“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, April 14, 2025

Slonomer Rebbe Bringing his Followers Back to the Stone Age ...calls to divest from email


 DIN: It is unclear whether the next step would be to prohibit emails altogether. Today, you cannot possibly function without emails. 

The Slonim Hasidic community announced on the eve of Passover the cessation of its weekly email service that had operated for about a decade.

The move was made under the direct instruction of the Rebbe and as part of a broader struggle against the dangers of technology.

The last email sent to hundreds of followers on the eve of the holiday contained the following message: "At the request of several individuals, from the Shabbat before the weekly Torah portion 'Vayigash' of 5774, and weekly ever since, we have provided updates every Shabbat about good news, community announcements, the 'Chayenu' organization, and charity funds; we did not hold back from emphasizing the importance of donations to the Land of Israel."

"We have received guidance from our esteemed Rebbe, and we did not refrain from executing his holy words immediately. From now on, this weekly announcement will no longer be sent," the last message stated. "As we received reward for doing it, we will be rewarded for stopping, and we will lack for nothing."

This is an unusual step even within the Haredi framework, as the email service is seen as a 'clean' communication channel that does not require internet browsing.

In many Haredi communities, dozens of public computer points provide access to email only, and it serves as a central communication tool for transmitting community information, happy events, and announcements..

Sunday, April 13, 2025

Trump & Israel have Iran leaders shaking in their boots

 

Nearly 20 years ago, Henry Kissinger established the rules for decoding the push and pull of Iran’s foreign policy. Iran, Kissinger famously said, had to decide whether it is “a country or a cause.”

His challenge revolved around the question of whether the ayatollah and his government were pragmatic in dealing with other nations, or militarily fanatical in a quest to spread their Islamic revolution. 

The ensuing years of regional terrorism, threats of war against America, Israel and Arab nations and oppression at home provide mountains of evidence that Iran is not interested in normal statecraft. 

Indeed, the history is so one-sided that the current despot, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, doesn’t even pretend to be concerned about anything other than Islamic supremacy. 

Yet much of the world, including recent American presidents and the usual suspects in Europe and the United Nations, have found it convenient to assert that the answer to Kissinger’s challenge remains elusive.

Fortunately, America now has a president who is calling B.S. on claims that Iran is anything but a terror state. 

Most important, Donald Trump is prepared to end the charade once and for all. 

His public position is that Iran cannot be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.

That’s dramatic in itself, but his private bottom line is even more so. 

Revealed here for the first time, Trump’s position is that Iran’s leaders either destroy their nuclear facilities, or the US, likely with Israel’s help, will do it for them by taking military action. 

That’s his offer, and no other options are on the table, the president tells confidants. Certainly there will be no more agreements requiring international inspections that rely on Iranian honesty and compliance.

Nor will there be any tolerance for Iran’s enriching uranium at levels that have no use other than nuclear bombs.

Penn Governor Josh Shapiro’s home set on fire while his family slept


 Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family were forced to evacuate the governor’s mansion after an arsonist set it on fire overnight while they were sleeping, he announced.

The blaze broke out just hours after the governor posted a picture of his family celebrating the first night of Passover on Saturday, ABC 27 reported. 

The arson attack remains under active investigation, police said. 

“Last night at about 2AM, my family and I woke up to bangs on the door from the Pennsylvania State Police after an arsonist set fire to the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg,” Shapiro wrote on twitter.

“The Harrisburg Bureau of Fire was on the scene and while they worked to put out the fire, we were evacuated from the Residence safely by Pennsylvania State Police and assisted by Capitol Police. Thank God no one was injured and the fire was extinguished,” he added.

The fire was deemed as an “act of arson” and caused a “significant amount of damage” to the residence, according to Pennsylvania State Police.  

Fortunately, Shapiro and his family were sleeping in a different part of the home from where the fire was located, police added.  

The high profile Democratic governor is seen as a possible top contender for the White House in 2028, and was strongly considered as Kamala Harris’ running-mate in 2024.

Investigators are offering a $10,000 reward for tips that lead to the arrest of a suspect. 

The Governor’s Residence stands at 2035 North Front Street and has served as the home of eight governors and their families since 1968. 

Bye Bye Khalil! Immigration Judge ruled Friday that the U.S. can deport him!

A Louisiana immigration judge ruled Friday that the U.S. can deport Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil based on the federal government’s argument that he poses a national security risk.

Immigration Judge Jamee Comans made the determination at the end of a nearly two-hour hearing. Khalil can appeal the ruling.

Khalil, who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations at the school, was detained by federal immigration agents on March 8 in New York and transferred to an immigration detention center in Jena, Louisiana.

Khalil’s lawyers have challenged the legality of his detention, saying the Trump administration is trying to crack down on free speech.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said he can deport Khalil because his presence in the U.S. threatens the country’s foreign policy.

 

Friday, April 11, 2025

והיא שעמדה - שוואקי ויונתן רזאל

 

Zera Shimshon Parshat Tzav & Pesach

 


Hamas Terrorist Behind Hostage Parade Eliminated

 


The IDF and Shin Bet have announced that 11 terrorists who participated in the October 7, 2023, invasion of Israel were eliminated in recent airstrikes in Gaza.

In a major overnight development, the Hamas terrorist who paraded Israeli hostage Eli Sharabi and others on stage during grotesque propaganda events has been eliminated. The terrorist was a leader of Hams’s feared “Shadow Unit”—the elite division responsible for guarding and managing hostages in Gaza.


According to the IDF, nine of these terrorists were killed during the initial wave of strikes on March 18, when Israel restarted its military operations against Hamas. These individuals were directly involved in the brutal killings and kidnappings of Israeli civilians and soldiers during the October 7 attacks.

The military identified the nine terrorists killed on March 18 as:
• Hassan Naam, responsible for abducting Sgt. Shaked Dahan.
• Ismail Shakhshah, who murdered civilians, threw grenades at the Re’im Junction shelter, and launched a surface-to-air missile.
• Jalal Qaraan, who took part in the murder of hostage Inbar Haiman, attacked the Nova festival and IDF bases, and recorded himself killing two civilians.
• Mohammed Isa, who stormed Kibbutz Mefalsim and joined the massacre.
• Mohammed Sakar, who attacked Kibbutz Nir Oz during the onslaught.
• Mohammed Shabki, Fares Qarshin, Yahya Astal, and Mohammed Astal, all of whom infiltrated Israel and took part in the attack.

The IDF also reported that two additional terrorists who infiltrated Israel during the October 7 assault had been killed in earlier airstrikes:
• Mohammed Asfor, involved in desecrating the bodies of Col. Asaf Hamami, Staff Sgt. Tomer Ahimas, and Sgt. Kiril Brodski during their abduction.
• Khaled al-Din, who murdered civilians at the Nova festival and stole property belonging to Erick Peretz and his 16-year-old daughter Ruth, both of whom were killed.

Dumbest Member of Congress, says Americans can't afford housing or food due to Trump's immigration policies

 


WATCH: Rep. Jasmine Crockett, the 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.