bitter depredations of Taliban terrorists. Now he is winding up to betray another, much closer ally — Israel.

Biden plans to open a consulate in Jerusalem. This may seem like just another diplomatic facility to issue visas, promote trade and take care of US citizens, with no greater consequence than the US consulate in Edinburgh, UK. But it is far more than a mere office for paper-shuffling diplomats. It amounts to a de facto US embassy to the Palestinians on Israeli territory. Its true purpose is to undermine Israeli sovereignty in its own capital city and will jeopardise future prospects for peace between Israel and Palestinian Arabs.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh, understands the implications only too well. In a recent interview, he triumphantly predicted that the new consulate would re-divide Jerusalem.

After the US moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Israel’s capital in 2018, it subsumed the existing consulate in the city to form a single diplomatic mission. This was achieved under the administration of President Donald J. Trump and that, together with a profound misunderstanding of the dynamics of peace, explains Biden’s determination to re-open the consulate. He has devoted much of his presidency so far to undoing everything he could of Trump’s work, with the exception of the Afghanistan debacle, over which he uniquely claims to have been bound by Trump’s previous plans.

The new consulate, exclusively to manage diplomatic relations with Palestinians, is designed to give hope that one day Jerusalem will be the capital of a putative Palestinian state. Israel can and rightly should never allow that. As well as betraying Israel, Biden’s irresponsible diplomatic signalling — which also appeases his hard-left supporters — is a betrayal of the Palestinian people. They have suffered too long and too hard under the hostility of their leadership, which has consistently refused to entertain all proposals for peace with Israel that could lead to the establishment of their own state.

Successive Palestinian leaders have been encouraged in their intransigence by the US and Europe, who have for decades extracted concession after concession from Israel while Palestinians make none. The impossible aspirations of the PA leadership — who intend to see not a two-state solution but the destruction of the Jewish state — were dealt a severe blow by the 2020 Abraham Accords between Israel and several Arab nations, and by the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2017 with the opening of an embassy there the following year.

Man married to divorcee discovers he's a kohen - what next?

 

Shalavim Bais Din

A young man from Bnei Brak recently paid a visit to the Religious Council in Tel Aviv in order to verify the name of his grandfather – and to his shock, discovered that his father and grandfather had apparently both been kohanim (of Priestly lineage).

Ordinarily, this would have been relevant but untroubling information – in this particular case, however, the young man was already married to a divorcee, and according to Jewish law, kohanim are forbidden to marry divorcees.

The discrepancy had apparently occurred because the father of the young man had originally recorded on his marriage certificate that he was a “Yisrael” (and not a kohen), but at some later stage, the entry had been crossed out and replaced with “Kohen.”

The young man and his wife then turned to the renowned expert in Jewish law, Rabbi Yitzhak Zilberstein, who told them to separate for the meantime, until their status could be ascertained.

The story then found its way to the ears of Rabbi Noam Amram, head of the Sha’alvim Beit Din (rabbinical court), which deals primarily with marriage-related issues. Rabbi Amram immediately realized how important it was to find a way to permit the couple (who have six children) to remain married, and he researched the issue and formulated a solution.

What Rabbi Amram discovered was that the young man’s father, who had been completely secular, had not bothered to clarify his own lineage either for his own edification or for the purpose of informing his children that they might be kohanim.

He also investigated the question according to the halachic conclusions of four main poskim (decisors): Rashi, Rabbeinu Tam, Rambam, and Ramban.

Based on the above, Rabbi Amram ruled in accordance with three of the four above mentioned poskim that the government document did not constitute halachic evidence and that it could not be used to prove that the man, or his father or grandfather, were definitely kohanim.

Rabbi Amram also noted that even in the opinion of the fourth posek, the document did not constitute evidence as it had been written and then crossed out and rewritten. In addition, there was only one signature attesting to the “Kohen” status, not the two required by Jewish law. He also noted that there exists some doubt as to whether people generally considered to be kohanim today really are kohanim, as definitive records have often not been kept.

Therefore, Rabbi Amram ruled that the young man could return to his family.

Vizhnitz bans single young men from weddings

 

Single young men from the Vizhnitz hasidic sect may no longer participate in community weddings, their rebbe (hasidic leader) said, according to Kikar Hashabbat.

According to Kikar Hashabbat, the instruction follows a speech by the Vizhnitzer Rebbe on Shabbat (Saturday), in which he said that, "Everyone is familiar with the history of Vizhnitz over the past seventy years, when during the time that the Vizhnitz neighborhood was built in Bnei Brak, a situation was created in which everyone knew everyone else, and therefore everyone participated in the weddings as one family."

He also said that when his father, the "Yeshuot Moshe," Rabbi Moshe Yehoshua Hager, became rebbe, he instructed that single young men not participate in weddings, since there are enough people who come to make the couple happy.

The Arabs sure know how to make a "kiddush"

Instead of Confronting the "self-hating" Jew Blinkin on his opposition of Jews Building in their own Land .. Agudah Calls for a "Yom Tefillah" Against the Israeli Government

 

Am I the only one that sees this as crazy? Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending the Israeli Government which now for the first time has an Arab party as part of the coalition. I believe and hope that the government will soon collapse.

But I don't get the Agudah... They are sitting on leather chairs in the comfort of their conference room in the Unites States in lower Manhattan and calling for a "Yom Tefilah" for Jews living in Eretz Yisrael?

We don't have Gedoilim? 

We now need the Chutzlinikers?

The Agudah has its headquarters in the USA and just last week we heard that the USA's Secretary of State, the self hating Jew Blinkin, wants to open the American Consulate for the cursed Palestinians in Yerushalayim  and is putting enormous pressure on Israel to halt the building of Jewish homes in Israel. And yet "Ein Koil, Ve'in Onah"

Where is the Agudah? Where is the "Moetzes Gedoilei Hatorah?"

"How Dare You" Iraqi Beauty Queen Scolds Mandela’s Grandson Over BDS

 

By Pesach Benson, United With Israel

Glitz and glamor are coming to Israel in December as Eilat hosts the 2021 Miss Universe pageant. Women from around the world will vie for the crown in a contest expected to draw 600 million viewers. It’s the first time the competition is being held in the Middle East.

Of course, no international event can happen in Israel without criticism from the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. But a call from Nelson Mandela’s grandson to boycott the pageant was met with a fierce scolding from — of all people — a former Iraqi beauty queen. And Miss South Africa was curiously silent.

On October 19, Inkosi Zwelivelile “Mandla” Mandela, the 47-year-old grandson of Nelson Mandela, took to Instagram to urge countries to boycott the Israel-hosted pageant. Mandela inherited the position of tribal chief of the Mvezo Traditional Council and is a member of the South African parliament.

In a statement, he praised announcements by Miss Indonesia and Miss Malaysia to boycott the tournament and then denounced Israel as an “apartheid state.”

“Daily Apartheid Israel violates the fundamental human rights of the Palestinian people and commits crimes against humanity,” Mandela wrote.

“Israel is an apartheid State and persists in its heinous occupation and expansion of its illegal settlements in violation of international law. We must persist in isolating Apartheid Israel in the same way that we isolated Apartheid South Africa.”

While South Africans overwhelmingly support the Palestinians, some key activists, such as Kenneth Meshoe, bristle at the apartheid analogy. The comparison, they say, is dishonest and cheapens the suffering of blacks who lived under strict racial segregation.

According to South African media reports, organizers of the Miss South Africa tournament are distancing themselves from Mandela’s statement. A terse statement by the organizers said, “The Miss South Africa organisation is not getting involved in a political war of words and has no further comment to make.”

Reports also note that Lalela Mswane, who was crowned Miss South Africa last week, is facing heavy pressure not to attend. A 24-year-old former ballerina, Mswane has not indicated whether she plans to compete in Eilat. Her views on the Mideast conflict are not known.

Miss Iraq Speaks Out

Former Miss Iraq Sarah Idan called out Mandela in a video posted on Twitter. During the 2017 pageant, Idan made headlines by posting a selfie with her new friend, Miss Israel — Adar Gandelsman. For that, she was labelled a traitor by many Iraqis.

Idan has since visited Israel and spoken out at the United Nations about Jewish refugees from Arab countries. A musician, she also has U.S. citizenship and currently lives in Los Angeles.

“All I can say is, how dare you? How dare you as a man try to tell an organization for women and women empowerment what to do? This is an opportunity that millions of women dream of having — to go on world stage and represent their people, their nation, their culture. Not governments, not politics, and definitely not your political agenda,” Idan said in her rebuke to Mandela.

“The term you used to attack Israel, in calling it apartheid, is a term only being used by radical Islamists, terrorist organizations, such as Hamas, Taliban and the Iranian regime — all of them who hate women and women’s rights. Please allow Miss South Africa to go and experience Israel up close on the ground and let her be the judge for herself.”

“And I’m positive, just like me, she will be shocked to see that the Israeli government consists of Muslims, Jews, Arabs, Christians. And those people, not only they get to vote on policies to shape their future, but they’re also part of the Knesset and they also have political parties — and some of them are even Israeli ambassadors to the world.”

“Last but not least, I would like to congratulate the new Miss South Africa, and I hope that she will enjoy her trip and learn not only about Israel but about all these beautiful other countries. This is what the Miss Universe pageant is all about. And I hope to see you there soon.”

Idan’s video has more than 63,000 views.

Why Israel is Hosting the Pageant

This year’s competition comes on the heels of the 2020 pageant, which was delayed by COVID-19 restrictions and held instead in May 2021. That contest, held in Miami, was won by Andrea Meza of Mexico.

Paula Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization, told the Jerusalem Post that Israel’s response to the coronavirus pandemic was the main reason it was selected to host the event.

Crediting Israel’s vaccination campaign, Shugart said, “We decided if we were going to hold the competition outside of the US, it would be in a country that has handled the virus well.”

So far, 3.9 million Israelis have received three vaccinations against COVID-19 and another 5.7 million have received two. With the number of active cases down to 8,526, Health Ministry officials are cautiously optimistic.

Sixty countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Morocco, have already confirmed their participation. The UAE has never participated in the pageant, while Morocco will be competing for the first time in 43 years. Organizers expect women from 90 countries will participate.

Israel will be represented in the competition by Noa Cochva, a 22-year-old former IDF medics commander and aspiring pediatrician.

When a Monkey Shares

 

Lubavitcher Boy Tell Subway riders that "G-d is Homeless"

 

Lev Tahor leaders Will be Extradited to US from Guatemala

 

A court in Guatemala has approved the extradition to the US of two senior leaders of the Lev Tahor ultra-Orthodox cult – brothers Yaakov Weingarten and Shmuel “Shmiel” Weingarten – where they face child exploitation offenses.

The Third Criminal Sentencing Court in Guatemala authorized the extradition of the two men on Thursday and Friday, after they were charged in April this year by the US attorney for the Southern District of New York for the kidnap of a 14-year old girl and for smuggling her across the US-Mexico border to reunite her with her adult husband.

According to media in Guatemala where the Lev Tahor cult is currently located, the court has verified that there are currently no legal proceedings against the Weingarten brothers and that the Guatemalan Foreign Ministry is therefore authorized to begin extradition proceedings.

Suspect Turns State Witness: Major Development In Shuvu Banim Murder Cases – Berland To Be Questioned

 

A dramatic development in the cases of two murders that occurred in Jerusalem over 30 years ago occurred last week when one of the suspects signed a state witness agreement.

The agreement, according to which the suspect will incriminate the others involved in the case, is expected to significantly expedite the pace of the investigation.

The suspect who signed the agreement played a part in both murder cases.

At least two of the suspects detained by police are cooperating with the police and have volunteered details about the cases to investigators. Kan News reported that the female suspect who admitted her role in the murder plot of Nissim Shitrit was brought by the police to the apartment where she claimed she told Shitrit to go to prior to his disappearance.

The detention of five suspects arrested by the police in the past several weeks was extended again by the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court on Thursday for another seven days.

Disgraced Shuvu Banim leader Rabbi Eliezer Berland, who is currently serving a prison sentence for fraud, exploitation, attempted intimidation, tax offenses, and money laundering, is expected to be questioned on the murder cases as well.