Personal letters by the 'Chazon Ish' Donated to National Library of Israel

 

Fourteen letters penned in the 1940s by the legendary rabbi known as the "Hazon Ish" have been donated to the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem by the family of their recipient, Rabbi Zvi Yehuda, one of the rabbi's students.

The "Hazon Ish" (Rabbi Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz, 1878-1953) is considered to be one of the most influential rabbis of the 20th century. The letters reveal a very personal side to the revered spiritual leader.

In one example relating to Yehuda's decision to join the army and enroll in secular studies, Karelitz responded: "I am rich with love for others, particularly toward you, a young person armed with talents and with an understanding heart. … But when I saw the sudden change in you recently … I had to wait and process my great pain."

Born in what is now Belarus, in 1933 Karelitz moved to what was then British Mandatory Palestine with the help of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi there and a formative figure in the modern religious Zionist movement.

Countless visitors flocked to Karelitz's humble home in Bnei Brak during the last two decades of his life, from simple devout Jews to the leaders of the secular Zionist movement, including Israeli founding father and first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, despite the fact that Karelitz was an opponent of Zionism.

A teacher and expert in Jewish law, he left an enduring mark on ultra-Orthodox Jewish thought and culture.

The letters have been donated to the National Library by Yehuda's widow, Hassia, and their children: Rachel Yehuda, Talli Yehuda Rosenbaum and Gil Yehuda.

A free online event celebrating the arrival of the collection will be held on Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. Israel time/1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, moderated by Rabbi Zvi Yehuda's daughter, Professor Rachel Yehuda, vice chair of psychiatry at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

 Reprinted  from JNS.org.

Yom Kippur Machzor Sells for 8.3 Million Dollars

 

A medieval Jewish prayer book sold for $8.3 million at the Sotheby's auction house Tuesday, fetching the highest price ever paid for a Hebrew manuscript.

Known as the Luzzatto mahzor, the rare book is named after its former owner, a 19^th century scholar, theologian, poet, and book collector by the name of Samuel David Luzzatto. It originated in Germany's Bavaria region in the late 13^th or early 14^th century. Over the years, the prayer book traveled to Italy and France.

In 1870, it was purchased by the Alliance Israelite Universelle, a Jewish cultural institution in France. Despite concerns the book would go into private hands, the institute said the move was necessary, citing financial debt.

Written by a scribe by the name of Abraham, the book includes several ancient versions of prayers that have since disappeared from Ashkenazi tradition. Its lavish illustrations and embellishments showcase the community's wealth.

The winning bid reportedly went to an anonymous American buyer.

Asked by Israel Hayom why Israel's National Library did not purchase the ancient text, a spokesperson said, "The National Library regularly examines existing sales in Israel and overseas and weighs each case individually." The spokesperson noted "the price for acquiring the mahzor is very high, and requires the enlistment of the state and donors to assist in such an acquisition."

Arabs in Israel Killing Each Other in Record Numbers

 

 

Is this Yeshivishe Derech..... ?

 Will they accomplish anything screaming like a bunch of uncivilized baboons?

Israeli guy who refuses to wear mask tells cop he doesn't care about the ticket and fines ... he won't pay them

 

The Mysterious "Mr Shoshani" Probably the Greatest "Talmud Chacham" from the Previous Generation

 

Shoshani's writings

Who was he? What was his real name? He was known to Harav Kook and known to R' Yoel Teitelbaum who mentions him in a letter that was recently auctioned, he calls him "Hillel Perlman"? Why was he so mysterious?  He knew the entire Torah including the Talmud and the Zohar by heart.

The National Library of Israel (NLI) has received and has now opened public access to singularly significant archival materials from "Mr. Shushani" (also known as "Monsieur Chouchani"), a mysterious and brilliant man who served as the personal and perhaps most influential teacher to a number of significant 20th century Jewish cultural and intellectual figures, including Elie Wiesel.

Shushani had an extraordinary photographic memory, and was reportedly able to recall and cite the entire Hebrew Bible, Talmud and many other Jewish texts from memory, while also mastering various fields of mathematics, physics, modern philosophy and different languages. The disheveled figure attracted students who were captivated by his unexpected charisma. Many of them saw him as one of the most influential figures in their intellectual development.

The notebooks are full of thoughts and musings, concrete ideas in the realms of Jewish thought and other fields, memory exercises, mathematical formulas and more. Extremely difficult to decipher, a handful of scholars have been given access to some of the writings in recent years and they will now be open to the general public for the first time. Scholars believe that the notebooks will reveal some potentially groundbreaking ideas and teachings related to Jewish thought and texts.

Shushani zealously guarded his true identity and few details about his personal life are known today, more than fifty years after his death. Born in the Russian Empire at the turn of the twentieth century, throughout his life he traveled as a vagabond around the world: in Europe, Mandatory Palestine and later Israel, the United States, Uruguay and other countries. During his travels he left a tremendous impression on his numerous students.

Though his real name remains a mystery, a number of modern scholars believe it was probably Hillel Perlman. Among his students were Nobel laureate Eli Wiesel; philosopher Emmanuel Levinas; and Prof. Shalom Rosenberg, former chair of Jewish Thought at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who donated Shushani's materials to NLI.

As a teacher, Shushani provoked unrest in his students, attacked them with difficult questions and sometimes even verbally assaulted them for their lack of understanding. However, he encouraged them to improve and progress, and especially to think in unexpected ways. Legendary spiritual and intellectual figure Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, who knew him in his youth, described Shushani as "one of the most excellent young people... sharp, knowledgeable, complete and multi-minded."

One of Shushani's greatest admirers was the writer Eli Wiesel, who wrote of him: "He had mastered some thirty ancient and modern languages, including Hindi and Hungarian. His French was pure, his English perfect, and his Yiddish harmonized with the accent of whatever person he was speaking with. The Vedas and the Zohar he could recite by heart. A wandering Jew, he felt at home in every culture."

Mr. Shushani died on January 26, 1968 in Uruguay. Prof. Shalom Rosenberg, one of Israel's leading intellectuals, was his student at the time of his death. According to Prof. Rosenberg, "the world is divided into those who knew him, and those who did not."

According to Dr. Yoel Finkelman, curator of the NLI's Haim and Hanna Salomon Judaica Collection, "There is no more suitable place for Mr. Shushani's archive than at the National Library, whose role is to preserve and make available to the public the intellectual and cultural treasures of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. We consider it of paramount importance to bring to the public's attention the story of one of the most mysterious and influential figures in twentieth-century Jewish thought."

The world has gone mad'

 

Two-year-old Alta Fixsler Dies After British Courts Ordered the Plug Pulled ....Opposing Chareidie Point of View on this

 

Loose translation of Mordy Getz's tweet:

"we don't know the workings of  Heaven, but while we mourn the death of One little girl, it is important to remember how when Corona broke out and hundreds of our elderly succumbed and died, most of the Jewish people did absolutely nothing to stop the plague, no one had any mercy on the Holocaust survivors.... now Hashem acted "measure for measure" Now the gentiles have no mercy on our toddlers...Let us now repent and return to Hashem"

Two-year-old Alta Fixsler has passed on.

All of those following the plight of Alta in Manchester know that every legal angle was exhausted to prevent the U.K. government from pulling the plug on her. Sadly, that was done on Monday evening. A judge had ordered her to be taken off all machines by Monday.

A minyan of family a close friends were in her room, as singer Sheyela Gluck sang emotional niggunim as those gathered wept about what was about to unfold.

Alta A”H had suffered a brain injury during birth and was unable to breathe or eat on her own.

The Fixslers, who are Belzer Chassidim, refused to disconnect Alta from life support and the doctors referred the decision to the court despite the fact that her parents, the legal guardians, opposed it.

The parents’ claim that they and Alta are Israeli citizens and they want to transfer Alta to an Israeli hospital was rejected. The explanation that they belong to the Jewish religion that forbids taking Alta off of life support fell on deaf ears. The parents also stated that they want to live in Israel with Alta and when it comes time for her to die, they want her to be buried there without any delay, and this request was also rejected.

The judge rejected all their requests with the justification that Alta is a toddler who is not familiar with and doesn’t understand what religion and Judaism are – and therefore this argument should not be considered at all.

The family pleaded with the highest courts to allow them to fly her to Israel for care.

U.S. Senator Schumer arranged for her to receive U.S. citizenship so she can be flown to the US for treatment.

Eida Hachreidis Has new Tactic in their Terror Protests ... Flattening the Tires of the Busses Making sure that Traffic is Disrupted!

 

 

Did Berland Order the Execution of Nissim Shitrit 30 Years Ago? Someone is talking

It seems that the un-named lady arrested on Sunday that belonged to the Berland "tznees" Cult, has had remorse and is talking, because she wants the victim, the murdered Nissim Shitrit, to come to "kever Yisrael."

Police are searching in the Eshtaol forrest, in Beit Shemesh for his remains. Interesting that Shimshon Ha'Gibor and his father Menoach are buried there. And according to some sources, Dan ben Yaakov is also buried there. 

Some sources are saying that Berland, leader of this group, who admitted to having relations with married women and is now facing fraud charges, is the target of this investigation. 

Biden secretly flying underage migrants into NY in dead of night ...

 

Planeloads of underage migrants are being flown secretly into suburban New York in an effort by President Biden’s administration to quietly resettle them across the region, The Post has learned.

The charter flights originate in Texas, where the ongoing border crisis has overwhelmed local immigration officials, and have been underway since at least August, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Last week, The Post saw two planes land at the Westchester County Airport, where most of the passengers who got off appeared to be children and teens, with a small portion appearing to be men in their 20s.

Westchester County cops stood by as the passengers — whose flights arrived at 10:49 p.m. Wednesday and 9:52 p.m. Friday — got off and piled into buses.

Some of them were later seen meeting up with relatives or sponsors in New Jersey, or being dropped off at a residential facility on Long Island.

A Post analysis of online flight-tracking data suggests that around 2,000 migrants nabbed after sneaking into the US from Mexico have arrived at the airport outside White Plains on 21 flights since Aug. 8.

Newly Released Meron Video Proves Beyond a Shadow of a Doubt that Police Did Not Put Up the Barrier ... There Wasn't a Barrier at all During the Tragedy

 

Chareidie leaders that claimed that the police put up a barrier preventing the exit of thousands turns out to be a fabricated unmitigated lie. 

The askanim and chareidie leaders of Meron not only refused to take any responsibility for the tragedy but blamed the Zionist police.

That's why they tried to stop the investigation...

Watch the newly released video by  the blog Bechadrei Chadarim below and you will see there wasn't a barrier at all when the stampede happened.

The families are outraged and are demanding that the Askanim and Chareidie rebbelich and rabbanim be held accountable and face justice.

A full video of the Meron disaster was published on Monday by B’Chadrei Chareidim, finally answering the question of whether a barrier was present at the end of Dov Gesher during those tragic moments.

The half-hour video shows the full disaster unfolding, starting with a stream of people smoothly proceeding through the passageway until after the worst had occurred and Hatzalah members and police officers are carrying out rescue efforts.

A bottleneck at the exit to the passageway began forming at 11:43 p.m. and within minutes, the pressure in the passageway became unbearable and people starting calling out for help. During these moments, some people can be seen managing to escape the passageway by climbing up the sides, essentially saving their lives.

The video also reveals the answer to the question of whether a barrier was present at the end of the passageway during those moments – stopping the flow of foot traffic and contributing to the disaster. The video shows beyond any doubt that there was no barrier there at the moments of the disaster and nothing was present that prevented the people from entering or leaving the passageway.

Syrian Agent Allegedly Killed by Israeli Sniper Was Tehran’s ‘Man in the Golan’

 

Syrian official Medhat Al-Saleh was allegedly killed on Saturday by Israeli sniper fire, outside his home situated just a few hundred yards from the shared border between the two countries.

The former Israeli security prisoner is believed to have been recruited by Iranian forces to plot terrorist activities with Iranian senior officials along the border against Israel, according to a report by Israel’s Walla news.

Saleh, who spent 12 years in an Israeli prison on terrorism charges before being released in 1997, was allegedly assassinated in the town of Ein al-Tina, near the border with Israel along the slopes of Mount Hermon. The town is located across the border from Majdal Shams, a Druze village in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights in which Saleh was born and raised, and where most of his family still lives.

“Saleh is known to us as a prominent activist. He may have worked to carry out a terrorist attack in collaboration with one of the Shiite axis units,” tweeted Maj. (res.) Tal Beeri, head of the research department at the Alma Center.

The former security prisoner’s proximity to Israel and his home’s short distance from Majdal Shams opened up the possibility of shooting and killing him using a sniper, Walla reported, citing unidentified sources.

Following his release from Israeli prison in the late 1990s, Saleh decided to cross the border and flee to Syria, where he continued his involvement in in anti-Israel terror activities while maintaining contact with the Druze community in Israel. A few years later, he was voted into the Syrian parliament representing Golan Heights affairs.

Over the years Saleh was reported to communicate with his family from the so-called shouting hill, where Syrian civilians stand and send shouting messages to the Israeli side, and which is located near a two-story house he built. According to sources cited by Walla, “whoever wanted to take him out didn’t need too many identifying details, as he was almost two meters tall and fat.”

Jeopardy Contestants Couldn't Answer the "Cholent" Question

 

The contestants on a Jeopardy episode that aired this week were stumped by a photo of cholent, JTA reported.

The photo was a clue in the “Sabbath” category for $400: “Exodus 35:3 bans doing this on the Sabbath, hence the Jewish dish ‘cholent,’ which can go on the stove Friday and cook until Saturday lunch.”

Contestants offered guesses of “What’s cooking?” and “What’s work?” but failed to come up with the specific prohibition the photo was illustrating.

In the end, Mayim Bialik, an Orthodox Jew who is serving as the show’s temporary host, explained the answer: “What is ‘lighting a fire?’ And the word ‘cholent’ is from the French ‘chaud lent,’ [meaning] ‘cooks a long time.’”

The contestants obviously did not brush up on the Lamed Tes Melachos in preparation for the show.

Lev Tahor "Meshigaim" Arrested On Way To Mexico

 

Members of the Lev Tahor cult, who are currently on a mission to travel to Iran, were arrested by Guatemalan authorities on the way to Mexico on two buses.

The cult members, who were prevented from flying out of Guatemala by security authorities about ten days ago, tried to evade the authorities this time by traveling to Mexico, from where they planned to fly to the Kurdistan area and then enter Iran.

A video of the incident shows the cult members on the bus being returned to their place of residence in Guatemala. The sound of small children and babies crying can be heard in the background. The male cult members have apparently tried to disguise their identity by wearing baseball caps with their payos tucked in and regular clothing. The women are wearing Muslim-style head coverings (hijabs, which cover the head and the neck) and aren’t wearing the capes and shawls typically worn by female cult members.

Last week, a Lev Tahor family was caught on video trying to evade authorities in Guatemala’s airport by disguising their affiliation with the cult, with the man dressed in casual clothing and a baseball cap and his wife and children in typical “frum” clothing.

The cult members are being prevented from leaving the country following the intervention of the Israeli Foreign Ministry in cooperation with the US State Department and Canada’s Global Affairs department.

Video Player

In these times... Yeshmoel would have been given great honors

 

Rav Sorotzkin says that these days the Chareidim would never have accepted Avraham Aveenu because his father was Terach, an evil pagen, but Chareidim today would have made a big deal and given honors to Yishamael because, after all, he was the son of Avraham Aveenu.

Upside down world... 

This is what happens when you bury your wife on the side of the road

 

בדרך לקבר רחל

But Racheil still cries for her children, even for the ones fighting on the bus to visit her!

Cantor Boyer Sings "rachel mevakeh"

 

Boro Park Guy Robbed of 1.2 million in Jewelry in Broad Daylight ....

 

The NYPD are searching for clues in a massive brazen daytime jewelry heist.

The robbery occurred in front of 1450 47th Street at around 1:00PM on Friday afternoon – as the streets were packed people doing their Erev Shabbos errands.

The NYPD says two men men swiped $1.2 million worth of jewels from a man sitting in his car. The thieves approached the man and threatened him before making off with a bag of the jewels.

They were seen fleeing in a Ford Taurus with temporary New Jersey license plates.

Surveillance video released by Boro Park Shomrim showed the entire incident unfold over the course of about 20 seconds. Boro Park Shomrim wrote on Twitter that the men were armed, though police could not immediately confirm that information.

The victim can be seen in the driver’s seat as the men walk up to the vehicle and begin reaching inside as puzzled onlookers pass by.

Eventually, the crooks pop the vehicle’s trunk, grab what appears to be the bag of jewels and run off.

ZAKA founder, Yehuda Meshi-Zehav now 'a vegetable,'

 

Rabbi Aharon Baumel, a friend of ZAKA founder Yehuda Meshi-Zahav, spoke about his friend's attempt to end his life after claims that he was a sexual predator went public.

In an interview with 103 FM Radio, Rabbi Baumel said, "I visit him, he's unconscious, poor Yehuda is a vegetable. That's what they say, and that's the situation, and it really hurts my heart."

"He hasn't been forgotten," Rabbi Baumel added. "People are always coming. Even on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) I came to ask him forgiveness, with a quorum of ten. The public is constantly asking. He's a public figure who was loved, we can't degrade Yehuda Meshi-Zahav in every issue, or about the fact that he left the ZAKA organization, which is constantly providing help."

About Meshi-Zahav's horrific actions, Rabbi Baumel said, "I was careful to warn the public. In the past five years he's been perfectly righteous. They're talking about stories that happened thirty or forty years ago. A person can repent. People tell me that they don't want [him] in the earth or in heaven. The public has become afraid, people understand that there is judgement and there is a judge, and there's a fear of committing crimes."

New York Slimes Says Mayim Bialik too "pro-Israel" to be a host on Jeopardy .....the NYT Reporter Writing this is Jewish! Her Name? Julia Jacobs

 Mayim Bialik is too pro-Israel to be the host of the television game show “Jeopardy.”

That’s the weird, underlying premise of a recent front-of-the-arts section New York Times news article.

The headline is framed as a question: “Mayim Bialik Wants the ‘Jeopardy!’ Job. Is She ‘Neutral’ Enough?” But the viewpoint is clear enough. Had Bialik expressed any number of conventionally acceptable or New York Times-readership endorsed political opinions — Black Lives Matter, democracy is in danger, Ben & Jerry as exemplars of ethical businessmen, you name it — there’d be no section-front rumination questioning her suitability for the position. The job, is, after all, that of a television game show host, not Middle East peace envoy, moderator of a presidential debate, or anchor on the CBS evening news.

Yet here is the Times: “Bialik — a popular sitcom actor who blogged when blogging was popular, vlogged when vlogging was popular, and now has her own podcast — has long drawn attention, and controversy, with copious public statements of her own… She blogged about donating money to buy bulletproof vests for the Israel Defense Forces.” The Times doesn’t quote a single individual suggesting that that blog post should disqualify Bialik from the “Jeopardy” job. Yet a Times photo cutline identifies her as “Bialik, who has courted controversy by weighing in on hot-button issues online.”

Is it a “hot button” “controversy” to be of the opinion that soldiers of the Jewish state — like those of other national armed forces, like New York City police officers, like even New York Times reporters in war zones — should be protected by body armor? Would Times arts editors or readers prefer instead that the Israel Defense Force soldiers go into battle unprotected from enemy bullets, so that they be slain more easily? Is the opposite view — that Israeli soldiers should be deprived of body armor — the only opinion acceptable for a suitable Times-approved “Jeopardy” host?

The Times contends of Bialik, “her willingness to share her opinions publicly on everything from parenting to the conflict in the Middle East represents a striking departure from the studied neutrality of Trebek.” Also, “Two topics Bialik has often weighed in on publicly are her devotion to Judaism and societal pressure on women’s appearances.”

It’s hard to read this as anything other than singling out a publicly pro-Israel, proudly Jewish woman for Times pressure and scrutiny. The Times reporter whose byline is on the article, Julia Jacobs, is a 2018 graduate of Northwestern University with what a school press release describes as “an ambition to one day report on US-China relations.” Times archives show she has written or contributed to no fewer than nine articles for the paper about “Jeopardy” since August 11. The temptation must be to fit them, or at least this particular one, into game-show-style categories: “I’ll take anti-Israel press bias for $800 — or whatever fee readers are paying these days for a New York Times subscription.”

Ira Stoll was managing editor of the Forward and North American editor of the Jerusalem Post. His media critique, a regular Algemeiner feature, can be found here.

Watch How a Terrorist Gets Captured While "Shmoozing" on Facebook

 

British "Goy" Actor Abused online Because He Played a Jew

 

UK actor Eddie Marsan is speaking up after facing a torrent of online abuse for playing a Jewish character on a TV show.

Marsan portrayed Soly Malinovsky on BBC drama Ridley Road, the story of 62 Group, anti-fascists who fought against the post-war British neo-Nazi movement.

The well known actor is not Jewish but faced abuse for the role, including anti-Semitic and anti-Israel comments, and personal attacks.

“This is relentless, all I did was play a Jew, I dread to think what would’ve happened if I was actually Jewish,” the actor wrote on Thursday on Twitter.

He added: “Thanks for all the kind responses about this but honestly, I’ve been in this game for 30 years & I think I’m the dogs bollocks, I’m fine. But the point is what if I wasn’t. What if I were a young kid just starting out & I had to deal with this level of abuse. It’s unacceptable.”

The actor tweeted examples of the abusive anti-Jewish comments he received, including someone telling him: “Facts are fact Eddie, you are a crap actor and I’ll never watch sh*** with your Apartheid loving bake in it.”

Another user wrote: “Just leaves a bitter taste in the mouth knowing their work on Twitter throwing fake anti-Semitism around to stop a life long anti-racist Jeremy Corbyn & legitimizing [sic] Palestine.”

The actor received thanks on Twitter from Jewish users for standing up to the anti-Jewish bullying.

A user wrote: “The thing is Eddie you can pass … so sorry you have had to put up with this but it makes the adaptation of Ridley Road and your performance more important. This doesn’t go away. There are a lot of racists out there.”

Another wrote: “Thank you Eddie. You’re a wonderful actor & a good friend to the Jewish community.”

And another tweeted that he was a “brilliant actor” and a “mensch.”

“I loved you in Sixty Six. I loved you in Ridley Road. Thank you for being you,” the user wrote.

Karen Pollock, the chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, also voiced her support for Marsan, describing him as a hero.

“It’s shocking, disgusting, exhausting all at once,” Pollock tweeted.

Three from the "Mishmeres ha'Tzneesis" from Berland group Arrested for the kidnapping & Murder of 17 year-old Nissim Shitrit 30 years ago

 

There are groups of people who feel that they are responsible for "tznees" in Israel, most of them belong to "Shuvu Banim" a group that goes around harassing, beating and kidnapping young boys that they feel breach "tznees" halachos, though their own leader Eliezer Berland was caught with his pants down, in middle of the "avoideh", screwing one of his followers, a married woman.

About 30 years ago, this group kidnapped a 17 year-old boy, Nissim Shitrit, who lived in Sanhedria in Yerushalyim and who was learning in a Yeshiva in Ashdod.. they accused him of doing not-tzneesdik things, and so they beat him up, and after he reported that to the police, he went missing, never to be seen again.  Police then determined that the Tznees Police, the  "tzadikkim" kidnapped him and subsequently murdered him.

All in the name of "tzneeas" 

They are also suspected of murdering Avi Edri, in 1990, a yeshiva employee of an un-named yeshiva ; he was out with his wife when they kidnapped him  ..  his body was found brutally beaten!

Two of the "heilige" arrested murder suspects are men and one is a "heilige" rebbetzin ..

Rabbi Eliezer Berland, the leader of the sect, was convicted in 2016 after admitting to two counts of indecent sexual acts and one of sexual assault. 

In June, he was convicted on charges of fraud, exploitation, attempted intimidation, tax offenses and money laundering.

MP David Amess Who Was Murdered by Muslims remembered as a great friend of the British Jewish community and of Israel.

 The UK Jewish community reacted with shock upon learning of the murder of longtime MP Sir David Amess.

Amess, 69, died of his injuries after being stabbed multiple times at a constituency meeting in East London on Friday.

A 25-year old terrorist was arrested on suspicion of murder after armed police charged into the church where the meeting had been taking place. A knife was found at the scene, reported Reuters.

Condolences poured in from a wide spectrum of Jewish community groups who were horrified and expressed their grief.

“We are devastated to hear the news of the murder of Sir David Amess MP. Such violence is an intolerable affront to our democracy and must be met with the full force of the law. We will never forget Sir David’s long and deep friendship to our community. Our hearts go out in profound sorrow to his wife Julia and children Katie, Sarah and David Jr,” Marie van der Zyl, president of the Board of Deputies, said in a statement.

The Jewish Leadership Council tweeted: “We are shocked by the news that Sir David Amess MP has passed away. He always had a very strong and warm relationship with his local Jewish community. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.”

The Community Security Trust said they were "shocked and saddened.

"Our thoughts and condolences are with his family at such a terrible time," they wrote.

As we usher in Shabbat this afternoon, we will have the family of Sir David Amess MP in our prayers," UK Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said. "Such an attack on an elected parliamentarian is an attack on the whole country. May he his memory be for a blessing.”

United Synagogue CEO Steven Wilson said that “the news of the murder of Sir David Amess is horrific and chilling."

"Democracy is a cherished right and one we can never take for granted," Wilson said. "I know all US members and colleagues will join me in sending condolences to Sir David’s family who are in our prayers.”

The All Party Parliamentary Group Against Antisemitism said it was “devastated to learn of the death of our friend and colleague Sir David Amess MP."

They added: "A long-standing and active member of the APPG Against Antisemitism, he was an excellent public servant. He will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with his friends and family.”

Conservative Friends of Israel called Amess "a hugely popular and respected MP and a great friend of Israel."

Noting that he was a "parliamentary officer of CFI in the 1990s," the group was "deeply saddened by the news" of his death, and said that "parliament will be a lesser place without him."

"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends. His memory should be a blessing," they said in a statement.

Besides his longtime relationship with the Jewish community, Amess led a lengthy campaign to have a statue of Raoul Wallenberg erected for his work saving thousands of Jews during the Holocaust. The statue eventually was put up next to the Western Marble Arch Synagogue in 1997.

He also signed the Holocaust Educational Trust’s book of commitment in Parliament.

Israeli authorities prevent Lev Tahor members from reaching Iran

 

Israeli authorities have thwarted an attempt by around 150 members of the Lev Tahor cult to flee to an area near the Iran-Iraq border, Asharq Al-Awsat reported.

According to the Middle East Monitor, "dozens" of families in the cult were prevented from fleeing to Iran, where they had applied for asylum.

Kikar Hashabbat reported that at least three people left the main Lev Tahor group and moved to another location in Guatemala, due to concerns over entering Iran.

One of Lev Tahor's leaders told Kikar Hashabbat, "We will yet reach Iran, because in Guatemala, they are chasing after us."

Last week, families from Lev Tahor were seen in an airport, attempting to leave for Iran. According to the reports, the families' heads told security officials at the airport that they want to leave the country because they feel persecuted. The families also explained that due to their troubles in Guatemala, they plan to request asylum from Iran, but the airport security officials did not allow them to board the plane.

Orit Cohen, whose brother is part of the Lev Tahor cult, told 103 FM Radio that there are approximately 150 children, some of whom are not registered since they were born into the cult.

"No one knows, they have no passports, they switch their identities, names, and passports. Fourteen-year-old girls give birth," she told the radio station.

Cohen added, "Our families are trapped, they have no possibility of contacting us. We're all very worried about them, because this will be final."

Apple Scared of the Chinese Remove App for the Quran

 

Apple has removed a popular Quran app from its Chinese app store at the behest of state censors, according to the company behind the app. 

Quran Majeed — a reader app for the Muslim sacred text with nearly one million users in China — was removed from Apple’s Chinese app store at the request of the Cyberspace Administration of China, the app’s developer told The Post on Friday. 

It’s unclear exactly why Chinese authorities allegedly asked Apple to remove the app, but the country’s government is known to discriminate against Muslims. China has demolished mosques, imprisoned Uighur Muslims in detention camps and allegedly forced Muslim women to undergo abortions in what some of the country’s critics say is a campaign of genocide. 

Apple did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the app’s removal, which was first reported by the BBC. 

“Quran Majeed app was removed from the China app store,” said Hasan Shafiq Ahmed, a spokesperson for the Pakistan-based developer behind the app, in an email to The Post. “Apple advised us to contact the Cyberspace Administration of China.” 

“We are trying to get in touch with [cyberspace administration] and relevant Chinese authorities to move forward so Quran Majeed app can be restored,” he added. 

Bill Gates's Daughter Marries Nassar a Muslim

 

Bill and Melinda Gates walked with their daughter, Jennnifer, late Saturday afternoon ahead of her lavish nuptials at her Westchester County horse farm. 

She reportedly had already tied the knot with Nayel Nassar in a Muslim ceremony Friday night.