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Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Home sick home: Inside the 9/11 terrorists’ Florida luxury hideaway

 

A well-connected Saudi family hosted frequent visits from 9/11 terrorists at their Sarasota, Fla., home while they were in the area flight training, according to documents released by the FBI in 2013.

And while they were in training for the devastating attack that took the lives of nearly 3,000 innocent people 20 years ago, they were not roughing it in squalor.

Located in the exclusive community of Prestancia, where Michael Jordan once rented a home, the residence was owned by Esam Ghazzawi — a prominent Saudi interior designer, businessman and adviser with long ties to the Saudi royal family. 

The daughter of Ghazzawi, Anoud al-Hijji and her husband, Abudlazziz al-Hijji, lived there with their two young children.

The tropical abode — and former high-jacker hangout — is quiet with four bedrooms and three bathrooms spread out on a spacious 3,750-square-foot property. It’s located in a gated golf course community, which residents tout for its top-notch “security.”

Despite denying any involvement with the terrorists, the al-Hijjis abruptly fled their Sarasota home in a rush two weeks before the Sept. 11 attacks.

“They left behind valuable items, clothing, jewelry and food in a manner that indicated they fled unexpectedly without prior preparation or knowledge,” one FBI analyst wrote. 

A 2002 memo from an FBI field agent with the Southwest Florida Domestic Security Task Force noted “many connections” between the al-Hijji’s and three of the pilot hijackers — Mohamed Atta, Ziad Jarrah and Marwan Alshehhi, according to the Herald-Tribune. The three learned to fly planes at Huffman Aviation in the nearby city of Venice. Records list them as frequent visitors to the al-Hijji household.

Atta and Alshehhi were the two men in the cockpits when jets slammed into the World Trade Center towers.

At the time, the FBI had attempted to hide the Saudi connection for years until the newly released document in 2013 proved otherwise.

In August 2019, US District Court Judge William Zloch ruled the FBI has, for the last seven years, unlawfully withheld a narrow window of detail of its investigation into what went on at the al-Hijji household. 

None of the information pertaining to al-Hijji made it into the “9/11 Commission Report” released in 2004. Those records were only obtained after a Freedom of Information Act request was submitted by Florida Bulldog, an online investigative journalism watchdog, years after the official books were closed and with the help of Florida Sen. Bob Graham. 

Graham had been informed of the more specific conditions that the al-Hijji’s left the home in. He described them as “urgent conditions — a new car left in front of the house, food in the refrigerator and clothes in the washer.” Toys floated in the swimming pool, dirty diapers lay in the bathroom, and clothes and jewelry remained in closets and drawers.

“Further investigation of the [al-Hijji] family revealed many connections between the [al-Hijji family] and individuals associated with the terror attacks on 9/11/2001,” a portion of the 2013 declassified FBI documents stated.

The FBI had determined that the couple, along with Anoud’s father, had left the United States and were back in Saudi Arabia, in Riyadh.

In 2003, however,  Anoud and her mother quietly traveled back to Sarasota, paid the homeowners’ fees and arranged for the sale of the house.

The home sold in October 2003 for $440,000, and was listed two months later, in December, for $589,000, property records show. It was last sold for $450,000 in 2015. 

Ghazzawi initially purchased the Florida home in 1995.

While his daughter was living in the home with her husband, Anoud wore a 10-carat heart-shaped diamond ring and Westernized clothes, reports Sarasota Magazine.

She and her husband, Abdulazzi, owned three cars: a Range Rover, a Lexus and a brand-new PT Cruiser. Neighbors revealed they didn’t socialize much with them and the family didn’t belong to the country club at Prestancia. But, they did enjoy going to the movies at Sarasota Square Mall.

The house was ornately decorated, with Persian carpets on the floors, statues and expensive furnishings.

The home has seen renovations over the years since the al-Hijjis abandoned the property.

Other terrorists involved in 9/11 frequented another Sarasota home in the town of Nokomis

Most recently, the brother of the mastermind behind the attacks, Osama Bin Laden, listed his longtime Bel-Air home.

Raphael Yaacov Blugrond Killed While Getting a Lulav

 


Reb Raphael Yaacov Blugrond, z’l, 75, who lived in the frum community in Baltimore for many years, fell to his death on Sunday night in northern Israel after apparently climbing a palm tree to pick a lulav.

The niftar was found on Road 90 between Kfar Korazim and Kfar Nachum.

MDA paramedics confirmed his death and ZAKA Northern District volunteers were called to the scene and tended to kavod hameis.

Reb Blugrond, z’l, was born and grew up in Tzfat and as an adult moved to the United States, where he lived in Baltimore for many years. He later moved back to Israel and settled in his hometown of Tzfat, where he was dedicated to the Ari shul, serving as the gabbai.

A loving father and grandfather, he left behind four children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

“A 75-year-old man apparently stopped at the side of the road to pick lulavim and fell from the tree,” said ZAKA volunteer Moti Cohen.

“When we arrived at the scene, we found that man lying lifeless next to a tree behind the guardrail with multi-system injuries. A MDA paramedic could do nothing but confirm his death.”

The circumstances of the incident are being investigated by the police.


White House livestream cuts Biden mid-sentence as he goes off script

 


An official White House livestream of President Joe Biden’s remarks was abruptly cut off mid-sentence on Monday — just days after a report revealed that some White House staffers have stopped listening to him speak in public for fear he’ll veer wildly off-message.

Biden was meeting with officials in Boise, Idaho, to discuss the wildfires raging across the western United States when he turned his attention to George Geissler of the National Association of State Foresters.

“Can I ask you a question?” Biden asked. 

“Of course,” Geissler answered.

“One of the things that I’ve been working on with some others is —” Biden said before the audio and video coverage stopped without warning.

The livestream — which also included translation by an American Sign Language interpreter — was then replaced by a message that said “THANK YOU FOR JOINING,” according to a clip posted on Twitter by the research arm of the Republican National Committee.

The incident marked the latest example of the White House cutting short its online coverage of Biden, 78, who’s publicly admitted being a “gaffe machine” throughout his long political career.

Official livestreams of the president were interrupted last month, as he was about to answer a reporter’s question on his decision to withdraw the US military from Afghanistan, and in March, when he said he’d be “happy to take questions” during a virtual meeting with Democratic lawmakers, according to Fox News.

Last week, Politico reported that “many” people who work in the White House will either mute Biden or turn off live coverage of his public appearances because they’re worried he’ll take questions from reporters.

“I know people who habitually don’t watch it live for that reason,” one unidentified official reportedly said.

Biden — who has a habit of responding, sometimes angrily, to shouted questions following his public appearances — has repeatedly acknowledged that his aides have told him to stick to his prepared remarks.

“I’m not supposed to be answering all these questions,” he told reporters during a White House news conference about the coronavirus in May.

Last week, he even worked the instruction into a post-Labor Day speech honoring labor unions.

“Now, I’m supposed to stop and walk out of the room here,” he said to laughter, according to an official transcript.

“I’m going to stop. But with your permission, I’m going to walk into the room because I want to say hello to all of you.”

In May, White House press secretary Jen Psaki admitted during a podcast interview that letting Biden field queries from reporters was “not something we recommend,” adding, “In fact, a lot of times we say, ‘Don’t take questions.”

But, she added, “He’s going to do what he wants to do because he’s the president of the United States.”

Monday, September 13, 2021

Dead Sea pool turns BLOOD RED puzzling experts where the Bible says God sent angels to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah





 A pool of water located close to the Dead Sea in the biblical region of Moab - modern day Jordan - has mysteriously turned blood red.

Water from the red lagoon just inside the Jordanian border is being sampled by workers from Jordan's Ministry of Water and Irrigation to determine the cause of the unsettling phenomenon which is as yet unexplained.

The images have sparked a furor on social media, with blood red waters carrying much significance in the Old Testament as one of the 10 plagues God cast upon the Pharaoh of Egypt to free the Jews from slavery. 

According to the biblical tale, God turned the waters of the River Nile into blood, which killed the fish and prevented the Egyptians from drinking the foul water, in the first of 10 plagues that came as the Pharaoh's punishment for refusing to free his Jewish slaves.

The eastern shores of the Dead Sea where the blood red pond is located also happens to be where the two legendary cities of Sodom and Gomorrah stood before they were destroyed by God for their 'wickedness'.

The head of the Water and Agriculture Committee of the Al-Karak Council, Fathi Al-Huwaimel, said that the authorities have been contacted to work on identifying the source of the water.

But although the cause of the mysterious crimson waters remains unknown for now according to Jordan's ministry spokesperson Omar Salameh, a few theories have been posited as to why a lagoon isolated from fresh water could suddenly change color.   

Stabbing At Jerusalem Central Bus Terminal

 




A terrorist stabbed to what appears as two Yeshiva Bochrim at the Jerusalem Central Bus Terminal on Monday afternoon.

Both victims are in moderate condition and being treated by United Hatzalah and Magen David Adom.

The victims were rushed to the hospital.

Security forces neutralized the terrorist.

Due to the nature of the incident, United Hatzalah’s Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit is on scene providing emotional stabilization to a number of people at the scene.


The stabbing attack which left two Israelis moderately injured outside Jerusalem's Central Bus Station Monday afternoon was stopped when a Border Police officer saw what was happening and shot the terrorist.

The officer told Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai and Jerusalem District Commander Doron Turgeman, "We saw a lot of people coming out of the store and screaming, and we went in with our weapons drawn. Two policewomen entered from one entrance, I entered from another entrance, and I recognized the terrorist from where I was standing."

Two 25-year-old men were moderately wounded in the stabbing and evacuated to Shaarei Tzedek Medical Center. The terrorist, a 17-year-old Arab was taken to the same hospital in serious condition.

Public Security Minster Omer Bar-Lev praised the Border Police for quickly ending the attack. "Congratulations to the Border Police who successfully stopped the attack on the Jerusalem Central Bus Station. These are heroines who bravely sought contact with the terrorist and handled the situation professionally, quickly and efficiently."

"In addition to the neutralized terrorist, a 17-year-old resident of the Hebron area, the police arrested two people who assisted him. We are prepared for any scenario," Turgeman added.




Dogs Need "kaporos" also... they do a lot of Aveirois


Watch Premishlaner Rebbe perform "Darkei Amoirie" Pagen Ritual


 

Need to go to the post office in Israel? Bring your vaccination card

 

Israelis may soon need a vaccination card or proof of prior COVID infection in order to visit the post office, under a new plan being advanced by the government’s Communications Minister.

According to a report by Yediot Aharanot, Minister Yoaz Hendel (New Hope) is drawing up plans to limit access to the more than 500 post office branches across the country, imposing the Green Pass system for anyone looking to mail a package, receive registered mail items, use the post office bank, or use any other of the post office’s services.

Under the Green Pass system, entry is restricted to people who received a coronavirus shot less than six months ago, were verified as having recovered from COVID, or have a recent negative COVID test.

Minister Hendel has already consulted with the Health Ministry regarding his plan to impose the Green Pass system at all post office branches.

However, legal experts are warning Hendel that a comprehensive ban on the unvaccinated would likely be rejected by the courts, given the need for access to the post office to pay national insurance bills and other tax payments.

The minister is considering a compromise arrangement, whereby post offices will offer a limited number of hours for the unvaccinated.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told ministers that the government's patience for unvaccinated Israelis "has run out", and vowed to impose stricter measures for ensuring adherence to the Green Pass system and to prevent fraud.

'We didn't kidnap Eitan,' says boy's aunt. 'All we did was bring him home'

Eitan Biran, the sole survivor of the Italian cable car accident that claimed the lives of 14 people including both his parents and his younger brother, is now at the center of a custody dispute, with his relatives in Italy pitted against others in Israel. On Saturday, his Italian relatives reported that his grandfather had kidnapped Eitan after taking him out for a few hours; later, it emerged that Eitan had been flown back to Israel without the permission of his Italian relatives.

Gali Peleg, Eitan’s aunt, objected to the wording of accounts that accused her branch of the family of “kidnapping” her nephew.

Prominent Israeli anti-vaxxer dies of coronavirus

 


Hai Shaulian, one of the foremost anti-vaccine activists in Israel, died Monday morning of coronavirus.

Shaulian was hospitalized approximately one week ago in Holon's Wolfson Medical Center, after being diagnosed with coronavirus. His condition quickly deteriorated.

Two days ago, Shaulian published his last video clip on Facebook, but did not backtrack on his anti-vaccine beliefs.

"Dear friends, my condition is extremely critical," he said in the Facebook video. "I am in very serious condition, I'm not able to speak or respond to people. I have no oxygen and I'm not managing to stabilize. This morning I woke up, I was soaking wet as if with several buckets of water, with no oxygen. It took me about an hour to understand who I am, where I am, and what I'm doing here. A lack of oxygen is a horrible and terrible thing."

''I thank all those who are worried about me and supporting me. You can pray, that helps. I believe that I will make it through this, with G-d's help. In my estimation it will take another two weeks, maybe three. Keep fighting. The State is acting with criminal and self-interested coercion towards us. Don't give up. The Green Pass will not be implemented in Israel, it has no connection to coronavirus. It has no connection to vaccines. It has a connection to coercion."

Prior to contracting coronavirus, Shaulian organized demonstrations and protests against the coronavirus rules, including in protest of the Green Pass and the requirement to wear masks in open and enclosed spaces.



Get ready for the left’s climate-change ‘emergency’ lockdowns

 

President Biden claims recent hurricanes prove we’re in a “climate crisis” — “code red” for the world, he warns. White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy adds that climate is now a “health emergency.”

It’s convenient for politicians to treat every hurricane, tornado and flood as an apocalyptic sign from Gaia — and then blame political apostates for offending the goddess. But it’s an irrational way to think about the world. Because our situation is, in most ways, quantifiably better than before on nearly every front.

This reality is probably difficult to accept for a generation subjected to decades of fearmongering, but climate anomalies are nothing new. When a freak snowstorm hit Texas this year, the administration used it to push draconian policies. But the Texas storm was no different than the rare 1973 blizzard that hit the South. It happens. And there’s nothing we can do.

While victims of Ida will take no solace in this fact, historically speaking, hurricanes aren’t touching land at higher frequencies, either. Nor is there evidence that storms that make landfall do so with more intensity than in previous years. 

Palestinian Media Photoshops Smiles On Fugitives’ Faces


The Palestinian security prisoners who were captured by Israel Police over Shabbos were found exhausted, hungry and disheveled and didn’t even have the strength to resist their arrests.

The fugitive’s weariness can be seen clearly on their faces in the photos taken shortly after they were arrested.

Palestinians were outraged at the news of the capture of four of the fugitives, who have been hailed as heroes on the Palestinian street and humiliating photos of exhausted “heroes” would surely lead to a lowered morale among the Palestinian public. Social media outlets quickly came to the rescue with doctored photos of the fugitives with defiant smiles on their faces, handily replacing their looks of defeat with a more appropriate mien.



 

Sunday, September 12, 2021

Officials hail capture of 4 Palestinian fugitives, stress 2 still at large

 



Israeli politicians and top security officials hailed this weekend’s capture of four of the six Palestinian security prisoners who broke out of prison earlier this week, but stressed that the other two remained at large and are highly dangerous.

The six men escaped from Gilboa Prison in the predawn hours of Monday morning, digging out a concrete slab from their shower floor, giving them access to a crawlspace underneath the penitentiary. From there, they dug a tunnel to just outside the prison wall and continued on foot.

Investigators believe the six men had worked for several months to remove the slab and dig the escape tunnel.

“This was a cell that had prepared things down to the last detail, meticulously. This was something that took time. This was not preparation that began the day before,” said Northern District Police chief Shimon Lavi.

Will the Amish take over America?

 

Most Amish communities don’t allow phones in their homes, but it’s not because they think phones are inherently evil and ban them completely. They often have shared phone booths at the end of the street to use when necessary and at their places of work. They just don’t have phones in the home because they believe it will take away from the purposes of a home — things like family bonding, chores, and recreation. 
- DAVID LARSON

So writes David Larson in Crisis magazine, examining the rapid growth of a community which has doubled in size in just 20 years. There are now 350,000 Amish in the United States, and their demographic growth shows no real sign of letting up.

Biden marks 20th anniversary of 9/11 by Calling Islam a ‘peaceful religion’

 

President Joe Biden marked the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks by criticizing Americans for the anti-Muslim anger that occurred in the United States after the attacks took place.

“We also witnessed the dark forces of human nature. Fear and anger. Resentment and violence against Muslim-Americans — true and faithful followers of a peaceful religion,” Biden said in a prerecorded video published for the occasion.

Terrorist who attempted to stab officer identified as Jerusalem doctor

New details relating to Friday's attempted stabbing attack have been released, and the terrorist has been identified as Dr. Khazm al-Julani, a doctor of about 50 from one of Jerusalem's Arab neighborhoods.

In footage released by Israel Police, al-Julani can be seen attacking one of the police officers with a knife. The officer reacts by protecting himself and running backwards before opening fire and neutralizing the terrorist.

The Border Police who were standing behind the terrorist also drew their weapons

.Al-Julani, who served as director of a college for alternative medicine in Jerusalem, did not manage to stab the police officers. However, one of the Border Police officers suffered light injuries to his leg after flying shrapnel hit him.

Friday, September 10, 2021

El Al Offered $50 Million in Aid from Government, But There’s a Catch

 

Israel’s Ministry of Finance offered El Al Israel Airlines a $50 million aid package today. The company was already having financial problems before the Covid crisis began but has been hit especially hard by the Coronavirus pandemic.

But there is a catch. Kenny Rozenberg, El Al’s current owner, must also loan the company $43 million out of his own pocket if the airline is to receive the funds. The airline will also be required to sell off some of its planes.

El Al was reportedly hoping on getting as much as $150 million in government aid as compensation for all of the lost revenue caused by government-required shutdowns and limitations on travel.

The Ministry of Finance has also offered Israel’s other two airlines Arkia and Israir a $7 million grant each. Israel’s smaller air carriers had asked for much more than that with Arkia asking for a $35 million bailout and Israir asking for $20 million in government aid.

152 Breslovers Test Positive for Corona, 117 Investigated for Fake Negative Tests

 

The Population and Immigration Authority on Friday morning reported that so far it has located 152 passengers who have returned from Ukraine and tested positive for the coronavirus. Twenty direct flights from Ukraine and additional connection flights are expected to land at Ben Gurion International before the start of Shabbat.

A hundred and seventeen Israelis returning from Ukraine were summoned for questioning on suspicion of forgery and fraud, as well as spreading of disease under aggravated circumstances, for boarding their flight after presenting with a fake negative test. Fifty-six of them managed to enter Israel before the lists of suspects and positive tests arriving from Ukraine were transferred to the authorities at Ben Gurion from the Health Ministry. Now they will all be questioned by police.

Thursday also saw the first individuals with fake negative tests who are, in fact, positive, and they were driven home by dedicated transportation and ambulances, and criminal proceedings will be launched against them. Police estimate that there are hundreds of more such cases.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Thursday ordered severe enforcement measures against returnees from Uman who enter Israel under false pretenses. The following are the PM’s directives:

  • These directives shall apply to all cases of entry into Israel by people verified to have the coronavirus, under false pretenses.
  • All such people who enter the country under false pretenses shall be summoned for investigation by the Israel Police.
  • Full criminal proceedings shall be opened against offenders, in the context of which all relevant charges shall be considered including fraud, forgery and willfully spreading a disease.
  • All people who are verified to have the coronavirus, who returned to Israel under false pretenses and landed at Ben-Gurion International Airport, shall be evacuated to their homes in a designated vehicle or by ambulance, in order to safeguard public health. People with the coronavirus shall be required to pay for the foregoing transportation.
  • All people who are verified to have the coronavirus will be required to be quarantined for 10 days, which will be enforced by the Israel Police. People who are unable to be quarantined at home and declare to this effect will be sent to a coronavirus hotel for at least 10 days.
  • Quarantine violators shall be liable to be detained.
  • Concurrent with the foregoing steps, a specific directive is being considered, in the framework of which returnees from Uman with the coronavirus will be quarantined in coronavirus hotels for 14 days.
  • The Government of Israel views with utmost gravity the entry of people who are verified to have the coronavirus under false pretenses with forged documents and who are willfully spreading a disease, which constitutes the irresponsible act of harming the public peace, and will continue to act severely against offenders.

Palestinian Authority helping Israel capture escaped terrorists

 

The Palestinian Authority has agreed to cooperate with Israel to locate and apprehend six Arab terrorists who escaped from a prison in northern Israel this week, according to a report by a Lebanese newspaper Friday morning.

According to the Beirut-based Al Akhbar, the Palestinian Authority recently agreed to aid Israel’s efforts, and has even begun working with Israeli forces to locate the terrorists.

While the PA has officially refused to take part in Israel’s efforts to capture the escaped terrorists, Friday’s report claimed that two days ago, high-ranking officials in the ruling Fatah party’s central committee held deliberations with Palestinian Authority security top brass, with the two sides ultimately deciding to work with Israel.

The decision to aid Israel was reportedly made amid concerns that a major Israeli operation to retrieve the escaped terrorists could lead to a major escalation in Judea and Samaria and ultimately derail cooperation between Israel and the PA aimed at bolstering the Arab economy in the area.

Over the past few days, Arab rioters have clashed with Israeli security personnel in Judea and Samaria as Israeli forces continue to search for the escaped terrorists.

Top Palestinian Authority officials are especially fearful, the report continued, that the six escaped terrorists could be killed by Israeli forces.

As a condition for its assistance, the PA has reportedly demanded that Israel work to capture the terrorists and refrain from eliminating them if possible.

PA security officials have already held several meetings with Israeli officers to coordinate the manhunt, the report said.

The escaped terrorists include Zakaria Zubeidi, the former Jenin chief of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades terrorist organization, and five terrorists from Islamic Jihad, including Iham Kamamji, who murdered Eliyahu Ashri in 2006.

Other escaped terrorists in the group include Mondal Infia'at, Mahmad A'arida, Mohammad A'arida, Yaqoub Qadari.

The Jewish baby who grew up to become a priest - then returned to Judaism

 

Yaakov and Rabbi Chanoch Gechtman

On a winter night in 1943, a young, frightened woman knocked on the window of the Vashkinel home in a small town not far from Vilna.

The woman quickly handed Amelia Vashkinel a small, tightly wrapped bundle containing a baby, who was just a few days old. That night was preceded by several secret meetings held between Amelia and Batya, the baby’s mother, who knew she had been sentenced to death and wanted to save her son.

With the Holocaust at its peak, Amelia was afraid to take in a Jewish baby and raise him. She explained to the mother that if it became known that he was Jewish she would be put to death. But Batya, determined to save her son at all cost, told Amelia: “You are a Christian. When he grows up he’ll be a priest and a teacher.”

Amelia hesitated, weighing the pros and cons of taking in the baby, and in the end decided to give life to the helpless baby in her arms.

Batya whispered the child’s name and disappeared into the darkness. “You had a very Jewish family name,” the adoptive mother told her son, when she revealed the secret to him 35 years later. “But I very quickly forgot it. I was afraid it would be a death sentence. And so I didn’t want to remember anything from that night.”

This is the story of that child, Yaakov, whose life has taken many turns. He discovered conclusively that he was a Jew when he was a senior priest in Poland. In recent years, however, his life has come full circle.

Yad L’Achim has been at Yaakov’s side during this process, sometimes directly and sometimes indirectly. It provided him with sacred Jewish objects, and more. Recently, an extraordinary meeting was held between Yaakov and Rabbi Chanoch Gechtman, head of Yad L’Achim’s counter missionary department.

At the meeting, Yaakov was moved by the sound of the shofar, which he compared to the deep cry of a long-lost son returning to his father.

“This is my story, the baby that was taken captive,” Yaakov responded with great emotion.

Everyone in the room was moved by the sight of an 81-year-old Jew who had lost his Jewish identity as a baby during the Holocaust, returning to his people.

Yaakov added: “Look at how amazing things turned out. Hashgacha [divine providence] arranged things such that from a young age I was a teacher and then a priest. I never married, which means I never married a non-Jew, and I never had non-Jewish children. I imagine that had things worked out differently, it would have been much more difficult for me to leave everything and return to the religion of my fathers.”

Yaakov now lives in Jerusalem and works for Yad Vashem. He continues to enjoy a warm connection with Yad L’Achim.

Thursday, September 9, 2021

'Money Heist' actors in hot water for supporting Israel?

 

Money Heist is one of the most popular television series in Israel in years and two of its stars have even visited the Jewish state, but it seems their affinity for the country is now costing them in terms of popularity in the world, or at least online.

In a recent interview with Channel 12 News to mark the premiere of the series' fifth season, the show's actors praised Israel and complimented the country and its security forces.

When asked about his trip to Israel, actor Darko Peric, who plays the character "Helsinki" in the show, answered: "It was a wonderful experience, and I hope to come back. I know there are a lot of fans here, and the people here are great. When people travel to Israel they always talk about the strict security arrangements and meticulous police activity. But when I got here, even the policemen wanted to take pictures with me. It was great."

Spanish-Armenian actor Hovik Keuchkerian (who plays the character "Bogotá"), also complimented the Jewish state, saying he had "heard wonderful things about Israel." Keuchkerian also praised the original Israeli Netflix action-drama series Fauda.

As expected, the comments sparked the consternation of online activists, anti-Zionists and keyboard warriors, who are now calling for Money Heist to be boycotted.

"While millions of fans of Money Heist eagerly await the fifth season, actors from the successful show interviewed with the Israeli press, expressed support for the Israeli occupation and praised its criminal activity against Palestinian civilians," said one person on Twitter.

"What a disgrace," wrote another.

Some of the social media commenters called on actress Alba Flores, who plays the character "Nairobi," to respond to her colleagues' remarks. In May, during Operation Guardian of the Walls in Gaza, Flores tweeted support for the Palestinians and condemned Israel's military activity.

Others went to IMDB, an online database of information related to films, television programs and more, and posted critical statements against the actors for their support of Israel.

"Our voices must reach the show's producers to make it clear to them that their actors' expressions of support for Israel will not go without a response," one individual wrote.

Taliban says it is willing to establish relations with all countries including the US - except Israel

 

The Taliban are willing to establish relations with all countries except Israel, a spokesman for the Islamist militant group has announced.

Suhail Shaheen told Russian state-owned news agency Sputnik: 'In a new chapter if America wants to have a relation with us, which could be in the interest of both countries and both peoples, and if they want to participate in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, they are welcome.'

But he went on: 'Of course, we won't have any relation with Israel. We want to have relations with other countries, Israel is not among these countries.'

The Taliban has a history of supporting al-Qaeda, which routinely makes threats against the State of Israel and uses anti-Semitic rhetoric in its jihadist propaganda.  

Last month, Shaheen caused surprise when he gave an interview to Israel's Kan public broadcaster. Just hours after it aired, the Taliban spokesman tweeted that he had been 'duped' into giving it.

'I do many interviews with journalists every day after the falling of provincial centers of Afghanistan and the capital Kabul to the Islamic Emirate,' he said. 

'Some journalists maybe masquerading but I haven't done interview with any one introducing himself he is from an Israeli media.'

Last Jew "The Get Refuser" leaves Afghanistan to the USA

 

They should have left there, for the Taliban to make a chulent from him, and that would have freed his wife .... but the misguided "askanim" got him out and now his wife continues to be chained by this scum!

The last Jew in Afghanistan, Zabulon Simantov, has left the country and is now in route to the United States.Simantov, 62, born in the western Afghanistan city of Herat, is also a divorce-refuser who refuses to grant his estranged wife living in Israel a bill of divorce.

Several days ago he left his home in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, and was taken by bus along with close to 30 other Afghans fleeing the country, mostly women and children, to a border crossing with an unnamed neighboring country, KAN News reported.

Despite the recent takeover of Afghanistan by the extremist Taliban movement, Simantov had refused to leave the country and had said he was not worried by the new regime.

In recent days however, he became increasingly concerned by the threat to his life from the Afghan branch of Islamic State and other terrorist groups, and finally decided to leave.

Over the last few weeks, Moshe Margaretten, a prominent ultra-Orthodox rabbi in Brooklyn, New York, and Israeli-American businessman Moti Kahana attempted to convince Simantov to leave the country and facilitated his departure, although Simantov initially refused.

Over the last few days he completed his journey to a border crossing and is now in neighboring Tajikistan before continuing on his way to the US.“I think what changed his mind is that his neighbors told him ‘Leave and take our children with you because our children are in danger,’” Kahana told KAN News.

Guards May Have Aided Escapees in Israeli Prison Break

Arab security prisoners rioted and set fires in seven cells in Israeli prisons on Wednesday in protest of new restrictions in the wake of the escape of six highly dangerous prisoners from Gilboa Prison on Monday. A prisoner at Gilboa prison threw boiling water at a prison guard.

Most of the rioters are followers of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Since five of the six escapees were PIJ terrorists, including four serving life sentences, over 400 prisoners were moved in order to scatter members of PIJ in separate cells.

The six escapees were high-security prisoners, between 26 and 49 years old, who had all committed deadly terror attacks in Israel. Three of them had attempted to escape in the past. Police suspect that some prison guards may have assisted the escapees and prison service staff members are being questioned by the police. Other guards failed to properly fulfill their duties, including the one that was in the guard tower above the escape tunnel who was asleep during the escape.

Walla News reported that according to a preliminary investigation, the prisoners coordinated the escape with accomplices outside the prison with smuggled cell phones. The accomplices were waiting outside the prison with an escape car, changes of clothing, and weapons.

The most well-known among the escapees is Zakaria Zubeidi, 46, who was a commander in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, an armed group affiliated with Fatah, during the second intifada from 2000-2005, and responsible for multiple terror attacks resulting in the murder of numerous Israelis.

One senior police official said that the escape is one of the worst such incidents in Israel’s history.

Cops Place Siege On Chassidishe “Illegal Rosh Hashanah Minyan” During Lockdown

A tense stand-off outside a Melbourne Shul has ended with police warning all adults who illegally gathered that they will be found and fined.

Up to 30 people are now believed to have attended a Rosh Hashanah Minyan, which let police and media in a stand-off with on Tuesday night as they gathered for the first night of Yom Tov.

Six people have been been fined $5,452 for breaching public health orders.

Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Russell Barrett has told other Mispalilim to come forward and turn themselves in.

He’s vowed to hunt down every adult inside the Shul and fine them.

‘I’m appalled,’ he said on Wednesday morning. ‘Come forward, identify yourself.

‘My instruction to my investigators today is every person at the gathering will receive a penalty notice.’

Supporters stood outside the Shul in Ripponlea, Melbourne on Tuesday night as the Rosh Hashanah continued inside.

There was initially believed to be 100 people inside, but police downscaled the estimated number to around 30 on Wednesday.

Police guarded every exit from the Shul to swoop on worshippers as they left, but many instead took to the roofs of nearby buildings to escape.

But a well-known Jewish community activist said that “Melbourne felt somewhat like Nazi Germany this year Rosh Hashana.. as police sieged a Shul for 14 hours”.

The activist, who requested to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions, said the following:

“We have ZERO COVID cases in the heimishe community of Ripponlea. Over 90% of the 40+ age group are double vaxxed. We asked for a legal way to daven outdoors on Rosh Hashanah, citing “bottle shops and building sites’ that are open for 50-100 people, some even spent thousands in the courts to try to push it through – and the government gave us zero. This prompted some people to go early to a shul (5:30am) and locked themselves in – no noise at all. Unfortunately, some local non-Jewish neighbors were up at 5:00AM and filmed some people going in Tuesday morning and sent the footage to the media. Police surrounded the block like there was a terrorist attack – and they did not leave until Wednesday night. This is appalling and disgusting.”

Father Of 10 From Beit Shemesh Killed In Crash As Bus left Uman

 


Tragedy struck in Ukraine on Motzei Rosh Hashanah, as a Young father lost his life in a serious crash while travelling to the airport in Kiev after spending Rosh Hashanah in Uman.

 A minibus was travelling from Uman to the Kiev Airport, when it was involved in a serious crash. Around 11 victims were injured.

One victim in the crash died at the scene.

He was identified as Reb Avrohom Lavy Z’L, 44, a Sanzer chassid and resident of Beit Shemesh, the son of Reb Hershey of Boro Park. He is a son-in-law of Reb Yechezkel Silverman of Williamsburg. Tragically, he leaves behind a  wife and ten children. Ichud Hatzalah and ZAKA were both on the scene and working with local authorities to ensure proper Kavod Hames.

The other victims appear to all be in stable condition. Four lightly injured passengers received first aid treatment at the scene of the accidents and were evacuated to local hospitals.

Extensive efforts are being made by ZAKA, the Chabad shaliach in Kiev, the members of the Kiev Chevra Kadisha and Israeli diplomats in Kiev to bring the niftar to Israel for kevurah before Shabbos as well as to bring in his parents and relatives from the US for the levaya.

Reb Lavy, z’l, moved to Beit Shemesh after his marriage, and grew close to Breslev through HaRav Avraham Tzvi Kluger, a Breslover mashpia.

A heartbreaking video shows Hatzalah volunteers and other Yidden reciting Kaddisha at the scene.