Yiddish Satmar Book for Women |
The Chapter talks about Living in Israel ... The Title? "Living together with Rashaim" |
"Asking Jews to make Aliyah is Apikorsas!" |
“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
Yiddish Satmar Book for Women |
The Chapter talks about Living in Israel ... The Title? "Living together with Rashaim" |
"Asking Jews to make Aliyah is Apikorsas!" |
A gloating Hamas has hailed Ireland, Norway and Spain's decision to recognize a Palestinian state as an 'important step' - as Israel lashed out, accusing the European countries of a 'twisted' move that 'rewards terrorism'.
The decision from the three nations comes more than seven months into the devastating Gaza war and after Hamas' deadly October 7 terror attack.
Ireland, Norway and Spain said they would formally recognize the State of Palestine on May 28, bringing the number of UN countries that do to 146.
Israel strongly opposes the move, arguing that it amounts to 'rewarding terrorism' after the Palestinian terror group Hamas launched its unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel which sparked the bloodiest ever Gaza war.
But Hamas welcomed the decision and urged other countries to follow suit.
'We consider this an important step towards affirming our right to our land,' it said, calling 'on countries around the world to recognize our legitimate national rights'.
Israel said it was recalling its envoys to Ireland and Norway for 'urgent consultations' and was expected to do the same with its ambassador to Spain.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz charged that 'the twisted step of these countries is an injustice to the memory of the 7/10 victims.'
The development is a step toward a long-held Palestinian aspiration that came against the backdrop of international outrage over the civilian death toll and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip following Israel's offensive there.
Norway was the first to announce its decision to recognize a Palestinian state, with Ireland and Spain quickly announcing that they would do the same.
Most Western governments including the United States say they are willing to one day recognize Palestinian statehood - but not before agreement is reached on thorny issues like its final borders and the status of Jerusalem.
However, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez charged that his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu's campaign of 'pain and destruction' in the Gaza Strip was now putting the two-state solution in 'danger'.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said 'recognition of Palestine is a means of supporting the moderate forces which have been losing ground in this protracted and brutal conflict'.
Marjorie Fiterman, 102, and Bernie Littman, 100, were married on May 19, 2024, in Philadelphia. The two had been in a relationship for the past nine years. |
They began dating nearly a decade ago.
Rabbi Adam Wohlberg officiated at the wedding, noting the couple was unlike most others that he'd married in the past.
"Most of the couples I marry these days met on some kind of dating app," said Wohlberg at the wedding ceremony in remarks shared with Fox News Digital.
He continued, "I much prefer the old ways. You live in the same building, you bump into each other, and you fall in love."
That, he said, is a "no-frills" description of how the couple came to be.
Fiterman and Littman began dating over nine years ago, Littman's granddaughter Sarah Sicherman told Fox News Digital.
They met at their assisted living facility. Both were previously married.
"We were all thrilled that he found someone to do activities and spend time with," she said.
Their relationship continued to grow over the years, said Sicherman. She said the two of them were "so lucky to have found each other and be a support to each other, especially during the pandemic."
Given their advanced ages, most of Littman's family did not think he would be looking to get married ever again. Littman had been married for 65 years to his late wife Bernice; they had two children, four grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren together.
As for the new couple, "we assumed they would just live out their days status quo," Sicherman told Fox News Digital. "It was certainly a surprise."
Wohlberg, too, acknowledged how unusual the couple was.
He said he did not need to give the couple the advice he would typically deliver at a wedding, saying that "each of you has already amassed a lifetime of wisdom and experience, and your attitudes, feelings and opinions are pretty well formulated at this point."
The rabbi added, "That’s not to suggest that you won’t continue to learn and develop as people. But I think it is safe to say each of you, what you know and understand about each other, is exactly what the future holds for you and your partner. And what you have determined you love about each other — well, those things are not about to change," he said.
Initially, they did not believe they'd get married.
But they "eventually reached the point where being not just close friends — but husband and wife — felt like the right step to take," said Wohlberg.
And while they got married at the century mark, Wohlberg pointed out that they very nearly crossed paths in college.
Both were students at the University of Pennsylvania at the same time. They were studying for different degrees in different departments, however, and did not know each other.
"I am already picturing the two of you on the cover of the alumni magazine’s next edition," the rabbi joked.
On Facebook, family and friends have been leaving congratulatory messages for them.
"This is beautiful! Mazel tov!" one person wrote.
Another said, "May they bloom in each other's presence and laugh together every moment. I love that their families are clearly delighted about it."
Wrote someone else, "This is incredible. Love all the love!"
The two are believed to be the oldest aggregate age of a newly married couple, Sicherman told Fox News Digital — an accomplishment that may be officially recognized before too long.
"Our application is pending, but we believe it is the Guinness World Record for ‘oldest aggregate age couple to marry,’ by about eight years," she said.
The current record is held by Doreen and George Kirby of England, who had a combined age of 194 years, 279 days when they wed on June 13, 2015, according to the Guinness World Records website.
Fiterman and Littman have a combined age of over 202 years.
The Obama administration stymied multiple FBI arrest operations against individuals on US soil linked to Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs – including “known terrorists” – in order to further negotiations on the Iran nuclear deal, two senators said Wednesday.
The startling allegations were made to Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) via legally protected whistleblower disclosures.
The senators on Wednesday presented unclassified internal FBI emails obtained from the whistleblowers to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and Attorney General Merrick Garland showing the “obstruction” effort in a letter that also demanded more records related to the Obama administration’s nuclear deal negotiations.
“The records provided to our offices show that the Obama/Biden administration’s State Department, under the leadership of John Kerry, actively and persistently interfered with FBI operations pertaining to lawful arrests of known terrorists, members of Iranian proliferation networks, and other criminals providing material support for Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs,” the senators wrote in their missives.
As the IDF expands its operations in Rafah and returns to fight in areas in the northern Gaza Strip, Arutz Sheva-Israel National News sat down with Brigadier General (res.) Amir Avivi, Chairman and Founder of the Israel Defense And Security Forum (IDSF) to discuss the situation on the ground.
Regarding reports that Israel only killed a third of Hamas fighters and that victory is far away, Avivi does not believe that is the case. "I think we can reach victory in a month or two. We talk about how many were killed; but how many were injured? How many are incapable of fighting? Much more I would guess."
According to him, "Israel destroyed the Northern Brigade, most of the capabilities in the central camps, as well as the Khan Yunis Brigade. Basically, most of the remaining capabilities are in Rafah. Rafah is the key to victory. The leadership of Hamas is there, our hostages are there, the last brigade of Hamas, and also our ability to close the border and really, completely, destroy Hamas' ability to bring weapons from the Sinai Peninsula into Gaza."
Avivi has strong words when it comes to the Biden administration's pressure not to enter Rafah: "What President Biden is saying is 'Israelis, lose the war.' And Israel's not going to lose the war. We're going to win decisively. And I think this is the moment where Israel says, 'We appreciate the relationship, we appreciate the help, the munitions, the 40 billion dollars in aid, but this is something we can not agree to. We need to win decisively. Everything depends on Rafah. This is why you see that the IDF is actually going into Rafah and expanding the operation there every day. We started with two brigades, now it's four brigades. I would assume that in about a week we'll see two more. Expanding until we take over all of Rafah, and destroy all of the tunnels along the Egyptian border, there are more than 50 tunnels that are supplying Hamas with capabilities, and hopefully reach the leadership of Hamas."
Following announcements by several European countries, including Spain, Ireland, and Norway, that they will unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has announced a nonviolent response that has the world in a tizzy.
In his announcement, Smotrich said that he would take financial steps that would topple the Palestinian Authority in Judea and Samaria, where the European countries have declared they would recognize "Palestine."
Among these steps is a complete halt to the transfer of tax money to the Palestinian Authority, and no extension of the indemnity extended to banks that transfer money to banks in Judea and Samaria.
Smotrich also called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take a number of financial steps that will deal a critical blow to the Palestinian Authority and may cause its economic collapse within a matter of months.
If Smotrich implements his plan, Israeli banks will cease cooperation with PA institutions, leading to a significant decrease or total cessation of the import of crucial products such as food products, electricity, and water to Judea and Samaria. The salaries of PA employees will also not be transferred if the financial cooperation between Israeli and PA banks grinds to a halt.
Speaking to the Financial Times, senior US and European officials warned of an "economic catastrophe" which would topple the PA.
🧵 1/ Naama Levy. is a symbol of what has happened to many Israelis after October 7 and will never be the same.
— Gal.G, Adv 🇮🇱 (@GalG_IL) May 22, 2024
Naama, was a peace activist before she went to the IDF as an observer- a non combatant unarmed position.
Today, another video from her kidnapping was published > pic.twitter.com/4Cp0BM4x0J
Naama was a proponent of peace between Israelis and Palestinians and had participated in several demonstrations calling for peace.
She was completing military service, which is compulsory for nearly all Israelis, when she was taken hostage.
“At that moment, she probably couldn’t believe her situation and was trying to say whatever she could to explain to spare her life,” Levy Shachar told CNN.
The heartbroken mother also fought back tears as she discussed the sexual violence being threatened by Hamas against her daughter.
(TRIGGER WARNING)
— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) May 22, 2024
A video of the instances in which female IDF observers were kidnapped from the IDF Nahal Oz base to the Gaza Strip on October 7 was published on Wednesday evening.
Read more: https://t.co/rSRzPIT3uy pic.twitter.com/klx2G1BoDS
Harrowing video released Wednesday shows the moment five female Israeli soldiers — covered in blood and surrounded by the bodies of their massacred comrades — were threatened with rape then taken away to Gaza by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7.
Bodycam footage from the Hamas gunmen shows the moment the young women, operating at the Nahal Oz base outside the Gaza Strip, were handcuffed and pressed against a wall while still in pajamas.
In the sickening video, the terrorists could be heard gloating and announcing their apparent plans to sexually assault the soldiers.
“Here are the girls who can get pregnant,” one of the gunmen said.
“You’re so beautiful.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which released the video, said the harrowing tape shows the horrifying reality of the five hostages still in the clutches of the terror group in Gaza. They were identified as Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Daniella Gilboa and Naama Levy.
Berger’s father, Shlomi, told The Post that he couldn’t imagine what it felt like for his 19-year-old daughter to face those threats while surrounded by dozens of armed men.
“This is a wakeup call to the world: look what we’re dealing with,” Shlomi said. “You saw how many terrorists were in that video.
“You only see three minutes but we know that they sat in the same place for two or three hours, and in front of their eyes they saw their friends that were murdered on the floor,” he added.
“Maybe they told themselves, ‘I’m lucky, I’m just wounded.’ But I don’t know how someone can be in this situation and be okay in their mind.”
Shlomi, who was first shown the video last month, said he could see just how afraid his daughter and her fellow soldiers were.
“When they said, ‘You are pretty,’ and ‘I can get you pregnant,’ I don’t know what a young girl who is hearing this is thinking,” the father lamented.
“It’s crazy as a father that my girl is in that situation and I can’t help her. I can’t do anything to help her.”
Shlomi said he and the other parents backed the decision to release the video to the public to put pressure on Israel’s leadership to advance negotiations to secure the release of the hostages in Gaza.
The women are among the roughly 100 hostages who have remained under Hamas captivity for more than seven months.
“The video is a damning testament to the nation’s failure to bring home the hostages, who have been forsaken for 229 days,” the group said in a statement urging that the hostage exchange talks with Hamas resume.
“The Israeli government must not waste even one more moment — it must return to the negotiating table today!”
The video, which was shot inside the Nahal Oz base’s bomb shelter, shows the Palestinian terrorists in complete control by 9 a.m. Oct. 7.
The gunmen could be seen inspecting the injured and bloodied women as they called them “dogs” and ordered them to pose for photos with their assailants.
Levy could be seen with blood smeared across her face as she pleaded with the gunmen and told them that she has friends in Gaza.
Another one of the hostages was bleeding profusely from her mouth, with blood also staining her white pajama pants.
All of the women were wearing pajamas, as the base was attacked in the early morning during the Sukkot holiday.
Gilboa, 19, was seen wearing Snoopy pajama pants.
During the heated confrontation, Albag was seen urging the gunmen to find someone who could speak English with her.
The terrorists, however, yell at them to be quiet and sit down, accusing the women of being behind the death of their comrades, who were presumably killed when Hamas overran the base.
After the terrorists stopped for a moment to pray, they could be seen hauling the injured women into the back of a car amid a flurry of gunfire pounding in the background.
Several of the women could be seen limping and having trouble getting to the vehicle, with some of the terrorists shouting at them to leave the bodies of their friends behind.
The final moments of the video show the women packed in the back of the car as dozens of angry screams could be heard while the vehicle drove off.
Albag’s mother, Shira, said it was hard to stomach the video, with families allowed to view an uncensored version before it was released to the public.
Weiss from Monsey Supporting Iran Government |
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the local representative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei are pushing for the execution of Iranian Jew Arvin Nathaniel Ghahremani, the Kurdish Hengaw Organization for Human Rights reported on Wednesday.
Ghahremani, who is being held in the Dizelabad Prison in Kermanshah, was arrested for the killing of Amir Shokri in an incident in which Ghahremani reportedly acted in self-defense. He was set to be executed earlier this week, but his execution was postponed for a month in a last-minute decision on Sunday.
In Iran, the family of a murder victim can choose to accept blood money and grant clemency to the person charged with the murder. The murder of a Muslim and the murder of a non-Muslim are not treated equally by Iranian law. For example, if a non-Muslim kills a Muslim, they are subject to the death penalty unless the family of the victim accepts blood money. But if a Muslim kills a non-Muslim, the law leaves it up to the judge to decide what punishment should be implemented, if any.
According to Hengaw, Habibollah Ghafouri, Khamenei's representative in Kermanshah, and the IRGC's intelligence division have placed pressure on Shokri's family in order to prevent them from accepting a lighter sentence for Ghahremani. The IRGC and Ghafouri are placing this pressure on Shokri's family due to Ghahremani's Jewish faith, according to the report.
Ghahremani is originally from Bukan, a city located north of Kermanshah. Hengaw identified him as a member of the Jewish community of Kurdistan.
The Iranian Jewish community numbers about 8,300.
Several Jews have been executed by the Islamic regime since the revolution in 1979.
This was supposed to be impossible. Rafah became a red line for Mr. Biden on the logic that there was no way to conduct a major operation with all those civilians present. That was the justification for the President’s arms embargo. “We’re walking away from Israel’s ability to wage war in those areas,” he said.
Even as the evacuation got under way, Secretary of State Antony Blinken repeated that Israel had “no credible plan.” National security adviser Jake Sullivan added, “We still believe it would be a mistake to launch a major military operation into the heart of Rafah.”
When the evacuation began to work, the Biden team moved on to criticizing Israeli readiness for the “day after” the main fighting, as if success in Rafah were a foregone conclusion.
Finally, on Tuesday, the Administration falsely claimed credit. “It’s fair to say that the Israelis have updated their plans. They’ve incorporated many of the concerns that we have expressed,” a senior U.S. official told reporters. He also said the Rafah operation might create “opportunities for getting the hostage deal back on track.”
The maneuvering has costs.
“This Administration never supports anything we do until we do it,” a senior Israeli official told us early this month. To win Mr. Biden’s consent, the Israelis first had to advance and succeed. But the delay his opposition caused has dragged out the war to all but Hamas’s detriment.
Rafah remains critical to any day-after plan, since nothing can work if Hamas governs territory with military battalions and controls the Egyptian border. Israel has already discovered 50 tunnels crossing from Rafah into Egypt for smuggling. Once troops finish clearing a buffer zone along the border, Israel can cut off Hamas from Egypt, a key to strangling whatever insurgency may follow.
It’s reasonable to ask what force will control Gaza in the future. But no one else will fight and die to defeat Hamas for Israel, or even to resist it as a civilian power. Certainly not the feeble Palestinian Authority, which wants a power-sharing deal with Hamas in Gaza because otherwise, it knows it would be slaughtered.
Though Israeli liberals won’t like to hear it, Israel probably will need to fill the vacuum in Gaza for a time. Though Israeli right-wingers won’t like to hear it, the purpose would be to make way for local governance. The politics, there and here, explain why it has been easier to pretend there’s no plan at all.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could face immediate arrest if he were to travel to Germany, a senior German official said Wednesday.
Steffen Hebestreit, a senior spokesman for the German government and head of the country’s press information office, responded to questions Wednesday whether Germany would enforce the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court this week against Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
“Of course,” Hebestreit said. “Yes, we abide by the law.”
A day earlier, Israeli Ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor called on Berlin to reject ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, alongside similar warrants for three senior Hamas leaders.
“This is outrageous,” tweeted Prosor. “The German ‘Staatsräson'” – literally “reason for the state,” referring to Germany’s support for Israel’s safety – is now being put to the test—no ifs or buts.”
“This contrasts with the weak statements we hear from some institutions and political actors. The public statement that Israel has the right to self-defense loses credibility if our hands are tied as soon as we defend ourselves.”