Finally!!!! Israel’s AG Threatens to Draft all Charedim in Weeks if No Agreement Reached

 

DIN: This is not sustainable! We can no longer have 6 foot, "ois'ge'pasheter" bulvans, sitting drinking coffee, munching bamba while their brothers and sisters are fighting and protecting us. Families in Bnei-Brak and parts of Yerushlayim , Beitar Elite, Beit Shemesh, have no idea that there is even a war going on, and those that do know could care less. Their Rosh Yeshiva are tell them that those who go to war are no better than "garbage collectors." They do not even show up to the daily funerals of those who gave up their lives! Moshe Rabbeinu said it best 

"?האחיכם יבאו למלחמה ואתם תשבו פה"

"Shall your brothers go out to battle while you settle here"

Why didn't they just tell Moshe ... "We will learn Torah, and Torah is matzil" 

For those who argue that those who went to war were tzaddikim, then let's draft those learning in Brisk, Ponovitz and the Mir. Aren't they tzaddikim? 

In a shocking threat, Israel’s Attorney General has threatened to draft all military-age Charedim–including full-time yeshiva students.

According to Kan 11 News, AG Gali Baharav-Miara announced the devastating threat, which would be catastrophic for the Charedi community, and greatly diminish the amount of Torah being learned, at a time when z’chusim are badly needed for Klal Yisrael, in addition to dealing a massive blow to PM Netanyahu’s fragile coalition, at a meeting held between the Justice and Defense Ministries.

She announced that if by the end of next month, the government does not extend the draft exemption for yeshiva students, and declare its intent to enact a new draft law, all conscription obligations would immediately apply to all yeshiva students, even those who are ‘Torasam Umanusam’ (full-time yeshiva students). It was also announced that yeshiva funding would be cut off.

To avoid such a result, Likud and its coalition would need to renew the exemption for Charedim in the next few weeks, and need to work on a new draft law that would resolve military service issues for Charedim, which has not been successfully accomplished in decades.

The government is reportedly considering appealing the decision to the High Court, on the grounds that such a move is destructive during an all-out war in Gaza. However the AG said that should such an appeal be filed, she would not be able to represent the government, since she is the recipient of the lawsuit.

Biden Sends the Total Moron Bonnie Jenkins to testify to Congress in Support of Two-State Solution

 

US moves to stop Israel’s invasion of Rafah to Make Sure Israel Loses War

The US said on Monday night that Israel’s planned invasion of Rafah “should not proceed under current circumstances” as it sought to use the UN to halt fighting.

Joe Biden is pushing for a United Nations vote on a “temporary ceasefire” in a break with the Israeli government as its troops prepare for an assault on the city, in south Gaza.

In a draft resolution, the US warns that a ground offensive into the city, where more than one million Palestinians are sheltering, would have “serious implications for regional peace and security”.

The move comes as Israel has rebuffed efforts by frustrated Western allies to call off its planned invasion of Rafah, the only remaining city controlled by Hamas.

The Left's Disruption Over "judicial Reform" Encouraged Hamas to Attack

Leftists dressed as Handmaids Protesting Judicial Reform 

 The controversy over the judicial reform proposed by the government of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year was what likely encouraged Iran’s terror proxies Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis to attack Israel. The mullahs in Tehran and the three Iran-backed Palestinian, Lebanese and Yemeni terror groups viewed the dispute over the reform as proof of Israel’s perceived weakness, disunity and a sign of its imminent demise.

Israel’s enemies have always shown great interest in political, security, economic and social events in Israel. They closely follow these events and devote huge efforts to analyzing them as part of the “know thy enemy” doctrine.

The judicial reform, a set of five changes to the judicial system, proposed in January 2033, would shift the balance of power in Israel from a few unelected judges in Israel’s Supreme Court back to the public and their elected representatives. The proposed reform sparked an unprecedented wave of protests and strikes. As part of the opposition to the judicial reform, some military reservists, including air force pilots, threatened, if the legislation proceeded, not to show up for military reserve duty.

The Iranian regime had closely monitored the dispute. For the regime’s media, the scenes of Israelis clashing with the police after blocking highways and the entrance to Ben Gurion Airport for months on end were an indication that the Jews in Israel were headed toward civil war. In addition, the reports about military reservists threatening not to report for duty created the impression among the mullahs and their terror proxies that the Israeli security establishment had been seriously undermined and was on the verge of collapse.

It was against this backdrop of reports about the imminent “collapse of the Zionist entity” that Hamas launched its October 7, 2023 massacre of Israelis. Hamas terrorists murdered 1,200 people, wounded 5,000, and kidnapped more than 240 others, half of whom are still being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Like their patrons in Tehran, Hamas and Hezbollah were also convinced that the judicial reform infighting had weakened Israel to a point where it would no longer be interested in defending itself against a massive invasion.

Chinese migrants spotted entering US illegally in California border town say they’re here to ‘take the money’

 

NEW: This Chinese migrant tells me why he illegally crossed into the U.S. in Jacumba, CA - to “take the money” adding he wants a job @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/mFBKnRfWRp

— Griff Jenkins (@GriffJenkins) February 17, 2024

 Shocking images and video taken in California this weekend show Chinese migrants lined up at the border town of Jacumba and telling reporters shamelessly how they’re here to ‘take the money’.

Dozens and dozens, possibly up to hundreds of migrants, crossed the international boundary, according to Griff Jenkins of Fox News, who recorded the footage.

‘This is one of the largest groups of Chinese I have ever come across and there were […] two groups at the same time crossing in Jacumba, CA,’ the correspondent tweeted last week.

'Qatar is the biggest "spreader" of anti-Israel hate across America' while Ezra Friedlander Supports and Lobbies for Qatar!

 

Friedlander "pow-wowing" With Bin Ali from Qatar

DIN: Just that you know Ezra Friedlander,  is working as a consultant for Hassan Ali Bin Ali (HABA), a Qatari businessman,and has been accused of lobbying the White House in favor of the geopolitical interests of the controversial Gulf nation.

Malcolm Hoenlein, the Vice Chairman Emeritus of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, in an expansive interview, told Arutz Sheva-Israel National News about Qatar's role in spreading hatred of the Jewish state.

"I believe we have to be very direct with Qatar. Although the United States says 'Look they're playing a key role in the hostage negotiations' and other issues, but at the same time they sponsor Al Jazeera, which is spreading almost Nazi-like images of Israel and hostility toward Israel on a daily basis. It's a constant diet that feeds the street throughout the Arab world that watch it," says Hoenlein.

He adds: "They also are responsible for funding anti-Israel activities on campus in America. We traced so far $13 billion that Qatar has poured into American universities. And part of that is that they get to name the faculty, get scholarship packages, they have a direct influence. There's a direct correlation between funding to universities and increased antisemitism."

According to Hoenlein none of the foreign funding was reported or made public. "Universities didn't report it, the American government didn't require them, they should have."

Hoenlein reveals that the Qatari influence on education does not begin with higher education. "We found it in high schools. In a New York City high school, there's a huge map of the Middle East - no Israel, it's just Palestine. When I spoke to the superintendent, he said 'What do you mean, it's been there for ten years.' I said, 'Ten years you taught this?' He said 'Well it is an Arab cultural thing which the Qatari Fund pays for.'"

He further reveals that the influence is present as early as preschool: "We also found things in the kindergartens, where they changed the words of the children's song 'The Wheels on the Bus' to the 'Wheels on the Tank' and it's against Israel.

It's so pervasive. And then you wonder why they come to campus. Would they not have these hateful attitudes towards Israel while being subject to the propaganda? But when you ask them 'Which river and which sea?' they say they don't know. When you ask 'What does it mean for Israel when you do that, you want to obliterate 9 million people?' they say 'No, no, we don't believe in that.' They don't even know what they're saying, it's total ignorance," he declares.

"They are being taken advantage of, it's a concerted campaign and there are paid activists. We should expose everybody who gave money - domestic or foreign and there have to be real consequences. I think what happened now with the lawsuits against universities, the exposure of the presidents of Penn, Harvard, and MIT at the congressional hearings, and there are many more congressional hearings coming. There is an awakening to this challenge, but many campuses have become hostile places for Jewish students. Catholic universities are advertising to Jewish students in ads 'We offer you a safe place' because they recognize that many of the campuses in America are no longer safe for Jewish students," he adds

Hoenlein notes that Qatar has invested $300 billion to acquire businesses "and they use that influence to promote their agenda, which is an anti-Israel agenda as well. It's anti-American and I think America has to recognize that while Israel may be the first victim, America will be next."

by Yoni Kempinski

Israel brings Brazilian Ambassador to Yad Veshem to tell off his Disgusting President

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz (Likud) on Monday morning called the Brazilian Ambassador Federico Mayer for a reprimand after Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva compared Israel to the Nazis.

The reprimand took place at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum in Jerusalem.

During the meeting, Katz showed Mayer the list of names of Jews murdered in the Holocaust, including members of his own family.

"I called you to the place which more than anywhere else testifies to everything the Nazis and Hitler did to the Jews, among them my family members," Katz said. "The comparison between the just war that Israel is fighting against Hamas and the horrors perpetrated by Hitler and the Nazis is an embarrassment and disgrace and a serious antisemitic attack."

Katz also said that da Silva would be a persona non grata in Israel:

 "We will not forgive and we will not forget: In my name and in the name of all citizens of Israel, tell President Lula that he is a persona non grata in Israel until he apologizes and retracts his statements."

On Sunday, da Silva compared the IDF actions in Gaza to Hitler’s actions against Jews in WW2, saying, "What is happening in the Gaza Strip is not war. This is genocide. It is not a war of soldiers against soldiers. It is a war between a trained military against women and children. What is happening in the Gaza Strip against the Palestinian people has not happened at almost any other time in history. In fact, it only happened once; when Hitler decided to kill the Jews."

When presidents curse Jews

 

President Joe Biden is reported to have used profanity in two recent outbursts against Israel’s prime minister. Sadly, such eruptions are nothing new. Going all the way back to the 1940s, presidents or other senior U.S. officials occasionally have said some ugly things about Israel or Jews.

In 1943, Samuel Rosenman, the chief speechwriter for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, confided to a colleague that the president was “much displeased” to learn that four hundred rabbis were planning to march to the White House to plead for the rescue of Jewish refugees. Rosenman said FDR was so upset that he “used language that morning while breakfasting which would have pleased Hitler himself.”

Syndicated newspaper columnist Drew Pearson reported in early 1948 that President Harry Truman privately railed against American Jews who were urging him to support the creation of a Jewish state: “Pounding his desk, [Truman] used words that can’t be repeated about ‘the (blank) New York Jews.’ ‘They’re disloyal to their country. Disloyal!’ he cried.” Truman denied the story, but Pearson’s source, New York Post publisher Ted Thackery, did not back down.

IDF releases footage of Bibas family in Gaza

IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari delivered a statement to the media this evening (Monday) in which he revealed the documentation presented to the Bibas family, in which the mother Shiri, and her two children Ariel and Kfir were seen - apparently days after they were kidnapped together with their father Yarden, in the southern Gaza Strip.

In the video, which was taken in Khan Yunis, the three are alive. However, it is unknown what condition they are in today, 136 days after they were kidnapped.

Jimmy Miller, a relative of theirs, said that "this video has not changed anything, it does not indicate anything new. Since the footage is from the first days - it does not indicate anything. We are hoping that they will return to us as soon as possible and that the government does everything in its power."

According to him, "These two children and their parents were supposed to be released at the first blow, and if they were not released at the first wave, the minimum would have been for them to be released in a humanitarian step. We provide humanitarian aid to the other side endlessly - they get everything they need from A to Z and we don't get anything. We are already expecting anything, and hoping for the best."

Kfir Bibas, who was just nine months old on October 7, was the youngest person to be kidnapped during the Hamas massacre. He turned one year old in captivity last month.

Senior terrorist Marwan Barghouti was given Chulent over Shabbat, in violation of orders

 Israel Hayom reports that senior terrorist leader Marwan Barghouti was served a dish which contains meat in the Ayalon Prison over Shabbat, in violation of the regulations.

The meat was provided to Barghouti despite instructions from National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir that terrorists imprisoned in Israel be served only vegetarian meals.

Barghouti, however, was served a bowl of cholent which contains meat. The guard who delivered it to him is expected to be brought up on charges and face strict disciplinary measures for violating regulations.

Barghouti is serving five consecutive life sentences for murdering Israelis and has been in prison since June 6, 2004.

Less than a week ago, he was transferred to solitary confinement in the Ayalon Prison after intelligence was received indicating that he would cause increased tensions outside the prison.

Biden’s Great-Great-Grandfather Was Pardoned By Abraham Lincoln After Attempted Murder Charge

 

Newly uncovered documents from the National Archives reveal that President Joe Biden’s great-great-grandfather was pardoned by none other than President Abraham Lincoln. The incident, dating back to the Civil War on March 12, 1864, involved Moses J. Robinette, a civilian employee of the Union Army, according to an investigation by The Washington Post.

The incident leading to the pardon occurred near Beverly Ford, Virginia, along the Rappahannock River, where Robinette and another Union Army civilian, John J. Alexander, got into a physical fight that resulted in Alexander suffering knife wounds. Robinette was subsequently charged with attempted murder and incarcerated near Florida.

In a bid to secure Robinette’s release, three U.S. Army officers, described as friends of Robinette, directly appealed to President Lincoln. They presented the case as an act of self-defense, highlighting Robinette’s role as a staunch Union supporter and a devoted family man, pleading for mercy on behalf of his “motherless Daughters and sons.”

Their petition, emphasizing Robinette’s loyalty to the Union and his disproportionate punishment, first passed through the hands of West Virginia Senator Waitman T. Willey. Senator Willey endorsed the plea and forwarded it to the White House for Lincoln’s consideration. Upon review, Lincoln granted the pardon, noting, “Pardon for unexecuted part of punishment. A. Lincoln. Sep. 1. 1864.”

This act of clemency allowed Moses J. Robinette to return to his family, where he lived until 1903.

Nearly $500,000 Raised To Help Billionaire Trump Pay His Legal Expenses in less than one day

 

In a remarkable show of support, a GoFundMe page titled “Stand with Trump” aimed at assisting the former president with his legal expenses, has rapidly approached the half-million-dollar mark. Initiated by Elena Cardone – the wife of real estate guru Grant Cardone – last week, the crowdfunding campaign seeks to amass $355 million to settle the damages Trump was mandated to pay following a fraud case verdict in New York. As of Monday morning, the initiative has garnered over $430,000 from approximately 8,700 contributors.

The fundraising effort has seen a wide range of donations, with the highest single contribution being $10,000, while the majority of donations ranged between $20 and $100. Cardone took to X to rally support, emphasizing the importance of unity in backing Trump during this challenging time.

Last Friday, Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that Trump must pay over $300 million in damages, a verdict stemming from allegations of property value inflation to secure more favorable loan terms and agreements. The judgment also included a three-year prohibition against Trump conducting business operations in New York.

Following the court’s decision, Trump unveiled $400 gold sneakers at Philadelphia’s Sneaker Con, just one day after Judge Engoron’s ruling, presumably to help him pay his bills.

Friday’s Terrorist Continues Family Tradition Since 1929 Of Murdering Jews...Worked as a "garbage collector" in Beit Shemesh

 

DIN: Reading this story, I am reminded of what one of the great Roshei Yeshiva Rav Hagoan Schreiber Shlitah said about our children in uniform, that they are no "better than garbage collectors." Well, his disgusting comments came back to bite him because it was a "garbage collector" who murdered a Yeshiva Bochur on his way to Yeshivah. 

After the appalling massacre of 67 Jews in Hevron in 1929, the British antisemites (who had done very little to prevent the massacre despite having a significant police presence in Hevron) made a "commission of inquiry" to find the ring leaders of the brutal pogrom.

In all, 25 Arabs were sentenced to death but the British commuted the sentences of 22 and only the three most savage murderers were hanged- among them a certain Mohammed Jamjum, who was hanged at Acre prison on 17 June 1930.

After their hanging the Arab leaders called a general strike and thousands attended his funeral. The Arab leadership even specified 17 June as Shuhada day- “the day of the saints.” Thus the Arab tradition enshrined and glorified the gruesome murderers of Hevron’s Jews. A chant “From Acre Prison their funeral went out”, based on a poem by a Haifa Arab, became a national tune, and its words immortalize the murderers for their actions.

Fast forward to 2024: The Jamjum family still lives proudly to this day in Hevron, basking in the glory of their fallen ancestor. One of their descendants is Fadi Jamjum, whose father married a Jerusalem resident and thus via family reunification received temporary citizenship, enabling him and his family to live in the Shuafat neighborhood and to move freely in Israel. Fadi and his father performed renovation jobs for Jews.

Fadi, a devout Muslim, became a Sheikh, a Muslim leader, and wore the traditional skullcap and long garb of Muslims. At the same time he maintained his family’s fanatical hatred of Jews and of Israel and maintained affiliation to Hamas, like most of Hevron’s Arabs.

In recent years he would ascend regularly to Temple Mount with his father and brother, where he could hear the inciteful sermons against Jews on a daily basis. Other family members echoed the incitement on their social media pages.

Last Friday, after collecting garbage in Beit Shemesh, Jamjum drove towards central Israel. Seeing a large group waiting at a bus stop near Re’em junction, he saw the opportunity to continue the family’s bloody tradition. Opening fire indiscriminately, Fadi murdered two Jews, Yishai Gertner and Uri Yaish HyD, and injured four others, with one 16-year-old still in very serious condition. Fortunately an armed civilian was on hand to end the violent spree and eliminate yet another killer from the murderous Jamjum clan.

Gov. Hochul was right about Israel — until the left forced her to apologize

Well, that’s how the Kathy crumbles.

Gov. Hochul last week committed candor in public – a rare event indeed – but just 24 hours later she was groveling before one of the most noxious movements in Empire State history.

There she was Friday night, all-but begging forgiveness for having included an “inappropriate analogy” in a “poor choice of words” while addressing a fundraising dinner the previous evening.

Speaking to the United Jewish Appeal-Federation of New York at Gotham’s venerable Pierre Hotel Thursday, Hochul had sharply called out Iranian cat’s-paw Hamas while underscoring her support for Israel post-10/7.

The bloody-fisted terrorist organization “must be stopped” she said. And Israelis couldn’t be expected to live with “that threat, that specter, over them.”

Anodyne words, to be sure – but so far, so good.

Then she told the truth, which so many New Yorkers can’t handle. 

“If Canada ever attacked Buffalo,” she projected, “I’m sorry, my friends, there would be no Canada the next day. You have a right to defend yourself, and to make sure that it never happens again. And that is Israel’s right.”

No equivocation there. Nor should there have been.

But the comment was on video, which went viral, with entirely predictable impact – and then there was Hochul, tendering an apologetic back-track to the New York Times:

“While I have been clear in my support of Israel’s right to self-defense,” she weaseled, “I have also repeatedly said and continue to believe that Palestinian civilian casualties should be avoided . . .” and blah, blah, blah.

Two points stand out:

• Hochul’s analogy, again, was spot on: Israel’s 10/7 toll would have been the population-adjusted equivalent of roughly 42,000 dead Americans – and God only knows how many wounded, raped or otherwise traumatized. Imagine how much “restraint” the United States would have exercised after such an attack – especially if Canada had been rocketing Buffalo, the governor’s hometown, for decades.

• Secondly, the governor’s analogy also was so patently ridiculous that only an imbecile, or an opportunist, would take it literally. It was a rhetorical device meant to emphasize her support for Israel — and the push-back was intended to make her back off.

And Hochul did – to her shame, and also to New York’s. 

It seems that the state which tasted terrorism firsthand 22-plus years ago, and which promised never to forget, has. 

Or its leaders have. For the most part they’ve stood quiescent in the face of hugely disruptive, pro-Palestinian celebrations of murder, mayhem and politicized sexual assault that began within hours of the10/7 massacre, and which continue to this day.

Yes, people are allowed to protest; it’s the American way.

But politicians aren’t required to go along – to exalt evil, or to acquiesce in it.

Hochul isn’t the only pol to have done so – just, arguably, the most prominent.

She needs to apologize for her apology – and, in the process, perhaps claw back a little of the honor her office once commanded.

bob@bobmcmanus.nyc 

The mainstream media don’t treat conservatives and libertarians fairly — and Americans have finally noticed

 

by JOHN STOSSEL

On CNN, a “reporter” interviewing Vice President Kamala Harris gushes, “I’m struck, just in your presence! Looking you in the eye, with your passion.” Really? Even Harris looked embarrassed.

My new video shows how the mainstream media treat conservatives and libertarians differently. We shouldn’t be surprised. Reporters overwhelmingly lean Democrat. A survey by The American Journalist found that for every Republican in a newsroom, there are 10 Democrats. The reporters claim to be objectivate they aren’t.

News networks always covered Iowa caucus victory speeches. Not this year — after Donald Trump won. CNN cut away from his speech, and MSNBC didn’t carry it at all.

Hamas scrambles to replace flailing, radio-silent Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar

Hamas is looking to replace Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar after a string of defeats for the Palestinian terror group in Khan Younis and ongoing radio silence from the elusive terrorist leader.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a report Sunday it has become evident that Hamas’ leadership abroad has lost confidence that the suspected Oct. 7 mastermind and other current terror officials in Gaza can stave off the Israel Defense Force’s advancements after its battalions in Khan Younis were taken out.

“Hamas does not trust its commanders, this is a very, very noticeable thing,” Gallant said after a meeting with the IDF’s southern command, according to the Times of Israel. “The Hamas-Gaza station does not answer, there is no one to talk to as leadership on the ground.

“That means there is a tender for who will manage Gaza,” Gallant suggested.

Sinwar, the man believed to have been the mastermind behind the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel that launched the war, has allegedly been out of contact with the terror group for weeks, according to Israeli Channel 12.

It is unclear if the terror group cannot reach Sinwar because he’s on the run or because of the rolling communication blackouts across Gaza.

Hamas has not commented on Sinwar’s whereabouts or the allegations made by Gallant.

The IDF has repeatedly vowed to hunt down the terrorist leader, who has eluded the Israeli military since its ground assault into the Palestinian enclave began.

Although the IDF claimed that it had isolated him in an underground bunker in northern Gaza in November, Sinwar was believed to have used the terror group’s 300-mile long tunnel system to escape south.

While the Israeli military eventually surrounded his home in Khan Younis the next month, it came up empty-handed again, and ensuing heated battles and raids into the southern tunnels have yet to turn up signs of Sinwar’s whereabouts.

Last week, the IDF revealed footage of the Hamas leader running through the tunnel system with his family just days after the Oct. 7 massacre.

“The hunt for Sinwar will not stop until we catch him, dead or alive,” IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters after the video of Sinwar was aired.

While some experts have speculated that Sinwar could be hiding in Rafah, currently Gaza’s most populous city housing more than 1.4 million refugees, Gallant said there would be no more places to escape to, as the IDF is expected to advance into the city despite international outcry over civilian casualties.

“Hamas is left with marginal [forces] in the central camps and with the Rafah Brigade, and what stands between them and a complete collapse as a military system is a decision by the IDF,” he said.

“There is no one here to come to their aid, no Iranians, no international aid,” he added.

Gallant noted that Hamas’ once 24-strong battalions have dwindled to just six – two in Central Gaza and four in Rafah.

We Are Destroying The Businesses Of Our Friends And Neighbors Without A Shred Of Remorse

 

From a letter to YWN! 

I would like to raise awareness about an important issue that warrants more attention from us. The issue is the negative reviews that people leave on locally owned businesses within our very own community and the havoc they cause. Once that negative impression is etched in a consumers mind, it is extremely difficult to remove it, and as we all know, when checking out a business, many of us head straight for the reviews to see what ppl are saying.

Being that it’s impossible to please everyone all the time, businessowners will inevitably have disgruntled customers. The problem is, once they write these disgruntled customers write thier review, it’s nearly impossible for the business to refute it, as it’s the customers word versus the store and people viewing the review will generally believe the customer.

To make matters worse, upset customers often use extremely sharp language and dramatically describe their gripe, (for example: “This is the worst tasting pizza ever, rudest staff I have ever come across, disgusting attitude by manager, worst experience in my life”) while the owner must remain professional and polite when responding (“We are so sorry you felt this way; please reach out to us so we can assist you further”), and people generally will assume that the customer is outlining a universal truth about the establishment.

This is an issue that is seriously taking money out of our own community’s pockets. Don’t believe me? Speak to your local business owners about the stress, anxiety, and tension those terrible reviews cause them.

Now, to address a valid point you might be thinking of: Sometimes a store’s service really is terrible and the food truly subpar, and it’s actually a chessed to leave a review so that no one should have to have the same bad experience as you did. That’s fair, and I get it. We all have occasionally experienced a businesses where expectations were not met and there is lots of room for improvement. However, I would ask you to consider this: Imagine the owner of this establishment was your good friend, or your neighbor, and you personally watched over the years as he worked long hours to try to build himself up and make his store successful. One night you go out to eat, and the waitress, who is having a rough day, really messes up your order or snaps at you. Would you be so quick to pull out your phone and write a critical review about how this business is terribly unprofessional and how the waitress has got a real attitude, or would you be more forgiving because you understand that a bad review can really hurt your friend/neighbor and really make his business suffer?

We have to keep in mind that these establishments are owned and run by our acquaintances and that each review is hurting a friend or neighbor of ours.

One must keep in mind that the Chofetz Chaim has a whole set of conditions that must be met in order for one to be allowed to speak critically abt another – even l’toeles! If any are not met, it is real lashon horah. If one believes he is entitled to write a review, it behooves him to show it to a competent Rabbi first and make sure it is written properly. As the Chofetz Chaim himself says, “at the time one speaks (l’toeles) he is standing in grave danger of the issur of speaking lashon horah if he doesn’t protect himself (by keeping all the necessary conditions). And on this u can say death and life are in the hands of the tongue. And if one doesn’t think to himself before he begins to speak a matter like this, which way to bring out the incident, for sure he will transgress, for at the time of the incident a person’s anger is strengthened upon himself, and it is impossible to be careful in this. Therefore, before one begins to speak one must contemplate how to bring out the incident in a way not to make the wrongdoing greater than it is, and to have in mind to do it for a constructive purpose…..’’ (Chofetz Chaim Hilchos Lashon Horah Klal Yud Se’if Tes Vav).

M.K.

The Skverer Rebbetzin Chaya Chana Twersky Passes On at 81

 Mrs. Chaya Chana Twersky A”H, who stood by her husband for decades as he inspired tens of thousands of chassidim and admirers in the US and across the world. She was 81 years old.

The Rebbetzin suffered from various serious health issues over the past few years. Her condition had deteriorated over the last several weeks.

The Rebbetzin comes from regal rabbinic heritage, as she was the oldest daughter of the late Vishnitzer Rebbe Zt”l of Bnei Brak, known as the Yeshuos Moshe. Her siblings – all of them leaders of major Chasidus’s – visited her over the past two weeks as her physical condition declined.

Her brothers are the Vishnitzer Rebbe of Bnei Brak (Reb Yisroel), the Vishnitzer Mercaz Rebbe (Reb Mendel); her sisters are the Belzer Rebbetzin, the Satmar (Kiryas Joel) Rebbetzin, and the wife of HaRav Menachem Ernster, the rosh yeshiva of the Vizhnitz Yeshiva in Bnei Brak.

The Rebbetzin is survived by the Rebbe shlit”a, her grieving children, and thousands of Skverer Chassidim – many of whom she personally helped and was involved with on personal matters.

Here’s a Look Inside Donald Trump’s $355 Million Civil Fraud Verdict as an Appeals Fight Looms

 

On the witness stand last year, Donald Trump proclaimed: “I have a lot of cash.”

After Friday’s eye-popping penalty in his New York civil fraud trial, he’s going to need it — and maybe more.

A judge ordered the former president to fork over $355 million of his fortune, plus interest, finding he lied for years about his wealth on financial statements he used to secure loans and make deals as he built the real estate empire that vaulted him to fame and the presidency.

“The frauds found here leap off the page and shock the conscience,” Judge Arthur Engoron wrote in a 92-page decision that spares Trump’s company from closure, but forces it into years of court supervision, among other sanctions.

The ruling, after a 2½-month trial in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit cuts to the core of Trump’s image as a wealthy, shrewd real estate mogul turned political force.

The financial penalty — staggering even for a businessman who’s seen casinos, an airline and other ventures fail — adds to Trump’s mounting legal debts and could put the Republican presidential front-runner in a serious cash crunch as he campaigns to retake the White House.

Trump, who’s also dealing with four criminal cases, decried Friday’s ruling as “election inference” and has vowed to appeal.

Here’s a look at the case, the penalties and what’s next for Trump.

The death of free shipping

You know how sometimes you’re the jerk? Maybe you’re a little aggressive with a lane change to make your exit on the highway. Or you get a little heated with a customer-service rep who has nothing to do with the thing you’re mad about. It happens to the best of us.

Well, if you’ve ever bought stuff online and received free shipping or returns, you’ve also been a little bit of a jerk — and now it’s time to pay up.

Fast, free shipping and easy, no-cost returns have become a baseline expectation in the modern online shopping experience. Many consumers have grown accustomed to treating their bedrooms like store dressing rooms, confident they can regularly buy 20 items of clothing, try them on, and then send all but one back, no questions asked. Waiting even two days for a purchase to arrive seems like forever, and anything greater than $0 for shipping is a robbery. A December 2022 survey by the National Retail Federation and Appriss Retail found a 16.5% return rate for that year, estimating $816 billion worth of merchandise would be sent back.

Belgium Invites Imam That Calls for Killing and Taking Jews Captive to Address Parliament

Absolutely horrified to discover that in Brussels Parliament, an invited Muslim preacher chose to recite parts of Surah "Al-Ahzab", a Surah about a battle between Muslims and Jews.

This is a Surah that explicitly (verse 26) calls for the KILLING and TAKING CAPTIVE of Jews! In… pic.twitter.com/2jO7maJQrg

— Ambassador Idit Rosenzweig-Abu (@IditAbu) February 16, 2024

 An Imam at the Belgian parliament last week began reciting a verse from the Quran that explicitly calls on Muslims to kill and take Jews captive.

The Quran excerpt is verse 33:26 from the Al-Ahzab Surah (chapter). It translates to,

 “ And He brought down those from the People of the Book who supported the enemy alliance from their own strongholds, and cast horror into their hearts. You ‘believers’ killed some, and took others captive.”

Within the Quran, Jews are referred to as the “People of the Book.”

The event on Tuesday was not organized by the parliament, but rather at the initiative of Hasan Koyuncu, a member of parliament within the socialist party and vice president of the Francophone Parliament in Brussels, along with the Friends Of Brussels Association. 

Leftists Spending Tens of Millions of Dollars to Defeat Netanyahu "Sowing nothing but incitement, discord and division"

 

At the conclusion of his press conference Saturday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked the reporters in the room over the enormous campaign displaying huge ads against him on Ayalon Highway and other major roads, as well as in the media and social networks, that claim Netanyahu is guilty of the colossal failure of October 7, and the Hamas attack and the massacre that followed.

“There are huge ads on Ayalon and throughout the country and I see advertisements in all the media worth tens of millions of dollars. And I want to ask you – did you not think to investigate this? Did you not think to check who is doing this? Where does it come from? What are the funding sources? Who is behind this huge amount of money which is about nothing but incitement, discord, and division?”