“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
Friday, April 11, 2025
Dumbest Member of Congress, says Americans can't afford housing or food due to Trump's immigration policies
"No one's entitled to a student visa it is not a birthright."
SEC. RUBIO:
"No one's entitled to a student visa. The press covers student visas like they're some sort of birthright."
Cornell and Northwestern to see nearly $2 b. frozen in Trump’s antisemitism crackdown
Cornell and Northwestern Universities have joined five other schools in the Ivy League in facing steep funding cuts from the Trump administration, ostensibly over their handling of campus antisemitism.
Both schools have Jewish presidents. In Cornell’s case, Michael Kotlikoff, who was recently promoted from interim to permanent president, has broadcast confidence about the climate for Jewish students as the Trump administration has embarked on a routine of penalizing schools in order to force policy concessions.
Kotlikoff recently spoke to Jewish publications and penned a New York Times column about his belief that universities can stick to their values while still ensuring freedom from harassment.
“We’ve had a relatively peaceful two semesters this year,” he told JTA earlier this month as part of his media campaign.
Staples employee refuses to service a Jew because ‘Zionism is racist’
Ryatt, an employee at Staples in LA, openly discriminated against a Jewish woman and refused to print postcards about Jewish joy, citing his belief that Zionism is “racist.”
Meet Ryatt — an employee at Staples on Wilshire in LA who openly discriminates against Jewish women and then tries to explain to a religious Jew what Judaism “really is.”
— Emily Schrader - אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) April 8, 2025
Ryatt refused to do his job to print postcards about Jewish joy because he thinks Zionism is “racist.” He… pic.twitter.com/pYGkIe6o3y
Photo of Family of 5 Moments Before Boarding Ill-Fated Hudson River Helicopter
| Minutes before they were killed |
JUST IN: Helicopter with 4 people on boards plummets from the air and crash lands in the Hudson River.
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) April 10, 2025
This is bizarre. What could cause this?pic.twitter.com/cCJFGVgfbu
New York City Mayor Eric Adams says a family of Spanish tourists, including three children, died Thursday in a helicopter crash in the Hudson River that killed six people.
Adams said all of the dead have been recovered and removed from the water.
The helicopter broke apart in midair and crashed upside-down into the river between Manhattan and the New Jersey waterfront. It was the latest high-profile aviation disaster in the U.S., following other recent accidents in Washington and Philadelphia.
A tragic helicopter crash into the Hudson River near Manhattan on Thursday afternoon has claimed the lives of six people, according to an Associated Press source. The New York City Fire Department received an emergency report at 3:17 p.m. about a helicopter down in the water, and rescue units were quickly dispatched to the scene.
Videos posted on social media showed the helicopter mostly submerged and upside down in the river. The fire department confirmed it had dispatched rescue craft to the area, with multiple boats seen circling the wreckage. Emergency crews also rushed to the location, which is near the end of a long maintenance pier for one of the ventilation towers for the nearby Holland Tunnel. Fire trucks and other emergency vehicles were stationed along streets close to the scene, with their lights flashing.
The exact cause of the crash remains under investigation, but the incident highlights the risks associated with the dense air traffic over Manhattan, which is home to several helipads used for both commercial and private flights. The city regularly sees a mix of private helicopters, business flights, and tourist helicopters flying over the river.
This crash is the latest in a series of aviation tragedies over the years in the area. Notably, a plane and helicopter collision over the Hudson River in 2009 resulted in the deaths of nine people. In 2018, a charter helicopter offering “open door” flights crashed into the East River, killing five.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding Thursday’s crash.
Thursday, April 10, 2025
Colombia appoints allegedly fake anti-Zionist rabbi an antisemite as director of religious affairs
The Colombian Jewish community is reeling after an anti-Zionist rabbi was tapped to be the country’s director of religious affairs.
Richard Gamboa Ben-Eleazar was appointed to the post in Colombia’s Ministry of the Interior by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, according to an announcement Gamboa made on X last Thursday.
He thanked Petro for “the opportunity to serve excluded and marginalized religious minorities from the Directorate of Religious Affairs, in the construction of a just and peaceful Colombia for all.”
But Colombia’s Jewish community does not recognize Gamboa as a rabbi, and Jewish groups have condemned him as an antisemite. He reportedly received his ordination from a Florida institution called the Esoteric Theological Seminary that advertises rabbinical degrees for $160. Gamboa’s LinkedIn displays an ordination certificate from the seminary.
Marcos Peckel, executive director of the Confederation of Jewish Communities of Colombia, expressed outrage over the appointment. Gamboa’s appointment comes after Petro severed diplomatic ties with Israel last May, accusing the country of commiting genocide in Gaza, an accusation Israel has denied.
“This man refers to Zionist Jews as heretics, apostates, and Nazis. That’s how he talks about us,” Peckel told The Media Line. “A person who speaks this way cannot be entrusted with the religious freedoms of Jewish citizens.”
Colombia’s Chief Rabbi Alfredo Goldschmidt also rejected the appointment of Gamboa, telling The Media Line, ““We’ve had very good experiences with past religious affairs directors, usually evangelical leaders who respected all faiths. Gamboa has no such support—not from Jews, evangelicals, nor Catholics. He’s had clashes with all.”
Gamboa has castigated Israel and Zionism online. In a post on X in February, he wrote that Israel is a “neo-Nazi state” and said that “Zionism is an anti-Jewish, idolatrous, and apostate heresy.”
The Anti-Defamation League joined the chorus of Jewish groups denouncing the appointment, posting on X that his appointment would “threaten religious freedom and the security of Colombia’s Jewish community.”
The ADL also accused Gamboa of having “ties to extremist groups.” The Simon Wiesenthal Center said in a release that he and the ambassador representing Iran, Israel’s chief adversary, have had a close relationship.
Gamboa defended himself in another post on X, writing, “In the last 48 hours, my human rights have been violated in Colombia: religious freedom, right to honor and a good name, freedom of conscience… they have done so publicly and in my capacity as a HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER!”
The ADL also accused Gamboa of having “ties to extremist groups.” The Simon Wiesenthal Center said in a release that he and the ambassador representing Iran, Israel’s chief adversary, have had a close relationship.
Gamboa defended himself in another post on X, writing, “In the last 48 hours, my human rights have been violated in Colombia: religious freedom, right to honor and a good name, freedom of conscience… they have done so publicly and in my capacity as a HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER!”
Yoel Zimmerman Who Trained His Children to Yell "Yemach Shmoi" on Gedoilim Dies at 45
VOTE IN WZO ELECTIONS NOW ! Progressive Left-Wing groups push to take control of Israel’s national institutions
The battle over the World Zionist Organization is heating up, with progressive left-wing groups attempting to control national institutions in Israel. Yaakov Hagoel, one of the leaders of the World Likud–ZOA 15 coalition, says: "I call on the national camp to vote and help shape the future of the State of Israel and the Jewish people".
With elections for the World Zionist Congress set for the end of the year, a fight for control is heating up. Left-wing organizations—including the Reform Movement, Brothers in Arms, Meretz, and an affiliate of Yesh Atid—are pouring tens of millions of shekels into a campaign aimed at shifting control of Zionist institutions to the left.
One of the central institutions at stake is the Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), where the ongoing political struggle has pitted right-leaning and left-leaning representatives against each other. The left has tried to block KKL’s support of the settlements beyond the Green Line. One recent example: at the start of the war, left-wing groups attempted to prevent KKL from funding emergency defense units in Jewish communities across Judea and Samaria. That attempt was ultimately blocked thanks to the persistence of current KKL chair Ifat Ovadia-Luski, a Likud representative in the national institutions.
While left-wing organizations have, even during wartime, staged protests abroad against the Prime Minister, lobbied the Biden administration to sanction Israeli citizens, and in some cases even supported protests against the war itself, the ZOA-15 coalition stands in stark contrast. Led by World Likud and represented by Yaakov Hagoel—currently serving as Chairman of the Executive of the World Zionist Organization—the ZOA-15 coalition has been rallying support in the U.S. for the State of Israel, the Israeli government, the IDF, and Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria.
Recently, left-wing representatives also opposed the Israeli government’s request for help from the World Zionist Organization in supporting the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which provides aid and support for released hostages and their families. Their opposition failed due to strong pushback from the right-wing coalition.
"These elections, taking place during a time of war, are critical for Israel and the Jewish people", Yaakov Hagoel says. "They will determine the direction we take, whether it’s the national path that I and my colleagues in World Likud–ZOA 15 champion, or the path of the progressive left".
He added: "Every Jew over 18 in the U.S. is eligible to vote. The process is entirely online. You fill out a form, pay five dollars—what we call the ‘Zionist shekel’—and confirm you’re a real person. You also sign a declaration that you believe in the principles of Zionism, didn’t vote in the last Israeli election, and are a Jew over 18. We’re asking voters to support party number 15, ZOA—a respected, long-standing, experienced, and ideological organization working on behalf of the Jewish people and the State of Israel".
Evil French President Emmanuel Macron reveals plans to recognize a Palestinian state within months
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Wednesday that France intends to formally recognize a Palestinian state in the near future, with the decision potentially being made public during an upcoming international summit in New York.
Speaking to France 5 television following his visit to Egypt, Macron stated, “We must move towards recognition, and we will do so in the coming months.”
The French leader said his country is working with Saudi Arabia to co-host a conference in June focused on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian Arab conflict. Macron stated that the event could serve as the platform for “finalizing this movement of mutual recognition (of a Palestinian state) by several parties.”
Explaining his motivation, Macron said, “I will do it (...) because I believe that at some point it will be right and because I also want to participate in a collective dynamic – which must also allow all those who defend Palestine to recognize Israel in turn, which many of them do not do.”
Macron emphasized that recognizing a Palestinian state would also clarify France’s opposition to groups and governments that deny Israel’s legitimacy. “Such recognition would allow France to be clear in our fight against those who deny Israel's right to exist – which is the case with Iran – and to commit ourselves to collective security in the region,” he stated.
The announcement was met with approval from the Palestinian Authority (PA). Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, the PA “minister of state for foreign affairs”, told AFP the move “would be a step in the right direction in line with safeguarding the rights of the Palestinian people and the two-state solution.”
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar criticized Macron’s announcement, saying, “A ‘unilateral recognition’ of a fictional Palestinian state, by any country, in the reality that we all know, will be a prize for terror and a boost for Hamas.”
“These kinds of actions will not bring peace, security and stability in our region closer - but the opposite: they only push them further away,” he added.
The PA has long urged countries to recognize “Palestine” as a means of bypassing direct talks with Israel.
While several countries have recognized “Palestine” in recent years, those moves were symbolic ones that have little, if any, actual diplomatic effect.
More recently, Spain, Ireland and Norway formally recognized a Palestinian state in May of 2024.
In June of that year, Slovenia officially recognized a Palestinian state, after its parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of the move.
Former Hostage Liri Albag responds to attacks against her: Let’s fight our enemies, not each other
Liri Albag, who was freed from captivity in Gaza, responded on Wednesday to the attacks against her online after she blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the failure of October 7.
In a post she published, Albag wrote, "I read the comments, I read the threats I received, the curses. And I’m scared. I’m not scared of the comments themselves, I’m not scared to meet one of the people who wrote such things to me. I’m scared of what we’ve become."
She continued, "Wishing someone to be in captivity? I wouldn’t wish that on my enemies. Mocking my weight? It reminds me of those terrorists who laughed at me, who made sure to remind me every day that I’m fat. Promising me death and revenge? Wish that on Hamas and our enemies, not on me."
Albag stressed that her words were not politically motivated, "because I don’t understand politics!" but added, "Yes, the entire defense establishment, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), the heads of the defense system, military intelligence – they’re all guilty – don’t worry, I told them that in our meetings too!"
Regarding Hamas’s responsibility, she stressed, "Of course, first and foremost, Hamas is to blame for the nightmare this country is going through. I never forget that terrorist organization for a moment, and I personally want to take revenge on it. Hamas is the enemy!"
She continued, "I didn’t think I’d get such responses from people in the nation of Israel. And you know what’s the hardest part? This division is worse than our enemies. This is not how we win! We have more important wars to fight, there are human lives at stake."
Albag sought to emphasize her support for the soldiers, writing, "You have no idea how much I appreciate the IDF soldiers and security forces. How much I admire the soldiers who have been wounded in body and soul! You have no idea how much it hurts me for every soldier or civilian who fell in this war for our country and for the hostages. I know quite a few of those who fell – they’re my friends!"
In conclusion, she wrote, "Spare yourselves. It’s a shame that this is what will be written for you on Judgment Day. It’s better to use your time for prayers and actions for the peace of the country, the peace of IDF soldiers and security forces, and the return of all the hostages. It’s better to direct this poison at Hamas, Iran, Hezbollah, and the many enemies we have. As the Jewish people, who have been attacked time and again, from Egypt until today, let’s fight our enemies and not each other."
"You’ll never understand what we went through there. And I don’t wish for you to understand! I wish us all health in body and soul, happy lives, and success. Am Yisrael Chai."
Later on Wednesday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Liri and her parents, Shira and Eli.
“During the conversation, the Prime Minister encouraged Liri, expressing appreciation for her resilience and bravery during her captivity under Hamas,” said a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
“Liri thanked the Prime Minister for the moving conversation, for his courageous decision to secure her release and that of other hostages from captivity, and asked him to continue working to bring everyone back,” the statement said.
“The Prime Minister sought to strengthen her in the face of the attacks she has been experiencing through various media outlets in recent days. In addition, the Prime Minister told her that Mrs. Netanyahu and he had maintained continuous contact with her family, that he is working to return all the hostages, and that he would be happy to meet soon with her and her fellow lookout soldiers who returned from captivity,” it concluded.



