What's Really Behind the "Toe Shaitels?"

 

by Shoshanna Keats Jaskoll

I’ve shared many shocking things on social media — from female politicians being pixelated by Haredi media outlets, to girls replaced with dolls next to images of real boys, to pamphlets blaming women’s wig and skirt lengths for COVID-19 and other natural disasters…

But none has gotten such immediate and intense reactions as those elicited by the “fake toe” ad (above).

When I posted it, I did not know whether it was real or not. I have seen so much insanity and fake “tznius” (modesty) ads and declarations that, honestly, it could have gone either way.

The reactions poured in.

Outrage, shock, and mostly people begging me to reassure them that it was fake.

But I couldn’t! Until a good friend put me out of my misery and let me know that it was satire — and that she knew who had created it.

Wanting others not to suffer from the possibility that the ad was real, I posted on social media — on the various pages of the organization I cofounded to combat exactly this kind of thing when it’s real, Chochmat Nashim, and my own accounts as well, that it was satire.

Many people did not believe me, and they were justified in doubting, because the people who created the ad were so committed to it that they had included a phone number in the ad, and answered calls that continued the conversation as though the ad were real.

Now it is time to set the record straight, and I’m here to help them do so.

The people who made the ad want to keep their identities private, and, as much as I’m all about women having a voice and showing themselves in images, I believe that their message is important enough that I’m helping them spread the word (I promise, it’s not me behind the scenes. I’m just not that creative — and I have no poker face. And besides, if I’d done it, I’d be thrilled to let you know I pulled it off!)

What follows is their explanation.

‘Give the Palestinians State to Which They Are Entitled" .. Biden at the UN

 

President Joe Biden told world leaders on Wednesday that the US is committed to Israel’s security, “full stop” — but in his next breath advocated for citizens of the Palestinian Authority to be given “the state to which they are entitled.”

In his remarks to the United Nations General Assembly, Biden said, “We will continue to advocate for lasting, negotiated peace between the Jewish and democratic State of Israel and the Palestinian people.

“The United States is committed to Israel’s security, full stop.

“And a negotiated two-state solution remains in our view the best way to ensure Israel’s security and prosperity for the future and give the Palestinians the state to which they are entitled.

“Both sides to fully respect the equal rights of their citizens. Both people enjoying an equal measure of freedom and dignity.”

Biden waited until the final ten minutes of his 81-minute speech to drop that bombshell.

Israel’ Prime Minister Yair Lapid is expected to deliver a similar statement during his own remarks at the General Assembly scheduled for Thursday. An official close to the caretaker prime minister told reporters that he, too, is planning to issue an explicit call for a two state solution.

However, there is a caveat, the official said: “We will not do anything that will endanger the security of Israel and Israelis by even a centimeter, but separation from the Palestinians must be part of our diplomatic vision, part of the hope through strength worldview.”

And of course, a state along Israel’s borders in which not one Jew is allowed, and those who sell land to Jews are sentenced to life in prison at best, and death at the worst, would not endanger the security of Israel, right?

Biden followed up his call to create another Arab terrorist state along Israel’s borders by warning that a nuclear war simply cannot be won, “and must never be fought,” warning that Russia is “making irresponsible nuclear threats to use nuclear weapons,” and that China has conducted an “unprecedented, concerning nuclear buildup without any transparency” despite US diplomatic efforts.

On Iran, the president said “while the United States is prepared for a mutual return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (the dead-in-the-water 2015 nuclear deal Iran signed with world powers) if Iran steps up to its obligations, the United States is clear: we will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon.”

The only problem is, Iran isn’t asking anyone, let alone seeking permission from the United States. And by the time the US gets serious about a military option — if in fact it does at all — Iran will have created an arsenal of atomic weapons.

Unless Israel makes good on its own threat to ensure Iran will never be able to do so.

First Digital Translation of Mishneh Torah Interconnected with Other Jewish Texts Goes Online

 

A complete English translation of the Mishneh Torah interconnected with other Jewish texts is being digitally offered for the first time ever by the nonprofit organization Sefaria, which digitizes and shares Jewish texts for free in Hebrew along with translations and commentaries.

“We are so excited for learners to dive into this rich text and share their reflections with each other and the world,” said Sara Wolkenfeld, Sefaria’s chief learning officer. “For the Jewish people, our texts are our collective inheritance. They belong to everyone and we want them to be available to everyone, in the public domain or with creative commons licenses.”

The Mishneh Torah, authored by the medieval Torah scholar Maimonides, commonly known as the Rambam, between 1170 and 1180, while he lived in Egypt, consists of 14 books and is a major code of Jewish religious law. Users can access it on Sefaria’s website and through the Sefaria app.

The translation provided by Sefaria was completed between 1986 and 2007 by Rabbi Eliyahu Touger. The text on the Sefaria website comes with Hebrew commentaries; interlinking to other religious texts, to help readers understand the work; and topic tagging so they can research related ideas that interest them.

The Sefaria website also allows users to create shareable source sheets that incorporate religious texts from Sefaria’s catalogue with their own commentary.

Sefaria is used by more than 500,000 people each month, including students, educators and scholars.

"Ushamnu Me'kol Am" from the composer Cantor Gershon Sirota

 

What;s With the "Fish-Head" on Rosh Hashana?

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Zᴇʜᴀᴠɪᴛ Rᴏꜱᴇɴʙʟᴏᴏᴍ Vᴀᴋɴɪɴ (@zeya_comedy)

AG Barr Calls Letitia James’ Lawsuit ‘Political Hit Job’ and ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’

 

Bill Barr tells Fox that NYAG Letitia James "grossly overreaches when she tries to drag the children into this" because Eric, Don Jr., and Ivanka, are not "expected in the real world to due their own due diligence." pic.twitter.com/dIyFhe9XrO

— nikki mccann ramírez (@NikkiMcR) September 21, 2022

 Far-left Laetitia James has filed a massive lawsuit against the Trump family, accusing them of civil fraud.

This is another example of Trump-haters on the left weaponizing the justice system against the former President.

Even Bill Barr, who has been critical of President Trump recently, called this a “political hit job” and said this is an “example of…Trump derangement syndrome.”

This lawsuit by the Democrat NY Attorney General, who relishes the spotlight, is the latest in a series of political witch-hunts.

Donald Trump has been exonerated more times than Joe Biden has said “Come on man!”, yet they continue to find new things to investigate.

Former Attorney General William Barr said on Fox News that the suit is a “political hit job” and James is guilty of “gross overreach” for dragging Trump’s children in.

“It’s hard for me not to conclude it’s a political hit job,” Barr said. “I’m not even sure if she has a good case against Trump himself. But what ultimately persuades me that this is a political hit job is she grossly overreaches when she tries to drag the children into this.”

“Yes, they had roles in the business,” he continued. “But this was his personal financial statement. It was prepared by the CFO, accounting firms were involved in it. Listen, the children aren’t going to know the details of that … nor are they expected in the real world to do their own due diligence.”

James announced the $250 million civil lawsuit against Trump, in addition to Don Jr, Ivanka, and Eric. In the massive 200 page lawsuit, she accused the Trumps of manipulating asset value, and is seeking to ban them from being “an officer or director in any corporation” or similar entity in New York.

Both Eric and Donald Jr. have tweeted clips of James’s past remarks, in which she pledged to make life difficult for President Trump.

“I think [it] is gonna end up backfiring on them because I think it will make people sympathetic for Trump. This is another example of people piling on because of a Trump derangement syndrome,” Barr added.

Barr famously had a falling out with Trump at the end of his tenure, over Barr’s refusal to agree that the 2020 election was stolen.

Nadler Insulted Because Tlaib Said That "you cannot be "progressive" and support Israel at the same time."

 

Rep. Jerry Nadler ripped into Rep. Rashida Tlaib after the latter said that one cannot be a progressive Democrat while also supporting Israel.

“I want you all to know that among progressives, it becomes clear that you cannot claim to hold progressive values, yet back Israel’s apartheid government,” Tlaib declared in an online event on Tuesday.

“We will continue to push back and not accept this idea that you are progressive, except for ‘Philistine,’ any longer,” she added.

Nadler forcefully objected to Tlaib’s assertion.

“I fundamentally reject the notion that one cannot support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state and be a progressive,” Nadler wrote on Twitter.

“I proudly embrace both of these political positions and identities, even as I have criticized some of the policies and actions of democratically-elected Israeli governments over time,” he continued.

“I would happily put my progressive record and credentials up against anyone’s. It is both wrong and self-defeating for progressive leaders to abide such an offensive litmus test.”

US lawmakers dissatisfied with IDF probe of Al Jazeera journalist's death despite the other 55 Journalists murdered this year

 

What sheer chutzpah? 55 Journalists were murdered in 2021 alone, this according to the UN, but US is going after Israel. Israel should make an official announcement they will allow the US to investigate once they tell us how many journalists American troops murdered.

Key US lawmakers remain dissatisfied with the IDF’s investigation into the circumstances of the killing of Palestinian Arab-American journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh and are demanding the Biden administration take further action on the subject, Haaretz reported on Sunday.

The IDF’s report, released earlier this month, found that it was not possible to unequivocally determine the source of the gunfire from which Abu Aqleh was hit and killed. The report said that there is a high possibility Abu Aqleh was accidentally hit by IDF gunfire, but it is also possible that she was hit by gunfire from Palestinian Arab terrorists.

Not satisfied with the conclusion, Democratic Senators Chris Van Hollen and Patrick Leahy are attempting to require an independent State Department investigation into the matter, according to Haaretz.

The two have introduced an amendment, along with Senators Dick Durbin, Chris Murphy, Jeanne Shaheen and Jeff Merkley, which includes unprecedented language calling on the U.S. to see “whether section 620M of the FAA applies” to Abu Aqleh’s case within 180 days. This is separate from the amendment passed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this week that would require the State Department to provide senators with the July report overseen by the United States Security Coordinator.

The language in Leahy and Van Hollen's amendment refers to the so-called “Leahy Law,” which prohibits military assistance to foreign security forces that violate human rights, noted Haaretz. The law is named after the veteran Vermont Senator, who has stated that “an independent, credible investigation – meaning not by the IDF and not by the Palestinian Authority – but with their full cooperation, must be conducted and the findings made public. Whether her killing was intentional, reckless, or a tragic mistake, there must be accountability. And if it was intentional, and if no one is held accountable, then the Leahy Law must be applied.”

If a legally mandated and credible State Department investigation found that Israel committed an extrajudicial killing in violation of Leahy Law, according to US law, then the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor would get involved and essentially sanction the IDF unit in question from US military assistance. It is unclear, however, how the Leahy Law would operate in practice given how foreign military financing to Israel is legally stipulated.

The chances this amendment will eventually pass Congress as part of an end-of-year omnibus package are slim, noted the Haaretz report.

Abu Aqleh, an American-Palestinian Arab, was shot dead on May 11 while covering clashes between IDF soldiers and terrorists in Jenin for Al Jazeera.

The PA initially refused Israel’s request to launch a joint probe to investigate the incident, and instead released the findings of its investigation, claiming that she was shot by IDF forces.

Eventually, the PA finally agreed to a forensic investigation by the US of the bullet that they claim killed Abu Aqleh.

Members of Abu Aqleh’s family recently met Secretary of State Antony Blinken to demand justice for her death. Lina Abu Aqleh, Shireen Abu Aqleh's niece, posted on Twitter after that meeting that family members wanted to meet President Joe Biden himself and that anything short of a US investigation that led to accountability was unacceptable.

Blinken later spoke with Defense Minister Benny Gantz and raised the issue of Abu Aqleh in the conversation.

“Secretary Blinken reiterated the administration’s belief that Israelis and Palestinians deserve to enjoy equal measures of security, freedom, and democracy. The Secretary also raised the tragic killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and the need for accountability,” Price said at the time.

Shulamit Rachel Ovadia Murdered By Arab Who Hangs Himself .

 

Authorities on Wednesday identified the victim of Tuesday’s deadly terrorist attack in Holon as 84-year-old Shulamit Rachel Ovadia, a resident of Holon who lived near the scene of the attack.

Ovadia is survived by her husband and three children.

Earlier Wednesday morning, police announced that they had found the body of the terrorist responsible for Tuesday’s attack.

The terrorist, 28-year-old Musa Sarsur, a resident of the Palestinian Authority-administered town of Qalqilya, was found dead at a construction site on Bar Kochva Street in Tel Aviv.

Police say Sarsur committed suicide after he realized he was being pursued by Israeli security forces, hanging himself at the construction site.

According to a preliminary investigation, Sarsur entered Israel legally Tuesday morning with a valid work permit.

On Tuesday afternoon, Sarsur murdered Ovadia outside of the construction site where Sarsur worked. He then fled the scene.

A manhunt was launched for Sarsur Tuesday night, only to be called off Wednesday morning, after police received a report that a man heading to synagogue for morning prayers in Tel Aviv had spotted Sarsur’s remains.

Overnight, IDF forces working with Border Police officers and Shin Bet agents arrested 11 suspects in Judea and Samaria, including relatives of Sarsur.

Booking.com will begin adding danger warnings to Judea and Samaria listings .. Time to Boycott them

 The online travel agency Booking.com said Monday it plans to add warnings to listings in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, becoming the latest foreign company to wade into one of the world’s most contentious debates.

Booking.com said it would caution customers booking accommodations in Israeli settlements that they were traveling to a “disputed, conflict-affected or high-risk” area that “may pose greater risks.”

The company told The Associated Press that it was still working on the language of the safety warning for the Israeli-occupied West Bank and a few other regions around the world. It did not say when the alert would take effect.

The move would come as violence rises in the West Bank, with raids by Israeli forces in cities and villages leaving at least 85 Palestinians dead so far this year. On Monday, the Israeli army said a vehicle came under fire as it passed by a Palestinian village in the northern West Bank. No injuries were reported.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry declined to comment.

 Some 700,000 Jewish settlers live in the occupied West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem. 

Online travel companies like Airbnb and Booking.com long have faced pressure from Palestinian officials, activists and human rights groups to end their listings there.

But they risk Israeli fury if they do. Israel and its supporters have accused those who support anti-Israel boycotts, including products made in the settlements, of antisemitism. Airbnb scrapped its plan to bar listings in the settlements in 2019 after lawsuits were filed against it in the United States and Israel.

Booking.com’s announcement did not directly question the legitimacy or legality of the settlements, and instead focused on safety. To some Israelis, the disclaimer showed Israel’s pressure has paid off.

“It shows Booking.com has paid attention to the massive damage Airbnb and Ben & Jerrys did to themselves when they adopted a boycott of Israeli controlled territories,” said Eugene Kontorovich, director of the international law department at the Kohelet Policy Forum, a conservative Israeli think tank. “At the same time they want to throw a bone to anti-Israel activists.”

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the largest Muslim civil rights group in the US, welcomed the travel warning as a decision to “recognize the reality of the occupation and human rights abuses,” calling on more foreign corporations to do the same.

Booking.com said its safety banner for the West Bank would resemble those currently shown for accommodations in Ukraine or Cyprus. The site’s warning for Ukraine cautions travelers of “an increased risk to customers’ safety in this location” and urges them to “review travel guidelines for this area provided by your government.”

The company declined to say whether the warning would also apply to Palestinian properties in the West Bank, such as in the cities of Hebron or Ramallah.