‘Seinfeld’ actress Estelle Harris Dies was 93

 

Actress Estelle Harris, who voiced Mrs. Potato Head in “Toy Story” and played George Costanza’s judgmental mother on “Seinfeld,” died Saturday of natural causes, her family said. She was 93.

Her son, Glen Harris, confirmed her death to Deadline.

“It is with the greatest remorse and sadness to announce that Estelle Harris has passed on this evening at 6:25pm,” Glen Harris told the site.

“Her kindness, passion, sensitivity, humor, empathy and love were practically unrivaled, and she will be terribly missed by all those who knew her.”

Harris was born Estelle Nussbaum in Manhattan, New York on April 4, 1928, the younger of two daughters of Isaac ("Ira") and Anna Nussbaum, Polish Jewish immigrants who owned a candy store.

Harris was known for her distinct high-pitched voice, but she is perhaps best remembered as Estelle Costanza on the NBC sitcom “Seinfeld.”

In a 2014 Mother’s Day interview with The Post, she imagined how her TV counterpart and her son may have marked the holiday.

“If George Costanza ever made me a meal for Mother’s Day, it would be a fiasco,” she said at the time. “Everything would turn out awful. He would probably do it the wrong way – he’d be breaking the dishes, inviting the wrong people, ruining everything.”

Harris herself didn’t have the best view of the holiday, she revealed.

“I don’t like any of these holidays,” the famous TV mom said. “I feel like they’re brought out strictly to earn money. I like every day to mean something, and not just celebrate it because it has a name.”

Bnei Brak Charedim Attend Burial of Arab Christian Officer who Killed Terrorist

 

A group of Charedim from Bnei Brak attended the funeral of a non-Jewish police officer who was killed while gunning down the Palestinian terrorist.

Sgt. Amir Khoury, an Arab Christian, likely saved many lives after he rushed to the scene of Tuesday’s attack in Bnei Brak and shot Palestinian terrorist Diaa Hamarsheh. Mr. Khoury was shot by the terrorist and succumbed to his wounds.

At the funeral, Sergeant Khoury’s father Jiris eulogized him: “On Tuesday morning, you left me with an embrace and told me that you would be home on Friday. You returned a day early, in a coffin. I’m sorry that I am separated from you. Children bury their parents, and here everything has turned upside down. My beloved son, I love you. If you had known how many people from across the country called, came to mourn, from Beit Shemesh, Jerusalem, Rehovot… They said they felt an obligation to come embrace you.”

Sergeant Khoury and his partner were motorcycle officers in Bnei Brak. They were the first to arraive the scene after the terrorist shot and murdered four people in two locations.

Thousands of people from all over Israel attended the funeral in Nazareth, and a busload of Charedim joined later to pay their respects when the procession reached the officer’s hometown of Nof Hagalil.

According to media reports, Sergeant Khoury once saved a Charedi from drowning.

Media Hoax On Trump's Involvement with the Jan 6 Protest Exposed

 

The mainstream media has been busted again reporting a “fake news” scandal about President Trump that never happened. 

The media was gleeful this week over a supposed “seven-hour gap” in White House phone logs from January 6. However, even CNN now concedes that the “gap” was probably due to Trump’s frequent use of old-fashioned landlines and cell phones, not connected to the White House switchboard.

Documents sent to the Congressional committee investigating the Capitol breach and leaked to the media, appeared to indicate that calls were suppressed by the Trump White House.

The Washington Post compared the bogus scandal to the Nixon tapes and a leftist op-ed writer said it was “worse than Watergate”:

The Post reported: there is a seven-hour gap in Donald Trump’s phone logs on the day of the insurrection attempt. According to documents obtained by The Post and CBS News, there is no record of then-President Trump’s calls on Jan. 6, 2021, from just after 11 a.m. to shortly before 7 p.m…the documents…do show that Trump had many calls before 11 a.m. and after 6 p.m. that were apparently related to the coup effort. That suggests Trump held many calls related to the insurrection between those two times that are not officially accounted for.

In first, Britain jails businessman for refusing to grant his wife a Jewish divorce

 

Alan Mohler

An English court on Friday sentenced a Jewish businessman to 18 months in prison for refusing to grant his wife a religious divorce.

Alan Moher, 57, and his wife Caroline separated in 2016 after 20 years of marriage. The couple, who have three children, were granted a civil divorce in 2019.

However, the Manchester property firm owner refused to grant his wife a get, which Jewish law mandates must be given freely without coercion and prevents her from remarrying until he does.

In response, his wife brought what her lawyers have called a “landmark case” against Moher, who this week pleaded guilty at the Southwark Crown Court to controlling or coercive behavior over a five-year period beginning in 2016.

It was the first time someone who refused to grant a get has been convicted of such a charge in an English court, according to the Jewish Chronicle.

“You sought to manipulate and control her all in the knowledge that it would substantially impact her mental health and in some respects also impact her physical health,” Judge Martin Beddoe told Moher, according to the BBC.

Among the accusations against Moher were that he used “psychological and emotional abuse” and threatened his wife,” who hailed the ruling.

“To those who have emotionally coerced and controlled, physically hurt, and dehumanized their spouses — the law will not allow you to get away with your crimes,” she said.

“To those victims out there, you are not alone, and justice and humanity are on your side,” she added. “I urge you not to stay silent, but to fight for your freedom.”

In a previous court ruling, Moher was ordered to pay his wife alimony until he grants her a get.

Zera Shimshon Parshas Tazriah

 

So How Much is a "ke'Zayis?

 When I was a kid growing up I knew what a "ke'zayis" was. I looked at the olives sold in the appetizing stores and I knew immediately how big or small an olive was. I could eat a "large" olive in about 30 seconds and that was with no front teeth. 

As I grew older and had a family, I suddenly saw "sefarim" being sold that debated how large an olive was? 

I learned in very well known yeshivos, my Rosh Yeshiva was a Talmud muvhak of the late Brisker Rav in Europe pre-WW2, and when we learned about "shiurim" no one mentioned how large an olive was. One could just go across the street and see one in a jar in the grocery store.

Let me tell you about the seder my father z"l ran.

My father z"l was a Holocaust survivor from a "heimishe" family and had a "mesorah" going back generations.

We all sat around the Seder Table, my father looked regal in his kittel and recited the haggada in Yiddish! He then took a piece of potato which he dipped into salt water and gave each one of us a piece. He didn't measure how much he gave, he just gave it as he saw by his own father.  

Of course when we are dealing with  "karpas" the Measurement is a "half an egg" there is no talk of "ke'zayis" here! Why that is, you can ask by the "ma nisthana?

When it came to Matza, my father z"l would not measure but broke a piece of matza, and placed it into each of our hands. He did not use a ruler, he didn't look at the latest "Pesach manuals" which stated that one has to literally choke down two "kzayisim" which they estimated to be a whole matza and a half in 20 seconds or less. He did what he saw by his father who saw it from his father who was a talmud of the Ksav Sofer,

I only found out about these "measurements" when I was a father of many children bl"eh, myself. When I asked my previous classmates what their fathers did, they said that their fathers also used no measurements but estimated what they thought was "ke'zaysim'. 

Now the new "talmeidei chachamim" buy these laminated ruler charts, sit around measuring "karpas, Marror, Matza. ..the whole flavor of the seder revolves around how much and how fast one can gulp down and entire kilo of matzah, and the story of Yetzias Metzrayim is now me imagining and picturing my poor grandfather, and grandmother running out of mitzrayim holding on tight to their laminated ruler charts choking down their dry burnt matzos. 

So how much is a "kezyis" ... you would think an olive, Right? 

No, these new "talmeidei Chachamim" that were manufactured in the litvishe Yeshivos fabricated a new measurement of how large an olive is.They don't really care how large or small an olive really is, because that would be too easy, they suddenly became farmers and they and only they know the measurement of a kzayis. 

I have seen large olives, lots of them, thank you, and never saw that the volume of an olive would be larger or equal to 3/4 of a matza? Never! 

So I'm glad that I came across an article by RationalistJudaisiam that puts  a light on the this whole mess!

The Kezayis Revolution Continues!

Good news for the Jews! The recent trend of insisting on ever-larger sizes of matza that need to be eaten on Seder night continues to be challenged. The latest work, released into the public domain, is called Zayit Ra'anan, by a Sefardic Torah scholar. You can download it at this link. I haven't had time to study it properly, but the numerous haskamot alone are fascinating in their diversity. Some of the rabbanim are greatly unnerved, some admit that the arguments seem compelling but are afraid to say that anyone other than "the Gedolim" can decide these things, and others forthrightly state that it is obviously true that a kezayit is the size of a contemporary olive.

The monograph that I wrote on the evolution of the kezayis, from the size of an olive to a matzah ten times that size, seems to be the most popular piece that I have ever published. It's now incorporated in my book Rationalism vs. Mysticism, which you can purchase at this link.

Here is a list of other posts relating to this topic:

Matzah/Maror Chart for Rationalists - so that you, too, can have a chart!

The Popularity of Olives - exploring why this paper is so popular and yet hated by some.

Why On Earth Would One Eat A Kezayis?  - discussing the strange notion that one should aim to eat a kezayis of matzah on Seder night.

The Riddle of the Giant Kezayis Defense - wondering why many people would not accept that a kezayis is the size of an olive.

Maniacal Dishonesty About Olives - exposing an error-ridden critique that appeared in the charedi polemical journal Dialogue.

It's Krazy Kezayis Time! - discussing the view that one should eat a huge amount of matzah in a very short time in order to fulfill all opinions.

The Kezayis Revolution - announcing the fabulous sefer by Rabbi Hadar Margolin, which presents the same arguments that I brought but in a more yeshivish manner. He also brings an astonishing array of evidence that many recent charedi gedolim likewise held that a kezayis is very small, including even the Chazon Ish! Best of all, the entire sefer can be freely downloaded.

Brisker "Chumreh Checkers" Checking Matzos ...

 

3rd Grader Sends Letter to his murdered Rebbe

 

Many eulogies have been written and heard regarding the five precious souls murdered in Bnei Brak. 

Here is a slightly different eulogy, a letter from an third grader in the Or David school, written to the family of his teacher, Rabbi Avishai Yechezkel:

Loosely translated

“To the family of Rabbi Avishai,

"Shalom. I wanted to tell you that Rabbi Avishai Yechezkel was a very good rabbi who always played with us, taught us well, and was like a real father to us. He would even hold lotteries and throw parties for us with rolls and sausages.

“He never missed a chance to teach us something. He would always teach us and spoil us, and I hope we will have another rabbi like Rabbi Avishai. He wanted to teach us the Pesach Haggadah, he wanted us to learn more psalms with him. He would learn with us and make us a Shabbat cake, bring candy, snacks, and always recite psalms with us and would not let a second go by without Torah in it. He would teach and we would learn all the time.

"Now my heart doesn’t feel well. It is very difficult for me, but at least his stories will stay with us, and also the lessons he taught us as he wrote them down in his beautiful handwriting. And my heart doesn’t feel well but I am sure he is now in the best place, the closest to HaShem and close to the tzadikim.

"And I want to make him happy in Heaven by doing what he always told us to do: 

'Be careful about the honor of your friend.'

1. Study well. 

2. Be nice to your friends. 

3. Happily help your friends.

4. Speak with clean language.

"You were privileged to have a father like this."

Lev Tahor Cult Leaders Nachman Helbrans And Mayer Rosner Sentenced To 12 Years

 

This is the same group that Yitzy "the frank" Frankfurter of Ami Magazine said were "pious Jews"..

A federal judge has sentenced Lev Tahor cult leaders Nachman Helbrans and Mayer Rosner to 144 months (12 years) in prison followed by 5 years of supervised released for the 2018 Shabbos kidnapping of two children who escaped the cult

Back in November of 2021, Helbrans and Rosner were found guilty on all six charges they faced, including conspiracy to travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, and conspiracy to commit international parental kidnapping.

Several other Lev Tahor cultists have been arrested in connection with the case, including brothers Yoel, Yaakov, and Shmiel Weingarten, who were picked up by Guatemala authorities earlier this year.

They are expected to be extradited to the United States to face charges and a trial.

Three others in the United States are reportedly cooperating with authorities.

YWN has been at the forefront for more than 10 years fighting the Lev Tahor cult – with dozens of articles over the years. Many victims of the Lev Tahor cult who managed to escape say they were terribly abused sexually, suffering constant violent beatings, forced starvation and other horrific abuse. The world is a safer place now that these two monsters are behind bars. Our hope is that the rest of the leadership in charge of this cult are arrested and thrown behind bars.

Many emails and phone calls from desperate parents and siblings of cult members who were unfortunately sucked into this nightmare and have lost contact with their loved ones. Most importantly, all possible efforts should be made to save children who are being dragged around the world now as this cult is on the run. Rescuing these children is literally Pikuach Nefashos.

Lev Tahor was founded and led by Shlomo Helbrans, from the 1980s until his drowning death in Mexico in 2017. Since then, the leadership has moved into the hands of his son Nachman Helbrans, along with Mayer Rosner, and Yankel and Yoel Weingarten – who are even more radical and aggressive than the late founder.

 Rabbi Yitzchok Frankfurter of Ami Magazine claimed  the following sentence below their headline, “The unjust persecution of a group of pious Jews, and the unsettling silence of the Jewish community.”

Ben Gvir Ascended the Har Habayit and Guess What – Nothing Happened

Otzma Yehudit Chairman MK Itamar Ben Gvir ascended the Temple Mount Thursday morning accompanied by police. Meanwhile, the police kept all the other Jews waiting at the entrance until Ben Gvir was done. There was great fear of a Hamas attempt to disrupt the visit with violence.

On Wednesday night, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum issued a warning to Ben Gvir “against approaching the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” the group’s PC name for what Muslims have named for centuries “Bait al-Maqdis,” literally “The Temple.” Barhoum also warned: “We place responsibility on the Zionist occupation for the impact and consequences of this dangerous, provocative move.”

They care so much.

In response to a question from News 12, MK Ben Gvir said that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett did not try to prevent him from ascending. “I am the landlord of the State of Israel,” the MK told the cameras. To qualify: he didn’t mean that he, alone, was the landlord (Ba’al Ha’Bait) – all the Jews are.

Walking around the holiest Jewish site in the world, Ben Gvir sent a quaint message to the Hamas spokesman: “I suggest you shut your mouth.”

“Throughout the night, the Hamas spokesman was threatening me that I was their target so I won’t go up to the Temple Mount,” he said, adding, “I don’t understand why the Hamas spokesman is not eliminated in a targeted assassination. He is a terrorist like all the other terrorists and you don’t deal with terrorists in weakness and submission, like adding Waqf terrorists and restricting the number of Jews who can go up to the mountain. We need to stop this because weakness and submission invite terrorism.”