Florida attorney who opposed state helmet law dies in motorcycle crash while not wearing one

 

Friends are speaking out after a Florida attorney who fought state helmet laws died in a motorcycle crash while not wearing one.

Ron Smith, an experienced rider, was killed on Aug. 20 after he lost control of his motorcycle and crashed into a utility trailer. His girlfriend, Brenda Volpe, was his passenger and also died.

"He was a guy that you went to for advice," Gary Pruss told the Tampa Bay Times.

The pair met through a group called the American Legion in Old Town.

Smith was traveling on U.S. 19 North in Pinellas County when he began to slow down to traffic, lost control of his motorcycle and skid on the roadway, the Florida Highway Patrol wrote in an accident report. His bike rotated "in a clockwise motion, overturning onto its left side" and collided with the left side and wheel of the utility trailer.

Smith, 66, was pronounced dead at the scene. Volpe, 62, died hours later at a hospital.

A medical examiner said Smith and Volpe died from head trauma, the Times reported. The office did not immediately return a request for comment on Wednesday.

The accident report noted that neither was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, although it is unknown whether one would have prevented their deaths.

Smith had spent over a decade fighting Florida laws that required the use of helmets, according to the Tampa Bay Times. He represented a number of clients who violated state motorcycle requirements in court cases that have been credited with helping to overturn the helmet law.

The current law states that anyone over the age of 21 can ride without headgear as long as they have at least $10,000 in insurance coverage "for injuries incurred as a result of a crash while operating or riding on a motorcycle."

Dave Newman, a friend, told the newspaper that Smith loved his independence and did not like being told what to do.

"He thought everybody should have their own choice," he said.

In one court case from 1996, Smith represented a man who was ticketed for riding his motorcycle without a helmet in Madeira Beach, according to the Times, citing a Tampa Tribune article. As a result of the case, the Pinellas Sheriff’s Office briefly stopped enforcing the state’s helmet law after a judge dismissed the person's citation. The judge based the decision on another case that Smith fought in which it was ruled that Florida's law was unconstitutional.

At the time, Smith told the Tribune that he got on his bike and went "looking

Frum Jews Watching if Skver Will Vote for pro LGBT and Lawlessness Candidates after Biden Call

 

Read some comments about this Skver-Biden episode

Seen enough and won't be silenced

 14 hours ago

When these Rebbe’s endorse a toaiva candidate, like both Satmars openly endorsing the baby killer toaiva Kathy Hochul, I lose respect for them. They become lower in my eyes. If they anger Hashem and Hashem hates them, so do I. There are no excuses for actions that anger HKB”H. There is no dan licaf zchus garbage, when the kavod of the Borei Olam is at stake. They may have thousands of followers, but that means NOTHING in HKB”H’ eyes. Chillul Shem shomayim.

ah yid

 7 hours ago

I can’t speak about local politics. However, one thing I will say after last night’s debate is anyone that endorses or votes for Hochul is a total fool. I watched the debate on You Tube I was shocked there were hundreds of comments almost every single one in support of Zelden. If the chasidishe mosdos endorse Hochul after the SED yeshiva debacle, then I lost all my respect for these useful idiots. Perhaps then Moster is right. The chasidim need an education. Let’s hope these mosdos don’t openly endorse Hochul.

LaChaim

 9 hours ago

Dear ADMOR Harav Dovid Twerski SHLITA;

Please think about NYS Jewery & klal yisrael as whole vs your Choshuve Shtetl. Look at the current government actions as a whole as far as Toeiva, murder & crime, …and all the 7 Noahide violations from this week’s Parsha. Think of the NYS covid lockdowns & mandate missery and government actions targeted specifically at the Jewish Community.
I know you may be thinking this connection may come in handy in case one your Kehila members get into trouble. I know it worked with the Clintons and your Chasidim are indeed lucky to have you as their Rebbe. You acted the way a most caring father would do so for a child. However, I implore of you to think beyond that and for the chinuch & safety of the rest of our children. In that zchus may Kehila always be protected and may we merit the Geula Shleima, Amen.

Love;
Yosef ben Avrohom Yaakov

ah yid

 6 hours ago

Please read this Satmar, Skver and any mosdos that thinks flattery will help THEIR pocketbooks. This what the Ben Yehyodah (The Ben Ish Chai) says about flattery Sotah 42:
כָּל אָדָם שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ חֲנוּפָּה נוֹפֵל בַּגֵּיהִנָּם (ישעיה ה, כ). נראה לי בא ללמד אפילו הוא תלמיד חכם דאין גיהנם שולט בו קל וחומר מסלמנדרא כדאיתא בחגיגה (חגיגה כז.) עם כל זה לא תגין עליו תורה בזה אלא יהיה נופל בגיהנם! ורמז לדבר חֹנֶף [138] עולה מספר לַגֵּיהִנֹּם [138] ולזה אמר כל אדם רוצה לומר אפילו תלמיד חכם. אי נמי לומר אפילו עני הוא והוצרך להחניף בשביל פרנסתו.
ומה שאמר אֵין תְּפִלָּתוֹ נִשְׁמַעַת נראה לי בס”ד מדה כנגד מדה, הפה הוא שערי תפלה וכיון דחטא בפה בחנופה נסתמו לו שערי תפלה.
ועוד נראה לי בס”ד על פי מה שאמר הרמ”ז [הרב משה זכות] ז”ל יחוד התפלה הוא מספר חן [58] כזה ‘ו־ה וה־י והה־י’ [58] וכתב לכן התפלה נקראת בשם חן כמה דאת אמרת וָאֶתְחַנַּן אֶל הֳ’ (דברים ג, כג) עיין שם. נמצא התפלה היא סוד חן בפה ולכן עון חנופה גורם דאין תפלתו נשמעת.

 Reply to  Educated Archy

In order to be a true leader whether in business or being a rebbe you have to true to your principles. Flattery may seem to help but when you’re down these politicians will kick you in the back. I’m certain they won’t help with the SED either. I for one will have lost all my respect for any mosod that openly endorses Hochul. My hope is that what happened in Lakewood will happen here. In Lakewood the vaad supported the democrat while the citizens of Lakewood voted for the Republican

For 5,000 Shekel Donation You can Sit Next to the Admitted Rapist Berland

 

Heimishe Guy Buys 2 Pumpkins and Places them at Front Door and "Poof" Gets Rid of Schnorrers

 

Biden Calls New UK Prime Minister "Rashi" ... Baalei Tosfos Very Upset

 

Joe Biden on Monday hailed the expected appointment of Britain's first non-white prime minister as a 'groundbreaking milestone,' but failed to pronounce his name correctly.

Biden, speaking at a White House event to mark the Indian holiday of Diwali, said Rishi Sunak, who is also of Indian descent, is expected to be named prime minister today after seeing King Charles.

But the President stumbled over Sunak's name, making several failed attempts before calling him 'Rashee Sanook' - the latest in a long line of gaffes that will only fuel widespread speculation of his declining mental state.

Lee Zeldin brings the fight to Gov. Hochul, decisively wins only NY governor debate

 

If Gov. Hochul was going to give him only one debate, Rep. Lee Zeldin wasn’t going to waste a second making nice. The Republican challenger brought the fight and focus that he has displayed on the campaign trail and scored a decisive victory Tuesday night.

This wasn’t a knockout, but a victory on points because he made specific and realistic promises to improve life in New York. Hochul, meanwhile, mostly played defense.

Even when she played it well, she never really laid out a vision of what four more years would like and how they would be different from now.

In an election where voters all across the spectrum demand big changes, any hint that you are satisfied with the status quo is a loser, and that’s why she failed.

The debate was lively from the start, with Zeldin looking over-caffeinated and Hochul nervous. The moderators did a good job of peppering them with substantive questions and controlling the clock.

John Fetterwoman debate was painful and shameful — he is physically incapable of being a Senator

 

Eleven years ago, Texas Gov. Rick Perry destroyed his bid for the presidency when he said in a debate that he had three examples of something and then could only remember two.

That’s all it took — and rightly so. Debates afford voters a rare chance to see politicians under pressure having to think on their feet and respond to unexpected events.

I’ve never seen anything like the Pennsylvania Senate debate between John Fetterman and Mehmet Oz on Tuesday night, and I hope never to have to see anything like it ever again. It was horrible. I didn’t think I would ever experience a moment as painful in the midst of a political campaign as the Perry moment, but that was like watching Pavarotti sing “Nessun Dorma” compared to this.

The stroke that Fetterman himself said “knocked” him down at the debate’s outset has impaired him. Full stop. Don’t believe anyone who even tries to tell you different, and you should probably not trust any such person to tell you whether you need an umbrella because you don’t know whether it’s raining.

Seeing Fetterman struggle to answer simple questions and form simple sentences was nothing less than an agony. There’s no sense even in trying to characterize how he did in expressing himself on issues, or how Mehmet Oz did talking about matters ranging from abortion to fracking to Social Security.

Only one thing mattered, and that was watching Fetterman try to make a showing of himself despite his painful impairment. I don’t want to quote what he said or make specific note of his speech patterns or answers because it would be unnecessarily cruel.

Could Fetterman improve? Yes. Will he improve? We do not know. During the debate he refused to say he would release actual medical records rather than a clearly ginned-up letter from a doctor who is one of his donors.

What this debate made entirely clear is this: It is an act of personal, political, and ideological malpractice that Fetterman is still contesting for the Senate.

A month ago Fetterman could have dropped out and the Pennsylvania Democratic party could have put up a different candidate for his office — like Rep. Conor Lamb, who lost to Fetterman in the primary. It’s an act of political and ideological malpractice because he and his team have left Democratic voters with no option other than to close their eyes to what they saw and vote for someone who should not be in the Senate — or to vote for his rival. Or not to vote at all.

It’s an act of personal malpractice on the part of those who encouraged him to continue because this singularly upsetting performance is not the way any person on this earth — and particularly not someone who suffered a calamitous brain shock — should become famous or notorious or be remembered.

by John Podhoretz

The Great Charedi Political Shift

 

In the United States, Orthodox Jews have always played an outsized role in civic participation and voting. 

While today most Orthodox Jews vote overwhelmingly conservative, in the past, many Orthodox Jews. saw no contradiction in voting for candidates who were supportive of policies that are inconsistent with Jewish values. It would not be uncommon for a Chassidic Jew in New York to vote for a political candidate who supported LGBT rights and abortion rights, so long as the candidate was responsive to the parochial concerns of the Orthodox community as well.

So long as the country was humming along, Orthodox Jews had the luxury to vote based on narrow interests. When the foundations of the country, its values and integrity began to rapidly decline, many Orthodox Jews began to realize they no longer have the luxury of voting based on narrow interests. They need to vote based on who is best suited to keep the country and its values intact.

Biden calls Skverer rebbe urges him to Endorse first Openly Gay New York congressman

 

Question now is, will the Skverer Rebbe tell his chassidim to vote for DemonRats who are for releasing violent criminals without bail, who are for LGBT? Or will he finally realize that Jews must now vote for the Republicans? 

My bet is that he will ask his chassidim to continue voting for the disastrous DemonRats, because Biden promised him $$$$$$.

President Joe Biden called the Skverer rebbe Tuesday, two weeks ahead of this year’s midterm elections, urging the rabbi to endorse Democratic candidates.

Biden spoke with Rabbi David Twersky, the 81-year-old scion of the Skver Hasidic dynasty, for fifteen minutes Tuesday afternoon, with the president asking the Skverer Rebbe to encourage his followers to back Democrats in the midterm elections.

In particular, Biden asked Rabbi Twersky to endorse Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney, the first openly gay man elected to the House of Representatives from New York.

Maloney, who represents New York’s 18th district, is chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Polls currently show Maloney trailing his Republican challenger, Assemblyman Mike Lawler.

The 18th district is ranked by the Cook Partisan Voter Index as having a one-point Republican lean. Donald Trump won the district in 2016, 49.0% to 47.1%, but lost it to Biden in 2020 by five points.

While Rabbi Twersky resides in New Square, a heavily Hasidic enclave in Rockland County, some of his followers living in neighboring counties included in the 18th district.

During the call, President Biden offered his assistance in the future.

“You will have an open door to my administration,” Rockland Daily quoted Biden as telling the rabbi.

Satmar Fraud and the Daf Ha'Yoimie

 

Part of Satmar ideology is to scream "Hisgarois Be'umois" (antagonizing the gentiles) against the Secular Zionist Government. They claim that the very existence of the State of Israel is a "Chillul Hashem" because the State of Israel as an entity "antagonizes the gentile nations." 

This preposterous argument manifests itself in their unmitigated hate against a country that houses the majority of the Jewish people, and a country that distributes more money to Moisdois Ha'torah in one year ($250 million) then Satmar distributed in its entire history. 

The mystery of how the Satmar Rebbe (R' Zalman Leib) was able to put together five million dollars to distribute to Moisdois in Israel, that "don't take funds from the Zionist government" has finally been solved. 

He just stole "lunch money" from the the hungry mouths of New York children and brought it to Israel.So he basically took money from his "medina" to distribute to the other "medina". 

This is a massive Chillul Hashem and is the quintessential "Hisgarois Be'umois" and the reason this is so grave, is because Chareidim claim that their way is the authentic Jewish tradition. 

This story is not about a regular private guy who happens to be a Satmar Chusid that committed fraud, this is Satmar hierarchy perpetrating a thought-out fraud, systematically. 

The whole "Satmar Fraud" story coming out today is ironic, because today the frum world following the Daf Yoimi , were learning R' Yoel Teitelbaum's favorite daf in the entire shas. Kesubois 111, where the gemarrah discusses the "Shalosh Shevuois" the three oaths! 

Satmar, of course, wouldn't know that because they as a "shitah" don't learn the daf-yoimie because it was inaugurated at the Knessia Gedoileh by Agudah! That Knessia became quite famous because the Chafetz Chayim attended it. 

At any rate stealing millions of dollars' worth of meals is not part of the "Shalosh Shevuois!" 

Incidentally, Satmar Shita'h states that the prohibition of "Shalosh Shevuois!" is "Yeherag Ve'al Ya'avoir" which means that one must give up his life before he would violate these oaths. 

Now every child of 5 knows what the three cardinal sins of "Yeherag Ve'al Ya'avoir" are (Murder, Adultery, Idolatry) but Satmar added a fourth one,"Shalosh Shevuois," Know that the "prohibition' of 

"Shalosh Shevuois," is not mentioned in the entire Shulchan Aruch not by the mechaber or any of the "nosei keilim." The Rambam who mentions every single Torah violation in his Mishna Torah says nada about the "Shalosh Shevuois!"

Satmar makes up their own Torah when it suits them. 

Read and weep!

Who’s Afraid of Itamar Ben Gvir?

by David Israel

 Everything you didn’t know about Itamar Ben Gvir because nobody told you.

First, a necessary disclosure: on November 1 this year, after much deliberation, I intend to vote for Otzma Yehudit Chairman Itamar Ben Gvir and his partner, Religious Zionism Chairman Bezalel Smotrich.

As a liberal Orthodox Jew, I am aware that their platform is not a perfect match to my views, and there are even some positions I disagree with (just as I disagree with some of the positions on all the other lists), and yet I will vote for them because I see them as great reformers of the Zionist enterprise.

Based on media reports, most of you are aware that Itamar Ben Gvir is a vehement advocate of law and order everywhere in Israel, including in Jewish and Arab communities. You also know that he is a strong advocate of an iron fist policy against terrorists, including the deportation of terrorists, and of MKs who deny Israel’s right to survive as a Jewish State.

But did you know that Ben Gvir is a successful civil liberties attorney? That he advocates for freedom of worship in Israel? That he has expressed warmth and empathy for homosexuals?

I’ll explain.

The Jerusalem Post’s Editor-in-Chief Yaakov Katz warned a week ago:

“A government in which the leader is focused on evading trial and top ministers are messianic, anti-Arab, anti-progressive Jews and anti-LGBTQ, anti-women and anti-religious freedom is a government that will not advance Israel.”

First, Katz is absolutely right in his assertion. Second, every single part of his paragraph is false and misleading. But it’s thanks to that paragraph that I can clear up these mistaken notions, one by one. Here goes:

Adidas, which has refused to cut ties with Kanye West over his antisemitic comments, was founded by brothers who later joined the Nazi party

 

As rap star Kanye West continually refuses to back down from his antisemitic rants, some of the many institutions he has ties with have begun to jump ship. The fashion tastemakers Balenciaga and Vogue have announced they will no longer be working with him. Hollywood talent giant CAA has dropped him, and a planned documentary about him has been scrapped.

But one formidable company remains, for now, in West’s corner: Adidas.

United Torah Judaism at risk of losing Knesset seat due to indifference and quarreling among its leadership.

 

While politicians are focused on the Arab vote and what percentage of that community will go to the polls, and the Likud party focuses on bringing more of its supporters to the polls, a potentially deadly blow may be coming to the right-wing bloc from one of its own: The haredi United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party may lose a seat due to infighting.

According to Israel Hayom, even though UTJ has enough potential voters to win nine or even ten Knesset seats, this time there is great concern that not only will the party not grow, but that it may even lose a seat. The greatest threat, from the perspective of the right-wing bloc, is not that UTJ will lose seats to Religious Zionism, but the complacency and lack of enthusiasm in the haredi streets, which may lead potential voters to remain at home on election day.

IDF destroys 'Terrorist Den' infrastructure in Shechem

 

DF, Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and Yamam counterterrorist forces raided overnight Monday a hideout apartment in the Kasbah of Shechem (Nablus) that was used as a headquarters and explosives manufacturing site. The site was used by the main operatives of the “Lion’s Den” terrorist group. The forces detonated the explosive manufacturing site.

During the activity, multiple armed suspects were hit and Palestinian Arab reports indicate that were multiple injuries.

During the operation, dozens of Palestinian Arabs burned tires and hurled rocks at the troops. The troops responded with live fire toward the armed suspects who were shooting at them.

The “Lion’s Den” terrorist group is responsible for carrying out the shooting attack that killed IDF soldier Staff-Sargent Ido Baruch, as well as attempting to carry out a terrorist attack in Tel Aviv (an attack that was thwarted by the Israel Police) and the planting of an explosive device in the Kedumim gas station.

They also attempted to carry out a shooting attack in Har Bracha and hurled a grenade towards IDF soldiers who were adjacent to Havat Gilad.

The terrorist group is also in charge of multiple shooting attacks throughout the city of Shechem.

Over the last period of time the terrorist group continued to recruit, plan, and carry out attacks aimed against innocent Israeli civilians.

According to Palestinian Arab reports, four terrorists were killed and 19 wounded in the gun battle between the Israeli forces and the terrorists.

Early Sunday morning, Tamer Kilani, a senior member of the Lion’s Den, was killed in a motorcycle explosion in Shechem.

According to the Palestinian Arabs, the explosion occurred after an explosive device was planted in Kilani’s motorcycle and activated by a Palestinian Arab who cooperated with Israel. The reports also claimed that the operative was recorded on security cameras activating the device.

Other reports said the explosion was caused by a "mishap" after Kilani tried to mount an explosive device on his own motorcycle and failed.

The IDF and Shin Bet did not comment on the incident, but the Lion's Den blamed Israel and threatened, "We promise [IDF Chief of Staff] Kochavi a hard and painful response."

Getting Kids Into School Should NOT Be Hard

 

Rabbi Poupko

by Rabbi Poupko

When calling out the double standards of Shraying Givalt about New York State’s crackdown on some Chassidishe Yeshivas while ignoring the crisis of girls and bochrim who do not get into any school and are left on the sidelines, there was one common response I got from several people: “How dare you speak that way, do you know how much time other Askanim and I dedicate to getting kids into schools.”

Incidentally, this is exactly the problem I was talking about. Unfortunately, our current system is built to fail a percentage of our children–a situation we cannot remain silent about.

Whatever Happened to Bruria Rav Meir's Wife?

 

When I was a teenager, I came across a very strange Rashi in Mesactas Avoda Zara (18b). My Yeshivah wasn't learning this Mesachta but to make some side pocket money, I tutored a kid from a different Yeshiva that was learning Avoda Zara as a project for his Bar-Mitzvah. 

This was before Artscroll, before google and Wikipedia, so to understand the text of the gemarrah I had to learn every single Rashi coupled with the Jastrow dictionary which was a monumental task in itself.

Today I attended a daf yoimi shiur by a very famous "maggid shiur" and I noticed that not only didn't he read even one single Rashi but never even quoted him. I understand that for the sake of brevity and time constraints, the maggid shiur must summarize instead of really delving into the nuances of every Rashi, though the shiur is given to retirees who have nothing better to do for the entire day.

At any rate the gemarrah relates that R' Meir was being pursued by the Romans so he ran to Babylonia for safety. The gemarrah goes on to give two reasons why R' Meir had to flee, one because of the reason I just gave, that the Romans were after him, but then the gemarrah gives another reason without any explanation, assuming that we in the year 2022 would know what the gemarrah is referring to, and that is that he had to flee because of "the incident with Bruriah."

Woe! Hold on just one minute! 

What "incident with Bruriah?"

Rabbi Dovid Abenson Wants an "Asifa" Declaring that Students Cannot be Rejected

 

I have been working with a set of parents whose child has been rejected from Yeshiva in his final year and has now unfortunately moved to a non-Jewish school. 

I discussed this trend of rejection with a friend who has been an Asken in our community for 50 years. I told him about the feedback I had received from the published article “Accept the with Love” and consequent calls from parents who have reached out to me, looking for mosdos for their children without success, and asking for my help. We lamented that so many boys and girls are being rejected or expelled, and parents having sleepless nights about their child’s future, ultimately scared their child will leave the fold.

Sex Pervert Berland 's Chassidim Attack Jerusalem Deputy Mayor

 

Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Aryeh King was lightly injured Sunday evening after being attacked by Hasidic supporters of convicted sex offender Rabbi Eliezer Berland in East Jerusalem.

The incident took place during public celebrations at the Tomb of Simeon the Just as King and Chief Rabbi of Safed Shmuel Eliyahu arrived at the site within the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

According to a police report, rioters began throwing rocks toward King and Eliyahu, while shouting toward Eliyahu: “He incarcerated the rabbi [Berland].”

Eliyahu was not injured in the incident.

Police said two rioters were arrested and that police forces were at the scene to restore public order.

“Unfortunately, some lawbreakers are trying to sabotage the event and hurt other participants. We won’t allow these extremists to disturb the public order and will show zero tolerance toward any kind of violence,” police said in a statement.

Eliyahu, who is considered one of Berland’s harshest critics, accused Berland of inciting his followers.

“Jerusalem’s deputy mayor has been injured by supporters of the criminal named Berland. A real criminal whose advocates nearly killed a person. I think those people require real repentance and that person [Berland] should be jailed immediately because he incites people to do terrible things,” the rabbi said.

Berland, the leader of the Shuvu Bonim religious cult, has served separate prison sentences in the past for sex offenses and fraud, and last year was implicated but not charged in the decades-old murder of a teenager.

Berland fled Israel in 2013 amid allegations he had sexually assaulted several female followers. After evading arrest for three years and slipping through various countries, he returned to Israel and was sentenced to 18 months in prison in November 2016 on two counts of indecent acts and one case of assault, as part of a plea deal that included seven months of time served.

He was freed just five months later, in part due to ill health.

He was arrested again, this time for fraud, in February 2020 after hundreds of people filed police complaints saying that he had sold prayers and pills to desperate members of his community, promised families of individuals with disabilities that their loved ones would be able to walk, and told families of convicted felons that their relatives would be freed from prison.

Berland was convicted last year under a plea bargain and given an 18-month sentence, but was released in December.

In November 2021 police investigating the murder of a teenage boy in the 1980s told a court that Berland had ordered the killing. Police said Berland allegedly sent the suspects who kidnapped and killed 17-year-old Nissim Shitrit, but that he was not present at the time of the murder.

Berland is linked to three suspects arrested for their involvement in the crime, which went unsolved for 35 years.

The SONG OF KESUVOS

 

Download PDF to see the lyrics of the Song of Kesuvos.