A new study by the Orthodox Union (OU), the umbrella organization for Orthodox Jews in America, reveals that one-third of Orthodox single men and 45% of Orthodox single women feel "ostracized " and "dismissed" by their community for being single.
“I don’t speak because I have the power to speak; I speak because I don’t have the power to remain silent.” Rav Kook z"l
Monday, September 4, 2023
Study shows single Frum Jews sidelined
A new study by the Orthodox Union (OU), the umbrella organization for Orthodox Jews in America, reveals that one-third of Orthodox single men and 45% of Orthodox single women feel "ostracized " and "dismissed" by their community for being single.
US Will Regulate Nursing Home Staffing For First Time ... Nursing Home Owners Not Happy
The federal government will, for the first time, dictate staffing levels at nursing homes, the Biden administration said Friday, responding to systemic problems bared by mass COVID-19 deaths.
While such regulation has been sought for decades by allies of older adults and those with disabilities, the proposed threshold is far lower than many advocates had hoped. It also immediately drew ire from the nursing home industry, which said it amounted to a mandate that couldn’t be met.
With criticism expected, a promise made with fanfare in President Joe Biden’s 2022 State of the Union speech had its details revealed as many Americans turned away from the news for a holiday weekend.
“Establishing minimum staffing standards for nursing homes will improve resident safety,” Health Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. “When facilities are understaffed, residents suffer.”
The American Health Care Association, which lobbies for care facilities, called the proposal “unfathomable,” saying it will worsen existing problems and cost homes billions of dollars.
Rabbi Yair Hoffman to Rabbi Hecht: “It’s Not a Cult, Rabbi Hecht. You Blew It.”
It was a heated exchange on the Zev Brenner Show. The debate was between a self-proclaimed cult-buster, Rabbi Shea Hecht, and Rabbi Yair Hoffman.
Rabbi Hoffman took Rabbi Hecht to task for claiming that one of the top Yeshivos for bochurim returning from Eretz Yisroel is actually a cult. He further took him to task for saying, “If we are right, then we have closed down a Yeshiva and the bochurim need a new place. But if we are right, Hashem Yerachem! That is Gilui Arayos, incest, Shfichas Damim and AVodah Zarah!” Rabbi Yair Hoffman stated that Rabbi Hecht’s claims are completely unfounded and constitute complete lashon Harah against a Talmid Chochom and Tzaddik who had built an extraordinary Yeshiva, Kollel and community in Great Neck, New York – Rabbi Eitan Rubin shlita. Rabbi Hecht countered Rabbi Hoffman and asked how dare Rabbi Hoffman equate his claims with the famous forgery of the “Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion?”
After the mothers of the Talmidim called in, however, it was “game over.” Numerous viewers remarked that the attackers of the Yeshiva suffered an unmitigated disaster. “Rabbi Rubin was completely vindicated,” remarked a Monsey couple. “Rabbi Hecht couldn’t even respond to their sharp upbraiding of the cult-busting Rabbi.
Rabbi Tzvi Gluck, founder and director of Amudim, carefully explained how none of his investigations and the formidable team he put together, found anything remotely resembling the narrative of those attacking the Yeshiva.
Philanthropist George Rohr called in and informed Rabbi Hecht that he has known Rabbi Rubin since his childhood and warned him to triple-check everything because Rabbi Rubin is an earnest and talented mechanech. Rabbi Yair Hoffman noted that Rabbi Hecht never met Rabbi Rubin, nor did he ever visit the Yeshiva. Four parents called in denying Rabbi Hecht’s assertions and singing the praises of Rabbi Rubin. They explained that Rabbi Rubin was the furthest thing from a cult leader. The Chabad shliach in Great Neck called in as well and explained that Rabbi Rubin allowed the Talmidim of the Yeshiva to attend a Tanya shiur in the Chabad Rabbi’s home. Rabbi Hecht harshly rebuked the Great Neck Chabad Rabbi for not responding to his inquiries previously. Toward the end, even Rabbi Hecht admitted that the products of the Yeshiva were model Torah scholars and exhibited the finest Midos.
Sadegera Rebbetzin Writes Letter to the Rabbis that Signed a Kol Korah Against Her
Last week, we posted an article how a bunch of rabbanim signed a Kol Korah against the widow of the late Sadigera Rebbe, chastising her for bringing her twerp son to secular court.
These same rabbanim said not a word when the twerp took his mother to secular court to evict her from his late father's apartment, even though there was clear instructions that she could live there for the rest of her life.
In her letter she says that after reading the Kol Korah against her, she now understands why the Torah says that Hashem himself will protect the widow, since the rabbanim will not!
She also mentions the fact that these rabbanim were silent when the twerp took to her to secular court.
Goyim in Jackson Township Hire Private Investigator to Spy On Jewish Homes Over Shabbos
In a stunning incident that comes less than a week after the approval of Jackson Township’s deal to settle the New Jersey Attorney General’s lawsuit over anti-Orthodox Jewish discrimination, a group of Jackson residents hired a private investigator to stake out a home where Orthodox Jewish worshippers were legally holding prayers, Lakewood Alerts reported.
The disturbing scene unfolded this past Shabbos, September 2nd, at a home in the S. New Prospect area of Jackson. The private investigator – identified by Lakewood Alerts as Rich Coombs of Lemieux & Associates – sat in a vehicle outside the home for hours, snapping photos of worshippers entering and exiting the residence.
Lakewood Alerts has conclusively confirmed that the private investigator was hired by local residents, and was not employed by Jackson Township, which was accused of spying on homes where legal worshipping was taking place in the lawsuit it has just settled.
The incident is incredibly shocking, as it comes on the heels of Jackson Township settling with both the federal Justice Department and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office over similar allegations.
Additionally, this weekend’s spying is particularly troubling as it comes against the backdrop of a worrying increase in anti-Semitic attacks in New Jersey and across the country. Aside from the patently hateful act of spying on a religious gathering, this incident served only to increase fear and concerns for their safety among Jackson’s Orthodox Jewish population.
It will be interesting to see whether this revelation will spark a new investigation by the New Jersey Attorney General into anti-Orthodox Jewish hate that is clearly still rampant in Jackson Township.
Sunday, September 3, 2023
Inside the town that banned kids from having mobile phones – the results were astounding
Startling recent figures from communications regulator Ofcom, show that 20 per cent of kids have a smartphone by the age of three, and that rises to 55 per cent between the ages of eight to 11.
But the residents of one seaside town in Ireland have decided they do not want their little ones to spend their most formative years peering into a tiny LCD screen.
The entire parent population of Greystones in County Wicklow got together to agree not to buy smartphones for their kids until they were in secondary school.
All eight primary schools in the town, 15 miles south of Dublin, had already stopped pupils from bringing the electronic devices into the learning environment.
But the school parent associations then went further by initiating a voluntary ban among themselves.
Historical And Halachic Evidence Shows Women Were Given Gelilah
DIN: Turns out that the Chareidie press is citing multiple sources and instances where gedoilei poskim have absolutely zero issues with women doing gelilah.
A reader "RCK" from Beitar Illit, sent me a PDF where one can clearly see that there is a Spinka Minhag to be "mechbeid" a lady with gelila! The previous Satmar Rebbe, the Beirach Moshe, wrote a Sefer Torah in honor of his late daughter, and instructed his chassidim to have a woman do gelila, and said that this was a minhag in Sighet, to give gelilah to women who have problems conceiving.
I believe that Rab Shternbuch wrote his psak too soon, without having the facts and having missed a Nitei Gavreal that permits it with conditions.
My issue is not that Rav Shternbuch prohibits this, but his tone, prohibiting it, stating that people "should distance themselves from people practicing this."
There were local rabbanim there who permitted it, and it was not Rav Shternbuch's place to rule against them.
In the wake of the incident in which a woman did Gelilah during the course of a Hachnasas Sefer Torah and the strong protest by Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch against the practise, historian and researcher Yisrael Shapira revealed a number of previous occasions in which such a custom was approved by prominent rabbis.
Shapia, who writes for the Kikar Hashabat site, revealed that nearly 200 years ago, when Moses Montifiore and his wife Judith visited Tzfat after the 1837 earthquake, Rabbi Avrohom Dov Avritch, the Bas Ayin gave Judith significant honor. On the eve of Shavuos they were invited to a Hachnasas Sefer and a special place was prepared for Judith, as she later wrote in her memoirs. (Otzar Masaos Eretz Yisrael p.558). During the Hachnasas Sefer, Judith was given the honor of standing right behind the Bas Ayin and carrying a wax torch, “And they brought me under the chupah behind the esteemed rabbi carrying the sefer and everyone was crowded behind us singing dancing and clapping.” She added “I was so happy and delighted to see this holy joy.”
Judith even revealed in her memoirs her concern that the torch “might ignite the chupah, or I might drip wax over the white silk clothes that the honorable R. Avraham Dov wore.” (She actually represented her husband at the occasion as he was sick at the time.)
A week later, the Montifiores travelled to Tiberias and davened shacharis with the Bas Ayin. Judith described the atmosphere at the Bas Ayin’s shul: “There was a large group of the wise men of the town. I was honored to decorate the Sefer Torah and all those who came to read blessed us and inquired of our welfare.” The Montifiores were even invited to have breakfast with the Bas Ayin.
During the previous week Judith reported a similar honor from “The Chacham Mizrachi”, who was the Sefardi rabbi in Tzfat. When the Montifiores visited his shul “Montifiore was given Hagbahah (raising the Torah scroll) and I was honored to decorate the Sefer.”
After this historical evidence, Shapira also brings a modern-day posek, Rabbi Gavriel Tzinner, who in his Nitei Gavriel cites halachic sources that women did perform Gelilah. For example, it was the custom in Zeewald, Holland that a girl from the women’s section did gelilah and this was approved by Rabbi Shmuel Hirsch.
Moreover Rabbi Tzinner quotes the grandson of the Berech Moshe of Satmar who said that when doing hachnasas sefer Torah a childless couple should be honored with the husband doing Hagbahah and the wife Gelilah as this could be a segulah (merit) for having children.
Moreover similar testimonies of women doing Gelilah were presented by members of the Spinka chasidim, as well as Rabbi Chaim Falagi in his Sefer Chaim, the Tiferes Aryeh and others.
The Nitei Gavriel concludes that women would be permitted to do Gelilah if they are 1) not Niddah 2) dressed modestly 3) doing it in front of close family and friends.
Friday, September 1, 2023
Uh Oh! Raffensperger Testimony Supports Trump Defense in Georgia Case ... Is The Georgia Case Collapsing???
Testimony this week in federal court by Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger reportedly contradicted claims that former President Donald Trump insisted he violate his oath of office by fabricating enough votes to win the state.
As Breitbart News has long noted, the media have misrepresented the January 2021 phone call between Trump and Raffensperger, quoting Trump as telling Raffensperger that he should “find” the votes necessary for him to win. In fact, Trump said “I just want to find” the votes, referring to his own state of mind. Moreover, the context was that Trump believed he actually had won the state of Georgia, and the votes simply had not been properly counted yet.
Rabbi Sternbuch Slams Gelilah By Woman During Torah Dedication: ‘Let Us Disassociate From Them’
DIN: This is very interesting. Rav Elimelech Kornfeld, the respected rav of the Gra Shul in RBSA said there was absolutely nothing wrong with this "as there is no prohibition in the entire Shulchan Aruch."
I myself have attended hundreds of Hachnasas Sefer Torahs and I have witnessed in Brooklyn at least 6 times where the lady did "Gelilah". In all those cases, the Hachanassas Sefer Torah ceremonies were in Chassidishe circles!
In fact the commentaries on the Shulchan Aruch question whether a woman can get an Aliyah, and the halachic conclusion is that one should not give a woman an Aliyah because it is not "Kavod hatzibbur" but that discussion is all about an Aliya, I doubt "gelilah" would fall into this category of "kavod hatzibbur," and this was not during davening, this was a private ceremony.
For those who say that one should not question Rav Shternbach, well why don't you address Satmar who pelted Rav Shernbuch with eggs and stones when he visited Williamsburg for a simcha, four years ago.? Why don't you guys question the Eida Hachreidies themselves whose majority do not accept or recognize him as the Gaavad, and insult him on a daily basis?
I think that with all due respect to Rav Shernbuch, he should have said that he is opposed but will defer to the local Rav who permitted it! But to say that people should "disassociate from them and it will be good for us and for our children," is a far stretch and something that a rav should never say!
"Disassociate?" is this going to foster Ahavas Yisrael? I think not!
The Head of the Rabbinical Court of the Eida Haharedis (Jerusalem charedi Council), Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch, sharply condemned the synagogue officials at a Lithuanian shul in Ramat Beit Shemesh who honored a woman with “Gelilah,” the ceremonial wrapping of a Torah scroll.
The incident took place during a Torah dedication ceremony at a synagogue in Ramat Bet Shemesh Daled. A video that was posted to social media this week shows the woman, who apparently is involved in the donation of the new Torah scroll, closing and dressing the Torah scroll in the sanctuary as men surround her.
The synagogue officials claim they received a dispensation from one of the local rabbis, but the rabbi ( the liar) denied the claim.
Rabbi Sternbuch voiced his opposition and even referred to the modern-charedi community as “a community with charedi roots,” hinting that a charedi community would not have permitted such an incident to occur.
“Every heart here trembled when we heard that a community with charedi roots sank so low and honored a woman with Gelilah, and published that it had raised the honor of the Torah and the honor of the charedi woman,” he wrote.
He ended his words with a harsh statement: “Brothers of the house of Israel, we will disassociate from them, and it will be good for us and for our children.”