The Real Reason Ari Fuld Died!

Ari Fuld z"l Gravesite

It may appear like it's a simple case of an Arab teenager stabbing him in the back. That's true and I don't intend to let this teenage monster off the hook. But there's a lot that you don't see.

Ari Fuld's death probably shouldn't come as such a shock and I was a big admirer of his. I cried a lot today for Ari and his family but I'm not surprised at this horrible tragedy. In fact, I'm surprised he lived as long as he did. As i see it, he had a Bulls-Eye target placed on his back for a long time. The reason is simple. He was one man doing a very dangerous job that the Israeli government abdicated years ago; advocating for Israel, defending the right of every Jew to live in the Jewish ancestral homeland and trying to deflect and protect the Israelis from a world of anti-israel hatred that has gone mad, ballistically mad.

The world is not the same as it was thirty or forty years ago. It's a much more violent place. Western Europe bursting with hundreds of thousands of young Arab immigrants combined with Islamic fundamentalism spreading terror around the Middle East and 8 years of an Obama/Kerry Administration fanning the flames of Israel-hatred have made defending Israel an impossible task at the UN or anywhere else. Enter onstage Ari Fuld, a passionate Zionist motivated by his love for the land, his love of Judaism, and his love for his people and he's ready to stand up and take on this violent Israel-hating world singlehandedly. This modern day courageous King David was an independent operator.

Let's be clear here, the Israeli government didn't walk away from Ari and they never abandoned him. They never even got out of the foxhole to back him up. In fact, they are still there. They still have their heads buried in the sand. But, it's not just Ari. Arab terrorism within Israel's borders ? What are you kidding me ? Who knew ? 

Satmar Rebbe R' Aron Teitelbaum Calls Those Going to Uman .... "Meshigoim

Satmar Rebbe of Monroe, R' Aron Teitelbaum in a drasha on Shabbos Tesuvah, said that those travelling to Uman for Rosh Hashana are  "Mishigoim" and that Rosh Hashana is not a day for "mishagas." 

He added that it would be proper to be "mevateil this minhag" to discontinue this custom.

Gmar Chasimah Tova!

Rabbi Sachs Speaks in English Parliament on Anti-Semitism

Trump freezes PA's bank accounts and Kicks Out PLO Envoy Out of USA

The United States is intensifying its pressure on the Palestinian Authority (PA). The Al-Jazeera network reported on Sunday evening that the US administration has decided to immediately close all bank accounts linked to the PA or the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in banks across the United States.

The US is not confirming the report at the moment, but the State Department hinted last week after the closure of the PLO's mission in Washington that there would be further steps against the Palestinian Arabs.

Earlier on Sunday, the Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen television reported that the US orderedthe PLO envoy to the US, Husam Zomlot, out of the country.

According to the report, the visas for Zomlot and his family were cancelled, their US bank accounts were closed, and he was ordered to leave.

“The American authorities cancelled my visa and my family’s visa,” said Zomlot, “and closed our bank accounts. We’ve been ordered to leave Washington immediately.”

Zomlot and his family have reportedly left the country, and are en route to Ramallah, the PA-based Ma’an news agency reported.

PLO executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi blasted the Trump administration for the move, calling it “cruel” and comparing the move to “blackmail”.

"As if the announcement that the U.S. would close our office in Washington D.C. was not enough, this vindictive action by the Trump administration is spiteful. The U.S. has taken its attempts to pressure and blackmail the Palestinians to a new level,” Ashrawi said, according to the Wafa news agency.

Zomlot was briefly recalled from Washington in December for consultations, following President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. However, Zomlot returned to Washington just one day later.

Ari Fuld Father of 4 Murdered in Cold Blood by Muslim Terrorist Laid to Rest

Thousands of people on Sunday night attended the funeral of Ari Fuld, who was murderedby a terrorist at the Gush Etzion junction, at the cemetery in Kfar Etzion.

Yona Fuld, Ari's father, eulogized him and said: "Zion is crying and the Land of Israel is crying. Ari affected thousands all over the world." The father said that his son would receive thousands of letters from all over the world, including from Saudi Arabia, noting that "he was the hero of everyone."

"If we asked him, he would say that this how he wanted to leave the world," the father added. "I can only be satisfied that the entire nation of Israel is grieving today for a true hero, a hero who is like a lion."

Ari's brother, Moshe Fuld, eulogized him and said, "So many people came here to pay their last respects to him. If there is one word to describe my brother, it is ‘hero’, simply a hero."

The brother added, "Who else can deal with a terrorist, take out a gun, jump over a fence and shoot the terrorist so that he does not harm others? Ari, I'm so sorry that I did not tell you about your greatness. You are a true giant.

Ari Fuld, a 45-year-old immigrant from the US and resident of the Gush Etzion town of Efrat, stabbed in the back by a 17-year-old Arab terrorist from the Hevron area. Before collapsing, Fuld managed to shoot the terrorist together with help of another civilian and a security guard. The terrorist was moderately wounded.

Earlier on Sunday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home), Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein (Likud), and MK Bezalel Smotrich (Jewish Home) paid a condolence visit to the home of Fuld family.

During the visit, Minister Bennett spoke with Fuld’s family, who shared some of the family history going back to the Holocaust and through to their decision to move to Israel.

“He is an Israeli hero who in death saved others,” Bennett said.

Netanyahu also eulogized Fuld as a "hero of Israel", telling reporters shortly after his condolence call that Israelis would "always remember him".

"I met tonight the wonderful parents and brothers of the wonderful hero of Israel, Ari Fuld. I embraced them in the name of all the people of Israel during their terrible grief. We're alive, thanks to heroes like Ari. We will always remember him."

My Cleaning Lady Just Sued Me – YOU’VE BEEN WARNED!

The following appeared in the YeshivaWorld Blog:

Added some of the comments on this post:

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

Many in the community currently use the services of Spanish-speaking cleaning-ladies who hail from South or Central America, most of whom are in the country illegally.

I would like to bring to the unsuspecting public’s attention a story that is currently taking place, so that others can protect themselves when employing the above-mentioned people:

I employed one of these women full-time, for over eight years, paying her $10, then $11, and subsequently $12 per hour.

Before this past Pesach, she asked for $13 per hour, which I agreed to give her on condition that she would be willing to come for the next two Sundays before Pesach. Although she would work on Sundays when she needed extra money, this time she refused, and left the house with me being furious that she had turned me down.

She never returned, and I figured that she must have found a better paying job.

I must make it very clear that I was an extremely kind, lenient employer.

• I gave her $10 every day so that she could buy her own kosher food, plus she had a free lunch hour that she got paid for.
• Although, she damaged many clothing items, I never expected her to reimburse me.
• If she worked very late, I would feed her supper and send her home with an Uber, at a fare of approximately $30.
• When she complained that the workload was too heavy for her, (I live in a duplex with my husband and young daughter), I brought in a second lady to assist her.
• She would chat on the phone while working, even though it impeded her speed and distracted her, but I never told her to turn her iPhone off.
• I kept quiet when she would stay late because she wanted to make up her missed hours, even though I knew she was taking advantage of me.
• I gave her many items of used clothing when she hinted that she desired them, plus I bought her teenage daughter a new winter coat when she asked me to.
• Lastly, I tipped her very generously before the Jewish holidays.

This week I got a court summons.

This very woman, whom I wined and dined, and with whom I tried to make a “Kiddush Hashem”, treating her with utmost respect, is suing me!!! For the hefty sum of $75,000 dollars!!! She claims that she should have been paid time and a half for each of her hours of overtime. (She never, ever, mentioned time and a half in all her years of working at my home).

After consulting with three different lawyers, it is apparent that the law is on her side. (Ironically, she revealed to me recently that she has a deportation notice…). Sadly, there is little I can do but make a settlement with her. I do not know how much this joke will cost me in the end, but I am heartbroken to have to give my hard-earned money to such a disloyal, ungrateful person.

Moreover, I now know that I am not the first gullible “heimishe” woman who has taken in a Mexican housekeeper, and then been sent a summons. This trend is becoming increasingly popular. There are Spanish speaking lawyers who offer these workers their services, free of charge, on condition that they get a share of the settlement money. The complaints against employees can vary, but the motive is the same.

I know some might ask why I kept her all these years if I had complaints against her. The truth is that I trusted her. She may have lied occasionally, but she never touched my valuables though she had enough opportunities to snitch. Plus, she was a reliable worker overall, who arrived when she said she would. She knew the running of my home, and she took off many of my responsibilities.

I sincerely regret being so gracious to her, and I feel that she has punched me in the face.

Chareidi Soldiers Who Are Proud To Walk In Uniform In Bnei Brak

Chareidi soldiers who are serving in the 202nd Battalion are proud of their unit, the Arrow (Chetz) Company in the Paratroop Brigade. There are 77 members of the company, all viewed as “chareidim” by the IDF.

While many are not forgiven by their families and communities for entering the military, with some even ousted by their families, others are proud and some even dare to walk down the streets of Bnei Brak, in uniform.

Unfortunately, there are some, including those interviewed in the KAN News report, who have been placed in cherem and not in touch with parents for a year or longer.

A commander, Major Shai Juni, explains that 25-30 of his soldiers are designated as ‘lone soldiers’, Israelis, not foreigners, but they have been thrown out by their families. The major explains his parents have taken in one such soldier, and now accommodate his needs, including glatt meat.

Another explains how he wanted some kugel, and they entered Meah Shearim at about 9:00PM and were seated in a restaurant and enjoying their food. They soon heard shouts, stating there were about 300 people outside shouting against them. The police came and extricated them without incident.

Soldier Yigal Malka of Tzefas explains “One learning Torah should continue doing so 100% for he and the others are protecting Am Yisrael. However, others, those who do not, should consider entering the army. I am not chiloni (secular)” he explains, emphasizing how he maintains his frum lifestyle while serving. An officer of the rank of captain explains how and what is done to make sure they maintain their level of religious of observance.

These soldiers serve in Yehuda and Shomron and will soon be moved to the Gaza border and the battalion commander, Lt.-Colonel Ron Friedman, is responsible for the logistics, to maintain the separation between the frum soldiers and female personnel, even when serving along the Gaza border. Friedman explains “this is done if and where possible and if cases where it is not possible, I can send them with the limitations, such as minimal contact with female personnel”. When asked “Is the Chetz unit experiment a success or a pain in the neck?” Friedman says without hesitation “An absolute success, and these soldiers are the best”.

According to the report, today, there are 7,600 chareidi soldiers serving in the IDF.

Israeli Composer & Maestro, Dr. Mordechai Sobol Dies at 67

Famed Israeli composer and Maestro Dr. Mordechai Sobol Z”L, 67, was Niftar at a hospital in Atlanta after suffering a massive stroke last week.

Sobol was in the United States where he searved as Chazzan on Rosh Hashanah. Following Yom Tov, he collapsed and was rushed to the hospital where he was diagnosed with an aneurysm in the brain.

He remained in a coma until he was Niftar last night.

Sobol served as musical director and conductor of the Yuval Ensemble, composed of a symphony orchestra and cantorial choir, and produced a number of concerts a year and is considered one of the most prominent people in reviving cantorial music and bringing them to contemporary listeners. His son, Ophir Sobol, worked with him many times.

He trained many Chazzanim, including Yitzchak Meir Helfgott, Yaakov Lemer, Chaim Adler, Zvi Weiss, Netanel Hershtik, Shay Aberson and others.

In addition, Mordechai Sobol presented the program “Before the Ark” (לפני התיבה) on Kol Chai Radio every Friday afternoon, which presents a variety of cantorial works of all time and is considered one of the oldest programs on Kol Chai.

Bein Kese L'Asor - Reflections

Rabbi Shmuel Knopfler

Two Destructions and Two Redemptions: 
“You are standing this day all of you before the Lord your God, your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, even every person of Israel.” (Deuteronomy 29:9)

Rashi quotes the Midrash Tanĥuma, explaining the connection between the multitude of grim warnings (tokhaha) unloosed in the prior portion of Ki Tavo, and this week’s opening words: 
You are standing. Our sages teach: since the Israelites heard one hundred curses minus two, in addition to the forty-nine in the book of Leviticus (chapter 26), their faces turned green and they didn’t understand how they would be able to stand up to so many chastisements (curses). Moses thus began to comfort them: “You are standing here today. You have greatly angered the Almighty [after all, you constantly complained in the desert, you worshiped the Golden Calf, you refused to conquer Israel] but nevertheless you have not been destroyed and behold you are standing here today.” In effect, therefore, our opening has to be taken as a divine statement of consolation: You may well suffer, but you will never be destroyed!

Yeshivishe Pervert Looking to Shake A Lulav Before Sukkot

A worker at a Brooklyn yeshiva was groped by a man who is now wanted by the police for forcible touching.

This incident took place just before 10 a.m. on September 2nd, at the Talmud Torah Tiferes Bunim yeshiva in Borough Park. According to a statement distributed by the NYPD yesterday, an "unidentified male approached" a 47-year-old man and "groped his private parts before fleeing on foot."

The Daily News reports the suspect said, "Show me your d---," before grabbing the man. The victim was not injured.

The suspect was described as being about 60 years old, 6' and 200 pounds. He was last seen wearing a dark hat and all dark clothing. Police released images and surveillance footage of him:

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

Rabbi: Anorexics must eat on Yom Kippur

Anorexia patients must eat on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), even if they are in advanced stages of treatment, Schneider Hospital's Rabbi Dr. Tomer Mevorach said.

In an article published by the Zomet Institute, Dr. Mevorach explained that anorexia is actually a psychological disorder which reduces food intake, influences body weight, and is characterized by a fear of gaining weight and an obsession with body weight.

Anorexia typically influences teenage girls. It can be difficult to treat, and if left untreated can be fatal.

Frum Teen Wns ‘Chopped’ Championship

Jewish teen from Staten Island becomes first kosher champion in 'Chopped' history, wins $10,000.

Rachel Goldzal, 13, of Staten Island, won the episode that aired on September 4, beating two 12-year-olds and a 10-year-old. She was 12 when she filmed the Food Network cooking reality show in the spring.

Goldzal is the first kosher champion in the show’s history, which includes more than 450 episodes. Her win earned her a check for $10,000. There have been other kosher-keeping contestants in the past.

Goldzal is in the eighth grade at the Jewish Foundation School of Staten Island.

The pre-teen chefs were required to create an appetizer, a main dish, and a dessert in three 30-minute rounds and to include four random, pre-selected ingredients per course.

Producers worked with Goldzal and her parents to make sure that all the ingredients were kosher and gave her new pots, pans and utensils to use. They also made sure that she would not have to mix meat and dairy products.

She was very open with the judges about being an Orthodox Jew and about keeping kosher. She told them that between Shabbat (the Sabbath) and all the holidays on the Jewish calendar she cooks “all the time.”

She said she learned how to cook by watching her grandmother and mother. She also was enrolled in the culinary program at her summer camp, Camp Nesher in Pennsylvania. She worked with a private chef ahead of the competition as well.

The teen said that she wants one day to work as a private chef in a kosher kitchen, as opposed to opening a restaurant like many competition winners.

She has her own website, and over one thousand followers on Instagram.

US Investigating Rutgers anti-Semitism that Obama Ignored and Refused

What happens when the US government takes cases of anti-Semitic discrimination seriously?

You would think that even President Trump’s critics would be cheering the announcement that the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights will look into evidence about anti-Jewish activity at Rutgers University. The charges stem from a series of incidents dating back to 2011, in which groups dedicated to demonizing Israel and Jews engaged in threats and discriminatory conduct without the university lifting a finger to stop it or hold those responsible accountable.

But the reaction speaks volumes about the way partisan loyalties and hostility to Israel have altered the discussion about anti-Semitism. Instead of applauding, critics are accusing the administration of trying to suppress free speech. Worse, The New York Times coverage not only mischaracterized the issues at stake but was also a thinly veiled hit piece on Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights Kenneth Marcus.

According to the Times, the Department of Education is seeking to inject the federal government into disputes about Israel because Marcus is “a longtime opponent of Palestinian rights.” The result would, they say, chill free speech about the Middle East. Israel’s foes see the investigation as in line with other Trump policies, such as moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and cutting off US aid to Palestinian institutions that support terrorism and oppose peace.

Fraudster Disappears With NIS 15,000 Paid For Har Menuchos Levaya

A family was preparing to bury a 30-year-old son on motzei Rosh Hashanah after he was niftar in Hadassah Hospital in Ein Kerem.

The family explains that a religious-looking man approached them and offered to handle all the burial matter, asking NIS 15,000 for his services. They claim to have paid the man NIS 15,000 in cash, and the levaya was set for motzei Yomtov at 10:30PM.

The family and hundreds of friends waited innocently for the chevra kadisha vehicle to arrive with the body of the niftar. After about a half hour, they checked with Hadassah Ein Kerem, learning no one had come to deal with the body, which remained in the hospital morgue, awaiting the chevra kadisha.

They phoned the man who arranged the levaya, but the phone number was not working. They then realized they handed NIS 15,000 to a con artist. The friends returned home as clearly, the levaya was not going to take place soon.

Late at night, members of Chevra Kadisha Yerushalayim organized the levaya, which took place at 2:00AM. An announcement was also made for persons to come for kovod hameis due to the situation and the late hour. It included the fact the niftar volunteered at MDA for many years, working to save lives, asking people to come and pay respect to him at his kvura. Dozens of persons arrived for the levaya.

The family has filed a complaint with police.

Avraham Getz of Boro Park Dies in Uman

Over the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, United Hatzalah volunteers treated some 2,700 injured people in and around the city of Uman, Ukraine. One of the people treated, whom first responders attempted to revive via lengthy resuscitative efforts, passed away. The Niftar is R’ Avrohom Getz Z”L from Boro Park (23).

He was suffering from an advanced illness and fulfilled his dying wish to be near the grave of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

He leaves behind a wife and two children.

United Hatzalah, who provided medical response to anyone in need in and around the city over the holiday, including taking over the operation of the local medical clinic, issued a statement saying that they treated over 2,700 people, of whom, many were evacuated to hospitals in Kiev over the New Year.

Yisrael Stark, the head of the United Hatzalah branch in Uman, said that: “United  Hatzalah will continue to provide medical support in Uman through Yom Kippur. Hundreds of our volunteers helped strengthen the life-saving unit of United Hatzalah’s full-time Uman branch in order to help care for the tens of thousands of Jews who come to Uman for the holiday, in honor of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov,” he said.

Happy New Year!

@Flatbushgirl Says "long Sheitels has no connection to spirituality"

Esther Adina Sash has received hateful online messages about her long wig, which some in her Orthodox community view as immodest.

“People always say the longer it is, the sluttier it is,” said Esther Adina Sash, a 30-year-old mother of two from Flatbush.

Specifically, she’s referring to the sheitels, or wigs, that she and other married Orthodox women wear as mandated by Jewish law, so as to not entice men who aren’t their husbands. Now a heated debate is brewing over hair that some in the community view as being too sexy.

Traditionally, sheitels reflect what is considered modest: shoulder-length or shorter — almost Jackie Kennedy-esque — and synthetic, which is seen as more humble than wearing human hair. (Prices can range from a few hundred dollars to as much as $5,000 for a 28-inch, waist-grazing wig of European hair.)

On her Instagram account (@flatbushgirl), which has some 38,000 followers, Sash regularly posts photos of herself in wigs that cascade and curl down her back, prompting hateful comments. “Go drown yourself in a lake — you’re negatively influencing young girls,” she recalled one reading.

She’s been criticized by rabbis, including one who challenged her to cut her wig as a good example to others — and to receive an “astronomical” spiritual reward.

She didn’t take the bait.

“I was laughing that he would think hair length has a connection to spirituality,” said Sash, who crusades for women’s issues in the Jewish community and is running for district leader in the 45th Assembly District. Although, she admitted, “The wig is a very charged item.”

Air hand dryers should be 'banned' say scientists as study finds they spread five times more germs than using a paper towel

Air hand dryers should be banned from hospital toilets because they blow bacteria around the room, scientists say.

Using paper towels significantly reduces the risk of germs being spread between sick patients, warn University of Leeds researchers.

They found high levels of dangerous bacteria that cause blood poisoning, pneumonia and gastroenteritis when dryers were used.

Writing in the Journal of Hospital Infection, they called for the dryers – which can leave up to five times as much bacteria on the floor as paper towels – to be taken out of hospitals.

Pediatrician Against Fathers Leaving Families to Travel to Uman For Rosh Hashana

The following letter was posted to Facebook by a pediatrician, Dr. Staurt Ditchek

“Hey Dad, Please Stay Home With Us For Rosh Hashana”

At the risk of alienating many people who I am close with and a few who are patient families in my practice, I write this op-ed at great peril. However, certain things must be said when an issue runs the risk of negatively affecting families.

As we approach Rosh Hashana many fathers in our communities are picking up and flying to Uman under the claim that they need to be there to pray for their families well- being throughout the year. We have all heard the arguments pro and con of why this annual trip to Uman is justified or not. My perspective is that of a pediatrician. Children who are privileged to have a living father and wives who are fortunate enough to have a living spouse, should not lose those benefits at such a critical time of the year. The argument that Yom Tov prayers can only be heard properly in Uman is frankly contrary to all Jewish thought and practice. The argument that a father is not needed in the home over Rosh Hashana is a bizarre and empty argument for obvious reasons. The argument that their spouses all support their missions without concern for the pressures of spending Yom Tov as a single parent is disingenuine.

You, as a father belong at home with your children, to guide them to love them and to cherish them. It is NOT a Jewish concept to disappear on Rosh Hashana. I have heard all of the excuses, sometimes reinforced by the wives of these dedicated travelers. (Sic) davening at the rebbes kever is a guarantee that our family will be successful, the davening has so much more meaning in Uman, 30,000 Jews can’t be wrong, my wife supports me going, my kids will be with their grandparents to make up for me not being there, my kids don’t need their father at their side to daven on Rosh Hashana, I go for my family’s benefit, there is no drinking in Uman, there is no drug use in Uman, there is no inappropriate behavior in Uman and on and on.

As far as the wives are concerned, you control much of the decision process. Your husband belongs at home on Rosh Hashana with you and your kids. There is no excuse. Furthermore, allowing your husband to take your boys to Uman especially at young ages is a very bad idea. The behavior of some in Uman can have a very negative effect on young minds. While many do go for inspiration and achdus, both important concepts in prayer, many are there for the party, drinking and lack of responsibility to their families. Inspiration and achdus can happen at home and should.

It’s not personal, it’s parenting….

Chareidi Soldiers Sing & Dance At The Kosel

Don’t believe NY Times about anonymous White House snitch

I smell a rat, as would anyone who’s spent years in one newsroom or another, where every reporter has a half-finished novel hidden in the bottom drawer.
This feels like fiction, the preposterous notion that an unnamed White House official has spilled the beans on Trump “to thwart the president’s misguided impulses.”

He’s been published “anonymously” and, we are told, is part of a resistance movement within the White House to surreptitiously stop the president from ruining the country.

That’s the gist of the op-ed topping The New York Times Wednesday edition…a story swiftly picked up in bold print everywhere else and taken to be true…true that this tattling columnist is really a White House official. 

In fact…amazing… that I’ve heard no one else wonder about another possibility; that this snitch came from outside the White House.

He was someone from inside The New York Times itself, a staffer…which is my guess. Can the Times prove otherwise?
If so. Hello? I’m here.
Unleash, unbind that imposter, and for once tell the truth.
I cannot be the only writer who sees through this stunt. We’re talking about the Times, fake news central.

Even Fox News, while properly ripping the Times, believes the “White House Official” gambit. So does everyone.
Or with so much garbage-for-news being sloshed our way, from everywhere, perhaps it is understandable that we have become entirely cynical, or gullible to a fault.

I know news. I know newsrooms. I’ve written two thrillers on the subject and you are welcome to open your eyes here and here. I know the business.
I know a slow day in the newsroom until someone says, “Hey, I’ve got an idea.”
The only question is – who got the assignment? I can think of 10 columnists over there who would love to use their untested novelistic skills for such a plumb.
Keep the novel in the drawer, but try your hand at fiction passing as fact, Charlie.

We all know the Times, which will say anything to destroy Trump. Anything and everything – and this doozy is being presented as Sui Generis, the final word, the ultimate expose’.
Beat that, says the Times.
Strangely, no byline. I cannot say that this is a first. But I cannot remember any story, anywhere, a story intended to be so damaging, running as Anonymous.

I do not know what we call it today. They used to call it Yellow Journalism.
That’s how smut tabloids still operate, but I doubt that even the National Enquirer would run such a hoax.

I’m calling it a hoax because the tag-team effect is plain obvious, from last week’s anti-Trump “bombshells” being dropped through Bob Woodward’s book on Trump, which delighted CNN, NBC, ABC and CBS, until it got old. You can stretch a story only so far. Even for Liberals there’s a limit to Trump bashing. Got to be.
I take that back.
No, it’s never enough…and when one story gets old…here comes another one…even juicier.
What’s for next week? They’ll think of something. On that you can trust The New York Times.

New York-based bestselling American novelist Jack Engelhard writes regularly for Arutz Sheva.
He is the author of the international book-to-movie bestseller “Indecent Proposal” and most recently the noir novel “Slot Attendant,” plus the two inside journalism thrillers “The Bathsheba Deadline” and “News Anchor Sweetheart, Hollywood Edition.” Engelhard is the recipient of the Ben Hecht Award for Literary Excellence. Website: www.jackengelhard.com

Mossad op to retrieve Iran's nuclear files took a surprising turn

The Mossad agents who appropriated Iran’s nuclear secrets from a warehouse in Tehran in January knew they would be taking a large number of folders, but did not realize there would be a large volume of disks, Yediot Ahronot’s Ronen Bergman reported on Wednesday.

Cohen’s ad hoc call mid-operation ended up having important repercussions as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to break with precedent and publicly present the intelligence materials in a major press conference on April 30.

Many say that Netanyahu’s presentation moved US President Donald Trump the final mile toward deciding to exit the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Further, the report said that information contained on the disks proved a variety of additional points about Iran’s nuclear activities to a much greater degree than what was merely contained in the files.

According to his report, the Mossad agents involved were so surprised that they checked in with Mossad chief Yossi Cohen who was observing the mission from Israel.
Cohen quickly gave the order to take as many of the disks as they could get as well.

The report said that earlier on in preparing the operation there had even been a debate about whether to merely take photos of the files or to physically bring the files themselves – a more complex operation.

At all stages, including mid-operation, Cohen pressed for bringing back as much physical original evidence as possible in order to deflate any objections from Iran that the evidence was doctored.
 

Cuomo dodges questions about endorsement deal with Satmar Rebbe

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday did not refute reports that he assured a prominent rabbi he would keep his hands off yeshivas in exchange for an endorsement — instead pointing to his lack of control over the state Education Department.

The department is currently reviewing a long-delayed city Department of Education probe of whether 30 yeshivas have been meeting minimum requirements for secular education, a 3-year effort in which officials were blocked from visiting half the schools.

Asked about reports  that he had essentially told Satmar Rebbe Zalman Tietelbaum not to worry about the matter last week, Cuomo wouldn’t address the question head on.

“The State Education Department will enforce the law, but it’s not the governor’s responsibility. I have no control of the state Education Department,” he told reporters following a press conference at the Tappan Zee Bridge, which has been renamed for the governor’s father, Mario Cuomo.

City officials punted their probe to the state because the state Education Department has ultimate oversight over what’s taught in non-public schools.
Advocates had complained in 2015 that many yeshivas were violating the state requirement that they provide a secular education equivalent to what students get in public schools.
The advocates accused Mayor Bill de Blasio of purposely dragging out the probe to appease the Hasidic Jewish community, which is a powerful political voting block.

Roseanne Barr coming to Israel

Fresh off a racism controversy that got her fired from her award-winning television show, comedian Roseanne Barr says that she will travel to Israel in order to study with a Rabbi.
'I have an opportunity to go to Israel for a few months and study with my favorite teachers over there, and that's where I'm going to go and probably move somewhere there and study with my favorite teachers,' Roseanne, 65, said on a recent podcast with celebrity Rabbi Shmuley Boteach.

"I have saved a few pennies and I'm so lucky I can go ... and study with any rabbi that I can ask to teach me, and it's my great joy and privilege to be a Jewish woman."

ABC canceled her show in June over a tweet mocking Valerie Jarrett, a former adviser to President Barack Obama and an African-American. The tweet said the “muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj.”

The reboot of Barr’s immensely popular late 20th-century sitcom had drawn high ratings.
Barr later deleted the tweet about Jarrett, which drew widespread criticism, and issued an apology, saying she had made “a bad joke about her politics and her looks.”

Barr, who is Jewish, and Boteach, a rabbi to several stars, have been friends for 20 years. She has not given any in-depth interviews on the tweets and her firing.

Barr has been an increasingly vocal supporter of Israel, saying in April that she hopes to one day make aliyah and maybe even run for prime minister of Israel. “I want to move to Israel and run for prime minister. I do have that fantasy. If God calls me, I’ll go,” she said at the Jerusalem Postconference.

“I want to make aliyah, I do…I still have this fantasy of being an old Jewish lady living in the Jewish homeland... I want to buy a farm there and maybe bring my family,” added Barr.

Barr has consistently lambasted BDS in recent years. Speaking at a conference in 2016, she said, “BDS is right-wing and fascist….BDS [members] do not want peace, nor do they want peace negotiations.”

More recently she blasted 21-year-old New Zealand pop star Lorde after she decided to cancel a show in Israel.
“Boycott this bigot: Lorde caves to BDS pressure, cancels Israel concert,” Barr said at the time.

89% of Israelis satisfied with their lives

Some 8,907,000 residents live in Israel, of which 74.4% are Jews, 20.9% are Arab, and 4.9% are other minorities, according to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics published today, Tuesday, ahead of Rosh Hashanah 5769.

The average life expectancy in Israel continues to rise: the average for men is 80.7 years and remains the same as last year, but the average age of women has risen to 84.6 compared with 84.2 last year.

89% are satisfied or very satisfied with their lives in Israel, while 6% - about 340,000 people - often feel lonely. 37% of Israelis, who constitute 2 million people, are not satisfied with their financial situation and 31% have difficulty covering their monthly expenses.

In the past year, 52,809 couples married and established a home in Israel, while 14,819 came to the rabbinate to divorce.

The average number of persons in the Israeli household as of the past year is 3.32, while Israel has about 2,057,000 nuclear families.

Regarding the level of religiosity, 44.3% define themselves as not religious or secular, 21.4% define themselves as traditional, not so religious, 12.3% define themselves as traditional-religious, 11.5% define themselves as religious, and 10.2% haredim.

As of 2017, 175,000 teaching staff members are employed in the education system, compared with 170,000 in 2016. The rate of recruitment of new teaching staff is on the rise: from an average of 7,500 between 2008-2010 to 11,700 on average in 2017-2018. In 2015, 6,471 teaching staff members left the education system, compared to 5,059 in 2008.

The average gross monthly wage is NIS 10,109 for Israeli workers and 5,928 for foreign workers, and the average weekly hours are 36.2 hours. The largest sector for employed persons is the education system, with 471,000 workers, followed by 431,000 workers in wholesale and retail fields and vehicle repairs and 690,000 sales and service workers.

Ponivitz One Week Before Rosh Hashana .....

Watch Monica Lewinsky Storm Off the Stage When Asked About Bill Clinton

Potato Knish Lekoveid Yom Tov

Ingredients (18)

Dough I

3 cups flour

4 ounces margarine 

1 teaspoon salt

1 medium potato, cooked, peeled and mashed

1 cup lukewarm water

 Matzo Meal, for sprinkling

Dough II

4 cups flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 ounces margarine

1 cup lukewarm water

2 teaspoons  Baking Powder

3 egg yolks

Filling

3 large onions, diced and sautéed

8 large potatoes, cooked, peeled and mashed

3 eggs

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Prepare the Dough

Combine ingredients for desired dough and knead until smooth.

Divide into three parts.

Using well floured surface, roll out each part.

For Dough I, sprinkle lightly with matzo meal.

Cut each part into two- by three-inch rectangles.

Prepare the Knish

To prepare potato filling, combine all ingredients, mixing well.

Place one tablespoon of the filling onto each piece of dough. Roll up.

Brush with beaten egg. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

The Chasidisheh Rebbe Who Left Judaism, Became a Businessman, a Psychologist and then Returned to Yissishkeit

Yabloner Rebbe Sitting next to Achad Ha'om and Lord Balfour 

Yabloner Rebbe Sitting Next to Harav Kook z"l

The Chasidishe Rebbe you never heard of who was a ardent Zionist, later left Judaism but eventually returned. The fascinating and little known tale of the Yabloner Rebbe, Rabbi Yechezkel Taub.

Giving the lecture is Rabbi Pini Dunner. He is the person who did all the research on this fascinating story.