Rav Mendel Atik, Rosh Yeshiva Of Eretz Zvi, Passed Away At Age 94

 

Rabbi Mendel Schneur Zalman Atik, one of the prominent disciples of the Brisker Rav and the Chazon Ish, passed away in Jerusalem on Shabbos on his 94th birthday.

Rav Mendel was born in the Old City of Jerusalem to R’ Shlomo Zvi, a Karliner chassid. In his youth he studied at the Etz Chaim Talmud Torah and yeshiva under the tutelage of Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer and in Yeshivas Mir with Rabbi Leizer Yehuda Finkel. He married Sarah Leah Schlesinger , a granddaughter of Rabbi Akiva Yosef Schlesinger the “Lev Haivri”. Rav Mendel was close to the Brisker Rav and participated in his weekly shiur. He also travelled on many occasions to talk in learning with the Chazon Ish.

Rav Mendel studied with disciples of the Chazon Ish as well as gaining fluency in the Chazon Ish’s works and following his halachic practices. In the 70’s he opened a kollel in Jerusalem with a number of prominent avreichem including Rav Dovid Miller of Ponovezh, Rav Chaim Min-Hahar, a Rosh Yeshiva in Beitar Illit, Rav Yehoshua Ehrenberg head of Knesses Yitzchak-Hadera and others.

30 years ago, Rav Mendel opened Yeshivas Eretz Zvi in the Bukharian quarter of Jerusalem, catering to bachurim from abroad who wanted to learn at a more profound level. The yeshiva continued to exist for two decades.

Rav Atik didn’t publish his shiurim but they were printed by students and distributed informally.

Terror Victims Sue Biden & Blinkin for Funding Palestinian Authority

 

Victims of PA Arab terror are suing the Biden administration for awarding millions of dollars to the Palestinian Authority, which pays terrorists and their families.

The lawsuit, filed in a U.S. district court in Texas on Tuesday, contends that the Biden administration is in violation of the 2018 Taylor Force Act, which prohibited the executive branch from providing funds to the PA due to its practice of “pay-for-slay,” as “paying salaries to terrorists serving in Israeli prisons, as well as to the families of deceased terrorists, is an incentive to commit acts of terror.”

Taylor Force, a native of Lubbock, Texas, and a graduate of West Point, was murdered by a PA Arab terrorist in 2016 while visiting Israel.

Listed as plaintiffs in the case are Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), Stuart and Robbi Force, Taylor Force’s parents, and Sarri Singer, a New York resident who was the victim of a 2003 PA Arab suicide bombing that killed 17 people.

The plaintiffs are led by the America First Legal Foundation, a legal watchdog group, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

Stuart and Robbi Force said in a statement that President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who are named as defendants in the case, are “dishonoring the memory and legacy of a good man, and ignoring the citizens of the United States who understand that taxpayer dollars should not be used to fund the killing of innocent civilians.”

In July, the Biden administration announced $316 million in additional funding to support the Palestinian Authority. “This is on top of the more than half a billion dollars the United States has provided to the Palestinian people since the Biden administration restored much-needed funding to the Palestinians,” the White House said in a statement.

The PA pays about $300 million annually in monthly stipends and benefits to terrorists and the families of “martyrs,” those killed in the act of carrying out attacks against Jews.

The Pitfalls of Pigeonholes ...

By

 Dr. Chani Miller

 

 I would like to commend Avi Ciment on his articulate and thoughtful series of articles regarding the Modern Orthodox conundrum.

 In one of his articles, he refers to a prior article he wrote some years ago about texting on Shabbos. At the time I remember being shocked that this was happening, and I actually wrote an article about it that I never submitted because, since I did not have a Modern Orthodox education, I felt I had no right to weigh in on the topic. I would, however, at this juncture like to add a little to this conversation as someone who received a Bais Yaakov education but is not yeshivish.

330 US Reform & Conservative "Rabbis" Spreading Unabashed Lies about Ban Ben Gvir, Smotrich

 

According to JTA, more than 330 American clergy from the Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist progressive movements––“including some who occupy prominent roles in major cities”––have issued a “Call to Action for Clergy in Protest of Israeli Government Extremists,” pledging to ban members of the Religious Zionist alliance from speaking at their synagogues, and lobby to ban them from speaking anywhere in their communities.

Needless to say, not a single Orthodox rabbi has signed the “call for action.”

What follows are despicable lies, which go unchecked by JTA.

Zera Shimshon Parshas Miketz Chanukah

 

UK woman arrested for silently praying across from abortion clinic

 

Conservatives and free speech activists on Twitter railed against a recent video depicting police interrogating and ultimately arresting a pro-life woman who was silently praying outside a U.K. abortion clinic.

Those who watched the woman’s arrest after admitting she was “praying in my head” were appalled. Some claimed this was proof that Great Britain had become a dystopia.

The woman who was arrested, Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, is the director of the U.K. March for Life.

According to Alliance Defending Freedom UK (ADF UK), Vaughan-Spruce “was standing near the BPAS Robert Clinic in Kings Norton, Birmingham in an area ADF UK called a ‘censorship zone,’ when police approached her after an onlooker complained she might be praying outside the abortion facility.”

According to ADF UK, Birmingham authorities have established buffer zones near abortion clinics, making it illegal for people to engage in behavior disapproving or approving of abortion. This includes “graphic, verbal or written means, prayer or counseling.”

The clip shows the woman silently standing on a curb across from an abortion clinic as British law enforcement officers approach her. One asks why she is standing there and responds that she’s there because of the abortion clinic. She denies that she is part of any protest

The officer then asks, “Are you praying?” to which she responds, “I might be praying in my head.” The officer then asks her if she’d be willing to go to the station for questioning about her actions. “If I’ve got a choice, then no,” she responds, after which the officer states, “You’re under arrest” and claims she’s charged with “suspicion of failing to comply with Public Spaces Protection Order.”

Anglican priest Rev. Calvin Robinson slammed what he saw in the footage, saying, “This is terrifying. What have we become?! Under a Conservative government, too.”

Catholic author and Compact Magazine founder Sohrab Ahmari tweeted, “OY YOU GO’ A LICENSE TO PRAY IN YOUR ’EAD MA’AM?”

Pro-life advocate Emily Rarick wrote, “This is absolute madness. How can someone be arrested for praying?”

Virginia GOP delegate Nick Freitas took the opportunity to remind users of George Orwell’s dystopia, tweeting, “1984 was a warning, not a guide.”

RedState deputy managing editor Brandon Morse made the point, “If abortion advocates don’t believe in God and think prayer is actually silly then what are they so afraid of?”

Conservative pundit Lauren Chen tweeted, “People are literally being arrested for thought crimes in the UK. Free speech is NOT a western value, it’s a uniquely American one.”

Nile Gardiner, a former aide to the late former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, remarked, “This is appalling. Disgraceful to see a woman arrested for simply praying on a British street. This should not be happening under a Conservative Govt, and action should be taken by the Home Secretary to ensure that scenes like this are not repeated.”

National Review staff writer Nate Hochman tweeted, “Sorry but imagine not having a First Amendment.”

Listen to Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Play HaTikva in Abu Dhabi

 

WATCH the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra's rendition of Hatikvah in Abu Dhabi tonight, where First Lady Michal Herzog was the guest of honor—the IPO's first performance in an Arab country since Israel's independence. (Credit: https://t.co/D6GYjPDczZ /Israel Philharmonic Orchestra) pic.twitter.com/69NO9zXyym

— Office of the President of Israel (@IsraelPresident) December 20, 2022

Netanyahu Gives Jordan Peterson a History Lesson He Won’t Soon Forget

 

Dr Jordan B Peterson and Israel Prime Minister-Elect Benjamin Netanyahu discuss the history of Israel, its status as an embattled nation, the importance of the struggle for statehood, why and how the PM came back from political demise, and his vision for the future.

 Chapters:

(0:00) Coming up
(1:25) Intro
(4:03) Moses and the first settlers
(10:55) Response to the Palestinian claim
(16:07) The basis for a claim
(22:55) Making something of it
(26:04) The refugee problem
(30:00) Ultimatums and progress
(33:34) Herzl, Bipartisan world support
(39:38) the Balfour Declaration, Hitlerism
(44:40) The importance of power and productivity
(50:50) PM Netanyahu’s goal, the three pillars of peace
(51:48) Steps toward economic freedom
(55:55) The fat man thin man diet
(59:50) Brush with political demise
(1:04:00) Bibi: My Story
(1:04:40) What guides a leader vs a politician?
(1:10:00) The Abraham Accords, Obama
(1:17:00) Israel and Donald Trump
(1:18:38) Why has the process stalled with Biden?

Great Chazzan Yossie Pomerantz of Satmar

 

Heard this guy for the very first time and I'm very impressed. Sounds a lot like the late Yehoshua Vider z"l, totally his style. 

I love his rich voice and range, his interpretation of this particular piece. 

This is at the third Chanuka night in Satmar shul. The Satmar Rebbe, R' Zalman Leib, sitting by the door in front of the Menorah 

Chassidishe Rebbes Playing Violen ..Sounds like a cat being slaughtered

 

אחד יחיד ומיוחד: הרבי מזוטשקא ירושלים מנגן אמש בכינור כמנהג אבותיו (צילום: שוקי לרר) pic.twitter.com/aYoqFW5fJo

— משה ויסברג (@moshe_nayes) December 21, 2022

A little bit better! 

פידל אין פרימשלאן pic.twitter.com/gRqbp7b2Z8

— Hasidic (@hasidic_1) December 21, 2022

The Best! 

פידל שפילן סעזאן pic.twitter.com/Q1w2GEnte8

— Hasidic (@hasidic_1) December 21, 2022