“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

Thursday, June 12, 2025

EL AL Faces $169M Class Action Lawsuit over Price Gouging Allegations during War

 

DIN: El Al was the only airline flying to Israel for many months during the period and  after October 7. Without El Al, it would have been impossible to fly between the US and Israel. If anything, El Al is owed appreciation and gratitude, not the law suit.

EL AL Israel Airlines is facing a potentially devastating class action lawsuit accusing the national carrier of exploiting wartime conditions to impose inflated ticket prices on Israeli and international passengers during the Iron Swords war. The lawsuit seeks a staggering 600 million shekels — roughly $169 million — in damages, alleging the airline abused its near-monopoly position after foreign carriers suspended flights to and from Israel following the Hamas massacre of October 7.

Israel Hayom reports that, filed in an Israeli court by attorney Ilan Vardnikov of the Pearl Cohen law firm, along with Dr. Tal Rotman and Adi Tzitron, the suit is supported by economic testimony from Prof. David Gilo, the former director of Israel’s Competition Authority. According to the petition, EL AL’s net profit surged to $554 million in 2024 — or $771 million when accounting for adjustments — compared to just $113 million in 2023. It was the airline’s most profitable year in over 15 years.

“EL AL was not satisfied with the enormous profits it generated legally during the state of emergency and war,” the suit argues. “It deliberately and knowingly chose to abuse its monopolistic power and harm consumers by inflating prices to unprecedented levels.”

Israel ‘Fully Ready’ for Strike on Iran; US Evacuates Embassies in Arab Countries

 

U.S. officials say they have been informed that Israel is now “fully ready” to launch a military operation against Iran, prompting precautionary measures across the region, including the evacuation of American diplomatic personnel.

According to CBS News, the assessment was a key factor in the State Department’s decision to order the departure of non-essential personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and the U.S. Consulate in Erbil. Dependents of American military personnel are also being withdrawn from parts of the Middle East amid heightened concerns over possible Iranian retaliation.

Officials warned that if Israel strikes Iran’s nuclear facilities, Tehran may respond by targeting U.S. military bases and assets across the region.

*BREAKING:* Iranian media report that, for the first time, Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense systems have been activated in Iran. They appear to have been deployed around nuclear facilities involved in uranium enrichment.


Wednesday, June 11, 2025

NYS Regents Wants 10th Graders to "Demonize Zionism"

 


How Israelis welcome a close ally

 

Israel’s brilliant handling of the ‘flotilla’ affair

By
Ruthie Blum

It was supposed to be a grand act of defiance—another headline-grabbing spectacle in the ongoing campaign to vilify the Jewish state. Instead, it became a floating punchline.

The so-called “freedom flotilla” set sail earlier this month from Sicily, bound for Gaza, carrying meager amounts of food and other forms of aid. Aboard the lone boat, the British-flagged schooner Madleen, was a small cast of sanctimonious “humanitarians.”

Chief among them was Swedish climate crusader Greta Thunberg. Joining her was French Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan and another 10 or so activists trying to make themselves relevant.

What they billed as a noble mission was actually a farce. Wasting no time in exposing the charade, the Israeli Foreign Ministry mockingly christened the vessel the “selfie yacht.”

And with good reason.

Qatar: the real perpetrator of the October 7th Massacre Written by a Muslim


How did Hamas do it on October 7?

This time, I don't mean to ask how they had so little humanity as to butcher over 1,200 innocents in Israel in a single day of horrors, the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.

Nor do I refer to the level of brainwashing or innate evil necessary to kill 370 young people at a dance party, to rape and genitally mutilate screaming women and girls, or to drag 250 hostages - including 12 Americans - back to Gaza.

No, at present, I am speaking of practical and, ultimately, financial capability: how was Hamas able to afford the trucks, the motorcycles, the assault weapons and grenades, the paragliders and massive tunnel networks that enabled their terroristic invasion on that black day?

To a large extent, the answer can be found at a single address: Qatar, the absolute monarchy on the Arabian peninsula that is the beating heart of modern terrorism financing.

In rare criticism, Washington calls on nations to reverse sanctions imposed on Ben Gvir and Smotrich.

 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday condemned the decision by the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway to impose sanctions on Ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, urging those countries to reverse course.

“The United States condemns the sanctions imposed by the governments of United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, and Australia on two sitting members of the Israeli cabinet. These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war,” Rubio said.

“We reject any notion of equivalence: Hamas is a terrorist organization that committed unspeakable atrocities, continues to hold innocent civilians hostage, and prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace. We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is,” he added.

“The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel,” clarified Rubio.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar thanked Rubio for his statement.

“Thank you Secretary of State, a clear moral voice, a voice of a true friend. Your words should be the compass to the international community, to all those preaching Israel, ignoring realities,” said Sa’ar.

Rubio’s statement came after the governments of the UK, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Norway officially announced that they will impose sanctions on Ben Gvir and Smotrich, accusing them of incitement to violence against Palestinian Arabs in Judea and Samaria.

The UK Foreign Office stated that the decision was made as part of a wider move to address what it described as "extremist settler violence" and the undermining of a future Palestinian state.

According to the British government, Ben Gvir and Smotrich are being sanctioned in their personal capacities, with both now subject to asset freezes, travel bans, and disqualification from serving as company directors in the UK.

Sa’ar lashed out at the UK following its announcement.

"The British Mandate for the land of Israel ended in May 1948. It will never return," the Foreign Minister declared in a post on social media.

He affirmed that Israel is a "sovereign, independent, and proud state that is fighting a historic battle for its existence against a regional axis working to destroy it. Israel will emerge from this battle with the upper hand, first and foremost, because it has no other choice."

He attacked the decisions taken against Ministers in the Israeli government, "which is collectively responsible for its decisions," as "outrageous and unacceptable."

Sa'ar noted that "early next week, we will hold a government meeting in which we will decide on our response to the decisions taken against the Ministers."

Harvard appoints Shaul Magid an admirer of Satmar/ Neturei Karta Ideology as professor of modern Jewish studies


 Facing pressure from the Trump administration in part over its handling of antisemitism, Harvard University last week announced the appointment of Shaul Magid as professor of modern Jewish studies in residence at Harvard Divinity School.

The role is new for the school, a nondenominational center for the study of religion. Magid had been a visiting professor there for two years while on leave from Dartmouth College.

While Magid is a highly regarded scholar of Jewish thought, his appointment to the new role has raised hackles among some Jewish observers for a critical stance he calls “counter-Zionism.” In his 2023 book, “The Necessity of Exile,” he argues that while Zionism was once a necessary ideology, Israel has since become a state of Jewish domination that stands in the way of equality for all of its citizens.

Prominent voices that have criticized Harvard’s handling of alleged antisemitism said they regretted that Harvard Divinity School was elevating a “counter-Zionist” rather than adding someone who supports Israel to the faculty.

Netanyahu Recalls Lubavitcher Rebbe’s Words in Meeting with Argentinian President Milei

 




Argentine President Javier Milei, an ohev yisroel and staunch supporter of the State of Israel, presented Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu with a deeply meaningful gift: a painting of the Prime Minister together with the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

The gift, delivered during the leaders’ meeting in Jerusalem, resonated personally with Netanyahu. The Prime Minister recalled a powerful moment from his time as Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations when he received guidance from the Rebbe.

“‘You will be serving in a house of lies,’ the Rebbe told me,” Netanyahu shared. “‘And you will have to battle against 119.’ We have 120 members in the Knesset – he didn’t even leave me one,” Netanyahu added with a smile.

President Milei’s connection to the Jewish people and Israel has become a hallmark of his presidency. Upon his arrival in Israel on Monday night, Milei headed directly to the Kosel, continuing the practice he began during his previous visit to Israel, when the Kosel was also the first stop on his itinerary.

The president was accompanied by a high-level delegation that included his sister and Presidential Secretary Karina Milei, Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein, and Argentina’s Ambassador to Israel, Rabbi Shimon Axel Wahnish and his wife. At the Kosel, President Milei was warmly welcomed by the Rav of the Kosel and Holy Sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, and the Director of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, Mordechai (Suli) Eliav.

During the visit, the visibly emotional Milei joined Rabbi Rabinowitz in reciting Tehillim and offered a heartfelt prayer for the safe return of the Israeli hostages still held captive.

Later, during a meeting with Israeli President Yitzchak Herzog, the Rebbe’s teachings again took center stage. “The great Rebbe of Lubavitch said that the small actions we do daily turn ‘you and me’ into ‘us’,” Herzog said.

President Milei is expected to conclude his official visit with a return to the Kosel on Thursday evening, accompanied once again by Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Satmar Considers Voting for a Vicious Muslim Antisemite for Mayor


 DIN: For those saying that Satmar and Neturei Karta are separate entities, may this be a wake-up call! Neturei Karta's bible is the Vayoel Moshe, and up to ten years ago, they were all educated in Satmar Moisdois, and still intermarry! Satmar uses NK to spread their hate against the only Jewish State in the world. A very wealthy Satmar Chusid that lives in KJ, openly says that he funds NK! 
Mamdani just like Satmar doesn't recognize the Jewish State, he supports BDS and said that he would arrest Netanyahu should he come to New York! 

Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, long seen as a nonstarter in Orthodox Jewish circles due to his criticism of Israel, is now getting a second look from a key power broker.


Rabbi Moishe Indig of the Satmar community in Williamsburg told The New York Times he is considering endorsing Mamdani, saying the candidate came across as “very nice, very humble,” and assured him he is not antisemitic.

“As mayor, we wouldn’t have a problem with him,” Indig said, though he admitted Mamdani’s past statements make things “a little difficult.”

The comments come as Mayor Eric Adams’s team quietly urges Orthodox leaders to withhold backing from Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary, believing Adams would benefit if Mamdani wins the nomination.

Despite his close ties to Adams, Indig endorsed Cuomo this week — but said he’s keeping options open for the fall.

“God knows,” Indig said. “Nobody knows what’s going to happen in the fall.”