Gov't plan could see settlement population increase by hundreds of thousands

 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government is poised to take a series of steps that could result in a massive increase in the population of Jewish communities in Judea in Samaria over the coming years, Israel Hayom has learned. 

During a recent meeting between Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and settler leaders, some of the components of the plans were revealed. If finalized, they would come on top of the pledges already written into the Coalition Agreements that were signed between the Likud and its allies in the Knesset. 

The plan's components include convening the Higher Planning Council in Judea and Samaria as soon as possible and approving some 18,000 new housing units in the coming months. The plan also calls for having the council meet regularly every month rather than once every three months under previous Netanyahu governments and only twice during the past year under the shared premiership of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid. 

Another measure would create a separate entity that would approve construction that is not for residential living, such as daycare centers and industrial complexes. This mini-planning council would meet every several weeks to approve construction plans. 

If these proposals get finalized and pass the relevant hurdles, they could increase the number of settlers in the coming years by hundreds of thousands and streamline the approval process for such construction so that only two entities would have to sign off on civilian construction rather than five. As a result of cutting this red tape, the plan would also dramatically shorten the time it takes from the planning phase to the full construction of housing units.

Netanyahu, Gallant, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich met to finalize this process earlier this week, as part of the implementation of the agreement that stipulates moving some functions from the Defense Ministry to Smotrich's portfolio, as he is also defined as a minister within the Defense Ministry. If carried out as planned, Jewish settlers would essentially have the same experience dealing with government agencies as other Israelis, as they would no longer have to go through the filter of the Defense Ministry.

The officials also discussed changing the metrics for how infrastructure projects are measured. Rather than use the prism of the Jewish residents –which currently stand at some 500,000 in Judea and Samaria – projects would take into account the overall number of residents in the affected areas, essentially adding millions of non-Israelis to the official headcount beyond the Green Line for planning purposes ahead of their construction, such as in the case of paving roads. This could create a political backlash, with some on the Left potentially calling this mini-annexation.

Shlomo Rechnitz list LA home for $26M

 

Medical supply mogul and philanthropist Shlomo Rechnitz, and his wife Tamar, have listed a Los Angeles investment property in Hancock Park for a cool $26 million.

Hancock Park is the neighborhood where the prolific screenwriter and producer Shonda Rhimes — known for her popular hits, such as “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Bridgerton” — recently sold her 1923 home for an area record of $21 million, according to the LA Times. (Rhimes bought the home from “Everybody Loves Raymond” actress Patricia Heaton for $8.8 million in 2014, the paper also reported.)

There’s already a bidding war for the Rechnitz property, which has been on the market for less than three weeks, Josh Nass, Rechnitz’s spokesman, told Gimme Shelter. 

The Rechnitz family bought the property at 101 N. Hudson Ave. for $11.5 million in September 2020. Built in 1929 by architect Roland Coate, the Tudor-style home was featured in Architectural Digest in 1931, according to the listing, and was restored by Mark Stevens Construction and MR Design.

At 14,649 square feet, the seven-bedroom home sits on 0.96 acres. It features a large living room with a fireplace, a cigar lounge with coffered ceilings — plus a formal dining room, a chef’s kitchen and a butler’s pantry. Details include crown moldings, herringbone floors, diamond-pane leaded windows, mahogany-paneled walls and built-in cabinetry.

The main bedroom suite comes with a bay window, a balcony and double spa-like bathrooms. There are also two home offices with fireplaces, a gym with a bar/lounge space, a spa/massage room, a home theater and a children’s playroom. Outside, there’s a pool, an outdoor kitchen with a pizza oven, two fire pits and a pickleball/half-basketball court.

Neighbors on the street include Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne.

The listing brokers are brothers Josh and Matthew Altman, of Douglas Elliman.

Monsey School Bus Driver Arrested, Multiple Felony Charges Filed ... Pidyan Shevuim Campaign?

A bus driver for a Chassidic school involved in a major accident in Monsey last month was arraigned in criminal court Tuesday.

The driver allegedly drove recklessly and is accused of allegedly endangering the lives of children and others. He was charged with four felonies, including second degree assault and reckless endangerment, as well as twenty-one misdemeanor counts of child endangerment and thirty-one traffic infractions. .

In December, video footage appeared to show that the bus allegedly slammed into a home and pinned a car underneath it. According to reports, 21 people, mostly children, were extricated from the wreck and 9 were transported to nearby hospitals, including at least 5 to trauma centers, with 2 in serious condition.

The police issued the following press release:

On December 1st, 2022 Ramapo Police Department responded…in regards to a school bus that had crashed into a house. Upon arrival, there was extensive property damage and multiple injuries to children on the bus whose ages ranged between 4 years old and 10 years old.

The driver has been charged with:

• Three counts of Assault in the Second Degree (D Felony)
• One count of Reckless Endangerment in the first degree (D Felony)
• Twenty-one counts of Endangering the welfare of a child (A misdemeanor)
• One count of Reckless Driving (Misdemeanor)
• The Driver is also being charged with a total of thirty-one (31) traffic infractions.

The driver was arraigned…and released without bail returnable to the Village of New Hempstead Court. 

A child of Oslo watches the Tel Aviv protests

 

The Oslo Accords and the disengagement plan prove that the controversy over Supreme Court reforms is not about civil rights or Israeli democracy, it’s about power.

I read a police report Saturday evening that placed the number of protesters at that night’s Tel Aviv demonstration at 100,000. The pictures I saw on various WhatsApp groups, taken by friends who participated, were also impressive. In this day and age, when a scathing Facebook post is applauded as activism, I commend those who are willing to get off the couch and take a stand for what they believe in. 

As a child born during the Oslo process in the 1990s who was raised in a yishuv—or if you prefer the hijacked term: “settlement”—I remember those days well, albeit from a very different perspective.

The protest on Saturday was against judicial reforms proposed by Justice Minister Yariv Levin that aim to rein in the Israeli Supreme Court and make it more responsive to the legislature. Those on the right see this as a necessary move to rebalance the judicial and legislative branches of government. Those on the left see it as a blatant power grab by the ruling coalition. Though it’s up to each individual to decide which side is correct, I believe some of the arguments being made by the left are disingenuous to the point of hypocrisy.

Lady with a Kippa damages Sefer Torah

A Houston synagogue is shoring up its security practices after a woman who said she was motivated to vandalize it by Messianic beliefs entered without being detected.

 Ezra Law broke into Congregation Emanu El in the early hours of Jan. 14, causing damage to both the building and a sacred Torah. After spending six hours in the building — including drinking wine and spilling it on one of the sacred Torahs — she was discovered by security personnel before Shabbat services and subsequently arrested.

Law was soon released on bond, but instead of showing up at her court arraignment, she returned to Emanu El on Friday to disrupt a preschool class, harassing young children before fleeing. Law was arrested again later that day and was released for a second time on Sunday.

That night, she posted online that she had targeted the synagogue in retaliation for being turned away previously because of her belief in Jesus.

The incident, which unfolded on the one-year anniversary of a gunman taking four people hostage at a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, has shaken the Houston Jewish community. It has also prompted a review of the lapses that twice allowed Law to enter the Emanu El building.

How Soros is slowly bringing down the USA

 

George Soros is the most dangerous man in America. The investor is intent on remaking the country to his liberal image, from our foreign policy priorities to undermining our criminal-justice system. This week, The Post takes a look at the reach of Soros’ billions. In this second essay, Matt Palumbo, author of “The Man Behind the Curtain: Inside the Secret Network of George Soros,” examines Soros investments in liberal propaganda.

A new report from the Media Research Center has exposed connections between billionaire liberal financier George Soros and 54 prominent media figures. As documented by its authors Joseph Vazquez and Dan Schneider, these include reporters, anchors, columnists, editors, news executives, and journalists.

Among the highest profile media figures revealed to have connections to Soros, often due to them sitting on boards of organizations he funds, include:

• CNN’s Christiane Amanpour sits on the board of the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit investigative journalism group funded by Soros, that critics charge mainly targets Republican fundraisers.

• NBC’s Lester Holt, Washington Post’s Sally Buzbee, Associate Press Executive Editor Julie Pace, and Reuters Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni all sit on the board of the Member of the Committee to Protect Journalists, a Soros-funded organization that purports to defend the rights of journalists.

• CBS’ Margaret Brennan and CNN’s Fareed Zakaria serve on the board of the massively influential Council on Foreign Relations, a Soros-backed think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy.

• NBC’s Chairman Cesar Conde is on the Aspen Institute board, a Soros-backed think tank. In recent years they launched a left-leaning commission to combat so-called disinformation, and was implicated in the suppression of The New York Post’s Hunter Biden laptop story in the recently released Twitter Files.

• NPR’s President and CEO John Lansing is connected by the direct funding Soros gives his publication.

• PolitiFact Editor-in-Chief Angie Dronbic Holan serves on the board of the Soros-backed International Fact-Checking Network, which has openly pressed Facebook to censor what they consider to be misinformation (i.e. anything that goes against the liberal narrative), and serves as the “high body” for dozens of fact-checking organizations under its umbrella.

Cardiovascular benefits shown when wearing tefillin - study

 

The cardiovascular health of both men and women who wear tefillin (phylacteries) around their arms can improve, according to new research at the University of Cincinnati (UC). The study suggests those benefits are the result of ischemic, or reduced, blood-flow preconditioning that produces protection from the damage caused by heart attacks.

“Tefillin is used for morning prayers for Jewish men over the age of 13 on weekdays,” said clinical internal medicine Prof. Jack Rubinstein of the Division of Cardiovascular Health in UC’s College of Medicine.

“It is placed on the nondominant arm around the bicep and the forearm in a fairly tight manner,” he said. “It is never worn in a fashion as to occlude the blood flow. This is traditionally worn for about 30 minutes continuously during prayers, which involve sitting and standing, resulting in occasional retightening of the strap around your arm.”

The research was published in the peer-reviewed online journal PLOS ONE under the title “Tefillin use induces preconditioning associated changes in heart rate variability” and expands on similar research by Rubinstein from 2018 that enrolled only men in the study. This study included 14 men and 16 women.

Scientists Know what Pharaoh the King that Talked to Moshe Rabbeinu Looked Like

Scientists were able to reconstruct a facial rendering of Rameses II, the Pharaoh responsible for enslaving the Jews in the Book of Exodus, based on his mummified remains. This reverse-age rendering was made possible by the UK-based Liverpool John Moores University Face Lab.

The Pharaoh Rameses II was believed to have died in his 90s, but his facial rendering shows him as he was projected to look in his 40s. Researchers were able to create a three-dimensional age regression to reverse signs of aging to depict him as in his 40s - just when he had reached the highest point of his reign of power.

According to radiology professionals involved with the research project from Cairo University, Rameses II was quite a handsome fellow. In a radiology magazine, professor Sahar Saleem said that "Bringing Rameses' face to life in his old age and as a young man reminds the world of his legendary status." He was in power for 66 years.

Middle-Aged White Suicide, Alcohol Abuse Linked to Loss of Religion

 

The rise in “deaths of despair” among middle-aged white Americans may be linked to the decline in religious practice, according to new research.

Such an increase in deaths has also been highlighted by the opioid crisis, but new research argues skyrocketing suicide and deaths from alcohol abuse might be rooted in the loss of religion.

The paper, circulated by the National Bureau of Economic Research, found that the increase of “deaths of despair” among middle-aged white Americans starting in the early 1990s was the aftermath of a declining religiosity in the United States by the same group.

Authors Tyler Giles, Daniel Hungerman, and Tamar Oostrom “confirm that religious practice has significant effects on these mortality rates.”

“Our findings show that social factors such as organized religion can play an important role in understanding deaths of despair,” they write.

The group of economists looked at the impact of “blue laws” across the country, and how the increased repeal of such laws are quickly followed by a loss in church attendance and an increased secularization.

Although some have argued that blue laws — which restrict various kinds of commerce on Sabbath days (mostly Sundays in America) — get repealed following a secularization of a community, Giles, Hungerman, and Oostrom found that the trend is the reverse: secularization of a community actually follows the repeal of blue laws.

One of the more prominent blue laws is the sale of alcohol on Sabbath days, but the economists looked at blue laws not related to alcohol sales in order to get a full picture of their effects.

Since the blue law repeals and the aftermath starting in the 1990s, Giles and his colleagues found “the most religious states experienced the lowest mortality due to deaths of despair.”

By contrast, “states that had larger drops in religious attendance had larger increases in deaths of despair.”

When persons stop attending religious service, they are not only losing a connection to moral grounding or a relationship to God; they are also losing a sense of community.

In America, the church has always been the center of a community and civil society: friendships form; men and women meet, date, marry, and start families; and a sense of care and duty to your neighbor is cultivated.

As Breitbart News reported, religious practice is heavily linked to finding meaning in life, the happiest, most stable marriages, and personal and familial well-being.

In fact, studies show that individuals and families who practice religion both at home and in church achieve the highest levels of happiness and life satisfaction.

Breccan F. Thies is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter @BreccanFThies.

The Israeli Supreme Court's contempt for the public and its elected representatives

 

By

 Caroline B. Glick

Friday morning brought the first piece of good news from Israel’s Supreme Court in years. Yediot Ahronot’s top headline declared that Supreme Court President Esther Hayut intends to resign if the Knesset passes Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s judicial reform package. (DIN: The witch has since rescinded that statement)

Hayut’s stewardship of the court over the past six years has been disgraceful and destructive to both the court and the State of Israel. The Hayut court dropped even the pretense of judiciousness. Hayut cast the court on a course of ideological radicalism and politicization that has no parallel anywhere in the world.

Hayut’s radicalism was well known in the legal community. She wasn’t then-justice minister Ayelet Shaked’s first choice for the court’s top slot. But Shaked had no say in the matter. Israel’s current judicial selection process protects justices from accountability to the public and its elected representatives. Supreme Court justices have a veto over nominees to the court, so everyone who gets the nod from the Judicial Selection Committee, including ostensibly conservative jurists, must embrace the organizational culture and values of the sitting justices.