Powerful Moment As Sharon Sharabi Says Shma While Meeting Brother From Captivity

 

איזה עוצמות יש במפגש הזה
עם הטלית, עם השמע ישראל של האח שלו
עד עכשיו זה החטוף שכנראה קיבל את הבשורות הכי קשות שיש
מאוד מקווה בשביל אלי שרעבי שהוא יצליח לקום מהאובדן והצער שהוא בטח נמצא בו
עם עוצמות כאלו במשפחה, מאמין שהוא יצליח
pic.twitter.com/1xd75pjHYX

— gilad kachlon (@giladk007) February 8, 2025

 They were three brothers -Sharon, Eli and Yossi. Eli and Yossi both went to live in Kibbutz Beeri 30 years ago, and both were abducted from the kibbutz on the fateful day of Oct. 7th. Yossi later died in captivity- apparently during an Israeli air strike or murdered by his captors. Eli lost his British-born wife Lian and two daughters Noya (16) and Yahel (13) in the brutal Hamas attack, but he didn’t know this until his release Saturday from captivity.

The remnants of Eli’s family gathered on Motzei Shabbat to meet their gaunt, malnourished, pale but living brother. Sharon was so overcome with emotion that he put on a Tallis and began saying Kriyas Shema as he hugged his remaining brother for the first time in 16 months. Then he and his parents had to break to Eli the heartbreaking news about his family, as Eli had requested to see his wife and children.

The family shared that upon hearing the sad news, Eli screamed and repeatedly said, “My heart is not at peace.” They added, “He received the news with shock; he had no idea this was what fate had in store for them.”

“Eli’s condition is not simple at all,” said a family member. “Beyond his physical state and malnutrition, he received the news about his wife and daughters from his siblings after they reunited, and now everything is completely different from a mental perspective. At this time, he is processing the hardest news he could have ever received. Right now, we’re giving him time with his mother and siblings, and tomorrow he will likely meet with the extended family, who will continue to support him.”

Eli with his murdered family 

Police and Shomrim Search for Suspect in Assault on Jewish Girl in Williamsburg

 

Police and members of the Shomrim are actively searching for a suspect involved in the assault of a young Jewish girl earlier today on Harrison Ave & Gerry St in Williamsburg.

The suspect fled the scene, leaving the local community shaken.

Authorities have not released many details about the suspect but urge anyone with information to come forward. 

I'm Wondering How Many Chareidie Leaders Read the Haftorah Of "Shiras Devorah" With a Straight Face!

 

"ושרי ביששכר עם דבורה ויששכר כן ברק בעמק שלח ברגליו"

"The leaders of Yissachar were with Devorah, and so was the rest of Yissacher with Barak, into the valley he was sent on his feet"

In Shoiftem, there is a small paragraph about Devorah Ha'nevuah! 

Klall Yisrael was facing Sisra the powerful Canaanite general who had a large, armored force, and who oppressed the Jewish people for 20 years! To make a short story even shorter, Devorah did what no previous Jewish leader had ever done before, and I'm including Yehoshua; she spearheaded the war and ended Canaanite domination of Israel forever! 

But this did not come easy, not because of Sisra.... nope... not at all!

The reason it was difficult (I hope you are sitting) was ..... because Devorah had a hard time putting together an army with all the tribes! 

She wanted "achdus" she wanted ALL tribes to participate and she unfortunately didn't get it!  

Although Barak, her general issued his call to arms only to Zevulin and Naftali, who were nearest to the battlefield, and other tribes subsequently joined him, Some responded nobly; but others disgracefully!!

In her thanks to the RBS"O for winning the war, called "Shiras Devorah," she found space in her one-page poem to chastise Shevet Reuvein who did not join the army, and were instead waiting to see how the war would progress, they figured that if Barak had the upper hand in the war against the Canaanites, they would then join. 

According to Rashi, Devorah thought that this was deceitful and couldn't understand how Jews could behave that way when their brethren were in danger! 

And you don't need Rashi for this, Devorah says this herself, outright! 

במפלגות ראובן גדולים חקקי-לב, למה ישבת בין המשפתים לשמוע שריקות עדרים לפלגות ראובן גדולים חקרי לב, 

"But in the indecisiveness of Reuvein there was great deceit, Why would you remain sitting at the borders to hear the bleatings of the flocks? the indecision of Reuvein demands great investigation! 

But I skipped a verse in Shiras Devorah! Where she praises Shevet Yissachar for stepping up to fight! 

"ושרי ביששכר עם דבורה ויששכר כן ברק בעמק שלח ברגליו"

"The leaders of Yissachar were with Devorah, and so was the rest of Yissacher with Barak, into the valley he was sent on his feet"

What????? Shevet Yissachar??? Fight??? ... 

One minute!!!! Is that in Shiras Devorah or did that sneaky DIN make it up?? 

One of the most important arguments of the Chareidim not to enlist and fight is that

 "Shevet Yissacher did not go to war"  

Of course, we go to our rebbe, Rashi, to see what he says.

Rashi learned this verse as follows:

Part of Shevet Yissacher went with Devorah TO WAR, but was there to guide her in Torah and Halakhos and these were the Sanhedrin!

Sanhedrin, meaning the Judges on the courts, not the typical guy from the Shevet who may or may have not learned in Kollel, the guy taking a break with a cigarette in one hand and a "cafe ha'fuch" in the other! 

The rest of Shevet Yissachar went with Barak to fight in the war as indicated by Devorah herself in the above quoted verse! ויששכר כן ברק 

To bolster my argument that Shevet Yissacher actually did go to battle, I found a Rashi that quotes Onkelos in Sefer Bereishis 49:15

Yaakov Aveenu in Parshas Va'Yechi blesses Yissacher:

"וירא מנוחה כי טוב ואת הארץ כי נעמה ויט שכמו לסבול ויהי למס-עבד"

"And he saw a resting place, that it was good, and the land that it was pleasant, and he bent his shoulder to bear and he became an indentured laborer"

On the words ויט שכמו Rashi quotes Onkelos:

ואנקלות תרגם בפנים אחירם,ויט שכמו לסבול מלחמות ולכבוש מחוזות, שהם יושבים על הספר, ויהי האויב כבוש תחתיו למס עובד

"Targum Onkelos interpreted the verse in a different manner, ויט שכמו לסבול מלחמות to fight in wars and  to conquer territories, for they live on the border, and the enemy will be subdued beneath him as an indentured laborer"

The pshat that Rashi brings in Bereishis from Onkelos vis-a-vis Yissasschar fits nicely in Shiras Devorah! 

What we see here is that even the Sanhedrin that did not fight, came to accompany and support Devorah in war! They weren't shutting their Gemmaras Bein Hazmanim to picnic and do tiyulim! They went to the battlefield!! 

And we learn that in a Milchamas Mitzvah even Shevet Yissacher fought! 

Hashem gave her and the nation after this war 40 years of peace! 

Just in case you didn't open a sefer today yet, you were just "Yoitzeh" with my Dvar Torah! 

Yaakov Schlesinger From Beit Shemesh 20 Indicted for Committing Sexual Offenses with Minors, Chareidim Riot!

 

An indictment was filed today (Wednesday) against Yaakov Schlesinger, a 20-year-old resident of Beit Shemesh, who is accused of committing serious sexual offenses in public places such as a synagogue and a staircase on minors aged 6-9 whom they met while visiting the city, including a 4.5-year-old boy.

His arrest, as we recall, sparked a violent protest in the city, during which police officers and medical personnel were injured.

The newspaper describes cases in which Schlesinger touched minors for their pleasure while performing indecent acts, despite the minors' attempts to stay away from him.

The defendant claims that his actions were part of spiritual "attacks" and that he experienced "closeness to God" during their performance.

The prosecution asked the Jerusalem District Court to extend the defendant's detention until the end of the proceedings against him:

 "This is a person who poses a great danger, taking into account his statements during interrogations that he commits indecent acts on children in 'fits', that he cannot control  himself, and when he notices children on the street he gets aroused" to God and feels a 'profusion' descending upon him and the children. 

He stated during his interrogations that in his opinion the children benefit, and receive 'free love' and that he does not regret it.

The Jerusalem District Court granted the request after the police appealed his release to house arrest.

כתב אישום הוגש היום (רביעי) נגד יעקב שלזינגר, תושב בית שמש בן 20, המואשם בביצוע עבירות מין חמורות במקומות ציבוריים כמו בית כנסת וגרם מדרגות בקטינים בגילאי 6-9 אותם פגש באקראי בעיר בהם ילד בן 4.5.

מעצרו כזכור גרר מחאה אלימה בעיר, שבמהלכה נפגעו שוטרים ואנשי רפואה.

כתב האישום מתאר מקרים בהם שלזינגר נגע בקטינים בניגוד לרצונם תוך כדי ביצוע מעשים מגונים, למרות ניסיונות הקטינים להתרחק ממנו.

הנאשם טוען כי מעשיו היו חלק מ"התקפים" רוחניים וכי הוא חווה "קרבה לאלוקים" במהלך ביצועם.

הפרקליטות ביקשה מבית המשפט המחוזי בירושלים להאריך את מעצרו של הנאשם עד תום ההליכים נגדו: "מדובר באדם שהמסוכנות הנשקפת ממנו רבה, בשים לב לאמירותיו בחקירות על כך שהוא מבצע מעשים מגונים בילדים מתוך 'התקפים', שהוא אינו שולט בעצמו, שמבחין בילדים ברחוב ומתעורר אצלו "התקף" ותחושה של 'קרבה לקדוש ברוך הוא', לדבריו דרך מעשים אלה הוא מתחבר לאלוקים ומרגיש 'שפע' שיורד אליו ואל הילדים. הוא מסר בחקירותיו כי להשקפתו הילדים נהנים מכך, זוכים ל'אהבת חינם' וכי הוא לא מצטער על כך".

בית המשפט המחוזי בירושלים נענה לבקשה לאחר ערעור המשטרה על שחרורו למעצר בית.

Inn mentioned in the Talmud excavated

In Lavi Forest near Golani Junction in northern Israel, adjacent to the Sanhedrin Trail, an archaeological excavation is uncovering the remains of DeLavi Inn – an ancient way station that operated during the late Second Temple period, approximately 2,000 years ago, according to a post by the Israel Antiquities Authority.

The inn served travelers between Tiberias and Sepphoris and was significant enough to be mentioned in the Talmud, where it appears in two distinct stories. In one account, Rabbi Yirmiyah joined donkey drivers staying at the inn in saying the “zimmun”, an addition to Birkat Hamazon, despite not eating with them – a situation that later became the basis for a halakhic principle. In another instance, cheese found at the inn with unknown ownership and kosher status was deemed permissible to eat, based on the assumption that most visitors to the establishment were observant Jews.

"This is an opportunity to learn about daily life in the Galilee during the late Second Temple period. The excavation allows us to better understand the economic and cultural connections of the era," said Noam Zilberberg, the excavation director from the Israel Antiquities Authority/ 

The excavation is open to volunteers every Sunday from now until March.

The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.

 

Councilwoman Inna Vernikov quits Women’s Caucus over woke, anti-Israel agenda: ‘I’m out!’

 A Brooklyn lawmaker is quitting the City Council’s Women’s Caucus to protest its “anti-Israel” agenda and “woke” ways.

GOP Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, 40, slammed the 30-member caucus in a nearly 90-second video, first obtained by The Post, for its refusal to condemn Hamas terrorists after the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre in Israel and for catering to far-left gender ideologues.

“How can I condemn and call out all these women organizations who’ve stayed completely silent [after the massacre] but continue sitting in a body that’s supposed to stand up for women’s rights, that’s supposed to stand against the abuse and rape and captivity of women, but cannot do that when it comes to Jewish women?” Vernikov says in the clip.

The video includes footage of young, terrified Jewish women as they’re released from Hamas captivity by masked men with weapons. In the clip, Vernikov calls the Hamas captors “Jihadis.”

She also pointed to the caucus’ bylaws allowing council members to join who “identify as women” — leaving the door open to transgender biological men joining the group.

The bylaws also say the caucus “seeks to advance” both “women and women-identifying people’s rights.”

“This is a Women’s Caucus that obviously cannot agree on what a woman is,” she says in the video.

“I will not remain on a body that refuses to acknowledge objective truths and that will only stand up for women when it is politically expedient for them. I’m out!” she concludes.

Vernikov formally notified the caucus’ leadership on Friday she’s leaving the group.

The caucus’ co-chairs, Julie Menin (D-Manhattan) and Lynn Schulman (D-Queens), all but accused Vernikov of political grandstanding on Saturday.

“As was explained to Councilmember Vernikov, members decided to put out their own personal statements, given that some of us had actually visited with hostage families in Israel, which we felt was more personal and powerful,” both Jewish pols said.

“It is unfortunate that the council member is seeking to politicize the lives of the hostages.”

Menin, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, and Schulman visited with families of hostages during a trip to Israel in 2024 and have issued numerous statements in support of the hostages.

The Council’s Jewish Caucus has also left it up to individual members to release statements on the Israeli hostages rather than issue a joint statement, said its chairperson Erik Bottcher (D-Manhattan).

This is not the first time Vernikov has left the Women’s Caucus.

Vernikov and fellow Republicans Joann Ariola and Vickie Paladino of Queens stepped down in 2022 over a variety of issues, including that they believed their opinions were being ignored, but they later returned, officials said.

Vernikov’s resignation leaves the caucus with 26 Democrats and just three Republicans.

It’s membership topped out at 31 following an historic 2021 election when women — for the first time — won majority control of the City Council’s 51 seats.

The councilwoman – a longtime fervent defender of Israel — made headlines in October 2023 when she was caught on camera toting a firearm while observing an anti-Israel rally at Brooklyn College following Hamas’ attack.

Vernikov was later arrested on felony gun charges but prosecutors dropped the case when they couldn’t prove the weapon was capable of firing bullets.

The incident sparked her re-election a month later, some pundits claim, by galvanizing die-hard Israel supporters in her heavily Jewish district, which includes Sheepshead Bay and other parts of southern Brooklyn. 

The List of People Trump stripped of Security Clearances and What It Really Means

 

President Trump has ordered security clearances stripped from a new hit list of antagonists.

Just days after revoking Joe Biden’s access to classified information and secure federal buildings — “because I don’t trust him” — Trump said his new top target is ex-Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who orchestrated the “Dirty 51” letter from former intelligence officials on the eve of the 2020 election. 

The infamous missive falsely claimed that Hunter Biden’s laptop, the contents of which The Post revealed, was Russian disinformation. 

Blinken’s security clearances will be revoked, following the same presidential directive aimed at Biden and the 51 ex-spooks last week, Trump told The Post in an exclusive interview.

“Bad guy. Take away his passes,” he said of Blinken.

“This is to take away every right they have [revoking security clearances] including they can’t go into [federal] buildings.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg join the new group of eight Democrat foes Trump plans to punish by revoking any access to classified information and barring their entry to federal facilities.

Egypt Threatens Israel in a Latest Video

 

Except the Egyptians forgot about the destruction during "Yetzias Mitrayim" they forgot that they lost the wars in 1948, 1956, 1967, 1973! 

אלה ברכב ואלה בסוסים ואנחנו בשם ה' אלוהינו נזכיר, המה כרעו ונפלו ואנחנו קמנו ונתעודד 

Trump Gets Up at "Vaseekin" and Goes to Sleep at "Chatzois"

 

In the renewed vigor of the Oval Office, President Trump doesn’t take meetings in the traditional sense, where one guest leaves before another departs.

Instead, in gregarious fashion, the president rolls one meeting into another and introduces the principals to each other, creating a burst of high-energy chemistry and humor that has transformed the White House from a mausoleum into a symphony of personal interaction.

He has shaken so many hands that the back of his right hand is almost permanently adorned with a large skin-colored Band-Aid to cover bruises and scratches from enthusiastic well-wishers.

His days start at 6 a,m, and often end close to midnight over small convivial dinners in the White House with assorted dignitaries.

He is more lively at 78 than most people 40 years younger.

When he wakes up, the first thing that goes through his mind, he says, is “business. Everything’s business.

Now, it’s political business.

Weekend Headlines!!!

 Shocking scenes from the hostage release today in which 3 Israeli hostages were transferred over to Israel after 16 months in captivity. 

All of them were visibly starved and almost unable to walk on their own, being paraded across the stage by Hamas

President Trump is set to strip security clearances from New York AG Letitia James, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, and former Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Trump just posted this. Is Letitia James about to go down hard?

President Trump revokes security clearances for Antony Blinken, Andrew Weissman, Alvin Bragg, and Letitia James! 

Trumps Envoy Morgan Ortagus Wears "Star of David" Ring While Shaking Hands with Pres of Lebanon! 

Trump responds to Democrats staging an insurrection at the Department of Education today:

“I see Maxine Waters, a low-life, I see all these people, they don't love our Country.”