Appalling how Columbia Univ President Said that a Vicious Antisemite Professor Still Teaching "Was Spoken to"

 

Why is it so hard for Columbia's President Shafik to say anti-Jewish protests have occurred on Columbia's campus?

Watch her exchange with @RepStefanik ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/48Z9llg38K

— House Committee on Education & the Workforce (@EdWorkforceCmte) April 17, 2024

 Columbia University’s president, its two board co-chairs and a co-chair of its antisemitism taskforce testified before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce on Wednesday about Jew-hatred on campus since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack.

Student groups and professors celebrated Hamas’s attack and have since held antisemitic and anti-Israel demonstrations at Columbia, which the U.S. Department of Education is investigating for potential civil-rights violations and which is the subject of a lawsuit alleging “virulently hostile” Jew-hatred.

Members of the House committed asked Minouche Shafik, Columbia’s president, about Joseph Massad, a tenured professor of modern Arab politics and intellectual history, who wrote an article on Oct. 8 describing the Hamas massacre as a “stunning victory” that was “awesome.”

“I am appalled by what he said,“ Shafik said. “He has been spoken to.”

Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) was incredulous that Massad continues to teach and that a “talking to” was the extent of his punishment.

“Spoken to?” Walberg said. “He’s been spoken to?”

Asked by the committee whether they would approve tenure for Massad if he was being considered today, Claire Shipman and David Greenwald, co-chairs of Columbia’s board of trustees, said they would not.

Isaac Karczag Arrested For Killing 10 year-year old Yitta Wertzberger As She Crossed Street having "right of way" in Williamsburg

 

Hatzolah, NYPD and FDNY are on scene at Wythe Ave & Wallabout St for a Child Struck and is in critical condition with CPR in progress. pic.twitter.com/0g1ELjjWXU

— WILLIAMSBURG NEWS (@WMSBG) April 16, 2024

 The driver responsible for the tragic incident has been arrested after fatally striking a 10-year-old girl in a Brooklyn crosswalk. 

The incident occurred at an intersection in Williamsburg around 2:40 p.m. on Tuesday. According to reports, the driver, Isaac Karczag, was operating a silver Buick and allegedly veered into an oncoming lane while turning against the light. The young victim, Yitty Wertzberger, was in the crosswalk with the walk light when she was knocked to the ground and run over by the vehicle. Despite efforts to save her, Yitty succumbed to her injuries.

 Witnesses at the scene described the immediate response, with one person using their jacket to stem the bleeding. Yitty was only about three blocks away from home when the tragic accident occurred. The driver now faces charges including failure to yield to a pedestrian, disobeying a traffic device, and failure to exercise due care. Yitty’s community mourns the loss of a young life, as her father is a teacher in their school

Netanyahu says 9 chilling words as Iran's president vows to completely destroy Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left no doubt in a statement on Wednesday, regarding what his Jewish country might do should current tensions with Iran escalate further.

"Israel will do whatever it needs to defend itself," Netanyahu said in a statement.

The comment came after separate meetings with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in Israel on Wednesday, where the ministers discussed actions Israel could pursue to retaliate for Iran’s unprecedented, direct attack on Israel over the weekend.

"They have all sorts of suggestions and advice. I appreciate that. But I want to be clear: Our decisions we will make ourselves," the prime minister added.

During the meeting, Baerbock said escalation "would serve no one, not Israel's security, not the many dozens of hostages still in the hands of Hamas, not the suffering population of Gaza, not the many people in Iran who are themselves suffering under the regime, and not the third countries in the region who simply want to live in peace," Reuters reported.

Netanyahu's comment also comes just hours after Iran’s president has vowed to completely destroy Israel, should it proceed with even the "tiniest invasion" of its country.

President Ebrahim Raisi vowed a "massive and harsh" response to potential Israeli retaliation, during a speech Wednesday at an annual army parade.

Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel on Saturday in response to an apparent strike on Iran’s embassy compound in Syria on April 1 that killed 12 people, including two Iranian generals. Iran blames Israel for the attack, although Israel has not claimed any involvement.

Raisi said Saturday’s attack was a limited one but that "nothing would remain from the Zionist regime," should it escalate the current situation, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Israel has said it will respond, although it has not provided additional details on how or when.

Its allies have urged any retaliation to be strikes in areas that would not result in human casualties and thus, likely avoid further escalation.

Don't use this olive oil or canola oil

 Israel's Health Ministry on Tuesday warned the public not to use "crushed olive oil" or "refined canola oil" produced by "Shemen Hama'ale."

The matter was first reported by Israel Hayom. The oils in question may have any expiry date; the labels claim that they were produced in Ma'ale Iron.

Following a complaint received regarding the oils' taste, the Health Ministry conducted laboratory tests on a number of the products, and found that the constitution of the products' fatty acids are not compatible with the types of oils the products are labeled as.

In addition, even though the labels claim that the oils were manufactured/packaged in Ma'ale Iron, there is no oil factory in Ma'ale Iron which is known to the Health Ministry.

The public is therefore asked not to use the aforementioned products, regardless of expiration date.

"The Health Ministry's Food Service will continue to examine and identify cases of food fraud, such as the fake oils," a statement read. "If a breach of the legislative or standard requirements in Israel is found, steps will be taken against the one dealing in the food, using all means available to the [Health] Ministry."

There are beings from different planets among us

by RationalistJudiasm

 One of the strange aspects of modern society is that it has become possible to interact with aliens. Yes, that’s right, aliens. Beings from a different planet!

They are appearing here on our planet, disguised as regular people. But when you speak to them, it’s clear that they are from a different planet. (There seem to be, broadly speaking, two races of aliens, with some similarities and some differences.)

Life on their planet is very different from life on mine, here in Israel. There’s no war with Hamas, no threat of massive rocket attacks from Hezbollah, no fear of Iran, no concern about a massive armed uprising in the West Bank. Many of these aliens are not involved in the wars taking place on my planet. They raise their children in a world where the daily concerns are mundane and they have nothing significant to worry about beyond satisfying their lifestyle. I find it a little jarring when I hear them talk about their alien way of life as though it’s the most important thing in the universe.

One race of aliens speaks English, one speaks Hebrew, but the words have a different meaning. Some of the English-speaking ones talk about the great stress on their planet, yet their lives and families are not at risk. Many of them seem to be only vaguely aware of what’s happening on my planet; it just doesn’t seem to be real to them.

With the Hebrew-speaking aliens, it’s even stranger, because they are actually living here in Israel, yet the war is just not happening for them. Their existence is no different than before October 7th. I suppose it’s somewhat understandable - after all, these aliens appear to be immune from the war, and none of them have died in it. Still, it’s strange that they live and walk among us, yet are oblivious to what’s really going on. They use phrases like “sacrificing one’s life” to refer to their sitting safely in a comfortable room indulging in intellectual pursuits, while in my world the phrase refers to people who are ready to actually sacrifice their actual life and sometimes actually do.

(The Hebrew-speaking aliens are disturbing in their behavior as well as their words. They seem to be here in Israel, they are capable of helping us with the wars, but they generally refuse to do so. Instead, they claim to have special powers that are crucially helping us. But these aliens weren’t even here in any significant numbers until extremely recently, so how could these powers be so crucial? Plus, they’ve never managed to demonstrate them. And they didn’t seem to work on October 7th. And in fact, it doesn’t even seem that they themselves believe in their efficacy. And last week, they significantly cut down on using them, despite the increased threat from Iran and Hezbollah. Yet they nevertheless want us Earthlings to part with our hard-earned resources, which we need to finance the war and operate and defend the country, in exchange for these alleged powers!)

All these aliens physically appear to be located on the same planet as me and my community; some of them even in the same country, the same city. But they’re actually living in a different world - in fact, seemingly in a different universe

"Death to America" Chants in New York City Carrying Hezbollah Flags!

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 Anti-Israel protesters in Manhattan waved the yellow-and-green banner of Hezbollah and proclaimed their “love” for the Iran-backed terrorist organization – as others set US flags on fire and chanted “death to America” during Monday’s day of unrest.

Videos taken during the downtown protest show at least one masked activist proudly displaying Hezbollah’s flag emblazoned with the image of an assault rifle and the words: “The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon.”

“Why are you supporting this? This is terrorism!” one outraged activist said of the murderous group — which the US says was behind the 1983 suicide bombing of American military barracks in Beirut that killed 241 service members, mostly Marines. 

A man wearing a keffiyeh scarf wrapped around his head and holding a defaced Israeli flag riddled with holes shot back, “Israel is a pariah state.”

Hit the mullahs and hit’em hard, Israel — and 5 key takeaways from Iran’s failed attack

 

by Michael Goodwin

Joe Biden’s timid advice for restraint notwithstanding, there’s zero doubt that Israel will retaliate against Iran.

The mad mullahs’ attack last weekend aimed to kill thousands of Israelis, and they get no discount just because they failed miserably. 

Iran’s terrorist leaders must be taught a painful and public lesson, one that will deter them from soon taking on Israel directly again.

It will also clarify for their proxies just how weak their patron is. 

As the debate in Israel’s war cabinet continues over its response, it is helpful from a distance to grasp the significance of what happened last weekend.

Here are five key takeaways. 

Evil and incompetent 

First, Iran was unmasked as a third-rate military power, one whose malignancy far outstrips its competency.

Congressman Hoyar Wants USA to "re-evaluate" Relationship with Qatar

Ezra Friedlander pandering Qatar Official 

 The Qatari embassy in the US expressed surprise on Tuesday at comments made by Congressman Steny Hoyer (D-MD) regarding the Gaza hostage crisis and his threat to "reevaluate" the US relationship with Qatar, Reuters reports.

Hoyer said on Monday that Qatar, which along with Egypt is mediating negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza, should tell Hamas there will be "repercussions" if the terrorist group "continues to block progress towards releasing the hostages and establishing a temporary ceasefire".

"Consequences ought to include cutting off funding to Hamas or refusing to grant Hamas' leaders refuge in Doha. If Qatar fails to apply this pressure, the United States must reevaluate its relationship with Qatar," Hoyer said in a statement quoted by Reuters.

In response, Qatar said Hoyer's comments were not "constructive".

"Qatar is only a mediator - we do not control Israel or Hamas. Israel and Hamas are entirely responsible for reaching an agreement," the embassy statement said.

"Of course, recent progress has been slow, and Congressman Hoyer is not alone in his frustration. But blaming and threatening is not constructive," it added, while also dismissing Hoyer's suggestion that Hamas should not be in Qatar.

"It is certainly tempting to do as he suggests and walk away from seemingly intransigent parties... but it is useful to remember that Qatar's mediation role exists only because we were asked by the US in 2012 to play this role since, regrettably, Israel and Hamas refuse to speak to each other directly," it said.

Qatar has played a key role in attempts to reach a deal between Israel and Hamas that would allow for the release of the hostages who are still held by Hamas in Gaza.

Qatar and the US have cooperated on other issues, and most recently the two countries reached an agreement that extends the US military presence at a sprawling base in Qatar for another 10 years.

Despite this, Qatar has come under fire for hosting senior Hamas leaders. Economy Minister Nir Barkat recently criticized Qatar, saying he didn’t trust Qatar to act as a mediator with Hamas and accused the Gulf country of “funding terror all over the world.”

Majed Al Ansari, the spokesperson for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, later responded to Barkat, writing on social media, “Yet another headline-seeking politician in Israel is using ‘Qatar-bashing’ as a means to further his own political future. Rather than being preoccupied with supporting in the efforts to secure a deal, Minister Barkat finds his time is better spent attacking the mediators who are working round the clock to reach a deal that ensures the release of hostages and stop the bloodshed.”

Rabbi Lau " 'We still don't understand the magnitude of the miracle'"

In a special interview before Passover, Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, the former Chief Rabbi, Rabbi of Tel Aviv, spoke to Israel National News - Arutz Sheva and emphasized that the interception of the Iranian attack on Israel is not the only miracle, but the fact that the international coalition stood by Israel.

"It is by God’s grace that all these countries joined us in responding to the Iranian attack," says Rabbi Lau, "the USA, England, to a certain extent France, and even Jordan, which on the one hand is our enemy and on the other hand fought with us."

Rabbi Lau says that it is obvious that there was a common interest in this coalition, but even so, the Hand of God is visible here. "I understand why. We all have a common enemy; the Iranian threat, but everything is from heaven and suddenly all of these countries have a common enemy with us, and we are no longer isolated, nor alone in the face of this great danger."

According to Rabbi Lau, "God did us a great favor that 99% of all the UAVs were destroyed without harming us. There was only some damage to places, and no harm to people. This whole story was a great miracle, but we still have not appreciated its magnitude. We experienced God's true protection and this connection with the superpowers and our neighbors, as well as other details that are confidential, all I can say is that this was a great divine miracle."

 

Lakewood Talmud is Trump's Defense Attorney

 Observers of President Trump’s criminal trial in New York City may have noticed photos of two yarmulka-clad defense attorneys.

One of them is Gedalia M. Stern, a partner at the law firm of NechelesLaw, where he represents “clients in both federal and state court charged with a variety of crimes, including bribery, benefits fraud, wire fraud, kidnapping…” according to the firm’s website.

Stern spent several years learning at BMG in Lakewood, before attending Columbia Law School, where he graduated in 2014.

In deference to Stern’s observance of Shabbos and Yom Tov, Judge Juan Merchan said the court will adjourn at 2 p.m. Monday (Erev Pesach) “to allow counsel to arrive at their holiday destination.” Although unconfirmed, it appears that there will be no proceedings on all four days of Yom Tov as well.

Stern and his law partner, Susan Necheles, defended the Trump Organization in its 2022 criminal tax fraud trial.

Stern’s father is believed to be Marc Stern, the Chief Legal Officer of the American Jewish Committee (AJC). He also spent 33 years at the American Jewish Congress. In addition he has argued four cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. He earned a B.A. at Yeshiva University and a J.D. at the Columbia University School of Law.

According to some reports, Judge Merchan has disqualified Shabbos-observant Jews from being jurors in the case, however this is difficult to understand, especially in light of the fact that Trump’s own defense lawyer keeps Shabbos.