Not even in the re-cycling Bin?
“I don’t speak because I have the power to speak; I speak because I don’t have the power to remain silent.” Rav Kook z"l
Thursday, January 13, 2022
Former MK indicted for ‘walking too slowly’ on Temple Mount
Former Knesset member and right-wing activist Yehuda Glick was slapped with an indictment by the Israeli police on Wednesday, over an incident in which security forces allege he “walked too slowly” during a visit to the Temple Mount.
According to Hebrew language media, Glick has been banned from the holiest site in Judaism until further notice.
The incident over which he is now facing criminal charges began when Glick allegedly “walked too slowly, contrary to police instructions” at the Temple Mount in February 2020.
Police say that Glick had left his original tour group in order to spend more time at the site, and refused to join another tour group. Security policies at the Temple Mount require that Jewish visitors tour the compound in a group, accompanied by armed guards.
When Glick declined to join another organized group and continued to walk around the site, he was detained by police.
At the police station, he then allegedly removed police documents, including a memo about his conduct at the site, from an interrogator’s desk while the detective left the room.
Because of this action, police say, he should be charged with obstructing the course of an investigation.
In September 2021, Glick was turned away from the entrance gate at the Temple Mount and was told he was banned from the site, but not given an explanation as to why.
It’s unclear why the Israeli police waited nearly two years to indict Glick over the alleged theft of police documents.
Several right-wing NGOS have come to Glick’s defense, charging that the police ban and indictment are politically-motivated.
Tom Nisani, CEO of Beyadenu, which supports the rights of Jews to pray and visit the Temple Mount, said the potential charges against Glick were not made in the interest of public safety.
“Beyadenu opposes the indictment against former Knesset member Yehuda Glick, which stems from a desire to silence, persecute, and limit paths for those who dare to fight for the rights of Jews on the Temple Mount,” Nisani said.
“We are Yehuda, we are with you, and with everyone who is persecuted by the police. We will continue to fight for the Temple Mount.”
Sfardie Rabbi: Those Police that issue tickets will be reincarnated into a Mouse
הרב אברג'יל
כל שוטר שנותן דו"ח יתגלגל בעכבר
Homeless man is good for nothing
Shocking surveillance video shows a good Samaritan getting walloped on a Midtown sidewalk Wednesday morning after he gives a homeless man his coat.
The twisted turn of events began when the 59-year-old victim tried to help Xavier Israel, 25, who was lying on a sidewalk in front of 476 5th Ave. at about 8:40 a.m., according to sources.
Moments after the victim gently covers Israel with his jacket, Israel shoots to his feet and appears to push the man to the ground before snatching the wallet from his back pants pocket, according to footage obtained by The Post.
The victim tries in vain to retrieve his wallet, but the suspect punches him and throws him back to the ground, the video shows.
Israel fled the scene but was arrested a short time later on West 41st St. and 5th Ave., sources said.
Witnesses told police that Israel stuffed cash inside his pants and officers recovered nearly $1,500 from him, according to sources.
Israel was hit with several charges, including assault, robbery and grand larceny, sources said.
The victim refused medical attention on scene.
Wednesday’s attack marked the second time in less than a week that Israel allegedly turned on a good Samaritan.
On Saturday, outside of a building on East 81st Street in the Upper East Side, Israel is accused of pummeling a 49-year-old woman who wanted to give assistance, sources said.
The woman fell to the ground and sustained a cut to her elbow, according to sources. Israel was arrested, charged with assault and released on a desk appearance ticket, sources said.
Israel allegedly assaulted two more victims – a man and a woman – on Jan. 2 inside of Central Park, according to sources.
He is accused of randomly punching the 18-year olds as they sat on a rock inside the green space.
Israel was also busted for the Central Park incident and charged with assault, sources said.
Wednesday, January 12, 2022
Yad Vashem puts records of Holocaust victims online
New York Jewish Week via JTA — In a boon for scholars and amateur researchers, records from Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust museum, are now publicly available through JewishGen, the largest online Jewish genealogy resource of its kind.
The agreement announced Tuesday by Yad Vashem and New York’s Museum of Jewish Heritage/A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, an affiliate of JewishGen, provides easy access to millions of names commemorated in Yad Vashem’s database.
Bnei-Brak Youth are leaving the fold in the thousands
We are losing hundreds and hundreds of children going on drugs, killing themselves .
Just today a child killed himself in Williamsburg and according to a Chareidie askan, this is a going trend. This askan claims that it is far worse in Israel by those raised in Meah Shearim and by the Toldos Avram Yitzchok Chassidius. He states that the boys and girls frustrated with their restrictive lives are killing themselves. I will post an audio by this askan soon.
The Chareidie leadership is blaming this on the internet, on lack of tznees, and the smartphones. They have yet to address this and as long as they don't this will continue ..
The video below discusses the Bnei-Brak Teenagers that are roaming the streets by the thousands.
Hamas Claims they are being targeted by Israeli Dolphins
Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas terrorist organization which controls the Gaza Strip, claimed on Monday that the organization's naval unit captured "an Israeli military dolphin that was equipped (with weapons) to attack the fighter fighters of the resistance (Hamas)."
A video released by Al-Qassam Brigades showed a device bearing weapons that, according to Hamas' military wing, had been installed on the back of the captured dolphin.
The video also went over the activities of Hamas operational missions, including extracting a large number of bombs aboard a British ship that sank off the coast of Gaza.
Charedi Protesters Shut Down TV Shoot, Shouting “Shaygitz” and other Slurs
פרסום ראשון: צילומי הסדרה ״מלאך משחית״ של כאן 11 הופסקו בעקבות הפגנה המונית של חרדים בירושלים. המשטרה התערבה ובהפקה אומרים: ״חששנו מלינצ׳״. פרסום ראשון pic.twitter.com/CYORIeBpB1
— Eran Swissa (@EranSwissa) January 11, 2022
Production of a new television series by the Kan Corporation was abruptly halted, following a mass demonstration by Charedi extremists.
The new drama, “Malach HaMashchis” (Angel of Destruction), was being filmed at a printing house in the Geula neighborhood on Tuesday. According to a report in Yisrael Hayom, dozens of extremist demonstrators lined up outside the production area, shouting “Shaygitz” and “Jewish outcasts” at the actors and crew.
Producers shut down the shoot immediately and say that they are moving production to another more amenable neighborhood.
The crew said that they feared they would be lynched by the angry mob
Police were called to the scene, and the production crew decided to halt filming and dismantle the set, despite a financial loss of tens of thousands of shekels.
The production company released the following statement:
“Due to an intense demonstration which erupted near the set today in Jerusalem, our production crew was forced to halt and evacuate the set despite the high cost incurred, because the safety and well-being of crew members is our top priority. Production will be resumed in a new location.”
Tuesday, January 11, 2022
Sheryl Ring a dumb Jewish Yenta says Jews Should Stop referring themselves as "the Tribe"
I don't know who needs to hear this, but if an Indigenous person asks us not to refer to Jews as "the Tribe" we should respect that, especially given the origins of the term probably aren't what you think.
— Sheryl Ring, antipoverty lawyer (@Ring_Sheryl) January 10, 2022
What a blithering idiot!
Read the replies some are very witty and funny
This is the way Alexander the Great Looked Like . He is the King that met with Shimon Hatzaddik
Photorealistic representation of Alexander the Great (r. 336-323 BC) as he may have appeared in life.
— Archaeo - Histories (@archeohistories) January 11, 2022
Reconstruction is based on archaeological evidence including busts, coin portraits and statuary, as well as descriptions of Alexander in historical accounts.
📷 Arienne King pic.twitter.com/2kPa3ppBS9
He is only days in office and the New Mayor of New York allows non-citizens to vote
The Chareidim influence just went into the trash as the "non-citizens" are not going to vote the way Chareidim want!
American elections should be decided by American citizens!https://t.co/ipGP8d0Xjh
— GOP (@GOP) January 11, 2022
Shlomo Werdiger Shows Will That "supposedly " Names Gerer Rebbe , Gerer Rebbe
It is proof that he wanted the Pnei Menachem as Rebbe after him (known fact).
BUT not that Reb Yaakov Aryeh can't ever be Rebbe.
He writes, that on this particular subject the decision is on the Gerer Rebbe, meaning whoever it is at the helm at the time, be it his brother the Pnei Menachem or son Reb Y aakov Arye or even Reb Shaul Alter
I don't think there is a Gerer Chusid out there that disputes the fact that the Gerer Rebbe's father Reb Simcha Bunim wanted his son to succeed him.
The Will does not make the present Rebbe R' Yaakov Aryeh the Rebbe. Chassidim are arguing that after R' Simcha Bunim was nifter the Rebbistiveh should have reverted back to the Pnei Menachem's son who is R' Shaul Alter.
But Shlomo is not the sharpest blade in the drawer! You can have a lot of money but you still cannot buy brains! The will proves nothing! Back to the civil war!
בוםםםםם!!!
— גערער וואטסאפ (@gurWhatsApp) January 11, 2022
צוואת רבינו הלב שמחה!!!
יעקב אריה אלתר אינו האדמו"ר מגור!!! pic.twitter.com/dFbZrKRItm
The Smallest Sefer Torah in the World
קלענסטע ספר תורה pic.twitter.com/bCL0rdDM3E
— Hasidic_3 (@Hasidic_3) January 11, 2022
Israeli team trains goldfish to drive
Move over, mudskippers. It turns out that goldfish, well-known dwellers of water, can in fact navigate on land. Israeli researchers have found that goldfish, when properly trained with food treats and provided with a suitable platform that includes the requisite water bath, can control a vehicle.
A team of researchers at Ben-Gurion University developed what they call an FOV — a fish-operated vehicle — that is fitted with lidar, a remote sensing technology that uses pulsed laser light to collect data on the vehicle's ground location and the fish's whereabouts inside a mounted water tank. Add a computer, camera, electric motors and omni-directional wheels to give the fish control of the vehicle and voila: a fish that can "drive" a car.
Surprisingly, it doesn't take the fish a long time to learn how to drive the vehicle. They're confused at first. They don't know what's going on but they're very quick to realize that there is a correlation between their movement and the movement of the machine that they're in," said researcher Shachar Givon.
The researchers have so far taught six goldfish to pilot the vehicle. Each of them were provided around 10 driving lessons. And each time one of them reached a target set by the researchers, it was rewarded with food.
And, as is the case with humans, it turns out t
Emma Watson actress of Harry Potter is right about Palestinians being enslaved
She's right.
The territories where the Palestinian Arabs live are indeed enslaved. They deserve to be freed from the tyrannical rule of their oppressors – Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.
The actress, best known for her role as Hermione Granger in the "Harry Potter" films, set off a firestorm in the world of social media this week with her Instagram post showing "Free Palestine!" banners and expressing "solidarity" with them. Hopefully, her declaration will stimulate a serious conversation about the cruel occupation that the international community has been ignoring.
The details concerning Hamas and the PA, which I cite here, are all quoted from the latest reports by two strongly pro-Palestinian groups: Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. These are not "Israeli allegations." They are what the Palestinian Arabs' most vocal supporters are saying about the two Arab regimes that rule over 98% of the Palestinian Arabs.
Israel’s Daily Cases Skyrocket To Over 30,000, IDF To Assist Hospitals
IDF troops deployed to Haifa to fight in the war against COVID |
In what is becoming a daily occurrence, Israel reached a new record high number of coronavirus cases on Monday, with the Health Ministry confirming 21,501 cases among those who took PCR tests and another 10,000 who took antigen tests.
The test positivity rate also increased, standing at 13.3% on Monday. The number of seriously ill patients rose to 224 and the number of fatalities increased by 10, to 8,269.
There are currently 19 pregnant women and new mothers hospitalized with COVID, including one who is attached to an ECMO machine.
The majority of cities in Israel are currently “red.”
Abou 2,6500 medical personnel are currently in quarantine, of whom almost 2,000 tested positive for COVID. Health Ministry Director-General Prof. Nachman Ash said on Monday that IDF soldiers, paramedics and nursing students will be sent to hospitals to assist medical personnel.
Meanwhile, the number of COVID cases in the IDF has soared by five times in one week to over 5,000 cases on Monday. There are also 6,231 soldiers, officers and civilian employees currently in quarantine.
Monday, January 10, 2022
An Israeli restaurant in New Jersey becomes the target of the dumb #FreePalestine movement
Negatively reviewing a Jewish owned restaurant in the diaspora wont free Palestine! Just Saying!
Yalla people, let's get Yalla back up to a 4.6 and beyond, we can do this, keep sharing and rating let's help our brothers in teaneck out pic.twitter.com/3AjwZQ88eR
— ay (@aimhumor) January 10, 2022
How a Jewish Waiter changed the life of a black Teenager
Sidney Poitier, who passed away this weekend at age 94, chokes up as he tells CBS News Lesley Stahl about the elderly Jewish waiter who taught him to read, enabling his acting career to take off.
Frum Resha'im
When Chaim Walder killed himself, the awareness of his terrible crimes had not yet become too overwhelming for anyone to deny. As is well known, there were various significant people and institutions maintaining his innocence (either because they genuinely believed it, or because they figured that they could get away with such a pretense).
In the notorious obituary printed in Yated Ne'eman, it describes Walder's greatness in his Torah studies. As a child in Talmud Torah, he was known for being "blessed with talent," then in Mishkan Yaakov he was "greatly beloved to the Rosh Yeshivah." He then graduated to the famous Kol Torah yeshivah, where he "grew to glory." Then in Knesses Chizkiyahu he was "drawn to the deep shiurim of the Rosh Yeshiva."
A week later, Rabbi Moshe Meiselman claims that Walder "did not have much of a yeshiva background," didn't do well in either Kol Torah or Knesses Chizkiyahu, had "very little knowledge of Torah" and was not successful in yeshiva.
Well, which is it?
How a Rav and Poisik in the Chareidie Extremist movement and a father of 6 went off the derech
Unless the Chareidie movement starts changing rapidly, this will be the beginning of the end! Sorry the interviews is in Hebrew
HaRav Moshe Shternbuch Rules "Get Rid of Walder Books"
Rav Shernbuch further conveyed orally that the obituaries on Walder published in the Charedi press [in Eretz Yisroel] constitute a CHILLUL HASHEM as were the hespedim that were given. He (Walder) is a מאבד עצמו לדעת [and should not have been given them].
5 Shvat 5782
In regard to the question of the masses as to whether it is permitted to hold on to the books of Chaim Walder, I am responding [as follows]:
Who ever wishes that his sons and daughters be raised in the path of Torah and fear of Heaven, should not retain any of his books, neither in his home nor in his possessions. For the ru’ach of the aforementioned author is contained in his books, and one may not read them.
And that which some are publicizing that one should explain to children that it is permitted to hold onto his books, Chash v’Shalom (Heaven forbid) to say such a thing, as Rabbis and Dayanim have ruled that it is forbidden to read his books and it is a Mitzvah to listen to the words of Chachomim.
[The aforementioned words do not apply to the sons and daughters of the author, they have received a proper chinuch in Yeshivos and houses of Chinuch and heaven forbid to hurt them.]
One who prays for much Divine Mercy,
Fortunate are you Israel, who raise their sons and daughters in holiness and purity!
!אשריכם ישראל שמחנכים בניהם ובנותיהם בקדושה ובטהרה
[Rabbi} Moshe Shternbuch
Sunday, January 9, 2022
Yiddish Blogger Discusses Chareidie Men that Sexually Abuse Their Baby Sitters and the prevalent incest in the community
דער חורבן פון בייביסיטערס אין חרדישע הייזער
I decided not to translate this because it's nauseating, but it seems from his podcast that the crap is going to hit the fan sooner than later!
98-year-old Rosh Yeshiva R' Gershon Edelstein diagnosed with COVID after receiving 4th vaccine dose.
Rabbi Gershon Edelstein, one of the leaders of Israel's haredi community, has been diagnosed with the coronavirus.
Rabbi Edelstein, who is 98 years old, received a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine over the weekend, people close to him said. This morning, he felt unwell and received a test for the coronavirus, which came back with a positive result.
Rabbi Edlerstein is the Rosh Yeshiva of the Ponevezh Yeshiva and the spiritual leader of the Degel HaTorah party.
Last night, the Health Ministry reported that 31,000 people had tested positive for the coronavirus. There was also an increase in the number of patients in serious condition.
Dr. Sharon Alroy Preis, the head of public health services at the Health Ministry, said last night that the government is considering shortening the quarantine period for people suspected of contracting the coronavirus, but no decision has been made yet.
Ami Doubles Down On It's Outragious Lie That the Israeli Government Wants to Close Down Rav Zamir Cohen's Yeshiva Because It is Doing Kiruv
On Dec 25 we reported the unmitigated lie that Yitzchok Frankfurter the publisher of Ami Magazine propagated. In that article Yitzy interviews Rav Zamir Cohen the rabbi of a Kiruv organization called "Hitabroot." An organization that gets funds from the Zionist State of Israel.
US Representative Andy Levin a Damn Liar!
#MI11 - this libelous claim, immediately disproved, has never been retracted. How many innocent Jews were targeted because of Andy Levin’s careless, lying words? https://t.co/2lnt86ReaE
— AdinaZ 🇺🇸🇮🇱🤌🏼 (@lackboys3) January 7, 2022
Who is Rabbi David Rosenthal that is Harrassing a Married Woman?
Today, self care means emailing an esteemed rabbi and demanding that he stand by his words pic.twitter.com/8xS71gsYOU
— Dr. Hannah Lebovits (@HannahLebovits) January 6, 2022
New Campaign to Confront Abusers in Public and Shame Them
" I don't really have the words this morning to describe what is happening.
Lubav Chassan Sobs While Reciting "Yechi Adoneinu Melech Hamashiach"
מלך המשיח לעולם ועד pic.twitter.com/y0rOkdNKZl
— Hasidic_3 (@Hasidic_3) January 7, 2022
The Jew Hating BBC Network Now demands identities of Jewish teens it libeled
The BBC has demanded that the victims of an antisemitic attack on a bus carrying Jewish teenagers reveal their identities before it responds to a complaint about its coverage of the incident, the Jewish Chronicle reported.
Video footage from the incident, which occurred during the Hanukkah holiday, shows the young men yelling antisemitic abuse and threats at the open-top bus, while also attempting to smash its windows and spitting at it. and others made Nazi salutes.
Some of them also took off a shoe and hit the bus with it, which is an insult in Arab culture, as the bottom of the shoe is considered unclean.
The OU Response To Recent Events That Shook Klal Yisroel
The Chaim Walder saga that has unfolded over the past weeks has created upheaval across the Jewish world, as it must. Walder was one of those profoundly sick people who built trust in order to exploit it in manipulative and destructive ways, shattering an entire community’s sense of trust.
There has been a flood of responses to this tragedy. Some of those responses demonstrate a severe lack of understanding of sexual abuse, highlighting the work that remains to be done on abuse prevention, discovery of victims, and response to perpetrators. And many voices have spoken clearly to the issue, bringing to the fore the growing number of individuals who can be turned to and organizations that are doing real work in this critical area.
Leaning Calif skyscraper is tilting 3 inches per year as engineers rush to implement fix
The engineer trying to stabilize the Millennium Tower, a luxury residential skyscraper in San Francisco that is sinking into the ground and now leaning over two feet off of center, said the building is now tilting three inches per year.
Structural engineer Ronald O. Hamburger made the comments Thursday at a city hearing in which he pitched an updated fix for the building's foundation, NBC Bay Area reported.
The 58-story, 645-foot tall tower — opened to residents in 2009 — is now tilting 26 inches north and west at Fremont and Mission Streets in the heart of San Francisco’s financial district, the NBC News affiliate reported.
Friday, January 7, 2022
Frustrated by Charedi leadership response to Walder scandal, Orthodox activists look to change how rape accusations are handled.
On Friday morning, most of the people bustling through Beit Shemesh, a town in central Israel with a large haredi Orthodox population, were getting ready for Shabbat. Shoshanna Keats-Jaskoll had a different mission.
Keats-Jaskoll was handing out flyers with messages of support for victims of sexual abuse, in a public display of solidarity at the end of a wrenching week in many Orthodox communities.
At the beginning of the week, Chaim Walder, a celebrated haredi Orthodox children’s book author in Israel, died by suicide after being accused by numerous children and young women of sexual abuse. The Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Israel visited Walder’s family. Then, on Thursday, one of Walder’s alleged victims, Shifra Horovitz, also died by suicide, her friends saying she had been distraught by the response to his death.
For Keats-Jaskoll, a cofounder of the Israeli advocacy organization Chochmat Nashim, which fights extremism and sexism in the Orthodox community, and for many other Orthodox women, the litany called for a coordinated, public response. So she, who is Orthodox but not haredi, and a network of haredi activists and volunteers printed 350,000 flyers and passed them out in haredi areas before Shabbat.
Rav Moshe Meiselman: Walder is a Rasha Merusha,' Evil Personified"
Rabbi Moshe Meiselman, the Rosh Yeshiva of Toras Moshe in Yerushalayim, spoke at length about the Chaim Walder case. His comments were nothing short of explosive.
The Rosh Yeshiva said that Walder was a “rasha merusha, absolutely without question.” He added that in addition to his years of abusing people, the fact that he took his own life renders him a murderer.
He said that over fifteen years ago, Rav Moshe Mordechai Shulzinger of Bnei Brak said that Walder was chashud of transgressing all aveiros in the Torah, including the three severe sins of murder, inappropriate relations, and idolatry.
He said that when Walder once requested a meeting with Rav Shmuel Auerbach zt”l, he was not allowed in, because the Rav felt that Walder was a rasha who would twist his words around. Some said it was well-known in Bnei Brak circles that Walder was guilty of the now infamous allegations.
The Rosh Yeshiva spoke sharply against the claim that Bais Din did not have the right to embarrass Walder in public, or that they were guilty of lashon hara.
He said that a respected Bais Din heard testimony from 22 people, and the Rambam says that if there are continuous rumors that someone is evil, first you need to confirm there is a basis for the claims, and then you can embarrass and humiliate him. You can say to his mother, “Look at this disgusting person you gave birth to.”
The Rosh Yeshiva said, “What about his mother’s feelings? Too bad. This person is dangerous.”
He added that the Rambam clearly does not require two witnesses in such a scenario, contrary to the rhetoric of some skeptics in the aftermath of this story.
He also observed that when some people suggested Walder’s suicide was justifiable, that led one victim who was trauamatzed by Walder’s defenders to tragically take her own life, because it was implied by some that the suicide was justifiable.
The Rosh Yeshiva said that If someone is falsely accused of something, the normal response would be to defend himself, not commit suicide.
Rav Meiselman said, “A certain Rosh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak repeated some of the stupidity, and a group of bochurim responded, ‘What about the victims? You don’t know the facts.’”
Rav Meiselman continued with harsh words: “So shut up if you don’t know [the facts].”
He said that his son did not allow Walder’s books into his house for years, because he felt they were not the proper hashkafa. For example, in 15 children’s books, he does not mention the Ribbono Shel Olam once, which is highly suspicious.
Rav Meiselman added that he knows a therapist who never took a female patient, because he would need to develop an emotional connection which is inappropriate. In addition, the therapist-patient relationship gives the therapist too much power over the patient.
He said that Walder did not learn in yeshiva very long and was not successful there, plus he went to the army, which elite bochurim don’t do. Yet he was a genius at manipulating public opinion as well as creating a false image of himself. He did not have a therapy license, and took advantage of naive people. To protect himself, Walder became the head of the organization in Bnei Brak in charge of evaluating abuse threats.
Addressing the question of whether one should read Walder’s books, the Rosh Yeshiva said, “To use an extreme example, if Adolf Hitler had written good children’s books, you would be disgusted.”
He closed his remarks by saying that this behavior comes from rampant exposure to pritzus. We are so exposed to pritzus everywhere, it keeps inching us closer to aveiros and gets worse and worse. When we have devices, you have to be the tzaddik hador not to be nichshal, and even the tzaddik hador needs to have syugim to protect himself.
NEW IRS CRACKDOWN: Biden’s New Rules Force Venmo, PayPal, Cash App to Report Transactions
Under orders from President Biden, the IRS is cracking down on payments Americans receive through third-party apps and is now requiring Venmo, PayPal, and Cash App to report transactions if they exceed $600 in a single year.
The new rules are intended to allow the federal government to snoop on small businesses and ensure that they are paying every penny of their required tax payments.
While businesses were always required to self-report such income to the IRS, many don’t keep records of small transactions, thus giving the IRS room to say that they need to step in.
Payment apps were previously required to send users 1099-K forms if their gross income was either more than $20,000 or if they had more than 200 transactions in one year.
Republicans have sharply criticized the new rules, saying that the last people who need to have the government’s noose tightened further around their necks are those that are already struggling to keep their businesses afloat.