Researchers Verify Written Records of Dovid Hamelech, Corresponding to the Tanach

 

Detail of a portion of lines 12–16 of the Mesha Stele, reconstructed from the squeeze

The Mesha Stele, a basalt stone that contains chronicles by Mesha, King of Moab during the late 9th century BCE, was found in 1868 in Jordan, east of the Dead Sea and site of the ancient city of Dibon, capital of Moab.

Scholars had suspected that the writings, in the extinct language of the Moabites, describe events corresponding to the Book of Kings in the Tanach (Hebrew Bible, Prophets and Writings), including references to the Israelite god, the “House of David” and the “Altar of David.”

However, the section that included the historical account surrounding King David was damaged and therefore could not be verified – at least not until now.

A “squeeze” (papier-mâché impression) of the full stele had been obtained just prior to its destruction. Pieces of the original stele containing most of the inscription were later recovered and pieced together. The remainder of the stele was reconstructed from the squeeze

Thanks to photographic evidence, researchers have confirmed that the stone indeed does contain references to the biblical King David (2 Kings, Chapter 3), according to an article titled “Mesha’s Stele and the House of David” published recently in the Biblical Archaeology Review.

The Mesha Stele details the victories of King Mesha of Moab over the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, the magazine reports.

“In 2015, a team from the West Semitic Research Project of the University of Southern California took new digital photographs of both the restored stela and the paper squeeze. The team used a method called Reflectance Transformation Imaging… this method is especially valuable because the digital rendering allows researchers to control the lighting of an inscribed artifact, so that hidden, faint, or worn incisions become visible,” wrote researchers Andre Lemaire and Jean-Philippe Delorme.

The stele has been part of the collection of the Louvre Museum in Paris since 1873. In 2018, the Louvre projected light onto the high-resolution images, with the result being a much clearer image, enabling verification of the contents.

Linguists have also noted the strong similarity between the Moabite and Hebrew languages.

Tali Friedman is the kosher cooking guru to the stars

 

Tali Friedman is the kosher cooking guru to politicians and celebrities — if they know who to ask.

“I don’t advertise or do any marketing,” said the Jerusalem-based mother of four. “People find me by word-of-mouth.”

Last summer she was spotted leading Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, who are Jewish Orthodox, through Jerusalem’s bustling Machane Yehuda market, where the cooking instructor keeps a well-outfitted culinary atelier to teach the ways of kosher cooking.

But her business was born out of a dark time in Jerusalem.

Read Prince Harry's description of his meeting with Rabbi Sacks

Prince Harry has revealed in his tell-all memoir that he was “admonished” in person by the late former Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks after he wore a Nazi uniform to a fancy dress party in 2005, at the age of 20.

In his book ‘Spare’, Harry recalls how his father sent him to the home of Rabbi Sacks and how the experience made a lasting impression on the young royal, in part because the esteemed religious leader “did not mince his words”.

Harry says:

 “Pa sent me to a holy man. 51. Bearded, bespectacled, with a deeply lined face and dark, wise eyes, he was Chief Rabbi of Britain, that much I’d been told. But right away I could see he was much more.

“An eminent scholar, a religious philosopher, a prolific writer with more than two dozen books to his name, he’d spent many of his days staring out of windows and thinking about the root causes of sorrow, of evil, of hate. He didn’t mince words.

“He condemned my actions. He wasn’t unkind, but it had to be done. There was no way round it. He also placed my stupidity in historical context. He spoke about the six million, the annihilated. Jews, Poles, dissenters, intellectuals, homosexuals. Children, babies, old people, turned to ash and smoke. A few short decades ago.

“I’d arrived at his house feeling shame. I now felt something else, a bottomless self-loathing. But that wasn’t the rabbi’s aim. That certainly wasn’t how he wanted me to leave him. He urged me not to be devastated by my mistake, but instead to be motivated. He spoke to me with the quality one often encounters in truly wise people: forgiveness.

“He assured me that people do stupid things, say stupid things, but it doesn’t need to be their intrinsic nature. I was showing my true nature, he said, by seeking to atone. Seeking absolution. To the extent that he was able, and qualified, he absolved me. He gave me grace. He told me to lift my head, go forth, use this experience to make the world better.”

Watch this Female IDF Soldier Say "Shma Yisroel" at her Conversion!

 

Neturei Karta Thug who visited terrorist's family released from detention

 

After four days of detention, the Jerusalem Magistrate Court released a member of the extremist Neturei Karta sect who met with the family of a Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist in Jenin under limited conditions.

Under the limited conditions, the extremist will be distanced from Judea and Samaria for 180 days, he will be forbidden from contacting any of those who were involved in the case for two months, and he will be obligated to pay a 5,000 NIS personal and 3rd party bail and a 1000 NIS cash deposit.

Last Monday, a delegation from the radical sect visited Jenin and stayed in the home of Islamic Jihad leader Bassam al-Saadi. The delegation met several senior members of the terrorist organization and declared their support for the Palestinian cause.

They also met with Fatah secretary general Ata Abu Ramila.

A member of the delegation explained: "We are Palestinian Jews, we want to live under the Palestinian flag and not the Israeli flag, in one country, which is the Palestinian state."

Police arrested one of the three Neturei Karta members who met with terrorists from Islamic Jihad in Jenin earlier this week on suspicion of supporting and identifying with a terrorist organization and illegally entering Area A of Judea and Samaria, which is under the control of the Palestinian Authority.

1.7 million Israeli immigration records spanning 1919 to 1979 made available online for free.

 

The genealogy website MyHeritage posted 1.7 million Israeli immigration records online this week, making accessible a trove of ship and plane passenger lists stored in bound tomes at the Israel State Archives.

The records cover arrivals to the country for about 60 years starting in 1919. They include details such as the name of immigrants, country of origin, birth year, date of arrival, destination city and the name of the vessel they arrived on.

MyHeritage is billing the records as the Israeli version of the Ellis Island database, and historians and genealogists have endorsed this view, calling the release a major moment for the field.

“The amount of information now available, and for free, is huge,” said Garri Regev, president of the Israel Genealogy Research Association.

The records are not just for experts; anyone interested in looking for details about the immigration of their relatives or others can use this dedicated website and search by names and other details.

Knowledge of Hebrew, the language of the original immigration lists, isn’t required. MyHeritage, headquartered in Or Yehuda, Israel, and Salt Lake City, Utah, ran every record through translation software, making them searchable in English and other languages. (Salt Lake City is a hub of genealogical research because it is home to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, known as the Mormon Church, which has a theological interest in ancestry.)

The Israeli data is comprehensive but not complete: Some immigration lists were missing from the archives, and some were in poor condition, affecting the quality of the scan. But genealogists encourage the public not to give up too quickly since names may have changed and spellings vary.

“You have to be creative when you search,” said Rose Feldman, who develops databases for the Israel Genealogy Research Association. “Sometimes it is by looking for the child accompanying the parents, sometimes by searching by the given name and year of birth or if you know the year of arrival. It is free, so it is just your time that is required.”

MyHeritage was an Israeli-owned company until it was acquired by Francisco Partners, a San Francisco-based private equity firm, for a reported $600 million in 2021.

Asked why the company went through the work of digitizing and indexing the files only to provide access to information for free, MyHeritage’s director of public relations, Sarah Vanunu, said the company has released records for free in the past and that doing so is part of its public mission.

“We see it as part of our mission to connect people with their family history through important historical records and amazing collections, and a gift to the community,” Vanunu said.

Charedim to Goldknopf on Attacking Shabbat Train Works: You Make Everyone Hate Us

 

By

David Israel

Last week, I reported that United Torah Judaism Chairman and Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Transportation Minister Miri Regev (Likud), demanding that the works being conducted on the railroad over the weekend be canceled (Goldknopf Ushering the Next Big Crisis over Train Works that Can Only Be Done on Shabbat).

On Monday morning, Kan 11 news reported that Goldknopf’s partners at UTJ are unhappy with his move. The news outlet cited Gafni’s people in UTJ (the Lithuanians) who said that “this is a mistake since any public attempt to deal with issues related to Shabbat causes the general public to be angry with the Haredi parties and this leads to incitement against them.”

Shas officials also criticized the chairman of UTJ who hails from the Hasidic faction of Agudat Israel, saying that “this should have been discussed in-camera and handled quietly and behind the scenes.”

Had Israel Railways obeyed Goldknopf’s decree against works on Shabbat, it would have had to suspend service on weekdays, since the electrifying of the rails cannot be done only at night. The result would have been an increase in traffic jams that would make––to name but one problem––ambulance response slower, placing human lives at risk. Now, if that doesn’t qualify as pikuach nefesh (desecrating Shabbat for the sake of saving a life), I don’t know what does.

But the Lithuanians in UTJ were doubly upset with the Hasidic chairman because he put them in a spot where they couldn’t publicly support desecrating Shabbat and so they had to go along, against their best judgment.

One shouldn’t go into politics unless one is prepared to betray all his principles and sell his grandmother in the same deal.

Transport Minister Miri Regev (Likud) responded to Goldknopf’s demand by announcing that she would give it the most serious consideration and make the strongest effort to comply by eliminating the works that were not crucial at the pikuach nefesh level – which, in practice, meant nothing was going to change.

Likud members have called on their Haredi coalition partners to “work together on finding appropriate solutions,” which also means absolutely nothing is going to change.

Biden used his lawyers to return classified docs — didn't want the FBI Anywhere Near Them ..But for Trump FBI Raided

 

The discovery of a fourth set of classified documents, at the Biden residence in Delaware, has further undermined the White House’s virtual mantra that the president “takes classified documents very seriously.”

Putting aside the repeated movement of highly classified documents over six years, one curious element has emerged in this scandal: the use of private counsel. 

Not only did President Joe Biden enlist lawyers to clear out his private Washington office; he then used them — rather than security officers or the FBI — to search for additional classified documents.

The initial use of lawyers is notable. While it seems a fairly pricey moving crew, Biden could argue a trove of documents might require a judgment on where they should be sent and whether they belong to Biden, the Penn Biden Center or the government.

But why was a legal team sent in six years after Biden took the documents on leaving as vice president? Were the lawyers specifically selected because they had clearances, an acknowledgment there might be classified material unlawfully housed in the office?

After the fourth batch of documents was discovered this week (the third found in Delaware), Richard Sauber, referred to as the “special counsel to the president,” stressed that he has a clearance. Sauber admits the lawyers who found the first batch at the residence didn’t have clearances but says he found the later documents.

Toldos Avrom Yitzchok Rebbe Instigatated Riot Against Cell Phone Store in Geula

Yes, we are doomed. Until now, people said, "Ah! It's only a couple of mishagaim" Well that myth has been totally destroyed when the "rebbe" himself showed up. 

The rebbe should be arrested and his followers drafted in the army. The rebbe knew very well that these "protests" would turn into violence and yet he led the procession, he should be investigated for the arsons perpetrated on the Geula Cell Phone stores. I now strongly believe that he was behind it at worst and nodded his approval at best. This rebbe never actually worked a day in his life for a living and has no clue what it takes to establish a business. This Cell Phone store carries only kosher phones, but the owner refuses to cave into demands to the Mafia, so they dragged the old rebbe to raise the stakes.    A few days in prison with some Achmuds and Mohammeds will give him a perspective what real life is all about!

במקום שיש חילול השם אין חולקין כבוד לרב 

On Sunday evening, about a thousand protesters demonstrated against a cell phone in the Geula neighborhood in Jerusalem. Toldos Avraham Yitzchak Chassidim went to the store to demonstrate, led by the Rebbe, who himself came to demonstrate in front of the store.

Within a short time, the demonstration turned into a mass protest, with hundreds more gathering in front of the store, which was already closed. Shocking video footage from the scene show clashes between police and the demonstrators.

In the videos, a group of mounted police can be seen galloping through the crowd of Charedi protesters. National security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir asked Commissioner Kobi Shabtai to investigate the officers’ conduct and discern whether the use of force was justified.

The police released a statement, which says in part: “At the beginning…police allowed the demonstration to take place lawfully, but at one point, protesters…tried to damage the cell phone shop while physically pushing the officers who separated between them and the shop.

“…criminals sprayed pepper spray and threw eggs at the officers…The riots continued while eggs and other objects continued to be thrown at officers; police forces pushed the rioters away and detained one suspect caught throwing eggs at officers…”

Biden's House of Cards Crashing Down Very Fast ... President Harris?

 

MICHAEL GOODWIN

A favorite saying among insiders is that two weeks is a lifetime in politics, meaning anything can happen. In Joe Biden’s case, a mere five days was enough to turn his world upside down. 

The news Saturday that more classified documents were found in his Delaware home ends a bizarre week that suddenly put Biden’s presidency in peril and further damaged the sagging credibility of the Department of Justice. 

When reports emerged last Monday that multiple classified documents were found in an office Biden used after leaving the White House as vice president, the propaganda media circled the wagons around him by insisting he’s no Donald Trump. They had a point — up to a point. 

But when reports two days later said a second batch of supposedly secret papers was found in Biden’s Delaware garage, the wall of media protection showed some cracks as the differences between the presidents’ cases narrowed. And when an additional classified page was found in Biden’s Delaware library, and a special prosecutor was appointed Thursday to investigate him, the defenders made a hasty retreat. 

Then came Saturday’s finding, which proves the president was serially sloppy with America’s secrets. 

The result is that Trump now looks like a lucky man while Biden looks like a man whose luck has run out. 

It’s been a feature of Trump’s political career that he’s been fortunate in his enemies. Say “Hillary Clinton” and it’s enough said.