Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv niftar at age 102: BDE

Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, the leading rabbi of the Ashkenazi haredi community, died Wednesday afternoon at Jerusalem's Shaarei Zedek Medical Center, aged 102. Elyashiv, one of the leading forces behind the formation of the haredi political parties, had suffered from congestive heart failure and been hospitalized several times in recent years.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu expressed great sorrow at Elyashiv's passing and said that the "nation of Israel has lost a great rabbi, an unmatched and sharp authority."

Rabbi Elyashiv had been in the cardiac intensive care unit of the Jesselson Heart Center under the supervision of cardiology branch head Prof. Dan Tzivoni and his personal physician.

The medical center’s entire 10th floor is dedicated to cardiac care, from diagnosis and treatment to prevention and rehabilitation. Thus the large foyer managed to accommodate the rabbi’s family members who came to pray for him, consult with the medical staff and “stand guard.” But police were needed to keep out curious onlookers and nonrelatives, who reached the main fourth-floor lobby.

Only months ago, Elyashiv – who lived in a modest Mea She’arim apartment – underwent the insertion of a supportive stent in his aorta because of a leak.

During previous hospitalizations, surgery to implant a ventricular support device to strengthen the pumping of his own heart was ruled out because of the patient’s age and condition.

Elyashiv, an only child, was born in Siauliai (Shavel in Yiddish), Lithuania, came to Mandatory Palestine in 1922 when he was 12 years old. He lost his wife, Sheina Chaya, (a daughter of the famed Rabbi Aryeh Levin) in 1994, as well as five of their 12 children; his surviving “children” are in their 70s and even older.

Elyashiv controlled the “Lithuanian” Degel Hatorah political party that, which together with the hassidic Agudat Yisrael party, make up the United Torah Judaism faction in the Knesset. Additionally, Elyashiv, as the leading figure in Lithuanian haredi Jewry, had huge influence over the outlook and stance of the community toward contemporary issues within Israeli society.

He was widely seen as having continued along the same conservative path that was laid out by Degel Hatorah founder Rabbi Elazar Shach, who split from Agudat Yisrael in the late 1980s.

Shach, who died in 2001 at age 103, came to lead the Lithuanian, or non-hassidic, haredi world and opposed haredi integration within Israeli society, such as service in the army and integration in the workforce.

Elyashiv, on the other hand, having less charisma and dynamism than Shach, had sought to preserve the established order and has opposed what some refer to as the “new haredim,” those from a small but growing community who serve in the IDF and have joined the mainstream labor force.

There are two leading haredi figures who may succeed Elyashiv as the spiritual and political leader of the Lithuanian community: Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman, who lives in Bnei Brak and heads the Ponovitz Yeshiva kollel; and Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach, who lives in Jerusalem, heads the Maalot Hatorah yeshiva and is the son of Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, who was the greatest haredi arbiter of Jewish law before his death in 1995.

Shach, in the years before he died, unofficially designated Elyashiv as his heir apparent, overlooking Shteinman, who is now 97.

Shteinman is seen as slightly more moderate than Elyashiv was, and has supported the Nahal Haredi army battalion set up to enable ultra-Orthodox Jews to serve in the IDF and preserve their lifestyle. He also does not oppose the increasing trend of haredim joining the army and the general workforce.

Auerbach, however, was closer to Elyashiv and more inclined to his conservative outlook, opposing the “new haredim” and seeking to preserve the old order. He is charismatic and has many devoted followers.

Need a "pilegesh" a concubine? Rabbi says its ok!

Jerusalem - The Chief Judge of the Jerusalem Rabbinical Court and a Sephardic Rabbi in Israel has ruled that the taking of a concubine is an act that in certain instances is permissible by halacha, the code of Jewish law.

Rabbi Eliyahu Abergel

Rabbi Eliyahu Abergel, a Talmudist who has published dozens of books and thousands of responsa on Jewish law, wrote in his recent publication Divrot Eliyahu (Eliyahu’s Words) that a man prevented from having children, whether because his wife refuses to procreate or because she is unable to, may take a concubine with whom to procreate, because his first wife is “preventing him from building a family and spreading his seed,” adding even that “the concubine may also live with the couple.”

According to some Jewish legal definitions, a concubine is a woman who does not receive a kesuba, or marriage contract, from her husband, emphasizing the difference in social and domestic status between the main wife and the concubine, considered a mistress.

he 64 year old Rabbi Abergel is by no means a fringe voice, holding the title of Chief Judge of the Jerusalem Rabbinical Court and heading the Tzuf Dvash rabbinical school in Jerusalem. Rabbi Abergel was also a previous contender for the title of Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, a position that eventually went to Rabbi Shlomo Amar in 2003.

It is unclear if concubinage is practiced significantly in communities in Israel, or if it will increase based on the new ruling. However, Rabbi Abergel does relate that his ruling had practical implications for a head of a major Jewish institution, who was allowed to take a concubine after learning his first wife could not bear children.

Polygamy in its many forms has been a hotly contested subject of debate in centuries of Jewish law, most notably under the ban instituted by Gershom ben Judah’s synod of circa 1000 CE. The current ruling is specific to those whose childbearing attempts have been frustrated, and is additionally localized to Sephardi Jews, who have divergent legal customs from their Ashkenazi counterparts. Sephardi and Ashkenazi traditions are sufficiently different to necessitate a separate post of Chief Rabbi in Israel for each of the two traditions.

Disney owner boycotts Israeli company Ahava

Remember this the next time you plan a trip to either Disney World or Disney Land

The boycott against Israeli companies reached a new high as American Disney owner announced a boycott against Ahava Products.

The campaign to boycott goods produced in settlements is gaining ground both among the Jews of America and in Israel, where thousands of people have joined Peace Now in a call to challenge a law prohibiting boycotts and avoid buying anything produced east of the Green Line.

Now, the campaign just got a little more lively: Abigail Disney, whose grandfather, Roy O., and uncle Walt Disney founded the entertainment giant that bears his name, has issued a statement this morning defending the boycott of skin care product maker Ahava. The Ahava factory and visitor center is located in Mitzpe Shalem, a settlement about a mile from the western shore of the Dead Sea.

The declaration of Disney, is far from theoretical: She is a principal investor and former vice chairman of the board of Shamrock Holdings Inc., the investment firm founded by her father, Roy E. Disney, which owns about 18.5 percent of Ahava. "Recent evidence from documents of the Israeli Civil Administration showed that Ahava Dead Sea Laboratories clay sources used in their products are from the shores of the Israeli controlled Dead Sea, which is in direct contravention of the provisions of the Hague Regulations and Geneva Conventions prohibiting the exploitation of natural resources from occupied territories, "Disney said in a statement.

"While I always keep my colleagues and co-workers in the highest sense, I cannot in good conscience keep of what is technically the 'looting' of the occupied natural resources and the company is placing a factory in an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank. Due to the complicated legal and financial restrictions I cannot withdraw my investment at this time, but will donate the body of the

investment and profits accrued to me during the term of my participation of the organizations in working to end this illegal exploitation."

This marks the latest achievement of the global campaign against Ahava, entitled "Stealing Beauty".

Since the campaign began in 2009, Ahava was forced to close shop in Covent Garden in London, the loss of its distributor in Japan, was banned by a major retail chain in Norway, and was named specifically in the call conducted last week by the Presbyterian Church to boycott settlement products.

Texting led to Sunday's Thruway crash

A four-car crash that sent nine people to the hospital and tied up traffic in Rockland County for hours was caused by a woman texting while driving, police said Monday.
Nicole Fischman, 22, of Randolph, N.J., was charged with texting while driving, a violation, state police said.
She was driving a white 2006 Honda south on the New York State Thruway shortly before 2 p.m. Sunday. Her car jumped a guardrail between exits 15 and 14B and collided with three other vehicles headed in the opposite direction, police said.
Fischman suffered head and neck injuries. Eight other people, including at least six teenagers and children traveling in the other cars, were injured.
Rescuers said it was a miracle no one was killed.

The crash caused massive delays on the Thruway in both directions on a summer Sunday afternoon, usually a busy time on the roads.
Ramapo police stopped cars from entering the Thruway in Airmont and local roads, including Airmont Road and Route 59, quickly became congested.
The issue of distracted driving — especially among young drivers — is becoming recognized as a significant road hazard.
In 2010, 3,092 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver and an estimated additional 416,000 were injured, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
That same year, 18 percent of crashes involving injuries were tied to distracted drivers, the agency reported.

All victims of Sunday’s crash on the Thruway are expected to recover.
Fischman was taken by ambulance to Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, N.J.
One of the cars she struck was occupied by a Staten Island mother and her three sons, police said.
All were taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern for treatment of injuries described as not life-threatening.
A second car was occupied by a man driving his three grandchildren from Monsey to Monroe. The grandfather suffered a possible concussion.
He and the three children were taken by Hatzolah Ambulance to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla.
A third car was damaged, but the driver was not injured.

Vos Iz Neias calls Ami Magazine's editorial that called for violence against bloggers,"discusting!"

Here is Vos Iz Neias's article on Frankfurter's crazy convoluted editorial:

With due respect, I would like to take issue with Rabbi Yitzchok Frankfurter’s recent editorial (Ami Magazine p. 8 July 11, 2012) regarding religious vigilantism, Jewish history, and bloggers.  Rabbi Frankfurter has distinguished himself as a highly intelligent thinker on the Jewish scene, with a sensitivity to the Torah’s values on some very important issues that have arisen in our community.

Nonetheless, it is my feeling that he has taken an incorrect position in this editorial on the issue of recent acts of religiously motivated vigilantism that have been highlighted in the media, primarily in Israel, but even here in New York.

Rabbi Frankfurter writes, “contrary to what some bloggers might think, religious vigilantism over Jewish history was not an altogether negative phenomenon.”

Perhaps I may be wrong, but my understanding of the term “vigilantism” involves three essential elements:

1] The taking of the law into one’s hands rather than that of the true enforcers of the law.

 2) Doing so without due process to the vigilante’s target

3] Doing so according to one’s own, often limited, understanding of the law.

All three of these elements fit neither within the framework of secular law, nor l’havdil within the framework of Halacha.  And all three set a very dangerous precedent.

The clear-cut Talmudic view of the inherent harm and danger of vigilantism can be seen from the Maharsha’s explanation of the Gemorah in Bava Kamma (117b), where Rav Kahana took vigilante action against an informer (Moser).  The Gemorah describes it as an incorrect action that required Kaparah - atonement on his part.   Why?  The Maharsha explains, because he performed this action out of vigilantism.  Other Achronim understand this Gemorah in the same fashion.

Vigilantism is wrong - period. 

As far as the sources Rabbi Frankfurter cites, we will address them at the end of the essay.

Rabbi Frankfurter goes on state that “zealotry has played an important role in Jewish life, especially when the Jews were unable to maintain judicial autonomy..” and “When the political-legal reality made it impossible for the existence of an autonomous Jewish group with its own judicial autonomy, the Jewish community inevitably had to turn to a form of zealous vigilantism to implement its norms and dictates.”

Once again, one can differ strongly – this time from the point of view of Jewish history.  Throughout the dark chapters of Jewish history in Europe, whenever the need arose, the Jewish community has always attempted to resolve such issues through the proper channel of Beis Din.  A reading of the Takanos of the Vaad Arba Aratzos would show that, in fact, Jewish leaders never resorted to extra-legal vigilantism and never abdicated their role to zealots.  The responsa literature is filled with halachic rulings rendered by Batei Dinim, and those rulings were implemented by Shluchei Beis Din, messengers of Beis Din.  This was true in Sephardic countries as well.

Were there times that people resorted to other means?  Of course. But these were not, by any standard, our finest moments.  Jewish leaders have always decried a state of affairs where people take the law into their own hands.  The Maharsha cited above lived in Europe and reflect the thinking of our leaders at this time.

Rabbi Frankfurter seems to buttress his last quote with a citation of Rabbi Shlomo Luria in his Yam Shel Shlomo (BK 3:9).  To this, there are three responses.

Firstly, Rabbi Luria is not at all discussing a reality where there are constraints upon Jewish judicial autonomy.  The Maharshal lived in Brisk and Lublin in the mid sixteenth century.  Jewish self-autonomous rule was at its height.  Therefore, there is no justification for this quote here.

Secondly, Rav Luria’s position in regard to administering corporeal punishment on one’s own is an opinion that has been dismissed by the Raavad (Hilchos Ishus Chapter 24), the Teshuvas Maharam MiRottenberg, and numerous halachic authorities throughout the centuries.

Thirdly, even Rabbi Luria qualifies his position in that very same section of the Yam Shel Shlomo with the following caveat, “And this is only for someone who is muchzak b’kashrus, and is known that he acts for the sake of heaven.  And he is an important and well known individual.  But a general person cannot do so.  For if so, no creature would ever be able to live.  For every empty person will go and strike his friend regarding a matter of reproach, for there is not a righteous man that lives who does not sin.  And the Torah only gave permission for corporeal punishment to a judge or important person, whose words are worthy to be listened to.”

Time and time again, “zealots” have been proven not to rise to Rav Luria’s idyllic description, have not had the greatest Yiras Shamayim, and more times than not, have had personal agendas.  The majority of modern-day zealots are unlearned and often are at the lowest standards of decency.  Thus, we find that the greatest of our Poskim have had Domino’s pizza delivered to their doors at 2:00 AM by the actions of these “zealots” and Kanayim, and have had lies and pamphlets distributed surreptitiously about them. I recall once reading a fake newspaper distributed at a prominent Minyan factory in Borough Park where one of our Gedolei HaPoskim had “tried to commit suicide” but failed.

Rabbi Frankfurter continues his essay by decrying the loss of “the protective shield that vigilantism once provided.”

It must be clearly understood that “vigilantism” was never a protective shield.  It has always undermined the notion of law and order and is antithetical to one of the principal notions of the seven Noachide laws – the establishment of a legal system.  Indeed, even the killing of Zimri by Pinchas, as Rabbi Frankfurter paradoxically points out, was not an act of vigilantism – the Halacha itself clearly dictates that Kanaim Pogim Bo is part of the Torah’s system of jurisprudence.

Vigilantism is wrong because the Torah gave specific instructions to judges on how to judge.  “Shamoah Bain Acheichem” – listen amongst your brethren (Dvarim 1:16).  Judges are adjured to make sure that both parties dress equally – if one side is too poor to afford the clothing, we dress him accordingly.  Why?  So that the Torah’s sense of fairness will reign supreme and that no judge show a bias to one side because of his inability to dress properly.  When a vigilante applies his own sense of justice, without due process, these Torah laws and ideals are undermined.

Although the Charles Bronsons and Clint Eastwoods of the world may have fashioned and shaped an appeal to vigilantism among American culture, these notions are entirely foreign to Torah thought.  As Rav Elyashiv has consistently pointed out, we Torah Jews do things in a Beis Din and not on our own (Shiur on BM 113a).  The verse in Dvarim (17:11) states quite clearly, “Al pi haTorah asher yorucha – according to the Torah that they shall teach” – this refers to the Beis Din – not to one’s own individual feelings about how things ought to be.  This is what we must follow and we must sway “neither to the right nor to the left.”

The type of thinking that encourages vigilantism has allowed for things to happen in Torah communities r”l – that should never have happened.  The near killing of a man and his family in New Square happened because such an attitude toward vigilantism was tolerated.  The incidents that happened on Herzog Street in Beit Shemesh, the beating up of individuals in Meah Shearim, the kidnapping and threat of murder in New Jersey to a husband who has not given a get, all of these horrific things happen because of the warped and incorrect attitude that exists toward vigilantism.

Rabbi Frankfurter ends his piece with the statement that, “Nonetheless, then as now there was a schism between the Torah’s view of the zealot’s action and those of the people.”

With the words “as now” Rabbi Frankfurter would have us believe that those who look askance at the tragedy that happened in New Square, at the violence in Meah Shearim, and at the extreme fanaticism in Beit Shemesh against an eight year old girl and her mother, are on par with those individuals that initially found fault with Pinchas.

Not only is this type of thinking incorrect, but, the truth is that we should all be looking at such vigilantism with a sense of disgust and anathema.

Rav Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler zt”l (in Michtav M’Eliyahu Vol. II p. 548) explains that in the time of Yehoshua, all of Israel was punished with the loss at the battle of Ai, even though it was only one member of the entire nation of Israel that had actually sinned.  Why then was the entire nation punished?  Rav Dessler explains that it was because they did not look with anathema at anyone who might violate the command of Yehoshua not to touch the spoils of war.

This all proves that attitudes do matter.  They matter greatly.

It is somewhat ironic that Rabbi Frankfurter, whose own Ami magazine has unfairly suffered from a form of vigilantism in the banning of Ami Magazine in Williamsburg, has advocated and applauded the taking of the law into one’s own hands.

An op-ed that lauds vigilantism as a positive ideal is, at best, grossly irresponsible.  At worst, it can and has been the cause of some very serious devastation.  In the past, Ami Magazine and its editorial staff have been brave enough to admit error and have retracted articles, even in the recent past, a front cover.  This is something courageous and almost unprecedented by news magazines.  I hope that Hashem will give them the strength to do so once again.

The author can be reached at yairhoffman2@gmail.com 

Rabbi Yair Hoffman, is an an Orthodox Rabbi and educator, author of several Seforim on Halachah and a former Morah Desarah of a Shul in Long Island, Rav Hoffman is a well respected Torah figure with close contacts with many leading halachic authorities.

40 Jewish "leaders" don't want Jews living in Judea and Samaria!

What a Chutzpah! Jews advocating that parts of Israel be "Judenrein"
Read the following appalling story from the Associated Press!

Dozens of American Jewish leaders and scholars have made a rare appeal to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, asking him to make sure his government rejects a controversial report that denies Israel is occupying the West Bank.


 In a letter to Netanyahu, more than 40 prominent Jewish figures predicted the report authored by former Supreme Court Justice Edmond Levy would tarnish Israel's image and jeopardize prospects for peace with the Palestinians."We recognize and regret that the Palestinian Authority has abdicated leadership by not returning to the negotiating table," they wrote in the letter, obtained Monday by The Associated Press.
"Nonetheless, our great fear is that the Levy Report will not strengthen Israel's position in this conflict, but rather, add fuel to those who seek to delegitimize Israel's right to exist."


Signatories included businessmen and philanthropists Charles Bronfman and Stanley Gold, the former head of the Israel lobby in Washington, Tom Dine, and former Jewish Agency board chairman Richard Pearlstone. Another signatory, Rabbi Daniel Gordis of the Shalem Institute think tank in Jerusalem, said the question was not whether Levy's legal opinion was correct.
"The question is whether or not it is wise for Israel at this particular juncture to take a stand which would appear to most people to be the equivalent of annexing the West Bank," making Israel appear to be the obstructionist party in peace 
efforts, Gordis told The Associated Press.


The Levy report, written by a committee with pro-settler sympathies and released last week, reaffirmed Israel's longstanding position that the West Bank is not occupied territory and therefore Israel has the legal right to settle it.
That position is at odds with the international consensus that settlements are illegitimate and an obstacle to peace. Israel captured the West Bank, now home to some 2.5 million Palestinians, from Jordan in 1967. It contends there is no sovereign power there because Jordan's 1948 annexation of the West Bank was not internationally recognized, and the Hashemite kingdom renounced all claims to the territory in 1988. Israel never annexed the territory. 
The Palestinians and most of the international community say the West Bank was under Jordanian control when it was captured and is not Israeli territory, meaning it is occupied land. "We are confident that with your deep understanding of the gravity of this situation, and your unprecedented political strength, you will ensure that adoption of this report does not take place," the letter said. Netanyahu has said he would bring the report's conclusions to a special forum that would decide whether to adopt them.If endorsed by the government, the recommendations could give Netanyahu ammunition to support new settlement activity and fend off pressure from a Supreme Court that has ordered the government to take action against unauthorized settlement enclaves. Jewish settlements are at the heart of a 3-year-old deadlock in Mideast peace efforts.Palestinians view the West Bank as the heartland of a future state. They see all settlement construction as cementing Israel's hold on the territory and say they will not resume negotiations until the building is frozen, something Israel has refused to do.

Frankfurter from Ami Magazine call on Jews to commit violence against Bloggers!

 Yitzchok Frankfurter

Yes its true, Yitzchok Frankfurter, the editor of Ami Magazine, who is on a mission to re-write Satmar History and cover up the violent history of Satmar, advocates violence on the bloggers in this weeks issue July 11, 2012! This moron goes on to quote a Yam Shel Shlomo that quotes a Terumas Hadeshen "that any Jew may hit another Jew to prevent him from sinning." 
Frankfurter a Satmar backer, that settle their differences thru violence, would love to see "zealous vigilantism." 
He continues:
"the vigilantism of Pinchos celebrated in this week's Torah reading is a case in point." 
Its interesting to note that Pinchos was not chosen as the future leader of Klall Yisroel because of his "zealotry." According to ALL present day poiskim "Zealotry" must meet many conditions and therefore can no longer be practised in the here and now.
The hypocrite has no problem asking his naive readers to download his magazine on ..... (YES you read it here first) ....
the Internet and on the smart phone.
The "Holy" Ami Magazine openly defies the Takanois of the Asifa that prohibited the Internet, with advertising his E-magazine!

All New Matisyahu! Video

Matisyahu the famous singer has inspired many people with his songs. 

Matisyahu has gone from being a secular Jew to an Ultra Orthodox Jew with a beard and kippa, now he is back to being secular. 

In this video he talks about the change he has gone through. He is still searching for the perfect path that he will feel completely comfortable with.

Nazi who murdered 15,700 Hungarian Jews living quietly in Budapest!

He is 97 years old but he was unable to flee justice forever.

The world's most wanted Nazi war criminal that helped send 15,700 Jews to their deaths in Auschwitz has been spotted by the British News media, The Sun.

Sadistic Ladislaus Csizsik-Csatary, 97, was a police commander in charge of a Jewish ghetto in Kassa, Hungary, during World War II.

He took pleasure in beating women with a whip he carried on his belt, according to documents discovered by the Nazi hunters, Simon Wiesenthal Center in Jerusalem.

Csizsik-Csatary also forced Jews to dig trenches in frozen ground with their hands, forced dissident Jews to take stress positions for hours, beat Jews with a lead dog and oversaw a policy of shoot at sight if they tried to escape.

He fled Kassa now renamed Kosice, Slovakia after the victory of the Allies and was sentenced to death for war crimes in his absence, in Czechoslovakia in 1948.

But Csizsik-Csatary created a new identity, appearing as an art dealer in Canada.
When his cover was blown in Canada in 1997 his citizenship was revoked and the government began building a case against him. He fled before the deportation papers could be served.

For 15 years his whereabouts were a mystery.

However, a team of The Sun tracked him down to a two bedroom apartment in an upscale district of Budapest, Hungary.

Researchers were given details of where to look by the Wiesenthal Center.

The human rights organization had given a tip after the launch of Operation Last Chance, designed to bring World War Two Nazis to justice before they die.

Once The Sun team found Csizsik-Csatary they were able to establish that he was a Nazi collaborator,  the number one on the list of most wanted by the Wiesenthal Center.

The team Confronted him at his apartment where he had been living quietly among families that do not know his chilling past.

Csizsik-Csatary, speaking English with a Canadian accent after decades living in Montreal and Toronto, opened the door only in socks and underpants. When asked about his Nazi past he just said “go away” and slammed the door.

Muslim Clerics call for the demolition of Egypt's Great Pyramids

According to several reports in the Arabic media, prominent Muslim clerics have begun to call for the demolition of Egypt’s Great Pyramids—or, in the words of Saudi Sheikh Ali bin Said al-Rabi‘i, those “symbols of paganism,” which Egypt’s Salafi party has long planned to cover with wax. 

  Most recently, Bahrain’s “Sheikh of Sunni Sheikhs” and President of National Unity, Abd al-Latif al-Mahmoud, called on Egypt’s new president, Muhammad Morsi, to “destroy the Pyramids and accomplish what the Sahabi Amr bin al-As could not.”

This is a reference to the Muslim Prophet Muhammad’s companion, Amr bin al-As and his Arabian tribesmen, who invaded and conquered Egypt circa 641.  Under al-As and subsequent Muslim rule, many Egyptian antiquities were destroyed as relics of infidelity.  While most Western academics argue otherwise, according to early Muslim writers, the great Library of Alexandria itself—deemed a repository of pagan knowledge contradicting the Koran—was destroyed under bin al-As’s reign and in compliance with Caliph Omar’s command.

However, while book-burning was an easy activity in the 7^th century, destroying the mountain-like pyramids and their guardian Sphinx was not—even if Egypt’s Medieval Mamluk rulers “de-nosed” the latter during target practice (though popular legend still attributes it to a Westerner, Napoleon).

Now, however, as Bahrain’s “Sheikh of Sheikhs” observes, and thanks to modern technology, the pyramids can be destroyed.  The only question left is whether the Muslim Brotherhood president of Egypt is “pious” enough—if he is willing to complete the Islamization process that started under the hands of Egypt’s first Islamic conqueror.

Nor is such a course of action implausible.  History is laden with examples of Muslims destroying their own pre-Islamic heritage—starting with Islam’s prophet Muhammad himself, who destroyed Arabia’s Ka‘ba temple, transforming it into a mosque.

Asking “What is it about Islam that so often turns its adherents against their own patrimony?” Daniel Pipes provides several examples, from Medieval Muslims in India destroying their forefathers’ temples, to contemporary Muslims destroying their non-Islamic heritage in Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Malaysia, and Tunisia.

Obama excludes Israel from counter-terrorism forum! Unbelievable

Maria Otero

Despite pleas from Senators on Capitol Hill, the Obama administration excluded Israel from a new counterterrorism forum and neglected to mention its long and deadly struggle with terrorism during remarks presented yesterday in Spain.

Maria Otero, the State Department’s Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, delivered a speech entitled “Victims of Terrorism” before 29 members of the Global Counterterrorism Forum, an coalition of countries—not including Israel—that collectively combat terror.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sparked a controversy in June when she announced the coalition’s formation and neglected to include Israel on a list of countries that perpetually struggle with terror attacks. It is widely believed that Israel was overlooked as a member due to the opposition of Turkey, which has increasingly been at odds with the Jewish state.

Congressional sources and regional experts say that the Obama administration is intentionally downplaying Israel’s struggle with terrorism in order to appease and gain the cooperation of Arab nations that are often hostile to the Jewish state.

A congressional source told the Free Beacon Tuesday that the State Department confirmed to inquiring members of Congress that Israel was in fact excluded from the conference.

“The State Department told us that only the 29 original member countries were involved—and that means no Israel,” said the source.

During yesterday’s gathering, Israel was also excluded again from a list of nations recognized by the U.S. for their efforts to deal with terrorism.

“Last September at the official launch of the Global Counterterrorism Forum, I had the privilege to introduce the premiere of a film ‘Hear their Voices’, which tells the stories of eleven survivors of terrorist attacks from Pakistan, Jordan, Northern Ireland, Uganda, Turkey, Indonesia, India, Spain, Columbia, and the United States,” Otero said before the gathering of nations.

“The film, which was produced by the Global Survivors Network, is a powerful plea for audiences around the world, especially those sympathetic to the grievances expressed by extremists, to recognize the human cost of terrorism and I am delighted that our Spanish hosts are planning on showing this film here later this afternoon,” she added.

Experts say the omission of Israel was intentional.

“When the administration promised to include Israel in the counterterrorism forum that the United States founded—after Jerusalem’s inexplicable exclusion from the initial meeting a month ago—one would think they would be true to their word,” said Josh Block, a Democratic strategist and former spokesman for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. “Clearly someone failed here.  How Israel could be excluded from another meeting of an anti-terror forum that we chair is beyond comprehension, especially one that focuses on victims of terrorism.”

“At a time when Romney is challenging the administration’s record on U.S.-Israel relations, this error stands out,” he added.

“What we’re seeing is a trend of Israel being left out of the global discussion on terrorism, while Israel was extremely helpful during the beginning stages of this conversation,” said Jonathan Schanzer, vice president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “The [Obama] administration is downplaying the struggle that Israel has been enduring.”

“I believe to a certain extent, this is due to regional politics, and it’s disconcerting to see this change,” said Schanzer, who pointed out that Israel is the leading authority on strategies to combat terrorism. “It just looks like a quiet effort to downplay the issue.”

The State Department stonewalled reporters who inquired about the issue during yesterday’s daily briefing.

“This is a conference about victims of terrorism. And I’m curious to know why [Otero] doesn’t mention Israel or Israelis in her comments talking about victims of terrorism,”asked AP reporter Matthew Lee. “Does the administration believe that Israel and Israelis specifically have been victims of terrorism?

“I don’t have the details of the Under Secretary’s speech,” responded a State Department spokesperson, who later promised to seek further details on the matter.

TV Program "Chopped" features Gefilta Fish!

Police investigating death of frum "schnorrer" Video

Homicide detectives are investigating the mysterious death of an Orthodox Jewish man who begged for money outside synagogues, even though his massive collection of vintage TV photos was said to be worth millions of dollars.

55 year old Howard Frank was discovered floating face down in the Gowanus Canal on June 29th, a couple of days after he was last seen outside the Landau shul on Avenue “L” in Flatbush.

“I actually think he was murdered,” said shul regular, Aaron Farrell, when PIX 11 met him outside the synagogue on Friday.  “He was always nervous the last few weeks.  He was saying he owed $80,000 to someone and he was supposed to meet him.”

The money was apparently owed for Bensonhurst storage fees to house Howard Frank’s huge collection of one million photos ….of TV stars from the 1950’s to the 1990’s.  He had ten thousand pictures of the late comedienne, Lucille Ball, and used to license them to magazines and other publications.  He started collecting when he was 18, but his business took a “downturn” after the9/11 terror attacks hurt the economy.  Still,  Frank was trying to find ways to digitize his collection.

On Wednesday night, June 27th, other members of the Landau synagogue noticed Frank left much earlier than usual.  His business partner of recent years, Frank Pohole, told PIX 11 that Howard Frank never made it home to Sunset Park, where Pohole had given the collector a place to sleep.  Pohole was operating the website, Personality Photos.com, that sought to sell Howard Frank’s collection to serious bidders, if they were willing to offer “eight digits”.  Those offering anything less were told to not bother contacting the site. 

According to Howard Frank’s estranged brother, Reuven, acquaintances of Howard’s later said the troubled collector was telling them, “People were after him.  They wanted to kill him.”

Some believe Howard Frank committed suicide, because he was evicted from his apartment several years ago, didn’t have a job, and owed money.

When we reached Frank Pohole on the phone Friday, we asked him about a document Howard Frank signed about a week before his death,  putting a “lien” for $78,000 on his photo collection, in the event he died.  This was to cover the storage fees he accumulated over the last, few years.

“Don’t you think it’s curious the timing of him signing this, and then he’s dead a week later?” PIX 11 asked Pohole.

Pohole responded, “Well, there were a lot of other things in Howard’s life he never told me about.”

Pohole suggested that Howard Frank was sharing information about Brooklyn’s Satmar Hasidic community with others, and this could have angered some people.

“Howard kept a lot of things to himself,” Pohole told PIX 11.  The business partner said he was cooperating fully with detectives from the 72nd Precinct in Brooklyn and “I told them what I knew.”

When we asked Pohole about the “eight figures” he wanted, before selling the collection, he responded, “You start high, then you work your way somewhere else.”

Howard Frank’s collection contained publicity shots from famous series like “Bewitched”, “Gilligan’s Island,” and “The Partridge Family.”  He also had pictures of film stars like Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart.

Reuven Frank said his brother’s begging—and his photo collection—sometimes helped Frank Pohole pay bills.  “He told me he was paying this guy’s property taxes,” Reuven Frank said.

Frank Pohole acknowledged that was the case, at times.  He answered all the questions PIX 11 put to him freely.

Howard Frank’s body was prepared for burial by an Orthodox Jewish group, without his brother being consulted, and the family later contacted Shmarya Rosenberg at FailedMessiah.com, hoping to expand the investigation.  Rosenberg wrote a lengthy article about the case, speaking to PIX 11 on Friday.  Regarding reports that Howard Frank was troubled and suffering from some kind of mental illness, Rosenberg noted, “Most mentally ill people don’t commit suicide.”

Howard Frank had never threatened suicide, according to his brother and sister-in –law.  “He wouldn’t kill himself,” said Barbara Frank.  “He was eccentric, but he wouldn’t kill himself.”

Yet Frank sensed he was going to die, in the days before he turned up in the Gowanus Canal.  “He was saying good-bye to friends and telling them, ‘nice knowing you,’” his brother said.

Islamists throw man out of window! These are the "people" that the world want Israel to deal with! Video

There is no other way to describe it. It is plain and simple.

Radical Islamists are the most cruel and inhumane people roaming the planet. The sooner the west will win the war on Islamic terror the sooner the world will once again become a more peaceful place.

A video posted on YouTube's website seems to show the Islamists throwing a man to his death, after forcing him out from a third floor window in Syria.

According to the site, the cameraman says, "This is what happens to all traitors who support the  

police or Shabbiha Syrian government militia." The man, identified as Wael Abu Rashid, is shouting, "In God's name, no," as he is forced out of the window.

The video was shot last week in a block of flats in Nabk, 80 kilometers north of Damascus. Both parties to the conflict have been slammed by human rights organizations for abuses, including torture.